On the third day they finally reached a larger settlement far out into the desert. It was all built from scrap metal, hammered and melded together. Shady figures from all over came there, either on foot or on some vehicle that had to be parked somewhere along the edge of the town. That of course meant it ran the risk of theft, something Jack didn’t risk when she left Rock and doc to protect the ship. Carrying the bags with data sheets and chips they walked across the scrap houses, looking in almost every direction as they walked. This very much reminded Caleb of the capital slums, only far more dusty and guns openly displayed. It was clear that the Empire had no presence here, instead Jack explained the town was ruled by a crime lord named Harrington. A real scumbag but something of a master planner. He picked this exact spot in the desert to start a trade settlement since it was more or less on a crossroad between many other settlements and caravans usually passed trough this area. That lead to instant business for him as his single store soon got neighbors that promised him a cut of their profits. Since then it had only grown into Shanktown, garbage jewel of the desert as Kel called it.

He was the only one within many miles that had the tech they needed to decipher the data.

They wandered straight in the main road past the roughly built shacks and people dressed in all sorts of rags until they reached a much larger building. It looked like a former shack that had been rebuilt and had more shacks and rooms built into it overtime. A balcony stood over the main entrance and in between was a neon sign with the word “Shanks corner” written in turquoise. ‘Weapons.’ the guard by the door said as they approached. They were searched and left all their pistols with him before entering the bar and casino. Blackjack tables, slot machines, poker all stood on one side while the other had the lit up bar surrounded with tables, filling up drunk customers amidst the smoke from cigarettes and empty glasses.

They walked right past everyone and up to the second floor that looked more like hotel without a reception.

They could clearly hear some very over exaggerated moans from one of the rooms like some cheap brothel in a slum district. At the end of the cramped hallway Jack knocked on the door and a very large man with robotic arms opened the door.

‘Its me Jack, I’m here to see Harrington.’ He moved aside and all four stepped inside the office. On the opposite side of the door right in front of them was a large window overlooking the settlement. Right by it sat a man with his hair combed back, sides shaved off and a well trimmed stub over his lower half of the face.

‘Jackelynn...you really can’t stay away can you? Well I’m afraid I don’t have any jobs for you at the moment but feel free to stay.’ He also threw a glance at Kel who showed no reaction to him whatsoever. ‘I’m not here for that. We need to use your data equipment.’

‘Is that so? And for what reason?’

‘Javelin. We got fucked over by them in a faked job and lost Gregor, now we’re a loose end and they wont stop hunting us.’

‘Ah yes I did a rumor involving you and a certain warlord. You have my full sympathies, a tragedy really.. Well alright then. You know where the room is.’

‘You’re just letting us? That’s not your style Harrington.’

‘Javelin is one of the biggest thorns in my side. Stealing customers, spying on my every move. Its quite annoying let me tell you. So I actually stand to gain a lot if you somehow manage to take them out of the picture...it gives me a lot of territory to expand into..’

‘Alright..fair enough..’

Harrington stared as Kel’s lower backside as they left, lighting up a cigar with a grin on his face on the most pig like manner.

They wandered down to the basement, into a room filled with all manner of computers and comm equipment.

‘Ok lets look trough everything we got.’ They plugged in the chips and attached the long data sheets into the data processors, beginning the very long process of looking trough months of data scrolling trough the screens.

Constant lists of names, places, items and the number of them. There wasn’t a single sign of the Empire mole and not even a pickup place, they changed location every time they picked up the weapons in order to throw off any pursuers.

And the deliveries also changed, the base received most from Gunther but they in turn handed out them to other contacts spread across the entire wasteland. Surely one of these locations was Javelins HQ? They decided to make a plan. Jack brought in a large board on wheels with a map of the wasteland stuck to it. They put red needles on the locations in the files. Most just seemed like random camps. A gorge there, a old subway tunnel there, a ruined solar power facility there.

Hours upon hours of searching and speculating it almost seemed hopeless, it was all lists of patrols, deliveries, scouting missions and targets marked for death. All pretty standard stuff for a criminal organization. Yet no mention of a head quarters, name or hint of any leader or to any end goal. It felt like, despite all the data they somehow managed to retrieve, they had run into a dead end...

