United, page 17
part #4 of Protectorate Series
“I’m not that old,” Charles said, joining the conversation while Ursula continued to inspect the USB set on the table before her.
“Sorry, no offense. Sometimes it was just convenience, too. Like, so you had access to everything without having to put you into each individual section of the system,” DJ said to Charles.
“And to answer the real question you’re asking,” DJ continued more under his breath. “I didn’t make one for you ‘cause you didn’t need one. You had me. I am way better than some stupid key. Or at least I was back in my office.”
“Yeah but then I had to deal with your crap every time I wanted access to something that father didn’t care to give me,” Theo grumbled back.
“So am I to understand,” Ursula said, interjecting into the sibling bickering, “that this USB will give us access to any and all areas of the Protectorate?”
“Right down to the labs were the Super Soldiers and the cure for fertility are being manufactured,” Charles confirmed.
“A lab that you oversaw. Because of what you did, quite possibly thousands of people are dead in the space of just a few weeks,” she shot back with menace.
I had a feeling that Ursula was going to warm up to the Blakelys just as soon as she did to me. She also didn’t care to have anyone in this room or elsewhere consider Charles a hero for handing over this key.
“They risked their lives to get it to us,” I interjected. “My father has always done what he can to create a state of peace and prosperity for everyone. And he came here with a hope that the Freedom Fighters can create such a world where the Protectorate has failed.”
I wasn’t about to let Ursula bully the Blakelys into being villains.
“Certainly your ideas of what life was like inside the Community and under Mr. Blakely here,” Ursula said motioning to Charles, “would be different from others in this room. But then, your time on their estate was, shall we say, in a different position than most. And you do know he isn’t really your father,” Ursula finished with a scoff.
“Yes, he is. Blood doesn’t make a family. A family is the people you can trust to be there for you in good times and bad.”
Charles, who had been sitting next to me, gently patted my knee to calm me down as he had done so often before.
“It’s alright, dear,” he said with a weak smile to me. “You are right, Mrs. Henderson. I was a part of the problem for a long time no matter how much effort I put into making things better. In fact, I was part of something that will haunt me for the rest of my life. But I can assure you that our ideals are the same. I too want a world of peace where all are seen as equals and find their success on their merits alone.”
“To do so you need all of us, not just rebels, not just Outskirt dwellers, and not just angry Second Generations. Certainly, there will always be opposers that stand in the way of progress. I can assure you that not only am I not one of those that stand in your way, nor have I ever been, but instead I am here to stand at my daughter’s side and aid you in any way I can in your endeavors.”
Ursula turned to her son to see his take on this whole thing. I wondered what Jake had told her over the years about his experiences on the Blakelys’ farms. It honestly was one of the best places for a Second Generation to live. Sure it wasn’t perfect, but I have seen far worse in my time in the Communities.
“The enemy of my enemy is a friend of mine,” Jake said with a shrug.
“Fine,” Ursula said with a huff. “Naturally you are welcome to stay in a civilian consultant capacity. Unlike the Protectorate, we don’t turn people away in times of need.”
“I thank you for that,” Charles said with a gracious bow and a cordial voice.
“DJ, you will know how to use this thing, yes?” she turned and asked him.
“Yeah, you stick it in,” DJ said with a shrug.
“So anyone could do it, correct?”
“Yeah, it’s literally just holding code and when the code is inserted into the control module of a computer or control box next to a system such as the Artificial intelligence it automatically reads the code and grants access.”
“Good. Now we can have a game plan,” Ursula said, rubbing her hands together.
“We will need a small attack unit. They can gain access into the Central Community and open all the doors to our waiting army outside. If we take over the Central and capture Reynolds, we will have the entire Protectorate at our mercy. While the rest of the forces are infiltrating, our small team can access the labs.”
“And destroy all the information held within it,” Charles finished for her in a calm tone. “That is my one and only condition of handing over the USB drive.”
Ursula’s lips thinned into a tight line.
“Nothing good can come of the information held within that lab. The best thing for us all is that all information be destroyed. Then no more Defectives, no more Super Soldiers.”
“And no more cure,” someone said in a frantic tone in the back.
Charles drawled out his explanation that he had once given me when he first handed over the USB.
“So you see, a cure will come naturally over time, just as it has been,” he concluded.
“Even if we can manage a two-part strategy and get a small unit into the walls, getting them through the city into the capital and capturing Reynolds as well as destroying the lab is a tall order,” Jorge said, shaking his head as he sat on the other side of Theo.
“Don’t forget, until we destroy this lab they have an unlimited supply of Super Soldiers. Our men won't stand a chance against something like that.”
“I can tell you,” Charles said, turning to Ursula, “I know for sure that President Reynolds has kept his superior Guardians experimentation solely to the units that reside in the Central Community. It isn’t completely perfect, at least it wasn’t when I left a few weeks ago, and so he has only been using it on very small groups of soldiers that have already show military promise and moved up high in rank.”
