The stillness of the morning was so overwhelming that she thought she would die of boredom. There was nothing interesting to do. She had heard all the songs on her IPod hundreds of times, there was no movie that they had not watched that many times and of course, no new book to read. Her only hope was to wait quietly until someone knocks on her door to trade then she could chat with the mysterious person and pass some time. With that idea on her mind, she sat behind her desk with her black eyes fixed on the small monitor and a homemade breakfast.

Aside from that feeling of boredom, Celeste was enjoying a hearty breakfast in the quietness of her bunker while the rest of New York died slowly under the influence of radiation, lack of food and water, or impaled by the infamous Isabel, so in the end, boredom was a far price to pay for all that peace.

But even the peace of her new home was not enough to make her forget the state of the rest of the world. She knew very well that outside her bomb shelter the city was extremely cruel and sadistic, so it was pointless to go outside. Plus, the sturdy walls gave her security against most of the outside dangers while the solar panels provided the energy needed to run all those little luxuries that the rest of humanity could only dream about.

This was ground breaking. soul touching. Magnanimously awesome. It could part the heavens and make god himself cry with joy.

What, you ask?

Cooperation. Yes, that's right. deck the halls with motivationals, my friends, because this non-holiday season, Roach was fostering the spirit of team work.

How, you ask?

Well, it wouldn't be very ground breaking, soul touching, or magnanimously awesome if we gave that away right here and now, so suffice it to say, he'd gathered some people. They had a goal. That goal was to ruin someone's day. After that was accomplished.... Well... one roach in particular had a goal that wasn't quite aiming so low.

"I want to thank you all for gathering here, today... This task will give us the greatest of bargaining chips in future resource and land use negotiations, so I ask that you please be careful... Also, that you don't shoot it. Don't shoot the nuke. Don't." He looked at the small gathering of minions he'd made himself, and the few other... technical experts he'd invited along. The don't shoot it line was to his minions, who looked at each other somewhat confused.

". . . Seriously... Don't."

Amongst the gathered rabble for this particular endeavor, was one that stood taller than all of them. The red-skinned beauty, the Amazon clad in scrap metal armor, leaned on her trident as she watched her impromptu leader, the creator of the death pits, Mister Bug, give off his elegant speech to the masses that were scrambling and crying for blood. They wanted what they were promised, but they were not going to get it unless they followed the bug’s rules.

Jezebel smirked at his warning to not shoot. Though it seemed like a rather stupid rule that the dullest of people should know as a basic necessity, a quick glance at the gathered group instantly made it apparent that maybe Mister Bug was not so stupid to warn them so adamantly.

Still, though, he was talking too much for her. She wanted to get down to business! She was promised a very special mission on this quest, a mission that could instantly prove to be the death of them all. Jezebel giggled madly at the request because that was exactly the type of danger that she loved; the type of danger that kept her strong…

“Hehehe, I hope there are some dirty magazines in that bunker!”

Jezebel arched a brow as she turned to glance down at the salivating man who was rubbing his hands together in a rather obscene manner. She sighed. If there was one thing that she hated dealing with, it was being around people she figured were lesser than her. And it was obvious that this man was way lesser than her.

“Hey, babycakes,”[/b] she grinned in a sultry manner at the man.

This immediately perked up his attention as he began to twirl his gun around “expertly”. He sauntered up to Jezebel, obviously wanting to impress her with his skill, his swagger, his bloodshot eyes (narrowed into a silly gaze that was supposed to pass for “hot”). He opened his mouth to unleash his first of probably many pick-up lines that had been forgotten since the bombs fell.

But before he could say anything, there was quick motion, a blur of metal, and the sickening crunch of the butt end of a trident finding a new home in very sensitive spot between the man’s legs. The squeal that issued out could have broken glass, but luckily it didn’t last too long. There was only so much air in man’s lungs.

He stumbled over, crying and whimpering, while Jezebel stepped up and placed a large foot on the side of his head.

