Chloe couldn't be mad at Andre for calling the Seventh District a slum.
Even before the battle that had torn through it and made it a stinking mess, it had still looked like a slum compared to what the Capital looked like. She'd heard descriptions of the Capital before, of course from Hardy, from Evan, even from Cole and Glenn who'd grown up there and she'd seen some images of it. But up close and in person, it was something else entirely.
District 7 had been like a town. The Capital was more akin to a city. Humanity's last city, and despite the circumstances, it managed to look glorious.
The buildings here were tall and wide, made from materials ranging from concrete to brick to marble to limestone and glass. They all had a geometric design aesthetic, somewhat brutalist in fashion, and there were cracks in them and fading paint that showed they'd had to weather just as much as the rest of the world. Here and there, wall-mounted turrets spun slowly, scanning for threats. At almost every corner, surveillance cameras were fixed to walls or light poles. Overhead, drones floated about, flying around buildings and in some cases in and out of them, their PA systems reading out announcements in a drab, monotone manner.
Several stalls lined the roadsides and pavements, with nearly everything on display — fruits, clothes, shoes, medicine, and even extra meal rations. Chloe watched people move from stall to stall, watched them exchange bronze coins for whatever they wanted. Currency was still alive here in the Capital.
It hadn't been in District 7.
People shuffled along the streets and could be seen moving inside the towering structures too, particularly a spiral building with half-walls on the outside that afforded some view within. A label on the building identified it as a shelter, which made sense Chloe could make out tents inside and smoke rising from the roof.
Capital Hall, where the Council met and where they were to be seen, wasn't at the center of the district the way the Chancellor's Hall had been in District 7. It was detached from the rest of the Capital, positioned atop a hill in the far west, and the road leading up to it was fenced, heavily surveilled and heavily guarded.
Soldiers in full gear patrolled the road, and there were more turrets mounted along the fences than anywhere else in the Capital. More drones hovered overhead too, stationary, cameras fixed on everything below.
The Hall itself was a large gray building, wider than it was tall, stretching into multiple wings. Its perimeter was fenced with both concrete and electromagnetic fields — separate from the one that shielded the Capital. Inside the compound, guards patrolled constantly, more than two dozen of them, covering every inch of ground.
A concrete path led to the Hall's entrance, bordered by neatly trimmed flowered hedges. The path split off in places, one fork heading toward the separate wings of the Hall, another leading to a large circular fountain with a concrete elephant statue at its center, water spouting from the statue's trunk.
There was something oddly dark and glossy about the elephant's eyes that made Chloe think they were cameras. She also thought the fountain was oddly positioned — it wasn't centered the way most fountains were, and given the sheer number of security measures around the place, she suspected it might conceal a secret passageway, an entrance to a bunker, or an emergency exit of some kind. Though given the security around the place, she couldn't imagine what would ever necessitate one.
Two guards were stationed at what Chloe assumed were the primary entrances to the Hall. They crossed their rifles as the group arrived, grunting a demand for identification.
"They're the ones from the Seventh District," Andre snarled, looking faintly irritated at having been stopped. "Council's expecting them."
"Identification?" one of the guards demanded, his helmet distorting his voice into something that sounded like it came through a radio.
Andre scoffed, then turned slightly to reveal the badge on his shoulder. House Lincoln.
At the sight of it, the guards exchanged a look and stepped back. "Apologies," said the first, bowing his head slightly. "You may proceed."
Andre gave a curt nod and continued forward, gesturing for the others to follow. Chloe noticed his walk had taken on a different quality a bounce that bordered on pompous. Smugness at having demonstrated his importance.
The first thing she noticed as they walked in was a sudden drop in temperature, a draft of cool air hitting her face. The entire building was air conditioned. Overhead, she could see slits in the ceiling and along the corners of the walls vents for the cooling system.
The second thing was the silence. Graveyard quiet. She knew the air conditioners were running and yet she couldn't hear their hum, couldn't hear the fans. She couldn't hear voices, footsteps or beating hearts from anywhere in the building. She couldn't pick up any sign that there were others present. But she knew for a fact there had to be.
As she followed Andre with the others, she ran her fingers along the wall, noting how it felt how oddly dense and solid it seemed, how deliberate. This place felt as though it had been built to contain, built with Pandorans in mind.
