1 The Cramp is Killing Me

I squirmed uncomfortably in my dugout that Josh has been so kind to provide me with 4 hours earlier. I personally didn't see why I had to wait for 4 hours in advance to the expected arrival time for the transport unit but apparently: "We have to be prepared for every possibility"

Which is why I'm sitting here in the hot desert sun with barren wasteland all around me and only my sniper to play with. I had disassembled it and reassembled it 16 times so far and was just reattaching the scope to complete the big 17 when a voice came crawling through my pod. It spoke in Josh's lazy drawl and said, "They're coming. Respond if you're ready"

In response to this I pegged a shot into the ground 4 metres from where he was standing and listened in amusement to his startled curses. Andrei who was standing near him fell over. I spoke into the pod innocently, "Does that give you your answer?" and saw through my scope him flip the Finger in my general direction.

All the people outside the station were wearing recently liberated Enforcer uniforms which came from several unconscious guards lying out the back. Enforcers were Police, Army and Secret Service rolled into one. It was decided that in the New World there shouldn't be any barriers between countries or organisation so Enforcers were a multi-national organisation although there were more and less skilled units. The wash outs got shipped to Way stations like these ones.

I grinned and surveyed the people standing around him. There was Andrei, dusting himself off angrily his dark hair gleaming in the harsh sunlight. He was slim with a pointed face and a pen chance for sporadic violence

Alex was dark skinned and didn't seem to mind the sun as much as the others. He was heavily built with a buzz cut. He had been a surprise recruitment when we had hit a different transport unit a few years back to find him chained up In it. He wouldn't say what he'd bee put in for but everyone assumed it was mass murder mainly because of his stature.

Nessa was tall, muscled and would drop any man who came near her with a smile that they believed was irresistible. She had blond hair and a slightly crooked nose from a bar fight 2 years previous. She was generally good natured and was chatting with Alex who appeared to be responding with grunts.

The last of the fake enforcers was a man called Rat. He claimed to have forgotten his real name which was doubtful but he had been called Rat all his life and was around 60 so it was not completely out of the question. He had a hunchback and had greying hair as well as a hacking cough caused from a lifetime of smoking which he hadn't learnt from as he was doing it now.

Suddenly Josh straightened up and dusted off his stolen enforcer uniform. Rat dropped his cigarette and ground it out with his foot and Nessa and Alex stopped their monosyllabic conversation.

The way station was where this ambush was taking place. It was dingy, small place that looked half dried out in the sun despite the well it housed. The transport unit would have to stop to collect more water. The people who operated them may act like robots but they still needed to drink.

The reason for Josh's alertness soon became apparent from my perch. The transport unit looked much like a tank with grey plating all over its sides and a large turret on top. It also hovered. And there wasn't any visible door or hatch. It came cheerily down the hill, slowly stopping directly outside where Josh and the others were standing.

My job was to provide support from any enforcers that may be positioned on top of the transport unit where the Gang couldn't get an angle to shoot them. At the moment it appeared my job would be very boring as it seemed every enforcer on the unit was escorting the driver outside.

It all erupted out of nowhere. One minute they were all saluting each other and the next there were loud cracks from gunshots going everywhere. The enforcers were taken by surprise and most of them were gunned down In the first volley but some managed to get behind a Boulder next to the unit.

I shifted my angle lined it up and took the shot. One of the enforcers jerked backwards, a neat bullet Joel in the side of his head. I reloaded quickly, this time with explosive ammo and blew three enforcers cowering behind the unit itself to hell.

The remaining fight was finished quickly. Andrei leaped out from behind the barricade that had been set up earlier it a great feat of agility and knocked the last enforcer out with a baton through his helmet.

I groaned, stood up, stretched and fell over again with a killer cramp. The 5 minutes the ambush took had not been worth the wait and I could almost hear Josh chuckling to himself about my discomfort. I growled and stood up again, fighting through the pain and limped down the hill intending to have some words with Josh at the bottom.