The Scout

The rushing wind raised a howl and caused the ash dust to rain against the rock hard industrial waste throughout the canyon. As the light filtered down through the chemical cloud cover above a purple hue was cast on everything. As the inevitable ash storm prepared to whip through, a lone figure nestled into a crevice high upon the canyon wall. Pulling a telescope from his hooded long coat the man peered down at the shanty town on the canyon floor below.

About four dozen shacks, with no apparent forethought, huddled within a seven meter tall make shift wall. Everything within the settlement was a patchwork of salvaged industrial wastes. Girders, sheet metal, old vehicle parts, or whatever the particular occupants could manage to find and thrown together for shelter. It didn’t matter if the hovel was used for as a personal residence or a gambling den it all looked the same.

The man lowered the telescope then glanced up at the wall of the massive hive. It continued up well beyond his field of view. It was not the wall that he was interested in. From somewhere within the toxic clouds lights began to flicker on causing not only a slight increase in the light level, but a shift in the shadows below. Beneath his respirator a grin formed. It was only a matter of time, and he had survived his entire life out here.

At twenty three he was a seasoned veteran. Since childhood he had known how to change the filter and adjust his respirator. From adolescence he could read the shifting ash dunes and blowing toxins in the winds. Once he was allowed to join the band of nomads he quickly learned how to navigate between the hives. Even so he was better than most. He was a scout for his band. Entrusted to recon routes, gather information, and to report back anything of interest. It was the later that brought him to edge of this cliff on the eve of the biggest ash storm he had seen in many seasons.

A bolt of electricity cracked the sky between the hive and cavern wall having been grounded from somewhere in the eighteen kilometer skyline above. Raising the telescope back to his eye the nomad noticed that the activity level had increased dramatically within the shanty town. Some tried to board up their flimsy shelters while others sought entry into under ground bunkers, handing a few coins in barter to the owners. People were running everywhere. But there was a group of men walking around a rather large shack right against the hive wall. They neither looked scared nor rushed. This is what he was watching for.

Ten men had formed a semi-circle perimeter in front of the building, small arms at the ready. As the wind picked up the nomad barely detected the roar of a very large engine coming to life. He watched the makeshift building behind the men as it imploded. Out of the newly formed pile of scrap a large vehicle began to move. In pairs the men moved from their perimeter and climbed aboard a slowly moving crawler as it emerged from its self inflicted shroud.

It didn’t move all that fast, but it was mammoth. It was twice the height of the shanty town’s defenses and weapon stations covered its armored shell. As it lumbered towards the gate it became obvious that unless someone opened up the gates it was going to just plow on through them. Faint alarms could now be heard and several figures changed their course to move to the gates. As the behemoth reached the gateway the pair of doors began to swing outwards barely keeping pace. Without any noticeable hesitation the crawler squeezed through the gates. When it cleared the gates the gatekeepers did not waste any time and closed the gates behind it.

The sheer mass of the vehicle caused the ground to tremor slightly as it rolled beneath the nomad. He no longer needed his telescope and tucked it back into its pocket inside his long coat. Shifting his weight he turned to watch the crawler slowly disappear. Once out of sight the lone figure climbed back up over the edge of canyon wall. Jumping into a waiting buggy he quickly gunned the engine and raced out into the wastes. His fellow nomads would be very interested to learn about this.