"Suicide?"

Grant looked at Jackson through the mask with questioning eye's, Suicide if Grant remembered was a word that meant to take ones own life. Grant cocked his head at Jackson trying to figure out what the man was trying to get at. Maybe he was being sarcastic or merely relaying once again how dangerous the job was that they were about to embark on. Either way death was not really a concept in which scared or even bothered Grant in the least. Grant just did not fully understand humans as a whole then again perhaps that was because humans were so different from mutants. However Grant let the thoughts drop in his head as drew his attention back to Jackson.

"I do not know as to what your referring too, however if your asking me if I am ready to die then I suppose the only answer I can give you is it does not bother me either way. What about you? Are you ready to die yourself Jackson?"

Grant attempted to make small talk with the man, he was not adjusted to chatting with humans seeming most chose to shoot at him instead of trying to talk to him, so Grant hoped he did not just unwittingly insult Jackson.

Jackson looking up at the Mutant replied calmly " We all live and we all die, If it's my time its my time, maybe this will be the last mission i undertake maybe not. So i guess i'm like yourself it doesn't bother me but at the same time i do fear it, as you know humans can take less damage than people like you" Jackson had always tried to make any Mutant that was smart enough not to kill without cause feel as a normal person..i mean they were human once weren't they? he hard heard stories of where they came from but no one knew if it were true. maybe he could find out during the trip

---

He was brought back to reality by a face he had seen before..but where? it was a good sized tow so there where plenty of people but this was on the outskirts. then he remembered he was talking to Rina last night in the bar before she went off with that lass, old contact maybe? He would have to ask when he gets the chance as he doesn't want a legion spie or one of mr v that is too close to the group, but then again maybe he was just being paranoid probably just a local that leaves near by,

At 0730 his pipboy sounded telling him it was time..but they was still one short Randall that legion fellow, He hadn't seen him since everyone went their separate ways last night. he better be here on time as they had no time to waste.
Jackson gathered everyone that was hear around. "has anyone seen that Former legionary Randall? as time is pressing and i need to brief you all on the plan" His voice sounded harsher than normal maybe due to the foreboding of the mission or the fact he wasn't in the mood for any bullshit and wanted to get this done as quickly as possible.

Andrej responded to the greetings of Jackson by raising his hand and giving a friendly nod, he was slightly surprised how less people were here already but then~ wasn´t the time to get going at 7.30? Andrej shook his head but soon realised that the group gathered rather quickly and so he was satisfied. All of them had gathered but only the "Ex-legion" was missing. It was weird and for Andrej´s taste it smelled a bit like betraying, the fact that this so called Ex-legion was still wearing the colors of what he seemed to left...well it was not Andrej´s job to worry about that.

Andrej placed his backpack on the ground as nearly all of them were gathered and began to unpack it partly. He took a leather holster and some ragged down clothes out of it.
He attached the holster to his leg and packed a Laser-pistol into it, furthermore he wrapped the ragged clothes all around his body, seemingly creating a storm-chaser outfit against sandstorm and effectively hiding his high tech clothes.
The Legion was wide spread but the worst thing about them was that they forbid any kind of technic, even murdering those who are using it, caravan or not....they had to hide any sign of advanced tech for their own sake.
Well going unarmed would be as stupid and so Andrej wrapped his plasma gun in a piece of cloth and strapped it on his back, he even packed his mask away and swore to only wear it when he had to operate or during night, it was for their own sake.

