Mikhail took a deep breath causing Brianna to touch him once again before speaking. "I will make sure that information is passed on. How he responds to it will surely depend on whether or not you accept the terms that we have offered."
"I understand," I replied, then took a moment to look each one of them in the eye. "I agree to your terms and have no demands to block the agreement. I do, however, have a request."
As good as the three of them were in diplomacy, I was still able to see them noticeably relax when I agreed to the treaty. In the back of their minds they had to know that there was a chance that I would refuse the terms and kill them on the spot. It wasn’t my style, but they couldn’t be sure.
"Excellent," Celeste responded. She was the one that tended to focus on the positive things that I said. "I personally am happy to relay your request. What is it?"
"When I speak to Tamika, I will inform her of our new situation here. Our treaty with your government. I will encourage her to see reason and cease any aggression toward your people. If she agrees, I would like our treaty's umbrella to include her group."
"Ha, ha!" Mikhail laughed outright. "That is tough sell, my friend. Tamika has history with some of our people."
"But we will convey that request," Celeste said, leaning forward on her seat. She was anxious to get going after obtaining an affirmative on the treaty terms. Their value to their government was surely determined by their success rate in these situations. "Let me clarify first. Will Tamika's group come here to live with you?"
"Yes. I don't see why not. Will there be a document to sign?"
"Perhaps," Brianna replied. "And by the way, the official name of our government is the New World Transition Coalition, Maryland Chapter One. I will request a document to be drawn up. The powers that be will determine if it is necessary."
Having a piece of paper might matter if they merge with other chapters and someone else ends up in charge of our situation. Or, it might be a worthless endeavor. Documentation certainly wouldn’t stop either side from breaking the treaty.
Bringing Tamika and Camilla into my close circle of women was bound to cause problems. But I had to attempt to save them. We would also gain numbers and weapons in the deal. The pair’s impressive abilities would be the biggest advance. It could be a win-win, assuming that there would be no power struggle.
I knew that even with this agreement, verbal or written, the military could change their mind at any time and decide to come after us. I reserved the same unspoken right to do so. This treaty was just an agreement to play nice for a while, and it bought us some valuable time.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
I explained to the others exactly why I agreed to the treaty terms of the New World Transition Coalition. Primarily, it was to ease our stress on that front for a few days. In this post-apocalyptic world, you couldn't successfully plan ahead much farther than that.
Bianka took over security to free up Jada for the next meeting. Alexa had been extra clingy since her return but relented when I explained why she shouldn't be close by for Tamika's visit. She headed back to the house to relieve Riley of any duties that she could.
The meeting with the NWTC delegation didn't take long. It wasn't even twelve-thirty by the time that they left our vicinity. That allowed plenty of time before Tamika's planned arrival to avoid any conflict between the two organizations. During that gap I received some summary reports regarding our security and farming efforts. I worked primarily with Jada and Stella to come up with and approve some adjustments that could upgrade our situation quickly.
It was only twenty minutes after two o'clock when word was sent to me that Tamika had already arrived. She was early, but that was okay. We were ready.
The same six chairs remained from previous meeting. Tamika and two others were guided to the ones facing the gate, but only two of them were seated. Tamika herself was pacing pack and forth behind the chairs. She looked surprisingly anxious. Simply being in a vulnerable position could be the cause of some anxiety, but this was beyond what I expected from her. She had been as cool as a cucumber for most of our dealing with each other.
Even seated with her back to me I recognized the shapely form of Camilla. Her lovely full-bodied hairstyle and the fact that she was turned a little sideways helped, too. She was engaged in conversation with the third member of their delegation, a male that I did not recognize.
The man chattered with Camilla like they were a dating couple oblivious of those around them in a public setting, the way some inconsiderate people used to do in a waiting room or airplane cabin. He had jet black hair, combed neatly, and a pointy nose. Sandals with white socks reaching nearly as high as his black capri pants was quite a fashion statement. A silky loose top with paisley print completed the ensemble and had me adversely judging him from a distance.
Camilla was quite engrossed in the conversation. I couldn't tell if she had a sexual interest in the man, or if his personality lent more to him being a feminine friend. The latter option was based entirely on his attire.
When Tamika spotted me approaching with Jada and Riley, she angrily stared daggers at us. We were not friends, so a smile and a wave would have been out of place. Our only two previous encounters were as opponents. Somehow, I was still taken aback by the expression on her face.
The girl was certainly a tall drink of water, the second most attractive black woman that I had seen in quite some time. Her light chocolate skin was flawless. It was the first time that I had seen her without the ponytail. Her long hair complimented her attractive young face. The look she was giving me, though, did little to endear her to me.
