She laughed. "I didn't mean to say I didn't think you should be in charge. I think just from this little conversation we've had that you're the perfect guy for the job." She looked at Bill. "No offense."

  "None taken. I'm just here to help. Theo's the man with the vision, trust me."

  "Dare I ask what you all are planning to do to fight back? I'm on board with anything that can put that bastard in his place and get Tony back in my arms."

  "The specifics are still something we are going to work out," said Theo. "We are down here today to get a feel for the kind of situation you've been placed in by the leadership and to let you know that you're not alone."

  "Well, neither are you," she said. "I've got friends here and we'll help you any way we can, if and when you need us."

  "Thank you, Jane," Theo said. "I can tell you that we aren't rushing anything. We need to move carefully here, but this is just the beginning. We will find a way to stop Tiberius. This country can be much better than it is if we all work together. I'm glad we got to meet you today. I promise we'll be in touch soon."

  "Is it alright if I tell some of the other people here about you?" she asked.

  "Yes," said Theo, "but please remember how important it is that we keep this secret for now. Tiberius can't know that we are meeting, or organizing, or planning. Do you understand?"

  "Of course. You boys go about your business now. I've got plenty of sitting on the porch to do." She laughed her ragged laugh again. Theo and Bill said goodbye to her and walked on down the road.

  "She's a character," said Bill.

  "Yup, but she's tough. Been through some hard times."

  "You think we can call on her…on all the people down here when we need them?"

  "I do. Whatever we are going to build, whatever we are going to do, it starts here and with these people. They are our army, Bill, and when they finally strike, Tiberius will never have seen it coming."

  "Works for me," said Bill, "but let's try to get our army some weapons before we go around striking things, okay?"

  "So there's been no sign of Michelle in all this time?" Kylee asked.

  The small group was meeting for the third time in Kylee and Theo's apartment. Ryan sat staring at the floor, the perpetual frown he had worn the past weeks a thin line on his face. Now he looked up at Kylee and shook his head. "Nah, nothing. I don't know where she's living or if she's okay. Haven't heard a word."

  "I don't want to give you a hard time," said Dale, "but maybe you're better off without her, man, maybe we all are. She's a little…negative." Ryan flashed him a look that made Dale stumble backwards in his chair. "Sorry, man."

  "Okay," said Theo, "I'm pretty sure Joseph and Andrew have something to report. Right, guys?" He gave them a look that said please help me out!

  "Yes, definitely," said Joseph. Theo assumed Joseph and Andrew were two of the oldest people on the island, which wasn't saying all that much. Many of the most elderly had been too frail to survive the Event and what came after. The two men may have been in their sixties. Of course, Theo thought, he could be completely off. The grey hair and Joseph's moustache gave an air of seniority.

  Theo really liked Joseph and Andrew. They never made mention of their relationship, and might have been good friends were it not for the little looks they exchanged that said plenty. Andrew had been the head of payroll for some major corporation in New York before the Event. "One small step from retirement" was how he put it. Theo wasn't entirely clear what Joseph's job was or had been. The man looked like he had been a bodybuilder in his younger years, and had an accent just like Arnold Schwarzenegger's to boot.

  "We went down to the north end of the island like you said, Theo," Joseph continued. "And, would you believe, we heard some government people talking about 'weapons stations!'"

  "What do you think it means?" asked Theo.

  "Oh we know what it means," said Andrew. "They were very specific. You might think they had no idea two handsome men were right across the street listening in."

  "Such a flatterer, this one, especially when he can flatter himself in the process," said Joseph, smiling.

  "Anyway, if I may continue, we learned that Tiberius has weapons stations around the island. It's safe to assume a good portion of firepower still resides at the security headquarters, but we are confident he has emergency supplies all over the place. This is a paranoid man, and a prepared man, but I think we can exploit that to our advantage."

  "Excellent," said Theo. "I think we have something here. The question is how to get access to them when we need them and without Tiberius knowing what we—" a frantic pounding at the door interrupted him.

