Silver and Natalia - Hunter prt.2

With the Scavengers gone, the least we could do was escort the convoy to the settlement. According to Vix, there were actually quite a few operational colonies around this wasteland. The one they where heading towards probably the last fully operational city-like colony, a great place to find more information and equipment for our own quest. Silver walked alongside the convoy, being too large to fit into the few reaming trucks, and, according to Vix, wanted his big guns on flaking security. Silver obliged without incident, though something about how he did it pecked at Vix, those two had an issue slowly growing between them.

The convoy moved on slowly afterward, no Scavengers bothered us from there to the final settlement with enough gas and food for all of us. Small compared to other settlements, it served more as a checkpoint than an actual established colony. Several small buildings litter around a large lot were gas pumps fuel any vehicles that needed the gas…and had the funds. Surprisingly enough, Vix was able to pay it all.
“C’mon, lets get a drink” she ushered towards me as I blinked for a moment, I was never really keen on “a drink”, it was new to me. As a cyborg, I didn’t need any sort of nutriment…
“I don’t…drink” I muttered, trying to not pull myself into that sort of situation, yet Vix seemed…unmoved
‘Ah com on!” she exclaimed “Everyone lives only once!” she grabbed my arm and began to tug me towards the bar, I whimpered, honestly I was scared of how strong and determined Vix was. I watched Silver standing near the truck but was unable to signal him. I sighed as I was pulled into the bar.

“So…why do you hang out with him?” Vix asked as she took me to the bar, I couldn’t figure out why she wanted to know this, maybe the curiosity
“Why do you ask?” I reply, finding it to be the only answer I could come up with
“well….you don’t seem to relate to Silver at all, your…more understanding, you seem to care more too” She added, signaling a drink from the bartender, after a few moments, two glasses of…something was served before us. Vix drank it quickly, but…I just stared at it, I wasn’t sure if I should or should.
“Really?” I ask, trying to ignore the drink
“Yeah” Vix mutters back whipping her lips with the back of her hand before she asks for a refill which she quickly drunk down, smacking her lips “good stuff”
“Well…” I begin, pawing at the glass a few times “I guess because I feel he is capable of so much, yet needs…guidance”
Vix gave me a rather curious glare “Guidance?” She asked “more like a brain, he’s so…well…ignorant”
"Hes not ignorant!” I retaliate, rather fiercely “he’s a very smart creature, he’s….just not all there, how would you feel if you lost everything and couldn’t feel the pain!”
By this point, I was standing, my claw dug into the table and the few patrons all staring at me
“Whoa…chill sister before you cause a problem” Vix sighed and propped me down “Look…I didn’t mean it in a bad way, its just…Silver seems cold, he doesn’t seem to appeal to any sense of good will, and from what I saw, only cares for the mission.”
“Well…it shows what you know, I’m sure once we keep going you will understand.”
There seemed to be a hint of upset between me and Vix, but she huffed it off and knocked back her third…or was it fourth…drink.
“Well…whatever, we need his guns so we can make it to Yeilds”
“Yeilds?” Came a voice from the nearby booth, a frazzled human, wearing makeshift parts of armor with a strange hat walks over
“Your going to Yeilds?” he asks, his breath laden with tar from smoking, I gag, Vix glares
“Yeah…what it to you?” she asks, easing to her thigh were her gun was
“Well…hey…don’t mean any trouble there miss, just wanted to warn you that going there isn’t the best idea now”
Vix blinked “what do you mean “not the best idea”? it’s the only useful settlement around”
The man sighed “Look…I don’t know what you heard, but recently, there’s been this assassin stalking the city ruins around Yeilds, sniping Scavengers, and seeing as how your trucks are decked out like them, I doubt you will get through”
Vix huffs “Yeah right, we got through a score of Scavengers to get here, what’s one assassin?”
The man seemed to look serious “’Aint no ordinary assassin, this ones a pro, a sniper and from what I ‘ear, ‘aint one to let people slip by either, efficient, deadly, and very accurate. Whole convoys whipped out by one guy”
Vix seemed not to care, but…I felt this man was thinking the best of us, and I felt scared…
“Whats the name of this assassin?” I ask
The man turns “Plenty names for em, though, only one is true….Whiteout…”
“Whiteout?” Vix asks
“Yeah…from what I hear, the assassin is blind, yet can still see much better than anyone of us could, that’s what makes em dangerous, you cant fool em. That’s why they call em Whiteout, because no matter the condition or distractions, always seems to focus on its target”
“gee…like tunnel vision from hell” Vix mutters as she looks at me “Well, its there we got to go, so were going”
I gaze at Vix, despite the patrons rambling about the dangers; she just seemed to shrug it off, eventually leaving the bar (after paying of course).

