She spotted Ryan near one of the surrendering guards. “Ry,” she called, “take his helmet. Scan the scene. I don’t want any surprises.”

  Ryan did as he was told, detaching the “death mask” from the nearest guard and placing it on his own head. He panned robotically from side to side, scanning the extent of the beach camp.

  “There’s nobody else,” he told Kylee. “These four are all that’s left.”

  “Strip their armor and any additional weapons,” she told the rebels. “Cuff them. Jamie, come with me.”

  Kylee had a fleeting worry that one of the guards would make some kind of last show of effort, either killing one of them at the expense of his own life, or maybe committing suicide rather than being taken prisoner. Nothing like that happened. That was good. These guards may have done what Tiberius asked, but their loyalty hadn’t reached insane levels.

  “What do you want me to do?” asked Jamie.

  “Just walk with me. We need to count our losses. Double-check the field before we clean up here.”

  Kylee thought if Jamie had pressed her further she would have given some kind of a story about Jamie’s great attention to detail or maybe she would have said something harsh about Jamie needing toughening. The truth was, if she was going to have to find out which of her people she had led to die she wanted her best friend with her for support.

  In all, thirty Security Force agents had been guarding the camp. Of those, her rebels had killed twenty-six and taken four as prisoners. The rebels, with less training, less knowledge of the terrain, and poor visibility, had three injuries and no fatalities.

  Kylee wondered if she would recognize the faces under the masks from her time at the Security Force headquarters. Probably. Still, these were people who had gone along with Tiberius’s orders no matter how extreme they had become. She knew that Menendez had organized those who would support the rebels back in the city. They wouldn’t be among the dead here.

  Kylee ran to the boardwalk and pressed up onto the raised surface with one fluid motion. “Citizens of Atlantic Island, you are safe now. Come here where I can see you.”

  Her rebels moved in around her after gathering up the guards’ weapons, except for the few soldiers who were moving the prisoners to the boardwalk. The people living in the camp came out slowly, hesitantly, as if they expected this to be just another Tiberius trick. Gradually, the audience in front of her swelled. Kylee watched, greeting each new arrival with a nod or a smile.

  “This battle you found yourselves in the middle of tonight is just the start of what we have planned. You are free for now, but you won’t stay that way if we don’t take further action. The rebels here who have saved your lives are people just like you who were forced out of their homes by Tiberius and the Security Force. Join them. Join us. Help us march on Atlantic City and remove the so-called Supreme Leader from his Palace!”

  Kylee didn’t expect that anyone would join. She knew these people were petrified of Tiberius and traumatized by the battle that had been fought around them. Yet a few were moving forward. Twelve men and three women joined her troops on the boardwalk and were handed weapons.

  This was a very positive development. Exactly what she needed to be able to continue on to the prison. She hoped Theo was not having too much trouble with his part of the plan. She couldn’t wait to see him again.

  Theo found that keeping himself calm for the sake of his men was one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do. With two of their number dead and several bleeding onto the concrete, the men were losing confidence. Theo knew there was bound to be significant opposition in the lobby.

  “Guys,” he said, “I promise you we will come back for anybody we’ve lost. By the end of tonight the people of this island will have taken it back from Tiberius. That includes the prison. My friends are coming for us now, and we have to be the distraction that lets them come in guns blazing. If we don’t move now and fight the Security Force down here the rebels won’t have the power to get in and we will die here. Do you understand? We keep on moving.” He hesitated a second to see if anyone would object. Whatever objections or concerns the prisoners had, they kept them to themselves.

  Theo waved the men down to the floor, where they took what they could from the guards sprawled on the ground. The door to the lobby had not been modified from the building’s time as a hotel, probably because nobody thought prisoners would get this far. The aluminum door had a small, wire-reinforced glass window. Theo moved his head in front of the window for only a second. He backed against the wall.

  “There are Security Force agents running down the hall right now,” he told the prisoners. “Get out of the way of the door. We are going to pick them off as they come in. Won’t get us through everybody but it will thin the ranks a little before we move to the lobby.”

  “Like shooting fish in a barrel,” somebody called.

  “Something like that,” Theo said.

  He moved back in front of the glass and away again, quickly as possible. “They are coming. Guns at the ready. Three, two, one—”

  The door slammed open. A procession of armed guards ran in, and the prisoners fired, taking them out one by one. Five guards had entered the stairwell and found death at the hands of Theo’s new troops before the rest caught on and took positions along the sides of the lobby hall.

  Theo set up a rotation at the door, moving the line of prisoners up one at a time to keep steady pressure on the guards. He ordered his men to be conservative as they fired. He did not want to run out of bullets. He wished he had had more military training- any training, really. His mind could not develop a strategic way to get through the lobby now that the remaining guards were in position.

  After every prisoner had rotated through, Theo told the group to take cover in the stairwell. “Theo,” said Wes, “what the hell do we do?”

  “I’ve got a few ideas in mind,” he said, hoping to stall for time. He did not want to admit that he had no clue. Maybe he could buy some time using the protection of the Security Force armor. Allow the men to make a run for it and… wait. He looked down at the bodies of the guards. So many had fallen victim to the prisoners that the bodies had begun to stack up like logs.

