The Phoenix Colony

Smith screamed in agony, unable to keep it in as his arm was tied shut. A tear of pain rolled out of his good eye. He bet that the one doing this was Fox, she could be a pain even to a deaf man. He would have laughed but the pain kept him screaming.

 

Allen tried very hard not to move or make a sound when she pushed his arm back into place. It was very hard. He couldn't hear or see anything for the next several moments because of the fire running up his body. The next thing he felt was her lips on his forehead.

"I'm glad you're ok, all things considering."

"Me too, I mean, you."

He stood up and looked around the camp. Chad was injured, but it looked like he might pull through, suprisingly enough. He looked at Chrys, looking more like a cat than ever, and Xare. She still needed to die. He stared at the mountain of flesh right next to him. When he did that, he tried to reach up and pet Tatee who was still squirming. He immediatly stopped trying when his arm forcefully reminded him that it was going on strike.

"The fire doesn't matter, we can't stay here anyways."

 

"Why?" Reva stared at him, "If it doesn't destroy things why should we move?"

 

Chad screams out as Cull patches him up. Fox looks him in the eyes and says "Please relax. I know that it hurts but you're only making it worse."

 

He pointed at the dead body of the mother snake, a little more visible now that it could no longer try and stay hidden.

"That'll attract all sorts of animals, and it's so big there's no way we could move it, even if we could clean up all the blood. We'll be safe enough tonight with the fire and recent commotion, but we can't stay. Plus, it'll stink to high heaven for the next couple months."

He smiled at her again. Strange that he could do that so much when he was in so much pain.

"You better go see how Chad is doing. Madam President. I'm afraid I've kept you away from your duties."

 

Smith screamed in pain untill he could scream no more, and whimpered. He hoped Ray wasn't watching. He felt so worthless now, but at least the job was done. No more blowing up for Smith nope no way. The next snake was all Kat's.

 

Reva smiled back, noting that Allen's smile was pinched with pain.

"I suppose you're right," she said quietly, "on all counts."

Still she lingered for a moment then touched his fingers with her own.

"Thank you," she told him simply then squeezed his hand and left, going to see how Chad was getting along.

 

Raylene grabbed his right hand, touching the sensitive skin on his palm. "Where else do you hurt? We've got the bleeding mostly stopped." Raylene waits for his response, but he only whimpers in pain. "Chad!" She looks at Fox. "Chad, can you hear me?"

 

Fox looks into Chad's eyes and loudly says "Can you hear me? Please give us a response. Chad, can you hear us?"

 

Allen sighed, all he wanted to do right then was sleep, but it was time to get to work. He "encouraged" Tatee to get off his arm by the means of sitting down and scraping his foot down it's lenght, not hard enough to hurt, just uncomfortable. She wouldn't stay away though, and coiled around his upper leg.

"Oh well."

With his left arm he picked up the knife, and then he got onto the creature's tail and walked up it's back to the other end. He stuck in the knife and started sawing away, ignoring the pain in his arm as he worked his way down the spine toward the tail. They couldn't just leave enough invisible fur to clothe them all three times over, make blankets, doors, ect. and then some to rot. It would make moving invisibly a whole lot easier. This thing had children, which meant it had a mate. Even if it didn't stick around, it apparently frequented the area often enough to meet this big mother. He just wasn't up to putting Reva in mind of that at the moment.

 

It was Ray. He thought as she grabs his hand, though he couldn't stop the whimpers from escaping now. He squeezed her hand firmly. She was here for him, he thought. See i'm alive, can't you see i'm alive? He thought as the pain finaly pushed him over the edge and he passed out.

 

*** GM NOTE ***​

Our ending has been carried out successfully. I'd like to give at least the weekend for anyone who wishes to RP a little more as an epilogue. I'll do it in two time advancements, the first a few days after the killing of The Beast and the second a year or two into the future.

