Wasteland

Exploration, of the Old World Technologies

I stood there. Eyeing the area. Nothing much, just a large facility, that had a lot of buildings, all surrounded by electrical wire.
"What's so dangerous about this place?"
I wondered. I started to move, but I hesitated. I surveyed it a bit more. Why would people shed so much hate towards this place?
I stopped looking around, and grabbed my travel gear. I stood up, and took one more breath. Preparing myself for the worst.
I made my way down there, trying not to fall, and give away my position. I climbed through a hole in the fence, and carefully, advanced towards the biggest building.
"Gotta have a lot of loot."
I whispered to myself. The place, although I couldn't grasp why people disliked it, I was unnerved by the silence. I made it to the doors, and readied my special rifle. It was an assault rifle that Ariana had used, before she passed. I swiftly, lifted my leg, and used the necessary amount of force, and kicked it. The door swung open.
I was staring into a hallway, that was only lit by sunlight. I quickly threw a flare in. Then I noticed something strange. There was a small breeze licking my face.
I strolled right in.
"If there are any spirits here, that are interested in hurting me, please note, that I mean no harm. I'm just looking around, and I'm not interested in much."
Why? I felt like I was talking to myself, but yet again, ya just gotta let them know you mean no harm. Plus, people said the place was haunted.
I walked around, exploring every little room I could find. Occasionally finding myself in a very cold atmosphere.
Then, I walked into a room, that was in terrible condition. It was worse than all the others. Documented papers on projects, scattered the floors, and metal tools had evidently been sifted through, causing the pile of them to fall. It looked as if someone were here not too long ago.
"Huh, the pile fell. Kinda like so many historic kingdoms."
I muttered.
I squated, and started looking at the projects.
"Mind control...bug control...creature control...Organism Splicing...wait what?"
I had been slowly looking through the papers. When this experiment crossed my eyes. I picked it up slowly. And it was called, "Organism Splicing". Which in its terms, means mixing creatures together.
I had been doing my own thing, when I suddenly heard a door shut, ever so slowly. And footsteps started to make sounds. Like pinging off the walls, as the sound was bouncing off a roomy building. I kept reading. Then, the pinging stopped, and a voice erupted from the doorway.
I didn't move. And held my posture. I already knew it was a person. And I knew full well, that they were right behind me.
Then, something cold was pressed against the back of my neck. I had no emotion. I've already had this happen to me. Several times, when I was hooked up with the NMMC.
Then, a female voice spoke. Breaking my concentration, even further.
"Who the hell are you?"
She said.
I didn't want to reply, but if I didnt, then I wouldn't be able to continue my life. But yet again, why should I try to live on a hostile planet? It'll never be the same.
"An ex NMMC soldier. I've come to make a diffence. You?"
I reply.
This lady was weird. If she wanted to kill me, why not just do so? She slowly walked to the other side of my body. So she could see my face. And she aimed her weapon at my throat.
"What are you doing on my turf?". She said, accusingly. With a fierceness in her words.
"No, I know full well this isn't your turf. If it was, you wouldn't be making a ruckus back there. That makes it pretty clear that you aren't familiar with this place. Names Zeke, by the way."
She was trying to scare me off. Civilians tend to do that. But it wouldn't matter. We were both scavenging, for our own reasons.
"Shut up! Unless you want to die today!"
She yelled. She didn't seem threating. But you never underestimate your enemy. She was shaking, and her sudden use of language was signs of weakness. I, still reading my precious document, looked up at her for the first time.
"I wouldn't make that move. I'm an experienced soldier. I know a killer when I see one. Your not one. Look at youself, your shaking, and your immediate choice of words are signs of weakness."
I returned to my document.
"I've been surviving the Wasteland longer than you have! You have no idea what I'm capable of! Or what I've been through!".
Her voice started to rise. I knew there was gonna be a screamfest. This was very common with soldiers.
"Neither do you. I woke up to my bunkers alarm bells ringin' only to be greeted by one of the rarest creatures in existence. It ripped my best friend in half, and when I killed it, I found the whole bunker's populous, being slaughtered by these creatures. Then, when I tried to escape, I had to fight through dozens of spiders. And then, when I did escape, I joined the NMMC the second day out of my bunker. And I spent 5 years on the Frontlines. I've lost countless friends."
I paused. Then I continued.
"I've been fighting on the Human Frontlines, and the Nature Frontlines."
And, I stated all of this, in a calm manner. The louder we were, the more attention we get.
"Boo hoo! You saw your friend die!" She yelled.
I had it. The moment she said that, all future calm conversations with her, went out the door. No one, not one person, was gonna disrespect my friends.
