Zero Hope for Survival (closed)

[slippedhalo]

Rose Mayfield was free, in a manner of speaking. In her existence this could be considered freedom.

As an outcast to the society which had rejected her twice, once at being conceived naturally instead of by the proper paid permit given to a couple by the government to create a child, basically choosing from desired traits in a catalogue of choices appropriate to one's socioeconomic status (these chosen people are called Perfects and they are the creme de la creme of human society, above all in social standing, health, beauty, education, and careers), and a second time for not just being Imperfect but unacceptable even by Imperfect standards (A Zero, as in, "On a scale from 1-10, what would you rate?"), actally flawed (a crime in the year 2088)...So, at the age of ten, her red roots were discovered beneath her mother's usually well done bleach job on Rose's hair.

Imperfects aren't allowed to attend school. They are employed in some form of labor from the age of five or six. Imperfects are the working class for the Perfect Elites. Rose was a janitor in a factory. She'd been scrubbing the washroom floor in the factory where her mother was literally chained to a sewing machine like three hundred other people in the same factory, for nearly eighteen hours every day making designer clothes for a Perfect boutique. The Boss, Rose never remembered her name, it didn't matter to her. She was tall, artificially beautiful like so many of her kind, and mean...Boss walked into the washroom and spotted the top of Rose's normally carefully covered head and was instantaneously repulsed by the shock of bright red she saw in the child's hair. Red hair was almost mythical, having been all but eradicated with careful breeding. This redness in Rose's hair made her a freak. The Boss screamed! She dragged the ten year old up from the floor with her hair in her well manicured fist, pulling her into the sewing workshop where she beat and berated both child and mother.

Rose never saw her mother again after that. She knew Antje Mayfield was likely killed in a public Shaming Ceremony. A monthly ritual The Capitol Dome held live and showed on every screen both as an entertainment and as a reminder to the lower classes not to try to cross The Perfects, ever. Rose never saw it, of course. She was exiled the same day, literally thrown from the protective dome into the poisonous, pollution grimed world beyond with nothing but the clothes on her back.... To a place of nightmares for both Perfects and Imperfects alike.

She was shocked to have survived her first week.
Incredibly sick from the filthy air, the little redhead had grown accustomed to life with her shirt covering her face. It helped just enough not to kill her. Having had to live on rodents and lizards to survive in the past, Rose relied on her quickness and these small animals to eat. And, she lived alone, marching through the forest, occasionally stumbling upon a dead mongoloid, scarred Imperfect child, a beaten old warrior, never finding another living human soul for more than five years.

One night in her treetop hideout she was found. Rose blocked out most of what occurred for the following two years. Her life was not her own but was bought and sold to the highest bidder several agonizing times per day and all she did was plot ways of escape. Two failed attempts left her with the scars on her footsoles and her back. Both punishments should have killed her or at least killed her spirit. Somewhere within the fiery haired beauty was a smoldering ember of will to not just endure but to persevere...

She's been successful in her escape and living alone now for a couple of years, always careful to cover her tracks and keep moving, and cover her tracks, and keep moving...Counting the days since the last full moon Rose could tell it was nearly May and her nineteenth birthday was in that month. She would celebrate this year by hopefully trekking as far as the mountains, a good eighty kilometers from the Capitol Dome and higher ground. Perhaps in the mountains the air would be cleaner too, less to aggrivate the asthma her first year in the wild had left her with. Rose wanted to be up in those mountains, to have some satisfaction of being able to look down on those who looked down on her very existence.

There are no more bodies scattered about to filch items or gear from like close to the Dome perimeter, but the hunting is better out in nature. She'd learned to make good snare traps and had stolen a knife from her pimp's top girl when she'd had to slice her throat to escape the hareem. Now Rose used it to gut a fish she'd caught by a mountain stream she had decided to bed down near tonight. She hoped the fish wouldn't be too poisonous to keep down. Rose honestly didn't care if her meal killed her as long as it tasted good and wouldn't hurt too much as she died.

A new noise awoke her from her slumber this evening. She jumped from her bed perched in the knot of a tree to see what appeared to be several vehicles, drive quickly and loudly, right over her camping gear.

"Shit! That took me years to collect, assholes!" She yelled into the night at the dust, tracks and destruction left behind in their wake.

She'd never seen working vehicles such as those outside the protective dome. How would anyone even be able to find the things necessary to keep such things going out here? She wondered. Whomever has vehicles must also have other good supplies. She decided, slightly annoyed, very curious, Rose began to follow the tire tracks.

 

[Othermoose]

Chris Logan was at the top of the world. He was perfect, even by perfect standards. His pale blue eyes sparkled with confidence as his trademark smirk was broadcast on huge screens behind him. He'd been a successful actor, staring in countless blockbuster hits, and now he was announcing his desire to join the political world. "Ladies and gentlemen. You all know me from my amazing work. You know me as Captain Spencer West. You know me as Vodoo man. You know me as countless other genius roles. But know you'll know me as your senator. Now you'll..." Logan's speech was cut short as his head exploded with the crack of a rifle sounding from the building tops. Guards rushed the stage as the crowd screamed, but their terror wasn't over as the stage exploded in a ball of orange flames.

