~~~~Chapter Four: Quarantine~~~~
The whole room waited with baited breath for Immorten Joe's judgment to be passed. The silence was so deafening that the sound of my own heart pumping blood through my pipes made time seem to stand still. Seconds ticked by for what seemed like hours as beads of sweat pooled on my forehead as we all patiently waited for something to happen. Between Corpus Colossum and Immorten Joe there were hushed words exchanged with great interest regarding the offerings; just from the man child's facial expressions alone I could tell he was trying to persuade his father to take the offer. Any indication of decision would decide weather this foolish mortal would face death at the hands of our god or be richly rewarded for his bravery. Finally it seemed his fate would be sealed as Immorten Joe stood once more from his throne, gesturing for the newcomer to rise from his humble stance.
"Young warrior you have braved the waste lands and survived the unforgiving fury road. You have outwitted my scouts and come deep into my domain without a shred of fear in your heart. When it came to defending your cargo you were merciless to those who stood in your way," he paused as his gaze matched with that of the young road warrior. His gaze was intense with respect, it was a look that many war boys coveted but few ever received. "For all your deeds you shall have your reward. My son has persuaded me to accept your payment. However while you are my guest in the Citadel you will have an escort with you at all times and you shall be kept under quarantine during your stay. Do you accept these terms?"
The mysterious boy nodded his fuzzy head in agreement to our leader's decree with a pleased expression on his face. "How soon can preparations be made sir?" he said already getting down to business, "I imagine my people will need at least 15 warriors and 30 children to help bring our numbers back up. Plus the supplies and vehicles to transport them across the wastelands to the settlement. It took me about seven days to walk here, it shouldn't be more than a three day ride back."
There was quiet chatter amongst the imperators as a contract was quickly forged dividing up responsibilities for the journey. I couldn't believe my eyes as I watched the negotiations wax and wane; this is where lives were decided. All at once I knew I had to make sure I would be among the ones chosen to accompany the campaign to this new faraway land that was ripe for conquest. This was my chance to prove my worthiness; this is what I had been waiting for!
As the light began to die with the setting sun the great Immorten dismissed his commanders, announcing negotiations would resume the following day. Immorten Joe's eyes scanned the room until his gaze settled on me, "You war boy. Escort our honored guest to an unclaimed room and watch over him for the night. Make sure all his needs are met." With a humble bow of my head I hurried to the shorter boy's side ready to be of service to this important guest only to be brushed aside by Slit's shoulder as he took point. Before I could reassert my position as the appointed leader Slit stood to his full height glaring at me as if to say 'challenge me Nux, you know you will lose if you do.' Resigned to my lower status I reluctantly backed down awaiting his instructions. Slit looked elated at the swift take over, his grin splitting his face into a sinister smirk. Dejected all I could think to do was hang my head in defeat as my best mate turned his attention to the young warrior to lay down the law of the citadel.
Just when my thoughts were clouding with doubt and self hatred a gentle scarred hand rested upon my right shoulder, I glanced at the hand and followed the arm attached until I came face to face with Ace. His face was bunched up with concern, his serious eyes holding mine as he studied my face. "You need to stick up for yourself Nux. Don't let Slit call the shots, Immorten Joe chose you to be in charge of his valuable guest and you just let Slit take that honor away from you without putting up a fight,"he pointed his chin toward Slit's back as we watched him use his height to intimidate the shorter boy. The boy looked bored and was pointedly ignoring Slit's display of superiority sending me the occasional curious glance, as if waiting for me to finish my talk with Ace so I could lead the way.
