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WARNING: This is going to be a rough ride. Here's the list of probable causes; lying, stealing, cheating, drinking, drugs, straight sex, gay sex, lesbian sex, group sex but no fuzzy animals will be harmed for the sake of a story, fornication, common night walking, heresy, bigotry, more phobias than a psych major can catalog, treason, nationalism, isolationism, raised voices, angry words, hurtful looks, preconceived notions, foul language, violence, murder, rape, rampant impure thoughts, smoldering corpses, bondage, S & M, B & D, P's and Q's but never Y, sodomy, explosions, ridiculous geographical explanations, impossible science, mob rule, religious zealots, Bible theory 104ish, ruthless business decisions, anarchists…, let's just say that this story is…,

SAVAGE

by

phair

Kendall hauled her duffle bag out of the taxi's trunk. The stench of stale beer, pot, and fish made her flinch as she slung it over her shoulder. Two weeks at sea with a bunch of aging, reformed hippies had left her with enough money to pay the bills for two months and a little more empty in her heart than the night she left.

"How did I become a babysitter for spoiled, rich, middle aged idiots wanting to test the last of their metal on some stupid, contrived adventure?" She asked herself for the hundredth time in less than a month.

Her eyes beseeched the sky but she received no cosmic answer as the cab pulled away from the curb. The only response to her thoughts was the honks and sirens drifting in the salt heavy air of the cool San Francisco night. With a weary sigh of resignation, she climbed the stairs to the office of SAVAGE ADVENTURES.

The light in the first floor window was lit. She guessed her business partner was still working booking contracts for their little enterprise. More contracts meant more money but contributed to the dwindling of Kendall's soul. At least, her partner's presence in the office saved her from going around to the back entrance of the building. That entrance also led to her apartment above the office. However it meant two extra flights of stairs to crawl as you had to walk down before you could climb up. After her latest expedition, Kendall was too tired to face the extra flight of stairs.

"Hey Stein, just me," she stated as she stepped in the door and silenced the shouting her partner was in the middle of.

The old man turned on her and hissed in a thick German accent, "Stupid shit! You have the worst fucking timing of any woman I've ever met. Couldn't you have been ten minutes different in either direction?"

Kendall heard the tone. She understood Stein's fear as she took in the scene around the room. Her partner was standing up against four muscular brutes surrounding one seated wimp. "Beckworth! Get your stupid ass out of my place. And, I mean now!"

"Kendall, please let's not start this way. Don't be angry with me. I've come with a business proposal. It'll be good for both of us. Why can't you and Mr. Stein sit down with me to discuss this offer like reasonable people?" Beckworth hesitated before continuing in a low voice, "Kendall, it's important. Really, we need your help. I need your help."

Kendall dumped her bag on the floor and walked over to stand next to Stein before answering. She towered over the frail old man, "We don't need or want your kind of business, Beckworth. Your company made its choice two years ago. We got nothing to say to each other except, Good Bye."

"Look," Beckworth jumped to his feet and shouted, "Dr. Drapper is in serious trouble, I think. The whole settlement hasn't been heard from in close to eight months. Who knows what's happened to them. I sent kids there, Kendall. Little kids. Babies. You're our only chance to save them. You know the island better than anybody else...,"

"Yeah, I do. Which clearly explains why you gave the contract to an inexperienced new grad like Drapper?" Kendall shouted back.

She took several menacing steps toward the thin, blonde wimp. Two of his muscle men surged forward and grabbed Kendall. They drove her back three feet. Slamming her hard against the desk's edge and pinned her there.

"Enough of this bullshit. You guys are all done. I'm calling the cops!" Stein announced.

"Nope!" A bald muscle man stepped up from the shadows and stood at Stein's eye level then pulled his weapon and pointed at the old man's head. "You're doing nothing and staying right where you are. Isn't he, bitch?"

"Stein, hold it. Don't do anything. Just stay put," Kendall stopped her own struggle to caution her friend. "This how you conduct business these days, Beckworth? Strong arming to get what you want? A gun to the head of an old man?" Her disgust could not be concealed in her tone.

"Please," the wimp pleaded as if he were the one being held down. "Hear me out. Listen to what I have to say and then I'll go. Regardless of your willingness to help, hear me out and I'll leave you in peace."

Kendall strained against her captors' hold but quickly realized she couldn't budge them. A broken nosed Korean guy on one side and a farm fed American jock on the other held her fast. She relaxed her resistance and answered, "Make it fast, Beckworth."

"Guys, ease up on ‘em. Give ‘em some space to breath," Beckworth said as he returned to his chair.

The muscle men stepped back. However, the bald man kept his gun pointed at Stein's head. The bald man gave a taunting grin to the old man as he pumped up his chest in victory.

"I've seen worse in my time than you, boy!" Stein spat at him. "Faigelah!"

The bald man's grinned turned sour and his eyes narrowed with hate, "I don't know what you said but I take offence to your tone, Jew Boy! When will your kind learn their place?"

"Beckworth!" Kendall yelled as she shook herself free of the muscle men previously restraining her.

"MR. SMITH! LOWER YOUR WEAPON!" Beckworth's voice lifted above the opposing sides. "NOW!"

Smith glared at the old man but replaced his gun in it's holster. "Another day, kike!"

"If I only have one more day then I've lived longer and better than you'll ever see," Stein promised Smith.

Kendall drew close to her old friend and hushed in his ear, "Abram, come on and sit down. Sarah will have my head on a spit if I let you take another heart attack."

"My child," the old man let his friend guide him to a chair, "don't trust them. They smell like fascists."

"Oh, I didn't know that fascists have a smell," Kendall chuckled as she guided the old man to his desk chair.

Once seated, Abram took Kendall's face in the palms' of his hands, "Fascists smell like rotting pig meat, my girl. Never forget it! I know I won't. Never. Not in my days or in my sleep. Even in death I will remain vigilant to their kind."

Kendall's eyes welled up as she answered, "Never. I'll never forget your story, Abram. Never."

"Kendall," Beckworth spoke. "I have an offer for you."

The woman stood and moved to the front of the desk. She partially obstructed Stein's view of Beckworth but also his henchmen's view of Stein. Letting out an annoyed sigh, she nodded for him to continue.

"New Covenant Island hasn't contacted my company in more that eight months. The agreement is one contact per quarter or we send in the troops."