“Keep your disgusting habits to yourself, and listen to Mister Bug.”[/b] There was a devious glint in her eyes. “Otherwise, next time I do this, it’ll be the other end of my trident!”[/b]

She smirked, blew him a kiss and returned back to listening to the bug. All she needed was the order to attack…

Two eyes peered out of the shadow beneath the hood of the black tarp-poncho. Her grey one had been ruined but the black nylon was actually a good trade off, it was lighter, and made less noise. She also had managed to obtain a Kevlar SWAT vest. and several more knives. In exchange for these wonderful gifts she had traded away most of the extra food and water she got from Roach.

Seyta's gaze shifted back and forth slowly from Roach to the crowd and back. She sat against a large chunk of concrete a few yards from everyone else, all of them just beyond the edge of her field. She wasn't exactly a leader in the group but Roach had promised her a position of power among the small army. How much of that promise still held after she nearly died on him was uncertain.

A small argument in the group caught her attention.

>> “Keep your disgusting habits to yourself, and listen to Mister Bug. Otherwise, next time I do this, it’ll be the other end of my trident!”

Seyta got up and slipped over to them. The man Jezebel had hit was hunched over, but seemingly alright. Seyta had to crane her neck to look at Jezebels face. The more risky part was reaching up and snapping her fingers several times to get her attention without getting hit. "He may be a dumb*** but Roach wants us all alive for this plan. Save the stabbings for the pit...

SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!

Jezebel blinked as she turned to look away from the withering man on the ground. She didn’t know what was causing the sound, but as she turned and heard the snapping, it slowly became just a bit clearer. Her head tilted downward and she concentrated until she seemed to notice someone just standing there. There was a blonde in a cloak doing the snapping, and it was someone that she was sure that she had seen before.

One of Mister Bug’s other minions? More than likely. But if so, why did it seem so hard to place her face?

>> "He may be a dumb*** but Roach wants us all alive for this plan. Save the stabbings for the pit...[/color]

She arched a brow. Of course she had heard all of that but it didn’t mean that Jezebel appreciated it. She was not as stupid as the rest of this rabble so she was not about to ruin plans by killing off their own members before the raid even began. But, the red-skinned beauty managed to bite her tongue. She didn’t need to lash out at anyone right now, definitely not before they even began.

Sneering at the woman in the cloak, she shrugged her shoulders.

“Hmph,”[/b] she responded with a bored yawn. The then gave a sarcastic bow to the woman. “Whatever you say Princess.”[/b]

There was no use in really picking a fight right now, especially when the woman would have probably proved to be unentertaining anyways. So, she would let it go…for now. That woman better hope that Kevlar vest of hers was a good one. Jezebel would not be held responsible for not taking any bullets with her name on them.

“Uuuugggh…” the man, finally having gathered his breath, began to force himself to stand. As he did so, he turned his weak eyes onto Jezebel.

Jezebel grinned and feigned lunging at him. The man squeaked and skittered away, choosing to lose himself within a group of other raiders who were all waiting for Roach’s order. She smirked as she glanced at the blonde again.

“Wha…?”[/b] she asked. “I didn’t hurt him that time.”[/b]

Oh great! Seyta was making friends with Jezebel! He could tell by the way she was snapping her fingers in her face over and over again. It was clear to him that Jezebel was very good at making friends, anyway, so he wasn't really shocked. Maybe they would get to braiding each other's hair after this. He would have to invite them over for tea, or maybe have them duke it out to the death in his pit. Either sounded like a good time, but for now, he needed both of them alive, and not distracted for his master plan.

"MY FAMILY! Quiet down and listen... Now, you know why we are here... We are here to dismiss a lie..." He scanned the crowd... minions... personal hires... and the mindless rabble that had gathered here in response to his radio announcements. Most just watch, transfixed by his presence. It was interesting, being in his position; sheople tended to treat you as if you were something more than a man. Something all knowing and all seeing.

And then there were the ones with half a brain; he knew who they were... He'd already hired them.

"This lie? That certain people are entitled to more than you or I. Now... The bunker I spoke of before is just over this hill... But I happen to know that only two miles to the east, there is a secret back entrance behind a large oak tree! My people! My family! Go forth and find this entrance! Report back to me when you are done!"

The crowd was whipped into an uproar, and quickly dispersed, leaving only five minion bugs, a big red woman, and a small bullet proof vest clad ninja. Of course, there was no tree. Incidentally, there was no back entrance. He just didn't want a mindless mob getting in the way of his objective... Besides, if he got what he wanted, they could have a try at the bunker on their own if they really felt up to it.

