Joram's Radioactive Orb

I walked by the wire fence hoping to avoid Sebastian and his gang. They would be brutalizing me for weeks. You are either for or against it, but whichever way you chose, death is how it ends. So, no thank you, Sebastian. The way they carried on, you wouldn't think that we have been selected to be sent to die.

It was quite an assorted group. You had murderers, rapists, serial killers, armed robbers, and arsonists. Then you had those who were at the wrong place at the wrong time, the activists, the guilty of poverty, the green awaiting trials and then you had me. Yeah, just me or so I thought.

We never really knew who we would be working with until we arrived at the set rendezvous. On that first day, we lost three people to a fight about who is going to be the leader. At the end of it all, two gangs had been born, and some free birds. I would come to learn that the three people who died were Jermaine, in for theft, Sarah in for manslaughter and Storm, a nickname I'm sure, in for rape. Storm and Jermaine, two brothers, had been arrested the same night in the suburbs in the house of a newly wedded Hawaiian chick who storm had had an eye for from the first day he saw her. How they were arraigned for differing charges though, I didn't quite understand.

One look and you knew we were going to fail on this mission. You do not pack a load of thorns amid little green and expect anything beautiful to thrive, I thought. Until that faithful morning, while walking the mesh of the outpost we infiltrated last night. I was taking in the whole subtleness of the base's cover when I saw her sitting at a bench in the middle of the yard, like a red mushroom amid thorns and greens.

Can I sit, I asked. It's a free world man. Do what you like. Took you long enough, she said. Long enough for what?? I don't know, you tell me. What is it for you? The pretty face, well-rounded boobs, sumptuous hips or well nice ass. It's always one of those. Boys will be boys, she said.

"Being the only colourful thing standing on this dark earth, I guess you have earned the right to that arrogance". I replied.

She scoffed. Arrogance is what this is. You wish. Just to correct you, didn't take me long, I am just noticing/seeing you for the first time, I quipped.

"You must be blind then". Yeah, I'm probably colourblind. You don't go into battle seeing anything as any other thing than black and white, I said.

She looked at me with a half-smile, "that must be why you are one of the few yet to be shot or wounded. Probably the same reason why your free regiment has suffered little to no casualty, I guess" She said.

Maybe so. I take it that means you are in one of the two gangs; Sebastian probably. Which means I should be leaving this table before he bashes my head in.

"I am sure he would love that. Oh, seem like you were on point with that forecast" she said, rather excitedly. I turned around to find Sebastian coming my way with his regiment, as we now call the gangs as well.

"Hey turnip, you got a problem?" Oh, Sebastian, I was just leaving, I quickly replied. "We're you now? I think not" he retorted, almost a rebuke. "Sit your ass down."

"Sebastian, get lost. I'm talking to him". It sounded like a voice from a distance as I was already focusing my mind on the bruising to come. Sebastian stood there, shell-shocked, shooting me and her vicious look, and then he left.

You should just shoot me now, cos he will do worse to me later, I said. " You are not afraid of him, you just don't want to humiliate him in front of everybody" she replied.

Why would you think that? Seem like there's something between you too. "I don't think it, I know it. I am a good judge of people's abilities. Why do you think I joined his regiment? To stop him from getting them all killed. As for the other part, we have been on this battle tour for months, so, I helped myself to his p*nis a few times, since you wouldn't come around" she replied.

So, you are not just in his regiment, you are one of his girls?

"I slept with him, doesn't make me his" the instantly retorted. Alright, got to go prepare for tonight. Talk later?? "Why don't you try and make it through the night first? She joked (or not)

As I put on my Hazmat suit, having already worn my bullet, I couldn't help thinking how we were a hundred at the beginning of this mission and now we are just thirty-six. That's sixty-four young lives sacrificed for " the greater good", for Joram's orb. The orb can somehow suck out radiation from the air, but Professor Joram wanting to create a new world order refused to share its science and let the world die from the radiation unleashed when Russia and the US nuked each other and half of Europe and Asia out of existence. Joram had gone on to form his army, with the mission to wipe out the remnant of the human race not loyal to him. He hAd the upper hand, cos radiation could not affect his forces. Eventually, the Africa league of nations decided to send us prisoners to fight his forces, armed with a hazmat suit each, and a nop detailing ammunition stores and depots. We were not expected to succeed, we were disposable. It was a technical decision; to reduce the number of mouths to feed by eliminating the outlaws and depleting Joram's forces for when the AGL decides its forces are strong enough to face Joram again.

Walking into the briefing, "we have seriously depleted Joram's forces, but his headquarters will be heavily fortified. We attack in three formations as usual. But this time, one group will take the tunnel, one will flank them and the other takes them head-on. The group that takes them head-on will suffer heavy casualties" said Tyrone, leader of the other gang/regiment. "Let the Freebirds take them on," said Sebastian.


Sebastian, you must be dumb. The Freebirds have traditionally fought with far fewer numbers, as of now they have 8 men, and you have 16 and yet they should be the ones to take Joram head-on? She asked. After a mini brawl, we the Freebirds agreed to it, and she agreed to follow our regiment instead.

As we made to leave, I walked up to her and said, don't die out there today and we will maybe revisit that conversation of how colourblind I have been. She smiled and walked away, as we moved out.

The battle was fierce and even in the midst of it, I couldn't help but notice how she laid cover for others much like the red mushroom lays cover from the rain for the thorns and green that come under its umbrella. The battle raged for 48hrs. At about 21:00 two days later, she walked out of the building with Joram in one hand and the orb in another.

Sebastian made a beeline for Joram but was dropped by Selina. He stays alive, she said. At that moment, I knew I was right, she was the colour and cover in the midst of all this.

Note: This article was firstt posted on hive by me