Tromping through the woods, finding it easier just to force his way through the low hanging branches in his way than move around them, Ryker scanned his surroundings with the aid of his recently acquired night vision. Despite having travelled through most of the day and well into the night following his internal compass he couldn’t help a sense of frustration at his current situation. He wasn’t lost exactly, technically he couldn’t ever get lost again with his internal compass. But he was finding it damn hard to navigate his way north without one crucial instrument.

I need a map. Ryker growled. Equal parts angry at himself and the second stretch of suburbs he’d found blocking his path in as many hours. As quickly as Ryker needed to make his way north to kill Storm Breaker it wouldn’t do any good if he had to run through every town, city, and suburb to get there. Even if he meant no harm and caused no damage it would be fatally stupid to believe that America would just let an eleven foot tall monster stomp its way through civilization. If the Military was worth their salt, and Ryker very well knew they were, they’d easily be able to chart the path he was taking, cut him off, and take him down. So that meant moving north he’d need to avoid major population centers, intervening where he could to kill any emerging Kaiju of course, but doing that was damn hard when his only memories of Tennessee were of the ruined wasteland it would become decades down the line.

Running his claws over his snout and groaning in frustration Ryker turned and made to move around the suburbs by hugging the tree line. Far enough back to be out of site of any late night joggers but still close enough to not lose too much ground circling the houses. The outlines of people flashed through the illuminated windows of their homes. The sounds of their muffled voices carrying to his heightened senses even if he couldn’t make out what was being said. Despite himself he slowed to watch as a family of three settled down for a late night dinner. Even as obscured as they were Ryker could picture the scene all too clearly. Setting the table. The small talk about the day’s events. Discussions about future events and plans. It wasn’t anything special.

But at the same time, it was precious beyond words.

Ryker turned away from the window with a terrible ache in his chest. Closing his eyes as he tried to focus on his mission and not what he’d lost. But it didn’t work.

That could have been me… Should have been me. Ryker thought with a painful surge of jealously. If Beck’s machine had been allowed to work as planned he could have experienced that again. Dinner with his family, joking with his Father, and explaining his underwhelming school grades to his Mother. It could have been his. Yet even that had been torn away from him. A life he could have lived again, atoning for the mistakes and failures he’d made in his own life as well as aiding the world at large. Gone.

Moving away from the houses and deeper into the wood, not wanting to see anymore of what he’d been denied, Ryker bit back at his self pity. Don’t you start making this about you. Ryker thought with a bit of heat. Not after what everyone else has lost. Not after knowing what has to be done. If losing a chance at living your life again is what it takes to save humanity you have an obligation to pay it. No matter how much it hurts.

With the cadence of his large strides echoing between the trees Ryker tuned out the music and chatter in the radio waves he’d been listening to and continued on in silence. The only sounds around him the scraping of branches against his scales and the hurried rush of small animals getting out of his way. He followed his internal compass north and felt that he should have been running to cover as much ground as possible, but Ryker was only human. Even if his body wasn’t. His thoughts slowed his pace as they wandered to what he would have done if he had made it back to his teenage body.

I’d hug Mom and Dad first. Heh, they’d probably think I’d hit my head or something. Ryker thought amused. He hadn’t exactly been a good kid growing up. Not to say that he didn’t love his parents back then. He absolutely did. It was just that his teenage rebellious phase had hit him a bit harder than others. Which had resulted in some admittedly terrible grades as well as his general lack of friends in high school. If I had gone back as planned, after cleaning up my act, I’d have called Beck first and foremost. Ryker thought approvingly. It would be a hell of a time trying to convince Beck that he was from the future, but he didn’t think it would be impossible.

The reason Beck had become the go to expert on Kaiju biology so quickly was because of how willing he was to adapt his knowledge and skillset to learn more about Kaiju. Other scientists had spent far too much time trying to make Kaiju fit into their own existing models of biology to be useful. Beck had been able to abandon those models the moment he realized Kaiju wouldn’t be able to accurately fit into them.

Then, I’d… Ryker thought next. His train of thought slowing to a crawl as he pondered what exactly would come after that. Hrm… They wouldn’t let me fight if I asked would they. Even if they believed my story nobody would be willing to put a teenager into Armor and drop them into combat. It would take time to convince them I could do my part in the fighting.

That was just the truth of it. In a way, as twisted as it was for him to lose his chance at a second life and get stuck in his monstrous body… wasn’t it also a blessing in disguise?

