Chapter 14: Rekindling Hope

January 24, 2024 2:19 PM

The trip back to Hope was a calm and peaceful one. Sanders keep out of Jacob's way and Samantha keep him distracted from Pyrrha. The two of them looked to have made up and Sanders made sure to give them space when they wanted it. Jacob tended to be a lot more chill when they had their "alone" time. Though Sanders would be lying if he wasn't jealous. Pyrrha may have been willing, but Sanders had a feeling that would end badly.

Some part of Sanders wanted to be angry at Jacob after their fight, but he knew that was not fair. Now that he knew what had happened to Jacob, and how similar it was to Sanders' own experiences, he knew he had no right to judge him. If Pyrrha had been the catgirl who had ate his old comrades, he might very well have shot at her without thinking too. And the colony thing... couldn't save everyone... After he had gotten Lindsey killed AND played it off to become a "hero", he was in no position to be critical of Jacob. In a sense, the two of them were more alike than either of them would ever admit

Samantha's simmering anger at both him and Jacob was slowly forgotten, to his relief. He thought getting lectured by Isabella would have made him immune to such things, but no such luck. Even though she wasn't the size of a skyscraper, Samantha was still intimidating when she wanted to be. Or maybe it had just been Pyrrha glaring out from behind her. Either way, he was glad she had gone back to being her happy self. Though it, also, meant she went back to asking about Lindsey... Thankfully, Sanders managed to avoid answered them, for now anyway.

Pyrrha was the same as ever. As long as Sanders went with her to hunt and sleep close to her, she was happy. The first one was easy enough, doubly so since it gave Samantha and Jacob their needed alone time. It, also, gave Sanders time to clear his head and avoid questions about Lindsey... Questions he did not want to answer. The second was just as easy as her huge form made for a soft, warm bed. Doubly so when she sleep on her back and he could bury himself in her cleavage. Both Jacob and Samantha had no interest in sleeping near her, probably afraid she was going to roll over onto them in her sleep. Sanders, however, had sleep near her enough that he trusted her to not roll around.

Sanders had Pyrrha take it nice and slow on the way to Hope. Derek and his Force couldn't move nearly as fast as Pyrrha could and Sanders doubted they would be moving out again till after he and his Force got some rest. Getting there sooner wouldn't get them moving to Lindale any quicker, so no reason to bother. Even going slowly, it still only took two days for them to arrive near Hope. Sanders remembered it had taken them longer than that when they had been with the Force so it was highly unlikely that Derek was here.

Samantha and Jacob went ahead as Sander stayed with Pyrrha a good distance from Hope. Pyrrha was rather noticeable, even when she was lying down, and having her just sitting right outside Hope would be tempting disaster. While not many Society forces went this far up I-75, it would only take one to doom them all. Hopefully, Darius or someone high up was in Hope and could think of some place to put Pyrrha.

Left alone with Pyrrha, Sanders scratched her under her chin as she purred in approval.

"Might have to leave you for a little bit, again. I doubt they are going to let you in the city," Sanders said. Pyrrha looked down at him and got a sad look as she moved closer to him, as if to ask for a hug.

"I know, I know. Don't worry, it won't be long. Aviel knows I escaped and that I am with the Resistance. She'll be heading to Lindale soon, if she hasn't already. We need to get there as soon as we can. Whatever Darius or Derek says, we are leaving in two days. Even if that means its just you and me again," Sanders told her as he rubbed her cheek. That was the worst-case scenario, doing all this work for nothing. He supposed being killed might be worse, but he doubted the Phoenixes were willing to risk Pyrrha's wraith when she was right at their doorstep. Pyrrha didn't seem to cheer up much and gave a soft, low meow. She glanced over to where Samantha and Jacob had disappeared over the hill and turned back to Sanders.

"Yeah I'll miss Samantha too. Though, if she does come, we will have to take Jacob too," he said with a smirk. Pyrrha frowned and, using her newest learned skill, rasp-berried at the thought of Jacob coming. Sanders couldn't help but laugh as he remembered how she had learned that. Jacob had thought it funny to take the last piece of meat they had been eating right when Samantha was reaching for it. When Samantha had called him out on it, he had just rasp-berried her and keep eating. Thus started a raspberry war that ended when Pyrrha managed to do one at Jacob, though a very messy one. Jacob still smelled of Pyrrha's mouth and Sanders had to fight back a chuckle every time he got a whiff of it.. Damn he wished they still had cameras.

"Haha, yeah we could do without him. Still, I would rather have him than no one. Going to need all the help we can get if Aviel is there..." Sanders said as his smile faded. He looked at the ground as that night played in his head again. Monet and Aviel working together...Had she really fallen so far that she would work with people who tried to kill her? That question had already been answered, though, and it made his blood boil.

Pyrrha gave a worried meow as she rubbed her nose against him. He snapped out of his rage as he turned back to Pyrrha's worried gaze. He rubbed her nose and sighed to himself.

"Sorry, Pyrrha, but not even you are going to stop me fighting against her," he said as Pyrrha gave a sad meow in response. Suddenly, her eyes snapped fully open as her ears began to twitch, though her head remained stationary. Sanders didn't move from in front of her and keep rubbing her nose like he hadn't noticed. He got ready to spin around and draw his rifle in one motion as Pyrrha's eyes sweep over the area. Sanders looked at the reflection in Pyrrha's slit eyes and saw people moving toward them. Pyrrha tensed a little, before relaxing as the people came into focus.

Samantha and Jacob were leading the group and Samantha gave a happy wave to Pyrrha. Sanders let out a held breath as he turned to face them and the group they were leading. Most of the group he didn't recognize, but the cold stare from the man in the middle was familiar. Darius...

Pyrrha tensed a little as Darius began to move toward them and got a worried look. This wasn't like when she tensed up before, ready to spring out and attack a threat. This was more like she was ready to do the opposite, snatch Sanders up and run as fast as she could. Sanders had thought Darius was a bit...intense, but for Pyrrha to act like this... She hadn't even done that with the giantess' they had fought.

