Black Market Merchant

Mrs. Smithy, Treasurer of the ERM, had been having a hard time with her assignment. She had spent the last two days on the west side of the river looking for a merchant that would buy scrap metal from the East River Militia. So far no one was willing to deal with the militia. Every time she mentioned who she represented the merchants would turn her away.

Today was the third day and if she couldn't find anyone to sell too, she would have to relay the bad news to Nathan and the rest of the Committee. What would happen from there was anyone's guess. The people were already going to be struggling to survive as summer approached and this loss of income wasn’t going to help matters. The pressure to not fail them drove her old soul onward to reach her goal.

Mrs. Smithy originally started speaking to the merchants that traded directly across from the ERM headquarters. After being rejected she tried going further south along the docks, but once reaching the Skull territory she decided to turn back. They were far scarier than she first believed. They too event turned her away without even letting her enter their docking area.

So that only left the far north merchants to trade with. Even though she knew the Mad Dog gang was situated strongly here, she had to test her luck. At least there they wouldn't be as strict to outsiders, she hoped at least.

The first of the merchants she met were no different than the others. Hearing that she represented the ERM, they laughed and said that they wouldn't risk trading with a small competitor for the town’s control. The Mad Dogs provided enough pay to keep them loyal.

Disheartened Mrs. Smithy moved on. The docks beyond this point started to degrade in quality and size. The wood was rotted, concrete pilings were chipping, and the boats tied up here were basically rusting away. This truly was the last stop for any trader on the river.

"Mrs. Smithy?" One of her four guards said tapping her shoulder. "I think it's becoming a lost cause. Perhaps we should turn back and try coming up with a different solution."

Mrs. Smithy sighed. "Not yet. We must find someone to sell our scrap metals too. Once we reach the very end should we give up. I had been surviving in this town far longer than you have been alive. I don't plan on quitting now."

"As you say." The ERM guard replied giving a shrug.

The five of them then headed towards another group of merchants unloading a small metal barge. Mrs. Smithy put on a bold face and prepared to convince them to buy from her.

…

Lisa had woken up early, in fact it was much earlier than normal. The sun had yet to break the horizon and only its orange glow lit up the black eastern sky. After leaving her bed she gently walked out of the Powerhouse building and out onto the dam. Sitting precariously on the dam’s edge, she overlooked the faded dark waters of the Colorado River snake off into the early morning darkness.

The air was cool and still. The breeze had yet to wake up as well. Though the air felt cool, it did not feel as nippy as days past. Springtime was getting ever closer and soon the heat from the southern desert would be here in no time. Along with the heat would come even more hardships for the town.

Lisa sighed and talked softly to herself. "I need to get the power running for the townspeople. Marry was always talking about having air conditioning and I am sure she's not the only one. There is so much to do around here. Looks like stopping here turned out to be harder than I thought."

Lisa then started to look over her arms and legs carefully. Though these parts were not her real flesh and bone and couldn't be injured in the normal sense, they still could become scratched up or dinted. The skin-colored paint on her prosthetics was from the most durable and advanced paint the AFR military had to offer. Damage resistant, fade proof and with a lifetime guarantee; it should have lasted her longer.

On her knees were the old scratches that John had first noticed when they met. They were from her escape from Salt Lake City. When the AFR raid started, she was trapped inside a warehouse that was supposed to have her merchandise inside. By some gang she never heard of the Reapers, apparently, they had stolen her items hours before.

To escape from the building, she had to forcibly knock down a few walls to do so. Then after escaping through the city she had to jump over and down many rooves, bridges and spillways. Several times she had to perform a superhero landing to absorb the impact after jumping from mind boggling heights. Thanks to all that she escaped the AFR forces mostly unseen.

Looking closer Lisa spotted small hairline scratches on her forearm and shins, especially where her clothing and body suit didn't cover herself up. If her “skin” condition continued to get worse it was only a matter of time until some of her secrets would be exposed.

"I should probably go down to the docks this morning before I got to meet up with those rich men." Lisa continued speaking softly to herself. "I'll try to find some paint to touch up myself. It won't last long, but it would be better than nothing. Maybe I'll find something interesting to buy or a part for the dam I need."

After saying that, the blood red edge of the sun rising broke the horizon. A ray of light illuminated the dark earth, revealing the red and tan rocks below. She could help but admire the country's south western landscapes beauty and charm. Living on the east coast all her life, she had always been surrounded by green forests and grassy meadows. Here it felt barren, dry and lonely, but somehow still full of adventure.

Turning to get off the dam wall, she then headed back to wake the others for breakfast. The day before, since they had more money now, Sadie proposed that they buy food that would last them a while. She had gotten tired of feeling hungry all the time and Lisa had to agree. It was a hard life for them out here. She couldn't fathom how the townspeople had survived this way for so long.

After waking Sadie and Zane they ate breakfast and tried to clean up around the Powerhouse building. Dust, dirt and clutter was everywhere. Little by little, they did what they could to keep things clean. Yet until they repaired the building itself, the place would never stay cleaned.

