As the Leviathan rode through the wasteland the sounds of its creaking suspension cried out from under its massive frame, but Diana knew it was well within its operational limits. Whipping winds sandblasted the exterior making it sound as if water was rushing around them. In the rear optic, Diana snagged a last glance at home, the shanty homes built along the sides of the Mesa at their precarious and jaunty angles. A vibrant green crown of crops wrapped around the mesa. She remembered a few times she was invited to the governor's house, the cold clear water flowed through her mind, it matched the sounds of the sand rushing across the exterior. Her eyes slowly descended along the mesa till they rested on her home. The weight of guilt mixed with longing to be there crept through her chest. It would have been so easy to just turn the Leviathan around to go home but necessity kept her foot on the pedal. Diana removed her eyes from the rear optic and looked through the window to the wastelands ahead of her. Jagged rocks that broke through the surface of the cracked ground along with endless scorching sand. She pulled a lever by her right foot to lock the throttle and the Leviathan kept speed even after she lifted her foot from the pedal.
After a few hours of more flat wastelands and increasing boredom, she leaned over to the large duffle bag her uncle gave her and began to examine its contents. There were a few extra rations on top of the ones stowed away in the Leviathan’s cargo containers. A bit more than needed for her journey round trip but she’d rather be overstocked than under. She continued to feel around until she felt a canvas bag of some kind. With a peaked curiosity, she reached in and felt the cold smooth touch of metal against her hand. She pulled it out and saw a silver locket with fine engravings of flowers around it. Diana let it dangle from the chain for a bit while she examined the fine details. She couldn't help but smile at the beautiful gift as the excitement in her chest and warmth in her cheeks only grew when she opened it and it revealed two faded images. It was portraits of her entire family, her side and her uncle’s. She almost did not recognize her uncle at first. His hair was so short and there was a light in his eyes that had since faded with time. It had been quite a long time since that photo was taken as she could tell because she was in her mother's lap not but maybe a year or two old. Next to her was her brother Blake, not much older, even with his chubby cheeks he looked so much like their father. An empty feeling cut into her, he’s been on his expedition for years now.
Her gaze on the locket was interrupted by a large bump that rocked her back into her seat as a clang rang out from her exoskeleton impacting the interior walls. Diana rapidly grabbed the wheel and let out a small curse as she made sure that there were no more obstacles in the way. It seemed to be clear. She quickly checked the rear optic and it seemed to have been just a dust-covered rock. Another glance through other optics revealed no visible damage to the chassis or tires. She slumped back into her seat with a heavy exhale, grateful for the luck. Not long after, she heard heavy footsteps approaching from the crew compartment. Diana let out an audible sigh as she had a feeling there would be an incoming complaint. Vladimir poked his head around the corner, his eyes widening for a moment as he entered. He turned his gaze to Diana who had her eyes locked forward out of the window.
“Damn. I was coming to ask if you wanted to switch drivers for a few hours, but looking at this all,” He gestured to the complex control panel. “I'm going to respectfully retract my offer.” She turned her head to acknowledge him but kept her eyes forward.
“It's not that bad. I can at least teach you the basics if you're interested, in case I get hurt or want to rest.” Diana offered.
“Wouldn't hurt I guess. It's gonna be a long trip from what my boss said so I might as well be a bit more useful around here.”
Diana nodded and grabbed her bag out of the other chair. She gestured invitingly towards it. Vladimir climbed in and began to take in his surroundings with fascination.
“Have you ever driven before?” Diana asked as she tried to gauge where to start.
“Only dune bikes, so nothing this…massive.” He responded as he tried to sound a bit confident but his words fell short of their purpose.
“Dune bikes. Got it. Here.” Diana pulled the secondary steering wheel from a rack and handed it over and Vladimir took it. She was okay with him understanding how to at least drive so she could grab some sleep. For about the next half hour, Diana walked him through the basics of driving the Leviathan until he seemed confident enough in his ability and her teaching. She was pleasantly surprised that he was not here just to complain about the bump.
