watch a farting dog lick himself from 2,000 miles away, just like you were there. But once the Link and linktags evolved the thrill was gone. Why bother with watching a farting dog lick himself when you could be a farting dog licking himself on the Link?”
Harley smiled softly. “A farting dog licking himself? You’ve been a self-pleasuring farting dog then Victor?”
“Shut up.”
“You said it.”
“It was just an example.” Victor looked more defensive than Harley thought he should, but he didn’t say anything. “All I meant is that with the Link reality was, I don’t know, kind of a bore and scye sales died. But then the Federation Marshals found a use for them. Take the same technology, add a kick ass shielding system and you have something of serious potential. One-part personal drone, one-part protector and one-part weapon. It is the elite weapon of the chosen champions of the world.”
Victor grinned and Harley nodded. He wanted a scye badly.
“Stupid name though, scye,” Harley finished his own beer and handed the can to Victor so he could crush it with his bicep.
“Well, what the hell would you call it then?” Victor asked.
“I don’t know,” Harley popped another beer. “Kick ass glowing orb?”
Victor sat back, furrowed his brow and smiled. “Kick ass glowing orb? Kago? You want to call the chosen weapon of the Marshals of the Federation a kago?”
Harley nodded and lifted his beer.
Victor shrugged. “Does have a ring to it.”
With the fire slowly dying, Victor let the scye rise until it floated 20 feet above them. “It will wake me if anything comes within 200 yards. Get some sleep.”
Victor climbed behind the wheel of the truck and Harley took shotgun, reclining his seat and letting it form around his tired and aching body. Beside him, Victor quickly started snoring.
Harley could hear the young man and his children getting comfortable in the back of the truck.
“Dad?” It was the little girl; her voice was barely a whisper.
“What Raiz?”
“That man. Is he a zombie?”
“He’s not a zombie.” Quinlan said and Harley could hear the young father settle in by his children.
“I think he’s worse than a zombie,” the boy named Noah said. Harley smiled and closed his eyes. But he did not sleep for a long time.
In the darkness of the tree line, a man sat on his haunches, watching the truck as those inside drifted to sleep. A mouse danced across his battered boots and he reached down and offered it a sunflower seed. The mouse accepted it and scurried away.
The scye floating above the camp did not alert the deputy to the stranger’s presence, and the stranger watched it for some time with his gray, gray eyes before he turned and slipped into the night.
Chapter Six
Rotting
When Harley opened his eyes, the little girl named Raizor was staring at him. She had climbed through the back window of the truck and was standing on the back seat, leaning over him. Her eyebrows knotted tightly and her chubby cheeks flushed, she looked as if she had only recently awakened. He cursed and sat up.
“She doesn’t think you’re a very nice man.” The boy had also slipped through the window and was now sitting in the seat directly behind him. Harley grinned. A 6-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy had gotten the drop on him.
“I’m not a very nice man.” Harley whispered back.
Dawn was beginning to push at the night and the cloudless sky slowly leeched from black to dark blue. The two children on a hopeless search for their mother stared at him and in the gray of the dying night their eyes were black sockets he could not read.
“Do you think she’s okay? Our mom?”
Harley looked at the boy lost within his own clothing and shook his head softly. “No. I don’t.”
The boy named Noah nodded and bit a quivering lip. A tear slid down Raizor’s face. “We don’t think so either. But Dad
Harley smiled softly. “A farting dog licking himself? You’ve been a self-pleasuring farting dog then Victor?”
“Shut up.”
“You said it.”
“It was just an example.” Victor looked more defensive than Harley thought he should, but he didn’t say anything. “All I meant is that with the Link reality was, I don’t know, kind of a bore and scye sales died. But then the Federation Marshals found a use for them. Take the same technology, add a kick ass shielding system and you have something of serious potential. One-part personal drone, one-part protector and one-part weapon. It is the elite weapon of the chosen champions of the world.”
Victor grinned and Harley nodded. He wanted a scye badly.
“Stupid name though, scye,” Harley finished his own beer and handed the can to Victor so he could crush it with his bicep.
“Well, what the hell would you call it then?” Victor asked.
“I don’t know,” Harley popped another beer. “Kick ass glowing orb?”
Victor sat back, furrowed his brow and smiled. “Kick ass glowing orb? Kago? You want to call the chosen weapon of the Marshals of the Federation a kago?”
Harley nodded and lifted his beer.
Victor shrugged. “Does have a ring to it.”
With the fire slowly dying, Victor let the scye rise until it floated 20 feet above them. “It will wake me if anything comes within 200 yards. Get some sleep.”
Victor climbed behind the wheel of the truck and Harley took shotgun, reclining his seat and letting it form around his tired and aching body. Beside him, Victor quickly started snoring.
Harley could hear the young man and his children getting comfortable in the back of the truck.
“Dad?” It was the little girl; her voice was barely a whisper.
“What Raiz?”
“That man. Is he a zombie?”
“He’s not a zombie.” Quinlan said and Harley could hear the young father settle in by his children.
“I think he’s worse than a zombie,” the boy named Noah said. Harley smiled and closed his eyes. But he did not sleep for a long time.
In the darkness of the tree line, a man sat on his haunches, watching the truck as those inside drifted to sleep. A mouse danced across his battered boots and he reached down and offered it a sunflower seed. The mouse accepted it and scurried away.
The scye floating above the camp did not alert the deputy to the stranger’s presence, and the stranger watched it for some time with his gray, gray eyes before he turned and slipped into the night.
Chapter Six
Rotting
When Harley opened his eyes, the little girl named Raizor was staring at him. She had climbed through the back window of the truck and was standing on the back seat, leaning over him. Her eyebrows knotted tightly and her chubby cheeks flushed, she looked as if she had only recently awakened. He cursed and sat up.
“She doesn’t think you’re a very nice man.” The boy had also slipped through the window and was now sitting in the seat directly behind him. Harley grinned. A 6-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy had gotten the drop on him.
“I’m not a very nice man.” Harley whispered back.
Dawn was beginning to push at the night and the cloudless sky slowly leeched from black to dark blue. The two children on a hopeless search for their mother stared at him and in the gray of the dying night their eyes were black sockets he could not read.
“Do you think she’s okay? Our mom?”
Harley looked at the boy lost within his own clothing and shook his head softly. “No. I don’t.”
The boy named Noah nodded and bit a quivering lip. A tear slid down Raizor’s face. “We don’t think so either. But Dad
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