*

Kel sipped down a whole glass of whiskey up on the bar. She really couldn’t stand seeing another computer screen for the next decade! All that searching were giving her a headache..

‘Problem missy?’ She looked over to see a old man with a large messy gray beard, a large rounded hat covering most of his face when he looked down and a messy brown jacked. ‘Just to much shit on the fucking computer screens.’

‘I never much cared for computers meself... I was always more of a hands on kinda fellow in me youth.’

‘Same here...’ She took her second glass, trying to figure out anything that could lead them in the right direction.

‘You know...Sometimes the answers isn’t directly in front of ya, but in the between the lines. Sometimes ya gotta look at things from a different angle, get some new perspective.’

‘Well that’s all well and good gramps but why tell me?’

‘Why not? We live in a world full of murderers, tyrants, monsters. A little bit of wisdom from a old fellow can go a long way.’

‘Just..who are you?’

‘Lets just call me...a friend..’ he tipped his hat to her and walked off, vanishing in between other patrons.

What an odd fellow..

*

‘Its no good...Javelin is to good at cleaning up their trace.’ Sadly Caleb agreed with Juan. So much data and yet not a single trace. Was there actually any point in all this?

Kel came back down, catching their sour faces immediately.

‘No luck yet?’

‘None whatsoever. We could search all places one at the time but they already know somethings up and is most likely relocating their bases right now.’

She looked at the map, and in at the little red dots that was the needles handles. A red line was tied between many of them, marking a deliverance route.

‘Maybe we’re...looking at this the wrong way?’ ‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean what we’re looking for some clue to Javelins HQ. But someone like that wouldn’t just hide anywhere, somewhere were no one would think to look to for them yet still be able to communicate effectively.’

‘So what if we look for the means of running such a large operation instead? Pretty clever Kel, never expected that from you of all people.’ Juan jokingly mocked her. ‘Fuck you.’

Jack stared at the map for a long time in silence, focusing very intensely. ‘Well there’s a common meeting point for most caravans here!’ she pointed to an old subway station that used to be part of some old world vacation spot, at a lake long since dried up. ‘There’s a solar farm only a stone throw away from it. Caleb how many would they need to get this station up and running?’

‘Only a few in theory. Old world humans were masters at generating energy but most these places have stood without maintenance to long.’

‘Then where would this place lead?’ She followed with her finger both north and south. ‘Southward lies the Dead city, most the tech is there but its filled with mutants and Empire bases so that’s a no. To the north is just more wasteland even past the dry deserts.’

‘What if we can see where that old sub train usually goes assuming they’re using it?’

‘If they did then it would explain a lot on how Javelin operates.

If this subway connects to another base then they could have two large meeting points and a quick, safe way of entering the Dead city under the Empires noses.’

‘Maybe that’s how they get the weapons? They extract them from there?’

‘Seems that station is our only lead..get the ship ready. And bring the data.’

*

That night they reached the station on foot, ship parked further away behind a set of tall hills. Juan scouted the entrance from afar trough his sniper. ‘I see around four guards. One up on the tower, one patrol and two by the entrance.’

‘You know what to do.’ With a sound suppressor he fired the shots, one at the time, instant killing them. The entrance was stood by a run down house where they used to by tickets no doubt. It was a concrete tunnel with a stairwell leading underground. As they went down the stairs they spotted at least five more guards and a lot of goods. Boxes, barrels and all sorts of storage stood nicely stacked along the train track. Jack signaled with her hands for a ambush attack. They readied their guns and...

The guards jumped at the first shot and their comrade plummeting to the ground, not even realizing what was happening when the two next went down and the last managed to jump behind a box as his final comrades head hit the wall, leaving a blood splatter.

He readied his gun just as Kel pointed hers from above him and executed him on the spot.

‘Well that was easy, you’d think that Javelin could afford better trained mercenaries.’

‘Probably saving them for combat missions. Now hide the bodies before the subway comes.’

After all were hidden they in turn hid, waiting for the next train. After about twenty minutes of silence they heard something coming from the tunnels, a loud metallic noise and a light approaching from the pitch black darkness. The rolling train slowed down and stopped on the track. The gray metal doors opened and a few more mercs stepped, looking confused at the empty station. ‘Ok...where the guys at?’ Then the lights suddenly went out and gun fire erupted in the room, once the lights switched on again the mercs laid dead and Kel dragged out the body of the train driver. ‘Now we just have reverse its course, easy to do since they’re two cockpits on this thing on each side.’

