The whole day he had spent it on driving. Driving through the rolling dunes of the Outback, only stopping for piss breaks and water. His muscles ached from sitting in the same position for too long. His head throbbed as a result of dealing with the others' constant whining and complaining. He wasn't paid enough to be both a bodyguard and a babysitter. Perhaps he would call it 'additional work' or even 'overtime'.

He stopped the group at a large cave located in a valley when night began to fall. He stashed his bike behind some dried out bushes. It was the perfect place to hide out, have a meal, and get a good night's rest. There was even more driving ahead of him in the morning. Lots of driving and seeing the same landscape pass him by repeatedly. Boring as hell.

He let Jamison prepare the group's dinner with the hot plate he had available. For someone as scrawny as the young man was, he certainly knew how to cook. Canned food was heated and litter critters were roasted over the red coils. While Jamison and Morgan at the cooked lizards and bugs, he stuck to eating a can of mixed vegetables. He had other ways of getting his protein, like with rice, beans, and soy.

A small fire was created near the opening of the cave and he volunteered from night watch duty first. Needed to clear his head but he didn't tell the others. They didn't need to know. Jamison and Morgan didn't object and went in the cave to set up their sleeping mats. Good, he wanted them to agree to his offer without question.

Time passed. The nasally snoring of Jamison behind him buzzed in his ear. Warm, orange light reflected off him from the fire several feet in front of him. His large body blocked most of the light from spilling into the cave and prevented the chilled outside air from coming in. Behind the dark lens of his mask, his eyes were closed. He wasn't snoozing. No, he was thinking. Thinking about the words Vega shouted at him before he left Haven in the dust.

You ruined them, Mako!

He inhaled then exhaled. It came out as a drawn out hiss through his mask's filters. It was the ALF's fault as a whole group, not his fault alone. She knew that very well. But she had to turn it around and bury him in all the blame. Maybe because he was the only one part of the old federation she could vent her lasting frustration on. Vega was always an angry woman. The side of his face beneath the mask began to sting and burn as he recalled decades old memories. It always did that when he thought of that life changing event and the days leading to it.

"Hog?"

His body went stiff and his eyes opened as his name was called. The owner of the voice stepped, or hopped, in his line of sight. It was Morgan. Bags had formed under her little blue eyes and she hadn't bothered putting on her prosthetic. She was looking up at him.

There was a moment of silence then he spoke up. "Couldn't sleep" The question rumbled like thunder in the distance.

"Uh," she replied and sat herself down beside him. She leaned her body to the side and rested her head on his knee.

"Another nightmare?"

She nodded slowly. The poor kid woke up in a sweat almost every time she went to bed. He knew that the nightmares were the effect of recent trauma.

"Hmm…" Another roll of thunder. "C'mere." He ordered.

She climbed over his leg and made herself comfortable in the gap of his legs. She wiggled around a bit so his cod piece wasn't poking at her sides.

The two watched the flames dance in the breeze for some time. He took a piece of scrap wood from a pile nearby and tossed it into the fire. It gobbled the wood up with a crackle and the fire spat out embers into the air.

"Wasn't always like this." He broke the silence. "All this surviving, running, and killing."

Morgan perked up and lifted herself to a sitting position. She put her hands on his belly and looked at him puzzled. Probably had no idea what he was talking about.

"Years ago, before you were born, this place was home. Good place to live if you were a hard worker. No radiation, no one dying left and right." He shifted his weight in the dirt and threw another piece of firewood into the awaiting flames. "People wanted to take away our home, give it to the omnics. We didn't want that. Some protested. Government didn't care. Gave our home to them anyway. Protesters joined together, sabotaged the Omnium, and caused it to explode. A lot of people died in that explosion. I would know…"

His fingers reached behind his head and Morgan watched patiently. Clasps undid and leather straps fell on his shoulders yet his hand over his mask still kept it in place. Finally, he let his façade down and set the mask down on the ground next to him. Half of the man's face was covered in burn scars going diagonal across his hardened face. Part of his nose was missing but he still had a golden hoop hooked in his nose despite of it. His eyes were tired and sad, the opposite of the tough guy such as himself. "I was there when it all happened." He finished saying.

Blue, curious eyes stared up at his sad, red ones.

"You could say I helped turn the Oz the way it is now…" he said. "A complete hell on Earth." Vega was right. If the Omnium didn't meltdown and if they just let the omnics have the land, maybe Morgan and Jamison would actually be normal human beings. He closed his eyes again and sighed, "Sorry you had to be born and live in a place like this." She and Jamison deserved a better life than this. He did ruin them. Killed their parents. Caused them so much pain. How could he even forgive himself?

Morgan touched his face. Her tiny fingers fingertips brushed over the rough stubble that lined his jaw. He was certain she didn't understand his words. He saw it in the clueless look on her face. She rubbed her face against his, the same way she did with Jamison. His hot breath huffed on her skin, along with a throaty chuckle. Morgan then pulled her face away and gave him a smile.

It took a moment be he smiled back at the child. "You don't care about all of that mess, do you?" he asked her, lifting her up in the air.

She stuck her tongue out and ran it across his cheek.

He sat her down in between his legs and placed his hand on her back as he went back to watching the fire. "You're a simple kid, you know that? The smallest thing will make you happy." He fitted his mask back in its rightful place. "Someone's going to use that against you someday."