After a bit of indecision, I decided to leave my bike behind. If whatever short-circuited the Nomad’s vehicles was still active with whoever left the camp in a mess, I didn’t want it to be fried. I would lose out on an immediate escape, but it would be even worse if I was stuck out here with an hours-long repair before I could leave the area.

For a similar reason, I also decided to leave the Sat phone behind. Not before calling in to Athena though. “Hello?”

The brick of a phone crackled to life. Athena’s voice was muted, covered up by a static buzz. “Copy. Have you arrived yet?”

I looked around the camp. “I think so. This place was totaled almost entirely. No Leper-Khans, or even corpses of them. Just some blood and a lot of broken machinery.”

Her reply came several seconds delayed. “‘Was afraid of that… is there anything salvageable?”

“Chek chek. A lot of stuff. The electronics are toast, but I could probably get them up and running with some time. I also found a trail leading into the mountains. Might be the remnant Leper-Khans.” I replied.

“Hmm… or an ambush… Look around the camp for a black box. About the size of a small book. If you find it, bring it to me without opening it. I’ll multiply your pay by ten.” The static crackling of the Sat phone grew incredibly loud for a moment. “Otherwise, go and see if this ‘remnant’ group has it. Remember, don’t open the box.”

“Chek chek…” I slung the phone back into a saddlebag and looked around the camp once more. This box was worth twenty grand to Athena. Just what was inside of it? Some kind of high-tech superchip? Or maybe some kind of mystical item? Or even blueprints?! That would be par for the course. I wouldn't say no to some free knowledge. Every little bit helped.

Gah! I haven’t even found the thing and curiosity already ate at my insides…

I spent close to an hour wandering around the camp, checking each broken tent and under every bit of rubble for the black box she mentioned. Nothing. I did manage to find inside the largest tent several dozen shattered chains and useless padlocks, which was… concerning.

Probably nothing… oh, who am I kidding? The box was definitely locked up here. There was no way this could be anything else. I mean, the cryptic warnings not to open it, the shattered remains of a camp, the dark freakin’ aura around the entire area?! They all pointed towards the box being some seriously bad news. Even if I did find it, did I want to risk my life for it? Was my life really worth a measly twenty grand?

…

…

Although it would be nice to have that kind of pocket money... I could invest into some cool stuff, or even finally set up that stash for my future of thievery… or save it for that 3-D printer I’ve been wanting… what was the question again?

Whatever, probably wasn’t important… anyway, this box. It wasn’t in the camp, at least that I could see. My best bet? Either a straggler ran off with it or that large exodus expedition had it. My bet was on the latter. If It was really worth so much to Athena, there is no way they would abandon it. Especially considering remnant Leper-Khans would need the Rayn to fix up their camp. Or whatever was left of it.

That, and it would be the easiest to check off. Far easier to meet up with a large group than to go off and track down each individual track leading out into the desert. A large group probably wouldn’t have made as much distance as a solo too, so chances were they camped out somewhat closer.

I followed the trail for a while, which was rather easy all things considered. This part of the desert was decently cool thanks to the faint smog blocking out most of the sun, and there was no wind around me. Probably due to the mountains blocking most of it, if I had to guess. The path led to a short mountain, more like a large rock hill than anything, not too far off from the camp.

I paused as the trail led up a winding path of sand into the desert mountains, Athena Alexandria’s words getting to me as the rationally paranoid side of my mind kicked into gear. The path would be the perfect spot for an ambush. If I were to follow it, my vision would naturally be cut off by the winding nature of the path.

The moment stretched on as I decided against it. Sure, it could just be paranoia, but I was better off safe than sorry. And it might very well be that the remnants of the Leper-Khans were the ones ambushing. If there even was an ambush. Their camp had been ravaged what looked like a couple of days ago. They most definitely had some security.

Instead of going up that part, I doubled back to a rock side of the mountain. It wasn’t nearly as hospitable of a climb, but would hopefully be safer. Less chance of an ambush…

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

I started at the base and slowly made my way up the rocks. The rock side of the mountain sat at about a seventy-degree angle, give or take a little. It wasn’t necessarily a hard climb as I clambered up it, and wasn’t nearly as draining as I felt it should’ve been. Hell, I had been exhausted from a set of stairs, and now here I was; climbing the side of a mountain without issue.

Granted, it was more like climbing baby's first rock wall thanks to the angle and plethora of natural hand and foot holds, but still. And it wasn’t as if it was a small rock wall either. The thing stretched on and on, but eventually, I neared the top.

With one last huff of breath, I pulled myself over the ledge, my limbs only feeling a little sore from what should’ve been an exhausting climb. It was weird. This wasn’t the first oddity I’ve noticed recently either. Back when I was trying to get into Ruby’s BBQ, my agility seemed to be much greater than it had any right to be.

