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“That is a great idea,” Dio said. “It would be a waste having an empty building with power and nobody using it when so many people are suffering.”
“I think so, too,” Isabella added. “Sirena and I were thinking that moving the local refugees to the Palace might be a good move. We could finish the vegetable garden you started in the conservatory. Then get started on crops. We could set up some goat and chicken pens, too. It would take the pressure off the farm. We’re kind of bursting at the seams at the moment, unless we build more housing. I’m sure they’d be willing to help set up Emma’s idea. They’ve each said they’re not afraid of hard work if it means security for their kids. And the place is enormous from what I understand, it’s going to take a lot of work.”
“I like it. Expanding the farm isn’t a problem if it’s needed and we can find the resources. But it’s a good idea not to have all our food resources in one location,” Sam mused. “It makes us vulnerable to losing everything in an attack, but not only that, crop disease or an infestation could decimate us. River and Ryder’s family can help with that, too. We were just talking about starting a farming cooperative yesterday and Hunter was on board.”
At Sam’s urging, River quickly updated everyone on their farm next door.
“I agree. An interconnected network of properties and a system to back each other up quickly will be good for all our futures,” Dio jumped in when they’d finished. I could see his brain spinning as he looked at it from every angle. If he couldn’t find a downside, there probably wasn’t one.
“Chatter from the Network shows people are abandoning cities around the country,” Sadie added. “Food is running out and gangs fighting turf wars in heavily populated areas are leading to a lot of deaths. Which means we’re likely to see people shifting to rural areas.”
“It’s what needs to happen, though, isn’t it?” Dave asked, and everyone looked at him. He’d been swinging on his chair while shelling a pea, but he quickly dropped his chair back to the floor and put his hands up quickly. “I don’t mean the gang fighting and death. I mean, people moving out of the city. There’s no way to grow enough food to keep cities functional right now. Things need to go back to an older way of life. Smaller communities that can sustain themselves. If we can figure out how to make the power sources we’re using more accessible, it will help. But it’s going to take time and the scale will still be small because our only building resources now are timber or scavenging. I don’t see a way to make cities sustainable in the next few decades.”
“Cary pointed out when Ava, Emma, and I were originally talking that our biggest problem will be security for the Palace,” I said, and Cary nodded. It surprised me he hadn’t brought it up again himself. He seemed to be deep in thought and only half listening. “So I was thinking about the alphas that Ghost was talking about. The ones that stayed behind at the manor because they had families to feed and were looking for shelter. What if we offered to let their families be our first students, as long as they stay and provide security?”
“That’s a great idea,” Pala said, always backing me up. I blew him a kiss. “We could send a team to approach them and check them out. We should probably have some of our own guys at the Palace too, though. At least to start. Until we know for sure we can trust them.”
“Could we also get the town set up as an example of what can be done, so people can see it in action, and then use it as a trading hub? We could make it known the pub is the point of contact for the Palace. Hopefully that would stop people randomly turning up and keep it more secure,” River added.
“Now, that’s a great idea, too,” I said. I loved how our found family collaborated so well. We made an awesome team and I couldn’t wait to see what we got up to in the future. With Maven out of the way, the world was going to need strong people who could stand up and make sure the new world was a better place for everyone.
“Okay. Does anyone have anything else they want to add?” I asked, focusing back on the table of people looking at me expectantly. I was happy we’d covered a lot, really quickly and excited about the ideas. Once I updated her, I knew Maia would agree with everything, as would her pack.
“I have one tiny thing,” Sadie said. “We’ve always operated via a handful of comms devices held by our most trusted members. Sam and Maia’s gramps built them in secret and he never made any more. But I now have the blueprints for them, as well as instructions on how to scale them for bigger projects. It was in a pack Constance left me, but I only just received it. She said they weren’t to be used until we took down Maven. It was too risky otherwise.”
I drew in a sharp breath, along with the rest of the table. “That will change everything,” I said in a hushed voice.
“Yeah. Our only problem is, we no longer have the expertise to understand them. Matt and Anders think Max and Nick working together are our best shot at building more and getting the scaling right for bigger projects. If we can figure it out, and simplify it, it’s one more thing we can teach people at the Palace.”
Nick looked stunned. I wasn’t sure he was even breathing.
“Can you guys do it, Nick?” Ava asked, leaning over and touching him to anchor him. The rest of their pack reached out to him, too.
Nick nodded, and he started drumming his fingers on the table rapidly as his brain went into overdrive. “We couldn’t figure it out without taking one of them apart, but we didn’t want to risk that because we only had one device and the badly scaled model at the Palace. Having blueprints changes everything. Would you be willing to help us build the new prototypes River? You’re good with mechanics and seeing synergies with things. We could set up a workshop at the new house. It’s away from everyone and we’d be able to keep what we’re doing quieter.”
Ryder laughed. “You just activated Riv’s geek mode.”
“Absolutely,” River said, ignoring his twin. He’d sat forward, and he looked excited by the chance to work on a new project. “I’ve never had any training in this sort of thing, but if I can help, I will.”
“None of us have,” Nick said. “This is completely new.”
“If we can start producing more devices, it will help open the world back up,” Ryder added, more serious now. “I imagine it’s going to take time, though, and we don’t want to make the first people we hand them out to a target. Maven wasn’t the only risk. Since the Crash, people could just as easily fall prey to their neighbors.”
Everyone was quiet for a moment.
“There’s a lot to unpack here,” I said, thinking it through. “I think we need Nick, River, and Max to get eyes on the blueprints and make sure you can do it before we get too far ahead of ourselves. I don’t doubt you guys, but Ryder’s right. It’s going to take time so we can’t put all our hopes on it. People need help now.”
“I agree with Lexie,” Sadie said. “I’ll get Gus to bring the blueprints to you when he comes to pick up the explosives. Then we’ll go from there when we know more.”
We’d found the explosives that had been attached to Winson’s detonator the night we freed the town. He’d been trying to blow up their food supplies in the storage room Pala and I had found, to create a diversion and so the townsfolk couldn’t have them. We’d dismantled his bomb, but we weren’t comfortable keeping explosives on the farm with so many kids around. The Network were going to take them and store them safely.
“Anything else?” I asked, as everyone went quiet again.
“There’s another thing I think we need to discuss,” Cary said. His frown was still there, but he straightened his shoulders as he met everyone’s eyes. “If we do everything we just talked about, we need to make it clear that we respect omegas and we will defend their rights if necessary. It needs to underpin everything we do from here on out. Other omegas may want to look for their mates now that they’re free. We’ll need safe spaces for them to do that, and I think the Palace could be that, too. Kind of like a gateway to the sanctuary. There’s no better way to destroy the history of the Omega Palace than to give it a makeover and turn it into the complete opposite. A place where omegas have all the power.”
Ava and I both nodded, and I noticed Ava grab Cary’s hand. He’d always seemed so protective of the omegas around him. He was their champion, but he wasn’t operating in the shadows anymore. I knew he would fight to make this happen. As would Ava and I. Maia, too.
“That. Exactly that. I want to see it happen, Cary, and I’ll help in any way I can,” Emma said. It seemed she’d finally found her voice, which meant we’d already started on the right path. It made me smile.
