Whew. This one got HUGE!
Part of the problem was not wanting to split this into two chapters, so instead of getting two smaller chapters you will simply have to deal with one gargantuan chapter.
This isn't terribly heavy on the action, well at least not the violent kind. There's some character development and the like, but not as much as I would have liked. Next chapter will get the team back towards missions and other action-y things.
But for now, Enjoy!
Haskel returned in the late evening with his team and an unharmed Teo, Mirza and Nate. Accompanying them were also three pack brahmin loaded with materials.
Jaxon and Rafael had cleared out the mines around the suburb and were busy moving the stable Felix and Sledge into the basement of one of the houses, which Barnaby had begun to set up as his clinic.
That night, with everyone gathered Vincent laid down the chain of command. Barnaby had stabilized the two patients, and had even removed the knife from Sledge's shoulder. Barnaby didn't even inject Med-X into sledge as he removed the knife. Sledge didn't make a sound, apart from slightly hitched breathing.
Tough bastard.
"All right, here is how this is going to work. Haskel, Leon and I have formed a proper organizational chart in terms of rankings. Before you go about spouting corruption or whatever misgivings you may have, do know that Lazarus, Ginny, Teo, and Doctor Barnaby looked over the list and gave input. You've been placed where you are solely on the basis of your ability to lead. Your pay will not be determined by your rank, but instead it will be determined by your role within the company and the missions you undertake. Any questions?"
"What about the on-base specialists such as Teo and I?" Nate asked.
"You will be expected to go on missions where your expertise is needed; otherwise you will remain on base to tend to your responsibilities. Again, the pay varies from member to member, and will fluctuate based on your actions."
"The fuck does that mean?" Jaxon asked. He wasn't one for flowery words.
"It means if you do stupid shit we'll dock your pay." Leon interjected.
"Leon's spot on. Anais is already feeling the burn of paying for the medical equipment used to treat Sledge and Felix."
The Outcast glared at Vincent but otherwise remained silent. Vincent knew he was being harsh, but fuck if he was going to let his squad walk all over him. Anais would learn to play within the box, or he would find another specialist to replace her.
Assuming he could actually kill her.
"Of course, outstanding behavior will be rewarded as well. Service in the field or on base will result in additional pay and special privileges."
"Any other questions?"
The group remained silent. "Good. Now onto the rankings."
Haskel stepped forward and pulled out a thin sheet of paper. "Vincent Kayser, Captain. Highest Ranked."
"Leon Sforza, 1st Lieutenant. Second highest ranked."
"Haskel Margulies, 2nd Lieutenant. Lazarus, also 2nd Lieutenant. Jaroslav Palmer, 2nd Lieutenant."
"Virginia Ginsberg, Jaxon, Albert Barnaby. Sergeant."
"Mirza Shammas, Anais Viray, Teodoro Caceres, Josiah Johnston. Corporal."
"Nate Turchin, Siobhan Dunleavy, Felix, Becca, Rafael and Sledge. Private."
As Haskel finished he moved off to the side. Jaxon looked somewhat bewildered.
"You put me pretty high up there boss. Any reason for that?"
"You've got considerable experience leading small companies and acting as an officer while on base. While I believe the Talons to be a group of heartless fuckers, I can't deny their organization. You'll be expected to train some of our less skilled members in Marksmanship and hand to hand combat."
"Right up my alley. For a bunch of kids you've definitely got your shit together."
Vincent nodded, gracefully taking the compliment and moving onto the rest of the proceedings. "I know we've had a long day, so I won't hold you much longer: We've got your lodgings posted too."
Vincent turned towards the house closest to the exit. "Jaxon, you've got standing officer duty at Gibson House. For the night Rafael and Jesse will be joining you. Felix and Sledge will be moving in when they get out of the clinic."
Vincent pointed to the next nearest house. "Haskel, you already know your detail. This is Benson House, and it houses both the Clinic and what will be our robot repair lab. Mirza, Teo, Palmer and Doctor Barnaby will be shacked up there."
Vincent turned to the house closest to the Perch. "Zane House. The women's barracks and where the armory is set up. I hope you don't mind shacking up with the ladies Nate."
"Aww yeah get some Turchin!" Josiah hollered from the group.
Palmer smacked his hand against his face while Ginny merely rolled her eyes.
