"Velociriders? Man, that's a stupid name. They the local gang?"
"One of them. We got lots of gangs 'round here. Velociriders are biker boys. Bats outta hell and all that rhetoric. But they're some mean sons of guns. Cold as rattlesnakes and twice as venomous."
Cash pulled a cigarillo from his jacket pocket and lit it. "Yeah, I get the point."
Bart's laugh was as dirty as his face. "You don't know where you are, do ya? This here ain't no place that kind of nonchalance. 'Round here there's just takers and fools getting took. Right now, your skimmer looks ripe for the taking. Word's spreading 'round town. They're gonna be coming for you. Sure as hell breaks loose in a megastorm, they're coming. Ain't no law gonna protect you, ain't nobody gonna lift a finger to help."
"Thanks for the tip, pal. You got what I need or not?"
Bart eased from his stool and dropped to the floor. "What are you paying with?"
"Got crypto."
"V-notes ain't good outside the Havens."
"V-notes are good everywhere."
Bart took a heavily modified shotgun from behind the counter and hefted it, shaking his head. "Not here. Now get out before Bart take your knees."
Cash flourished with his hand, revealing a stack of thin, nearly transparent cards. Each was threaded with gold and silver circuitry and had a chip embedded on one end.
"How about these?"
Bart's face lit up. "Bullion cards? Why didn't you just lead with that?"
"Because I didn't want to waste time on junk. I know you got the good stuff stashed somewhere. Or should I take my business somewhere else?"
"No need, brother." Bart flipped a switch on the wall, activating a heavily-tinted energy barrier that sealed the entrance before shuffling to the back of the store. Pushing stacks of boxes out the way, he placed a hand on the wall, activating a hidden recess. Row upon row of brand-new parts were stashed inside, some of them still in their original packaging.
Bart's eyes were still locked on the toke cards. "Why bother rebuilding the repulsor when you can buy a brand-new one? For four gold bulls, it's yours."
"Four bulls? I can buy a whole new repulsion system for that. One bull. Silver."
"All right, three gold. Best I can do for ya."
"Two. One gold, one silver. And don't press your luck. I'm pretty sure you're not the only shopkeeper with a hidden wall in his shop."
"I'm the only one who won't rip you off with used or rebuilt parts. But hell, Bart's in a good mood. One gold, one silver and it's yours. Can't say ol' Bart's not a fair man."
Happy was waiting for him as soon as he stepped back outside. Grabbing his arm with her bionic arm, she pulled him in close.
"We gotta go."
"Ow, ease up, will you? What did you do — kill someone?"
Her bionic eye glimmered. "How did you guess?"
"Wait — you did kill someone? I was only in the shop for ten minutes!"
"Look, he drew on me. Every idiot in this town thinks he's a cowboy."
He folded his arms. "Well, expect me to collect if they put a bounty on your head. Serves you right."
"These aren't the kind of people that put out bounties, Cash. We better get going. I think the guy was a relative of this Judge that runs things around here."
He took a wary look around as they headed for the Blunderbore. "Are you serious?"
"I don't want to be around to find out."
Cash activated the vehicle doors and hopped in. "I thought you could take care of yourself."
"I can. It's you I'm worried about. You take a stray bullet and I'm out of a ride."
"Thanks for the concern." He started the engine and slammed on the gas. "What the hell happened? You said you were going for a beer."
"I did. The guy rolls up on me, starts talking about how he likes girls with metal parts and all. Wanted me to do something cool with my arm. So naturally, I punched him in the face with it."
"Nice. Guess he didn't take it too well."
"Nope. Couldn't take everyone laughing at him. You men are so sensitive that way. He went for his sidearm. I was faster."
He shook his head. "I've been in situations like that time and time again. Never had to kill a man to get out of one. You need to use lethal force as a last option, Happy."
An amused smile spread across her face. "You never should have brought me here if you didn't want anyone to die."
"Duly noted." He eyed the approaching gate. "If Tucker doesn't open that gate then we'll be sitting ducks."
Happy leaned back in her seat, eyelids half-closed. "I wouldn't worry about that."
As if on cue, the laser bars vanished, allowing them to roll through the gates unhindered. Cash glanced in the rearview mirror. Tucker leaned out the guardhouse window, watching them leave while talking on a bulky two-way radio.
Cash's eyes narrowed. "Too easy. Something's up."
"Shooting us in town would be too messy. Too many variables. They're planning on running us down and killing us out in the open."
"Well, you're the expert on killing. Guess you'd know."
"I do." She reached in the dusty satchel on her side and pulled out a bottle of Horse Piss lager. "Thought of you."
He grinned despite himself as he accepted the beer. Condensation slid down the icy-cold glass, dripping over his fingers. "I'm touched."
"A man shouldn’t be thirsty when he's fighting for his life."
"Damn straight." He chugged the lager and set an auto-pilot course for the Battle-Cat. "How much time do you think we have?"
"Before they send out the hounds? Couple of minutes, tops."
He held up the bottle. "Time enough."
Minutes later he pulled into the cargo bay in a cloud of stinging dust. Leaping out, he tossed the repulsor to Mateo, who lounged in the shade of the vehicle.
Mateo caught it with casual ease. "This is a brand-new part. How'd you get it in a junker town like that?"
"Don't worry about it, kid. How long until you can get this thing back up and running?"
"Half an hour."
Cash gritted his teeth. "That's twenty-five minutes too long."
Happy clambered back on top of the Battle-Cat, laying on her stomach and setting her rifle up on its bipod.
Cash glanced up at her. "You need a blanket or something? That hull has to be blazing hot."
She pushed a stray hair aside and peered into the scope, seemingly unaware of the searing heat or anything else. "I've been through worse."
"Suit yourself." Running back to the Blunderbore, he activated the back canopy. The panels slid open, revealing a mounted Browning.50 caliber machine gun complete with affixed protective flack shield.
Haven't fired this thing in a while. Hope it doesn't jam.
Mateo looked back and forth, eyes wide. "Are we in trouble or something?"
"Nothing we can't handle. You just get that repulsor fixed, kid."
"But I can—"
Cash turned around. "Too many spoons, not enough coffee. Got it?"
Mateo's face scrunched in confusion. "No…?"
"It'll hit you later. Just do your job, kid. We're not going anywhere unless you get us back off the ground. Got it?"
"Sure, Cash. I got you." Mateo grinned and dashed off, sliding under the rig in one smooth motion.
On top of the Battle-Cat, Happy adjusted her scope. "Here they come."
Cash slipped his goggles on, activating the binocular mode. The distance leaped forward, giving him a view of the gang of masked men and women approaching on rumble bikes. Dark silhouettes against grainy brown, leaving plumes of dust behind them.
Ravagers.
He leaped onto the bed of the Blunderbore and took position behind the gun. "This shouldn't be too bad."