The rumble was unmistakable - Something was moving out there. Something [i]big[/i].

[i]A deathclaw? They hated the winter. Preferred to stay inside. Maybe a behemoth?[/i]

Hudson knew that super mutants would sometimes migrate south for the winters, if only because they weren't huge fans of the snow. They could certainly handle the cold just fine, often better than most of the winter residents, but food was scarce in the winter, and outside of just raiding the hell out of everything (and having to deal with Imperial forces), it was easier to follow the wildlife and hunt down radstags and the like in the North West Commonwealth.

So outside of the two brutish predators that he knew about, what the [i]hell[/i] was making that sound?

Feeling the familiar weight of his pistol, he knew he had seven shots in there, along with the six or so clips on his leg pouch. If things started getting nasty, he wanted to be sure he was ready.

He stepped back to the table, re-clipping the transmitter into its spot on his backpack, and loading up a few supplies. He was either going to be getting out of here or not, and he was pretty sure he wouldn't be coming back to the bunker. He tossed his ammo sling over his shoulders, strapped his pack down tight, holstered [i]Fiona[/i] and snatched up his rifle as he made his way toward the sound, that just seemed to be getting louder, echoing its way through the tunnels with almost mechanical shrieks.

[i]What is that [b]noise?[/b][/i]

He made his way down the tunnel stealthily, glancing about for an ambush as he reached the entrance. There didn't seem to be anyone nearby, and so he crept his way out, following his earlier footprints in the snow. Calmly, he approached a nearby building - an abandoned pre-war home from the looks of it, and slipped up to the second floor.

The house, much like the bunker entrance, were at the top of a small ridge overlooking the rest of the decimated town. He'd chosen this area specifically because it was high, and therefore would be an excellent vantage point if he needed to make a quick getaway. Thus, it was a great view of what was going on.

Laying down inside, and even before peering through his scope, he could easily see what was still causing the impressive, echoing noise.

In the middle of the town, an unreasonably large military building was raising itself out of the ground, emerging from the frozen earth as if from the grave, shedding snow all about as it began to tower into the sky. It was easily several stories tall, knocking trees and buildings alike to the side as it rose into place with an enormous clatter.

Hudson could hardly believe his eyes, and for a moment he forgot to breathe.

Apparently, the entire town had been built right on top of the place, and the building was designed to raise itself on massive gears up into place at... What? The push of a button?

While he'd certainly seen his share of crazy tech over the years, especially considering some of the Imperial Science Division projects he'd been a part of, there was no indication that there was a facility of this size here, so close to Vancouver. This was massive, and Hudson could only imagine the kind of tech that was in there. The ISD boys would have a field day.

The soldiers near the facility were simply watching the building continue to rise, some scanning the area, but most gawking just like Hudson was. With them mostly standing in place, he could see by the main concentration that his count had been right. There were somewhere between forty and fifty of the mask-wearing soldiers, though he could tell by their stances that they were being led by the one in some new variant of Power Armor.

[i]Damn. I've only got one mag of AP rounds. There's no way I'll punch through that thing.[/i]

In the hands of each of the soldiers was well-maintained plasma rifle, and Hudson grinned. That would make an impressive trophy if he could snatch one on his way back home. Plus, he was sure the Imps could figure out all kinds of things based on weapons and gear that he recovered.

These were the kinds of extra bonuses that kept a merc like him employed. He started pondering a way to lure a few of the soldiers away. He didn't have the gear or the patience to take on the entire platoon, but two or three of them? He could drop them and loot them and be gone before anyone even noticed. His hand unconsiously reached back and tapped the handle of the combat knife on his thigh.

[i]Cool and quiet.[/i]

Pulling his eye away from his scope, Hudson glanced about, and noticed that not even one-hundred yards away, the noise had attracted a few more visitors. From the looks of them, a group of raiders, about twenty or so, were gathering up. By their ragged appearance and less-than-impressive armor, he guessed they were Chemmies, the nickname Hudson had given to the heavy chem-using raiders who preferred their drugs to smart protection.

[i]Well, this ought to be fun.[/i]

As the giant building finally settled into place, the enormous gears finally grinding to a halt, the raiders hid themselves about, except for a single one, who nonchalantly took a gun, and shot himself in the side, bleeding into the ground as he laid himself down.

[i]Med-X. An ambush.[/i]

Responding to the sound, five of the troops began making their way toward the raiders, as the rest marched right into the facility.

Hudson smirked at the raiders' cleverness, and realized that he could probably take advantage of the situation. Five soldiers was a lot, but if he timed it just right, he could snag one of them, possibly even alive, and get some information [i]and[/i] tech in the confusion.

Slowly, he lifted himself up and headed down the stairs, weaving through the buildings well away from the soldiers' approach, so as to come up behind them.