Chapter 20: The start of rebellion
Half a year has passed since we discovered that the Void was a space station. During that time, Carnivore, Rebecca and I were worked quite hard by the Warden, but in between all of that, we were doing as much research on the Void as we could. One thing that Carnivore noted, though, was that the Warden almost never communicated directly with us. All orders he gave us were relayed via three individuals.
One area we focused our research on was these individuals. We found them out to be the Warden's right hand, the Summon Overseers. These three Overseers were apparently the head overseers to which the other overseers, guards and even maintenance staff reported. We found out that the reason they were called the Summon Overseers was due to the fact that their Decks were based off a specific type of Summon. I managed to find out that the overseer that I, as a Gatekeeper, reported to was known as the Overseer of Rituals.
Otherwise, another area we researched was how to take control of the Void. The vow to destroy the station was still fresh in our hearts, but it was unwise to do that while the Void was still in orbit unless we either wanted to die from lack of oxygen or burn up while re-entering the atmosphere. To do that, however, we needed to find some way to take the space station itself out of orbit. The only thing we managed to find, however, pointed to the Warden. Somehow, he was the Key to our plans
The previous two factors led us to research a third factor; how hard it would be to challenge the Warden to a Duel. We learned that if someone somehow achieved access to a high-level area while only bearing a low-level access card and no high-level escort, any guards who found him would Duel him on the spot, not stopping until the troublemaker was defeated. Since we were Gatekeepers, however, we wouldn't have that problem. One problem we would have, though, is that if we approached the Warden without prior notice and approval, the Summon Overseers would bar our way.
Today, it looked like we were as prepared as we could be with regards to knowledge. However, we couldn't afford to get bogged down with Dueling the Overseers, as we needed to save our strength for the Warden.
"We could rally the other Cells to fight against the Overseers," Rebecca suggested, while we were in her Cell.
"Just who are we going to rally?" Carnivore asked. I could tell from her voice that she didn't believe Rebecca's plan was possible.
"Well, I'm still in touch with Sky Fairy. I can ask her to relay a message to the Beast."
"What use will the Beast be? He's just an animal."
"Many animals have been known to carry heavier loads than humans. In this case, an animal can mean all the difference between victory and defeat."
"Why Sky Fairy though?"
"You know the Beast only speaks to those who acknowledge him as superior. Sky Fairy is one of the only people I know outside Cellblock 8 who qualify as such. Of course you could try, but then he'd try to make you his girlfriend due to that little crush he has on you."
"Fine. We will need more than those two, though."
"Hopefully, Sky Fairy can persuade Dancer as well. We may also need Nightshade and Hunter-Killer's help. I saw in your match that you were on speaking terms with those two, so you can try and get their help. Seeing as though Toby seemed the submissive type to Queen and Bombardier, he is probably best suited to getting their help."
I couldn't believe this. I hated those two, yet I was being forced to deliver a message to them. "Relax, Toby," Rebecca spoke to me, probably noticing how I felt. "You aren't going to go there to serve their every whim, you are just trying to get them on our side for this battle. Trust me, I hate them just as much as you do, but we need their help."
I couldn't help but sigh as I made my way to Cellblock 3. Almost immediately, I ran into the Queen that used an Insect Deck, whom immediately began speaking "Well, if it isn't the new little Gatekeeper twerp!"
"I need to talk to you and the Bombardier!" I tried to speak.
"Sorry, I couldn't hear you over the lack of respect you showed!"
"I need to talk to you and the Bombardier, my Queen!"
"Now see, was that so hard? Just this once, I'll take you to see him, but then you'd better do your Queen a favor and explain yourself fully."
She led me to her Cell, and the Bombardier was also there. After the Cell was secured, I explained what I had planned, also giving them intelligence on what we were up against.
"Risky. Very risky. What makes you think this plan will even work?" the Bombardier asked me.
"I just have a feeling, Bombardier."
"Still, what makes you think you can just draft us in?"
"I'm asking for your help, Bombardier. I believe that your Dueling skills will surely result in victory. Besides, you and my Queen deserve respect from those you encounter. Not the guards, not the Summon Overseers, not even the Warden is giving you the same respect! In fact, I suspect that I'm the only one with high-level access who is addressing you the way you wish to be addressed."
"When you put it like that…" the Queen spoke again, "…you make a very good point. I never thought I'd say this, but you've got our support."
"Don't be so hasty, my Queen," Bombardier spoke again. "We will follow you to the Overseers, but unless we see at least one victory in this campaign of yours, we won't help you in an actual Duel against them!"
"Fair enough," I said. To be quite honest, I was hoping for an unconditional commitment to our fight for freedom, but then again, I was lucky enough that I even got them on my side. The next day, I met up at the VIP Lifts of Cellblock 16. Also there was Carnivore, Rebecca, Beast, Sky Fairy, Dancer, Queen and Bombardier.
Noticing something missing, I asked "What about those two?"
"They refused to get involved," Carnivore spat.
"We need to find other people then!"
"We can't. The guards most likely know about us now, so we have no time to waste. Everyone here will have to do.
With the access provided, the eight of us squeezed into the elevator and opted to go to the Warden's office. The next time those doors opened, it would be all out war.