A place called Sanctuary

Ranger Citadel - Outer Area

Houmin watched the busy rangers ran back and forth to the Citadel gate, assisting the triage tent and frantically heading outside the Citadel. The number of people present can be guessed at as the noise had turned to a protest.

"What's going on?" said a yawning Houmin as he walked up behind Ace. "Are things okay outside? Seems like the people are screaming for something."

Ace turned with a shy nod. After a moment of dry laughter, he gave Houmin a long sigh. "Grieving people... I can't put it into a long story Houmin, those people out there are demanding a reckoning for their friends and family."

Houmin nodded as he took a thin metal cup filled with water that Ace offered. "I'm all for justice. I just can't get my head to why their anger is directed to the rangers. I mean, we got the ringleaders, right?"

"You catch on quick." Ace ruffled his curly hair. "We got Fitzgerald to thank for that. These people KNEW he's a ranger, NOT a rogue ranger--I can't blame them for being mad as hell."

"Angel is out there, talking to them," Ace added with a sour expression. "But they want Vargas instead. That's why she's stalling them. Then again, that's Angel. Hah, I bet we have to take care of someone's thigh before things can actually calm down."

"Do you need some extra hands?" Houmin asks. "I'm glad to help you guys any way I can."

"Oh, It's fine as it is." Ace strokes his chin. "Gosh, been a long time since I heard someone offering us some help, haha! I'll call you up when I find something for you to do."

"Great!" Houmin played with the cup in his hand. He looked on ahead as he took in the view of the hard-working rangers and Division agents in the triage tent.

Ace caught on to Houmin's gaze, "They're great people. Houmin. All of you are great people."

"Great? we're not anything like that." Houmin put the cup down on the table beside Ace. "We're just here to help."

"Gracias--on behalf of all of us." Ace smiled as he heard that. "That help, the best damn help we can ask for! The agents, I think that's what they're called, right? Cool, cool. We got actual doctors! Doc got a load off from looking at each one of the villagers with the help of the two. And, the head agent is doing a psychological debriefing to the villagers. I have no idea what's that about, but it sounds helpful."

"Some of the agents had jury-rigged our communication equipment, giving it a sick boost." Ace's face beamed a happy expression as he continued on. "I've never seen Woodson with that smile before. Whatever those agents did, it made talking to the other community much easier. Or figure out a way to work around the radiation."

Houmin smiled from the praises, and thanks, Ace spouted out. He had a warm feeling well up within him. He suddenly thought of the days when he watched a walkthrough of Wasteland 2. The apocalyptic atmosphere, the dog-eat-dog world, and the harsh reality of this world can give out a sense of unparalleled immersion. When it comes to possibilities that gave out significant consequences to the story, You'll feel the decision right to your face. This is the reason that made Houmin took his busy schedule to look at this game.

'It feels weird talking to you, Ace. Cause I knew what will happen to you. And I knew what your death means to the whole plot of this world. I'm happy to know you're a good person.' Houmin thought as he listens to Ace while grimacing the idea of what to do in the future. Will he warn Ace? Will he warn everyone? Will he do nothing? Will he save him? Or let the story flow?.

He shook off these thoughts and asked Ace something else. "Where's Joe and his team?"

"The buffy guys with the cool gear?" Ace continued as he saw Houmin chuckled at what he said. "They escorted the detainees to the brig. Earlier, they had a scuffle while you were asleep."

"Did anybody got hurt?" Houmin quickly made a simulation in his head of could happen should the detainees started a fight with the Ghosts. "The detainees, I mean. For the Ghost Team? Yeah, don't worry about them. Nothing short of a large bomb can kill them."

"Noisy stuff, really. A big guy named Porker was earing for a fight with those guys saying something about fighting fair. Big cajones on that one" Ace looked back at the dirt road, "They got quiet when one of the Ghost team just knocked the gringo out. It's not my style, but I can't deny being effective, though."

Houmin laughed again as he remembered the saying, 'Pick someone your own size,' and the image where Porker got the fight he was looking for, even if it's just for a few seconds.

"Tell me about the Triage Tent." Houmin gawked as he realized that it sounded like a video game dialogue line when he said that.

"Alright... where do I start?" As Ace crosses his arms together, gathering his thoughts. "Doc Tidemann is having the time of his life. Been a long time since I saw him this active. Check-up is being done at a fast pace. And with actual doctors around, even stuff that Doc Tidemann is not familiar with is being pointed out and treated as soon as possible. Well, except for one villager..."

"What? What's wrong with that person?" Houmin raised an eyebrow at him in surprise. he can't stop himself be curious about how Ace told him that.

