Jane and Tony walked over to Kylee and Theo.

  “Thank you both for bringing us back together,” Jane said.

  “What you did for us made all of this possible,” said Theo. “Without you giving us a place to live and hide there would be no rebellion.”

  “That’s what this is, isn’t it?” asked Tony. “A real, full-on rebellion?”

  “That’s right,” said Kylee.

  “Well… good. That’s damned good.”

  “Guys,” called Ryan, running over, “we’ve got a problem.”

  They turned and looked where Ryan was pointing. Brian had collapsed to the ground and Liz was holding his unconscious body, sobbing uncontrollably. The prisoners and the rebels had all experienced some very horrible things the past few hours. Liz’s ability to keep all of that inside had reached its limit.

  Kylee and Theo ran over. Liz’s hands were soaked in blood where they moved on Brian’s torso. “Oh, God, he was shot,” Kylee said. She looked at Theo. “I didn’t know…”

  “He must not have wanted you to know. Brian has wanted a piece of the action for a long time, and I’m sure he was afraid you’d make him stay back.” Theo turned to the group around him. Several of his men were still keeping guns trained on the Security Force agents they had taken prisoner. Others were still standing with loved ones. Everyone had stopped what he or she was doing to watch the scene unfolding as Liz screamed in the middle of the room.

  “Who else here was shot?” Theo called. “Raise a hand. Now is not the time to be brave.” More than a few hands went up. Theo counted. “Nine,” he said to Kylee.

  “And I’ve got a few more with the women guarding our prisoners. Couldn’t even find the energy to come in here.”

  “Okay,” said Theo. “Those of you who are injured, I’m sorry but you need to go get help for your wounds. Officer Menendez—”

  “I’m afraid it’s just Carlos now, Theo,” said Menendez.

  “Carlos, please lead these brave men and women to the hospital. Take whatever forces you need to escort them safely.”

  “Yes, sir,” said Menendez. He called over two of his men and began discussing a plan for moving the wounded.

  “We need to move everyone outside,” said Kylee. “The longer we wait here the more time we give the Security Force to plan a counterstrike.”

  “You’re right,” said Theo, “but we need to take care of our prisoners first.”

  “Okay.” Kylee left the prison and returned shortly after with a contingent of armed women leading their captives.

  While Theo and Kylee oversaw the process of locking up the Security Force agents, Menendez and his partners departed for the hospital, using the SUV to transport the wounded. There was no longer a need to use the makeshift wagon for weapons. There were enough soldiers in the rebel army now to carry everything.

  They left the prison behind, trying to ignore the sight of the dead Security Force agents in the street. A block down, Theo halted the procession. He wanted to speak to his people. He jumped up on a metal bench that was bolted to the sidewalk. “Can everyone see me?” he called.

  The crowd of people standing before him cheered. Theo waited for them to settle, a technique he had picked up while watching Sam Lucas in action.

  “Some of you have come to think of yourselves as rebels. That’s okay… we all are rebels here. Some of you have come to think of yourselves as prisoners. That’s okay too… whether we were imprisoned in a facility, in a beach camp, or just on this island, we are all prisoners of a corrupt leadership. Tonight, I want you to realize that you have become something else. You are the hope and salvation of Atlantic Island. Thousands of men, women and children sleep in their beds right now not knowing that we fight so that they will wake up to a brighter tomorrow. You are the future of this land, and together we will make right all that Tiberius has made wrong.”

  The crowd cheered again. A voice called out, “Theo is our Supreme Leader!”

  “Theo is our king and Kylee is our queen!” said another.

  Theo held up his hands. “Please, everyone, we aren’t looking to be royalty. No one person… no two people are more important than everyone else. When this is all said and done you will have a chance to elect whomever you choose to lead you. That time will come, but for now I’m afraid we have more fighting ahead. Kylee will instruct you on the specifics of the mission going forward, but I will tell you this: We are not going to sit and wait for Tiberius to hunt us down. We are taking this war to his doorstep tonight! We are going to knock him off his golden throne tonight! We are going to take back our country tonight!”

