FEEDBACK: Is welcome at and you can view my other stories at http://www.phair1.com
WARNING: You’re about to enter the mean zone. Grit your teeth and read it if you dare. Expect; lying, stealing, cheating, drinking, drugs, straight sex, gay sex, lesbian sex, group sex, fornication, common night walking, heresy, bigotry, sick individuals, treason, nationalism, isolationism, raised voices, angry words, hurtful looks, preconceived notions, foul language, violence, murder, rape, rampant impure thoughts, bondage, S & M, B & D, generous lubrication, sodomy, explosions, ridiculous geographical explanations, impossible science, mob rule, religious zealots, ruthless business decisions, anarchists…, let’s just say that this story is…,
by Phair
The militia was on the move. Marching in a single line formation, their steel toed boots trampled the luscious jungle vegetation without concern. She huddled motionless in what was left to a fireplace in the blasted out remains of somebody else’s home. The owner would not care if she hid there while the militia made its way through the destroyed village. He was dead. The dead can’t care anymore. His unburied, burned to a crisp remains, no more than ten feet away, proved to her he was beyond caring.
A second flare went off high in the sky. The militia halted its march. The leader of the group watched as the flare spewed red into the ever brightening morning sky.
“Return to Heaven. Double time!” The leader commanded.
The militia snapped to a sharp about face. Their boots stomped in a quick time march. She remained hidden in the fireplace. She was right were she had to be. She was in the middle of Hell.
Kendall was the last of the dozen to settle into one of the comfortable swivel chairs around the table in the conference room. She watched as Beckworth prepared the materials for the briefing. He limped slightly when he got up and walked across the room to retrieve several folders from a box on the floor. A sly grin crossed her lips. She knew she was the cause of Beckworth’s discomfort. Kendall had ridden the man long and hard last night and then again in the early morning hours.
“Okay, let’s get started,” Beckworth said as he cautiously sat at the head of the table. “I’m dividing us into four teams. Three are island recon and one will remain on the ship to protect it and keep watch for emergency flares.”
“Protect it from what?” Questioned the fourth thug from the team that roughed up Kendall and Stein at SAVAGE ADVENTURES.
“I’ll get to that, Mr. Jones. Please no calling out questions. I’ll give you all time at the end of the presentation to ask questions,” Beckworth carefully explained.
Kendall held her tongue. Beckworth was in over his head. There was no way he was going to be able to lead his assembled guns for hire with his polished Ivy League manners. She doubted if he’d be able to control a group of rambunctious third graders.
“The teams are; Recon 1, Mr. Smith, Mr. Jones, and myself.”
Beckworth handed each man a folder as he spoke their names. Kendall recognized Mr. Smith as the guy who pulled the gun on Stein. She was glad Beckworth had been smart enough not to team them up together.
“Recon 2, Dell, Angie, and Horse.”
Kendall knew Angie from Beckworth Industries. The woman was Vice President of Security. More than capable in that role, from what Kendall heard. Horse was just that; one huge man. Kendall knew nothing about him other than what she could see. Dell was another story all together. Word had it the guy was a Colombian hit man. Working for Beckworth was probably the first honest dollar the guy ever earned.
“If this is even honest work?” Kendall questioned herself.
“Recon 3, Quon, Woody, and Kendall.”
“Stupid shit, Jay! If you had a brain in your head, it’d be lonely,” Kendall thought to herself when she realized her team was made up of the Korean guy and farm feed boy.
“Home Team 1, Captain Cook, Gino, and Doc. Okay, turn to page one in your folders and follow along for some background information. About fifteen years ago, Beckworth Industries stumbled upon an uncharted island. It was of considerable size which makes it a rare find. Our legal team did a lot of maneuvering with the US government and the UN to claim our find and then keep it too ourselves. We maintain the highest security. International satellites black out when nearing the island’s location but I’m not going to detail that technology. Five or six years ago, around when my father died and my mother and I took over daily operations of Beckworth Industries, our lawyers successfully obtained sovereignty of the island for Beckworth. We were in the free and clear in regards to ownership and privacy of the New Covenant Island. We sent Kendall Savage, here on my left, to map it out for us. Once we took a look at her info, we decided to settle parts of the island.”
