Ride the Fury
Chapter 6 – Road of Destiny
The first thing she noticed as she opened her eyes was that she was lying on her back, hot rocks heated by the sun warmed her back. The next was that Organic Mechanic was talking to her but her ears didn't seem to be working. She was feeling curiously numb, Tempest was aware that she had been in a crash and that prior to that she had been knocked around and shot through the arm.
"-est Serene, are you focused?"
Snapping her dazed grey eyes back to Organic Mechanic she coughed to clear her throat.
"Yes."
"Good, you hit your head badly, I've stitched you up and wrapped the cut but don't shake your head around or your brains will fall out."
Tempest wasn't sure if he was joking or not about her brains falling out. He clicked his fingers in front of her eyes again to get her attention. "I've cleaned the bullet wound, you had a few glass shards in your arms and back. You also lost blood, you're lucky that I carry Blood Bag blood with me into war or you'd be maggot food."
"Ok." She said and closed her eyes against the glare from the sun, she could feel tugging on her skin but no feeling. "Have you numbed me?"
"Yes, otherwise you would be screaming like Rictus was, the big baby wouldn't shut up about his broken ribs. " Organic Mechanic continued to stitch her bag together, muttering under his breath all the while. Tempest must have closed her eyes at one point and fallen asleep because she was shaken awake gently by Organic Mechanic, and she could see that the sun had moved across the sky.
"Drink up." Organic Mechanic said, he held a metal cup to her lips and helped her drink before pulling Tempest up to sit against the large front wheel of Immortan Joes War Vehicle. Black Caps were crawling all over it trying to hammer and weld things into place. Off to the side Immortan Joe, Rictus with his ribs bandaged and Bullet Farmer were consulting over a map and arguing heavily. She was surprised to see that People Eater was not there.
"What happened?" Tempest asked as she took the refilled cup from Organic Mechanic and took a sip. Her eyes traced over the blood splattered bandages that covered her arms.
"Car flipped, got a bit of damage. Bullet Farmer and People Eater argued on who would chase after Imperator Furiosa and People Eater won. We're waiting for the Black Caps to finish the repairs and for People Eater to report on his hunt." The older man sat back on his heels and sucked on his teeth, his brown eyes were calculating as he looked at her. "Not that I think he will come back alive." With a quick check of their surroundings Organic Mechanic moved closer so that they would not be over heard.
"Where is Furiosa going? You need to give me as much information as you can Tempest, they're going to torture you for information when they realise that People Eater is likely killed by your sister."
Tempest eyed him carefully and shrugged a shoulder, "how do you know that People Eater won't come back alive?"
Organic Mechanic laughed and shook his head, sweeping an arm out to encompass the entire War Party, "she's killed half of the War Boys and knocked Immortan Joe upside down. "It's a good guess that she'll escape from People Eater."
Tempest looked away from Organic Mechanic and blinked her eyes rapidly, "I don't know anything." She said. The man that had trained her in fixing sighed in disappointment and ran a rough, heavy hand over the stubble of her head.
"Then I'm sorry for what happens next." He said. With another sigh, Organic Mechanic stood up and brushed his hands over the knees of his pants. He took one last look at her before moving off to talk with Immortan Joe.
Tempest watched them for a moment before turning her attention to the Black Caps working on the War Vehicle she was leaning against, she could see a few that she remembered, they gave her quick darting glances but tried their best to ignore her. They worked well together, their pale bodies glinting in the dying sunlight and their hands quick and strong.
"Tempest Serene, here." She looked up startled out of her wandering thoughts and looked up. Valdarx was crouched before her, in his hands was a strip of dried meat. She took the meat from him with thanks and was surprised even more when the War Boy shifted to sit next to her against the wheel. She ate the dried meat strip in silence, wondering if Valdarx was going to speak.
"Balder said that you disobeyed Immortan Joe." He whispered. Tempest turned to better look at the War Boy, he looked younger than Nux but she knew that wasn't true. Each new year of War Boys trained together with the same month born babes who survived their first one thousand days.
"Yes."
"Why?" the boy had dark brown eyes that were large in his face and made him look less fierce.
Tempest sighed and sifted uncomfortably on the ground, the numbing that Organic Mechanic had given her was wearing off and she was starting to feel the numerous cuts and bruises that she had gotten in the last fight.
"My Sister wanted to leave, Immortan Joes wives wanted to leave and I love my sister so I followed her."
Valdarx stared at her for a moment before nodding his head as if he was reassured by her answer.
