Disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to Fallout or anything related to such.
Chapter 2 – An Eventful Return
After a brief huddle with Mr. Monroe, the self-proclaimed Mayor of Lawnton, the four mercenaries had left their packs with Chaz and made their way into the gaping hole that had allowed the felled ants access to the surface.
The dark passage seemed to have a ceramic feel to it as they descended further and the group was quite often forced to move on their hands and knees as the tunnel varied widely in shape. This combined with poor lighting conditions provided solely by a chemical light stick filled the air with thick, claustrophobic tension.
They let out a collective sigh of relief when the tunnel opened up into a warm antechamber the size of a small house. Looking around, they noticed extensive tunneling beyond and realized that the residents of Lawnton had a much larger problem - due to the ant infestation, there were now a series of subterranean caverns that spanned the area around the small community.
Sensing movement nearby, the mercenaries quietly scuttled their way back up to the surface to plan their next move. Clain was the first to break the silence when they had emerged and seemed confident as he addressed the others. "We must remove their queen." He continued when he saw Spider nod. "Something must be down there that is allowing them to reproduce in large numbers and I'm guessing that this colony is much like the smaller variety."
"Our best bet is to set off charges around the queen as well as where they keep their young and then deal with the fallout when it becomes necessary." Spider had taken over from Clain and his raspy voice was surprisingly enthusiastic. "I have the necessary equipment here that will allow us to move immediately."
After a quick discussion, it was decided that only one person would be necessary to carry out the task at hand and Spider now found himself slowly making his way down one of many tunnels that ran underneath the Philadelphia Wasteland.
On his left wrist was a small watch-like device that reflected the light around him so as to make him virtually invisible. He also wore a pair of clunky matte-black goggles that showed the heat signatures of everything he viewed. The cavern was now alight with shades of green, yellow, orange and red as he continued on to his unknown destination. Occasionally he would have to stop and lean up against the tunnel wall as the vibrant colors in the form of an ant skittered by.
The stealthboy on his wrist, paired with his mastery of covert operations, allowed for him to move undetected thru much of the labyrinthine network of tunnels, though there was a particular breed of ant, larger than the rest, that reacted to his presence if he came within ten yards of it. These he quickly learned to identify from a distance and did his best to avoid by taking other routes.
It was after one such encounter and subsequent evasion that he had to move a little too quickly to avoid detection and ran almost directly into one of these larger ants that he referred to as "guardians." The hulking form of the guardian, about the size of a small car, instantly reacted to his presence and flung him up against the wall. He hit the wall with a thud and was only saved from a mild concussion by the helmet that he perpetually wore smacking against the smooth surface of the tunnel instead of his skull.
He quickly somersaulted out of reach and pulled out a round, tightly packed baggy filled with a white substance that resembled the commonly found Abraxo Cleaner from the world above. He held his position for a moment as he waited for the critter to move into range and then lobbed the ball of powdery cleaning solution into its face when it was about ten feet away. Upon impact, the ball burst open and white powder covered the front of the creature causing it to emit a high-pitched chirping sound and shake its head from side to side in an erratic fashion.
With the creature temporarily distracted, Spider quickly moved away from the scene and happened upon a cavernous room filled with varying stages of larvae, as well as a number of ants that were smaller than the ones he had encountered on the surface. From the heat signatures, there seemed to be literally hundreds of the small pods that held the developing larvae. I hope I have enough dynamite. He shook his head and pushed his worries to the back of his mind as he slowly moved toward his target.
On the surface, Baldo, Clain and Kloe had decided to watch the ant hole in two-hour shifts. It had been roughly three hours since Spider had descended into enemy territory and Baldo sat in an ancient metal chair about twenty yards away from the subject of his observation. His rifle lay across his lap and he occasionally sipped from a bottle labeled 'Olde Royale Premium Whiskey' that sat on the ground next to him. The sun had gone down about an hour before and he found himself alone on Lawnton's only street.
"Baldo Emerson." A stern voice addressed a well-groomed man in his thirties. His long dark hair matched his eyes and a light shadow covered the cheeks and jaw line of his ruggedly handsome face. He wore a set of standard issue recon armor and the dark material stood out in contrast to the well-lit conference room in which he sat.
