Theophany

Rain heaved the mess of a boy onto Severity's bed. The sheets immediately were soaked with grime and blood. He was breathing and he would live, but obviously he would not be able to do much for a couple of weeks or so. Not only did he almost manage to kill himself, but he effectively took away what use he was to this camp.

"What happened to him?" Severity, a look of contained disgust and pity, immediately was trying to clean him up.

"He was stupid. Stayed in Loon's way," Rain replied, grabbing a med kit from her pack.

Right when she was going to have what little rest she could manage to scrounge from today, after cleaning nighty gore from herself, she had to walk past a bloody mess she recognized. It irritated her to no end. But if she helped him, part of her debt to this boy would be repaid.

"You mean, caught. He was caught in that filthy second-in-command's way," Severity was undressing him, and was washing away the blood and grime so Rain could get to the wounds. Rain found it ironic that Severity could help someone she barely knew, while it bothered her so much that she had to drag him here in the first place.

She was about to suggest Severity help convince the Boss to get rid of Loon, but remembered her only friend's job and use was her body. Admittedly, she thought her pretty. But it was the dangerous kind of mature pretty that women no longer wanted after the world fell to shit. It got you exactly where it got Severity. Rain dismissed the conversation away.

"Alright, I think we're done," she said. Scope was in his underwear and clean. His midsection bandaged and stitches on his head, he was sleeping like the child he was supposed to be.

"We should get something to eat, Sev." Rain was rummaging across the room, where she found some containers on a corner with some jerky. She chewed on one, while throwing another piece into Severity's clumsy hands. It fell, but she swiftly picked it up and chewed as well.

As she looked out the only window in the room, which overlooked the base, she saw something glint near the barbed wire fences. Like the sun was reflecting momentarily on metal. There it was again, this time it was over the fences. Swallowing the jerky hard, she swore she could make out a figure. Pocketing the rest of the meat she realized Severity was calling her name.

"Rain....RAIN. I asked if you want some cactus water," she was already shoving a canister full of the liquid on her arm.

"Ah, yeah. Thanks. Hey do you see anything out there? Like something moving towards the base kind of fast. Sort of like a mirror." Rain squinted and attached the canister to a loop in her belt. It would be best to check this out personally.

"There's nothing out there but sand and creatures. Besides, the guards would see if anything's messed up," Severity reasoned.

Rain responded, already walking halfway to the door, hand resting on her pistol, "You mean the same guards who're always drunk off their asses and betting on weird crap?"

She left at a fast walk without waiting for a reply. They hadn't seen anything suspicious for months. This was exactly the type of thing that would catch them off guard. Besides, she was pretty sure the last glint was inside the base, near the west gate. She thought she could make out a fluid shape of a person.

Before walking into the vicinity of where she saw the mystery trespasser, she forced herself to be calm. Whoever it was didn't know they were found out. She even took a sip from her canister, keeping it in her hand, while appearing to casually walk and look at her surroundings.

Glint. There it was. In front of the guards, who were slumped over a table, just as drunk as she imagined. When it moved, it seemed like rippling water in the shape of a man. When it didn't move, it vanished in its surroundings. She'd heard of technology like this used in the old wars, but they could never really recover anything like it with the Blood Raiders limited manpower, and more importantly, brain power.

Rain started walking over, as nonchalantly as she could, sipping from time to time. She kept her gaze haughty and fixed at the guards, as though she was about to yell at them for slacking. She was now in front of where it was, about a couple arms length away. Her nerves were tingling, but her focus and determination were unmatched in this place.

In a split second, Rain threw the open canister of fluid at it, drenching the figure, while drawing her pistol with her other hand. A crackling, fizzling sound came as the armor was short circuited.

"Hands up or I'll blow your brains out right now." Rain pointed her gun to the person's head, debating whether to shoot at once anyway.

The figure emerged, with one hand almost managing to draw a sword strapped to its back, while the other yanking off the helmet that smoked and crackled with electricity.

It was a man around her age, maybe a bit older. His eyes were hard as he locked on to hers. They were wary, but also had an intensity that for some reason made her feel like their situation was reversed.

The wariness disappeared from his face, and he smiled.