They called themselves the Autotelic. Not because they all followed a dogma, creed, or ritual. In fact, the organization that had first published the Book of the Law and called for followers to be freedom fighters had already bent its knee to protect its religious status. No matter, everyone else thought the Book expressed what they lived for, and Benjamin suggested that the third chapter contained the rules of engagement, which was a little disconcerting when they thought about it. In the Republic’s last days, they had learned: no government, no priest, no dictator could dictate the will of a free spirit. To live in truth was to act, not submit. To betray one’s own will out of fear was considered worse than death.
“Fascism,” Kayla said to them one night, “is no different than communism. It reduces human stars to ash. It is the opposite of will. We must fight not only for survival, but also because if we believe that the name holds the key to human salvation, we are obligated to do so. If we deny it, we betray ourselves.”
They nodded, one by one. They did not expect to win. How could they? But everyday life taught them that there were things worse than death.
They spread leaflets: Every man and woman is a star. Painted slogans: The Law is for All. They sabotaged military routes, smuggled families to safety, hacked law enforcement databases, and struck quietly at the arteries of the regime, which began to bleed.
For Tomas, each act was a form of revenge against the masters who had broken his union. For Benjamin, it was penance for the comrades he could not save in war. For Kayla, it was a continuation of teaching, only now his classroom was the whole city, and her students were anyone who remembered the Republic we had lost. For June, it was redemption.
The group began to expand as the Autotelics message spread through encrypted social media posts and Craigslist for-sale ads. Kayla and Benjamin developed an analog form of communication in case the technology was unavailable, as was often the case when the regime thugs jammed phone frequencies. It was straightforward. In their cars, CB radios were fitted. Yup. Those old, outdated, yard-sale-bought radios our grandparents used for fun. As long as they kept moving, they couldn’t be triangulated. They kept handheld units in their homes but never transmitted from fixed locations.
If you had one of these radios, you could hear Kayla’s soft, calm voice reciting random numbers. The key was The Book of the Law. All members of Autotelics clusters were required to have one. Other clusters had their own systems, but this one was a good fit for the Portland group. The first number was always the chapter. The second, the verse, and the third, the order of the words in the paragraph. The beauty of the script is that this key could be switched around, reversed, or completely rearranged. For example:
1-62-4 was the first chapter, 62nd paragraph, fourth word: Meetings.
They shared their methods, except their cipher, with other clusters (each group was called that). Each is independent and autonomous, but fighting for the exact cause.
Once vetted, people were invited to come from their cities to learn about Portland, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, and others, all eager to learn from locals’ experiences. They were fighting two battles: one was training, which was risky since it involved strangers. However, they felt very confident in Juno’s ability to thoroughly investigate individuals before divulging their training locations. But they knew they were putting themselves in danger, and they swore to defend one another to the death. Surrender would be worse than death, since the regime would execute them for “treason” or some other made-up charge for people who simply wanted to be free. They figured if they were going to die anyway, they would do so on their own terms. Death was always present like a silent and invisible member of the cluster.
They were supposed to meet a new potential members, but in fact, there was no such thing. How could a member be “potential” if they knew you and could turn you in?
That night, you could hear Kayla’s soft voice over the CB radio.
1:62:4
2:24:20
2:12:3
2:66:6
1:10:2
2:78:46
3:46:18
2:22:24
Meetings. Find me at my house. Bring wine.
That night, they planned their boldest action, the storming of the armory. They only needed one more person with military know-how. Hopefully, someone like Benjamin.