Lanna's War

69

Odenkirk, the quiet, scrawny private from Lanna's squad had just saved her life. But why? And how? Lanna thought.

    "We have to get out of here. Now." He urged. He limped over to the bullet riddled vehicle while Lanna slowly rose to her feet. She walked to him as he examined the dead loyalist hunched over the steering column. He searched inside the dead man's overcoat and found a knife. As Lanna approached him she heard two soft beeps. Odenkirk looked down at his left wrist in an awkward manner. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Lanna was right behind him. The look on his face suggested he didn't want her to notice.

    "Open the fuel tank and let the fuel evaporate." He commanded. Lanna finally rediscovered her voice box. 

    "What the fuck did you just do?"

    "We don't have time. The Langs will soon realize none of their men are reporting back to them. Open the fuel tank." 

    "Why don't we just steal the truck if we have to get away so quickly?"

    "The Langs track all of their personnel vehicles. Open the fuel tank. Now." Lanna looked at Odenkirk with skepticism, but obeyed nonetheless.

She grasped the fuel cap and twisted it off. Soon the hydrogen fuel vaporized and seeped into the air. She kept an eye on Odenkirk as he rummaged through the vehicle. He searched for food and water and placed what he found into a sack. He then stepped away to examine his left wrist. Lanna noticed he wore some kind of a thin, black gauntlet. On the wrist was a mysterious flat, black cylinder the size of a medallion. He examined it quickly and then turned the cylinder slightly counter clockwise. She looked away just as he looked up. Odenkirk then tossed her a canteen and ration.

    "Eat and drink while we walk." He said. Lanna noticed he grabbed all the weapons from the dead bodies.

    "Hang on. I give the orders around here, private."

    "I'm not a private in the Lunar Army."

    "You're dressed like one."

    "Well I'm not. We don't have time for this. Do as I say. Give me the knife. Let's go."

    "Not until you tell me what the fuck is going on." Odenkirk looked exceptionally irritated.

    "You see this." He held a radio. "This is that dead man's radio. All I have to do is call in our location and then warp out of here and you're left behind just as fucked as you were before I showed up. We don't have time for this and I can't tell you what's going on until we're far away from the Langs. Got it?" Lanna glared but reluctantly obeyed.

     They ventured deeper into The Tors. So far it seemed as though Odenkirk was leading her to the twin cities. Lanna hardly cared as she ate and drank. She gradually felt her strength return. 

     Odenkirk didn't speak much. He vigilantly checked their surroundings but refused to explain anything. Lanna became irritated by it.

     The white sun broke free of the clouds. The day turned humid as they reached the largest rock outcrops. Some provided much needed shade as their hike twisted and turned through the landscape. It was there that Lanna decided enough was enough. Her brother had been killed, her mission to save him failed, and she vacated her post with the Lunar Army again. If Odenkirk wanted to shoot her or leave her for dead for supposed insubordination then so be it, she decided. 

     She sat on the ground. Odenkirk stopped and looked at her from ahead.

     "What are you doing?"

     "I'm done. I'm not playing your stupid game anymore. Tell me where we're going, what we're doing, and how the fuck you appeared out of fucking thin air, or I'm not cooperating."