Chapter 21: The Pieces Arrive

January 29, 2024  9:28 PM

Jacob groaned to himself as he sat at the edge of the camp, trying to keep warm. The cold was made worse by his legs and arms screaming in pain from the "work" Force Commander Gerard had given him. Work...bah, more like torture. He had never been so exhausted and sore in his life. If he wasn't moving rockets from one place to another, shifting some of the stuff in the sheds around, or just being told to keep moving to deliver messages, then he was doing push-ups or squats in place. All this was made worse by his dad's watchful eye making sure he didn't slack off.

Jacob was beyond relieved when Darius called for them to stop. By then, the sun had gone down for a good two to three hours. Jacob managed to overhear that this was not normal from a few people and guessed they were going longer to lose the Marauders. Honestly, Jacob was just glad they stopped so he could rest a bit. However, he had barely gotten unhooked when his dad had shown up in front of him.

Jacob...did not want to remember that "talk". Hmph...more like a fucking lecture as his dad chewed him out for at least five minutes. Finally, his dad had run out of steam and told him to get his ass to the ground. The ground offered no rest, sadly, as his dad gave him to William to keep him busy. Apparently, he was going to do more than his share of work...

So now he was here, having been "volunteered" into joining the watch to make sure they were not followed. Jacob had to fight not to lay down to nap and rest his aching muscles. The only thing keeping him up was his determination to prove himself. It, also, helped knowing  Luke had been placed near him on purpose. If Jacob started to look like he was slacking off, that asshole would call him out faster than he could say Jackass.

Jacob's stomach rumbled a bit as he glanced back toward the camp. He could barely make out the glow of the buried fires as they cooked their dinner. All of it had come from Pyrrha, who had managed to hunt down a good deal of wildlife for them and herself. Sadly, it had to be eaten right away as they had nothing that would make it last. The fire was a risk, but one Darius had judged worth it thanks to Gerard and Jimmy coming up with the firepits idea.

Despite the fire pits being hard to see, there was nothing they could do to stop the smell. The cooking meat made Jacob's mouth water, his stomach rumble, and his fear increase. If he could smell it, a feral could easily smell it and nothing brought them running faster than cooked meat.  Which was why Jacob was out in the forest surrounding their camp site rather than enjoying said cooked meat. Still, it was better than having to sit back in Hope, wondering if his dad and Samantha were going to just vanish into the wilderness like so many others.

As bad as Gerard and his dad had tried to make this for Jacob, he was still glad he had come. Considering all the trouble they had already run into, there was a good chance they were going to lose people on this mission. Now, he would be there to protect Samantha and keep an eye on his dad to make sure they came back. Not to mention give him a chance to prove that he was a hero and show Sanders up. Oh yes, he could feel that his time to shine was coming and this crap was just to make sure he was ready.

Jacob was jolted out of his thoughts as he heard footsteps heading toward him. He glanced back, worrying that it was his dad, but smiled when he saw it was Samantha. She was heading toward him with two smoked slabs of meat in her hands. He had never been so glad to see her in his life.

"I love you, Samantha," he said as he took the slice she offered him and started to wolf it down. It was still warm from the fire and Jacob nearly moaned in pleasure as it warmed him from the inside out. Samantha giggled a little as she took a bite of her own meat.

"If I knew all it took was to bring you some food to get you to love me, I would have made you mine a long time ago," she said as she sat down next to him. She looked out into the forest they had camped as she took a second bite.

Their campsite was just at the edge of a large forest. The camp itself was inside the forest while Pyrrha was laying out just outside it. Apparently, Darius had picked this place because Pyrrha could block the light of the fire in one direction while the forest defused it in the others. It was rather smart, Jacob had to admit, though he would never tell anyone that. Jacob took another big bite before looking over at Samantha. Her smile had faded away and she had a worried look on her face.

"What is it?" he asked her as he put down his food. Samantha glanced back at him and seemed to debate whether she would tell him or not. Finally, she turned back to the forest and gave a short sigh.

"I'm just worried. We didn't lose anyone today, but that was because we were lucky. Very lucky. But, that was just against Marauders, if we had been fighting the Society..." she trailed off as her face darkened. Jacob pulled her closer to him and got his best confident smile.

"If we had been fighting the Society then we would have given them a bloody nose too and still not lost anyone. Our air cannon can take their shields down in one shot and without their shield they are screwed, doubly so with us having Pyrrha. So don't start worrying about them," Jacob said, trying to reassure her. Samantha leaned into his chest and smiled at him, though she still looked a bit worried.

"Yeah...of course we would have..." she said in an unsure tone. Jacob held her to him as he wished he could do more to comfort her. Samantha had always been...less than optimistic when it came to fighting the Society. He didn't blame her considering what she had lost to them, but he wished she would not assume the worst or at least that he could do more for her.

"Besides, why would the Society be way up here, anyway? They all fell back toward Atlanta after we killed that Ranger patrol so they are miles and miles away from us. Not to mention Lindale is a dump with nothing of any value so why would they even go there?" Jacob asked thinking this might be a better tactic to cheer her up. Samantha looked up at him and got a more sincere smile at that. She kissed him lightly on the cheek as she nuzzled into the side of neck.

"You are right, they don't have reason to come after us. Thank you for reminding me," she said as she hugged him tighter. Jacob returned the hug as he gave her a kiss back.

"I'll always be here to remind you not to worry," he said with a smile. The two of them fell silent for a few minutes as they stared off into the distance and just enjoyed being wrapped up in the other.

"I can take your shift on watch if you want me to," Samantha said, finally breaking the silence. Jacob glanced down at her with a smile, but shook his head.

"No, thanks. Right or wrong, I still disobeyed orders and have to do the time for it. Besides, my dad would just find something worse for me to do," Jacob said trying not to think of what that worse thing would be. Samantha didn't look happy about that answer, but didn't argue. Instead, she sighed to herself and pulled away from Jacob. Jacob had to fight the urge to pull her back as her welcome warmth and smell began to fade.

"Fine, do your time then. Just make sure you eat that meal I brought you," Samantha said as she motioned toward the meat Jacob had set aside. He rolled his eyes before picking it back up.

"Yes, Mom, whatever you say," Jacob said in a mocking younger voice. He took a big bite out of the meat and, purposely, chewed it at disgustingly as he could. Samantha got an annoyed look on her face and smacked him on the shoulder. He chuckled a bit as he swallowed his food down and went back to eating like normal. Samantha got back to her feet and headed back toward the camp, leaving Jacob alone to watch for any threats.

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Samantha did her best to look angry as she walked away from Jacob. Ugh, he knew eating like that made her squeamish and yet he did it every chance he got. If she wasn't so happy that he was out of that box, and taking his punishments well, she would have kicked him rather than slap him. She glanced back to him and couldn't help but want to stay for the night. However, he was on watch duty and she would have just been a distraction. A distraction he would have welcomed, she knew, but the expedition's safety came before their wants.

Samantha gave a resigned sigh as she turned back to the camp. With Jacob busy, she would just have to make do sleeping alone...again. She despised doing that, but she was far too nervous to sleep with Pyrrha and Sanders with Gabriella there. Just thinking about her made her nervous and the fact that Gabriella had praised her only made it worse. Gabriella thought she was cool...it had been all she could do not to squeal in joy when she had heard that. She could feel her face flush a bit from thinking about it.