"Sander Cutter, good to see you safety return to Hope. Derek told me his mission was a success thanks to you and Pyrrha. From the entire Phoenix group, allow me to thank you," Darius said as he offered his hand to shake. Sanders accepted it, with a bit of trepidation, but the hand shake was just that. No sick feelings or sudden drawn weapons or anything. Odd...then again all of his people were armed and Pyrrha had nearly been killed by a Phoenix group. Maybe she was just nervous around them due to her old memories.

"It was no problem. I was planning on taking the fight to the Society, anyway. Might as well have started by saving the Resistance," Sanders said, trying to keep his sadness out of his voice. He had been planning it...but not like that...not by killing his old comrades...and letting a new friends die... He had to fight the urge to reach into his pocket for Lindsey's whistle.

Before Darius could respond, Samantha moved past him and Sanders to Pyrrha. She began to pet Pyrrha on the cheek and under her chin. Pyrrha's worried look faded and turned to purring as Samantha whispered something to her. Darius' eyes fixed on her for a second before moving back to Sanders.

"Indeed, a good start, but it is only a start. And I would disagree that we are saved. All we really did was increase the time on the clock, nothing more. To be truly saved, we will need something to turn the tide. Something you believe you have," Darius said with a cold look. Both Jacob and Samantha looked at Sanders in surprise as a few of the people with Darius exchanged glances.  Fuck, Sanders hadn't promised it would change the tide, just that it was important. He was about to correct that mistake when Darius, suddenly, turned back toward Hope.

"But we should speak of this in private. Let us head back to Hope and we can discuss it there," Derek said as he began to walk back the way he came.

"Wait, what about Pyrrha?" Sanders asked taken off-guard by how fast things were moving.

"She is coming with us, of course. It is far too dangerous to leave her out here, doubly so in the day. We can discuss the details inside Hope," Darius said as he waved them to follow. The people who had come with Darius turned and followed as Jacob shrugged and did the same.

"Is he always like this?" Sanders asked Samantha as he turned back to her and Pyrrha.

"Yeah...pretty much. Don't be offended by it. He does it to everyone," Samantha said as she stopped petting Pyrrha. Sanders sighed as he climbed onto Pyrrha and followed after the leader of the Phoenixes.

Darius and the rest had Pyrrha and him hang back behind the lip of the highway, out of sight, as they scouted it for any signs of Society. Once they were sure the coast was clear, Samantha waved them forward and Sanders had Pyrrha hurry to the gutter. Sanders could well see why Hope had not been discovered now that he saw it from this side. It was inside a gutter that was nearly completely hidden by the rubble of the collapsed bridge above it. If you didn't know to look for it, you would probably never notice it. Even better, the rubble acted like a funnel forcing anyone coming toward it to come at it from the front. Otherwise, you would have to brave the loose cement rubble and the multitude of traps he was sure were hidden in them. Not to mention all the cracks and crevices providing the perfect cover for any soldiers in them.

Sanders didn't get much time to marvel at them as Pyrrha arrived at the gutter itself. She bent down so they could look inside and, once again, Sanders was stunned by what he saw. Three guns, full-sized guns, were pointing out at them. They looked to have been handguns, but had been remodeled into turreted cannons. Sanders could see people moving around and on them as they tensed at Pyrrha's face. The three guns turned and pointed at them as the people began to yell and shout. A wave of fear went through Sanders as he realized any one of those guns would kill Pyrrha in an instant. Had Darius just lured them into a trap?!

His fear was put down as Darius yelled at them to stand down. He turned to them and motioned to their left before turning back to continue calming his soldiers down. Sanders let out a relieved sigh as he pulled his eyes off the guns, made easier by them turning away from them. Damn, this place was looking more like a fortress than a city...

The gutter looked to be separated into two parts. The part with the guns was a little more than half its length and looked to be raised ever so slightly above the other part. The other part was separated by large rocks and boulders, most likely taken from the rubble outside, was lowered a good bit from the other side. It had a sort of funnel shape to it and looked to have a kind of funnel shape to it. The water stains on it made Sanders realize this part was meant to take in the rain water and prevent the other side from flooding. Water probably still got into the other side, but not enough to cause any real problems. It was, also, the path Darius wanted them to use to get in. Not surprising as Sanders wasn't sure Pyrrha could have squeezed past those three gun-cannons.

Pyrrha got down on her stomach and slowly inched her way into the gutter. It wasn't a comfortable trip, considering Pyrrha's annoyed meows and grunts, but her lithe and flexible body managed to squeeze through. Thankfully, the gutter widened as they went further in, allowing Pyrrha to pull herself forward rather than have to wiggle. Sanders though he might have to climb off her head, but Pyrrha managed to keep her head low enough to give him room, though her ears did brush the cement on occasion.

Pyrrha pulled herself a little ways out of the gutter and into the main drain itself. Below them was the huge lake Sanders remembered from the last time he was here and the large dames that keep it from draining into the drainage system. Off to their right was the actual city itself where a large crowd was streaming out of it to watch them. And directly beside them, also on the right, was a massive wooden spiral ramp that went up to the gutter and back down to the dirt hole the city was built into. Sanders saw Darius, Jacob, Samantha, and a few other soldiers heading down the ramp to the ground below. Sanders was worried Pyrrha might try to get out head first, but he fear was put to rest.

It took some impressive bending and twisting, but Pyrrha managed to shift around so that her feet were pointing out of the gutter. She plucked Sanders from her head and tucked him into her cleavage. Sanders gave no complaints as he braced for what he knew was coming next. At least he had some good "padding" to cushion himself, though he did wonder why he hadn't just used the ramp. Pyrrha began to slip out of the gutter, one of her hands keeping him tucked in tight, and Sanders held his breath. He should have just used the damn ramp...

