Disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to Fallout or anything related to such.

Chapter 3 - The Wrong Side of Musgrave

Upon their arrival, the sheriff had grabbed one of the locals to watch the gate, while he took the group of mercenaries to the building he used as an office.

At the far end of Musgrave, near the large pile of debris where he had first given them their mission, the row home stood apart from the rest of the block, separated by an ancient looking alley that acted as an emergency escape route if the main entrance came under attack. The brick edifice of the building itself looked to be in decent condition and the first floor windows were covered with sheet metal that was somehow bolted in place.

A decrepit-looking wooden door took them inside and thru a spotless kitchen where various foodstuffs were organized on shelving that ran across the entirety of the room. They were led into a large space that contained two old couches, a desk, a four-person table and two lamps sitting on antique end tables. The lamps appeared to be wired to a small generator that was humming quietly in a far corner near the steps. As they entered, the sheriff motioned for the others to sit and they did, with the exception of Spider, who stood to one side of the couches.

"It would appear that Reaper's outfit is buying our story at the moment." The sheriff pinched the bridge of his nose, took his hat from atop his head and set it upon the end table next to him. "Another one of their 'collectors' paid us a visit last night and took us at our word that Reaper and his gang already came and went."

Kloe looked relieved and stated as much. "This is good news." She then visibly straightened as she saw the look on the older man's face. "Why do you look troubled?"

"It would appear that Reaper had been pocketing caps from the money Musgrave had been paying for protection and lying to his betters about how much we were actually giving." He grimaced at the memory of the previous night's meeting. "Their representative advised us in no uncertain terms that we will pay them double what we had before going forward or they were going to start taking residents for their amusement."

Baldo gave the grizzled man an appraising look and spoke in a serious tone. "Then it was inevitable. You were going to receive that message one way or another and have to deal with it regardless of Reaper's current status." He then pressed his lips together in a tight line as he saw the defeated acknowledgement on the sheriff's face.

"In years past, this sort of thing would be put down by the Regulators. They'd be all too happy to remove the raider presence, along with their fingers, and let the town of Musgrave go about its business. Now..." The sheriff looked up and held the eyes of each of the mercenaries in turn. "Now we are reliant on the goodwill of random passersby to help us through this and have to hope for the best."

At this, he got up and went over to the aging wooden desk to pull out a folded map. He then motioned everyone over and spread the map across the table so that everyone could see the area surrounding Musgrave. He pointed to a building that read 'Germantown High School' on the ancient yellow road map that had been circled in pencil. "This is where the raider camp is located and this..." He pointed to a street not more than 2 miles away, "is where we are now. Notice the close proximity. If at any point they decide that this settlement is not worth keeping around, they could easily be here within an hour...if they took their time."

"Are they known to take hostages?" Clain addressed this to no one in particular and got a 'you must be kidding' look in response from Baldo. Noting his response, Clain decided to try another question. "Can we expect there to be any hostages in their custody should we decide to move forward with this life-altering decision?"

"It's a possibility." The sheriff gave him a serious look as he responded and then addressed the group as a whole. "Can we still count on your assistance? They said they'd return in three days time."

Kloe was the first to nod her agreement and attempted to give the troubled man what she thought was a winning smile, but came off as more of a cheshire grin.

Baldo also nodded and looked like he was going to say something before thinking better of it, as his face again faded to neutrality.

Spider also gave one quick nod and voiced a concern he had been mulling over in his head. "You should know that I am planning on removing a large portion of the raider threat by using several high-powered explosives. The materials are quite rare and I would like to be compensated for their use." Seeing the skeptical look that began to blossom on the sheriff's face, he continued. "I believe that it may be the only way to handle a force as large as you say they have. Anything else would put us at too much risk."

"How much are we talking?" The grizzled man rose from his leaning position and folded his arms across his chest.

"Fifteen-hundred caps should cover the cost of the dynamite, mines and grenades that will be required to complete the operation." Spider spoke with confidence as he addressed the group before him.

The sheriff whistled in response and shook his head. "That's a sizeable amount there." He was silent a moment as he appeared to be in thought. He then licked his lips and continued. "We could offer you half of that."

"Make it an even thousand and you've got a deal." Spider then reached out his gloved hand and after a moment the sheriff took it, shaking twice. "Assuming that Clain is still onboard with us," he stopped and waited for the doctor's affirmation and went on, "I believe we just need to grab a few supplies and head out."

