Chapter 8:
Pheonix Burning
The four leaders of the COR stayed in Waterford for a month. In that time, Prospero managed to gather the remnants of the COR together into something resembling the old incarnation. Andrew mentioned that the carpet bombing of Dublin may have been a blessing in disguise, as the members of the COR were now spread across Ireland, but were still willing to fight. Upon that pronouncement, he received a pair of death glares from Constance and Renee. He never mentioned it again, but still took advantage of the facts.
The destruction of the prole district of Dublin was blamed on Eurasia, supposedly performed thanks to espionage and sabotage done by the COR. Reports on the telescreens denounced Phoenix and the COR at every possible interval, and Renee had the strong suspicion that she had replaced Goldstein in the Two-Minute Hate. The telescreen reports became more and more fictional as Hate Week approached: Constance saw one that described Pheonix as a Eurasian temptress.
"Oh, yes, I'm extraordinarily seductive hiding out in a cheap room in Waterford and bleeding all over my clothes," growled Renee.
"Don't take it like that. You're in fine company, Phoenix: the Sirens, Morgana Le Fay, Queen Maeve, Helen of Troy -"
"Helen of Troy wasn't evil."
"She started a war that destroyed champions," said Constance.
"Let's just hope I don't finish in her company, then," whispered Renee.
Hate Week came on their second week in Waterford. Prole demonstrations in favour of the Party blocked the streets, much to Renee's disgust. Pheonix was burned in effigy many times over, which resulted in a number of jokes from Andrew. The four Dubliners participated in some of the bigger demonstrations in order to keep up some sort of facade. Renee and Constance worried about the wounds they had sustained from the bombing of the Warehouse. Constance's cut was small and easily ignored by the casual eye, even though it would scar her face for the rest of her life. Renee had the more serious and easily identified injury, so she took pains to hide it. There were several close calls, often when someone would bump into her, causing her to gasp in pain. Thomas learned very quickly to cover for her, either by distracting any spectators or pretending to gasp along with her at something, usually insignificant. The pretense held, and the inner circle of the COR passed themselves off as patriotic proles. Renee even helped burn one of the Phoenixes.
"That has to be symbolic of something," said Thomas once the four had returned to their rented rooms.
Renee laughed.
"Every time the phoenix burns, it rises from the ashes to live again," she said. "And I fully intend to do so."
She cast a quick glance at Constance, who smiled and said nothing.
The COR proved itself very much alive during Hate Week. COR graffiti appeared across Ireland. Party posters were ripped down in Derry, Cork and Galway. Rocks were thrown at the Ministry pyramids in Dublin. Telescreens were smashed in Armagh, Limerick and Belfast. "Freedom songs," written by proles, were belted out at night from dark corners. The freedom song Children of the Revolution became the COR anthem. Arrests were made constantly.
The last two weeks in Waterford were spent solidifying the cells there. When the four Dubliners left, they needed to leave behind an independent organization that would not need constant attention from the commanding council. Prospero's national communication network was improved, so that messages could be more easily sent across the country. Renee asked Andrew how it actually worked one day.
"Word of mouth," he said.
Renee decided she would eventually need a full tutorial in the intricate workings of COR communications. It even had an unofficial Newspeak name: CORCOM.
Most importantly, the four persuaded one of the Waterford cells to establish a new version of the Warehouse on the outskirts of the city. Cuchulainn, Andrew's contact, argued long and hard against it, citing the destruction of the Dublin Warehouse as a reason against the risk. Renee's guilt over the deaths and arrests that had occurred then almost killed the idea, but Constance and Thomas convinced her to support the new dance hall. Andrew, invigorated by Renee's agreement, overrode Cuchulainn's objections and set the complicated plan in motion. It would be six months before the abandoned factory opened, and the Waterford cells would be the ones to convert, operate and protect the Factory.
A month after the bombing of Dublin, the commanders of the COR packed what possessions they had brought from home and left Waterford for the Connemara.
The train ride to Galway was uneventful. Constance had wanted to split up the group and take different routes, but Renee dismissed her friend's fears. They merely looked like Dubliner refugees, moving from place to place. There was no reason for the Thought Police to associate the group with the COR, especially since they only knew about Phoenix and Prospero within the commanding council.
Once in Galway, the four took buses from town to town, travelling deeper into the wild moors. They stopped in a tiny town nestled in a valley, and set out on foot.
