Chapter 19 The Plan #2
By the time we finally reach the meeting point with Helios and Griffin, we have come up with a plan to release the prisoners and save Vex without facing the wrath of the zealots head-on.
Apparently, Griffin has a knack for explosives.
Perri told me how he brought down Oliver’s underground utopia to retrieve Helios almost two years ago.
It brings me a perverse satisfaction to picture Jude’s mutant lover on his knees.
The Beetle won’t be able to cross the short distance separating the coast from the small island with the lighthouse and the temple. The water is too deep, so it’ll fall on us to do the rest.
We set camp for the night in an old camping ground to wait for the Beetle when Jude gets in touch on the radio. Perri’s excited voice pulls Stellan and me closer to listen.
“What is it?” Stellan asks.
Perri, still holding the transmitter, says, “They’re on their way to help with the Firefly.”
I blink.
Stellan looks as dubious as I am. “Really?”
“Yeah, well…” Jude says through the channel, “Margaret and Jess are worried. And we thought you might need aerial support.”
“Aaaaw you’re worried about us and Helios,” Perri says. “You love us.”
Jude sighs. “Don’t make me regret it. We’re on our way, we should reach you tomorrow morning. Give us your exact location and we’ll stay ready in case you need us. We can’t get too close. Griffin and Oliver aren’t really on friendly terms…”
“You don’t say,” Stellan mumbles, and Perri elbows him.
“We’re in touch with Beet and Helios, too. We’ll coordinate the diversion effort with them to give you time for your rescue mission. Try not to get yourselves killed.”
“We love you too, boo,” Perri says.
“Speak for yourself…” Stellan mumbles again.
Jude snorts. “Yeah, yeah. See you tomorrow. Over and out.” And the line goes silent.
Perri’s smile is wide. “We might really succeed.”
I pull him into a hug. “Of course we will. Tomorrow, Vex will be with us.”
“You’ll love her,” he says against my chest. “She’s cute and unintentionally funny.”
I kiss the top of his head. “Just like Stellan.”
Perri snorts. “Oh yeah.”
Stellan is watching us with a frown that transforms into a tender smile, and I wink at him. He chuckles and turns his back to us to continue setting up camp. He likes to pretend he hates being called cute, but now I know better.
The Beetle arrives at sundown. The ground shakes and there’s a shimmer in the air as she settles higher on the beach. Seconds later, the hatch opens and Helios jumps out first, followed by Griffin who never lets him out of his sight even for a second.
Perri hugs Helios like an old friend, and I’m surprised by Griffin offering me a handshake.
His grip is a little too firm, but he shows me a rare smile.
Building a relationship between the Traveling Market and the Beetle is promising for the future.
The Devil of the Wastes has been known to save merchants but he stayed as slippery as an eel, always avoiding the spotlight.
Now, at last, I might pull him out of the shadows
We set up camp for the night in the forest by the sea and plan for the attack to happen before sunrise in two days, when the cultists will be asleep. Helios pulls out a hand-drawn map of their village and temple, and we sit around an old stone table to smooth out the last details of the scheme.
The plan is simple. Griffin will blow some shit up south of the village along the coast, mainly empty stone buildings, to give us a much needed distraction, while the Firefly picks off the stragglers.
In the meantime, we will sneak into the temple on the small island by boat and rescue Vex.
I’ll be on the frontline with Perri and Stellan on my heels.
Griffin’s eyes darken when he learns that Oliver is close, but he says nothing.
Perri gave me the missing pieces of what happened after Jude and his mutant escaped the Traveling Market.
I knew they were the ones to end Maeve and the Highwaymen, but I didn’t know they did it to save Helios.
Griffin and Oliver might never be friends, but they tolerate each other’s existence for the sake of Helios and Jude.
Tonight and tomorrow, we rest and prepare for the attack. Griffin wants to spend the next day observing the cultists some more to smooth out the last kinks in the plan. At night, he’ll steal a row boat for us to use to reach the island right before the assault.
Griffin rolls the map up just as the sun is setting in the west, towards our destination. He tilts his head to the sky and his nose twitches. “It smells like snow is coming.”
It’s much colder here, a nice change from the wastelands’ usual relentless heat. I’ve never seen snow, so I turn my face to the sky, too, hoping to catch the first sign of snowflakes.