“So how many men do you think in all?” Jorge asked, getting down to business.
“I can’t be certain. I knew that the capacity of the lab was about five hundred bodies when it came to Defective treatments and experimentations. But the Superior Soldier program doesn’t take as much time to ingrain into their system and you don’t have containment and wait periods. In theory, if he was willing to risk adverse effects, President Reynolds could have the entire Guardian installment at the Central Community processed through the serum in the matter of a few hours.”
“So even if we gathered all of our strength for one coordinate attack, it would still be facing a large force of Super Soldiers no matter how much of a surprise we attempt,” Jorge said in disappointment. “How many men would you say are at the Protectorate’s disposal in the Central, Theo?” Jorge continued his questioning.
“It can hold a significant amount as the training center is right there. At max capacity, I would say around twenty thousand men. I’m sure my father will be keeping the Community at that capacity if not more now that he has officially started the war.”
Jorge simply nodded and started jotting down some numbers on his tablet. I saw him comparing notes from some of the charts that DJ had shown me earlier while Theo was catching me up.
He was determining if we had enough manpower to fight off the Super Soldiers while a small team made their way in or if they would just be slaughtered in an instant.
“If we were able to get within the wall first, we would have a better chance. We also would be able to rule out any massive missile attack within the walls. I don’t think Reynolds could get away with bombing his own civilians,” Jorge said.
“But you think it is very possible that we could reach success with this plan,” Ursula encouraged him to say.
“We would have to build our ranks up significantly, and find a way to sneak a large army close enough to get within the city before the Super Soldiers are deployed on us, but yes I think there is a possibility.”
“We have people flooded in from the Outskirts and settlements. We will easily be able to double our ranks,” Ursula said. “In six weeks time of training, we will be ready to strike.”
“I don’t know,” a man named Zach said from the far end of the table.
He was an older gentleman with rich cocoa skin and white hair that was woven into long, thick dreadlocks. He didn’t talk much but when he did we all listened. To be honest, he held so much mystery about him. I didn’t even know exactly why he was here, let alone at the table as he didn’t seem to really be over anything. He was just here.
As always, when he spoke the whole room turned to face him and listen.
“These are malnourished people for the most part. I can’t imagine they will make quality soldiers. Not to mention the fact that many of them have lived their whole lives in fear of the Protectorate and under its thumb. Now they have just escaped a mass execution at the hands of the Protectorate.”
“More the reason to want to join up,” Ursula said.
“More the reason to fear that great beast that has controlled their lives. I don’t see many willing to step forward. They need more than just something to hate or fear. Fighting out of hatred for another has never won an award. They need something or someone to fight for. A good that they know will conquer the evil with their aid.”
“Perhaps a Venus Verticordia asking them to fight on her behalf to free all people?” DJ chimed in.
I slouched down into my seat just a little bit more. I didn’t have to look at Ursula to know she was attempting to burn a hole in me with her eyes.
Venus Verticordia was a name given to the Greek mother goddess Venus. It was her pseudonym for helping the poor classes of the ancient time. In our modern time, Venus was the symbol of motherhood, fertility, and the promise of a future.
Many of the people who had fled the Protectorate due to oppression had begun to call me Verticordia, seeing me as their mother light to move them into a better future. I didn’t really blame them, I had been put in the spotlight first by the Protectorate, and next using the momentum again put in the propaganda spotlight by the Fighters.
Ursula wanted to be the mother figure, however. She wanted to be the hero that the people looked to and saw as their bright future. The fact that I had somehow taken that from her didn’t put me on her good list.
“If Verticordia asked for the people’s help, they would listen,” Zach said with certainty. “I am sure many inside the walls too would listen to Verticordia if she asked them to act against tyranny at that moment.”
“I don’t know,” I said softly.
I didn’t like the idea of people fighting because I asked them to, even if it was for their own lives and freedoms. It made me responsible for them. If I knew anything about myself, it was that I had little control over my own mind. How could I ask others to trust me when I didn’t entirely trust myself?
“What about Ursula and Theo standing together and asking?” I proposed. “They represent the essence of both sides of a coin. Showing that they are united could lessen the fears some might have of the Protectorate’s control over them,” I added, happy to put the weight of guilt on Ursula’s shoulders.
“Ursula is not a prominent figure for the people,” Zach said, shaking his head.
We all took a collective breath in. What he had just said was practically treasonous. He didn’t seem to fear his words or their consequences at all. In fact, he was just saying how it was with no bias. It made me wonder if that was his actual job: He just told Ursula what it really was with no bias.
“Now the two of you together again, standing before the people, both Fighter and Protectorate citizens alike would listen. You two are the literal uniting of the two opposing forces in the people’s eyes,” Zach said as he mused the idea over.
“So what are you suggesting?” Ursula said with a clear hint of irritation that he had just basically called her obsolete to the people.
