The Tribes, Chapter 11

Brandon refused to listen to Jordy’s plea that he rest up for a week or so before traveling. Brandon had felt warm to Jordy’s touch as he changed the Badger chief’s bandages. None of the injuries to Brandon’s face looked very healthy – several were oozing clear fluid, and all were red and puffy. Nearly the whole left side of Brandon’s head was covered in heavy gauze surgical sponges held in place with tape. To make sure the bandages stayed in place, Jordy wrapped gauze bandages around Brandon’s head. By the time he finished, only Brandon’s right eye and the right half of his mouth was visible under the wrappings.

Brandon ignored Jordy, giving him instructions to get the Vice-Principal’s bolt cutters and rummage through the lockers in the locker room for some clothes. Brandon suggested Jordy look in Beau Drake’s locker, adding that Beau was about the same size and almost always had either a spare pair of gym shorts or sweat pants in his locker. Sighing, Jordy gave in and went off to run his errands.

In the locker room, Jordy felt like he had discovered a treasure trove – a smelly one, to be sure, but a treasure trove all the same. Drake had a complete warm-up suit wadded up on the bottom of his locker. There were spots of mildew on the warm up suit in places, but Jordy figured it was better than nothing. Rummaging around, he found some sweat socks on the top shelf. Sniffing the socks, Jordy was surprised to find they were clean. It took him a while to find a pair of sneakers that he thought would fit Brandon’s feet, but eventually he found a pair. Jordy found a well-supplied First Aid kit in the coach’s office that included Tylenol with codeine.

Back in the Nurse’s Office, Brandon wrinkled his nose at the pong wafting off the warm up suit, but shrugged and pulled it on. He’d rather wear smelly clothes than run around naked. Hobbling across the room, Brandon selected a pair of crutches and began practicing with them. It didn’t take long for him to realize he wasn’t in good enough shape to traipse across town on crutches. Jordy suggested pushing Brandon across town in the wheelchair, but the ex-jock brushed away that idea, suggesting they check and see if the spare batteries for the coach’s golf cart were charged.

An hour later, Brandon was stretched across the back of the golf cart; his right leg propped up as Jordy putted across town to the Outdoor Center. Jordy chattered on about all the things they’d find there – clean clothes for Brandon, dehydrated meals in foil pouches, canoes, inflatable boats, and so much more. There were several times that Brandon found himself wishing that Jordy would just shut up, but he realized the other teen was babbling to keep from remembering the events of the day before. Back Before-It-Happened, Brandon knew Jordy only as one of the geeks in the marching and concert bands. As a jock – hell, as the star jock, his path seldom crossed Jordy’s. The few exceptions were when Brandon and his friends would recognize Jordy or one of his geek friends long enough to give them a hard time. Brandon marveled at the core of strength Jordy had demonstrated since the day before. He never would have guessed a band geek could have been quite as brave as Jordy had been.

Reaching the Outdoor Center, Jordy helped Brandon ease himself into a camp chair and then hunted down some clean clothes for the Badger chief. Jordy announced that several of the above ground pools in the side parking lot still had water in them, suggesting Brandon might want to take a bath. Brandon felt a little foolish sitting naked in a small kiddie pool and soaking before washing himself clean. Jordy had left a pile of new clothes on the ground by the side of the pool, insisting he’d be back to help Brandon out of the water in a little while.

The water soothed Brandon’s aching body, the dried mud and residue of his multiple violations slowly dissolved in the tepid water making Brandon feel almost clean again. He hoped Jordy took his time inside the store – he just wanted to relax in the water for as long as possible and try to forget his violation for just a little while. He figured he had more than enough time to dwell on the things that had been done to him once he was clean. By the time Jordy returned, Brandon had finally finished soaking and was in the process of rinsing the last of the soap from his body. Jordy had quietly left the Outdoor Center and rummaged through the discount store down the road for some underwear that would fit Brandon.

Brandon found he needed to slit the seam of his new jeans to fit the right leg over the bulky brace that extended from hip to ankle. To combat the jeans leg flapping all over the place, Jordy hunted down some oversized rubber bands to put around the pants leg.

Inside the Outdoor Center, Brandon was amazed to find Jordy had loaded an aluminum canoe with supplies. Two large camper’s backpacks were neatly packed with food and spare clothes. Spare canteens were piled by the packs, and there was an empty collapsible plastic five-gallon water jug in the canoe.

“I’ve got a small propane single burner stove in each pack and a bottle of propane,” Jordy announced. “I figured the canoe is out best bet. It’s light enough for me to lift, and if we need to, I think I can drag it along with you riding in it – kind of like a sled.”

“I don’t think so,” Brandon said doubtfully.

“Sure,” Jordy said. “Well, at least I think I can – as long as I’m pulling it over grass. That’s what the old explorers used to do – pull their canoes over grass from one lake or river to another.”

“Well, I’ll have my crutches with me,” Brandon said. “We’ll save your plan for pulling me along as a last resort, okay?”

The next morning, Jordy had the empty canoe tied precariously on the top of the golf cart, the backpacks and other supplies piled in the back. Before letting Brandon go out to the cart, Jordy insisted on changing the dressings on Brandon’s face. The wounds looked even uglier than they had the day before – all of them were an angry red and puffy. Pus was draining from each injury. Brandon winced as Jordy placed the clean dressings in place and wrapped his head in bandages again, but remained silent. Jordy lied, and told the Badger chief that the injuries seemed to be starting to heal. It took a while for Brandon to get situated as comfortably as possible while perched on top of the backpacks in the back of the golf cart. Jordy couldn’t help noticing how warm and dry Brandon’s skin felt as he helped the injured teen get settled.

“Hey, I was wondering,” Brandon rasped as the golf cart jolted down the empty streets, “how do we know where to go?”

“That’s easy,” Jordy called over his shoulder, “Luke said to look for this old girder railroad bridge – he said it’s got his initial painted on it. We look for that bridge – then right around the bend of the river is a fork to the left where this creek joins the river. We go up that fork until we paddle up by a wooden bridge – he says the farm is only a short walk from there.”

“Cool – sounds easy,” Brandon said. “How long will it take to get there?”

Jordy considered, “Well it took Luke four days to come upriver against the current. So, I figure it should take us like two or three days at most by going with the current.”

Reaching the river, Jordy stopped the golf cart at the edge of the dock and helped Brandon get to his feet before unstrapping the canoe from the top of the cart. Brandon eyed the dock with unease.

“I don’t see how I’m going to get into the canoe with this leg,” he said, his breath coming in short pants from the small amount of exertion used in getting out of the cart.

“Got it figured out already,” Jordy grinned, manhandling the canoe to the ground. He placed the front end of the canoe into the water with about two-thirds of the boat still on the riverbank. “We get you in the canoe here on the bank. It’ll be easier for me to load the supplies into the boat that way, too. Then – I just push the canoe by the side of the dock and hop in – I won’t even get my feet wet.”

