The Phoenix Colony

Chrys truned to look at Chad, walking over to him slowly, I don't want otal control, I want a partnership, a co-op if it suits, but I don't think one person should control laws, they would essentially become the Dictator, and I don't want her as a dictator, and nobody'd vote me as leader.." SHe noticed Reva and Derek at the mouth of the cave. "Heck's yeah you missed alot. The person standing next to you is our new leader."

 

Smith smiled. "I'm thinking a three person senate would be best, that way no ties. Still one person would need a little more power, the head of the senate isn't in charge of laws she just helps organize them and control them, and come up with them, she's like the secritary but with a bit more power" he exsplained.

 

Chrys looked Chad squarely in the face, "You're not geting it bud, I'm not ready to take on that magnitude of power. Let me get my feet wet as part of a group, if I rise to the occasion, then good. But if I fall to my demise, there will be others to pick up the slack, So, I'll vote myself as part of the legislative branch."

 

"Fine." Smith said and looked up at Reva again with a sly smile. "Madam President." He said, "would you like to cast your vote?" He asked looking down. They needed one more person on Senate, Derek would probably take the role if no one else wanted it.

 

Fox sighs and says "Fine, if it will stop the bickering, lets just have a three person senate. Kat, me and someone else. I vote for Raylene."

Britney says "My third vote is for Cull. He has seemed pretty calm in most situations so far. So what do the rest of you think?"

 

Chrys looked at Britney, "I think he's dead. And so is the guy he was with...What was his name?" She mulled over it, but looked at the locket again, this time opening the photo frame and looking at it's back.

 

Smith smiled, looked over at where allen lay injured. "I vote for Allen as the third member." He anouced and looked at Reva hoping she would agree. "He is the republican to foxes Demicrate." He said hoping she understoodd the vauge history reference.

 

"What's all this bickering about a government?" Derek asked. He was confused. Government was why they were all here, why make one? He decided to voice his opinion.

Derek took a breath, then began. "Look guys, I really don't think we need a leader or a government. In case you didn't notice, the government put us all here." He paused a moment to let that fact sink in. "What we've been doing so far has worked out, why ruin it by putting someone in charge? All that's gonna happen is someone is gonna rebel. We should all just live as equals. If someone does something another one doesn't appreciate, they kick their a*s. Schoolyard rules. Besides, I definitely don't want Chad in charge. Not only did he scare away Ben, he didn't even keep the damn shotgun. I vote for one rule and one rule only. It's stolen from a really old movie called 'Semi Pro.' The rule is E-L-E. Everybody Love Everybody."

 

"Oh, i'm not in charge, Reva is." He said and smiled at Derek. "I'm just the judge." He thought happily that it meant he could shoot down laws passed by fox if need be, then it'd be the presidents choise and he trusted Reva. "And if it was school house rules." Smith smiled evily, or attempted to, and raised the rifle a bit. "I could easily become the bully."

 

"Derek, nobody was putting Chad in charge, he's got the same position he came here with, enforcing laws. Reva is the one we want in charge." Chrys turned to Chad, "By the way, no, not Allen, I don't trust him. DOn't laugh, but I think the rebel over there would make an excellent addition to the law making team."
(she's refering to Derek)

 

"Are we going do anything sir?" asked Floyd in a nagging tone as he leaned against the wall of the cave.

"Hold your tongue savage, I think it's about time we checked in on our not so gracious hosts." Frank looked our of the mouth of the cave, over the wrecked fence they had beaten apart, towards the other cave, his eyes gleaming in the light of a new fire. "They have more people, but they don't have fighters, not that they need to do any fighting."

"What do you mean?" Floyd looked up at his master with interest.

"Simple, there is something out there, and they need to get rid of it if they want to live. We need food, you ****s aren't hunters, your mindless apes from the depths of the street, and me?" He looked around at his boys, smiling a bit. "I'm intellectual." he laughed. His men laughed a bit with him. "What's funny? You think I'm not?" he said raising one hand at the nearest crony, Issac.

"No of course not, your the smartest man on this whole damn rock," said Issac quickly.

"And don't forget you Jewish prick!" he snapped as he lowered his hand. "They are hunters, gatherers, honest to god down to earth cavemen." His men laughed cautiously at that as well, and he allowed it. "Let the creature make itself known, and when the time is right we remind them we are here. As for now, you three," he pointed at them, "Go find something, anything, to eat."

 

Fox sighs, "Derek, speaking as someone who has rebeled against the government back home for nearly half of her life, I understand where you are coming from. But we need a hierachy. You're right, Chad screwed up when he sent Ben away and also gave him the shotgun. If we had a hierachy at the time, he would have been over ruled. Plus having a leader is necessary in times of crises. I give you my word as a freedom fighter, I won't let this government become too controling."

