[Mercy Merchant]

Alyce smiles, and for more than one reason.  She would have felt differences in his pulse rate had he been lying.  His sweat might have been different as well, but that was a bit less telling in this humidity.  Convinced that Al is telling the truth, or the very best actor she had ever met, Alyce removes her hand from his arm and puts it in her lap with the other one.  "Nothing as interesting as toxic demons, I'm afraid.  I have been associated with the Vory since I was an infant.  My father worked for............................a company that has very close ties to the Vory and we had Vory bodyguards from before I was aware of what a bodyguard is. I met, fell in love with, and got engaged to the son of the boss of the Vladivostok Bratva.  In '33, the Yaks made a move against the Vory there and I was associated damage.  Not collateral because I was directly targeted, but certainly associated.  My parents and guards were killed when the car we were in was attacked.  My fiancé was attacked at the party he was at but survived.  He was sent to a clinic and I went to help because I am a doctor and because he needed me.  The Yaks came by to finish the job.  The assassin team leader shot my fiancé and then me.  His bullet rattled around my head a bit, missing anything vital but ripping my eye stuff to shreds.  Last thing I ever saw was that fragging assassin's face and I will remember it all my bloody life.  And here I am.  Pretty boring drek, eh?"

[adamu]

"Shee-it, woman, if that's yer idea o' borin' I'd hate ta see ya excited." So she'd been engaged when it happened. When she'd said it happened in '33, when he'd been five, he'd imagined a little girl caught up in a crossfire. But that would still put her in her into her forties, and the way she still looked so ripe for the plucking wth her shirt half open had reminded him that elves aged a lot differently. So unless the Vory were marrying off pre-teens, she'd be in her sixties by now. And still alive in her line of work. That told him more about her qualifications than anything else she'd done or said. "Ol' Al's been shot a few times, but never inna noggin. An' sorry ta hear o' yer loss."

They were well off the riverfront tourist drag now, heading through the encircling layer of nightclubs and bars. They saw a lot of fights, even though there were fewer partygoes out than usual - with the latest coup barely a week old, there were even fewer police out than usual, and the foreigners were staying home. That left the usual predators to prey on each other.

"How 'bout Kang an' his boys - they worth a damn inna scrap?"

[Mercy Merchant]

Alyce turns her head and smiles at Al.  "True, true.  I have definitely had my share of excitement over the years.  As I imagine you must have.  We should share stories sometime over a beer or three."

Alyce could define the steady descent into the seedier sections of the sprawl by the number of bar brawls that had spilled into the street and the brazenness of the whores.  Twice the pedicab had to change routes to avoid a fight that had spread from a bar and grown to a general melee.  She listens for, but does not hear any police whistles and surmises that the recent coup is likely reducing the presence of any law enforcement.  Al is approached three times at stops by women who offer their pleasure services for cheap, Alyce only once.  She pretends to be miffed as she says, " Wow.  I must be chopped liver or something."

"Hmmm.   I remember Kang from before.  He was with Yao Lung on that trip to the Amazon I mentioned earlier.  My impression is that he is definitely in the effective category.  He has roaming hands and fancies himself a ladies man.  Even tried it on me, once, but Yao Lung squared him away.  No real problems since, although I think he would try if Yao Lung was not around.  I have the distinct impression that he is solidly Yao Lung's man.  I know nothing about the other two men.  My guess is that Yao Lung would not bring slackers along."

[adamu]

Al shrugged. It hadn't really mattered what she'd said - he didn't trust anyone in a fight unless he'd been with them in fight.

The pedicab skidded to a halt at the edge of a well-lit building with no walls. An open air night market. No flooring, just sturdy, rough-hewn pillars holding up a low aluminum roof to keep Cambodia's relentless rains off the wares. Although there were few interior walls or partitions, the place was so jammed with people and goods that from where they got out it seemed they were standing at the end of an infinite corridor carved through the center of the space. Peering into the distance, it was apparent that the place extended at least into the next couple of blocks beyond this one.

Al wondered if Alyce would be okay in here. He guessed she leaned on sound and smell pretty heavily, and this place was a near overwhelming cacophony of both. If he was a self-analytical man, he might question whether he was subconsciously setting her another test. But he wasn't, so he didn't.

