“WHERE?” the Armorer asked.
“Across the bridge, on what used to be the American side,” Clarissa said. “There’s an old museum, the Niagara Aerospace Museum. It’s in a shopping mall.”
“An aerospace museum?” J.B. wasn’t impressed.
“Yeah, it’s got a lot of great stuff in it, like—”
“Like airplanes and helicopters.”
“That’s right.”
“Even if those things could still get off the ground,” J.B. argued, “none of us know how to fly an airplane.”
“There’s mostly that sort of stuff, and other things like training simulators and testing equipment, even some airplane and rocket engines.”
“You mean to tell me, young lady,” Doc interjected, “that in all this time no one, especially the local baron, has visited this museum and stripped away everything that might be of some value to someone trying to survive in the Deathlands?”
“The museum in the mall’s been stripped clean, sure, but I know how to get to the museum’s underground storage facility. That’s where they kept all the spares, even moved a few of the museum’s best pieces when the nukes started to fall. It’s also where I stashed the wag I stole.”
“What’s there?” J.B. asked, suddenly more interested.
“There’s an airplane that’s got some pretty big blasters on it for one thing.”
Jak eyed the young woman skeptically. “How you know, and not others?”
“Some of my mutie friends live under the mall, and they’ve made their home pretty secure.”
“And why,” J.B. asked, “will the muties just let us come in and take the stuff away?”
“Because I’m going to tell them what you’re going to use it for, and…you’re going to give them food.”
“We don’t have any food,” Dean offered.
“No,” J.B. said, “but mebbe we can get some on the way.”
No one said a word for several long moments. Finally, Jak rose to his feet. “Let’s go.”
“I’m afraid we’re going to have to put off our trip to the museum for a few hours yet,” Doc pointed out. “Or at least until our guide, Sleeping Beauty, awakens to show us the way.”
J.B. looked over at where Clarissa had been sitting. The young woman was now on her side, sleeping soundly after eating so much of the sedative-laden fruit.
“Mebbe it’s for the best,” J.B. said. “Give us a chance to recce the farm.”
The Armorer got to his feet and stretched his legs. “Doc and Dean, stay here. Jak and I are going to see exactly what we’re up against.”
The old man nodded. Dean looked disappointed about being left behind, but nodded just the same.
“How much time before she wakes up, Doc?”
“Two hours would be my guess.”
“Okay, then,” J.B. said, glancing at his wrist chron. “See you in two hours.”
THE WHISTLE BLEW about an hour before sunset and a series of white miniwags pulled up to where the crew was working in order to take them back to the main building for cleanup, a hot meal and the rest of the evening’s activities.
Ryan joined Mildred so they could watch each other’s back on the way in. He kept his eye on Purvis, too, making sure to always keep the man in front of him so there would be no surprises.
As they neared the wag, the woman who had befriended Ryan earlier in the day came up alongside Mildred. “Don’t worry. He won’t try anything until we get to the main building. There’ll be sec men on other wags keeping an eye on everything. They like a peaceful ride in at the end of the day like the rest of us…” Her voice trailed off and she seemed to gasp for breath.
“Are you all right?” Mildred asked, putting out an arm to steady the woman.
“Tired is all,” she responded with a strained smile. “I could use a warm meal and a good night’s rest.” Her smile turned into a grimace and she clutched her belly.
“You don’t sound all right to me,” Mildred stated.
“Oh!” she gasped, louder this time.
Mildred grabbed her with two hands. “What is it?” But she didn’t need to hear an answer to know what was going on. There was a dark wet spot on the ground between the woman’s legs, and greenish-brown water was running down the inside of her thighs.