The Tribes, Chapter 18

Ned Fletcher nervously wiped a pudgy hand across his jowls as he waited for Top Hat to look up at him. He was barely eighteen, although he looked much older because of his incredible bulk. Standing at almost two inches over six feet, Ned weighed almost four hundred pounds. He’d always been big and portly. In the days before the Bad Times, back when he’d been in high school, Ned had been a star on both his high school’s football and wrestling teams. Somehow, at a time when most of the survivors lost weight, Ned had managed to gain even more weight.

During the early days of the Bad Times, Ned had discovered that everything was a commodity to be traded and that included the surviving humans. Ned wasted no time in making a name for himself as a slave trader. At first, the big teen had sported a shaved head and dressed in an odd assortment of leather that he imagined made him look imposing. Over the course of time, Ned Fletcher’s appearance and attire had evolved. He had already graduated from being a one-man operation to having a reliable cadre of slavers. During one raid, his group had looted a costume warehouse where they had taken refuge and he discovered a lime green Victorian suit, complete with top hat and garish yellow vest, which fit his bulk. Ned wasted no time in changing his image. He imagined the suit somehow reflected his reputation as the foremost entrepreneur in slaving. He allowed his hair to grow in and eventually dyed his black curls to match his new suit.

Ned took pride in the fact that he feared almost nothing. He could be a formidable fighter if circumstances demanded it – and several individuals now slaving away had learned that lesson the hard way after trying to oppose the fat teen. The one thing that brought Ned to the brink of fear was dealing with Top Hat of Tribe Circus. The whippet thin leader of Tribe Circus was a total psycho and totally unpredictable. He did, however, pay handsomely for slaves and Ned’s innate greed always outweighed his nervousness in dealing with Top Hat.

Now, he found himself staring down at the top of Top Hat’s head as they sat at an umbrellaed patio table outside of the warehouse that served as the Tribe Circus big top. Top Hat’s black patent leather hair reflected the sunlight, as Ned waited for the thin teen to acknowledge his presence. Instead, Top Hat seemed entirely engrossed in the young slave who was busy polishing his tall riding boots.

Despite his nervousness, Ned couldn’t help but study the young slave professionally. The boy was about eight or nine, thin – but not emaciated, with an untidy mop of dirty blond hair in a longish bowlcut style. Rubbing his jowly face again, Ned could easily think of two or three of his clients who would trade generously for such a boy. He unconsciously evaluated the boy – a bath, neat haircut, maybe some highlights added to that dirty blond mane, and some clean clothes and the boy would fetch a handsome trade.

“You’re late, fat boy,” Top Hat finally said coldly without looking up. “You made Top Hat wait four days.”

“It was an unavoidable delay, Top Hat,” Ned explained in his breathy, nasal voice. “I sent a messenger ahead – surely, he reached you.”

“The effeminate boy?” Top Hat sneered, looking up for the first time. “He arrived with some excuse about a detour.” Planting his booted foot against the young slave’s chest, Top Hat roughly pushed the boy away and stood, brushing imaginary flecks of dust from his red tailcoat. “His explanation didn’t make much sense to us – still, he did provide us with some amusement.”

Ned felt his stomach go sour – Top Hat’s amusements invariably caused physical damage and Kim, the messenger he’d sent ahead was a particular favorite. He hoped the young man hadn’t been too severely injured.

“I sincerely apologize, Top Hat,” Ned wheedled. “But, I swear the delay was unavoidable. Had we not detoured, I most certainly would have lost the selection of slaves.”

Top Hat cut Ned off with a flourish of his hand. “Top Hat isn’t interested in explanations,” he snapped. “The fact remains that you are late, we are not normally patient,” Top Hat said, his voice becoming calm and casual. “Still, we suppose we should appreciate the amusement you sent to us.” The Tribe Circus leader leaned down to the boy and whispered to him. The boy leapt to his feet and scurried into the warehouse that served as the Tribe Circus big top, clearly glad to get away from Top Hat.

Once again, Top Hat studiously ignored the fat slaver as he admired the reflection from his riding boots. Ned wondered whether Top Hat had sent the boy to bring refreshments – even Top Hat knew well that before any serious discussion of business could begin that Ned expected to be treated to food and drink. Normally, he limited himself to one beer – slave trading while tipsy was a good way to get the worst end of the deal.

From behind him, Ned heard the clip-clop of platform shoes announcing the arrival of The Pussycats, Top Hat's girl band trio. He sighed; having those girls around him invariably gave him a headache. It wasn’t the garish makeup or the outrageous colors of their beehive and bouffant hairstyles that made his head throb. For some inexplicable reason, the girl band spoke as one person in a sickening singsong complete with choreographed hand gestures and dance steps. In spite of himself, Ned couldn’t help but wonder how they managed to coordinate their movements. He shrugged; maybe they had some kind of ESP or something.

“We thought a little refreshment was in order before business,” Top Hat said, silkily. “We know how much you appreciate sweets, and The Pussycats have been kind enough to prepare some special treats for you.”

Ned arranged his face in a mask of joy as he stood and greeted the trio. “Ladies, just the pleasure of your company would have been a sweet enough treat,” he cooed, glancing greedily at the platters each girl carried.

The sight of the three heavily laden platters was almost enough to make Ned forget his dislike of The Pussycats. One platter was loaded down with candied strawberries and pear slices – a particular favorite of Ned’s. The other two were filled with small pies and muffins. Ned plastered a smile on his face and bowed low as the girls set the platters down.

“Slaver Ned, Slaver Ned, your kind words are enough to turn our head,” The Pussycats sang out.

Ned forced the smile to remain on his face and managed to stifle a groan. Just the sound of their voices was almost enough to drive his appetite away – almost.

