Clouds of Tyranny Page 20

  Ray and Locke were in the dining room, Locke had all his knives on the table in front of him and Ray had a few wrenches and screwdrivers using them to adjusting his armbow. When Smith and Terra walked in they looked up as they did whenever anyone entered HQ; out of instinct. Ray was confused, “Why are you wet? Is it raining? This time of year?” “It is now,” smiled Smith patting Terra on the back. Locke looked at Smith and gave him a disagreeing nod knowing what he had done. Terra sat down and began regaling them with her newfound ability to alter weather patterns as Smith retired to his room. “It’s amazing that if I will it, plants will never die,” said Terra gleefully. “I’ll be back,” said Locke getting up from his seat. Locke did a jog for the ‘Returners’ door and slammed it open and chased after Smith. “What’s with him?” asked Terra. “He’s Locke,” shrugged Ray, “So, I heard you flew in Sandria.”

  “Hold on, YOU!” yelled Locke down the hall at Smith. Smith stopped dead in his tracks knowing what was to come, “What is it Locke?” Locke ran past him and turned around to face him, “Where do you get off using your powers and trying to pass them off as hers?” “She needs the confidence. She has the ability, but lacks the esteem. If she believes, she achieves,” said Smith like he was giving a sermon. Locke began clapping sarcastically at Smith’s words, “Nice one. You know who you sound like? Luther! Words with no meaning from a mouth of lies! Your giving her a false ego.” Locke stormed back down the hall as Smith went into is room, he cringed at the realization that this wasn’t the end of this conversation or the end of their war with each other; good thing they’re on the same side.

  When Locke walked into the dining area, his face was red with anger as he seethed over the words with Smith. Terra was examining one of his knives when he walked back over to his seat and sat down, she was mimicking a throwing motion, wondering how Locke did what he does. Locke looked into Terra’s eyes and couldn’t bear to tell her the truth about the rain, “So, the skills are improving?” “Yeah, but…” “But what?” inquired Locke. “How am I going to fight if I have to concentrate so hard?” asked Terra seeming a bit flustered at the idea of being killed while she focused on a fire spell. “He’s trying to turn you into a sorceress when you should be concentrating on the small stuff,” said Locke trying to calm himself. “Like what?” asked Terra listening intently. “How about the ‘pull’ trick?” suggested Ray tightening a screw on his armbow. ”‘Pull’?” asked Terra. “Yeah,” said Locke taking the knife from her hand and standing up, “Take it.” Locke placed the dagger on his open palm with it’s handle pointing towards Terra “I’m sorry,” said Terra raising an eyebrow. Locke took five steps back, “Use your power to disarm me. Open your hand and ‘pull’ the blade from my hand with your mind.” Terra looked at Ray who had stopped what he was doing, then looked back at Locke. She exhaled and pointed her open hand in his direction like she was about to catch a ball. The knife flew from Locke’s grasp and twirled through the air towards her hand. “OWW!” screamed Terra as the blade fell on the tabletop. She closed her hand as blood ran from her palm out through her fingers, she then realized she was only concentrating on ‘pulling’ the dagger and not ‘pulling it straight’. Terra’s teeth and lips pressed together hard out of pain. “Maybe I should start with something soft,” said Terra looking at her bloody hand. “Good idea,” said Locke feeling bad, “Go see the Doc for some ointment.” Terra nodded and walked toward the infirmary not picking her head up from her bloody hand. Locke watched Terra walk into the infirmary door and felt bad, but it needed to be taught. “Nice work Locke,” chuckled Ray, “Don’t give me any advice okay?” “Not like you’d take it,” said Locke as his eyes shifted to Ruthie, Eve, and Alex walking into the dining area from the women’s dorm.