". . . Well... They won't be gone for long, so it's imperative we hurry. Seyta, your instructions are in the envelope on the chair next to me... Jezebel, I have yours here. I'll be taking direct command on this mission; I trust you two will play nice?" He didn't wait for a reply. "Good. Now... let's get down to business."

------------------------------------------------

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK....

...

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

Nothing... Oh, right, thick steel door.

BUZZZ-click

He poked the intercom, and slowly leaned in.

"Ohhh... Ohhh, my aching bones..." The voice of an old lady echoed through the door as the knocking persisted... Was a giant cockroach dressed in a large robe that concealed his being entirely so that he could pretend to be an injurred old lady, get Celeste to open the door, and have Seyta walk on in unnoticed to unlock it behind her? Youbetcha.

The written instructions he'd given to both of his helpers had explained just this, and that he expected perfection when it came to this plan.

"Heelp.... heeeellp... Someone heeeelp." His old lady voice was dead on; he'd been practicing.

Even though at first the idea of sharing her shelter had seemed totally absurd, now that everyone had gone, Celeste was hoping their idea of being outside to be temporary. Of course, she would never admit it openly but she really missed her friends, and not just for the extra services she could sell if they were there.
But despite feeling quite alone, that loneliness was a fair price for all the added advantages.
Now she had a comfortable bed with a real mattress and it was all for herself. It was quite different from the sleeping bags they used to use when bedridden Slate was using the bed, and with fewer people, the available electricity had increased dramatically, exactly the same happened with fresh food and hot water.

Since she had more electricity to waste, Celeste had extended the promotion of her products to almost an hour, when before it was of only ten minutes. Still, not even her beautiful voice accompanied by Neil Armstrong performing "What a Wonderful World" managed to attract customers that morning. So, at the end of the scheduled hour, she turned off the speakers and returned to her regular routine. Anyway, if anyone wanted to trade something, everyone knew where to find her place. It was not as if she was riding a Zeppelin or something.

Another advantage of having more energy available was that I could watch movies on your old notebook without having to worry about using too much energy. What once was a weekly ritual, became a daily routine so even when she had watched every movie a hundred times, she still turned on the old computer and played some movies. Just for fun.
At that moment, the battered external disk chirped several times before the next movie in the list started to play. It was "The lion king".

Herbivores and carnivores cheered the birth of a new lion in a very unbelievable scene... Celeste went to the kitchen to prepare something cold to drink with her homemade lemon pie. Even when she did not know a single thing about cooking, she really liked to enter that tiny space because in that kitchen she could imagine the apocalypse had never arrived. It was as if that part of the universe as freeze in time, keeping all the commodities that used to be common before. One example of the many appliances available was the blender she was about to use to destroy something equally priceless: ice.

When she finished using the noisy blender, the film was at her favorite part so Celeste started to sing loudly along with the characters. "Hakuna Matata!" The girl yelled cheerfully when the song reached an appropriate pace. "What a wonderful phrase." The girl repeated in chorus with the talking animals as she poured coffee and cocoa to the mix. The blender started to blend again while the computer tried to surpass its sound. Even so, she continued singing, because she knew the song by heart. "It means no worries for the rest of your days." The blender finished its task at the exact moment that the three animals joined in chorus to end the song and of course Celeste added her voice as she had done since she was ten.

As the song ended, Celeste poured the content of the blender into a tall glass before heading toward her couch. It was when she reached her desk in the reception, mocha frappe in hand, when she saw a person at her door. She took a long gulp from her glass as if that could give her the strength to hold the giant revolver that rested on her desk. Until that moment, she had never needed to use that monstrosity.
Celeste stood beside her desk, holding the heavy revolver tightly as if she could extract courage from that object. She waited. The soft digital bells rang merrily announcing that whoever was on the other side had found the appropriate button. Then, when the tension had reached a point so high that the gun had begun to tremble in her hands, the scared voice of an old woman broke through the small device placed at one side of the door.

