In the Land of Giants - Book 2 of the Acropolis series

Chapter 6

II: The Chaotic Planet

"We burn the fat off our souls. Hemingway said that."

- Jarhead

"As the pattern gets more intricate and subtle, being swept along is no longer enough."

Everett glanced over his shoulder at Nikki sitting in the flatbed of the truck, one knee drawn up to her chest. She was staring out at the mountainous terrain of the distant west, gaze calm and serene.

"What's that?" Everett asked, looking back at the road, his brow furrowed in confusion. Nikki was often cryptic, but that was a little much.

"It's from a movie I saw once." She said. "Always resonated with me."

"Doesn't ring a bell." Everett said. "I've only ever seen three movies in my life." It was true; film production was a thing of the past. The last Hollywood film had been released in 2062, and at that point all media was digital. There were no discs or USB drives to be copied or shared. Without the internet, the only way for media to be moved around was by physically carrying storage devices from one computer to another. As a result, almost nobody was familiar with the visual art forms of the past.

"Which three?" Nikki asked, lighting a cigarette and bringing her gaze forward. They were in the center of the largest convoy seen since the assault on Central, consisting of people from Orson's Island, Pendleton, Spalding's mine, Spokane Valley, and more. They had brought everything from Bear's Abrams tanks to lines of trucks to a few troop transports. Overhead, the Night Banshees and two daytime pilots were making their final run, escorting the army to the mine. They had left at first light, and now, not far from their goal, the sun was high in the sky, eliminating shadows and bringing a sheen of sweat to everyone's skin.

"Something about the year 2001 and space." Everett said. He was terrible with titles. "A really long war epic that started with a beach...and some strange artsy film about ballet dancers."

"I know them all." Nikki said with a lifting of her lip. "Good enough taste." She added.

Everett smiled, glancing over his shoulder at her as the truck trundled along. Curious about the initial statement she had quoted, he opened his mouth to ask her about it, but closed it again when he saw a dirt bike falling back through the convoy ahead. He immediately recognized Spalding's shape as the man swung one leg out to a nearby sedan that opened a back door for him. As he hopped up onto the roof of the car, hands reached out to grab the bike, pulling it into the car before slamming the door closed again.

"What the hell is he doing?" Nikki asked with quiet curiosity. They watched Spalding stand up straight on the roof of the moving sedan, swinging his arms back and forth and grinning maniacally. He took two steps forward onto the car's trunk and then leaped, arms out for balance as he landed atop the buggy in front of Everett's truck, grasping the frame to keep from falling. The buggy twisted for a moment, the driver just as confused as everyone else until Spalding clambered onto its roof and then the steel supports for the rear-mounted machine gun.

"No." Everett said, watching the man perch and prepare to jump again. "No, come on, no..."

"Brace yourself." Nikki said quietly from behind them, and then Spalding sprung forward, letting out a throaty, growling shout. He landed on top of the truck's hood with a grunt, and Everett tried to hold them steady as the entire vehicle lurched. Spalding swiftly crawled over the windshield and slid into the passenger seat, looking over at Everett with a grin, his chest heaving.

"Very dramatic." Everett said, laying his hands over the wheel casually. "And unnecessary." He wasn't sure what Spalding was trying to convey, but he was going to do his best to ignore it.