touchedgod
in
damned
DAY 59: CAFETERIA
Billy surfaced into wakefulness. Sleep receded like an inky tide, and it didn't say anything to him before it was gone. His dreams had been nothing but the sensation of water, rocking him restlessly in his bottle. There seemed to be an ocean beyond his confines, but he couldn't see it and couldn't reach it. He pawed at the glass, but any progress
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"You caught that too? I've been trying to find them, but I haven't had any luck." Just seeing a soldier talking to patients -- really talking, not just barking orders -- should stick out, but whoever it was had managed to keep it quiet.
"Unless they're trying to infiltrate us." That was a worry, too, though not as much of one as some might think. The patients had very few ways to keep things from the staff; the fact that they wanted to put together an assault and escape couldn't be a secret. The right tactics had to account for that; allow that everything they did would be predictable, but would succeed anyway. "I think one of the best things we can do is make them underestimate us. The weaker we look, the more surprised they will be." It meant losing their games once in a while -- maybe another riot wouldn't be a bad idea, if they could make sure that it fell apart quickly.
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On one hand, it meant that the military wasn't too hard to infiltrate if they, the 'patients', had a connection on the inside. But on the other, it also meant yet another link on the chain, right? In his opinion, things were much less complicated if there were less links. Besides, what if this rogue soldier was untrustworthy? That would be problematic, right?
"Anyway, it's the first I've heard of it, really! Interesting! The military's only been in charge for a few days, right? Less than a week! Already, they've got a rat! Sort of an incompetent bunch, right?"
Claire hadn't much trust in the competency of government-run justice groups, anyway. In his opinion, they always seemed to miss all the important points of defending justice and the common people, see? That was why he felt like he needed to step up to the plate himself.
"Oh, that's an interesting thought," Claire commented. "But I doubt they'll succeed. I think our lot have already managed to do our own thing, even while being under military watch."
He was silent for a moment as he thought about Taura's suggestion.
"But wouldn't the better idea be to overwhelm them and show them that there's no way they could even try and control us?" he asked. When a man believed himself to be the god of his world, it really was the only solution, wasn't it? "Besides, if they really do underestimate us, why would they do things like send monsters after us and give us free gifts? It's like a test or a challenge more like, don't you think?"
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"Doesn't mean I'm not going to win, though." She had that in common with Vino -- neither of them wanted to lose, though they might define the words differently. Winning meant as many of them walking out alive as they could manage, over only as many bodies as necessary. The messier this was, the fewer of them would survive, and so many weren't fighters.
The cafeteria went into motion before she could make any more suggestions as to how they might manage it, and it was time to go. "It was nice meeting you," she added, before joining the exodus, and she meant it. It had been a good conversation, and it had taken her mind almost entirely off what had happened last night, for which she was doubly grateful.
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Taura's view on this confused him, but if Claire had cared to understand the difference between their opinions, he might have seen her point more clearly. Perhaps it was because Claire's view of the overcoming of an obstacle was different. Having eliminated the outcome (and thus, fear) of death for himself, what followed in his line of priorities seemed only natural to him. A challenge could have one of two outcomes to Claire -- success or failure. And the point was to succeed, wasn't it? It was nice to do well at whatever tests his world threw at him, right?
Claire might have asked Taura to explain her reasoning to him if she hadn't continued on first. Her next statement was one that Claire completely agreed with. He grinned.
"Well, of course!"
But then, Claire realized that time must have passed more quickly than he'd thought, because the soldiers were already moving to get the patients to the next shift. Oh, already? But the conversation had been so interesting and he would have liked to continue!
Claire managed little more than a tip of an invisible hat to her and a "it was my pleasure, Miss--" he couldn't tell if it should be Miss or Ms. or Mrs., really, but he hadn't seen a ring, "--Taura!" before he no longer could help having to abandon an interesting talk. His soldier was already at his soldier, impatient as always, so Claire sighed and stood up, ready to follow to his next shift. Perhaps he'd find an interesting conversation in the Sun Room.
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