Mad Max: Road to Salvation
Episode 5: Don't stop now
[Mad Max Fan: indeed she has.]
[Guest 1: He died at the end of the game.]
[Guest 2: Now.]
[SilentType 1997: Same as the game version just with some mostly unnoticeable upgrades like slightly thicker fuel tanks and extra seats. Other than that its the same.]
-TWO DAYS LATER-
The Road Warrior had been driving with Anya peacefully asleep in the backseat huddled next to Dinki-di. He just kept on driving, until he saw an abandoned rest area where he could stop for everyone including himself to eat. He pulled off the empty desert highway, and parked next to a small building. Anya began to stir and woke with a tiny yawn, Dinki-di did the same as he stretched out his mighty war dog muscles.
"Come on you two, time to eat breakfast." Max ordered gruffly to his travel companions.
"Yes, sir." Anya said cutely as she walked barefoot to the table. Max knew he should find some shoes for Anya when they resumed their drive.
"Woof." Dinki-di barked as Max set out an old doggy dish.
Max then opened up his ration pack and pulled out a can of dog food for Dinki-di and a small can of beans for he and Anya to split. They all ate together almost like a real family on a long road trip. Max spotted an old TV and an outlet on the wall. After he set up the TV and turned it, on a special news bulletin came on screen. For Max, it was nostalgia to see the news again like a regular person before the fall of civilization in his world. There were other unique individuals who would just so happen to be watching this report as well.
"Good morning Vale, this is Lisa Lavender reporting to from our studio in downtown Vale city. Our top stories today, mysterious vigilante defeats bandits and saves the village of Riverdale-Junction, SDC officials saved from white fang execution. For our first report we go live to our reporter on scene in the town of Riverdale-Junction, Vernon Verde. What's the scoop Vernon?" Lisa referred to her colleague.
"Thanks Lisa, the town was besieged by the fearsome Branwen bandit tribe only a short few days ago. Usually whenever a village is attacked by these ruthless bandits the town nothing but ash, but as you can see behind me the town is still standing. It was all thanks to a mysterious man clad in black leather, he was seen driving in a heavily modified sports or muscle car of unknown make or model. The man almost single handedly fought off half of the bandits with the help of a vicious guard dog." The reporter told the story of what happened.
"Is this true Vernon? That is quite a claim, and is it true that he faced down the Raven Branwen herself?" Lisa inquired.
"Indeed, it is Lisa I have several eyewitness reports that he faced off with the rogue huntress turned bandit without taking any significant damage." Vernon answered his colleague's question.
"Are any of them available for comment Vernon?" Lisa asked.
"Of course, Lisa I have the town's mayor Leland LeBlanc right here." Vernon revealed the mayor who walked onto the scene and sat down next to Vernon.
"Thank you, Mr. Verde." Mayor LeBlanc said calmly.
"Now Mr. Leblanc, I understand that your sheriff's men fought valiantly against the attackers, but it was this man who saved the town, correct?" Vernon asked the tired old mayor.
"Yes, He arrived just in the nick of time. While I have faith in our dear sheriff Meyers, we wouldn't be standing here if he had not intervened, and saved the lives of myself and my people." The mayor replied with a sullen look on his face.
"Now Mr. Leblanc, is it true that Raven herself escaped the custody of sheriff Meyer's deputies' custody and is still at large?" Vernon asked the question on everyone's mind.
"Unfortunately, your sources are correct Vernon. Despite the best efforts of our brave law enforcement officers, she managed to escape into the woods." Mayor LeBlanc answered truthfully.
"That's a bone chilling thought Mr. Leblanc. But if what you say is true then perhaps this mystery hero may end up stopping her again. Not that I have anything against our brave huntsman and huntresses but Raven is near unstoppable. We can only hope that whoever he is, and wherever he is, he may still be up to the challenge. It has also been confirmed that this man is in fact not a huntsman. Now we go to several other eyewitnesses for their statements on this mystery man." Vernon directed the viewers to the smaller screen that went full view.