"Mercenaries," Kendall corrected.

"Peace Officers," Beckworth responded. "Anyway, we gave them some wiggle room figuring the weather could cause havoc with the equipment. We waited."

Kendall smirked. "Even your little pay for service scientist couldn't keep her radio dry? How sad?"

"I don't know what went wrong with Dr. Drapper's radio or her emergency transponder. She was in a remote location. Her site was at a polar opposite point to Settlement 1: Eden Reborn. It should be safe to assume that if she had a problem with her two means of outside contact then the main settlement would not suffer the same type of loss. At least, one of their four means of contact should have survived."

"So, what they all broke? What do you want from me?" Kendall tried to sound disinterested.

"New Covenant Island is off official satellite. I did a fly over to get a bird's eye of the place. I couldn't mark the location from the sky. Kendall, regardless of what you think of me, you know that I'm one of the best at detecting habitats from above. I saw Eden Reborn at more than thirteen hundred feet a year ago. But, last week at just below a thousand feet, there wasn't a trace." The man shook his head, "Kendall, the settlement is gone."

Kendall was silent as she thought about the information. She finally asked, "What do you want me to do about it?"

"Help me find them. I didn't see bodies only burnt up homes. Please, help find the survivors. Help me find Dr. Drapper. Let me set this right."

"What do you think?" Kendall looked over her shoulder at her partner. The old man puckered his lips like he was sucking a sour lemon. It made her smile.

"My girl, there are children there. Who with a heart could abandon children?"

Kendall gave a hesitant smile. "If I'm gone too long, will send somebody to look for me?"

"No," Abram shook his head. "I'll come for you myself. We'll face paradise together or not at all."

"You heard the man, Beckworth. We have a business agreement. Compensation terms as stated two years ago plus two percent. Should anything really bad happens to me or should I perish, then you have Abram Stein to answer to." Kendall gave a small smile, "May God have mercy on your soul."

Chapter 2

Kendall entered the yacht's luxurious main lounge more tired than she had ever felt in her life. The hours since agreeing to help Beckworth were spent traveling on almost every mode of transportation possible; limousine, private jet, helicopter, Jet Ski, and super yacht.

"Money certainly has its privileges," Kendall sighed as she dropped into a nearby sofa.

She sank into the soft cotton fabric. Her body surrendered to the comfort. Her exhausted eyes closed and winced several tears to ease the dry, overtired lens.

"Can I get you anything?" The familiar voice interrupted her near slumber.

"Just some peace and quiet."

"Sorry," Beckworth sounded truly remorseful.

Kendall snapped back, "You should be. This is all your fault, you know? If you had listened to me…,"

"…none of this would have happened! Ya, ya, ya. You're right. Don't you think I know that? Don't you think I'm haunted by my mistakes?" Beckworth pleaded for understanding.

"Greed is more like it!" Kendall hissed as she sat bolt upright to confront the man.

Beckworth seemed to shrink back a step or two before he answered, "Greed, then. If that's how you want to see it."

"That's how it is, Jay! You and Mommy were only worried about making money," Kendall stated.

"Yes, I wanted to make money and cut expenses. I wanted a huge profit. It's true. So, I willing believed the least expensive plan for exploring and settling the island. I didn't worry about Drapper or the children or anybody I sent to there. Does it help to hear that? Does it make you feel better hearing me admit that I'm a prick?"

"Yeah, it does," Kendall answered in a solemn voice. "Confession is good for the soul, Jay."

"Then I confess," he mumbled as he sat heavily on the far side of the sofa. "I took short cuts with other people's lives. I sent children into an unsecured environment. I was reckless."

"And what, just exactly, has your recklessness left me with? First you said there was no trace of the settlement. Then you sobbed you saw burnt out homes. No bodies, just homes. Which is it? A destroyed settlement or a vanished settlement?" Kendall asked.

Beckworth scrubbed his face and shrugged, "Both, neither? I don't know. The original site is overgrown with vegetation. However, it shows signs of scorched and burned out structures. No human remains were visible from above. More importantly, there are no trails through the forest to a new settlement. I'd expect at least one survivor from the two thousand people we sent there originally to have survived and set up camp someplace else."

"Originally?" Kendall questioned.

"During the first six months things were going well so we sent another five hundred settlers with the supply boat."

"Jesus! You hadn't even had the first hurricane season. Never mind a winter. What the fuck were you thinking?" Kendall was furious. "Did you do anything to match the groups up with psychosocial issues?"

"NO! No, no. I know! It was stupid! Okay. Can we get passed that part and get to the rescue. Kendall, I'm ready to suffer whatever penalty I need to over this." Beckworth swallowed hard, "If I need to do time in prison then I'll do it. If it costs my company millions, so be it. I won't let these people down any longer. I can't leave them on their own any longer."

"Don't expect me to call you a hero, Jay. You made all the wrong choices and now somebody else is suffering because of them," Kendall condemned him with the statement.

"That's true but I will never regret keeping you off that island two years ago."

Kendall stared at the man and saw his steadfast resolve. Her anger exploded in a tirade, "Fuck you, Jay! It was not your decision to make! And, it sure as Hell wasn't your mother's either. It was my choice and you stole it from me."

"You're wrong," Beckworth stated simply. "As the board's chairs for Beckworth Industries my mother and I had the final say on who went to the island."

"Bullshit! Mommy said ‘no' and you went along with her," Kendall cursed and crossed the room to the bar.

Beckworth shook his head, "Mom did say no but even if she agreed to you going, I would have stopped you. There was no way I would let you leave like that. Kendall, for God's sake, you had just lost our baby. Our little girl was gone. How could I let you commit to two years on a deserted island? We were half crazed! Nobody, including you, was thinking clearly. We needed to stay together and work it out."

"There was nothing to work out. Some pregnancies go to term and some don't. It's the luck to the genes and nothing more. No amount of talking and counseling will change the fact that the fetus died."

"Fetus? Jesus Christ, Kendall, she was our baby. We held her as she died. How can you dismiss her like that?"

Kendall took a deep breath as she poured herself a scotch, "Because she couldn't survive. It was a mistake to think you and I could produce something of lasting value, Jay. We were kidding ourselves."

Beckworth flinched at the remarks.

"Want a drink?" Kendall offered.