They had carefully stocked food in Waterford, and brought it all with them. They hiked up the hills, through the heather, usually wet with mist. Renee had never felt so free in her life. They could not be heard or seen by the omniscient Party. Under the sky, she could be Phoenix or Renee Pearse, no one cared. Not even the blisters on her feet or her permanently wet hair could dampen her spirits. A few hours after the hike began, she remembered a song her mother had once sung.
"Oh, Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are callin'
From glen to glen and down the mountainside.
The summer's gone, and all the roses fallen.
'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow,
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow,
'Tis I'll be there -"
Upon hitting the high note, a clump of heather hit the back of her head. She turned around to see Constance smirking at her. She narrowed her eyes, then bent down, tore at the heather, and threw it at her friend's face. Before the situation became a full-blown heather fight, Thomas stepped between them.
"All right, ladies, no need to act like children," he said.
"Amazing that the future of Ireland rests on the shoulders of you two," said Andrew from behind Constance.
The women's eyes locked, and then their bags were tossed onto the ground as the four commanders of the COR wrestled in the heather: Constance and Renee versus Thomas and Andrew. The women won, successfully pinning down their opponents, but their victory was insignificant as the four lay on the ground, laughing.
They eventually pulled themselves to their feet and continued on up the hill. They reached their destination at dusk: a crumbling keep and tower that had once presided over the immediate vicinity. Thomas saw a helicopter coming as he climbed the tower, and everyone ducked for cover, Thomas keeping the lookout as the Thought Police patrol passed over without seeing anything.
"How often do they come?" asked Constance.
"How should I know?" retorted Thomas as he watched the helicopter.
"It can't be more than once a day," said Renee. "We didn't see anything all day. We just have to be careful."
She stood and surveyed her new home. Andrew had asked a contact in Galway for the locations of several castles, and Renee had selected this one for its accessibility from the nearest town, and topographical location. From this castle, they could see Thought Police patrols coming miles away.
The night was cold, even for July, so all four huddled together for warmth in the smallest room in the tower. Renee's arm felt a little strange, but she ignored it.
The next day, they combed the castle for hidden microphones. None were found, although Andrew did mistake a plant root for a wire. Setting up house was more difficult. Andrew resolved to buy a black-market stove after attempting to light a fire in one of the immense fireplaces. The keep was almost unusable due to its lack of floors and a roof. However, Renee was confident that, with the aid of the black market, this castle could be the new headquarters of the COR.
"It needs a name," said Thomas, a few days after their arrival.
He and Renee were trying to install the black-market generator that had been delivered to the town that morning. CORCOM seemed to be very efficient in obtaining black-market supplies.
"This old thing?" asked Renee, indicating the machine.
"The castle."
Renee spent the night thinking about that. The next morning, she christened the castle "Baile Saoirse": "freedom home."
Author's Note:
Renee's company: the Sirens were nymphs in Greek mythology whose song was so beautiful that sailors would be lured to their deaths on the rocks around the Sirens' island. Morgana LeFay was King Arthur's half-sister, a powerful witch, and the mother of Mordred, Arthur's killer. Queen Maeve was the legendary queen of Connaught, and started the war between Connaught and Ulster. Her soldiers killed the Ulster champion Cuchullain. Helen of Troy was the mythological queen of Sparta who eloped with the Trojan prince Paris, thus beginning the Trojan War between Troy and Greece that resulted in the deaths of such heros as Achilles, Hector, and Ajax.
Irish geography (I have a map this time): Derry, also known as Londonderry, is pretty much on the western border of Northern Ireland. Cork is in the south-west of Ireland. Galway is on the west coast, opposite Dublin. Armagh is in the south-east of Northern Ireland. Limerick is in the west, between Galway and Cork. Belfast is on the east coast of Northern Ireland.
Cuchulainn was the legendary hero of Ulster. In his final battle against Queen Maeve's forces, he became so tired that he tied himself to a stone to keep upright. He died, but the Connaught troops were so afraid of him that they would not go near him until a raven landed on him, proving he was dead. A statue of Cuchullain commemorates the Easter 1916 Rising at the General Post Office in Dublin.
"Baile Saoirse" is Gaelic for "freedom home." There are over 800 castles in Ireland, all in varying states of ruin. I figured it was plausible that there would be one in the Connemara, just waiting for the COR to take it over.
And I'm sure all of you know that the song Renee was singing is Danny Boy.
Disclaimer:
Children of the Revolution is by Marc Bolan.
Nineteen Eighty-Four is by George Orwell.
