“Where do we get these gizmos?”
“Right now, online. But I have a couple of extras I’m leaving with Ross and Ellen. They can use them to keep in contact with me.”
Alan said, “So we need to get these into the hands of resistance cells?”
“For many, you won’t have to. The government will need to maintain its propaganda network, like a government news channel. That requires electricity for television and radios, so most of the resistance groups will have power. For those that don’t, this will work.”
Jerry said, “Okay, but how do we fit into this? You tell some resistance group of a vulnerability. They attack. A bunch of Peaks are killed. What’ll we be doing?”
“I guess I didn’t make myself clear. I won’t be in contact with the resistance groups. That will be your job. You will be a clearing house for attacks. The coordinators. You’ll assess vulnerabilities, evaluate how effective the various resistance groups are, pick the most promising ones, and relay information to the groups themselves. That’s a lot of work. It’s more than I can handle, and it’s more than I should know. After all, I could be captured, even tortured. The less I know about the location or the members of any resistance group, the better.”
“So we’ll need a body to coordinate these coordinators. Who will be on it?”
“That’s up to you. This is your show, not mine. My sole responsibility is to funnel information to Ross and Ellen. What you do with it or how you handle it is up to you.”
Alan said, “Okay, we’ll be providing sanctuary to subversives and coordinating attacks. I guess I could sign on to that.”
Candale said, “There’s one more thing we need to do to support the resistance and undermine the Peaks. Let me ask you, what do you think they will do when they’ve been hit?”
“They’ll hit back.”
“Who would they hit? Any decent resistance group will be clandestine. The Peaks wouldn’t know who they were. If they did, they’d have wiped them out before they could carry out any attack.”
“So who do you think they’ll hit?”
“Our guess is innocent citizens. That’s been the way of most oppressive forces throughout history. Now how do you think the public would react to this retaliation?”
“It depends on whether people blame the Peaks or the resistance.”
“Right. From our point of view, which is preferable?”
Alan snorted. “That they blame the Peaks, of course.”
“And how do we ensure that happens?”
Jerry said, “I think I get it. Propaganda.”
Candale smiled. “You did get it. That’s going to be key. Convincing the public to blame the Peaks and not the resistance. If they turn against us, we won’t stand a chance. We need them to support us or at least turn a blind eye to what we’re doing.”
Jerry nodded. “We’ll need to set up a system to prepare communiques and figure out how to get them to the resistance and how to make sure they become public. Maybe even set up pirate broadcasting stations. I used to work in PR. I figure I can handle that.”
Sangster had been quiet up to now, her face reflecting the anger that persisted. She took a deep breath. “Don’t tell me we’re reaching agreement?”
Jerry said, “Ellen, I’m on board here. I always have been. So has Alan. Yeah, we’ve argued, but that’s because we both care so much about what happens. And I have to hand it to what’s-his-name. He’s come up with an approach I think we can both work with.”
Alan said, “Yeah, I agree.” He looked at Jerry. “I think I can convince my people to go along with this. You?”
Jerry nodded. “It’s not ideal, and there are a lot of unknowns, but I suspect they’ll be eager to help.”
Sangster said, “So we can get together tonight and vote on this?”
Jerry and Alan nodded. Jerry said, “There’s a lot to discuss. Let’s get going.”
Sangster said, “Before you go, there is one more thing we need to set up and where we will need a lot of help. It has nothing to do with supporting the resistance, it’s preparing for the day they succeed. At some point, there will be a revolution in this country that will overthrow the government and destroy the Peaks. But with every revolution, there’s the possibility that whatever replaces a tyranny will be worse. Our fourth, and I suggest our biggest, job is to get ready for that day.”
“How?”
“In business terms, we need a transition plan. Once we overthrow the government, what do we replace it with? Who leads it? How do we move from just another dictatorship back to a democracy? How do we restore our economy? Most important, how do we develop institutions that will prevent the country from falling into this situation again?”
Candale said, “That last one is crucial. We need to develop a constitution and judicial and legislative structures. Ones that will protect all Canadians against a government that loses its way or is hijacked by radicals.”
Alan and Jerry nodded. “A big job.”
40
THE FINAL COORDINATOR
Todd Baxter keyed in a text, pressed send, and showed it to Alice. “That’s how I do it.”
She looked up from the display on his phone. “There will be four attacks?”
“Yes. Tomorrow.”
“Casualties?”
“My prediction? At least twenty dead.”
“Well, that’s a start, but it’s a long way from decisive.”
“I know, but the resistance is more like a water torture than a flood. Our goal is to demoralize the Peaks. To make them afraid of everyone they meet.”
“I get it. But if I had my way, I’d choose the nuclear option. Wipe out all the bastards at once. Like they did to my family.”
“Believe me, if that were possible, I’d be right beside you. But for now, we’re stuck with the slow drip technique.” He paused. “This is the end of your training. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. Now I’m guessing I have to go to work.”
“Right. You understand our procedures and you have access to the data from my systems. You also have contact information for the people coordinating the Atlantic region, so the region is now yours. You’ll be responsible for gathering intelligence and sending notifications to the coordinators.”
She studied him. “I wish I had met you in another life. Hell, I wish I knew your name. All I can say is thank you. To have the opportunity to be such an important part of the resistance is an honour. I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t. Now unless there are unusual circumstances, we won’t be in contact with one another again unless either of us triggers the code I taught you.” He touched her arm. “Stay well.”
“And you.” She kissed his cheek and left the room.
Baxter sat, emptiness suffusing him. Alice was the last of the regional directors he’d trained. William and Terry were already in place. He needed to recruit them because he couldn’t do this job alone. Staying on top of the torrent of information his systems were generating was getting to be too much for him.
But that was the minor part of his problem. More critical was that he was the driver of the resistance. Everything radiated from him. If the NPF discovered him and what he was doing, the resistance would fragment, its head severed. Having sole responsibility for the resistance in one person’s hands was not a structure that could lead to success. Now, he had finished setting up the operations he hoped would persist until the downfall of the government. But he was unable to relax, his well-earned satisfaction conflicting with fear and the ache of loss.