"Ginny, you've got detail there. Finally Lazarus, Leon and I will be situated at Gillian House." Vincent pointed to the last house, nestled in the hills towards the back of the suburb. "It will also be where Haskel's office is situated. The Perch will be fortified and turned into a redoubt. The upper floors will be fortified while the lower floors will be turned into our practice center. In the morning we will work on getting everything set up, but for the night head off to your respective houses."
As the group turned to leave Vincent stopped them. "With the exceptions of myself, Josiah, Palmer and Anais who will take the night shift for guard duty. Haskel has the rotation sheet, which will be posted in every house weekly. Sleep well, for tomorrow we're going to the break out backs. Dismissed."
The mentioned members on guard duty waited while the remaining Mercenaries moved to their respective lodgings.
"The organization is pretty slick Vincent. When did you come up with all of that?"
Vincent, not worn down from the day's battle responded. "The majority of it is Haskel's planning. He arranged everything and it all makes sense in a way. Every house is perfectly situated for its role. Gibson is filled with frontline fighters who are quick to arm and attack. Benson House is centrally located, which allows for quick access to the clinic. Zane is out of the way, so our armory is essentially one of the last places hit if we are assaulted."
"And Gillian House is nice and out of the way so the officer's won't get taken down first."
"No, Gillian House is out of the way so no one can get into our funds. You guys are good fighters, and slowly but surely you are proving your loyalty to me. But until it is rock solid I don't trust any of you with our money. Haskel's got some weird code of honor he follows, and I've known Lazarus for years."
"And Leon?"
"Leon won't double cross me. In the remote chance he did he wouldn't live long enough to spend anything he stole."
The edge to Vincent's words was unmistakable. Whatever nerve Palmer had hit, he hit it hard.
"All right Davey Crockett, let's go stand guard duty."
"Who's Davey Crockett?" Jesse replied.
Palmer merely shook his head as the pair walked away.
"Anais, walk with me." Vincent asked. The Outcast walked alongside him.
Before Vincent had a chance to say anything the former Brotherhood knight began to speak. "You don't trust the Doctor."
"I don't trust any of the new recruits."
"I've seen the way you look at him, and posting two lieutenant's in Benson? Curious choice, Captain."
"I don't see what this has to do with-"
"It doesn't. It was an observation. Why have you separated the barracks by gender?"
"Trust primarily, but keeping the relationships on the team to a minimum is necessary. I didn't keep you out here to play twenty questions. Let's get something very straight Anais: Your track record is spotty as all hell. You left the Brotherhood-"
"Not my choice."
"Bullshit. From there you moved on to work with the Outcasts for several years before leaving them."
Anais snorted, which was the most emotion Vincent had seen of her yet. "Casdin wanted to horde every car battery and light bulb he found. The Outcasts don't pay well, and you risk your life for what exactly? Several laser pistols? A suit of broken power armor? They placed too low a price on human life."
"And working as a freelancing assassin is supposed to make you better morally?"
Anais shrugged. "Caps are caps. And not every Waste Lander you meet is a Saint. I put down some particular monsters during my run, and I don't regret a moment of it."
"All right, I'll concede those points to you. Now, how much of your gear is stolen from the Outcasts?"
Anais regarded Vincent with something akin to surprise. Since it was Anais the effect was subtle, but hawk eyed Vincent didn't miss it.
"Plasma weaponry is incredibly advanced, so I really doubt you managed to find two workable Pistols just lying around in the Wasteland. Recon armor is less suspect, but anything is possible. So, I'll ask you again, how much of what you are using is looted from Casdin's storage?"
"The Recon Armor and the Plasma Pistols. I picked the sword off of a Ghoulified Chinese Commando"
Vincent let out a low whistle. "I'm sure he hasn't forgotten that. You must be one of the most wanted women in the Wasteland right now, at least where the Outcasts and the Brotherhood are concerned."
"In two days we are departing for Canterbury Commons for supplies and contracts. You will be accompanying us. Let's see you put them to use then."
Anais nodded before moving up into the Perch.
"And Anais?"
She turned to look at Vincent, whose eyes were hard and piercing. "If I catch you in the armory or my office without Nate or myself in either of those places you won't need to worry about Casdin catching you. Do I make myself clear?"
Anais nodded and moved on.
Vincent was left alone, and without missing a beat he began to patrol the grounds, quietly remembering past transgressions and old wounds.
He would pass the dayshift off to Leon and Lazarus. They would handle the logistics of reparations while he caught some sleep.
