Survival Of The Fittest

While Tom was doing his best to hide his nervousness about the situation, he could feel the palm of his hand getting sore as it dug into the handle of his sword. Even though Lily seemed harmless enough, having a person with an uzi occupying the same group as him was very disquieting. But that wasn't all. Aaron then extended the olive branch to yet another person, this one brandishing a hammer. Apparently, her name was Aileen, and Aaron trusted her enough to invite her into the group without a second thought. Well, it was good for him that he could be so trusting, but if he kept this up, he ran the risk of inviting in somebody with malicious intent.

As if on cue, someone else arrived, with the cheerful welcome of "Friend or foe." This said very little, but it did suggest that the guy was slightly paranoid about his fellow classmates, which meant that he was acting smartly in this situation. As Aileen volunteered to go out and meet him, Tom tapped Aaron on the shoulder and whispered, "Aaron, we can't keep on letting people in like this. We're gonna be sitting ducks!"

Of course, the real worry was something a little more personal. As more people were starting to funnel in, Tom was beginning to worry about Aaron's plan. If Danya found out that the group was up to something, he would probably decide to detonate everyone's collars or offer a reward for the demise of the group's members. Or even better, like S.A.D.D. in the last game, he would probably hurt other people because of something that the group did. Tom didn't want to die because someone else got too ambitious and ticked off the man who quite literally had his life in the palm of his hand.

"We have to get going, Aaron!" Tom insisted. "Danya's watching, remember? If he sees us grouping up like this, we're dead." Ideally, the group would run while Aileen had her back turned and they would let the two new people sort it out. Tom had a feeling about her, and he didn't think that the new guy could be trusted either.

Lily smiled as if in a daze, her focus on the world around her growing dim as she became lost in her own head. "Well, they're nice enough, I suppose." She mumbled, glancing down at the submachine gun at her side. "Though that Aaron boy is a little boisterous." She laughed quietly to herself. Even though she knew she'd be somewhat safer in the group, something about her fellow students was setting off her deep down skivvies. She could tell from the somewhat huddled manner of speaking that Tom had directed at Aaron, that some sort of escape would be incoming.

That didn't seem very nice to Lily, and that's what mattered most of all to her at this point. Common courtesy, civility, and maybe some good 'ol niceties. "Not that any of these rakes would pull leaves for you, love." She thought, frowning.

She liked both of the new arrivals, in their own way they seemed much more trustworthy than this Aaron boy. "I really like your clothes!" She smiled, directing her compliment at the asian boy. "And you have a very nice hammer." She nodded at the girl, polite smile on her face. She reached a hand up to comb down some of her unruly blond hair, she pursed her lips in a moment of deep thought, looking back at Aaron.

"I really like the idea of fighting the system and all, revolution and all that." She began, tilting her head to the side. "It would seem though that none of us have any knowledge that may prove useful."

She said this as thought it was the most obvious thing in the world, though meaning no offense (she had probably sounded quite blunt, infact). "Or you could all be great, I dunno." She laughed, hands swaying to and fro.

Francine was optimistic, trusting, but she was not stupid. She could feel the tension building between the five people in the area with the introduction of more people and more weapons. She had to disperse it somehow...

"UHM, I'll write the notes yeah!" she said much louder than she needed to, casting a nervous smile in everyone's direction. Once she had (hopefully) gotten their attention however, she was unsure where she had been planning on going with it. She picked up her now repacked back in a businesslike fashion, squaring her shoulders. "I don't know about beating the game, but I would like some friends right now and I know I have a better chance of staying safe if I have more people and supplies! I mean, we can share weapons and stuff right?" she felt her composure loosening and clamped her hands together as if she could hold her confidence between her hands, "That is... I would like to be in a team..."

Though..." she fidgeted, "We really all ought to lower our weapons if we're going to be a team it doesn't make you seem very trustworthy if you won't trust us enough to lower your weapon..." Not that Francine was ready to admit people would actually be willing to shoot at her... at least, not with the intention to kill.

Francine's little speech lost its last dredges of momentum and she fell into silence. Her mind was racing at a million miles per hour; she already had tons of ideas of how to organize things, but they needed to find somewhere where they felt safe to be able to sit down and calmly discuss things. She really, desperately wanted to just sit and talk like normal people...

