We finished strapping the signal enhancer to the back of the car and packed it with enough rations to last a few days if things went sideways. Gabi hopped into the driver’s seat and did a meticulous checkup on everything within reach. Angling mirrors, securing the steering wheel, making sure the stick shift and handbrake worked. The kind of things someone would never do unless they built the car themselves. This was her baby and it showed that she wanted to take good care of it.

  “Be careful,” Nyla whispered. I turned to face her but she wasn’t speaking to me. She was leaning close to Quinn, their foreheads touching together before they shared a peck on the lips.

  I turned in a hurry and felt my cheeks flush.

  I caught Gabi smirking at my reaction in the rearview mirror, but she knew better than to comment on it when in earshot of Nyla and her frightening wrath.

  I threw my stuff in the vacant backseat and settled in the one next to it as Quinn sat down next to Gabi in the passenger seat. She was our eyes for this operation.

  Gerrard tapped the door to my side. “Make sure to keep communications running as you go. This will be a good opportunity to test out the effective range of the enhancer.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were sure?”

  “If a tree falls in the woods when you aren’t there to see, has it fallen?” He chuckled. “You can never be sure without a thorough round of testing. But I am confident that it will work well enough. Now go. We’ll have the next piece ready when you return,” he said and knocked on the solid steel door.

  Facing the back seats, and situated between the front ones, there was a large radio with cords and earbuds lying neatly folded on top. It had been mounted in the front at first, but Quinn couldn’t use it too well. Her blessing enhanced senses, both sight and sound. If she used the headset it would be a hindrance to her work as our scout. Gabi had worked tirelessly to move the behemoth piece of equipment to a place where it wasn’t in the way.

  Above me, there was a hole in the roof for turret mounting, but I was more effective with my wand than any modern machine gun could ever hope to be. Only I had less ammunition than the machine gun. If there was one thing the compound had in surplus, it was guns and ammo.

  “We’re good to go,” Gabi announced and made the others step away from the vehicle.

  It was late outside, but our headlights tore through the darkness like a hot knife through butter.

  “We’re counting on you,” said Nyla. Her brow was creased with worry, her eyes soft as they lingered on Quinn.

  “We’ll be back before you know it,” Quinn reassured her.

  It was a nice thing to see, a whispered comforting someone powerful enough to squash her with one hand, if she wanted. But Quinn felt like the one in control. At least that’s how it looked to me. Like the flowers soothing Ferdinand the bull.

  Gabi turned the keys in the ignition and made the metallic beast roar to life. It had been some time since I last heard an engine—barring the jailor’s infernal engine. We rolled away and the others’ figures got swallowed by the dark.

  A pair of civilians with guns hanging over their shoulders opened the gate for us. Their gazes were heavy with hope and expectation.

  I stared ahead and put on the headset. Billowing dunes of sand stretched far into the horizon. We drove on a hard dirt road for now, but would have to cross the dunes at one point or another. A small part of me worried that we’d get stranded, even when I knew that the vehicle was built for rough terrain.

  Everything will be fine, I told myself.

  I turned a few controls on the radio until I heard a crackle in the headphones. Gerrard had sent us away with a sheet of scribbled instructions that we were supposed to follow. After a few seconds of clicking and turning I managed to tap into the enhancer’s signal.

  “Beetle, Beetle, this is HQ, HQ, radio check, over.” Steward’s voice sounded mechanic and inhuman over the radio, but there was no doubt it was him. He and Gerrard would work shifts so that one of them always manned the radio back in base. Just in case something happened to the enhancer.

  They’d drilled Gabi hard, teaching her as much about the gadget as they could when she wasn’t working on the cars. Apparently she’d been a good student, but even good students struggled when faced with unfamiliar variables. Out here, the two scientists were our lifeline.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  “HQ, this is Beetle, reading you loud and clear, over.”

  “Copy loud and clear, over.”

  “Why Beetle?” I asked.

  “Beetle, HQ, I didn’t read that, over.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Why beetle? Over.”

  “It just seemed appropriate. Stand by for traffic, over.”

  “Got it, standing by, out.”

  I removed the headphones from one ear and kept the radio running. We didn’t expect there to be others in the veil using the signal, but decided to stay safe, just in case we managed to pick something up from the outside.

  “Everything working fine?” Gabi asked and eyed me through the rearview mirror.

  “No problems,” I said and made a perfect sign with my black hand.

  “Good, then let’s get this road-trip started for real!” She smirked and pressed the pedal to the metal.

  The tires screamed as they found grip and we lurched forward. Gabi let out a satisfied hoot and leaned into the wheel, while both Quinn and I pressed back into our seats from the sudden acceleration.

  “Show me what you got, baby!” Gabi shouted.

  I expected Quinn to tell her off, but to my surprise the spike haired woman smiled just as Gabi. The joy was infectious and I soon felt myself sharing the same feeling as them both. A smile crept onto my face and I leaned back into the seat. Free from the stares, whispers, and spite.

