Chapter 202: Peace treaty

It took two days for the peace treaty to be ready and transported to Cartago. Governments had used the fastest aircraft in their possession to cover great distances in the shortest possible time. After all, no one guaranteed them that the dinosaurs didn't suddenly change their minds. The news of the imminent signing of the peace treaty quickly went around the world. The governments this time did not impose any censorship: everyone knew what was about to happen. In a flash all human beings on the planet were anxious and focused on one thing: that treaty that could finally allow them to breathe a sigh of relief. The signing of the treaty would be broadcast live worldwide. The journalists that Jocelyne had brought with her had already made arrangements with their publishers, which had contacted news and television programs and established contracts for contracts in order to be able to broadcast the event on television. The peace treaty was printed on a huge sheet about ten meters long. After all, doing it so big was the only way to allow Sobek to sign too. When the time came and Sobek and Jocelyne approached the piece of paper, the world held its breath. Among the dinosaurs did not dare to fly a fly. The members of the NMWA observed the scene through Chloe's tablet and all of humanity was watching thanks to the equipment of the three reporters. When Sobek and Jocelyne were faced with the treaty, Old Li stepped forward. "This is a glorious day!" he proclaimed. "Finally there will be peace among our people! Rejoice, because this treaty will put an end to our enmity!" Sobek had decided that Old Li would read the treatise, partly because the ankylosaurus was one of his most respected subordinates, and partly because besides Blue he was the only one who could read thanks to the title of adviser. Old Li stared at the piece of paper and read aloud: "On this day an imperishable and eternal peace treaty is signed, which all parties, dinosaurs and humans, will have to respect. The terms are as follows" "First, the dinosaurs have absolute sovereignty over all non-human territories, namely the continents known as Maakanar, Latissa and Tegrom, with the exception of the Beleriard peninsula where, in fact, the human nations Tearmoon, Belos, Odaria, Sibula and Cambion are found. Dinosaurs will also be able to claim the colonial region of Odaria in its entirety. No human will ever be able to interfere in the government of the dinosaurs, or threaten them within their territory" "Second, the dinosaurs undertake to return all the resources present in the colony to the nation they belong to, namely Odaria. Humans will be able to freely dispose of the aforementioned resources" "Third, humans are committed to returning forty million dinosaurs currently held by them and exploited in farms, zoos, sport hunts or other" "Fourth, the dinosaurs pledge to deliver one human prisoner for every forty dinosaurs freed" "Fifth, the dinosaurs undertake to deliver a quantity of meat equal to the weight of each released dinosaur" "Sixth, humans and dinosaurs are committed to keeping the peace. Neither dinosaurs will be able to enter human territory without permission, nor will humans be able to enter dinosaur territory without their permission. Both parties must respect each other's sovereignty and avoid as much as possible any reason for disagreement" As soon as he had finished reading, Old Li stepped aside: "Pack leader, do you accept these terms?" "I accept them" Sobek replied. "Then please, sign" In reality it was only Jocelyne who signed; Sobek simply dips one of his front legs into a bowl of ink and then prints it on the paper. Even if he tried, he would never be able to spell his name: his muscles and tendons were not suitable for such things. He could make very rough drawings, but certainly not something as precise as writing. When they were both finished, Sobek rose to his full height and roared, "The war is over! There is peace now among our people!" The dinosaurs burst into cheers. They obviously couldn't applaud, but they had a way of expressing their satisfaction. Jocelyne smiled looking at the piece of paper in front of her: she had made it. The peace had been signed and neither side was too damaged. It was a total victory! The members of the NMWA who were looking through Chloe's tablet smiled. Certainly no simple times were ahead, but at least the world would have avoided an open clash between humans and animals. Even if they had lost a bit, they could say they were quite satisfied with how things were going. The peace declaration was broadcast live nationally. Everyone, without exception, knew that finally humans and dinosaurs were no longer at odds. The whole of humanity celebrated for a whole day: suddenly all religious, racial and ideological barriers no longer existed, everyone was thinking only of having fun all together. People finally felt that the sword that had been suspended over their heads in the previous weeks had finally been removed. The quiet would not last, of course: many questions and uncertainties remained for the future, but at least for one day in the whole world there was no negative thought and everyone, humans and dinosaurs, only thought about celebrating. *************** The day after the declaration of peace between humans and dinosaurs, Jocelyne and her group left Cartago. Sobek offered to let them stay as long as they wanted, but the girl she knew there were other problems she would have to face in the human world, so she had preferred to leave. Jackson regretted that decision, because for the