The spot Cameron had staked out was a good one, Justin rather impressed by how quickly she managed to fish out an oasis in a wasteland such as this; however, the locale didn't necessarily conform to what one would think of as a wasteland. Most end of the world scenarios dealt in nuclear arms and radiation, but this was different. Nature wasn't destroyed by man, but instead aided in cleansing man off the face of the planet. It took some help from some crazy bio-terrorists to get the process in motion, but once it kicked off, there was no stopping the purge nature intended.
Justin threw himself on the verdant grass, savoring the feel of the earth underneath him. Most of his excursions featured laying on cold wood or metallic floor, so this...this was a vacation. His eyes closed, Justin mumbling something about closing his eyes for a minute. Contrary to his statement, it was about an hour before his eyes opened again, the bright rays of the sun glinting into his eye. Groaning, he turned on his side to find Cameron relaxing herself. He gave her a brief wave before telling her:
"Sorry if I held us up, but a guy needs his rest, you know?" It was then she asked about their mission. He blew out a sigh, sitting up and planting his elbows on the ground as he responded:
"We don't know. That's the whole point. If we can actually figure out what those scientists were working on, we could possibly help restore the soil fertility, purify the water and actually give mankind a chance at living again." He shifted a bit as he continued:
"To think that we wouldn't have to worry about dying if we drank from a water source that wasn't treated first, to pick an apple off a tree without worrying if the first bite would be our last..." He sighed.
"It's almost unimaginable. Totally worth hiking up to Portland. I guess it's all about hope, right? It may be an imaginary, totally impractical thing, but it's what keeps us going...well, keeps me going." He chuckled as he sat up fully, crossing his legs before rummaging through his pack to find a package of nuts and dried fruit, which he tore into, chucking most of the package's contents into his mouth. After swallowing, he mentioned:
"We're actually close to Hartford. If we can skirt around the edges, then maybe we won't have to paint a target on our back. I don't really trust going through a place that could be staked out by one of the tribes." He stretched his arms out over his head, but then they came down rather quickly, a look of thoughtfulness crossing his face. Then, he spoke:
"The tribes around here are rather hostile, so how on earth did the guys who attack Omega set up camp here? And where did they come from? Assuming that they set camp up here in the first place. They don't seem like the wandering types to me. Too organized, too precise and way too high powered. They must...they must have someone helping them, right? Someone giving them access to high powered assault rifles and the ability to cast high-quality armor." He brushed some grass off his legs as he stood up.
"Is there anything you can remember from Chesapeake that could give us some insight on these guys? We know they're brutal and take no prisoners, but why..." He trailed off, hands on his hips, then one of them left, fingers snapping.
"Ok, so get this: if those guys siege every large settlement on the East Coast and just wipe em out completely, then they would have total control over the Eastern seaboard. Yeah, there would be raiders, tribes and drifters, but they wouldn't pose a real threat to them. If they get a hold of this technology, they would have all the power in the world...clean food, clean water..."
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TheElvenJedi