  “Here’s the plan,” Theo said. “I want ten men to change into the guard’s uniforms. I know some of the helmets were damaged by the killshots, and the uniforms are going to be messy, but this is the only chance we are going to have. The men in guard costumes are going to lead five prisoners, including me, out to the lobby.”

  He explained the rest of the plan as the volunteers got changed. He had expected to have to reason with the men or beg them to get them into the bloody uniforms. He could not have been more wrong. The prisoners, amped by adrenaline and motivated by the desire for freedom and the longing for their loved ones, stepped up right away. He ended up with more than enough men for the job.

  When the men were dressed, Theo lined up with Tony, Wes, and two other men. They put their hands behind their heads. “Are you sure about this?” Tony asked. “We’re sitting ducks out there.”

  “I’m as sure as I’m going to be about anything right now,” Theo said. “This is our chance. I think it can work.”

  Tony sighed, the uncomfortable exhalation of a man making his peace with himself and whatever deity he worshipped. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s give it the old college try.”

  Theo laughed before he could catch the laughter and rein it in.

  “What’s so funny?” Tony asked.

  “Nothing, nothing. It’s just…I never got a chance to go to college.”

  “Rebellion 101, my friend. You’re the professor now.”

  When everyone was in his proper place, Theo gave the order to open the door and proceed.

  Jason, wearing one of the less damaged Security Force uniforms, stepped to the front. He pulled the door open and stepped forward, weapon drawn to his chest. A battalion of guards popped out from all sides of the hall.

  “Whoa,” Jason called to them, his voice muffled by the helmet, “easy, people. We’re coming out with the prisoners.”

  “How many?” asked one of the guards.

  “We’ve got five. Rest of them died in the shooting.”

  “The hell took you so long?” asked the same guard. He must be someone important, Theo thought.

  “We were checking to make sure they were dead, and securing these prisoners here. Now please, drop your weapons and let us do our thing.”

  Silence. Theo waited, unsure of what he would do if this became more complicated.

  “Stand down,” the guard said. The Security Force agents lowered their weapons.

  Jason turned to the rest of the disguised prisoners. “Let’s go.”

  The group of them walked out into the lobby, which still bore a much closer resemblance to a hotel than a prison. They noticed with a degree of relief that there were no security doors erected in the lobby to keep them from the front of the building.

  Their group moved to the center of the room, and the real Security Force agents came out of hiding, moving closer to them.

  “Now!” Theo called. The disguised prisoners leveled their weapons at the Security Force. The remaining prisoners with guns came out of the stairwell, keeping the agents in their sights as well.

  “What the hell is this?” asked the lead guard. Several of the agents began to raise their guns.

  “Put your weapons down! Now!” Theo shouted. One of the disguised prisoners handed him a rifle and he aimed it carefully. “Drop your weapons to the floor and put your hands up! I’ll give you to the count of three and then we start firing. One..two..”

  The weapons fell to the floor in a noisy clatter. The Security Force squadron in the lobby had been defeated without anyone firing a shot.

  Kylee led her army down the boardwalk. The construction crews had raced to make repairs after the hurricane, and she could see that the work was not of the highest quality, made as it was from repurposed joists and studs from the demolished homes and commercial buildings throughout town. She feared that the SUV would break through the repaired boards and get stuck, but the tires were wide and the vehicle’s weight was greatly reduced from its old incarnation. All of us here have had our weight reduced from our old incarnation, she thought.

  Some of the residents of the beach camp knew the women from the safe house. Kylee realized just how quickly people’s identities had been redefined. She wanted so badly to create a society where people could decide for themselves how they wanted to be classified.

  They were not attacked again between the camp and the city limits. Kylee was glad. She knew her soldiers needed the break. Hell, she needed it too.

  Two blocks before Ventnor became Atlantic City, Bill and Jamie jogged up to her. “How’s it going, General?” Bill asked.

  “Okay,” she said. “It’s been an interesting night so far, hasn’t it?”

  “Yeah,” said Bill, a sly smile on his face, “but the good news is soon we’ll be reunited with Theo. Trouble never seems to find him.”

  She laughed. “Well, it will be good to see him.”

  “Oh, I hear you,” said Bill.

  “Do you think he’s doing okay?” asked Jamie.

  “He knows what he’s supposed to do,” said Kylee. She knew she wasn’t giving a straight answer, but she wouldn’t know what to say. She didn’t want to tell them how much she feared that they would fight all the way into the prison only to find that Theo was dead.

  A block inside the city limits, Kylee directed the rebels off the boardwalk and down to the street. This was the point where they were supposed to rendezvous with Menendez and whatever support he had been able to gather together.

  “Be on alert,” Kylee told her troops. “Watch for my signal. We’re expecting to encounter Security Force agents here, and I’m going to find out if they are on our side or not.”

  She stepped off the boards and tried to focus her vision on the street ahead. The street lamps illuminated the avenue, but she didn’t expect the Security Force, good or bad, to be out in the middle of the street. Just then, she saw a hand reaching out from the carport of a building near the intersection.