"Why were you meeting with our enemy?" Tamika demanded to know when I was still thirty feet away. The rude greeting alerted Camilla to our presence. In her typical clueless manner, she ignored her leader's anger and quickly came around the row of chairs to give us each a friendly hug. She was looking as good as ever.
As usual, Camilla wore a thin revealing dress that clung tightly to her curvaceous body. Large breasts pushed against the lace section that was designed to reveal significant cleavage. The pastel floral print was very complimentary of her bronze skin. How she could keep her hair looking like it was professionally groomed was beyond me.
Tamika's body language demanded a response, and I thought it best not to leave her waiting for one. I had hopes of this meeting going more smoothly. We were off to a rocky start.
"They came to us," I told her, reacting as calmly as I could. I was still trying to figure out how that she knew. Did she have her own scouts this far to the east? Or, was she herself watching the proceedings? If I were in her position, I would have considered arriving early to scope things out, too.
"Why?" She was struggling to contain her emotions. Anger, yes, of course. Disappointment too, I think. And maybe a little desperation. She had her hopes resting on combing forces with us.
"They want a treaty."
"And what did you tell them?" she asked, hands on hips. She had that sexy upset look going on, just like Jada used to use on me. Only without the bobbing chicken head.
I encouraged everyone to take a seat so we could discuss our options. Tamika was the last to sit, a restlessness that she was unable to subdue. Or, perhaps she remembered the last time that she was seated in our presence, bound and questioned.
Camilla took the liberty of introducing Mitch, the third member of their clan present. She even went so far as revealing that he was a mutant, too. A flamer. I had never met one, but Jada had been part of a clan that was led by one of those. I recalled that he had to be in contact with something to encourage the flame. Not everything could be set on fire. And he certainly did not have the ability to throw fireballs from thin air.
"Dammit, Camilla!" Tamika was upset about the revelation.
"I'm sorry, Tamika," Camilla replied, somehow looking confused. "I thought that we were all friends here."
"That is yet to be determined," Tamika replied, turning her wicked gaze toward me
.
I asked Mitch some questions, but he was a little tight-lipped after his leader's rebuke of Camilla. I did at least find out that he had joined their group just three days ago and did not reveal his special ability until yesterday. The two teenagers that we questioned did not know that their clan had a third person with special powers.
Mitch did not come across as unmanly, or from a foreign culture. So, his clothing choices were a bit confusing to me. Perhaps the thrift store that he raided for new clothes was low on remaining options in his size. Personally, I would seriously consider nudity before selecting the unflattering garb.
I explained to Tamika the basics of the agreement proposed by the militia, which she already knew wanted to be called the New World Transition Coalition. Stop expanding, turn away skanks, no aggression, and they would let us be.
"They will not hold up their end of the agreement," Tamika announced. "At least, not for long. They are just biding time while they take care of some other problems."
"It will buy us some time as well," I explained.
"That time will not do you much good if you agree not to grow your force, Mason. I seriously doubt that they would permit an alliance with us. Did they mention me by name?"
"Yes, they did," I responded. I had in my mind for the last couple hours how I wanted this meeting to go. Her knowledge of our earlier meeting threw things off kilter and I was trying to make the adjustments to get back on track. "I asked that they include you in the agreement. Like you said, it doesn't seem likely that they will. However, I needed them to know that we already had this meeting planned. Their scouts reporting your presence could have otherwise raised an alarm."
"You told them that I'm trying to ally with you so we can overthrow them?" Tamika asked in shock.
"No, of course not," I responded. "I acted like I was just trying to include you for your own protection. It just gives us more time to plan."
"I see," Tamika said then, looking around. I assumed that she was checking to see who is nearby.
"Alexa is not close enough for you to mirror her ability," I announced, causing her to stiffen suddenly. She was not aware that I knew of her unique gift evidently. Camilla smiled so much she nearly laughed. The way that she was looking between Tamika and I during our conversation, I got the impression that she felt at least as connected to us as she did her new clan.
Before Tamika could respond, I guided the conversation in another direction. "What do you know about the other battles that the NWTC has going on right now?"
"Not much," she answered, looking less cooperative than I had hoped.
"If our alliance has a chance at succeeding, we'll need to know a lot more about what they are facing on other fronts."
"So, you want to join me instead of them?" Tamika asked with her arms folded across her chest, exuding serious doubt.
"That is my preference," I told her, though it was mostly a lie. I didn't want to go looking for trouble. If I allied with her, I would certainly find it. But, if I didn't form some kind of friendship between our two clans, things would be more challenging when the militia decided to turn on us.