Before him stood an aging man with cropped white hair and a neatly trimmed goatee. His piercing gray eyes were slightly sunken from years of not sleeping properly and he wore a similar set of dark armor as the middle-aged man before him. He stood with both hands pressed against the wooden table separating the two and spoke passionately to his subordinate. "You were sent to retrieve an item of interest. You were advised to use any means necessary to obtain said item due to its inherent value to our organization. But what did you have your men do when an opportunity presented itself?" At this point, a look of disgust was openly displayed on the older man's face. "You withdrew without so much as an attempt to complete your assignment."
The younger man leaned forward and spoke in a very serious tone. "There were civilians preventing us from achieving our objective, sir." He started to shake his head slowly as he continued. "I wouldn't risk sacrificing our relationship with the locals to retrieve something that I could easily locate again at a later time."
At this point, the white-haired man smashed his gloved hand onto the table and practically spit the next words out. "You were in a ghoul infested town! Who gives a shit if you drop a few of the shufflers?"
"They're still people, sir. I will not order my men to conduct wholesale slaughter based on an unfortunate mutation!" The younger man now stood and was mirroring his superior with the positioning of his hands on the table between them. "What happened after the target left town was out of our control."
"You've disobeyed orders for the last time, Emerson!" The older man stood straight up and placed his hands behind his back. "I'm relieving you of your command and filing the paperwork to have you court-martialed." He now moved toward the heavy wooden door to the far side of the room. "Enjoy your 'relationship' with the locals."
The sound of footsteps approaching pulled Baldo from his reverie and he noticed that Chaz was making his way toward his position. The ghoul still wore a pair of ancient fatigues, though he now wore a faded black jacket to keep the chill of the night air at bay.
When he was within a short distance, Chaz nodded to the seated man and spoke in a neutral tone. "It can get kind of lonely out here at night. Care for some company?" When Baldo nodded his consent, the ghoul moved to the side of him and sat on his haunches while eying the ant hole. "How long have you known the arachnid?"
Baldo turned his head slightly toward the ghoul sitting next to him and arched an eyebrow. "It's been a couple of years now." He pinched his nose and seemed lost in thought for a moment. "I think we were both playing cards in a settlement down south and some trouble started with the locals." He barked out a laugh at this point. "Funny that something similar had led us here."
Chaz just grunted. "You seem typical of the sort he associates with. Watching you on the roof with your rifle, I'd say that you were former military, if such a thing still existed." At this, Baldo attempted to hide his surprise, though if the ghoul noticed he didn't show it. "I learned a long time ago that there are a lot of forces at work in this world and that sometimes it's difficult to distinguish those that will lead to reward from those that will lead to ruin." He paused for a moment, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it with a tarnished metal lighter. After taking a drag and blowing out the smoke he continued. "These forces constantly mold us, though in the end life is full of choices."
Baldo nodded to indicate his understanding, even if he wasn't sure as to why they were having this discussion.
Seeing the look of confusion on Baldo's face, his tone turned apologetic. "Please forgive an old man's musings. You remind me of someone. That's all." Chaz then stood up and took another preliminary look around. Apparently satisfied with what he saw, or more accurately didn't see, he started to move toward the bar, calling out behind him. "Take care."
Baldo turned to watch him go while wondering what other strange things would happen while he was on duty.
Spider had just spent the last two hours dividing his resources and placing charges in what he judged to be appropriate locations in and around the 'hatchery' and the queen's lair beyond. It was going to be a close call as to whether there would be enough dynamite to do the job and he hoped that the ancient timers he had placed on the explosives would work as intended.
He had been lucky when he initially entered the cavernous chamber beyond the hatchery and found it lacking any guardians. The main occupant of this chamber was the size of a small house and seemed to be occupied with the constant task of swelling the ranks of its 'subjects.' The ants that attended the queen were the same dog-sized variety that were in the hatchery and didn't catch on to his presence even when only a short distance away.
As the time approached for the first explosives to go off, Spider made his way out of the chambers of the queen and into the flow of the connecting tunnels. He made certain not to travel down the same path he had taken previously due to the undoubtedly enraged guardian that was likely to be in the area. Luck was again with him as the route he chose took him to an area that he recognized.
After another thirty minutes of wandering, Spider found himself crawling up toward the surface and emerging from the large hole in the ground. He was soon greeted by a whistle coming from above and when he looked toward the direction of the sound, he quickly switched off his thermal goggles and saw the curvy silhouette of a female on a nearby roof. The figure jumped off of the two story building and rolled upon landing to disperse the force of the impact. He now stood face to face with Kloe, her features almost feral as she regarded him for a moment and then nodded.
