#scxretxsettle

’s nice...

With a satisfying crack, the metal backing of the display case came loose. Rolling his shoulders, Marcos set his crowbar on the top of the case and dropped down to sit on his heels, catching his breath and getting another look at the faded boxes inside. This had been a good find. Not only was the sporting goods store lost at the furthest back corner of a now-subterranean shopping mall, but those who had managed to get into the place previously had apparently been concerned only with what could be used for weaponry or construction. Marcos let his canvas knapsack slide from his shoulder, and set about filling it with small boxes of lead fishing weights. 

Half an hour later, he squeezed out from behind a massive sign that leaned against the exposed roofing of the mall. A broad flat plain stretched out ahead of him to the south, at the base of a short incline; at the edge of the horizon, the haze darkened and suggested the unseen ocean beyond. Lines curved and crisscrossed the expanse, tracing patterns between chains of rusted train cars, and the rickety towers that had once directed them. The air tasted like grit and iron, and Marcos pulled his bandana up over his nose and mouth.

The bar was just the right amount of crowded. Empty enough to find a good table, noisy enough to cover a conversation you didn’t want overheard. Hawk got there early, chaining his bike to a pole along the side of the building, and was unsurprised to spot Midnight already seated as he stepped through the door. His expression was neutral as he took a seat, handing a few carbons to an outdated android along the way.