Chapter 05:

As Ruth got used to her new school routine over the coming days. Jake and Bella made their wedding plans. Since it was a small town they kept their wedding simple. They invited only friends who could invite one adult guest. While children were openly invited. It was a simple affair with Father Micheal as their priest.

With help from the women who helped out with the orphans. The whole thing took place in the backyard of Jake's place. Ruth had a lot of fun playing with the other children having only visit them a few times a year.

After the wedding Ruth went to stay with Father Micheal along with Evelyn. The weekend passed with both girls helping where they could and Evelyn entertaining everyone through the use of her hand hologram emitters.

Weeks passed as the family settled into a family life that changed very little since Bella had been living in the house a good year before hand.

Sheriff Jake dealt with the normal troubles that rose up when a few hundred people lived together over a collection of farms, one suburb and a single town.

“There you are, Jake. ” Doc Wilson said coming down the road as Jake was heading into the office.

“Hey Doc, how are things? ” Jake asked.

“Good, Your Bella is a fast learner. Took that clutter mess of a doctor's office of mine and got it back into shape. We learned something knew about the regeneration. ” Doc Wilson said lowering his voice a bit as he got closer.

“Oh?” Jake asked already knowing that any rare injuries he got healed up pretty fast. The knife stab from a drunken man last week barely pierced his skin. Before Jake considered going to see the Doc it had healed up.

“Emily, the tom boy of the orphan group. She picked up a poisonous snake and got bit. She is recovering, but her wounds are taking a little longer to heal. I say a full night's rest before she is well again. ” Doc Wilson said and Jake nodded.

“So poison takes a little longer to recover from. ” Jake said making a mental note.

“If we had a team of doctors and a good size lab. I'm sure we could have figured this stuff out. ” Doc Wilson said sounding regretful.

“What about a blood transfusion, would that work? ” Jake asked his tone curious.

“Can't be sure that it would be safe. Best case, the person would get super healing for a while. I think it's a gene altering treatment that we got. What they added in for healing might just be the real kicker. ” Doc Wilson said thinking it over.

“Your best guess? ” Jake asked.

“You know how a lizard loses his tail and grows back a new one. I'm just guessing here, but I do believe there is a bit more of lizard DNA in us now. ” Doc Wilson sounding like he had plenty of time to puzzle over it.

“Sounds possible. ” Jake said trying to remember what little science he was taught.

“What I can't figure out is what kind of lizard it was. A tail is one thing, but growing back a limb is another. ” Doc Wilson and looked past Jake as someone was coming toward them.

Ivan Rota was walking toward them from the opposite end where Doc had come from.

Jake waited for the man to come twenty feet then greeted him.

“Morning Sheriff and Doc. ” Ivan Rota said and looked worried.

“Something wrong, Ivan. ” Jake asked.

“Christopher's idea. He is pushing for a vote at the next town meeting. ” Ivan said. Jake and Doc Wilson's face went a bit grim.

“Well, he is Crazy Christopher for a reason. ” Doc Wilson said with a joking tone.

“It's insane. Drive the truck to Coastal city and find the people who made Evelyn. Then get more of the Regen stuff for everybody. ” Jake said laying out the basics as all of

them enter into the building.

Deputy Brown was sitting behind the front desk today going over paper work a short distance away. Roxy was lying on the floor and perked up seeing Jake. Her tail wagging a little.

“Can the truck make it back? ” Ivan asked looking at Jake then to Doc Wilson.

“Before, I started fixing people. I used to work on fixing machines. The first day, I met Evelyn. I asked her a lot of questions on the way into town. Turns out the truck runs on batteries which recharge through small solar power panels covering the truck. Much like Evelyn skin. ” Doc Wilson explain.

“I noticed the battle scars on the metal disappeared. I thought, you and Deputy Brown had fixed them. As much time as you spent on that truck. ” Jake said with a smile.

“You should see the inside. Comfortable bench seats with cushions and we been using it for extra food storage. Those new plants that we brought in come into season faster then normal. We got food jars from grateful farmers as donations for those in need. ” Doc Wilson said and Jake nodded making the promise to have a look later.

“Keep making it ready for travel. I will have talk to residents about bringing you silver and gold for trade. I think, most will be happy to rid themselves of the useless metals that used to be precious. We have all the gold wiring that we need for the shield poles. ” Ivan said being partly in charge of the power plant when Victor needed rest.

“A few extra weapons couldn't hurt either. I know that we are coming into the fall season and the cannibals always retreat to their mountain homes. I don't like the idea of being out there during winter. So hopefully, we be back before the first snow. ” Jake said thinking it out. If Ivan thought the vote wasn't going to go well. He might as well plan ahead.

When the town meeting did come and the vote came to send a few out. Jake saw Preacher Christopher Brooks had been busy convincing people it was for the best.

