The Collective (19 page)

However long he had been listening, Abel was sure their
internal meeting was now officially over. “We’ll be there.” He said as he
walked near the referee. “Forsum and Tommie come with me. Grise, go with Isnor
to find Keera and make your way to the meeting area from there.”

CHAPTER 15

WAR ROOM

Abel entered the dark meeting room and took a seat next to
Warden’s tacticians. It was the room where he first met Warden and fought Goll.
Now it was turned into a war room, with people packed in side-by-side waiting
to hear Warden’s analysis of the plans procured by Tommie Gun. Abel sat near
the adjacent wall on the left side near the entry. In the middle on the wall
opposite Warden was his inner-circle. He could see Luchi and seven others,
whose names he had never learned, seated around the large table. On the far
right he caught a familiar face staring at him. Goll sat in the middle front
row, he proudly wore his vest with the red ‘W’ stitched over his chest. He
nodded in a non-menacing manner, Abel returned the gesture. Neither man smiled,
their differences put to the side temporarily to fight a common foe. Finally
Keera, Grise and Isnor arrived. Forsum slid over so Keera could take the seat
next to Abel.

“Did I miss anything?” Keera whispered.

“Not yet.” Abel said as she sat down. “I think he’s just
getting started.”

Warden stood at the front of the room, eyeballing each
person that came in. He wanted them to know how serious this meeting was. He
cracked open the water he was holding in his hand gulped it down and passed the
empty bottle to one of his attendants. “Everyone. Please take your seat. We
have much to discuss.”

The room began to grow silent. Warden motioned to one of
his inner-circle. “Dazshal. If you please.”

Abel watched as the old projector sitting on the center
table illuminated light in a large rectilinear shape against the wall. The
large man seated in front of the projector took Tommie’s drive off the table.
It was about the size of a pen cap, but thin as a coin. He flipped it around
and pushed one end into the side of the machine. The screen flickered and an
image appeared next to Warden. It was a three-dimensional image of the eighty-nine
story home of Xonox. Each area was color coded to designate servant quarters,
entertainment, guest and Xonox’s suite which took up the top five floors. A low
murmur filled the room as people discussed what was shown. Forsum leaned over
to Isnor. “We could put the whole city of Bourdain in that thing.”

“Gravope too.” Isnor reasoned.

“As you are all aware this is the home of Victor Xonox, the
head of the House of Vancrew, the third house of the Collective, our enemy.”
Warden began. “You all know him as a dangerous man of unlimited means. This is
the first time anyone outside the city has been allowed access to this
information. I want to take this time to commend the man that made the viewing
of this data possible.” Tommie sat up in his chair as Warden continued. “Abel
from Gravope. Without his bravery and courage, these plans may have been lost.”

The room erupted in claps and cheers. Abel smiled. He
stayed seated as he waved his hand to accept the applause. He looked behind him
and he could see Tommie Gun fuming. His arms were crossed and he was biting his
bottom lip. Abel leaned across the chairs and put his arm on his shoulder.
“This is for you too.”

“I didn’t hear my name.” Tommie snatched away from his
hand. Abel looked at Warden and gestured towards Tommie. Warden reluctantly
capitulated. He had to be careful giving out too much credit and he had more
pressing matters. “And let us not forget Tommie Gun who risked his life for the
plans as well.”

Tommie stood up from his seat. “Mind if I say a few words
there Warden?”

“I do.” Warden shot him an icy stare. Tommie sat back down
quickly as the clapping subsided. “Where was I? Yes, Xonox’s home. But before I
proceed, I want to thank all the contacts to Gravope, Bourdain and Xonox’s home
city of XV1. Each one of these areas have committed thirty-men and women to
this assault. I want to personally applaud everyone involved for their efforts.
Also, we were able to secure more weapons through the Black Market. They came
at a steep price, as everything does when dealing with rogues, but they were
necessary for this mission. Taking the Water Facility will more than cover any
losses. If you need more ammo, a newer weapon or something extra for your team,
to complete your part of the mission, I need you to see Luchi. He will be in
charge of the distribution. I want you all to be prepared. If we are prepared,
we’ll have no need for fear.” The group nodded their heads in approval. “Up
until now a lot of you thought we would be attacking the city, but that was
never the case.  An assault on Xonox would be virtual suicide at this point,
but I know how we can greatly weaken him. Dazshal, go to the next image.”