“Why?” Captain Cook asked with a hint of dispair. “What possible point could there be to putting human beings on virgin territory?”
“Classified. Not up for discussion. Moving on,” Beckworth steam rolled ahead. “About a year and a half ago, twenty five hundred people were settled in the first of what were to be seven villages. Settlement 1 was named Eden Reborn. We also sent Dr. Brady Drapper to try to sort out some of the islands more unusual features.”
“How unusual are those features?” Angie’s chocolate brown eyes narrowed with her question.
“No animals.” Kendall spoke. “Well, there are birds, bugs, and snakes, amphibians but no sheep or rabbits or rodents…”
“No rodents? No rats? What about niggers?” Mr. Jones cracked as he glared at Angie. “Once she lands, there’ll be rats on the island.”
Horse stood up so fast his chair flipped over. He grabbed Jones by the shirt front and pulled him out of his chair. His meaty fist blacked Jones’ left eye and broke his nose.
“Nobody talks to her like that. EVER!” Horse shouted and pulled back to hit the man again.
“Let ‘em go, fatty!” Smith yelled and leveled his gun at Horse.
Beckworth was on his feet and shouting, “Everybody sit down and shut up! This ship has three cells and I have no qualms about locking any one of you assholes up.”
The group just chuckled at Beckworth’s lackluster attempt to command. Kendall realized she need to step into the fray.
“Laugh at him if you want but for me, I’m not gonna piss off the guy with control over our pay and the only means to get us back home.” The laughter stopped.
“That’s right,” Beckworth tried again. “Insubordination results in cancellation of your contracts; paragraph two, item number three. No money. And, you’ll be sued to recover your expenses to Beckworth Industries while on board this ship.”
Horse let go of Jones and the man fell back into his chair. Smith returned his gun to his holster but waited to sit until Horse sat.
“Let’s keep a lid on the violence and racial intolerance until we finish this mission,” Beckworth advised.
Kendall could not keep from rolling her eyes and thinking, “Wimp.”
“Okay, back to the task at hand. Our island settlement has not been heard from in over eight months. Neither has Dr. Dapper. Fly overs indicate the settlement was destroyed.”
“Storms?” Woody asked.
“No. It looks like fire. But, there were large craters which could have been created by mortar rounds.”
“You sent weapons?” Kendall was horrified.
“No, no weapons were sent. Not even a hand gun was allowed. I have no idea how this could have occurred. The worst news of all is we have no clue where our settlers are now located or even if they are still alive.” Beckworth took a deep breath before continuing, “Recon 3 will be deployed at the original settlement site. The flares should have alerted any survivors that we’re coming and to get back to Eden Reborn for extraction. Kendall, I also want you to focus on any tracks out of the area which might give a clue to a new settlement location.”
Kendall nodded.
“Recon 1 and 2 will do grid searches at each end of the island. Recon 1 will be north working south and Recon 2 will be south working north. It should take about three days for each team to reach Recon 3 at Eden Reborn. Angie, your team maybe a bit slower. Dr. Drapper’s location is less than an hour’s walk inland from your drop off point. Whatever you find there may take time to sort out.”
“If we do find something significant, we can always radio the other teams to join us, right?” Angie asked.
Beckworth shook his head. “The same technology that hides the island from satellites blocks walkie talkie or hand held radio communications. The radios given to Dr. Drapper and the settlement, had twenty five foot antennas to get a signal out. So, we’ll stick with the planned rendezvous at the north side of the settlement. If there’s an emergency then use your flare guns. Now, any other questions or can we get to the work of saving lives?”
The group just stared at him. Beckworth felt like an idiot. He was sure they thought he was a joke. Why shouldn’t they? He thought he was a joke too.
“Well, this is one quick way to ruin Paradise,” Kendall muttered in complete disgust.
She was walking behind the Dollie Electric Cart And Mower 20/80. Or as Beckworth liked to call it; Decam 28. The back end of the device could carry loads of five hundred pounds. The front end was nothing more than a high tech lawn mower. It’s path through the overgrown terrain was plotted by an on board computer chip which could make on the spot changes around impassible obstacles without human assistance.