Doc Wilson would have to go since he was one of the few people in town old enough to remember how to drive a big truck. Jake wouldn't let his friend go outside the shield wall without him.

Part of Jake wanted to walk over to Mr. Brooks and knock the smirk off his face. Instead Sheriff Jake left the meeting early to head home.

Bella knew something was wrong the moment Jake came inside. He was early and there was a grim look to his face.

“They voted. ” Jake said simply and Bella left out a huff knowing the results.

“Your going of course. ” Bella said knowing her new husband so well.

“I talked to Victor and Deputy Brown. Bryan as assured me if things get rough he will call in Victor for help. I'm not going with just with Doc. ” Jake said and patting the dog beside him.

“Not sure a dog counts, but Roxy is a smart girl. Shame, we scrapped our radios for parts. Be nice to know if others safe places made it after all this time. ” Bella said referring to the early days when they contacted other people over the radios.

“I like to think those on islands and remote foreign countries made it. ” Jake replied and made his way upstairs to speak to his daughter about him leaving.

Once he explained it all. Ruth asked him only one question.

“It's not fair that you have to go. Why not someone else? ” Ruth asked.

“I have the experience, knowledge and someone got to watch Doc's back. This time, I get to rescue the entire town. Imagine, if everyone got the same treatment as you. Fewer deaths and immune to illness. Not to mention that we hope to make new friends. ” Jake said listing off the possible benefits.

“Be back before the middle of fall. ” Ruth ordered with a smile.

“I will do my best, young lady. ” Jake said knowing that it was around the time of Ruth's birthday. He saluted then gave her a big bear hug.

Over the next few days Jake prepared as best he could. He went so far to have Evelyn showing him images of places she had been. Judging from the few images she projected onto the wall confirmed his belief she came from the Coastal City area.

As they drove for the main gate out of town. People came out to cheer them on and clapped. It would be weeks later before anything interesting happen to Jake while on the road.

It was only days later, when keeping his promise. Victor came by the Armor house to check in on Bella and Ruth.

Bella had little contact with the man, but Ruth considering him like an Uncle. Ruth had figured out a long time ago. Why Victor kept himself away from people in general.

“Are you sure you can't stay for supper? ” Bella asked Victor who politely shook his head.

“Can't. You know what the shield is like on the far side. With snow coming in a few months. I got to make sure everything is perfect. ” Victor spoke in slightly deep tone that seemed to crackle with power at times.

Evelyn and Ruth came into the room just then with food from the dry cellar.

“Ah, Evelyn. Nice to meet you at last. ” Victor said turning his attention on her.

“Your Victor sometimes called Voltage. ” Evelyn said holding out her hand. Victor took it with an amused smile.

“I heard so many stories about you. Images out of thin air, can dodge punches and rarely needs to rest. ” Victor said and wasn't surprised not to get any answer from Evelyn.

“Hey Victor, no super powers yet. ” Ruth said in a way of greeting. It was an old topic between them.

“Baby Ruth, Give it time. Your still young and you still got a fifty percent chance. ” Victor said in return with a small chuckle. Bella realized they were talking about Ruth getting powers of her own.

“Victor, your always welcome to come by. Just be careful coming around after dark. I'm pretty good with my shotgun. ” Bella teased. She knew that he would sense her and the metal of the gun long before she could aim it at him.

“I will try not to get too close to the house then without announcing myself. ” Victor said and walked away. They heard the front door open then closed. Bella waited a full minute later before speaking.

“I know that he is a good man, but so distant from everyone. Most of the people living here now. Only got here because of Victor and Mister Filnor's help. ” Bella said now preparing the food for cooking.

“He doesn't want to get attach to people. Those with offensive powers and Mr. Filnor. He knows they can defend themselves. I think, he saw too many die on the way here. ” Ruth said recalling the various conversations she had with Victor.

He had been one of the few people who came to see her after what the cannibals did to her. Ruth only figured out much later that he felt responsible for letting that part of the shield wall fail. Ruth didn't blame him for being asleep after doing some serious overtime work at the power plant.

“I think your right, Ruth. He spent weeks trying to figure out who burned down my house. First thing, he did was apologize for not getting there in time to put out the fire. It wasn't his fault. Like my daddy use to say. Tough times never last, but tough people do. ” Bella said with a smile she fondly remembered her parents from before.

“Evelyn, do you mind chopping? while I get this to a good boiling point” Bella asked and Evelyn assured she would help.

Ruth got to work on getting the tea ready.

“Bella, we are running low on tea again. ” Ruth said.

“I will talk to Mrs. Ever-sprout about getting some more tea leaves. She practically got a monopoly on the tea supply. ” Bella said thinking about the woman who owned the largest and most green houses in town.

