16 GOODBYE
"Before you go, Russ, I've got something for you," Archie says as he sips his coffee.
"Oh yeah? What?"
"Armor."
He leads me into the backroom and opens up a crate. Inside there's a suit of green armor, chestplates and all.
"It's got a respirator in the helmet, and it'll recycle your urine and your breath. See this tube? Just bite on it and drink. This suit brought me back from hell in one piece. I've got a fresh micro-cell for it. It's got a built in computer and radar system and it should warn you if anything comes within 500 meters of you. It'll deflect bullets, but the higher caliber ones maybe not. And if we're lucky I should be able to communicate with you over the radio."
I run my hand over the armor's sleek surface, and I know my chances of surviving the wastes will be much better with an ally like this. I take off my clothes down to my underwear and I put on the armor. I raise the face visor and examine the suit.
"How do I look?"
"Stylin." and we both smile.
"You'll be ok, you'll take care of Tee?"
"Yeah we'll be alright. I made it to old age didn't I?"
"You sure did, old man."
"That's right, sure as hell I did. Tee will be fine."
I think he understands why I have to go.
"I'll miss you, son."
"two hundred days. I'll be back before you know it."
"I hope so. It'll be lonely here without your ugly face."
"I'll miss you too Archie."
"Promise me one thing, Russ."
"What's that?"
"Don't walk beyond the shimmering wall."
"Why?"
"You'll lose your mind. There's nothing there but chaos and death," he looks me in the eyes. "Here, you'd better take the sphere-bot. It'll interface with your suit, and warn you of danger." and he turns to the orange sphere-bot on the bench and powers it on.
"Take care of Russ ok? Designate companion Russell. Lock command," he says to the machine. The sphere-bot beeps in recognition.
I walk in the common room and Tee is there, hugging the kitty. She puts it down and wraps her arms around me.
"I love you, Russ."
"I love you too, Tee. Take good care of uncle Archie for me, ok, and the ginger cat too."
"Ok, I will. You're coming back right? You promise you’ll never die?"
"I promise." and I kiss her on the cheek and she sniffles.
I shoulder my rifle and my pack and the three of us emerge into the wasteland. The day is dark, and there's soundless lightning on the horizon.
The three of us hug one last time and I turn and leave. A hundred days each way. I don't know if I'll survive the journey. I turn and I wave goodbye but the two of them are already back in the bunker and I am alone again. Alone except for the sphere-bot hovering at my side, its antennae twitching.
"Can you hear me Russ?" and I fumble with the button on the arm labeled 'transmit.'
"I hear you Archie."
"Good. Be careful out there. Over and out."
I take the wasteland, one step after another. The day becomes dark, and the sphere-bot chimes in.
"Large insects detected, 100 meters and closing," and I can hear the chattering claws already.
"Large insects, 30 meters and closing." I open up the com and press transmit.
"Archie, the scorpions are coming."
"Good, remember what I said?" he responds, the comm crackling a bit.
"The bugs love me,"
"They sure do, Russ. They're your friends and don't forget it. Over and out."
Soon they surround me, ten of them, bigger than a truck, claws clacking and jaws clicking. One of them leans it's stinger forward, a drop of poison on the end, while the others all turn away. I take the stinger in my mouth and drink like a newborn, my pain fading away. I unroll my bedroll and fall asleep in the circle of now silent guardians, while Anna the sphere-bot keeps watch. It will be a long trip, a worthwhile journey always is.
Welcome to the dust.