Thomas smiled. “We’ll follow through. How do we pick you up again?”

  “Assuming you survive,” Vazquez added.

  “I’ll figure it out when I get to that,” Hayden replied.

  “Okay, I’m going to circle around. Hold on.”

  “Keep it gentle,” Hayden warned. “We don’t need to deal with a terrified horse in here.”

  Vazquez smirked, banking more softly than she had probably intended, and making a smooth turn that took nearly thirty seconds to complete. The maneuver left them behind the APC, but they gained on it quickly, overtaking the ground vehicle in no time at all.

  There was an abandoned town up ahead and Hayden watched the kids pull off the highway, shooting toward it. They were headed for what looked like an old granary, with two huge aluminum silos still standing tall at the end of a large, faded green warehouse.

  “The scavengers are going to duck into that granary,” Hayden said. “Make the call.”

  “Martinez, this is Vazquez,” she said, opening the comm. “The target left the road and is heading for a warehouse a little less than a klick ahead. It’s the building with the two silos attached.”

  “Little bastards,” Martinez replied. “We wouldn’t have seen them without your help.”

  “Nope, you wouldn’t have. I’ll hang nearby until you catch up, and then I’ll be on my way.”

  “Copy that, Vazquez. Martinez out.”

  She turned off the comm, looking at Hayden. “Where do you want me to pick you up?”

  “Head up the road ten kilometers. I’ll meet you there in an hour.” He looked at Thomas. “If I don’t, it means I’m dead. Doesn’t matter what you do then, but take care of Zorro for me, okay?”

  “Sure thing, Sheriff,” Thomas said.

  The Osprey slowed as it approached the town, the rotors shifting vertical again. The trike and the car it towed had vanished through an apparent opening in the granary, just like Hayden had expected.

  “Get us over it,” Hayden said. Then he left the cockpit, moving to the hold and opening the side hatch. Zorro whinnied when the wind poured in. “Easy Z. It’ll be okay. Hang in there.” Hayden moved to the hatch, looking out. The Osprey approached the top of the building, slowing considerably. He glanced over at the cockpit. Thomas looked back at him. He plucked his hat off and tossed it to the Custodian.

  Then he jumped.

  14

  Hayden

  Hayden bent his legs, ready to use the sloped metal rooftop of the granary to deflect some of the force of his landing. It was a good distance to jump from a plane, probably fifteen meters, too far for a normal person to survive without at least breaking their legs.

  But he wasn’t normal.

  He leaped from the Osprey, his feet hitting the roof hard and sending waves of pain shooting up his spine. Momentum carried him forward. He came down on his belly, sliding down from the peak of the roof face first. Friction slowed him as he neared the edge of the rooftop. Yet, he slid right over the edge, falling the last four meters to the ground. He tucked his shoulder and rolled as he hit, his genetically enhanced bones absorbing the impact as he came to his feet.

  Breathing hard, he watched the Osprey’s rotors shift horizontally as the aircraft accelerated away. He could hear the APC approaching from the same direction and turned back toward the granary, locating a side door. Running to it, he tried the handle, finding it unlocked, and slipped inside.

  The interior space was dark, illuminated only by a small number of filthy windows lining the structure just beneath the edge of the roof. The entire back half, where he had entered, was composed of stacked pallets loaded with sacks of grain. Some of the bags had decayed enough that they had torn open, spilling their contents on the floor, which had in turn attracted insects and rodents. A few birds scattered at his entry, as they too had taken advantage of the situation to feed on both the bugs and the wheat.

  The birds were flying in and out through an open door into a back room. Through the door, Hayden spotted the assembly line of long dormant machines that had taken the grain from the silos and poured it into the bags. The light spilling in from one of the small silo doors suggested a hole in the aluminum somewhere up above.

  “This was a bad idea,” he heard a female voice say in a harsh whisper. “We’re trapped in here. We should have stayed on the road.”

  “They were catching up to us,” another female said, her whisper a little louder. “We had to get off the road. They won’t know we’re here.”

