Summoning his own Kevlar, Alvin shrugged. “Well, if we’re not allowed to talk…”
As Alvin trailed off, he and Becky spun around, each with their sub-gun in hand. The three men escorting them were taken completely off guard, allowing the couple to put down one each, before bringing their guns around to the last stunned man.
Alvin smirked as three rounds hit him square in the chest, his Kevlar absorbing all the damage. Together, they put enough rounds through the man who had been ordering them around to kill him before he could fire again.
Putting the guns back on safety so they would reload, they quickly reclaimed their handguns. When Alvin’s hand touched the body to grab his gun, a pop up asking if he wanted to loot the corpse appeared in front of the body. The sound of people shouting was coming from the direction they had been going. Alvin accepted the loot for the three bodies and stuffed it all into his bag, then took off running to the south with Becky hot on his heels.
“Jarvis, bring the Humvee over to us, and get the Mustang ready as well,” Alvin told the air.
“Is he still allowed to do that?” Becky asked.
“If they stop him, then I want a fucking refund on my Power,” Alvin said.
Gunshots rang out behind them and Alvin heard bullets flying past them. Ducking his head, Alvin snagged Becky and pulled her in front of him as they ran. The next few seconds made him happy that he shielded her, as he felt a number of bullets impact his back, a few of them high on his shoulders.
They darted around the corner of the next building as the Humvee came from the east to meet them. They could hear bullets hitting the side of the armored vehicle as it crossed the open ground to them. Pulling the door open, Alvin jumped in and climbed across to the driver’s seat. As soon as Becky had the door shut, he spun the wheel and gunned the engine.
“Get up into the gunner’s spot,” Alvin said. “Show these fuckers what it means to try and order us around.”
“You got it,” Becky said, a vicious smile on her face.
The moment the Humvee was visible again, Alvin heard shots impacting against the armored sides. Letting the vehicle take the damage, he got them pointed back towards the side road near where the main gate had been. The sound of the M240B opening up brought a manic smile to Alvin’s face.
“Take it, bitch!” Becky roared as she emptied the gun in fast bursts at the people shooting at them.
She ran out of ammo at the same time that Alvin got them back to the shop building. One unfortunate person made the mistake of stepping outside at just the wrong instant, only to get thrown back as the Humvee clipped him. Taking the cutoff toward the gate, Alvin briefly wished for the Mustang, which would be flying right now, instead of the plodding forty-five miles per hour the Humvee was managing at the moment.
The moment they hit the main street for the gates, more gunfire hit them from behind. Becky ducked down, waiting for the machine gun to reload. Keeping her eyes on the ammo box, Becky was impatient as she waited for the belt to reappear. As soon as she saw the fully-laden belt going from the box to the gun again, she got back into position and began to return fire.
“Hang on!” Alvin screamed, hoping she could hear him over the sound of the roaring diesel. He twisted the wheel to help mitigate the collision, but the Humvee still slammed hard into the truck that had been parked to block the gate.
Becky only vaguely heard him yell and braced, which stopped her from being thrown around like a rag doll, but she was still slammed into the side of the pintle. She could feel a bruise forming on her ribs as she got the gun back on target and resumed firing as he sped away.
“Jarvis, I’m going to need a path,” Alvin screamed.
“The way to the forest is south, sir, but that isn’t what you’re asking for, is it?” Jarvis’ voice was calm and even, but clearly audible to Alvin, despite the noise level.
Becky dropped down next to Alvin and yelled at him from inches away. “They have a truck after us with a gun mounted on it.”
“Dissuade them,” Alvin yelled back.
Becky nodded and waited for the ammo to reload before she got back into position. The sound of bullets hitting the Humvee increased as Alvin sped them along the road. The glimpse of a lake to the north gave Alvin an idea.
“Jarvis, plot a course north as close to the lake as you can get us on a road!” Alvin screamed at the AI.
“As you command,” Jarvis said. “Continue on this road until you pass the bunkers. The road will tee; turn north at that point.”
Becky jumped up and began firing at the truck behind them. She snarled when she noticed the lack of damage she was doing. “Jarvis, what the fuck!?”
“The truck conforms to the rules of the world, miss,” Jarvis said simply.
“Can’t break them down,” Becky hissed as she pulled her aim from the grill up to the gunner, “but I can probably kill that fucker.”
The truck swerved slightly when she began shooting at the gunner. It was enough for her to see the other vehicles chasing after the truck. Another yell from Alvin made her brace again, and this time, she wasn’t tossed around when he took a hard left. Getting the gun back on target as the truck came skidding out after them, she fired the last of the belt into their wheels. Laughing as she saw the vehicle go out of control, she dropped back inside while the gun reloaded.
“One truck is down, but there are others. What’s the plan?”
Alvin motioned at the lake and the sand off to the left. “Going to see if my idea pays off,” Alvin shouted to her. “Strap in, just in case this goes badly.”
“But I can keep them off us,” Becky yelled back at him.
“Stay safe then,” Alvin told her.
