CHAPTER ELEVEN - THE NEW PRESIDENT
The rats of the colony were shocked by Jenner's unexpected takeover. Justin didn't sleep at all the rest of that night, and in the morning called a meeting in the main hall to which everyone - even children - was to come. And they did come; the fields were empty that morning, and even the boiler was left unattended, as every single member of the colony went to the meeting.
In a meek voice, Justin told them that Jenner was now their leader. They gasped as one, not wanting to believe it, but no one spoke out against Jenner, for as long as he wore the stone, its power would make them obedient to him. Justin went on to say that all should cooperate with the new president. What he did not say, but what was nonetheless understood by everybody in the hall, was that anyone who disobeyed would be punished.
As Justin gave his speech, Jenner stood silently off to one side of the Council platform, a cruel smile on his lips. After it was over, he ordered Justin to come to his room.
As president, one of Jenner's first actions was to claim the presidential chambers for himself, which meant that Justin and Elizabeth were forced to move into the miserable little cell of a room where Jenner had spent his first night. It was a hard blow to Justin's dignity to have to report to Jenner in a room which had been his and Elizabeth's only the night before.
"You wanted to see me, Jenner?"
"Ah, Justin! Close the door and have a seat." Jenner was all false hospitality. Justin did as he was told. "That was a very good speech. I enjoyed it immeasurably."
"Cut it out," Justin said harshly. "You didn't call me here to compliment me, so stop wasting my time."
"As you wish." Jenner's friendly mask fell away. "I have great plans for our people, and I hope we can bury our past differences and work together on them. You've got a good mind, Justin, and the rest of the colony looks up to you. I would like to have you on my side in the future."
"I don't work for murderers."
Jenner frowned. "Those are strong words to be using on your leader."
"You can wear the amulet, and you can call yourself president, and you can make us do what you want us to do, but you'll never be my leader. You've got all the power you ever wanted. Why do you ask for more?"
"I didn't expect you to understand." Jenner's tone was cold. "You think power was my goal, but it is only a means to a much higher aim. Now that I have the stone, I can lead our people to greatness!"
"What kind of greatness?" Justin asked suspiciously.
"We shall be the masters of the Earth."
"And what about the humans?"
"Humans!" Jenner scowled. "What of them? With the stone, we will be able to overcome them. We can exterminate them completely!"
"It would never work," Justin argued. "The stone isn't that powerful. You would be leading the rats of this colony to certain death!"
"What do you know of the power of the stone? You wore it for four years, yet you never even comprehended its true nature. I hear you used it to kill a bear." Jenner roared with laughter. "To kill a bear! Child's play! You could have moved mountains if you had desired. You could have turned the sky to fire, or stopped the world from turning!"
Jenner thumped a forepaw against his chest. "A moment of exposure to the stone's power, and my disfigured body was renewed and made young again. I recognized its full potential the very first time I saw Nicodemus wearing it, and that's why I was willing to kill to have it."
"The people of this colony don't want war, Jenner. They just want to live in peace, away from humans."
"You've been telling them what they want for so long that they don't even know what they want themselves," Jenner sneered. "We grovel in the dirt, fighting just to survive, while man spreads his foul stench across the globe, destroying the planet and perverting everything he touches. We can rebuild an Earth without humans, where the environment isn't spoiled and all creatures live in harmony together. You talk of peace, Justin, but we can never have peace as long as humans walk the Earth. Mankind doesn't deserve to rule the world - we do! And now that I have the stone, I can and will make that happen."
"You know what your problem is?" Justin said. "You're lazy, Jenner. The humans evolved their intelligence over a period of many centuries, and we, as a new species, must evolve also. You don't want to bother; you want to take over now, but we're not ready. Perhaps someday we shall rule this world, but it will be because we have earned that right, not because we picked a fight with humankind that we can't possibly win."
"So you oppose me?"
Justin stood. "If you want to commit suicide yourself by fighting humans, you're most welcome to. But if you try to drag the rest of us with you, then yes, I must oppose you."
"Very well. If you won't join me, you will serve me. You can start now by bringing me a nice, hot lunch. And if you know what's good for you, you will bring it without delay."
Justin opened his mouth to refuse, but the power of the stone was working on him, and the words that came out were, "Yes, sir." He turned to go, but Jenner called him back.
"You forgot to bow to your leader, Justin."
"Never!" Justin cried. "You can make me serve you, but I will never bow to you!"
"Oh, no?" The stone around Jenner's neck began to glow, and Justin stepped toward him, even though he fought not to. When they were only several inches apart, Justin felt a sharp pain in his stomach, and he doubled over. "You call that a bow?" Jenner said lightly. "Perhaps you should kneel instead."
The pain spread to Justin's legs, and he fell on all fours. "That's better. Oh, by the way, I just thought I'd mention that you have a beautiful wife. In fact, I talked to her this morning before the meeting, and she agreed to marry me."
"She couldn't have!" Justin gasped.
"I can be very persuasive." Jenner fingered the pendant. Justin struggled to get up so he could hit Jenner, but another fiery stab in his stomach kept him on his knees. "We'll raise a family, she and I. It will be the start of a long line of leaders, worthy of the title of president. Are you comfortable down there, Justin? That's where you belong: down on the ground, struggling for your existence. Isn't that what you always wanted? Isn't that what moving to Thorn Valley was all about?"
The glow from the stone died away. Justin slowly got to his feet. He felt very weak. Jenner looked him over and smiled. "Now go get my lunch. And after that you can clean my bathroom. It's filthy."