Chapter 121: Stoking a Fire

"How are the boarders with the Skull freaks?" Martinez addressed his lieutenants that were standing around his desk. Though they were gangsters, Martinez liked to have things be more professional and orderly than most. One such thing of order were the weekly meetings with all his lieutenants if they were available to attend. Most of these meetings took place on the topmost floor’s main office of the National Bank.

The National Bank's main office had a such spectacular view that made these mostly mundane meetings tolerable. From the lieutenant's point of view, the vast open desert and towering cliffside landscapes were sprawled out in view from the 180° windows; of which took up all the wall space behind the Mad Dogs Boss. Each window was joined together by an ultra-thin, ultra-strong adhesive. Creating a beautiful, almost seamless, landscape view through the windows all around. This let them look at something other than a blank wall if the meetings had nothing to do with them and zone out for a while.

"Things have gone mostly quiet." Hugo replied. "After their initial incursion, there has been no other follow up attacks. Additionally, their scouts and patrols haven't changed routes or in numbers. It's very odd that they would attack, lose, and then do absolutely nothing."

"Perhaps we should send them a message to tell them not to joke around with us?" Martinez said clasping his hand together in front of his face. He rotated in his tall black seat in thought and continued, "We cannot just let them come in my territory, attack us, then leave as if nothing happened."

"I agree boss." Hugo said giving a nod.

"Let's see. How should we do this?" Martinez murmured aloud for everyone to hear. "It would have to be something that would get those freaks attention. We can't just annex a few blocks, that would be too easy for us. We’re just that good."

Several of the lieutenants chuckled. From past experiences they had mostly remained dominant in their conflicts with the Skull. Not to mention every single other gang that used to exist within The Damn was now extinct thanks to them.

"No, we need to make an explosive show of ourselves and remind them why they made the peace deal in the first place. Because we were going to crush them!" Martinez shouted and pounded his fist into the table. "So, suggestions? Or do I need to do all the thinking?"

"What if we took the entire river harbor from them?" Ernest suggested. "Cut off their supplies and force them to confront us."

"That would work, or we could just attack that pile of rubble they call a base and finish them off for good." Xander said casually.

"That would be just reckless!" Hugo scoffed. "We might have the numbers advantage and even if we used our full gun arsenal; they have the territorial advantage and utilizing the city buildings height they'll rain death on us from above before we even got to their base. We cannot just march blindly in on them."

"Xander's probably right. It is the last thing they would expect. Before they knew it, we would be standing on their doorstep breaking down the door. Their reinforcements would arrive too late." Rodney called out from a corner of the room.

"Oh, really? Have you been out there fighting them? No, I have. I know they are a lot more difficult and trickier to handle. All you guys do is lay around here playing house keep." Hugo yelled back.

"That's why I suggested we attack the docks." Ernest chimed in again. "Bring the fight to where we want it and way from the big buildings."

"Exactly!" Hugo replied excitedly. "The kid at least has a head in his shoulders."

"You don't understand the entirety of what we are getting at." Xander said with an exaggerated sigh. "If we attacked their main base and took out the Head right at the start of the fight, the rest would simply fall apart. From what I have learned is that they have cells scattered around their territory led by their Hands and often act independently of each other. They could be crushed easily, one by one after the Head is gone."

"As if it could be that simple." Ernest replied rolling his eyes.

The room then broke out into a series of incoherent arguments, insults, and debating. It seemed that the rest of the lieutenants listening in had similar thoughts and two sides were being formed. Martinez had sat back the whole time listening. Even though he enjoyed order in objects around him, chaos was also just as prevalent. Fighting and struggling for dominance among his fellow humans had its own special moments.

"Clap, clap, clap!"

Martinez clapped his hands together until everyone in the room calmed down. He was now standing among them and spread his arms wide as he walked. "Now here's what we are going to do. Both ideas."

Martinez looked around at the various lieutenants around him. Most seemed confused. Only Xander, Jackson, and Hugo seemed satisfied. They had been under Martinez's control for the longest and knew that this reaction was almost expected.

"First, go take over their docks and then burn them. With nowhere to go the merchants will come straight to us. Doubling our resources and starving the Skull." Martinez said this while looking at Hugo and Ernest. Then looking towards Xander and Rodney he continued. "Secondly, as soon as those fires are lit, attack straight at their main base. They will see the fires and come to quell them, leaving the trash pile those roaches live in undefended! We have the numbers, so why not do this?"

"Sounds good boss!" Someone called out from the back.

"I should expect so." Martinez replied proudly. "I want this plan carried out soon. No more than a week from now. Hugo, change nothing along the borders. I want them clueless as to what is coming. Xander get the supplies and docks ready for the influx of new boats and resources. I expect the rest of you to get your groups ready and armed before this is to happen. If anyone slacks off, you will answer to me. Clear?"

"Clear Boss!" Everyone in the room chanted back.

"Get to it." Martinez answered while moving his hands in a shooing motion.

Everyone started to leave, but Martinez seemed to have thought of something. "Jackson and Rodney stay here. I got something else to discuss with you two."

