#falloutpnp
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Session 23
The following takes place shortly after Curt, Kassie and Sonny’s assault on Charles’ henchmen (refer to Session 21)
An hour has passed since Charles left Skitters, Ploom and Oak for the Three Dragons HQ. In that time, the raider co-leader has inspected the facilities and is rather pleased to see the progress Sybil has made. The building is close to being completely outfitted to defend against an attack from The Wasps and the clan has received support from former rivals to band together against this threat.
As Charles and Sybil discuss their next steps, the gates granting access to the HQ are hurriedly opened, allowing for an injured Skitters to drive through. The raider bodyguard is distraught at the loss of Ploom and Oak but eventually calms himself enough to explain their encounter with Sonny, Curt and Kassie. A furious Sybil demands revenge against Charles’ two mercenary comrades. Before he can make a decision, however, raider guards arrive to inform Charles and Sybil that a wounded man has arrived at the gates. Furthermore, the man claims to be responsible for killing Oak and Ploom and demands to speak with the clan’s leaders.
Knowing that Sybil will not be able to contain her rage, he orders her to stay back while he speaks with Sonny. The furious raider leader complies, saying she will stand back a fair distance.
With the wind howling through the re-fitted underground entrance, Charles cautiously approaches the gate and orders the drunken gunslinger to throw down his firearms. Sonny, weary from his severe injuries, complies, lazily throwing his revolver to the ground. Staring each other in the eye across the gated fence, Charles asks Sonny what it is exactly that he wants. Sonny retells the series of events which has led him here - his service in the NCR; the death of his family at the hands of Oak; his quest for revenge.
Charles remains silent.
Sonny asks what does he and Sybil stand for? Before Charles is able to give a credible answer, Sonny interrupts him to muse over concept of the cycle of bloodshed ever ending. Charles says words to the effect of “It’s in our nature to fight.” Sonny chuckles, saying that he has a way to end the cycle.
Sonny throws open his long duster coat to reveal he is wearing a bandolier rigged with explosives. Instinctively, Charles dives for cover just as the gunslinger hits the trigger on a concealed detonator. The bomb explodes, sending a volley of deadly shrapnel and a violent shockwave through the gate with enough force to destroy a large portion of the entrance. Though he has sustained several injuries, Charles is able to drag himself out of the rubble and look behind him at the damage Sonny has wrought.
The fortified entrance - which was nearing completion - is completely destroyed. A dozen or so raider corpses have been strewn about the place with several others injured. Sonny - or rather, what’s left of him - lies dead in a shallow crater.
A flustered and distraught Sybil rushes to Charles’ aid. When she sees that he is okay, she is enraged by the destruction Sonny has caused and demands Charles to resolve the issue, pinning the blame squarely on Curt and Kassie. Still thinking over the situation, Charles suddenly receives a call on his specially created radio - one thought to only be reachable by Sybil and his personal entourage. He is stunned to hear the voice of Major Maxwell on the other end of the line. The Major reveals he has known for a while about Charles’ dealings with raiders but chose to remain silent for as long as possible. Explaining that he can no longer keep quiet about Charles’ “operation” he offers to meet the raider leader and propose an amicable solution to their problem. Maxwell ends the communication, saying that he will await his reply…
Sybil asks Charles what he’ll do. Without missing a beat, Charles tells his wife that he will go to Phoenix and resolve the situation with diplomacy. Sybil is furious and demands Charles be a man and fix the problem with violence. The raider leader infuriates Sybil further when he asks if she is on her period, receiving a stern slap in retort.
A stunned silences befalls the raider base, which is only broken by the shuffling footsteps of the clan’s shaman elder. When the elderly man offers marriage counseling, Sybil threatens to banish Charles if he leaves to go to Phoenix. In an incredible display of arrogance, Charles flippantly tells Sybil to calm down, relax, do some drugs - whatever she needs to do to stop being a bitch. Sybil’s patience has reached her limits. The shaman elder, once again, offers to give marriage advice…
Winston, who has staired in wide eyed horror at the events which have unfolded before him, is snapped out of his rigid fear when Charles summons him to drive him back to Site 187. Sybil kicks debris in his direction, swearing bloody murder if their paths should ever cross again.
The pair travel to Site 187 in complete silence. Charles isn’t interested in discussing the matter with Winston. Likewise, the ebony driver believes his life would be much simpler if he kept his mouth shut…
When they arrive at their destination, they discover the place is completely quiet, save for one office overlooking part of the warehouse. Maxwell and Blythe have been awaiting their arrival for sometime. When Charles and Winston reach the offices, the Major tells them to take a seat. Blythe, who is clearly agitated, opens his briefcase and throws several photographs across the table. The dates on the photos reveal just how long the pair have known about Charles, Winston and The Three Dragons - dating as far back as Charles’ interactions with them “pre-marriage”. Maxwell gets straight to the point: in exchange for not handing the pair over to the NCR, Charles will ensure safe passage for Phoenix Corporation once they go ‘private’. Charles says he is fine with the principle but he wants more in more in return and proposes they make a ‘business deal’. Blythe objects. Maxwell says he is listening. Blythe, in a fit of disbelief, walks out of the meeting, claiming it’s the only thing giving him ‘plausible deniability’ should he be interrogated. Maxwell smirks.
The Major reveals details about ‘the machine’ hidden under Site 187. Believing it to be a weapon of some sort, Maxwell wants Charles and Winston to be involved with securing Dr Drexler. Charles is interested but wants two sentry turrets and two missile launches in return. He tells the Major to consider it as a ‘goodwill gesture’ for their future interactions. The pair parley for several minutes before reaching an agreement. Maxwell releases the weapons in return for Charles and Winston’s involvement with Operation Swift Breeze and for their cooperation in the future. Charles decides to return to his Raider HQ alone, telling Winston he has some things to work out with his wife…
Returning to HQ, Charles is greeted by his comrades with trepidation. Something is going on. He eventually finds Sybil with the Shaman, high as a kite. The Shaman spots Charles and invites him one more time for marriage counselling. Charles reluctantly accepts. Sybil - whose violent tendencies have been subdued by the copious amounts of jet she has inhaled - calmly explains that she feels Charles does not take their marriage and their family seriously. The Shaman, who is equally high as fuck, offers Charles a moment to talk. Charles agrees that his behaviour has been unacceptable and apologises. Furthermore, he reveals he has a surprise for Sybil.
The missile launchers and turrets are well received, so much so, that when Charles reveals he is going on another mission with the Phoenix Corporation, Sybil is too overwhelmed with euphoria to care…
Present time.
Please note that for the sake of continuity, the new character, Dash (played by Alex), has been with the mission all along…
With Sasha having bailed the plummeting aircraft, the rest of The Misfits are left to their own devices to survive. Hurtling towards the ground, Hobson struggles against all odds to wrestle the vertibird under his control. Finally, after an agonising moment of terror, the pilot skilfully manages to reduce crashing speed to 30 kmph. In the resulting crash, Curt and Winston suffer broken legs whilst Billy and Dash sustain broken arms. As The Misfits begin to pick themselves up, they discover that the wreckage has caught fire. More troubling, Lotta discovers that Hobson has been blinded and is trapped in his seat. With the fire raging around them, the robot is able to save Hobson’s life, pulling him from the wreckage.
As the team sighs a breath of relief, they begin to heal themselves with stimpaks. Dr Balint tends to the more severely wounded of the group, managing to heal Curt and Winston’s broken legs before tending to Hobson’s sight. Meanwhile, Charles attempts to heal Dash and Billy, and while he is successful at healing Billy’s broken arm, he is completely unable to help Dash. Jack, who is a talented bullshit artist, puts a cigarette in his mouth and decides to give healing ago himself. Against all odds, the silver tongued devil actually manages to critically heal Dash’s arm. Unfortunately though, Balint is completely unable to heal Hobson’s sight - the pilot requires extensive surgery with specialist equipment.
Although the group is shocked by Hobson’s condition, they must press on. Reade begins immediately scouting the area. The site they’ve crashed into is a wooded area on the outskirts of Oceanside. Dead husks of trees point skywards, twisted and deformed by the spoiled nutrients in the ground. A few meters away is the cracked and ruined remains of a road. As Reade looks out, she orders the Misfits to secure the perimeter while she and Schuster discuss their options.
Perhaps driven by his primal instinct, Charles decides to camouflage himself within the foliage and wait for the inevitable. Sure enough, the inevitable strikes… Lotta spots an ACU truck heading down the road towards their direction. Kurt and Cassie climb a tree and take over what could prove to be a devastating firing point, while Winston takes a proactive approach to dealing with the steadily spreading Vertibird fire… The rest of the team immediately dashes for cover and hides in ambush, awaiting their enemy to draw closer. As the ACU truck makes their approach, the team hold their breaths…
As the ACU soldiers pull up and pile out of their vehicle, they immediately spot Lotta and Jack. Unfortunately, a metal alloy body frame and a checkered suit make for poor camouflage…
The ACU soldiers immediately pull back and take cover behind their truck, laying down a barrage of suppressing fire on Lotta and Jack. In the ensuing exchange of gunfire, Jack is struck multiple times by laser fire, forcing Lotta to grab and drag him out of danger. Charles, who at this point had been carefully stalking his prey, is spotted by the enemy. He immediately takes the opposite side of the truck for cover as the rest of the undetected Misfits move in for the kill. Pandora manages to stealthily climb on top of the canvas laden ACU truck, with SMG in hand. At the same time an ACU soldier pulls the pin on a grenade…
Dash, simply put, is jinxed. Everyone who experiences a failure in combat - friend or foe - will experience a 50% chance of that failure becoming a critical failure. This curse is an important factor which plays into the unfolding events…
Charles drops to the floor and shoots at the soldiers’ feet, causing the enemy to fumble and drop the grenade they were holding. The explosive device detonates seconds after the trigger is released, crippling or outright killing several of the enemy. As Dash opens fire with his Solar Scorcher pistol, the ACU commander rushes out of cover in a valiant effort to eliminate Charles. He fails, critically, and the weapon explodes in his hands. He is utterly decimated by the intense rays of laser fire, emanating from Dash’s energy weapon.
Severely crippled and without a commander, the ACU soldiers begin to panic. Pandora fires her SMG from the vehicle rooftop, showering the enemy with a hail of 9mm. Following suit, Lotta opens fire with it’s SMG, peppering a soldier to the brink of death - only for Billy to kill steal and finish him off with a double barrel blast of shotgun fire (much to Lotta’s annoyance). As their ranks stagger, Kassie leaps down from the tree, Proton Axe in hand and carves out a vicious wound on an unsuspecting enemy soldier. Curt rains down M60 fire, providing enough support for Kassie to escape ACU retaliation.
At some point during the combat, Winston manages to prevent the vertibird wreckage from exploding, which could have dealt a devastating blow to the Misfits.
The remaining enemy soldier opens fire in an attempt to kill Kassie. He fails - critically - resulting in yet another weapon detonation. With his ears ringing loudly, Schuster finally puts him out of his misery with a well placed sniper round.
With the enemy destroyed, the Misfits immediately scavenge their bodies for weapons and ammunition, as an anxious Reade looks on into the distance, knowing that this is only the beginning…
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Working on some Vault 25 residents for my campaign.
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Session 15
The NCR and Misfit convoy thunder across the cold, dusty road of the Murder Mile with three bikers in hot pursuit. Having narrowly dodged the raider trap Reade and Cromwell order everyone under their command to attack the advancing menace. Peeking through his scope, Charles is able to confirm that the raiders are from The Roaches clan - the very clan Sybil warned him about previously. He immediately informs everyone that each biker has an armed passenger and to prepare for direct fire. Coming in fast to the left of the convoy, the three bikers move in to attack the NCR humvee Sasha is riding in. The ghoul defends his party by taking a well aimed shot at the bikers head. The raider biker’s head splits open, showering his passenger in tow with blood and brain matter. Before he is able to react, the bike handles suddenly jackknife and the blinded passenger is catapulted into the air. He lands face first onto his chin, shattering his neck instantly while his lifeless body rolls and stutters to a merciful stop. Sasha pumps his fist in spastic elation.
Having spotted the carnage out of the window of a filthy raider, Kassie is instilled with a sense of righteous vigilantism. She quickly measured up the dimensions of the trailer and, using some rope she’s borrowed from Lotta, plans to fashion the rope into a special rig that will allow her to securely traverse the side of the trailer and swing back and forth like a pendulum. She begins to tie the ropes but suddenly realises the complicated idea is a little out of scope…
Meanwhile, Charles takes aim and opens fire on another biker. The bullet from his sniper rifle sails through the air, driving through the rider’s right arm before puncturing his lung and slicing open his diaphragm. Choking in agony and unable to draw another breath, the biker collapses at the handles of his bike stone dead. Stricken with a flash of fear, his fellow raider is unable to comprehend what has happened before he - like his comrade before him - is flung through the air, landing on a cushion of pre-war rebar jutting out of a shattered concrete highway divider. The steele impales him with ease and his corpse is left motionless in the sharp breeze.
Having witness both of their comrades meet gruesome ends, the final biker makes a final hurrah towards the truck cab. Ducking and weaving out of fire, the bike daringly pulls up alongside the trailer and their plan finally swings into motion. The passenger pulls out a bizarre looking harpoon gun with a motorised winch. He fires it into the trailer and, in no time at all, reels himself in. Using all of his strength, the raider pulls himself up onto the trailer, draws two knives and lets out a bloody roar. Having witnessed the raider boarding, Kassie immediately abandons her circus rope act plan and climbs to the roof of the cab via the sunroof. She arrives just in time to see the raider enter into a stabbing frenzy with an NCR gunner who was manning the front facing machine gun. Kassie draws out her wakizashi blade and enters into a vicious battle with the raider. The mercenary parries his attack before landing a devastating torso slash on the raider. He stumbles back and examines his wound before letting out a rage filled scream.
