The Phoenix Colony

"First of all," Reva replied, "I'll just take this." She plucked the blade away from Fox and leveled a finger at the taller woman, "Hurt yourself again and I'll find something better than the palm of my hand to hit you with."

She handed the knife to Chad and turned back to the group. Somehow she had their attention again. She hesitated, running her hands through her hair so that it turned into a wild tousle.

"Second, bullets to the head didn't seem to faze the thing much. Hitting it in the eye is a little difficult because it's such a small moving target. But..."

She trailed off. Then she sighed and pressed her fingertips to her forehead.

"If we got at the brain through the mouth that might work."

 

That sounded right. Then Smith remembered the Idea Chrys had been insisting on useing for the longest time, he looked over at the pile of hell deer horns. "Does it have to be a bullet? I think those might work even better." He said remembering how exsplosive they were. He'd just have to shove it down the monsters throat. "Either way i think it should be me, I'm the only one who might survive that thing, and the only one he's likely to spit out."

 

Fox felt a little anxious about having her blade taken away, but she knew that right now wasn't the time to argue. "Fine you can have my blade for now, but I'm getting it back tomorrow. Don't worry, I won't cut myself again. As for killing that thing, well...um, we still have those hell-deer horns. If we could put them with some bait, we might be able to kill it that way." says Fox.

 

Chrys jumped up in excitement, "Ooh! Ooh! I don't think it should be Chad. Reva, sorry, I do't want to step on toes, but I have to know: Who here can actually in some way identify the thing?" Chrys raised her hand, "I can see the way light bounces off of it. What else can be seen?"

 

"A duck." Said smith remembering an old movie he had watched back in school called monty python quest for the holy grail. He laughed at his private joke, what else can float, a duck, persisly. "Everything can be seen." He said more seriusly. "But that dosen't mean you should go out their and get your self killed." He said sternly, Ray gave him a glare, she wished he'd take his advice. "Look, we toss out the bodies, mark it with blood, and then i either shoot it in the mouth or punch it in the mouth with a fist full of helldeer horns." He said firmly.

 

Fox speaks up and says, "Is there anyway we can create some kind of fuse? Then we could just place the explosives in Viva or Pasha's body and throw them out of the cave. When the creature eats them, its head goes boom. There has to be a way to pull that off. Then neither one of you will end up dead."

 

Chrys growled, catching everyone's attention, "I have something to say, goddangit, now stop igging me people." She glared around the cave, "Now, would anybody like to know wht I have to say? Tell me who can see or sense what, and I'll be able to flesh my idea better." She looked over at Reva, "Oh, crap that was outta line! Um, I have an idea?"

 

"It'd be impossible to make a fuse, and we know all you need is a good solid hit to make them exsplode, no fire needed, bullets don't make fire, you can shoot TNT and nothing would happen." He said and looked over at Reva. "You know that this is the best way to do it, I'm the only one with a chance of walking away from that thing, well crawling but its still better that way." He said and Ray pinched his soft hand again.

"No, you don't need to do this!" She said tears pouring down her face. "No one has to do it."

Smith moved some hair out of her face. "What if I promise to survive this some how?" He asked and she looked up at him unbeliveing.

 

Fox says "Kat, no! You are not going to get yourself killed. If I have to I'll keep you in here by force. Chad's idea is probably the best.", she looks at Ralene "I'm sorry, but its our only chance. Ok, Chad you take the hell-deer horns and when it bites you, nail them against its upper jaw. If we're lucky the explosion will be big enough to kill it."

Fox turns to Reva and says "Um...if that's ok with you, I guess."

 

"Stop it! I never voluteered for that! I have an idea that keeps us all from the thing! Would you all just listen!" She tugs on her hair, and walks over to Reva, "Can we talk somewhere, I think you'll actually listen and I swear i am going to combust if someone doesn' t give me an ear."

 

"Everyone calm down!" Reva said, exasperated and much more loudly than she had intended.

Okay, look. Chrys can see the thing...a little. So she is going to be very important in getting a bead on it. Chad is armored-"

Here a look of concern crossed Reva's face and she asked Chad, "How much have those protective plates hardened?"

