John looked over as a voice approached, it was raspy and sickly A ghoul He knew instantly. "Aye it's nice I guess, for a shit hole" He said with a chuckle. He passed by a door and looked in it. "Anyways, I can't talk really right now, I assume you are new to Liberty Island, havent seen you around.." He paused his search and looked at him "Seems we are getting quite a few new comers as of lately" He said. "I know the Mayor Bentworth would be pleased to meet you" He said quickly pushing past the ghoul and into the next room. @Eviledd1984

As John continued down the halls he kept looking in every room. "God damn it where is Aydon" He whispered to himself just has he bumped into him coming around the corner.
"What the hell Aydon, I told you to deliver the letter i gave you to the general. It had details on the raider problem and how to solve it, meant to be brought to Bentworth." He said quickly looking in the eyes of Aydon.
"They..They took Brandy"
Brandy was Aydon's little brother, always snooping around the outside fences, it was bound that one of these days he was to be killed or taken. A young boy by himself outside Liberty is a easy take for the Slavers Guild.
"Who?" John replied he looked over his shoulder, he didn't want to make a scene.
"I don't know.." He replied quietly looking down.
"Damn it Aydon" He pushed hims forward and they head out the door.

((Collab between TheUnknowable and Letter Bee))

Par parked his truck near another entrance, before walking inside. Encountering a Merc, the 19-year old said:

"Hey, I need to meet with Greg; he's at the administration office, correct?"

The merc nodded, before saying:

"You were lucky. An Enclave man came here just a few minutes ago; he wanted some books. Also made some veiled threats; said that he wanted to 'exploit' instead of exterminate."

Par felt a chill down his spine.

"Take me to Greg right away, then." With some nervousness, the Merc took him to where Greg was; the latter would find Par's sudden appearance a surprise.

Greg was a bit surprised to see Par again, especially so soon after the Enclave showed up looking for him. He briefly concidered that this might be some form of trap, and that Par might be in league with them, but he didn't really have any evidence to support that theory. "The Enclave didn't see you, did they? Some Colonel came in here, got a stack of books that only a pervert would get, and then got really interested in you once I said you were 18 or 19 years old."

"I came through another entrance," said Par, clearly disconcerted, even through his shades. "And, that's creepy. Tell me the full story? What threats did he make, what promises? And, do you think we should withdraw from the library; give up the plan to raise an army against Old Man's Corner?" The boy shook, still unsettled.

"No, we don't need to call of the plan, just modify it a bit. He said he'd give me two months to turn either you or some excaped ten year old girl with silver hair over to him. She ran away from some vault. I don't think he'd do anything to the girl except maybe smack her around a bit, but I doubt the Vault-dweller she ran from would be as 'kind'."

"The plan's still pretty solid. Another day or two and we'll have sorted the ruined books out of the others. At that point we can crate them and take them back to Liberty city to finish sorting. Just need some more crates. As long as we take a couple of the library's computers with us we'll have a listing of all of them. There's an open shop under the Statue. For a thousand caps a month the city will rent it to us, and we can open up a book store. I looked into moving my shop there, but I didn't need the space and it cost a bit much for my needs. We could probably train them there too."

Par smiled widely.

"That's awesome; I knew I can count on you!" He then gave a hmm...

"It doesn't take someone smart to see that if what the Enclave man implied was right, their faction is under new leadership, new and somewhat dangerous leadership. That means that the war with the Brotherhood might heat up, either because they sense weakness, or because the Enclave's new leader wants to firm up his grasp. What's the name of the new leader, anyway?"

"Anderson, Colonel Alan Anderson."

"An unfamiliar name," remarked Par. "Anyway, I originally came here to tell you that I'm dropping off extra supplies and guns, and keeping only enough to defend myself; I have to go back to Upstate New York for a supply run."

"In that case, can you get us some crates and help us move this stuff to the Island? One truck won't be enough, and I could use some help sorting. Merc captain can read a bit, so can you. That means we could probably just pull the good ones off the shelf and crate them right away. We'll pull longer shifts too,if we have to. I just did a six-hour shift sorting books, I could probably do another five or six before I need to sleep."

"All right," said Par. "My strength and endurance aren't the best, but I can work." He sighed, he hated straining his muscles, but was glad to help a friend. "Actually," he continued, "after I help you, I'll sleep here, then go on my supply run in the morning."

"Cool."

"Thanks," said Par, seeking out a bedroom...

The Mayor would treat the Ghoul kindly, saying that he knew of the doctors of Brooklyn for a long time; they had managed to evade being raided or enslaved because their expertise was so useful. To have one of them in his city would be an honor. Danny would then be guided to one of the spare houses in the city, next to where the party of freed slaves Par had brought earlier had been settled.

