The Bleeding Crowd (35 page)

“I, well, I really have no idea what I’m
supposed to be saying out here, and I’ve got enough adrenaline
going through me right now that I’m probably not making a lot of
sense, but I’m not a man lover by any means. I mean, at this point
I’ve gotten rather fond of the ones I know, but I wasn’t...The men
are just trying to be seen as equals. I think that’s important to
say. They’re only fighting to try to get out of camps and have a
chance at what all of us do...that might not be the smartest thing,
and I’m not really sure I want men doing everything we do, but I
think that they deserve a little more than what they have now.

“They’ve been lying to us. The government has
been lying to us. Men are people, if nothing else. They have
friends and they can love, and...and they deserve more than what
they have. The lesbians too. My sister is a lesbian and would have
been a doctor, but...it’s just not fair. We have a revolution
happening, and...” Dahlia trailed off.

“Got military records,” Jude called.

“Jude...” Dahlia said, “Jude is one of the
sweetest people I know. He’s sweeter than a lot of women I know.
And smarter. He’s going to be sending out all the stuff on
Patience’s computer that the government hasn’t been telling us.

“Even if you don’t support men’s rights, you
should at least support knowing what is happening in your life.
That...that’s why I’m here. They’ve been lying to us our entire
lives. They’ve been lying for generations. Things aren’t as perfect
as they would like you to believe. In all honesty, I couldn’t give
a shit about men’s rights. I ended up here because I couldn’t let
the men I’ve been with die at the hands of a hypercritical
government in good conscience. I couldn’t let the hypocrisy
continue.

“If you don’t care about anything else, you
should care that the government has lied and schemed, not to make
things better for us, but to remain in power. It was never about
men. It was never about us...if I die because I’ve said all this, I
consider that a good death. I couldn’t live with myself if I
allowed this to continue. I hope you can’t either.”

“Letters about the Dumas murder,” Jude
called, the pitch of his voice rising in his excitement.

“Oh, and yeah, they apparently came to power
by killing someone. It wasn’t a mass movement just a few power
hungry women killing someone to take power. Assassination, I think
was the old word for it. You’ll be, um, getting those files in a
sec.”

She stopped talking and looked at the silent
faces. “Um, I’ll be back.” Dahlia walked back inside, trying to
stop her hands from shaking.

“Touching.” Jude didn’t look away from the
screen.

“I try.” She released a shaky breath. “I
never was a good public speaker.”

“You were convincing if nothing else,” Jude
said.

“That’s what I was going for.” She leaned
back against the wall, her head focusing on the door. Loud banging
echoed through the room.

“Get out.” Jude nodded at the passageway.
“Patience got out that way. I can handle this.”

“I’m not running away.” Dahlia shook her
head. “Not now.”

“Got emails,” he said.

“You’re a brilliant hacker.” She shook her
head, her eyes landing on the books. “Are we still
broadcasting?”

“Yeah,” Jude said. “Are you going back out
there?”

She nodded, grabbing a handful of books and
going back onto the balcony. “Hi, me again. Just in case you’re
having a hard time with the alternative history thing, Patience has
all these books in her office from before year zero. Written about
life with men, some written by men...for all you standing around
down under the balcony, you can have those too, I guess.”

She tossed what she had down, going back and
pulling out armload after armload of books until the crowd looked
saturated.

“So...entertain yourselves until we can
figure out what’s happening up here.” Dahlia finished awkwardly and
walked back inside.

“You’re brilliant,” Jude said.

“I think you’re beating me on the brilliance
thing right now,” she said. “No way I could have got the computer
working that fast.

“I have a gift.”

“Definitely.” She managed a grin.

Another loud bang came from outside.

“Really, Lia.” Jude looked at her. “Go.”

“I haven’t listened to anyone for orders yet,
Jude. What makes you think I will now?”

“You’ll most likely die if you stay,” he
said.

“I think we’ve come to that realization.”

Jude sighed. “Well, if anyone asks, I
tried.”