 

Derek lost his jovial mood for a moment. "Look, I don't want any laws put in place, and definitely no one trying to enforce them. I love this place for the freedom I have. Freedom to do whatever the hell I want. We start makin' laws, it'll lead to new laws. Which will lead to more laws. Whoever is in power is gonna team up and crush the rest of us. If we start becoming a lawful society, I'm out." Derek's face had no trace of a smile. He was completely serious and had a determined look on his face. He meant every word of what he said.

 

Chrys blanked out on the conversation between Derek and Fox, "Why am I hearing laughter?" Sh eintrupted. "And why am I smelling predator?" Crap...that scent, it's not good! But, why do I smell it?

Suddenly, everything went into darkness. "Uh, who sbuffed the fire?" Wit, I still smell the fire burning, what the heck is happening?!

 

Smith had enough of Derek's aditude. "Let him go, I've saved his life and still regret it, I'm sure that mobster would have been more usefull." He said loudly, glaring at Derek, He was tired of being critisised. Enough was enough.

Then Chrys smelled something.

 

Derek laughed. Not his usual humorous laugh, but a mocking laugh. "Saved my life?" He laughed some more. "You being a pu**y is the reason my nose is broken." He pointed for emphasis. "If you'd have pulled the trigger when he started swingin instead o' waitin' for 'im to suckerpunch me, I'd prob'ly be alright right now. I had booked it outta there by the time you grew the balls to shoot him. My life was never in any danger." He looked around for a moment at everyone in the cave, staring at him in disbelief. "F**k it I'm outta here." Derek turned and left the cave, walking out into the snow towards the river. He still had the piece of the lighter that makes the spark, his stake, and his javelin. He'd be alright.

 

Chrys could here footsteps receding, "WHo is leaving? Why can't I see anything? Derek! Is that you leaving?!"

 

Smith laughed to himself, the boy didn't understand what Smith had said, he meant the bullet should have been aimed at him instead of the mobster, the mobster had invited Smith to join him after all. Derek was pathetic, always picking and pushing to make someone argue with him, he was going to die here, and not of old age. "Yes, derek left." He said and walked over to Chrys, "you're blind?"

 

Reva looked at the group in shock. She figured it was only about noon, okay, maybe 2 pm and everyone here was already certifiably insane. Had they been into the blue peach things?

Now she knew how her mother had felt being voted in as Girl Scout Cookie Captain because she was the only one in the restroom at the time.

“What the freaking HELL are you guys talking about?” It came out as a low snarl borne of frustration and recent fear, “We have a gang out there who are only regrouping…they will be back looking for weaknesses and ready hand us our collective butt. Derek and I,” she indicated Derek with a frustrated wave of her hand, “just had an encounter with something that probably considers us a tasty snack. So tell me what you’re doing…TELL me?”

It was a rhetorical question. She didn’t wait for an answer.

“You aren’t fortifying our defenses, you aren’t helping by foraging food in case there is some kind of siege, you aren’t planning strategies for defending ourselves,” she filled her lungs and allowed all of her frustration to pour into the words, “YOU ARE CREATING A FRICKIN’ BEAURACRACY?”

She looked at them and she seemed to have their attention now.

“Well, fine, if I’m the president then here is what I need you to do. Stop your screwing around and split up into groups for Defense, Procurement, and Cave Livability. This is subject to change so don’t agonize. We only have hours before sunset…let’s try to make them count.”

Reva tossed the sweatshirt full of pods near the fire.

“We can always argue each other to death when someone or something has us pinned in the cave.”

 

Smith smiled, "Yes madam President." He said happily but didn't start forming a group, he had to find out what was wrong with Chrys first.

 

Chrys stood stalk still, awed by the tone emitting from Reva's words, she wanted to hiss and run, but to also submit. Odd.

She sensed Chad, "I think I'm alright, I just can't see is all." She said, trying to smile and reassure him. "I'll just work on livability. But, I have an idea for those horns if anyone cares to hear."

 

There would be time to deal with Chrys's blindness later. Right now all of Reva's insticts were screaming Get Ready for something bad!

"What idea do you have, Chrys?" she asked.

 

Smith walked to the rifle in the corner and hesitated. He had four clips in his belt, he took one of the clips and slapped it into the other rifle walked to reva and set it beside her. "Your the boss, so this is yours to use or give out." He said then walked to the mouth of the cave. "OK I'm going to take Joey and find some food." And Joey came running to her name and he picked her up. He hoped Reva could keep this up.

 

Allen had been watching this whole charade with amusement. They wanted order so badly that they would stoop to using a method of government that had nothing to do with the lifestyle they were having. Democracy only worked when you had time to work things out and people willing to do the same. Oh well, if it worked things would be a little better. Reva would make a good "president" if they listened to her.

 

"Well, earlier, when Ben killed one of those Hell Deer things, it's antlers exploded, forcin hm agains a tree. We figured out away to keep them in tact postmordum. I wonder if we can jerry-rig them to our advantage?"