  His last “tonight” was shouted by everyone in attendance. With the army properly inspired, Theo hopped off the bench and stepped aside for Kylee to explain the plan of attack.

  They moved through the streets with no obstacles. It seemed Tiberius had withdrawn the Security Force to the Palace. “Are you okay with this?” Bill asked Theo.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Kylee’s got people looking for anybody hiding in alleys or sniping from rooftops. There’s nobody here. The whole damned Force is waiting at the Palace. I know that place was built on people taking a gamble but, you know…”

  “It is what it is. They know we’ve got a lot of firepower and we could probably pick our way through a series of small squads. They are going to try to outnumber us on their home turf.”

  “And you think we can handle that?”

  “I do. I hear you brought the bazooka.”

  Bill smiled. “You mean Bertha? She’s my baby.”

  “Well, don’t be surprised if your baby needs to come out to play.”

  Bill gave him a serious look. “Theo, I’m ready for whatever comes. I’ll do whatever I have to do to help you and Kylee win this thing.”

  “Okay. Good. Go hang out with Jamie for a few minutes. I don’t know—”

  “If she and I will both be alive after to talk. I gotcha, bro.” Bill merged back into the marching army.

  The rebels arrived at the wide intersection leading to the Palace. Theo had experienced so much within the golden walls of the Palace. School, private meetings with Lucas, the frightening encounters with Tiberius. He was tired of being afraid of the Supreme Leader, that was for sure. Still, he had absolutely no strategy for facing Tiberius, if and when it came to that. Theo imagined the odds were good he would have to shoot the man at close range. He tried to remember all the horrors Tiberius had committed.

  The Palace gleamed majestically before them, its bright lights illuminating the vast complex.

  “Okay, we are coming in through the garage,” said Kylee. “It’s very likely we are going to run into some opposition before we even get into the building so—”

  She was interrupted by the blinding flash of the giant screens around the Palace flashing to life. Theo saw a distant glow from the beach that told him the screens along the heavily damaged pier mall were also active. He guessed this message was appearing on all available screens throughout the island. The screens showed the emblem of Atlantic Island. A voice boomed across the landscape, loud enough to rouse the city from its slumber. “A message from your Supreme Leader, Paul Tiberius!”

  The image changed to show Tiberius sitting at a desk that Theo immediately recognized as the one that had belonged to Mayor Lucas. The Supreme Leader looked calm and confident.

  “Citizens of Atlantic Island,” Tiberius began in his cold, serious voice, “it is my unfortunate duty to inform you that we are under attack from a small band of traitors on this island. It disturbs me to think that there are a sad few who do not appreciate all that we are doing to make life better for all of us. Please do not fear these criminals. I assure you that the Security Force is taking care of this problem as we speak.

  “A moment before I went on the air, I was informed that a group of the traitors had been injured by our Security Force and were attempting to steal supplies from our hospital. I am proud to announce that our forces were waiting for them. While we wished to simply arrest them, they persisted in a senseless attack on our good soliders. The Security Force had no choice but to eliminate all of them.”

  Theo heard screams from among the rebel army. His stomach tied in knots. He looked at Kylee who was biting her lip to keep her emotions contained.

  “Among those killed were three traitors from the Security Force, including one highly ranked official, Carlos Menendez. It should go without saying that abandoning the Security Force is considered treason and is punishable by death in all circumstances.”

  Theo felt nauseous. Kylee was wobbling as she struggled to keep herself together, and he pulled her to him.

  “Some of you are no doubt wondering how these criminals were able to make any kind of progress against the limitless power of my Security Force. I wondered the same. I now present to you the answer.”

  The cameras panned abruptly around the room. Sitting in a chair, struggling against two masked agents, was Michelle.

  More screaming and yelling from the rebels. Theo knew he heard Ryan’s voice in the mix. His heart broke for Ryan who had been on a horrible roller coaster of emotions with Michelle the past few months. He knew his friend felt powerless at the moment, but so did he. They were all powerless right now to do anything but watch.

