The Phoenix Colony

"Now I just been pushed down by some whore, *COUGH*, after bein' chased by Satan's invisible pal the man-eating baker from mulberry lane!"

"You're a real charmer," Reva told the bedraggled man as he flopped over, the toes of his wingtips finally pointing up, "and if Allen hasn't heard that he's deaf."

She wondered if the man was dead but didn't waste time checking as she swept back and forth, searching for any indication of Allen.

"Is anyone there?" A voice called.

Reva's finger tightened spasmodically on the trigger before she realized that it was a woman's voice not far away. Britney maybe although Reva couldn't be sure. Should Reva answer? Where was Allen? If she called back she would give away her position again.

But she wasn't quite as helpless now, was she?

"Who's there? Come out to where I can see you." Britney's voice, Reva was sure now."You're the bastard that killed Fox's mom. Come any closer and I'll kill you."

So Allen WAS there! And not far away

Reva glanced down at blondie again. Still bleeding so not dead and he needed help soon or he would be. She made a decision, huffed out a short nervous breath and stood suddenly, shotgun raised and ready, will Britney see me first or Allen? sweeping it back and forth as she popped into view among the tall grass.

 

Allen thought he could take out the girl with the stun gun, but as soon as Reva popped out of the grass with a shotgun he knew he was screwed. Instantly he dropped into the grass, hoping she hadn't seen him, and started belly crawling away towards a small dip in the ground. It wasn't much, but it should help to hide him a little better. Allen didn't stop though, he kept moving, staying in the low spots, and keeping a lookout for any good cover.

 

When Reva stood she saw Britney, casting around as though searching. No Allen.

She listened carefully subtracting extraneous sounds from her consciousness. The blonde man's harsh breathing...Britney's swishing...the chirp of insects...the far-off sound of water...and she heard it the same time she saw some grasses wiggle. The quiet brush-and-scramble of someone crawling away.

She headed toward where she knew Allen to be and walked right up on him as he crawled. She pointed the shotgun down at him.

"You crawl pretty well with that arm," she told him quietly, "now how about you just stay right there before I blow your head the hell off."

"Hey, Britney!" she called, not looking away from Allen, "over here!"

She felt bad about the blonde man and hoped he wasn't dead. She would have helped him but it would have been a useless exercise if Allen had come upon them and killed them both. Now to get Britney to get control of Allen and maybe she could help Blondie.

 

"You crawl pretty well with that arm," she told him quietly, "now how about you just stay right there before I blow your head the hell off."

A skinking sensation ate through Allen's stomach. It felt a lot like what a tapeworm would feel like if you felt tapeworms, bad. He made sure to lie very still

"I'm good at most things I do. It seems you are also. Just so you know, I don't get to say that to many people."

This was it. If Reva didn't kill him now, he would die pretty soon. Xare had a reputation, and he fully believed that it was not just hearsay. He hoped that he would at least have the chance to find out what she knew.

His breathing was steady.

 

Britney walks over to where Reva is standing and looks down at Allen. "You bastard. The goverment is supposed to help and protect people, but you used your position to hurt people." says Britney. She thinks "And you hurt Fox. For that I'll find a way to make you pay." She looks at Reva and says "He's too dangerous to keep alive. We should probably kill him now."

 

Allen laughed out loud. It was a strange sound coming from his mouth, not something he was used to.

"I used my...position to hurt people? What makes you think I've used my positon for anything? What makes you think I have a position?"

"The only thing I've ever used my 'postion' for is to do what I'm told. Yes, I hurt people. I hurt people who want to destroy peace. I hurt people who place bombs in public buildings. I hurt people who kidnap children and tell their parents that they'll never see them alive unless they pay up. I hurt people who sell drugs and use the money to fund civil war. I make those people go away. And you stand there defending them. You tell me, who's the bastard?"

 

"Your were planing on killing Reva. So tell me, did she kidnap a child, or bomb a building. I highly doudt it. Reva just pull the trigger and kill him. This planet is dangerous enough without a goverment agent trying to kill the people in our tribe." says Britney.

