"Aftermath" (closed)

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We are writing this in PM for reasons I will leave my partner to explain, should she decide to do so.

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"I won't kill you if you won't kill me!"

Travis smiled, calling back, "Well then, we won't be killing each other today. That's good, isn't it?"

He eased his way toward the young woman until finally she called, "Stop!"

He did as commanded, studying her and the weapon that was conspicuously trembling in her hands. Travis wondered whether it was the situation -- the Seeker, the explosion, the strange man -- or simply the fear of possibly having to kill another human being that had her frightened, nervous, or both.

"How'd you do that? Kill the Seeker. No one kills a Seeker. It can't be done."

Casually, Travis looked back over his shoulder at the continuing flames and higher rising smoke plume. He looked back to her and smiled again. "Apparently, it can be done … 'cause … I just done it."

He smiled, but didn't get the reaction he'd been expecting. He told her with a soft, nonthreatening tone, "I'm going to show you something. Don't be afraid and shoot me. I'm not going to hurt you."

Travis glanced at the weapon, then back up to her. "In fact … I would hate to have you flinch and accidentally shoot me. What would you think about pointing that thing somewhere else … or at the least, take your finger off the trigger?"

He waited to see how she would react, then leaned slowly until he was able to rest his rifle on the ground to his left. Still moving slowly as to not startle herself and become dead, Travis unslung his pack and put it on the ground before him, opened the top flap, and pulled a device out about the size of a 22 ounce can of beer.

"It's an IED … improvised explosive device," he explained. He pointed to various parts of it as he explained, "This end's got a soft, rubber ring full of adhesive. When it hits the bottom of the … what did you call it, a Seeker?"

He gave her a moment to respond, then continued, "The adhesive ring breaks and glues the IED to the Seeker. Then this part detonates with a shaped explosive. That means the force is directed upwards, into the craft, rather than exploding on the surface where it won't do much damage. We use the explosive from a disassembled RPG..."

Travis went silent, wondering whether or not the young woman was following any of this. Without knowing precisely how old she was, he guessed that she'd probably never gone to a movie theater or sat in front of a television and watched a show or the news in which a rocket propelled grenade was used to kill and enemy tank or take down a low flying fighter plane or helicopter.

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Travis heard the alien aircraft, too, and looked off into the devastated cityscape for signs of it. It was still quite a distance away, but he knew that it would be coming this way to learn the fate of the destroyed Seeker

"I'm Amy," she told him before turning and running, calling back, "Hurry!"

Travis hesitated a moment, wondering whether or not she'd meant for him to follow. After he'd decided she had, he wondered whether or not he should. He didn't know this girl anymore than she knew him. She could be leading him into a trap.

He took chase after her, though, and after a few minutes of weaving through territory that she obviously knew well, he did in fact fall into that trap about which he'd feared. Two men suddenly appeared out of nowhere, one with a shotgun and the other with a semiautomatic pistol, both aimed at his head as they demanded he drop his weapons and pack.

"I'm a good guy," he explained quickly as he very slowly did as they ordered. He looked for the girl, telling the men, "I'm with her … Amy. Amy! Tell them! Tell them I'm with you!"

As one of the men held his pistol at Travis's head as the other began searching him. They would find a semiautomatic pistol of his own, a fragmentation grenade, an expandable police-style baton, a very impressive combat knife, a second smaller one, and more.

"Amy!" Travis called again. He laughed nervously, begging, "C'mon, guys. Do I look like the enemy?"

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Travis didn't resist being stripped off all his gear. He didn't honestly think they meant him any harm, so that worst that could happen was that they'd rob him blind and send him back out into the city unarmed. Of course, that might get him killed, but, what was he supposed to do about that now?

When Amy returned, she did so with a man who was obviously her superior.

"My overly excited Corporal here says you shot down a Seeker," the officer said.

Corporal? Travis thought about the young woman who'd said her name was Amy. She was wearing fatigues that might have been originated with the military, picked up at a surplus store for survivalists, or bought off the rack at Cabela's Sporting Good for duck hunting. And the weapon she was carrying was an AR-15 that lacked most of the goodies that would have identified it as definitely military. And she wore no insignia, nor did any of the others, which meant that if there was a hierarchy of rank, it was simply known by, understood, and respected without all the bars and stars.

