Chapter 10

"I don't know, it just didn't seem… as original as I would've wanted," said Pandora, shrugging, "Weed Valley and Indian Woman were, like, the same movie."

"Dude, who cares," said Nate, "Profile Pic was the best movie EVER! Did you see those visual effects?"

"I must admit," added Shatner, "As long as they tell that similar story in a new and unique way, then technically it's just as good as a brand new story."

"I loved the movie because Nistrious was half naked!" said Iawn.

"Yeah, hot, sexy, alien women for the win," agreed Leo.

"It was CGI," said Nate, rolling his eyes, "Big… deal."

"Land-Ho!" yelled Charles, pointing forward.

"Heh heh, 'ho'," laughed Iawn, high-fiving Leo.

They had just passed a small hill, and now they could clearly see a large, walled-in settlement. It rested on the sea coast, inside the restored ruins of some sort of harbor. It spread out, much bigger then the DC settlement did, but the vast majority was walled-in farmlands and grazing fields for different types of livestock. A very large satellite dish rested near the more building-filled end, and when Shatner spotted this he smiled very big.

"This is the place," said Shatner.

"Right," said Nate, "Kevin should be down there. Now all we need to do is not get shot."

"Then be careful what you say," said Shatner, "Come on."

Shatner lead the way, heading down the hill towards the settlement. Nate walked backwards, speaking to the others while they walked.

"Now, you kids better not screw this up," said Nate, "You, you keep your frickin' little perverted head down," said Nate, pointing at Iawn, "I will slit your throat and burry you without a second thought. You, You'll be gone as well if I think that for ANY reason you threat the mission. I'll bury you next to Iawn," said Nate, pointing at Leo, "You… I'm stuck with YOU. Don't screw up or I'll… take away your gun and let Shatner kill you," said Nate, to Pandora, "And Charles… keep…. Being quiet and doin' whatcha doin'. You're a good kid."

"Hey," barked Iawn, Leo, and Pandora together.

"That kinda hurt," said Pandora.

"Remember that pain, and do as we say," said Nate, "Oh, and shoulder your weapons. We don't want to look opposing. That would be stupid."

The four younger ones gave a look to one another, and they nodded. Nate turned around, and followed Shatner down the road to the hill. It was another half hour before they were close, and Nate lowered the goggles he kept with him over his eyes, and slowly took the safety off his gun. Shatner watched uneasily.

"Not wanting to seem… opposing?" he asked uneasily.

"If anything goes down, it's just me and you," said Nate, "I'd rather be the opposing one."

"Ok…" said Shatner, returning his eyes to the large wall they now approached.

This wall made the one back at D.C. look like paper. It was build of stone, and like a medieval castle has towers and peepholes all around the perimeter. They could find no one as they scanned the wall, and similarly heard not a word as they approached a massive metal gate that they assumed was the best way inside. They soon were very close, and Nate and Shatner looked at one another. They nodded, and stood outside the gate.

"Hello!" yelled Pandora, who was immediately lightly backhanded by Nate.

"Is anybody there?" yelled Shatner, also receiving a blow from Nate.

"You guys are terrible at this," said Nate, shaking his head.

A figure up on the wall jerked into view, as if pushed by another. He stumbled a little, then pointing his gun at the group.

"Uh…" stumbled the Man, "You are completely surrounded… right now. Drop your weapons! Put them on the GROUND!"

"Oh, not this again," said Nate, shaking his head.

"Look, we come in peace," said Shatner, holding out his gun in a submissive way, "We're looking for a friend, a friend from the WWBC."

"We… don't… have any WWBC connection here!" yelled back the man.

"Oh, good," said Nate, "Now we know what the dish is for. Satellite TV, right? You think we're dumb, boy?"

"Hey, calm down," said Shatner, "You're going to get us shot."

"Better a fight then us be sent away because of an idiot," said Nate.

"We're looking," yelled Shatner, "For a friend of ours on the network. We've come a long way."

