Chapter Twelve Noah

The raiders had been called together for the first time in weeks. As Noah hurried into the training cave, he was shaking. He hadn't seen anything of Jacob since their encounter outside the prisoners' cave, and he had no idea how the man would react when he came face-to-face with him again for the first time. Keeping his head down, he hurried to Flynn's side.

As he settled in next to Flynn, he cast his eyes around the room, very aware of those who were missing. Jan had been one of the most experienced leaders in the group. She would be missed the most, but Dane and Dan had also been a reassuring presence on raids. Now, along with several others lost in the clash with Danforth's guards, they were gone.

He wondered if Jacob would suggest the need to recruit more raiders. No one seemed to know why the leader had called them together. Ruth had yet to return, though his ma had assured him that they expected her to be away for several days, so Noah had tried not to worry. Since his conversation with Professor Kemp, he had even entertained the hope that Ruth might find Faith among the Resistance.

The thought was a selfish one, he knew. But he was desperate to know that Faith had managed to return safely to the city. And if she was with the Resistance, she wasn't lying in a bed somewhere being injected with a dangerous drug. If she was with the Resistance, maybe they were fighting on the same side for once.

Once the majority of the raiders had arrived, Jacob stepped forward. Noah was grateful that the size of the group made it difficult for the leader to pick him out.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I called you down here today," he began. "I wanted to make sure we were keeping up with our training. Making sure our weapons were ready. We mustn't be caught unprepared."

"Unprepared for what?" The interruption came from one of Harden's buddies, but he wasn't standing with him. Noah searched the cave for the older boy, finally spotting him skulking close to the back, almost as though he wanted to remain out of sight.

"For anything." Jacob frowned. "Don't be fooled. We're at war with Danforth now. Just because we haven't seen anything of her since the last confrontation, doesn't mean she's not still plotting against us. We have to be ready for her."

He swept an arm across the group. "To that end, I want all our remaining weapons categorised, checked over, and cleaned this morning. Our explosives, counted and readied for use. Then, we can run some training drills."

Beside Noah, Flynn stiffened. "Sounds like you're planning an attack. Did you forget we agreed to wait until Ruth got back before we took any action?"

Jacob cocked his head to one side. As his eyes turned in their direction, Noah cringed. But the leader didn't even spare him a glance, focusing his glare on Flynn.

"I didn't forget, no." He paused for a second, seeming to consider the mood. "But, sooner or later, we're going to have to act. Before Danforth gets the chance to." His voice grew in volume and intensity. "She needs to know we're not done yet, that we still have the power to get to her. To damage her beloved city."

Noticing Jacob's fists clenching at his sides, Noah again thought of madness. Paulo had mentioned it, and Noah had seen the same, slightly crazed expression in Jacob's eyes the day he'd met him in the prisoners' cave. There was no more talk of Eremus gaining equal rights, of the need to preserve life, not to harm the innocent. He seemed bent on revenge, and little else.

Perhaps aware of the way he was coming across, their leader calmed his tone. "As Flynn says, a few days ago Ruth was sent into the city as an envoy, to connect with the Resistance and do a little investigation of her own." Noah thought about his friend's mission to infiltrate the Bellator guard with a shudder. "We fully expect her to return with key intel, which I assure you will be shared with the council. But we will need to act on it. And quickly."

He glanced around the room, noting his raiders' concern. Holding up a hand, he quelled the growing murmurs of discontent.

"I'm aware that we have other worries. Our resources are severely depleted. Anna informs me that we have almost no meds left." He began to tick off items on his fingers. "We are low on batteries to supply our flashlights and walkie talkies, and, whilst we have some sources of food, we need to stock up on items which will see us through the next few months. Be reassured. We will make this a priority."

Beside Noah, Flynn tensed. "You mean alongside preparing to launch an attack on Bellator."

Jacob's gaze hardened. "Yes. As I said, we can't afford to sit back and do nothing."

On the opposite side of the space, Paulo stood up. "Which mission takes priority for you?"

"What?" Jacob looked stunned at the doubt in Paulo's tone.

