In the mouth of the cave, a bone-chilling howling wind whipped by Diana as she took in the sights of the wasteland before her, mostly the looming mountains off in the distance. She has heard many tales of them, from drunken stories told at the bar back home to the rare book that mentions them. They have gone by numerous names over the centuries, and so many have passed that the original one is long gone, scholars still argue on which they believe it is. Even in the books she has read, every one of them called the mountains something different. It did not help that the entire population was gone. An entire civilization of people who lived deep in the mountains was wiped out by the war. A few songs spoke about how bravely they stood against the Sentients, fought to the last, and made them pay ten to one. But nobody survived, so nobody knew the truth of what actually happened. Since then, these mountains have become a hotspot for looter gangs such as the Gear Heads and Bone Reavers. The shadows of the freezing morning retreated as the sun emerged from over the horizon on her right, casting a beautiful orange glow on the mountains. Diana had a deep appreciation for such sights, it made the dangerous trips into the wasteland just a small bit more worth it. With a small shiver, she slowly rubbed her hands together for some warmth as she tried to wrap her mind around the current circumstances she found herself in.
Before she could get too deep into thought the faint echoing snaps of gunfire caught her attention. She quickly clocked several vehicles tearing through the cold sands towards Embers Canyon. With a quick flick of her good arm, her father’s telescope was out and to her eye. Rapid pops of muzzle flashes, sparks of bullet impacts, and the flame spouting out of exhaust pipes turned the scene into its grim show. Swarms of small motorcycles to a few trucks were flying around opening fire on one another, none looked even close to the size of the Leviathan. From what she could see there were no weapons present that posed a threat to its armor, which gave her a small sense of relief. A small flash lit up the valley as one of the cars went up in a violent blue-flamed explosion, a moment later the sound of the deep boom finally caught up. Diana cursed under her breath at the loss of a potential hexcore recovery. She quickly followed up with a short prayer for the crew as she pulled out a small plain symbol of a Sun and Moon overlapping one another. Even though she followed The Father as an artisan and scout, she still sometimes prayed to The Mother in such circumstances.
As she finished her prayer asking for The Mother to tend to these new souls in her garden, she leaned against the wall to watch the rest of the battle unfold. She has seen a few in previous adventures and even got too close to one or two. Their attacks have gotten more frequent and brutal these past few years. From simple stick-ups of the lone merchant to raids on armored caravans.
After some time the battle neared Embers Canyon, Diana took this as an opportune time to make some hasty repairs to get down there and see what she could salvage off of the remains. She made her way over to the Leviathan and grabbed her tools from side compartments built into the outside, along with some spare materials. Diana gave Shocker a list of basic orders from grabbing materials and tools to holding sheet metal in place as she welded it down. What she considered routine repairs quickly reminded her of her injuries as she found them taxing. Any vibrations rang deep through her arm and cut through Ghoul’s painkillers. After an hour she finished repairs on the shutters enough to offer protection again, along with any miscellaneous damage the Desert Shriekers had inflicted.
Diana entered the Leviathan to a hanging silence, the others were in various stages of cleaning their weapons. Ghoul’s unnerving gaze locked on her, the lack of movement in his body got to her.
“We are about to head into the valley, I’m going to see if there is anything we can salvage. And after that, Embers Canyon, it seems like you are all already prepared though.”
She said as she shuffled through them all towards the cabin. As she passed Vladimir she shot him an indignant glance, one fitting of a cheap ruin scavenger. She didn't trust his true intentions, especially when around the others. In response, he looked back down at his rifle in shame and finished maintenance on it.
Inside the cabin it looked as if there was an attempt to clean it up, the dashboard and seat were dusted off and the floor was mostly clear. As Diana sat down in the driver's seat she felt her heart race and breath shorten. Her arm and head tingled with pain as the sound of scraping metal followed by the deafening shriek filled her head. With the memories still very fresh and painful, she subconsciously grabbed the necklace her uncle had given her and ran her thumb over its cold smooth metallic surface. With her other hand, she went through the startup sequence of the Leviathan. The movements of such a familiar task were grounding to her, each step suppressed the memory as she went through it. She leaned back into her chair as the engine roared to life. She looked at the dent in the metal her head had made, then at her bandaged arm. Ghoul was right, she thought, she should not be alive but here she was. And the idea that she had some innate magic within her was about as believable as her not only walking but working within a day's time of her injuries. But it was the only explanation she thought, especially when paired with the dream she had. She did not know if it even was a dream. If it wasn't a dream, then what could it have been? And so she thought to herself that during the night sometime soon she was going to try to evoke something. She had no clue how, but she needed to test it to put her mind at ease and stop her childlike idea.
With the Leviathan started she tested the shutters a few times. After a successful test, she shifted into gear and made her way out of the cave.
“Can I get someone in the turret!? I need more eyes as we go down!” She called back over her shoulder. She heard but couldn't make out a quick exchange of words and then footsteps into the turret.
“Alright Ms. Diana, you have the assistance of my eyes and scopes.” Ghoul's haunting voice called out. Diana was deeply displeased by the thought of having to possibly rely on Ghoul. Slowly they made their way winding down the hill, Ghoul called out potential hazards and sharp turns. After a strenuous few minutes they safely touched down in the valley and took off towards the wreckage.
