Fallout: Haven (Closed/TG Approval)

[Cheye]

Fallout: Haven

War. War never changes...

When atomic fire consumed the earth, those who survived did so in great, underground vaults. When they opened, their inhabitants set out across ruins of the old world to build new societies, establish new villages, forming tribes.

As decades past, many of those villages and tribes began to grow once more into functioning states, but in some places such lofty ambitions were unrealistic. When the city of Lubbock in North Texas was obliterated by nuclear hell-fire and the arid farmlands surrounding it were reclaimed by the desert, few imagined that any semblance of society could ever survive there… They were wrong.

At the centre of the Haven Bypass sits a solitary settlement, a small town which provides the only stop on the long and gruelling caravan route from Mexico to the central United States. Surrounded by unforgiving wastes and miles of inhospitable desert, few travellers have ever heard of Haven. Its townspeople have grown accustomed to the mundane rituals of life in such a place, few caring for the outside world. Fewer still what it might represent.

But change is coming.

To the west, a vast army of slaves, forged from the conquest of 86 tribes and known only as Caesar's Legion has begun to set its sights on the region. With territories stretching from the New Mexico border all the way to New Vegas, it is unclear how a town like Haven can stand isolated for long.

In the east there are rumours of distant settlements, mysterious soldiers wearing power armour and entire cities overrun by raiders. Closer to home, and hidden among the mountains, Vault 93 slumbers long dormant, forgotten by almost all who live near. Those few to have found its doors claimed to have heard the static of mysterious broadcasts coming out though who, or what, lies within is a secret lost to the tragedies of time.

As more traders brave the perils of the Mexico Highway and bring news of other states further afield; of a city of lights and fortune beyond the borders of the Legion and a thriving democracy in California, some might begin to wonder if there are safer lands to call home…

But most continue on, content to wallow in their toil with the town of Haven at the centre of their universe. They continue on just like war. Because war, war never changes…

____________________________________________________________________________

This is a Fallout RP for the nations of Latica, the factions in which have been agreed collaboratively. It is closed, but if you read on, are a semi-skilled RPer and think you'd like to contribute please send one of us a telegram. This thread will not be used for OOC posts.

As an aside this RP may contain some themes that could be considered adult in nature, including mild sexual references, violence and gore. Please go away if such themes might offend you. We do not own Fallout, Bethesda do - in case there was some doubt. If you have any questions about the content of this RP please TG.

Participants:
Cheye (The Nash Family)
Sarrin (The Dower Family)

The Haven Bypass Region:

[Sarrin]

The Bar + Grill, Haven - February 4th 2278

The stench of spilt whiskey mixed with the sweat of the patrons in the desert heat gave the Haven Bar + Grill a unique aroma. As much as Priscilla Nash tried to cover it with old perfumes and pre-war cleaning products, it seemed to linger in the very woodwork of the building itself.

Despite the smell, the bar was spacious enough. Numerous dining booths ran down both walls, with other less sturdy-looking tables assembled in between. A pool table and a broken jukebox dotted the left and right far corners, while at the centre of the far wall, the old curved bar stuck out like a horseshoe, with a central counter behind it on which sat numerous bottles containing all manner of liquid hope and courage that the residents of Haven so frequently relied upon.

A sturdy door, one of few, led from behind the bar to the kitchen where the ‘grill’ portion of the Bar + Grill could be found. It was in here that Priscilla Nash was currently sneaking a swig of her stock, as she pretended to watch over her sister Elanora who was scrubbing clean the dishes that their patrons had previously eaten their dinners off of.

“YOU FUCKIN-” Shouting shattered the almost sureal silence, followed quickly by Jack Dower who had tackled the Sheriff through the door, knocking it off its hinges as he moved.

Priscilla hid her bottle of scotch behind her as Elanora turned, both young women completely shocked by the sudden intrusion.

Jack was young with short dirty blond hair and a rough but kept beard whose wild fists struck with the elegance of a man who’d been drinking whiskey since the sun began to wane. For his efforts the Sheriff, a usually jovial hispanic man with razor cut black hair, was managing to hold off the barrage of punches though he seemed to be struggling to turn the tables.

“Get the hell outa’ my kitchen!” Priscilla growled, though the pair seemed beyond reasoning with.

Elanora grabbed a carving knife and a heavy frying pan and strode towards them. She was only 16, but Priscilla recognised that look in her sister’s eye, Elanora was excited by violence.

The knife flew through the air and slammed into the base of the doorway, inches from Jack’s face. As he looked up shining his pearly blue eyes Elanora’s way he couldn’t help but let out a slight smile as the pan smacked into his jaw knocking him back through the doorway and onto his back behind the bar.

The Sheriff stood up taking a moment to balance himself on a counter.

“Thanks little Ellie.” He winked, before going back through the door to meet Jack who had already begun to get himself up.
Elanora, who was called Ellie by pretty much everyone else, grunted and placed the pan down on a shelf before reaching to pull he knife from the door-frame. Priscilla followed the fighting men back into her bar, stopping to inspect the damage to the door.

The Sheriff raised his hands pleadingly; “Now let’s not have a show Jack, come outside and we can let you sleep in your own bed tonight” He said with a put-on, friendly tone more to calm the other patrons than to persuade the Dower.

“Whe’re’d the fun in that be lollipop?” Jack said as he got himself up and rounded the bar giving a taunting gesture towards the Sheriff as he called back to his sister “Mary, anyone wanna put a wager on Javi’s chances?” smirking as he turned back.

Sheriff Javier sighed “I’m not gonna ask again Jack” finishing just as Jack threw a half-full bottle of beer at him from a nearby patrons desk. Javier grunted, it was going to be one of those nights again.

Priscilla turned as she heard the bottle smash and rose to her feet again. “Don’t either of ya’ll go smashing up the place... Otherwise knock yourselves out.” She let out uncaringly, leaning against the counter as she took a long swig from her stolen bottle of scotch.

Cracking his neck slightly the Sheriff charged towards Jack hoping to land a smack in the young man’s chest. Jack sidestepped, throwing his force behind the Sheriff and launching him into a table, knocking prone the drunk Dower in the process.

“YOU DID NOT FUCK UP MY HAND!” Shouted Mary Dower as various liquors and cards flew across the table, splattering the merchants who she had gathered to gamble with that evening. Until now she had been sat playing quietly enough at the table, trying to ignore the brewing trouble.

In a smooth gesture she reached under the table grabbing a trowel hanging from one of the merchants bags and swung it at Javier’s face who barely managed to catch her hand as he pulled himself up.

“Don’t get involved Mary, you’re better than the others!” He said sincerely letting go of her hand and standing to turn and look back at Jack who by now was enjoying another patron’s whiskey as he rested against the wall.

“You’re right Sheriff...” Mary said standing up from the table behind him placing her right hand on his arm softly. Javier couldn't help but smile as he glanced over this time not managing to catch her left hand as it swung a now empty whiskey bottle into the back of his head knocking him forward as it shattered.

“What the hell is going on here?” A quietly-stern voice let out from the doorway that led out onto the dusty streets of Haven.

“Bad trouble!” One of the farmers who stood nearest the door answered, shuffling out. A few more followed awkwardly as the Sheriff struggled to remain upright.

“Stay out of it Leon, nobody called for you!” Priscilla barked from the bar.

“Well somebody sure as shit should have. What’s your father goin’ to say when his bar gets wrecked, eh?”

The bottle of scotch left Priscilla’s grip and flew through the length of the room towards Leon, only narrowly missing Sheriff Javier’s nose as it flew. Leon dodged it easily, Dubeck was a natural gunslinger with quick reflexes and a stormy temper. Priscilla knew she’d regret that later.

“Is that quick-nut? I’m seeing double and he still doesn’t look any prettier!” Jack said pushing himself off the wall with a swing towards the Sheriff who ducked under it and threw a smack into Jack’s chest before following it with an attempt to land another smack with his elbow until Mary jumped on his back knocking him to the ground.

“Get your shit together Jack, if you can’t even beat loverboy here what use are you gonna be!” She grabbed the back of Javier’s stab vest using it to smack his head into the floor and further disorientate the young Sheriff as her brother shook his head a little and regained his posture.

Leon Dubeck charged into the fray, incensed by both the continued fighting and Priscilla’s attack on him. He launched a solid kick into Mary’s ribs to dislodge her from atop the Sheriff and rounded on Jack, ready to deliver a solid blow in one fluid motion as Sheriff Javier groaned and struggled to rise. Jack grunted as the smack hit his face knocking him to the side, he took a moment and started laughing as he spun to land a counter hit which Leon easily dodged as he landed another two hits into the still laughing Jack’s chest.

As Leon prepared to deliver a final smack Jack grabbed him by the shoulders and headbutted him with his full drunken force knocking the mercenary back a few steps and nearly tripping him over the Sheriff who scrambled on the floor trying to pin down Mary whose lude sexual remarks only furtherly antagonised and hurt him.

“ENOUGH!” Another shout came from the doorway, this time from a woman.

The Mayor of Haven, Julia Mandel’s voice thundered as loudly as her aging lungs could manage. Causing more than a few of the belligerents to look round. Behind her, Javier’s deputies entered, one of them pausing to thank the farmer who had ran and got them, before shutting the door to the Bar + Grill behind them.

“Now this looks like a fairer fight...” Priscilla smirked. “Cheers to the law!” She chuckled manically, throwing back a shot of tequila she had poured during the commotion.

“That’s enough of that Prissi! This ain’t how you run a bar, what’s your father gonna-.” Jack’s fist hitting his mouth cut him off. As it landed Jack shouted over to Mary who’d now stood up and backed slowly towards the bar “How’d you recon our odds sis? Fancy a chance at our town’s premier ironclad hotel?” He reared for another hit against Leon as one of the deputies tackled him to the ground.

Mary took a bottle of whiskey from under the bar and began pouring herself a shot getting halfway through it when the other deputy put his hand on her back only to feel Mary’s elbow smack into his chest. “Fucken Bitch!” the heavily-built Deputy shouted as he launched her off her feet, over the bar into the drink’s counter knocking over several bottle of price liqueur as Mary shouted back smirking “Now where was that anger back in the summer, Dwight!”

From the kitchen a tirade of swearing suddenly emerged in the form of Elanora who was still holding the frying pan. “YOU DUMB FUCKIN’ CUNT!” She roared at the deputy. “Ya think we just buy all this booze for ya’ll to waste everywhere!?”

Mary had to do a double-take as she realised Ellie was directing her abuse at the man who had thrown her across the bar, taking the time to wink at the firebrand as she composed herself. The frying pan came down hard on the man’s knuckles as he gripped the bar, and the giant Dwight let out a high-pitched shriek before lunging across at his new attacker, grabbing her by her partly-shaven black hair and yanking hard.

Across the room, Leon raised his foot to deliver yet another kick to Jack’s chest as the deputy yanked the bruised Dower to his feet, still enraged Leon tried to score a punch on Jack’s exposed chest, but as he closed the gap Jack lunged out of the deputies control dealing a heavy headbut right into Leon’s temple smacking him into the wall behind him as he passed.

The door burst open as Priscilla took yet another shot of tequila and a loud rifle shot caused everyone to freeze.

All eyes drifted to the doorway from Mayor Julia who was seeing to Javier’s injuries, to the deputy fighting to restrain Jack, to Priscilla and Mary drinking at the bar, to the deputy who was yanking Elanora’s hair trying to disarm her and the dazed and bloody Leon leaning against the far wall. A few other patrons sat in the background all equally terrified by the sudden silence.

“Everybody out. Now.” The cold and looming voice of Clarence Nash ordered emotionlessly.

He pointed the ornately decorated repeater rifle to the left first, gesturing to both Mayor Julia and Sheriff Javier who took the cue with little protest and made their exit.

Next, he pointed the gun to the deputy and Jack Dower, stepping aside, without lowering the rifle as the principle troublemaker was hauled outside.

Priscilla was already moving by the time her father pointed the rifle at her, and she could feel his steely gaze boring into her as she kept her eyes down and walked by.

Mary chuckled as she felt the gun move over to her not having turned to look at the new arrival since her initial glance and tossed a handful of caps onto the bar. As she left she shot a wink at Abigail Cornwallis on her passing.

The Cornwallis family had cleared their cutlery and begun getting out of their booth, neither having got in any way involved in the fight besides a short discussion between them about whether it was worth offering some medical aid, such as they could with their mediocre supplies and skills.

“Think long and hard about who’s hair it is you’re ripping out there son.” Clarence said coolly as Deputy Dwight, who had remained frozen since Clarence’s arrival suddenly released his strong grip on Ellie, sending her collapsing to the floor. “Now off you fuck.”

The Deputy didn’t wait to be told twice.

“Go home Ellie.” Clarence barked, pointing the rifle at her next. Like Priscilla she knew better than to question her father right now, and ran out the door behind the others.

Clarence turned to look at Leon. A look of pure malice on his face as he wheeled on the gunslinger.

“I let you into my family and this is how you repay me!” He barked. “The Dowers walking all over you! Sheriff’s men manhandling my daughters!?” There was a loud whack as Clarence brought the butt of the rifle down on Leon’s shoulder.

Before anyone could hear any more of the commotion, Clarence slammed the door shut.

[Cheye]

Above the General Store, Haven - February 5th 2278

“Dwight was lucky to get off with only some cracked knuckles!” Clarence declared loudly, interrupting the conversation taking place at his dining table as he entered the room.

“What Clarence is trying to say…” Camila, his wife of almost twenty years now shot him a wary look before she continued; “Is that your deputy was very forceful with the way he handled her. She’s practically still a child.”

Sheriff Javier, his wounds from the night before bandaged and his face looking a little worse for ware, sighed and took a sip of the ice-cold nuka cola Camila had given him.

“Yes.” Clarence said emotionlessly, adjusting his tie. “That’s what I meant. Dwight is built like a bighorner, he could have seriously hurt her.”

Javier eventually smiled; “The way Dwight tells it, she came at him cussing and blinding before he had a chance to react?”

Clarence leaned over the table; “He had just flipped a girl over the counter, man!” He slammed his fist down on the table. “What do you expect a frightened teenager to do in that situation?! You know I don’t train my girls to shy away from a fight when their backs are up against the wall, you must understand?”

Javier nodded reluctantly. “I’m willing to leave disciplining Ellie to you two, but only because your family have been so good for this town.” He finished his nuka cola and rose to his feet. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to deal with the real troublemakers.”

“Muchas gracias Javi” Camila said softly, nodding across to him.

Clarence stepped forwards and shook his hand before he left, closing the door to the hallway behind him and listening as the Sheriff’s footsteps disappeared down the stairs and outside into the street.

“Now you pull that latina shit?” Clarence smirked at Camila, looking directly into her deep brown eyes.

“He likes it.” Camila’s voice had suddenly become every bit as cold as his own. “Besides, if you hadn’t noticed, Javier is somebody we should be trying to keep on our side.”

“He’s a child prancing around with a badge and a vest!” Clarence shook his head, still leaning over the table. “Back in Arizona, somebody like that wouldn’t have lasted a day. They’d feed him to the dogs!”

“We’re not in Arizona anymore, Clarence. He’s the law here.”

Clarence drew himself upright and sneered; “Then we’re all as good as dead.”

Camila rose from her seat and walked around the table towards him, adjusting the collar of his business suit before putting her arm around his shoulder as she muttered; “We’ve lasted this long.”

“Yes we have.” He nodded, before reaching to pull her hand to his lips and kissing it softly. “I need to think of some way to punish Leon for not looking after the bar.” He said thoughtfully.

“Forget Leon. What about your own daughter?”

“What Ellie? You don’t think I’m actually going to discipline her for defending our property do you?”

“No… Priscilla. She’s the one drinking herself silly each night. If the Bar + Grill had a sober manager there’d be a lot less trouble.”

Clarence thought for a moment. “She never used to be this bad…” He sighed.

“It’s since the engagement.” Camila said confidently, resting her face against her husband’s shoulder softly.

“I know, damnit. But we need Leon… And bringing him in is the only way to keep the family strong. I’m getting too old to always be charging to the rescue.”

“You can’t make her marry someone she doesn’t love.” Camila muttered softly.

“You married me?” Clarence retorted, turning to face her as she raised her face to meet his gaze.

“That was… that was very different.”

“Clearly.” Clarence sighed. “Well, if Leon can’t even defend himself maybe he doesn’t deserve to marry Priscilla afterall…”

“You’ll cancel the engagement?” Camila’s voice rose hopefully.

“I’ll give him one more chance to prove himself. Then I’ll cancel it.” Clarence nodded, a plan forming in his crafty and experienced mind. “Can you talk to Priscilla, get her to understand why I’m doing all this? How I’m trying to help her in the long run.”

“I’d rather not. She’s never been able to open up to me…” Camila saw the look of disappointment forming on Clarence’s face.

“You’re still the closest thing she’s ever had to a mother.”

“I’ll try my best.”

Outside

Leon Dubeck staggered up towards the general store, like Javier he had bandaged his wounds from last night but still looked a little rough around the edges.

“Lovely morning Leo.” Clarence said as he emerged from the door that led into the store.

“Mr Nash, sir…. I wanted to apologise about last night.” The gunslinger replied genuinely. “Prissi refused to serve me at the bar so I went home and must have dozed off. If I’d known those no good Dowers were gonna stay out so late drinkin’ I’d never have left.”

“It’s done now.” Clarence retorted flatly, not meeting the younger man’s gaze.

“Let me know how and I’ll make it up to you, sir.”

Clarence stroked his impeccably groomed beard slowly as he appeared to look deep in thought.

“Now you mention it you could help me out.” He said rather quietly. “Between the Dowers and the deputies a fair amount got broken last night. It’s hardly proper that I should have to clean up their mess, now is it?”

“No sir. Them what broke it should replace it.”

“Well exactly!” Clarence clapped his hands together. “I want you to pay a visit to the Sheriff and the Mayor and make sure my expenses are covered, and then persuade Dower’s little militia to come and help with the manual labour. That should about cover it, don’t you think?”

“I’d imagine so, sir.” Leon bit his lip in thought for a moment. “Don’t imagine the Dowers will be too thrilled at the idea though…”

“Well I don’t imagine you’ll be too thrilled at what’ll happen to you if you fail, but the ability to work under pressure is what seperates men from boys…” Clarence shot him a cruel smile. “Remember that when dealing with Dower.”

[Sarrin]

Ranger Station (Hope) - February 5th 2278

“Well you look like ten tonnes of shit landed on a ghoul den!” Cal remarked as Jack gradually came out of the Haven Bypass towards the station.

The Ranger Station had been an old pre-war building used to keep an eye on the hikers who wanted to traverse the old pass which in its day had been a trail with three difficulties. Today only one of those routes was marked with the others being a closely guarded Dower secret but the station had come to be named ‘Hope’ by the town folks thanks to its early warnings giving a sense of hope in the face of threats.

“Spent the night in the ironclad hotel with Mary though I don't remember nothing.” Jack said jokingly scratching his forehead. As leader of the Haven militia his armour was slightly more decorated than the others with a single golden star embroidered onto the right shirt sleeve where usually it was just the normal creamy brown. His rank was also listed on the front but the bullet-proof jackets they worse covered up the old name-tags of their pre-war ancestors.