"That is an odd face to be wearing after seeing your murderer. Did you finally realize what an embarrassment he is?" a very unwelcome voice said from the darkness. Samantha swore as she tried to get her face into a neutral look, but only managed a scowl. Taylor came stepping out from behind a nearby tree wearing a cruel smile.

"Jacob is not a murderer, Taylor," Samantha said as she glared back at Taylor. Taylor scoffed at that and shook her head.

"Not a murderer...that is funny because the normal definition of murderer is someone who kills someone else. Considering he got my brother killed, I think it fits," Taylor shot back with a venomous look. She moved closer to Samantha and Samantha's hands began to drift toward her knife.

"I still don't understand how you can think that? Booker and Jacob were best friends, do you honestly think Jacob would ever hurt him? The Society killed your brother, Taylor," Samantha said in a less angry tone. She had tried explaining this before to no avail, but figured one more time wouldn't hurt. Maybe, just maybe, she would listen this time.

"Because my brother was smart enough to know attacking five giantesses and a catmonster would end with them all dead. The Society might have, ultimately, been what killed him, but it was Jacob's stupid need to be a damn hero that got Booker into that mess. Which makes him a murderer," Taylor said in fury. This time was no different that all the other times, it seemed. Taylor wasn't going to listen and was just going to keep clinging to that hate.

"Booker didn't have to go along with Jacob. If he had stood up to Jacob and told him no, this wouldn't have happened either. Or if Rance had spoken up, or any of the other people with him. Yes, Jacob does share some blame for what happened, but so does everyo-"

"Don't you DARE suggest Booker had any blame for what happened!" Taylor said as she moved toward Samantha. Samantha grabbed her knife and took it out as Taylor stopped her advance. She glared at Samantha with a mixture of rage and hate before storming off back into the woods. Samantha watched her go with her knife still drawn. She waited a few minutes till she was sure Taylor was gone before putting the knife away.

Samantha shook her head in anger and sadness as she turned back to the camp. She hated what Taylor had become after losing Booker. It was hard to imagine that the two of them had been really good friends before... But her losing Booker while Samantha keep Jacob, and Jacob's hand in that disaster, had changed her. Now...now she was just a bitter and angry shell that only Henderson seemed to get through to. Samantha hated her because of her part in getting Jacob ostracized, but couldn't stop from missing her old friend as well.

Samantha lost herself in her old memories and thoughts as she headed into the camp. Most of the fires were being put out as people started to settle down for the night. She barely even noticed the people moving past as she headed for her tent. She was so lost in thought she never even saw Derek till she had plowed right into him.

"Huh? Oh s- Commander!" Samantha said as she snapped to attention. She tried to hide her embarrassment, but could feel that she was failing. Her cheeks were flushed red and it was all she could do not to look away.

"At ease, Samantha. You don't have to snap to attention every time you see me, you know," Derek said looking more amused by this incident that angry.

"R-Right, sorry, sir," Samantha said as she tried to salvage some of her dignity, though she had a feeling that was a lost cause.

"It's alright, I was looking for you anyway. I...I take it you have talked to Jacob?" Derek asked with an unsure look on his face. Samantha had always found it strange how sure and certain Derek could be in the middle of a battle, and yet completely lost when it came to his own son. She had half a mind to tell him to stop acting like Commander Derek around Jacob and just be his dad for once, but she knew that was pointless. Old dogs and new tricks...

"Yes...I have," Samantha said giving Derek a bit of a glare. She was still angry at him for telling Jacob to stay and forcing all these punishments on him. She was not going to tell Derek anything she didn't think he needed to know. If he really wanted to know, he should just go ask. Derek seemed to catch on to her anger, but didn't look angry himself. Instead, he just sighed and looked less like Command Derek than before.

"Was...was he alright? The punishments are not...getting to him?" Derek asked with a concerned look. Samantha sighed to herself at the question and wanted to tell Derek to just go ask Jacob. However, she knew the Commander would never do that, the coward, so...

"Yes he was fine and he was taking the punishments as well as could be expected," Samantha said with an annoyed tone. She hated when these two put her in the middle like this, doubly so when it was Derek who did it. He should know better, yet seemed to do it far more often. If he wasn't her superior...

"Good...good...well I need to get back to my rounds. Goodnight, Samantha," Derek said looking a little relieved. Samantha just stared at him before answering.

"Goodnight, sir," Samantha said, trying to get her anger out of her voice, and not succeeding. Thankfully, Derek didn't say anything about it and just keeping going on his way. Samantha didn't watch him go. Instead, she made a beeline for her tent. Dammit, where was Taylor when she needed to get out some misplaced anger?

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Derek waited till he was out of sight of Samantha before he sighed and rubbed his face. He didn't like having to go through Samantha to ask about his son, but Jacob would never tell him the truth if he asked. As much as he didn't like it, she was his best source of information on how his son was doing. Thankfully, it sounded like Jacob was doing well. However, he was still on this damnable mission... A mission that Derek was becoming less and less sure of everyday.

First it was Pyrrha's talking, or parroting as Darius liked to remind him; then the feral attack and the potential spy Gabriella joining, then the Marauders attack, then their current food problem, and now his son was here. It seemed as is everything that could go wrong was doing just that. The only thing left to go wrong was the Society joining the fray which, if William was to be believed, was very likely. This mission was going from dangerous to near suicidal and they STILL had no idea what they were even trying to find. And yet....

And yet what choice did they have? They were already more than halfway to Lindale and turning back would mean going through Marauder territory again. Not to mention the morale blow to the Phoenixes if they returned empty handed. Darius might find a way to spin it, but with this many people on the expedition, the truth would get out. And once it did... Derek sighed to himself as he realized they had no choice. Suicidal or not, they had to keep going. The only other option would be to give a potential death blow to the Phoenixes' morale. A truth that Derek nearly choked on knowing Jacob was here. He was all Derek had left and if he lost him too... Derek wasn't sure if he could keep going if that happened.

Derek heard some people moving closer and, quickly, hid his uncertainty. Whatever his personal problems, he was still Second-in-Command of the Phoenixes and had duties he had to take care of. He started moving toward his original destination, the medical tent, with his usual stern face. The soldiers nodded a greeting to him as they passed and Derek returned it, making sure to keep his thoughts from showing. Once they were gone, however, he dropped the act again and let his shoulders slump.

Dammit, he was going to have to lead his own son into a potential suicide mission AGAIN. To make matters worse, he couldn't show any compassion for him either since he disobeyed his orders. It had been all he could do not to rush to him when he was being forced to move about the platform while they were moving, but he knew he had to let the punishment continue. He had watched his son every second of that time to make sure he did not slip and was ready to leap to his rescue in case of the worst, but still he worried. One slip, one bump, on misstep... Once this mission was over, he was going to squeeze Gerard's eyeballs out for suggesting that punishment for his son.