The shooter was moving as soon as his bullet connected with the senator's head. His huge frame moved with surprising speed and agility as he jumped across the rooftops. He moved to a fire escape and dropped down the ladders until his was on the street. Not a moment later a convoy of three dirty and decrepid looking jeeps sped by. The last one slowed only enough for the shooter to jump into the passenger seat before following the other two vehicles. "Did ya' get 'em Brujo?" Asked the man driving, his voice muffled by a gas mask. "Yes." Brujo replied, his deep voice rumbling behind his signature metal mask. "Did everything else go according to plan?" The giant man asked. "Sure did boss. Got the food, fucked up their power grid, killed some cops, and we managed to get a few laser pistols." Brujo nodded "Good job. Now we just need to make it out alive." He said as a pack of hover police cars pulled up behind them. Brujo moved to the back of the jeep and took the turret mounted to its rear. He opened fire on the vehicles, spraying them with metal bullets, while they returned fire with high powered laser weapons.

Brujo fired on the vehicles, holding them at bay until he heard the explosion and a moment later wailing alarms. His jeep passed through the hole that had just been blown in the exterior dome just as the automatic metal seals covered the hole. His mouth curled into a smile beneath his mask as the police cars exploded against the metal barrier. Brujo climbed back into the passenger seat as the jeeps disappeared into the smog that hung in the air outside of the domes.

"Good job to all of you today. The plan went off without a hitch. No losses, no injuries, and we just gave them one hell of a hit. When we get home double rations for all of you, and drinks are on me." Brujo spoke into his mask's comm system, his voice distorted by the filters scrubbing his air clean.

The jeeps sped across the desolate landscape, never stopping or slowing. They drove for three hours until they reached their destination: a thin road that led into the mountains. The jeeps followed it for another ten minutes until they came to stop at a huge metal gate with sentry towers on either side. "Password!" Shouted one of the sentries. "Stone Sour!" Brujo shouted back. The sentry gave a thumbs up and the gate opened a moment later. The jeeps pulled into a small military camp enclosed on three sides by thick rock walls, and the mountain itself on the fourth. Men and woman in gas masks went about their work at the camp, some moving supplies and some walking the walls with rifles at the ready.

Brujo stepped out of the jeep and was approached by a short man. "How'd it go boss?" He asked walking with Brujo towards the other end of the camp. "Very well. How are things here Snowman? Have the other teams come back?" Brujo asked. "One and three are back. Full success. Four came back, but we lost Spitter, and from what I've heard, Red at best is going to lose a leg. We haven't heard from team five yet." Snowman said somberly. "Damn. Alright. I'll visit Red soon, and I'll talk to Sammy about arranging a funeral for Spitter." Brujo said as the pair approached a second gate that was dug into the mountain.

Brujo and Snoman were about to enter the second gate when a solider scrambled towards the pair. "Boss! There's someone at the gate. She wants in, but doesn't know the password." The slight man said. "I'll take care of it Trip. Back to your post." Brujo said turning around and heading for the gate. He arrived to see the most beautiful woman he'd even seen in his life kneeling between two of his soliders. Her hair was deep red like fire surrounding her pale face which was wrapped in a cloth but no mask. Brujo could her her wheezing, and he moved towards her, all thoughts leaving his head. "Put your guns away!" Brujo shouted, his voice booming like thunder. "Why doesn't she have a mask?" He growled at the men. "We thought she was a spy boss." One of the men said. "Look at her hair! She's one of us!" Brujo growled helping the coughing woman to her feet. He didn't know how she'd survived so long out here with no mask, but he knew she wouldn't much longer in her condition. Without hesitation Brujo pulled his mask off and placed it over the woman's face. He ignored the gasps of the men and women watching and lifted the tiny woman into his arms. Brujo carried her past rows of shocked onlookers, his scarred and bearded bare to the smog. A person giving their mask to someone else was a significant enough a gesture, but this was so much more. Brujo's mask was more than a mask. It was a symbol, the only unique mask in the zero camp. When he put it on he became more than a man. He became a legend, the living repersention of the rebellion against the perfects. And he'd just given it to this strange woman who appeared at the gate. As Brujo carried her through the second gate everyone know that this woman was special. Or that their leader was finally cracking under the preassure of his position.

Brujo cradled the woman in his arms as the smog was pumped out of the airlock and replaced with oxygen. He watched the woman until her breathing returned to normal before removing his mask from her face. Her eyelids fluttered open to reveal deep green eyes. The color of what he imagined a forest to look like. And as those eyes took in his face he felt shame for the first time since he'd left the dome. His face was covered in scars, and burns from his time living with the perfects. A large burn covered the left side of his neck up to his jawline. The burn was bisected by a thick scar that started on his left jawline and ran straight up on his cheek over his eye and into his long wild black hair. On the right side of his face he had three ropy white scars that started at his right temple and ran down his cheek and across his lips to his neck. He had a thick black beard that had patches missing from where the scars ran. In addition to the large one he had several more small ones all over his face. His grey eyes met hers for a moment before he turned away, feeling unworthy to look at her beauty.

Brujo set the woman down and took a step back from her. He was tempted to return his mask to his face, but he knew he couldn't. The people living in this camp all had been rejected from birth for their imperfections, and if he hid his scars the people would lose faith in him. But Brujo's scars were only a result of his zero status. His reason for being cast out was his size. He'd always been large, even as a child. Too large to be perfect, and he'd been cast out. He stood at seven feet and seven inches, a truly giant man. And as a child he'd been repeatedly tortured for his immense size, leaving his body a roadmap of burns and scars, each one a painful memory of why he was fighting the perfects.