After a very long-winded explanation of the interior Diana gestured towards the shutters. Vladimir quickly threw the lever on his side. With a click and soft sound of scraping metal the shutters opened allowing light to pour in. Slowly she lifted her hands off the steering wheel and gestured towards his wheel. While he grasped the wheel firmly he took a few breaths not hiding his nerves about driving such a large vehicle at precarious speeds for a beginner.
After some time intently observing with minor apprehension, Diana grabbed a piece of jerky from a ration as she leaned back in her chair, now confident enough in his ability to not crash. Vladimir slowly started to lightly turn the wheel back and forth causing the leviathan to sway ever so slightly as if a ship on calm waters. She had to admit it was nice that she could switch off drivers again, her strained eyes and stiff back agreed.
After some time steering and even avoiding some hazards, it seemed like Vladimir was at least getting a handle on turning. Still keeping his eyes ahead Vladimir called out to Diana, “So, what made you choose to live the life of a scout?”
Diana took a moment to think about that question, it was not often people asked. “My Future’s Festival. I crawled towards my dad’s telescope, and as a family of scouts you can imagine how thrilled they were.” She slunk deeper into her chair to a more comfortable position before she finished, “So I guess younger me really wanted to be like my parents, I love it though. Name another job you get to do anything like this? How about you though? Are you a full-time enforcer or do you work something else?”
Vladimir shrugged as he kept driving, “You got a point, being out here is pretty great. Much better than the city most of the time. But we aren't Enforcers, we are the Judicators the governor brought in some time back after an attack from some Sentients.”
Diana nodded as her mind was split between comfort, unease, and unwelcome memories. Judicators were known to be effective sentient automaton hunters, but for them to show up there had to be a reasonable threat of Sentients. She knew of the attack he was speaking about as well. A cell of Sentients attacked the lower city during a dust storm. A deadly smash-and-grab that targeted anyone who had old parts of theirs. It had left around seventy dead and over one hundred wounded. “Ah, I see. Well, I’m glad to have the protection then. Especially since they say the Central Wastes is a hot spot for them.” Diana responded with fleeting energy, before she turned her attention to the endless wasteland speeding along before her eyes.
The darkness of night was quickly encroaching, visibility rapidly dropped so Diana took back the controls and activated the headlights. They rapidly approached the boundary of their city’s territory which was marked by a stacked pile of vehicle frames. It never stopped gangs from crossing it but beyond it there was a new level of danger. Diana took a quick glance at all of the gauges, they were reading in the green as they ventured into whatever danger lay in front of them.
On and off, Diana took turns switching off drivers with Vladimir. She taught him how to read the navigation equipment as they drove which he seemed to pick up with ease. Conversations were few and far between as one drove and the other often slept or tended to other tasks. Diana skimmed through the worn pages of her book of the Old World again. Pictures of trees that reached up to the sky, beautiful winding rivers, and stunning flower beds in front of grandiose houses that weren’t patchwork hovels. Though there were no colors in the pictures, she could still imagine the vibrancy and comfortable warmth, not this brown hellscape under the tyrannical rule of an unforgiving sun. She was stuck again admitting to herself that traveling with someone else has made everything easier, even if she did not really feel comfortable with it yet.
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Deeper into the Wastes they went, as another two days had passed. The Leviathan held steady as it blazed across the sands. Stopping at night in small caves or some form of hard cover in between maintenance, Diana would often walk out and sit under the stars for some time, in awe of one of the last natural beauties of the world that still remained. Packing up early the next morning, they would head out again on their journey. The landscape slowly shifted from its flat expanse to rolling hills they had to duck and weave in between.
Off in the distance, the looming figure of a titanic automaton lay lifeless in a reclined position. Its aged exterior shell was tattered with holes and gouges from presumably its last battle. A shiver ran down Diana’s spine at the thought of one being operational today. Entire cities would stand little chance against one, let alone a squad which the old books said got up to six of them. If they were nigh impossible to kill by their standards then, they would be gods now. Not much later it faded into the distance, hopefully never to be seen again.