 

Allen's eyes narrowed, but the two women couldn't see it because he was face down in the dirt.

"Where did you get the idea that I was planning on killing Reva?"

 

Britney eyes fill with anger as she looks down. "He made Fox suffer." thinks Britney

"Where did you get the idea that I was planning on killing Reva?"

"It doesn't matter where we got the idea. Its true isn't it?" says Britney. "I wonder if Fox would prefer for us to kill him here, or for us to drag him back to her so she can kill him." she thinks to herself.

 

Chrys sat next to her mother, "Why are we here Mommy, it looks just like those shows on tv. But they only have a judge. How come those one..two..three..four...How come those twelve people are sitting so close to the judge? Oh, did they get here early, so they's got better seats?"

Her mother looked down, patting the little girl on the head, "Shh, honey, you have to quiet. It's like we're at the theater."

Chrys looked down, noticing the packet in her mother's hand, "What's that, it's got all our names on it."

Her mother looked at the packet, a tear caressing her cheek, "Oh, it's something I have for Daddy..." She wiped the cheek from her face as it kissed her lip.

"Mommy, don't cry, I can give it to Daddy!" CHrys said, becoming too excited.

Her Mother planted a hand on her shoulder, pushing her still in her seat, "No, Mommy has to do this...but only if Daddy loses...."

 

Reva was glad that Allen was facing down. He couldn't see the gun barrel shaking, if she killed him it would be her first time shooting anyone.

Long seconds ticked by as Allen and Britney traded acidic comments that Reva barely heard. Instead she seemed to hear the slowing beat of a heart.

The heart of the blonde man in the suit.

Thud-thud...thud-thud..Reva just pull the trigger...thud-..t...kill him...

Britney's voice seemed to come from a long way away. Straightening, Reva flipped the shotgun around so that she held it two-handed by the barrel and smacked the stock against Allen's skull just hard enough to drop an already concussed man.

She straightened and looked at Britney over Allen's limp form.

"I'm pretty sure we don't want to waste a bullet." She said, "I'll let Fox decide that. Right now there is someone else who needs help."

Turning, Reva went quickly back to the man in the suit and knelt by his side, shotgun under her arm. She pressed her fingers to the artery in his neck and felt the slow pulse against her fingers.

Laying the shotgun aside she quickly loosened his clothing, wincing at the wounds. He had a shotgun, what had done all of this damage in spite of it?

Water. She had heard water somewhere near. She bowed her head, listening. She couldn't hear it at all. Why had she heard it before?

She frowned and then her eyes came to rest on a bushy plant not far from Blondie's head. It had long straight purple-green spikes with a riot of curly stems around the base and all through the bush. It looked like a succulent plant, fat with moisture.

Reva touched a spike gently with one finger, wondering if this was anything like cactus or aloe. Would it help or hurt the man on the ground?

Blondie wasn't exactly able to sign a consent form and either way he might die. Reva broke the spike off with a juicy rending sound then split it open lengthwise with her thumbnail. It opened easily and a clear sap ran out on her hands, causing a cool, tingling , slightly stinging sensation as a pungent antiseptic smell that she associated with hospitals rose around them.

Shrugging, she turned back to Blondie and began to clean his wounds with the opened plant.

 

Ben walked through the parking complex on a cold and windy night. He enjoyed a nice, private place for his Jag, with a big shiny gold plaque with the words 'Benjamin Richard Freeman' on it. He enjoyed the fine suit he was wearing, he had always liked suits, even as a boy, and the one he wore that night was particularly stunning. He moved swiftly down a row of cars, compacts on one side, little cars for little men, and on the other side a row of SUV's and Hummers, cars for tough guys and dildos. At the end of the row, in his big, cushy parking spot, his silver Jag sparkled in the dirty florescent lights, sticking out in front of the brown, brick wall before it. Ben smiled, he had a good life, he had a good job, and thanks to his latest novel, The Midnight Whistle, he had a Jag.

