Chapter 3 II

Thus, the group first target was clearly marked as the recruiting and selection, followed by training. The small cross disciplinary group would need some time to mature before expanding again. This group of people would fragment into other groups, carrying the core ideas and values in order to maintain group unity

Lastly, a group of people would be selected at the very last moment. These would be selected on the basis of the capabilities of these individuals to break free of their current status and  go through a quick training. The disadvantage of having these people, who had had at best little training or commitment  is obvious. Thus the more important training of a previous batch or batches. A concept of different batches or training cycles was needed in order to incorporate everybody. This meant starting well in advance of the estimated collapse, operating in secret so as to allow the training and waiting.

People was certainly important, but organization was key. The best way to keep everything secret was to operate in as small cells as possible for as long as required. Cells with specific tasks, from recruiting to logistics.

Seed teams would take on the task of creating other small cells and some of the training as well. This was aimed firstly to allow the new members to operate in the cells environment and in secret, plus training or enhancing skills at social and survival level, such as navigation, first aid, hunting and fishing, basic building and tools, water purification and weapons and fighting but also a physical training program and social skills and history and cultural topics

Most of the materials were compiled by the core team and the first aim was to find specialist on each topic, so they would pass the information on.

The other big question, where to move was quite a difficult one. A deep study was done with the climatic evolution and their variants and a geopolitical projection. All the available temperate areas would be flooded with migrants. The current governments there would probably try to grow as much food as possible to sell it to everyone else, thus denying settlements. Ensuing instability was not very attractive.

The best option seemed to be an island or a group of island. Far enough and populated sparsely enough to be attractive, but big enough and close enough to the remaining temperate band. This deal another problem: getting there.

At this point I had gone through most of the information Boone had given me and filled many pages with notes and as much with doodles. I stretched back on my chair and yawned. The night was all around me, outside and in the room. The blinds still up showed a dark hole dotted here and there by lampposts and the silence was only once in a while broken by an odd car driving slowly, looking for a parking or the less regular underground. All this just broken by the cone of light of the table lamp, as if it was the center of a mini solar system. Though not too cold outside, I could feel the badly isolated windows letting the heat escape and I knew the aluminum frame would be unpleasantly could to touch.

It was an halogen lamp, which used to get rather warm and then would smell funny. I thought about my student time, when I finally went to bed, mentally exhausted and, without a break between books and bed, the night was full of nightmares. I stood up and leaned towards the window. Now I could see myself, with an inquisitive stare.

Through the next two days, I went through my notes and checked details here and there and cross checked sources. Everything made kind of sense, but still...