“Ironclad? You win the fight at least?” Cal retorted. Cal was barely nineteen with short hazel hair and brown eyes that somehow seemed to sparkle in the desert sun equipped with his wide warm smile and it was little surprise that he’d already been talked to by a handful of the parents with marriage offers.

“Quick-nut got some easy shots in but you shud’a seen his face after I headbutted him into the wall on my way out.” Jack chuckled as he spoke taking a seat beside him outside the station which itself was only a small two story building with a small radio tower coming off the side of it. On the top was a makeshift barracks for whoever the militia put on watch and in the bottom was a kitchen, dining room and armoury. Besides the two seats was a half-drank nuka-cola which Jack took a heavy sip of before finally letting himself relax.

“How’s that sister looking?” Cal said with a wide smirk. While Mary was actually Jack’s cousin, who’d just been raised by Jack’s dad after the banditry trials exiled most of their family, the two were extremely close. With Jack now running the militia his sister made infrequent trips to bring the troops supplies or entertainment in all manner of forms.

“Depends, you gonna marry her or I gotta put a shotgun to that little dimple you got down there and show you how Dowers resolve these situations.” Jack said back with a flat face lasting only a few seconds before he burst into laughter which Cal joined shortly after.

“Every time you tell me she’s pregnant I believe you less chief.” Cal eventually said before taking another sip of his nuka-cola “Gonna go to the council meeting this friday?” he eventually said.

Jack stood up from the chair and rested on the wooden fence that surrounded the station balcony and looked over the view before him. Where the station was based you were a good hundred feet from the start of the track with a wide view of everything from Slaton to the Lubbock Ruins. “Gonna have to, we need more people if we’re gonna protect this place proper. Barely have time to get our pants on before we’d know Haven was attacked.”

Cal went up and joined him by the balcony bringing along the sniper rifle that was kept at the station with him in case something caught his eye. “Heard Ma and Pa say they were gonna talk to the Mayor ‘bout expanding the Sheriffs’ before my shift. Even with me here they reckon the militia needs to be replaced by something dependable.”

Jack spat as the Sheriff was mentioned nearly hitting a cactus down below. “That asshole wouldn’t know how to defend us if a damned pillow came to fight.”

“Still, people are wary of your lot. Ya’ll get drunk and fight folk still, not to mention Mary makes a game of chatting up the local boys...and some of the girls come to think of it. Frank’s barely seen either, you sure he aint dead?”

Jack chuckled pushing himself slightly off the fence “I’m sure, told me some advice before I came out here too this morning”

“Oh yeah, what was that?” Cal said as Jack turned to start walking into the station “Only thing worth a dime is being a Dower and shooting fine.”

The pair chuckled as Jack stopped by the station door “Fancy a whiskey before you head back? Flask ran damn dry of moonshine half way on the route.”

“I’m good, gotta find ma some nice flowers for her birthday on my return, if I have a glass with you i’ll be lucky to come home at all.”

They chuckled again as Cal looked out over the wastes before him. In the distance a small caravan was making its way through the dirt path that bypassed Possey though from the look of the grey dots on the horizon they were gonna have company. Cal hesitated for a moment thinking on whether he should tell Jack and help, ‘nah’ he thought ‘we don’t have the numbers to do harm to his cousins anyway...’

[Cheye]

Old Gas Station, Haven - February 5th 2278

Even since the bulk of the family had been evicted, the old petrol station still bore the mark of the Dower. It’s beaten walls echoed with the sound of tinkering and hammering and the old pumps had been jury rigged into strange makeshift brewing setups that produced the kind of alcohol that got you drunk fast enough to not notice the taste. Atop the petrol station in old scavenged letters was a makeshift sign spelling ‘Dower Repairs’ though the lack of working lights on it left a misleading irony in the abilities of the owners.

Leon Dubeck strode up towards the petrol station, his duster coat trailing in the warm desert breeze. He glanced haphazardly towards the strange brewing stalls and the scrap piles that dotted the yard and frowned to himself before taking the final few steps up to the door and knocking hard.

Silence settled uncomfortably until Leon again rattled the door, only to find it spring open as his knuckles met the metal, revealing the gnarled face of Frank Dower who spat on the floor in front of Leon before speaking.

“The fuck you knocking twice for? You think my leg grown back?”

Leon stepped back suddenly as the old man leered up at him. “Err… No… sir…”

Frank moved forwards out of the shop slowly moving with his crutches and exposing his wrinkled face and long white hair and beard into the sun as he left the building. “Fuck me Dubeck I know you’re not the brightest star but I assume you’ve not come knocking for candy?”

“Lookin’ for Jack, sir.” Leon composed himself quickly; “Militia’s needed at the Bar + Grill.”

Frank paused for a moment before spitting again and leering towards Leon speaking with a barely concealed contempt “You got some raider troubles? Maybe a ghoul infestation?”

Leon glanced at the floor, weighing up whether or not to tell the truth. Eventually he settled on it; “No sir… Just damage to be repaired. Damage Jack and Mary caused last night.”

“Son, I’m gonna be nice because you were a good shot when I was rebuilding this town. You’ve got ten seconds to get outta my sight with your pathetic little shitty ideas for what counts as important militia work or I’m gonna shove this crutch so far up your ass you won’t need a seat till the Cornwallis’ find West Virginia.”

“Come on now Mr Dower… Frank.” Leon raised his arms. “Folk can’t go smashing up bars and then just pretend nothing’s happened. If it ain’t me askin’ you know it’ll be the mayor…”

Frank chuckled “Mandel don’t have the guts to come see my face no more, she feels guilts and she knows I feel anger, that’s a combination that’ll break a little flower like her.” He paused for a moment “Jack served time in the prison didn’t he? Now he’s making sure you don’t get fucked by boys down south? Besides driving a lady to drink what’re you doing to make up for your damages?”

Leon sighed. “Fuckin’ Dowers.” He muttered under his breath, before shaking his head and turning away, walking a few steps across the concourse of the gas station. Angrily he shouted back; “Tell Jack - Bar’s shut until the damage is fixed, that’ll get his attention.”

Frank chuckled before responding “Don’t think he’ll much care Dubeck, Ranger Station’s full’a whiskey and if ya can’t fix the bar in two days your as useless as you are stupid!”

Leon cursed under his breath all the way back to the Bar + Grill.

Outside of Town

Ellie Nash smiled as she reached down, tapping against the rock until she heard the hollow knock. She found it easily enough, reaching inside and pulling out the package in a brown paper bag.

From up here, she could look out over most of the town, most importantly the store and the sheriff’s office, but the angle of the rockface meant that she was virtual undetectable from the other direction.

She reached into her pocket and placed a handful of bottlecaps into the space she had taken the bag from. Dropping to sit with her feet dangling over the rocks, she unwrapped the package. She observed from a distance as Leon Dubeck strode angrily across town from the direction of the gas station and made his way towards the Bar + Grill. Towards her sister, his fiance, and all the trouble her father's stupid engagement idea would bring.

Ellie made yet another mental note about how she would never get married, regardless of what her father said, before raising the inhaler to her mouth and savoring the long hit of jet...

[Sarrin]

Old Dower Scrapyard - February 5th 2278

“I’m happy to keep the wager as is.” Lars remarked in his coarse ghoulish voice. While Haven tended to restrict ghoulish access to the township, their early experiences having left a deep scar on the dangers of feral ghouls, at the Old Dower Scrapyard merchants from the ruins of Lubbock were able to sell scrap indirectly to the town via the Dower. It was this old measure that had allowed the Dower such a monopoly on repairs in the city, giving them easy access to a wealth of parts and materials that otherwise took months and hope for the right traders to gather.

“Add a couple of fission batteries and a conductor and I’ll match it with a couple of 5.56mm clips.” Mary Dower replied pushing a few strands of her short brown hair out of her face as she spoke.

“Make that a 5.56mm clip and a pair of 9mm clips and we’ve got a match.” Lars was old even by ghoul standards claiming to remember Haven back before the war when it went by a different name. If he was to be believed, he use to be a big shot robotics lecturer at the RobCo Campus in Possey before the bombs dropped though all that was for sure now was that he had a good hand scavenging electronics.

“Alright, let's see the river.” Mary said eyeing the makeshift table before them with her two differently coloured eyes. The birth defect which left her with 1 blue and 1 green eye was largely taken by the Dower family as a sign they needed to lay off old world food when she was born, but they’d never treated her differently for it. In Haven however many saw it as an ominous sign leading to her being even more of an outcast than the average Dower was.

Lars drew the final community card, an eight of clubs, and showed a relatively toothless smirk with his slightly rotting ghoulish face. “Afraid i’ve got this in the bag princess, wanna boost that wager a little more?” he said with an attempted charm, Lars had always been a smooth talker but with the gradual decay making his voice ever more coarse and the rare tendency of chunks of his skin to drop off it’d become more of a survival mechanism than a barter one.

“I’ll wager a 9mm against that Camera your buddy’s got on his belt if you wanna up it?” Mary said with a teasing smile as she looked a the four of a kind decorating the board.

Lars hesitated for a moment leaning forward over the table and trying to read Mary’s face. Having grown up around a family where strength was the judge of character and in a town that’d suspect her of wrongdoing regardless of her actions Mary had learned to be an excellent liar to shift the blame and get her kin out of trouble.

“Alright, got a full house; the pair of 8’s and a trio of jacks.” Lars smiled confidently.

The pair had met nearly a year ago when Mary was scavenging closer to the Lubbock crater than was smart and Lars, who cared little for the radiation, strolled into the building and removed the fusion core while she was patching the old radiation suit she’d scavenged outside. It was Lars who’d pointed out the small tear in it’s leg that’d rendered the suit useless and would go on to explain why Mary spent two weeks vomiting out her guts from radiation poisoning in the Cornwallis’ ‘surgery room’. They’d met by chance a few months later when Lars was trading with another merchant north of Haven and made a habit of fortnightly trades at the Old Scrapyard which, given Mary’s gambling habit and Lars’ increasing apathy about mundane life, quickly evolved more into card games over their goods than proper exchange.

“Better wipe that smile before your jaw falls off moldy, got myself four of a kind!” Mary said as she rested her cards face up on the table.

“Fuck, you need’a be a shitter liar princess...” Lars said fereting through his backpack for the various technical goodies.

“From someone as old as you moldy, i’ll take that as a compliment. You good for another game or needin t’a head back?”

“You’ve taken anything worth trading and if i’m not back by sundown one of these yokel bastards’ll mistake me for a feral and try to put me down.” Lars said with a heavy sigh as he put the assorted goods on the table, gesturing for his ghoulish guard to put the camera on the table too, which the guard did with an exaggerated sigh of his own.

“Anything worth bringing home about Haven?” He said finally sealing and putting the backpack back on.

“Brother wants to expand the militia, villagers wanna empower the Sheriff and the saloon folk are getin angry about fights breaking out...” Mary said whimsically as she packed her own backpack with her assorted victories.

“Hope your not getting involved in those fights princess, pretty faces don’t last long bleeding and bruised.” Lars said half-jokingly, he’d heard the Dower reputation before he met Mary and was well aware of their tendency to violence.

“With the folk in Haven I hardly recon it’d much matter” Mary said jokingly “Anything good in the crater?”

“Managers are squabbling as always, radroaches got into one of their pantries or some shit. One of the old hotels crumbled too because the dip shit in charge didn’t think to maintain it, heard something about a trial before I left but the bastard’s probably bolted.” Lars spoke of his homes politics with a particularly apathetic tone. Within the Lubbock Crater a ghoulish city had gradually been established in and around the old football stadium whose numbers steadily grew as other ghouls heard of it. Unfortunately for those seeking some kind of promised land The Glow was a place of violence, debauchery and general discontent with the key uniting feature being that no one there could die to radiation.

“Guess that shit never changes then...” Mary said putting her backpack on “See you in a couple weeks?”

“I’ll be there, bring some 5.56mm rounds and rifles, you want anything in particular?”

“Power sources are always good, radio parts’d be handy too” Mary said at the doorway giving her signature wink to the ghoul before she left leaving him with a warm smirk across his face.

“Alright boys, back to the crater let’s find some beer so irradiated even our stomachs feel twitchy.”

[Cheye]

Haven Bar + Grill, Haven - February 5th 2278

“Piss off Leo.” Priscilla finally emerged from the kitchen, marching up towards her so-called fiance who had helped himself to a beer from the bar and now leaned against it, hanging his head low.

“Look Prissi, we’re gonna have to go back to being civil with one another soon? Things can be like they used to be.” He replied, still not meeting her gaze as he gently pushed a small pile of bottlecaps across the counter to pay for the beer.

Priscilla took them silently and turned to open the safe. Once they were stored she grabbed a broom from the corner and moved around the bar, beginning to sweep up the broken glass and other debris from the night before.

“Sometimes the damage is too much.” She muttered quietly, still sweeping, but given he was the only other person in there, he heard her loud and clearly.

“Look, I’m sorry.” Leon pleaded between sips of beer.

“For what?!” The eldest Nash daughter snapped, wheeling on the spot to face him, a look of anger etched on her face.

“For… For agreeing with your father that we’d be a good match…” He lowered his voice; “...For… wanting you…”

She smirked, averting her eyes again as she returned to sweeping. “That ain’t the problem and you know it!” She scoffed.

“Then what?!” He asked, pushing himself up from the bar and raising his arms in a giant shrug. “What’s the problem?”

“You and my da’ conspiring to sell me off to you like some kind of prize whore!” She responded loudly, voice raised. “THAT is the problem.”

Leon sighed, glancing at a bloodstain from the night before and taking another sip of beer.

“He approached me…. I thought you liked me Prissy, I would never ‘ave agreed otherwise!”

Priscilla growled; “Well that makes it so much better…” She gripped the handle of the broom tightly, before suddenly letting go and moving to pick up a table that had been knocked clean over in the fighting. “You just gonna stand there drinkin’ or you gonna help clean up?” She asked him irritably.

“Clarence asked me to get Dower’s boys to come fix the busted door and scrub the place down.” Leo answered, taking another long sip of beer afterwards.

“Well you do everything else he asks without thinking so I suggest you hop to it!” She sneered, wiping down the table that she had just righted, it’s surface smeared with a mixture of blood and booze.

“Went up to the gas station already. Old man basically told me to go fuck myself…” Leon said irritably, eyes downcast.

“Well can’t you do it in someone else’s bar?” She hissed back, eyes focussed on the stain.

“Thought you might be better at talkin’ to Dower than I am? Seein’ as he’s your best customer and all…”

Priscilla flashed him an irritated glare. “So you want me to do the job da’ wanted you to do?”

It was Leon’s turn to smirk. “Somethin like that… I also gotta go see Javier and Mandel, get ya’ll some compensation for the trouble. I know I can sweet-talk them, but Jack… Jack not so much.”

Priscilla stepped back thoughtfully, examining the table for a moment as she considered what Leon was saying. “I’m fuckin’ tired of da’ takin all the proceeds of our labours, and it is about time I took a bonus.” She mused aloud. “Tell you what? You get me some extra compensation from them… for my ‘personal trauma’ and all that crap… and in return I’ll go talk to Dower. Deal?”

Leon stroked his stubbled chin for a moment, considering her offer. He knew that if he tried talking to Jack, it wouldn’t end well, he might even take a beating, but Priscilla? Even a molerat-fucker like Dower’d think twice before throwing a punch her way.

“Deal.” Leo shot her a begrudging smile.

“So where is the bastard?” Priscilla asked curiously, returning the broom to the corner.

“Old man said he’s up at the Ranger Station for the next few days. Think you’ll be alright getting up there?” Leon asked as she returned behind the bar and began to reopen the safe.

“Leo… You fuckin’ idiot. The thing you gotta realise about me; is that I know how to handle myself.” She said, withdrawing a sawn-off shotgun and checking it. “Sooner you learn that lesson, the sooner we might start getting on again…”

[Sarrin]

Basement Old Gas Station - February 5th 2278

“Damn thing” Frank grunted as he rummaged through his desk draws for his spittoon, chewing slowly on the tobacco leaf. The patriarch of the Dower family didn’t have much time for the rest of the village and Leon’s ‘visit’ had damn near ruined his day as far as Frank could tell.

Around him assorted parts and scrap lay vaguely organised and in some cases deconstructed on shelves and flooring. The basement of the Gas Station had been a secret before the bombs dropped and once the Dower had found it they’d made efforts to keep it that way. Most of the tech inside had been useless thanks to the writing being in some strange gibberish symbols, but the walls had quickly become a storehouse for weapons, explosives and other items the Dower took a fancy to on their scavenges and raids.

The jewel of it all however remained the old suit of T-45d Power Armour that sat in Frank’s personal chamber. Since losing his leg, and then a large part of his family as far as he was concerned, Frank had devoted most of his time to trying to fix the suit. It was for this reason hunkered down in the basement that he’d been largely unseen for the better part of a year, though most folks that even noticed had just assumed, or perhaps hoped, he’d passed away.

“There you are...” He said finally opening a draw to see the old rusty pot spitting out a thick black wad as the draw was fully opened. He shut his eyes for a moment and relaxed thinking of the old days when him and his brothers would see who could spit the furthest. He wondered if they were still playing that game down in Possey. He wondered if the kids’d mind if he just up and left to see ‘em. ‘Trouble’ he thought shaking his head and looking back to the under armour he’d been working on ‘It’d just cause trouble’.

While the suit itself’s damage seemed simple enough, bullet and fire wounds from the tests it no doubt underwent at the university they found it in, the under armour was far more tattered. Across the jumpsuit were various rips and the technical overlay was largely fried or worn down. Suffice to say it wasn’t going to work anytime soon even if they could find someone with the know how to use it.

Frank cracked his neck and side, rolling his chair closer in and pulling his tool kit closer. It was time to get back to work and hopefully that idiot Leon would stay away this time.

Ranger Station (Hope) - Three Hours Later

The path along to the station was relatively quiet besides the occasional twitching of bugs in the distance, nothing that Priscilla couldn’t handle of course. She’d been unsurprised when Leon asked her to see Jack; of all the villagers she was relatively good at getting him to calm down, when he was sober at least.

What Leon probably hadn’t accounted for was the secretive friendship that’d grown between the two, particularly as Priscilla had ran away from her parents during her younger years often finding Jack running from the rest of the village up in the mountain pass. In these little meetings he’d shown her all kinds of secrets including hidden pathways across the route and even a few survival tricks here and there unbeknownst to the rest of the town. It’d been kept secret as much for her reputation as for Jack’s wanting to not get shit from his family.

Nearing the station, Priscilla rested the barrel of her shotgun on her shoulder and combed a strand of blonde hair from her face. She couldn’t be sure why she was wavering, worrying about her appearance now, but she was pretty sure it was just because she needed a moment to catch her breath after the climb up to the Ranger Station.