As horrid as it had been, though, Derek knew he couldn't interfere. Derek the father wanted to stop it, but Force Commander Derek knew that it would only cause problems for both of them. It would undermine his authority and make Jacob a target for further animosity for getting special treatment. Derek couldn't afford to be a dad on a mission like this, not when it was moving closer and closer to being a doomed task. Commander Derek was needed if his son was to survive, not Dad. And Commander Derek still had business to take care of in the medical tent.

Pushing his fears and worries away, Derek made his way to the medical tent to check on the wounded. While Kimberly had told him that none of them were in any danger, Derek still thought it best if he checked on them. Those small kinds of things could do wonders for morale and Darius was, certainly, not going to do it. He had his reason for it, but Derek had no such issues.

The medical tent was made from a dark piece of cloth taken from a jacket or shirt, Derek didn't remember which. Derek could barely make out the light of the fire inside the tent that was keeping it warm while a small hole in its top let the smoke drift out into the night. During the day, that would be a problem, but the black smoke didn't matter much in the dead of night.

Derek pushed the tent flap aside and stepped into the welcome warmth of the tent. He, quickly, took his fur jacket off and set it aside before Kimberly stepped out from behind one of the leather curtains that separated the patients. She gave him a small smile before she moved to him.

"Derek, are you here to see the wounded?" she asked softly with an oddly sad smile. Derek's worry and fear began to come back as he feared someone had taken a turn for the worst.

"Are they alright? None of them..." he trailed off, not wanting to say it. Kimberly looked a bit taken aback by that question before she glanced down and shook her head.

"No...no, they are all fine. They will all recover and be fighting ready in a few days. I was just..." she stopped and shook her head as if deciding not to bother him with something. Derek was surprised with the way she was acting. He had seen Kimberly depressed before and it was, usually, a bit more...drunk than this. Granted she did have patients and tended to avoid the bottle when she did, but still. Something serious must be bothering her for her to be like this.

"What is it, Kimberly?" he asked as he put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, but shook her head and turned away. Derek wasn't going to give up that easily, though.

"Kimberly, talk to me. Whatever it is, I can help you with it if you let me," Derek said as he tried to turn her back to face him. She refused to turn back to him, though and pulled away from his grip.

"No, no you can't. Do you want to see the wounded or not?" she said with an edge of ice in her voice. Derek knew that tone meant the conversation was over even if it meant her leaving. He frowned at the back of her head and wished he had Jason's ability to smash through that ice... In fact, he just wished Jason was still here. But Jason was dead and no amount of wishing would change that.

"Yeah...lead the way," Derek said, giving up on finding out what was bothering Kimberly. She nodded and lead him into the back without a word.

They headed into the first patient area and found the wounded man fast asleep. Kimberly checked on a few things as Derek stayed out the way. Once she was done, she fixed the covers a bit to tuck him in better and wiped a bit of drool off his face. Kimberly gave a motherly smile to the man before motioned for Derek to follow her to the next patient.

The next patient was a woman from Gerard's squad, though he didn't know her name, and she was still awake. While Kimberly checked her over, Derek talked to her and gave her a few kind words. He assured her she hadn't failed anyone and that she hadn't screwed up. She looked to be in brighter spirits when they left.

The rest of the wounded soldiers were much the same. Another one was asleep but the other three were still awake and looked happy that Derek had come by to check on them. Even better, Kimberly didn't have anything to do save check on their bandages and shift their bedding around. All of them looked well on the way to recovery and the expedition would stay casualty free...for now. Kimberly and Derek headed back to the front to let the soldiers sleep.

"That's everyone. Thank you for coming by to check on them, Derek, though... well it's none of my business," she said looking as if she had reconsidered something. She might not have said it, but Derek could guess what she wanted to say. It was one of the many issues she had with Darius...issues he couldn't fault her for.

"You think Darius should have been the one to do this," Derek said, expecting her to jump into one of her usual rants. However, Kimberly simply turned away and didn't say a word. Derek had been confused by Kimberly's mood before, but now he was downright bewildered. She had NEVER missed a chance to jump on Darius' case. Something was wrong, very wrong.

"Kimberly, what is wrong? Any other day you would have been chewing my ear off about how Darius failed these soldiers. What is going on?" Derek asked as he started to move around to her front. Kimberly stopped him, however, with a raised arm.

"Please leave, my patients need rest," Kimberly said with the same cold tone as before. Derek didn't want to leave it at that, but the cold glare she gave him made it obvious he would have too. He sighed to himself and grabbed his jacket before turning back to her. Kimberly, however, had already disappeared into the back of the tent. Derek frowned to himself before heading out of the tent.

Something had happened to Kimberly today, but Derek had no idea what it could be. It wasn't that people had been wounded, they were all recovering after all. Had Darius, finally, snapped on her when Derek hadn't been around? Not likely considering he never had before and she had questioned him much more...vehemently before. Whatever it was, it had hit her hard and she was not going to open up to Derek about it easily. He would have to remember to keep trying as the last thing they needed was her to start to fall apart.

Derek rubbed his head in worry as he headed back into the camp. He had been hoping this visit would have been a nice distraction from the mission and its problems. Instead, it just added yet another problem for Derek to keep track of. He groaned in annoyance and weariness as he made his way to his own tent. Perhaps tomorrow would see some of these problems solved rather than making new ones, though he didn't have much hope in that.

He was about halfway to his tent when he saw Sanders next to one of the last cook fires. Sanders took three pieces of meat from the fire before kicked over a bucket of water to put out the flames. He was about to head back toward Pyrrha when he noticed Derek. Derek keep going past Sanders and nodded a greeting to him. Sanders returned it the nod and the two of them started off in opposite directions.

"Commander," Sanders suddenly said getting Derek to stop and turn around.

"I...just wanted to say that you might want to go easy on Jacob. He did disobey orders, but he did it to come with you and to help us. There isn't a lot of people who would risk being severely punished just to put themselves into harm's way," Sanders said with a conflicted look. Derek was a bit surprised by those words, but managed to nod just the same. Sanders turned and headed off again as Derek rubbed his chin in thought.

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Sanders wasn't sure what brought that on. Gabby had told him about all the crap Darius, Derek, and Gerard had put Jacob through, but he should be glad the idiot was getting his due. However, he couldn't help but be somewhat impressed that Jacob had risked such punishment just to come with Samantha and his dad. Jackass or not, Sanders had to give credit where credit was due.

With his personal plea to Derek out of the way, Sanders headed straight back to Pyrrha. He had spent most of the night checking on Pyrrha's wound to make sure it was fully healed along with helping Jimmy go over the platform. So far, both looked good and ready for action, though Sanders had forgotten all about dinner. Thankfully, he had found one last fire still going and cooked up a piece for himself, one for Gabby, and another for Pyrrha. He would have offered to get one for Jimmy as well, but he found him with one already, though where he got it from was anyone's guess.

Sanders' heard Pyrrha sniffing the air before he was able to make her out in the darkness. He moved closer and was barely able to make out Pyrrha's massive head in the dark with Gabby leaning up against her cheek. Pyrrha began to lick her lips as Sanders moved toward them.

