"Brian," he said, as the words thundered in his mind "I AM MAGUS!"

It was the last thing he saw in his dream-state; the last moment was him facing a figure in robes that thundered, "WHO AM I? WHO ARE YOU?"

And when the hood came down, it was a mirror reflection. That last bit of fragmented thought, apparently, was the answer. He knew, then, that he had played a part in Nellis, whatever happened, and it'd been his magic. It was no longer an accident that he'd been at Nellis and he was definitely an emergent -- he couldn't see his eyes right now, but others could. He let the hands of the old woman help him up, "Brian Underwood. So I know how it all started, and I know we're out of Nellis, but what happened?"

"Well," Cutter thought for a moment as she squinted, old eyes set in a crinkling face that frowned with concentration, "After they zapped us with the ray gun, there was a huge storm of little twisters and these dirt giants pounding on those jeeps the military uses. That's when a bunch of us got the hell out." The woman had a twanging Ozark accent going on, and he looked weathered enough for the role -- Arkansas or somewhere similar, real mountain hillbilly, but kindly enough to help someone up.

"So where are we now?" 

A younger guy, with no hair whatsoever but tusks jutting out of his mouth and horns out of his head, a real burly piece of work, said, "Nevada desert. Headed North into Utah." He said that with a grimace, but Cutter added.

"Most everyone else seemed to be headed to California. I figure Utah isn't as friendly, but if we stay on the road, gas the bus up and keep moving, we can get into Idaho and then circle into Washington. It's getting uglier out there, but I think our best chance is Frisco, Portland or Seattle. We just gotta pass through Mormon country first." 

"Except they're hardcore against us; LDS hates us as much as the rest," Horns argued, though it was with a tone of resignation, as if he expected them all to wind up in deep shit from the decision. The guy looked ferocious, but the whining actually helped humanize a fierce visage.

"Yeah," another man, this one looking 'normal' with receding hair and glasses in addition to the standard issue DHS orange jumpsuit, "But they also don't like the government as much. We might be able to get by just fine if we stay clear of SLC."

"No cities," Cutter pointed out, though wearily, as if she'd had this argument a few times already, going over the same territory, and was sick of it. 

The man with receding hair added, "Junkets come to and from Vegas in buses like this all the time. If we stay smart, we've got a good chance."

"Guess we take our chances either way,” Cutter shrugged. 

Brian interjected at this point, “So what's the news? Do we have any radio or anything?”

Cutter turned on the radio nearby in one of the seats of the bus, the fancy kind used to move people to and from casinos with all the amenities, over to a news station which blades, [i]“...inmates that participated from the so-called Nellis Uprisings are still on the loose, government authorities say, and are to be considered armed and dangerous. In the surrounding states of Utah, California, Idaho, Washington, Arizona and New Mexico, anyone that sees large groups of strange people, particularly those exhibiting strange features or perhaps glowing, should call 1-800-SUS-PECT to report all activity to the Department of Homeland Security. Citizens are encouraged to stay in their homes and NOT ENGAGE these Emergents...”[/i]

A flip of the station on Brian's part brought them to a popular talkshow, [i]“The freaks are on the loose, just like we all feared – vampires and dragons control the government and engineered this uprising from within. You can't trust the government, just you, your gun and your ammo supply...”[/i] That was a high pitched voice from a fat man who made his money stirring up trouble.

Another flick of the dial brought, [i]“...these are the End Times, and the Faithful must stand resolved against the evil and sin of witchcraft...”[/i] Religious station. 

Back to news. 

“In the US Congress today, hearings on the Nellis Uprising brought forth an acrimonious political battle admist protests and counterprotests outside Capitol Hill, though pro-emergent protesters seemed to take the brunt of the force from District of Columbia police who seemed to only arrest the most vociferous and violent of anti-Emergent demonstrators. Mothers of Emergents president Martha Collins , who helped organize the demonstration said that her organization and its supporters did not throw the first punch, and that she deplores the violence. On the internet, some commenters believe that the authorities are taking sides in the protest.”

Brian flicked off the dial, “So it's bad.”

Cutter chewed her lip a moment, considering what he said, and nodded, “Yep.”

“So what do we do?” That was Horns, but Feathers, the girl with the bandaged wound, seemed to be looking on as well.

It was, surprisingly, Brian that answered him, “We get to whichever city we can with people that will support us, link up with Mothers of Emergents and similar groups. And if they're going to treat us all as armed and dangerous, I reckon,” Texas drawl here, “we gotta learn to use the weapons we have.”

I AM MAGUS, his mind thundered, in satisfaction, as if making him accept reality was the whole point of the exercise.

Then, he turned to Daina, asking, "So, uh, Daina, right? You look familiar, were you the one that helped me out after...uh, shit went blank?" He wasn't quite ready to explain what he'd been seeing and hearing when everyone else was busy saving his life.