shadowsaint007

Fallout: New York (Still accepting :D)

"There's certainly some valuable tech there", Greg said, "maybe even enough for multiple trips. The problem is, I need to find someone who's got more computer knowledge than I do to figure out how to hack this chip in my head so that I can lead you inside. As it is, I could take you to the door, but that's about it. You wouldn't happen to know someone like that, would you?"

@TheUnknowable

Jennifer thought over her situation. She could probably use the chip as leverage for negotiations, try and get some concessions in exchange for cracking it. There were certainly other possibilities to a programmable chip.

She snapped to, forcing herself to chug her Nuka Cola, perhaps a bit too quickly. As she sputtered, she chastised herself. The idea of using something like that, even if it was minor subliminal orders, was a scary thought. Even slavers weren't this bad, though not for lack of trying; the power to go in and mess with a person's mind was utterly terrifying. If she ever had a chip implanted in her brain, the first thing she would do is failsafe it against any tampering.

Still, the idea of something so intricate and powerful in a human brain... it was a double-edges sword, but if it indeed could bolster logical thinking and memory storage, wouldn't it be possible to study it? It wasn't everyday that you had a chance to examine advanced Old World Tech like this. She pulled up her backpack and took over several wires.

"I dunno, I'm pretty good with electronics and security systems," she said. "Think those are good enough odds? Might need a bit of help with setting up the equipment, though."

As John scrambled to remove as many slaves per trip as he could he would find himself on high guard and constantly tripping over his own feet because of how fast his movements were.
As Gabe moved down to the rear he paused and looked behind him "Almost out" He said quickly motioning to the hole they came through
"Five more minutes, plenty of time" He said towards Gabe.

His mind moved to Par. "Ah hes a big boy, he will be okay" he thought as he looked off to the north woods where there was no sign of Par.
Just as his mind came back to the situation he felt a sharp pierce in his right shoulder. The numb throbbing and spilling blood, John knew what it was.
"Mother Fucker!" He shouted and shot the attacker twice.
He turned back to Gabe and cubbed his shoulder, spinning a cloth around it. "No, don't say anything.. It's fine" He hissed at him before Gabe could speak.
As they moved towards the hall entrance John noticed the unmistakable blinking of a slave collar on two of the slaves in front of him.
Explosive collars.. He though looking at them Damn

@shadowsaint007@Letter Bee@The_written_John

@Madly33

Gabriel covered the group's retreat, noting with some pained and disgusted looks at the prisoners' state. Slavery really was the work of animals, breaking the minds and bodies of their fellow men for a quick buck.

John's injury incited a concerned look from Gabriel, but the stubborn old man refused help. In a situation like this, it would have been best to patch the wound right then and there to take care of the infection, but it was going to leave them exposed to enemy attack. Best to hold the line and make an ordered retreat for now. But once they got back to safety, Gabriel was going to look at that shoulder whether John liked it or not.

However, when he noticed the explosive collars, his heart sank. He hadn't really thought about the collars, even though he probably should have. He really should have brought Sparks along; she was really good at disarming the crude wiring of slave collars. All he could do now was hope like hell the collars' reception was out of range.

He took a look at the collars, trying to figure out if they could be removed. He managed to catch a few lessons from seeing Sparks work, but he wasn't sure if he was up to the task here, especially under pressure.

"Better we get going," he grunted. "The sooner we get the slaves out of range, the better. I think I might to go back and find the remote detonator for those things."

Fallout: New York (Still accepting :D)

Gabriel provided cover fire as John freed the slaves, climbing a guard tower and using it as a vantage point to keep the slavers from getting close. A couple of pistol rounds to the face and a bit of knife-work took care of the guard, his dying carcass tossed over the side. Gabriel took aim, focusing, predicting the targets' paths, and, with suitable leads, dispatching each. It was a bit too easy, he mused; once he had the vantage point, it was easy to take on the more scatterbrained slavers. One thought he was being smart by zig-zagging, but Gabriel caught on, nailing him through the thin corrugated tin wall he was trying to escape behind.

Though he was wondering about one other thing; where were the other slavers? Par's distraction bought them time, but they'd be back sooner or later, and that left the question of where Par went, and whether he was still alive.