"Alright, about time. Thought I was going to have to eat Pyrrha if you didn't hurry," Gabby said as she moved up and snatched her piece from Sanders. Pyrrha didn't even glance at her as she, eagerly, waited for her own piece. Sanders tossed it a few feet away and let Pyrrha get it rather than suffer another blast from her mouth. Rather than gulp it down, though, Pyrrha started to lick the meat as if to savor its flavor. Neither Sanders nor Gabby did, however, as both began to dig into their meat.

"Needs...a little...steak sauce, but...other than that it's...great," Gabby said between bites. Sanders nodded his agreement and sighed to himself as he thought back to other little things he would love to have again.

"Be nice to have a cold glass of soda to go with it. And maybe some bad TV to watch," Sanders said as he thought back on some good times. Gabby nodded and stopped eating for a second.

"Have some good, properly made beer rather than this moonshine shit. Have an actual bed with covers and everything. Actually, fuck all that just some proper toilet paper would make me happy," Gabby said as she started to reminisce too. Sanders nodded his agreement on that as he took another bite.

"Personally, I would be happy if I just had proper tools rather than shit I had to throw together," Jimmy said from the side. Both Sanders and Gabby turned to see Jimmy appear out of the darkness and moving to join them.

"If you could make proper weapons with said tools I would be all for it," Gabby said as she kicked the rocket launcher she had been given. Even by the Phoenixes standards it was shit and looked more likely to explode than fire. Jimmy shrugged at that.

"Couldn't make top of the line military grade stuff, but I could certainly make better stuff than that. Now if I had the proper tools AND a proper fabrication center I could really make some fun stuff. But even if we did find one, which is highly unlikely, everything it made would be way too big for us. Surviving in the ruins of the old world would be a hell of a lot easier if everything wasn't a hundred times too big," Jimmy said with a depressed sigh. Sanders could imagine how frustrating it must be to need a wrench and there be plenty of them lying around, yet every one of them be useless. Gabby shook her head as she took another bite.

"Ye know...back when I was big I never even thought of shit like that. I guess I just figured people outside Atlanta had tools and other stuff like that because people inside had them. Guess it never occurred to me that they only had that because the Society made it," Gabby admitted with some embarrassment. Jimmy, though, just shrugged.

"I figure most people in Atlanta have no idea what it is like out here. If they did, I'd like to think they would do something to help us. But, considering they get all their information from the Society, they have no idea what it is like. All they see is the propaganda other bullshit that paints us as fucking monsters and the Society as saviours," Jimmy said with some bitterness in his voice. Sanders sighed at that, thinking back on when he thought the Resistance was the enemy. It seemed like it was some other life now, back when the Society were just and Isabella...and Flonne...and [i]Aviel[/i]... Sanders' hands tightened around his meat.

"They'll pay for it too, I swear they will. Those bastards are going to pay for every person they got killed because of their lies AND for making me think I was doing the right thing protecting them. They'll wish they'd never even thought of doing this shit when I am done with them and will be begging me to squish them just to end it. But fuck if I will, not after what they did to Isabella," Gabby said with barely restrained rage. Sanders loosened his grip on his meat as he looked at the rage on Gabby's face. If only she hadn't been shrunk...

Sanders glanced over at Jimmy to see his reaction and saw him look surprised. His surprise turned to a smile as he shook his head

"I almost half believe that when you say it. That are not a lot of people out here who still have that much fight in them. Course, we've been fighting this losing war for years now and only had dead friends and family to show for it. Kinda nice to see someone who still wants to take it to those bitches. Doubly so one who is so good lookin," Jimmy said with a weary, but sincere smile. Gabby's anger faded a bit as she looked over at Jimmy and raised her eyebrow at him. The two stared at one another for a moment before Jimmy looked away, cheeks going a bit red.

Jimmy turned and looked past Sanders as he tried to end the silence. Sanders followed Jimmy's eyes behind his shoulder and saw Pyrrha still licking her slice of meat. She, finally, scooped it up into her mouth and began to suck on it.

"Does...she usually do that?" Jimmy asked, though he didn't seem all that interested and was just trying to move the subject away from his clumsy hitting on. Sanders decided to help the guy out and answered.

"No, she usually just swallows whatever food is put in front of her without even chewing. However, she started doing that with cooked food a few weeks ago. I think she likes the taste of it so she is trying to stretch it out," Sanders said as Pyrrha, finally, swallowed the piece of meat down. She got a satisfied smile before stretching her back out a bit. As she did, Jimmy's eyes focused in on something near her chest.

"Wait, what is that?" Jimmy said as he pointed...at her breasts?

"Uhh...first off you mean what are those and second, are you serious?" Gabby answered looking a little angry. Jimmy groaned to himself and shook his head.

"No, not her breasts, that! On the string!" Jimmy said pointing again. Sanders looked around and, this time, managed to see a shape near Pyrrha' cleavage. It looked kinda like a dr-...

Sanders could have slapped himself as he remember what it was. Dammit, so much shit had been happening he had completely forgotten about that! Pyrrha finished her stretch and was starting to lay back down when Sanders jumped to his feet.

"No wait, Pyrrha. Stay there! Good girl," he said as he motioned for the two of them to come with him. Jimmy seemed a bit...apprehensive as they moved toward Pyrrha's perky breasts, but Gabby shoved him forward.

"They're just breasts, Jimmy, they don't bite...though I might," Gabby said as she gave him a look that made Jimmy gulp. Sanders smiled to himself as he neared the drum and saw it looked undamaged. Jimmy's nervousness at Gabby faded as he saw what it was.

"Holy shit, is that the ammo drum for that machine gun you brought?! Fuck, why the hell didn't you say you had this!" Jimmy said as he moved up to it and started to try and pull it down, apparently forgetting all about Gabby and the giant breasts. Sanders pushed him away before he managed to get himself crushed by it falling to the ground. He had Pyrrha lower herself down just enough to set the drum down before unhooking it from her rubber necklace.

"I meant to show it to you sooner, but stuff keep happening and I kinda forgot all about it," Sanders admitted as Gabby chuckled.

"Ha, idiot," she said as Jimmy ignored them both and looked it over.

"Bit weathered, but nothing I can't fix. Belt is ripped, but easy enough to repair. Ammo...still in working order. Hell, all it needs is a few little fixes and its ready to go. I got to get to work on this," Jimmy said as he lifted the drum up and started to carry it back to the camp.

"Cya...in the...morning," he grunted out as he moved off into the darkness toward the camp. Gabby sighed and went after him to help him carry it back. She caught up to him and gave him a slap on the rump and Sanders changed his mind on why she was going. Jimmy gave him a pleading look, but Sanders only waved. Sanders might be willing to face down a giantess, but he was not getting in the way of Gabby. He moved away from Pyrrha's chest to let her lean back down before heading over to finish his meal.

He picked up the meat and took a bite of it before shivering a bit from the cold. The wind was starting to pick up and sent a chill running through him. Sanders was about to grab his blanket when Pyrrha's massive hand appeared in front of him. He tried to cry out in alarm, but was scooped up before he could. His world tumbled a bit as he tried to get his bearings in her hand before being dumped back out in the cold. He stood back up just as Pyrrha's finger moved up to, softly, push him back into her cheek. Sanders took a moment to process what had happened before patting Pyrrha's finger.