Still filled with some apprehension I shyly responded, "Do you think I could take him if I challenged Slit to a fight?" At this the Ace let out a belly rolling laugh that caused his goggles to mist up slightly, "You win a fight against Slit? Not in your half life Nux! Hah-aha!" My shoulders slumped as Ace's words sunk in, but before I could trudge off Ace grabbed both my shoulders and pulled my ear close to his mouth. "I'll let you in on a secret Nux. Its not always the strong that are worthy of Valhalla; Sometimes its the clever ones that make the cut," he stealthily points at Imperator Furiosa who was chatting with another imperator. "There is a reason Furiosa is one of the best imperators under Immorten's command. Its cause she uses more than strength to get the job done, she uses her willpower to shape the world." While contemplating his wise words Furiosa looks in our direction, her eyes filled with hot fire as her sight flits from Slits imposing figure to Ace's conspiratorial stance. With a mere nod she conveys a silent command to me, 'Don't let him take what's yours. Fight for your place amongst the strong.'
Emboldened with new found courage from my commanders I marched toward Slit ready to take back my rightful place as the leader. The surprised look on the other boy's face was the only warning Slit received before I grabbed him by his neck cloth and flung him to the ground, holding the cloth tightly around his neck. As he struggled to breath I kicked his legs out from under him flinging us both to the stone floor and slamming him face first into the dirt. While he tried to recover from the surprise attack my knees kept him pinned under my smaller form, I cautiously leaned forward to whisper into his ear. "This is my time Slit and you will not take away this honor that was bestowed upon me by the great Immorten himself. So either you follow me or I'll finish this fight here and now. What'd ya say?" Angry grunts were the only answers I received so slowly I pushed off him and stood up. As I stood over him I held out my hand as a show of friendship, he stared at it for a moment as if not sure if he should take it but ultimately decided to accept the offered hand as he stood up from his sitting position on the ground. Slit smiled warmly at me, "So you finally decided to stand up for yourself, Nuxy. Its about time. I was starting to think you were growing soft," he said as he clapped me roughly on my back.
As everyone began filing out of the throne room I led the way to the imperator's barracks with Slit backing up the rear of our little escort with the traveler wedged between us sticking close to our every step. For a small guy he was quite sure footed, barely missing a step on the steep climb as we ascended the stone staircase to the nicer barracks inhabited by the higher ranking commanders. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure he was still in between us as I tried to make small talk. "So what's it like living in the wastes? Do you have your own car? If so why didn't you come with it?," the boy shrugged his cloaked shoulders dismissively as he readjusted his dark green face cloth. 'He must not be much of a talker,' I mused to myself, ' Maybe he doesn't know how to drive and that's why he had to push the cart across the desert.' Then a thought occurred to me.
"Was it your idea?" I asked him. The boy's eyes quirked up to my question, "What was my idea?" he asked. I glanced over my shoulder to smile at him as we rounded another staircase. "Making a mirage cart!" I exclaimed excitedly, "Its' no wonder you made it as far as you did. I bet you could sneak up on anyone if you had a car covered in that shiny metal." Whether it was the enthusiasm or appreciation of his clever idea I was happily surprised when our guest smirked shyly as he kept up with our quick pace. "You're right. It was my idea but you're wrong about one thing," he stated proudly.
Puzzled at his response I asked him what I was wrong about. He let out a little chuckle as he explained. "It would defeat the purpose to attach stealth gear to a car. A car is too loud and easily gives away your position. Plus if you fitted it with stealth gear anyway it'd be almost impossible to maintain 'cause the slightest crack or warp in the metal will destroy the cloaking capability. A cart is much smaller and better for a journey requiring the ability to be invisible."
This thought had not occurred to me. This young pup had chosen his chariot very carefully for his purpose; it was clear he was more clever than the average road warrior. As we were nearing the barracks I turned around and started walking backwards to continue the conversation. "What do ya think Slit? It's pretty chrome, don'tcha think?" I said cheerfully. Frowning Slit spit on the ground as he disagreed, "Mediocre. Why sneak up on your enemies like a coward? Only the weak go for such cowardly means to fight. Anyone that pulls that kind of shit is unworthy of Valhalla." My smile disappeared, "Surely you'd take out more enemies if you took them by surprise. I mean wouldn't that be more bad-ass to take out ten with one attack than maybe three or four in a head on fight?" Slit didn't say anything, his face only presenting an annoyed glare that told me I had been talking too much and it was beginning to irritate him. Seeing as how an irritated Slit was usually a violent Slit and lead to me getting smacked around as a result I thought it best to quite the chattering.
