ZRP-2: Brave New World

Wrex and I had been tearing at the horde. His giant club bat thing bashing into their skulls while I had been chopping heads.
I had made sure he wasn't biten or takrn from behind. He did the same. Overall, it had been a gory battle but a victory nonetheless.
I'm pretty sure I stained my coat with their blood... a lot.

(James)
=Despite the distance I was putting between myself and the horde, I could already hear the bloodcurdling screams of the Shepherds as the horde wandered into the camp. Already I could picture what was going on: the horde, catching the Shepherds with their pants down, grabbed who they could, pulling them in as they bit into their flesh, drawing blood and eliciting more cries of pain and fear. Skin was torn off, as groups tore the bodies apart, ripping into the stomachs and pulling out the innards. There was more gunfire, but that soon ended and was replaced with more and more screams. Not once did I look back to see what was really happening. My mind did that for me=

Better them than me though.....
=It wasn't long before I broke through the treeline, and found myself running in the open expanse of a field, grass beneath me and the town visible, barely, ahead of me=

Hibiki walked from the truck and collapsed onto the bench next to Eve quietly, waiting for James.
Of course he had the keys.
Hibiki sighed, then drew Eve close. The girl just collapsed against Hibiki's side.

(James)
=I'd like to say I ran all the way back. But that would give me the stamina of an Olympic athlete, and let's face it. I didn't. Power walking was good though, minus the weird posture that goes with it. In time, I managed to get back to the town gates, and they didn't even bother checking me over, letting me in with no hassle. I saw Hibiki and Eve sitting on the bench where I handcuffed the girl, and walked over to them=

And now we brace ourselves, for the shit storm.....

"Hey.....do you want to shoot the arrow in my ass now, or later?"

Eve looked up.
"Take these off. Now." She said calmly, but her voice was one that, if words could kill, would have sent James trough all levels of hell, then down through the Earth's Core, back up the levels, and then he'd be reincarnated as a panda in China.

(James)
=It wasn't hard to hear the anger in her voice. She hated me right now, and I guess in a way she every right to. Taking the keys out of my pocket, I slowly walked over to her, staying calm. Like a trainer walks over to a spooked animal=
"Eve....before you hit me, just know that I only did what I did because I care about you."

=Then, I unlocked the handcuffs=

Eve hit him like a madwoman. She just flailed into him.
"I WAS COUNTING ON YOU TO PROTECT MOMMY!" she shouted over and over, crying as she kept hitting James everywhere she could reach before Hibiki dragged her back and held her tightly.
Hibiki merely sighed softly, nuzzling the girl's cheek, which calmed her down.

(James)
=The girl had a hell of a right hook, I'll give her that. I wasn't angry for her hitting me, even if it did hurt. I welcomed it actually, as I looked up at the two of them=
"Eve, it was because I love your mother that I hand cuffed you. She just went through hell, learning the truth about you and only now accepted you back into her heart. Do you really want to put her through the agony, of having you killed? Or bitten?"

Eve sobbed a bit. "That's why. Because I'm afraid she'll never love me the same. That's why I had to. Because I need that love again. That's all I want."

(James)
=Slowly rising from the pavement, I moved towards them both, kneeling down before her=
"Eve.....You don't have to put yourself in harms way to earn her love. Or anyone's for that matter."

=Just to prove that point, I wrapped my arms around her and Hibiki, hugging them tightly, not caring if anyone was watching=

Crying, Eve hugged back.
"I have to atone...I have to make up for not being strong enough to fight what they did to me earlier..." she sobbed.
Hibiki hugged them both, resting her fact in Eve's hair.
"Shh...shh..."

(James)
=There wasn't much for me to say really. I wasn't even sure of what to say. She was hurting, and the neanderthal in me wanted to end her hurt. All I could do though was hold her closer, and whisper the next few words=
"It's going to be okay Eve. You're with your family now. As long as you have us, you'll be okay."

Eve nodded, still sobbing.
Hibiki then leaned over to kiss James' cheek. "Thank you."

(James)
=The kiss was a welcome sensation, considering the fact I had most of my ass handed to me by a twelve year old. I looked up at her, a small smile on my face serving as my response=

"Let's get her to bed...does Sam mind if Eve bunks with her? I don't think the bed has enough room for her now, since there's four kids there." Hibiki asked.

*Sam*
=Sam, having stood silently during the whole discussion (though she did move to stop eve when she lashed out at me) stood forward=
"I don't mind at all Hibiki. But it looks like you may have company James."

