
By:  Gregory Hampton

Crouching in the brush not too far from the Prison, was a man who is
kinda hard to describe.  What skin is visible looks like gnarled leather,
burned by the sun and wind, not to mention the pockets of radiation
still left in the wastelands.   His clothes looked kinda ragged, yet
his weapons and armor looked like they were brand new.  He removed his
hat long enough to run his hand across his short, cropped hair, and looked
on at the scene which was unfolding before him.  He has been here for
the last hour, watching, waiting, learning.

He was watching a warrior.   A female warrior.  By the Gods, she was
beautiful.  And she was just sitting there.  He saw her walking around,
outside the prison, in the rad mounds, and then she just sit.  From the
way she was walking, he knew she was injured, although just how badly,
he had no idea.

Just as he decided to go and gallantly offer his aid and assistance, he
saw someone sneaking towards her from the swamps.  He pulled out his
Z-tempest and drew a bead on the stranger, and noticed the Warrior was no
longer in sight.  He held his fire, curious.  He noticed the stranger
go completely rigid, and heard some voices.  After a while the stranger
got up and walked toward the warrior's camp, the Warrior right behind
him.

Then he got to looking a little closer.  There was something about the
stranger which struck him as familiar.  Then he grinned.  Of course!
Hawk!  He looked towards the female again, and guessed it must be Suprax!
He started over to their camp.  As he got closer, he started to hear them
a little better.

HA> .... were sending Lynx into the Prison Zone.  I knew I'd find you
HA> waiting outside to see that Krackpot and Lynx came out alive.  Thought I
HA> would keep you company.  Hey, You got an extra ration or two?

He heard Suprax saying,"You're always hungry.. like you got Hydrocism or
something!" while she snickered.

He said,"Nah, It'd hafta be something, cuz what Hawk got cain't be cured!"

Hawk and Suprax broke to separate sides of the camp, leveling their weapons,
but the stranger was already kneeling by the fire, helping himself to some
rations, and said, "Besides, Hawk still needs a haircut" grinning around
the spoon.

"Short Hair Hippie!  You STILL ain't got any sense" said Hawk, putting
away his Herculean.

SHH> "Nah.  Don't make sense to have any sense.  Dint you know that?"

SUP> "You still coulda got yourself killed, waltzing in here like that!"

SHH> "Huh-uh.  You two are too used to stuff like this, you ain't gonna
      pull the trigger, unless you can see a target.  By the way, this
      stuff's pretty good."

Short Hair Hippie finished off the pot of rations.  Hawk said, "Those
were for ME!"

SHH> "Don't go getting balistic!  I got a few on me.  And a couple of
med's for you, my Lady.," he said, pulling out 4 packets, tossing 2 to
Hawk and 2 to Suprax.  "Happy Birthday."

Suprax said, "Thanks.  But who's birthday is it?  It sure isn't ours."

Short Hair Hippie replied, while cleaning his Tevix, "I dunno.  But it
must be somebody's."  Turning to Hawk, he said "Want some more?"


the saga continues........

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