going straight for a few precious minutes, Raine took aim.
But Dan swerved again.
“Gave you all the time I could, friend,” he said, not sounding all that apologetic. “Try again.”
After going right and left, the buggy steadied. And this time Raine fired fast, hitting the rock in front of the sniper. He quickly followed that with another shot, and the sniper was hit, his attempt to hide behind the rock over.
That shooter’s gun tumbled from his hands down to the ravine floor.
“Hell. God
damn.
Not bad, stranger.”
Dan put his own gun back in its holster.
Unexpectedly, he laughed, the sound echoing with the walls so close.
“Welcome to the future!”
The laughter grew louder, uncontrolled, as if it was some amazing sick joke.
But Raine didn’t laugh. Didn’t even smile.
Welcome to the fucking future indeed …
Raine didn’t say anything for a while.
He held the gun, thinking about what just happened. Three … four dead men. In a matter of
minutes.
Who were they? What the hell did they want?
And … what kind of world was this?
Finally, he spoke, raising his voice to be heard over the engine roar.
“Where are we going?”
“Right. Okay. We’re going to my settlement. The Hagar Settlement. My people. Where we live, trade, work, and try to survive.”
“I have a lot of questions.”
“I bet. And we’ll get to them—I told you. But you Ark survivors … heard that you’re kind of disoriented when you get out. You best take things nice and slow. Let
me
start with a few questions … like, what’s your name?”
“Nicholas Raine. Lieutenant Nicholas Raine, United States Marine Corps.”
After he said the words, Raine realized that the thing he was proudest of, the brotherhood of his fellow Marines … perhaps that didn’t even exist anymore.
No.
Probably not perhaps.
Probably … definitely.
“Raine, hm? Don’t get much … rain here.”
Dan laughed.
“In fact, water is kinda scarce. Like a lot of things are scarce. In fact, if it has any goddamn value at all … it’s scarce.”
“What happened?”
“Hm?”
“Here. When the asteroid hit. I mean, are your people Ark survivors?”
Another laugh. “If Granddaddy Hagar was an Ark survivor, I’d never been born. Talk about short life span. Survivors are captured, then killed or used. That’s what the Authority does with them.”
“The Authority?”
“Like I said …
Raine.
Lot for you to digest. Take it in small bits. Just know this … most Ark survivors are gone. Those left,work for
them.
Others tried to escape, but were hunted down. Ones deemed useless—well, they’re really
gone.
”
“Sounds like a nice group of people, your ‘Authority.’ ”
“The Authority runs things. Or think they do. Out here, in the Wasteland, kinda hard for them to have much control. Too many muties, bandits, groups like us.”
“Muties?”
Dan looked over at him. “Okay. You asked about the asteroid? Way before my time. Even before my father’s time.
His
father was here. And he said it was supposed to kill everyone. But something happened. It didn’t do that. Though might as well have, when you look at what was left. That world.
Your
world. Gone. Cities, even—I’ve heard—whole goddamn landmasses.”
“And time …”
“What’s that?”
“The computer said time now was different.”
“Oh you mean it’s off a few days? That sort of thing? Yeah, not the same. Days nearly an hour longer. The asteroid’s strike played with the planet’s orbit. Really messed with the weather, too. God knows what year it is according to your time. We just date things from when the asteroid hit.”
“And muties—what are they?”
“You tell me. The asteroid created pockets of radiation. Where it didn’t kill everyone, some survived, but … they changed. They became like animals. Living together like rat packs. Breeding like crazy. They feel no pain. Not too hard to kill, but there seems to be a hell
But Dan swerved again.
“Gave you all the time I could, friend,” he said, not sounding all that apologetic. “Try again.”
After going right and left, the buggy steadied. And this time Raine fired fast, hitting the rock in front of the sniper. He quickly followed that with another shot, and the sniper was hit, his attempt to hide behind the rock over.
That shooter’s gun tumbled from his hands down to the ravine floor.
“Hell. God
damn.
Not bad, stranger.”
Dan put his own gun back in its holster.
Unexpectedly, he laughed, the sound echoing with the walls so close.
“Welcome to the future!”
The laughter grew louder, uncontrolled, as if it was some amazing sick joke.
But Raine didn’t laugh. Didn’t even smile.
Welcome to the fucking future indeed …
Raine didn’t say anything for a while.
He held the gun, thinking about what just happened. Three … four dead men. In a matter of
minutes.
Who were they? What the hell did they want?
And … what kind of world was this?
Finally, he spoke, raising his voice to be heard over the engine roar.
“Where are we going?”
“Right. Okay. We’re going to my settlement. The Hagar Settlement. My people. Where we live, trade, work, and try to survive.”
“I have a lot of questions.”
“I bet. And we’ll get to them—I told you. But you Ark survivors … heard that you’re kind of disoriented when you get out. You best take things nice and slow. Let
me
start with a few questions … like, what’s your name?”
“Nicholas Raine. Lieutenant Nicholas Raine, United States Marine Corps.”
After he said the words, Raine realized that the thing he was proudest of, the brotherhood of his fellow Marines … perhaps that didn’t even exist anymore.
No.
Probably not perhaps.
Probably … definitely.
“Raine, hm? Don’t get much … rain here.”
Dan laughed.
“In fact, water is kinda scarce. Like a lot of things are scarce. In fact, if it has any goddamn value at all … it’s scarce.”
“What happened?”
“Hm?”
“Here. When the asteroid hit. I mean, are your people Ark survivors?”
Another laugh. “If Granddaddy Hagar was an Ark survivor, I’d never been born. Talk about short life span. Survivors are captured, then killed or used. That’s what the Authority does with them.”
“The Authority?”
“Like I said …
Raine.
Lot for you to digest. Take it in small bits. Just know this … most Ark survivors are gone. Those left,work for
them.
Others tried to escape, but were hunted down. Ones deemed useless—well, they’re really
gone.
”
“Sounds like a nice group of people, your ‘Authority.’ ”
“The Authority runs things. Or think they do. Out here, in the Wasteland, kinda hard for them to have much control. Too many muties, bandits, groups like us.”
“Muties?”
Dan looked over at him. “Okay. You asked about the asteroid? Way before my time. Even before my father’s time.
His
father was here. And he said it was supposed to kill everyone. But something happened. It didn’t do that. Though might as well have, when you look at what was left. That world.
Your
world. Gone. Cities, even—I’ve heard—whole goddamn landmasses.”
“And time …”
“What’s that?”
“The computer said time now was different.”
“Oh you mean it’s off a few days? That sort of thing? Yeah, not the same. Days nearly an hour longer. The asteroid’s strike played with the planet’s orbit. Really messed with the weather, too. God knows what year it is according to your time. We just date things from when the asteroid hit.”
“And muties—what are they?”
“You tell me. The asteroid created pockets of radiation. Where it didn’t kill everyone, some survived, but … they changed. They became like animals. Living together like rat packs. Breeding like crazy. They feel no pain. Not too hard to kill, but there seems to be a hell
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