The Gunfighter and The Gear-Head (40 page)

“Wait, the fracturing?” The phrase sounded
familiar to Gieo although she couldn’t immediately place where
she’d come by it.

“Yeah, the big split in the army before the
Battle of Mt. Vernon,” Fiona said.

“Outside Cedar Rapids?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“He was probably a Raven,” Gieo said wearily.
“Alondra told me most of her soldiers came from the survivors after
the fracture. That must be how he knew about you, knew how the
Ravens worked, and knew how to contact them when things got tough.
He was probably one of Alondra’s old soldiers who left to run his
own life.”

Fiona flopped back onto the bed and stared at
the ceiling. “I really should just tell you whatever it is I can’t
figure out,” she said. “It takes you five seconds to piece together
things that stump me for months. Sometimes I feel so stupid around
you.”

Gieo slipped across Fiona’s lap, straddling
her waist. She was wearing just pink cotton boy-cut shorts with no
top. She’d begun dressing that way for bed when they moved into the
new house, stating it was how she was most comfortable; Fiona
pointed out most women wore a top with no bottoms, and Gieo pointed
out most women didn’t have a peculiar phobia about something
crawling inside them while they slept. Gieo assured Fiona she knew
how ridiculous such a fear was, but, then again, so were her fears
of spiders and zombies. In the morning light, her breasts perky and
flatteringly lit by the sun creeping in through the drapes, Fiona
had to admit Gieo might be onto something.

“Yep, you’re just a big moron,” Gieo said. “I
keep you around for your looks and willingness to shoot people.
You’re like a cardboard cutout of yourself with a gun and trip-line
attached.” Fiona had the predictable response of trying to buck
Gieo off. Not surprisingly, Gieo was remarkably difficult to
unhorse, as it were. Fiona struggled, Gieo’s legs tightened around
her, until Fiona had worked herself nearly to the point of biting.
“I’m kidding,” Gieo finally said. Her face was flushed from
exertion and lit up by a satisfied smile. “You’re the only one who
thinks you’re stupid, which, ironically, is kind of stupid.”

“I’m surrounded by geniuses,” Fiona said
angrily. “A little self-doubt is only natural.”

“You’re surrounded by geniuses in Tombstone?”
Gieo asked with a sharp laugh.

“Okay, maybe not Tombstone at large, but
between you, Veronica, and Zeke, I’ve had a hard time not feeling
stupid.”

“Come on, bad points of comparison, and
considering how many stupid mistakes the three of us routinely
make, you probably shouldn’t give us anywhere near as much credit
as…” Gieo kind of trailed off. Her hands made their way along
Fiona’s chest, pressing the t-shirt Fiona had slept in around the
shape of her breasts. “This month of healing time has done some
wonderfully healthy things for other parts of you as well. I mean,
not Victoria’s Secret cover things yet, but still…”

“Those were mostly padded pushup bras
scientifically designed to create cleavage,” Fiona said.

“Not in my head they weren’t.” Gieo smiled.
“Anyway, my point is, most of the time around you I’m fluctuating
wildly between nervous wreck and horny school girl. I loved and
idolized you before I ever met you. You feel stupid around me?
Imagine how I must feel whenever I’m around you.”

“This is the less competent version of you?”
Fiona asked incredulously.

“Yep, when you’re not around, I float stuff
with my mind.”

“Then what would you say I’m supposed to
do?”

“You can start by learning to let things go.
If Zeke wants to set up shop in Juarez, who cares? If he was a
former Raven using what he knew of the organization to survive, who
could blame him? There’s no census data on this for obvious
reasons, but from what I’ve seen the Slark hit males, soldiers in
particular, the hardest; it makes sense that the ones who are still
alive are likely good at surviving and lucky as hell.”

Fiona doubted it would be as simple as all
that, but she did like the sound of it. “What do we tell
Veronica?”

“What do we ever tell Veronica? Nothing,”
Gieo said. “She’d probably use it as a fresh reason for us to waste
our time attacking Juarez when we have a real target in the west.
Speaking of the devil, we have a meeting with her and Carolyn this
evening.”

