The Tribes, Chapter 16

Luke was lingering over his last morning cup of coffee – the farm community had less work than normal at the moment, so there was no hurry to get out to the fields. The cows had already been milked and fed along with the other animals, the eggs had been collected, and washed. The crops were at that at that stage where they weren’t ready for harvesting and didn’t need constant care. The breakfast dishes had been cleared away and Lucy was with the kids on the breezeway taking them through their lessons. All in all, Luke figured the day was going to shape up as a lazy day. Sipping his coffee, Luke considered packing a lunch and slipping away with Lucy for the afternoon. They could take a horseback ride down to the river and have a picnic – just the two of them having a rare afternoon free from responsibilities. Luke was just raising his mug for another sip of coffee when the peace of the morning was shattered by the incessant buzz of the perimeter alarm. Glancing across the room, Luke saw the blinking light indicating someone had opened the gate across the road above the farm.

Jack and Dal had installed the alarm and run the wires from the gate to the farm right after the Tribal Conference. Jack had explained the theory of the alarm when he installed it. When the gate was closed, it kept an electrical circuit open. When the gate was opened, two contacts would close completing the circuit and sending an electrical signal to the farmhouse. With the circuit closed, an alarm would sound and the flashing light would indicate which gate had been opened. Except for the weekly testing, the alarms had been silent since Jack and Dal had installed them.

Checking the light panel, Luke saw that someone had opened the river bridge gate that had been installed across the ramp to the bridge about a mile above the farm. He heard the door open and found Lucy standing there, her face blanched. Luke cut the buzzer off, leaving the light flashing.

“Get on the phone to the ship and let them know someone has opened the bridge gate,” Luke said with forced calm. “Then, get the kids to the barn and ready to load onto the truck.”

“What about you?” Lucy asked.

“Ben, Adam, and I will take the horse out to see what’s going on,” Luke said. He saw fear flash in Lucy’s eyes. “It’s probably nothing to worry about,” Luke said quickly. “It’s probably just some Strays headed towards The City. But, we have to know.” Luke quickly kissed Lucy’s forehead before striding from the house.

“Jeremy,” Luke said calmly so as not to frighten the small boy. “Do you know where Adam and Benny are right now?”

“Uh huh,” the boy said, nodding his head and sending his blonde locks flopping back and forth. “They’re down at the pump house.”

“Good, I want you to run down there as fast as you can and tell them to meet me in the barn right away,” Luke said. “Tell them to drop everything they’re doing and come right now.” Jeremy didn’t ask why Luke needed the others; he just nodded once and dashed off as fast as he could run. Luke paused long enough to give the other little ones a reassuring smile and then he hurried to the barn.

Luke already had one horse saddled and ready to go and was just cinching up the saddle on the second horse when Benny and Adam entered the barn. Benny’s dark face grew grim seeing Luke preparing the horses. He didn’t waste time with questions as he brushed past Luke and began saddling the third horse.

“It’s probably nothing,” Luke said offhandedly. “But the bridge gate alarm just went off. We need to check it out.” He turned and stared pointedly at the other two. “That’s all we’re going to do – check it out.”

“And just supposing it isn’t just nothing?” Adam asked quietly.

“Then we haul ass back here, send a warning to the ship and get the hell out of Dodge,” Luke said simply. “Lucy and the others will be ready when we get back.”

Adam didn’t say anything as he went to a tool rack and removed three hickory axe handles and passed them out to the others. The axe handles would make decent self-defense weapons if necessary. Finished saddling up the third horse, Benny took a long bullwhip from a peg by the stall and looped it over the pommel of his saddle. Through hours of practice, he’d gotten to be an expert with the whip and preferred it for self-protection. They were just mounting up when Lucy came into the barn.

“I talked with Amber,” Lucy said. “She said they’d send people out to help us if we wanted.”

“We don’t know that’s necessary yet,” Luke said, swinging up into the saddle. “Tell the ship we’ll get back to them once we check everything out. But, just to be safe … get everyone ready to load up on the truck and move out.” He reached down and patted her face. “We’ll be back soon.”

Keeping to the shoulder of the road to lessen the sound of the hoof beats, Luke and the others galloped towards the bridge. They were halfway to the bridge when Benny gave a sharp whistle and pointed up ahead. Standing in his stirrups, Luke saw not the hoards of The Brotherhood, but three bicyclists. At the moment, they were sitting on the shoulder of the road with their bikes lying on the ground. Benny glanced over to Luke, his dark face questioning. Luke chewed his lip trying to decide what to do. His own rule was to avoid revealing their presence if at all possible.

To hell with his rule, Luke thought. Turning to the others, he said, “Let’s confront them.” Without waiting for an answer, Luke spurred his horse forward as he moved onto the road and charging the bike riders. Drawing closer, Luke could see one biker rider had a mane of shaggy reddish-brown hair while the other two had recently been shaved bald, both their heads were covered in short stubble – one had blond stubble and the other black. The guy with black stubble wore a wide headband. All were dressed in Boy Scout uniforms. The three came to their feet as Luke reined his horse to a stop just out of arms reach of them.

“Hi,” the blonde said as he climbed stiffly to his feet, holding his arms well out from his sides. “We don’t mean any harm, we’re just on our way to The City. I promise we’ll get on our way after we rest up a bit.”

Luke stared silently down at the three. He wasn’t sure what he should do – before he knew about The Brotherhood, Luke would have welcomed three travelers to the farm. Knowledge of the existence of The Brotherhood made him more wary of strangers now. The blond moved stiffly, like he was recovering from an injury – something pretty serious, Luke decided.

“Look,” the blonde said, “if you’ll just give us a half hour or so to rest up, we’ll get on our way and not bother you at all.”

The appearance of the riders on horseback took Morgan and his friends by surprise. They’d rested at the Scout lodge for nearly a week until Morgan felt that he’d be able to pedal one of the bikes from the bike shed behind the lodge. Caleb had suggested the headband for Wolf to cover the phoenix tattoo. He couldn’t be sure news of The Brotherhood hadn’t already spread to other Tribes, and even though a black X had been tattooed across the red phoenix as a mark of shame, he didn’t want to risk some stranger deciding to take hostile action on seeing the marking.

