The journey out of the forest begins with a first step. Nevermind the previous ones that got you lost in the first place


In a dusty if well fortified shack overlooking the Hudson river, an older man with a full set of white hair sits with a permanent frown in the dim light. Most of the building was built with stone and pieces of debris found in the area. Much like himself, his Regulator duster is well worn, stained and beaten but still solid and tough. His trusty plasma rifle leans next to his desk. A life of enforcing the law in the depraved hell that is the wastes has built a surprising calm into him. It's one of the reasons he does not freak out when a man instantly appears before his desk.

"They say that over use of stealth boys can cause insanity." The old man grumbled.

"Had to sneak past a bunch of giant radscorpions awhile back. Whole nest of them. I figured I'd kill them if you want me to after I bought off a bunch of grenades from the armory." The intruder replied nonchalantly, resting his legs on the man's desk.

"I'd rather you do that, Adam. There would be a few less dangers in this world if you blew them apart."

"Of course, we wouldn't have known about that danger and I would not have another assignment if you had not sent word for me to meet you. So what you call me all the way over here for, Francis?" Adam asked.

"After you finish that new scorpion problem, I have another assignment that I'm putting you in charge of." Francis muttered in his perpetual low and serious voice, taking a swig from a glass of particularly foul looking water.

"Really? How many caps to be had?" Adam asked as was his usual custom.

"Always thinking about money first. Truth be told, I don't know this time, Adam." Francis admitted.

"Then where is it?"

"South of here. I want you to go all the way down to what was New York City." Francis announced.

"The City? The Big Apple? You really think there are people there that need protecting?" Adam inquired.

"I don't think. I know. If there is one place left here where people are alive, it would be in the City." Francis explained.

"Yeah and from what I've seen, the larger the urban area the greater the warzone. Now I know I'm the best darn enforcer to walk the planet, but there ain't no way I'd survive down there." Adam replied. Francis rolled his eyes.

"Of course I know you're not bullet proof, though you act to be. That's why I assembled some others to give you hand. Believe it or not, they might even be better than you at a few things." Francis remarked sarcastically.

"Really? I'd doubt that."

"You'll see for yourself. First, there's Carl Thompson. You'd have to be blind to miss him. Big African American, stands over six feet tall and has arms the size of Brahmin. He wears metal armor under his duster and he carries a minigun. He's single handedly taken out whole gangs of raiders. When in the event he runs out of bullets, he pulls out his sledgehammer and starts pounding away. Personally, I'd be more afraid of his sledge than his gun." Francis started.

"Wow, seems like he's all I'll need." Adam said.

"He's got a few issues. He has some eye problems, don't know what it's called or what it is but he can only detect movement. Has a problem narrowing things down if it sits still." Francis cautioned.

"Never heard of a raider or mutie that stood still." Adam muttered.

"Regardless, he's not the only one. I also sent for a man named James Vanderbraun. The man wears a brimmed hat and shaded glasses. Thinks faster than a computer, has good senses too. Built his own rifle and is a darn good shot with it. He likes longer ranges, you'll know it's his work if you find a bunch of raiders with their heads shot off and stuck to trees and walls with metal spikes." Francis added.

"Sounds vicious."

"Nah, he's just good with a really powerful gun. Of course, at closer rangers he like to use a laser rifle. Enemy gets any closer and he's got a sawed off shotgun. If they managed to get past all of that, he's got a nice long blade that he's good at. He's also a skilled medic."

"Is there a thing he can't do?"

"Between you and me, I think he's addicted to mentats."

"Ah."

"And then there's Sven…can't pronounce his last name and I don't think he can either. We just call him 'Slightly Psycho Sven.'"

"Any particular reason?" Adam asked cautiously.

"Yeah. He's a little messed up in the head. Of course, you'd have to be a bit crazy to have no problem making the explosives and bombs he does." Francis explained.

"Well, as long as he doesn't blow himself up…"

"Hasn't done so yet, though his actions would suggest he's dying to do it. His favorite weapon is a flamethrower, wears a bunch of armor and heat resistant material under his duster. Even carries a special backpack covered in ballistic padding for his fuel tank. It's also where he keeps his other explosives. I've seen him carrying a shotgun as well." Francis murmured, racking his slightly burnt out brain.

"Hmmm…well, I'm sure I can find some use for them." Adam said thoughtfully.

"New York is liable to be a warzone. This won't be like the single hits you're used to where you can just sneak in and stab a guy." Francis warned.

"Hey, I use my SMG too, and my silenced pistol." Adam defended.

"And I'm sure you're good with them, you should have no problem with a bunch of scorpions. Just be careful." Francis concluded.

"Now what happens when I run into a problem that I don't know the answer to?" Adam asked.

"Are you actually practicing humility?" Francis inquired with mock shock.

"Har har, but seriously." He promptly found Francis dropping a book in his lap.

"Use that book, it should point you in the right direction." Adam raised an eyebrow as he read the title on the spine.

"Holy Bible. Right." Adam said, not sounding too convinced. And with that, Adam stepped up and was just about to walk outside the door when he ran right into James, Carl and Sven.

"Hey, you're the three guys I'm working with, right?" Adam greeted. The others just shrugged.

"If your name is Adam Anders, then yes." The one in front, James, replied.

"Good, I got to take care of a bug problem but we'll leave as soon as I get back. In the meantime, since you're the bright one, you memorize this book, we might need it later." Adam ordered, promptly shoving the Bible into James' hand before marching off.

"Oh, I'm one step ahead of you on that; my old mama made me memorize bits and pieces of the good book." Carl grinned.