Top Hat’s eyes sparkled with amusement as Ned sat and immediately began stuffing his mouth with the candied fruits, each fruit held daintily between sausage-sized fingers. The Tribe Circus leader helped himself to a small pecan pie, popping the whole thing in his mouth.

“Food, glorious food,” The Pussycats sang, turning around in circles.

Ned prevented a groan from escaping his lips by shoving a small fruit pie into his mouth as he rolled his eyes, wishing those bimbos would just shut the hell up. Eating was a serious business to Ned and he preferred that it not be interrupted by any distractions – especially, the singing Pussycats. The trio was almost finished mangling the song from the old musical when Top Hat looked up in feigned surprise.

“My dears, my dears,” Top Hat interrupted them. “You’ve forgotten the coffee and the sweetest surprise of all. You spent so much time preparing it – it would be such a shame to let it go to waste.”

The Pussycats stopped singing immediately and bent at the waist, their eyes going wide and round as they placed their hands over their mouths in an exaggerated pantomime.

“We forgot the coffee,” they sang as they headed back towards the warehouse in their hip wiggling march. “Coffee in the morning, coffee in the evening, coffee at suppertime.”

Ned waved his hands towards the table. “Top Hat, my friend, you’ve outdone yourself,” Ned said, swallowing the food in his mouth. “I am awed by your generosity. It’s magnificent, just magnificent.”

“It’s nothing,” Top Hat said nonchalantly. “Good food shared with good friends leads to good business dealings.” He casually brushed a crumb from his lapel. “Besides, we so seldom have a chance to entertain people who truly appreciate artistry in all its forms.”

The clip clop of platform shoes announced the return of The Pussycats. “Sugar, ah honey, honey,” they sang, “you are my candy girl and you’ll have Neddie wanting you…”

Looking up, Ned nearly choked. Kim stood surrounded by The Pussycats, a tray with carafe and cups in his hands. What shocked Ned was the way Kim appeared – a black leather collar was buckled around his neck preventing him from lowering his head. His shoulder-length chestnut hair had been put into fat sausage curls and gathered into a pigtail on each side of his head. His lips were painted a bright red. A blue and white gingham dress and white blouse had replaced Kim’s baggy jeans and jersey.

Ned managed to swallow what was in his mouth before turning to face Top Hat. His mouth opened and closed several times, but he couldn’t manage to get any words out.

“No need to thank us,” Top Hat smiled. “Your little messenger looked so out of place with those boyish clothes and that effeminate build. We decided he needed some assistance in discovering his true place.” Top Hat smiled proudly at the feminized teen. “And the cosmetic changes aren’t the only corrections we had made.” The Tribe Circus leader flicked his fingers in Kim’s direction. “Show Ned the rest, ladies.”

Giggling, two of The Pussycats reached down to grab the hem of the gingham dress and lift it up. Kim’s groin had been shaved bare and at first glance, his penis had been removed. Looking closer, Ned was able to see that Kim’s small penis had been pushed back and then the surrounding skin had been pulled forward and held in place somehow so that only the very tip of the head poked out. Only after Ned recovered from that shock did he notice Kim’s testicles.

Two tight rubber bands were wrapped tightly around Kim’s scrotum. The first was placed close to the poor boy’s body, and the second one was about three-quarters of an inch lower. The sac was an unnatural mottled blue-purple color that bordered on black.

“What have you done to the boy?” Ned finally managed to sputter.

“We told you,” Top Hat replied airily. “We’ve helped your messenger with his obvious gender confusion. The disappearing act with his little dick is accomplished with glue. The Pussycats can show you how to do it – we understand it isn’t difficult at all to do. As for his balls,” Top Hat shook his head as he filled his voice with mock sorrow, “we’re afraid that it’s really and truly too late to do anything to save them. Those Elastrator bands really are very effective.”

“What do you mean it’s too late?” Ned snapped apprehensively.

“What don’t you understand?” Top Hat asked sweetly. “Those little balls of his are already dead. If you’d like, The Pussycats can remove them before you leave … or you can just let them alone and they should drop off all by themselves.” Top Hat pulled a small paper booklet from his inside jacket pocket and pretended to study it. “At least, that’s what the instruction manual claims will happen.”

“This is unacceptable,” Ned snapped angrily, half rising from his chair.

“What is unacceptable is making us wait,” Top Hat hissed. “Take your seat sir … Top Hat said take your seat sir, unless you think you’re able to go up against the whole of Tribe Circus.”

Ned looked around and noticed that the roustabouts and performers had silently filled the open warehouse doors. All were armed with clubs or other weapons. Ned looked around as if he was actually considering risking open physical confrontation with the Tribe. Slowly he nodded and eased his bulk to the chair.

“You overstepped your rights,” Ned said carefully. “I can accept the temporary changes as justifiable fun and games, but to cause permanent damage is really out of the bounds of what is acceptable.”

“Relax fat man,” Top Hat said smoothly. “We will gladly pay an extra surcharge … after all, we enjoyed the experience.” Top Hat leaned back, thoughtfully tapping his chin. “Shall we agree on six laying hens and twenty pounds of feed?”

“Unacceptable,” Ned said quickly.

“We’ll add twenty pounds of bacon,” Top Hat said. “That’s our final offer.”

Ned considered pushing for more, but decided against pushing his luck on the matter. He’d have to raise the cost of the slaves in order to make Top Hat pay for taking liberties with Kim.

“I accept,” Ned said, forcing a smile to his face.

“Excellent, excellent,” Top Hat returned the smile. “And, since we are in a generous mood, Kim can keep the new clothes.” Top Hat leaned across the table. “Now, what have you brought us?”

Ned’s voice became oily. “I have some special slaves that I just knew would be of interest to you,” he dropped his voice to an enticing whisper. “They are performers.”

“Performers? What kind of performers?” Top Hat asked, unable to hide the interest in his voice.