Brandon nodded – Jordy’s plan made sense, but he hated watching the smaller teen do all the work. He wasn’t used to seeing someone he’d always considered a geek doing all the work while he felt too weak to even crawl out of a golf cart by himself. Once settled comfortably in the canoe, Brandon had to admit Jordy’s plan seemed to be working out smoothly. He did grumble a bit when Jordy whipped out one of those roll up bucket hats and plopped it on his bandaged head.

“Look, we’ll be out in the sun all day and you don’t want to get sunburn on your head,” Jordy said patiently.

“Most of my head is covered in bandages,” Brandon grumbled.

“Yeah, but about half isn’t,” Jordy countered. “So keep the hat on.”

It took a lot of grunting and a good bit of exertion before Jordy was able to get the canoe pushed into the water. Keeping a firm grip on the painter, Jordy scrambled up on the dock and dropped lightly into the boat with a broad grin on his face before pushing away from the dock. Brandon watched with interest as Jordy fluidly dipped his paddle into the water, smoothly guiding the canoe into the center of the river to take full advantage of the current.

“Man – I’d have never figured you for being such a Nature boy,” Brandon said with an undisguised touch of admiration in his voice.

“Yeah, not really the first image that springs to mind when you look at a band geek,” Jordy said with a smile.

“Hey, I didn’t mean it like that,” Brandon protested.

“I know – still, it’s the truth,” Jordy said. “Most people think all the band geeks do is practice their instruments all day long.” He winked to show he was joking. “The truth is – camping and canoeing was something my Dad liked. I wasn’t too hot about it at first – but it gave me a chance to spend weekends with him. That’s how I found out he was pretty cool.”

“My old man was a lawyer,” Brandon said. “What’d yours do?”

“He was an accountant,” Jordy said. “When he talked about work and numbers and stuff, he seemed pretty dull. But out here – wow! I don’t think there wasn’t anything he didn’t know about camping and Nature.”

Brandon felt his eyes growing heavy as Jordy talked on about his dad, he really wanted to hear more, but he just felt so tired and weak. Jordy watched as Brandon’s head lolled to one side. He kept talking softly while watching Brandon’s chest intently to make sure it was rising and falling. Satisfied that his companion was only sleeping, Jordy paddled on. His big fear was that Brandon would die before they reached his cousin. Jordy didn’t know much about First Aid and medicine, but he knew enough to tell that Brandon was really sick – a whole lot sicker than he was letting on.

As Jordy paddled, he kept an eye on the progress of the sun in the sky. The sun was straight overhead when he considered putting in to the shore and making some lunch. Glancing at Brandon, Jordy saw his chest moving steadily and decided letting Brandon sleep might be the best thing to do. If Brandon woke up later, they could always stop. He contented himself with a couple pieces of beef jerky he’d stuffed in his short pockets from the counter at the Outdoor Center and a warm soda from his pack.

The sun had almost completely set when Jordy finally made for the riverbank and stopped for the day. He pulled the front of the canoe onto the bank and tied the painter around a small tree before gathering some wood and making a small fire. He was tempted to try starting the fire by striking a flint against steel the way his Dad had shown him, but decided it was just a whole lot easier to use one of the waterproof matches from his supplies.

With the fire crackling nicely, Jordy boiled some water and made some soup. He let it cool before taking it over to Brandon, who was still sprawled out in the front end of the canoe. Shaking Brandon, Jordy was alarmed at how hot his companion was. When Brandon finally woke up, he refused the soup at first. Jordy was relentless and eventually Brandon grudgingly sipped at the soup to get the other teen to leave him alone.

While Brandon listlessly sipped at the soup, Jordy unbuttoned Brandon’s shirt and pants. Taking the tin cup from one of the canteens, Jordy poured cool river water over Brandon’s T-shirt and underpants hoping to cool his companion down. The gesture seemed to make Brandon feel slightly more comfortable, so Jordy soaked him down thoroughly before crawling into the back of the canoe to curl up and go to sleep. He had considered unrolling a sleeping bag by the fire, but was just too tired to bother.

Jordy woke the following morning stiff and sore. Staggering over to the remnants of the fire, he blew enough life into the embers to get another fire going. With the fire going strong, Jordy stripped and dove headlong into the river. The cold water shocked him into full wakefulness and seemed to drive the kinks from his muscles. Climbing from the river, Jordy stood close to the fire as he dried off with his undershirt. Dressing, he started boiling some water and checked on Brandon.

The Badger chief’s breathing seemed a little heavy, but at least he was still breathing. He didn’t seem any hotter to the touch, but he didn’t seem any cooler, either. Returning to the fire, he tipped some instant coffee into two tin cups and mixed a cup of coffee for each of them. Brandon came awake with a start when Jordy shook him and took the steaming tin cup gratefully. Jordy watched him as he sipped at the coffee – he wasn’t sure whether Brandon was drinking the coffee because he really wanted it, or to keep Jordy from pestering him too much. Jordy didn’t care what the reason was – he just cared that Brandon was getting something inside him. He decided to press his luck and mix up some powdered eggs. Brandon balked at the unsavory looking eggs, but Jordy threatened to spoon-feed the ex-jock unless he ate the eggs. Taking a mouthful of eggs from his own plate, Jordy couldn’t blame Brandon too much for not wanting them. The eggs were bland and tasted more like the foil pouch the came out of than they did like real eggs. Still, the tasteless eggs filled his belly and Jordy found himself making more. He hadn’t realized how hungry he had been.

With the dishes washed up and stowed away and the fire diligently extinguished, Jordy untied the painter and pushed off. The sun was just peeking above the tree line as Jordy guided the canoe into the middle of the river. He figured they should reach the railroad bridge by noon the next day at the latest. As with the day before, Brandon slept most of the day. He only stirred a couple of times to gulp down some water before falling listlessly back. Jordy once again chose to skip stopping for a lunch break, chewing more jerky and a couple cellophane bags of stale trail mix.

It was late afternoon when Jordy was amazed to see the railroad bridge looming ahead of them. On the side of the bridge was a large yellow stylized ‘L’ inside a circle. He realized he hadn’t accounted on the speed of the current and the extra hours spent traveling bringing them to their destination faster than he had anticipated. He began paddling harder while searching the far bank for the fork.

The canoe had just rounded the bend in the river when Jordy saw the mouth of the creek. He paddled furiously to bring the canoe around and paddle up the creek. He found himself paddling against a slight, but steady current. The effort to maintain headway soon had his aching muscles burning, but Jordy tried to keep his pace. They’d be at the farm by dark, he was sure of it. He had to paddle another two miles before the wooden bridge came into view. His cry of excitement didn’t make Brandon stir. Jordy stared hard at his companion until he was sure he could see Brandon’s chest moving.