Dazshal clicked back and another three dimensional image
popped up that everyone was familiar with, The Xonox Family Water Management
Facility. The image spun around slowly on the screen. It was essentially broken
down into three separate buildings forming a large ‘U’ shape. Water collection,
purification and bottling occurred at the bottom of the ‘U’. A large metal arm
jutted from the back of the wall into the lake behind the facility. Water was
being pulled in by the gallons. Along the lake, guards patrolled daily in front
of the twenty foot high wall to insure no vandals had access to the resource.
The building was long and rectilinear, the larger mass stepping down from the
top to a smaller mass at the bottom, giving the look of an inverted stair.
Shiny metal panels covered the building, as slivers of glass cut rhythmically
around the structure. This detail failed to be expressed in the model, but all
who visited the Facility were aware of the sculpture-like quality with which it
was crafted. The remaining buildings were not as imposing, housing the guards
living quarters on one side and the administrative services in the other. Each
part ran smoothly towards the steel entry gate. Each side of the gate was
controlled by a guard in the adjacent tower. The gates were closed and opened
upon the Water Facility manager’s command for heightened security. A
twenty-foot high wall continued around the complex, with a guard tower
positioned at each step in of the wall. Two towers were at the gate, two on
each end of the long wall facing the entry gate. From either side the wall ran
symmetrically, going along the side of the housing building, meeting a guard
tower stepping in, then moving along the edge of the Water Facility until
spreading out to encompass the body of water behind it. Warden moved in front
of the pixalated scene and began to speak as the model adjusted over the entry
and zoomed into the courtyard. “As you all know, Xonox sends and receives
convoys carrying water on a daily basis. Tomorrow is the next water pickup and
recycling exchange. They will be at the Facility in approximately ten hours,
before they head back to the city in the morning. The convoy will pull into
this area.”

Warden circled the courtyard area in front of the main
building as he continued to speak.

“The
truck will be followed closely by a number of vehicles, with a well-armed
battalion.  Some of Xonox’s best. The compound itself will be well guarded.
With the convoy, I would say we can expect around six hundred Xonox loyalists.”

The team assembled grumbled and shifted in their seats.
With all the men and women under Warden, the cities of Bourdain, Gravope and
XV1 were counted, they barely had an army of two hundred and fifty. “Believe
me. Your concern is not without merit. We will have to use precision and the
element of surprise to take the Facility. My plan is to break our army into
three segments. The first part will be led by Dazshal and Luchi on the south
side of the building. You will need to gather the best snipers to take out the
guards in these towers.” Warden pointed at the southeast entry tower and the
southwest tower. Once that is done, your best marksmen will fire a ground to
ground rocket into the side of the Administrative building. Hopefully the
explosion will crumble part of the wall or at least severely damage it. That
should be a big enough distraction to pull the majority of Distor’s forces to
the point of the explosion.” Warden paused, looking around to make sure
everyone was paying attention. “The second wave will be led by our new recruit
Abel. Your team should be positioned on the opposite wall here.” Warden pointed
to the northwest wall near the main building. “I need you to set up with your
best demolition man. When you hear the explosion at the Administrative
building, I need you to wait five minutes, and then blow a hole in the wall.
Give their guards a chance to focus their attention on the first blast. You
need to storm the courtyard and secure it as quickly as possible. Get someone
up the entry towers and get the gates open. From there I’ll lead the final
frontal assault into the Facility. My team will form a blockade to prevent any
survivors from fleeing. If we’re smart we should have control of the Facility
before Xonox can send reinforcements. The water will flow without ceasing that
day.”

