RULE #10

Travel light!

~ The Scavenger’s Handbook

Clearing all the details took far longer than Grey would have liked. To his surprise, the tourists were very well prepared. They had old world maps of the streets and service tunnels within Sector 7 and had mulled over them for hours trying to figure out the best route to the where the fictional shuttle had crashed. The group of noisy teenagers made quite the show of the entire thing and by the end of it, they were convinced he had bought every last word.

Well, too bad for them, but Grey was not stupid and he sure wasn’t blind. The maps and fancy equipment they used to measure distances, were all useless. For one, they were hundreds of years old and for another, he had seen them all before. True, it was quite a long time ago, at that hellish place where he grew up, but he clearly remembered the sign at the lower corner. The one with the small faded letters, which was on every book he had read before becoming a Scavenger: Property of Val Roux Institute©. In the end, they had created more questions for his tired mind to answer.

And of course, there was also the issue with Cake. Bursting in the small room, armed to the teeth and with a fresh bruise on the side of her face, she was quite the sight. The crazy woman had given him a few details, along with a huge amount of words that made no sense. It boiled down to some of Leeroy’s guys had picked up a fight with her. Most of all, she made a huge commotion before Grey could finally get her to shut up and sit quietly in the corner. At least there was some good that had come out of this and that was Leeroy being absent from the room.

He loved the kid, almost like a son, but the greedy face was becoming quite the irritation. Not to mention all the other issues. Grey felt it that sooner or later there would be an altercation the two of them. Something he had been trying to avoid for a long time. But as Leeroy had said, he was not the kid’s father and perhaps it would be best if he stopped pretending to be one. After all, it did nothing to ease Grey’s guilt over what happened to Barracuda and Cantina. And why should he blame himself over that? It was just how life was – make mistakes and you get hurt. Let the pipsqueak make his, and you carry on, old man.

Yes, that was the smart thing to do. Just as it was smart to pack his bags and never come back once this trip was over. Or during, when these Axion brats got themselves killed. Grey only had to make sure that they did not drag him with them.

“Hey, Grey,” Cake stopped her whistling and removed the scope from her eye. “I don’t like this.”

He grunted in agreement and took the valuable item back from her. They had been observing the Du La Hotel ruins for half an hour now and the neatly organised group of tourists. The four he had meat with were busy giving them instructions and direction on how their gear should be packed and whatnot.

“They do have some fancy gear.” The girl placed her sunglasses to hide her mutated eyes and began to chew on a lock of her light auburn hair. “How long do you think before the first one kicks the bucket?”

“Don’t know,” Grey shook his head and surveyed the area around their vantage point.

He and Cake had sneaked out of Leeroy’s bar early in the morning and camped out here to get a better understanding of they were dealing with. Not that the girl grasped the idea at first. To her, these tourists were a source of fresh loot she could take to her junk-nest in a few days. At least Cake had been obedient enough to follow his instruction, which was more than he could have expected. If Grey had to guess, she was trying to impress him.

“Hey Grey,” she pulled on his sleeve.

“What is it this time?” He sighed feeling a headache building up at the back of his skull.

“I was wondering, why did you offer to split the reward with me?” Cake asked all serious with no trace of her usual erratic behaviour.

“Rule number seven, Cake…” He took a deep breath to keep his temper in check.

She could be a sweet little thing when she wanted to, but her constant mood swings and the way she clung to him, were growing worse. Slowly, Grey was coming to terms with the realisation that he was just not good with kids and as some perverted joke, the universe was sending them at him in droves. Case and point, the group of Axion snotty brats, waiting for him and Cake. None of them were over seventeen, if he was not mistaken, although they pretended to be adults.

“Right, right, rule seven… Rule seven…” The girl flipped through the pages of the small notebook she had created from dirty yellow paper and strings and which she kept in a pocket of her flack vest. “Right, here it is! Don’t be gritty…”

“For the love of…!” Grey snatched the item from her hand and read the words scribbled with machine oil on the page. “Greedy,” he hissed at her, “not gritty!”

He returned the item, while Cake’s face switch from anger to shame. Reaching under his bulletproof vest, Grey wrapped his fingers over the small notepad he kept there. He mulled over the idea of giving it to the girl for a moment. It was far too precious item to him and one of his last links remaining to his past. Yes, it was time he let go and moved on. Besides, Cake would need to learn al this sooner or later and it was clear she could not be trusted keeping her own notes.

“Here,” Grey removed the small pad bound with worn-out leather and a sharpened pencil fastened to its side. “Don’t lose it.”

Cake took the item as if it was a religious relic with both of her trembling hands. Her voice was similarly shaky as she worded a quite reverent, “Thank you…”

“All the important things are in there. Try to learn the rules by heart.” He spoke without looking at her, already feeling the loss of the item.

“I will, I promise!” Cake chimed and dove into a hug, burying her face into his chest. “I’ll start practising writing again! Just as you taught me! I mean it this time!”