"He saved our village, where were the huntsmen and huntresses when we needed them?!" Said one disgruntled villager.
"This guy was so cool, he just rolled up and started giving these guys the business end of his double barrels, bang, bang!" A young teenager said as he made finger guns.
"His car, man. Those wheels were like nothing I've ever seen before! It had two large fuel tanks on the back and a top-notch supercharger! I swear, whoever built that ride knew what they were doing. The thing was missing its front bumper though." The local mechanic drooled over the work of art that had come and gone.
"He stepped up and did what our so-called heroes, the huntsman and huntresses, failed to do so many times! He's good in my book!" One of the happier townsfolk said proudly.
"There you have it from the street Lisa. We even have recordings that have been submitted to us by several bystanders." Vernon said as a recording of Max's battle with Raven played on the screen. "This fight has already soared to 1 million views on dust tube and it's still climbing."
"That's amazing Vernon! Are there any clear shots of his face you can share with us?" Lisa inquired enthusiastically.
"You've got it Lisa." Vernon replied as an image of Max's face appeared on screen.
"He's certainly very handsome I'll say that much." Lisa said with almost visible blush.
"Alright Lisa that's it for me, back to you at the studio." Vernon said as the screen cut back to Lisa.
"Thanks Vernon. Now onto our next story, several SDC regional directors had disappeared in Vacuo last week in what was believed to be a kidnapping by the white fang. This has ultimately proven to be true as the SDC officials had returned recently alive and well from all accounts. It appears that the miraculous rescue of these individuals was actually thanks to the same brave man who saved Riverdale-Junction from Raven Branwen. Officially, the SDC has no comment on the matter and remains silent at the questions of our reporters. Wait I'm just getting confirmation now, we're going to a live feed from the SDC's VP of operations in Vacuo." Lisa said as the screen flashed to a full view of the VP of operations for the SDC's Vacuo branch. He stood at a podium addressing various questions and whatnot from the reporters, then he began to deliver a short speech.
"These continued attacks on our company by the white fang are proving to be quite a nuisance to our global operations. On the behalf of our legitimate business, I'd like to thank this mystery man for his actions in the rescue of our valued employees from these relentless terrorists. There is even a substantial reward for anyone who finds this man and brings him to any local SDC office for an exciting 'employment opportunity'. Now I'm afraid that's all the time I have for today." The man said as he walked away from the podium back into the building.
"There you have it folks, this mystery man is proving himself to be quite the people's champion. In fact, he is even being referred to as 'The Road Warrior' by his newly gained following. He certainly is showing his prowess to be that of an experienced huntsman, yet as current records show he is not, and no one knows where he came from. The Atlas military has even dispatched one of their renowned specialists to locate the man and bring him in for questioning. We'll update with you more on 'The Road Warrior' as details surface. For now, this has been Lisa Lavender from VNN." Lisa finished as the screen goes black. The view pulls backward to reveal Qrow Branwen and Professor Ozpin sitting in the professor's office.
"So that's the guy who beat the crap out of my sister…, I'm impressed." Qrow smirked as he drank from his flask.
"It appears we may have just found another possible ally in our struggle. I want you to find him Qrow, but please be discreet about it." Ozpin asked of his comrade.
"I don't know Oz, from what I could see he doesn't look like the helpful type. It seems to me more like he was just in the right place at the wrong time. I mean look at this guy, he beat the tar out of Raven, my psychopathic sister, without getting a scratch on him. Then he just drives off like it never happened!" Qrow threw his hands up in over exaggeration.
"Exactly, if he can stop your sister's rampage like that then it would be better to know if he truly is friend or foe. He has done the nearly impossible, Qrow." Ozpin said after he had a sip from his coffee mug.
"I can't do two things at once Oz, either I find and protect the maidens or track his raggedy ass down. From the way his car looked, he probably never stops moving unless he absolutely has to, which makes him even more difficult to catch. Besides, from what we both saw in the pictures Jimmy sent us, he's a killer. I don't think that's going to mix well with our little group to be honest. He tore apart those white fang rejects and their vehicles with just his fists and car, and the thing looks old but it's probably a beast on the pavement." Qrow shook his head as he and Ozpin discussed the situation.