  Kylee moved to the door. She looked at Theo who nodded approval. She walked over and peered through the peephole. "It's Officer Menendez!" she said. "He looks scared."

  "Let him in," said Theo.

  Kylee opened the door. "Carlos! What's wrong?"

  Menendez looked panicked. "It's Tiberius. He's on his way with a whole squad of Security Force agents!"

  "I don't understand," said Theo, "What's this all about?"

  "You are all being charged with treason!" said Menendez. "You have to leave. You have to hide! Now!"

  They jumped from their seats and scrambled around the apartment. "There's no time to grab anything," said Menendez, "I'm sorry. You need to go!" Theo watched the rest of the group leave.

  "Theo, did you not hear me? Get out!"

  "Why is this happening?" he asked. "Where is Officer Dougherty?"

  "Dougherty's being put into 'early retirement.' If you ask me, he's lucky to get off that easy. The walls are closing in on people who aren't aligned with the Supreme Leader. Now, Theo, get out of here."

  Theo ran into the darkness outside the apartment. He slipped into the alleyway across the street and several buildings down. He didn't know where the others were but assumed they were nearby.

  Theo could barely see the front of the apartment. He saw Menendez walk outside and stand at attention.

  After a few minutes, Tiberius came walking up, taking long strides. Several masked members of the Security Force accompanied him.

  "Where are the criminals, Officer Menendez?" Tiberius said in his chilling voice.

  "I looked everywhere, sir. They must be out somewhere."

  "The reports from the neighbors said they meet at this time."

  "Sir, it's possible they vary the nights they meet. Are we even sure they are doing anything treasonous?"

  "Officer Menendez, nothing good for this country can come from anything where Theo Essex is involved. When I hear he is throwing gatherings, I know all I need to know."

  Theo's heart pounded. They had been discovered much faster than he had expected. How the hell had Tiberius found out? Who had seen them?

  "I'm telling you, sir, Theo's a good kid."

  "Sam Lucas thought the same, officer. Look at how that worked out for him."

  "I'll keep a watch on the place tonight. Make sure you're informed if they return. We can seal it off in the morning for redistribution."

  There was a pause as Tiberius considered Menendez's plan. "Officer, if it's all the same to you, I will be taking a look around the apartment."

  "Are you questioning my loyalties, sir?"

  "Not at all, Officer. I will simply rest easier seeing for myself that Essex isn't hiding somewhere."

  Theo could tell from Tiberius's voice that the Supreme Leader didn't trust Menendez at all.

  Time passed as Tiberius and his men searched the apartment. Finally, they came outside.

  "It seems you were right, Officer Menendez. The Essex boy and his followers have vacated the premises. Almost as if they were warned."

  "Sir," a new voice. "We found this one hiding in the bushes. He's young. Maybe one of Essex's group?"

  Damn it! Theo thought.

  Two helmeted guards led Dale into view. Tiberius stepped in front of him.

  "What is your name, boy?" asked Tiberius.

  "I'm Dale."

  "Dale, where is Theo Essex? Where are his co-conspirators?"

  "Kiss my ass."

  Tiberius frowned. "Remember that you speak to the Supreme Leader, boy! I will ask you one more time. Where. Is. Theo. Essex?"

  "Go to hell, demon bastard! This is for my family!" With unexpected swiftness, Dale elbowed one of the guards holding him and twisted free of the other. He lunged for Tiberius. The Supreme Leader moved with blinding speed. His hand grasped Dale by the throat, lifted him effortlessly off the ground and snapped the teen's neck. The Security Force officers stood silent. Menendez looked ill. Theo heard a gasp and realized at least one of his group was hiding somewhere near him.

  "You will allow Essex and his gang of criminals to return home. I want them to find this. Then, and only then, will you come in and arrest them all." Tiberius relaxed his grip and Dale's body crumpled to the ground.

