Wednesday, January 11, 2012

The Tower of Trials Chapter 3 Page 1

Having lived all his life within a city that was the paragon of order, George had grown accustomed to a meticulously planned transport system. The streets were straight and perfectly level, placed for maximum efficiency. The highways were always flowing steadily. Even if there was a vehicle accident, either the obstruction was cleared quickly or an alternate route was made available.

Every journey by road was quick and smooth. The most exciting thing that the boy could probably expect from a vehicle ride in Covenant was a left-hand turn at a good speed on a commercial district street while seated in the right passenger seat.

Thus, riding a vehicle over the rolling dunes of the sandy wasteland was an entirely new experience for George. If asked previously if he was interested in a ride through rough uneven terrain, he would not have been interested. After all, a bumpy ride was just an uncomfortable inconvenience to him.

Once he had experienced it himself, however, his opinion had changed. George found that he enjoyed the wild high-speed ride through the sandy wastes. One that tossed him up with every bump. One that had him leaning aside whenever Mabel swerved to avoid an obstacle. It was definitely more exciting than the mundanely smooth drive on the city's streets.

The excitement made him squeal. A high-pitch squeal. The little girl kind of squeal.

That earned him a sideways glance from Mabel in the driver's seat beside him. She probably had the appropriate disapproving frown on too, not that George would notice since the Vixen had her mask on.

From his seat at the front of the transport, George could see the rolling wasteland around him through the windshield. The land was bleak and empty, endless as far as George could see, covered with dry sand.

There was the occasional outcropping of rocks. Sometimes there was a wreckage or two, victims of the wasteland. Any trees that he saw were twisted and stunted. There was hardly any greenery, so unlike the trees of Covenant's parks and greenhouses, which were full of life. Or the colored banners and lights of the residential districts.

Though the sun shone brightly above in the cloudless sky, visibility was limited. Dusty fog in the distance hid the view of the horizon.

Another bump in the ride. Another little girlie squeal of delight. And an unnoticed groan from the driver.

Mabel appeared to know where she was going. She had maintained a steady heading, guided by the navigational data that appeared on the Heads Up Display (HUD) of her visor. She only moved when an obstacle appeared, be it rocks, broken trees, wrecked remains or someone's house in the middle of nowhere.

As time passed, George's excitement wore thin. After an hour of bumpiness, his rump was beginning to feel sore and his leg muscles were getting strained. He longed to stretch his muscles but there was not enough leg room for that.

George looked around for something to take his mind off his discomfort. His eyes fell on the small fox's head logo on Mabel's breastplate. Then he remembered that Tricia's power armor was plain gray, without any logos or decorations.

"Why doesn't Tricia's armor have the Vixen logo?" George asked.

"That's because this isn't my usual armor," Tricia's voice could be heard through the earphones in George's helmet.

"Why aren't you wearing your usual armor then?" George sent his question through the microphone built into his mask.

"Laura only allows the Rose Red to be maintained by her personally," Tricia replied.

George assumed that the 'Rose Red' was what Tricia called her usual power armor. He guessed that it would require considerable maintenance after use. Not only would armor plating require fixing or replacement, but there was the power supply and complicated parts both mechanical and electronic that needed to be checked for wear.

"Laura's crazy strict about it," Mabel added, "She doesn't want anyone to see her technical secrets."

"Her secrets?" George prompted.

"Laura built the Rose Red herself," Tricia explained, "It's her masterpiece, a beautiful work of perfection. It's faster and more agile than regular power armors, able to carry better weaponry and has better protection."

"Laura's a real fanatic when it comes to machines," Mabel mentioned, "She can build a ride up from scratch, with a souped-up engine, and still throw in fuel efficiency."

"She's always tinkering with the specs, trying to squeeze every bit of performance out," Tricia said.

"And she's got that crazed look in her eyes whenever she works," Mabel said, "and she's always up with weird ideas."

"She cries whenever we wreck her machines, though," the other Vixen said.

"Oh yeah, that," Mabel agreed quietly, "Makes me feel guilty about touching her work."

The Vixens stopped talking after that.


No comments:

Post a Comment