"I'm Jay Stevens. When I wear the mask I'm Brujo. I'm the leader of this settlement, and before we can let you in you'll have to be stripped and scrubbed. We may have to burn your clothes as well, if you've been out there for two long." Jay said shaking the memories and urge to hide his face from the woman. He extended his large hand to her before asking. "What should I call you?"

 

[slippedhalo]

She'd followed easily enough.
These people were carelessly not hiding their tracks one bit. But, when she saw the huge, gated structure, a fortress of sorts, where the vehicles retreate to, Rose began to comprehend why hiding was of no matter to them. They had a strong, well guarded encampment. How many people resided in there? She wondered, standing at a gate which closed too fast for her swift run, leaving her choking on the dust the vehicles she'd managed to chase uphill had left in their wake...literally, choking...
"Oh...fuuuck..." she rasped as she tried to cover her face deeper in her clothing and breathe deeply but felt that damned familiar tightness as her lungs refused to open up fully and properly, her efforts rewarded with wheezing and rattling from her defective inner chest. Sometimes calming herself and taking slower breaths helped make it go away...This time nothing was working. "Asth...ma..." she wheezed at the gate she pounded with her fists. She wanted in. She needed to know what was inside. How did these people get so well equipped? Rose was persistent even though she saw stars and feared she might pass out in this vulnerable position....
Yet, she kept pounding at the gate.

"Password?" Someone yelled down at her.

"Can't...breathe!" Was all Rose got out before her legs gave from beneath her. She spat out phlegm from her dust damaged lungs into the dirt at her knees and continued to labour at filling her goddamned damaged air sacks to no natural avail.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed. Perhaps she did black out. Because, one moment she was wretching at the gate and the next she was in a covered inner courtyard, being held gently by a giant ( a giant? Really?) unless she was hallucinating...He was deeply scarred but his grey eyes looked steadying, concerned, even kind...and he held something over her face which was easing her breathing. A tear rolled down her cheek but she was quick to wipe it away in case it appeared even more weakness than difficulty breathing already did.

Feeling at a disadvantage, she struggled to sit up in his grasp. "Who..are you people?" She asked. She was sitting on his knee almost feeling childish in his presence. He truly was a living giant.

He told his name, Jay. And, then bruskly told she'd have to strip and be "scrubbed" before she could enter the "settlement".

She shivered. Bad memories of her last "scrub down" at fifteen years old made her wince...

"I don't take off my clothes for anyone. No matter how much they think they own." Rose stated, standing on her own two feet now, almost eye to eye with the kneeling man. In her face shown all the defiance of a Zero who'd been abused by other Zeros as well as everyone else far too many times.

"Nobody owns me." She stated. "What IS this place? Why should I even desire to be inside?" She asked. And, she'd reveal her name only when she knew she could trust those she told it to.

 

[Othermoose]

The corner of Jay's mouth tugged upward as the woman refused to just be blindly led around. "This is part fortress and part refugee camp. We don't really have a name for it. This is just our home. We take in any and all zeros, as long as they're willing to work their keep. The ones who can fight spend more time on the surface doing things relating to our defense. But there are ones below too. They live, contribute to the cause, and just try to survive. We steal enough from the perfects to survive, but it's not at it should be. We won't give up until we've taken every dome and freed every zero from oppression. We'll wipe out the perfects and reclaim this world. We'll do it right. Everyone equal." Jay said his pride in his people and their goal clear in his voice. "And the reason you'll want to go in there is because you're one of us. You can help us. I won't force you to join us, but I can't allow you in unless you submit to the scrubbing. If it's any consolation, you won't be naked very long, and everyone has to go through with it to get inside. Even me." Jay said as he began to unbuckle the straps of his armor.

 

[slippedhalo]

Rose eyed the huge man and smirked, "You first, then." She said.

Surprisingly, he stripped bare right there and a team of three people in protective gear began to scrub him with harsh brushes and thick lathering soap which smelled strongly of pine. She did check out his muscled thicghs, back, and firm buttocks but averted her eyes politely when he was turned towards her for them to scrub him from behind. She thought she spied a spark of amusement at her discomfort in his eyes as he rumbled with his gravelly voice something she couldn't hear well and soon a boxum, pretty brunette woman in a wheelchair came over to hand him fresh clothes.

"Alright." She acquesced..."You made your point. I know I'm next...must there be an audience?"

 

[slippedhalo]

"Sorry, Lady. Nobody goes in or out until we've all been scrubbed. You're the last unclean at the moment." Said the wheeled lady who she heard Jay call Becky.

With an audible sigh she motioned for everyone not essential to her scrubbing to turn around. She then started carefully taking off her clothing, laying them in a pile, wanting to cry as a man unceremoniously tossed the whole pile into an incinerator. "I loved those..." she muttered crossly, her breath caught in her throat as the hose turned on her. She shrieked. It was cold! The scrub brushes were thorough and hard! She was certain she'd be bleeding soon if they scrubbed her any harder. Squeezing her eyes tightly, Rose winced and gritted her teeth through the rest of it. When it was nearly bearable, the water turned hot which made her scream again. By the end she was panting and her skin felt throbbing and painfully raw.

