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The Nominal Temporary Wiggin Home Base, Saturday Morning

This would not by far be the only place resistance members were meeting today, but for those who were, there was this: a cache full of weapons, food and drink, some of Ender's tranquilizer in dart and in syringe form, and two Wiggins bustling around as they prepared for the coming fight.

Or rather, Ender's coming fight.

"These are my people too," Peter snapped. "I should be out there."

"You're not a combatant," Ender retorted. "And if I get killed, we're going to need you."

"They're going to need me," Peter said. "You would be dead."

"Don't argue with me," Ender told him.

Peter's eyes narrowed. "Edge of town, you said?"

"Yeah," Ender replied, and turned his back on Peter as the other boy stomped off. (Peter had snagged some things along the way, confident that Ender wasn't paying attention, but he obviously wasn't going to bring that up.)

"So the key to getting the Detention barriers down seems to be in Locker 327," Ender said, several hours later. "Getting into that locker is going to be top priority. I don't care what places you people raid or what people you shake down to get the combination - just do it."

Apparently that was to be the extent of his rousing speech.

[[ for any last-minute preparations, delivery of instructions, and/or actual rousing speeches. ]]

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Kitty had opted not to just stick to Caritas all day, figuring it'd be easier to come here in case there was anything she ended up needing to know immediately. Besides, if anyone still wanted to help, this was where they'd probably show up anyway.

For the time being, she was going through the medical supplies she was planning on bringing along, and hoping it'd be enough.

"If things go horribly wrong, forget about the injured," Leon insisted. "Grab the most powerful fighters you can and get out."

Kitty blinked at him, frowning. "I'm not forgetting about the injured. Don't suggest that again."

He didn't mean forget about them, just that there were more important people to... Well, it's not like he had any room to talk. He was only interested in rescuing one particular person, himself.

"Whatever. Do what you want."

This may have been the fastest Kitty had ever wanted to punch someone.

"No, don't 'whatever' that. We're not stranding the dead or possibly dying, we're not going to go in there worrying about who's strongest, and if you don't like it, you can find something else to do."

"..."

Leon nodded, and something stirred within him. "You're right, he realized. "We're not stranding anyone." Did he look a little bit more heroic, just then? It must be the light.

Anakin headed straight toward Kitty as soon as he arrived. "If you're going in, I'm coming, too," he announced without preamble.

"Hello to you too," Kitty said, but she liked this entrance much better than the last one. "More people means it takes less time."

Anakin gave her a tiny bit of a lopsided grin. "I'm sick of waiting around. I need something to do, now."

"Well... you're still stuck waiting until tonight," she said apologetically. "But you can help me organize stuff if you mean right now."

Anakin looked mildly disappointed about that, but nodded. "What kind of supplies are we bringing in?"

"Medical, mostly. Light weapons if that makes you guys feel better," Kitty replied. "Our part is getting people out, but better to be prepared, you know?"

"I can help carry supplies, but I haven't gotten a chance to use my lightsaber in a while." Anakin, don't look so eager about that. "And I'd feel better with it. Besides, they're not going to just let us walk out with their prisoners."

There were a probably a lot of people who'd be eager to use their weapons again...

"Well, if all goes well, they won't even know we've been there until everyone's gone," she said. She just didn't assume it'd all go well. That'd be dumb.

"A simple extraction, then." Anakin nodded. Because it could absolutely be that simple, couldn't it? He was still hoping for a fight, but he did get where their priorities lay.

He took a breath and drew himself up, trying to look grown-up and heroic. His grandfather had been so fondly remembered by the older members of the resistance, he felt like he should live up to the name somehow. "You can count on me for that."

"Good," she said. "We're going to walk in through the walls, get everyone starting with the injured and dead, and then walk out hopefully while everyone's still distracted with everything else. As long as we're fast enough..."

Anakin was about to nod and assure her that speed wouldn't be a problem, but --

"Through the walls?"

Kitty nodded and stuck her hand through the floor next to her.

Apparently if she was going to out herself, she was going to really out herself.

Anakin just stared for a moment. "Astral," he breathed. "How do you do that?"

Anakin, don't ask how mutant powers work. Just don't.

Of course he had to ask that of the genius nerd who actually knew the science behind her powers and could describe them, mostly involving the word "molecules."

"Basically doorknobs are habit," she finished.

So, naturally, Anakin listened to the entire explanation with rapt and slightly wide-eyed interest.

"What's it like?" he asked. "I mean, what's it feel like?" Had to be prepared and all.

"I don't notice much of what it feels like anymore. I'm just used to it," Kitty said. "But one of my friends says it's like walking through oatmeal."

Anakin considered that for a moment, then shrugged. Walking through oatmeal sounded far less gross than, say, wading through the Dagobah swamps.

"Guess I'll find out, then," he decided, and turned his attention to the medical supplies.

