“I found it!” Miles shout came as a surprise to everyone.
“Found what?” Coal asked knowing the answer would bore him.
“What C.R.T.S. means!” Miles replied in triumph.
“Let me guess. Calorie Rich Testicular Sampling. No, wait, Cancerous…Radioactive…Telemetry…Shit, I’m sorry, I’m just tired. Let’s do this again in the morning, I’ll do better then,” Coal replied
“Continuous Recharging Tire System,” Miles shouted back.
“I was close,” Coal said to Juan as the boy sucked down more broth.
“It’s a series of magnets set into the hubs. It’s designed to supplement power to the batteries when the wheels are moving,” Miles added.
“So we just need to find a steep hill, run this thing down it and we got go juice or what?” Coal asked.
“No, it’s not powerful enough to charge the battery it seems, just cuts down on the power draw from…something called…the self-encompassing solar shell?” Miles replied sounding confused.
“Well isn’t that typical, the fucking SSS messing everything up. Hey, how come this thing seems to work when everything else electrical in the world is totally fucking fried?” Coal asked.
“I got a theory on that, give me a hand over here Coal,” Miles said and awkwardly pulled himself from the vehicle.
Coal stood and shook his head, already regretting having asked the question and walked over to join Miles in the soft red glow next to the space buggy.
“There should be…” Miles said running a hand down the edge of the body while juggling the binder in the other hand, and his hand stopped suddenly.
“Here,” he said, and he pressed a spot on the black body that responded with a click. The old man moved around the frame and depressed five more and then with a heave he pulled the hood forward and up.
“Ok, I take it back, maybe you can learn useful things from books,” Coal commented.
With the hood up the inner workings of the vehicle were exposed, a pair of large rounded electrical motors sat behind each of the wheels. What seemed like miles of multicolored wires ran this way and that in what to Coal looked like a massive rat’s nest. The center of the vehicle was dominated by a set of four huge power cells. Each connected by a series of gold connectors.
“So I’m impressed, it’s nice to see that my new car has bling even under the hood. But how come this isn’t a fused together in a mass of metal and charred plastic again?” Coal asked staring at the wiring skeptically.
“This is why,” Miles replied and held the chem light up to the backside of the hood.
Coal leaned in close, intermixed with the black plastic fibers was a cross pattern that reflected light. Small strips of gold and silver, much like Christmas tree tinsel was embedded throughout the entire hood and apparently the rest of the body as well.
“So you see space is full of radiation, loads of it, just floating around, being blown in by solar winds from deep space. Here on earth our atmosphere and the earth’s polarity help protect us…somehow,” Miles began.
“Somehow?” Coal asked.
“Give me a break I’m a retired railroad engineer with a stack of Popular Science Magazines, not a damn scientist,” Miles replied.
“You get a pass, this time,” Coal replied, and Miles continued.
“The thing is, is that radiation can do some nasty stuff, it can give you cancer, mess with communications and even fry electronics. This vehicle, like every electrical system intended for space, was shielded and designed from the ground up to spend years being pelted with radiation. To survive the trip to someplace like Mars, someplace that doesn't have near the atmosphere that we do on earth. To sit for years and wait in the freezing cold or burning heat for astronauts to arrive and need to take a drive somewhere,” Miles explained.
“So when that blue light showed up and butt fucked the whole planet?” Coal asked.
“It was protected and being behind that big steel door and a dozen feet of rock, well that couldn’t have hurt either,” Miles added.
“So how do we get it charged and when do I get to take it for a drive?” Coal asked with a grin.
“I’m not too sure on that, I got some reading to do, I’m not even sure where the power is supposed to come from on this thing,” Miles said.
The sound of the tailgate crashing down caused both men to spin and look back into the garage in the direction of the wagon. In the light of the dwindling fire, they could just see Kyle stagger drunkenly a few paces and then pitched forward onto the steel grating, apparently unconscious again.
“It was definitely your turn to watch him,” Coal said.
