"That's not good," Hammer said. "Not good at all."

Leo nodded. The movement made his head ache, reminding him of Burt's attentions. "I know. And it's my fault. I shouldn't have taken her up to my apartment to write that letter." He gestured at the piece of paper on the table between them.

They were in Hammer's quarters. Herb, the helmeted guard, stood behind his boss, glowering at Leo.

Hammer smacked his fist on the table. "Yes, your fault. And you're so right. You shouldn't have done that. But you probably were planning to have some more fun with that girl."

Leo shrugged, unwilling to admit that he had never claimed the woman.

"Why are we men always thinking with our dicks, can you tell me?" Hammer asked.

"It's in our nature, I guess." Yes, Beth's shy smile and smart words had lured Leo in, made him drop his defenses, and he hated himself for it. "I'll take Spike, Hawk, and Bolt, and we'll look for them."

And he could go looking for Doc Faith to tell her to see after Flora.

Hammer snorted. "The two Gaters will be dead before evening. They won't make it through the day."

That rang true. Still, Leo wanted to search the city for them. He didn't give a damn about what happened to Burt, but Beth had saved Hope and him, out there, when he was lying helpless on the ground, and her companion wanted to kill them both.

And he wanted to question the woman. Confront her with the two faces of her actions. She had saved Hope in the end, but only after she had started the whole mess by kidnapping her.

"I'm disappointed," Hammer's words pulled Leo from his thoughts. "Before your dad died, I promised him to look after you as if you were my own. And that's what I did. I gave you one of the best apartments for your mother, wife, and daughter. I even made you my second in command. And now, two pampered Gater kids escape while you're watching." He hit the table with his flat hand. "And you know what? This is not a world for losers. If you want to live, you've gotta fight to win. You can't afford to lose. We need the weapons from the Gaters. With them, we can chase away the Bikers and keep the Tunnelers in their pits. We've already lost too many people. Too many, not only your dad."

Pearls of sweat glistened on Hammer's bald head as he locked eyes with Leo. "This world is only for the fighters and the winners. The price for mistakes is too high. I can't afford to pamper those who let themselves be cheated. And I can't afford to feed their moms and daughters. Nor to pay for their doctor. I owe this to our people."

Feed their moms and daughters. And pay their doctors. The words hung between them, their threat as palpable as the wooden table.

"I'm sorry, but these are the hard facts," Hammer added, shaking his head and crossing his muscular arms before his chest. "Nothing but the truth."

Leo knew he had been an idiot. He shouldn't have allowed Beth to hold Hope. And even then, he should have been man enough not to be coerced by her.

But he'd do anything to protect Hope.

Avoiding Hammer's eyes, his gaze fell on the letter on the table. The one that Beth had written. He grabbed it and held it up, realizing it was the solution to his problems.

To their problems.

"There's something we can do," he said. "We've still got this message she wrote. If I don't find the runaways, they're probably dead. But their people won't know that. So I'll take this letter to Seaside."

He paused, waiting for Hammer's reaction.

For a moment, the older man said nothing. Then his lips twitched with a smile. "Smart boy," he said. "Succeed with that, and your family can keep the apartment. Hurry." He gestured towards the door.

Leo nodded, and—happy to get out of the man's sight—he left the office.

Outside, the village kept up with its daily routine as if nothing had happened. People worked the fields down on the green. Two kids played ball between two huts. And the smell of food lay in the air.

He turned towards one of the smaller houses. Jade lived there, the woman looking after Flora. Starlet stood by its door, her large eyes on Leo as he approached.

"Hey, is your grandma inside?"

The girl nodded.

The single room held two beds, with Flora on the smaller one and Jade sitting at her side.

"How is she?" he asked.

"She's asleep..." Jade shrugged. "... or unconscious. The bleeding has stopped, though."

The skin on his sister's face was as white as death, making him remember how they brought his wife back after she had died. He touched her clammy brow.

"She needs the Doc," Jade said.

"Yes. I'll go find her. Now."

"Good, then hurry."

As he left the house, Starlet stopped him by grabbing his sleeve. "They don't have proper names."

Confused, Leo stopped. "Who?"

"The Gaters. That woman calls herself Bess, or something. But that name means nothing, and that's bad luck. You should give her a real name."

The unexpected statement made Leo grapple for words. "Why should I give her a name?"

"They say you've claimed her," Starlet said. "So you have to look after her... make sure she's got a name."

"She's... run off."

The girl's eyes widened. "That's not good."

"No, it's not."

~~~

When Leo finally left the stadium with Spike, Hawk, and Bolt, the sun was past noon, and the day's heat weighed heavy on the ruins and dug into the wound on his head.

He glanced back up at the wall of the stadium, seeking out the windows he knew to be his own, hoping to get a last glance of his mother and Hope. But all he found was an empty rectangle of glass.

"Where do we go?" Spike scratched his head and eyed Leo while chewing his herb.

"City center." That was what Beth and Burt had headed for—unless they had tried to deceive him or changed their mind. And going there would it would take Leo past Doc Faith's lair—he could ask her to check on Flora.

"To city center? You must be kidding. They're as good as dead, then."

"That's where they went."

"It's hopeless, then." Spike glanced up into the pale blue sky. "We should have waited until evening when it's cooler."

"Yeah, it would be cooler then." Leo forced the words through his headache. "But if we go now, we might still catch them."

Spike spat, his phlegm and herb hitting the dust with a splat and sending up a small cloud of dust. "We won't. There's no way they could survive down there. They know nothing about the dangers of that place."

Spike was right. The Gaters were probably dead by now. Or, if they made it until nightfall, they'd be dragged into the tunnels under the city.

So Leo would probably have to take that letter to Seaside and bluff these people out of their weapons.