“Wow,” Fairy said, head swiveling back and forth to take it all in. “I didn’t think anything like this existed. Maybe after we take care of business I can bring my friends back here to live.”

  “Carcity’s nice too,” Paul said, defending his settlement. “You can always come live with us there.”

  Fairy’s face reddened at the suggestion. “Maybe.”

  “First things first,” Hayden said. “Maya, how far to the hotel you mentioned?”

  “Just a few blocks past the market, near the other side of the city,” Vazquez replied. “Closer to the barracks.”

  “Are they inside the walls?”

  “No. We’re just on the outside of the main perimeter, but our facilities have their own defenses around them and raiders know better than to attack a bunch of armed militia. The walls were built for the trife. They’re only in use now to collect entry fees.”

  “A hundred notes,” Paul said. “Most folks can’t even afford that.”

  “No, they can’t,” Vazquez agreed. “It keeps the random lowlifes out and the current residents in.”

  Paul brought El Monstro to the parking area, stopping as an attendant came over.

  “Sweet modbox,” she said. “You’ll need to pay for two spots. It won’t fit in one.”

  “That’s no problem,” Paul replied. “How much?”

  “Forty per night. How long are you staying?”

  Paul looked over at Hayden.

  “Just one night,” Hayden said, loud enough for the attendant to hear. He dug into his pocket and retrieved four tenners, passing them to Paul to hand to the girl.

  “Tenners,” she said, impressed. “Haven’t seen one of these in a while, let alone four. You must be a big shot with a mod like that, driving around with tenners.” She smiled at Paul while Fairy scoffed from the back seat. “Pull into the two spots back there.”

  “Thank you,” Paul said. He put El Monstro in motion again, guiding it through the lot. There were enough spaces for nearly a hundred vehicles, but only six others were parked there, and four of them were small electric vehicles without added modifications to better protect the occupants from threats.

  Paul stopped the vehicle in the spots and they all climbed out, the passengers in the rear forced to squeeze between the front seats to get out through the forward doors. Hayden made sure to grab his saddlebags as he departed, slinging them over his shoulder.

  The attendant whistled as they assembled at the back of El Monstro, her eyes crossing over both their clothing and their weaponry. “Definitely big shots,” she said.

  “Couriers,” Fairy corrected. “So watch yourself.”

  Hayden glanced over at her with an amused expression. She was clearly jealous of the way the girl had spoken to Paul. “Make sure nothing happens to our ride and there’s an extra tenner in it for you,” he said.

  “Yes, sir,” she replied. “Anybody ever tell you that you look like the Sheriff?”

  Hayden shook his head. “No.” He waved his arms. “Both real. Doesn’t the Sheriff have augments?”

  “Yeah, but I mean your clothes. And you have that look, like you’re itching for a fight. I’m not saying you are the Sheriff, just that you look like him. It’s a good thing.”

  Hayden smiled. “Thank you, then.”

  “You’re welcome.” The attendant looked at Paul. “You know where to find me if you need anything.”

  “Thank you, ma’am,” Paul replied, blushing.

  Hayden turned to Vazquez. “Lead the way.”

  32

  Hayden

  Vazquez led Hayden and the others through Haven’s street market, keeping them close to the buildings on the southern side rather than crossing the main thoroughfare. The decision carried them behind the vendors, their carts and stalls, preventing Hayden from getting a look at some of the wares being hawked or the foods he could smell cooking nearby. While he had experienced similar markets before, including in other parts of Haven, he knew this was Fairy’s first time, and he figured she had earned some time to enjoy it. Vazquez however seemed a bit jumpy.

  “Maya, are you nervous about something?” he asked.

  “People know me here,” she replied, keeping her voice low. “I don’t want them to see me with a couple of kids. It’ll create too many questions.”

  The reasoning made sense. She was a Custodian. A Centurion Space Force Marine. She wouldn’t be in the company of a pair of teens. “Pozz. Let’s separate and divert through the market. Thomas, you stay with Maya. Fairy, you and Paul are with me. I’ll keep an eye on you two,” he told Vazquez. “But try not to lose us, either.”

