The last defender of Camelot by Roger Zelazny

Author:Roger Zelazny [Zelazny, Roger]
Format: epub
Published: 2010-05-12T22:00:00+00:00

that caused the engine to sputter and cough.

They reached the shelter of the hills, though, and

found a place within a rocky valley where the walls

jutted steeply forward and broke the main force of the

wind/sand/dust/rock/water storm. They sat there as the

winds screamed and boomed about them. They smoked

and they listened.

"We won't make it," said Greg. "You were right. I

thought we had a chance. We don't. Everything's against

us, even the weather."

"We've got a chance," said Tanner. "Maybe not a

real good one. But we've been lucky so far. Remember

that."

Greg spat into the waste container.

"Why the sudden optimism? From you?"

"I was mad before and shooting off my mouth. Well,

I'm still mad—but I got me a feeling now: I feel lucky.

That's all."

Greg laughed. "The hell with luck. Look out there," he

said.

"I see it," said Tanner. "This buggy is built to take it,

and it's doing it. Also, we're only getting about ten percent

of its full strength."

"Okay, but what difference does it make? It could

last for a couple days."

"So we wait it out."

"Wait too long, and even that ten percent can smash

us. Wait too long, and even if it doesn't there'll be no

reason left to go ahead. Try driving, though, and it'll

flatten us."

"It'll take me ten or fifteen minutes to fix that scanner.

We've got spare 'eyes.' If the storm lasts more than

six hours, we'll start out anyway."

"Says who?"

"Me."

"Why? You're the one who was so hot on saving his

own neck. How come all of a sudden you're willing to

risk it, not to mention mine too?"

Tanner smoked awhile, then said, "I've been thinking,"

and then he didn't say anything else.

"About what?" Greg' asked him.

"Those folks in Boston," Tanner said. "Maybe it is

worth it. I don't know. They never did anything for me.

THE LAST DEFENDER OF CAMELOT 157

But hell, I like action and I'd hate to see the whole world

get dead. I think I'd like to see Boston, too, just to see

what it's like. It might even be fun being a hero, just to

see what that's like. Don't get me wrong. I don't give a

damn about anybody up there. It's just that I don't like

the idea of everything being like the Alley here—all

burned-out and screwed up and full of crap. When we

lost the other car back in those tornadoes, it made me

start thinking. ... I'd hate to see everybody go that way

—everything. I might still cop out if I get a real good

chance, but I'm just telling you how I feel now. That's

all."

Greg looked away and laughed, a little more heartily

than usual.

"I never suspected you contained such philosophic

depths."

"Me neither. I'm tired. Tell me about your brothers

and sisters, huh?"

"Okay."

Four hours later when the storm slackened and the

rocks became dust and the rain fog. Tanner replaced the

right scanner, and they moved on out, passing later

through Rocky Mountain National Park. The dust and

the fog combined to limit visibility, throughout the day.

That evening they skirted the ruin that was Denver,

and Tanner took over as they headed toward the place

that had once been called Kansas.

He drove all night, and in the morning the sky was

clearer than it bad been in days.

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