Free Banished Worlds by Grant Workman, Mary Workman

look at red and blue sections. Do you know those areas very well?”
    He cringed. “Mean people in red section. I don’t like to go there. Let’s go to the streets.”
    “Will you lead us through red section if Jenkins comes with us?”
    “Jenkins is mean too, sure.”
    We waited for Jenkins to return, then started our tour of the compound.
    Blue section was the smallest of the sections in the compound. It had people, techs, or more accurately wanna be techs, working on broken junk that would never be able to be repaired. Our tour through there was a waste of time. I had hoped we would find Price.
    I noticed as we entered the area marked red section that Bikes moved closer to Roberts. At first, I thought it was for protection, but by watching him, watching the mean people, I realized he was intent on protecting her. Several red section people approached her, and Bikes stepped between her and them. Jenkins and I walked a few steps behind them.
    “Red section’s main job is to drag back the debris the demo teams bring down and separate it. The bulk of their workforce is in the compound all of the time, sorting and hauling supplies to the right area,” Jenkins explained.
    “Danbeu!” Roberts called out and pointed.
    I followed her finger, and standing at a table separating bricks from wood was Price.
    “Do you know him?” Jenkins asked.
    “He’s one of the prisoners that came in with us, name’s Price.”
    “Good man?” Jenkins asked.
    “Yes he is,” I replied. “How do I transfer him to our little crew?”
    “Price, Boss wants to see you!” Jenkins yelled down from the raised walkway we were on.
    Price jumped at his name, looking this way and that.
    “Price, over here, now!” Jenkins repeated.
    Price ran to the walkway, not risking looking up at Jenkins. Beside him another man came forward. He did look up at me. “Boss Danbeu, I’m Andy, red section leader.” He glanced at Jenkins.
    “Jenkins, my yellow section leader.” I reached out to Price and dragged him closer to me, then turned his head up by his chin. I could see it in his face that he did not recognize me. I had seen the look on terrorized peoples’ faces before. He had been having a much worse time here than Roberts and me.
    Roberts moved over next to me. “Let me talk to him.” She took ahold of his shirt and got down in his face. “Price, I’m Roberts, Roberts, remember that, okay? Now, time to talk to the boss.”
    He did not react.
    “It’s Roberts, look at me,” she ordered.
    “Roberts.” Price seemed to focus a little bit. “Roberts,” he said. “Oh god, Roberts, run they’ll hurt you, run.” Price started shaking like he was freezing.
    I grabbed his shirt and pulled him to me. “Now get it together, Price. Uncle Harry doesn’t want to have to slap you around!” I yelled at him.
    His eyes focused on me, and who I was. “Danbeu,” he said and looked at me.
    “Roberts, take him to my quarters, so I can question him later.” I pushed him back her direction.
    I turned to Andy. “It’s been a rough day or two for him from the looks of it.”
    “He has had a couple of run-ins with a few people. And you know how that kind of thing goes. You either win and everyone leaves you alone, or you don’t.”
    “In which case no one leaves you alone,” Jenkins finished.
    “He didn’t win.” Andy shrugged his shoulders. “You can’t baby-sit people, there are just too many other issues going on around here.”
    Price and Roberts were talking in low voices off to the left of our group.
    Roberts glanced my direction.
    “Does he know anything about Nelson?” I asked and got a nod from her.
    “Who’s Nelson?” Jenkins asked.
    “The guy that came in with him, nosey little guy,” Andy said.
    Roberts joined us. “Nelson is in what passes for medical around here. He ran into some of the guards last night.”
    “Nosing around,” Andy added.
    “Jenkins, go to medical and collect Nelson. Price and Roberts, go back to my