Truckstop Takedown

Rebecca looked appalled, her shocked face having turned white upon seeing the horrific fate of the friendly and helpful Patoma deputies. I wanted to get out of the Valkyrie and comfort her, but after seeing this, I knew we couldn't waste any time.

"Rebecca," I said sharply, startling her with my tone, before she turned her sorrowful green eyes to look up at the helmet camera. "We need to get back to your Mom."

Her mouth set in a grim line, her expression hardening as she nodded that she understood. As I brought the Valkyrie and trailer around in a sweeping turn, she revved her bike and skidded around sharply, kicking up dust and debris from the solid rear tyre as it spun on the dirt. We drove back along Route Thirty Nine in silence, both of us lost in our thoughts.

As we neared the turn to take us back onto Route Forty Three, a trailerless truck came tearing onto the road with a hideous screech of tyres. He'd taken the turning far too fast, and the right wheels lifted off the ground a few inches, before the driver slewed the truck back the other way, righting it with a loud crunch. He weaved all over the road, until he finally got his rig back under control, and opened up the engine with a throaty roar, speeding down the highway.

I quickly swiped the comm interface, seeing the truck appearing on the list of contacts. "This is Titanium Jake, you alright there, friend?" I hailed him with concern.

The truck roared past us, heading straight for Drift City, and clearly in no mind to stop for anyone. I watched him disappear in my rear-view mirrors, and spotted numerous bullet holes stitched across the back of his cab. Giving up on getting a response, we took the turn onto Route Forty Three, and a moment later the terrified face of a trucker appeared above the dashboard.

"Raiders nearly got me, Jake!" the trembling bearded man replied fearfully. "I had to dump my cargo, or they would have taken me out for sure!"

"Where?" I asked him curtly.

"C-c-couple of miles east of the junction," he stammered, clearly scared out of his wits. "I was m-m-making for the Sheriff."

"No don't go there, head straight for Drift City," I ordered him firmly. "They hit the Sheriff and his boys a few hours ago."

The trucker's face was ashen as he swore vehemently with a colourful display of inventive expletives. When he'd calmed down a little, he gasped, "There was so many of them, Jake. They tore through my guards like they weren't even there."

"How many?" I asked, while glancing in my mirrors to check the raiders weren't after us now instead.

His frightened eyes stared out at me from the holograph above the dash, as he said, "At least two-dozen, on a mix of trikes and bikes. I've never seen anything like it!"

I let out a deep breath, then said with a firm, authoritative voice, "Get to Drift City, and assemble the militia. It sounds like a major raid from the Badlands, and you'll need every man and machine you can muster to hold them off the town."

The trucker nodded hurriedly, and waved goodbye to the cam, too scared to speak. I closed off the call, then looked over at Rebecca who was staring at me, her expression revealing how deeply worried she was.

"Don't worry," I said to her soothingly. "We'll pick up Jessica, and bring her back to Drift City, you'll both be safe there. How much further is it to her truckstop?"

After a quick glance at her HUD map, she replied, "Eighteen miles. It's set back a little from the freeway."

"Alright, let's go," I said firmly, putting my foot down, and watching the line on the speedometer dial push up to eighty miles-per-hour.

Rebecca easily matched my speed on her bike, and we tore along Route Forty-Three eating up the miles in no time. A bright blue sign eventually appeared out of the heat haze, looking in great condition compared to the weather-beaten appearance of the rest of this district's freeway signs. As we drew closer I could make out the writing, and in tall, sharp white lettering it stated:

"Valhalla welcomes you!

Take the next left,

2 miles to the Warrior Hall!"

I raised an eyebrow at the name, and grinned appreciatively. With a name like that, it sounded like my kind of place! I could feel Rebecca's eyes on me, and I glanced at her holograph above the dashboard, to see her studying me intently.

"Nearly there," she said quietly.

We slowed right down to take the turn for Valhalla, with the rumbling tread of our tyres drumming a steady rhythmic beat on the worn asphalt of Route Forty-Three. This far out on the highway, the roads were decrepit and crumbling, not seeing much in the way of maintenance or repair. By contrast, the pristine, carefully maintained private road that led to Valhalla, was a spotless stretch of glossy black tarmac. The moment the Valkyrie's huge wheels crossed over onto this piece of glistening perfection, the noise from the tyres vanished, letting us ghost along silently.

