Chapter 3

"SHE'S MINE!" Atlanta shouted at least a dozen times as they walked through the city of Minion. This was the capitol of the Tribe of Walkers. Crowds gathered to see what Atlanta was talking about. Once they saw the pixie of a woman most lost interest to return to what they were doing when they heard her voice. Valerie was awed that the largest building was two stories high. The city was so small she believed that only two thousand. Everyone seemed to know each other.

Atlanta led Valerie to the Governor's manor to register her. Valerie was still frazzled. Everyone were giants. There were men who were at least a foot taller than Atlanta. She noticed how popular Atlanta was with all the males. She practically ignored all walking past them and into the Governor's manor. The guards didn't challenger her or her captive.

"Atlanta reporting back from my mission," she told the secretary.

"I'll let the Governor know you are here," the elderly woman smiled. "Who is that adorable little girl you have here?"

"Her name is Valerie Parks and she's come from the past. I found her at the edge of the desert. I think she came from a time before the Great War. When I mentioned it, she didn't know what I was talking about."

"The Governor will be very interested to talk to her. He will want to know everything that happened beforehand," she said. "You may go in and see the man right now."

They entered the office. Valerie expected the Governor to have a large desk, plush furniture and carpeting. Paintings or photographs on the wall. It was barren. The desk was large because of the man's eight foot height. Other than that, furniture was spartan at best.

"Welcome back, Atlanta," he held out his hand. She shook it.

"Thank you, sir," she smiled. "Now can I call you Ted since all the formalities are behind us."

"Yes you can," he looked at Valerie. "Where did she come from?"

"Valerie was flying one of those machines that you read in stories. She jumped out when it caught fire and slowly came to the ground in a thing she calls a chute. It is made of the most wonderful material I ever felt. I'm going to have my grandmother make us each a dress out of it. Also I want to register her as my property."

"I'll permit that," Ted grinned. "Tell me, Valerie, were you in combat during the Great War? The one that almost killed everything on this planet?"

"No I wasn't. It must have happened after I went through whatever it was that brought me to this time from my own. We had a war with Iran and we were winning it when they brought me home to be a test pilot. I was flying the latest model that went Mach eleven. I don't know how I ever survived bailing out."

"Mach eleven?" Ted frowned. "Please explain what that is."

"It means that the plane I was test flying was going eleven times faster than the speed of sound. I was ordered only to go as fast as four but somehow I either did something wrong or the plane was defective. I went through a strange shimmering circle and found myself here with Atlanta grabbing and saying I was her property."

"It is for your own safety. If she didn't bring you in, you might have died out there or got eaten by a Dakin."

"Exactly what is a Dakin?" Valerie inquired. "I asked Atlanta but she didn't tell me."

Atlanta broke in, "I wasn't permitted to tell you before I brought you here. A Dakin is a mutant. Half man, half animal. They come out at night to forage for any kind of meat. They are cannibals but they will eat anything they can get a hold of."

"And they are carrions too. Spoiled meat doesn't bother them at all," Ted added.

"Will you register her in my name?" Atlanta asked the Governor.

"Gladly," he smiled.

"Don't I have any say in this?" Valerie snorted.

"If you don't go with Atlanta, you will be auctioned off to the highest bidder," Ted explained. "Outsiders become property of someone. Being Atlanta's pet will be beneficial to you. If you get a cruel master, he might force himself upon you to do some very nasty things that you may not like. I'd go with Atlanta if I were you. Atter two years you can apply for your freedom. Then you will be released and can go with anyone you desire. You might meet a man your own size and prefer him. When your two years are up, you get yourself work, And then you can do whatever you wish to do."

"I know a lot of awful men who would like to get their hooks into you," Atlanta added. "I promise I won't hurt you at all."

Valerie shrugged. If she were to stay, she'd have to be taken care of until she learned all about this culture. Finally, she nodded.

Changing the subject, Ted got down to business. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"No, but I found some traces," Atlanta took out a small canvas bag, She spilled the dust on his desk. Both looked it over pondering what they had.

"That looks like gold," Valerie said, recalling when she was a small girl when her father took her panning for gold for a day. They had found a small amount. It was more for a father/daughter day than striking it rich.

"We think the same," Ted stated. "If we can find more, we can trade with other tribes.

They returned to Tola's house to find that she wasn't at home. "She most likely went out to help a friend or she met someone special and might be haviing fun tonight. Let's find something to eat and take our baths in the hot springs," Atlanta suggested.

"I'd kill for a long nice hot bath," Valerie sighed.

"Kill?" Atlanta questioned.

"That's a harmless term from my time," Valerie explained.

They had bread and some kind of meat that was salted to keep preserved. The sweet water quenched any salt both women ate. Then Valerie followed Atlanta's lead and stripped naked. Only taking her ray gun, she led her through the woods about one hundred yards from the hut to the hot springs.

Atlanta stepped in and immersed herself up to her neck. Valerie followed and almost submerged herself forgetting the differences in their heights. Once settled, they relaxed while looking up at the multitudes of stars."