Banished Pt. 01

"Hey, didn't they say that this planet was, like, four times the size of earth or something?" Francesca asked.

"Yeah."

"So, what does that mean for the day/night cycles? Are they the same length of time as earth's?"

I shook my head.

"From what I read, it's a thirty-hour day cycle."

"So, what does that mean? Do we sleep longer?"

I considered the question.

"I assume that the amount of sleep we'd need remains the same. I mean, I know that at the poles, where they have six months of daylight, and six months of night, people still sleep in regular day cycles, but without getting further info from someone who has experience living here, we won't know until we start adapting to the differing cycle."

I took a quick look at the rations, which apparently consisted of various dried bits of food.

Some bits looked like meat, but the others seemed to be slices of random fruit, so I ate a little, then headed off to sleep.

At first, I thought it would be difficult as I tried to get comfortable on the cold, steel floor, but surprisingly, it wasn't long before sleep came to me, and before I knew it, I was being shaken gently into wakefulness.

"Hey. Sorry to wake you," Cameron said apologetically, and I quickly shook off my post sleep stupor.

"It's fine. Has the sun gone down?" I asked, and she stifled a yawn, as she gave a tired nod.

"Yeah. About two hours ago. I tried to look up information about the day/night cycle, but I couldn't find any specific information about what it might be like where we are."

I nodded, as I too had noted that the information available lacked a lot of location specific data, with no maps available to even show us the planet's basic makeup.

It was one of the information gaps that we'd need to fill, particularly for our immediate area.

"You can head off to sleep. I guess I'll wake you when it's time to switch?" I asked, and Cameron nodded.

"Nolan just dozed off, so you can wake him up then as well. By the way, Francesca went to bed just after you did. She said to wake her up when I woke you."

I nodded again, as I looked off to the side, trying to locate her.

The company would be nice, but I guess I could let her sleep for a little bit longer while I got caught up on some research.

I spent a bit of time reading, when I finally noticed Francesca stirring awake, and after getting her bearings, she got up and walked over to join me.

"That survival pack didn't come with toothpaste by any chance, did it?" she asked, and I smirked.

"No luck," I responded, "although there might be something that we can do about that."

"Really?"

"Sort of. I've been going through the catalog, and there's some pretty interesting things here that I think could be really useful."

"Like toothpaste?"

"I'll be honest, toothpaste is here, but its 30 credits for a mini-tube."

"Jesus Christ."

"Yep. But~, we might be able to make our own. Check this out."

Francesca walked over, then studied the projection.

"Seeds?"

"Yep. Almost everything you could possibly think of. I'm not really an expert on growing stuff, but there's artificial light lamps and stuff that we could use to grow things that might not exist here, given the differing conditions we have on earth."

"So, grow our own food? Wouldn't have thought I'd have to go to a whole new planet just to become a farmer," Francesca noted.

"I'm not sure it'd be viable for us to grow our own food, but I don't think it might be necessary either. There seems to be a lot of thriving towns around us. We just need to find a way to break through the communication barrier. What might be profitable, though, is growing herbs and spices; simple but useful things we could trade, and definitely use."

Francesca shot me an admiring smile, and I quickly looked away.

"You're on top of things as always, huh. You know, I've been meaning to ask; what did you do, back on earth?"

"What do you mean? My profession?"

"Yeah."

I chuckled a little.

"I worked for a group of investment bankers," I replied, and Francesca raised an eyebrow at me.

"You're serious?"

"Yeah."

"Well that explains why you're so good with numbers," she replied.

"What about you?" I asked, and Francesca seemed immediately flustered.

"I. uh-"

"You were a student," I guessed, and her face reddened just a little. "I kind of guessed you weren't 'twenty-three' either."

She let out a sigh, slumping down next to the console.

"Fine- I am eighteen, in case you were wondering... I just didn't wanna look like some clueless kid."

I scooted down against the console next to her.

"It's alright. I kind of figured as much," I said, and she sighed.

"Is there anything that you don't 'kind of just figure out'?" she asked, and I chuckled.

"Think of it as the wisdom that comes with age," I replied, and she laughed.

"Age? Unless you lied about your age, you're not that old."

"Hey. Thirty-two is plenty old... especially in millennial years."

"Millennial years? Is that even a thing?" she chided, and I scoffed.