It stung a bit to admit but as a Kaiju he’d been able to take action immediately. Literally. In the first few seconds of his emergence from his egg he’d killed his first Kaiju hatchling and then set himself upon the rest of his “kin”. The family of three he’d saved on their camping trip would undoubtedly be dead long before Ryker could do anything to save them. Even if he’d acted as swiftly as possible as a human, he wouldn’t even know they were in danger in the first place. Then there was the two civilians he’d saved in the attack on the gas station, who’d also be dead if he hadn’t been able to intervene so quickly.

But now they were alive. People who’d been some of the first to lose their lives to Kaiju. What effects would that have on the timeline? How could the butterfly effect of their continued survival ripple out across the days, months, and years to come? Would they be able to spread word of the threat faster than it normally would have?

Regardless the more humans who survived the better. It was a bittersweet irony that he’d been able to do so much good as a Kaiju so quickly. If he’d been able to supplant his teenage self he’d probably have wasted precious time arguing with his parents about leaving the house on his own to go find Beck.

Chuckling at the thought Ryker focused on his surroundings as the tree cover dropped away and he saw the telltale gleam of headlights passing back and forth in front of him. All of them shining unnaturally bight in his night vision. A Freeway. Ryker huffed in consternation. Great. That’s just great. I try to go around one thing and then get stuck right before another. Grimacing at the sight of the large highway and the large amount of ground he’d have to cover crossing it. Ryker turned in a frustrated half circle hidden within the dark of the tree cover. Do I go around? No that’s stupid, I’ll have to cross once there’s a large enough gap in traffic.

Ryker tapped out a rhythm with a claw on his crossed arms as he watched the traffic wiz by in front of him. Waiting for the traffic to ebb. But with three lanes of traffic on each side of the freeway there was only a short gap on a single side of the freeway at any given time. Not enough for him to take advantage of to try crossing as the other side was still full of cars.

Ryker waited. And waited some more. Impatience building with every passing minute. Even scanning the airwaves for tunes to distract him didn’t help. Leaving the man turned Kaiju agitated enough to start pacing along the edge of the tree line. Leaving the trees shaking slightly with his passing steps.

How the shit am I still dealing with traffic? I’m not even human anymore damnit! I shouldn’t have to wait on traffic like a chicken trying to cross the road. Ryker growled in frustration.

He was about to sprint across the highway when he caught sight of a distant road sign flash with the reflection of the headlights he was beginning to despise.

Rest Stop, Three Miles.

Tourist Guides Available.

Ryker paused for a second. Any kind of guides for tourists visiting the state would have maps wouldn’t they? Detailed maps even?

I didn’t actually think I’d ever be able to get access to a traditional map but if there’s guides there… Ryker thought starting to warm to the idea. Yeah. Yeah, I think I can make that work. I obviously can’t use any normal sized maps but rest stops have gotten touch ups over the years right? There’s bound to be a large picture or mural of the state I can look at for reference!

Feeling a bit of pride at finding a solution to a problem so quickly, Ryker immediately set off towards the direction of the rest stop. He stayed well behind the cover of the trees and branches from the road, knowing it would be better not to take any chances getting spotted. He was as cautious as ever approaching the small clearing that housed the small building. There was ample space for parking but there weren’t any cars there this late at night and the side area with several parked semi trucks was far enough away that Ryker was sure he could stay hidden in the dark. There was even a nice ring of trees that separated the rest stop from the freeway to conceal Ryker’s large frame.

It was exactly the kind of situation Ryker had hoped for. No people to panic, no alarms he might be in danger of tripping. There was just one problem.

Ryker stared at the plain brick of the run down looking building or to be more precise, the complete lack of any kind of navigational aid on the outside of the building. No mural, no fresco, not even a cryptic modern art piece he could decipher for information.

You’ve got to be kidding me. Ryker balked. The one time I need some unnecessary government spending to decorate a building and there’s nothing?

Ryker was as well hidden as he could be standing next to the Rest Stop’s one and only building. The edge of its roof came up to about the middle of his torso as he stood next to it. It was on the smaller side, with glass double doors that only held two large bathrooms, a few vending machines, and a stand filled to the brim with pamphlets.

Putting a claw on the roof to steady himself Ryker leaned down to peer through the glass, the same way a normal man might put a hand on a table to look under it. He was hoping there might be some kind of large mural inside that he could look at but there was nothing. Just an empty interior.

