FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The next day, David sat outside waiting for Liz, taking a final look at the valley below as the updraft scattered folds in his trenchcoat. Beneath the undulating flaps of leather, a heavy looking breastplate could be seen now strapped to his barreled chest and abdomen. His boots were kicked up on an old wooden crate while his hands rested behind his head, a long and rectangular gun of a sleek white finish learning against his chair. A stream of purple, ultraviolet light ran down the center of it's barrel, and his relatively crude handgun from yesterday had been replaced by a pair of more high tech ones. Their smooth black steel was capped at the end with vibrant colors, one red, and the other blue, while their grips were of matching colors. They had an elongate, yet thick and powerful design. As he sat there reclined, trying to enjoy his last few moments of peace, he heard soft footsteps behind him and turned back to see Liz approaching, her red keeled scales lighting up from the overhead sun. Strapped around her brown duster coat was her weapon of choice, an orange and white striped rifle with nodules erected out of the barrel. One of the various perks associated with scouring the wastes for valuables: you got to pick up some quality bonus gear along the way.

“Hey sleepy head,” she greeted mockingly, “is your lazy ass almost done smelling the roses? We got work to attend to.”

“Don’t get your rattle twisted Liz, I just got sick of waiting for you to finish up whatever it is that was taking you so long.” He responded, getting up and stretching his back.

Her aforementioned asset started to shake and clack behind her, highlighting the agitation building in her features.

“Some of us here actually care about hygiene, David. Forgive me for not wanting to stink up the Pan."

"Apology accepted." He said sarcastically.

Rolling her eyes, Liz just turned and started walking off towards the front of the house; after chuckling to himself, David followed suit.

"In all seriousness," he began, jogging to catch up, "is the automated defense system primed? Don’t want anything stolen while we’re away."

“Yeah, it’s good. What about you, you sure you’ve got everything? I don’t want to be making another turnaround this time.”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

The two rounded the corner of the building to come face to face with the vehicle they would be travelling in. The Peter Pan, so aptly named because of it’s once bright green paint job and aptitude for moving off the ground, was a hover R.V. from before the fall. Despite its advanced propulsion system, it had a 50’s style and build that were now barely visible behind the extensive system of armored plating that had been bolted onto it by David and Liz. Angled razor wire was installed onto the perimeter of the roof, and the windows themselves were covered in thick hatches that were only able to be opened from the inside. The grisly exterior of the vehicle was a reminder in of itself how deadly the outside world really was. While it may have looked rough on the outside though, it was both of their pride and joy. They had spent a massive amount of time and effort over the years rebuilding and maintaining the Pan, which was no easy feat in a world so broken as theirs. There was no time to be wasted in admiring it however, David already spent considerable portions of his days doing that already.

Liz grabbed a key attached to a chain necklace and promptly unlocked the heavy door, the thick slab giving a groan of protest as it was pulled open. The two climbed up a short set of stairs into the comparatively comforting interior, having all the necessities of home crammed into the tight space. After closing the door behind them, Liz went to the drivers seat to start the engines while David opened up a floor to ceiling cabinet and hooked his rifle to a rack inside. Once that was done, he flipped a switch and watched as the overhead lights came on around him. Seeing how most all of the windows were blocked off with titanium, it was necessary to have some form of artificial lighting on the inside.

“You ready?” Liz’s voice called from the front.

“Yeah, go ahead and kick it off.”

A second later, there was a sudden lurch, then a few moments of slight tilting, before the Pan evened out as it picked itself off the ground. Outside, the landing gear folded up into the underbelly as the projector engines kept it steady in the air, a few feet off the grass below. David stopped what he was doing and went up to where Liz was sitting, leaning against the passenger chair as she adjusted a few things.

"So, you've got the route for today memorized?" He asked cautiously.

"More or less." She replied unsure, wobbling her hand.

"You're joking. Right?"

"What the… of course I'm joking! Do you think I'm an idiot or something?"

"No, I was just… making sure is all."

"Pfft, whatever." Liz said dismissively, flipping a switch.

As she did, the slatted barriers covering the windshield slid into some out of sight compartment, giving them a full view of the road ahead.

"You might want to find a seat," she suggested, "we're going."

With another lurch, the Pan indeed started moving forward, propelling itself along the earth as David plopped down in the passenger seat.

