At his words, banners unfurled from the arena ceiling displaying a new flag. Three thick, vertical stripes of red, white and blue comprised the background, while a variant of Atlantic City’s logo was emblazoned in the center with the name of the new territory.
The crowd gasped and again Lucas silenced them with a calm raise of his hand. “Now there will be more information coming to you over time. Some of it will be in large forums like this; other info will be distributed by pamphlets at ration stations. I just have two more issues to discuss and you will be free to enjoy this lovely evening.”
“First, we have carefully allocated food from stores, casinos and hotels to ensure that there will be something for all twelve thousand residents of Atlantic Island, at least for a while. Obviously our supplies are not unlimited. To that end, we will be demolishing all remaining structures in what remains of the region formerly called ‘Margate.’ We are going to turn that land into farmland, so that when our current supply runs out, we will be prepared with an abundance of food. We will need demolition crews and farmers.”
“We will also require demolition crews to remove collapsed buildings and tear down any that have been damaged beyond repair. We need workers to repair almost all the remaining buildings, as the damage has been pervasive. We have other openings with our science crew, police force, and etcetera. We will have signups at ration stations. All are expected to participate and help in some way. Your rations, I’m afraid, will only be provided if you volunteer for some position.”
“And now,” said Lucas, “for the final topic of the evening, allow me to introduce Deputy Mayor Tiberius.” The crowd, having exhausted itself applauding the mayor’s previous statements, still mustered some enthusiasm as Tiberius approached the podium looking grim.
“Greetings,” said Tiberius. He sounded, Theo thought, as somber as he looked. “It is my duty to inform you that I have been chosen the head of the Atlantic Island Department of Law Enforcement. This new department oversees the police force and intelligence groups. As such, I must say that I have been very displeased by the behavior on this island.” Lucas looked uncomfortable at this and made to approach the podium. Tiberius raised a hand in the same manner Lucas had used to calm the crowd. The mayor returned to the back of the stage.
“There have been many incidents of violence against property and persons in our community. Indeed, there have been attacks against our officers. This is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. I trust that I will not have to elaborate further on this matter.” The crowd was silent. Theo felt a disconnect between his brain, which knew that the words Tiberius spoke made sense, and his stomach, which churned uncomfortably with his deep dislike of the deputy mayor.
“The final topic for this meeting is that of residency. Many of you have taken occupancy of homes that are not yours. We your governing officials have graciously decided to overlook this flagrant inappropriateness while the demolitions and repairs are taking place. At a time to be determined, we will assign official and legal residences to all of you. This is all.”
Tiberius stepped backwards from the podium. Mayor Lucas walked around him still looking a bit embarrassed. “Thank you Deputy Mayor Tiberius,” said Lucas. “On that note, we thank you for all being here tonight and giving form to our wonderful new community. These times are scary for us all, but together we can live, flourish and triumph over this adversity. Please know that the government of Atlantic Island is doing all it can to make contact with the outside world and we will notify all of you as soon as we know anything more. Thank you, and goodnight.”
The crowd dispersed back into the streets in torrents of excited conversation. Theo, despite his intense distrust of Tiberius, felt exhilarated at the prospect of things getting better on the island.
“Did you all hear that Tiberius guy?” asked Bill. “He looks like a bat. I didn’t like the threatening kinda crap at all.”
“Maybe it’s good to have somebody in charge who isn’t scared to keep violent people in line,” said Michelle. “I haven’t felt too comfortable with all the craziness we’ve seen, but Tiberius knows how to take control.”
“I’m just excited to sign up for the science crew,” said Ryan. “Finally a chance to help get us off the island!”
“You mean our new country,” said Kylee. “Don’t you think it’s a little fast to be giving up our US citizenship?”
“I think they just want people to feel there is some sense of normalcy,” said Theo. “Mayor Lucas means well, at least.”
They walked on through the masses of people finding their way back to what they now knew were temporary residences.
“What about Mark?” asked Bill, “I didn’t see him or Jamie anywhere.”
Theo considered this for a moment. “We’ll probably have a few days before we have to sign up for any of the committees. Let’s take some time starting tomorrow to really focus on tracking them down. Now that people have been around the island and are over the shock, they might be willing to help us or at least give us an idea if they’ve seen Mark and Jamie around somewhere.” He put a hand on Bill’s shoulder. “We aren’t giving up on them.” Bill nodded soberly.
All in all, Theo thought, it had been an interesting night. He was glad they had attended the meeting. Just to see so many faces, to be part of a throng of thousands of people, made him feel normal again. Even if none of those people had been holding up a smartphone aimed at the podium, it was still a better feeling than he had experienced in weeks. For the first time in a long time, something other than Kylee had given him hope. Just the same, he moved alongside her and put his hand on hers.
Book 2: The Leadership
Chapter 6
The day after the town hall meeting, the teens set out on a mission to find their missing friends. Theo observed that many more survivors were out in the streets, perhaps emboldened by the previous night’s gathering. He had become accustomed to seeing crowds in line for food but it was rare to see many people outside with no particular purpose.
Unfortunately, nobody seemed to have information on Mark and Jamie. Many people they came across had also lost friends and relatives and were at as much of a dead end as Theo and his friends. Bill was slipping back into his moodiness and Ryan’s attempts to liven the atmosphere with humor were falling flat.
At lunch, the teens sat on the beach overlooking the endless blue waves. Every time they sat like this and watched the ocean, Theo became more convinced the water was a brighter blue than it had been prior to the Event. Of course, he had no way to make a direct comparison.
“Hey, kids!” a voice called from the boardwalk. They turned around and saw Officer Menendez waving from a distance. They walked over to him and took positions on the stairs. The officer, his uniform now boasting a small patch in the style of the new Atlantic Island flag (Theo wondered where these things were being printed), looked cheerier than when they had last seen him.
“How are you guys holding up?” he asked.