"Welcome back." As she spoke, she moved toward the steps to enter Chaz' dwelling and motioned for Spider to stay put. "I'll get the others."
After ten minutes had passed, all four mercenaries were again assembled a short distance away from the ant hole with Mr. Monroe making his way toward them. The ghoul wore a faded navy blue business suit and had somehow managed to keep his mustache, though the rest of his hair had gone with the last of his skin. His milky eyes looked over those assembled before him in a discerning fashion and when he spoke, it was with slight trepidation in his voice. "I take it you were successful." This he directed to Spider and received a nod in response. He then turned to the others and voiced his next inquiry. "What do we do next to exterminate the remainder of these pests?"
"If Lawnton can provide the explosives, I believe it would be advisable to collapse the whole network of tunnels. It appeared to be deep enough that it shouldn't cause any sinkholes on the surface." Clain was quick to respond to the mayor's question and received a frown in return. "It would at least ensure that a large number of them were exterminated."
"The results of the blasts would be too unpredictable and we would risk a repeat performance from somewhere else nearby." Spider shook his head as he poked holes in Clain's argument. He then went on to suggest a complicated process of setting up miniscule amounts of explosives attached to trip wires that would allow them time to respond to the oncoming threat and maintain a semblance of normalcy until they were able to decide what to do next.
"Do you truly think that setting mines and grenades with trip wires is an advisable course of action?" Clain was standing with his hands behind his back as he questioned the validity of Spider's suggestion. "That seems like such a temporary solution to a much larger problem." He then looked nervously over to the hole as if it could tell they were discussing its fate.
"I agree with the vault dweller." Kloe followed the conversation while keeping her eyes on the subject of their discussion. "The creatures will only be deterred so much before they seek another way." The others didn't seem to notice that she had been fingering the hilts of her rippers as she spoke.
Mr. Monroe agreed with Spider however and debated the point. "It would act as an early warning system for Lawnton and could prove invaluable to our security. I feel it is better to know where the enemy is coming from and when, as opposed to leaving it up to chance." He still wasn't certain what to think of the odd group.
Baldo showed irritation over their continued discussion—what he perceived to be a pointless endeavor—and huffed loudly while throwing his arms in the air. "Let's stop this endless debate and actually DO something! If Lawnton has the resources, then we will do what is asked." He now pointed at the gaping hole. "That is not our greatest concern right now. We have to do what is necessary and get moving!"
At this outburst, Baldo could tell even thru the black mesh of his helmet that Spider was now glaring daggers at him. "Fine." Spider responded curtly. "We'll do things my way. We will complete our current contract, and then we will return here" With that said Spider turned on his heel and walked toward the mayor's standalone house, brooking no argument from the others. Mr. Monroe followed closely behind though he didn't say anything.
They approached a two-story house made of brick that was reinforced with large pieces of sheet metal for added protection. The first floor windows had metal bars running vertically that were very likely installed after the original inhabitants were long since dead. As they mounted the stairs, another ghoul in a suit of light-colored combat armor and wielding an assault rifle grunted at them, and then moved to the side as they reached the porch.
"Lead the way." Spider directed to the mayor and followed behind with the heavily armed ghoul bringing up the rear.
It had been several hours since they had left Lawnton and it was now approaching midnight according to the digital clock on Clain's wrist-mounted computer. The group had determined that it was necessary to travel thru the night to try and make up for lost time, and the moonlight bathed the debris of the Philadelphia Wasteland in a pale eerie glow.
No words had been exchanged between Baldo and Spider since their earlier interaction and they presently found themselves passing thru an ancient courtyard of what was once a grand hotel. The crumbling brick masonry of the courtyard had undoubtedly been the pride of the hotel proprietors and the occupants of the surrounding buildings at one time. Baldo spared a glance at the decayed edifice of the building and shook his head in frustration. Such a waste
Kloe was uneasy as the four mercenaries made their way thru the open area and she again sensed that something was amiss. "There are eyes upon us." She spoke quietly as she nonchalantly unholstered her .44 and let the hand holding the pistol dangle to her side. "Be ready."
Clain, for his part, did his best not to seem too shaken by this statement and simply pulled out his 10mm pistol while forcing himself to look straight ahead. "Shouldn't we find cover instead of remaining in the open?" His voice betrayed the nervousness he felt as he whispered the words.
