ICC- Kilrick Salvage Chapter 2- On the Road to NYC

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*Somewhere near the Tappanzee Bridge*

As Eric turned the ignition, the engine of the bike belowed forth a might ROOOM. After getting as comfortable as he could, the next steps were kicking up the stand, steadying himself, and applying the gas. The initial ride was enjoyable but as his speed increased, so did the amount of dust brought up by the tires.

The bike was relatively new to Eric. Back home, before the nightmare that was the raiders, his father had owned one and was always trying to teach the asian about riding and maintaining one.

"I hope you two can see this. Dad, you always were trying to teach me new things. You wouldn't let me quit even after I almost ran over Bessie. And mom, I knew you didn't want father taking me on the rides. You were always scared that something dreadful would happen and always made a fuss whenever I would get on the bike".

But those days were gone now and nostalgia wouldn't help his current situation.

So once again after a small break Eric started down the road again. Fortunately, the tracks made by Edden and Rama were both still fresh and retracing their destination wasn't very difficult. After ten minutes of tearing up the dusty road, Eric looked back to see if Wolf was still following but he had dropped back some distance away. It seemed as if wolf didn't want to stray too far from the protection the 50 cal. the rig offered.

"I guess I'm taking point again, nothing new".

And so the bikes continued to blaze a trail forward with the heavy rig following close behind.
 
Replicant Rampage....


When Larry, Curly and Moe reached Edden and Rama, they had a simple conversation. The only problem was Rama wasn't much of a conversationalist. Edden on the other hand had her own ideas on how to break a conversation, especially when it involved comrades.

Stryfe didn't need to guess they were a threat. The weapons were too high tech. The last time he had seen a H&K G11E was when his team was being massacred by the dog soldiers of New York.

"I see.... Since you will no co-o---"

Edden didn't even waste time she leveled the shotgun and cracked off a blast of flachette into the replicant Larry's chest.

Rama followed suite, standing merely three feet from Moe, twisting the thing's hand in the opposite direction for him to fire a single round into his comrade.

DIFF!

But the other Replicant just staggarded a bit.

"Oh, shit..." Rama murmured.


But Moe had his own ideas and twosted the mini-assault rifle back, pulling Rama along, who didn't seem eager to let it go.

"Hmmm, interesting... a human as strong as myself." Moe said without emotion, though it was noted with some concern.

Edden fired another shot in Larry and a next one into Curly, knocking him off his feet. But it didn't seem to have much affect.

"What are you guys made of." She whispered.

Stryfe finally pried the weapon from his foe, sending the rifle clattering to the ground.

So Larry and Rama had at it, each blow being exchanged. Rama smashing his fist into Larry's nose and Larry simple hammered at him in the chest and ribs. The only difference was Rama was feeling it and Larry didn't seem phased at all.
 
"Reik, stop the rig. Logan." I said. "Come here."

Reik pulled the rig to a stop. I could see Eric and Wolf up ahead, and they had stopped as well. Eric was already shooting.

I scanned the far side of the bridge, then up the road we had come, while Logan came up.

"Yeah?" He asked.

I pointed down the hill to a spot at the end of the bridge. Rama was getting picked up and thrown across an amazing distance by a black haired fellow who was otherwise uninteresting. Edden fired her shotgun into a curly haired man but this only seemed to make the assailant pause. The assailant threw a fist at Edden, one of the fastest blows I had seen. She managed to duck, but didn't see the kick that came around, came up under her chin and sent her back.

Both had been disarmed and put down faster than I had ever seen a person dropped before.

I fired a short burst of the .50. It was a far shot, but if I didn't intercede, I was fairly sure. Rama and Edden would have their hearts pulled out. The bullets were fired short, between Rama and Edden and their adversaries. I saw one of the three jerk his arm back. One of my bullets had hit him, but even a .50 couldn't knock one off their ass.

"Those are your friends?"

"Yeah."

"Reik, take us down. Now." I yelled. "Jasmin, Deeds, plasma rifles. What do you use to kill those fuckers."

Logan shook his head. "I don't. I've hit them with depleted uranium and it doesn't seem to affect them. The only thing you can do is run. And if you go down there, you'll die."

"We'll see." I said. "Jake, a missile." I got behind the .50. "We got to make this quick. Up ahead there are some Grey APCs making for the damn bridge."

The rig coughed and growled into life and Reik brought us in quick. "How far?" Called Reik.

"All the way."

Edden was crawling away from her blow. At least she wasn't unconscious. She saw us, and said something to Rama, as she tried to get on her feet, but it was taking a lot out of her just to get up.

Edden rolled out of the way, as Reik brought us in. Jake fired his launcher from near point-blank range and we had to duck to escape sharpnel. When we glanced up, we saw that his shot had landed infront of two of them, and had knocked them both back. But the were already getting up.

