Chapter 4: Familiar (1)

Insanity.

The perfect word to describe the barbaric nature of these bandits. Out of all the insane bandits I've seen, this bunch was the most versed. I thought howling and screams were one thing but wearing the faces of your foes was another.

This mine carried a camp of bandits their numbers estimated to be in the hundreds. This didn't include the captured townsfolk that were transported in. It seems vehicles weren't that rare because the number of vehicles stationed outside this camp rivalled that of Ralphs with an increased surplus.

Their designs though were more urban and rustic, spikes protruding from their pushbars. Most of the parts seemed scavenged from other vehicles with their parts not being treated or polished properly. While understandable due to the climate It really displayed the nature of these fools. Travelling for four hours to see this wasn't at all nice.

The bandit camp stationed here seemed to be smashers from what I could tell. Instead of the blood-red crimson banner, they instead flew a different flag. One with a silly skull mask.

The uniforms were also different, they didn't seem to have one. All of them wore something different which was negative in my view.

Wearing a uniform was the best way to increase morale in an army with special tokens made to differentiate the good from the trash. It also symbolised union and comradery. Besides humans always liked to stick with people that looked the same.

60+ bandits, 5+ slaves, 4 Bandit technicals and 2 motorcycles just from the view from here. An interesting obstacle indeed. I thought that this would be a simple hunt but not. There was no way I was going to get through to the actual mines.

The camp stationed outside was already fortified and with the already unknown amount of armed men stationed inside the actual mine, it would be a death wish to even consider running through.

I needed a plan if I was going to even consider running through here. While my shield could handle a shot or two, I doubt I want to test my luck with my abilities. I wasn't exactly knowledgeable in that department. With my understanding, the best I could was some sort of mind control, heart sensor and Intangibility. Each one running on fuel such as aether which required me to kill someone.

But fuck it. Who was I to let monkeys have the best of me? They had a water source, right? Time to commit some war crimes...

Wait.

Was it a war crime if I wasn't at war?

And who decided it was a crime in the first place?

Can't be a crime if you aren't caught, hehe.

So, looking around for their water source I eventually found out they had a fast travel station…

That wasn't good.

If I had more enemies fast travelling here without me knowing I could be ambushed when escaping the actual mine. Still looking through from afar I attempted to stay outside the camp's range.

I didn't dare to get closer just yet, but from what I could see the wires all led to a building that was heavily fortified.

The psychos were everywhere around it.

They didn't have a designated spot but scattered around doing random shit. They all seemed tense, and I understood why. Because the next thing I knew was some Blood shots coming over to raid the mine. It was quite convenient but from what I could tell this was a normal occurrence. Every single one of the guards and psychos was prepared and retaliated.

Every single bloodshot that ran towards the camp was curb-stomped with the enemies in vehicles being exploded. Yes, exploded. Somehow the bandits acquired rocket launchers. Yes, plural. They didn't just have one they had a large heap.

From what I could tell at least twelve of the stationed bandits have one lying around just in case. Any thoughts of strapping some explosive to a vehicle and ramming it forward flew out the window. There was no point in strapping explosives to a vehicle if it wasn't going to hit its intended target anyway. A good distraction yes, but a waste of valuable resources.

The Blood Shots' lost heavily this time. They all died without one making out. This seemed more like a suicide attack than a proper assault. If what I said was right and they did indeed attack before then this was more of a scout-type attack to increase tension in their border. This meant they were targeting somewhere else. Looks like these guys are in a tight spot. Too important to move, yet not important enough to get support. How unfortunate.

Seeing them pump their water from outside the camp I smiled. If I could somehow sabotage their water source they would be forced to use the fast travel station and get external help. This would leave me with enough time to sabotage their fast travel station and then their whole camp.

Seeing as how the slaves were also there I could possibly convince them to fight back but this was all wishful thinking. This is due to the chance of me getting caught and the fact the bandits might just raid another camp for resources was really weighing my mind. Deciding on how to enter the camp I instead decided to wait for night. Night in the borderlands was unnaturally cold. The wind felt like it went right through you sometimes.

Maybe disguising myself as one of the sane bandits could work in my favour? Switching one mask for another didn't seem that bad. After all, with a camp so large surely, they wouldn't notice an extra like me, right? Pushing those thoughts back, I decided that walking that the best course of action to indeed wait and so I did.

