Dinosaurs, inbreds and Raiders, oh my! Welcome to Manhattan, 2350

[Azuremoon]

'A New Frontier. Leading Manhattan into the future in the 'dispute' with Boston. Giving your people the edge.'

The words of the Scout Master, who now was marching at the front of the little line they'd made, rang through Oliver's ears as her feet prodded along the asphalt. The sun was high, the sky was clear, and despite the cool temperature... it was hot. Between the heavy gear and the sun reflecting off of the asphalt, it felt like nestling between the hind legs of a sweaty-hog. Who also happened to be on fire. The only comfort from this was that soon they'd be in the Lincoln Tunnel. Out of the sun and out of sight of... well, anything that wasn't them.

It wasn't like there was anything off of 'New York' that *didn't* want to kill them. Everything did. Whether it be the monsters, a... zombie, a pissed off mutated rat or house cat to another Raider. It all wanted to rob, rape and kill them. and, as she knew from her time as a Raider, it wasn't always in that order.

"Oliver!" The Scout Master's voice broke the uneasy sound of their un-uniform march, "Break to the right and keep an eye on our twelve-o-clock and six. Take Forester with you to watch your six."

The girl regarded the order and looked around. She had no idea who the hell 'Forester' was. The only names she knew was 'Scout Master'. She'd been told the couriers names, but the only one she remembered was...Navmos? Whatever.

Without knowing her, one would probably assume Oliver to be a guy. Outside of just the name, she didn't walk with her hips like most women and her uniform any curves of hers. Her voice was gruff and her hood, which she hated and wish she could take off, hid her features. Every scout she'd been on most had called her 'mr.' or 'sir'. She never corrected them. If they were attacked by Raiders, she'd prefer them think her a man then know she was a woman.

Oliver broke from the group, not waiting or looking for Forester and just assuming he too heard the order and would 'be on her six'.

She knew this order meant get to the 'treeline' and by treeline, in New York it meant the nearest alley and stay one block ahead of the group. This meant shade, but alleys were... dangerous. She found her 'Scout Masters' always picked her for this job, and in her head she couldn't stop but think it was because they'd seen on her papers she used to be a Raider and that made her expendable.

Pricks.

 

[Lonewolf888978]

Take Forester with you to watch you six.

Great Drake thought to himself aloud, getting a few glances from some of the guards. He got to leave the safety of the group to go walk ahead of everyone with Oliver, or what ever the hell his name was. His gas mask bumped against his waist with every step on the grassy stone sidewalk, and me mumbled curse words to himself. He always hated the vault since he was a young boy, but now he was hired by one. At least it would be good for his reputation, starting up a new colony in Florida. He heard stories of Florida with a few travelers he meet, claiming it was a lush, green paradise, that was radiation free. He never bought the stories, and it seemed more likely that Florida was a waste land full of zombies.

He spotted Oliver now, walking ahead of the rest of the group towards the treeline, his space pretty quick compared to Drakes slow, easy pace.

Get going Forester!

One of the guys called out to him. Rolling his eyes, he flipped him the finger over his shoulder as he speed up his pace slightly. By the time he caught up with Oliver, he was past the tree line, and didn't show any signs of waiting for the slow mercenary. Slowing his pace once again, he mumbled out to the hooded man.

If you went any faster Liver, we will be in Florida by next morning.

He smirked at the nick-name he gave his companion. It was suiting, figuring he would probably be chopped liver to the next Dino they came across.​

 

[Zora18]

"Navmos, make yourself useful. You're our navigator from now on." The scout master shoved the maps into her hands, upside down and with brown dirty smudges from whatever the fck he was eating. Was that chocolate? My god.. Anyways, Aurelia scanned the ancient thing. It had markings of restaurants, police stations, schools, hospitals; back when these things were functional and actually recognizable. Sometimes the function of the building could still be guessed by what you'd find inside, but most buildings had been ransacked and destroyed beyond recognition, or converted into something else. Small things like half a sign still served as markers for some places.