Reik kept going, bring the plow on the rig right into the black haired man, and that's where Reik stopped. The black haired bastard was knocked back, hitting the floor and sliding across the concrete until his head connected with the railing of the bridge.

It would have killed a normal man. But he was already sitting up.

Jasmin and Deeds were out now, firing fast with their turbo-plasmas. I was trying to kick them back with the .50. I saw one plasma bolt go through the hand of one of the three.

Jake called up. "There in, There in."

I glanced to see Jasmin and Deeds both mounting up fast. "Reik, back up! Now."

Reik threw the rig into reverse. A good thing too, because the bridge was rocked by three explosions. These were followed quickly by three more.

Logan was watching. "What the fuck?"

"The Greys. I heard that some of their APCs got 105 mm. "

Reik got us to the end and swung the rig around, and then we where heading up and away. The Greys were still gunning for us, but moving through a town and fast, we weren't easy to hit.

I looked back at the bridge.

The three were running behind us. I could see all had been shredded by shellfire and plasma burns. But that didn't seem to stop them.

"What the fuck are they?"

"Whatever they are, they aren't human." Replied Logan.

I looked for the riders. I saw Wolf. "Where the hell is Eric?"

The Asian man had disappeared.
 
Edden could barely stay in the world of the conscious. The world was swimming. Between mortar blasts and the sledge hammer equviolent punches, she could barely stay on her feet.

Rama grabbed her arm and lifted her to her feet. Despite the beating, he seemed to keep that old vigor. His lip was busted, his right eye swollen and he was grasping his left rib cage.

The three replicants stayed where they were, the .50 rounds keeping them at bay and the insuing chaos confusing them.

"Uh.... Man-o-man-o-man, do I need to light. I think I'll be pissing blood for a while." Edden tried to joke and then she felt her ribs wince and that made her bite down.

"We have to make a run for it." Rama whispered.

Edden turned and looked Rama dead in his good eye. "I guess I can help us with that."

Curly, Larry and Moe just looked on.

Edden was resting against Rama when she reached in her waist for one of the grenades. Her middle finger hanked the contact pin.

"HEADS UP BOYS!"

Rama drew his .44 and pointed at each one, putting a bullet in each head, knowing that the best the .44 slug could do was confuse them for a moment and then the grenade to do its work.

The slugs made contact, hitting the reinforced heads, giving Edden enough time to chuck the grenade at their feets.

The small frag grenade rolled into the air and hit the gravel at their leather boots. The next sound was a deafening boom and shock wave complimented with tiny shards of steel spraying in a three-hundred-sixty degree angel, powdering everything.

Rama and Edden ducked and covered and began to use the cover as escape.

Not sure how long it would hold their foes off, but long enough to get to the rig.
 
*Near the Tappanzee Bridge*

The scene was of complete chaos. Rama and Edden had apparently gotten themselves caught up with some tough bastards that never seemed to go down.

"Alright you assholes, lets see if you can survive a 7.62 round to the skull"

As he was about to pull the trigger, the asian felt a strong tug and in seconds, was immediately sent flying through the air. After an awkward flight as superman, Eric came crashing down and rolled into a small ditch. When his vision cleared, the asian realised he had landed some feet away from Rama, Edden, and most importantly, his bike. Even worse, the rifle that he had traded so much for had fallen from his hand and was now too far to pick up without having his skull bashed in.

"Ugh, what the hell?"

Apparently one of the monstrosities that had been beating on Ramma had decided to pound on Eric for no good reason.

"Fuck you bastard".

Eric pulled out his Magnum and proceeded to empty it into the incoming figure. To his shock, the bullets simply bounced off and the man/creature kept coming.

"Christ fucking hell, what are you?"

The thing made no sound and just continued walking, presumably to finish the job it had started.

"WERE GOING TO FIRE A ROCKET, GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY!"

For a moment it seemed as if time had stopped. Eric picked himself up and made a mad dash towards the edge of the hill. Before he knew it, a huge BOOM resounded behind him, the force of the explosion sending him off the hill and tumbling unconsciously down towards an unknown fate.

*Not too far from the Tappanzee bridge*

Two men in full combat armor stand above a crumpled up and unconscious Eric.

"So who the fuck is this guy? He isn't dressed like one of the strangers and he doesn't have the uniform of those bridge fucktards."

"I think he's from the mercenary unit that we've been tailing. He doesn't seem armed or very important but you should notify the brass regardless."

One of the soldiers trains his plasma rifle at Eric while the other takes out a radio.

"This is recon alpha calling command. We have found ourselves an injured mercenary, probably from Kilricks team. He is unconscious and the extent of his injuries are unknown. Hudson seems to think the stranger has a few cracked ribs. Currently awaiting orders."

Seconds later, the soldier with the radio receives a response.

"Good job. The colonel wants you to take care of him until the IFV arrives at your location. Just sit tight and we should be there in a few minutes".