They’d been on the road for three days now and hadn’t come across any other humans. It was clear to Caleb that Morgan wasn’t yet physically ready to pedal for long distances without suffering discomfort and pain. The effort to put as much distance between them and The Brotherhood was clearly taking its toll on Morgan. Caleb was forced to call more and more frequent rest stops. They had just stopped when the riders appeared.

Caleb watched as Morgan did his best to present a friendly and inoffensive manner to the lead rider as he explained that they were just resting before heading to The City. The last thing they needed was a violent confrontation. Despite Morgan’s best efforts, the lead rider – a barrel chested fellow, continued to silently regard their party. Finally, the lead rider turned and looked questioningly at his companions. The black rider just shrugged. The other one, a strong-looking teen with short brown hair didn’t make any sign at all.

Looking down at the interlopers, Luke decided that the three of them probably didn’t pose much of a threat. The blonde was clearly not in any kind of physical shape to cause any problems. The one with a headband looked as if he was only recently putting on weight after a long illness or maybe a long period of starvation. Only the fellow with the shaggy auburn hair looked as if he was capable of putting up a fight. Luke turned to Benny to get his reaction. Benny just shrugged – he clearly didn’t feel any threat from the three strangers. Adam was even less help. He didn’t have any reaction – he was willing to follow Luke’s lead in whatever he did.

Turning back to the three strangers, Luke finally spoke. “What’s your business in The City?”

“We’re trying to find a Tribe called The Shiprats,” Morgan said honestly. “I promise we’ll get on our way as soon as we rest a little.” Morgan noticed that the mention of The Shiprats brought the first reaction from the riders.

“What’s your business with The Shiprats?” Luke asked, trying to keep his voice neutral.

“I heard about them from some traveling minstrels,” Morgan answered. “To be honest, I don’t really know what we’ll do if we can manage to find them. From what the minstrels said, I figured The Shiprats would be the best place to seek refuge.”

“Refuge?” Luke asked. “From what?”

“From the most evil Tribe you can imagine,” Caleb said, stepping forward.

“The Brotherhood!” Benny said.

“You know of them?” Morgan asked. “They’ve reached here already?”

“We know of them,” Luke said. “Relax, they haven’t been this way yet.” He finally relaxed and leaned forward towards Morgan. “Is The Brotherhood the reason you’re moving stiffly?”

“Yeah, we’ve had a run in with them,” Caleb answered.

“Interesting … not many people survive an encounters with The Brotherhood from what we’ve heard,” Luke said. He nodded towards Morgan. “You hurting?” He asked.

“I’ve felt better,” Morgan replied.

Luke turned to Adam, “Ride back to the farm and come back here with the wagon. Tell Lucy to call the ship and tell them everything’s okay. We might need some medical help, but we’ll know better once we get these fellows back to the farm.”

“Gotcha,” Adam said. “I’ll be back as fast as I can.”

“You can contact The Shiprats?” Morgan asked in amazement.

“They’re friends of ours,” Luke admitted. He turned to Benny, “Ride down to the bridge and get that gate closed, if you would.” Benny raised his eyebrow questioningly causing Luke to laugh. “Go on, I think I’ll be safe with these three for a few minutes. They don’t really look like they’re in shape to cause a problem.”

“Whatever you say,” Benny said doubtfully. “You know if you’re wrong, it’s my ass Lucy’s gonna be kicking for the next week.”

“Then don’t take too long,” Luke said mischievously. Winking, Benny wheeled his horse around and galloped down the road towards the bridge.

Morgan watched Benny gallop away and said dryly, “I don’t think your friend entirely trusts us.”

“He doesn’t,” Luke admitted with a sly grin.

By the time Benny returned, introductions had been made. Luke introduced Benny around and watched with amusement as Benny kept his position in the saddle. Regardless of how friendly Morgan and his friends seemed, Benny wasn’t going to relax his vigilance until he was sure in his own mind that they were friendly. Until then, he was going to remain wary and in a position to act instantly at any sign of danger. Luke noticed that Benny’s aloofness seemed to make the one called Wolf nervous. While waiting for Adam’s return, Luke carefully avoided asking any questions about the recent experiences Morgan and his friends had endured. There was time enough for questions later.

The chugging of the powerful tractor motor heralded Adam’s return nearly an hour later. He expertly swung the tractor and wagon around on the narrow road before killing the engine and climbing down with an easy grin on his face. When Luke made the introductions, Adam stepped over to each newcomer with a ready grin on his friendly face and an outstretched hand. When the handshaking was over, Adam easily lifted each of the bikes over the side of the wagon before giving Morgan, Caleb, and Wolf a hand up into the back of the wagon.

Lucy was waiting by the side of the house when the wagon trundled up into the yard and stopped. Luke wheeled away from his position riding point and went directly to her, smiling and winking to show that everything was okay. Swinging down from the saddle, he embraced Lucy and tenderly kissed her. He knew the last couple must have been nerve wracking for her – for the others too, but especially for Lucy. Their bond was as strong as her love for life on the farm. He knew she had been worrying about his safety and fearing losing the sanctuary of the farm.

“It’s okay,” Luke whispered. “These guys are headed for the ship.”

“They know the Shiprats?” Lucy asked.

“Of them, yes,” Luke said. “They heard about them from some traveling entertainers who were at the first Market Day.” He hugged Lucy again. “Speaking of the Shiprats, what’s the news from them?”

“They’re sending help out,” Lucy said. Before Luke could protest, she continued, “I gave them your message that Adam brought back. I talked to both Bray and Amber and both refused to take no for an answer. Bray said it was better to be on the safe side.”

Luke sighed, “Maybe it’s for the best. I think Morgan – he’s the one with the blonde buzz – anyway, I think he’s been hurt recently and could use some help.”

“You can say that again,” Adam said from behind, startling both Luke and Lucy. “I helped him up into the wagon and caught a whiff of him – he doesn’t smell healthy.”

“Maybe it’s just body odor,” Lucy suggested.

Adam shook his head, “It’s more than that – I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there’s just something about the odor that says sick.” Adam searched for a way to describe what he was trying to explain. “He reminded me of when Brandon first arrived here.”

“Well, first things first,” Lucy said. “Get them off their feet over at the table. They can’t have been eating well on the road. A good meal is the front line of defense against illness.” Luke whispered that Wolf didn’t have any teeth. Lucy didn’t bat an eye – she just shook her head and disappeared into the kitchen.

