|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 8:37 pm
To a socialist paradise we go...?
She'd fallen asleep on the helicopter. Leaning off to the side with her head resting on her shoulder and holding the battered old blue backpack in her lap, Kaveri honestly could not feel any more pleased right now. No more policemen chasing her from home to home, no more having to deal with having a place to live being a privelige, not a right -- it was everything the girl had hoped for, and more. Having been told about this island but a few weeks ago, she immediately jumped on the offer to go there and went straight home to the old brewery to collect her meager possessions.
Kaveri flutters open her eyes, staring blearily out the helicopter window before reaching up to wipe the sleep out of her eyes, her thoughts drowned out by the sound of the swirling blades. All that she sees is a vast stretch of ocean outside, and she shifts uncomfortably in her seat. How long was this flight going to be? Kaveri is certain that she had been asleep for a good number of hours.
Leaning forward and to the side, she looks hopefully in the general direction of the cockpit, hugging the backpack closer to her chest. "Are we almost there?" Kaveri calls out, forcing a smile on her lips.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 9:00 pm
The large black man in the pilot's seat was remarkably quiet during the entirety of the trip. Although you could be mistaken, you could swear that there was a tone of relief when you did nod off, allowing him to do his job with minimal personal contact.
"Just about, Miss Porter" He said with as much brevity as anything he said during the trip. "The island should be coming into view now, as a matter of fact."
And it was true, a massive island soon crested the horizon, lush and green with rivers crisscrossing rivulets through the thick trees. There were beaches along the coasts, and a massive singular mountain rising out of the center. In the distance, you can barely make out what looks like a cluster of buildings.
The helicopter approaches the island, and makes for a large, squarish tarmac with a circle-H painted in the center. Leading off of the tarmac is a dirt road towards the mountain.
Standing below, shielding his face from the windstorm kicked up from the helicopter is a man with a mess of white hair tied hurriedly back in a ponytail that is doing precious little against the swirling winds.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sabin Duvert Vice Captain
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 9:02 pm
"Oh!" Kaveri perks up, leaning over towards the window again as the island started to come into view. Her lips parted in a wide grin, hugging the backpack even tighter. "Oh, man! Awesome! It's even bigger than I had imagined! How many people live here?" She asks, visibly excited about her soon-to-be commune home. She throws out a hand to brace herself on an armrest, preparing herself for the impending landing. The sheer splendor of the island was breathtaking, it was amazing to see that the jungle wasn't logged or wiped clean to make room for that cluster of buildings, what she assumed to be the commune itself.
"This place looks absolutely beautiful," the girl comments as the helicopter descends closer to the ground, allowing her a better look at her surroundings. She simply could not wait to get off of this thing and meet these similarly-minded commune residents!
"You guys still kept the trees! That's so cool!" Kaveri could hardly contain her excitement, she had to chatter about it to make up for the fact that she was completely quiet (and sleeping) for most of the trip.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 9:09 pm
James was glad to be touching down on the pad so he wouldn't have to speak with the girl who had suddenly taken an interest in talking.
"I think there are something in the neighborhood of fourty or fifty people. But I just do the charter flights, you'll have to ask the others if you want to know more."
And indeed a grinning man, dressed in the most ungodly color combination of a teal and lime green hawaiin shirt with orange bermuda shorts and flip flops forded his way through the winds which were begining to die down to the newly landed chopper.
James opened the door to the cockpit and gestured to the outside as the man peered up into the cabin.
"Kaveri is it?" He said now that the chopper's shade now eclipsed his face and he was able to take his arm down. "The name's Sabin. I hear you're here to join our little community." He offered her a hand down.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sabin Duvert Vice Captain
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 9:23 pm
"Ah, okay -- thank you, dude!" Kaveri unhooked her seatbelt, getting up and stretching her arms and legs for the first time in an untold amount of hours. She swings the backpack over her shoulders, walking back a few feet for her bicycle and instrument case, putting the case over her back as well so the strap crosses her chest diagonally. As James opens the door, she carefully wheels her bike towards it and down the ramp, fixing her eyes on the rather ... colorfully-dressed man ... after getting herself on land once more. She turns and waves at James with a big smile, "Thanks for the ride, dude!"
"Hey, yeah, that's right! I'm Kaveri of Oly, nice to meet you!" She accepts his hand, the other holding steady to the bike.
"Man, this island is beautiful," she gushes, "when I saw it before landing I was blown away. I was like, whoa! They kept the jungle! And that's really awesome of you guys for keeping it, I'm really excited to become a part of this community." The woman bounces in place, with a broad smile on her face.