"Next time you want to cuddle, give me some warning, Pyrrha. But, thanks," he said as he leaned back into her furry, warm, cheek. Her fingers wrapped lightly around him to give him some "covers" and Sanders ate the last of his dinner in relative comfort. With his dinner done, he nuzzled into Pyrrha's cheek and the welcome warmth of his skin.

"Good night, Pyrrha," he said as he gave a yawn.

"Goo...od night," Pyrrha repeated with a bit of difficulty. Sanders thought about worrying about that, but decided it was too late to deal with anymore shit. It could wait till morning and when he wasn't so comfortable.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

January 30, 2024  5:04 AM

"-ke up..." Hmm? Did someone say something?

"-ake.." That sure did sound like someone, but it was probably a dream. Or maybe Pyrrha had learned a new word and was trying it ou-

"WAKE UP!" a voice yelled as Sanders snapped awake with a start. His hand went down to where his mace should have been, but stopped as it bumped into Pyrrha's huge fingers. He looked around in confusion and tried to blink his eyes into focus. The form of Gerard slowly came into view as his eyes cleared.

"Gerard? What the he-" he started to say before Gerard interrupted him.

"No time to explain, Sanders. We need you and Pyrrha up and ready to go now. Come on, up!" Gerard said as he grabbed Sanders arm and started to pull him away from Pyrrha. Sanders stammered out a what before Gerard began to haul him out. However, Sanders only got a few inches before Pyrrha's fingers tightened around him, pinning him back in place. Gerard cursed as he started to try and pull Pyrrha's fingers away, and failed miserably at it.

"Wait, Gerard, GERARD! What the hell is going on?" Sanders said, getting him to stop fighting the losing battle with Pyrrha's fingers. Gerard stopped and took a second to rub his own eyes before he answered.

"Fine, fine, answers first, not like we are in a rush. Ollie got a coded signal on the radio from the northern watchposts. A Society convey just passed our southern watchposts and is heading up I-75. I don't think I need to tell you where Darius thinks they are heading," Gerard said looking very impatient. Sanders sleep addled mind took a second to proce- OH SHIT!

"Fuck, Pyrrha! PYRRHA, WAKE UP!" Sanders yelled as Pyrrha groaned in annoyance. He yelled up at her a few more times before her fingers moved up to cover his head, muffling his yells. Sanders grumbled to himself before taking out his knife and poking Pyrrha's finger with it. Pyrrha's finger jerked away from the knife as she let out a low hiss. Sanders ignored her hissing as he scrambled out of her reach and stopped beside Gerard.

"I'll...I'll get her up, you should head back and help get the camp broken down," Sanders said as he tried to shake off the last of his sleepiness. Gerard nodded and looked more than happy to leave Pyrrha to him. Looking up at her huge form, he could understand why.

"Alright, make sure she is ready to go when we are," Gerard said as he went running back toward the camp. Sanders didn't bother watching him as he stared up at Pyrrha's huge face. Ugh...getting her up the first morning had been bad enough, but this... The sun wasn't even starting to rise for fuck's sake! But, he had to wake her or they might be too late getting to Lindale.

Sanders moved to Pyrrha's face and nudged her a few times.

"Pyrrha, PYRRHA! WAKE UP DAMMIT!" he said as he tried to shove her awake Pyrrha groaned a bit and her mouth opened a little. Sanders got a worried look before Pyrrha's tongue came out to lick him before going back in its home. Sanders cursed to himself as he tried to wipe the slobber off.

"Dammit, GET UP! I said, WAKE UP!" Sanders said as he punched her nose. Pyrrha gave a low hiss and her eyes opened a crack. They glanced down at him and Sanders started to yell at her again. Suddenly, her finger moved forward and shoved Sanders over, knocking the breath from him. He tried to get back up, but Pyrrha's finger pressed down on him and pinned him to the ground. With that done, Pyrrha's eyes closed and she shifted around a bit as she went back to sleep. Sanders had never felt so ineffective in his entire life.

He tried to push against Pyrrha's finger, but the huge thing wouldn't budge. Even though it was just her finger, it was still far too big for him to have any chance of moving it. He cursed to himself as he tried to find his knife. He cursed, again, when he saw it laying just out of his reach. Dammit, he must have dropped it when Pyrrha knocked him over.

"Having some trouble there, pipsqueak?" Gabby said. Sanders looked up and saw Gabby standing a few inches in front of his head. She looked more like the Gabby he had known from this vantage; towering, imposing, and larger than life, but still not as big as she had been. Despite himself, he couldn't help but enjoy this view a bit, though he had no time to take it in. Sanders sighed as he nodded.

"Yeah, I'm trying to wake up Pyrrha but...well," Sanders motioned to the finger keeping him pinned to the ground. Gabby chuckled a bit and shook her head at Sanders.

"So much for being the catgirl tamer, huh? Alright, let's get you out," Gabby said as she moved to the side of Pyrrha's finger. She bent down and grabbed hold of one side while Sanders did his best to grab that side as well. Gabby counted down to three and they both grunted as they strained to lift Pyrrha's finger. Sanders had to fight the urge to stare as Gabby's muscles began to bulge out a bit and her raw strength was put on display. Damn, he doubted anyone, save maybe Derek, could outmuscle her. Sanders shook his head as he tried to focus on his upper head and getting out of this mess.

After a bit of struggling, the two of them started to make the finger shift. Sanders slide his way to the side before rolling away just as Gabby let it fall back down. The finger tapped down onto the ground as both he and Gabby gasped for breath.

"Damn...that was...a good morning...workout. Who needs dumbbells with..her around?" Gabby said before shaking her arms. Sanders stayed on the ground and nodded, but hadn't gotten enough breath back to talk. It was easy to forget just how powerful Pyrrha was and how easy it would be for her to kill them if she wanted to. Sanders would have preferred not to have been reminded of that by having her finger pin him down.

"Alright enough...playing around," Gabby said as she took one last big breath. She moved to Pyrrha's face and grabbed hold of a bit of her hair. She dug her feet into Pyrrha's skin and started to climb up the side of Pyrrha's head, using her hair as rope. She was about halfway up when Sanders had caught enough of his breath back to stand. He moved to Pyrrha's head and got below Gabby in case she fell. He...wasn't really sure he would be able to catch her,but at least he could do...something. And it, of course, had nothing to do with the fact he could stare up at her toned rear.

Thankfully(or unthankfully), Sanders didn't have to get a close up of said rear as Gabby made it up onto Pyrrha's head without too much trouble. Gabby vanished from sight and Sanders moved to try and see her again. He moved around to the front of Pyrrha's face and saw Gabby walked along Pyrrha's head. She gave Sanders a wicked grin before moving to one of Pyrrha's ears. Oh no... she wouldn't...

"HEY! WAKE UP NOW, SOLDIER!" Gabby yelled straight into Pyrrha's ear. Pyrrha's eyes shot open as she yelped in pain. One of her hands shot up and clamped down on the ear Gabby had yelled into. Sanders spine went cold as his eyes widened in horror, only for it to go away as Gabby came staggering back up. She had managed to dodge the hand, but looked a bit shaken from how close it was. She glanced back at Sanders and tried to hide the shock with a cocky smile. Sanders just groaned in relief and annoyance.

