sure it was safe, he peeked inside and let out a low whistle.
The building was filled with vehicles, from the squat, tan Humvees Ryan had seen some wealthy barons use as heavily modified sec vehicles, to larger tracked personnel carriers and other wheeled vehicles, including two he thought might serve their needs if they were to drive out of here.
As soon as J.B. and Jak were well enough to walk, Ryan and the rest of the group went outside to the garage. The first thing the Armorer insisted on doing was finding out exactly where they were with the aid of his miniature sextant, calculating their longitude and comparing it on the laminated map he carried.
“According to this, we’re on the west side of what used to be Wisconsin, right in the middle of the continent, about ten miles away from the Mississippi River.”
Ryan got right to the point. “Where’s the nearest mat-trans?”
J.B. licked his lips and pointed due west. “On the other side of the river are those jungles of Minnesota, and the nearest redoubt with a working mat-trans.”
Even in the heat, Mildred hugged herself and shivered, although she tried to pass it off as the shadow from a cloud passing under the sun. Ryan knew all too well why that idea didn’t hold much attraction for her. The last time they had visited the steaming rain forestto the west, where they had first found Mildred in her cryo-freeze chamber, they had also encountered a ville of brutal Vikings who had tried to sacrifice the black woman to their pagan gods. Ryan and the others had broken up the attempted murder before Mildred’s blood had been spilled, and they’d left the area soon after.
“Course, that assumes we can ford the river. Even up here it’s pretty wide, and if any bridges are nearby, they’re probably heavily guarded. Take a lot of jack to cross, otherwise we have to search for another way.”
As he leaned on his sword stick, Doc’s eyes roamed the barren landscape before turning to the group. “Everything our stalwart companion has said indicates that going west, young man, does not sound like a suitable journey. Mayhap we can find a more suitable location to use as our means of egress.”
J.B. brought his map close to his face, squinting in the bright light. “Remember Chicago? It’s about four hundred miles away, if the roads hold up.” He held the map out to Ryan. “We cross the state, should be there in four or five days, depending on what lies between us and it.”
“What about mutie women there?” Jak piped up, his mane of hair restrained by a green army cap that shaded his sensitive eyes from the sun.
Ryan grinned at the mention of the underground tribe they’d encountered on their last trip through the nuked city. “I think we’ll have something to dissuade them if they make a play for anyone again. Come on. I want to show you all something.”
It took all of Ryan’s, Krysty’s and Mildred’s efforts to heave the large garage door up enough for them to be able to drive a vehicle out underneath.
Although J.B. had been improving rapidly, the sight of the military vehicles ignited a fire that Ryan was all too familiar with. Adjusting his spectacles, the smaller man wandered up and down the rows created by the parked troop carriers and off-road vehicles, his lips moving soundlessly as he studied olive-drab profiles, weapons systems and mysterious acronyms.
After ten minutes, he emerged, blinking owlishly in the sunlight. “Well, all these were stored pretty well, for what it’s worth. Like to get one of the bigger ones out, but I’m not sure it’ll run. Otherwise, there’s the four-wheel model there, a LAV 150 Commando, that would do the job, especially since it’s amphibious, so we can ford any smaller streams we might come across. It’s only supposed to hold a crew of three, plus two more, so it’ll be a bit cramped, but we’ll manage.”
The rest of the day was spent jockeying the other vehicles out of the cavernous storage
The building was filled with vehicles, from the squat, tan Humvees Ryan had seen some wealthy barons use as heavily modified sec vehicles, to larger tracked personnel carriers and other wheeled vehicles, including two he thought might serve their needs if they were to drive out of here.
As soon as J.B. and Jak were well enough to walk, Ryan and the rest of the group went outside to the garage. The first thing the Armorer insisted on doing was finding out exactly where they were with the aid of his miniature sextant, calculating their longitude and comparing it on the laminated map he carried.
“According to this, we’re on the west side of what used to be Wisconsin, right in the middle of the continent, about ten miles away from the Mississippi River.”
Ryan got right to the point. “Where’s the nearest mat-trans?”
J.B. licked his lips and pointed due west. “On the other side of the river are those jungles of Minnesota, and the nearest redoubt with a working mat-trans.”
Even in the heat, Mildred hugged herself and shivered, although she tried to pass it off as the shadow from a cloud passing under the sun. Ryan knew all too well why that idea didn’t hold much attraction for her. The last time they had visited the steaming rain forestto the west, where they had first found Mildred in her cryo-freeze chamber, they had also encountered a ville of brutal Vikings who had tried to sacrifice the black woman to their pagan gods. Ryan and the others had broken up the attempted murder before Mildred’s blood had been spilled, and they’d left the area soon after.
“Course, that assumes we can ford the river. Even up here it’s pretty wide, and if any bridges are nearby, they’re probably heavily guarded. Take a lot of jack to cross, otherwise we have to search for another way.”
As he leaned on his sword stick, Doc’s eyes roamed the barren landscape before turning to the group. “Everything our stalwart companion has said indicates that going west, young man, does not sound like a suitable journey. Mayhap we can find a more suitable location to use as our means of egress.”
J.B. brought his map close to his face, squinting in the bright light. “Remember Chicago? It’s about four hundred miles away, if the roads hold up.” He held the map out to Ryan. “We cross the state, should be there in four or five days, depending on what lies between us and it.”
“What about mutie women there?” Jak piped up, his mane of hair restrained by a green army cap that shaded his sensitive eyes from the sun.
Ryan grinned at the mention of the underground tribe they’d encountered on their last trip through the nuked city. “I think we’ll have something to dissuade them if they make a play for anyone again. Come on. I want to show you all something.”
It took all of Ryan’s, Krysty’s and Mildred’s efforts to heave the large garage door up enough for them to be able to drive a vehicle out underneath.
Although J.B. had been improving rapidly, the sight of the military vehicles ignited a fire that Ryan was all too familiar with. Adjusting his spectacles, the smaller man wandered up and down the rows created by the parked troop carriers and off-road vehicles, his lips moving soundlessly as he studied olive-drab profiles, weapons systems and mysterious acronyms.
After ten minutes, he emerged, blinking owlishly in the sunlight. “Well, all these were stored pretty well, for what it’s worth. Like to get one of the bigger ones out, but I’m not sure it’ll run. Otherwise, there’s the four-wheel model there, a LAV 150 Commando, that would do the job, especially since it’s amphibious, so we can ford any smaller streams we might come across. It’s only supposed to hold a crew of three, plus two more, so it’ll be a bit cramped, but we’ll manage.”
The rest of the day was spent jockeying the other vehicles out of the cavernous storage
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