TOM OWENS SAW the light from the hallway as someone opened his bedroom door in Yonkers. It was almost 10
p. m., and he’d been nearly asle ep. He froze, didn’t jump or overreact. He wasn’t sure what he could do to defend
himself if it was an enraged Ellis. If it was Pry, Owens figured no defense was possible. He’d never even know what
hit him.
“Tom, are you still awake?”
He breathed a quick sigh of relief at the sound of Kimmy’s soft voice and mumbled a tentative “Yeah.”
Kimmy slipped into the room silently, closing the door behind her. She sat down on the edge of his bed. “I hope
Ellis didn’t upset you earlier. He really is trying to do what’s right. We were working to wake up people for months
and months before we found you. It’s a miracle none of us got blown up with some of the crazy bombs Ellis and Pry
used to make.”
Owens stayed under the covers in the dark. He liked having Kimmy this close. He said, “The only thing I’m upset
about is that Ellis doesn’t seem to be taking things seriously. If he did, we’d be knocking out power to Manhattan.
Instead, he wants to try and make a statement by bombing another bank. No one will care. First of all, you guys
already did that in New Jersey. Secondly, people hate banks almost as much as they hate politicians. It’s not going
to make much of a statement.” Owens was starting to wonder about Ellis’s true motivations. “It’s almost like Ellis
doesn’t even care about the issues he talks about. He seems to just want money.”
Without another word, Kimmy lifted the covers and slipped under them, so she was lying next to Owens. He could
feel the heat of her body. It was exciting. He couldn’t even describe it. Her T-shirt and tiny shorts only
enhanced the feeling of intimacy.
When Kimmy got comfortable, she put her head on his shoulder. She said, “I’ve found that sometimes I have to
look at things from another perspective. Think about it. If we don’t have any money, we can’t do anything. All Ellis
is trying to do is ke ep us afloat.”
“So you also think our next target should be a bank?”
“It’s not my place to pick our next target. I’m just a worker bee. But in order to save the planet, it’s important our
hive doesn’t collapse like so many already have.”
“We’re getting by right now without any money,” Owens argued.
“Only because you were able to wrangle this house for us. And you still had to ask your brother for money.”
“It feels like Ellis wants to make some money.”
“That’s not true. It’s never been about making money. Ellis and Pry blew up that police sergeant in Queens to make
a statement. They never thought about making money off it. They wanted to strike a blow against tyranny.
Against fascists.”
Owens said, “Do you really believe that police sergeant in Queens was a fascist? Do you guys even know what
fascists are? I watched the news stories about her, and it doesn’t seem like she was a fascist or promoting tyranny.”
“Ellis and Pry believe that all cops are fascists. But I’ll admit I didn’t like that one. I prefer targets like the Army
arsenal or Virtual Spaces. That stuff I understand. I cry every time I see photos of that poor sergeant and her
family.”
“I expect Abby Boyd’s family cries quite a bit too.” There was a long silence after he said that. Owens had learned
that silence sometimes was its own rebuke. But Kimmy didn’t move to leave.
Finally, she said, “Ellis has a long-term plan. When he saw how well you could make bombs, he turned his attention
to something he likes to call ‘redistributing the wealth to ourselves.’” So much for not having any interest in making
money. Owens k ept his mouth shut because he didn’t want to chase off Kimmy. But she’d given him a lot to think
about. He might have to deal with Ellis a little differently in the future.
He always liked to be pr epared.