Jordy had to paddle about fifty yards past the bridge before he found a spot low enough on the bank to land the canoe. He more fell out of the canoe into the water than he did climb out of it. His legs were cramped from kneeling all day long, and his arms felt like lead. He flailed around for a moment before he was able to get his legs under him and scramble onto the bank. He heaved and pulled until the canoe was beached on the bank and free from the creek. He looked around, unsure of what to do next. Jordy didn’t want to leave Brandon alone, but he knew there was no way Brandon could hobble anywhere on his crutches. He also knew there was no way for him to carry his barely conscious companion. He dropped to his knees by the side of the canoe and frantically slapped Brandon’s hand until his eyes fluttered open.

“We’re there,” Jordy gasped.

“Wha --?” Brandon muttered.

“We’re there,” Jordy repeated. “Listen, I need to leave you here alone for just a little bit.” He felt tears running down his face as he tried to explain that he wasn’t abandoning Brandon at all – he promised that he would be back soon with help.

“be … ri – right … here,” Brandon gasped, trying to work his face into a weak smile.

Jordy stood and turned from side to side, trying to figure out in which direction to go. He couldn’t afford to spend all evening searching for the farm. He stopped and sniffed. He turned in the direction of the gentle breeze – he could smell fresh bread. That had to be the farm. He took off running in the direction of the bread aroma.

Jordy found reserves of energy he didn’t think he’d had left. His stiff legs and aching muscles were forgotten as he sprinted down the dirt road leading away from the bridge. He didn’t care that his lungs burned agonizingly, that his breath came in ragged gasps. He didn’t care when he stumbled and fell, ignoring the sudden flashes of pain in his knees and on his chin. All he cared about was the aroma of fresh bread growing stronger and closer. He scrambled to his feet and continued running stiffly. Rounding a curve in the dirt road, Jordy gave a hoarse shout of glee – the farmhouse was only a hundred yards or so away.

Jordy thought he heard screams of children as he neared the farmhouse and then, there were people all around him. Hands grabbed at him as he slumped to his knees. He tried to gasp out his story, call for Luke, and explain how important it was to get back to the creek all at once. Then, Luke was standing in front of him, insisting Jordy calm down and giving orders to the others to carry Jordy back to the house.

Jordy found himself sitting at a long table in a breezeway between the house and outbuildings. He gulped hungrily at the glass of cool well water thrust into his hand. Taking a few deep breaths, Jordy finally managed to gasp out his story about Brandon – how he was still in the canoe and barely conscious. Hearing those words, Luck straightened and began barking out orders. Lucy and two other girls disappeared into the house to get supplies readied and a place for Brandon ready. A tall, gangly youth named Adam disappeared in the direction of the barn. Moments later, Jordy heard the chugging of a tractor engine. Looking up, Jordy saw Adam and two others as the tractor appeared pulling a flat bed wagon.

Lucy returned and began dabbing at the injuries on Jordy’s chin and knees. For the first time, he became aware that he was bleeding from his fall. Lucy examined the cuts and scrapes intently before announcing they weren’t serious. Jordy barely heard her – he was concentrating on listening for the sound of the tractor returning. For the longest time, the night beyond the farmhouse was still. Then, the sound of the tractor engine could be heard in the distance. It was no longer chugging steadily – the tractor’s motor was a steady drone. Looking up, Jordy could see Adam had turned on the headlights on the tractor in the growing dusk.

Adam steered the tractor straight for the farmhouse as the other two jumped from the wagon, shouting for help. Everyone scrambled around the wagon, hands eager to help lift Brandon down and carry him into the house. Adam climbed down from the driver’s seat and made straight for Luke, his face grim.

“He’s burning up with fever,” Adam said softly. “I’m not sure how bad he’s hurt under those bandages, but I think it must be pretty bad. Worse than we can handle, I think.”

Jordy tottered on weak legs behind the procession carrying Brandon into a bedroom, a gaggle of children timidly following in his wake, their curiosity overcoming their fear. Once Brandon was laid out on the bed, Lucy chased everyone but Luke and Jordy from the room. She insisted Jordy rest as she began peeling back the bandages on Brandon’s face. He tried to warn her how bad Brandon’s injuries were, but she just shushed him and continued removing the bandages. As the injuries were exposed, Lucy gave a little cry and covered her mouth with her hands, but she didn’t turn away from her work. She called for Luke to help her get Brandon undressed.

Luke staggered back from the bed in shock when he removed Brandon’s pants and underpants. For the first time, Jordy remembered the castration.

“The Brotherhood did this?” Luke asked in a strangled voice.

Jordy nodded despondently, “Yeah – The Leader ordered it after he had them do other things to Brandon. I didn’t see that happen though – that’s when me and a couple others tried to escape.” He shuddered. “I made it – they didn’t.”

“What happened to his face?” Lucy asked gently.

“They buried him up to his neck,” Jordy explained dully, “only his head was above ground. They smeared dog food all over his head and left him there for the dogs and animals to get.” Jordy started crying, his body racked by violent shudders. “I didn’t get back to him in time to stop them from – from – “ his stomach heaved as he remembered the sight of Brandon’s chewed and mauled face. He dashed from the room and barely made it outside before vomiting over and over on the ground.

Lucy appeared beside him, patting his shoulder comfortingly. When Jordy stopped heaving, she guided him back to the table under the breezeway and tenderly wiped his face with a damp cloth as if he were a small child. Now that he was at the farm and there were others to care for Brandon, Jordy felt himself withdrawing into himself under the weight of the things he’d witnessed. Lucy watched Jordy’s face intently – she could see the muscles in his face go slack as his eyes glazed over.

CRACK!

Lucy slapped Jordy’s face hard once and then again, watching as the sudden pain brought focus back to his eyes. Everyone around her looked shocked at her sudden, unexplained violence. She faced them steadily.

“I don’t care if you don’t like it,” she explained, “but this boy was about to pull into himself.” She knelt before Jordy tenderly. “I’m sorry I had to hurt you like that after all you been through. But, I’ve seen people get that way before.” She looked around the group, “You all remember back in The City – what happened to Billyboy.” Heads began to bob up and down. “He went shocky and went deep enough he never pulled out.” Lucy smoothed Jordy’s hair. “Billyboy died just days later – I couldn’t let you get that way. Everything’s gonna be alright now – you just believe that.”

Luke appeared in the doorway, “You remember what Lucy said, Jordy. Otherwise, you’re gonna be getting slapped and let me tell you – that girl can knock the teeth loose from a cow.” He sat next to Jordy. “Your friend is hurt worse than we’re able to take care of. But, we know someone who is supposed to be able to do wonders. I’ll have someone make arrangements to get them to come fetch Brandon.”

Luke took Adam aside. “Do you have that dirt bike running yet?”

“Well kinda,” Adam said slowly. “I’d hate to have to trust it all the way to The City and back again, though.”

