“To the rescue… here I am… wanting with all of me, for you to…comprehend~”

She sang softly to no one in particular milling about the florida room. “You seem diabolically intent on disparaging that there rastafari Poet’s rhapsody with your retelling of~”

“He’s a Prophet…this is rhema… & You’re listening too closely~” she trilled to him.

“& you, not close enough~” he laughed. “It’s…beautiful, isn’t it?” he whispered.

She looked up from the re-adjustments in her lap into the broiling heat of a closer than anyone ever thought survivably possible sun and grinned. Yes, yes it is, more and more stunning the closer and closer it gets… she broadcasted out from deep within her chest to any and all on the wire whose telepathic upgrades were effortlessly in place.

Want you ta know~ swelled up and danced across the hills like a cloud.

“I’m a rainbow too~” roared softly out of the hearts and minds of peaceably adjusted men, women and kids and up into the skies in response to the call as they worked on their whathaveyous in the open air for twenty- some odd miles.

Not a TV was on in the vicinity of any of them. The hook in the platforms had been un-crooked through no effort of their own. The peace was profound. As was the camaraderie, the kinship amongst Solar pirates chasing the sun.

His hand danced lightly across her shoulder blade. “Almost done?” he asked.

She looked up at him, back down in her lap and gave a slightly rueful smile before she held the readjustments up. “ I think… this is as good as this one is going to get~” she murmured pensively.

“Ten times better than it was retrieved, so I am sure it’ll make someone happy.” he chuckled encouragingly and extended his hand. “May I?”

“Ever the dandy, you are~” she laughed telepathically, folded the readjustments with care and foisted them into his arms. 

He doffed an invisible hat and made his way out of the compound to meet with the Retrievals next scheduled for keeping the perimeter .

“Gentlemen!” The leader of the pack roared in hearty approbation as he and his favorite son of sons arrived to the clutch from different directions, each loaded down with readjustments on offer from their clans. 

The group of thirteen men grinned and bear-hugged one another under the sun as if they’d not seen each other in ages. Yet another effect of the closer than before churning orb hanging low in the sky. Time no longer was the terse God it had once been to those who’d climbed into the high places partroled by the pirates of the sun, no longer a curse as it ran roughshod through the intents and plans of man, now only a blessing of meandering bliss. For them.

“How is she …adjusting?” he asked son of sons softly against his inner ear.

“Better than expected,” he called out to all. “Faster, too. They say possibly one of the fastest amongst those who’d clamored to be freed. It’s… it’s very encouraging.”

“Good!Good…” Irie murmured. “We know how much it meant to you to discover she was indeed not-”

“To the road, my men!’ the Leader of the pack called out from the front. 

Soon enough the paradise of their oasis spun out into the still disconcerting beauty of rice paddies they’d figured out amongst themselves how to make in the aftermath that they picked their ways down two by two until they crossed the threshold that demanded they proceed one by one. As they snaked around the upper reaches of Bell mountain heading down the first of the Sentinels popped into sight. 

Ben Josef and his brother Minks stopped basking in the sun just in time to turn and beam at their comrades as they came around the bend.

Irie cat-called and tossed sandwiches into the free hands of the men as they grabbed forearms with the Gentlemen in greeting.

“Any reports of~” the Leader began.

“ Here? Only one…but it’s a good one. Above, and not below.”

“Above?” the one called Wrecks wondered aloud in disbelief as murmurs shot through the crowd.

“Above,” BJ confirmed, “just not above enough-”

“Then where?” Irie whispered, his heart racing against his will as hope he’d thought he’d let go of throttled through his chest.

BJ looked at his Dude of Dudes, then at his Son of sons. Be ready to brace, just in case, he whispered in reverse inside of S.O.S’s mind. Son nodded and rooted down along the lip of the wilderness.

BJ raised his fist in the air and dragged his pointing finger slowly along the horizon line until he abruptly stopped at what was left of the observatory over at what remained of Griffith Park. 

Irie crumbled against Son of sons.

“We watched them pick their way all the way along the line in the cover of darkness. Can’t be one hundred precent sure, Sir-” BJ said softly but firmly, “but One of them moves as much like you as she always did, Irie- Every Sentinel that saw the clatch all said as much-”

“Irie- No!” the Leader said sharply as the man steadied himself then tried to leap into action. He froze at the sound of the voice of the man who had retrieved him seemingly so long ago. “You stand down. Swap out Minks… and stay with BJ. Son of sons…”

“Yessir?”

“Go get your crazy-assed sister. That is an order.” Lead growled.

“With Pleasure, Sir.” 

Son of sons, Clarity, Wrecks and Fx grasped arms as the older, now ageless men circled around them, lowered their heads in unison and then raised all of their faces to the sun in solidarity, blessing the mission. In a flash they were gone. 

The remaining seven left with Minks with them to swap out the rest of the Sentinels holding the line. 

---

BJ & Irie girded their loins at their post and readied their weapons in case cover fire was necessary.

I’d…given up hope, man, Irie intimated to BJ.

“I Know,” BJ murmured as plain as day. “That’s why I’m glad it was me…that got to see her stomping through things just like her Daddy the way we all used to make laugh at her about until she started whoopin’ our asses just like her Dad too.”

“How many-” Irie started, but his voice hitched in his chest.

How many years has it been? Jah only knows, BJ murmured in his mind. But as for how many was she shepparding? Cluster of eight, including her. With the four of them and you when they make it up here, yall can head back. They’ll grab me on the tailend.

“If,” Irie said contritely, heart laid bare in his face.

It’s her. Regardless of what else comes… it’s her. Don’t worry. Sun is shining. BJ sang inside.

“Weather is sweet~” Irie mumbled softly back.

The mountains sung out in response Gotta have the faith…that chu wanna see~

Dude, yer girl has remade that song in us all. BJ laughed, then abruptly stopped. 

He raised a fist and opened it in far away reply. He and Irie crouched into position, weaponry drawn.

© AngelBrynner 2025