Oh hell. As soon as Aileen had integrated, Aaron found himself faced with yet another new arrival. This one was different. He sounded like he meant business. Was he well armed? Aaron found himself shifting nervously, ready to dive for cover the second things went south. That got him thinking. Here he was, with this huge group of people, but he didn't have the slightest clue what he was really going to do with them. He could lead them. He knew that. But, he'd have to be careful, so very careful, or they'd be on him like a pack of jackals. He was feeling very exposed, all of a sudden, very aware of the fact that he was surrounded by others. Others who were at least as well armed as he was. If he was going to stay in control here, he would need to get his hands on a real weapon. That machine gun would be ideal.

Then it all spiraled out of control. Aileen went over to the new guy, saying she could handle it. Could she? She had a hammer, but that wouldn't do jack if the boy had a gun. Then again, he probably wouldn't blow Aileen away so casually, as it would wreck his chances of getting close enough to do real damage. Aileen was buying them a few seconds to prepare a reaction. Aaron glanced around. If the guy opened up, they were all doomed, time or not, clumped as they were. This was an absolutely awful place to be waiting. It was exposed and easy to access, and the people just kept coming. It was too much. Too soon. He was going to have an army on his hands if he didn't do something.

That brought him up short. He could use an army about now. A personal army sounded pretty dang good in this situation. Even if they couldn't manage to escape, a force would keep Aaron safe. It would let him make it far in this game. He was going far. He knew that. Some people were born for bit roles, and others were natural stars. Aaron was part of the latter category.

Then Tom was trying to get Aaron's attention, telling him they had to go. Aaron would have been royally pissed about insubordination if he hadn't already come to the same conclusion. As it was, he simply whispered back, "Exactly what I was thinking, Tom. Good call."

Also, Tom had another point. Truth be told, Aaron had forgotten the cameras entirely. Tom's reminder threw another little kink into the escape idea. Whatever. They'd pull it off somehow. They would make it out. It was simply how these things went. They'd take their little band and pull off what nobody had ever done before. They would go home with Danya's head in a basket.

There was a slight problem, though. Their group already had the seeds of dissent sown. Lily had decided that now, when an unknown quantity was approaching, was the perfect time to question Aaron's capabilities and capacity to lead. Sure, she phrased it in generalities, but she wasn't fooling anyone. She spoke, asking him what they would do since none of them had any knowledge of the situation. Aaron immediately felt his temperature rising and his left hand, out of Lily's line of sight, clenching. His fingernails dug into his palm. Just great. Machine gun girl was going to be an issue. Worse, she was the one person he couldn't just kick to the curb. She had the best weapon by far, but she was obviously unstable and dangerous.

The solution was simple. She would have to be disarmed or removed as soon as it became convenient. Surely she'd be distracted at some point. Aaron would just have to get one of the others, probably Tom, alone, and ask him to get her gun away from her when it happened. Tom would be the best choice, since he was trustworthy and already armed, meaning Aaron would almost certainly be able to secure one of the weapons.

Then Francine was talking, too, trying to calm everyone down. She said she wanted a team, and that they should all lower their weapons and be calm. It was a good idea, though Aaron somewhat resented the fact that she'd sprung it on them. She was getting a bit too ambitious, too. He'd have to deal with that. Make her a lieutenant when they got more people or something. Give her a definite place that was clearly not at the head of things. For now, though, he had to stay in the present. He had a group to organize, and worries to quash.

"Alright, people," Aaron said, loudly enough for Aileen and the newcomer to hear. He figured they were fine since they were both still alive. "We're going to move out here soon. This isn't a good location for a defense, and we could use some cover in case the weather gets bad. Also, we'll need somewhere more isolated to plan things out.

"Lily, you say we have no knowledge of the situation. That's partially true. However, I know somebody who does. One of my good friends, Bounce, is a huge fan of SOTF. She knows everything there is to know about it. She's here. I know she is. She'll know a way to make it off of here. We'll just need to find her.

"Also, from this point forward, we're going to have to be a bit more cautious about recruits. I trust you all, because you're doing the right thing now, at the start. Soon we'll have to deal with fakers, though, people who want to kill us and use our group against us. I think we'll ask newcomers to surrender their weapons for a time, just so we can be sure they're trustworthy. We can rearm them once they prove themselves.

"I won't lie. These next few days are going to suck. But we can do this. We can beat Danya and this whole thing. If you aren't trusting enough to be a part of this, fine. Leave now. We won't hold it against you. If you want in, though, follow me. We'll get as many people as we can, and then we'll make something happen. All we have to do is get Bounce and some other people we can trust. If anyone has suggestions, put them forward at any time."