“Burn the motor out if you have to,” Luke said. “That bike’s faster than the tractor and we need speed now. Do what you have to do to get it to the Shiprats.”

Adam seemed briefly disappointed – he and Benny had been working on getting the dirt bike back in tip top shape since they found it at the neighboring farm a couple of weeks earlier on a scavenger hunt for things for their farm. Ever since, they had spent almost all of their spare time restoring the bike. The engine seemed to work pretty well, but still wasn’t in prime shape. Adam was a bit concerned about the brakes – they were fairly mushy and, in his opinion, just barely reliable. He doubted the bike was capable of making it all the way into The City and back.

Instead of continuing to voice his doubts, Adam just nodded and said, “Benny’s the best rider. He should be the one to make the trip. Besides, if something happens, he’s got the best chance of making repairs on the road.”

Benny’s response to Adam was slightly more philosophical, “Look on the bright side, dude. If the bike falls apart we can just rebuild her from the ground up this time. We’ve already got experience – next time, the bike’ll be even better.”

Adam could only grin at Benny’s optimism as they went to fill the tank with gas and make sure the headlight worked. They hadn’t done much with the electrical system and Adam didn’t want Benny to have to try to negotiate the trip in total darkness. Dusk was already falling, and by the time Benny started the trip it would likely be full dark.

Luke and Lucy returned with an envelope for Benny to take with him. Lucy had jotted down Brandon’s temperature and a brief description of his injuries. Luke had written down the basics of Jordy’s story. Benny tucked the envelope inside his shirt as everyone all around him tried to give him instructions at once.

“Be careful and don’t drive too fast,” Lucy admonished.

“Watch the RPMs,” Adam begged. “Try not to peg her past the red line for long. Hell, don’t go past the red line at all.”

“Where’s his helmet?” Lucy called out. “He’s got to have a helmet, doesn’t he?”

“Don’t take any foolish chances,” Luke advised. “It’s important for you to get to the ship as fast as you can, but don’t put yourself at risk, okay?”

Benny just grinned, pulled on his goggles and revved the dirt bike’s engine to life. He would have loved a deep, full-throated roar to come from the engine, but was satisfied with the sputter and cough that he got. The last time he tested the engine, it had coughed and choked and wheezed like an asthmatic mouse. Easing in the clutch, he throttled the motor and took off in a cloud of dust. Benny took it easy on the dirt farm road, but once he turned onto the asphalt of the highway, he opened the throttle all the way and reveled in the feel of the wind on his face.

Onboard the Queen Mary, Bray managed to pull Jack away from inspecting the water purification project progress, steer him away from the stacks and stacks of plans he usually worked on long into the night, and lure him back to the suite they shared. Not used to just doing nothing, Jack was anxious and distracted at first. But, Bray had just the cure for that – ignoring Jack’s attempts to return to work, Bray slowly undressed his lover before pulling him into the shower. Bray wasn’t sure if it was his kisses and caresses that finally made Jack forget his work, or the steady stream of warm water raining down on them. Maybe it was a little bit of both.

Ignoring Jack’s protests that he had work to do, Bray pulled Jack close to him under the spray of water. Standing behind his lover, Bray wrapped his arms around Jack letting his fingers roam across Jack’s smooth chest until they found Jack’s nipples and closed over them, gently kneading and pulling them. Jack’s protests dwindled to unintelligible murmurs as he melted back against Bray’s chest, his head twisting to meet Bray’s mouth from behind.

Jack suddenly turned around, resting his cheek on Bray’s wet chest, their hard dicks pressing against each other’s stomachs. Bray raked his fingers through Jack’s soaking hair, pulling the diminutive inventor’s head back so the two could resume their kissing. Bray had discovered that more than anything else, Jack enjoyed being held and kissed. Jack could put off orgasm for hours just to have Bray’s arms wrapped tightly around him, their mouths exploring each other. Taking one hand away from Jack’s body briefly, Bray reached out and turned off the water. Grabbing a bath sheet, he wrapped it around Jack and carried him into the bedroom.

By the time Benny reached The City, the dirt bike’s motor was making disconcerting noises and belching clouds of oily smoke. He knew he should throttle down or even stop, but he doubted the hardy little bike would be able to start again. Without any streetlights, speeding down the streets at high speed was a dangerous thing to do at the best of times. Benny tried not to think of what might happen if he had to stop suddenly – chances were the brakes wouldn’t be of much use.

Nearing the Queen Mary berth, Benny began throttling down – partly to manage the various turns he needed to make and partly so he’d be able to control the bike when he finally used the brakes. He prayed he’d be able to stop without crashing into anything. Suddenly, the old ship loomed up in the darkness – lights spilling from some of her portholes. Throttling back even more, the bike’s motor began making very unhealthy sounding popping noises – like a series of little firecrackers going off in quick succession. The bike shuddered and shook beneath the young black farmer. Turning into the huge parking lot, Benny began easing back on the gas and applying the brakes. The brakes were mushy, but they seemed to finally hold, letting him stop the bike without laying it down or crashing into one of the Market stalls. He heard voices from the decks above him shouting back and forth as he dismounted and stared sadly at the little dirt bike. He could smell the engine burning. Smoke still trickled from the exhaust pipe – black, oily smoke.

From above a spotlight played across the parking lot until it picked him out. Shielding his eyes, Benny shouted up that he was from the farm and had an important message for the Shiprats. The spotlight blinked out and for several moments, Benny was left blinking in the darkness wondering what was happening. A rectangle of yellow light appeared in the ship’s side as the First Class boarding hatch opened and Sasha came running down the gangway.

Entwined in each other’s arms, Jack and Bray were oblivious to what was going on in the parking lot. Jack’s mouth was busy nibbling on Bray’s ear lobe and throat. Jack knew how erotically sensitive Bray was to having his ears and neck licked and nibbled. A lusty grin played over his lips as he heard Bray’s helpless moans. Every time Bray tried to move, Jack relentlessly moved with him and never let up his oral attack on Bray.

Jack ignored the footsteps that pounded along the corridor on the other side of their door. There was no ignoring the pounding on their door that threatened to knock the door off its hinges. Bray was so startled that he jerked upright, nearly knocking Jack head over heels to the floor.

“Go away!” Jack bellowed, returning to Bray.

“Jack – Bray!” Dal’s voice came from the other side of the door. “It’s an emergency – you’ve gotta come quick.”

Jack’s head drooped almost as quickly as his dick. He knew Dal wouldn’t interrupt them for no reason, and he also knew if Dal said it was an emergency, it was. He moaned pathetically and rolled to one side as Bray climbed out of the bed, pulled on his robe and answered the door.

Dal poked his head into the room, clearly embarrassed to have interrupted his friends. His dark eyes were so pathetically apologetic that Bray almost laughed. He stammered out that there was a medical emergency at the farm that required immediate action. Sadly nodding his head, Jack rolled out of the bed and padded towards the bathroom, promising he’d be up in the Dining Room in just a few minutes. In the bathroom, he quickly wiped himself down with a damp washcloth and set about getting dressed.

