The Tribes, Chapter 26

When the truck from the farm pulled up to the gangway by the Queen Mary, Bray noticed that the Market had grown with the addition of at least seven traders. None of them had what could really be called a proper stall. A couple of them had simply rigged tattered beach umbrellas to shopping carts and claimed a space. A couple of others had laid more or less straight boards across milk crates and set their meager wares on the boards. Bray stood by the side of the truck and watched the newcomers for a while and was happy to see that they were getting some customers.

“They just showed up yesterday,” Peter said from behind Bray. “Said they’d heard that they could set up shop at the Market. Amber told them they’d heard right and they went right to work.”

“They’re getting some customers, I see.”

“Yeah, a couple of us have checked them out,” Peter replied. “They don’t have much – and a lot of it is just junk. But, they have enough of what other people want to make some decent trades.”

“Good,” Bray slowly nodded his head as he thought. “Look – let’s see if we can’t help them out a bit.”

“Now that we’re back, I’ll get some of our people working on making some new booths,” Ryan said.

“Good idea,” Bray agreed. “But, try to get at least one of the newcomers to help do the work – in return for pay. I’m sure there’s some stuff in the ship’s stores that can help them out.” He looked around. “Where’s Amber?”

“She’s busy on the ship,” Peter grinned. “She’s setting up a little school – she’s turned one of the boutique shops into a classroom and is busy getting things set up.”

“Good,” Bray grinned. “Do me a favor – find Heather and have her meet me at the salon.” Bray grinned at the quizzical look on Peter’s face. “Don’t ask questions right now – it’s a little complicated. One other thing – do you have any idea where I can find Lars?”

“Yeah, he’s up in the gym.”

“Cool – I need to see him and then I’ll be down to the salon to meet Heather,” Bray said. “I shouldn’t be too long with Lars.” Bray turned to Ryan. “Do me a favor and deliver him to the salon,” Bray said, indicating a nervous-faced Dal. “Don’t let him disappear.”

“Oh, come on” Dal complained. “You’re not really going to make me go through with this are you?”

“Sure we are,” Bray assured him. “I’m not about to piss Selene off.”

“Me, neither,” Ryan said fervently. “She’s got a mean right on her.”

Bray found Lars in the process of teaching Jordy and a couple of the other younger members of the Tribe martial arts. Jordy was still keeping his head shaved totally smooth. The did youngster look good though, Bray had to admit – and he looked like he was getting pretty proficient with his martial arts lessons. As much as he hated it, Bray interrupted the lesson and asked Lars to step out onto the deck with him.

“First, I want to apologize for interrupting your lesson,” Bray said, leaning over the rail and staring out at the water.

“No problem,” Lars assured him. “What’s up?”

“Look – do you have anything planned that you can’t put off?” Bray asked.

Lars considered the vague request and shook his head. “No, not really – Tai San can teach the martial arts lessons as well as I can. What’s up?”

Bray sheepishly looked down at his feet for several moments before looking back up at Lars. “Um … this is kind of delicate … I ah … Jack’s got this problem out at the farm,” Bray stammered, his face coloring with embarrassment. “Look, would it … I, ah, I mean … would you mind talking to someone about being. …”

Lars laughed. “Nothing to be embarrassed about, Bray. I’m a eunuch – you can say it.” He sobered. “Jack’s having a problem with his patient?”

“Yeah … this kid pretty much hates Jack at the moment,” Bray explained. “Jack claims he doesn’t mind too much – but, that’s not true. It’s eating him away inside. But, Jack claims this kid needs to have a focus for his feelings and that he’s the perfect focus.”

“Jack’s right, you know,” Lars said. “About his patient needing a focus for his feelings, I mean,” he added quickly. “But there’s no reason for Jack to be the focus of that anger and hate … did I hear right that Jack’s patient was injured while escaping from the Brotherhood?”

“Yeah,” Bray admitted. “He came across a Brotherhood scouting party and while running away from them he accidentally impaled himself. By the time Jack got to him, infection was way advanced. Jack had no choice – he had to remove everything.” Bray ran a hand through his long chestnut hair. “I ah, kind of figured that if you had a chance to talk with this kid – Sparrow’s his name, by the way – maybe … maybe … ah, hell – I don’t know what I thought.”

“You were thinking about the spiritual pain this Sparrow is in and the spiritual pain Jack feels as a result,” Lars said. “It’s a good idea. I think I should take Brandon out with me, too. His experiences are a whole lot closer than mine. Remember, I wanted to be castrated.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Bray admitted. “But, you still think of yourself as a real man….”

“That’s because I am,” Lars smiled. “I’m still a man – I just don’t have any testicles. That doesn’t make me less of a man – just a different kind of man.” He laid a gentle hand on Bray’s shoulder. “I’ll find Brandon and make arrangements for us to go out to the farm after lunch.”

“Um, don’t let Jack know why you’re there,” Bray said. “He doesn’t know I’m doing this.”

“I’m sure that no matter what we say that he’ll figure it out,” Lars said. “Jack’s a genius – don’t look so worried. I’m sure he’ll appreciate that you’re looking out for him. Besides, I’d go out there anyway to help this Sparrow with his healing process. Unbridled hate is like a cancer – it eats away at the spirit and prevents the individual from ever achieving balance.”

The lines of worry in Bray’s face smoothed out as he heaved a sigh of relief, “Thanks, Lars. This means a lot to me.” He looked around and gave a start – Amber had just come on deck and was headed straight for him.

“Bray!” Amber called, rushing up to give him a welcome home hug. “How’s everything at the Farm? Is everyone okay?”

“Um yeah,” Bray said. “Things are pretty good up there. What’s up here? I hear you’re going to try to start a school.”

“Do you know how many of the younger kids either can’t read at all, or have forgotten how?” Amber asked. “That’s why I’ve been looking for you.”

“Sure,” Bray said hurriedly. “It’s a great idea – I’ll do anything you want.”

“That’s great,” Amber threw her arms around his neck and gave him a friendly kiss. “Did Dal come back with you? I’d like him to teach a math class.”

“Um, yeah – he did,” Bray said evasively. “I think he and Ryan had some things to do. I’ll see if I can find them.” Bray started off, he turned and walked backwards as he called out. “Where are you going to be? In the school or how about in the dining room? That’s good – we’ll meet you at lunch in the dining room.”

Before Amber could answer, Bray turned and jogged off, leaving her to shake her head in wonder at his antics.

Bray arrived in the salon just as Heather finished shampooing Dal’s hair. Ryan stood guard by the door as he blocking it in case Dal tried to run. For his part, poor Dal looked resigned to accept whatever was going to be done to him. He reminded Bray of a kitten he’d once seen suffering the feline indignity of getting a bath.