"No, thank you. We have a big day tomorrow. I think I need all the rest I can get." Beckworth hedged a moment as he watched Kendall gulp down the dark liquid. "If you want to ‘not talk about it' with me tonight then I'll be in the master cabin."

"Couple more of these and I might take you up on that offer, Beckworth," Kendall winked and poured another drink.

* * *

She was running. She was running faster than she ever dreamed she could. Her bare feet slapped against the wet sand in a frantic pace. The sun would be up soon. She needed to get to shelter before the first rays of dawn betrayed her foot prints; betrayed her existence. With an effortful leap, she jumped from the fallen bit of driftwood she dragged to shore earlier in the evening to an overhanging branch. She shimmied her way toward the trunk and reached for another extended branch. She climbed and crawled higher into the trees until she reached a relatively safe perch. Here she stopped long enough to consume the small, raw fish she caught a few minutes before. It was horrible; wet, cold, and still squirming. But, she ate it anyway. She needed to eat to live. She needed to stay alive a little longer.

"How much longer?" She muttered and startled herself with her own voice.

A flare shot off in the gaping sea answered her question.

"Not much longer now."

Chapter 3

The militia was on the move. Marching in a single line formation, their steel toed boots trampled the luscious jungle vegetation without concern. She huddled motionless in what was left to a fireplace in the blasted out remains of somebody else's home. The owner would not care if she hid there while the militia made its way through the destroyed village. He was dead. The dead can't care anymore. His unburied, burned to a crisp remains, no more than ten feet away, proved to her he was beyond caring.

A second flare went off high in the sky. The militia halted its march. The leader of the group watched as the flare spewed red into the ever brightening morning sky.

"Return to Heaven. Double time!" The leader commanded.

The militia snapped to a sharp about face. Their boots stomped in a quick time march. She remained hidden in the fireplace. She was right were she had to be. She was in the middle of Hell.

* * *

Kendall was the last of the dozen to settle into one of the comfortable swivel chairs around the table in the conference room. She watched as Beckworth prepared the materials for the briefing. He limped slightly when he got up and walked across the room to retrieve several folders from a box on the floor. A sly grin crossed her lips. She knew she was the cause of Beckworth's discomfort. Kendall had ridden the man long and hard last night and then again in the early morning hours.

"Okay, let's get started," Beckworth said as he cautiously sat at the head of the table. "I'm dividing us into four teams. Three are island recon and one will remain on the ship to protect it and keep watch for emergency flares."

"Protect it from what?" Questioned the fourth thug from team that roughed up Kendall and Stein at SAVAGE ADVENTURES.

"I'll get to that, Mr. Jones. Please no calling out questions. I'll give you all time at the end of the presentation to ask questions," Beckworth carefully explained.

Kendall held her tongue. Beckworth was in over his head. There was no way he was going to be able to lead his assembled guns for hire with his polished Ivy League manners. She doubted if he'd be able to control a group of rambunctious third graders.

"The teams are; Recon 1, Mr. Smith, Mr. Jones, and myself."

Beckworth handed each man a folder as he spoke their names. Kendall recognized Mr. Smith as the guy who pulled the gun on Stein. She was glad Beckworth had been smart enough not to team them up together.

"Recon 2, Dell, Angie, and Horse."

Kendall knew Angie from Beckworth Industries. The woman was Vice President of Security. She was more than capable in that role, from what Kendall heard. Horse was just that; one huge man. Kendall knew nothing about him other than what she could see. Dell was another story all together. Word had it the guy was a Colombian hit man. Working for Beckworth was probably the first honest dollar the guy ever earned.

"Can this job even qualify as honest work?" Kendall questioned herself.

"Recon 3, Quon, Woody, and Kendall."

"Stupid shit, Jay! If you had a brain in your head, it'd be lonely," Kendall thought to herself when she realized her team was made up of the Korean guy and farm feed boy.

"Home Team 1, Captain Cook, Gino, and Doc. Okay, turn to page one in your folders and follow along for some background information. About fifteen years ago, Beckworth Industries stumbled upon an uncharted island. It was of considerable size which makes it a rare find. Our legal team did a lot of maneuvering with the US government and the UN to claim our find and then keep it too ourselves. We maintain the highest security. International satellites black out when nearing the island's location but I'm not going to detail that technology. Five or six years ago, around when my father died and my mother and I took over daily operations of Beckworth Industries, our lawyers successfully obtained sovereignty of the island for Beckworth. We were in the free and clear in regards to ownership and privacy of the New Covenant Island. We sent Kendall Savage, here on my left, to map it out for us. Once we took a look at her info, we decided to settle parts of the island."

"Why?" Captain Cook asked with a hint of despair. "What possible point could there be to putting human beings on virgin territory?"

"Classified. Not up for discussion. Moving on," Beckworth steam rolled ahead. "About a year and a half ago, twenty five hundred people were settled in the first of what were to be seven villages. Settlement 1 was named Eden Reborn. We also sent Dr. Brady Drapper to try to sort out some of the islands more unusual features."

"How unusual are those features?" Angie's chocolate brown eyes narrowed with her question.

"No animals." Kendall spoke. "Well, there are birds, bugs, and snakes, amphibians but no sheep or rabbits or rodents…"

"No rodents? No rats? What about niggers?" Mr. Jones cracked as he glared at Angie. "Once she lands, there'll be rats on the island."

Horse stood up so fast his chair flipped over. He grabbed Jones by the shirt front and pulled him out of his chair. His meaty fist blacked Jones' left eye and broke his nose.

"Nobody talks to her like that. EVER!" Horse shouted and pulled back to hit the man again.

"Let ‘em go, fatty!" Smith yelled and leveled his gun at Horse.

Beckworth was on his feet and shouting, "Everybody sit down and shut up! This ship has three cells and I have no qualms about locking any one of you assholes up."

The group just chuckled at Beckworth's lackluster attempt to command. Kendall realized she needed to step into the fray.

"Laugh at him if you want but for me, I'm not gonna piss off the guy with control over our pay and the only means to get us back home." The laughter stopped.

"That's right," Beckworth tried again. "Insubordination results in cancellation of your contracts; paragraph two, item number three. No money. And, you'll be sued to recover your expenses to Beckworth Industries while on board this ship."

Horse let go of Jones and the man fell back into his chair. Smith returned his gun to his holster but waited to sit until Horse sat.