*Marcus*
=Before I could ask what she meant, I could already hear footsteps behind me. Turning to look, I saw Marcus walking towards us, a grim look on his face=
"James....I hate to intrude. But I think it's time we had that discussion."

(James)
"What about?"

Eve slide out and latched onto Sam, hiding her face with her hair. She was calmer now, and probably just needed sleep.

Hibiki stood with James, waiting quietly.

*Marcus*
"I don't mind if Hibiki joins you for this James. This pretty much involves her and your people as well. But we need to speak in private, in my office."

(James)
"Okay. Sam, do you mind taking Eve back to the inn? Hibiki and I will be talking with Marcus."

*Sam*
"Sure, no problem."

Hibiki gave Eve a kiss on her head before heading back with James.

Eve would then go with Sam quietly, not really putting up any resistance to anything.

*Marcus*
=He lead us back into his office, closing the door behind us before walking over to his desk=
"Look....I know the past few days have been taxing on us all. But I want a straight answer. Are you still willing to wage war on the Shepherds?"

(James)
"Yes."

Hibiki's face was set. "Yes. Eve is too; you saw how she volunteered for the decoy job." She rolled her shoulders. "Someone has to stop those bastards."

*Marcus*
"Good. I'll assume Andrew and Sam are on board. Listen, to wage a war we need weapons and supplies, and troops. We don't have many people, and our weapons are going to be few in number. But I have a friend over in an Elite compound several miles from here, due west. St. Louis."

(James)
=My eyes widened in surprise=
"How are they holed up there? I thought the cities were a no go?"

*Marcus*
"That's what I thought to, but somehow they have a portion secured. They even managed to get some of the stuff up and running though how is beyond me, and it's just for the elites. Anyway, the point is that he owes me a few favors, and I'm sure that you may be able to persuade a few people over there to help us. Get us better weapons, and maybe even a strong alliance with them, and we'll be able to go toe to toe with the Shepherds."


*Sam*
=Meanwhile, Sam had walked with Eve all the way back to the inn, leading her back to her room. She checked on the kids though, to be sure they were okay. They were still fast asleep=

Eve sat on the bed.
"Sam...do you forgive me?"

*Sam*
"Of course I do Eve. You've more than made up for everything. As of now, the slate is clean."
=She leaned against the wall in the room=

(Jason)
"What makes you think we can get people to join us?"

*Marcus*
"I'm sure they've been harassed by the Shepherds long enough to want them dealt with, and their soldiers are itching for a fight last I checked. The issue though will be what you need to do to get their bosses on your side. Get them on your side, and their soldiers will be free to help."

Eve smiled softly.
"Thank you Sam."

Eve kicked her shoes and and laid down quietly.


Hibiki frowned. "That's never easy."

*Marcus*
"Agreed, but we have no other choice. I can try and contact the other lock-down towns, see if they're still alive, and maybe have them rally behind us. But gaining an alliance with an Elite compound would be a major win, and a symbol for them to rally behind."

(James)
"End of the day....we need to do it. If we're to have any hope of stopping the Shepherds, an alliance is our best bet. When would you need us to leave?"

*Marcus*
"Tomorrow, or the day after. I'll get a car or two prepared for you and your people."

Hibiki nodded. "Day after tomorrow would be best...I think Eve needs a lot of rest. This entire few days has taxed her too much. As has it all." Hibiki looked at James.
"I think the world can survive waiting another day."

(James)
"I'm with her on this. We need time to talk about this with our people, and gather supplies."

*Marcus*
"Okay. I'll make sure you have the cars and the supplies. In the meantime....get some rest. We're all going to need it soon I think."

(James)
=Nodding, I turned and walked out of there with Hibiki=

=I look at James, feeling a little better than I did earlier=

So...anything I should know about?

=I raise my eyebrow as I pose the question=

Hibiki followed, then took his hand.
"So, Sam is with Eve...I guess we get some alone time."
She grinned mischievously.

(James)
=It took a great amount of effort to ignore Hibiki for a brief moment, as I faced Andrew=
"We've got a new destination to head for in two days. Marcus wants us to help set up an alliance with a group of Elites, so we'll be heading there the day after tomorrow. As for the details, we'll need to discuss that later. Just rest up for now."

=That said, I wound my fingers with Hibiki's, and gently pulled her along with me back to the inn=

=I nod, satisfied with the info=

Well...that's good news

Fair enough.

