THOSE THAT ROAM XI: Kruncher
MANY DAYS LATER...
As the russet dust swirled across the rugged wastes, a lone man, perched on a peak, looked down on the violently beautiful landscape below. The melted, corroded remains of old hovercrafts lay scattered across the plain. And as he watched he relived the battle. The whirr of industrial engines, the roar of battle, the fire of doomed men's spirits. He leant forward on his rifle, and probed the air before him with his tired hand. A little spark at his fingertips reminded him that he was protected by a forcefield. He threw a quick glance at his weapon - an oceanic blue core curled around a silver bolt; this was the Dolvium Core, a powerful material discovered on the moon which allowed his rifle to fire over great distances.
He knelt, and raised his rifle. He slowly closed one eye, and his open eye he pressed to the scope. His vision now reached miles and miles away, and he examined the barren landscape for a sign. Was there ever going to be a sign? Where was Flynn?
He swivelled around to see the great carcass of the American Ship, still smouldering. No signs of life. Not yet.
Then, quick as a flash, something darted across the metallic ruins. Kruncher homed in.
"Ah ha," he grunted, satisfied. He modified the zoom on the scope and looked closer. "No..." he exlaimed, taking his eye away from the scope, and blinking in disbelief. He looked again. There was no mistaking the figure crouching behind a wrecked partition wall.
Kruncher pulled the bolt deftly without a glance, and pressed his finger gently to the trigger, ready to pull. He grinned.
"Hello, Aubrey."