Lancet only smiled a little and settled in as the aerocycler finally lurched forward. The machine lifted from the platform with a low roar, its fan blades catching the morning air as it accelerated into the road beyond the bastion.
Jet kept talking as they went, a steady stream of commentary about the weather, the roads, the monsters sometimes seen near the outer routes. For most of the ride, he kept hammering on the idiot confidence that made students think they could survive things people twice their age avoided.
"You may be awakened and all. And yeah, that's pretty cool and you're all not immune to danger. And you're certainly not immune to death."
Lancet half-listened, half-watched the world open up around him.
The aerocycler carried them deeper and faster beyond the safe inner roads, past secured lanes and out toward territory where the land itself began to feel less civilized.