  Tiberius and the other Security Forces left. Menendez knelt by Dale's body, tears streaming down his face. After several minutes, Menendez looked up. He shouted into the distance, trying to reach Theo's group. "You run now," he shouted. "All of you. Run and disappear."

  Theo stepped out. "I don't want to run."

  "You have no choice. The Security Force might still be around. Run as fast and as far as you can. Hide, and find others who agree with you. When you're ready, and only when you're absolutely ready, you come back. You find me. And together we will kill that son of a bitch."

  Chapter 21

  The flight response embedded in Theo's brain mingled with his agony and guilt over Dale's senseless death. He fled his home, leaving his few possessions behind. Kylee and the others ran with him. They kept to the shadows, wandering in and out of yards and behind shuttered shops.

  Theo knew if they had any chance at all of finding refuge they had to get away from Tiberius's stronghold in the city. He kept thinking about what Michelle had warned. They truly did have nowhere to run; no place where they could feel completely safe. The best they could do was go where Tiberius was not likely to follow. The far side of the island was predominately anti-Tiberius, and it was a long walk, one that Theo bet the leadership wouldn't take unless absolutely necessary.

  They ran for a long time, empowered by fear and using legs and lungs strengthened by the work of living on Atlantic Island. Finally, Theo detoured toward the boardwalk. He spied a space between dunes and under the boards and raced to the opening, darting in and sitting down in one smooth motion.

  The rest of the rebels followed him in. That was truly what they were now, Theo thought. Rebels. Traitors, if you looked at it from the perspective of the government. This was his group now. His friends and family. First the Event cut him off from the rest of the world, limiting him to this one narrow island. Now, almost all of that had been stripped away as well. It was hard not to feel crushed by the invisible barriers that had been erected around every aspect of his life.

  "Dale's dead," moaned Liz, breaking through the quiet of night and speaking what they had all been thinking. "He's dead and we couldn't do anything to help him." She curled into Brian's arms and cried.

  "If we had tried we'd all be dead," said Kylee. "How the hell did Tiberius do what he did?"

  "That's what I've been wondering," said Ryan. "He's tall but he's not that big a guy. He doesn't have the muscle to do what he did to Dale. I don't think I've ever met anyone who does."

  "What do you think, Theo?" asked Bill. "You've had the most personal interactions with him. Do you have any idea how he could be that strong?"

  Theo thought it over. "I…I saw something once. Tiberius was angry as hell with the mayor when he overturned your sentence. He went to slam his hand on the desk to make a point, like a total normal reaction for an angry guy. Then…I don't know, he sort of stopped himself. Slowed the speed of his hand. But after he left, there were cracks on the glass where he hit it."

  "How does that happen?" asked Kylee.

  "I just thought, I don't know, like he had a ring on or something. That it was a freak thing. But this…I was wrong." Theo scratched his head. "I don't understand it at all. But look, it doesn't change much. We already considered him incredibly dangerous. I don't think anybody here was planning to go toe to toe with him as it was."

  "What do we do?" asked Jamie.

  "For one thing," said Theo, "I want to make it very clear that we don't all have to do the same thing. You don't have to follow me into this. I…can't guarantee you won't all end up like Dale. I don't have any more answers than anyone else."

  "I choose to stand with you, Theo," said Joseph.

  "I do too," said Andrew. "Wherever you want to lead us, I'll follow."

  One by one, everyone committed himself or herself to side with Theo no matter what may happen.

  "Thank you," said Theo, genuinely moved. "I will do the best I can, but I need input from all of you. I need help from all of you. First we need to find a place to stay. I'm not sure any place will do for very long. Does anyone have any ideas?"

  "What about Jane's place?" asked Bill. "You know, the woman we met? She hates Tiberius and all of the people out there are kinda forgotten by the leadership anyway."

  "I hate to impose on her and her housemates like that," said Theo, "but I think you're right."

  "So we hide," said Brian, who was still holding his wife. "What happens next? How are we supposed to find the arms depots when we can't even go out in public?"