Almost without realizing, she had been holding her breath until the woman spoke, so once she confirmed her identity; she left the gun on the desk and began to breathe again in great gulps. It was just a harmless old lady. Almost laughing at the outbreak of paranoia, Celeste walked the few steps that separated her from the door. "One moment please." She said to the intercom.
Moments later, Celeste began the arduous task of turning the octopus shaped crank. She turned it for almost a minute until all the locking bolts retracted to allow the door to open. It was then that the girl pulled hard to create an opening big enough for the old lady to enter or trade. "Hello." She said to the hooded woman.

The door opened! Splendid! Super splendid! He was, like, super jacked up about this! It was as if... all you had to do was reach for your dreams, and you could attain them! He grabbed his side of the door, revealing a very buggy arm, and held it in a much wider open position with a vice-like grip, not opting to enter himself.

"Oh wait, nope, not an old lady." He put on his best salesman routine. "Giant cockroach! Who woulda seen that one comin', am I right?" He shrugged off the blanket/cloak covering him, revealing a painted on business suit; he'd let his minions do some arts and crafts. They did so much like finger painting.

"Couldn't help but notice you came to the door without a gun! But hey, that's beside the point, kid, because do I have an offer for you!" He leaned against the door just enough so that her strength wouldn't be able to close it, while still looking casual.

"What do you know about time shares? If you'll come with me, and watch a short presentation, you'll get a free I-pod nano! But wait, there's more! Have trouble chopping things? Hate it when you are portrayed in black and white while trying to chop things and failing with a sour look on your face? I have the product for you! Want some girl scout cookies? Low fat! We only used four girl scouts in the recipe! Oh! Look at the time! Gotta go! Have a nice day, and don't worry, I won't find a way into your base and kill you brutally!"

That seems like it would be enough time for Seyta to get in, right? Sure! He let go of the vault door, and turned, skipping off merrily.

"Au revoir!"

Seyta stood behind Roach; her job was easy enough but getting into position , even for her, was a challenge. Get through the door when two people where talking through it without getting noticed. Yeah, sure no problem. Her second two tasks where technically easier... Open the door again and keep Roaches kids, minions, things from killing the girl in the bunker. Personally she didn't see a reason to let her live. they where going to take everything weren't they? Still Roach said let her live.

The door opened and Roach stare giving a very cheesy sales pitch. Still she waited until the door had enough space to move. Placing a hand on roach she pushed slightly, enough for him to take a step forwards and slipped past the door frame.

Now that she was inside she glanced around the room quickly. Right now as long as Seyta didn't do anything drastic she could simply walk behind the girl unnoticed. Hopefully there weren't any mirrors nearby. There was a revolver on the counter a few feet away, as well as what looked like an iced mocha. Seyta would have to deal with both of those, one for her own safety, the other, because she damned well wanted a coffee after 3 years of nothing,.

Jezebel remained hidden by debris, listening to the conversation that occurred between Mister Bug and the little twerp that ran the establishment. Her instructions were simple; she was supposed to wait until the bug was clear and Seyta had slipped inside. Once the sneaky woman had managed to open the door, Jezebel was supposed to head in next and steal a certain item that Mister Bug was extremely interested in having. Something that only she would be able to lift and would concentrate the shift of power in this broken down, yet beautiful, world upon the large insect himself.

She had to admit that she was not too keen on the idea of giving Roach so much power, but she did owe the creature. He saved her life, or rather Penelope’s, in the early years and gave Jezebel and outlet for all the bloodlust that had developed over time. So, she could stand to do this task for him, so long as he remembered that she was important to his rise to power.

Pressing back into her hiding place, Jezebel listened as the roach threw his sales pitch at the young girl. It was all only a distraction to get her to open the door long enough for Seyta to slip inside, find a place a to hide, then get the door back open for her. Jezebel kind of shrugged at the idea. There really was no reason for the girl to be alive, Roach or Seyta could have easily dispatched her and they could have gotten exactly what they wanted.

But Roach did have a sick sense of humor so it really was not all that farfetched as to why he would do such a thing.

Still, Jezebel probably could have easily broken down the door. She hated doing things in a roundabout way.

