This time Finn acted swiftly and folded his arms around Tessa, bringing her in for a more prolonged, more passionate kiss. Tessa began to feel herself melting away. It was funny how they were so focused on surviving the mission that they missed the natural chemistry between them. Tessa was always attracted to Finn. They seemed to understand one another.
After the kiss, Finn held her for a few minutes longer than they both processed their new relationship. He spoke first, “We can’t let this affect our mission.”
“It won’t.” Tessa believed she could keep this relationship separated from their professional one.
“We have to be careful here.” Finn recognized that the relationship might be dangerous if anyone thought he had more influence over Tessa than others. She wanted to structure their group, so she didn’t wield all the power. Tessa hoped that would shield them from those accusations, but they would have to move forward carefully. For now, they would keep the new relationship secret and see where it went from here.
10
Cyclone fulfilled his obligation to help Tessa set up a scavenging raid through the city. She wanted to scout the areas with the highest potential for resources first. Cyclone inform her that downtown area was the most supply rich environment. He prefaced that claim by revealing that area as the deadliest.
The Nightstalker gang held a large chunk of territory downtown and were best known for savage guerilla warfare tactics. Cyclone and other members of the Syndicate gang described firsthand accounts of brutal traps and clever ambushes. The Nightstalkers don’t take prisoners and take heads for trophies. Tessa got the feeling Cyclone tried detouring her from pursuing her present course of action.
Cyclone labeled the Nightstalkers as the most dangerous and unpredictable gang in the Chicagoland area. It surprised him when Tessa seemed unphased by his attempts to detour her. Tessa knew how to handle the Nightstalkers and figured the bully tactic applied here. Pick the biggest guy in the room and take him down first to send a message to the rest. Cyclone and his crew seemed apprehensive, but Tessa remained determined.
Cyclone still tried to change Tessa’s mind, but she already put together a salvage crew. A few jeeps and several scouts on motorcycles should be sufficient. Tessa divided her crew into teams of muscle and brains, and Sam began planning logistics and issuing gear to the volunteers. Tessa had no intention of assigning anyone to the mission. She wanted people to know the risks upfront and volunteer of their own accord.
Cyclone thought her stark raving mad for taking anything with an engine into the downtown region. He suggested she should shout their arrival from the top of the tallest building. She considered the option, and Cyclone nearly crawled out of his skin, thinking she was serious at first.
The team geared up, and Tessa handed out comm earpieces while running through her mission parameters and expectations. She expected an attack and wanted everyone prepared for that eventuality. The goal was to establish contact with other gangs but on their terms. The group would not surrender and would only use deadly force as a last resort. Cyclone continued to think she was out of her mind.
Tessa wanted to bring the Nightstalkers into the fold, and if they began an encounter on hostile terms, they would be unlikely to convince them to join. Tessa took a firm approach regarding any altercations. She was willing to negotiate but caving to demands wasn’t something she would do.
Sam and Tessa took point on two cycles out front. If they ran into trouble, she wanted to be the first to encounter the hostiles. She hoped to spot any potential problem before it was too late, but it sounded like her opponent was clever. She always kept her head on a swivel and on the lookout for traps and ambushes. Tessa was grateful that she had Sam as her second set of eyes. His well-trained eyes might help her spot combatants before engagement.
Cyclone laid out an optimal route to the downtown area and marked off some of the prime locations for supply acquisition along the way. They took a dozen Evos with them and four box trucks. They needed some hands to scavenge and fill vehicles with supplies, but they also needed to ensure optimal protection. Each vehicle carried one scavenger and one protector. The collectors required someone to watch their backs while they collected. This buddy system was how Tessa intended to keep everyone safe.
Cyclone rode his motorcycle in the front with Tessa and Sam, pointing out the first stop along their route, a hospital. The sprawling campus was once a buzzing hub of medicine that now sat as a silent graveyard. The city surrounded them with death and decay. This world crumbled fast once society started breaking down. The cities fell first as people fled to the rural areas to escape the Evos who took the cities by force. The buildings were only skeletons of the past. A haunting reminder of the past.
Tessa sent in two scavengers with their protectors and ensured at least one was fluent in basic medicine. While they waited, Tessa sent the other two teams to a nearby strip mall in search of food, water, or any other necessary supplies. Sam and Tessa watched the vehicles and kept their eyes on the rooftops and on corners.
The scavenger teams returned with full backpacks and arms loaded to the brim with treasures. They unloaded their haul into the trucks emptied packs preparing for the next stop.
Salvaging was second nature to most people. Everyone in