“You ain’t stealthy buttercup!” Jack cried out over his shoulder as he glanced over. Sitting on the balcony with the sniper rifle was relatively uneventful work among the militia and even though Jack’d been drinking since dawn he was perceptive enough to know when someone was coming up the pathway. From all the time they’d spent sneaking liquor from her parents bar he barely needed to look before he recognised her.

“...And you ain’t sober!” Came her jovial response, glancing to the small row of empty bottles on the balcony rail.

“I’ll take that as a yes on wanting a glass” Jack said standing up from his chair and walking towards the Ranger Station door giving Priscilla a smile as he passed by. “What’s the occasion that old quick-nut let you come out this far? He gone and cried about the beating I gave ‘im?” He shouted from inside as he looked for a roughly clean glass.

Priscilla finally approached the station doorway, glancing inside curiously. To say the place was a mess would have been putting it mildly, but Priscilla didn’t care. Entering with a sigh, she replied; “You know me Jack, quick-nut don’t ‘let me’ do shit, and he ain’t ever gonna.”

Jack smirked as she entered taking a half-drank bottle of scotch from atop the fridge and pouring them both a hefty glass. “Well the offer stands, there’s a lot a places a man can get lost on that trail and I reckon it’d be fun to stick his head on a spike and make it look like the other Dowers did it.”

Priscilla scoffed, snatching the glass and downing its contents in one fluid motion. “More.” She coughed, raising an eyebrow at him expectantly. As he poured, she shrugged, looking despondent; “Ain’t no point killin’ him though, da’ ‘ll just find some other merc to barter me off to. He needs guns loyal to more than just the money...”

Jack took a heavy swallow of his drink and topped it off before putting the bottle back onto the fridge “Well hopefully that won’t be a problem too long, gonna try and get more militiamen from the council then if we can kick away with that cunt of a Sheriff I’ll find you a nice Dower boy to marry and you can elope with the hicks on the ol’ gas station hill. Spend your days drinking moonshine that’ll make you blind so your ‘da’ won’t be able to stop ya!” As he finished he gestured over to a makeshift bed in the corner and knocked off some dust and beer bottles from a stool in the corner for him to sit on.

“I do love moonshine…” Priscilla chuckled, crossing the room and throwing the shotgun onto the ‘bed’ before perching next to it. “...Fuck your Dower boys though... If I ain’t lettin’ my old man pimp me out, I certainly ain’t lettin’ you do it!” She took a more ladylike sip of scotch and glanced across at him with a smile.

“Just offerin ta make introductions buttercup! God forbid I try and give you life advice of all people.” He took a hefty sip of his whiskey. “Though, come to think of it all my cousins were assholes and my brothers were full bodied cunts too... Mary’d take ya, though I’m not sure there’s anyone this side of ghouldom that fails that criteria.” He laughed as he spoke, letting himself let off a rare smile that he reserved for Mary and Priscilla, one that for a moment did away with the ‘Dower’ reputation he’d been given and so dutifully upheld.

Reclining slightly into the makeshift bedding and fiddling with her shirt’s top button, she bit her lip thoughtfully, flashing him a smile as she asked; “What about you?”

Jack raised an eyebrow for a moment barely concealing as he checked her out before leaving a slightly awkward pause and laughing “You sure know how to fuck with a fella buttercup, besides I’d be lynched for just talkin to ya by Mr. ‘Da’” He took a heavy swig of the whiskey.

A smirk crossed her face as she picked up on his discomfort, unbuttoning the shirt she chuckled, adding; “Don’t ya’ wanna ruin quick-nut’s day even more?” She didn’t take her eyes off him as she raised the glass to her lips and sipped once more.

Jack choked slightly at the remark looking away at the doorway vaguely pretending to see something in the distance “I...ergh...why’d you say you were came up here buttercup?” He said awkwardly changing the topic as he looked back taking the final swig of his whiskey and stepping up from the stool to go get the whiskey bottle. He almost crashed into the table in his haste but it wasn’t clear if it was from the liquor or the situation he’d found himself in.

Priscilla chuckled again, laying back further in the makeshift bed, cradling both the whiskey glass and the shotgun. She looked up to the chipped and dirty ceiling as she answered; “Gotta get someone to fix up the bar; kitchen door’s off it’s hinges and a bunch of chairs and tables got broke. Not to mention the stains.”

Having filled up his glass Jack sat back on his stool and offered Priscilla the bottle which she gladly took “So how long you able to stay out here before they believe you tried real hard to convince me to give a fuck, but I just stayed stubborn as a mule?”

Priscilla shrugged, “I thought you’d say something like that, so I had an idea…”

“An idea like when you said we should go for a dip in the lake and I had to pretend I was just ill from the drink so no one’d suspect we were both sufferin from rad poisoning?” Jack said light-heartedly.

“Kinda…” She finished her drink, still lying there. “I was thinkin’ that you send a couple of your boys right as Mandel comes in for her dinner and you show just how useful your militia is around here.” She paused before adding teasingly; “Unless they are just a gang of good-for-nuthin’ drunks like you?”

Jack grinned slightly at the remark “Frank said bein a drunk means you can handle your liquor so Cal and Pete’d fail on that mark. Pedro’d just pass I suppose…” he drifted off for a moment before remembering why they were talking “If I send my boys, as short staffed as we are, no one’ll be watching out for trouble and your pa’ll be the first to shout at me if we get hit...” He paused and took a sip of his whiskey as he mulled over the idea a tad “...But if you reckon it’ll help you can tell Cal to do some grunt work for a night. Just give him a beer on the way out and say I’ll owe him one… better make that asshole of a ‘da’ grateful though.”

“See, I knew we’d find a solution.” She smiled, sitting up and looking at him again. “Everybody ‘round here wants something… A girl just has to work out what.” She began buttoning up her shirt.

“Better be careful about that buttercup. Sound like your pa tryin to sum up folk like ya know us all.” Jack said with a slight hostility that he then tried to cover with a smile.

Priscilla rose to her feet, slinging the shotgun over her shoulder again as she approached him; “My ‘pa’ ain’t got an ass like this though...” She quipped, rubbing her backside against his crotch as she bent down to put the glass on the table in front of them. “...Ain’t quite got we got either, Jack.” She said more sincerely as she stepped out into the afternoon sun, without looking back she added; “See ya around.”

Jack smirked as he shook his head; “Not if i’m lucky buttercup, not if i’m lucky...”

[Cheye]

Sheriff’s Office, Haven - February 5th 2278

“I’m grateful for your help Leo, I really am… But, unless you’re here to take me up on my earlier offer of employment, there isn’t much I can really help you with.” Sheriff Javier reclined back in his chair, crossing his legs atop the desk in front of him as he spoke.

“We both know that’s not why I’m here Javi.” Dubeck replied, casually stepping back to lean against the shack doorway.

“I’m guessing not.” Javier didn’t meet his gaze.

“Clarence’s got it in to his head that it was you who started on Dower. That you didn’t wanna wait for him to leave and tried nicking him inside the Bar + Grill. Caused the fight.”

“Clarence should know as well as you; the Bar and Grill is not beyond my jurisdiction.”

“No, but it ain’t custom for lawmen to kick something like that off without consultin’ the proprietor first. Not when you’re only after the man for the crime of being a good-for-nothin’ drunk.”

“Now listen here Leo, how I choose to protect this town is none of your business.” Javier stirred irritably.

“But it is Clarence’s.” Leon retorted. “You know there’s gonna be a vote soon about whether your deputies or Dower’s militia are better suited to protect town. Can’t be two groups of lawmen roamin’ the streets; that’s a recipe for trouble.” Leon paused for a moment as he noticed Javier take his boots off the table and sit up uncomfortably. After a long silence he added; “Give Clarence some compensation for the ruckuss and you know he’ll vote your way…”

“You want me to bribe the man?” Javier scoffed, raising a single dark eyebrow.

“Think of it more as… insurance.” Leon stepped forward, glancing around emphatically; “You wouldn’t wanna’ lose this office now, would ya?”

“I don’t like your tone Leo… But I like Jack fucking Dower even less.” He reached under the desk and threw a small bag of caps onto the table. “You take this to Clarence and tell him that next time, I’ll be the one asking the favour.”

As Leon stepped forward to pick up the bag, Javier reached down and pinned his hand under his own atop the bag.

“You join that fucking militia and I will end of you Leo. You mark my words.”

It was Leo’s turn to scoff. “Don’t worry, they don’t want me!” He shook his head, aggressively pulling free of Javier’s grip and pocketing the caps. “Even if they did… I earn more than enough working for Clarence.”

“Yeah? Doing weird shit out there in the desert. Don’t think I’ve forgotten what happened to Oscar Mandel. I know you were involved somehow with that… I got my eye on you motherfucker.”

Leon groaned as he turned to leave. “If you’re so certain, why do you keep tryna’ get me to join your gang of deputies?”

“Because I know to keep my enemies close Dubeck.” Javier sighed, dropping the bad-cop act as he continued; “Besides, you’re popular around town, people’d feel good knowing you’d defend them in a scrap... “ He chuckled, adding; “...More fool them.”

Leon smirked, turning back as he reached the door; “If you think that then Dower landed better hits on you than I thought! Dunno when you last checked but everyone around here just seems content causin’ trouble for me.”

“Well, my offer still stands… motherfucker or not.”

Haven Bar + Grill, Haven - Later that evening

“Mandel matched him of course.” Leon grinned as he raised the beer bottle to his lips.

Priscilla nodded, smiling from across the bar. Behind Leon, Cal was just finishing mopping up the floor. Though in truth there wasn’t heaps of repair work to do, between Leo and Cal, they had spent the late afternoon refitting the door and replacing the broken furniture.

The mayor, Julia Mandel had come in for her usual Tuesday evening iguana on a stick and chips at around 17:00, just as the men were fixing the door, earning them both a good deal of praise that would no doubt translate to the tiniest of bumps in popularity for the militia.

Cal finished the mopping and Priscilla nodded to him handing him a beer; “On the house.” She smiled and he nodded gratefully, retreating to one of the booth tables to enjoy it in peace.

Once she was confident he and the other patrons were out of earshot, Priscilla leant over the counter towards Leo and smiled; “So where’s my cut?”

He glanced around cautiously before sliding over the small bag Javier had given him earlier, though it was a little lighter than it had been before.

“40 is all I can spare… Otherwise Clarence’ll know something’s up.”

“40’ll do.” Priscilla grinned, opening the bag and running her fingers across the pile of metal bottlecaps inside before sealing and pocketing it herself.

Leon nodded, smiling himself as he took another sip of beer. “Ya’ know, that’s the first time I’ve seen you smile in months!”

Her expression instantly soured. “Yeah well, unless you convince da’ to call our little engagement off, you ain’t gonna see it again.”

“Prissi, I didn’t mean-” She cut him off.

“Oh just fuck off Leo. Go play the nice guy with someone who buys it.”

“Priscilla!” A voice drifted in from behind her, causing her to wheel around in surprise.

“Oh it’s you…” Priscilla muttered as she saw Camila standing in the doorway, her dark hair pinned in an elegant updo that complimented her striking brown eyes. Priscilla’s step-mother always spent a lot of time on her appearance, and it showed. She wore a pale prewar dress that amplified her beautiful Mexican-American skin tone.

Priscilla never felt good enough for her, especially now she stood there in her flannel shirt, stained top and tatty jeans. Her pale skin, blonde hair and blue eyes couldn’t have made her more of a contrast to Camila, and that was a fact that everyone in town had commented on at some point or another.

“Yes it is. Can we have a chat?” Camila asked softly.

Priscilla tried to hide the guilt on her face and the bulge of the bag of caps in her trouser pocket. “Sure…” She said awkwardly, following her step-mother into the kitchen. “What’s this about?”

“You and Leo… You’re still not happy are you?” Camila asked as Priscilla walked over to the barely-functional sink and busied herself washing her hands and face.

“Ya don’t say?” Priscilla groaned.

“Your father already postponed the wedding day until you come around to the idea, what more do you want?” The older woman asked, stepping over to her reassuringly.

“Oh I dunno? Maybe not to be treated like a brahmin and sold to the first man who da’ thinks he can substitute for a son?” She growled back, splashing water onto her face to hide the fact she was getting angry just talking about it.

“Okay… I know your father comes across as an asshole, but he has his reasons…”

“Such as?”

Camila sighed, glancing around, uncertain how much to reveal to her step-daughter. Hesitantly she answered; “There are bad people out there… People your father wants to protect us all from.”

Priscilla shrugged. “So why not pay off a bunch of mercenaries? I know he can afford it!” She hit the faucet irritably as it failed to stop dripping water, even after she turned it off. “Why give your daughter to a local gunslinger in return for protection? It doesn’t make any sense!?”

Camila frowned, trying to find the words; “Long before the war... in other parts of the world, it was tradition for kings and nobles to offer their daughter’s hand in marriage to those who could be allies... Such an offer bound the two families together in a bond stronger than money could ever buy.”

“The fuck is a ‘noble’?” Priscilla grimaced; “Whatever it is, da’ ain’t it, and he certainly ain’t a king. If he needs Dubeck to protect him so much why not just adopt him or something, it’s not like Leon has a huge family left who’d complain?”

Camila sighed again, trying hard not to show her frustration; “...Your father isn’t just trying to protect himself. He wants to keep you safe too.” Priscilla looked as though she was about to interrupt but Camila cut her off; “Tell me, what do you remember about life before Haven?”

“Not much…” Priscilla answered, confusion mixing with curiosity on her face; “Why?”

“It was a… chaotic… time for us. You were a small child, I just wondered what you remember?”

Priscilla looked off towards the wall thoughtfully; “Not much… Mostly just images…” She bit her lip in concentration as she thought back; “Desert mostly… A lot of travelling… one of my earliest memories is feeling like we never really had a place to call home….”

Camila watched her carefully, an indiscernible look on her face. Priscilla couldn’t tell if it was pity or envy.

“No wait, there was a place; there was a city, in New Mexico I think…” Priscilla continued, a few forgotten images coming back. “There were men there, men in red outfits… soldiers I think… and there was a school… I learnt how to write there… Hell, it seems so long ago now, I’d completely forgotten.”

Camila nodded. “We spent a lot of time on the road, it’s no wonder you blocked it out.” She pressed again; “Is there anything you remember about the school?”

Priscilla shook her head. “Just more images and feelings…” She paused, before adding; “I was the only girl there… I remember that.”

Camila raised an eyebrow, though she seemed unsurprised; “You have a good memory Priscilla…” She paused, trying to find her words again; “Look, those men you remember, that school… It was part of a society that didn’t value women, especially unmarried women. You were the only girl in that school for a reason Priscilla, your father busted his gut to get you in there so you’d have a chance if we had to live in that society, and he’s doing the same thing again for you now.”

“I don’t understand?” Priscilla frowned.

Camila groaned; “Just trust me, alright… if those men from New Mexico come here, which they will, being an unmarried woman isn’t going to go well for anybody. But by marrying Leo, who has been helping your father keep tabs on them, you’ll be safe…”

Priscilla shook her head; “Why not just fight them if they come here? Sound like a bunch of wackjobs and bottom-feeders to me?”

Camila stepped closer to Priscilla gripping her arms tightly; “They’d outnumber us, over a hundred to one! We’re talking about an entire society here, an entire army!”

Priscilla turned away, a long moment of silence passed as she considered everything Camila had said. Eventually she smirked; “You're full of it… Da’ sent you over here to make up all this crap to try and convince me, didn’t he?”

“Your father just wants to keep you safe!” Camila pleaded, raising her voice.

“Well if your scare-tactics are based on some manner of truth, let him come over here and say it himself!” Priscilla shouted back; “You ain’t my mother; it ain’t even your business anyway!”

“DON’T BE SUCH A CHILD!” Camila shot back, her soft tone replaced with a lion’s roar.

“LADIES PLEASE!” Leon shouted, barging in through the newly-repaired door. “Folk can hear you out there.” He said more quietly.

“Oh fuck off Leo!” Priscilla fired at him.

“Please, just give us a moment, son…” Camila also said, looking at him softly.

“Son?!” Priscilla scoffed, grabbing a bottle of cooking wine from the shelf by the oven and uncorking it with her thumb.

“It’s a figure of speech!” Camila exhaled.

“You’ve made up your mind already… You all have.” Priscilla replied, wiping tears from her eyes as she raised the bottle to her lips and took a massive sip.

“Look… When you’re ready to talk, I’m here for-” Camila was cut off.

“Just go… Go and leave me to the Bar and Grill.” Priscilla blurted. “Least da’ thinks his daughter is capable enough to run that herself!”

Camila and Leon exchanged awkward glances as Priscilla downed another swig of wine.

Together they backed away, shutting the kitchen door behind them and leaving her to her misery...

[Sarrin]

Outside the General Store, Haven - February 5th 2278

There was a certain beauty to Haven as the sun came down over the hills to the west, hiding the damage of the houses and casting an almost mystical shine onto the village. Travellers would sometimes watch it from the bypass to see the light slowly roll out of town, for the locals though it’d lost a lot of it’s charm.

Elanora Nash didn’t even pause to look as she locked up at exactly 19:30 when her shift was over, even though her father had told her to just run the store till the others came back she doubted anyone new’d come in. Moreso with the saloon busy she’d be able to score some free time, free time that could be spent near her favourite rock if no one interrupted her, providing her dealer had been back around to drop off her merchandise since this morning. It was a longshot; in a small town like this one, there was no such thing as a reliable dealer, but recently Ellie had been curious to see how soon after putting caps in the hollowed out rock the jet would appear, and she’d come to find that it never took more than a few hours.

“Well if it ain’t our little hell raiser, you ever fired a gun before lil Nash?” Mary Dower called out seemingly from nowhere causing Ellie to jump slightly before turning to see her. Mary was in her usual dark padded jacket and jeans with a scoped hunting rifle slung over her shoulder and a 5.56mm pistol bulging in her holster.

Ellie scowled at her, she hated being called little, and everyone knew it; “Don’t see how it’s any business of yours Dower?…” She replied, turning from the door and moving to walk away from the store, hoping to goodness the older girl wouldn’t follow her.

Mary chuckled slightly taking a drag of the cigarette she’d rolled earlier “Come on lil Nash, just bein friendly, figure you could use a night of fun with those parent cunts looming over you. Otherwise you just gonna go scamper up the hill and hide out in obvious-land again.”

Ellie growled irritably; “Don’t need no friends.” She snapped, turning to face Mary; “And what d’ya mean; ‘obvious-land’?!”

Mary walked closer out of the shadows with a smile “I mean that rock you go sit on that I can only figure got some liquor or somethin’ underneath... and don’t be an idiot kid everyone needs a friend in these wastes and you’ve got spunk, come shoot with me?”

“Fuckin’ fine.” Ellie shrugged, pleased at least that the Dower girl didn’t know the full details of her secret and content to keep it that way. “I shot some vermin up in the hills one time Prissi took me out, killed a molerat an’ everythin’ so I ain’t no novice, you get me?” Her voice projected a false teenage confidence as she swaggered up to Mary.

“A whole molerat!” Mary said with a heavy sense of sarcasm as she started walking towards the bypass “If ya lucky we might even pop your cherry and get you a ghoul or two, don’t reckon you could kill a raider yet...”