Pheonix Burning
The four leaders of the COR stayed in Waterford for a month. In that time, Prospero managed to gather the remnants of the COR together into something resembling the old incarnation. Andrew mentioned that the carpet bombing of Dublin may have been a blessing in disguise, as the members of the COR were now spread across Ireland, but were still willing to fight. Upon that pronouncement, he received a pair of death glares from Constance and Renee. He never mentioned it again, but still took advantage of the facts.
The destruction of the prole district of Dublin was blamed on Eurasia, supposedly performed thanks to espionage and sabotage done by the COR. Reports on the telescreens denounced Phoenix and the COR at every possible interval, and Renee had the strong suspicion that she had replaced Goldstein in the Two-Minute Hate. The telescreen reports became more and more fictional as Hate Week approached: Constance saw one that described Pheonix as a Eurasian temptress.
"Oh, yes, I'm extraordinarily seductive hiding out in a cheap room in Waterford and bleeding all over my clothes," growled Renee.
"Don't take it like that. You're in fine company, Phoenix: the Sirens, Morgana Le Fay, Queen Maeve, Helen of Troy -"
"Helen of Troy wasn't evil."
"She started a war that destroyed champions," said Constance.
"Let's just hope I don't finish in her company, then," whispered Renee.
Hate Week came on their second week in Waterford. Prole demonstrations in favour of the Party blocked the streets, much to Renee's disgust. Pheonix was burned in effigy many times over, which resulted in a number of jokes from Andrew. The four Dubliners participated in some of the bigger demonstrations in order to keep up some sort of facade. Renee and Constance worried about the wounds they had sustained from the bombing of the Warehouse. Constance's cut was small and easily ignored by the casual eye, even though it would scar her face for the rest of her life. Renee had the more serious and easily identified injury, so she took pains to hide it. There were several close calls, often when someone would bump into her, causing her to gasp in pain. Thomas learned very quickly to cover for her, either by distracting any spectators or pretending to gasp along with her at something, usually insignificant. The pretense held, and the inner circle of the COR passed themselves off as patriotic proles. Renee even helped burn one of the Phoenixes.
"That has to be symbolic of something," said Thomas once the four had returned to their rented rooms.
Renee laughed.
"Every time the phoenix burns, it rises from the ashes to live again," she said. "And I fully intend to do so."
She cast a quick glance at Constance, who smiled and said nothing.
The COR proved itself very much alive during Hate Week. COR graffiti appeared across Ireland. Party posters were ripped down in Derry, Cork and Galway. Rocks were thrown at the Ministry pyramids in Dublin. Telescreens were smashed in Armagh, Limerick and Belfast. "Freedom songs," written by proles, were belted out at night from dark corners. The freedom song Children of the Revolution became the COR anthem. Arrests were made constantly.
The last two weeks in Waterford were spent solidifying the cells there. When the four Dubliners left, they needed to leave behind an independent organization that would not need constant attention from the commanding council. Prospero's national communication network was improved, so that messages could be more easily sent across the country. Renee asked Andrew how it actually worked one day.
"Word of mouth," he said.
Renee decided she would eventually need a full tutorial in the intricate workings of COR communications. It even had an unofficial Newspeak name: CORCOM.
Most importantly, the four persuaded one of the Waterford cells to establish a new version of the Warehouse on the outskirts of the city. Cuchulainn, Andrew's contact, argued long and hard against it, citing the destruction of the Dublin Warehouse as a reason against the risk. Renee's guilt over the deaths and arrests that had occurred then almost killed the idea, but Constance and Thomas convinced her to support the new dance hall. Andrew, invigorated by Renee's agreement, overrode Cuchulainn's objections and set the complicated plan in motion. It would be six months before the abandoned factory opened, and the Waterford cells would be the ones to convert, operate and protect the Factory.
A month after the bombing of Dublin, the commanders of the COR packed what possessions they had brought from home and left Waterford for the Connemara.
The train ride to Galway was uneventful. Constance had wanted to split up the group and take different routes, but Renee dismissed her friend's fears. They merely looked like Dubliner refugees, moving from place to place. There was no reason for the Thought Police to associate the group with the COR, especially since they only knew about Phoenix and Prospero within the commanding council.
Once in Galway, the four took buses from town to town, travelling deeper into the wild moors. They stopped in a tiny town nestled in a valley, and set out on foot.