second time he had to say goodbye to his adoptive brother. Like all human captives, Abe had been informed of the peace treaty as soon as it was achieved; when he heard the terms, the man not only breathed a sigh of relief, but he was finally able to relax after a long time. The other people were happy too. Although they would not be released immediately, they were happy to know that such an agreement had been sealed. They obviously didn't care about the territory or the dinosaurs raised by man: they were happy simply because they knew their freedom was assured. Now all they had to do was wait. Abe, after hearing the news, had taken a nap, a real sleep, which had lasted a whole day. Dariela hadn't blamed him: the big man deserved some rest after all that fear. Now that finally the situation seemed to have become calmer, we could afford to relax a bit. Even the soldier, although she did not show it, was relieved by what seemed a newfound tranquility. Everyone seemed a bit calmer finally. Only one question haunted them: who would be released first? "It will depend on many factors" the dinosaurs had explained. "Let's say families will take precedence and we will try to send them away together. The elderly and the sick will follow and then all the others" With this explanation everyone had put their souls at peace, however approximate it was. Abe knew that he would be one of those released last, after all he was a middle-aged man with no particular disease and no partner or children: so he basically fell into the category that would go last. However, the big man didn't care. He knew that people were safe and that was enough for him. After all, waiting a month or two before leaving that city made no difference. Jackson had been allowed to visit him before he left. Abe had been worried at the sight of his injuries, but Jackson had assured him they weren't serious and he didn't even feel them. Abe had preferred not to investigate how he got them, knowing full well which hothead his little brother was: he wouldn't be surprised if he got into a fight with some dinosaurs. As long as Jackson was alive and well, he was happy. The two had talked to each other for a while, then Jackson had had to leave. Abe had greeted him with a smile, assuring him that as soon as he was released he would return to him immediately. Towards evening Jocelyne, Jackson, Chloe and the rest of the group were preparing to leave. Sobek and several other dinosaurs were waiting for them outside the city to greet them. "So are you really leaving already?" "We have things to attend to elsewhere. Our world isn't as simple as yours" Jocelyne explained. From one point of view, the dinosaurs had a much simpler society to understand; with humans it was more complicated, since every decision had to go through contracts, treaties, agreements and many, many words. "However, we thank you for your excellent hospitality" "You flatter us. I hope that one day we will be able to meet again in more peaceful circumstances" "If there is a commitment to keep the peace, who can say what the future holds?" Sobek just snorted at that rhetorical question. Jocelyne just smiled and waved, after which the jeeps left for the border with Odaria. The dinosaurs watched them go away for a few seconds, then returned to their daily chores. "Well, one way or another, it's over" Chloe murmured as the car sped along the desert. "I will have a lot of trouble when I return home, but at least the risk of a war is averted. At the moment" "Will you return home immediately? Won't you stop for a while?" Jackson exclaimed, only to realize his excessive outburst. "Um... well, we might still need you here... for dinosaur matters and all the rest..." "You can stop making excuses, Jackson. We're going with her" Jocelyne stopped him. Jackson jumped at the news. Chloe also looked surprised. "What are you saying, miss Jersey?" he asked her. "Simple, mrs. Tousignant: I intend to scrounge a ride on your private plane to leave this continent" Jocelyne replied. "I'm pretty sure if I stay here within a week at the most, someone will have me killed or kidnapped. I prefer a change of scenery at the moment. And then I have people to meet on the other side of the ocean" Jackson was a bit thrilled, but then he understood and agreed with her: staying in Odaria was too risky at the moment. The heads of the household would certainly have tried to eliminate Jocelyne, since she represented a potential future adversary that she had already proved to be very intelligent and therefore dangerous. As much as the private militia could protect her, for the moment it was much more convenient to leave the country for a while. Chloe had realized it too, and she decided it was okay to offer the girl a ride. Plus Jackson seemed intent on following her, so it was a win for her too. But there was one thing she didn't understand. "Who do you need to meet abroad?" ******************** "This is illegal" "I know, but we have no choice. And then I've done it before" "Yeah, and I know that you have been arrested" "Maybe, but I didn't have an attractive recent graduate who turned off the cameras" Mitch looked at Robert with eyes of fire. He would have liked to have smacked him on the head, but unfortunately it was necessary for Dr. Oz to keep his mental abilities right now. The two were stationed near the Reiden Global headquarters, dressed like two cleaners, complete with buckets and rags. They had planned that operation for days, but still Mitch couldn't find peace. "It won't go well at all!" he hissed as he toyed with the card hanging from his