Slowly pacing myself I slowly crept towards the camp. Seeing a bandit go to the pipes for a bucket of water I saw that he was my size. Noticing no other bandits near the pipes most likely due to the cold weather I got him. Grabbing a hatchet, I slammed my Hatchet against his throat flinging his head off.

Freezing I felt my body pause. Holy shit. Did I just do that? Why was it so clean? Feeling my hands go numb I quickly paced myself. This time I had taken a life for my benefit and not my survival. Damn. Breathing in and out I sat back shocked by my actions. While I knew I was going to kill him just the sight of seeing his head smoothly fall off was another. It seemed almost too comical, fake. Fuck it, we roll.

Quickly getting off my ass I quickly stripped his ass and hid his body in a porta botty. Locking the door I ditched the idea of disguising myself as the bandits. They were so diverse in clothing that faking being one of them was more trouble than it was worth.

Instead, I opted for something interesting. Why don't I just kill them all in their sleep? These people weren't trained mercenaries they were bandits. Seeing as how I found out the wires from the fast travels, what would happen if I burnt them? Surely, they would fuck up the rest of the circuitry in the area. Surely not? Hehe, my intellect is unparalleled.

Seeing how barrels of Oil were littered around the area I took a barrel of some and felt my body nearly collapse. Luckily, I was still out of the lights so even if someone heard me they would instead think of it as nothing. Unless they were paranoid.

So, near the fast travel station, I laced the wires with oil or petrol. The black shit that makes things happen. Splattering it all around the wires I made it a bit woozy. A bandit heard me and rushed to see what was going on. Fuck it.

Grabbing hold of my pistol I burnt the wires and caused a major fuck up with their lights. Everything was shut down and they were now shrouded in darkness. How delightful. Shooting the bandit that caught me he was knocked to the ground instantly the bullet travelling through his heart. Syphoning his corpse I felt a rush of energy pour into me. It felt exhilarating the rush pouring into every 'vein' in my body.

[Aether syphoned]

[200 obtained]

What a great meal you've prepared for me. The fresher the better. Feeling the incoming rush of bandits, I smiled. Time to grind some gears. Pulling out a shotgun I awaited them all.

"YOU WOKE THE WRONG DOG!" A bandit screamed trying to fling his blade randomly towards me. Blasting a shotgun shell in his abdomen he recoiled back dead. The next few also tasted my shells. Syphoning their bodies I continued my journey into the camp.

My hand wielding my shotgun hastened. Some enemies didn't carry a shield and were easy targets but some weren't. Feeling a shell randomly crackle near my shoulder I flinched back, my foot being stepped back to give me time to hold myself.

"You won't last here Trespasser! No one messes with the smashers!" A bandit screamed, angered he aimed his rifle towards my direction. Though by the time he realised I wasn't there it was too late.

Appearing behind I held my hatchet above hid. The looming figure of devastation above him. Trusting my entire body to the swing I split the hatched downward. My very pull feeling his spin to his flesh. Continuing the movement I watched as blood spilt around me.

Pulling the machete off, I continued my rampage making sure to syphon their corpses and steal their loot. Something about killing in the dark was soothing the warmth of their bodies transferring to mine.

The cold air brushing against my skin and the lack of visuals of the horrors I was committing, allowed me to relieve some steam.

While the gas mask blurred and darkened my vision, the 'heat' emitted from their bodies allowed me to kill them swiftly. Better to be safe than sorry, bandits while stupid we are still capable of doing the unknown. Making my way to their vehicles I sabotaged their engines as well. Rigging them to explode if they dared start the ignition, was a neat trick Ralph had taught me.

Still, on my rampage, I eventually found where they were holding their slaves. Peaking through I noticed most of them were civvies while some were captured from an enemy camp. I especially noticed a familiar face. How funny. Looks like I'm going to weaken both the Smashers and the Blood shots.

A two-for-one steal!

Walking into the tent I felt their eyes draw to me. Fear plastered within their sorrowful eyes. Seeing them scurry away I equipped my machete. Dragging the leg of the Bloodshot legs from outside the tent he seemed almost amused until the drag went to a pull. Pulling out his body flopped outside, his eyes now wide open.

"Wait! We can-."

Not allowing him to finish I started with his throat. Sticking a boot within his mouth a struck his inner thigh. My blade twisting allowing him to feel it grip against his skin.

"You ain't dying happy."

Slashing against his head the sound of butchering emanated around, his screams muffled. Watching him start to tear up and attempt to walk back into the tent I dragged him back out. My canvas was exposed to those inside. Seeing my silhouette they probably only saw the moonlight bask my back.