"You kids these days have no idea how easy you have it by comparison, do you?"

"Kid? I'm a kid?! I'll have you know I'm an adult in the eyes of the law."

"Oh, please. Eighteen? You might as well be a baby," I teased. "Have you ever even voted?"

"I... might have," she replied, and I smirked as she folded her arms, and pouted in protest.

"Just to confirm something... how much do you remember about your life, before waking up here?"

Francesca furrowed her brow, dropping her hands to her side as she considered the question.

"I remember everything. Growing up, my family, my neighborhood. My home."

"Hmm. And nothing about this 'project Kepler'?"

Francesca shook her head.

"I don't either, and neither did Cameron when we spoke earlier."

"Cameron, huh... did you guys talk a lot while we were in town?"

Francesca seemed suddenly fidgety, and I took note of the reaction.

"We spoke for a bit, I guess," I replied casually.

"So... what do you think of her?" Francesca asked.

I eyed Francesca, trying to gauge her expression while I chose my words carefully.

"Uh, we didn't really talk that much, but... I guess I'd say, she seems pretty smart."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. She's sharp; picks things up quickly. And she's a good leader too; not too pushy, but she takes charge when she needs to; and everyone pays attention when she speaks."

"Oh? Sounds like you've been paying really close attention to her," Francesca said.

I could feel her eyes on me, observing me with intent as I shrugged in response.

"I've been paying close attention to everything," I replied.

"Even me?"

I looked over, and as our eyes met, Francesca held my gaze.

I was about to reply, when-

*Clang!

We both jumped as the panel which led outside suddenly slid open, and I gasped as a lone figure clambered in.

"You," I muttered, as the light revealed our intruder to be the mystery girl from earlier, and she grimaced as soon as she caught sight of me.

There was a long trail of blood along her left hand, and her right hand, which was holding onto the walls for support, was white and shaking.

She took one more step into the hall before collapsing, and Francesca and I quickly moved to her aid.

We moved her over to the area where our other infirm group member was resting, still apparently unconscious, and Francesca examined her while I rushed outside.

It was dark, and even as I looked over in the direction of where the town should be, I couldn't make out anything save for a couple, scattered, dim lights.

I listened for any signs that someone might be nearby, but after a minute or so, I headed back inside.

After closing the door, I quickly went over to wake everyone else up and relay the situation to them.

Jordan was about to head over to give Francesca a hand with the girl, but I stopped him.

"Before we go over there, there's something I think we need to consider."

I led the group over to the console, then brought up the weapons section of the catalog.

"She's wounded, so someone might be after her. I think it may be time to purchase a weapon, like this," I said, as I indicated to the projection.

"A hunting knife?" Cameron asked.

"It's basic, but versatile. We can use it as a weapon right now, and eventually, later on, if we do need to hunt for our own food, it'll be useful for preparing whatever game we can score. We'll need something for cutting things up anyway, like to turn some of these clothes into bandages. Stuff like that."

"That's true," Nolan said, and Jordan quickly nodded in approval.

"But for twenty credits?" Cameron replied. "That's just as much as every other starter weapon."

She bit her lip, as she deliberated the idea internally.

"Most of those are battlefield weapons, tailored to a specific combat purpose that we aren't even sure we'll ever need. This weapon is our safest choice."

"Okay," Cameron relented, but as I stepped forward to make the purchase, Nolan this time intervened.

"Let me," he offered, and I thought about it, before giving him the okay.

He purchased the weapon, which, materialized with a snug sheath and a convenient belt, for easy carry and use.

Nolan offered the weapon to me, but I instead wrapped his own fingers around it.

"Hold onto it for now," I replied, and he shot a quick glance at Cameron, who paused, then gave a quick nod of approval.

"Put the belt on, and try to keep the blade concealed beneath your shirt," I added, and Nolan cast a furtive look back at our new 'guest', before complying.

After that matter was resolved, we quickly headed over to Francesca who was attending to the girl.

"Who did this to you?" I asked, and she shot me a nasty look.

"None of your business," she spat.

"We need to know if we're in danger right now," I countered, and the group all nodded in agreement.

"No-one's coming, if that's what you're asking."

"Look, we can treat your wounds. We can take good care of you, if you let us," I offered. "But you need to co-operate. At least tell us how you got hurt?"