We found Silver talking with Mike, between them they were speaking about various weapons and equipment they came across, Mike had just began speaking about armoured suits he saw and noted on how sophisticated Silver’s was
“It’s not a suit though, it is my body” the wolf replied
“Still it’s fascinating” he mutters, stroking the arm plating. Silver sighed, turning to see me and Vix approach “Well, were going”
“How was the bar?” Silver asks
“Eventful” I reply “Though…I worry about were where going”
“Why?” Silver asks, a concern hint in his voice
“Oh its not much” Vix adds “apparently there is this assassin-”
“Whiteout?” Silver says
It was silent
“How…do you know?” Vix and I say together
“Its in my files…Whiteout was part of my creators company…another genetic experiment”
“Another one?”
Silver nods “Something even I don’t know about”
Another pang of worry strikes me as I turn to Vix, for a split second…she seemed afraid, but she hid it well
“Experiment or not, we still gotta go, and those people are counting on us” She notions to the refugees who were with them, for awhile I never spoke with them, many human, some anthro’s like Vix, it was an unusual bunch, all so weak and afraid…touching really.
Still, it was taken by Vix and Mike to bring them to their destination, and it was our job to help, so after a few last checks, we were on our way.

--

The drive towards Yeilds felt…different this time around. The once warming atmosphere of chatting with Vix and Mike like before was dissipated, even Vix seemed more concealed and silent than usual, was the story of Whiteout being a genetic experiment assassin true, what chance did a normal anthro have against that!? Actually, little….ever since the collapse, animals began to morph into human like creatures or Anthro’s, and during the struggles that followed, many became far better in combat and technology then actual humans, many were prized for this, sometimes even feared. Mike and Vix were no different, skilled soldiers simply holding their claim as such. Genetic Experiments or robots like me and Silver are a cut above normal anthros, they are more refined in their abilities as combatants, and sometimes even as researchers. Genetic creatures are feared for their abilities, technology long since lost after the collapse.

Suddenly the convoy lurched to a halt, before it stood a rather large blockade. The driver looked confused as Vix hustled to the front
“It’s a trap” She muttered “Were in Whiteouts turf now” she said, her voice completely changed, serious. I gulped, she sounded completely different than normal. “Well if that’s true, I’m sure Whiteout is holding steady watching now” Mike noted as Silver eased up and out of the truck
“HEY!” Vix shouted “Where you going!?”
Silver didn’t answer, he slowly stepped out into the open, walking right up to the barricade, he studied it for a moment as Vix suddenly ran out behind him, she began to tug him
“Get back in here!” she shouts pulling Silver back, only to be stopped by him lurching and covering her as a shot ripped through the air, deflecting against his armour. Vix yelped, cowering under his big arm as the bullet narrowly hit her
“Move…back inside” he says softly slowly walking towards the truck. Yet things got worse, Mike got out, instinct to protect Vix, only to end up getting shot in the arm
The bat yelped in pain as the round struck his shoulder, causing him to flop to the ground. I jumped out next, yanking Mike behind the truck as a round narrowly missed me, it cracked in the air and ricocheted off the truck’s armour.
“Shit shit shit!” Vix exclaims suddenly crumpling to her knees and holding her head, her eyes seemed glazed as Mikes body lay on the ground, blood in the shoulder. I was trying hard to yank the round, but it had gone deep, real deep.
“Medic!” I shouted instinctively, yet no one came. Silver kept trying to drag Vix back to the transport, the kitsune seemed to be dead weight
“m-my fault” she muttered “mike was hit”
Silver eased Vix with Mike “help him” he said as he turned to the building
“Nat…with me”
“But…” I mutter, pointing at Mike
“We need to take down that assassin” he barked “lets go!” he says gazing at the bat “He will live, but we need to deal with that sniper”
For a moment, timed stopped, Vix looked at Silver, hands lowering as she looked back at Mike
“Do it then…for me” she whispers as she begins to work on Mikes wound