Well great, this was just a waste of time. Ryker huffed. His exhalation fogging a large chunk of the glass as he scanned the interior. Standing to his full height, Ryker threw his claws up helplessly. Do I just find a different way north, damn the consequences? He thought ruefully.

Ryker threw another unamused look at the rest stop as he thought of his next move. He needed a map, maybe even more than he first thought. He might have been able to pick out true north or even piece together information by listening in on radio news networks. But knowing how to navigate was invaluable information to have in any situation.

God! Just one break in my life is all I’m asking, can’t you just give me that for once? Ryker fumed. Staring at the rest stop like it had personally wronged him. He wouldn’t have been so upset normally but there were technically maps in there. But they were tiny ass pamphlets! It wasn’t like he could use them… Right?

Despite his failings Ryker was first and foremost, a pragmatist. Even if it wasn’t ideal, and was very improbable considering his physique, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Ryker shut his eyes and counted to three, because counting to ten took too long. Then the man turned Kaiju looked back at the glass doors and the pamphlets within.

Balls. Ryker thought irritated.

Even though it might have been easier to rip into the tiny building to get at the pamphlets he needed, Ryker just couldn’t bring himself to do it. He’d spent most of his last life training to deal as little damage to buildings as possible while in combat. Not to mention the endless meetings and talks from higher ups on maintaining infrastructure he’d had to suffer through as a mech pilot. Keeping things intact and undamaged was in his blood. Deliberately destroying a building felt almost sacrilegious when there wasn’t any immediate threat or emergency to justify it.

So that left option two.

The glass doors weren’t locked since the rest stop was open to the public but Ryker was also too large to bend his head down to duck through the doors. Even with both of them open at once the opening they made was more like an entrance to a crawlspace than anything else. Just crouching down wouldn’t be enough to get through.

So Ryker very carefully caught the small handles of the glass doors with the tips of his claws and pulled them open. Holding them open, Ryker knelt down and frowned at the opening. Do I put my arms through first or should I keep them at my sides and shimmy in? Ryker thought perplexed.

Moving with deliberate slowness so he didn’t just shatter all the glass he was trying to move through Ryker put his arms through the open doors first and stuck his upper half inside the rest stop. Careful not to clip the top of the door frame, he kept his head pressed flat against the tile floor. Then Ryker reached for the edges of the restroom door frames and sunk his claws into them. Pulling himself inside while also pushing with his hind claws. Digging ample furrows in the grass outside as he moved.

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Watch the tail. Watch the tail… and… we’re through! Ryker thought with a grin. Pushing himself to upright in the small space Ryker felt an absurd level of accomplishment from the simple act of entering the small building. It probably didn’t amount to much in the grand scheme of things but being able to get inside without doing undue damage to the building felt like a victory against his monstrous nature. Proof that he could still exhibit some of the grace he’d had as a pilot and wasn’t doomed to stomp around and crush everything like the Kaiju he was now kin with.

Even though he had to stoop to be able to stand upright Ryker was in good spirits, the only annoyance the whine of the overhead light that was right next to his head. Turning around, making sure not to accidently clip the water fountain in front of the restroom Ryker rubbed his claws together as he crouched over the small pamphlet stand.

Let’s see what we got here. Ryker thought eagerly. Running a claw over the bright lettering on each pamphlet. Tennessee Historical Spots? Pass. Breweries of Tennessee? Tempting, very tempting actually. I’d kill for a drink after all this but still got to pass. Aha! Tennessee Nature Trails, Hiking Paths, and Wilderness Areas.

Grinning with his teeth on full display Ryker carefully pinched a pamphlet with two claws. The paper looking like a prop for a set of miniatures in his grip as he quickly brought it up to his face and immediately dropped the thing as it slipped between his claws and fell to the floor.

Swearing and growling in equal measure Ryker bent down and struggled to pick up the pamphlet from the floor. He only had three fingers as a Kaiju. Each tipped with claws that were easily the size of cleavers. While those claws did wonders against Kaiju scales and flesh they were not equipped to handle such an immense task as picking up paper from the floor.

Patience is a virtue Ryker. He thought to himself as he repeatedly tried for the pamphlet and failed as his anger nearly threatened to boil over. His claws scraping deeper and deeper lines into the tile as he tried not to spear the pamphlet with them. A virtue. One that you have… maybe used once or twice admittedly, but one you still have. Patience… Zen… Inner peace… I am the epitome of Inner peace. I am the epitome of- FUCK!

