“And you’re the head of this group?” she asked.
Theo felt a little embarrassed. “Yes…well, I wasn’t my own first choice.”
She laughed. “I didn’t mean to say I didn’t think you should be in charge. I think just from this little conversation we’ve had that you’re the perfect guy for the job.” She looked at Bill. “No offense.”
“None taken. I’m just here to help. Theo’s the man with the vision, trust me.”
“Dare I ask what you all are planning to do to fight back? I’m on board with anything that can put that bastard in his place and get Tony back in my arms.”
“The specifics are still something we are going to work out,” said Theo. “We are down here today to get a feel for the kind of situation you’ve been placed in by the leadership and to let you know that you’re not alone.”
“Well, neither are you,” she said. “I’ve got friends here and we’ll help you any way we can, if and when you need us.”
“Thank you, Jane,” Theo said. “I can tell you that we aren’t rushing anything. We need to move carefully here, but this is just the beginning. We will find a way to stop Tiberius. This country can be much better than it is if we all work together. I’m glad we got to meet you today. I promise we’ll be in touch soon.”
“Is it alright if I tell some of the other people here about you?” she asked.
“Yes,” said Theo, “but please remember how important it is that we keep this secret for now. Tiberius can’t know that we are meeting, or organizing, or planning. Do you understand?”
“Of course. You boys go about your business now. I’ve got plenty of sitting on the porch to do.” She laughed her ragged laugh again. Theo and Bill said goodbye to her and walked on down the road.
“She’s a character,” said Bill.
“Yup, but she’s tough. Been through some hard times.”
“You think we can call on her…on all the people down here when we need them?”
“I do. Whatever we are going to build, whatever we are going to do, it starts here and with these people. They are our army, Bill, and when they finally strike, Tiberius will never have seen it coming.”
“Works for me,” said Bill, “but let’s try to get our army some weapons before we go around striking things, okay?”
“So there’s been no sign of Michelle in all this time?” Kylee asked.
The small group was meeting for the third time in Kylee and Theo’s apartment. Ryan sat staring at the floor, the perpetual frown he had worn the past weeks a thin line on his face. Now he looked up at Kylee and shook his head. “Nah, nothing. I don’t know where she’s living or if she’s okay. Haven’t heard a word.”
“I don’t want to give you a hard time,” said Dale, “but maybe you’re better off without her, man, maybe we all are. She’s a little…negative.” Ryan flashed him a look that made Dale stumble backwards in his chair. “Sorry, man.”
“Okay,” said Theo, “I’m pretty sure Joseph and Andrew have something to report. Right, guys?” He gave them a look that said please help me out!
“Yes, definitely,” said Joseph. Theo assumed Joseph and Andrew were two of the oldest people on the island, which wasn’t saying all that much. Many of the most elderly had been too frail to survive the Event and what came after. The two men may have been in their sixties. Of course, Theo thought, he could be completely off. The grey hair and Joseph’s moustache gave an air of seniority.
Theo really liked Joseph and Andrew. They never made mention of their relationship, and might have been good friends were it not for the little looks they exchanged that said plenty. Andrew had been the head of payroll for some major corporation in New York before the Event. “One small step from retirement” was how he put it. Theo wasn’t entirely clear what Joseph’s job was or had been. The man looked like he had been a bodybuilder in his younger years, and had an accent just like Arnold Schwarzenegger’s to boot.
“We went down to the north end of the island like you said, Theo,” Joseph continued. “And, would you believe, we heard some government people talking about ‘weapons stations!’”
“What do you think it means?” asked Theo.
“Oh we know what it means,” said Andrew. “They were very specific. You might think they had no idea two handsome men were right across the street listening in.”
“Such a flatterer, this one, especially when he can flatter himself in the process,” said Joseph, smiling.
“Anyway, if I may continue, we learned that Tiberius has weapons stations around the island. It’s safe to assume a good portion of firepower still resides at the security headquarters, but we are confident he has emergency supplies all over the place. This is a paranoid man, and a prepared man, but I think we can exploit that to our advantage.”
“Excellent,” said Theo. “I think we have something here. The question is how to get access to them when we need them and without Tiberius knowing what we—” a frantic pounding at the door interrupted him.
Kylee moved to the door. She looked at Theo who nodded approval. She walked over and peered through the peephole. “It’s Officer Menendez!” she said. “He looks scared.”
“Let him in,” said Theo.
Kylee opened the door. “Carlos! What’s wrong?”
Menendez looked panicked. “It’s Tiberius. He’s on his way with a whole squad of Security Force agents!”
“I don’t understand,” said Theo, “What’s this all about?”
“You are all being charged with treason!” said Menendez. “You have to leave. You have to hide! Now!”
They jumped from their seats and scrambled around the apartment. “There’s no time to grab anything,” said Menendez, “I’m sorry. You need to go!” Theo watched the rest of the group leave.
“Theo, did you not hear me? Get out!”
“Why is this happening?” he asked. “Where is Officer Dougherty?”
“Dougherty’s being put into ‘early retirement.’ If you ask me, he’s lucky to get off that easy. The walls are closing in on people who aren’t aligned with the Supreme Leader. Now, Theo, get out of here.”
Theo ran into the darkness outside the apartment. He slipped into the alleyway across the street and several buildings down. He didn’t know where the others were but assumed they were nearby.
Theo could barely see the front of the apartment. He saw Menendez walk outside and stand at attention.
After a few minutes, Tiberius came walking up, taking long strides. Several masked members of the Security Force accompanied him.
“Where are the criminals, Officer Menendez?” Tiberius said in his chilling voice.
“I looked everywhere, sir. They must be out somewhere.”
“The reports from the neighbors said they meet at this time.”
“Sir, it’s possible they vary the nights they meet. Are we even sure they are doing anything treasonous?”
“Officer Menendez, nothing good for this country can come from anything where Theo Essex is involved. When I hear he is throwing gatherings, I know all I need to know.”
Theo’s heart pounded. They had been discovered much faster than he had expected. How the hell had Tiberius found out? Who had seen them?
“I’m telling you, sir, Theo’s a good kid.”
“Sam Lucas thought the same, officer. Look at how that worked out for him.”
“I’ll keep a watch on the place tonight. Make sure you’re informed if they return. We can seal it off in the morning for redistribution.”
There was a pause as Tiberius considered Menendez’s plan. “Officer, if it’s all the same to you, I will be taking a look around the apartment.”