If you want to read 20 Chapters ahead and more, be sure to check out my P-Tang12!!!
______________________________
(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
...
Soldiers continued dragging corpses away from the walls while engineers rebuilt shattered barricades beneath floodlights already coming alive through the gray afternoon.
The rain kept falling over Far Harbor.
Not dramatic rain.
Not the kind that arrived with thunder and violence.
This rain felt colder than that.
Steadier.
Like the island had settled into mourning without bothering to announce it.
Water rolled down shattered barricades and flooded trenches outside the western wall while workers moved carefully through mud carrying tools, chains, and stretchers beneath gray skies that never seemed to brighten anymore. Smoke still drifted from burning carcasses beyond the perimeter, mixing with the sour metallic smell of blood, seawater, and ruptured radiation glands.
The battle was over.
The consequences weren't.
Sico stood near the western trench line holding the soaked Children of Atom rag in one hand while soldiers continued dragging dead Gulpers away from collapsed barricades nearby. The green spiral symbol twisted slightly in the wind before he finally folded the cloth once and handed it to Ward.
"Keep that."
Ward nodded silently and tucked it into a waterproof pouch.
Around them, Far Harbor moved with the exhausted rhythm of survivors after violence.
Nobody celebrated anymore.
The adrenaline had burned out.
Now came reality.
A medic team hurried past carrying a wounded defender whose leg had been wrapped tightly enough to soak the bandages dark red anyway. Another group carefully lifted shattered barricade beams away from a trench section where two soldiers had been buried briefly during the Fog Crawler assault.
The wall still stood.
Barely.
Sico watched workers struggle to reinforce one damaged support post before finally turning toward a nearby logistics runner.
"You."
The soldier straightened immediately despite looking barely older than twenty.
"Yes, sir?"
Sico's voice stayed calm.
"Get casualty numbers."
The young soldier hesitated only long enough to swallow hard.
"Yes, sir."
Then he disappeared back toward the triage stations through rain and mud.
Avery stood nearby beneath a soaked coat watching cleanup operations with a hard expression that hadn't softened since the battle ended.
"The western wall took worse damage than I thought," she said quietly.
Sico looked toward the collapsed trench sections.
Parts of the defensive line looked torn apart rather than damaged. Reinforced spikes had been ripped from the ground entirely by the Alpha's charge. Several sections of outer barricade leaned outward dangerously where Fog Crawlers had slammed against them repeatedly.
One more assault like that before repairs?
The wall might fail completely.
Ward followed Sico's gaze.
"We need reconstruction crews working immediately."
"We will."
Mercer climbed down from the parapet nearby, exhausted enough now that even standing looked uncomfortable. Mud covered almost his entire lower coat while dried blood stained one sleeve.
"Outer trench is unusable in three sections," he reported. "Western supports are cracked too."
"How bad?"
Mercer glanced back toward the damage.
"If another Alpha hits the same area before repairs are finished?"
He didn't finish the sentence.
Didn't need to.
Ellis approached behind him carrying his rifle loosely against one shoulder.
"I'm officially requesting enemies that die easier."
"No," Alice said while walking past them. "That would ruin the island's personality."
Ellis stared at her.
"The island's personality is attempted murder."
"Exactly."
Despite everything, Mercer almost smiled again.
Almost.
Further along the wall, Hayes was already shouting at construction workers through the rain while standing directly atop a partially collapsed barricade.
"No, reinforce from the inside first! If you stabilize the outer frame before securing the load-bearing supports, the entire section collapses inward!"
One exhausted worker covered in mud looked up miserably.
"How are you alive?"
"Engineering discipline!"
"That's not an answer!"
Hayes pointed violently toward a snapped support beam.
"That beam was installed incorrectly three years ago and now look where we are!"
Nobody had enough energy left to argue with him properly.
The casualty runner finally returned twenty minutes later.
Slower this time.
Not from exhaustion.
From the weight of carrying numbers.