Climbing back into the gunner’s spot, Becky waited the last few seconds for the reload, then grabbed the gun and stuck her head up. Six trucks of various makes were hot on their heels, as the Humvee had very little speed.
“Jarvis,” Alvin said, not yelling this time, “get the Mustang after us. I want it to pit these guys.”
“En route, sir,” Jarvis replied. “Permission to damage the vehicle as needed?”
“Granted,” Alvin said as he looked down at the speedometer, which wasn’t going higher than fifty-five miles per hour. “If I had used Ruffian, we would be gone already,” he muttered.
Becky opened up on the six trucks, aiming for the tires. One of the remaining vehicles had a mounted gun, but all of the trucks had people hanging out windows shooting at them. The sound of pings off the Humvee was really starting to grate on both of their nerves.
By the time she ran out of ammo again, she had crippled two of the trucks. As she ducked back down, she could see Ruffian making the turn in the road, where it slammed into one of the people who had been in the first truck. Becky let out a whoop as she ducked back into the cab.
“Jarvis is on his way. He just tumbled someone from the first truck, and I took out two of the ones still chasing us. Tires seem to be a major weak point.”
Alvin recalled he hadn’t opted for the tire upgrade, due to lack of XP. If the Humvee tires got taken out, it would be bad. “Jarvis, store, I need a Tires rune.” As he called out for it, a pad appeared just to his side, floating in mid-air.
Becky grabbed it, put the rune into the cart and held it out for Alvin, who tapped it. The pad vanished and the rune dropped into his lap. Becky grabbed it, touching it to the dash. Letting out a curse, she held it out to Alvin, “You have to because it’s your vehicle.”
Snatching it from Becky, Alvin slapped it to the dash and accepted it being added to the vehicle. He was none too soon—at that moment, one of the tires was shot. The Humvee started to slide, but the rune had the tire healed and good to go immediately.
“Get back on them, Jarvis is going to try and drive them into the sand,” Alvin yelled.
Becky didn’t reply, but went back into the gunner’s position and popped her head up. The remaining four trucks were catching up fast on the open stretch of road. Taking
aim at the closest truck’s tires, Becky pulled the trigger. The smell of heating metal began to catch her attention, and she realized she would have to let the gun rest longer than the ten seconds it took to reload, if she continued to empty the box as fast as she had been.
Alvin looked toward the lake, seeing the railroad tracks and a couple of dirt paths made by various vehicles over the years. His plan required that he get the trucks following him off the road, as he hoped the soft dirt would screw with them.
It took more than Becky wanted, but she finally took out the tires of the closest truck. Pivoting the gun, she laid into the next one. Her first few shots chewed up that truck’s tires, but the second the tires shredded, they were fixed, and the truck kept coming. Cursing, she switched to the next truck, only to have to duck as a couple of bullets went right past her head. Popping back up, she aimed in the direction of the third truck and pulled the trigger, emptying the gun in a spray and pray action.
“Hero, they have Tires runes on at least one truck,” Becky told him when she dropped back into the cab.
Alvin nodded. “Jarvis, you here yet?”
“Thirty seconds, sir,” Jarvis replied. “They do not appear to have seen me yet.”
“Distract them just a little longer,” Alvin told Becky. “Jarvis, I’m going into the sand. I need you to make sure they follow me. If they don’t, knock them into the sand.”
“Someone almost hit me last time,” Becky told Alvin as she went back to the gunner’s spot.
“Come back,” Alvin yelled at her. “Jarvis, you can control the gun on this vehicle, correct?”
“Yes sir,” Jarvis said.
“Good. Open fire on the fuckers chasing us. Aim for the tires,” Alvin snarled. “Gothy, get your Tommy ready. If they pull alongside us, you need to force them off.”
“Got it,” Becky’s lips curled in a feral smile as she pulled the Tommy gun from her bag.
“Opening fire,” Jarvis informed them as the M240B targeted the truck that hadn’t been shot at yet. The gun didn’t blaze away like it had with Becky, but was fired in small controlled bursts. After a couple bursts, Jarvis spoke up, “One more down. That leaves two trucks chasing you.”
“Good,” Alvin laughed. “Let’s have some fun.”
“Aiming at the one that hasn’t had a tire damaged yet, and I’m here,” Jarvis said.
“Hero!” Becky shouted and pointed past his face.
Taking a quick look towards the lake, Alvin snarled, “Gods damn it!” The dragon from the day before was coming in fast, angling at the moving vehicles. “Jarvis, new target.”
Jarvis stopped firing. “The barrel for the gun is about to overheat and become useless, sir.”
“Why is it never fucking easy? Fine, just get ready to get these two stuck in the sand,” Alvin said.
Nudging the wheel, Alvin left the road and started across the sand. The Humvee still felt like it had a solid road surface, though it was throwing up a rooster tail of dirt behind it. The two remaining trucks split to either side as they followed him off the road.
“They have departed the roadway,” Jarvis informed Alvin. “The dragon seems to have its eyes locked on Ruffian, sir.”