Sanders stomach flew into his mouth as they plummeted to the lake below them. Sanders fought back a scream as the surface of the lake came racing up to him. Pyrrha's huge legs crashed into the water before bending up from the impact with the ground beneath it. Sanders was jarred back into Pyrrha's soft breasts, but their plushness gave enough for him not to be injured. Sadly, it did nothing for his motion sickness which sent his stomach churning and him nearly heaving over Pyrrha's hand. Pyrrha gave him a worried meow, but he waved her away. He knelt into her hand and took a moment to keep his lunch.

It took him a few seconds, but Sanders managed to get his stomach to settle. Pyrrha's rocking stride hadn't helped, but he had gotten used to her walking a long time ago. She had left him between her breasts as she started forward and Sanders had to climb up her hand to get a look out. He pulled himself over her finger and looked out on the lake. The water was just below Pyrrha's knee and was slowly receding as she moved toward the shore. Her huge steps sent giant, to him, waves surging outwards and the crowd moved further and further from the shore as the waves crashed against it.

It had been a long while since Pyrrha had stood on two legs, Samantha's fear of heights had keep her on all fours, and Sanders had nearly forgotten just how huge she was. And how much power she had. But seeing her striding through this lake like it was a puddle and seeing the waves just her steps were making put it into clear focus again. He needed to remember just how dangerous she was no matter how sweet she acted. Jacob story might not be a clear reflection of the Pyrrha of today, but was a good reminder of what she could do...

Sanders glanced up at Pyrrha as she looked down at him. She smiled at him before lifting him up into the air. She sat Sander back onto her head before going back down to all fours, making sure to take it slow for Sanders. Sanders took a deep breath as they neared the shore and hoped Darius had told his people they were friendly. A number of soldiers had come from the armory, the city, and the ramp and were taking up positions in front of the crowd, though they were too far for Sanders to say if they had weapons drawn. Well, if nothing else the crowd was not screaming in terror and running away, so he guessed that was a good sign. Sanders had Pyrrha move up onto land, her massive weight causing her to sink into the dirt a bit, before putting him down. Sanders racked his brain for what to say in case the worst came about as Pyrrha lowered him to the ground.

"ITS TRUE! HE HAS TAMED A CATMONSTER!!" someone yelled from the crowd as they suddenly erupted in cheers and excitement. The soldiers turned away from Sanders and started trying to hold back the crowd as it began to push toward him Sanders was completely dumbstruck by what was happening and barely even registered that the crowd had steamrolled past the soldiers. Before he could even say something, people were crowding around him to pat him on the back, shake his hand, or even kiss him, thankfully only women did the last part.

"I-than-no I-Plea-fuck PYRRHA!" Sanders yelled as he gave up trying to fend off the people or talk to them all at once. The crowd parted a bit in fear and awe as Pyrrha's hand came down and plucked him from the crowd by the shirt. She rasp berried them, getting a groan from Sanders, oh that was just great, before putting him back onto her head. Rather than be mad, though, the crowd seemed even more pleased by that as a few laughed and the others actually clapped.

"He even trained it to do tricks!"
"No wonder he was able to use it to kill that Ranger patrol!"
"We finally have a chance against them!"
"We can fight them on nearly even ground!"
"Sanders!" one of the people yelled before the others took up the chant. "SANDERS! SANDERS! SANDERS! SANDERS!" they cheered as Sanders starred down at them in complete shock. What...what the hell had Darius told them?! All he did was kill one giantess and... and THIS was the result?! No way... They were treating him like some kind of...hero... Darius HAD to have told them so kind of lie just like outside just a moment ago.

"Everyone, please calm down! You will have a chance to congratulate Sanders later, but mobbing him isn't going to make him feel welcome! Give him some space so that I can get him situated," Darius yelled out as he and more soldiers he brought moved into the area. Samantha and Jacob joined the other soldiers and managed to push the crowd back. The crowd was still cheering and clapping for him, but stopped as Darius motioned them to simmer down. Pyrrha waited for the crowd to move back before raising her hand up to let him down. Sanders took his hand out of his pocket before climbing on. She dropped him off near Darius and the rest.

"What the hell did you tell them about me?" Sanders whispered to Darius, barely keeping himself from grabbing his jacket's collar. Fuck, this was NOT what he wanted when he had agreed to Fulton's idea. Being a hero to soldiers was one thing, but to an entire city?! Darius raised an eyebrow at the question.

"Nothing save the truth. I told them you were an ex-Ranger who came to our side with a tamed catmonster. That you went with Derek to the south to take the fight back to the Society and managed to kill an entire Ranger patrol, including its giantess, while only suffering one causality," Darius said with a stone cold face. Sanders had to fight not to wince at the mention of that one causality. Lindsey...even one had been too much.

"If that is all you told them then why are they acting like I am the second coming of Jesus?" Sanders demanded. Darius gave him a cold stare before cracking the barest hint of a smile.

"Because you represent something that has not been here for a long time, hope. Hope that the tide might turn and the Society be defeated. Hope that had been all but extinguished when the Bears fell," Darius replied. Sanders was dumb-struck by this. HE was their hope? HIM?! He couldn't be their only hope not after...he rubbed the whistle as he looked away for a second.

"I...I don-...they ne-" Sanders started to say before Darius interrupted him.

"Need a different hero? Shame, I know Derek's third Squad would think you are a perfect one. And Lindsey as well if she was still among us," Darius said as his smile faded. Sanders eyes snapped back to Darius and felt his eyes drilling into him. Di...Did he know? That look said that he did...and if he revealed it here...

"But this is a conversation for a more private setting. Samantha," Darius said.

"Sir!" Samantha said as she stiffened.

"You are familiar with Pyrrha here enough to keep her from causing trouble, correct?" he paused for Samantha to say yes, "Good. Stay here and keep her out of trouble. Jacob, stay with her and keep our people out of trouble with her." Both of them saluted and moved over to Pyrrha. Darius motioned for Sanders to follow as he and a few soldiers headed toward a second large spiral ramp he remembered went to the HQ. Sanders sighed as he realized what that threat had really been about. Either he came along or any chance of them working together ended. Great...