"What I think he means is," Flynn looked thrilled by his nephew's support, "do you still have the best interests of your community at heart? Is it more important that you crush Danforth? Or make sure your people are fed and cared for?"

For a moment, Jacob was silent, his eyes wide. When he did speak, his gaze was steely. "How dare you accuse me of–"

"It's a valid question." Flynn turned to the rest of the raiders. "And one which I think we deserve an answer to." A murmur of agreement ran around the room. Flynn seemed to take courage from the support. "I mean, you seem more focused on the problems in the city than those we're experiencing right here within these caves."

"I can assure you that's not the case," Jacob spluttered. "The well-being of my people is of the utmost importance to me. You know that."

"All your people?" Flynn raised an eyebrow. "What about Ella?"

"This again?" Jacob spat out a laugh. "She's being fed, she hasn't been harmed. She is enduring a punishment for acting against the Eremus people."

"But you don't have any real proof that she did act against us." Paulo turned to the other raiders. "We all know Ella. It would be hugely out of character for her to go against her community. She loves Eremus." He looked back at Jacob, his voice calm and even. "Could you consider releasing her? I think it would go a long way towards…" He gestured around the room.

"I thought I made myself clear that I won't be releasing her," Jacob huffed. "Not until I'm certain she can be trusted."

"I truly hope you decide she can be trusted soon." Flynn's voice had an undertone of steel which Noah hadn't heard before. "Because–"

"You're na?ve if you think Danforth can be ignored." Jacob cut across Flynn, steering the conversation in another direction.

"I wasn't suggesting we ignore her," Flynn pushed on. "I just think there are better, more constructive things we could be doing to tackle our issues with Bellator. And I firmly believe that caution is the way forward."

"I agreed we would wait, didn't I?" Jacob's voice rose in volume. "I won't take action until Ruth has returned."

"And you'll make sure the council meets with Ruth altogether?" Flynn insisted.

"Of course." Jacob's smile did not reach his eyes. "But once we hear from her, we will need to act quickly." Jacob gestured at the boxes of weapons which were stacked at the side of the cave. "Hence our task today. Now if we could just–"

"Sorry." Flynn's eyes flashed. "But I'd like to know more about your plan of action. The one you've put on hold until Ruth returns. Don't tell me you don't have one, because I know that's a lie."

"Of course, I have a plan." Jacob's eyes flashed with annoyance as he spoke. "The first part of it involves getting our weapons ready for use. Beyond that, I will brief the relevant citizens about their role when it becomes necessary. For security reasons, it's better not everyone knows the plan."

"You mean you don't trust some of us," Flynn wagered.

"Not at all." Jacob smoothed his words with a smile, but it looked strained. "Secrecy is vital in any plans we have against the city. If Danforth gets her hands on any of us, who knows what she'll do? The fewer people who know the details, the better."

"I disagree." The voice came from the other side of Flynn, where Mick was sitting. "You keep claiming you have our best interests at heart, but your previous actions… reckless actions, I might add, have thrown Eremus right in Danforth's path. What have you done to further the Eremus cause lately?"

Jacob met Mick's gaze head on. "Firstly, you all know that my plan to destroy their fertility unit was a success. Bellator now has no male seed and will therefore struggle to reproduce. Tell me that hasn't furthered the Eremus cause." His eyes flashed with triumph as he ploughed on. "The effects of this will only be seen in the long term, though. For now, we must continue to take action which makes Danforth and her government uncomfortable. To that end, we recently disposed of a large number of the city's guard force."

Noah thought about the explosion in the forest, and the number of guards it had wounded or killed. The word dispose made him shudder. The dead guards might be their enemy, but they were also still people… women who lived in the city Eremus claimed it wanted to unite with. To hold this as a point of triumph seemed wrong, somehow.

"You say we," Mick continued, "but it was a very small minority who participated in that little plan. And we weren't given the chance to object to the enormous loss of life it involved."

Noah glanced towards the back of the room, where Harden was seated. The older boy's head was down, his shoulders slumped, as though the mention of the bombing was painful for him. Paulo was right, he realised. All around him, there were growing murmurs of disagreement.

