Chapter 16

It had not taken long for Bertie to get over his awe of the grandeur of Eton and then Marlborough College. It just magnified the vast difference between the lifestyles of the labour class and the leadership class. The huge inequalities were demonstrated every day. The food they ate and the facilities available to them were extraordinary compared to what he had been used to. His discomfort turned to resentment then to anger.

He was a fish out of water anyway. He had been raised in the labour zone and he was now surrounded by members of the leadership class. They were supposed to all get along but the boys like him stayed together. There was a them and us culture which sometimes led to bullying and fights.

The boys from the leadership sector had that easy going arrogance which went with privilege. Not all of them, but a lot. The ones who were less clever were the bullies. They resented being bettered. by those who they considered beneath them. and retaliated in order to teach them their place.

The bright pupils were not so threatened by the labour class boys. They could see the bigger picture and were sympathetic to the inequality that they saw in society. They felt uncomfortable when faced with the stories of life outside of the leadership towns. Things were not easy for those that were doing mainly manual labour.

He could not keep quiet as he saw what was going on around him. Bertie would debate with his teachers and rally his fellow pupils. He was going to start the revolution right there at Marlborough College. He was young and headstrong and had not really thought things through. He should have been wiser about how he ran his campaign.

Luck had been on his side when he was spoken to by a sympathetic teacher. The warning had allowed Bertie to get away before he was sent for therapy. Doors and windows had been left unlocked to facilitate his escape and he had been picked up on the edge of the school grounds by a lorry driver who had taken him north.

The resistance was not a large group of people or particularly well organised, but they had managed to get him away from danger. It was fortunate for him that it had been a relatively simple plan. The vast almost empty countryside with its isolated farms and small hamlets was the ideal place to hide someone from the police. Unless someone informed on him it was unlikely that he would ever be caught.

More than a hundred years after the meteor event there were still few people scattered across the country. Some areas were still recovering from the damage wrought by the missiles and large urban areas had been abandoned to rats and wild dogs. The focus was on farming and every acre of usable ground was used.

Small pockets of workers toiled on the land surrounding them. They had little contact with the rest of society, only seeing the drivers who arrived in their lorries to take away the goods. There might be an occasional visit from a representative of the ministry, but that was all. The bureaucrats didn't like going out to the remote areas and they weren't welcomed by the farmers. As long as the quotas were met and there was no criminal activity they were left to their own devices.

He lived on a farm for two years. Bertie laboured alongside others and grew strong. All the time he was thinking about what he could do to challenge and bring down the OWG. Everyone he had met had a story about someone who had disappeared or been badly treated. Everyone had a grievance. He had to galvanise these people into taking action.

Bertie knew that he would need to recruit more people to the cause. He understood that there were those who would agree with what he had to say, but were not prepared to get involved. That was fine. When the tide began to turn in his favour then they would get on board. In the meantime, he would gather the more radical activists around him.

He had to bide his time. What would the workers think if they were addressed by a teenager? His work on the farm made him grow in stature as well as intellect. Bertie was sporting a full beard when he set off from the place which had been his home since his escape. His broad shoulders and intense gaze gave the impression that he was older than 19.

At village after village he would start a whisper that there was going to be a meeting and then he would give his tried and tested speech to his audience.

"Thank you for coming here today. The fact that you are here tells me that you are concerned about the way things are run. But why?

The OWG gives you a job. Okay you have to work very long hours so you don't see much of your family and friends and it might not be what you want to do, but you are guaranteed work.

They make sure that you have somewhere to live. It's probably a bit cramped and you don't have power all the time like the leadership class do. You can't choose where your home is and they can make you move at any time. Still you have a roof over your heads.

The government makes sure that you have food. It might be a bit boring having the same things all the time. Never having the prime cuts of meat from the animals you tend. Not tasting the exotic delights imported from all over the world. I wonder where those things go? You do have food and it is nearly enough.

The OWG takes care of the old and sick who have no families. Well they vanish into a cold damp care home never to be seen again. At least we don't have to see them gradually deteriorate with no dignity afforded them.

