Despite what Taggy insinuated, they had all been up throughout the night surveying the city and keeping track of the zones which were popping up. It was too dangerous to travel by car anymore, so they had covered many miles on foot mapping out the whereabouts of the triggered zones. What they’d uncovered, even in their small area around Queens, was quite surprising.
Leaving the cave a little before sunset, Walter, Taggy and Luc had expected the zones to be set up mirroring the five districts of New York. It hadn’t taken them long to realize that wasn’t going to be the case; in fact, the operation was a lot larger than they could’ve ever expected.
“How have they got the gear for all of this?” Taggy asked as she marked their fifth zone down on their map, writing the street names down beside it as a reminder.
“They must have emptied every police precinct in the city[MP17],” Walter guessed, astonished that all the explosives had been gathered without him noticing. To have collected them all, the work had to have been happening while he was still working there. It must have been all carried out right under his nose. He wondered why Captain Banes and McManaman hadn’t trusted him with the information – they were right to in the end it seemed – but he was still surprised he hadn’t been welcomed into their secret fold. It made him believe even more so that they must understand what they were doing was wrong. That was the only explanation he could come up with for why he was kept in the dark, the captain knowing he would never stand for something as obscene as this.
“With this many set up,” Walter continued, “it’s only going to be a matter of time before one goes off.”
“I just don’t understand how they’re telling people,” Luc pondered. “Like, I get they want people to stay in their zones, but how are they going to spread the word that if you try to leave, you’ll be blown to smithereens?”
“I’m guessing they won’t,” Walter assumed sadly. “Once one of them goes off, people will get the message pretty quickly.”
It was a harrowing thought, but both Luc and Taggy nodded solemnly. The instant one of these zones exploded and buildings came crashing down[MP18], trapping people not only in their neighborhoods, but underneath the rubble as well, people would learn. No one would dare try to leave after that for fear of being blown up or crushed beneath a building. The forced system would work not out of understanding, but because of fear. It was one tactic that was tried and tested over years and years of human evolution, threaten someone well enough and they will do pretty much anything they can in order to stay alive.
Thinking back as he shuffled along in line, Walter wondered how long it would take for that moment to arrive. Throughout the night, they had mapped out sixteen different zonal crossings in Queens alone. Using that as a rough calculation, they estimated that across New York City there would be close to one hundred booby-trapped streets, just waiting for someone to step in the wrong place and trigger an explosion.
“Thanks,” he smiled at the teenage girl who filled his bowl with the miscellaneous meat broth as Walter finally reached the front of the line.
“You’re welcome,” the girl beamed in response, “have a nice day.”
Her cheerful attitude was just what everyone needed first thing in the morning. Even though he’d been up all night and fully intended on going to bed as soon as the morning meal was finished, Walter was pleased that girl was there that morning. With everything else going on, it was nice to have a bit of blissful positivity, everyone who lived in the cave playing their part and fully committed to making life good again.
“Do you think that weird guy from last night will show up?” Taggy asked as they sat down to eat, picking a quiet corner of the room next to one of the many trashcan fires to keep themselves warm. “I’d put good money on us never seeing him again.”
“Yeah I doubt it,” Luc agreed. “I don’t know if he even understood what we were telling him. He seemed pretty out of it.”
“He had just passed out though, remember,” Walter prompted, recalling the strange run in with the man they’d had in the early hours of the morning.
“Yeah, but still,” Luc shrugged. “Do you really believe what he was saying? I mean to be out at that time of the morning and in that state?”
“Maybe he was just desperate.”
“Maybe,” Luc shrugged again. “Or maybe he was off his rocker.”
“If he turns up,” Taggy grinned at Walter, “I’ll do your next garbage shift. How about that?”
Walter laughed. “Alright, deal.”
“And if he brings his family,” Luc added, “You can have my seconds for a week.”
“Hang on,” Walter laughed again, “now I’m betting against both of you?”
“You’ve got good odds there though, pal,” Luc goaded him. “Come on.”
“Alright, alright,” Walter joked with them. “And what if he doesn’t turn up – what happens then?”
Luc looked at Taggy and the two of them grinned, sharing a secret joke. “If he doesn’t,” Taggy started with a smile, “then you have to do both of our bathroom shifts. All week.”
“Ugh!” Walter exclaimed, “I don’t think anything’s worth that deal!”
The three of them burst out laughing. It felt good to have a laugh and a joke. Grinning at his two new friends, Walter found himself thanking his lucky stars once more than he’d found them – and the cave. He knew this was the place he was meant to be and he had no intention of ever being anywhere else again.
***
Five hours later, when he woke up, Walter immediately feared the worst had happened. He could hear loud chatter carrying down the corridor to the room he’d been set up in since arriving at the cave. Both Taggy and Luc lived elsewhere, so there was no one else there as he sat up and tilted his head to one side, listening to the noise. Something had obviously happened – the cave was always busy, but the sound of conversation that traveled down to him had something different about it. It was fast paced and excited and he wanted to be a part of it.
