"Boy will live. Damn slice through the chest though. But Sam's got him stitched." Said Melvin.
Melvin had gone to each of the wounded and done what he could to help. He was used to tendering to those beaten and cut from vault experiences. He had provided Rich with one of their few stimpacks, and had done what he could for Caribe and Inne.
Inne's wound was still swollen and off color, but it seemed as if the sting wasn't bothering her as bad as it could.
She was now making a pot of tea over a hastily constructed flame. "Got me a mix that Razlo says should help with the pain." She said, making enough for all.
Like in so many region, tea was easy to brew, just a mixture of local herbal roots and boiling water. For many societies it provided a means to relax and as a means of greeting.
She would occassionally look over the smoke, for scorps, but most had moved off, at least for now.
But the woman was troubledeven if she kept her concerns to herself. The job was not quite done.
They had lit a small fire on what appeared to be one of the shallow levels of the network of caves and mines. But the elevator shaft meant that the tunnels went deeper, and until they went down deep, the job would not be finished. Something down there was the source of the rad scorpions, but they had not yet found it.
________
Dwemer had sought to expand the perimeter. Lighting what brush he could, he would also move to whatever holes he found and construct fires. Slowly he expanded the perimeter. Those scorps he saw didn't pay him much mind.
There mission had been to break up the nest, not necessarily to kill or the scorps. Frankly, they lacked the bullets to kill them all, and there numbers would have eventually overwelmed the little group. As Dwemer figured it, Four of their party were wounded, and near half their ammo was gone.
And yet there were more holes in the ground. THe place was honecombed with holes and caves. THen there was that elevator. Who would build such a thing.
Dwemer wasn't paying attention to how far he had moved, when he came up over a rocky mound, but the sight suprised him just the same.
Below was a camp site. A few tired and delapitated buildings, a water tower that had collapsed. Above the buildings was a sign that had said
T
M
F
Mining and Demolition
But someone had written
Tough
Mother
Fucker
Mining and Demolition.
But it seemed no one was in those abandoned buildings.
He followed the rocky trail down, avoiding what boulders he could, to investigate until he came to the first door. He knocked on it once.
When the door opened he came face to face with the working end of a shotgun.
"Now," Said an old grainy voice, " You're tresspassing on my land. And you'd better tell me what you're doing, or I'll kill ya where ya stand."
The man was hidden in shadow but Dwemer's view of the shotgun barrel was enough to know that the man meant business.
"Rad scorpions. We've been sent to kill them off." Said Dwemer.
"You have, have ya? And who might we be?"
________
The rest of the crew were resting, recovering from wounds and drinking Inne's tea when Dwemer returned to camp with a shotgun pushed against his head. The man carrying the shotgun had another shotgun, a double barrelled, aimed towards the group that had circled for tea.
He had come through the smoke and fire, Dwemer ahead of him. An old man, his hair, moustache and beard as grey as the fires, his eyes old within deep pockets of wrinkles. Yet he had survived out here alone for a long time, on his land, and he didn't take kindly to trespass.
Sam and Caribe had been looking over Rob's wounds, Sam still finishing the stitching, when Rich said, "We've got company."
When the others turned it was too late. The oldtimer had them outgunned.
"Now, I find this here young-un comin' down to my pappa's camp and I find you all trespassin on my land. Who the fuck told you to burn out the scorps, and speak quick and true or I'll drop you fuckers where you are."
Said the old man. "And no funny business either or I'll fill you with lead."
Indeed, there was no chance. The old man had his weapons ready. Any move would have filled the air with buckshot.
Inne, who had been preparing radscoprion claw for lunch didn't turn buy merely said. "Curt, you old fucker. You never did understand the generosity of strangers. No wonder you never got a freebie by no fucking whores."
"Inne? You with these desperados?" Asked Curt, his moustache twitching.
"Fuck yeah. Aradesh up in Shady Sands sent us down to get rid of this fucking nest." Said Inne.
"Aradesh shouldn't send no one to tresspass."
"This scorpions are killing our brahma and cutting off our trade." Said Inne.
"Scorps gotto eat. Well fuck'em. Ain't no good here anyway." Said the old timer Curt, " Alright, didn't mean to cause you all to shit yourselves. Figured you were here to rob me is all. But if you got Inne with you, I guess you'll all alright." Who put down his shotguns and then went over to the kettle to poor a tea.