"Ok. She's clean enough!" Called one of the voices.

She opened her eyes to find nearly a dozen pairs of eyes staring unblinking at her and a part of her wished she could disappear down the drain with the pine soapy water. His eyes were downcast as he stepped toward her. Rose couldn't help but step back. But, she then recovered and stepped toward him. "That sucked." She complained, her teeth chattering as the cool air kissed her bare skin.

 

[Othermoose]

Jay politely averted his eyes as the woman began to strip out of her clothes. He noticed some of the others openly staring but with one look stern look from Jay all eyes were on the floor. After a moment he heard the hose start and couldn't help but to take a look at the woman. Even tense and wincing from the rough treatment she was breathtaking. Her skin was pale and smooth, bare save for a freckle here and there. Her breasts were large and round, with only the slightest hint that gravity affected them. The soft moulds were capped with tiny pink nipples looked painfully erect from the cold water. Jay's eyes roamed downward over her torso. It was obvious she had been underfed for a long time, her ribs plainly visible against her skin. But her hips were delightfully wide and full, with the hint of red hair showing between her pale thighs.

She was beautiful in every sense of the word. Imagining her well fed with some meat on her bones was a truly delicious image, and Jay was glad that he was no longer naked. After a few moments of enjoying the view from the front she was turned around and Jay was greeted with a different view. Across her pale slender back were long thick scars from where she'd been whipped. Jay could feel his temper rising at the thought of someone damaging such a perfect creature. "Ok. She's clean enough!" He barked to the scrubbers. He took a large towel from Becky and wrapped it around the shivering woman's shoulders. He guided her out of the cleaning room and into one of the main rooms. "These are where the shops are. I'm going to take you to get some real clothing. The things you start out with aren't the most comfortable." Jay said quickly moving the woman through the crowd. He led her into a small building and was about to close the door when a smiling old man dashed through and hugged him. "Hello Mr. Jay! I caught lots of rats today!" He said excitedly before turning his attention to the nearly naked woman standing near him. "Oh she's pretty! Is she new?" He asked staring intently at the woman. "Yes Rufus. And I don't think she appreciates you staring at her." "I'm sorry." He said not taking his eyes away. "I caught lots of..." "Rufus stop staring." Jay said more firmly. Again the man didn't respond so Jay gently grabbed Rufus's head and turned his gaze away from her. "Rufus I appreciate that you caught all those rats. Go find Becky or Sammy and they'll give you a reward, ok?" Jay said calmly still holding Rufus's head. "Ok Mr. Jay!" He said before happily scampering out of the shop.

"That was Rufus. He's not all there, but he loves to catch rats. So that's what we pay him to do. Believe it or not, we'd have a big rodent problem without him." Jay said with a smile. "But back to you. This is our tailor's shop. Her name ironically enough is named Taylor." Jay said leading the red haired woman to the back of the shop where a very tall and very skinny blonde woman sat hunched over a sewing machine. "Hello Taylor. This is... Well I don't know her name, but she's new and needs some clothing. Good clothing. So do you have anything that would fit her?" Jay asked. Taylor looked quizzically at Jay before shrugging and standing up. She quickly limped towards the main part of the shop and began to collect clothing. "She's mute. But she still manages to know everything without asking a single question." Jay said watching Taylor hobble around in search of proper clothing. "So do you think I can know your name now? Or should I just keep introducing you as 'the new girl'?" Jay asked with a smile.

 

[slippedhalo]

Rose sighed, watching the oddly behaved old man skitter away blithely. She noticed how everyone around this place was indeed unique in some way and that made the entire settlement seem like a mixture of an old fashioned sideshow and a friendly commune combined. She smiled a small smile and shrugged in her soft towel. "Thank you, Taylor. And, um...Jay, I'm Rose. Rose Mayfield...I haven't actually said my name aloud for...nearly a decade." She admitted a bit shyly. "It's pretty much all I have left. Especially after your people ran right over my camp, destroying much of my stuff." She admitted. "Can I have my knife back, by the way?"

The woman handed her a cardboard strip with a rainbow of different colored swatches on it and pointed out a few with a wave of her long fingered hands indicating those were out for some reason. From the gesturing Rose understood she could choose from deep green, black, red, turquoise blue, purple, or canary yellow.

Rose shrugged again, "They're all fine. Honestly, as I am not sure what it is you're making I can't say I mind any color...Whatever you think is best, Taylor. Thanks again."

 

[Othermoose]

Taylor nodded and put the color strip away before pulling out a tape and quickly taking Rose's measurements. She disappeared among the rows of already made and found clothing and returned to Rose a few moments later with an armful of clothing. Taylor first handed the other woman a black bra and pair of dark orange panties that were the right size for Rose's slender frame. Taylor then handed her a pair of faded blue jeans, a grey tank top, and a worn but comfortable looking green sweater. Taylor then left Rose alone with Jay as she returned to her back room.