They pulled up with a heavy dust cloud trailing, Diana parked the Leviathan and then dismounted. grabbing her tool bag in one hand and her rifle in the other. She issued orders to follow at Shocker which immediately sprung into action from its inactive state with its crab-like legs clinking on the metal ground as it followed. Vic swapped with Ghoul in the turret, then Ghoul and Vladimir followed Diana. She ran over to the wreckage of a larger truck with the markings of a Bone Reaver, a white skull with red fangs painted on the hood. Steam still spewed from the engine bay, she knew the hexcore was still active and potentially salvageable. Bullet holes riddled the side and windshield, she could already see the blood splattered on the inside.
“Shocker, remove the front left door,” Diana commanded as she dropped her bag and shouldered her rifle towards the door, Vladimir and Ghoul did the same. Shocker approached it and after a quick scan, jammed its arm into a gap and pried it off its hinges with a metallic shriek. The metal door popped off and clattered to the ground. Inside was a gruesome sight, three men lay strewn about the inside missing various limbs and chunks of flesh from gunfire wounds. Before Diana could turn away she heard a weak rattling breath from the driver who looked towards them slowly. There was an attempt to reach towards a pistol on his thigh except he took a bullet through the hand earlier. It was nearly split down the middle between the middle and ring finger, bone was visible and any movement was nothing but an uncontrollable spasm. He had the signature augments of a higher up Bone Reaver, his jaw was completely replaced with metal, and his teeth were enlarged metal fangs that protruded from it which gave the impression of a vampire. Diana shook her head in sorrow, Ghoul swooped in quickly and examined the bloody man. Vladimir waved to get Diana’s attention then quickly gestured for her to turn around with a grim look on his face.
“Now what is it we have here?” Ghoul called out, for the first time showing interest in his tone.
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“Quite the fine prosthetic, the interface plate must be extravagant, you won’t be needing it anymore.” He continued on as the whining sound of a small saw spun up. Diana’s sorrow only grew with the sound as she realized this man would not find comfort in his last moments. She found comfort now in delaying on getting an interface plate for her exoskeleton. She jogged over to the hood and threw it open along with commanding Shocker to bring the door. The sound of the saw became a wet squelching, she was no stranger to such scenes but she was not jaded to them either. Her stomach flipped at the noise, the only way she could drown it out was to work. Under the hood, the engine was a mess of holes and twisted metal with steam rising up from a severed coolant line. She got her hextorch and started cutting pieces away and discarding the junk. A few interior pieces of the engine were still in good shape so she cut them free and threw them onto the door that Shocker held. Eventually, she dug her way through to the hexcore container. There were some small scratches on it but no major damage. With expert precision, she cut it free and removed it, even with the exoskeleton it took a fine mix of finesse and force to not damage it any further. After it was out she set it on the makeshift sled Shocker towed, her arm flared up in pain once more.
Vladimir had his arms full of weapons and ammo that he collected and set them on the sled as well. Ghoul had finished his business and returned to the Leviathan to perform security. Diana rummaged through the truck as well, it seemed Vladimir did not know what to actually look for. She had to pull the damaged corpses from it, she gently laid them down and crossed their arms. The one Ghoul had gotten ahold of was a nightmarish sight, blood soaked the front of his armor as his tongue swung limply in the air due to the removed lower jaw. Diana had to take a moment to collect herself after that sight, she then removed the seats and found more stowage compartments. Some contained simple tools and a hextorch crystal, it still gave off a bright purple glow and had no visible cracks so she pocketed it. Others contained food and water supplies that she did not trust the quality of, but food was food in the end should it come down to it and she could always boil the water. One container had a smooth iron canister with a mouthpiece on it that still had white foam dripping from it. A quick sniff and her nostrils burned which confirmed her suspicions, Cellera, the common drug of choice for most wasteland gangs. It was a hardcore stimulant and highly addictive, she assumed the driver just took a hit of it since those with augments favored it. It allowed them to use their mechanical implants to their highest potential and push past natural boundaries. She knew it was a hardcore stimulant and highly addictive, she assumed the driver just used it since those with augments like to use it. She threw the container back to the ground and looked at the others.
“Let’s load up and hit the next one! This one is picked clean!” She called out, after which she went through and slashed the tires and snapped off the coolant line so just in case they came to reclaim it then they would struggle to even get it back.
They got back into the Leviathan and moved on to the wreckage of an up-armored Gear Head buggy. As they got out they heard movement from the vehicle, Diana now got to see the three others in their element. Weapons shouldered, they advanced under the eye of Vic in the turret, each conscious of the other's sector of fire. Ghoul held one angle as Vladimir went wide to the flank, Diana took aim with her rifle as well in the back door of the Leviathan using Shocker as a stand. From the driver-side passenger window, the barrel of a rifle popped up and let loose a wild spray of bullets towards the Leviathan that pinged and ricocheted off of its armor. Diana dropped behind Shocker, while the others hit the ground. As they did, a door on the opposite side flung open and someone attempted to get out. As soon as they stepped out a single shot rang out from Ghoul who was already aimed below the truck, seemingly anticipating that move. A scream of pain was followed by the heavy thud of a body hitting the sand, then another shot from Ghoul, and the screaming halted. Vladimir jumped up and sprinted over to a nearby boulder for cover before he examined the body from a distance.