They let you talk about a lot of things, almost everything. There is just one thing really that you are not allowed to do, criticise them. If you do that you are asking to be taken away, tortured and imprisoned. Oh, I forgot about religion. You are not allowed to talk about or believe in that either. That could get you locked up, too.

As long as you do your work and obey their rules you are fine. Why would you want to make extra money by growing different crops or selling things to someone other than the OWG? Why would you want to make your lives better? Why would you want luxuries and appliances to make your lives easier?

And women. Surely you are happy to work in menial jobs or not at all. It doesn't matter that you are capable of so much more. It's as if your thoughts, hopes and dreams don't matter to them at all.

If you are happy with your lives then good for you. If you think that things should change stay and talk to me about what we can do."

Many agreed with what Bertie said and a few would volunteer to join his cause. Bit by bit he was building an army of dissenters who would be put into action when the time came. They came forward, promised to do what was necessary and then waited. The police would not catch small groups meeting and talking sedition. They were sleeper agents waiting to be activated.

His wanderings had brought him back to the south west. Bertie rather enjoyed the thrill of being back under the noses of those who had sought to send him for reprogramming. Mr Calder, or Alan as he now addressed him, had met up with him and had been impressed by the progress he had made.

Now they had made contact with a group who were from the leadership class. This could be a huge breakthrough for them. There was information which they could not get access to which these people could. It would be a strange meeting as in one way they were talking to the enemy. Dan and Martin had all of the privileges of the leadership class, but they had chosen to challenge the inequalities of a world run by the OWG.

There was some nervous questioning about their intentions and thoughts as Bertie tried to ensure that he was not going to be betrayed. Dan and Martin answered his queries and assured him of their commitment to the cause. Dan did not contribute much to the conversation letting Martin take the lead. He was watching Bertie and trying to work out what sort of person he was.

He was also observing Serena. When he had seen her walk in behind the handsome Bertie he had felt disappointment. Dan had thought that she was most likely involved with him in a romantic way. She was listening intently to him, but her face displayed interest. She was not gazing at him with adoration or hanging on his every word like a woman in love might do.

He reminded himself that he had a wife and children at home and also that he was virtually middle aged and would be of no interest to someone as attractive as Serena. It didn't hurt to look though and maybe fantasise a little bit. He tried to focus on what Bertie was saying and after a while he realised that he was not saying very much at all.

It was not surprising that the young man was being cagey. Two men from the leadership class had made contact and he was understandably suspicious. Bertie would not be telling them his plans for the future at this first meeting. It might take some time before he trusted them enough to reveal any details.

When the initial discussions had ended they were given some soup and bread. Over the meal Dan had a more intimate chat with Bertie. He told him about his mother's plea to try to find out what had happened to him. He spoke about the secretary in the Ministry of Education who had risked her job searching for any record of him. That had led them to Marlborough College.

Bertie did not want his mother to know that he had been found. He wanted to keep her out of any controversy and protect her. She would be unable to provide information should the authorities go after her.

"Plausible deniability" Dan said and Bertie nodded.

"Exactly" he replied.

Dan was surprised that Bertie did not ask more questions about his parents. He had not enquired after their health or mentioned his siblings. When they had been talking about his family Bertie had looked around to see who was listening. He acted as if he did not want others to know anything about his background.

A promise was made to keep his discovery secret so that Phyllis would be safe and he could carry on with his work against the OWG. They agreed to stay in contact and assist where they could. Bertie might ask them for information from time to time and if they needed anything from him they should let him know. It was likely to be one way traffic Dan thought.

Before they left he had a chance to speak to Serena.

"Thanks for coming to the hotel that day. It's good to meet someone like you who is prepared to do something about your situation."

"Well thanks, but there are a lot of people working for the cause." Serena downplayed her part and Dan objected.

"Women are taught not to think for themselves or be disobedient in any way. For men the decision is easier. For you, that's real guts."

He was rewarded by a smile and a handshake. As Martin drove them back down the pitted road Dan was lost in contemplation. It was sad that the Sam here did not have that sort of fight in her. The establishment had done a number on her and made her bitter and unhappy. He could not tell her anything about his activities. Her family and her indoctrination would almost certainly mean that she would report him.