There. Aaron knew how to act the leader. He was, after all, the dungeon master of his D&D group. He was usually the one in charge. Sure, he was bitter at a few of his members right now. Well, mostly Lily. He didn't like the girl one bit. But that just meant he'd have to be extra sure she knew her place. And, as soon as she tipped her hand, revealed how crazy she really was, he'd have to be ready to minimize the damage. Quickly, Aaron dug into his sack, and pulled out a notebook. He tore out a sheet of paper, and stuffed it into one of the pockets on his cargo pants, where he also kept some pencils. He would write Tom a note when he had a chance, and slip it to him. Keep the others out of the loop a bit, just for safety's sake.

With that, they were ready to go. Aaron pushed away from the wall of the gazebo, and picked up his packs. It would be tough, leaving this familiar landmark, but he wasn't going to get gunned down here. No, life over comfort.

"Okay, people," he said. "Let's get going."

Then he started walking. A second later, he realized he hadn't checked his map at all. There was no way to do so now, however, without looking incompetent, so he decided to just wing it. They would hit somewhere safe soon enough, he and whoever chose to follow him. Yes, they would find a good place to prepare, through luck or skill, and then they would find Bounce. And then, everything would be just fine.

((Aaron Hughes continued in My Kingdom for a Plan!))

Now Rekka had to tilt his head at the female's response to him. Playing? Not exactly the first word that came to mind, but who was he to nitpick on something like that? It wasn't like she was wrong. After all, they were a bunch of court jesters to amuse the masses behind the watchful lenses.

"If you can call this a game, I suppose so," Rekka replied with a sigh, dropping the defensive stance.

The one who had approached him seemed sincere enough. Though his posture relaxed to show that he no longer considered them hostile, Rekka continued to quietly observe the group in front of him. He decided a greeting of some sort was in order, if only to break this awkward stagnation the conversation seemed to be in and apologize for what he now considered a 'rude-but-smart' gesture. Sticking to the mannerisms he was raised with also would help him cope with the mounting stress from being in this sickening 'game' of Danya's. At least it was something to keep his mind on track.

"Sorry for earlier, guess I'm more on edge than I thought" Rekka spoke out, removed his fedora and placed it to his chest as he courteously bowed. "My name is Rekka Saionji, a pleasure."

That's when he overheard the compliment about his fashion sense from the young lady in the gazebo. Letting a 'Thank you' be the reply, he also did a quick bow to her. Rekka was just putting the fedora back on when something peculiar was sighted. The two males were conversing amongst themselves, one who seemed extremely wary about his arrival. While words did not reach his ears about the topic they spoke of, he could not help but picture them like the raccoons that scurried the alleyways of St. Paul. Perhaps it was stress lulling his mind into a state of paranoia; he just didn't like the vibe they produced. Either way, Rekka put the matter aside as one of the males began to address them all.

---

His speech, Rekka could not deny, had a lot of pretty words to calm oneself. The use of the appeal in order was clever too. However the man just rubbed Rekka the wrong way...perhaps because it was the way he was acting like a self-appointed leader of a cult. Rekka kept quiet all through the motivational moment and eyes focused, but his mind was elsewhere during the time.

This 'leader' of theirs didn't seem to be as sincere as he wanted to portray. While Rekka first thought he was just stressed from the situation, though his thoughts began to point in a different direction. The way 'leader' always seemed so rigid and seclusive was disheartening, not to mention it appears he had favorites already. Tension always left a distinct feel in the air, and Rekka could definitely sense it now.

"My my, the man can speak such invigorating words can't he?" Rekka whispered just loud enough for female near him to hear.

It wouldn't do him any good to act rashly about the subject though, as being a group for now was a major plus. He needed time to gather materials and craft some supplies for survival, which would undoubtedly be obtained as long as he was with them. The thought of also finding this 'Bounce' person was also good news, seeing as she had a strong background with the situation.

Amidst these thoughts, Rekka always remembered that his foremost priority was to find his girlfriend and regroup, but to do so alone without the proper gear for the task was just asking for his death. Reality was, while his knowledge of the wilderness was a major plus, he was up against people who potentially wielded technology that could easily rip him apart. Technology that he was very naiive about, outside of the fact that if you're hit...you die.

Luckily one of the members in the group had a gun. Rekka shifted his attention towards her and found that she seemed like a rather enjoyable person to be around with. His eyes inevitable shifted to the armament in her hand--a design that was also familiar in some ways. Quickly searching his mental notes of the mafia flicks, it came across to him as another rapid-fire type that some of the thugs wielded in the gang. Rapid-fire type huh? He made it a point to familiarize with the tool ASAP if surviving this twisted game meant anything to him.