The men cheered and the screen went blank. Warden stared
around the room. “Seriously, we need to make every bullet count and treat the
man next to you as a long lost friend. That is the only way we can hope to
prevail over this tyranny. Since I was a boy I’ve strove to keep water around
me, to keep it flowing. Like all of you I have seen the devastating effects of
days without a drop. I never thought I would live to see a day where the people
would come together and rise against our oppressors. A day where men of
different ages, backgrounds and cities would come together to wreak terror on a
House of the Collective. A day, where, if we are so destined by the Great
Beyond, we can take control of one of the most productive Water Facilities ever
built. If you would have told me, I would have not believed it. I would have
said it was impossible. But here we stand shoulder to shoulder. Can the
impossible become a reality? Only if you believe. Only if you fight for it with
every fiber of your being. Only if you know the alternative will never be
enough ever again. Stand with me and you will know victory my brothers and
sisters!  I say to you today, we will take the Water Facility, we will defeat
Distor, and we will topple the House of Vancrew! XONOX WILL BE DEFEATED!!”

Everyone stood up from their seats, pumping their fists and
screaming chants of victory. Warden gazed around the room knowing his people
were ready for the arduous battle ahead. He extended his hands to quiet the
people. “All of you get rested and get prepared, we leave before dawn.”

The crowd dispersed, the people filing through the doors. A
few hung around to talk to Warden and extend their gratitude for his
leadership. Forsum was near Abel. “That speech. Warden is real inspiring. I see
why you chose to align yourself with him Abel. He made me feel like we could
win this thing.”

Abel agreed. “Yeah. We need to bottle up that energy and
release it on Xonox’s guards tomorrow. You ready for this Forsum?”

“I…I think so.” His friend said.

“You’ll do fine. Just pretend like those guards are a deer
or a bird in the forest and you need a hot meal.” Abel patted Forsum on the
back and they started toward their room. Suddenly, Abel felt someone grab his
arm before he was able to take two steps. It was Keera pulling him back towards
her. She had changed into a pair of faded jeans that were ripping at the edges
and a tightly-fitted red short-sleeve shirt she had undoubtedly borrowed. Abel
could not blame her, although the previous outfit was more alluring, it was not
conducive to strategizing for war.

“Come with me.” She beckoned.

Abel was focused on preparing for the task at hand. “I was
heading to the room now.”

Keera cocked her head to the side and stared at Abel as a
smile spread across her face. So smart in some aspects, so slow in others, she
thought. Forsum continued on, figuring Keera and Abel wanted time to talk. 

“You know the whole gang will be in the room, Isnor and the
rest.” She said.  He was missing Keera’s subtle attempt at some time alone with
him. He needed to make sure everything was organized, but after so many days
away a few minutes alone with Keera could be just what he needed. “You’re
right. I don’t think there’s much privacy around here though.”

“I know a place.” Keera led him through the winding
makeshift apartments into a larger space on the far end of Warden’s home. As
they walked through the door, Abel could see another door directly in front of
them across the room about forty yards away. Only one thing impeded their
progress as they made their way from one side of the room to the other. It was
filled with children, young and old. Instantly upon opening the door there was
a mix of playing, shouting, running and crying mixed in with the overall
commotion of the children’s activities. Some adults walked around supervising,
officiating and separating them. After all, some of these young people were
their own. As Keera and Abel made their way through the indoor playground, he
could see the smaller children huddled in the corner with caregivers around
them playing with wood, sticks and boxes building little structures. Kids ran
back and forth at full speed, laughing and tagging the wall, engaged in their
game oblivious to the intruders. One child perked up as she saw Keera, running
over and grabbing her leg. “Keera! Play with me.”

Keera rubbed the little girl on the head and wiped the dirt
from her face as she responded.

“Sorry
Peatra. Not now. Where is your mother?” Peatra did not answer, instead letting
go of Keera’s leg and running back across the room as fast as she could. Keera
looked up at Abel and spoke as if reading his mind. “Naomi.”

