We rounded the bend, and Outertown hove into view. We could see that they'd been busy since the worm, since the walls were once more intact, and even more, reinforced with what appeared to be blocks of stone cut from the surrounding canyon rock. Doc had move into the fore, and his eyes scanned the walls avidly, a vague expression of approval on his young face. However, as I watched him look at the town of his birth, I saw his expression shift through puzzled into concerned. I turned my own eyes back toward the town, though it took me a moment to see what was wrong.
The gates stood open like they usually did when there was no imminent threat, and thin streamers of smoke rose from behind the walls; Cook fires, and probably Elwin's forge. That was all as expected, but the demeanor of the toughs at the gate was slouchy, and the slight buzz of voices and activity from inside seemed off, more raucous than expected. While the residents of Outertown had formerly been raiders and bandits, they'd acquired a veneer of civility and sophistication in the generation since they'd thrown their lot in with the Nova Vi vault-born. The few visible guardians held themselves like wild dogs; simultaneously wary of a kick and greedy for whatever they could snatch.
"Something's wrong," Doc said, and I nodded. Chasity had obviously noticed it too, as had Tex, since they'd both fanned out to either side of Doc and me. I stopped and dropped one hand to my holster; Doc didn't reach for his submachine gun, but I could easily see the tension in his shoulders as he took a couple more steps forward, eyes still intent on the town.
"Wall," Chasity said tightly.
Looking where she indicated, I saw one of the two pintle-mounted cannons was swinging around, and I could hear the hum as its reactor came online. From the gate, a party of men emerged, the leader not ostensibly armed, but the two flanking him with their weapons at the ready. The lead man had a cocky grin on his face as he approached.
"Welcome to Outertown," he said, his voice oozing with repressed humor, and his eyes dark and cruel. "How can you serve us today?"
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