In the Dining Room, Benny was being treated to a fresh pot of freshly ground coffee – real coffee and not the instant granules they had out at the farm. Dal had returned and announced that Jack and Bray would be along shortly. Amber and Heather appeared from the kitchen with a plateful of sandwiches, insisting Benny eat while he waited. He was almost finished his second sandwich when two people entered the Dining Room – one was a tall guy with flowing chestnut hair and a take charge attitude. The second guy was small and thin with medium length bright orange-red hair. Jumping up from the table, he pulled the letter from under his shirt and handed it over to the tall newcomer.

“Jack you need to read this,” Benny said. The words were barely out of his mouth when he noticed the amused looks on everyone’s face.

“I’m Bray,” the tall stranger said, taking the letter and handing it over to the redhead. “He’s Jack.”

Benny couldn’t believe his ears. From the way Sasha talked on his visits to the farm, Jack was a superman who could do almost anything. Everyone at the farm had a mental image of Jack as being tall, muscular, and imposing. Now, Jack turned out to be a small, almost fragile looking nerd. For his part, Jack was ignoring everyone as he read the letters from Luke and Lucy. When he finished reading, he handed them silently over to Bray and absently wandered over to get himself a cup of coffee.

“Sasha, I need you to organize getting a cot or mattresses set up in the back of the truck,” Jack said, turning suddenly. “I don’t think the guy out at the farm is in any shape to be riding in one of the go-carts. We’ll have to figure out a way to hang bags of saline solution from the ceiling of the truck and get some light in it, too.”

“Sounds like this guy is pretty bad off,” Sasha said.

“Yeah, he is from what the letter says,” Jack agreed. He turned to Benny; “Did you get a good look at him?

“Yeah, I helped get him into the back of the tractor,” Benny admitted. “He felt like he was about to burst into flame he was so hot. There was bandages all over his face – I didn’t get a look under them, though.”

“Sounds like an ambulance would be better for bringing him back here,” Sasha said slowly.

“Well duh!” Jack said absently. “But, we seem to be short of them at the moment.”

“We don’t have to be,” Sasha said, grinning.

“What do you mean?” Bray asked.

“I know where an ambulance is and it looks like it will run,” Sasha said. “I think it just needs some gas.”

“And probably batteries,” Dal added.

“You’re sure it will run?” Jack asked.

“I think so,” Sasha said. “It didn’t look like anyone had been messing around with it. I looked under the hood and everything looked like it hadn’t been messed with. There were even keys in it.”

Jack chewed his lip as he thought. Finally he looked up, “How long will it take you and Ryan to get it back here?”

“Not long,” Sasha said. “Maybe an hour or hour and a half.”

“Ryan, you mind helping out?” Jack asked.

“Just tell me what to do,” the big farmer said quickly.

“Okay – try to make it back here in an hour,” Jack said.

Dal stood quickly, “I’ll set them up with a couple of fresh batteries and a tool kit.” Without waiting for confirmation, he gestured to Sasha and Ryan, leading them out of the room.

Benny was amazed at how quickly everyone sprang into action. Bray was busy organizing his Tribemates to prepare a room for Jordy. Jack disappeared to get medical equipment packed for the trip. Dal returned and announced Sasha and Ryan had just left and then announced he was going to set up the truck just in case the ambulance didn’t work out.

Ryan could understand why nobody had bothered to mess with the ambulance – it was parked in the parking garage of a hospital. Most people he knew stayed as far away from hospitals as they could. During The Illness, as everyone called it, hospitals became synonymous with death. Towards the very end, they were little more than charnel houses with bodies stacked in the hallways, filling the parking garages, and sometimes even laid out in the lobby. There had just been too many people dying and not enough left to carry the bodies away. The only two people Ryan knew who would willingly go anywhere near a hospital were Jack and Sasha.

Jack frequently entered hospitals to find medical supplies and books on techniques. Ryan could understand that – it was a necessity for survival. But, Sasha said he had discovered hospitals were safe refuges from marauding Tribes back when he was a nomadic minstrel. He still ducked into them to rest when he went out on long foraging trips.

Driving the go-cart into the parking garage, Ryan felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and his skin break out in goose bumps. The smell of death and decomposing bodies still lingered in the air. He could only imagine what the smell must be like on the inside of the building. Sasha directed him down to the first underground level and there it was – a real, honest-to-god ambulance.

Ryan had expected one of the modern cracker box type of ambulances, but this was one of the old-fashioned Cadillac hearse body ambulances. He couldn’t remember ever seeing a car as big as the one sitting there in front of him. It wasn’t just long and wide – the ambulance had to be at least six or maybe even seven feet high. And the thing had almost as many lights as the ship – there were two spotlights on the roof over the driver’s compartment, spotlights over each door on the sides of the vehicle, and another spotlight over the rear hatch. Staring at the huge vehicle for a few minutes, Ryan was reminded of the ambulance from the old “Ghostbusters” movie.

“Let’s get the battery switched out and gas in that thing,” Ryan said nervously. “This place creeps me out.”

“There’s nothing to be afraid of here,” Sasha assured him.

“Just thinking about all those dead bodies around here creeps me out,” Ryan said, looking around.

“There aren’t any on this level,” Sasha said.

“You mean there are bodies around here?” Ryan asked fearfully.

“Yeah – inside and down on some of the lower levels,” Sasha said casually. “The thing to watch out for is the rats – they’re all over the place and most of them are pretty mean.”

Ryan shuddered and quickly went to work lifting the heavy hood to switch out the batteries. Sasha took the five gallons of gas and began filling the tank. Ryan told him to save a little bit in case they needed to pour some in the carburetor. As soon as he had the new battery in place, Ryan jumped behind the steering wheel and turned on the lights. For the first time since arriving at the hospital, he grinned. The lights worked. He considered that a good sign. Crossing his fingers, he pumped the gas pedal a couple of times and reached down to turn the key.

The engine turned over with a roar. Forgetting his fears for a moment, Ryan looked above his head at the rocker switches – the driver’s compartment looked almost like an airplane cockpit with all the switches. He flipped a couple of the switches marked lights. The bubblegum light on the very top of the ambulance began lazily turning flashing red lights on the roof filled the underground garage with on and off flashes.

Sasha’s grinning face appeared at the driver’s side window, “Pretty cool, huh? You want to lead the way back or you want to follow me?”

“What do you mean?” Ryan asked in shock.

“Well we can’t leave the go-cart here,” Sasha said. “And, I’ve never driven anything this big in my life.”

“I’ve never driven an ambulance before, either!” Ryan protested.

“Yeah, but you drive the truck all the time, and you’ve driven big tractors and stuff,” Sasha pointed out. “You’re the logical one to drive the ambulance.”