I cannot thank you all enough for playing. The game was a huge success and that was all due to YOU.​

*** TIME ADVANCEMENT ***​

Time: 10:00 am three days after the killing of the Beast
Conditions: 63 degrees (comfortable weather if you have a sweatshirt or jacket or if you are naturally a very hot blooded person!) springlike weather, the blossoms are coming out on the trees. Slightly overcast but bright and the air smells of the rain that falls about every eight hours. Muddy.


Reva had given up trying to remain dry. The cave that had almost become home to the Tribe was no longer habitable. She had originally thought that they might return a time after the ceaders and birds together with whatever other scavengers there might be had picked the Beast carcass clean.

However, the cave roof had a deep crack right down the middle, possibly the result of the boulder strike when the Beast had hurled the huge rock fragment at the cave entrance or possibly because of the seismic event that Mineko had sensed long before they had noticed the shaking.

The quake was a small one and they laughed it off the best they could, saying that it was small potatoes compared to quakes in Los Angeles.

Allen's idea of taking the Beast's hide had been problematic but worth it. While Reva was unsure whether anything native to their planet could see the hides she knew that they provided excellent cover from human eyes. Now and then they saw other cons, surviving as they had many looking wild and scrawny. The rolls of hide were problematic, though, as people tended to trip and fall over them if they were rolled fur side out so Reva had decreed with some asperity that they be rolled hide side out between bouts of scraping and curing them.

Frank had a vicious argument with his men, only to find that they weren't his men anymore. They saw that the Tribe had resources that they lacked and joined them, apprenticing themselves to Cevin and the others to learn how to hunt and take care of themselves. Frank had walked off somewhere, presumably to sulk, though Fox reported sensing movements of someone walking parallel to them as they traveled and Reva's sensitive hearing detected labored breathing and muttered, despairing curses. She was sure that Frank was still with them.

They found Cevin's cave again and he had become morose when he saw some of Pasha and Viva's things left in the cave. The Tribe were too many to live there, however comfortable it had been for Cevin's tribe. They had to move on.

Reva tied her jacket around her waist, taking the spear that Pasha had made for her, using the blunt end as a walking stick. She had already touched Ben's paper, still kept in her pocket, for luck.

"Let's move out." She told the others. Setting an easy pace for the injured she struck out in the direction they had mostly agreed on, further into the mountains, looking for a new home.

Her feet squished with every step on the muddy ground and she stopped the Tribe if they found a good forage area. They had two woven bags full of the plant spikes and were using them quickly on the injured, both treating injuries and mixing the sap into water for them to drink. Reva hadn't forgotten Ben's rapid healing and thought that might be due to him taking the sap internally.

She touched the paper again and looked around at her Tribe as they walked.

 

Smith had been dragged along for the first two days, but thanks to the medicine he had been taking and the doctor he now limped along on his two semi healed legs. It had taken a long time for the doctor exsplain but Smith knew that he'd never walk without a cane again. He wa breathing heavy as he strugled to keep up with the slow pace. Several times he had nearly fallen on the wet ground. Ray had been there to catch him though. He hadn't left Ray's side since he had started walking, some how it felt that if he did he might not ever see her again. He even had night mares about that monster, as they walked he would find himself glanceing around for any sign of it, his hands would shake and he'd have to stop and gather himself so he didn't calapse.

He had taken a look at himself only once and hadn't been able to do it again. His face plate was in the closed position but had been shattered and now added no protection, his left cheek bone had calapsed into his left eye socket that now was a sewn mess. He had burried himself against Ray and drawn upon her strength. Since then he hadn't approuched the water.

 

Chrys followed the group, realizing that there was no going back, even if it was an option. Life had told her where to go, and wouldn't let her down, not this time.

She played with her claws, and heard a voice say, "Finally, she learns to listen." A soft chuckle following it. Chrys places her fingers to her mouth as another voice shimes in, "Yes, but with no help from you. You gave her the stubborn gene, and I did the rest. Kat, hon, get your fingers off your mouth. It's okay."

