Crowns and Guns.

Storm (part 3)

The moment I touch the stone, as expected, the library disappears and I find myself in a black void. I can still feel myself standing barefooted on the stone floor, and I can still see and feel my wet dress sticking to my skin. I suddenly rethink my plan. Whoever this stone will connect me to, maybe they don't appreciate me looking like I just took a shower with my clothes on. What will they think? Imagine they think I wasted water. I would never overcome that embarrassment.

Before me, the black void shapes into a woman. She seems to be sitting, but the black void does not reveal what kind of furniture. She looks in her sixties, with long grey hair and blue eyes, and is wearing a grey three-piece suit. Her face is decorated with horned glasses.

She looks at me eyes wide, her mouth open. She carefully stands up and extends her arms as if she is trying to keep her balance. She looks at me, bewildered.

"What the hell is going on?" She asks.

I step forward.

"Who are you?"

She crosses her arms. "I am Macy Caruso, fifty-second President of the United States. And I demand you tell me where the hell I am!"

I sigh. "You are still in the same place you were a moment ago. The messaging stone just makes it look like you are in a black void."

"Oh." She sits back down. "Damn, elves. They promised to never use it. Guess you can't trust them. I figure you are one of the people from the Overgrown City's military base. The elves cannot use the stone directly, so they send you. Is that it?"

I take another step forward. "How are you, alive? I thought all the human empires were destroyed, and that the base was our last refuge."

She laughs. "You silly girl. The United States of America is the most powerful Empire in the world. It will never be destroyed. No. The elves might have destroyed all the human settlements on your side of the portal, but all the humans on Earth are just fine."

I look at her, not knowing what to say.

She continues. "You really thought ORCHID materialised all your supplies out of thin air?" She scoffs. "No, we spend millions each year to supply your little military base with, clothes, food, shoes, water, you name it."

"Wait," I say, trying to connect the dots. "So the overgrown city is on the Elven planet. And the human planet is just, fine? And the portal is inside of the base? Inside ORCHID?"

She nods. "Exactly."

"So, why are we defending the base then? Why not just, evacuate the humans back to Earth and close the portal? Sealing the elves away."

She scoffs. "Our scientists are unsure if they can reopen the portal after we close it. And what then? Then we miss out on all that fertile land. Not even considering the so-called magic that exists in that dimension, and not in ours. Think of the possible applications of that. No. The lands of the other world are supposed to be settled and cultivated by humans. It is our destiny as a species to spread over as many dimensions as possible. To colonise the multiverse."

I cross my arms. "If that is true, why are we defending the portal with a skeleton crew? Where is the big military? The human settlers."

The president shrugs. "We are currently fighting a war on earth, so our budget mainly is allocated to that. But fear not. The moment we have crushed the last few countries who still oppose us, and united the world under America's rule, we will have the manpower and budget to invade the other world. The invasion will be swift, and efficient. I just need you, and the others at your base, to defend the portal for the time being so the elves don't destroy it."

I feel tears streaming down my face. "People suffer every day in the base. Half of them are children. Children die! Not only to the elves but also to the toxins. It makes you rot from the inside out."

The president nods. "I know. And we thank them for their service. Tell them their deaths are not in vain. It will eventually help the citizens of the United States to prosper. I can't imagine a nobler goal than that."

I ignore her. "And the elves. They have feelings too! They can feel love, and pain, and fear. They suffer as much, if not more, than the humans."

She laughs. "There is something you need to understand about politics. My voters do not give a single shit about children, human or elven, suffering or dying on some faraway planet. And therefore, I don't care either. We will conquer the other world, and my country will enrich itself with its resources. The economy will flourish so much that I am guaranteed to be re-elected. And there is nothing you can do about it."

I feel rage coursing through my veins and snap. "You are willing to let millions of people and elves suffer and die, just for the profit? You are evil!"

The president laughs. "Look, I don't expect an uneducated settler girl like you to understand the intricacies of American politics. Just tell that miscreant of an elf that sent you that the United States does not negotiate with terrorists. So just, drop the stone and end this magic call. This conversation is over."

I drop the stone and am transported back to the elven lair.

Star looks at me. "So, how did it go."

I smile. "I decided I do want to team up with you. We are gonna close the portal, and seal the humans away for good in their original world."