Ryan shrugged. Sasha was probably right. “Okay, I’ll follow you.”

When Ryan pulled up to the side of the ship, Jack was flabbergasted. Besides having all the lights flashing – and Jack had never seen so many flashing lights on one vehicle before – Jack just wasn’t prepared for anything that big. The ambulance wasn’t just big – it was massive. The thing had to be at least eighteen to twenty feet long. Jack hurried down the gangway and began checking the car out with barely contained excitement. Running around to the back hatch, he pulled it open and gave a shout of joy. Besides having a stretcher in the back, the ambulance was fitted with a built-in bed. An oxygen tank was secured at the front of the back section. Jack immediately scrambled into the back and checked the gauge – the tank was full. Holding his breath and not daring to hope, Jack began opening the cabinets and drawers in the back. The ambulance was still stocked and ready to make a run.

Jack didn’t waste more time exploring, scrambling out of the back he dashed up the gangway to gather his supplies and get them stowed away inside the ambulance. Like a well-trained pit crew, Bray, Dal, and Peter scrambled around the ambulance checking air in the tires, the oil level, and rolling a drum of gasoline over to the side of the ambulance. Bray operated the hand crank pump attached to the drum and filled the seemingly endless tank.

Fifteen minutes after Ryan had arrived; the ambulance was ready to move out. It had been decided Bray should stay behind with the ship, while Ryan and Sasha accompanied Jack in the ambulance. The wide front seat easily sat the three of them comfortably. Benny climbed into the back of the ambulance and strapped himself into the jump seat by the side hatch. Before they could pull out, Selene hurried down the gangway with a small cooler and three stainless steel thermos bottles of coffee.

By the time they had cleared the densest part of The City, Ryan was feeling pretty comfortable with driving the big vehicle. The ambulance handled smoothly. He sheepishly turned to Sasha and Jack.

“Um – do you think it would be okay to turn on the siren?” He asked. “I mean, I know it’s not like we need it to clear traffic from our path or anything. But still…”

Jack and Sasha looked at each other; their faces lit up with glee. “I don’t see why not,” Sasha said, his face split with a wide grin. “After all in this thing – ‘You da man!’” Reaching up, Sasha flipped all the switches to the ON position. The night was immediately filled with flashing red lights and the scream of the siren. Ryan eased his foot farther and farther towards the floorboards. A heavy, deep rumble came from the massive engine as the large vehicle quickly gained speed. Jack’s only reaction to the rising speed was to quietly slip his shoulder harness across his chest and quietly snap the buckle tightly. Sitting between Ryan and Jack, Sasha calmly unscrewed the top of one of the thermos bottles and poured himself a cup of coffee contentedly.

It wasn’t long before Ryan thought he recognized landmarks and Benny opened the sliding glass partition between the back and front, urging Ryan to slow down for the turn just ahead. Lifting his foot from the gas pedal, Ryan let the ambulance slow without tapping the brakes. Up on the right Ryan recognized the turn onto the dirt lane leading up to the farm. He carefully turned onto the lane as Sasha reached up and turned the siren off. The sudden silence startled everyone as the heavy vehicle bounced down the rutted lane.

The flashing lights illuminated the startled faces of the entire farm as they gathered under the covered breezeway. Ryan swung the ambulance towards the barn and backed up to the breezeway. The big car hadn’t even come to a full stop when both Jack and Benny tumbled out of it. Benny hurried up to Luke, a wry grin on his dark face.

“Luke, this is Jack,” Benny said. “Jack – this is Luke, the leader of our Tribe.”

Luke’s eyes almost popped out of his head at the sight of the skinny, gangly little guy with flaming orange-red hair. Like everyone else, he had imagined Jack as being tall, muscular, and imposing – nothing like the young man facing him now.

“Hi,” Jack said, sticking out his hand. Luke absently shook Jack’s hand; still astounded at the reality of the wizard they’d all heard about and found himself wondering if all of Sasha’s stories about Jack were even half-true. “Where’s the guy who’s hurt?” Jack looked around curiously from face to face.

Lucy was the first to regain her composure and quickly lead Jack into the back bedroom of the farmhouse. Luke followed into the house while everyone else moved towards the ambulance in open wonder.

Inside the bedroom, Luke’s doubts about Jack began to fade as the little teen began examining Brandon in a professional manner. He gingerly peeled the bandages back from Brandon’s face, his nose wrinkling at the sight of the ragged injuries oozing pus. Straightening, a change seemed to come over Jack – he seemed a little taller and more commanding. He briskly asked for a clean towel and a wash basin as he hurried out to the ambulance and retrieved his equipment bag. As an afterthought, he also grabbed the large emergency equipment kit from the cabinet in the ambulance. Returning to the house lugging his equipment, Jack set the equipment on the dresser. Pulling a bottle of alcohol from his bag, Jack took his time washing his hands and arms before donning latex gloves.

Jack politely, but firmly, asked Luke to hold a bag of saline solution as he efficiently wrapped a tourniquet around Brandon’s arm and searched for a vein. It took a while to bring a vein up, but once he located it, Jack wasted no time in inserting a large-bore IV needle into Brandon’s arm. With the IV in place, Jack adjusted the drip to a wide-open flow, explaining that Brandon was seriously dehydrated from his fever. That done, Jack opened the ambulance’s equipment kit and removed several large, heavy-duty surgical sponges and went to work cleaning each of the many wounds to Brandon’s head.

Over his shoulder, Jack asked if Lucy could get him a plastic or paper bag for the used surgical sponges. He explained that once he was done the bag and its contents would have to be burned to ash. Lucy returned moments later with a medium sized cardboard box. Jack just nodded his approval and dropped a pus stained sponge into the box. Jack worked silently, expressing as much of the waste fluid from each wound as he could get out. As he finished with each wound, he coated the wound with an antibiotic gel before applying fresh, sterile dressings. He finished by wrapping Brandon’s head in fresh layers of gauze.

“There’s nothing anyone can do about his ear,” Jack said softly. “And, to be honest, I’m not so sure I can do much to save his nose and lower lip – the first thing to do right now is get ahead of the infection.” He tilted his head towards the bandaged patient. “Did you notice how his left eye is kind of filmed over? I think he’s going to lose the sight on that side.”

“We did the best we could,” Lucy said defensively.

“You did a great job,” Jack admitted. “To be honest, I don’t think he’d have lasted if you hadn’t kept cool compresses on him. You kept his fever from spiking really high and staying there.” Jack paused, chewing his lower lip. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I think between all of us, we can keep him alive. But, I don’t know if there’s much that can be done about his face being disfigured.”

