1 - Date Night 

Perry groaned.

His eyes weren’t even open yet but he could already tell it was going to be “one of those days.”

It was uncomfortably warm and the smell of breakfast burning hung heavy in the damp air. 

Muttering a casual obscenity, Perry rolled out of his bunk and into his day to day work ensemble. Tough materials, lots of pockets. Fugly but functional.

“Bacon and eggs for six!” Becca yelled with a tone rudely upbeat considering the hour.

Morning in the compound was a race of sorts. Whoever pulled canteen duty would let everyone know how many they would be able to accommodate - first come, first served. 

Becca was a dear heart. Her smiling face was a fine way to start your day but she couldn’t do a fry up to save her soul.

Last count there were eighteen in the compound. A few of those were just getting to bed after night shift and some others were already up and at it tending the garden and feeding the chickens. That left about ten for the six plates Becca offered.

Perry opted out. He had a few “Sexythin Mealbars” left from last week’s run into what was left of Three Pines Mall. The processed snack was stale, tough and way too sweet but he knew from experience it would keep him going until lunch. 

Ulrich insisted there was something in the bars that made them addictive. He also believed they were made for the military based on a tiny code and emblem on the package. He believed a lot of things. Had a theory for everything. Pain in the ass but right just often enough you couldn’t ignore him completely.

Waving to Becca on his way out of the bunkhouse, Perry stopped at the shed for his tool belt and made his way to the sun garden on the roof.

The compound was a small settlement built on what was once a garden center. Originally the outer structure had a lot of glass panels, all but a few of which had shattered during the Fall or in the years after, giving what remained the look of a skeletal cage. The inner structure was tougher and mostly intact. It had been the store proper. Plants outside, gardening and landscaping supplies inside. 

Climbing up, Paul surveyed the garden, an array of solar panels that fed a battery cluster that powered everything from lights to charging stations. The array looked like silver flower petals to him. Strangely beautiful and critical to the compound’s comfort and its safety.

A steel turret hummed to life. “Good morning Perry!” 

Paul patted the Autogun like you would a friendly dog. It was one of their most reliable defenses. Knowing it was up here let everyone sleep a little easier. 

The weapon had been obtained by trading with a scavenger caravan who wouldn’t tell them where they got it. They were cagey about that sort of thing. It cost them, but it was worth it.

This particular Autogun had a “Forethought” AI targeting system. Perry had managed to get it running and hack some basic social interactivity into the interface so you could just tell it what you wanted it to do. He named it “Otto.”

“Anything I should know about?” Perry asked.

The gun’s sensor stalk swung around, doing a quick pan of the horizon.

“Just a few coyotes last night that kept their distance. I don’t like the cloud bank to the north though. I hate to mention this again, but a barometric pressure gauge would help me anticipate weather issues more accurately.”  

Perry chuckled.

“I know buddy. I’ve asked the scavengers to keep their eyes open but they are hard to come by.”

Below him, the compound was coming to life. Becca served breakfast while Tony fed the chickens and the twins tested the soil in the garden. It was nearly time for the changing of the guard. Otto was a great fallback but they relied on having a patrol monitoring the area at all times.

They had managed to find a relatively safe corner of Texxon to call home. In the before times this was central Texas, northwest of Austin. The old borders were meaningless now. 

The bombs fell over a century before Perry was born. Folks like Ulrich talked about the world having ended but he had never known anything but the wasted world into which he had been born. It was his normal. It was even normal to him that he was a mutant because most folks were. 

Perry’s mutations were mild and mostly cosmetic. His hair changed color with his mood and he had no trouble digesting anything that wasn’t flat out toxic. He even ate a leather shoe once. Tasted awful but filled him up. 

Otto and Perry chatted while he checked the solar panels and the connections to the battery chargers, making a few small repairs and adjustments. His hair was a happy blue. 

“Everything solid?” asked a new voice.

Beezus had joined Perry on the roof. He was a lanky fellow with a patchy beard and unsettling black eyes like those of a shark. He was one of the leaders of the compound and a massive tool. Perry’s hair darkened to a deep blue shot with purple.

“Yeah, Otto tracked some coyotes but no hostiles and the garden is in great shape. Batteries are fully charged. I may need to replace a coupler at some point but we are all good for now.”

Beezus patted Perry on the shoulder, a move that felt condescending somehow.

“I’d expect nothing less. You are the best.”

Perry forced a grin as Beezus climbed back down, leaving him alone with Otto again.

“Do you want me to consider him a threat?” Otto asked.

“Shit no! No! Absolutely not! He’s one of the leaders of the compound you are defending! Why would you ask that!?!”

Perry’s hair went suddenly red as he fought off a panic attack.

“I was responding to your social cues. You seem to react as though he is a threat.”

