He nodded slowly. "I think I understand."
"Besides, I've spent most of my life holed up in a bunker and I don't think I would ever be able to do it again, not since I've tasted the freedom of living Outside. How about you? Would you consider joining the Knights, wandering around and doing good deeds?"
The pilot shook his head. "I don't think so. I was never a violent person, even before I was drafted. My place is holed up in a bunker doing research. That's my way of helping people, I guess."
"And it’s perfectly valid too," she assured him.
“I think I should thank you again," he said and looked away. "For saving my life. Back in Auburn, you know? Just… Yes, I think that needed to be said."
“Well, consider it repayment for you not shooting me while I tried to help you heal your leg."
He laughed and Mini drove the Minato closer to them from where it had stood a few meters away.
"Human humor dictates that I request the two of you to find a room," the AI stated firmly.
"I…what?" Jessica13 asked and frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Robert7's face turned bright red and his eyebrows raised as he once again looked away. "I have no idea."
Chapter Eighty-Six
It had been a long three weeks of dodging the Knight patrols and staying away from where people had gathered in large groups to debate the next mayor.
Electing someone like Erica8 meant that the previous regime was certainly dead and gone, and they had been more than willing to turn the keys of the city over to the invaders. Whether it was because they were the first ones to break through Alpha Company's shield wall or not was up for debate.
Or it would be, once they were gone and some semblance of normalcy returned.
All he needed to do was wait until the Knights were gone and he could rejoin the new society. People always needed the hard types like Gustav15 to get the more difficult and tougher work done. He had lost his position among the Gene Guard but that didn't mean he needed to settle for being a farmer.
There were a few people in the city who were still willing to house him, and he could stay with them until it all blew over. It couldn't take that long, right?
After a furtive glance around the alley, he moved into the open but remained close to the wall as he moved toward his new home. Or temporary home, at least.
He didn't need to turn to notice the two men following him. They hadn't moved much until he crossed into their line of sight and after that, they had walked at a matching pace with him through the streets and made sure not to lose him while they acted like they weren't following him.
They weren't very good at it and losing them would be simple. A couple of alleys connected ahead of him, and he could use a door to hide and let them pass before he resumed his journey.
Gustav15 timed his movements and slowed until they had almost passed him before he circled and slipped into the narrow street. He caught their sudden change of direction out of the corner of his eye. They were too far away and it wouldn't be difficult to hide and let them run past.
When he twisted to make sure they were still following him, he ran into what felt like a wall. His speed didn’t help and there was no give to the obstacle, and the impact knocked the breath out of him as he dropped on the cobbles.
A large, powerfully built man stared at him. His shoulders and arms were massive and his head looked like it had been recently shaven. A long scar stretched from the crown of his head to his jawline.
He couldn't help a small shiver when he looked into the man's steely eyes, but even more chilling was the sight of a small knife in his right hand.
"You want to rethink this," he said and pushed quickly from the ground. The man was large but he didn't have the training of one of the Gene Guard. All he needed to do was get that knife out of his hands and that would be that.
Someone grasped him suddenly from behind and held his arms back as the scar-faced man advanced on him.
"You should have thought twice about betraying the Knights Mechanica," Scar stated simply.
Gustav tried to evade the thrust but was unable to move as the sharp blade drove into his stomach. A hand clamped over his mouth to prevent his scream as the knife continued to savage his abdomen and splashed blood over his attacker's hands. The assault seemed endless and he couldn’t scream into the muffling hands. It became too difficult to breathe.
He felt like he was held up by the two men when Scar finally brought the knife to his neck and slashed across it.
It was almost a relief and the pain ebbed slowly. He didn't feel anything when he was flung onto the street before the men walked away.
The world had already begun to go black when the weapon that had killed him clattered on the cobbles in front of his eyes.
Love, A, had been inscribed into the wooden handle, barely visible through the blood.
Chapter Eighty-Seven
The train had long since left the rich green countryside. The terrain changed to look more like dry shrubbery that revealed the lack of moisture in the ground or perhaps only the lack of fertilizer. The heat grew more intense as well, indicative of the long trip south they were taking.
It moved quickly. The nuclear-powered trains were capable of moving at high speeds over the longer journeys the New York Western Railroad Company preferred. Slow-moving trains were those usually caught by bandits and raided.
Which was a little ironic, given
