Chapter 36: Diogo

"That's enough," Emery says sharply from her place on the hood of the car. "The city guard have family too, and they know how dangerous the enemy is. They would never allow them to come inside these walls willingly."
Not my guard, but someone else might. Someone like Xavier if he felt he had reason. A catalyst to turn the tide of public opinion even more in his direction. Bring the police into his neighborhood; tighter curfews and document checks, more arrests, harsher sentencing. Clashes between police and slum inhabitants would increase; the rebel force would grow in numbers and strength. People would feel more oppressed and want to organize. My opinion of Xavier goes up. Perhaps he's smarter than I thought.
Before the meeting can degenerate further, Xavier raises his voice above the crowd and gives the people gathered a series of quick, sharp suggestions on how to protect themselves from possible invasion from either the Primitives or the city police. Most of his advice is solid, things I would also suggest in case of emergency.
Xavier is an interesting man. He has faults, but they almost make him a better leader. He doesn't seem to prize comfort or connection, the two things that can make a person weak. Comfort makes people lazy, while connectivity and relationships slow them down, make them more vulnerable to attack. It's the human condition to seek each other out, find common goals and bond. Even I'm not immune to such things. Taran has become my Achilles heel, as proven by my presence at this rebel meeting, an event that could easily end with my death if I'm noticed. The people below are not my loyal followers, but my harshest critics.
The one thing Xavier isn't is charismatic. I'd always assumed he must have some way of speaking to people and crowds to get them to listen but he's abrasive, abrupt and rude. His followers only listen because he makes sense. But they don't love him. He lacks the passion and fire of history's greatest rebel leaders.
It's almost too bad Xavier is my enemy. If he's any good in combat he'd make a great asset to my team. His cold-blooded, analytical approach to the rebellion is exactly what I look for in my soldiers. The ability to make harsh decisions and carry them out.
He wraps up the meeting. "We're done here. Leave the building in small groups so you don't attract attention. Make sure you're home before curfew. And next time, only the essential people need to come out to a meeting. If you have nothing of value to contribute, then stay home. Risking the rebellion isn't an option."
An annoyed murmur rises up as people shuffle around and head for the exit. I'm amused by Xavier's brusque manner. Much like myself, he's no good with people and he doesn't seem wholly comfortable addressing a room. I wonder if it was his thirst for power that led him to this role or if his ability to plan accidentally elevated him. It doesn't matter. Soon he'll be arrested.
I wait.
He waits.
Each aware of the enemy close by.
I'd managed to get five of his followers to give up the location of this meeting. It seems too much to ask that they all hold their tongues rather than running straight back to their intrepid leader with the information that Commander Diogo Fuentes knows. It's a brave move, continuing with the meeting, despite knowing I could have the building surrounded with my men. Destroy the entire rebel faction in one swipe.
"I know you're here," Xavier snarls, his voice echoing in the shadows.
The assembled crowd has gone and only the two of us are left. I climb up on top of the concrete barrier and drop down onto the car he'd been standing on earlier. I land in a crouch and then straighten, staring down at Xavier. Xavier reaches for his gun, startled at my move. Then drops his hand, his expression of surprise at my action melting to annoyance. By standing above him, I've chosen the power position. Just like him, I understand the intricacies of war.
"Are you going to arrest me?" he demands.
I laugh grimly. "No, Gunther, I'm only here to talk. This time." I leave the threat hanging between us.
"You won't get another chance," he taunts, his hand dropping back to his weapon.
"Don't be stupid," I tell him. "I've always known where and how to find you. How long did it take me to find you this time when I put the pressure on? Less than a week. I could've crushed this ridiculously small rebellion at any time."
He frowns, his mind trying to work out my motives. "Then why didn't you arrest me when I started becoming a thorn in your side?"
Again, I laugh at his small thinking. This is why Xavier will never become leader of this Sanctuary or any other. He might have the skills, but his ability to think into the future and use all of his resources to their full extent is abysmal. "You were never a thorn in my side, Xavier. The Desert Wren was a thorn, and I've neutralized her. You were only ever a means to an end. I needed you to stir up the rebels, to keep them occupied and focus attention on relatively minor issues."
"Minor issues!" he snarls back at me, stalking around the front of the car, pacing in agitation. "Food shortages, unclean water and lack of space is all minor to you?"
