Anarchistbanjo's World

Chapter 21 Tyrone

Somehow Tobal didn’t feel that optimistic about the planned expedition but didn’t have any right or authority to stop them. Perhaps Crow was right. Perhaps the village did need some form of protection. He was feeling moody as he walked away from the group. Becca came with him.

“I’m not very good company right now,” he warned.

“I’ll risk it,” she said.

Neither one said much as they watched the preparations for the three newbies that were going to be initiated that evening and got something to eat. It was so cold windbreaks had been set up around the fires to bounce the heat back. Most people seemed to either stay inside or near the fire pits used for cooking. They ate by one of the cooking pits.

“May I ask something?” He finally said.

“Sure,” Becca answered through a mouthful of tasty stew.

“Why last month?” He asked. “Why did you come to me like that?”

“Was it wrong?” She asked wiping her mouth clean with her hand and looking up at him with those green eyes.

“No,” he whispered. “It was exactly right. I just don’t know if I could have ever come to you that way. I was too messed up or afraid or something.”

“I was afraid too,” she said thoughtfully. “Then when we kissed it was so good and later you gave me that present. Look,” she said. “I’m still wearing it. She pulled the carved owl out from where it had been hiding within her parka. It was Anne that really helped. She read my palm that day and told me I would loose the one I loved unless I acted immediately to keep him from leaving.”

“Really?” He asked curiously. “Where would I have gone?”

“To Fiona,” was her simple reply. “This has been kind of hard on her cause she really likes you too.”

Tobal flushed, “You and Fiona talk about this stuff?”

She put her bowl down and came over to him, pinning him back against a windbreak. She laughed.

“We women talk about everything.”

“Everything?”

“Everything!”

“Well then, I’m going to keep my mouth shut around all of you.”

She set his bowl down and kissed him. “It won’t do any good. We’ll just tell stories then.”

“What kind of stories,” he undid some of the buttons on her parka and reached inside. She gasped in pleasure and their embrace was much longer than the last one. No thought of continuing the conversation. They were lost in the moment and in each other.

“Hey, some of us are trying to eat around here.” Nikki and Fiona had brought their own bowls of stew to eat by the fire.

“Becca, are you saving any for us?” Nikki quipped.

Tobal flushed.

Becca just nuzzled closer, “No, you’ve got to get your own.”

Together all four cleaned the dishes and moved toward the circle where the initiations were about to begin. It was cold and they took up positions next to a windbreak that shielded one of the signal fires. As long as they stayed out of the wind it was all right.

Misty was High Priestess that night and both she and the High Priest wore furs. The circle seemed much smaller than usual. There was a strong wind with drifting snow even in the sheltered valley and no one seemed anxious to dance around the fire clothed or not.

Tobal felt sorry for the new initiates that had to stand blindfolded in such a wind with shortened tunics even if they were right next to the bon fire. To his relief they were wrapped in blankets to prevent over exposure to the bitter cold. In all things safety was the over riding concern of the medics and Masters. Living in harsh conditions made one strong. Being foolish killed you.

They watched together as Nikki’s, Fiona’s, and Becca’s newbies were initiated. Afterward Tobal was introduced to Cheryl, Loki, and Bran, the new initiates.

“If you are not careful we will catch up to you,” Fiona warned. “Cheryl, Loki and Bran make three newbies apiece for each of us. You have only trained one more than us.”

“I know.” Tobal frowned. “Why rub it in?”

The girls laughed and hugged him. “We’re just teasing. Don’t be so serious all the time.”

Tobal had gotten his fourth chevron that morning and was eager to get training. He had tried working on the meditations and exercises Crow had taught him but it had been hard to focus and concentrate alone. His mind drifted to the cave’s glowing altar, where Ron and Rachel’s voices had urged him onward, a stark contrast to the solitude that muddled his focus. Much of the time his thoughts had kept going back to Becca and their growing involvement with each other. Somehow it seemed to push everything else away. He didn’t know what had happened to his self-discipline.

Immediately after circle things were moved inside one of the permanent shelters and continued out of the bad weather. This had happened a few other times during heavy rain but was unusual. Clansmen believed in having circle outside rain or shine, hell or high water. They spent so much time in the elements it didn’t bother them much and they were dressed for it.

They found a warm corner and started to gather. By the time Ellen got there ten people were sitting around waiting to hear what she had learned. Needless to say, Ellen was not happy with everyone knowing about the rogues or about Crow taking an entire group to the village for a visit.

Finally she gave in and sat with them and talked about what she had found out in her research.

“I was able to tap into the city’s data base and look into the historical archives and records.” She began. ” Ron and Rachel Kane were scientists that lived in the city and developed the sanctuary training system.” She looked around the group. “Those are Tobal’s parents, for those of you that don’t already know.”

