George
went back to watching the wilderness outside. He considered what he
knew about the Vixens. He had heard about Mabel and Tricia before
they had met. Rumors had spoken of a sniper and an armored warrior,
descriptions of which matched the two Vixens with him. There was also
a mechanic or engineer of some sort who hung in the background, who
he presumed was Laura. But about the fourth Vixen, whom they were to
meet, he had not heard anything.
He was
about to ask Mabel about the fourth Vixen when something out the side
window caught his attention, something brown and purple. A short
distance away, running in the same direction as the transport, was
some kind of four-legged wasteland creature. And it was steadily
drawing closer.
Soon it
was close enough for George to see that it was a cat of some kind,
though it was unlike any he had seen before. Its height reached up to George's waist, making it much larger than
the small felines that often wandered near the boy's house in
Covenant. The cat had dark brown plates covering its head,
sides, back and limbs, over its purple fur.
"What's
that?" George asked, pointing at the creature.
"An
armored panther," Mabel answered briefly.
"A
panther?"
"Yeah.
You expected some fancy name for it?"
"Well..."
"Everyone's
got their own names for everything," Mabel said without taking
her eyes off the view in front, "Each creature out here probably
has a dozen names for it. Better call to that by what it looks like:
an armored panther."
"Are
there many creatures out here?"
"Sure.
But you won't see them. Best way to avoid trouble is not to be seen."
"Are
they dangerous?"
"They
can be."
"Is
that panther dangerous?"
"Yes,
she is. Her claws can cut through armor."
George
was then very much concerned about the fact that the creature was
running alongside the transport, close enough for him to see its
green eyes. He was comforted by the fact that it had displayed no
aggression thus far. But it was small comfort, knowing the potential
of the panther.
The
creature had sharp claws. George very much doubted that his personal
armor would protect him sufficiently.
The
terrain they traveled over turned rocky. There were light rattling
sounds as the wheels of the transport crunched and scattered pebbles.
Mabel slowed the vehicle as they approached a mountainous outcropping
of rock.
The
panther was ahead of the transport, taking a path between the rocks
jutting out from the earth. Among the rocks, there were small bushes
with needle-thin leaves. Though there were not many of those bushes,
there was more vegetation there compared to the sandy wilderness they
had just come from.
Mabel
appeared to be following the panther.
Was the
panther an ally? Was it a friend? Or was it a peculiarity in the
wasteland that wild beasts led travelers to where they wanted to go?
George thought of asking Mabel but something ahead distracted him.
In the
middle of an open space among the gigantic rocks was a circular
man-made tower made of dark gray stone. It was not very high, with
maybe six or seven floors. There were windows, but not many - most of
them were on the first level. The roof of the tower appeared to be
flat.
The
armored panther led them straight to the front of the tower. There
was an entrance at ground level, secured by a pair of heavy metal
doors. The doors were decorated with motifs of lightning bolts and
what appeared to be stringed musical instruments. The entrance was
more than large enough for the transport to fit through.
George
was so intent on studying the details of the tower that he did not
see where the panther went.
Mabel
left the engine running and unbuckled her seatbelt. She picked up a
rifle with an attached scope from behind her seat. Then to George's
dismay, she went to open the side door of the transport.
"What
are you doing?" George asked with alarm, "That panther's
still out there!" He hurriedly checked his mask as air from the
wastes mixed with the air within the transport.
"Oh,
don't worry about the panther," Mabel said as she stepped
outside, "I need to have a look around."
Tricia
too got out of the transport. "Just wait here while we check the
area," she told George.
George
was still concerned. He looked out the windows to see if he could
find the panther. He did not see the creature. Instead, he saw
something small, riding fast on a trail of white smoke, flying
towards him. George ducked just as the object exploded against the
side of the transport.
"Wasters!"
Tricia cried through the comm, "Stay in there, George!"
The
doors of the transport closed automatically. Armor plates rose to
protect the windows. The plates also cut off George's view of the
outside. Up above, mechanical gears started clicking. George guessed
that the turret was moving.
One of
the displays in front of him appeared to be feeding visual from the
outside. Tapping on the keyboard, George quickly found the controls
for the cameras. There was one each for the front and back views,
which showed him nothing but the tower and rocks. The camera on the
turret provided the most interesting view. He activated the external
mikes.
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