Chapter 3

A World Long Gone

Chapter Warnings:

Cursing
-

The trees quivered in the howling wind, the weaker ones bending in the gale. The constant green clouds of the sky had gone black, closing in. Lightning danced across the dark folds, constant, never ending.

A storm was coming.

"Hurry up! We don't want to be stuck out here when the radiation storm hits!"

A tall imposing woman, turned her gaze away from the sky, setting her sights back down onto the fake fallout base before her. She turned to the man beside her, "Progress?"

"The rad rat infestation was high-"

"I need vault status, I could care less about some damn rodent problem."

The man shifted uncomfortably, and he should be. Failure would cost him his position, possibly his life. All she had to do was say, "W-we've got men down there right now."

"Status," she repeated again, ice in her voice.

He quickly grabbed his walkie talkie, taking a few steps to get away from her, "Markus what's the status on the vault?"

The radio crackled, "It was already open when we got down here?"

She raised an eyebrow, "What?"

The supervisor flinched "Status, Markus, now"

"I'm sending my team up with the catalog as we speak."

As if on cue a group of men and woman exited the building, one unlucky soul quickly handing a pad over to the supervisor. "It mostly contains old medical drugs, most of them are expired, only a few missing."

She walked over, heels clicking on the concrete.

The employee stammered, nervous at the sight of her, "We-we think whoever broke in probably took the missing medical product. From the records we recovered, it showed that this was also the location for the original Project Lifeline."

She let out an exhale, finally. Then speaking out loud, "Were any of these subjects successful?" she asked.

"A-a few," the female swallowed nervously, "But the b-bunker- suffered a system failure," she gestured, to another research member who carried a large armful of faded yellow folders. "All we have left is their subject files."

"What about tissue samples?" the supervisor asked.

"Not possible, The corpses are too far gone, they rotted the bacta fluid."

The woman gave a terrifying glare and the lower ranked female flinched. "Almost all are dead, I'm sorry! I-"

The woman raised an eyebrow and held up a hand, signalling her to stop talking "Wait, what do you mean almost all?"

She handed a folder to her, "O-one of the subjects is missing my lady."

"Missing?"

"System records say the tank was opened recently, the exact date didn't show, but it is this year. We couldn't find the body….."

The woman opened the folder, eyeing the subject brief notes. She noticed the file was extremely thick compared to the others. He was the most successful out of them all…so was it possible that he…."Where is the nearest outpost?" she asked as she dismissed the research member. The female left swiftly, relieved to be away from her.

Confused by the sudden change of topics the supervisor shifted nervously, "Founder's Town ma'am."

"Start sending teams to Founder's Town, I want them to start looking for anyone out of place and anyone who might have been over here in the past month."

"May I ask why we would be looking for someone out of place?"

She turned on her heel, leaving the bunker behind, "I doubt the thieves who broke in would take off with a corpse, would you?"

Jesse rolled over, groaning, fighting the faint ache behind his eyes.

"Oh ….you're awake."

Alertness struck Jesse like a bolt of electricity and he quickly sat up. He immediately spotted Lukas, opposite to him in the room. This wasn't the medical room like before; it was a simple furnished room. And from the obvious telltale signs, Jesse noted that he was in a bedroom, on a broken down but soft mattress.

Lukas was sitting in a worn, but comfy looking chair across from him, his coat hanging over a nightstand nearby him. The blonde then closed the book that he had been reading and set it down on the dresser. His face was blanketed in genuine concern,

"You've been out since yesterday" Lukas informed, in a gentle tone, leaning forward in the chair and gripping his hands together. "Are you feeling ok?"

Jesse cringed as his neck and head throbbed as he attempted to move it. "Did someone hit me?" he asked, rubbing the aching spot on his neck

Lukas's eyes shifted towards the bedroom door, "You passed out, from the air we think."

He was lying, he was pretty sure Lukas's teammate from earlier had hit him from behind when Jesse had taken the knife from Lukas.

