Fallout Squad II

Chapter Six

Goose met everyone's gaze unwaveringly. His demeanor was completely relaxed without a hint of aggression.

"H-hey." Cricket waved awkwardly.

Jade looked astonished. He was so chill. And outnumbered by like six people. How did he know they weren't aggressive?

Noticing Jade, Goose laughed. "Cavy here has a power. She knows whether or not there's incoming danger. She's our most trusted scout."

"Ohh." Cricket said. "That's why she knew something was up when I snuck up on her."

Goose gave her and Cavy a confused look. "Well, that's a story I'm gonna need to hear later. But for now, let me introduce our little society."

He stood up from his spot from behind the desk, coming around to the front of it. This was a difficult task in the crowded office. The female that was with him moved forward to stand next to him.

"I'm what you could call the leader of this place." Goose grinned proudly. "And this is Maddie, my second-in-command."

Maddie waved. She had short dark hair with fading purple dye at the ends. Her eyes were a light sky blue and her skin was very pale. She was a few inches shorter than Goose and looked younger than she probably actually was.

Fang bit back a snarky remark at her old-person name. People only named their kids "Maddie" in the early 2000's.

"Xerxes should be here at some point, he went out for something." Goose shrugged. "But we're very close."

"Xerxes" definitely beat the name "Maddie". Fang was trying to maintain his composure.

Ryft stepped forward, feeling as if it was her responsibility to introduce her friends. "I'm Ryft. This is Fang, Raven, Skipper, Silver, Jade, Cricket, Soul, And Spirit." She pointed to each as she said a name.

"So many new people!" Maddie clapped her hands together. "How fortunate we planned a party tonight!"

"Party...?" Atlas leaned forward. She loved parties.

"Yeah." Maddie shrugged. "All the fun stuff. We are teenagers, after all."

Raven and Fang shrunk backwards while Cricket, Soul, And Spirit weren't too far behind Atlas. Jade and Ryft appeared indifferent.

"Cavy, please show them to a hotel." Goose laughed. "I think they need some time to settle in to their new home."

—

The teens had settled in a Marriott hotel towards the center of the city. They all had the option of having their own rooms, but all of them partnered up.

It was clear that the rooms in the hotel had gone through a recent expansion and renovation. There was a small living room space to step into and a bedroom branching off either side with a bathroom on each. The carpet was soft despite a lack of room service.

In Silver and Atlas's room, they were excitedly running around and touching all of the shiny things. Atlas led the exploration, most fascinated in turning the sink on and off.

Silver in particular kept sticking her hand into the refrigerator, enjoying the cool air on her pale, burnt skin.

"Silver, we can go raid the clothing stores for something to wear to the party!" Atlas gasped, ecstatic.

"Yeah!!" Silver squealed and finally shut the fridge. "Should we go now?!"

"Let's get Ryft and Cricket!!" Atlas shouted, though soon got distracted with the huge window in the back of the room. "Oooo.." She wandered to it, gazing soon the view over the rundown city.

"Wow..." Silver walked up next to her, blue eyes wide.

They would probably be there for awhile.

—

Ryft, Jade, and Cricket all shared a room. None wanted to be alone at night and decided it was better to have more than two people. They held the ultimate rock-paper-scissors competition to get to the showers first. Jade was the loser, so she searched around the room in her defeat as her friends got clean.

On the counter there was a coffee machine with K-cups stacked on the side. There were also little packages of sweetener and cream. She silently prayed that Atlas wouldn't find the caffeinated beverage machine.

Moving on, she discovered a microwave and a toaster- two things she missed dearly. She remembered her days of cold ravioli and spaghetti- os and shuddered. No more would they have to suffer.

Seeing a couch in the middle of the room, she ran and jumped on to it, ignoring her greasy hair and her dirty clothes. No more sleeping on the ground.

—

Fang and Raven stood in the entrance of their room for a few minutes, not knowing where to start.

Raven broke the stillness by walking to the right hand bedroom, keen on claiming it.

Fang went to the bedroom on the left, setting his satchel down on the floor.

He first checked the drawers in the dressers, confirming that it was a fantastic place to store his beloved cans. There was a small TV on top of the dresser, though he didn't bother with it.

He stared at the outlet on the wall. His phone. He still had it, as did the rest of the group. All they had to find was chargers and he'd be back to watching YouTube in no time.

Grinning, he sat down on the large bed. He liked this place.

—

Soul and Spirit were as excited about running water as Atlas was. Soul had started water for a shower already and Spirit kept drinking probably unsafe water from the faucet.

As Spirit finished her fifth cup of water, she took notice of a television in the living room. She sat down on the couch and switched it on, meeting static on all of the locals stations. When she moved to an international news station, she was met with raw horror.

Soul stepped out of the bedroom, fresh from the shower and wrapped in a towel. Her previously brown-looking hair was now blonde without dirt and dust. Her peaceful smiled faltered as she saw Spirit's expression and stood next to the couch to see the TV screen.

Spirit spoke with a shaky voice. "Get the others."