"Where'd you put the briefcase?" Liz asked while looking ahead.

"It's in the safe under your bed."

"It was actually able to fit in there?"

"Just barely." He grunted.

"Well that's good."

The pair fell into relative silence after their brief conversation, the only sound dominating for a good length being the tapping of the wind on the Pan. Liz drove slowly along the windy and twisted paths carved into the mountains, many of them being far too narrow to accompany vehicles regularly. If they had one that drove on wheels, the trip would have been far more tedious than it already was. Still, it was without argument much preferable to going it on foot, as the two had once done in their earlier days; when the world was still so big and unknown. After a few hours of navigating the treacherous paths parallel to cliff edges and steep inclines, the Pan found itself rumbling along the side of a river in a narrow gorge. As the time passed by, David and Liz made casual and off handed conversations, while other times they simply stared at the trails ahead. Eventually, late into the day, the landscape started to gradually flatten out from the hilly and mountainous terrain that they were so used to. The further Liz drove the Pan, the more the foliage started to die out as well. Over the horizon, the sun had started to dip below their line of sight, which was growing increasingly bare, casting the land in a shade of glaring orange and deep shadows.

The forest was now gone, replaced by plains of stunted trunks bare of leaves, with the only green coming from the waist high ferns sprouting from the ground. Behind them, shrouded by layers of haze, the outlines of the mountains could be seen, painted purple in the fading light. A narrow dirt path was all that Liz followed at this point, and David was keeping a keen lookout all around.

“Hey Liz? I think we should be stopping soon, we don’t need to be travelling at night.” He suggested.

“Yeah, I’m with you. Let’s just get to the water tower first, that way we won’t be sticking out in the open as much.”

“Okay, just make it quick.”

It took about another half hour of gliding across the flat landscape for them to come upon their destination, the large shape a dark outline against the cool blue of dusk. By now David was actively on lookout, sporadically going around the RV and lifting up the armored plates to peer outside. Despite the growing darkness, Liz had not turned on the headlights, afraid it might attract unwanted attention. The aforementioned water tower that they had come upon, was not so much a tower anymore; its stilted platform had long since eroded into nothing, and the rusty tank was sunk halfway into the ground. Still, it was large enough to conceal a majority of the Pan for the night. Positioning the RV next to the downed tower, Liz popped the landing gear and carefully turned the engine and suspenders off. Slowly, the Pan descended, the hydraulics groaning a bit as it's metal feet touched the ground once more. Once it had stabilized, Liz locked a few mechanisms in place before standing up and stretching.

"By the stars that feels good." She said, a pop and crack coming from her spine.

"Forgetting something?" David asked rhetorically, learning over and flipping a switch.

As he did, the armored slats meant to cover the windshield slid down into place.

"Oh come on, I was just about to do that." She complained.

"Sure you were."

"Well I was, you're just antsy as always out here."

"If being antsy keeps us safe, then I'm more than okay with it. Speaking of which, I’m going to step outside and check for signs of activity.”

“Knock yourself out David. Just don’t stay out there too long.”

“Now who’s being antsy?” he smirked.

“There’s a difference between being paranoid and having common sense,” she huffed, “just hurry up.”

Rolling his eyes, David undid the locks on the door and headed out, but not before patting his hips to make sure his guns were still there. Stepping outside, he was greeted with the sounds of crickets chirping and the gentle rush of air from the breeze. The horizon seemed to be split in two, between the almost pitch black of the earth and the soft blue light of the darkening sky. Pulling a small flashlight from inside his coat, David flicked on the beam of illumination and inspected the area. He was looking for footprints or markings of any sort that would indicate someone or something had been in the area; they had both learned the hard way that setting up for the night only a few meters away from a gang’s patrol route was not a good idea. Shaking the experience from his mind, he creeped around the edge of the large water tank they were parked next to, shining his light to and fro across the grassy earth. Satisfied that there was nothing out of the ordinary, he pocketed his flashlight and started to go back to the Pan. Just as he did though, he thought he saw something move against the horizon out of the corner of his eye. He twirled to look, but there was nothing; at least, nothing at that very moment. David crouched down low and looked in the general direction in which the movement came from, waiting to see if something else would happen. His ears craned for even the slightest hint of footsteps, but all that met them were the sounds of nature and his own breathing. There was nothing, just the rustling of ferns and the stillness of trunks jetting into the pale blue. Still he waited, waited for any hint of danger that he could sense. Nothing. Behind him, the door to the Pan creaked open, and Liz’s voice called out in a whisper.