He tore a nuyen tenner in two and gave half to the driver, who nodded and repaired to an adjacent stand selling what appeared to be various fried arthropods. Then after batting a crowd of hot-pantsed whores aside like a swarm of mosquitoes, he led the way into the sea of commerce.

"Reckon I know what I'm after. But anything you might need? They got everthing, ya know where ta look."

[Mercy Merchant]

Alyce waits for the pedicab to stop and climbs down, turning on her sonar as she does and placing heavy filters on her olfactory and hearing implants.  Still, the bombardment of noise threatens to make it difficult to hear the voices of those not right with you.  The sonar allows her to see the immediate area quite well as there are no walls to worry about.

Alyce takes her pack from the bench and removes her walking stick from the side straps before slipping the pack on her back.   After stretching to set the pack comfortably, she turns to Al.  "I actually do have a shopping list for some herbs that are used here to help in healing.  If possible, I would like to try to pick some up here.  But I can get them in the villages, too, I imagine.  So lead on if you know where to go."

[adamu]

She seemed game for the market, no hesitation. He figured she'd say something if she had a problem. Hoped she would, anyway. She came off as a real nice lady. She sure as hell looked nice. He should just relax and enjoy the company. But if he was going to be responsible for this group of people, he had to know if there were liabilities to worry about.

"Well, ol' Al don't know medicinal plants from army ants, but I know where you can git 'em. Place we're goin', they's damned few villages. Aside from the four Pear communities, area is near entirely unpopulated. So best git what ya need here if we can."

He offered his arm again and guided them unerringly through to the block they'd entered, halfway through the next, and then cut right for fifty meters or so. After passing sounds of chattering monkeys then sizzling foods, then smells of various leathers, it was clear they'd entered a produce market. Then up some rickety steps and they came out onto a rooftop area where the aroma of a cornucopia of herbs and spices was enough to dazzle even Al's unschool nose.

"Medicinals over this way, darlin'. Do yer thing."

[Mercy Merchant]

Alyce takes Al's arm with a smile and walks with him into the market.  Everything interests her, from the turbaned vendor with a couple of chattering monkeys to the woman selling some sort of meat on a stick.  She speaks to the vendors in Khmer, her chipped speech no impediment to being understood.  She haggles for a couple of the sizzling meat sticks and turns to Al, offering him one as she bites into the other.  "Try one.  The spices she uses in the oil are bloody yummy.  You know you do not need to stay with me, right?  I truly enjoy the company and am glad of your arm, but I tend to enjoy this sort of thing too much.  If you are running short of time, let me go on and I will meet you later."

For some reason, Al remains with her as she goes from booth to booth.  Alyce tries to cut her visits short, but she is prone to having her attention caught by something interesting.  At several booths, she makes small purchases, placing her loot in her pack.  Al is more interested in the people near Alyce than in what she is looking at and so notices three young men that seem to be following the Keeb physician, keeping pace with her progress, but moving closer at each booth.  The men each sport a different colored Mohawk haircut and are wearing rough clothes with some sort of ganger jacket, even in the high humidity of the Phnom Penh evening.  As Alyce kneels at a booth to examine some small wooden toys, Al sees that two of the toughs are animatedly urging the third to do something.  He moves to stand behind Alyce and casually waves to the three young men, who appear to be caught off guard and confused.  One slides his jacket open a bit, exposing an old revolver stuck into his belt.  Al just raises an eyebrow and looks at them.  One of the thugs pulls on the arm of the one with the gun and motions with his head to the rear of the market.  The tough looks a bit like he wants to go for it anyway, but then nods and leads the other two away into the crowd and all are soon out of sight. 

He looks down in time to see Alyce putting a few wooden objects into her pack, appearing about to stand.  Stepping back, he gives her enough room while remaining alert to any additional threat to his charge.  After some additional words with the booth vendor, Alyce shakes hands with the older man and moves on.  Eventually, the two make their way to the second floor and the produce area, where her sensitive nose immediately identifies many spices and herbs.  "God, Al.  This would be what heaven is like if there was a place for me to play my cello.  Can you smell these herbs?  I am sure that I will find what I need here.  Thank you for bringing me."  She bends over a bit and gives Al a peck on the cheek.  She breaks from his arm to dance about the various booths, stopping to chat with the vendors and collect small samples before buying.  She uses a credstick when possible but does pull local scrip from a pocket for those people that cannot or will not slot the stick.  Al might recognize several of the herbs she is buying as Turmeric, Curry Leaves, Kaffir Lime Leaves, and other herbs commonly used in cooking rather than healing.  Perhaps she does not really know the difference between the herbs.

