Mutants made their way up from the basement of the building. In their hands they held rifles and more heavy weapons kept in the armory in case of invasion or more likely outbreak of the specimines.
They passed their rifles around making sure each member of the group had something to defend themselves. For many of the mutants holding a rifle came as naturally as breathing maybe even a little more so.
Ben took a long drag from his cigarette as he made for the door of the highwayman. Pulling it open he leaned inside across the drivers seat and over to the glove compartment.
Ted was still enjoying a sunset Sarsaparilla with the young girl who'd still not spoken a single word since they had found her. Luckily Ted was more then happy to do all the talking he could in order to comfort her.
It was like looking at a whole other man for Ben. Gone was the brash and bold military man who would as soon bash your head in as look at you. In its place was a kindly figure in his forties just taking time out to spend with a scared little girl.
"We're free, but what do we do now." A voice called out from one of the super mutants as he stepped out into the light of the parking lot. Over his shoulder he held a rifle looking across the desolation of what had once been a thriving metropolis.
Ben came back out from the car holding a map. He spread it out across the hood of his highwayman. "What I'm doing is going back home to check on my wife." He unfolded the edges of the map pressing it down flat with the palm of his hand. "She should have headed down to the bunker the moment the bombs started dropping."
He leaned his way into the map running his finger across the roads.
"Benji we aint just leaving them to fend for themselves." Ted looked up from his conversation with the little girl. "There's a good chance the reds are still out there somewhere in the city."
"I'm getting to that." Ben looked back up from the map for a moment towards Ted. He left his hand resting on a particular point. "We can't fit everyone into the highwayman, so we'll either need to steal a vehicle or go on foot."
He stuck his cigarette back behind his ear. "Now between you and me I don't think showing up in a stolen bus will exactly endear us to the locals or the media." Smoke rolled its way up the side of his face. "If we don't want these fine folks taken back for experimentation our best place to go is going to be my wife's clinic."
Ben tapped his finger up and down on the map. "It's a few blocks over and if we're lucky it's still standing." He paused for a moment. "If not we move onto plan B." He rubbed his hand against his chin looking down towards the map. "They're duty bound to do no harm, so you should all be protected by them, at least from the military."
"Even the army isn't crazy enough to fight a humanitarian aid group in broad daylight, at least not last I checked anyway." He looked up towards the bombed out ruins on either side of the road. "Though given the recent order of the day that might be up in the air too."
"Let's hold out hope they haven't gone that far yet." Ted commented taking a drag of his own.
"More time we spend gawking out here the less time I spend finding my wife." Ben folded the map up tucking it away onto his person. He was still wearing the combat armor, but at this point he'd almost gotten comfortable in it. The heat dissipating body suit beneath the thick armor plating made this fall day almost pleasant.
Ben motioned for the group to follow and started heading off down the road. Together the group made their way through the bombed out ruins. The going was slow but steady as they made from one structure to the next.
"Just how bad is the damage." Tedros muttered to himself looking over the bombed out ruins of the local barber shop. Inside bodies were hunched over having been struck in the middle of business hours. "How far out does it go."
"I don't have the foggiest, but it looks like the reds struck fast and hard.." Ben stepped over the rubble looking out ahead down the road. The sidewalk was covered in debris meaning the group for the most part had to stick to the middle of the open road. Lucky for them it didn't seem people were too keen for travel at the moment.
"Looks like war broke out." One of the mutants spoke looking up to the beating sun high in the clouds. "If that's true it might be like this everywhere, or worse." Another added.
Water shot up into the air from a nearby fire hydrant which had been opened some time before the bombing started. The road was slicked with water and more was flowing out all the time making for a tiny river.
Ted took the time to lift the little girl up off the ground and onto his shoulder allowing her to avoid getting her nice shoes soaking wet. Once they hit the other side he set her down with care. They made their way on down the road for some time but came upon a barricade of sorts blocking the road completely.
It was made from parked school buses and cars lined up to make it slow going to move past, just barely enough room for a car to come through if it went single file.
A voice called out from nearby. "Where you going strangers." A man with an assault rifle peaked his head out from one of the many ruined buildings a few more heads peaking out from within what had once been a gun shop. They'd set up boards across the windows and a gun nest on the roof, something simple to keep out the looters who had already wrecked havoc on the other standing buildings.
The voice was enough to bring a pause to the parties motion down the street. Ted looked over towards the shop and spoke up first. "Just minding our own business." He left his rifle to rest against his shoulder looking over as he made himself a headcount.
There were more of them but it could still get bloody with how much firepower the people in the gun store still had on their side.
"The hell's wrong with your friends?" The old man doing most the shouting called out looking over at the towering super mutants.
"Glandular condition." Came a response from one of the mutants who spoke with a smile. It got a bit of a chuckle out of some of the other super mutants. "Very bad."