  "We don't know how limited our travel will be," said Theo. "I'm not convinced they've connected you and Liz or Joseph and Andrew to the rest of us."

  "I doubt it will take Tiberius long," said Andrew.

  "Be that as it may, we can use your anonymity for as long we are able. We'll need to make contact with Carlos Menendez. He deserves to know we are okay. Plus, he may be able to point us toward the weapon stashes."

  "We need to be quick about it," said Kylee, "The way things are going it would be dumb to assume Carlos is going to be accepted on the Security Force much longer."

  The rebels wandered back out into the dark streets. They didn't see many people and fortunately didn't come across any Security Force agents. They wandered toward the edge of Ventnor.

  When they arrived at the rundown property where Jane lived, Theo gave one last look back at his friends. They stared back at him in firm solidarity. Theo mounted the steps. The floorboards of the porch creaked under his feet, and a support beam somewhere groaned as if the metal bolts were threatening to come loose from the wood. Theo had forgotten just how much structural damage had taken place during the Event. The fact that the leadership had ignored renovations on these homes and then forced good people to overpopulate them was disgraceful. He pulled back the rickety screen door and knocked.

  A woman in a torn t-shirt answered the door. She peered suspiciously at Theo and his group waiting in the street. "Is there some reason you're knocking in the middle of the night?"

  "I'm sorry ma'am," Theo said. "My name is Theo Essex. I was hoping to speak with Jane?"

  The woman cocked her head as she studied him. "Jane, huh? Okay…you wait right here." She pulled the door closed.

  Theo stood staring at the door for five minutes. He had just made up his mind to return to his friends when the door opened. Jane smiled at him. "The prodigal son returns!" she said. "And I see you've brought more friends this time. What's up?"

  "I'll be honest with you Jane," he said. "We're in some big trouble. Tiberius came to arrest us. He killed one of our friends. I know this is more than I should even think of asking but do you think it's possible we could hideout here? Just for a little while?"

  She stared at him, eyes wide. "You got away from Tiberius?"

  "Yeah. We were lucky. Well…most of us."

  "I'm sorry about your friend. Why don't you all come inside?"

  She stepped back and allowed Theo to enter. The others followed behind. The interior of the house was not in much better condition than the exterior, but Theo saw that the residents had tried to make the most of their situation. Handpicked flower arrangements decorated the entrance. He felt a deep pang of sadness for these people.

  "This would be much easier if we had a basement," Jane said. "As it is, we have one room we were saving, assuming somebody else would come along in time. It's not much for one person, let alone all of you, but it's all we've got here."

  "What about the other residents?" Theo asked. He kept his voice just barely above a whisper. The common areas were empty and he assumed the other women and children were sleeping.

  "Oh they know all about you," Jane said. "I told them some boys were crazy enough to try to stand up against Tiberius. I'm not sure they believe me that you exist. Like you're a myth or something." She cackled.

  "And if somebody else does get added?" Kylee asked. "If the leadership throws another person in here and now there's no room?"

  "Oh, we'll make room," said Jane. "You all are gonna be crammed into one little space. The rest of us can do a little more sharing."

  For several long days and nights Theo's rebels stayed in the back room of the community house. Nobody came looking for them. They left one at a time only to use the bathroom. A revolving roster of women brought their meals to them. All of the women seemed curious about the newcomers. They were eager to meet the group that would dare defy Supreme Leader Tiberius.

  Several of the women pledged loyalty to Theo and his group. Theo thanked each of them, and always promised to repay their kindness. In particular, he hated having to eat from the already tiny rations afforded to the women. He promised himself he would make all of this up to them.

  The problem was, he had no idea what to do. Any plan of action had to begin with acquiring weapons. The firepower of the Security Force made even the slightest protest too great a risk to take. He discussed his thoughts throughout those first few days in the safe house. Kylee was itching to get in touch with Officer Menendez. Theo guessed she also just wanted to get out. They all felt that way. He told his friends that he believed they needed to ride out the week in hiding. Then they could begin small exploratory missions.