“I don’t know who cut his hair last, but they did a terrible job,” Heather announced to the room.

“I cut it,” Dal protested. “And, I think I did okay.”

“What’d you do, just chop it short?” Heather snorted. The expression on Dal’s face was all the answer she needed. “Look Dal, your hair has a real loose natural curl – you can’t just chop it short and expect it to look good. You’ve got to work with your hair.”

“That’s what Selene told me,” Bray offered. “She said you’d know what to do.”

“Just leave it to me,” Heather promised. “When I get through with him, he’ll be a real lady killer.” Seeing the hangdog expression on Dal’s face, she chuckled. “Don’t worry – you’ll love the way you’re gonna look.” Heather selected a comb and scissors from the array on the counter and went to work on the left side of Dal’s head, combing and snipping away. “Don’t just stand there like lump,” Heather said to Bray without looking up from her work. “Dal needs something decent to wear – maybe a banded collar shirt, a vest, and some nice pants. Pick something practical and not just flash, okay?”

*****

The slave that The Leader had chosen to be nullified was already strapped to the table when Gull entered the chamber followed closely by Prometheus. Gull was surprised that the effeminate boy still had any tears in him – he had been crying ever since The Leader had pronounced his fate and clearly hadn’t stopped since. One of the guards growled for the slave to shut up and stop crying, stepping forward with a raised hand. Gull waved him away – the sound of frightened sobs was an aphrodisiac to his ears. He was already feeling aroused as he slowly unbuttoned his high-necked crimson robe, revealing a skintight turtleneck pullover and black whipcord trousers beneath.

As Gull prepared the tools he’d need, Prometheus approached the slave and stood over him haughtily. Gull paused in his work and watched his new protégé closely. Prometheus laid a hand lightly on the slave’s shaven head as if to comfort him. The beginnings of a frown appeared on Gull lips – compassion for anyone strapped to the table for any reason was, in Gull’s eyes, a fault rather than a virtue.

“Why are you crying?” Prometheus asked, his voice level and unemotional. “I don’t see any reason for all this fuss – you’ve been specially chosen to serve The Leader. You should be proud of that fact.”

“I don’t want my – my … I don’t want that operation,” the slave sobbed.

Prometheus glanced down at the slave’s exposed groin. “Why not?” He asked coldly. “You’ve already been castrated – it’s not like you’re going to be using that dick for anything important anyway. Besides,” he reached out and held the slave’s penis between his thumb and forefinger, “as small as it is, you ought to be glad to get rid of it.”

Across the room, Gull relaxed. Prometheus hadn’t shown the slave any compassion after all. In fact, his cold tone indicated a clear disgust for the slave’s tears. As Gull laid out his scalpels, surgical scissors, sounds, and suture equipment, he wished that he knew how to properly nullify the slave for The Leader. He knew that there was a way to relocate the piss tube – he thought it was called the urethra or something like that – from the little bit of reading he had bothered to do on the subject. But, the material he’d found had been too complicated and technical for him to understand clearly. He’d be able to make the slave smooth, and that was what really mattered to The Leader.

“Make sure those straps are really tight,” Gull said. “We’ll use some ether on him, but that stuff’s pretty tricky. Too much and he’ll just stop breathing and die on us. The Leader wouldn’t like that.” He packed a large mesh strainer with cotton. “You just smear some Vaseline around his nose and mouth, then put this strainer over it and drip some ether onto the cotton. Once he’s asleep, take it away and we can get started. Be careful he doesn’t go too deep.”

Prometheus nodded to show he understood and took his place at the head of the table. When Gull gave him the go-ahead, he began dribbling the ether onto the cotton. The fumes made him a little light headed as he watched the slave’s eyelids flutter. After a few moments, the slave’s eyes rolled back in his head and his eyes sagged shut. Prometheus quickly pulled the strainer away and moved it to the other side of the room.

Gull went to work cutting quickly, explaining every move as Prometheus watched intently from the other side of the table. He made himself useful by swabbing away the blood from the incision, careful to keep from getting in Gull’s way as he worked. Prometheus stole a glance at the sleeping slave’s face – he looked so innocent and helpless. He felt a feeling of satisfaction swell through him as he returned his gaze to Gull’s work. The slave’s penis had already been removed and Gull was sliding it along the catheter.

Prometheus couldn’t suppress the grin that spread across his lips. He felt absolutely no regret when he realized that the little slave would wake up and probably spend days sobbing over his loss. Rather, he felt a surge of power flood his body like a charge of electricity. He studied Gull’s movements as he stitched up the incision, pulling the two sides closed in a neat line.

Gull placed the last stitch in place and looked up at his young apprentice. “Think you could do this?”

“If I had some practice, I think I could,” Prometheus said eagerly.

Gull laughed. “Good answer,” he said. “We’ll find some subjects for you to practice on – you’ll need some practice castrating them, too.” Gull called in his assistants and gave them orders on the care necessary for The Leader’s special slave. “C’mon,” he said, turning back to Prometheus. “We’ll get something to snack on before going up to the gym and working out for a while – we’ve got to get you pumped up.”

*****

Sparrow regarded Jack in stony silence as the Shiprat checked the healing process of the incisions and changed the bandages. Jack worked silently, speaking only when absolutely necessary to give Selene instructions or to inform Sparrow that he was healing better than expected. Giving Sparrow a weak smile, Jack hurried from the sleeping area of the RV and found Eagle and Pride waiting for him.

“How is he?” Eagle asked.

Jack shrugged. “Physically – he’s progressing nicely. He seems to be over the infection and recovering from the combined effects of the infection and the surgery,” Jack said. “Emotionally – that’s kind of hard for me to tell accurately. As best as I can tell, he’s not taking it too well.” Jack rubbed at his eyes and sighed. “I can fix him up physically – the rest is up to you and him.”

Pride laid a gentle hand on Jack’s arm as the diminutive Shiprat tried to leave the RV. “And you, how are you doing?”

“In general, or right at the moment?” Jack gave the taller Eco Tribe member a tired, sad smile.

“Let’s start with right now.”

“I feel like I’ve been kicked in the gut,” Jack admitted honestly.

“I’m sorry about the way Sparrow’s been acting,” Pride said.

“It comes with the job,” Jack said. “His reaction is pretty normal.” He gave Pride that sad smile again. “I’ll be okay. But, more importantly – Sparrow’s going to recover. He’s not going to die – and that’s really all that matters.”

“If it’ll help….”

