“I expected you to have your drawings hung all over your walls,” Foster said.
“Nah,” I replied. “At my old house, I had posters and stuff, but I haven’t bothered hanging them up here.”
“Cool computer,” Foster said, looking over at my PC. My dad had bought it at Office Depot a couple of years ago. Not really that cool at all, I didn’t think.
“Well, it works pretty good,” I said. “Want to see the game?”
“Hell yes,” Foster said. “I’ll go grab one of the chairs in the kitchen.”
“Oh, I’ll get it,” I said. Stupid. I should have done this already.
“No, it’s cool. I can lift a chair.” He put the bag of tacos down on the desk. “Here, five of those are yours.”
He walked down the hall, and I opened the bag and took a paper-wrapped taco out. They were loads better than the frozen El Charrito mini tacos that Dad and I ate sometimes, though not even close to as good as the ones that Mom used to make. Foster returned and sat a chair next to me.
“Let’s see this game,” he said.
“Alright.” I double clicked the skull icon on the desktop and the game started loading up. Then I reached over and put the headset over my ears. “Sorry, I don’t have any speakers,” I said.
“It’s okay. I can kind of hear the music through your headphones anyways.”
So, with Foster sitting next to me, I logged into the game and introduced him to Boothe and the Wasteland.
Level 8
The Injector
1
Boothe sat in the locker room of the Eagle’s Nest. A few players stood around, storing things in their assigned lockers, or changing clothes. He opened the powers menu and looked over the new powers available to him.
Choose a New Class Power
Assistant Drone – As a Move action, send your drone to protect yourself or an ally, reducing all incoming attack chances by 15%.
Enhanced Laser – Upgrade the Combat Drone’s laser weapon. It now has +10 Aim and deals 4 damage.
Lightning Shot – If you hit with your Combat Drone’s laser weapon, the enemy has a 50% chance of being stunned.
Machine Killer – All of your attacks now do +3 damage to robotic enemies.
Medical Protocol – Once every three rounds, your drone can administer a medkit to yourself or an ally as a free action. Your drone can carry 2 medkits at a time.
Overheat Processors – When you use Machine Master to disable a robotic enemy, you can force the enemy to explode, dealing damage to everything in the area.
He decided to go with Enhanced Laser, thinking that giving Marty a near guaranteed laser strike could be very useful.
Scarlett wants to voice chat.
Boothe accepted, and heard the background noise that signaled he and Scarlett were connected.
“Hey,” Scarlett said into his earpiece. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Yeah, sorry, it took me a little longer than usual to get on. I have a friend over today, who wanted to watch me play.”
“Oh yeah? What’s this friend’s name?”
“His name is Foster. Foster, say Hi.”
“Hello,” said Foster.
“Hey Foster.”
“She says ‘Hey’.”
“Yeah I can hear a little through the headphones.”
“Oh okay,” Boothe said. “Scarlett’s my best friend on here. We’ve been together almost since day one.”
“Aw, shucks,” Scarlett said.
“Well, you two just play as normal,” Foster said. “I’ll hang back and observe. It’ll be like I’m not even here.”
“Alright, so what’s the plan today?” Boothe asked.
“Have you heard anything from Paul?”
“No,” Boothe said. “He’s still not answering his phone.”
“Isn’t that a little weird?” she asked.
“I guess. I don’t know, maybe he just doesn’t want to talk to me.”
“I thought you two were pretty close friends?”
“We were. Not really anymore.”
“Oh,” Scarlett said. “Well there’s a new mission. Requires three to five people though. We’ll need to team up with another cell again.”
The ringing sound of a message came in just then, and at the bottom of his screen, Boothe saw:
Braddock: Would you and Scarlett like to join Mariko and I for another mission?
“I’m getting a message from Braddock right now,” Boothe said.
“Yeah me too,” she replied. “Want to do it?”
“Yeah, I like those guys a lot. Maybe we should ask them if they want to merge cells.”
“That’s a good idea,” Scarlett agreed. “Then we’d qualify for the more difficult missions automatically.”
Boothe sent a message back.
Boothe: Sure. Sounds great! We’ll meet you at the conference room.
Braddock: Yes sir.
So Boothe walked down the hallway to the conference room. Braddock and Mariko were already there. Braddock shook his hand, and said “It’s good to see you again.” Then Mariko walked over, took both of Boothe’s hands into hers, and gave him a small, almost apologetic, bow. Boothe bowed back to her, not fully understanding what was happening. She released his hands then, and gave him a pat on the shoulder before sitting in one of the empty chairs. Scarlett joined them soon after - she had been upstairs, killing time in the bar.
Then Victor walked into the conference room, wearing his normal well-pressed suit, and said. “It’s good to see you all back so soon. You are doing much to help our cause, and the Eagle’s appreciate your dedication.”
He pressed a few buttons on the podium as they all took seats. A map of the southern United States came up on the screen behind him, showing New Wichita at the top, all the way down to Austin, Texas. Highway 35 drew a prominent line from north to south, with several nearby settlements marked along the interstate. Then the map zoomed in towards Oklahoma City.