  “Then what hit the roof?” a male voice asked.

  “Probably just one of the birds. This place is full of them.”

  “That was some bird.”

  “Relax. We’re fine.”

  Hayden winced when he heard those words. They weren’t fine. In part because he had told Vazquez to rat out their position. But he couldn’t have gotten the Custodians off their asses any other way.

  He made his way along the rows of grain, moving toward the front. He didn’t hear the APC from inside and he figured Martinez had stopped the vehicle far enough back that his team could approach in silence.

  Nearing the front of the storage area, he spied the scavvies huddled near a large eighteen-wheeler. A forklift rested near its open back, a palette of grain still suspended on its fork. The work had been abandoned in the middle of the process centuries ago, the moment preserved in time.

  The scavvies had found an old canvas tarp in the building, and they had draped it over the trike and its makeshift trailer. The result was a series of obscured lumps on the far wall of the granary that wouldn’t hold up to anything but the most casual scrutiny. Even so, it was quick thinking on their part.

  “Come on,” one of the two women said. Girl, more like, with a shaved head and small frame. She couldn’t have been more than a hair above eighteen. She circled to the back of the eighteen-wheeler and climbed into its trailer, beckoning the others to join her.

  The other two were equally young, their posture more tense and frightened than the first girl. They hesitated a moment before climbing into the trailer and vanishing toward the front.

  Hayden smiled. Good for them. With the three of them out of sight, it would make his job a lot easier.

  He eyed the layout of the warehouse, spinning around toward the stacks of grain. Retreating into the rows between them, he grabbed the edge of one of the pallets, testing it’s condition before pulling himself up. Halfway up the stack, his boot punctured one of the sacks and it began leaking grain down to the floor in a soft cascade.

  “What’s that?” he heard the boy in the group say.

  “Shhh,” one of the girls replied.

  Hayden made it to the top of the pallets, ducking low behind the row in front of him. He made it just in time, the doors on each side of the granary swinging open. A pair of Custodians moved in through the front, weapons hot, ready to fire at their targets as soon as they laid eyes on them.

  From his position, Hayden could see four more Custodians moving in from the sides of the warehouse, each one passing down one of the nearby aisles.

  Hayden moved slowly, grabbing one of his revolvers and sliding it from its holster before cocking the hammer. He reached into the pocket of his duster with his other hand, removing the microspear.

  “Clear,” he heard one of the Custodians say, sweeping along the stacks. The two at the front of the warehouse split up, side-stepping to the outer perimeter, sweeping their rifles along their line of sight. He didn’t hear them announce the area clear, but he knew they would.

  The first Custodian in the front gestured with his hands, motioning to the open trailer. It was good the scavvies had gotten out of sight. Bad that their hiding place was pretty obvious. The entire squad of Custodians advanced on it, their positioning leaving two of them approaching from the aisle right next to Hayden’s stack.

  He shifted toward the front edge of the pallet. The Custodians, their attention focused on the trailer, never saw him coming.

  Arms wide, he crashed down onto the two Custodians, shoving them to the floor. Both of them landed on their rifles and immediately tried to get back to their feet. Hayden stabbed one in the back of the neck with the microspear while he was still down, the weapon sliding up and into the man’s brain. Hayden tore it back out, falling on the second man just as he stood up and started to swing his rifle around. Hayden shoved him back down and repeated the spearing process.

  When he looked up again, his eyes landed for an instant on the girl with the shaved-head before his attention quickly shifted to the Custodian beside the truck. The rifle in the man’s hands was aimed directly at him. Hayden rolled away as the man fired, the rounds chewing up the ground behind Hayden and then biting into his bulletproof duster before he could dive behind the stacks of grain.

  Hayden rolled to his feet. The butt of a rifle he didn’t see coming barely missed his face and he threw a quick ineffective jab into the Custodian behind the gun. The man swung one end of his rifle like a staff. Hayden caught it in the bend of his elbow as he stepped inside the man’s guard and pulled. The Custodian flew over Hayden’s shoulder, his rifle clattering on the floor when he landed.