“No,” Jack interrupted with an emphatic shake of his head. “The last thing Sparrow needs is anyone telling him he has to like the guy who emasculated him. What he really needs is support and reassurance. If you really want to help, give him plenty of that. Make sure he knows he’s still important to your Tribe.”

A couple of hours later, Tong Li found Jack on top of the circus wagon tinkering away with a bunch of pipe, some gears and cogs. He climbed to the roof of the wagon with acrobatic ease and squatted next to Jack.

“I appreciate all this work you’ve done,” Tong Li said slowly. “But, I have the impression that Keith is going to be staying behind. Actually, I think he’s going to go along to the Queen Mary with your group.”

“Uh huh,” Jack grunted as he went to work with a wrench. “I’ve seen the way he and Sasha have been looking at each other.”

“They’ve been doing more than looking.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me,” Jack said absently. “But, what’s that got to do with this generator?”

“Well, you were going to rig it up to light up his puppet theatre, right?” Tong Li asked.

“Well, yeah,” Jack admitted. “That’s what gave me the idea, yeah. But, this generator is a present from the Shiprats to you. I mean, you can have a spotlight or play recorded music.”

“Just like that?”

Jack grinned. “Yeah – just like that. No strings attached.”

Tong Li grinned back. “So, how’s it work?”

Jack grew excited explaining about the generator. He showed the entertainer how the system could work as a dual charging system. He had already rigged a crankshaft to the wagon wheel so that when the circus wagon was traveling, it turned the generator and charged the batteries. When the wagon was stopped – the windmill on the roof would turn the generator – providing there was a breeze. Jack scrambled down off the roof and showed Tong Li the lever on the side of the wagon that would switch the generator from one source to the other.

“Looks complicated,” Tong Li commented. “Will it work?”

Grinning, Jack led Tong Li into the wagon and pointed to a light bulb. He fitted a crank handle into the generator and began turning it. At first nothing happened, and then … the bulb began to glow. At first, the glow was weak, but as Jack continued to turn the crank, the light grew brighter and brighter.

“As soon as I finish connecting the driveshaft from the windmill on the roof, this thing should be up and running,” Jack said proudly. “There’s been a pretty good breeze today. Give me about an hour or so and your batteries should start their charging.”

“So we could string lights along the roof of the wagon and really light them up?”

“Sure could,” Jack assured the acrobat. “In fact, I think I can get someone from the ship to bring out some strands of rope lights and we can get them hooked up in the next couple of days.”

Jack happily babbled on, explaining how the system worked to Tong Li – how the entertainers could draw electricity directly from the generator when the wagon was moving, or from the bank of batteries when the wagon was stopped or there wasn’t enough wind to power it. Tong Li shook his head in wonder – he couldn’t believe that he and his friends would have electricity again. That was one of the things he thought had disappeared along with the adults.

Climbing out of the wagon, Jack found Lars standing by the side of the wagon staring up at the windmill on the roof. Seeing Jack, he engulfed the small genius in a bear hug greeting as he lifted Jack off the ground. Setting Jack back down, Lars ruffled his hair. “I see you’ve been busy here,” Lars laughed. “You’re looking good.”

“Thanks,” Jack replied, smoothing down his hair. “I didn’t hear you come up,” he said looking around eagerly.

“Bray couldn’t make it out on this trip,” Lars said, guessing just who Jack was looking for. “There’s nothing to worry about,” he added quickly, seeing the flash of concern that popped into Jack’s eyes. “Just bureaucratic stuff, Jack. The Market is growing quicker than any of us thought it would and Bray is really needed there to get the new folks welcomed, and stuff. There have been a couple of minor arguments over the first come, first served deal with the booths. It’s nothing serious really – just growing pains.”

“Cool – that’s good news,” Jack exclaimed. “Still, I wouldn’t have minded having him back here for a day or so.”

“Walk with me up to the house,” Lars said. “I haven’t said hello to Lucy yet….”

“Man, you must like living dangerously,” Jack quipped. “She’s going to let you have it with both barrels.”

“I know,” Lars joked. “And, it’s almost lunchtime – if I piss her off, she’s likely to not feed me. And, I’d hate to miss out on one of her pies.”

Lucy was waiting by the kitchen door as the two Shiprats approached, her face stern. Before she could say a word, Lars rushed forward and grabbed her in a bear hug, twirling her around as he kissed her cheek, telling her how beautiful she was. As much as she tried to pretend she was angry, she couldn’t help giggling and welcoming the monk.

Lars insisted on helping Lucy finish preparing the midday meal as he chatted about life on the Queen Mary, the growing Marketplace, and his meditation and martial arts classes. Jack helped out as best as he could – mainly by keeping out of the way. Lucy knew that Jack could probably build a power generating station from an old water heater and some copper tubing, but his culinary skills ended at opening a can of Spam and frying it up. She had him set the table and carry platters of sliced ham out to the table.

Even before Lucy began rigorously jerking on the bell cord to call everyone back to the house for lunch, people began drifting back to the house to wash up and take their places at the long table. Jack introduced Lars to Pride and Eagle. Jack knew that if the others saw Pride and Eagle comfortably chatting with Lars, his plain monk’s robes would be accepted. Lars and Pride hit it off almost immediately – the two sat next to each other chatting about their views on philosophy and the beneficial powers of meditation.

Seeing the two chatting amicably, put everyone else instantly at ease. With the exception of Keith, everyone relaxed and almost instantly ignored the strangely dressed newcomer. Only Keith continued to stare in Lars’ direction. He seemed fascinated with the shaven-headed monk. He wasn’t so fascinated, however, that he forgot about Sasha sitting by his side. Jack couldn’t help noticing how alike Sasha and Keith looked – with their shaggy light brown hair spilling almost to their shoulders and flashing smiles, they could easily have passed as brothers. The two spent more time staring into each other’s eyes than they did eating. Even so, Keith found enough time to keep turning his inquisitive gaze in Lars’ direction.

*****

Lars lingered at the table until long after everyone else had wandered away. He appeared half asleep as he leaned languidly over the table. Once he was sure Jack was fully occupied working on the new electrical system he was installing in the circus wagon, Lars came to life and strode directly for the hospital RV. Finding Sparrow asleep, Lars sat quietly on the floor and filled his time by meditating.

“Who the fuck are you?” Sparrow’s voice shattered the peace of Lars’ meditation.

“Did you rest well?” Lars asked, ignoring Sparrow’s question.

“What business is it of yours?” Sparrow spat.

