Settle in and learning more about the Dark Horses

After answering some more questions from the Rector, you, Barbara, Cynthia and the others are freed to go around the fortress as pleased. And obviously, the first thing most of you decided to do is to settle in by finding some inflatable tents to live in while Barbara left to find the fellow mutants to gather them together and make sure they do not get lost or do something they should not.

So in order to obtain the inflatable tents and other things you and your comrades needed, you, Cynthia and the rest of your team go to the yurt-shaped store that also has a workshop and warehouse as its extensions that you saw before.

Soon, you and your comrades managed to secure the inflatable tents and other inflatable furniture with some cushions for yourselves, you and your comrades quickly set out to find some empty spots to make camps.

After most likely 30 minutes of setting up your own inflatable tent and the furniture such as the inflatable couch, the inflatable bed, blankets, pillows and cushions, you and your comrades split up to explore further around the fortress.

You then come across Barbara and her fellow mutants are setting up their own encampment at a vast empty area within the fortress near those three tall stalactite pillars that you saw when you arrived here. Still feeling guilty for what happened to them, you decided to go and help them out.

"Hey!" You said as you're running toward Barbara, who is preoccupied with setting up her own encampment.

"Hmm? What is it?" Barbara asked you after she saw you approached her.

"Do you... needed some helps with that?" You asked her while still feeling embarrassed and guilty about the pains that she and her people went through at the hands of Doctor Rowland and his scientists.

"... sure!" Barbara said with a small smile before allowing you to come in and help her.

Once her tent is filled with oxygen to become inflatable, you helped arranged the furniture inside of her tent. And due to your help, it took a lot less time when you were arranging yours.

"Thanks..." Barbara said but judging from her voice, this is still not enough to restore her full trust in you.

Knowing that there is nothing you can do at the moment, you left to explore the fortress some more. And after walking around and checking things out for a while, you ended up back at the store that has a workshop and a warehouse and decide to go inside to find out what more you can potentially get for yourself.

As you are looking for the items around you, you accidentally bumped into Cynthia!

"Oh!" You and Cynthia said after both you and her collided into each other by accident!

"I'm sorry!" You and Cynthia apologized to each other in unison.

"What are you doing here by the way?" Cynthia asked as she's slowly getting up with your help.

"Looking around for other things I may wanted or needed. After all, I don't think anyone of us can ever get back to the city ever again." You said after you let go of her after she is back on her own feet.

"... yeah..." Cynthia said as she looked down on the ground with sadness on her face.

"Are you okay?" You asked her back since you can see that she is really sad about having to stay here.

"It's just... I missed my family. My mom, my dad, my elder sister and her husband. Heck, I think she might given birth by now." Cynthia said as she's thinking of her family.

"Your sister was pregnant? Then congratulations to you for becoming an aunt!" You said sheepishly as you are rubbing the back of your head while also doing your best not to stare at her beautiful face or her big breasts that are clearly badly hidden under her shirt.

"Thanks!" Cynthia said as she gives you a sincere smile.

Unbeknownst to you and Cynthia, Ursula is secretly watching and listening to the conversation you have with Cynthia with an emotionless face. However, she decided to ignore you and her and go back to doing her own businesses and get what she needed from the store and leave.

But as she is leaving, you spotted her by accident while Cynthia was preoccupied with doing something else. Have yet to actually thank her for rescuing you out of Doctor Rowland's hands, you run after her.

"Hey! Hold on!" You called Ursula out, thus making her stop and turn around to look at you.

"What is it?!" Ursula asked with the tone that she is clearly annoyed at the moment.

"I... I would like to say... thank you! Thank you for rescuing me, my comrades and those mutants out of there. Who knows what would have happened to us if you and your team did not-" You said but Ursula simply raised her right hand, gesturing you to stop.

"It's okay. My team and I merely performed our duties to the Dark Horses." Ursula said as she looked at you straightly in the eyes. And as she is about to turn around and continue on her way, you stopped her by continue the conversation.

"So... how did you end up join the Dark Horses? Like, what did those so-called robber barons did to you to make you joined?" You asked her with the clear knowledge that Ursula is like other humans and that she joined the Dark Horses because she definitely has some grievances against the current presidency that is most likely under the heavy influences of those robber barons.

And upon hearing that, Ursula stopped in her tracks and her right hand begins to tremble uncontrollably while her eyes are beginning to become teary as she's biting her lips. And upon seeing her reactions to your question, you begin to feel guilty about asking it in the first place.

"I... I'm sorry for asking. I didn't know they did such terrible things to you. Whatever they maybe..." You said as you looked down with regret and guilt for asking her such question.

Upon hearing your apology, Ursula slowly but surely begins to cease being emotional and turn around to face you directly while wiping her tears away.

"Let's just said that ever since the robber barons rose to power in politics a century ago, many lives suffered not only due to their greed and selfishness but also how they shaped the Enclave's society to become so morally and ethically bankrupted like this. And this war continued on to nowadays with us, the Rough Riders fighting in battlefields while our leaders, the Mugwumps, secretly opposing them politically within the Congress." Ursula said grimly with sadness on her face.

"Mugwumps? Rough Riders? But I thought you guys called yourselves the Dark Horses?" You asked her back, clearly confused by the new two names that clearly are the direct references to the group of political activists and the U.S' cavalry regiment respectively back during the 19th century.

"The Dark Horses is divided into two major divisions with the Mugwumps are fighting against the robber barons politically within the Congress and the Senate of the Enclave and also serving as our spies and informants within the government while us, the Rough Riders, engaged in military operations against the government of the Enclave to weaken the current regime." Ursula said as she looked at you with seriousness in her eyes.

"And let me guess. The name "Dark Horses" referred to the fact that this revolutionary movement was previously largely unknown while the "robber barons" one referred to the wealthy and powerful but unethical businessmen with great amount of influences within the Congress, am I correct?" You asked her back, hoping you are on the right track despite knowing that already.

"You learned fast..." Ursula said with her still emotionless face that no longer has tears in the eyes.

Meanwhile back in the Undercity at the President's palace that is heavily fortified since it is inspired by the Alhambra, the President of the Enclave, Alexander Goodway, who is a white man in his late 50's that is fully dressed in black formal outfit with red tie, is having a private meeting with the individuals he secretly reached out for one particular job through the platform of holographic projector inside his own office that is sealed shut from the outside world.

"Your targets are the Dark Horses. Find where they are and eliminate where they stand!" Alexander said as he looked at them while sitting behind his desk.

Standing before him in their blue holographic forms are three individuals who the President secretly hired to find the location of the Dark Horses' hideout and destroy them. The first one appeared to be a cybernetic knight-like figure with sword for hand that is capable of functioning like a drill and a cape while the second one is a frail looking man in black jumpsuit and red goggles with robotic tentacles attached to his back that appeared to be functioning as limbs. And the last one is a woman in grey coat, black shirt and brown pants with a pair of blasters hanging by her belt and she also wears a masked helmet with yellow T-shaped visor to cover her face.