  This excursion was a welcome change—some time to think. The squad could dislike me all they wanted, but I wouldn’t accept open hostility, or disrespect. That would have to change. Preferably before we escaped this damned country. I was unsung. I had accomplished more in my short time as a blessed than most do in their entire lives.

  “A penny for your thoughts?” Gabi said and slowed our pace.

  The road before us stretched far beyond where the dark took hold. Our headlights lit up a lot of the road, but far too little to keep driving around like maniacs. It was just asking for an accident to happen.

  “Nothing,” I muttered and leaned my elbow against the door, looking out into the thick dark surrounding us on all sides.

  The two women shared a knowing look. Gabi shifted in her seat. “It’s been a while since you’ve been home, right? What’s the first thing you want to do when you get back?”

  A wave of nostalgia washed over me. I couldn’t quite place the conversation, but I knew that I’d had it before.

  “Don’t know. I think I want to just lay down in my bed and listen to the birds.”

  She snorted and held a hand against her mouth to stop a chuckle from leaking out.

  “What?” I asked with knitted brows.

  “I just didn’t expect the brooding teen to miss birdsong.”

  “No, no. He looks the part, doesn’t he?” Quinn chirped and turned in her seat. “Dark clothes and unruly hair. He looks like a modern day poet! You know, one of those people that snap their fingers instead of clap?”

  Gabi bent forward at the waist, laughing. “He does, he does!”

  I clicked my tongue and crossed my arms. “There aren’t a lot of barbers in the Layered empire.”

  “I’ll cut it. I used to cut dad’s hair before I joined up.” Her smile fell and she grumbled the last part. “I bet he looks like hell now. My sis was never much of a caretaker, more of a breaker.”

  “What about your mom?” I asked and immediately realized I shouldn’t have. I hated when people asked about my parents.

  Gabi eyed me through the mirror then shrugged. “She left when I was young. Didn’t like having a family all that much I guess. Dad doesn’t say much about it, and me and sis were too young to remember.”

  “Sorry.”

  “It is what it is.”

  “What do you want to do when you get home?” I asked, desperate to regain the good mood from before.

  “Hmm. If I ever manage to leave COBA I’d like to open a shop of my own. Fix trucks outside the range of guns and monsters.”

  “Sounds nice,” Quinn chipped in. “I don’t know if I could ever leave COBA.”

  “No kidding.” Gabi scoffed. “You’re shacked up with the captain.”

  “With Nyla.”

  Gabi glanced at her. “Yeah, yeah. Same thing, isn’t it?”

  “She’s more than just the captain.”

  “Cal, back me up here.”

  I chuckled. “You’re doing just fine on your own. Besides, I’d rather take Quinn’s side. Nyla is more than just a captain, she’s a monstrous fighter too, and you’re…”

  She raised an eyebrow at me through the mirror. “I’m what?”

  I wanted to say mundane, but stopped myself. I didn’t mean anything by it, but it still sounded somewhat … harsh. She couldn’t help it, and I didn’t even know if she wanted to be blessed. It’s not like my truth was the truth of the world.

  “You,” I muttered.

  Her brow creased before she looked away. Quinn turned to stare at me. “Nice save,” she said. “Real smooth.”

  I rubbed my face. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way.” I looked at Gabi’s sour expression. “I mean I like you, Gabi.” And once more I realized what I was saying too late. “As a friend! You’re one of the few in camp who treats me like a person rather than some outcast with a sour temper and a gun.”

  Silence etched itself into the car. Roadsigns flared from our light as we passed. I buried my face in my hands. If I could disappear I would. I wished nothing more than to not be part of the silence.

  At least I did before the two of them burst out laughing.

  I looked up through my fingers. “I like you too,” Gabi said and winked. “As a friend. Although you’re awfully clumsy with your words. And I don’t really know you. But you have a good enough vibe about you.”

  “The poet-vibe?” Quinn teased and snapped her fingers.

  I buried my face again. Not so much to hide my blushing cheeks, more so to hide my stupid smirk.

  “Beetle, Beetle, this is HQ, over.”

  “Reading, over.”

  “You’re coming up on the intersection. Veer right two o’clock, over.”

  “Roger, over.” I poked Gabi’s arm. “Turn right up ahead, two o’clock.”

  The radio crackled again as Steward spoke a final warning. “Stay vigilant, Beetle. There’s no telling what’s out there, over.”

  “I’ll keep them safe, out.” I said and hoped they wouldn’t tease me for the choice of words. I didn’t regret saying it. I meant it.

  I nodded at Quinn who still sat facing me.

  “Eyes front,” I ordered. She didn’t object.

  Sand sprayed as Gabi took a right onto the dunes. She used the integrated compass to lead us in the right direction. Quinn recorded the heading on a piece of paper. No more signs flashed from the car’s headlights. There was only darkness and sand as we moved into unknown territory.

  The car fell silent, not with awkwardness, but anticipation.