They continued to communicate with the voices. Finally, they arrived at a room near the rear of the building. Inside were more women than Theo could count with any certainty in the near-darkness. Only the moonlight through the broken windows let him know they were there at all.

  “Can you see me?” he asked.

  “Yes,” the voices responded.

  “My name is Theo Essex. My friend is Bill Mansfield. Many of you know of us. For those who don’t, we are part of a small group hiding from Tiberius and his forces. You all have been kind enough to let us stay in one of your houses. We are here to repay your kindness and get you out of here safely. Is anybody injured?”

  “Only a few small cuts and bruises,” said a voice. “Is it safe to go outside?”

  “It’s very wet, and very difficult to move,” said Bill, “but it’s safe enough. We need to move quickly though. The waters are still rising.”

  “Please follow the sound of my voice,” said Theo. “Hold on to each other. We need to make a chain so nobody gets separated. Tell me when you are all connected and we will start walking. We’re going to walk out of this building and take a route that Bill and I took to get here. We won’t stop until you’re back safe with your children.”

  “There’s nowhere that’s safe for us, Theo,” said one of the women. “Tiberius has seen to that.”

  “You might be right,” he said, “but that’s going to change. This storm is going to keep Tiberius and his forces out of our hair for a while. It’s too difficult for them to come all the way out here for no reason. We are going to use that time to our advantage. Now, please, join up and let’s get moving.”

  The floodwaters rose several inches higher that day, but eventually they receded. The cumulative damage from the wind and flooding was impossible for Theo to comprehend.

  Rations administrators returned to the center of town nearly two days later. By that time what food was left in the safe house had run out. Theo was glad to not have to tackle the issue of feeding so many people. His mind was full of too many other things. The women he and Bill had successfully led back to the house were beyond grateful and had pledged loyalty to Theo in a way that made him profoundly uncomfortable. The few they had been able to save from some of the destroyed houses on their street were even more thankful. This made him feel worse, in large part because he knew there were other people he hadn’t been able to save.

  He met Dale’s mother, and felt horrible being the one to tell her about her son’s murder. He made sure she knew how brave her son had been. “He died a hero,” Theo had told her.

  He believed that he had a sense of right and wrong. He believed that he had some good ideas for how to fix the country, if only because of Sam Lucas’s influence, and that he could help correct the evils of Paul Tiberius, if only because of the unwavering support from Kylee and his other friends. What Theo did not believe was that he had the strength of will to send innocent people into battle; to ask them to risk their lives knowing the odds of them returning unharmed were unfavorable.

  He was determined to identify the location of Tiberius’s armories. In his mind this was a first, crucial step to being able to mount any kind of offensive against the leadership. The hurricane had increased the separation between the parts of the island. Travel was difficult, and the Security Force and other representatives of the government were beginning to spread back into the Ventnor district. Theo didn’t know what they were up to and suspected it couldn’t be anything good. Of more pressing concern was the limitations this imposed on his ability to send out parties to hunt down the weapons Tiberius was hiding.

  Theo sought out Ryan and Bill for their advice and counsel. As the willing participants in his hypothetical rebellion grew in number, he was more comforted by those who knew him best. He often wanted to consult with Kylee, but she was busy with training his army of women in hand-to-hand combat, skills she had learned while involved with the Security Force. Theo was proud of her natural leadership qualities, and had no desire to distract her from her newfound responsibilities.

  One day nearly a week after the hurricane, Theo sat with Ryan and Bill on the front steps of the house. One of his few early orders was to position a rotation of volunteers at the ends of the street. He would know quickly if anyone was to approach, so he and his friends could hide. This was good. Fresh air helped him organize his thoughts and keep a clear focus on the road ahead.

  “What’s on your mind today, boss man?” asked Bill.

  Theo laughed. “I’ve told you not to call me ‘boss man.’ Or ‘chief’ or ‘El Capitan’ or any of your other pet names.”

  “Sorry, dude, it’s just that you’re a little too important now to just be ‘Theo.’”

  “Well that’s just it,” Theo said. “I don’t really want to be that important. I’m happy to lead and offer whatever guidance I can, but I’m not any more important to this island than any of the rest of you. That kind of thinking is what breeds people like Tiberius.”

  “Ugh,” said Ryan, “can you not use the words ‘breed’ and ‘Tiberius’ in the same sentence? Nasty mental image.”

  “Good point,” said Theo. “Anyway, so I’m thinking about the information we have on the weapons depots. We know they are supposed to be spread around the island. We can rule out the Margate farms because there aren’t any permanent structures there. Likewise, most of Ventnor was in bad shape to begin with and is much worse now.”

  “The city is still strong though,” said Ryan. “Plenty of places Tiberius would feel safe keeping his guns.”

  “Right,” said Theo, “but that just makes the city too difficult. Plus it’s not exactly friendly territory for us.”

  “Okay,” said Bill, “So we’re trying to figure out the hiding spots in Ventnor. Well, I don’t think Tiberius would hide anything where people were living at any point since the Event. He’s pretty secretive. Not really a ‘hide in plain sight’ type of guy.”