Seeing another member of the Bloodshots I ended him swiftly. The action then left me with a total of ten slaves or captured civvies. Turning to face them I absorbed the new corpse, the neon light drawn from his body and most likely soul flaring the room.

"I'll give you a choice."

"You either fight with me or you can fuck off" I explained.

Seeing them hesitate it only took the bravery of one to move before they followed in pursuit. The few that remained were either family members or estranged.

*Boom*

Ah, music to my ears... Hearing its echo wave across the camp it seemed that one of my traps was set off.

Viewing the bandits dropped weaponry they weren't anything special. Made of a bunch of scrap and weapons. The only thing interesting was the large mag size.

Good for holding sustained fire, terrible for accuracy and everything else. They were quite colourful though. Blood red with purple streaks. Every bandit gun was also personalised to its user. Some were pink some were purple. Others were decorated with questionable charms. Handing some of the weapons to the few that remained I waved em off.

"On second thought get out of here."

"Once you're done with the gun's best you scrap 'em. Also, make sure to head left. If you turn right don't be surprised if you get caught in the crossfire," I warned.

"Thank you, kind stranger," A man thanked before walking away with his daughter and wife.

"Stay safe strangers," I farewelled before turning to the remaining group. Well to be a precise single person.

By single person, I mean half a man. He was quite stocky to be fair. Large muscles that bulged with testosterone but he had the height of a midget. The man was the definition of a dwarf.

Currently, he was restrained from the head down. A steel gag in his mouth to stop him from talking with thick metal restraints around his arms and hands. Thick chains stuck in between his feet with the metal unnaturally heavy for its density.

Should I leave him? He seemed useful. Eh fuck it, it's not like he can pose a threat to me in this state and even if he did, he's unarmed. Perhaps he would owe me a favour of gratitude for saving his ass.

"Guess I'll help you out since even the bandits locked you up but try anything funny and I'll shift that jaw of yours," I warned. The possibility of the man being a member of another gang did run through my mind.

Seeing him nod I pulled my hatchet out from my core and slammed it into the chains breaking through it and freeing his legs, the shock of my strength surprising him. Removing the gag, I lifted him and Fuck was he heavy for a midget. That muscle or gut of his sure backed the weight.

"Thank you, Camarada," The dwarf thanked. Was that Spanish or was that Portuguese? Hmm… Linguistics was a strange subject here. Common Language my ass.

"You can thank me later once we remove your cuffs." The block of metal around his wrist wasn't something I wanted to smash down on. Perhaps they would have something in the mines that would do the job.

"I need a weapon Camarada," He asserted.

"You think you can manage? You're going to look kind of stupid walking around like that," I explained the thick brick of steel around his wrists keeping his hands positioned forward.

"Trust me, Amigo, this isn't my first rodeo. Give me a pistol or two and I'll show what I'm made of."

"Hmm, now, now. How can I trust you to have my back?" I questioned.

"You rescued me, there's no way I can turn my back on my saviour. I'm a man of my word. The best I can do is help you," He wagered.

"Then compadre, you best pick up your weight," I smiled. Chucking him two pistols I let him go first. He looked kind of stupid but aye who was I judge?

"First time in the dark?" I asked, his head turning left to right.

"Ha-ha amigo! Por favor, no need to see them when you can smell them," He exasperated before rushing ahead, the sound of gunshots and screams being heard in his direction.

Now, this was going to be interesting. Deciding to flank around I headed straight for the mines. My objective of clearing this whole base was going to be a lot easier, especially with that meat bag in front.

-

Pov: Salvador

I had thought that it was all over. That pandora had finally done me in. That the cabrons' of the waste would finally end me. Yet, I was saved. In the dark of the dunes, a figure appeared. A demon of the sand.

Walking within the tent I had assumed he was but another victim to the slavers. Yet... The stench of blood never washed away when he had entered. Seeing nothing but cracks of the moonlight enter I saw his eyes.

Empty, cold and indifferent. They were no eyes of a mortal. I had seen dead men walk, some others that were slaved away. Even I had seen corporate wolves that preyed on others... But this... This was not a man. Blessed in blood he dragged the Bloodshot members from the tent and into his embrace their blights heard from within.

We could hear the crunch of his bones and the slicing of his flesh. Every detail was smelt and every action was heard. They say that eyes are the window to the soul, but I saw no soul behind that husk. Whatever skin that 'thing' was wearing it did not fool me.