The young soldier stopped in front of Sico and removed his soaked cap quietly.
The rain tapped steadily against helmets and ruined barricades around them.
"What's the count?" Ward asked.
The soldier looked down briefly before answering.
"Thirty-two KIA, sir."
The words landed harder than gunfire.
Nobody nearby spoke immediately.
Thirty-two.
Not wounded.
Not missing.
Dead.
The sound of rebuilding continued around them anyway.
Hammers striking wood.
Engines rumbling.
Chains dragging carcasses through mud.
Life continuing because it had to.
Avery closed her eyes briefly.
Just for a second.
Thirty-two people meant thirty-two empty beds tonight.
Thirty-two rifles handed back into storage.
Thirty-two names Far Harbor would remember next time the memorial bell rang.
Ward's jaw tightened slightly but his expression stayed controlled.
Mercer looked toward the ground silently.
He knew several of them.
Probably all of them.
That was the problem with settlements this size.
Everyone knew everyone eventually.
The young soldier continued quietly.
"Most casualties came from the western breach during the Alpha push."
Of course they did.
That was where the line almost broke.
Sico absorbed the number without visible reaction.
But Avery noticed his hands clasp slightly tighter behind his back.
Thirty-two mattered.
Especially here.
Far Harbor didn't have endless manpower.
Every death weakened something besides morale.
Fishing crews.
Patrol rotations.
Families.
Future defenses.
The island took people constantly.
Now war was taking them too.
"How many combat capable?" Sico asked.
The soldier blinked once.
"Sir?"
"How many defenders still fit for duty?"
The soldier checked the small waterproof notebook in his hands.
"Seventy-four immediately combat ready. Additional wounded may return within several days depending on injuries."
Sico nodded once.
Still enough to defend.
Barely enough.
But enough.
Avery looked toward the ruined trench again.
"The wall won't survive another assault like this."
"No," Sico agreed.
Rainwater rolled from the brim of his coat while he studied the damage carefully.
The western defenses looked tired now.
Like a boxer still standing through stubbornness alone.
"We fix it immediately."
Ward nodded.
"I'll mobilize every construction crew we have."
"Not enough."
Sico looked toward the settlement beyond the gate.
"Use civilians too."
That drew a glance from Avery.
"Everyone?"
"Yes."
His voice stayed even.
"Anyone capable of lifting timber or carrying reinforcement material works the wall."
Nobody argued.
Because after today, nobody could pretend the danger stayed far away anymore.
The Children of Atom had already attacked.
Indirectly.
But deliberately.
And Far Harbor had paid for surviving it.
Sico turned toward another nearby runner.
"Gather the construction foremen."
"Yes, sir."
The runner sprinted off immediately.
Then Sico looked toward the battlefield beyond the walls again.
Dozens of dead creatures still littered the mud outside the trenches.
Gulpers.
Fog Crawlers.
Some blown apart almost beyond recognition by Sentinel firepower.
Others merely dead enough.
Steam rose from exposed flesh beneath the cold rain while scavenger birds already circled carefully through the Fog overhead.
Alice followed his gaze.
"…Please tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking."
Sico answered without looking at her.
"We need food."
Alice rubbed tired rainwater from her face.
"Right."
Far Harbor had enough stored supplies for now.
But now mattered less every day.
The settlement was growing.
The army was growing.
And war consumed resources faster than fear ever did.
Mercer understood immediately.
"The Gulpers."
"Yes."
Ellis grimaced.
"You're telling me those things are edible?"
Ward answered before Sico could.
"Most mutated amphibians are."
Ellis stared at the battlefield in visible horror.
"That feels deeply offensive somehow."
Alice shrugged.
"Welcome to island cuisine."
Fog Crawlers were less appealing.
But parts of them still held value too.
Protein.
Shell material.
Oil-rich tissue useful for processing.
Nothing got wasted anymore if people could help it.
Sico finally turned back toward the settlement.
