The Bridger

“I am the Bridger. I keep the Bridge.”

These are usually the first words anyone hears from me. They are in fact my essential truth. The Bridge is my home, my work, my life. I guard it. I maintain it. I manage it. Any threat to the Bridge, I deal with it. The Bridge is everything. Without me, the Bridge will fail. Without the Bridge, I would fail.

Likewise the people that use the Bridge are also my charge. I protect them from the dangers of the crossing. There are the winds and weather, the spots where despite my best efforts the bridge’s old surface has worn through, the rails which must be watched as people seem determined to climb on them and so forth. There are also the creatures that live in and around the gorge the Bridge crosses and on the banks of the river below. Some of these are dangerous indeed.

The local settlements, what few there are support me. Without me there would be no Bridge. Without the Bridge they would be cut off from each other. Most of my tools and materials come from The City. They take little interest in anything outside their walls but they recognize the value of the Bridge and they can supply what the other, non-tech settlements cannot.

Their lack of interest suits me fine for this is the Rule of the Bridge. All that seek to cross it are welcome. None are turned away. I do not take sides. I do not make judgements. All that matters is the Bridge. That it remains and that it can be used is my only priority. This was the Rule of the Bridge passed down by the Bridger before me and the one before her. Only the Bridge matters to us.

It is not an easy task. The Bridge is made up of steel and concrete supports and the steel supported asphalt road bed is suspended and held by massive steel cables and towers. I have had to become both stone worker and metalsmith to perform my duties and have learned trades beyond even these. Even steel eventually feels the entropy of years. Fortunately our much changed world has provided supplements and substitutes, though finding them and more so managing them is far from easy.

Today for instance I was on the South Tower’s cable number four. The steel had begun to fray. A repair needed to be made. Fortunately this was only a minor job and I could acceptably splice in new cable that would maintain the integrity of the whole. So I worked with blowtorch and welder’s mask to see to the job.

As I finished and examined the work I found it satisfactory. For a moment as I hung there in the breezes I simply took in what I could see. The Sun was just getting low in the West. I could see the bay, where the river emptied out of the gorge and into the ocean. Birds flew and the rocky cliffs of the gorge were nearly hidden with summer greenery. In the winter the rocks would seem completely bare save for the occasional clump of Holly bushes but with the turning of the seasons the green would return.

At this point the personal comp on my belt vibrated. By the nature of the vibration I knew that someone had activated the South Gate comm system. I held the wrist attachment up to my face. “This is The Bridger.” I spoke into it and a feminine voice answered. “We need to cross the bridge.” I stated I would be there shortly and activated the winch on my harness.

It took some little time to stow my tools and to reach the South Gate. There I found three people waiting, a young man and two young women. They were dressed in the garments of City dwellers. They had no weapons and few supplies that I could see. That was unusual but not my concern. I unbarred the gate and as I opened spoke my mantra. “I am the Bridger. I keep the Bridge.”

“We are…” the young man began to speak but one of the women hushed him. “We seek to cross the bridge.” She stated and nothing more.

I looked to the West where the Sun was now low indeed. “I do not recommend crossing the Bridge at night. It can be dangerous, especially to those without weapons.” Looking back at them I added “You may stay in the guest quarters tonight and enjoy the hospitality of the Bridge if you wish and we can cross tomorrow.”

So they stayed the night. The quarters were built into the South footing of the bridge. They included my quarters, my workshops and a hostel for guests. I provided food and drink. They spoke to each other in low tones and only the one young woman ever spoke directly to me, offering thanks for the hospitality. She was pretty in an average sort of way, with long brown hair and gray eyes. I noted she had a distinctive necklace, hammered gold in the shape of a heart.

They were pleasant guests but determined to set out early so we did not linger over supper. In the morning as the sun was rising I led them carefully across the Bridge.

They seemed barely capable of travel, let alone surviving the wilds. Though it wasn’t my business I did show them one trick. When an early morning rain began to fall I showed them how to improvise a funnel with a small square of canvas. In a decent rain the funnel could refill a water bottle. They seemed grateful.

As I opened the North Gate to let them proceed the young woman turned to me. “Bridger, I thank you for your service.” She held out to me the necklace. Surprised I shook my head. “There is no toll on this Bridge.” She smiled and explained that the necklace would be of no more use to her and she offered it to thank me for my kindness. Reluctantly I accepted it. They thanked me again and traveled on.