Meanwhile, Reade pulls in a little closer to the payload, allowing for Pandora to carefully sit herself out of the van window. She struggles to safely position herself at first, but with a little effort and a lot of nerve, Pandora manages to lean over the roof of the van and land a shot on the enemy raider Kassie is fighting.
Unable to engage the wounded raider, Curt instead turns his attention to the biker who is still riding up beside them. Curt pivots his mounted chain gun, whirls the rotary cannon into life and lets rip a rapid torrent of bullets in the direction of the biker. The high rate of fire decimates the enemy biker, stripping the flesh from his body and shredding his bones into splinters.
Before Curt is able to celebrate, however, Winston suddenly slams the anchors on the truck cab, causing everyone on top of the trailer to stumble. The stabbed NCR gunner loses his footing and falls over the edge of the trailer. By a sheer miracle, he is able to grab onto the ledge at the last second and hold on for dear life.
Though he is battered, sliced and perforated by gunfire, the knife wielding raider is still able to put up a good fight against Kassie. The two continue to clash blades until Kassie artfully dodges a lunging strike and counters with her own. She sinks the blade of her short sword into the raider, right up to the hilt. The raider’s thunderous war cry is suddenly silenced as his face sparks with shock and surprise. As Kassie withdraws the blade, the raider turns as white as a sheet and pitcher back on his heel. He tumbles backwards with the life quickly ebbing from his body and ragdolls off the side of the trailer. The victory that elates Kassie is suddenly seized from her when she realises she’s made a horrifying mistake; the enemy raider’s corpse has landed on the NCR gunner. Despite holding on with all of his might, the soldier is weakened by his wound and succumbs to the weight of the fallen tyrant. They both crash to the ground before roller under the tyres and out of Kassie’s sight. In the midst of the hallowed silence that follows, Curt lets out a crass ‘nice!’ They both quickly shrug it off as Kassie goes to collect the dangling harpoon gun from the side of the trailer.
As she collects the raider weapon, Kassie spots a large and ominous cloud of dust gathers on the horizon. One by one, each member of the convoy spots its growing presence. Quickly, they begin to realise they’re in the eye of the storm. While Jack instinctively begins to talk to his magnum revolver, Charles takes practical action and decides to call his entourage to support him. Using the radio Sybil gave him earlier, Charles passes on his orders to the cheerful Ploom. She explains that they’re on their way. Before they hang up, Charles carefully explains that they must ONLY attack The Roaches. ‘Okay, chief!’ Ploom happily acknowledges. As he puts down the radio, unsure whether or not he’s made a wise choice, the presence in the dust cloud becomes clear: six more bikers flank three high spec hotrods as they speed across the Murder Mile. The enemy cluster quickly splits into several advancing columns and begin their assault.
The bikers break up into two groups of three and cut through the NCR/Misfit lines in a blaze of gunfire with both sides find themselves under a storm of bullets. Charles is able to take out a biker and passenger with a precise sniper shot and is confident he’ll be able to wipe out the others. However, one of the bikers immediately spots Charles as a threat and fires a barrage of UZI fire in his direction. Charles is horrifically riddled with the bullet storm and is rendered unconscious. He crumbles to the floor of the van and begins to bleed out. Balint immediately rushes to his side and performs life saving first aid. Having witnessed the brutal assault first hand, Reade winds down the driver’s side window and opens fire with her machine pistol. Pandora follows suit and also opens fire. Their combined firepower is enough to kill the enemy biker unit. Undeterred by the chaos surrounding him, Sasha carefully lands several critical hits on the biker party, leading to several fatalities.
In a desperate race to reach the truck, one of the biker units breaks away at breakneck speed towards the cab. The rider cocks a wrist mounted crossbow and takes aim at Cromwell. The NCR Major is caught off guard and is suddenly hit with a poison dart. The toxin courses through his veins at an alarming rate and he is immediately gripped with a furious fever. After several misses, Lotta finally lands a laser beam on the biker, ending his life instantly.
Suddenly, one of the NCR humvees is rocketed into the air after the driver fails to spot a pothole. The vehicle crashes to the ground and catches fire, roasting and survivors alive. Cromwell orders everyone to keep moving forward. The Roach hotrods seize the opportunity and advance on the convoy. They open fire on the remaining humvee (with Sasha inside) and on the Misfit’s van.
The biker’s numbers begin to dwindle as the Misfits continue to thwart their advances. Having been restored to life and pumped full of stimpaks, Charles awakens from his brush with death with vengeance in his heart. He takes up his post and, with a precisely aimed shot from his sniper rifle, causes a biker to fly head-over-heels, leading to a satisfyingly grotesque death; the raider lands on his face at high speeds, grinding his head to a stump.
Having been cautiously patient, Billy pokes his shotgun through one of the peepholes and delivers a double-barrelled blast to passing biker, instantly ending him in a haze of blood that coats the side of the van. This catches the attention of Curt who attempts to blow away another fast approaching bike. However, much to his dismay, the minigun suddenly critically fails and explodes in Curt’s face. The passenger on the bike uses the moment to scale the side of the trailer. Instead of charging at Curt of Kassie, he instead decides to rush towards the cab. Kassie tries to stab him, but the raider is able to skillfully dodge the advancing attack. With victory inches away, the raider draws his gun and prepares to take fire at Winston. Unfortunately for him, Lotta had heard the advancing footsteps and is waiting for him as he peeks through the sunroof. The robot fires a laser beam that pierces through his outreached hand and into his head.
In his weakened state, Cromwell calls through the halfway point: Checkpoint Charlie. He asks permission to enter the fort...
Having seen his fellow bikers die all around him, the final biker decides to make a daring jump onto the truck cab. The rider carefully balances on the bike, pulls in as close as possible and, with all the guts and moxie of a daredevil, dives through the air. Unfortunately, this completely backfires. Not only does he miss his intended target but he is thrown under the mighty truck wheels, crushing the life out of him in an instant. Having driven so closely to the rear of the trailer, the remaining NCR humvee is unable to react in time. The vehicle runs over the corpse and, in a moment of sheer panic, the driver frantically fights with the wheel to try and stabilise it. He fails and spins out, causing the armoured car to roll and leading to Sasha breaking a leg. Dazed and confused, the ghoul realises that the driver has been knocked out cold while the other passenger is flat out dead. The sound of the approaching hotrods grows louder…
Having witnessed Sasha’s humvee spin out, Curt equips his M60 and sets up the bi-pod. He knows that his weapon will have enough range to take out the advancing hotrods and perhaps buy everyone enough time to save Sasha. He takes aim at one of the hotrods and fires a devastating volley of light machine gun fire that peppers the exposed enemy engine. The hotrod explodes into a glorious eruption of fire and thick black smoke, killing everyone on board. He is about to take aim at the next vehicle when a peculiar scene unfolds before him. Charles’ radio blares into life, announcing that the ‘welcome wagon is here!’ Ploom, Oak and Skitters suddenly cuts through the line of traffic in a brazen and heart-stopping surprise attack. Roaring through at a stunning 160 kmph, their dune bun cuts in front of the hotrods and opens fire on both vehicles. The attack is brutal but does not lead to any fatalities. Having only figured out half of the plan, the trio now have to figure out a more impending problem; how to save themselves from crashing. Ploom, Oak and Skitters ramp over a sand dune, soar through the air and disappear into the Wastes…
Reade is stuck in a difficult position. After agonising for several minutes, the Staff Sergeant orders everyone to leave Sasha behind. She decides that the team will make sure the payload reaches the checkpoint and then go back to collect their comrade immediately after. The team is stunned by Reade’s decision. Cromwell once again contacts Checkpoint Charlie. A snooty voice replies, ordering the convoy to steer clear of the enemy raiders or face being mortared. The entire convoy pulls away, leaving Sasha behind. In the distance, the Misfits watch in horror as the raiders surround the humvee...
Sasha hears the Roaches’ approaching footsteps. One of them takes a peek in the vehicle and spots the ghoul. A wipe, toothy smirk spreads over the raider’s face as he orders Sasha to surrender. The ghoul reluctantly complies and the raiders yank him out of the wreckage. The rest of the Roaches open fire on the NCR soldiers while Sasha’s captor butts him with rifle, rendering the ghoul unconscious…
The large, metal gates of Checkpoint Charlie open, allowing passage for the convoy. The fort commander, NCR Major Costello, greets the Misfits in a patronising manner. Spotting he is sick, Costello orders his men to give Cromwell immediate treatment. Reade quickly asks Costello for permission to assemble a small team to rescue Sasha. Despite her pleads, Costello denies the request and comments that he refuses to risk his men or career to rescue a single mercenary. Reade implores Costello again, explaining that there are two NCR soldiers with Sasha that also need saving. The NCR Major coldly rationalises that “A mercenary died while seeking his fortune and two NCR soldiers died valiantly in the line of duty. That’s how history will recognise this event. End of discussion.” Reade is devastated as Costello takes his leave.
The Misfits take a moment to look at their surroundings. Checkpoint Charlie is a maximum security fortification carved into the side of a large valley. Once upon a time, the fort was a civilian settlement that was a major trading post. However, after the Murder Mile was constructed by the NCR, the settlement came under constant raider attack. The NCR stepped in and converted the settlement into Checkpoint Charlie. Although they are safer, the local people live under strict military conditions. The Mistfits wonder if a similar fate as befallen the town of Tulsa...
Time passes and an assistant to the NCR Major meets with Reade and Pandora. She informs them both that things are not looking good for Cromwell. They quickly head to the infirmary as Charles decides to make a call in secret. He manages to reach Ploom who explains that their vehicle crashed after they made their daring attack. She explains that she has set up bombs in the surrounding perimeter while Oak and Skitters repair the buggy. Charles face palms. After gathering himself for a moment, Charles orders his goons to search for Sasha as soon as they have finished. They acknowledge his order.
Night falls. Costello is waiting outside Cromwell’s room when he spots Reade and Pandora. He bluntly tells them that Cromwell won’t make it through the night. The venom has worked it’s way through his body. Although he is blunt, the Major is somewhat remorseful and allows them both to see Cromwell. The barrel-chested and courageous Cromwell has been reduced to a feverish, feeble shadow of his former self. He weakly smiles and apologises for his state. Cromwell explains that the original plan is for the team to rest for the night and deliver the payload by 12:00 the next day. He apologises again and tells Reade that she must complete the mission. The dying Major then tells Reade the truth about the mission.
One month ago, President Kimball’s son-in-law - an NCR civil servant - was ambushed and kidnapped by a raider clan known as The Wasps. After many negotiations, it was agreed that the NCR would release ten Wasp prisoners in exchange for Kimballs son-in-law. The payload contains said prisoners. Reade promises Cromwell that they’ll carry out the mission, much to his relief.
Cromwell warns Reade and Pandora that Costello is a career soldier - he will only do the bare minimum to help them. They should not expect much help from him. Cromwell laments that he lost of many good men through his years as a soldier, though he is proud to have severed the people of California. Pandora asks if he has any final words. After a moment’s pause, Cromwell says that he hopes he’ll be remembered as a brave soldier. Shortly after, they take their leave.
As they walk through the infirmary, Reade collapses into a chair and buries her face into her hands. She asks Pandora if she did the right thing. She pauses and simply tells Reade she did what she thought was right and that they’ll go back for Sasha, regardless of what she says. Reade tells Pandora that there may come a time when she is put in a similar position. One day, Pandora will have to choose to either sacrifice the mission or a comrade, remarking that “It isn’t easy.” Pandora profoundly states that, when the day comes, she’ll do both. The Staff Sergeant tells her second in command that they’ll see what happens when that day comes. She then takes her leave, saying that she needs to speak with Costello. Pandora stands silently in the infirmary corridor, watching as her superior leaves sullenly.
Hours later, Sasha awakens in a warm, humid boiler room. He finds himself tied to a rusted pipe, unable to escape the sound of echoing jeering in the distance. His feeble mind prevents him from initially realising a curiosity; his broken leg has been completely healed. Sasha’s reeling confusion is suddenly halted when he hears the sound of approaching, heavy footsteps. Flanked by two raiders, a large and physically imposing man stands before Sasha. The large man - who dwarves his lackeys and can only be described as a mountain of muscle wrapped in leather and metallic bracings - looks over the ghoul with fascinating admiration as he asks if he is one of the ‘brave warriors’ the Roaches fought against. After the two smaller raiders confirm this, the large man demands Sasha reveal his name. The ghoul responds by spitting on his captor’s boot. Although the large man is disapproving of Sasha’s behaviour, he appears to have some sort of respect for him. He explains to the ghoul that he will be used as bait to draw out his comrades, adding that he wishes to engage them in combat himself. The large man then issues an order to ‘launch the war rig.’ The echoing jeers and shouting suddenly ceases and is replaced with the beating of hurried footsteps and orderings of a well trained army. The room around Sasha begins to shudder into life as the large man looms over him, promising that The Roaches will fight The Misfits on the battlefield of the Murder Mile.
Although he is a simple man, Sasha is able to come to a gut wrenching realisation: the large bulk of metal and machinery surrounding him is the War Rig itself.