"Hear you loud and clear command, We'll sit tight until you arrive"

The soldier then puts away his radio and jabs a stim into the asians buttocks.
 
The three tough cases chased us for a few miles slowly dropping back until they were out of sight. I had watched them persue, faster than any man had ever run, almost as fast as a Dire. I kept looking at Logan, thinking that he knew more about them then he was telling and silently blaming him for our troubles.

If I threw him off the truck maybe they'd leave the rest of us alone.

Maybe we didn't need more complications on this trip.

But I resisted the urge long enough for the runners to fade. THey had come through the salvos from the Grey APCs fit enough run, but they were hurt, certainly not looking like humans anymore.

I kept looking for Eric. But the asian was no where to be seen.

I could see it on the others. No one wanted to leave him behind. And knowing I would left a bitter taste in my mouth. But to go back would be to face off against a squadron of Grey APCs and a rematch with the three hardcases. As much as I wanted to keep everyone in one piece, sometimes you take your losses and move on. Otherwise you lose more.

We had gone a dozen miles when Reik asked? "Where too."

"Keep going." I said.

"What about Eric?" Said Edden.

"Eric will have to take care of himself for now. If he's still alive."

"We should go back now. He's one of us." Said Edden.

I looked at her wounds. Her nose was still bleeding and she would have a nasty shiner soon. Rama wasn't looking much better. But they would survive.

"We went back to save you two. If Eric is dead, he died to save you. We go back again and the Greys and your three friends might not make it as easy to get away. And that might make Eric's sacrifice a waste." I said, speaking clearly and softly so to make the words weigh.

They didn't look happy. I didn't blame them. I didn't much like it either.

"Stowe. See what you can do for Rama and Edden." I said.

I looked back at the three again. One had lost an eye, now a burnt out socket. Another had most of his scalp burnt off revealing a silvery skull beneath. All had sharpnel wounds and plasma burns. They looked like shit, but they had kept coming. Whether inhuman stubborness or dedication, I couldn't tell.

I hoped into the cab where Reik was still driving. Jake was doing his best diagnosis of the rig. "More damage boss. We'll need time for repairs."

"We'll stop at Gluttonville." I said.

"Just tell me how?"

Reik pulled over and I showen him the map. Gluttonville was off the beaten bath, further south and west. Hopefully, given enough distance we could throw off our pursuers.

Reik nodded.

I went back to carriage and looked for the three bad hombres. But they had disappeared into our dust. Even so, I found myself relieved when Reik got the rig going, putting more miles between us and them.

-----------------

The darkhaired one slowed to a walk, his colleagues followed his pace until they too were walking along the road.

"The target has acquired allies." Said the darkhaired one.

"Yes, he has innovated and adapted." Said the bald one, whose skin had mostly been removed and now smelled of burnt flesh.

"But we can overpower them." Said the curly haired one, who was doing an inspection of his damaged eye.

THe darkhaired nodded. Like his colleague, human behavior, habits and body gesture protocols had been central in his programming. "Yes, but they are moving quickly. We will have to track and surprise them."

"We will use the element of surprise. Tracking them will not be difficult. Daemonicus has provided." Said the bald one.

"Daemonicus will always provide." Agreed the dark haired one. "But we are damaged and need repair. Otherwise our ability to utilize stealth tactics to move and derive intelligence from humans will be compromised."

"Our data indicates a communal home three miles to the North. We can obtain the necessary tissue and continue our search." Said the bald one.

"Agreed."

"What contingencies should we utilize in the event of discovery by Greys?" Asked the curly haired one. He was a subordinate unit. It was important that heirarchy be complied with.

The dark haired one turned back towards the Tappen Zee bridge. "The Greys have recently arrived at the bridge. A scout unit ahead of a main body. They will collect there before dispersing in a net to find their prey, which I believe to be the vehicle in which the target is now traveling. We do not know if the Greys are pursuing our target. If so, we cannot let the Greys interfere with the target. However, the Greys may be able to discover the prey before we do. So we should observe and utilize them for intelligence when possible, and avoid confrontation unless they interfer with our directives."

Then the dark haired one turned in the direction of the human commune. They would need new tissue to replace that which had been damaged, and perhaps parts to repair the damaged electronics and hardware. Once repaired the three would continue their mission.
 
We drove north and west. The idea was simply to throw off our pursuers. Then we moved directly south, blowing up three bridges behind us.

We were going to have to head back into New Jersey, but for now, I wanted to force the greys to expand their net, to be afraid that we had gotten behind them.

So we turned and headed into Pennsylvania. Towards gluttonville.

Gluttonville was off the beaten path, which was perhaps why it had survived. That and the biological weapons dropped during the war.

Supposedly the area had been hit. First by nukes, then by a biological agent that would finish over what was left. But there were few survivors so the bio-weapon, a nasty virus, not only failed to spread, but went mutant.