“A wedding!” Virginia blurted out before quickly covering her mouth. “Sorry, I just heard uniting and that’s what I thought of.”
I did my best to stifle a laugh. I was pretty sure Virginia was going to go to any lengths to get her party on the list of things to do if it killed her.
“It’s not a terrible idea,” a woman's voice said from behind me.
I knew her name was Lydia and that she was responsible for assessing the political image of the cause with the populace.
“A televised wedding, the official announcement of Theo and Ella as the new rightful leaders of this nation and their desires to create a new, free regime, and a call to action. The people would eat it up. They would forget all about the Protectorate’s power and advantages over us. Everyone loves a good love story,” she added with just a little bit of a sigh at the end.
Virginia was practically giddy in her seat at the thought. Ursula, on the other hand, was anything but thrilled. She had no plans to publicly recognize anyone as the leader of this nation beyond herself. Doing so would make it permanent.
“We could make a cut for within the Protectorate as well,” DJ agreed. “Once inside the walls, it wouldn't be nearly as hard to hack into the system manually and project it across all seven Communities. Call for immediate surrender to Theo. Not only would we have the people on our side, but many of the Guardians would choose to side with Theo over our father as well. We could get in and force Reynolds to surrender to Theo.”
“This isn’t their cause. It’s my cause!” Ursula said, standing with ferocity.
It was a little bit like a petulant child being forced to share her toys.
“Mother,” Jake said with a tone of reprimand, “it's the right thing to do. People will follow them and look to them,” he continued, though I could tell it pained him a little to say so. “Anything for the cause, remember? No sacrifice is too much,” he quoted her own words she had spoken over and over.
“And so we just give it back to him?” she said, waving her hand at Theo. “Back to the Protectorate? Then what was all this for?”
“No, not back to the Protectorate,” Theo said with certainty. “A new nation. A federation where every voice matters and all have an opportunity to live in health and peace. Once the order is restored, we begin a system of leaders elected by the people and only for short rotations.”
It was the plan outlined by the Freedom Fighters’ mission statement. A land full of the opportunity of livelihood with no distinction of rights by class. One where the leaders would be created by the voice of the people. Though it was the clear message of the Fighters, I didn’t know if it was truly what Ursula had planned. I always assumed that she would take over and keep the power all for herself. Letting the chance slip away in this fashion didn’t seem like something she would do.
Much to my surprise, however, she sat back down in her seat and relaxed.
“You’re right Theo. It is what we hoped for all along. If it takes your face at the frontline for others to agree to our terms, then it is what must be done. I trust you both and know you will do the right thing.”
The room let out a sigh of relief, except for Virginia who I am pretty sure squealed again under her breath. Ursula was going to accept this and allow it. Still, I had that sinking gut feeling that when the dust settled in the end, if we somehow came out as champions, it wouldn’t be with Ursula and Theo and me all alive.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
IT WAS EXTREMELY late by the time the upper office meeting adjourned. In fact, it was beginning to be dawn judging by the light glow that seemed to refract off the open dome of the ceiling and into the room, making it harder for me to see clearly.
All I wanted to do was crash into my bed and sleep for a very long time. I knew with my freak natural DNA, I often needed less sleep than others, so if I felt this tired I could only imagine how Jake and my parents felt.
Ursula may have conceded to allowing Theo and I take the front of the movement, but she wasn’t going to do it without spite.
So naturally, at the end of the meeting, she informed us that we would need to find proper lodging for my parents, get them set up with their chore rotations, and not forget our own part to play in the chore rotation with the coming up of the sun.
I was pretty sure she somehow knew that on this particular day I was assigned to help make breakfast in the large industrial kitchen. Really, upper leaders with their gold thread insignias on their arms were only extra bodies in the chore rotation. Not necessarily needed as they weren’t always around. Still, we were determined to have a fair society where everyone worked for the common good so a chore rotation was still assigned and even the upper leaders were expected to participate when possible.
I had no doubt that I wouldn't have been missed that morning. Still, with Ursula’s explicit mentioning of doing our part, I knew she was just waiting for an opportunity to prove that I wasn’t truly a team player.
So we got the Blakelys settled into a room not far from our own. We showed them the ins and outs of basic life here at the headquarters and then gave them a randomly assigned chore chart as was given to all newcomers.
“This says assisting with farm watering,” Charles said with interest as he read over the chore assignments. “Does that mean you have farms here? I’m surprised you can get food to grow in direct contact with the sun in such a low atmosphere.”
“Actually, there is a large farm area with an open dome ceiling not much different from the one we entered last night,” I explained. “Though many of the settlements were planning crops out in the open. It’s supposed to be safe to do so in the healed land. But I do think things tend to grow better in unexposed areas like inside the caverns here. It’s controlled or whatever,” I finished with a half-hearted shrug.
“How interesting,” Charles mused. “Do they grow oats here? I do know a bit about that,” he added with a chuckle. “Maybe I could be more help than just watering.”