"Glandular condition my left foot, something aint right with those boys." The old man narrowed his eyes rifle still at the ready in case the group tried anything funny.
"Listen, we're just heading to the clinic down the way, these men have been through a lot." Ben spoke turning his attention over to the gun store away from the blockade. "We rescued them from the lab where someone was running experiments on them with FEV" He could see the gun ports through the boarded up windows on either side of the road. The locals had made a small fortress for themselves in the wreckage of the city.
"I hope we're not going to have a problem passing through" Ted lowered his rifle down into a position ready to fire. Things were tense and it seemed as if at any moment it could turn bloody as more guns peaked their way from the gunstore.
"You're going to that pinko clinic?" The old man leaned a bit further out the window. "That place is unamerican, where all them union boys go to get patched up for nothing"
"They're doctors, not reds." Ben spoke firm as he took a step forward. "They help people who need it, and right now these men need help bad." He looked over towards the street for a moment.
"If y'all got problems with us passing through we'll just go up to the next road," Ted narrowed his eyes as he spoke counting out the rifles on display. There was a lot more ordinance then it first appeared. "but the more time we waste yapping the more it keeps these fine men from medical attention"
"I aughta just pump the lot of you freaks full of lead where you stand!" He called out with a bit of a shout looking them over fresh.
Ben stood firm on the spot not backing down. Behind him the little girl peaked her way out from the crowd locking eyes with the old man. He held the side of his head like a migraine was coming on.
A small trickle of blood came from his nose and he rubbed it with the back of his hand looking down at himself. His eyes shook in his head and he closed them tightly for a few moment averting his eyes from the girls gaze. He tried to speak a few times but the words just wouldn't come out.
He grabbed a bit of cloth from his pocket and held it up to his nose trying to figure out what exactly was happening taking his hands off the rifle and letting it rest on the window.
There was silence for a long time as he collected himself, eventually he spoke up. "Listen..." He drug out the silence. "I... I guess y'all can go on through," He forced the words out slow and stilted like he was struggling with each one. "but you try anything funny and we'll have you done up with so many holes people'll think you're Swiss cheese."
The little girl smiled blending back in with the crowd at Ted's side who was already looking surprised at the turn in the conversation. His body language shifted from offensive to more neutral as a lone brow raised for just a moment.
"We can just go?" He asked motioning with his head over to the blocked street.
"Just git going already, you're bothering me." The old man shouted their direction before ducking away from the window.
His eye had gone somewhat red where it looked almost as if a vein were about ready to pop in his head. The veins on his face were returning back to normal.
Together the group made their way slowly down the blocked street weaving through the parked cars and metal fencing set up as a rapid defense line. Along the walls of the buildings on either side guns pointed their way down making sure they never quite felt completely safe.
It took some time to make their way through the wreckage. Already the place had been painted up by vandals 'Free state!' The commonwealth flag painted on walls and the hoods of cars.
"Regular patriots." Ben spoke to himself as he made his way past sentry turrets set up in the backs of trucks whirring away as they turned from one side to the other. "Wonder if they roll out the same welcome wagon for everyone."
"Got a feeling it's got more confetti when it's for the military." Ted spoke back.
"Confetti sounds nice." One of the mutants commented squeezing his way through a gap in the cars by pushing them out of the way with his massive frame. His muscles put even Teds to shame as he effortlessly shoved the car out of the way and up against the wall.
Coming out the other side they were walking on a six lane road one of the main roads through the city.
"We're close now." Ben reassured them motioning over his shoulder. "It should be just past this next road, if we hurry we should be able to make it before sunset."
The group began to make their way across open highway. The road was clear of cars in all directions giving it the eerie feeling of a ghost town. They went in single file crossing one lane and then the next.
As they reached about the half way point the sound of an engine echoed out. Most of them moved to either side but for some reason the little girl wasn't moving. She looked on like a dear in the headlights as the car sped closer.
Without thinking Ben dove in her direction, shoving her out of the way of the oncoming black Corvega. It slammed into him hard but instead of going splat something caused him to roll up and over the hood of the car and onto the roof. He slammed hard leaving a deep indent into the surface.
He rolled off the back and hit the ground with a hard thud, but the car kept going off into the distance. Ted was shocked and ran over to his side along with the mutants. One of the mutants went to pick him up off the ground but Ted pushed his hand out of the way.
"Don't move him." Ted spoke out as he helped the little girl back up to a stand. "If he managed to break something and we move him it could kill him."
Ben was out cold, knocked unconscious by the impact. His body lay sprawled across the asphalt head having impacted hard. There wasn't any blood pooling out from him which was a good sign, but they had no easy way of telling what else might have been wrong with him.
Ted acted fast. "Grab that awning from the pizza place across the street, I've got an idea." Barking out orders to the rest of the group which they took in stride.