Ace pointed at the edge of the triage tent, where a family can be seen. The man is holding a woman while not too far away from him was a pair of children. A boy and a girl, their eyes are puffy from crying. "It gives me the shivers every time I see someone become like that. You can see the man with his arms around the woman, right?"

"She's... dead..." Houmin realized at the moment why Ace was hesitating to tell this to him. "How? Did she died here?"

"Way off, Houmin." Ace rubs the back of his neck, trying a quick way to explain what happened. "She's already dead when she got here. I asked Old Lady Brenda the details-- The story was, Fitzgerald shot her, and the man just gave up... like his world shattered like glass. I can't see myself going through his pain. Tsk. The kids know their mom is gone. The dad just wouldn't let go. He held tight to her wife from the village to here. Saying that he needs to give her the best place to rest."

"That's some hell unto itself..." Houmin said as he cast a glance at the tent, noting the action both the rangers and the agents when taking close care of that family. "So, that's why Viñia and the rest took up the idea of being Good Samaritans."

"Good- what?" Ace asked with a confused face. "You know what, I'm not even gonna ask. Today has been nuts~ Now, I'm trying to deal with too many words I can't even recognize. I'm a mechanic, Damn it! Not a Nerd Head!"

"Uwww, it meant helping others without expecting anything in return. A Good Samaritan," Houmin explained, his smile and tone show that he's having fun messing with him but stopped halfway. "Where's the General, by the way?"

Ace slumped his shoulders down as he heard that question. "I'd like to know that myself. Leaving us behind with all this mess, slithering away- Hey! I made a joke there, haha."

Houmin's face lightened up with that joke, "Pfft! Haha! That's a good one."

"That's a bad joke if I ever heard one." Woodson interrupted. Ignoring the gesturing threat from Ace.

"I heard you were looking for the General, Specialist Houmin."

"You won't have to worry much for long," Woodson said. "I got a call from the General to inform you, Specialist Skylar, and the two other team leaders about a situation."

"What for?" Houmin frowned as his tone turned serious. "Are we taking the fight to them?"

"No, Sir," Woodson replied in a straight face. "I got word from the General that we will be asking you, members of Project SAGA-DAEDALUS, to lead us where you come from."

Houmin smiled while he weighs in the idea of rangers knowing their base. He owned it Afterall, "I didn't expect you guys to ask us out like that on the first date. Heh."

Ace smack Houmin's back as he laughs and stares at Woodson. "Ohh-hoo. looks like Snake let you in on our little secret."

"I can't lie that I like to know about it too, Houmin" Ace laid his hands on Houmin's shoulder. "I feel bad talking behind your back, so, yeah, here's a little secret from our part... We kinda want your place. In a good way."

With that last part alone, Houmin has the general idea of the organizational climate of the Desert Rangers. Plans and scenarios ran through his head as he smiles at the two. The annoying thing that keeps on popping up to his head was, 'What the hell is that Project SAGA-DAEDALUS even means...'

Houmin kept his smile on, "Then when is the general coming back?"

"E.T.A, 45 minutes," Woodson informed. Typing on the borrowed tablet. "We've told Joe of Ghost Team about this then you, and we'll call the Division Head after this. We'll meet back on this spot."

"We're not taking over it, Houmin. If that's what you're thinking." Ace sighs as he tried to explain himself. "We have history about that name, Project SAGA-DAEDALUS, and the Desert Rangers have a soft spot for that."

"Think of it as our El Dorado. A place of wonders, and we still can't find it... But now... Now, we have a chance." Ace added with a calm face. "I got to help Angel out. I'll see you all back here later."

Houmin nods back at him as he saw Ace ran out the gate.

'I'm too tired for this conspiracy shit.' Houmin thought. He made his way back to his tent, smiling that the hothead redhead is still sleeping face down on the bed.

He made his way close to her and squatted down next to her face. With a wide sniggering smile, he poked on her freckled face and made a 'pshh, pshh." sound like a kid poking on a slime.

Houmin knew that Skylar was already awake when he squatted down and since she was ignoring him. He took the chance to mess with her. And as expected, she answered back with her pistol pressed to his cheeks. "Alright, sucker. Any more bright ideas?"

"Good Afternoon to you too," Houmin said with confidence. "Get up, tomato head~ we'll be going back to the bunker."

Skylar growl as she opened one of her eyes at him. "What now? Are we going? Are we staying? Make up your mind!"

"We need to go~ so we can stay here, strawberry dots." Houmin explained while poking at her face with his finger, "You can wash your face at the water jug outside the tent. There's a different pail for drinking water."

