At the end of day 196, at Dr. Alina Post's office, an emergency meeting was held, upon request of Egon Janz, the leader of the elected council. The office had a couch with one wooden chair next to it, a mat in the middle of the room, and a table placed between the couch and the chair.
In a corner, lay a bed, nightstand with a light atop, and two wooden chairs next to the bed.
Charlotte Ziegler was the last to arrive. She walked to the corner of the room, grabbed a chair, dragged it across, and placed it on the mat.
Egon and Alina were sitting on the couch while Erdmann Warner was lying on the bed. The four of them were the only members called by Egon for this meeting.
Two minutes passed without saying a word.
The meeting was called late at night when most people sleep. Erdmann was half-asleep himself which is why he was on the bed. Charlotte wore a bathrobe, looked slightly disheveled. Alina, on the other hand, was the only one fully dressed in work clothes, as she mostly was. She had on a long skirt that covered her knees, a shirt tucked in, and a special pair of glasses she rarely wore. The glasses had a black frame with golden tips behind the ears and violet-shaded lenses that covered the bottom half of her eyes.
Egon started the meeting. "The reason I called today is to choose my replacement in the period when I'm not available. And I hope to settle this quick."
From the corner of the room, Erdmann spoke in a slightly high-pitched tone, "Shouldn't it be Charlotte? She's your vice, if you'd forgotten."
"I am leaving too, you sleepy shrink." Charlotte said.
"Oh yeah, I forgot." Erdmann said, "Go on then."
Egon then said, "It should be one of you two."
"Wouldn't it be more efficient if the two of you decided. To keep it neutral and anonymous?" Alina suggested.
"We tried." Charlotte responded. "We couldn't reach an agreement."
"What?" Erdmann suddenly sat up on the bed. "One of you actually voted for me? I might be underestimating myself."
"No, Dr. Warner." Charlotte said. "The vote went to Edmund Clines."
Erdmann fell back on the bed."Of course."
"Who suggested that?" Alina asked, looking at Egon, suspecting, almost accusing.
"It doesn't matter who." Egon said. "What matters here is that we've agreed it has to be one of you two."
"It was you, wasn't it?" Alina confronted him.
"Yes, it was."
"I knew it." Alina said. "You think I can't handle it."
"It doesn't matter what I think." He said. "We all will be making this decision. Even Erdmann gets a vote."
"Why did you have to specify?" Erdmann asked. "Don't I normally get a vote?"
Egon ignored him. "Charlotte and I have already made up our minds. Each of us will give his vote and reasoning, and you should do the same."
"Did you refer to me as a man?" Charlotte said to Egon.
"Focus on the matter at hand."
"Just go on." Erdmann said. "I want to sleep early tonight." He turned on his side and adjusted the pillow under his head.
"My vote goes to Alina." Charlotte started. "Needless to say, she is the most capable out of the two candidates."
"I'm the most experienced out of all of you," Erdmann snarked.
"Yes, but you're too radical," Charlotte replied.
"True." Erdmann said.
"Thank you, Charlotte. I really appreciate it," Alina said.
"I choose Alina, too." Egon said. "Because she is least likely to support genocide,"
"What? I'm not going to kill anyone." Erdmann said. "Why do you have that image of me?"
They ignored him.
"What makes you think I wouldn't do it?" Alina asked Egon.
"I think you're capable of doing it," Egon told her. "But I also know It wouldn't be your first choice. You haven't lost hope yet."
"I vote for Alina too," Erdmann said "I don't have the energy to do it. And excuse me, I am leaving,"
He got up and walking towards the exit then turned back and head to the bed. he grabbed a pillow from the bed and head to leave. "I am taking this pillow."
"No, you're not." Alina told him firmly, before he reached the door. "I love that pillow. Leave it."
"Nope." he said, running out of the room.
Alina turned to Egon, "I'll do it, but promise me you'll get back."
"Even if we survive, I plan to retire and spend the rest of my days carefree. I'm an old man, Honeygoon." Egon told her.
"You're only 44, don't say that," Alina said back.
"Once a man's hair turns grey, he doesn't have much time left."
"I can't endure this sticky love energy." Charlotte said before leaving the room.
"she didn't return the chair." Alina was a little upset.
"Well, I think I'm gonna sleep here tonight. It's been a long day."
Egon went to lay on the bed. Alina stayed in her seat for thinking of what's to come.