  “Very true,” said Theo. “So we’re thinking somewhere along Ventnor or Atlantic Avenues? More of a commercial zone.”

  “Makes plenty of sense,” said Ryan. “Though you’d think he’d have some kind of security on the place. There’s nowhere around town with any special security that I’ve ever seen. Just the guards at ration stations and the places where the government workers pick up products.”

  Just then Brian came running down the street. “Theo, guys, you’ve got to hear this.”

  He was out of breath, and struggled for wind as he forced out his story. “Tiberius has crews out all over the place!”

  Theo felt panic slink into the back of his mind. “Brian, you’re sure you weren’t followed? What are we talking about here? Security Force?”

  “No, no, I wasn’t followed. I was never seen. Hid at a distance. And it’s not the Security Force.”

  “Well don’t leave us hanging here, Bri,” said Bill. “What is it? Is the circus in town?”

  “It’s the construction crew… or something like it. They must have conscripted people for this job. Rarely seen so many people gathered in one place.”

  “What are they doing?” asked Theo.

  “They are tearing everything down.”

  “Everything? What does that mean? Can you back up and walk us through what happened?”

  Brian sat down on the step. Theo could tell the man was doing his best to process everything into a presentable report.

  “I was doing some surveillance, just like I did yesterday,” Brian began. “When all of a sudden this huge group of people comes storming down the street. All over the place like ants. In the core of that was that kid you all had trouble with… Barnard, was it? He started reading this proclamation from Tiberius.”

  “It’s Bertier,” said Bill, “I’m amazed that ass can read.”

  “Right, so he starts reading this whole thing that basically amounts to Tiberius kicking people out of the homes they won in the lottery. There’s a lot of crap in there about condemned homes and unsafe conditions but it amounts to a bunch of people getting thrown out.

  “He just said all those people were going to be provided emergency tents by the leadership. There wasn’t much choice being offered. Then the crews start going to town tearing things down. All the people were being funneled out and down a side street to a makeshift camp on the beach. Tents overlooking the water. Not nearly as romantic as it sounds.”

  “Did the people protest at all?” asked Bill.

  “Not that I could see,” said Brian. “There wasn’t much of the Security Force there but the ones who were there were heavily armed. I think people don’t have it in them to fight. Many of them weren’t doing well after the storm as it is.”

  “And the crews were tearing down all the buildings?” asked Ryan.

  “Yeah, well, I walked around as best I could while keeping my distance. There’s sort of a circle they are clearing out. So, not everything in the town but a big section in the middle. The worker bees are destroying all of that. Well, except for the old bank.”

  Theo jumped to his feet like he’d been stung. “The bank?”

  “Yeah, the one by the library… well what was the library. Now it’s just a bunch of water damaged books and they are tearing it down so—”

  “That’s it,” Theo said.

  “What’s it?” asked Bill. Then his eyes widened as the answer hit him. “Oh man, the bank! Makes perfect sense.”

  “Why didn’t we think of that?” asked Ryan. “It’s exactly right. No random person on the island has the equipment or capabilities to get into the safe. The place is abandoned so people wouldn’t think to look there. Where better to store something important? That’s got to be the weapon stash.”

  Theo nodded. “Yeah, that’s it. Tiberius is doing something to the town. There’s some kind of plan in motion here to suppress the people but his plans got crossed up. He can’t demolish the bank. And that, my friends, is the break we were looking for.”

  Chapter 23

  “Okay,” Theo said. “Not to make too big a deal here but this is going to be one of those moments that’s going to determine our futures. Everything hinges on our ability to pull off this one raid. What?” He stopped and stared at Bill who was grinning widely.

  “Oh, nothing, it’s just… dude. A bank heist! This is the coolest thing that could ever happen to me!”

  Theo laughed. He looked around the living room of the house that now was home and refuge to dozens of people. With the addition of so many new, willing volunteers, Theo had to decide when to close ranks to his inner circle. This was one of those times.

  It had been only a few hours since Brian had returned with his report, unintentionally revealing the answer Theo had been seeking. Ryan and Bill agreed that time was of the essence. This raid had to be carried out quickly, under the cover of night, and without too many people knowing or having opportunity to accidentally slip and reveal the plan.

  “I wouldn’t really call this a heist,” said Theo. “I don’t anticipate a tremendous amount of security, though to think the Force won’t be there at all would be a mistake. In fact, I’m counting on it. Otherwise we wouldn’t be able to get in to the vault. We also have to account for the potential of night crews working on the demolition of the nearby buildings.”

  “You think people will be working this late?” asked Kylee.

  “I do. But that can be a good thing too. The noise they make will help us stay undetected, if we’re careful. Now the first thing is deciding who is going to go on this mission. We don’t really know what we are facing, and there’s a chance this could get messy. I don’t want you to think there’s not a risk in what I’m asking.”

  “I’m in, Theo,” said Andrew. “Can’t have all you young folk having all the fun!”

  Joseph turned to him. They seemed to lock eyes for a second, and then he turned to face Theo. “I am in as well. I know the risk but this has to happen.”