“We have information on one of Orion’s Lieutenants - a creature known as The Injector.”
“Hey, I’ve heard of that guy,” Boothe said.
“You have?” Scarlett asked.
“Yeah, a couple of bandits had tied me to the hood of their car. They mentioned taking me to The Injector.”
“Well, be thankful that you escaped,” Victor said. “The information that we have received speaks strongly of The Injector’s sadism and cruelty. We do not know what manner of creature he is, or even if it is a “he”, but we do know where he is.
The map zoomed in further, until it focused on a tall skyscraper in downtown Oklahoma City.
“This is the First National Center,” Victor said. “We have it on good authority that The Injector has made this building his base. We do not know anything else about The Injector at this point. What we need is a small team to go in and scout the place, then get out with information about who, or what, The Injector is, how many people are under his authority, and what they are doing inside the building.”
“So we’re not supposed to actually fight him?” Scarlett asked.
“That is too much of a risk right now,” Victor said. “If you fought him and lost, we would be no closer to obtaining the information we seek. We would rather you come back with the intel, so that we could organize a larger task force to go in and take him out.”
Braddock nodded. “Scouting mission. Yes sir.”
“Since stealth is important here,” Victor continued, “Going into the building through the front door is not going to be possible. Instead, we have a plane that will fly you high over Oklahoma City. You will jump when the plane is over the building and parachute down to enter from the roof.”
“You want us to land on the roof of that building?” Scarlett asked. “That’s a pretty small target.”
“Yes, it will not be easy,” Victor agreed. “But the city is full of bandits and this is the only way we can get you in unnoticed. Are there any more questions?”
&nbs
p; “How do we get back?” Boothe asked.
“We have a vehicle hidden away in a parking garage a few blocks away from the First National Center. The coordinates and the key is in your dossier. You may take it, and drive straight up I-35 back to New Wichita, when your mission is complete. Anything else?”
The group looked around at each other, but nobody had any further questions.
“When you are ready to depart, you will take Tunnel 2 from the Eagle’s Nest to the hangar. A pilot will be waiting for you there to fly you to Oklahoma City. I wish you the very best of luck.”
With that, Victor left the dossier on the table in front of the podium, and walked out of the room.
“I don’t like the idea of jumping out of a plane,” Scarlett said.
Braddock agreed. “And I don’t like the idea of going into a place full of enemies, to find a creature we know nothing about.”
NEW MISSION: The Injector
The Eagles have asked you to infiltrate the First National Center, where The Injector is reportedly located, to find out who, or what, The Injector is, and bring back any information about his operation.
REWARD: New Vehicle. $1000
“I guess somebody has to be the ones to run in blind,” Boothe said.
“Done talking,” Mariko said - the first words she’d spoken since before Locke’s death. “Let’s go.”
She stood up and walked out of the conference room.
“Well, you heard the lady,” Braddock said.
With that, they all headed towards the tunnel that would lead them to the hanger. Boothe grabbed the dossier on the way out, slipping the key to their getaway vehicle into his pants pocket. The folder was the lightest of any of the missions that Boothe had been on so far - only a few pieces of paper inside showed maps of the area around Oklahoma City and the First National Center. They didn’t even have maps of the interior of the place. Boothe saved what there was into his goggles, and closed the folder.
There were three tunnels leading out of the Eagle’s Nest. They were all locked down and kept secure in case of invasion, but the guard let them through Tunnel 2 and guided them into a car on tracks there. The car automatically drove them several miles to a small underground hangar southeast of New Wichita. Inside, a single plane barely larger than the Falcon was waiting for them. The pilot was a short man who wore a helmet like Mariko’s. He spoke to them in a voice muffled by his face mask.
“Are you all ready?”
Boothe and Braddock both said “Yes” simultaneously.
“I guess so,” Scarlett said.
Mariko climbed into the airplane wordlessly and they all followed her. The pilot came to them one by one and strapped a parachute onto their backs.
When everybody was ready, the pilot shut the doors and moved to the front. The engines started up. Boothe sat in the seat next to Scarlett. She slipped her hand into his.
“I’m scared of heights,” she said. “In real life, I can’t do things like Ferris wheels or airplanes. Even the idea of doing this in the game is making my stomach tie itself in knots.”
“I promise we’ll be fine. I’ll hold your hand the whole way down if you want.”
She took a deep breath. “I’ll be okay,” she said. “I know I will.”
The plane began rolling forward, then gradually lifted into the sky. A little over fifteen minutes later, the pilot announced “We’re nearly there. Open the door and prepare to jump. You’ll need to pull your parachutes a bit early, so you can use the cords I showed you to guide yourself onto the building.”
“This sounds ridiculous,” Scarlett said. “I’d rather just fight my way in through the front door.”
“You’ll be okay,” Boothe reassured her. He looked over at the others. If Braddock or Mariko were worried at all, they didn’t show it.
Braddock moved to the door, twisted the latch, and slid it open. Immediately, the place filled with the noise of rushing air. The pressure pulled at Boothe, and Scarlett’s hand gripped his even harder.
