Mar/Apr 2045 |
Tracey was pacing about in front of the gate near his car. There would be no Brandi Burks repeat if he could help it. His scout phoenix had no weapons, but he had his rifle. He would fight on foot if necessary. He was grumbling about not having installed a weapon, just in case, just for this arrival, because something was wrong. They were late. Frank would not have given an arrival time if he had not meant to keep it. Hearing a sound from up on the gates, Tracey looked up to see someone pointing, then himself spotted the dust cloud. At first he was relieved but his binoculars did not show what he expected. He jumped into his vehicle and was ready to speed off but held out just long enough for a positive i.d. A Mutant Marauder and a damaged van, spouting oily smoke and with mangled armor visible even at this distance. One last look through the binoculars before he sped off and he was horrified to see the 4saken`s Hellions insignia on the pickup. That`s no Marauder... it`s our fuel truck! He called up to the guards that they were friendlies and had them open the gates. But where were the others? Caleb`s decked-out Landrunner Wrath and the gang`s Windsor? These were just the support vehicles... Tracey looked upon them solemly as they passed by him. He stayed outside the gates a full minute longer, scanning the horizon for dust or any signs of other vehicles, then reluctantly hopped in his car to meet them inside. Only two crew members had stepped out of the van. Not a good sign. Tracey`s heart fell even further as the city`s large gates closed ominously behind him. The damage to the van was severe but to his relief there were no other crew members inside. He recognized Steven Behr The Bear, the gang`s ballistic man but the young woman with him was new to him. Stephen Wallace, another scout, was stepping out of the fuel runner. What happened? he asked Bear, but Steve only gave him a blank look back. He had never seen Bear shaken up before. Wallace went up to Tracey and pulled him aside. It was rough, he started. Hit a group of Stalkers on the way out. It went good at first, we caught them on that road with the busted bridge and all the dunes and Bear and Jane - that`s the new ballistics girl - started softening `em up real good with the CGLs. Caught them in a low spot. Textbook. But those things only have so much ammo. So we hit what`s left of them as they crest the ridge. It went well enough I suppose but it got pretty involved. It wasn`t pretty. But we came out on top. We were doing well enough until just a few miles outside of town Caleb - he was lead scout, not me - gives us the heads up. We`re bloodied already and half of us were driving looted chompers running on half their cylinders... everyone split but we could see the Windsor getting nailed. We did everything we could to support it but they took the engine out... Brian Hayden and Derrick were in there.... maybe you`ve met `em? Anyway, the van tried to paint them up to buy us some time but there was no getting away. Caleb was trying to do everything at once. Trying to keep people off the Windsor and keep the enemy fast movers off the guys fleeing on the right, trying to keep the cars off of him, and we had this painted up Scorpion right on us. Him and Lee ripped it up good, blew the engine. But just as we`re getting some distance the driver got his rockets clear. Ripped the van right open. Caleb finished them, but he had to veer off or he would have led the whole gang of pirates right towards us. Towards the end I saw one of them on him close and two more nearby. His landy was ripped up real bad. Right side armor was already open by then and I think I saw the right side gatling hanging in the wreckage. He must have been really low on ammo as well. I hung close as long as I could, me and Bear in the van, and then Caleb gave us The Last Word. Stephen sighed. The Last Word. The last order a squad leader would issue. Escape. Escaping combat in a wounded chomper or a fuel truck with no weapons was a given. But the Last Word meant escape with your life. It was an order. Leave me behind... I won`t be joining you. It worked, you know... just like Caleb wanted it to. They took the bait. All three of them went after him. All three with fresh armor... Bear and Jane were standing there, too, listening to the retelling of the events they had just lived through, unable to speak. The four gangers stood solemly for some moments, then rested a hand on the shoulder of the person