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Session 14
Immediately curious of Charles’ mocking chortle, Pandora is about to make her way towards the HQ lobby before she is abruptly accosted by Sgt Reade. The sergeant begins to fervently dust off and pat down an increasingly confused Pandora. Before she is able to ask what is happening, Reade tells the private to march over to Major Maxwell. The two mercenaries march over to the Major, who is accompanied by Cpl Hobson. Maxwell congratulates both of the Misfits for their effort and gallantry during the last mission. He promotes Reade to Staff Sergeant and Pandora to Lance Corporal. They both receive new rank badges and pay rises. Maxwell informs Pandora that she will be considered as the 2IC (second in command) for The Misfit unit and that he expects many things from her. Pandora says she is happy to serve and will not let him down. The Major gives Pandora a plague with her new rank and orders her to put it on her locker in the sleeping barracks. The LCpl is hesitant at first as she wants to watch the drama unfold in the lobby. Maxwell firmly orders her to take care of it again. As she begrudgingly leaves, Maxwell congratulates her again. Pandora enters the HQ via the courtyard rear entrance and catches a glimpse of Molly Hull and Jack’s supposed child. She walks upstairs and eavesdrops the tail end of the conversation...
As Molly repeats her claim, Charles lets out another mocking snort of laughter. An enraged Jack loses his temper and takes a swing at Charles. The punch swings wide and its intended target lets out another snicker. Molly instinctively shields her child’s gaze away from the violence, appalled by Jack’s behaviour in front of their child. His ego bruised, Jack takes Molly and the child into the mess hall for a private conversation.
Aside from a rundown drinks and food vending machine humming loudly, the mess hall is deserted of any distractions. Molly explains that she and Jack had a wild swing back in New Vegas. She shares intimate details of an alcohol fueled night of passion and adventure, wherein Jack took her around the best casinos, restaurant and bars the strip had to offer. She learned about his music, tastes in culture and many other private details that, seemingly, only she and Jack are aware of. However, she fell pregnant with Rebecca just as Jack skipped town during the fall of Mr House. A doe eyed Molly asks Jack why did he leave New Vegas? Overwhelmed with this stunning revelation, Jack tries to explain that he was forced to leave due to the sudden changes in New Vegas. Molly dismisses his explanation and says that, whatever the reasons, Rebecca is their responsibility now. Jack is surprisingly sympathetic to her pleas and agrees to help take responsibility for their family. He then proposes that she and Rebecca move into Phoenix Corporation. Initially stunned, Molly laughs off what she assumes to be some sort of twisted joke and tells Jack that a mercenary head quarters is no place to raise a child. In the midst of their argument, Molly suddenly demands 1000 caps in alimony.
As if on cue, Mr Blythe suddenly walks into the mess hall. Armed with a metallic NCR canteen tray clutched in his hands, the civil servant is about to prepare a meal when is spots the ongoing argument. He is about to apologise for interrupting and leave when Jack immediately seizes Blythe and pulls him aside. Jack partially explains the situation and asks if Rebecca, at least, can move in. Blythe refuses, explaining that Phoenix HQ is not a kindergarten. In a stunning display paternal negligence, Jack argues that Rebecca’s small hands would be perfect for reaching into dangerous machinery to fix them. Blythe grabs Jack by the nape of the neck and asks if he is insane. Jack reluctantly concedes, somewhat, to Blythe’s objection to his idea. He then points out that Molly is demanding 1000 caps. Although Blythe is suspicious of Molly’s requisition, he does highlight that if Jack doesn’t pay up, it could cause trouble for him further down the line. Nevertheless, Blythe reassures Jack that he has a plan. In order to determine that Jack is indeed the father, Blythe asks if Molly and Rebecca are willing to take a blood test. Without hesitation, Molly says yes. Happy with her answer, the civil servant announces that they can do the test immediately. Jack catches a glimpse of Molly somewhat faltering for a moment. She regains her composure and says ‘okay, good.’
Moments earlier, Pandora reaches the tops of the stairs and catches a glimpse of Ruth McPherson tinkering with something as she passes by the doctor’s office. Pandora doesn’t stop to say hello, partially because of her orders but mainly because she wants to overhear the drama unfold downstairs. After placing the plague on her locker door in the sleeping barracks, Pandora realises that a cold draft is wafting through a wide openen window. She is caught by surprise when she notices a man precariously sitting in the window frame. The man, who shares a striking resemblance to Pandora herself, introduces himself as Hesiod - her brother. He removes the black glove to reveal a robotic like arm, telling her that she has no reason to be alarmed. In a further shocking twist, it is revealed that Pandora has been a synthetic all along. Hesiod then asks if she remembers anything about her past. She hesitates for a moment before saying that she remembers working on a farm.
Hesiod comments that this is interesting and that he believes the ‘Pithos’ program has not fully awakened her yet. Pandora begins to rattle of several demanding questions, prompting Hesiod to begin to cryptically unravel her past. He explains that, to date, there have been multiple Pandoras created; she is the 13th in the series and was the most gifted of them all. Hesiod was created to fulfill a purpose for their father, the one who created them. However, Pandora was intercepted by Coursers from the Institute in Boston. In their underground facility, Pandora underwent reprogramming and was due to be decommissioned before Hesiod was able to save her. In order to undo the reprogramming, Hesiod installed something called the Pithos program. It would be a slow process but it would eventually restore her back to normal. However, Pandora escaped during a heavy firefight between Hesiod and Institute Coursers, disappearing into the wastelands. After years of searching, Hesiod was able to find Pandora’s whereabouts after her blood test results were uploaded to the NCR network. Although the information was secure, he managed to discover a lead on it during his travels. In an effort to secure her extraction, Hesiod broke into Phoenix HQ and destroyed the blood testing equipment and samples before hiding in wait for Pandora’s arrival.
Just as he is about to go into more details, Pandora’s synthetic brother suddenly falls silent. He mutters ‘no witnesses’ under his breath, immediately draws a large calibre pistol and seemingly opens fire at a random door which is slightly ajar. There is a sharp groan that escapes the mouth of Ruth McPherson as she collapses through the doorway - a severe gunshot wound to the abdomen marking her body. Rocked with horror, Pandora instinctively draws her gun on Hesiod and tells him to stop. Hesiod says that nobody else has to die if she follows him.
The gunshot echoes throughout the building. With the exception of Molly and Rebecca, everyone immediately runs upstairs. Blythe tells Molly to wait in the Mess Hall before he too decides to check on the commotion. Maxwell is the first to arrive on the scene. He immediately spots Ruth’s motionless body on the floor and pulls his gun on Hesiod, demanding him to drop his weapon and step forward with his hands up. Lotta soon arrives and is shocked to spot Hesiod’s cybernetic arm. When the robot spots Ruth’s body, it shrugs it off as one of those things that happens from time-to-time. The others arrives on the scene, Hesiod begins to increasingly feel out numbered. With his gun still trained on Ruth, the synth looks at Pandora and declares that she does not belong with humans. He then suddenly jumps from the window perch and falls to the ground like a lead brick.
Landing on his feet and leaving a small creator in his descent, Hesiod immediately sprints through the streets, heading towards an alleyway. Charles immediately rushes to the window, takes aim and fires a shot. The rounds smashes into Hesiod’s side, causing him to stagger. He quickly regains his footing and continues to run into a nearby alleyway. Without asking for permission, Charles races through the building in pursuit of his target. At the same time, Balint immediately sedates Ruth and provides vital first aid. After stabilizing her, Maxwell orders Balint to take Ruth to surgery and assist Dr Sawbones with the procedure. Balint carries out his orders, however, just before Ruth passes out, she mutters ‘not human’ under her breath. Balint is surprised by her words and immediately becomes suspicious. The Major then orders everyone to search the building for any more intruders. When everyone leaves the room, Maxwell immediately approaches Pandora and tells her to start explaining herself. Fully aware that everyone saw Hesiod’s robotic arm, Maxwell grumbles “I thought you wouldn’t cause us any trouble?”. Pandora retorts that “I thought you would keep my secret.” Maxwell is taken aback “We did. We hid all foreign elements in your blood sample from the NCR with heavily encrypted files. We buried your paperwork under so much red tape that it would take years before anyone even got slightly suspicious.” Pandora laments that they did not encrypt it enough, apparently. She then goes on to explain who Hesiod is and the nature of their encounter. Maxwell is stunned into silence. With his temper quenched, Maxwell ponders aloud, saying that he fears that whoever managed to hack the NCR system would have to be more technologically advanced than the ACU or even the Enclave… The Major then promises that he will improve security around HQ before reassuring Pandora that the Phoenix Corporation cannot afford to lose her and that he considers her to be an invaluable asset. Pandora appreciates it. Shortly after, the rest of the team reports that their search of the building has turned up nothing else...
Charles follows the trail of blood leading towards a secluded and dark alleyway, flanked by tall building either side and lined with cluttered debris and garbage. Eventually, the trail leads to dead end, punctuated with a large pool of blood. The pool of blood is covered with a dense piece of garbage and dust surrounding the area seems to have lifted itself recently. Judging by the way the android was moving, Charles surmises that Hesiod must have leapt into the air and scaled the large concrete wall that seals the end of the alleyway. Realising there is no way to scale the wall himself, the sniper decides to investigate the large pool of blood in the hopes of taking some samples back to the lab. He lifts the garbage and is greeted with the sight of a small, blood stained block of metal. It suddenly lights up and begins to whir and beep into life. Sensing danger, Charles dives out of the way moments before the strange devices explodes. Hot shards of shrapnel pepper his body, but through sheer luck, the damage is minimized by his fast reactions and Charles is able to walk away with no life threatening injuries. Bitterly, the schizophrenic mutters threats of revenge against Hesiod as he exits the alleyway.
Charles’ thoughts of bloody vengeance are cut short when Pandora unexpectedly radios for a status update. He ignores the voice of concern several times and frustratedly pulls out the ear piece. In a petulant fit of rage, he decides to visit Sybil so that he can perhaps take his anger out on his newly assembled underlings. He quickly changes his mind mind when he spots a familiar face: the local weapons vendor is setting out his wares and, this time, is accompanied by an unfamiliar companion. Charles finally answers Pandora’s incessant pestering to simply inform her that the weapons trader has arrived and to get everyone outside. He brushes off Hesiod’s escape as a ‘thing that happened’.
Back at HQ, Dr Balint and Dr Sawbones has successfully completed Ruth’s operation. With the scientist now in a stable condition, Maxwell enters the recovery room to ask for a status report. After explaining that she’ll be okay, Balint slyly tells Maxwell Ruth’s last words in the hopes that he can prise some answers from the Major. Maxwell hesitates for a moment and lies, saying he speculates she was talking about Hesiod. Not buying his lie, Balint flat out tells him ‘Maxwell, I don’t trust you right now.’ The Major pauses for a moment before smirking. “You did well to save Ruth - someone who is a clone; someone who isn’t human.” Maxwell says, looking directly into Balint’s eyes. “It’s good that you have the capacity to be so caring to a non-human. I expect great things from you, Dr Balint.” Maxwell walks away, closing the doors behind him.
At the same time these events are unfolding, Jack and Molly attempt to talk things over again. Blythe reenters the Mess Hall to explain the blood testing equipment has been destroyed - they won’t be able to immediately determine the truth. A confident Molly steps forward and demands to invoke her ‘Chapter 7’ rights. Blythe mutters a distressing ‘oh dear’ from under his breath. He pulls Jack aside to have a serious conversation.
The civil servant explains to a puzzled Jack that the legislation Molly is throwing up in the air is something known as ‘Chapter 7 of the Peterson Reform’; The Peterson Reform is a set of civil rights former President Peterson created to help ensure the underprivileged were looked after. This includes rights of children abandoned by 1 or both parents. Jack must pay 1000 caps now or he may be challenged by court. If he’s found guilty, Jack could face stiff fines or even prison time. Jack immediately says he doesn’t have the money. Blythe informs him that his pay check just came through. After a period of huffing and puffing, Jack tries to bargain for his debt to be written off as a business expense. Blythe replied ‘Absolutely no.’ Jack them attempts to bribe the civil servant. Blythe loses it: ‘You absolutely did not just try to bribe an NCR official, did you?!’ Jack finally caves in and pays Molly 1000 caps. A pleased Molly reassures Jack that he is doing the right thing. She then asks him to meet her at the Stealer’s Wheel - a nearby bar just around the block - explaining that they should talk about their future. She then takes her leave with Rebecca, leaving behind a sad, confused and angry Jack.
A sullen silence befalls the lobby as the mother and daughter exit.
Oblivious to the events that have unfolded, a jaunty Cpl Hobson whistles cheerfully in blissful ignorance. He is cut short when he hears the crisp sound of a newspaper folding. Kassie (Luke) - a lone wanderer with a chip on her shoulder that only hunting slavers and raiders can fill - has silently bore witness the morning’s unusual events. Having embarrassingly forgotten the new recruit’s arrival, Hobson awkwardly tells her to patrol the area and… make herself at home. Kassie places the newspaper down on the coffee table and decides to occupy some other space. Charles soon radios through to everyone to meet outside near the weapons vendor, explaining that he has a good idea to make a good deal. A disheartened Jack decides to tag along in the hopes that he’ll be able to recoup his losses. As the majority of The Misfits begin to shuffle outside, Kassie decides to join them to gauge the team’s personality.
Having cleared the HQ as ordered with a large amount of disinterest, Lotta is about to join the others when it is confronted by an anxious looking Pandora. The LCpl decides to reveal her secret to the robot and asks the machine for help. Although Lotta is initially taken aback, the robot becomes sympathetic to Pandora’s plight and agrees to help. The synthetic requests Lotta to jack into her data port and try to investigate the mysterious Pithos program. Lotta makes a robo-sexual joke in a lighthearted attempt to lighten the mood, much to Pandora’s amusement. They soon find a quiet room and Lotta is able to connect through Pandora’s interface. The robot is greeted by a simple PithOS loading UI. Lotta attempts to override the system but ultimately fails and is rejected. Although her concerns have not been eased, Pandora thanks Lotta for trying anyway.