He would also find that it was the Town Councillors, Gertrude Myers, who had a job for him. Danny was informed that the Enclave and Brotherhood were gearing up for war, and that Liberty Island might end up in the crossfire. Thus, he, and whatever Doctors he can bring over, were being commissioned to start up a field hospital; they will be well paid with caps, purified water, and mussels.

@Eviledd1984

@Madly33 "Well just wanted to make sure i didn't get shot by some gun crazed smoothskin..." Danny said walking behind him looking around,"Where is this smoothskin mayor of yours?" Danny then added walking a bit further form John but kept his distance looking around the area making a note to himself if he should search for any supplies.

"Is your smoothskin mayor considering hiring a medic for a job?" He then asked John.

((Collab Post between Ciphra, Madly33, and Letter))

As John Keltar and Aydon moved out, one of the guards would lend them a bloodhound, which would, thanks to something of Brandy’s Aydon had, help track the boy even in the Wasteland. This would save up valuable time, allowing the duo to make their way through the streets of the ruined city.

Then, suddenly, they would see something, or rather, someone. It wasn’t Brandy or Slavers, but rather...a woman? One dressed like a hooker, but clearly not with the demeanor of one, at least not at present. She carried a pistol and carbine which was unfamiliar in her grip…

John held his dog back and moved Aydon behind his back. “um.. miss?” He said looking over to the woman who was approaching. He looked over his shoulder at Aydon, John could handle himself but Aydon isn't shy of getting himself in danger.

While it had taken her quite some time Alayna had finally gotten to the city. It most certainly hadn’t been what she expected after what she had read in books about the place, but because of the war that should’ve been expected. In any event as she was looking around a man seemed to have tried to get her attention which took a couple of seconds to comprehend as she blinked a few times after looking at the man. Then her eyes suddenly lit up as she saw the bloodhound causing her to space about the man again. “Awe you guys have a dog in this place!? I’ve read about them for years!” She quickly jogged a few paces before kneeling down to observe the bloodhound, still completely oblivious to the fact that people probably questioned the way she was dressed, after all, it was normal to her where she came from.

John looked around confused as she kneeled down to the dog. “Um, ma’am” Aydon laughed slightly as she treated the dog as though she had never seen one.
“What are you doing out here..?” He said cautious, hoping he would like the answer, then he realized maybe she would have see something that could clue them into where Brandy was.
“Did you happen to see a young teenage boy out here?” He said quickly cutting into his previous question before she could answer.

Alayna might be reminded of her own children, for good or for ill, with the mention of the boy. Nevertheless, she could recall seeing a party of men in leather armor and cloth underneath, manhandling a boy fitting that description with a crude rope leash - they didn’t have a slave collar. She may not have drawn closer because the party outnumbered and outgunned her, and because she was still unfamiliar with her weapons...or she could have had another reason.

Blinking a few more times, not really in surprise this time. Alayna stood still looking at the dog. “I saw some guys on my way here from the vault, that could’ve been them, I was kinda far from them to be honest, and I’d hate to give you false hope.” Alayna scratched her cheek a little shyly wishing she had paid a little more attention now. “Is there any way I could get one of those while I’m here though?” Of course she still had no idea what was going on and was still highly fascinated by the dog at this point.

John raised his eyebrows “A dog?” He asked.
“Most dogs are reserved for the guard, but you can always visit them…?” He said still rather confused at her fascination with the bloodhound. He turned back to Aydon and pushed him forward. “Well we will be off” He said quickly avoiding the woman. He stopped though as he moved to walk away. “May you come along, perhaps you could show us where you saw these people, or point out who you saw. I will pay caps and fresh water for the help” He said through a soft smile, hoping the sudden friendliness would move her to helping them.

Was that wise? The thought might occur. She was an unknown, after all. Nevertheless, more manpower, the better, especially as Alayna might also recall that the party numbered six people…

Alayna smiled and nodded. “Sure I can come with!” She really needed the water, and caps couldn’t hurt either from what she could tell from what little she’d seen of the town coming in. Plus it wouldn’t require sex of any kind to get what she needed or wanted so that was a huge plus. “I’m fairly confident I can remember where I saw some guys at too so maybe we’ll get lucky?” She said merrily. Perhaps one day she’d understand the situation.

John smiled again “Great” He said as he moved forward pushing Aydon along, he still wouldn’t fully trust this woman; he didn’t know her, where she was from, or what she would do. He kept an eye on her as they walked along. “Need anything?” He asked both Aydon and the woman. “Ah, and I never caught your name.” He asked her.

“Oh! I’m Alayna!” She said cheerfully as they began to walk off.

I'll probably get about 50 to 60 caps out of my haul. I really need another job, I thought, heading to Liberty City. I'm just not getting enough caps from scavenging. Maybe I'll get a job somewhere there. Who knows? What I do know is staying out here isn't going to help one little, tiny bit. So I started the lengthy trip to Liberty City. Encountering few hostiles along the way, I did notice a something going on a little way out of Old Mans Corner, but it wasn't my business, so I left it to the people there.