"David?” she asked, not seeing him at first.

“Right here.” He answered, raising an arm.

“What the hell are you doing?” she questioned, her voice rising in volume a tad.

“I thought I saw something, but it looks like it was nothing.”

“Well then get your ass back in here!” Liz hissed, slitted eyes narrowing.

Grunting reluctantly, David cautiously rose and shuffled back into the Pan, casting one last look behind him. Shaking his head, he closed and locked the door as Liz stalked back into the common area. Since she was trying to minimize the amount of light that leaked out from whatever gaps there were in the windows, Liz had only turned on a lamp or two, making it almost as dark inside the RV as it was outside of it. On the stove, a pale blue flame flared under a small pot filled with what was surely some sludge from a can, causing it to sizzle and pop from the heat.

“I’ve heated up some food while you were out there losing your mind.” Liz said after a minute, eyeing him.

“You’re the one losing their mind if you think that qualifies as food.” David retorted, arching an eyebrow as the smell wafted over his way.

“Well it's either this or…” Liz paused, acting like she was deep in thought, “...nothing.” she concluded, shrugging her shoulders.

“Nothing would be preferable, if I could subsist off of it. That not being the case however, I guess I can settle.”

“Wow, way to take one for the team.” She allowed herself to grin sarcastically, slow clapping all the while.

David raised his hands in mock praise, chuckling as he grabbed a plate from a cabinet.

***

Later on that night, David was sat at the table cleaning one of his guns when Liz approached in her night clothes, her red heeled scales casting each other in heavy shadows from the dim light of the overhead lamp.

"Hey David, I'm heading off to bed. Can you make sure everything's secure before you turn in?"

"Yeah, sure." He said, not looking up from his work, "Why so early though?"

"Because I've got to drive the whole damn day tomorrow, and I don't want to fall asleep at the wheel." Liz chided, hands on her hips.

"What, you don't trust me to take over if such a thing happens?"

"You? Drive?" She asked incredulously, "Never in a million years! You aren't delicate enough to handle such a fragile machine as the Pan. You'd probably snap the steering column."

"The Pan is just about anything but delicate." David said, waving a metal tool for emphasis.

"Yeah, and it's still too delicate for you." Liz frowned, turning back and flicking her tail. “Anyways, don’t forget to check the locks.”

David looked up at her retreating form, before it disappeared behind the door to the bedroom at the back. Sighing and turning back to his work, David spent a while longer cleaning up the complex machinery of the blue and black handgun before reassembling it and turning it over for any faults. Finding none, he holstered it and put the cleaning kit away, afterwards going to all the windows and making sure they were shut tight. As he did so on one of the side windows, he paused, remembering what had happened earlier that evening. He opened the metal shutter a smidge and peered outside, seeing nothing but the myriad of stars in the enveloping night. His eyes narrowed, not trusting that which he couldn't see. Even now, inside the Pan, he didn’t feel entirely safe, he never really did out beyond the walls of their home. His brow furrowing, he shut the barrier and locked it in place. With that done, David shook off his coat and hung it inside a cabinet, before undoing his breastplate and hanging that up as well. His gun belt was next, but he kept his blue pistol, which he had aptly named Jet, with him just in case. The red one, Sprite, went onto a shelf above the gun rack where he kept his rifle, among other weapons. Finally, he kicked off his boots, not giving a care as to where they landed. Liz would probably get on him about that in the morning; whatever. Then, taking a last glance around the interior of the Pan, he shut off the lights and flopped down on the couch, stuffing Jet underneath the pillow. He lay there, the sounds of Liz from the bedroom being the only thing that broke the smothering silence. It took him a while to fall asleep like that, twisting and turning uncomfortably, always keeping an ear out for something awry. Eventually though, the fuzziness of sleep took root in his head, and his consciousness faded like a flickering candle.

***

The next day, after their quick morning routine, Liz started the engines and took off into the air again. Dust kicked up behind the projectors of the Pan as it rose into the air, which soon blanketed their resting place in a cloud of haze, shot full of rays from the rising sun.