Griffin points towards the horizon, beyond the dark sea. “What used to be Canada is on the opposite shore.”
“Have you been?”
He nods. “We trade with communities up there. They fared better than the US during the Rise. They didn’t enrage the old gods as much.”
“Must be nice,” I say, watching the gray horizon.
There’s a commotion from behind us, and to my utter astonishment, Helios and Perri are carrying trays loaded with food and drinks from the Beetle.
When I walk up to them to help them carry items, Perri says, “Helios has been cooking for the last two days for us. Isn’t he adorable?”
Helios chuckles. “I was just bored. And it’s been a while since we got the chance to entertain.”
Entertain. What an odd concept for survivors after the Rise. But I guess Griffin and Helios aren’t survivors anymore. They’re thriving.
“Thank you,” I say to Helios as he places what looks like a giant bowl of fruit salad on a camping table.
When we set out from the Traveling Market weeks ago, I never thought we would end up here, at the northern part of the Broken States in the company of new allies.
Perri and Stellan have taken me farther than I’ve ever been from the Market.
It feels like I can really breathe for the first time in years.
Maybe this could become a thing… Maybe both men could let me stay with them for longer than just a rescue mission and we could travel from time to time.
It feels too good to be true for a monster like me.
As if sensing my train of thought, Perri comes to me. “All good?”
I smile and pull him into a hug. “Wonderful,” I say in his hair.
Stellan walks by us on his way back from the Beetle and trails a hand over our shoulders affectionately. I resist the urge to pull him into our embrace. Helios is watching us with a smile, a question burning in his eyes. I wonder if it’s the same question that is haunting me: What are we?
We all gather around the stone table—three humans, two mutants, and a disembodied AI voice—to eat.
We don’t dare to light a fire, afraid the smoke will be seen by the cultists lookouts, and only use solar lamps.
The warm glow illuminates the faces of lovers and friends, and I marvel at all the choices and events that led us here.
Two mutant brothers and their three wonderful partners.
I bless the day we made it out of the labs.
At some point during dinner, Jude calls on the radio and Beet connects him to Helios’ wristband.
He and Oliver are somewhere along the coast to the south, getting ready for the night.
I’m surprised to find that I don’t mind hearing his voice.
Maybe his apology really did help, and the last remnants of my resentment and rage truly fizzled into nothingness.
In time, Griffin’s anger might cool down enough to let Oliver into our inner circle.
There might come a day when we need his help. We aren’t the only mutants out there.
We talk and laugh, until at last exhaustion catches up to us and we bid the others good night. Griffin and Helios disappear inside the Beetle.
We take turns each taking a quick, hot shower and the condensation covers the windows of the camper. I only open the skylight for a moment to let in fresh air; it’s too cold outside.
It’s a tight fit for all three of us on the bed, but we’ve gotten used to it in the past week. As we traveled north, the late fall made itself known, and we could no longer sleep under the stars without risking hypothermia.
Stellan climbs on the bed, naked, and I can’t stop drinking him in as he leans against the wall, legs slightly open and abs flexing. The light above his head makes his short, blonde hair appear like a golden halo.
“What?” he asks. His cock is already hardening.
I chuckle. “You know what. You’re tempting me with your beautiful body.”
His lips twitch. He won’t admit it, but he loves to be praised.
Perri comes out of the shower behind us, wringing his long hair in a towel. “Gosh, that was good. I can feel my toes for the first time in hours.” He pauses when he notices both our hungry stares, now aimed at him, then laughs. “I thought you were tired.”
“We’re never too tired to fuck you.” I offer him a hand and pull him to bed.
He gets rid of the towel and crawls between Stellan’s legs to kiss him, offering me a premium view of his backside. I can’t help but to bite his ass and he laughs. But when he tries to move, I get a hold of his hips.
“Stay right here,” I say before burying my face between his cheeks.
Perri’s groan is near feral as I lick his hole.
There’s an aftertaste of soap on his skin, but not enough to disguise the aroma of arousal emanating from both of them.
I make it my mission to drive Perri wild with my tongue, until the only reason why he’s still standing on his knees is because Stellan has a hold of him.
He’s reduced to a begging mess. “Holy shit… yes…. yes…. Fuck! Please… please…”