"Oh, man," she nods with a grin, "I can't wait to explore this place."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 9:29 pm
Sabin smiled. "The island is beautiful, of that there is no doubt." He helped as much as he could with her luggage, wheeling it away from the still slowly spinning blades of the helicopter.
"It's almost entirely virgin rainforests, home to thousands of species of wildlife... of course, a lot of it entails insects." He said, with a playful slap at one of his arms for emphasis. "But you do what you have to."
"And nice to meet you. Olympia's a beautiful area, but it's been years since I've been out there. Of course, it can't beat THIS" And with that he gave a sweeping gesture with his arm towards the jungle.
"I can either drive you to the village or you can walk or ride your bike. We've got keys for your bungalow, and from there you're free to do whatever you like. The labs are on the mountainside. They leave the commune alone, and visa versa. But they're there if anyone has any major medical problems."
He headed over to the jeep, extracating a silver briefcase-looking box. "There is just one formality of an innoculation. This IS a tropical island, and there are some rather nasty diseases that we've had a bad experience with in the past."
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sabin Duvert Vice Captain
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 9:46 pm
"How awesome," Kaveri marvels, her eyes wandering up towards the mountain and all its splendor. "I don't mind the bugs. I'm hoping they're not anything massive, like cockroaches the size of my hand or anything -- that might be a little freaky to get used to. But I've slept in places crawling with spiders before, I bet I can totally handle these bugs."
"Yeah, Oly is a beautiful place. I'll kinda miss it, especially the rain and my friends, and of course, the pirate radio station," the woman nods, "but honestly, it's nice to have a permanent place to live now. And somewhere that I don't have to deal with cops or bills! Yeahhhh!" She pumps her fist in the air at the end of her cheer, bouncing in place again.
"You've already got a place set up for me? Awesome!" Kaveri pauses to consider the options regarding her method of travel to the village. "Well... I'll primarily be using my bike to get around once I know the place better, but I don't mind getting a ride so I can see what all is goin' around here and give myself a point of reference. Should I just throw my bike in the back of the jeep or something?"
Her eyes wander up back towards the mountain, at that cluster of buildings, and then to the silver case Sabin holds in his hands. "The lab, huh? What do they do there? Although it's cool that they support the commune and don't do anything to ******** with us or anything," Kaveri arches an eyebrow - she had always been rather distrustful of labs, as all she's ever heard about them is that they're dark scary places filled with chimpanzees wearing brainpans and hooked up to bizarre, meaningless contraptions.
She fixes her sight on the silver box again, pretty much gathering enough information to conclude that its contents were very likely to be some kind of a shot. The woman gulps, a little nervous - she hadn't been to a doctor in what could be at least a decade, maybe even a little longer than that - and she remembered hating needles as a child. A look of uncertainity crosses her face, but she takes a hesitant step forward and extends her arm.
"Yeah, I know," she says slowly, looking away and squeezing her eyes shut, "I hate getting shots, but I'd rather not die of some ******** up tropical bug. It's all part of living on an island, right..?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 9:58 pm
"I can't say that I've seen bugs like that. But there are some rather large ones." He smiled, putting some of her luggage into the back of the jeep before coming back to her and opening the case.
Inside was a small vial of liquid, a syringe, and small alcohol wipes.
"It's just a pinch, I assure you. He swabbed the exposed skin, and pulled the liquid into the thin needle, flicking the syringe and giving it a small squirt, then quickly and professionally administering the injection, before wiping the area again with the swab.
The injection did sting, but only for a moment, and then a warm sensation passed down her arm, to her chest, and then seemed to spread across her body in all directions a moment later before fading again.
"You might run a low grade fever for the night, but we've got tylenol in the village if you need it. I'll be happy to drive you down there, but I'll have to return the jeep to the labs so I can't stay and give you the tour."
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sabin Duvert Vice Captain
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 10:10 pm
Kaveri whimpers as she's injected, almost tempted to violently pull away. She feels the effects and the warmth spreading through her, and she wants to slap at herself as it travelled all over her body. It was certainly an odd, surreal feeling, but it's gone almost as soon as it had started. Her nervousness makes her feel a little dizzy for a brief moment, but she regains her bearings soon enough as she peeks open an eye at the application of the swab and puts her arm down.
"Sure, dude. That would be awesome, thanks," she forces an uneasy smile, wiping the sweat off her brow with a hand and begins to walk towards the jeep. "That's cool, do you know anyone I could meet who would be willing to show me around the commune later after I get settled in?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 10:26 pm
Sabin put the empty syringe and vial back in the case and closed it, putting it in the back of the jeep before hopping into the driver's seat with a spring in his step.
Rustling in the pocket of his garish shorts, his hand emerged triumphantly with a key, very much like a run of the mill hotel key, with the number 44 Printed on the plastic keychain.
