Storm and Fire Chapter 12

Note: I switched between Silvia and Paul's perspectives in this chapter, do you like it or not?

Super-Long Chapter 12:
Interview and Jobs

“Can you tell me why you want to become a guard?”
Was there any way to answer the question without giving it away that she was a bandit experienced with fighting? Would they make her answer that? She decided on the answer.
Well, I’ve been looking for a job and I’d like to help the people of the town. I met a few guards, and it sounds like a great job from what I’ve heard!”
The interviewer nodded without writing anything down. “You think you have the skills required to be a guard? We do not have the time or money to provide training. We expect you to have the necessary abilities right now. Also”
This one would be even harder to answer. It was entirely possible this man could detect lies and they had hired him for this. She decided to not give any more away than she had to. “What skills do I need to have?” she asked.
The man started at her with the same blank stare. His face was thin and pale; his cheek bones visible. “We require skills in tracking, use of guns, and hand to hand fighting. We also expect you to be able to negotiate with any enemies and help people who are in danger or require assistance.”
“Yes, I have those skills.”
“Really? What training have you had?”
“My parents used to take me hunting, and so I am an expert at tracking and good with guns.”
It was true, her parents had taken her on hunting trips, but that was not all of it. The interview didn’t seem to notice. “Really? Well, to prove your skills, your requirement is to either capture or kill a bandit and bring me their badge.”
Silvia blinked. A badge? She had one during her membership in North Columbia! They were considered the most important object a bandit could have! They were instructed they would be treated as worthless if they lost it. Silvia had hers taken away when she left North Columbia. She wished she’d kept it now.
“You seem to know what I’m talking about. Maybe you’re more experienced than I thought. You have two weeks to do it. If you don’t make it back in time, even if you have a badge, you will fail and may re-take the test. I would advise you start today,” he said, with his emotionless look on his lean face, “You may go.”
She got up and left the room. Walking out the hallway, she saw Nathan had left just before her. “Goodbye!” said the woman at the reception desk, “We hope to see you soon!” Silvia hoped so too. If she didn’t, she would likely be dead. Now to look for the bandits. She smiled. This would be easy. She could tell where a bandit hideout was from miles away. In fact, she already knew where one was. She saw it when she when she was in the room at the inn. “Sure, I guess. There’s probably someone in the town with work to be done. Look at the town,” she waved her arm at the expanse of buildings out the window, “I’m sure there’s something,”
That phrase had another meaning. Silvia thought that she would be able to point that out as a guard and make money. It would help her even more now that she had this test. She smiled. This would be a fun job!


Paul walked down the main road. People rode a variety of vehicles in this town, many walking, but some rode horses, horse-drawn carriages, a few even rode cars. With electric car’s popularity rising in 2011 and 2012, it was no wonder a few were still around. Washington didn’t have oil fields, so gasoline cars were useless, unless someone could convert it into an electric car. Paul doubted even here many people knew how to do that.
He couldn’t find many jobs that would both pay well and he knew how to do. He didn’t want to be a laborer either, that sounded boring and difficult. There were few jobs other than that he could do; the few that did had low pay. He wished he could remember the things he was taught a while ago. Simply being born before the war and knowing what the technology was like back then could be an advantage over the younger people.
He wondered if Silvia had any better luck. He doubted they would let her be a guard without knowing her past, and if they wanted that she would have to make some pretty elaborate lies. She could probably do that, though.
As he was walking something caught his attention. It was a poster advertising a job! Though he doubted he could do it, Paul decided to read the poster anyway. As he skimmed over the lines, a smile spread across his face. Free training, good pay, and something he could do! It was on the outskirts of East Wenatchee, on the other side of the Columbia River. It would only take half an hour to walk there, so Paul set off in that direction.