“Acrobats, gymnasts and tumblers,” Ned said. “Young, athletic, both male and female … and, beautiful.”

Top Hat’s dark eyes glittered with interest as he pulled a whistle from his pocket and gave it three sharp blasts.

“Come children, join Top Hat as we inspect the stock Ned has brought for us,” Top Hat called.

Looking around, Ned noticed that the Tribe had grown in numbers since his last visit. As always, the Tribe Circus roustabouts looked tough and dangerous. But then, Ned knew that almost every member of the Tribe was dangerous. Even the brightly painted clowns were potential killers. Ned noticed that Top Hat had a new strongman and wondered what had happened to Bruno. Pausing long enough to smile at the assemblage, Ned turned and waddled around to the side of the warehouse to where his wagons waited.

Unlike most slavers who forced their stock to walk to their destinations in chains, Ned transported his slaves in wagons drawn by harnessed teams of his own slaves. His philosophy was that well-rested and well-fed slaves brought more in trade than those who were exhausted from forced marching did. He stopped by the side of one of his wagons and placed a fat hand on the canvas tarp that covered the cage. Ned was a showman himself, and knew how to best present his wares. He waved his free hand in a semi-circle, indicating where Tribe Circus should stop.

“My friends, when I came across these slaves, I just knew there was only one market for their talents,” Ned called out. “I knew only Tribe Circus would truly appreciate their talents and skills.”

Smiling even more broadly, Ned yanked the tarp, pulling it to the ground revealing six slaves in matching red and black spandex tights. There were three boys and three girls – all of them between twelve and fourteen, although it was hard to tell which from which at first glance. All of them sported identical bleached blonde wedge style haircuts. The fat slaver turned to Cat Timkins, his muscular, one-eyed second-in-command, and nodded.

Cat, who was easily as well muscled as the Tribe Circus strongman, readjusted the black leather eye patch that covered his left eye and then opened the cage and ordered the six slaves from the wagon. He patted the cattle prod dangling from his belt in silent warning, his one good eye emphasizing that warning as he directed the slaves to the ground.

“This way, this way,” Ned called, indicating the open space between the wagon and the Tribe. “Give these good people a slight demonstration of your skills,” Ned said jovially. “Just a brief sample, just a brief sample.”

The six slaves obediently began performing flips, somersaults, and tumbles as Top Hat and the others watched in admiration. They’d all experienced Cat’s cattle prod and weren’t eager to repeat that experience again. They went through their routine smoothly until Ned clapped his fat hands and called for them to stop.

“Excellent, excellent,” Top Hat said, striding along the line of slaves. “Top Hat is impressed – where did you find these acrobats?”

“I was up in Frisco City and found them doing flips for scraps of bread,” Ned explained. “Of course, they needed some cleaning up and their clothes,” Ned shook his had in mock sadness. “Oh, you should have seen the rags they were in when I first took them. Once they accepted their situation, it was a simple matter of giving them matching haircuts and finding them appropriate clothes.” He glanced quickly at Top Hat. “Of course, once they are yours, you’re free to alter their appearance as you see fit – this is just a suggestion.”

Top Hat ignored the slaver’s patter as he inspected each of the slaves, running his hands through their silken hair, pulling their lips back to inspect their teeth, and feeling the chests of both male and female alike. He liked what he saw and felt and led the slaver inside where they could begin fee negotiations.

“Now, down to business,” Top Hat said. “We are interested only in the acrobats as a set and not as individuals. Individually, they have little value to either of us … I’m sure you’d agree.”

Ned nodded. “I can’t really argue with that logic,” he agreed. “And, I’m sure you’d agree that the improvements I’ve made have increased their group value accordingly.”

“It is a point we will keep in mind,” Top Hat admitted.

“Good,” Ned rubbed his pudgy hands together. “Now, we can trade. What do you have to offer?”

The haggling began in earnest. Ned flatly refused Top Hat’s initial offer to trade only batteries for the acrobatic troupe. While batteries were an almost universal currency in the New World, they couldn’t immediately fill the belly. Ned agreed to accept half of the batteries offered and insisted the rest of the trade consist of edibles. He was surprised when Top Hat shrugged and ordered some of the roustabouts to bring a selection of food from the storerooms.

It took over two hours of haggling before both sides agreed that the trade was concluded. When the food had first been brought up, Ned had taken his time carefully scrutinizing each tin of food – flatly rejecting all cans that showed signs of bugles. Eventually, Top Hat surprised the slaver by producing baskets of fresh vegetables, breads, and smoked meats. After that, the bargaining moved much faster to a conclusion of the trade.

Ned had Cat supervise the roustabouts as they carried the trade goods out to his wagons – while Ned didn’t totally distrust Top Hat, he didn’t trust the roustabouts at all. He prided himself on not being cheated after the conclusion of any deal and he wasn’t about to let some roustabout ingratiate himself with Top Hat by stealing part of the payment back.

Top Hat had two mugs of beer brought out as a ceremonial closing of their deal. Ned took a long pull at the cool beer, wondering if beer really was better when it was ice cold. He’d never tasted ice-cold beer before, but remembered the television advertisements about how beer should be cold.

“You never did explain the nature of your delay,” Top Hat said, lowering his mug.

“We had to detour around Eagle Lake,” Ned explained. “The Brotherhood seems to have set up a permanent camp there. If we hadn’t gone around the town, we’d have lost the slaves for sure.”

“Indeed,” Top Hat marveled.

“Indeed,” Ned said. “In my travels I’ve come across those who had only barely managed to escape being forced to join The Brotherhood as soldiers in The Leader’s army – or as slaves. Those who resist are killed in the most brutal ways you can imagine.” Ned took another long pull at his beer and shuddered. “I’ve seen the remains of some of those who were killed – it wasn’t a pretty sight at all.”