Meanwhile, Charles’ fantastic plan to get a good deal with the weapons trader involves using Jack’s silver tongue and Curt’s menacing presence to rob the men. Not wanting to feel left out, Sasha decides to pull his dick out. The trader and his friend - a meek looking man covered in bandages who is a master at weapon modifications - are absolutely shocked and appalled by their behaviour. A tense argument erupts between both parties and despite the fact that the traders are indeed frightened, they dig in their heels and tell all of the Misfits that they have killed monsters in the wastelands to sell these goods. They are prepared to die to protect their wares. The trader also reminds them that they’ve made excellent business with them before and their behaviour is completely abhorrent. Sasha contemplates pissing on his stand. He also adds that if they do decide to follow through on their threats and murder them - something Jack alludes to multiple times - the NCR will mark all of them for dead. Jack scoffs. Sasha arms his penis.
Having heard the commotion outside, Pandora and Lotta head towards the crowd and immediately cool down the heated arguments - much to the trader’s relief. Although she is no masterful talker, Pandora - through a sheer miracle - is able to negotiate a decent price on a ton of weapons, ammo and armour. Satisfied that they can make a good profit and walk away with their lives intact, the traders serve Pandora. Overcoming incredible odds, everyone walks away happy.
Happy with his purchase and his first pay package, Curt decides he’ll take a wander over to The Stealer’s Wheel for a stiff drink. As he enters the converted pre-war diner, he spots Molly talking to two gentlemen. Despite the intriguing situation, Curt shrugs his shoulders and heads towards the bar. The large, balding barman looks Curt over as he orders a whiskey. Unfamiliar with the man, the proprietor pours out a drink and asks for 50 caps. Curt takes a look at the small drink, then back at the barman and bluntly tells him to try again. The barman sternly tells Curt that the price has risen to 60 caps. Unimpressed, Curt places his newly purchased M60 onto the bar table and remains silent. 55 caps. Curt wracks a round, priming the gun for firing. 50 caps. The Misfit drops 50 caps on the table and enjoys his drink.
Unable to keep his idle hands to himself, Winston decides to have a go at repairing the complex looking blood testing machine. Despite its elaborate configuration, the mechanic proves his skills and repairs the machine flawlessly. Although a scientist would need to calibrate it, the machine is in working order. Pleased with his efforts, Winston decides to inform the Major. He confidently strides into Maxwell’s office - a fairly well kept room, perfect for discussing jobs with clients - and discovers he is surrounded by documents and complicated paperwork. An exasperated Maxwell lifts his head about the mountain of charters and legal papers to give the briefest of thank yous. Winston gets the message and takes his leave.
Tripping over his guilt, Jack finally summons the courage to visit Molly at The Stealer’s Wheel. He spots Curt exiting the building and gives him a sheepish hello before cautiously opening the heavy bar door. A bell tinkles overhead, signalling the beginning of something… special. Molly is sitting on her own in a booth, peacefully reading a book when she spots Jack making his way across the bar. She explains that Rebecca is up in her room, taking a nap. After making a passing comment that the bar is no place to raise a child, Molly signifies that she wants to talk about the future of their relationship. Although she is serious, she playfully flirts with Jack in the hopes of reigniting a spark between them. Jack agrees that they need to do what’s best of Rebecca. He is suddenly interrupted by the arrival of Mr Blythe, who marches towards their booth with driven purpose. He plonks his suitcase abruptly onto their table, raising the ire of Molly who is, needless to say, unimpressed. As she begins to protest, Blythe sits beside her, carefully unlocks the latches of his leather bound briefcase before opening it fully and exposing the contents to Molly. Her eyes widen with shock and she is stunned into silence. Blythe closes the case and begins to unravel the shocking truth: the woman sat opposite Jack is none other than Marion White - a professional con artist. Blythe was suspicious of Molly’s claim and did some research. He discovered that Molly Hull has been dead for 5 years. Furthermore, Marion White has been hired by Dosberg and Pat; two of Jack’s enemies who wish to settle a dispute over a matter of 1000 caps and a pre-war holotape. Dosberg and Pat are actually sat at the opposite end of the bar and promptly spit out their drinks. They take a glance over at Blythe and are about to make a move when two NCR MPs move into the doorway. The military police officers immediately escorte the two off the premises. Realising the jig is up, Marion pays the majority of the 1000 caps she took, saying that she spent some on lunch. Shocked - perhaps even a little impressed - Jack tells Marion that he can respect the con. Blythe, now standing in the doorway holding the door open, announces ‘Your chariot awaits, Ms White.’ Marion pauses and, looking mournfully over her shoulder, asks Jack if there is any chance he can get her off the hook.
Jack says ‘nah.’
As they watch Marion as she is carted off, Jack counts his money and comments that he is missing 30 caps. Blythe amusingly says that he thinks he can write it off as a business lunch, much to Jack’s mirth and appreciation. He then asks about Rebecca. Blythe explains that Rebecca was a street orphan who is now residing in an NCR orphanage. The civil servant apologises to Jack, commenting that he had to follow through on his responsibilities. He sincerely hopes that he has righted Jack’s situation. Jack forgives him and the pair make their way back to Phoenix HQ.
In the twilight hours of the day, as the darkness makes its encroachment, Charles and Winston take a drive to meet Sybil. They find her at the usual meeting point, alongside her entourage of Skitters, Oak and Ploom. She gives a status update on the raider front and draws Charles’ attention to The Wasps; the clan is quickly wasting the smaller clans, one by one. The situation is causing a real stink amongst the remaining clans. Charles says that it might be an opportunity to strengthen the Three Dragons. Sybil agrees and gives him several options:
Attack the smaller clans (costs ammo and lives but will gain more resources)
Attack the local tribes and force them to join (costs ammo, lives and karma but will gain more fighters)
Make offerings to tribes (costs resources - possibly lives - but will gain karma and more fighters)
Attempt to make peace with rival clans (will cost resources and potentially lives if deal goes sour. However, there is potential to gain massive resources and good karma)
Charles decides to press Sybil to push for peace. Although she is sure that it’ll cost lives and many resources, she doesn’t hesitate to say that she’ll try. Sybil does say, however, that there is one clan they won’t be able to make peace with: The Roaches. The Three Dragons and The Roaches have had a blood feud which has lasted years. Again, Charles pressures her to try anyway. Changing topic, Sybil anxiously asks why Charles did not take his personal team with him; she heard about his dangerous exploits in Wessex and was very concerned for him. A bemused Charles asks Sybil “How did you expect me to call them?” A jittery Skitters apologises for his clumsiness; in the haze of Charles’ last visit to The Three Dragons, he forgot to give him a specialised radio. Much to her annoyance, she snatches it from Skitters and hands it over to Charles. He nonchalantly pockets the bulky device and comments that he’ll use it when he feels like it. At this point, the towering hulk of muscle known as Oak steps forward and berates Charles bluntly. “I don’t think you understand. You are our leader. It is your responsibility to stay alive and lead us to glory. We are here to die for you.” He grunts. Despite being physically smaller than Oak, Charles steps forward and stabs a finger in his direction, telling him to stand down. In a display of concern, Sybil cuts Charles off and says that she agrees with Oak. This prompts the playful female raider, Ploom, to chime in. Charles finally throws his hands in the air and agrees to - what he sees as - their petulant whining.
Switching back to business, Charles inquires about the jet situation. Sybil is pretty hopeful, explaining that they’re doing okay; only two clan members committed suicide. Even she is finding it tough to kick the habit but she is coping okay. Satisfied, Charles reminds Sybil to reward the soldiers carefully.
Having concluded their discussions, Charles and Sybil part on a kiss. The Californian evening finally creeps over the land.
A couple days pass with little events. The Misfits are enjoying some well earned R&R; Hobson is busy going through a stock check; Schuster, Auden and Doctor McPherson are recuperating well; Blythe is preparing for future audits and the Major is chasing some potential clients. It isn’t long though before the PA systems blare into life, calling for The Misfits to attend theatre for a briefing.
The lights dim in small, smokey auditorium as everyone takes a seat. A projector shines a light on their next mission: Operation Special Delivery. The Misfits are tasked with assisting the NCR in the delivery of cargo in transit to a remote settlement towards the east of California. The convoy consists of several armoured NCR vehicles and a truck cab with trailer. The trailer contains the precious payload which they must protect at all costs. The NCR Major leading the mission - a barrel chested, no nonsense man by the name of Cromwell - warns the Misfits that the journey will be perilous as they will be taking a route known as The Murder Mile. The Murder Mile is a long stretch of post-war road loading out into the east of California. The NCR had once hoped it would allow for smoother trading routes throughout the state. Unfortunately, it quickly fell into raider hands and has become synonymous for its high mortality rate. Major Cromwell also stresses that the mission came directly from President Kimball himself and is, therefore, of the utmost importance.
Well aware of their constant lack of critical resources, Major Maxwell informs the Misfits that their personal vehicle has been retrofitted with additional armour, peepholes and a top turret. They are more than capable of riding alongside the NCR for this mission. He then opens the floor to questions.
Lotta immediately asks what the payload contains. Cromwell tells the robot that it’s classified top secret. Concerned, Lotta asks if the payload is explosive or dangerous in anyway. Again, the NCR Major tells the robot that it is classified. Winston charismatically announces that he will be driving the cab truck hauling the precious cargo. Cromwell bewilderedly looks at Winston, then back at Maxwell who shrugs and replies “He’s a good driver.” The NCR Major begrudgingly agrees on the condition that he sits shotgun next to Winston. Wanting a piece of the action, Curt volunteers to sit on the trailer’s machine gun turret. Soon after, Lotta and Kassie informs the team that they’ll be sitting in the rear passenger seats inside the cab. Wanting to help keep a good spread of team mates across the convoy, Sasha decides to ride with one of the supporting NCR humvees while the rest of The Misfits will travel in the van. Being the most experienced driver, Reade will take the wheel. With the minutiae taken care of and accounted for, Cromwell orders the team to meet the convoy at the edge of town in two hours time.
As the group gathers their equipment and essential belongings, Balint and Pandora check on Ruth separately. Both the doctor and the synthetic are unaware of each other’s suspicions when they meet Ruth. Though they are both relieved that Ruth is doing well, they are anxious to find out what the injured scientist knows about Hesiod’s and Pandora’s conversation. To the relieve of Pandora and the frustration of Balint, Ruth’s memory of the event is hazy and she is unable to remember exactly what happened moments before and after she was shot. The two Misfits say their farewells before heading off to their mission, unaware that they are chasing each other in search of the truth…
After assembling their gear, The Misfits travel to the edge of town and meet Cromwell. The NCR Major is busy issuing a brief to his subordinates. The men snap a crisp salute before heading to their designated vehicles; two armoured humvees, a two man scout buddy and a large 4-seater truck cab hooked upto a heavily armoured trailer. When Cromwell asks Winston if he is definitely up to the challenge, the driver cracks a crass joke about having taken some drugs to help calm his nerves. Winston then tries to reassure a horrified Cromwell that he was joking; he never takes drugs while driving. He only drinks and drives. SSgt Reade tells Winston to cut it out immediately. After a brief recap of the mission objective, including an overview of the route they’ll take, the unit set off on their fateful journey.
Twenty minutes into the drive, the unit eventually reaches the start of the Murder Mile without incident. In an attempt to ease some tension, Cromwell attempts to make some small chat with Winston - even going so far as to crack a lighthearted joke. Winston deadpans, saying that he doesn’t like to joke around while driving. The NCR Major mentions he’s disappointed and is about to go into rambling stories of days-gone-past when he is suddenly cut off mid-sentence. The scout vehicle - only a hundred meters ahead of the party - suddenly flips into the air. Cromwell immediately recognises that they’ve fallen into a raider trap: the enemy has created a heavy duty trip wire made from chains which has catapulted the speeding vehicle into the air. The dune buggy lands on a hidden bed of rusty, jagged metal, instantly killing the two passengers. Cromwell immediately shouts at Winston to pull hard right. Despite the sudden shock of the attack, Winston successfully navigates the heavy vehicle around trap. The driver checks his mirrors and recoils at the horror unfolding behind them. Coming from the right, a large convoy of enemy bikers launch themselves over a sand dune and races towards them at menacing speeds.
The Misfits take a deep breath before heading into the breach...
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Session 13
GM Note: Here comes a new player! For the sake of continuity, the character of Curt (Jakob) has been with the party since the beginning.
Reade’s radio crackles to life as Pandora informs the Sergeant of Auden’s well being, much to her relief. Their elation is suddenly grounds when Pandora remembers the ACU soldier she had previous… crippled. Reade orders Billy and Curt to check in on the enemy and, if necessary, put him down. The Sergeant also orders Balint to prepare to follow her en route to Auden’s location.
Outside, in cold darkness, Winston tinkers around with Lotta’s remains. After several attempts, the mechanic is able to repair and reboot the robot back to life. Although the work is essentially a patch job (the robot is basically held together with glue and duct tape) Lotta is able to regain function of most of its systems. Its IR sensor, however, is beyond Winston’s repair. When playfully asked by Reade how does it feel for the robot to be brought back from the ‘dead’, Lotta pontificates a semi-philosophical speech about how it was never alive in the first place. It’s lost on Reade who just gives the robot a simple nod and thumbs up.
Meanwhile, Billy and Curt make their way through into the Administration offices where Pandora had previously faced an ACU soldier. They fail to overhear the faint murmuring coming from the darkness; instead, they see a trail of blood leading into one of the offices As they enter the Facility Manager's office, a sluggish punch swipes through the air, narrowly missing Billy’s face by an inch. The wounded ACU soldier enters into a brief tussle. Curt furrows his brow, pulls out his pistol and attempts to shoot the soldier in the leg. He misses but the shot is enough force the soldier into submission. The two mercenaries notice the injured man is holding onto a large radio handset.