"Ready for day two?" She asked, glancing over at David.

"I'm already out here, isn't like I have a choice." He answered groggily, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he collapsed into his chair.

"That's the spirit!" She fake cheered, tri-clawed hand pushing a lever forward.

With that, the Pan started down the trail once more, leaving the half buried water tank shrinking behind them.

"Speaking of spirit, you know what would be great?" David asked, scratching his chin after a minute of silence.

"What?"

"Some bourbon. I had a glass of that shit once, before I met you. Greatest thing ever."

"What the hell is bourbon?" Liz asked confused, "Don't tell me it's some type of alcohol."

"And what if it is?"

"Stars above, is that all you ever think about? It's seven A.M. for crying out loud."

"Look, I'm a man of simple tastes. All I need to be happy is my guns, and something to drink. When we get this stupid 'Nighthawk' for Mr. Zoot Suit's boss, that's what I'm going to be spending the debtas on: some good old pre-fall bourbon."

"I think you need a higher standard of aspirations." Liz sighed, one hand on the wheel.

"Like what? Rocketing off into the sunset with your space pals?" He mocked.

"No…" Liz stated, clearly irked, "unfortunately, that's not something one can simply buy. Otherwise I'd be long gone by now."

"Heh, wouldn't we all?"

"Whatever."

Throughout the rest of the morning and afternoon, made awkwardly silent by the twos jabs at each other, the landscape around them remained very much the same. Every now and then they'd pass a pre-fall car that had been stripped of every resource, or other times a rotting house, but other than that there was very little in the way of variety. David often forgot just how… empty it was out here. His thoughts of the wastes were so tied to particularly violent instances that no room was left for the general boredom expeditions could bring. Sure there were ones that were almost constant firefights or running, but there were likewise an equal amount where nothing 'exciting' happened at all. As he thought about it, David found himself torn on what he wanted this trek to turn out like; obviously he wanted to make it out alive, but at the same time, he also wanted something to remember it by. After all, with the amount of money on the line, this could very well be their last job ever.

"Hey, fork up ahead." Liz suddenly stated, "Say good-bye to repetition, this is where we split from our previous routes."

Looking up, David saw that there was indeed a fork in the road ahead, staked proudly with a small blue flag.

"I'm surprised the marker you put there is still standing." David said, eyeing it as Liz turned the Pan to the left.

"I'd hope so, these parts are supposed to be peaceful, relatively speaking."

"Do you have any clue as to what's past this point?" He asked Liz.

"Truthfully, no. I've memorized the paths we need to take, but in terms of specific danger zones, I'm in the blind. Fortunately, I have a security measure: you." She smiled semi-sarcastically.

"Uhh, I really hope you're not expecting me to be able to shoot us out of any situation you drive into." He wished aloud.

"Well, that is kind of your job here." She reminded him, eyes rolling.

"What I'm trying to say is don't be careless. There's a limit to what I can do."

"I'm not being careless, remember that this route is supposed to avoid most of the crazy shit running around out here."

"Yeah right, how long ago did you even buy that guide book? The information in there is probably outdated." David quipped, eyes flicking back and forth from the road to Liz.

"Perhaps, but it's certainly better than nothing. Look, if you feel like you can do a better job at planning these excursions, then be my guest. Otherwise, just go along with it."

David huffed, not feeling like continuing on in the conversation, and resigned himself to his post. He watched in concentrated observation as the day grew older, the density of the foliage sprouting up along with it. Little by little more fully grown trees would pass by, increasing in numbers, as did their variety. Before he knew it, they were back in a fully fledged forest, so dense with pine trees that it blocked out a good deal of sunlight, even on the road. Sometime later, with nothing of interest having taken place, David had left from his chair to relieve himself, realizing just how badly he needed to go at the very moment it was almost too late. Now, washing his hands in the tight little bathroom, he almost fell over when the Pan suddenly jerked to a stop. Cursing to and steadying himself, he rushed out of the cramped space, hand near gun as he went to Liz.

"What is it!?" He asked, running to the front. There, Liz was pressed up against the steering wheel, looking out at something on the road.

"Uhhh, that." She answered, drawing back and pointing ahead with a clawed finger. David followed her finger, his eyes focusing on the large shape occupying the designated area.

"What the hell..."