It is an hour after dawn when the fortified gates of the Davis-Monthan base are unlocked and dragged open. With a reassuring smile, you bid farewell to Kate, and then accelerate the roadster out of the base along the pot-holed asphalt of a service road that leads to Interstate 10. Beside you sits Gary Rickenbacker, an ex-flying circus stunt pilot from Midland, Texas. He is one of the Big Spring colonists who joined up with DC1 when your convoy reached that town, the first of the few civilized strongholds you have visited on your journey west. In your driving mirror you see Macy and Langdon, both from Tucson. They are the other half of your scouting party. They drive a supercharged Trans-sol that is sheathed in grey armour-plate, a custom modification that has saved their skins on more than one occasion.
You hit the freeway doing sixty-five and follow the blistered road signs pointing north to Casa Grande. Thirty minutes later you pass through the fire-blackened ruins of Rillito and Marana, two towns the Outlaws torched last month to show the Tucson colony what Shiloh had in store for them.
Ten miles slip by before you reach the next town—Red Rock. There you see something unusual, which makes you ease your foot off the gas and bring your roadster gliding gently to a halt. Macy and Langdon pull up behind you, leap out of their car, and run forward to find out what is wrong.
‘Check out the wreck over there on the road,’ you say, pointing to a car parked outside a derelict drugstore. ‘What d’you think?’
‘That sure weren’t there the last time I drove through this place,’ answers Macy, squinting at the distant vehicle. ‘An’ that was jus’ the day before yesterday.’
‘If there’s Outlaws in that town, we’re gonna have to flush ’em out. If they get word back to Shiloh about the convoy, we’ll have his entire gang come down on us like a ton o’ bricks,’ says Langdon, as he unbuckles the holster-flap covering his pistol.
You agree with him and propose a plan. Two of you will enter the town and search the buildings in the area near where the car is parked. They will flush out any Outlaws that may be hiding there. Meanwhile, the other two will skirt around the town and wait on the far side at the freeway exit. If the Outlaws attempt a getaway, they will prevent their escape.
The others agree to your plan and quickly get ready to enter the town.
If you wish to enter the town and search the buildings, turn to 144.
If you choose to skirt around the town and take up a position on the freeway exit, turn to 309.