Decam 28 did make Kendall’s physical trip into the jungle easier. The machine carried all the equipment she would usually carry on her back. Extra rations and medical supplies for any survivors were also part of Decam 28’s burden. The mower feature in the front tore across the foliage like a razor through wax paper. Allowing Kendall and the others to stroll along rather than hack their way into the jungle. However, the engine’s drone in this once motor free zone left Kendall feeling guilty. The machine was, after all, following a route Kendall mapped out years before.
“So, are you like a doctor or scientist or something smart like that?” Woody, the farm fed boy asked.
“No.”
“Are you one of those crazy extreme sports enthusiasts? That why you here?”
“No.”
“I got it. You a hermit or something? You came out here the first time to be all alone. What? You hoping everybody be dead so you gets to come back and be alone an’ by yourself own self again?” Woody had to do a few hop steps to keep pace with Kendall.
“No.”
Woody grabbed her by the shoulder and stopped her progress to warn her, “I don’t like bein’ disrespected by no broad. You answer me good or I’ll be teaching you somethin’ else again.”
Kendall nearly spit the words out, “Take your damn hand off me or I’ll break it off, boy!”
“Make me,” Woody taunted.
Kendall moved faster than Woody could follow. She put a hand on both his shoulders and pulled him close as she brought her knee up hard against his crotch. Woody fell to the ground howling in pain.
“Knock it off!” Quon yelled. He rarely spoke but when he did there was only one volume; loud. “We still got three or four hours to the settlement. Get moving.”
Kendall turned back to follow the path. She left the wincing and ego bruised Woody to manage on his own.
Hours seemed to drag on until Decam 28 hovered for a moment before shifting gears. The undergrowth had lessened abruptly and the mower blades needed to adjust to the sparser vegetation.
“We must be at the perimeter of the settlement,” Kendall stated. “They must have cut back to here to keep the mosquitoes down.”
“No. Maybe burnt out. Fire ridge is here. Check the cuttings,” Quon answered and pointed to the ground.
Kendall knelt. She examined the chopped vegetation closely and saw scorched cuttings mixed in with the newer cuttings. A fire ravaged this area at some point. Kendall worried it was longer ago than the eight months of radio silence Beckworth claimed.
“Right on, Quon. Burnt out but the ridge tells us it was intentional,” Kendall stood and dusted off her hands.
They fell into a heavy silence. The team moved forward with the understanding they were, without question, entering a crime scene. They trailed Decam 28 as each man readied his weapon. Kendall was unarmed. She did not consider this a problem at the ship. She had limited experience with guns and figured she’d more than likely shoot herself than anybody else. Now, it seemed a foolish decision on her part. Kendall hoped she’d live to regret it.
“Structures visible at 900 hours, fifty feet east,” Kendall sited the location for Quon and Woody.
“Rodger that,” Woody replied and pointed his Colt M-16 toward the ruins.
Quon turned and made a slicing motion across his throat. Both Kendall and Woody understood him to mean shut up.
The team followed Decam 28 into the one time center of the destroyed village. Some blackened beams of the thousand wooden structures around them managed to remain upright against the onslaught. They were steadfast in the places they were originally anchored. Still, the island’s leafy vegetation was creeping up to overtake them. They had fared better than the roads. The well traveled, crushed stone main passages up and down and across the village were covered with green leaves and grass and vines. The find might have been a beautiful reminder that nature will prevail against humanity if not for the charred bodies tied and hung inside the gutted structures.
It was only upon entering the village that the true extent of the carnage was clearly visible. Kendall was vaguely aware of a gagging sound behind her. Woody was vomiting. Kendall wished she could let go of her fiercely contained emotions long enough to join him. Instead, she pushed down her repulsion and tried to analyze the clues surrounding her.
“Within eye shot, we’ve got all man made structures completely destroyed. There are about fifty to a hundred dead bodies clearly visible. Each structure will likely house more bodies than the ones on display,” Kendall noted aloud and into her hand held computer.
“Fuck this shit! We’re sitting dogs,” Quon, obviously shaken by the scene, shouted. “We’ll head to the rendezvous then wait for back up teams. Need more men and guns. I say, we clear out now.”
“HOLD IT!” Her scream drew the team’s attention as she darted from one of the wrecked homes toward them. “Please! Wait for me. Please. Help me. Please.”
“FREEZE!” Quon shouted and aimed his weapon.
