“Did you draw this?” she asked, smiling.
“Focus, Bee-bee.” He tapped the location again. “You see this here?”
“I see,” she said, nodding. “That’s some buildings?”
His hand dropped like a brick then he lifted the map again. “Do buildings have flower shaped roof’s, Phelony Marie?” He pointed again. “That’s trees.” He moved his hand up. “These are buildings.”
“Of course. Got it. Is that where we going?”
“These trees right here? Marks the border of the land.”
“And what’s those X’s?”
“That’s a fence.”
“We going to the fence?”
“This is us. Right here.” He slowly moved his finger on the line. “We’re headed here.”
“To the fence?” she said.
“Bee-bee, if there’s somebody up to no good, we don’t go directly to anything, we have to scope things out first. See these little circles? That’s some smaller trees. We’re headed there—that’s our scope point.”
“You been there before?”
“I don’t need to have been there before. I got this straight off the map 8-Bit made for this Hatch.”
“Oh, smart,” she said, nodding. “We scope out and see what we can see.”
“Correct.” He paused, sighing.
“What?” she wondered, looking up at him in the dark.
“You want a name or something? I don’t really have a second in command like everybody else.”
“You don’t?”
“Nah, we don’t have hierarchy in the chop-chop. In there, we’re all the same. Blood and blades, meat and bones.”
“Oh, okay. Hmmm. A name?”
“Like a… a title or handle. Bullets has 38 and Shank has Steel. Bishop has Anvil and Nitro has Fuse. See what I’m saying?”
“I see, yep,” she nodded, glancing up at him. “If you want me to have a handle or a title, I’m fine with it.”
He angled his head, checking her face for the truth. “This is a legitimate and very important job in the Horde.”
“I know it is,” she swore with her scout’s honor gaze. “I’d be happy with whatever title you give me.”
He leaned down and pecked her mouth then folded the map back. “Let me think on it. It’s gotta have relevance. And kick-assery. You keep the flashlight.” He remembered the night vision goggles on his head and put them on. “From here on out, we’re moving by the light of the moon.”
She gave a single nod. “Roger that.”
He paused again. “We need a better affirmative,” he realized, heading down the path. “Roger that is more a Bullets thing.”
“Oh, well… what about… yes-sir-ree or… maybe something more food or cooking related. ‘In the pan?’ ‘On the stove?’”
Bacon laughed. “Ah damn you’re so cute.”