"Let's keep a lid on the violence and racial intolerance until we finish this mission," Beckworth advised.

Kendall could not keep from rolling her eyes and thinking, "Wimp."

"Okay, back to the task at hand. Our island settlement has not been heard from in over eight months. Neither has Dr. Dapper. Fly overs indicate the settlement was destroyed."

"Storms?" Woody asked.

"No. It looks like fire. But, there were large craters which could have been created by mortar rounds."

"You sent weapons?" Kendall was horrified.

"No, no weapons were sent. Not even a hand gun was allowed. I have no idea how this could have occurred. The worst news of all is we have no clue where our settlers are now located or even if they are still alive." Beckworth took a deep breath before continuing, "Recon 3 will be deployed at the original settlement site. The flares should have alerted any survivors that we're coming and to get back to Eden Reborn for extraction. Kendall, I also want you to focus on any tracks out of the area which might give a clue to a new settlement location."

Kendall nodded.

"Recon 1 and 2 will do grid searches at each end of the island. Recon 1 will be north working south and Recon 2 will be south working north. It should take about three days for each team to reach Recon 3 at Eden Reborn. Angie, your team maybe a bit slower. Dr. Drapper's location is less than an hour's walk inland from your drop off point. Whatever you find there may take time to sort out."

"If we do find something significant, we can always radio the other teams to join us, right?" Angie asked.

Beckworth shook his head. "The same technology that hides the island from satellites blocks walkie talkie or hand held radio communications. The radios given to Dr. Drapper and the settlement had twenty five foot antennas to get a signal out. So, we'll stick with the planned rendezvous at the north side of the settlement. If there's an emergency then use your flare guns. Now, any other questions or can we get to the work of saving lives?"

The group just stared at him. Beckworth felt like an idiot. He was sure they thought he was a joke. Why shouldn't they? He thought he was a joke too.

* * *

"Well, this is one quick way to ruin Paradise," Kendall muttered in complete disgust.

She was walking behind the Dollie Electric Cart And Mower 20/80. Or as Beckworth liked to call it; Decam 28. The back end of the device could carry loads of five hundred pounds. The front end was nothing more than a high tech lawn mower. Its path through the overgrown terrain was plotted by an on board computer chip which could make on the spot changes around impassible obstacles without human assistance.

Decam 28 did make Kendall's physical trip into the jungle easier. The machine carried all the equipment she would usually carry on her back. Extra rations and medical supplies for any survivors were also part of Decam 28's burden. The mower feature in the front tore across the foliage like a razor through wax paper. Allowing Kendall and the others to stroll along rather than hack their way into the jungle. However, the engine's drone in this once motor free zone left Kendall feeling guilty. The machine was, after all, following a route Kendall mapped out years before.

"So, are you like a doctor or scientist or something smart like that?" Woody, the farm fed boy asked.

"No."

"Are you one of those crazy extreme sports enthusiasts? That why you here?"

"No."

"I got it. You a hermit or something? You came out here the first time to be all alone. What? You hoping everybody be dead so you gets to come back and be alone an' by yourself own self again?" Woody had to do a few hop steps to keep pace with Kendall.

"No."

Woody grabbed her by the shoulder and stopped her progress to warn her, "I don't like bein' disrespected by no broad. You answer me good or I'll be teaching you somethin' else again."

Kendall nearly spit the words out, "Take your damn hand off me or I'll break it off, boy!"

"Make me," Woody taunted.

Kendall moved faster than Woody could follow. She put a hand on both his shoulders and pulled him close as she brought her knee up hard against his crotch. Woody fell to the ground howling in pain.

"Knock it off!" Quon yelled. He rarely spoke but when he did there was only one volume; loud. "We still got three or four hours to the settlement. Get moving."

Kendall turned back to follow the path. She left the wincing and ego bruised Woody to manage on his own.

Hours seemed to drag on until Decam 28 hovered for a moment before shifting gears. The undergrowth had lessened abruptly and the mower blades needed to adjust to the sparser vegetation.

"We must be at the perimeter of the settlement," Kendall stated. "They must have cut back to here to keep the mosquitoes down."

"No. Maybe burnt out. Fire ridge is here. Check the cuttings," Quon answered and pointed to the ground.

Kendall knelt. She examined the chopped vegetation closely and saw scorched cuttings mixed in with the newer cuttings. A fire ravaged this area at some point. Kendall worried it was longer ago than the eight months of radio silence Beckworth claimed.

"Right on, Quon. Burnt out but the ridge tells us it was intentional," Kendall stood and dusted off her hands.

They fell into a heavy silence. The team moved forward with the understanding they were, without question, entering a crime scene. They trailed Decam 28 as each man readied his weapon. Kendall was unarmed. She did not consider this a problem at the ship. She had limited experience with guns and figured she'd more than likely shoot herself than anybody else. Now, it seemed a foolish decision on her part. Kendall hoped she'd live to regret it.

"Structures visible at 900 hours, fifty feet east," Kendall sited the location for Quon and Woody.

"Rodger that," Woody replied and pointed his Colt M-16 toward the ruins.

Quon turned and made a slicing motion across his throat. Both Kendall and Woody understood him to mean shut up.

The team followed Decam 28 into the one time center of the destroyed village. Some blackened beams of the thousand wooden structures around them managed to remain upright against the onslaught. They were steadfast in the places they were originally anchored. Still, the island's leafy vegetation was creeping up to overtake them. They had fared better than the roads. The well traveled, crushed stone main passages up and down and across the village were covered with green leaves and grass and vines. The find might have been a beautiful reminder that nature will prevail against humanity if not for the charred bodies tied and hung inside the gutted structures.

It was only upon entering the village that the true extent of the carnage was clearly visible. Kendall was vaguely aware of a gagging sound behind her. Woody was vomiting. Kendall wished she could let go of her fiercely contained emotions long enough to join him. Instead, she pushed down her repulsion and tried to analyze the clues surrounding her.

"Within eye shot, we've got all man made structures completely destroyed. There are about fifty to a hundred dead bodies clearly visible. Each structure will likely house more bodies than the ones on display," Kendall noted aloud and into her hand held computer.

"Fuck this shit! We're sitting dogs," Quon, obviously shaken by the scene, shouted. "We'll head to the rendezvous then wait for back up teams. Need more men and guns. I say, we clear out now."

