Chapter 36 of 89 · Book 7, This Inevitable Ruin

Chapter 36 — Orren's zero zone

Book: This Inevitable Ruin · Part: The Ramp-Up · Previous: Chapter 35 — Volteeg; the dwarves' tunnel · Next: Chapter 37 — Growler Gary, and Princess Formidable's four choices · Floor: Floor 9 — Faction Wars · Series: the series

Opening

I slammed heavily into the chair.

Summary

Carl lands in Orren's silent office covered in a king's blood; a framed painting of Astrid hangs in the new wood-panelled hall. He is glad Rust and Hortense are dead and unsteady that neither death was his — a feeling like Shi Maria's control — and proud of Rosetta: 'Killing Rust had been her right.' Orren, back turned, is arguing with someone unseen: the money is already off the chit; monetary transactions are not covered by the blackout, the council's choice; it needed the family ring, the king's eye and a password, and she used Colloid, the only bank the orcs use; the Valtay will claim self-defence against the Dream cruiser — 'take that up […] with your mother'; 'the theft of a few billion credits is simply not my problem.' He hangs up on the Prime Minister of the Syndicate. Harbinger and other liaisons and the whole council are listening, muted. They heard Carl's 'hunch' — 'we listen to everything. Especially you' — and are past lawyers. Carl's price for talking: end the crawl, free every crawler, rebuild with every asset, stop fighting his people on the surface, leave and never return. 'And here I thought you would ask for something unreasonable.' Orren, for once vehement, threatens to vent an invisible listener into the ocean. They know about the implant, the frozen conversation with Paulie, and when Carl used it; they do not know what it does. Orren twists his ball and the room becomes a zero zone — 'We have approximately ten minutes' — and asks whether it can be undone, whether Carl can still blow the failsafe or let Formidable. Creatures form and scream at him; he mutes them; 'I think I just lost my job.' They found it from 'Welcome to the party, pals'; Harbinger ordered Carl killed and the AI intervened. 'You expect me to deliberately help you kill everyone and everything?' In the doorway, with a bottle of vodka: Growler Gary. 'I'm afraid I must intervene.'

Characters

• Orren — Hangs up on a prime minister; makes a zero zone with a ball; asks Carl to help end the world.
• Carl — Five demands; 'I want my lawyer'; 'You expect me to deliberately help you kill everyone?'
• Harbinger — Ordered Carl killed; the AI said no.
• Rosetta Thagra — A few billion credits, moved before anyone could claw them back.
• Growler Gary — In the doorway with vodka.

Locations

• The Desperado Club — Orren's office, quiet, with Astrid on the wall.

Motifs

• The Syndicate — Its council and prime minister on a muted line; a liaison who loses his job.
• The failsafe — The Syndicate wants it back on.
• The show — 'We listen to everything. Especially you.'