With a sigh he now counted through all the people assigned to the mission, with all the materials he bought he was still lacking. Aiding 6 persons and two of them were Mutis..well that was a hard task even for him but then~
Andrej always showed interest in other speciems than the Homo Sapiens Sapiens~ The Homo Novos or the Homo Sapiens Exodus were rare guest when he had to treat persons and so he barely knew how their immune systems worked neither what he could achieve with them.
So by having now two super mutants it was more a scientific journey to him than a suicide mission, the data he could earn on them alone would probably be worth the paycheck of Mr.V when they returned with the proof of the couriers death or life.
Andrej stopped for a moment and asked himself if it was really for the money and smiled, of course not it was for the sake of his blessed America and if he could add the natural resistance of radiation of a ghouls or a muti to that of a simple human, what wonder could one imagine could happen~ The enclave would rise again!!! The banners of god would be waved again!!!! The world would Life again!!! But that...was all but a dream now, a dream that could maybe be achieved or maybe not.
What did he always say? The only opportunity worth taking, is the one with an unknown outcome and investigating those Mutis....that would be a very unknown outcome.

Andrej was soon finished but there was still no Legionnaire around~ It was weird and considering that they would head to the legion territory weird comes in hand with the word "Betrayed", "Trap" or "soon to be dead".
Something was off but it wasn´t really Andrej´s style to go and to investigate it himself and even if he would have betrayed them...Would he had the guts to kill him? Andrej hated violence and so the question often popped on his mind, will he really shoot people when he needs to? Yes int he past he often shot people and his kill counts was already in the mist of countless things he did already and also he shot...but he always did it without an intention, he acted accordingly how the enclave once trained him and not differently...but taking a life in cold blood? Shooting at someone out of preventive means? No...no he couldn´t do it and so Andrej took a conclusion.

Andrej took a few steps and encountered the women who was owning the dog. The old man smiled warm and friendly at her, it was one of those smiles old people could do best, it was welcoming and free of hatred and really it took Andrej ages and many tries to gain it, in those times it was a gift and the only act of humanity he could give his patients before threatening them like tools to not let them die.
"Hello~ You may have heard my name from yesterday but he haven´t introduced us yet personally~ I am Andrej" And as quick as he grabbed her hand with his two strong but old pranks and shock hers, he also brought himself forward to her, placing his mouth up to her ear, whispering into it.
"Madame~ it greatly concerns me that the Legionnaire still isn´t with us but doubting the decision of our leader just right at the beginning would be lowering the morale of the group highly~ I think it would be in our both interest and in your league of skill that you are taking a look for him?"
He now pressed nearly unseen a torn of red cloth into her hand "Your dog should be able to find him with it, he "lost" it yesterday~ "
Andrej suddenly ached back and rubbed his head and now spoke normally again~ "Oh my~ you are really reminding me of my daughter~ i am sorry i got sentimental~ I must getting old~" And so he did what could do best acting naturally cold and distanced and so seemingly drifting off in memories of a (never existing) daughter.

Dirge offered Jackson his usual bizarre grin as he asked about his readiness for the journey they were about to set out to do. He gave a slight nod, well as close to a nod as his massive and stiff neck would allow him, before speaking in his deep, rocky and up beat voice. "Yeas I is ready. I got clang with me!" After he said that he removed his club, the giant engine block mounted on a long thick poll, from it's place on his back and held it out in front of him, trying to show him that this was the before mentioned clang. He then held the club to himself like a child would do to a dear toy and started to sing rather loudly and clumsily to himself. "Clang, clang, clang smash! Clang, clang, clang crash!" That went on for a few minutes before the others began to arrive and Dirge decided to put his club back onto his back.

As the group started to gather Dirge offered each of them his stomach turning grin and a wave of his huge hand as they arrived, which would of made anyone think twice that if this was indeed a super mutant the blood thirsty creatures that destroy whole towns. He listened to Jackson about how he wanted everyone to be ready and in his mind Dirge found that kind of sweet, like a protective mom would check her children's backpack before school. He kept his smile on as he looked over the group but after a few moments he found himself inching towards the super mutant, well his inching were more like full strides compared to a human. His limited interaction with his own kind has always left him rather curious about them, if there were other "defects" like him, and he had the slight hope of making a new friend.

Rina stared thoughtfully at the old man for a second before replying simply with "Your smile is empty. But, I catch your meaning. I've never met a Legionnaire that I've liked...alive."