“Oh yeah?” Ellie growled, falling into step beside her. “Fuckin’ try me! I sit everyday in that store, or in the Bar and Grill thinkin’ about shootin’ all the boring assholes who come through, some dumb raider-fuck wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Mary chuckled slightly “That’s what I like about you lil Nash, hearin you talk to your old fucks I forget you ain’t a Dower sometime, whiskey or moonshine?”

“Whiskey. Moonshine tastes like poison… Prissi brews it when no one’s around and the smell alone is enough to drive me out of town!” She chuckled innocently.

“Moonshine is poison, just strong enough to let you leave this shithole, just weak enough to not kill ya...well maybe it’d kill you. Dowers can take drink like a radscorpions cunt.”

Ellie frowned, assuming she was just too young to understand the comparison, as they walked on she asked; “You see me fuck up Dwight’s hand last night? That was some quality shit!” She giggled sadistically.

“Damn right I did, one of the reasons I’m taking you on this awakenin. Next time you should try and electrify the pan first, actually hang on.” Mary ruffled in her pocket and took out a strange little device that looked like a battery with wires smashed about it “Smack this hard enough into it and it’ll give ‘em a shock that’ll stop kids coming out… well at least long enough for you to not get baby’d by the bastard.”

Ellie nodded as she snatched it, eyeing it curiously; “Sounds fun. Should probably try it out next time Dubeck comes sniffin’ round Prissi.”

“I still don’t get that shit, if Frank tried to marry me off I’d feed him enough lead that he’d become that damn steel suit of his. Leon ain’t even hung so what’s it for her?”

Ellie grimaced innocently, “I don’t wanna know…” She paused, still walking beside Mary. “Still think the whole thing is stupid though. Just because Leon helps da’ on his treks, da’ thinks he ought to join the family or somethin’... Like family is so precious… It’s all just a way for him to treat us like staff.”

Mary nodded along as Ellie spoke gesturing over to a bush when she finished “Lost my virginity over there.” She paused nostalgically before continuing sensing Ellie being slightly put off by her changing the topic so drastically; “But I hear ya, least your family got something goin, my real ‘pa was a wife beating asshole, my uncles are raiding shit heads; cousins, brothers, sisters and who knows what elses are more useful as targets than company… well except for Jack that is but it’s different there, we’ve been through the same shit so we watch each others backs. He’ll like you I recon… well that or he’ll make ya walk back.”

“Your family seems more fucked up than mine…” Ellie stated bluntly, thinking about what she’d said. “If Jack’s got a problem with me, you already gave me a way to fix it!” She smiled wickedly, brandishing the stun-pack with more of that teenage confidence.

Mary laughed in a moment of genuine happiness that was the first Ellie had ever seen from her despite the frequency Mary came to gamble and drink at the bar. “Two things you oughta know about Jack. One, he’s got so many problems he probably won’t notice that you’re one of ‘em and second, and perhaps more importantly, by the time we get there he’ll be way too fucked to even notice the tazer. Best case you’d just give ‘im a boner; which’d be weird considering your sixteen and I’m related.”

Ellie shook her head irritably, her wild black hair blowing about her shoulders; “I’m seventeen real soon, you freakin’ Dowers treat me like a kid and I’m gonna head back on down to town… Though now you mention it, I would rather avoid that kind of attention.” She grimaced again.

“Hey now don’t turn back, I’ll treat you like an adult promise. Besides it ain’t you we treat like a kid; it’s the whole village. They treat us like the shit on their shoes and we treat them like the kid that trod in it. How it’s always been and probably always will...well less Jack gets his way but unless we drinks all the liquor in Haven that ain’t gonna happen.” Mary said with a surprisingly serious tone. “Besides spending the night at the station drinking and shooting with us will really fuck off your ‘da’”

Ellie shrugged. “Don’t be so sure… Between Prissi and Leon fightin’ and plannin’ his next trek I don’t think he even notices me. Mom’s the one who’ll be fumin’, but she at least pretends to care.” Ellie said, surprised by how deep the conversation had become. “How much further?” She let out excitedly, hoping to change the subject.

Ranger Station (Hope) - 3 Hours Later

“Now for real we’re only a few minutes away, wager you three shots I can shoot Jack’s glass and make him squeal.” Mary had been telling Ellie it was only another thirty minutes or so for the entire walk only being honest about the distance when they were half way. By that point she’d already split the whiskey in her flask and found some berries to eat, one of which she’d pointed out made great impromptu lube.

Ellie chuckled, she was a little tired from the trek, but the whiskey had helped a lot more than the commentary. Mary smiled and crouched slightly carefully aiming through the scope at the glass waiting to see if Jack reached for it, as she saw her brothers hand go down to pick it up she shot smashing it with the impact and eliciting a loud shout from Jack. “FOR FUCK SAKE MARY I AIN’T GONNA FIND ME MORE OF THESE GLASSES!”

Ellie nearly collapsed on the floor laughing, almost failing to believe that Mary had actually made the shot.

“WHO THE FUCKS THAT?” Jack shouted back hearing the laugh. Mary smirked offering a hand to help Ellie up as she shouted back; “IT’S LIL NASH BUT WE’RE CALLING HER HELL-RAISER NOW CUZ SHE DON’T LIKE BEING CALLED LIL!”

“BUT SHE IS LIL!” Jack shouted back with a degree of confusion.

“YEA AND OLD MAN RILEY’S REAL SURNAME’S VAN OREN!” Mary responded to a few moments of pause before Jack responded “I’LL GET ANOTHER BOTTLE THEN!”

The pair made their way up the last slope towards the station where Jack had swiped the shattered glass onto the floor and poured whiskey into two of the glasses and moonshine into one. “You know the rules sis, break a glass drink some blinder.”

“Didn’t we finish this shit last time I came?” Mary asked taking the glass. “Brewed some more” Jack said shrugging as he took a sip of his whiskey and eyed up Ellie cautiously “What you bring her along for?”

“Target practice.” Ellie said firmly, putting on something of a front as Jack turned to look at her; “Wouldn’t have let her drag me up ‘ere without the prospect of firin’ off some guns.”

Jack smirked slightly looking to Mary for confirmation; “She hit Lil Dick with a frying pan ands got family issues, figured she was essentially a Dower already. Besides you need militia folk and I’m tired of only having boys waiting at the station when I’m bored.”

Ellie nodded in agreement, trying her best to look stern.

Jack smiled again nodding slightly “I can see it though, Cal’ll try and smooth talk her… I mean Lil Razor or whatever-the-fuck; We got a merchant coming up the west and a few ghouls on the east. Which you wanna shoot at?” he said with a deadpan expression.

“Don’t fuckin’ call me little!” She growled back; “Anyway… Are we really allowed to shoot merchant folk?” She added, a sly curiosity etched on her face.

“Told you she was essentially a Dower!” Mary said grimmacing from the finished Moonshine “and nah we ain’t that’s just Jack’s way of saying ‘are you a fucking townie?’ Now pour me a proper drink and give Hell-Raiser her whiskey, if we’re gonna pop her ghoul cherry we’re gonna do it as drunk as you are.”

“I ain’t drunk!” Jack said back as he handed Ellie the third whiskey glass, which she attempted to drink quickly, causing herself to cough a little as Jack poured Mary a glass as full as his own.

“And Hell-Raiser aint Lil and Leon ain’t a fuckwit, and Julia ain’t a bitch. Oh wait are we not listing random shit that ain’t true?”

Jack shrugged and took a heavy sip of his whiskey before Mary added “Where are the ghouls at? We can’t treat Hell-Raiser as an adult till she’s had her first proper kill, Dower rules.”

Jack pointed towards the south-west in the direction of the Van Oren farm “Bout six of ‘em, about seventy percent sure they’re feral; not that the farmers care. You got a choice gun li… Hell-Raiser?”

“Somethin’ powerful. I don’t want no kid varmint rifle.” Ellie considered thoughtfully, taking another sip of the whiskey. “Prissi taught me with her shotgun but I guess this is a different kinda shootin’, how bout your rifle Mary?”

Mary smirked “Sure you can borrow Queenie” she took off the rifle from her shoulder “Down the drink and we’ll see how good you actually shoot, Jack gimme your sniper so I can watch.”

“Yes mam, want me to wipe your ass and cunt for you too?” Jack said sarcastically as he picked his rifle up from between the lawn chairs and handed it to her.

“Nah I’ve got Cal for that… though I might have a swing at Radio Crazy again, feel like a change from dick.”

Ellie glanced between the pair curiously, already feeling like she’d learned a lot before even picking up the rifle. She let herself grow accustomed to the gun’s weight over her shoulder, finishing her whiskey and placing the glass on the table before finally raising the rifle with both hands and aiming down the sights.

Jack just rolled his eyes “Well the wager’s still goin I reckon I can fight everyone in the town before you fuck ‘em!” He smiled at the now empty glass and started filling it up like his and Mary’s. “Now lets see what your protege can do, maybe if she’s a sniper you can teach her how to be a fine whore too!” he said half-jokingly.

“Fuck you Jack.” Ellie hissed, growing irritable with all the sex-talk, she pushed past him, marching up onto the balcony and positioning herself against the railing, rifle raised in the direction Jack had pointed earlier.

Mary set up position to her left, looking down her own sights and spotting the pack of ghouls mulling about idly in the field. “They’re either feral or stupid, let’s see what you’ve got Hellie”

Ellie smirked at the nickname, still struggling to adjust her own sights to find the ghouls. After a few more seconds she found one, and took in a deep breath, though it was more from nervous tension than any experience. She frowned, concentrating hard to align the sight.

After what felt like a long moment she fired, and the bullet clipped the ghoul’s ear, sending a fountain of flesh and blood streaming from the side of its face as it wheeled around, trying in vain to locate the whereabouts of its attacker.

Ellie tried fiddling with the rifle, “How do I?!..” Ellie trailed off, uncertainty as to how to chamber the next bullet mixing with irritation from missing the shot.

Mary paused, first firing another bullet that strayed off about three inches to the left of the ghoul “How fucking off is your rifle Jack?” she said resting it on the fence as she took her rifle from Ellie and showed her how to prime it.

“Adjusted for the drink sis, with me that’s perfect.” Jack said as he rested in one of the law chairs drinking a whiskey and fiddling with a makeshift battery on a torch.

“Now change your stance Hellie, like this.” Mary said as she got into proper standing stance “Then don’t rest yourself on the fence, rest the rifle, there’s a rot-walker about two yards behind the last one, try hitting him.”

Ellie adjusted her aim as Mary directed. “Aim for the body or the head?” She asked as she found her quarry.

“Which did you do last time?” Mary asked.

“Body.” Ellie answered matter-of-factly.

“That explains why you clipped the ear...You see the bars on the scope? Go about three below the head so elevations accounted and take another deep breath only putting your finger on the trigger when your ready to fire.” Mary’s voice had lost it’s usually half-seriousness as she gave her instruction now showing a earnestness that was rare in the Dower.

Ellie steadied herself, despite feeling the effects of the whiskey in the back of her head. She inhaled sharply and quickly pulled the trigger again.

This time, the bullet fell short of the mark, thumping into the dirt somewhere between the two ghouls. Ellie growled in irritation.

“She get it?” Jack said as the torch came flickering on with about half the brightness it should have produced.

“Nah, but she’s better than Sweety Petey was when he first tried, hell might still be better. You good to prime it?” Mary said taking out a cigarette from her pocket and lighting it with an ornately decorated silver lighter that shone in the torchlight.

Ellie stayed silent, simply priming the rifle as Mary had taught her and aiming down the sights once more, a look of sheer determination on her face.

The forwardmost ghoul had found the second one’s ear and was trying to eat it, and the second seemed unhappy about this, leaving the two savage creatures swinging at each other desperately.

Ellie took her breath, adjusted slightly once more, then fired.

Both ghouls dropped dead in the distance, causing confusion among the rest of the pack. Ellie let out a victorious whoop, raising the rifle above her head in celebration.

“That’s ma girl! Shots for Hellie!” Mary called out giving Ellie a pat on the back as she walked back over to the table and grabbed the bottle of whiskey from Jack’s hand. “Now she aint a virgin you can’t call her little!” Mary followed on before Jack could complain who instead just smirked slightly and took a large drink from his glass “Nah she’s big hellie now.”

“You callin’ me fat?” Ellie growled, swinging the rifle around in his direction abruptly.

Jack smirked as the rifle scope glinted “Nah then i’d call you Big Barb or Fat Freddy, come to think of it Lil Dick could use a new name, how about Fry Dwy?”

“Egg-fried Dwight?” Ellie offered, lowering the gun with a smile.

“That’s a keeper!” Mary said after taking a few seconds of drinking from the whiskey bottle “Now come have a swig from the bottle Hellie, your a grown woman now. Dower Rules.”

“She didn’t kill no one, just a ghoul.” Jack added somewhat quietly to a scathing look from Mary.

“Ain’t no one to kill... Besides ghouls use to be folk, counts enough I reckon.” Mary said somewhat defensively as she thought of Lars. Since the gambling had started with him she’d grown a new sympathy for ghouls seeing them less as the wild dogs she used to and starting to make out more of the human features beneath.

Ellie snatched the bottle from Mary and took a powerful swig, proud of herself for getting it all down without coughing once. Tonight had been simply amazing.

[Cheye]

Clarence’s Office, Attached to the General Store, Haven - February 6th 2278

Maps of varying ages and degrees of accuracy littered the table in the centre of the room. Clarence Nash loomed over them, quietly assessing every minute detail. The bag of caps Leo had brought him as compensation from Julia and Javier sat on the corner of the table. The table through which a combat knife had been slammed into on the right hand side of the largest of the pre-war maps, marking Haven’s location, on the other smaller maps Clarence had used a red colouring pencil to draw a number of strange symbols and markers.

To an outsider, none of it was easily decipherable; just a chaotic attempt to make sense of the wasteland’s geography, but to Clarence it made total sense, to him the pile of maps represented his understanding and mastery of the world just beyond Haven’s borders, and because he knew what was out there; he knew somebody needed to have just that.

The office itself was little more than a hastily pieced together lean-to shanty, bolted on to the rear-end of the brick pre-war structure that now served as General Store. The Nash family had acquired the store shortly after their arrival in Haven some 16 years back, but Clarence had found that as his family grew and his daughters required more of the space upstairs, the downstairs storage facilities weren’t large enough to house all of the store’s wares. As a result, he had enlisted the help of the townsfolk to build and attach the lean-to shanty. The success of the construction project had given him two extra rooms; one for storage, and another that he had taken as his personal office, a luxury that few in the wastes would ever be lucky enough to match.

Clarence didn’t look up as Camila entered the office.

“Elanora was out all night again…” She began. Clarence ignored her, moving over to a file that was out on his desk and moving it back to the central table. “Clarence… She claims not to remember where she went or who gave her the alcohol… Though judging by the smell on her she might not actually be lying...”

Clarence sighed. “She up yet?” He said, flashing his eyes up towards Camila.

“Not yet.” Camila shook her head. “Apparently she feels too sick to work this morning.”

Clarence smirked, looking back at his table.

“This isn’t funny Clarence, she’s putting herself in danger.”

“Danger?” Clarence asked, smirk still on his face as he turned to her.

“Danger… One night she’s attacking one of Javier’s deputies, the next she’s out drinking with who knows who. Jessica reckons she even saw her with a jet inhaler one afternoon. Clarence, after everything you’re doing to keep Priscilla safe, you don’t think we ought to look after Elanora as well?”

Clarence considered her point for a moment before replying; “Kids experiment with things Camila, when Prissi was Ellie’s age she was always trying to cause trouble. You remember when she untethered Traffic-Cone Marvin’s pack brahmin and half the town had to go looking for it before the traders would give us even a single cap!?” He couldn’t help but smile at the memory.

“That’s different Clarence. If Ellie is drinking and doing chems you know what’s going to happen to her, right?”

“Camila…” Clarence said calmingly, looking into her eyes from across the table.

“She’ll end up on a cross Clarence!”

There was a tense silence between the two, Clarence’s face fell and he looked mortally wounded that Camila would even suggest such an outcome.

“Get. Out.” He eventually sneered at her.

Camila recognised the look of fury in her husband’s eye and gave only a defeated sigh as she turned.

The thing that irked Clarence most wasn’t the gory torture his wife had alluded to, but rather that he knew she was right. He had been so focussed on his work with Leon and using it to protect Priscilla, that he had completely neglected Ellie in the process.

He stroked his chin, considering his options. Given what was happening between Prissi and Leon right now, finding his other daughter a man to focus her attention on probably wasn’t a smart idea. Clarence decided that he’d have to come up with something more creative with Ellie, but it could wait until he’d worked out the route of his next trip out into the wastes.

Adjusting his tie with a heavy sigh, Clarence Nash turned back to his maps.

[Sarrin]

Wind Turbine, Haven - February 6th 2278

It’d been a slow morning as the Dowers rested there hangovers calmly. Mary’d hardly noticed when Elanora slipped off in the morning though Jack had told her that their drinking companion had gone in the early hours when Mary came too. It hadn’t been long after that Mary herself chose to head off leaving Jack to man the Ranger Station just after he poured his first glass of moonshine for the day.

The way back had been easy enough. Usually one of the militia would go through the route in the morning and evening to clear off any pests that had crawled on though it was rarely much of a challenge. Before she’d set off Mary had told the others that she’d take the morning sweep and to her pleasure the only annoyance was a couple of mole rats who’d crawled onto the path that were quickly dealt with before they even knew they’d been seen. After skinning and taking some good chunks of meat she’d headed back to the petrol station and made a rough mole rat stew making sure to leave some for Frank if he chose to leave the basement. Then it was on to her own pet project: The ruined wind turbine that sat about a five minutes walk outside of town which modelled both the hopes and troubles of the villagers.

“You awake ghosty?” Mary called as she approached the wind turbine. With the scarce resources the militia had at its disposal the hill provided a good lookout for the nearby area. As such the militia had commandeered it as a counterpart to Ranger Station (Hope) though it’s view was far more limited.

Pedro glanced over at the sound nodding respectfully before looking back out at the wasteland. Pedro had been born with a stutter and had never quite learned to lose it so in place he’d just learned to say little enough to get by. To his credit most villagers had forgotten about his speech impediment and just taken him to be a quiet sort.

Mary tossed her backpack beside the base of the windmill and opened up a part of the paneling where wires appeared to be chewed, torn and split in a calamitous display. “Still fucked?” Pedro said having instinctively turned to the sound of the backpack smacking the floor.

“Like a brahmin in a deathclaw nest.” Mary responded taking out her own cobbled nest of wires from her backpack and a selection of odd tools. “See anything interesting on watch?”

Pedro paused for a moment resting his rifle on the fence and stepping out of the turbine’s shade to take a bottle of water from a small crate that’d come to be used for militia storage. He was tall with a muscular build and medium length black haired swayed back and accompanied by a short beard. All of which served to make him an intimidating presence when the militia needed, especially in the old ranger uniform and bulletproof jacket that reminded the villagers which security force held real power.