Her language skill seems to be no hindrance at all.  As she approaches one particular group of booths, she squeals for joy and walks forward, exclaiming as she points to one bunch of hanging herbs after another.  At first the vendors sense an easy target, but that idea dies young as she asks to see samples from each plant, smelling each and sometimes crumbling a small sample.  Soon the men realize that she knows her herbs and get into the process, trying for her attention and nodding as she talks to them.  She rejects some and accepts some and then the real fun begins.  After some chatter and a lot of haggling, she slots her stick several times and shakes hands with the vendors.  Al understands that she has bought a lot of herbs and arranged for them to be delivered to the warehouse, care of Yao Lung.  Finally, she turns to face Al, her cheeks are bright with excitement and she seems to dance from foot to foot.  "I am done here, but I simply have to pee right bloody badly.  Did you see a loo somewhere?"

[adamu]

Al didn't mind the time she was taking. Shopping aimlessly was pretty far down his list of favorite pursuits, but he had nothing else to do, and knew sleep would not come easily this early anyway. And after a year of four damp stone walls in pitch darkness, he was happy to relish the color and variety of the place. He needed to see a guy about some weapons, but she'd tire out soon enough. Or, apparently, her bladder would.

"Loo? Honey, where ya think ya are, Lordstrungs? We can go back to the cab an' take a straight line back ta downtown, or we can find ya a dark corner an' Al can watch yer back while ye's indisposed."

[Mercy Merchant]

Alyce shares her rather pretty laugh and turns to speak to one of the vendors, who points off to a curtained area nearby.  Thanking the man, she goes off and disappears behind the curtain, emerging a few minutes later.  Alyce thanks the man again and rejoins Al, taking his arm.  "Whew!  That was bloody close.  I need to be more careful while shopping.  Now, what was it you needed from the market?  Oh, and I almost forgot, are you partial to rare, medium, or well cooked steaks?  Just asking because I am building this file on you in my head and that is an outlier."

Holding onto his arm, Alyce returns to the lower level and accompanies him while he shops.  Realizing that he might need both hands, she lets go of his arm while he is negotiating, although she does not wander far from him so he does not have to worry about what she is up to.  Suddenly, Alyce is approached by five youngsters, the oldest probably no more than ten.  They tug on her pants and yammer on at about 100 kilometers a minute until she kneels down and reaches out a hand to slow them down, asking in her chipped Khmer what they want.  They go mostly silent and the oldest, a girl, points to Alyce's ears and asks if they are real.  The Keeb laughs and pulls on them before allowing the kids to do the same.  Soon, more kids are ganging about to feel her ears and a number of the vendors are laughing while a few are taking pictures on commlinks.  Alyce looks up and shrugs at Al, mouthing an "I'm sorry" before standing.  She asks the group where the nearest candy vendor is and a dozen fingers point as one.  Alyce laughs and nods as she allows herself to be taken away to the nearby booth, at times six or seven children finding a place to hang onto.  Al can shake his head, but her leaving allows him to get back to business. 

Once at the booth, Alyce looks at the collection of jars, sacks, and tins of candy before selecting several and passing some scrip over.  Turning back to the kids, she sees that the crowd has mysteriously grown.  She grabs the three oldest and gives them each a tin and some stern orders before turning back to get three more tins from the vendor.  More money changes hands and she oversees the distribution of the sweets, her assigned lieutenants being scrupulously fair..............mostly.  When all the candy is gone she manages to resist buying more, waving her hands and claiming to be out of money, and the vendors chase the kids off.  The adults and children are all smiling and laughing.  The vendor Al is dealing with looks at him and says, "You have a good woman there.  Most tourist women not like her.  Just shoo away children as pests."  The vendor next to him puts his hands out in front of his chest and adds his two nuyen, "Nice tits, too.  You lucky man."

