Mai entered the Nether City rebel command centre without fanfare. Her and her people had been made welcome, but the rebels were still understandably wary of her and her people. She had no doubt that they had sent spies up into the city to glean information on the newcomers and ensure that they weren’t Imperial spies.

Access to some areas of the base they were in had been restricted, but fortunately they hadn’t been restricted from entering the entertainment areas or canteen. Which Mai was especially thankful for, considering that the rebels ate real food.

Nor had they been restricted to entering the command centre. All of the computer stations had screens which were blanked out whenever Mai looked over at them. Some sort of trickery which meant her retinal monitor projected black squares over her vision no matter how she angled her head.

Not that she was trying to see what they were up to, just that she found it frustrating that she couldn’t see anything. She didn’t like the fact that the rebels were able to hack into her retinal monitor either.

She took a seat at the back of the crescent-shaped rows of chairs. In the centre of the room was a large hologrammatic display, beyond which were a number of rebels manning computers and other stations. It was impressive to the untrained eye, but to Mai’s eyes it looked like nothing more than flim-flam and show.

“How long do you think they spend here plotting and doing absolutely nothing with those plots?” whispered Jock as he joined her. Chan, Hind and Dakota were close behind, shuffling along the row of seats and taking their place.

“I’d say that this place operates twenty-four hours a day. And considering that none of them came to help up top, I’d say that absolutely nothing is done,” Mai gestured around them. “They abandoned the rebels up top as soon as they retreated here.”

Dakota gave the room a scan, checking out its inhabitants. By the look on her face, Mai didn’t think she thought much of the rebels.

“They’re old. All of the leaders anyway. Makes sense considering how long ago the war was. And the others are all young. They retreated. Set up base, had kids. Those kids grew up and are now part of the rebels. It’s a legacy thing. No fresh blood.”

“Apart from us,” laughed Jock. “Poor fuckers if they’ve got to rely on us for fresh blood.”

“Begs the question as to why they don’t have outsiders joining them. Or even the other inhabitants of Nether City.”

“Agreed,” Jock nodded and pointed at the large map of the city hovering in front of them. “I can’t wait to get out and explore properly.”

That was another thing which had been restricted. Whilst the rebels checked their bona fides, Mai and her people had been confined to quarters. As with the monitors in the command centre, whenever Mai tried to view the map in greater detail she found she couldn’t. The others had confirmed that this was the case for them too.

“Well,” Mai sighed, “at least they’ve invited us to one of their meetings. I was beginning to think we’d never get out of our rooms.”

They fell silent as Yen Ching, the Grand Commander of the Heavenly Spirits and Earthly Demons, a title Mai thought was utterly ridiculous, walked out of the wings and stepped up onto a podium which had risen from the floor. It was all very dramatic, and Mai felt sadness and a nearly overwhelming sense of being underwhelmed by it all. She chuckled at the contradiction.

“Silence everyone, the meeting is now convened,” Yen Ching wafted a wand and the lights in the room dimmed. “We are here to discuss [army] matters, and our new arrivals.”

What followed was, to Mai’s mind, interminable. The rebels had divided Nether City into four sectors. Each sector had four quadrants, and each quadrant had four districts. Their command structure was modelled the same way. The Grand Commander was in charge of the city. Beneath him were four Sector Commands, sixteen Quadrant Commanders, and sixty-four District Commanders.

And we’ve got to sit and listen to each and every one of them give a report on the situation. Mai shifted, trying to relieve the pressure on a butt cheek which had gone numb nearly an hour ago.

“These buggers like to hear their own voices, don’t they,” muttered Dakota as she too shifted in her seat. “They’ve all said precisely nothing, whilst filling this room with absolute bullshit.”

“And so we turn to our new arrivals, Mai Xiao, as commander of the group you brought in, would you care to address the council?” Yen Ching gestured towards her, completely catching her off-guard.

Stomach filled with butterflies, mouth dry, Mai stood and looked around. Every face in the room was turned towards her. Most were politely blank. Some looked as though they harboured suspicions. None looked too hostile.