Lars shrugged. “You’re right – it’s none of my business,” Lars said. “I do hope that you rested well, but it really isn’t any of my business whether you did or not.” He rose to his feet and smiled his friendliest of smiles. “I understand you had some pretty serious surgery, recently.”

“Is that why you’re here?” Sparrow asked. “Come to the freak show to gloat?”

“Why would I do that?” Lars asked reasonably. “Besides, you don’t look like a freak – far from it. You look pretty normal to me.”

“So why are you here?”

“To help you,” Lars said. “You’re pretty full of hate right now – I can’t really blame you. It must have come as a shock to you. But, your anger is misplaced. Jack isn’t your enemy.”

“Yeah, right,” Sparrow snorted. “Your friends always cut off your dick and balls….”

“Was Jack given any other choice?” Lars interrupted. “He was faced with only two options – he could have let you die a horrible death. Or, he could operate and save your life.” Lars slowly moved around the bed, his gentle eyes boring straight down at Sparrow. “But, you don’t know Jack so you couldn’t possibly know that there’s no way Jack could stand by and watch as you suffered and died slowly. So, he really didn’t have any other choice.”

“He musta had some other choice,” Sparrow snarled, his eyes filling with tears. “He didn’t have to take my manhood away.”

Lars laughed his voice gentle and melodious. “Is that really what you think – that you’re less of a man because of the surgery that Jack was forced to perform to keep you alive?” Lars shook his shaven head. “You’ve got it very, very wrong – you are not a man because of the parts that once dangled between your legs. You are right about one thing – right now you are less of a man. But, Jack didn’t take that away from you.”

“Oh no? Then, who did?”

“You,” Lars said simply. “By giving in to hate – a misplaced hate, at that – you have given up your manhood. Being a man comes not from here,” Lars lightly tapped Sparrow’s bandaged groin. “But, from what is in here and here,” his gentle fingers tapped Sparrow’s chest over his heart and his forehead. “Being a man is not merely a physical state,” Lars explained. “It is a state of being – a real man is just, compassionate, and fair. Until you understand that, it will be impossible for you to ever become a man.”

“What would you know about it?” Sparrow asked bitterly.

In answer, Lars slowly opened his robe exposing his groin. Sparrow glanced in Lars’ direction and then did a double take when he realized that the young monk didn’t have any testicles. His soft penis was pulled up close to his body. Lars flexed his well-defined pectoral muscles and tightened his abdominal muscles.

“That is what I know about not having certain things between my legs,” Lars said.

“What happened to you?” Sparrow asked in disbelief.

“I chose to be castrated,” Lars replied, letting his robe hang open.

“What? Are you crazy?” Sparrow cried. “Why would you do something like that?”

Lars smiled. “I asked to be castrated, and I was in my right mind.” Lars closed his robe, his face beaming down on Sparrow. “I chose to be castrated so that I could devote my energies to being a man – a real man and seek to oppose injustice, to protect the weak, and to develop physically, mentally and spiritually to be the best possible person I can be.”

Lars moved closer to Sparrow and laid a hand on his head, gently stroking the Eco Tribe member’s shaggy short hair. “It is natural for you to be angry,” Lars said softly. “But, at the moment, your anger is focused on the wrong party. Unfocused anger like that is bad for your chi.”

“Chi?”

“Your essence, your being, your soul – if that’s what you want to call it,” Lars explained. “Jack did you no harm – in truth, he everything he could to help you.”

“Yeah, but he’s the one who cut everything off,” Sparrow countered.

“And why was that?” Lars asked gently. “I’ll tell you why – your injuries and the resulting infection were so severe that Jack had only one option if he wanted to save your life. That was his only concern – keeping you alive.”

“Yeah – right,” Sparrow spat angrily. “Everyone tells me how great a guy Jack is – he’s so fucking brilliant. That’s all I hear from Selene and Dal – Jack invented this and he invented that and he invented this other thing. Even Eagle and Pride tell me how smart he is … well, if he’s so goddamn smart, how come he’s not smart enough to figure out a way to save my dick and balls?”

“Jack is smart,” Lars said. “He’s probably one of the smartest people left in the world. And, he has done all those things you’ve been told about and more. But, that doesn’t mean he can do the impossible. As good as he is … and, believe me, he is good … there are limits to what he can do. And, you should know that Jack suffers great emotional pain when he’s unable to save people in your situation.”

“So I’m supposed to suddenly like him?” Sparrow asked, confusion creeping into his voice.

“No – you don’t have to suddenly start liking him,” Lars chuckled. “Even I wouldn’t expect you to like everyone – but, you do not have to continue to hate him, either. There is the middle ground of accepting that he did what had to be done – not from malice, but from compassion.” Lars lightly stroked Sparrow’s hair again. “Of course, once you stop hating Jack, you might even come to like him a little. Stranger things have happened.”

“I don’t know if I can do that,” Sparrow said.

“Spoken honestly,” Lars observed as he moved to the doorway. He turned and regarded Sparrow silently for a long moment. “You must, of course, follow your own path and only you will know what that is. But, I ask you to remember – you were never a man because of what was between your legs. You were a man because of what you carried in your heart, mind, and soul.” He winked. “Just think about it.”

*****

After lunch, Keith and Sasha wandered across the fields towards the stream that fed into the river. Neither spoke as they walked, their fingers intertwined. They walked in silence, savoring the shared physical contact. Reaching the stream, they wandered along the bank until they found a secluded spot shaded by trees where they relaxed. Sasha had his back against a tree trunk and pulled Keith down to sit between his legs. He wrapped his arms around his new lover in a gentle embrace, holding the puppeteer close. The sun moved slowly across the sky as the two sat silently holding each other.

After nearly an hour, Keith twisted in Sasha’s embrace so that he was facing the minstrel. “Do you think it’s possible to see someone and fall in love with that person?”

“Love at first sight?”

“Uh huh.”

“Maybe,” Sasha said noncommittally.

“Maybe?” Keith said in surprise.

“Yeah, maybe,” Sasha replied. “I never experienced love at first sight.”

“Not even when we met?” Keith asked, a touch of hurt creeping into his voice. “As soon as I saw you, I wanted you.”

Sasha lightly stroked Keith’s long bangs from his face. “And when I saw you for the first time, I fell in lust. I just wanted to kiss you and do things to you to make you feel things you’d never felt before.” He leaned down and kissed the tip of the puppeteer’s nose. “And then, as soon as I had you in my arms holding you that first time – that’s when I fell in love with you.”

Keith giggled. “So it was lust at first sight, huh?”