Alyce snags one of the older boys before he runs off and whispers into his ear before letting him go.  Smiling, she returns to Al's side.

[adamu]

"Buildin' a file? Can't hardly imagine a use fer such a thing, but hell, ol' Al's an open book. Like my steak good an' bloody, if it's of interest to ya. Favorite band's Chris D. an' the Divine Horsemen, goin' back ta the last century. Especially they first album. An' I ain't got a favorite color."

Then he set about finding what he needed. It wasn't hard.

He did try to warn her about encouraging the street urchins - he'd seen them tear tourists apart like piranhas. But she handled them with no problem at all.

And by the time she was done, and he'd heard from the folks nearby how lucky he was, and how nice her bosoms were - which he hardly needed reminding of - he had what he'd come for all laid out on a counter. A Defiance T-230 shotgun, and a Chinese knock-off of a Pioneer 40. He'd inspected each carefully, and they'd do just fine. Beside them were several boxes of ammo.

He indicated the cred reader to Alyce. "Yao owes these fellers four hunnerd nuyen."

[Mercy Merchant]

Alyce smiles and nods as she files the information away.  Al has taken advantage of her time with the children to get what he wanted.  Alyce nods and reaches for the reader, slotting her stick and thanking the vendor as Al picked up the guns.  "Here, Al, why not put some of the extra ammo in my pack?  There is room enough and it saves the pockets of your jacket for other things."  As she talks, she swings the backpack off her shoulders and unfastens a side pocket that has enough room to store the ammo he does not immediately need.  When all is packed away, she stands and puts the pack back on her back and walks with Al to the front of the large market.  Quite unlike earlier, Alyce does not get sidetracked.  At the entrance, they find an urchin waiting for Alyce with a package, which she puts into her pack before giving the boy a good tip and sending him off into the crowd.

Alyce stands next to Al as they wait for the pedicab to come over.  "OK.  We have one hour and twenty-seven minutes to get to the bus station.  I have bought two tickets to Andoung Tuek for us to pick up.  We are checked out of the hotel and I have sent a note to Yao Lung explaining what we are doing and warning him of the delivery tomorrow of what we bought tonight.  Anything I left out?"

As they climb up to the seat of the pedicab, Alyce pops onto her deck and sends quick instructions to the miniature drones she had left monitoring her room at the hotel, bringing one after them and sending the other to the warehouse, where it will take up a spot on a beam above the floor and watch the activity there.  Satisfied, Alyce sits back and enjoys the ride to the bus station.  It is certainly safe to say that the ride there is better than the small bus terminal that is their destination.  The building and its tiny waiting room provide bus service to Phnum Sruock and Kampong Seila, where they will transfer to another bus then on to Srae Ambet and eventually Andoung Tuek.  The building is crowded with people heading west; people and their belongings.  Alyce smells chickens, pigs, and goats along with the normal smells of unwashed people and food crushed into a small space.  Her enhanced olfactory sensors are assaulted by the smell of open bathrooms and it is a certainty that some people have been using vacant space against the wall when the bathrooms were occupied.  Al and Alyce push their way through the crowd to the tiny office and wait in line to get their tickets, then move back outside to wait for the bus.

The bus is late.  Of course.  But no one seems to care, as anyone expecting it to be on time is either a tourist not used to rural transportation or an incurable optimist.  This time it is only an hour late, not its worst.  It looks like some antique out of old trids; brightly colored designs badly faded in places and entirely missing where part of the side has been replaced.  Luggage is stowed on the roof rack and under the seating area.  Al and Alyce are near the front of the line, but that does not seem to mean anything to those standing behind them, as people crush to get through the narrow door as soon as it opens.  Keeping one hand on his shotgun and the other on Alyce, Al manages to step on board and hand over the tickets before heading off down the aisle in search of seats.  Midway back, he finds two open on the right side and lets Alyce take the window.  She gratefully sits down, placing her pack on her lap because there is no room in the overhead bins and she does not trust it to the roof rack.  The bus fills rapidly and soon all the seats are taken and there is little room in the aisle.  Small animals share space with people and the bus sounds and smells rather like a small farmyard.  Small children sit on the laps of their mothers and the noise is almost deafening.

