“But…” Absentmindedly, she kicked aside a discarded but still miraculously inflated football. It went flying into one of the shops beside them. Cyn stared at the smashed window with the edges of sharp fragments. It was a sex shop. Rutger was going to be getting far too many ideas. “Ummm. What we were saying? Oh yes. I just wondered if you’ve ever tried going up Top and killing…” She gulped, and her heart slowed into what felt like a loudthump, thump. Please sayyesto this. “And killing a shitload of Ghoul Lords. Because if you resist the Lure, surely you are the answer we need?”
His sigh was long and his face distorted, as if this pained him. “There were ten of us created. Us three…” He waved at where Lennox and Neo stomped, just ahead. “We stayed in reserve near Big Daddy, the vehicle you seek. Yes, we were there and yes, it was a rather unique mechanism.”
“Are we going the right direction to find it?” Way to drop a doozie of a fact. “Have you told anyone else this?”
“It moved around, so I don’t know where it ended up. No, we haven’t said but if we find it, we will help you use it, if we can. But us as the great destroyers of the Ghoul Lords? I’m afraid it’s a no. Everyone who went up, when they emerged from the stairway at the Top and the sunlight hit them, they slowed as if their joints had become frozen. They shielded their eyes from the glare as if blinded.” He acted it out, held his arm over his eyes as well as he could with inflexible limbs. Vincent inhaled. “We watched it on the drone cam the doctor deployed. They were swamped and killed, or should I say dismantled, within minutes. The stinkers took them apart.”
Fuck.“I’m so sorry, Vincent.” She had nothing of comfort to say, could not fix this, but knew her face showed her grief. This was awful.
He shrugged. “I heartheyhate the darkness; well, we are the opposite. Even the other beasters have that problem. Yourfriends like their sunglasses, yes? The nanites seem to make us light sensitive. This was not a good piece of planning by the doctor.”
“No. It was not.” Though the light did not bother her. She was the only one, again. The different one. “My leg is better.”
“Good. You willstillgo see Willow when we stop.”
Oh my. It was cute he wanted to mother her. Cyn smiled. “You’re a good man, Vincent.”
It mightn’t counter what he’d seen, had happen to him, but at least she could say this.
“I try to be.”
A commotion ahead drew them to look, and she saw that Rutger and Vargr had returned from scouting. After talking awhile at the head of the disheveled column of people, Rutger made a beeline for her. He came to her side and took a few paces before reaching for her hand.
So good to feel him again. The pleasant heat of contact spread through her.
“I hope you’re not stealing my girl, Vincent.”
The rockman coughed out a laugh. “No. No. We have been talking, though, and I convinced her to get herself checked over later. She had a limp.”
“Yes.” He nodded. “I heard it from Willow. I’m sure it’s nothing.” He swung Cyn’s hand like a schoolboy on a date. “Vargr flew ahead to scout our route down to the Rad Zone. A long way down he found a place we are going to visit when we reach it.”
From the devious twinkle and promise in his eyes, she guessed what it might be. “Sex shop?”
“Of course. I saw such interesting things. Also, I have news for you, Vincent.” He leaned forward to speak across her. “We encountered your not-so-nice friends, some of the Adult tribe.Though they weren’t happy you were coming with us, we have permission to pass through the quarter, unmolested.”
Unmolested? “Wasn’t Willow exchanging comms with all the tribes along the way?”
“Not these. They are assholes and would barely speak to us even. Everyone sees the advantage in being one people, except them.”
It wasn’t a good omen. What if more tribes in more quarters refused to band together? No matter how excellent any weapons or strategies might be, they needed a lot more beasters to succeed at taking down the Ghoul Lords.
“I know it isn’t great, but it is what it is. There will be others, Cyn.”
“Yes.”
“The older you get…” Vincent said quietly but in his rough voice, “… the more you learn how people are never the same. It’s both good and bad.”
“Mmm.” She shook her head, still unhappy.
“Here’s something different. Something to cheer you up. Neo over there once ate a piece of Ghoul Lord and survived.”
“What?” She and Rutger stared at him.
“He found it lying on a balcony. We were exploring a distant Quarter some days ago. We are silent and good at hiding when we need to be. Like ninjas.” He grinned. “Anyway, we found a white thing like a bit of an octopus tentacle. And Lennox being the hungry fool that he is, picked it up and ate it before I could say, wait a fucking minute.” He snorted and raised his hands. “He lived. I figured out what it was from a small piece that’d snapped off. I’ve seen the analysis done on a dead one, so I know what they look like.”
She couldn’t help laughing along with Rutger until it struck her where that piece of tentacle had come from. The piece she’ddropped escaping from the Ghoul Lords. Had to be that. Was it coincidence? Of course.
It showed how tough these rockmen were.