Stopping in front of the driver side door and fishing through his pocket for the key, he heard something behind him. Footsteps, not that it mattered, probably a co-worker, he paid it no heed. Pressing the unlock button, he heard the lock click open, and as he placed his hand over the "knob", he heard the footsteps again, closer this time. Ben looked behind him, slowly, just in time to catch a fist to the nose. "****!" he yelled as he grasped his bleeding face, the man had been wearing a few nasty rings.

"Congress isn't too fond of your writing, Mr. Freeman," chuckled a male voice, he couldn't see who it was, what with his hands over his face, but he knew it wasn't friendly. "Your going to come with us. Slandering the government is a crime." He could hear the cracking of knuckles.

"Screw you!" cried Ben, lifting his hands from his face, two men standing in front of them, sinister grins on their face, one stepped forward, lifting a bag over Ben's head, plunging him into darkness.


Just as he reached that point in his dream, Ben lurched upwards, breathing heavily, heart pumping fast, only to see the women who had pushed him down rubbing a strange liquid into his bruises. Panting, he said, "What the hell happened?"

 

Britney watches Reva hit Allen with the shotgun. While he's knocked out she kicks him in the side a few times untill she hears some one say "What the hell happened?"

She looks over to see a blond man in a suit sitting there. "Damn, looks like something had some fun with you. I'm Britney, she's Reva. The rest of our tribe is on the other side of that field." says Britney as she points to the east, "Can you walk, or are we going to have to carry you there."

 

Reva yelped, startled when Ben's eyes opened and he sat up, let him reply to Britney, then pushed him back down yet again.

"Look, can you just lie still while I finish this? I'm trying to figure out how bad off you are." She didn't remove her hand from his chest, leaning on it for a moment, "You bled quite a bit, you know."

His beard and hair were sticky with blood though his suit seemed to have been spared. Still, any drycleaner worth their salt would have viewed the garment with glee.

 

Ben was once again pushed down, this time he noticed how sticky the ground beneath his head was. "Pleased to meet you too Reva," he muttered. Ben lifted one arm to his face, it hurt, really bad.

Running his finger along his right cheek, he felt 3 tiny canyons, dried blood rivers running through them. "Christ, that thing got me bad didn't it? Does your 'tribe' have any disinfectant or am I going to be nature's bitch for the next couple of weeks?" He looked at the three women, and then, straining to look up a bit without sitting up, he saw a fourth figure, a familiar man, someone who Ben couldn't quite put his finger on. Then it struck him, "Allen! What did you do to him? He disappeared during the storm, ****, I thought he was dead."

 

Britney says "He was trying to hurt Reva, so she knocked him out. So have you chosen a group yet or are you on your own." "Fox would probably like to have another member of the tribe." thinks Britney

Fox says "Thanks for helping me out guys. I'm sorry for passing out. We should starting heading for the mountain again. We need to find a cave that we can use for shelter."

 

"This plant seems to be some sort of antiseptic," Reva replied, "so nature might just save your bacon yet. What worries me is the internal injuries. Just standing up is going to be a big risk even if you can do it." Reva wiped her hands on the ruins of the sweatshirt bag wrapped around her leather jacket and unrolled her sleeves again. "Nice to meet you, too....?" She trailed off, inviting him to give his name.

She was all for this man joining up with their group. He might have a mouth like a sailor and no respect for her but he had a shotgun. And, she thought wryly, was very smartly dressed, too.

((Hey, everyone...if all of our scenes are pretty much wrapped up I can bump us forward. In the morning...I'm going to sleep now.))

 

"I was with a few people earlier, but I got left behind after we got jumped by some convicts, but I'd like to meet up with them again, that doesn't mean I'm opposed to meeting new people." he offered a pain riddled smile as he got up onto his elbows.

"This plant seems to be some sort of antiseptic," Reva replied, "so nature might just save your bacon yet. What worries me is the internal injuries. Just standing up is going to be a big risk even if you can do it." Reva wiped her hands on the ruins of the sweatshirt bag wrapped around her leather jacket and unrolled her sleeves again. "Nice to meet you, too....?" She trailed off.

"Ben, Ben Freeman. I think we met earlier, I'm not sure entirely, but then again my mind isn't the clearest. Hand me a little bit of that fruit, if it does what you says it does these three will be needing some," he motioned to his cheek, wincing a little.

