9-30-20
Following the discovery and seizure of the gang’s original base of operations, a backup location in another abandoned mine is being felt out for renovation. Cole Manors, the original architect of the first base, mentors Amata in the trade, as he is aging and passing on the torch.
“Now Amata,” Cole started to lecture. He moved across the cavernous room, pacing and touring the expansive mine floor.
“Yes?” Amata tuned in.
“You and I both know how important this is. This is no simple task, yet it’s easy as pie. You just have to know how to find the shape of the place and carve it into fruition. You’re a very smart youngster and I trust you. Are you ready for this project?” Cole turned to face Amata.
His visage was peppered with creases and familiar dips and valleys. His age was clear across his face. He was hopeful for the blueprints he and Amata drafted together for the new headquarters. He wouldn’t be around forever to take care of this new place. Amata, however, found it very difficult to fathom that they could be in charge of renovations, even if it’s under Cole’s supervision.
“I don’t know if I’m ready. I know I am. But it’s hard to believe that I’m ready. What if I mess it up?” Amata wringed their hands.
“If you mess something up you can always fix it, kiddo. I know you can. You’ve shown me time and time again that you can snuff out the little details and handle the construction. You run circles around me in ways I didn’t think possible. I won’t always be here to do this. It’s hard for me to see anymore.I’m getting old and I fear I won’t be around when you or the gang needs me. You’re ready. That’s a fact. I’m handing you the torch and I trust you with it.”
Amata blinked. The reassurance helped quell their nerves a little. The two of them had the new layout all set out before them. The only thing they needed to do now was to put in the work of putting their plan into action. The ratty abandoned barracks were doing the job of housing in the meantime, but they weren’t the same as the apartment like setup the gang was so used to before in the first mine they made their home out of. The barracks were bone cold in the evening and exposed to the elements. Rotting mattresses and blankets provided little comfort. The inside of the mine wasn’t much better with its stone and dirt floors and echoing twists and turns. It needed to be turned into a living space. Amata was determined to make that dream into a reality just as Cole had done for the original mine.
“Thank you, Cole. I think I’m ready to do this now. It’s way past due anyways. Where should we start?”
“Let’s begin with the foundation, shall we?”