Morning -- Lucky Aces
Ev3’s eyes snapped open.
An engine roared outside.
Rusty brakes screamed.
She rolled off the bed instantly.
A car door slammed.
Metal clinked.
The sharp flick of a lighter.
A smoker.
Her pulse jumped.
Ev3 reached into her pack and pulled out her submachine gun.
#12. Humans have purposes. Most of the time it’s bad.
She moved to the window carefully and parted the blinds just enough to see outside.
A man stood beside a battered old car.
Gray duster.
Metal helmet.
Armor plates.
Not a local raider gang.
“A loner, maybe,” she whispered to herself.
“How screwed up must someone be if even a gang won’t take them?”
That made him more dangerous.
Silence stretched.
The engine ticked as it cooled.
Somewhere in the trees a crow called once, then went quiet.
Ev3 kept the gun trained.
A radio crackled.
“Tomas, this is, Slappy squirrel. Checking out a lead near Ashland. ETA… tomorrow. Will update. ”
The voice on the other end laughed.
“Roger that. Good luck out there. ”
Ev3 shifted slightly.
Her legs had gone numb from crouching.
She hadn’t spoken to another human in weeks.
The man puffed on a cigar and studied her motorcycle.
Ev3 frowned. “Don’t get any ideas about my ride, asshole.”
He cupped his hands and shouted toward the motel.
“Hello? Anyone here?...I’m looking for a woman. ”
Ev3 scoffed quietly.
“They’ve tried before. You’re not the first. ”
She hesitated.
The Whitecoats had promised someone would eventually come looking.
But the lessons had also been clear.
People were dangerous. Time to make a choice.
She pushed the motel door open and peeked out across the parking lot.
“Hello?” she called. “Hey, you. ”
Her voice sounded rough from disuse.
The man moved instantly.
Two sawed-off shotguns appeared in his hands like magic.
BOOM. BOOM
The blast shredded the motel doorframe.
Wood splintered everywhere.
Ev3 dove sideways.
“Oh shit!” she yelled. “This asshole wants to say hello?”
She squeezed the trigger.
Her SMG licked the wind. .
Brass casings sprayed across the floor.
The man dove behind his car.
Bullets tore through the rusted hood.
The engine started smoking.
Ev3 slammed a fresh magazine into the weapon and racked the bolt.
Silence returned.
Cold air drifted through the shattered doorway.
Minutes passed.
Her heart hammered. The engine ticked.
The wind whispered through the trees.
“Hey!” she shouted.
“I didn’t want trouble. This doesn’t have to end in violence. ”
Moments passed.
A white cloth slowly rose above the car hood.
Tied to a stick.
The universal wasteland symbol for surrender or mercy.
“Come out slow!” Ev3 shouted. “You fired first!”
The man stood up with his hands raised.
“I did,” he said. “Sorry about that. I thought it was an ambush. ”
He glanced at the motel.
“Guess the bartender was telling the truth about a woman hiding out here. ”
Ev3 frowned.
“Batender?”
“Yeah. Said someone strange passed through. Fish out of water. ”
He studied her.
“That you?”
He turned toward his car.
Smoke poured from the engine.
The vehicle sputtered once… then died completely.
He stared at it for a moment.
“Well… that’s unfortunate. ”
Ev3 lowered her gun slightly.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“You destroyed my ride,” he said calmly.
“Damn shame. ”
Ev3 blinked.
“A car is a valuable asset. ” Adem said.
The way he said it made her pause.
Vault phrasing. Who is he?
“Uh… to you… I apologize,” she said awkwardly.
He smirked.
“It’s alright. Shit happens. ”
He nodded toward the trunk.
“Listen…I’ve got some cans of soup. Happy to share. Maybe trade. ”
Ev3’s attention sharpened.
Soup. “This man had adequate survival resources. ”
“What else?”
“Cigar. Half a liter of Gaso-green. Bottle of clean water. ”
He paused.
“And that’s just the opening offer. ”
Ev3 considered the numbers.
Half a liter of fuel could carry her a long way. Gaso-green is hard to come by.
This man had resources.
And he looked capable.
“Who are you with?” she asked. “Waste Lords? Flesh Fiends? Slavers?”
“None of the above. ”
He leaned against the dead car and crossed his arms..
“Free man. On my way to Valley Point near Bar Harbor. ”
“Fresh water. Showers. Real food. ”
He looked at her.
“I want you to come with me. ”
Ev3 didn’t lower the gun.
“You mind lowering your gun?”
“I’ll lower it when I’m ready. ”
He nodded toward her motorcycle.
“That your bike?”
“Yes. You can’t have it. ”
He chuckled.
“Relax. Not asking. ”
He gestured toward the trunk.
“You give me a ride, the supplies are yours. ”
Ev3 thought for a moment.
“Alright. That’s a good start. ”
She lowered the weapon.
But kept it ready.
If he lied, she would shoot.
If not…
He might be useful.
***
They set up camp under the big leafy tree in the parking lot. Next to the collector bot.
Dropping their packs but staying guarded.
Ev3 drained half the bottle of clean water before she realized she hadn’t blinked.
Cold.
Real.