The day passed normally but as the Sun went low again I was surprised to find another party at the South Gate. This was a very different group. These were City soldiers, a half dozen of them heavily armed. They were led by a sharp eyed blond woman, petite framed and yet fierce of countenance. After I had spoken my mantra she said “We seek three young persons who may have passed this way.” I said “That is not my concern. Do you wish to cross?”

The blonde soldier looked to another who held a device that was beeping steadily. He nodded to her. “We do.” She stated. They scoffed at my warnings of nighttime dangers as they were each armed with assault rifles, so I agreed to lead them across.

When we reached the center span pylon I knew that this had been a mistake. Sharp cries began to sound in the windy night. “Beware!” I shouted as I pulled my shotgun into place, searching in my night vision goggles for what I knew was out there.

A soldier was too close to the rail and before I could speak a warning he was gone, grabbed, swept up, screaming into the night. I called them Night Flyers but Nightmares might have been a better description, all teeth and claws and leathery wings. One came at me but I was ready and my shotgun smashed the creature backwards until it lay twitching on the asphalt. The soldier with the device was knocked to the ground, shouting in pain as the others opened fire. Another female soldier stepped in to cover him but in a moment her face and throat were a bloody ruin, claws cleaving her and she fell into a gurgling death.

I blasted another creature and the soldiers rallied and the rest were driven off. But as we watched and waited the male soldier held out the device he had been carrying to the blonde. It had been damaged and no longer functioned. “It was reading close proximity when it failed.” The blonde’s face closed up. “We press on and track them by more common means then.” She turned to me. “We have no time to gather the dead. Will you attend to our fallen Bridger?” I shook my head. “I will return in the morning for what remains but there will not be much left.” The blonde simply nodded. “We press on.”

I led them across the rest of the way and afterwards I stayed in the small quarters inside the Northern Footing. I wasn’t fool enough to cross again that night.

In the morning all that remained of the dead soldier were bits of scattered gear and her weapon. These I took back to the main quarters. Then I went back to my work.

Three days later the blonde soldier and two of her companions returned. They were scratched and bloodied and their gear was damaged and torn. Failure was written on their faces though again this didn’t concern me. I guided them across the Bridge and as night was falling offered them hospitality.

I had served them dinner and was refilling their drinks when the blonde stood suddenly. “Where did you get that?” she pointed. I had opened my shirt against the heat of the night and the heart shaped necklace hung where I had placed it. “It was a gift freely given.”

The blonde looked to her male companion. “You fool! You were tracking what was right in front of us!” She drew a pistol on me. “You will pay for this, Bridger!” I stated clearly “Bridge, Omega status.” The lights dimmed and several red emergency lights began to flash. “Your hospitality is revoked.” I told them. “Injure me in any way and this Bridge will be destroyed. If you survive you may explain to your superiors how you destroyed the only trade route to the North for a hundred miles.”

The blonde looked stunned. She railed and threatened but in the end she had no choice. They left almost immediately. When I was certain they had in fact gone I reset the status of the Bridge to normal. I sent a message to the City filing a complaint, informing them the blonde and her two companions were banned from the Bridge and requesting some supplies in redress for their offence. I kept the amount reasonable.

Then I returned to my work.

A week later the blonde returned on a cart with my supplies. She had her rifle but was garbed and equipped as a traveler rather than a soldier. Her expression was beyond crestfallen. She looked as if she were in shock. “I am to offer you my personal apologies along with these supplies.” She spoke as if she could not believe her own words. “I have been exiled from the City. I…”

She stopped and it was clear she had no idea what to say or do next.

After a moment of strained silence I asked her “What is your name?” She looked at me with a chagrined expression. “Bridget.” She finally responded.

I couldn’t help myself, I had to chuckle. That chuckle became a laugh that I hoped sounded friendly rather than superior. “Bridget, your apology is accepted and your supplies are welcome. But beyond that I could use an Apprentice here.” At her stunned look I said “It is long work, sometimes hard and sometimes dangerous. But there is great reward in work that provides for oneself and serves others. What say you? Will you be the Bridger’s Apprentice?” After a long moment of consideration she nodded her acquiescence.

I opened the gate and smiled at her again as I said “Bridget, the Bridge welcomes you, for now it belongs to you as well…”