next to them. It was Bear that broke the silence. He looked up at Mezcal`s. Let`s Drink. They had only just sat down to drink when there was a loud pounding on the door to the bar. Dust on the horizon! someone called in. Immediately the four of them went to the gates. It was Keith Brown - a driver from back in the day when Lt. Frank would still accept drivers - in a beat up Desert Stalker. Keith filled them in. He was the driver for the Windsor originally, but he was escaping nearest to Caleb when everything went down. When Caleb had veered off to save them he had no place to go but towards Keith. And with the engine sputtering he had not gained as much distance as he would have liked before then. There were three on him, he explained as they went back into the bar. The landrunner`s right side was ripped open. The nearest one kept firing, apparently cycling between its car rifle and machine gun to conserve ammo. A few of the shots inevitably landed inside. He had some decent distance to the second two but the one was on him good, 20 to 30 meters, tops. There was a cliff in front of the landy and the only way to go was to the right, and expose his open side. The guy behind got some in, like I said, and the engine starts smoking. Well... I don`t know if any of you have ever driven a landrunner loaded down to the chassis stops with armor, crew and weapons but they`re dead slow to begin with. Greasy Lee had it tuned up pretty good but the decision was made to put the V-8 in the van instead. No helping a landy. And now the engine was smoking... That`s when Caleb gave The Word. I was cresting a hill and could see it go down. At the last second he pulls left. Left! He actually rode up the cliff a little. He laid into it with the left gatling and spun around to bring the forward weapons on it. I guess he decided to go out the hard way. He got the bugger. Got him. I thought for awhile he might make it out. That the other two behind him might not give chase - there was still some comotion back by the Windsor - but between the engine smoke and him losing all that speed... well... they went after him... That`s the last I saw. I came down the other side and didn`t look back. He lifted a glass. The table was full, chairs and mugs on the table, but half the seats were empty. He toasted a glass to the empty seat at the head of the table, and drank. To Be Continued... Wendy Lockwood of Drive Backwards BFFs died at Northern Foothills Racetrack at night. Amy Buggs of Lattes Raiders died at Scattered Hills. Alicia Murphy of Mambas Maniacs died at Lost Oasis. Gregory Grove of 2 Phat 2 Phunky died at Gates of Somerset. John Gaskins of 2 Phat 2 Phunky died at Gates of Somerset. Sarah Cannon of Jackknife Armada died at Road to Somerset. Merle Lynn of LESS THAN JAKES died at Blown With the Wind. George Wilson of We B Right died at Burning Skies. Quinton Mork of Produce_Vendors died at Road to Gateway Truck Stop. Nathaniel Mahoney of Lattes Raiders died at Forever Yellow Skies. John Kwon of Lattes Raiders died at Forever Yellow Skies. David Floyd of The Thug Matrix died at Road to Elmsfield. Scott Franklin of We B Right died at Burning Skies. Israel Daigle of Violet Menace died at Blown With the Wind. Jennifer `Eat Lead` Geib of Brain Damaged died at Blown With the Wind. `adaptable` America Shaftoe of Burnt Tree Security died at Once Upon a Town. Mildred Dougherty of The Crimson Brothers died at Somerset Rally Circuit. Eugene `Sour Kraut` Stoltzfus of SD Rollers died at Scattered Grounds. Lia Fuller of CYBERPUNKS died at Blown With the Wind. Donald Rose of Vigilante Sun died at Blown With the Wind. `TINKER` Travis Smith of We B Right died at Road to Somerset. `Sir` Charles Samuel of Lattes Raiders died at Road to Somerset. `Sir` Jeff West of Lattes Raiders died at Road to Somerset. `Sir` Nickolas Thomas of Lattes Raiders died at Road to Somerset. `B-29` Enola Gay of Pestilence died at Maure Dore. Donald Auer of DeathFromAbove died at Forever Yellow Skies. James Hunt of Thuata De Dannan died at Lost Oasis. Allison `Bloo` Berry of Undead Fish died at Gates of Gateway Truckstop. Matt Sallee of The Flying Hellfish died at Scattered Hills. Virginia `Ginny` Stmartin of River Bandits died at Gates of Gateway Truckstop. Susan Jude of Marloks died at Gates of Gateway Truckstop. `Mercenary` Diamond Blade of Vigilante Knights died at Scattered Grounds. `Specialist` Jeffrey Victor of Comanche died at Road to Somerset. Pamela Dimatteo of Comanche died at Road to