Chrys felt a soft breeze ruffle her hair, "Guess it's time to start the fourth life, isn't it?" The breeze carried a chckle, "Yes, yes it is. And don't yuck ths one up little Kitten."

"Dad, shut up already." Chrys said, smiling at the rustling tree leaves.

 

Allen walked in silence, thinking to himself. He ha said almost anothing for the last three days. His right arm was bound up against his chest, aln his left arm had been tied up again, except for certain times when he absolutely needed the use of a hand. Tatee was curled up in her new favorite place, around his leg. She didn't seem to mind the constant movement, in fact, he suspected that it was comforting to her. He wondered how big she would get before the others started insisting that they kill her. He also wondered if she would stay tame.

He gave a once over of the group, eyes coming to rest on Xare. He was in no position to kill her, and wouldn't be for several months. It was well that they were moving away from the ship. He didn't want her anywhere near if rescuers came. That would put Jacob and the rest of his family in unthinkable danger. I guess if she never gets home, it doesn't matter whether she lives or dies. He knew something would happen eventually though. He owed her for the scars on his stomach, and she still thought he had murdered her parents, even though he hadn't been anywhere near there when it happened.

Jacob. Why was it the brother he felt closest to was the one he knew the least? He truly would never see him again. Allen hoped his last visit had been enough to set him out on life right. He'd known it would probably be their only visit, so he'd tried to give him everything he could, and now he was out of reach. All he had left of his family was hope. He couldn't go back, literally and figurativly. The only thing left was here, and he had nothing here. No job, no home, no family. Spies are pretty useless when there is nobody to spy on.

He looked at Reva. She hadn't seemed to think he was useless. That was what confused him most. What had she thanked him for the night they killed the beast? The only thing he'd done was grab the baby snake. His plan to confuse the mother hadn't even worked. Even now, he was just a drain on them all. He remembered something, an almost question he had asked her. Allen found a moment when Reva wasn't busy directing some aspect of the camp, and walked over to her. Once again, he noticed her eyes. They were green, and tired. She was playing with the note again, the one from Ben.

"Why did you say I was responsible for you being here when I told you I was a drug dealer?"

He hoped it wasn't too blunt, but he was hurting too much from his injuries to try and smoothly ease into it.

 

Fox had stuck close to Kat's side during their journey. Fox swore that she wasn't going to let anyone else in the tribe die. Fox looks back at Allen. She grins and whispers to Kat, "Who knew that Mr. Spy back there would make such a good mommy to Tatee." She thinks to herself "When this is all said and done, I might have to kill you. Until then, I'm not taking my eyes off of you. I will find a way off of this world, if its the last thing I do."

She looks back at Kat and scratches behind her ear. "So, are you starting to feel better miss Chrissy Kat." says Fox.

 

Smith stopped, looking around fearfully, he thought he had seen something but wasn't sure. He spun his head around while leaning heavily on his cane. His heart racing, his eye wide with fear. Then he stopped realizing that this had just been another one of his false alarm, there was nothing, he thought looking hard around still anyways. He knew the others would be watching him like he was crazy, maybe he was, after all, he still thought that if another one did appear he'd just give it his other arm. "It's nothing." He said not hearing his own words, but just in case someone had tried to say something.

 

Chrys looked over at Fox, "Calm down, I can smell your hatred on you. What's your beef with him anyway?"

 

Reva folded and unfolded the note, folded it again. The softened creases in the paper attested to the fact that it had become like a worry stone, a nervous habit that comforted her.

"Why did you say I was responsible for you being here when I told you I was a drug dealer?"

"Allen." Reva gave him a brief smile before looking away.

She quickly replaced the note in her pocket and turned to meet Allen's eyes. They were intense in a way that told her he was determined to find the answer to at least one question. She laced her arms across her stomach, cleared her throat, looked down, then back at him.

He hadn't flinched nor looked away.