The driver makes no effort at all to organize the chaos and takes his seat as soon as the last of the luggage is stored.  He honks a horn and pulls out of the lot and heads for the highway.  Shortly after leaving, Al feels pressure on his shoulder and looks over to see that Alyce has slumped against him and seems to have fallen asleep.  Her position has caused the gap on her shirt to widen even more and from Al's angle of view, he can clearly see one well-formed breast.

[adamu]

Al hadn't intended for Alyce to come with him to Andoung Tuek. He'd figured she'd catch up with him along with the rest of the group, make the trip in an air conditioned truck cab. Hell, wouldn't have surpised him if that Ling guy had a luxury sedan on tap, just for the one-day drive. But there she was with the tickets. And she was pretty inoffensive company.

He could see at the station that she was less than pleased with the ambience, but also that she handled it well. Distasteful, it seemed, but hardly novel. Good. He was already having to constantly remind himself she was blind. He still didn't understand her entire set-up, but hadn't been able to identify any deficiencies. He realized that without even thinking about it, he'd gone from trying to gauge her vulnerability to challenging himself to find any point of functional disability whatsoever. And no luck yet.

So all aboard, and away they went. He smoked. The best thing about the years since he'd left Europe was that ever since then he'd never once had anyone tell him he couldn't smoke somewhere.

The scenery along the highway was familiar, but he never tired of Cambodia's natural beauty. And he realized he was looking forward to heading into the mountains, where the views would put this roadside crap to shame.

He glanced over at Alyce to say as much, and found an even better view. Damned girl was going to have to learn the use of buttons or he'd have blue balls for the duration. It was a problem he could live with, though.

What he couldn't live with was that she'd fallen asleep on his shoulder. Consarn it! Friend or stranger, he hated that. He didn't know why. Or, rather, he knew why but he didn't know why he was always so hesitant, nay, cripplingly reluctant, to rectify the problem.

Because if he moved, they might wake up. Might not. But might. So he couldn't move. And once he knew that, knew it, well, it didn't matter how comfortable he'd been a few seconds earlier, suddenly every muscle needed stretching, he suddenly needed to pee, and every inch of his skin, especially his ass, would start to itch.

So move. But he couldn't do it. Sure as hell not if it was a lady. And sure enough, there was that tickle around his perineum. He tried squirming in his jeans just slightly, but that just made him more aware of it. He looked at the scenery, did that kid game where he tried to find the Khmer alphabet in sequence on signboards and license plates. Stared at the girl's facial tat and tried to guess its significance. Stared at her breast and let himself imagine catching her bathing in some isolated spring somewhere. The last one worked longest, but soon enough he figured he must need to pee, too. And then, after an hour or so, he really did have to pee. Which was a lot worse.

He was finally reduced to praying to the voodoo gods for help. As usual, it worked like a charm. The first sign was a smell. Burning rubber. Faint at first, but it had just that tinge of engine oil that let him know it wasn't from any of the field burns they were passing. Then a faint popping. Now he had to move, because if he didn't the bus would soon be kaput.

He thanked Ghede and Samedi, then shifted slightly, and she was awake. "Sorry darlin', gotta have a chat with the driver."

The aisle was full of people, but he worked his way up anyway. The problem was, they'd just left a town behind five minutes ago, but the next was a good two hours ahead. He knew the bus was only good for half of that, so the longer they continued, the farther they'd be from anywhere. When they stopped moving. Not safe. Not around here.

As luck would have it, the driver turned out to be a congenital idiot.

"Hey my friend, you need to stop the bus, please."

"Sorry, no unscheduled stops."

"Yes, well, do you smell that? That's your drive belt chafing."

"I know."

"You know? Well, if that doesn't worry you, do you hear that sound?"

"No."

"That pop-pop-popping sound?"

"No."

"My friend, that\s premature ignition in your cylinder. It's getting worse. You will blow a piston in about an hour, or lose your drive belt in about the same time. The only thing to bet on is which goes first."

"The mechanic in the capital said there were problems but we would make it to Andoung for service there."

Al persisted for some time, until the man got irate. So he shrugged, found an empty bottle on the floor to pee into, tossed it out the window, and went back to his seat. In response to Alyce's questioning look, he simply said, "Rest easy, hon. Next rest area's comin' up in an hour."

