We reached the outskirts of Jamaa 2 weeks later. It had taken a day to set up camp as well as cure any sicknesses that we had caught. We hadn't run into any trouble throughout the travel, thankfully.
My tent was set up overlooking the plains that led to Toontown. Of course it wasn't in sight anymore, but it felt good to at least see the plains that led to it.
"Neapolitan. The fish is almost done," Professor Wiggle said to me one day as I was searching the plains for any sign of Toontown.
"Fish?" I ask, standing up. Professor Wiggle nodded.
He looked terrible. We all looked terrible, really. Most of our clothes were dirtied. I had taken it upon myself to wash my clothes after everyone had gone to sleep, though.
"But doesn't fish mean a fire?" I ask, as Professor Wiggle led me to the area where our dinner was being finished. The sun was in the process of falling down and the effect of that left a red glow. The clouds built up, threatening to cover the sun and shower us with water.
"It does. I suppose Jesse thought it was safe enough."
I considered what Professor Wiggle said. It might've been safe if Jamaa wasn't crazy about security. I had heard stories about black helicopters flying over Jamaa and occasionally picking up residents who partook in illegal activities or attempted creating an uprising. Jamaa was incredibly overpopulated, though, so I reasoned it would be an impossible act to cleanse the entire community. I had also heard stories about poverty and how gems, their main currency, was precious and mine workers had to dig deeper and deeper to find more. It sounded terrible.
"What if we're caught?" I ask Professor Wiggle. We had `a similar conversation a few weeks earlier.
"We'd probably be forced to work for them. Or be sent into slavery." He paused. "Or killed," he added, almost as an afterthought.
"What about Crystal Bay?" I ask him.
"Crystal Bay? We're not really terrorists, Neo. But I could see them doing that. Not to everyone. But maybe to Jesse."
Crystal Bay was a detention camp. If entered, you would be interrogated and tortured, only almost to the point of death. They claimed it was only for terrorists, but they also put other people from different countries, regardless of whether or not they were a direct threat.
"Jesse... He can't go to Crystal Bay," I say. Professor Wiggle nodded.
"No, he can't go. And we have to make sure he doesn't," I add.
"Alright, Neapolitan. We'll protect him."
We made our way up to the large fire pit. Some of the more better known toons were sitting around it, while everybody else was most likely in their tents.
"Hey Neapolitan!" I found Jesse waving his arms to me.
"Hey Jesse," I say as I walk up to him. He pats his hand on a seat next to him and I sit. Professor Wiggle sits on the seat next to me. Through smoke I see Ned Slinger sitting across from me.
"I think this will be nice. Toontown 2.0," Jesse says. Ned and Professor Wiggle nodded in agreement.
"Jesse what if we're-" I was cut off by the whirring of blades and the low rumbling of a large machine. The fire was blown out by the sudden gust of wind, and my hair was tossed from side to side. I sprung up from my seat and searched the sky for clues as to what made the sound.
The sun had already fully set which made it harder to see, but I eventually found the small glint of metal, reassuring me that it was a Jamaa helicopter.
"Jesse!" I yell, because I know that they are going to take him and send him to Crystal Bay.
All at once people are yelling and running from their tents towards the plains. People run into me and block my view, making it impossible to find Jesse.
"Jesse!" I call once more for good measure. But the helicopter disappeared. I felt something being pressured against the space between my shoulder blades. I instinctively raised my hands like I always saw people do when guns were pushed against them.
My mouth was covered with a gag and some sort of material was placed over my head. My wrists were tied and I felt myself being led by the Jamaarians.
When the bag was pulled off of my head I was in a large room with people I recognized. Ned Slinger was a few feet away from me, his hands handcuffed like mine. The gag had been pulled out of my mouth allowing me to speak, but I decided against it, even though I wanted to say something to him. My mind wandered to Professor Wiggle and Jesse. Where were they? I didn't see either of them in the room. The only people I did recognize were Nancy, Clark, and Ned Slinger. That fact that we were handcuffed and had previously had bags over our heads made me think we were at Crystal Bay... But why would I be? Like Professor Wiggle said, I'm not a terrorist. But then again, neither was Jesse, and he wasn't in the room. I guess I wasn't a direct threat, while Jesse technically was.