"I've lost countless friends! I've lost my family, and my best friend in the bunker! And I lost my five other, last friends, to a stupid war! Because those New Colonists won't back off!"
I thundered. I was pissed. And she looked as though she was scared, but also as if she had seen Christmas. She finally cracked my shell. She chuckled.
"I don't know what it is about you, but you have the skills to survive out here. And, I guess I don't feel like wasting a bullet."
She calmly stated. As she walked out of the door.
"Probably some stupid fiend."
I said in anger. I muttered. I got up, with several documents in hand, and with my rifle, and left for another building. Which contained several different technologies. Hopefully, the place wasn't looted.
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I walked slowly up to a gate. I pulled out a knife, and decided to either hack the computer to open the gate, cut the fence, or pick the lock.
I picked the lock, and the gates swung open before me. I walked right into a compound. It was an Old World Tech Facility, that was abandoned, supposedly haunted, and, was very much hated by pretty much everyone.
But, no one, not one person, would tell me what was in this place.
I walked, to a cement builing, it was 5 stories tall, and barely standing. The roof caved in, and the walls were crumbling.
I decided to take a risk. I walked up to the builing, and slowly, opened the double doors, and pulled out my handgun. I didn't want to get jumped while scaveging, so started walking at an faster pace.
The faster I knew my surroundings were safe, the better. I started to slow down, as I neared a room, one close to the double doors.
I quickly turned and entered the doorway. The room lay in a mess. Papers, and weird metal tools, all scattered about. And it seemed that they were being sifted through. But, in a corner, there was a man, squatting. Now, my first instinct told me to shoot the guy. But, this guy was muttering under his breath, and was looking at one document.
I put my gun to his neck and asked, "Who the hell are you?"
"An ex NMMC soldier. I've come to make a difference. You?" He stated. His voice was naturally loud and clear. And he was too calm. But yet again, he was a soldier. But, isn't he too young to be a veteran?
I walked to the front of him, so I could see his face. He was still, strangely, reading that document.
"What are you doing on my turf?"
I ask, still pointing my only gun, at his head.
"No, I know full well this isn't your turf. If it was, you wouldn't be making suck a ruckus back there. It's pretty clear that you aren't familiar with this place. Names Zeke by the way."
He states again. How was this guy keeping such a calm temperment?
"Shut up! Unless you want to die today!" I yell angrily. This guy was too smart for his own good. And he was pissing me off.
"I wouldn't make that move. I'm an experienced soldier. I know a killer when I see one. Your not one. Look at yourself, your shaking, and your immediate choice of words are signs of weakness."
I was shaking because there was a light breeze blowing through, but the air was cold as snow. But this guy, was gonna bring out my bad side.
"I've been surviving the Wasteland longer than you have! You have no idea what I'm capable of! Or what I've been through!" I thundered. Anger slowly reaching the boiling point.
"Neither do you. I woke up to my bunker's alarm bells ringin' only to be greeted by one of the rarest creatures in existence. It ripped my best friend in half, and when I killed it, I found the whole bunker's populous, being slaughtered by these creatures. Then, when I tried to escape, I had to fight through dozens of spiders. And then, when I did escape, I joined the NMMC on my second day out of the bunker. I've spent 5 years on the Frontlines. I've lost countless friends." He paused, then resumed. "I've been fighting on the Human Frontlines, and the Nature Frontlines."
This guy was trying to compare to me.
"Boohoo! You saw your friend die!" I yelled. Suddenly, he looked up, a mean anger and hatred in his eyes. I hit a nerve.
"I've lost countless friends! I've lost my family, and my best friend I the bunker! And I lost my five other, last friends to a stupid war! Because those New Colonists won't back off!" He thundered. This guy had anger issues when it came to his friends. I chuckled.
"I don't know what it is about you, but you have the skills to survive out here. And, I guess I don't feel like wasting a bullet." I calmly state. I had finally pissed him off.
I was walking away, when I heard him say aloud, "Probably some stupid fiend." I kept walking, ignoring him, and noting him as a jerk. I exited the building, and entered another, and started scaveging again.
While I was doing this, I heard a noise, I followed the noise, and almost ran into a dangerous creature. It was a pack of Lured. Probably one of the most intelligent creatures in the wasteland, but, they were highly aggresive, especially towards territory. I followed them stealthily, and soon, they started running. They had found a target. Eventually, they entered a advanced technology building. And, the target, was the jerk from earlier. He was examining a piece of equipment. Suddenly, one of them grabbed him, threw him on the ground, and disarmed him of his machete in his hands.
They snapped it like a candy bar.
"Well," I say, "Just a lovely day in the Wasteland."
I grabbed my own weapons, and I charge at the Lured.