Jesse noticed that Lukas was clearly making an effort to seem non-hostile. The male was in a simple tank and cargo pants. There was no pistol at his hip, nor a knife on a thigh strap. Jesse even noticed a funny looking rifle was far from Lukas's reach. Instead it rested against the bed, the ammo cartridge removed and sitting on the dresser.

Lukas was now as unarmed as Jesse. But he was still capable of doing something, that Jesse knew.

However, Jesse accepted the lie, and readjusted himself on the bed, "This isn't the same room as last time," he said softly.

"We decided to put you in a bedroom – well, mine anyway," Lukas answered, "'I thought maybe you wanted to wake up somewhere more comfortable for a change."

Jesse glanced around and noticed that despite being meticulously clean and well organized, the room still was worn down. The carpet was faded, nearly threadbare, the wall paint dirty and peeled.

The air still smelled bad too, but it was more tolerable now. it didn't burn Jesse's lungs as much as before. Of course he still felt dizzy from it, but only ever so slightly. "I appreciate that," he mumbled out. "I'm….I'm sorry for freaking out on you earlier."

"No I get it," the blond replied quickly, "I would have freaked out too."

They fell into an uncomfortable silence. It was clear to Jesse that Lukas had questions, and Jesse himself was full of them. But it was Lukas in the end that broke the ice.

"How did you end up involved with PAMA?" he asked.

Jesse flinched hard, fuzzy memories, and soft aches of pain seeping their way into his brain.

"I…they took me."

He watched as Lukas's eyes darkened, and he turned his head towards the curtain covered window, "Yeah…they're good at doing that."

Jesse looked away, eyeing some chipped paint on a nearby wall, "I- I don't remember a lot, I remember they put me in some weird tube, and then I woke up and you were there." Jesse rubbed his arm, "I think you saved me?"

From the corner of his eye he saw Lukas cringe, and the very gesture made Jesse nervous. He readjusted on the bed, swinging his legs over the side. His nerves tensing up and he was already mentally preparing to run.

Jesse swallowed slowly, his throat thick, "Thank you for saving me," he repeated.

"Oh, yeah, no problem,"

"I'm kind of surprised, you found me so easily," Jesse mumbled, "I could never get out a room, much less the whole building, how did you get past the security?"

Lukas flinched again and Jesse's stomach twisted into knots.

"Lukas?"

The male seemed to be struggling to form a sentence. It didn't take much to put together he had something to say, and he was reluctant to say it. But finally Lukas adjusted in his seat, "Jesse- I-"

Suddenly the bedroom door opened and a female quickly entered the room, "Lukas we need to talk-oh!" she stopped at the sight of Jesse, eyes widening in surprise. "Oh- I – um…."

The female was small the same size as Jesse in height. Her hair was short and dark brown, but it a pristine bob, a small braid running down the right hand side.

Behind her Jesse spotted the male he was sure knocked him out earlier, didn't Lukas call him Aiden? He was now without his jacket, Jesse could clearly see that Aiden's metal hand was actually a metal arm, going all the way up past where his left shoulder should be. The dark silver metal was engraved in black tribal markings, almost mimicking a tattoo. The male looked in a worse mood than the last time Jesse saw him.

Next to him was another male, this one Jesse was unfamiliar to. But the newcomer was huge, easily passing six feet. His hair was shaved military buzzed, his face covered in dark thick facial hair.

Lukas seemed, relieved to be interrupted with whatever he was about to say to Jesse, but at the same time he didn't seem too happy to see the arrivals, "Maya, Aiden, Gill," he said dryly.

Maya turned to Lukas, "I wanted to talk to you," she stuttered out, eyes occasionally glancing towards Jesse, "But I wasn't aware he was awake, so I- we, can wait," she mumbled.

Jesse fought on the sickening feeling that whatever it was the female had wanted to say, it was about him.

Lukas's frown deepened.

"I-I can go outside, so you can talk-" Jesse began to stammer.

Aiden scoffed, "I take it you haven't told him," he said dryly.

"I was working on it Aiden, it's kinda hard to explain," Lukas said, temper flaring.

