As the Power Wagon and Humvee speed down desolate highways toward Grand Junction, Joplin follows the Humvee due to her never having traveled by road outside the Midwest. She's flown to Vegas and other states, but never driven there or from there making Naylor the best to lead until they entered the Plains States.
In the cab of the Power Wagon, the song "Soldiers of Heaven" by Sabaton is playing as Joplin keeps pace with the Humvee. Jax couldn't help but look at her, both checking her out and trying to figure her out. "Like something you see, cowboy?" Asked Joplin, turning the radio slightly down. Jax nods, "Why do you tuck your cutoff in, sweetheart?" Joplin blushes hard, trying to maintain her composure. "W-Why does it matter?" She replied, unintentionally coming off a bit defensive. Jax laughs, "Darlin', I'm asking because I'd like to get to know ya. I don't mean to offend." He said, looking back out the window.
A long moment passes with the song coming to an end before Joplin sighed. "It's not something I enjoy talking about... but I'd like to get to know the cowboy who got me all flustered earlier." Jax looked over at her, surprised by the response. "In high school, I had all the pervy eyes on me. I had large boobs, was a curvy young gal... who had no parents. Easy picking for bullies, perverts, and jealous girls." Jax kept listening to her tell her tale, engaged and actively taking mental notes. "In between junior and senior year, I put on weight. What can I say, my sweet tooth replaced the pain of being friendless and too afraid to date anyone. So I started tucking in all my cutoffs... wore a wrap around my pudgy stomach, and survived those idiots. I did lose weight after graduating, but... to make my long story short... I'm still a short, curvy gal with big tits and a tummy." She said, ending her story.
Jax looked at her, his protective side having to be held back, wishing he could've done something about the bullies, the perverts, the stupid girls... "Sweetheart... I'll say this at my own peril. I think you look more beautiful than the sunset behind us... and so what if you've got a stomach? Clearly you've forgotten we Texans have plenty of delicious foods and smoked meats." Joplin looked at him, eyebrow raised. "In my book, the stretch marks and pudge you hide are the grill marks and fat on a good steak. If my steak has no grill marls and no fat, I don't want it... same applies for you darlin'." As Jax finishes speaking his heart's honest truth, Joplin bursts out laughing. "Oh Jax... That might have been the sweetest and most unfiltered compliment and comparison I've even been told." She says blushing behind her laughter. Jax pretended not to notice but he saw it.
However, before the two could keep talking, the Humvee slows down and comes to a stop. "What's the hold up?" Called out Maddox. Naylor walks back to the truck and addresses all four of them. Just heard on the radio Grand Junction was just overrun. We're driving toward hell, and we need a stopping point." However... Before Naylor could continue, the bloodcurdling shriek of a Zeta ripped through the air. "GO! GO! I'm right behind you!" Yelled Naylor, racing to his Humvee. Joplin didn't hesitate, rather she buried her foot and the gas pedal into the floorboards as a massive horde of Zetas poured onto the highway behind the Power Wagon and Humvee. The two vehicles roared down the highway at high speeds as the Escapees got their first experience with Zeta-Type One... Hyper-Zetas. As both vehicles pushed the lower end of triple digit speeds, these Hyper-Zetas were actually keeping pace with the two vehicles.
"How is that... possible?" Joplin asked, seeing the Hyper-Zetas in the Power Wagon's rearview mirror. Jax leaned out the window, rifle aimed and his hat sitting between Joplin and himself. He fired off a shot, nailing a Hyper-Zeta in the head, dropping it. "Shit... Keep us steady, Joplin!" He called in to her. He shot another two rounds and dropped another two Hyper-Zetas... but there were more of them appearing. They weren't strong, but god they were fast and always hunted in massive packs. However... Naylor nodded in the Humvee as he pulled up next to the Power Wagon's bed. "Corporal Stephanie! Get everyone into the truck's bed." He yelled. She tried to protest but it was an order. Joplin held the match speed of the humvee, which was slowly losing speed. Once the Corporal and two Privates had been transferred over to the Power Wagon with the remaining fuel and supplies, Naylor lined up with the Power Wagon's driver window. "SOMEONE HAS TO DISTRACT THEM! THIS IS ME REPAYING MY FAILURES AT THE FACILITY!" Naylor shouted to Joplin, then saluted her. Joplin saluted back, pushing the pedal back down, while everyone else watched as Master Sergeant Naylor took an exit and drifted the Humvee, drowning out the Power Wagon's engine, drawing the whole pack of Hyper-Zetas away as the Power Wagon thundered away... escaping.
Naylor, however, didn't plan on dying. The Humvee couldn't keep up with the Power Wagon at those speeds, but it was one hell of an armored distraction. As Naylor entered the Westwater, Utah... he put up one hell of a fight. The massive pack of Hyper-Zetas was practically chomping at his bumper. However, they couldn't corner at that speed. While the Humvee sucked at cornering... it still could. Empty homes and buildings were flattened by the steamrolling pack of Hyper-Zetas giving the Humvee breathing room. Naylor was less than eight-miles from the Utah Colorado border and getting closer. Tires squealed and Zetas shrieked as Naylor found for every mile he gained. Shortly after crossing into Colorado, he was making another hard turn when the second type of Zeta slammed into the Humvee and scared off the Hyper-Zetas... a Charger-Zeta. The Humvee flipped, rolled and managed to land upright... with a dead engine and an injured Naylor.
The Charger-Zeta had hit the charging at a fully galloping speed of sixty-miles-an-hour, throwing the Humvee a good distance. Naylor forced the door open and fell out. His face was cut, legs stiff... and his left hand was a mess of broken bones having been crushed when the Humvee rolled over it. Naylor fought the pain, and racked a dragon's breath shell into his combat-automatic shotgun's chamber. As he looked behind him, a very tattered, but still waving American flag stood in his corner. "Couldn't have died better than this." He said, quickly wrapping the gun's carrying strap around his left wrist... his heart pounding in his ears, humming the national anthem. As he took aim at the approaching Charger-Zeta... Naylor let out a mighty warcry as the Charger rushed him. "C'MON! I'M NOT MEETING MY GOD TODAY!" The roar of the charger and thunderous fire from Naylor's automatic shotgun echoed into the starless night sky until nothing but silence remained...