[Mercy Merchant]

Alyce shrugs awake as Al stands up, shaking the cobwebs from her mind.  She switches on her sonar and watches as Al makes his way to the front of the bus, but her attention is caught by the horrible smell and sounds that seem to be coming from the bus and not the people or animals in it.  She is no mechanic, but she is rather certain that these are bad omens.  The voices of the people on the bus do not show any concern, but Alyce puts that down to the fatalism that permeates these people; after all, buses break down and people get delayed all the time.  Life goes on.

Alyce senses the frustration in Al as he returns to his seat and pus a gentle hand on his arm.  "I am sorry for falling asleep on you earlier.  You are very sweet for not being angry or rude about it.  And I gather that things did not go well with the driver because we are not turning around."

Al's response is little more than a grunt and a nod of his head.  "Driver does not know what he is doing.  Gonna git us all killed, little lady, so be prepared for some real loud noise."

Alyce considers his words then stands, placing her pack in the seat.  She is facing Al as she scrabbles past him and he sees her hand deftly undo another button on her shirt, exposing her chest almost down to her trousers, confirming for him that her breasts are indeed completely unfettered by any sort of bra.  She smiles at Al as she goes by, stepping into the aisle and making her way to the front of the bus.  Once up next to the driver, she bends low to talk to him and her senses tell her that she has definitely caught his attention.  Alyce bends close to his ear, allowing her breast to touch the man's arm, and whispers softly in Khmer, "Now what would it cost to turn this bus around and return to the last little village we passed a few minutes ago?"

The driver is momentarily distracted by the feel of a soft breast on his arm and the vision of Alyce's chest, but not enough to lose control.  He manages to keep the bus in its lane and the two begin a soft negotiation, ending in Alyce reaching into her pocket for some scrip and passing it over.  Alyce smiles sweetly at the driver and returns up the aisle as the bus slows to a stop and begins the rather torturous procedure of turning around.  Most of the passengers did not even seem to notice what had happened.  Alyce makes her way back to her seat and slides in past Al, once again giving a nice view if he is so inclined.  Once seated, she buttons the fourth button and settles into her seat.  Looking over at Al, she says, "Can you fix this thing if we get it back to that last village?."

[adamu]

He shrugged. "Probably fix 'er now if he'd just stop it. Every mile's killin' 'er. Longer he drives, the more damage he does."

It started to rain. A cold, torrential downpour.

It muted the smells and the sounds coming from the engine. Chilled the interior pretty well, but the old rig's rudimentary heater was enough that no one suffered too much.

Unfortunately, Al's estimate that the bus would run another hour was based on a steady downgrade as they headed west. Now that they were turned back east, they were a lot closer to the nearest village, but the bus was working four times as hard. He couldn't smell it anymore, or hear it, but he could feel it slowing as it fought the slope.

And then it stopped.

An argument immediately erupted between the driver and the whole front half of the bus. There were calls for money, for apology, for help from the bus company. There were recriminations for stupidity, for ignoring the ugly foreigner, and for dooming their children to death by bandits.

Al lit a fresh cigarette while he was still dry, then wordlessly pulled down his window, grabbed the upper sill, and sent both boots through and out. Hit the half-paved road and there was already water rushing down the grade up to his ankles. He looked at both sides of the road, and realized they were just coming out of a ravine. Shit. He'd seen this before. Cars and trucks washed down to the bottoms of small draws and submerged in flash floods and mudslides. They were two hundred yards from the crest, which would be relatively safe.

He was the first to notice their predicament, but not by much. Soon more people were clambering out of windows with whatever they could carry - primarily their kids. They'd make it. But after that what? Bunch of old people and kids in the driving rain for what could be an hour or could be three days, and no traffic moving. And the crap they had strapped to the roof of the bus was all that most of them owned.

He went to the rear, where the engine was. Hoped the brakes held. Opened it up. Took a look.

The bus was a lot lighter, as most of its occupants were out. He clambered up the side, unlashed a bicycle and threw it down. Then called to a couple of men, and when they came over, handed them down a small washing machine. They thought he was trying to save it for them and started off with it, but he jumped down, took it from them, and promptly ripped a side panel off. This started both the men screaming at him through the rain, which he didn't have time for. He looked around and saw Alyce standing nearby, drenched like everyone else, ready to help. "Give these yahoos some money fer they stuff," was all he said as he pulled components out of the appliance. Then, one fist full of washing machine and the other dragging the bike behind him, he returned to the rear of the bus.