Jesse looked back and forth between the two sets, "What? What do you have to tell me? Is something wrong," his fingers clenched into the sheets, "Did I do something wrong?"

Aiden went to open his mouth but Lukas cut him off, "No Jesse you haven't done anything wrong." He rubbed his temple struggling to form what he needed to say, "I wanted to tell you when you were feeling a little better, this is going to be a lot."

"I-I feel fine," Jesse said weakly, "What's wrong?"

Lukas sighed, dropping his hand defeated, "It's not exactly safe to go outside anymore."

Jesse's mind flashed back to his most recent experience, and the two men who clearly didn't have his best wellbeing in mind, "I noticed," he remarked, "Are we in a bad neighborhood right now?"

Aiden scoffed again, "We're in a bad neighborhood period."

Lukas flashed Aiden a warning look, a cold fury turning his blue eyes steely. Aiden glared back, much to the discomfort of Maya and Gill, but he eventually turned away with a scowl, exiting the room.

"Look Jesse, outside, as in the whole world, isn't as safe as it used to be. You were trapped by PAMA I think a little longer than you realized," Lukas said slowly.

Jesse's heart skipped a beat, "W-what do you mean?"

"I know this is sudden, and I wish there was a better way to tell you-"

"Lukas, what do you mean?"

Lukas sighed, going silent for a moment, unsure of how to phrase it.

Maya looked up, a look of pity in her eyes, "There was a war," she said softly, "No one really knows what happened, all anyone knows any more is that it was bad."

"They dropped bombs, nuclear bombs," Lukas explained, "A lot of major countries were hit, all forms of government began collapsing all over the word. The bombs killed a lot of people, the war ended because there was no country capable of fighting any more. The radiation killed even more, and then the ash…." Lukas cringed, "All the radiation, ash, smoke- everything, it clogged the sky. The sun couldn't shine through, everything got cold, and the world fell into a winter…."

Jesse was getting off the bed, arms shaking, "This, no- bombs? You can't be serious," he struggled to breath, "This is just a joke isn't it; this is just some sick joke."

"It's not a joke," Lukas pressed, "Jesse-"

"Something like that doesn't just happen!" Jesse shoved off the bed, not making his way to the door, but to the window, yanking the curtains open. He gasped, startled by the sight before him, "W-what?"

The atmosphere was a dark smoggy green, the sky covered thickly in black clouds. Everything was dull and dim, and cold. Only the smallest traces of sunlight broke through the dark folds. The city –if you could call it that- was a derelict mess of mud brick homes, crumbling buildings and makeshift sheet metal. The land beyond the city was a grave of dead trees, brown plants and rotted grass. There was the occasional watering hole, the liquid dark and murky. The far horizon was a haze of green, with no end to it sight.

A total wasteland.

Jesse staggered away from the window, "Wha- how- when-" he choked on the words, stumbling back.

Lukas caught him, guiding him back to the bed, sitting him down "I wish it was as lie Jesse, but it isn't. The world ended, in 2049….then the world froze over-"

Jesse jerked away from Lukas, "2049?! I was with PAMA for two years?!"

"Well-"

"We shouldn't be above ground!" Jesse panicked, "Nuclear radiation is dangerous! It's going to take centuries for this to clear out, the air is going to be polluted and-"

He froze as Lukas gently took hold of his arms, in a attempt to be soothing and gentle, "Jesse," he said softly. "It has been centuries."

"W-what….."

"That tube you were in, it froze. We don't know how you survived," Lukas explained, "But you were in there for over 300 years."

Jesse felt as if his breath had been stolen, "N-no, there is no way! I should be dead, I- there is no way," his voice cracked.

Lukas's eyes were full of genuine pity, "It's 330 P.B. what we call post bomb, in the original time, it's the year 2389, Jesse you were frozen. We just don't know how you manage to stay alive-"

"No!" Jesse wrenched Lukas's arms off him, "You're lying, please tell me you're lying!"

Lukas's expression clearly stated he wasn't, and when Jesse looked at Gill and Maya he could tell they were not lying either.

