The Collective (18 page)

Abel glowered. “Gone. But their memories have been laid to
rest. All that is left is for Xonox to answer for their deaths.”

The merchant grabbed his arm and pulled Abel toward him.
“He will.”

“Good. You’re getting reunited.” Warden had allowed the
reunion to carry on long enough, it was time to conclude their business. “Four
days is a long time.  Now that all that is out of the way we need to get down
to business. Tommie the data drive.”

Tommie reached into his pocket to pull out the drive. Just
then a woman walked through the crowd, silencing the men with her gentleness.
The sweetness of her perfume lingered in the air as she neared the group. With
all the posturing and fighting for water to survive, it was easy to forget
about the softer side to this life. She stopped halfway between Warden and
Abel’s teams. She extended her hands elegantly beckoning for someone unseen to
step forward. The men were docile and quiet as another woman appeared passing
cautiously by the small army. She was dressed similar to the first woman with a
red colored cloth over the top of her head, the brown hair flowing behind her
as she approached. Her dress plunged tastefully at her breast, with a flat
wooden necklace lying softly on her skin. The dress hugged her hips as it
tapered past her knees.  Men closed their eyes as she passed, her sweet aroma sending
them to places in their minds they thought forgotten. What she lacked in grace,
she made up for in a bold presence that propelled her toward Abel. Her eyes
flittered with self-conscious doubt, but as the quietness grew louder so did
her confidence. She ran towards Abel, no longer capable of the restraint Naomi
had taught her. “Abel, you’re back!” Keera threw her arms around Abel’s neck
and hugged him tightly. 

Abel hugged her, unsure what to think. Keera was so
beautiful, even more so than the vision of her he carried with him the last few
days. He loosened his hold on her as she continued to grip his neck. Then he
began to wonder. When he left she was completely against Warden’s way of life.
How was she indoctrinated so quickly?  Was she okay? He thought. Did something
happen while he was gone? Keera could feel the tenseness in Abel. She let go of
his neck and grabbed his hand.  Keera looked him eye to eye, as if to say
everything was fine. “Come with me.” She said.

“Yeah…Ok…” Abel uttered. Keera led Abel down the corridor
she had entered from as everyone watched. Tommie watched them walk off and
spoke out loud. “No wonder he was in such a hurry to get back. Didn’t know he
had it in’em.”

Forsum agreed. “Abel’s full of surprises.”

“I see.” Tommie stated as he watched the pair walk off.

Grise grunted as Abel disappeared down a corridor. Tommie
handed the drive to Warden.

“I’ll
give him some time.” Warden said as he accepted the data. “He’s earned it. We
will all need to meet tonight and go over this information. I need to formulate
a plan quickly before Xonox realizes what we have. Naomi, show these men to
adequate quarters.”

“Of course Warden.” Naomi answered. “Please follow me.” She
turned around to lead the men to their lodging area.

“With
pleasure.” Tommie responded eyeing the elegant woman. “Whoo. I would follow you
anywhere.” Naomi turned around and smiled at Tommie; she was used to this sort
of gruff behavior from the men. She found the best way to deal with it was
smile and stay focused on her task.  Warden always ensured their safety.

As if on cue Warden spoke up. “Manners, Tommie, manners.”

“Right.” Tommie said still transfixed on Naomi. “I’ll help
her get the good china out. We’re guests after all.”

Keera held Abel’s hand as they navigated the maze of halls
reaching an opening. From that point the compound started to look familiar to
him again. They walked into a room that Abel knew well. He had spent three day
in it recovering from the tournament. Keera walked to the back of the room
before she turned around.

“So, I leave for a few days and you’re one of Warden’s hand
maidens? What happened?” Abel smiled as he spoke.

“Don’t make fun Abel.” Keera blushed.

“No seriously you look…you look beautiful.” The last
tournament winner searched to express himself.

She playfully slapped her hand against Abel’s chest.
“You’re just saying that because I’m wearing Naomi’s clothes.”