Reade, who is about to make her way towards Auden’s location, hears Curt’s shot. She tells Balint to go on ahead while she investigates. When she arrives, Billy and Curt inform her of the situation. After some initial interrogation, the Sergeant pushes the soldier - Subteniente Vargas - for answers about the radio. Vargas simply avoids her questions by flippantly stating that he has nothing valuable to share. Reade passes Billy some duct tape and orders him to bind Vargas and take him to the captured ACU Major. The shortly drag him off back to the reception area.
Meanwhile, Charles begins to fiddle and mess around with the facility’s power management system. Despite his rudimentary understanding of electronics, the mercenary fiddles around with the fuse box and miraculously manages to restore power to the building. Lights begin to floor the corridors once more, much to everyone’s rejoyce. Charles decides to take the opportunity to explore the rest of the facility. He eventually stumbles room secured with a thick, iron bar cage door, labeled as the store room. Through the bars, he spots a large, opened wooden crate with a set of heavy footprints leading out of the room and down the corridor he had just wandered through. Charles manages to pick the lock and walks inside for a closer inspection. Spray painted in red with large, menacing letters is the word ‘RAVAGER’. Puzzled, Charles is about to report his findings when he discovers a cache of landmines, grenades and ammunition. The delusional schizophrenic’s eyes widen with delight…
Reade finally manages to meet with Pandora and Auden. A relieved Schuster shares a tender moment with Auden as Balint works to heal her to the best of his abilities. The doctor is able to heal her broken legs but is unable to heal her arms. Though she is still uncomfortable with pain, the Lieutenant is thankful for Balint’s hard work. Focusing, Auden’s memory flickers back to the beginning of Operation Moonshield. She recalls the series of events previously explained by Schuster up until her capture. After Fenton and Condor were executed, Auden was severely beaten and dragged to Wessex. As they transported her, Auden caught a glimpse of the soldiers taking Condor’s comms equipment and Fenton’s pipboy. Eventually she would discover the truth about behind the rumours of the highly advanced encryption technology: it was a hoax concocted by the ACU to lure out NCR mercenaries. They had heard that the NCR had employed freelance mercenary units to take on ‘high risk and rewards’ tasks and wanted to see what they were made of. In the process, they managed to accomplish three goals:
Capture an NCR mercenary
Investigate/hack the stolen equipment (Fenton’s Pipboy and Condor’s tech)
Field test the Ravager
A baffled Reade asks what is this ‘Ravager’, to which Auden reveals to be an experimental ACU power armour suit. Worried, the Sergeant immediately asks if Pandora’s lance encountered the Ravager. The lance leader shakes her head. Reade suddenly realises that Vargas must have contacted enemy reinforcements - including the experimental Ravager. She then contacts Jack over the radio and tells him to force Vargas to spill the beans.
Realising that they must have figured something out, Vargas spits blood in Jack’s face and tells him to fuck off. The unperturbed Jack removes a handkerchief from his top pocket and charismatically wipes the stain from his cheek as he nods for Curt to drag Vargas away. The muscle bound merc yanks at Vargas’ neck and heaves him into another room where he is swiftly beaten senseless. As the sound of wet, bloodied punches echoes through the facility, The ACU Major immediately begins to talk. He tells Jack that he will reveal more information if he is promised to be treated appropriately as a prisoner of war under NCR custody. Jack lies and says ‘sure thing’ without consulting Reade. The Major’s wily senses kick in and he asks for Reade’s promise on the matter.
Unamused, Reade marches back to their location and tells the ACU Major that he is in no position to make demands. He nervously swallows but says that he is prepared to accept his fate. Reade cuts him off and barks at the ACU Major to tell her everything he knows about the Ravager. The enemy officer finally comes clean and explains that it is an experimental power armour that was being field tested. They wanted to know how efficient of a killing machine it was. Satisfied with his answers, Reade presses the Major for answers about Vargas’ radio call. A sly smirk spreads across his face as he explains that Reade and her unit will need to keep him alive to bargain for their lives. The ACU Major promises that they will be treated fairly and will be dealt with… honourably if they surrender. He estimates that the Ravager squad will return to Wessex within the next 5 to 10 minutes. Reade coldly tells the ACU Major that they’ll need a fucking army to stop them. She swiftly boots him in the face, rendering him unconscious.
Knowing that they are racing against the clock, Reade orders The Misfits to prepare for battle. Charles confidently strolls in and reveals the bounty of weapons and ammunition he discovered in the store room. The Misfits divide it between themselves. Reade then orders the following:
Sasha is to plant landmines around the facility entrance.
Curt will tie up Vargas and leave him outside with a landmine planted next to him.
Everyone is to take defensive positions and shoot out through the bunker windows.
Charles and Schuster will take up sniping positions in the radar tower dishes.
Auden will hide until the coast is clear.
While Curt is outside gagging and securing Vargas outside, he catches a glimpse of Reade setting up an emergency beacon. She contacts Maxwell on a secure line and informs him about the situation. The Phoenix Corporation leader delivers some bad news; bad weather has hit The Boneyard. They will arrive in 20 minutes. He tells Reade to stall for as much time as possible.
When Charles and Schuster reach the large radar farm, he gives him some .223 rounds and wishes him good luck. They split up, climbing separate towers in order to get maximum view of their surroundings. The large radar dish Charles finds himself in shows the tell-tale signs of habitation. A tattered sleeping bag lies on the flattest part of the dish with a few empty cans of food scattered around. As the dish bends, forming a ‘wall’ to this unique home, Charles spots a several pictures of pin-up girls plastered around to give the place some decoration. He takes a few to add to his private collection. As he pockets the pictures, he also catches glimpse of what appears to be an make-fix emergency escape rope. The rope, made from high tension fibres, is rigged to a pulley wheel and a large counterweight, allowing for someone to quickly and carefully lower themselves to the ground. Before he has time to test it, however, Schuster radios through to tell alert everyone to the approaching enemy.
The Ravager squad, comprised for 10 or so soldiers, marches towards Wessex. Leading them is a man wearing what appears to be the Ravager power armour. The suit, comprised of a menacing set of protective metal that completely encases the soldier, is outfitted with what appears to be a large set of spring loaded machete sized blades that are retracted on the left arm and a threatening heavy machine gun. The Ravager halts the squad 50 or so meters away from the facility.
Reade tells Jack to stall the enemy for as long as possible. After an awkward start, in which Jack asks if anyone ‘habla Ingles?’, he manages to start a dialog with the English speaking leader. The leader immediately orders The Misfits to release their superior officer and surrender to the ACU. Jack lies and says the situation is a complete misunderstanding. He asks the ACU soldier to remove his armour because it scares him. Miraculously, the soldier buys his lie but refuses to remove his armour. Instead, he decides to ‘ease the tension’ but removing his helmet to discuss things ‘man-to-man’.
Reade orders Charles to take the shot. The round slices through the air and glances his temple, causing the Ravager to fall to his knees. The rest of the ACU soldiers whip their rifles towards Charles’ position and open fire. Bullets perforate and frantically dance around the sniper’s position, peppering him with hot lead and debris. He is severely injured and rolls into better cover. Hearing Charles’ pained cries over the radio, The Misfits open fire on the ACU soldiers, catching them by surprise. Several of them are hit during the barrage, resulting in the soldiers quickly pop smoke grenades which flood their positions with swirling plumes of red smoke.
Although the thick smoke masks their presence, two of the enemy soldiers are caught by Schuster making their way around the side of the facility. The sniper trains his sights on their position and fires a single, silenced shot. The round pierces the lung of its target, causing the man to fall to the ground, choking for air. Having regained his determination through a sheer lust for revenge, Charles crawls back to his firing position, takes aim and squeezes the trigger. A split second later, there’s the sound of a loud, wet thwack, followed by the banshee like howls of the severely injured ACU combatant. He stumbles around, clutching at his face as blood and fluid - thick and stringy like egg yolks - pours from his eye holes. Both soldiers manage to drag themselves back into the cover of smoke.
At the same time, through the vail of the red smoke, a thunderous explosion erupts. Through their scopes, Schuster and Charles catch glimpse of hot meaty chunks of human flesh soaring into the air. They begin to grasp the situation: the mine next to Vargas has exploded, taking - by their estimation - the lives of Vargas plus one.
Through the thin, bunker glass, a vigilant Billy spots an ACU soldier in a ghillie suit crawling to the rear side of the facility. Billy radios Schuster for sniper support and the two open fire on the enemy. Both barrages of fire miss, kicking up dust and dirt.
Strolling confidently towards the facility's front door, the mighty Ravager soldier draws his chain gun and opens fire at the thick steel bulkhead. The rounds pierce through the metal and although it puts up a struggle, the door is eventually torn down. Although Winston and Jack are hopeful in the landmine taking out the power armour, the enemy spots and casually steps over it. The Ravager leader orders one of the soldiers to disable it as he makes his way down the stairs. Jack and Winston realise they are cornered.
Meanwhile, Lotta, Reade and Pandora spot the outlines of two additional ACU soldiers walking past their windows. They wait for a moment before ambushing them and opening fire. The soldiers roll out of harm’s way, and the group enters into a fierce gun fight.Frustrated with his inability to get a good angle on the enemy, Curt decides to blow a hole in the wall with a grenade so that he can charge in with his heavy machine gun. He plants the explosive next to what he perceives to be a weakness in the structure and runs for cover. The grenade shatters the centuries old wall, granting Curt a narrow passage to the outside.
Knowing that there is one landmine at the bottom of the steps, Jack decides to pull out of cover and fire at the bomb in the hopes of destroying the power armour. He misses, much to his dread and the Ravager’s delight.
Meanwhile, Billy’s gun fight with the ghillied ACU soldier has intensified. Both utilising the cover to their advantage, the pair exchange a barrage of deadly shotgun and machine gun fire until Billy is eventually hit in the shoulder. Unable to contain himself, Charles sends a volley of bullets in the enemy’s direction, forcing him out of cover. Realising he doesn’t have any further options, the ghillied soldier rushes to the bunker wall and plants a C4 charge. He radios something through to his team mates - something that momentarily ceases the gun fire from all sides. The pause in combat immediately sets off Reade’s battle sense and she orders everyone to get into cover.
Outside, several C4 detonations sound off around the facility. A hole in the wall is created near Billy’s position at the rear of the facility; the windows near Reade, Pandora and Lotta is blown through; and - surprisingly - the outer wall to the bathroom where Winston and Jack are positioned is torn open by the lung shot soldier Schuster had previously shot at.
Realising his options are limited, Winston cracks open a vent shaft door and begins to crawl away, leaving Shady behind. Wanting to buy time for everyone, Jack decides to shoot at the landmine one more time. He calls out to the Ravager and, in a spectacular display of lofty arrogance, decides to tell a joke.
“Why did the Mexican cross the border?” He leaps out of cover, swings his magnum revolver in the Ravager’s direction and pulls the trigger. The magnum round blasts out of the barrel and burrows itself into the explosive device right next to the Ravager’s feet. It explodes, blossoming into a fireball of death and slicing, white-hot shrapnel. “Because he wanted to blow up!” Jack delivers the flippant punchline just in time to see the Ravager step out of the flames. Although the power armour was indeed damaged, it was not enough to render the enemy incapacitated. The menacing Ravager walks towards Jack and offers a joke of his own.
“Why did the gringo cross the Ravager?” Suddenly, the large machete sized blades sprint forward him the suit’s left arm, forming a set of ferocious claws. “Because he wanted to be torn to pieces.” Unable to think of a snappy retort, Jack turns tail and flees through the bathroom.
Unable to get a sight on the enemy, Charles decides to take a risk and use the emergency pull system to quickly lower himself to the ground. Luckily, the hastily strung together pulley and counterweight hold together, the sniper descends to the ground quickly and carefully. At the same time, Billy finally defeats the ghillied soldier when he blasts him with a double barrel load of buckshot. The enemy’s ribcage explodes in a flash of red gore. An injured Billy stands triumphantly over his fallen enemy.
With the enemy in his sights, Curt lays down on the ground and deploys his heavy machine gun. He sends a volley of .50 cal rounds at the soldiers near Reade’s position. The rounds dance around their targets, narrowly missing them. However, much to Curt’s shock and confusion, the enemy suddenly explode into red clouds of bloody mists, resulting in one of them losing and arm and leg while the other outright dies. At the same time, Reade tells everyone to hit the deck and take cover. In the far distance, the Vertibird opens fire again from a side mounted chain gun on the two ACU soldiers’ position, resulting in total fatalities.
The Vertibird swings towards the other side of the facility and rains down white hot fury on the blinded and lung shot ACU soldiers, sending limbs and whimpering screams into the night sky. Sensing safety, Jack takes a running jump at the hole in the bathroom and scrambles outside. Hot in his heals, the Ravager stampedes through the opening and is about to take fire on Jack. Through a masterful stroke of marksmanship, Charles is able to deliver a precise shot to the power armour’s visor, shattering it and exposing part of the ACU soldier’s face.
Quickly registering what has just happened, Jack spins on his heels, points his revolver at the Ravager’s exposed face and pulls the trigger. The soldier’s sharpened senses kick in and he reflexively rolls away from the shot. It glances off his forehead and ricochets of what remains of his helmet. Stricken with panic, Jack runs for his life. The Vertibird moves in and gives the gunner enough of an angle to pivot the mounted machine gun into position. Although the Ravager is unable to shoot at the Vertibird, he decides to take out his fury on the fleeing Jack. His chain gun spins into life and a flurry of 5mm rounds cut through Jack, severely wounding him. Jack crumbles to the floor but is still alive to turn on his side and look into the eyes of the inflictor of his impending demise. Instead of outright killing him, the Ravager points his gun to the sky and attempts to shoot down the Vertibird. However, at the last second, his vision snaps onto an encroaching Charles who has fired a final round from his sniper rifle. The Ravager soldier to let out a shocked, fear stricken gasp before the round smashes into his exposed head. He falls to the floor as blood and brain matter oozes from his wound.