"No-no-" Jesse choked on a sob, "I should be dead. I should be-"

Two years of his life, what should have only been two years-

Jesse let out a wail, bending forward into the mattress, large wet tears falling from his face and hitting the cotton sheets. His life, his friends, his family; all of it was dead, all of it was gone.

Gone for over three hundred years

.

"M-my parents, my home- I – I- Oh God no please!"

Lukas placed a gentle hand on Jesse's shoulder, " I didn't know how to tell you Jesse, and I really wish it wasn't true." He gave a soft rub, "I'm so, so, sorry. I'll try to help you through this, I just…..I'm sorry."

Jesse didn't answer, he merely sobbed. He cried at the prospect of his future, and the wastes that awaited him beyond the bedroom walls. He sobbed, for the family he never got to say goodbye to, the family that never knew what happened to him. He grieved for the world and life he had lost.

A world that no one alive now even recalled….except for him

A few weeks had passed since he found out, and Jesse still struggled to adjust to the harsh truth. He looked for days, a week even for someone in the group of strangers to slip up, to reveal that this was indeed all just some sick joke.

But it wasn't.

He'd stay mostly near Lukas, the one he felt safest with, and watch everyone.

Everything about this world was odd, and strange. The weapons they carried were a hodgepodge mix of metal, scopes, anything capable of being turned lethal. He saw Gill once reassembling was appeared to be a sawed off shotgun.

Maya worked with medical remedies that Jesse wasn't familiar with either, taking old drugs and pills, she would boil them down make something new out of them. Most plants were toxic and beyond use, but she would occasionally use a weed for something.

Lukas did his best to explain all he could to Jesse. He talked about the nuclear winter that followed the bombs, how the wastelands were a dangerous vast space between struggling settlements and towns.

From what Jesse understood, the world was simply out for themselves, most towns used each other for trade and business and that was that. It was a constant battle, a fight to survive. There were raiders - vile humans picking off others on trade routes- and radiated creatures hiding out in the were constantly going storms, carrying with them radiation and ancient poisons from the war. Then, the dreaded radiation sickness, almost everyone succumbed to it sooner or later, and all of them feared it.

Life was harsh, and the world was no longer friendly and warm, it was out to destroy everything that breathed.

Everything was stripped down to just that.

Lukas was out today, something about needing to do an supply run to a trader outside of town. He already gently informed Jesse that the city was dangerous, the wastes were even worse. So Jesse stayed behind.

It was hard, Lukas made every effort to make sure Jesse was comfortable, and Jesse found himself needing that comfort. He didn't remember much with his time in the PAMA institute, but he knew it was painful, and cold. He relied heavily on Lukas for that safety. A strange relationship considering the brief time that they had known each other. But Lukas still had a life, a job, and it couldn't be ignored, so Jesse waited.

The gang lived on the third floor of what remained of a multiple story apartment building. It was at the edge of town, highly exposed to the wastes and the threats it carried. But Lukas's team didn't have to do a thing to prove they can handle the danger. There were guns in almost every room, especially in the room that doubled as the living room/gathering area.

Jesse was sitting there currently, attempting to put on a very large, sweatshirt. Finding proper clothes had been difficult for Jesse. Lukas's team was tight on credits, each had their own savings, and apparently had been relying on a good find in the PAMA vault.

The vault that produced Jesse instead.

Maya helped him pull the large sweatshirt over his head, his hair frizzing with static. "I figured Gill would be too big for you," she sighed.

"He is kinda large," Jesse said sheepishly,"But I'm thankful he offered to give it to me."

"We need to cover you more though," Maya frowned, "It's cold outside,"

"It's cold in here," Jesse said.

Maya laughed a little, even though it was indeed cool inside building she and her friends usually were in single layers of clothes, tank tops, even cotton pants. The temperature was something Jesse had yet to adjust to.

"Well we need you bundled, cause it's even colder outside." she said. She got up tapping her chin, "You're pretty small, I think I might have a pair of jeans that might fit you." she stopped at the hallway, "Are you okay with wearing "girls" clothes?"