Rory rode back into town just as the sun was dipping below the horizon. Behind him trailed his remaining seven Rangers and an 8th horse carrying Anna, bound and gagged. The group was dirty and tired from the long day in the saddle. Rory led them right up Main Street USA and into the parking lot in front of Murphs. He stepped down first and immediately began yelling orders.
“Ricky take her to one of the private rooms in the back, watch her. The rest of you see too the horses, nobody sleeps or gets drunk until I say so. We still may have some work tonight,” he shouted and walked into the club.
Rory quickly realized something wasn’t right. The bar area was almost empty except for Murphy’s men. Even the whores were sitting around looking bored and a little scared. Rory paused, a man he didn’t recognize was watching him from behind the bar. More than a few eyes fell upon the fresh wound that ran up the left side of his face. Rory had one of his men stitch it up when they had stopped on the trail. He didn’t need a mirror to know that it wouldn’t help his good looks any and would probably require new stitches sooner than later.
“You, who the fuck are you? What’s going on around here?” Rory demanded pointing at the man.
“I’m Mark,” the man said and then swallowed.
“And?” Rory prompted.
“I replaced Allan,” Mark stuttered.
“Who in the fuck is Allan? Is that supposed to mean something to me?” Rory was shouting now.
“Allan took over for Vincent after Vincent got burned up. Then Mr. Murphy got mad and shot Allan this afternoon,” Mark explained terror obvious in his voice.
Rory paused and then admitted. “Oh, that actually makes sense.”
“Where is the boss now?”
“In his office, he asked not to be disturbed,” Mark replied and then added quietly. “Allan’s body is still in there.”
Rory just shook his head in disgust and walked up to the office door. He stepped off to the side as to not stand directly in front of it and knocked twice, before quickly pulling his hand back behind cover. No shot followed, but a faint voice replied.
“Yes?”
“It’s Rory boss, just me, I’m coming in,” the big man said cautiously, and when no reply or gunfire came, he opened the door slowly.
A body, presumably Allan’s, lay just on the other side of the door, his brains covered the wall behind him. Councilman Murphy sat behind his desk in his silver pajamas, the man looked terrible. His cheeks looked sunken, he had big puffy bags under both of his bloodshot eyes. Rory would bet that the man hadn’t slept since he had left town two days ago. A glass and a half bottle of whiskey sat on the desk in front of him. In the councilman’s right hand, he held the nickel plated .45 on the arm of his chair, his knuckles white with a death grip.
“Report,” Murphy said in an icy voice.
Rory took a breath. “Coal shot up our camp last night killed a few of my men, a few horses and scattered the rest. We caught up with him and that double-crossing Scav about sun up this morning. His little gang had some water stashed at a gas station about 10 miles out…”
“Do I give a shit about water Rory?” Murphy demanded, cutting the big man off.
“Did you get the drugs, did you kill Coal and that fucking Scav?” he demanded.
“They killed three of ours we killed maybe six of theirs, they got away but not before we
got something of theirs,” Rory said cautiously.
“Is it their pill stash?” Murphy quickly asked.
“No, but almost as good,” Rory said with a grin.
“Explain!” the Councilman demanded pounding the desk.
“We grabbed his woman. If anybody knows about those pills, it’s got to be her,” Rory replied.
Councilman Murphy leaned back in his chair his eyes went distant for a moment and then snapped back to reality.
“This Scav, Kyle or whatever the fuck his name is, he’ll come back for his woman, won’t he?” Murphy asked.
“He got pretty fired up when you mentioned her during his last visit,” Rory pointed out, and Murphy was nodding to himself now.
“Ok, good. Where is she?” the boss asked.
“Got her in the back, one of my boys watching her,” Rory replied feeling relieved.
“Ok, Ok, did your boys mess her up any on the way in?” Murphy asked.
“No Sir, but after the last couple days they sure wanted to,” Rory replied.
