In a future where outposts swelter beneath a nuclear sun and run-gunners patrol dusty wastelands to protect against winged creatures known as devlars, Trin is the mech at the waystation in Arens. He has a thing for the gunners: rough men with strong hands and hard bodies, who roll through his garage like the hot desert wind. Gerrick’s the best gunner around, a quick draw with a deadly aim and a penchant for sharing his pallet with young men. He has a roving eye and roaming hands, and has left a string of broken hearts in his wake. Having heard the tales of Gerrick's bravery and seen the man in action for himself, Trin has fallen in love with the man he believes Gerrick to be, and he’s sure he can change the gunner’s mind if given the chance. Gerrick’s all he wants out of this blasted world, and he tells anyone who will listen. Then Gerrick rides through Arens. He’s heard the rumors of what Trin will do for a gunner who only mentions his name. What he wants to know is, what will Trin do for him?

Trin

But when he mentions that he can’t get a word in for all her questions, she turns the hose on him.


By the time he calls it a day, his hands are black with oil from changing the shocks. At the pump he has to scrub with stones to see his skin again. Aissa primes the handle as he rinses off, more than once splashing him out of spite, but he barely feels the water—his pants and shirt are damp and clammy from where she sprayed him earlier. 


“So,” she wants to know, letting the pump run dry, “you excited?”


Chapter 5