Dakota drove her pickup across the Badlands, heading for the Aldecaldos' camp with a few capable people.
Just as she was about to leave, the signal from the Aldecaldos' camp suddenly cut out, and there was intense interference. The last message she received was:
Drone attack!
So she brought along some medicine and weapons, which delayed her a little.
But when she neared the Aldecaldos' camp she remembered,
there seemed to be nothing there at all?
She looked several times-
The Aldecaldos' camp had a tall, abandoned power transmission tower. The Bright Family had used it to hang Solar Panels and generate electricity.
She looked several times, confirming that the Iron Tower standing in the Badlands was the one she remembered.
Then she was even more confused!
There was nothing here!
Then she saw a burly man standing beneath the sun in the Badlands, on the empty desert, his expressionless figure ramrod straight.
This was the Badlands, where the temperature could exceed 60 degrees Celsius!
"Brake!"
Dakota's alarm bells rang. She immediately told her people to brake.
Screech-
The Signal Tower regained its signal. Static crackled from the car radio, and then Lier's voice came through.
"In-Betweener, you're in the right place. Thor and the others have already left. I'll explain the details on the way."
"Okay."
The people in In-Betweener's convoy all breathed a sigh of relief-
What kind of lunatic would stand in the Badlands waiting for someone?
How long had that big guy been waiting?
Was he even human?
Several Nomads began making up stories in their heads.
As an In-Betweener, Dakota had a pretty good car. It wasn't as powerful as the Western Tapir, of course, but it was quite comfortable to ride in.
It handled well, too, and felt a bit like a Mackinaw-Lier was