“Ghouls” he said after taking a large sip.
Mary smiled slightly as she began cutting out the chewed wires ready to replace them with new ones that’d hopefully let the village have easy power again. While Pedro didn’t say much there was something calming about his company, you knew that he had your back.

“Sweetey been over yet?” she said pulling out a large mess of chewed narly wires and tossing them to the side.

“He’s che...checking the Scra...scrapyard” Pedro said, hiding his face slightly as the stutter kicked in.

Mary raised an eyebrow and looked over at him “There something going on there?” she said with a slight hint of concern.

“Rats.” Pedro said now back in the shade watching out over the area with his rifle in hand.

“Better just be rats...” Mary said under her breath pulling out another cobble of wires. “Once I finish this set I’ll head over and check on him, last thing we need is trouble in the Scrap.”

[Cheye]

Haven Bar + Grill, Haven - February 6th 2278

“He even managed to pull out all the roots, I tell ya ladies, that’s one weed that ain’t coming back.”

“With those strong arms of his? I can imagine!”

“I wish there was a man in town strong enough to pick me up like that!”

The high-pitched laughter of the women who crowded around the central tables of the saloon penetrated all the way into the kitchen, disturbing Priscilla, who was trying to do all she could to pretend to be busy with bar work so as not to join in the boring and repetitive conversation with the other townswomen.

It wasn’t just that she was a good few years younger than them, but that she genuinely didn’t care about ogling the farm-hands, militiamen and deputies on an-almost day-to-day basis. She had enough problems with Leon to think about men, Jack Dower excepted of course, but he was a special case, and one she didn’t want anyone else in town to learn about.

“Priscilla!” Liza called. “Can we get some more water, we’re laughing ourselves up a thirst out here!”

Priscilla frowned irritably, Liza had the poor-fortune to have married Leon’s older brother; Ray Dubeck, who was his own unique brand of layabout, though he and Leon shared a similar level of intellect and way with words. Liza should have been miserable, and to her credit she was aware of Ray’s faults. But she was one of those eternal optimist types, and spent most of her days organising social gatherings, getting drunk and gossiping around town. Liza couldn’t understand Priscilla’s resistance to Leon’s advances, and had made sure the whole town knew how strange it was, which had only led to more raised eyebrows in Priscilla’s direction and more questions she felt she shouldn’t have to answer.

Priscilla fetched the jug of purified water from under one of the ice coolers where it had been cooling. As she did, she heard a suspicious lack of banal chit chat or laughter from the other room and guessed that the women were talking about her.

She crept closer to the recently-refitted door and listened.

“No, she won’t hardly talk to him… Poor boy’s awful cut up about it.” Liza was muttering.

“She’s so ungrateful… Men like Leo don’t come around often… Does she think she’ll find better, or what?” Angelica Garcia let out disdainfully.

“Maybe, but I mean look at the parentage, we all know her mother was most probably some dumb blonde slut out west. Honestly I don’t know how Camila has coped having to look at the girl all these years.” Jessica Tatem whispered.

Liza coughed awkwardly as Priscilla decided she wouldn’t be able to take much more of the indirect abuse and opened the door, carrying the jug of water over to their table. The group of women all immediately fell silent, and only Julia Mandel, the town’s mayor who had stayed through the discussion, made eye contact with Priscilla.

After the awkward silence became just a bit too painful for everyone to endure, Liza smiled jovially at Priscilla and said; “We were just saying Prissi, that Leo isn’t going to wait forever… You gonna give him something soon?”

Priscilla bit back her anger, she knew better than to make a scene, especially in front of the mayor, and to be honest she was used to hearing the stuff that was said about her, but Liza’s fakeness was what cut the most.

“Last time I checked that was up to me, Liza.” Priscilla let out, choosing her words carefully as she added; “It wouldn’t be proper for a lady to jump into bed with the first man who comes knocking… Though I know that didn’t stop you.”

Liza chuckled, though her eyes darted to the other townswomen, making sure none of them enjoyed Priscilla’s joke too much. “We’ll have that water please.” She said tersely.

As Priscilla began to pour she couldn’t help but smile at her small victory; the other women exchanged glances as wordlessly they subjected Liza to the same scorn they had applied to Priscilla only moments before.

“Thank you dear.” Julia Mandel said warmly as Priscilla filled her glass.

When she was done Priscilla retreated to the kitchen with the bucket, she checked the small half-broken clock on the wall, pleased to find that it was already well into the afternoon. If she was lucky she wouldn’t have to endure much more of this, and then she could have a few drinks herself. Though she’d be having something stronger than water...

[Sarrin]

Old Dower Scrapyard - February 6th 2278

“Sweetey!” Mary yelled as she entered the old Dower scrapyard. The yard had played a strange role in the Dower family’s past since they’d joined Haven often acting as an ancestral home where the family would meet to discuss matters away from the prying ears of the village. For a long time it had been an outpost for the militia to watch any approachers from the makeshift guard towers or to act as a fallback if Haven was overrun, with the scrap metal walls surrounding it keeping out unwanted pests. Today however it’s name was perhaps most apt as the yard had become abandoned and unmaintained with much of it’s worthwhile salvage moved to the Dower home in the Old Gas Station and while Mary and Jack still found use for it, it certainly wasn’t the home it once was.

The yard had been deliberately designed to confuse those who entered. Old scrap cars were turned on their side providing assorted cover whilst forcing attackers down corridors that were once littered with mines. Today the winding path served more as an inconvenience than anything. As Mary made her way through she finally caught sight of Pete Boulder hitting a mole rat with a nail covered baseball bat. Pete had scruffy black hair and stubble across his face with a tall athletic build and simple but kind eyes. Even as he destroyed the mole rat he didn’t seem cruel, almost just misunderstood.

“I think it’s dead Petey...” Mary said half chuckling as she walked up to Pete who gave the dead mole rat a final swing before taking a breath and looking over to her “Jack send you?” he said in his disarmingly gentle voice.

“Nah, Ghost said you were checking something out here so thought I’d make sure it was alright, guessing you handled it?” Mary said resting against an old barbeque that sat in the middle of the ‘courtyard’. One of her earliest memories was standing in the yard watching her uncle Donny speak to the family beside the pit in the days before they went and killed the Mayor to free her grandad. At the time she’d thought her family saints and the townsfolk just jealous and ungrateful. She’d changed a lot since then.

“Mole rats came later, thought I saw people in here.” Pete replied taking a seat on an old picnic table and lighting up a cigarette. “Turns out it was just that.” Petey said as he gestured to a round metal object lying on the floor by a shack door. Mary stepped off the barbeque and walked over to it carefully turning it as she got closer.

“It’s an eyebot, looks pretty clean though, someone must’ve cleaned this up good.” She said pausing for a moment as she saw a small painted mark on the bottom in yellow writing against a blue background ‘Vault 93’. She gasped as a jolt of excitement rushed through her. The Vault in the Mountains had been a family myth for generations with young Dower kids often trekking up to find it as a right of passage. Mary’d been on a few occasions since, hoping to gleam some insight or technical know-how from it but to no luck. If the eye-bot came from inside maybe something was going to change.

“Doubt it’ll turn back on. Hit it pretty good when it came outta the shack.” Pete said hearing the gasp, pausing to take a drag from his cigarette “If you can fix it up I know ma ‘d appreciate it at the farm she’s always complaining that she can’t carry enough fertilizer for the whole field.”

“You wanna waste an eyebot on carrying fertilizer for No-Sleep? You realise this thing’d be half as good a militia man as you given the right programming?”

Pete frowned slightly “No need to be rude, sure ma works hard but she gets a good crop for it.”

“Reckon you can help me take the bot back to town?” Mary said ignoring Pete’s moral position. While he’d happily smash a threat in with a baseball bat ‘Sweetey Petey’ was a polite well mannered boy outside his duties. He was the last of the militia to cause trouble and, accepting that intellectual exploits weren’t his fortet from a young age, had learned to be polite enough to get by and enjoy the simpler things in life.

“Sure thing Miss Dower. Maybe if we’re lucky the bar’ll be open. Mr. Nash said he’d seen a pack of Sunset Sarsaparilla’s when he were out and about and he’d save one for me, sure hope he’s right, ain’t had one of those since I was a little boy.”

Mary chuckled slightly as she looked at the eyebot a little more. Pete was right that he’d smacked it hard, but the damage wasn’t severe, more a lucky hit on the power source and that’d be easy to fix. Easier maybe than Pete’s simple pleasures were to fulfill.

[Cheye]

Clarence’s Office, Attached to the General Store, Haven - February 6th 2278

Leon adjusted his duster habitually as he stepped through the door into Clarence Nash’s office. Clarence, immaculately dressed in his pre-war businesswear as usual, was sat at his desk, cleaning his .44 Magnum with intense determination etched on his face.

“Mr Nash, sir? Mr Cornwallis said you wanted to see me?” Leon asked, moving into the room and glancing at the array of maps and documents spread over the central table.

“Yes. He came through looking to replace a few of his medical supplies and I figured that as he’d have to pass your little shack on his walk home, he’d make for a decent enough messenger. Given how quickly you’ve come, I’d say I wasn’t wrong.” Clarence smiled, almost talking to himself as his eyes remained fixed on the revolver.

“Well here I am, sir.” Leon smiled, gesturing with his arms as if to present himself.

“Indeed.” Clarence glanced up at him from where he was sat, the dim light of the office hid half his face in shadow, giving him an almost intimidating silhouette from Leon’s perspective. “Thanks again for securing our compensation from the town.” He said, gesturing with the gun towards the pouch of bottle caps that still sat on the central table. “That’ll come in handy on the trip.”

“We still heading out early, sir?” Leon asked.

“Yes, that’s why I sent for you… I want you to be equipped and ready to go at 05:00.”

Leon nodded. “I’ll be ready, will I need the rifle this time?” He asked curiously.

Clarence merely nodded, wiping down the revolver with a cloth as he added; “And the dynamite.”

“Rifle and dynamite. Check.” Leon nodded to himself. “Anything else?”

“Only your pack, we’ll pick up everything else at Van Oren’s as usual. If all goes well we’ll be home late on Friday.”

“Late Friday. Got it.” Leon nodded once more.

“There is one more thing.” Clarence said, priming the freshly-cleaned weapon and aiming down the sights.

“What?” Leon asked.

“Elanora is coming with us.” Clarence answered immediately.

Leon raised a sceptical eyebrow; “You sure she’s ready for that, Mr Nash, sir?”

Clarence nodded silently. Looking up at him from the shadows with the pistol still raised.

“Well shit...” Leon let out.

Clarence smiled at his reaction, before finally holstering the weapon; “Ben Hayes reckons he wants to get out of the fields for a few days so Camila’s going to give him Ellie’s shifts helping out at the store and bar.”

“Ben’s a reliable sort. Though rumour has it he used to run with a gang of raiders out in the wastes, I don’t mean to question your decisions sir, but are you sure you want to let him work so close to your family?”

Clarence raised an eyebrow; “He is a reliable sort… And believe me Camila is more than capable of keeping an eye on him.” Clarence’s friendly demeanour vanished as Leon’s scepticism didn’t; “I suppose it might also have the added benefit of doing Priscilla good. Don’t you think it’ll be nice for her to have a different man around to help out? Someone she could actually talk with and open up to about all these worries she’s been sharing with the bottle...”

Leon turned away, hiding his frustration at Clarence’s meaning. He didn’t want Clarence to see from his face that he cared so much, or that he would spend the next few days feeling envious of the time Priscilla and Ben would no doubt be spending together and worrying if it would lead to anything more.

They were juvenile feelings, Leon knew, but that didn’t make them go away.

Clarence reclined back into his chair behind the desk; “05:00. Be ready for the road.”

[Sarrin]

Old Gas Station - February 6th 2278

“It’s from the Goldmine for sure, fucked if I know how to reprogram the bastard though.” Frank said with a heavy sigh as he finished examining the eye-bot that Mary’d brought to him. While Frank could work some basic code he was always more of a hands on worker than having any technical talent, preferring dynamite and lockpicks to access problems than going through computer systems.

Mary was about to speak when Frank continued “James’d be able to do it, he always had more time for this tech shit…” His lips curled into a fiendish grin as he spoke his brother’s name as if remembering times past.

“If I go see that asshole they wont let me back in the town, let alone if he lets me leave their damn commune.” Mary grimaced at the thought of going to Possey. She’d not had any contact with the Dower exiles since the trials but she knew Frank had made some trips south and Jack’d spoken to them on occasion, though the latter was less by Jack’s choice.

“That’s no way to speak about your damn father!” Frank exclaimed slamming his fist into the table. Mary had been six when the family was exiled and had been able to stay thanks to her having been out camping on her own for the week of the exile. When she returned and found out about the exile she’d been taken in by Frank who thought it’d be too dangerous to let her go south yet. When she was finally old enough to travel she’d lost any sense of kindness towards her parents thinking of them as little more that raiders who forged the prejudice that she and Jack faced every day.

“My ‘father’ has done as much for me as the damn townsfolk!” Mary said stubbornly though in the back of her mind she was already realising that Frank was right. If she wanted to reprogram the droid she’d need James Dower’s books if not his own skill and her best chance of getting either was a personal visit.

“Your father did more for you than you’ll ever fucking know!” Frank said lifting himself off his stool and over the counter as he spoke with a fire in his voice that seemed only to erupt when the family honour was called into question. “Now I meant it as a damn reflection that James’d be able to fix it; but now your gonna head the fuck over there and get me some pieces for my suit or I swear you can find your own damn roof and board!”

Mary hesitated for a moment. As a rule Jack and her had avoided talking about the wider family near Frank. While neither of them had much of a high regard for the family Frank had raised them, even if he was drunk or out with the militia for most of the time.

“Fine Frank, I’ll see the bastard. Do me a favour and rig up a power source at least will ya?” She said with resignation.

Frank grumbled slightly scratching under his scruffy white beard “I’ll fix the damn thing, you ask about books on my armour though, gotta be something useful in that school of theirs… bring them some ammo too, a case or two of 5.57’s should do it… moonshine too.”

Mary sighed. The Dower exiles were everything she loathed in her family: reckless, short-sighted vagrants and now she was about to help fund the very activities that got them exiled.

[Cheye]

Haven Pass, Outside Haven - February 7th 2278

Just as he had agreed, Leon had been ready to head out at exactly 05:00. Ellie, in typical teenage fashion, had been none too thrilled to be woken up though, and had almost delayed their departure through her protesting until Clarence, dressed in one of his ‘travelling suits’ and sporting a wide-brimmed cowboy hat, had thrust one of his old hunting rifles into her hands and promised her she’d enjoy what he had planned.

The group had still managed to set off just as dawn was creeping up over the town, heading up onto the trail along the Haven Bypass on the route Ellie had taken to get to the Ranger Station with Mary the other night, while the rest of the townsfolk enjoyed their final few hours of sleep. Ellie had no intention of revealing that information to her father or Leon however, and simply followed obligingly, rifle slung over her shoulder as the two men set the pace.

As they trudged down the path a figure began to emerge in the distance hunched over and seemingly tearing at a carcass. Clarence tapped Leon on the shoulder and gestured for him to deal with what he assumed was a ghoul, though as the gunslinger looked down the scope of his high-calibre sniper rifle he was surprised to find himself inspecting the features of Mary Dower skinning a mole rat with a large bulging backpack beside her, a backpack with an assault rifle hanging beside it.

“It’s Mary Dower.” Leon stated flatly.

“Oh? An interesting choice of breakfast venue… but I suppose the Dowers can’t afford to be too picky.” Clarence joked, though his face remained stoic as he glanced to see Ellie’s reaction.

“Shall we hang back or approach?” Leon asked, still peering through the scope.

“We can’t afford to be late for lunch.” Clarence stepped ahead of Leon before adding; “Besides, Jack runs the militia, they’ll see us heading out past the ranger station anyway so we have nothing to hide from… Except perhaps the smell.”

“Hey.. Mary’s not that bad!” Ellie interjected.

Clarence smiled knowingly; “I didn’t realise she was such a good friend of yours?”

“She isn’t… Well… She wasn’t… But she’s alright. Jack too.” Ellie groaned, as her father gave her that look he only gave when one of his daughters was caught in a lie.

“So you think you’re a good judge of character now you’ve grown up, Elanora?” Clarence asked, keeping his voice eerily neutral.

“As a matter of fact, yes.” Ellie shot back, meeting his gaze.

Clarence nodded, a brief look of pride on his face as he took another step towards Mary; “Good... With what we have planned for later, you might end up needing it.”

At long last the trio made their way up the road to where Mary was still passionately engaged in her work. When they got near she turned and called back; “If ya’ll are planning to kill me you could try bein’ stealthier... Sure as shit is that little hell-raiser?”

“If we was plannin’ on killing you Miss Dower, we’d have done it from way back there.” Leon shot back, resting his sniper rifle with it’s extra-magnification scope on his shoulder emphatically.

Ellie ignored Leon and smiled at Mary; “Hey Mary, look what da’ gave me!” She grinned, raising her own repeater rifle.

Mary smiled, sheathing her knife and standing up, dragging the mole rats corpse to the side of the path and kicking it down the hillside towards the bottom. The mole rat’s body had been split open without any meat taken. “That’s a decent toy there Hellie, not much on a Dower gun but it’ll serve you.” She said as she took it for closer inspection.

“Only a Dower would think a .45-70 Calibre rifle is a toy.” Clarence scoffed, though a smile seemed to form on his face as he added; “Is Jack up at the Ranger Station?”

Mary finished her examination of the gun and handed it to Ellie before turning to Clarence “.45-70 is a toy; just an overkill gun for lil dicked fella’s.” She spat on the floor before continuing
“He should be, though I doubt he’ll be awake just passed out on the balcony. You going out for ya normal skulking?”

“Off for lunch with Old Man Riley, as a matter of fact.” Leon answered confidently.

“I’ll join you for the journey then, Hellie over here’ll need a pointer for using your man toy instead of a real gun.”

“It’d be our pleasure.” Clarence replied, completely unmoved by her facetiousness. “You headed up to the Ranger Station, then?”

“There about.” Mary said peering over the decline in the hill towards the mole rat to see how it landed. “I’ll send back that the route’s clear when I get in to save Pete having to make a trek once we get there.”

“Oh really?” Clarence asked, still smiling as he watched her carefully. While she was distracted looking at the mole rat, Clarence gestured to Leon; “Well don’t just stand there Leo! Help Miss Dower with that heavy pack of hers!”

Before Mary could turn back, Leon had already bent down to pick up the pack, heaving it up slowly as he noticed how heavy it was and felt the peculiar weight of the metal ammo crates shoved inside.

“Ain’t exactly travellin’ light for a trip up to the Station?” Leon narrowed his eyes at her, giving the pack a shake that rattled the ammo inside for the others to hear.

Mary snarled as she shoved her arm through one of the straps and pulled it out of his clutches “Hardly your business quick-nut” as it was comfortably in her possession she slipped her other arm through the second strap “Gotta bring some ‘munitions for Jack ain’t I?”