"Organize recovery teams."
A nearby quartermaster looked up immediately.
"For disposal, sir?"
"No."
That drew attention from several nearby soldiers.
Sico pointed toward the carcasses outside the wall.
"Anything edible gets processed."
Avery crossed her arms tighter against the rain.
"The cooler storage won't hold all of it."
"Then clear space."
His tone never changed.
"Salt what we can. Smoke the rest."
Far Harbor had learned long ago that disgust was a luxury stable societies could afford.
The island punished luxury.
One of the dockworkers nearby muttered quietly to another man.
"Never thought I'd spend my morning butchering a Fog Crawler."
The other worker stared toward the dead creatures.
"Never thought I'd survive seeing one."
Fair point.
Sico looked toward the logistics teams.
"Separate contaminated tissue from viable meat. Anything heavily irradiated gets burned."
Ward immediately started issuing orders.
"Recovery crews form up near the gate! Masks on during extraction!"
Movement resumed instantly around them.
Workers gathered hooks, sleds, cutting tools, and reinforced carts before heading carefully beyond the walls under armed escort. Nobody looked thrilled about the assignment.
But nobody refused either.
Because hunger always won arguments eventually.
The western gate opened wider again with a groan of strained metal while recovery teams spread across the battlefield.
The scale of destruction became clearer now.
Sentinel cannon fire had cratered entire sections of ground outside the trench line. Broken Fog Crawler shells lay scattered like pieces of wrecked boats while Gulper corpses formed tangled piles against the spikes where they had died trying to climb through.
Steam rose from exposed organs in the cold rain.
The smell somehow got worse up close.
Ellis joined one of the recovery crews briefly before stopping beside a dead Gulper and staring at it.
"It has too many teeth."
"Everything here has too many teeth," Alice replied.
"That's not comforting."
Workers hooked chains around the larger carcasses while winches dragged them slowly toward processing stations near the docks. Smaller Gulpers were loaded onto reinforced sleds beneath thick tarps while specialized crews carefully hacked usable shell sections from dead Crawlers with industrial saws.
One man slipped ankle-deep into a pool of black Fog Crawler blood and immediately started swearing loud enough for half the harbor to hear.
Teddy shouted back from the wall.
"Language!"
"I'm standing in radioactive crab juice!"
"Fair enough!"
Despite exhaustion, some laughter finally returned after that.
Tiny.
Frayed.
Necessary.
Because people needed reminders they were still human after mornings like this.
Sico watched the settlement move around him beneath cold gray rain.
Construction crews already reinforced the western wall with fresh timber scavenged from storage yards while engineers measured structural damage beneath portable floodlights despite the daylight. Civilians carried sandbags through muddy streets. Children stayed hidden indoors while nervous parents watched the Fog constantly through rain-streaked windows.
Far Harbor looked tired.
But alive.
That mattered.
Mercer stopped beside Sico quietly.
"The Children wanted to weaken us."
"Yes."
Mercer looked toward the damaged trench.
"They succeeded."
Partly true.
Sico didn't deny it.
But there was another side too.
"They also showed us something."
Mercer glanced sideways.
"What?"
Sico watched the Sentinels standing near the gate like armored statues beneath the rain.
"That they moved before we did."
Mercer understood immediately.
The Children of Atom were afraid enough to strike first.
Not openly yet.
But strategically.
Which meant they believed Far Harbor represented a real threat now.
Good.
Fear created mistakes.
The question was who made them first.
Nearby, workers carefully carried the first wrapped bodies toward the central hall.
Thirty-two.
The reality of that number settled deeper across the settlement as word spread.
People stopped talking quite as loudly.
Conversations shortened.
Faces changed when the dead passed by beneath rain-covered sheets.
A woman standing near the supply depot suddenly covered her mouth after recognizing one pair of boots beneath a tarp.
Nobody around her knew what to say.
So they helped carry the body instead.
Ward watched the procession quietly.
