Haunted (State v. Sefore) (23 page)

Chapter Thirty

“M
e too.” Maddison
straightened her shoulders, not a hint of trepidation in her voice despite the death grip she had on his hand.

A subtle tension dropped off Ben’s face, and a wide grin replaced it. He clapped Noah on the back again. “So glad to hear it. You two are just the kind of people we need, standing on the cusp of your futures. You should have the world at your fingertips. And we’re going to make sure it happens.”

Someone called out to him from a makeshift stage Noah hadn’t noticed before. Ben nodded before turning his attention back to them. “You guys stick with Lynn. I’m going to want your opinion after a while.”

“Of course.” Noah’s anxiety ebbed a little. He might not have picked up on Ben’s secret, but then neither had Ben guessed his. His cover remained intact. At least he had that in his favor, for now.

“Great.” Ben gave them another huge smile and headed for the platform where Ethel and the boys joined him. As he stepped onto the platform, the crowd shifted as though gravity pulled them toward Ben. Families stood together, one unit. Voices tapered off, even those of the children. A rapt silence fell around them. Eerie.

Noah pulled Maddison in front of him, wrapping his arms around her waist. Her arms covered his, and she leaned back against his chest.

Someone handed Ben a bullhorn. “I’m glad everyone could be with us today. Each one of you has become like family to me over the last five years, and today is the celebration of the end of that season. A labor which has been hard, grueling, and never ending. One we’ve worked in darkness. But soon, no more. Five years ago, ten of us met—ten men who remembered what most of you cannot recall. But those of us over forty retain the knowledge of what it was like before Potentate Marcioni changed our dear republic into a prison. Even if we were just children or teens at the time, we remember what freedom felt like and we remember how the bloody months stripped us of it.” Someone in the crowd sobbed. “And five years ago, we made a decision that our children …” He turned to look at his sons who stared at him while Ethel beamed from her place behind them.

“Our sons and daughters would not be saddled with futures they didn’t want and couldn’t free themselves from. They deserve to choose what their careers will be, where they live, and who they will marry. Our children deserve the freedom to thrive or fail at something they love. And it is because of my boys I stand before you today.”

The last piece of the puzzle clicked for Noah. He’d thought Ben had too much to lose, but Ben sired the movement for that exact reason. In fact, it made him the perfect leader. To Noah’s right, John Henderson laid a hand on his son’s shoulder. Other fathers and mothers called out in agreement or pulled their children closer. Maddison shifted in his arms.

“We made careful plans. We knew what the fallout from hastily thrown together protests and coups had been.” Ben’s eyes darted to Billy for a split second. “To succeed, we would need time, organization, and support on our side. And support began to come—from others who wanted freedom of expression, of speech, of industry, and from classification.”

People in the crowd hissed.

“We found those calling out for democracy, both young and old.” He pointed at a young man, at Director Mason, and, right up front, at Gary Bullard. “You want freedom for yourselves, for your loved ones, for the community, for our nation. And you have been patient, trusting in our passion and vision enough to be circumspect until the right time.”

Ben lowered the bullhorn for a moment, resting it on his hip and sucking in what appeared to be a shaky breath. “And, just when we thought we were ready to move forward, a group of people found us.” His eyes shot to the back of the crowd. “Those who’ve lost the most because of this regime. The Christians, Jews, and Muslims who were falsely accused of starting this whole mess and then driven underground or killed. You, my friends, have the most reason to want freedom, a livelihood, honesty, and the free exercise of your religions. I must apologize again that we did not come to find you first.”

Beside them, Nurse Walker’s face ran with tears. She made no move to wipe them off, chanting under her breath.

“But I promise the wait is almost over.” His voice grew. “The days of the so-called Elite are numbered. The common man will regain his voice. Many of you will taste freedom for the first time. And they will never again underestimate the Masses.” Rumbling and shifting began to grow in the crowd. “The day is dawning, and when it does, all will see the regime for what it is. And we will rise up and the nation with us, and we will take back control. Watch for the dawn, my friends. When you see it, you will know the waiting is over, and the time for action has begun. There will be no doubt. Watch for the dawn. Morning comes.”