“Ok, well let’s change that. I want you to let three or four of your boys have a go at her. But I don’t want her hurt in any way permanent. No broken bones, no scarring, I just want her spirit broken not her body. No eye gouging, you hear me?” the councilman ordered, and Rory nodded with a grin.
“By morning I want her begging to lead us to Coal, the drugs and that double-crossing Scav of hers. I’ll swoop in, explain it was all a terrible mistake and rescue her from your depravity, like a knight on a fucking white horse. If we play this right, with the good doctor’s help, maybe we’ll look at getting into the medical profession ourselves, open our own little clinic, for profit of course.” The Councilman looked down at himself, seemingly for the first time.
“I’m going to bed, I need to be fresh for the morning,” Murphy said almost to himself.
“Now go supervise, make sure our guest doesn’t get a wink of sleep,” with that the kingpin stormed from the room.
A moment later Rory heard him yell. “Allan, get this fucking body out of here.”
Wrath
Miles slept in the passenger seat of the buggy, the white binder was still open on his chest where he had fallen asleep reading it. Coal lay stretched out by the burned-out fire, the half-breed using his boots as a pillow and sleeping just as comfortably as if had been in a real bed. His rifle lay next to him in easy reach. Juan seemed to have been the only one with enough sense to actually find a bed. He had crawled into the wagon and now slept peacefully on the fold down cot where Pauli bad bled to death just the day before.
Kyle looked around the small camp and felt very confused, not exactly sure where he was or what had happened. He knew he had been hurt, the odd tightness of his scalp, the throbbing headache and the blood stains on the shoulder of his shirt told him all of that. The events of yesterday came back to him in fragmented chunks.
Pauli laying in the cot next to him, her eyes open and unblinking.
Dante screaming, blood pouring down his chest as he fell.
Rory and his men charging over the rise at them.
A sense of dread came over him then like a dark shadow, as if a cloud had momentarily blotted out the sun. The feeling seemed to have a physical weight and Kyle swayed on his feet, he reached out and held the side of the wagon to steady himself. Something had happened, something important he knew, but his thoughts drifted around it. He shook his head trying to clear his mind, he took several slow deep breaths. The pounding in his head lost its edge but didn’t stop completely. His eyes fell upon the row of water-filled beakers next to the campfire and his thirst hit him then.
The Scavenger wobbled towards the fire on unsteady legs, bending down he picked up one of the beakers and drank deeply. He drank like he hadn’t in years, like the water was endless and clean like it was when he was a boy. When his thirst was temporarily sated, he looked down at the almost empty beaker of water. For some reason, he thought of his mother then, but why she came to his mind just now, he couldn’t say. He poured some of the remaining water into his hands, scrubbing the dirt and the dried blood from them. He then poured the remained over his head and ran his hands through his hair and then down his face. The water that now dripped from his head had a tinge of pink to it. Tears began to slide down his cheeks, he squeezed his eyes shut and dropped to his knees.
“Anna?” he choked out.
Coal was awake where lay by the cold fire and watching Kyle intently. The Indian paused for a moment as if considering something and then replied.
“They took her Kyle,” he said simply.
Kyle covered his hands with his face, he took a shuttering breath and then began to sob quietly into his palms. Coal stood slowly and took his time putting on his boots, giving Kyle his space. He had been through something similar himself when his wives had been killed. The half-breed looked up to see Miles approaching cautiously.
“Did you, did you tell him?” Miles asked Coal carefully. The Indian looked up and could tell the old man’s real question had been “What did you tell him?”
“I did, told him how they took her,” Coal replied and then turned back towards Kyle.
“She’s probably already dead Kyle,” Miles said in a measured tone.
The Scavenger’s hands dropped from his face and came to rest on his knees. He ignored the old man’s words, he didn’t even seem to know anyone had spoken. He just stared to the West, back in the direction they had come, back towards the gas station. Tears still rolled down his face, but he was done sobbing, now he was breathing hard, in deep, measured breaths. It reminded Coal of the trembling of a racehorse just before the start of a race.
“What are you going to do Kyle?” Miles asked.