From there talked turned to things they needed and what to buy from the only store in town belonging to the Carmex family.

After dinner Bella cleaned up dismissing the girls upstairs. Bella finished with cleaning the dishes when she sat down in the living room enjoying the rare electrical light they used.

She fell asleep with a book in her hand. The moment Bella appeared in long abandon barn she knew she was dreaming.

This was her power at work. Bella stood in the doorway only to see Jake coming toward her. Judging from his approach he was being careful of Cannibals. Bella spun when she heard the growl of some large animal.

Somewhere in the darkness behind her she caught sight of its eyes. Bella awoke with a slight start and recalling the creature's fangs as a tiny bit of a possible future was just shown to her.

“Damn it. ” Bella said to herself cursing her gift for only showing a bit of a future that may or may not happen. Bella always thought it was odd she couldn't remember normal dreams everyone seems to have. On the rare time she did dreamed, she caught only little moments that might happen in the future.

Bella rose up from the chair and looked out of the window into the darkness beyond. Bella closed her eyes and pressed her hand to the glass.

“Come back home safe, Jake. ” Bella whispered wishing somehow he could hear her words.

Untold miles away Jake looked up from a faded map if someone had called his name. He shook his head and went back to studying the map before taking his turn on watch.

Doc Wilson had turned in early to sleep. Jake felt safe with Roxy around. Currently, they were parked out of sight inside a tall garage of a long abandon house along the highway.

Jake had scouted the house to find nothing they could use and clearly the former owners had fled long ago. There were signs cannibals had been here once. Now, wild animals seemed to come and go from the place judging from the chewed up furniture.

Jake thought about the trip so far. It was taking longer then he expected since parts of the raised highway were simply gone. So they had to back tracked and try a different way. This wasted precious daylight that they needed and being out at night was suicide.

Considering it, Jake knew they couldn't always depend on the batteries. Not to mention they would have to use head lights to see. No doubt, that would attract Cannibals for miles around. The armored truck had a few new scratches due to a crude arrow hitting it or a spear. Jake hadn't fully appreciate the airless tires until he pulled a arrow out of one.

The plan so far was to travel during the day and camp out toward evening somewhere out of sight.

Roxy started growling and Jake took notice in the direction. Jake saw it was in the direction of the neglected highway. Doc Wilson grunted then rose up grabbing his rifle.

Jake nodded and silently as he could left the armored truck to look out one of the dusted covered windows. Thankfully, it was a full moon night.

Jake didn't like what he saw. It was a small hunting party of cannibals. Gray skin and they looked about if searching for smaller prey. It was bad luck for Jake and Doc just so happen to be in their path.

Jake signal for Doc to be ready and Jake took up a position behind the door to the garage.

Jake took out the first cannibal with ease. He wrapped his arm around the neck of the once human cutting off all air flow. Using his other arm to grip his own wrist completing the choke hold. The blows from hands and backwards kicks were barely felt by Jake as his victim grew weaker.

Once the cannibal stop moving Jake using his enhanced strength snapped the cannibal's neck for good measure. For a normal person it would have taken a lot of muscle power, but Jake wasn't a normal guy since he got sick all those years ago.

Two more, cannibals showed up next and Jake rushed the second one as Doc took out the first one with his rifle. The gun shot seemed incredibly loud in the garage.

Snarling screams came next as Jake punched the second cannibal to death.

“Stay behind the door and take them out. I will bottle neck them at the door and knowing their tactics they will bum rush me when I need to reload. ” Doc Wilson order.

Jake nodded and withdrew his gun now silence was no longer needed.

Doc predicted their behavior perfectly and Jake gunned down the ones that attempted to rush the doc when he was reloading.

Once the last cannibal realized that Doc wasn't alone everything went quiet. Jake rushed into the house finding it empty. Then he noticed the front door had been left wide open. Going to the doorway he looked out to see a figure running away down the road.

“I will check upstairs. ” Doc said starting for the stairs with Roxy at his side.

“Don't bother. One of them got away. We need to go now. No telling, how big his tribe is. We have to risk using the headlights. It's pretty close to dawn anyway. ” Jake ordered and Doc agreed.

Heading back to the armored truck Jake wasted no time in getting the garage door up. Doc Wilson already had the truck started and they were speeding down the road in less then a minute leaving only the slain bodies behind.

As a few more days passed by places where people made their last stand. Sometimes, it was just a ruined building with battle scars. Other times, they discovered long burned out places still littered with the bones of the fallen.

What shocked Jake was a lot of places looked almost untouched. Looters and those looking to survive had cleaned places out of course. A lot of the buildings remained unharmed by human hands.

“Almost like this town just up and left. ” Doc Wilson commented as they passed through the center and soon came to the outskirts.