"We're lookin' for fukytude….tan," said Nate.

"Who?" said the man.

"Fkeutan," corrected Shatner.

"Fukui….tooie…. oie tan…" said Nate, rubbing his chin.

"No, that isn't it," said Shatner.

"This is why I'm Comedianmasta, you're Shatnerpossum, and he's Pandora. No CONFUSION in those damn names," said Nate.

"What's WWBC?" asked Iawn.

"Can it," said Shatner and Nate together.

"FKEUITAN," yelled the man from the wall, "It's fkeuitan. Fuh-kay-Oo-E-TAN. Fkeuitan."

"Well, good lord," said Nate, "You sound just like him. The fact is we just call him 'Kevin'."

"Oh my god," said the man, "Shatner? Comedian? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Kevin?" said Nate and Shatner together.

"What are the odds," said Nate, almost laughing, "Get your Whale of an ass down here and greet your guests!"

"What are you doing here?" asked Kevin again, but he did not stay for an answer, he disappeared from view.

Nate and Shatner looked at one another, and Nate smiled.

"Say it," said Nate.

"What?" asked Shatner.

"This was a fricken good idea," said Nate, "Say it."

"This whole trip is a bad idea," said Shatner.

The massive door clanked and creaked, but then gave way and broke in two, opening to reveal the inside of the wall. Nate and Shatner smiled, but then their smiles disappeared as a squad of very large men with guns hustled out of the gate, aiming at them.

"Oh, s***," said Shatner, taking an involuntary step back.

"More friends of yours?" asked Charles, who began breathing heavier.

"I thought these were Whales, not Apes," said Nate, raising his gun as well.

And there they stood, locked in a stalemate of interest, unease between the men and the group.

A large man followed by another man, who wasn't so small himself, walked from behind the guards, and walked into the small circle that had been made. Nate recognized one of them as the man who was on the wall, he recognized Kevin.

"Who's your leader?" said the man, standing tall.

Nate saw he was obviously some leader of theirs. He was large, a beast of a man, and had a large beard that was braided in some parts and left alone in others. He had dark, set in eyes, and he held a maul in his hands, like it was some sort of large, double headed, battle axe from the Viking era. Nate was wondering whether to let out a laugh or shiver. These men were wearing furs and beards like it was a thousand or so years ago, and they wore jeans and pants to remind Nate they had not time traveled since three minutes ago.

"I am," declared Iawn, stepping forward and bunching out his chest.

Nate rolled his eyes, and stepped forward. He placed one foot next to Iawn's and shoved at his shoulders, sending Iawn to the ground. Nate puffed up his own chest, and tilted one eyebrow.

"How can I help you, William Wallace?" asked Nate.

"Wrong country," said Shatner.

"What does it matter, they're all the same country now," spat back Nate, "United Kingdom, remember?"

"Then it's the wrong SIDE of the country," argued Shatner.

"THIS IS WHALES!" yelled the man suddenly, sending Nate back.

Nate almost laughed, then, getting over the shock, then he puffed his own chest and pointed back at the man, "THIS-IS-SPARTA! Ha, ha. Calm down, there, Conan. Just state your case."

"You are trespassing," said the large man, beginning to turn red, "You are on our land."

"It's the end of the world and you treat a once-in-an-apocalyptic-lifetime guests like this?" asked Nate, cocking his eyebrows once more.

The man seemed taken aback, and rethought the situation, rubbing his head. Nate knew he had not thought of that, and odds are it had been a long, long time since they met travelers or visitors who were not begging for their aid and fortress solitude.

"That, and we know our boy here from the network," said Nate, "How's it goin, Kevin?"

"I'm quite well," asked Kevin, "How the hell did you guys GET here? And whoa re these?"

Shatner stepped forward, pushing Nate slightly to the side to share his stage.

"It's a long story, look we're just traveling, we want no fight, we're friendly," said Shatner, smiling, "And… it's a long story, and to be honest I'd much better prefer that we share it over a nice fire and a warm soup."

