Tent City

Chapter 31

We arrived on the outskirts of Farantown about 3 hours after the albeit mild mutant exposure.

The silhouette of the broken city against the yellow and red sunset was bitter-sweet as we drove towards the city. It was beautiful, haunting, and sad all at once.

The cockpit of the transporter seemed to reflect my feelings, as I watched Kelsie and Ben stare at the silhouette of Farantown as we arrived closer and closer to the recently destroyed city.

I stopped the transporter within the 2km radius of the city. I scanned for life and initiated an in-depth scan for radiation, toxic chemicals, and deadly gasses. I did these scans, so I knew it was safe to continue our way into the city.

There were what seemed like hundreds of blips on the dashboard screen. It was lighting up like fireworks or bombs in the middle of a battleground.

"Movement detected within 2 km vicinity of vehicle, scanning initiated..please wait." The computerised voice echoed around the cockpit.

As I waited for the scan for life to complete, I prepared the computer for the radiation, chemical, and gas scans.

It seemed to take the computer a lot longer to complete the movement/scan for life. I was wondering if the computer was broken, but her voice nearly made me jump out of my skin.

"Scan complete, species identified as Human, Megmoth, Giant M Rat, G - roach, M-Canine, G-Pigeon, and two Species unknown. Initiating EP protocol. Please wait.."

My stomach flipped, and it felt as though a boulder was blocking my throat. I was scared. But I tried my best to hide it.

"What's EP protocol, Andy?" Kelsie asked.

"Extreme Protection Protocol. It means that all shields are activated, heavy weapons are activated, and ready to use. This is the second highest protection protocol, the highest being DPP Drastic Protection Protocol."

"Why is it going to extreme protection protocol? What's out there, Andy?" Kelsie asked before continuing. "I need to know that Ben is going to be safe."

I swallowed the lump and answered her question.

"It's going to extreme protection protocol because of the M- Canines and the 2 unknown species.

M-canines are mutated dogs. They can range from the size of a Clydesdale or shire horse to the size of elephants and Rhino's, depending on what original breed they mutated from. If they are born in the wild, they are known to be quite aggressive and do eat humans, but their favourite food is Giant M Rats.

If they are raised by humans from pups they are very friendly and super useful in controlling the Giant M Rats, G-Pigeons and other pest species, they also help with hunting and protection just like their ancestors once did. If trained properly, they can be ridden like a horse.

There's also 2 unknown species identified within the 2km vicinity of the transporter. They could be highly dangerous like Necros or some super advanced creation more advanced than what we've ever had to deal with created to inflict harm on the surface dwellers by the bunker dwellers."

"But aren't Necros just humans with superhuman abilities. At their core, they are still human. Shouldn't they scan as such?" Kelsie asked.

"No, their DNA, body makeup, and physical features have been messed with so much that they no longer scan as human or even look like they were once human. I've heard of experiments performed by bunker dwellers where the Necros DNA is spliced with mutated reptilian DNA or M-Canine DNA.

Some Necros have been exposed to things such as experimental drugs and chemicals that change their DNA so much that it is no longer human but something entirely different.

They are dangerous, unstable, and possess power that they don't have the mental ability or logical intelligence to control. They run on nothing more than primal instincts.

That is one thing in this world that we don't want to meet without the protection of the transporter.

Kelsie seemed overwhelmed by everything that I had said. The computer interrupted my thoughts,

"Radiation, chemical and gas scan complete. All readings are within the green levels."

I let out a sigh of utter relief.

" Okay, Kelsie and Ben, we are well protected and are safe to proceed into Farantown. We won't stop here. There is a safe area just off the road, about an hour out of Farantown. We will pull up there and rest for the night. It should be late afternoon or early evening by the time we reach it. Plus, there are some beautiful sights to see once night comes around. Are you ready?" I asked, trying to hide my fear. We were well protected in the transporter against most threats.

However, if we crossed paths with a Necro, the transporter may not be enough to protect us, depending on the abilities the Necro possessed. I swallowed the lump in my throat as I steered the transporter towards Farantown.

We arrived within the city limits of Farantown. There was a haunting and despairing silence that seemed to have swallowed the city.

There were broken windows, crumbled buildings that once reached the sky. Debris, old black blood, shining shards of glass, and twisted metal littered the street.
Farantown was the last permanent surface dweller safe haven within the area. It had survived with minimal damage from the previous wars and was considered pretty close to a bustling city in the current environment... that was until just before Kelsie entered my life.

Commander Lee and the Freedom Outcast Troop had no intelligence or insider knowledge as to why Farantown was targeted by the bunker dwellers to destroy.

There were numerous different rumours that ranged from population control of surface dwellers, fear of more surface dwellers joining forces, and creating militia to take control of more bunkers, to gain access to resources, and finally Farantown being nothing more than another pawn in the war games played by the bunker dwellers.

I hated that they had so much control over our lives. It was depressing and never -  ending.