Dystopian Girls 4

by Rodzil LaBraun

  "No," Alexa then said as the laughter died. "Maybe it will be Jamila's turn."

  "What?" I heard the ex-stripper, ex-skank say like she had just been accused of a crime. I knew that she was still cautious of Alexa and downright fearful of being chastised over our sexual episode.

  "Oh, is it too soon for you?" Alexa asked. Again, it sounded like she was very close to her target. I imagined Jamila's eyes wide as Alexa circled around behind her, making her wonder if she was about to get choked.

  "No, I think Bianka is right," Alexa said with a louder voice. "It should be Stella's turn."

  "No," Stella's timid voice whispered. "I'm okay. I mean, I’d love to spend the night with Mason, and there are some things that I can do for him. But I’m not ready to make those kinds of noises."

  Ling's voice blurted out again, "That's who is scared of the pink anaconda!"

  I took that moment to make my entrance as they were laughing at Ling’s remark. All eyes turned toward me. They had to know that I could overhear the whole thing. Riley waived from behind the kitchen island, a spatula in her hand. Stella was there with her, Alexa's arm across her shoulders. The innocent young thing did look scared. Jamila and Ling smiled ornery grins at me from the far bar stools.

  Bianka was nearest and the last one to face me. That worked out well. I came up behind her quickly, cupping my hand on her far shoulder before planting a big kiss in her lovely cheek. "Good morning, sweetheart," I said to her.

  Bianka took a deep breath showing big eyes, then looked down, blushing for the first time in my presence. I had embarrassed her. But that was the point. A close friend like her would forgive me easily, in a few minutes. But a close friend like me probably shouldn’t have done it in the first place. I just got caught up in the spirited banter.

  I greeted the others affectionately as was my nature in the morning. I knew that lingering on Stella would have made her uncomfortable after Alexa's last statement. Me embarrassing that easy target was not cool in anyone’s eyes. When I made my way to the far end and hugged Jamila, she was hesitant. When she looked up into my eyes afterwards, I took the opportunity to kiss her briefly on the lips.

  Jamila hastily looked away. I followed her gaze to see Alexa giving my newest lover an approving smile. I mean, it mostly looked friendly. There was no twitching when she looked at Jamila. She also wasn't gripping a knife with white knuckles, so I considered it progress.

  "Where is Jada?" I asked.

  "The gate," Bianka answered. "She's preparing for your meeting with the militia. She wants to know if you want three chairs again for our side."

  "Yes," I replied, forming a plan in my head. Before turning and going out the door, I said, "The other two seats are for you and Alexa."

  "Me?" Bianka asked.

  "He wants us two," Alexa told her. "Because we are his most recent conquest and his next one."

  More laughter. Then, just before I was out of earshot, I heard Bianka reply, "I don't know what has gotten into you Alexa, but you need to stop."

  I couldn't tell how serious things got after that. I was already in the front yard. But I knew that there were enough people there to keep things civil. Alexa's extremely playful manner and agreement to allowing me to have sex with anyone of my choosing had me enjoying her return even more than I expected, but a little concerned.

  Stupid thoughts ran through my head as I walked down the street, acknowledging the reborn that stopped to greet me. Had Alexa been brainwashed? Or maybe replaced with a duplicate, or a robot? I wasn't seriously considering those options, but even if I were, I wouldn't be able to complain much. The new and improved Alexa was just to my liking.

  I met with Jada on the street that we’ve renamed skank row a good five hundred feet from the gateway formed by the two transport trucks. She filled me in on preparations for the meeting and scouting reports from overnight. Everything looked good so far. I reminded her that Tamika's appointment would be just three hours later at the same location. And I would need Bianka with me for the first meeting. I still had time to think about who to have present for the second one.

  I headed straight back to the house after that. Breakfast would surely be ready. I was so entertained by the morning dialogue that I had forgotten to grab my cup of coffee on my way out. Riley had already prepared it the way I liked when I returned, but Alexa heated it up in the microwave before handing it to me. I thanked her with another kiss on her lovely lips.

  The gang was back together, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. That was something to cherish these days. Even Bianka looked to be in better spirits. When I got close enough to speak privately, I apologized. In return she told me to shut up. That's how I knew that we were fine.

  After breakfast Riley diligently turned our attention to the whiteboards. The schedule board had been adjusted to shift more people to guard duty during the afternoon meetings. That put us behind goal on some projects, primarily completing the fence. However, walking around with a gun was not near as physically demanding as using a shovel or post-hole digger. We should have plenty of people with energy for some early evening hard labor.

  I knew that I was no longer required for most physical tasks in our colony, but I still needed to get some exercise to look and feel my best. Workouts would be silly when there was so much real work to be done. I made a mental note to help with some of the more physically demanding tasks in my free time.