The following day was a buzz of activity for the Mercenaries. The night crew had had no incidents and were off to bed, while the rest of the team began to set up the base to their liking.
Teo and Mirza set up a giant laboratory in the master bedroom of Benson House. Originally the pair wanted to set up a tech lab in the basement, but Barnaby had already claimed the space at the Base's clinic. Jaroslav and Haskel set up cots in the guest bedroom of the house, while Mirza and Teo had a double bunk set up in their workshop.
Barnaby slept on a cot in his clinic, rarely interacting with his housemates.
Benson House was the working house: Palmer typically was out on patrol; Haskel worked out of Gillian House; The remaining three housemates worked in their respective spaces, only interacting with each other when necessary.
Things were considerably different over at Gibson House. Jaxon, Rafael and Josiah were hard partiers, and their lodging became the place to get smashed and have a good time. Once Sledge and Felix were cleared from Barnaby's clinic, the house had its full occupancy. Rafael and Josiah bunked in the guest room, while Jaxon greedily claimed the master to himself.
Sledge put a mattress in the basement and stayed there. He wasn't very social, as his housemates were discovering.
Felix was a different kind of social. The kid had jacked up hours of sleep and often took the night shift in an attempt to sleep during the day.
Then there was Zane House. The girls (And Nate) got along about as well as a bag of cats. Ginny and Anais despised each other. Anais cast instant disdain to Nate and Becca. Siobhan was the only one who she gave any semblance of respect to, and the others figured it was due to the fact that she was Siobhan. Anyone who made a habit out of punching all manner of wild life with her bare hands was someone you tiptoed around cautiously.
Nate found Becca to be an irritating presence, while Ginny did not the like the looks she cast Vincent when she thought she wasn't looking.
Anais had a problem with her because of her nightly habits, which consisted of sneaking out to Gibson House to spend time with Rafael. On the third night of their residence at Minefield, Ginny had the night watch with Rafael. When she came back to the house she found that Becca was creeping into the room she shared with Siobhan.
'So it's more than just Rafael then.' Ginny thought soundly.
She had no problem with Becca having sex with her teammates, so long as it wasn't disruptive or Vincent, she could go wild.
What Ginny wasn't keen about was the fact that it was multiple guys at once. The next night Rafael was on shift and Becca left as she usually did. Ginny decided to trail her and see what was going on.
Trailing her was a lot harder than Ginny originally thought. Of course, Becca was informally trained as a scout, but beyond that she was quiet. If she didn't exit through the front door, Ginny believed none of her roommates would ever actually have known she left the house at night.
Becca crouched low to the ground and climbed up to the roof. Ginny contented herself with gingerly following her around the side of the house, keeping low to track her. She watched as Becca jumped from the top of Zane house and onto the roof of Benson House.
'That doesn't make any sense. If she keeps on going she'll run into the guard post near Gibson, where Rafael and Palmer were currently keeping watch.'
Becca crept to the side of the roof, dropped down flat and knocked on the uppermost window.
The window opened and a very excited Mirza motioned her in. Becca dropped down and into the master bedroom of Benson House.
'Oh. Well that makes three… that I know of.' Ginny shuddered at the thought of who else Becca could be having sex with. Perhaps the good doctor was getting his fair share of blonde nookie too?
Gross.
Ginny didn't like having to effectively hold the fort with Vincent and Leon gone.
Three days had passed since their victory, and the group was in desperate need of supplies. Vincent, Haskel, Josiah, Anais and Leon traveled to the nearby town of Canterbury Commons to procure work for the team and gather the necessities that the team would need if they were to continue living in Ridgefield.
Lazarus was left in charge, with Palmer, Ginny and Dr. Barnaby right beneath him on the chain of command. And Jaxon by technicality, but fuck technicalities. The man wasn't fit to lead a pack of Mole Rats, let alone a team of Mercenaries.
They had been spending their days fortifying the base, cleaning out the houses, repairing the various buildings and getting their equipment ready. Unlike Leon who was a laxadaisical overseer, Lazarus was a drill sergeant that put his twelve Mercenaries to work. Nate, Teo, Mirza, and Becca had morning target practice under Jaxon.
Rafael was resting after his shift the previous night and would cover the night shift again.
Palmer had remained awake and was lifting heavy materials with Sledge to the top floor of the Perch. Siobhan and Felix had the front gate.
