"Raymond, could you do something to those Keeper walking around?" Lou, a newbie Timekeeper agreeing to their cause suddenly asks in boredom when a Keeper Machine - a tall spider-like structure marches by the window slowly.
Philippe Weis, who had been mostly silent since his tags along with Raymond, finally spoke up, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.
"It is the starter machine. I would advise delaying the destruction of them until you are actually able to handle later waves of machines. Our enemy happened to appreciate machines more than humans."
Jaeger, one of Raymond's shadows, jumps at the ex-millionaire of time words. "Are you suggesting it will get worse? Do you know in detail how to handle them?"
"I said there are multiple waves. I knew some information from some people who heard it from the returnee of the collapsed colony, not much different from us now. Heard that the strategy was quite similar, it is purging until you only have about 10% of people left. Either through starving their time or brutally killing them. And yeah, real starving - they will stop delivering the food supply for the colony." Philippe repeats the bits of information he gathered throughout the year in his utmost calming voice.
The room fell into a tense silence as they processed Philippe's words. Lou shifted uncomfortably, her initial boredom replaced by a dawning realization of the gravity of the situation. She could not believe that just one suggestion of hers could reveal a truth that big.
"So... in the end, we will likely not be alive?" she asked hesitantly, seeking some reassurance amidst the bleak outlook, but facing mortality, no one could be scared.
Raymond, who had been silent, finally spoke up, they had planned this meeting to ask for support after all. "Philippe's right. We can't rush into this without a clear strategy. These initial machines might be just the tip of the iceberg...."
Then Jaeger snapped angrily, "You two are claiming about how we all gonna die. First, you showed up promising us of a better future, a way out. And now, now you are saying that our enemy cannot be defeated?"
All eyes in the rooms are directed at Philippe. He sighs and responds with a calm yet firm tone. "No. I did not say that they cannot be defeated and all of us will die." He briefly shook his head. "What I mean is that - don't charge into the unknown. The information I have is frankly, not completed, and I know some who have lived this situation before who still live in our colony," He quickly assured the former Timekeepers.
"And of course, it can be defeated. But there would be a lot of work to do. Secure the food safety, getting the information, spreading the information,... they all need a lot of personnel."
Raymond nodded in agreement. "Our fight isn't just against these machines. It's against the system that built them. We need to be smart and strategic. It's a war of attrition, and we have to play the long game, to prolong both our time and to force the hand of our enemy. We would need people to scout and map the Keeper Machine routes, we needed people to sneak in and takeover the farming district..."
"You are the people that I trust my life with." Raymond looked at them. "We have spent countless seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years together protecting the balance out here. We protected each other. We protected the people. So many times we lost,' His voice crackled with emotion "Is this still the same job that we signed up for at the start?"
The room was charged with a solemn energy as Raymond's words resonated with each person present. They were all too aware of the weight of their shared history, the battles they had fought, and the sacrifices they had made.
Jaeger, his anger subsiding into a focused determination, added, "We've always been on the front lines, but now we fight for a different cause, for a future where time isn't a weapon used against us. We've got the skills and the experience. It's about using them for the right reasons now."
"Yes. You knew about the stopping time clock device. That is our greatest knowledge but only part of us can use it." Most of them thinking of the hard burden on their shoulder, of the fact that only part of them could have been released from the clock. "Yeah, only the people without the clock could leave the timezone's force field." Kors, the blond, talk the first time since they started the meeting. "I tried to leave the colony but I could not." He explained himself in a few words.
"And the food supply is out of the colony's border," Philippe added. "We still need people with clocks as walking around with 13-Z would trigger the Keeper. So we need to minimize the numbers until we can mass produce the stopping time clock device. And we need insider information too."
"Like who is currently the leader of the colony?" Raymond half smirking directly at Philippe reveals a soft tease. Philippe has been in that position in secret for so long without much people notice that he only give Raymond bits of a rise. "Ah, for that, sadly, none of the remainders are hardworking and selfless enough to work those long hours, especially in a crisis like this. But if I had to bet, I would say, Michelle, my wife would somewhat take over the power vacuum, yet, Peter Washington would take over the TimeKeeper department."
And the looks from the Timekeepers do confirm Philippe's words. "Well, you guys probably got pulled out from all other timezones to keep New Greenwich safe, consider Peter's character, only San Fernando is packed with all the Timekeepers he can reach. He only care about himself." Philippe sighed.
"How do you know about that?" Levi, another senior Timekeeper asked suspiciously.
With a hint of amusement as his friend caught on, Raymond revealed, "You are looking at the head of the LA Council, Mr. Philippe Weiss."
"But his daughter's case..." Jaeger, again, remembers the pain of being put down by the head of the Timekeeper with just a pat on the shoulder that is barely suitable for the retrieval of the heir of the most important person in this council. Philippe rolls his eyes. "Nothing to be proud of."
"That is a sore spot for Mr Weis," Raymond concludes before redirecting to gaining more information. "And then how about the mood of New Greenwich?"
"Boring, they are busy doing giveaways and home sharing. Your counselor is correct in his assessment. His wife happened to reunion with her daughter and then led the effort to convince people to let the Daytonish in."
"The longer Daytonish overstay their welcome, the more likely they will get kicked out by the rich people." Philippe tiredly said.
Raymond stood up, his expression serious. "We need to stay one step ahead. Philippe, we need to keep a close eye on Michelle's movements and intentions. And we should also monitor the situation in San Fernando. Any changes there could be a signal of their next move."
YOU ARE READING
No Regrets
Fanfiction"Citizens have takes to the street." "And now, citizens are crossing Zones, entering New Greenwich" "Others fear the system might head for collapse." And Philippe, Sylvia's finance magnet father told her: "But, don't fool yourself. In the end, nothi...
