The Breaking, page 26
part #2 of The Reckoning of Anecor Series
“What did you expect from Quadrant 4…a steak?” All three men laughed at this.
The last room to search was the first room they’d entered: the living room. Walking back into the living room, they headed straight for the shelves in the room. One man stepped on a board that felt loose. He stopped, backed up, and tested the board again. His companions watched, a curious look on their faces, before it dawned on them what the first was thinking. One of the men smiled. Maybe he’d win his bet that they’d find the computer after all.
They had a more difficult time prying open the floorboard than they had expected, but, at last, it popped free from its setting. One of the guards inspected it, expecting to find some sort of latch or something that would have held it in place. It was just a simple wooden board. He tossed it aside.
“Shine that light down here,” said the guard who was already down on his knees trying to peer in the hole. The guard with the light complied. “Hold up. I see something.” The man down on the floor laid all the way down and stuck his hand in the hole, feeling for the object he just barely caught sight of from the beam of the light.
“Aaaahhh!” He suddenly yelled.
“What?” the other two responded.
The guard stood up, shaking his hand off and wiping it on his pants.
“What was it?”
“Don’t know, but it had fur. Not the computer.” The other two burst out in loud guffaws.
“Right, go ahead and laugh if you want. Next time, one of you gets to stick your hand into the dark hole.” And the other two laughed even harder.
When they recovered, they moved to the shelving unit, swiping off every item sitting on top, right onto the floor. They found several containers that held clothing and toiletries, all of which joined the contents strewn across the floor. There was nothing on any of the shelves or in any of the containers that would have held a computer.
The guards had searched everywhere, leaving nothing unturned or unopened. Nothing, that is, except for the well-disguised hiding place in the wall that held the computer they were after.
The guards came up empty-handed, and the one who bet they would find the computer good naturedly laughed off his loss when they’d finished tearing the house apart, creating disorder in the once orderly space.
“I knew there was no way an 18-year-old girl in Quadrant 4 would have a computer!” he said, as they filed back through the unhinged door, careful not to get snagged by the splinters poking out from the place where the door had broken. The three were still chuckling about it as they climbed back in their vehicle and drove away.
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Manglebee and Henderson had returned to the Capitol. Henderson got an earful the entire way back. The two men were now in the secure meeting room, going over the operational plans. Manglebee was fuming.
“This is moving too slow. We should have been fully operational by now, but, apparently, I have entrusted these tasks to a bunch of incompetent idiots. If things had gone according to plan, this breech of our security system would have been too late.”
“Yes. I agree. The question now, however, is what are we going to do about it?”
“Yes. That is the question.”
“Head Councilor. I think it’s time we convert the prisoners at the camps. We are far enough along in programming, even if they don’t yet have the training down for weapons. If we build the army now for hand-to-hand combat, we can work on weapons training concurrently.”
“Do you think between you, Gaff, Spencer, Lux, and Cord, you can manage this without ensuing chaos?” Henderson’s lack of fear of Manglebee was now paying off, with Manglebee taking him into his confidence and treating him as more of an equal than he did under any other circumstances. Had anyone else been present, Henderson was sure none of this current conversation would have transpired.
“Yes. We will have to work out the logistics, but I think it can be done. We still have the advantage.”
“We cannot afford any more errors, such as the ones we saw tonight.”
“I agree, sir.”
“Arrange a planning session with the other four. I want you to draw up exactly how this would work. Every step. I don’t care how trivial you think it is, put it in the plans. I want to see that you’ve thought of everything. Nothing left to chance.”
“Yes, sir. We’ll get right on it.”
“Henderson?”
“Yes, sir?”
“You have 24 hours. Do not disappoint me.”
CHAPTER 39
T
he decision to involve Colossus wasn’t an easy one. In the end, it came down to manpower. And brainpower. They would need to figure out how they were going to get Mel out, and they needed to decide where to start looking for this army. Most of them were also of the opinion that they needed to start fighting back.
Rebecca wanted to free the prisoners from the location they now knew, with the hopes that it would bring them more help. Selby agreed wholeheartedly. Destin suggested sabotaging the programs for delivering the virus, since she now knew how to get in and what to look for. Bendi suggested that they go beyond that and start administering the anti-virals to those who got sick, if they could find a way to do so anonymously.
The group was counting on Melody being outnumbered. At the last meeting, several in the group had voiced their disappointment in Melody’s decision not to look for the two escaped prisoners, Lucash and Juniper. Even stronger than that was the growing sentiment that things were taking too long. Every person in the room believed that there would be other Colossus members who would jump at the chance to take part in any of the actions they planned to propose. They didn’t believe that Melody would be able to continue moving at the snail’s pace she was used to once everyone found out what they now knew.
No one knew what to do about finding Troy. Rebecca left him several messages, thinking that she might be the one he would respond to, but no such luck so far. She would keep trying.