“At this ungodly hour?” Clarence asked, raising a curious brow; “Now Mary, don’t think we mean to pry, but you aren’t being very…. Subtle. What’s really going on?”

Mary paused for a moment trying to read Clarence’s emotionless smile; “Keeping the town safe is all da’. I think we both know lollipop ain’t man enough to do the job, and I think we also know that you ain’t the kinda fella’ who wants to be prying in other folks business. ‘Less they start prying into yours after all...” As she finished she glanced over to Ellie and smiled slightly at her taking out a flask from the backpacks lowest pocket.

Clarence shrugged. “My business is also for the benefit of the town, or did you forget where it is you Dowers play all your little card games and buy most of your alcohol?” He paused, his smile disappearing as he continued; “Now, we really don’t care what it is you’re up to out here, but if on our way back through tomorrow, that there Ranger station isn’t stocked with all that ammo you’re carrying, the town is going to hear about it, you mark my words.”

Mary paused for a second before smirking and shaking her head uncaringly eventually she spoke with a slightly patronising tone; “It sure will be ‘Mr Nash’ and you tell the town whatever you want, ain't hardly gonna make ‘em think any different either way.”

“Maybe that’s because you people make enemies easier than friends.” Leon interjected, though Clarence quickly shot him a look that made him regret it.

“You gonna blame the pot for boiling over when ya started the fire under it, quick-nut? Not sure you can call us enemies given as though the old man trained you, or we gonna forget what we’ve done for ya’ll like always is?” She spoke with a sudden fire at that remark, angered by Leon’s interjection more than anything Clarence had stirred.

“She’s right Leo!” Clarence wheeled on him before turning back to Mary; “Personally I’ve never seen why this town chooses to ostracize your family Mary, but I’m afraid we didn’t come out here to drudge up the past. We should all get on our way.”

“I agree.” Ellie chimed in, as though she’d only been half listening. “I kinda’ wanna shoot something.”

“Then we’ll take point” Mary said quickly “Might be a mole rat or two and we can get your weight right on the boy toy.”

Ellie nodded excitedly and pressed forward alongside Mary who shot Leon a smirk as she left, setting a pace that let them quickly get a short distance away from the two men.

Once they were out of earshot, Leon glanced at Clarence a little confused; “Mr Nash, your gonna’ have to tell me how what I said was so bad, because you ask any folks around here, they’d say it’s the truth?”

Clarence gave an irritable sigh as he adjusted his hat; “Never kick a dog while it’s down Leo. Especially one you have to go on living with...”

[Sarrin]

Ranger Station (Hope) - February 7th 2278

It had been a strange walk to the Ranger Station. Mary had made sure to get a good pace ahead of Clarence and Leon with Ellie so as to be out of earshot but the conversation hardly demanded it. When Ellie had asked about the extra munitions and the rifle she held Mary had just dismissed it as ‘Nothin important’ and continued on talking about her gun and how to counter out its recoil.

When they finally made it to the station Jack was standing shirtless on the balcony looking out over the desert with a lukewarm beer.

“You bring a bottle of spirit? Damn near run out here and I ain’t living off this piss!” He said as they came up the path not turning away.

“Got a flask full but it ain’t gonna last given the rate you drink” Mary said back tossing her backpack onto the floor besides the deck chairs leaving a mighty thud as it hit the floor.

Jack grunted and the loud bang finally turning to look at them “The hell you got in there? Frank’s damn steel-man?!”

“Just munitions...” Mary replied in a tone that discouraged bringing the topic up any further. She turned to look at Ellie “I’ll get us some glasses, we should have time for one drink before your ‘da and quick-nut catch up.”

Ellie bit her lip thoughtfully, glancing behind to make sure there was time. “....Just one…” She said a little timidly.

Mary smirked and ruffled Ellie’s hair slightly as she passed to go into the Station. “You needa tell your da’ to fuck off. It’s what I did to Frank when I was eight or sumin and meant I didn’t have to give a shit when he said there was early work… though the missing leg did mean I could win a fight so long as I stayed out of his reach.”

“Believe me I’ve tried…” Ellie growled, still scowling after the hair-ruffle. “Da’s my problem to handle though… And I always do.” She said confidently, yet somewhat vaguely as she followed Mary to the doorway. “Never been out on one of these ‘scursions before though…”

Jack smirked taking a sip from his beer “Going out to Old Man Riley’s so doubt it’ll be any fun. Your da’ is a creepy fucker though so might be more than that...” He squinted for a moment and threw his bottle over to the floor quickly grabbing his rifle and looking down the scope as something caught his eye in the distance.

“‘Parently they always stop off at his place on the way out… Da’ reckons there’ll be some salvagin’ and some danger after that. Think he wants to actually teach me some skills… Though that’d be pretty fuckin’ unlikely, since he never cared till now.” She sighed, folding her arms.

“Dr. Dower and the Chem Brothers are out.” Jack said not acknowledging her observations on her father’s strange habits.

Mary came out of the Station with two glasses of whiskey one of which she passed to Ellie. “Which way’s he heading?” She remarked with a forced sigh as if to convey an indifference.

“Old Man Riley’s way so probably just leaving some shit for Red. Maybe if you’re lucky Hellie might be able to meet ya pa!” Jack said as he lowered the scope revealing a mocking smile. Causing Mary to roll her eyes.

Ellie frowned as she took a sip of the alcoholic drink. “Who’s your pa?” She asked, glancing curiously at Mary; “I thought it was Frank?...”

Mary took a large drink of her whiskey “Nah Frank just raised me, pa’s a tech nut whose got a damn good hand at hacking into pre-war shit. Figures my brothers’d use their smarts to make fucking chems.”

Jack chuckled “Mentats makes the chems I reckon, Jet just uses ‘em.”

Ellie raised a confused eyebrow. “They more of your weird nicknames for folks, cos’ you're losin’ me here guys?” She chuckled, taking another sip.

Mary moved over and rested on the balcony besides Jack who crouched to pick up his beer bottle which still held a sip or two in it “Mentats is my brother Mike he makes most of the drugs that Jeanie Mayhall or Red sells in town. Jet is my other brother; James Jnr. who just sits around shooting up on shit and beating up unlucky sons of bitches with a baseball bat.”

“Mentats makes mentats, Jet shoots Jet.” Ellie nodded understandingly; “Still have to explain to me how quick-nut got his name? I ain’t never seen him eatin’ no nuts before…”

The two Dower’s paused for a moment before bursting out laughing until Mary stopped and walked over putting a hand on Ellie’s shoulder; “You remember that cave about half a mile back on the trek? The one with the funny lookin’ cactus I told you to point out to him on the way back. When quick-nut was still in the militia I fucked him in there and he came in ‘bout half a minute. Nutted quick so we call him quick-nut.”

Ellie’s face went from one of revulsion to one of absolute hilarity. She collapsed back against the station's outer-wall, laughing hard.

“What’s so funny?” Clarence’s voice drifted up from around the corner as he and Leon approached.

“Mary was just saying how Leon’s a little twitchy on the trigger.” Jack said chuckling.

Clarence glanced between Leon, Ellie, the whiskey glass in her hand and Jack, before taking another step forward and smiling; “It sounds like a mighty fine story, you’ll have to tell it in the Bar & Grill sometime.” He sighed knowingly.

“You heading to Old Man Riley’s?” Jack said finishing his beer bottle and walking over to the empty deck chair to get his grubby old shirt.

“Yes, as you know Casper has all the best leads on scavenging sites, he and I go way back so I always run by his place before looking for stuff for the store.” Clarence said matter-of-factly, watching Jack carefully.

“Eh, there are plenty places he don’t know about.” Mary said taking a large sip of her whiskey

“And plenty of places he does.” Clarence retorted without looking at her.

“Jack was just sayin’ there’s some other folks headin’ that way?” Ellie piped up from where she leaned against the wall.

“Nothing ya ‘da’’ need concern himself with.” Jack said as he picked up another beer bottle from the table “Just some family dropping off some drugs, worst case you’ll have to wait till Old Man Riley finishes bollocking whichever dumb fuck’s dealing in his farmstead for disappearing on his shift.”

Clarence nodded. “Well if they steer clear of us, we’ll steer clear of them. Wastelands plenty big enough for the lot of us.”

“We should probably get moving though Mr Nash, sir...” Leon piped up from where he’d chosen to remain around the corner. “...If we’re gonna’ make it down there for lunch and all.”

“Guess it’s bottom’s up time then Hellie.” Jack said with a smirk taking a large swig of his beer “Oh and you’ve got a family of ghouls about an hour down your path so keep an eye out for ‘em, seems like someone shot off one of their friend’s ears then killed them during a nice old ghoul fight.”

Ellie smiled knowingly and downed the whiskey, Clarence shot her a look that said ‘we’ll talk about this later’ as she did so, but she just stared him down before raising the rifle casually over her shoulder and walking off in Leon’s direction.

Clarence watched her go, then turned back to Jack with a friendly smile. “I can overlook the fact you’ve given my daughter a cutesy nickname and some alcohol, but only as long as you don’t overlook the fact that your sister, or cousin, or whatever the hell she is, is out here hauling around a pack of heavy munitions.” He paused, smile vanishing as he eyed Mary who was taking a whiskey bottle from the backpack; “As you were busy mocking that fool-boy I took the liberty of checking your stock… So I know you don’t need it here. Wherever it is that ammo is going, you just make sure it doesn’t fall into the hands of anybody who’ll use it against us...”

Jack paused a moment glancing over at Mary before bursting out laughing and turning back to Clarence “Overlook whatever the fuck you want Hellie’s old enough to drink and I make the decisions on how to protect this town!”

“Only until you fuck up.” Clarence grinned; “Then every asshole you’ve ever offended’ll vote to shut your little militia down and that wouldn’t leave us very well protected from your trashier relatives, or anyone else out there who comes knocking...”

Jack took a step towards Clarence lowering himself in a mocking way as if pretending to be the child Clarence seemed to think he was “The big stwong council will shut me down!” He smirked slightly before continuing in a much sterner tone “A word of advice Mr. Nash sir. Intimidation ain’t your strong suit.” He took a step back and stood straight before continuing “Oh and do be careful of those ghouls, quick-nut might wanna show off to Ellie given how shit his current relationship is... And if we’re telling each other how to live lives I reckon maybe he ain’t a good choice for Ellie neither.”

Clarence sighed effortlessly, unmoved by the mockery as he fiddled with his hat; “Leon’s a fool, but he’s loyal to me, and by extension he’s loyal to Haven… I’m only asking that you can say the same for your family.” He said, offering a final appeal to reason before turning to leave.

Jack had already turned back to take a swig of the whiskey speaking quietly to Mary as he resumed his post at the balcony and watched the trio head off down the trail. “You really gonna give them the ammo?”

“Need his books and I’ll have to trade.” Mary grumbled, annoyed at the situation she was in.

“I’ve got a case of duds in the back” Jack said with a fiendish smile.

“Put a layers of propers on the top?” She said understanding his thought process entirely.

“Then steal back the other crate before you leave” Jack said chuckling “Just like when we were little.”

Mary smiled at the thought. Stealing the adults munitions for late night target practice had been an old Dower tradition before the trials and even though she was barely five at the time she could still remember being taken out by her older cousins. Jack’d come through for her just as she knew he would, and once he got the eyebot fixed she could come through for him too.

[Cheye]

Outside the Van Oren Farm, South-East of Haven - February 7th 2278

The feral ghouls mulled about idly, a pair feasting on the remains of a long-dead radscorpion, pulling out rotting fleshy sinews of meat as they tried to scrape together a meal, all semblance of humanity completely lost.

They didn’t hear a single trace of the expertly-aimed gunshots as the four other ghouls nearby all dropped over dead in quick succession. Though after a few moments, one of the ghouls rose from the carcass, sniffing the air curiously as though something was wrong.

A loud gunshot, in contrast to the four silent ones, rang out through the hills as the ghoul took the shot to the shoulder, it’s right arm tearing from its rotting body in a bloody explosion of flesh.

“Great shot little Ellie!” Leon cried from his vantage point.

“I ain’t lil!” She hissed back, ejecting the spent bullet casing as her father had shown her. For all Mary’s mockery she already liked this rifle a hell of a lot better than the one she’d lent her the other night.

“Okay… sorry…” Leon replied as he quickly adjusted the sights on his rifle to find the last ghoul, who had turned at the sound of the gunshot and was ambling in their general direction. The suppressor on his rifle ensured that if there were any others lurking out of sight, they wouldn’t do the same.

“Good.” Clarence stated flatly as he watched the last ghoul drop from where he stood overlooking the trail on the rock next to the crouched pair. “And Elanora’s right… She ain’t little anymore, and I for one am damn pleased to see it.” He said genuinely, before adding; “Them Dowers teach you to shoot as well as drink?”

“Kinda…” Ellie said, a flash of guilt crossing her face.

Clarence smiled. He’d already given her a stern word about the booze and the chems on the trek down from the Ranger Station, but Ellie hadn’t said anything about shooting. “Good… Maybe they aren’t so bad afterall.” He chuckled quietly before pressing on down the trail. Leon hastily stowing his rifle and following in his wake.

The General Store, Haven

“You have a nice day now.” Benjamin Hayes grinned at Jeanie Mayhall as she cradled her infant child in her arms and hoisted up the bag of supplies she’d just purchased.

The well-built farmhand might not have looked like an obvious choice of store clerk, but as Camila watched from the corner, she had to admit he was quite a natural at customer service. She smiled, walking over to him as he playfully waved his large black hands in front of Mayhall’s baby boy, making cute noises as the child giggled to himself.

“You’re quite the natural.” Camila let out once Mayhall had left.

“I dunno Mrs Nash… I figure 90% of the job is just about bein’ nice.” He said, glancing at her.

She clasped her hands together thoughtfully as she replied; “Well it seems you’re a natural at being nice.”

“Thank you kindly.” He replied, withdrawing a dust-cloth from under the counter and dusting it down idly.

“There isn’t a Mrs Hayes though… is there?” Camila asked curiously, almost deliberately making the temporary clerk feel unsure of her intentions as she stepped in a little closer.

“There was, once….” He said sadly, stepping back from her slightly.

Camila also stepped back respectfully, she’d got the information she wanted; “What happened?” She asked warmly, her voice ringing with nothing but warmth.

“Bad folks.” Hayes answered, sighing to himself. “Rather not talk about it if it’s all the same to you?”

“That’s your right, but you should know that we look after those who work for us. If you ever want to talk, we’re here for you.” Camila nodded, turning away.

“That’s mighty kind.” Benjamin replied with an appreciative smile. “But I’ve got pretty used to dealing with my demons on my own.”

Camila stopped walking away and glanced back at him; “Demons? You aren’t the only person in town with those Ben, let me tell you that.”

He sighed again. “No… but there ain’t many folks around here who’ve had to see what I seen, do what I done. Haven-folks is lucky like that, with their families and all.”

“You know our family didn’t start out here?” Camila replied quickly. “We came from out west.”

“Oh I’m sorry Mrs Nash… I didn’t mean to offend you folks.” Ben flashed her an apologetic smile, before scratching his shaved head. “But now you mention it, I did just assume ya’ll were part of the fabric of the town.”

“Clarence and I moved in about what… sixteen, maybe seventeen years ago. We’d been travelling for a while, and I was pregnant with Ellie at the time, so it seemed like a sensible decision to settle down.” She said, a tinge of nostalgic memory in her voice before she pressed; “How about you? What brought you here?”

“Oh… I wouldn’t wanna trouble you with the details…” Ben exhaled, almost nervously.

“Go on, I insist.” Camila replied, leaning on the counter as the large man reluctantly shared his story…

[Sarrin]

Outside Possey - February 7th 2278

“Took your sweet time Princess” James said half-jokingly as Mary approached the old gates “Seventeen years to feel the need to come see your pa?”

The journey to Possey had been everything Mary imagined from desert heats to various wasteland pests and yet here at the door of ‘civilisation’ she felt most disgusted. Possey had been home to a college campus before the war where RobCo brought Texas’ brightest prospects for training into its research departments projects. With the old town being little more than a truck stock for long hallers the sprawling campus had quickly consumed it and constructed a large concrete wall around its perimeter to both discourage students from being distracted while also keeping competitors and protestors alike at a distance.

It was these factors, and its place along the trade route, that had made Possey a prime location for the Dower exiles to move in after the Banditry Trials. Walking up to the gates Mary couldn’t help but feel they’d outdone themselves with the smell of liquor, chems and other vices dominating the air for miles around.

“Townsfolk’d cause a fuss, and I knew we’d bring you back sooner or later… guess I just figured it’d be sooner.” Mary said with a fake smile. She loathed the exiles and saw them for the scum they were without the rose tinted goggles of Frank or the pragmatic resourcefulness of Jack. In this case however they were scum that had what she wanted and there was no way of getting it without playing heavily on the familial values the Dower had always held.

“Damn bastards keeping a father from his only daughter!” James said angrily before looking to one of the younger Dower’s by the gate controls “Well what are you damn doing son?! Open this gate before I beat your skull!”

The younger man gulped quickly tapping the open key on the console as the rusty old gates dragged themselves open scrapping the worn stone flooring as they did so. When they opened wide James stepped out adjusting his slightly damaged glasses slightly as his lips curled to a wide smile “Mary fucking Dower in the flesh! You look just like your mother did, prettier even!” Mary continued her fake smile begrudgingly stepping into her fathers tight embrace.

“Now you come over to my lab and drop this damn backpack so we can get you sorted. The family’ll wanna talk to you and all, especially Mike when he gets back. Gotta take you to Carter too before he passes, he’ll be damn happy to know your here to see him off.” As he spoke he began to lead her into the campus whose once green verandas were now littered with makeshift breweries, water collectors and piles of ammunition, weapons and other loot.

Mary nodded for her part pretending to care about the trivialities of Dower life whilst restraining any remarks or gestures about the raids he so casually spoke about. In her head she thought over and over how to play her hand. The family would know quickly the bullets were duds. Dower’s knew two things well after all: Drinking and Guns. The trick for her was to throw it into an ammunition pile quick enough that they couldn’t tell the difference, if she was lucky they wouldn’t even check it till they were out in the wastelands and it was too late.

As they approached the main hall she couldn’t help feel some reverence though. The grand concrete structure was nearly three stories high and stood proudly as a testament to both the companies pre-war wealth and universities pre-war ambitions.

“Any chance I can hit the dormitory first pa? Travelling wore me a little…” She said softly playing up the innocence in her voice as she often did to fool caravaners into thinking she hardly knew the rules to poker.

James smiled scratching his thin brown stubble slightly as he admired his daughter standing all grown up beside him “Course sweetie, I’ll take you there right now and wake you up before dinner. Made sure there was a room for you the second Flicker told me you was coming, damn glad he wasn’t twitchy enough to shoot you though. It’d break my heart to lose a daughter and a nephew in the same day.”

Mary feigned another smile “I’m glad too pa, I’d’ve sent word if I could but it’s not like we got any walkie-talkies left over after the townsfolk confiscated everything.”