"HOLD IT!" Her scream drew the team's attention as she darted from one of the wrecked homes toward them. "Please! Wait for me. Please. Help me. Please."

"FREEZE!" Quon shouted and aimed his weapon.

"FREEZE BITCH!" Woody did like wise.

"STOP!" Kendall yelled and raced to get between the guns and the charging woman. "She's with us. STOP. Put down the guns. She's Dr. Drapper! Come on, didn't you even look at your folders?"

Dr. Drapper continued to head right for the trio. She seemed unaware of the weapons pointed in her direction. Perhaps, she just didn't care. Kendall noticed in a quick look over her shoulder that the young PhD was a disheveled mess. Without giving more thought to her actions, Kendall turned around and caught Drapper at full run. The pair almost toppled to the ground but Kendall stayed anchored in place. Once in a firm hold, the frantic energy evaporated from Drapper's body. The young woman collapsed against Kendall.

"ON YOUR KNEES! NOW!" Woody shrieked.

Kendall realized the men were not going to back down. She pushed Drapper to the ground. She held her there on her knees with a strong hand on the doctor's shoulder.

"She's down. She's down. Put the guns away. Okay?" Kendall talked fast trying to keep both sides cool. "We're all okay. Right?"

"Woody, secure her," Quon snapped.

The younger man reluctantly took his finger off his trigger. He approached the women with a swagger but appeared far from confident. He produced a nylon restraint from his pant's side pocket.

"You so much as blink and I'll kill you," he promised Dr. Drapper as he pulled her arms behind her back.

"Quon…?" Kendall started to question when Woody fastened the restraints around Drapper's wrists.

Quon angrily shook his head before answering, "She's here. She could have done this. Or she could be working with whoever else did. I'm not taking no chances."

Kendall couldn't argue the point. The settlement had been purposely destroyed and many of the inhabitants murdered in the process. Drapper had some kind of role in the situation. She was either a perpetrator or a survivor. However, this was not the place or the time to try to search for the facts. Kendall and her team were completely exposed. They needed to stay on the defensive until they were in a more secure location.

"Quon, you're right we should clear out," Kendall conceded.

"Woody, cover us," Quon ordered while lowering his weapon.

Woody finished with Drapper and wrapped trembling fingers around his machine gun. Taking two steps back and two to the left of the captured woman, Woody scanned the area for danger. He was more than eager to unload his clip at the slightest provocation.

Quon went to the Decam 28 and opened a mid sized steel suitcase. Pulling out a semi automatic hand gun, he stopped long enough to load a clip and release the safety before retrieving a coil of heavy rope. Quon crossed over to Kendall and offered her the weapon.

".45. Hollow point bullets. Point it. Squeeze the trigger. It'll go bang and whatever you pointed at will be dead."

Quon then walked up to Drapper and wrapped the rope around her neck. He tugged the knot hard after tying it. Her body jerked but she stayed down and silent. He watched her for a moment before returning to the Decam 28 trailing the rope behind him. Quon secured the other end of the rope to an eye bolt at the base of the machine.

"You get to go first. If there are any booby traps you should tell me now. It's your only chance to save yourself," Quon's tone of voice sounded encouraging.

Dr. Drapper struggled to clear her dry throat. Her voice came out in a rasp, "I don't know. Traps? There could be. I'm not with the militia. I've been on the run…,"

"Shut up!" Quon bellowed. "If you can't tell me anything useful then save it. I can't afford to listen to your story at the moment. If you survive our trip to the north side of the settlement then I might have time then to listen to whatever crap you have to say."

Kendall stared at the ground. Her intellectual self wanted to stop Quon from using Brady Drapper as live bait for booby traps or snipers. But, deeper inside, the part of her that wanted to live beyond today was grateful for Quon's draconian decision.

"Get on your feet or Decam 28 will drag you to death," Quon cautioned as he programmed the second stage of the mission into Decam 28's computer.

Brady struggled to get up without the use of her hands. Decam 28 started forward. Brady panicked and crawled on her knees two or three feet before losing balance and falling face first onto the abandoned roadway.

Kendall reacted to the site. She pulled Brady to her feet and yanked her forward before the rope could become taunt. She did not release her hold until Brady took several steps on her own.

"Thanks," Brady whispered.

Kendall swallowed hard before stating, "Keep moving. I won't help you again."

Chapter 4

Recon 3 and their prisoner were moving north and climbing to higher ground. They had been doing so for nearly four hours under a blazing sun with little or no breeze. Mercifully, there was an ever growing shade as the day got later. Their pace was maddeningly slow due to Decam 28's steady but crawl like speed on sloping surfaces. Kendall looked away from the trail ahead when she took a long draw off her water bottle. She and each of her team mates were making liberal use of their water allowances on the tedious journey. However, nobody had offered Brady even a small sip.

Kendall didn't want to be the first to suggest doing so. She believed there was a good chance Brady Drapper was involved in the massacre at Eden Reborn. It was dangerous to appear soft with a criminal like that. Her team mates were hard core mercenaries whose idea of justice emphasized the DEAD part of ‘wanted dead or alive.' She accepted as a fact she needed Quon and Woody more than she needed Brady to survive this mission. She decided it was in her best self interest to let Brady Drapper save herself regardless of how cruel it made Kendall feel at the present moment.

Kendall watched as Brady staggered onward and upward. The young PhD was obviously exhausted. Her movements were in a series of starts and stops. Brady would hurry to catch up with the plodding Decam 28. Then she would rest briefly, bent over slightly, until her rope leash grew taunt forcing her to straighten and hurry forward again to catch up with the machine's unrelenting progress.

Dark patches, of what Kendall assumed was sweat, darkened the black, long sleeved shirt Dr. Drapper wore. The stains stood out as a testament to the woman's struggle to move forward. However, it also drew Kendall's attention to the clothes Brady wore. They were not her own. The items were from a larger man's wardrobe; some sort of military uniform. Kendall's concentration was broken when Brady collapsed.

"Get up," Kendall commanded as she stepped beside the gasping woman. "On your feet. Now!"

"C..can…can't…," it was barely a sob.

Kendall felt a shiver down her spine as the slack in the rope lessened, "Move it, Brady! Get on your feet. NOW!"

Weeping was the only response.

"Leave her," Quon edged closer but was unwilling to pass Decam 28 in case of booby traps. "Her body will trigger any ordnance along the path."