Barnaby muttered something about needing Medical supplies and spent the day cooking up (at least what Ginny hoped it was) Med-X.
At present she was walking the grounds with Lazarus, inspecting the base for damages. Afterwards they would go on to inventory their supplies for when Vincent returned, no doubt with some insane task for them to accomplish.
While Ginny was overlooking the field, she noticed the practice rounds going on.
Teo was already a decent shot, while Nate and Mirza were working on their marksmanship with mixed results.
Jaxon was paying near exclusive attention to Becca, showing her how to stand, what grip she should be using on her weapon…
He was very close to Becca. Very close.
Ginny merely sighed and went back to her work, missing the Lazarus looking over her shoulder and witnessing the same thing.
That night Ginny went to sleep. She ended up sharing a room with Becca, which was how she was partial to Becca's exploits. That night she left, and Ginny decided not to follow her. For a few minutes it was quiet, and Ginny expected to her the front shut as it had over the last few nights.
Instead it remained quiet. Very quiet.
Ginny tried to go back to sleep, and was very well near it when she heard giggling coming from down the hall.
Giggling. Then moaning.
Was Siobhan up the same tricks as Becca had been? Perhaps not. Siobhan hadn't really shown herself to any other hobbies than brawling, drinking, and beating the hell out of her teammates.
But… Becca never left the house… and no one came in the house…
Ginny tried to not look horrified, but some lines needed to be drawn. The whole reason Haskel had divided the houses as he had was to minimize fraternization between teammates, which he found highly unproductive.
Ginny wondered if she would still be allowed to carry on with Vincent if Haskel had his way.
Unsettled by the night's thoughts (And noises) Ginny quietly left her bedroom and walked downstairs, attempting to ignore the rhythmic moans coming from Siobhan's room. She worked her way downstairs and towards Nate's armory.
She found the young man to be awake and dissembling weapons. He sat behind a long desk with two piles of guns on either side, with whatever current weapon he was fixing in the center.
He looked up and did a double take when he saw Ginny. "Erm… Hello Virginia. Can I help you with something?"
Ginny shook her head, amused at the shyness of the mechanic. "Just restless and not feeling tired. Becca is-"
"Out with Rafael again?" Nate asked.
"No, upstairs with Siobhan."
"Oh, well I hope she gets her proper sleep." Nate hummed naively.
"No, Becca is upstairs with Siobhan. Together." Ginny said.
"Oh. OH YOU MEAN-!"
"Yes Nate, just like that."
"I didn't think that she liked girls."
"Yeah, me neither buddy. With Haskel not here to play chaperone everyone is getting a little frisky."
"What does that mean? You and Becca are the only women here, and unless you are being unfaithful to Vincent then Becca is the only one getting... erm, laid."
Ginny loved this naïve boy. "Nate honey, Becca is getting laid. And so is half of the camp."
Nate's eyes widened. "No! Who else?"
"Well I know she spent a night with Mirza, and I suspect she has spent time with Jaxon…"
"That explains practice this morning. Mirza was pissed off and Jaxon was getting rather handsy with her. He is a very bad man Ginny."
"I know Nate."
"No, not just because he is a Talon. The things he has done… The looks he gives you girls… the looks he gives me…" Nate went quiet and went focused on reassembling one of the several assault rifles the group had brought with them from Big Town.
"Nate, have you had any trouble with Jaxon?" Ginny asked. Nevermind Becca and her sluttiness, if Jaxon was putting unwarranted advances on crewmates she would kill him…
Nate shook his head. "He hasn't done anything, but I would not care to be alone with him."
"You won't be. I promise you that."
"I am on the night patrol for tomorrow night."
'What in the hell…' "Nate, specialists don't get put on patrols. You guys have enough work managing the base. It's one thing when we go on missions, but on base you are more reliable where you are…"
"The patrol schedule has myself and Jaxon at the front gate. Vincent isn't due back from Canterbury until two days from now. I am not opposed to being out there, but with him…"
Ginny stood up from the wall she was leaning against. "Just be here tomorrow evening. I'll talk to Lazarus about the shift."
Nate stood up from his work bench and embraced Ginny in a hug. "спасибо, Virginia." His voice was even, but he was holding back pain. Ginny embraced the boy.
"I've got you. No one will get you now."
