Hunter had learned much from these 'ghouls' who resided in this facility. They were people who lost their human appearance after they exposed themselves to the drastic amounts of radiation. He had heard of people get mutations from radiation exposure in his missions throughout the Metro; however, this was a whole new level. The most shocking news he learned from Jason and his religious followers was that they were survivors who can recall their times when the nuclear war began, but the most distressing news of it all was the time period. They claimed that they were several hundred years in the future. The Polis Ranger did not want to believe that, but they provided more damning evidence that supported their case. The equipment of the fallen mutants and the energy weapons they carried was enough to dispel any criticism about the time period.

It was strange, but he thought about the Dark Ones and their mysterious designs. On the one hand, they were threatening Exhibition station. On the other hand, it felt like they led the experienced soldier and his comrades into this world. Something about them was not right, but since that day he personally encountered them, the creatures were never seen again. He would have to report that detail to Colonel Miller once he was done conversing with Jason Bright.

The soldier took another moment to breathe in the fresh air as he stood on the bridge overlooking the canyon checkpoint below. Hunter was glad that this place didn't have the same problems as Moscow, where the surface air was toxified to the point that only a few buildings can be occupied. The best part was having to feel the sunshine over him without a gas mask to get in the way of the rays. Yet, keeping an eye on the only way into the facility had its drawbacks as he pulled up his sleeves to contend with the heat. There was only one person in the Order who could tolerate it and he had the luxury of being a Californian.

Nothing happened during his watch, but then he heard a commotion behind his back, causing him to look over his shoulder. Behind him were several soldiers taking a break by playing chess at a table on the other side of the bridge; however, they ceased their activities and immediately jumped to attention. There was an older bearded man walking past them with a salute as he made his way towards Hunter in his gear. "Good morning, Hunter. How is the watch?"

He glanced at the empty road in front of him as the Polis Ranger looked down to see one soldier standing behind a wall of sandbags and another occupying the checkpoint station. "It's sentry duty, you should know that it is the most boring occupation that anyone would have to deal with," Then he turned around as the two confronted each other. "Sir, we came here looking for those creatures known as the Dark Ones. I hope we do not ignore them in the long run."

The superior nodded his head. "You don't worry about that."

Hunter was confused by what he meant. "Colonel Miller, I don't exactly know what you mean by that."

"I am fully aware of the danger that they possess during your initial encounter with the mutants," He added, "Let me handle these matters to the Council on my end, it's the sort of business I can handle."

"So how did your meeting with that Bright fellow go?" The soldier questioned, "He seemed a bit too weird if you ask me."

The colonel chuckled. "They're all weird, save for one guy. Bright and his people are a cult full of corpses, but they're friendly, which counts more to me than their beliefs. To simplify his story, he and his followers are going to use some old rockets to get themselves into space so they can find this 'Great Beyond' that they talk about so much."

Part of him wanted to scoff at the idea of the ghouls believing in a new religion, but who was he to criticize? After all, he was a man who was living in Metro tunnels and sharing spaces with communists and neo-nazis. It would be unbelievable that he and his people survived nuclear bombings for twenty years. "So is there anything we can look forward to? Sooner or later we have to consider our options and either we take a look at what is beyond this checkpoint or something and somebody takes a look in our direction." He made his argument by pointing at the road in front of him.

Miller looked back to see the road leading to the building behind him. "You don't have to tell me, but thankfully it's going to be a non-issue for Bright and his people. He intends to leave by a space-faring rocket and let us have this facility to ourselves, which is a big plus. It's even better when he's even offering his energy weapons to us in good faith."

"He's that crazy?"

"Yes, but he is also practical. In exchange for this little posting, we help him scavenge for some stuff and he'll be on his way. Given that he also has a genuine scientist in his ranks, the Order would appreciate this little venture outside this canyon." He explained in greater detail.

Hunter turned away from him and looked towards the potential exploration beyond this place. "Do you have someone in mind?"

A chuckle had slipped out from the colonel. "I am already looking at my point man."

Great, he was picked for a new mission. "I need my best men for this; however, you're also going to have some of Exhibition's finest since we're pressed on manpower. The Order has too many people being brought over for this endeavor."

