Chapter 59: Pre-Flight Checklist

Chapter 59: Pre-Flight Checklist

You trading, or paying? asked Bill.

Paying.

He rubbed his chin. 3 points.

Seems a little steep. Especially considering you werent able to sell it to him, she gestured at me with a tilt of her head.

I was surprised she had been able to slip into the store without my noticing. Particularly since my senses were in overdrive from the recent bloodshed. She was disguised as a normal waster. She wore worn out rags and cracked sunglasses, along with an old rain poncho shed cinched at the waist with a belt. She didnt have her rifle, it was too big to hide easily and would give her up immediately, but I did notice a pistol and a knife at her side.

She finished her haggling, bought her book and walked outside without acknowledging me. I slid my purchases into my bag, gave a nod to Bill, and walked out. I spotted Leah just across from the store in a nearby alley. I walked over to her, and leaned against the wall.

Leah.

Donovan, she responded in her raspy voice. Her characteristic scar was covered by the rags around her throat. I appreciate you getting the message to your people in Potts. Looks like mine and yours will be working together for a good long time.

I nodded. Looks that way.

In order to formalize things, and maybe do a bit to earn your trust and Potts, I wanted to formally invite you to meet them.

Them?

The Cabinet. The ones in charge of the Remnants.

Theyre here?

She shook her head. No, but theyre going to be in STAR territory soon. You and I are going to rendezvous with them there.

Ill go, but Ill need to pick some things up from my deadzone and take care of a few things first. Give me three, possibly four hours.

Leah nodded and smiled, patting her jacket pocket. Thats fine. I just got a new book to kill time.

Graves took a step forward. New books?

After loaning Graves one of the books Id just bought from Bills, I headed back to my Deadzone. The first thing I did was store all of my excess ammo and books. After that I left a small note about where I was going in a black envelope I left out for Deux or Nico in order to ensure my bases were covered. Then I did a couple passes through the zone, hunting for meat to feed Gus. It wouldve been much easier to simply go back to Jasper, recover some raider corpses, and toss them into a pile, but the image of a deadman dragging human corpses into a deadzone wouldnt exactly help my relations with the settlement nearest to my home.

I slogged to the furthest end of the zone, wading in some swampy mud until I finally found something worth hunting. It was a goose, at least that was the animal it looked the most like, with a thickly scaled neck and wings tinged bright orange. It was roughly the size of a small car. I lined up a shot with my rifle, aiming for center mass, and fired on it. The shot hit true, but instead of killing it, the goose simply whipped its head to look at me, let out an ear-piercing honk, and charged me.

Id taken cover in some underbrush before firing on it, and let out a few more shots before it managed to close in on me. It didnt bite or flail its wings at me, but rather used its neck as a flail, trying to beat me to death with it. Its armored neck smashed through the trunk of a tree as I dodge out of the way, and I drew my shotgun. It swung at me again, and I moved beneath its strike, and pressed the barrel of my gun into the soft down of the creature's chest. I pulled the trigger, and the beasts neck straightened, then fell.

I let out a breath. That thing had been a helluvalot meaner than Id been expecting. I grabbed it by the armored neck and got to work dragging it to the usual spot I fed Gus. I butchered it, taking some of the meat for myself to salt and dry, then when all that was finally done I grabbed my gear, along with the laser pistol just in case, and made my way back to Graves, Leah, and their plane.

They both looked to be roughly halfway through their respective books when I arrived. Leah closed hers immediately and glanced at Graves who held up a finger for us to wait and then slowly put it down, and closed the book.

You ready to fly? asked Leah.

Graves was already loading himself into the cockpit, which seemed to have been built with a person in armor like his in mind. Leah stood looking at me with a single foot into the Shrike.

No, but lets go anyway.

Leah nodded and got the rest of the way in. Buckling herself into the seat next to Graves, and casually re-opening her book, as if what we were about to do was commonplace to her.

I climbed into the seat behind them. Noting that the Shrike could hold at least a dozen people at max capacity, possibly fewer if they were loaded down with gear or wearing armor. I braced myself, strapping into the seat, and felt a gentle vibration as the vehicles engine came to life.