AN: Sorry for the long wait guys. 1. I was distracted. 2. I got distracted. 3. I went on vacation, so I got distracted some more. And I am working on 3 stories at the same time. (Don't ask how I manage, but the short answer is I don't).
So here is chapter (looks on-line) 4? I got the idea that it was around chapter 6 or so. Oh well. Here is chapter 4.
Chapter 4: Not Quite Something Cool
"Did you ever wonder how big the world truly is? Whether it can be formed into one kingdom, ruled by one?"
"I never cared about it before. I knew my destiny from the start, and I will meet it when the time is right."
"That's your choice. But sometimes I wonder, when they sing of freedom and liberty, is it really worth it? I've come to the conclusion that it isn't. The pain and suffering of the downtrodden is not worth the freedom of the few. It's a sacrifice for the better to remove the current powers and replace them with something greater."
"Then why did you choose this path? I am sure there are better ways of changing the world."
"Because sometimes, the world is simply incapable of paying attention."
"So you came here and found me. Together we wait, build up our strength."
"Precisely. If one man is not enough in the beginning, it doesn't mean the end is out of reach. Soon, the end will be within our grasp. This will mean that I will have to leave you here."
"Where will you go? You told me everything you need is hidden throughout these lands. That's why you need my kingdom."
"The tools of power are required where the power lies. Where I will go, that is something different. I need the world to listen. I know how. Unfortunately, that is not here."
Seaver spat out some dirt and grass as he got up after being very violently tripped to the ground. Nearby, Mardindale and Russell were trying to stay standing from laughing to hard. The last of the dirt left Seaver's mouth as he spat it out. "Mardy! when we get back to camp, I swear that I will..."
Exactly what he was going to do, no one found out as something significantly heavy pressed down on Seaver's back. It felt heavy, but soft. It was Simba, grinning loudly and puffing his chest out.
"Did you see that, Nala?" The cub asked his friend, who was frowning nearby. "I pounced him so hard, that wham! He never even saw it coming!" Now Simba was also laughing really hard. "Wait until we get back! It will be so funny, I managed to knock down Seaver! Why, they might not even believe it."
While Simba was having his glory moment on Seaver's back, the human sighed with his face hidden in his palms. Eventually, he decided that the cub had enough and made his move.
"So, Nala," Simba was busy asking, "do you doubt me now? I told you I can topple one of them over. or do I need to- WOAH!" Simba had to quickly jump off Seaver's back as the human swiftly got up.
Seaver grinned as he dusted himself off. "Now I don't think that was very fair. For one, I was looking out over the horizon, and two, I believe I let you topple me over. And I got up easily enough."
Simba snorted. "I caught you by surprise fair and open. You weren't paying attention, and that's your problem. Besides," Simba added smugly. "Mom says that the prey that pays the least attention gets eaten the first."
Seaver wasn't the only human not to be amused by that. He might have gotten knocked down, but non of the others noticed the two cubs sneaking up on them either.
"So we're prey now, is that so?" Asked Russell. "I didn't know we tasted that good."
Mardindale laughed quietly. "If it will make you feel better, I say we can add a little... energy to our camp. Nothing serious. Maybe a shock or two," he said, referring to the electrical perimeter fencing that they didn't bother putting up yet.
"You want see something really cool?" Asked Simba suddenly, moving away from the awkward situation.
"I don't know if we can," replied Seaver. "We still have patrolling to do, and that's on the serious side of things. Not something to be left undone."
Banks suddenly answered the question through the radio. "Seaver," he said. "If you can get knocked over by a lion cub, you need a break. Go see that cool place, and I better find out what it is when you come back. Don't worry about the patrol. From up here, I can see much better than you can, and I have some serious stuff on me. I can keep an eye out."
Mardindale fisted the air triumphantly as Seaver turned very red with embarrassment. "Sometimes, a radio is a piece of heaven." he said.
Seaver had to stop himself from strangling the joker. "And sometimes, the radio needs to be left off."
The two lion cubs were looking up at the device Mardindale was holding with curiosity. Even though they saw it before, it still amazed them. "Why turn it off? Asked" Simba. "If I got to talk to anyone I want, whenever I want, I wouldn't do anything but talk."
Nala rolled her eyes. "Good riddance," she said. "The kings know that the only time you shut up is when no one's around."
As the humans snickered at her remark, Simba turned quickly and pounced on her in order to prove her wrong. In no time, she was standing on top of him grinning triumphantly. "You can never pin me, might as well quit trying.." She said.
Realizing that he was on the losing end of the jokes now, Simba quickly pushed Nala off and ran of into the grass. "So you guys gonna come or what? It's going to get dark soon!" he called out over his shoulder.
Seaver looked at the sky. He notice that the entire day had a substantial wind, but he only noticed now that dark clouds were moving in. With a shrug, he followed the others. If the weather gets to bad, they can always return to the cool thing to see what it is later.
Several hours later, Banks tried looking out from the rain splattered windshield. While looking out on top of a large hill, the weather got steadily worse. Soon he had to go back to camp, and along with Evans, secured everything before seeking shelter in the Humvee. What was supposed to be another uneventful day turned into one of the most powerful storm in his life. Now the windshield offered a nice view of water, not air.