Finally we made our way to an uninhabited room that would serve as the temporary resting place for our charge. It wasn't much to look at; just a private single barrack furnished with a cot, a rickety metal fold out chair, and a rusty bucket to take a piss in. "Alright here is where you'll be staying until all the negotiations are complete," I explained as I pulled back the curtain serving as the only barrier from prying eyes. I stood to the side as the boy stood awkwardly at the entrance before Slit became impatient and shoved him inside the room. "Come on we don't have all night! Move it!" The weight of the younger warrior's gear shifted sending the poor sod falling into the room face first onto the cold hard ground.
"Slit he's our guest! Why'd you shove him?!" I exclaimed as I ran over to help the guy stand back up. Loud obnoxious laughter was the only response Slit gave as he held his sides doubled over laughing as the kid stood up shakily. "Weaklings who can't even stand up while wearing their tools are useless in battle!" Slit said as he turned away from the doorway. "Where are you going Slit?" I called out to him before he could walk away. He turned to me with a miffed expression, "I'm going to get food. You stay with the runt and keep watch over him. Just because he's a guest doesn't mean he's anything special. I'll bring you back some food later." At the sight of Slit's retreating form I turned my attention back to the honored guest realizing my hands were still gripping his arms and holding him in place. Guilt for my lancer's actions formed like a chunk of cold iron in my gut as I tried my best to brush off the dust from the boy's clothes. The gear the boy wore on his utility belt was well maintained with barely any tears in the black fabric, there must be armor underneath his shirt because the back felt firmer like it was covering up a thin sheet of metal. "I'm sorry for my partner's attitude. He's just a little grumpy cause he hasn't eaten dinner yet," I explained as I helped him up from the floor while I examined his belt wondering what tools were in the many compartments.
"It's fine, it's nothing I haven't had to put up with before. I know I'm not the biggest or the strongest," he said as he unhooked his belt and laid it on the floor next to the head of the bed. "But I'm still here. So I guess I must be doing something right." After removing his heavy load he stretched out on the cot splayed out like a lizard catching the last light of the sun during a bright hot day. Not sure what else to do with myself I settled for sitting on the floor as we waited for Slit to return with food and aqua cola.
After the sky had grown dark my stomach growled angrily; I was quick to rub my belly as I tried to think of anything but food. "Just be patient a little longer little engine. Slit will be back soon with fuel for you," I cooed as I rubbed my cramping stomach that continued to rumble loudly in protest. A grunt from the other occupant of the room caught my attention as he sat up from the bed and began rummaging in the compartment boxes on his utility belt. Finally finding the one he was searching for, he opened it to reveal a small brown lump and proceeded to break it in half reveal a cloud white center. His long thin arm stretched out towards me, "Here. Eat this if you're hungry, it'll keep you full while we wait for your friend to return. Though I doubt he will as he doesn't seem like a good friend, I don't even think he's coming back for you tonight so you might as well help me eat the last of the rations I packed for the journey here." As I accepted the generous morsel he proceeded to munch on his portion with a thoughtful look on his face. "I don't think we introduced ourselves yet. You can call me Stitch. What do they call you?" he says with a mouthful of the dry crumbly food. The meal was dry and rough tasting to my tongue; I could barely swallow the first mouthful. "It's Nux. My name is Nux,"I say proudly after finally managing to not choke on my food.
*Author's note: Hey guys! Sorry for the two year hiatus. I'm proud to say I'm well established as independent adult so now I have more free time to write. I'm officially picking up this story again and I intend to finish it. It is quite discouraging since I have few followers or people commenting so please by all means leave feedback! Stay tuned for the next chapter!