Travis couldn't have known whether or not these guys -- and gals -- were just a bunch of armed survivors or a seriously organized militia. But Corporal sort of answered that question.

The officer asked, "Is this true? How did you accomplish this?"

"It is, sir," Travis answered, showing respect with that last word. He was about to use the word we but caught himself and instead went on, "I disassembled and reassembled a round meant for an Mk 153 Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon … basically a fancy--"

"I know what a Smaw is," the officer cut in. He pulled back the left sleeve of his jacket and coat to reveal the signature tattoo of his pre-Alien invasion Marine Corps unit. "Used a few of them in Syria … again in Iran. Name and rank?"

"Sergeant Travis Parker, sir," he answered as he fired off a stiff salute. "At least, I was once."

The other man returned the salute, identifying himself, "Captain Miles Davis. No … not the musician."

Miles offered his hand, and Travis took it as the former asked, "Can I assume that you are with an organized military unit? A militia perhaps?"

"No, sir," Travis said, "just out on my own, trying to survive."

He was both lying and telling the truth. Officially, he was once again a Sergeant, this time with a militia located on the far side of the devastated city. But their HQ had been hit by a bunker buster, causing the total collapse of the building and -- presumably -- the death of everyone inside.

Travis had gone to the pre-arranged rendezvous points looking for survivors and found no one. The only assumption was that the attack had been total. Thinking quickly about his future, he suggested, "I could teach ya'll how to make the IED for taking down Hunter-Killers … your Seekers…"

His lips spread in a smile as he named his price, "...in exchange for a place to lay my head … and something to eat. The rat I had day before last … well, I could eat if offered the opportunity."

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Travis was giving the Captain his respectful attention, but he was also occasionally giving the Corporal a quick glance. Her expressions told Travis of just how much she was enjoying this moment. His question was as to whether her excitement was for the group or for herself. Was she happy to see this Brigade about which they were talking gain another capable soldier? Or was she happy 'cause she'd just found herself a boyfriend?

He would be totally happy to spend some time naked between the knees of the blonde. She was a total babe in the face, and though he couldn't see much of her body in the loose hanging fatigues which had one button at her torso hiding her bosom, he had a pretty fair idea that her shape underneath was something he'd be more than happy to get up against … and inside of.

Travis assumed she had a lover, though, as well as a line of men wanting to replace said lover. Honestly, how could a woman who looked like that not already have a man who kept her warm and satisfied at night. He wasn't imagining that she was a slut or anything like that. But a beautiful, sexy thing like that was surely always getting hit upon or made offers of compensation for her services, and eventually she found a man with whom she wanted to settle down.

He had no idea that she was still as pure as the virgin snow. Well … except for her girlfriend, anyway.

As the Captain was about to make arrangements for Travis, the Corporal suddenly spoke up, offering to show him the layout. Travis couldn't help but think to himself Show me your own bunk and layout in it with me...? He could only hope. At the same time, though, he doubted he was going to be fucking this fine filly so quickly in their relationship.

"Thank you, Corporal," the Captain said welcoming Travis to their organization, the Freemont Freedom Brigade.

When Miles insinuated that there might be a long term place for him here, Travis responded, "With all due respect, Captain, might be better to start with soup and a nap and see where we go from there."

Travis saluted, Miles returned the gesture, and a moment later the former was being led through the encampment.

It was pretty much as he expected, similar to the now-destroyed HQ and militia from which he'd come. They weren't quite as well armed and stocked though. Travis couldn't help but think that that might be a good thing. Back in his own militia, it had long been thought and feared that their advancements were drawing attention from the aliens, attention that might -- and did -- prove fatal.

Travis studied the people as he passed them, looking for signs of whether they were on the edge of survival or thriving very well. (OOC: I'm not going to describe this. Your community.) He got looks of curiosity from both the fighters and the civilians; some were probably just wondering who this unfamiliar face was; others were probably wondering whether or not he could be trusted; while others were probably thinking I want his stuff.