I blinked in surprise at the feel of such a quality road under my Valkyrie. I hadn't experienced a flawless bit of street like this since my time on the Game worlds, and my mind started to drift back to the shining cities that hosted the Asphalt Arena. I didn't get long to reminisce, because the truckstop came into view, and I let out a low whistle as I got my first look at the place.

Valhalla was more like a fortress than a truckstop, surrounded as it was by sturdy looking walls that towered above the plain by a good twenty feet. The walls were made of a spotless shiny grey metal, edged in gold, and the whole place gleamed like a shining beacon in the burning Charon IV sunshine. The walls ended in robust looking towers at the corners, and I spotted what looked like twin Gatling Laser turrets atop each tower.

"How the hell did Jessica Beaumont afford a place like this?!" I muttered to myself under my breath.

I looked across the dash at Rebecca's holographic image, worried that she might have overheard me. By the curious look on her face it seemed she might well have done, but had decided not to comment, which came as a quite a relief. Katie would probably be over her fiery mood by now, but I didn't want to trade an angry, ebony-hued beauty for a furious young brunette instead.

Rebecca pulled ahead of me, leading me through the open gates, then took a sharp left to avoid the towering wall directly ahead. It was a tight fit for the Valkyrie with the trailer attached, but I just managed to make the turn without scraping the pristine, reinforced armour plating. I nodded approvingly at the safety wall, but wondered for a moment how trucks could possibly make such a tight turn. My question was answered a moment later, as we took a right into the truckstop, and I saw another broad gate in the sidewall that was currently securely closed.

Valhalla seemed busy, and I counted five trucks parked up, accompanied by a handful of armoured mercenary vehicles, along with an assortment of civilian cars in the lot. There was a big two-storey main building, and two smaller outbuildings, all constructed from the same gleaming metal as the walls. I brought the Valkyrie to a rumbling halt, with Rebecca drawing her bike alongside, and we shut off our engines at the same time.

Opening the door to my car, I stepped outside, then put my hand on the glossy red number seventeen, and shut it firmly behind me with a solid sounding click. Turning to look for Rebecca, I heard running footsteps, and saw the young woman dashing over to the big building in the centre of Valhalla. I just made out another brunette who opened her arms, hugging the leather clad girl in a warm embrace.

Rebecca was having a furtive, whispered conversation with the other woman as they stood close to each other, and I smiled as I guessed who the hugger was. Letting them have a moment together, I walked over to the trailer, placing my right hand on the DNA reader to open up the door. It scanned from right to left, the green beam identifying me with a soft beep. The hydraulic bolts pulled back, releasing the door from the locking mechanism, and letting me pull it open. I saw that the bedroom door was still closed, but chancing my arm, I walked along quietly and opened it carefully. Katie was resting peacefully on the bed, probably still tired from all her exertion yesterday.

I decided not to disturb her, and closed the door again with a soft click, then walked back through the trailer to the door. Descending the steps, I swung the door closed, hearing it lock up tight behind me, then turned to look for Rebecca and her mother. Rebecca was back on her bike, and she pulled away, heading towards one of the outbuildings. That left Jessica standing outside the main building, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw her again. She had always been a beautiful woman, and twenty years on she was still just as stunning as ever.

She'd been my girlfriend when I left Charon IV, and had leapt at the chance to accompany me to the Gameworlds. We'd always been great together, and it was tragic that it hadn't worked out between us. I frowned, trying to remember exactly why we'd broken up, but my memory tended to get a bit fuzzy on a few things now and then. Still, the past was the past, and there was no point dwelling in it. I strode over to greet her, with a cheerful grin on my face. It wasn't faked, I was genuinely overjoyed to see her again.

"Jessie!" I called out to her in delight, and she gave me a soft smile as I reached her.

Sweeping her up in a hug, I held her tightly, and said enthusiastically, "You haven't aged a day! You still look as gorgeous as ever!"

She laughed in surprise, then hugged me back fiercely, before looking up at me to study my face with her caring blue eyes. "You look good too, Jake," she said in her rich, clear voice, and reached up to stroke my face tenderly. "You seem happier, more at peace."