  “We won’t,” she said.

  “Just in case, what’s the name of the hotel we’re looking for?”

  “The Hat,” she replied.

  “The Hat?” Fairy repeated, laughing. “That’s a funny name.”

  “I didn’t come up with it.”

  Hayden and the kids peeled off from Thomas and Vazquez, moving up the center of the street and mingling with the other shoppers. Hayden led the other two past the front of one of the carts. The people in the market were dressed in a wide assortment of clothing styles and quality, from roughspun rags to the newer textiles being produced further south. Nobody was as well attired as Hayden, a fact that left him feeling exposed. Even so, nobody said anything to him or paid him much mind at all, even if they did avert their eyes intentionally.

  “Sheriff,” Fairy said. “Look at that.” She pointed to one of the stalls a few meters away, where sausages were grilling on a spit over an open flame.

  “Shh,” Hayden replied. “Call me Howard.”

  She wrinkled her face, embarrassed by the mistake. “Sorry, Dad,” she said instead. Hayden’s face dropped its color in time with his heartbeat, the title a hard reminder. Fairy noticed the change in his expression and demeanor, grabbing his arm. “I didn’t mean—”

  “It’s okay,” Hayden said, putting a hand over hers. “I know.”

  “You had kids?”

  “Pozz. Two daughters.”

  Fairy’s eyes began tearing. “I’m sorry.”

  He nodded. “Thank you. Let’s pick up a few of the sausages. Paul, are you hungry?”

  “Sure am, Dad,” he replied, smiling and winking.

  Hayden couldn’t help laughing as the three of them went over to the stall. A young girl, no more than fourteen, worked the spit, turning it slowly to cook the meat. She looked up at their approach, her eyes widening when she saw Hayden.

  “It can’t be,” she whispered breathlessly.

  Hayden stared at her in response to the reaction, realizing he recognized her too. He quickly put his index finger to his lips to keep her quiet. She smiled sheepishly, biting her lip and nodding.

  “You know each other?” Fairy asked.

  Hayden nodded. “It’s good to see you again,” he said to the girl. “I always wondered what happened to you and your ma.” The last time he had seen the girl, she had been in Sanisco selling junk to earn enough notes to buy something for her and her mother to eat. He had bought his first sheriff’s badge from her, a worn piece of faded plastic, the silver foil curling at the edges.

  “We made our way here while it was safe,” the girl replied. “We paid for passage in part with the notes you gave me. It was tough for a while, but ma met my new pa. He owns the stall and a farm down south. He’s got fifty head of cattle and an entire posse to keep them safe.”

  “He’s good to you, then?” Hayden asked. “Both of you?”

  She nodded enthusiastically. “Very. I’m happy, and we have you to thank for it.”

  “That seems to be a common thread with you,” Fairy said with a lifted eyebrow.

  Hayden lowered his hat over his face. “I didn’t do anything special.”

  “You cared,” the girl said. “That’s special enough. How many dogs do you want?”

  “Dogs?” Hayden said.

  “Hot dogs. Pa says that’s what they used to be called. Dogs for short.”

  “They’re made from dogs?” Fairy asked, scrunching her face up.

  “Oh, no,” the girl replied, laughing. “They’re made from beef.”

  “Then why are they called dogs?”

  “I have no idea. You’d have to ask my pa. He’s over at the saloon right now, but he’ll be back in a couple of hours. If you have some time later, maybe you can stop by and meet him.”

  “I’m not sure I’ll have time, but I’ll drop back by if I do,” Hayden said. “How about one dog for each of us?”

  “Of course. Coming right up.” The girl used tongs to pull one of the hot dogs from the spit, placing it between two narrow pieces of bread and handing it to Paul. She repeated the process twice more as Hayden dug a UWT token from his pocket and held it out. Her eyes grew again, but she shook her head. “I can’t accept that. It’s worth fifty times what these dogs cost.”