Footsteps immediately approached the duo as they turned around to find a young man standing before them, but Hunter knew him already. "Artyom, what are you doing here?"

He was understandably nervous in the presence of Colonel Miller, but who wouldn't be. "Hunter… I overheard the conversation. I want to come."

"Did you get Sukhoi's permission to even come here at all?"

Artyom shook his head.

"He'll have my head if he finds out you're out here at all."

The young man's eyes were enough to tell. There was an ounce of innocence, once lost to the decades of the post-apocalypse. His soul was filled with hope for the opportunity that all young men would wish for - a chance to become hardy men that walked the wastes with gas masks and assault rifles. Hunter had seen this sort of inspiration that the Order brought to those who they helped and oftentimes, these souls would die horribly for the chance of returning home with riches to the Metro tunnels and be hailed heroes for their efforts. Out of all those men, the Polis Ranger wished he didn't have that same look in his eyes. "Please, you know how protective Sukhoi is. I want a chance to help my station, but I can't do it behind his back."

Hunter did not want to disappoint him, but he did not wish for him to lose his opportunity to live. Before he had the opportunity to reply, the colonel spoke up first. "Young man, is the station commander your father?"

"Stepfather, sir." He answered shyly.

"I see," He paused for a moment as both men waited for his answer, "You can come along, but you must obey Hunter's orders to the letter. If he tells you to run back to Exhibition and stay with your stepfather, you run back and stay."

Like a child who was told no by his parents, Artyom's expression changed. The young man turned around and began to leave the colonel and the soldier alone.

Miller became curious and produced a question about his personal relationship with the boy. "How long do you know him?"

Hunter recalled a time when he first arrived at Exhibition to meet with an old friend. "Long enough. He was just a kid when I found him exploring tunnels all by himself."

The colonel expressed his interest as he stood beside him and enjoyed the sights outside of the canyon. "How old was he when he did that?"

"I don't know, but I remember he was being chased by some nosalises and managed to outrun the bastards before I rescued him."

"Damn, he's really lucky. Kids don't usually survive their first encounter with the mutants."

"No, they don't," He replied, "He's been through a lot and part of him doesn't want to lose him again like his mother."

"You knew his mother?"

Few ever had the courage to admit that they were poor at parenting, but his trusted friend was here. "It was… more than that."

Both brothers-in-arms acknowledged that information with silence before Colonel Miller kept his hands behind his back. "Say no more."

He began to change the topic. "When do I begin?"

Miller turned his head. "Tonight. Go to Bright and the others. They told me that money isn't exchanged in bullets, but in bottlecaps."

"You're shitting me, right? Who the hell believes that bottlecaps are valuable?"

"Eh, I wouldn't berate him over that. After all, who would ever think that bullets would be the future currency of humanity."

Night had fallen as the Polis Rangers were already beyond the sights of the checkpoint. Darkness was a place where men feared to live under, but Hunter and the soldiers beside him were used to this. For them, the shadows were where they thrived and where their dark deeds were done. The road they followed was in a state of disrepair, but he did not mind that as their night-vision goggles showed which spots were not worth stepping on.

There were lights ahead of the group of thirteen as a fellow Ranger picked up on it. "It's likely that they're people inside. Hunter, how do you want to approach it?"

He gestured his hand to stop his squad. "Give me a moment to think."

The men stood down with their weapons directed at the ground as he considered his options. They could proceed to remain in the dark and get a good look at the locals, but this had the drawbacks of them thinking they were trying to do something harmful. The other option he had was to openly reveal themselves from afar and lose the element of surprise if they did try before they found out how hostile they were.

"We'll have to split up our numbers," Hunter looked over his shoulder to find an old friend waiting for the dispatch. "Uhlman, I'll take the Exhibition soldiers, you get the Rangers."

The Ranger nodded his head. "Understood. What are we supposed to do?"

"Observe until I order otherwise. If the locals are hostile, execute the assault on the town."

When Uhlman and the rest of the Rangers had broken away from the main group, Hunter was quick to lead them into the town on his own. Although they were former soldiers of the Soviet Union, he had his doubts about their capabilities. Those skills and experience that they gained in their lifetimes must have been worn down or slowed. Without a formal government to instill their military habits into an everyday way of life, they were bound to lose it.