Kyle didn’t answer, he just pulled his magnum from his shoulder holster. He swung the cylinder open and dumped the spent casing, he then pulled his last six rounds from his pocket and reloaded the gun. He stood quickly and started to turn, his eyes fell upon Coal’s rifle where it still lay by the fire.
“I’m taking your rifle,” Kyle said.
Coal looked from the Scavenger down to his rifle and then back. “That rifle don’t go nowhere without me,” Coal said.
Kyle raised the magnum and pointed it at his friend. Then he cocked the hammer back.
“Kyle!” Miles shouted with fear in his voice.
“I’m taking your rifle,” Kyle said again.
Coal looked past the barrel that was just inches from his face, he recognized the look in Kyle’s eyes. It was one he had worn himself on occasion. He knew that the wrong word and a man wearing it could kill without hesitation. Coal also knew enough about the Scavenger to know the man would feel guilty about killing him, but not until later, if he lived long enough to have a later. Of course, the man that shoots you in the head feeling guilty later doesn’t do you much good, Coal considered.
“Ok Kyle, if that’s the way you want it,” Coal replied, and he noted that Kyle’s eyes didn’t soften a bit, he was ready for the Indian to try something, expected it even.
Coal turned his back to Kyle and the magnum slowly. Then he bent down and picked up his rifle, as he turned back to face Kyle again he shouldered the long gun.
“Like I said, this rifle doesn’t go nowhere without me. So where is my rifle going Kyle?” Coal asked, and he and Kyle locked eyes again.
“Your fools, they’ll kill you both,” Miles cut in.
The Scavenger and the scout both ignored him. Coal saw the murder in Kyle’s eyes waver for just a moment, just a brief glimpse of the man underneath. Kyle un-cocked the pistol and lowered it slowly. He very slightly nodded and Coal just nodded back in reply.
“So, where are we going Kyle?” Coal asked again.
“The gas station,” Kyle replied.
“If she’s there, you, well you may not want to see her. Trust me on this, I know,” Coal said.
“I’m going to look for my wife,” Kyle said in a tone that left no room for debate.
“What’ll you do if we find her there? If she’s already dead Kyle?” Coal asked.
“If she’s dead then there is no longer a point, not to any of this,” Kyle said simply. Coal just nodded in reply, he had no doubt that if they found Anna’s body that Kyle would eat his gun in under a minute. Oddly the idea somehow didn’t sit well with Coal.
“And what’ll you do if she’s not there?” Miles demanded.
“Well then I reckon we are going to be taking a trip into town,” Coal said with a grin. “I want to point out that I proposed this plan more than a week ago when I wanted to kill Murphy and Rory before we left town.”
“I don’t care who we kill or don’t kill, I just want her back,” Kyle said turning to face back towards the West.
“Well if you fools are so hell-bent on getting shot to pieces I may as well help you get it over with,” Miles said and when both men turned to look at him added. “I think I figured out how the car works.”
“The car?” Kyle asked.
“Oh you are going to love my new ride, prepare to be super jealous,” Coal said with a laugh.
Miles crawled inside the space buggy, his excitement overcoming the pain in his leg. He scanned the panel of black switches for a moment and then referenced the open binder on his lap. Coal and Kyle stood nearby watching him, Coal’s face held a look of excitement, Kyle’s face was blank, his eyes cold and distance.
“The trick was deciphering what each system actually did. This manual isn’t exactly the most user-friendly thing I’ve ever read. It assumes that the reader is an astronaut and has already been trained, it didn’t even bother to include a glossary,” Miles explained as he looked back and forth from the book to the panel.
“So have you actually seen this thing move?” Kyle asked anxiously, still looking towards the West.
“No, not yet, but Coal saw the panel light up yesterday when we pushed it a little ways,” Miles replied.
“Yeah, it’s got this kinda Christmas tree tinsel radiation armor thing going on, it protected it from that blue light and shit. It’s all very technical,” Coal added.
To Cross a Wasteland Page 39