Sanders followed after Darius as Pyrrha gave a worried meow. Sanders glanced back and saw Pyrrha looking like she was going to follow. Samantha, though, managed to stop her and got her to lay down while she started to brush our her fur. Jacob watched him go with a jealous look, but turned away as he walked back to join Samantha. He wondered if Jacob knew the truth if he would still be jealous. Considering how much the kid wanted to be a hero, he wasn't really sure.

The group walked in silence as they headed toward the HQ high above them. A few people followed them, still cheering and yelling, but didn't try to mob him again. Thankfully, they were left behind as they started up the ramp. He...he didn't deserve to be cheered on and heralded as a hero...not after Lindsey...

The climb up was a long one, but Sanders was used to long walks. After about a minute of climbing, they arrived at the ladder leading up into the HQ. Darius went first and Sanders followed. They went through the maze of hallways to a wooden door with Darius' name carved into it. Darius motioned for Sanders to follow him inside while the soldier remained outside.

The room itself was rather bare. It had a wooden bed off in the far corner with a number of patchwork clothing folded up beside it. A large wooden desk dominated most of the room and was covered in paper and bits of charcoal. The rest of the room was mostly bare save for a few chairs. Oddly, it didn't look like it had been used in a long while considering the dust.

Darius took a seat behind his desk and motioned for Sanders to sit at one of the chairs before it. Sanders crossed his arms as he remained standing, though if Darius was angry he did not show it. Instead, he simply got right down to business.

"As you may have already guessed, yes I know the truth of what happened to Lindsey. And while her death is regrettable and your...stupidity condemning, I am not angry. Nor do I intend to go back on my offer to assist you in going to Lindale," Darius said as he steepled his hands in front of him. Sanders was a more than surprised to hear that.

"You do? And you will?! Why?" he asked, getting a bit suspicious of Darius. He didn't rub him as the type to do something unless there was a gain for him.

"Because what is in Lindale is going to change the tide of this war," Darius said flatly. Sanders remembered now what he had said outside and Sanders anger flared.

"Why did you tell those people that what Manchent left would turn the tide? I told you before I have no idea what it is!" Sanders said as he moved closer to Darius' desk. Darius didn't budge as he answered.

"Let me ask you a question, why do you think this city is called Hope?" Darius asked as he stared at Sanders. Sanders was taken a bit off guard with that question.

"Why it-...because you made it in the hope of defeating the Society?" Sanders answered with a shrug. Darius chuckled at that answer as he lowered his hands and leaned back in his chair.

"A good guess, but no. It was named Hope because people dared to hope they could live out their lives in some semblance of normalcy here. Hope was never founded to take the fight back to the Society or as a fortress, but as a hiding place. A safe place where shrunken people could live and not worry about the Society crushing them or of another group attacking them. In other words, it is named after a fool's hope," Darius said as he took out a map from the piles of paper and put it between them.

"This map shows the Society's controlled area over the last five years along with the names of Resistance groups that used to exist there. Do you notice a pattern?" Darius said as Sanders moved up to look at it. It wasn't hard to see the pattern. The lines of Society control creep further and further from New Atlanta and as it did, the group's were crossed off. Comparing the dates of the lines movement with the death date beside each group showed they were wiped out soon after the Society got them into their controlled area. But most of all, it was that the Phoenixes were the next on the chopping block along with a group called the Snakes.

"Oh that reminds me," Darius said before turning the page back to face him. He grabbed a bit of charcoal and Xed out the Snakes and put Febuarary 2023, this month, beside their name. Now nothing was in the Society's way toward Rome save the Phoenixes.

"The Phoenixes are next," Sanders stated flatly as Darius nodded.

"Yes and soon after us, the Marauders and then Rome itself will be besieged. That is why this city was founded on a fool's hope. There is no hope for normalcy for us unlucky souls outside the cities. And no matter how far we run, the Society will follow us and come to kill us," Darius said as he paused. Sanders looked up for him to continue, but Darius simply stared at him as if waiting for him to say something. And then it hit him.

"Which is why you told them I could turn the tide. If running isn't an option, then the only hope anyone has is to fight," Sanders said as Darius nodded.

"Exactly. They need hope that they can win, because it is their ONLY hope. Sadly, that hope was extinguished a few years ago when the Bears, another Resistance group, were killed," Darius said as he pushed the map away.
"The Bears were brave men and women, but foolishly believed they could fight the Society head-on. They paid for that belief with their lives. Even worse, their defeat made all the Resistance groups, including my own, convince themselves the Society was unbeatable. I had hoped saving Dr. Manchent would provide a spark of hope to dispel that belief, but..." Darius stopped as he looked at Sanders. Sanders looked away in shame at his role in the good Doctor's demise. The Doctor had begged both him and Aviel to continue his work, and Aviel had spit in his face. Sanders was the only one left to carry on for him...just like Isabella and Lindsey...

"Which leaves me with you and your catmonster. You have already given me the spark I needed and you saw the results of it. Those people that cheered for you have had nothing to cheer about for years. And while we both know your..."hero" title is nothing but a shame, these people need one, shame or not. So, will you be their hero or will you let the embers of hope you sparked die out?" Darius asked as he stood and held out his hand.

Sanders stared down at the hand and what it meant. If he took this offer...if he became their hero...there would be no going back. He would have to live up to that standard and bear the weight of all their hopes and dreams. He was already carrying so much as it was...Manchent, Lindsey, Isabella, Trent, Blanch, Lizette... but he knew what they all expected of him. And what he owed them.

"I won't let those sparks go out, not as long as I have the spark of life in me," Sanders said as he took Darius' hand. Darius gave a hint of a smirk as they shook hands.

"You have the bad one-liners down I see."

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January 24, 2024 2:45 PM

Darius lead the way as he, Sanders, and a few soldiers headed toward the armory. After Sanders had agreed to be the Phoenixes' hero, Darius had told him they needed to go inspect something at the armory. Something that would be invaluable if they wanted to get to Lindale.

