Black Market Merchant

Chapter 114: Climbers
The next morning Lisa said her goodbyes to the Smithy’s and thanked them for their hospitality. They really were a delightful couple, even if Mr. Smithy was always grumpy. Lisa was especially thankful to have an actual meal, even if small, then eating wild game all the time.

Leaving from there Lisa went back to the ERM headquarters where she had been told that her new volunteers were to meet up. When she arrived Gillian, Nathan and the five volunteers were waiting along with a short, skinny man she hadn’t yet met. They didn’t seem to have been waiting long and were just now leaving the building.

”Ah, there she is.” Gillian called out seeing Lisa crossing the mostly open parking lot. ”Let me introduce to you Mr. Yates. He is the one in charge of the Mech’s maintenance and operation.”

”It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Cunningham.” Mr. Yates said stepping forward to extend a hand to Lisa.

”Likewise, and just call me Lisa.” Lisa said taking his hand to shake it. ”I am curious to see these Mover Mechs. I have seen the AFR military mechs before, but not a civilian Mech.”

”Well, you will see them soon enough. They are not all that impressive, especially compared to military mechs. I already have them ready to go and preparations for their journey are done.” Mr. Yates replied.

Gillian pointed at a small crate next to the door they had exited from. ”As for the ropes you asked for, we couldn’t find any that were in any condition for climbing. However, we do have some chains that might suite your needs. I also have the poles and flags you need for marking the location. I’ll just carry them there with me.”

Lisa went over to the create and picked up one of the chains. They were caked in a rusty dirt grime, but they were definitely thick enough to support the weight of everything for the climb.

”Ok these will have to do.” Lisa said putting the chain back and picking up the crate to tuck it under her arm like a purse. This was a shock to all watching as the crate had to be over 45 kilograms! ”Let’s go check out the spot I suggested and make sure that it’s satisfactory.”

”Sounds good.” Nathan and Gillian said at the same time holding back their surprise. Their unified reaction brought about a bit of laughter from the group.

Along the way Nathan and Gillian talked about the damaged buildings and roads. How they were destroyed by the Mechs during the fight with the Black Rats. They also explained how bad things had been under the Black Rats controls and the people were always struggling. Then the five volunteers also mentioned some of the things that happened to them by the gangsters.

”Seems like this town has a lot of problems. At least more so than just what’s on the surface.” Lisa thought while listening. ”Who would have guessed that out here in the middle of nowhere, that gangs would be such an issue. It almost feels like I’m in a Mad Max movie.”

It wasn’t long until they got out of town and arrived at the cliff at the north of town. This time Lisa had traveled further away from the last point she had observed by the concrete company and was now closer towards the dam. Up above on the cliff edge they could see where the trees were growing. While in contrast, down here in the valley, only stubby bushes and yellowed grass grew.

”This is about the area I was considering.” Lisa said pointing to the right of where the tree line ended. ”Now, I am no expert on construction, but it might be best to leave the Mechs up on top. This way they just need to simply push sand, dirt and rock over the edge until it all reaches the top. Then we can start flattening it out into a slope and build the path.”

”That’s probably the best idea for what we have at the moment.” Mr. Yates replied. ”If we sent the Mechs back down here to work and they ran low on power, then we would have to march them all the way around again to recharge them. Besides your idea would likely take less time to accomplish from the top.”

”Sounds reasonable enough.” Gillian remarked scratching the stubble growing on his chin. ”So now you’re going to try and climb this cliff? I still think it’s easier to just take a boat.”

”It would, but that’s not the point.” Lisa said turning to face everyone. ”The point is to help build a team spirit and work on solving problems together. Forming a strong unit bond is a surefire way to accomplish any goal effectively.”

”Don’t worry Lisa. We all know each other very well. This will be a breeze.” Wayne replied giving a grin.

”That’s right.” Willis added. ”Ava, Henry and I grew up on the same street together. Wayne and Tayvon only lived just only on the next block over and we hung out often.”

”The only thing that’s of concern is climbing.” Ava said glancing in its direction. ”None of us have ever climbed something like that.”

”It’s not overly difficult. I will be right there explaining what to do.” Lisa said to them. ”Hold out your hands, with your palms up.”

The five of them did just that and Lisa looked over them carefully. Their hands were rough and callused, a clear sign that they were used to hard labor. They were likely not going to have any problems climbing, even for amateurs.

”You all will do fine.” Lisa said after looking them over. ”It’s all just a matter of how strong your grip is. The rest will come naturally.”

Lisa also noticed that all five of the volunteers had on backpacks just as she had asked them to get. However, she couldn’t see any kind of weapon on them. It seemed strange to her that militia troops would be unarmed, especially when going to somewhere they knew nothing about. Her curiosity quickly got the better of her.

”I have to ask, where are your weapons?”

The five of them glanced at each other questionably. Willis and Ava shrugged and Tayvon nudged Wayne to speak.

”Well, uh, I have a pocketknife.” Wayne stuttered and took out an old looking 10-centimeter knife. It was hardly worth calling a weapon. ”The rest of them don’t have anything yet. We only used the guns we stole from the gangsters.”

”I see. Well let’s just hope it won’t come to the point that you might need some.” Lisa said with a sigh. ”In the meantime, of you want too, find something that you would like to be your weapon. This is apparently your first time leaving the town and the world is a lot more dangerous and unforgiving than you realize. I’m not just talking about people either, as there are animals and monsters too.”