It wasn’t long before Lucy was hustling between the kitchen and the breezeway, loading the table down with food. She paid particular attention to placing dishes of specially prepared food in front of Wolf and urging him to eat. She had made him a huge bowl of chicken stew and cut the chunks of chicken into small morsels. Luke decided Lucy was happiest when she could mother some stray – human or animal – by loading them down with her delicious cooking.

Lucy was just bringing out the plates of dessert when Bray, Jack, and Tai San showed up in the ambulance. Luke hurried over to great them, surprised that only three of the Shiprats had showed up to back the Farm Tribe at a time of potential danger. He noticed Bray didn’t step away from the driver’s side of the ambulance as everyone greeted each other. Luke explained the situation, describing how Morgan and his friends were actually headed for the ship, adding that there was some concern about Morgan’s health. Finally relaxing, Jack and Tai San hurried up to the breezeway to see the newcomers. Smiling for the first time since pulling up the farm lane, Bray leaned into the ambulance and hit the siren three times.

Luke wasn’t sure which surprised the people at the farm more – the sudden loud triple shriek of the siren, or the sudden appearance of Shiprats from all around the farmhouse and barn. One moment they weren’t there and the next, they were. Lars seemed to materialize right out of the ground. Ryan and Jordan came around from the back of the house, while Tina and Amber appeared on the side of the barn.

Seeing the shocked look on Luke’s face, Bryan shrugged and smiled sheepishly. “We had to be sure you were all really okay and not being forced to say you were.” He ducked his head in embarrassment. “It struck us when you called that we never worked out a code to use in case the farm had been captured and you were making the call under duress.”

“You were worried about us,” Lucy teased. ‘That’s so sweet.”

Bray face flushed a brilliant red. “It was more Jack and Amber who were concerned,” Bray stammered as Lucy stood on tiptoes and planted a kiss on his cheek.

By the time Lucy and Bray joined the others at the table under on the breezeway, Jack and Tai San had disappeared into the house with Morgan. Even though Jack placed more trust in traditional medicine, he had come to welcome Tai San’s less traditional herbalistic approach in assisting him provide medical care to the Tribe. Tai San’s cures generally involved plenty of herbal teas, massage, and even occasional enemas of herbal infusions. She did not, however, take a hard line approach that her methods were superior to Jack’s traditional methods. The two of them had developed a comfortable working relationship in looking after the Tribe’s physical health. Bray had just taken a seat at the table when Tai San came out of the house looking less serene than she usually did.

“What’s the problem?” Bray asked.

Tai San looked furtively around the table, then walked a little distance away, obviously intending Bray to follow. “Things were a little embarrassing for Morgan in there,” Tai San said, her voice low. “He has an infection from the mutilations done to him. It was hard enough for him to expose himself to Jack, but having a girl see what was done to him was extremely uncomfortable for him.”

“Castrated like Brandon?” Bray asked.

“No, not like Brandon,” Tai San said sadly. “This time everything was removed.”

The words hit Bray like a physical blow. He actually staggered as he realized what had been done to Morgan. “How bad is it … the infection, I mean?” Bray wanted to know.

“Thankfully, not as bad as it could have been,” Tai San said. “Jack’s the best one to treat the poor boy for now. A regimen of strong antibiotics is likely the best way to control the infection now. Perhaps later, Morgan will be receptive to letting me assist him in spiritual healing.”

Bray sensed Tai San wasn’t telling him everything. “But, there’s something else … something more serious.”

Tai San nodded. “Jack’s afraid he might have to open Morgan again to correct the crude surgical techniques.” Tai San paused. “Jack’s very afraid … this is more serious surgery than he’s had to perform before. What has been done to Morgan already has him shaken. The thought of having to operate on him is, I think, a terrifying prospect for him.”

“Well why would he have to operate on Morgan again?” Bray wanted to know.

“Whoever cut away Morgan’s genitals used cauterization as a way to staunch the blood flow and was pretty sloppy about it,” Tai San explained. “It just wasn’t done well. He’s leaking blood along the incision line internally. Not a lot, but more than his body can reabsorb. That’s what’s causing the infection … if left unchecked, Morgan could develop a serious infection or even wet gangrene. That will kill him.”

“So Jack doesn’t have much choice,” Bray muttered.

“No, he doesn’t,” Tai San agreed. “He’s hoping large doses of antibiotics will stop the infection and allow Morgan’s body to heal naturally.”

“Will it?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Tai San said simply. “Morgan is going to need surgery, I think. And, Jack’s going to be the one to do it. My medical philosophy and training does not include invasive techniques, so I cannot do what needs to be done. Selene is an excellent nurse and practitioner, but she has no surgical skills.” Tai San shook her head sadly. “Jack is the only one among us with the experience and the mental ability to teach himself new techniques. In the end, he will have to operate.”

Jack was just coming out of the house when Bray and Tai San returned. Bray didn’t need Tai San’s unique sensitivity to tell Jack was bothered and trying to hide his feelings. All the little telltale signs were there – Jack was nervously running his hands through his orange-red hair, chewing his lower lip, and had a faraway look in his eyes. Bray knew if Jack opened his mouth, he’d be stammering and it wouldn’t be long before his voice broke. Lars must have sensed Jack’s mood, because he came to the rescue by giving Jack a new problem to consider.

“Jack,” Lars called. “I was wondering if you might be able to help me help Wolf here.”

“Huh?” Jack grunted blinking owlishly at Lars and Wolf.

“As a punishment, all of Wolf’s teeth have been pulled out,” Lars explained. “I thought you might know how to take a mold of his mouth so we can make him a set of teeth. I think I could carve them if there was a way to make sure they fit right.”

“You don’t carve dentures,” Jack said absently. “You cast them.”

“Really?” Lars asked a little too innocently. “Do you think you could do that?”

Jack didn’t notice the forced innocence; he had already moved to Wolf’s side and was busy examining his open mouth. For a minute, Bray thought Jack was going to try to fit his whole head in Wolf’s mouth. By the time he stood up, Jack had the beginnings of a satisfied smile on his face.

“This won’t be any problem at all,” Jack said with only a hint of a stammer. “Let’s see, I’ll need to have Sasha do some of his scouting to get the right materials.” He patted Wolf’s shoulder in a friendly manner. “You’ll be chewing a thick steak in less than a week.”