“We’ve heard rumors of this Leader,” Top Hat said slowly. “But, quite honestly, we thought them exaggerated.”

“I really doubt anything you hear is exaggerated,” Ned said sincerely.

“And he has an army, you say,” Top Hat said.

Ned noticed Kim walk awkwardly from behind one of the slave wagons. He had already changed out of the humiliating dress. An idea began to form in Ned’s mind.

“Oh yes,” Ned confirmed. “His army is far larger than any Tribe in The City. I’m certain that any Tribe that allied itself with The Leader could easily take control of all the other Tribes.”

“You don’t say.”

“I do indeed say so,” Ned said with a sharp nod of his head.

“And, this Leader is headquartered in Eagle Lake, you say?” Top Hat asked.

Ned had to fight from grinning wickedly – he could hear the greed creeping into Top Hat’s voice. He knew the Tribe Circus leader was already dreaming of being the one to ally himself with The Leader and take over The City. From the little he knew about The Leader, Ned seriously doubted any ally would survive for long, and while he hated the idea of losing a customer, he hated the liberties Top Hat taken with Kim even more. As far as Ned was concerned, if Top Hat was foolish enough to risk teaming up with The Leader, he deserved anything that might happen to him.

He drained the last of his beer, waddled over to the lead slave wagon and climbed up onto the front bench. He gave Top Hat one last smile as Cat cracked his whip to make their slave team start pulling the wagon away.

After putting as much distance between his slavers and Tribe Circus, Ned decided to find someplace to set up camp for the night. His dealings with Top Hat had taken him longer than he had expected and he knew he couldn’t expect to reach the Rollers Tribe on the outskirts of The City before dark. The Rollers were good customers – they always needed new slaves to do the routine work of the Tribe. As their Tribe name implied, the Rollers didn’t really care much for anything but skating around on their inline skates. Ned finally selected the parking lot of a looted strip mall as a good place to stop for the night.

The wagons had hardly stopped before the slaver team went to work unharnessing the draft slaves and getting them secured to prevent them from running off during the night. With that done, the slavers went to work preparing the evening meal. Kim gingerly climbed down from the old circus wagon that served as Ned’s home on the road to help with the preparations – tables had to be set up and laid before the slavers could eat. In Ned’s organization, everyone pitched in during meal times.

Ned noticed Kim was walking stiffly as if he was in pain. The young man admitted he was in terrible pain, complaining that ‘everything down there burned something bad.’ After dinner, Ned took Kim back to his wagon and had him strip. Examining Kim’s groin, Ned noticed that the skin around Kim’s penis where it had been glued together was red and looked slightly inflamed. He tried to pull the skin apart, but the glue held tight and Ned succeeded only in making Kim howl in agony.

Realizing his efforts to free Kim’s dick from its prison, Ned turned his attention to his companion’s balls. They were a decidedly unhealthy color – colors, was a more accurate description. Kim’s scrotum was mottled with green, yellow, deep purple, red, and blue. They hadn’t quite turned black yet. Ned figured that had to be a good sign and rummaged around the drawers in the wagon until he found a small pair of scissors. The rubber bands were stronger than he expected them to be and it took him a while to cut his way through each of them. He figured that once the blood began flowing again, the bruising would go away.

Unable to do anything else for Kim, Ned wrapped his arms around him and gently rocked his companion back and forth. Few realized just how deeply Ned felt about Kim – almost everyone thought that the only reason Ned liked the effeminate boy was because he gave good head. And, he did – but that wasn’t the only reason Ned felt so strongly about Kim. To Ned, the small teen was a combination little brother and lover. Kim was the only person left in the world towards whom Ned felt any loyalty and compassion.

By morning, Kim was feverish and still in pain. Ned stayed in the wagon as the draft teams pulled the slaver wagons to the Rollers Tribe territory. Reaching the Roller Tribe, Ned was disappointed to find that the Rollers were interested in acquiring only one slave. Sky Skater, the head of the Rollers Tribe, explained that he was only interested in a slave who was capable of cooking from scratch, and not just heating canned foods.

Ned shook his head in wonder at the request. In his experience, most slaves were used to gather firewood, perform manual labor, provide sexual favors, or act as draft animals. Ned decided to poll the females, figuring one of them was more likely to have cooking skills. It took him nearly half an hour to find a girl who claimed to know how to cook. Before Sky Skater would agree to discuss terms for the new slave, he insisted she give a demonstration of her claimed skills.

Ned couldn’t believe his ears – the trade for a single slave looked like it was going to take all day. He balked at the test, but Sky Skater held firm. Ned finally gave in when the Rollers Tribe leader agreed to pay extra for the inconvenience, adding that Ned could be one of the judges of the girl’s cooking abilities. Grumbling that he was too generous for his own good, Ned finally relented. He watched as one of the skaters led the girl into the garage that served as the Tribe headquarters.

An hour later, the girl announced that she had a simple meal prepared. Hoping that she hadn’t exaggerated her skills, Ned went inside to find a simple table laid out. The girl explained that since most of the food the Tribe had on hand would take too long to prepare, she had made a very simple meal that was suitable for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. She said she had made what she called a French fry pie with chunks of ham.

Ned looked on suspiciously as she presented her creation. It was like nothing he’d ever seen – it looked almost like an omelet that had French fries sticking out of it. He warily tasted a piece of the wedge she’d served him and was amazed to find that it was delicious. Happily, the Rollers chief felt the same way, announcing that it was the best thing he’d had since Before It Happened.

The fat slaver was in the middle of concluding the deal with Sky Skater when Cat ran up to interrupt with a worried look on his face. Ned knew his Second in Command would never interrupt without having a good reason. Ned’s face went the color of rancid suet as Cat whispered that Kim was burning up with fever.