Somerset. Richelle Gholson of Mans Laughter died at Scattered Hills. Leonard Moody of CYBERPUNKS died at Blown With the Wind. Michael Jackson of Serpent Syndicate died at Road to Somerset. George Bush of Serpent Syndicate died at Road to Somerset. Steven Cameron of Feeding Frenzy died at Road to Somerset. Erika `Roe` Williams of Ricky Ranjits Raiders died at Gates of Gateway Truckstop. Nancy `Alky` Alexander of Mambas Maniacs died at Interstate Mythos. `Bad Boy` Brett Mitchell of Mambas Maniacs died at Interstate Mythos. Kenny Madsen of Comanche died at Road to Elmsfield. Jessica Brickey of Mambas Maniacs died at Blown With the Wind. `Bruising` Barbra Black of Mambas Maniacs died at Blown With the Wind. Bobby `Little` Richardson of Mambas Maniacs died at Blown With the Wind. Jeffrey `Stitch` Hernandez of Mambas Maniacs died at Blown With the Wind. Jim Harris of DreadNaughts died at Gates of Somerset. Kimberly Sanders of SplashandBurn died at Road to Elmsfield. Yukiko Spencer of Troubadours died at Somerset`s Junkyard, Race Track 1. Josh `Eagle Eyes` Rambo of The Thug Matrix died at Road to Elmsfield. Rachell Quin of Secret Agent Clan died at Gates of Gateway Truckstop. `The Hateful` Princess Hurt of Vigilante Knights died at Northern Speedway. Antoinette McGee of the mad mad crushers died at Road to Elmsfield. Phyllis Garza of the mad mad crushers died at Road to Elmsfield. Rogelio Marin of the mad mad crushers died at Road to Elmsfield. Heather Moore of the mad mad crushers died at Road to Elmsfield. Ja `Rocket King` Ruhl of The Thug Matrix died at Road to Somerset. `Sir` Joseph Braud of Lattes Raiders died at Road to Elmsfield. Stanley Waller of The Thug Matrix died at Lost Oasis. Vincent Hook of Aristocrats died at Road to Somerset. Roberto Luongo of Aristocrats died at Road to Somerset. `Plastic` Kim Yazzie of Riotous Assembly died at Scattered Hills. Carl Johnson of Riotous Assembly died at Scattered Hills. Darren Hutchinson of Comanche died at Lost Oasis. Erika `Boss` Rollins of Lab Rats died at Gates of Gateway Truckstop. Angela Kemble of The Flying Hellfish died at Road to Elmsfield. Anthony Fischer of Division 5 died at Highway to Hell. Ruth Ginsburg of Division 5 died at Highway to Hell. Charles Whittaker of Division 5 died at Highway to Hell. David Dobbs of The Thug Matrix died at Road to Elmsfield. Paul Crownover of AADA:LA died at Gates of Gateway Truckstop. Ivy Au of Vigilante Sun died at Gates of Somerset. Benito `Benny the Jet` Santiago of SD Rollers died at Forever Yellow Skies. David `Whispers` Carbajal of SD Rollers died at Forever Yellow Skies. Elizabeth `Queenie` Pearson of Ricky Ranjits Raiders died at Forever Yellow Skies. Kristen ``Scottie`` Goodale of Ricky Ranjits Raiders died at Forever Yellow Skies. Leroy `Mario` Johnson of Ricky Ranjits Raiders died at Scattered Grounds. Malia Voigt of Finjimatic Fury died at Under a Bloody Red Sky. Benito Ratzlaff of Finjimatic Fury died at Under a Bloody Red Sky. David `Full` Nelson of MainForcePatrol died at Highway to Hell. `Sir` Alan Hillyer of Lattes Raiders died at Gates of Badlands Truckstop. Emily Rouse of R.Inc. died at Interstate Mythos. Charles Hope of Thuata De Dannan died at Road to Somerset. Lionel Ferrara of Thuata De Dannan died at Road to Somerset. Sean `Boulder` Holzer of Gearjammers died at Lost Oasis. Bunny Blue of Mean Blue died at Lost Oasis. Gordon Scott of AADA:LA died at Road to Gateway Truck Stop. Bobby `Infection` Cutts of AADA:LA died at Road to Gateway Truck Stop. Harriett Tubbs of AADA:LA died at Road to Gateway Truck Stop. William `Jitters` Apodaca of SecretAgent Clan died at Highway to Hell. William `Free Willie` Walker of SecretAgent Clan died at Highway to Hell. `CAPT.` Kirk Thornton of We B Right died at Gates of Gateway Truckstop. Peter `Best In` Miles of We B Right died at Gates of Gateway Truckstop. Bonnie Teets of Drive Backwards BFFs died at Once Upon a Town. The most active gang on the deathsport circuit has been Karmagedon. Their most favoured type of event has been the race, although they have also competed in numerous deathrace events. Out of town, the most busy squads have been: |
`Why do you have to go south?` The current leaders of Evan`s major leagues are as follows: Somerset Combat League - Riotous Assembly There is currently one minor league in progress also: Northern Semi-Pro Combat League - Wasteland Extravaganza The most skillful scout active in Evan today is Seth 'Woodbury' MacFarlane from Advanced Research Labs. |