Bray sidled up next to Lars. “I owe you big time,” he whispered.

“For helping Wolf?” Lars asked, full of innocence again.

Bray smiled, “You’re no good at lying. You know damn well that you’re helping Jack more than you are Wolf.”

“Well, maybe equally as much,” Lars conceded. “Jack feels too much for the patients he treats, he needed something to distract him a little bit.”

As soon as the Shiprat party returned to the Queen Mary, Jack hustled Morgan directly to the ship’s hospital where he asked Selene to start a saline IV drip to counter the slight dehydration the former Eagle Tribe leader was suffering. After a few moments of hesitation, he asked Selene to add an antibiotic drip to the IV line. Of everyone on the ship, Selene had been the quickest to learn how to start an IV line, place and remove sutures, and change dressings without showing any emotions that might upset a patient. She took a lot of the infirmary workload off of Jack who tended to become an emotional wreck outside the view of patients.

Leaving Morgan in Selene’s capable care, Jack hurried off in search of Sasha, hoping the entertainer/master scrounger hadn’t already left the ship on one of his scavenger trips. To his relief, Jack found Sasha in the dining room having a late lunch. Sliding into a chair next to Sasha, Jack quickly described the materials he’d need and asked Sasha if he knew offhand of any dental labs that were easily accessible.

Sasha nibbled at his sandwich thoughtfully for several minutes. “I think I know of a place that doesn’t look like it’s been ransacked,” Sasha finally said thoughtfully. “At least, the last time I passed it, things didn’t look too smashed up. The truth is places like that don’t usually attract too much attention from the other Tribes and scavengers … they tend to be looking more for food, batteries, and stuff like that.”

“Cool,” Jack said happily. “How long will it take for us to get there?”

“Us?”

“I need to go with you,” Jack said. “I need to see what’s there so I can figure out what to take and what to leave for some other trip. I mean, I know … well, I kinda know … the stuff I’ll need to make a set of teeth for Wolf, but don’t know if I can describe it. Plus,” he added, “there might be stuff there that I won’t know I need until I see it.”

“Okay, I guess that makes sense,” Sasha agreed. “Techie stuff all looks the same to me anyway. It’s not like you’re asking me to scrounge up magic stuff or instruments or anything. That’s the kind of thing I know about.” He took a huge bite of his sandwich. “Lemme finish this and we’ll get moving. Depending on how long you take, we should be back before dinner.”

Because they needed to skirt several different Tribe territories, the trip to the Technical Park took longer than Sasha had anticipated. Jack’s growing impatience with the added length to the trip was mollified when he saw that Sasha had been right – aside from a few broken windows, the buildings in the Technical Park were mostly intact. Cautiously entering the dental lab building, Jack and Sasha didn’t find any signs that the interior of the building had been vandalized. Sasha suggested the theory that most Tribes and gangs were afraid of hospitals and especially labs because of the virus. Jack didn’t respond – he had stepped into one of the labs and was immediately entranced.

Sasha fought back a giggle at the look on Jack’s face. Jack’s eyes were almost popping out of his head at the sight of all the lab equipment just sitting there in perfect order. His mouth hanging open, Jack wandered from table to table like a chocoholic in a chocolate factory. He clearly didn’t know where to look first or what to pick up first. It took nearly half an hour before Jack had sufficiently calmed down to take an accurate inventory of the things he would need immediately. Sasha wasn’t so sure Jack really needed everything he was gathering up … in almost no time, Jack had three cardboard boxes crammed with materials and equipment. From what Sasha could see, Jack had enough equipment to produce a set of dentures for every member of the Tribe. Jack finally decided four boxes of stuff were enough for this first trip, babbling that they’d have to return with a truck to take everything on the next trip.

Outside, Jack took great care packing his precious boxes in the luggage carrier on top of the go-cart. He was just climbing into the passenger seat when he suddenly froze. Sasha scanned the area in growing panic as he searched for signs of a marauding Tribe squad. Before he could ask Jack what was wrong, the diminutive Techie climbed out of the go-cart and wandered in a daze towards another building.

“Jack! What’s wrong?” Sasha called. At first Jack didn’t answer. “Jack! What’s the matter, what’s wrong?”

“Huh,” Jack grunted. “Wrong? Oh, nothing.” He turned to face Sasha, a huge grin splitting his face. “In fact, I think everything is getting even better.” He jerked his head to the next building. “C’mon, bring the go-cart over here. I’ve gotta check something out.”

Sasha didn’t see anything special about the building. By the time he got the go-cart to the next building, Jack was busy searching the ground for something. Sasha studied the building intently. Two stories high, the building was made of nondescript brick and didn’t seem to be any different from the other buildings around the park. Jack finally straightened a brick in his hand. Without a word of explanation, he smashed the window on the door and reached in to open the door. Turning to grin at Sasha, Jack quickly disappeared into the building.

Shrugging, Sasha climbed from the go-cart and followed his friend. Jack had already disappeared down the hallway, but it wasn’t hard to find him from the amount of noise he was making as he rummaged around. Following the noise, Sasha entered a room and gasped. Arms and legs hung neatly on hooks around the walls. It took the entertainer a few moments to realize all the limbs were artificial. Jack was on the other side of the room pulling things off another wall.

“Jack?”

“Haven’t you figured it out?” Jack asked, hardly able to contain his excitement.

“To be honest … no,” Sasha admitted. “No one on the ship needs artificial hands or legs.”

“You’re right,” Jack happily agreed. “But, Brandon’s been having problems with his knee. If I were any kind of real doctor, I’d have been able to operate and put pins in to fix it or something. The best I could do was put it in a plaster cast.” He gave a little cry and bent over. “Here we go – just what I was hoping to find.”

Suddenly everything fell into place for Sasha. “You’re looking for braces, right?”

“Right, and look at this – drawers full of them,” Jack cried gleefully, gathering several different braces. “One of these ought to fit him nicely,” Jack said. “It’ll give his leg support.”

“And he won’t feel quite so helpless anymore,” Sasha added.