“Thank you, Grand Commander. Thank you all, for painting such an accurate picture of the situation in Nether City for us,” Mai ignored the snigger she thought came from Jock. “We thank you also for our welcome. I understand that it must have sent some ripples across the pond and we appreciate the rooms you gave us.”

She paused as the room was filled with a murmur of agreement from Yen Ching’s people. Wiping suddenly sweat-slick palms on her trousers, she continued. Mai knew that what she had to say was going to be as popular as a mogwai mating ritual in a china shop.

“However, as much as Nether City is a fine place to live. I wish to return to the Upper City. I wish to take the rebellion back to the heart of our enemies. I want to bring the Celestial Court to its knees.”

Whatever else she had been about to say was drowned out in a roar of shouts. Members of the council sprang to their feet. Some jabbed their fingers towards her, whilst others jabbed their fingers at the Grand Commander. Yet more jabbed fingers at each other. It was utter pandemonium. Completely at odds with the previously reserved formalities.

Mai let the noise wash over her. She’d expected nothing less and despite her anxiety increasing, it meant nothing. Gradually, and with the Grand Commander’s vocal encouragement, the noise died down.

“Thank you, Grand Commander,” she inclined her head towards the man. His face was florid, but she couldn’t tell if that was from having to shout at the top of his lungs to get everyone to be quiet, or because he was facing the possibility of council disintegrating before his very eyes.

Probably a mixture of both. Can’t blame him, I’ve completely thrown a spanner in the works, and his people are utterly enraged

“Mai Xiao, we are in no position to return to the city,” the Grand Commander smiled in what he probably thought was a friendly manner, but which resembled a mogwai’s snarl, gesturing as a list of the rebel’s units appeared both in the centre of the chamber and on everyone’s retinal monitors. “We simply don’t have the numbers.”

It was the response she’d expected and planned for. Her heart skipped a beat as she prepared to reply. Whilst she knew in her heart of hearts that it was the correct thing to do, she was still worried it might push the council into rash action and expel them. But she needed to provoke them, to get a reaction.

“You don’t have the will, you mean,” she snapped, adding a sneer. “It’s clear to all in the upper city that you’ve abandoned the other rebels up there. You’re nothing more than myth and legend. It’s time you stop hiding and take the fight to the Celestial Court.”

The room was filled with roars of anger yet again. As before Mai didn’t try to fight the voices, she just stood and let them wash over her. It was the reaction she had planned for. As everyone else screamed at the top of her lungs she was able to scan the room, looking for supporters. Many of the younger rebels looked as though they were shouting in her favour. Some were even nodding in approval.

The council had operated on a baton basis. A hologrammic baton hovered above the person whose turn it was to speak. Until they yielded that baton, no one else was allowed to address the room. Up until she had spoken, this had been respected. Now, lights appeared over more than half of the heads in the room, the rebels owning them standing up to speak even though she hadn’t yielded.

Ignoring it all, Mai tried to make eye contact with the younger rebels. Many of those she did gave her firm nod of support, or a thumb-up of approval. Very few turned away. The older rebels were far less supportive. They’d fought in a war which had seen the use of weapons no-one should ever have to deploy.

They’d lost family, friends, and been responsible for those deaths, both directly and indirectly. They knew the true cost of war and they were keen to avoid it. She understood, she truly understood why they wouldn’t want to return to battle. And she also didn’t care. She needed to get back to Li, her sister, and she needed to tear down the system which forced people into a fight to the death for the entertainment of others.

Gradually the Grand Commander managed to get the room to quieten. His face was even redder by the time it had simmered down to a seething murmur, voice hoarse from shouting.

“Mai Xiao,” the use of her full name grated, Mai, or Xiao would be fine. Her full name was complete overkill. “We don’t have the numbers, or the equipment to do what you ask,” he smiled, a patronising smile he probably thought was anything but. Her knuckles cracked and she opened the fists she’d unknowingly made. She was starting to loathe the man and his non-smiles.

“You have enough to start fighting back. To start helping the rebels in the upper city. You have the expertise. Everyone knows the history of the war and how well you fought,” she’d tried goading them previously, now she’d try praising them. She activated her STREET SMARTS and SMART MOUTH. It was clumsy, and she was no stateswoman, but it was worth a try.