The radiation had long since leaked out of the area, or at least most of the area. As long as you avoided the craters you avoided the rads. But the bio-weapon had made this an accursed place. The places of the wasting illness.

The virus ate your calories, basically wasting you away from the inside, robbing you of body fat and most nutrients. The only way to survive had been to constantly consume, to eat, to replenish lost energy.

But the virus had mutated. It had stopped being contagious for reasons unknown, but had become part of the genetic code of those who had survived. The few that survived.

Those that did had barricaded themselves in a large warehouse surrounded by a burnt out city. Inside the warehouse had been stocks of foods of every sort, supplies, nutrients, vitamins, household items, electronics. But no vehicles. Inside, those that had survived found what they needed to eat. The few that found shelter there, fortified the warehouse, built a perimeter wall, set traps, dug in with their few guns and tried to survive as best they could.

Outside the corpses had attracted scavengers, among them a breed of Dire especially cunning, fast and ruthless. To leave the warehouse was to risk the dires. These dire would track down and consume any who attempted to leave the warehouse, as well as prevent anyone who would think to wander in. The dire were the alligators on the moat, and the prison guards of the Glutons.

When I felt confident we had shaken our pursuers, we changed course back east, to come at gluttonville from another direction.
 
I told Reik to pull over. We were close enough that things got bad.

Jake had already taken out the geiger counter. "We can probably go this way. But we need to be careful of hot spots."

Hotspots were holes of residual radiation. Very intense. One could get a lethal dose of rads if one were not careful. A further defense for gluttonville.

"Everyone. Get on your armor." I said.

Most of the crew had removed their armor while we traveled. Armor might save your life, but in 100 degree heat it became a furnace.
Rama and Edden were both sore from the beating on the bridge. Neither looked too happy.

But it was Wolf who spoke. "What kind of hostiles?"

"The Gluttons won't give us much trouble although a show of force might help in negotiations. I'm more worried about what's between us and them."

There was some grumbling but they got their armor on. Deeds got behind the .50. Everyone stayed sharp.

When we were ready Reik kicked it back into gear and Jack and his geiger counter giving some navigation. A few times we had to turn back because rads were getting heavy.

A mile from the warehouse I took another look.

THe warehouse was visible. Still in one piece with a long perimeter around it. One gate guarded by a hugely fat man.

"Almost there."

Then something big and powerful slammed into the side of the rig. Then another. The vehicle rocked under the impact.

"What the fuck?" Asked Aragorn, who looked over the side.

I didn't have time to stop him.

A large dire, leaping up the side of the rig, lashed out with a clawed paw, striking at Aragorn's head, ripping it off in a spray of blood.

I got the chance to fire my 40 mm single barrel out the back of the rig, as another one of the beasts came rushing for the inside of the cabin.
 
The crew was pretty much surprised by the Dire that had jumped in and they were also distracted by Aragorns death. Eddens shotgun took a good chunk out of the Dire and Logan sprayed it with 9mm goodness out of his scorpio.

Aragorns headless body slowly fell over, as if the body simply couldn't grasp the fact that it had just lost his head. The falling body sprayed blood all over, including over Stowe. Logan noticed she remained almost inhumanly calm under these circumstances.

Reik had to back up to avoid another radiation pocket, causing the Dire to try and enter the rig again. But this time the crew was prepared. Rama and Edden had taken up perfect positions, Edden slowed the beasts with a first blast of her shotgun and Rama mangled them with his assaultrifle.

Logan understood that it was useless to stick by those two, they were capable of handling themselves, so he took a peak outside. Careful of not being surprised by Dire, he noticed the fat man on top of the fortification at the gate was sporting a G3SP1. The fat dude could probably have saved Aragorn with that rifle, but now simply was chuckling as he watched the Dire playing with Aragorns severed head through his binoculars. It was not hard to notice the fat man laughing, even at this distance. His entire bodyfat was wobbling up and down because of his laughter.

Logan quickly ducked back inside as some Dires took some unhealthy interest in him.
 
Jake had a better look at the beasts than those in the cab. He didn't like what he saw.

These Dire were huge, the size of deathclaw, fast and aggressive. They moved faster than Giant rats, and were ten times smarter.

"Go! Go!" Jake was yelling as Reik slammed on the gas.

A small group of Dire ahead of them turned and rushed at the rig. Deeds, blasting away with the .50, cut one in half and wounded another. The wounded one rammed it's body against the rig. But for the thick metal plow, the creature would have crushed front end of the rig, crippling the radiator, coolant and probably damaging the engine drive. But wounded, the creature slammed the plow, was knocked dizzy and then was promptly crushed under the rig.

Jake was barely aware of that, however, for the third had jumped upon the rig's hood.