The Misfits are finally victorious in their battle against the ACU Ravager forces.
As Hobson lands the Vertibird, it is revealed that Major Maxwell was the gunner. He removes himself from the mounted turret harness and rushes to Jack. The silver tongued merc manages to sit himself up before giving his commanding officer a thumbs up. Maxwell tells him he did a good job and offers him a Yak 42 cigar. The rest of the team radios through that they’re okay before rendezvousing at the facility entrance. Maxwell and Hobson inspect the remains of the Ravager power armour. The Major finds it troubling that the enemy has access to such technology. He and Blythe had never dreamt that the ACU could outdo the Enclave in terms of weaponry on this scale. Reade soon meets with Maxwell and informs him about the situation and the ACU true purpose at Wessex. The Major is relieved to hear that Auden and Schuster are alive but is devastated by the news of Condor and Fenton’s passing. He swears to honour their names before ordering The Misfits to retrieve the stolen Pipboy and comms tech. At the same time, Curt presents Maxwell with the captured ACU Major.
The ACU officer nervously looks at Maxwell and asks to negotiate. The Phoenix Corporation leader coldly informs him that he can negotiate with the NCR. The Misfits carry him off to the Vertibird as Hobson radios Blythe to arrange for NCR military police to be on standby at HQ. After securing the last of the looted ACU equipment, the team finally set off home.
The sun begins to rise on a new day as the Vertibird carries The Misfits back to HQ. Although they encounter some turbulence, the journey gives time for reflection on a hard night’s work. The Vertibird carefully maneuvers into the HQ’s courtyard, where a pair of NCR MPs flank Mr Blythe. The civil servant congratulates the team on a job well done before the MPs cart the ACU officer off into the back of an armoured truck. The enemy officer takes one last fearful glance at the Misfits before the truck doors slam shut.
The mood is cut short when Charles makes another passing comment about the bullet ration. Blythe playfully dismisses it and says that his comments have been noted. As the weary team make their way into HQ, Blythe informs Jack that there is a visitor waiting for him in the lobby.
Curiously, Jack Shady cautiously enters the lobby to discover a young, slender woman holding hands with a small girl. The young lady’s face immediately brightens up when she spots him.
“Jack Shady… it’s been a long time. It’s me, Molly. Molly Hull. And this, Jack, is our daughter…”
A rock forms inside of Jack’s stomach as Charles snorts out a mocking laugh.
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Session 9
The dull hum of the entrance annex’s life support systems envelopes the emotionally taut Misfits. With Reade down for the count, Doctor McPherson decides to step forward to discuss their sergeant's condition. Having analysed the venom, Ruth is able to conclude that Reade’s condition will worsen over a short period of time and could result in her death or worse. Aggravated by the doctor’s evasive wording, Lotta begins to press Ruth for hard answers. When the doctor begins to prattle on about theories and hypotheses, the Misfits demands to know everything about the monster and the experiments that led to it’s creation. McPherson finally blurts out that the monster’s venom may actually transform Reade into another monster.
It is revealed that Vault 91’s population consisted entirely of clones. The vault’s mission was to eventually create a race of clones that could survive and thrive in the horrific conditions of the apocalypse. Every generation of clone would inherit a trait that would make them more durable than the average human. The overseer had ordered experiments on the latest batch of clones: the 4th and final generation. This batch of clones would have enhanced healing, endurance, radiation resistance, a long lifespan and, most importantly, the ability to reproduce. The doctor now fears that the venom will cause an irreversible transformation in Reade. When asked about the chances of the sergeant’s survive post transformation, Ruth shakes her head and explains it is very unlikely she would survive. This theory is given validity when the doctor explains the events of the experiment. A strain of Alpha B7 was injected into a vat culture consisting of four clones. Three clones died instantly while the fourth one became the monster they are now battling. Even if there is a one in four chance of Reade surviving the transformation, she would become a hulking monstrosity filled with barbaric instinct. All traces of her humanity would be lost.
However, Ruth explains that there is a chance to save her. If a serum can be administered within 72 hours, it could kill off the venom and restore Reade back to health. Although the doctor warns there will be great risks require to create the serum, the Misfits unanimously agree to save their superior.
In order to make the serum, The Misfits must complete several objectives. Firstly, they’ll need to restore power to the entire facility. Once that has been achieved, the team will need to collect a sample of the monster’s DNA from it’s original birthing chamber. Finally, they’ll need to collect a concentrated sample of Alpha B7 using the plant DNA sequencer extractor in the atrium laboratory. At this point, Balint produces a sample of the plant and shows it to Ruth, asking if this will help. She examines it, pondering it’s capabilities for a moment before excitedly saying that this is indeed a leaf from the Alpha B7 culture - a crucial component for the serum. She tells Balint that this is the sample that will need to be processed in the atrium.
As McPherson begins to set up her science apparatuses for creating the serum, she personally takes Lotta aside and asks a favour of her: the doctor asks Lotta to reprogram her terminal so that everyone can open the facility doors independently via the wall consoles. The robot is taken aback by this request, remember how defensive the doctor was of her computer terminal. However, Ruth explains that she needs to concentrate on setting up her equipment. She also mentions that she hopes that the robot can see this as a sign of trust. Lotta re-factors the hacked code and is able to safely repurpose the programming so that doors can be opened manually. However, because the facility is running on low power mode, they can still only open one door at a time. Failing to adhere to this restriction could cause the entire system to shut down. Lotta informs the rest of the team of the risks. After a brief discussion, the team decides on splitting up into the following groups:
Pandora and Winston - responsible for restoring power to the facility
Balint and Sasha - responsible for reaching the atrium and extracting the Alpha B7 sample
Charles and Lotta - responsible for collecting the monster DNA sample
However, unbeknownst to Ruth, Charles, Lotta and Billy decide to formulate another plan. Billy will stay with Ruth on the pretense of guarding her. In actuality, he will be distracting the doctor while Lotta and Charles seek access into the Overseer’s office. They’re determined to find out the truth about Vault 91.
Before the team sets off, Ruth wishes them all the best of luck and promises she will do everything in her power to save Reade. This display of sincerity seemingly causes something inside Charles to change. His eyes glaze over before snapping back into focus… The Misfits venture back into the gutted remains of the facility.
The groups carefully coordinate their movements throughout the darkened steel corridors, ever aware that every turn lurks danger. Pandora and Winston reach the power room and discover a visceral mess. Blood and offal coat the walls and terminals - a scene of sheer horror painted before them. They quickly run through the startup procedures and bring the power back online, restoring power through the facility. As light floods the room, the duo both suppress the urge to vomit when they discover the remains of a long deceased corpse. On closer inspection, they discover that unlike the other remains they have discovered, this body is largely intact. The male victim decided to take his own life by ingesting some sort of acidic poison. A large, gaping hole - caused by a chemical reaction - has bored its way through the his lower jaw and esophagus, melting clear through his chest. Urged by Winston, Pandora decides to look over the body for anything of use. She is surprised to find a grubby holotape with the word ‘OS password’ hastily scrawled over it in marker pen. Between the two of them, Pandora and Winston surmise that this must be the overseer’s office password. They quickly inform Charles and Lotta via radio before leaving to meet them.
With the power restored, everyone is able to move freely. Sasha and Balint reach the atrium and locate the strand extraction machine. They begin the arduous process of booting up the terminal. Balint signs, exclaiming that he has a bad feeling about the situation. Sasha scratches his balls.
Pandora and Winston briefly reunite with Lotta and Charles in one of the corridors. They exchange the holotape before returning back to the Power Management Center on the advice of Lotta - the robot is fearful something could cause the power to go out again.
En route to their destination, they briefly search the security station. Amongst the battle riddled office, two discover a broken pistol and some 9mm rounds, along with a few useless trinkets that paint a picture of a somewhat normal life. A stark contrast to the chaos that surrounds them… They quickly take their leave and arrive outside the Overseer’s office. Lotta contemplates playing the ‘password’ holotape inside its onboard tape player but decides against it at the last moment. The robot inserts it into a specially designed terminal and hits the return key. The large blast resistant bulk door slowly shudders open to reveal a complete empty room.
The Overseer’s office is pristine, save for a neat pile of discarded food wrappers that overflow from a wastebasket - evidence that someone had previously stayed there. There is no sign of any struggles with the monster. A lone computer terminal sits on a clean white desk, the cursor blinking at a password prompt. Lotta quickly hacks the computer and discovers a variety of options, including office power management controls and an option to open the emergency exit. One of which includes the Overseer’s journal logs. Although many of the files are damaged, Lotta is able to restore the following entries:
Click here for Vault 91 Overseer Logs
Stunned by the revelation that Ruth McPherson was the Overseer of Vault 91 and was aware of the potentially lethality of the experiment, Lotta is fueled with anger. The robot saves the diary entries to its memory banks and shares the details of the truth with Charles. Armed with a basic knowledge of Vault-Tec vaults, Charles activates the emergency exit feature and the two make their way back to the entrance annex via a hidden tunnel.
On the other side of the exit, Ruth overhears the hidden door opening. She rushes over and draws a needler pistol, preparing to defend herself. Billy, who had spent his time helping distract the doctor, points his shotgun at an unsuspecting Ruth and tells her to drop her gun. The doctor protests, fearing that the monster has somehow managed to find it’s way through to the entrance. Billy cocks his shotgun, proving that he doesn’t deal with idle threats. She complies but not before telling him that he’s “killed us all.” A wave of relief washes over the doctor, followed by gut wrenching shame as Lotta and Charles emerge from the tunnel.
“I suppose you know the truth now?” Ruth meekly asks. Lotta immediately grabs and pins the former Overseer to the wall.
“You let your own people die!” The robot angrily cries. Although she is initially caught off guard by Lotta’s surprisingly human demeanor, the doctor retorts “I did everything I thought was right! I was working in the best interests of my people!”
“You hid yourself away in your rat hole!” The robot cuts through Ruth’s excuse.
“I was scared! Wouldn’t you have done the same?!” The doctor reasons.
“I would have been more prepared!” Lotta shouts, cold heartedly.
“How could you have been prepared for something like this? How could anyone?!” Ruth, spurred with a sudden shot of anger, frustratedly pushes herself off Lotta. “I followed my orders and I did the best to protect everyone in the aftermath of the disaster. I know I failed and I feel deep regret but I--”
“But you called out for more of your people to repeat the same mistake again!” The robot reaffirms its stance against the protesting doctor.
Before Ruth is able to fire back an answer, the team receives a sudden distress call from Sasha and Balint.
Short after loading the plant sample into the DNA sequencer extracting machine - a process which takes ten minutes - the monster bursts out of one of the ventilation shafts in the atrium. At first, its form resembles that of an agile, tentacle laden creature that pours itself from the vents and forms a moist puddle of fleshy tendrils. The shapeless form undergoes an aggressive transformation and returns the the humanoid form they had encountered earlier. However, the monster now wields an even more ferocious clawed arm. As the creature marches menacingly towards their position, Balint and Sasha are frozen in panic. Knowing that the DNA sequencer extractor could be damaged during a battle, Balint quickly grabs Sasha and the two bolt for the door. They manage to escape in the nick of time, closing is behind them before the creature can catch them.
The pair stand dazed for a moment as a wave of relief washes over them. However, their trance is shattered as an overhead vent abruptly bursts, revealing the creature in it’s more mobile form. The two immediately run down the corridor in an attempt to outrun the monster. The creature quickly utilises its tentacles and ferociously lashes out at Sasha, viciously whipping the ghoul.
Meanwhile, Pandora and Charles make their way to the Vat room to collect the monster’s DNA sample. They overhear about the commotion and are about to rush to aid their comrades when Charles suddenly issues orders over the radio. He tells Balint and Sasha to make their way towards the Overseer’s office before instructing Pandora and Winston to continue collecting the monster DNA sample as quickly as possible. Charles then rushes back through the Overseer’s emergency exit tunnel, leaving the rest in the entrance annex. As he makes his way to the Overseer’s office, Lotta un-hands Ruth and begins to take in the severity of the situation.
Wounded but not down, Sasha and Balint round the corner and escaping the mutating monster as it begins to transform back into its humanoid form. Knowing their have precious little time, Sasha pulls out a tangle grenade and strips a shoelace from the boot he found earlier. He then ties the shoelace around the pin of the tangle grenade, wedges the explosive between a floor grill and the wall and secures the other end of the shoelace to a pipe, creating a crude trap for the monster. At the same time, Charles enters the Overseer’s office and closes the emergency exit, granting him access to the computer. He uses the computer to manually open a door for Balint and Sasha to escape through. The two make a dash, just as the thudding steps of the monster begin to sound off in the corridor. The two catch a glimpse of the creature just as the door slams shut. The monster steps on the makeshift trip wire, detonating the tangle grenade. The device explodes, showing the creature in quick hardening foam, completely immobilizing the monster.
Ruth pleads with Lotta to help make things right. The doctor explains that she may be able to use the hacked terminal to control more of the vault’s systems to help trap the monster. However, she would need Lotta’s processing power to achieve this. Lotta decides to put their differences aside and agrees to help. Billy decides to comfort an unconscious Reade… for some reason.