Applause broke out. The clamor of voices yelling and feet stomping joined in, and Noah forced himself to clap as well. Maddison’s hands shook as she mimicked him. What did she think about all of this?

Across the crowd, he spotted Brandon standing with Ritchie Callum. The liquidator stared at him, eyes wide, and shook his head in disbelief.

These people would follow Ben wherever he led, like blind cattle waiting to be driven on. Once the stampede started, there would be no stopping it.

Noah wanted to grab Maddison and slip away before anyone noticed, before they could be swept along with everyone else. However, the push of the crowd made movement impossible. He held her closer.

She leaned her head back, and her wide eyes met his for a moment. She lifted her mouth to his ear. “This is madness. They don’t even know what to look for. What if they act before they’re supposed to? What if some of them get themselves killed thinking they’ve seen ‘this dawn’?” She paused. “It feels cult-like, doesn’t it?”

“That’s what makes it so dangerous.”

He shot a glance over to Nurse Walker. She was enthralled along with the rest of the crowd and hadn’t noticed he and Maddison didn’t join the hysteria. After several minutes, the applause began to die down, and Ben descended the steps. The group began to disperse as though there’d been a dismissal at the end of Ben’s speech. He stopped to speak with Bullard and his brother, pointing back at Noah and Maddison, before making a beeline for them.

Noah pasted on a smile for Ben and shook his hand. “Observant, wise, and charismatic? Ben, you are definitely the man for this job. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before.” He tilted his head. “But then, maybe you didn’t want me to?”

Ben chuckled. “Being cautious, young friend. I’d like to introduce you both to some people, if you’ll stay.”

Maddison’s grip grew viselike. He squeezed back. “We’d be honored.”

“Wonderful.” Ben nodded. “Lynn, why don’t you go on ahead then and let the group know of our additions. We’ll follow slower so I can answer any questions these two might have.”

The nurse beamed and turned toward the farmhouse, making her way through the dispersing crowd. Once she disappeared from view, Ben gave them his full attention.

“I assume you two have questions.”

As they walked, Maddison asked, “How does such a large group meet without discovery? I’m sorry, that must seem impertinent, but a crowd of people this size tends to garner attention.”

“Not impertinent at all. It’s a very perceptive question.” He surveyed the crowd. “Well, for one thing, over the last five years, each one of these people and their families have been vetted, like yourselves. We didn’t want revenge-driven or hasty actors. We needed people we could trust, and every person here proved their trustworthiness. They, and their children, know not to speak about their convictions or our meetings outside of these times. Second, most of the crowd today either hiked several miles to get here—there’s a nature park three miles to the west—or they parked at one of the houses in the area and one of the leadership ferried them in. The cars on the property belong to those men and, of course, my family. Gary Bullard circumvented the GPS tracking on our vehicles for the day. To the computers it appears like the cars are parked in our respective driveways.” He spread his hands out across the area they passed through. “Plus, between my family and the other leadership, we own everything within a twenty-mile radius.”

Maddison’s mouth gaped open. “Are you serious? How did you manage that?”

He laughed. “Well, the homestead has been in my family for generations, and it’s five miles wide. And as I said, we’ve used the last five years for careful planning. Different members bought up the surrounding land over the course of three years, so we could begin meeting as a group. It’s been invaluable. Plus, we’re so far out, no one pays much attention. You came in on major highways, right? By the time you made your first turn off, the population had already begun to dwindle, and six minutes after that, you drove onto the beginning of our land.”

“Genius,” Noah mumbled. Yet another reason the Elite had been hard pressed to locate the resistance.

“Thank you, Noah.” Ben nodded and smiled as he led them around the side of the house.

Billy hadn’t moved, still leaning against the side wall, near what looked like a root cellar. He straightened when he spotted Noah and Maddison. “I don’t like it.” He glared at Noah. “He’s tied to the Elite through his brother. Who’s not dead despite Noah’s supposed loyalties to our cause.” He spit on the ground.

“You’ve been outvoted.” Ben motioned to the cellar. “Let’s go.”