She was completely blind here. No sounds, no smells, no heat signatures through the walls. Her senses had been entirely disrupted. Beside her, Jon fidgeted slightly, eyes dark as he scanned every inch of the Hall, already making mental preparations for battle and escape should it come to that.
Chloe had several questions. About the Capital, about how they had enough energy to power everything she'd seen — including the air conditioning for a building this size. She had questions about Andre and the badge on his shoulder and what it really signified. She had questions about Major Erwin — what he truly was, what he truly wanted. She could tell when someone had motives, and Erwin was clearly such a person. What frightened her was that his motives had seemed entirely indecipherable.
By his own admission, he could have killed Jin if he'd wanted to. And from how she'd felt in his presence, she had no doubt he could. So why had he left her alive and placed her in Chloe's care? Was he friend or foe?
The Hall had an elevator, its doors perfectly flush with the concrete walls, visible only when Andre pressed his palm against the surface.
"Recognized. Officer Nicholson. Code LN17," spoke a computerized female voice, before the wall parted to reveal a steel cage lit in blue.
"The Chancellor and the girl go in," Andre declared. "They're the ones the Council will meet with. The rest of us wait down here."
Chloe scoffed. "Not a chance. I'm not letting her out of my sight."
She moved to step into the elevator but Andre was quick, one hand shooting out and seizing her by the arm. He was strong. Incredibly so.
Chloe turned to him, looked at the hand on her arm, then at his face. She clenched her jaw, pursed her lips, and balled one fist. "Take your hand off me," she said, her voice low with warning.
Jon stepped forward, eyes cold and bloodthirsty. "You heard her."
"I don't want to fight any of you," Andre said slowly, then released her arm. "And I can assure you the Council will not harm either of them. I just can't let you go with them. This isn't up for debate. I cannot ignore the Council's orders."
"You think we don't know what this place is?" Aiden demanded, gesturing to the walls around them. "How much concrete and steel do you think went into each of these walls? What else is in the mix? This place was built to contain people like us. She goes in that elevator and there's nothing we can do if something goes wrong."
"Hopefully it stays that way," Lucas muttered, stepping back from the group.
"It wasn't built to keep anyone in," Andre replied, shaking his head. "It was built to keep threats out. And sure, maybe we got off on the wrong foot, and I'm not going to pretend I like any of you any more than I did when we first met — but you have my word that the girl and your Chancellor will be fine. If you don't believe me, believe the Major." He met Chloe's eyes as he said it.
"It's fine," Hardy said then, nodding at them reassuringly. "I've corresponded with the Council before, and they don't seem like trouble. Politicians, sure, but nothing we can't handle."
"I will take your word," Jin said, looking to Aiden. "But you should take mine as well. Should your Council attempt anything I deem malicious or threatening — to myself or to anything else I might care about — I will not hesitate to paint your concrete walls red with their blood. Do you understand?"
Andre shrugged. "Loud and clear."
Hardy stepped into the elevator. Jin followed. As the doors slid shut, Hardy looked out at them. "See you in a bit," he said, and then the doors closed, their heartbeats swallowed at once by the concrete and steel.
"Now we wait," Andre said, sliding his hands into his pockets.
"How many people are up there?" Jon asked. "On the Council."
"The President's not here today — there'd be a lot more security if he were — so it's just the seven members," Andre answered. "Three from the Democratic Party, headed by Rebecca Park. Striking woman, pretty cold though. Then three from the Republican Party, headed by Raymond Atwell. Smart man — studied law, I think, back before the world went to hell. And then there's Hayley Donovan, representing one of the independent parties. Not as striking as Rebecca or as sharp as Raymond, but frightening in her own right. She's got all sorts of connections with benefactors and various interested parties. If anything goes wrong up there, she'll be the reason why."
"You said nothing would—," Chloe began.
"I know." Andre nodded. "And it won't. Erwin let the girl live. Might not mean much to you, but it'll mean a great deal to them. They'll be afraid of crossing him. Even Donovan."
Andre led them away from the elevator and into a small room concealed behind a wall, accessible only by his biometric scan. It was a cozy space, the floor was polished wood and draperies had been hung throughout, lending the room a warmth that was entirely absent from the rest of the Hall.