‘Leave it to Javelin to think ahead.’ Juan took a extra look at the boxes to once again find high quality weapons.

‘Pretty good stuff here boss, this alone is enough to launch a offensive against a Empire fort.’

‘Bring it with us, its when we get to the other station that things starts getting difficult.’

They closed the doors and readied themselves. Jack and Caleb took up the driver cart and took off trough the tunnel. So far Jack had been impressed with how well Caleb was adopting this lifestyle, not at all what she expected when he told her he was from the capital one day while inspecting the ship. But then again he was from the slums, a place that had its own share of dangers.

After thirty minutes of driving trough a massive and seemingly endless tunnel some of the tension had gone down, Jack made small talk with him to pass the time. ‘Seriously, a whole puddle of that green jelly?’

‘Not even joking, it smelled worse than vomit!’ Caleb described the nasty incident he saw while working on a water pipe. ‘Fuck...what do you think it was?’

‘I don’t even wanna know..’

The controls started to peep, stopping their conversation. ‘We’re close.’ Jack hunkered down, hiding from sight.

He stopped the train and was surprised to see much more guards at this station. Larger stacks of boxes and giant guns.

They barely reacted to his arrival, assuming it was just their fellow mercs returning from delivery.

As per cue they walked up to the doors of the delivery carts, ready to load up the next batch. No one expected it when two grenade flew out on both sides, taking out several mercs at once with each blast. Kel opened fire with a minigun, shredding them as Juan fired with a assault rifle he found on board. Jack and Caleb flew out the driver cart, opening fire on the guards as the entire subway station turned to a battlefield.

More mercs charged down into the station upon hearing the sounds of explosions only to be shot down on the stairs.

‘We’re pinned down here! They already took up a defensive position on top of the stairs!’

‘Get back!’ Everyone moved aside as Jack came up holding a grenade launcher she found in one of the boxes. She fired off one grenade on the stairs, sending splinters flying all over and sending smoke and dust into the air, disrupting visions. The bullets found a harder time to hit her as she fired up the grenades, each one getting closer and forcing them back until they flew over the edge, benches, trashcans and limps scattered over the reception area. They ran up the stairs guns aiming forward..only to realize there was no one there..

The few mercs stationed at the reception were all dead, and as soon as the battle ended a great silence fell over them. They glanced at each other, it could be an ambush. They moved the main hall to see it empty, leading to much larger station. It was as if several smaller stations were connected to a main building, featuring ancient stories and a bus area to the left of their direction. And the whole main area stood empty said for one guy walking out the glass doors in front of them, not noticing their presence he lit up a cigarette outside.

Juan managed to sneak up on him and put him a deadlock before he had time to react and drag him inside. Jack put a gun against his forehead, interrogating him. ‘Didn’t you hear the explosions?’

‘No! No I swear I didn’t hear anything!’

‘How??’

‘This place is sound isolated! You could blow up one of those trains and barely anyone outside that reception would hear it! I think it was for the convenience of travelers from way back when or something!’

‘And where is your leader??’

‘Somewhere..further in! I think in the c..control center!’

‘Thank you.’ She nodded to Juan and without a word he executed the man with a loud snap of his neck. They followed the signs into a “employees only” area, the corridors were narrow and mostly had toilets, locker rooms, a break room until they finally found the control room on the second floor.

The metal door stood closed and probably locked, a camera watched it and some kind of metal wire was attached to its upper corner, some kind of trap obviously.

If they weren’t quick enough whoever was in there could alert the whole base, they needed a perfectly executed plan. Jack fired the grenade launcher at the door, the hinges broke off and the whole thing fell to the floor. They all charged in pointing their weapons to a chocked woman with rounded glasses by a large panel with computer screens and a long line of buttons on the desk, small and petite as a child, throwing her arms in the air. ‘Ok shorty answer this. Are you Javelin?’

‘Well...that depends..’

‘What the hell does that mean?’

‘I suppose I’m Javelin, yet I’m also not...its kinda complicated..’

‘Well whatever we need those files.’

‘Well I’m afraid I can’t let you access it.’ She said with a sudden smug attitude. ‘Why not?’