“Target Down!” He yelled over. The others got up and dusted themselves off, Diana was in a bit of shock at their calmness but they were Judicators so it was no true surprise.
“Target, trunk, facing us.” Vic's deep and slow, but not very loud, voice came from the turret. The first time she's heard him speak. Ghoul relayed a set of hand signals to Vladimir who broke into a crouching run towards the buggy. Ghoul fired a shot at the trunk area, with a loud ping it didn't penetrate the armor. Ghoul gave an annoyed grunt and after a few seconds fired again. Diana saw he was covering Vladimir's movements. Before she could set up a shot to do the same, Vladimir had already swept up behind it. He jumped up and unleashed three rounds through the open window. After a quick check, he lowered his rifle and gave a thumbs up. With that Diana and Ghoul rushed over with Shocker bringing up the rear as it dragged its scrap sled.
Throughout her journeys Diana had seen a few Gear Heads, every time it was as unnerving as the last. Humans who wished to become machines by replacing as much of their bodies as possible with metal. She'd heard that Sentients hold power in their society and are viewed as saviors. Either way, she was glad that she had Judicators to reinforce her. Inside the buggy each of the passengers had several augments or prosthetics, from additional appendages, and armor plating, to built-in weaponry. Each piece was highly personalized with markings or embellishments. Again they salvaged what they could, Diana removed the bodies and then got to work on the engine. Vladimir grabbed ammunition and grenades that one had, Ghoul fiddled with the bodies, meticulously examining the augments then tried to cut out as many interface plates as he could. Diana was about to protest his disrespect to the bodies of the dead but she decided against it. Confrontation was unnecessary and the harvesting of interface plates to sell again on the market was a disturbingly common practice. As she got to the hexcore her eyes lit up in absolute joy. She noticed a pre-war core compression turbine attached to it. She dismantled the system as fast as she safely could, already she was planning on how to properly add it to the Leviathan. Just one could increase its top speed a measurable amount, and extend the lifespan of its hexcore. She debated attempting to reverse engineer it but knew it was a foolish idea, she had no access to a workshop that could make such delicate and finely tuned pieces. Once it was out and on Shocker’s sled they packed up and went back to the Leviathan to move on. As they got on, Ghoul went to Vic who got out of the turret.
“Tell me Vic, the one with the largest guns, most armor, and clearest shot on the target, chose not to take the shot.” Ghoul hissed. Vic’s hulking form did not shift from Ghoul’s beratement as if he seemed to be used to this.
“Diana said we were doing salvage operations. One burst and there would have been nothing to salvage, which means no money. And you all have been shot before at some point. Our armor does its job.” Vic responded bluntly as he eyed the pile of looted weapons and mechanical bits. Ghoul gave a displeased huff as he found a seat.
“Thanks for that Vic, good eye on spotting the powerpack in the trunk.” Diana added. Vic gave his usual silent nod in response. She then made her way to the cabin to drive to the next sight to salvage.
From wreckage to wreckage, they moved. Diana felt she was on the outside of such a well-oiled machine. Every action they took had a purpose, their communication was tight and efficient, and they moved as if controlled by a single person. She thought it was best to stay out of the way but still in a position where she could help from. The bone-chilling cold of the morning quickly gave way to an oppressive heat as the day went on. They finished up the last wreckage around three hours after they started it all. Diana was pleased with the findings, several hexcores and custom high-quality parts mixed with some scrap gave her plenty of resources to tinker with on her exoskeleton and the Leviathan.
With the cargo properly put into containers and secured, Diana sat in her driver's seat looking onwards to the looming walls of Embers Canyon, scarred with explosions and countless wrecks. Never in her life did she think she would be here, nor did she ever want to be. She did not know what lay inside those winding canyon walls as fear mounted within her. The temptation to turn around and return home was stronger than ever at this point. In an attempt to calm her nerves, she held up the locket and looked at the picture of her family. She was forced to close it as it felt like she was saying goodbye to them. With a heavy shake, she released some nerves, her arm still protested slightly but her exoskeleton kept it going. Without any words, she heard the racking of several rifles accompanied by footsteps through the Leviathan. Vic to the turret, Ghoul in the rear, and Vladimir to the assistant driver's seat.
“You scared? Cause I'm fucking terrified.” Vladimir asked with a nervous chuckle, his eyes peeled outside as he put on all of his armor.
“Absolutely. The faster we go through the faster we get out right?” She responded with a single dry laugh. Before Vladimir could respond a hail of bullets impacted the Leviathan and pinged off. Surprised, Diana slammed on the gas to create a dust cloud as the tires spun to provide cover. A glance through the periscope and all of her fears were becoming reality. An entire Gear Head raiding party was coming back. Vic spun the turret around as the Leviathan picked up speed and she took evasive maneuvers to expand the dust cloud, into Embers Canyon they went.