The group entered into the armory built into the bridge's support and headed down a familiar path. Darius opened a door and lead Sanders into the same "lab" Derek had brought him to when he had first come to Hope. It still looked like a complete mad house to Sanders and he had to wonder how anything ever got done in here. The same two men they had spoken to, Jimmy and Doctor Helman if he remembered right, before were there and were working on something at a work desk. Helman stopped his work as he moved to greet Darius, leaving Jimmy to actually put it away.

"Darius! Good, good, I trust our subject is here now, correct?" the Doctor asked with a glint in his eyes. Sanders could already guess who he was talking about and turned a glare toward Darius. If he thought he was going to let this nutjob experiment on Pyrrha, he was going to be disappointed. Darius ignored him, though, and nodded.

"Yes the catmonster is here, but we can talk about that later. How far along is your special project?" Darius asked as Jimmy came to join them.

"Ahh, very close to being complete. There are a few things that we still need to make, but most of them require the measurements. Once we have those it should only take us a day to finish it," Helman said with a proud look. Measurements? Sanders was really lost now.

"Or two. The shock springs are going to need to be adjusted and placed in the correct locations to keep the platform steady. And we have to make sure we weave enough spiderwebs together to keep them from breaking, which we are running low of. And-," Jimmy stopped as Helman wheeled on him and gave him an angry glare. Jimmy just shrugged at him as if to say "just saying".

"Take as much time as needed to make sure the platform is safe and secure. I will, also, send a harvest group out to get you the webs you need after we get the measurements. Gentlemen," Darius said as he motioned for them to follow him as he turned to leave. Helman fell in behind him as Jimmy went back and grabbed a few tools. A few of the other workers came with them and Sanders sighed as he followed too. He still had no idea what was going on, but he was determined to find out. Figuring Jimmy was his best bet of getting any info, he moved up to him.

"Do you mind if I ask what this platform is?" he asked as Jimmy glanced at him. He looked him over for a second before he seemed to place who he was.

"Darius didn't tell you? Ehh, guess I shouldn't be surprised, guy doesn't tell anyone anything if he doesn't have to. Well since you are the big hero who took down a Ranger patrol and the tamer of that catmonster I guess you got a right to know. Nothing dangerous or anything, just a platform to put on the back of the catmonster. We designed it to stay steady while she moves on all fours and to shift to working like a backpack if she stands up. Took a lot of our scrap metal, parts, and other stuff we really didn't need to be wasting to build, but Darius said to build it so," Jimmy said as he seemed less than happy about it. A platform for them to stay on...that would be huge, doubly so after seeing how badly just riding her barebacked had worked. If this platform worked like it was intended, they could ride Pyrrha all the way to Lindale, making the trip far faster. But something this big...

"How long have you guys been working on this?" Sanders asked. Jimmy raised an eyebrow at him, but answered.

"Since you showed up at the shop. Just after you and Derek left, Darius came in with the order," Jimmy answered. Since he first came here...Had Darius been betting on this outcome all along? Had he...had he been planning to turn Sanders into a hero to rally his people from the very start?!  Considering how tight lipped Darius had been up till now, Sanders doubted asking him would do any good. He would just have to keep in mind how far planning Darius was, and be glad he was on his side for now.

They headed back out of the armory and to the lake shore where they had left Pyrrha. Even though the city was in the way, Sanders could still see Pyrrha's tail waving above the buildings. Whatever was going on must be making her happy for her tail to be up like that. Hopefully Samantha was keeping her from getting into too much trouble and Jacob hadn't done anything stupid.

To Sanders' annoyance, Darius headed into the city to reach Pyrrha, rather than go around it. Sanders did his best to blend in with the rest of the group, but it wasn't long till someone spotted him. Once again, people were cheering and clapping as he passed and a few kids were even trying to worm their way into the group to get to him. People were leaning out windows and a few even offered him things as thanks for making sure their family members came back alive. Sanders turned them all down, though, he didn't deserve any of it.

"Looks like you got a few fans. Don't be shy, you might as well enjoy the goodwill you earned," Jimmy said. Sanders wanted to just dig a hole and bury himself in it for this...lie he was living. He hadn't earned anything save guilty and regret. But Darius' words still rang in his head. These people needed hope and he...

Sanders took a deep breath as he forged his way ahead to stand beside Darius. He started to wave to the people as he passed them and give the kids the best fake smile he could manage. He even took a few of the things offered to him, mostly just useless junk anyway. He didn't dare say anything, least his voice give away his raging emotions, but he did his best to put on the show of being their hero. The trip seemed to stretch on and on and on, so many hopeful faces and so many people who were counting on him, not knowing that he had already failed them once. He wou- no COULDN'T fail them again, but the expectations... How was he to live up to a standard he had already failed to meet?

Finally, the cardboard and wooden buildings gave way to the open space leading to the lake. Pyrrha's huge form, literally, laid in front of them. She was laying on her stomach, though what she was doing he could only guess. They had come out near her hips and her huge body was blocking their view of her face and whatever was in front of her. Sanders could see her forearms moving, but could only guess what she was doing. Considering the way her tail was slowly wagging, he guessed it was making her happy whatever it was. Maybe Samantha was still brushing her.

 Sanders thoughts were throw aside as movement caught his eye. He looked to the side and saw Helman rushing toward Pyrrha. He nearly went running straight up to Pyrrha's hips, but Jimmy managed to pull him back. Sanders relaxed, grateful Jimmy was watching the "Doctor".

"Unhand me, Jimmy! We need to get to work immediately and get the measurements! Not to mention the wealth of information we could get just from her body," Helman said as he tried to wiggle free of Jimmy's grip. The small man keep a vice grip on the doctor, however, and didn't let him budge. Sanders glared at the Doctor as he realized he only wanted to get near Pyrrha to use her as a test subject.