  The board that was assigned to me had the two meetings listed, their times, and my selected attendees. The two seats for the second appointment were currently blank. I spent much of my time contemplating who to choose as Riley and Bianka covered other issues that did not need my involvement. Things such as meals to be provided based on our current supplies was no longer of my concern. Neither was securing the perimeter or guarding our unprotected workers.

  I finally decided on Jada and Riley. If it weren't for Tamika's mirror power, Alexa would have been my top choice. I did not want her to be able to read me that well, so my first wife would need to be kept at a distance. In doing so, I sacrificed my ability to gain any insight on them. Let Tamika try to copy Jada's Doolittle ability, or Riley's speed burst. Neither would matter much in this situation.

  Precisely at noon, the same three representatives of the militia were seated in the same manner. Their clothes were identical to the previous day, as would be expected with uniforms. Bianka was already present but posing as a guard. Jada was nowhere in sight, likely tending to security needs and receiving reports from scouts.

  Alexa was by my side as we strolled down the street. We walked hand in hand, fingers interlocked. She had a little bounce in her step that I had not seen in quite a while. Perhaps her time spent away did lead to a better perspective. I hadn’t really noticed before, but my spirits were heavily dependent on those of my favorite people. Alexa had not only been the closest to me, she also had the bigger range of highs and lows in her disposition. Her happy position at my side had a naturally uplifting effect on me.

  When not within range of eavesdroppers she told me how much that she enjoyed the sex from last night. She touched on a few parts that were new for us, including the finish. When I asked why she decided to receive my semen inside of her she told me that she was ready to be a mother for me. There was no reason for her to wait anymore. Things could happen to mess up our planned future. Things that she didn't want to mention. She felt it best to try for offspring regularly now. She can still enjoy her youth until she gets pregnant, assuming that she ever would. We didn’t know of any immune survivors that conceived a child so far.

  I pictured a little Alexa running around the house, befriending the reborn, and growing up to be as beautiful as her mother. A daughter would be a scary but exciting next step in my life. A little baby Mason would be almost as good. I'm sure the lack of healthy males these days would make him a prince in the eyes of our community.

  The thought had me wondering why we weren't getting more infected men coming around, begg
ing for the treatment. I was not on the front lines, but I assumed that skunks were not being turned away. We made no promise to the female dominance cavalry when we accepted their vials of the skank cure. We certainly had no obligation with the large amounts acquired from the transport trucks. Where were all the men? Infected or healthy, for that matter?

  I snapped my focus back on the meeting as we took our seats. The visitors' weapons were placed elsewhere this time. They were nowhere in sight, so I assumed Bianka had them stashed somewhere. I introduced the three of them to Alexa and Bianka. The latter took her seat during the introductions. I didn't bother to identify the roles of my women for our guests. Their intel presumably provided all the information that they needed.

  "So, you were able to rescue your wife from the mutant camp by yourself," Brianna stated. She was not surprised. I had no doubt that the three of them had been updated on the situation after the scouts reported our activity. "Bravo. It does eliminate one of our bargaining chips, but the logic for our treaty remains strong. Have you decided to accept our offer?"

  "Possibly," I replied, doing my best to exude confidence. "I assume that there are terms."

  "Of course," Brianna replied. The other two were letting her lead this time around. It didn't make much difference to me, as long as it was one of the females. The Russian spy routine of the male was more distracting than the beauty of the women.

  Brianna continued, "You'll need to stay within your current borders. No more expansion of your perimeter. A hunting grounds to the north will be acceptable. You appear to be self-sufficient here, with plenty of room for expansion inside your borders as your home remodeling project continues."

  We knew that their scouts were keeping a close eye on us. Hearing their findings thrown back in our face was disconcerting. Nobody liked a lack of privacy. I tried to shrug that off quickly so it wouldn't distract me from the rest of her terms.

  "The key point to making this agreement a success is that you no longer accept refugees into your camp. Direct all infected to us. It's for their own good anyway. As new medicine becomes available periodically, they'll have a better chance in our system. Our treatment of the diseased has improved significantly over the last month and will continue to do so. I know that you care about people, Mason. That is a big reason why we are offering peace. You need to trust that we'll care for those in need."

  Having Alexa by my side meant that she would be able to tell me how truthful Brianna was being with me. She would also be able to judge the emotional, if not mental, responses of the other two from her spoken words. What I couldn't do was ask for that information during the meeting.

  Alexa suggested beforehand that she squeeze my hand with just her thumb if she detected a lie. If something was said by either side that raised a flag in our visitors, she would tap her middle finger against my hand. That would encourage me to continue questioning along that same line. If I absentmindedly pulled my hand from hers, she would use the same system on my thigh.

  There apparently were no triggers yet, so I continued with my own agenda regarding questions to ask.

  "What happens to the infected that show no improvement?"