Silvia went back to the hotel room to get the gun and took a few other supplies that could be useful: a knife, a flashlight from Paul’s backpack, a jacket because it could get cold at night, and some food. Paul wouldn’t be needing his shotgun today, so she took that too. She checked out the window, making sure of the location of the hideaway. It was so blatantly obvious; she was surprised Paul didn’t notice it. Well, she was a bandit and knew what a hideout looks like, so she did have an advantage. Paul should have noticed it anyway.
She started walking toward the bridges. The hills the hideout was in were in the other side of the Columbia River, so she’d take the bridge. She planned to buy a tent in town, and go to the hills and set up camp that night. A few days and one would get separated from the rest and she could kill them and hide the body. It would only take a few days. Bandits were supposed to be able to defend themselves; the “buddy system” was just an excuse for the weak to stay in the group.
“Excuse me,” said a voice. Nathan stepped out from behind a building. He looked bizarre because of his wearing a large pack while he still wore his suit. “I noticed you seem to know where you are going. Would you mind if I came with?”
One person missing could be an unfortunate accident, thought Silvia, but two is a suspicious event. If he comes and kills another they could realize we’re there! Still, it would be nice to have an acquaintance with the guards. I might as well take him along; we’ll be out of there well before they realize anyone is missing.
“Fine,” she said, smiling to show that it was in fact fine, and that he was certainly not ruining any of her well-thought-of plans at all, “I know where one of their hideouts are.”
“Oh, wonderful,” Nathan said. “Are you ready to go there now?”
“I am,” she said. She hoped he was more useful than he looked. Wearing a suit with a backpack showed a level of stupidity. Even if he was useless, killing two unaware people wouldn’t be too hard for just her. It would also be better not to make enemies with someone who might be her co-worker soon.
They made it to the bridge quickly. It was a very large bridge, positioned high above the river. Though made for mainly car travel, few cars now went over it. The river below flowed by slowly, its smooth surface looking like glass. It had steel poles running in different directions above it, some straight, others in giant arches. The bridge itself was made of concrete, with a scratchy surface. It was a whole mile across, and amazed Silvia.
“Are you not used to Wenatchee? I know several people like you who are amazed by things from the past like this.”
“Yeah, I’m from a rural place.”
Nathan nodded, “So am I. I remember my amazement at the city. Quite astonishing, isn’t it.”
Partway across the bridge, Silvia saw Paul. “Hey Paul!” she shouted to get his attention. He stopped and turned around.
“You’re on your first mission already?” he said, noticing the pack.
“No, only a test to see if I’m experienced enough. Hey, say hello to Nathan! He’s coming with me.”
Nathan shook his hand. “Hello, nice to meet you. You are Silvia’s friend, correct? I’m sorry, but Silvia and I really must be going. I hope to see you again,” and waved goodbye.
“Bye, Paul!” said Silvia.
After a few more hours of walking they left the town. The land here was barren. There were no trees, and only a few dead-looking shrubs. There were patches of dry grasses, not looking too well. The ground was dry and sandy, with rocks scattered about. Some hills in the distance had rock faces. Here and there was an abandoned building.
It was nearly 40 degrees Celsius. They had been walking at a brisk pace for a few hours. Silvia was beginning to feel tired. Strangely enough, even in his heavy suit, Nathan didn’t seem to be tired, or even show signs of sweating. Silvia decided that if he was fine in a suit, then she didn’t really need to stop.
It was only going to be a few hours until they reached the base. Silvia couldn’t quite see it from where she was, but she knew it was there. It was about 4:00 now. Silvia was starving and her thought was parched! She hadn’t eaten lunch and was walking in 40 degree weather for hours! I can make it to the camping area. Only another hour. If Nathan doesn’t need to rest, I don’t either! However, it was pretty obvious she did. Nathan was beginning to look concerned, but she ignored him. He wasn’t going to say anything, but then thought otherwise.
“Pardon me, but you look tired. Why don’t we take a short rest?” Silvia looked at him, irritated. “We might be able to get there quicker if you rest,” he added, realizing she didn’t want him to worry about her, “and make plans there.”
Silvia relented. She sat down. “You’re right. I brought some food and water, do you want any?”
“No thank you. I think that I can manage until we get there,” he said, sitting down.
Silvia drank her water and ate enough food to make her full. She decided to rest a bit longer. It had only been a few minutes, so it was fine. She only wondered how Nathan could go so far in his suit without getting tired. Eventually her curiosity got the better of her and she decided to ask him. “Hey, Nathan, won’t you get hot in that suit? It is a difficult walk, did you bring anything else to wear?”
He laughed. “I was wondering if you’d ask that. Actually, this suit isn’t very normal at all. It is insulated, so it can keep me cool in the summer and warm in the winter, as well as being bullet-proof. It’s quite rare to find bullet-proof clothes around here, so I decided that it would be the best choice to wear on this trip.”
Silvia nodded. “So, why did you decide to become a guard?”
Nathan thought for a moment. “Most of my family has government jobs, my mother and father being a rare exception and it is easier to get other jobs in the government after being a guard. They encouraged me to get a job as a guard. What about you?”
“Well, after Paul and I decided to move east, we were led here by a guard. From the stories he told me, I gathered that the job is really fun (NOTE: These stories were cut out from the compressed Chapter 10 because I was bored).”
“Well, I’m glad to hear that. Who is Paul, anyway?”
“Oh, he’s my friend that I met after the war. My parents died when I was not very old, and he helped me. We’ll I’m not tired now, we should get going.”
“Okay,” said Nathan, though he seemed to realize that Silvia was lying, or at least not telling the whole truth. He decided not to ask about it.
They soon reached a steep incline, looking like it was carved by glaciers when they came through this part of Washington, much too steep to try walking up it. Nathan thought he knew where they could get up, though it was a ways away. They soon did find a way up, though it was steep and the sandy ground cause both of them to slip several time. As the sun got lower in the sky, Silvia set up camp.
Soon the tents were set up and they ate a dinner of cold food. The temperature was dropping quickly as the sun sank lower. Silvia put on her jacket, but Nathan was just fine in his suit. Silvia pointed out the hideaway, though Nathan could barely see it in the fading light. They began to make plans to kill the bandits. Nathan had several weapons, guns, knives, even some poison darts. Those will be useful, thought Silvia. With a comprehensive plan made, they fell asleep. With their plan, they thought they should be able to get back to Wenatchee with the badges by tomorrow night.