“It wants payback,” Becky shouted as she braced for the bump of going over the railroad tracks.
“When it gets closer, take the Mustang and head for Tonopah,” Alvin told Jarvis. “I want it to chase you.”
“As you command, sir,” Jarvis said.
“I’ve got this,” Alvin shouted, his focus on steering the Humvee across the dune-like sands.
Flapping hard as it got to the lake, the dragon was focused intently on Ruffian. With a roar, it picked up speed as it closed in on it.
“Good luck, sir,” Jarvis said as the Mustang performed a perfect bootlegger's turn, then peeled out and sped back the way it had come.
The dragon, which had just gotten to the near edge of the lake, let out another roar as it turned to chase Ruffian.
“Run, Ruffian,” Becky said as she watched Jarvis lead the dragon away.
“Jarvis, aim to the left. Becky, you take right,” Alvin said as the two trucks pulled even with the back of the Humvee. “Tires—if their tires stop for even a fraction of a second, they should have issues.”
Becky slid her side window open and got ready to fire. The M240B began to empty out the last of its box, which was Becky’s cue to stick her gun out and fire. Jarvis had a terrible angle and wasn’t able to hit his target. Becky had a good shot, and the moment the tire shredded, the vehicle became mired in the soft sand. Even though the tire fixed itself, it was too late for the truck to keep going.
“Got mine,” Becky said.
“I did not,” Jarvis informed them.
“Hang on,” Alvin said as the truck pulled alongside the Humvee. Twisting the wheel, Alvin slammed the two vehicles together. The driver of the truck overcompensated, and the truck spun out in the sand. “Eat that, bitch,” Alvin laughed, slewing the Humvee hard the other way.
Becky let out a wild laugh as she watched the trucks futilely trying to get free. “We are free,” she whooped.
“Jarvis, is the dragon still chasing you?”
“Indeed, sir.”
“Do your best to keep Ruffian in good condition,” Alvin said as he got the Humvee back on the road. “Also, which way am I going?”
“I shall tell you where to turn sir,” Jarvis said. “Also, well done on defeating your pursuers.”
“Team effort,” Alvin said as he eased off the gas pedal, the engine’s roar dropping enough for them to talk normally.
“California?” Becky asked.
“Trees, here we come,” Alvin told her.
As they left the people behind, Alvin wondered if they would hear more of Lister, and if he was another player. Shaking his head, he focused on his driving and was very grateful he’d taken the upgrades to allow Jarvis to drive his vehicles.
Chapter Twenty-one
Following the road north, Alvin finally recalled the loot they had taken. “Gothy, get into my fanny pack and drag out what we looted off the trio of idiots.”
Becky pulled out the items from his fanny pack. “Three XP tokens and a Durability rune,” Becky said. “The tokens stacked on top of each other.”
“That explains why I was able to shove them all into the bag,” Alvin mused. “How many of them did we kill?”
“You killed two, sir,” Jarvis replied. “Miss killed twelve in total, and I killed one. You don’t have much XP left, and neither does miss.”
Alvin took one of the XP tokens and activated it. A rush of energy surged through him briefly. “That was just short of two thousand XP.”
Becky used one as well. “There was a thousand, six hundred and fifty-five XP on that one.”
“Jarvis, did any of us accrue negative XP for your kill?” Alvin asked as he took the last XP card, which held just short of one thousand XP.
“You did not, sir. The dragon is still chasing me, and has barely missed the car five times with its breath,” Jarvis said. “I think it might be very upset with your earlier actions.”
“Or one of the devs has a grudge,” Alvin muttered. “Okay, if you can kill and we don’t get hit with a penalty, I have a plan.”
Becky looked at Alvin, then chuckled. “Going back, are we?”
“We left loot on the ground, got to collect it all,” Alvin said as he slowed to turn the Humvee around. “Jarvis, you’re on gunner duty.”
“Understood, sir,” Jarvis said. “Thank you for including me.”
“You’re welcome. Gothy, give me that rune,” Alvin held out his hand for it. Slapping it to the dash, he accepted it being slotted into the Humvee. “If we get the chance to talk to any of them, I’d like to know where their Settlement is as well.”
“I’ll try to persuade them,” Becky said, her eyes alight with evil intent.
“Okay, let’s do this,” Alvin said with a wicked grin as he got the Humvee turned around. �
��They’re likely to be out of their vehicles, at least to start with. Becky, don’t join in unless you have to.”
“As you command, Hero,” Becky grinned.
The first part of the drive back was laced with tension and anticipation. Coming back down the road, Alvin could see the two trucks still stuck in the sand, but nobody was near them.
“I hope they decided to walk back to their friends,” Alvin chuckled.
“You know, we did kind of start this,” Becky mentioned.
“Nope. They held us at gunpoint and disarmed us,” Alvin said, “then kept telling us to be quiet. That didn’t sound like they wanted to invite us in for cake.”
Gearing Up Page 17