Back at the ship, Jack had hardly gotten his new treasures stacked in one of the examination rooms before he had little Jordy searching the ship for Brandon and Wolf. Unpacking the various braces he had collected, Jack set them out carefully on the top of a table. He prayed that one of them would fit Brandon without needing special adjustments. Wolf showed up first, a slight glimmer of hope in his eyes. He really hadn’t believed Jack’s promise of false teeth earlier in the day. He figured it was just a white lie designed to make him feel better. Entering the examining room, Jack shot him a big grin and asked him to wait just a little bit – he was expecting someone else shortly and wanted to take care of him first. Wolf was used to waiting. He didn’t have to wait long before he heard a strange clumping sound outside the examination room door. The door opened and Wolf almost leaped across the room in fright.

Brandon and Jack fell over themselves, apologizing for not warning Wolf about Brandon’s appearance. The truth was that everyone in the Tribe had grown used to Brandon’s mutilated features. But, that wasn’t the real reason behind Wolf’s sudden fright – he recognized Brandon and remembered only too well what Gull had done to him. He wondered if Brandon recognized him and feared Brandon’s reaction if he did.

Jack quickly explained to Brandon about the braces he had found and asked if Brandon would be willing to give them a try. Brandon couldn’t get off his crutches and get his pants down fast enough. He was only too happy to give anything a try that would get him off the crutches. The first two braces were either too short, or just too small to fit around his leg. The third brace, however, fit perfectly. If Jack hadn’t known better, he’d have sworn the device had been made specifically for Brandon. Buckling the straps in place around Brandon’s thigh and calf, Jack had the former Tribe chief slide from the table and onto his feet.

All three of them collectively held their breath as Brandon tested his weight on his leg. The brace held and for the first time in months Brandon found he was able to stand upright unassisted. Crossing his fingers, Brandon waved away Jack’s offer of help as he tried to take his first steps. The steps were far from his old graceful swagger, but that didn’t matter to Brandon. In fact, they were fairly lumbering, but the only thing Brandon cared about was that he was moving around without crutches. He spun around, limped quickly over to Jack and lifted the little teen off his feet in a rib-crushing bear hug.

While Brandon was pulling his pants back on, Jack rummaged around in a closet and produced a cane that he insisted Brandon use. He refused to let the bigger teen argue him out of using the cane – warning him that a fall could cause even more serious damage to his already weak knee. In the end, Jack won by sheer stubborn refusal to allow Brandon to leave the room unless he took the cane with him.

Once Brandon was gone, Jack turned to Wolf and asked him to step into the other room where there was a dentist’s chair. He carried two of the boxes from the dental lab into the room with him and got Wolf settled into the chair.

“I know I promised you some teeth within a week,” Jack said as he began unpacking the boxes.

“It’s okay,” Wolf said. “I didn’t really think it was possible now anyway.”

“I didn’t mean that,” Jack said with a sly grin. He produced several sets of already completed dentures. “Now, I’m not about to suggest any of these will even fit and even one of these sets do, they probably won’t be a good fit.” He gently laid the dentures out on a small tray. “We’ll still need to take a cast of your gums so a good fitting set can be made for you. But, in the meantime, maybe one of these sets will hold you over until your own are ready.”

Wolf stared in amazement – Jack had already laid out nearly two-dozen sets of pre-made dentures and there were still more in the cardboard box. Jack crossed the room and took his time scrubbing his hands. Satisfied that his hands were clean enough to put into Wolf’s mouth, Jack took a seat by the former slave’s side and began trying each set of dentures for a close fit. They went through the first dozen dentures without finding a set that even came close to fitting Wolf’s gums. The fifteenth set seemed to fit Wolf’s mouth pretty well, but Jack insisted on trying each of the other sets he had brought back with him. None fit as well as that fifteenth set.

Jack placed the good set of teeth to one side and turned to face Wolf. “We need to talk,” Jack said gently.

“About what?” Wolf began to feel shivers of fright crawl up his spine.

“About why The Brotherhood punished one of their own by pulling out all his teeth,” Jack said.

“Who said…”

Jack interrupted Wolf by reaching out and pulling off his headband. “This was a pretty good clue that you were trying to hide something … something like a unique tattoo,” Jack said holding the headband up. Reaching out, Jack traced the black X that had been inked over the red phoenix on Wolf’s forehead. “That must have hurt,” he muttered. He offered Wolf a tender smile. “I’ll bet you were there the day Brandon was worked over.”

Tears spilled down Wolf’s cheeks as he wordlessly nodded his head. Jack waited patiently. “It was terrible watching what Gull did to him.”

“I can imagine,” Jack said. “So, what’d you do to earn this?”

“Th-there was this other kid who escaped,” Wolf said between sobs. He tearfully recounted the events of that day, describing how Daniel had suggested substituting one of the bodies for the escapee. He was trembling violently as he described how their deception had been discovered and Gull had overseen their punishment. The words spilled out of his as he recounted his torture and Daniel’s horrifying death. When he finished, he looked down at the floor. “I won’t cause any problems … I’ll just go away.”

“Why?” Jack asked. He smiled at the startled look on Wolf’s face. “Nobody’s going to make you leave here unless you want to go. We don’t do things that way here.” He gave Wolf’s hand a squeeze. “I’ll make sure Brandon and Jordan understand that you weren’t the one responsible for what happened.”

“Jordan?”

Jack smiled. “The kid who escaped … his name is Jordan and because you didn’t hunt him down and bring him back, he was able to return and help Brandon escape … in a way, you helped them survive. They’re pretty good guys and I don’t think they’ll hold a grudge against you … especially if a few of the Shiprats and I explain things to them.” He got up and started mixing the dental impression cream. “That tattoo’s too big for me to do anything about,” he said looking up. “But, I think it can be covered by another tattoo – you know, change it into something different if you want.”

Without waiting for Wolf to give an answer, Jack told him to open his mouth as he held out the dental impression trays. It didn’t take long for the molding cream to harden. Setting the casts aside to be worked on later, Jack showed Wold how to apply the dental adhesive to the upper and lower plates of his temporary dentures and had Wolf place them in his mouth.

“Looks pretty good,” Jack said with a twinkle in his eye. “How do they feel?”

“I dunno,” Wolf said. “Good, I think … I mean, it’s good to have teeth again … but it feels so different.”

“I bet you get used to them in no time,” Jack said. “I should be able to get the final casts on you own permanent dentures done in about a week or so. He clapped his hands, “So, it’s time to give these temporary teeth a tryout.” Jack smiled. “What’s your favorite food?”

Without hesitation Wolf answered, “Pepperoni pizza.”