Some time later
I was just outside of Liberty City when I heard gunshots. Hiding behind some rubble, I saw raiders retreating. As soon as I got to the city, I went to the mayor, planning to tell him what I saw. I entered the mayors office, I told him what I had seen. He seemed to know that raiders were there, but asked me to keep an see what I could find on the raiders. It would be interesting, to say the least, I thought.

((Note, whatever you were doing, you can still continue doing it as long as it's marked as a Flashback))

Timeskip

Par would sleep for a while, during which presumably, Greg and Astra would meet. Then, he would get up late, eat breakfast, attend to his bodily needs, and then, after saying goodbyes, go to his truck and depart. He wouldn't be seen again for a week.

Then, after said week, it happened. On the day that Par would return to the Library, a large grouping of raiders would, after realizing that warding off the Enclave and Vault 81's current attempt to enslave or exterminate them was futile, decide to attack Liberty Island en masse; there were about 80 of them, using canoes, salvaged fishing boats, or the bridge to cross, the more experienced ones giving covering fire. However, they were easy prey for the prepared defensive positions of the inhabitants; not merely that, but further observation would show that this was less an organized assault, and more of an attempted migration - the Raiders were attacking because they had nothing else!

And the worst part is that the Slavers' Guild and Old Man's Corner, angered by John Keltar's 'successful' mission to free the young boy Brandy, had sent a team to help the raiders, "Forty 'Lucky Charms' Small" would be the leader of that team; while the raiding went on, they, a team of ten, would sneak into Liberty Isle; their goal, to kidnap as many people as they could and turn them into slaves. That would be fitting revenge on 'the runaway'.

Enclave Base One - JFK Airport

Alan's hold on power had been solidified, with the 'New Enclave' managing to reclaim most of Brooklyn. Not merely that, but now that the old rules of the organization had been scrapped, he can do things that would have been anathema had the Chicago Cell still stood; and by that, he meant that he can turn physically appealing Raiders captured into a 'harem' - after sterilizing them, of course; while he wouldn't mind having a Mutie child, his hold on power was still not strong enough for him to openly defy the Enclave teachings, just twist them around.

He also gave some of the appealing females to the people of Vault 81 after further sterilizations; best to keep them happy after they had already lost two women already, but not in a way that would contaminate their pure genetic stock.

Now, the last thing to be done was to enslave a bunch of doctors operating in Brooklyn's slums; more medical expertise would be required for his growing empire...*

Sky Citadel - Empire State Building

Jackson E. Shadow would recieve new orders - scout out Colombia University** to see if there was any Advanced Tech left!

((*@EvilEdd1984, this is for you.))

((**en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombia_univers.. ))

Greg was in the former gift shop underneath the Statue stocking the shelves with Sky. Though most of the salvage had been moved to Liberty city, Lawrence and the Merc Captain were still at he Library with a few of the other Mercs getting the last of the salvage, including the ruined books so that they could be recycled into supplies for making new books. The main problem they were having currently was deciding where to put religious texts. Eventually they settled on creating a different section for them and fables, in order to separate them from the "definitely false" and "Definitely true" groups of books, otherwise known as fiction and non-fiction.

The best copy of each book was being stored in a back room, along with computers, a scanner, and an unfinished printer, the last two being built by Greg out of salvage robot parts. With this equipment they would be able to print new copies of the books they had salvaged.

Greg had also started two classes for the people of Liberty city, one was a free reading class which they held here every night, a class which Sky excelled in, and the other was weapons training, a class which anyone but the former slaves had to pay for, which Greg had set up a shooting range outside town for and hired a local mercenary to teach at. He was sure Par would cover the costs of both, as they would increase the demand for his guns and the salvaged books.

As they finished a crate off, they heard one of the Mercs shouting. Greg ran outside. The city had bought all of the robots except Prince off of Greg, and had hired many of the Mercs that had helped them at the library. Apparently they were taking the threat of Raiders very seriously.

@Letter Bee

Flashback

Danny was now standing in front of the mayor sitting in the uncomfortable chair across the mayor's desk,"So Mr.Smoothskin i heard your looking for some medic's to help ya with something..." Danny was now moving around inside of the chair feeling a tingling feeling in his behind but didn't want to say what he was feeling."Just so you know im the best damn doctor in this fuckin city i don't got a PHD but i know more about the human body then you or any of these Smoothskins know" He added leaning forward to be almost face to face with the mayor.

Flashback End

The ghouls making his way to the foyer of the building before heading outside to help a few of the wanders camped eastwards that needed some assistants.He was being paid a good amount of caps to help the useless smoothskins that got shoot up and needed his assistance to patch them up.