She shook her head defiantly.

"I'm not telling you anything," she countered, and I clicked my tongue at her in annoyance.

"What should we do?" Cameron asked, pulling me aside.

"I'm not sure, but we need her."

"Do we? We don't know who or what may be on her tail."

I sighed, and Cameron studied me.

"There's something I need to tell you," I began, but before I could continue-

"I'm ready to talk!" the girl suddenly called out.

"Another time, I guess," Cameron muttered, and I gave a quick nod.

Everyone gathered around her, and with all attention on her, she began:

"I'm willing to join your group, but before I do, I have certain demands which must be met."

"Are you serious?" Jordan scoffed. "What position do you think you're in to make demands?"

She looked at Jordan and smirked.

"Because I know more about this place than any of you could possibly imagine."

"And why is that?" Cameron asked, shooting me a quick sideways glance.

"Because I worked for the people who sent us here," she replied.

Jordan plopped down, and Nolan ran his hands anxiously through his hair.

"You work for them?!" Jordan asked, and I readied myself, in case I needed to get between them.

"Worked. Past tense, idiot," she spat, but that didn't seem to make much difference to him.

"Can you undo this, then? Can you make them send us back?" Nolan asked, and she laughed in response.

"There is no back. You morons have no idea what this place is, do you. You weren't sent here to be heroes; you were sent here to die!" she exclaimed.

Panic was beginning to spread through the group.

I needed to defuse the situation, but how?

"Whoa, there," I cut in. "Maybe you should explain a little clearer, so that we can understand."

"I'm being crystal clear," she countered. "The survival rate of otherworlders is less than two percent. That's why you all need me. I know more about this place than anyone. I can raise those odds."

Cameron shot me another look, and I replied with an understanding nod.

I could tell that she didn't want this girl anywhere near us, but I was still certain that we needed her.

Ever since I'd guessed her connection to everything that was going on, I knew she'd be a game changing asset.

"You mentioned demands," I offered, and she shot me a quick glare.

"Yeah. Just one, actually. If I join this group. You leave."

She stared right into my eyes, and everyone looked around with confused stares, before they processed what she was demanding.

"What the fuck? Why?" Jordan asked.

"Not negotiable!" Francesca retorted, but Cameron was now studying me with that peculiar look that I'd seen in her eyes from earlier.

"Why him?" Cameron asked, her gaze lingering on me for some kind of sign.

I let out a long, deep, sigh.

"Have any of you ever heard of the Hare Psychopathy checklist?" I asked, and everyone turned towards me.

"Psychopathy checklist?" Nolan asked.

"It's a list of personality traits and behaviors that psychopaths exhibit," I explained. "If you score more than thirty out of a total possible score of forty, then you can be formally declared a psychopath."

"Yeah, and guess who's got a score of thirty-three on that test?" the girl interjected.

Everyone's eyes turned towards me.

"Is that true?" Cameron asked, and I nodded.

"It is."

"What does that mean," Nolan asked.

"It means, he's a freaking psychopath," the girl answered.

"Wait. Has he ever hurt anyone?" Francesca asked.

The girl shook her head.

"Not as far as his record showed," she replied. "Not yet, at least."

"Then it doesn't matter, right?" Jordan cut in. "It's just a score on a list."

"Yeah," Francesca added, backing Jordan up. "So, he's a non-violent psychopath? Lots of those live normally, right?"

I shot Francesca a quick thankful look, and she smiled, supportively.

But the girl was livid.

"Are you all fucking stupid? He doesn't feel things like empathy or guilt. He'll manipulate you to get what he wants, and betray you without thinking twice! When you all woke up here, what did you feel? Fear? Confusion? Worry? Those are normal, human, responses, but he didn't. He just coldly began calculating what he needed to do to survive."

"How would you know?" Francesca replied, and the girl stared daggers at her.

I let out a sigh.

"Look, guys, I'll be honest about this. She's right about a few things; like, I don't experience emotion in the same way that most of you do, and figuring out how to live here was my immediate reaction to our situation."

Cameron sighed, and everyone looked over with interest, as she finally weighed in.

"I'll admit, I was a bit worried by how quickly Nate adapted to this situation-"

"Exactly!" Casey interjected.