Jack hurried across the room and lifted the phone. After a couple of moments, he spoke into the mouthpiece, “Connect me to the kitchen, please.” Jack shot Wolf a thumbs up sign as he waited for the connection to be made. “Heather? I’ve got a special request – can you do up a pepperoni pizza for dinner? A really big one … I know it’s last minute … but, it really is important and I’d appreciate it a lot.” Jack’s grin could have lit up the room. “Thanks … you’re the best.”

Heather had outdone herself on the pizza. Wolf had never seen a pizza that big before in his life. The pizza combined with everyone complimenting him on his teeth made him feel better than he’d felt in a long time. He couldn’t help smiling from ear to ear, showing off his new teeth even more. His mouth was watering as he stared down at the pizza. Nervously, he lifted a slice to his mouth and took a bite. The dentures sliced neatly through the cheese, pepperoni and crust easily. Chewing, the dentures held nicely. Wolf’s confidence soared as he took a second and then a third bite. The entire Tribe cheered as he easily finished the first slice of pizza, crust and all.

Wolf’s belly was as tight as a drum as he left the dining room that night. He wasn’t sure if the warmth he was feeling was due to the pizza filling his belly or the feeling of friendship he had felt as everyone shared the pizzas Heather had made at the last minute. He wandered up to the bayside of the Promenade Deck and leaned against the rail to watch the sun go down as he savored the warmth that he was feeling. He was still there when Jordan and Brandon took up places on either side of him. He nervously greeted them and half wondered if they were going to pitch him over the side of the ship. Glancing down at the water, he figured it was at least seventy feet from the deck and wondered if a fall to the water from that height would break his neck.

“Must be uncomfortable wearing that headband all the time,” Brandon said, his voice low and even.

“It’s not bad,” Wolf answered, his voice small.

“Jack talked to us,” Jordan said conversationally. “Not that Brand and I hadn’t begun to figure it out for ourselves.”

Wolf swallowed hard. He kept his head lowered afraid to look at either of the boys. “I-I don’t know what to say…”

“Nothing much to say,” Jordan answered. “I think Jack’s right – if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be alive right now.”

“And, if Jordan wasn’t alive, then I wouldn’t be either,” Brandon joined in. “We’ve heard about the way The Leader forces people to join his Tribe.” He turned Wolf to face him. “We figured you should know that we don’t blame you for anything and don’t hold any grudges. As far as we’re concerned, it’s nice to have you on the ship.” He held out his hand to Wolf.

Jordan clapped him on the shoulder; “Same goes for me.”

“Y-you mean you want to be friends with me?” Wolf asked in relieved amazement.

“Well, I don’t know about that,” Brandon answered, the edges of his mouth curling up. “I mean you might think we’re some kind of assholes, or maybe we’ll find out that you’re a real jerk.” His engaging smile proved his words were friendly and jesting. Tears were welling up in Wolf’s eyes as he eagerly grabbed Brandon’s hand.

“The truth is that Brandon is a real asshole,” Jordan laughed. “But, everyone likes him anyway … I’ll bet you will, too.”

“Being an asshole is part of my charm,” Brandon grinned. He reached up and pulled the headband from Wolf’s forehead and studied the phoenix tattoo and the heavy black X running through it. For the first time he turned his ruined face fully towards Wolf. “If you don’t mind a suggestion … keep the tattoo just like it is … kinda looks like a symbol for ‘Stamp out the Phoenix’. I like it.”

It didn’t take long before the three of them began to relax and settle down to really get to know each other. None of them noticed the small shadow peeking from around one of the Queen Mary’s massive raked funnels to make sure the confrontation remained friendly. Jack ducked back out of sight, his back against the funnel and slid down to a sitting position, hugging his knees tightly to stop the trembling that had been running through his limbs. He hadn’t been sure that telling Brandon and Jordan about Wolf had been such a good idea at first. Both had seemed really concerned about Wolf’s well being and that he might feel insecure about being on the ship. Jack had hoped they didn’t plan to take revenge on the ex-Brotherhood member. So, he had climbed up behind the base of the funnel and watched the exchange, trembling all over and hoping he had done the right thing. In the deep shadow of the funnel, Jack smiled to himself and felt good that things had turned out so well.

Unfortunately, that good feeling didn’t last long.

Selene found Jack in his workshop with Dal. The small scientist and young engineer were examining the latest water tests from the purified water lagoon. They had run every test they knew how to do at least three times and always came up with the same results – the samples from the third lagoon were all nothing but water. There were no impurities, no imperfections, and no waterborne parasites. Every scientific test showed that the purified water was safe to drink. Jack and Dal glanced uneasily at the pint beaker of water on the table. They had run every test but one – gulping, Jack quickly reached out and lifted the beaker to his lips before Dal could stop him. Tossing his head back, Jack drained the beaker.

Dal watched Jack closely as he slowly lowered the beaker to the table. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting – maybe there was a poison they hadn’t known to test for and Jack would topple from his stool within minutes. In the back of his mind, Dal knew that was unlikely to happen. It was more likely that the water contained a parasite or germs that would make Jack sick, maybe sick enough to die. He watched as Jack smacked his lips curiously. He blinked owlishly and cocked his head to one side.

“It’s good!” Jack announced in surprise.

“What’s it taste like?” Dal asked excitedly.

“Like nothing,” Jack laughed. “It tastes just like nothing at all – just the way water is supposed to taste. Dal refilled the beaker from the gallon sample jug and tasted the water for himself. He lowered the beaker, his face beaming as he confirmed Jack’s very unscientific test. The two were still congratulating each other when Selene entered the office.

Jack’s grin faded the second he saw the look of concern on Selene’s face. “What’s wrong?” He asked immediately.

“It’s Morgan,” Selene said, sorry to interrupt what had obviously been a happy event. “His temperature’s climbing and his lower abdomen is getting harder to the touch … you insisted I tell you immediately if his condition changed in any way at all,” she added apologetically.

Jack slid off his stool and paced the room, nervously tapping the fingers of each hand against his forehead. He stopped suddenly and turned to Selene, “Give him two more bags of saline, increase the antibiotics he’s getting … when the second is finished, start a third and give him Demerol … that should make him drift off to sleep … once he’s groggy, could you please get him prepared. I’ll be down to the ship’s hospital by then…” he resumed his nervous pacing, trying to think of what else he should be doing. “Yeah, he should be ready by then…” Selene started to back from the room, a little shaken by Jack’s nervousness. “NO, wait,” Jack almost shouted. “Start the new IV and Demerol drip now, I’ll be down in a few minutes … no sense waiting longer than we have to … yes, it’s the only thing to do … no other choice…” Jack resumed his nervous pacing, speaking more to himself than to anyone else in the room.