Forty |The Raid|

Forty's previous mission was scrapped, Mr. Big thought it unnecessary to focus so much manpower on one runaway who would be long gone by now, instead they'd fulfill their quota for this year and then some.

They found Forty still shambling near the wasteland and persuaded him to come back, and while Forty was at first hesitant to leave his previous mission he was assured Mr. Big wasn't mad, and had in fact had a new more important job for him. A "asset acquisition" raid into Liberty City, and with Forty at the head. Forty of course thought it as a great honor; a worthy task to ensure Mr. Big's dream would reach the rest of the New York Wasteland. What he was deaf to was the snickers and whispers of older slavers, who laughed at the fool leader of a suicide mission. None of it reached Forty .

He and his siblings were hand picked by Mr. Big as well as some other "volunteers" from Old Man's Corner: 10 in all, they'd come knocking late into the night and make off with eager new merchandise for the Collective. They donned their usual gear, chains and simple arms, crude yet effective weapons for the task at hand. While Forty wasn't a seasoned Slaver nor a brilliant leader, he knew his goals. Mr. Big had given him rough plots of Liberty City's patrol routes and he picked a blatant lapse in coverage just hours before the sun would rise.

In the darkest moments of the night Filthy and haggardly built bombs with short wave frequency transceivers were placed near the front gates, but these would not be used as the breaching points. Rather they will serve to be the exit strategy. The small team was used to foul conditions so there were no complaints when Forty told them to crawl through the primitive sewage systems that ran from the city. They were gaunt and silent apart from the slosh of the detritus around them. They smelled but, it was nothing compared to the life back in Old Man's Corner. They shook and rubbed off as much as they could and proceeded to shamble towards the residential area. The team knew their orders and split off into 5 teams of 2.

Forty crouched near a bent piece of sheet metal that bled light from inside betraying the presence of the family inside. He nodded to Fifteen and their built frames easily toppled over the flimsy door; the residents had heard the instruction and a middle aged man rounded the corner with gun in hand. Forty rushed him immediately and pinned the man to the wall with his broad shoulders. They struggled for a while until Forty got his meaty hand around the man's head and slammed it into the ground knocking the poor sod out. By this time Fifteen had gathered up a woman and child chaining them together by the neck before handing Forty the lead. 3 new chipper and eager recruit's for the Small family, sure they cried now but after Mr. Big works his magic on them, they'd be valuable assets to the Collective. They chained the family and Forty dragged them behind him, screams from the the work of his siblings rang into the night as the Liberty City began to rouse itself. Forty knew the time they had left was drawing thin, and he had to proceed with the escape plan. They'd come out the way they came in, all the while ignoring the distress of their new "siblings". He blew the explosives using his shortwave radio, he counted 6 of the 8 blew as expected and the other 2 misfiring a few seconds later than he wanted. No matter; hopefully, they'd serve their purpose and give ample time for their escape. Of course that was in theory, the city may have other plans before he and his 10 siblings made it out with the haul of 37 new "family" members.

The two figures got off the boat, the shorter one turning around to pay the ferryman. The other took off their hood, revealing a shock of messy blond hair underneath. The other removed her hood and goggles, revealing a young girl with long dark red hair tied in a braid.

"Well, here we are," she exclaimed, "Liberty Island. Hope you're not disappointed, Farm Boy, cause this trip has no refunds."

The other removed his own mask to reveal a toothy grin.

"Nah, it's fine," he replied. "Glad we finally got here."

"So is it everything you expected, Gabe?" the girl continued, shouldering the straps of her backpack. "I mean, it was a fortnight's march to get here..."

"I'm still convinced the important stuff is on that island over there," Gabriel replied, pointing to Manhattan. "You said your people were there, though."

"Yeah, the Brotherhood," she replied. "Sorry, but Manhattan's kind of a forbidden zone. Lots of tech, but it also got nuked to hell and back. Also, lots of Super Mutants. Big, ugly freaks; you don't want to meet one up close. Trust me on that."

"Sounds like you ran into one, Sparks," he replied as he walked the streets, looking at the various stalls and the people milling about.

"Just saw a couple videos," she responded, keeping pace with her companion. "Though I did see a dissected Super Mutant in a lab once."

"So, uh, Sparks," he spoke up, his tone hesitant, "I know I've only been here for a couple minutes, but something's... off. Everyone seems a bit... nervous."

Jennifer could never guess how Gabriel had an eye for these things. He just had a way with people, which was a shame; had he been born in a more civilized territory, he'd have made himself a name as a trader or negotiator really quickly. But there was no denying it; everyone seemed... scared, for some reason. Fortification and defenses had increased, and a general feeling of worry and fear was pervasive.

"I dunno," Jenny answered, finding herself more and more concerned. "I mean, sure, they get the odd Raider attack and sometimes a freak or two washing ashore, but this looks like they're setting up fortifications."

