'Stop it.'
'…turning him into our Trevor. Your Trevor. Doing the things for him that your old master made you do. I’ll give you credit, you were right, he does have some of our Emperor in him. You just had to find it. Do you have a list of your old games? Are checking them off one by one? Still, what is it you’re hoping? You know this won’t last forever. I'm surprised he hasn't found out already, just one slip, just someone we haven't talked to first.'
She said, 'We just have to control access and brief those around him. It's worked so far. Nothing to it.'
'Really? Maybe that will work here in Thebes, but what about when he gets out there, looking for survivors? He's convinced he can find more people. Face it, Major, sooner or later he’s going to find out what you’ve done. I don’t think he’s going to like you, or us, then. Maybe you’re hoping he likes playing with you so much that he won’t mind the truth. I wouldn't count on it, Major. A man like that, well, he doesn't like being lied to. Not like this.'
She growled but her words carried no weight. 'I did what I did for our people. We have a chance again. He can give us that chance. You’ve seen what he’s done already.'
Snowe said, 'Oh, he's done some good, that's true, and just getting him here means we're going to receive a little outside assistance. That's enough to make it worth it. But remember, if he turns on us we have to hold up our end of the bargain. He doesn't go home, Major.'
She said, 'You're hoping for that, aren't you? He's done your dirty work and knocked off The Committee. If he turns on us, then maybe you take over now that they're out of the way. You think the people will follow you? They love him for a reason.'
'The people will get used to one person in charge again. Eventually they won’t care who that one person is as long that person keeps them alive. Trevor has made a lot of friends but I still have enough friends, friends who were with me the last time and new friends, out there.'
She grunted and walked for the exit.
Director Snowe offered one last observation for her consideration. She stopped in her tracks as he spoke, but did not turn to face him.
'You know, I never thought your plan was going to work. The way you explained it, capturing the Trevor Stone of the other Earth depended on him racing to the front lines to save his Nina Forest.'
'Yeah, that's right.'
'Major…Nina…if you had disappeared here, our Trevor never would have gone running after you. He would have just found himself a new play thing.'
– Across Thebes that day harsh words were exchanged and guns drawn, but no more violence. Trevor’s disposal of The Committee came so brutal and fast that it shocked any opposition into silence.
With the coming of night, the change in the human city became visible for miles. Trevor turned on the lights and opened the shutters. Spotlights defied the heavens, street lights turned dark thoroughfares into bright boulevards.
Thebes lived again.
22. The Art of War
'Whattaya lookin' at? You're all a bunch of fucking assholes. You know why? 'Cause you don't have the guts to be what you wanna be. You need people like me. You need people like me so you can point your fucking fingers, and say that's the bad guy. So, what dat make you? Good? You're not good; you just know how to hide. Howda lie. Me, I don't have that problem. Me, I always tell the truth-even when I lie. So say goodnight to the bad guy. Come on; the last time you gonna see a bad guy like this, let me tell ya. Come on, make way for the bad guy. There's a bad guy comin' through; you better get outta his way!' — the character of Tony Montana in Scarface
Despite a few grumbles here and there, Trevor Stone controlled Thebes. He spent two weeks consolidating that control, relying on Director Snowe and Nina to spot potential problems before any disgruntled elements could organize opposition.
The weather helped. Eight inches of icy snow fell on the city and surrounding countryside, creating a sense of isolation and making control over power and food distribution an even stronger tool at his disposal. Any attitudes that required adjusting found their heat cut off and meal credits suspended.
As his grip solidified, he considered the big picture; a picture that involved dealing with the Chaktaw in a more permanent fashion and, eventually, turning his attention to the Geryons. Although Major Forest insisted otherwise, Trevor felt certain he could find more survivors out in the wasteland, or perhaps in alien slave pens.
He vowed to find out one way or another and planned a spring offensive, a move that would require training and preparation.
Much to his delight, Director Snowe and Major Forest saw to the details, leaving Trevor free to concentrate on grand plans. In that sense, he found this new throne far more pleasant than the old. Here, Trevor did not concern himself with supplies, logistics, industry, health care, or any god damn Senates. He faced no challenges from wannabe politicians and the people followed his orders as obediently as the K9s of his home world.
In short, he focused completely on the fighting and not fighting with push pins, either; fighting with a gun in his hand amidst the storm of battle. And all with Major Forest…the lovely, accommodating, Major Forest…at his side during the day and during many wonderful nights.
He organized intense training exercises, even blocking off much of downtown for large-scale war games pitting legion against legion, the victors earning extra rations and luxuries. When Snowe expressed concern over diminishing fuel reserves, Trevor assured that with the victories to come they would find and exploit more resources.
The time came for Trevor to share his plan. He gathered his Generals in the Operations Center, utilizing one of the huge monitors to display a map of the surrounding territory.
Nina’s people referenced sectors and grid numbers instead of names; part of what she said had been their Trevor's plan to forget the old. It seemed an awkward and inefficient approach, but since Trevor thought he would not recognize the names from this alternate Earth anyhow, he kept the system in place. Nonetheless, he knew the map they examined that day showed the topography of the area that on his duplicate Earth was 'Pennsylvania'.
He also recognized the Great Lakes to the west, the converging three rivers to the southwest, and the Appalachian Mountains cutting across the center of the region. He knew the vacant old estate was a couple of hours east and that the Chaktaw came from somewhere to the north from what he thought of as New York.
The geography was essentially the same, just not developed in an identical fashion, meaning he could not trust his memories of cities, roads, or other man-made points.
Nina’s people did not talk about the old world. She explained they had gone to great lengths to erase many of the reminders. Again, she said the 'old' Trevor had introduced this concept to which the new one responded, 'Who am I to argue with myself?'
Again, he thought such an approach awkward and inefficient for them, but for himself it made no difference since learning the names her people gave to cities and places might actually confuse him more than generic numbers and sector designations.
In any case, he told a technician to, 'zero in on grid reference W-F Five,' an area some twenty miles southwest of Thebes.
'What do you see?' Trevor asked his assembled officers and confidants.
General Goss-a white haired pot-bellied man who grunted a lot-answered, 'I see steep hills and forest.'
'Look closer.'
Snowe said, 'According to recon, there’s a Windigo living in that area.'
Trevor did a mental translation. 'That’s what my people call a Goat-Walker.'
'That’s not what you’re looking for, is it?' General Gronard asked.
'No. I look at that hillside and you know what I see? I see oil. Plenty of it. Enough to take care of our fuel problems for a while.'
Goss scoffed, 'Bah! How do you see oil there?'
'Because on my Earth that area was the site of the world’s first commercial oil well. So if all you have here is mountain and forests that means…'
