Once Upon A Time In The Western Zone The jeep rollicked across the sand, spitting clouds into the early sun. The dawn burned like toxic waste across the horizon. The tires froze and the jeep lurched to a stop in the burning valley. Out popped a troop of soldiers who quickly went to work, spreading out into the wreckage. Guns drawn, eyes darting. "Austen, Kale," Captain Wolfe said. "Take the ship." The sniper and engineer sprinted toward the flames. Jas, the heavy gunner, flanked the site. She found two bodies propped up by boulders. A woman in a correctional officer uniform and a young man with crumbled glasses. "Got some bodies!" Jas called. Captain Wolfe nodded to Jules, who picked up her kit and sped to the rocks. Austen gave Kale a boost up into the smoldering remains of the ship. Austen called up shortly after, "How's it look?" Kale popped back out of the hatch, coughing up a lung. She dropped down and landed on the ground. "A whole lot of nothing. Console's trashed, reactor's buggy. Call Harry and tell him to get his scrap team out here ASAP." "Any pulses?" Austen said. "The frame's the only thing that really held up," Kale said. "And even that's melted to hell." "Copy," Austen said. "Let's report." The ladies trotted back to Captain Wolfe, who was standing with Jas near the two survivors. Jules fluttered over them nervously. "Status?" Wolfe said. "He's fine," Jules said, pointing to the young man. "He'll have a headache, but..." "And her?" Wolfe said. "She's comatose. My guess is internal bleeding." "Alright," Wolfe said. "Jas, help Jules get them in the back of the sidewinder." Austen and Kale approached the Captain. "Report." "No pulses," Austen said. "And nothing else worth saving." "Any ideas how this happened?" Wolfe asked Kale. "Well," Kale said. "I'd rule out foul play. No structural damage suggesting an attack. It appears to be electrical, but no way of knowing what caused it since the motherboard's liquid." "Got it," Wolfe said. "Alright, bitches. Let's get these folks back to town and let Harry bat clean-up." "Aye, sir," the soldiers said. They all climbed into the sidewinder. Wolfe got into the passenger seat and slammed the door, knocking some dust off their platoon logo on the side: a skull smeared in lipstick, smoking a cigarette. The elaborate script underlining it said, "Inglorious Bitches." The sidewinder snarled in the sand and sped toward Atlas Rock.