"Better than bugs or roadkill," Kyle agrees, taking a big bite of his sandwich and chewing it contently. Really, he would have been happy with just the food the restaurants throw out at night. It's still good, and there's plenty of it. It's Sean who insisted they're not that low on cash, and he shrugged and went along with him. "And yeah, we're a hardy sort, people. Even the people in the camps, starved to skin and bones, they find ways to keep going. The ones we'd rescue, if they recovered they often became some of our best fighters."

He shakes his head, willing away the memories. He doesn't want to remember 2029 right now, with all this light and warmth in front of him.

A kid sees the two of them and waves, and Kyle waves back with a low motion of his hand. Then Sean asks him how he's sleeping, and the hand that just waved jerks guiltily back into his lap.

"I'm sleeping all right." For a man who can't stop staring most of the time, Kyle can't quite look Sean in the eye when he says that. "I'm not disturbing you when I sleep, am I?"