“Otto - do NOT base risk assessment on social cues. Targets should be designated only by previously specified protocols or by specific, explicit request.”

“Or when known friendlies are under attack?”

“Or when known friendlies are under attack.”

Perry sighed and squatted down beside the turret, popping open a panel to access a control board. 

That’s the trouble with AI. Incredibly complex and prone to potholes in its logic. Perry had done his best with Otto but computers were not his field. He knew enough to be able to tinker but he struggled with sophisticated issues.

After the morning’s work, Perry climbed down into the compound and grabbed some lunch at the cantina. Becca had handed off to Kenji - a much better cook who had whipped up some savory hand pies. Perry knew better than to ask what the meat was but they were tasty despite leaning a little too hard on pepper, probably to mask some funkiness. Still, a good effort.

Perry tipped the cook a few coin cells. In Texxon batteries were often used as money, their value the volts listed on the wrap or imprinted on the cell. Most didn’t work anymore but it wouldn’t be worth the effort to forge new ones so they held value pretty well.

Having dispensed with his responsibilities, Perry went back to the bunkhouse for his long coat and a small bundle wrapped in paper and twine.

There was a board in the common room with tags for everyone and nails from which to hang them to show where everyone is. It was important to move your tag if you left the compound so if you went missing folks would know where to start looking for you.

Perry moved his tag from “HOME” to the nail beneath the label “NORTH GAS” with a smile that turned his hair a playful orange. He had a date.

“Going green?” Emmet teased. 

Emmet was a fucking racist and the source of many of Perry’s problems. By “going green” he was referring to the fact that Perry was involved with a goblin. Since the Fall, most people were mutated but a few born into the wasted world were mutated in the same way: short, with green skin and yellow eyes. They were resistant to radiation and seemed better adapted to what the world had become. Some believed they were the next step in human evolution. Others were assholes like Emmet. 

Perry flipped the bird and headed out. 

“North Gas” meant the abandoned gas station on the north road. It made a perfect meeting place. Far enough away that they wouldn’t have to deal with people like Emmet but close enough that he wouldn’t be heading out into the wild by himself.

As he headed north he watched Otto track him from the roof of the garden center and waved to his mechanical friend. 

Twenty minutes later he arrived at the Guzzle Gulch stop and sip. The small building that was the convenience store was in pretty good shape. Looted long ago but still walls, windows and a roof providing privacy and shelter. 

Perry smacked a fuel pump twice with a length of pipe to announce his presence and scatter any vermin in the area then he went inside. 

“Well hellow there,” a low voice purred. 

“I come bearing gifts.” Perry held out the bundle.

From out of the shadows stepped a compact young woman with green skin and long black hair dressed head to toe in layers of waxed cloth over which she wore a leather jacket with dozens of patches. She was muscular and her devilish grin revealed pointed canines. A large pistol was holstered at her side and a machete on her back but Perry knew she carried more. 

This was Kor. 

“Let’s see!” she grabbed the gift with a delighted giggle and tore off the paper, revealing a stuffed longhorn with a plastic nose ring. 

“I LOVE HIMS!” she explained and hugged the toy tight which forced out a MOOOO that triggered another round of giggles. 

“Does he have a name?” she asked.

“Not that I know of” Perry answered while moving in to collect a hug, his hair turning pink. 

Kor regarded the toy for a moment. 

“Robuk.” she announced. 

Perry smiled. “Robuk it is” then “I’m glad you got here in one piece.”

Kor darkened a little.

“You worry too much. Most of the humans I know are either crazy or afraid of everything.”

“You are human too, just mutated.” 

Kor ruffled his hair causing it to take on multiple shades. 

“If you say so. Neither of us is a scientist. Many of my people claim that is not the case because two Goblins breed true meaning we may have human origins but we are our own thing now. I know there is more to it than that but honestly I don’t care. All I meant was we are tough and suited to the dangers your people fear.”

As she spoke she took off her jacket and set it on the checkout counter then reached to pull off  her shirt. 

Perry’s hair turned a fiery red. Goblin, human - didn’t matter to him. He found her breathtaking. As he watched her strip he found it impossible to speak so he did likewise.   

Their lovemaking was intense. Kor was dominant, athletic and seemed tireless. Perry did his best to keep up but was happy just to be there. 

At some point, it had begun to rain, which added to the atmosphere. 

“I need a minute.” Perry begged. 

“Human…” Kor teased, but dismounted and laid down beside him, settling in as the little spoon because of their relative heights. Perry’s hair had gone white as the color was fucked out of it. He was exhausted but very happy. 

“I missed you,” he whispered. 

Kor looked up at him with yellow eyes gone dreamy. “So leave that nest and walk the roads with me.” 

She had asked before. It was a sore spot because truth be told, Perry was a bit of a coward. He needed the walls, defenses and other people to feel safe. Kor was fierce but that had never been enough to convince him to strike out into what he saw as a life spent facing endless dangers.  