 

Smith smirked and set a hand on the ground, in the other he had Foxes knife, he brought down with all of his force on the plate atop his hand, the blade struck, clicked like steel hitting stone and then the tip broke off. He held up his hand to show the small indent in his plate. "Hard as bone." He said somewhat proudly and supprised himself.

 

Chrys smiled, "Okay, that should help some. What if we created a slingshot and launched the horns into its mouth? We just need it to open its mouth and then figure out where it is and when it's opening. What do ya'll think?"

 

Fox looks at Chad with anger. "I can't beleive you just broke off a piece of my blade. I've had that almost the entire time we've been on this planet. Next time, use your own damn knife." says Fox.

 

Reva nodded in a little surprise as Chad demonstrated his armor plating. Then she switched her attention to Chrys.

"A slingshot would be slow, I'm afraid," Reva mused, "not a bad idea...but if the eye is hard to hit with a gunshot, predicting when the mouth would be open to slingshot something inside could be problematic. Not to mention getting the horns to detonate."

Reva snapped her fingers.

"What if," she said in a quiet but carrying voice, "we could get the beast to bite on the horns? If we could get it to go after our 'bait'...whatever that turns out to be...and Chad gives it a mouthful of horns when it snaps?"

She was a little afraid that Chad's hand or worse his head might get blown off any way they did it.

 

"Um, they'd combust on contact. And, the slingshot itself might be slow, but we could figure another method of projection, can't we?"

 

"There's no time to build a slingshot. We have a plan. Throw the bodies out to distract it. Chad follows with the antlers and tries to kill it. Fox, get a gourd of blood and throw it on the creature when it goes for Chad in case it doesn't die. Chrys, let us know what it's doing." Allen looked Reva in her eyes, and remembered how just a moment ago he had been comforting her. Now she was recovered and a real leader, she just needed to act.

"I suggest we act now."

 

Smith looked down at Ray who was still crying. "I might mess it up if I did it that way, the only way I can garentee that the horns it their mark is to feed them to it." He looked down at his hands, he might want to use his left hand, what ever one he used was going to get blown to bits. He looked at Fox about the knife. "Sorry about the knife." He said honsetly, he hadn't exspected it to break. Ray glared at Fox, and Reva. Smith nodded at Allens plan, it was basicly what he had said moments earlier.

"He can't do this." She said upset. "Tell him not to." She pleaded, tears still running down her face.

 

Reva quirked her eyebrows upward.

"How hard can you throw, Chad?"

Somehow Chad was turning out to be their chosen champion.

 

Fox gives a sigh and walks over to Kat. "Listen, I know you don't want Chad to get hurt. This is the only way we can to sure to kill it. We need to horns to blow up on the inside of its mouth, which isn't going to happen with a slingshot.", she turns to Chad, "Are you ready?"

 

"Oh! What if we baited it by adding fresh blood to the bodies? All we'd have to do is get the horns hidden on the bodies ad allow the beast to do the rest. ANd why are you so fcused on maiming yourself CHad?"

 

"Fox!" Reva's tone was sharp, "This plan isn't a done deal yet. You can sit down here," Reva pointed to a place, "until a plan is approved by EVERYONE."

 

"If we hide the antlers on the body we won't be able to throw them far enough from the cave to escape the blast."

 

"Well, if CHad is soo freakin' set on risking his but, he can move the bodies and haul it bak here-wait, can we make a rope? So Chad can move the bodies and we can reel him back? If he has a fire arm, he can piss the beast off enough to g after the unoving bodies...Am I spewing crap here? Just tell me to shut-up if I am." CHrys frowns.

 

Smith lifted his heavy arms. "My arms are to heavy for me to be able to throw anything really well." He confessed, no longer so proud of his new armor. "Got heavier as well as harder, my muscles ain't quiet caught up yet." He confessed.

"NO!" Ray screamed. "Lesten to Chrys, you don't have to do this." She pleaded.

"This creature isn't stupid it's hideing and waiting for dangerous pray like a human might." He said looking at Chrys. "Have you ever tried to feed a dog a pill? most of the time they eat around it."