Pandora and Winston succeed at reaching the Clone Vat room. After clearing the clean room - a sterile room to prevent sample contamination - they bare witness to a horrifically gore laden room. The entire vat room is a hot and humid room with flesh like tendrils stretching out and covering most of the floor and ceiling space. Tucked away in the corner is a large, immobile plant-like creature. Its body consists of long trunks of bloody flesh which throb with life - almost as if it’s breathing - as it protrudes from a clustered structure of capsil like beds. Pandora conveniently spots a strange device on the floor. On closer examination, it turns out the device is a sample extraction gun. Winston, not wanting to waste any time, takes the extraction gun from Pandora and rushes towards the plant-like creature. As he gets closer, the tendrils react to his presence and shrink away. The mechanic reaches the main mass of the creature and plunges the extractor gun’s thick metallic needle into it. The creature lets out a pain stricken shriek and the tentacles strewn across the floor and ceiling suddenly peal away before lashing out at Winston. Not allowing his fear to get the better of him, Winston ducks and dives out of the way with the monster DNA sample intact. However, before he is able to reach Pandora, a tendril suddenly ensnares his ankle, causing him to crash to the ground.
Meanwhile, the monster chasing Sasha and Balint finally breaks away from its hardened foam prison with sheer brute force. Enraged, the creature transforms into its mobile form and enters an overhead vent in pursuit of Balint and Sasha. With access to support systems that control the Overseer’s office and the corridors connecting to it, Charles manages to secure a safe passage for the doctor and ghoul just as the monster bursts through the vents behind them. As soon as they scramble to safety, Charles closes the door behind them and effectively seals the monster within a short corridor.
At the same time, Lotta and Ruth manage to manage to synchronise the robot’s processing power with the hacked terminal. Lotta is effectively in complete control of the facility. The robot informs the entire team via radio and proceeds to seal off the ventilation shafts in the section of corridor the monster is cordoned off in. Enraged with fury, the creature attempts to travel through the vents but is completely unable to do so. Its fury boils over into a smoldering blind rage and it begins to coil and constrict into a bulky, inhuman mass of muscle and tentacles. As it bides its time, Charles orders Lotta to ensure the monster stays put while he comes up with a plan.
In the Vat room, the plant monster’s tentacle tightens around Winston’s ankle and it slowly begins to drag him away. Pandora raises her weapon and fires a critical shot that severs the creature’s appendage, freeing her comrade. Not wasting a second, Winston scrambles to his feet and darts towards the exit, DNA sample in hand. Not content with their attempt at escape, the plant creature rears a network of vine-like tentacles and begins to whip them at the pair, indiscriminately. Winston narrowly avoids all of the strikes while Pandora unloads of a rapid burst rounds at the plant monster’s main mass. Just as the plant’s tentacles are about to bare down on them, they successfully seal the door behind them and make their escape.
In a bid to further contain the monster trapped in the corridor, Lotta lowers the AC. As the temperature begins to plummet, the creature suddenly constricts itself and behaves erratically. Its blood vessels begin bulge and the fleshly membrane coating its body begins to tear. Through the surveillance cameras embedded into the door terminals, Lotta witnesses the monster adapt to the cold temperatures as it undergoes a miraculous evolution. Its new form is that of a hideous mass of bulging muscles and barbed tentacles reinforced with a flexible exoskeleton. The creature furiously begins to prise open the door separating it from its prey. Sasha and Balint look back in horror as door begins to inch itself open. They manage to escape into the Overseer’s office just as the monster finally tears open the door and rampages towards then. With a clear line of sight, Charles seals the Overseer’s hardened bulkhead door shut just as the monster makes its approach.
Lotta once again attempts to adjust the AC and increases the temperature. Like before, the monster begins to freak out and reverts back into a solid mass. Recognising that the monster is temporarily stunned, Lotta decides to tamper more with the life support systems in the monster’s new cage. Suddenly, Lotta loses connection with Ruth’s terminal - the doctor was unable to keep up with the robot’s computational powers. The pair panic while Billy continues to comfort an unconscious Reade…
Having had a moment to collect his thoughts, Charles begins to put a plan into action. He grabs a metal panel from a nearby databank and applies duct tape to it. He then opens the Overseer’s Office emergency exit - raising the desk up - and orders Sasha to plant his C4 near the exit porthole. The ghoul hesitates momentarily as he removes the safety pin from the highly explosive device and carefully secures it. Sasha successfully plants the bomb, much to everyone’s relief.
After several tense moments, Ruth is finally able to establish a connection between Lotta and the terminal. The robot resumes making the monster’s life more uncomfortable.
Charles grows frustrated after multiple failed attempts at trying to wedge the metal panel between the C4 and the emergency exit’s ‘close’ button. Balint and Sasha stare in confusion. Lotta, who is able to see what is happening via the security cameras, contacts Charles through the intercom to tell him he is an idiot and to give up. As the monster begins to beat on the door, Charles concedes that he should cease with his plan. Charles, Sasha and Balint escape through the emergency exit. As they hurry down the corridor, Lotta seals the exit and opens the Overseer’s office door to allow the monster inside. The creature transformers into a fearsome humanoid form and cautiously searches for its prey. As it creeps around the Overseer’s desk, Lotta orders Sasha to hit the detonator. The ghoul slams its thumb down on the switch. A dull explosion rocks the entire facility. Through the intercom, Lotta watches as a blinding flash fills the room before the cameras lose signal. The team assumes the monster is dead.
As they pass by, Pandora and Winston collect the finished sample from the Atrium. They’re ordered to return to the entrance annex and are briefed that the monster has been stopped.
After regrouping, the Misfits give the serum ingredients to McPherson. The doctor meticulously runs the samples through several filters and dilutions. As she does, the mercenaries discuss what to do with Ruth after Reade has been saved. They all agree to keep her alive until she has finished the serum. After that… none of them can agree. Moments later, Ruth anxiously produces the life saving treatment. With the Misfit’s consent, the doctor slowly administers the injection into Reade’s bloodstream. The sergeant’s fever begins to subside and, slowly but surely, she starts to come around. The team breathes a sigh of relief.
Reade gingerly sits up and asks to be briefed about the current situation. After explaining the current situation with the monster, Lotta almost immediately blurts out that Ruth was the Overseer of the vault and knew about the potentially lethal nature of the experiment. Reade orders Charles and Billy to take Ruth aside and hold her at gunpoint. Sasha decides that he doesn’t trust Charles enough and he decides to also watch over Ruth. When asked how it knows about Ruth’s real identity, Lotta explains that it downloaded diary entries from the Overseer’s terminal. Reade asks to read through them.
After reading through the Overseer logs, the sergeant is conflicted. Reade argues that, on one hand, McPherson’s judgement was reckless and endangered everyone’s lives; including the lives of Reade’s unit. On the other hand, she followed her orders and did the best she could, given the situation. Lotta argues that Ruth cannot be trusted; she is a threat to the team and should be left to rot alone in the vault as punishment. Reade takes this in for a moment before surprising the entire team with a revelation: Major Maxwell was once a vault dweller. She explains that life in a vault is very different to what they’re all used to. Life as a vault dweller does things to people’s minds and behaviours.
The sergeant points out that she is now in an ironic situation: she is now in a similar position to Ruth. On one hand, Reade has to follow orders and is duty bound to do everything in her power to save McPherson. But on the other, she must do what is best to protect those under her command. After a moment’s thought, Reade asks Balint to give her a stimpak. He heals her and is also able to heal her crippling wounds. She catches her breath, grabs her equipment and faces the Misfits.
Reade tells everyone that it would be wrong of her to order everyone to endanger their lives for the sake of the mission. She then boldly tells the Misfits that she will continue the mission alone. Lotta, confused by her reasoning, asks Reade why she would be willing to risk her life to save Ruth. Reade simply replies “I think it’s the right thing to do.”
After a moment of silence, Pandora and Balint are compelled by loyalty and volunteer to join Reade. Lotta, Charles and Sasha begrudgingly agree to join their superior; their reasoning being that the sooner they find a working radiation suit, the sooner they can escape. Winston tags along because ‘why not?’ The sergeant smirks and breathes a sigh of relief.
Ruth, herself overcome with relief, explains that now the power has been restored to the entire facility, the team can now access the basement level. The basement level contains the nuclear core room; inside there should be a working radiation suit. She also says that now that they have a DNA sample, Ruth can put finishing touches on a special enzyme formula which, in theory, should break down the proteins on the monster (should they run into it again). Recognising that there could be multiple threats (the plant monster being an example), the team agree to accept Ruth’s offer. However, in order to weaponise it, they’ll need something to lauch the enzyme solution at a safe distance. The doctor suddenly remembers that the science teams kept a squirt gun in the atrium - a tool they used to help water the plants quickly and effectively. After Charles fetches it, Ruth carefully pours the solution into the ceramic liquid container and arms the weapon.
As the team prepares to depart for the basement, Ruth calls them together. She says thank you to everyone and while she’s aware that she didn’t make the right choices in the past, she will do everything she can to help everyone. The Misfits acknowledge her humbled demeanor. Billy and Lotta elect to stay behind on the grounds that they will ensure a safe evacuation. Lotta will remain synchronised with Ruth’s terminal and provide additional support. The rest of the team sets off.
Reade, Charles, Pandora, Lotta, Sasha and Balint descend to the basement via the now working elevator. When the rickety doors stutter open, the team is met with a dark, murky series of corridors. The area is much warmer and humid than above, catching the team off guard. Reade orders Charles and Pandora to follow her towards the nuclear core room. Realising that they have a good opportunity, the sergeant tells Balint, Winston and Sasha to scavenge for anything useful.
Shortly after splitting up, Reade, Charles and Pandora locate the safety control room which grants access to the nuclear core room. Looking through the safety glass, Reade spots a fully intact radiation suit hanging on the wall for a sealed chamber. The readings on the computer read moderate amounts of radiation. Recognising they are protected by their equipment, Pandora volunteers to enter the chamber and retrieve the suit, a request Reade grants. The sergeant remotely opens the door to the sealed chamber and Pandora steps in. She retrieves the radiation suit without issue.
Meanwhile, Balint, Sasha and Winston enter a large storage room. The storage room is almost pitch black and is a complete mess. Shelves of organised supplies have been toppled over into a pile of junk. Sifting through the waste, Sasha soon discovers two stimpaks and a can of Cram before the unmistakable sound of slithering can be heard. In the faint darkness, the team can see something moving along the floor and walls. The three team members shine their flashlights on the shimmering bulk and reveal a horrific mass root like tentacles hanging from the ceiling. Winston recognises that this must be the roots of the giant plant monster he discovered in the Vat room. Inside the center of the plant monster’s root like mass is a large liquid filled pod of some sort, protected by barbed tentacles. Through the thin, yellow membrane of the pod, the trio spot something moving inside. Something inhuman…
Through shuddering breaths, Winston reports their findings over the radio.
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Session 7
Dusk befalls Reelfoot and inside the Cowley residence, The Misfits plan their next move. After a short discussion, the team settles on a plan of action. As there is no need for the van, Winston will stay behind to look after Zack and Jack. Meanwhile, Pandora and Charles will scout ahead towards the supposed location of The Keep, 2km from their current position. After they have surveyed the area, Pandora and Charles will rendezvous 1km away from The Keep to report their findings. If they do not meet at the rendezvous point 15 minutes after the request of the squad has arrived, Reade will give the order to move in.
Reade tells the two mercenaries to watch their backs and move silently. She impresses on them the danger that surrounds the situation. With their Sergeant’s words fresh in their minds, Pandora and Charles move out.
The scouting party reaches the edge of town and encounter a bleak and decrepit forest of grossly irradiated trees. Some have withered and fail to bloom while others have mutated into grotesquely bloated and tall structures. Despite the density and darkness that the forest is shrouded in, Charles is able to use his outdoorsman skills to navigate through it. They both tread carefully and silently, heeding to their superiors words of caution.
Charles and Pandora suddenly hear the crack of a stick and they quickly find themselves paralysed with fear. Charles initially suspects that they’ve fallen into an ambush and carefully reaches for his firearms. However, Pandora quickly realises that the situation is not what they expected. A line of men in cloaks walks past them, completely oblivious to Charles and Pandora’s presence. As they pass by, Charles gently pulls out the cloak he had earlier acquired from an enemy bounty hunter and wraps himself and Pandora securely, further secluding them from the figures’ gaze.
As the cloaked figures move further ahead, a sudden gunshot halts them in their tracks.
“Alright you, Phoenix Corporation bastards! Throw down your weapons and surrender!” Jackie, surrounded by 10 Family soldiers, shouts at the cloaked men. “Oh, it’s you. You’re not with that band of mercenary scum.”
The cloaked figures reveal themselves to be the Aegis Rangers. Russell Haze orders his fellow bounty hunters to hold up as he speaks to Jackie. He quips that he is also after the Phoenix Corporation and asks that Jackie and his men move on. This angers The Family captain.
“Get the hell out of my town, Haze! Or I’ll gun you and your boys down like the pile of crap you are!” Jackie barks.
“If I remember rightly, you’re with The Family, right? I’m pretty sure that you have a nice price on your head…” Russell retorts.
A long silence passes.
Wilson, a member of the Aegis Rangers rears his Uzi 9mm into his hands and points it squarely at a group of soldiers surrounding Jackie. Wilson squeezes the trigger. He fires a rapid burst of ten rounds, five of which miss their intended target. However, the remaining five punch neat holes into one of the soldiers, nearly killing him outright.
All out war breaks out between the two parts. Pandora rushes back to warn Reade while Charles stays behind to watch the battle unfold.
It is at this point that the players take over the roles of The Family and Aegis Rangers.
