13
It is an hour before sunset when you arrive at the town of Gila Bend, although the light is so poor because of the raging dust storm that it seems as though night has already fallen.
It comes as a welcome surprise to find that the convoy has made it here before you. Mike Gorgas congratulates you and Rickenbacker on the success of your diversion, which drew away the entire clan encampment and allowed the convoy to pass through the intersection unhindered. As you pass down the line of colony vehicles acknowledging the welcoming faces, you are struck by the absence of one face that you particularly wanted to see.
‘Where’s Kate?’ you ask Cutter, who is busy covering the engine of the school bus to keep out the dust. ‘She’s inside,’ he says, but you sense by the tone of his voice that something is wrong.