They were less than fifty meters away as he raised his night-vision goggles from his eyes and raised another order. "Flashlights, on." Russian torches flickered to life as bright white rays had dispelled the darkness from the town's outskirts. The group held a walking pace as they began to get a closer look at the town they were entering.

The location looked like it had seen better days, but some things still had a function. Parts of the signs were able to be powered in order to become a beacon in the night as Hunter stole a quick glance at the two-headed, cows on his right. It was the weirdest mutation he had ever seen. Yes, he was used to the idea of radiation mutating creatures; however, Hunter was disturbed at the thought of two brains in one body.

Their approach did not go unnoticed as an old man in rags was passing by when he got within their lights. English was not his language, but he presumed that this old fellow would understand if he struggled to speak. "Hello, we… visitor… not from here."

He was surprised at the Russian's attempt at understanding and took a few steps back from their light. "Where the Hell did you come from?!"

Hunter turned around and pointed at the direction of where they came from. "From there."

The senior shook his head at the thought. "No, can't be. Folks say that there must be ghouls there, but that is just superstitious nonsense right there. You folk must be commie ghosts, but as a scientist, ghosts don't reveal themselves with lights. They're invisible one moment and visible next moment."

An Exhibition soldier voiced his concerns. "What did he say?"

He looked over his shoulder. "The old man is just rambling. I don't really know what to say about that," Hunter focused his attention on the stranger to get a better understanding of the town, "Anyone… we talk to…"

"I don't know if I can trust you. What's your name, fella?"

"Hunter… name is… Hunter. Nice to… meet you…"

The old man slipped out a laugh. "You just regular folk. No commie ghost or ghoul would tell ya their name if they were really horrible," He brought out his hand, "My name is No-bark Noonan, it's good to see fellow Americans." The irony was really thick with this one. Then his eyes shifted away from Hunter and widened in surprise, "Oh no, it's them ghosts again."

"What?" As he turned around, his flashlight looked back at the faces of his men but recognized a familiar tall and muscular figure standing behind the pen of mutated cows.

None of the men had a chance to see the danger behind their backs as the Polis Ranger grabbed those nearest to him and tried to get into cover. The next few seconds resulted in five men getting cut down by gunfire. Hunter looked around to find that he only got two of his men out of the line of sight by hiding behind one of the houses in the town. His radio lit up with Uhlman's voice. "Hunter, we're hearing shots fired. What's your status?"

He reached for the radio on his shoulder. "We just lost five men. He just appeared out of nowhere!"

"We'll join you. Try to track it down so it can bite the bullet."

The Polis Ranger walked past the remaining two men, both of whom were in shock at what had happened. When he reached the corner, he looked around to find the super mutant focusing his hand-held minigun and shooting at the cattle. With the creature's attention elsewhere, he brought his VSV to bear and lined up his scope against the blue-skinned monster.

His trigger finger had let out a quick burst as his target was taken aback by the counter-attack. Yet, the damage was not enough as even its head was armored against him. It was angry and began to switch from killing defenseless cattle to the man who tried to get a headshot.

Hunter knew full well at what was going to happen and he tucked himself away from the corner before glancing at the other survivors. "We'll be taking fire."

Bullets riddled the corner of the house as the trio scooted as far as they could, but some flew past and began hitting the other houses and yards past them. It was too much for one of the men as he screamed at the risk of death around the corner. Despite the noise, Uhlman provided some ounce of comfort. "Firing."

Bullets cracked in the distance as Hunter looked out into the empty land to the west and saw muzzle shots flickering amongst the sand and rocks. Some arms ranged from rifles to machine guns in terms of firepower, but they were enough to divert attention from the assailant and give the Ranger the moment to strike back.

He was not alone. Gunfire echoed from behind his back as he turned around to see the locals storm out of their homes and brandishing their firearms. "Pa, get the gun!" It was the most stereotypical American line he heard from them as he saw No-bark run over to the wounded Russians and drag them out of the fight. "Fetch the doctors, these fellas are hurt!"