“Why?” Fiona sighed.

“I made the mistake of mentioning how much
better you were feeling. I think they’ve got a commendation or
something for you for wiping out the Hawkins House,” Gieo said.

Fiona made a move to extricate herself from
beneath Gieo, but the pilot pushed her back down. Gieo’s face,
which to that point had been all smiles and mocking laughter, took
a serious shift that set Fiona at attention.

“All joking aside, you know I think you’re
wonderful, right?” Gieo asked. “You’re beautiful, smart,
charismatic, good at what you do, and completely fearless—I’d build
shrines to you if I didn’t think it’d creep you out. The only real
problem you have that seems to be causing you the most misery is
that you’re completely unable to let go of things that upset or
confuse you.”

“For you, I’ll work on letting go of the
past,” Fiona said. She’d long since gotten used to having people
speak of her in glowing terms; Gieo’s compliments, while heartfelt
and sweet, weren’t anything Fiona hadn’t heard before. What did
stick out to her, and what really made her love Gieo all the more,
was the one constructively critical note at the end; it spoke of an
honest concern for her well-being that was rare in the rest of her
admirers.

Gieo smiled with such contended warmth that
Fiona wanted to frame the moment and hang it on the wall for the
colder months to come.

“We should get dressed and start walking. As
much fun as it’d be, I don’t think we should try riding with you on
the handlebars of my mountain bike,” Gieo said. “Besides, I owe
Ramen a puppy and I heard Jeffers’ mutt had a litter a few weeks
ago. Maybe we can see him on the way.”

“Why don’t you get a horse already?” Fiona
asked. “I could teach you to ride.”

Gieo wrinkled her nose in response with an
embarrassed tint of pink rising in her cheeks. She’d fixed up the
old mountain bike found in the house’s shed specifically so she
could avoid having to ever use a horse; when people asked, she’d
claimed it was closer to riding the modified Indian motorcycle
she’d become synonymous with, but the real answer was far more
provincial.

“I’m afraid of horses,” Gieo said.

“If I’m going to work on letting things go,
you’re going to need to work on the list of things you’re afraid
of.”

“Fine,” Gieo said, “I’ll consider taking
riding lessons.”

“I was thinking you could start sleeping
completely nude, but that works too.”

“Like my underwear has ever been an obstacle
for you.” Gieo writhed a little on top of Fiona, rolling her hips
lewdly against her, knowing full-well what affect the warmth of her
skin and the pressure down on Fiona’s most sensitive areas would
have.

“If we’re walking, we should get started
now,” Fiona said, adding an impish grin, “but you’re in big trouble
later.”

Chapter 26:
No times like old
times.

The walk was
longer than Fiona expected, although not longer than she should
have, considering Gieo rode her bike every day. By the time they
reached the heart of what could be considered the population, her
leg was stiff and a little achy. She assumed the injury could stand
some exercise to fully heal, but she still told Gieo with
increasing frequency that they might need to find a ride back.
Gieo, for her part, replied with the always-declined offer to go
find someone to give them a ride while Fiona rested.

The day was cool enough not to raise a sweat
on Gieo while they walked, but Fiona had a sheen from painful
exertion by the time they strolled up to the Ravens’ compound.
Fiona had strapped on her gun, but she hadn’t really felt the
twinge of nervous energy she might have even a few months ago when
the Ravens were still new to Tombstone. The town had clearly
changed for the better under their rule even if it did so to the
detriment of a few select citizens, Fiona among those who had to
give up some personal liberties for the stability of all.

Toward the end of the walk when the patrols
of Raven soldiers increased, Gieo took Fiona’s hand in hers. As
strange as the intimate gesture felt at first, Fiona did not pull
away. It was her left hand, which probably explained why Gieo
practically insisted upon walking on her left side. It wouldn’t
hinder her draw should she need her gun, and so Fiona let the
familiarity stand for the moment. As they walked through the gates
of the Raven compound, Gieo released her hand unceremoniously.