The following night Jaxon was waiting by the entrance, smoking his way through a pack of cigarettes. A sniper rifle was slung across his back, and a 10mm SMG was at his hip. A bandoleer of frag grenades lay draped diagonally down his Talon breastplate. His beady eyes were bright with malice, or at least how Ginny interpreted it.
She was dressed in her armor, with only her revolver attached on her belt. She casually strode towards the guard post and leaned opposite of Jaxon.
He regarded her for a moment, eyebrow raised. "Where's the queer?"
As if Ginny needed another reason to put him down.
"I replaced Nate on the roster. Lazarus didn't feel confident with having a lesser shot at the front."
Jaxon shrugged, and continuing smoking his cigarette.
Ginny's eyes never left him. She was not about to let this crazy bastard get the upper hand on her.
Instead she decided to see how well he handled under pressure.
"So, you have fun with Becca?"
Without skipping of beat Jaxon replied. "She ain't half bad."
"Uh huh. And how does Rafael feel about you shacking up with her?"
"Gave me his blessing himself."
Now it was Ginny's turn to raise an eyebrow.
For the first time Jaxon scoffed and broke from his indifferent state. "Fuck you girlie. Megaton has a set of walls around it and you act like you're better than half of the wasteland. She wanted it, he wanted her, and when he didn't he didn't mind me having a slice."
"Leave Nate alone."
Jaxon chuckled. "Got a soft spot for the little fag? Well aren't you just special. All motherly and shit. Well you shouldn't worry, he'd probably beg for it-"
"Shut your fucking mouth!" Ginny was seeing red. Of course this one wasn't different. All Talons are sadistic monsters. They raped and pillaged and murdered without a second thought. Perhaps she needed to put him down. Or perhaps there was a better route to all of this…
"Or what? You'll shut it for me?"
"No you fucking idiot. I won't do a thing. You know who will? Vincent will, because you are disrupting his team. Haskel will, because you are breaking his rules, and Leon will, because you tried to fuck with me." Ginny spat out at him.
Jaxon lost a bit of his bluster the moment Ginny introduced Haskel into that equation.
"Whatever. I'll leave your little pansy alone. Just don't expect me to stop screwing Becca because your feelings are hurt or whatever."
"Yeah? You aware she's screwing half the camp right?"
Jaxon seemed surprised for the first time in the whole conversation. "No she isn't. I know she was with Raf-"
"And Mirza. And Siobhan. No doubt she's shacking up with someone else."
"The crazy bitch with the fist? You sure about that?"
"They were right down the hall from my room."
"Fuck. Knew she liked to get around, but that's some serious whoring shes up to."
"Yeah."
The two stood in silence with each other, both watching each other's fingers twitch.
"Reminds me of home. We'd constantly be sharing women. Whether they liked it or not-"
In one motion Ginny unholstered her revolver and fired. Simultaneously, Jaxon drew a handgun from behind his back and fired at Ginny.
Both hit their targets.
Cliffhanger!
So some notes on the chapter:
-Becca's nymphomania will be revealed in the next few chapters, in a very interesting turn of events.
-I do not frown upon Becca's actions, and neither does Ginny. She does however feel mighty uncomfortable with Becca sowing discord by boinking a bunch of her teammates simultaneously. Let me be clear, it isn't because of the sex, it's because she's spreading jealously with little more than a backwards glance.
-Ginny isn't a prude or a homophobe, she just isn't wild about the prospect of Becca Seducing her in the middle of sleeping.
-Siobhan, is totally a lesbian. Becca's just adventurous.
-Jaxon's an equal opportunity pig. He'll nail anything that isn't screwed down. Or vice-versa?
-Nate grows a pair and stops acting completely pussified in the chapters to come. If you have feelings on how he acts, I strongly encourage you to give me input.
-You'll get to see Anais in action very soon. She will live up to the hype.
-You'll get more backstory on Sledge and Felix soon.
-As a forewarning: This is the last chapter in which sex scenes remain T-Rated. In the future, they will be described in detail, and they will be all over the board: Straight, Gay, Group sex, etc. Input is also appreciated.
-You will be getting a heavy Barnaby chapter coming up, which will help flesh out the characters backstories.
-There will be no official missions from the game in this story. There will be hybrids of the missions occurring based on what I feel will showcase the teams properly.
-You will see One, possibly Two DLC's. One is definite, the other is optional.
-You may see TLW. Still on the fence about that.
I hope this answers your questions or raises more for you.
Thanks for reading, and please go review! :D