Tamika took a moment to think about it before responding. Her expressions were extremely easy to read. I thought that having Alexa present would have been a big help if Tamika couldn't use it to see that I was not being entirely truthful with her. But the emphatic ability was proving totally unnecessary so far.
"First of all," she finally said as she leaned forward, looking more agreeable than previously. "The New World Transition Coalition does not make treaties with mutants or other bands of survivors. None that last more than a few days anyway. There is another clan over by Greenbelt that has been giving them problems. They are reportedly well armed, having more than forty members, a handful of which are gifted like us. They are target number one."
"There is a second group holding the Arundel Mills Mall with over a hundred survivors, but no mutants I'm told. I’m not sure if that is true. Like you, they are just trying to hold their own. The militia is likely offering them the same terms as they presented to you. It should be noted, though, that none of these other clans give a shit about helping the diseased. Other than the Coalition, you are the only organization growing your numbers by healing the infected."
"So, they are target number two?" I asked.
"No," Tamika replied. "You are target number two. At least, that was how they had their enemies ranked. My activity over the last few days might have adjusted that order. Your obvious expansion here though could have shot you to the top of the list."
"What about the all-female organization that came to us on horseback. They were planning to help the skanks, too."
"They are all dead, Mason," Tamika said, confirming my suspicions. She acted as if that was common knowledge. "Any group that goes up against the militia gets destroyed. That’s why I was trying to convince Alexa to stay with us. We thought you all were dead or taken captive."
"And yet, that is what you are planning to do. Attack the Coalition."
"We're different," she answered, pushing forward in her seat. "We are the most talented group of gifted survivors currently known by the East Coast Alliance of these military organizations. They have only let you and your fabulous women live because they were more afraid of each other. Those wars are over now. They've combined to reestablish civilization on their terms. We have no place in their future plans."
"If they have a pipeline for the cure, including any new versions, won't they be growing at a much faster rate?"
"Yes and no," Tamika responded. "Yes, they have more doses of treatment, and more healed people. But their women don't love the military like your women love you."
"We're talking about the recovered skanks," I clarified. "Not the surviving women that are close to me."
"Me, too. Jamila is the first, but there will be plenty more I'm sure. You are a natural born leader for this situation, Mason. In a world where women, healthy or otherwise, outnumber men by more than forty to one, your style of leadership is much preferred over martial law."
"Huh," was all I could say. Her statement was very flattering. I needed to make sure that it didn't boost my ego bigger than my brain. She was saying these things to get what she wanted. Most of it so far had a ring of truth to it. Her demeanor told me that she was possibly going for an all-out honest approach, viewing this alliance as her last resort.
"The second reason they won't be growing much faster than you is that they made a huge mistake," Tamika continued. "The second formula of the skank cure, as you call it, was not sufficiently tested. They rushed it. You see, healing the infected is the same as converting people to your side. The higher success rate, the faster they achieve peace, so they say."
"The new formula increased the success rate to maybe thirty percent or better. However, of the other seventy percent, over half of them died. The new order from the Coalition Council is that there will be no more treatments sent to the outposts. All infected must be transported to a central facility for testing. Apparently, which exact combination of viruses they contracted has a lot to do with their response to the medicine."
"So, we won't be able to obtain anymore doses either?" I asked, disappointed that the Coalition lied in that regard.
"Not of the new stuff," she replied. "If they promised you more vials of the skank cure, they probably plan on giving you the bad stuff. And no disclaimer. They would be setting you up."
"But still, thirty percent would be healed," Riley interjected.
"It's the forty percent that die that will be your problem," Tamika explained.
"That would hurt morale, I'm sure," I said, weighing whether to even accept the new medicine.
"Believe me, Mason," Tamika said, more animated than previously. "Morale will be the least of your problems. The dead didn't stay dead."
"What?" all three of us from my clan responded in shock.
"Or, maybe they didn't completely die. Either way, the result is a much worse
version of the disease. The term may have been inaccurate for the infected before, but the word zombie seems to apply now."
"Zombies?" Riley asked. "Is that what we killed over by the river?"
"We've encountered a few ourselves," Tamika said. "The Coalition lost containment. That is the reason why the military didn't come after you when you killed their people and took their trucks. They had bigger problems at the time. But that is all settling down now. That's why our window of opportunity is closing. We have to act now, Mason."
"Another problem," Mitch entered the conversation. "The new disease appears to be communicable among the infected. That is, if a normally infected person is bitten, scratched or coughed on by these new zombies, they have a good chance of suffering the same fate. That also goes for any that have been healed. If they were susceptible to the first wave of viruses, they risk infection from the new zombie version. It is currently unknown whether a survivor could catch the disease."
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