It had been quite a few hours since their meeting with the sheriff of Musgrave. After leaving the meeting, Baldo had surprised the others with a yellowing pre-war atlas of the Philadelphia area. They had spent another hour or so plotting their course thru the aging streets of the once mighty metropolis and after a brief stopover in the only store in town, Delilah's Supply, and some shuteye in the common house, the band of mercenaries began their venture even as dusk fell upon them. The chill of the night air was almost welcome as they traveled to stave off their building fatigue and the cluttered avenues were mercifully devoid of wasteland critters.

As they now followed that same course thru the debris-strewn streets toward their intended destination, each mercenary took note that this part of town was ruined considerably less than some of the areas further south in the city proper. The path they had plotted circled around the raider encampment at a distance of a half-mile so as to test the security of their perimeter.

Given the nature of whom they were dealing with, Spider wasn't in the least bit surprised that the raiders lacked an outside perimeter guard. When they were on the opposite side of the raider camp as it related to Musgrave, he also noted that thru-traffic here was considerably more likely given the remnants of a blockade that was probably used for ambushing weary wastelanders.

When the group had distanced itself a little more from the waylay point, Spider motioned for the others to bring it in. As the four huddled together in a decrepit alleyway, Spider kept his voice low so as to avoid any unwanted attention and addressed the others. "At this point, I think it's better to split up and send two forward to scout the inside perimeter. I'll go along with one other." He looked at the other three faces before him and waited for what he thought would be an obvious reply. He was not surprised when Kloe cleared her throat to get the others' attention.

"I'll go with you. I'm not much for waiting." At this, she pulled back her mane of reddish-brown hair and tied it into place with a faded black ribbon. "Let's go." She began to move out of the alleyway and stopped when Spider didn't immediately join her.

Spider addressed Baldo and Clain in hushed tones and joined Kloe after only about a minute or so. He motioned for her to follow him and they continued on in near silence for about another two blocks before Kloe touched Spiders arm and held up a fist to indicate that they should stop. They then moved stealthily behind one of Philadelphia's many ruined vehicles and crouched down so they could better survey the situation under cover.

When they were finally in place, Kloe simply pointed to her ear and made a sweeping motion as if to indicate that Spider should listen to the sounds of the surrounding area. He did so and noticed that there were no sounds; not even the ambient sounds of insects chirping in the night air. When he looked back over to Kloe she had already quietly drawn her rippers and appeared to be listening intently.

After several minutes, the sound of something large could be heard lumbering down the avenue. It sounded like it had come from inside one of the vacant buildings and was moving in their intended direction. When it was on the opposite side of the burnt out vehicle they were using as a barrier the movement stopped, and Kloe and Spider could hear whatever it was sniffing the air. This continued for about a minute before they heard what sounded like a hiss mixed with a roar coming from the creature and it ran off in the direction they had been heading and was gone.

It took less than a minute for them to realize what had caught the creature's attention, as several shotgun blasts could be heard in the distance. After four shots had been fired, silence reigned once again and the two hidden mercenaries wondered what it was that they had just encountered.

Not wanting to risk coming into contact with a new breed of wasteland critter, Kloe and Spider waited another thirty minutes before venturing out again. They kept to the shadows and slowly crept in the direction that they had originally intended and noted that their patience had paid off. The mercenaries had located the source of the creature's attention in the form of a shredded body lying in a heap in the middle of the street. Judging from the apparel that adorned the mangled corpse, it was very likely a patrolling raider that had met their end.

Though there was no sign of the lumbering hulk that had dispatched and partially consumed the raider, Kloe and Spider didn't want to take a chance, so they moved forward and left the body where it lay.

Fortune was with them apparently, for they were able to make it to within a block of their destination before their progress was again halted. This time, they were forced to hide in a burned out husk of a building by a small group of raiders that they assumed were from the nearby school. When they heard the sounds of the raiders' speech grow faint and finally move out of earshot, they emerged from their hiding spot and looked for a good perch in which to stake out their quarry.

It took them another thirty minutes of skittering from shadow to shadow to locate what Spider deemed to be an ideal location to monitor the activity of the raider encampment. This location happened to be on the roof of a mostly intact three story row home adjacent to the school.

After testing the structural stability of the rest of the building and insuring that they wouldn't run into any squatters, Kloe and Spider gained access to the roof and prepared for a long night of observation.

After the departure of their scouts, Baldo and Clain had surveyed their surroundings and located a suitable building to serve as a temporary base of operations. This stand alone building was half a block down from and opposite to the alley that the others had left from.