Little traces of the past were scattered everywhere and putting the pieces together was a futile endeavor. She had tried her hand at cartography, making a map of the wasteland or at least Manhattan to Boston, until she realized there was nothing to make a map of. Always shifting, ripping, dissolving, this broken world had no sense. No sense. A dinosaur or gargantuan mutant animal could come through and tear down a bridge or building at any moment, like a tornado.

"Navigator..pft, what is there to navigate? How do you navigate a nightmare? Let's just turn west once we get through Lincoln Tunnel." She finally responded to the scout master after inspecting the map. She glanced over at him. The chocolate was melting all over that fcker's hands from the strong sun. "Just turn west? Don't you know all the best routes, Navmos?" He asked irritably back. "Yeah, I do. Whole Manhattan and New England, but nothing on the path to Florida." Aurelia scoffed and then continued. "Going south to Florida is going to take careful improvisation. It's a new frontier." She pulled out her compass and stakeout binocular goggles, her weapons swaying from both of her hips as they walked the burning concrete; the heat burning the bottom of the rubber soles of their boots.

Aurelia examined her surroundings. First, her bag of letters and packages. She would never admit, but she feared anything dropping out accidentally, ever since that one time of..well, that's- Just that a person could not afford accidents out here, nor with the vault council. She shook her head to clear her mind, and looked around to refocus, pondering if she was the only female. Seemed like it. Not an atypical thing for her, though. She squinted ahead at the two guys separated from the group, far ahead of them. "Wait, where are they going?" She asked the scout master. "I sent them treeline towards the alley there to get to Lincoln Tunnel faster since the Manhattan map shows that-" He started explaining, showing her. Her eyebrows rose in alarm. Oh no. That alley leads to.. To the scout master's surprise, she shoved him out of her way and started running far ahead. "Navmos, what the hell?!"

 

[Azuremoon]

Oliver hadn't slowed down when he caught 'Forester' running up behind her through her peripheral, and she didn't bat an eye when he started talking. However, when he finished talking, she couldn't help but let her eyes roll over to him. Liver. She wasn't very found of that - not one bit. It was new and it made her uncomfortable. The glance was all she gave him though; no response or second thought.

It wasn't her weapon of choice - she preferred something automatic that one could just hold the trigger and let burn - but the rifle strapped on her back made her feel a little more confident about being in the alley's with someone who just referred to her as 'liver'.​

​

As they approached the corner of the alley her pace slowed - an old habit that she'd never shook and likely never would. As she reached the wall she lightly pressed against it and pushed just as much of her face around the corner as she needed to so she could see around it. Her emerald green ebb scanned the passage and she initially thought it was clear, then she noticed she couldn't see everything. The corner looked over an L-shapped wall and it gave her a blind spot. Despite the size of the spot her hand went over her shoulder and she pulled the rifle down and took it securely in both hands before pressing around the wall and aiming into the dark, empty corner. She held there for a moment before lowering the barrel and letting her breath out. Without even giving her colleague a glance she turned on her heels only to catch a bit of debris fall in the corner she'd just been looking and then, right in front of her face, a monster fell before her.

A gasp took her lungs, and she stumbled back, catching herself on the wall before re-grasping her rifle. 'F*ck!' she shouted mentally, also mentally checking if she'd wet her trousers. Luckily, she had not. It must've been on the roof. It was a velociraptor, apparent by it's by pedal stance, talon like claws on it's hands and feet and it's bird like feathers. Also the horrific sound it squawked/ roared in her face.

Without wasting another nano-second she lifted the rifle and let a round shatter the silence. 'Forester' should've seen it by now, and this bolt would let the rest of the scout know they'd found something.​

 

[Lonewolf888978]

Drake froze as the raptor dropping in front of his partner. Oliver shot it with his rifle, the bullet piercing the raptors shoulder, bringing him back to reality. In response, the raptor lunged at 'Liver and Forester raised his Thompson up. Spraying wildly, at its side, Drake relaxed as it gave a screech of pain, and it fell to the ground, literally at the feet of Oliver.