Two super mutants came up to the base of the pizzeria and lifted their hands up in the air. They didn't have the tools to take it down with any sort of grace but a firm rip from both sides was enough to tear the awning from its mounting brackets and bring it down to their level.
"Alright, we got it." They brought it back over to the downed Ben, and Tedros got to work. He stomped hard on the frame snapping it under his weight at key points. Down onto the asphalt went the excess metal leaving behind two bars and a bit of cloth he wrapped it over itself several times until it was just barely wide as a man.
"Alright we're going to lift him just enough to slide him onto the stretcher." Tedross moved to the head of his friend checking him over once more for signs of external damage. "That kind of impact should have killed him, but he's still breathing." He felt against the mans pulse before motioning to two of the super mutants.
Working together the group raised Ben onto the stretcher before setting him back down into place. The first task was complete. "Now we just need to get him to the clinic." The two mutants lifted the stretcher up into the air and began to walk roughly in time with one another.
It took some getting used to before the two men were carrying the stretcher in a steady manner and for the rest of their walk Ted lead the way.
The next road they came to they set up a lookout for any oncoming traffic, and sent people across one at a time save for the two mutants carrying the stretcher. The day grew long in the tooth the sky turning to a dull shade of amber as the sun began its descent but they had made it.
Ahead of them wrested the clinic a simple white building with a red cross on the roof. It was one of the few buildings left standing and outside of the building medical workers were already scrambling to treat patients in the small tent city they'd set up around the building.
The oncoming mutants were met with shock and awe from the locals some of who shrunk away at the sight of them looking for cover as the massive green musclebound men made their way through the camp carrying the unconscious Benjamin.
A lot of local union workers were present some in worse shape from the recent riots then others. A few of them were even throwing in a hand to help out the injured bandaging up simple injuries and doing the most basic of medical attention.
A man in a white medical coat came out from the main building to greet them. He was confused by the appearance of the men for a moment before taking in the situation. "I'm Doctor James Clancy, and you've caught us at a bit of a bad time"
"Well Clancy" Ted started looking over towards the shorter man. "I've got men here who are going to need the help of your group here." He motioned back towards the super mutants behind him. "The government were experimenting on them like animals, and we." He motioned to the unconscious Ben on the stretcher. "Managed to rescue them."
"Oh god I've never seen FEV victims in person before" adjusted his glasses. "To think someone was making them here, it's unthinkable."
"Are you willing to help them doctor?" Ted stood on the spot.
"Of course, of course we're in the middle of a crisis but that can't be allowed to change our mission statement" shook his head moving over beside Ben. "What happened to your friend."
"He was hit by a car on our way over." Ted turned around following the doctors motions.
"We're a bit understaffed with the crisis, but I'll see we can't get him in for an X-ray to see what all's broken." He reached down to Ben's arm and took a pulse looking down to his medical pipboy. "Pulse is steady, breathing stable."
"Just..." Clancy looked around his surroundings for a few moments before moving beside a bed which had only opened up seconds prior. "Set him down here and we'll have someone over to check him." He tapped the back of his wrist several times in quick succession. "For the time being try to keep out of the way of our staff, but make yourself at home, I know there are plenty of men and women here who would love to look over your mutated friends."
"If you need a doctor, I was a medic in the army." One of the mutants spoke up walking out of the crowd. His words were slow and gravely but he spoke with confidence. beamed for a moment looking his direction. "Excellent, we need all the help we can get, the last fight before the bombs dropped left a lot of union strikers badly injured, if you can help treat their injuries I think everyone would be grateful"
"I'll get to work." The mutant made his way off from the group, some of the others setting themselves down after a day spent mostly walking through the ruins of the city.
Ted sat down next to Ben, popping the cap off a bottle of nuka cola. He needed something a bit stronger but didn't exactly have any alcohol nearby.
Eventually the little girl made her way over and sat down beside him.
"Hey kid, how you holding in there?" He offered her a bit of a smile before taking a drag from his cigarette. Unsurprisingly she didn't say a single word instead just playing with her doll. "You know you're a terrible conversationalist."
He smiled her direction shaking his head. "Though I don't mind." He grabbed a nearby glass, and poured out some for her offering the glass over. She began to sip from the contents. "Just gives me more room to talk, and I'm a windbag."
He puffed himself up blowing out a cloud of cigarette smoke, and managed to get a quiet laugh from her.
Things were looking like they were readying to slow down. They'd managed to make it to safety, and gotten a place for their mutated comrades. Sure Ben was in a bad way but he was about to be under the care of some of the best doctors in the region.
It looked like they could finally take a break and rest easy, but there was still the little matter of Armageddon. Ted overheard a few of the union boys talking about the bombings, entire cities nuked off the map, and contact lost with the capital all together.
The world was changing right before their eyes, and he couldn't push that news out of his mind. MAD had likely made sure the entire world was one big ball of radioactive contaminant and he wondered how long before the fallout brought the whole world into a nuclear winter.