Jack snapped off his latex gloves, dropping them into the trash box before he wandered out of the room. Luke stood next to the bed, holding the bag of saline solution and feeling foolish. He began to wonder if Jack had forgotten about the IV. Jack returned a few moments later with a clatter as he and Ryan maneuvered the stretcher from the ambulance into the bedroom. Between the two of them, they managed to transfer Brandon from the bed to the stretcher and raise the IV pole attached to the stretcher. Jack hung a new bag of saline solution and a bag of glucose from the pole and then backed out of the room.

“We’ll be getting underway once that second bag of saline solution empties,” Jack said, standing on the breezeway. He should be pretty stable by then – at least, as stable as I’m going to be able to get him.”

Lucy insisted Jack sit at the large table under the breezeway as she fixed something to eat and drink. Luke laughed and warned Jack and the others not to even consider refusing her. Sasha backed him up, adding that Lucy was proud of her hospitality and assuring them that so far she’d never poisoned anyone. Luke sat across from Jack, thanking him on behalf of the whole farm for the present of the television, VCR, and generator he’d sent with Sasha earlier. He was in the middle of talking when he noticed Jack’s face had gone slack, and blank. He began to fear the little teen was in the process of having a seizure when Jack rose from the table and absently wandered over to the drainpipe coming down the side of the house. Without a word, Jack suddenly scrambled up the drainpipe to the roof.

“What the hell is going on?” Luke asked in disbelief.

Sasha grinned, “Dunno for sure. But, you can be sure Jack’s mind is working overtime right now. I wouldn’t be surprised by anything he comes up with.

“There’s an antenna up here,” Jack’s excited voice floated down from the darkness above them.

“Yeah, there is,” Luke admitted, totally confused by the significance of the antenna.

Minutes later, Jack made his way over to the breezeway roof and dropped lightly to the ground. His eyes were shining with excitement. “That’s a pretty powerful antenna,” he announced.

“Not that it does us any good,” Adam grumbled. “We’ve been meaning to take it down.”

“Don’t do that!” Jack exclaimed. “That’s a pretty important piece of equipment.”

“Is this guy all there?” Luke asked Sasha softly. “I mean, he seems kind of squirrelly, if you know what I mean.”

“I dunno what he’s up to,” Sasha admitted. “But, I do know he’s about a dozen steps ahead of the rest of us. If he thinks the antenna is important, it is.”

“It seems pretty obvious that The Leader and his followers are going to be coming our way sooner or later,” Jack announced, seemingly on a different subject entirely now.

“Yeah, so what’s that have to do with the antenna?” Adam asked, beginning to grow irritated with Jack.

“That antenna can be a part of an early warning system,” Jack said. “Unless this Leader changes his direction, he’s likely to come past here first.”

“That’s how we figure it,” Luke admitted. “We’ve already made plans to abandon the farm and head to the ship. We’ve got regular lookouts posted on the edges of the farm.”

“Sounds like a good plan so far,” Jack said, chewing on his lower lip. “You gonna leave the farm on foot or do you have transportation?”

“The tractor and wagon,” Luke said.

“Maybe I can get Bray to round up a truck or something, I can’t make any promises there, though,” Jack said thoughtfully. Suddenly, he shook his head as if to clear it of unwanted thoughts. “Anyway, it wouldn’t be hard to set up a windmill and generator here. That way, you’d have regular electricity and you could run a direct radio link to the ship. That way, if something happened, you could warn the ship and we could send out vehicles to meet you part way. You might need emergency medical treatment or just some backup. And, with radio communications, if someone out here got hurt or sick you could contact us directly and save time getting someone out here to help.”

“You thought about all that just from seeing the antenna?” Luke asked in wonder.

Jack shrugged, to him it all seemed so obvious, “Well, yeah.”

“And, you can really do all that stuff?” Adam asked.

Sasha and Ryan laughed, they already had first hand experience of what was possible once Jack put his mind to it, “You better believe he can make it happen,” Ryan promised.

The farm community watched the ambulance carefully pick its way down the rutted farm lane. At the wheel, Ryan was clearly trying not to bounce Brandon around too much. They were all still in awe over their first meeting with Jack. Adam, Henry, and Benny weren’t sure the diminutive guy with outrageous orange-red hair could possibly deliver all the things he promised. Lucy and Luke, who had watched Jack work on Brandon, were confident that one way or another Jack was going to deliver everything he had promised and probably more.

Four days later, two yellow Ryder trucks appeared at the farm barely after sunup. A beaming Jack jumped down from the passenger side of the first truck and introduced the driver as Bray. From the second truck came Ryan, Sasha, and a stranger just a little taller and more filled out than Jack. The newcomer had dark, wavy hair, soulful, deep brown eyes, and was clearly of Indian descent. Jack introduced the newcomer as Dal, the best engineer the Shiprats had. The unexpected praise made Dal blush furiously. Before Luke or Lucy could ask, Jack explained that Brandon was going to survive – his fever had broken and he was able to eat and drink again. He’d always carry terrible physical scars, but at least Jack was confident he’d live.

“The second truck back there is for the farm,” Sasha explained. “We’ve got two fifty gallon drums of gasoline in the back and some mattresses to smooth out the ride some – it can get pretty bumpy in the back.”

Luke openly examined Bray – he was more like what he had originally imagined Jack would be like. Tall and muscular, with an engaging smile and an air of confidence, Bray inspired confidence. Bray apologized for not making the trip out to the farm earlier and hoped the things they had brought with them would make up for the lapse.

Curious, Luke wandered around to the back of the first truck where Jack and Dal were busy unloading the equipment from the back. There was a large radiophone that the two of them were treating as if it was made of pure gold. Neither one would trust anyone else with carrying the radio into the house and setting it up. Once they had it in place in a corner of the kitchen, they returned to the truck and began unloading what looked to Luke and the others like a bunch of junk. There were pieces of lumber, a box of gears, and a huge pile of heavy-duty PVC pipe. Ryan and Sasha produced shovels and bags of cement mix from the back of their truck.

Grabbing a tape measure and a can of spray-paint from a box of junk, Jack and Dal headed for the far side of the breezeway. Luke watched in amused curiosity as the two made some measurements from the back of the storage building at the end of the breezeway. Finally satisfied, Jack shook the can of spray-paint vigorously before painting a circle in the grass just a few feet from the back wall of the building. Dal made another measurement and pointed to an imaginary spot on the ground, instructing Jack to paint another circle right there. By the time they were finished, the two of them had four circles painted on the ground at precisely measured points.

Taking two of the shovels, Jack and Dal immediately went to work digging holes at the points marked by each circle. Ryan and Sasha went to work on the other two circles and before long, the four of them had holes nearly four feet deep. Only when the holes had been dug and Ryan and Bray were busy emptying small bags of stones into the bottom of the holes did Jack take a break long enough to explain the plan to Luke.

The PVC pipes were pre-cut and ready to assemble like a giant set of Tinker Toys. The pipes would be used to build a large windmill for the farm. The base would be set in the four holes, and a cement mix poured around them to keep the structure stable. The windmill would turn a generator that would charge the bank of batteries that would in turn power the radio. The generator and batteries would be located in the storage building and a power line would run to the kitchen. Jack added that he thought there should be enough power generated to run the refrigerator in the kitchen, too.