Pyrrha rubbed her ear for a second before her hand moved to where Gabby was. Gabby tried to avoid it, but wasn't quick enough, this time, and it snatched her up. Pyrrha brought the hand down to her face and held Gabby right in front of her. She hissed very loudly at Gabby as the woman winced in pain from the noise.

"PYRRHA! Stop it!" Sanders yelled at her once her hiss was done. Pyrrha glared down at Sanders in a way she never had before and Sanders felt a bit of fear pass through him. What the...she had ne- was as far as Sanders got before he was knocked over from behind. He thudded to the ground and tried to get up, but was pushed back down as he felt one of the fingers from Pyrrha's other hand press into his back. It wasn't hard enough to hurt him, but it was more than enough to keep him on the ground. Dammit not again!

"Pyrrha! No, bad! Stop it, right now and let me up!" he yelled at her, but Pyrrha ignored him.  What the hell was going on and what the hell had gotten into her?! Pyrrha turned back to Gabby and opened her mouth. Sanders eyes widened as Gabby's look of surprised turned to a glare. Pyrrha's mouth closed and opened again a few times before she made a few strange noises. Finally, she took in a big breath of air.

"WAKE UP!!!!!!" she bellowed right at Gabby with enough force to blow Gabby back a bit. The force hit Sanders as well and caused him to jerk back before the sound nearly burst his ear drums. He clamped his hands over his ears and cried in pain as Pyrrha's voice nearly deafened him. A low ringing filled Sanders ears as the noise died down. Gabby was hanging limply from Pyrrha's fingers, her face looking the other way. Pyrrha lowered her down and put her on the ground before letting go of Sanders. She brought her hands under her chin and huffed like an angry child.

Sanders staggered to his feet, still a bit shaken and dazed by the sheer sonic force he had been hit with. The ringing in his ears slowly faded as noises began to come back. He moved over to Gabby and turned her over and saw blood pooling out of her ears. She blinked a few times at him and looked to be in shock. Sanders cursed as he shook her a bit, trying to get her to snap out of it. She shook her head and seemed to come back as she looked around a bit.

"HOLY SHIT...REMIND ME NOT TO YELL INTO HER EAR AGAIN!" Gabby yelled, before chuckling a bit. Sanders let out a relieved breath as he realized she was alright, save for the busted eardrums. He helped her back to her feet as Pyrrha glared angrily at her.

"I GUESS I DESERVED THAT. I FORGOT CATGIRLS HAVE MORE SENSITIVE HEARING SO THAT PROBABLY WAS LIKE USING AN AIR HORN IN SOMEONE'S EAR. GRANTED, THAT IS FUNNY, BUT IT IS A DICK MOVE!" Gabby continued to yell, apparently, unaware of how loud she was being.

"Gabby, stop yelling. I am right here," Sanders said as he started to move toward Pyrrha.

"WHAT!?" Gabby yelled nearly causing Sanders to jump. Oh great, now she couldn't hear... Fuck he should have told her to let him wake Pyrrha up. Rather than trying to talk to the deaf person, Sanders just motioned for her to be quiet. She gave him a what look, but he just shushed her. She crossed her arms in anger but keep quiet, for now. With her no longer shouting, Sanders moved over to Pyrrha.

"Sorry, Pyrrha, but you really wouldn't wake up. Would have preferred to try something less...direct before stooping to that, but we do need you awake. The Society are heading to Lindale and we need to get there as soon as possible. I know you are tired, but this is what we were striving for all this time. Just one last push and we will be there, OK?" Sanders said as he petted Pyrrha's cheek. Pyrrha glared at him, but her look slowly softened as he talked. She looked down at him for a second before nuzzling into him and purring.

"That's my girl. OK, lets get to Lindale, find what Manchent left, and make the Society pay," Sanders said as Pyrrha gave a happy meow in response. She rubbed against him a little before a voice distracted them both.

"A nice speech. Pity it was wasted on her," Darius said from behind Sanders. Sanders turned around as Pyrrha glanced up at him. Darius was moving toward them with Derek and a few soldiers in tow. Despite the early hours, neither Derek nor Darius showed any sign of being tired.  As always, Pyrrha pulled back a little as Darius came closer to them. Gabby followed their gaze and saw them coming as well. Thankfully, she simply stayed put with her arms crossed and didn't look interested in talking to them.

"Guessing you are here because of the...yelling," Sanders said, knowing full well that was an understatement. Gabby was yelling, Pyrrha had...he wasn't sure there was a word for it.

"Yes and no. We were heading this way before Pyrrha gave us a very...effective wake up call. I can imagine anyone who wasn't awake in the camp is now, so thanks for that. What I really came here for is to discuss our approach to Lindale," Darius said as he got a dead serious look on his face. Sanders got his own as he realized what that meant. They were not going to get to Lindale before the Society so they needed to come up with a way to slip in.

"Gerard told me the news. Waltzing in is out of the question, now, though we still need to try," Sanders said as Darius nodded.

"Indeed it is. And don't worry, we have come too far now to turn back without even trying. We will get to Lindale, it is getting in and searching it that will be...difficult," Darius said as he moved a bit closer to Sanders. Pyrrha backed away as he did.

"Well, if we took off the platform we might be able to slip in on Pyrrha. Have her act like she is just another catgirl wandering around the area," Sanders suggested. Darius, however, shook his head.

"Sadly, that isn't possible. We don't have the equipment to take it off her and putting it back on would be even more difficult. Besides, only a few of us would be able to go with her and the rest would be left near defenseless," Darius said looking a bit sad. Sanders nodded in agreement as he remembered the huge scaffolding thing that was needed to put the platform on. And leaving that many people just sitting around waiting to be found was unacceptable.

Sanders rubbed his chin in thought before glancing up at Darius. Darius was staring at him, as if waiting for something, though Sanders didn't know what. Or maybe it was the blood that was still leaking out of his ear. Suddenly, a thought came to Sanders as he thought of something, or rather someone.

"Why not send William in?" Sanders said as he remembered William was supposed to be a scout just like Lindsey. Darius frowned at that idea while Derek seemed to smirk a bit.

"I do not thi-" Darius started to say before Derek interrupted.

"Darius..." Derek said as Darius glared back at him. Darius' shoulders slumped a little before he sighed to himself.

"Fine, we will send William in first to check things out. Make sure you stop us somewhere out of sight, Sanders. Whatever we do, we cannot afford to be seen before we know where to search," Darius said before walking off to Pyrrha's side. Derek had a smug smile on his face and, for once, seemed happy with what Sanders had said. The other soldier fell in and followed them.

With Darius gone, Pyrrha relaxed and nuzzled into Sanders a bit. He patted her cheek before turning to Gabby.

"Can you hear yet?" he asked as Gabby rubbed some of the blood from her ears onto his sleeves. Ugh...

