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A Different Path, part 6 They watched silently as the trio of scruffy young men walked past their hiding place. The group wasn't worried about being seen. The boys had used brush to wipe away the tire tracks and the doors were barred. The truck was hidden in a dark section and not visible from any of the high windows. The sound of someone trying to open the door echoed inside the metal building but the scavenger gave up easily and rejoined his friends. He didn't know that he and his buddies were being spied on from the high set windows and the roof. They continued up the work road then headed west towards the warehouses and disappeared from sight. Nick Senior put the safety back on before descending the metal ladder to the cement floor. Letting out a sigh of relief that nothing went wrong, he waited for Jimmy to open up the roof hatch to give the all clear from the roof. Five minutes went by until the hatch was raised, allowing bright sunlight to shine down into the dark storage facility. Jimmy poked his head and shoulders down through the opening. "All clear. They took off in a truck and headed for the bridge," he informed everyone. Martha commented that they must not have found much under her breath and went back to the small employees lounge to finish cleaning the fish. Not that she did it with much enthusiasm. After eating nothing but fish and mystery canned food for the last three days, they didn't actually enjoy meals much. The fish was usually heated in tinfoil in a pit in order to not reveal where they were. They would build a small fire with plenty of stones inside of it until they were hot then throw the stones into the pit. The fire was then quickly extinguished. The group didn't dare cook after dark. Elinor went back to her diary and began writing out her thoughts. The small journal was the only means she had to deal with her feelings and experiences but it gave little comfort. Today she wrote about the night before and how Cierra had snuggled up close to her for warmth. The reporter had allowed it, pretending to be asleep and letting the smaller woman to wrap around her from behind. She still had mixed feelings over it. The reporter admitted, reluctantly to herself, that she had enjoyed the contact. Then another part of her brain told her that it was wrong. She felt like the movie character that had a devil and an angel upon her shoulders, each giving contradictory advice. Elinor didn't want to think about it any more. Shutting the book in frustration then shoving it into her bag, she then went outside to get some fresh air. She would be just as bored outdoors but at least she'd have the channel and surroundings to look at. Rachel and Erica had left the building a few minutes earlier and sat under a shady tree near the water. The reporter looked their way then blushed when she noticed that the two women were involved with each other, kissing and touching in their hidden spot. Elinor backed away quickly, her face red. She headed back to the building then stopped. Why should she be denied the outdoors just because those two were acting like teenagers? Decided she didn't want to go back inside, she opened the door then noisily closed it to alert the women that someone was now leaving the building. She grabbed a few rocks from the ground and headed for the water. Perhaps now was a good time to practice skipping stones. She never looked in the women's direction as she neared the water. The rock in her hand was turned for the best position then she flicked it towards the water as she had seen Nick jr had done. It hit the water and immediately sank. Elinor made a noise of disappointment then tossed another rock with the same results. "You're doing it wrong," Rachel said from behind the reporter. The young woman reached down for a rock and demonstrated the proper technique. Elinor tried to copy her but it took more than a dozen attempts before she got a stone to bounce twice before sinking. "Keep at it. You'll figure it out eventually," Rachel said kindly, taking Erica's hand before they headed back to the building. The reporter stared at their retreating backs. For some reason, she felt as though Rachel was talking about more than skipping stones. ******* Alixander strummed her guitar as they floated along the bay towards the former military shipyard. Her captain promised they'd reach it within a few hours. She hoped so, she was getting tired of the constant ocean waves and feeling her bed bob when she was trying to sleep. Humming a few notes, she continued working on the song that the Muse teased her with, occasionally writing down a note or line before returning to the strings to try and find just the right note and rhythm. This song was being a bitch, refusing to flow out of her like they normally do. Alix was distracted from her work once more when two of the men leaned against the rails and pointed excitedly towards the distant shore. Apparently they saw something that interested them. She squinted against the glare of the water, cursing once more of losing her polarized sunglasses earlier that month. She saw a speck of white and blue and when the sound of a boat motor could be heard, she knew what the excitement was all about. Someone was coming towards them. The crew reached for their rifles, preparing for the worst. In these troubled times, people usually only approached you if they meant you harm or to beg. "Ma'am, you ought to take cover," Captain Reyes told her. "Not yet. I want to get a good look at them first." One of the men lifted his binoculars and looked at the nearing speedboat carefully. He pulled them away from his eyes then shouted out that the people on board were armed with automatic weapons. Captain Reyes ordered Alix below with a tone that would accept no argument then told his men to bring out the big guns. There would be a firefight and he didn't intent to fight fair. His men drew on their bullet proof vests and brought up the metal sheets from their slots. They would give his men extra protection while they fired at the intruders. He nodded at Juan who brought out his baby, a flame thrower he had gotten from one of his military contacts. It had an impressive range and often won the battle. Not many wanted to burn to death or have their transportation catch fire. The men ducked behind their shielding and waited. The speedboat crew looked determined. They had to be fairly desperate if they were willing to attack an armed