A/N: Add one more to this mix... This chapter isn't as exciting, but there is a little bit of fun and yet another surprise. I kind of super love my version of JD, lol.
"They really going through the dump?" Nathan asked as he shoved boxes of ammunition into a bag.
"Knowin' Chris, yeah," Buck grinned, carefully laying a rifle into its case and snapping the lid shut.
"How long you two known each other?" the doctor asked.
Buck paused in his packing, his eyes getting a distant look and an almost sad smile touching his face. "A damn long time, since before we were Rangers."
Nathan watched the man, knowing there were stories between these two soldiers he had just fallen in with, but he wouldn't pry. In the age they lived in now, everyone had their tragedies and everyone fought their battles; it was up to the individual to decide whether to share those trials with any other. He had plenty of demons of his own to contend with; he wouldn't make any man mention theirs unwillingly.
Buck set the rifle next to the small pile of necessities he and Nathan had collected, shooting a curious glance at the doctor's messenger bag. Like Nathan, he wouldn't ask the stranger in front of him to divulge any secrets, but the care in which the doc was handling the bag had him wondering at its contents.
"Research," Nathan said as he dropped the ammo in amongst the rest of their few belongings. "There's vials in there. Hoping maybe one of 'em will reverse the effects of a bite."
Buck looked at the doctor with wide eyes. "You think you can change people back?"
"Maybe," Nathan shrugged. "Only the ones in the early stages, though. Once their eyes go white they're already dead."
"Were you planning on testing those out?" Buck asked, the hesitation clear in his tone.
Nathan almost laughed at the look on the mustached man's face. "I had rats back at the compound, but if you want to volunteer for a human test… "
"Hell no! Who in their right mind would go and get bit on purpose?" Buck guffawed.
"If it works, you'd be a hero," Nathan shrugged with a grin.
"Then you can just keep that honor to yourself, Doc," the ex-Ranger smirked, catching on to the joke. He hefted a few bags up onto his shoulders and turned to take one last glance around at the studio he had called home for the past several months. "Damn good safehouse," he sighed, shaking his head.
The doctor loaded himself up with the rest of the gear. "The faster we get to Denver, the sooner you can make a new one," he said. "Now let's go, before those other two idiots decide to leave without us."
Buck laughed outright and slapped Nathan on the arm. "Oh yeah, you're gonna fit right in with us, pard. You call Chris an idiot to his face, though, and I bet you really are gonna be testin' that vaccine on yourself." He stifled his amusement as he bent down to open up the hatch in the floor. "You ready?" he asked.
"As I'll ever be," Nathan nodded, feeling the comforting weight of the blades tucked up against his arms.
The two men slipped quietly down into the hole, humor still lighting their faces as they felt some unexplainable confidence in the notion that all four of them would make it of Shreveport in one piece.
~~~~~~~7777777~~~~~~~
Vin and Chris sat on the front porch of the sniper's cabin. He had been using one of the buildings at the long-abandoned boy's summer camp, and Chris had to admit that the location was perfect for a safehouse. It was quiet out in the woods, just far enough away from civilization that the Diseased paid it no notice, but close enough to make any necessary runs into the city for supplies.
Tanner didn't actually have that many belongings to pack up, and most of that consisted of a few more guns and the ammunition that went with them. Finished in rapid time, the only reason they hadn't taken off for the rendezvous point yet was because JD had asked them not to. The kid bailed on them as soon as the campground was in sight, hollering over his shoulder that he had to go get something and not to leave without him, that the wait would be worth it.
"How long should we sit here?" Vin asked after Larabee checked his watch for probably the tenth time.
Chris was about to answer when they heard the sound of wheels rolling on gravel. Both men stood up and stared down the road that led up to the cabins, the surprise on their faces evident as a vehicle that looked like a hybrid between a stretch Hummer (with no engine compartment on the front) and a tank made its way around the corner. The thick metal was painted all in camo, and from what they could tell, there were no windows at all on the machine. The line of tires rolled on a tread, easily bouncing over the holes and fallen branches that littered the gravel path. As it got closer, they could see several various open slits and closed compartments lining the sides of the massive rig, and a large metal box adorned the roof set amidst a collection of solar panels.
"What the hell?" Vin asked as the vehicle pulled up in front of them.
Half the front of the vehicle suddenly pushed out on metal hinges, revealing JD sporting a huge grin on his face. He jumped down to the ground and patted the vehicle lovingly.
"Guys, meet Weena. Took me almost two years to get her perfect."
Chris and Vin looked at each other, small grins growing on their faces. They stepped forward and began inspecting the outside of the vehicle.
"What's it run on?" Chris asked.