Returning back to the tent his purge did not stop, his powers... It had taken the very soul of the bandits. Was he a Siren? No, Sirens could only be females. That was the rule, that was the law, that was what I thought... But to see this monster here? I had to think otherwise. Perhaps there could be a possibility. Or perhaps he was something more.

When he had talked, the voice of a child rang. It had shattered my expectations. Perhaps I was overthinking things. Maybe I was wrong...

So I bargained with the devil and was given another chance to do what I do best. Killing and having fun. The only thing missing is the taste of tequila! Oh well, not my problem.

"HAHAHAHA! Come get some Cobrons!" I exclaimed. I was no hero, but I always tried my best. I did what I thought was right.

My abuela always told me to help the weak and to kill the evil. Bandits had always been a problem, and some dared to label me as one. I was born here. This was my Tierra, my home.

"Taste lead HAHAHAHA!" I smiled, lead flying everywhere. Sometimes being short had its own perk.

Shooting my way through the night I wondered where their leader was. The bounty over my head was enough to feed everyone.

But I was selfish. I did not want to die. Not yet. When my people were threatened, I chose to fight back instead. In the end, they died, and I was captured. My abeula had escaped but my people did not. We were wiped.

"You've done it grinder you're finished!" A bandit screamed before being littered with lead. This had continued for another few minutes or so, the sight of that figure gone with the wind.

Hearing the sound of gunshots and screams from afar. Though as I closed near only dust awaited me.

Had I gone mad? Was he truly there or was this all my imagination?

Entering the mine, I noticed the eerie silence inside. The very torches lighting the area dimmed with nothing but two left to light the main hall. It was a warning.

But who was I to fear the dark? While I was used to the sight of dead bodies what I saw in front of me was something else entirely. It was otherworldly...

Headless bodies littered around as if their very soul was drained from their body. Seeing the husk of their ashen skins peel from their frames all bodies were rounded into a pile.

And within the midst of all this, a figure stood unaffected. A clear tinge of excitement emanated from his body. Turning to face me, it almost seemed like I was next.

-

Name: Alexander

Age: 11

Health: 100% 

Aether: 6330

Equipped: Gas mask, *Grey shirt, Chest rig, Ragged pants, Steel cap boots, Plated gloves, *Uncommon shield

Inventory: * Common Bandit cleaver, *** Rare Dahl sniper, ** Uncommon Dahl Assault rifle, ** Uncommon Dahl submachine gun, ** Uncommon Bandit shotgun, ***** Legendary Pistol (The Negotiator)

Cash: $15'000

Shiny Stones: 1000

Misc.: 50 red syringes, 10 medkits

Ammunition: Pistol: 900, Submachine: 700, Assault rifle 600, Shotguns: 450, Sniper: 200, 10 grenades

-

"You were late to the party Amigo," I announced sitting on top of a makeshift throne. The original owner was now left lifeless on the floor. While he had minions of his own, he simply wasn't as good as me. It didn't take that much trouble to deal with them.

Just like any bandit they were dealt with quickly. A shotgun shell to the pelvis solved almost all problems on this planet, after all. To make it worse his shield was subpar, defective almost.

Reviewing my core, I noticed a lack of change in my stats. My physicality was unmatched by the normal person with even the strongest of human being smashed to bits under my strength. If I was to truly train I would need to create custom weights. But that was just for my body, my actual powers were quite lacklustre with its current abilities limited.

Perhaps I actually needed to study my powers soon. What exactly did Cosmic, Spirit and Etheral manipulation entail? From what I saw I was merely ripping the life and soul of living beings and storing them within my body. What other ways was there for me to grab energy? Even dominating other animals and humans was something I questioned. Was this a part of my spiritual manipulation?

My 'Core' acted as both an analytical tool to identify different species and to identify my current strength its current statistics rounded me to be around ten times stronger than what I think was the average human. Its abilities also ranged from carrying a somewhat storage or inventory at the price of increasing my spiritual weight. If I were to get ahold of ISD then my pack mulling abilities would be unstoppable.

Overlooking my inventory most of my spare equipment was left back at Ralph's garage, with me taking off the DAHL vests for obvious reasons. The shit was heavy.

Seeing the increase of Aether and shiny stones though was a delightful boon. It seems these guys were mining these rocks. Each rock was light and made carrying them in my core splendid. What exactly made these rocks so wanting I had no idea.

