Excerpt: Oh Glory

Silence fell in The Lucky Cap as the barkeeper turned up the volume on the television, which showed the President standing at a podium with Eden’s symbol behind him.

“Today,” he spoke, a smile evident on his face even though his beard hid his mouth from view. “Is a momentous day. Our Mars team has gone out into the Wasteland, and, through risking their own lives, managed to capture one of the outlaws.”

The footage cut to video of a teenaged girl, dressed in rags, being led into the jail by Luther. Her mousy hair was snarled, and she had a cut on her face like she’d put up a struggle. Matt didn’t doubt she had.

But then it cut back to the President, who still seemed to smile. “She will be rehabilitated; taught by some of the best tutors in Eden until she can be found a proper home, in the proper place. The Wasteland is no place for children, after all.”

The footage cut. Matt looked away from the television as conversation in the bar slowly was restarted, this time discussing the outlandish looking Wasteland girl.

“No place for children, he says.” He muttered after a moment, seeing Celeste look away out of the corner of his eye. “What a joke.”