"What?!" she said a bit louder than normal, but nowhere near as loud. Guess not, but at least it was an improvement. He just waved her over and Pyrrha lifted them both up onto her head, though she eyed Gabby while she did. Samantha had to take her old place since Gabby was now useless, but Sanders kinda preferred her there anyway. It took another two or three minutes for the all clear signal to be given.

They still had nearly a full day before they reached Lindale, while the Society would be there in a few hours. Sanders cursed to himself as he willed Pyrrha to go just a bit faster. Every second they delayed was another second the Society got ahead of them.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Samantha had to fight off a yawn as she tried to keep her exhaustion from showing. They had ridden Pyrrha the entire day without any breaks or rest in their mad dash for Lindale. Not even their need for food allowed them to stop. Instead, Darius had ordered them to eat the last of their rations which didn't require them to stop to cook. Eating while trying to hold on was anything but comfortable, but they had endured. Still, it was better than poor Pyrrha who had to keep moving and only got to eat what was on their way.

Despite all that, it was still late into the night when they arrived near Lindale. Sanders stopped Pyrrha behind a small hill that overlooked Lindale to hide them and give them a good vantage point. Poor Pyrrha had flopped to the ground, utterly exhausted and unwilling to go any further. She went straight to sleep and Sanders had made it obvious waking her was out of the question. With Pyrrha down for the count, everyone else spread out around her to make a perimeter. It wasn't the best place to stay long term, but it would have to do for tonight. Even if Pyrrha had been able to go, Samantha doubted most of the Expedition could.

Nearly everyone was tired, sore, and hungry. Their mad dash had left them all drained and almost no one had volunteered for first watch. Derek had to pick people out for the duty thanks to that and Jacob had, of course, been picked. Samantha, however, had gotten a free pass from that duty. Instead, she was put in charge of Pyrrha while Sanders went to talk with Darius and the rest.

Samantha glanced back at Pyrrha and smiled at her sleeping form. Despite how huge Pyrrha was, she still looked disgustingly cute asleep. Her ears would twitch every so often and she would mumble noises as well. Samantha patted her cheek and Pyrrha instinctively purred.

"Poor girl. So tired you can't even stay awake. Well, you have done your part, Pyrrha. We'll handle the rest so rest up and enjoy your dreams," Samantha softly said. Pyrrha shifted a little and mumbled a little to herself again.

"Amaow," she said before falling back into her sleep. Samantha patted her cheek one last time before leaving Pyrrha to sleep.

Samantha moved to a nearby stump and was about to sit down on it when she noticed someone heading toward them. She squinted a bit and managed to tell it was Sanders coming toward them. She sighed as she debating sitting down anyway, but decided to stay standing.

Samantha waved to him as Sanders moved closer. Sanders, however, didn't return the wave and had a grim look on his face. Samantha stopped her wave as a bit of worry crept up her. Had they been discovered? No, he wouldn't be calmly walking toward her if that had happened.

"What happened?" Samantha asked in worry. Sanders looked at her and sighed before shaking his head. He looked to debate whether to tell her or not, but settled on something after a second.

"Darius wants groups sent out to recon the area immediately. He wanted you to be part of one of the groups," Sanders said with an angry look. Samantha, however, was surprised and...well she wasn't sure what.

She was excited because this was a chance show what she was made of to Gabby and Darius, thus moving closer to her dream. Worried, because...well the chances of running into the Society was rather high. She had been at this long enough to know just how dangerous any mission with them was. If she got herself killed and left Jacob behind... But Darius was their leader and she knew her duty.

"I'll go report to him, then. And don't worry about me, just try to get some sleep. You and Pyrrha have earned it," Samantha said with her best sincere smile. She meant it as both of them had worn themselves ragged to get them here. And that was another reason for her to take this mission. How could she let them run themselves to near exhaustion and not follow suite?

Sanders didn't look happy with that, but Samantha didn't give him a chance to argue. She turned toward the command tent and headed that way. She glanced back at Sanders and saw him slump with a shake of his head. He turned back to Pyrrha and vanished into the darkness.

The area around Pyrrha's sleeping form was nearly pitch black. The moon wasn't even half out tonight and gave the bare minimum of light to see by. Samantha could see well enough to avoid running into anything, but anything further than a few meters was hidden in the darkness. The "camp", though it was more just a perimeter around Pyrrha, was devoid of any light sources, noise, or anything that would draw attention. There would be no cooking, talking, or anything tonight save a tense wait till morning, filled with private prayers and hopes that they would not be found.

Samantha hadn't been the only one Darius had asked for. A large number of people, most of which were from other squads, came to the tent as well. As they approached, Gerard or Derek separated them out into four groups. Gerard sent her to the far left group along with ten others. Seven of the people were from other squads, but both Susan and Luke were sent her way. She didn't mind Susan but she nearly left when Luke came. He winked at her and it was all she could do not to punch him.

Once everyone was separated into four groups of, roughly, equal numbers, Derek and Gerard moved to join Darius, William, and three other people, two of which were women. They all wore fur cloaks that had been covered in mud, roots, and twigs. Their faces had been smeared in some kind of dark mud, or she hoped was mud, and had bows rather than guns. They were, obviously, scouts and William looked to have put on much the same stuff.

"If anyone here feels they are too tired to carry out a recon operation that can NOT be discovered, please say so now. It will not be held against you nor will anyone here judge you. We have all had a long string of days and even myself and Derek are on our last legs," Darius said with an unusually sympathetic look. In fact, as she looked closer she could see just how exhausted both Darius and Derek looked. They were hiding it well, but the signs were there and both looked in desperate need of sleep.

A few people looked to consider the offer and glanced between each other. Susan didn't seem fazed in the least, but Luke seemed less than sure of this. However, no one stepped back or showed any sign of backing down. Darius looked over all of them before nodding to himself.

"Very well, though I think some might change their mind once they hear the mission. Despite the hill behind us giving us a good viewing area, we are still painfully unaware of the current situation in Lindale. Therefore, we are sending four recon groups in each cardinal direction, that is north, south, etc..." Darius said as he looked to get a second wind.

"Each group will have a different task depending on which way they are going. Southern group," Darius turned to the far right group," will be lead by Hannah. Your task is simple, make sure we didn't leave a trail that could lead anyone to us, find out if the Marauders are still active in the area, and make sure the Society is not moving to cut us off in case we need to retreat." Hannah and the soldiers nodded as Sanders turned to the next group.

"Western group will be lead by Benjamin. Your task is to see if there is any Society activity to our west, find us a more permanent hiding place, and to secure as much food as possible," Darius said getting a nod from the group. Darius turned to the group beside theirs and gave them the same stern stare. Derek and William, however, seemed to darken.

"Northern group will be lead by Christa. Your tasks will be more...dangerous than the previous groups. You are to move along the western border of Lindale toward a large mountain range. From there, you are to gather as much information as possible on their activities, numbers, and anything else of importance. Once you have the information, you are to return here and report your findings," Darius said with a cold look. William coughed to himself and got Darius to glance back at him. He gave William a nasty look before turning back.

"It...is possible the mountain is already in the hands of the Society and that their patrols may pass through the area you need to cross. This is a very dangerous mission, but that mountain is the only place to get a complete view of the town. We need that intel," Darius said with an even colder look than before. The soldiers in the group looked between each other, but no one raised a complaint. They had all seen people be giving missions like this before, after all.

