Flashf0rward

Chapter 35: Preparations

Ivy

The mood around Sanctuary was slowly growing more and more dim. People had clearly taken Matthias' ultimatum to heart, and were now growing more and more nervous about what might happen. Thankfully, they weren't growing to Hightower levels of problematic, but a large group of people had gathered outside of the town hall, anxiously awaiting Wren's word.

We, on the other hand, were inside, standing around the conference table, none of us bothering to break the silence. Knowing that we had to decide sooner or later was bad enough, but the fact that we were on a time limit now made things worse. Eventually, Connor spoke up. "Well, if no one else is gonna say it, I will. We need to prepare for war."

Everyone looked up and turned to him. Wren sighed and shook his head. "Connor, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but-" Connor stepped forwards. "What happened to the speech from last night, huh? About not backing down anymore, protecting people?" Wren raised his hand. "You didn't let me finish. I don't disagree with you, but we can't just go rushing into this."

I put a hand on Connor's shoulder. "Wren's right. Most of these people have never fought in combat before. Even with all of the metahumans we can muster, we'd still be underhanded." Sparrow shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe a few of the normal people would want to help as well." Katrina turned to her. "We can't take that risk. More people could get hurt."

Suddenly, the door opened, and we all turned to look. Standing in the doorway, slightly swaying on a single crutch, was Jude. He had a dire look on his face. "My guys can handle it. And if we need to train them, we will." A huge smile came over my face, and I rushed over to hug him tightly, noticing the bandages on his ribs and stomach. "I'm so glad you're ok." I said, and he smiled and hugged me back. "Thanks, Ivy."

That brightened everyone's spirits, and Wren came over and patted Jude on his shoulder. "Good to have you back. You sure you'll be alright?" Jude nodded. "I've taken worse hits back before the world went to hell. Believe me, this is nothing." His face turned serious again. "But that's not one of the only reasons I came here."

I frowned. "What do you mean?" Jude hobbled over to one of the chairs and sat down in it. He pulled out the map of the valley, and looked at the part that had been recently added that represented Matthias' camp. "It's much bigger than we thought. From what I could see, I counted at least, 100-150 men, all looking like they have military experience. No civvies of any kind. They all are armed to the teeth."

He drew a large circle around Matthias' base. "The wall is made of brick, and extends around the entire perimeter, as well as those spikes that they have in the ground. They'll make it difficult for the horses to get in close." He placed two dots near the front gate. "And they recently just finished building two sniper towers for long range. We have to assume we're within shooting distance."

Everyone had fallen silent. Katrina spoke up. "Does that mean that they could start killing us at any time?" Jude nodded solemnly. "Most likely, although he doesn't want to give that away just yet. Never let your enemy know you have the advantage until it's too late." He looked around at us. "Whoever this Matthias guy is, he's a strategic genius. He's going to come at us swiftly and methodically."

Wren was looking down at the map, considering something. Then, he motioned to Jude. "Pass me the marker." Taking it, Wren began to circle the space between the camp and Sanctuary. "This is largely just a single open area, save for the hill. Matthias would expect us to attack from there, and that's likely where he'll make his frontal assault." He paused. "But what if we do something different?"

He traced a line from Sanctuary all the way to the forest that we used for hunting. "What if we send a secondary party through there, then use the cover of the forest to flank them and attack Matthias' troops on two fronts?" Jude's eyebrows raised. "A two-pronged attack...that could work. It'd need to be a small troop in order to stay out of sight." I spoke up. "I can do it. I know those woods the best."

Wren looked at me and nodded. "Right. You pick who you want. I trust you." I smiled at that. Sparrow spoke up. "I can lead the guards in the preliminary charge, take most of our forces and lead a brute force assault." Wren turned to her. "What about weapons? Our munitions have been running dry slowly, and we don't have enough guns to arm everyone in the village."

Sparrow nodded. "I know. But I've been thinking. What if we don't need just guns? I made something for Ivy a while back, and it can be mass-produced fast and easy, especially if I'm doing it." Wren frowned. "What do you mean?" My eyes widened, knowing what Sparrow was talking about. "My bow and arrows!"

She smiled. "Bingo. I made one, should be easy to make more. And with my work ethic, I can make enough to supply the whole village by nightfall." Wren pointed to her. "Get started. Do as much as you can before we need you." Nodding, Sparrow sped off, making some papers fly off the table with her speed.

Wren turned to Jude. "You said you can train some people?" He sighed. "It would be more guerrilla tactics, but right now, it's the best I can do." Wren nodded. "Get as many people and volunteers as you can, and start training them as soon as possible. We're gonna need all the help we can get."

Katrina spoke. "What about all the other people? The ones who can't fight?" Wren looked around the room. "We can hide them in here. Not many people know about it, and we can barricade it from the outside. It should hold them, at least for a while until we can think of something else." Connor spoke up. "And if it doesn't?" There was a pause, then Wren answered. "It will."

Placing his hands on the table, Wren looked down. "I know this seems like a dire situation, but I promise that I will do everything I can to fight for everyone in this village. Including all of you." Katrina placed her hand on top of his. "We don't doubt that for a second." I nodded. "We're all with you." Wren looked at us. "Ok...we can do this. Go do what you need to do, and meet me back here at sunset. Good luck...to all of you."

With that, Wren got up and walked to the door, ready to tell everyone outside the plan. I could see the expression on his face. He seemed much older, mature, a different person from the brother I'd once known him as. He was what he'd always hoped he would be. A leader, a beacon of hope. A hero.