She pushed open the door to the outside and started towards
the fence. The area was enclosed. Three men were talking around a diesel truck,
they looked up, surveyed the pair and went back to their conversation. Keera
stopped at the far gate, she placed her fingers through the square metal
openings. She pressed her head close to the barrier and stared out into the
darkness. It was pitch dark a few feet from her, the only light emanating from
the moon, stars and the perimeter lights Warden’s people had erected. She could
hear the generator creaking and groaning as it ran in the distance. She tilted
her head upward and breathed in deeply, absorbing her surroundings and all the
reticent smells that came with it; old cars, greasy rags, smoke, smog, grizzled
men, death, despair, renewal and hope. She put both hands on the fence and
breathed out. Pushing all of the air out of herself and releasing the negative
thoughts. Closing her eyes, Keera thought to herself, it’s funny how the same
structure could imprison you and the next moment it could be where you felt
safest. It was all perspective.

Abel stood quietly behind her.  It had been a long time
since he stood silently outside and watched nothing in particular and thought
of nothing in particular. He mimicked Keera’s actions, staring off into the
distance then looking up at the night sky. He sighed, contemplating the coming
day. The attack on the Water Facility was just the beginning. If they could
take it…When we take it, he thought, they still had to find a way to hold it.
Would seizing the Facility be enough to disrupt Xonox? He was not sure. He did
know there was no turning back now. He watched Keera as she hung off the
screened wall, her combat boots giving her a little height, but not making her
any more menacing. He had to keep an eye on her during all this. He had to keep
an eye on them all; Isnor, Forsum, Grise and Tommie. They had trusted him with
their lives and he could not let them down. They would find a way to prevail,
he would make sure of that. Somehow he would make sure.

Keera began to speak without turning around. “Did I ever
tell you about my father?”

Staring into the darkness he replied. “No. You never did.”

She turned around to face Abel, her back flat against the
fence. “You know he worked at the Water Facility. Xonox’s Water Facility.”

“I heard.” Abel said quietly.

“That’s why we left Gravope. I still remember the day he
told me. It was just us two then.” Keera paused. “Mother had died a few years
before.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Abel moved closer to Keera as she
spoke.

“It’s fine now.” Keera’s eyes met Abel’s briefly, then she
turned from him so he could only see one side of her face. Lost in her story,
she continued. “He was so happy. It was such a privilege to be selected as a
guard. I guess it still is. You know from that day forward, even though it may
be rationed, you never have to worry about water or supplies again. We moved to
the Facility a few days later and it was so different from Gravope. We had a
small room, but it was clean and safe. The only odd thing was no children were
allowed in the complex. So there were no girls or boys under sixteen years old.
Children were sent to live with other family members or the family stayed in
the adjacent city all together. Everyone at the Facility had to work in some
capacity. I was in the collection and data production area. I was part of a
team gathering production data and filtering the information to the head of the
Facility. Everyone seemed so happy and healthy. You tended to forget about the
outside world. Only when my father would go out on water delivery runs from the
Facility to the city would he face the harsh reality. He would come back
sometimes with stories of people struggling for just a few drops of water, the
dehydrated laying in the streets. And here he was with a truck load of water
and there was not one bottle to spare. He swore he would do something about it.
I knew he could get in trouble, but it was hard telling my father otherwise
when his mind was set. He began to take water from trucks, just a bottle at a
time, then he started taking whole crates. At first he was trading to those in
need, for anything they could spare. Then he was literally giving the water
away.  It took some time, but one of the higher ranking guards noticed. My
father thought this meant certain death, so he told me to start packing my
things and we could slip away in the night. But when the guard came to our room
later that day, he assured my father he agreed with his generosity and together
they could help more people. The next morning this man, my father and two other
guards went out of the complex as part of a convoy. The plan was for them to
lag behind and stop in some of the cities and give away free water…That was the
last time I ever saw my father. Before they returned, one of my father’s
friends, Wilus came to my room in a panic. He had overheard the men’s plans for
my father and what they planned for me on their return. I was rushed to his
room and hidden in the closet until the next day. The conspirators thought I
had already escaped somehow. The next day Wilus was able to smuggle me to
Bourdain. I lived there for the last couple years, struggling, trying not to
die. Then I saw you.”