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

A small twist of paper rests near Trin’s feet, full of gunpowder. When Gerrick reaches for it, Blain pulls Trin back as if afraid the gunner will try to snatch him away. With a wry smirk the gunner mutters, “I’m sorry, boy. Like I told you, another time, another place. You could’ve been enough.”


“Don’t you dare speak to him,” Blain warns. Trin doesn’t know if his brother’s forbidding him to respond or warning the gunner into silence. The truck,he thinks, his mind flashing to the tape that holds the cables together under the hood. He feels like a doctor who has been forced to operate in the trenches with whatever supplies are at hand and now waits for the patient to come around. There’s a very good chance the damn truck won’t even start and then what?


Chapter 35