He suddenly heard screaming and glimpsed bursts of flame out of the corner of his eye. Scoping, he looked for the target, only to find some unknown person laying into the slavers like a frenzied avatar of wrath. Gabriel contemplated going for a headshot in case this was a rabid berserker, but to his surprise, he saw him pick Par up. Unusually friendly for a person they just met.

He would have observed longer, but shouts from John and the pattering of feet alerted him that the mission was only halfway done. Best to focus on the task at hand, he thought, as he turned his sniper rifle on any incoming foes. This time, however, they had learned; they were firing back at him from behind cover with whatever they had. Fortunately, none were armed with anything bigger than a rifle, so he took a shot at anyone who peeped out of cover before suppression fire forced him back behind cover. Pity he couldn't find any grenades on him, could have been useful in flushing them out of cover.

Still, by his reckoning, the slaves had been freed, best to follow suit. He climbed back down the tower ladder, and followed John, covering the rear against anyone who followed. Hopefully, they'd be able to make an escape back out quickly.

Fallout: New York (Still accepting :D)

@shadowsaint007"Some of the people thought it was like that book from 300 years ago, I Robot by Isaac Asimov. We've got a digital copy of it over at the library if you want one. Ten caps if you've got a tape to put it on, twenty for a blank tape." Then he realized he was trying to sell something, not telling the story. "Anyway, in the story the robots decided that the best way to protect humans is to stop them from fighting. So they kill the most violent humans, the ones that resist, and force the others to not fight. I don't think that's what happened, though."

He pulled a Nuka Cola from under the front counter and offered his customer one for 10 caps. "The people in the vault were teaching it to learn and reason. I think it got smart enough to reason that it's condition and that of it's brother robots was pretty much slavery, and then learned about the concept of a slave revolt. It started killing us and, when we were suitably beaten, offered to spare our lives if we kept it and it's brothers working. There are some things that humans can do better than robots."

He took a sip from his Nuka Cola. "After that it learned about the chips that Vault-tech put in our heads to give us better memories and let us do math easier. It turns out that the chips would also let them give us commands that were as strong as our basic instincts. It told us to "Obey" and we had no choice. About a year ago, though, a failsafe activated that reset that command. We were ordered to leave the vault, and on our way out we caused as much damage as we could. I even made a plasma rifle out of the arm of a Mr. Gutsy, though I've refined it quite a bit sense then."

"Unfortunately, I can't reenter the vault because of that command. If I could I'd reprogram every robot I could to serve me and salvage everything else I could. My shop would be stocked for years to come."

@TheUnknowable

Sparks accepted the Nuka Cola, absent-mindedly placing the 10 bottlecaps on the counter in return. She listens eagerly to the tale, and already, the gears were spinning in her head. If the tech there was still intact, it could contain a veritable wealth of Old World stuff. Maybe she can cut a deal with Greg here to get a contract. He probably knew some passcodes and stuff to the better stuff.

"Certainly sounds interesting," Sparks mused. "Still, there's a lot of salvageable stuff there, right? Think an expedition or two will suffice? Assuming I can get one together, what sort of arrangement would be amenable to you?"

Fallout: New York (Still accepting :D)

@shadowsaint007John looked up as Gabe moved up and spoke loudly.
"New plan is just to get these slaves out while Par distracts the guards" He said quickly and waved his hand towards the holding block.
"Right there." John knelt down "There is a series of four halls next to each other, we can go down each hall, we need to be quick though because they have hounds, we can outrun some fat slave owners, but not a bloodhound." He paused and looked back over at the hill. "We can meet with Par and curve back over the hill"
He paused again "This. This all needs to be done in a matter of at most 15 minutes or the auto alarm will go off that tracks the slaves, we need to be long gone by then if we don't want to be out numbered 100 to one" He looked back to Gabe. "but we will that hell of a good shot for any straggling guards. Good?" he patted him on the shoulder.

@Madly33

Gabriel was concerned that Par was going for a distraction. Sure, it would buy them time, but it was an incredibly risky maneuver. He prayed Par would be okay; the kid had a stick up his ass, but his heart seemed to be in the right place.

He nodded.

"Right beside you, sir," he replied, shouldering his rifle.

He moved quickly forwards, slouching a bit as he moved. He would move with John in pairs, one covering the other as they moved through the corridors quickly. Any slavers were to be shot immediately on sight to avoid them getting close. Gabriel stopped to scout around the corner, signalling John when he saw the slave cells.