  “This young woman,” Tiberius said off-camera, “had every opportunity afforded to someone in this country. She became close with some of my highest-ranking men and women. She even got to meet with me several times. But for reasons she refuses to disclose, she chose to throw all that away, betray her Supreme Leader and the people of Atlantic Island, to be a double agent working for the traitors.”

  There was a sound as Tiberius rose from his chair and made his way back into the frame. Michelle, her mouth covered with a cloth, squirmed and moaned as he drew near.

  “There must be no room for treason in this country,” Tiberius said. “I am the Supreme Leader. I am God in this land, and my word is law!” He stepped behind Michelle’s chair. “To the criminals who even now continue their assault on the lives of everyone in Atlantic Island, I send you this message: Give up your pointless efforts. Lay down your weapons. You will serve life sentences in our fine prisons, where you will able to do work for the good of the country, to make amends for what you have done. If you continue this senseless course of action, there will be only one response.” He reached forward so fast the cameras only showed a blur, and snapped Michelle’s neck with both hands. The cameras briefly showed her twitching form and then panned up to Tiberius who looked directly forward.

  “Life or death, traitors. The decision is yours.”

  The image faded and was replaced once again by the Atlantic Island flag.

  Theo looked at Kylee, expecting her to completely fall apart. What he saw disturbed him even more. Her face was expressionless. When she spoke, her voice was flat and serious in its tone. “He dies tonight, Theo. He dies. They all die. I want to burn this place to the ground.”

  Theo nodded and turned to the army. He knew their confidence was shattered. “We will not stand here and let it be that our friends died in vain,” he told them. He looked at Kylee again. She stared at him with calm, almost frightening conviction. “Those of you assigned to the garage, head down there now. Bill, Ryan, to me.

  His lifelong friends joined him. Ryan was in tears and clinging to Bill for support. “Bill,” Theo said, “is Bertha ready to go?”

  Bill’s voice shook with anger. “Ready, willing and able.”

  “Good. Then follow me.”

  “What are we going to do?” Bill asked.

  “We’re going to knock on the front door.”

  Chapter 32

  Before splitting away from the rest of the army, Theo pulled Kylee in front of him. “Ky, babe, are you okay? Can you handle this?”

  She nodded, unconvincingly.

  “Kylee, these people need to know they can count on their leader. If you need to step aside—”

  “I’m fine,” she said.

  Joseph walked up to them. “I’m here to help you, Kylee.”

  This seemed to grab her attention. “Hi, Joseph, where’s Andrew?”

  “He’s with Jamie and Liz. They need comforting, and…well, I’m not as much with the comforting. I want to help you fight, Kylee.”

  “Okay,” she said. “Okay. We’ll fight.”

  Joseph took her face in both his hands. “I need you to focus. Your army needs you to focus. We will kill the bad guys, yes? Kill them all.”

  “Kill them all,” she repeated. “Okay, Joseph.”

  Theo was not at all convinced. “You’ll watch out for her?” he asked Joseph. “You won’t let her do anything stupid?”

  “I will protect her with my life. Now you go and do what you need to do.”

  Theo walked over to Bill and Ryan. Ryan was still clinging to Bill like he might blow away if the wind was to gust. None of this was good. How had their fortunes shifted so suddenly and dramatically?

  Theo pointed at several of the rebels. They did not hesitate but walked over to him. “We are going to mount an assault at the front of the building,” he said. “I don’t think they would expect us to be so bold, and I don’t think they would expect us to split into groups so soon after coming back together. Keeping them confused, outsmarting them, this is the way we will win. We’re going to hit them with a big blow right up front, and I need all of you to move right in and start firing. Catch them while they are disoriented…whoever ends up being there. Does that make sense?”

  “Theo,” said Wes, “man if you told me to run into the ocean and keep my head underwater for an hour I’d say it made sense cause it came from you. I’m with you.”

  “Thank you, Wes.”

