Times, however, have changed. A cross-country run is a lengthy and costly undertaking. Truckers regularly make the long, arduous hauls between civilized city-forts over dangerous, bandit-ridden highways across the country. They, however, have the advantages of monster sized vehicles with mountainous amounts of armor, and the reputation and power of the Brotherhood to back them up.
Multimillionaire Flynn Mitchell crossed using a record high 37 vehicles; autoduellist Scott Howle made it in a record 2 days, 16 hours using 19 cars; and Rick O'Connor crossed with the record low of 8 cars, the old record.
Nathaniel "Crack-shot" Potts and Jamie "Quick" Silver were running an unsuccessful courier service in Boston, Massachusetts when they decided something needed to be done to generate business. So, to prove their reliability, they set out for Los Angeles on May 17th.
On June 2nd at 5:13 p.m. W.S.T. the team of Potts and Silver rolled into the LeBrea Tar Pits Truck Stop in the same van with which they left Boston. The van, whose armor had been chewed up and burnt badly, was unbreached, drivable, and had a total of five rounds left among its six weapons.
The tall, slight, spectacled Potts sat slumped, exhausted, in one of the truck stop's booths. Across from him sat the small, attractive, dark-haired Silver, hungrily devouring half a dozen donuts and eight cups of coffee.
The first thing Potts said as this reporter joined them was, ''I don't believe I crossed the country just to get a fresh cup of coffee. The longest donut run I ever made.'' When asked how they made such an amazing trip, Nate replied, "Wits, guts, good shooting, and damn good driving." "Hard work," said Jamie.
It would seem that this team's bid for attention was successful. So far, three movie studios have made offers of over $100,000 each for the exclusive rights to the Potts and Silver story, and there is talk of a television series.
Nate and Jamie are evasive when asked for specific details of their sojourn, such as the number of repair stops they made and how many sets of tires they went through. However, yesterday they gave authorities a lengthy list of witnesses who can vouch for the authenticity of the pair's claims.
The pair and their van, Warhorse, will be flying home via an American Airlanes airship. In Boston, they are scheduled to receive the key to the city.
As this reporter and the young couple parted company, I observed Jamie sigh heavily, put her head on Nate's shoulder, and say, "I just hope this gets us some business."
Jamie "Quick" Silver is a Driver +3, Gunner, Trucker, Handgunner +1, Martial Arts +1, Paramedic +1, Runner. She also wears improved body armor, and carries 2 LAWs and a heavy pistol.
Here's how to build their van:
Warhorse: Van, extra heavy chassis, heavy suspension, super power plant, six solid tires. Armor 135 points (T10, F30, R25, L25, B30, U15). One driver, one gunner. Mounts one AC (autocannon) forward, also mounts 2 HR (heavy rockets) forward -- fired by front bumper trigger. One RL (rocket launcher), and 2 linked PS (paint sprays) also fired by a rear bumper trigger, are mounted in the rear. Carries an improved fire extinguisher, one LDR (Long Distance Radio), and hi-res targeting computers for both driver and gunner. 10 cargo spaces with a 60 lbs. capacity. HC 2, acceleration 5. Weight without cargo -- 7,140 Lbs., cost -- $33,250.