“Did you find out more about where exactly they keep the Seer, Caya Lindemay?” the tall woman the participants in the meeting referred to as Number One asked.
“In luxury.” A baldheaded man, Number Five, spat the words. “At the presidential level on cube one. All her meals are carried to her from a caterer on cube six.”
“Luxury? A prison is still a prison,” a woman, Number Eleven, stated dryly.
“In protective custody,” the bald man said and flicked his chubby hand in the air. “The president is quite taken with her, or so the rumors have it.”
“What do you mean, taken with her? A young woman with flaming red hair and freckled skin looked wide-eyed at the other twenty-one men and women around the table.
“Number Twenty,” Number One said to her reproachfully. “We’ve known for months now about the two changers that snuck aboard Pathfinder. One is the woman we’re talking about, Caya Lindemay, who is in protective custody. The other is her older sister, Briar, who is not incarcerated for some unfathomable reason and is working at the hospital on cube eleven.”
“That’s not the whole truth about Briar Lindemay,” another woman, Number Eight, said. “She’s also known as Red Angel. This is why we haven’t approached her. Everyone aboard reveres and loves her for her empathic abilities. Untouchable.”
“What about the Seer? The one in custody?” Number Twenty asked. “Can she be obtained?”
Number Two snorted. “Not likely. She has President Tylio’s ear and sources claim they spend a lot of time together, which Tylio’s schedule lists as ‘counseling.’ This is one of the most dangerous parts of this whole mess. Tylio is perilously influenced by her.”
The people around the table looked suitably dismayed.
The door opened and a woman stepped inside. They all stood immediately and greeted her with reverent nods.
“Sir,” Number One said politely. “We weren’t expecting you.”
The woman, their ultimate leader, referred to only as Grand Superior and the reason they were there in the first place, strode up to the empty chair next to Number One. “Sit. I just met with the president, and I have some disturbing news. Her cabinet of ministers and military advisors is ready to pass and enforce a law that will make it virtually impossible to move around freely aboard Pathfinder without being detected by their new and extensive surveillance. “
“Is she insane?” Number Eleven whispered. “Wasn’t this one of the reasons for leaving Oconodos? To get away from the micromanaged society with surveillance at every intersection?”
The Grand Superior nodded solemnly. “That’s actually one road we can take, among all our planned strategic attacks. We can spread the word and emphasize how Tylio is monitoring her people as if we are all criminals. How it interferes with our right to privacy, our integrity is under siege, that sort of thing. It will infuriate the Oconodian and Gemosian people, especially our young ones.”
“Our network is growing and I have formed four subunits, sleeper cells if you wish, who are ready to do their best for us.” Number One smiled. “Before you give the go-ahead, sir, we need to find a way to hatch a viable plan to free the Seer. Until she’s in our midst, Tylio will have the upper hand.” She pulled up a large floating screen in the center of the oval table. “As our group consists of experts at plotting countermeasures as well as planning attacks, I need you all to work out ways to make this happen.”
“Yes, Number One,” the cell members said in unison.
The Grand Superior smiled thinly. “Good. Excellent.”
Number Two and Number Eleven stood and began outlining their next attack. No doubt, the young changer would envision something about this and report it to Tylio. This was all right, since the closest cells would be there waiting.
Before long, Number One would make sure Tylio’s administration had to accept the new order.