  He took Ryan by the shoulder. “Ry… I’m so sorry. You can sit this out if you want.”

  Ryan shook his head. “No. I’m not sitting anything out. Those bastards are going to pay for what they did.”

  Theo stretched his tired muscles. It was time to move. Now, while Tiberius and his men thought that the rebels were demoralized and wouldn’t possibly stage an assault. He took off at a brisk pace toward the front of the Palace, following the ramp where cars had once pulled up for valet service in a very different world. His people trotted behind him, all armed and armored from what they had stripped from the Security Force. Bill carried the massive bazooka. Wes was carrying a small box of grenades Theo had removed from the SUV. Kylee’s group was going to rely on stealth and manpower. Theo’s was going to be the distraction, and that meant explosive destruction.

  They stood in front of the massive doors. They could see a contingent of the Security Force in the lobby. It was only a matter of time before they were spotted. Theo ordered them into positions. He raised his gun, as did the others with similar weapons. Wes carefully removed a grenade from his box while Bill knelt with the big rocket launcher.

  “Everybody understands what to do?” Theo asked. They all nodded. “Okay, Bill, time to wake some people up.”

  “With pleasure, fearless leader.” Bill steadied his aim and fired a rocket across the car lanes and directly into the front door. The door exploded with a force far greater than Theo had anticipated. Fires licked at the flammable portions of the entrance.

  For a moment, Theo and the rest simply stared in shock. “Whoa,” said Bill.

  Finally, Theo snapped out of his trance. “Let’s go!” He ran the distance to the smoking entrance and darted in to the fray. The Security Force agents had been thrown into disarray by the explosion. Theo fired his gun and dropped two of them before they had a chance to raise their weapons.

  Theo heard the gunfire erupting around him and he ran as fast as he could through the lobby to the nearest hallway he could find. He knew the others would follow him. Just before he reached the edge of the lobby he felt a powerful stinging sensation in his right shoulder. He ducked into the hallway. “Get as far down as possible,” he yelled to the others. When they reached the far end of the hall he shouted, “now, Wes!”

  Wes launched a grenade down the hall where it landed perfectly, rolling just into the lobby. With an eardrum pounding explosion the grenade destroyed the passageway between the lobby and the hall. Debris fell as the ceiling in that section collapsed. They had successfully sealed off whatever part of the Security Force that was trying to come through the lobby.

  “Theo…aw crap, you’re hurt.” Bill came rushing over.

  “No, I’m fine,” Theo said, but then he saw the blood spreading on his shirt from where he had been shot in the shoulder. “Oh.”

  “Does it hurt?” Ryan asked.

  “Not as much as I would have thought,” Theo responded. “Maybe it’s the adrenaline or something. I don’t know. My arm is feeling a little weak though.”

  Bill pulled off his own shirt and tied it tight around Theo’s upper arm, applying pressure to the wound. “You’re going to need to get that looked at.”

  “Later. Let’s keep moving.”

  Kylee’s mind was spinning. The image of Michelle’s death, captured on the enormous screens outside the Palace, was plastered on her retinas. She had tried so hard to understand Theo’s loss when Mark died. She thought at the time she really got what he was going through but now she knew: she hadn’t had a clue. This pain, this confusing jumble of memories of a decade of friendship, threatened to overwhelm her completely.

  And Carlos… was it true? Had the Security Force murdered three of their own and a handful of severely injured civilians? Anything was possible with Tiberius in control. Kylee felt horrible pangs of guilt. She had allowed Carlos to go with only a small support contingent. She hadn’t made any effort to get Michelle out of danger, instead choosing to assume that she would be safe as long as she seemed loyal to Tiberius.

  The rebels marched down to the garage entrance to the Palace. Under normal circumstances there would be two guards at the gate. Kylee didn’t know if Tiberius would be ramping up protection around the building. If anything, he seemed to think he’d effectively defeated the rebels through demoralization. He would realize how wrong he was when she shoved the barrel of her gun down his throat.