Soft crying and the drone of the persistent engine were all that could be heard. The rope pulled straight. Kendall watched Brady's body stiffen as the leash tightened. It took a gagging sound from the woman on the ground for Kendall to finally act. Her blade was out and slicing the rope before anybody could protest.

"What the fuck?" Woody shouted and shoved Kendall to the ground. "You working with her or something?"

"Idiot!" Kendall hissed back.

The machine gun pointed at her was his only reply.

"Quon, Brady's our only lead. She's the only one we've found so far. If she burned out the settlement then we'll be big shits ‘cause we caught her. If she's a survivor then we're even bigger shits ‘cause we saved her and Beckworth didn't."

Brady gagged again. She kicked at the dirt beneath her heels as she desperately tried to breath around the noose strangling her. Her cheeks were growing redder with every passing moment.

"For Christ's sake, Quon! Either cut her free or shoot her in the head," Kendall took a chance. "You'd do as much for a dog."

Quon motioned Woody to back off with a flick of his hand. He took two big steps over to Brady. He grabbed her by the hair and tugged her to her knees. Her eyes were wide even if filled with terror. Quon almost admired her strength in keeping them open. Most of his victims faced death with closed eyes and mumbled pleas for mercy. He let his thick fingers work the knot under her chin loose but did not free her from the rope.

Brady dragged in deep breaths, filling her lungs with intoxicating oxygen. She remained on her knees at his feet after he released his hold. Breathing was the only thought that mattered to her at the moment.

"Come on, get up," Quon grabbed Brady's arm and pulled her to her feet. "You too, Kendall."

"Please," a cough broke Brady's plea and she swallowed hard before trying again. "I can't go on. Too tired. Please."

Her knees buckled as if to prove the point and Quon staggered a bit with the effort to keep them both upright. "DON'T TEST ME!"

The threat did nothing to get Brady's legs under her. Her head fell back and her body started to jerk in Quon's arms. Her mouth clamped shut and blood ran from both corners.

"She's takin' a fit or somethin'," Woody said as he moved back a step or two.

"Lay her down," Kendall instructed as she scrambled to the other side of the pair. "Don't try to hold onto her. Just let this take its course."

Quon eyed the scene before him with a frown. "Shouldn't we put something in her mouth to keep her from eating her tongue?"

Kendall shook her head, "No."

"This is bullshit!" Woody shouted. "We're sitting out here completely exposed. Anybody could start picking us off. I say we leave her and get the meet up point. Let Dick-Wealth there come and get her sick ass."

"Look, she's almost through the worst of it," Kendall pointed out as the convulsing body started to quiet. "A couple more minutes and we can load her onto Decam 28."

Quon nodded agreement. "Woody, go shift some boxes around so we can put her in the jump seat."

"But…,"

"DO IT!" Quon silenced Woody's complaint with a low growl.

Kendall smoothed Brady's sweat soaked hair away from her face. The tremors were easing. Brady whimpered but Kendall believed it was more reflexive than a clear indication of pain.

"I can't lift her by myself, Quon. Will you give me a hand?" She hoped the man would agree and not force her to dragged Brady the ten feet to Decam 28.

"I'll get her," Quon replied. He slung his M-16 behind him and lifted the still and pale body.

"Ah, you might want some gloves. I'm pretty sure she crapped herself," Woody warned.

Quon scooped up Brady. He paid no attention to the mess. He wanted to get moving quickly and this was one way to do it. Gently, he lowered her into the jump seat and stepped back so Kendall could strap her in.

"Oh no," Quon voiced.

"I told you to wear gloves," Woody stated smugly.

Kendall glanced over her shoulder expecting to find an angry Quon soiled with excrement. Instead, his clothes and hands were smeared with blood. Kendall realized only then that the sweat stains on Brady's clothes were really blood stains. Brady was bleeding.

* * *

She felt clean and cool and comfortable. It was the first time she had felt that way since the invasion. Since her capture. Since her escape. Since she went on the run.

"Wonder how long have I been running anyway?" Brady asked herself silently.

She struggled to move but her body felt heavy. A shiver of fear raced along her spine when she realized she had been drugged. Fighting with the little bit of strength she could muster, Brady forced her eyes open. She was lying on her side on top of an open sleeping bag. Her nakedness was covered with fresh, soft cotton. She was wearing a loose t-shirt and boxer shorts. Somebody had washed and changed her. Even her hair was clean and combed. It was early evening. A small camping stove in the middle of a circle of sleeping bags was being tended by Quon.

"Hey, I didn't think you'd wake up until tomorrow," Kendall said as she approached from the jungle.

"…water…, could I have…a little," Brady's throat was so dry, it hurt too much to talk.

Kendall nodded and retrieved a water bottle from her gear. She knelt next to Brady. As she moved to help Brady sit up, the woman tried to flinch away from her.

"I can do it myself…," Brady rasped.

"Nope. You have to let me help. I spent a couple of hours treating your wounds, Brady. You got some stitches and bandages that I don't want to replace tonight so suck it up and let me help you." Kendall tried to keep her words light but her voice was straining with the effort. It had truly been a long day. "Here, have a few sips of water. Then we need to have a talk."

Brady lowered her eyes as Kendall spoke and let the woman move her. Once she was sitting up, braced against Kendall, the water bottle was brought to her lips. Out of instinct, her hands rose to take the bottle and she saw, for the first time, her wrists were still lashed together. Only now, they were in front of her instead of behind her back. Brady almost gagged on the water in her mouth. She managed to swallow what she had then turned her face away from Kendall.

"Come on, I know you're thirstier than that," Kendall gently encouraged her to continue.

"Please untie me."

Kendall shook her head and pressed the bottle back to Brady's lips. "I can't do that. Now, drink."

Brady obeyed. Her strength was gone. Any dignity she had was taken months ago. Why resist the comfort of water even if provided under the most controlling of situations?

After several sips, Kendall set the bottle aside. She kept Brady leaning against her. It was time to get some answers.

"Who whipped you?" Kendall asked with a hint of anger in her voice. "And who, for God's sake, branded you?"

Brady tried unsuccessfully to suppress a shudder of fear the memories the questions rekindled. "My Master," it was whispered but clear enough to understand.

"And, what's that suppose to mean?" Kendall's anger was rising with her confusion.