In silence, and hidden from view, the red Amazon waited, running her finger along one of the points of her trident. She was ready to play…

"Hello." The girl greeted the old woman without much enthusiasm while waiting in the doorway... strangely the woman that had insisted so much for her help was now extremely silent and was not moving. It was kind of odd but then something happened that clarified everything. The old woman answered her greeting with a stunning revelation that left the girl paralyzed. The words and his appearance shocked her but the worst was the voice that escaped from that cloak, it was not the sore voice that asked for help one moment ago, but the voice of a man coming from a disgusting roach. It was standing in two feet as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
The giant insect excitedly affirmed that he was indeed a giant cockroach, a fact that Celeste deducted all by herself but anyway she appreciated to hear it from someone else. Maybe by having a worldly name to put to that thing, her brain will process it more easily... sadly that did not happen, the shock was so great that the girl continued to stare at the creature in horror, unable to move at all.

Then, the cockroach commented on the fact that she was not carrying a weapon, which put her even more nervous and aware of the situation. The revolver was on the desk, far from her reach but even if she could run to the desk and take the gun before the cockroach could devour her... Would six bullets be enough to kill that abomination? Probably not... probably, there was nothing on earth that can cope with that creature. How had the world changed to engender giant cockroaches? Nuclear weapons probably had something to do with it.

Despite knowing that there was nothing she could do to escape from that horror and because she could not move her legs or utter a single word, she tried to close the door with the hand that still rested on it... but all her efforts were in vain. The strength of the creature was far superior to hers.
For once the girl wanted to be as red and strong as Venus, she would even accept the awful monkey tail if that was what she needed to close the door in an instant... but unfortunately she never became the mountain of muscles that she needed to be to close that door.

It was very hard to breathe that unfiltered air from the outside, and the terror she felt was not helping to stabilize her breathing that seemed to accelerate even more as she approached to a panic attack.
Her eyes were filled with tears, her hands began to tremble and her legs became unstable like jelly... but then, when she thought that she could not resist any more second of watching and listening to that horrible monstrosity... the cockroach disappeared, of course after cordially saying goodbye.

She stood with her eyes full of tears, staring at the exact spot where the giant cockroach stood one second ago... her brain was still trying to understand how such creature could exist but above all, the mystery of how she was still alive after a close encounter with that terrible monster. Finally, when she decided that she was not going to find any answers from the dusty outside, she stepped into the shelter and pushed the door. Then, with trembling hands she turned the crank again until the door was completely closed.

Her mocha was still on the desk but its content did not seem as interesting as before, however, she remembered the bottle of scotch that Katrina had given her. So without losing a single moment she went to the kitchen to search for the precious bottle. If there was a good time to start drinking, it was after meeting your first giant cockroach.

Roach danced away from the door merrily as it slammed shut. "Oh my! Did you see the look on her face! I would pay for it, but it was priceless!" Oh, what a soft girl she must be, hiding in her little shell. All it took was a tiny little threat, and he was sure her heart was beating like so many galloping racehorse hooves! He wondered how nice it would be to tear that little heart right from her chest. Alas, he had plans for the girl... Plans that didn't involve her dying in horrible ways.

Not just yet, any way.

"Jezebel, you dangerous thing, you! There is no need to hide anymore. Do come out!" Yes, it may have been viable to have Jezebel tear the door down herself... But he really didn't want that door to be open forever. In fact, he was here for one thing, and one thing only, and as long as there wasn't a whole lot of struggling, he would walk in, take it, and go.

Of course, he was referring to the nuke... What had he called it if front of his subordinates? His best bargaining chip? It was so sad that they thought it was true. Then again, if they knew what he was really planning... Heh. "Heh." Opps. That one got out! Oh well, they would most likely just think he was happy his little plan was going well.

"Ahem. I trust you are ready for the task at hand? I've never known you not to be... Well, beside that one time where the child nearly killed you, but we all make mistakes."

Seyta stayed close behind the girl. Without knowing what mutation the girl might have Seyta wasn't going to risk distance, Seyta might be noticed and ruin the plan. The downside was that the revolver was not out of reach as they entered the kitchen.

While the girl searched for who-knew-what in the cabinets Seyta actually looked at herself in comparison to her surroundings. The place was clean and well maintained while Seyta, despite her attempts at hygiene, was coated in a small layer of dirt, dried blood, and various other stains. Compared to the girl, she ran her fingers instinctively through her hair and frowned at the snarls, and the fact that she didn't have real shampoo to use at the pit.