  “Take it,” Hayden said. “I have plenty more.”

  Her eyes teared up again as she accepted the token. “Bless you, Sheriff Duke,” she said, softly enough no one else around would hear her.

  “Take care of yourself, and tell your mother I said hello.”

  “I will. You take care too.”

  Hayden waved before moving on, Fairy and Paul sticking close to him as they each bit into their dogs.

  “Wow, this is good,” Fairy said as she chewed.

  “A little salty, but I’m not complaining,” Paul agreed.

  Hayden enjoyed it too, downing it quickly as they moved through to the end of the market. He had lost sight of Thomas and Maya during his reunion with the girl, glad he’d asked Vazquez for the name of the hotel. The street in front of them was much quieter than where it wound through the market, the sprinkling of pedestrians there mainly passing through or returning to their homes.

  A little further back, a black APC slowly crossed the thoroughfare, a pair of armed militia members standing on its top, keeping watch over the settlement. Hayden resisted the urge to duck into the shadows, maintaining his course and speed down the avenue until he spotted the hotel. Like the Magiff, the name came from the letters of the original sign that were still illuminated.

  “That’s the place,” Hayden said, guiding Paul and Fairy toward it.

  The original revolving door had been replaced by a double-hinged rectangle of sheet metal, cut to fit the space. Hayden pushed through it into the lobby. The tile floor was clean and polished, the furniture abundant and relatively new, with wood frames and freshly upholstered cushions of stitched checkered canvas scavenged from somewhere. The original front desk had been damaged at some point and repaired by melding metal and wood with a small sculpture of a nude woman flowing from the patchwork. A big sign hung over the stairwell beside the elevators, signaling it was the only way to reach the rooms on the levels above.

  Thomas was at the front desk, and he noticed Hayden and waved him over.

  “Sir, it’s one hundred per night for two rooms,” Thomas said.

  “Is that one token?” Hayden asked.

  “Yes, sir,” the receptionist said.

  Hayden dug it out of his pocket and dropped it on the counter. The clerk slid it from the desk, reaching beneath the counter and retrieving two sets of keys. “Rooms two-zero-six and two-zero-seven.”

  “Much obliged,” Hayden said, taking the keys. Paul and Fairy joined them as they headed for the stairwell. “Where’s Maya?”

  “She should already be on the second floor. She didn’t want to be seen with me either.”

  They climbed to the next floor, moving from the stairs to the hallway. Maya leaned against the wall next to the inoperable elevators. She nodded to them as they passed and then followed behind them to their rooms.

  “Here,” Hayden said to Fairy, handing her one of the keys. “Why don’t you double-up with Maya. I’ll bunk with Thomas and Paul.”

  “Segregating genders, Sheriff?” Vazquez said. “How quaint.”

  “I guess I’m old-fashioned that way,” Hayden replied. “We have to split up somehow.”

  “It’s fine with me,” Fairy said. “I haven’t slept in a real bed in…I can’t even remember the last time.”

  “That settles it,” Hayden said. “Maya, how long until we should head over to the saloon?”

  “We have about three hours till nightfall, Sheriff. Let’s meet up then.”

  “Pozz. Get whatever rest you can in the meantime. I don’t know how long we’ll be staying.”

  “Copy that,” Thomas said.

  Hayden crossed the hallway to his door, using the key to open it as Vazquez and Fairy vanished into their room. The three men entered the small room, composed of a pair of twin beds, a chair near the window, and a small desk, plus a bathroom immediately to the left.

  “Do you think this place has running water?” Paul asked, ducking into the bathroom and turning on the faucet. “Well I’ll be, it does.”

  “The Custodian engineers must have fixed up the water works,” Thomas said. “Unless you’re responsible for this, Sheriff.”

  “Neg. Haven had power the last time I was here, but not running water. I’m impressed by how much the place has changed. It’s a shame your people want to use Earthers instead of working with them. You’ve done a lot of good but for all the wrong reasons.”

