The Appeal

The main hall was colder than usual. Snow had drifted against the walls outside, and the fire in the large hearth struggled to push the chill back. The council sat in a loose half-circle of worn wooden chairs. Jennifer sat near the edge, still recovering, arms crossed. Rachel stood slightly apart. Nathalie remained near the back wall, quiet but present.

Emma stood in the centre of the room. She kept her voice steady and clear.

“The files recovered by Jennifer’s team contain more than damaged research,” she began. “There is a secondary facility — Site B — with coordinates further inland. The notes mention an experimental suppressant compound that showed temporary inhibition of viral aggression. The storage conditions were colder. There is a real chance samples or usable data still exist.”

She paused, letting the weight of it settle.

“I am requesting permission to lead a small team to investigate. Two people. Forty-eight hours. Margot can deliver us and return for extraction at the same point.”

Silence followed. Then the first objections came, measured but firm.

One of the older council members shook his head. “You’re the primary educator. The younger ones still rely on you. We cannot risk that knowledge walking into the snow.”

Another added, “Jennifer’s team only just returned. The mainland is more dangerous than we thought. Behavioural changes in the Ravagers. Possible speech. This is not the time for an untested pair to go deeper.”

A third voice: “We should wait. Send a larger, more experienced group when conditions improve. Spring, maybe. Not now.”

Emma’s hands remained still at her sides. She did not raise her voice.

“I understand the risk,” she said. “But the longer we wait, the greater the chance that whatever is left at Site B degrades past use. The cold that preserved it this long will not last forever.”

The eldest member of the council looked at her for a long moment, then shook his head.

“Request denied.”

The words landed cleanly.

Emma stood very still. The frustration that had cracked open in the medical hut stirred again, colder now, sharper. She had expected resistance. She had not expected the door to close so quickly.

Rachel’s eyes met hers across the room. Nathalie shifted her weight near the back wall. Jennifer watched in silence.

The rejection was clear.

For now.