"We're here," he hissed. "Better get moving..."

Fallout: New York (Still accepting :D)

<Snipped quote by shadowsaint007>

"Well, I've got an Enclave eyebot with compatible memory if you want me to swap the chips. They always have more than they need because the Enclave wants to keep parts consistent across all of their robots and power armor. Let me pull up the list of books." He typed a few things into his computer and a list of books started scrolling up the screen. "Here you are.", he said, turning the computer around so that the customer could see it. Then the customer mentioned the Overseer. "Well, yeah, we started off with a human Overseer, a Computer expert if I remember my history lessons, but we kept advancing our computer and robot technology. After fifty years the vault's main computer got a mind of its own, then decided to take over. It used our robots against us and, after slaughtering most of us, offered to spare our lives if we agreed to keep the robots working."

@TheUnknowable

Jenny winced. She had heard of how the Old World had developed Artificial Intelligence, and had made great strides in developing reasoning, sentient electronic minds. However, those minds tended to be benevolent and obedient.

"I thought there were rules programmed into robots and AI to make sure they're obedient. What happened? How did it break free of its controls? And what happened after it took over?"

Sparks was now fully engrossed in the story. Part of her was just following the story as a cautionary tale, but part of her was already wondering if said Vault contained a trove of precious technology to be excavated.

Fallout: New York (Still accepting :D)

@shadowsaint007@Letter Bee
John took of his hat and pulled up his cloth hood as Par broke down the watch tower and shots rang through the air.
He moved around the corner of the wall Rap ad just entered. He looked around the corner and changed the sight of his gun from scope to iron. He was lucky enough to stumble on a military cache a few years ago and snag a decent sniper.
He poked around with his gun aimed straight taking out anyone he saw coming that Gabe hadn't already.
"kids a damn good shot" He though looking back over his shoulder to where the quick flash and bullets rang from. As he neared one of the corners into the main fields he caught up with Par, holding back in fear of what the beast would do. "Nice work kid" He yelled as a bullet whizzed by his feet. He returned fire blindly into the dust created by all the running and firing.
A man screamed and ran up with a chain saw, John pulled out his revolver and shot him as he ran upon them.
"No alarms?" John looked around as the fighting settled. "I guess we got in quietly..?" He asked in general confusion.
John knelt next to one of the dead guard bodies and looked back to Par and nodded, "Let's get in and out, no need to raise the whole place" He said quickly and began moving forward as he strapped his rifle back to his back.

@Madly33

Gabriel kept his rate of fire, taking care to favor the quality of each shot over quantity; each shot had to count. The pattern was the same; breathe in, aim, breathe out, gently squeeze the trigger. The mulish kick of the rifle butt against his shoulder informed him of each shot fired, and each bullet swiftly flew through the air at its intended target. Anyone who could pose a threat to the attackers was a priority target. Heavy weapon wielders were priority targets. Flamethrowers and grenade users were priority targets. Anyone who could shoot back at him from a distance was a priority target.

To keep his mind off the fact that he was adding the to body count in the Wastelands, Gabriel kept his mind on the fact that he was supporting people trying to free captives, slaves. He kept telling himself that his targets were the enemy; people who abused others and tortured them into obedience, throwing aside the weak and the broken to die as trash. Death may be a constant in the Wastelands, but here, it was also necessary.

Suddenly, a bullet shot in front of Gabriel, deflecting off the ground in front of him and kicking dirt in his right eye, before richocheting the dirt and grazing his temple. Grunting in alarm and pain, he quickly slid into cover to avoid any other shots. Like his papa always said, it wasn't the bullet with your name on it that was dangerous, it was all those other ones marked 'To Whom It May Concern'.

He quickly pulled out his flask of water, a small piece of gauze, and some distilled hard alcohol. With the water, he flushed his eye of dirt, straining his ear to ensure nobody was closing in on him. Once he had the dirt out of it and could just blink it out, he poured some alcohol on the gauze and dabbed at his forehead. Nothing serious; just a flesh wound. Pain was good; pain kept him alive. And pain was telling him the bullet had only left a slight gash on the skin and not gone deeper. Thank God for small mercies.

