The Company Part 19

[Road Worthy]

The Interceptor, flanked by the rusted hulks of burnt-out road

racers and blocked from the front by the wreckage of the "spike"

pickup, was moving backwards slowly. Max looked back, careful

not to get the Interceptor hung up on the derelict vehicles, especially

when danger was near.

By the time the Black Interceptor had reached a turning point, the

Wrecker moved in from behind, blocking its path.

Max slammed on the brakes, and cut off the ignition.

Bishop stood up inside the roofless Wrecker, proud to

have finally got his prey, just like a cat after catching a mouse.

"That was easy!" he thought to himself.

Max unbuckled his harness and holstered his weapon before

exiting the Interceptor.

"SLOW.......No sudden moves!" Bishop demanded.

Max eased out of the Interceptor, closing the door behind him.

He step away from the vehicle, but not too far in the event that

he needed cover.

"Up....Hands up!" Bishop shouted.

Max replied by raising his hands slowly into the air.

"Well it seems as though we've got ourselves a thief. Who

has taken fuel away from the Company." Bishop annouced

more proud than ever that he made the catch.

Max stared directly at Bishop and said, "I came to offer a

fair trade, my property was threaten so I took what was

coming to me."

"That's not the way we operate here, the Company has set

forth procedures.........you didn't follow them. So now

you will be penalized." Bishop said with a false sense of

authority.

Bishop reached down and grabbed another soup can

from the seat cushion of the Wrecker.

Max's hand instantly went for his weapon.

"Move away from your vehicle!" he ordered Max, as he

lit a wooden match and lit the fuse.

Bishop threw the can hard, like a pitch.

Max reacted by drawing his sawed-off and blasting the

can to pieces using both barrels.

Bishop was totally shocked by Max's quick reflexes, but

at the same time pissed that someone had dared to

challenge him. He reached down and grabbed the

remaining can that had rolled onto the floorboard and

jump out of the Wrecker. Then reaching behind his back,

he pulled out a small polished revolver from the waist

of his pants and thumbed the hammer back.

"I've should have known, you were quick. A man can't

survive out here without some deadly talent, apparently

you are blessed as being quick and you are also good

driver to boot. You must have had some training of some

sort...............before the war, that is." Bishop said as he

rounded the front of the Wrecker aiming the pistol at Max.

Seconds after the can was destroyed, Max had breached

his weapon and reload, a task that he performed

with greased precision. So by the time Bishop had

turned in front of the Wrecker, he was already staring

down the monsterous barrels of Max's weapon.

Unfortunately for Max, Bishop had the advantage

because his weapon was more effective at their

distance.

"Well I see we have ourselves a stalemate. But justice

must still be served, the Company's Policies can not

be comprised for the sake of us all." Bishop said

monotonely as if he was made to memorize it and

forced to site it at any Company infraction.

Bishop, one handedly lit the fuse on the final rusty can

while still training his weapon on Max.

"I'm speculating that you are good, but not that good. I

seriously doubt that you will able to hit your mark

again.............." Bishop said raising his arm ready to

throw.

With the words hardly out of Bishop's mouth, Max

fired his weapon. The tight shot pattern quickly

spread out as it exploded from the sawed-off barrel.

The majority of the shot went astray, but a dozen or

so shot pellets came home, burying themselves deep

into Bishops flesh. Bishop, in shock, dropped the can

and fell to the ground. The chamber of the road caused

the flaring can to roll off the road, coming to rest

by a chopped up vehicle that has overturned on its' side.

Max began walking closer to Bishop with long rythmic

steps, all the time automatically reloading his weapon.

Bishop, bleeding moderately from his superficial flesh

wounds, frantically searched the ground around him for

his weapon. He spotted it near the edge of the road.

He began to scramble for it.

Max was right above him, weapon drawn.

"You my friend are in my world now and Wastelands

has their procedures too, and you didn't follow them........

The first is, you always size up your foes first, and the

second, don't mess with a man that has nothing to loose.

"Max said as he motioned with his head towards the

burning can.

When Bishop saw Max motion he turned to see

the burning can only feet from where he was. He

then looked around for an escape, but only saw the

mangled vehicle looming over him.

Max slowly backed away the whole time keeping

his weapon on Bishop. After some distance

Max simply reholstered his weapon and walked

away, while Bishop beg for his life behind him.

The can erupted with a less than spectacular

explosion, another dud, but the blast was strong

enough to rock the unstable wreck. The wreck

came crashing down to the ground, pinning Bishop's

left leg beneath it.

Max boarded the Wrecker and backed it out of the way.

He raised the hood and took the ignition coil as a

replacement for the one he lost back at the core.

He looked back at Bishop once before he left and

said, "The Wastelands are no place for the unroad

worthy. Maybe I'll see you again after you have

learned the ways of my world."

Remnants of the Company disbanded. Many of them

were consumed by the wastelands. Others, more

mobile, scavenged the remains of the Company and

formed new gangs that fought fiercely over the dwindling

resources. Their ruthless legacy of violence plagued

the lands and spread like wildfire.

The End

[Big Bopper]

In Reply to: The Company Part 19 posted by Road Worthy on March 01, 2000 at 18:54:13:


Very good.

Will there be another story?

[MFP]

In Reply to: The Company Part 19 posted by Road Worthy on March 01, 2000 at 18:54:13:


Good shit, I like the way you have developed the action it flows well, great story!