Brady managed to pull herself away from Kendall. She shifted over a foot or two to face the woman directly. "A militia over ran the island months ago. They killed and destroyed and enslaved and…,"

"A Militia?" Kendall questioned. "What the fuck are you talking about? Did you hit your head or something?"

"Or something," Brady whispered as she lost control of her tears.

She hadn't cried since her the night they burned out Eden Reborn. There were times throughout these last few months that she believed she would never allow herself to cry again. Yet, here she sat crying.

"Calm down. Talk to me, Brady. Tell me what happened," Kendall lowered her voice and eased over closer to Brady.

Brady couldn't meet Kendall's eyes. She had been trained not too. She had been trained to do many other humiliating things as well. So, it was not entirely surprising to her that she felt compelled to obey the perceived command. She took a big breath and resigned herself to her fate.

"Things were going well with my research. I was making real progress with the island's geographic history. Most of my time was spent at my campsite. But, I had made good friends with many of the settlers and found myself traveling back to Eden Reborn every week or so. I'd stay with Rasheed and his wife and their five children. They were like family to me. He was a microbiologist and loved to talk about my research." Brady sighed, "Those first few weeks were so beautiful. It was a new way of life; a better way of life. Money wasn't a concern. There was no class struggle or racism or religious intolerance. Waste wasn't a problem because we were all very concerned about the long term survival of the settlement. We worked together as a community. Even more than that, we were like a really big family."

"What went wrong, Brady? Tell me," Kendall was trying to keep a lid on her temper but the evening was darkening and she was bone tired.

"The militia happened, that's what. Five hundred men with guns and bombs stormed the island one morning. I saw their launches hit the beach and raced to Eden Reborn." Bound hands lifted to wipe away tears. "I should have gone to my own camp. I might have gotten an SOS to Beckworth Industries or somebody. By the time I reached the settlement, the soldiers were already attacking. It was something out of a nightmare; gun shots, explosions, fire. I was grabbed and dragged off with the women and children. The men and older boys who tried to fight back were rounded up and…,"

"It's okay, I can figure that part out. I saw the bodies," Kendall interrupted.

"Rasheed and his children were still alive when they were tied up in their home. Then the soldiers set it on fire. Miriam, Rasheed's wife," Brady continued as if she didn't hear Kendall, "broke way from the prisoners and threw herself into the flames. Sometimes, just before I fall asleep, I can still hear Rasheed screaming her name. The militia was very efficient. By dawn, the remaining population was completely subdued and every building was destroyed. By mid day, they segregated us; women from men, children from adults, boys from girls, blacks from whites from Hispanics from Asians from Indians, Christians from Jews from Buddhists from Muslims from Catholics…,"

Kendall shook her head. The story Brady was telling was unbelievable. She had to find a hole in it to make it untrue. She was grasping at straws, "Why would anybody do that? It doesn't make any sense. Nobody thinks like that anymore. For God's sake, Catholics ARE Christians."

"Not according to the militia. In fact, most Christians aren't Christians according to them. But then, they hate any kind of Christian too. They're way beyond the literal interpretation of the Old Testament. For them if it was happening in the Bible back then, it should be here on earth now; war, famine, leprosy, slaves." Brady looked up and chanced a glare at Kendall, "They want to set time back two thousand years but they want to keep their weapons. And they have very high tech weapons."

"Jesus Christ!" Kendall hissed.

Brady shook her head, "They don't like him either. They don't believe he was the messiah; too weak, too forgiving, too much love."

Kendall shook her head in disbelief, "What could they possibly want with this little island?"

"World domination," Brady answered without hesitation. "And, their key weapon is buried in the mud of New Covenant Island."

"WHAT?" Kendall gasped.

Brady sneered, "Congratulations Savage, you mapped out the path to the end of the world."

Chapter 5

Kendall had abruptly ended Brady's tale when the woman accused her of somehow enabling the militia. The true horror of the accusation was that it might have some merit. Kendall needed to distance herself from Brady's claim in order to regain her emotional control. She did so by retrieving the dinner Quon was dishing out over at Decam 28.

Kendall silently accepted the plates and turned away from Decam 28 to make her way back to where Brady lay curled up on the sleeping bag. There area was dimly lit by a couple of battery run lanterns and the blue flamed camping stove. Kendall stepped cautiously over the rough and rocky terrain. She had no intention of dropping the two tepid plates of rice and beef because of a misstep.

"Hope you're not a vegetarian," Kendall spoke softly when she offered the plate to Brady.

Brady sat up and gave a negative head shake, "Not anymore."

Bound hands reached up for the food. Kendall hesitated a bare moment when she saw the red, irritated skin bulging around the nylon ties. She made sure Brady had a good, even though somewhat awkward, hold on the plate before she let go.

"Thanks," Brady mumbled.

Kendall sat herself down against a rock near the end of the sleeping bag to eat her meal. She remembered only then that she had plastic forks inside her vest pocket for both Brady and herself. She pulled them free and started to offer one to Brady. Her captive's behavior stole her voice from her throat. Brady had balanced the plate on her crossed legs and was shoving fistfuls of food into her mouth. In those few moments, Brady had gulped down more than half of her meager meal. The young woman was behaving more like a starvation victim than a PhD.

"Hungry?" Kendall asked.

Brady grunted as she nodded yes.

"It's okay to slow down, Brady. Nobody's going to take your food away." Kendall swallowed hard before she could trust her voice again, "We have plenty of food with us."

Kendall watched as the woman forced herself to stop. Brady closed her eyes and her cheeks reddened with shame. She looked away and ducked her head as if trying to hide from Kendall's judgment.

"Sorry. It's just…before this…back home…it was so long ago…like a different lifetime. It's really easy to forget how to be civilized, I guess. My life here is all that I know now. All that I can dare to remember. After my capture, my Master told me he was going to break my spirit. He said it was best for me to try to learn fast otherwise he'd be sure I suffered. He said it was for my own good. The beatings and whipping were bad but the hunger and thirst were unbearable. Master's most effective training method was to offer food then take it back to punish me. Sometimes, I went for days with nothing to eat or drink." A sob broke Brady's voice, "He got me to behave like an animal."

Kendall wanted to walk away. Brady's story, if true, was heartbreaking. Worse, it could have been Kendall's story if Jay hadn't stopped her from returning to the island. Still worse, it could be all Kendall's fault.