  "They will be detained like a minor criminal, awaiting the next formula," Brianna revealed. "Just because they cannot help their behavior it doesn't mean that they should be excused. Surely you agree that the havoc that the diseased have caused is a major part of the problems that we face."

  Alexa's thumb squeezed mine. "None of them will be executed, then?" I asked.

  When Brianna hesitated, Celeste answered instead. "Our position does not give us clearance to actual case files, or even a summary of the numbers processed to filter the infected members of our new society. However, it stands to reason that some skanks will be beyond treatment. For example, if we cannot administer the dose without being bitten or clawed, the effort is not worthwhile. At least with our current success rate of those in that bad of shape."

  "Will we be able to acquire more medicine from you?" I asked.

  "I cannot guarantee that," Celeste continued to speak for them. "It is not part of our bargaining agreement. However, it stands to reason that any unused serum of the current batch would be shared with you. After a while, you'll no longer have a need for the treatment if you are not taking in new skanks."

  "What about infected men?" I queried. There had to still be some out there. They couldn't possibly have killed each other off completely.

  "Very few have responded to the treatment," Brianna spoke this time. "I personally know of none in our compound. Again, it is purely a numbers thing. If we treat a hundred infected people, only three to five would be male. With only twenty percent or so healing, that would only give us just one man ready to return to society, if that."

  "What about mutants?" I asked. I knew that was a major issue that Tamika had with the military taking control. Getting a statement from these representatives, whether honest or not, could be helpful.

  "You will not be required to turn any over," Brianna responded, glancing between us. "It is well known that you have a few. As long as things remain peaceful between us, there will be no reason for us to intercede."

  Alexa's thumb again.

  "We are not the only gifted people in this county," I told her. "What are you doing with the ones that you already have captured?"

  "We don't have any," Brianna responded quickly. Alexa's thumb was almost as fast.

  "We don't have any knowledge of captured mutants," Celeste corrected her. "Our superiors have not briefed us on that particular talking point for this meeting."

  Alexa's middle finger tapped my hand three times. Celeste noticed, but said nothing.

  "What is your policy on gifted individuals that you encounter?" I asked. "What would you have done to any of us if you had won the battle of a few days ago?"

  "First off!" Mikhail interrupted for the first time. His tone indicated that his patience was thinner than it appeared. "That was not battle. You have not seen power of our military force. We not sent here to negotiate. You accept terms or you don't. I strongly recommend, for your sake, that you do."

  "That's not necessary," Celeste responded to her comrade.

  "This is farce," he answered quickly, turning toward her. I had them arguing with each other again. This was especially good with Alexa present.

  "Let me clarify," Brianna said, trying to regain control of her team. She was the most clear-headed of them from my limited experience. "Mikhail is correct in that point. We were not sent here to negotiate. If you feel that you are in a position to make demands, I can, I mean we can, return with those to our superiors. They will respond in one of three ways: yes, no, or the deal is off the table. Sending us away without an agreement today may be a critical mistake on your part. My understanding is that you don't make many of those."

  This was indeed a powerful threesome when it came to these meetings. Brianna's compliment at the end of her statement was well said. It was hard not to let it sway my judgement a little.

  "I understand," I responded, doing my best not to appear frustrated by the imbalance of leverage. "We are just wanting to know exactly what we are agreeing to, of course. You don't want to waste any more of your people or weapons trying to take us down or expose a weak side to another enemy. I get it. This agreement would be mutually beneficial. We are just asking questions. Is that permitted?"

  "Very well done, Mason," Celeste replied. "What you say is true. But the man that we report to is an egotistical bastard." Mikhail flinched noticeably at that statement. "Let's not give him a reason to have a knee-jerk reaction to Mikhail's version of how this meeting went when we debrief. What other questions do you have?"

  "I'd like to know your plan regarding your scouts," Bianka spoke up. "If we are going to be friendly toward each other, we shouldn't be spying, should we?"

  "I can field that question," Brianna leaned forward to place her hand on Mikhail's arm. No doubt, he was about to take offense. "That is actually
something that we do know. As you can imagine, continuing the scouting program along your border would be a waste of manpower that can be put to better use elsewhere. You should expect a significant decrease in scouts near your territory, but not a complete withdrawal. This may take a few days to notice."

  The existence of those scouts made it difficult for us to hide any activity outdoors. With Tamika coming to visit soon, it would surely be reported and possibly considered an act of aggression. Especially since they asked us to team up against that clan on their last visit. I was glad that Bianka brought up that point.

  "Since we retrieved Alexa from the schoolhouse gang," I said. "We no longer have issues with that group. In fact, they have asked for an alliance." All three of them stiffened up in one way or another. Mikhail's eyes even bulged slightly. "We would much rather be aligned with you guys, of course. I just want you to know that they will be traveling here in a couple hours to meet. Please inform your superior that the upcoming meeting is not an indication that we plan to respond poorly after any agreement made here today. It was simply a pre-arranged event."