Billy cursed but opened the doors and descended first. Ben held out his hand for Maddison and Noah to go on ahead. He went first, stepping sideways along the narrow steps to help Maddison to the bottom.

When his eyes adjusted, he bit back a curse of his own.

They’d entered a war room, outfitted with lighting, digital cable, and a conference table scattered with maps. Chairs filled one side of the table, and a satellite compad projector and camera sat in the middle. Bullard, Beckett, Mason, Ritchie, and Lynn stood off to the side. Another group of men and women conversed near the blacked out wall, which Noah assumed would project the action plans Ben had designed. As his eyes drifted over the group, he recognized a local manufacturing CEO, a retail chain president, and the area’s banking director.

Ben and his leadership had laid their groundwork with brilliant vision. The resistance not only had numbers on its side, it also represented every industry and class in the population.

Taking out the resistance leadership would cripple the MA for months.

Ben cleared his throat, and the room went silent. “If everyone will take a seat or find a place to stand where you can see the wall, we’ll get started.” He extended a hand for Noah and Maddison to join him. “I know some of you haven’t met our newest members. This is Noah Seforé and Maddison James. We’ve discussed their potential involvement before, and I’m happy to say they’ve come on board. Noah’s brother Daniel is the regional liquidator’s favorite free agent, so Noah can give us insight we wouldn’t have otherwise. This has been the one area we’ve been lacking in since Gary had to fake his death to continue. If we can’t have a liquidator in our group, a family member who’s committed to the cause is the next best thing.” Several of the others nodded, though Bullard rolled his eyes.

How did they know about Daniel’s standing with McCray?

They knew too much. And yet, they didn’t know they had a liquidator in their midst?

“If you two would stand there.” Ben indicated the far end of the table, and they moved to the end beside Lynn. “We’ll connect and get started.” He pushed a button. The sound of ringing vidcoms filled the room. Moments later, the blacked out wall lit up with the faces of eight men, all forty-five or older.

They exchanged greetings, and Noah gathered that these men along with Ben and Billy made up the initial ten who’d formed the Masses.

Beginning from the left, each one gave their location and a number. By the third man, Noah felt his blood chill. Beside him, Maddison stifled a gasp. Like Ben, each one had led a meeting today. They were smaller but scattered throughout the metro area. Altogether, over two thousand people had gathered undetected for the purpose of overthrowing the Elite. It was just enough people to spark a dangerous uprising. And they all waited on one word.

“Well, gentlemen—and ladies—the time has come. Our final pieces are in place, and I can reveal our plan for change.” Ben held out a hand to acknowledge Ritchie. “The first phase will begin next week. As you know, Ritchie Callum has been carrying out strategic com interruptions with a group of his peers for the last two years. Six months ago, we began using the focus those hacks draw to hit the Elite in other areas.

“Next Sunday, he and the other college students and teenagers in our group will stage a major hack and protest at the CSE Medical University. If any students from your gatherings would like to join, they are welcome to arrive at the quad at 8:00 a.m. However, any wary students should be discouraged. We expect a reprisal from the government, and these students will be laying their lives on the line to participate in the first wave.”

Ben turned to Noah and explained his presence to those joining over com. “Noah, will your brother and the stationary liquidators retaliate?”

“Yes.”

“Would they send for reinforcements to carry out their justice?”

Noah gave a terse nod. “Reinforcements will be sent, whether they ask for them or not. And I wouldn’t expect they’ll show mercy of any kind.”

“Bullard suggested they might record this, do you agree?”

Images of dead students filled his sight. “They may live feed it to the com channels to send a message.”

Ben smiled before turning back to the others, and something stirred in Noah’s gut.

“Good,” Ben said. “We’re counting on it. The second phase will start as the liquidators begin arriving on campus. The most faithful of us will filter throughout the metro area wearing these.” He held up an exact replica of the liquidator signet ring, and Noah’s eyes locked on the familiar black and silver.

“In the name of the Elite, our pseudo-liquidators will destroy hundreds of people in MA-4’s local secondary schools, university, and hospitals. Those places the protesters have come from. They will also show no mercy. Every region will be reminded of who the Elite are. And the nation will join us.”