Fracking Apocalypse - a ZNation 10K/Tommy Fanfiction

S2E03

"I'm an idiot." She murmured as she moved her head to rest in the curve of his neck as his hold around her tightened, "When we left them back in Utah I thought that was the worst I'd ever felt. But I should have been happy that he was at least still alive." She said through her deep breaths, bringing her arms around 10K's torso and letting herself get comfortable in his hold. He was quiet for a while as he held her and rubbed her back. Then he finally decided on something to say.

"You're not an idiot." He said quietly in her ear, "You're just. . . human."

He let her stay curled up against him for a while before they decided it was time to head back to the group. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself as she pulled away from him because she didn't want it to be obvious to Addy that she'd fallen apart.

"We are going the wrong direction, again." she heard Murphy complain as the group started to move on making their way over a hill.

"You left us no choice." Warren said, "Too much fallout in the west."

"Again, that was not my fault." Murphy tried to defend himself but it didn't convince anyone.

"Murphy, don't make me have to explain the term failsafe doomsday weapon again. Please." Doc begged.

"How do you know California is still there?" Murphy questioned still looking for excuses to quit the mission.

"You're looking ripe." Vasquez mocked, "You better hope it's still there. Move." He demanded giving Murphy a shove.

"You are not the boss of me." Murphy said turning to him defiantly, then he turned to Warren, "She is."

"I can handle this." Warren told the bounty hunter before she pushed Murphy herself then followed with a bow holding her arm out and speaking in a nicer tone, "Move."

"Gladly." He said before he walked off.

"You'll get used to him." Warren told Vasquez.

"Or not." Bailey muttered apparently loud enough for him to hear as Vasquez turned to her looking slightly amused.  

10K POV

They kept walking until they came to where the ground sloped down to a road where a few cars sat turned over and on fire.

"10K let me see your scope." Warren asked and he handed her his gun and crossed his arms as she scoped the road out, "Oh looky here." She said looking at the damage, Vasquez stood a few paces off to the side looking down at the road too while Bailey and Addy lingered further back, Bailey had her arm over Addy's shoulders while Addy's arm was around her friend's waist.

"What are we going to do about her?" 10K asked and Warren turned to see him looking at Cassandra.

"Cassandra?" she asked.

"She's not Cassandra, not anymore." He said as he watched her rubbing Murphy's shoulders as he chewed on a long blade of grass.

"Maybe there's a way back for her when we get to California." Warren said trying to give him and herself hope.

"Maybe." He said nodding, though his tone conveyed how unconvinced he was. He kept watching Cassandra as she turned to him and paused as the look in her eyes changed, it was gentler, kinder, there was even a trace of recognition. He felt his own expression change as shock took over but the next second she seemed to snap out of it and returned to massaging Murphy leaving 10K to question if he really saw a piece of Cassandra come to the surface or if he just wanted to see that so badly that it was just his imagination playing tricks on him.

Then they heard a loud horn and he looked back to the road below them as the others joined them by the slope. Then a modified eighteen wheeler came into view as it barreled down the road.