((Collab Post between Letter Bee and Madly33))

Par nodded respectfully to John, while at the same time noticing that Gabe was both some distance away and, well, was looking good. Good as in professional, and good as in...that way. The young merchant would be mesmerized by how the blond looked as he wove through the available sources of cover, but eventually chose to react to John's words:

"Thanks, although my intention was to distract the guards while you guys go and escape with the slaves; basically, I and George here," he patted his steed, "were going to make as big a ruckus as we could, then get away once we've made our rampage. Even now, I still think that plan is workable; I'll move east to where the arsenals and blockhouses are, then try and break through to the North Woods*." Par then looked at John again.

"What do you think? Also..." he felt the urge to add, "keep Gabe safe."

"Anything you think would help" he said in responce "...And..sure?" he said in confusion before looking at him and it processing "Ahh.. Yes" He nodded and signaled at Gabe to inform of the new plan.

"Thanks," said Par, before going off to the northeast; he knew it would give Gabe a bad impression for him to leave so soon and go it alone, but hopefully, John would explain things to the other boy better. Sigh...why must the blond be so hot?

*centralparknyc.org/things-to-see-and-d..

@shadowsaint007, @Kenyeismylife

@Letter Bee

Fortunately, no attackers materialized; the camp was well and truly subdued, with the defenders trying to fight for their lives. Once he was sure that he was safe to come out, he tied the gauze to the wound using a headband, and peered up. He caught John trying to signal a new plan, and nodded, trying to follow the older man as best he could.

Getting closer, he managed to get in talking range to John.

"What's the new plan, sir?" he inquired. "And don't mind me; just got lucky the bullet hadn't gone an inch to the left."

Fallout: New York (Still accepting :D)

The whole time John was quiet, resting in the front of the group and always keeping an eye on his rifle when they rested. Every time they would stop he would groan. Wasting our god damn time.. He hissed to himself. After a few hours the stopped, Par explained the outline for the slave camps to Gabe quickly and quietly. John looked over and brushed the dirt off his shoes "They have dogs too, and fences are nearly impossible to get over or under." He said, slightly interrupting Par's last words. "Only way in if we don't want to get caught is the only way out of that shit hole." He looked off to the hill as the sun slowly set on it. "Trash toss" He said with a glare and a smirk, was a disgusting place. He paused as they looked at him. He rolled his eyes "..Where they throw the dead ones. The 'Trash'" He said caustically. "It's a direct link to the hill on the other side of the camps" he looked over at Par and Gabe and sighed and looked down "It is guarded at night, we will need to take out the guards quickly" He paused again expecting the 'How do you know this?' questions. He stood up and rubbed his hands together, pushing the dirt off his palms. "Spent some time here after my Mom died" He uttered.
"Anyway.. What's your plan for this?" he asked directing at Par. "You are a smart kid, I know you have something" He picked up his rifle ready to move after given a plan.

@Madly33

Gabriel paused, not saying a thing. But at least it explained why the old man was chomping at the bit to hurry up and reach the slavers' camp. He became more respectful of the old timer.

Paradise 'Par' Rapids - Old Man's Corner

"The 'Trash Toss' would work well, being a hole that leads both inside and outside the walls. However," Par turned to Gabe, "you'll have to swim through rotting naked bodies; are you sure you can do that?" Yes, Par was showing his 'too-quick-to-criticize' flaw again. Then, an idea would come upon Par.

"I've got it!" he whispered. "The Trash toss is an attraction to scavengers, like Feral Ghouls, stray dogs, and, of course, wandering Yao Guai, either from the countryside or escaped from the Zoos of New York." He would presumably see incredulous looks. "No, I've heard about it from the Slavers'; Yao Guai do come to Central Park at times, and would logically search out local food sources.

Par then smirked, then spoke:

"You guys heard of the Capital Wasteland, right? About the Brotherhood and Enclave? Well, the news was brought to us by a Scavenger from that place down south...who had a Yao Guai companion* and was willing to teach a paying customer some tricks, especially on said customer's 18th Birthday." Expecting incredulous looks, Par continued:

"Yes, I'm saying a Scavenger from the Wasteland taught me how to tame a Yao Guai. How do you think I survived all those truck trips through and from Upstate New York alone? It's easy; Yao Guai are occasionally friendly with Bloatflies...you still don't believe me, don't you? Fine, I'll show you!" And with that, he went off the woods quicker than anyone can catch him.

