With that she spun toward the door and stomped out into the night. The door slammed behind her and echoed in the silence. Theo heard frustrated, muffled sobs. He turned and saw Ryan slowly breaking down, slumping back into his seat, face in his hands. Liz came over and put her arm around him from behind the chair. Theo felt fortunate to have found Liz and Brian. All of them. Even without Michelle, they were a strong group, and maybe, just maybe they were enough to inspire some people to hope for a world better than what Paul Tiberius was giving them.
Chapter 20
When Michelle departed after her diatribe, the remaining members of the small group of rebels assured Ryan that she would come to her senses and return soon. She didn’t return the next day, or the day after that. By the time the group met again one week later, Ryan had given up hope that Michelle was ever going to come back. Nobody had seen or heard from her in all that time.
In between the second and third meetings, Bill used a break from a maintenance job in one of the city’s many high rises to join Theo near the community housing projects. “Jeez,” Bill said, “They’ve got me up doing repair work in some fancy place, but this is where we need to be doing work.”
“Yeah,” laughed Theo, “I get that. That’s why we’re here, remember?”
“Oh, right,” said Bill. “So how do you want to handle this? How exactly do we win hearts and minds?”
“Mayor Lucas told me once that the reason he thought he was a good mayor had nothing to do with any particular skills or intelligence,” Theo said. “He said the key was that he always listened, really listened to what people were telling him. Everyone wants to know that his or her concerns are being heard. And in our case, these people need to know that there’s an alternative to Tiberius out there, and that alternative is on their side.”
“An alternative to Tiberius that the people can’t vote for though.”
“Okay, true, but that’s not the point. What we are doing hinges on one very strong theory: that there are way more anti-Tiberius people than pro-Tiberius people on the island. Our job is to unite them… somehow.”
“So, we listen.”
“Yup. Listen, learn and maybe give them a little hope in return…what?”
Bill was looking at him curiously.
“What is it? Why are you staring at me?”
Bill laughed. “Sorry. It’s just that, well, I’ve said it before but you’re really a natural at this leadership thing. Seeing you like this, it’s like this is always who you were meant to be.”
Theo was touched. “Thanks, man, I appreciate the support. I can’t take all the credit anyhow, I learned a hell of a lot in a very short time from Mayor Lucas.”
“He was pretty awesome, wasn’t he?” asked Bill.
“Yeah. He was. He never stopped believing in the good of people, even Tiberius. Maybe that cost him his life. I don’t know.”
“Doesn’t matter now,” said Bill. “He’d be proud of what you’re trying to do.”
“I hope so. Okay here’s somebody coming now.” A young woman in a faded dress opened the screen door to one of the houses and walked out onto the porch. She looked to the left, toward the beach and the rolling waves. She let out a huge sigh and sat down on the top step.
Bill nudged Theo. “Go ahead, boss. Talk to her.”
Theo tentatively stepped forward. “Hi, my name’s Theo Essex. This is my friend Bill Mansfield. Would you mind if we talked to you for a minute?”
She pulled her knees in to her chest defensively. “Are you his men? The Supreme Leader?”
“No, no not at all,” said Theo. “We’re just citizens of Atlantic Island like you. People who’ve seen what Tiberius is doing and don’t like it. Would it be okay for us to sit with you? We won’t take up much of your time.”
She laughed, a hoarse, unpleasant sound. Theo doubted very much that this woman laughed often. “Don’t you worry about taking my time. Time is all I have. Come, sit.” She slid over to one end of the porch steps and turned to the side. Theo and Bill sat across from her, Theo on the top step and Bill two steps lower.
“My name’s Jane,” she said, “I’m curious. What is it you want to know?”
“How did you end up here?” Theo asked. “In the ‘special housing,’ I mean.”
“Very special, isn’t it?” Jane pointed back at the house. “Damned thing’s about one step away from collapsing on us. Funny thing is, this used to be a nice house. All of these were nice before the Event. Beach block property. Between the damage from the Event and the storms since, and the shady characters that occupied these places off and on in the past year, everything good has been stripped away and what’s left sure as hell wouldn’t pass any inspection I’ve ever heard of.”
“None of the construction crews have passed through here?” asked Bill.
“Not as far as I know,” said Jane. “Doesn’t look like it. Maybe they didn’t know what they were doing.” She laughed her croaky laugh again. She saw something in Bill’s face. “You one of the construction people?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said. “I like to think I know what I’m doing though. I’d never let this place fall apart like this. I’m usually only assigned to the more….elite districts. I’m starting to get the idea that all the attention is going there. That’s part of why we’re here, right Theo?”
“Right. Miss… Jane? You were going to tell us how you ended up here.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” she said. “Not much of a story to tell. Pretty common one around here, actually. My husband got marked up for speaking out against ration restrictions way back before the new leadership took over. Back in Lucas’s time. Nothing really happened to him back then. Then all of a sudden, Tiberius is in charge, and we get a knock at our door in the middle of the night. Bunch of Security Force guys come in. Arrest Tony for speaking out against the rations. Say he’s been sentenced to a year in prison. We lost our home and I was sent here. Must have missed when they held his trial.”
“They’ve moved from rigged trials to no trials at all,” Bill mused. “That’s progress.”
“Jane,” said Theo, “how many people do you share this house with?”
“There’s twenty including me,” she said. “Fifteen women and five kids.”
“No men were sent here?”
“Not to this house, no. There are a few down the street, or so I hear. Seems like they are more interested in sending men to jail than women. Figure they’d be more likely to fight back…to be a problem for the leadership.” She paused, eyeing Theo and Bill with suspicion.
“You’re telling me the truth here?” she asked. “You’re not with Tiberius?”
“Not a chance,” said Bill. “Jane you are talking with one of the first guys unfairly thrown in jail here and Mayor Lucas’s protégé who is pretty damned sure Tiberius ordered the mayor’s assassination. We couldn’t be further from Tiberius’s side.”
She smiled. “I see that. But you can’t blame me for being careful, can you? They took my Tony away from me for nothing, and I can’t believe they are done. No way they are just going to leave me alone forever, much as I wish it was so.”
“You’re right to be cautious,” said Theo. “But I tell you as sincerely as I can, you’ve got two friends here, and we know several more. There’s a…group organizing to keep tabs on Tiberius and his people.”