Selene glanced sharply over at Dal who nodded silently to indicate it was okay for her to leave the room. She knew Dal would stay with Jack and watch over him. Jack continued to pace for almost ten minutes in silence before suddenly dashing to the small bathroom at the back of the office. From the other side of the closed door, Dal could hear him being violently sick.

By the time Jack appeared in the surgery to change into clean scrubs and wash up for the impending surgery, he had shaken off all outward signs of his earlier nervousness. Dal stayed by his side as Jack concentrated on scrubbing his hands all the way up past his elbows with a yellow-brown surgical soap. By the time Jack had finished scrubbing, Selene had entered the room and began scrubbing in – Selene mentioned that Tai San and Bray were finishing up prepping Morgan and would bring him into surgery when Jack was ready. The only response she got was a non-committal grunt and bob of Jack’s capped head.

Minutes later, Jack was standing over Morgan, who had already been sedated, and placing the surgical drapes around the incision area. From his position just behind Selene, Dal could see the ugly looking puckered flesh of the cut that had removed Morgan’s package. It was an angry looking red and puffy looking. The first thing Jack had to do was cut away the crude stitches that had closed the two sides of the cut. Even though he was wearing a mask like the others and several feet away from the operating table, he could catch the unmistakable whiff of putrefaction. Once the last of the stitches had been removed, Jack called for a scalpel. Dal knew there was no turning back now.

Dal watched as Jack placed the blade at the top of the old wound, pressed down firmly and drew it straight down in one long stroke. Neither Selene nor Bray needed to be told what to do – as soon as Jack started cutting, they dabbed the blood away with surgical sponges. Everyone knew when Jack reached the infected area – the stench filled that filled the air was almost enough to make everyone gag. Jack irrigated the area, flushing away the pus. This was the first time Dal had actually seen Jack operate and he was impressed with his little friend’s skills. His voice, when he needed to speak, was clear and sounded full of confidence.

Dal watched as Jack made the repairs necessary and began suturing each layer back together and checking at each layer to make sure that there wasn’t any bleeding before preceding further. At last, Jack began suturing together the top layers of skin, creating a neat, thin straight line. Stepping back from the table, Jack made room for Selene and Bray to apply a topical antibiotic and bandage the incision. Carefully stripping off his gloves, Jack trudged from the room to the changing area.

After changing, Dal found Jack was already sitting by Morgan’s bedside waiting for the patient to wake up from the surgery. Dal was shocked to find that Morgan looked better than Jack did. Morgan had a healthy color to his face, while Jack’s face was pale. Dark circles ringed Jack’s eyes, giving him a drawn and haggard look. The diminutive genius’ fingers were drumming a rapid, uncontrollable tattoo on the arm of the chair as he stared absently at Morgan’s sleeping face.

“He’s going to be okay, Jack,” Dal whispered. Jack turned his head in Dal’s direction, but Dal got the impression his friend didn’t even see him. Jack’s usually bright eyes were dull and glassy and seemed to stare right through Dal as if he weren’t there. “C’mon, Tai San can watch over Morgan now – you need a break. Let’s go raid the kitchen and see if Heather or Amber have any pies made that we can steal.”

Jack didn’t offer any resistance when Dal took his arm and pulled him from his vigil post. As he led Jack from the room, Dal stopped long enough to whisper to Tai San and ask that she have Bray meet them in the Dining Room.

By the time they reached the Dining Room, some of Jack’s lethargy seemed to have worn off. At least he was responding to Dal’s questions with grunts and sighs. Bray appeared in the kitchen doorway, announcing that he had a pot of coffee brewing and that he had found two fresh cherry pies in one of the refrigerators. Instead of sitting at one of the tables, Jack sat on the floor – his back against the wall and arms wrapped around his knees which were drawn up to his chin.

Bray brought Jack a mug of coffee. “Jack, you’ve got to stop beating yourself up like this,” Bray said gently, handing him the coffee mug.

“You don’t understand,” Jack said wearily. “I could have killed Morgan – hell, he’s not out of the woods yet … he’s not even awake yet.” Jack took a long, languid sip of the coffee and shook his head.

“Don’t be silly Jack,” Dal argued. “You’ve saved his life.”

“Are you sure?” Jack countered. “All I did for now was fix the hatchet job done on him by someone else. That doesn't mean I’ve saved his life.”

“Sure it does Jack,” Dal said.

“No it doesn’t,” Jack said firmly. “That’s the point – I’m supposed to be making him better, but it’s at the risk of killing him anyway. He could still develop another infection and die from that. Hell, just the system shock alone could kill him or anyone else I operate on – especially as the operations get more complicated … and this is one of the most intense ones I’ve done so far.”

“System shock?” Dal asked. “What’s that?”

“It’s just that,” Jack explained. “A shock to the system – most of us are still thinking about surgery like we’re back in the old days. They pretty much had things like system shock under control with all their skills and experience and equipment, so it really wasn’t that big a deal. But, here … I’m playing it all by ear.” Jack took another sip of his coffee and stared up at Dal and Bray.

“Don’t either of you realize that we don’t even have any blood to transfuse?” Jack asked. “A significant loss of blood volume is enough to kill someone … and let me tell you, it doesn’t have to be a lot of blood, either. The best I can do to replace lost blood is increase the amount of saline solution I can give by IV and hope I’m doing enough.” He sighed heavily. “It’s like The Leader knows what our limitations are and has decided to make my efforts even harder than before.”

“I didn’t realize system shock was such a risk,” Bray said.

“It’s like taking a gun and shooting the patient,” Jack explained. “Most surgeries have that kind of shock value to the human body, did you know that? I just shocked Morgan’s body as much as if I had taken a .45 caliber pistol and shot him in the groin.” Jack leaned his head back against the wall and exhaled heavily. “I almost wish I had a gun now … I’d like to give The Leader a practical example of system shock.”

“Have either of you noticed … so far, none of the Tribes have used guns,” Dal mused. “I wonder why that is. I mean, most of the Tribes have shown that they’re not opposed to violence.”