"That would be a really bad idea. She would probably swat you all away if you just went and started climbing on her, and not gently either. Let me talk to her and then you can get the measurements," Sanders suggested, leaving out the part where he would watch them like hawks too. Honestly, he had no idea WHAT Pyrrha would have done if the Doctor had starting climbing up her butt out of the blue, but he had a feeling it would not have ended well for him. Even if she had just shaken him off, her butt was nearly twenty scale ft tall. Fall from it would end with a broken something. 

The Doctor sighed and nodded as he Jimmy let him go, but stayed near him just in case. The group got moving again and headed up past Pyrrha's torso, Sanders glancing back to watch Helman every so often. The others in the group, doubly so the workers, seemed in awe at the sheer size of Pyrrha. Sanders probably would have been too if he hadn't gotten so used to it. After awhile, you do get used to having a moving, meowing office building following you around. They, also, looked at Sanders in just as much amazement, probably stunned he had managed to "tame" her. He wondered if they would still be impressed if they heard the real story of how they wound up together.

Bringing that up made him realize that Pyrrha had not tried to lick him off since they had escaped New Atlanta. She had, certainly, seemed willing, but hadn't forced the issue like that first time. Maybe she had started thinking of him more as a friend and less as a sex toy now. Or maybe he just needed to as- he should save this for later when there were not kid's around. Then again, what if she wanted the favor returned...that was a lot of lickin-

Sanders shook the perverted thoughts out of his head as the sounds of children playing got his attention. He had no intention of having to explain what a boner was to a bun- wait, that wasn't coming from the kids that were following the group... It was coming from in front of Pyrrha.

They moved past Pyrrha's arms and stopped dead at the sight before them. Pyrrha had her chin resting on the dirt and had a huge smile on her face. Kids of various ages were waiting in lines to ride her fingers like horses as she bounced them up and down or just lifted them into the air to "fly" them about. The kids were laughing and having a wonderful time as they soared through the air or rode the bucking fingers. For her part, Pyrrha seemed to be having just as much fun as the children as she smiled down at the tiny, doubly so to her, tikes.
 
Darius sighed as he shook his head and moved into the area. He motioned for the group to stay put, but Sanders followed him anyway. He knew Pyrrha wouldn't hurt any of them, but if their parents saw this he could well understand how furious they would be. He needed to find Samantha or Jacob and have them put a stop to this.

He spotted Samantha near one of Pyrrha's hand and moved toward her along with Darius. She was helping a little kid up onto one of Pyrrha's fingers when Sanders move up to her.

"Samantha, could you come he-" Sanders started to stay, intending to get out of the hearing range of the kids before cussing her out. Darius had other plans, though.

"No need for that. Samantha, get these children out of here. We need to do some business with Pyrrha now. They can come back when it is done," Darius said as all the kids in hearing range awed and pouted. A few of them huffed and looked angry, but none of them said a word against it to Darius.

"Yes, sir. Come on, everyone, we need to let Darius and the rest do their jobs. You can play with Pyrrha some more in a little bit. Jacob, stop messing around and come help!" she yelled back. Sanders glanced to where she yelled and saw Jacob's hand wave from a pile of little kids that had dog piled him. He play growled as he pushed himself back to his feet, the kids still hanging onto him. He made monsters sounds as he started to "chase" other kids away from Pyrrha, all while the giant pile of kids that had been on him still hung from him.

"Oh no we can't stop him!" one of the larger boys said as he tried to stop Jacob from moving.

"You can't stop the juggernaut!" Jacob said in a deep voice as he and Samantha shooed the kids away. Pyrrha's ears drooped down as the kids moved away, but perked up when she noticed Sanders. She smiled at him and seemed to have cheered right back up. Sanders smiled back before turning to Darius.

"You sure its fine letting those kids play on Pyrrha? I can guarantee she won't hurt them, but if their pa-"

"They don't have parents. Those are Hope's orphans," Darius said before turning back and waving the workers forward. Sanders eyes shoot wide as he looked back at the group of kids. There had to be fifty, maybe seventy kids in that group! And they were all orphans...Jesus...

He didn't get any more time to think about them as Helman nearly went charging up to Pyrrha again, and again was stopped by Jimmy. Pyrrha recoiled a bit from Helman and his wild look. Helman tried to pull free, but failed again and just had to make do with his eyes running all over Pyrrha.

"Oh my...a living catmonster... A living, TAMED, catmonster! This...this is amazing! The knowledge we could gain just from studying her is...Sir if-" Helman started to before Darius cut him off.

"We are only here for the measurements, Doctor. Finish the platform and then we will talk about other things," Darius said with a stern look. Helman looked about to argue, but Darius' look made it obvious it was pointless. He sighed and nodded.

"Very well, uhh..you...no the tamer," Helman said as he pointed to Sanders.

"Its Sanders."

"Yes, yes, Sanders then. We need to get the subject's torso measurements so make sure she doesn't kill us while we get them," he said as he turned back to the group of workers he had brought. He started giving them orders as Jimmy let him go with a sigh.

"Translation, we need to make sure the cables we are using to connect the platform to your friend here are long enough to fit, but snug enough to keep the platform secure. Just keep her from moving or eating us and we'll be done in no time," Jimmy said with a smirk.

"Alright," Sanders said, understanding know what the measurements were for. He left Jimmy to help the doctor as he moved over to Pyrrha. Pyrrha seemed a bit worried about the workers and the soldiers with them, but Sanders knew he could calm her down.

"Hey, don't worry about them Pyrrha. Their friends and their going to help us get to Lindale. But they need to measure you to make sure a cool thing they made will fit you. Once they do that, you will get a cool backpack to carry other people around and you can go back to having fun with the kids, OK?" Sanders said as Pyrrha looked down at him. She still seemed a bit worried, but gave a soft meow in response.

"I'll be right here with you the whole time and if they hurt you at all I'll kick their asses," Sanders assured her. Pyrrha purred a bit in response, but still didn't look totally comfortable. Still, Sanders was pretty sure the workers would be safe climbing on Pyrrha as long as they took it slow.