“That war memorial of that tank. Evelyn showed me that. We are getting close old friend. ” Jake said excited by their progress. They were passing into the country side.

“Taken us nearly two weeks. So many damned bridges and raised highways are just gone. ” Doc said remember days when you could drive or fly anywhere in just a day.

“How about that farmhouse there. The barn is big enough for this rig. ” Jake said pointing out a nice place on top of a hill. The sun was setting and it was important they camp out for the night.

“I miss a good bed. Hopefully, this will be our last night sleeping in here for a while. ” Doc said turning the armored truck onto the drive way.

Doc braked and Jake stepped out first to check things out. The only weapon he held was an army knife taken from their stash of weapons. The air was getting chilly now fall was starting.

Jake stepped into darkness of the barn through a door that was partly left opened.

Jake was about to open it wide when he smelled something. The musky smell of a large animal then he caught the whiff of wood that been burned. Jake spotted an old fashion wood burning stove in the center of the barn.

He walked over to it and put his bare hand on the metal. Jake could just picture this old stove being used to keep barn animals warm on the coldest of nights. Jake went on the alert the moment he felt the warmth of the metal. Now, he was closer to the stove he also picked up the faintest hint of cooked food.

The barn was large just as his eyes looked toward the back the darkness there seemed to shift. Jake eyes went wide as the monstrous shape of a bat like creature came charging at him.

Jake raised his arm up as the creature's jaws opened and clamped down on his forearm.

Seconds later, they exploded out of the front with Jake being used as the battering ram.

Jake went flying back rolling as he did. Shaking off the attack he rose up on his feet still with his knife in hand.

Once when Jake was a child he wondered what it was like for a knight facing off with a monster. Today, Jake finally had his answer. The creature sort of looked like a bat and dragon fused together.

Then Jake noticed the creature was wearing a saddle.

“Don't move. Impressive that you kept your knife after being tossed like that. Not hardly a scratch on you. ” A stern woman's voice said.

Jake looked to see a woman who was close to Doc's age with an odd looking pistol pointing at him.

“Gray-Wing, watch him. ” The woman ordered and turned her attention toward Doc Wilson who was pointing his rifle at her.

“Interesting stand off, madam. ” Doc Wilson said politely noticing her gun was pointing at his friend.

“I can assure you that I'm not alone. You think that little gun can take Gray-Wing down. He is very old, but still has plenty of fight in him. ” The woman said sounding very sure of herself.

“Well, you got a fair point there. I'm Doc Wilson Lightweight of the town of Last Hope. We are from the Plains. ” Doc said with a slight chuckle and lowered his gun to the low ready position. Clearly, he knew they were outmatched and possible out number if she had friends in the area.

“Maggie Penn, retired Leather-Wing rider. You both met Gray-Wing. ” Maggie Penn said giving Doc Wilson a little wink.

“Sheriff Jake Armor. ” Jake said dropping his knife then inspecting his arm. The Leather-Wing's jaw pressure was impressive. It had left cuts, but they were healing up as he watched.

“The plains. You two are a long way off from home. ” Maggie said looking at Jake's arm with a surprised look. Clearly, she didn't suspect him to heal so fast.

“A bit of a long story, madam. Maybe, we should get out of sight before dark. ” Jake said getting up slowly with his hands out.

“Okay, Back that truck up inside the barn. I will decide, if you can stay after we talk a bit. ” Maggie said backing away and motioning a hand command to Gray-Wing. The Leather-Wing moved with her to settle back down toward the back of the large barn.

Chapter 06: New Friends

Doc Wilson back up the truck plugging up the hole that was made where the doors had been. Jake walked into the barn to see Maggie climbing a ladder to an opened second floor.

Jake got another surprise when Maggie's friends came into view. From the upper open level above was a boy and what appeared to be a raptor about the size of Roxy.

The boy looked slightly younger then Ruth and his clothes were nearly rags. It was the haunted almost scared look in his eyes that gave Jake the greatest impression.

The boy's hand was petting the raptor. His fingers stroking through a combination of azure fur and feathers which slowly changed to a greenish color.

“Rather looks like a giant parrot in some ways. That dinosaur is like Evelyn, I bet. ” Doc Wilson said smiling as he noticed Maggie's friends so far were a boy and a robot dinosaur.

“Henry Horror, Claw and the boy's pet is running about somewhere. We found the boy running from the cannibals. Lucky for him that I was flying overhead. Claw glided down first then old Gray-Wing had his fun. ” Maggie explained motioning they should come up.

Jake climbed the ladder with ease. Jake noticed she still had her gun out even if it was lying by her side as she sat with her legs crossed. In front of her was the leftovers of a meal.

“I see, we had disturbed you at dinner time. Our apologies. ” Doc Wilson said floating up and over the rails to gently touch down on his feet.

