"You got your ticket ready?" the cabbie asks as we cruise down the highway, heading straight for the bus terminal at the edge of Crossroad City.

Traffic's busy today, but we've managed to clear the morning snarl up at least. The journey would have been faster if I had taken the metro shuttle, but I wanted to avoid the monorail station near my apartment. There was no point in tempting my fated end, especially when I could dodge the ax by just hailing a cab using my phone. And once I've left Crossroad City behind me, destiny can go eat shit and die.

"I'll buy a ticket at the terminal." I grunt back, shifting about in the cab's well worn seat, "Shouldn't be a problem, I think."

"Emergency mission eh?" the cabbie comments, eyeing my jacket emblazoned with the Guild's heraldry.

"Sorry, can't comment." I demur politely, inwardly pleased that my ploy has already started to pay off.

Thanks to me being seconded to that stupid beach party planning committee, the Guild would immediately be alerted to my absence this afternoon during the pre planning meeting. James and Rachel would no doubt try to contact me, but I've already shut my phone off. I expect that being incommunicado would buy me around twenty four hours of leeway before the Guild gets suspicious and starts to investigate. Without the shield of being officially on leave, I would have no way of forestalling the Guild from looking into my disappearing act.

So I'm doing the next best thing. Laying down a false trail. That's why I'm not overly concerned about being able to get a ticket out of Crossroad City. I don't really care which bus I end up taking.

"We're here." the cabbie announces as we roll to a stop next to the terminal. He pops the cab's boot as I disembark, helping me to retrieve my luggage. A large suitcase and a smaller backpack. I peel off a few bills from my wallet for the cabbie before hefting the backpack on to my shoulders. Everything I need is in these two bags. Clothes, supplies, money. I had abandoned Love's original frame back at the apartment. Apparently keeping the gun itself on my person was enough to stop me from becoming sick.

"Thanks." the cabbie accepts the money, "Why aren't you travelling through the Winter Rift though?"

"Winter Rift won't take me to where I want to go." I give a bogus explanation, hopefully muddying the waters even further. The cabbie simply waves goodbye and drives off, leaving me with my own thoughts. Grasping the handle of my suitcase, I trudge into the terminal without any more delay. Blinking owlishly thanks to the harsh fluorescent lighting mounted on the terminal's high ceiling, I take stock of the scene in front of me.

A row of buses, armored to withstand the rigors of travelling the blighted wasteland, await the next batch of passengers out of the city. People mill about, checking the bus schedules pasted on the walls or just idly snacking. Touts yell at the top of their voices while gesticulating frantically, trying to pimp the virtues of their respective buses to any potential passengers.

Travelling on foot through the Winter Rift to another city might be faster thanks to the much shorter distances involved, but the armored bus was most certainly the safer choice. Not everyone wanted to chance bumping into bioforms in the Winter Rift, or shelling out for an escort of armed men to keep them safe. And as I had told my cabbie, Winter Rift doesn't connect to every city. Only to cities that have their own stable rift portals. The buses were far more flexible, stopping at pretty much all the cities and towns that dot their route. This happy state of affairs was what allowed the buses to keep running. And more importantly for me, the stop off points were vital to my plan.

Scanning the assembled buses, my eyes pause at one particular bus with a picture of a cheerful parrot painted on its armored hide. Good enough to serve as a random choice I suppose. Pushing my way through the crowd to take a gander at the schedule pasted on to the wall, I note with satisfaction that Parrot Bus has multiple stopovers on its route.

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

Perfect.

I walk over to Parrot Bus's tout and buy a ticket from him, one that would take me all the way to the end of the route. The journey would easily take two weeks, that's why the Parrot Bus has stopovers where the passengers and driver can rest for a night. Lodging during these stopovers was the passenger's own problem, though travelers on a budget could always opt to crash at the local bus terminal like hobos. Something I had experienced for myself during my first journey to Crossroad City.