The workers used Pyrrha's arms like ramps to climb up onto her back. Pyrrha didn't seem too happy about it at first, but Sanders keep her from moving or doing anything rash. Once they were up on her back, though, she calmed down and seemed to enjoy it somewhat. He guessed them walking around up there was probably like a back rub to her, which helped calm her.

The workers used bits of ripped tape measures to get the measurements they needed and, true to Jimmy's word, it didn't take them long. It took them, maybe, five minutes to measure out her back. Once they were done with her back, they climbed off and asked Sanders to have Pyrra flip over. Pyrrha gave no complaints as she flopped onto her back and let her arms hang out to let them climb on.

This time, she didn't need Sanders to calm her at all. She was totally calm about the process this time and spent nearly all the time watching the workers moving about her chest. The only hiccup came when they needed to measure across her breasts She hissed at them when they started to touch her breasts and Sanders was forced to do that part of the measuring. He was grateful the kids had left as there was no stopping his erection climbing on her building sizes breasts. It didn't help that she moaned as he did it either. A few of the workers looked a bit uncomfortable from it, including Jimmy, but Helman and Darius didn't seem effected in the least. Sanders, though, might have to take her "hunting" after this and let the orphans find something else to play with...

With the last of the measurements done, Helman took off back to his armory, babbling on about the final preparations and such. Jimmy and the workers followed after him, though they did get in a bye before going unlike the Doctor. Pyrrha watched them go with some curiosity and might have wondered after them if Sanders hadn't stopped her. She grumbled a bit as she crossed her arms in a huff.

"Thank you for your assistance in this, Sanders. The Doctor will tell me when the platform is ready and I will contact you when he does. Till then you are free to explore Hope, though it would be best to keep Pyrrha here. Once night falls you can take her out to hunt, if you wish, just make sure you are back before daybreak. We are next to I-75 and the Society do make use of it. I have prepared a room for you to sleep in a-" Darius started, but Sanders cut him off at that.

"There's no need for a room. I'll just sleep out here with Pyrrha. I'm pretty used to it now and it'll keep her from getting lonely and causing problems," Sanders said. To be honest, he was worried about Pyrrha getting lonely at night, but he was also worried about himself as well. He had spent so many nights sleeping next to her, he wasn't sure he could sleep without her nearby. He had gotten so used to hearing her soft, but loud breathing and feeling the warmth of her fur and skin against himself that he wasn't sure a straw bed would cut it anymore. Course, Darius didn't need to know that and seemed to accept his reasoning. Pyrrha seemed to cheer up from hearing it too.

"Very well, that will free up some soldiers too. I need to get back to HQ so unless there is something else you wanted?" he paused as Sanders thought, but nothing came to mind, "No? Then I will take my leave. If you do need me, just ask anyone in the HQ and they will point you to me." With that, Darius and his soldiers turned and headed back toward the ramp leading to the HQ.

Sanders watched them go for a moment before the sound of Pyrrha rolling back over got his attention. He rubbed her cheek, getting a low purr from her as he thought of what to do. Exploring Hope might not be a bad idea, but the place was huge. Finding all the important stuff would probably take him well into the night without help. He could ask the civilians, but considering how they acted around him he would be lucky if they all didn't invite him in for dinner or throw a huge party for him. THAT sure as hell wouldn't help him explore the place. Didn't help that he wanted to be back by nightfall to take Pyrrha hunting. And by hunting he did mean JUST hunting...maybe...

His thoughts were interrupted as a few of the orphans began to come back. Pyrrha gave them all a happy smile and put her hands back down, ready for them to hop on again. Soon enough, most of the other orphans had come back and were giggling and laughing as they started to climb on Pyrrha. Pyrrha seemed to have taken to the kids like a mother cat with her kittens and just seemed to enjoy them being around. Of course, she wasn't the only one they were interested in...

"Hey, are you the guy who tamed Pyrrha?" one of the boys asked as a group of them started to form around him. Now that he got a good look at them, he could tell they were orphans. Most had patchwork clothing that looked to be on the verge of falling apart, even by Resistance standards, and all of them were covered in dirt and other stuff he didn't want to think about. Worst of all, though, they all looked either half-starved or sick. He couldn't believe back when he was in the Society he never thought of the families of the Resistance he killed. Though...he supposed they probably didn't think about his own family when they tried to kill him...

"Aww come on, tell us!" a boy spoke up and shook Sanders out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh...yes...Yes I am," Sanders said as the kids wowed and got all excited.

"Could you go tame another one?!"
"Can you make her do tricks?"
"Can she talk?"
"Are you going to kill those mean Society people?"

The questions came flying at him like a machine gun and Sanders was barely able to get a word out. He might have been stuck like that if Samantha and Jacob hadn't come back, Jacob still dragging a large group of kids around.

"Kids, let Sanders have a chance to talk," Samantha said as she went back to helping the smaller ones climb onto Pyrrha's fingers. The kids around him all gave a sad OK, before turning back to him.

"Uhh. well no I can't tame another one. Pyrrha is a special catgirl and the way I became her friend probably wouldn't work on another one. And yes she can do tricks, want to see one?" Sanders asked, feeling a bit more comfortable around the kids. He wasn't sure why he was feeling nervous around them, they were pretty much all in his siblings age ran- and now he knew...Dammit, he wanted to check on them...

"YEAH SHOW US!" the kids all yelled in various ways, their excitement distracting him from his depressing thoughts. He calmed them down before turning back to Pyrrha, he had just the trick in mind.

"Pyrrha, what do you think of Jacob?" he asked. Pyrrha had been looking at her hands as she "flew" the children on her fingers, but glanced back at him. She got a slightly annoyed look before rasp-berrying and going back to the kids on her fingers. The kids found that hilarious, though both Jacob and Samantha gave Sanders an annoyed look. He just shrugged at them as the kids began to mimic Pyrrha.