Peeling away from the girl, Grey looked at her, ready to smack her for being such an idiot. And for lying to him, but he stopped his hand from moving. All he could see was that little lost girl, he had found wandering the streets all alone. In that desolate place of death and despair, she had saved him from the darkness of his thoughts, just as much as he had saved her. Letting out the breath he was holding, he ruffled Cake’s hair on the right side, where it wasn’t shaven.

“Come on, kid, let’s see what fresh hell awaits us.” Grey turned and walked towards the staircase leading off of the collapsed roof.

He could not deal with another show of affection from the girl, but because of this, he missed that she had opened the pad to the last page. He had forgotten that on that night after they had escaped the feral horde, he had written there: Always make sure Cake is safe! With a wide smile on her face, the girl followed after him, whistling a cheerful tune of her own creation.

The moment they saw Grey and Cake approach, the Axion tourists lined up and stood still. That continued for a short while before the four leading them said something and the others scattered, pretending to mind their own business. However, it was impossible to ignore that they were following Grey’s every move. There were also some snide comments about the archaic weapons the two Scavengers had on them. Well, let them, they would learn very soon how wrong they were. More interesting was, the way all of them underestimated the hearing of those who survived on the ground.

Grey, placed a hand on Cake’s shoulder and shook his head. No was not the time to pick a fight. He noted to keep an eye on the girl and make sure she didn’t anything stupid. Quite the task, considering her short fuse, which was made shorter when someone talked about Grey.

“Don’t let them get to you,” he whispered to the girl. “Remember why I called you.”

“There are too many of them for you to keep an eye on everyone.” She quoted back his words, more or less as he had said them.

“And?”

“Don’t bother trying to save them all.” Cake smiled at the last and Grey was having a bad feeling she was going to interpret his words differently once they were out if the safe zone. He would address that when and if it became a problem.

“Good girl. Now shut it and smile.” Grey added quickly as Joshua approached them with a broad smile on his face. The helmet he had on was quite the piece of tech. Pure white with transparent front and rectangular vents at the side of the head.

“Greetings Scavenger,” there was no sign of muffling in the boy’s voice, “I was starting to worry you were not going to show up.”

“I gave you my word,” Grey spoke levelly. He did not like the young man. “That’s something we value greatly down here. Consider this advice and a warning.”

“I understand,” Joshua walked next to him as they came to the others. “But as you can see, we are quite well equipped and prepared. You can relax a little.”

“Grey, can I keep his things when he dies?” Cake laughed at the Axion teen’s comment.

“You know the rules.” Grey couldn’t help but smile behind his gas mask, thankful that it only allowed for others to see his eyes.

Their short exchanged put a scowl on Joshua’s face and the experienced Scavenger could practically hear the word savages that floated in the youth’s head. It wasn’t just him, the three girls that recognised were similarly displeased as their Master Sergeant.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but your friend looks to be underdressed for the expedition,” Heather interjected, hoping to stir the conversation in another direction. “I was left with the impression that the air in Sector 4 is fairly dangerous, because of the radioactive dust.”

Usually, she would be right. Cake had only a pair of old leather pants and a t-shirt on. The only things that could be considered to provide any protection were the flack vest, fingerless gloves and the scarf wrapped around her neck. There was also the filtered half-mask she used when she painted, but that one was strapped to her belt. For comparison, Grey had his cargo pants, hoody and leather jacket on, with the bulletproof vest on top. Combined with the high-grade gas mask, combat gloves with hard plastic protecting his knuckles and hard boots, he looked the part. While Caked looked almost naked.

“She’ll be fine,” Grey shrugged and evaluated those around him with a critical eye. There was no changing the obvious, these teens were cocky and stupid. “Is that the gear you are taking?”

“Yes.” Maité looked at him in a way that showed she did not appreciate his tone. Well, if that was the case, she was definitely not going to like what else he had to say. But first things first.

“Here are some ground rules,” Grey spoke loudly for everyone to hear and waited for the tourists to gather around him. “Once we are on the other side of the wall, you listen to my instructions. If I am not around, you listen to Cake over here.”

The girl waved, while she went from person to person to get a better look at their fancy suits. He couldn’t blame her it wasn’t every day they came across Axion tech. And it here was plenty of it, functioning one was well. However, there was also a more subtle reason for her curiosity. She was sizing them up. Carefully getting a feel for each person’s weight, reach and apparent physical condition. It was a talent few invested in developing, but one which was valuable when travelling in a group.

“We move as four groups, as you are originally divided, keeping about a hundred meters from each group. I’ll be with the lead group, which will change every day. Cake will be the one at the back.” Grey continued to speak, keeping their attention on him.

“Lead marks where we have passed through. In case you get separated or lost – backtrack and try to catch up. It is very likely we are not going to waste time to search for you. Each morning we go up the nearest building and mark a place to use as a gathering spot in the event that we have to scatter.”

“We’ll wait at that location for twenty-four hours, again if possible.” He ignored the bored looks some of them gave him. It would seem that they had gone through something similar, but Grey was taking no chances. “If you are not sure about something, fucking ask me or Cake. Now, the rather important parts. We do not camp while in the tunnels. I don’t care if you are sleepy or about to pass out. When faced with someone not from our group, if they are human try to give a warning shot first. If not – aim for the body. Don’t try to be smart and go for the head. The chances are you’re going to miss.”