Jesse shrugged, then quickly grabbed the shoulder of the sweater as it slipped down on his skin, pulling it back up. "I don't think I have a option to be picky,"

Maya gave another soft small smile and exited down the hall.

Jesse was left to his thoughts, kneading his fingers along the sleeves of the thick sweatshirt. Across the room Aiden sat in the kitchen area, silently sharpening his hunting knife at the table. Out of all the members of the team, Jesse had yet to speak to Aiden about - well, anything.

The male didn't really give him a chance either, he went out often, not coming back for a day or two. When he was at the base he was reclusive to his room most of the time, and never said a word when he was outside of it. He was intimidating to be sure, and seeing him break a man's arm during their first meeting left quite an impression on Jesse.

Deciding to at least try and thank the male for his part in Jesse's rescue; Jesse got up, meekly making his way into the kitchen. Aiden's eyes shifted ever so slightly his way, but other than that he didn't react.

Jesse went to sit on the seat next to Aiden, "I haven't had the chance to say this yet, because you seem to be busy; but thank you-"

Aiden suddenly stood, stabbing the hunter's knife into the table, Jesse yelped in surprise, taking a step back as Aiden towered over him.

"Let me make one thing perfectly clear," the other brunet snarled, "I did not, agree to bringing you here, I do not, want you in our lives. You are putting us all at risk and the sooner Lukas gets that through his thick skull the better."

Jesse stared, stunned and terrified.

"You are going to stay out of my way," Aiden hissed, "You will not talk to me, you will not even think about getting close, because if I have my way, you'll be out of our hair in a month. Am. I. Clear?"

"I-I-" Jesse flinched.

"Aiden!"

Both of them turned to see Maya at the entrance of the kitchen, she glared at Aiden, "Fuck off!" she said.

Aiden snarled, yanking his knife from the table, splinters of wood flying as he removed the blade. He gave Jesse one last glare and departed. He bumped Maya in the shoulder as he passed, she kicked her foot back at him in response, "Go get a drink or something you dick!" she hollered after him.

Her gaze softened as she looked at Jesse, still shocked and shaking in the kitchen. "Don't pay any attention to him, he's like a dog, he bites at strangers," she said gently, setting the clothing on the table.

Jesse slowly sat down, "I don't understand, what does he mean, a danger?"

Maya hesitated, then she grabbed her first pair of jeans, "Let's just see if these fit okay?"

She clearly dodged the question, but Jesse relented and allowed her to do so. He looked at the darkened hall where Aiden had retreated to, struggling to fight off the guilty sensation pooling in his stomach.

The bar was the only decent place in town to get food. That was because the people eating were usually drunk. As Gill had quickly learned in life, everything tasted better when alcohol had already destroyed your taste buds.

He needed it too, this had been a rough week. He was signed up for an escort job yesterday, but the man who hired him to do said escorting died of radiation sickness the day prior.

So there went that ticket meal.

Luckily he could always get a good break at Charlie's place. Charlie was a good guy, rough, old, used to be a mercenary back in his prime. Gill helped him clear out a bad gang that had been roughing up the joint a year or so back and Gill had been on Charlie's good side ever since. So Charlie was always happy to give Gill a decent meal for a price that didn't cost Gill a vital organ.

The bar was loud as was the usual for this time of evening. Most people - the ones who had jobs anyway- got off work about this time. Once it got dark, most loud activity ceased outside. Rabble had a nasty tendency to draw in the nocturnal monsters of the wastes, and even though there were fences and watchtowers, it was still a risk.

Charlie had worked for years making his bar's walls thick and therefore sound muffling. Which made the joint a popular spot to get wasted and loud.

Gill sat in his usual corner of the bar, slurping his soup, drinking the cheapest but most edible drink he could muster. He listened to the gossip and mulled over his own issues at the moment.

To say things weren't….tense, at the base would be an understatement. Jesse was a sweet kid, kind and friendly when he knew you weren't with PAMA. Maya warmed up to him pretty quick and Gill was always one to follow his lady's cue.