The decrepit exterior, with its flaking off-white paint and smashed out windows, belied the excellent condition of the rooms within. After gaining entry thru the large broken bay window, they had found what was once a safe house for a jet-addicted wastelander, judging from the number of empty inhalers they had located near a decaying dark brown couch. The main room was otherwise devoid of furnishings and the smaller room and kitchen area beyond were also lacking in accoutrements. It was obvious to the mercenaries that someone had already been thru here and taken everything of value.

Upon ascending to the second floor, Baldo was the first to discover the fate of the jet addict in the form of a dried out husk of a body lying in the ancient porcelain bathtub surrounded by even more inhalers. Some of these had yet to be used and Baldo slipped a few of them into his pockets while Clain was occupied with searching the other rooms. Just a few more hits won't make a difference

After sweeping the building and determining that there were no threats, Baldo and Clain moved the couch that they had passed downstairs to act as a barrier and block immediate access thru the bay window. This would at the very least alert them of anything trying to gain entry and give them time to prepare if needed. In addition, they found a metal crowbar in the basement and used it to keep the front door propped shut. They luckily had found a house with a heavy iron door that blocked access from the rear, so they didn't bother reinforcing that further once it was locked in place.

After insuring that the other means of entry were properly looked after they both took refuge in the room closest to the street on the second floor. Their purpose here was to keep an eye on this stretch of road to include the waylay point they had discovered earlier. They had been instructed by Spider to check the alley for his and Kloe's presence every three hours or so starting the following evening at nine.

When they were settled in, Clain took a moment to address the middle-aged man currently occupying a spot on an old radiator and watching the street outside. "Do you really think this is a realistic objective?" Noting a turn of the head and a cocked eyebrow as Baldo's only response, he continued. "How are we to deal with such overwhelming odds? It isn't an option to simply blow up the building the raiders reside in. That is both impractical and likely to kill anyone they may have in their custody."

At this inquiry, Baldo openly sighed and turned to the anxious vault dweller, noting for once how young he now seemed. "Clain, why did you leave your vault?"

A momentary look of shock ran over Clain's face, before he regained control of his emotions. He then tightened his lips until they formed a straight line and furrowed his brow as if in frustration. "I had little choice but to leave." His words were soft and sounded far away at first." I was attempting to find treatments for terminal illnesses and the methods I chose were not accepted by my peers." His response was again met with a cocked eyebrow and an otherwise inscrutable expression so he continued, his voice a little stronger now. "There were a minority of the people in my vault that were unable to be treated given our current knowledge, so instead of allowing them to waste away without hope, I made it my mission to push the envelope, so to speak, and try untested treatments on willing volunteers." At this moment, Clain looked away from the man before him and frowned at the floor, almost growling the next part. "The overseer was going to have me executed under the pretense that I tortured unknowing and desperate individuals for some sick sense of satisfaction..."

Hearing the undoubtedly pain-filled confession of the young doctor, Baldo chose to remain silent and wait for him to continue, attempting to assume a look of reassurance.

After a minute or so, Clain seemed to gain control of his emotions once more and took a deep breath before continuing. "The night before my trial, I packed some necessities, made my way to the vault entry chamber and left my world behind in hopes of being able to help those outside the vault that couldn't help themselves. After all, everyone needs a doctor, right?" He looked almost pleadingly at Baldo for a word of reassurance and wrapped his arms around himself.

"You're a good man, Clain." Baldo began. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." At this point, the older man reached out and placed a hand on the vault dweller's shoulder while maintaining eye contact. "It took a strong person to jump in at Musgrave, knowing the possible consequences for such actions. We will get thru this and we will succeed." After getting a weak nod in response, Baldo removed his hand and went back to watching the moon bathed street outside.

The night had passed uneventfully for Spider and Kloe as they took turns keeping an eye on their target destination and making note of any weak points in the raiders' defenses.

The makeshift perimeter fencing of the large compound was made up of barbed wire, sheet metal and other debris to a height of about five feet. A single gate, about four feet in height and eight feet in width, consisting of numerous pieces of sheet metal that had been welded together, allowed access to the encampment. It was obvious to the hidden onlookers that this particular group of raiders was either too cocky or too stupid to set up proper defenses other than the fencing.

The two large buildings within the fenced-in perimeter were made up of a mix of concrete and brick and seemed to have survived the centuries with only minor wear and tear to their non-descript edifices. In addition, the only means of lighting seemed to come from flaming barrels placed at varying intervals and from her vantage point on the adjacent roof, Kloe could see that there were several entrances to both buildings, though only one seemed to be in use for each. She considered the possibilities and came to a swift conclusion after weighing it in her mind. The other entrances are likely trapped...