Everything happened in moments. The metal creaked under the weight as the creatured tried to bite at Deeds while it tried to stay balanced on the Rig. It missed but caught the armored man with a clawed paw, knocking him to the side and down. With another sweep of the paw it crashed through the armored shutters on the front of the it's claw slashing across Reik.

Reik jerked to the side, jarring the rig, just as the rig bounced on the body of the dead Dire under the front tires. This was enough for the Dire on the hood to lose its grip and slide off the hood and to the side.

Edwards and Stowe pulled Deeds unconscious body away from the .50 as Jasmin stood in his place.

Dire were ramming the rig wiht their bodies, knocking it to the side, tilting the massive vehicle.

Although Reik was bleeding now, he was still trying to able to operate the rig.

One of the Dire climbed up the side of the rig, lifted it's foaming mouth over the edge, only to meet with a powered fist by Stokes, which knocked the creature to the side.

Kilrick was firing with his six-shooter, trying to his passengers, but even Dr. Edwards and Stowe were firing now.

Edden reached for grenades and tossed them over the side. Some were fragmentary, others smoke. Like many creatures, they responded poorly to alien sensations, and Edden hoped the smell of the smoke might drive them away.

The Rig was nearly to the door when the fat man threw a switch and the electronic gate opened. They were nearly in.

_________
occ- ok this is the last chance for anyone who wants to get into the fight with Dire.
 
*Unknown Location*

Voices..........

Man 1: We've done what we can sir. His cracked rib along with the numerous cuts are healing fast.

Man 2: This guys one lucky bastard. If we hadn't found him when we did, internal bleeding would have finished him off.

Man 1: So whats going to happen to him Col.........

The voices fade off into the distance and Eric slowly begins to wake up.

As his eyes adjust, he notices he is in a small room. He appears to be attired in an orange/black striped jumpsuit. With no weapons and no apparent way to escape, the only thing Eric can do at the moment is to sit tight.

Meanwhile we go to what seems to be a meeting room a different location. Three men seem to be engaged in a heated discussion. One man seems to be wearing the blue dress uniform of an airforce officer. The second man has a green dress uniform on, most likely an army officer. The final man is in a brown uniform surprisingly similar to the ones worn by the marine corp.

"The more I think of it, the more I believe we should blast those "Grays" to kingdom come. Atleast it would be a lot more efficient then having to backtrack to the next closest crossing. The longer this mission takes, the more resources will be diverted from the NACs primary task, "resource aquisition and allocation."

"Don't worry. Kilrick and his group of mercenaries won't be getting far. Judging from the last skirmish, his team is probably in need of medical attention. Recon also indicates their vehicle is damaged and will need repairs soon. My best guess is that they will be heading towards the town of Gluttonville here (points to the map in the center of the table). While they treat their wounded, gather supplies, and make repairs, my team will continue on their way towards the mission objective."

"Remember, the mission is to remain incognito. That also means we are to avoid all hostile engagements whenever possible. Finally, its much more beneficial for us to gauge the combat strength of both the grey faction and the droids. The information we recieve could be invaluable in regards to future engagements involving them. Finally, don't forget that Kilricks team will be relying on little to no information of the surrounding area. Our best hope is that they run into resistance from the survivors of Drum and Hamilton."

A small knock is heard and the man in brown beckons the staff officer in.

"This better be good".

" I have recieved an update from Colonel Greifswalds group. He reports that the injured mercenary they captured from Kilricks team has regained consciousness. He will begin interrogation as soon as possible. Any new information will be included in the next report."

"Thank you for the update. You are dismissed."

"Yes sir."

As the staff officer leaves, the group of men resume their discussion.
 
The rig threw sand and dust as it roared through the open gate.

From the wall and from the warehouse, bolts of plasma flew out, tagging the few Dire who attempted to follow the rig in. As soon as the rig and the cart was past, the door switch was again thrown and the gate came closed.

Now they were inside.

"Them Wolfies almost got ya, eh?" Said the fat man. "Took off one of ya's heads, did they? Eh? Well now. Got to be careful wit the wolfies."

"You could have warned us." Said Deeds.

"YOu knew what you were risking when ya came. Good thing we let ya in at all, eh. Dat or the wolfies would snack on ya bones." Said the fat guard, who laughed loudly but alone.

The wall was made of corrugated metal sheets and rubber tires, high and wide and stretched around the warehouse, opening up a 40 yard courtyard all around. The wall had been originally built shortly after the war, to keep out desperate people who were starving and in need of food. Now it kept out the Dire.

A door opened on the side of the warehouse and the other Gluttons emerged. Like the wall guard, they were all hugely fat.

While we dismounted from the rig, I noticed that the gluttons were paying special attention to the females. One offered a wolf whistle.

"Find ladies ya got there. Ya wanna trade for one." Asked the guard.

"They're not for sale." I said, although I wished Angelica were still here to trade.