"Hey, guys." Lisa said to the other two and everyone stopped moving. "I am going to go down to the docks and look around for a few hours."

"Alright." Sadie replied putting armful of trash into a bin they were using to haul trash away with. "While you are gone, Zane and I can work on getting his Match Fighter paperwork filled out."

"Ok, see you soon." Lisa said as she turned to leave.

The walk down to the docks was pleasant. The sun was beating warmly now, and the breeze was light. It reminded her of the day before she arrived here in town. Except she didn't feel nearly as exhausted or thirsty like back then. Upon passing through the red roofed storage units, before reaching the docks, she wondered what they might be hiding. Their faded red doors seemed to be hiding potentially fascinating secrets.

"Another day." Lisa thought as she passed them by.

Once reaching the old wooden docks, Lisa took her time and looked over the items for sale. Just like before, when Sadie had come with her, the merchandise was nearly same. Useless. No matter where she looked and who she talked too, no one was selling paint either.

Then she recalled that when she couldn't find those mattress's, the old man from Ulster's Shop had them. Perhaps he might have paint. Turning a blind eye to the rest of the common place items for sale, she headed in the direction of the rickety shop.

When she came within sight of the shop, Lisa saw the old man sitting on a create by the door. He appeared to be gazing out at the river water lapping the undersides of the docks in front of him. Today was definitely a perfect day to daydream too.

"Hey there old timer!" Lisa called out to him.

The old man shifted his gaze to see Lisa waving at him. "Why hello there, missy. What can this old bag of bones do for you?"

"Well, seeing as I had good luck with you before, I would try my luck here again." Lisa said stopping next to him. "I need paint. Not just any paint, mind you, but paint the same color as my skin."

The old man raised his brow, and it created a series of wrinkles doubling what he already had. "Paint the same color as your skin? That's an odd request."

The old man lifted up his cane and stood up slowly. He then turned towards the door to the shop. "Let me go check. Paint hasn't been a popular item around here. So, if I do have some it'll be buried under the rest of my useful junk."

"Need me to help?" Lisa asked.

"Hmm, no need too." The old man chuckled as he slowly shuffled inside the dimly lit building. "I know where to look."

Lisa looked around the dock area as she waited. Further down the dock ahead of her was two small flat bottomed sailboats unloading supplies in large creates. A group of merchants was gathered at one spot at the dock and appeared to be having a conversation. From here she could catch odd bits and pieces of the conversation.

"Sell scrap metal from some kind of new militia? You're joking. If the Mad Dogs find I am helping a competitor, I'll lose my contract with them." One of the men said.

The others in the group all nodded and voiced their agreement. All except for an older woman with small black rimmed glasses precariously sitting on the tip of her nose.

"I assure you that we will pay the appropriate price. Also, that if you do work with us there is a chance to expand our sales and exclusive purchases with you." The old woman said trying he best to sound convincing.

"Sorry. Go try your chances elsewhere." Another merchant replied waving her away.

"I got to go back to work. I'm done here." Another said leaving the group.

The other men all grunted out similar excuses and left leaving the old woman and four men alone. The four men appeared to be disappointed by the conversation and hung their heads as they followed the old lady. However, the old lady kept her head up and walked confidently in Lisa's direction.

Lisa thought curiously to herself. "I wonder why they turned her down. Sounded like a decent offer to me." Then just as they were about to pass by, Lisa called out to her. "Excuse me. I overheard some of your conversation with those men. Are you trying to sell something?"

The old woman stopped and looked Lisa over. "You’re not a Merchant by the looks of your clothing, but I'll indulge you."

"Thanks." Lisa replied forcing a friendly smile. This old lady had some spunk.

"I wish to sell junk metal to anyone willing to form a long-term contract with me. My name is simply Mrs. Smithy and I represent the East River Militia. A new faction that is in command of the town on the other side of this river."

"The East River Militia?" Lisa thought to herself. "That's the same group that had fought with Zane and his gang. If she's here, then they definitely won."

"Selling scrap metal. Why would you do that?" Lisa asked her. "Doesn't your Militia have anything better to sell? After all you claim to control that whole area."

"It is true we control the eastern area, but we lack the necessary means of production. As well as the funds or power to attempt to start one up. So, we are forced to resort to selling junk." Said Mrs. Smithy explaining the matter rather flatly.

"Interesting." Lisa said tapping her chin in thought. Then she had an idea. "You said that you lacked power. Do you mean electric power?"

"Yes, that is correct." Mrs. Smithy nodded slowly.

"You also want to sell the metal to someone that can transport it south too, I suspect?" Lisa asked again.

"That is expected." Mrs. Smithy replied.

"Alright then. Well, I might be able to help you with all that then." Lisa said with a wide grin. "I might not have the money to buy the metal now, but I can introduce you to someone who can. I have a meeting with a Mr. Cline and some others about certain things. Mr. Cline runs River to Gulf Shipping Co. It's possible I can convince him to invest in you."

Lisa had a lucky break! Here was her chance to start making some good money and another reason to continue staying here to help Hanna. This was a clear venture to potentially start up trade, a must for any aspiring merchant!