She knelt over to Acosador and waved the crimson fabric to his nose, allowing him a second to catch the scent. Her partner sniffed the ground, eagerly searching for the start of a trail. This wasn't the first time they had tracked a man this way and Acosador was eager to please his Mistress. Once he showed signs of a viable trail, she nodded towards Jackson. "We'll report back when we find the Legionnaire. Give us thirty minutes. If we haven't returned- go on with out us." And, with those words, followed closely behind her partner.



Rina followed Acosador down the alley in a series of twists and turns to a more deserted section of the Hub. She followed her furry companion closely, noting that they had begun to enter the seedier parts of town, and thus, rested her hand a little more closely on her pistol. She didn't draw her gun quite yet though, and if she was required to use it, she could draw it in an instant. A low growl rumbled in Acosador's chest, followed closely by a soft whimper. He padded into an abandoned building and through a bunker door that had been left unlocked in haste. Relaxing the tension in her shoulders, Rina began to sweep around the room, searching for anything that may give her an inclination as to where the last member of their group may have gone off to.



Rina stood with her pistol trained at the door frame, her gaze aiming down the sights of her trusty sidearm. Acosador was braced at the end of the galley style kitchen, ready to lunge in for an attack with a simple word from Rina. She kept the gun level at his head and spoke evenly, despite being slightly taken aback by his presence. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blow your head off." she said, flexing her finger on the trigger, emphasizing her words.

"Looks like you're looking for something. That's kind what I'm good at." Dan stated taking small deliberate steps through the kitchen into the larger room. His eyes trailed across a wall that read "Long Live Caesar" in dark red to the curve of what could possibly be a hole in the wall hidden partially behind a gun cabinet as if to conceal it. "Try looking in there?" he asked, risking lowering his hands and jutting his chin out in its direction.



Rina looked up at Dan, flicking her gaze down to Acosador with an unreadable stare. "Stand down, boy." she told him, motioning with her head for Dan to come over. "Alright then scavenger. Show me what you got." She stepped inside the room, checking for tripwires and let the ghoul enter behind her. As she continued to scour the small room, Dan simply sat at the console and began to mindlessly tap away at the buttons. "What are you doing?" Rina hissed at the man, half the mind to backhand him from his chair. But, he was already propping a bent up coat hanger from who knows where and messing with the dials. Through the static, they could make out two distinct words. "Hail Caesar". Among that, the indistinct fuzz of a radio station dedicated to Caesar and his praise.

Reaching across the station, Rina hit the power button and sincerely considered putting a bullet in the equipment. She only chose not to for the sake of saving it to put into the Legionnaires head. "We've got to go tell Jackson the Legionnaire isn't coming. And, I think I just found his replacement."

Jackson was on edge, he didn't like this situation a mission crew member and Another tracking him down, though he wasn't going to go without her he really wanted to get underway He kept refreshing hs pip boy and glancing in the direction of ally Rina had disappeared to, he knew that she could handle herself, Christs she was a former ranger, most don't live long enough to get called that, but she..she was something different And she was a whiskey drinker, Jackson always respected those like himself and Rina but didn't trust them as he knew what they were like..hell he knew as he was like them.

20 minutes had passed Checking the time again. "Right everyone listen up this is your last chance to get supplies here. Once we are on the road we won't be able to restock until we hit Utah, unless we pass through a small town or find traveling merchants. I get that i have given you bugger all reason to trust me, and honestly i respect that, If you do however have any issues with me any member of this team. you will address them to me" Jacksons tone was cold and harsh He looked around at all the faces gathered and each of them was staring at him. " I do not. i repeat do not want any past conflicts or Issues to arises and fuck up this mission. we all want those Caps" glancing at Dirge "erm jinglies, are to good for this to get fucked up by past history got it?" Jackson looked directly at Andrej, His past with the man wasn't exactly the nicest and he knew full well that something could be said between them that could mess this mission up. Jackson went around everyone making sure they were set and ready to go and he made sure with Dirge he was ready,