It was Aiden and Lukas who were the problem. Multiple times this week Aiden again brought up the issue of PAMA and what if they came after Jesse. Lukas was dead set on keeping Jesse safe with them. More than once when Jesse was asleep did the two face of in a heated exchange of words.

Gill tended to stay out of it, he followed either Lukas or Aiden, depending on who took charge of the situation. The problem was both of them were fighting for that control at that moment. Another reason Gill needed that drink.

Charlie set a bottle of beer in front of Gill. Gill slurped up a noodle, eyeing it. "I didn't order that Charlie,"

The gruff male smiled, a gap in his teeth, "Yeah looked like you needed it though,"

Gill snorted and snapped the cap off the bottle.

"Rough fews runs,"

"That's putting it lightly," he replied, he glanced around bar, noting despite how loud it was there was very few people in the bar this evening, "Little short on customers tonight?"

Charlie scoffed, "Patrons got scared off."

"Oh?"

Charlie jabbed his head and his voice dropped low, "See those two men in the corner of the bar?"

Gill paused from his drink and slightly looked over his shoulder. He eyed two strangely dressed men in the darkened corner of the diner. The looked a little too high class to be in the joint, much less locals of Founder's Town. "They giving you trouble?"

"Not yet, but they've been asking a lot of questions to patrons, particularly hired hands or anyone going out into the wastes." the barman spat on the floor, "Don't know what they're asking yet, but they're scaring people."

"Want me to deck em if they get out of hand?"

Charlie laughed and patted Gill on the shoulder, "I'll let you know, holler if you need anything kid," he smiled as he returned to his work.

Gill went back to his meal, continuing to listen to the idle gossip of the locals. He would occasionally sneak a glance at the strangers. They seemed to be gossip fishing as well.

"Did you hear PAMA is over by old Founder's Town?"

Gill paused, looking at a group of people at one of the tables.

"No, what have you heard?" someone asked.

"They're digging around by that old bunker in the area. Everyone thinks they're trying to find stuff."

Gill shifted his gaze to the two strangers, who also listened with interest.

"Stuff like what?"

"I don't know, but I think they are missing something. I saw two soldiers yesterday asking around if anyone had been up there lately. I bet you someone got into that vault and took something. One of them asked me if I had seen any new people lately. I think they're after someone."

Gill choked on his soup, taking a particularly loud slurp. The noise caught the attention of a few patrons. Gill quickly let out a drunken giggle and slurped again. They looked away uninterested in a drunken fool.

Gill went to look back at the gossip but made the mistake of eye contact.

"Hey Gill weren't you up there recently?" the female called.

Gill reluctantly turned his chair around, knowing the strangers were staring at him. "What?"

"Didn't you have a run in the old town?"

"Naw," Gill said, "Nothing good left to pick through there. Passed by on a caravan escort but that was a few weeks ago."

The group accepted his tale and went back to their chatter. Gill didn't look at the corner of the bar as he turned around, "Hey Charlie,"

Charlie slid down the bar. "What can I do ya kid?"

"What do I owe you?"

"Running already?" Charlie asked as he pulled printed receipt out.

"Running already," Gill answered, dropping the required credits on the table.

"Stay out of trouble," Charlie warned.

Gill waved, That's the plan, He thought. He noticed the two suspicious characters whispering to themselves and standing.

He hurried out of the bar and took a sharp left, already trying to plot out a way to get home without leading his stalkers there.

He looked back just as the two men exited the building.

Shit.

Gill rounded the alleyway, heart pounding as he could hear the crunch of gravel behind him. He turned his head forward, keeping his head high and casual, supposedly unaware to his followers.

Aiden was coming his direction, looking irked as usual. The male was tightening his coat as he walked, a weak attempt against the constant cold, "Gill where the fuck have you been? I have been-"

Gill grabbed his arm and turned him around, "Keep walking,"

Aiden stumbled slightly, but managed to keep upright, "What the hell Gill? The base is that-"

"We're being followed, well, I am anyway."

"What?"

"The men behind me are from PAMA,"

Aiden stiffened, but only momentarily , he soon casually stepped into pace with Gill, taking a random right down another path, "What do they want?"he asked, voice hushed and tense.

