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“And I wonder if the virus will winnow us down until we are so similar in biological makeup that we will become dangerously homogeneous.”
History of a Changed World, Angus T. Moss
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TED AIMED THE CHILDREN at the cafeteria but turned off towards the amphitheatre with Nixie. Breakfast could wait. Something about the promise of a journey excited him. He knew that Wisp would let him go if he asked, but he wasn’t sure about Nixie. She had excellent skills on the trail. Ted would recommend her because the thought of leaving her behind made him feel shivery inside.
The room was larger than he expected, lushly absorbing the sound of the handful of people collected in the front few rows. Most of them men, Ted noted. Big, burly men. But a couple women and three teenage boys were there also. Nixie plowed down the aisle toward the stage, taking a front row seat. Ted followed, not feeling quite so confident. He chose a seat halfway down, it gave him a better view of all concerned.
A tall man vaulted up on to the stage. He looked strong. His black hair was shaggy, and he needed a shave, but it didn’t detract from his imposing presence. Not as broad shouldered as Kyle, nor as lethal looking as Wisp, all the same he commanded attention. Just by standing there, he quieted the room.
“The final call is up to Wisp. It’s his mission, and he can’t have anybody that isn’t going to take orders from him.”
Ted could feel the steel in that sentence, and it worried him. He looked around the room to see if there were any faces showing disapproval. It had been so long since he’d been part of a community, he’d forgotten about the fear and hate directed at biobots.
“You’re the head of the Watch, Martin, you should have final say,” said a beefy man slouched in the front row.
“I don’t know what you’re doing here, Jack. I can’t get you to go on far perimeter, and you’re volunteering for this mission?”
“No way,” Jack shot back. “I’m just nosy.”
Ted watched who laughed, who snorted or rolled their eyes. It was a good indication of how seriously they took Jack and his statement about Martin. If Wisp didn’t get to choose his own men, that could be a problem.
“What do you say Wisp?”
Ted craned his neck, looking for his brother. Wisp came from the back of the room. He stopped halfway down the center aisle, slightly in front of Ted, before looking back over his shoulder. “You just got here. Are you sure you want to leave?”
“Yes,” Ted said as firmly as he could. He knew Wisp would feel his conviction, but he needed to say it aloud.
“It might be rougher than you’re used to.”
Ted wheezed a weak laugh. “That’s not possible. I’ve been on the road for years. I’m good at making camp. Nixie, too. She’s an excellent tracker.”
Wisp nodded before continuing down the aisle. Ted watched the way he moved so gracefully, yet exuding power. It drew the eye. He wondered when Wisp had become a weapon. The brother he remembered had been a sweet, gentle thing, but that was before the terminations began.
Wisp bounded onto the stage beside Martin to survey the audience. A final person came through the doors, making his slow way down the aisle until he stopped next to Ted.
“Mind if I take the end seat?” Angus asked, leaning on his walker.
Ted bolted to his feet. “No of course not. Let me help you.”
Angus waved him off. “Easier if I do it myself.”
Ted sat down in the second seat feeling trapped.
“Who’s he picked?” Angus asked.
“No one yet.”
“This isn’t a good plan,” Angus grumbled.
“Do you doubt Wisp’s ability to find him?” Ted asked, picking his words carefully.
“No. I’ve seen your brother work. Amazing. I just hate sending them out without more information.”
“How could you possibly get more without a reconnaissance?”
Angus huffed out a sigh of frustration. “That was Nick’s point. I suppose he’s right.”
Below on the stage Wisp took his time, looking at each person for a few seconds. Martin stood next to him, a step behind, silently observing. Ted compared the two. He’d bet that Martin could put up quite a fight, but Wisp would win. Then he berated himself for even thinking such a thing about the head of the Watch.
Nixie had rushed back to report to him about the altercation in the cafeteria. That brutish man had worried him. He was glad to see him expelled. It made him raise his opinion of High Meadow. It would be a nice place for an anchor. He’d be glad to return at the end of his journeys. And that thought puzzled him because he’d used the plural.
“Ted and Nixie will be going,” Wisp said in a voice that brooked no dissention.
“Then I’m going,” Istvan said. Ted hadn’t realized Nixie’s father was in the audience until he spoke.
Nixie turned around in her seat to look at him. Her face as blank as the surface of a river.
“What would you bring to the mission, Istvan?” Wisp asked.
“I know the roads. I know safe campsites. And where not to camp. Rosa and I cross this country every year. I can get you wherever you need to go without trouble.”
Wisp looked at Nixie. “Is this a problem?”
Ted waited anxiously. He hadn’t thought about who else would join them. In his head it had been Wisp, Nixie and himself with maybe a burly man or two. Nixie shook her head. Wisp pointed at Istvan.
“Interesting,” Angus murmured. “A father’s concern, or something else?”
“Everett, Jean, Clay, Darrell. That’s all I’ll need. Meet me in the Watch room with your gear in an hour,” Wisp said. He stepped back to position himself next to Martin.
“Right.” Martin moved forward two steps. “Thanks everyone for volunteering. Dismissed.”
Ted held his breath waiting for a fight or arguments, but none came. The men milled around chatting, heading out the various exits.
“Curious choices,” Angus said. “I can understand Clay and Darrell, good men. Good fighters. Everett is a bit of an unknown. He’s new. And Jean. Definitely not a fighter, but a friend of Nick’s.” He turned to Ted. “What do you think?”
“I don’t know any of them.”
“Well, you’ll be best of friends by the time you return.” Angus pulled himself to his feet using the back of the seat in front of him. He worked his way over to his walker.
Ted stared at him. Best of friends...what a very odd thought.