ship. They waited as the pirates came closer. Rapid gunfire from one of the trigger happy pirates strafed the water a dozen feet from them, his aim poor. "Open fire!" the Captain ordered. The men knew exactly what to do. Instead of aiming for the people the men shot at the boat and engine. A lucky shot hit the rubber fuel line and their powerful engine sputtered and died. Without a sail they were now helpless in the rough waters. their shots now were to keep the pirates' heads down and interfere with their own shots while they sailed away. A few minutes later they were out of firing range and relaxed. The men on the boat would have a heck of a time paddling back to shore--if they were smart enough to have paddles on board. If not, they would be at the mercy of the currents. Alix came back to the deck once it got quiet and looked around. "It's safe enough for now, ma'am." "Thanks, Cap. Hey, is that the island over there?" The Captain laughed. "No, that's Angel Island. We have a ways to go yet." Alix made a face, causing the Captain to chuckle. "Don't be in such a hurry. Cierra White won't appear before tomorrow at the earliest. Relax," he said with a grin. He had worked for the singer now for several years. She was a good employer who treated her people nicely and paid handsomely. Now that everything was a nightmare, they chose to remain with her rather than take their chances on land. Besides, the talented singer had a very important skill that they appreciated--her ability to trade her singing for food. It wasn't a lot of food but it kept them from starving when it was combined with sea food and vegetables grown in the small pots on the decks. The Blues singer had been in Hawaii aboard her yacht when the disasters struck the United States. They had listened with horror at the news on the radios. At the first hint that things might get bad the singer had her crew buy as many supplies as they could and they set sail to get away from people. The news heard on the radio told them that things were only getting worse. they had wondered how long they could hide at sea when rumors of Cierra taking in survivors reached them. "Where is Mare Island anyways?" the young black woman asked, her New York accent still thick after all her years trying to get rid of it. Captain Reyes pointed ahead and all Alix could see was a distant shore. "It doesn't look like an island," she commented. "In a way it isn't. It's connected to the land with marshlands so officially its considered an island." "I don't see any shipyard." "It's on the other side. There isn't any buildings facing the bay." Alix sighed and sat down, picking up her guitar once more. She crossed her strong legs and rested the instrument on them. Perhaps her music would make time fly faster. * * * * * "Hey, a sailboat is coming up the channel!" Sawyer shouted down through the roof hatch. Erica climbed up the ladder, followed by the other members of their group. Between them, they had two binoculars and everyone took turns looking at the sailboat as it neared their location. "The woman seems familiar," Nick senior mentioned. Rachel took the binoculars from her father and studied the woman in question. A huge grin formed on her lips. "You've been looking over my CD collection then, Daddy. She's a well-known lesbian singer from New York." Erica hadn't looked through the binoculars yet but knew who her lover was talking about. "Alixander?" "Yup. Take a look," Rachel told her, handing over the field glasses. "Oh man, I can't believe she's right on our doorstep. Do you think she wants to come to Mother Earth?" "Why else would she be here?" Rachel commented. "Let's go out and wait for them." * * * * * "Um, there's a bunch of people on the shore ahead of us, Captain." The captain raised his binoculars and looked. He counted ten people waiting there but they didn't seem to be hiding at all. They stood on the shore and were obviously waiting for their arrival. The group was mostly female but that didn't guarantee that they were harmless. He told his men to prepare for possible attack and urged Alix to go below. She refused. "I know that look, Cap. It's the look of someone eager for autographs, not a fight," she grinned. "If you say so, but at least sit behind one of the barriers?" he asked. "Fine, I'll wait behind a shield. Now head for shore." The sails were lowered and the engines were started. If there was trouble they could escape a lot faster if they didn't have to use wind power to do it. The crew aboard the yacht watched the people on shore with wary eyes. They saw the rifles in the hands of some of them although the weapons were held in a relaxed manner and pointed down. The sailors pulled along side one of the wooden piers and cautiously tied off while watching the crowd, who was staying a respectful distance away. Finally, the Captain disembarked and approached the people standing near the beach end of the pier. Rachel and Erica were chosen to greet the older man. They stepped forward, unarmed, and smiled as he neared them. "Hello, I'm Erica Hull, formally of the Coast Guard," she told him, then introduced Rachel. The captain nodded politely then asked them why they were there. He didn't feel the need to be sociable. "Same as you probably," Rachel said with a grin. "We're waiting for Cierra White and spotted you coming up the channel. We recognized your passenger," she admitted, almost squealing in delight. "Ah, fans I take it?" "Oh yeah, big time fans. Do you think we can meet her?" Erica asked eagerly. Captain Reyes saw the genuine look of wonder in the young woman's eyes and knew she was basically harmless. Erica thought he was hesitating to allow it and rushed to reassure him. "Please, we don't want to cause any trouble, we just want to meet Alix, I promise!" "Told you so," Alix gloated from the yacht as she stepped down onto the pier. The attractive singer held out her hand to the young women when she reached them. "A pleasure to meet my fans," she said with a warm smile and a wink. Alix had a bit of a reputation as a flirt and was amused by the instant blushing of the two women in front of her. She decided to give them a break and asked who else was with them. The others stepped forward and began introducing themselves. Alix took them all in stride until Cierra stepped forward and gave her name and reluctantly held out her hand. Touching people was always a burden. "Wait, THE Cierra White?" "No, not exactly," Erica said. "It's a long story." Next Chapter |