"She's probably going to make you something special, but you can look around for something else that will fit you." Jay said politely looking away as Rose put her clothes on. "I like your name by the way. Rose fits you, and people here will know your name soon enough. Whatever you faced in the past, that's over now. We're a family here, and you'll be accepted soon enough." Jay said turning back to Rose with a smile. "As for your campsite I'm sorry about that. I doubt any of us even noticed it. And I'll ask the guys at the gate if they took a knife from you." Jay said watching as Rose looked through the shelves of mismatched clothing. "Once you're done here, we'll go next door and get you some shoes." Jay said noticing Rose's bare feet.

 

[slippedhalo]

Rose looked around at all the clothes. She didn't really believe any of it was free. She'd have to pay for it somehow. She just hoped she could prove herself useful doing something other than the "skills" learned in her mid teens. She'd not been a prostitute by choice and she'd sooner die before allowing her body to be used like that again.

She grabbed a second pair of trousers, basic black. And, saw a white and black checkered long sleeved top which also looked like it might fit her. Along with socks and spare panties, she asked Taylor if she could also take those. A spare outfit would be great to have on hand while the one she had on was getting mended or cleaned.

Taylor waved the clothes off, shoving a small green leather coat and a white scarf into Rose's arms as well. Rose thanked Taylor for the generous armload. "Uh...and if you ever need help here, just let me know." Rose offered, feeling her attempt to be lame.

Next door, a man with a peg leg who introduced himself as Fenwick gave her a lovely pair of black, lace up boots in exchange for a promise of sorting stock and stocking the shelves next Monday morning.

Thankfully, Fenwick also had a drawstring bag which looked like a repurposed pillowcase for her to put her items into. That made it easier to carry. "This is weird..." muttered Rose as they walked along to many eyes and smiling faces, all on her. "Nice, but weird."

 

[Othermoose]

"You're right, it is. You've probably figured out that new comers don't get treatments like this. They start out with a single item of clothing and begin working almost immediately. They work their way up to more stuff, better jobs, bigger places to live, things of that nature. Not only that, but new comers don't get the grand tour from the leader of the camp." Jay said leading Rose out of the shop cavern.

As they walked Jay explained the layout of the camp. It was shaped somewhat like a clover. The military entrance outside was like the stem. Once through it and the scrubbing checkpoint three large caverns had been dug out. The left cavern was the business and trade area. That's where people set up shops and traded whatever they had or could make for whatever they needed. The center cavern was the mess hall. Several long tables had been set up along with several smaller ones around the sides of the room. People used ration tickets, which were the closest thing to currency used in the camp, to buy food from the kitchens set up in the back of the cavern. Everyone had a job where they made enough to eat, but people with better jobs earned more tickets and could afford better and more food. The cavern on the right was the residential area. At the front of the cavern were large barracks where lots of people slept at once. These were where the new people slept or people who did less essential work. Further back in the cavern were small houses where the people with more important jobs lived. The houses weren't very large, beginning at one to two rooms closest to the barracks and increasing to four to five rooms at towards the back.

Jay lead Rose through the residential area explaining to her the setup, and introducing her to a few people as they walked towards the end of the cavern. He led her to the very end of the large caver to a small shack that was built into the wall of the cavern. "This is where I live." He said opening the door and letting Rose inside. He flipped on a light to reveal a large comfortable cave that had been dug beyond the entry way.

"I have a spare room here you can stay in if you'd like, or you can sleep in the barracks if you'd prefer. I don't mind either way, but I did bring you here for a reason. Probably a dumb reason, but every man has a weakness." Jay said leading Rose through the main area of his cave. The cave was a comfortable living room kitchen combination with a large couch and two recliners arranged around a small coffee table and bookshelf on the left side and the kitchen area with a small table on the right side. The entire room was bathed in a dim electric light, and the stone floor was covered with rugs of varying size, giving the entire room a comfortable peaceful feel.

Jay lead Rose to the back of the room to a tunnel that served as a hallway. There were two openings on either side of the hallway, each covered with a curtain that served as a door. "The first on the left is my military room and armory. That's where my men and I do a lot of our planning. On the right is the bathroom. I'm one of the only private residence with running water. Most everyone else uses one of the public bathrooms that are in each cavern. The second door on the left would be where you'd sleep and this one is my room." Jay said opening the last curtain on the right.

The two entered the dark room and Jay flipped the light switch to reveal his bedroom. In the center was a large unmade bed. To the to the right of the bed was a small worn recliner and another bookshelf, but smaller than the one in the main room. To the left of the bed was a small desk covered in scattered papers, and on the wall above the desk was the painting. It showed a woman with long red hair sitting on a horse leaning down towards a knight as if she was about to kiss him.

"This is why you're getting special treatment. I've had this painting for many years, and I've spent a lot of time staring at it. I've never seen anyone with red hair before today. And when I saw you... You were the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on. I feared those bastards had killed off the gene that gave people red hair, and that I'd never see it in person. So when I saw you, it was like seeing a dream come to life. I don't care what anyone in those domes say, you're real perfection."

 

[slippedhalo]

Rose noticed all the books. This Zero could read! She wondered what it would cost her to learn such a valuable skill. She could only sound out a few simple words, having never been taught like the Perfect children were.

She felt dread as she followed down the dim hallway, her mind struggling to formulate an escape plan if she were suddenly attacked, realizing this giant could probably overpower her with his pinky finger if he wanted to and never even break a sweat as she was almost half his size. He entered his bedroom casually but she remained hovering in the hall. It was as if entering his private space would feel to her as if a tacit contract were being signed, one she knew she'd regret...Then, she saw the painting.