Like a thin strip of confetti the pamphlet tore in two as Ryker’s claws effortlessly bisected it. Ryker was about to shout in frustration, but managed to hold himself back. Barely. It wouldn’t do to roar loud enough to attract attention to the monster inside the rest stop.

Shaking with frustration, Ryker deliberately waited a good minute before trying for the untorn pamphlets that remained on the stand. Ryker would never admit how long it took him to hold the tiny pamphlet properly or how long it had taken him to unfold the thing without tearing it but he eventually managed it. Even though there was a small pile of torn up pamphlets littering the floor Ryker deliberately ignored the mess he’d made as he held the pamphlet and its map up to the light by his head. The unfolded pamphlet looking more like a sticky note in Ryker’s claws than a genuine map.

Okay. That’s better. Ryker thought. Grateful his enhanced eyesight let him look at the map with little difficulty despite his size. Alright. I’d suspected where I was for a while but now I know for sure. A big red star on the map that said “You are here” put Ryker on the South Eastern edge of Tennessee where I-75 was closest to the Cherokee National Forest.

Hrm… I could move closer to the Smoky Mountains. There’s enough thick woodland there to hide me for a good long while, but if I do that I won’t be heading straight north. It’s a safer detour but that will cost me time. Alternatively, if I cross I-75 now and head north, I should be able to skate in between Nashville and Knoxville. Not too close to either city for my own sake but it would be a safer path north. Then I’d just have to cross I-40 before I leave the state for Kentucky.

Ruffling the map a little as he held it Ryker gave a minute to think on what the best option would be. The safer path along the Smoky Mountains or the quicker but risker path through the middle of the state as he avoided two major cities. On one hand he needed to be careful. He was still just a Stage One Kaiju, a dedicated military offensive would be more than enough to take him down. Not to mention that if he died anytime in the near future he’d be unable to alter the timeline in any meaningful way.

However, taking down Storm Breaker was still his primary goal. One that would only get more difficult the longer he gave the Kaiju to grow in strength. Taking that risk might very well be necessary.

Before Ryker could think any more on the right choice to make the gleam of headlights flashed through the Rest Stop as a car pulled into the parking lot from the Interstate. Making Ryker drop the map in surprise as he swore vehemently. Stuck trying to pick up the map and look out the glass doors to see who was coming. Ryker’s mind scrambled for a solution. Did he try to exit the building? It had taken a hell of a lot of care not busting down the doors getting inside, getting back outside would be just as much of a hassle. Even more so considering he’d be illuminated by the exterior lights for all the world to see.

The slamming of car doors made Ryker panic. He couldn’t just bust through the wall. That would attract even more attention than he needed. But there was no way he could hide inside the small Rest Stop, there was literally nothing to hide behind except the pamphlet stand and that wasn’t going to do anything to hide his bulky form.

With the sound of multiple pairs of feet quickly moving up the concrete sidewalk to the glass doors, unable to move. Ryker did the first thing to come to mind to hide himself in plain view.

He struck a pose.

Claws held out in front of him in a mockery of dinosaurs of old, Ryker swiveled and held his mouth open in a silent roar. Hoping he came across as a lifelike statue instead of an actual monster. His eyes flashed towards the figures moving towards the door a split second before he froze shock still.

“-we’re almost there baby just hold on a little longer.” A disheveled looking woman said to a waddling toddler she was leading by the hand as she entered.

“My butt’s gonna blow up!” Exclaimed the little girl in pink as her mother lead her to the bathroom. Miraculously only giving Ryker a small glance before barging into the ladies room. Behind her, at a slower pace was an adult man and another child slightly older than the toddler who immediately beamed upon seeing Ryker looming over the small space.

“Wow.” The boy whispered in awe as the man, undoubtedly his father took one look at Ryker and immediately scoffed. “Christ, even on vacation I can’t get away from dinosaurs.”

“That’s not a dinosaur.” Said the boy softly. “Tyrannosauruses have smaller arms.”

“Sure they do Danny.” The parent said off handedly before shaking his head and muttering. “What a waste of government spending. Least they could do is pay for someone to clean up the place.” The man said. Kicking the piles of shredded pamphlets on the floor. “Do you have to go to the bathroom? We still have a long way to go before we get to Granny’s. You should go now if you can.”