Night approached once more as they had to go through a large pass with hills on one side and rock faces on the other. Diana had been here once or twice before, gangs occasionally set up ambushes but she had been able to run through them with little to no damage. At the edge of her lights a slightly damaged buggy came into view. Very little sand had built up on it which meant it was a newer wreck. On it was the Gear Head symbol, a skull that was half mechanical in front of a gear. Diana knew they never left any gear behind, especially vehicles.
Along the edge of Diana's vision a shadow-draped figure ran across the top of a rock face before it made a small leap behind another rock formation. On edge, she leaned in to try to see what it was as another figure appeared just before diving behind cover on her opposite side. One after another, more of these unknown entities dove in and out of her vision, keeping pace yet just beyond the lights of the Leviathan. Diana quickly tapped Vladimir as she felt stress and anxiety build. “Get the others ready then get in the turret. Open fire on anything on the ridgeline.” Vladimir pulled back from his side of the windshield, his hand hovered around his waistline before he nodded and scurried off to the back.
Diana could hear him issuing commands as she tried to focus on the road ahead of her. The wreckage of some vehicle came into view. Numerous deep gouges raked the armored hull as if it were paper thin. All glass was shattered, metal screens were peeled back like opened cans, and a blackened coating of dried gore covered the exterior. Diana recognized these marks but she could not believe they migrated this far west. Dodging the wreckage, she saw a creature stand up on top of a large rock, silhouetted against the sky, the hulking creature almost looked like a giant wolf rearing its head. Expanding its frilled neck, it shrieked out a high pitched cry that pierced even the dense hull of the Leviathan. Diana had to try to cover her ears from its power and maintain the ability to drive. The yells of pain from the others filled the hull as chirping shrieks echoed all around them from beyond the hills.
As her ears rang, she pressed on the accelerator which caused the engine to unleash its own deep growl in retaliation to the creatures. Speeding between the hills, she could see the dozen or so silhouettes of their hunters still keeping pace with them. A burst of thunderous cracks rang out as Vladimir had recovered in the turret. Each muzzle flash lit up the area as a three-round burst whistled out. Aiming low to walk in the burst the first two shots landed short which caused shards of rock to be thrown about but the recoil caused the third to strike true. A spray from the upper torso and the shadow-wreathed figure dropped limp and rolled down the other side of the hill.
Diana caught sight of another wreckage. This time, the beast that initiated the hunt stood upon it ready to pounce. Its terrifyingly muscled hound-like body was covered in thorny scales that were perfectly camouflaged with the desert sands. A row of several-inch-long spines running down its back at the shoulder, it was equal height to a man's chest. Its broad head was low with four piercing yellow slit eyes locked on the Leviathan; a split lower jaw opened hungrily as a barbed tongue swept from side to side in starving anticipation.
Diana scanned the area looking for a way to evade it but she was blocked in by a rock face on one side and a steep loose hill that she would surely get stuck in on her left. She pressed the pedal down more as the Leviathan accelerated faster, its engine now screaming with raw power. More volleys of fire from the turret pierced the night as the pack of creatures began to close the gap on both sides. Leaping and bounding between cover, two more dropped dead in a gorey mess but the rest pressed on relentlessly. As they drove past the wreckage the beast leaped towards them, its mighty claws extended. Diana managed to jerk hard to the left, running slightly up the hill but prevented the creature from pouncing on the turret. The sound of screeching metal filled the cabin as the creatures dug into the roof of the cockpit above her.
The sounds of more claws attaching to the hull clinked all over, barely able to be heard over the non-stop fire of the turret. A quick look through an optic showed the right side had around five of the creatures anchored on and attempting to climb. A hard turn and they veered off to the right as she sent the Leviathan towards the rock face. With expert precision, she avoided an impact with the wall but got close enough that all five of the creatures got rolled into a bloody pulp between the hull and the rock face as they got spat out of the back. Diana gave a quick nod to reassure herself as her adrenaline was pumping through her veins, unable to feel how her arms ached from gripping the wheel so tightly.