“Yeah … yeah it was,” Sasha admitted. “When I first saw you, I wanted you physically – now, I just want you.” He ran his fingertips over Keith’s up-turned face. “I want to hold you, I want to feel your body next to mine, I want you to be a part of me forever.”

“Physically or…?”

“Physically, sexually, spiritually, mentally,” Sasha said, punctuating his words with kisses all over Keith’s face. “And in every other way possible.”

Keith’s entire face lit up hearing Sasha’s words. His eyes shone as Sasha shifted his position to straddle the puppeteer’s narrow hips. Sasha slowly unbuttoned Keith’s shirt, pulling it apart to expose his lover’s smooth chest and already hardening nipples. Sasha traced little circles lightly over those hardening buttons of flesh, the corners of his mouth turning up as Keith’s nipples grew even harder. He moved his hands to Keith’s thick, silky hair, gently raking his fingers through the puppeteer’s locks to expose his ears. Bending down over Keith, Sasha licked and nibbled on his lover’s ears, enjoying the soft sighs of pleasure and passion escaping Keith’s throat.

Sasha took his time stripping Keith naked one piece of clothing at a time, slowly and steadily bringing his lover to higher levels of arousal. When Keith was finally totally naked, Sasha began stripping off his own clothing until he, too, was naked. Shifting his position slightly, Sasha lifted Keith’s legs and placed them over his shoulders while positioning his erect dick against Keith’s ass. He let his fingers play along the sides of the puppeteer’s body, his eyebrows raised questioningly.

When Keith nodded, Sasha eased himself forward and entered his lover thrusting slowly; fighting his urge make frenzied love. That might come later, but for now Sasha wanted their shared experience to last as long as possible and be as tender as possible. He stroked Keith’s face as he rhythmically thrust in and out, keeping himself attuned to the subtle messages coming from the puppeteer’s body. When he felt Keith nearing climax Sasha bent forward and placed his open mouth over Keith’s. They climaxed together, Keith’s load spewing over his belly and chest, Sasha’s filling Keith. Their shared screams of ecstasy were muffled by their kiss.

Spent, Sasha dropped to the ground next to Keith, his head resting on his lover’s naked shoulder. They lay together panting and sweating until Keith finally complained that they were both sticky. Sasha’s eyes twinkled as he looked over at the stream. Hand-in-hand, they jumped into the stream laughing and splashing each other as they rinsed their bodies clean.

Keith abruptly stopped laughing and just stood there chest-deep in the water staring at Sasha. His face went calm, but serious as he stared at his lover. Sasha’s smile became solemn as he faced Keith, waiting for him to make a move.

“We’re always going to be together, right?” Keith asked.

“Always.”

Nodding, Keith waded to stand directly in front of Sasha. He dipped his cupped hands under the water and raising them over his lover’s head, opened them – the water washing over Sasha’s head.

“Two bodies, two minds, one heart, one soul,” Keith intoned softly.

Taking his cue from the puppeteer, Sasha dipped his hands into the water and repeated the impromptu ritual, letting the water from his cupped hands dribble over his lover. “No what?” He whispered.

“What do you think?” Keith asked, pulling Sasha’s naked body tightly against his and pressing his mouth hard against Sasha’s. When they finally broke their kiss, Keith rested his forehead against Sasha’s. “Now, it’s like we’re married.”

“No,” Sasha corrected. “It’s not like we’re married. It means we are married – partnered together for as long as we both live.”

*****

Sitting on the platform of the farm’s windmill, high above the ground, Jack was the first to see Sasha and Keith returning. At first, he didn’t really pay the pair much attention and returned to the maintenance work on the windmill’s gears. He made a couple of adjustments and turned to change wrenches and looked back down at the pair. It wasn’t any secret that the two had fallen in love; even Jack could recognize all the signs. From his own experience, Jack knew that Sasha and Keith weren’t in the throws of puppy love or straight out lust. They only a few feet from the base of the windmill when they looked up and waved to the diminutive inventor.

Something in their expressions sent alarms sounding in Jack’s head – they seemed dazed. Forgetting his tools, he scrambled down the ladder to the ground. Standing in front of them, Jack realized that whatever had caused that dazed expression on their faces, it couldn’t be bad. Both of them had silly grins on their faces.

“Should we tell him?” Keith asked, his eyes twinkling merrily.

“Tell me what?” Jack asked. “What’s going on?”

A mischievous look came over Sasha’s face as he considered his answer. Pushing Jack aside, Sasha clambered up the windmill ladder and stood on the platform, his arms outstretched. Taking a deep breath, Sasha bellowed his news to the world. For a moment, Jack looked from Sasha to Keith in confusion – then, the news sank in and he began laughing with glee as he grabbed Keith, hugging and kissing him in congratulations while Sasha screamed out his news that he and his lover had formally committed themselves to each other.

“Come down from there before you fall and break your neck,” Jack shouted up to Sasha.

“Why? I love Keith and want the world to know,” Sasha called down. He turned to face the farm and screamed again. “Listen up world – I love Keith and we just married each other. Do you hear me?”

“Yeah, yeah – we hear you,” Jack said. “Now, come down from there, will you?”

By the time Sasha finally climbed down to the ground, Lucy, Eagle and several others had wandered out to the back of the farmhouse -–their faces were initially masks of confusion, not sure that they had heard Sasha’s announcement correctly. However, one look at the pair was enough to convince them that they had heard correctly. Suddenly surrounded by a growing throng of people laughing, shouting congratulations, and reaching out to pat them on the backs, Sasha began to doubt the wisdom of his decision.

Both he and Keith were blushing under all the attention and their embarrassment only grew when Lucy announced that they she was going to get right to work making a wedding cake and they’d have a huge celebration that night. She immediately began organizing the farm kids, happily barking orders for them to gather eggs and other supplies she’d need. After nearly crushing the newlywed couple in a joyous bear hug, Ryan hurried to the farmhouse to contact the ship and spread the word about the nuptials.

*****

A little over two hours later, several vehicles from the growing Shiprat motor pool came bouncing down the rutted farm lane. Jack was overjoyed to see Bray behind the wheel of the pickup truck. Dal and Amber were sitting in the cab with him. It wasn’t possible to bring the entire Tribe from the ship, but enough of them were able to come to help make Sasha’s and Keith’s celebration memorable.

Dal gave Jack some time with Bray before interrupting them, his dark eyes twinkling with amusement. Facing Dal up close, Jack was astonished at the transformation in his appearance. Heather had done a fantastic job with his new hairstyle. She had trimmed his curly hair short on the sides and back, and left enough length on the top to accentuate his curls. Jack wasn’t sure whether it was Dal’s new hairstyle or the fact that he and Amber were clearly now an item that made his friend look so confident and chipper. Leading Jack to the back of the pickup truck, Dal threw back a tarp with a flourish to reveal an assortment of Jack’s best fireworks.

