Chapter Forty-Three
Presentation Day
Vivian met Xavier’s eyes and could see her own shell-shocked horror reflected back in his expression. She had no idea what to do now.
Fortunately, August took charge. He gestured to the Arcadian soldiers who’d arrived with him.
“Send for a coroner to prep the Secretary to lie in state.” His eyes snagged on Xavier’s bloody leg.
“And get a medic in here. We’ll deal with the bodies after the counselors and Red Mothers are evacuated. ”
The soldier bowed. “Yes, Acting Secretary.”
“Is it safe to come down?” one of the Martians called from where they still congregated at the top of the chamber.
August stared without expression around the room for a moment before visibly gathering himself. “Safe enough.”
Vivian didn’t know where to put her eyes. There were bodies filling the entire floor of the Council chamber and now that she had the opportunity to pay attention, the rank stench of death was overwhelming. She was still holding the greatsword, she realized. Her bloody hands were clutching the hilt.
“Wait,” she ordered the counselors slowly moving down the aisle. Without meaning to, she lifted the sword. They immediately froze. “I was interrupted before.”
“Put the sword down, for goodness’ sake, Vivian,” August snapped. “The fight is over.”
Xavier placed one bloody hand on August’s arm. “Miss Bowen is responsible for many of those fallen men, cousin. She’s earned the right to hold that sword.”
August’s mouth gaped as he looked from the bodies to Vivian. She lifted her chin and met his eyes. Later, she’d have time to process what had happened. The death she was capable of inflicting. Not now. “Things are going to change around here. Today.”
“This is not the appropriate time to discuss this, Vivian,” Wim said in his high, reedy voice as he resumed walking down the steps.
Luz came to stand beside Vivian. “Wim baby, this is exactly the time.”
“Discuss what, exactly?” August asked.
Several counselors began talking at once, stepping around the bodies on the chamber floor to gather around August. Theo moved to sweep Camille in an embrace, and Wim pulled Luz to his side and pressed his forehead against hers.
The Martians kept a wary distance from Vivian and her sword as their voices rose in argument.
“Enough!” Vivian shouted. Seeing the frightened looks around her, she reluctantly lowered the sword and let the tip touch the ground.
“I know you all thought this would go differently. You thought if you recruited desperate American women, pliable women, we wouldn’t challenge the system you’d built.
You thought women who are used to being treated with contempt and sexual violence, who have been told for our whole lives that our bodies don’t matter, our desires don’t matter, and our dreams don’t matter, would be so grateful to you that we would happily give up control of our futures.
” Vivian shook with anger. But it felt so different from the helpless, small rage she’d always known.
Now, she knew what power tasted like. “Enough,” she repeated in a softer tone.
“Give me my freedom. Over my body. Over my future. Now.”
“What is it that you are asking for, Vivian?” Ren’s steady eyes held only respect, not fear.
What did she want? Her brain was so muddled with images of gore and death. What had she wanted this morning? She took a deep breath. “I want each of us to be able to withdraw from the Red Mothers initiative at any point. Without needing to return payments already received.”
“Withdraw?” Theo frowned, one arm tight around Camille’s shoulders. “But the Red Mothers are carrying our children.”
“We decide.” Camille pulled back from Theo’s embrace. “Vivian’s right. Enough is enough. We just killed a bunch of trained soldiers with our bare hands. Y’all will listen to us.”
“But Camille …” Theo’s voice cracked. “I love you. I want a family with you. A life.”
A single tear tracked down Camille’s blood-stained face. “I love you, too. But I can’t take the pain. It’s too much.”
“You speak of the calcium treatments?” Caspian asked.
At her nod, he exchanged a glance with August. “I recommend further study into their efficacy independent from Dr. Chavez and her team.” He pressed one fist to his forehead.
“Forgive me, Intelligence, but independent from you as well.” The Intelligence, bobbing near August’s shoulder, beeped at this.
“I offer the services of the Hayes Community Hospital for this endeavor.”
“What are you saying?” Camille demanded.
“I’m saying we should cease all calcium treatments until we’ve had time for an independent evaluation of their effectiveness and a full analysis of the side effects.”
“Very well,” August said. “Arrangements can be made. Now, let’s get out of this room and let the soldiers tend to the dead.”
“Not yet,” Vivian said. “I want out. Today.” She looked around at the other women. Some were clutching tightly to their partners, others stood in a clump together. “Each of us decides for herself.”
“This is ridiculous.” A woman pushed through the crowd to step up to Vivian.
Mitzi King. Vivian instinctively raised the greatsword.
She hadn’t realized Mitzi was in the Council chamber.
But, of course, she was here. She was the Council Minister of the Treasury, after all.
“My colleagues, we are the Founding Families. Our ancestors had the foresight to see Earth’s doom and to establish a society here.
We are the product of their grit, bravery, and intelligence.
We have earned the right to populate Mars.
If we grant these demands, we may as well give up our entire system of governance. ”
“Delilah could have been happy with you, Minister King,” Vivian said softly. “But you drove her away. And unfortunately, she trusted the wrong person to rescue her from you. Now, the baby you might have made with my sister is gone.”
Mitzi paled. “What?”
“It’s over, Mitzi. Find someone else, if you can, but you will not be having any children with my sister.”
August cleared his throat. “Vivian, we need to vote before we can make any permanent change. And I’m reluctant to resume the session today.”
Behind the rest of them, Xavier sat on an undamaged chair as a medic finished wrapping his injured leg. “No vote is required, Acting Secretary. The Red Mothers initiative was established as an executive action by our aunt.”
August absorbed the information with only a slight tightening around his lips.
“Let’s talk about this privately, August,” the Intelligence urged. “There’s a lot to consider.”
“Before we were interrupted, Acting Secretary,” Caspian murmured. “Miss Bowen was making a compelling argument that the Red Mothers initiative is a form of human trafficking in violation of Article VI of the Charter of the Planet Mars. I urge you to grant her demands.”
August jerked his head at that and looked to Xavier, who merely raised his eyebrows.
“If your first move as Acting Secretary is to give in to the pressure of a ragtag group of Earther refugees, you will not be Acting Secretary for long,” Mitzi King snapped.
August closed his eyes and then opened them. “Very well. Here is my decision: Any Red Mother who wishes to withdraw from the program may do so today without financial consequence. Tomorrow, I will establish a committee to review the Red Mothers initiative and make further recommendations.”
“This is a mistake,” Mitzi growled.
“That may be, but as Constance Yarrow’s heir, it’s mine to make.”
Vivian let the greatsword fall to the floor.
It was done. Now, finally, she wanted to sink to the ground and weep.
Camille grabbed her and gave her a fierce and unexpected embrace.
Other women joined in the hug, placing their hands on her back and shoulders.
Through the sea of limbs, Vivian found Xavier’s eyes.
He stood apart from her and the other women, his red-streaked face heavy with pain and grief. Bowing to her, he murmured, “You did it. Vivian, you’re free.”
And then he turned and limped away from her. Leaving the chamber.
Leaving her.