Chapter 1
Sept 06, mid-afternoon, Montana
“So what's really out there?” Shannon asked, looking east, towards the derelict city. They'd be losing the light soon. Normally, a Scout stayed on the road two or three days, depending on the weather. They were the first line of defense, the eyes that watched for potential trouble near The Vista. This time of year, cities were particularly tenuous. They both wore forest camos and body armor for that reason.
“Honestly,” Ballentyne told her, still leaning on the car, finishing a thermos of twelve hour old coffee. “You probably have a better idea about that than I do.” He'd learned to pace himself. She would too, after about a dozen times of dragging home exhausted from chasing things that weren't there. He'd made it pretty clear he wouldn't get caught out overnight with a rookie and especially not Vista Security's first female rookie.
She snorted sarcastically. “Because of my Team? That's not likely. They want me to learn everything on my own. Security and otherwise.” The 'otherwise' being psychic abilities she shared with her Guardian Team, Wade and MacKenzie. They called it Gen En, genetically enhanced, a term they'd learned from pre-war media. If it was true or not, they didn't have a clue. It wasn't a widely known thing, either, but there was certainly something different at work in them. Wade had created his own security corps to cover their tracks, so to speak, and Mick was one of his trusted few.
“What do you think?” he wondered.
“I think there's more to the world than just us. I think our parents have forgotten that.” Barely seventeen, she had a lot of opinions. Being very smart as well, Shannon was aware not all of those opinions would pan out to be correct. “Someday,” she said, throwing her pack in the back seat and taking the opportunity to stretch. “Some of us should go find out. Unofficially, if we have to.” Tall for a girl, she was lithe and more than pretty; dark hair, fair-skinned with eyes that looked green and occasionally gray. Any day she was on-duty, she carried a pair of Sig Sauer 9mms, left hip and right shoulder.
“Are you going to bring that up to Security Command?” Ballentyne wondered, amused. He towered better than a half foot taller than her. Mahogany skin, black hair and green eyes, he'd been a Scout four years. By next spring he planned to be on a Guardian Team, internal Security for The Vista, rather than driving circles in the mountains. At thirty, he figured he was too old to be doing the hard footwork of a Scout.
“I'm not in Security Command,” she pointed out.
“Wade is, and since you're their Scout, you will be soon enough. So will Mac.”
“You mean because I'm Gen En.”
“That's why you're their Scout, Shan. If Command knows about the Gen En or not, you'd have to ask them.”
She had to agree on that point. They were a secretive bunch.
“I'd be surprised if Wade hasn't already drawn up plans for something unofficial like that,” Ballentyne figured. Wade was moving up fast in Security, hell, rumor had it the Council had offered him a future position. At this point in time, it was just a rumor. “You're driving through Butte,” he told her, back to the business at hand.
Shan groaned. “Really?”
“Absolutely. Concentrate on what you see. There are plenty of places for migrating Nomads to congregate and this time of year the Scavengers are moving. That's why we have specific routes for the cities. Stay sharp and we'll be fine. The only movement we've seen recently is south of here. In a couple weeks, we'll be settling in for the season and it'll be months before you have to go back.”
She'd driven the city with him several times over the summer and figured if she went there a thousand times she'd still never get used to it. Cities were dead, dangerous places and had been since before she was
Sept 06, mid-afternoon, Montana
“So what's really out there?” Shannon asked, looking east, towards the derelict city. They'd be losing the light soon. Normally, a Scout stayed on the road two or three days, depending on the weather. They were the first line of defense, the eyes that watched for potential trouble near The Vista. This time of year, cities were particularly tenuous. They both wore forest camos and body armor for that reason.
“Honestly,” Ballentyne told her, still leaning on the car, finishing a thermos of twelve hour old coffee. “You probably have a better idea about that than I do.” He'd learned to pace himself. She would too, after about a dozen times of dragging home exhausted from chasing things that weren't there. He'd made it pretty clear he wouldn't get caught out overnight with a rookie and especially not Vista Security's first female rookie.
She snorted sarcastically. “Because of my Team? That's not likely. They want me to learn everything on my own. Security and otherwise.” The 'otherwise' being psychic abilities she shared with her Guardian Team, Wade and MacKenzie. They called it Gen En, genetically enhanced, a term they'd learned from pre-war media. If it was true or not, they didn't have a clue. It wasn't a widely known thing, either, but there was certainly something different at work in them. Wade had created his own security corps to cover their tracks, so to speak, and Mick was one of his trusted few.
“What do you think?” he wondered.
“I think there's more to the world than just us. I think our parents have forgotten that.” Barely seventeen, she had a lot of opinions. Being very smart as well, Shannon was aware not all of those opinions would pan out to be correct. “Someday,” she said, throwing her pack in the back seat and taking the opportunity to stretch. “Some of us should go find out. Unofficially, if we have to.” Tall for a girl, she was lithe and more than pretty; dark hair, fair-skinned with eyes that looked green and occasionally gray. Any day she was on-duty, she carried a pair of Sig Sauer 9mms, left hip and right shoulder.
“Are you going to bring that up to Security Command?” Ballentyne wondered, amused. He towered better than a half foot taller than her. Mahogany skin, black hair and green eyes, he'd been a Scout four years. By next spring he planned to be on a Guardian Team, internal Security for The Vista, rather than driving circles in the mountains. At thirty, he figured he was too old to be doing the hard footwork of a Scout.
“I'm not in Security Command,” she pointed out.
“Wade is, and since you're their Scout, you will be soon enough. So will Mac.”
“You mean because I'm Gen En.”
“That's why you're their Scout, Shan. If Command knows about the Gen En or not, you'd have to ask them.”
She had to agree on that point. They were a secretive bunch.
“I'd be surprised if Wade hasn't already drawn up plans for something unofficial like that,” Ballentyne figured. Wade was moving up fast in Security, hell, rumor had it the Council had offered him a future position. At this point in time, it was just a rumor. “You're driving through Butte,” he told her, back to the business at hand.
Shan groaned. “Really?”
“Absolutely. Concentrate on what you see. There are plenty of places for migrating Nomads to congregate and this time of year the Scavengers are moving. That's why we have specific routes for the cities. Stay sharp and we'll be fine. The only movement we've seen recently is south of here. In a couple weeks, we'll be settling in for the season and it'll be months before you have to go back.”
She'd driven the city with him several times over the summer and figured if she went there a thousand times she'd still never get used to it. Cities were dead, dangerous places and had been since before she was
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