“Unless it has a nest on another ledge,” Krysty suggested, moving away from the tunnel to check above them. The tunnel opened near the base of a large outcropping, a mesa actually, the main column of the granite mountain had shattered into splinters and boulders from some terrible geological event.
“But with all this light, I don’t think the night feeder will be out and about to bother us much.” Her voice faded away, then came back strong. “Mother Gaia protect us!”
Blasters at the ready, the others quickly joined the redhead and stared in wonderment. Where huge sections of the mesa were gone, smooth sections of a dull black material could be plainly seen in the shadowy light. The material wasn’t marred or scratched in any way.
“That’s the exterior of the redoubt,” Ryan said, rubbing his freshly shaved chin. Then he glanced about. “This whole area must have been underground before the war.”
“Then it became desert, and the winds unearthed the redoubt,” Mildred agreed.
“Now we know where that odd tunnel came from,” Dean said grimly. “Somebody saw the base and was trying to gain access.”
The elder Cawdor shook his head. “No, that was old tech that built the tunnel. Those beams were ferroconcrete. That can’t be made anymore.”
“Yes, sir.” The boy nodded, but kept a grip on his blaster.
The sound of a starting engine shattered the early-morning quiet. The companions dropped into combat positions, with Dean crouching to fire his new blaster from a kneeling position for greater stability. A moment later, their Hummer bounced into view with J.B. behind the wheel.
“Everything okay?” he asked suspiciously, one hand strategically out of sight. “You were taking too long… Dark night! The outside of the redoubt!”
“No other ledges or caves along this face of the mesa,” Ryan said, then turned to stare into the distance. “Mebbe the mutie came from the ruins.”
“Sure seems a lot bigger than it did last night,” Dean stated, cradling the longblaster in his arms, but making sure the muzzle wasn’t pointed at anybody. He had caught hell for accidentally doing that once, and he’d never repeat the mistake.
“Seems like the buildings reach for miles,” Krysty stated.
The darkness had to have masked the true size of the predark city. The outlying structures stretched in every direction, and there were rows of tall buildings downtown, some slashed on a diagonal cut from erosion, or with jagged tops from fires. But one marble edifice towered above the others, a single shining skyscraper untouched by the ravages of time or war.
“Gulliver in Lilliput,” Doc observed, resting both hands on his cane, the silver lion’s head peeking out between his laced fingers.
“Not Chicago,” Jak said, squinting, “Miami, or Big D.”
“Not any place I know. Anybody else?” Ryan asked, easing the safety on his blaster before holstering the weapon. There was a negative chorus.
“And no sign of people,” Mildred said, craning her neck for a better view. “That I can see.”
“We couldn’t spot a wag at this range,” J.B. said, retrieving a spyglass from a cushioned pouch on his belt. He extended the brass scope to its full length and closed an eye to look through it.
“Well?” Ryan asked.
“Still too far,” J.B. reported, collapsing the tube. “We need binocs to see details at this range.”
“Might be deserted, then,” Dean said, sounding disappointed.
“Or it could have a thousand people,” Krysty warned over her shoulder. “Somebody was operating the searchlights. And much as I hate killing, I sure hope they have a lot of enemies. We’ll get a better price with folks who have a fight coming.”
“Everybody has enemies,” Ryan rationalized coldly. “We’ll do fine with this lot of blasters and rockets.”
“Blasters always good,” Jak stated. “Heard ’bout man bought life by giving baron can opener.”
“Really?” Dean asked in disbelief. He touched the Swiss army knife in his pocket. Was it that valuable?
“Believe it,” Ryan said, climbing back into the Hummer and starting the engine, which caught on the first try. “You ever try to open a can of stew with just a knife or a rock?”
“Yes,” Krysty said, taking her seat.