“Ready on five,” the pilot said. Then he began counting down steadily.
All four of them positioned themselves near the door, holding onto a rail above their heads. Boothe smiled at Scarlett and said again “You’re going to be okay.” He was pretty sure she couldn’t hear him over the noise of the wind, but she nodded anyways.
Finally, the pilot said “One! Go go go!”
Mariko jumped first, with Braddock shortly after. Scarlett hesitated, but Boothe grabbed her and shoved her out of the plane in front of him. He dove towards the skyscraper, her hand in his, the air rushing past him, pushing hard against his face. He looked over at her - she was screaming, the noise lost in the sound of the wind. Her hand gripped his so hard that it hurt.
He pulled her closer, until he could put an arm around her back. She stopped screaming, and instead held onto him. They could see Mariko and Braddock falling below them. Mariko’s parachute deployed and she glided towards the rooftop of the First National Center. Then Braddock deployed his parachute also. Boothe motioned towards Scarlett’s cord, and yelled “Ready?”
She nodded furiously.
Boothe counted down with his fingers in front of her. Three, two, one. She pulled her cord. Nothing happened.
She pulled it again, over and over, but the parachute did not deploy.
“Boothe!” she yelled. “What the hell?”
He had almost no time to think about it. The ground was approaching quickly.
“Take off the parachute,” he said.
“What? No way!”
“Just do it! Trust me!” He undid the buckles and straps that held his own parachute onto his back, making sure not to lose hold of Scarlett while they fell. When the parachute was off, he gripped it tight in his hand. That thing was life, and letting it go now would likely mean the death of his friend. By the time he had gotten it off, Scarlett had slipped out of hers as well.
“Toss yours and put on mine,” Boothe said.
She did as he said, throwing her pack to the side and slipping her arms through the other. The building was growing larger, right below them. They were going to hit in seconds. He could already see Braddock and Mariko down there, looking up at them.
Boothe quickly helped Scarlett buckle her straps.
“You’re going to be okay,” he said, and then he pulled the cord for her.
This time, the parachute flapped out and her eyes grew wide in fear, as it yanked her away from him.
Looking back down, Boothe twisted so that his feet were coming down first. He was right over the Epic Center. Right above where Braddock an Mariko stood waiting. He just hoped that these boots worked like they were supposed to.
When he landed on the roof, his knees bent slightly, but it was no different than jumping from a height of ten feet or so. The boots completely absorbed the impact.
Mariko, who had turned away so as not to see him splatter against the rooftop, now looked back and said, “Holy shit!”
Above him, Scarlett used her cords to guide herself down towards the roof.
“You doing okay?” Boothe asked into his earpiece.
“I think so,” Scarlett replied. “This sucks and I hate it, but I’m okay.”
“You’re almost there. You’ll be back to splattering bandit heads soon.”
As soon as her feet touched the rooftop, she angrily yanked her parachute free, tossing the ropes to the ground. Then she pulled out her shotgun, gave it a pump and said, “Never again. Victor can go to hell. Come on - let’s kill stuff.”
2
The roof of the First National Center had a single door leading into the building. When Boothe tried the handle, he found it locked, but Mariko stepped up to it and gently pushed Boothe out of the way.
She took a small set of lock picks from a hidden pocket in her sleeve and slipped one into the door handle. After a couple of wiggles, there was an audible click, then she turned the handle and opened the door.
“Ta-da,” she sa
id, stepping back with a flourish.
“Well done,” Boothe said, giving her a silent golf clap.
Scarlett led the way into the stairwell on the other side of the door and they quietly made their way down to the floor below. The numbers “33” were painted in big black letters on the first metal door they came to. Scarlett nudged the door open slightly.
“It looks clear,” she said, then opened the door wider.
The hallway on the other side seemed to be empty and had been abandoned for some time. Unlike the other buildings they had been in around New Wichita, this one had not been gutted or torn apart. It still looked much like it must have when the place had been operational. Doors to various offices were open, the sun shining in through the windows, motes of dust dancing in the beams of light. The offices were still furnished with desks, filing cabinets, and tables covered with magazines from before the Apocalypse. They found a break room, complete with vending machines, refrigerator and a coffee maker. It was like some kind of shrine to the time before everything went to hell.
“There’s nothing here,” Boothe said as they walked towards the elevator.
“Maybe not now,” Scarlett replied. “But somebody was here.”
She motioned towards a small trashcan near the elevator. The top of it had an ashtray filled with sand, and a single Marlboro had been pushed down into it. Nearby, there was a mark on the wall. The layer of dust had been disturbed, wiping clean a single spot, as if somebody had leaned there for some time.
“We need to check the other floors,” Boothe said. “Figure out where all the enemies are. I can send my drone down the elevator shaft to take a look.”
“Good plan,” Braddock agreed.
Braddock pulled the elevator door open using his claws. With the press of a button a small flashlight popped out of the side of his head and shined down into the shaft.
“Got this upgrade after getting stuck in dark in that mine,” Braddock said. “Never know when it might come in handy.”
Apocalypse 2020: A Wasteland LitRPG Page 20