When they were out of the danger, Hunter reached for a makeshift grenade and lit the fuse. "Have this you fucking bastard."

The creature was enveloped by gunfire all around and he was enraged by those who opposed him. However, it failed to see the sticky grenade flying into its chest. It looked down, stupefied at what had just happened, but as it tried to remove the explosive with its bare hands it screamed at the pain. Then an explosion erupted from its chest as it was churned by shrapnel and explosive power alone as the Polis Ranger stepped out of cover to take a closer look.

What remained was deformed meat and body parts torn from their joints. Blood seeped into the sand as he personally saw the enemy gurgling within its own blood, it's other hand trying to reach for him with a vengeance. He would see to it that it deserve a violent death after that attempt on his life as his suppressed weapon had set its sights on the head once more. Three shots were fired, leaving a broken corpse behind.

A woman shouted out at the moment. "What in god's name is going on?!" He looked back to find an old woman approaching him with a band of armed locals behind her. When she took a good look at the corpse, she took a step back. "Oh my, it's a super mutant."

The Russian was handed a cup of coffee by one of the locals as he began to look around the ancient motel. Few buildings ever survived standing and fewer lacked the decency to look habitable. It was a sight for sore eyes as he took small sips from his cup. Across from him was a nice older lady who was accompanied by an armed fellow standing behind her couch. There was some animosity between their peoples and he hoped they could clear things up otherwise the Order might have another set of enemies on their list. "Thank you for the coffee."

Now that the silence between the two nervous parties was over, the armed man behind the woman had crossed his arms. "What's your name stranger?"

His name? Few ever had the opportunity to know his name. "My name is Hunter, what's yours?"

"You can call me, Manny," The gunslinger replied as he gestured over to the old lady, "This is Jeanne May Crawford, she's the owner of the Motel and kinda the de facto leader of the town. Now it's not everyday that we get visitors west of Novac? How did you get there?"

It was tempting to reveal the truth to this… American? Wastelander? The latter made a lot more sense really as the age of past nation-states no longer mattered in this new world. "I can't really tell you."

"Are you and your fellas the reason why those ghouls are coming over to our town?"

Jeanne stole a quick glance from Manny. "Now, now, we don't need to make a fuss over our guest. Had it not been for him and his other folk, we wouldn't know there was a super mutant in our yard." Her response managed to help ease the tension in the room, "Though I can't blame him, what's your story?"

Hunter placed his cup down on the table between them. He needed to make his story believable. "My comrades and I stumbled upon the facility - including the local ghouls inside. They are part of some kind of cult and just want to use the rockets to get them into space."

Their reaction was surprising as the woman looked at the man. "I suppose No-bark's rambling were right about that particular detail."

"You guys knew?"

She nodded her head as her hands rested in her lap. "No-bark is the town's crazy idiot and half of the time we don't mind him as long as he keeps to himself. One day, he talked about ghouls using the rockets and we thought he was just being the usual mad dog he was. We didn't think he'd be right on that particular matter."

"I wouldn't blame you if you were skeptical of the guy either, but he's generally okay in my opinion. Had it not been for him, several of my guys would bleed to death earlier." The Russian soldier answered as he grabbed his mug for the comfort of the smell.

"So what is going on at the old REPCONN facility?"

He took a quick sip of the caffeine. "The ghouls intend on handing the place over to my people, but they're asking us to go scavenging for some particular items. Do you happen to have any nearby merchants?"

Manny nodded his head. "Of course. Cliff Briscoe has a shop in the fancy dino and if you head north, Old Lady Gibson owns a junkyard if what you're looking for is in there."

Hunter smiled and stood up from his seat as he finished his drink. "Thank you, I appreciate your help. This meeting is far more fruitful than I expected."

Jeanne was puzzled. "What did you expect from Novac?"

"A town full of savage cannibals who worshiped the great lizard outside that door."

Imperial Stormtrooper: That is a pretty big if.

Da Lone Ranger: I'll try again but I'm going to be a bit more careful in handling it. The other version was just a mess.

Ghostly: Unfortunately, he has been relegated to being a side character. So his perspective will be limited unless I work something out.