"We should hold the burial tonight."
Sico nodded once.
"No delay."
The island already buried enough people without postponing grief too.
Avery approached again holding a soaked clipboard filled with reconstruction notes.
"Western wall repairs will take at least two days for full stabilization."
"Make it one."
"That's not physically possible."
"Then make it close enough."
She looked like she wanted to argue.
Then glanced toward the ruined barricades and stopped herself.
"…Alright."
War changed acceptable standards quickly.
Far Harbor spent the rest of the afternoon rebuilding.
The rain never stopped.
Workers rotated in shifts through mud and exhaustion hauling replacement beams toward the trench line while welders repaired damaged gate supports beneath showers of sparks that hissed against wet ground.
Hayes screamed at at least fourteen people before sunset.
Possibly more.
Nobody counted carefully.
At one point he nearly fought a support column personally after discovering stress fractures along its base.
Meanwhile the processing crews near the docks turned the battlefield into survival.
Large iron hooks suspended Gulper carcasses beneath covered awnings while butchers carved usable meat carefully away from irradiated tissue. Fog Crawler shell sections stacked into enormous piles beside the workshops where armorers immediately began discussing reinforcement possibilities.
The smell spread across half the harbor.
Terrible.
But productive.
One older dockworker hacked through a Gulper leg joint before looking toward Ellis nearby.
"Tastes better smoked."
Ellis stared at him in disbelief.
"You've eaten this before?"
The dockworker grinned.
"Son, I've eaten things on this island that legally stopped being animals."
Ellis looked genuinely disturbed by that information.
Alice overheard while carrying ammunition crates nearby.
"That might be the most Far Harbor sentence I've ever heard."
As evening approached, floodlights illuminated the damaged western perimeter through sheets of cold rain while exhausted workers kept rebuilding anyway.
Because they had to.
Another attack could come tomorrow or tonight.
Night settled over Far Harbor without ceremony.
No sunset.
No break in the clouds.
Just the gradual dimming of an already gray world until floodlights, lanterns, and welding torches became the only things pushing back against the island's darkness.
Rain continued tapping against rooftops and scaffolding while the western wall reconstruction carried on beneath harsh work lamps that painted exhausted workers in pale white light. Hammer strikes echoed through the harbor alongside the grind of saws and the occasional violent outburst from Hayes whenever somebody positioned a support beam incorrectly.
Which happened often.
Apparently.
The burial had ended less than an hour earlier.
Thirty-two graves.
Thirty-two names spoken aloud beneath cold rain while Far Harbor stood together in silence broken only by the ocean and the memorial bell.
Nobody left that ceremony feeling lighter.
But grief on the island rarely stopped people from working.
If anything, it sharpened purpose.
Now the settlement moved with a harder edge than before.
Soldiers cleaned weapons with more attention.
Construction crews reinforced barricades faster.
Patrols scanned the Fog longer than usual.
The Children of Atom had crossed a line by sending the horde.
And everyone in Far Harbor understood it.
Inside the command building, damp coats hung from hooks near the entrance while muddy footprints tracked across the wooden floorboards toward the war room. The air smelled like wet canvas, oil, strong coffee, and exhaustion.
The operational map of the Nucleus still dominated the central table.
Except now additional markings surrounded it.
Red circles.
Supply estimates.
Vehicle routes.
Engagement ranges.
Far Harbor wasn't discussing whether conflict would happen anymore.
They were discussing how.
Sico stood near the western edge of the table studying the island map beneath lantern light while Ward reviewed ammunition counts beside him. Avery leaned against a support beam reading casualty replacement reports with visible irritation.
Not at the paperwork.
At the reality inside it.
Alice sat across the room cleaning rainwater from her rifle with a rag that had already become completely soaked.
Mercer and Briggs stood near the map itself.
Watching.
Thinking.
The atmosphere felt different tonight.
Sharper.
The attack earlier had removed uncertainty from the room.
