“Buck kept the chopper we used to escape Vegas,” Josh says, and I can sense he’s not keen on returning to that thing.
“Is anyone else joining?” I ask.
“Just us and the spider,” Buck says and gets up. “Grab your weapons and gear before heading out. You know where to find me when you’re ready to leave, Josh.”
He walks out, and I pour myself a cup of coffee.
“I have good news,” River says. “The king is dead.”
I’m relieved that he’s no longer a threat, but I’m mostly sad about the damage he was able to cause. “Are Lyla and Remy okay?”
“Yes, but they still need to sort out who will lead the city.”
I nod. It seems we might have the alliance we were hoping for after all, but I wonder how many died during the coup.
“How did you sleep?” Josh asks me.
“Better than I did in days. How about you?”
“I managed a few hours. I didn't have a normal sleep since those fuckers… since High Hope.”
“If you want to talk about it…”
He shakes his head. “We have Caden to focus on. I spoke with Dino earlier; Timothy gave me the radio coordination. I promised to update him once we’re back from Pueblo.”
I finish eating, and we grab our weapons and bags for the road. It’s a sunny day, with mutants and non-mutants working together in the fields or building new structures across town. We reach the shopping area when River points to a one-storybuilding with a sign forFrankie’s Repairs and Science Things.“Nanny Spider is over there.”
The air is cool inside the shop, with shelves showcasing different instruments and devices; some appear to be from the Before Times.
“It reminds me of Dino’s old place,” Josh says, sounding like the memory is sweet.
At the heart of the shop sits a tall man with a head so large, I can’t help but stare for a rude amount of time. He’s bald, which only emphasizes the size of his skull. It makes his plain face seem narrow, as if someone squeezed it from both sides. He’s wearing a white lab coat as he talks with Timothy about something to do with numbers.
“It does sound worth exploring,” Timothy says. “I would love to assist with your research.”
“I shall consider your request.”
“Good morning, Finn,” Timothy says as we come over. He’s sitting on a tall chair next to a desk packed with small devices. “Frankie, this is Finn.”
Frankie nods, and I try hard to look at his eyes and not at his head. “Timothy Brown spoke fondly of you, both with his words and his tone of voice. His facial expression was difficult to decipher, but I tend to believe it would have correlated as well.”
“Hmm, that’s good.” I ask Timothy, “Are you ready to go? You can also stay here if you prefer.”
“I will continue my journey with my friends, thank you very much. Frankie, I would love to resume our conversation at a later date.”
“Noted. Please reconsider my offer to study your internal systems.”
“No,” River says and picks Timothy up.
We exit the shop and follow Josh until we reach an open clearing close to the town’s southern gate. There’s a chopper there and the largest buggy I have ever seen in my life.
“They rescued me with this.” Josh points at the buggy. “They use it to hunt down Raiders.”
“You guys ready?” Buck calls. He’s wearing a worn green army coat that seems to have been patched together to fit his broad frame.
We come close to the black chopper, and it’s hard for me to imagine something so massive flying through the air. Four missiles are attached to its bottom part.
“I haven’t been in one of these since I died,” River says.