Spider had noted that there was seemingly no rhyme or reason to the patrols and for all he knew, the only reason any of them changed shifts was because they had been kicked awake by the previous patrol wanting some sleep. He also noted that there seemed to be a pretty even male to female ratio and several of them showed no modesty in where they performed sexual acts.

This thought was compounded by several onlookers directing the action and the three raiders involved, two middle-aged men and one young-looking woman, getting seemingly excited by the fact. Spider shook his head in disgust but took solace in the fact that most raiders at the very least were predictable in their actions.

As the first light of morning touched upon the roof of their hideaway, Kloe and Spider quietly discussed what they had viewed during their respective shifts and came to a common conclusion: gaining access to the raider compound at night would be a simple matter, but they would continue watching the camp throughout the day to insure that there wasn't something they had overlooked.

During the morning hours Kloe did not find it unusual that there was even less activity to be observed and there seemed to be only three patrollers she could count moving around the inside perimeter of the fencing. It seemed that their movement was sluggish and lacked purpose.

Noting the lack of raiders present, she weighed the benefits of attacking at night and relying on the cover of darkness against attacking during the early morning and encountering only guards that put up limited resistance.

Spider took over at around noon and it was shortly thereafter that he noticed the activity begin to pick up. This was very likely due to a group of five raiders strutting in with three wastelanders, two young-looking women and one haggard-looking man in his mid-thirties, that had ropes around their hands and were being almost dragged behind the group. The approaching raiders were fully garbed according to their chosen profession, including spikes, chains and other such adornments, and three of them also wore masks to complete their ensemble. Their approach was met with much fanfare as one of those patrolling ran to a tarnished bell that Spider had just noticed and began to sound an alarm of sorts. Within minutes, the place was a hive of activity, as rough-looking men and women streamed out of the two buildings to welcome their comrades and their new playthings.

He counted about forty or so heads, each with varying degrees of battle scars, tattoos and brands that marked them for what they were. It was also readily apparent whom the majority of them looked to for direction, as they surrounded those newly arrived and halted their jeers and insults to the wastelanders when an intimidating man, likely a head taller than the rest, entered the circle. He made no attempt to silence the crowd, though noting his presence, the rest seemed to quiet down until silence reigned once more within moments.

Their leader stood about seven feet tall and had skin that was severely darkened by the sun, with a leather-like quality to it. He was heavily muscled and his numerous scars and tattoos could be seen about his torso through his scant gray utility vest that he wore over faded fatigues. He had sharp features and it appeared that his nose had been broken multiple times given the odd angles at which it sat.

When the commotion had ceased the giant of a man approached the newcomers and, after circling the wastelanders as a shark circles its prey, uttered a few words to the raiders that had brought them and seemed to nod his head in approval. He then stuck his right fist up into the air, with his thumb carefully placed so that it neither pointed up nor down. A moment of tension passed through the crowd as they waited for his unspoken signal. When he finally gave a thumbs up and again resumed nodding with a sadistic grin on his face, the crowd of raiders surged forward and swept up the wastelanders like a wave of living bodies anxious to guide them to their final reward.

What happened next took Spider by surprise, as he hadn't guessed at the purpose of four metal X-shaped objects placed centrally within the courtyard of the encampment when he viewed them the night before. The massed raiders dragged the three wastelanders toward these objects and secured them in place with their legs spread wide. The women faced the crowd before them and the man was left facing away. A few members of the crowd ripped their clothing off of them in a violent fashion and it was at this point that Spider chose to look away, as he knew what was coming next...

Night had fallen once more and the street had seen little to no activity during the last 24 hours or so that Baldo and Clain had been observing it. Most of the time had been spent in silence and Clain had taken advantage of this time to read a number of electronic books that were stored on his Pip boy. He admired the seemingly boundless patience that Baldo displayed and tried to avoid causing him undue stress by continuing to air his concerns.

When the time approached to check the alley for their companions, they made sure that the remainder of the house was secured before opening the front door and quietly making their way over to the agreed upon location. Upon entering the alley, they both observed that there had been no change since the night before and they settled down to wait for the mercenaries' tentative return.

They were not kept waiting long, as Clain had registered two friendly blips on the screen of his Pip boy about 30 minutes after arriving and quickly alerted Baldo in response. Suffice it to say that they were not alarmed when Spider and Kloe appeared around the corner of the alley with not a sound to mark their approach.

"Welcome back. How did it..." Clain began but was cut off by Spider whose raspy voice sounded a bit strained when he spoke.

"We have to move. Now." Spider looked from one to the other and then continued. "Make sure you have all of your gear because these raiders need to die...tonight."

Proofread by Nutzoide.