Page 98 of Resistant

I wander around the lodge until the smell of food leads me to a huge dining space. Larry pats me on the back.

“Where’s Riesa? She’s supposed to be your camp counselor. You ditch her already?”

“Yeah, I don’t need a tour guide to find food.”

“Well, come sit at the large table. We have a lot to discuss.”

I grab a plate and pile it high with all the food staying warm on the buffet. I grab a slice of homemade bread, take a bite and grab half the loaf balancing it on top of my mountain of food.

Riesa sits down next to me.

“You won’t have to fight for your food Declan.”

“Yeah, growing up on a farm with brothers has conditioned me to take advantage and eat while I can.”

She snorts. The room quiets down as Larry takes a seat at the head of the table.

“I’m sure you have questions, Declan.”

I shovel food in my mouth knowing my mother would be horrified and talk over it anyway.

“What happened to the fog? There wasn’t any in the valley as we drove in. And what’s with the drone swarm? Is that a regular occurrence?”

Larry smiles and sits back.

“Astute, Declan. There is a long version of this story, but I’ll give you the abbreviated version. For about ten months, the fog continued to build as weapons were deployed, wildfires raged, and volcanoes erupted. But out here, the rains came, and the fog dissipated, as it should have done worldwide. We saw an opportunity, to use the fog to our advantage. We have some of the top scientists on our team, and we decided to keep the rest of the world in the dark, or the gray so to speak. It was an opportunity we couldn’t give up. So, we drilled down into the earth and harnessed natural heat and piped the smoke and fog through old infrastructure to the surface, all over the world. It’s an elaborate system. But if we turned it off today, in a month or so the fog would dissipate, and our atmosphere would mostly return. There is damage from nuclear weapons, and we aren’t sure how devastating it is in areas we aren’t able to occupy. We also know that the layer of smoke and fog helps to protect people from the sun’s radiation. We’ve maintained control of the food supply chain and we’re working to get help to those who need it. You’ll meet several people here who consider this move deplorable and has caused unnecessary suffering among the masses. That may be true, we made the best decision we could with the information we had. And the swarms? Those are New Reform, looking for the Resistant. We don’t know how successful they have been to this point. Reisa is working on it.”

He’s just thrown a giant information dump at me and I’m so tired there is no processing it. My priority is Brynn, so I decide to start there.

“What’s your plan?”

“Well, much of that depends on you. I don’t know if you realize, but you are a legend among the Resistance and Arcadia groups. Your role in fighting and breaking Brynn out of the concentration camp has been romanticized. You seem to be an unwilling hero at this point. We were hoping you would become a willing hero and pull our influence into the elite spaces of society.”

“Nothing elite about me, Larry. I’m a farmer’s kid.”

“Understood, but the people on the ground don’t feel that way. They are looking for a hero to save their heroine and bring our country back to its ground roots principles from the before.”

“How do they know about Brynn, or me for that matter?”

“Knox started a campaign looking for Brynn when she disappeared. She was on the cover of every publication for months. He told the world that she was its savior, that her biology would save everyone from The Sickness. The story broke again when Knox found you in the camp with her. We made sure to publish stories about your heroism in and out of the war. You and Brynn are national heroes.”

“Not interested in celebrity or politics, Larry. I want to live in peace.”

“And that is why you are perfect for the job Declan.”

“What’s the job?”

“Politician.”

“Fuck no.”

“Hear me out Declan. The space is waiting for you. An election is coming, and I know if you run, you’ll easily be elected as senator, putting you on equal footing with Knox.”

My fork clatters to my plate. I stare at Larry; I want to punch someone.

“We are pretty sure he’s a senator, he’s never shown his face at political events, but we’ve narrowed it down. He is Lennox Richards. The billionaire’s son from Louisiana.”

I knew Knox wasn’t just a soldier, but this little nugget of information is mind-boggling. He’s been working towards this for much longer than anyone realized if he’s Richards. I knew Knox was playing the game, but I had no idea it was such a long game.

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