Gabriel flagged down a nearby guardsman.

"Sir, can I ask about the situation here? I know I'm just a newcomer and I'm just passing through, but it seems like the whole place is getting boarded up."

"Jus' came into town, huh?" mused the guardsman. "Damn, you've got some lousy luck, boy! We're getting more raider attacks these days, and we're probably going to go into lockdown. Whole place fortified."

"But... why?" Sparks cut in. "Raider attacks aren't anything new, and they're not big enough to warrant all this."

"Lady," replied the guardsman gruffly, "things have changed. We're not talking a handful of raiders. Scouts on the water reported a massive number of boats, canoes, and rafts forming on the other side of the river. Attacks are increasing in size and frequency. And it seems these guys ain't takin' no fer an answer."

"It doesn't make sense," Sparks mused, shaking her head. "That sounds like half of Brooklyn's showed up."

"Brooklyn?" Gabriel inquired.

"Brooklyn's all Raider territory," Sparks explained, pointing in the direction of the other side of the Lower Bay. "Considering the distance, they only cross when they want slaves, or if they need something. And this community doesn't like slavers."

"So what's bringing them all over here?"

"Kid, hell if I know," replied the guardsman as he gripped the strap of his rifle. "All I'm saying is, if you have business here, hurry up and get it done quickly. It looks like trouble's coming, and we ain't goin' to help people who ain't gonna help us fight 'em off."

With that, the soldier moved back to his post, feeling the rifle between his fingers, as though to calm himself before the storm arrived.

"You heard the man, Gabriel," Sparks spoke up, unable to hide her concern. "Let's finish our business here and head home."

"What about the Brotherhood?" Gabriel inquired, unable to turn away from the uncertain faces of the populace. "Can't they come to help?"

"The Brotherhood can't afford to send out a lot of Paladins right now," Sparks said, her voice getting a defensive tone to it. "The New York Chapter is a new one, and we don't have that large a presence here compared to the Capital or the West Coast. And it's at least ten miles between here and the base."

Gabriel didn't push the issue, but Sparks couldn't help but wonder why the Brotherhood hadn't responded yet. And what was causing this... migration of Raiders all of a sudden?

Jackson

"One more God Damn day of guard duty and I'll shoot someone.." Jackson though getting out of bed and pulling his clothes on. The Brotherhood hadn't been up to much fighting lately because of their lack of men, Jackson, a high ranking Paladin on guard duty, it made him sick thinking about. Mavarek the Head Elder believed that their few men were only really needed where they were needed. In his words he didn't want the few men they had dying.

Jackson walked out of his room near the top of Sky Citadel where the main living quarters A was, the high ranking officers slept. "Shadow" A voice called and made its way around the corner.
"Yes?" He answered quickly only recognizing the voice as a detraction.
"Mavarek needs to see you soon, got a mission for you I guess. Got a pre-war school he wants you to check out." The man added. "Aye" Jackson said with a salute and a wave of a hand to let the man know to leave.

He walked up to the door that led to the main chambers where Elder Mavarek was, only missions giving by him are quite important, usually not the case, Usually the Head Knight or Head Paladin.
"Elder" He said as he walked in to the large room. There was but a single long metal table in the middle of the room where the mission meetings were held. The windows all along the walls in the room were boarded and there was paperwork stuck to many boards along next to them.
"Ah yes Shadow." He said looking up from the end of the table, as soon as he spoke four men moved out from the room next to him, he recognized them as some Junior knights by the look. They glanced over to him and nodded.
"I've gotten word of a school to the north-west of Old Mans Corner that in Pre-War was a research university for Engineering and Applied Science. Perhaps there may be some useful tech there for the Brotherhoods taking." He said plainly finishing with a smile. The Elder was a kind man, understanding, always looking for the betterment of the Brotherhood, he was the reason that they still stood in New York and will continue to stand.
"You will lead this small band of junior knights to the university and look for anything you can salvage, Understood" He continued.
"Yes Sir"
He turned to the two men standing off the the side at the door leading to the adjacent room.
"Understood men?" He asked them.
"Yes sir" They said loudly at the same time.
"Scouts I have sent before you to watch the area have brought back news of wondering raiders and bands of Super-mutants, the raiders are in the right mind not to open fire on you for that would be a death sentence for them, but the super- mutants will not hold their trigger, they will try and kill you." He said directed towards the two Junior knights
"You have completed your missions that have led you to Knight Status but you have yet to fight the monsters of the world. I beg of you, take caution" He said looking down at his paper. He waved his hand telling them to be off and all the men shuffled out of the room.

Jackson went down to the bottom armory and to his sector and locker putting on his Combat suit and grabbing his assult rifle. "Bring back some good shit" a Junior Knight who overheard his mission said as he geared up. He shrugged off the comment and walked over to his Power Armor, flipped a switch opening the back, he stepped in grabbing his helmet as he left the room.