"She runs on steam," the Toymaker explained, and almost laughed at the skeptical looks shared between the two older men. "I just fill her up with water, any kind 'cause I have it running through a filter, and the solar panels heat it up to boiling. The steam gets recycled back through the system and any water left in it goes back into the tank, so I don't have to refill as often. Cool, huh?"
Vin whistled and traced his hand around one of the closed compartments. "What's in these?"
The kid smiled mischievously. "It'll be better if you can see those in action. I'll show you on the way to Denver."
The comment reminded the ex-Ranger to glance down at his watch again. "We gotta move, boys. Still have to pick up the preacher before we meet up with the others."
"Oh, you're gonna love the inside," the kid exclaimed, obviously pleased to show his prized toy off to whoever was interested.
Vin and Chris grabbed their stuff and stepped into the rig, their eyes growing wide at what they were seeing. There was one chair up front that swiveled around within a console full of levers and various screens, some with camera footage from all the way around the outside of the rig and others with what looked like radar imaging. Thin light tubes were mounted in rows all the way down the ceiling, merging together at a crank wheel mounted just above the driver's seat. JD saw what they were looking at and leaned forward, turning the wheel a few times which caused the lights to glow even brighter. With the whole interior fully illuminated, it became clear that the vehicle was not used strictly for transportation purposes. Folded up against the walls, much like in a camper, were various living accommodations including a small table, a twin mattress, a counter, and a couch bench. There was a closet of sorts in the very back of the rig where JD directed them to stash the bags they were holding. When he opened the door, the space within was much larger than they had thought possible, revealing more of a full storage unit than a closet. Odd weapons, both finished and not, littered the area and there were small cabinets where tools were arranged half-hazardly.
"Sorry, it's kinda cluttered," the kid shrugged. "It's my mobile workshop, most people don't see this. Here, you can set your stuff over in this corner."
They did as told while JD brushed passed them again, popping the cushioned bench down with the flip of a spring-loaded latch as he made his way to the front of the rig. Chris and Vin settled onto it and watched with slight concern as the kid slammed the one door shut and went through a process of cranking several turn-wheels that were tucked beneath the driving console.
"Uh, kid, how do you drive this thing?" Vin ventured, still curious about the lack of windows or even slits to see out of.
The rig started moving forward, smoothly rolling along the battered remains of the campground's street. The kid kept his eyes glued to the many screens on the console, steering the vehicle with a control column rather than a typical wheel. The whole operational system reminded Chris more of a flight simulator than a car's dashboard, and he couldn't help but wonder what all the various levers were for.
"It's like a video game," JD explained. "I can see everything right here on the screens."
"Isn't that kinda dangerous?" the sniper asked, a little uneasy with the whole concept.
"Isn't a zombie smashing in a window kinda dangerous?" the kid shot back with a grin.
Chris smirked and shook his head. Smartass. "Could've just got bullet-proof glass," he pointed out.
JD hesitated a second before he explained, never taking his eyes off the screens in front of him. "Yeah…I tried that before. The thing with bulletproof glass is that it still chips and cracks and stuff when people are shooting high velocity rounds at it…"
"Someone shot at you?" Larabee asked, a touch of anger in his voice.
"More than once." The Toymaker shrugged one shoulder as if the attacks were just an everyday occurrence. "People see Weena and they get jealous, like it's my fault I got a car and they don't. Had a few run-ins with Pirates that tried to take her, and bulletproof glass got too hard to find for me to keep replacing it. I've made some…uh…upgrades since I first built her. She keeps me safe from anything now."
The two men on the bench quietly nodded, wondering how much this kid had to go through in his young life to become the person he was now, building weapons designed to quickly and efficiently dispatch any enemy. Had things gone differently and the world hadn't gone to Hell, he probably would have grown to be a very rich man with his sort of talents. Unfortunately, they would never know what sort of life he could have led; but one thing was for certain – Vin and Chris were glad to have Toymaker on their side now.
A sudden thought struck Chris and he looked sharply at the kid. "JD, where did you have this thing parked?"
"Other side of the dump where I found you," he shrugged
The Ranger and the sniper shared a look.
"How'd you get to it?" Larabee asked tensely, already knowing the answer.
JD answered in a conversational tone. "Went back the way we came. Why?"
The man in black bristled at the casual answer. "The place was crawling with Diseased! Coulda gotten yourself killed going back through there!"
For the first time since the rig had started moving, JD looked away from the screens and narrowed in on the Ranger. "Coulda gotten-? I'm a Scavenger." He turned back to his driving and mumbled, "Practically live in junkyards…"
Vin looked at the kid and back around at the vehicle design. "Ain't no Scavenger," he said softly.
"I hang out in the dump and collect garbage. What else would ya call me?" the Toymaker asked, his tone now slightly heated.
The sniper grimaced. "Scavengers are no more'n rats, JD. They take what they can for themselves and bite at anyone that tries to get near 'em. You're not like that. You're more like an artist just picking up tools for his trade."