"Here's your key." He smiled. "Most people don't bother to lock their doors, but it's locked as a default before it has a resident. Hrmmm.... as far as introductions.." Sabin searched his mind on who to direct them towards that might not completely break her in.
"well," He grinned. They thought along a same level and wouldn't expose her immediately to the 'animal situation.' "There's Fiona and Angharad in duplexes 39 and 40. They're pretty new too, but might be able to give you a fresh perspective. And I think they've got not too different of a background as you do. Orrr..." He scratched his chin pondering. "Roberta in number 34." He smiled, turning the car key in the ignition and then setting off towards the village. He skirted the labs, which were surrounded by a huge fence, taking the road at a breakneck speed. But even so, the road was narrow- only barely carved out of the jungle and apparently only just wide enough to allow the passage of the vehicle. Bird calls and even the screech of what sounded like a monkey could be heard as the jeep passed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sabin Duvert Vice Captain
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 10:57 pm
"Thanks, dude," Kaveri smiles, accepting the key and turning it in her hands. "44, huh? Is that how many people there are in the commune?" She slides into the passenger seat and continues admiring her pretty new key. This was the first step in officially starting her new life.
"34, 39, and 40, yeah? I'll totally check those out later," the woman nods, putting the key down her shirt and in her cleavage and resting her arm on the armrest. The spot where she was injected still stung just a little bit... which was annoying, but she'd deal with it. Again, it's better than dealing with some nasty parasite or disease or something.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 11:16 pm
Eventually the jungle immediately opened up, revealing a clear-cut chunk of land with the beginings of some more natural landscaping, and collection of cookie-cutter duplexes with slate-blue-grey siding. They were in free-standing units, one on top of the other, in total there were about fifty of teh, all clustered around one big building in the center with the same siding, but with many doors leading in. The smell of cooking food wafted over the whole 'village'.
Sabin pulled up to the edge of the community and gestured to the village. "And here we are! No rules but the ones you make, no cost, no hassle." He smiled. "Obviously we've had to keep it a bit on the downlow so that we don't get overwhelmed. Too many people and it breaks down. But we're growing."
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sabin Duvert Vice Captain
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 11:36 pm
"So where do you live here?" Kaveri asks, looking out towards all of the duplexes lined up. "I'll have to visit with you sometime after things are all settled at my new place."
Oh, man... that smell is absolutely tempting. She hadn't eaten for a good while, and hoped the food served was organic and raised on the very island she was now living on. As Sabin stops the car, she opens the door and gets out, stretching her arms again and holding them behind her back.
She walks towards the back of the jeep to gather her things, putting on her backpack and hanging the banjo case over her shoulders, straining on the tips of her toes to reach for the bicycle, grabbing on to one of the handles. "Hey, could you give me a hand with getting this out?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 11:41 pm
Sabin smiled, pulling the keys out of the ignition and tucking them into his pocket as he went over to help the shorter woman lift the bike out of the backseat. He didn't appear to put much effort into it, and soon had it disentangled from the car. He made sure that the silver case was still in the floorboards of the backseat as he wheeled it over to her with a smile.
"Here you go. Just a note, it probably won't do you much good on anywhere other than around the village and maybe on some of the dirt roads. The jungle will be too thick for it, and you won't get any traction on the sand. But have fun." He smiled.
"As for me?" Sabin searched his mind and glanced around the duplex before turning back to her with a smile. "I'm in Number 25." He grinned, in his mind, sharing a private joke with himself. "With my lover."
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sabin Duvert Vice Captain
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 11:56 pm
"Thanks, dude," Kaveri grinned, giving Sabin a thumbs-up before resting her hand on the bike seat. "Hey, that's cool. I have no interest in hurting the jungle anyways, but who knows - I might be able to find some kind of bike path in the jungle. I've biked through the Washington rainforest before, that was really rough. Not many people own bicycles here, I guess? That's a shame," the woman lightly shakes her head, then laughs and waves dismissively.
"I love this thing too much to not take it with me, it's taken me everywhere," Kaveri pats the seat of the bicycle, "I'm hoping it'll get use here but from the looks of it I might be doing more walking than biking. Either way, it's better for me."
"25? With your lover?" Kaveri offers a smirk, shifting the backpack and rolling her shoulders. "I'll be sure to knock first, I don't want to... interrupt anything. But it's cool that you have a lover and all that. I'll keep that in mind when I go to visit."
She starts looking at the duplexes, trying to find hers. Upon spotting it, she starts wheeling her bicycle towards it, but stops to turn at Sabin.
"By the way," she calls, cupping her hand around her mouth, "I really dig your outfit! I love the colors!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