But the important point here is that during these stopovers, the bus company doesn't track where you are. You're just expected to be back at the bus by the time of departure. Giving me an excellent opportunity to vanish at any one of these stopover points. All I need to do is wander off somewhere to dump my guild jacket, shave this beard and apply the makeup kit I had purchased back at Crossroad City. Then all it takes is purchasing a fresh ticket on another bus heading in a different direction to make my getaway.

Stowing my luggage into the bus's storage compartment, I ease myself into the comfy seat assigned to me by the tout. As the rest of the passengers troop onboard with minimal fuss, the bus's armored shutters slam shut over the windows, drowning the interior in darkness. Taking advantage of the gloom, I shut my eyes for a much needed nap.

Got to admit, I'm pretty smart, aren't I?

................

"Why aren't we moving?" a woman demands angrily, rousing me from my sweet, sweet slumber.

"I think the engine broke down?" someone else replies as the tout and driver speak to each other in hushed voices.

I smack my lips and pull out a bottle of water from the backpack. Napping is thirsty work. There's a commotion rising from the passengers around me, with several people demanding to speak with the tout, who also doubles as the bus conductor.

"I've got good news and bad news." the tout announces, looking rather worried.

"Bad news first." the angry woman huffs, giving the tout a ferocious glare.

"The bus is dead." the tout says to everyone's collective shock, "We won't be able to get it moving without the help of a mechanic."

"How can you not know how to fix your own bus?" someone snaps furiously.

"We know what the problem is." the tout says, "The fuel pump failed. But unless someone here has a spare fuel pump handy, this bus is not going to be working anytime soon."

"So, what now?" I raise my own voice, hackles rising at this turn of events.

"The good news is that the fuel pump held out long enough for us to reach a relatively safe zone," the tout smiles reassuringly, "so its safe for all of us to disembark."

"We've travelled for several hours already right?" the woman grimaces, "That would mean we're in the wasteland now."

"Sure, but like I said, we're safe here." the tout reassures, "No one will get radiation poisoning. And there're enough of us to scare away the more aggressive wild life."

"So, what, we trek to the next town?" I ask cautiously. This breakdown throws my plan completely into chaos. Journeying on foot would cost me valuable time, but I would still be able to disappear in the next town, as long as I was careful.

"Sorry, no, but that's not possible." the tout shakes his head, "The nearest town from us is cut off by another irradiated zone. We wouldn't be able to survive the journey."

"What." my heart sinks at this news.

"So what are we going to do?" the woman has quietened down as well, disheartened by how things are turning out.

"We camp here." the tout explains his plan, "Our company services this route regularly. Another bus on the return trip is guaranteed to run into us within the next few days. So we just sit tight to be rescued."

Few days. The words are like a gunshot to my heart. By then the Guild would be investigating me going AWOL. And I would be sitting here in the wasteland, waiting to be eventually brought back to Crossroad City.

Where Excelsior, Mark, Barkhant, everyone would be waiting.

My heart clenches.

"Wouldn't we starve?" I object with all my strength, "You're asking us to wait in the middle of the wasteland for a few days."

"The bus has a few boxes of snacks and water." the tout frowns considering, "We'll be thirsty and hungry, but nowhere near close to starvation level. Won't be a pleasant few days though."

"Can't you call for help?" the woman asks, fiddling with the buttons of her blouse.

"We're out of radio range from anyone." the tout answers, "But like I said, other buses use this route too. Someone will pick up our SOS eventually."

And with that the doors of the bus swing open, letting in warm air. The other passengers file out, eager to stretch their legs and work off some of their nervous energy. I remain slumped in my seat, shrouded by darkness.

Trouble has a way of finding certain people.

That was what Boggs had said to me back in the city. First the Matriarch's Ruby reappears. Now I'm stuck in the middle of the wasteland. Trouble had become a buzzard, flying in ever tightening circles over my head.

Groaning in misery, I paw at my chest, trying to calm my palpitating heart. It pounds like a gong, nearly causing me to keel over. But over the throbbing beat, that same familiar voice whispers to me.

You are in danger.