Judging from Maggie's shocked look she wasn't expecting the doc to having any powers.

“Old doc here has some minor gravity manipulation. ” Jake said taking a seat himself.

“Most useful for getting things off high shelves or avoiding ladders. ” Doc Wilson said with a wink to Maggie.

“What can you do? ” Maggie asked turning her attention to Jake.

“My skin is dense and I'm a bit stronger then normal men. Hence my new world name. ” Jake said.

“I heard of that new world name stuff before. Those with powers took on new last names so others knew what they could do. ” Maggie said sounding like she had contact with other powered people before.

“What can the boy do? ” Doc Wilson asked picking up on the boy's last name.

“I can show you. ” Henry said his voice almost timid as he spoke.

Doc Wilson nodded and Henry focused his eyes on him.

Jake saw ghostly images of people suddenly appearing around Doc Wilson where he was standing. Jake saw himself along with Ruth and many others from the town. Each ghostly person looked mortally wounded and dying.

The way Doc Wilson was spinning around in shock. Jake bet the wounded people looked very real. Another thing Jake had noted was there was no sound.

“That is enough, Henry. ” Maggie said gently and the boy looked away. The ghostly images winked out.

“Wh..what was that? ” Doc Wilson asked taking a seat and looked a bit pale.

“Henry can make you think that your seeing your worst fear. Gave me an awful fright, when I saw a lizard like monster from my world. ” Maggie said smiling at the boy.

“They looked so real to me. ” Doc Wilson said and Maggie offered him a drink from her cup.

“I saw only ghostly images of people. Why is that? ” Jake asked.

“It's a side effect of being near Henry, when he is using his power. Our minds just pick it up when he is focusing on someone else. ” Maggie explained.

“Incredible. So, you taking him to his parents?” Doc Wilson asked quietly looking at Maggie for the answer then glancing at Henry for his reaction.

“They are gone. Henry goes wherever I go. ” Maggie said smiling at the boy who nodded in full agreement. Clearly, he saw Maggie as his new guardian.

“If I may ask. What brings you out here? ” Jake asked knowing there had to be a reason.

Before Maggie could answer a chirping like sound could be heard near by.

“That's fang, The boy's pet. We named him together. ” Maggie said then whistling back a slightly different sound.

A cat size creature like a lizard appeared covered with black fur down it's back and green scales along its body jumped out from the darkness. Then, it prowled around Jake and Doc Wilson giving them a wide birth. The creature settled down between Maggie and Henry watching the newcomers with intelligent alert eyes.

“Bless my soul, It's one of those chimera pets that was starting to trend back in the day. Gillzard, if I'm not mistaken. ” Doc Wilson said somewhat surprise to see the creature.

“Yeah, I remember seeing those on TV, when I was a kid. They made them by genetic splicing DNA from other creatures. Looks like a cat and a lizard put together. ” Jake said not realizing some of the old world pets still lived.

“If I recall right they were mostly used for rodent control. Including squirrels. ” Doc Wilson said and snapped his fingers a few times at the Gillzard. The creature merely looked at him then settled down to sleep.

“Cannibals don't like them. Makes them sick. He helped me escape. ” Henry said now petting the Gillzard. The creature took pleasure in this and relaxed a bit more. When the creature yawned, Jake noticed the poisonous fangs. The creature also sported a fork like tongue as well. Jake thought it looked odd until he saw it flicked out then retract back into the creature's mouth. Jake guessed snake DNA had been added in too.

“While not fatal to humans. The bite will leave you a bit numb around the wound. ” Doc Wilson said if having some experience with one.

“We should get back on topic. You asked, why I came out here. It's for Gray-Wing benefit. I can assume, that you two know about regeneration treatment? ” Maggie asked and got nods from both men.

“Good, I used my last injection on Henry. Well, my Leather-Wing got the same type of injection as well. It extends their life a good deal, but Gray-Wing was old when he picked me as his new rider. The funny thing is, that I never wanted to be one. I was just a caretaker back then. I always loved Leather-Wings, but had little desire to go off flying all the time. ” Maggie said getting her cup back from Jake. She refilled it then drank down the water.

“Sounds a bit like my life. I never planned on being a small town doctor. ” Doc Wilson said sharing a smile with Maggie.

“Considering one's age. To be honest, gentlemen. I'm no spring chicken myself. With Gray-Wing getting only older, I retired fairly early for a rider. I came to Coastal City to help keep the area outside the city a bit safer. The pay is decent, but it's work is light. Gray-Wing deserves to die fighting. He loves it. I never seem him back down unless order too. ” Maggie said and perhaps hearing his name so many times. The Leather-Wing had raised his head to peer at them all.

Maggie tossed the Leather-Wing a bit of meat and he chomped it down. Jake knew that would be like an extremely small snack for the creature.