"Just keep moving toward the Corvega on the other side of the courtyard and stay quiet." Baldo whispered as they made their way toward the relic of a vehicle, its huge chassis a dark shade of brown from the rust that had consumed the exterior.
Just as Baldo was leading the group toward the aforementioned vehicle and was passing by the farthest side, the telltale click of a hammer being drawn back from a revolver was heard from their right. This sound was soon followed by the appearance of a dirty man in piecemeal armor rising from behind the Corvega. His bald head reflected the light of the moon and showed a variety of scars running across his jaw line and scalp. His fierce grin displayed a lack of teeth and when he spoke, it was the voice of one that had smoked for far too long. "Drop your weapons, scavs!" He brandished the heavy pistol menacingly, first at Baldo and then at the other three.
At this demand, Baldo appeared to gain back some of his good humor. As he dropped his 10mm pistol and raised his arms over his head, he cracked a smile and turned to the others. "Why is it that raiders are all so keen on name-calling?" Once the weapon was no longer pointed in his direction, Baldo dropped to the ground while grabbing for the holdout pistol he carried on his calf. His ploy worked and the sound of three gunshots were heard, two from his own pistol and one from the raider's revolver that he fired before dropping it to the ground.
The raider clutched at the two gunshot wounds that pierced the armor over his stomach and fell to his knees. "How did you...?" He mumbled pathetically as he fell over.
Baldo then looked over at the other three from his position on the ground and saw what had become of the bullet that was meant for him. His smile faded as he saw Kloe clutching at her side and moving to lean against the vehicle.
"Nice job." She stated this in an almost conversational tone as she attempted to apply pressure to the wound and winced.
Baldo frowned and shook his head while responding seriously. "I'm sorry, Kloe. I thought he would take the shot at me." He then stopped for a moment and listened. "Do you hear something?"
As a matter of fact, it was several somethings in the form of the downed raider's companions responding to the gunshots that were just fired. The sound of their footsteps could be heard quickly covering the distance from the dilapidated hotel entrance, though it wasn't immediately clear that the raiders knew exactly where the shot had come from.
Baldo spotted them as they cleared the shadow of the entrance and made their way into the shattered courtyard. He motioned for the others to get down while retrieving his 10mm from the ground. The other three did so, though Kloe did so at a slower rate and this delayed reaction was sufficient enough for the raiders to notice them.
A call to arms was sounded by a high-pitched female voice a short distance away. As her footsteps came closer, the woman cooed toward the hidden position of the mercenaries. "Come out. Come out. Wherever you are..." She then directed one of her companions to circle the other side of the vehicle.
As the two raiders rounded the opposite sides of the Corvega, they leveled their pistols at an attractive woman with sharp features clutching at her side and a man in a blue jumpsuit with his hands above his head. As they were about to speak, there was a sound from inside the vehicle and two shots were fired from the small arms within.
The female raider instantly fell over dead, as the bullet drilled thru her skull and splattered gore and gray matter from the exit wound to the ground below. The male raider clutched at the fresh wound in the side of his neck while blood gushed out at an alarming rate and darkness quickly overtook his vision. It took him a few moments longer to fall over as his life's blood drained onto the ground beneath him.
Baldo and Spider moved to the side of the vehicle that was closest to the other raiders and used the heavy doors that still remained as cover when several rounds were inevitably sent their way. They both popped up simultaneously after one such round pinged harmlessly off the side of the heavy exterior and unleashed several shots of their own on the opponents spread out before them.
At the same moment, Clain reached out to grab the bloody pistol from the dead raider a few feet away and stood with one pistol in each hand while firing haphazardly at the defensive position of the first raider he saw. This one was using a pile of rubble as cover and wore decrepit leathers for protection. After firing several shots from each pistol, Clain dropped back down behind the vehicle and smiled to himself as he noted that his intended target had winced and grasped at his shoulder after his last shot was fired.
During this exchange, Kloe was busy applying a syringe containing a stimulant to her wound and another containing a pain reliever to her left forearm. She grimaced as the needles slid in and then relaxed as the drugs took effect. She then readied her heavy pistol for any attackers that may have drummed up the courage to round their defensive position.