The driver eventually extricated himself from the angry crowd and joined him, but by then he was done. "Start it up, stay in first gear, and we'll see if we can get it to the top." The man looked in and was apparently convinced by what he saw, ran back up to the wheel.

Al watched as the ignition fired and everything started doing what he wanted it to do. The water was coursing past his calves now, it was sludgy. He left the engine compartment open as the bus started inching forward, walking along behind it. It was a pretty serious effort to walk up against the flow, but he'd always been stronger than most men he knew. He reached into the whirring engine and made small adjustments here and there as they went, and the thing didn't die until it was just two meters short of the crest.

"EVERYONE PUSH!"

The crowd flowed down around the bus like they were one with the rushing water and a few seconds later they were safe. Water flowed down from the slopes on both sides of the road, but then continued down on both sides down the road as it ran east and west, leaving the bus relatively secure. Now they had shelter.

But they were still stuck, and no saying for how long.

He didn't bother going back to the engine. Just spit out the dead, soggy cigarette that he found still grit between his yellow teeth and went back to his seat. Everyone was looking at him. But with the expression on his face, only Alyce dared speak to him. "Now that you have some breathing room, can you fix this?"

"Not without parts, hon, an' nothin' movin' on this road till the rain stops."

[Mercy Merchant]

Alyce feels Al go past her and out the window of the stalled bus and wonders for a moment why he is going that route, but then realizes the brilliance of his maneuver.  The noise from the front of the bus indicates that there is no way to make one's way to the door.  Following suit, Alyce pushes her pack through the open window then leaves by the same way.  The moving water has made this part of the unpaved roadway quite slick and Alyce slips and falls on her ass, giving a slight yelp.  The rain and flowing water drenches her in seconds, and it takes an effort to stand.  She turns her sonar on as she grabs for her pack and slips it over her shoulders.  She notes that Al is at the rear of the bus and has a compartment open, presumably where the engine sits.  As he seems quite busy, she just stands and watches him at work, impressed with him more and more.  He does not say much, but he lets his actions speak for him.

She "watches" Al as he climbs to the roof of the bus and starts throwing things off.  Back on the ground he starts ripping something apart that looks like a machine of some sort, perhaps an old-style washing machine.  A couple of the other passengers start a ruckus and Al calls her over, telling her to buy the damned machine.  Alyce talks to two older men who feel that the machine is worth far more than its true value, but she knows that to these people, something like this is worth far more than its intrinsic value.  She negotiates a price and pulls some scrip out of a pocket and gives it to them.  Happy with the bargain, the men move away and motion for her to keep the machine.  Finally, Al indicates that he has done what he can and gives the driver the word to start the engine.  A ragged cheer erupts from the people standing near the bus as it begins to move forward.

The cheers turn to groans as the bus stops and threatens to return to the bottom of the ravine and Al quickly responds by organizing a brigade of passengers to push the bus the last few feet up the slope, where the engine dies for the last time.  As the rest of the people move to re-board the bus, Alyce moves to stand near Al, who is tossing a sopping wet cigarette from his lips.  Without touching him she says, "You are an amazing man, Al.  You saved these people from drowning  and now they have shelter from the rain.  Now that you have some breathing room, can you fix this?"

"Not without parts, hon, an' nothin' movin' on this road til the rain stops."

Alyce thinks then slips her pack off her back and kneels beside it, working at some of the straps.  Standing she moves closer enough to Al that she can talk without yelling.  "Let me help you.  I can do this, but I will need someone to watch over me.  Can you give me a list of what you need or think you will need?  Just tell me; I will remember.  But I will be defenseless here while I go arrange for what you need.  In the meantime, here is something I picked up in the market.  I was waiting to surprise you, but now seems a good time."

Alyce hands Al two packages of filterless Camels.  "So.  I hope I got the brand right.  Give me your list."

In the darkness, the only light is coming from the windows of the bus.  The rain has plastered Alyce's clothes to her form and her face is close enough for Al to see the dead eyes past her glasses.