Wide eyed, she took one cautious step forward, not quite in the room but in the doorway, as she gawked. "I know this! 'Le belle dame sans merci'...My father left a print of this, on a postcard he kept in his wallet, to me. It was where he wrote his farewell to my mother and me before he...left us. He told me I was his "belle dame". I never really believed it but it made him so happy to think I did. I was nine when he...when he was gone. But, I used to study that postcard often, trying to read it. I know every detail of the picture. I'd never seen anyone else like me or that woman in the painting. But, her effect on the knight..." Rose trailed off, blushing fiercely. She'd said far too much! But, she'd only ever dreamed of meeting a brave "knight" who'd be as taken with her oddness as the man in the painting seemed to be with that "belle dame".

Taking a shamed look around her, she turned in the opposite direction and ran, tripping over her own feet in her new boots and falling near the door to the exit. There, in a heap of confusion, she curled her slight body around her new bag of gifts and cried.

 

[Othermoose]

Jay watched Rose leave in confusion. He wasn't exactly sure what had upset her. The painting obviously held a deep meaning to her, but there seemed to be something else there too. Jay quickly followed her out of his room and saw the red headed woman sobbing on the floor. "Rose? I didn't mean to upset you..." He said carfully approaching the woman as he tried to piece together what had upset her. Then it dawned on him. He'd just taken her into his bedroom. She probably thought he was going to force her to sleep with him.

"I'm sorry. I forgot you don't know me yet. I promise you that my only intention was to show you that painting." Jay said sitting down next to Rose and gently patting her back. "No one here will hurt you, or force you to do anything you don't want to do. I swear to you that it's safe here for you. For everyone." Jay said doing his best to comfort the crying woman.

 

[slippedhalo]

She had her cry out and he awkwardly patted her back. She noticed his gentle reverence for the mass of scarlett locks as he ran a finger along the silken curl to carefully move it away from her shoulder before he cupped it and held her to face him, swearing to her that she would be safe here.

She looked up at him and gave a shuddering sigh as her tears dried. "J-j-just...as long as I dont have to...I'll do other work to earn my keep. But, not...not sex trade. Alright?" She asked, trying to not sound as weak as she felt.

 

[Othermoose]

"No! No of course not. No one will ever be forced to do that here. Ever." Jay said reassuringly wrapping his massive arms around Rose in a comforting hug. He held her for a moment before he stood up and helped Rose to her feet. He guided her to the couch and sat her down before going over to the kitchen area. He returned a moment later with a glass of water that he set on the table in front of Rose before sitting in the chair opposite her.

Jay sat awkwardly watching her a moment before standing again. "How about I make us something to eat? You look famished." He said moving to his kitchen. He dug around in the cupboards for a few moments and checked his small refrigerator. "I'm not that good of a cook, but I have some canned ravioli that I just need heat up here. Or I could make some ramin noodles. And I have some barbecue chicken in the fridge I could heat up. And if nothing I have sounds good we can actually go to the kitchens and eat there. Most of our food is stolen from the domes, so it won't get you sick." Jay said trying to keep the normal gruffness from his voice.

 

[slippedhalo]

Rose shrugged, "I don't know. I'll eat about anything...Thanks." she said with a sigh.

As he moved around the small space looking like he'd rarely used his own kitchen she smiled. "Maybe I can help. I'm used to fending for myself, not relying on others. I'm usually by myself... I'm not even used to hearing my own voice speaking." She admitted, standing to approach the counter and lean across it. It sounded deeper than she remembered. Then again, she was older than the last time she'd had to use it for any extensive time and that could just be it, she'd not been fully mature then. Now she was.

"All those books...Have you read them all?" She asked.

 

[Othermoose]

"Most of them. Sammy or Becky will occasionally trade me one of theres for one of mine. So there are a few I haven't gotten to yet. I could teach you if you'd want to." Jay said opening the canned ravioli and the ramin noddles and preparing both. He looked at the refrigerator and after a moment removed pulled the chicken out too. "I'm big. I have to eat a lot." He said sheepishly as he reaplaced the ravioli in the microwave with the chicken.

"So how long were you outside the dome? And how did you lose your mask? Somewhere on the mountain? The smog isn't as bad up here." Jay said stirring the pot of ramin on the stove.

 

[slippedhalo]

"I could learn to read? Yeah, definitely want to learn!" Said Rose enthusiastically.

"I was discovered at 10. My mom had been ill the week before and niether of us had noticed my roots growing in. She used to bleach my hair blonde. I worked at the factory. She was a seamstress on the factory floor. I was one of the janitorial staff...She was killed, of course, when I was discovered and tossed out...I was on my own a long time, scrounging off of the dead and trapping animals for food. I got good at identifying poisonous plants or food plants. At fifteen...Let's skip fifteen to seventeen. I wasn't alone then but it was the worst time in my life...I left with the knife I used to save my own life. That's why I want it back when it's found...Mask? What mask? No, I've never had one. I just cover my face up and cough through the worst dust. Sometimes I pass out but usually I can hold my breath long enough to get through really bad patches."

By the time she'd answered Jay's questions he'd put a steaming plate of more food than she'd seen in years before her and soon her mouth was too busy devouring the meal to talk.