I looked at her in confusion for a moment, as I seemed to remember us being young, happy and in love while we were together, but that was decades ago. I shrugged, and joked, "Perhaps it's all that Karma from my many good deeds."

Jessica looked thoughtful, and nodded, murmuring, "Maybe so..."

My memory might not be that great, but I hadn't forgotten the threats she'd received from the Skorpions. I released her from my arms, and pulled the crumpled bit of paper from my pocket.

"Rebecca gave me this and told me you were in trouble," I said, before I paused, and shook my head in amazement. "I can't believe you have a daughter, Jess. She's a wonderful girl, you should be very proud of her."

Jessica's face crumpled, and she looked to be on the verge of tears. She hugged herself tightly, then swallowed, before she said in a voice thick with emotion, "You should come inside, I'll get you a drink."

She turned away, and walked back into the main building without another word, leaving me in stunned silence, reeling from her abrupt change of mood. I gathered my wits, and walked in after her, pushing the door wide open so I could follow her inside. There was a short corridor that led into a bar, which was set up like a Nordic mead hall, sticking firmly to the spirit of the Valhalla name. I was about to follow after her, when I noticed a young boy, probably about eight or so, staring wistfully at a vending machine serving snacks.

I smiled at him, and said, "Hey kid, what're you after?"

He turned to look at me, his eyes going wide when he saw my face, and he gasped, "Wow! You look just like Titanium Jake!"

I chuckled, and said, "Yeah, because that's my name." I glanced at the vending machine, and asked, "Tell me what you want, I'm buying."

His face lit up in a broad grin, and he pointed to the big bag of blue potato crisps emblazoned with a picture of my Valkyrie. I looked at it in surprise, amazed that some of my old merchandise would still be around, and here of all places.

I frowned and said, "Those crisps must be pretty old, kid. Want to pick something else?"

"They're fresh," Jessica said quietly, and I looked to my right in surprise, to see she had stopped and was watching us with a sad smile.

Shrugging, I pulled the credit-stick from my jacket, pressing my thumb to the device to check how much funds I had left. I had a feeling they must be getting pretty low, and I could hardly charge Jess for this rescue. The sharp green text reported, "Available balance: 12345 credits."

That explained why Katie was pissed. She never liked me turning down payment for a job, but I couldn't help myself sometimes, it seemed wrong to charge folks when they were in danger. Still, I had enough to keep me going for the moment, and there was always a new promising job on the horizon. I swiped my credit-stick across the payment panel on the vending machine to the sound of a ringing beep, and the boy tapped in his selection. The bag of crisps with the Valkyrie on it dropped into the tray, and a mechanical arm retrieved it smoothly, then handed it over to him.

"Thanks Jake!" he exclaimed, looking up at me in wonder.

I smiled at him, and gave him a wink, as I said, "You're welcome kid. Stay out of trouble!"

He grinned at me in delight, then scampered off to join a group of children sitting at a table in the hall, where they began to chatter animatedly.

"Come on, let's go out back where we can talk," Jessica said with a tender smile.

She reached for my hand, squeezing it gently, and led me through the mead hall, complete with Viking shields on the walls. I followed along beside her, enjoying the feel of her delicate, slender hand in mine, as she took me through a sturdy door marked "Private" in gold lettering on a black name plate. We walked up some stairs and into a spacious open-plan living area, with comfortable looking sofas dotted around the lounge.

"Take a seat, I'll fix you a drink," she said, as she walked over to the kitchen.

I smiled at her gratefully, and said, "Just a soft drink, thanks. Something tells me booze would be a bad idea right now."

Jessica nodded, and I flopped down in a chair, resisting the urge to put my booted feet up on the coffee table. She joined me a few moments later, with a chilled can of Tetra-cola in hand. I gave her an affectionate smile; this woman knew me so well, even after all these years. I pressed my hand to the lid, opening it up with a hissing fizz, and chugged down the can, sighing happily after downing the refreshingly cool drink. I was about to put the can down on the coffee table, before I noticed a picture of myself standing by the Valkyrie on the side of the can.

"Amazing... that can must be twenty years old, but it still tasted fresh as a daisy," I marvelled.

Jessica shook her head, and smiling at me fondly looked like she was going to say something, but she held back at the last moment. Instead she got up, and took the can from my hand as she walked back to the kitchen. "I heard you've been keeping busy," she said to me conversationally over her shoulder.

