Port Casper

Chapter Four

Hours later, Grace arrived at the main highway outside Cloister Eleven. She wore a bandage around her head with a widening spot of blood on her left temple. She limped, favoring her knee, lugging her duffel as she crossed to the east side of the road. A sign pointed the way to destinations north.

An odd taste in her mouth drew her attention. Grace fiddled with her tongue and spat out most of a broken upper molar that had dangled carelessly from its socket for the last couple of hours. Should have been pulled when I was a kid, she thought.

Grace sat down at the sign. She listened to the wind in the grass. The sun was setting, clouds clumped around it like angry red steers. She looked up at the sign again. Port Casper was three hundred kilometers away. Her destination.

She turned to look at the road as she heard an engine whisper far in the distance. As it grew closer and louder, she recognized the wheeze of the motor and the squeak of the bed as her dad's ancient pickup jostled along the highway.

Soon the truck was close enough for Grace to hear the crunch of gravel. Two headlights appeared around a corner as the gray beast, dappled with rust, came to a slow stop.

The window protested as Dan Donner lowered it.

"Need any help, Gracie?" he said.

"No, Dad," she said, tossing the duffel into the bed. She ran around the truck and hopped aboard. The old leather seat felt hard and cool.

"We got about an hour, so why don't you lay back and rest?" he said. She caught his gaze on her bandage.

He's still looking after his little girl, she thought. Grace smiled and stretched out while her dad pressed down the accelerator and the truck lurched forward.

"What happened to your head, Gracie?"

She grinned, reaching into her suit and pulling out a single sheet of paper.

"I'll tell you, Dad—"

"Don't try to read that in the dark," he said, reaching forward and switching on the dome light. It hissed and flickered, but provided enough light for the document with the Red Fox Academy seal.

Grace read aloud:

FROM: CMDT. G. HUBER, RED FOX ACADEMY, CLOISTER 11

TO: CDT. DONNER, GRACE JEAN

CC: CLOISTER 11 COUNCIL, ALL MEMBERS

Ms. Donner. In accordance with Red Fox Academy Charter, you have been granted pre-waiver status as a result of successful completion of Weapons and Strategy Testing And Qualification Course [WSTQC] "C" [ref: "Mini Grinder Charlie"] and shall be afforded the opportunity to achieve a permanent waiver to operate as Protector upon successful completion of WSTQC Master [ref: "Meat Grinder"] within the boundaries of the compstate of Wyoming and any and all other states, provinces, or sovereignties that honor the Cloister Act certification of Protector.

Caveats of waiver include a testing proctor in good standing at Red Fox Academy. Daily duty status is inconsequential and shall not be refused. Those certifying must adhere to the rules set forth by a standard enrollment contract. Completion of the certification must take place before the time and date of official termination from program [ref: sundown, dated this day] (see document date above). Red Fox Academy is in no way responsible for injury or death due to the waiver recipient's willingness to enter the qualifying course.

Good luck, Donner. Don't come back.

Regards,

Commandant Gene Huber, Red Fox Academy