1. The Past
Max was a scientist as much as he was a scavenger. His old rusted sawed off shotgun kept him company in the fear filled nights on the wastelands.
The city had gone bad, really bad, yet this was the best place for him to stay, for now.
Max had dedicated his life to scavenging the pre-war technologies, and understand their functions as well as the ideas behind the concepts.
In his search across the wasteland Max stumbled upon the technology museum, though not accidentally, and was busy rewiring the computers to get power on them.
He had been alone for a long time, he wasn’t the man for company. He was a person who could become your best friend but might as well be your worst enemy.
Rather then waiting to see if a person would be friendly, Max would let his gun decide for him and he was not a bad shot.
To get by, he sold the pre-war technology to whomever would buy it, be it raiders or the honest people at Big Town, he didn’t really care.
Except for Talon Company, his dog used to be his one and only companion for the last years in the wasteland, that was until someone from Talon company shot the poor animal in the head.
To this day Max refuses to do business with Talon company other then exchanging bullets for lives.
As he was crouched to reach the wiring under the desk on which the main computer was settled Max suddenly felt the cold, hard touch of steel on the back of his neck.
He thought for a split second and very slowly tried to grab his combat knife from his boot.
“Please don’t take me for an idiot stranger, a smart man could have a knife in that boot.” The voice sounded like it came from an older man, there wasn’t much more Max could deduct from hearing him speak other then it might not be a wise decision to grab the knife.
“Put your hands on the back of your head and slowly stand up. In that particular order, stranger.” The old man ordered him.
As max put his hands on the back of his head and slowly stood up he felt something in his side.
As he looked out of the corner of his eye he saw a hand with a leather glove on it take his sawed off shotgun from his belt.
“It would be better to not have to shoot you. You’ll be worth a lot more to me when you’re alive. What’s your business here anyway, why are you trying to hardwire the computers?”
“I was just looking around,” Max responded, he tried to turn his head to face the man, but the old man made quick work of that and pushed his head back.
“You know mate, looking around doesn’t have anything to do with touching the wiring of the computers with your hands. Oh and another thing, a man who’s ‘looking around’ doesn’t really need a sawed off shotgun, you my dear sir are a scavenger.”
“Scientist,” Max mumbled.
“Whatever you want, whatever you want. To get back to my original question which you decided to not answer, what’s with the computers?”
“Look, I was trying to get the computers to work. I’m trying to find something, okay? Why don’t you just turn around and walk away.”
“What is it that you’re looking for?”
“If I tell you I’d have to kill you,” Max said with a sarcastic tone in his voice.