Chapter 2

To say it was the best meal of his life would have been a lie, but it was not the worst either. The meal of sourdough biscuits, beef stew, beans and coffee was rather bland to his tastes, but definitely filling. Jed and Alex enjoyed the fare and left a generous tip for the cute server. Alex also left a dime beneath his plate for the little orphan busboy, for which he felt sorry. Walking out of the restaurant, Alex thanked Jed for the meal and company before heading to the livery to ask about selling his found horses.

After concluding his business, and with his pockets a bit heavier, Alex rode out of town in the growing darkness to find ATLAS and set up camp. He had indeed bought a mule; he figured he could use it to move into and out of towns without having to walk. He got if for a song, it was an appaloosa mule and had the weirdest coat he had ever seen on a mule. He almost matched Philandros' coat. He would have to think of an appropriate name for such a unique animal.

"ATLAS," he radioed, "have you and ICARUS found a good campsite?" A double beep sounded in his ear and MAP DISPLAY appeared on his HUD. Alex dug the tablet out of his gear and surveyed the area ATLAS had chosen. "Confirmed. Meet you there, Alex out."

Alex rode out to the campsite and settled into an easy routine of setting up his camp, starting a fire and settling in for the evening. He grabbed the recovered saddlebags and started sorting the contents. Most of the clothes were either too dirty to salvage or did not fit, so he tossed them in the fire. He recovered several pistols including a Colt SAA and two Starr DAs in decent condition. He also recovered several hundred dollars in gold and various coins.

He stowed his spoils in a lockbox onboard ATLAS, and put the vehicle in standby mode. He sat beneath the stars and cleaned his weapons by firelight. He laid them all out and took inventory after finishing.

Tanto K-BAR, check.
Alligator Machete, check.
Two Colt M1911A1 ( .45ACP) pistols, with detachable suppressors, check.
Two Colt M1917 ( .45ACP) revolvers, check.
One Colt M1917 ( .45ACP) snub nose holdout pistol, check.
One De Lisle Commando Carbine ( .45ACP), check.
One Thompson M1A1 ( .45ACP), check.
One Winchester M1897 Trench Gun (12ga.), with bayonet, check.
One Ishapore 2A1 (7.62x51mm), with bayonet, check.
One Smith Enterprise M14SE Crazy Horse (7.62x51mm), with detachable suppressor, check.

He chuckled when he thought of the last weapon in his arsenal because it was not his. He loaned it from a friend with connections and now he would never be able to give it back. He carefully unwrapped, cleaned and set down a China Lake Grenade Launcher (40mm). His habit of having ATLAS preloaded in storage paid off this time. Usually he complained of having too much equipment to carry, never again. He thought about laying out the rest of his gear, but decided to wait until daylight.

After telling Philandros to keep an ear on watch, he unrolled his sleeping bag next to the fire and relaxed. He thought back to the first time he spent the night beneath the stars in his youth. His grandfather was with him and told him stories of his ancestors that had settled in the Verde Valley after the failed US Army Camel Corps. The Army brought them over from Greece and gave them citizenship after their contract was up. There had been Therons in this area for almost a generation, by 1873. Maybe he should look them up. With the thought of not being completely alone, he smiled and slept.

The next morning Alex awoke refreshed and ready to tackle the day. The first thing he did was to change into some of the recovered clothing. He then topped off ATLAS' fuel from one of the jerry cans. While he was filling it, he thanked his lucky stars that he replaced the original engine with a more efficient multi-fuel engine. Then he checked on the mule, which he had decided to name Balios. Then he broke out all of the packs and Pelican cases that held his gear and supplies. He opened the largest box that held his tent and pulled out the rain flap that had flexible solar panels affixed to one side. He set it out in the growing daylight so that it could charge the batteries stowed on ATLAS. Those, in turn would charge his electronics.

After a quick breakfast of granola and coffee, he got to work on his gear. The fireproof cases containing the ammunition and reloading gear were set aside first after a cursory inspection, with the weapon cleaning gear. Next was his field pack containing clothing, all of it was still sealed in watertight bags. Next were the First Aid bags, four complete IFAKs (Individual First Aid Kits), and a STOMP (SEAL Team Operations Medical Pack). Next was his electronics; 4 two way radios, 4 rechargeable 850 lumen flashlights, 2 rechargeable 3500 lumen spotlights, ICARUS, a tablet PC, and his wraparound glasses which contained his HUD. Next came his tactical gear; IMTV (Improved Modular Tactical Vest) plate carrier with ceramic inserts, FILBE (Family of Individual Load Bearing Equipment) vest with integrated assault pack, and FAST (Future Assault Shell Technology) helmet with face shield, dust goggles, and all of its attachments. Next were his modular sleeping bags (Cold, Hot and Bivy bags), his MTS (Modular Tent System), and camouflage netting. 4 diesel jerry cans (20L each), 4 water jerry cans (20L each), 4 cases of MREs (Meal Ready to Eat), various survival kits, a set of cast iron cookware, toiletry kit, dish and laundry soap, fire starting kit, three 300 foot ropes and his climbing kit rounded out his gear.

After repacking everything and covering ATLAS in the netting, Alex set off on Balios with Philandros tagging along. Upon returning to town, he located a clothier and purchased several sets of buckskin outfits, including a nice coat. He also bought extra fabric to fashion pockets similar to his modern style clothing. He next visited a gunsmith and sold the looted guns. He purchased a shoulder holster that fit under his buckskin jacket and regular holster for his M1917s. He also returned to the livery stable and purchased a palomino mule he immediately named Xanthos. He finally went to the mercantile and purchased foodstuff and essentials of which he was in need.

His shopping completed, Alex stopped at the Wells Fargo office and asked if there was any need for security patrols on the Flagstaff to Phoenix stage line. The clerk asked him to wait while he went to get the branch manager. A portly man in a suit came out and looked at Alex critically.

"Reginald Brinwater, sir," the man said, offering his hand, "Bernard tells me you're looking for work."