The conference room had a slab of carefully crafted redwood oak, chairs made by the people pushed in around the oval shaped table. Of course Lou was at the head of the table. Connor and Drew faced the man as he spoke, the only other two at the table who would be joining Lou on this mission. Lou insisted they had to go over fine details and brief those who would be in charge in his leave on what to do in his absence. Of course they knew what to do, they had done it before, however Lou's picky nature made him fret over details.
The clothes they had were worn, old and from styles that went out years ago. But beggars could not be choosers, the clothes they had were what they could salvage when raiding abandoned homes or stores. Lou normally had the standard cargo pants, belted in place and a tee shirt or tank that hugged across his broad chest and tucked into the waist band of his pants. His boots, laced up, thudded as he paced - scratching the scruff across his lower half of his face. Tonight he would shave the scruff and what little hair he had grown out off before going to sleep, where as Drew sported his five o'clock shadow with no intention of cutting it off. His tousled dark locks fell messily over the tips of his ears, and while his father turned to face him, Drew habitually picked at his hair. It was an insecure twitch, whenever he felt on the spot light Drew couldn't stop the compulsion.
Lou's baritone voice continued on, "Conner, Drew...you have to understand how important your role is. The report is that there's an electric fence around the area - three buildings. One is a mess hall, the other an office, and the third one is the supposed entry point into the bunker. This will possibly be one of the most tragic missions we will execute. I'm not going to lie to you, it's very likely some of our men will be killed, but it won't be long until we join them.
"Conner, your team is pure stealth. My team will hijack a truck down the road, and load your team in. Once you are in the gated area, your primary purpose is to get down the electrical grid. Remember stealth is key, anyone who may compromise the mission is dead where they stand.
"Once the grid is down, their back up generator will most likely shut on, but most of their security defenses will be down. This is when Drew and I bring our troops in, Drew you will come from the left, I will bring us in through the south. At that point the objective is to get underground. Andrea will know what's going on at that point, it won't be long until he find her. Help who we can but remember saving Luci and Andrea is the primary objective. Kill all opposition."
It seemed simple enough, but sadly there was plenty opportunity for things to go wrong. If Lou was right there would be three levels of clearance, but hold the gun to the right one and he might be able to bully his way into the bunkers. The only thing the People had on their side was numbers and the element of surprise. The men they would fight, although equal in size, had weaponry that were a vast advancement from the guns the Rebels used. If they moved quick enough it could work, but there would be way too many of the rebels for all of them to be detained as well, surely.
Drew chuckled, drinking from his cup of water that had been mixed with berries and mint that were mashed together to make a concoction. "Dad, no offense but Conner and me have poured hours upon hours on going over this plan. Trust us, we got this!" The once stylish sweater he wore was a dreaded gray color, but a orange patch over the right elbow took away from its drab colored. Drew stood to his full stature of 6'3, stretching his toned limbs and making noises of satisfaction, "Come on, lighten up- the festival is tonight, we have the entire journey to go over tactics. Tonight, lets live!" With much gusto, Drew embraced his father so that they danced for a moment before Drew spun out, hopping just out of his fathers reach as he playfully struck at his son.
The tension in the room lessened as people began to pack up, Drew took it as a cue to leave before his father could see anything else. "Conner, wingman tonight?" He joked on his way out, Drew was anything but smooth with ladies, Conner was much better than himself. With most rebel girls though, they all wanted to settle down and start a family. There were a few, like Andrea, who couldn't even fathom bringing a innocent soul into such a horrid world, or a mourning widow was frequent enough. But tonight was when people would let their wild side out, there was no telling what would happen at the festivals the Rebels would hold. Hundreds of people would dance and laugh and drink, new faces be introduced and new friendships made. Within Utopia the people were constantly changing, although the entire underground city within the mountains was considered Utopia, the head quarters was within the largest mountain with the waterfall shielding the entrance. This is the mountain that Festivals were always held at.
Excited for what the night had to hold, Drew decided to stop at his room to get a change of clothes. Surely Lou would stop back at the Hanover household after the meeting. Andie, Drew and Lou all lived within the same "home" - three bedrooms chiseled around a living room and a dining room. But Lou normally avoided going home now, it felt empty with Andie being gone.
From his pocket, Lou withdrew a beaten brown Leather wallet. It was a relic from the world he used to live in, now used as a time capsule of sorts. He pulled out a picture of Andie posing for her softball team back in 2012, her hair braided into pigtails. She was little more than skin and bones then, now developing into a fine young woman. From time to time Lou had to remind himself
not to kill his own men who gawked after her.
Glancing back to Conner, who had remained at the table, Lou showed his comrade the picture. "She'd kill me if she knew I showed you this, but she is just too damn precious...even with braces." Although his tone showed humor, there was evidence of compassion and care for his daughter. Shaking his head and burying his face into his hands, Lou groaned a plea of guilt. "This is all my fault." He said to no one in particular, unable to look at the picture of his girl again.
Drew didn't have any pictures of Andrea, so instead he just visited her room. Much like himself she had a hammock for a bed, and although to some that may have sounded uncomfortable, the hammock could easily hold three of four people, and with the tempurpedic pad Andrea had been lucky enough to salvage and colorful pillows complimenting the beige comforter made the hammock more inviting than any bed Drew had ever seen. Notebooks filled with her lyrics and poetry were stacked onto one of the shelves, along with books she had read. The whole room was a reflection of who she was, and damnit Drew missed her. She was his twin after all.
After washing up using the bin of water, Drew changed into straight leg khakis and a racerback white tank that both flattered his trim figure and defined muscles. Completely oblivious to his own good looks, Drew felt as if the stares the women gave him as he walked to the festival was because something was wrong. Perhaps he had something on his shirt, or face, and as he walked Drew checked himself, seeming a bit like a bumbling fool. It wasn't until he could smell the food that his stomach growled. "Damn," he murmured to himself, following the smell. It seemed other men had done the same, letting their stomachs lead the way. One enthused expression stood out from the others. "Bojangles! What up, brother?" The man was brilliant, although strange. But the brightest minds normally were. Some people didn't talk to Bojangles because of his strange out bursts or inappropriate behavior, but Drew found the man fascinating and hilarious. "I saw the new solar panels, dope. Wind power is the next innovation, Bo-boy."