The day after your arrival sees the withdrawal of Mad Dog Michigan’s clan army from the vicinity of the Davis-Monthan air force base, stronghold of the Tucson colony. Scouts are sent to shadow the enemy and, later in the day, they return to report that the clansmen have pulled back to Nogales, a frontier town on the Mexican border. This hurried retreat reinforces the belief that Mad Dog perished when his speedster crashed into the Pantano Wash.
Boosted by the arrival of your convoy, the Tucson colony now numbers over 130 men, women, and children. Supplies of food and water are adequate and, with the arrival of DC1’s gasolene tanker, there is more than enough fuel to get you to California. Mike Gorgas, a former district attorney who is now the appointed leader of the Tucson colony, urges the other colony leaders to make preparations to leave the stronghold and head west without delay. The clan army may have suffered a setback but, sooner or later, prompted by a lack of supplies or a desire for revenge, they are sure to leave Nogales and attack the stronghold in force.
There is also the threat of an attack by the Outlaws, an exceptionally vicious clan that controls the city of Phoenix. Among their number are many criminals who have been expelled from California since ‘The Day’. Their leader, Shiloh, is one such outcast. He has been exiled into the Omega Zone (the name Californians have given to the ravaged territories east of their state line), for murder, looting, and other, lesser, crimes he and his gang perpetrated in Los Angeles. During the past few months he has often crossed swords with the Tucson colony, resulting in deaths on both sides.
When the time comes to plan the route to California, the colony agrees that they should try at all costs to avoid contact with Shiloh’s clan. Interstate 10 is the only highway out of Tucson capable of carrying the convoy at reasonable speed, yet it passes straight through the centre of Phoenix. The only alternative is to follow this highway as far as Arizona City and then switch to Interstate 8. The colony could then follow the freeway across southern Arizona to Yuma, traverse the Colorado River at this point, and continue, through the desert and mountains of southern California, until finally reaching its goal—the city of San Diego.
Much of the territory south of Phoenix is patrolled and controlled by the Outlaws. To avoid the risk of running headlong into a clan patrol, the colony appoints you and three others as scouts. Whilst the colonists complete their final preparations to leave the stronghold, you and the other scouts set off along Interstate 10 to check that the road ahead is clear.