"You're safe with us. Nobody working for Beckworth has the right to punish you," Kendall said as she scooted forward and put her own plate next to Brady. "None of us has the desire to starve you or …break you." She pulled her blade out and sliced through the nylon ties binding Brady's wrists before asking, "You won't do anything to make me regret this, right?"

Brady quickly shook her head no.

"Good."

"Thank you, Savage," Brady said quietly as she blinked back tears while watching Kendall return to her seat by the rock. "This is your dinner. Aren't you going to eat?"

Kendall answered, "You have it. I'm not hungry."

Brady focused on her food. She devoured the last of her meal before taking Kendall's plate. It took only a few minutes to clean that plate too. She stared at the empty dishes for a few more minutes, savoring the full feeling in her belly.

"Should I bring these back over to Quon?"

"No, I'll take care of it. First, tell me more about this road to Armageddon I mapped out," Kendall swallowed her pride to ask for the ugly details.

Brady shuddered, "Sorry, I didn't mean it. Honestly, I was so angry to be tied up again, I lashed out at you. You didn't do anything other than your job. Somehow your maps to the island got into the hands of the militia; Soldiers of Heaven."

Kendall shrugged, "Why would they even care about the island? There's no fresh water, no animal food source, the terrain is too rugged to farm, and the fishing is questionable in the winter months."

"Their leader, Commander Esau, says God's Vengeance is buried in the mud at the base of the high peak. He's using most of the massacre survivors as slaves to dig for it." Brady grimaced as she clarified her statement, "He's using the survivors who wouldn't join him or were judged not worthy of joining him, that is."

"Are you kidding me? Some of the settlers joined him?"

Brady looked directly at Kendall when she answered, "He came with five hundred men and now the Soldiers of Heaven number twelve hundred men, women, and children; all of them are white or Asian, no Jews or Arabs or blacks or Catholics or mixed race."

Gun fire echoed in the distance. A rapid series of volleys was followed by faint screams. Kendall tried to reassure herself with a hand on her weapon.

"Master Esau said he is the instrument of preparation for the real Messiah who will cleanse the earth. These are the end of days and this is Heaven. The just will be rewarded with power and the unclean will come to serve their new Masters or perish." Brady lowered her head and voice as she spoke, "Apparently, some of my fellow unclean just perished."

* * *

"Come on, I know you want some. All you gotta do is give me a little suck off," Woody taunted as he held the bowl of steaming oatmeal in one hand while caressing his erection with the other. "Not so much to ask for saving your life, is it?"

Brady was backed up to the rock Kendall sat against the night before. Brady clutched the sleeping bag to her chest as she slowly shook her head no. She didn't know where Quon or Kendall where. In fact, she had been sleeping soundly until Woody kicked her awake.

"Look, girlie, you'll probably be goin' to prison or something so take some male meat while you still can." Woody smirked, "How ‘bout, I promise not to come in your mouth, okay?"

"PUT IT AWAY, JERK OFF!" Quon's angry shout caused Woody's hard on to sag.

"But…," Woody's attempted explanation was ended with a hard slap across the face.

"You're lucky I caught you and not Savage. She'd probably shot your dick off. Now, put it away," Quon instructed and took the bowl of food from the man. He handed the breakfast to Brady and said, "Sorry for the misunderstanding. My boy's a bit stupid. Every time he tries to think he ends up with his dick in his hand."

"Hey!" Woody tried to protest.

Quon lost his patience and leveled a hard punch to Woody's nose, "You shut up and do what you're told. Now, go finish cleaning up before Savage gets back."

Brady waited until Woody walked away to speak, "If you expect me to thank you then don't hold your breath."

Quon glared at her and hissed, "You should shut up too!"

The angry man stormed away from Brady. She let herself drop to the dirt when both men were across the other side of the camp. The smell of the oatmeal caught her attention as soon as the immediate threat retreated. Unable to calm her appetite, Brady dug into the food with her fingers.

"Have you completely given up on silverware," Kendall teased as she entered the campsite.

Brady didn't respond. She continued to stuff the simple food into her mouth. Even when the bowl was emptied, Brady desperately licked at the sides for any remaining dollop of food.

"Hey, relax. You can have more. Give me the bowl and I'll get you some more," Kendall hushed as she squatted next to Brady.

Brady eyed her with suspicion. She took one long last lick of the bowl before handing it to Kendall. Brady was certain there would be no more food today. To her amazement, Kendall returned quickly with another bowl of oatmeal and bottle of water.

"Okay, first you need your Neurontin," Kendall explained as she handed the pill to Brady. The woman obediently popped it in her mouth. "Want something for pain?" Kendall asked as she held up a small white pill.

"Will it make me sleep like I did today?"

"Probably," Kendall answered evenly but did not understand the hesitation in Brady's voice.

"Nothing for pain, I'm fine," Brady replied.

Kendall didn't believe her but wouldn't push the issue. "Okay, then here you go."

Brady couldn't stop herself from grabbing the bowl of food. She was all set to reach in for a handful when Kendall produced a plastic spoon. Brady tried to steady herself. With a deep breath, she accepted the spoon.

"Master said only people get to use utensils. Animals and slaves eat scraps from the dirt. It's God's will."

Kendall blanched at the statement and took a moment to answer, "It's not my God's will to enslave people and torture animals. It's not your God's will either. Brady," Kendall beseeched her former friend, "you have to reclaim yourself. Stop believing that man's lies."

"It's so hard, Savage. I keep thinking this is a dream and I'm gonna wake up next to him; chained to his bed." Brady wiped her eyes dry of tears before begging, "Promise me you won't let him take me. If you have to kill me then do it. I can't go back to that existence. Please, Kendall, kill me before he gets his hands on me again."

Kendall mutely nodded agreement only to quiet Brady's rising panic. "I won't let anything hurt you. You're safe with me, promise. Besides, I have good news. Quon, Woody get over here."

Both men approached but neither seemed happy to be summoned this way. Brady shift her body so Kendall blocked part of her from view.

"What?" Quon grumbled.

Kendall gave a dazzling smile, "Beckworth is on his way up the hillside. He and his team should be here for supper."

"About time," Woody sneered.

Quon said, "Now, all we need is for Recon 2 to show up and we can evac out so the US military can deal with this crap."

"Amen," Brady agreed between mouthfuls of oatmeal.

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