The Next Day
"Aden, wake up."
"Aden, wake up," Maria called for Aden again.
Yawn!
"Can I sleep a bit more, sister?" He felt unusually sleepy.
"Don't you want to know my decision?" She asked. "That's strange, typically he would wake up early on such occasions."
"Really?"
He perked up, his back straight.
"Yeah, but first, let's have breakfast." She placed his portion on the table and served the patients outside.
A while later, she sat beside Aden.
"I've gathered my thoughts. I'm in no position to deter you from your search for the parents." She exclaimed and dropped a bombshell. "However, it's too dangerous, so I've also decided to join you."
"Wait whattt?" The announcement flabbergasted him.
"It's just what you heard." She commented.
His mind reeled. "You?"
"Why would you say something like that, sister?" He asked. "It's so dangerous out there."
"That's why you need someone to look after you, or else I can't agree to your request." She remarked with a striking determination.
"B…but…" He still couldn't recover from the shock.
***
"Okay, sister. I agree to your request." He replied after pondering for some time.
"That's better. A brother-sister adventure duo. I look forward to it." She exclaimed, visibly excited and worried.
Sigh!
Meanwhile, Aden sat there, lost for words. Being able to search for his parents delighted him, but Maria's involvement worried him about the dangers during the trip.
****
Ahem!
The basic storage room lacked any soundproofing, so their conversation reached Franz and Ben's ears.
Maria stepped out of the room.
"Well, there's nothing to hide. I'm sure you've heard it," She said.
"What about the clinic?" Franz asked. "Who's going to look after the people?"
"Don't worry about it, Franz." She replied, "The girls are capable of the job; in fact, Amber operated on you."
"What?" A flicker of surprise in his eyes, a moment of processing. Sara being that capable was significant.
"Yes. The girls are capable of operating the clinic." She replied, "Besides, I won't be gone for long."
Hmmm!
Franz pondered for a while.
"If the girls are as capable as you claim, it won't be a problem. So where's your destination?" He asked.
"It's Boulder City. I heard it was where Aden and Luna were supposed to reunite with their parents," She said.
"Boulder City?" Franz yelled. "You mean Boulder City near Las Vegas?"
"Yeah, why?" Franz's reaction left her confused and worried.
"Jesus Christ, Maria. You couldn't find a better location to go to?" he commented, his face tense.
"Okay, now you're scaring me, Franz." She replied, "What's so bad about the city?"
"You remember our last conversation about the top-secret base in Area 51?" He remarked, his expression serious. "If there's even a small chance it's the source of all trouble. Las Vegas would be the worst hit place, and all the cities near it. And remember, if people survived the fallout, it would mean only the dangerous ones."
She had a second thought after hearing his assessment. However, she calmed herself.
"I hope you're wrong about your assessment," she said. "But, we'll be fine. It's not like we're going to settle there. We'll go and search for clues about Aden's parents and retreat if necessary."
"I don't know about this trip, Maria. If you still have to go, make sure you have the best gear." Franz suggested.
"I guess I'll have to visit, Ethan." She commented and left the clinic.
"I know you are listening, kid. Come here." Franz said.
Aden stepped out, expecting Franz to scold him.
"Kid, you want to do this?" Franz's voice softened.
"Yes," Aden said with unwavering determination. "I'm sure they are out there searching for me."
Sigh!
"Your parents would be proud, kid, but be careful out there; live another day to fight, and 'don't bite off more than you can chew'." He consoled Aden while giving some pointers.
***
Workshop
Creak! Creak! Creak!
Ethan was finalizing the vehicle's repair; screwing the spark plugs, replacing various filters, swapping the battery, etc.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
The sudden footsteps brightened his mood, and he said. "You're here, kid. Come help me with the repair."
However, the footsteps stopped abruptly, and he didn't receive a response either.
Umm!
Instead, he heard a female voice. So, he turned around, only to find Maria standing with an awkward expression.
Oh!