The look of surprise on a few faces told Tobal that at least a few hadn’t known.

Ellen continued her story. “The sanctuary program was originally a social experiment designed to create a utopian community of specially trained and competent individuals. It was a personality-modifying program to create physically, emotionally and mentally healthy individuals with strong will power and high creative ability. It was highly successful in creating individuals that seemed to be more highly motivated and competent than the norm found within the Federation itself. The graduates showed scores that were mentally, emotionally and physically superior to non-graduates and it was no surprise when the military got involved and the project became classified. Heliopolis became a natural recruiting ground for highly competent leaders and soldiers. It was a city-state devoted to the development of the Ubermench or super human and the main recruiting ground for Federation Special Forces.

As time went on the graduates gained political power within Heliopolis itself and voted for political changes that challenged the values and life styles of the older citizens that had not participated or agreed with the social experiment. The citizenry split along lines that supported the social experiment and those that were against it.”

Here Ellen stopped and said thoughtfully, “There is a saying that old timers never change their minds, they just die off and the younger generation outlives them. That was not the case in Heliopolis. The changes were so fast and radical there was not enough time for mediation. The hostilities and tensions became so great it resulted in a massacre of several students and families living at the main Apprentice gathering spot and the deaths of Ron and Rachel Kane whose bodies were found floating in the lake nearby.”

Ellen broke off from her story to look around at the group. “It seems not only Tobal lost his parents then but Crow lost both parents and Sarah lost her mother. This was not in the official report but in what I have learned personally.”

Sarah was white faced and her fists were tightened. There were murmurs within the group until Crow stopped them.

“Let her finish.”

“These multiple murders created a military emergency and the entire city fell under martial law directed by the Federation and Tobal’s Uncle Harry Kane who was the commander in charge at the time. It was under his command that any of those connected with the murders were eliminated or deported and Heliopolis became a secret classified program controlled by Federation military.”

Tobal started. His uncle had said he was in charge of security, not that he had been Commander in charge of the entire project. There was obviously a lot his uncle had known about and not shared with him.

Ellen continued, “The military created a new program that allowed no children or elderly unless they were physically fit enough to make it through the three degree system. It was simply a system designed to create recruits for the Federation military. The thought was that it created better soldiers.

The city of Heliopolis became a city of the elite ruled by the military, a city of supermen and superwomen if you will. The graduates were still human but something about the training eliminated dysfunctional areas and built strong healthy individuals that could out compete the average person in all areas.

This continued several years until enough data was available to compare the graduates of the sanctuary program with special military forces. It was here that they showed radical differences. The graduates of the sanctuary program did not do well in the normal military. Studies confirmed that military training suppressed the individual and forced conformance to a rigid authoritarian structure that was simply not endurable to the average graduate. The graduates of the sanctuary program were individuals and not team players.

It was at this point the Federation lost much of its interest in the project and turned it back to civilian control. The Federation continued to recruit graduates for field operative positions and kept a mountain complex manned with military personnel for special training. They also agreed to share medical resources with the medics as they needed them.

Ellen stopped and looked around, “That was when the city was granted the right of self government. But only those that had completed the restructured Sanctuary training were considered citizens with the right to vote. They voted to adopt the military’s program in favor of the earlier program run by Ron and Rachel Kane. The earlier program had consisted of the creation of a village with children and old people as an important part of the social research that was going on. There was no more interest in the creation of another ‘village’ in the wilderness. It was felt there were too many ‘Safety’ concerns.

The Citizens of Heliopolis maximized individual qualities under a loose structure of cooperative effort. The city itself gained in political power and influence even as it remained closed to normal trade and commerce. Its citizenry were active in the outer world owning companies and making directives that influenced world politics. They formed an elite pool of superior resources that fought for its own place in world politics. It was whispered that government research continued at the nearby secret mountain complex where Special Ops field agents were trained.”

“The rest was classified and I couldn’t get into it,” Ellen said. She hesitated as if with an internal struggle.

“Our Medic base is part of the secret mountain complex. We are only allowed to use the emergency room and some nearby areas. It is under high security with lots of armed guards. There are field operatives that come and go from the complex all the time. I shouldn’t be telling you this so please keep it to yourselves.”

“Wow,” you’ve certainly given us something to think about,” Rafe shook his head. “This doesn’t sound good to me. There is something wrong, especially if the rogues are really field operatives. Why would field operatives attack us?”

“And attack the Village,” Crow spoke up. “There have been several incidences of villagers being attacked by rogues and we always believed it was clansmen that attacked us. It is beginning to sound like someone wants the clansmen and the villagers to hate each other. Perhaps someone is trying to provoke conflict between us. We need to go to the village and prove we are not attacking them. Too many people have died already.”

“Yeah, and my parents were right in the middle of it,” Tobal said bitterly. “It killed them and it might kill us if we are not careful. He turned to Crow who had been listening intently to Ellen’s story.