Another Glutton, Mitchel, the boss, spoke. "Kilrick. It's been a long time since you've risked us. What is it you wish."

"Trade." I said. The gluttons were now circling the truck, looking us over. I couldn't help but feel like a brahma before the big roast.

"You want?" Asked Marshall.

"Supplies, radaway and other radiation medication. Time and access to the garage so we can fix the rig."

"Ya vehicle is badly hurt. You'll need supplies there." Said Marshall.

"Yes. That too."

I noticed Logan's hand was shaking when he whispered to me. "ANd a laptop."

"We'll also need a portable pc." I added.

"Is a tall order." Said Marshall, scratching his chin. "And none of your women for trade, eh?"

"No, we got something better." I said, catching his interest. "We got power to trade."

"Power? You mean more fusion bats and micro-cells. Ya, we can use it."

"No, I'm talking about your own source of power. A generator."

Marshall's face was impassive. Then he broadly smiled. "We got the medicals you need. The parts, we probably got though you may have to scavenge about for 'em. Laptop's goin to cost ya." But he was nodding. "But it would be nice to have our own power for a change. Light the radio and Tellie, eh? Finally watch them vids without worring about the frig."

"Yeah, something like that. The generator was expensive, Marshall. It won't come cheap." I added.

"No doubt, no doubt. What you want the rad meds for though?"

"None of your business." I said. Best not to tell too much. "This is about the generator, that's all."

"And the rest can trade as they like, eh?"

"Your people and our people can trade as they please." I agreed.

THe fat guard whistled again, and rubbed his crotch, "What do I need to give for a little sexual healing then?"

The others ignored him.

"How long ya think the rig will take to repair?" Asked Marshall.

I looked at Jake and Reik. Both shrugged. "A couple of days. Depends on their facilities and the parts."

Marshall nodded. "We can do that. But you best sleep in the warehouse at night. Wolfies have gotten through the wall somewhere, and the courtyard's not safe at night no more. They's hungry them wolfies."
 
The fat ugly humanoids were a disgusting sight, but Logan had seen worse... He also had known what to expect before coming here, some of the crew had not. A couple of them had trouble concealing their disgust and were send away by Jake to check the garage. Before they arrived, Deeds and Jasmin did a quick sweep. They quickly secured the garage and looked for possible points of entry. Making sure to find no bad surprise the next morning.

Logan entered the huge warehouse. There was an huge fatman sitting at the entrance welcoming him. Even a fellow Glutton would call thisone fat. He was sitting on some sort of an electrical cart, in which he could drive around. The man was hideous, his ass almost engulfed the chair and his out of proportioned legs almost hid the cart completely. The poor cart squeaked at every move, as if it could break any second. The huge fatbody was apparently only covered with a kind of baggy 'pants' and a robe. Both pieces of clothing could easily be transformed into a tent for 2 persons. His robe was full of grease and foodstains for obvious reasons. Even as he welcomed Logan, he was stuffing his face with a can of beans in tomatosause.

"I'm the warehouse supervisor, Marshalls right hand man. What can I do yeh for, stranger?" The fat man said as he was licked his fingers clean.

Logan took a quick look around before answering. From the inside, the warehouse looked even bigger. Logan noticed that every supportbeam was wired with explosives. Probably a crude safeguard to discourage raiders. Logan noticed his hand had begun shaking again and tried to conceal it by pressing it against his body.

"Where can I find the old electronics and computerstuff? You know, neural interface things and the like..." Logan asked.

"Hmz, I was more expecting you to ask me for recreational meds, but thats none of my bizznezz really." The supervisor replied, clearly looking at Logans shaking arm. "It's kinda tricky, I'll show you the way."

"Thank you very much, supervisor." Logan replied, clearly avoiding the drugs subject.

The supervisor took the lead and Logan quietly followed him. The sight of the mans rear end was not something one would want to remember. Logan had by accident let his eyes slide over the mans back and in an attempt of quickly looking away, he dropped his eyes down to watch the floor. Half way, his eyes were fascinated by something. There was a weird brown container placed under the chair. In an attempt to find out what it was, he took a closer look. He noticed a small yellow and a large brown conduit going into the chair. To late did he realise, in disgust, what it was.

"You can call me Dan, sonny boy. But one piece of advice, make sure you and your friend pay for everything they take. If one of you steals, you will all pay. Especially the women. Got it? Ah, we're here. Here is our pick of computerparts." The supervisor said.

"Don't worry, Dan, we wo-..." Logan reassured the man before he was interrupted.

"Yeah, well, thats what they all say." The supervisor replied as he buzzed and squeaked away on his electrical cart.
 
Jake was busy repairing the rig and going through the Glutons supplies, while Rama, Edden, Stokes, Wolf and Deeds unloaded the tinker cart and began setting up. Marshall decided that we would put the turbine in back near their generator and had his people bring up the supplies we needed to hook up the turbine and the generator to the Gluton's own powersources.