"That loss of life," Jacob spat out, "was a necessary move. With so many guards out of action, Danforth is weakened. Severely. It gives us a chance we've never had before. You must see that."

Flynn held out a hand to calm the growing discontent in the cave. "And you must see why we'd like to be included in your future plans."

"Alright!" Jacob's jaw was rigid with tension. "My plan is to disrupt the city in other, more immediate ways." He gestured to the boxes of weapons. "We still have a good number of explosives. I'd like to use them to target various important city buildings over the coming days and weeks. A series of continuous attacks will show we're a force to be reckoned with… Danforth won't be able to ignore us. And each attack will take us a step closer to being on an equal footing with the city."

"These targets," Flynn asked. "Will destroying them mean endangering more Bellator citizens? And innocent ones, at that." He looked around, meeting the eyes of the other raiders. "Doesn't that make us as bad as them?"

Jacob was quick to react. "Of course, every effort will be made to ensure that the buildings are empty when we attack."

But Flynn wasn't ready to give up. "Isn't our goal to share their resources, in the end?" He pressed their leader. "To have them accept us as their equals? Destroying their facilities will severely impact their way of life. How can we ever expect them to accept us, to look on us favourably if we devastate their city?"

"And," Paulo chimed in, "from a selfish perspective, if we raze half of Bellator, what resources willbe left for us to utilise if and when we gain an equal footing with the women of the city?"

Jacob regarded Paulo coldly for a moment. Then, slowly, he smiled. "Of course, I want to minimise damage to the city's resources. The targets I intend to destroy will be considered very carefully."

"In discussion with the rest of the community, of course." Flynn added.

"Of course." Jacob said tightly. Turning, he jabbed a finger at the group in front of him. "Make no mistake, though. We've seen what Danforth is prepared to do. We can't underestimate her. In the end, we must be prepared to fight."

Ignoring the storm of muttering which filled the room at his final comment, Jacob stalked out of the cave. After a few moments of stunned silence, Flynn stepped into the place Jacob had vacated.

"I think that's probably enough discussion for now." Noah marvelled at how calm he sounded after the unpleasant confrontation. "Let's get on with the task at hand."

He gestured to Paulo, who began giving out instructions to the individual raiders. "Alright, grab a partner, take a box. You know the drill."

Waving his hand, he moved around the cave, assigning a range of maintenance tasks to the different raiders. Noah was happy to find Flynn wanted to partner with him. Together, they dragged out a trunkful of guns to clean and check over.

Whilst the task wasn't a familiar one for Noah, Flynn demonstrated how to unload and disassemble a few different guns. Soon they were working quietly side-by-side. The job involved using various rods and slender pieces of rope soaked in oil to clear the residue from the gun barrels. At first, Noah found himself handling each item gingerly, as though it might go off at any moment. When he imagined the lives the weapons might have taken, it made him shiver.

But each gun was different. Eventually, he found himself enjoying the challenge. Eremus' weapons had been picked up in different places over the years. It took care and focus to break each one apart and clean it well, and the satisfaction of conquering a new one was rewarding.

Flynn was preoccupied. Noah suspected he was brooding over the spat with Jacob. Unusually quiet, he worked with ferocity, snapping each gun apart, clearing out the barrels far faster than Noah could, then polishing the weapons until they shone. Methodical and precise, Flynn took pride in everything he did.

Not for the first time, Noah wondered how different the raiders' plans might be if his ma's partner were the one in charge.

"When do you think Ruth might be back?" he asked, tiring of the silence.

Flynn looked up, blinking, as though he had forgotten Noah was there. "I'm not sure…" he said eventually. "When did she leave?"

"Sunday evening."

Flynn frowned. "At the earliest, later today or tomorrow. And that's if things went well. If she gets stuck… delayed at all… it could be much longer."

"You think Jacob will wait for her to get back before he does anything? I mean…" he hesitated, "after everything that just happened?"

Flynn's face darkened. "I don't know. It depends." He placed the gun he'd been working on in the trunk and picked up another. "He's feeling threatened. That makes him unpredictable. And Anna and I are just as concerned about our resources." He turned the oil can upside down, shaking the last remaining drops onto the rope, as if to demonstrate the shortage.