Thoughts continued to pace around and around, leading to a state of rhetorical tango. Momentarily he returned to reality just long enough to see that the 'leader' was walking off to some unknown direction, and rather hastily too. There were no other details, no collaboration...nothing. If this didn't smell like the birth of a cult, then all the time listening to history lectures in Bayview were for naught.

A sudden thought made Rekka's eyes widen. Woodsman teachings reminded him that wandering aimlessly in unknown territory was something that you just should never attempt. Natural accidents aside, the looming threat of getting ambushed in foreign lands was not the way he wished to start his SOTF days. It didn't help that 'leader' seemed ignorant about what the wilderness really was...

The annoyingly nagging feel of stress tugging the chains of his weary mind irritated him. Would it possible that his instincts could be easily ignored, Rekka would resort to being a sheep in a flock--guided at the whim of the herder. A herder that would lead them by collar to a place that was as promising as their chances of surviving Danya's game. That train of thought brought a smile across his narrow jaw; he had made up his mind.

He'd regret the opportunity to travel in a group and the time bought to make tools, but the risks simply outweighed the benefits. Rekka couldn't jeopardize his chance at finding Dawne; no matter how appealing the comfort of a group was. That was until the image of 'Leader' came in. Then that cotton soft bliss turned into a cold kiss from an iron maiden. A shiver creeped through the edges of his limbs, and he thought of the subject no more.

As he zipped close his baggage, something caught the young man's downward gaze. Lowering himself to a squat, he lifted up a pair of coarsely textured stones near his shoes. Rubbing slowly along the surface so that his fingers may get a proper feel, he was pleased to realize it was similar to that of a traditional whetting stone. It didn't exactly have the fine grains he'd like or a large area to use, but beggars couldn't be choosers on this island. Rekka was simply overjoyed that he wouldn't need to make a side trip to a mountainous area to begin making usable knives.

He placed the rocks inside his bag and approached the young lady who wielded a gun. Out of the rest, she seemed to be the only one that Rekka felt remotely comfortable in talking to. She happened to also be the least hostile appearing of the rest, if you exclude the fact her appearance was off-key and the reminder that she had a GUN. There really was no explanation as to why he even considered talking to her. It just felt like a natural call.

That was so lame...even for a woodsman...

Rekka stopped about five paces away from her, giving another bow out of courtesy. As he was doing so, several of the others already began chasing after 'Leader.' A wave of relief poured though, especially when the one with the false blade was amongst the ones who left. Tension was always a breaker for a conversation.

"I am terribly sorry to bother you Miss, asking something like this out of the blue," Rekka politely put out, trying to kill an obviously stress filled atmosphere with courtesy. "May I request that we travel together...as opposed to following that group? I'm not one to following a leader that walks us blind into a territory with nothing but rose-scented words as reasoning, put simply."

That certainly could have gone smoother, but he wouldn't take it back. 'Leader' and his lackey left a bad taste in Rekka's mouth, but wanted to keep the matter somewhat civil. Nothing good came from rash, emotion driven decisions; neither did adding more drama to a deadly scenario. What happened next all rested on her reply.

Making sure the compass was firmly in possession, his slender fingers flicked placing the map into holds of the coat pocket. No matter the answer, there would be no delay after.

She could hear more talking from the gazebo directly. The same girl who had made bloodsport jokes was now complimenting the newcomer on his clothes, and Aileen herself on her hammer. Again, she really wasn't sure if it had anything to do with the conversation. She glanced at the girl with the tangled blonde hair, assuming that to be the source. Well, this one was an odd cookie, wasn't she? Could she be trusted? Could anyone be trusted?

The newcomer had sighed, and said that he guessed he was playing. That set off an alarm bell in her mind. Did he kill? Or was it that he was indeed a student here, or what? Aileen found herself gripping the hammer in her hand, as soon enough he took off his hat and introduced himself while bowing.

Rekka Sa-something-or-other, apparently. He seemed to be the politely sort... but he directly said that he was participating. What he said could literally mean anything!

But, then she heard whispers between Aaron and the other guy. Aileen really couldn't make them out, though. What were they saying? Were they talking about her and this "Rekka" person? Most likely. It wasn't as if either of them had been here this entire time, of course.

Aileen glanced at them, and soon after the other girl had mentioned something about lowering weapons and how she wanted to be a team. Aaron responded a few seconds later, going on a bit of a speech. He was saying things like how they needed to find a better spot, and apparently there was someone on the island who knew more than everyone else. "Bounce" or something. They also had to be cautious about recruits, and take their weapons for a while to see if they could be trusted.

Aaron then invited them to follow him if they trusted him, and so, he was on his way.