Before he could form a response, thunder announced new torrents of rain. Otto has been right. This was a doozy. 

There was no way he was going to leave the shelter of Guzzle Gulch so they cuddled up to wait it out together.  

The heavy rain hammered the little building for hours. Eventually Perry fell asleep. 

“Gunshots.”

Perry woke up. Kor was pulling on her clothes. The rain had subsided. 

“What?” he muttered, still half asleep.

“I heard gunfire from the direction of your homestead.” 

Hair suddenly black, Perry dressed and the two of them headed out into the early evening. There was water everywhere. The way back would be treacherous. A river of runoff separated North Gas from the Garden Center. 

“You don’t have to come with me” Perry said. 

“The hell I don’t,” Kor snapped back. 

Perry was glad to have her. He was not much good in a fight. He had a knife and a handmade pistol that was mostly good for scaring off critters. He had never seen her fight but he was willing to bet Kor knew how to handle herself. 

As they got closer, Perry noticed no lights were on and he couldn’t see Otto. 

“Defenses are down” he said to Kor. 

She readied her pistol and took the lead. 

There was no movement as they moved inside.

Perry withdrew a small flashlight and played its red beam over the area, keeping it low to avoid calling attention to their presence as much as possible. 

He nearly gasped when he revealed the corpse of a raider lying in a puddle, several crossbow bolts sticking out of him. The guards had done their job. He gestured to Kor, who nodded and entered the inner structure. 

The evidence of a firefight was everywhere. Perry’s home that he had lovingly built and cared for was devastated and stripped. Raiders had come through and taken everything of value as quickly as they could, killing anyone who stood in their way. 

It was a bloodbath. 

Overcome with rage and grief, Perry cried out but it was all over and no one from either side was left. 

Kor holstered her gun and embraced him. 

When he had regained himself enough to move again they surveyed the damage. 

Three dead raiders were left behind. One had been cut in half by Otto. No telling how many had come and how many had been wounded. Tire tracks in the mud showed they had a small truck and two motorcycles. 

All but four settlers were accounted for. Perry felt like his heart had been ripped in half and couldn’t stop weeping. 

There was no sign of Becca, Beezus, Emmet and one of the twins. 

Perry spat. There was no justice. It wasn’t that he wished Beezus or Emmet dead but there were others, like Kenji, whose remains he wished he hadn’t been able to find. 

Perry and Kor sat for a while in what had been his quarters.

Kor broke the silence. “My love, I have to tell you something awful.”  

Perry smiled. It was the first time she had called him that.

“Raiders take prisoners. I know there was no love lost between you and that leader of yours or that racist you told me about but the other two are in trouble.”

Perry’s smile vanished. 

“What can the two of us do about it?” he moaned.

“I have survived out here by having allies and information. If you decide you want to see if we can attempt a rescue we have options.”

Perry stared at his partner. 

“You are amazing.” 

The two spent several hours moving everything of value the Raiders had missed or didn’t have time to collect into a hand cart Perry had rigged with a motor from a powered bicycle to allow a single person to pull upwards of 500 pounds with one hand. Most valuable were the solar cells which they hadn’t taken the time to take off the roof. 

Not surprisingly the Autoturret was gone, but Otto was not. 

The targeting system and the interface Perry amended to it was in a module in the stanchion on which the turret was mounted. Anxious to loot the big gun, they hadn’t thought to look for the system that fired it. 

“Perry! Terrible news!” 

Otto’s voice came from a small speaker as Perry removed the module and added it to a small box with a portable power cell. 

“I know buddy. You did your best.”

Otto’s synthesized voice sounded sad and defeated. 

“I fired all available ammunition. It wasn’t enough. I wasn’t enough…”

Perry packed everything into the box and stuffed it into a rugged military style pack with a strap he slipped over his head and shoulder. 

“You got at least one. You did great.” 

Kor seemed confused. “The voice sounded sad. What did you do to it?”

Perry wrote OTTO on the pack and patted it like he used to pat the turret.

“Honestly, I’m not sure. I was lonely working on the roof so often so to get the voice interface working I added modules to the expansion port on the Forethought system I didn’t fully understand. That’s how I typically work. I kitbash parts that maybe shouldn’t work until I get something that kind of does. This time, I got Otto.” 

Kor nodded, not really understanding but uninterested in pursuing the matter further. 

“We will need resources to make use of my contacts. I think our first stop needs to be somewhere where we can sell everything in your cart.”  

Perry nodded. “Looks like we are going to be traveling together after all.”

Kor scowled. 

Perry set a hand on her shoulder. “Thank you.”

Kor smiled. She knew how tough the road ahead would be and that he might not be as eager to thank her in a few days.