“It’s good that they haven’t,” Bray said. “Maybe there’s just a mutual agreement not to use firearms.”

“It’s not that,” Jack said. “They just can’t find any.”

“What do you mean they can’t find any?” Dal asked. “There’s got to be thousands – probably millions – of guns just laying around out there.”

Jack shook his head. “No,” he said. “I’d be surprised if anyone could find one out there now.” Jack looked from Bray to Dal. “Both of you were sent off to the quarantine camps, right?”

“Yeah, we were,” Bray said.

“You guys didn’t get all the news about what was happening outside the camps,” Jack said.

“Well, you were at a camp, too, weren’t you?” Dal asked.

“Nope,” Jack shook his head again. “My Mom and Dad were both biological researchers – the research facility was considered pretty safe, so I got to stay with them. The news outside the camps wasn’t as censored and we had access to uncensored information as well.”

“So what’re you saying?” Bray asked.

“About the time the camps were reaching capacity, things on the outside started breaking down,” Jack explained. “At first, it was just localized disturbances. Then, things got worse.”

Jack paused as if he had said too much. He stood and helped himself to more coffee before turning and describing what had happened as the society they had known entered the end stages. It had started with small riots in almost every city. The government had responded by declaring martial law and imposing strict curfews, and confiscating firearms in an effort to restore order. At first, that only made things worse and the small riots turned into massive riots, and finally, into outright revolution. In desperation the government suspended the Bill of Rights and began neighborhood sweeps searching for weapons of all kinds, concentrating on firearms. It had been hard to do at first, Jack explained, but as more and more people got weaker and weaker as they got sick, it had been very easy to round up the guns.

“So you’re saying all the guns that used to be out there were destroyed?” Dal asked in amazement.

“Most of them,” Jack said. “Those that weren’t were locked away in bunkers and there are very few people around today who could get into them.”

“Yeah, but the military and police … didn’t they still have guns?” Bray asked.

That question seemed to rattle Jack. He retreated to his sitting position against the wall, pulling his legs up to his chin again. This time, he started to rock back and forth a little. “Yeah, they still had guns,” Jack finally admitted, his voice growing strained. “And, they started to use them. At first, they used them against their own leadership – if they disagreed with an order from a superior, they just turned their guns on them. Then, as they entered the second stage of the disease and the madness took over, they started going after the doctors and scientists who weren’t able to find a cure for the disease.”

Bray’s stomach clenched … he knew what was coming. “Oh Jack,” he moaned. “No, don’t go on.”

Jack seemed not to have heard him. “Mom and I were having breakfast when they came,” Jack said dully. “The first we knew was when this popping came from the security gate … it sounded like someone had dropped a whole box of light bulbs … just a bunch of little pops all of a sudden … then, we could hear people shouting … that’s when my Mom ran to the front door – we were one of the families that had been given these little cottages to live in – she ran to the door and opened it…”

Jack pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes as if trying to rub out the images he was remembering before continuing. “She had barely opened the door before she turned and screamed for me to run … the sound of the gunfire was louder by then and just unending. I sat there confused for a second and she screamed for me to run again … then, she kind of shuddered, like she had a chill … and just dropped to the floor.”

Bray started to get up to take Jack in his arms and stop him from reliving those memories, but Dal put a restraining hand on his arm. “Let him get it out of his system,” Dal whispered. “He can’t keep going on with all that locked up inside him.”

Suddenly, Jack looked up, his blue eyes burning. “You know it’s not like they used to show in the movies … when people get shot for real, they just drop where they stand like a marionette whose strings were suddenly cut. I don’t remember how long I stood there … but I ran when these soldiers started pushing past each other through the front door. I ran to my Dad’s lab … I guess I figured he’d know what to do and how to make things right … I dunno … I just remember feeling I’d be safe if I could get to him.”

Jack shook his head as if the idea was just too childish. “It was too late by the time I got to his lab … the soldiers had been there first … only old Dr. Steinmetz was still alive, but he was shot up pretty bad. I tried to help him and he asked me to just stay with him … I think he knew I wanted to run outside and fight the soldiers…” Jack snorted. “Not a real bright thing for a little genius to do… he asked me if I wanted revenge, he said the best revenge I could do was to live and oppose people like those soldiers … help people instead of hurt them … he said that’s how my parents lived, but helping others.” Jack’s voice got very soft and boyish. “He didn’t die until after the shooting stopped … then, he made me lean close and asked me to say Kaddish for him and my family … he said it didn’t matter that they weren’t Jewish, just so long as they were remembered.”

“Did you get to do it?” Dal asked.

“Huh? Oh, the Kaddish?” Jack asked. “Yeah, it took a while to find a book in a Synagogue that had the Hebrew words spelled out in English. I don’t know that I said it exactly right, but I don’t suppose it matters … it’s the thought that counts. At least, I hope so.” Jack gave a sad little grin. “Anyway – that’s why you’re probably not going to find many guns around.”

Bray got down on the floor next to Jack and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, ignoring their unspoken agreement not to display their affection in front of others. He stroked Jack’s bright orange-red hair and kissed his forehead. No wonder Jack didn’t sleep much or well when he did – those memories must be fuel for horrific nightmares. He also finally understood Jack’s burning compulsion to help others and build a better society. He had an aching desire to make tender love to his companion and demonstrate to him that there was still tenderness and compassion that made the world worth fighting for. He contented himself with pulling Jack into his lap and cradling his lover’s head against his chest as he continued to stroke his soft hair. Looking up, Bray was surprised to find that Dal had quietly stolen away to give them privacy.

Jack wrapped his bony arms around Bray in a tight hug and nestled his smooth face against Bray’s chest. Bray continued stroking Jack’s hair, whispering that everything would be all right. He repeated the words over and over, willing himself to believe the words he spoke to the most important person in his life now.

Bray realized that by being in the quarantine camps he had missed a lot of what had been happening as the world he had grown up in had spiraled apart. After hearing Jack’s story, he understood that things had been worse than he or any of the others in the Tribe had ever realized. The camps had shielded them not only from the unusual virus, but also from the terrible news that the world they had known was dying horribly. There was no way he could erase Jack’s experiences, but he promised himself that he could and would help Jack build a better future that would overshadow those bad memories.

To be continued …