Not rainwater.
Not metal tasting.
She wiped her mouth and scanned the treeline again.
When meetings didn’t end in gunfire…
They usually ended in trade.
“We shouldn’t stay here long,” she said. “Flesh Fiends are nearby. ”
“I know,” the man said. “We won’t. ”
He crouched beside a rusty grate balanced between two rocks.
Two cans opened with a heavy metal opener.
“Western corn,” he said. “And potato broccoli. ”
He poured both into a dented pot.
Steam rose.
The smell hit her immediately.
Real soylent soup.
Her stomach twisted painfully.
Ev3 sat near the fire but kept her gun resting across her lap.
“I found coffee,” she said, handing him the dusty bag.
“Can you brew it?”
He nodded.
“I’ve got a little bourbon too. ”
“Makes it taste like civilization. ”
She watched him closely.
#23 The best way to gain someone’s trust is to give them free stuff.
He handed her the cigar.
She grabbed it quickly.
She tossed him the motel soap.
“Trade. ”
He sniffed it.
“Rose. ”
“Fancy. ”
He removed his helmet and goggles.
Ev3 stared.
Two eyes.
All teeth.
No burns.
No mutations.
Healthy.
That alone was rare.
Something about him felt familiar.
Not his face.
Something deeper.
A pattern.
A clone.
#45 Don’t fall in love too quickly.
She stared at the fire instead.
He lit her cigar and slid the lighter toward her.
“You can keep that. ”
“Thanks. ”
She removed her skull cap and face covering.
Her hair fell loose around her shoulders.
He blinked.
“You’re… beautiful.”
The word hit her like a concussion.
Beautiful.
No one had ever described her that way.
Not efficient.
Not viable.
Beautiful.
She looked away.
He handed her the soup first.
She grabbed it too quickly.
Steam burned her tongue.
She didn’t care.
It tasted like survival.
He waited until she finished before eating.
She noticed that.
They drank coffee in the cold morning air.
Smoke drifted upward.
He shifted closer.
Not threatening.
Just near.
“Don’t look at me like that,” she said quietly.
“Like what?”
“Like you’re trying to figure me out. ”
He smiled slightly.
“You haven’t lied once. ”
“How can you tell?”
“Instinct A genetic gift. I don’t know.”
She studied him.
“I don’t lie. I only tell the truth. ”
“I know. ”
He moved closer.
She pressed the gun against his chest. “Is this gun telling the truth?”
He chuckled.
“Very clearly. ”
“But you didn’t pull the trigger. ”
Ev3 smiled despite herself.
This is flirting in the apocalypse.
Thunder rolled across the sky.
Orange lightning flashed through sick clouds.
The world was still broken.
After a moment he spoke.
“My name's Adem Potts. ”
“Retriever Agent. ”
Ev3 hesitated.
Names had value.
“Ev3-890. ”
He tilted his head.
“Ev3?”
She ignored the question.
“How do you know about Rule Fifty-Three?”
He smiled.
“Vault Two. ”
“Male Batch 37. ” J9P-M67
He rolled up his sleeve.
The tattoo confirmed it.
“I was sent to retrieve you,” he said. “Bring you to Valley Point lighthouse. Been searching for three weeks. You’re the only release still alive. ”
Ev3’s chest tightened.
“The others?”
“Didn’t make it. ”
“What happened to them?”
“You don’t want to know. ”
Silence settled between them.
“They blindfolded me,” she said.
“Dropped me in a drainage ditch. ”
He nodded.
“It’s lucky you survived so long. My window is short. ”
“I remembered my values.”
“If the aliens find the vaults… it’s over. ”
She stared into the fire.
“Are you going to help me?” she asked.
“Help you do what?”
She didn’t hesitate.
“Destroy the Collector ship. ”
Adem laughed softly.
Not mocking. Just disbelief.
“Ev3… It’s been 100 years since the ship landed. People have tried. Nothing scratches that monstrosity. The town council won’t approve death missions. ” He was rambling.
She stared at him.
“They aren’t gods. ”
He looked toward the distant horizon.
“Might as well be. We can rebuild,” he said finally. “Valley Point is stable. Viable”
“You and I could build something there. ”
“I hardly know you. ”
“You don’t need to know someone long to build something better. ”
She studied him carefully.
“A farm?” Babies? Pretend the mothership isn’t there?”
“We survive,” he said. “That’s what people do. ”
“I’m not surviving,” she said. “I’m fighting. ”
Lightning cracked again.
He stirred the fire.
“I’ve seen what happens to fighters. I’ve seen too many people get collected. ”
She looked at him.
“You won’t help me?”
He didn’t answer right away.
“I’ll get you to Valley Point,” he said.
“You’ll be safe there. ”
“Then we’ll talk. ”
Rain began to fall.
Cold and steady.
“We should move,” he said.
Ev3 stood.
“Adem. ”
“Yeah?”
“I’ll go to Valley Point. ”
“But I’m not finished. ”
He gave a tired smile.
“Most people aren’t. ”
“They just learn to live with it. ”
They doused the fire.
Then stepped back into a world still ruled by false gods.
#23:You are never truly alone.