  Hayden didn’t have a chance to move in. Bullets whipped past him, forcing him to throw himself into the next row of grain. He rolled to his feet, pivoting and taking aim. The Custodian he had thrown poked his head around the corner. Hayden reached for his gun, putting two rounds through his helmet.

  Three to go.

  Hayden moved through the stacks, angling toward the back. He heard the soft scrape of boots, the remaining Custodians approaching cautiously. Reaching the door on the left wall, he flung it open so hard it smacked against the outer aluminum siding, clattering loudly and bouncing closed again, drawing their attention. He backed away as one of the Custodians came to investigate. The man slowed at the door, pushing it open with his shoulder and easing his head around it, ready to fire if he spotted anyone outside.

  Hayden moved out of hiding behind him, tapping him on the shoulder and shooting into the front of his helmet when he turned around. The round ripped through the near useless protection and into the Custodian’s skull. He collapsed like a boat’s sail in a dead calm.

  Hayden didn’t stay there. He sprinted along the wall to the front of the warehouse, taking cover behind the canvas tarp. Holstering his revolver, he drew the Axon gun from his belt and waited for the next target to appear. He had practiced with the weapon over the weeks since Jackie had given it to him in Arcadia. Using a few of its rounds to ensure his aim was true, he’d improved his grip on the smaller weapon. He still didn’t care that much for it, but he couldn’t argue its effectiveness.

  Only two Custodians remained in the warehouse and Hayden wasn’t convinced they would call for backup. Centurions against savages? It would be an embarrassment to admit a single scavenger had already taken out four Proxima-trained fighters.

  They appeared at the edges of the grain pallets a few seconds later, sweeping the area in search of him. He ducked low behind the canvas, certain the residual heat from the hovertrike would help keep him unobserved by the sensors in their helmets. Remaining low, he moved further toward the front of the cover to get a better angle on his targets.

  Bullets suddenly began to pepper the wall over his head and ping against the metal beneath the canvas. The Custodians had spotted him despite his efforts. Hayden dropped to his stomach, crawling forward as the tempo of the impacts changed, suggesting the enemy was rushing him as they fired. He rolled back into a crouch, setting himself to counter their offensive with one of his own.

  Taking a deep breath, he sprang up, leaping over the canvas and quickly getting a bead on the first two Custodians. He fired the Axon gun, three rounds sinking between his targets’ armored plates and detonating, blowing huge chunks out of the fighters.

  The other Custodian dropped beneath his attack, falling onto his back as Hayden landed on the canvas-covered roof of the trailer-car. Losing sight of his adversary, Hayden rolled off the car as bullets screamed up at him through the canvas. Hiding beneath and firing blindly, the custodian’s bullets nearly chewed up Hayden’s legs.

  The canvas bunched when he reached the hood, his boots sliding off with it. He jumped off before he could fall, his feet alighting on the rope between the car and the trike. He used the spring in the taut rope to rebound into a mid-air somersault. Landing on his feet, his gun already poised to take a shot at the Custodian.

  The man rose to a knee, his rifle aimed at Hayden. “You’re supposed to be dead,” he said.

  Hayden didn’t move, calculating his odds of survival if he continued the attack. The bodysuit beneath his clothes would absorb some of a bullet’s impact. His healing factor could help with the rest. But how many rounds could he catch before he went down for the count?

  He didn’t have time to arrive at an answer before a stream of bullets smashed into the Custodian from the side, peppering his armor. Hayden reacted instantly, firing the Axon gun into the gap between an armored plate and the man’s chest. The round detonated, and the Custodian flew backwards in an explosion of blood and torn flesh.

  The girl with the shaved head ran toward him, a rifle pilfered from one of the dead Custodians in her hands. She aimed it directly at him. He held his hands wide, gun pointed at the floor, his expression free of ill will.

  “Who the hell are you?” the girl asked, eyes flicking between him and the two dead bodies.