Nobody needed convincing anymore.
The Children of Atom had already acted.
Which meant Far Harbor could no longer afford patience that looked like weakness.
Ward finished reviewing the numbers and exhaled quietly.
"We lost enough ammunition today to fight a small war."
Alice glanced up.
"Pretty sure we did fight a small war."
"Feels like the opening chapter."
Nobody argued.
Outside the windows, thunder rolled faintly over the sea while rainwater streaked across the glass in uneven rivers.
Sico finally spoke.
"We respond before they recover."
Avery looked up immediately.
"You mean the main assault?"
"No."
His finger tapped the western side of the Nucleus map once.
"Not yet."
Mercer's eyes narrowed slightly.
"A probe."
"Yes."
Ward folded his arms.
"You want to hit them fast."
"I want them uncertain."
That changed the mood around the table slightly.
Because uncertainty could become a weapon too.
Sico looked toward the marked defensive positions around the Nucleus.
"They sent the horde to weaken morale and test our defenses."
He glanced toward the others.
"So we do the same."
Alice leaned back in her chair slowly.
"…You're planning to scare them."
"Yes."
Simple answer.
Very deliberate one.
Briggs spoke quietly from near the wall.
"Fear makes people move too quickly."
Sico nodded once.
"And people defending fortifications usually die when they move too quickly."
The room settled into thought after that.
Mercer studied the map carefully.
"You're not trying to take the Nucleus."
"No."
Sico's tone remained calm.
"We strike the perimeter hard enough to force a response."
Ward started understanding the idea fully now.
"Make them think the invasion already started."
"Yes."
Avery stepped closer to the table.
"That could work."
Alice tilted her head slightly.
"Or it could convince a bunker full of radiation cultists that the apocalypse has arrived personally."
"That works too," Ellis muttered from the doorway while entering with fresh coffee.
Nobody disagreed with him.
Sico pointed toward the northern defensive routes around the Nucleus.
"We hit fast."
His finger moved across the map.
"Destroy outer barricades. Eliminate visible patrols. Pressure the front defenses."
Then toward the western section.
"But we do not commit to a breach."
Mercer crossed his arms.
"Just enough violence to make them nervous."
"Yes."
Ward looked thoughtful now.
"They'll reinforce everything afterward."
"Exactly."
That answer surprised Avery slightly.
"You want them overreacting."
Sico finally looked up from the map.
"The Children of Atom already know we're coming."
Rain rattled softly against the windows behind him.
"So now I want them afraid enough to exhaust themselves preparing for the wrong attack."
Silence followed that sentence for a few seconds.
Because it was a good plan.
Cruel maybe.
But effective.
Fanatics under pressure became unpredictable.
They doubled patrols.
Lost sleep.
Started seeing threats everywhere.
And tired defenders made mistakes.
Mercer rubbed one hand along his jaw.
"How hard are we hitting them?"
Sico answered immediately.
"Two Sentinel Tanks."
That drew everyone's attention fully.
Even Briggs looked up slightly.
"Three Humvees," Sico continued. "Three transport trucks. Fifty soldiers."
Ward did the numbers automatically in his head.
"Heavy enough to look serious."
"Not heavy enough to lose the settlement if things go wrong," Avery added quietly.
Sico nodded once.
The room grew still again while people imagined it.
Two Sentinels emerging through the Fog outside the Nucleus.
Cannons firing into the defensive barricades.
Far Harbor soldiers pushing close enough to make the Children of Atom believe the invasion had begun.
Then disappearing again before a full engagement trapped them.
Alice finally broke the silence.
"That's going to scare the hell out of them."
"That's the point," Ward replied.
Ellis set fresh coffee cups onto the table before glancing at the operational map.
"So who gets volunteered for the suicide convoy?"
Mercer answered before anyone else could.
"Us."
Nobody looked surprised.
The scouts already knew the terrain better than any other soldiers in Far Harbor.