The sound of shifting weight and claws scraping on metal drew her attention upwards right above her. As she looked up, the windshield shattered inwards as the creature slammed its head through it, sending shards of glass flying everywhere. Diana narrowly avoided its snapping jaws as she threw herself backward out of the driver's seat, its barbed tongue lashed out and gouged Diana’s cheek. The creature tried to pull out of the windshield but was trapped by the bent shutters, its movements became much more frantic. Realizing it could not escape, it locked it’s slit eyes on Diana. It pushed forward and attempted to burrow into the cockpit with a new fury. It snapped viciously at Diana which caused her to stumble back, blindly she grabbed whatever she could and with terrifying power from her exoskeleton, she swung a wrench that connected with its lower jaw as a deep crack echoed out. It shook its head from the empowered strike and expanded its frilled neck again to let out another piercing shriek that filled the Leviathan with its deafening and concussive force. Diana reeled back, wracked with pain as she tried to cover her ears from the assault. In a desperate attempt, she lunged towards the creature with another swing. Unable to dodge, it took the strike to the snout which ceased the shrieking. Its tongue lashed out in retaliation as it wrapped around her arm and pulled her inwards. Diana planted her free arm on the frame of the cockpit but not in time as her skull impacted a metal plate which let out a dull ring, her consciousness almost slipping from her. Out of grit and determination, she held on as the joint motors of her exoskeleton strained against the power of the pull. Her other arm was just outside of the distance of its snapping jaws, but the tongue had now found purchase on her flesh. Barbs sunk deep into her forearm causing searing white-hot pain to spread through her arm as blood began to trickle from the wound. She let out a cry of pain as she tried desperately to find something to do; seconds felt like hours as the pain spread deeper, each struggle caused the barbs to tear more flesh. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden freedom of her grappled arm that sent her stumbling backward to the ground once more. In front of her was the broad figure of Vic wielding an imposing combat knife. The creature shrieked in pain as the remains of its writhing tongue spewed blood all over the cockpit. Ghoul ran up next to him and unleashed a barrage of fire point-blank into the creature's skull until it went limp.
Still concussed by the shriek and Ghoul firing in an enclosed space, Diana slowly unwrapped the tongue from her arm and tossed it aside as more blood of hers spilled out. She stumbled up and grabbed the spare steering wheel before she attached it and toppled over into the co-pilot's chair. Pulling the visor up she ungracefully accelerated which caused the Leviathan to jerk as the whole world felt like it was spinning around her. The sounds of the creature's small shrieks faded into the distance as they pulled off out of sight.
Through blurred vision and a screaming headache she drove onwards out of danger. Ghoul slung his rifle behind him before he pulled his bag up from the rear and rummaged through it while he glanced at her still-bleeding arm. He pulled out a bottle of clear liquid that was either some disinfectant or strong enough alcohol. His posture shifted from his usual hunched-over look to a more stiff upright pose although he still swayed, minorly concussed himself. He grabbed Diana’s arm which caused her to instinctually recoil leading to searing pain. Seeing a puddle of bright red blood on the floor she dropped her wounded arm to him. She heard but couldn’t quite understand much behind her; Vic called to Vladimir. He had a small gash on his forehead though the bleeding had already been staunched. As he entered the cockpit, he was taken back by the carnage and Diana who was a bloody mess barely hanging onto consciousness. Vic hooked under her arms and dragged her out of the chair, letting out a grunt as he hoisted both her and her exoskeleton and brought her to the back. Vladimir slunk in behind her and took control of the Leviathan to keep them going.
Back in the cargo hold, she was laid out on a pull-out bench. Ghoul cleaned the wound and as he poured the disinfectant on it, that pain was just enough to push Diana beyond her threshold. Determined as she was to stay conscious, she felt the cold slip into an enveloping darkness as all the pain left her.