“I’m good.” Danny said as he walked up to Ryker still mesmerized. Out of the corner of Ryker’s eye he could see the kid had a colorful backpack on with a cartoon dinosaur on the front. To Ryker’s ’s great dismay, the kid came even closer to Ryker until he was right next to him. It took an effort to force himself not to react when he felt a tiny hand on his lower leg.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“Great, do you want to come back to the car or…?”

“I’ll stay.”

“Awesome. Just wait for your mother, I’ll be in the car.”

Ryker’s eyes almost bulged out of his sockets as he was left alone with the child. Staring after the retreating form of the man like he could call him back through sheer force of will. Hey! Get back here you bastard! Supervise your child damnit! Ryker thought forcefully. In the silence of the man’s departure the little kid, Danny, seemed transfixed by Ryker. He was poking his scales, circling and prodding him in different areas. He was afraid the kid might somehow cut himself on his hind claws but that thankfully didn’t happen. Ryker would just have to wait for the kid to grow bored with him.

Holding perfectly still was difficult but something Ryker was accustomed to. Being in the military “Hurry up and wait” was a motto just as much as the marines' "Semper Fidelis" or his mech pilot’s “Bellator in Machina”. He was perfectly ready to wait out the kid’s fascination so his mother could come out of the bathroom and collect him. What he hadn’t counted on however was the kid to act his age.

Danny had moved away from Ryker’s legs somewhere out of view. Which was perfectly fine with Ryker and even made him emit a silent sigh of relief. That relief vanished almost immediately when Ryker felt someone grab onto his tail and hoist himself on top of it. The kid was practically weightless to Ryker so he was able to keep up the ruse that he was just an inanimate statue as he continued to hold his tail aloft but that was hardly a comfort as he was getting climbed on.

Lady, please for the love of God, finishing changing those diapers and come back out here. Ryker pleaded silently to the boy’s mother. I’ve got responsibilities! I’ve got places to be! I can’t be responsible for your kid using me like a jungle gym on a playgrou- ah shit is he still climbing?

Without any parental supervision Danny had done exactly what any boy his age would have done if they saw a dinosaur statue. Which was trying to climb up onto its back to pretend he was riding a dinosaur. Ryker could feel the kid use the small ridges along his spine like handholds as he pulled himself up higher and higher. Moving up from the base of his tail steadily upwards. If his new body were capable of it Ryker would have been sweating bullets. He was never one for kids, not because he disliked them. It was just that he recognized how much of a responsibility it was to care for them and knew he was lacking the skills and temperament necessary to watch over them. His instincts told him he should reach back and pry the kid off him to set him down safely on the floor but what if he accidently cut the boy? And what would happen if he ran to his mom about the monster right outside the bathroom? There were no good decisions, if there were any in this situation Ryker was the wrong man to trust to think them up.

“I’m the king of the dinosaurs!” Danny said happily from his back. “Ride my trusty steed! Fire your lasers! We must destroy the velociraptors and their space ships!”

Lasers? Space ships? Ryker thought dubiously. What kinda cartoons are kids watching these days?

Ryker endured what his training had never prepared him for as he resisted the urge to pry the kid off his back. Without any parents around to tell him not to the kid grew even bolder, climbing up onto Ryker’s shoulder as he tried in vain to move up onto Ryker’s head. Ryker nearly moved his claws up to keep the boy steady as he was terrified of the kid falling nearly ten feet onto the hard tile. Caught between deciding if he should act or not to make sure the kid didn’t hurt himself the decision was made for him as the inevitable happened.

Danny slipped.

With his shoes not getting enough traction on Ryker’s scaled shoulder Danny’s feet flew out from under him. Ryker immediately acted on reflex. Before the kid could hit the ground Ryker caught the boy with both claws splayed wide so he wouldn’t accidently cut the poor kid.

Then the door to the bathroom opened and Danny’s mother walked out with the toddler. With Ryker, the towering monster, holding her son in its claws as its mouth was opened wide. Like he was preparing to tear into her child like he was fresh meat. Both Danny and Ryker froze as his mother who’s gaze was locked downward on her phone, miraculously turned towards the vending machines without spotting the scene behind her. She was holding the toddler over her shoulder. Who even more miraculously, had her eyes closed.

“What did you want baby?” The mother said tiredly.

“Skittles.” The toddler mumbled, clearly close to sleeping.