Ned raced to his wagon, his breath coming in ragged gasps, and levered himself up the steps. Cat had been right – the sheets wrapped around Kim were soaked. Ned could almost feel the heat radiating from his companion's body. Behind him, Cat and Sky Skater crowded into the wagon, both of them looking over his shoulder.

“He don’t look good at all,” Sky Skater observed. “Best thing for him is to take him to the Shiprats.”

“Shiprats?” Ned snorted. He’d never heard of them before. “Just who the hell are the Shiprats?”

“New Tribe,” Sky Skater said. “They got a doctor guy – sorta.”

“A sort of doctor guy?” Ned asked incredulously. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Means they got someone who can probably make your friend better,” Sky Skater said simply. He tugged Ned’s sleeve, leading him from the wagon.

Once outside, Sky Skater put two fingers in his mouth and gave a shrill whistle. Other Rollers popped up from their various resting-places. “Get Mickey out here,” he shouted.

His orders were relayed from mouth to mouth, each Tribe member shouting out the name ‘Mickey.’ Within minutes, a small rat-faced teen appeared. Ned noticed the skater had a plaster cast on one arm and a white bandage taped to his forehead.

“Mickey took a bad fall ‘bout five days ago,” Sky Skater explained. “Busted his arm and split open his head really bad. We took him to the ship and Jack put his arm in a cast and stitched up his head good as new.” Sky Skater turned to Mickey. “Show Ned the stitches,” he ordered.

Grinning, Mickey pulled away the tape covering the white bandage to reveal a neat line of stitches. “Jack said I’m gonna have a scar,” he announced proudly.

Ned had seen all he needed to see. “How do I find these Shiprats?” he demanded.

Ned left Cat behind to conclude the trade and took Chet, one of the other slavers, to drive his wagon to the Queen Mary. Cat would follow once the trade had been satisfactorily concluded and the trade goods stored away. Even though Chet freely used his whip to keep the draft slaves moving quickly, it took nearly three hours to cross The City and reach the Queen Mary.

Ned wasn’t sure who was more surprised when his wagon reached the Queen Mary – the people milling around an honest-to-goodness Marketplace or him. He simply hadn’t imagined an operation of the scale he witnessed. People were openly trading all sorts of things at the various stalls – or rather, they had been. Everything came to a sudden halt as his wagon drawn by twenty half-naked slaves trundled into the parking lot. There were some screams and gasps of shock from the people in the Market at Ned’s arrival.

Sasha was working the Marketplace when the slaver’s wagon first appeared. Knowing exactly who owned that particular wagon from his days on the road, Sasha immediately raised the alarm and sent Jordy off to get Bray. By the time the wagon came to a halt, Bray, Ryan, Jordan, Lars, Dal, and Jack were surrounding the back of the wagon – all of them armed with clubs.

“You’re not welcome here,” Bray announced as the fat slaver began to climb down from the back of the wagon. “Just take your fat ass on out of here.”

Ned looked around at the unfriendly faces, hesitated only briefly and then stepped down from the wagon. “I’m looking for a guy named Jack,” Ned announced. “It’s an emergency.”

“The only emergency here is going to be you,” Sasha said menacingly. He raised his voice so everyone in the Marketplace could hear him. “We don’t deal with slavers here. Your kind aren’t welcome – for any reason.”

“I’m not here on business,” Ned said, feeling the beginnings of desperation grow. “My companion needs medical help – he’s sick. He’s really bad off.” Ned glanced around at the unsympathetic faces surrounding him. “I can pay whatever you want,” he bargained, his voice quavering.

“What we want is for you to get the hell out of here,” Bray said coldly.

“Which one of you is Jack?” Ned demanded, his panic growing. He couldn’t believe these people wouldn’t even listen to his pleas. “I’ll pay anything – I’ll do anything. Just take a look at Kim.”

“We told you – your kind isn’t welcome here,” Bray said.

“What kind of people are you?” Ned cried. “Kim is in there dying and you won’t even raise a finger to help him out! He’s burning up – you’ve gotta help him out!” Ned begged.

“You’ll pay anything?” Jack asked, moving forward.

“Yes, yes – anything,” Ned cried. He knew he was close to blubbering and didn’t care. If these people would only help Kim, he’d gladly give anything he had.

Jack nodded and silently walked around to the front of the wagon where he began to unbuckle the harnesses. Chet raised his whip menacingly.

Jack looked up, his eyes burning as he raised his club. “You’d better know right off that I can break your arms just as easily as I can set them,” he said threateningly. “So don’t fuck with me.”

Chet couldn’t believe the pipsqueak with the bright orange-red hair was threatening him. He began to grin savagely at the thought of teaching the punk a lesson when Ryan swung lightly up to the wagon seat.

“It’s a good bet that when I get through with you, not even Jack will be able to put you back together,” Ryan said matter-of-factly.

Chet turned to study his new opponent and didn’t like what he saw at all. The newcomer clearly outweighed him and looked like he meant every word he’d just spoken. Nodding, Chet reluctantly lowered the whip.

“That’s a smart move,” Ryan said. “Now, get your ass down there and release those kids right now before I decide to pound the shit outta you just for the exercise.”

Grumbling, Chet climbed down and reluctantly began unbuckling the harnesses, freeing the draft slaves. Amber, Heather, and Selene moved in to guide the freed slaves away from the wagon, explaining that they were all free.

Once the slaves were freed, Jack returned to the back of the wagon and climbed into the back to see what was wrong with Kim. The fat slaver had been telling the truth – the slender figure on the bed was burning up and was in really bad shape. The wagon lurched to one side as Ned climbed up to stand behind Jack. He ignored the presence of the slaver as he pulled the sheets back and began examining Kim. Seeing Kim’s groin, Jack’s face hardened.

“What have you done to this kid?” Jack snapped.