"So you think that you'll just come in, eat our food and use up our campfire space, then leave in exchange for a few traveler's tales?" said the man, returning to his angry mood.

"Of coarse not," said Nate, smiling, "We have money."

"Paper money is NO GOOD here," said the man, crossing his arms with the axe in hand.

Nate shrugged, looking at Shatner, "It was worth a shot."

"We got medicine," said Shatner, smiling, "A lot of it, here."

Shatner pulled up the battered cart, which had made it from the small town. SHatner was smart to take out a lot of the stuff they absolutely needed to carry onto, because it looked as if Shatner was offering the entire contents of the cart, including batteries, flashlights, water, some food, and other tools and nick-nacks he had swiped in a just-in-case phenomena.

The large man's face lit up, and several of the guard standing around lowered their guns, smiles and whispers appearing on their face. The large man stepped forward, and examined the contents of the cart. Then, his eyes filled with tears, and he began to sob, the entire mass of his large, muscular body shaking.

Nate and Shatner looked at each other, and the four kids behind them began to giggle and laugh at the scene.

"So it's a deal then?" asked Nate, smiling and holding out his hand for a shake.

"Thank you, travelers!" yelled the man through a sob, and he dropped the maul and rushed over, embracing Nate in his vice-like grip. Nate's feet were taken right off the ground, and Shatner took three steps back, holding his hands up.

"My wife and Daughter," said the man, still crying on Nate's shoulder, "They are ill, dying of a common illness. These medicines will save them, they will save so MANY!"

"Your… welcome," sputtered Nate, as he wiggles and squirmed to try and free himself, "but…you…"

"For all the contents of the cart, you will be family," exclaimed the man through more sobs, "you will be HEROS!"

"Heros!" exclaimed the guards, and the ones on the wall as well as those standing around lifted their rifles and began to cheer.

Leo and Charles locked elbows, and began to jig in a circle, throwing their hands in the air as well singing "Heros, heros!" Iawn held out his hands, and bowed, exclaiming, "Thank you, thank you! Yes, I found the medicine and it was my idea to bring them, thank you, thank you!" Pandora smiled and, nodded, but looked towards Shatner for advice.

Shatner had joined in with the hollering and cheers of the guards, a large smile spread across his face. They were looking up to him.

"Deal," said Shatner.

"Air…" mumbled Nate, his eyes rolling into the back of his head, "Release….me!"

The man suddenly let go, but grasped onto Nate's shoulders, which was good because Nate was ready to fall to his knees and pass out. He whipped the tears from his eyes, and a smile replaced his scowl of earlier.

"This is a great day," he yelled, and it was heard even out of earshot, "Today is the day our Father has sent us salvation in the form of these travelers! Today is the day we have concord Satan and his minions, and SURVIVED THIS WORLD!"

More cheers, and even a light song broke out among the guards, and all the action had attracted a small crowd inside the gate, who was beginning to get excited as the news went from one to the other, like wildfire.

"Quickly now," said the man, "Inside, inside, get this medicine to the doctor, and let's get some prime beef into the bellies of these heroes! And Tonight, we dine like KINGS! I want pork, I want Bacon, WE WILL HAVE WHINE!"

More exclamations of happiness came and the guards rushed inside, and the group was flocked inside like sheep being lead by a heard of shepherds The four boys ate it all up, but Nate and Shatner made their way to Kevin, who wasn't as happy as the rest.

"How's life, dude?" asked Nate.

"Good, good," said Kevin, "Hey, don't think I'm a jerk or anything, but there is NO way you two are Heroes and meant to bring this here."

"Oh, no, completely by chance," said Shatner, "But I'm glad we could help."

"Don't get me wrong, I am too," said Kevin, "Where have you guys BEEN? What the hell is going on?"

"Stay close," said Nate, "We'll tell you the story, tonight on Chronicle."

"I think it's best I tell it this time," said Shatner, "It's my turn."

"Good idea," blushed Nate.

"It better be good," said Kevin, shaking his head.