“No, I’m not.” Abel put his hands on Keera’s shoulders and
looked at her intently. Keera started to blush again, her shyness coming out.
She pulled back slightly from his grasp. “Stop it. Why are you looking at me
like that?”

Keera’s ring hung around his neck on a chain, tucked into
his shirt. He pulled out the ring, clutched it in his hand and kissed his fist.
“Because I was hoping I would make it back and I did.” He opened his hand
showing the ring to Keera. “This belongs to you though. It brought me all the
luck I needed.”

“No Abel.” Keera said. “I want you to keep it. You’re going
to need more luck. If what I hear you are planning is true. You’re going to
need it more than me.”

“Thank you Keera.”  He stepped back from Keera adjusting
the ring over his shirt.

“There’s something I want to give you.” Abel brandished the
small, sparkling charm he found in his home in Gravope. “This was my mother’s.
She wore it, when…when she wanted to feel special. I hope it makes you feel
like she did.”

Keera looked at the jewelry glimmering in his hand. “It’s
lovely Abel. I never had a real necklace before. But I can’t take that. I just
can’t. And you shouldn’t ask me to.”

“I’m not asking.” Abel took Keera’s hand and placed it over
the pendant in his palm. He could feel her soft fingers slide over his hand as
she took it. She placed it around her neck slowly, careful not to drop it. When
she was done she looked up at Abel. “How do I look?”

“Like a queen.” Abel put his hands around Keera and held
her close to him. He intended to kiss her, but hesitated. What would it mean? 
How would it change their relationship? Maybe she would reject him. All the
reasons why not to crossed his mind, then Keera leaned forward and kissed him
softly. She held her lips over Abel’s, teasing him. As she began to recoil Abel
grabbed her tightly and kissed her again. He relaxed and Keera moved back to
look at him. Who would have thought childhood friends from Gravope would find
each other again in Bourdain and be brought together by a gangster? Before
either one of them could express what they just shared they were interrupted by
Isnor’s unexpected entrance.

“You really had us worried Abel.”  He said wearily,
oblivious to the sentimental moment the pair just shared.  Abel turned around
to see Isnor, Grise, Tommie and Forsum enter the room.  While his attention was
occupied, Keera used the opportunity to slip over to the doorway. Abel saw her
leaving. “Hey…?”

Forsum responded thinking he was talking to him. “Hey,
Abel.”

Abel bared his teeth and waved off Forsum to let him know
he was not talking to him.

“Let her go. We all need to talk.” Isnor insisted.

“You’ll have plenty of time for that later.” Tommie
smirked. He motioned his head toward Keera for emphasis. “Honestly this place
is better than I remember. I don’t know how Warden is recruiting these people,
but he makes the stay worth your while, right?”

“He does.” Forsum said mechanically.

Tommie answered the boy in his usual surly tone.  “I wasn’t
talkin to…”

"Hey. Get your heads together.” Isnor shot him a
fierce look, more akin to a father figure than a disciplinarian. “We only have
a few minutes before Warden comes calling. We need to discuss a plan.”

“A plan.” Abel said unclear where the merchant was heading.
“Didn’t you hear? We’re working with Warden now. He’ll have some people under
my command.  With the data Tommie collected, Xonox doesn’t stand a chance.”

Isnor grimaced. Abel was no fool; maybe his mind was
clouded from fatigue. “And you trust everything Warden said, ‘cause I sure as
heck don’t. We’ve been here, more prisoners than guests. I’ve observed his
people. They’re fiercely loyal to him. I just can’t see them following you so
easily.”

“You worry too much old man.” Abel reasoned. “Warden needs
us to take down Xonox. He can’t do it alone.”

The merchant knew the answer to his inner thoughts. “He’s
been operating on the fringe for this long, with his own personal army and now
all of a sudden he needs strangers to take on Xonox?  Doesn’t sound right to
me.”

