My "sandpunk" story. A bodyguard arrives in a former penal colony and gets dragged into her employer's interests.
Desert Dogma Chapter 1 by Kid-Apocalypse, literature
Literature
Desert Dogma Chapter 1
Chapter One: En Route
Hot wind and sand worked their way into every crevice. A dramatic change indeed. It was what she had wanted. Mercy Deering pressed her lips into a thin line, trusting her goggles to keep the sand out of her eyes at least.
It amazed her how such a wide, unending space could be so empty. Nothing but sand and brush as far as the eye could see. Her boots clanked against the back of the jeep as it bumped along the primitive excuse for a path. The steady rhythm of it might have rocked her to sleep if not for the blinding white light of the sun.
She gritted her teeth. The light was bad enough, breaking through the tin
Desert Dogma Chapter 2 by Kid-Apocalypse, literature
Literature
Desert Dogma Chapter 2
Chapter Two: Destination Blues
All of the advantages of a desert night melted away with the first rays of the sun. Mercy tugged her goggles back down over her eyes. The heat began as a warm sensation, easing the numbing cold from her skin, but not quite reaching her bones.
It wasn't long before her bones went ignored behind the whinging of her sweat glands.
"How do you live like this from day to day?" she asked, uncorking a hip flask.
Tansey held up a dismissive hand and waved it around for a moment before returning his attention to the steering wheel. "You'd be surprised how closely the human body resembles a rubber band, miss."
"It
Desert Dogma Chapter 3 by Kid-Apocalypse, literature
Literature
Desert Dogma Chapter 3
Chapter Three: The Good Doctor
Almost immediately, both doors burst open with a sound like a gunshot. Mercy leapt back, barely in time to avoid a broken nose. She managed to refrain from grabbing her pistol, but only just.
Standing between the two excitable doors was a woman. Though she did not quite tower over Mercy, she did give the impression of immense height. This was, no doubt, due to the heels of her laced boots, but her hair played a part as well.
Like a grievous accident, it was difficult not to stare at the upswept mass of thin curls. It looked like a nest of copper wires.
"That's a fair nasty cut you have, but it looks lik
Desert Dogma Chapter 4 by Kid-Apocalypse, literature
Literature
Desert Dogma Chapter 4
Chapter Four: Neighbours and the Work Day
It was remarkably easy for Mercy to settle in as far as the dormitory was concerned. Walter had been right about it being unencumbered by rules and procedure. She had run into a nurse on her way to start her shift, and after introducing herself as Elizabeth, the nurse had shown her to a room that saw little use.
The reason for this, Mercy soon found, was that it was in the approximate middle of the house, and therefore not closer to either the back door or the front. This would have robbed its occupants of valuable lie-in time. However, this was no detriment in her eyes.
There were two beds sta