  “Okay. Who else?” Theo was shocked as all the hands went up. “Listen, guys, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but we can’t have everybody rushing off. We can’t chance losing all of you, and we’d be better off with a smaller group. Kylee, I need you to stay behind.”

  “What?” she was angry. “Why me? You don’t think I’m capable?”

  “No, no, that’s not what I’m saying! You’re the leader of all the women here…all our fighters. I need them organized for what’s to come. For that reason it’s too much of a risk having you out there right now. Do you understand, babe?”

  She thought about his point, her face contorting along with her emotions. Finally she relented. “I’ll stay,” she said, “but just this once. If there comes a time we send people to fight I’m going with them.”

  Theo grimaced. “Yeah. I know. I hope we can avoid that, for a while at least.”

  “So who is going to go?” asked Ryan.

  “Andrew and Joseph can go. Jamie, Bill, and you, Ry. You’re my team with me on the ground. Brian and Liz, I’ve got another mission I’d like you to run, if that’s okay with you.”

  Everyone seemed satisfied with his or her assignment. Theo started to fall into the groove of leadership and planning as he spoke. “So, as far as the plan… It’s not much in terms of specific steps. We have to be prepared to react to the situation as we encounter it. There are a few guidelines. If there is a guard in place at the vault, that means the vault is either going to be open, so the guard can access the weapons, or closed but the guard will have the key. In the first case we can try to get around the guard, but it’s likely that in either situation we are going to have to take him out of commission as quickly as possible. Kylee has trained you all in some simple techniques to disable your opponent. Just remember that this opponent is likely armed and has similar training.

  “I will call the shots as to who confronts the guard… or guards, though I have my doubts about there being more than one person assigned. Once we get access to the vault, we’re going to start a rotation to get the weapons back to the safe house. It’s going to be dangerous, unpredictable, and I just don’t have as much information as I’d like. Still, I don’t have to tell you all how important this is. If we can shift this one stash of weapons to our side, we start to have something resembling a fighting chance.”

  He looked around. Every time he was placed in a position of authority, Theo fully expected everyone around him to balk. Again, he was surprised. The serious faces in the room were hanging on his words. “Okay. It’s time we take some action. Let’s do this.”

  An hour later Theo and his team were watching from the shadows as a lone Security Force agent paced outside the front doors of the seemingly abandoned bank. Large spotlights were trained on the buildings across the street and just as Theo had suspected the demolition continued into the night.

  “Damn lot of guys all over the place,” whispered Bill. “Just like Brian said.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” said Ryan. “Those spotlights are going to make us pretty much invisible to anybody ripping the buildings apart over there. The issue is the guard.”

  “Do you want me to distract him?” asked Jamie.

  “Thanks, but no,” said Theo. “You’re more valuable to us than that, and for all we know that guard could shoot you on site. We have to be more careful than that.”

  “What do you want us to do?” asked Andrew.

  Theo explained his strategy. His team disbursed into the darkness. He felt funny sending them off like this, but the reality was he wasn’t taking the easy way out for himself. If the plan went off properly he would walk right in to the bank vault, but if something went wrong he would be the one to have to save the day. Theo realized he wasn’t so worried anymore about risking his life. There were bigger things at stake.

  Theo watched and waited. It was hard to see anything in the darkness around the bank. He was positioned diagonally down the street, beyond the perimeter of the spotlights. He squinted, trying to see a sign of Bill. Bill was told to only get into position once the others were all set. Suddenly, he saw a glimpse of his friend on the roof of the bank, perched like a ninja. Theo had to give Bill credit. Bill had been convinced he could make it onto the roof from the rear of the building but Theo hadn’t been so sure. Now he knew Bill was right. That filled him with confidence. Bill’s appearance on the roof meant it was now up to Theo to tell his team when to act.

  He watched carefully as the guard relaxed against the building’s façade. The man had his long, platinum blonde hair pinned back on each side of his head. He looked incredibly bored by the task he had been assigned. Buddy, your night is about to get a ton more interesting, Theo thought.

  Theo waited, forcing himself to remain calm and still while the guard relaxed. Finally, the young man rolled his head in a circle, stretching out his neck. He pressed off the wall with the foot that had been propped up behind him. He took a few steps away from the building. Now!

  Theo let out a shrill whistle. This led the guard out another few feet to investigate the sound. At that, Bill came flying off the roof and on to the helpless agent of the Security Force. Bill bounced up to his feet and was met by the others, rushing around the building. The guard was trying to fight his way free. Bill reached behind him with a chokehold that Theo knew Kylee had taught him. The small mass of rebels surrounded the action and backed into the darkness of the bank’s interior. A minute later, the door opened and Ryan’s head poked back out. He planted something large against the door, propping it open. That was the “all-clear” sign for Theo to make his grand entrance.

  He kept his body low to the ground as he maneuvered through the still-damp earth toward the bank. No reason to risk being spotted. The clanging and banging of the demolition crews continued unabated. He approached the stairs and ducked quickly past what turned out to be some kind of umbrella holder. He made it through the doorway and stopped to let his eyes adjust. Visibility was going to be tricky with only the narrow sliver of the distant spotlights entering through the open door.