”Monsters?” Henry repeated questionably. ”We’re not children. So, you don’t need to make stuff up.”

”Actually, I’m not. There are real monsters.” Lisa replied with a straight face. ”There are creatures called Twisted and they are like the nightmares you had as a kid. I am sure that Gillian and Nathan know about them, as well as the elders in town.”

Gillian and Nathan both nodded. However, Nathan was just as clueless as the volunteers, he hadn’t heard of them before, besides bedside stories. After all he was nearly the same age as them. Yet he was the leader of the ERM and couldn’t reveal that he didn’t know anything.

Then Gillian spoke and everyone listened. ”Lisa is right. Twisted are a very real threat. Though there hasn’t been any seen around here in years. Those monsters that we did see, were only a few weakened creatures and the gangsters could handle them. The desert has mostly kept them at bay and starved for us.”

”I actually fought one at the dam just a few weeks ago.” Lisa said to him. ”I can show you its bones, if they’re still there.”

”R-really? Monsters are real?” Henry replied hearing all this. The others shifted nervously.

”Not to worry. There was only one and I killed it fairly easily. They aren’t scary once dead.” Lisa said to them reassuringly. ”In any case, we still need to get up on the cliff. So, let’s get to it and quit wasting time.”

Lisa turned to start heading towards the cliffs bottom edge and everyone followed. The sun was starting to get hotter now and it was probably best to get moving now. Though it was still technically spring, the sun was starting to heat things up faster by the day.

”Good luck.” Nathan said to the volunteers. ”Mr. Yates and I will just watch from here. I don’t think we can help much.” Mr. Yates nodded in agreement.

Gillian took a few steps towards the cliff, ”I’ll stay at the bottom and make sure everyone will be ok.”

”Very well. Now guys here is the plan. Wayne, you will go first and find the right places to grab and stand. As the lightest and the leader that should be your priority.” Lisa told him.

Wayne nodded and gulped nervously. This was actually the first time he had been told to actually lead someone. Not to mention while doing something he wasn’t too sure of himself.

”Tayvon and Willis, you two will go next. As the strongest looking of you all it’s important that you’re there to help if anyone slips.” Lisa continued. ”You’ll help because you all will be linked together by this chain, of which will be attached to you by the loop on your belts. Luckily you all have on jeans and belts, so that makes things easier in the absence of climbing gear.”

Lisa slipped off her coffin and opened it up to remove several lengths of short rope. ”This is what we will use for the loops. They are strong enough. Because I tested them last night.” She then handed the short ropes to the five of them. ”Go ahead and tie them on, tightly.”

The five of them did just that and fortunately they were knowledgeable enough to tie good knots. Double checking them, Lisa was satisfied with how they did it. So, she went on to finish explaining.

”I’ll go up first and find a suitable route.” She stopped and cleared her throat and then she put on a more serious expression. ”There is one rule you must follow. If any rock, stone, or pebble falls while you’re climbing you must yell out that it is. That’s super important. If one falls and hits a person below in the eye, finger or head it will jeopardize everyone’s safety. So be careful and warn each other immediately. This is part of your teamwork skills.”

The five of them nodded slowly unsure how else to answer. They were starting to understand that Lisa was very adamant about things she did.

”Alright. Go ahead and thread the chain into the loophole and tie the chain ends to yourselves. I am going to start first.” Lisa said turning towards the cliff.

Before she started climbing, Lisa took the crate of chains and poles from Gillian and strapped them to the top of her coffin. She then shouldered all the heavy objects onto her back with ease. Apparently, she intended to climb with it all on!

Lisa did just that. The cliff wall started a few dozen meters above the valley floor. Rocks, shale and sand had fallen over time and piled up to create a slippery half hill at the cliffs bottom. When she reached the actual cliff, Lisa looked at it carefully for a few moments.

The cliff further towards the trees looked safer. It was rockier and had a few large boulders sticking out of it. Then at the top tree roots were sticking out, which would also be useful if they weren’t dry rotted. The rest of the area to the left looked to smooth or the rocks to lose. Deciding her route, Lisa started climbing and she made it look easy even while being bogged down by her coffin. She had climbed ten meters before she started to slow down as the rocks became looser at this level.

Seeing this feat Nathan couldn’t help but marvel aloud. ”Just how strong is she? What exactly drove her to become like this in the first place. She like no woman I’ve met. It’s kind of cool.”

”That’s exactly what I was thinking.” Mr. Yates replied.

This startled Nathan. He did realize he was speaking out loud. He gave a light cough and continued. ”I guess we will need to learn more about her.”

”You mean, you need to.” Mr. Yates said giving a rare smile.

Nathan looked questionably at the older man. ”What do you mean by that?”

Mr. Yates shook his head. ”Awe come on. She is a good-looking girl and you’re a good-looking guy. I see the way you look at her.”

”Oh please, we are just business partners and only just met.” Nathan said looking away from him and his face felt hot. He hoped that Mr. Yates would not notice. ”Besides, we don’t have time to do anything like that. We have responsibilities.”

”If you say so.” Mr. Yates said turning to go. ”I’ll get the Mechs and pilots ready to leave now.”