They had carefully stocked food in Waterford, and brought it all with them. They hiked up the hills, through the heather, usually wet with mist. Renee had never felt so free in her life. They could not be heard or seen by the omniscient Party. Under the sky, she could be Phoenix or Renee Pearse, no one cared. Not even the blisters on her feet or her permanently wet hair could dampen her spirits. A few hours after the hike began, she remembered a song her mother had once sung.
"Oh, Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are callin'
From glen to glen and down the mountainside.
The summer's gone, and all the roses fallen.
'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow,
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow,
'Tis I'll be there -"
Upon hitting the high note, a clump of heather hit the back of her head. She turned around to see Constance smirking at her. She narrowed her eyes, then bent down, tore at the heather, and threw it at her friend's face. Before the situation became a full-blown heather fight, Thomas stepped between them.
"All right, ladies, no need to act like children," he said.
"Amazing that the future of Ireland rests on the shoulders of you two," said Andrew from behind Constance.
The women's eyes locked, and then their bags were tossed onto the ground as the four commanders of the COR wrestled in the heather: Constance and Renee versus Thomas and Andrew. The women won, successfully pinning down their opponents, but their victory was insignificant as the four lay on the ground, laughing.
They eventually pulled themselves to their feet and continued on up the hill. They reached their destination at dusk: a crumbling keep and tower that had once presided over the immediate vicinity. Thomas saw a helicopter coming as he climbed the tower, and everyone ducked for cover, Thomas keeping the lookout as the Thought Police patrol passed over without seeing anything.
"How often do they come?" asked Constance.
"How should I know?" retorted Thomas as he watched the helicopter.
"It can't be more than once a day," said Renee. "We didn't see anything all day. We just have to be careful."
She stood and surveyed her new home. Andrew had asked a contact in Galway for the locations of several castles, and Renee had selected this one for its accessibility from the nearest town, and topographical location. From this castle, they could see Thought Police patrols coming miles away.
The night was cold, even for July, so all four huddled together for warmth in the smallest room in the tower. Renee's arm felt a little strange, but she ignored it.
The next day, they combed the castle for hidden microphones. None were found, although Andrew did mistake a plant root for a wire. Setting up house was more difficult. Andrew resolved to buy a black-market stove after attempting to light a fire in one of the immense fireplaces. The keep was almost unusable due to its lack of floors and a roof. However, Renee was confident that, with the aid of the black market, this castle could be the new headquarters of the COR.
"It needs a name," said Thomas, a few days after their arrival.
He and Renee were trying to install the black-market generator that had been delivered to the town that morning. CORCOM seemed to be very efficient in obtaining black-market supplies.
"This old thing?" asked Renee, indicating the machine.
"The castle."
Renee spent the night thinking about that. The next morning, she christened the castle "Baile Saoirse": "freedom home."
Author's Note:
Renee's company: the Sirens were nymphs in Greek mythology whose song was so beautiful that sailors would be lured to their deaths on the rocks around the Sirens' island. Morgana LeFay was King Arthur's half-sister, a powerful witch, and the mother of Mordred, Arthur's killer. Queen Maeve was the legendary queen of Connaught, and started the war between Connaught and Ulster. Her soldiers killed the Ulster champion Cuchullain. Helen of Troy was the mythological queen of Sparta who eloped with the Trojan prince Paris, thus beginning the Trojan War between Troy and Greece that resulted in the deaths of such heros as Achilles, Hector, and Ajax.
Irish geography (I have a map this time): Derry, also known as Londonderry, is pretty much on the western border of Northern Ireland. Cork is in the south-west of Ireland. Galway is on the west coast, opposite Dublin. Armagh is in the south-east of Northern Ireland. Limerick is in the west, between Galway and Cork. Belfast is on the east coast of Northern Ireland.
Cuchulainn was the legendary hero of Ulster. In his final battle against Queen Maeve's forces, he became so tired that he tied himself to a stone to keep upright. He died, but the Connaught troops were so afraid of him that they would not go near him until a raven landed on him, proving he was dead. A statue of Cuchullain commemorates the Easter 1916 Rising at the General Post Office in Dublin.
"Baile Saoirse" is Gaelic for "freedom home." There are over 800 castles in Ireland, all in varying states of ruin. I figured it was plausible that there would be one in the Connemara, just waiting for the COR to take it over.
And I'm sure all of you know that the song Renee was singing is Danny Boy.
Disclaimer:
Children of the Revolution is by Marc Bolan.
Nineteen Eighty-Four is by George Orwell.