“It wasn’t me,” Ned protested. “Top Hat did that – his idea of a joke.” Jack leaned close to examine Kim’s discolored scrotum. He could see the marks where the two rubber bands had been removed. “Top Hat used some kind of tool to put these two tight rubber bands on Kim – he said it was some kind of castrating tool for farm animals. Kim’s balls were all bruised…”

“How long were they in place?” Jack interrupted.

“About four days,” Ned said, looking down at Kim’s frightened face.

“And you removed the bands?” Jack turned on Ned in a fury. “You’re about as stupid as Top Hat is psychotic.”

“I didn’t know,” Ned shrank back from the much smaller teen. “I thought I was helping him out – he was in pain.”

“Yeah, well you did more damage health-wise than Top Hat did,” Jack said, looking around the cramped wagon interior. He bent over and retrieved one of Kim’s sneakers, quickly ripping the lace free. “Better than nothing, I guess,” Jack muttered as he used the lace as a tourniquet, quickly tying off Kim’s scrotum.

Ned grabbed at Jack. “What’re you doing?”

“Getting ready to finish the job Top Hat started,” Jack said, pulling loose from Ned’s hand.

“You’re gonna cut his balls off?” Ned screamed. His words and panic frightened Kim, who began sobbing.

“Look,” Jack snapped, “his testicles and scrotum are already dead. Almost as soon as those bands were put on the damage started – they cut off the blood supply to his whole scrotum. Tissue needs blood to survive. By the end of the first day, the damage was irreversible. By the second day, the tissue below the bands had turned septic. Shortly after that, they turned necrotic – that means they were dead. The bands prevented the toxins from returning to the body. When you removed them, you allowed those toxins into his body – that’s what’s causing his fever.”

“Can’t you do anything to save my balls?” Kim whined. “I don’t wanna be nutted.”

Jack’s face softened. “No, I can’t,” Jack said gently. “It’s too late to save them – if they’re not removed, you’ll die.”

Outside the wagon, Jack quickly explained Kim’s situation. Bray and the others all agreed that they couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. Dal said he’d get Selene and a stretcher to take to the ship’s hospital. Jack was adamant that Ned not be permitted into the ship, and again found the others in agreement.

Dal returned quickly with a stretcher. Within minutes, Kim had been carried out of the wagon, and strapped to the stretcher. Jordan and Lars wheeled the gurney away with Jack and Dal following, leaving Bray and the others to deal with a spluttering Ned and Chet.

Passing the picnic area where the former slaves were being fed, Jack was stopped by one of the slaves who surprised him by showing concern for Kim.

“Can you make him better?” the former slave asked.

“Yeah – he’ll be okay,” Jack said. “What’s your name?”

“I used to be called Keith,” the former slave said after a few moments of thought. “Been a long time since anyone called me that though.”

“Look Keith, you don’t have to worry about Kim,” Jack assured him. “Just relax and make Amber and Heather happy by eating as much as you want…”

“Yeah, it’s just that I wanted you to know that Kim’s not a bad guy,” Keith interrupted. “He’s not like the others – he sneaks us food when he can and tries to keep the others from beating us.” Keith looked embarrassed. “I guess I’m just trying to say not to judge him the same as the others is all.”

“Thanks for telling me that,” Jack said, patting Keith’s arm. “Kim’s going to be okay, I promise.”

Finally arriving in the hospital, Jack was surprised to find both Selene and Dal in surgical gowns and scrubbing up.

“I wonder if you could supervise me in doing the surgery while Dal assists me,” Selene said timidly. “It’s about time someone else starts learning how to do some of the procedures.”

Jack smiled. “I think that’s a good idea,” he agreed. “First thing, you’ll have to use some solvent to unglue the skin trapping his penis up inside him.”

“Already done that,” Selene smiled at him.

“Well, somehow I get the idea that I’m not going to have a whole lot to do in there,” Jack said. “Looks like you two have things in hand.”

Jack decided to let Kim stay awake for the surgery and use only local anesthesia. He knew that once Selene sliced the scrotum open, the room would fill with the stench of putrefaction and wanted Kim to smell it. That way, he’d know for certain that the complete removal of his testicles and scrotum was necessary and not a perverse punishment for being associated with the slavers. He took Selene off to the side and described what to expect, remembering all too well the eruption of pus from Peter’s scrotum back at the SuperCenter.

Taking their places, Jack watched silently as Dal coated Kim’s entire groin with antiseptic solution. Jack’s makeshift tourniquet had already been replaced with clamps. When he was finished, Dal stepped aside to make room for Selene. Jack watched as she examined the surgical field before asking Dal to hand her a scalpel. She hesitated only briefly before drawing the blade along the mid-line of Kim’s scrotum. He wrinkled his nose under his mask at the odor of decay that rose from the incision as a fair amount of pus spilled out. Dal moved quickly with surgical sponges to keep the field clear for Selene.

“Oh my God,” Kim moaned. “Is that…”

“Yes,” Jack said. “That’s what Top Hat did to you.”

Selene worked smoothly. It was clear that she had paid close attention when assisting Jack in previous surgeries. It didn’t take long before she had both necrotic testicles removed and was snipping away the remains of Kim’s scrotum. Jack reminded her to check the edges of her incision before suturing them together. Selene nodded and checked to make sure the edges were even and clear before she began closing the incision.

While Dal was busy bandaging Selene’s work, Jack asked her what she would recommend next for her patient.

“IV antibiotics along with saline solution for today because of the fever,” Selene answered. “Check the dressings every few hours and rest for the patient.”

Despite the circumstances, Jack grinned. “You two make a great team,” he announced. “Everything you did was perfect from start to finish.”

Bray joined Jack when he returned to the parking lot to give Ned an update on his companion. Crossing the parking lot, he frowned when he saw the rest of the slavers had arrived. Ned had obviously stopped them before they entered the Marketplace, clearly afraid of losing the rest of his slaves. Jack was happy to see that Ned’s wagon had been moved out of the Marketplace – Bray or Ryan had probably towed it out of the parking lot with one of the trucks. The fat slaver was visibly relieved to hear Jack’s news that Kim would be all right.