The responses to Remy’s message had come in quickly, so now everyone was on their way to Headquarters. Everyone except Lucash, Juniper and the Myers. Juniper was in no condition to go still, of course, but more important than that was being able to inform Colossus about the four of them prior to introducing them to the group. If things didn’t go well, they’d take it from there. Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that, but best to be safe.
It was 2 a.m. when Remy’s and Bryn’s vehicles pulled into their spots at Headquarters.
“I’m nervous,” Rebecca admitted to Cassidi and Daniel, who shared the backseat of Bryn’s car with her, while Destin sat in the front. Selby, Bendi, and Davi had piled into Remy’s truck.
“Me, too,” whispered Cassidi. “I just hope this goes well. Melody scares me.”
“I think she scares everyone. That’s why she’s still in charge,” Daniel said, as the three filed out of the car and joined the others.
“Man, it’s weird not havin’ Troy here,” Selby said, as he looked around at their group. With that, the nine of them headed for the door, each of them with thoughts of the possible outcomes running through their brains.
As soon as it looked like almost everyone had arrived, Melody started walking to the front of the room. Remy beat her to it. The group had decided that he’d be their spokesperson. They also thought it was imperative that he start talking before Melody. They did not want her to control the conversation. The other eight moved up beside him, lending strength in their numbers.
Melody stepped back, but she was angry. The rest of the Colossus members looked a little stupefied at the change in procedure. They looked between Melody and the group a few times, but their eyes eventually settled on Remy as he started to speak.
“Thanks for coming. We have a lot of new information to share with you, and then some important decisions for how to go forward. We—” he gestured to the group standing at his side, “wanted to tell all of Region 1 Colossus at the same time so that nobody is left out of the loop or the decision-making process. I know a few of us were unable to make it, but most are here. I will fill those absent in as soon as our meeting is concluded.
Now, I want to be the first to say that the information we received over these past almost 24 hours has been obtained through non-standard Colossus procedures.”
At this, everyone looked at Melody to gauge her reaction. Her shock and anger were ill-disguised, “Remy,” she said, “I need to speak with you before you continue.”
“We can talk afterwards, Melody. This information is too important to wait.”
“Remy, that was not a request. I am still in charge here.”
“Yes, Melody, you have been the one in control of this pod since the beginning. I understand that. But the information I have is not something I am willing to keep from the group any longer. They all have a right to know. So. I will speak now. To everyone.”
The gasps from the Colossus group were audible. Melody opened her mouth to say something more, but Remy turned back to the gathered group and began talking, shutting down her opportunity. The group’s attention shifted back to Remy.
“First, we know much more about Manglebee’s plan and what the virus is actually about.” That sentence ensured that everyone there would continue to listen to Remy. Zeche was the only person aside from Melody who was more angry than curious. He stood by her side, offering his support through his presence.
Remy continued, “But, before I go into that, I want to tell you a few other things because I think they’re important too. We need to address them all tonight.”
“Where’s the other kid from your group? Troy? Why isn’t he up there with you?” came a voice from the center of the gathering. Remy wasn’t entirely sure who spoke the question. In their earlier meeting, everyone had had a difficult time deciding on whether to tell the rest of their Colossus pod about Troy and his father. They had decided that it was unlikely that anyone would be able to find him until he was ready to be found. Because of this, they had eventually decided not to tell the rest of the Colossus pod just yet. If it became necessary at a later time, they would disclose what they knew about Troy’s dad, Troy’s discovery of his dad’s involvement, and his subsequent disappearance.
“He is one of the one’s who was unavailable to come, but he is already aware of most of what I am getting ready to tell you.
So, I’ll continue now. The night before last, our scheduled operation inside of BRO was cancelled. Selby, Zeche, and I had discovered upon arrival that two prisoners from another region were being transported to BRO, but they managed to escape. These prisoners were injected with an experimental fast-acting, but non-individualized, form of the virus.” At this, some chattering broke out among those gathered.
“I know, this is surprising information, but it’s just the beginning, so please let me get through it all before we start discussing anything.” Remy waited just a few seconds for everyone to quiet down. “Okay, so those of us who were supposed to go inside met to discuss our options. It was determined that we should hold off doing anything, though several in the group believed we should attempt to find the escaped prisoners in order to try to help them, but also in the hopes that we could get more information. When our meeting concluded, a few of us decided we’d go looking on our own.”
“Remy—” Melody’s voice came out in almost a growl.
“Let him speak!” someone shouted from the audience. Several other shouts of agreement followed. Melody backed away even further, her rage increasing. She was making every effort to control it. It wouldn’t have mattered. No one but Zeche was looking at her. She knew she had no hope of bringing this meeting under control now.
“I reported to BRO to make sure the prisoners had not been found and to inform Bryn of the most recent events and our decision to go looking. Selby left to go talk to his folks,” this caused looks of confusion, as he knew it would. “His parents have found out about Colossus because they discovered Selby sneaking in late.” This time, the interruption was even louder.