“I know sweetie, Jack keeps us abreast of it all. The family’ll probably have a few questions over dinner but I’ll make sure it ain’t all politics.”

“Thanks pa” Mary said pushing a few strands of hair out her eye and walking towards the doors of the Grand Hall. Entry was always going to be the easy part. Now she was in things were going to get interesting.

[Cheye]

The Van Oren Farmhouse - February 7th 2278

“Clarence!” The old man called out with his arms raised enthusiastically.

“Casper.” Clarence nodded politely as he reached the end of the pre-war garden path and stepped up onto the old wooden porch of the exceedingly large farmhouse.

“I see you’ve brought another companion…” The old man grinned, stepping across the porch to lean against the railing and look down carefully at Ellie. “This must be Elanora? Heavens girl, last time I so you, you were just a babe!”

Ellie nodded up at the exuberant man indifferently.

“Every bit the image of her mother…” He continued, glancing back at Clarence. “How is Camila?”

“She’s good, as usual. Got her hands full running the store and keeping Priscilla in line at the saloon. But I think she enjoys it, certainly a better life for her then it was back out west.”

“And how are you doin’ Leo?” Casper grinned, waving at the gunslinger who stood further down the path behind Ellie.

“Fine thanks, Mr Van Oren.” He replied, glancing around the yard. A long-defunct pre-war tractor sat at the centre of the lawn, some tato plants growing in neat rows between it and the house. Beyond the yard, a large cornfield dominated the horizon to the south, while a barn to the east connected to a small field where several brahmin mulled about. A converted grain silo north of the house served as a lookout tower and accomodation for some of the farm hands.

“Well do come on in, all of ya’ll, I suspect my good ladies have lunch ready for us!” Casper insisted.

The trio made their way inside the farmhouse, which showed little sign of damage from the great war. The wooden walls and floors had been repaired and cleaned meticulously, and salvaged-paintings lined the walls between the ornate furniture.

Ellie watched as Clarence removed his hat and hung it on the coat-rail, Leon did the same with his duster, giving her the sense that both men were quite at home here. She decided to keep her leather jacket on however, it's familiar weight providing a comfort to her in this strange place.

A young woman, who couldn’t have been much older than Ellie came down the hallway quickly. She wore a revealing short dress and some lacy stockings that Ellie figured wouldn’t be too practical out in the wastes. Her lipstick lit up her otherwise pale face and her long brown hair draped over her shoulder in an elegantly pleated ponytail.

“Lunch will just be a few minutes.” The mysterious young woman said softly.

“Very good.” Casper nodded. “We’ll go through to the dining room. Tell Missy to bring in some refreshments.”

She gave a deferential nod before turning to head back down the hall to the kitchen. Casper raised his arm to point them through the large living room and round into the dining room, though Clarence clearly already knew the way, walking ahead and taking a seat at the table as Casper guided Ellie through.

“You need anything Elanora, you just ask one of my ladies, they’ll see to it, you mark my words.” Casper advised her as they entered the long dining room.

“Thanks… I guess…” Ellie said, not really sure how to respond.

Casper guided Ellie and Leo to seats across from Clarence. He then took the one at the head of the table, still smiling as the door from the kitchen opened and a hovering robot with three eye-stalks slowly flew towards them.

“‘Ello dears.” The Miss Nanny bot called out, its default-modulated French accent obvious. The spherical robot approached the table, a tray of drinks carefully balanced at the end of one of its long pincer-like arm-stalks. “Wine for the gentlemen...” It declared, theatrically lowering the glasses in front of Casper, Clarence and Leo, before putting the bottle down between them. “...And a refreshing Nuka Cola for de’ young miss.”

“I can have wine!” Ellie protested. Clarence shot her an irritated look.

“My programming prevents me from facilitating underage drinking my dear. Please talk with your parents or direct any further enquiries to a General Atomics International representative.” The robot replied.

“That’s enough of that factory claptrap Missy!” Casper barked, his smile disappearing for the first time. “Can she have a glass Clarence?”

“Normally I wouldn’t mind, but Ellie’s already had a glass of whiskey this morning, courtesy of the Dowers.”

“But..” Ellie began to protest, but Clarence shot her down with a menacing glare.

“Nuka Cola it is!” The Miss Nanny robot declared emphatically, lowering the bottle to the table, before hovering back in the direction of the kitchen.

Ellie scowled at Clarence and at the nuka cola bottle in front of her for a moment, ignoring the others as they began to speak in serious tones.

“So did you bring all the stuff I said?” Casper asked, looking between Clarence and Leon.

“Leon has the dynamite, yes.” Clarence replied with a nod as he began to remove something from his pocket; “We also have the map.”

“Excellent…” Van Oren’s smile returned. “If your information matches up with mine, we should be able to work out exactly which route the bastards have taken.”

“Here’s hoping.” Clarence replied glibly, before taking a long sip of wine.

“Been meaning to ask about that actually Mr Nash, sir.” Leon said, his face thoughtful as he pointed to Ellie; “What exactly you proposing Ellie does when we find ‘em? It’s gonna be real dangerous for a kid.”

Ellie looked up, paying attention again, hearing her name followed by the word ‘kid’ caused her to grumble audibly in Leon’s direction though.

“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t put my own daughter in harm's way Leo, she’ll cover us. You saw her shoot that ghoul earlier. The girl’s ready.” Clarence’s matter-of-fact tone seemed to reassure Leon, but it only served to rile Ellie up more.

“I’m right here guys.” She waved sarcastically. “What is it we’re gonna’ be doin’ exactly anyway?”

Clarence looked as if he was about to answer, when the door to the kitchen opened once more and the young woman from earlier accompanied by two more skimpily-dressed girls entered carrying platters of food. There were several cuts of brahmin steak along with fresh vegetables and a small bowl of what looked like crispy squirrel bits, but Ellie couldn’t be sure.

“We’ll talk about it later.” Clarence nodded to her. “Leo’ll give you some more shooting practice after dinner as well.” He added, glancing at the younger man, who nodded with a wide satisfactory smile on his face, though whether it was at Clarence’s comment, the sight of the bounteous meal or Casper’s ‘ladies’ Clarence couldn’t tell.

“Bon appetit!” Casper chuckled, half-impersonating his robot’s accent.

After Lunch

Once the group had finished eating and Leo had taken Ellie outside for shooting practice, Casper ushered Clarence upstairs into his private-study.

“You think the girl’s really ready to learn about what’s going on out there?” Casper asked, before he’d even taken his seat at the desk. “She could tell people?”

“Casper. Look at us!” Clarence replied, walking over to the desk. “We’re getting old. Well you certainly are at least… Look we might not be around forever but far as I can tell Caesar ain’t going anywhere. Someone is going to have to keep on doing what we do.”

Casper nodded. “Leo I understand… But your own daughter… It ain’t women’s work Clarence.”

Clarence scoffed; “Women’s work!?” He loomed over the desk; “You even sound like one of them.” The disdain was clear in his voice.

“I was… I am, once you get down to brass tacks. So are you!” Casper scowled back. “Men are made by their pasts Clarence; but unlike most men, our pasts are coming to catch up with us with a century of Carson Forest legionaries!”

“Come again?” Clarence asked, his voice quiet and emotionless.

Casper nodded, reclining in his plush red chair. “A Cursor came down by way of Albuquerque two weeks back, with fresh orders for the scouts in Texas. Fortunately my contact got a hold of the message and got a copy to me yesterday.”

“And they’re sending a centurion?” Clarence stepped back from the desk, disbelief mixing with curiosity to form a strange frown on his face.

“Yup.” Casper shrugged. “Apparently shit’s gone bad for the Legion out west and they want more manpower. That means snatchin’ folks east of Albuquerque. Caesar’s dispatched three centurions to take care of it, one’s subjugating the Mescalero tribes, one’s heading to Amarillo and the final one’s coming here.”

“There’s nothing here though?” Clarence frowned. “That’s why we chose to settle down here in the first place.”

Casper nodded. “My contact reckons it’s economical. They know about traders skirting their territory on the Mexico Highway and want to stamp it out. He reckons they’re counting on the merchants realising how much safer the roads are with a century of legionnaires kicking about, and turning over intel on the small settlements in exchange.” Casper paused, stress creeping into his voice; “See there might not be any massive communities or tribes out this way Clarence, but you take every man in Haven, every man in Posey, Roosevelt, Scrap Tower, Plainview, Shallowater, heck even those dumb fucks up in Spade… Suddenly you’ve made yourself another century and a bit, and that's before you count the gangs, captured raiders and wanderers and the like. Oh, and it puts Caesar a stone's-throw from Dallas; we both know he’d find plenty of dumb manpower out there! There was a reason neither of us carried on heading in that direction.”

Clarence nodded quietly, a look of distress miring his usually calm and emotionless face. There was a long silence as the two men considered the gravity of their situation.

“We knew it was gonna’ happen eventually.” Casper let out, trying to comfort his old friend.

“But not yet.” Clarence shook his head. “I thought there’d be more time…”

Casper nodded. “I know. When I heard that Caesar had set his sights on the Mojave and California I thought we’d have years. But I guess folks out that way aren’t keen on being subjugated neither.”

Clarence nodded idly with a sneer; “Seems those folks are only causing problems for us.”

“I’ll keep my ears open.” Casper replied sympathetically, before withdrawing a folded map from his desk-drawer as he said; “Anyway… Let’s make sure our intel lines up. We’ve still got work to do...”

[Sarrin]

Dining Hall, Posey Great Hall - February 7th, 2278

Mary hadn’t caught a second of sleep in the hours since she found her room, though it’d been nice to lie down after the trek. Her father had somehow found her one of the few rooms with locks on the door, though given the state of the building that almost seemed like it might not be abnormal, and after locking it she’d feigned sleep while various voices muttered outside in varying levels of quietness. At first she’d tried to listen in but after realising quickly it was mostly crass remarks about ‘how well she’d grown” and whether she’d become “a townie puppet” she realised it wasn’t worth the effort.

She’d even managed to avoid moving when her father had knocked on the door to tell her it was dinner time convincing him well enough that she was asleep until he’d chosen to leave her be. Now it’d been thirty minutes though and she knew that a late arrival wouldn’t be read into none at all would probably net her into having to stay longer than she wanted.

Making her way through the dormitories it was a strange feeling. The carpets and wallpaper were tattered and weak and occasional doors hung on hinges or stood half-broken like a stable door but overall it seemed well enough maintained. It was dirty for sure and blood or beer stained most of the carpet but it was better than most housing she’d seen in Haven for sure. Going down the stairs she could almost forget the world was in tatters with the concrete standing as it must’ve before the war even having been dusted by the constant passage of residence. The Dining Hall however was something quite different.

The large oak doors had some inscription on top in a language Mary neither understood nor cared to try and as she pushed them open to step inside any illusions she was in a pre-wasteland world disappeared entirely. The room had four long oak tables standing through it’s hall though only two of them were being used and neither was full of either food or people. At the back of the room was a raised platform with a single throne sat at its heart seemingly made by the Dowers themselves from it’s crude design of steel and knives. In it was a middle aged man with short dirty blond hair and a short beard that concealed much of a scar that seemed to have come from a horrific burn on much of the left side of his face. As she entered he looked away from the conversation he’d been having with a skinnier simple-looking man.

“You’ve decided to grace us with your presence then Mary, here I was thinking that you might think yourself better than us ‘exiles’.” His voice was coarse and the word ‘exiles’ came off his tongue like a sharp knife pointed more to her than any of them.

“Was only sleeping, you all become organised and busy now? Here I was hoping the family’d still be fun...” She responded jokingly as she walked towards him entirely aware that all the conversations in the room had stopped and all eyes were now pointed at her.

“You got some news for us Mary? I can’t imagine this is a social call.” He said again leaning slightly forward and scratching the underside of his chin.
“I’ve got some bullets Frank said you’d need plus a few rarer parts we salvaged from the arms factory.” She paused for a moment letting her remark sink in before she added with a mocking tone “So what I need to fuck one of ya to get a beer now? We become that kind of family in exile?!”

The figure in the chair let out an amused grunt revealing a smirk on his face as he stood and walked towards her down the platform. He was taller than the others with a suit of leather armour that seemed to have been reinforced with various armour parts he’d assumedly salvaged or taken from unlucky targets. As he got close to her he put a hand on her shoulder and she braced herself unsure whether this was going to be a headbut or a welcome.

“Spoken like a true Dower” He simply said smiling “Get my niece a fucking beer” He shouted out and the tension in the room seemed to collapse as conversation started. James stood from one of the table and came over with a couple of beers.

“Crazy how she’s grown ain't it Jammer?” He asked, passing a beer to the pair and smiling at Mary.

“Sure is though I doubt she’s got any fucking clue who I am.” He said crassly taking a large swig of his beer.

“You think I wouldn’t recognise my uncle Donny, least I hope it’s him or you’ve gone and become damn ugly.” She replied with the same endearingly feigned smile.

Donny just laughed a rough laugh “Got your father’s tongue I see, now he’s told me not to talk politics and all to ya, and we appreciate that you’ve brought us bullets, but we’ve not had a chance to talk to Jack in a while and we’ve got a few questions if you could answer ‘em?” His tone made clear this wasn’t a question but an order. For all the familial sensibilities of the Dower they didn’t think twice about betrayal and if it looked like Mary was more interested in Haven’s future than their own she’d be given a fate far worse than anything Clarence might have imagined when he threatened Jack earlier.

“Course, assuming I can just take whatever from one of these big plates?” She said looking over to a large cooked Radscorpion that sat half-devoured on one of the tables.

“Rip it off and eat it, no need for those towny manners here.” Donny said walking towards the scorpion and ripping off one of it’s legs that he proceeded to bite into cracking the now delicate carapace with his chipped dirty teeth.

Mary sat on the chair beside him and took a swig of her beer before ripping off some of the flesh on it’s torso. Smiling back at her father who was standing with the same look of admiration that he’d had since she last saw him.

“I’ll go get the lab ready, point her the right way when she’s finished eating will ya?” He finally said after enjoying the moment.

“Will do!” Donny said before smashing the leg down onto the table with a thud that seemed neither intentional nor notable in the room. “So James said the townsfolk still got our walkie-talkies, all the guns still being kept hidden too?”

“Sure are, though Jack’s getting them to trust him real well. We’re gonna support their motion to expand the Sheriff’s soon so I can follow the idiot to where they’re keepin ‘em all, that way we can steal some back.” She said confidently. Mary had always been a skilled liar, far more than her brother, and with the Dower’s having long been duped into the belief that the family stockpiles below the station had been plundered by the town she had to do her part to keep it going.

“Good, we take away them guns and the farmers won’t be able to stop us when we take over. I’ll finally be able to give that bitch Mandell what she deserves for humiliating us after our deal. No one fucks over a Dower and walks away. No one.” Donny had a strange way of talking that shifted quickly between somewhat jovial and deadly serious with his latter remark being spoken almost as if he were warning Mary by stating a dangerous fact.

“Hopefully they’ll be stupid enough to have kept ‘em all in one place if not I’ll keep lookin. Was gonna talk to you about wind turbine parts though, reckon if I fix it we can get all the townies to turn away from batteries. That way we can catch ‘em blind when ya’ll attack.”

Donny stroked his chin thoughtfully as she spoke, a fiendish grin emerging across his lips “A fine idea, heck with the right parts we could damn near rig that thing into a bomb! Then if they can be made to fallback there they’ll go down without so much as a struggle.”

“Like takin’ beer from a baby.” Mary said with that feigned smile making sure to not seem too eager for the death of the townsfolk less they realise how pathetic she thought their vendetta really was.

“What about Old Man Riley, you know if he’s still got the power armour? The little skirmishes we do ain’t getting us much and I can’t risk a full on raid if he’s got a damn suit hidden away.”

Mary took a large bite of the Radscorpion as he spoke thinking quickly as to what she knew about that lie. Jack’d never mentioned a power armour suit at Van Oren’s but she always figured he must’ve said something to convince them not to attack them.

“I think it’s been scrapped pa but I’d be careful with that fella. Mandell made a big show about his commitment to the town for so long and gave him some heavy ornaments, don’t recon he’s got more than one but sure as shit that mini nuke would cause some damage.” She read his face carefully as she spoke making sure to tailor the story to what he suspected and from the look of anger when she finished she’d done her job.

“THAT BITCH GAVE HIM HENRIETTA!” He exclaimed slamming his fist again on the table and crushing the Radscorpion leg between his knuckles into a paste. “THAT BITCH’L LEARN TO RESPECT WHAT AIN'T HERS”

Mary nodded speaking in a similarly angry voice “Damn right! You just wait though, me and Jack’ve been talking and we’ve got some ideas how to get her back. We ain’t letting some old farming bastard take the Dower pride for his ‘services’, the fuck the Rileys ever done anyway?!”

Donny grunted standing from his bench and walking to the middle of the chamber “LISTEN UP!” he shouted quickly forcing the others into silence “My niece here’s been telling me something interesting bout the damn townsfolk!” He paused waiting as they all focused in the faces of the family varying between curiosity, uncertainty and an already bursting rage.

“TURNS OUT THEY TOOK HENRIETTA AND GAVE IT TO THE DAMN FARMER!” He shouted to a chorus of insults that echoed around him. “NOW SHE’S GOT A PLAN, THEY’RE GUNNA FUCK UP THE POWER, STEAL BACK THE GUNS, AND THEN. THEN. WE’RE GONNA TAKE BACK WHAT’S OURS! WE’RE GONNA TAKE BACK FUCKING HAVEN!”

As he finished, the shouting grew heavier as drinks began to be raised and spilt on each other starting a few fights. As anarchy slowly gained traction Donny strolled back over and put his hand on Mary’s shoulder “Welcome home Mary.” he said with a slight smirk.

‘Welcome to Hell more like’ she thought.

[Cheye]

The Van Oren Farmhouse - February 7th 2278

“Ya’ already seem to have a good handle on aim, just need to work on your reflexes.” Leon said, nodding impressed as Ellie fired and the final can fell from its perch atop the garden fence on the other side of the yard.

“Think we can shoot something bigger?” Ellie asked curiously as she reloaded the rifle just how the gunslinger had shown her.

“In a bit I’m sure… In fact, we should probably be getting on the road soon, not sure what’s taking your father so long…” Leon said, idly turning to look in the direction of the farmhouse.

He smiled as he spotted one of the young women from earlier carrying out a pitcher of iced water and two glasses and heading towards them.

“Hey there.” She smiled back at Leon.

“Hey yourself. How’ve you been?” Leon said, the familiarity in his voice catching Ellie’s attention.

“Got some water for ya’ll, and yeah I’ve been good. Mr. Van Oren does a good job looking after us all, you and Mr Nash weren’t wrong. Thanks again, by the way...”

Leon nodded, glancing at her somewhat revealing dress with a frown; “You sure he ain’t asking too much of ya’ll? We can have a word, ya know?”

“It’s fine.” She retorted quickly as she reached him, handing him a glass and starting to pour from the pitcher. She added; “He didn’t have to take us in, give us free food and board, we have to show our gratitude somehow.”