If somebody guided armored vehicles toward the Nucleus at night through Fog and unstable roads, it would be Mercer's team.
Ellis sighed deeply.
"I hate being competent."
Alice smirked faintly.
"No you don't."
"…Alright maybe a little."
Sico looked toward Mercer.
"You know the approach routes."
Mercer nodded once.
"The western road stays usable for vehicles until the old quarry turnoff."
He pointed toward the map.
"After that, terrain narrows."
Ward added new markers carefully.
"Enough room for Sentinels?"
"Yes."
Mercer hesitated slightly.
"But barely."
That mattered.
Sentinel Tanks weren't built for subtle movement.
They were massive armored monsters that crushed terrain beneath their tracks and announced their existence with engine noise loud enough to wake ghosts.
Perfect for intimidation.
Terrible for stealth.
Avery studied the route closely.
"The Children will hear them coming."
Sico's expression remained calm.
"Good."
That sentence hung in the room.
Because this wasn't infiltration.
This was a warning shot.
A deliberate message sent through steel, firepower, and fear.
Far Harbor was no longer hiding behind walls waiting for monsters.
Now it was coming for the Nucleus directly.
Ward looked toward the projected engagement zones.
"What are the rules once contact starts?"
Sico answered without hesitation.
"Hit their defenses hard."
His finger tapped the northern perimeter.
"Destroy watch positions."
Another tap.
"Damage barricades."
Then the submarine section.
"But avoid overcommitting near the inner compound."
Mercer understood why immediately.
The submarine remained the most dangerous unknown inside the Nucleus.
Too heavily protected.
Too central.
Whatever the Children kept there mattered deeply.
And Sico wasn't willing to gamble fifty soldiers discovering exactly why during a reconnaissance assault.
Briggs finally stepped forward slightly.
"You pull out before they organize counterfire."
"Yes."
Ward nodded slowly.
"Fast strike. Maximum shock value."
"Exactly."
Alice looked toward the rain-streaked windows.
"When?"
Sico's answer came immediately.
"Tomorrow night."
That accelerated everything.
Avery straightened slightly.
"That soon?"
"Yes."
The room quieted again.
Because tomorrow night meant there was almost no time left to prepare.
But maybe that was the point.
The Children of Atom expected Far Harbor to rebuild first.
Recover.
Mourn.
Maybe hide behind damaged walls after the horde attack.
Instead they were about to receive armored vehicles and artillery fire at their front gate less than forty-eight hours later.
Psychologically?
That mattered.
A lot.
Ward leaned over the map again.
"We'll need mobile repair teams ready if one of the Sentinels takes damage."
"Already considered," Sico replied.
Of course he had.
Alice lit another cigarette despite Avery immediately glaring at her.
"Oh relax," Alice muttered. "The room survived Fog Crawlers. It can survive one cigarette."
Avery pinched the bridge of her nose tiredly.
"One day you're going to ignite something catastrophic."
"That's future Alice's problem."
Mercer ignored them while studying the western route again.
"Fog density tomorrow night could either help us or kill us."
Briggs nodded slightly.
"Same for them."
That was true too.
Visibility around the Nucleus shifted unpredictably after dark.
Searchlights became less reliable.
Distances distorted.
Sometimes defenders heard engines before seeing anything at all.
Imagine being a Children of Atom guard standing watch after helping drive a monster horde toward Far Harbor.
Then hearing Sentinel engines emerging from the Fog less than two days later.
Mercer almost pitied them.
Almost.
Outside the command room, Far Harbor continued rebuilding beneath cold rain and floodlights.
Workers hauled fresh timber toward the western wall while recovery crews finished processing the last usable Gulper carcasses near the docks. Soldiers rotated guard duty more heavily now, scanning the Fog constantly for movement.
Nobody trusted the island tonight.
Not after what happened.
Inside, the planning shifted fully toward the strike operation.
Ward organized vehicle assignments first.
"Lead Sentinel takes front approach."