Chuckling, Drake reloaded his submachine gun and approached the dinosaur, kicking it to make sure it was dead, and finally spoke.

Looks like you would've been screwed if I wasn't here, huh Liver? Ouch!

He finished the sentence, a pair of rocks dropping onto his head and shoulder. Looking up, he screamed in surprise, three more velociraptor jumping from the building, the closest of the three lunging ontop of Drake, knocking him to the ground. Managing to hold the raptors mouth away from his face, Drake scrambled for his revolver on his chest. Drawing it, he pressed it against the small raptors jaw, and fired two rounds. The raptor going limp, he pushed it off, a pain going through his shoulder.

The raptors claw slashed Drakes shoulder, and he failed to notice it at first. Turning his attention two the other two charging raptors, he raised his revolver.

​

 

[Azuremoon]

Between the screeching of the raptor, the blast of Forester's gun and the bolt from her own - Oliver's ears were ringing and the world around her was muted. It made her head sting and a sharp ache build in the butt of her neck. She pushed it back though and her mind let her use her eyes - what she would say was her best sense - and watched as three shadows descended down upon them. Stupid. Raptors were never alone. This was scout logic, 101. She was ready now, however, and wouldn't let herself live up to the nickname of the asshole that had been grounded and cut.

As Drake had taken the first ones life, and she had not, he took priority and this let Oliver... show some of her former Raider colours. Without switching the safety on her rifle, she loosened the grip on the gun, and let the gun slip down her hands until the end of the barrel was now in her hands, then she squeezed and threw all her weight. She hurled the butt of the rifle so it's end smashed the head of the raptor closest to Forester, resulting in a stomach churning crack that resulted in the beast falling to the ground and beginning to convulse and hyperventilate.

Her blood was pumping now. She still couldn't hear anything, but that was because of the adrenaline, not the deafening tinnitus. The second, and seemingly last beast paused and looked at it's fallen friend, and then roared before turning at her. Oliver's momentum didn't stop, and the arch from her first swing and another loose grip let the gun swing in her hands again until the butt was, once again, in her grasp. She pointed the barrel, without looking down the sights due to the already closer-then-death proximity and fired a shot that took the raptors right eye and introduced it to the grassy pavement behind it. The raptors momentum took it's corpse forward and it crashed into Oliver and pinned her down. Luckily, it was dead, because it's jaw met her face and it had extended around it, giving it the appearance of biting her entire head. She wasn't all that large, after all. Rather small.

She began to struggle beneath it's weight, pushing and squirming, but unable to get the beast off of her.

Her grunts and struggling noises were exemplified by the newly formed silence between the two scouts after all the squawking and gunfire, and it made her sound exceptionally silly, and as soon as she heard herself, and realized they were... assumably out of danger for the moment, she stopped struggling and lay under the beast, giving a frustrated puff.

'Awesome. This doesn't make me look like liver at all.'

 

[Zora18]

Cr@p, the guys turned into the alley before Aurelia could reach them. Aurelia had encountered this alley before, full of velociraptor nests, definitely a spot to avoid. If she had only paid attention sooner to realize where the Scout Master was sending them- No time for self-frustration now though. She took her shotgun from her side and aimed at the incoming raptors. Shrill squawks and an array of scaly feathers as they beat their rapid wings forward, they threatened to overwhelm and disorient their target before swooping in to pierce their eyes out with their beaks, and then knock them over blind and tear them apart with their claws, devour them. She witnessed it before, how frail the human body looks as it's thrashed about.

She shot the first one, dead on, in the breast, in its heart if it has one. She shot the second one too before it could get any closer. It fell with a panging squawk, one that would ring in Aurelia's ears for a while. Looked like the last two. Aurelia looked at them innocently on the ground. Looked like one was a guy and one was girl, maybe two parents protecting their young. She sighed, and then when on to more important matters, like checking the status of the two scouts that wandered in here. The one referred to as Liver seemed to be fine. But the other, more heavily armed one, seemed to be struggling to stand.

