Origins

“And nearly got yourself killed in the process,” I said.

“I’m hard to kill,” Anna said. She turned to Samuel. “I’m telling the truth. You’ll die without my help. My bike can be stored in the cargo bay until I need to return home. It’s capable of high mileage, so getting home shouldn’t be an issue, even if I can’t find water.”

At that moment, Makara jumped from the Recon and walked up to Anna.

“You are not coming,” she said.

“You are wrong.”

Makara’s eyes cut dangerously at Anna. It looked as if things were going to come to blows.

“I don’t want you here,” Makara said. “End of story.”

“You do want me here. You just don’t realize it, yet. As I was telling Samuel, you will need a guide to get you across the Boundless. Before I moved to Bluff, the Boundless was my home. I survived there for years, even with the hostile Desert Tribes roaming around. Trust me, you’ll want my guidance.”

Makara’s face reddened. Her hand, out of habit, made its way to her holstered handgun. The movement didn’t escape Anna’s eye.

“Don’t even try it,” Anna said. “I’m here for one reason and one reason only. You’ll never make it past the Boundless to the Great Blight without my help. It has nothing to do with annoying you, I promise.”

“We don’t need your help.”

Anna stepped forward, her eyes challenging. “You don’t? Spoken like someone who has never seen the Boundless. Do you know where the Desert Tribes camp? Do you know where to find water? Do you know which mesas are safe to hide behind in a dust storm? A dust storm in the Boundless is a thousand times worse than one in the Wasteland.”

It looked as if Anna could go on, but Makara held up a hand. “I admit, you might have a point. But I promise you this. If you don’t leave voluntarily by the time we reach the Great Blight, I’ll make sure you leave by compulsion. Is that understood?”

Anna gave a slight smile. “If this mission is anything like what Char says it is, trust me; I’ll be out of your hair by then.”

“Fine,” Makara said. “Let’s move out.”

Makara went back into the Recon, followed by Lisa.

“Don’t say anything to incite Makara,” Samuel said to Anna. “If you’re going to be with us for the next few days, I want the trip to be as peaceful as possible.”

Anna nodded. “I know. I’m sorry. I know this is last-minute, but I believe you guys will need my help. But after the Great Blight, you’ll be on your own.”

“We need to get moving,” Samuel said. “We can’t get bogged down on who doesn’t like whom. We have a mission to finish.”

Once the cycle was stowed, the rest of us piled into the Recon and we continued our journey. As the day brightened, the crimson Wasteland fell speedily behind us. It was amazing how fast this thing could go.

“We should be there in a few days, right?” I said.

“Now is the easy part,” Makara said.

As the day wore on, large dunes replaced the flat and rocky ground. It was difficult to pick our way past them. Anna pointed the way. I could not tell how she discerned one dune from the other.

By midday, our progress slowed to a near standstill. We were doing twenty-five miles an hour over the dunes, Makara doing her best to keep us going east.

“We made it to the Boundless,” Anna said. “No trick here, just keep heading east.”

After we slogged through the dunes a couple more hours, I saw a long jagged line in the distance.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Looks like a canyon,” Makara said. “Does it head the right way?”

Anna didn’t answer for a bit. “I’ve never seen it before…”

“You’re the expert here,” Makara said with biting sarcasm. “Are we going in, or what?”

Anna hesitated a moment. “Yeah. Go in. My mind’s eye was just ten miles north of where we actually are.”

I spoke up. “I don’t know if it’s from some book or a movie I saw, but I think going in there is a really, really bad idea…”

No one answered me. Makara headed for the canyon. A few minutes later we entered its gaping entrance. As we headed deeper within, the jagged brown rock on either side rose higher and higher. It zigzagged back and forth, making it difficult to see too far ahead. We were doing forty miles an hour. Finally, we made a turn, entering a long, wide stretch where sheer cliff rose up on either side.

I guessed this might have been a good idea.

Just as I thought that, a bullet splattered into the Recon’s windshield.

Chapter 9

Wild-haired men appeared along the rim of the canyon, aiming rifles down at the Recon. Bullets dinged the metal and cracked the windshield. Makara sped up, weaving through the canyon.

A bullet hit where it shouldn’t have — one of the back tires. There was a pop as the thick rubber was reduced to uselessness. As the Recon ground to a halt, I reached for my Beretta.

“Hold on!” Makara yelled.

Makara spun the wheel, facing the vehicle sideways to our attackers. More bullets riddled the frame on Anna’s and Makara’s side. The other side would offer us cover.

“Get out the other side,” Makara said.

We rushed to get out as more bullets ripped into the Recon’s side. Beside me, Lisa knelt on the ground and snapped a scope onto her sniper rifle. Once done, she put it to her eye, scanning the rim of the canyon on the Recon’s safe side.

“This side looks clear,” she said.

Anna peered through the Recon’s windows to the other side. “It looks as if some of them are coming this way.”

“Who the hell are these people?” Makara asked.

“One of the Desert Tribes,” Anna said. “Not sure which.”

“Really?” Makara asked. “I wouldn’t have guessed that. I thought you were supposed to be our guide.”

“Usually Char keeps this area clear,” Anna said. “Normally, the Tribes wouldn’t attack outright like this.”

“Stop fighting,” Samuel said. “It isn’t helping.”

At the top of the canyon, a man showed himself from behind a rock, aiming his rifle down. My ears nearly split when Lisa’s sniper rifle fired. The man’s head burst like a melon and his body plummeted into the canyon.

Makara looked at the mangled tire doubtfully. “The jack and the spare are both in the cargo bay. If we go in through the back we’ll be out in the open.

“So how do we get that tire out?” I asked. “It won’t fit through the cab.”

Everyone thought for a moment. Thinking, however, was a difficult thing to do under enemy fire.

“We need to get that tire and not get killed in the process,” Samuel said.

“Maybe Lisa can snipe them all out,” I said.

“Yeah?” Lisa said. “By the time I set up a position they will have sniped me out.”

“Not if you’re inside the Recon, with the window cracked just enough to aim your gun out. The glass is bulletproof. As long as you can look out the glass with your scope, you should be safe and able to fire on them. That should give everyone else enough cover to get the tire.”

Lisa thought a moment. “That…might actually work.”

“Get to it,” Samuel said. “And be careful.”