"It seems you had fun without me, Amigo…" The man replied disappointed, his voice grabbing my attention.

"I wouldn't say fun," I replied getting up. The killing wasn't something I particularly fancied, what gave me real joy was the resources gained from their deaths.

How it happened depended on my mood. Also, something about killing just didn't sit right with me. The feeling always felt repressed and forced back. Perhaps this was a good thing and something I needed to overcome. I didn't want it to critically impact me later on.

"Aye, but killing bad guys is always fun!" The Buff Midget announced.

Perhaps, but what defines a bad guy? A man killing another to provide for his family or another who did the same out of joy? At the end of the day, someone was dying, and a family was losing someone. These thoughts kinda make me feel edgy. How tiring...

"We still need to get that block of steel off your hands. Luckily, I have a solution," I replied.

"And how will you do that?" He asked, his concerns growing as Alexander walked closer.

"Don't worry nothing drastic, I'm just going to see your hands off."

"Aye!" He gasped.

"I'm just fucking with you," I joked before pulling out a key and opening the lock allowing Salvador to now freely move his arms around.

"This yours?" I asked chucking the stocky man his shield and ISD.

"Thank you, Amigo," He thanked, his eyes scanning his inventory.

"No problem, I guess all that's left to say is what do you plan to do now?" I asked.

"I have to find my abeula she went missing after I was captured. What of you, Amigo? What are you going to do now?" He asked.

"Need to make my way back to my town. A grumpy old man's going to be upset if I don't make my way back." I revealed before pausing.

My mind raced at the identity of this large midget. It seems I never thought of the Manlet as a threat until now.

"Say I never caught your name?" I decided to ask.

"Por favor, they call me Salvador," He revealed his hand gesturing for a handshake. Interesting that Salvador with the fat bounty? Hmm, should I betray him right now and gain his bounty? Killing him now and giving his head to the Atlas or DAHL corporation would serve me well. Not only would I gain a good increase in resources but also gain the necessary fame to acquire technology.

But then again, it's too early. Too early to get involved with Galactic corporations and massive galactic criminal empires right now.

It also wasn't worth trying to get on their good side either. To them, I would just be another asset or threat to their existence. DAHL was the perfect example. With all the places I've seen, they've shown me enough to tell me what they do with their employees.

"Alexander," I introduced, shaking his hand. Noticing my hesitation he knew that I knew that we both knew who he was.

"May we meet again on better terms, amigo... I still need to thank you for saving me... How about a drink next time? On the house," He offered.

"That'd be interesting but as you said... Que nosso próximo empreendimento seja tão doce quanto hoje."

Walking away, the figure slowly drifted into the sand. The cold atmosphere behind me as he slowly walked away too.

Making sure to loot whatever useful gear was lying around I made my way back to my motorbike. All loot here was worth almost nothing.

Even the weaponry. While some could be scavenged most of them were already busted. It looks like Baron Flynt's people were more quipped than this bunch.

Not even medkits or basic healing products were here only more strange syringes. At least Baron Flynt armed his men with proper gear. These guys had rusted weaponry with rocket launchers that barely functioned.

So, I instead took their ammunition and barely functioning rocket launchers. Rockets were useful after all.

+ 20 rocket launcher ammunition

+ 10 red syringes

+ Common bandit rocket launcher

+ Common bandit rocket launcher

Turning to face the bandit camp I smiled. I had a feeling that I would meet Salvador again. When Titans clashed, fate was bound to chain the rest of us together. Pandora was after all a box full of misery and destruction.

-

"Look who decided to rock up," Ralph scoffed dark bags under his eyes. He looked as if he was going to collapse at any moment.

"You miss me? I wasn't gone for long you know," I joked.

"Nah, don't be a kidder kid." Ralph smiled.

"Hurry up and make your way to Jesse. You've already been gone for 20 hours, and the nagging has been keeping me up," He explained, before laying back and snoring.

Leaving him to sleep I first made my way back to my room or hub. It was a spare room next to his garage where I left all the things that I didn't need on me. I had a bed and wardrobe, but I didn't use the bed at all.

Never did need to sleep but I did have to pretend to do so now and then to calm the Oldman though. Something about youth and sleep has to do with growth. Especially in the nether region, sly fox he was.

Didn't want to make him worry that I was some sort of alien. So, I instead locked the door and pretended to sleep while I focused on mechanics. It was thanks to this that I easily created my bike in only 'fifty hours', when In reality, it was one hundred. Half the work was visualizing what I wanted and the other fifty was putting it into reality.