"So you didn't want to leave us." He said, he smiled at her and placed a gentle hand on her arm. Tempest smiled back and placed a hand over his.
"No, but I also could not stay. I hope that my sister and Immortan Joes wives and Nux are safe." She said quietly to Valdarx and the War Boy grinned brightly at her.
"Nux is fierce and strong." She caught his sideways look and rolled her eyes at him, pushing his hand off her arm playfully.
"Yes he is." She agreed. They sat in silence for a while longer before Valdarx got up and looked down at her.
"Do not give in to the bad death." He said seriously and Tempest became aware that the War Boys around them had stopped working to listen to what Valdarx was saying. "Balder overheard what they will do if People Eater does not come back. You must keep the cables between body and spirit in your hands and not let go." The other War boys murmured the final words 'not let go,' before they went back to work, Valdarx fitting in amongst them and disappearing from sight.
They waited the night out, Tempest was left to sit against the wheel of Immortan Joes War Vehicle, too injured to move. The pain from each of her wounds throbbed and her head ached, Organic Mechanic gave her more water and travel bread but no one was allowed to speak to her. The night was cold and Tempest fluctuated between being too cold and too hot. When People Eater did not return, scouts were set out to follow their trail and find out what had happened. It was around midday when the scouting party roared back into the War Party, People Eaters golden nose covering in their hands. Organic Mechanic had been correct, Furiosa had escaped and killed the Gas Town Leader.
Tempest watched with narrowed eyes as Immortan Joe crushed the golden nose covering in his fist and throw it to the ground. He and the Bullet Farmer were yelling and gesturing to her and then they were moving, their strides eating up the rocks and dirt between her and them. She tensed, trying to ready herself for what was to come.
"Organic Mechanic get over here!" Immortan Joe bellowed. Rictus shuffled over an arm wrapped around his chest to stop his ribs from hurting. He reached down and grabbed Tempests arm in a strong hand and hauled her to her feet. Swinging around and he marched her to the front of Immortan Joes War Vehicle and threw her onto the bonnet of the car. "Strap her down." Immortan Joe ordered and Rictus grinned down at her as he did so, he tied the leather and wire tight around her wrists and ankles, leaving her spread eagled across the front of the War Vehicle.
Immortan Joe pulled a reluctant Organic Mechanic forward, the man was holding a rolled up leather apron where he kept all of his fixing tools and he laid it out next to Tempest. The sharp metal knives and hooks glinted in the sunlight and Tempest turned her face away from it to look directly up into the sun. She vowed she would look nowhere else.
Silence…there was no other sound as Organic Mechanic prepared himself for the job he would need to do. Immortan Joe stood angry and vengeful with Rictus his son just behind him and the Bullet Farmer to his right. Behind them and on top of other War Vehicles stood War Boys, their eyes shadowed by their war paint and their hands clutching weapons. No one spoke.
"You will tell me where Imperator Furiosa has taken my wives, you will tell me how many warriors she has with her and what weapons she has in her arsenal. Every time you refuse or lie you will be hurt." Immortan Joe looked to Organic Mechanic and motioned for him to begin.
They started with her fingernails, sharp wooden spikes were driven beneath her nails and they asked her the same three questions each time they did.
"Where is Furiosa going?"
"How many warriors does Furiosa have?"
"What kinds of weapons?"
Each time Tempest grit her teeth, trying hard to keep her cries of pain inside and she refused to speak a word. She couldn't stop her tears from falling but she could stop herself from looking. The Sun was bright and filled her vision, she would look there forever if it would give her sister, Nux and Immortan Joes wives more time to escape and be free.
When Organic Mechanic stabbed a sharp knife straight through her hand pinning it to the metal of the bonnet Tempest screamed.
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The camp was divided, Furiosa had listened to the older members of her Clan and their desire to travel the Salt Plains, Immortan Joes wives were split down the middle, half wanting to follow her old clan and the other half wanting to go back to rescue Tempest. Max was set to leave them all the next morning and Nux was still fixing up the War Rig with angry jerks of his hands and a darkly scowling face.
Furiosa knew what she wanted but she was also torn between her love of her sister and her duty to protect the larger number of survivors.
"It is suicidal to go back. You would sacrifice more lives just on the chance that Tempest Serene lives?" Cheedo asked, she was pacing back and forth in agitation and her long brown hair was blowing in the wind behind her. "I won't risk my life for that. I am going with the Elders to the Salt Plains." She said.