John

It took days, long walking and having the move in the dead of night. The night was the best cover, the rabid ghouls and bands of raiders were too much for John to take out, he was the only one with fire power besides Alayna's pistol but just looking at her he felt as though she had little to no firing experience. The woman was interesting and nice though, John and her quickly made friends.
After the last night they scouted Old Mans Corner, not daring step foot inside it. As they made their way around the south end, keeping cover from the trees of the old park they found the boy.
Shot 5 times in the back and left to rot. John had to near tackle Aydon so that they wouldn't hear his weeps. He was a fighter, he must of tried running. They turned and left before much was said. Not much could be said.

A few nights later..

John woke in a cold sweat as he head the explosions and the screams from outside. He jumped up and ran to the other side of his room where the metal opening was and looked down, he saw many men rushing out of the courtyard fences and onto the bridge. "Dammit!" John screamed and grabbed his sniper positioning it outside his window . He looked down the scope, it looked as though they were.. taking people.. A hole in Johns stomach pained him and he felt like he was going to vomit when he heard the screams of the women being dragged out. He took a shot, nearly missing one of the invaders head. As another explosion went off the smoke filled the sky above them, blocking John's vision of the attack, and filling his nose. As the smoke and dust cleared, the screams were gone. And so were the invaders. Gone, as quickly in the night as they had come.

((Collab Post between Shadowsaint007 and Madly33, and perhaps Letter Bee))

Gabriel was looking through the stores and shops open at morning, trying to keep his mind off the paranoid feel of the increasing fortifications across town. He knew he should be excited to be in a new town and seeing new sights, but somehow, this wasn't how he'd imagined it would be.

Jennifer was similarly disturbed by the idea of increasing Raider attacks. The increasing frequency and intensity was more akin to rising hostilities and open war rather than something raiders would actually do. She toyed about with the Pipboy on her forearm to distract herself.

"Well, it might be a bit early, but I think we can get the rest of our stuff from the bazaar on the other side of town."

"Sounds good," Gabriel replied, putting away the newly bought medicine packet into his pouch. "I think I've got enough for... wait... what's going on?"

Jennifer followed Gabriel's line of sight to see something of a hustle near a corner.

John's eyes dark and sunken, he had no sleep after the attack, he sat on his bed staring at the wall pondering on a plan in saving the people taken last night. He stood up quickly and grabbed his rifle and coat and left quickly not talking to anyone on the way down.
"John..." Aydon said as he walked around the corner, John just pushed past him as he walked out of the main entrence. He checked his bag for ammo and made his way quickly to the front gate.
"In a hurry for shooting practice?" A guard shouted as he made his way out.
"Shut up" He spat back.

Paradise 'Par' Rapids had come back to the city from the library, and managed to hear of the crisis facing Liberty Island. Seeing John, the young man sighed; if the other person went off alone, he might die, or worse, get enslaved again. So, he hopped off his parked truck, ran over to the man, then spoke:

"I'm coming with you. My endurance and strength aren't the best, but you can use an extra gun. Besides, I scouted out Old Man's Corner in my earlier trip; they might have some new defenses that weren't there when you...um...escaped." From the corner of his eyes, he can see Jennifer and Gabriel; the two would see a tall 18 to 19-year old, with black hair and a thin, but not too skinny frame, clad in a T-Shirt, jeans, and shoes, with a submachine gun and pistol, talking to another tall man, clearly a veteran freelancer, who wore a fedora and a longcoat, and who also had his own sniper rifle and pistol.

"What exactly's going on?" Gabriel inquired. "This got anything to do with the recent raids?"

Gabriel was clearly from out of town; a newcomer with a fresh face. Sparks was apparently also a newcomer, paying attention to what was going on, listening intently.

"If you need any help," Gabriel offered, "I'm pretty good with a gun. And decent survival skills."

Sparks resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Gabriel couldn't resist being the heroic do-gooder for people he's never met before.

John moved away from Par and ignored the new comer. "No, It's fine." He spat.
He looked off to the city, "I'm geting those people back that were taken. I know they are at Old Man's Corner and I will get them" John said quickly, checking again for ammo. "There is no need for anyone else to get hurt" He hissed under his breath.

"If you go then I will follow you," Par threatened. "You'll have to kneecap me if you don't want me to go." He then removed his shades, so that his blue eyes can stare John's own. This was also a gesture of vulnerability; Par's vision was bad without his shades - which doubled as eyeglasses - meaning that if John wanted to take Par's threat seriously, he'll be shooting someone at a disadvantage.

"What's Old Man's corner?" Gabriel whispered to Sparks.

"Slave market," came the quick reply. "It means some people got taken last night will probably end up there."

Gabriel's look grew stern.