The group had to make a decision then?

Aileen exited the gazebo, and walked back to where she had woken up. Her daypack and duffel were still intact, as far as she could tell. She placed the hammer inside and zipped up the daypack, and stared at it and the duffel.

Could she trust them...?

Aileen was never really the trusting sort. Heck, she had reason to be. In her eyes, very few people liked Aileen Borden at school. It was a fact of life, and she just had to deal with it. But, now she had to make a decision. What would happen if she went with Aaron and the others? A number of things, really.



Could she deal with the death of her classmates if the terrorists reacted?



Could she deal with the threat of her own life being taken away if they noticed something?



What was really the best option?


Aileen stared at the name and number on the bag. G022... that was her, wasn't it? Or maybe it was the number of the... well, anything, really. In which case, she had to make a decision, and fast.

But, she made it. Lifting a bag over each shoulder, she grimaced at the weight. God, this shit was heavy! But, she made her choice.

She looked, and saw that Aaron hadn't actually gone too far yet. Aileen ran as fast as she could with the two bags, trying to catch up.

"Hey Aaron, wait up!"

Some part of her knew that something bad was going to happen because of this, but this was really her best option.

((Aileen continued in My Kingdom For A Plan!))

A speech? Is he for real?

Tom felt bad about it, but as Aaron went through a lengthy speech about sticking together, working as a team, and sticking it to the man, he was seriously tempted to laugh his head off. Did the guy think he was campaigning for student council? Either he was taking this whole leader role way too seriously, or the guy just loved to hear himself talk.

But that wasn't what troubled Tom. The thing that really disturbed him was how unsure Aaron sounded about what the mission objectives were. Right now, all he had was an ideal, not anything concrete. Tom didn't mind following a rebellion, but if the group was just wandering around blindly, they were going to all die painfully. He fully expected that this 'Bounce' person was just as clueless as they were, and by getting her involved, Aaron was putting her at risk too. He had to stop him, somehow slam some sense into him. And if the guy wasn't going to actually think this thing through, Tom was prepared to do the next best thing.

He was ready to have to kill him.

And so, mostly against his will, Tom found himself running after Aaron. He was bound to get in trouble for this, but what other options did he have at the moment? The man was going to get everyone killed, and unless the comic relief stepped up and put his foot down, terrible things were doomed to happen. He couldn't have that, could he?

(Tom Guthrie continued in My Kingdom for a Plan)

Lily blushed lightly, a full smile spreading over her face as the new boy bowed courteously towards her. She raised a hand to her mouth and tittered, looking back at the group. "He's a gentleman, too!" Her gaze was just in line to catch Aaron whispering with Tom, she didn't get it right away but she gathered they were figuring out what to do with so many people. "This is why I don't like being in charge." She reminded herself, leaning over and hefting both of her bags over her shoulder.

Aaron began his speech, and even took a moment to focus on Lily directly. His words were true enough but they sounded bitter and his hands were clenching from what she could see. She made a mental note not to ask him too many questions, it seem'd he didn't like them. "Democracy consists of choosing your dictators, after they've told you what you think it is you want to hear." She mumbled to herself. "Alan Coren said that, not that any of 'em would care much."

As soon as their de-facto leader had started, he had ended his speech and sped off towards the tree line. Casting her gaze to the others yielded a number of different responses, though most did not seem positive. She bit her lip and stood her ground, looking at the others as they left. As much as she wanted to follow them, Aaron didn't seem like he'd last too long as a trustworthy figure. It was at this instant that the dapper boy asked, quite elegantly, if she'd travel with him on his way.

The thought brought a small smile to her lips, he seemed far more worthwhile a companion than the others and with less people they'd be able to travel much faster.

"I think I might just take you up on your offer." She smiled, lifting her bag 'round her shoulder and stowing the small machine gun inside. "So, seeing as I'm still a little out of the loop, feel free to lead on." She laughed politely, waiting for the boy to decide their next course of action.

((Hey, everyone, this is a one-thread limit area, and everyone except Francine had left earlier, so a new one was started. Francine should have been removed prior to Inksword's departure to avoid tying the area up. The characters are being moved by Help and the thread will be closed.))

After a little bit longer, the three remaining students moved their conversation a distance away from the gazebo, searching for a place with better cover.

Francine split off from the group. She wasn't sure what to do. She should probably follow the others. They had a plan, even if their leader was somewhat shaky. She was going to write an agenda. Yes.

((Rekka Saionji and Lily Ainsworth, continued in What She Came For))
((Francine Moreau continued in Woods of Paranoia))