Cypher stepped through the tent flaps and into the sun, kicking up some red dust on his way out. It was about noon now more or less. He squinted between his upturned hand at the sun as it hung at it highest point in the center of the sky. The air was heating up and getting thick and soon people would be in sour spirits. [b][i]...Time to give them something to smile about...[/b][/i]

The camp was rather large. Under his shelter Cypher had little less than a hundred people and surprisingly, he knew each of them by name. As he made his way through the camp, he would greet each one, giving them a nod hello and a wave. Most of them weren't fighters, merely survivors who had grouped together under his leadership. They'd realized early on that the best way to survive was together. The rule of the jungle was always strength in numbers and in the Red Waste it was no different. There were all manner of people here. Woman and children most of all and of course the men. The majority of them were metahumans and he accepted them all, no questions asked. The rules were really simple enough: The man and woman beside you are your family. Hurt your family and they hurt you. In other words, you fuck with someone and Cypher made sure they fucked you back and you never forgot. The one rule set everyone straight not surprisingly. People learned to treat other as they wanted to be treated and there was very little strife to be had in the camp itself. Not only that but people were indeed well taken care of. There was work to be had as usual. People always needed assistance and were compensated well. He and Doc were one of the few who had access to their food banks where their supply was unlimited. Clean water was easily accessible as well thanks to Shea. As long as his people behaved and worked together, everyone remained well fed and happy.

The camp itself was made entirely of tents, save for where their food and water were stored. Cypher and his people were for the most part nomadic and continued to roam around the country, never settling in one place for too long and ever in search of Cypher's fabled promised land. The tents, situated behind earthen walls, were set up in a short spiral formation around the more important setups. There was Cypher's tent. He'd originally had it propped on the outer perimeter but many insisted he relocate to the center. Then there was the largest tent. Meant for group meetings and Sunday mass lead by himself at times and by their local priest. It was also used to address the individual leaders of Cypher's group. His people, for better organization and communication, were split into smaller groups based on profession. Doc was in charge of those who dealt in the sciences including medicine and the study of all new flora and fauna that they discovered. New creatures of the Red Waste were also categorized creating something of an encyclopedia that was ever changing. Under his leadership and with those hands he had under his employ, their work continued with diligence and was both accurate and as up to date as they could manage. The collection of data had already grown quite large. Shea, Brand and Cliff counted as one body and headed their men and women capable of combat. This included humans and metahumans as the two were always being grouped together. They were in charge of training, making sure that those who would be called upon to defend their camp remained fit. Scouting parties were organized as were patrols and all collective information was passed up the chain until it reached Cypher. Next there was the woman Skylar put in charge of those who were not able to fight but placed their skills to use elsewhere. In a way she had the most to organize having to consider individual jobs to hand out to those who couldn't find their own work, distribution of supplies when Cypher was too busy to handle the task himself and other things. She along with Doc kept tabs on everyone's health and made sure people were well fed. She worked with the triplets to keep up to date with threats and was sure to keep her people informed and as always, she organized lessons for the children with Cypher. Together, they kept things in order and in working condition. Everything functioned as one... like a well oiled clock and every day that clock would be inspected. It was just about time for another inspection.

Up ahead he could already see Doc and Skylar entering the tent. Shea and Brand lagged a little behind and stopped when Cypher came into view. They exchanged a few words before Shea continued inside. Brand waited by the door, nodding a greeting as Cypher stopped in front of him.

[b]"News?"[/b]

"Very important news..." The face he'd been making before was now exaggerated. Apparently Cliff had discovered something big. "First, the herd. Seems we missed the party but not miles East of us was a fairly large group battling the dead. Cliff reported winged creatures, an intelligent wolf... and... " Brand paused and Cypher raised a brow. "The glowing man..."