Still holding Danny Ryker looked down to the boy who was staring up at him with eyes the size of dinner plates. Then Ryker immediately set the boy down feet first on the ground, giving him a quick once over to make sure he was alright. Ryker paused, gave Danny’s mother another look before looking at Danny and pointed a claw at him. Holding it for a half second before bringing up the claw right in front of his snout, like a librarian who’d shushed someone talking too loudly in a library.

Still speechless, Danny continued to stare at Ryker like he’d grown a second head. Not willing to wait another moment and risk discovery Ryker nodded towards Danny, gave him a big reptilian thumbs up, and resumed his pose as if he’d never moved.

Danny held his trance like stare for a solid ten seconds before he blinked and wordlessly moved over to his mother. Tugging on the edge of her shirt as his lips moved without sound, still staring at Ryker.

“Oh what is it dear? Did you want Skittles too?”

“The…the…” Danny said gulping audibly. “The dinosaur’s alive.”

“That’s nice dear.” Danny’s mother said as she tried to unfurl a wrinkled dollar bill.

“It… it moved.”

“You can tell me about it in the car honey okay?”

“But… but-”

“Danny please. Your sister’s almost asleep can’t this wait?”

There was clearly a conflict going on in Danny’s mind as he wrestled with what was more important in the moment. Telling his mom about the dinosaur right in front of them or not upsetting his mom. It was a rather quick battle as Danny continued speaking, his words now tinged with excitement.

“Can we keep it?” He asked pleadingly.

“You have dinosaurs at home Danny, I’m not getting you any more.”

“But this one’s alive! And it’s huge!”

“We can’t take it with us honey it belongs to the government.”

“But I can ride it to Granny’s house! I promise I’ll feed it! And take it out to potty!”

“Okay. I know its late Danny but please don’t start with this. We just have another hour until we can get to your Grandma’s house.”

“Hrmm… Skittles…”

“Yes sweetie I’m just about to get you some the machine is just being slow.”

“But it likes me! We can’t just leave it!”

“How about we take a quick picture.” The mother said. Her nerves clearly fraying. “Then you can remember your friend for later alright? Ready? Say cheese.” The mother said bending down to get Danny in the selfie with Ryker. Despite himself Ryker blinked as the flash went off but managed to stay still as a statue otherwise as the vending machine dispensed the skittles with a small clang.

“Oh thank God.” The mother said quickly, snatching up the Skittles and Danny’s hand at once as she left for the door.

“We can come back right? After we visit Granny’s?” Danny said worriedly.

“Ask your father dear.” The mother said as she dragged the boy outside the rest stop towards their car. A profound sense of relief washed through Ryker as he let his arms relax. Damn. That could have gone… very badly. Ryker thought as he watched the three family members pile into the car. The distinct shape of a boy pressed against the back window as he stared longingly towards Ryker as his car started moving.

It would have been smartest to stay still until they left the parking lot and had no chance of seeing him but Ryker felt a little guilty getting the kid excited for nothing. As sad as it sounded, this was one of the best interactions he’d had with humans yet. He would have counted his interaction with the two civilians he’d saved as positive ones, especially since the girl back then hadn’t run or even seemed afraid of him. But being shot immediately afterwards by the police soured that memory pretty well.

So despite his better judgement. Ryker leaned down so he could be seen through the glass and waved the kid goodbye as his car pulled away. His enhanced eyesight catching the boy wave back enthusiastically as his car drove into the distance.

At least I can make one person happy as a Kaiju. Ryker thought with a smile. Stay safe kiddo, I’ve got to get back to work.

Extricating himself from the rest stop without any damage was another process but one that Ryker accomplished easily enough. Standing up to his full height outside Ryker wasted no time moving towards the trees. He couldn’t carry a map with him for obvious reasons but he held the image of it as clear in his mind as he could as he moved along the interstate.

I still have another ten or twenty miles before I have to decide on which path I’m going to take. I’ll think it through on the way. Ryker thought as he left the Rest Stop behind. Leaving the trees around him quaking slightly as he increased his pace to a light jog. Trusting in his internal compass as he tried to keep a mental finger on his current position as he moved. The exercise a bit more difficult than he’d imagined it would be.

Man, I’m gonna have to make Synaptic Defrag my next upgrade. If it’s supposed to help me think better maybe it can help me remember what that map looked like better. Hell maybe it could help me remember every map I’ve ever seen. That would be useful. I could finally put what I learned in high school World Geography to use.