“So, gentlemen. Care to share your story? ” Maggie asked and with Doc's help Jake explained everything.

Maggie listened to the whole story and asked very few questions to clear up certain things.

“That explains the scavenger truck. Crazy bastards risking everything just for credits or those funny silver coins you all use. They would have fleeced your town for every precious metal you could spare. ” Maggie said once their story was over with.

“I guess, we just have to go elsewhere tonight. A real shame considering all that food we have for a nice big breakfast. ” Doc Wilson said making a show of it by slowly getting up. Maggie looked amused then spoke.

“You two can stay. I expect a nice big breakfast in the morning. ” Maggie said and Henry nodded.

“Sounds like a fair deal. Who is on first watch? ” Jake asked to the room at large.

“We can do it in pairs. Two up here and two below. I doubt, we will have trouble tonight. Claw and Fang will look after the boy. We have Gray-Wing below. ” Maggie said.

“The truck is quite comfortable. ” Doc Wilson said to Maggie.

“Sounds good. ” Jake said and looked for a decent spot to sleep.

Jake watched as Doc Wilson floated down out of sight and Maggie took the ladder. The brief fight with Gray-Wing still had Jake pumped up so he struck up a conversation with Henry.

“I got a daughter about your age. Reads all kinds of books. ” Jake said starting the conversation.

“My mom used to read to me. We lived underground before. They found us and put us in a cage. Fang was already there too. He could come and go. ” Henry said.

“Your a pretty lucky kid. I wanted a pet like Fang, when I was a kid. He looks pretty fierce. ” Jake said watching as the creature's ears moved in his direction. The Gillzard looked asleep now, but Jake noticed it's breathing wasn't very deep.

“He is. After mommy and daddy went away. I took care of Fang by myself. Gave him some of my food. Then, one night. One of them came for me. Fang bit his neck and I ran away with everyone else. I don't know how long I ran, but it was a really long time. ” Henry explained and Jake could just see it. The Gillzard was most likely treated badly by the cannibals. The creature's loyalty would go to the only person who showed him any type of kindness.

“Claw is pretty awesome too. ” Jake said using a word he heard his daughter started using. Most likely taken from a book of hers.

“He is okay. He can fly a little and is really good at protecting. ” Henry said next seeing the robot Raptor looking at them. Jake thought it's movement was so bird like. Clearly, Maggie got it to be her watch dog when Gray-Wing wasn't around.

“Tell me about your home. ” Henry said lying down on the blankets. Jake guessed the blankets came from the house.

Jake described his home and some of the people in it. Henry asked questions about other people with powers. Jake was getting to the part about his house when he noticed the boy was asleep.

Yawning Jake took the spot where Maggie had been to lie down. Not long after he caught some sleep. Jake felt someone kicking his boot lightly and he heard Doc Wilson's voice.

“Your up, old friend. ” Doc Wilson said and Jake rose up and focused his eyes in time to see Doc step off the edge to float down.

Fang got up and followed behind Jake. Jake watched as the little robot Raptor glided down to land on the ground.

They left Roxy outside the truck and she took notice of the raptor, but followed beside Jake as he took a walk outside.

The night was quiet and millions of stars blazed over head. Jake did a few walking laps around the barn to stay warm. Neither Claw or Roxy alerted him to any danger.

By the end of his shift the light of dawn was slowly showing itself. Jake thought he heard something like a very distant roar. Whatever it was he wasn't worried about it unless it got a lot closer.

By the time he made his last patrol he found Maggie and Doc Wilson awake. By the look of things they were preparing a large breakfast. Jake couldn't be sure about Maggie, but not once in his life did he ever see Doc Wilson humming a song so early in the morning.

The pair exchanged glances with each other. Jake quickly caught on maybe the pair didn't spend the entire night sleeping. Jake stepped inside making a bit more noise then normal.

“Not a peep. ” Jake reported.

“Breakfast will be ready soon. Claw, go wake the boy. ” Maggie said and Claw took off climbing up the ladder with ease.

They sat around the barn stove enjoying the hot meal.

“Just wait to you all see Coastal City. We been there for months and rebuilding the entire city. ” Maggie said and went on to describe some of the sights.

“Maggie, I been meaning to ask. Where did you come from? Was there some government bunker or an island everyone retreated too? ” Doc Wilson asked.

“Oh lord. Where to begin. I forgot you two haven't any contact say with an android with memory loss. I'm from Eden and we come from a different world. ” Maggie answered and saw the shock expressions on their faces.

“You telling me your an alien? Like little green men. ” Doc Wilson asked glancing at Jake if saying maybe she is a bit crazy.

“Okay, It's like this. Imagine a world where this super virus never hit. Just think, a single decision from one person could have changed everything. I bet, you thought about it a lot. Take that idea and picture in your head all possible worlds where things could have gone differently based on the choices you made. ” Maggie explained.

