AN: I am utterly amazed by all the readers that have started to follow this story. It makes me smile to see people become invested in the stories I write. Special shout outs to Kalaong and Irishbrneyes, you always make me so happy with your reviews. I hope this update doesn't disappoint you both.
Chapter 2: Feral
XXX
Immortan Joe was conducting his daily inspection of the Mothers' milk supply. He held out a bottle for Rictus to try. Rictus takes a swig and nods his approval. Immortan Joe is about to move on to his inspection of the produce when Corpus interrupted.
"Hey, Pa." Corpus called to his father.
Immortan Joe stops and turns towards Corpus. "Hmm?"
"You know about this?" Corpus says as he looks out of the spyglass. "Your produce ain't going to Gas Town."
Immortan Joe stalks over and leans in to look for himself. It takes him a minute to find the War Rig's dust trail.
"She's gone off-road...into hostile territory."
Joe doesn't bother to look again before turning and hurriedly stalking out of the Mothers' room.
"Why would she do that?" Rictus asks the retreating form of his father, before turning to try and use the spyglass himself. "Let me see."
"Rictus." Corpus says as he holds the spyglass away from Rictus.
Rictus pouts like a petulant over-grown man-child that he is, "I wanna see."
"Rictus." Corpus says more forcefully. "Go see what's agitating Dad."
XXX
River's POV
It was a pin prick on her skin… but she felt it. Felt the waves that pin prick made along her spine, causing the hair on the back of her head to stand up. She sat up from floor now and moved towards the trap door in the floor of the compartment and slowly began to pull it back.
"What are you doing?" Angharad asks as the other women begin to sit up and take notice.
"She's listening…" She say as she opens the door just enough to better hear the outside world.
"For what?" Toast asks her somewhat incredulously. Out of all the 'wives,' she was the most guarded around the newcomer.
"She's crazy." Toast thinks to herself.
But she doesn't bother to respond and just keeps her ear low to the crack in the door.
XXX
Immortan Joe runs past the grow rooms and directly towards his vault. Rictus is not far behind him. As he comes to the vault door he furiously spins the dial to the correct combination. The lock hisses as it releases and he quickly pulls open the door into the inner vault.
Immortan Joe's boots announce his presence as he stomps into the room.
"Splendid!" Immortan Joe calls out. His only response is silence. "Angharad!" He yells louder.
He looks down at the ground and sees 'Our babies will not be warlords' written in white paint on the stone floor near the wading pool.
"Where are they?" He says as he looks around the room.
"They are not your property." An elderly voice calls from the back.
"Miss Giddy?" Immortan Joe asks angrily as he stalks towards the old woman.
Miss Giddy is holding a shot gun towards Joe. "You cannot own a human being. Sooner or later someone pushes back!" But she hesitates to pull the trigger when she needs to and he easily snatches it and turns the barrel to face the ceiling as it fires. Small debris and dust fall on to his head.
"Where is she taking them?" Immortal Joe demands.
"She didn't take them…They begged her to go!" Miss Giddy defiantly yells.
Now Immortal Joe is screaming. "Where is she taking them?" His hand comes up to encircle Miss Giddy's throat, and he begins to squeeze.
"A long way from you." Miss Giddy responds while spitting in his face.
He throws her to the ground and walks back out of the room past Rictus. He should never have entrusted her with them. Should never have assigned Furiosa to protect his property. He should have known that she would try something like this.
He continues back down the hallway he came from when something catches his eye. He takes a left and kneels down to the ground to see the small pool of blood in front of her door. His eyes widen as he easily pushes the door open and spies the dead War Boy on the floor.
If he wasn't furious before, Immortan Joe certainly was now as he screams in a rage as Rictus and two Imperators come in the cell.
"Prepare a furious vexation! I want my property!" Immortan Joe yells.
XXX
Max's POV
My head is dizzy from hanging upside down for so long, but I start to hear a commotion… dozens of footsteps and the beating of drums, and I crack open my eyes. The half-life War Boy I'm attached to seems to hear it too.
He sits up and starts asking questions of the War Boys walking through the corridor. "Hey. Hey, what's happening?"
"Slit! What's going on?" He calls to the fucker from earlier, the one that brought him in. I glare at him as he passes, but he doesn't notice.
"Slit!" The half-dead War Boy calls to him to no avail.
"Treason. Betrayal." Another War Boy says as he walks through. "An Imperator gone rogue."
I can't help but wonder who or what's an Imperator? That's the thing about all these different factions, they all have their own fucked up hierarchy.
"An Imperator. Who?" The half-dead underneath me asks.
The same War Boy answers now. "Furiosa! She took a lot of stuff from Immortan Joe."
"What stuff?" half-dead asks.
"Breeders! His prize breeders! He wants them back! Not a hand laid on them."
It doesn't surprise me. It's all the same in this wasteland. The one's in power run their fucked up little colony while living the high life, like Aunty Entity in Bartertown. It will never change.
Suddenly there's some commotion and I feel myself swing as the IV line connected to half-dead pulls me towards him as he struggles with the other fucker.
"That's my wheel." Half-dead complains, pulling at a steering wheel.
"I'm driving." Fucker retorts and moves to walk away.