“Gallant effort.” She released a breath,
trying to calm her nerves a little and stop her heart from beating
painfully against her ribs. The door rattled and then flexed as
someone hit it, keeping her from breathing for a second.

“Go, really,” Jude said, not stopping his
typing.

Dahlia shook her head, unable to speak as the
door flexed again.

Chapter
Twenty-One

“Lia.” Jude finally rose from the
keyboard.

“Goddamn it, Dahlia, open the fucking door,”
a distinctly masculine voice yelled.

Dahlia and Jude looked at each other for a
long moment as the door rattling again. Then, Jude opened it.

Ben pushed his way in, glancing at Jude a
moment. “We’ve got this floor.”

Jude nodded.

“We’re winning?” Dahlia raised her
eyebrows

“Amazingly, yeah.” Ben crossed his arms.
“What are you doing here?”

“Helping you not get killed,” Dahlia
said.

He snorted. “Right. Compelling speech.”

“They got here through politics, didn’t
they?” She frowned, still working though it. “Controlling
communications had some poetic justice in it, I thought.”

“Did you?”

“Well, thinking now,” Dahlia said. “I came up
with it completely on the fly since you left me out in the middle
of the goddamn forest.”

“Technically Heather did,” Ben said. “I just
didn’t object too strongly.

“They’re scattering.” Heather appeared in the
doorway, panting for breath. “They don’t have any leadership and
the men are pouring in...and women. Not that they know how to
fight, but some of the women outside...they’re mobbing the
military. Most aren’t willing to fight anymore.”

Ben looked at Heather and then at Dahlia.
“You incited a riot.”

“Not my original intent, I assure you.” She
crossed her arms against her chest tightly.

“Honestly, I don’t know why we didn’t think
of it before.” Heather looked out the door and then back into the
room. “You’re perfect. Likable, non-threatening...you’re the modern
day Patience.”

“I’m not a politician.” Dahlia shook her
head.

“Exactly,” Heather said. “You’re a victim. A
poor victim of circumstances only here because of your amazing
moral convictions. Pretty, but not so pretty that people are
jealous. Just one of the people. They love it.”

“I only went out there because I thought they
needed to know. I didn’t mean to make myself a poster child for the
cause.”

“Too late,” Ben said. “You’ve mobilized a
good number of women out there...and who knows about around the
world. We actually stand a chance. We might actually do this.”

“You and Ben are perfect for it,” Jude
said.

“Me?” Ben looked at him.

“Poetic justice.” Jude looked at Dahlia.
“They started this by making a married woman single. Now we can
make a single woman—”

“Make us being together a symbol,” Dahlia
said.

“Exactly.”

“We aren’t exactly the most stable people.”
She shook her head in denial.

“Take Ben out there with you,” Jude said.
“They like you. They’ll like him just because he’s with you.”

“I’ve only been out there twice.”

“Try it,” Heather urged.

“And do what?”

“Get them all to revolt,” Jude said. “It’s
the best possible outcome

“You’re asking me to start a war you
realize.”

“Overdue for one,” Ben said.

“The more people we have, the quicker this
will be over.” Heather sent Ben a look.

“I don’t want to be a politician.” Dahlia
shook her head.

“Little late for that,” Heather said.
“They’re following you. You’re a politician by default.”

Dahlia frowned. “Fine, but you’re coming with
me.”

“What?” Heather frowned.

“The lesbian and the man,” she said. “We’ve
got to cover our bases.”

“Might alienate some people.”

“Hopefully they aren’t the fighting kind,”
she replied.

Heather nodded. “Just let me check what’s
going on down the hall.”

Dahlia nodded at her sister.

Ben grinned at her. “We’re doing it.”

Nodding, Dahlia stared at the balcony. “So
about the oleander you had on you...”

Ben sighed. “Is this really the time?”

“As good as any.”

“Let’s stay focused,” Jude shook his head.
“You can fight later.”

Ben grinned. “‘Fight’.”

“Don’t try me.” She pointed at him.

He just smiled. “We could do this.”

Epilogue

Ben looked at the tumbler on Dahlia’s desk.
“I think we should get married.”

She didn’t look away from the computer. “Is
that so.”