“I agree with him.” Grise growled in a low tone. The group
was gathered around in a half-circle around Abel, while Grise stood off in the
corner adjacent to the doorway. Everyone paused, they turned slowly towards
Grise. They looked at him as if he was a wild animal that suddenly decided to
speak. Grise continued. “I don’t trust him. Warden. He’s nothing more than a
glorified mercenary. And one thing I know about mercenaries, they only take
action if it benefits them. You need to be careful Abel. We all do.”

“Ok. This
is
serious.” Tommie said in his animated
manner pointing his rugged fingers at Grise. “Because that’s the most I ever
heard him say at one time.”

“It is serious.” Isnor’s voice was unchanged. Abel looked
back and forth from Grise to Isnor, he respected their opinions. They had seen
more action combined than most people in the building. If their instincts said
something was not quite right with Warden’s proposition and acceptance into his
camp, he had to take it seriously. Abel understood his role as the leader to
this group, but he also knew he was only as strong as the support they gave
him. There had to be a consensus among the group how they would proceed. In the
end Grise was right. Warden had his inner-circle and followers loyal to him,
Abel had to establish a similar buffer between himself and his new partner. “I
believe you both.” He said. “What are you suggesting Isnor?”

Isnor spelled out his strategy quickly. “I’m suggesting the
five of us stick together, watch one another’s back and look out for Keera
too.”

“I can’t speak for Tommie Gun, but I’m sure Forsum and
Grise are in agreement.” Abel said as the de facto leader of the bunch. Forsum
and Grise nodded in affirmation. Abel looked at Tommie who had not spoken.
“Well.”

Tommie had gone silent. He looked at each man in the room,
and then settled his eyes on Abel. “Hey, that business with Warden was just
that, business. But if you’re asking me to go against Warden…I don’t know.”

“That’s not what I’m asking.” Abel contested.

“Then what?”

“Look Tommie.” Abel walked closer as he spoke to the hired
gun. “I need guys that are with me, watching out for the other people with me.
That includes everyone in this room and Keera.”

“I like this whole five musketeer’s vibe, but what am I
getting out of it.” His response was true to his reputation as a man who saw no
value in a cause besides what it would gain him in the end.

“You have four other musketeers willing to stand with you.
You think The Mountie is going to rest until you’re dead?” Abel tried to use
the safety in numbers approach. Even as he said it, he knew his psychology
would look thin to a man he found traipsing through the Grazen Woods with no
cares.

The rogue responded without taking a breath. “Yeah, but
I’ve been dealing with guys like that my whole life.”

“Then what do you want?” The group leader inquired.

“When I first met ya Abel, I wanted to kill you myself.”
Tommie’s tone was not threatening, yet Grise began to walk toward the group.

“But now.” He continued ignoring the large man’s advance.”
I see you. I know you. I’ll join up with your little team. But I want
something.”

“What is it?” Abel braced himself for a bizarre request.

“I don’t know yet.” Tommie admitted. “But I will when I see
it.”

The man from Gravope exhaled. “Fair enough.”

“Good. It’s settled.” Isnor said taking the floor again.
“There’s six of us, so we need to try and stay in pairs as much as we can. I
know Abel, Grise and Tommie are close up fighters. Keera and I are better with
ranged weapons. Forsum I heard you were good with a rifle.”

“One of the best in Gravope.” Abel bragged, grinning at his
friend.

The brashness of Abel’s words gave Forsum confidence. “Just
give me a clean gun, a clear lens and a soft wind and I can hit anything within
two-hundred yards.”

Isnor was comforted by the conviction in the young man’s
voice. “Ok. That skill will come in handy in the coming days. So be ready.”

“I will.” Forsum nodded.

“Make sure you get him a better rifle too. That piece of
crap he has now may be good for hunting, but it won’t be much in a firefight.”
Tommie warned.

Abel looked at the weapon slung over Forsum’s back. “I’ll
talk to Warden.”

“We all need better supplies.” The merchant stated, looking
at Abel.

A familiar voiced answered from the door entry. “And you’ll
get them.” Luchi said obviously eavesdropping on their conversation. How much
had he heard they wondered? “Warden sent me to find all of you. Relevant
personnel are being summoned to go over the plans and formulate the attack
strategy.”