  “Ah!” screamed Terra at the sting of the aqua colored paste as the Doc rubbed it on her cut. “Just be glad you don’t need stitches,” said the Doc holding her hand with his left palm. He extended his right hand to Bridget who was handing him a roll of white gauze. Bridget was of the same body type as Terra with short cropped blonde hair, narrow eyes, and full lips. “Do stitches hurt?” asked Terra. “Only going in. Unless they get yanked out by accident,” answered the Doc as he pulled the gauze around her palm very tight. “I had stitches once,” said Helena from the back, “ I was so paranoid, I didn’t open my hand till it was time to have them removed.” Helena was a short husky girl with auburn hair and chubby cheeks. The Doc pinned the gauze in place and stood up, “Helena, bring the pills. We’ll go distribute them among the soldiers now. Bridget, get the supplies together.” Helena and the Doc left the room with two large bottles of oval pills. “Nervous?” asked Bridget at Terra. “A little. Are you going?” “I have to, Doc needs me and Helena.” “Is it true you used to date Locke?” “Yes, but it didn’t work out like I had hoped. But, we’re still friends.” “He’s with that new girl now.” “What girl?” “Alex, the horse trainer from Pan’dier.” “Oh, the redhead. Not exactly his type, but whatever.” “What do you mean? What’s his type?” “You know, like us. Not fat, but not all skin and bones either. You know…healthy.” “Oh,” said Terra blushing at the fact that she could have had Locke or WILL.

  Locke stared at Ruthie from the table waiting for her to notice him looking at her, she caught him looking and could tell by the look on his face that he had something to say to her. “I’ll be right back,” said Ruthie to Eve and Alex and walked over to where Locke was standing. “Ready for the trip,” asked Ruthie with a huge smile on her face, obviously ready for this battle. “Can we talk?” asked Locke seriously. “Sure,” bubbled Ruthie. Locke looked over to the kitchen that was now empty of any cooks or cleaners, “Over there…in private.” Ruthie did a half frown and followed Locke over to the kitchen as Eve, Ray, and Alex watched. “What’s going on, Ray?” asked Alex referring to Locke. “Don’t know.”

  “Ruthie?” asked Locke looking into her eyes. “What’s wrong, Locke? You look upset.” “I don’t want you to go.” “Huh?” “I want you to stay behind for this one.” “No, Locke. Don’t even try. I’m going. How am I supposed to prove myself as a Returner and get my own room if I don’t go on this one.” “I have a bad feeling.” “Oh really? Err! I knew you’d do this,” scoffed Ruthie as she turned to face the dining room and yelled, “Hey everyone! Abort the mission! Locke’s got a feeling!” She turned back to and gave him a nasty look. “Ruthie, that’s an order. You’ll stay behind and wait for survivors.” “That’s bullshit! I don’t answer to you! You think you’re my father all of a sudden?” “You may not be my child, but I am your dad.” “Errr! I’m not seven anymore Locke! I’m a young woman now, I can make my own choices.” “Even if they’re the wrong ones?” “That’s right, you bastard, even if they’re wrong! That’s how people learn.” Ruthie pulled her own hair and began to turn his back to him. He grabbed her by the arm before she could get away and jerked her back, “That’s how you DIE!” She slapped him on his left cheek as hard as she could, so hard her fingers stung and his face had a red mark above the beard line. She was shocked at her own action, but did not show it. He glared at her in anger so fiercely that she thought he was going to hit her back, “You ARE still a child.” “I have killed, had sex, and traveled thousands of miles.” “You think that makes you an adult, Ruthie?” said Locke laughing at her ignorance. She scoffed and turned and began walking away. “Ruth-Angela, please,” said Locke in a monotone voice begging without using body language. She turned just her head to look at him remember the last time he called her by her real name; she was nine. “I love you more than I could ever love my own child, or a lover, or the Returners even.” Her eyes began to moisten with forming tears, “I’m sorry.” He watched his Ruth Angel run through the dining area and back toward the dorm for a good cry. Locke walked back to the table and gathered his cleaned daggers. “Are you okay?” asked Alex who was now standing behind him. He didn’t look to her as he packed up his weaponry, “She doesn’t slap very hard.” “That’s not what I
meant.” He picked up his rollaway knife holder and turned to her, “Let’s talk in my room.”

