“So, this Karla and her father are tracking our every move?” Natalie asked. “Do you trust them?”
“Well, I’ve made it this far by trusting them.” I shrugged. “And even if I didn’t… they’re paying me a lot of money to do this.”
Natalie didn’t seem to understand.
“Explain,” she demanded. “My parents tried to explain this concept of ‘money’ to me when I was younger, but I never quite understood.”
“Uh, well… ” I racked my brain as I tried to think of a good analogy. “Let’s say somebody has a patch you really want for your jacket, but the other person doesn’t want to just give it away for nothing. Now, normally you could just trade for it, provided you have something she wants. But what if you don’t?”
“Then I kick the shit out of her and take it anyway,” Natalie suggested.
“No, no,” I sighed. “In my world, that’d get you thrown into prison. Instead of your transaction coming to a total standstill, you’d both have something universally valuable. In my world, that’s called ‘money.’ It’s a thing anyone can use to trade for anything they could possibly want, and its value is accepted as the same by everyone.”
“If it’s value is the same to everyone, doesn’t that make it worthless?” Natalie still wasn’t getting it.
“Dang.” I whistled. “You’d make a great anarchist. I guess you’re right… But in my dimension, this universally accepted currency is demanded to pay all of your bills. You know, payment to keep a roof over your head and to buy food and to keep the electricity going.”
“I’m still confused,” the blonde woman sighed. “Why don’t you just do all of that stuff yourself? Can’t you hunt your own food and build your own dwellings? It’s what we do.”
“Not if you want a ‘good’ one,” I explained. “Most of us humans back on Dimension One don’t have the skills to build our own house or hunt our own food. That’s why we pay other people to do it for us.”
“Sounds like your world is full of soft pansies,” Natalie chuckled. “I’ll take a Scavenger over any of those lot.”
“It’s a different world, that’s for sure.” I shrugged. “Anyways, that’s the main reason I’m doing this. Because the Nashes are going to pay me way more money than I could possibly make on my own.”
“I briefly remember my parents explaining that, in the previous world, you performed tasks for this money?” Natalie asked as she continued to try and understand. “Is that what you’re doing for Mister and Missus Nash?”
“Miss Nash,” I corrected. “And yeah, that’s what I’m doing. Normally, though, I’m a Pest Control Technician.”
“So, what?” the blonde woman pondered aloud. “You tried to control pests like wild dogs and Atomooses?”
“Not quite,” I chuckled. “Think smaller. Like… cockroaches, beetles, mice, and rats.”
“Those are hardly what I’d call ‘pests,’” Natalie snorted. “Those are just an everyday part of life around here. Now, the wild dogs? Those things will completely fuck up your day if they think your camp has food.”
“In our world, dogs are pets,” I explained, “but nobody likes when bugs or stray rodents get into your dwelling.”
“Wow… ” Natalie shook her head. “The people of your dimension sound spoiled beyond belief.”
“We are,” I agreed. “Especially when I come to a place like this and see just how bad it can be.”
“So, tell me, Hunter,” the blonde woman continued. “Is money your only motivator on this mission?”
Yikes. She really was trying to put me on the spot here.
“It was,” I admitted as I glanced out the window and watched the coastline cruise by. “‘Was’ being the keyword there. Now that I’ve been here and have met you and the Scavengers? Well… as sappy as it sounds, I kinda want to see you guys rebuild humanity. I mean, come on. William as a political leader? How could anyone say no to that?”
“Like I said.” Natalie rolled her eyes. “Your people are sappy beyond belief.”
“Hey, you tagged along for the ride,” I reminded her. “You must feel the same way.”
“It’s different for me,” she argued with a sly smile. “These are my people, so I’m allowed to feel sentimental about them. But you’re right… The thought of William as a politician is motivation enough to keep me going. He’d be terrible at it.”
“So terrible,” I snickered.
The grin suddenly faded from Natalie’s face, and her eyes were filled with sadness.
“If they even take me back after this,” the blonde woman groaned. “Causing mischief and general noncompliance is one thing. But stealing the group’s only working land vehicle, after defying a direct order from our leader? I’m not sure that’s something you can come back from… if I even want to go back. Marcus is going to be beyond pissed.”
“Speaking of tall, dark, and punky,” I began, “why were those guards so afraid when we started telling them Marcus would be angry? Is he really so ruthless?”
“I don’t know if ‘ruthless’ is the right term,” Natalie explained. “I think maybe ‘principled’ or ‘stubborn,’ maybe? Marcus won’t necessarily torture or maim, especially when it’s one of his own. But he doesn’t hesitate to punish anybody he feels crosses the line, even if it’s for just reasons. I’ve seen Scavengers exiled for much less than what I just did back there.”
“That’s what scared those guys?” I mused. “They’re afraid of a slap on the wrist and being sent away like a misbehaving toddler.”
“I don’t think you understand our way of life, Hunter,” Natalie mumbled. “Nor would I expect you to. The Scavengers are a big family. It’s not just a simple ‘slap on the wrist’ to be sent away… It’s the equivalent of being disowned by your parents and stripped of all your honor. Not to mention, people tend to not survive very long out here when they’re on their own. There’s way too many things that want to kill you.”
Wow. Natalie really was risking it all. Even if she pretended to be a skeptic, she must have believed in Dr. Nash’s plan. Either that, or she was truly desperate for anything that could potentially change her way of living.
“Do you think that’s what will happen to you?” I questioned as I shifted to look at the blonde more fully. “Even if we somehow pull this off?”
Natalie pursed her lips together, and I saw the very corner of her eye twitch as she tried to hold back her tears.
“I’m afraid it won’t matter,” she sighed. “Even if this works, even if we somehow kill all the Rubberfaces and save the human race… I’m not sure Marcus will let me come back. I still betrayed him and put the entire group at risk by taking their vehicle. He certainly won’t just let that slide.”
“All the more reason to come back with me, then,” I offered with a smile. “Anyone would be a fool to not want you in their lives.”
A faint blush crept up Natalie’s cheeks, and I realized I probably could have worded that better. Then the Scavenger forced herself into a scowl and stared off into the distance through the windshield.
“We need to focus on the mission at hand,” she said. “Our odds of success are not great, and our odds of survival are even lower. If we somehow come out the other side of this unscathed, then we can worry about all that stuff.”
Even though she was trying to play it cool, I could tell Natalie was worried.
I couldn’t say I blamed her. She didn’t seem to want to come with me, and her chances of being exiled from the Scavengers were ridiculously high.
To her, this was a suicide mission, all for the greater good.
And it was my job to make sure it didn’t turn out that way.
“Let’s go over the plan one more time,” I said. “We follow the coastline until we get to the Forest of Fallout, and then we go by foot from there?”