Judaean | The Darkest Minds Fanfic

Chapter 6

It's time.

　　I had half the heart to let Ruby come instead of me, but at the same time, can't let her. Frankly, I can make up a hundred reasons why I thought I'd be the better person for the job, but in truth... I just couldn't bear it if he told her about what happened. No matter. Ruby has bigger fish to fry anyway.

　　So after grabbing two plates of mac and cheese, I headed for the dungeon.

　　He's done reading The Prince apparently, and now moved on to a book called The Castle—if I don't know that the second book is by Kafka, I'd say that he is going through a whole Disney princess fairytale phase.

　　"How are you?" He put the book down as soon as I walked in.

　　I gave him a shrug, slid his food into the slot, and sat down with mine.

　　He let out a shallow smile, and sat down with his food, too. "Very well." He said, "What do you want to talk about today?"

　　"Sawtooth." I said.

　　"What about Sawtooth?" He prompted. "You know everything there is to know about it already."

　　"Really?" I asked, "That's it?"

　　"Everything I know, anyway." He said, "which is, regrettably, not a lot."

　　"Hmm." I mused. So there really isn't much more I could prepare for. If there needs to be more information, I'll have to find them myself.

　　"Let me ask you this," he leaned forward a little and said, "What is your end game?"

　　"My end game?" I began, "Well, find the cure, free the camps, get a life."

　　He chuckled. "No, I mean, in details. What's your plan after you freed the rest of the camps? What's your plan with the cure? What about the government? I know you've thought about it."

　　I have. When there is enough strength in me left after a long day, I allow myself to think about that far into the future—about what kind of world, what kind of country I imagine myself to live in after all this is over.

　　But in a sense... I didn't want to talk about that, not just yet. I want to hold that thought to myself, for myself, for just a little longer, before I have to share it with people and allow them to change my mind.

　　"I guess, after we free enough of the camps, there will be confrontations with the army." So I said instead, starting small, "which, I would very much like to avoid, but I'm sure it will happen, so it would probably be a good idea to make those Red camps the first few that we try and free."

　　"And that will either give you the chance to weaken my father's power, or get yourself killed." He analyzed, "I think your best bet is to go straight to my father after you freed any one of the larger camps and gathered enough fighting force."

　　"We can't force the kids to fight." I said.

　　"You won't have to." He replied, "after the kind of treatments they had in the camp, they'd jump on the opportunity. These are not going to be the little kids you saved from Tehachapi, or the kids you kept in the Children's League, or even those from East River you collected tribe by tribe. They are going to be fresh out of a camp, and they will be angry."

　　Be that as it may, how many of them are old enough to fight? I wanted to ask, but didn't. "Where do you propose we find your father?"

　　He shrugged, "don't know. My guess is in one of his underground bunkers, but that answer is as helpful as this plastic fork," he wrinkled his nose at the piece of flatware in his hand, and continued. "I suggest you lure him out with information, or force his hand so he must address the situation, and catch him there."