Chapter 28: Onto the Island
“The facility is divided into three wings,” Doc explained. He laid some paper on the console and drew a crude sketch. “The center wing is made up of all the community rooms—work stations, mess hall, sick bay, rec rooms, library, etc.—while the outer two wings house individual quarters and living spaces.
“We’ll be coming up the southeast side of the island. In the northwest corner of the facility, opposite where we are, I’ve found some unique living quarters. There is a large conference room, which has a rectangular table with three chairs on each side.”
“Six people,” Karl put in.
“Precisely. Around this conference room are six individual rooms, each with an individual sleeping in it as we speak.”
“But, Doc,” Maggie said, “how can we be sure these are the Council of Six and not just six others who…control the facility perhaps?”
“We can’t be absolutely sure at this juncture, but we can be reasonably sure. David said this was where the Council resided. Assuming we still believe he was telling the truth, it would be quite a coincidence if this wasn’t them. These six are clearly individuals, and they have extraordinarily powerful minds. I couldn’t tell much more about them than that, as they have their minds guarded behind thick, powerful shields.
“All the other people on the island are connected in some way to the collective mind. Some are completely absorbed in it, others only partially so. I’m sure the degree depends on what function they perform here and what the Council needs them for.
“The point is, if everyone else on the island is part of the collective except these six, then they must be the Council.”
“It’s so hypocritical,” Maggie murmured. “They try to force the entire world into collectivism, yet remain individuals themselves.”
“That’s the thing people don’t understand,” Karl said. “Whether collectivism works or not, there will always be one or a few people at the very top making the decisions, holding the power, controlling everything below them. The question is not which is better, collectivism or individualism. The question is, are you willing to submit completely to another human being and let them live your life for you?’”
Maggie nodded.
“I’d like us to split into three groups. Maggie, Marcus, and Nat will head into the east wing first. There are two other individual, well-protected minds there.”
“If the six you detected in the east wing are the Council, then who are these other two?” Maggie asked.
“I believe one of them may be the Traveler.”
A loud silence spread among them. This was the reason they were here. Of course they wanted to bring down the Council, as that might bring down the collectives, but their immediate problem was the Traveler. With him the collectives could enslave the world throughout history.
“Who’s the other one, the second individual in the east wing?” Marcus asked.
“That I don’t know. It’s probably someone important, someone high up whose role we have not had occasion to discover.”
“I guess we’ll remedy that tonight,” Karl murmured.
“Yes,” Doc said. “As they are shielded too, I cannot discover from this distance which one is which. I can only show you what room they are in. You’ll have to get close to them from there.”
“But,” Maggie said, “how will we know which is which, even when we find them? They’re not likely to volunteer their identities so we’ll know which one to take out.”
Doc smiled. “First of all,” he said, “you may end up having to take out both, so it may be a moot point. Secondly, that is the reason I’m sending Nat with you and Marcus. Nat has some small ability as a Seeker.”
Everyone turned raised eyebrows toward Nat, who remained stoic. Even Karl looked impressed.
“As you know,” Doc went on, “our best Seekers can see across space and time and zero in on a specific neural signature that matches the criteria they are looking for. That’s how we found you, Maggie, in answer to the prophecy. Nat’s talent has nowhere near that scope. He has to be within—what is it, Nat, twenty feet?—in order to be able to sense what talents a person’s neural signature supports. So you’ll have to get close to these two individuals, but once you do Nat will be able to tell who the Traveler is.”
Maggie took a deep breath. “And then what?”
Doc turned a sympathetic smile on her. “As you three will be doing this part of the mission, you’ll have to discuss that between you. I suggest you come up with a plan for several different contingencies you may encounter, but the truth is, until you get there there’s no way to tell what to expect. You’ll probably have to improvise a great deal.”
“That’s one thing no one’s talked about,” Clay piped up.
“What is?” Doc asked.
“If Maggie is the Executioner, how do we know that the rest of us are even capable of killing the Council members? She might have to do it.”
Maggie felt her arms and legs go weak. She understood the importance of the mission, of course. Killing the council members would free thousands of people from enslavement in the collectives. Despite that, she didn’t relish walking into the facility and killing eight people.
“Let’s not jump to any conclusions,” Doc said. “We don’t know that that’s what Maggie’s role entails. The word Executioner could have several connotations. If killing is involved, perhaps it will only be one key person in the highest levels of the collective’s controllers.”
“Yeah, but Doc,” Joan said quietly, “isn’t that what the Council is? Who else could there be controlling them?”
Doc didn’t answer. He looked perplexed.
Marcus leaned down to speak in Maggie’s ear. He spoke quietly, but Maggie knew the rest of the group could hear him. “I’ll do it, if I possibly can, Maggie. I promise.” Then he spoke more loudly. “I think it will take all three of us working together to accomplish it.”
Doc pounced on that. “I agree. If this were entirely up to Maggie, the prophecy would only have been about one person, not an entire team. It’s dangerous to enter any mission with any preconceived notions about how it might or might not go. We’ll all do the best we can, believing we will be successful, and we will be. End of story.”
“End of story?” Karl gave Doc a wide-eyed look. “But you haven’t given the rest of us our assignments yet.”
Doc looked confused. Joan raised one hand robotically and swatted Karl on the back of the head. He ducked his head, chuckling. “Ow.” He gave it a few mock rubs before grinning at Doc.
Maggie smiled, grateful for the break in the tension.
“Karl and I will go into the west wing to deal with the Council, if we can,” Doc continued. “I’m not sure we’ll be able to take all of them out, but even a few is a start and will give us a feel for what we’re up against.”
“What about Joan and I?” Clay asked.
Doc took a deep breath. “I feel strongly that you and Joan should remain outside the facility.”
Both Clay and Joan jumped to their feet, protesting.
“We can do more than one thing at once, Doc.”
“You’re going to need us in there!”
Doc held up his hands for silence. “Please, I know you’re both capable of doing your jobs and multitasking. This is not about talent. It’s about the fact that we are going in blind. Both of you can remain outside and still Protect and Conceal us. I don’t want to belittle anyone’s contribution to the team, but the simple fact is that if something happens to any of the rest of us, the team can go on, escape, and live. If anything happens to one of you, the entire team becomes vulnerable.”
Both Clay and Joan scowled, but they didn’t argue anymore.
“Besides, there’s another thing we should discuss. I expected this facility to house around two hundred people. There are only forty or fifty. In terms of detection, that will work in our favor—fewer people we could run into. On the other hand, if the Council o
nly has fifty people protecting them, those fifty must be immensely powerful and skilled. If we’re discovered, the chances of our escaping will be slim to none.”
He paused to let that sink in.
“That said, I think it’s important to leave one or two of us on the outside in case the rest of us are captured. So you see, you two will be playing a duel role. I want your respective talents to be your only job for the mission. If we get captured, that will change, but I’m hoping it won’t come to that.”
Joan and then Clay nodded reluctantly.
“All right.” Doc indicated the crude blueprint he’d been drawing. “Familiarize yourselves with the layout of the facility. I’ll lead us in across the island. Come up with generalized plans in your groups. Then eat. We’ll leave in an hour.”