"James has already dispatched Winter to find him, no doubt she'll be more likely to drive him away from our cause if she finds him first given her more forceful nature." Ozpin told his associate.
"You left out the possible bounty hunters too." Qrow retorted dryly.
"Regardless, it is imperative we find him before 'she' does, and I am not referring to our associate Winter. Her forces may already be looking for him thanks to this, as well as the white fang. So, time is of the essence in this matter." Ozpin said in a very clear and consistent manner.
"You got me there, Oz. Fine I'll head to Vacuo and look for him first, then the maidens." Qrow shrugged.
"If you cannot recruit him, then simply confirm his neutrality. There is no need for you to needlessly risk your life." Ozpin said with calm concern.
"Look who you're talking to Oz." Qrow smirked as he stood up from the chair and smugly pointed to himself.
"I am, and you're wasting time Qrow." Ozpin coolly remarked from his seat behind his desk and took another sip from his seemingly bottomless coffee mug.
"I guess it's time for me to hit the road then." Qrow said as he left Beacon tower.
-Patch island, Xiao Long residence-
"Woah that's a nice car, could use a paintjob though. Otherwise, not bad." Yang remarked as she and Ruby watched the VNN special news report on the man who defeated Raven Branwen. "He really doesn't pull any punches."
"Dad, look at this!" Ruby pointed at the screen. Taiyang just stared at the screen with his jaw dropped at the sight of the mystery hero beating the living hell out of Yang's cold and tough as nails mother like it was a walk in the park.
-With Weiss Schnee-
"Hmph he's formidable but his technique is imperfect, there are several instances where he could have executed his timing better. I will say that despite the outward appearance of a useless rust bucket, the car would certainly be stylish, if the paint were a different color of course." The Schnee heiress said as she watched the news report from the comfort of her bedroom.
-With Jaune Arc-
The young teenager was sitting on the couch eating a bowl of cereal until the breaking news report came on. He spat out his cereal at the TV when he saw the action-packed ass-kicking on the news. Jaune turned up the volume as he watched the flat-out slug fest between the two heavyweight fighters with his own two eyes. To him it was just like he'd turned on an extremely entertaining high-octane action movie. His eyes were almost super glued to screen as he watched. He was kind of sad when it ended though. "Aww man. Wait a minute it's on dust tube!" Jaune grinned as he used his scroll to watch the rest of the badass fight.
-With Max and co.-
Max's eye twitched, he was all over the news now. Which was bad news for him, now everyone was going to be hunting for his bounty. Luckily, he and his little surrogate family had finished their food, so packing up would be easy. A short distance away Max could see several dust trails from various approaching vehicles. He rapidly cleared the table and gathered his two companions back into the car. He made sure Anya had her seatbelt on and floored the gas pedal. Max hit the nitrous and took off down the highway at near top speed. Nearby, a certain rogue huntress was on a chopper style motorcycle with dirt bike style off road tires, watching the black car barrel down the road with a huge lead on its pursuers. She started her motorcycle and rode off after her rival, which she had a secret crush on. Max looked at the rearview mirror and gritted his teeth. Anya handed him his classic sawed off, and Max shoved it into the holster, ready for battle. He hit the nitrous again and the big chief V8 let out a proud roar as it reached top speed. Max reached a hand off of the wheel and smeared some black grease on his face.
Meanwhile, Winter was now on her way to Vacuo via one of atlas's warships to find the Road Warrior, and apprehend him for interrogation. She studied the man's technique and prepared her own tactics for battle against the experienced fist fighter as well as his dual shotguns. She even had some atlesian knight droids simulate his tactics one on one. She exploited the small but still visible weaknesses he possessed such as being a swarmer style type of fighter. All she would have to do is keep her distance and rely on superior timing to win. The only thing she wouldn't be ready was his tendency to fight dirty, that left him as slightly unpredictable but not a problem for her. She is winter Schnee, the elite atlas specialist after all.
-END CHAPTER-