<em>The thin sunlight of late autumn lit the bleak landscape without judgment or mercy. The thin dirt road seemed just one more streak of grey in the desolate landscape. Trees made a dark smudge near the horizon, separating the sea of dry grass from the sky. The truck's engine was a lonely sound in all that space, a losing song in a world drifting into despair. <br/><br/>With a shake of his head Dr. Burns roused himself from his melancholy train of thought. That was why his work was so important, this world, this life was teetering with one foot in the grave, but he had found another way. Him, not the useless politicians, not the bankers or preachers or G-men. Him, he had found it, he had found salvation in the darkest hour. He smirked, If only they had understood his brilliance. Too radical they said, unstable, monstrous. Not fit to practice medicine they said. Well they could say what the wanted, soon enough they would be begging at his feet.<br/><br/>Dusk was fast approaching when he saw the shanty town ahead, as if the sun itself was weary of looking at the forlorn world. A pathetic gathering a squalid huts, shacks and lean-tos. As he got closer he could make out the figures, shambling around purposelessly, huddled around feeble camp fires, broken men and women with nothing left. He would give meaning to their lives, even if they were too stupid to realize it. <br/><br/>By the time he actually pulled to a stop a nice gathering of people had formed; desperate, dirty, hungry souls yearning for the smallest scrap of good fortune to come their way. He stepped out of the truck into the cold evening air, stepping up onto the running board so he could see the whole crowd. He scanned through them, some of them looked pretty rough. Most excellent. He cleared his voice.</em><br/><br/>"I got work for a dozen men. Hard work, for several weeks. Two dollars a day!"<br/><br/><em>The camp erupted as soon as the word dollars left his mouth, instantly making chaos of the quiet evening. Everyone wanted to be taken, but he was not here out of charity, he wasn't going to take any extra baggage.</em>