Aurelia went to inspect. He laid on his back, breathing heavily and holding his shoulder. Blood leaked from under the glove. "Move your hand." She instructed as she approached, revealing deep gashes as the raptor tried to rip his shoulder off. She smirked as she bent down to get a closer look, "My, my, you're lucky it was just a baby, otherwise this whole left arm would limp and detach off. It got your shoulder good, but its little talons weren't long enough." She opened her messenger bag, taking out her pouch full of aid supplies. She worked over him, cleaning the wound, disinfecting, then raising his torso slightly to apply the bandages. Liver stood by, as well as the rest of the squad that had caught up.

The scout master chuckled. "Navmos, if you can't make yourself useful as the navigator, you can at least be the nurse!"
Aurelia's face: -___- "Fck you, scout master."

However the scout master's attention was diverted elsewhere, so he didn't seem to hear. "Looks like we got more trouble. Brace yourselves!" He commanded the squad. Aurelia stood up and look towards the sky; great, more raptors. This alley was velociraptor central, how would they get out? But as they began shooting, they received a surprise, and stood watching in confused awe. At once in the distance, all three velociraptors fell to the ground. As if stricken from above, like angels falling to the sky cast off by a merciless god. The whole alley covered with raptor corpses now, each experiencing its personal rapture. To their puzzlement, influential Manhattan vault councilman Emerson Perry emerged from the rooftops, mounted on his own velociraptor, a submachine gun in his right hand and what looked like a rocket launcher strapped to his back. His own velociraptor.. equipped with a saddle and harness, Aurelia never saw anything like it before. How, did, he, tame, that?

As the group wavered in a collective shocked awe, councilman Perry landed on the ground before them with the docile velociraptor. He smiled and pet the raptor endearingly. "I didn't think he would be willing to go against his own kind like that, but Felix pulled through. So don't eye him with suspicion like that, he's as loyal as can be. More loyal than some of you.. So we're joining the party."

 

[Lonewolf888978]

Bloody hell that hurts!
Forester said as the girl named Navmos put disinfectant on it. The bandages put support on it, and the mercenary stretched his arm out, sitting up more. Giving a nod to Navmos, he said thankfulness in his voice.
Thanks doc, Next time a dino tries to rip me apart, I'll be sure to come to you.

Some other guards Forester made friends with helped him up. Approaching Oliver, as two other men pushed the raptor off his body. Chuckling, Forester leaned over Liver, a smirk on his face.
You outta work out more Liver, incase the next dino you kill lands on you and no ones around to help!
Helping Liver up, he added.
Good work though.

After Forester helped his partner up, he dusted himself off, and the sound of raptors echoed from the roof tops. Raising his submachine gun, he fired towards teh three approaching raptors, but stopped as they fell, dead. Shrugging, Drake figured someone else got the killing shots, but raised his gun again, hearing another raptor call. He froze, his finger ready to pull the trigger, but quite couldn't at the sight of a well dressed man riding a raptor!?!

Forester lowered his gun, his mouth gaping at the pair. Finally speaking, he said in amazement.

In all my years of traveling this wasteland, this is by far the awesomest thing I have seen! How the hell did you get it to not kill you!

Without waiting for an answer, he took a step forward, and raised his hand to try and pet the raptor. ​

 

[Azuremoon]

That was it! Oliver had decided that she was finally going to tell this asshole off. Being all smug n' shit right after she'd crushed a raptor's skull. As she was about to tell him off when she too caught sight of the... well, what to even call it? Her response was to step away, and so she did. Her feet shuffled back until she was out of the group, but just barely. Her green eyes watched them; surveyed them all and how awe-struck everyone was with the damn raptor rider. Good. People who took the limelight usually just died faster.