  “I’m starting to see your side of things, Sheriff,” Thomas said. “Paul’s a good kid, smart and talented. So is Fairy. Maybe you’re right about giving Earthers more of a chance instead of putting labels on them.”

  Hayden smiled. “You Centurions aren’t as hard-headed as I thought. I appreciate your willingness to keep an open mind.” He crossed the room to the chair and dropped his saddlebags beside it. Then he unstrapped his gun belt, placing it on top of the saddlebags before sitting down. “I’m going to get a little shuteye. I suggest you do the same.”

  “Someone should keep watch,” Thomas said. “Just in case.”

  “You don’t feel safe in your own town?” Hayden asked.

  “It’s not my town. And no, not completely. I’ll stay up.”

  “Suit yourself.”

  Paul climbed onto one of the beds and laid down. “You don’t want the other one, Sheriff?”

  “Nope. I’m more comfortable here.” He lifted his hat, changing the angle so it covered his face as he leaned his head back. His right hand draped over the side of the chair, fingertips brushing the handle of one of his revolvers.

  Just in case.

  It only took him a few seconds to fall asleep.

  33

  Hayden

  Hayden’s subconscious awakened, dragged into the Relyeh Collective and brought to Shub’Nigu’s Construct.

  He knew it immediately, growing so accustomed to the place that his mind remained calm despite the vast emptiness. He didn’t speak or try to move, instead choosing to let the Ancient come to him.

  He had a feeling he already knew what Shub’Nigu wanted.

  Hayden Duuukkkkeeee.

  The name came out as a groan, as if it were an effort for the alien to say. Maybe it was. The Construct felt different this time, as though something squeezed against the walls of it, the pressure transferring to his mind. He could tell the connection was unstable, Shub’Nigu’s grip on his mind tenuous at best. The link wasn’t even strong enough to form a floor in the pocket universe.

  “Is this about the usurper?” Hayden asked, his voice echoing in the void.

  Do you understand?

  “I think so.” He paused, deciding how much to tell the Ancient. He and Shub’Nigu weren’t allies. Not by a long shot. At the same time, he preferred to know what he was up against. “A dark asteroid was pulled out of the ocean a few weeks back and brought to an undisclosed location for an unknown purpose.”

  LIES!

  Shub’Nigu’s shout shook the entire Construct, nearly causing Hayden to fall.

  You know the purpose.

  “I have a hunch,” Hayden said. “That’s all it is. You’re telling me you know about Grimmel?”

  I know about all things related to my kind. That is my purpose. That is why I am the beginning and the end.

  “Tell me.”

  You don’t give me orders, Sheriff Duuuukkkeeee.

  The voice began to fade, the connection fluctuating.

  But I will tell you this. It cannot be permitted. The danger to your planet is real. The danger to the Hunger…infinite.

  “And you want me to stop it?”

  Destroying me is not worth destroying your worlds. Either of your worlds. That is what will happen. I know this to be true.

  “I can’t say it isn’t at least a little bit tempting.”

  You waste time with your petulannnnnceeee. Grimmel seeks to control that which cannot be controlled. To understand that which cannot be understood. Not by a mind unlike a Relyeh.

  “So my hunch is right? What am I up against?”

  The Relyeh are born of the world-god. The first sentient being to awaken at the beginning of all universes, whose embodiment exists across every dimension. I, Shub’Nigu, Archivist of the Relyeh, was the first in this universe. But there are others in places detached from this one, and one of those found a means to cross overrrrrrr.

  “And crashed his ship on Earth?”

  Not a ship. A partition of himself, broken off from his primary form during our first war, during which I sought to destroy him and instead aided in his conquest.

  Hayden smiled. “You mean you made a mistake?”

  Inconsequential. Long has he been trapped beneath the waters of your world, unable to grow his strength while deeply submerged, starved of energy and fear. I sensed him the moment he surfaced. I warned you of his coming. But you are too late to prevent his awakening. He is active on your world. Gaining strength in preparation of his dominion. You have little time remaining to stop him.