“I want to see him,” Ned insisted.

“Tomorrow,” Jack said flatly.

“Tomorrow? Why tomorrow?” Ned asked in dismay.

“For one thing, Kim needs to rest now,” Jack said. “For another, I don’t want you on the ship. Tomorrow if his fever breaks – and it should – he can come out here in a wheelchair and you can see him.”

“I don’t like that at all,” Ned said angrily.

“It really doesn’t matter what you like and don’t like,” Bray said. “Jack’s right – you and your kind aren’t welcome on the ship. We don’t like the idea of slaves around here.” A sly smile played on Bray’s lips. “Now, we might make an exception if you were to release all of your slaves right now. I think if you did that something could be worked out.”

“I think I could live with that,” Jack agreed.

Ned looked from his wagons to the ship where his companion lay. For a few moments, he seemed close to agreeing to Bray’s demands. Then, his innate greed got the better of him and he shook his head.

“I can’t and won’t do that,” he said flatly. “I don’t care if you don’t like me or what I do – there’s plenty of others who want my services.” He turned on his heel and lumbered away.

None of the other slavers liked the situation they found themselves in and openly grumbled about just going down and storming the ship. Emotionally, Ned agreed with them. Nothing would suit him more than to wrap his massive hands around Jack’s neck and feel the bones in that scrawny neck snap. Rationally, Ned seriously doubted his small band of slavers would be capable of going up against the Shiprat Tribe, especially with the twenty newly freed slaves down there. He could only too well imagine how violently they’d fight against their former captors.

Ned had seen the aftermath of a slave revolt once and it hadn’t been a pretty sight. The other slaver, a stupid and greedy fool, had tried to run too large a string of slaves with too few slavers to control them. Anyone with half a brain could see that was a recipe for disaster. The slaves had turned and obviously fought savagely – all of the slavers had been horribly killed. Their battered bodies had been unbelievably desecrated – some of them had barely been recognizable as having been human. Ned knew he had no choice but to accept his losses – he didn’t have to like them, but he did have to accept them. There would be no attacks on the Queen Mary and no recapture of the former slaves – at least not as long as they were under the protection of the Shiprats.

Following dinner, Ned sat by the side of his wagon and watched as the Market closed down for the day – the traders drifting off into the growing darkness. He watched as lights appeared all over the ship – lights that were far too bright to come from oil lamps. He was wondering whether the Shiprats were using battery-operated lamps or really could make electricity when the parking lot was bathed in bright spotlights. Ned was momentarily breathless – the Shiprats had electricity. He didn’t know how, but it was obvious that they were able to produce electricity. He’d never seen any other Tribe capable of creating electricity before.

Cat joined Ned in watching the lights come on all around the parking lot. For a long time, neither of them said a word. Finally Cat broke the silence.

“They got electricity,” he grunted in wonder.

“Well, duh!”

“Makes ya wonder what else they got,” Cat said.

“They have at least one truck,” Ned answered. “They towed my wagon over here with a truck – a big one.” He ran thick fingers through his lime green curls. “I know the others think it’s a mistake to let them take the draft team…”

“Yeah, but if these Shiprats can make electricity and have trucks, ya gotta wonder what else they got,” Cat repeated. “Any Tribe that has all the stuff they got is bound to have a way to protect it all. Seems to me giving them a pass is probably a good idea.”

Ned nodded thoughtfully. “For now … for now,” he agreed. “It would take an army to go up against this Tribe, I think.” He sighed. “We’ll replace the draft slaves in no time – if there’s one thing this world has plenty of, it is individuals and small, defenseless Tribes.”

Ned lumbered to his feet. “Never pick a fight unless you know upfront that you are sure to win it,” Ned said. “And, I think this is one Tribe we can’t be sure of beating. Ah well, there’re always other towns – as soon as Kim’s able to travel, we’re outta here.”

Ned was waiting by the gangway early the following morning waiting impatiently Jack or someone to appear and give him an update on Kim. He was positive Jack was deliberately making him wait in the early morning chill. He bided his time by imagining the various ways he could cause Jack pain – the thoughts of that little geek squealing and crying out in pain made the wait a little easier to bear. Ned’s daydreams were interrupted by the sound of the gangway door swinging open.

Jack came down the gangway and to Ned’s surprise; he stopped well within Ned’s reach like he knew he was invulnerable. The fat slaver’s palms itched to be squeezing the breath from Jack’s throat.

“Good news,” Jack announced. “Kim’s fever broke late yesterday evening. He had a very good night’s rest with very little discomfort. He’s eating breakfast now.”

“I suppose I owe you my thanks,” Ned said grudgingly.

“Not really me,” Jack said. “I just supervised – Selene and Dal did the real work.”

“So when can I see him?” Ned asked eagerly.

Jack took his time thinking before answering. “We want his last IV drip to run out first,” Jack said thoughtfully. “I told him he could have lunch with you over at the picnic table.”

Without waiting for a response from Ned, Jack turned and started back up the gangway.

“I know you don’t like me,” Ned called. “But, I really mean it when I say I’m grateful for what you’ve all done for Kim. He’s like a brother to me.” He looked up at the curious expression on Jack’s face and shrugged. “I just wanted you to know is all – for what it’s worth.”

Jack nodded. “Kim seems like a really nice guy,” Jack finally said. For the first time since meeting him, Ned noticed Jack’s voice had lost its coldness. “He thinks a lot of you – I don’t know why, but he does. I guess that means there’s something more to you that he sees that the rest of us don’t.”