I mean, I know people get stronger by exercise, but, like, I don’t exercise. I shouldn’t have seen that much improvement over a short time. Hmm…

I shook my head free of distractions and focused on my surroundings. I could think about all of this later.

The cliff flattened out into a divot as if a massive monster had taken a bite out of the mountain. In this ‘alcove’ sat an abandoned mine. Long abandoned based on the rotting remains of wood and collapsed entrances. Broken down bits of ancient machinery, long scavenged of anything valuable, sat around like ghosts of a fallen empire. Rock outcroppings surrounded the cliff face like jagged teeth, giving me plenty of room to hide in.

People moved about, no more than maybe ten or eleven. They had clothes similar to what I spotted scattered about the Leper-Khan camp, so it was an easy identification. They were Leper-Khans. Or at least what remained of the Leper-Khans.

The group looked haggard, settled around patchwork tents and accommodations. Surprisingly, the group was made mostly of the elderly. A few teens were among the elders, probably within a couple of years range of my age.

Where was everyone else though? Surely they couldn’t be all that was left, right?

Should I just go into their temporary camp? Announce my presence so as not to be attacked… or sneak in and look around… hmmm… my instincts wanted me to be all stealthy and ‘borrow’ from this group, but, well, I was hired as a scout. What better way to find out what happened to the Leper-Khans than just asking one of them?

How to do this though… hmm… I held back for a moment, activating my Perks as I tried to blend into the surroundings. Approaching from an off angle probably wouldn’t be the best of introductions, especially considering the state the people were in. I was most likely better off just approaching from the normal path.

I worked my way around the cliffside of the ancient mining area, keeping low and slow as I slunk my way over towards the winding path that originally led me to the camp. I made it without any hassle, nobody sounded an alarm or anything as I arrived closer to the area. I moved up a rock outcropping, getting some height as I looked over the path.

Two people stood guard, seemingly the only two normal adults in the camp: a man and a woman. The woman had seen better days with bandages wrapped around her face and torso, already stained with sand and blood. The man was in significantly better shape. I couldn’t see any indication of an injury. Both were armed with assault rifles and what looked like lightweight ballistic vests.

They both stood on either side of the path, using the natural curvature of the mountain to block someone coming up’s view. A massive machine sat in the path, forcing it into a narrow section just wide enough to stand comfortably. Perfect cover, assuming no one brought a gun that could punch through the rusty metal, of course. Not necessarily an ambush as much as a well-placed outlook…

I pulled out one of my Scouters and pressed the power button. I crept to a better position and set the device up to spectate the guards before looking around the area more.

I found a couple of other people keeping guard, though not as well as the first two. They stayed close to the camp, giving someone like me ample opportunity to sneak around. Three other adults and four armed older teens prowled around the outskirts of the camp, keeping the elderly and younger ones safe. They all held similar rifles to the ones the guards used.

I slunk back over to the place I came up, using the rocks and machines as cover the best I could. I gave one final glance at the place, marking everything that seemed important into a mental map, and worked my way back down the mountain.

The journey down wasn’t nearly as smooth as the journey up. I was moving down first and foremost, and I took my time so as not to slip and fall. Not too much time considering my Scouter only had thirty minutes of battery, but enough so I wouldn't fall off by accident.

It took quite a bit of work to focus my mind, blocking any thoughts of slipping and falling. It helped somewhat. I continued my descent, slowly working towards the ground one rock foothold at a time. Sweat finally started to trickle down my brow as I made it to the last dozen feet.

Then, before I knew it, I was back on the sandy embrace of the ground, the fine particles wrapping around my feet as if to show me how much it missed me.

Once down, I made my way back around and to the winding path. I made sure to kick as many pebbles and as much sand as I could, making enough noise someone would definitely hear me coming.

I popped the Scouter’s view into my HUD, the image quality coming across as fuzzy and grainy thanks to not only the distance but also due to the cheap nature of the transceiver. Definitely something I needed to replace when I got the chance. And the battery life too. Thirty minutes was too much of a limiting factor.

As I worked my way up, I couldn’t help but question my decision. I had absolutely no guarantee they wouldn’t just shoot me and be done with it. Sure, Athena said they were as peaceful as lambs, but that wasn’t exactly reassuring. Any Nomad group out in the desert had to be well-versed in combat.

Right as my will to continue started to fade, I arrived at the machine blocking the path. I checked the cam footage, ready to bolt if one of the guards looked to be overly hostile. Maybe it wasn’t too late? I could leave and pretend-

“Who goes there?” A male voice called out from behind the machine. In the Scouter, I spotted the man checking his gun. A moment later, he turned the corner made by the machine, his rifle low but ready. “Who… are you?”