Time Remaining: 36 Days, 17 Hours. (Status: Parked in shadow. Tires are critical. Traction systems empty.) Location: Sector 3 - The Sky-Docks (The Boneyard).
The shadow of the pylon was the only thing keeping them alive.
Outside the shade, the Glass Plains were baking at 65°C. Inside the shadow, it was a cool, manageable 40°C. The Iron Horse sat idling, steam hissing gently from the radiator. It looked like a wounded beast. The front bumper was missing (ripped off at the Gate), the paint was bubbled, and the tires were slick with melted rubber.
Arthur kicked the front left tire. It felt soft, like chewing gum. "We can't cross the rest of the plain like this," Arthur said, wiping grease from his face. "Without sand for traction, we're just sliding. And without tread on the tires, the next heat-wave will pop them."
"We need grit," Vivian said, looking at the smooth glass ground. "But the whole world is glass. There's no sand left. The nuke melted it all."
