Miha stood by the window after the morning rush had abated, and Su moved over to stand beside him.

“So?”

“Hmm?”

“How was it?”

“Oh, yeah, it was good… fun actually, I guess.”

“You guess? Yeah, I guess so too.”

“I’m worried, to be honest.”

“I thought you might be”

“Is it really okay for you to put me up like this, to let people see my face. Isn’t it dangerous?”

“Maybe, but life out here is dangerous. There’s no way around it, most of these people will be dead in ten years, or go on and live somewhere else with a bucket full of gold.”

“Is that really an excuse?”

“What are you worried about specifically?”

“I’m worried that AG will come to find me, and they’ll kill you for keeping me, kill the doc for helping me, and kill everyone else just for tidiness’ sake.”

“Well, that is a possibility I suppose, but AG doesn’t operate like that out here.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know AG in the middle of their power, where anything they do is exactly what they wish… whoever they is anyway. The chairman, the board, the shareholders. It’s hard to say who’s getting what… but the fact of the matter is that they open themselves to rebuke if they attack out here. The function of the wasteland and this frontier is to help prevent and to provide early warning of monster incursions, you know. If they took it out they’d be doing themselves harm. They pay us, you know.”

“What?”

“AG, and the other two, along with a smattering of other companies, they pay pest control for their services, they pay me, both directly on occasion, and indirectly through pest control. They pay for monsters killed, the compounds from the monsters, and they pay for relics”

“Oh, right.”

“They depend on us, just like we depend on them. They can’t move against us, because the other companies also use our services. The wasteland is one of the best places you could have ended up… well, except for the possibility of death by monster, or any of the other things out here. Though… I guess you wouldn’t have to worry about that too much.”

“It is still of some concern.”

“Yeah, I guess everybody has to worry about them… who knows… maybe there’s a monster out there who already has linear field, and you’re just a pale imitator.”

Miha smiled wryly

“That would be bad for more than just my reputation.”

“Yeah, it probably would, wouldn’t it.”

“But it’s not just AG… well, it is still AG, but they are good at getting people to work for them… they are a company after all, and like you say, they pay – and they pay well. I’m sure they’ll put a bounty out on me.”

“They probably will… and I’m not saying that it’s going to be impossible that someone will move against you… but how much do you have to fear from random attacks from people like pest control? What do you think of Trip’s threat level? Of his whole team?”

Miha shrugged “Mediate Power array, about 56 spikes each, strong attraction, repulsion, rotation, basic standing field capabilities. I haven’t seen them in coils, but their threat level is comparatively low, though that depends entirely on their skill, even a basic array can trounce an advanced capacitance.”

Su frowned slightly as Miha checked off Trip’s capacitance… but I didn’t sense him scanning Trip… does he have a sensory array too? She thought back to the innumerable black cylinders stuck into his flesh. You could probably fit a sensory array in there, she thought.

“Ahem… yes, well that’s true enough… but I more meant that they aren’t bad people, they’re part of our town, they work with us, they join in on neighbourhood watch, so they rotate through the patrolling duties that keep us all safe.”

“And if everyone decides they’d like a bit of extra cash?”

“Then you’re fucked.”

“Ha”

“But you know, Trip has a bounty out on his head too. So does the Doc… so do I. That’s a lot of the reason we’re out here, you know. We’re opportunists, sure, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t seen and then taken some opportunities that would have been better left untouched.”

Miha’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You have a bounty out on you?”

Su laughed “you wouldn’t believe it if you saw it… but you’d have to trawl through the archives to see it first. They stopped posting it years ago, though I’ve no doubt it’s still active.”

“Hmm… you know, that does make me feel a little better.”

“Good, good. So, now that we’ve cleared that up, how do you feel about going out on a dig?”

“A dig?”

“Yes. I mentioned I was an archaeologist didn’t I? –”

“An amateur archaeologist”

“-yes, well… I’d like to go into the ancient ruins and see what can be found.”

“There’s some around here?”

“Yes. They’re quite dangerous, full of unsavoury creatures… There’s not many people who have managed to find many things within them… but what they have found has been well worth it. Usually I have to go alone, and can’t make it very far… I have to rely on sensory fields to run and hide if anything comes.”

“Oh… so you want some firepower?” Miha did not seem unhappy with this, much to Su’s relief.

“I would like some firepower, yes” Su smirked.

“Dishwasher and point defense?”

“Exactly”

“What are they like? I’ve seen some of the ancient builds before… they’re really something.”

“Yes… these ones are maybe not as impressive as those closer in to the centre of the city, I’ve heard there’s some amazing ones in there… including the one that they found the technology to build spikes inside… But These ones have one advantage over those ruins – they haven’t been picked clean yet.”

“Is this the ‘thing’ you wanted help with?”

“Huh?”

“When we first met… or rather, when I recovered… after I recovered, you mentioned that you wanted help with something?”

“Oh… that.” Su looked at Miha for a moment, considering. “This one’s more of a job than anything. If we find something, you’ll get paid, I’ll get paid, we’ll live another day.”

“Right… and what about the thing you wanted help with?”

Su looked away “I’ll let you know about that. I’m still not sure I want to do it myself, let alone involve other people.” She said, revealing half the truth.

“Hmmm… well let me know, I suppose. I do owe you some for all you’ve done for me. You know, I truly am grateful. Thank you. I hope you don’t come to regret all you’ve done for me.”

“I shouldn’t do! So long as you don’t make me regret it! Speaking of which – back to work! You’re on the clock!”

“Yes ma’am!”

Miha saluted – comically – and then cleared the tables, while Su went to the back to figure out what prep would be needed for the next rush at lunch.