=I beckon Miranda to the Inn=

Well...we're alone. You coming?

=I grin like a schoolboy=

*Sam*
=She wasn't all that tired, so she was content to let Eve have the bed while she sat in a chair=

(James)
=The walk back to the inn was silent, Marge greeting us when we entered. When we got in the room and closed the door behind us, the first thing I did was walk from Hibiki to a chair, sitting down and staring at her=
"Hibiki.....we need to talk."

Hibiki's smile slowly faded. "Ok..." She said, sitting on the bed.

Miranda grinned. "Oh you..." She bumped his shoulder lightly. "Let's go."

(James)
=I ran a hand through my hair, rubbing my head as I tried to put words together=
"Hibiki.....I guess what I want to know is, are you okay? I mean, I hand cuffed your daughter, and you seem to be taking it fairly well."

=It seemed a stupid thing to get hung up over, but I guess it struck me as odd enough to ask about=

=I hold my grin, taking her hand in mine as we head towards the inn=

For the end of the world...I feel great...

=I take her into the room and sit on the bed, giving her a big kiss=

The trip back wax uneventful. Besides the fact we were riding in cars. That was cool. But now, it seems. Wrex and I have nothing left to do.
Perhaps we should check into the Sheriff's office for more work? I don't know if we should...

"You just handcuffed Katniss Everdeen to a bench. James. I don't even have the guts for that."
With a grin, she gets off the bed and straddles James, kissing him. "Was I upset?
Yeah. Am I going to be angry with you? No."


Miranda kissed him back. The feeling was pure bliss.

(Jason)
=The rest of my argument was silenced with that kiss, and I couldn't help but groan in pleasure. I reached up with one hand, placing it on the back of her head as I pulled her deeper into the kiss, my other remaining down on her hip. My heart was already starting to beat against my chest (and my pants to boot) urging me to continue=

Hibiki leaned against James more, sliding her arms around his back. She sighed softly, a smile etched on her face as she kissed the man she loved.

Eve rolled onto her side to look at Sam. "Sam? You can lie down, you know. I don't bite."

*Sam*
=She chuckled a little=
"Not tired really. When I feel sleepy though, I'll be sure to scoot in if you don't mind sharing the bed."


(James)
=The hand on her hip slowly moved up and under her shirt, as I felt her soft skin beneath my touch. My other rand continued to run through her hair, no longer pulling her into the kiss. Slowly, I began to lift her shirt up=

Eve smiles. "yeah...I'd...like that...actually..."

Hibiki lifted her arms so James could remove her shirt.

*Sam*
=She couldn't help but shake her head, the barest hint of a smile playing on her lips=
"Well, I'll be sure to keep the monsters away."


(James)
=Once the shirt was off, I broke off the kiss and rested my head on her chest, just above her breasts while her chin rested on the top of my head. My cheek lay there on her chest, and I couldn't tell if I was hearing her heart or mine. I was panting like mad though=

Hibiki smiled softly, resting her cheek on James' head. She gently stroked his hair.
"Everything will be all right. I know it."


Eve smiled softly. "Thank you Sam..."

(James)
=Turning my head ever so slightly, I placed a soft kiss on her chest, my hands slowly moving up and down her back=
"Is it? I don't want to ruin the moment but.....Hibiki, I've lost so much. What I have now is priceless, and I'm scared. i don't want to lose you, or Eve or Harry, or anyone else."

=My hands pulled her closer to me=
"Please....tell me I won't lose you."

Hibiki smiles. "You'll never lose me. You'll never lose Eve. You'll never lose Harry..." She gently hugged James'. "Because we stand together...because we are together..." She sighs softly in content at the feeling of James' hands on her back. "I love you...I won't leave you."

(James)
=Relief running through me, I pulled away from her chest, looked up towards her, and kissed her, my tongue sliding past her lips=


*Sam*
=Unsure of what to do now, Sam continued to sit in the chair, eyes on Eve as she lay on the bed=

Soon, Eve's breathing became uneven, signalling she was asleep.

Hibiki parted her lips for James, accepting his tongue. She moaned softly into the kiss, pulling herself closer to James.

=I then fall on my back on the bed, still kissing Miranda=

Screw the end of the world...

=I just lay there in her embrace, feeling my old troubles melt away like ice=

(James)
=My hands moving downward, I started trying to remove her pants. I say trying because with her actually sitting on me, it was very hard to do=