“Great idea, Dal,” Jack said, eyeing the pyrotechnical devices eagerly. He scanned the field looking for a place to set everything up. Once he had selected the right place, he enlisted Bray to help him carry the fireworks and set them up.

“I can help,” Dal offered.

“I’d like to have your help,” Jack said with a jerk of his head in Amber’s direction. “But, I think Amber could use you more right about now.” Dal blushed with a mixture of pleasure and embarrassment. “Congratulations,” Jack said with a wink. “I’ve been hoping for a long time that the two of you would get together.”

“Why?”

“Why?” Jack echoed. “Well, even I could tell that you two had special feelings for each other –and, you’ll have to admit that sometimes I’m not really the most observant about these kinds of things.” He reached out and patted Dal’s shoulder. “I’m happy for you both.”

As Bray helped Jack set up the fireworks mortars, he reluctantly explained that it wasn’t possible for the Shiprats to even spend the night at the Farm. Bray could tell that his lover was disappointed, but Jack did his best to hide his disappointment. Bray explained that besides the unexpectedly rapid growth of the Market, Zoot and the Loco’s were beginning to stir up small problems here and there in The City. Hearing that, Jack knew that Bray’s place was on the Queen Mary. Although he doubted that Zoot would actually try to seize the ship, Jack didn’t doubt that the Loco leader wasn’t above trying to have some of his minions cause problems with the vendors at the Market – they were the most vulnerable to harassment.

“Look, you’re probably right and the stuff Zoot is pulling right now isn’t much of anything serious,” Jack said. “Still, I think it’s better to be prepared. Make sure Ryan and Lars go back with you – and you’d better take Selene, too.”

“I don’t think all of that is necessary,” Bray said.

“It’s probably not,” Jack agreed, lowering a fireworks charge into the mortar. “Still, Ryan’s a big guy and powerfully strong – anyone trying to cause a problem is going to think twice if they see him around. He can take care of himself, and he’s not a hot head. As for Lars, well – you’ve seen him practice his martial arts. Just having them there should be a deterrent to agitators.”

“Okay, you’ve got a good point,” Bray conceded. “But, why send Selene back? She could help you out here.”

“Well, for one thing, Sparrow is on the mend now,” Jack said. “I have to be here in case he suddenly develops a new fever. It’s not really likely at this point, but it’s still possible. Most of what Sparrow needs now is to have his dressings changed and when the time comes, someone to remove his stitches.” Jack inspected the next charge and whistled his approval. “Dal really chose some good stuff!”

“Okay, you said for one thing,” Bray interrupted. “What’s the other?”

Jack looked at Bray in surprise. “They just started seeing each other….”

“You mean sleeping together,” Bray interrupted.

Jack’s cheeks flushed and he looked Bray in the eye with a bashful grin. “Yeah, well – that, too. They deserve to stay close to each other.” He shrugged. “I know how I feel not being with you, and can guess how you feel, too. Why make them feel the same way?”

Bray leaned forward and kissed the top of Jack’s head. “You just a big romantic,” he teased.

Between the Farm Tribe and the Shiprats, Sasha and Keith were amazed at the sumptuous array of food spread out in their honor. Many eager pairs of hands had cooperated under Lucy’s supervision to create a four layered cake with freshly made butter cream frosting. Amber had brought several bottles of champagne from the ship’s stores, as well as bottles of non-alcoholic sparkling cider for the smaller kids.

The shower of gifts that were presented to them was equally amazing – somehow, despite such short notice, almost everyone found something to give to the couple. On behalf of the Eco Tribe, Pride and Eagle gave the young lovers a clay pot of a sweet, aromatic jelly. Keith promised to try it on his toast in the morning, and then turned about five different shades of red when Pride whispered in his ear that the jelly wasn’t designed to be spread over toast.

Looking around, Dal realized that Jack had disappeared. At first, he thought he and Bray had sneaked off to be by themselves for a brief interval. But, he saw that Bray was seated at the end of the table chatting with Pride and Luke. At some point, Jack finally joined the festivities because the next time Dal looked up, the diminutive inventor was seated next to Bray laughing at some joke that Luke had told. He didn’t stay long before giving Dal a nod and slipping away to prepare to fire off the fireworks.

The fireworks brought gasps of amazement from everyone – even Dal. Although he had selected the pyrotechnics, he really hadn’t known exactly how they’d look when they went off. And, Jack showed an artistic flair in the arrangement of how the fireworks went off. Jack’s display started slowly and built to a fantastic crescendo of light flashes and thunderous noise.

As the Shiprats packed up and got ready for the trip back to the ship, Jack slipped up behind Sasha and Keith. Placing his hands on their shoulders, he steered them away from the vehicles to the RV he had been using as his home away from home.

“This is from Bray and me,” Jack said, urging them to climb into the vehicle. As soon as they were inside, Jack flipped a switch and the interior of the RV was lit up with tiny twinkling lights. Candled burned on the dining table, flanking a bottle of champagne chilling in an ice bucket. Keith gasped at the sight of real ice cubes in the bucket. Jack stood by the door, a bashful grin on his face. “Check out the master bedroom,” he urged.

Curious, Sasha and Keith went to the big bedroom and discovered that the bed had been covered in satin sheets. Silk kimonos in matching scarlet and black were neatly folded on the bed. Over two dozen votive candles twinkled in colored glass holders filling the room with a warm glow.

“There’s uh … just hit the uh play button on the boom box when you’re ready,” Jack stammered.

“But, this is where you’ve been sleeping,” Keith protested. “Where are you going to go?”

“Don’t worry about me, I’ve got a place,” Jack promised. He gave a bashful wave and backed out of the RV. “Congratulations, guys.”

“So? What’d they think?” Bray asked as Jack slipped into his arms by the side of the pickup truck.

“I think they liked it,” Jack said.

“I wish I didn’t have to go, you know that.”

Jack smiled and reached up to kiss Bray. “I know – I wish I didn’t have to stay,” he said. “I’ll be back at the ship soon.”

Bray looked over in the direction of the RV. “You know, I think these two might have started something,” he mused. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see a rash of weddings now.”

“Good,” Jack said firmly. “It means that people are beginning to feel a little more secure – like there’s actually a future worth sharing with someone else.” He looked around sheepishly. “Well, I guess you need to get moving. Look, about Zoot….”

“What about him?”