While one would say that such mindless thought was 'unneeded' or 'useless' I could perfectly recreate that bike without needing a manual. My core had saved every crevice and corner of what I created. Each detail is down to its fibre and cell, what would I need paper for besides learning?

Thinking was my favourite thing to do after all. In a world where each thought connected with an action, it was vital to master how to process information and what you were going to do about it.

Still, on my walk to Jess's house, I was met with strange gazes and fear. Strange, this was more than the usual scoffs of hatred. Why the hatred? I had no clue.

"Hey, Lex, where were you? We were so worried about you!" Jess screamed causing me to step back.

"We? And since when was I ever called Lex?" I asked.

I never authorised a name change!

"Of course we! Ralph was worried sick he didn't want to leave the garage until you came back and you are Lex. I decided on it," She revealed.

"So, the Oldman did miss me," I muttered smiling.

"What was that Lex?" She asked.

"Nothing, just the wind is all," I waved.

"Yeah, yeah," She teased. Damn, was she getting better at teasing me? Or was she just getting more comfortable talking to me?

"So why were you missing for so long," She asked, confusion plastered on her face.

"Had to hunt extra careful today is all," I replied.

"Is that why you're shirt is covered with blood?" She asked. Turning to look down I noticed my hands bleached crimson red with my shirt stained with blood all about. I had failed to notice both the stench and horror that emanated around me.

"Ah," I silently gasped. That's why, Huh...

"Looks like I'm going to change I'll be back," I continued. Walking back to Ralphs I switched my clothes and washed my hands. Staring at them, I thought back to the night before.

-

"Sledge ask now, where is Ten toes!" A muscular man spoke his muscles building from the very pulse of his voice.

"I don't know sledge," A voice replied.

"Sledge ask one more time! Where is Ten Toes!" Sledge spat, this time grabbing the Man's shoulder.

"Please Sledge I don't know!" The man pleaded once more before being bashed in the head, his skull splattering over Sledge's fist and ground.

"Sledge, want Ten toes Now!" He screamed slamming the wall next to him.

"Yes sir!" The rest spoke.

Turning his head to face his map he started replanning his assault against the other factions. The thought of an assault even dwindled from his mind. With the sudden loss of Ten Toes' communication, he started to panic.

Had Ten Toes betrayed him and aligned himself with the Bloodshots? Had he died? Sledge had spent many resources and men in the capture of Salvador, and he couldn't afford to lose more.

With the loss of possible income, he had to readjust everything. From the allocation of food and water to the patrolling of his men. Many bandit factions were working to target his group specifically and he had no help from others, many deciding to blindside his calls.

The number of his men had also dwindled from the thousands to hundreds in a few days. He saw many members defecate, many leaving to join others or find a better life elsewhere. While he wanted to slaughter every one of them, he knew that he was but one man. What could one man do against a thousand?

"Sledge no like this," He muttered frustrated.

Had DAHL not returned he would still be king of the Badlands. Yet a single action changed everything. How could this be? Shaking his head, he returned back to his map the location of a single town coming to mind. While many civilian camps were ransomed during these days one stood tall and unaffected. Just outside of Bloodshot territory was a village. While the village didn't offer anything particular it did offer coverage to a certain camp of the Bloodshots. Smiling he shook his head excited.

"Sledge very smart!" He smiled. Walking over to his men he ordered them to pack their camps. With the recent assault of his base, he had to relocate his base. The old one is an easy target to the Alliance of Steve and blood-shots. While it stood fortified, the Alliance of Steve made sure it wasn't. Rockets had reigned onto the fort killing his lieutenant Bonehead and massacring most of his men. The attack was definitely an inside job. The time of Bone Heads' arrival was perfectly timed with the Alliance of Steve's assault. He had first suspected Bone head but after a rocket exploded his insides outside, he decided it wasn't. The thought of someone betraying him fumed him though. Who would dare betray Sledge?

"Sledge says move out! Too Dornwhich village!" He announced.

-

"Well done Steve your accomplishments for the Atlas corporation have been noted and your service will be rewarded," A voice explained.

"HEEEYOOOO!" He exclaimed.

"Indeed, now here is a transfer of $10'000. Continue to satisfy us and your rewards will naturally follow," The voice continued before ending the call.