  “Kylee!” a voice called. “It’s Carlos! I’m in here.”

  She held a hand up to her army, telling them to stand still. Cautiously, she ventured to the side of the carport. “I’m here, Carlos,” she said.

  Menendez stepped out and grabbed her in a hug. “Oh, thank God you’re okay. And Theo? Do you have any word?”

  She shook her head. “He’s supposed to be leading the fighting inside the prison. I have no way of knowing what’s going on there.”

  “Then let’s go find out.” He turned to the carport, put his fingers in his mouth and whistled. “Let’s go, boys. Time to join the good fight.”

  Five men dressed in Security Force uniforms walked out. None of them had the “death mask” helmets. Menendez saw the worried look on Kylee’s face. “I’m sorry I couldn’t provide more firepower,” he said. “Tiberius has more influence than I would have thought.”

  “That’s okay,” she said. She pointed to her army. “You’d be amazed what can be done with only a handful of willing participants. Now I think we have a prison break to assist.”

  She stepped to the front. Menendez, clearly impressed, ordered his men to follow. The growing contingent of rebels trekked on toward the prison, the larger cluster of footfalls mixing with the ever-present squeak of the SUV.

  The old hotel quickly approached. “That’s the prison,” said Menendez.

  “Really?” said Bill. “And yet it seems so quaint.”

  “Shh… we’ve got company.” Kylee saw Security Force in the distance. She turned to Menendez. “Are you sure you want to do this? You cross this line and there’s no chance Tiberius will let you live if he wins.”

  Menendez smiled. “No worries. He’s not going to win.”

  Kylee’s army took positions around the intersection, making sure to avoid being detected in the bright streetlamps. When she was sure everyone was ready, she called out to the enemy combatants up ahead. “You, Security Force agents, drop your weapons or face the consequences.”

  A small part of her thought she could avoid further fighting. Still, on another level she knew there was no chance she would be allowed to enter the prison. On an even deeper, more frightening level, she secretly hoped the agents would fight back.

  “Rebel squad, you are under arrest by order of Supreme Leader Tiberius. Submit to us immediately.”

  “Um… I don’t think they are going to surrender,” said Ryan.

  “And so, my friend, we will show them the consequences,” said Joseph.

  Bill grinned, a dark, devilish fire in his eyes. “God, I love this guy.”

  Kylee wondered briefly about Andrew, who had moved further and further away as Joseph continued to indulge in the passion of battle. She hoped this wouldn’t drive them apart. Nothing to be done about that now. She straightened up and assumed her leadership pose.

  “Rebel army,” she said to her men and women, “take them down.”

  Chapter 31

  The battle outside the prison lasted nearly fifteen minutes. When the Security Force had fallen to Kylee’s rebels, she led her troops to the front door. The prison looked surprisingly like the hotel it had been. She worried that the unlocked and unshielded front entrance was hiding yet another wave of Security Force agents. Her people were getting tired from being on their feet so long with their adrenaline pumping. Getting tired meant getting sloppy and that was a risk she couldn’t take.

  Kylee had seven women and one man with injuries. Several were fairly serious. She wanted to get in, get out with Theo and the other prisoners and get her injured people to the hospital. She worried whether the Security Force would consider the hospital a neutral ground. Still, that was a worry for later. Now she had to face yet another unknown on the far side of the prison doors.

  “I need support on both sides of the door. I’m taking point here. We have no idea if Theo’s been able to get the fighting to the lobby. We might be walking into a battle, or we might be walking into a trap. Whatever it is, let’s take the fight to them.”

  Menendez organized the troops in positions along the side of the building. They were prepared to wait for Kylee’s signal, whatever she told them to do.

  “Okay,” she said. She took a deep breath. “Let’s see what’s behind door number one.”

  Two of Menendez’s men pulled the doors open. There was no sound of gunfire. No sounds at all, for that matter. Kylee decided to take a risk. She leaned around the edge of the doorway and looked into the lobby. She pulled away quickly on instinct. Did she really see what she thought she saw? She slowly leaned back in. A motley bunch of men, some of them wounded, appeared to have taken a team of Security Force agents prisoner. Standing in the middle of the group, unharmed, smiling and waving at her, was Theo!

  Kylee ran into the building and wrapped her arms around Theo. He lifted her and spun her around. When he put her back on the ground he kissed her passionately.

  “I guess you didn’t need my help,” she said.

  “Are you kidding?” Theo responded. “We were prepared to stay here all week if we had to. We weren’t about to go out the door and fight whatever was waiting out there.” He hesitated, then indicated the outside. “Are they…”

  “Dead,” she said. “Or injured enough that they won’t be any problem for us.” She looked around the room. “How did you take all of these men prisoner?”

  Theo smiled. “Long story. We’ll have to swap tales. But now…”

  “I know. We’re not done fighting.”

  “No. Tiberius has to know about all this by now, and he’s not just going to give up and walk away.”

  “Well, I’ll be damned. He lives!” Bill ran across the lobby. Theo put out his hand. Bill shook it and pulled Theo into a hug. The rebels slowly entered the prison. Husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends found each other for the first time in far too long.