“He may be a loon,” Jack said thoughtfully, “but, he’s not stupid. And, he’s certainly not in the same loon category as Top Hat was. I that he’s just testing to see if we can keep order on our patch – I don’t think he’s really serious about starting trouble … at least, not just yet.”

“I think you’re right,” Bray said, ruffling Jack’s hair. He leaned down and kissed Jack hard and long on the mouth. “Be well,” he said before climbing into the cab.

Jack climbed into the hospital RV and checked on Sparrow. He silently changed his patient’s bandages and checked to make sure Sparrow’s water pitcher was filled before backing out of the room. Jack made his way through the vehicle and went up to the passenger seat in the front. Reclining the captain’s chair as far back as it would go; Jack curled up and closed his eyes. He pretended that Bray was pressed close against him and quickly fell into a troubled sleep.

Jack didn’t know how long he’d been sleeping when he woke with a start. Someone was standing over him in the darkness. Jack gave out a cry and was tensing to leap to his feet when a hand pushed him down.

“Relax,” Sparrow’s voice floated out of the darkness. “I’m not gonna hurt ya.”

“Wh – what’s wrong?” Jack said, wide-awake and concerned that Sparrow was having problems. “Are you in pain?”

“A little,” Sparrow grunted. “Nothing I can’t handle, though. And, it’s a lot better than it was. You were crying out in your sleep – I thought something might be wrong and came out to check.”

“Oh, sorry about that,” Jack said nervously.

“Why ain’tcha in one of the bunks?” Sparrow asked gruffly. “That table turns into a bunk ya know.”

“Yeah, I know,” Jack nodded in the darkness. “This is pretty comfortable – and, it’s better than a lot of other places I’ve slept.”

“Uh huh,” Sparrow grunted. “If you’re gonna sleep in that chair maybe ya oughta think about getting’ yourself a pillow and blanket. Ya don’t wanna catch a chill.”

“Good idea,” Jack replied, feeling like Sparrow wanted to talk, but afraid to push him too fast.

“Um, look – ah, could I like have a cup of coffee … or is that out of the question?”

“Sure – a little coffee would be okay,” Jack said, rising. “You sit down at the table – I’ll get some coffee brewing.”

“I can do it,” Sparrow grunted.

“No – I want you to stay off your feet,” Jack insisted, guiding Sparrow to the table. Jack quickly put a pot of coffee on and rummaged around in the cupboards for a couple of mugs, creamer, and sugar. He tried to still his shaking hands as he set the mugs on the table and waited for Sparrow to speak.

A long time passed before Sparrow looked up, his eyes burning into Jack’s. “I don’t think I really hate ya,” he said slowly. “But, I do hate what ya done to me.”

“I’m sorry,” Jack said, feeling his eyes burn with tears. “I did my very best…” his voice trailed off. The words sounded lame to his ears and he could only imagine how lame they must sound to Sparrow.

“Well, maybe your best wasn’t good enough,” Sparrow said gruffly. “And, maybe it was and the whole situation was just so fucked up nobody coulda none anything different.”

Jack stared silently into his coffee mug, unsure of what to say.

“If you didn’t do whatja done – what woulda happened to me?” Sparrow asked suspiciously.

Jack looked up, his eyes brimming with tears. He wanted to wipe them away, but at the same time didn’t want Sparrow to think he was using tears to get his sympathy. “You would have died,” he said honestly.

“From what?”

“Infection,” Jack replied. “You already had a raging infection by the time I reached you. Your fever was spiking at nearly a hundred and four – that’s in the seriously dangerous range. If you were lucky, you’d have gone into a coma before you died.”

“And if I didn’t?”

“Then, you’d scream and keep on screaming until you couldn’t scream anymore,” Jack said, his voice trembling. “The pain would have been unbearable.”

Sparrow nodded slowly. “That’s what I been told. So, I guess you did save my life.”

“Like I said, I did my best,” Jack said. “I wish it could have been better, I swear I wish it could have been better.”

“Yeah – well, I coulda been nicer about it,” Sparrow said. “I guess I’d rather be alive and like this than dead.” Sparrow gingerly rose to his feet. “Anyway, I said things to you that I shouldn’t have said. I just wanted to tell ya that.” He paused, staring down at Jack in frank curiosity. “What were ya dreaming about?”

Jack looked away and fidgeted. “Um … it was nothing,” he stammered. “I just get bad dreams sometimes.”

“Uh huh,” Sparrow nodded. “Who doesn’t these days.” He turned and made his way to the back of the RV. Before entering the bedroom, he turned one last time. “Night,” he said softly and closed the door before Jack could answer.

With the door closed behind him, Sparrow eased himself down on the bed, his mind racing. He knew that Jack was lying about his bad dreams – he had stood over Jack for several minutes and listened to his agonized cries. He hadn’t been able to understand everything, but he had heard enough to understand that Jack felt tortured about what he had been forced to do. Until Lars’ visit earlier in the day, Sparrow had never bothered to think about what Jack must be feeling.

Sparrow had a lot of thinking to do and he knew that he certainly wasn’t known among his Tribe for his thinking abilities. He knew that Jack had lied to him about his nightmares. Sparrow had stood over the sleeping Shiprat long enough to hear Jack cry “Not again!” over and over. He had watched real tears gush from the sleeping genius’ eyes in his sleep.

Witnessing Jack’s nightmares bothered Sparrow – he needed to blame someone for what had happened to him. The truth was that Sparrow had never even clearly seen the faces of the Brotherhood members he had run across. He caught a brief glimpse of faces, but his attention had been riveted by the robes. He vaguely remembered a shout from one of them and then, he was dashing through the forest as they came after him. He remembered leaping and falling and pain – he would never forget the stabbing, burning pain that flooded his body before he passed out. Everything after that was a disjointed blur until Jack was standing over him and announcing that he would be operating on Sparrow soon.

When Sparrow woke again, the package that had rested between his legs was gone. In his anger and shock over his loss, the equation had seemed simple to Sparrow. He had been whole when he started running – he had been whole until that moment when Jack said he was going to operate. Therefore, Jack was the one who was responsible for everything. Sparrow had needed someone to blame for what had been done to him and Jack had fit the bill perfectly. Sparrow had never really believed everyone who claimed that Jack felt bad about what he had had to do. In his mind, Jack had taken pleasure in Sparrow’s castration.

Then, Sparrow had stood over Jack for nearly twenty minutes as he cried out in his sleep and wept. Instead of hearing second hand that Jack was tormented by what he had done, Sparrow had witnessed Jack’s emotional anguish and it had touched him. Sparrow didn’t know what he was going to do about what he had seen – he had invested a lot of his one emotional effort into hating Jack. He didn’t know if he was capable of just throwing some mental switch and suddenly start liking the Shiprat. He placed his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling – maybe Lars was right after all. Maybe he didn’t have like Jack – maybe it was enough just not to hate him and blame him for everything that had happened.

