Meeting
JJ knocked on the door, there was no sign of people. He pushed and the door open with a creak. It was pitch black inside.
``Hello, is anyone there?'' JJ called
``Come in and shut the door.'' A voice reply.
Once he was in the door slammed behind him and a light came on, JJ saw he was staring down the barrel of a gun. A man removed the rucksack.
``Jehoiakim Jeroboam Goldstein.''
JJ cringed at the sound of his full name. He was reminded of his mother. She had gone through a personal crisis whilst pregnant with JJ which had culminated in her becoming very Jewish. This was particularly unusual since her upbringing had not been particularly religious. Her father had thought that it was all pointless rituals which didn't mean anything and had left the synagogue as soon as he had taken his bar mitzvah. However, he hadn't been too pleased when she'd married JJ's father who wasn't Jewish. Although this was more probably because he had worked in the local garage and was not an accountant or doctor which he had hoped his daughter would marry.
There were only two outcomes of the new religious fervour. The first was JJ name, which came from two obscure kings of Israel in the old testament. The second was to drive JJ dad even further away. This enabled JJ's mother to return to her maiden name of Goldstein from the more English Upperthwaite and thus complete the Jewishness of JJ's name. After that, JJ's mother's Jewishness waned, until by the time JJ was fourteen she had joined the local church of England.
All this was before the `Glorious Revelation' when life was corrupt, evil and without love.
JJ hated his name. It was long, virtually unheard of and above all unpronounceable. He constantly had to spell it for teachers. At school the kids called him everything. Geronimo if they were feeling kind and JJ had done something impressive, but usually Jock-strap or just plain Jerk. Even his dad had difficulty calling JJ by his proper name. Only his mother and his religious studies teacher in secondary school insisted on calling him Jehoiakim Jeroboam. The latter used it as a wonderful excuse for boring classes in the old testament. This didn't do anything either to increase his popularity at school, or his affection for his name.
By thirteen JJ decided he would be called JJ, which except for the odd reference to two birds, meant he could start the life of almost total anonymity which he craved.
``What do you want.''
JJ turned to see an old man speaking to him. Beside him was the man he had met at the Arch. Also in the room was the woman from the illegal shop. The others in the room, including the young man with the gun, were strangers to JJ.
``I am Jehoiakim Jeroboam Goldstein and I want to help remove the DIVINE and bring freedom to Britain again.''
``You lie. You were seen with an Angel by the name of Anne Marie Eton-Stevens''
``I say we should kill him. He wasn't followed. It would be safest for all of us.''
``No, we should hear what he has to say.''
``It is true I am seeing an Angel and she knows I'm here'', all in the room became agitated. ``She told me to find you. She also want to end the regime, but realises she has more chance working inside it.''
``Why should we trust you?''
``You are week. Through Anne Marie I can get hold of better guns, hi-tech equipment, dollars and most importantly information about the weakness of the regime.''
``It could be a trap''
``No my life is on the line, we need each other''
``Look in the bag.''
The bald headed man open the rucksack and took out the money, two guns and the map. ``What are these?'' he asked.
``They are plans for the sewer system of Finchley, north London.''
``And what are they for.''
``Anne Marie says she can get us into the armoury there.''
``Go on.''
``There is a warehouse next to the armoury. We can get inside via the sewers. Once inside Anne Marie will unlock an intervening door which leads into a little guarded arms supply. She has written the instructions on here.''
JJ when to retrieve the instructions, still in his underpants. The young man pointing his gun at him, his finger twitching nervously on the trigger.
``Its just a piece of paper. There, we meet her inside at 06:00, Thursday 15 August. She'll have the key and lead us to the guns and stuff.''
``I don't trust him.'' It was the older woman. It was the first time she had spoken. ``We're going to risk our lives for guns which we can buy on the black market anyway. And we have to trust this love sick moron, with no fighting skills whatsoever, that the Angel he's fucking really wants to help a revolution against the very regime she works for.''
``Lets hear him out. What weapons do they have in there?''
``I don't know. All Anne Marie said was that there were some serious weapons there. At their very least, there will be new guns, unlike the antique contraptions your using.'' He knew they were listening now. Clearly, he had pricked a nerve.
``We'll discuss it. You wait inside the toilet, and don't think of escaping.''
JJ sat on the dingy toilet. He could hear the muffled sounds of a heated debate outside. Eventually the young man led him back to the room, still pointing the gun at him.
``OK we will go.'' It was the older man who was talking. ``But you will be coming, and you wont have a gun. If it's a trap I shall make sure that you are killed first. If you escape, others will track you down. And rest assured the DIVINE is not the only one you knows how to torture dissenters. Do you understand?''
JJ nodded his head.
``We will meet you at 04:00 on Thursday. Wear dark clothing, which you don't mind getting smelly. Before then keep a low profile. And don't even think of talking to anyone.''
``OK.''
``By the way. You will call me Paul.'' The bald headed man informed him. Then pointing to the woman beside him; ``This here is Audrey. Anna you met in the shop. The man pointing a gun at you is Michael and over here is Al.'' He indicated the six foot square giant of a man. ``He doesn't like being lied to.''