“Yeah… But don’t you let him take advantage now.” Leon said firmly.

“We don’t…. Honest! Just dress up all fancy for him and call him sir like he’s one of them pre-war lords of the manor. He enjoys it, reckons it reminds him of the better parts of his life back in Arizona.”

Leon nodded as Ellie turned and took her own glass after the girl had poured it for her.

“How comes you two know each other so well?” Ellie asked curiously.

Leon and the girl exchanged glances, before eventually the gunslinger spoke; “Ellie, this is Caroline. Your father and I helped her a jam when she was out wanderin’ once. She didn’t have no home so we brought her here and like she says, Mr Van Oren does the rest.”

“Sounds like he’s a creep though?” Ellie raised an eyebrow, not having missed a thing. “Making his ‘ladies’ dress up like that, what’s that all about?” She pressed, putting a sarcastic accent on as she spoke.

“He’s not, really.” Caroline said, stepping closer and gesturing to try and hush her.

Ellie frowned. “Fair enough…” As she spoke she spotted a strange scar wrapping its way around Caroline’s neck. It didn’t look like a simple cut or burn though, as it circled almost the entire way around her neck, disappearing under her long auburn hair.

Ellie was about to say something, when suddenly the door to the farmhouse opened and her father emerged, followed by Casper Van Oren who was smiling widely once more. Given his setup out here, Ellie reasoned that she’d probably be constantly smiling in his position as well.

Leon took a long drink of the water Caroline had brought him as Clarence began walking over, placing his hat back on his head as he walked. Ellie matched Leon and took a long drink, it was refreshingly cold and she knew she might not get water this pure again for some time on the road.

“We have a heading.” Clarence nodded eagerly to Leon.

“How far?” Leon asked, excitedly, splashing some of the chilled water onto his face to counter the heat.

“A good few hours north-west. Just this side of Lubbock.” Clarence answered matter-of-factly, throwing Leon his duster coat as he did so.

Caroline turned and walked over to Casper’s side as he stood on the porch and waved to the trio. “Take care out there you three! I’ll see you on your way back. Elanora; you follow your father’s orders. Leon, keep ‘em alive like always!”

“Yes sir, Mr Van Oren sir.” Leon replied with a respectful nod to the older man and a smile back at Caroline, before he turned and took the lead.

As the trio set off, Ellie turned to Clarence and asked tentatively; “So… What’s his deal?”

Clarence smiled in response to his daughters up-front attitude; “‘His deal?’ He’s one of the few people we can trust out here Ellie. You’re going to learn why that’s so important over the next few weeks… If you let me teach you that is?”

“Are you actually askin’ permission?!” Ellie retorted sarcastically.

Clarence laughed. “No… But if you don’t want to learn more you can turn around and walk home by yourself from here.” There wasn’t even the slightest hint of jest in his voice.

“I’m coming along, but only so I can find out what the fuck it is you guys are up to out here that’s so damn important.” Ellie insisted. “It ain’t like I care really.”

“Fine by me.” Clarence replied effortlessly, and they disappeared into the fading light.

Haven Bar + Grill, Haven

“Well that is something.” Priscilla’s eyes went wide as her step-mother finished talking.

“I know… Clarence is going to love it, he’s been after more hands to take on his adventures for a while.” Camila replied, taking a sip of gin from the glass that sat on the bar in front of her.

“Fuck.” Priscilla said suddenly, as if something had just dawned on her. “That why he’s taken Ellie out today?”

Camila half nodded but wavered slightly as she did; “Ellie… Ellie’s been getting into trouble as you know… Your father’s just taken her out to help her channel her difficulties… Help her find a sense of purpose.”

Priscilla sighed irritably; “Leon go too?”

Camila nodded awkwardly, conscious of how their conversation had turned out last time this topic had come up.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to shout at you.” Priscilla said comfortingly, taking a sip of the gin straight from the bottle.

“I understand the way you must feel Priscilla, I really do, but your father only wants to help you stay safe.” Camila leaned over the counter, gripping her step-daughter’s hand affectionately.

“Let’s not…” Priscilla said darkly, taking another swig from the bottle and pulling her hand free.

Camila sighed, sipping her own drink; “....You know… If this does work out with Ben Hayes, there is chance Clarence might reconsider you and Leo. If more people are helping with the wasteland work, that could give him more options…”

Priscilla shook her head. “You know what he gets like when he’s made up his mind about something. I just wanna’ know why he’d rather I be supposed-safe rather than happy? You know?”

Camila glanced away, Priscilla might not have been her biological daughter, but even so it hurt her to keep the truth from her all the same. “He has his reasons…” She muttered quietly.

It was Priscilla’s turn to sigh, and an awkward silence set in between the two until Mike Tatum rose from his booth by the door and approached the bar to order himself another beer.

Priscilla took the order obligingly and handed him the bottle after popping open the cap on the lip of the bar and adding it to the ones he paid with. She took another sip of her gin as the silence resumed between herself and her step-mother.

Eventually she decided to break it. Deep down she liked it when the family wasn’t at each other’s throats, and with Leon and her father away for the time being, she might as well enjoy herself; “So… Tell me again? How many people did he say he’ fought off?” Priscilla asked quietly.

Camila lowered her own voice as she leaned across the bar and answered; “Seventeen… All with just a tire iron, some razor-wire and a petrol-bomb.”

Priscilla opened her mouth in shock, just as she had done the first time Camila had recounted Ben Hayes’ incredible story to her; “And he’s just working here, in town, as a damn farmer?”

Camila nodded as she sipped her drink; “Just like all the rest. Keeps himself to himself and tends the crops all day.”

“It does make you think though…” Priscilla muttered thoughtfully. “Could be anyone livin’ amongst us… Pretendin’ to be someone they aren’t.” The young blonde fiddled with her hair idly, glancing around the bar as she did.

Camila couldn’t help but appreciate the irony of the words as she downed the rest of her gin and stared off at a crack in the wooden floor. She couldn’t help wondering just how Priscilla would react when the truth about her and Clarence’s past came out, hell when the truth about her own real mother came out; if it ever did. And she also couldn’t help wondering how Ellie was dealing with what Clarence and Leon were exposing her too out on the road; if she was even ready for it?

She took a moment to harden herself. They had always done whatever they had to do to keep Priscilla and Ellie safe. They didn’t have time to feel bad for it.

Camila simply met Priscilla’s gaze with her dark piercing eyes and replied; “You can’t trust anyone...”

[Sarrin]

Training Laboratory, Posey - February 7th 2278

The stars were starting to show as Mary left the Great Hall into the main part of the campus for the first time. She hadn’t stayed long after the fight instead grabbing a large chunk of radscorpion and moving to make an exit. Unfortunately she’d bumped into her two brothers who’d insisted on her joining them and the cousins for some drinks. She’d been only too happy when it turned out they were all high on Jet, Buffout, Mentats and an assortment of other drugs with seemingly the sole exception of Psycho because as her brother had pointed out ‘Jammer don’t let us take that in the campus after the incident with the Brahmin.’ An incident he then proceeded to explain in depth three times over the course of the next two hours seemingly unaware he’d so much as mentioned it before.

When finally they’d appeared to be wavering she made her absence saying she was ‘going to pee’ realising that as soon as she was out of eyesight they’d probably forget she was even there and let her actually get on with her tasks so she could leave in the morning. Unlike the exterior whose fields were all marked with piles and makeshift equipment, the central square of the campus had only one highly noticeable feature in the shape of a towering pile of bottles in the center of which she could just about make out a fountain. As much as she hated it she let out a slight smile at the sight. Before they’d been exiled a similar tower existed outside the Gas Station made up of all the liquor the Dower drinked that year. In the months following it however disgruntled townsfolk had thrown stones at it eventually crumbling the tower down and with it any real lasting mark of the old family.

The Lab building itself was fairly unassuming. A single story complex with wilting paint on its sign and a golden sign saying “Jeremy Palter Computing and Robotics Laboratory” etched in silver letter beside the doors.

As she entered the same strange feeling came over her as if she’d walked through time. Only unlike the dormitory or stairs the floors and walls were all well maintained and clean. A vague hum of a hovering Mr. Handy could be heard down the corridor and in a room down the hallway to the left was that sound of her father cursing under his breath. She walked slowly towards the room not making a sound and hoping to get an idea of what her father was planning in the room as she entered. Her efforts however yielded nothing as she peered around the corner to see him looking straight at her in the hall.

“Oh Mary! I thought one of the Handy’s had come by again, damn things cleaning schedules keep getting muddled up after Jammer made me shift their programming.” He said with a slight hint of nervousness in his voice before welcoming her in and shutting the door behind them.

The lab was a simple enough room. Makeshift shelving had been erected all across the northern wall that was filled with various pre-war books in varying levels of preservation. Droid parts were scattered around the room on tables, cabinets and other shelves in a vaguely organised fashion. The rooms pride, and assumedly the reason why Mary was called in, however stood deactivated in the middle around which the shelves had been largely arranged. On a metal table was apre-war computer with wires attached to a nearly complete Sentry Bot who was missing only an arm and parts of his chest and leg plating.

Despite her ease so far Mary couldn’t help but let out a gasp as she realised the destructive potential the exiles had on their hands and with it the seriousness of their vendetta against Haven.

“Incredible isn’t it? Jammer told me to stop working on it months ago but i’ve kept on it with my free time and it’s nearly paid off. Only need to make some more armour plates and figure out the military codes to break into its programming.” He spoke with a profound pride almost greater than when he had first seen Mary earlier.

“Where’d you find it?” She asked cautiously as she approached the robot inspecting it in hopes of seeing a clear and obvious failing.

“Did an expedition to the military bunker in the mountains a few years back and the damn thing was outside. Chased us near three hours before it collapsed down some uneasy ground and must’ve buggered it’s self-destruct sequence.”

Mary felt his skin jump as he finished the sentence. She wasn’t a robotics expert but she quickly remembered why her father had told her to never go near dead Sentry Bots when she was young, the damn things went off with the explosion of a mini-nuke. James chuckled as he saw her jump “I’ve taken out the core don’t worry, got a rigged up battery that I can rip out if something goes wrong. It’s got no ammunition though so hardly a threat.” He nudged her in the side and handed her a glass of whiskey.

Mary smiled as she saw the liquor taking a large gulp before realising how nice the glass was and how it really put the salvaged crap she and Jack used to shame. “When do you think it’ll be ready?” she asked having finally finished her investigation with the conclusion that there were no real glaring flaws besides those he knew about.

“No idea, we’ve got a metal presser and a sort of forge in one of the buildings so there’s no real trouble with the plating. This damn code though it just won't seem to respond and i’ve tried near everything I can think of.” As he finished he took a sip of the whiskey before scrunching up his face from the taste.

Mary pretend not to notice as she looked at the computer and rested her glass on a book beside it whose cover had rotted away and instead was titled ‘MILITARY CODE’ in marker. She touched the execute key to bring up the screen and scanned through the code. As her father began to speak again she felt a jolt rush through her which she had to actively hide. She knew the cipher to the code, but she knew her father was too invested in the project to ever get it.

“I reckon I might try one of the code breaking books next for the Chinese codes, you never know what crazy shit the military were doing towards the end.” He said peering over her shoulder and looking at the code hopelessly.

“Sounds like a worthwhile shot, you can’t blame ‘em for making it hard though these bastards pack a punch.” She said reassured in the safety of the town. From the way he drank whiskey it was clear he wasn’t much of a drinker and the other Dower’s didn’t care much for robotics. No way they would realise the cypher was pre-war whiskey brands.

James sighed “So what really brings you out here then Princess? I know it weren’t just to see me!”

“Needed some books. Found me an eyebot left out in the wastes and fixed it up but figure it’s just a waste of scrap if I can’t reprogram it too.” She said shrugging and picking up her glass glancing for somewhere to sit among the litany of robot parts.

“Eyebot eh? Not a bad place to start but Protectrons are easier to program, find yourself a nice one in a mall and you can easily make it go from attendant to assassin.” He chuckled slightly at his remark as he pushed a shelf aside to get to the wall of books. “I’ve got a few intro books that might help or are you looking for something more specialised? Heck, I don’t even know where you are in robotics let alone that you’ve started.” He turned back and his smile and faded slightly to a slight picture of remorse. He adjusted his glasses to cover his face and as his hand moved away the smile was back.

“I’m pretty basic, Frank couldn’t teach me shit and most books you can scavenge you already had. Taught myself a little on the old arms control terminals though, the personal computer ones that have all their emails in ‘em.” It was awkward seeing her father look sad, here was a man she had loathed for nearly a decade and now he was in front of her. Human. Human and not even that fucked up.

“Lynda Bishard’s were always good, though I wish they’d had time to write up the consequence. I spent a shameful amount of my younger nights wondering what his wife said to his scandalous revelation.” Again James’ tone was almost innocent in nature as if entirely out of place among the violence and debauchery of the raiders.

“Must’ve felt like right idiots though, tell your wife about the mistress then the bombs drop the next day what a fucking ride.”

“Least she was with who she loved. Family matters Princess, in the end it’s all you’ve got.” He gave her another warm but remorseful look. “Your ma’ ‘d say the same if she were here” he added after a few moments before looking to the floor. The more she saw him the more the image in her mind just seemed wrong. Her father wasn’t a raider, or a fighter in fact he was barely what Frank’d call a Dower yet here he was in the middle of Possey building a Sentry Bot and going on raids. It just seemed wrong.

“She die peacefully?” Mary asked with a fake degree of care that became discomfitingly genuine as the sentence progressed.

“Best not to think of it” He replied before pausing again. “She looked just like you though Princess… Cept the eyes of course but she always use to say it’s what made you special.”

Mary blushed slightly feeling herself disarm in his presence. ‘Stick to the plan’ she thought as the the calm swept through her and shook herself in an effort to re-stiffen her body.

“The intro books then? Any you’d recommend?” She said changing the topic more for her own sake than her fathers but he quickly looked up with a smile.

“Yes well… I’ll start you on my first one and then maybe we can move on to the Eyebot special next week…”

“I’m only staying the night pa...” Mary said firmly though she felt a strange tingling of guilt as she said it and saw his hand slightly pause over one of the books.

“Oh..yes...” he said slowly gripping the book and pulling it out “I should’ve realised you can't draw suspicion...I’ll make a bundle for you.” He kept his face to the books as he spoke clearly trying to conceal the croak in his voice.

“Well if plan goes ahead you’ll be able to see me in Haven soon” Mary said trying to feign her own conviction in the idea.

“No Mary.” James said with a renewed fervor in his voice “If plan goes ahead there won’t be a fucking Haven left.”

[Cheye]

The Outskirts, Lubbock Ruins - February 7th 2278

“I had her bent over like this…” One of the leather-clad men grinned wickedly, pushing his more junior companion down to his knees before thrusting mimically over him.

“Fuck man.” The younger man grimaced, crawling out of his friend’s reach. “Sounds like a good night.”

“For me at least.” The first man paused, retaking his seat by the fire and grabbing a sip from his beer bottle, before continuing his story; “Bitch ended up tryna’ run… bits of her brain are still decorating that section of the road from Spade.”

“Fuckin’ ‘Spade’...” One of their other companions, a woman with shaved hair and scars running down the side of her face which danced menacingly in the firelight, spat irritably. “What kind of dumb-ass name for a town is that?”

The other two shrugged quizzically until the leader of their group, who sat across the other side of the fire tilted his wide-brimmed hat back to look across at them and answered; “It’s pre-war.”

“Still dumb.” The woman scoffed, sipping her own beer.

“Not as dumb as a slave becoming a slaver.” The first gobbier man interjected, flashing her a wicked grin.

The woman shot him a glare; “The fuck you say?”

“You ‘eard.” He stated flatly, reaching for his machete as she crossed the distance between them and sneered down at him. “S’like you got that Stockton Syndrome that latin creep told us about when we brought the last shipment.”

“Ain’t got no fuckin’ syndrome!” She sneered aggressively, kicking dirt and sand at him.

“It’s called Stockholm Syndrome anyway….” The boss chuckled distantly, shaking his head with a frown in their direction. “...And you should both save your aggression for tomorrow. If Cleaver and Ratty are right about this caravan, there’ll be more than a few guards to take out.”

“We want ‘em alive though boss. Don’t wanna get short changed again by those latin creeps.”

“That’s why we’ve got Big Mike.” The boss smiled wickedly, turning away from the campfire towards the blown-out shell of an old building that stood nearby. “Mike! Stop tinkerin’ and come out here!”

There was a pause. A few moments later loud footsteps echoed from inside the ruin, until emerging from a hole in one of the walls, a man wearing a suit of pure steel emerged, encased entirely as he was in power-armor.

“Fuck that looks good!” The younger man let out, whistling appreciatively.

The armor had been modified and had so many parts missing or replaced it was impossible to tell which variant it had originally belonged to, spikes and scraps of iron and cloth jutted out at various points from the armor, making the man who wore it look even more menacing as he grinned down at his companions, fumbling with the helmet in his steel-wrapped hands.

“Soon as they see Big Mike… Those merchant fucks will drop to their knees and beg to be collared. I doubt we’ll even have to kill one.”

“They got many women, this caravan?” The first slaver asked, licking his lips as if anticipating a meal.

“Stop thinking with your balls Wayne or I’ll have Mike step on them.” The boss replied. “You can have your fun after we’ve collared them and are safely on our way to the Mega-Mall. Until then, you stay alert.”

“Fine…” The one called Wayne shot back.

Across from their camp, in the shadows of another blown-out building, Clarence Nash crept from his hiding spot, quietly repositioning himself and darting up the stairs to the floor above with the skill of a man who was used to moving in silence.

“You see that?” He whispered to Leon,who crouched by a window overlooking the slaver camp.

Leon turned and nodded in response, a frown creasing his brow.

“So are we not gonna’ kill them?”” Ellie, who crouched next to Leon asked curiously.

“Not now. We’ll wait till we’re on our own terms.” Clarence muttered.

“She wanted to shoot ‘em when they were fuckin’ about on the floor.” Leon whispered, gesturing to Ellie with a disapproving shake of his head.

Clarence smirked, though when he look at his daughter it was with an emotionless gaze; “Then what would we have done when old Big Mike had come runnin’ out in his power armor?”

Ellie shrugged.

“See, when you’re out hunting in the wastes, there’s more to be gained from anticipating the moves of your quarry.” Clarence instructed quietly. “Fortunately for us, our quarry has just told us what those moves will be.”

“Still gonna’ have to fight the big guy one way or another.” Ellie whispered back defensively.

“Yes but because we anticipated what our quarry was up to, we knew that before we set off… And Leon brought dynamite.” Clarence’s eyes flashed. Ellie couldn’t be sure if it was the first time she’d ever seen her father look excited or not.

“We should pull out, make our own camp downwind and get a few hours rest before preppin’ our ambush.” Leon muttered.

“So we are gonna’ kill them?” Ellie asked, keeping her own excitement from sounding in her voice.

“Yes.” Clarence replied, turning to quietly move back down the stairs, though he looked over his shoulders as he added; “On our own terms."