Gill let his eyes shift as he turned, seeing the two men following still, "They were chilling around the bar, listening to see if anyone had been to Old Founder's Town. I guess PAMA has been digging around the bunker."

"And?"

"I didn't say anything, but a loudmouth asked if I had been up there, he brought up the job we had. I blew it off but these men didn't buy it."

"Shit, that's what they're after aren't they? They know we took Jesse."

"The gossipers think they're looking for a person. But I don't know if they meant us or Jesse," Gill shrugged, "I don't know, I just played it dumb, said we had a caravan job that passed through the area but we didn't stick. Still the bunker got these guys' attention, they've been following me since the bar. I've been trying to lose them."

Aiden snarled, "Keep up with me," he mumbled before increasing his pace and making a sharp left.

Gill followed hot on his heels, Aiden leading him around in twist and turns soon entering the dredge of Founder's Town. Aiden rounded a corner, a little beggar girl sat on the floor.

"Hey Mia, do us a favor?" Aiden asked, kneeling down to her level, "The two men who follow after us? Point them the wrong way if they ask where we went?"

The little girl raised an eyebrow, "Why should I?"

Aiden held out ten credits.

She took them.

Aiden straightened back up and shoved Gill into a nearby building, the two vanishing into the shadows just as their pursuers entered the alley.

"Hey you, girl!" one of them gasped out, winded from their trailing, "Did you see two men go through here?"

"Lotta men come through here," she answered simply.

"Six footer? Bald? The other one is a little shorter, brown hair?"

The little girl tilted her head, "That narrows it down," she said dryly.

The second man scowled, pulling out a prime handful of credits, easily fifty strong, and handing it to Mia, who in turn had her eyes widen. From the corner of his gaze he saw Aiden frown, hand slowly reaching towards his hunting knife.

"Tell us which way they went, now," the man said icily.

Mia ran her fingers over the credits, and slowly looked up.

Gill's heart was pounding, he reached over his shoulder, hand gripping his shotgun.

Mia pointed – the opposite way- "I saw them go that way, they're headed down to the prostitute lane." She said.

Gill and Aiden both relaxed as the two PAMA lackeys retreated towards their new direction,

"Lotta credits to lie for," Aiden said as he stepped out of the building.

"Better to lie than be a PAMA bitch," Mia answered with a shrug.

Gill reached into his pouch, "We owe you,"

Mia got up, tucking her new earnings into her own bag, "Keep your credits, looks like you're gonna need them here soon," she said, scooping up her mat, "And I don't want to be here when they come for you."

Gill watched her go, "You think they're really looking for Jesse?"

Aiden scowled, hand gripping his knife tight, "Everything in that bunker was useless Gill, everything except what was probably used to be in that vault. I don't have a single doubt they're looking for Lukas's little crush right now." He turned away, quickly putting distance between them and their new enemies, "Let's go, we have to tell Lukas the problem is serious now."

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

"Markus relax,"

Markus turned around, looking at his partner, "This, is why I am in the research department, not, recon!"

His partner looked around, "We'll find him, how hard could it be to find a large six foot giant with no hair?"

Markus pointed as a mercenary easily six foot with no hair walked by.

"We'll find them,"

"Your job isn't on the line here." he stressed.

The other male crossed his arms, "You can't even be sure if they know , we're supposed to be looking someone who has confirmed been to the bunker and has a strange person with them."

"This town is full of freaks," Markus scowled, "How the heck are we supposed to find someone who sticks out. Even if we payed people they wouldn't talk."

"Excuse me gentlemen?"

The pair turned to see a greasy druggie stand up from his spot on the muddy ground. His arm was broken, and his face looked like it had been on the wrong -and possibly losing- end of a fist fight.

"What do you want?" Markus scowled.

"Name is Earl my fine sirs, and for the right price, I can help you."

"Oh?"

"You might want to bring whoever you need in gentlemen," The stranger smiled at the pair, gaps in his rotted teeth, "I think I know who you are looking for."