I smiled at her, admiring her fine figure as she glided away, and said, "Yeah, can't keep clear of trouble, but a man's got to earn a living."

She dropped the can in the recycler, and was about to say something, but quickly changed her mind. Looking thoughtful, she paused before she said, "I heard you've wiped out five Skorpion raiding packs in the last two months. Shady Creek was the last one, right?"

I scratched my head, trying to recall my last few jobs. Truth be told, my memory wasn't that great as I'd been getting older, but I did remember Shady Creek. Katie sure had my back on that one, and between us, we'd put down those rabid dogs, and saved the townsfolk from a grim end.

"Yeah, that's right," I replied hesitantly, at least answering her question honestly.

Jessica sighed, and said, "I think you might've stirred up a hornet's nest. From what I've heard, most of the Badlands gangs have consolidated under someone called 'Black Stillers', and they're gunning for you. That's what that note on the brick was about."

I frowned, and asked, "Why would they come to you to draw me out? Is it because we knew each other back in the day?"

She gave me a wistful smile, and said, "Yeah, that's probably it."

"I'm sorry you got caught up in all this," I told her ruefully. "I had no idea this was going to happen; I've just been trying to protect people."

She knelt down at the side of my chair, and she reached out to brush her fingers through my hair. "I know you have, Jake," she said gently.

I looked into her sparkling blue eyes in amazement, surprised but pleased at her being so affectionate. Not for the first time, I wondered why I'd let such a lovely woman get away.

"Are you still having the nightmares?" she asked me tenderly, watching my face with her sharp, perceptive gaze.

I shook my head firmly, but at their mention, there was a sudden flashback of red, screams, crying, pain...

Leaning back I squeezed my eyes shut, and drew in a big lungful of air, while shaking my head to clear my mind. I stood up abruptly, and said, "It's been amazing to see you again, Jess, and I've loved chatting to you, but we don't have time for this right now. We need to evacuate you and your clientele, and get you to Drift City where the Militia can protect you."

She shook her head, and said, "I don't think it's a good idea to leave Valhalla. There's too many gangers out on the road, and we'd never make it back safely, not with all these people in tow."

I paced nervously, trying to think of another plan, and happened to glance out the window as I turned. It was getting gloomy outside, dusk having arrived already, and on Charron IV, that meant the pitch black of night was only minutes away.

An intercom chimed, and Jessica rose gracefully to her feet, then walked over to the console in the corner of the room. When she accepted the incoming call, Rebecca's light soprano filled the room, "Mom, Jake, I'm picking up lots of approaching vehicles on the sensors. I think the Skorpions have arrived."

"Come up to the lounge, Becca," Jessica ordered in a no-nonsense tone of voice.

"On my way!" her daughter replied cheerfully, before she closed the call.

I looked Jessica's way, filled with remorse at having got her tangled up in all this. "Looks like you were right, there's no way to escape now," I said apologetically.

She smiled at me, and said, "I'm like you, I never did like running from trouble."

She walked over to me, then gave me a hug, and I wrapped her in my arms. I was trying to be reassuring, but I was deeply worried about keeping both Jessica and her daughter safe. We stood like that for a while, drawing strength from one another, until a polite cough made me turn to look to our side. Rebecca was watching us with an unreadable expression on her face, and I gazed at her for a moment, trying to make sense of that enigmatic half-smile. I stepped back from her mother feeling guilty, and smiled at her apprehensively, but she didn't seem to be mad at me.

A beep on the console came as quite a relief, interrupting the awkward moment, and Jess turned to press a button and accept the incoming call. As the call came through, she pressed more buttons on the console, bringing up a tactical map of the nearby locale.

A discordant, metallic voice sounded over the comm channel, saying, "That fucker better be in there, or we're coming for you and your daughter. Send Titanium Jake out in two minutes, or my Skorpions are gonna burn this place to the ground."

Black Stillers closed the comm channel before any of us could reply. I turned to look at Jessica and Rebecca, scowling as I muttered, "I hate cyborgs. Bunch of crazy bastards."

I glanced down at my solid Titanium left hand, then gave them both a wry grin. Rebecca giggled, while Jessica laughed light-heartedly. It felt good to lift the mood, and I chuckled along with them.