*****

Prometheus stalked down the line of potential recruits for his terror squad. He had requested and received permission from The Leader to call his squad the Werewolves. The new squad would infiltrate the territories of other Tribes and spread unimaginable terror among them, making the Tribes easy prey for the Brotherhood. Hell, if the Werewolves did their jobs well, the Tribes might even welcome The Leader and his army as saviors from the unseen horror.

Gull watched from the shadows of the YMCA locker room as his new protégé examined the candidates for The Leader’s new terror squad. About half of the dozen recruits had volunteered for the new squad – he and Prometheus had hand picked the others. Prometheus had left his black tunic in the office he shared with Gull. Striding up and down the row of recruits, Prometheus was dressed only in a black turtleneck, black cargo pants, and high black boots. Gull had been more than happy to provide his protégé with a squad of ten Enforcers as muscle for the recruitment tests.

“Some of you are here today because you volunteered,” Prometheus said in a low voice. “Others of you are here because you have demonstrated certain qualities that indicate you might be good candidates for this new squad.” He stopped his pacing and stood before the recruits directly in front of an ominous-looking St. Andrew’s cross, his legs spread. “Most of you think you’re tough – well, we don’t want just tough. We don’t want just strong. I’d rather have to build up a weakling who has the right qualities. The most important quality that we want is mercilessness – you have to have absolutely no pity for the work we’re going to do. We want people who can be cruel just for the sake of being cruel.”

“Hell, that’s no problem,” one of the volunteers laughed.

Gull turned his attention to the volunteer who had spoken out of turn and recognized him – a soldier by the name of Charger. Back before the Bad Times, Charger had been a high school jock – a football player Gull recalled.

Prometheus stepped over to stand directly in front of Charger. With his shaven head, the former slave looked menacing and sinister. Charger’s laughter died out as Prometheus stared silently at him. Finally, the Werewolf leader’s smooth head began to slowly nod. “You think you have the qualities we want?”

“Yeah, yeah – I do,” Charger said. Gull noticed that the soldier’s voice had a slight quiver in it as he answered.

“And you think you can cut open our prey and eat his heart?” Prometheus asked coldly. “And be aware gentlemen – we don’t have enemies. We have only prey.”

“Y-yeah, I can do that,” Charger muttered, looking around nervously.

“Good,” Prometheus said, nodding towards one of the Enforcers at the back of the locker room.

Grinning, the Enforcer picked two of his companions and they disappeared into a side room, reemerging moments later dragging a naked Brother to the St. Andrew’s cross. From his bleached white hair, it was evident that the prisoner was a soldier like Charger. The Enforcers quickly strapped their charge to the cross and stepped back. Charger’s face went pale.

“Let’s put you to the test,” Prometheus said his voice flat and dead. He pulled a knife from the back of his belt and motioned towards the captive. “Show us – cut out his heart and take a bite from it.”

“B-but that’s Darryl,” Charger stuttered. “He’s my best friend.”

“He’s your prey,” Prometheus snarled. “No mercy! No pity!” He held out the knife. “Now, do it.”

Charger shook his head and started to back away. “This is fucked up,” he cried. “You’re totally whacked! I’m outta here – fuck this special squad.”

Gull almost moved from his place of concealment in the shadows when Prometheus didn’t immediately call the Enforcer guards to take Charger into custody. Then he suddenly stopped when he noticed the amused smile that turned up the corners of Prometheus’ lips. The recruit next to Charger shifted slightly, moving his left foot just enough to trip the soldier up. Charger tumbled backwards to fall flat on his back on the floor. Before Charger could scramble to his feet, the other recruit brought his booted foot down hard on Charger’s groin, crushing his genitals. Charger’s scream of agony was cut short as the other recruit reached down, grabbed Charger’s head and violently twisted it. The sound of Charger’s neck breaking echoed in the tiled room.

“Good move,” Prometheus said, smiling. “What’s your name?”

“Burgess – Tony Burgess,” the recruit answered, running a hand over his cropped green hair. “I’m in – if you’ll have me.”

Gull smiled – Burgess had been one of the recruits he had suggested. He came from the Seeker Division. Gull had been thinking of recruiting him as an Enforcer. He had noticed for some time that Burgess had a cruel streak in him.

“You’re in,” Prometheus told Burgess.

And so the recruiting process moved on. Of the dozen recruits, Prometheus ended up with three potential Werewolves – one volunteer and two who had been selected by Gull. The other nine ended up in chains as training slaves for the new squad.

“You did pretty good today,” Gull said coming up to his protégé after everyone else had left the locker room.

“Thank you, Lord Gull,” Prometheus bowed.

“Quite honestly, I didn’t expect to cull three recruits from that crowd,” Gull observed. “I had hopes for Burgess, to be honest – but wasn’t even sure about him.”

“There was an eagerness in his eyes when I called for Charger to cut out his friend’s heart,” Prometheus said. “At that point, I knew we had him.”

Uh huh,” Gull grunted as he inspected the terrified slave still strapped weeping to the St. Andrew’s cross. “And, what about Darryl here? Were you really planning on cutting out his heart?”

Prometheus’ knife flashed, sinking deep into the slave’s belly and opening him up all the way to his ribcage. As Gull watched in astonishment, Prometheus jabbed his hand into Darryl’s body. Darryl’s screams ended abruptly when Prometheus pulled his hand back, holding the prisoner’s dripping heart in his hand.

“He was dead meat from the moment his buddy volunteered,” Prometheus said, looking at the organ in wonder. “I think that once we fill out a squad, we’ll do a couple of training raids locally and see how they do.”

“Good idea,” Gull said. “We have a handy supply of slaves they can practice on here in the dungeon until they’re ready for field work. And, after the practice raids?”

“I’d like permission to infiltrate The City,” Prometheus said. “At first, we’ll just strike here and there – let panic build. If we’re lucky, they’ll think it’s the work of other Tribes. Once we create enough confusion, we’ll reveal the Werewolves and The Leader’s army should be ready to occupy The City. Once the Tribes there realize that only The Leader and the Brotherhood can control the Werewolves, they should give up without much fight.”

Gull gave a feral grin. “Let’s hope they don’t give up too easily,” he chuckled evilly. “We don’t want to cheat either the Enforcers or your Werewolves out of a little extra fun.”

To be continued…