If everything hadn’t been right there in front of him, Luke wouldn’t have believed it at all possible. With everyone from the farm pitching in, the PVC pipes were assembled, epoxied together and further attached with long carriage bolts through pre-drilled holes in the pipes. By the time Lucy insisted they stop for the lunch she and the other girls had prepared, the pipes had been assembled and formed the framework of a windmill that rose thirty feet above the ground.

Jack and Dal wolfed down their food, eager to get the windmill finished. Ignoring the possible danger of the windmill collapsing under them, Jack and Dal scrambled up opposite sides of the frame like two squirrels. One minute they were on the ground and the next the two of them had scurried to the top of the scaffold, heavy pouches of equipment slung over their shoulders. In less than an hour, their work at the top was finished and Dal climbed down to announce they were ready to lift the actual windmill mechanism into place.

It took another two hours to lift the mechanism in place and connect all the gears to the drive mechanism to the generator that Ryan, Bray, Luke, Benny, and Adam had lugged into place. The driveshaft was run through a hastily cut hole in the side of the building. Everyone stood around with crossed fingers, silent prayers on their lips as they crowded around to watch as Jack made the final electrical connections. While he was busy on the generator end, Dal strung the electrical wires from the kitchen back to the battery banks. Finally, Jack looked up.

“Okay Dal, you can release the mechanism and let her start spinning,” Jack announced.

Grinning wildly, Dal once more scrambled up the side of the windmill and removed the restraining bolt that had kept the windmill from turning in the steady breeze. With the bolt removed, the blades began turning in the wind – sluggishly at first, and then gaining more and more speed until it was turning at a steady pace.

Once Dal was safely on the ground, Jack flipped a switch, released the brake mechanism. The driveshaft began turning the generator. Jack turned to face everyone – his face beaming in satisfaction. They stared back at him blankly – they didn’t know what to expect.

It was Lucy, who finally broke the silence, “Is it really working?”

“Yep,” Jack proclaimed. “Check the little gauge right there,” he said, pointing to a dial. “See that? It’s charging – if the refrigerator is plugged in, you should be able to start making ice cubes right about now.” Jack bent over the battery banks, checking the dials there and straightened happily. “You’re generating more power than you’re using right now.”

“And that means what, Jack?” Bray asked.

“It means you can run the fridge and the radiophone at the same time,” Jack announced. “Let’s go check it out.”

Making his way to the kitchen with everyone following nervously, Jack turned on the radio and lifted the handset. “You can use this handset like a phone,” Jack explained, “or just flip this switch and use the speaker so everyone can listen at one time. If you do that, just hang up the handset and use this microphone to talk.” Jack switched over to the microphone and speaker, then pressed a button three times. “This button will activate a buzzer on the ship’s radiophone and let whoever’s on the other end know we have a call coming in.”

Almost instantly, the speaker crackled and Peter’s voice filled the room, “Hello Jack – we’ve been waiting for your call. It’s about time.”

“We worked as fast as we could,” Jack laughed. “Peter, say hello to everyone here at the farm.”

“Hi, everyone at the farm,” Peter’s voice crackled through the speaker. “Everyone here on the Queen Mary says hi back to you.”

Jack turned to hand the microphone over to Lucy or Luke and was stunned to find everyone with tears steaming down their faces. Lucy was softly crying.

“What’s wrong with everyone?” Jack asked in mystification as Luke took the microphone and began talking to the ship.

“They’re happy, Jack,” Bray said, wiping his own eyes.

“They sure have a hell of a way of showing it,” Jack said, shaking his head and pushing out to the table on the breezeway. He sat heavily and tried to figure out why everyone was acting so strangely. Lucy appeared with a huge plate of apple pie and coffee. Setting them down in front of Jack, she hugged him tightly and immediately started crying again. Leaning by the kitchen door, Bray watched with amusement. Jack’s face was comical in its surprise.

“This is a pretty historic day, you know,” Bray observed.

“How so?” Jack asked, stuffing a forkful of pie into his mouth. “This is pretty good,” he exclaimed, his mouth full of pie.

“You really don’t understand,” Bray asked. “As of today, the Lonely Time is over, Jack. And, it’s all because of you.”

“Huh?” Jack asked, totally confused. “What’d I do? Everyone here helped out – it wasn’t just me.”

“But, you’re the only one to think of it in the first place, Jack,” Bray explained. “You’re the one who got the original idea.” Bray patted Jack’s face. “Beginning today, the Tribes can communicate with each other instantly again. You just ended the Lonely Time forever.”

“What’s with this Lonely Time, crap?” Jack asked.

“From now on, no Tribe needs to be isolated from another if they don’t want to be,” Bray explained. “Tribes in different parts of The City and even beyond The City don’t have to risk crossing through hostile territories every time they want to talk to people from another Tribe, or get help from another Tribe. Tribe can talk to Tribe now – we don’t have to be separate from each other. Until now, we’ve only had our own Tribemates as companions, but Tribes have been alone from each other since the Day It Happened. We’re not alone from each other anymore.”

Jack shrugged, “Personally, I think you’re nuts. The technology has been there all along, it’s not like I did anything special or anything.”

Despite his protests, everyone acted like Jack was special. Even Dal insisted on praising his ingenuity. Luke insisted the Shiprats stay for a barbecue in their honor with Jack as the special guest of honor. Lucy and the other girls spent the day in the kitchen baking and making special treats. Luke sent the kids out to bring fresh ears of corn in from the field while he built a huge fire in the open barbecue pit. Before long, over two dozen chickens were roasting over the fire alongside plump homemade sausages. By the time Lucy announced it was time for everyone to eat, the table was so laden with sausages, chickens, steaming ears of corn, juicy sliced tomatoes, fresh bread and rolls, various pies and even a large chocolate cake that there was hardly any room for their plates.

Before allowing anyone to dig in, Lucy ceremoniously produced a pitcher of fresh brewed iced tea complete with freshly frozen ice cubes. The appearance of the ice cubes caused a fresh round of praise – none of the farm community had seen ice cubes since the before the camps had disintegrated and the New Times began.

On the drive back to the ship, Jack still found it hard to work up much excitement for the day’s events. As far as he was concerned, it was no big deal – it wasn’t like he had invented the radio or discovered electricity or anything. Hell, he didn’t even put everything together – that had been a group effort. In the end, he decided that all the fuss was just a result of cabin fever or something. The folks out on the farm had too much time on their hands without having much mental stimulation. Crawling into the back of the truck, Jack curled up on one of the mattresses and decided he’d have to send more DVD movies and some books out to the farm. That would keep them from getting bored, he decided as he yawned and his eyes sagged shut.

To be continued…