  Locke walked into his room followed by Alex in tow. She shut the door slowly and looked to Locke for some sort of explanation. Locke turned to look at her as she sat on his bed with her hands folded in her lap. He pointed at the wall, “I remember when she was a year old and took her first steps with me guiding her. The first time she said ‘I love you’ to me. When she was six and we left Listka and all we had were each other. Pneumonia when she was nine. We joined the Returners together, and now she wont do one little thing for me.” “What did you ask her to do?” asked Alex. “For her to skip this battle.” “What?” “I have a feeling that something bad is gonna happen and even if it doesn’t she shouldn’t be exposed to the blood shed that is likely to happen. I don’t think she can handle seeing her friends be killed before her eyes.” “You actually think she hasn’t thought about that?” said Alex standing up from the bed, “That’s WHY she wants to go, Locke. She’s a young woman that needs to experience this. Ruthie craves power and a big victory will give her that power; it’ll make her feel strong.” “She’s only fifteen. She’s still a child,” sighed Locke. “Only to you. When I look at her, I see a strong dangerous woman capable of anything. When you look at her, you see that little toddler holding your hand as she took her first steps.” Locke shook his head, “Maybe your right. Damn, twenty-seven and I have a fifteen year old daughter.” “If it helps, you look older with the beard,” flirted Alex approaching him and putting her hands on his chest. Locke smiled as he looked into her eyes, “What a couple: I look thirty-five and you look twenty-two.” She moved her mouth close to his till he could feel her breath as she whispered, “When I’m actually older than you.” Locke moved in closer to touch her lips with his and instantly slipped his tongue inside her mouth as he took down his pants; this night he was feeling only lust. Alex looked down and grinned devilishly, “Mmm, don’t mind if I do.” She kneeled down and began licking Locke’s penis as he stood there with his eyes closed and head tilted back. He placed his hand on the back of her head and began forcing his penis deeper inside her mouth till her lips were pressed against his pelvis and she almost gagged. She realized what kind of mood he was in and was happy to oblige. She pulled her mouth off of him and spit on his penis and began sliding her hand up and down him hard and fast making him moan in pleasure as well as pain. He grabbed her by the arms and pulled her up to him till their faces were at eye level. He grabbed her tight by the hair and shoved his tongue in her throat as deep as it could go. Alex unbuttoned her pants and let them slide to the floor and licked his tongue inside his mouth as she pulled her feet out of the dropped pants. Locke spun her around and forced her to bend over on the bed as he pushed himself hard inside of her; he felt her wet secretion drip around him. She let out a heavy moan at the intensity of his thrust deep inside her. He wasn’t easy on her, he pushed as deep and as hard as was humanly possible as she screamed in pleasurable pain. He grabbed her hips and pulled her towards him as he thrust forward into her. “Fuck me, Locke!” screamed Alex wanting more and more of his anger. He felt her orgasm against him three times till he finally released inside of her. She felt his semen shoot inside of her and warm cream excited her even further as she smiled. She turned her head around with him still inside of her as Locke leaned his head forward to kiss her. “I love you,” said Alex. Locke responded by kissing her hard and removing himself from her depths. “I’d say it’s time to get some sleep,” said Locke lying down in his bed. Alex pushed herself up from the bed and looked at Locke, she wasn’t sure if she was welcome in his bed tonight. “Come on,” said Locke waving her in. She smiled as she removed the clothes that didn’t find their way off during their activities then jumped in bed and cuddled with him until he fell asleep. Alex lay in bed for a few hours thinking about her poor choice of words to Locke after he finished with her. She blamed herself, in part, for going to ‘love’ so quickly. She was confused at the audacity of Locke basically making their relationship public, but not saying anything endearing to her concerning their romance. He could at least say I’m ‘special’ or something to give me peace of mind. “Jerk!” said Alex before forcing her eyes closed and falling asleep.