“What can you tell us about any of this? It sounds like your grandfather, Howling Wolf was as much in the middle of this as my parents and he is the only one still alive that I know of except Sarah’s father.”

“This is all new to me,” he said. But I will talk with him about it. I will return with any information I feel is important. More than ever I feel there is danger to my village and they need to be warned.”

Tobal was thankful Crow never mentioned the special training on bi-location and the secret meeting place under the waterfall. He was certain that Ellen was too.

“I’m concerned about Apprentices leaving the area and visiting the village.” Ellen told them. “We will be ordered to stop you from going there even though there are no specific guidelines preventing it. Crow seems to have found a loophole in the system only because he is from the village himself and because it is within our area of coverage. Our orders don’t contemplate such unlikely scenarios. You need to travel as fast as you can.”

She continued, “As long as the air sleds continue to monitor your med-alert bracelets you should be alright.” She paused, “That does mean we will need to patrol further to the west then we have in the past,” she looked straight at Crow. “They are going to try to stop you from reaching the village you know.”

“I know,” he said. “It will be alright. Grandfather is expecting us.”

They left things at that and the conversation moved on. The group gradually broke up and began talking about other things. Tobal and Becca stayed together holding hands as they wandered around the group chatting with other clansmen. They slowly made their way to the beer keg where Rafe had rejoined Dirk.

Rafe and Dirk were both still on the beer task force and grumbling because they had twice the beer to brew since the reserves had been consumed at the Yule party last month. Still they were good-natured about it and said they were trying a new recipe that should be quite interesting. It was just as well there was only a small group that month though. They wouldn’t be drinking that much.

Becca hadn’t heard about the special brew Dirk and Rafe were cooking up and didn’t know what to think.

“When will this new beer be ready to drink?” She asked doubtfully.

“Sometime this April probably,” said Dirk chuckling. “Rafe and I both plan on being medics by then. We can administer first aid to anyone that needs it. Pump their stomach or something.”

Tobal snorted and blew beer all over.

“Hey, watch it,” Rafe complained. “It’s not that funny.”

Tobal turned to Dirk, “How did that sure thing match go?”

Dirk turned red, “Not so well.”

“He got his ass kicked.” Rafe chuckled and proudly displayed his own fifth chevron. “Some people actually win once in a while.”

Rafe ducked a playful fist that Dirk threw at him. “Now we get to see who the best man is. We’ve got a bet going on who is going to get their sixth chevron first.”

“You still fighting the girls,” Becca kidded, “or have you gotten to the big boys yet?”

Dirk got a little red but Rafe took it in stride. “I don’t have to worry about it. Everyone is still challenging me. I haven’t gotten to challenge anyone yet.” He grinned at Becca, “I would challenge you if you hurry up and train some more newbies.”

She grinned back. “Perhaps we can always arrange something unofficial.”

This was a side to Becca that Tobal hadn’t really seen before, it interested him and disturbed him at the same time. They filled their mugs and rejoined the crowd. There was a drum circle forming and the sound was deafening in the small building.

Tobal and Becca slept together that night. They cuddled for a long time and shared stories about things that they had done and things they wanted to do. The energy between them was different and when Tobal asked about having sex Becca murmured “not tonight. All I really want to do is just hold you and sleep with you.” Her voice trembled slightly, a hint of vulnerability he hadn’t noticed before, as if the weight of their connection pressed on her too.

With that cryptic answer circling in his brain they kissed, embraced and fell asleep entwined in each other.

The next morning was bright and cold and there were sundogs circling the sun promising even colder weather. They joined their friends for breakfast and soon Becca was on her way to base camp to continue training with Loki, her third newbie and Tobal set out on the trail toward Sanctuary.

As he snow-shoed toward Sanctuary and pulled his sled he wondered at the strangeness of how things had been with him and Becca last night. He had certainly not been prepared for it and didn’t really understand it. It seemed things had been all right, but then again it seemed there had been something wrong.

He hoped she hadn’t changed her mind. Perhaps she was sleeping with Loki, the newbie. He instantly crushed that thought. He knew it was not true, but he just didn’t understand and because he didn’t understand he felt a little hurt. He had been expecting something like last month and it had not happened.

As he neared Sanctuary his thoughts turned to the subject at hand. He now had four chevrons with only two more before he was eligible for the Journeyman degree. As he headed toward sanctuary he felt kind of strange because Sarah had really been the last person he had trained and that had been in September and October.

He didn’t really count Crow since Crow had taught him much more than he had taught Crow. That meant he hadn’t been doing much training in four months and he was determined to get going on it again. He wanted to get this training over with and be partnered with Becca more permanently if she was still interested.