With that done, it was their turn. Samantha gulped down her worry and fear as Darius eyes settled on them.

"Eastern group will be lead by William. Your task is to move along the southern edge of Lindale and look for a route into the town. You are NOT to use it yet. Instead, we simply need its location and how best to get there. A path that Pyrrha can use as well would be best, but not required," Darius said as his eyes seemed to drift toward William. Samantha had to force herself to nod as her mind realized just how dangerous this was. They were going to be skirting the Society's lines looking for the very thing the Society will be trying to make impossible. Worse, catmonsters and fairies were undoubtedly going to be filling the area and fighting them would only draw more of them! Shit..maybe she should have backed out.

"There is one more thing, and this applies to all groups. If any of you are spotted by the Society, you are ordered to die," Darius said with an edge in his voice. Samantha's eyes widened in shock along with nearly everyone as that order came down. Die? He was ordering them to DIE?!?!

"I know that may seem harsh to you, but it is necessary to protect the rest of us. If even one of you escape, the Society will begin searching for you and will, likely, find us. If such should happen, we will all die. Therefore, your survival rests on your ability to remain hidden. With that in mind, I will ask again if anyone wishes to back out," Darius said as her edged voice became softer and kinder.

Samantha felt a bit of fear enter her at Darius' words. Going blind into Society territory and being ordered to die if they were spotted. This was as close to a suicide mission one could get without it actually being one. Samantha had wanted to prove herself to be tough and that she could measure up to Gabriella and Jessica...but this...

Wait...what was she thinking? Of course she could do this! Gabriella had faced down a feral by herself and Jessica had keep both of them alive despite having nothing but her own wits to use. Compared to that, this would be easy! She was not going to back down, not when she had finally found a mission worth risking her life for! She was going to show them what she could do!

Samantha didn't budge, but two people from her group, along with about five others scattered amongst the other groups, backed away. Darius nodded for them to leave and they all headed back toward Pyrrha without a word. No one in the group gave them judgmental stares or looked angry with them. How could they be? Luke looked about to follow them, but glanced over to Samantha and stayed put. Ugh...

"Very well, the rest of you are now under the orders of the scout in charge of your group Follow their orders as if they were my own and remember my last order. Good luck," Darius said as his stern look came back. They all saluted and nodded in understanding. Darius motioned for the scouts to takeover before he and Derek headed into the command tent. Derek gave Samantha a long, hard look before going in as well. Samantha wondered what he would tell Jacob if... Her thoughts were interrupted as William stepped forward. He looked them over as he stroked his big beard.

"Seen better, but seen worse too. Would have preferred to use trained scouts, but we need the few we have to lead the other groups. So, you eight are just going to have to learn to be scouts quicker than most. Don't worry, though, I've been teaching people how to be one for a long time," William said with a big, bright smile. It was kinda jarring how different that was after all the glares and stares Darius had given.

"First off, yes we are going in blind, but us scouts do that all the time. For us, its nothing new and I'm an old hat at it so don't go worrying yourself to death over that. Just stay alert, follow my orders, and keep hidden and we will all be back here before sunrise. Hopefully, those lucky Wester bastards will have caught us breakfast by then, too," William said with an easy confidence that made Samantha feel better about this. A lot better, actually. He made it sound so easy... She glanced around and saw the same effect on the others, save Susan who still had a cold glare on.

"Good, now those are some confident looks. Confidence is the first half of any fight, you youngsters remember that. Now, let's get moving so we can get this over with. I'm not as young as I used to be and I am in dire need for my bed," William said with a cheerful smile. Samantha had to fight not to chuckle at him as he motioned for them to fall in. The group did as they were told and fell into a typical spread out formation. William glanced back at them and seemed pleased with it. They moved out and got just out of sight of the tent when William, suddenly, stopped.

"Oh and about that order to die if you are spotted, ignore it. No one is dying on this mission, unless its me from old age, understood?" William asked with the same confident smirk. There was a moment of worried silence as everyone looked between each other. Did he just...tell them to disobey Darius?

"Darius did say to follow his orders like they were his own," Luke offered with a shrug. Susan glared at Luke, but he just gave her a "just saying" look.

"That's a good man. Now, come on and remember, no dying. Get hurt all you want, but it is going to be awfully embarrassing if this old man has to drag your wounded self back," William said as he started forward again. Samantha was more than a bit...odded out by how William acted, but he did seem confident. And he was one of the oldest and more experienced scouts they had... Samantha sighed to herself as she thought back to Jacob. She hoped William was more than just show, for their sakes.

Meeting of Phoenix Leaders: Topic-Sanders and Gabriella

Time: Late Night, Pyrrha has stopped for the night after fleeing Marauders:

Darius: "We will be stopping here for the night. Gerard, I want you to get people working on the fire pits you and Jimmy thought up ASAP. We will need to get them ready now so our soldiers can sleep with some food in their stomachs."

Gerard: "Yes, sir. I'll go round up some workers."

Gerard leaves.

Darius: "Good. We will, also, need a perimeter watch set up in case the Marauders manage to find us or the cooking food lures a feral to us. William, I want you to set it up. Make sure its far enough out to give us a few minutes to prepare."

William: "Right. Don't suppose you mind if I use your son, right Derek?"

Derek: "He's in your charge for tonight, William. Do what you want."

William nods and leaves.

Derek: "What are we going to do about that woman and Sanders? William can't watch the perimeter and watch them."

Jimmy: "How about I watch them? I need to go over the platform to make sure it isn't damaged anyway. I could ask Sanders for help and keep them apart."

Darius: "That will work well. Get to it Jimmy."

Jimmy leaves.

Darius: "Make sure you check on our wounded, Derek. We are getting close to Lindale and I have a feeling we will need everyone if we are to succeed there."

Derek: "Yes, sir. I'll check on them once the camp is set up."

Darius: "Good...and let Kimberly vent at you if need be. We are going to need her as well..."

End of Meeting.

Meeting 2: Topic-Radio signal

Time: Late into night after Marauder attack.

Ollie: "I'm more than sure, sir. It is the signal you said to send if a Society convey started up I-75. I made sure it repeated four times before telling you.

Darius: "...Very well. Thank you, Ollie."

Ollie leaves.

Derek: "What are we going to do now? There is no way we can beat the Society to Lindale."

Darius: "No we cannot. However, we cannot turn back either. Sanders would not accept that and we cannot afford to lose him and Pyrrha. We have little choice but to try and get into Lindale."

Gerard: "By the time we get there that place will be crawling with Society. How the hell are we supposed to get in?"

Silence for few seconds.

Derek: " We could see if any of our scouts could find a way inside. Maybe William?"

Darius: "Not William. He will screw the mission up and reveal our presence. We need someone else."

Derek: "There is no one else with his skill. With Lindsey dead, no one can match him."

Darius and Derek get into staring match, neither backs down.

Jimmy: "Why don't we have a tie breaker? Just go ask Sanders what he wants to do and go with that. We are going to Lindale mostly because of him anyway."

Derek:"...Fair enough."

End meeting