47Haven
Tomboy Appreciator
It's the year 2144. The century hasn't really been kind for the humankind, despite the significant technological advances that they reached during the 21st century, or rather, precisely because of it. The scientist, those most of whom has already emigrated to a safer location, predicted that comes the end of the 22nd century, earth would be just as habitable as mercury, just with much more dust and violent storm and much less heat, but even the last part is still under contention. Yet, you don't just get a free pass to emigrate, giving the impression that they just want a social class based cleansing. Leave the middle to lower class onto the forsaken planet, replace the labor force with androids, and fuck off into god knows where. The fact that everyone who emigrated was never seen or heard from again only worsened that rumor. Still, it's not all as bad as it seems. There are still some scientists that believed that there's a way to save the earth, and some that even dared to stay on earth to prove it. There's also those who have emigrated, who's currently trying to change how the system works from inside the comfort of the orbital, so that those left back on earth can have a better chance of surviving.
Or at least that's what Elizabeth, one low-class woman who's stuck in this earth, thinks and hopes, as she continued grumbling about the huge scrapped arc reactor that just won't budge no matter how many debris she cleared from its surrounding. "If I knew that there'll be an arc reactor, I'd bring Raven along to tow this..." Elizabeth continues mouthing off, as she wipes the sweat from her brow. The young lass continued on using her axe to feel around the bottom of the reactor, trying to find out how deep the thing is buried. The arc reactor itself isn't too big, as arc reactor goes, as it's only as big as herself, no doubt that it was used for one of heavy duty truck. It's too small to go onto her mech, but it's big enough to help power the slum, or just be sold for quite the profit, not to mention that Elizabeth could learn something from it as well. Most arc reactor is reusable, as long as the frame is intact, you just need to replace the generator material inside, and it's good to be reused, which makes it even more important that she doesn't leave the heap without the arc reactor in tow. Other scavenger might have already heard her axe chiming against the metal, the groan of the rusted metal, or just her own groan, and if she left the thing there, no doubt someone would try to get it. Even if she tried to go back with her mech, the trip itself would last the entire evening, and there's no guarantee that she'd even remember where she left the reactor in this vast empty desert, if it's even still there.
After another hour of trying, Elizabeth sat on top of the reactor, catching her breath as she ate her lunch. A pair of low grade nutrient block, along with canned peaches from before the cataclysm, one that she found lying in a broken fridge, along with the skeletal remains of someone hunkering within it. Quite the macabre sight, but she's not just going to let a proper food pass by. She of course smelled the peaches first before eating it, as she still need to drag the reactor back to the domed city of New Algeria, formerly Nairobi before the cataclysm, before putting it in her mouth and rejoicing from the sweet juices that burst forth. It's been months since she last had anything other than nutrient blocks, but as much as she wanted to enjoy the juicy treat, she needs to get the reactor out before dusk fall, or she won't be able to go back to anywhere. The good news, and the bad news as well, is that the weight of herself and her tools on top of the reactor managed to tip it slightly forward, dislodging it from the packed sand that has been keeping it in for as long as it has. The bad news, of course, comes from the fact that she was still sitting on top of it, so she spilled the rest of the peaches onto the sandy ground as the reactor tilted.
Elizabeth cursed as loud as she could, before scurrying to the ground, picking up the peaches that are still within the can, uncontaminated by the contaminated sands. At least half of the peaches were wasted on the ground, which saddens her heart quite a lot. "…Then again, I might just be able to get new canned fruits with the money from the arc reactor." Elizabeth told herself, before she sighed a long one, dusted herself, and stretches. She took a big gulp from her canteen before she got out her axe once more. "Right, you're going with me tonight!" Elizabeth muttered, before she started clearing out the debris and sand from the area that was lifted. It took another hour and a lot of curses, but Elizabeth was able to finally completely dislodge the reactor from the sand, and after a lot of grunting, got it onto her cart. Still panting, Elizabeth sat down on the cart, drinking the rest of the water from her canteen. "Drat, should've brought more." she complained, as she stashed the canteen onto the cart, and started pushing towards the New Algeria, leaving the heap of scrapyard behind her.
It's the best haul she's got for this year so far, and probably the best for this year, even if it's still April. You don't just find an intact reactor lying around on the scrapyard, since it usually never got there in the first place, or some lucky sod nicked it first. "Must've been pretty recent. Perhaps an accident" the girl wondered, which would actually explain its pristine condition quite a bit. Relative new and functional stuff wouldn't just get lodged deep into the sand, they'd be on display in some secondhand shop, which would probably explain why she could find it in the first place; nobody else could get it out. Perhaps Elizabeth was the 10th contender to take it out from the ground, and the 9 other people helped loosen the thing from the sand. She's not about to question about the details however, the important thing is that she was able to get it, and now she just needs to get it safely to the city. The motorized cart does help to lessen the burden, but the cart only helps with that, so it's still pretty much walking speed, and Elizabeth is far from thinking that she's safe in the desert just because there's no one around. With a determined grunt, Elizabeth pushed on, hoping that she'd be safe from preying eyes.