"Sir," he cut in suddenly, talking to John. "No offense, but going alone is a stupid idea. I say you need backup if we're going to get them back. And I think I'm pretty handy with a rifle.

"And I think we can avoid kneecapping people here," he continued, more his usual friendly tone.

John shot the new comer a harsh look and then back at Par. "I would rather you not speak to me like I am a child" He spat. "But.. If you must come along, fine. Come. But come quickly" He said plain and quick and started walking away. The whole point to John going to Old Mans Corner was just the fact to free those who were taken, the more of a chance to do that, the better. He looked over his shoulder as he walked to see who followed.

Gabriel flinched at the look; the old timer gave a mean glare. However, it seems to have ended well, since he didn't mind him tagging along. He shouldered his rifle and got ready to go, but then Spark's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Whoa there, hero," she commented. "I know you have a knight complex going on, but you think this is smart?"

"Look, I'm here, and I can help," Gabriel answered. "Every bit we do makes the Wasteland a slightly better place."

"Guess I can't argue with you," Sparks said, handing him a spare 9mm from the backpack. "But the least you can do is get some backup. You're good at long range and decent at knifework, but you still need something in between."

Gabriel studied the pistol, then tucked it in his pockets along with some ammo.

"Thanks, Sparks." he said.

"Just take care of yourself, Lone Ranger," she mused, giving him a cynical salute.

Par, meanwhile, checked his weapons, then began following John at a swift pace, his Submachine Gun drawn...

Forty |The Conquering Heroes Return| Old Man's Corner

The march home had gone worse than expected, a few spirited dissenters had managed to grab hold of Twenty-Six's sawed off and blow a hole in her back, if it were't for the quick work of Seventeen and Twenty-Seven it might have led into a full incursion in the middle of the wastes. So, by the end of the long march home, having barely stopped for any rest or sleep, 7 of the new "family" (4 Male, 2 Female and a Child) had died either to infection, exposure, or to "corrective" measures. All-in-all 30 new recruits for Mr. Big's family in exchange for the death of 1 of his current siblings, pretty good.

They returned to Old Man's Corner battered, tired but proud and off loaded the newbies to the stockades. Mr. Big must have been mighty appreciative, he allowed Forty and his siblings to bathe and were given an extra serving in their evening meal. Forty could die happy now and wouldn't think the day wouldn't get any better, until he received word that Mr. Big wanted to personally meet him and his siblings that accompanied him. His eyes grew wide, and he went to gather the others who were similarly excited at the news.

"Ah, Forty mah' boy, y'all did a mighty fine job out there, shame what happened to Twenty-Six, but those things happen."

Forty and his siblings nodded in agreement.

"Now, as you now, the Guild Master sends his regards, but he has just informed me to keep you kiddies in alert."

Inquisitive glances appeared throughout the Small faces.

"He has requisitioned 'heavier' equipment for us if we provide the patrol detail, and since I know my 'employees' are the more devoted and hardiest of the whole collective, I know y'all will do this simple task with utmost diligence and concentration. And regarding your most stellar performance Forty, I'll entrust to you leadership of this endeavor to you as Senior Employees in batch 1 are currently indisposed right now."

Golly, Forty thought, he, a mere batch 4 Small member, was given a task suited for the batch 1 Senior Employees. He vigorously nodded his head.

"Good boy, you'll take the 8 others you have right now and pick through 12 others from batch 2 and under, to assist you in this security detail, the ignoramuses from Liberty City don't take kindly to the Guild Master's and my beliefs and will surely come in force, so be ready, y'all be the glorious vanguards of Old Man's Corner."

"On it" They all shouted in unison.

((Collab Post between Madly33 and Letter Bee))

The Colombia School of Engineering and Applied Science was a derilict ruin, literally smelling of Super Mutants; a band of them had settled in the campus' front and lobby, making that direction dangerous for Jackson and his Junior Knights. Thankfully, there was a back door, as well as windows, but on the other hand, destroying the Super Mutant threat would earn them an accolade; it was their choice.

Jackson poked around the corner, motioning for Knights to stay behind him. He looked over his shoulder as he watched them shuffle his way. He rolled his eyes and sighed. Always a babysitter He though to himself as they moved up. "If they move from position we could sneak past them no problem.." He whispered and paused. "..But seeing who it doesn't look like they are going to do that. Ready for some blood?" He asked them with a smirk.

"Um.. but sir, if I may" one of the Knights whispered from the back and Jackson nodded. "The Elder would most likely rather us not risk our lifes shooting blankly at a group of Supers" He said backing off slightly to Jacksons reaction. Jackson glared at him and looked around the corner again. "Fine" He spat. "But do not ever undermind me again," he hissed as they moved away.

The back door, or the windows, would lead them to a desolate set of rooms and corridors, etched with old posters and slogans and lockers and some basic laboratories. However, they would not find anything of importance until they went to the lower levels, where they would be ambushed by Protectrons and Robobrains as they entered an intersection of three corridors!