They reached a canteen where the air was filled with the rather unpleasant smell of a stew that was soon in a bowl before Travis. He picked at its contents for a moment, wondering what was in it. But it had been two days since he'd eaten last and a week since he'd eaten sufficiently. He could have been eating a rat, dog, or alien and he'd be happy. He burned his tongue on the liquid's heat, then burned the rest of his mouth on the strong spice.

"Jesus!" he proclaimed as he looked around desperately for water to cool his burning mouth. "What's this made of, a gallon of chili powder?"

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Travis was conservatively impressed with how much the Brigade had done with the minimal resources they had available to them. When Amy took him to the outlook and told him about what lay across the water, though, he practically salivated at the possibilities.

"Geiger counter," he filled in when she spoke of a radiation detection device. He gave a very quick explanation of what they were and how they worked. "We had them at my former camp. We found that … what did you call it, a Flash Bomb? They were, in fact, atomic weapons, but they were like nothing we'd ever seen before. The half life of what ever element they used is less than two years, so, most of the places where they used them were initially too hot to go back into but, by now, are safe for humans."

"But if you could help us shoot them down..."

He looked to the other side of the river, talked about the Seeker killing weapon, then told Amy something he thought she might appreciate.

"I can show you how to fabricate a full body suit that will mask your heat signature," he said with a prideful smile. "Essentially, you'll be invisible to the Hunt-- to the Seekers. I had one, but it was seriously damaged and heavy, so I tossed it. But … if you have the right supplies … I can build you one."

They discussed the possibilities, then went to the other side of the outlook and watched the sun drop. down beyond the remnants of the distant suburbs of the city. He told her with a softness, "If you forget that the world as we once knew it no longer exists … that the aliens killed ninety percent of us and continue to do so every day … that … well … if you forget all that … it's still kind of beautiful."

Travis hesitated a moment, then looked to Amy and said in barely above a whisper, "Like you."

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It didn't surprise Travis to hear that Amy had gotten more than her share of attention from men. Even in this new era, this post-apocalyptic alien invasion period when there were so few women left at all, men still had their ideas of what kind of woman they wanted, whether it be in their bed, in their kitchen, or simply in their company for other men to see and envy.

She did surprise Travis, though, when she told him, "None have succeeded."

He studied her as they looked into one another's eyes. Could it be true that this beautiful, young beauty of a woman was still an untouched, pure of body, pure of soul virgin? It seemed more likely to him that Amy simply had no interest in men. He couldn't know, of course, that her only sexual interactions had been with another woman. But it wouldn't have surprised him. He simply found it unbelievable that she'd reached this age looking like this and not had a man between her knees at least once.

She looked off to the sunset, and Travis took a longer look at her. Sitting the way she was, he could see past the lapels of her coat to the upper roundness of one young, firm breast exposed by a low cut blouse. He imagined for a moment removing that coat, that blouse, and what ever other garment might be underneath to take a nipple in between his lips. Would it be the first time a man had done that to her? First time anyone had done that to her.?

Travis looked off toward the sunset as well, contemplating being naked with this young thing. His cock was, by now, hard as a rock. He could make a move here and now. The sun was falling behind the city; it was a perfectly romantic moment, wasn't it?

The sound of a Seeker behind them and beyond the river pulled Travis out of that moment, though. He looked back to what she called the Mother Lode, then looked to Amy, who was again looking at him. He told her softly, "We should get back."

He stood, offered her a hand, and when she was on her feet before him with only inches separating them, Travis said with a suggestive tone, "One day … one of those many men will succeed. I … I hope that which ever one is that lucky man … I hope that he appreciates you … cares for … and cares about you … as much as you deserve."

Travis wanted to say cares for and about you as much as I do. But he didn't. He hadn't known her long enough to be making such a statement … such a commitment. Sure, he wanted to be naked with Amy, thrusting his cock into her virginal hole, finding his own pleasure and introducing her to it as well.

But she deserved more than that. For all he knew, Travis would be leaving here tomorrow, never to come back. He didn't know this Brigade anymore than he knew Amy. If he couldn't find a way to fit in here, he certainly shouldn't be trying to find a way to fit into her.