They were shown into Veronica’s office on the
second floor. A refreshing breeze blew in through an open window
occasionally ruffling, but not displacing, paperwork on the desk.
Fiona didn’t know for certain if the paperwork was a holdover from
the desk’s likely long deceased owner or something belonging to
Veronica. Paper was far rarer and more valuable than it likely had
been since the Middle Ages. If there were still paper suppliers
somewhere, Veronica would be the one to know how to be supplied by
them.

Veronica stood in the corner with her back to
the door, looking down out the window over the opium and marijuana
fields in the back of the converted courthouse. Opium, which grew
readily in the desert, was uncovered while the marijuana had
protective netting and a network of irrigation tubing running above
it. She was dressed in the gray and black military fatigues of the
Ravens with her pistol slung on her left hip.

“When Carolyn gets here, we can start handing
out the bad news,” Veronica said. She turned her head slowly, the
afternoon light catching her features, making her look both
tragically beautiful and achingly sad.

“Like Christmas, I would imagine.” Fiona sat
down at one of the chairs, stretching her right leg out in front of
her to rub the sore muscles of her upper thigh around her
freshly-healed bullet wounds.

“Yep,” Veronica said, “we’re all going to get
something.”

Gieo felt a little adrift in the strange
familiarity between the two women. She’d spent a considerable
amount of time with Veronica over the past few months, but she
hadn’t developed anywhere near the rapport that Fiona and Veronica
seemed to have implicitly.

Gieo and Veronica remained standing when
Carolyn arrived. Her matronly curves were poured into a similar
uniform to Veronica’s although, while it looked fairly dashing on
the lither White Queen, the uniform looked almost pornographic on
the curvaceous Red Queen. Carolyn navigated the office as though
she owned the room, building, and state in which it was all
contained. She took no notice of the three inhabitants on her
arrival, cutting a straight course to the leather executive chair
behind Veronica’s desk. She sat calmly and finally acknowledged
those assembled.

“Fiona,” Carolyn said coolly, “the Ravens
appreciate your continued service above and beyond your duties in
the elimination of the Hawkins House despite the extreme personal
risk.” It was clear from the strange cadence with which she spoke
and the formal tone of the language that it was a missive
handed-down from a command structure above her. “Your pay will of
course continue through your convalescence that will no doubt
stretch beyond the coming engagements.”

Fiona snorted and shook her head. “Like you’d
want me on that ride anyway.”

Carolyn ignored the comment, turning her
attention next to Gieo. “McAdams and his key officers are entirely
too valuable to send on the current mission. Command of the air
group will revert to you. Make any arrangements necessary to
accommodate this change.”

Gieo’s elation was hardly tempered by Fiona’s
quickly shouted objection of a very primal, “No!”

Again, Carolyn ignored Fiona, instead turning
her attention to Veronica. “I will be taking the full army group
north after we break the Slark air defense line to roll up any
further antiaircraft batteries in the area. This should open a
large enough gap in their defenses for the return of the air group
and hopefully leave a gateway for future incursions into their
territory. Once we’ve cleared some space, we will be returning to
Las Vegas.”

“I suppose you’ll be wanting the airships
we’ve built too,” Veronica huffed.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Carolyn said with a
dismissive wave of her hand. “McAdams and the other top officers
are already on their way to Las Vegas to begin building a real air
force. Your blimps will be used as reconnaissance scouts for the
south.”

“You don’t mean for me to stay here?”
Veronica’s posture changed from practiced nonchalance to visible
agitation in the span of her sentence.

“You will remain in command of this southern
observation post until it is deemed unnecessary by Las Vegas,”
Carolyn said sternly. “There are still plenty of Slark and
marauders coming out of Old Mexico and we need an early warning
should a southern push begin.”

Carolyn was so matter-of-fact, so downright
flippant with everyone in the room that Gieo felt like reaching out
and slapping the motherly redheaded commander. Glancing from Fiona
to Veronica, Gieo assumed they were all in agreement on that
position.