Chapter 47
Vin walked up to Adriel as he saddled up his horse in preparation for the trip he needed to take. His part in this operation was absolutely vital, and while he wouldn’t be there with them when they stormed the ranch, without him, there would be no victory.
“You ready?” Vin asked, walking up behind the doctor.
Adriel jumped a bit at Vin’s words. It was clear the doctor had been lost in his own thoughts, not paying attention to his surroundings.
The weight of his role in this mission was likely pressing down heavily on him, and Vin was thankful for a moment that Adriel wouldn’t be running into battle with them.
“Ah, Vin,” he said, catching his breath as he pressed a hand into his chest. “Yes, I’m just making final preparations to head out now.”
“You know what you gotta say?” Vin asked, ready to rehearse with the doctor again if it meant that this would go off without a hitch.
“No, I think I’ve got it,” Adriel said.
“You think?” Vin asked skeptically.
“Vin, in medical school, I had to memorize the names of every bone and muscle in the human body,” Adriel snapped defensively. “I think I can remember what I need to say in a life-or-death situation for my people.”
“All right, Doc, you’re right,” Vin said, holding up his hands defensively. “I’m sorry, you’re right.”
“Sorry,” Adriel said, rubbing at the side of his neck and looking away. “I’m a little on edge.”
“I think that’s understandable, all things considered,” Vin replied, trying to help the young doctor find his way out of his awkward moment. “You all have been through a lot.”
“Yeah,” Adriel said, looking out over the rest of the town. “I think…losing my father like that…it hasn’t really set in yet.”
“That’s gonna hit you hard,” Vin said, warning him. “You gotta be ready for it when the full weight of it crashes down on you.”
“Yeah,” Adriel said again, his voice distant as he went somewhere unknowable within his mind.
Vin waited for him to resurface, standing patiently beside the tan horse Adriel was saddling and patting it along the neck.
Patting the horse made Vin think of Deb.
He was sure she had no idea he was still alive.
But she was waiting there for him, waiting to be liberated along with all of their surviving friends on the ranch.
Vin found that the stress of this plan was made more manageable when he envisioned his desired outcome.
He could clearly see the ranch, beautiful and thriving as they worked hard to secure the area and develop a community wherein people were accepted and truly free.
Vin had no desire for power, which meant he was probably the man best suited to help run things.
The old adage that absolute power corrupts absolutely had been proven true time and time again throughout history.
He thought back to an old Springsteen quote from the song “Badlands.”
“A poor man wants to be rich; a rich man wants to be a king. And a king ain’t satisfied ‘til he rules everything.”
It was a poetic and harsh truth of the world.
No matter how much someone gained, they would always want more and more.
That was why one person could never be given that much power again.
Whether it was a president, a king, or a crime lord like Chainz, the days of absolute power had no place in a powerless world.
He’d help to run things, sure, but he would never allow himself to be put into a position of power like that.
He believed that he and Deb could work together with the members of the tribe to create an equal council of leadership that would work together through mutual cooperation and protect the people.
But for such a free society to exist, a huge mountain had to first be overcome. Vin hoped that he and his new friends were up to the challenge. Because there was so much riding on their ability to overcome insurmountable odds.
“Hey, Vin,” Adriel said, looking back over at him.
“Yeah, Doc?” he asked, turning his attention back to the young man, who was nervously wringing his hands together.
“Can we go over what I need to say one more time?”