Ned paced by the picnic tables impatiently most of the morning waiting for lunchtime to arrive. He noticed that the traders who showed up to the Marketplace gave him a wide berth whenever they had to pass him. All of them cast dirty looks in his direction. He didn’t care – all he cared about was that soon he’d see Kim again. His waiting was finally rewarded when Selene rolled Kim’s wheelchair down the gangway.

Selene’s cold expression softened when she saw how genuinely excited Kim was to see Ned again. She rolled the chair over to a table and announced that Kim could stay outside for about an hour. Ned noticed that while she backed away, she stayed close enough to rush to Kim’s side in case of an emergency.

“How’re you?” Ned demanded. “Did they treat you okay?”

“I feel great,” Kim announced. “A little weak and sore, but lots better than I was. And, everyone has been treating me wonderful. You should have seen the breakfast they brung me this morning – an omelet with cheese and ham, hash browns, fresh orange juice, thick slices of toast with real butter and a bowl of strawberry jam!”

Ned’s mouth watered. “Real butter and strawberry jam?” He asked in wonder.

“Yeah, and they said I could have more if I wanted, but I was too full to have seconds,” Kim said.

Selene approached with two trays of lunch – fat, juicy smoked sausages smothered with onions and mushrooms on thick buns. To Ned’s surprise, she politely served him instead of throwing the tray onto his lap. He noticed that Kim’s sandwich didn’t have as many onions and mushrooms as his did.

Ned ate and chatted happily with Kim, not noticing how quickly the time passed. At times, he even found himself wondering what life would be like if he did give up slaving. He couldn’t help wondering if the Shiprats would accept a former slaver as a member of their Tribe. His thoughts were interrupted when Cat came up and leaned over the table.

“Some of Top Hat’s people are over by the wagons,” Cat said urgently. “They say it’s important and they’re supposed to bring us back to Tribe Circus.”

“Why?” Ned asked.

Cat shrugged. “No tellin’ with him,” Cat said.

“True, true,” Ned mused. “Trouble or business – that’s the question.”

“Hard to say,” Cat admitted. “It don’t smell like trouble.”

“You sure?”

“Like I said – no tellin’ with Top Hat,” Cat said. “But, I don’t think his people know what Top Hat wants – and I figure they’d know if he was pissed or wanted to cause us problems.”

“That’s true,” Ned agreed. “If that psycho was in a rage, I’m sure everyone around him would know about it.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “Think we should go see what he wants?”

Cat made a face. “The less dealings we have with him, the happier I am,” he said. “On the other hand, he’s always a good customer and pays good. Business is business, though.”

“Do the others know Top Hat wants to see us?” Ned asked.

“Yeah, and they seem pretty eager to see what he wants,” Cat said. “They figure he’s got a special order again, and are already talking about the split of the bonus he pays.” Cat looked from Ned to Kim and back. “Look, I know what he done to Kim and agree it was wrong … so, I’ll understand if you wanna give this a pass…”

“But, you don’t think the others will,” Ned finished.

“Nah, they’re still ranked off about losing a whole draft team yesterday and not doin’ nutin’ about it,” Cat admitted.

Ned sighed. “Best to keep harmony on the domestic front,” he said, pushing himself up from the table.

Kim, who had remained silent through the conversation, finally spoke up. “I don’t think you should go – I don’t trust Tribe Circus,” he said.

“That’s understandable,” Ned, said consolingly. “But, things are at a very delicate point within our little family. If I’m going to hold things together, I’ve got no choice but meet with that psychotic bastard.

Kim looked glum, but he didn’t argue as Ned tenderly patted his head before striding away with Cat. He knew from experience that it wasn’t unusual for Top Hat to wait a couple of days and then hunt Ned down to make a special request. But, he still didn’t feel right this time – something just felt wrong to him. He confided his fears to Selene when she came to wheel him back to his bed.

Selene watched as the slaver wagons started to move away. She gave Kim’s shoulder a squeeze and even though she shared his misgivings, tried to reassure him that Ned seemed capable of taking care of himself.

Riding next to Cat, Ned was quiet for a long time as he struggled with his thoughts. Looking straight ahead, he finally spoke.

“Have you ever thought about striking out on your own?” He asked.

Cat snorted. “I been watching your back for so long, I don’t think I’d know what to do on my own,” he said.

“You’ve done a good job of that, too,” Ned said sincerely. “But, I’m thinking about making one last run and then trying my hand at something else.”

“Feeling guilty because of what happened to Kim?” Cat asked.

“Partly,” Ned admitted. “But, I think things are going to start changing pretty soon. Hell, things are already beginning to change. More and more Tribes are settling down – staying in one place. That Marketplace back there – we’re gonna be seeing more and more of them.”

“So, you thinkin’ about settling down and tradin’ for things?” Cat asked.

“Maybe something like that,” Ned said, still looking straight ahead. “Trading for food and other goods is pretty much the same as trading in humans. I figure if I’m good at one, I should be good at the other.”

“Hmmm, makes sense,” Cat agreed. “So, you tryin’ to break our partnership?”

“Just giving you first shot at the operation,” Ned explained. “Seems like the fair thing to do. So what do you think?”

“I think you’re still goin’ to need someone watchin’ your back,” Cat said. “That’s if ya don’t mind me stickin’ around. No harm intended, but I don’t figure Kim makes such a good bodyguard.” He glanced over at Ned, who was still staring straight ahead. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw Ned’s lower lip tremble. Grinning, he poked Ned in the arm. “Wadda ya say we make Top Hat pay through the nose for this deal?”

Ned finally turned to face his friend, his eyes glistening, and grinned. “Sounds like a plan,” he said, feeling good about himself for the first time in longer than he cared to remember. Who knew, he mused, maybe once he had demonstrated that he really had turned over a new leaf, the Shiprats would let him set up a stall in their Marketplace. Ned leaned back grinning – anything was possible.

To be continued…