The room soon emptied leaving only the three men alone. Jackson had a suspicion as to what was going to be said next. It was about Queen.

"I haven't seen Saul around. Where is he?" Martinez asked. He sat back down at his desk and turned a nob on the desktop.

Jackson could feel the lovely air conditioning blow harder on his neck as he gave his reply. "I last saw him going to the factory to speak with the Triplets."

"Ah, that should explain it. That spineless fool probably got suckered by those loco gringos. I bet he's half coked out of mind." Martinez said shaking his head. "Rodney, go get him back here. He needs to be coherent enough to get the fight going."

"Sure thing. Need me to bring back a doggie bag for ya boss?" Rodney asked giving a playful smile.

"Sure. Why not. I don't want to start going cold turkey for no reason." Martinez replied. "So, Jackson, I want you to go find this Queen and see what she's up to. I won't stand for some female upstart making challenges on me and not be punished for it! Find her weakness, tell me, and then we can exploit it."

"Right away. Do you want me to go alone or take some guys with me?" Jackson asked.

"Either way, doesn't matter. Just come back here with something we can use!" Martinez replied quickly.

…

Hanna had been feeling better and was out of the house playing with her friends at the kids base by the stream. Finally visiting her parent’s graves seemed to have let some weight off her little shoulders. She was able to play along with the others and joke from time to time.

At first Hanna didn't want to show anyone her locket. Nice things were hard to come by and even though they were all friends, someone might try to steal it. It wasn't until the second day of her coming back to play, that some of the girls pointed out the green and tan pouch dangling around her neck. Hanna tried to brush off their requests to see her new jewelry, but they were persistent. Almost grudgingly, Hanna gave in to their prodding and her desire to show off.

Hanna showed it only to her closest of girlfriends. The boys were definitely out of the question and some of the other girls that were a bit rougher and might try to take it weren’t even aware of her showing it off. The lucky close girlfriends were Clair, Rachel, Anna-Beth, Rosy, Jillian and Tilly. Anna-Beth and Rosy were younger than the other five girls, but they lived on the same street as Clair; so, Hanna had played with them a lot before already.

When she carefully undid the knot and uncovered the gold and platinum locket, every girl let out a squeal of excitement. They were so excited that the other girls tried to find out what the commotion was about. Unwilling to let them in on Hanna's amazing secret, they all hurried away further downstream to ogle the locket in private.

"It's so shinny!" Jillian remarked as she gently fondled the locket still around Hanna's neck. "Even though my parents run a jewelry shop, I have never seen something so rare and detailed!"

"What kind of creature is on it?" Rosy asked jumping trying to peak around the other bigger girls.

"It's a type of dragon I think." Clair replied. "I saw one that looked like it in a book once."

"Dragon?" Anna-Beth asked scrunching her freckled nose. "What's that?"

"We will explain later!" Rachel said patting the little girl’s red head. "That's a locket, meaning there is more inside. Open it Hanna!"

The other girls all prodded Hanna to open it. Hanna couldn't help but comply. Carefully she undid the latch and opened it up to revile the picture and inscription. The girls all remarked how cute and little Hanna was as a baby.

"I didn't know your birthday was on April 2nd." Rachel said resting a hand on Hanna's shoulder. "You should have told me."

"You mean us." Jillian corrected. "You never told any of us that."

"Well, that's because my parents and I made that special day to be together. Father and mother were always so busy…" Hanna started to explain, but a tear started to choke her up.

Seeing this, the normally quiet Tilly hugged Hanna tightly from behind. Rachel and Rosy joined in as well, hugging Hanna from the sides. Clair would have joined in but after reading the inscription she had a question.

"Where is Tharsis? I have read several old maps before and I don't recall a place like that." Clair asked looking from the locket to Hanna and back.

"I actually am not too sure myself." Hanna sniffed from under the hugging girls. "I moved here not long after being born, according to my parents."

"Hmm, it’s an odd name. Then again there's a lot of strange places mentioned on those maps." Clair said. Then she clapped her hands together. "Do you think Lisa or Sadie knows where it's at? They both came from out of town."

"That's an interesting idea. Plus, I want to see the dam again!" Rachel replied.

"Oh, you guys went to the dam? Tilly and I must come too." Jillian remarked.

"Me too!" Anna-Beth and Rosy shouted at the same time.

"I don't know. It's not that big a deal." Hanna remarked.

"Aren't you a little bit curious to where you were born at?" Rachel asked breaking from her embrace.

"I guess." Hanna said giving a reluctant shrug as the other girls also let go.

"Then let's go find out from them." Clair replied standing up from the dry grass they were sitting in. "The route we took before wasn't all that dangerous and we can avoid the market area. Besides, Lisa can keep us safe."

"Ya, come on Hanna! They want to see the dam too." Rachel said grabbing Hanna by the arm.

"Alright, let's go find Lisa. Might as well." Hanna said giving a sigh and standing up with the others.

The others all cheered excitedly, and they immediately headed off for the creek crossing. The day was still young, and they had plenty of time. After all, what might go wrong on a simple walk in their own town?