"Alright, that's enough! We're on a schedule here, kids!" the scout master suddenly called out after a moment.

"Oliver, Forester! You're taking our combat specialist with you to watch your asses. Be more careful!" he said, with a very condescending tone.

Oliver shufftled her shoulders and readjusted the pack on her back before moving a bit closer to Forester - she wasn't very pleased that they were getting a baby sitter, regardless of who they were.

(@Pellegrino This is all you!)

 

[Lonewolf888978]

The raptor quickly snapped at his hand, but Drake pulled his hand away with inches to spare. Stumbling back, the majority of the group got a good laugh at him, before the Scout Masters harsh voice called out.

"Alright, that's enough! We're on a schedule here, kids! Oliver, Forester! You're taking our combat specialist with you to watch your asses. Be more careful!"

Frowning, Drake opened his mouth and raised his hand to speak, but a glare from the scout master shushed him. Grumbling to himself, Drake threw his back over his shoulder and scooped up his submachine gun. The three headed out, while the rest of the group got situated before moving out again after the three-man scout party. Reaching into his coat pocket, Drake pulled out a carton of cigarettes, and slipped three out.

Slipping one in his mouth, another behind his ear, and a third outstretched to Oliver. Using his free hand, he lite his cigarette in his mouth, mumbling to his partner.

Aye Liver, you smoke? Either way, don't expect you to get another one outta me, the only reason I'm offering you this one is because you probably saved our asses with that Rambo stunt you pulled off back there. ​

 

[Zora18]

Emerson Perry smirked at the reactions of the squad and then had a word with the scout master to explain why he was joining, as everyone got situated to start moving out. It took a while.
"What are we waiting for?! Let's go. What's next?" He asked impatiently. Felix the raptor groaned as well to concur with his master.
"Navmos has got the map." The scout master answered, pointing to some chick, the only chick by the look of it.
"Oh, the nurse.." Emerson would work on getting close to her; besides in his old age, he needed a nurse. Wait, she looked familiar. The girl assigned with carrying the letters, wasn't she? Ah, so she probably knows about.. He would have to keep an eye on her for sure, which wouldn't be a problem, she was easy to look at.
He walked up to her with Felix trailing behind. "Nice patchwork back there. Where are we headed to?"
She looked at him skeptically. "Once we get the hell out of this alley, we'll continue through Lincoln Tunnel. Then we'll be in the Weehawken area, but we want to turn left towards Jersey." "Jersey City?" He replied. "Yeah, Jersey City. Really, our closest short-term goal is reaching Philadelphia to continue to Baltimore, but with the way the paths are, we'll have to go through Jersey City and Trenton next. By the way, what do you feed that thing?" She inquired.
"It's a carnivore, babe." He could tell that she would fully attack him if not for the velociraptor. He indulged in power every chance he got, just the way he did things.
"Perry the prick. Don't fck with me, or else, I'll expose what's in these letters to the squad. Better yet, I'll lose them when you least expect it. Feed them to your raptor."
She had a point, it wasn't in his interest to tick her off. She'll face her consequences after this, he thought to himself. Did she really think he wouldn't find out that she spied? She could be working for the btches in Boston for all he knew..
He laughed gregariously. "Hahaha, look at you getting all upset, Aurelia! It was just a friendly jest is all. Don't be so childish as to do such a precarious thing.."
She continued with the task at hand as they got out of the alley. "Okay, so we go through the tunnel. And then in Weehawken, there is an old abandoned park that's pretty much turned into Jurassic park by now, so we'll avoid that. Then there's an old heliport, but using helicopters would only just expose us. I doubt they're fully functional anyways. There's a library, but it's right on the main road behind the pizzeria, so it's definitely been sacked or invaded by now. We have a gas station coming up though. Might be worth it, maybe some tools. And some lighter fluid. There's a pharmacy not too far from there either. Something to consider."
And they were heading out.

(Sorry, I would have posted earlier, but I thought that Pellegrino or another new member would be posting next.)