“Okay, I can picture that. Like what if I never joined the police force of Last Hope. Maybe, Doc Wilson never became the town doctor. ” Jake said thinking it out.

“What if you could travel to different worlds where life or the people living there have a slightly different history. Originally, my people came from Earth to a world we called Eden. Then we met people called Nereids fleeing their dying home world for a better one. Using a combination of their technology with ours. We were able to open a doorway to Arai. Lucky for us, the doorway opened up here in this country which you call The Free States. ” Maggie explained watching the men's faces taking it all in.

“It would explain their technology. Claw and Evelyn look very advance. ” Doc Wilson said to Jake who nodded.

“If we are lucky, maybe you will get the see the portal open. It opens every twelve hours these days ever since they managed to stabilize it fully. You think Claw is impressive just wait til you meet Elvis's ride. My lips are sealed on that subject. ” Maggie said taking some amusement of her own.

“Speaking of which. I think, we should get moving. I want to reach the city soon. ” Jake said. Soon enough everyone had finished eating and Doc Wilson collected the empty plates to wash later.

The boy and his pet rode with Jake in the back of the truck. Maggie riding Gray-Wing flew overhead guiding them down the road.

They came over a hill and Jake sitting in the passenger seat saw Coastal City for the first time in many years.

Where he expected to see ruins he saw buildings under construction. Billboards once long out of use now sported new messages. Jake glance up to see directions.

“Security shield gate ahead. All weapons will be scanned and logged before they are returned to their owners. ” Jake read aloud then spotted another billboard ahead.

“Living space, jobs and food will be available. All are welcomed. ” Jake read.

“You feel that. ” Doc Wilson said slowing down the truck. Now, his old friend had mention it. The truck felt like it was jumping a little.

“What is that? ” Jake asked seeing something in the distance as a large reptile like head emerged from two ruined buildings. It stood upright on two large legs with two small arms sticking out of it's chest.

“Please Stop your truck. Do not be afraid. ” A voice boomed from the mouth of the T-Rex.

“That is called a T-Rex. Once thought to be the king of Dinosaurs. ” Doc Wilson said smiling with amusement.

“Another robot like Claw. I bet, he scares the Cannibals off pretty good. I nearly pissed myself on first sight. ” Jake said, but moments later he found out he was wrong about his first statement.

The T-Rex came onto the road and faced them. Then, the chest of the T-Rex opened up splitting down the middle.

There was a man sitting inside the T-Rex. Jake noticed controls, monitors, and wires.

“Please ID yourselves. ” The man said next and his voice boomed over the distance.

Before Jake could make his way out of the truck or Doc yell from the window. Maggie came down landing Gray-Wing between them.

Maggie removed her helmet and judging from the smile the man now wore she knew him well.

Jake got out to walk to them.

“All the way from The Plains? ” The man was asking when Jake came into earshot.

“Yup, A town called Last Hope. ” Maggie answered then noticed Jake walking toward them.

“Jake, this is Elvis and his mech which he calls Rex. His parents were big fans of rock and roll music. ” Maggie said and Jake vaguely recalled the name of a music artist once known by that name.

“So, how many strays this time? ” Elvis asked

“Three people and one of those Chimera pets. I'm the boy's new guardian. ” Maggie answered.

Elvis was speaking away into a microphone and Jake quickly guess he was talking to someone of a higher rank.

“Okay, Maggie. They are cleared to entered the city since you vouched for them. They have to be processed and interviewed of course. Proceed on down this road. ” Elvis said and the T-Rex mech's chest closed up again.

The giant robotic T-Rex stomped away toward a cluster of trees.

“I will see you boys on the inside. ” Maggie said climbing up Gray-Wing's rig.

By the time Jake returned to the truck Maggie was airborne once more.

“Drive on, Doc. They are expecting us. ” Jake said as he climbed back inside and Doc Wilson nodded.

As they got closer two things came into view more clearly. There were aircraft in the air, but they looked too small to have pilots. Jake figured they had flying robots as well. Just ahead he saw a shield wall that put his town's wall to shame. Twice the height and it crackled with power making a deeper humming sound. Soothing in an odd way. The poles that powered it were nothing like Jake had ever seen.

“Those look like a step or two ahead of us. ” Doc Wilson said with a whistle. Beyond the shield wall was a normal wall of stone concrete blocks. Someone had painted section numbers on the stone wall.

What appeared to be an open doorway was protected by a gate that could be lowered if the shield wall failed.

Jake was surprised only to see a few men or women standing off to the side. As they drove closer he saw one was a woman. She held up her hand and they stopped.

That part of the shield wall was lowered then they were allowed forward then told to stop again. The woman came to Doc's side of the truck. He lowered the window.