 

6:00 PM Clear, 38 degrees F. with promise of frost

*** Time Advancement ***​

((I controlled a few characters briefly to move us on.))

Reva stood on sandstone at the mouth of the cave holding an armful of brushwood, looking out over the valley below. The nose section of the ship was visible only as a faint distant spot and only if you knew what you were looking for.

Across in front of that was a pale line - the long furrow the ship’s crash had made - pointing to what was now a silvery snaking flood in the setting sun. She couldn’t see the tail end of the ship, which was puzzling. When she had escaped the wreck had been on flat land. It should have been easy to see.

She held up a hand, palm outward, and it easily covered the distant lake. She sighed and turned back to help the others.

Britney was getting the fire coaxed into being, flickering light dancing on the stones and earth of the cave.

The cave was mostly earth and boulders, with a huge slab of rock creating a natural roof. It protruded to a ragged point over the mouth of the cave like a porch roof. At the back of the cave was a spring, which welled from a crack in the rocks and pooled before running along one side of the cave for a short distance and sinking into the soil, making that part of the cave floor damp. The rest of the floor was dry and sandy over another huge flat stone.

Allen seemed to be coming around, groaning now and then though still unconscious. They had tied him to the crudely fashioned gurney and dragged him up the hill. Reva’s suggestion that they leave him tied had met with approval. What she didn’t mention was that it was partly for his own safety. If Fox didn’t see him as an immediate threat maybe he’d make it through the night.

Ben sat leaning against the cave wall looking white to the lips, the shotgun beside him. Reva had left her things not far from him; the two guards’ bags she had gone back for, the bedding bundle, the bedraggled sweatshirt/bag with a few toiletries retrieved from after her flight from the Ceader, some of the purple-green antiseptic plant spikes, and a few mysterious berries and fruits they’d found on the way.

Raylene was helping Fox and Fox was pretending she didn’t need help. Reva sighed and dropped the wood by the fire. Her stomach rumbled.

She felt heavy, drained, and decided that if anything attacked her at this point she would just let it eat her.

Moving to Ben she checked his pulse and decided that she would have to wash as much blood out of his hair and off of him as she could. They didn’t want the scent of blood attracting…things. And besides, the sight of his blood-matted hair and beard was freaking her out.


((I'm assuming that all of the tribes are now up at about the same elevation kind of sprinkled around. Not real close together but close enough that they will stumble across each other if they range out to find food, etc.

Apologies for length of word count.))

 

.................The helicopter seemed to sway gently in the air like a leaf on a branch. It was probably just in Allen's mind though. He couldn't see outside because he was strapped down on a backboard laying on the floor. Lawrence was sitting on the seat beside him looking down at him with worry in his eyes. Allen tried to shift, but the straps kept him from moving anywhere.

"Did the mission succeed Lawrence? Are we done?"

A wave of exhaustion washed over Allen, making him say something he would never have otherwise said..............

"I want to go home."

 

Smith sat down on the inside of the cave with his buttstock compartment open and the rifle cleaning kit inside spread on some rocks. It wouldn't take long to spot clean it since he hadn't fired it to much and the planet wasn't to bad on it, better than a dessert or swamp environment would have been for sure. It took him all of a three minutes to clean and oil the rifle, and just a minute for the pistol that had only been fired once. He smiled down at Joey who had just sat their eating and watching him with interest. "I've got to go find some more food." He anounced to the group, he had split the berries with everyone but Chrys still couldn't eat them, and he'd eaten more than anyone else had all day since he had eaten his full at the bush it's self. He hadn't told everyone because he had kept his share so he could feed Joey.

He slung the rifle on his back and slipped the pistol back where it belonged. "If anyone wants to come with me you best do it now, I want to get this done with before it gets too cold." He said calmly, and shivered slightly. Who's idea had it been to get higher and colder? He thought grumpily to himself. Joey seemed to be perfectly warm. He scratched his itchy skin hopeing he didn't have some bactirial infection.