He thought of the ways he had changed in the past years and the things he had done. He had gained a reputation as a very good trainer. None of his students had any trouble soloing and their students didn’t seem to have much trouble either. At gathering and circle people came to him with questions on the best way to do things. His opinion was respected. He was also gaining a reputation as someone that kept to himself and was hard to get to know. His closest friends continued to be Rafe, Crow, Ellen, Sarah, Melanie and now of course Becca. People liked him, his friends liked him, he was companionable but in a quiet sort of way. He didn’t have anything to prove and he didn’t show off. He was just comfortable and at ease with the situation, any situation. People respected that.

Tyrone was Tobal’s fifth trainee and the month of late January and early February went by fairly fast and uneventfully. Tyrone was a tall, wiry farm boy from the Appalachian Mountains of all places, a real honest to God hillbilly complete with a Southern accent and an engaging smile that would drive the girls wild at circle. His drawl carried the scent of pine and coal smoke as he unpacked a worn satchel, a grin breaking through like sunlight on frost. The training came easy to him since he was already an accomplished hunter and trapper.

The nights were long and Tyrone spent many evenings carving a fiddle and later practicing with it. He had learned the skill from his grandfather back home and Tobal watched in fascination at the precision with which the fiddle was created piece by piece and then lashed together and sealed with pitch. He had never seen anything like it and was appalled at the terrible noise it made, at least until he got used to it.

He used to laugh when Tyrone would pull out the fiddle and start to play because the wolves would start howling to keep company. All in all Tyrone was good company and the month went rapidly. Tyrone was a natural storyteller, knew how to make people laugh and Tobal laughed often. Tyrone was like the brother Tobal had always wanted.

Once Tobal asked him how he had heard of “Heliopolis” way in hillbilly country and Tye had thrown back his head and laughed and laughed. He stretched his long legs and shrugged.

“I never heard of it before,” he admitted. “I was trying for a city named Minneapolis and got my ticket wrong. My head never was that good with names. I knew it was cold there and didn’t give it much thought until we had to start hunting our own meat and making our own clothes. It was so much like back home that I figured something was wrong but thought I’d study on it for awhile.”

Tobal had been drinking tea and it exploded from his mouth and nose as he doubled up in laughter.

“Stop, You’re killing me,” he waved weakly at Tyrone who was doubled over laughing too.

There were melancholy times when Tobal thought back over the past year and how much he had changed. He was more resourceful and inclined to do things by himself or on his own. He didn’t care much about what other people thought. He had learned to judge people not by their appearances, but by what they did and even as important by what they didn’t do.

Almost in spite of himself he found his feelings about Becca were deepening. She down played what she did and seemed to have a quiet competence that went un-remarked. She had just a hint of melancholy that matched his own. There was an emotion in his heart that stirred and sang when he was around her. As spring drew closer he found himself thinking about her more and knew he was in love.

Late February came around as Tobal and Tyrone snowshoed their way to the gathering spot. He dropped Tyrone off with the guards to be prepared for his initiation. There were going to be three initiations that night.

Nikki had proclaimed her newbie, Bran, as ready to solo and he, along with Loki and Cheryl had been examined and approved to solo by the elders. Nikki was ecstatic because the winter training had gone pretty well. She was looking forward to training her next newbie.

“Hey Tobal,” she asked, “Think I can get my six trained by mid summer? This winter training isn’t really that bad.”

“That might be cutting it kind of close,” he considered, “but go for it. I’m hoping to get mine done by May if I can.”

“By May?”

“Yeah, when the weather gets warmer I can speed the training up a bit. Or at least I hope I can. Next month will be one year for me. Rafe was finished in one year. I thought I could too, but I don’t think I will be able to.”

“It’s more important to do a good job and teach properly than get done quickly,” she said.

He nodded, “I did need to spend some extra time before winter with Fiona and Sarah. I will just see how the last one goes.”

“See you later at circle?”

“Sure,” I’ll probably be with Becca if I can find her.”

He waved and headed for the food area. A quick lunch seemed in order and then helping out with some of the shelters. There were a lot more people this month and the weather was milder even though the snow was deeper.

There were some minor frostbite cases for the medics to treat but not as many as last month. It seemed people were learning they had to be careful. On the down side one of the clansmen had fallen through the ice on one of the creeks. He had managed to get out but not been able to get a fire going. He had frozen to death before the medics got to him. Angel had found him and been unable to help. It was already too late. Angel’s tear-streaked face lingered in Tobal’s mind, a silent echo of the Wild’s harsh lessons, stirring a quiet resolve to honor the fallen.

The incident served to remind everyone just how fragile and dangerous it really was in the wilderness even with all the safeguards that were in place. The death put a damper on things and people were quiet. Tobal’s thoughts flickered to Ellen’s words about the mountain complex, wondering if the rogues’ shadow stretched even here, a chill beyond the frost.