"Sir, why are you letting bandits clear the smashers and blood shots? Can't you just send in the lance?" Another asked.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, and why should we do that, Candice? Commandant Steele and her Crimson Lance will continue their hunt for the vault as we have directed. We cannot allow our competitors to dare to get an edge on us. Tell me what sets us apart from our competitors?" The voice asked.

"Our technology advanced weaponry?" She replied.

"Indeed, and now tell me where we gain this technology from?" The man continued.

"The vaults?" She replied again.

"Exactly. I want our full attention on the vault. If any of the other competitors want the vault, they'll have to go through us first. The Commandant and her troops will continue to do as told. The recent sight of DAHl troops entering Pandora's surface has caused us a lot of strife. We don't know why they have come to our 'beloved' planet, but we have a hunch it has to do with the recent loss of Francis. I cannot dare to allocate them to such a pitiful task of exterminating bandits. We have standards. We'll leave it to the ants to fight amongst themselves. Now do as you are told and grab me a Large Cappuccino with two sugars," He dismissed. Waiting for her to leave he then turned his head to face his desk his hand over a communication drive.

"Now for more important matters," He muttered to himself.

"Commandant Steele, how goes your search?" He asked.

"Positive sir, we have part of a key but have found no vault. I suspect we'll be here for another three years before we come across anything useful." She revealed.

"Interesting, what of your personnel?" He questioned.

"Roland, leader of the 114th division was dispatched and executed on the collapsed valley for the laundering of Atlas funds. Higgins's director of the division informed me that the funds would not be recoverable." She informed.

"How unfortunate. How much was lost?" The man asked.

"Twenty-five million sir," She reported.

"A recoverable amount." The man scoffed.

"Tell me how goes the mines?" He continued.

"Some of the 'volunteers' went insane, so we let them go. Some escaped but I doubt that any damages will be done back to us. Some locals may complain but nothing a few threats can't solve," She responded.

"Splendid work Steele until next time," He responded before ending the call. The man delighted at the progress.

"Hello there, sir, here is your Large Cappuccino with two sugars," She informed before handing the cup to the man.

"Thank you, now do yourself a favour and give me a hand will you?" He stated before signalling her eyes to his crotch.

Disgusted yet fearful she ducked down in defeat. A superior's orders were a superior's orders. Sighing she looked up to see the man's eyes his deep gaze leaving her to look away.

"Trust me you won't be just rewarded with a tip after this is done," He mischievously joked before unzipping his fly. His eyes were deadlocked with Candis's. Smiling he sipped on his Cappuccino.

"Life is good," He muttered.

-

"Say Jess what do you want to do in the future?" Alexander asked, his mind looking to the star in wonder. A gaze she had seen once. A gaze she would never forget.

"I… Don't know," She replied sheepishly.

"Really? You don't know?" Alexander asked, disappointed though not saddened.

"I used to once want to be a doctor because I wanted to help people, but I don't know. There are not a lot of people I want to help anymore. I'm not smart and every time I do something I get bored quickly. Then there was the explorer thing my sister used to say but… Never mind," She mumbled as a dark memory of the past resurfaced. Tears now dripping from her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Alexander asked, his hand now holding hers to calm her.

"It's okay. Just bad memories is all," She replied.

"You want me to grab you a drink?" Alexander asked.

"No thanks, I'll be fine." She thanked him before getting up.

"You sure? I don't mind you know," Alexander reassured.

"No, it's all right I'll be fine." She reassured.

"Have you found any of those rocks? I haven't found a thing here," She revealed, her attempt to change the topic still concerning Alexander who saw through it as easily as her tears. Wiping them away he hugged her. Feeling the silence draw in he let her go.

"I'm sorry if that made you uncomfortable but seeing you feel sad doesn't sit well with me," Alexander apologised. To him, Jess had become a sister of sorts. Seeing her hurt was one of the last things he wanted to see.

"No, it was nice. Thank you," She smiled, feeling some tension release from her shoulders as she laid back still frozen memories replaying.

"But on the note of the stones, yes I've found some," He revealed.

"Come on let's go," Alexander stated before making his way to Mr Bones' home.

"I've got those rocks you wanted, now show me what books you got," Alexander asked, his hand by his hip as he awaited the infamous crackhead.

"Let me see those rocks, boy," Mr Bones announced through the speaker, a hint of irritation stemming from his tone.

"Mind the tone Mr Bones', else end up as one," Alexander threatened before revealing a single stone within his palm.

"Depending on what you got I'm willing to offer more," Alexander continued.