 

Fox sat there in their new cave. Raylene kept checking on her, to see if she got better. "Raylene, I'm fine! Your efforts would probably be better spent checking on Ben." says Fox. She has kept an eye on Allen since he was brought to the cave. "I will make you pay ten fold, for what you took from me." thinks Fox.

Britney sits there by the fire. She notices that Fox is keeping a close eye on Allen. "I've never met any quite like you before. Your eyes are so cold and harsh. Its as if your soul has been badly scarred. Fox, I know your not an evil person like dad said you are. You fight against the goverment because they took your parents away. But If your good, then does that make the goverment evil? The goverment can't be evil. My dad, uncles, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers all fought for the goverment. Some of them even sacrificed their lives to protect the goverment. But if the goverment is good, then you're the evil one. Fox you can't be evil. You're....you're amazing. You're so strong and confident, you're unlike anyone I've met before. I just don't know what to believe any more." thinks Britney. She notices that Fox stands up and walks to the fire.

"Ok everyone, listen up. First off, I think we should keep our food in the back of the cave. Since the spring keeps that area pretty cool, the food might last longer. Secondly, Reva, I need you to promise that the next time we're in danger, you won't just take off. We need to work as a team, wich is hard to do when one of the members runs away. Thirdly, does anyone here think they can build a gate for our cave? We need to be able to protect this place from predators and other tribes that would want to take it from us." says Fox, as she stands infront fo the fire.

 

Pasha took the meat from his shoulders, placing it near the water source, like told and looked back at Fox. He didn’t like being told what to do, but leadership would be needed afterall. He sighed, knowing somehow he was changing. Viva was probably the culprit. He turned her way, instantly looking away as he turned a deep red. He came back over to Fox.

“I think I can manage something…” he said, going into this thoughts. He knew there was a specific tree with a stringy bark, he could make a simple rope from that, but he could get the sticks for the gate itself from the woods. He would just have to find something to keep the gate up, rocks was what he thought might work. Large rocks, and large sticks…

“I can manage a gate, but it would take quite a while, and I’d need help.” He choked out the last word. Looking at the girls with uncertain eyes.

 

"Ok everyone, listen up. First off, I think we should keep our food in the back of the cave. Since the spring keeps that area pretty cool, the food might last longer. Secondly, Reva, I need you to promise that the next time we're in danger, you won't just take off. We need to work as a team, wich is hard to do when one of the members runs away. Thirdly, does anyone here think they can build a gate for our cave? We need to be able to protect this place from predators and other tribes that would want to take it from us."

Reva paused from her contemplation of washing Ben's hair and looked at Fox in mild dismay. The woman was standing in front of the fire like some kind of chieftain and for a moment Reva wondered if Fox's wounds had made her delirious.

Fox had blown right by ordering Reva not to run away. Like she assumed an affirmative answer. Like Reva didn't matter.

Reva fought down some anger and sorted through some inappropriate responses before she finally looked at Fox and said, "No, I can't promise that and I won't. You have nasty wounds that will take you months to heal, Britney is hobbling on her hurt leg. I had nothing to defend myself with and would only have gotten badly hurt, too."

She turned her back on Fox, looking for a container for water.

"Maybe running away should occasionally be in your game plan."

 

Viva left Pasha and Raylene as she announced she was going to wash her clothes. She then took a dive in a far end of the torrent, giddy and playful. She washed her clothes as she swam around the water, and then put them out to dry. The comparatively cool atmosphere did not help her, but it did not stop her from wearing her semi-dry clothes and walking back to camp. When she did, they were walking to a cave. She shrugged and sat by Pasha's side, her hand on his.

Fox went on with her rude and bossy attitude, at which Viva simply clapped and smiled - though she wanted to go ahead and give her a slap on the face. Just as much she wanted to be the boss, she knew everyone would unanimously disobey her. She had no chance of standing up to Fox, who really didn't have competition. Unluckily.

She then smiled to Pasha who offered to help Fox. Viva smiled, feeling proud of what she had made him.
"He's crazy, don't trust him yet."
A voice warned her, and she agreed. She couldn't trust him. Not yet.