May 20, 2032
"I win!" said Sidra as she placed her last card on the pile of cards in front of them. It was a day before the long-awaited (and long-dreaded) standoff. Michael, Elena and Sidra sat down on the ground of the cell room playing cards. Bright sunlight shone through the window that illuminated the whole room. Two guards stood at the front of the door keeping watch over them.
Sidra had had some pretty wicked days which had involved bouts of uncontrollable bawling and insomniac silences. But recently, she had started to ease out of her pain and even smiled at times. Michael and Elena had done their best to help her and it seemed to be working. She was even smiling now after she had won the game. Elena collected the cards and shuffled them observing Sidra closely. She's a strong kid.
Elena was also starting to heal from the events. She was helping Doctor Zhirkov in his ward and she was grateful for the escape it provided. She would be lying if she wasn't enjoying the fact that her hands were busy in aiding those he needed help. A lot of the patients, prisoners and jailors both, had been doubtful with her presence after what she had done to those who had assaulted her. Michael's arrival however, had thwarted any sort of action being taken against her but she could still feel the dirty looks she got from them. She would stare back when they did so and felt good when they looked away. She had a reputation and she needed to keep it in order to survive.
Elena had just started to distribute the cards when she noticed the deep thoughtful expression on her face.
"What's the matter, Sidra?" Elena asked. "Tell me what you're thinking about."
"My mother used to say that good people go to heaven," said Sidra pointing to the sky. "I'm just wondering if she's up there."
Michael and Elena shared sympathetic glances. Elena moved closer and hugged her against her shoulder. "I'm sure she is, Sidra. Your mother was a good woman."
"But I want to be sure," she said turning to Michael. "I saw you come from above with the lightning. You must've come from heaven. Did you see my mom?"
Michael's mouth stood agape as he wondered what to say. Elena discreetly nodded towards so Michael played along. "Yes, I was there for a little time… but I saw her."
"Really?"
"Yes… she said she missed you dearly. She told me to tell you to be good so that you could join her there someday. So, you better be good and you better stay strong."
Sidra smiled. "I will."
Just then, there was a knock on the door and the bodyguards moved aside to let the man in. "The boss wants to see you."
Of course, he does.
Michael bid his friends goodbye and walked out the door. Elena gave him a good luck as he exited and Michael made his way to the respawner's office.
Billy and his subordinates were crowded around a map and were busy in discussion when Michael arrived. Billy looked up and a grin crossed his face.
"Well, well, well, here comes the star of the show," he said wrapping his arm gruffly around Michael's shoulder and leading him to the table. "How ya doin' buddy?"
"I've been better."
"You don't look so happy. C'mon, tomorrow's a great day. A day of victory for both of us, for the people of the West. You get to go home scot-free with all of your friends."
"You seem to put a lot of trust in me," said Michael. He was feeling very anxious with all the eyes in the room digging into him. He could feel the weight of expectation on his shoulders.
"Of course, we do. See, I know you've been a little rough around the edges," said Billy sinking into his chair and taking a big gulp from a glass of rum. "But you've done pretty all right for yourself. You've proven that you can do what it takes and as long as you fill your part of the bargain, we're all set."
The meeting did not last very long thereafter as they explained to Michael the plan in detail. He was going all in on this plan. It was very simple although Michael was impressed by the preparations that Billy had made. It involved pretty much Billy's whole army and explosives.
The plan involved his army hiding behind various mountains and canyons (strategically circled on the map) and them attacking the other respawners' and their armies head on. Billy was sure that they would not have all their numbers present at the standoff and the fact that they would be off-guard would play into their hands. There were also going to explosives
among the opposition crowds to create disarray among them. Billy didn't seem to care about the huge number casualties that were sure to occur.
The respawner did not hide his love for explosives. What Michael did not know was that before the truce between the four Western respawners, things had been pretty chaotic here. Billy the Kid was infamous for raiding the trains (even before becoming a respawner) that ran through the Freelands and would often use dynamites for this purpose. He had also used explosives when fighting with the other respawners. It had been a while since he had had that fun because of the truce and the fact that the trains stopped running through. These explosions were going to be like the fireworks that would announce his domination of the West.
As Michael had predicted, he was the one who was going to be tasked with the task of eliminating the other respawners as the disarray occurred. He was not going to use a gun because, as one of the men present pointed out, it wasn't yet established whether Michael could kill the respawner from a distance.
There were some points raised about the fact that Michael had only eliminated one respawner. It was entirely possible that Michael wasn't the cause of their deaths at all. One of them even pointed out how another respawner in Ireland was killed.
But Billy waved aside all those suggestions. If the Nazis were after Michael, then there was something special about this kid.
"Well, kid, that's the plan," said Billy getting up and patting Michael on the back. He led him out the room with a huge grin on his face. "Now have a good day and have a good night's sleep. Tomorrow's the day. I'm counting on you."
Billy had said that last line with a certain edge which made Michael uncomfortable. He basically meant: Don't fuck this up.