He placed a metal marker onto the map.
"Second Sentinel stays offset right for overlapping fire coverage."
Avery added additional notations beside the convoy routes.
"Humvees remain mobile."
"Mounted guns?" Mercer asked.
"Yes."
Ward nodded.
"Two heavy machine gun platforms. One missile carrier."
Good.
They would need anti-armor capability if the Children had salvaged anything dangerous around the submarine base.
Alice tapped ash into an empty ration tin.
"What about infantry deployment?"
Sico answered calmly.
"Thirty soldiers advance with the convoy."
His finger moved across the western sector.
"Twenty remain reserve security near the vehicles."
Mercer considered that briefly.
"Not enough for occupation."
"Correct."
"We hit them, scare them, then disappear."
"Yes."
The simplicity almost made it more intimidating.
This wasn't conquest yet.
This was psychological warfare.
Briggs studied the map silently for several seconds before speaking again.
"They may chase."
Ward looked toward him.
"You think they'll pursue?"
"Fanatics chase anger faster than logic."
That possibility settled heavily over the table.
If the Children attempted pursuit through the Fog after the strike, the returning convoy could end up fighting across unstable terrain in darkness.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Sico nodded slightly.
"Then we prepare ambush positions along withdrawal routes."
Mercer's expression sharpened.
"That I can do."
Because suddenly the plan became even more effective.
Hit the Nucleus.
Force emotional retaliation.
Then bleed any pursuing forces through prepared kill zones during retreat.
The Children of Atom had tried using the island against Far Harbor.
Now Sico intended to do the same thing back.
Avery looked at him carefully across the table.
"You've been planning this since the horde attack."
Not accusation.
Observation.
Sico met her gaze evenly.
"Yes."
Rain hammered slightly harder against the windows now while distant welding torches flashed outside through the darkness.
The settlement sounded alive beyond the command building.
Tired.
Hurting.
But alive.
And that survival had teeth now.
Ward finally leaned back from the table with a slow exhale.
"If tomorrow goes well, the Children stop sleeping comfortably."
Alice smirked faintly.
"They probably already stopped after the tanks."
"Good."
Sico's voice stayed calm.
"I want them exhausted before the real assault begins."
That sentence settled over everyone quietly.
Because there it was again.
The reminder.
This raid wasn't the war.
It was the opening move before the real attack came later.
Mercer glanced toward the operational map of the Nucleus one more time.
The defensive walls.
The submarine.
The patrol routes.
The western cliffs.
Soon all of it would stop being lines on paper.
Soon Far Harbor would drive armored vehicles directly into that nightmare and force the Children of Atom to understand something terrifying.
The settlement they tried to intimidate had survived, and now it was coming back angry.
______________________________________________
• Name: Sico
• Stats :
S: 8,44
P: 7,44
E: 8,44
C: 8,44
I: 9,44
A: 7,45
L: 7
• Skills: advance Mechanic, Science, and Shooting skills, intermediate Medical, Hand to Hand Combat, Lockpicking, Hacking, Persuasion, and Drawing Skills
• Inventory: 53.280 caps, 10mm Pistol, 1500 10mm rounds, 22 mole rats meat, 17 mole rats teeth, 1 fragmentation grenade, 6 stimpak, 1 rad x, 6 fusion core, computer blueprint, modern TV blueprint, camera recorder blueprint, 1 set of combat armor, Automatic Assault Rifle, 1.500 5.56mm rounds, power armor T51 blueprint, Electric Motorcycle blueprint, T-45 power armor, Minigun, 1.000 5mm rounds, Cryolator, 200 cryo cell, Machine Gun Turret Mk1 blueprint, electric car blueprint, Kellogg gun, Righteous Authority, Ashmaker, Furious Power Fist, Full set combat armor blueprint, M240 7.62mm machine guns blueprint, Automatic Assault Rifle blueprint, and Humvee blueprint.
• Active Quest:-