In the meantime Marshall and I continued to trade. I could tell he was practically salivating over the generator. He was still a tough negotiator and getting him to give up the radaway and other meds was not without tricky. I had but one real trump card, but it was a powerful one.

Unlike most folks in the wastes, the Glutons were well stocked in supplies. Like most, they hungered for those items not renewable, espeically power. The turbine was liberation from their dependency on a diminishing supply of fusion batteries. They would trade what I asked, provided I stay within reason.

When I was satisfied, I gave conditional agreement, and gave the nod to the men to continue the work. Putting up the turbine would take a couple of days, time I would use to negotiate. It was also time in which to get the rig back.

Marshall took a break and went back to the warehouse, giving me a chance to watch how things were going.

Edwards had gone to look for Logan and to explore the science and electronics. Stowe was setting up a place to practice her medicine.

"I could use Wolf as aid." She said to me as I came around.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do. What's your plan?"

"A little medical examination and maybe a diagnosis. These people have never seen a doctor I bet. Perhaps we can get them over their ailment." She said.

"Maybe, but make them pay for it. Food."

Stowe looked displeased. "It's always about business with you."

"Yeah. And what price you can get for what you give. Charge them for it." I said. It was clearly an order and Stowe nodded. "And another thing. Stay within sight of the others."

Stowe didn't need to be told twice. She looked at the shambling gluttons and nodded.

THen I wen to see how Clare and Elroy were doing. Since getting rid of the turbine, the cart was now clear. The two were doing a brisk business with the odds and ends they had collected. For the Gluttons, the tinker's rubbish was practically treasure.

"I figure I might come back and do business with these folks. Never sold so much so fast before." Said Clare. "Wish I could help you with your turbine, but I got to mend my store."

Elroy was busy collecting things and dealing, something he had learned from his mom.

"That's fine. I can take you to the next town out of here and get you some brahmin. Better I take you out then you try to get out on your own." I offered.

"I hoped you'd say that. Them Dire would tear us to hell getting out like they did your man."

On the way in, Aragorn's body had been tossed out of the rig, to distract the hungry mutant wovles. I couldn't see over the wall to where the body had hit the street, but I was certain there was little left of it.

"Not a problem. But look. Stay close to the rig and the rest of us. And don't go off somewhere with one of these fellows if asked." I said.

"Right. They'd like to fight over me like dogs over a brahma chop." Said Clara.

I spread the word to Jasmin and Edden to be careful with the Glutons. Both seemed not to worry, each capable of taking care of themselves.

Marshall returned and we continued to barter.
 
Edden checked her stash, and noticed her .12guage rounds were nearly depleted. "Damn," she hissed to herself, tapping the barrel of the shotgun against her forehead.

She looked at the rest of the crew. "Anyone have any deathsticks?"
 
*Unknown Location*

"Hey wake up, the colonel wants to talk to you".

Eric felt a sudden jolt as he was pulled from his cot and made contact with the floor.

"Now is this anyway to treat an old friend of the military?", replied Eric.

"Just shut your damn piehole and come with us. The only person your going to be talking to is the boss. And even then you'll be giving answers".

"Not very talkitive are you?". As they headed to their destination, Eric took a quick glance at his captors shoulder insignias. Red circle, blue triangle, black panther. There was no doubt, the insignia of the 63rd fighter squadron.

"Why the hell do they continue to wear those things", Eric thought. "Probably lets them feel high and fucking mighty." The most humorous thing about it was the fact that the US. Airforce of the past hadn't existed for quite some time now.

Well, the soldiers did have one thing however. Having access to old pre-war technology had its benefits. If those old timers hadn't worked together, most of Arizona would have remained barren. Worse yet the raider groups wouldn't have been so thin as they were now.

The walk ended just as abruptly as Erics sleep had been. The trio arrived at the tent and one of the guards stepped inside, presumably to announce Erics presence. After a few seconds of waiting, the guards pushed Eric inside and left just as quickly as they came.

And standing in front of him was a familiar sight. The same drab fatigues, the same rank insignia, even down to the same bad breath.

"I guess we meet again colonel. Or would you prefer me to call you sir like in the old days?"
 
GluttonVille

Stryfe kept his eye open, he didn't really need the sleep all that much. After dressing his won wounds and reloading the ancient -yet effective - AK-47, he kept his eyes peeled. He could see some obese figures troll around.

They were disgusting. In a land that had starved a generation, never before had he seen such gluttony, such sloth. But then he remembered the story of this place. Gluttonville, years ago had been hit with a biological that began to break down the body. Eating was the only way you could survive, or within twenty four hours the body would begin to degrade. The agent was named TX-A9 - AKA Anthrax-9

They had seventeen hours.