Tugging his boots on and picking up his jacket, Walter rushed out of the room and headed for the main hall. A large group of people were congregated there, talking between themselves and loitering on the spot as if they were waiting for something. As he walked in, Walter looked around for Luc and Taggy, or anyone that he recognized really. His eyes eventually fell on Billy and Walter strode over, desperate for some sort of explanation.
“What’s happened?” He asked, placing a hand on Billy’s back and the man turned to look at him. “Have some of the bombs gone off? Has there been an explosion already?”
“What?” Billy looked at him for a second and processed the words. He had been out for most of the night as well with another ground team, doing the same job as Walter and his friends. If anyone else in the room understood the potential danger of what could have just happened, it was Billy, but to Walter’s relief, the man didn’t seem panicked.
Billy shook his head. “Nothing like that yet, don’t worry, Walt. Henry’s got some sort of big announcement though; he should be here any minute.”
“Oh,” Walter said in response, relief washing over him as the knowledge that the city wasn’t being blown to pieces just yet sunk in. His heart rate settled a little as he looked around the room again, now noticing that while people were all crammed in together and having fast-paced conversations, it wasn’t out of worry but out of excitement instead. Henry Packham was clearly about to make an announcement and rumors were spreading about just what that might be.
“Do you think he’s had some sort of breakthrough?” A voice in the crowd said behind Walter, the man listening as people guessed at what they had all gathered for. “Could he have struck up an agreement?”
“Maybe we’re finally moving to a bigger location – we can’t fit many more of us in here as it is.”
“Alright everyone,” Luc’s familiar voice cut through the others, the man appearing with Taggy by his side and draping an arm around Walter’s shoulder in gree
ting. “What’s all this about?”
“Henry’s making an announcement,” Billy explained simply. “Taking his time though, he’s been – ah,” he paused and craned his neck upwards, looking over the throngs of people. “Here he is! Let’s see what he’s gathered us all here for.”
As the people gradually began to notice Henry Packham’s arrival, the loud chatter in the room dulled to a murmur and then finally, to complete silence. The man certainly knew how to command a room, waiting until there wasn’t a sound other than people’s breathing until he stepped up onto a chair and opened his mouth.
“It’s good to see so many of you here,” he beamed, looking around the room carefully and taking in the audience. “And so many new faces since we last had one of these.”
There was a short pause for murmurs of agreement to pass around the room.
“We’ve been doing some incredible work here over the past couple of weeks,” Henry continued. “Already we’ve achieved more than we set out to do and the possibilities of what’s still to come are growing each and every day.” He paused again, though everyone was spellbound now.
“We all know why we’ve come here,” Henry nodded. “We’re here because we want to make a difference, because we want to get our city back. Our home back. None of us could have guessed what was going to happen, but these recent developments have forced our hand. It’s like a new player has entered the game and they’ve unbalanced the playing field far beyond what we’re capable of withstanding.
“I won’t mince words; we simply don’t have the manpower – or the firepower – to fight back against what they’ve done. If we do something about these zones they’ve set up and the explosives they’ve used to mark them out with, then we’re going to lose this city and this battle, faster than any of us could imagine. So, what do we do?”
Henry paused again looking around the room and waiting to see if anyone would respond to him. He hadn’t asked the question with the intention of taking responses from the floor, but it was always interesting to see if anyone shouted out. This time though, things remained quiet. People glanced at those they stood next to and shrugged or shook their heads briefly, but within seconds all eyes were back on Henry Packham, waiting for him to give the answer.
“We find a way and we get our city back.”[MP19]
A roar of approval burst up around the room, men and women cheering in agreement at the simple words. Fists went up into the air and celebrated, ready to follow their leader into battle. But Walter sensed Henry Packham wasn’t done and while the room applauded, he watched the man biding his time until he opened his mouth again.
“But we cannot do it alone!” Henry shouted, silencing the crowd once more. “We are simply not powerful enough or big enough to overthrow these guys as we are. We can’t do it alone. But we can do it if we band together, if we have help.”
Suddenly, the doors at the back of the room opened up and a gang of vicious, leather-clad men and women stormed in, each one of them carrying a gun or knife. The people of the cave gasped and retreated backwards, making a space between the new arrivals and their group, surprised by where they’d come from. Walter could only watch as the men and women surrounded Henry, making a semicircle behind him and standing there silently, looking out into the room and assessing what they had just walked into. Henry looked calm, smiling at a couple of them in greeting, before turning back to his flock.
“The time for fighting amongst ourselves and trying to gain territory and resources across the city is over.” Henry Packham spoke clearly, making sure each of his words was heard. “We have to unite, divide and conquer. Leave the squabbling over breadcrumbs to someone else and go after the bakery itself – go right to the source. Like I said, we can’t bring our city back by ourselves, but together we can make a difference. Together, we can win.”
