More Zombies Than Bullets by Carl Cart & Kelly Pitt

Author:Carl Cart & Kelly Pitt
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2013-07-13T14:00:00+00:00

Twenty minutes of slow maneuvering and we were free of old Saint Louis. The roadway became less crowded with wreckage, and then suddenly was almost clear. Simon opened the car’s exterior vents to clear out the fouled air. He pushed the car up to forty miles per hour, slowing occasionally to veer around a wreck or other obstacle. Tucker Boulevard became State Highway Thirty. We followed it southwest into the night.

“Here,” Stone suggested. He handed me a water bottle. I took off my shirt and rinsed it out before putting it back on. I diligently watched the radar screen, but nothing appeared.

The crew was quiet and the mood was tense. Simon had warned me that we were most likely to encounter an aerial patrol during the first forty miles or so. This leg was the most dangerous part of the trip. All I could do was ride along and pray we weren’t acquired by the Fed’s surveillance systems.

“Just how dangerous is this part of the trip?” I asked nervously. “I mean, the Feds won’t be able to locate us, right? You told me that the car’s invisible to them.”

Simon shot me an annoyed look. “The Apache pilots have FLIR. Its an advanced thermal imaging system. I know how it works, so I’ve done everything possible to counter their abilities. They could still spot us, especially if they surprise us while we are moving,” he explained.

“How does FLIR work?” I inquired.

“Basically it uses an advanced infrared camera system to measure differences in thermal gradients. Every material absorbs and diffuses heat at a different rate. A large object, say like a transport vehicle,” Simon paused to wave his hand in a circle to indicate the car. “Stands out like a neon sign against a different background material,” he explained.

“But the Nachtpanzer is an electric car, and it’s mostly plastic. I thought it didn’t give off heat,” I interrupted.

“Correct,” Simon continued. “But as I was saying, the car is composed of a different material than the road, except for its coating.”

I was confused. “Wait, you lost me.”

“I thought you said this guy was supposed to be smart,” Thumper interjected.

“The Nachtpanzer is coated with a thin layer of roll-on asphalt,” Simon explained, “It gives the car roughly the same heat signature as the roadway. I can’t hide the shape of the vehicle, so we made it as non-rectangular as possible. When we aren’t moving we tend to blend in, as long as we stay on the road.”

“How in the hell did you think of that?” I queried.

“The Germans used to coat their tanks with concrete back in the day. It kept the Russians from sticking magnetic mines to them,” he answered. “I just updated the concept.”

I considered this for a moment. “What would we do if a chopper spotted us anyway?” I asked quietly.

“Don’t even say that,” Thumper growled. “It’s bad luck.”

“Sorry,” I muttered, “I didn’t know.”

“If the Feds should spot us, our only option is to take them out first,” Simon explained. “If

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