She wasn't kept waiting, as one enterprising raider with a dirty-blonde mohawk was using a piece of sheet metal as a shield while closing the distance on their location. He quickly rounded the side of the vehicle where Kloe was waiting and dropped his makeshift protection in favor of a pistol.
The instant the filthy man standing before her had dropped his shield, Kloe let loose two rounds from her .44 which struck the raider in his crotch and sternum and threw him from his feet. She again waited for further movement from the floored man, but none came.
All that now remained of the raider group was a wounded man lying behind some loose debris and a woman with a mane of chestnut brown hair that was in the process of retreating back to the darkened hotel.
After determining that the present threat was minimal, Spider exited the Corvega and stealthily made his way toward one of the open windows of the decrepit hotel. He then popped his head up to inspect the room for danger and quickly climbed thru to the open space beyond.
Baldo had also made his way out of the vehicle and checked on the bodies of the raiders nearest him. He patted them down and after a few moments gave a contented "hmm" as he seemed to find what he was looking for in the form of a wicked looking combat knife. He then began the grisly task of insuring that the wounded were put down permanently.
After several minutes passed, shouting could be heard from the upper floors of the hotel followed by several gunshots being fired and then silence. Shortly thereafter, Spider emerged from the hotel entrance and joined Clain and Kloe near the remains of the ancient automobile. Clain appeared to be looking askance at Spider and disapproval could be heard in his voice when he spoke. "You killed that girl even after she had withdrawn." He wrung his hands as his voice became louder. "She was no longer a threat and you hunted her like an animal and put her down!" Clain now wore a look of disgust as he crossed his arms.
Spider was taken aback by this admonishment and was silent a moment while he decided the appropriate way to respond. "You need to learn not to leave loose ends in this world." His raspy voice was almost a whisper as he looked toward Clain. "Otherwise, you'll find that your compassion will find its way back to you in the form of a knife across your throat in the middle of the night."
Before leaving the hotel, Baldo had insisted that they do a preliminary sweep of the area and retrieve any items of value. As he, Kloe and Spider started to move toward the dark entrance of the decrepit building, Clain shot Kloe a look and motioned for her to stay put. "Wait a minute! You need to sit down and rest a moment while I take a look at that wound." Kloe looked as if she was going to argue, but seeing the stern expression on the doctor's face, she relented and leaned against the car with a huff. Baldo and Spider simply shrugged and continued on without the other two.
After pulling a medical kit out of his pack, Clain pulled out a tiny square packaged product and removed the contents from its wrapper. He applied the disinfecting wipes to the wounded area and removed as much of the blood and dirt that he could while stopping whenever Kloe would wince.
"You're lucky." The doctor's voice was grim. "It appears that the bullet went straight thru and may not have done any internal damage." After cleaning the wounded area as best he could, he pulled out some gauze and handed it to his patient. "Hold this on the entry and exit wounds and start making your way to the hotel lobby. I'll feel better about finishing up in the confines of a building rather than keeping you out in the open like this."
Baldo and Spider had spent an hour going thru the various rooms of the hotel and after coming across a lot of junk, they were able to sort out some of the more valuable items for trade. They had stacked the worthwhile items near the area on the first floor that Clain was using to stitch Kloe up and now stood on either side of the hotel lobby looking out on the broken courtyard beyond.
Once Clain was finished stitching and made certain that an infection wouldn't be an issue, he motioned for Kloe to move. "You're all set. Try not to stand so close to Baldo next time." This he said as he smirked and looked toward where Baldo was standing on the far side of the room. If he heard what the doctor said, it didn't show as he continued looking thru the broken window frame while wearing a serious expression. Tough crowd.
"Are we ready to move?" Spider walked over to Clain and voiced his inquiry. "We should be able to cover the distance to Musgrave by morning.
Clain simply nodded and after packing up his medical kit and taking on his share of the items to be traded, moved out with the rest of the team.
The remainder of the journey was uneventful and as the small settlement came into view by the light of the morning sun, each of them wondered if they had arrived in time.
It was mid-morning by the time they made their way to the entrance of Musgrave and were relieved to find the sheriff standing guard. He tipped the brim of a dark-colored hat that now adorned his mop of gray hair in greeting. The wide brim was reminiscent of gunslingers of the past and was a rarity in these parts.
"Morning." As he spoke, the sheriff glanced over his shoulder for a moment as if to insure that no other locals were nearby. "Nice of you to join us."
Proofread by Nutzoide.