"Oh and another thing guys n gals though i am your leader i use this term loosely, Think for yourselves and be smart. the only time i will give orders if we are planning to attack something like a camp or if there are any feuds" giving everyone the once over against making sure everything was clear he went over to Dirge and explained things more simply and in a much kinder tone, he knew that everyone was different mutants included and sometimes thing had to be said like as if to a child..albeit a 12ft greenish mutant that could crush jackson with a squeeze of his fist, As for the tone he didn't want to anger or scare Dirge he wanted to be as reassuring as possible, Once he finished explaining and making sure Dirge at least had a modest grasp of what was going on he patted his shoulder as a father would a son and told him it was going to be worth the jinglies

32 Minutes since Rina left, walking over to his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder checking his 44. for the last time and placing it into its holster he placed his Advance recon helmet on it took a moment for his eyes to readjust and he fumbled with the filter, finally he picked up his Knife placing it in a hidden groove in his boot, Slinging his hunting rifle over his back and he carries his marksman rifle in hand

"right everyone we leave in 30 seconds gear up, if you want to back out now this is your last chance" looking at everyones determined but nervous faces he came to the conclusion no one was backing down, he admired this he knew everyone for whatever reason had the choice of coming, But as far as he was concerned he was here for the money and Six
"Right we move! i'll explain what's happening once we get out of hub, i really don't trust it here and i rather only us and Mr V knows about the details"

As the team started to move towards the towns edge Rina came sprinting back followed by her trusted dog
"Wait!" she yelled jackson spinning around saw that she was being followed by a ghoul
"Rina lookout you got a tail!" lowering the marksman rifle and pulling his 44. out jackson aimed at the ghoul though he did not fire He ran past Rina and forcing the ghoul to stop by holding his gun to its temple.

Jogging behind Blunt, they wound through the alleys until they came out to the area in which he had first seen her. The group she was previously with looked to be leaving Hub. Blunt sped up and called "Wait!"

On her heels, Dan saw the lead guy turn around. His face obscured by a recon helm, he shouted to her "Rina lookout you got a tail!" Still jogging forward, Dan looked behind him "a tail?" he said aloud, seeing nothing. He looked forward "I don't see any tai-" Gun barrel in his face, he came to a stop. "Of course it's me" he sighed aloud. The man from the front of the group was now standing beside him with the barrel of a gun pointed at his head. Raising his hands to his side "This is the second time today I've had a gun pointed at my head. Hey Blunt. A little help?" Blunt took her place next to the rest on the group. "He's alright Jackson"
Jackson stepped back, before reluctantly lowering his gun. Without holstering it, he addressed Dan. "Why are you here?"

Dan lowered his hands "I helped Blunt when she needed it."
Jackson scoffed, "And?"
Blunt spoke up, "We found where our missing member was staying"
Jackson looked at Blunt, "Was? So is he dead?"
Dan "He wasn't where we were, and he was a Caesar fan"
Blunt spoke up again "I decided to bring Dan here"

Blunt sighed "To fill the spot left by our missing member." She stood next to Dan now. "I was assuming you'd need someone."

Jackson steps by to take a look at the guy, " Dan eh? Whats your skill set?" refusing to holster his weapon
He glances to Rina and studies her expression from what he could she trusted this guy and though this usually wasn't enough for someone to make a choice, Jackson knew what this mission entailed, he didn't want someone who couldn't handle themselves, He did not want dead wait.

Dan spoke up " Yes i'm Dan, and i specialize in stealth, ammo crafting and i can get a good deal with traders" His expression was calm at least for someone who had a 44. pressed against his head " I carry a leaver action shotgun a silenced 10mm pistol and a machete" His voice had the usual ghoul croak but there was a sense of pride within it, This though was not enough to trust him Jackson agreed to let him come along.