In the midst of the chaos that follows, one of the rangers pulls out a flare and throws it into the battlefield. The flare illuminates the forest and casts light on several Family soldiers. Realising that they cannot fight a well-equipped bounty hunter unit in the darkness, two Family soldiers throw their flares, which sheds light on their enemy’s position.
Both sides viciously exchange gunfire. Mustering his nerve and battle experience, Haze emerges from his cover, draws his gun and squeezes the trigger. The hammer on his Desert Eagle snaps forward and fires a .44 calibre round that cuts through the air and lands on Jackie. The Family captain staggers back but gains his footing. Although injured, Jackie pulls the gun on a frag grenade and hurtles it towards Haze’s position.
The grenade soars above into the dark sky before plummeting to the ground. It bounces and tumbles and gently rolls on the ground until is reaches Haze and two of his fellow rangers. Unable to react in time, the grenade explodes and deals life-changing injuries to Kozak, who is immediately crippled as shards of white hot metal tear through his legs. Gore, another ranger, is knocked out and concussed by the shockwave that followed the blast. Haze is heavily injured but he still manages to stand on his own two feet.
Following his leader’s example, one of the Family soldiers pulls a pin on his grenade and lobs it towards the injured rangers. In a twist of luck, the grenade bounces off a nearby tear and lands at the centre of a group of Family soldiers. The grenade explodes and deals severe injuries, including the crippling of one of his comrades.
More savage gunfire follows, with both sides taking heavy losses. The fighting becomes so intense that many fighters break formation to take cover. In the ensuing panic, Wilson – the ranger who drew first blood – bumps into an enemy Family soldier. With the ammo from his Uzi drained, Wilson’s animalistic instinct takes over and the two begin to engage in a horrific fistfight. In an act of sheer insanity, the Family soldier breaks into a haze of bloodlust and delivers a series of deadly fist blows. Wilson succumbs to his injuries and keels over, dead.
Gore, who was unconscious for several minutes suddenly, regains consciousness. He stands up and, still shell-shocked from his concussion, lights a cigarette. Miraculously, bullets whiz and fly past him but none of them hit. Gore is overcome with a wave of luck and begins to feel God-like. However, his luck is short lived. A throwing knife, delivered by a Family soldier who had steadily crept out of the shadows, lands squarely between Gore’s eyes. As the ranger collapses, the Family soldier quips that “Smoking kills…”
The Family, well equipped for a battle with mercenaries and a super mutant, slowly begin to turn the tide of the battle towards their favour. They pool together their remaining frag grenades and hurl them towards the remaining bounty hunters. Their explosives find their targets. In the midst of the explosions, several rangers are crippled. Most shockingly of all, Haze is torn apart by a stray grenade that landed at his feet.
Smith, a ranger who was crippled by a grenade blast, slowly crawls away from the battlefield.
In a fit of pure rage, a crippled Kozak lines up his Uzi and takes out Jackie in a hail of gunfire. The Family captain collapse on the ground and bleeds out. Although he has managed to get revenge for his fallen superior, Kozak is quickly ambushed and gunned down by grief stricken family soldiers. The remaining Aegis Rangers and Family soldiers continue to exchange gunfire.
The smoke settles and the smell of that cordite hangs and lingers in the air is a testament to the savagery that took place. All but one ranger survives. Several Family soldiers remain but they mostly wounded, save for one who has survived unscathed for the entire battle.
Smith, the only remaining bounty hunter, crawls crippled and battered into a bush and lies in wait. Using guerrilla tactics, the bounty hunter lures the enemy towards his position with the blood trail left behind. Though The Family currently outnumbers him, Smith knows that they are uncoordinated without their leader and is willing to hedge his bets that are unprepared for this kind of tactics. One-by-one, the Family soldiers head towards Smith’s location. As they do, the bounty hunter lets rip with a double blast from his sawn off shotgun. The hail of buckshot tears through his enemies frail bodies, outright killing several of them.
Four Family soldiers remain and eventually figure out Smith’s tactics and position. Realising that it’s an ‘all or nothing’ situation, the soldier armed with throwing knifes equips himself with a pair of spiked knuckle dusters. He steals himself, takes a deep breath and rushes towards the approximate location of his enemy. He dives into the bush and rains down a deadly fist. The blow hits the dirt. The soldier’s eyes dart around before he suddenly catches a glimpse of Smith. Panic overcomes the soldier before his survival instinct finally rears him into action. He scrambles over to Smith and in a haze of madness, begins to furiously punch and lash out at him. The spiked knuckles slash and drive themselves deeply into the ranger’s throat, causing torrents of blood to gush out.
Smith dies drowning in his own blood.
The players resume control of their own characters.
Pandora finally reaches Reade and shares with her superior news of the unfolding battle. Concerned for Charles’ safety, the Sergeant orders Pandora to retrieve him quickly. The intention will be for them to regroup and move around the battle. Should the enemy follow them back, Reade and the rest of the Misfits will ambush them. Pandora sets off to collect Charles.
With the fighting drawn to a close, the four remaining Family soldiers gather together around Jackie’s corpse. One of the men helps a crippled comrade while another lights a smoke. The last remaining soldier, Alvez, drags the corpse of Smith out of the bush and presents it to the rest of his ilk – almost as if to appease Jackie. The four of them look over their captain’s body in silence.
The smoking Family soldier, who escaped the battle entirely unscathed, finally cuts through the morose and asks “So what do you want to do with your lives now?” They all begin to contemplate their future options.
As this is happening, Charles manages to sneak past them and stealthily picks up a loaded MP9 from the ground. He then carefully inches his way through a bush, making sure not to draw any attention to himself.
“What do you mean ‘what do I want to do with my life now’? It’s obvious, isn’t it? We go back to The Heritage and sort this whole mess out.”
“You think that it’ll be that easy? Jackie’s dead.”
“You suggesting something else, Alvez?”
Charles suddenly springs from a bush directly behind the Family soldiers. He raises his MP9 and sprays a burst of bullets in their direction. The first two rounds miss Alvez by a narrow margin. The next four strike and kill the crippled soldier and the man who carried him to his comrades. The final 4 rounds punch neat red holes into the smoking man. He staggers for a moment in disbelief - cigarette quivering in his mouth – before finally collapsing into a wet puddle of blood and tissue. Charles then orders Alvez to drop his weapons and put his hands in the air. The soldier complies.
Pandora arrives just in time to see Charles tie up Alvez with a discarded piece of rope found on a corpse’s inventory. Looking over the fresh bodies strewn before her, she asks him what exactly is he doing. Charles replies that he is taking a hostage so that The Misfits can gain more intel. Pandora is overcome with a wave of distrust and tells Charles to let his hostage go. Charles refuses. Pandora demands that Charles steps away from the hostage. Finally, Charles puts one knee on Alvez and pulls a gun on Pandora.
“Get. Reade. Now.” He hisses with a crazed look in his eye. Pandora backs away slowly and begrudgingly agrees.
Pandora explains to the Sergeant that Charles has taken a member of The Family hostage and that she needs to come immediately to assess the situation. Pandora decides to omit the fact that Charles pulled a gun from her. Reade is perturbed by the idea of Charles taking a hostage. She immediately decides to put an end to his antics and immediately marches over.
Charles explains to Reade and the others that he took the Family soldier hostage so that they can gain more information from him. Although Reade is slightly annoyed, she takes a knee and starts asking Charles’ hostage some questions. Alvez, who has already accepted that he will most likely die, explains that he was a simple soldier for Jackie. He mostly took care of tasks that required muscle.
Seeing that the man is severely wounded, Reade pulls out a knife and cuts the rope that binds him. Alvez, stricken with confusion, slowly climbs to his feet. The Sergeant looks him in the eyes and tells him to go.
“When they ask what happened, you tell them that there was a bloody battle between Jackie, the Aegis Rangers and the Phoenix Corporation. Tell them that the Misfit unit mowed them all down.”
And with that, Alvez leaves. Charles remains silent but respects his superior’s decision.
A confused Pandora asks Reade why she left him go. The Sergeant explains that “Alvez will never return to The Family – he would most likely be shot dead for failing to save Jackie’s life. Now he’ll have a second chance at life; a way to make amends for the life he used to lead. But in the darkest recesses of his mind, this scene will forever haunt him. And when his new companions ask ‘What’s wrong?’, he’ll tell them that the Phoenix Corporation wiped out a criminal organisation and an entire bounty hunter unit.”
Pandora still doesn’t understand. Reade smirks and tells her to “Think of it as free advertisement. We’re mercenaries after all. Don’t forget it.”
The Misfits, along with Gentle Ben, scavenge for weapons, ammunition and armour before continuing their journey. Using the map and Gentle Ben’s knowledge, they quickly find themselves before a region of open caves. After some careful consideration, the super mutant picks the cave that will bring an end to their adventure.
The cave network is vast and expansive with twisted, ruined rail tracks veering off down each vein. Perhaps in some forgotten part of history, the caves were part of a large mining network for valuable resources – but this speculation is of little importance to the Misfits and would be better left for pre-war historians. After trudging through the caves, the group eventually reaches a large bulkhead door. Ben takes the holotape from Reade’s possession and loads it into a wall mounted computer panel. He enters several digits into a keypad and presses enter.
The sound of groaning metal and tumblers releasing finally give way to the sound of air rushing between an emerging crack in the bulkhead. The large steel door slowly inches itself open to reveal a dark, cavernous space. A dull thud can be heard in the distance, followed by another – much louder than before. Another thud soon follows. And another. And another. High-powered spotlights gradually flood the cavernous space with light, revealing Cowley’s Keep in all its splendour!
The keep is revealed to be a warehouse of pre-war junk. Rows upon rows of shelves line the expansive room, every inch of them covered with useless trinkets Robert had collected during his lifetime. Magazines, comic books, vacuum cleaners, bottles of Nuka Cola – all in pristine condition. Baseball cards, metal advertisement plates, propaganda posters – all carefully vacuum sealed in plastic. Casino slot machines restored classic cars, an original Red Rocket fuel tank station sign – all glistening brilliantly with a hand polished sheen.
Cowley’s Keep is a collection of utterly useless junk.
Gentle Ben solemnly steps forward, head lowered and speaks with a shaken voice. “I… am Robert Cowley.”
The super mutant reveals that, shortly after he set off on his journey over three years ago, his caravan was attacked by a band of super mutants. All of his body guards and companions were killed. Fearing that he would be killed, Robert had no idea that a much worse fate would befall him. The super mutants dragged Robert back to their den and dipped him in a vat of FEV. The formula transformed him into the hulking monstrosity he is today. After a year or so, Robert managed to earn the trust of the super mutants. He promptly made his escape the moment their guard relaxed.
When he returned to Reelfoot, Robert quickly realised that no one would recognise him, let alone accept him. He contemplated contacting his brother Chris but was too afraid that he would reject him. To his surprise, the townsfolk of Reelfoot discovered and befriended him. Robert took on the persona of ‘Gentle Ben’ so that he could live out the rest of his days in the town that he loved. Fighting in The Heritage helped him keep a roof over his head and allowed him to watch over his brother from a distance. However, Robert started noticing that he was beginning to suffer memory loss as a result of the FEV he was exposed to. Fearing that he would never be able to help Chris, Robert decided to withdraw a large sum of his savings from the bank and hide it in The Keep. As his memory started to deteriorate, Robert became more and more scared of rejection from Chris. He still fears this.
Robert reaches over to a nearby computer and enters a few commands. A hidden safe located inside a large Nuka Coka vending machine springs open, revealing the savings he withdrew. The gentle giant begs The Misfits for help, saying, “I can’t confront Chris in this state. What should I do?! Please help me to help my brother!”
The Misfits agree unanimously that they will help reunite Chris with his long lost brother. Reade sends Pandora back to town to fetch him.
When she arrives back at Cowley Industries, Pandora discovers Chris hunched over on the sofa, nursing a throbbing hangover. She pours a glass of water over his head – which fails to illicit much of a reaction from him – before giving him another glass of water to drink. When he asks what it’s for, Pandora explains that he’ll need it. Assuming the worse, he pulls out a hipflask from his jacket pocket and takes a hefty swig. He then grabs the glass of water from her hands before telling Pandora ‘I am ready, whatever the outcome may be.’ The both depart shortly after.
Chris is staggered by the size of The Keep. He can hardly believe that his brother hid something so big from him. Chris’ gaze quickly shifts towards Gentle Ben’s direction. The super mutant pulls up two chairs and tells Chris that they need to have a talk. Reassured by the Misfits, Chris anxiously takes a seat opposite Ben. It is at this moment that Reade decides to give the brothers some privacy. They take their leave but not before catching a glimpse of Chris and Robert embracing.
Several minutes pass before Robert and Chris meet up with the Misfits outside of The Keep. They express their gratitude for having reunited both of them. Chris assures them that their fee will be transferred to the Phoenix Corporation immediately. Although they are happy to have finally reunited after all these years, Robert expression anxiety about the future. The brothers how no idea where to go from here. Charles suggests that they turn The Keep into a museum. The suggestion lights a spark in the brothers’ eyes, seemingly liking the idea.
The Cowley brothers thank The Misfits once again for their hard work and the two groups make their farewells. The mercenary unit sets off back to The Boneyard with a smile on their faces, knowing that they have done some good in this twisted world.
When they return to Phoenix Corporation HQ, they walk into the lobby and discover Major Maxwell discussing a matter with Mr Blythe, the unit’s personally appointed civil servant. Blythe comments that the Misfit’s timing is impeccable; he has received news of Warrant Officer Novak’s fate. Novak has been sentenced to 20 years hard labour for treason and colluding with a criminal organisation. Reade and the others are relieved to hear this. Blythe congratulates the team on a job well done but reminds them that they still need to take a medical exam.
Amongst the team, some of it’s members draw their breath with anxiety…
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