“FREEZE BITCH!” Woody did like wise.
“STOP!” Kendall yelled and raced to get between the guns and the charging woman. “She’s with us. STOP. Put down the guns. She’s Dr. Drapper! Come on, didn’t you even look at your folders?”
Dr. Drapper continued to head right for the trio. She seemed unaware of the weapons pointed in her direction. Perhaps, she just didn’t care. Kendall noticed in a quick look over her shoulder that the young PhD was a disheveled mess. Without giving more thought to her actions, Kendall turn around and caught Drapper at full run. The pair almost toppled to the ground but Kendall stayed anchored in place. Once in a firm hold, the frantic energy evaporate from Drapper’s body. The young woman collapsed against Kendall.
“ON YOUR KNEES! NOW!” Woody shrieked.
Kendall realized the men were not going to back down. She pushed Drapper to the ground. She held her there on her knees with a strong hand on the doctor’s shoulder.
“She’s down. She’s down. Put the guns away. Okay?” Kendall talked fast trying to keep both sides cool. “We’re all okay. Right?”
“Woody, secure her,” Quon snapped.
The younger man reluctantly took his finger off his trigger. He approached the women with a swagger but appeared far from confident. He produced a nylon restraint from his pant’s side pocket.
“You so much as blink and I’ll kill you,” he promised Dr. Drapper as he pulled her arms behind her back.
“Quon…?” Kendall started to question when Woody fastened the restraints around Drapper’s wrists.
Quon angrily shook his head before answering, “She’s here. She could have done this. Or she could be working with whoever else did. I’m not taking no chances.”
Kendall couldn’t argue the point. The settlement had been purposely destroyed and many of the inhabitants murdered in the process. Drapper had some kind of role in the situation. She was either a perpetrator or a survivor. However, this was not the place or the time to try to search for the facts. Kendall and her team were completely exposed. They needed to stay on the defensive until they were in a more secure location.
“Quon, you’re right we should clear out,” Kendall conceded.
“Woody, cover us,” Quon ordered while lowering his weapon.
Woody finished with Drapper and wrapped trembling fingers around his machine gun. Taking two steps back and two to the left of the captured woman, Woody scanned the area for danger. He was more than eager to unload his clip at the slightest provocation.
Quon went to the Decam 28 and opened a mid sized steel suitcase. Pulling out a semi automatic hand gun, he stopped long enough to load a clip and release the safety before retrieving a coil of heavy rope. Quon crossed over to Kendall and offered her the weapon.
“.45. Hollow point bullets. Point it. Squeeze the trigger. It’ll go bang and whatever you pointed at will be dead.”
Quon then walked up to Drapper and wrapped the rope around her neck. He tugged the knot hard after tying it. Her body jerked but she stayed down and silent. He watched her for a moment before returning to the Decam 28 trailing the rope behind him. Quon secured the other end of the rope to an eye bolt at the base of the machine.
“You get to go first. If there are any booby traps you should tell me now. It’s your only chance to save yourself,” Quon’s tone of voice sounded encouraging.
Dr. Drapper struggled to clear her dry throat. Her voice came out in a rasp, “I don’t know. Traps? There could be. I’m not with the militia. I’ve been on the run…,”
“Shut up!” Quon bellowed. “If you can’t tell me anything useful then save it. I can’t afford to listen to your story at the moment. If you survive our trip to the north side of the settlement then I might have time then to listen to whatever crap you have to say.”
Kendall stared at the ground. Her intellectual self wanted to stop Quon from using Brady Drapper as live bait for booby traps or snipers. But, deeper inside, the part of her that wanted to live beyond today was grateful for Quon’s draconian decision.
“Get on your feet or Decam 28 will drag you to death,” Quon cautioned as he programmed the second stage of the mission into Decam 28’s computer.
Brady struggled to get up without the use of her hands. Decam 28 started forward. Brady panicked and crawled on her knees two or three feet before losing balance and falling face first onto the abandoned roadway.
Kendall reacted to the site. She pulled Brady to her feet and yanked her forward before the rope could become taunt. She did not release her hold until Brady took several step on her own.
“Thanks,” Brady whispered.
Kendall swallowed hard before stating, “Keep moving. I won’t help you again.”