"You're my lancer."
"I just promoted myself."
"Not today. Today is my day." Half-dead begs, still kneeling on the floor.
"Look at you. If you can't stand up, you can't do war." Fucker sneers at him.
The organic mechanic that runs the blood bag shop comes over now and chimes in. "He's right, son. You're already a corpse."
"I just need a top-up. More juice." Half-dead says as he motions towards me. I glare at him if he thinks he can just take my blood so easily.
"No time!" Fucker says as he tries to end the argument.
"We take my Blood Bag. We take my Blood Bag and strap him to the lancer's perch."
"It's got a muzzle on it. It's feral."
That's right fucker, I am feral. And the first chance I get I am going to tear you a part.
"High-octane crazy blood filling me up." Half-dead says as he stands and head butts fucker to get him to let go of the steering wheel. "If I'm gonna die...I'm gonna die historic on the Fury Road."
XXX
River's POV
She hears them… in the distance. The mechanical hiss of their wheels, the pounding of their drums. A furious vexation was beginning.
"They're coming." She says softly as she sticks her head out of the trap door and looks into the horizon behind them. Her hair drags on the ground and catches the dust.
"What are you doing!" Toast hisses at her and yanks her back into the compartment. The others look on in a mixture of shock and surprise.
Afraid. She thinks to herself. They are all afraid. The others are not accustomed to or hardened by the Wasteland. But Toast is different. She can taste her freedom again, and wants so desperately to be free of their metal confines. Doesn't want anything to jeopardize it. Wants to kiss the dirt and spread her wings.
She doesn't say anything as Toast looks at her questioningly. A thousand questions buzz through her brain, but she doesn't know how to answer their unasked questions. Conflicted. She wants to protect them. Wants to be the weapon… not the girl. But it would prove more counterproductive than useful.
These women know each other. Trust each other. She's an outsider. An unknown. A potential threat. Would they believe her answers? Would that make them more trusting? Or would it make them more hateful for hearing what they do not want to hear. There is no green place… only dust.
They don't understand. She thinks to herself. They do not comprehend. So she says nothing, and moves back to sit on the other side of the compartment. Let them wonder, let them question whether she is friend or foe. Her words wouldn't persuade them either way. Actions will speak louder than words. And it isn't the time yet.
XXX
Max's POV
It takes four War Boys with cattle prods to coerce me on to the lancers perch. I spit and growl at them every time they come too close. It isn't long before we are driving into the Wasteland. Heading off-road into hostile territory.
Half-dead is driving, and fucker is perched in the back of the vehicle. All I can think is if fucker gives me the chance i'm going to take it.
But that's when I see something to of the corner of my eye. My Interceptor. Turned into one of their bloody caltrops. I snarl in disgust at seeing what they have done to her.
"How much more can they take from me?" I say into the wind whipping around me. "They've got my blood. Now it's my car!"
We pass the massive drum vehicle and zoom forward towards the lead vehicle. A monster of a machine. In a world where there's barely one of anything, it figures that this Immortal Joe would be the man who's got two of everything.
"Immortan! Immortan Joe!" I hear half-dead call from the driver's seat behind me.
The driver of the Monster looks over. A mask covers the lower half of his face, and he looks as if he bite metal in two. He glares at me, and I'm not sure if its at me or the thought of someone else leading the pack in front of his car.
"He looked at me! He looked right at me!" Half-dead screams in excitement, as if a mere look from that mad-man is worth anything.
"He looked at your Blood Bag!" Fucker is quick to correct.
But there is no dissuading half-dead. "He turned his head. He looked me in the eye."
"He was scanning the horizon." Fucker yells over the roar of the engines and the wind.
"No…I am awaited! I am awaited in Valhalla!" Half-dead screams and throttles the car forward.
As the wind and sand rips into my eyes I want to throttle half-dead's head into the dash of the car. "Fuck!" I scream as it tears into my face.
XXX
…The War Rig…
As Furiosa scans the horizon for any sign of hostile activity, she catches a glimpse of yellow and red flares to the North of the War Rig.
"Fuck." She says to herself as she continues on.
A few minutes after she sees the flares Ace is pounding on the hatch in the roof. "Boss." He says as she opens the hatch to hear what he wants.
"We've got vehicles from the Citadel. They want reinforcements from Gas Town...and the Bullet Farm. What is this? Backup? Decoy?" Ace asks her.
She grits her teeth and slams the War Rig into a higher gear. "It's a detour."
He doesn't say anything more to Furiosa, but doesn't return to his post either. They drive for a few more minutes until someone spots something and calls out.
"Eyes right! Buzzards!" A spotter from the back of the War Rig yells.
The War Boys on the War Rig echo this and call out, "Buzzards right! Eyes on! Eyes on!"
"Should we turn it around and run them into our backup?" Ace asks Furiosa.
She steels her nerves and continues on her path. "No! We're good! We fang it!" She grabs the chain for the horn and gives two short blasts to signal the escort vehicles.
"Thunder up! Here we go!"
XXX
AN: Slightly a cliff hanger, I know, but I wanted to have the first big fight scene as its own chapter instead of breaking it up. Please don't throw things at me… Until next time ;)