"Let him keep the thing Major!" I looked up. Somebody had walked in. And they were carrying a red pet. I squinted to make out who it was and then I noticed the pet was Ravioli. And a second later I noticed Professor Wiggle.
The person who had told "Major" to let Professor Wiggle was a young man. He had light gray hair, but he wasn't old. Jamaarians just had natural earth-tone colored hair. He was real big- not overweight- strong. I could tell he had years of experience in more physical jobs.
He was holding a large gun and wore a black vest over a gray shirt. None of the other Jamaarians in the room had a vest, so that made me think he was the leader.
Suddenly he took Ravioli from Professor Wiggle's arms and signaled to another guard to take Professor Wiggle away. Each guard had a Toon, until I was the only one left and the gray-haired man approached me.
He took me by the arm and started leading me outside, the same direction the other Toons had gone. Then he turned to me suddenly, stopping both of us from walking. He pointed at a small wiring system on his ear that extended under his shirt. I knew that had to mean something, but I had no idea what. He led me down the dirt path the other Toons had taken. There were desert-y type bushed all around us, and the sun burned my skin. I noticed a tiny purple-roofed building that was set next to a windmill towards the place we were going. There was a small wooden deck that extended to the top of a canyon, which I assumed we were going. But as we neared I noticed another thing.
Gallows.
Were the going to hang us? I was thoroughly surprised that they still had them here. I knew Jamaa was barbaric, but I didn't think they were this bad.
They led us directly under the deck, where the gallows were. The entire place, which had a sign labeled "Kimbara Outback", was empty. The only other noticeable thing was a sign that read "THE GREAT NATURE PROJECT." I didn't have enough time to read it, but I saw a lot of interesting writing.
We were once again lined up. The gray-haired man had disappeared into the purple-roofed building and re-appeared without Ravioli. What did he do to him?
I searched for Professor Wiggle. I found him at the far left, eying the gallows with the same suspicion I had. I remembered history lessons with him when he would explain the public hangings that took place in Neopia. I wonder if he was remembering the same story?
I looked back at the gallows. I didn't take a good long look at them, only a brief glance- long enough to have a panic attack. But I realized that they looked old. The wood was rotted and weak, and there was only one feeble rope hanging when there was room for four. That would take ages to kill all of us. Maybe they would only kill a few.
While I was lost in thought a loud whistle sounded and a man, older and much more scarier looking than any of the guards, had stood on the base of the gallows.
"You will be taken and trained to the occupation guards think you fit." As scary as he was, at least something was being explained. The gray-haired guy shoved me towards some other toons who had large builds. That didn't make any sense. I hardly had muscle. Clerk Clark, I noticed, was in my group. Finally our handcuffs were taken off.
I saw one toon, one I didn't recognize, attempt to run away towards the plains that we took here. A guard immediately caught him and restrained him once more, then led him to a whole new group. Would he be killed?
"Anybody that tried to escape will be thrown into slavery," the man standing on the gallows adds, with a crooked smile. That would've been a lot nicer if you said that before, I think.
"Plains group!" I turned to the guard that yelled that. The group mostly consisted of women. The guard led them down the canyon and to the plains.
"Military!" I wondered who was in military. Sir Astro would probably be.
Sir Astro...
I had completely forgotten about him. Where was he? I didn't see him in the room. I didn't see him now.
"Smart asses!" I turned to find Professor Wiggle and a few others in the group that was just called. "Smart asses" must be code for teacher or professor. Wiggle definitely deserved the spot. It was out of character for Jamaa to not value education, though.
"You 5 will be new miners." I looked up to find, once again, the gray-haired man. He didn't scream "miners." He seemed... Nice.
"My name is Brave. I will be your instructor." He pointed towards the north and our group turned to see what he was gesturing to.
"That's Mt. Shiveer. You'll be living and working there." I could make out its general shape, but the mountain was too far away to see any details.
"The first day of training will be split. I will take two today and Major," he said, pointing to a man not too far away, "will be taking the other three." Brave nodded to myself and Clark.
"You two, follow me. There's no time to spare."