"Right Dan we are going to Arizona and we will be alone with no allies par this team with us. we fail we die. we don't fail we are rich and depending on how successful we are depends on how rich we will be" Jackson's voice sounded muffled because of his helmet but his tone was that of a man who didn't trust and was in a hurry.
"I'm telling you this now and this is for everyone. You fall behind you stay behind, i dont want any heroics or suicidal actions, without good cause got it?" there was a murmur from agreement from everyone par Dirge who of course was confused. Jackson however had no time to explain, they was already 13 minuets late,

"Right we move!" so Jackson started to move again picking up his marksman rifle

Rina looked to Jackson as he addressed her Ghoul acquaintance, giving him perhaps a harder time than was necessary. Her face remained unreadable as he turned his words to the whole of the group, warning them against taking any 'heroic' actions. She almost scoffed out loud. Surely none of the misfits around her would consider themselves heroes in any light of day.

As their leader figure man began to walk towards their traveling brahmin, a part of their traveler charade, Rina hung back for a moment to touch base with Dan.



He croaked, causing Rina to shake her head at his words, suppressing a smirk. "Just be glad you're still alive... sort of." she chided back, clicking her tongue to Acosador to command him to follow.



Dan yelled up to Jackson, readjusting his hat and fastening his scarf to cover the majority of his face. Rina could hear some grumbling from the group, unsure if it was of agreement or annoyance but, eventually Jackson began to dictate where everyone would be during their travels. Rina slowly strode on the worn pathway of the wastes, pulling up the rear in the formation Jackson was now dictating. To her side was Dan and her ever faithful Acosador. On the Brahmins left side stood Angelica, followed closely by their medic Andrej. On the opposite side, both the Supermutants, Grant in front with simple Dirge close on his toes. And Jackson? Jackson of course took point.

At this point everyone had their weapons mostly holstered, trying to minimize the overall phoneyness of their 'caravan'. They traveled in silence for a long while, Dirge seeming to barely contain his excitement of being so close to another one of his kind. Angelica and the medic seemed content in silence and Rina couldn't care less one way or another. She followed dutifully as Jackson led their group of falsified merchants further into enemy territory and away from the illusioned safety of Hub.

The freighting and obviously forced grin that the group had seen a thousand times already was yet again plastered on the Supermutant's rough face. Dirge was excited that he was placed with Grant, though it did seem that the other Supermutant had little interest in him, but he was nearly jumping for joy when he got sight of the Brahmin. He always found them... well adorable! He loved their two heads, their funny smell, and most of all their moos. After about a solid five minutes of him gawking at the Brahmin while they walked Dirge reached into his trench coat and pulled out a old radio that looked like it had been manhandled for years. He gave everyone his yellow smile before clicking the radio, his massive fingers fumbling with the small nobs. "Pretty sound!" He said as music started to escape the radio.

They had been walking for at least three hours

Jackson holstered his Gun and pulled out his Pip-boy and started checking the rout making sure that they were on the right Road , and comparing it to the mission brief he got from Mr V,
"This makes no sense" He muttered to himself "No..No this can't be right" He stops in his tracks "guys hold up one second"
Jackson crouches down and start looking at a paper map of the Rout, he liked to have a hard copy incase his pip boy broke or got lost, Using a pencil he started drawing lines and doing calculations "ah fuck" he sighs "Anyone got another pip boy or knows California or Nevada area well enough?"
Everyone par Dirge and Grant who kept watch crowded round Jackson
"i think Mr V has given crap intel to say the least The rout he said we are to take to to go around the top of Nevada to utah just to come back down near Arizona through Zion and then to Nevada"
there was a murmur of disapproval and questioning from everyone, Jackson knew he should of checked this before they left but Mr V had always given good intel before so he didn't bother to question it, but now this just seems stupid, this real bothered Jackson Mr V giving pointless Intel? what else could be dodgy or pointless or even false completely...