“We lost!” shouted a woman from her side. A chorus of approval broke out, the odd rebel even clapping. More batons appeared.

“But what a loss!” retorted Mai. “You shook the Emperor to his very core. You captured the imagination of the people. You were feted as heroes in the pedways and concourses. You held large swathes of the city under your rule. Billions fell under your rule.”

She wasn’t sure about them being feted, as the books she’d read at school had been filled with detail as to how much the people had hated the rebels and fought them as ferociously as the army. But she also knew that for the books to have been so adamant that they were hated meant the opposite. Just like mogwai were supposed to be myths.

Voices of approval filled the room this time. It was mostly the older rebels, those who had actually been there. This time it was the younger rebels who looked dissatisfied. Whether it was because they hadn’t had a piece of that action, or because they were sick of hearing the veterans talking about past glories.

“You were the champions of freedom. You stood up to a corrupt and ancient system that has bled our people dry, robbed them of true self-determination and has them killing each other for entertainment and a chance at a better life. Don’t you think it’s your duty to go back?”

“And how do we do that? You’ve seen our resources,” a younger member of the rebels had stood. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, with an open and honest-looking face. He’d been one of those who had nodded in agreement. At a guess, he was the son of one of the veterans.

“We brought bio-boost bottles with us. We don’t have many, but we’re happy to share, and we can use them to build suits for those who haven’t unlocked the blue prints. It’s not much, but with the culling still in full swing above us, I’m sure there will be the odd supply drop we can use to gather more. A lot more.”

“A vote!” an older man stood, propping himself up with a cane. He hadn’t even bothered to post his baton before standing. Nanites usually meant that people didn’t get infirm in their dotage, enjoying a good level of health until nature worked its course and they died of old age. Those on the Nine Mile and Ten Mile levels would usually stop aging at thirty and would live well into their triple century before dying young. Or so the holomyths claimed.

To see a member of the commanding council of the rebels in such a poor physical state highlighted just how low they truly were on resources.

What happened? How could they have fallen so far? She didn’t voice the thought, but nodded in agreement with the man, giving a slight bow in his direction.

“If that is the way things are done here, then I am happy for my suggestion to be put to the vote,” she opened her hands wide, encompassing the whole room. “I suggest that we vote on whether we return to the city in order to gather sufficient bio-mass boosters.”

The old man scowled. As she’d held the baton she had the right to determine the wording of the vote, something he most definitely had wanted to control.

“Seconded,” responded the younger man, clapping his hands together and giving her a wide grin.

All heads turned towards the Grand Commander. Face now purple, he worked his mouth before using his wand to bring up a choice.

VOTE – DO WE RETURN TO THE CITY FOR BIO-MASS BOOST

YES/NO?

There was a flurry of movement as the members of the council made their votes. Two bars had replaced the question. YES was a green bar; NO was red. Mai’s heart sank as the red rapidly shot ahead of green in length.

But then the YES started to grow. Slower than the red, and as Mai added up the number of those who had voted she realised it was because some of the members were taking their time. Those vehemently in favour of, or against the proposal had voted without thinking. Knee Jerk reactions which were being reconsidered as both bars dropped down and up.

I must have opened up an old wound. Some of the old guard must still want to return to the city. This is their chance to regain the initiative. Have I just gone and started another bloody powerplay?

Yet again it seemed as though Mai was going to be a disruptive influence.

Just as I thought I would be, but not a damned power play. I don’t want to be part of another mutiny.

And then the votes were in, the bars steady. One of them pulsed as if it wasn’t clear enough; it was longer than the other.

“The ayes have it. We return to the upper city,” sighed the Grand Commander, whatever else he had to say drowned out by the roars of approval.

Relief flooded through Mai at his announcement, and she turned in a circle, dropping a low bow each time.

“Now all we have to do is get to a supply drop, steal the bio-mass and get it back here without being killed!” Dakota shouted into her friend’s ear. “Got a plan for that?”