 

[Othermoose]

Jay rubbed his beard thoughtfully. He didn't know how she'd managed to survive without a mask, and he'd have to mention it Sammy when he saw her next. He watched as Rose ravenously ate her food and he pushed his ravioli and noodles to her without a word, content to just eat his chicken.

The pair were almost finished eating when the front door opened and a short black woman with dreadlocks tied in a ponytail and a pale birthmark on her face confidently stepped inside. "I heard you were having guests over." The woman said with a smirk sitting next to Jay and helping herself to a bit of chicken from his plate. Jay just chuckled before turning to Rose. "This is Sammy. She runs the day to day things around here. I'm more in charge of things that blow up. Sammy this is Rose." Jay said. "It's a pleasure to meet the woman who wore Brujo's mask." Sammy said shaking Rose's hand. "I hope you'll be staying with us, but if not you'll need these." Sammy said pulling a mask and Rose's knife from under her jacket and sliding them across the table. "Actually, she doesn't need a mask. Rose lived out there without a mask for a few years." Jay said taking the empty plates away and putting them in the sink before returning with three beers. "Really? That's very interesting..." Sammy replied taking a sip from her beer.

The three talked for awhile longer before Sammy finished her beer and said her goodbyes. "So that was Sammy. We grew up together in the dome, then we left together. We and a few others found this place a few years back and we've been here ever since. We were just kids when we started building." Jay said with a faint smile as he remembered the pride he felt when the first house had been built.

"So, have you decided where you'll be staying? You don't have to sleep now, but if you want to you can. And if not I can introduce you to some other people and show you around more. I won't make you start work until tomorrow." He said with a grin finishing his beer.

 

[slippedhalo]

Rose was incredibly relieved to see her knife again. She took it and checked the blade. Still good. Then, she pocketed it and thanked Sammy. After another full glass of water she felt full and left the half uneaten food for Jay and Sammy, who seemed as surprised at her fullness from so little as they were about her not needing a breathing mask. "Don't get me wrong," Rose explained, "I have breathing problems out there. But, nothing that has ever made me need such heavy duty equipment."

Sammy mentioned wanting to have a listen to her lungs using a stethoscope the next time and Rose nodded, "Alright. Do you think you could help my wheezing?"

"Maybe." Said Sammy. "You could be asthmatic. Still, even for someone not using full lung capacity, yours seems greater than most. That's worth looking into."

Rose shrugged. "Uh, ok."

After Sammy left Jay explained to Rose how he knew the woman. They'd founded this colony together along with Becky and a couple of others.

It wasn't that late, just past noon but since she'd run most of the way up the mountain following the trucks after her interrupted night, Rose had to admit she was tired. Although Jay had put her fears at ease for now, she still felt weird about his offer to let her stay in his place with him. She felt she needed to know him better to be sure. "I hope you won't be offended if I'd rather just bunk down someplace of my own for now, even if that literally is just a bed somewhere in the barracks. I think I would feel more comfortable in my own space...I hope you can understand...I need time to adjust to...all of this. But, I'll return here later if you want, to talk, maybe take a look at your books. I'd really love to learn to read really, really would love that. Could you help me find a place to take a nap and keep my stuff?"

 

[Othermoose]

"I don't mind at all. I'll set you up in the barracks and you can stop by whenever you feel like it." Jay said with a smile. He led Rose out of his house and killed the lights before they made their way down to the barracks. He introduced her to the people she'd be staying with and stayed as she stowed her things in the trunk by her cot. "I'll be at my place when you wake up. Probably. If I'm not there someone will know where I'm at. Once you've got some rest we'll figure out the best job for you." Jay said to Rose as she settled into her bed. He was going to say goodbye to her, but she'd already fallen asleep so he quietly left and headed for home.

 

[slippedhalo]

Once awake and refreshed from her nap, Rose awakened to an unexpected noise she hadn't heard in many, many years, the sound of an infant's wail. Not annoyed but curious, she looked across the aisle to where a woman not much older than herself sat with a young baby in her arms, preparing to nurse it.

The woman smiled and motioned to one sighted eye and one milky white, sightless eye. "Hi. I'm Nancy. People call me Wink. This is little Henry." She said, indicating the baby busily drinking.

Rose smiled as she sat up and made her bed. "I'm Rose. Pleased to meet you both. He was born out here?"

Wink nodded, "I met his daddy, Seth, here. Seth works at the vegetable farmyard. He's the tall, olive skinned guy almost as big as Jay, he's got a mohawk and, um...He's got Downs Syndrome...Seen him around yet?"

"No, sorry. I just came here this morning. I haven't met many people yet." Admitted Rose.

"Sometimes he sleeps here with us and sometimes he stays at the farmyard. But, we three aren't very noisy, even with baby Henry, promise. Ok? If we are too loud or bother you just let us know, ok?"

"Um, ok, Nancy..."

"You can call me Wink, Rose."

"Alright, Wink. But, I'm sure it's no bother. I'm the new girl. I should be worrying about bothering your little family, not the other way around."

"But, you wore Brujo's mask. He likes you extra special. We don't want to mess anything up with a special girl." Said Wink, and Rose sensed as they talked that Wink may be what her mother would have politely referred to as "learning impaired" as well as blind in that left eye.

Rose smiled warmly and shook her head. "I'm no more special than anyone here, Wink. Don't you worry."