Walter didn’t recognize the new arrivals, but it was clear several of the others did. Their stances changed from relaxed to apprehensive, many of them standing on the balls of their feet as if they were ready to move at any moment. It didn’t take much to figure out what had happened; these people were clearly a rival gang that Henry Packham’s group had been dealing with since the collapse, fighting against in order to do what they needed to do to survive. Previously adversaries, an alliance had now been formed to push back against one, bigger enemy. On paper it was very clear what Henry Packham hoped would happen, in practice it was another thing entirely.
As Walter looked around the room, he wondered exactly how this was going to play out.
Chapter 21
There was no mistaking the changed atmosphere in the cave that night. As the once rival gang members mingled amongst them, helping themselves to food and passing various items around, others watched on and grumbled under their breath. Henry had done his best to convince everyone that they were one united force now, that they should no longer see themselves as adversaries and instead come together to benefit each other. However, no matter how many words the man spoke, it was a lot easier said than done. People were stuck in their ways and as with any change, there were bound to be some teething problems.
“I just don’t see how we can trust them now,” Lyle, one of Billy’s friends said quietly as they ate their dinner. “I mean, last week one of them punched you square in the jaw, Billy and now we’re just supposed to forget all about that and make nice with each other? What if it had been more than a punch, what if you’d been shot?”
“Well, they have tried before,” Billy replied, recounting an incident where they’d become trapped in a burning building as they came under fire from their new friends. “But if Henry trusts them, I still say we have to give them a chance. He is right about one thing: with their weapons it’ll be a lot easier to stand up for ourselves against the Gov.”
The Gov had recently become the colloquial term they were using to refer to Captain Banes, Philip McManaman and anyone else they associated with. It was coined as a middle finger up to the government, beginning as a joke at first as a way of saying they weren’t needed, and had recently started catching on more and more. It helped having one simple word to lump them all into; it made the target seem less personal. Walter especially found it a lot easier, preferring to say he was going up against the Gov rather than his former police captain.
“It doesn’t fill me with much hope though, you know?” Taggy said with a sigh. “I don’t mean about that bunch coming in, I trust Henry, he knows what he’s doing. But it’s just, if we need all this firepower, what does that mean for the endgame? Doesn’t exactly spell out a peaceful resolution to all of this conflict, does it?”
“I think that ship sailed when the Gov started planting explosives all over the city, Taggy.”
“I get that,” Taggy rolled her eyes, “but shouldn’t we be focused on getting people away from that danger, rather than starting a war? I know we have to fight back – that’s what we’re all here for – but number one priority was always protecting our city and the people in it. Right?”
“She’s got a point,” Walter nodded. “Step one should be getting people away from the danger, then step two we fight back if we need to[MP20]. But always save lives first. Always.”
“I’m sure it’s not Henry’s plan to just create more trouble,” Billy defended his leader and friend. “Stay here – I’m going to go talk to him, clear this all up.”
“Find out if we’re out on the streets again tonight, will you?” Luc called after Billy as he started walking away, then, in a lower voice to the immediate group. “I need to get a bit more heat in these old bones before I can do another night out there any time soon.”
Luc was right. New York was getting colder and colder as fall rolled in. The colors in Central Park were changing as leaves dropped from the trees and littered the pathways, creating a blanket of orange and brown underfoot. With it though, came a drop in temperature and without power in the city there was no heat. Being without heat in summer had been one thing, but they were approa
ching winter in New York. No one wanted to be huddled around a trashcan fire when that finally arrived.
“I think we’ll be out every night from now on, Luc,” Taggy nudged her friend. “Things seem to have just been kicked up a notch.”
Sure enough, just under an hour later, Walter, Luc and Taggy were waiting to leave the cave, ready for another night on the streets trying to do their bit. Things were a bit different tonight though, instead of simply just mapping out the city and getting a handle on where the zones were, they now needed to try and pull people from them. That meant getting right up into the danger area next to the wired explosives and trying to pull people from their beds, with a promise of safety they didn’t even know they needed. To make matters even more interesting, it wasn’t just going to be the three of them tonight.
“Uh oh, here she comes.” Luc muttered under his breath as a woman with short-cropped hair and the ends of a tattoo winding around her neck approached. She had swapped the signature leather jacket that was associated with her biker group for a more subtle black hoodie, the pockets of which bulging out with whatever she’d stuffed in there.
“Alright,” she said calmly as she came to a stop in front of the three of them. “I’m Lin.”
As per Henry’s orders, every group that was going out overnight was to take one of the new arrivals with them and show them the ropes. It kind of reminded Walter of the Big Fish, Little Fish program they had in schools, where a 6th grader would buddy up with a 1st grader to make sure they didn’t get lost on their first day. Only this time instead of showing a kid where the toilets were and making sure they didn’t get lost after recess, it was sharing the method for smashing a door off its hinges in the quietest way possible and helping to dodge explosives that were rigged across the street.
Wipeout | Book 5 | Foul Play Page 15
