Chapter 4...
The next morning, Lincoln, Rusty and Liam wakes up preparing for the task of dealing with the Skulz gang. Lincoln opens his hotel room door and find motel owner, Marcelles in front of him who said...
"Thank god you're up, some crazy guy has Sinthia held hostage. He's threatening to kill her! You've got to help."
"Lead the way." said Lincoln as he follows her to the room next door to his, Lincoln opens the door to see a man holding a woman at gunpoint. The man shouted...
"Don't come any closer. I'll off her. I swear."
"There is no need for violence. Let's talk about this." Lincoln reasons with the raider.
"What world do you live in?" The man yelled. "Out here in the real world, blood flows, man. Blood flows, and it's gonna spill all over this room if you don't get out of here."
"We can talk this over. What can I do to help?" Lincoln pleaded.
"Geez, that's funny." The man mocked Lincoln. "Who says I want help?"
"You do." Lincoln answered the man's question. "By holding this woman hostage, you're asking for help. I can help."
"I gotta think about this." said the man. "Give me a moment."
"Why do you want to hurt her?" Lincoln asked the man.
"She laughed at me, they all laughed at me." the man responded. "I'll make 'em pay, I swear!"
"Please, let's work this through, you can trust me." Lincoln continued with the negotiation. "Tell me your demands."
"Ok. I want $100. Then we walk out of here." was the man's demand. "No one follows me, and I'll let her go when we get to the edge of town."
"I have a better solution." Lincoln counter offered. "I'll convince the guards to let you leave town unharmed, you have my word."
After a moment of thought, the raider responded...
"That's ok, i guess."
Lincoln persuaded Junktown's guards to let the raider leave town peacefully, then he returns to the Crash House where his friends and Marcelles greeted him.
"Gotta say, that was really something." said Liam.
"Thank you for helping Sinthia, she's usually not a problem." said Marcelles. "You deserve a good night's sleep on me. But don't ask for another freebie."
"Thanks, miss." Lincoln thanked the owner as he and friends followed her to their room, once she's gone, Rusty said...
"Well, now that business is taken care of, what's your plan on those Skulz bastards?"
"Good question, someone in that gang must have dirt on what they're doing." Lincoln replied. "And i happened to know who, let's give her some time to think, i know she'll do the right thing... i hope."
And so, Lincoln and his friends spend the day betting on a boxing match and grabbed a few drinks from the Skum pit before retiring for the night. The next morning, Lincoln goes to a room where Sherry is staying, upon seeing Lincoln, Sherry greeted...
"Hi! How are you doing? It's been a while."
"How are you doing, Sherry?" Lincoln asked.
"Oh, I'm doing much better, thanks!" Sherry answered. "I do some cooking now at the Skum Pitt and the Crash House. It gets kind of tiresome on some nights, but I do like to cook, and I get to meet all sorts of interesting people. And I get paid, too. Thanks for your help."
"Glad to hear it." said Lincoln who then asked... "Listen, i need your help, I need your testimony to put away the Skulz for good."
"What?! You want me to turn in my friends?!" Sherry asked appalled at Lincoln's request.
"They have been hurting people, and they will go on hurting people unless they're stopped." Lincoln explained the reason. "You changed your life for the better. Now you have a chance to help improve the lives of others, too."
"Hmm. Well, I mean, they are my friends." Sherry said hesitantly but then said... "But I guess that they shouldn't be allowed to hurt people the way they do. And I guess I trust you since you helped me. All right."
"Thank you so much, Sherry, this means a lot for everyone." Lincoln thanked the ex-skulz gangster.
Lincoln goes to the guard station with his companions and said to Lars...
"Excuse me, sir, I have some testimony from a former member named Sherry that the Skulz are involved in some illegal activities."
"Excellent. I'll pick her up for a few questions, and I'm sure that I'll get all the information that I need to put them away." Lars said confidently.
A few hours later, Lars returned and said to Lincoln...
"Thanks for your assistance. Junktown's a little safer now, because of your help."
Moments later, the boys are outside the gate as Rusty asked...
"So, what now?"
"I say we pay a visit to the Hub." Lincoln suggested.
"Hold on now, we better deal with those raiders up north first before we do so." Liam counter suggested. "While you were talking to Lars, i went to Killian and offered to clear out them varmints."
"Are you insane?!" Rusty shouted at Liam. "There's only four of us against a group of those Khans!"
"True." Lincoln agreed before saying... "But if we pick them off one by one, we can beat them."
"Couldn't have said it better myself." said Liam.
Lincoln, Charles and Liam left town, Rusty stood there for a second before letting out a groan and followed right behind them, they arrived at the Khan's encampment a few days later at nighttime, they sneaked carefully at one of the tents and took out the raider inside before moving quietly to the tent on the west side but wasn't expecting one of the raiders to pull out a gun, causing them to take cover as she fires her gun which alerted the whole camp, leading to a messy battle. Lincoln, Rusty, Charles and Liam were surrounded as they fired their guns, dodging bullets and spears, but not all the time, they took a few hits, as soon as they took out a couple of raiders, the leader in metal armor appeared and fired at them, Lincoln dodged the bullets and threw his two grenades at him, taking the khan leader down became a team effort as they finished off the remaining raiders and free the two women they kept as slaves. After the battle, they looted the corpses, but while they do, Lincoln sensed a disturbance and said...
"Something's wrong."
Charles pondered what's wrong with his owner.
"Guys, i gotta go back to the vault and check on my family." Lincoln responded.
"We're coming with you too, my friend." said Liam. "I reckoned it's fair since we help each other out."
Rusty nodded and Charles barked happily.