After a moment he bit his lip and looked at her. "It's going to be really bad, isn't it?"

"No idea. It's got a good chance of working out just fine. I've done this sort of thing before," she said thoughtfully. "But if it goes wrong, then we're probably all pretty screwed."

"No," Anakin said after a moment, hesitantly, then with more conviction, "No. We've committed too much to this to fail now. It's too important."

He really believed that, too, like just because he thought it was true, it meant it would be.

"Operation Sunshine is a go! Operation Amulet-thingy is a go! And I'm off to blow shit up, unless anyone needs me for anything else!"

That might need some clarification. Or maybe it's better not to ask.

Kate's eyes were red when she came in today. That was what she got for listening to loyalist radio. Confirmation for what she'd already been afraid of when Luke hadn't come back last night.

There was a hard look on her face. Hopefully that would mean good things for the resistance.

Karla had a specific reason for coming today. She looked around for either Ender or--wait, no, just Ender. Someone who wasn't her needed to tell people that she was unImperio'd and that it had all been part of the plan. She would really prefer not to get killed by not-so-friendly fire today.

"Karla," Ender said, looking up. "Just in time."

Karla raised a sardonic eyebrow at him. "Wasn't sure how safe it would be for me to come by."

"Right now it isn't safe for anybody to go anywhere," Ender said, sitting back. He tilted his head. "I'm not about to let that stop me - are you?"

"I'm a lot less worried about going up against the Loyalists than I am entering a roomful of people who might still think I'm Imperio'd," Karla pointed out. She glanced around for Peter, hoping she might safely be able to avoid him for, umm, ever. "Or a Loyalist. Friendly fire isn't."

"It doesn't matter either way. I've made sure most of them have the message," Ender said mildly. "So let's stop worrying about that and let's start worrying about breaking people out of this island."

He owed Val a safe trip home.

Correction, Ender. Not getting killed mattered to her. A lot.

But she went with the conversation switch because he'd said he'd told them. Karla would just have to trust in that and hope that everyone believed him and that no one really skilled has missed his announcement.

"I'll be heading over to the school in a few," she reported. "I need to make sure no one's messed with the locker today. If it's clear, I'm going to hit the office. It's Saturday, so no one should be there. They might have some kind of clue in there. You're heading to the library?"

"Bruce has a plan," Ender said. And he was never above following someone else's plan if he needed to; he'd just keep an eye out in case Bruce lost his way or turned out to be a turncoat. "I intend to make sure we see it through."

"Then hopefully I'll see you after this bullshit is over and we've rescued everyone. Meetup back here? Or disperse after we're done?"

"I'm sticking around the library," Ender said shortly. "When we're done... well, we'll figure out what we do. I for one intend to take my sister out of here."

"Done?" Karla asked. "You mean done breaking out of detention? Or after we've strung Umbridge up a streetlight?"

"After we deal with Umbridge one way or the other," Ender corrected. "Not that I have much faith in her ability to have a rational discussion."

"Thoughts about what we're going to do with the Loyalists who aren't under Imperio?" Karla asked. "Peter's all for locking them in a basement and running like Hell."

"We should secure them," Ender said thoughtfully. "There has to be some kind of multi-dimensional peacekeeping organization we can convince to take them in... I don't think it's a good idea to try them ourselves."

And he knew the others wouldn't be as willing to let them go without punishment.

Karla wasn't sure people would be willing to let the Imperio'd people go without punishment. She thought of one in particular...but then pushed that thought out of her mind. Now was not the time for sentimentality.

"Once we take down Umbridge, we see if Portalocity can suggest something?" She gave him a strained smile. "Though perhaps everyone will just be happy to get to go home, it won't matter."

"I doubt it," Ender said, soberly. "Too many people have died for everyone to let it go quietly."

Sookie. Priestly. Coulson. Luke. Peeta. Naomi. And that was just this week.

"We'll figure it out as we go, then," Karla said unhappily. She vastly preferred to have a plan for things like this. Otherwise, it was going to be screaming into a mob.

"We'll secure them as soon as we get control of the castle," Ender said. "That's a plan. There's simply nothing else we can do without access to inter-dimensional channels of communication."

At least they were talking about this as a when, and not an if - Ender considered that a victory.

They simply were not going to lose. Karla had--they all had-- sacrificed far too much to concede for the possibility of defeat, dammit. And now that they knew the secret of Detention (mostly) and could free the heavy hitters, the odds of their success just went way up.

"Stay in contact as much as you can, then," Karla said. "Do you mind the occasional report dropped straight into your brain?"

"Not at all," Ender said, "As long as you keep an eye on your phone, too."

Some moments reminded him more that he was a very human boy in a very superhuman town than others.

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The Nominal Temporary Wiggin Home Base, Saturday Morning

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