Quip filled Alec in on his version of events from leaving him until the dancing ceremony Alec had walked into. It seemed as though the Teretha had a legend surrounding a "child of the wind," the legendary warrior, and the metal beast with a thousand minds. Quip went on like a teenager after their first date, going over every minute detail with wonder and excitement. Alec felt a weight on him that he had never been able to give Quip this level of connection, but he was glad the vehicle had experienced it here, in a place it would not be wiped to zero. Alec busied himself around the cabin gathering his ancient tools, some for him, some for others.

  From the back locker, he took four weapons and added a fifth from a place beneath the floor. The four were comprised of two pistols and two larger-sized auto-firing types. The one Pistol, a replica of his revolver, he tucked into a second holster and belted it to his left hip. The other Pistol was the rectangular slug weapons that any militia would carry. Alec had taken good care of it, though, and it fired true and never jammed. He set it aside to gift to another. He added the two autofiring weapons, both on shoulder straps with large-capacity magazines. The slugs he chose for these were armour-piercing, rare outside the military contractor market. Others would use these as well.

  The final rifle he had kept in a secret place was also for Alec. It was a polished wooden stock with a long barrel that made the firearm stand to Alecs' shoulder. This rifle was modified for Alec specifically; it did not take ammunition but instead housed two small needles protruding from the stock near the trigger. These moved slowly, painfully slowly, to avoid triggering his impact suit and entered the veins just below his Aamaranth injector. The weapon drew its raw energy from that, and the force that was fired ended in a glorious explosion. It depleted Alec very quickly. He walked over to the smuggling bay and grabbed the five vials of pure Aamaranth. He loaded these onto a bandolier that wrapped his upper arm. Finally, he drew a short, fibrasteel axe; it was the kind that was used as a multitool for repairing almost anything. It had a hammered back end, a sharpened blade, and tines on top. Alec had made it perfectly balanced and had become quite adept at throwing it. This he tucked in its spot in the small of his back.

  The changeling machine beeped and steamed, and he walked over to it. He pulled out an outfit and whistled. "Quip, you've outdone yourself this time."

  "You said I was free to design as I would. The freedom was appreciated, Alec. I wanted to honour it." Quip had earned a right to be proud. He was right, Alec had not given him any boundaries on this design, in the same way he had not reactivated the dampener that kept Quips' wild side at bay. It had earned that level of respect in Alec's mind.

  "It's perfect." Alec pulled out a dark grey long jacket. Made of the kind of leather Alec knew from Earth Prime all those years past. The shoulders and elbows were armoured with fibrasteel protection. The pants and button-down shirt matched in a similar grey, and when he moved, both turned a soft purple colour that allowed him to blend into the shadows of this Aamaranth world. Alec donned the hat and boots that never changed.

  "Alec, you have left something behind." Quip's voice was prodding him to look further into the relocator's bin. A black belt with a large golden buckle was set inside. It had loops around it for extra Amaranth; the final vials Alec had would fit there.

  "If this is going to work, you're going to use it all, Alec. I must tell you I do not savour being piloted by someone other than you."

  Alec was placing his remaining Aamaranth vials into his belt. "I know Quip, but if this is going to work, I need to be in two places at once. Don't think of it as Maywil piloting you but rather you're protecting her."

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  "Something tells me she does not need protecting."

  "Where you are going, you all need each other. Keep that in mind, Quip. I know you don't understand us, and I'm not quite sure if you like us. But if it comes down to it, you'll need us at some point to."

  "I do not need you, Alec. I choose this."

  Alec felt there was a power in Quip's response. It was right that the path was chosen; it had a purpose far beyond one controlled by the flow of Aamaranth. Alec didn't care if he burned through everything on his shoulder and belt. He has chosen this as well. He opened the door, excited. The preacher had already left to activate the sewing circle and the servants. The others were all there, still awaiting Alec's next words with anticipation.

  "We chose this, now let's finish it." Alec was not the one for flowery speeches. He should have let Tusong take the lead. Instead, he walked up and handed one of the fully automatic rifles to Tusong and one to Maywil. The final slug pistol he tried to hand to the dream singer, he refused it. Dreamsingers did not fight with weapons, Alec realized. He looked up to the Grounder boy and placed it in his hand. The boy marvelled at the weapon and held it with reverence. "It's for emergencies," Alec recommended and then nodded. "Are your people ready, Tusong?"

  "They are," Tusong was checking the mechanics of his firearm with deft hands. They stand prepared near the wall. When we begin, Doc is ready to migrate all but the warriors away from the fight."

  "The boy and I will organize them for return, and the preacher is gathering those who would challenge the baron from within the town, Sinclair, in their church." The dream singer now chimed in, and the Grounder stepped up with pride.

  "And I will lead my warriors to leave the stains of war upon the soil. We will stick the baron pig and watch him bleed." Maywill was standing proudly, pointing over her shoulder to where a small group of fifty stood nearby. Some of them would ride in Quip, and others on the hover-lift the tribe had. The rest would flood the town from the tunnel in Doc's house.

  "Then I do what I do best, and we make way for Tusong to deal with the baron himself." Alec looked to each. He could tell by the looks on their faces that they had resigned to die or succeed. Alec would honour their conviction with his ability to act. If everything went according to plan, he may even survive this, but even if he didn't, he'd be damned if the rest didn't. Alec looked to the entrance of the tunnel to see if night had settled in. As Tusong promised, the lunar eclipse had left the desert planet pitch black. The shadows almost reached out to envelop the guards farthest from the light of the fires.

  "Let's go then, Tusong, take the warriors to the tunnel and signal Doc. Maywill, let's go. We can spit ways on the rise before town. Did you get what I asked?"

  Maywil nodded and pointed near the back of the cave. One of the townsfolk's personal vehicles, designed to look like an animal machine, lay there. Alec did not prefer it to quip, but it would allow him to get close to the main gate without the glaring giveaway of Quip's form. Maywil climbed atop Quip, and others filled the cockpit and living quarters. The ones that would not fit climbed atop it. Quip rolled off into the night, and Alec rode in tandem beside it.

  Alec adjusted his vision sensors and easily made out the landscape despite the darkness. Quip used its sensors to avoid stumbling, but atop and within Maywil's warriors drifted in darkness. Alec topped a rise and saw the lights of the Town Sinclair. Quip with Maywil split to the left and continued to the side of town that was opposite Docs. Alec hoped their distraction would be effective without costing lives. Alec didn't believe the latter would be the case. He waved to Maywil in salute; she did not see, but it was more for Alec. He hoped he would see them all again.

  He fired the bike to max and switched the vial that Teretha had given him for an unrefined pure one. He saved the one that the preacher had brought, despite the small amount. Every drop mattered at this stage. The rush of pure Aamaranth slowed time naturally for Alec; he felt purely unstoppable. He was about to take on an entire garrison of guards, mecha-soldiers and an apocalypse crew. He was one person, but they called him immortal. He was about to test that in a way he never had before.