The drapes of canvas covered only the front end of the vehicle, the body stretching over twenty yards in length and twice the height of a man.
“Chassis must be from a cargo truck,” Ryan said.
“Twice my height,” Jak said, a hand reaching into the air.
“Can it fit out the door?” Mildred asked. “I’ve never seen anything this large that moved under its own power.”
“Unless they were total fools, it’ll fit,” Ryan replied.
“Eighteen wheels,” J.B. said, inspecting the wheel well. “Taken off a Hummer. Only needs six to operate.”
“Spares,” Ryan decided. “Or a diversion for somebody shooting at them.”
“Certainly lowers the odds of a sniper choosing the correct tire to blow.”
“She should be able to traverse the worst of the Deathlands.”
Keeping a watch on the shadows under the ring of vehicles, the friends walked around their incredible find. The rear doom were louvered, the angled slots perfect for shooting at pursuing vehicles. The dull body armor was of an odd dung-colored material that resembled smooth concrete.
“Antiradar composites taken off stealth helicopter,” Mildred guessed. “Probably got some reactive armor plating sandwiched between the outside and the steel sheets inside.”
“No way of knowing, short of taking the vehicle apart”
“Even the windows are covered with iron bars to keep anything too big from crashing into the hardened glass.”
“Somebody expected this to see serious combat.”
Dean carefully climbed on the fender, the wide band of spiked ‘steel resembling a porcupine belt. “It’s got a missile pod on the roof. No, there’s two!”
J.B. ran his hands over a grooved slot on the hull, which entirely ringed the vehicle. “This is to mount Claymore mines and blow away attackers who get too close. We don’t have any mines, but I can put something there. Wads of plastique packed with nails and broken glass should do the trick.”
“Mebbe it isn’t finished,” Krysty said. “Let’s get this canvas completely off. Somebody gave me a hand.” They all joined in to assist her. “Ready, pull!”
The sheet came down in rustling folds, exposing the slanted nose of the war machine. The prow was armed with a set of 75 mm recoilless rifles. Ryan thankfully spotted the vents to allow the blowback gas to leave the interior of the vehicle and not cook the crew after a single shot. There were side-mounted Remington .50-caliber machine guns, and two aft-mounted Vulcan 40 mm cannons, set on swivels for traversing.
“Shit,” Jak drawled, making the word two long syllables.
Doc agreed with a dumb nod.
“It’s going to be as loud as hell inside when we use those 75 mm rifles,” Mildred commented. “Especially both at once.”
“If there’s any shells for them,’ LB. stated. Along the aft part of the hull were racks for motorcycles, but no bikes. Presumably the coldhearts knew where to find some, but that knowledge was lost forever.
“Needs name,” Jak said. “Death wagon.”
“May I suggest Leviathan,” Doc countered. “It is much more appropriate.”
Jak snorted. “Got no balls. Death wagon.”
“Leviathan,” Ryan decided, then relented. “Vote on it.”
Leviathan won.
Inspecting underneath, Jak found some Claymore mines mounted on the belly near the exit hatch. Ryan decided to leave them there. It was a good idea to have your escape route mined in case of possible lurkers.
“Almost makes Trader’s war wag look like an oxcart.”
“It’s the biggest find we’ve made since the redoubts themselves. It must have taken them months, mebbe longer to build this.”
“It’s why they fought. With this chariot, they could have ruled an empire.”
“And after it was done, the question of who got to be the boss became disputed.”
“Makes sense.”
“The idiots,” Mildred snapped. “Sitting on a gold mine and they whizzed in the water.”
“Mixed metaphors,” Doc said, smiling, “but I agree wholeheartedly.”
“Well, it’s ours now,” Dean stated, beaming. Then his elation faded. “If we can get in.”
J.B. looked contemptuous. “With me and Ryan here, in the middle of a machine shop? Please.”
“Doors locked,” Jak said, rattling a recessed handle.
“Not for long.” Smugly, J.B. went to work with his picks and probes. A few minutes passed.
“Well?” Ryan asked impatiently.