Jackson pushed in past the window moving a book shelf aside and dusting off his armor as he jumped it."Damn spiders" He whispered as he flicked one off his arm. He motioned for the rest of the men to move in quietly and quickly. As he scouted around the corneres for each intersection all he found were disabled Protectrons. He paused and held his hand up pointing to the robots. "Carful not to set these assholes off, light the whole building up" The men nodded and they continued.

They moved room to room looking for any signs of nondamaged goods they could take up, not much was left, from what they could tell most of the electronics they could take back were either broken or gone, scavenged already by raiders possibly. He figured they were the only people in the waste land that could stand a chance in getting past the Super-mutants.
Heavy armed brutes, most died who came across them die on sight, it's not a surprise that they were warned before arriving at the university.
"Sir" One of the younger men whispered from the other side of the room, as Jackson turned his head to as ask what he heard what the man was calling for. Footsets coming down the large hall just outside the room they were in, large heavy foot steps. "Damn it" Jackson hissed, a firefight would cause the whole fleet to know they were there, they would be dead in minites.

Thankfully, there was a trapdoor in the room they were in, something constructed in the last days of The War. If they chose to fight, they would die. If they chose to go down to where the trapdoor led, they would find themselves in a low, claustrophobic tunnel, where their Power Armor would scrape the walls of the concrete, making uncomfortable sounds. But finally, the trapdoor would lead to another set of empty corridors...and a large chamber, a large chamber large enough to fit a veribird.

And what was inside that chamber was almost as valuable; a giant treaded vehicle that would seem like a strange form of tank at first, if not for the giant crane arm that jutted out from the top of the roof. A Construction Droid. No, wait, not just a Construction Droid, but a Construction Droid equipped with a giant laser and mortar - nearby manuals would reveal that its purpose was for demolishing buildings. Not merely that, but there was, attached to its very back, a 'recycling device' that recycled metal and stone into new building materials...

Jackson's eyes widened at the sight. "What the hell were these kids up to?" He whispered as he circled the vehicle. He touched the metal with cauaution. "Shall we report this back to the Elder?" One of the men shouted as they looked through the dusty books left on the shelf.
"Yes. Yes of course. This.. this is something else." Jackson replied quietly, If they could get it running transportation would no longer er be a problem, and that is what they needed. Lugging armor and supplies around was a hassle not needed in Jacks eyes.
He continued looking around for anything else they could take back before heading out of a tunnel leading back out onto the main road.

They would find none except stacks of spare materials that can be used to repair the droid, as well as new building materials. Nevertheless, a few hours later...

Sky Citadel

A few hours later, the Construction Droid would arrive at Sky Citadel, much to the awe of the Brotherhood's Paladins and Scribes. Jackson E. Shadow would get an accolade, while the Junior Knights would be 'considered' for a promotion to Senior Knight.

Then, a few hours more, and the debate would start, over how to use the droid.began. The more idealistic members, including two of Jackson's squad, argued that it should be used to improve the Wasteland, while others, including the remaining two of said squad, would argue that the crane should be taken out and the Construction Droid should be turned to a Tank...

Elder Mavarek would listen for a while, then rule - that it would be used as both.

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.

Slave Rescue Arc

"Was that howl really necessary?" Par asked Gabe. "Yes, it sounded like a dog's howl; doesn't mean that it won't put people on alert."

"Anyway, you just came through Grand Hill; it used to be a recreation area for relaxation and sport, but that's not important right now. What's important is that we can use that place as cover. Anyway, gone on previous trips to the Corner before, not just to buy slaves to free them, but to barter for grain."

"Why is that important? Because just beneath the other side of Grand hill, beyond the fence, lies the main Slave Farms, and underneath the shadow of the hill is where they're forcing their new slaves to work. The Slavers gossip on how the hill and their fence prevents the new slaves from trying to get out until they're 'broken in'."

"Not merely that, but instead of building a proper watchtower on the top of the hill, they built a treehouse; seems like a good idea at first, but gossip, and while we're at it, complaints, say that the tree the watch post is built on makes it hard to see things from behind, while the front can be sniped on from another tree."

@Kenyeismylife, @Madly33, @shadowsaint007

"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.

@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?"

Danny was making his way towards the place he was told to locate,The ghoul walking down the empty streets humming a tone he heard once form a normie sometime ago."Fuckin smoothskins..." He thought being careful while walking down the street holding his rifle in his rotting flesh holding it tightly aiming once in a while because paranoia was setting in seeing figures that weren't there.

"Fuck i hate seeing things...i gotta get this shit outta my head" These thoughts and seeing things that weren't their he needed to move his mind of these kind of things,Danny made it to where he was suppose to be to heal up some people form a raider attack.