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"Can I assume that our eager Corporal took you up to the Outlook to see the Mother Lode?" the Captain asked Travis when the Officer's Aide brought the stranger down to the commanding officer's office.

The two men, plus another three senior officers and a Sergeant, talked at length about the pros and cons regarding an attempt to pillage the neighborhood on the other side of the river. Travis told Miles about the suits that could hide them from the seekers. And he talked about the Seeker killers, including how they were made and how they worked.

At the end of the talk, Miles excused the others but asked Travis to stick around. He brought out a better bottle of pre-invasion Whiskey than they'd been drinking with the others.

"I don't know you, Sergeant," the Captain began as he sat on the edge of the desk over Travis. "But I have a good feeling about you. If you could help us get to the other side and back … help us open new neighborhoods to liquidation of their resources. … I think I could convince CentComm to give you a commission within the Brigade. Officer. It comes with a great many fringe benefits."

Travis wanted to ask Could Amy be one of them? but didn't. He would never take an unwilling woman offered up as his bed partner for services rendered. And he doubted very much that Amy would allow herself to be given away for such purposes.

They talked about it some more, then an Aide showed Travis to his quarters.

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Travis was explaining the heat signature suits and what it took to make them with a trio of Brigade members when he looked up to see the beautiful young blonde at the basement room's entrance.

"Come in and join us," he said with a smile and a wave. He was more overjoyed to see her than he let on. How could anyone not enjoy seeing Corporal Amy Roberts come into the room? "I hear from the Captain that you are joining our team. Come here, and I'll show you what we're doing."

Travis was already fitting in well with most of the men he'd met over the past 16 hours or so. Everyone had heard that he'd taken down a Seeker, and while some hadn't initially believed it, after some Scouts and Scroungers brought in some of the downed aircraft's parts for examination or use in various capacities, the proof was in the pudding, as they'd once said.

There were a few men who were jealous of the attention. There were also a few who didn't think enough was known about Travis to trust him so quickly and easily. Even others took offense to the fact that not one, not two, but three of the available women in the community had made it very clear last night that they would warm his bed for him if he'd needed it.

He would have enjoyed that, and he was still considering taking one of the trio up on her offer. But Travis had put her off for now for two reasons: one, he was new, and he didn't want to start off by possibly offending some man or men who thought he hadn't earned the pleasure of such pleasure yet; and two, he wanted to learn more about Amy -- maybe even see about having her warm his bed -- before he began squeaking the bed springs with someone else.

After the sexy Corporal joined him and the others, Travis caught her up on what they'd been discussing. They still had his previous Heat Suit, as they were calling it, but it had been damaged and now served only as an educational tool. He explained what the materials were that he'd used, where he'd initially gotten them, and how he'd put them together in a way to mask his heat signature while still allowing him almost total freedom of movement with little lost of speed or agility.

"Sporting goods store on 42nd," one of the men said about the suit's parts that had come from scuba diving gear. Another man pointed to the mechanical parts, adding, "What we don't have of those already we can get from Henderson's, over on Taylor, at 38th."

A discussion ensued about those and other locations, about how near or far they were, about whether the risk was too great, and more.

Travis pretty much just listened to the others on these topics. This wasn't his neighborhood; he'd only been passing through, trying to find a new place to hide and figure out his next move.

As he listened, Travis took a few opportunities to pay attention to the beautiful blonde. There was something on her mind; he could tell from the way she looked at him, too. He was hoping that they thought going through her head was When can we fuck? Can we fuck now? Where? Let's go!

But after last night, he wasn't sure. She had dropped a bomb, telling him that she was a virgin on the first day they'd met, as they were sitting side by side watching the sun go down. And what had been his response? Some OTHER guy will probably make you very happy some day.

So, he literally and quite awkwardly had no idea where he stood with her. And to be honest, was this really the time to be thinking about picking Amy's cherry? There were a great many more important things with which to be concerned at the moment.

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If you are following this, we are taking a break to focus on another roleplay.

Amy apparently forgot to post that note here.