"He likes you extra. But, your hair is like a sunrise. I bet he likes that a lot. It's a pretty color."

"Thank you, Wink. Gosh, Henry is a cute little baby! I haven't seen any babies in years." Rose said, moving to change the topic of conversation and pleased to see her flattery worked on the proud mother.

Wink moved to give Rose a better view of the nursing child, unshy about the fact of nature that her breast was half exposed (as Rose agreed no nursing mother should have to feel shy anyway) and Wink patted the spot beside her so the two could chat more over the baby who reached out and gripped Rose's finger in his chubby fist as his inquisitive, large, brown eyes studied her back.

This elicited an odd longing in Rose, one she'd never considered before. If this place could be a safe haven for Zeros, it could also become a place where Zeros find others of their same views and situations, and, naturally, some would fall in love, even have families...Would such a miraculous thing ever become a possibility for Rose?

She shrugged off the daydream for now. For the time being, no. Life was too precarious for herself without the added worry of a helpless, little mouth to feed. But, she thought, as she said goodbye to Wink and baby Henry, it would be a nice idea, if one were too simple to be anxious about all the dangers little Henry will have to face one day. What kind of future will these children have? The offspring of Zeros? Are they Imperfects or even less than Zeros, no matter how whole their bodies and minds? Would society at large ever accept them? Rose suspected the Zeros were all as good as dead to those within the domed cities. Their offspring, might as well be dead too. Sadly, she swallowed that new, fresh, soft, maternal urge, pushing it way down in her gut until her mind was simply thinking of what she and Jay might discuss soon. Such as, how to begin learning to read and what skills she could offer to this colony.

Knocking at his door, she waited for his reply with serious, down to business expression on her face... Henry had smelled like talcum powder and clean linen...Rose shook her head and banished baby musings for the moment.

 

[Othermoose]

"God dammit Jay! We lost two men today! Maybe more! Croc's team ain't even back yet and you're already tryin' to plan another hit! It's suicide! They'll have to follow us if we go now! Just on fuckin' principle!" Robert, an older man with salt and pepper hair and one of Jay's lieutenants, shouted with rage. "And if we don't go on another raid, we'll fuckin starve by winter!" Replied Jay's other equally angry lieutenant Dane, a young man with shaggy brown hair and the stubble of someone who couldn't yet grow a beard. "You're both right." Jay said with a tired sigh. "For now we'll wait for Croc's team. But we still..." Jay paused when heard a knock at his front door. "We'll finish this later. You two get some air. Or a drink." Jay said looking down at his map of the surrounding areas.

=============================================================

Dane walked out of the war room, his blood still boiling from the argument. He opened the door forgetting about the knock and slammed right into Rose. "Ah shit!" Dane exclaimed, catching Rose before she hit the ground. "Sorry about that. Didn't see you." He said holding Rose's shoulders until she regained her balance. "You must be the new girl. I see why Jay's so hot for you." He said with a playful wink. "Go on in. Jay's in the back with the old man. Bastard's probably telling Jay what a moron I am. But you know how geezers are. I'll see you around, and have fun with Jay." Dane said with another wink before walking away from the house.

=============================================================

"That knock's the red head isn't it?" Robert asked, his arms crossed over his chest. "Probably. She's the only one who would bother knocking." Jay replied with a slight smile. "Look, I know your thing with red heads, and you deserve a vacation more than any of us, but just remember there's a lot of people countin' on ya. Keep that in mind in the future. We can't have you distracted." Robert said not waiting for Jay to respond as he turned and left the room. Robert passed Rose in the living room, giving her a polite nod as he passed her before he left the house.

"That was Robert. And I'm sure Dane said hello. They're two of my three lieutenants. You might have seen Snowman on the surface. We were just finishing up a meeting about our recent raids." Jay said offering Rose a glass of water before sitting on the couch with her. "So how are you liking it here? Better than the outside or the domes right?" Jay asked before taking a sip of his water.

 

[slippedhalo]

She was still recovering from her nerves. Contact wih men wasn't the easiest for Rose, she was discovering, her captive time outside the dome kept echoing in the back of her mind whenever men came close to her. Whatever Dane had said was lost to the noise inside her head as he righted her and she struggled not to follow her instinct to run and hide. 'I know hes not doing anything but I wish he would take his hands off of me!', she thought.

Proud of her persistence, once inside, Rose took the proffered water ad downed it quickly. "It's nice. I'm going to have to get used to so many people after so long on my own." Looking down the words poured out even though she hadn't been prepared to say them. "Men are a bit...intimidating..."

 

[Othermoose]

Jay unconsciously growled at the thought of anyone harming Rose. He realized what he was doing and quickly cleared his throat. "Yea, Dane is, well he's Dane. But he's all talk. And over time I hope you'll realize you have no reason to fear anyone here. I know I sound like I have a one track mind, but the people here are all good people. But actions speak louder than words! So we'll move to the action of teaching you how to read words." Jay said with a chuckle as he stood up. He walked to the bookshelf and grabbed a pen and paper before returning to his seat.

Jay took a moment to write out the alphabet before handing the notebook to Rose. "So that's the alphabet. Each letter makes a different sound, and when these letters are combined they make words. And stop me if you already know any of this." Jay said before continuing on to explaining vowels.