Roach was right, this girl flaunted herself at everyone else in the world. Not directly, but she had set herself up on a pedestal up out of the masses. keeping herself clean and proper and fed while everyone else fought over a gallon of water. Seyta agreed not to kill the girl, but she could get away with teaching her a lesson before letting roach in right? Glancing back towards the counter with the gun and the girl she bit her lip thinking. Her range was about twenty five feet. Was she close enough to grab it and keep herself hidden?

>> "Jezebel, you dangerous thing, you! There is no need to hide anymore. Do come out!"

Jezebel peeked out from the large pile of debris and concrete that she had managed to squeeze herself behind. It was a cramped fit but with some kneeling, ducking, and squeezing, she managed to tuck herself behind it. Thankful, though, that Roach finally allowed her step out, Jezebel stretched up to her full height and returned to his side.

>> “Heh.”

She arched a brow. She knew that whenever he made that sound he was thinking again but she knew better than o ask him anything about what was going on inside his head. It was just a little too scary in there, even for her sometimes. Instead she was simply thankful and loyal to Mr. Bug, the creature that gave her a home and a purpose after the world collapsed into ashes all around her and she lost everyone that Penelope cared about.

A smirk on her face, Jezebel stood before the creature and peered back at the bunker. She had heard so much about that place, all the stuff that the little girl held onto. It made her sick to her stomach that the creature could be so arrogant in this wasteland.

She was looking forward to taking her down a peg or two.

>> "Ahem. I trust you are ready for the task at hand? I've never known you not to be... Well, beside that one time where the child nearly killed you, but we all make mistakes."

Kindly, Jezebel showed the bug her middle finger, then again with her own hand, and brought bite her thumb at him. She really didn’t mean it, but it was a sensitive subject bringing up that near loss. She was arrogant and she let Penelope get too much control of the situation. Next time, oh, next time, Jezebel was going to make sure that Penelope suffered for that. Or at least she liked to think so if they weren’t so connected at the hip.

She grumbled and pushed the thought away.

“Yeah, I’m ready,”[/b] she grinned at the idea of causing more mischief. “As soon as, um, whatever her face is, opens the door, I move in, beeline it for the Nuke, and carry it out to wherever you want. Simple enough,”[/b] she grinned and turned to look back at the bunker. She momentarily flexed showing exactly how muscular and powerful she was.

Oh yes…she was ready…

Once the girl located the precious bottle and a big fancy cup, she moved toward the bedroom through one of the two doors in the kitchen. The other door lead to a corridor which ended in a trapdoor that descended to the storeroom.
Despite the room was big enough to house four more people without problems, the gigantic canopy bed that dominated the huge space was so luxurious and big that everything in the room (even the room itself) looked like miniatures. Even Celeste that had grown considerably in the last three years felt like an insect because of its colossal size.
She opened the curtains with trembling hands, expecting to find the huge cockroach behind but fortunately the bed was empty. The girl climbed to the bed while trying to balance the alcoholic liquid inside the cup.
Once inside, she closed the curtains to create a enclosed environment in which she felt secure. The fabric was not as thick as her concrete walls but they made her feel as if these curtains were impenetrable walls. So despite the impression left by that horrible creature, she managed to relax a little but not enough to stop thinking in the outside world and all its dangers. How could poor people live with giant cockroaches?

Despise she was still fighting with the most fearful events of that close encounter, she managed to relax enough to grab the cup one more time. The alcoholic substance trembled slightly in her hands as she remembered the day Katrina gave her that bottle along with an iPod. Both objects were a token of appreciation for letting Slate stay inside (and use her comfy bed while she slept on the floor) but also a gift to strengthen their friendship. The bottle of Scotch had been left in the kitchen since none of the girls, including herself, wanted to try it while the iPod became her favorite object since that day.
Now, the small device able to play music seemed to be totally useless against her fear... Instead, the forgotten whiskey could help her to forget... if she manage to drink it.

Celeste sat cross legged on the bed, staring at the cup with hope of finding some answers or relief in that strange liquid but without gathering enough willpower to taste it. In exchange, the whiskey glared at her intently, tempting her to drink and forget one of the most traumatic events of her life.