  CHAPTER 16: HARMON BOUND

  All the inhabitants of the Returner’s HQ began to wake up at sunset. Some of the lesser soldiers had trouble getting to sleep but the Doc fixed that with a few chewable tablets; the Returners didn’t have this problem being experienced in the procedure. Smith had not slept to make sure everyone had what they needed before the trip to Harmon, he would sleep at night as he usually did. Smith’s first errand of the night was to make sure that there was plenty of nutritious food, consisting of bread, soup, and dried meat for the trip to keep everyone’s energy up. Smith waited patiently in the dining area till Terra entered from the women’s dorm; she was the first one up for a change. “Hello,” she said sitting with Smith. “Good morning Terra,” he said before noticing her right hand, which had a blue bandana wrapped around her palm with a wad of gauze peeking out from underneath it, “My, what happened?” “Was practicing a trick and hurt myself, but I’m ok.” Smith shook his head then froze in realization, “Wait! You’re wearing the bandana.” “Yeah, It feels right to wear it now. After all, I am one of you now, right?” Smith smiled, “That’s right.” They sat quietly for several minutes until Terra finally broke the silence. “So, since I’m part of the team now…” Smith looked at her intently, knowing exactly where she was going. “My mother, can you tell me more about her?” Smith took a deep breath. “I met her in Turklane, a small farming town to the far south. Her stomach was so bulbous; she could barely do her work. Why the farmer had a pregnant woman tilling the soil, I’ll never know. I saw her toiling away in the field and something inside me said that she needed help, so I offered to provide her food and shelter in exchange for nothing. She met me for dinner that night and that’s when I felt something. The same thing I felt in you; a gift. I asked of the father of her unborn child. She said he was dead, but I knew that was a lie; that’s MY gift.” “So, you never met him either.” “No, not until many years later.” “What? Who is he? Where is he? What does he look like? Does he-“ Terra was frantically asking questions till she was cutoff by Smith, “Terra, I’m telling you about your mother. Trust me, your better off never meeting him.” She stared into Smith’s eyes waiting for him to continue. “Anyway, I offered to provide anything your mother needed up to your arrival and refused to take ‘no’ for an answer, which she tried to say multiple times; your mother was very prideful, maybe too much so. It took you twenty hours to finally make your exit, like you didn’t want to leave. I cleaned you off and then handed you to your mother so she could see what she created; she couldn’t stop staring at you as you nursed.” “Wait. You were the first person to hold me?” Smith smiled, “Yes, I named you as well. Your mother said that was her repayment to me. After she had recovered from your birth, she wanted to leave, but I asked her not to. One night, she tried to sneak away in the middle of night. I knew she would, but I caught her in the process. I told her that if she ever needed my help to seek me out. I gave her the location of the first Returner camp and she found me several years later.”

  Captain Reuben and the Velxeer Archers were the next to emerge; they sat at their usual segregated table, Terra noticed that Ten seemed normal today; she didn’t have the same robotic qualities she had upon her first arrival. One-by-one the soldiers from HQ as well as the other Returner camps settled in the dining area waiting for their queue to leave. Next came Ray, followed by Sam. Ruthie and Eve emerged sometime later and joined Ray and Sam at their usual table along with Terra who had left Smith’s side once her friends surfaced. Pearl walked out of the ‘Returners’ door followed by Julius who looked as if he were sleepwalking, probably awoken by Pearl. The Doc walked out with Bridget and Helena with him and sat down with Smith; the three of them each holding a medical bag for the trip. The las
t to reach the dining area was Alex and Locke, who arrived together. They stood in the doorway and looked at the room full of people arranging to go to Harmon. “Locke,” whispered Alex, “About last night? What I said…I was just in the moment…and…” “It’s time to go to work,” said Locke walking to the center of the room to make an announcement as Alex stood there in love’s limbo. “Returners! Make your way to the armory! Soldiers! Line up against the wall outside the armory!” said Locke as he made his way down the hall that led to the infirmary, the dorms, the training room, and the armory.