“Greetings, outlanders,” the sec man said, climbing out of the small white wag. “What brings you to Fox Farm?”
“Just passing through,” Ryan said.
“You’re welcome to spend the night here if you like. We have some excellent accommodations.”
That was out of the question. The electrified fence was probably just as good at keeping people in as it was at keeping things out. If they stepped through the gate, they might never leave.
“How much?” Mildred asked when Ryan said nothing in response to the sec man’s offer.
The sec man smiled. “One of your blasters perhaps, or mebbe some ammunition.”
“Thanks for the offer,” Ryan said. “But we need our blasters and ammo.” He turned to leave.
“Fair enough,” the sec man said, “but I can’t let you go—”
The friends all made subtle moves for their blasters.
“—without making some sort of trade. How about some food? Apples, pears, grapes, beans… I’m sure you have something of value we could exchange.”
Dean was first, producing an extra pocketknife. Jak searched his pockets and came up with a few rounds that didn’t fit any of the friends’ blasters. Krysty offered up one of her two combs, and Mildred decided she could part with a pair of socks.
“We travel light,” Ryan said as the others held up the goods for inspection.
“Not to worry,” the sec man responded. “These are all things we can make use of.” He turned to one of the sec men behind him. “Three bags.”
The sec man hopped into the white miniwag and drove up to a large building to the left of the gate. In less than a minute he came back with three bags filled with fresh fruit and vegetables.
“By the horn of the goat Amalthaea,” Doc gasped. “I never thought I’d live to see such a cornucopia such as this.”
“Fair trade?” the sec man asked.
It was more than fair, Ryan thought, which made him suspicious. In his experience, all traders always wanted to come out on top in a deal. These people either had far more food than they needed, even for trade, or they were after something else. But judging by how prosperous the farm looked, Ryan decided they could probably afford to be generous with their food—as a sign of goodwill, with an eye toward future trades of more valuable commodities. “Fair trade,” Ryan answered.
A sec man opened a small door in the gate at chest height, and the goods were passed through the opening.
“It’s been a pleasure,” the sec man said.
Ryan nodded. J.B., Doc and Krysty each took a bag, but no one grabbed a fruit, knowing they should keep their hands as free as possible in case something went wrong and they had to grab their blasters.
The small door closed and the deal was done.
“How far is the ville from here?” Ryan asked.
“Just down the road,” the sec man said, pointing south. “Hardly any people there, but plenty of places to spend the night.”
“Thanks,” Ryan said.
They were about to leave when J.B. stepped forward. “If you don’t mind me asking, where are you getting your electricity?”
“No secret,” the sec man said. “Power station at the falls has been making juice for more than two hundred years.”
“The falls,” Mildred said. “Niagara Falls?”
“That’s them.”
“Thanks for the trade,” Ryan said, “but we best get moving if we want to get to this ville by dark.”
“Mebbe we’ll see you again sometime,” the sec man said.
Ryan nodded. “Mebbe.”
The friends headed for the falls, Mildred and Dean covering the rear until they were out of range of the sec men’s longblasters.
Chapter Five
When the outlanders were almost out of sight, Baron Fox came down from his office and strolled out to the main gate to meet with Grundwold.
The sec chief had ordered the others in his team to continue trailing the outlanders while he made his report to the baron. He would catch up to them later.
The baron arrived at the gate wearing his familiar silk bathrobe, but now had a heavy pair of black leather boots on his feet. He took a pipe from a pocket in his bathrobe, filled it with some of the tobacco grown on the farm and lit it with a shiny chrome Zippo lighter, which had cost him a breeder. As always, Norman Bauer was several paces behind the baron, his ledger tucked neatly up under his right arm.