"Wonderful, here is the catalogue of my wares." Mr Bones replied complying with Alexanders' offer. Opening a slot, a book was handed out with a list of items.

Books & Data chips

[Basic mathematics – Jason Kordv] (1 stone)

[Basic spelling – Jiro Tanashi] (1 stone)

[How to fix a wound –Doctor Zed] (1 stone)

[Basic Biology 101 – Dr. Spara] (2 stones)

[Knowledge for the unaware - ?] (2 stones)

[Mechanics for Dummies – Tannar Tores] (2 stones)

[Bible of the Light – Francis Octavius] (2 stones)

[How to cook properly – Hordon Gamsy] (2 stones)

[How to be funny - Amy Schumer] (Free)

[The Drip of a Gentleman – Daquan Willsire] (3 stones)

[Mechanical Engineering – Dominic Torreto] (4 stones)

[Tales of the vaults! - Typhon DeLeon] (6 stones)

[Do no harm – Dr. Whom] (6 stones)

[XXX Sexy Sluts on Salderon XXX] (8 stones)

[Family – Dominic Torreto] (10 stones)

[The Fascination of Life - Alistair Hammerlock] (10 stones)

[Mutation and Alteration of Life – Dr. Nino] (12 stones)

[The Beyond? – Demiond Dranius] (12 stones)

Items:

Vehicle parts (50 stones)

Atlas Power armour set (100 stones)

Malawian Shock trooper armour set (75 stones)

Hyperion High Calibre Personal Shield (40 stones)

2000 bhp volt engine (110 stones)

1600 bhp volt engine (50 stones)

1000 bhp volt engine (25 stones)

Internal storage device (50 stones)

Increased storage cartridge (10 stones)

Alexander going through the list came across many interesting books and data chips. What caught his attention though was "The Fascination of life" by Alistair Hammerlock, "Mutation and Alteration of Life" by Dr Nino, "The Beyond?" by Demiond Dranius, "Tales of the Vaults!" by Typhon DeLeon, "Mechanical Engineering" by Dominic Torreto, "Basic mathematics" by Jason Kordv, "Basic spelling" by Jiro Tanashi, "How to fix a wound" by Doctor Zed, "Basic Biology 101" by Dr Spara and "Knowledge for the unaware". An array of books that would serve his library of knowledge well.

"The Fascination of Life" by Alistair Hammerlock, "Mutation and Alteration of Life" by Dr. Nino, "Mechanical Engineering" by Dominic Torreto and "The Beyond?" by Demiond Dranius were books that offered more information, the internet or ECHO-net lacking greatly in that department. While information was exchanged was changed each one merely scratched the surface with books requiring a licence and proper digital currency. Something the old Francis lacked, mostly like having his accounts drained by his enemies.

Buying the other books Alexander offered them to Jess her own Knowledge in comparison to his abysmal and quite fraudulent. Her facts merely being based on superficial recreations of knowledge passed down to her by the other townspeople.

"She can finally know how to count and spell," Alexander muttered viewing the books. Scanning the items, he knew exactly what he was gonna grab first. The Internal storage device (ISD) and Increased storage cartridge.

After that was the Atlas Power armour set, Malawian Shock Trooper armour set and Hyperion High Calibre Personal Shield. Defence was an important factor and with this, he could now casually take more shots before he was taken down.

The risk of explosives was still high after all. While bullets could be somewhat negated to a certain degree due to his ability to reflect projectiles from his body this did not factor in lasers and explosives.

It didn't hurt to be careful he thought 'While lasers weren't really shown on this planet who's to say they didn't exist? They already had forcefields why not laser weaponry?'

"Alright, this is what I want Mr Bone are you able to deliver?" Alexander asked.

"Mr Bones always delivers," Mr Bone smiled.

"But first the stones," He ordered.

"Then let's see if you can deliver," Alexander replied slotting the many stones through the slot and with that, a total of 334 stones were gone like the wind.

"Perfect," He replied, before opening the door to his bunker.

"You can enter my friend though your companion can wait. If you wish to collect your wares please make your way down," He explained leaving Alexander agitated.

"Wait here, Jess. I'll be back," Alexander informed before making his way down, his every step leaving a quake in Jess's mind.

"But!" Jess tried to retort but was instead met with the door shutting in her face.

"Dammit! Not again," She muttered frustrated before banging her fist into the door.

"Let me in dammit!" She argued before sitting down frustrated.