"You won't risk your like for Tempest but you asked her to do the same for you?" Splendid turned angrily to the youngest wife, "I will go back with the War Boy Nux to save her from Immortan Joe. You know what he is capable of and you would condemn someone to that fate when she helped you?" She stood, her swollen belly large in the firelight. "I have made my choice, you must make your own." Splendid then left the circle and joined Nux at the War Rig.
Capable stood as well, she did not say anything but her look of disappointment said enough. She joined Splendid and Nux, moving weaponry around the Rig to prepare for a fight.
Furiosa looked at the others around the circle, waiting for their final decision. Valkyrie dusted her pants off and hefted her weapon, "I remember little Serene when she was a babe, I wish to meet her again." She joined the war rig party.
The Dag shook her head and scoffed, "death is all that waits for you back there. I know what Immortan Joe does and if your sister is still alive then maybe she would wish she was not." The tall slender blonde said, her hands were shaking and her eyes reflected the firelight, "what could I do? I cannot fight, I cannot shoot, I cannot drive. I would be a useless body for you to protect and I would distract you." She said with a shrug.
The tall slender girl looked at the remaining faces around the fire and crossed her arms defensively across her chest, "I will stay, but wait for your return." She compromised. She then stood and left to see if there was anything she could do to help the group that would be leaving. Cheedo laughed and shook her head.
"You know my decision." She then wrapped herself in a blanket and turned her back to the others to get some sleep.
The only ones remaining at the fire were Toast, Furiosa, Old Shot, Firebird and the Seed Keeper.
Seed Keeper looked at the others and smiled kindly, "we are a clan," she said. "One of our clan is in need of rescuing, what else is there to discuss?"
She stood, held out her hands to the other older members of the clan and waited for them to stand. They did and the three of them hurried over to the War Rig.
Furiosa watched them for a moment before turning to Toast. The dark skinned girl ran a hand through her short hair and laughed.
"I like Tempest and I think that if we are to survive in this desolate place then we should always go together. Let's go and help them Furiosa, she is your sister and you should have been the first one over at the Rig, ready to go back."
The words stung and Furiosa slumped back as Toast left her alone with Cheedo who was pretending to sleep. She thought back to her fight with Nux the day before and bowed her head to hide her frustrated tears.
Since she had been taken from the Green Place with her mother and sister at a young age, all she had wanted was to escape and return. The Green Place had been filled with laughter and music, food and water. They had markets filled with people's wares and grand festivals to celebrate life. The Citadel in comparison had been terror and a fight for her life. With her arm cut off and their mother executed before their eyes Furiosa had hoped and dreamed for her old life.
Watching Tempest grow close to War Boys and the Organic Mechanic had caused Furiosa's heart to ache. War Boys died all the time, Furiosa had given herself rules to never get close to anyone so as to protect her heart.
Furiosa could now see that her single mindedness in reaching the Green Place had caused the rift between herself and Tempest. Standing up from the fire she hooked her metal hand in place and set to work, they would need to plan to be ready to save Tempest from a War Party.
It took the whole night to prepare the War Rig, they gave up one of the bikes to Max and the man left them as soon as the sun was up. Furiosa sat in the War Rig, the engine purring and ready to go, Splendid sat next to her, ready with guns and knives next to her. Toast sat in the Cab with the Dag who had learnt the night before how to load guns. Cheedo sat in the hole a knife in her hand and ready in case she needed to protect herself.
Nux was on the back of the Rig with Old Shot, the two of them had made fire sticks and had collected throwing bombs from the Clans stash of weapons. Seed Keeper had Capable with her in the centre of the Rig and right behind the cab with various long range guns and smoke bombs. Firebird and Valkyrie had a bike each, loaded with fire sticks, knives and guns. They were the scouting party and would weave between the War Party to take out as many of their enemy as they could.
With one last look at the desert and the lightening sky they left, Furiosa vowed she would save Tempest and kill Immortan Joe.
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The water was cold and it jerked Tempest back into awareness, Organic Mechanic was above her pressing his hands against her chest and screaming in her face. Her vision was grey and her body was one huge aching pain. Her head pounded and she was wet and cold. Organic Mechanic pulled away from her, sweat was dripping down his face and he looked a little panicked. Tempest found she couldn't get proper breath into her lungs and she struggled weakly against her bonds.
"Tempest, are you aware?" her eyes focused on the clicking fingers in front of her face and she blinked rapidly as her vision started to blacken again. She was slapped in the face to bring her back from the grey and she gasped in pain but found that her lungs and airway was cleared and she could get enough air back into her.