JD grinned with pride until Chris mumbled, "A young, stupid artist aiming to get himself turned before he's old enough to drink."
Again the kid turned cold eyes on Larabee. "I'm older than I look, and if I'd gotten myself killed goin' through that dump it woulda been during the first time through while I was busy savin' your asses."
Vin broke out into laughter as Chris clenched his teeth together. "He's got us there, cowboy," he said, ignoring the glare the Ranger turned on him.
"Why do I get the feeling I'm gonna regret this trip?" Larabee muttered, though he couldn't stop the slight smirk that pulled at the corner of his lips.
~~~~~~~7777777~~~~~~~
Vin, not enjoying the feeling of being boxed in, had opted to stand behind the inventor for most of the drive so he could watch the activity on the cameras. For the most part they just passed right on by the scattered Undead milling around, the rig moving too fast for them to be any real threat. At one point a couple of them had meandered into the road and JD finally pulled one of the mystery levers on the console, more because the sniper had seemed so excitedly curious about them than the actual need to use it. In reality JD could've just run them down with the tank, but taking a few well-aimed shots with the large automatic rifle that popped out of its home on the left side of the rig had also been pretty fun. Watching Vin's face light up had been even more fun.
Chris had just shaken his head in amusement, thinking to himself that the two of them looked like a couple of goddamn kids in an arcade.
They were getting close to the scheduled rendezvous time when they finally pulled up to the rundown remnants of what may have once been a beautiful church. Chris knew the building, had been past it several times on his various treks through the city but had never realized anyone still lived inside. It was a good sign that the preacher knew how not to be noticed, how to survive.
JD stepped ahead of Chris and Vin and knocked loudly on the door. "Hey Preacherman! Open up! It's Toymaker!"
Vin clamped a hand over the inventor's mouth. "Geezus, kid, just announce to every damned Diseased in the area that we're here."
JD pulled away from the sniper's grip. "How stupid do you think I am, seriously? Weena's got radar for a reason, ya know. There's nothing around here within hearing distance except-"
The door swung open to a gray haired man mumbling and cursing about stupid kids interrupting his morning penance. He didn't even look at them as he strolled back towards the church podium, leaving the door hanging wide open to allow them entrance.
"We're going to Denver!" JD suddenly blurted out.
The preacher turned and looked at him as if the kid had grown a second head. "You wanna run that by me again?"
Chris stepped forward, shooting a little glare at the Toymaker. "You know a doctor named Nathan Jackson?"
The big man smiled a little. "Nathan? Knew him like a brother. Smart man." His smile faded as he shook his head. "Heard he got himself killed up north somewhere."
Tanner grinned. "Funny, he told us yesterday about a good friend of his that ordered those fancy blades for him. Said he was dead."
A deep laugh rolled out of the preacher. "Well, I guess we were both misinformed." He reached out his hand. "Josiah Sanchez."
Chris accepted Josiah's handshake. "Chris Larabee, and this is Vin Tanner. We were on our way to meet back up with the Doc and a friend of mine when JD here told us about you. Interested in tagging along?"
"Just like that? You're willing to take a man aboard with no questions asked?" Josiah raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"You got any about us?" Vin fired back with a smirk.
Josiah laughed again and looked around his church. "Not exactly in the habit of taking off with strangers-"
"I'm not a stranger," JD pointed out.
"I was about to get to that, son, don't interrupt," the preacher scolded. "As I was saying, if Toymaker thinks your good people I have no reason to doubt that. Boy doesn't normally trust easily unless he has a mind to." JD looked away self-consciously at the comment as Josiah continued. "And if the good Lord saw fit to bring a friend back from the dead – in human form, that is – to bring you to my door, figure it must be a sign that I'm meant to come along. Don't exactly have a parish to preach to anymore, anyway."
"Not gonna be an easy trip," Chris warned, feeling the need to at least explain some of what was going on despite the relative ease with which the preacher seemed to be agreeing to join their little party. "We're headed to Rising. Doc's hoping to find something there that'll help his research."
"He still trying to find a cure?" Josiah asked.
Vin nodded. "Seems to me he's the type that'll keep tryin' 'til he either finds it or gets himself killed."
Josiah smiled. "Too damn noble for his own good." He shook his head and began to walk off towards a back room.
"Where ya goin'?" JD asked.
"To get my things. Can't think of a more holy mission for the lord to send me on than reversing the devil's work." With that, he slipped from sight.
Chris and Vin exchanged looks. The kid was right, Josiah was a little bit odd, but having one more capable man on their team couldn't hurt. If they were going by the preacher's analogy, then stepping into Rising would be akin to waltzing right down into Hell. An army of six may not do much to take down the devil, himself, but it might just give them a fighting chance.