Reva sighed. "Have you ever heard of Dexedolophine? The street name is Speed Candy among other things. It's a designer drug that supposedly gives the user an incredible rush before dropping them into an endless pit of contentment."

She paused, framing the next words, "It became popular among weathy drug users only a few years ago but I had never heard of it. I was building my business as a massage therapist, gaining regular clients, doing well."

Reva stopped again. As much as she hated telling the story it was good to tell someone who would listen.

"Doing well, that is, until a client died on my table. They couldn't find a cause of death and I was arrested for his murder. He was a high official in the global council."

"I was released eventually though the case remained open. It took me a year to get back on track, build up a customer base again. And that was when a second, very wealthy customer died, once again inexplicably, once again under my hands."

Reva squeezed the bridge of her nose with her fingertips and sighed.

"This time I was convicted and sentenced to two consecutive terms of 60 years each in prison. My lawyer..."

Reva sucked in a breath and shook her head.

"My lawyer never stopped working to exonerate me and we eventually found out what the police and detectives hadn't discovered yet. Some users of Dexedolophine crash out after their high if their blood pressure reaches a certain low point. I had indirectly killed them by lowering their blood pressure too far."

Reva stopped, staring moodily at nothing. There was more but would Allen be able to look at her the same way again if he knew?

 

"He killed my mother. Don't you hate the people responsible for your mother's death. Besides, he said that he was working on a plan to get off of this planet, though I doudt getting all of us off of it is part of the plan. So I'm going to keep an eye on him, just incase he decides to sneak off." says Fox.

 

"Well, yeah my mother's death hurt e. But once I accepted that, I found comfort. Let them lie. It will be okay. And, I guess you don't want to stay here, oh well." CHrys said, shrugging in defeat, "It's your life, stop worrying about his."

 

There was more. If there was one thing he could tell, it was when someone was holding out on information. He didn't need to know it though, even though it went against his nature to pass it up.

"You don't have to tell me the rest, if you don't want to. I..."He forced the words out. "I don't need to know everything."

He stopped talking for a moment. He didn't know what to say. This was one of those times when you just had to hang the plan and make it up as you go along. He didn't like those times. They could get you killed. He wanted to know more about what she'd said about the drugs. He wanted to know more about the note from Ben. Obviously he had meant a lot to her. For some reason he just wanted to talk about anything.

 

Fox sighs and says "Believe me, I'm trying, but its hard too when the man responsible is right infront of you. I promise you, I'm not going to do anything stupid, well not anything else for anyways." as she continues to scratch Kat's ears.

 

"You don't have to tell me the rest, if you don't want to. I..."He forced the words out. "I don't need to know everything."

She gave him a quick wry smile.

"I think I'll just tell you and then," she shrugged, "you can decide about me for yourself."

"By the time we had found out about the drug that had gotten me put away and were ready to come forward with the evidence I was broke. The lawyer didn't work for nothing and I couldn't make much money in prison, even working the little jobs they had available."

Reva looked out over the mountains, letting the openness cleanse her of the memories as she told them to Allen.

"Another convict accused me of taking some of her things. It was ridiculous, I didn't want anything of hers but she decided to try to beat me up anyway."

The silence lengthened for a moment.

"I killed her. I had been boxing to work out and didn't realize that I'd developed a right cross that would send her head into the edge of a metal table."

Reva peered at her wrist, the bruise from the manacle still sullenly yellowish purple.

"And so I ended up here."

She smiled a little, feeling better for having told someone and bumped Allen's shoulder gently with hers, peeking at him sidewise.

"So now you know why I'm not real enthusiastic about drug dealers, I guess."

 

CHrys looked over at Fox, "I have learned to accept my role as a mascot. You know what I'd do if we got off of this rock?" She spread her arms and wagged her tail, "Move to the center of the anime universe, Japan! I men, where else can a girl with a tail and ears walk around without being sent to an insane asylum?"