‘Cause I saw you coming in trough the hidden cameras and just moved all the data to another base. Not to mention that..’ she then pressed a button hidden underneath the desk. ‘I just activated the timed bombs inside this room.’

It was then they noticed all the rigged bombs along the wall and roof. ‘But you’ll die to!’

‘So? The others will do just fine without me. We planned for this scenario you see..’

‘You..planned to get caught?’

‘Not precisely, but we planned for every single scenario. Can’t succeed in this world if you don’t plan ahead.’

‘Ok fine now what?’ Kel asked seemingly nervous.

‘I would start running if I were you, There’s only a few minutes off evacuation..’ She didn’t seem slightly faced by the threat of blowing up.

Without so much as a single word all of them ran out and down the stairs only to meet bullets missing them by a few meters. They took cover by the door frame as bullets flew it. ‘Ok get out and meet your doom!!’ that bitch must have switched on the silent alarm, she must have seen them coming before they even reached the stairs...

They ran back the corridor, searching for a back exit. To their relief there was one. ‘Doc! Get the ship to our location now!!’ Jack yelled into her radio as Kel kicked the door open.

Outside they saw practicably an army of mercs shooting at them, forcing them to jump behind large containers. Juan threw a flash bang over one and most the shooting stopped as soon the light flash went off, giving them time to shoot down a bunch of them.

But no matter how they shot more came, even from the inside. Caleb threw a grenade inside the hallway, some of the mercs screamed in panic just before it went of, spitting out smoke and shards blown off the floor and walls.

They moved out of their cover, shooting down more mercs as they ran past a corner onto a large parking area with buildings surrounding them all over and the only cover being parked vehicles. Bullets flew from every direction, bouncing off the metal shells of the cars and trucks they ducked behind.

‘Well this was a fucking fantastic idea!!’ Kel yelled as she fired a few shots. They were pinned down, mercs from every direction, any step out from between the two trucks would result in their death. ‘So what do we do??’

‘Pray..’

They held out for as long as they could, shooting any merc getting within shot, bullets rabidly running out. When it looked like it was all over the welcoming sound of a flight engine sounded over them followed by explosions and screams of mercs. Fire erupted everywhere and burning scrap flew over the parking lot. The ship landed close to them and lowered the ramp. Everyone sprinted inside one by one and closed it as they lifted. As it got in the air the tower of the station exploded, several pieces of debris hit the side of the ship.

It flew away still, bullets trying in vain to bring it down and it vanished past the rising smoke of the burning vehicles that the ships own missiles destroyed.

‘Well this whole thing was a fucking waste!! We nearly died for a second time and didn’t even get fucking close to Javelin!! FUCK!!’ Kel screamed as she kicked a box in anger.

‘Not quite, we learned that Javelin isn’t one single person but a organization..I wonder what she meant by complicated tough..’

‘Not like we’re gonna fucking find out!’

‘Or maybe we are..’ Caleb held out a orange floppy disk.

‘Did...you just grab that fucking thing while we talked?’

‘Just as about she mentioned the bombs. It laid on the table right by door.’

‘Then it can’t be that important.’

‘Orange disks are always coded so there’s a chance it has something good on it.’

‘Fine..whatever!!’ Kel stormed off, slamming the door into her bedroom. ‘Well she’s pissed..’

‘She’s in mourning. Gregor’s loss hit us all hard.’ Jack sighted heavily.

‘Alright, get on that disk. We’ll need to stop taking these kind of risks..’

*

‘So what did they make off with?’ the little girl asked the mercs as they tried putting out the flames. ‘Nothing as far we know. But the fact they made it this fucking far..’

‘No need to worry. This will be a dead end for them, any valuable information was destroyed with that tower. For now we proceed as usual, with heightened security around the trains.’

‘What about Jack and her crew?’

‘I’ll have someone deal with them..’

She turned to a very large muscular man dressed in pieces of scrap metal, brutally melded together. His arms laid bare, showing plenty of scars from former battles., his face covered by a unsettling mask made from yellow scrap metal and had two horns sticking out unevenly from its forehead.

‘Looks like you get to finish the job after all.’ he didn’t answer, only picking up a large metal axe with wires going from top to bottom. He pressed a button high up on its rough handle and the blade light up with sparks.