"Today, spotlights' gonna be on us two." Houmin voiced out his concerns, "The rangers are asking us to show them the bunker."

Lowering her pistol, Skylar looked at him and paused. That little bit of information has said much for what she'll expect to happen. "What did you feel when they told you that?"

"Yeah, surprised. I got excited, thinking everyone is a nice person and forgot that it's not like the game anymore." Houmin stood up and sat down on his bed. "I'll be fine. I can pass the time reading up on the 'house' manual."

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Somewhere in West Arizona.

When the convoy came back to the Citadel, everything was quick. From the original 3 vehicle convoy, it became a 6 vehicle convoy with a modified army truck for V.I.P travel in the center. Houmin, Skylar, Viñia, Joe, Ace, and Angela rode in the V.I.P truck along with Vargas. Houmin saw some unrecognizable faces inside. He can't recall if they were in the game.

Woodson briefed them on what to expect. He gave them a map and said to mark the map where their place is located. Houmin told him that it's inside the mountain. Knowing Woodson, he shrugged it off and said to point out the entrance to the place.

Thrasher, being the cartographer of the Desert Ranger, he quickly made a route to the indicated place.

"Turn left on that," Thrasher told the driver as the convoy navigated the canyons to the area Specialist Houmin has described and pointed out on the map.

"A pleasure to meet you, General Surgrue." Houmin shooked the shaking hands of an old man. "It ain't every day that I'll be able to meet the one that trained the legends."

Houmin had no idea who this old man was. He wasn't sure if there's even a second General in the game when he watched the walkthrough.

"You're good with your words, son." said the shaking voice of General Surgrue. He tried his best to speak out as the massive sounds of the engine muffled it. "Fuck me, you're older than anyone of us! Sleeping for a century... I don't know why but calling you old pisses me off."

"I respect the rank, sir," Houmin smirked. With his respirator on, he gave off a strict impression. "If we're talking about being old, I think Joe is the oldest out of all of us."

"Joe, sir." Joe held out a hand as he scans the gestures and mannerisms of the people around.

"A real army soldier..." Surgrue eyes gleamed in amazement. "A special forces at that, ah.... my life is closer to fulfillment."

"Ahem," the woman beside him reminded him,

Surgrue hurriedly clasps Joe's hand and shakes it. He turned his head to the woman next to Joe. "And you are?"

A perfectly practiced expression, Viñia took the first move by lending out her hand. "Viñia, Division agent, sir."

"Umm, Division agent..." Surgrue whispered to the woman to his side. "That sounds secretive, isn't it, Ivana?"

Viñia took note of his reaction and decide that it's best to keep silent.

A voice came in a tense tone, which Surgrue had an annoyed face over it. "Would you stop keeping favorites, old man? I get it, the soldier is helluva awesome to look at, but there are other people here. Vargas, say something."

"If I need your opinion, Angela," Surgrue answered as he grit his teeth in anger. "I can fucking ask you for it."

"Hoo- Hey! Fine, fine, everybody is tired." Ace frantically tried to get in between the general and Angela.

The truck came to an abrupt stop before heated heads can clash. The other five vehicles created a blockade perimeter around the V.I.P truck. When the all-clear was given, Vargas was the first one to get out via the retractable stairs. Followed by the others.

Thrasher walked his way with a cane to Houmin. "As you said, There's three dead waste wolf ahead. We're at the entrance, don't disappoint now, Voider."

Houmin nods at him as he looked at the mountain for any signs of the cloaked entrance. He felt the gazes of everyone as he glances back and forth between his manual and the cluster of rocks.

"I got tossed to the side again." Skylar stood beside him, "I think it's better If I'm back at the Citadel, sleeping on my bed. I'm not cut out to be the side character."

"You'll get your chance sooner or later, Skylar," Houmin said as he pulled out a large futuristic golden key. "You're not even a side character. You're like me... The main character."

'There you are,' Houmin thought when he saw the exact thing he was looking for.

Houmin first peeked inside a small gap of a huge rock. Satisfied that no crawly insects or poisonous animals are living in it. He plunged his right arms along with the key. Finding his way to a keyhole, as instructed in the manual.

*Click*

Everyone except Houmin's group geared in a readied stance, pointing their guns in every direction, as they heard a hum coming from in front of them.

The stacks of boulders shifted into a more transparent image. Where the people outside need to slant their eyes to even barely see what's inside. For General Surgrue, however, Tears started to stream down his face when he heard what Houmin said.

"We haven't had the chance to name the place." Houmin suddenly said. "So, I'll take the chance of naming it myself."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to Sanctuary."

♪ Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell – Ain't No Mountain High Enough. ♪