26: 79-02-62

_MAJOR EDIT:
_-This got lost somehow in the mess that is my current life, it goes between 25 and 26. Even so, I'm sure not all of it is here...-

_It was a good half-hour- later into a bright, clear skied day. As we neared the ranch, low buildings came into view.

_Reichart picked up a radio handset, "Bronco coming in; passcode: tandem fox."

_He maneuvered along a worn trail that materialized out of nowhere until it entered a low gate through a low earthen mound-like wall. Within its boundaries were what looked like group cabins, a common hall, some large but squat garages, and farther off were more that seemed a bit taller. Everything was built in concrete, corrugated sheet metal, and steel girders. Dust covered most flat surfaces, and as we passed the wall I looked back and coolly noticed the blast-proof casings of sheathed military-grade semi-automatic defense mounts.


_ORIGINAL POST:
_(I did miss the window I mentioned a week ago, but I have reasons for that, obviously.)

_Reichart pulled up in front of a large garage. "First things first," he said as we dismounted. " You're gonna need some other way to get here every day."

_He unlocked and slid back the 15 foot high barn doors, "pick one."

_Light spewed into the oily air, displaying ATVs, motorbikes of every kind, buggies, a few covered lumps, and even a small auto-gyro. Reichart gestured towards the complex and antiquated piece, "not that one."

_Meandering through the menagerie was a treat the like of which I hadn't had before. While pondering which to use, my baggy pants brushed against one of the covered
vehicles. I spun in surprise to see the caterpillar fall off. A blinding flash shone from the uncovered quadricycle. The sleek and powerful machines had only one purpose: racing!

_My mind raced, but I couldn't help it. A glance at Reichart; he wasn't there anymore. With that assurance, I bent to take a closer look - but a voice called out, "That's mine."

_As I snapped up, a man came in out of the now blistering sun and began walking towards me. He got closer, and i picked up the caterpillar. His face wasn't angry. But his dark eyes were clamped onto the quadricycle as if mesmerized. Reichart stepped through the door slowly, there was another man behind him. When owner of the racer arrived, he hurriedly and unceremoniously flipped the canvas over his bike. My hands hung at my side, his head hung low as his closed eyes still looked at the apparently haunting vehicle.

_"You're Thalen?" His posture returned and he offered his hand.

_"Yes." I didn't think that mentioning the bike was a good idea.

_He turned and walked back, "make your choice fast, my new pilot has to learn a lot before gaining my trust."

_And that's how I first met Travor, a man I will never forget.