The Rider (Complete)

Chapter Eleven

What made the route to Tri-City so dangerous was that there was no route. Traversing the badlands, as they were called, was more like completing a video game. First level was the dunes, then the ruins, the sinkholes, the mountains, the desert, the then the pit. Each level posed their own sets of challenges.

The dunes were the first checkpoint that was notorious for wreaking havoc on vehicles. The soft sand would clog up moving parts and cause tires to get stuck.

The ruins had miles of hazardous debris and scavengers — a lawless group of bandits that would stop at nothing to get their hands on anything of value. They were mostly after oxygen — the pure stuff. They were clever too, setting traps and relentlessly pursuing their targets, forcing them to panic and make mistakes. More often than not, people travelling through these parts never made it passed the ruins.

For those luckily enough to survive the first two parts were met with a long stretch covered in sinkholes — large openings in the Earth loosely concealed with sand and rock. Even a small sinkhole could kill a traveller if they were unfortunate enough to fall in. The larger holes were easier to avoid, but the surrounding area was just as unstable. Even the slightest weight or disturbance could cause the ground to shift and collapse without warning. If the fall wasn't enough to kill a person, the subsequent rubble would bury them alive.

Next, was a steep ascent into the mountains. The treacherous climb through acid rain and snow weren't the only hazards. The sudden changes in weather, falling rock, broken roads, unstable bridges, and other passengers were just some of the things to watch out for.

Once through the mountains, travellers would be met with miles upon miles of desert. These parts weren't known to have any people, but the threats were endless. The hot climate, the freezing temperate drop at night, the sandstorms... any one could be enough to pose serious health risks or cause equipment failure.

Making it through these stages were actually the easiest part of the journey. As for the pit, Kade didn't want to even think about it until the time came.

There were no rest stops along the way, no hotels or restaurants, no mechanics that could help repair or replace broken parts, no creeks or lakes to drink from or wash up. A traveller was pretty much on their own — human vs. nature.

Unfortunately, there was only one way across.

At night, the temperature dropped to sub 30 degrees Celsius, but Kade's suit kept his body temperature stable — an upgrade from Mr. Chu. The suit also worked in hot climates as well, to keep his body cool. Without it, he would succumb to the elements.

Kade had been riding throughout the night, breathing a supply of pure oxygen, which aided his wakeful state. At a certain point he would have to stop and get proper rest. His body was used to being hunched over for long periods of time, but with the beating and the mental anguish he had endured, he was about ready to collapse.

He entered the dunes just as the sun was rising, which created the most picturesque beauty he had seen in a while. Seeing the gradient orange sky as the sun rose over the rolling mounds of sand was almost worth the trip. As the sun continued to rise, it would make the desert unbearable. Fortunately, Kade had all the proper gear he needed.

The road had run out over a kilometre ago, and Kade saw nothing but endless dunes in every direction. With a simple voice command, he launched his drone, which exploded out of the back of his bike and climbed to over two-hundred feet within seconds. Through his digital display, he got a topographical view of the landscape. As he had suspected, there were no places to rest or hide. There were no caves or trees casting shade, just a barren wasteland.

He reduced his speed and eventually came to a stop. After a quick systems check, he dismounted his bike and stretched his legs and back. The hydration system in his helmet was enough to last the trip, but only when he was connected to his bike. He had been slowly sipping it all night and had gotten used to it. Now he was ten paces away from his bike and had a slight moment of panic when he attempted to take a drink and nothing came out.

After relieving himself, he walked back to his bike, rehydrated, and then laid down for a quick nap. He had instructed his drone to continue to survey the area and alert him of any danger. Nestling into a grove in the sand, Kade closed his eyes and fell asleep almost instantly. He only needed a few hours sleep.

Near the end of his sleep cycle, Kade was awoken by a soft beeping sound. In a state of delirium, he forgot where he was and instinctually reached for his weapon. He posted up in a sitting position and looked ahead, but didn't see any danger. He checked the temperature and it was much lower than he was expecting. As he continued to become more awake and gather his senses, he noticed it was also much dimmer. Nevertheless, the alarm from the drone persisted.

He rose to his feet and looked behind him. He stood in awe for a moment at the sheer magnitude of what was coming toward him. A giant wall of sand that stretched skyward, blocking out the sun. It was a nasty storm with thunder and lighting, unlike anything he had ever experienced before. It caught him off guard.

He retrieved his drone and plotted out what he would do next. As he saw it, there were only three options — outrun it, stay put and hunker down, or ride into it. It made little sense to head back in the direction in which he had come. There was also no way around it. In that moment, he heard a voice in his head. It was Mr. Chu telling him to analyse the situation and stack the odds in his favour. There was no need to take unnecessary risks and riding blindly into a giant sand storm on a bike just didn't seem like a wise decision.

If he was going to ride out the storm, he needed to act quickly. He mounted his bike and rode to the largest dune he could find and parked on the opposite side as the storm. He then took out a cable from a compartment on his bike and buried one end into the ground as deep as possible. On the end of the cable were spikes that stuck out like a grapple and acted as a land anchor. The cable was intended to be a winch, but he had to improvise. As the storm grew nearer, he tipped his bike on top of him, creating some sort of barrier of protection, and then got into a fetal position.

The thunderous winds swept over the dune, creating a noise so loud that he could hardly hear himself think. Now fully engulfed in the swirling debris of chaos. He felt the bike move and expected it to be ripped from the ground and tossed around like a plastic bag. However, taking refuge behind one of the dunes seemed to have sheltered him from the strong gusts of wind. Now all he had to worry about was being buried alive.

The storm seemed never-ending. He laid in one spot, covered in sand, for over an hour. His helmet was completely covered, blocking out his vision, but fortunately he could still breathe. Through his heads-up display, he was able to monitor everything from the wind and temperature. Once the winds slowed down and the temperature began to climb, he knew the storm had passed and the sun was now out.

A heavy blanket of sand covered him, restricting his movements. He struggled, pushed and kicked, but with each movement, it seemed to only make him more stuck. Claustrophobia was an issue for him, and for a brief moment he felt like he could die there. Less than 24 hours into his trip, the harsh environment had nearly taken him out. He needed to think of a solution, quickly.

He felt around and found the cable. He then remembered Mr. Chu telling him the bike could go on autopilot from voice commands. He spoke the command, "Bike, drive ten feet."

The bike came to life and the thick tires found traction in the soft sand. Instantly, he could feel the ground move around him. Still holding onto the cable, the bike centered itself and pulled him out the dune, dragging him across the sand for ten feet before coming to a stop.

"That was cool."