Thankfully, the only danger that she faced was the usual desert hyenas, which don't take too much to scare away. Loud noises, a bit of sparks from the metal, and they'll scurry away. Everyone who lives in the desert knows this. That also meant that they know there's someone to loot when they hear or see those things. To her luck, no other scavenger showed up, leaving the only challenge to be the actual trip on the civilized road to the city. Before that, Elizabeth had stopped by the slums to at least wash away the sweat and get a proper clothes to wear to the city, if she doesn't want to argue with the guards. She first locked the cart to her garage first, of course, and magnetically locked the reactor as well, not wanting to take chances, especially in this kind of neighborhood. The one that she cherished so much, the one that she's been slaving to rebuild for almost over a decade, yet still can't trust with her belongings. Once she dumped a bucket of water on herself, refilled the canteen, and worn her suit, she continued her trip towards the city, with dusk falling behind her.
The street light has already lit up, illuminating the desert with its blue hue, making a dotted line towards the city. These roads, the old battered road just outside the city, are used by many people, from all sorts of places, and for all sorts of purpose. Nobody in the domed city really cared about these roads, as they rarely had to use these to travel. The underground train goes under these roads, and nobody travels using wheeled car anymore, so most of the people on these roads are those who can't afford the hover vehicle, or the one with no vehicle at all. That also means, most of the people using these roads are easy picking for the bandits, as they won't be able to run away as fast, and there's no more appealing target for the bandits than a girl, pushing a wheeled cart, carrying a precious reactor. While Elizabeth has already made a name for herself, as one you should probably not disturb, the presence of the reactor seemed to just attract much more, enough for some bandits to risk their lives for those sweet, sweet credits.
"Step any closer, and it'll be off with your head." Elizabeth threatened, without even looking at the approaching bandits. "….2….3….4 heads" she counted, as she continued on pushing the cart. If they were just some snobbish domed city dweller, she wouldn't have too much problem with them, as she just need to pull out her revolver, and watch them shiver their pants wet. These are the forsaken people though, they know how much their life is worth, and it's definitely much cheaper than a single bullet. Not that Elizabeth could ever fire any in the first place, but everyone knows how hard it is to find a bullet, so they all know that she wouldn't shoot them. So all that she has, is her axe and knife. "I should buy a proper laser sometime" Elizabeth thought, as she felt the bandits getting closer. "Last warning..." she threatened, still pushing the cart at her normal pace, not wanting to tire herself, not before the fight, as she started buttoning her black suit. None of the bandit heeded her warning, so she swung first.
Or at least that's what Elizabeth, one low-class woman who's stuck in this earth, thinks and hopes, as she continued grumbling about the huge scrapped arc reactor that just won't budge no matter how many debris she cleared from its surrounding. "If I knew that there'll be an arc reactor, I'd bring Raven along to tow this..." Elizabeth continues mouthing off, as she wipes the sweat from her brow. The young lass continued on using her axe to feel around the bottom of the reactor, trying to find out how deep the thing is buried. The arc reactor itself isn't too big, as arc reactor goes, as it's only as big as herself, no doubt that it was used for one of heavy duty truck. It's too small to go onto her mech, but it's big enough to help power the slum, or just be sold for quite the profit, not to mention that Elizabeth could learn something from it as well. Most arc reactor is reusable, as long as the frame is intact, you just need to replace the generator material inside, and it's good to be reused, which makes it even more important that she doesn't leave the heap without the arc reactor in tow. Other scavenger might have already heard her axe chiming against the metal, the groan of the rusted metal, or just her own groan, and if she left the thing there, no doubt someone would try to get it. Even if she tried to go back with her mech, the trip itself would last the entire evening, and there's no guarantee that she'd even remember where she left the reactor in this vast empty desert, if it's even still there.
After another hour of trying, Elizabeth sat on top of the reactor, catching her breath as she ate her lunch. A pair of low grade nutrient block, along with canned peaches from before the cataclysm, one that she found lying in a broken fridge, along with the skeletal remains of someone hunkering within it. Quite the macabre sight, but she's not just going to let a proper food pass by. She of course smelled the peaches first before eating it, as she still need to drag the reactor back to the domed city of New Algeria, formerly Nairobi before the cataclysm, before putting it in her mouth and rejoicing from the sweet juices that burst forth. It's been months since she last had anything other than nutrient blocks, but as much as she wanted to enjoy the juicy treat, she needs to get the reactor out before dusk fall, or she won't be able to go back to anywhere. The good news, and the bad news as well, is that the weight of herself and her tools on top of the reactor managed to tip it slightly forward, dislodging it from the packed sand that has been keeping it in for as long as it has. The bad news, of course, comes from the fact that she was still sitting on top of it, so she spilled the rest of the peaches onto the sandy ground as the reactor tilted.