  “My name is Duke. Sheriff Hayden Duke.”

  15

  Hayden

  “You’re the Sheriff?” the girl said, her eyes going wide. “Like, the Sheriff?”

  “Pozz,” Hayden said. The other two scavengers were coming toward them, both having picked up guns of their own. “Do you mind if I put this thing away?” He waved the Axon gun, keeping it aimed at the floor. “I didn’t help you out just to kill you.”

  The girl smiled. “Oh, yeah. Of course.” She lowered her rifle. “Sorry. I wasn’t sure if you were trying to help or just taking advantage. But…” She looked confused. “Where did you come from? Marcus told me he killed you.”

  Hadyen raised an eyebrow as he tucked the gun back into his belt. “Marcus. You met him?”

  “A few weeks ago,” she replied. “I’m Fairy. This is Jojo and Klev.” The other two had caught up, lowering their rifles when they saw she had already done so. “Guys, this is Sheriff Duke.”

  “The Sheriff?” Jojo asked.

  “Can’t be,” Klev said, throwing a skeptical look at Hayden. “You’re supposed to have a metal arm. A replacement.”

  “Sorry to disappoint you,” Hayden replied. He kept his eyes on Fairy, clearly the leader of the group. “What happened to Marcus?”

  “Marcus? Is that why you’re here? Are you looking for him?”

  “Indirectly,” Hayden replied.

  “I get it. You’re all about these assholes.” She motioned to the dead Custodian.

  “Indirectly,” he repeated. “I spotted the trike from the air. I knew you would need a hand.”

  “Wait,” Klev said. “That noise on the roof. Was that you?”

  “Pozz,” Hayden said.

  “How come you didn’t break anything?”

  “Just lucky, I guess. Fairy, is Marcus still alive?”

  “Are you going to kill him if he is?”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “He killed a few of our group, for one thing,” Jojo said.

  “Shut up,” Fairy snapped. “I told you he was only defending himself, same as any of us would in the same situation.”

  “Mr. Sheriff, sir,” Klev said. “Fairy here has a crush on him.”

  “I said shut up.”

  Hayden would have been more amused if he had the time. “How did you meet?”

  “We went into a mall a ways from here,” Jojo said. “We found the trike first, in one of a bunch of tents. And then when we went to search the other tents Marcus popped out, capped a few of our crew and then threatened us.”

  “What did he want?”

  “A ride,” Fairy said. “All he wanted was a ride. He was in bad shape. I guess you blew off his arm with that pistol of yours. He had a fever. He took me hostage, but then he was real nice to me. Didn’t try anything...with me, you know. Marcus said he shot you. He thought he killed you. He was proud of it at first, but then he seemed less convinced he had done the right thing. Either way, I wasn’t sure I believed him.”

  “But you gave him a ride?”

  “Yeah, further west to an old military base there. That’s where we ran into more of these assholes. They seemed to know him, and they recognized the trike. They were going to take me. I don’t know what for. Marcus helped me escape from them.”

  “But he was still alive when you left him with the Custodians?”

  “If that’s what they’re called. Yeah. He was still alive. It didn’t sound like they planned to kill him.”

  “What about you? What did you do after that?”

  “I high-tailed it back to the mall. We laid low for a while.”

  “She was hoping Marcus would come back,” Jojo said. “She’s in love.”

  “I am not,” Fairy snapped, glaring at her before returning her attention to Hayden. “It’s not like that. He needed help, so I helped him. But I think he still needs help. He said he’s done some bad things. But I don’t think he’s a bad person. He just needs somebody who cares about him, that’s all. A family, maybe.”

  “And you wanted to be his family?” Hayden asked.

  She shrugged. “Why not? He’s damn fine with a gun. We could have used someone like him in our group. Is he in trouble, Sheriff?”

  Hayden nodded. “Pozz. I think so. The Custodians are up to no good. Marcus is either their prisoner or he’s helping them, and either way it won’t end well for him.”