jacket. "These badges are fake! If they catch us..." "Do you want to shut up?" Robert grumbled in exasperation. "We have to go in there to know more about the Mother Cell" "Of course, assuming that the Raiding has something to do with it..." "The Reiden has something to do with it!" "Stop it both of you!" cried a voice behind them. The two turned to find Jamie's angry face. "Everything will be fine, okay? You go in there, take what we need and then you leave. No unexpected events" "I have doubts about that statement" Mitch replied, only to earn a glare: "Shut your mouth!" The only way to obtain concrete information on how and where the Reiden had created the Mother Cell and its purposes was to be able to enter the multinational's central computer. In the past, information was sorted in archives, but in the modern world everything was collected on huge databases. All Mitch and Robert had to do was go in and plug in a special USB stick Jamie gave them to the central processor. The key would have inserted a virus into the computer that would have connected the main computer to Jamie's computer, allowing her to access any information contained therein. After that, the two of them would just have to go out and could calmly inspect the Reiden database. The three had been preparing for this operation for days. The plan was for Robert and Mitch to infiltrate disguised as orderlies and do all the work, while Jamie would remotely guide them using his hacking skills to temporarily disable the security system. Even so, it remained an extremely risky operation. "Keep these" Jamie said, handing them a pair of headphones. "It will be enough for one of you to wear them and pretend to listen to some music. I will guide you through them. They will have to think that you are really listening to the music, so if someone talks to you have the decency to take them off for a moment" Mitch grabbed the headphones and put them to his ears. "Ok, what else?" "Anything. Now go!" Mitch did not seem very inclined to sneak inside the headquarters of a multinational, but Robert dragged him away with force. The two soon arrived at the door. "I put a virus in the cameras to replace your faces" Jamie explained through the headphones. "Now you have to go in normally and put your badges on the control device. I'll make sure you perceive them as real" "Do we have to do it? Can't we just go ahead and ignore that machine?" Mitch asked. "Further on there are motion sensors that automatically trigger the alarm and are deactivated only by the impulse of the control device. You have to do it, unless you want to be discovered immediately" The two entered. The lobby was almost empty except for one usher who greeted them absently. He evidently he was used to seeing many faces, so he didn't pay attention to the fact that he didn't know them. Mitch put his ID card on the identification device, and so did Robert. The car was silent for a few seconds, then to the relief of both of them a green light went on it, allowing it to pass. "Good. Now take the third corridor on the left" Jamie led them. "You will pass in front of several doors. You have to enter tithing. From there you will come to some stairs. Go down to..." The two scientists followed Jamie's instructions. If the woman hadn't helped them they would have been lost: the central thirst of the Reiden was a labyrinth. It was almost impossible to find one's way around. Although it was the middle of the night, they met several people, both workers and guards and other attendants, but no one paid any attention to them. After all, there were so many people working in the multinational that it was impossible to remember everyone's faces; since the security system had let them through, they assumed that the two men actually worked there. "Well, you've come to the central archive" Jamie said when Mitch and Robert found themselves in front of a sealed door. "Swipe your badges on the left panel. I will make sure that it recognizes you as authorized to access" The two men did it. After a few moments the words 'ACCESS ALLOWED' shone on the panel and a whistle came from the door, a sign that it was now unlocked. They entered and found themselves faced with a long series of shelves full of boxes full of papers. "Ok, we're inside. And now?" Robert asked. "You have to look for the central computer. It should be at the end of the archive. That's where every dirty Raiding business is stored" The two men walked between the shelves. Fortunately, the archive was deserted at night. If it had been daylight they would probably have found someone rummaging through the shelves, and they doubted that this time no one would ask any questions. Eventually they found him. A huge computer located at the end of the archive, just like Jamie said. "Turn it on and insert the key. I'll do the rest" Jamie ordered, and the two men promptly executed. The download symbols began to glow on the computer screen. The whole operation lasted only five minutes. "I've done! Now turn everything off and walk away" Jamie said. The two men didn't think twice and in a short time they were out of the archive. They walked backwards until they reached the exit and walked away until they reached an alley where Jamie's car was waiting for them. They jumped up and the car sped off down the street. "Uff! I couldn't do it anymore!" Mitch exclaimed taking off his disguise. "I've never sweated so much in my life. Don't let me do it ever again!" "Don't worry, Dr. Morgan. We have what we need" Robert said. "Now we will know how many dirty secrets the Reiden has been hiding so far!"