"Thanks, guys." Lincoln thanked his friends.
The four friends make the journey to Vault 13, Lincoln's home located in the mountains, Rusty and Liam followed Lincoln and Charles to a cave where the vault door is located, moments later, the vault door opens, and they entered the vault. After checking in to the clinic for medical treatment, they take the elevator down to the living quarters where Lincoln's family lived along with many other vault dwellers and their families. Lincoln walked to Lori's room and knocked on the door, seconds later, the door slides open and Lori steps outside and gasped when she saw her little brother and hugged him saying...
"Lincoln, thank god you're back!"
"Glad to see you too, sis." said Lincoln before he asked his oldest sister. "How's everything here?"
"Things are rather hectic since you left." Lori answered. "Someone's been stealing water every night, and worse of all, Luna's been fighting with dad recently."
"Huh, looks like your instincts was spot on." said Liam.
"Uh, Lincoln, who are they?" asked Lori.
"These are my friends, Rusty, and Liam." Lincoln introduced. "And this dog here is Charles."
"Hey, there." Rusty greeted.
"Howdy." Liam greeted. Charles barks.
"Yeah, nice to meet you." Lori told Lincoln's friends. "Anyway, can you help us please?"
"That's what i came back here for." Lincoln responded as he left for Luna's room and knocked on her door.
The door slides open and a woman with blonde shoulder-length hair with a teal streak in her bangs and four pairs of eyelashes stepped out and once she saw Lincoln asked...
"Lincoln, is that you?"
"Hello Sam, is Luna home?" Lincoln asked the woman.
"Yeah, she's here, but she's in a meeting right now." the woman answered. "Can you come back later?"
"Hey Sam, who's there?" said a familiar voice.
"It's your brother." The woman known as Sam Sharp.
"Wait, Lincoln?!" the voice exclaims as the sound of running footsteps was heard, Luna saw the white hair and said...
"Bro, you're back!"
Luna hugged her brother, the sound of several running footsteps was heard as Leni, Luan, Lana and Lucy ran outside and joined in on the hug, it was then that Lincoln said...
"Luna, we need to talk."
Lincoln's sisters stopped hugging him as he turns to his friends and told them...
"Guys, better wait outside, this is personal."
Lincoln's sister led him inside Luna's room, Charles barks, refusing to stay and follow him into the room. Time has passed as Lincoln told his sisters and their friends about his adventures in the wasteland, and concludes it by saying...
"So, that's why it's dangerous outside."
Lincoln's sisters were at a loss of words on what their brother said but can't help but feel that they should take him seriously, Luna broke the silence by saying...
"I hate to say it, but you might be right. I really hope you can find that water chip soon."
"Don't worry, i'll find it." Lincoln promised. "I'll go out and continued my search after i deal with that water thief."
Lincoln and Charles exit the room and gestures his friends to follow him to the elevator and rides it down to the third basement floor where they go to the rec room and set up their stakeout, eventually midnight came around and the adventuring party was asleep when Lincoln awoke to the sound of the elevator door opening and footsteps, he quietly wake his friends up and signals him to follow him, Lincoln opened the door and peeked outside to see a man with brown hair walking down the hall, he reached the end and took a right out of sight, a few minutes later he reappears and walks straight to the storage room, Lincoln gestures his friends to follow him as he quietly makes his way toward the storage room and peeks inside just in time to see the man taking some water canteens out of a box he moves his head out of the room and nodded at his companions and they position themselves to form a blockade as the man come out and yelps as he saw Lincoln and his friends in front of them, he said...
"Oh, Lincoln! You scared me!"
"What are you doing here at this late hour?" Lincoln asked the man.
"I was worried about the vault and had a nightmare." The man answered. "I couldn't get back to sleep so I thought I'd take a walk to relax."
"You see anyone suspicious?" Lincoln asked another question.
"Yeah, some guy was acting suspicious back near the water ration room, He scared me." The man replied. "I hope he didn't see me."
"I'm sorry, but i need to search you." Lincoln told the man as he approaches him to conduct a search, but the man backed off and shouted...
"Don't touch me! I don't have anything. Now leave me alone!
"Would you rather have a bullet in your head?" Lincoln threatened the thief.
"Better give up, pal." Rusty demanded. "You got no chance against us."
"Okay, okay." The thief complied. "I've got nothing to hide. Look for yourself."
Lincoln and his friends searched the thief and found the water canteens in his pockets.
"All right, come with us." Lincoln commanded the thief.
"Don't try anything funny." Liam ordered.
Lincoln and his friends led the thief to Lynn Jr., the security chief where she arrested him for theft. She returns moments later after locking him up and said to Lincoln...
"Thanks for catching the thief, Lincoln."
"You're welcome." said Lincoln. He soon saw his father Lynn Loud Sr. approaching the siblings, one look at Lincoln and he said...
"Son, you're back! And in one piece! How goes the search?"
"I'm still working on it, dad." Lincoln responded. "It's not in Vault 15, but i got a lead down south."
"Oh, that's good." Lynn Sr. said after hearing that bit of good news. "Look, i know you're trying your best, but we're running out of time. You can rest for tonight and leave in the morning, but please you have to hurry."
"Don't worry, i promise i'll find it." Lincoln promised his dad.
The next morning, Lincoln and his friends are at the entrance hall, waiting for the vault door to open, once it's open, they stepped outside and out of the cave into the wastelands to continue the search.
"To Be Continued..."
Author's Note: And so, Lincoln and his companions brought the Skulz to justice, eliminated the raiders and helped Vault 13. Next time on Fall-Loud, The adventuring party trek on a journey to the Hub where many challenges await the group.