“I know what you’re all thinking, but please, quiet down! It turns out to be a good thing,” he said, speaking over the noise, hoping the words would capture their attention again. They did. “His parents are the ones who taught Selby everything he knows. They’re also the ones who have the equipment that we’ve both used and copied. They survived The Reckoning using these skills. There are others out there, too. The others don’t know about us yet, and Selby’s parents want to keep it that way for now. But. Rena and Sid want to join us, and we would really benefit from their skills.”
“Bring them on!”
“I second that!”
“Me, too!” Several calls of the last followed. Remy breathed a sigh of relief, as did Selby, who grinned at how easy that was. His parents would be thrilled.
Remy smiled, as well, and then continued, “Great. That seems unanimous.”
“No! It is not unanimous,” Melody practically shouted. “This is not how we bring in new members. You and Bryn continue to risk the safety of this organization, and I will not stand for it.”
“We need people like them!” came the response from the crowd. Several calls of agreement followed.
Remy let the voices from the audience stand as the response to Melody and added, “They will be an excellent addition. In time, perhaps we’ll be able to include others with these skills as well.”
“Did you find the prisoners?” someone else asked, bringing the conversation back around to where Remy had left off.
“I’ll get to that,” Remy smiled again, in response. “Selby and I did meet up with the others to help in the search. But, one more thing before I do. Bryn talked to an informant at BRO who provided her with the information that Manglebee is keeping captured members of the Resistance, and other supposed dissidents, at prison camps in the Borderlands. So, it appears these individuals are at least mostly still alive, but only just.
“As you can imagine, the conditions at these camps are deplorable. The informant had only been to one, but there is no doubt the others are the same. This isn’t really a surprise to us, as many of us at least suspected that something like this existed. Now, however, we have the location for one of them.” Several cheers went up.
“So, Selby and I joined the others in their search, but Bryn stayed on at BRO so that at least one of us would be there. Before we got too far, Davi here saw a lone individual watching the rest of us. He brought him to us, but before we found out too much, the Guard truck came into view, and we were spotted.”
There were reactions from the crowd, but Remy continued speaking. He figured he’d never get through everything if he didn’t. “We all split off in pairs. I took the individual with me. It turned out he was one of the prisoners. His name is Lucash. His girlfriend, Juniper, is the other. She was extremely sick, and Lucash had hidden her well. As soon as we were able, we went back for her and took her to a safe place where Bryn and I could treat her. All the others escaped the Guard and two BRO employees who had been sent with them. Except one. One of the BRO employees fell to his death, but one of the Guard captured Mel. She’s now at the BRO facility, likely being interrogated. She won’t give anything away. We know this. But that is one task we have before us. We need to get her back.”
“I’ll go!” several people shouted.
“Should we risk that?” came from a few more voices.
“Not sure that’s a good idea!” said a couple of others.
“These are decisions we’ll have to make. No one will participate in a rescue who doesn’t feel they should. There is more to this though. So, let’s just wait until the end to discuss it all at once.”
Melody searched the crowd for the naysayers, feeling some hope that she would have a few on her side still. She took a mental note of who they were and kept her eyes on their reactions as Remy continued to speak. She wanted nothing more than to storm out of the building, but that would not serve her. She was better off knowing who she could rally back to the course they’d set in motion more than two years ago.
“Bryn and I treated Juniper with one version of anti-viral that we developed and stashed in a secret off-site location for safe keeping. We are happy to say that she is recovering. Lucash and Juniper are part of The Resistance, but, despite what we’ve all believed, this organization doesn’t operate in the way we presumed.” Remy went on to tell the group what they now knew about The Resistance, as well as Lucash’s promise that he and Juniper would help Colossus in any way they could.
Melody noticed that even those who were voicing their concerns about rescuing Mel seemed excited at the prospects of the connection with The Resistance. This was infuriating.
“With all the headaches The Resistance created for Colossus, how could anyone want that connection? How can any of you agree to the kinds of tactics these people engage in? The safety of our members is of utmost importance, and you all seem ready to throw it all away for The Resistance!” Melody was now desperate to regain control. All the years she put into this organization, all her hopes for a well-orchestrated revenge against Manglebee, were slipping through her fingers. This group was all she had now. She could not lose them like she lost her own family.
Remy turned to Melody and his look softened a bit, but his voice remained firm, “I know you take responsibility for the safety of this group, but it is no longer the most important thing to do. It’s too late for that. Now is the time for action. We can no longer afford to be so cautious, not with what we now know.”
Melody opened her mouth to speak again, but then closed it, not trusting herself to speak. Angry tears threatened to spill. She could not let them think her weak.
Remy faced the waiting group again, “Okay, I am now getting to the most important news we have.” The words had barely escaped Remy’s lips when the entire crowd grew so quiet you could only hear an occasional rustle of someone’s clothing as they shifted position.
“While we were all out looking for Lucash and Juniper, Destin and Troy were working together,” several bursts of laughter erupted at this, but the voices were silenced quickly. Destin looked a little embarrassed at the reactions. “They broke through the security wall for BRO’s Level 3 system.” This caused some commotion, which quieted as soon as Remy told them that this wasn’t the big news.