Rama checked his watch and looked to the rest. Deeds was out cold. Which means leadership was under Kilrick.

Stryfe walked towards him and Maddy. "We need food... lots of it if we're going to manage out here. Or the A-9 will start working us over. And those fat pigs wouldn't think twice rolling on us when we're too weak to even lift up a pistol."

A fat man with two chins and sweat laddan face stared at the group. He was wearing an adjusted, if not tight looking armored vest with the words LARD emblazen in yellow gold. He licked his greasey lips when he stared at Jasmin and Edden.

"See what I mean. Those slugs are just waiting."
 
Rama had good reason to be concerned. To be sure I wasn't sure if Anthrax-9 had mutated. Supposedly it had gone genetic and was not longer contagious. But one never could be too sure.

"Let's talk to Stowe and Wolf and see what they say." I said, quietly.

Marshall was taking a water break and had disappeared somewhere. The work on the Turbine was progressing well. We had already secured most of the medical supplies we needed, enough for over a week in NYC. We had also gotten parts for the rig. The sooner we left, the better.

But Stowe couldn't tell us much, not yet.

She drew a blood sample from my arm. "These tests will take a few hours yet. I need some blood from the other members to see if their's a contagion or otherwise susceptibility that we haven't accounted for."

"Tell me when you find out something." I said.

____________

Clara and Elroy had done well, but it was getting later and the Gluttons had dispersed.

For Elroy it was a time to explore.

He slipped away from the Tinker's cart while his mom wasn't looking, and quickly moved towards one of the grates. A sunken door way leading to one of the maintenance shafts was down there.

Quietly, Elroy lifted the grate. It was heavy with rust, and he almost couldn't life it, but slowly it gave with a loud creak.

Then down the ladder to the bottom and he tried the door.

Locked.

No matter. He found his lockpick tools and quickly went to work.

It took no more than ten minutes and the lock gave way. Elroy checked above to see if anyone had notice.

Nothing.

He quietly opened the lock, peered in.

Coast was clear.

Into the maintenance tunnel now. Only emergency lights were working, and not many of those.

If he could find some of the treasure these fat bastards had, he and his mom could grab and run out with Kilrick's bunch. THey could make a killing. High tech stuff could sell well in Fili, new brahman, new wagon. Maybe even new dad.

He slipped down the passage way into the bowels of the compled. Under the warehouse, down a stair well, deeper now. Fewer lights.

He turned a corner.

Then he saw it.

He opened his mouth to scream.

But a hand clamped over his mouth and pulled him away and into the dark.
 
Edden drew her shoulder for a drawing of blood. Stowe grabbed a sterile hypodermic needle. As she drew near, she saw some scarrring as well as tattoos on the foul-mouthed mercs forearm.

Sighing inwardly, Maddy pushed the needle into the visble vein and drew her sample of blood. Edden just looked around, not really feeling the gentle prick.

After it was done, a light dab of an antispetic and Edden was through. "Do I get a lolly pop?"

"Nice one smart ass. Next."

Eddem chuckled and went to snety duty.
 
The evening came on slowly with a purple sunset to the west.

Marshall watched it with me. "Better make sure your people are inside. The Dire have been tunneling in at night. Lost two people to 'em little doggies. We can tag 'em in the day, but at night, don't want to be out in the courtyard, ya."

I nodded and looked around, getting everyone back into the tent.

OUr negotiations had gone well. The supplies were now packed up and the wind turbine was near complete. Jake was making good progress on repairs to the rig.

"Have you seen Ellroy?" Asked Clara, who had brought in her TInker cart with the help of Jasmin and Deeds.

"Not since earlier." I said.

One of the gluttons who was wobbling nearby stopped and said. "I think I saw him near the gate. Hope he didn't go over the wall or it's over for 'em."

"Over the gate?" Said Clara.

"'Fraid so. Got Dire there. Tunnel underneath. Could get in and snatch him without a sound. Boy small like that. Hardly much to eat."

Clara turned away, but before she did I could see her crying.

Not sure what to do, I left to make sure the others were in and safe.

But Dr. Edwards had also overheard the exchange, and went to speak to Clara. "I don't think he's right." He said, trying to comfort Clara. "I didn't see him by the gate at all. IN fact, last I saw him he was going down under one of the grills. I went to check what he was up to and it seemed he disappeared down a maintenace shed. He's probably somewhere under the building."

"You think so?" Asked Clara.

"Well, he couldn't have just disappeared, could he?"

_________________

Prudence was stretching herself. She had spent much of the day working on the Turbine and gotten sweaty and tired, and now her back was sore.

"Ya a pretty one." Said one of the Guttons. "Ya want me to rub ya back for ya?"

"Fuck off fatty." Said Prudence.

"Don't need to be so rude love." Said the fat man.

Prudence look at some of the others and was dusgusted to find they were salivating.
 
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