“Morning Gentlemen. Maggie called ahead. Drive to Bay Seven. ” The woman said and pointed in that direction they would take once past the concrete wall.

Doc nodded and they drove inside the city limits.

Jake was shocked into silence at the number of people moving about. He didn't think if he gathered every single town folk from back home could have compared to the number of people within sight.

The final barrier was a fence topped with razor wire. Doc Wilson turned the truck until he came to bay seven. There a group of men waited. Jake was quick to noticed the weapons, but all were at the low ready position.

“Sheriff Jake Armor, Doctor Wilson Lightweight and the boy is Henry Horror. Please step out and over here. ” A man with a computer tablet said reading off the names and looking at the right person.

Jake watched as a few men step into the truck and he felt slightly offended.

“Hello Daniel. They are with me. ” Maggie said coming down some stairs.

“You know the rules, Maggie. Everything is checked, scanned, and everybody gets interviewed. ” Daniel said and motion for the group to have a seat off to the side. Jake noticed for the first time there was a table with food upon it.

“Have a seat. To speed things up, I will interview you all together. Henry, will your pet be okay with so many people around? We do have carry cages on hand. ” Daniel asked the boy.

“I got him. He is used to a lot of people. ” Henry answered.

“Sheriff, I can see that your armed. That is okay. Once our team is finished inventorying your truck and your weapons. All of your stuff will be returned to you. So, gentlemen. Let's get started. Eat as much as you want. We have plenty to share. ” Daniel said and they did so.

Jake kept an eye on the workers as they looked over each of the firearms he brought along on the trip. Some of the stuff they did puzzled him, but Jake figured they were taking pictures, recording serial numbers off of the firearms. Each weapon was returned to a plastic tote with care.

It wasn't long until they carried the totes back inside the truck.

Doc Wilson was more then happy to answer most of the questions. Maggie hovered about and at one point appeared to be talking to someone using some device on her wrist Jake hadn't seen before.

“Truly remarkable. ” Daniel said typing away with a speed Jake never hope to master.

“Excuse me, sir. There is one last weapon to log into our system. ” A woman said as she came to stand beside them and looked at Jake's side.

With slow careful movements Jake pulled his side arm out then laid it on the table.

The woman ran a rod like device over the revolver then nodded. Jake put it back at his side.

“Okay, gentlemen. Everything has been logged into our inventory database and you all got a nice little haul here. I can put in request for a few cases of regeneration treatment. Which leaves you all with a nice sum of credits or coins if you prefer once a buyer comes by. ” Daniel said then his attention turned to a sleek looking car pulling up.

“Well, there she is now. Eve isn't one for wasting time. ” Daniel said and Jake watched as an adult version of an android woman stepped out. She was wearing a business suit like people did in the old days and she was in the company of a human woman holding a tablet with a stylus pen hovering over the screen.

“Eve, the ink is hardly dry on the paperwork. ” Daniel joked with a smile.

“We don't use paper anymore, Daniel. It was luck, that I was in the area. I have my sources when a scavenger truck arrives. ” Eve asked and Jake was amazed how life like the android was. The way she moved and facial expressions were very human like. As he looked at her she have could passed for Evelyn's mother judging from the face alone.

“Hello Sheriff Jake Armor and Doctor Wilson Lightweight. I'm Eve. ” Eve said greeting them with a handshake.

“Nice to meet you, madam. ” Jake said figuring being polite never hurt.

“May I inspect the precious metals? ” Eve asked and both men nodded.

They watched as Eve looked over each piece and even tested it a little by flexing it.

“By the way. Records show this truck had one android aboard before it left. An android called Evelyn. She would have been the size of a child. Was she destroyed during the attack? ” Eve asked.

Something about the way she asked the question made Jake's neck hairs prickle a little. Jake figured an honest answer was best.

“She was slightly damaged during the attack. If I'm saying it right, her memory files were lost. When we found her, she had no idea where she came from or names of any people. I took her in under my protection and gave her job in taking care of my daughter who lost a few limbs to the Cannibals. Not long after that we discovered a small supply of the regeneration stuff. Now, I see Evelyn like a second daughter. ” Jake explained and Eve looked at him without blinking then nodded to the human assistant.

“I will buy the entire lot above market value. I'm happy to hear that Evelyn is well. ” Eve said next and knew his honesty paid off.

“I must say she looks a lot like you. ” Doc Wilson said with a smile.

“In a way. I guess, you could say that she is my one of my many daughters. I created her to look like a slightly alter younger version of myself. Normally, we used faces of people who have died long ago. I must bid you gentlemen, farewell. ” Eve said and made her way toward the car.

The human assistant came up to Jake and Doc.

“So gentlemen, credits or coins? ” she asked them.