Elizabeth cursed as loud as she could, before scurrying to the ground, picking up the peaches that are still within the can, uncontaminated by the contaminated sands. At least half of the peaches were wasted on the ground, which saddens her heart quite a lot. "…Then again, I might just be able to get new canned fruits with the money from the arc reactor." Elizabeth told herself, before she sighed a long one, dusted herself, and stretches. She took a big gulp from her canteen before she got out her axe once more. "Right, you're going with me tonight!" Elizabeth muttered, before she started clearing out the debris and sand from the area that was lifted. It took another hour and a lot of curses, but Elizabeth was able to finally completely dislodge the reactor from the sand, and after a lot of grunting, got it onto her cart. Still panting, Elizabeth sat down on the cart, drinking the rest of the water from her canteen. "Drat, should've brought more." she complained, as she stashed the canteen onto the cart, and started pushing towards the New Algeria, leaving the heap of scrapyard behind her.
It's the best haul she's got for this year so far, and probably the best for this year, even if it's still April. You don't just find an intact reactor lying around on the scrapyard, since it usually never got there in the first place, or some lucky sod nicked it first. "Must've been pretty recent. Perhaps an accident" the girl wondered, which would actually explain its pristine condition quite a bit. Relative new and functional stuff wouldn't just get lodged deep into the sand, they'd be on display in some secondhand shop, which would probably explain why she could find it in the first place; nobody else could get it out. Perhaps Elizabeth was the 10th contender to take it out from the ground, and the 9 other people helped loosen the thing from the sand. She's not about to question about the details however, the important thing is that she was able to get it, and now she just needs to get it safely to the city. The motorized cart does help to lessen the burden, but the cart only helps with that, so it's still pretty much walking speed, and Elizabeth is far from thinking that she's safe in the desert just because there's no one around. With a determined grunt, Elizabeth pushed on, hoping that she'd be safe from preying eyes.
Thankfully, the only danger that she faced was the usual desert hyenas, which don't take too much to scare away. Loud noises, a bit of sparks from the metal, and they'll scurry away. Everyone who lives in the desert knows this. That also meant that they know there's someone to loot when they hear or see those things. To her luck, no other scavenger showed up, leaving the only challenge to be the actual trip on the civilized road to the city. Before that, Elizabeth had stopped by the slums to at least wash away the sweat and get a proper clothes to wear to the city, if she doesn't want to argue with the guards. She first locked the cart to her garage first, of course, and magnetically locked the reactor as well, not wanting to take chances, especially in this kind of neighborhood. The one that she cherished so much, the one that she's been slaving to rebuild for almost over a decade, yet still can't trust with her belongings. Once she dumped a bucket of water on herself, refilled the canteen, and worn her suit, she continued her trip towards the city, with dusk falling behind her.
The street light has already lit up, illuminating the desert with its blue hue, making a dotted line towards the city. These roads, the old battered road just outside the city, are used by many people, from all sorts of places, and for all sorts of purpose. Nobody in the domed city really cared about these roads, as they rarely had to use these to travel. The underground train goes under these roads, and nobody travels using wheeled car anymore, so most of the people on these roads are those who can't afford the hover vehicle, or the one with no vehicle at all. That also means, most of the people using these roads are easy picking for the bandits, as they won't be able to run away as fast, and there's no more appealing target for the bandits than a girl, pushing a wheeled cart, carrying a precious reactor. While Elizabeth has already made a name for herself, as one you should probably not disturb, the presence of the reactor seemed to just attract much more, enough for some bandits to risk their lives for those sweet, sweet credits.
"Step any closer, and it'll be off with your head." Elizabeth threatened, without even looking at the approaching bandits. "….2….3….4 heads" she counted, as she continued on pushing the cart. If they were just some snobbish domed city dweller, she wouldn't have too much problem with them, as she just need to pull out her revolver, and watch them shiver their pants wet. These are the forsaken people though, they know how much their life is worth, and it's definitely much cheaper than a single bullet. Not that Elizabeth could ever fire any in the first place, but everyone knows how hard it is to find a bullet, so they all know that she wouldn't shoot them. So all that she has, is her axe and knife. "I should buy a proper laser sometime" Elizabeth thought, as she felt the bandits getting closer. "Last warning..." she threatened, still pushing the cart at her normal pace, not wanting to tire herself, not before the fight, as she started buttoning her black suit. None of the bandit heeded her warning, so she swung first.
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