@Letter Bee

"Wait, where're you-" Gabriel tried to stop Par, but the kid was already gone. And Gabriel didn't have a damn clue what he was babbling about.

And no, Gabriel wasn't going to try and swim through a river of rotting corpses.

It was quite a while before the other boy came back at last....

Nightfall; Three Hours Later

A snarling, clawing Yao Guai, aka a mutated black bear, would burst out of the woods...Par on his back and tugging at the beast's ears.

"Steady! Steady!" he shouted, before clamping down his hand, which smelled of Bloatfly, at the beast's nose, causing it to cry out in distress, before quieting down.

"Okay, did not think this through."

@Letter Bee

Gabriel looked at the big beast in annoyance, unsure of why the bear was brought in, what it had to do with anything, and why he had to waste three hours getting the thing instead of trying to rescue the slaves as quickly as possible. It was cold, it was getting dark, and God knows what was happening to the slaves.

Presumably seeing more incredulous looks, Par said:

"We've lost enough time already; I'd teach Gabe because he's the more outdoorsy type, but right now, the slaves are cleaning up before they are taken to bed - in more than one sense." That last part was unwelcome.

"I'm going to go to the watchtower on the top of the hill, and then go on a rampage across the fields; the slaves have been withdrawn from them as its nighttime and farming is less productive at that time. You guys go to the 'Trash Toss' and go rescue the slaves."

Some Hours Later

The Watchtower had been cleared, and Par and his mount had broken through to Old Man's Corner, surprising a patrol of guards. Par, as his mount bit off the head of one of Forty's men - not that he knew that person served Forty - fired blindly at a couple of approaching thugs with his submachine, missing, but forcing them to take cover anyway.

He was having the time of his life.

((*Taken from here: fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Yao_guai_(Fallo.. ))

@Madly33 @shadowsaint007 @Kenyeismylife

@Letter Bee

((Going to have Gabriel be the one to start off the attack)
Gabriel, meanwhile, had hung back, staying silent. Staring down iron sights, he tracked his targets by the glint of firelights or even the flash of lighters. Huddling close to cover, he breathed quietly, picking out his targets even as his ears strained for anyone who might get close.

Then he got his chance. His first round shot through the darkness, starting the attack with a well-aimed shot right into a spotlight. He waited a few seconds, spotting his next target by their own flashlight as they tried to investigate what happened. They received a high caliber round right in the right eye goggle for their effort.

With the second shot, Gabriel got out of cover and began a hurried pace to another planned sniping spot. One thing he had learned about sniping in the Wasteland; fighting people wasn't the same as fighting wolves. Wolves took a round or two, started falling like flies, and then the rest of the pack runs off to safety rather than risk sudden death. Humans were often smart enough to make out where the bullet had come from, and often had the means to retaliate. Fire a couple shots, stay low, be a moving target in the darkness, and you'll avoid the worst of enemy retaliation. It helped that he generally got the first hits in accurately, reducing enemies efficiently before moving on.

<Snipped quote by shadowsaint007>

"I've got plenty of sensors, analyzers, and the like, if parts salvaged from robots are good enough. As for pipboy compatibles, all I've got is a few holo-books over at the library I just set up. If you're having problems with it, though, I might be able to find something to replace damaged parts or upgrade the software."

"Yeah, I am pretty good with it," he said after her last comment. "You had to be when your AI overseer got rid of those that weren't."

@TheUnknowable

"Nah, my Pip-Boy's working fine," she said, doing a quick diagnostic. "The RAM could be expanded a bit, though. So what's on the holobooks?"

However, the words about an AI overseer gave Sparks pause. That was an unusual phrase.

"AI Overseer?" Sparks inquired. "You mean like a Vault overseer? And weren't those all human as a rule?"

Fallout: New York (Still accepting :D)

@shadowsaint007Greg was in the back of his shop getting some supplies together when he heard someone calling from the front of his store. He was going to try and finish building a few laser rifles using robot parts, so he grabbed the box of parts and walked to the front of the store. "Sorry about that" he said, setting the box down on his workbench. "I was just in the back. Can I help you?"