"It's actually more retarded then anything else," said Shatner, "Trust me, I would never have come along if I had any IDEA…"

Shatner was cut off, because somehow, a large song had broken out, and he looked around, seeing that their little parade had become just that, a parade. It seemed like the entire country of Whales had poured out of the hills to sing and dance and cheer and throw little rocks (rice was food, remember) and even give some gifts of flowers and the like. Nate and Shatner couldn't help but look at each other and smile, soaking it up while it lasted.

Shatner had time to take a look around the settlement. It was bigger then D.C., but they did not have the recourses to be more technologically advanced as D.C. was. They appeared to have no water filters or the like, so they had several small rivers diverted to flow right through the settlement and fields of the animals, and they had many different areas where rain water was gathered. Farms and live stalk were more numerous then in D.C. but were tended for with more primitive tools. Even in D.C. machinery and enhancements helped double their production rate. Birds and crows were hunted without mercy, here, as well. A single scarecrow sat in the middle of one field, but several camouflaged men with rifles picked off the birds that just couldn't hold out any longer, and dived in for the coveted seeds and food that they could eat or fly away with.

The houses, as well, were more advanced and yet primitive then in D.C. Electricity only went to a few, more important houses and buildings in the area, the rest seemed to be based around a campfire and live stalk pen. Shatner turned up his nose to the thought of having animals right there in the house, but he was sure it was probably some way to take ownership of a heard or a flock or some way to keep a better eye on the animals during the night. Many of the homes also had small home-gardens where flowers, tomatoes, grapes, or some other small food could grow outside a window or on a front "lawn".

The singing and dancing seemed to have continued until they were inside a huge meeting house of some sort. A large bonfire like this was at one side, as well as an equally large fireplace not far away, and covering the rest of the distance was a very large and quite thick, made of wood of the kind Nate could not identify, table that stretched from the large bonfire to the door. It reminded Nate of the medieval halls and their large dining tables.

A few moments later, and their group was situation right next to the fire, where stew and meat and a large amount of other dishes were hastily being prepared. The large man from before sat four older men (and one woman) around them, and he and another larger man sat down as well, Kevin sitting next to Nate and Shatner.

"Now, our young heroes," said the big burly man, "Meet our elders. They know vividly about time before the ash, and three of them are historians and know a lot about survival without technology."

The elders nodded, and Nate and Shatner gave a weak smile.

"They also know how far we've come since the dark ages, and how long, or short, we will last without certain commodities."

"Com… what?" asked Nate.

"Certain necessities," whispered Shatner, "Well, we're glad you appreciate it and we can stay but we're not heroes, please."

"Oh, but you are! You are!" said the burly man, "So, what are the names of our medicine men!"

"My Name's Brom, Brom Shatner, this is Nate Flint," introduced Shatner, "There's our little crew. We got Brian, Leonard, uhh….. Charlie, and…. Iawn."

"Gertrude," chuckled Nate, then his face went straight and his eyebrows rose, "Oh my gosh… you know what I just realized? Gertrude A. Yeilm….. G,A,Y…. his frickin' initials spell GAY! Oh My Gosh!"

"Anyway," said Shatner, "The three younger ones-"

A crash was heard, and Pandora and Iawn squirmed with each other on the ground, fighting over a bread roll which seemed to have been laid between them and they now wrestled for it.

"Four, the four youngest are technically not with us," said Shatner, rolling his eyes.

"They're cannon fodder," said Nate, smiling, "We'll also eat them when food runs out."

"Well, I am Horton," said the large man, "But people around here call me Hort. You've met my son, I see."

"Him?" said Nate, pointing at Kevin, "Kevin?"

"Who?" questioned Hort.

"Yes, yes I am," answered Kevin, "My father runs most of the security here, and is very influential."

"So, what is your story," asked Hort, leaning in slightly.

"Well, it all started," said Nate.

"I think I should take this one," interrupted Shatner, and he leaned forward himself to tell the story.