The Last Mission of the Living (The Last Bastion #2)(47)

Glancing toward the screen where the SWD deployment roster glowed, Lindsey sighed. “It’s not a day for good news.”

“You’ve been in here for hours. You’ve got enough to counter the SWD. Take a rest, Rooney. Go get a drink.”

“I’ll probably do that as soon as I finish doing something.”

“Make sure you do. Now let me out of this damn claustrophobic room.”

Lindsey rapidly unlocked the door and watched the commanding officer depart. Once the door was shut and locked, she returned her gaze to the SWD roster. The names of those selected to track down Dwayne and Maria glowed ominously.

Master Seeker MacDonald sat at the top of the list.

Reconnecting to the grid, Lindsey hacked into The Bastion security files and searched for Torran’s wristlet identifier.





Chapter 13


The illegal pub was swarming with off duty SWD personnel and civilians. It was near the SWD Facility and Torran liked to grab a drink after a rough day. Still clad in his uniform, he felt the eyes of the junior officers and enlisted people on him, but he didn’t really mind. It had been a rough afternoon. He’d spent most of it getting acquainted with the faces, names, and profiles of his newly acquired squad. Though he didn’t want to admit it, he wasn’t looking forward to meeting them.

Staring at the pale gold liquid in his glass, he wished it was tequila, but he had no regrets with how his bottle had met its demise. It had been a great night.

The long bar was made of old shipping containers and the lights strung along the pipes gave the basement pub a very post-apocalyptic vibe. Considering they were living in a post-apocalyptic world, he supposed it was perfect. He did miss the old pub in the Scottish Borough that actually resembled a pub from Scotland. Rumor was it had been moved brick by brick from Aberdeen.

The old stool beside him creaked and he glanced over to see Lindsey settling onto it. Her bun had slipped off the top of her head and was a jumble at the nap of her neck. Her bangs and wisps of hair framed her tense face. Still clad in her Constabulary uniform, she was drawing some downright hostile looks from the SWD security forces.

“Are you stalking me?” Torran asked.

“Yep.” Lindsey took the glass from his hand, drank the remains of the liquid, flinched, then signaled the bartender for two more. “I hacked into the city security grid and found your wristlet identifier. Then I made a program in my wristlet to track you. And as soon as I was off duty, I followed it here. So, yes, I’m stalking you.”

Staring at her, Torran wasn’t sure whether he was flattered or a little afraid. Maybe he was both. “Why stalking?”

The big hazel eyes he adored so much filled with tears. “I need a friend.”

“I’m your friend,” Torran assured her while setting an elbow on the counter and claiming his drink.

Lindsey pushed some credits to the bartender, and the slim woman, with a shaved head and wearing a wisp of a black dress, claimed them without a word. Even the SWD prejudice affected their favorite bartender.

“For that amount, get her two drinks,” Torran said to the bartender.

The woman scowled but poured another.

Torran set it next to Lindsey’s other drink. “Bad day at the office?”

Lindsey made a noise that was halfway between a snort and a laugh. “Putting it lightly.”

“Can you talk about it?”

Shaking her head, Lindsey picked up the drink and took a quick sip. She flinched at the taste, but took another. “It’s just... complicated.”

“Like life,” Torran offered.

“Yeah. What about your day?”

“New squad assignment. Spent the whole day looking at very young faces. I meet them tomorrow. Fresh out of training. New recruits dying to get out there and kill Scrags.”

Lindsey was silent for a long moment, then finally said, “Hopefully there aren’t any more out in the valley.”

Torran nodded and gulped down his drink. He still had a slight hangover, but didn’t mind flirting with another. “I hope for the same. Did you see those crazy walls they’re erecting around the cleared areas?”

“I missed that. Was that on today’s news feed?”

“Yeah. Kinda like those damn walls they tried to put up during the doomed final push. The mesh ones. By the time they get done, the valley will look like a maze with all those sections.”

“Just like the Bastion.”

“Except the walls will be around farms, ranches, the mines...”

“But more walls.”

“I’m kinda sick of walls,” Torran decided.

“Though I suppose it’s better than the outside world, huh?” Lindsey almost sounded wistful, yet also afraid.

The vid screen in the corners of the bar continued to display the latest developments and Torran was sick of watching the same looping information. To his relief, the music filtering through the old speakers strung up in the corners of the narrow bar overwhelmed the voices of the news anchors.

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about your day?” Torran asked. It was clear that something was weighing heavily on her. He could almost see the computer in the back of her mind whirring away despite the emotional turmoil in her eyes.

“Torran, even if I could talk about it...” She licked her lips and steadied herself against the bar. “… I couldn’t tell you. I don’t even know if I could put into words what I feel.”