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In

[b][u][h1]Ponder on the Past III: The Call of The Mother[/h1][/u][/b]
Time: What is supposed to be Midnight, 200 years in the future
Location: What was once Pine Bluff, Arkansas[/center]

The journey back to Settlement 149, unlike the journey from it, had been relatively straightforward. The Humvee had been more durable over the fissures and raised tarmac than the motorbike had been. That plus The Wanderer would have struggled to get the fuel rod back to the settlement just with the bike, so the attempted murder that The Officer orchestrated was in a way convenient. Still, the nerve of the man trying to get him killed had gotten underneath The Wanderer’s skin. As the light was failing, the sight of Pine Bluff was seen in the near distance, which would have pleased the Mutant. However, the failing light had shown smoke rising from the city, which is of concern. With little to hasten him, he pushed down on the pedal and moved quickly to get to his destination.

When he arrived, the slight fear he had about where the smoke was coming from had been realized; during his absence, Settlement 149 had been attacked. [i]The mutants must have found this place by chance or someone in the settlement got sloppy,[/i] The Wanderer thought as he got out of the Humvee. Grabbing the fuel rod, he rushed through the main entrance to the settlement. The sight of torn bodies and the gore had turned his stomach, the first time in a while he had seen something this severe. The further in he went, it was clear that the mutants had ravaged at least the upper- to mid-levels of Settlement 149. The majority of the bodies found were the men, leaving a glimmer of hope that the women and children were at least spared from this horrible attack. But he needed to know for sure. He reached the power room, the bodies here had been smelling due to the increased heat. Stepping over unrecognizable limbs and heads, he reached towards a door, the sign ‘Engineer’s Office’. Unlike most of the doors he’s seen on the way down, this door had a few dents but it hadn’t been busted through. Punching through one of the dents, the mutant opened the door and stepped in. The room had been clear of blood and bodies, which was a good sign. The machine in the corner, looking more elaborate than anything else in the power room, or the entire settlement, remained dormant and slightly dirtied from the dust that had been gathering. The Wanderer placed the fuel rod beside the machine and walked back out, slamming the door shut so no one of human strength could get through.

For the next hour, the mutant had ventured further down into Settlement 149, getting lost along the way. This is the first time in a long while since he had been down this far in this place. This was one of the conditions that were made by The Commander in order for him to return from exile since he had gained the mutation and the abilities to use psionics. However, the man was now as dead as the majority of the men in this place. The good news he had seen was that the further down he went, the gore and limbs went down as well. Hope had been rising for the women and children. That was, until the smell started to rise. He reached the bottom level of Settlement 149 and the smell of copper in the air had increased. Going through the rooms, his boots clanging on the metal floor, he reached the final door. However, he didn’t dare to open it. Congealed blood oozed from the partially open door, a small arm propping the door open. The Wanderer did everything in his power to keep his stomach from flipping over on itself. But the thought of all the innocent women and children being herded into this room, where the only exit was a single ladder to the surface closed by a latch, had made it very difficult to keep it in check. Dejected from imagining the slaughter, the mutant made his way to the office in the power room.

Once back in the office, he slumped into the chair, this index finger and thumb pressing gently in the corner of his eyes on either side of the bridge of his nose. [i]I need to fix this future so no one can suffer this fate,[/i] he thought, sinking into the chair. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a flashing red light on one of the consoles, leading to a small screen. Moving the office chair to the screen, he noticed the light was next to a button. Thinking that it was a message left by someone, most likely his father, he pressed the button, lighting up the small screen to begin what was the message.

[i]The view of the message looked like it was made in the main power room. The view was dominated by the face of the Engineer – his father – as the workers in the power room were scrambling. The man looked on either side of him, worry apparent on his face, before looking to the screen that was there. “Listen, my son,” he started, his voice cracking under the nervous emotion that he was feeling. “We don’t have much time. Hours after you have left to go to Arkansas Nuclear One, a mutant raiding party had found the vehicle depot and is storming through the site as we speak. The Officer has disappeared shortly after the mutants had arrived and ordered the women and children down below and from judging by the cameras, he had blocked the only escape for them…”[/i]

[color=#4682b4]”That coward…”[/color] The Wanderer muttered, gritting his teeth in anger.

[i]”… so far, no one has a clue on how to leave this place in one piece without the mutants responding. But one thing we have observed from them is this. The mutants are organized. They didn’t stumble onto the vehicle depot by accident. It is as if something knows that we are he-“ The power room shook like that seen in an earthquake, everyone visible to the camera falling to the ground. A loud, but dull, groan emanated through the room as if something large was close by the power room.[/i]

[color=#4682b4]”There’s something large underground?”[/color]

[i]”We think that whatever made that sound is controlling these mutants, maybe more of them. It appeared to be huge. But to the point of the message: I think I have found the beginning of the chain of events that created the time we are living in now.” The engineer pulled up a newspaper clipping. How it had survived was a mystery, but on it the large words ‘THE ESPER FAMILY ESTATE DESTROYED: FAMILY KILLED’. “From the looks of this article, dated October 23 2017, this might be the event that had started everything. Events after this started to become more common, ranging from city blocks to whole cities…” As he was saying this, he was showing more articles, main stories ranging from ‘LA STRIP DESTROYED: SOURCE UNKNOWN’ to ‘A CITY IN RUIN: LOST HAVEN DESTROYED’. “… Being destroyed by some creature. Using some of the power in Settlement 149, I have been able to set a date and time on the machine so you can go back months before this day to find and destroy whatever starts these events.”

Large banging sounds could be heard in the room, with everyone in the room rushing to the only entrance in. “You know what to do. Go back then, find whatever started all of this and bring an end to this nightmare. You might still be alive as a time fragment once the mission is completed, so I want you to live out the rest of your days in the peace I know you deserve.” The engineer looked down, eyes welling up at a fate that has been sealed. “Even though I have not said this to you before you left, I could not be more proud of you of the man you have become, mutation or not. If only your mother was here to see you become the champion that we will need in this desperate time. I love you, my son…” Men started to fly from the entrance to the power room before a large hand grabbed the engineer’s head. Static appears a second after that.[/i]

By the time the message had finished, The Wanderer started to fight through the tears. He started slamming his fist down onto the console, however not as strong as he usually does it as to not break the console. [color=#4682b4]”You didn’t have to go out like that. Not because of some coward refusing to do his goddamn job!”[/color] After a few moments, he got up from the chair and looked at the machine. However, he was once back into it when the earthquake came. The now more audible groan could be heard, similar to that of a whale underwater. Much like the recording, this sounded very close. [color=#4682b4]”Well, I don’t have much time before you come back and learn that someone is here. I best get this machine ready. Time to bring this fucking nightmare to an end.”[/color]