"-but that very instinct has helped us a lot so far," Cameron finished.

"Are you serious? He cannot be trusted!"

"Who the hell trusts anyone right now?" Jordan replied. "Most of us are complete strangers to each other, but we need to stick together to survive. Besides, you're the one who only bothered to look for a group after going off alone and coming back here injured. And you won't even tell us what happened."

The girl was livid, but the group seemed to be in agreement, much to my relief.

"It's far from ideal, I admit," Cameron said. "But under the given circumstances, Nate is an asset to us, and even if he is a psychopath, we trust him right now more than we trust you."

With the discussion more or less over on that note, Cameron pulled me aside for another quick word.

"I really think we should make her leave as soon as possible," she whispered, and I shook my head.

"No. We really need her. I admit, it's risky, but I think she knows that she can't survive on her own. Most likely, if we let her stick around, she'll come around eventually. Besides, even if we make her leave, the damage was done the minute she decided to come here. Making her leave won't stop someone from tracking her here, if that's what the situation truly is."

Cameron studied me, a little nervously.

"By the way, is this what you were gonna tell me earlier? That you're a psychopath?"

I nodded, and she let out a nervous laugh, before studying me.

"Would you manipulate us? Like she said?" she asked, and I chuckled in response.

"If I would, I wouldn't tell you just like that, would I?" I replied, and she let out a long sigh.

"Stupid question, I know."

I could tell that she seemed unsettled, so I decided to offer an explanation.

"I guess it depends on what you think of as manipulation. I mean, technically I manipulated you by hiding the truth, but-"

"-but who the fuck would go around introducing themselves as a psychopath to complete strangers in this situation. Yeah, I get it," she replied, and to my relief, she shot me a quick smile.

Cameron's gaze returned to the group, and her eyes lingered for a moment on Francesca.

"Did you tell Francesca anything before this? About being a psychopath?" she asked, and I shook my head.

"No. You were the first person I was going to tell," I replied, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Should I feel honored?" she asked, and I shrugged.

Francesca caught Cameron's gaze, and quickly came over to join us.

"Hey," she said. "Is everything okay?"

"About as okay as it can be right now, I guess," Cameron replied, and Francesca bit her lip, nervously.

"Did you manage to get a name out of her?" I asked, nodding towards our new, uncooperative tenant, and Francesca shook her head.

"Are you gonna torture it out of her, Mr. psychopath?" she asked, and I chuckled.

"Teasing a psychopath? You're fearless, aren't you?"

Cameron rolled her eyes at us, before looking over to the girl.

"So, what now, captain?" Cameron asked, and I chuckled.

"Captain? I was sure I'd been demoted," I teased, and Cameron let out a sigh.

"As much as that girl wants to think that she's successfully driven a wedge between us, I'd rather not let her think she's won. So, what do we do about our watch?" Cameron asked, and Francesca shot a worried look between us.

"What do you mean? Can't we just go back to how it was?" she asked, and I shook my head in response.

"If her attackers followed her here, then we might all be in danger. We'll need to stay on alert for tonight, and probably relocate tomorrow. I know the three of you might be tired," I said, turning to Cameron, "but it might be best if at least one of you stayed up with us."

Cameron nodded in agreement.

"Nolan can keep watch with you two while Jordan and I sleep; after a couple hours, you can wake me up and we'll switch. Francesca," Cameron said, turning to address her, "you didn't exactly get a proper rest either. So, you can sleep then, and Nate and I will take the rest of the watch until morning."

She looked to me for approval, and I gave a quick nod, so she headed over to Nolan and Jordan to relay the new plan.

Nolan let out a tired yawn, then nodded and headed for the exit panel, as Jordan and Cameron headed back to sleep.

"You know, Jordan went to bed before Nolan did. Shouldn't he take the rest of this watch with us?" Francesca asked, and I smiled.

"You and Jordan were the most supportive when that girl tried to paint me as a villain. I doubt Cameron is gonna leave the two of you alone with me," I replied in a low whisper.

"What? That's not fair," Francesca replied. "You've done nothing wrong," she said, and I shrugged in response.

"It's fine, really. I'm willing to do what it takes to establish stronger bonds within the group."

Francesca frowned, unsatisfied with the response, but there was nothing that could be done.