"How long do you think the rain will last?" he asked Evans, who was sitting next to him in the passenger seat.
Evans shrugged. "The nearest weather station is hundreds of miles away, and I don't trust its quality. Either way, it claims that right now its sunny and hot. Nor am I a meteorologist, so I can guess to make you happy, but that's about it."
Banks laughed. "Yeah, stupid question." he took out a book and started reading, while Evans was content to pass the time by napping with a music player in his ears. How anyone could get some sleep in that torrent beat Banks. The rain continued to pound on the roof of the vehicle, creating the loud noise that Banks tried hard to ignore. He wondered about the other three humans. They were patrolling the Pridelands when the rain started, then they followed Simba and Nala to that cool place.
As if to answer his thoughts, the radio crackled to life through the noise of the rain. It was Mardindale.
Struggling to hear Mardindale, Banks pressed the speaker into his ear while covering the other. It didn't help that there was heavy static.
"-get the car- to- -ide- -roc- -" The signal went dead almost immediately.
Evans woke up. "Anything?" he asked.
Banks turned on the ignition and the vehicle coughed to life. "I couldn't tell. Rain's killing the signal. Either way, we're off." The headlights illuminated the area right in front of them, but not much else. The windshield wipers worked overtime to clear the water that furiously tried to cover up the windshield.
"How can you see anything in this storm?" Asked Evans.
Banks was leaning as far forward as he could to get a better view. "I can't. I'm mostly relying on memory and the compass." That quited Evans.
The vehicle lumbered up slowly through the plains. The rain turned the hard clay soil into a bog, threatening to entrap even the rugged off-roader. More than once Banks had to move quicker than he anted to to avoid settling into the mud permanently. Without a clear sight, the drive went on forever. It was going to be a long day.
After several long hours, Banks caught the looming bulk of Pride Rock thorough the rain and mud. He drove carefully, and discovered that they came upon the back end of the monolithic stone. Driving around the perimeter, Banks finally drove the Humvee under the protective cover of the large protruding section of rock. He cut the engine when he saw the other three humans there.
Mardindale got up when the vehicle pulled over. "What took you so long getting here?" he asked Banks and Evans when the two got out of the Humvee. "We nearly started to dry without you."
Banks pointed at the mud splattered windshield. "You try seeing anything through that. Especially when you can only see just up to the end of the hood." He took out a duffel bag from the inside of the vehicle. "Here," he said. "Your uniforms, I know, but they're dry."
Before Banks or Evans could blink, the other three humans changed their clothing, suddenly much more alive now that they were dry and carried a few pounds of water less.
"So, what was the cool place?," Banks asked. "I didn't understand anything in the radio message, just to come here and that's it. So we came here."
Russel looked out at the raging storm. The wind was threatening to eliminate even the cover of the rock above them from the rain. "We didn't get to it. It was on the far end of the Pridelands, and it started raining too hard before we got there. We called you because we really needed a fresh change of clothing which you brought."
Banks looked outside at the rain. "I guess we can only wait until the storm passes. Then maybe we can look at that cool place. Along that note, I am wondering what's on the other side of the hills roughly twenty miles east of us. Might go looking in a few days if nothing comes up."
Banks watched the rain for a while, thinking. He wondered for how long they could stay. They came on a secret mission. It was turning into almost a vacation. Even Macbain was starting to hint through their email contacts that they might be pulled out soon. There was only so long that DC and the African governments had patience for. He though about whether or not to move to a new location. Maybe they set up their "base" in the wrong spot. Should they go see the cool place? "What do you guys think?" he asked finally.
But when he turned around, Banks realized that he was talking to nobody. Mardindale had already managed to fall asleep, using a backpack as a pillow. Russel was also close to falling asleep, but he was listening to a music player. Evens was doing something on a notepad, and Seaver was reading something. In short, no one was listening to him.
Walking over to Seaver, Banks looked at Evans' notebook. Evans was drawing a rather nice looking picture of a lion, looking up. Evans paid Banks no attention as he continued drawing. Banks came up to Seaver.
"What are you reading?" he asked.
Seaver looked up suddenly, and rather embarrassed. "Nothing," he said quickly. It was a Bible.
"You religious?" Asked Banks.
Seaver shook his head. "Don't ask why. I just suddenly felt like I had to read it, and I knew we had one, so there you go." He said in almost a whisper.
Banks laughed quietly. "Tell me if you read anything enlightening." He then looked at his watch. "And try to get some sleep. It's a lot later than it looks."
Banks got inside the Humvee in order to get some sleep himself after alerting Evans about it. He looked out at the gloomy rain. He again though, but this time about what Seaver said. Irony or not, but Banks was also having a funny feeling. The rain was certainly not helping him think much, and Banks realized how much the strenuous drive made him tired.
He closed his eyes and let the monotonous roar of the rain put him to sleep.
AN: I put the Bible in on purpose. No, I am not religious, and I don't want to spread any religious ideas or anti-religious ideas. In fact, if for some reason someone decides to take this offensively, I will say it at once: It is not meant not be offensive, and I will remove all comments about it if they get out of hand.
Other than that: Sorry for making you guys wait so long. All fault is mine.