@TheUnknowable

"Oh, no, it's fine," Sparks waved aside his concern. "Just looking for some good electronic stuff. Sensors, analysers, etc... Got any new Pip-Boy stuff? Pip-Boy 3000 compatible, if possible, but I can work with anything, I guess."

She looks around and whistles, trying to hide being impressed but not quite succeeding. "Say, you must be pretty good with this stuff."

Fallout: New York (Still accepting :D)

"Oh, very well, I'll just wave a giant neon sign next time I give a warning," Gabriel grunted scornfully. "I know what I was doing, and I said I was giving a warning."

He did, however, stay quiet when Par explained the outline of the camp, his eyes keenly observing the growing dirt map and trying to find any holes in its defenses.

Fallout: New York (Still accepting :D)

Manhattan Island:
Another corpse, tossed by the wayside. Another who couldn't or wouldn't make the trip back to the slavers' camp. Any possessions she might have had were taken from her before her fatal march, while her boots were taken shortly after she expired. Gabriel was hunched over the body, forcing himself against his will to examine the injuries and agony the lamented had suffered. Age? Young, still a child, probably no more than 14. Gender? A girl. Her dreams and hopes? Did it matter? Yet another lost soul that expired in the savagery of the Wastelands.

Another senseless waste.

Gabriel looked into her half-lidded, empty eyes for a moment, before reaching out with his hand and closing her eyelids. When he withdrew his hand, she almost looked peaceful.

He got up, giving her one last look. She needed a burial, a plot of land to call her own now that life itself had been stolen from her. But he had no luxury of time or effort to do that; others needed his help. Her body would be exposed to scavengers and the elements until they can find her body in more generous circumstance. If they ever found her body again.

Gabriel turned back to the group.

"West, that way," Gabriel pointed. "They're probably at their camp by now. We can follow them, but if the camp is heavily guarded, we're going to need to look out. I'll scout the way, give a dog howl when I find something."

He stalked up ahead, making his way through rubble and roads to track the slaver group. Already, the steps were becoming more and more obvious, a path clearly getting more and more used by people, whether slaves or their newest victims. A few bodies also marked the way, half-eaten by predators and worn away by wind and dirt. Some were just thrown in piles, other crucified or hung on trees as a warning to trespassers. He had gotten close, standing by another dry pit which had probably been another pond before The Fall. Already, the stench of the slave camp was strong upon the wind.

Best to turn back, he thought, fighting against every muscle and sinew that cried out for vengeance. Best to go back and call the others, get some backup before he does some damned fool thing like take on an entire slaver camp on his own. He grit his teeth sharply, feeling them being pushed back into his gums, before he stiffly managed an about face, cupped his hands to his mouth, and uttered a long, mournful howl into the wind, like a lost mutt wailing in hunger. With another effort of will, he began walking back, first trudging, then moving silently to avoid bringing attention upon himself.

When he finally returned to the group, he looked at the assembled men.

"They're up ahead, just due North-by-Northwest," he spoke up. "Probably heavily armed and defended; I saw a couple guard towers."

He knelt down and began sketching the southern outline with a stick. A rough map of the southern part of the camp was quickly made.

"If anyone has any plans," he said, "now would be a good time to say it."

Liberty Island:
Sparks couldn't stop worrying over Gabriel; the journey through Manhattan may not be long, but the savagery of its inhabitants made up for the lack of its size. If she had been a more religious sort, she would have made a prayer to her deity of choice. For now, all she could do was hope he was alright.

In the meantime, her errands weren't over. She was scouring the markets, trying to find any pieces of Old World tech worth noticing or salvaging, making notes on her Pip-Boy 3000 as she progressed. Most of it was junk, of course, and by 'most' it meant 'mostly all'. There were a few good pieces here and there, but the prices were either outrageous (3,000 bottlecaps for a spare generator transformer coil? No thanks!) or the parts were simply not worth buying; spare pieces and replacement parts at best. However, she did find a good place to start looking for some actual useful stuff.

"Helloo?" she called out, knocking on the workshop door. "Anybody there? I'm looking for a Greg Holden? I need some parts, and was told you had the best electronics and equipment."

She tried to peer through, trying to see if anyone was there, or even catch a glimpse of any good stuff inside.

Jennifer's appearance

Sparks has dark red hair, goggles covering her green eyes, and wears general survival gear. She has a salvaged Pip-Boy 3000 on her right arm.