“Hey! Don’t touch that!” One of the Axion brats shouted at Cake. She had moved away from the people and to the pile of bags and small crates.

“Grey, this is fucking heavy.” The girl spat on the ground as she dropped the backpack in her hands. By the annoyed look on her face, he guessed it wasn’t just her trying to mess with the tourists.

Grey turned to look at Joshua. “How much does each person carry?”

“A standard exploration kit,” the teen shrugged, perplexed by this line of questioning. “Between fifty-five and sixty-five kilos, depending on the person.”

Cake’s hysterical laugher caught everyone’s attention when the boy finished speaking. She fell to the ground holding her stomach and it took her nearly a minute to calm down.

“Shit, man,” she spoke in between chuckles. “I underestimated you people! It’ll be a miracle if anyone of you makes it alive to day three!”

“Cake,” Grey warned her and turned to the sullen Master Sergeant. “Her manners could use some work, but she is not wrong. Although, I was thinking something along the lines of day four.”

“Scavenger, Grey,” Joshua said coldly, “I appreciate your concern, but this much load is not that big of a deal. We have gone through several months of training back on Axion…”

“Where everything’s nice and safe.” Grey interrupted. He was tempted to just turn and leave, however, he had given them his word that he was going to get them inside Sector 7. The best thing to do right now was to teach them a lesson and deflate their ego. “You and your sergeants come with me and pick your bags.”

“Where are we going?” Elisa asked suspiciously.

“Nowhere special, just to the roof of Du La.” He started walking towards the crooked building with collapsed façade. “Cake, while we get back, make sure everyone has no more than thirty kilos of gear.”

“Sure thing, Grey,” She smiled at him and sat on one of the crates. “By the way, what should I do if they refuse?”

He looked at Joshua and his stone expression. “Actually, don’t bother. Set up some targets instead.”

“Ok.” This time she was less enthusiastic. “By the way, I’m not that good on rounds, so, can I only do half?”

He unslung his backpack and fetched a single magazine worth of rounds, carefully packed in a green plastic box. “Give them a show.” Cake rushed to him and took the offered ammo with a wild grin on her face. Too caught up in loading her F305 modular carabine, she sat on the dirty ground and started singing softly, oblivious by the curious group that gathered around her.

“Let’s go,” Grey said to the four leaders of this so-called tech-hunters.

The first three floors of the hotel were nothing special. Just the usual decrepit interior that could be found anywhere in Véi Dron. But that was because they were a common shelter for travellers and had seen their fair share of maintenance and repairs over the years. No, he was more interested in going through the upper levels and the further up they went, the less stable things become.

Aged concrete slabs moaned and groaned as they walked on them. Floorboards creaked and, in some cases, splintered, which caught Maité and Heather by surprise when the floor underneath them gave way and revealed a ten-meter-deep elevator shaft. But the real fun was when they scaled the unstable walls, where the stairs were missing. Mortar and bricks shed like old skin from the structure and the teens’ looked with horror when they lost their footing or grip and slid back to the ground.

After half an hour they had reached the tenth floor. The Axion brats were sweating and their breaths were laboured, however, they had made it so far. All that stood between them and the roof was to go through the large hole in the ceiling. With some effort and movements mastered from numerous attempts, Grey, bounced off the wall, grabbed the edge and pulled himself up. He motioned for Joshua to follow. Mimicking his moves, the boy launched himself from the wall, but the moment he grabbed the edge, the concrete cracked and the teen fell hard on his ass, peppered by debris.

“You’re next, girl,” Grey pointed at the snickering Elisa. The girl’s smile dropped. Without complaining she did only to meet a similar result to Joshua.

“That’s impossible. You cheated somehow.” She moaned as she rubbed her bruised elbow.

“Ok. Heather, right? Lose the bag and come here.” The young woman in question dropped the cumbersome item from her items and with some effort and a little help from Grey, climbed through the hole. “See, it’s possible.”

“Now, you, four-eyes,” he pointed at the last one. “Remove half of what you have and try it.”

There was hesitation in Maité’s eyes, but she did as she was told. Because, like the others, she was curious. And surprise, surprise, she made it up the edge. He tapped her on the back and dropped back down. Motioning for them to follow, Grey caught each girl as they dangled from the unstable slab and helped them get gown without too much difficulty.

“The extra weight messes with your balance. You start to swing when you catch the edge and exert too much pressure on the concrete, hence it starts to crumble. And this place is one of the more stable ones. We are going to go through places that are kept erect by spit and prayer. Do you get it now?”

“Yes.” All three said at once with sunken faces.

“Good.” Grey stopped at the door and looked at them. “Remember, you are no longer in your floating castle in the skies. You may have shiny gear and fancy tech on your side, but down here, one slip and you’re done.”

As the Scavenger retreated into the darkness of the building, he left with the harrowing words of his mother’s favourite poem. It had haunted his childhood, giving new meaning to the cracked marble statues he walked every day to reach the kitchens. But it had shaped him as the man he was today and if those four were smart, they would not ignore the wisdom contained in those same words.

“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:

Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.”