"Okay, okay, enough. How about another trick?" Sanders said as they all stopped spitting all over the place and calmed down. Sanders showed the kids various "tricks", such as Pyrrha picking him up, her rolling over, and standing up to her full height. That last one caused not just a stir with the kids, but the city itself. A few soldiers came by and asked Sanders not to do that again and he agreed to keep her laying down. He couldn't really blame them considering her feet were about as big as the buildings.

Sanders was pretty confident that the kids and Samantha could keep Pyrrha out of trouble, now. He still wanted to explore Hope, though, and there was only one person here he trusted not to try and treat him like royalty, besides Samantha. As much as he didn't want to, he was going to have to ask Jacob to show him around. He would have preferred Samantha, but there was no way in hell he was leaving Jacob alone with Pyrrha.

He moved through the mass of kids and found Jacob wrestling with a few of them. Sanders felt a wave of depression and longing run through him as he remembered wrestling with Junior...Jessy...Lissa...Dammit, he needed to get out of her and get his mind on something else before he went charging back to Atlanta.

"Jacob, I need to ask you something," Sanders said. Jacob looked up at him and his happy smile faded. He got the kids to let him up before he got an annoyed look on his face.

"What?" he asked as he crossed his arms.

"I want to learn my way around Hope, but I need someone to show me around. You mind doing that?" Sanders said, deciding to just go straight at it. Jacob looked at him like he was crazy before shaking his head.

"Why not just go ask one of the people in the city or Samantha?" he asked while looking very impatient.

"Because the city-folk think I am some sort of messiah come to save them all and will be too busy being star-struck to help. As for Samantha, do you want to be left here alone with Pyrrha?" Sanders answered back. Jacob groaned as he turned away and rubbed his face. He looked like he wanted to say no so badly, but one look at Pyrrha seemed to get him to decide.

"Fine, fine. Let's just get this over with," Jacob said as he started off away from Pyrrha. Sanders was already regretting this as he followed him toward Hope.

Spoken Knowledge from anonymous trader, Subject: Resistance Groups of the Northwest

Well there are a lot of groups out here. Most of them, though, are too small to really do much else save exist. Good thing about them, though, is they tend to be easy to deal with. Don't have a lot of firepower so a good showing of your own force will keep them from causing you trouble, doubly so if you make it out like you might come back.
Those little backwaters need stuff and, a lot of times, that stuff is something that is not near them. Their your real bread and butter.

But, there are some big players out here and their the ones you got to watch out for. The biggest is the Elves. Their all holed up in the mountains and deep in the back country. They pretty much keep to themselves, though, and are happy enough to leave you alone as long as you leave them alone. Still, doesn't hurt to go near their territory with your goods on display. Their willing to come out and trade if you got something they want or need, just don't expect much conversation or room and board. Oh and for the love of money, don't go into their territory. That will end REALLY badly for you.

The second biggest are one of the really annoying ones to deal with, the Romans. Unlike the Elves who hide and keep out of sight of the Society, these crazy bastards stand right out in the open daring the Society to come at them. Course, since they got rivers deep enough to drown a giantess all around them with no bridges to cross them, AND full sized guns to guard those rivers, not hard to see why they can do that.

Heard talk that the Society took their dare once and lost twenty giantesses in the attack and fuck knows how many catmonsters and fairies. Might just be the Romans making shit up, but after seeing their fortifications, I think it might be true. Word of advice, though, just assume its true if one of them is in earshot. They are all a bunch of prideful bastards.

Real shame they became like they are now. A few years ago, they were pretty much THE place to trade and do business. Opened their doors to just about anyone and were willing to trade anything as well. Then...well something happened. Look, its a long and complicated story that involves all sorts of people and if I try to explain it we'll be up all night. Short story is Rome lost all faith in anyone that wasn't them and has closed its doors to anyone, gone full on isolationist now. There are still a few people who manage to trade with them, though even they are getting less and less welcome. Doesn't help the Marauders have moved into the areas around Rome and made the place a fucking wasteland.

Speaking of those fuckers, guess I should tell you about them. Not really much to tell, though. Their name says it all, their assholes who showed up a few months after Rome shut itself away and starting ripping through the area around it. People think they came from Tennessee, but who knows really. What I do know is they have a massive fleet of jury-rigged vehicles they ride around on and kill anyone who gets in their way. And yes, the includes giantesses and no I am not just spreading hearsay. I saw the crazy motherfuckers actually taking on a giantess a few months back and bring the bitch down with those huge ass weapons they have on their vehicles. My word of advice for dealing with them, leave your shit and run if you see them. If your lucky, they'll be too busy looting your stuff to bother killing you. And if not, well at least you tried.

The last two powers are the closest to Atlanta and kinda act like a buffer to the other three. The Snakes and the Phoenixes have had a love-hate relationship since they both started. The two of them have competed for resources on more than one occasion, but have also pulled each other's asses out of the fire too. Course, that was back when the original leader of the Snakes was alive. That guy, though, got himself caught underfoot and killed a few weeks ago, or so I heard. This new guy who took over...well let's just say there is a reason I haven't done any business with them since. Shame too cause the Snakes used to be one of my best customers. Would haggle for every damn thing, but still nice people.

The Phoenixes, though, are still lead by their original leader, Darius. Heard some crazy shit about him, like that he sends his own people to die without batting an eye and he is a serial killer. Personally, I think its a bunch of bullshit. I meet the guy a number of years ago, back before the Society starting this shit. He was always cracking jokes with this smug look on his face and could get just about anyone to laugh. Had this really sweet sister too who was always helping people and stuff. Course...people who were from the area didn't seem to like him very much, though I never did find out why. Still, I find it hard to believe he could do half the shit people accuse him of doing. I think he just spreads it around to make himself seem scarier and stuff, you know, propaganda and shit like that.

Either way, the Phoenixes still good to do trades with. Little hard to meet, though, as they don't tell anyone where their bases and cities are. Pretty much just have to just go into their territory and wait till they come to you. Best advice for them is to go a bit into their territory, but not too far. If they want something, they'll find you. If not, you can slip on out before you draw attention to yourself. And as nice as they can be, you really don't want to get their attention.