"What happened?" Immortan Joe asked, he was pacing angrily, Rictus was chewing his lip and scratching his head and the Bullet Farmer was picking at his teeth.
"She almost died." Organic Mechanic said with a frown, he checked her pulse and her breathing before leaning back to look at Immortan Joe, "what do you want me to do?"
"Keep going, we need that information." Was the order.
"She might die if I keep going."
"Do it."
Tempest opened her eyes wide and searched for the sun that she had lost when she had closed them, she had to search for it as it had moved since she had last see it.
"Where is Furiosa?" the question was asked calmly and Tempest turned her head to look at the War Boy who had asked. He was crouching on the roof of Immortan Joe's War Vehicle and staring down at her, a frown on his face and his hands clenched in tight white fists. Tempest smiled up at him, her teeth stained with blood and her eyes were dark with shadows.
"Free." She sighed, she closed her eyes and waited for the pain to come. When it didn't she blinked her eyes opened to see Organic Mechanic looking up at the War Boy curiously.
"Where is freedom?" the War Boy asked. Tempest frowned, she had a strange feeling that she wasn't supposed to say anything but the War Boy was asking and he reminded her of Nux, strong beautiful Nux with his sky blue eyes and charming smile.
"The Green Place." She answered, blinking away the tears that came to her eyes, "The Green Place is freedom and love and happiness." Tempest felt her heart ache and she cried out in sorrow, "I want to go to the Green Place."
The War Boy crept closer to her and placed a cautious hand on her cheek and wiped the tears away.
"Do you know me?"
Straining her eyes Tempest looked over his war marks and his pale blue eyes and straight nose. He had a metal piercing in his left eyebrow and a scar that ran across his skull. She gave a small smile up at him.
"Hard Head." She said. The War Boy nodded to her and then pointed to another behind him who was now up and crouching on the bonnet next to Hard Head.
"This one?" the War Boy had strange yellow eyes that Tempest had only seen ten times.
"Goshawk." The War Boy named lunched forward and gripped at Tempests bloodied wrist with his warm hand.
"What are you doing?" the roar came from a very angry Immortan Joe, his gun aimed at the War Boys next to Tempest. They stood slowly and carefully, Organic Mechanic could see the change in atmosphere and shifted his body so that he was off to the side and not blocking the War Boys view of Immortan Joe, Rictus or Bullet Farmer. "I am your leader, get down from my War Chariot and away from the traitor."
"We are breed for war." Hard Head said as he jumped down and stood to face Immortan Joe, "We follow the great V8 into battle to receive glory. The gates of Valhalla open to us and we go to receive a full-life."
"Tempest Serene saves us from the bad death." Goshawk continued and he followed Hard Head to the ground.
"She has come back from the bad death." Balder called in a loud voice as he stepped up behind Immortan Joe.
"Tempest Serene has defeated the bad death." Valdarx stated.
Immortan Joe snarled and pointed his gun at Tempest, "no, she hasn't." he pulled the trigger.
The War Boys converged like the well-oiled War machine that they were. Goshawk flung himself in the way of the bullet and it caught him high on the shoulder. Balder threw his great spear at Rictus and the large hulking son of Immortan Joe was impaled through the chest and died in a gurgle of blood. Immortan Joe killed fifteen War Boys before his face mask was ripped from his face and he was riddled with bullets, cut open by knives and stabbed with sharpened pipes. The Bullet Farmer was killed by Organic Mechanic, the man had hefted his meat clever and chopped his way through the man's neck.
Valdarx, an injured Goshawk and Hard Head cut her free and pulled her away from the fighting, keeping her close against Immortan Joes War Vehicle with the three War Boys standing guard. It was loud, bloody and Tempest was hardly aware of what was happening. She was hurt deeply and her body was shaking with the effort of staying awake. She wanted to close her eyes and never wake up.
Organic Mechanic found them and with a bit of fast talking was able to get close to Tempest with his fixing bag. His hands flying over her wounds and trying to stop the bleeding and heal the hurts. She passed out after the first few minutes of him working on her body. Her mind travelling to a Green Place where a bright blue eyed boy held her in warm strong arms and her sister smiled and laughed, calling her name.
"Tempest…Tempest… stay with us….open your eyes…Serene."
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TBC
Thanks for the reviews Pein's Kid, OffTheWall, Live Again II, BlueFox0088, sepulchral ghost and Lunokii.