Through the Dust - Section 7

        Loika was always a busy place, and despite what had happened last night, today was certainly no different.  The Pod garages were quite full, and it was difficult to find a decent place to park.  It was early morning when they had arrived, and the sun was just blazing its fire through the large front door of the garage they had finally gotten in to, and Red shuffled into the cockpit, shielding her eyes against the red light.  “Good morning!”

Alex and Zinfandel turned around to look at her, Alex’s hair falling in disarray as she learned backwards over the arm of the seat.  “You sure opted to sleep in!”

“We’ve got a lot of work to do – not that you get any cash in from this job,” Zinfandel chimed, tossing a magazine on the floor.

Red, who was now dressed in some black pants, a red light tank top and a black leather jacket, checked her watch, “It’s barely six in the morning!”

“Have you ever been to Loika before?”  Alex now stood, sweeping her top hat from the dash and settling it on her head in one swift motion.  “You probably shouldn't wear that.”

Alex was referring to the necklace that stood out against the rest of Red’s clothing; it was a silver pendent of the University’s all-too-familiar symbol of a woman in a flowing dress with devil’s wings upon her back adorned by blue and black diamond crystals on either side on a black metal chain.  “Why’s that?” Red asked, fingering the pendant and glancing down at it.

“Well,” she grabbed the cross and slung it across her back.  “Loika is the largest city that is not run by the University, and the locals are quite proud of that.  They run anyone who even remotely smells of University right out of town.  The laws are a lot different here – take this.”  She handed the girl a handgun and a cartridge full of ammo.  “Know how to use it?”

The ex-soldier snatched the gun from her, “Of course I know how to use it!”

Zinfandel adjusted the bullets across her chest and pushed past the two, “If you two are finished, we have some supplies to sell, remember?  We’re supposed to meet Meron in a couple of hours, and we’re still a good distance outside the city.”  At this, the two others gave one final stare and followed her out of the cockpit.

It was no surprise to the usual pair how busy Loika was already, but it caught Red completely off guard and made her a bit nervous.  She had only spent her time in University-run cities, and Loika was something completely different and was represented by a completely different type of people.  Almost by instinct, she tucked the necklace under her tank as best she could – these were not people to impress the wrong way.

Noticing this slight movement of the hand, Zinfandel raised a brow and chuckled, “Not quite what you expected, huh?”

“I wasn’t quite sure what to expect,” she replied, looking around and drawing back as someone tried to ask her for money, “But you could say that.  Is this what it’s like in all the rogue cities?”

Alex shot a glance back at her, “You better watch how you talk – someone might catch wind of words like that.”  The term ‘rogue cities’ was used by University officers when referring to any city not under University control, or in a University area.  It was a term that was liked only by the University folks, and spat by anyone else who used it.  “And no, this is probably the best city outside of the University – and to many, it’s better than any University city.”

Zinfandel pulled out her communicator and flipped through some pages on it, each mechanical beep in time with their steps.  “It looks like we’re going to have to refuel here.  There’s no way we’ll make it to a stop, especially since the nearest is a good three hours out I’d say.  There’s no way we’d make over 400 miles on what we have left.”

“Wait – what?” Red stopped them, wheeling back to face the pair.  “What do you mean fuel?”

After adjusting her belt, Alex raised a brow, making sure to make Red wait for her answer.  “We still have a hydro-powered engine…  This Pod is an early model – pre-plasma, and never upgraded.”

“They still have fueling stations?  There’s enough water left for that?”

“Lucky for us.”  Zinfandel nodded her agreement.  “They’re a bit rare in University cities, and can usually be found in the nearest outcast –“ Outcast was considered the proper term for a non-University town. “-that’s by a body of water…  Still, they’re getting tougher to find, since all but ocean water is starting to dry up at this point…  Lucky for us, Loika lies somewhere near where Sydney, Australia used to be, and there’s plenty of ocean water to go around…  At least, for now.”

“Australia?”  Since Red had been born soon after the Quake, she hadn’t been around to learn old world geography, and honestly had no idea what Alex was referring to.

At the question, Alex first responded with an exasperated sigh.  “Australia was a body of land completely surrounded by the ocean – it was what we called an island.  I don’t think any have been discovered post-Quake?”  The question was posed toward Zinfandel, who simply shrugged and continued to look through her communicator.  “Do you know if we’ll be able to afford a new engine?  I’d rather do that than fill up first, and spending some time here wouldn’t really hurt.”

“Well, not a particularly new model…  But it’s Loika.  We can probably find something like a P-1005 or something.  It would be half our earnings I’d guess, though…”  This made Zinfandel glance up to see Alex’s reaction, but received no more than a shrug.  “Should I ask Meron about it after we sell our extra loot?”

Alex was already distracted, staring into the crowd beyond Red’s shoulder.  “I’ll meet up with you later…  I’ve got some business to take care of.”

Before either Zinfandel or Red could reply, Alex had pushed past the ex-officer and gotten herself lost in the crowd, seemingly wandering aimlessly into the city.  The two exchanged confused glances, and continued in the direction they had been going to meet their old friend, Meron.