"But I think he'd be stupid to act before we have more intel." Wrenching the empty gun barrel open, Flynn set about cleaning it with verve. "We need more information. If Ruth has managed to speak to Madeleine… if the Resistance is prepared to work with us. It changes everything."

"What do you mean?" Noah frowned.

Flynn stopped what he was doing and looked Noah in the eye. "Charlotte told your ma the Resistance wants to make real changes to the way the city is run. So do we." He shrugged and went back to the gun he was working on. "If we can settle on doing it together," he dropped his voice, "in a less destructive way than Jacob is currently suggesting, we might reduce the damage to vital city locations in the process. That would be better for everyone."

"Agreed." Noah swapped his own gun for another, dropping his gaze as he continued. "But… um, what if they won't help us?"

Flynn shrugged. "I don't know. Without the Resistance, Eremus doesn't have enough knowledge of the inner workings of the city. From what Charlotte told your ma, they have many members stationed in key locations around the city. People who watch what's going on, feed information back to them, help them out."

"Like spies?"

"I suppose." Flynn smiled at the word. "Having access to that kind of information would be amazing. Can you imagine? We could minimise damage to vital buildings, reduce the threat to life." Flynn's tone was earnest. "Your ma and I feel the Resistance would really show the Bellator citizens we're on their side… that we're not monsters who plan to just charge in and mount a vicious attack."

"As Jacob plans to."

"Exactly."

Noah cocked his head to one side, his mind working overtime. "So… having people on the inside is useful?"

"It most definitely is."

"What about sending Eremus people into the city undercover? In disguise, to blend in with the people and gain a better sense of what's going on." Noah lowered his voice. "Wouldn't it be useful to have some of our own people there too?"

Flynn drew the rod out of the gun he was working on and stopped. "You mean like Ruth?" He stared at Noah, puzzled. "I'm not sure she'd get away with living among the people dressed as a guard. She wouldn't know enough to be convincing… not if she were side-by-side with the other guards every day."

The older man looked thoughtful. "I mean, I suppose as an ordinary citizen she might have more success. Perhaps the Resistance might allow us to place a few female citizens in Bellator. Find them housing, supply them with clothing and so on. They'd all have to be female, of course."

"Would they?" Noah raised an eyebrow.

Flynn stared at him, uncomprehending. "How could we get away with sending men into an all-female city?"

Noah hesitated before speaking. "Listen, I had an idea… after I talked to Professor Kemp…" Noah tried to gauge his stepfather's reaction. "There is one way we could send a man into the city without attracting attention."

"Go on." Flynn narrowed his eyes. "I'm listening."

"Someone could go in as a drudge." Noah hurried on, watching Flynn's face carefully. "They're the ones who–"

"I know what they are."

"Kemp tells me there are lots of them in the city, often placed in locations of importance. They're male, but they go mostly unnoticed…" He held up a hand to stop Flynn's protest. "And I know what you're going to say. It's dangerous. But it's definitely possible." He rushed on, not wanting to give Flynn the chance to protest. "They even wear face coverings as part of their uniform. The women barely acknowledge them, as long as the jobs they're assigned get done."

Flynn looked thoughtful. "I suppose you're right. In theory, a man from Eremus could get away with posing as a drudge. But they're bred a certain way, aren't they? Engineered to be… smaller?"

"It's true, they're usually quite slender. A muscular man wouldn't get away with it. But they're wiry… strong. They have to be, to do their job. I think… I feel like, if he were properly prepared, a slim, fit Eremus man could get away with posing as a drudge." He leaned closer as he warmed to his subject. "Think about it. The intel he might gather, in addition to the existing Resistance members. We could use it to connect with the citizens, persuade them we're on their side, avoid blindly destroying half the city's resources."

Flynn's eyes narrowed. "Think of the danger they'd be putting themselves in." He eyed Noah closely, his expression changing from uncertainty, to doubt, to horror. "Wait. You're not thinking…?"

"I am." Noah took a deep breath. "Think about it. I'm slight. I'm subtle. I know how to go unnoticed." He watched for Flynn's reaction. "I think I'd be the perfect choice."