“It would be a good gesture.” He set the
glass down. “We need to get the rest of the self-imposed
segregation gone if this is going to stick. You know, put the issue
to rest.”

“I’m not going through some inane archaic
ritual as a gesture.” Dahlia shook her head.

“Heather and Des are married.”

“And I’m sure they’re very happy
together.”

“We aren’t?”

“Depends on the day, doesn’t it?” Dahlia
pressed something on the pad.

“I suppose.” He smiled. “More often than not
though.”

She nodded, at last looking away from the
screen. “So, you want us to promise to be monogamous for the rest
of our lives.”

“Well, we’re sort of doing that already,
aren’t we?”

She nodded, pensive.

“It would sort of be like we’re recreating
the way things were back when men and women were equals.”

Dahlia continued nodding, putting the glass
next to the pitcher of water on a cart near the desk before
returning and sitting back on the edge of the desk next to him.

“You wouldn’t want to marry me?” Ben asked at
last.

“I don’t know,” Dahlia said. “Do you have any
other reasons for wanting to get married other than the fact that
it’s a good political move?”

“A brilliant political move,” he
corrected.

“Besides the fact that it’s a brilliant
political move, then?” She rolled her eyes.

He stood up, resting his hands on either side
of her hips, trapping her against the desk. “How about because I
don’t want anyone else thinking that they could steal you away from
me.”

“I don’t think they would dream of it after
the fight you and Jack had.”

“Plenty of men still have a thing for
you.”

“Well, power is sexy.” She shrugged.

“Or the illusion of power.” He smiled.

“I’m not completely a figurehead.”

“True.” He kissed her neck. “Lord knows you
order me around enough.”

“And you listen.”

“For whatever reason.”

“Because you’re crazy for me.”

“True.” He smiled against her neck. “At least
I am when I’m not wanting to kill you.”

“Even then.” She pushed him back. “Most of
the fighting has stopped, hasn’t it? That’s what Heather told
me.”

“I haven’t sent out any more men,” Ben said.
“There are some hold outs, but for the most part, it’s been a
pretty easy takeover.”

“People don’t like dying, I would imagine,”
Dahlia said. “But, pray tell, what are we going to do with all the
men when they aren’t fighting?”

“Open an adult school or something.” Ben
shrugged. “Or simply keep them fighting.”

“Yeah, because that’s what kind of world I
want to live in.”

“Want your children to live in?” He
smiled.

“What children?” She frowned.

“Well, if I can convince you to marry me, the
next step would be convincing you to have a family.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Ben.” She shook
her head. “Anyway, I might be sterile. I tested out that herb for
birth control on myself. No one’s gotten pregnant from that trial
at all. Even after they’ve stopped taking it.”

“So we adopt.”

“Shouldn’t you focus on one step at a
time?”

“Apparently you’re just going to make an
executive decision anyway about it. I don’t know what me arguing
about it would change.”

“Well, one of us has to be rational, and
since you’ve hardly proved that you’re capable...”

He gave her a look, but didn’t rise to the
bait.

“Oh don’t be like that,” she said. “You’re no
fun when you’re sulking.”

He still didn’t respond.

“You’re no fun.” She turned to move around
him.

He caught her waist, wrapping his arms around
her middle. “Do you have time for some fun today?”

“Fun or ‘fun’?” she asked.

He smiled. “Well, I assumed we’d have ‘fun’
tonight, but if you have time right now...”

She shook her head. “Men.”

“What about us?”

She said nothing for a moment. “I was
actually about to go down to the clinic. You know, practice
medicine for once.”

“You miss working at the hospital?”

“I’m a doctor.” She looked at him. “Healing
people is what I do.”

“So be a doctor.” He shrugged. “You have
time. Enough people are helping with the government.”

“Yeah, but people who want to be politicians
are never who you should really have as leaders it seems.”

“Have lunch with me,” he said.

She sighed and nodded at last. “Just let me
change first. I’m thinking of wearing black today.”

“You look good in black,” he said.

“I like to think so,” she said. “Wait
here.”