chapter fifty-six

Mike after beating

"Fathead. " Antonio was sitting in a chair, basking in the sun, watching Mike and Janet load supplies on the boat they had chosen to use to cross the sea. "Come here." Sonya was sitting on his lap. He had his hand between her legs. Mike limped over to him. Sonya opened her mouth and Antonia fed her a red pill. Mike stood in front of them trembling with rage, but in the past few months he had been taught the dire consequences of losing control of his emotions.

"Aint you some kind of Scientist or something? "

" I'm an Ecologist."

" What's that?"

Mike stared, more than willing to die for the satisfaction of cursing the bastard to hell, but he didn't want to leave Janet alone. Sometimes at night--when it was real quiet, he thought he could hear Damian and the others in his mind. Sometimes he concentrated really hard in hopes that maybe they could hear him. He hoped that once Antonio set sail, and they started getting closer to Damian, he will be able to contact Damian with his thoughts. It was the one thing, besides Janet that kept him alive.


"Never mind. Whatever it is, I'm putting you in charge of the logistics of getting us across that ocean, which means if we run into any problems that don't have to do with the wind and the rain, I'm blaming you."

"You don't have enough food."

"What...we've got three months of food supplies ready to be loaded. It shouldn't take more than two months tops, at sea, to reach the Islands and resupply."

"You have three months of food for living on land but the sea water mist will spoil the food supply at least twice as fast as land air.


Antonio cupped Sonya's left breast and rolled the nipple between his fingers. He smiled.

"See? That's why I'm putting you in charge of things, but you weren't going to keep that knowledge to yourself and let us get out there and starve, were you, gimp?"

" I would have told you."

" What were you waiting on? We set sail tomorrow. Listen Fathead, don't fuck with me. Don't play games because you are not going to like what happens when you lose. And you will lose."