"Maria, what brings you here?" He asked.
"It's like this…" She detailed her trip and the need for the proper equipment. Meanwhile, Ethan's expression shifted from surprised to one of concern.
"M…Maria, are you sure about this?" He couldn't help but ask in a flustered voice.
"Yes, I'm sure about it. Can you help me with it?" She asked.
"I can." He replied, chest puffed out. "I wish I could join you, but I doubt the captain will allow it."
She was taken aback by his offer. "You don't have to." She replied, "It's thoughts that count. And unlike you, the girls can take over the clinic for me."
"Okay, give me a couple of days. I'll make sure to equip you guys with the gear to battle the overlord itself." He joked.
"I look forward to it." She chuckled and left the workshop.
Meanwhile, Ethan watched her figure retreat till she disappeared.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The metal clangs were unusually loud today.
***
Maria was a bit surprised to find Aden at the clinic. Usually, he would be out there doing something, but today he was in the clinic, looking around at the medicines.
"You don't want to go out today?" She asked.
"No." He replied. "I want to know about medicines that can come in handy during our trip."
"Well, that's rare." She exclaimed. "I thought you found the information about the medicines boring."
"Yes, but our trip will be anything but typical. I want to learn about anything that can be helpful for us." He replied.
"That makes sense. Alright, come here." She remarked. "I'll tell you about the necessary medicines during our trip."
She picked up the vital medicines from the shelves, one by one, and explained their usage.
"....And that's how you pop back the dislocated joints."
By the time Maria's lecture ended, the night was already looming, and her lecture about the medicines extended into various ways to deal with injuries and other medical conditions.
They had dinner as usual.
"This will be your last dinner at the clinic, hopefully," Maria said. "Tomorrow, I'll discharge you guys. Your injuries have recovered enough."
"Finally!" Ben commented.
"About damn time," Franz replied. "I was getting bored resting all day."
Both were delighted about the announcement. A change of scenery is all they could ask for.
That night, the patient duo slept: delighted, quite stark compared to Aden's brother-sister duo: they had a trace amount of hesitation on the back of their head.
***
The next day, it was business as usual.
The next morning, Aden mentally ran through Maria's lessons on splinting fractures and treating burns before heading to the workshop.
Meanwhile, Maria discharged both Franz and Ben and gave an intensive lecture to Sara and Amber.
Maria had already disclosed her plans to them. So, they paid attention to her with reluctance.
The following day arrived in the blink of an eye.
CLANG!CLANG!CLANG!CLANG!
The metal clangs cranked up before coming to a sudden halt. The rumors about their trip had already made their way into the settlement.
"Did you know Maria is going on a trip? I heard it's very dangerous." Gossip flew everywhere.
Everyone was indebted to her kindness, so they arrived at the clinic to understand why she was leaving, surrounding it in the process.
The commotion overwhelmed Maria.
"Looks like everyone from the settlement is here." She exclaimed.
Honk! Honk! Honk!
Suddenly, a horn blared throughout the clinic.
Vroom! Vroom! Vroom!
The sudden appearance of a pickup forced everyone to make a path for it.
The vehicle pulled over at the clinic.
Thud!
The driver's door opened up, and Ethan stepped out.
"What do you think of the vehicle?" He asked.
Both Maria and Aden looked at the vehicle and found it splendid.
They had already seen the armored version of K10 during the mission. Ethan had turned the previous armored vehicles into a lightweight fortress.
Not in a sense that the vehicle was reinforced with thicker plates, but in a sense that he had reinforced its vulnerabilities like spikes in rims, bumpers, trunk, and other weak areas.
The pickup felt like it belonged to the Mad Max world or Death Race.
Hehe!
"I'll take that as a positive affirmation," he chuckled at their silence.
"Here's the equipment, let me know if it needs fixing." He placed two black duffel bags in front of them.
"Let's try it on." Maria picked up the duffle bag in front of her and stepped in, Aden right after.