"In the face of real problems, yes, these issues are minor. Despite the shortages, there is still food, which means there is still survival. Unless the city takes in more people than it can handle. Which is why I was forced to take out your people smuggler."
"We'll find another one," he snaps.
"Not one so effective. You must admit, she was very good. The way she can climb and her earnest belief in doing good. She's really a treasure." I'm being heavy-handed, complimenting his former wife. But I need to see what kind of feelings he still has for her.
Instead of discussing Taran though, he turns the conversation back to the rebellion. "In what way are you using the rebels to your advantage, Fuentes? We've caused nothing but headaches for you and your people."
"You think too small, Gunther. The rebellion gives the poorer factions within this Sanctuary something to hold onto, something to focus on besides human misery. If they realized how truly hopeless the future is, then they'd give up. They would stop working, stop hunting, stop fucking. They'd stop living. And the human race needs every survivor it can get."
"Why are you telling me this?" he demands.
"Because before tonight I believed you were the one to unify their hopes. Someone to band around and generate ideas. Instead, I've discovered a leader that can do little more than muddle through the emotions of his followers rather than sway their common opinion towards projects. I'm disappointed. I'd hoped for a real enemy."
He tosses a frustrated hand in the air. "You don't know me, Fuentes. You don't know what I'm capable of."
I jump off the car, landing in front of him. He reaches for his sidearm, but I grab him by the neck before he can pull it and I twist, slamming him against the car. "I know you're capable of seeking out my woman, my wife, and frightening her. Do you think I didn't see the haunted look in her eyes when I found her, crouched in that alleyway on the Day of the Dead?"
I see the satisfied look in his eyes before he gets smart enough to drop them and mask his expression.
I squeeze my fingers tighter until he makes a choking sound. Still he doesn't bring his hands up. I would win a fair fight with him, no contest. He knows it, I know it. He won't challenge me unless he has a chance of winning.
"You will stay away from my wife." I stare into his eyes, showing him the pitiless death that constantly resides within me. "If you touch her again, if you even look at her, I'll make your death last for weeks. It will be the greatest public spectacle this city's ever seen."
He stares back at me, the defiance in his face melting into realization. "You love her," he croaks out.
I drag him forward and slam him against the car with all my strength. He groans in agony as the back of his ribs crack under the pressure. I lean in close to him. "Yes, I love my wife. Which makes me more dangerous than you can imagine. You need to understand the lengths I will go to in order to protect her. You need to agree to stay away from Taran."
"You're going to kill me anyway," he rasps, trying to keep the fear from his face. "Why should I promise you anything?"
"Yes, I'll kill you. But not yet. I'll give you months, maybe even years if you back away from my woman and stay in your sector. Be a good little rebel and do your job. Stray into my territory again and I'll take great pleasure in gutting you and playing with your intestines."
His eyes flick past me and a spark of hope ignites within them.
I growl, "If even a part of you values life, yours or theirs, you'll tell them to stand down. I have men surrounding this building. If I don't come out alive, then every person who was here tonight will be hunted and executed."
He searches me, looking for the truth. I don't bother to convince him. I always speak the truth. He can learn the hard way if he chooses. I've been prepared for death from the age of four, since I first came to understand who my father was. And though I'd like to spend more time on this Earth with Taran, I understand that death will someday claim me. Maybe that day is today. A rifle is pressed to the back of my head and the fetid odour of an unwashed body invades my nostrils.
"Stand down!" Xavier chokes out.
The rifle drops away and when I glance over my shoulder I see men, maybe three of them, melting back into the shadows. It's smart of Xavier to have a private guard. He's made enemies as he's climbed the ladder of the rebellion, both within his own sector and outside of it.
"Now, tell me you'll stay away from Taran," I demand. "And we can all go home tonight."
"Fine," he snaps. "I'll stay the fuck away from her. You're welcome to her, she was a shit poor wife anyway. She couldn't cook to save her life and she fucked half the rebellion. Good riddance."
Rage washes over me and before I even realize what I'm doing, Xavier is on the ground at my feet, his neck crushed in my hand. He claws for life as I choke it from his body, his gloved hands scrambling against my forearm. I drag him up and hold him off the floor, his feet dangling and his eyes bulging.
"I will kill you, Xavier Gunther. This is a promise." I throw him away from me and turn as he crumples against the shell of the car.
I stride from the building, signaling to my men on the outside to disperse.