Marked

[Toaster]

It was a bumpy ride from the hideout to St. John's Outpost as the rickety old Xeno shuttle struggled through a dust storm that had descended over the area. Olivia was relieved when she boarded the slightly more modern DSE craft that would ferry her and several dozen miners from the small settlement to the mining 'city' of Venango - which so happened to be where Sergeant Price had hunkered down. It was a long trip, the shuttle making several stops along the way to load up additional workers. Olivia sat in the back of the passenger compartment, trying to keep as low a profile as possible while clad in full mercenary gear. She had stripped the serpent token from her shoulder, letting it nestle instead in a small pouch on the inside of her vest.

After two hours that had felt like an eternity, the ferry finally touched down at the town's small port. Disembarking, Olivia was immediately assaulted by the stench typical of a strip mining operation. Chemical fumes wafted through the already heavily polluted air, making every breath a chore. How anyone could stand working, much less living here was beyond her. But then again, the people that did end up residing in locations like these likely didn't have much of a choice. According to what she had heard at the hideout, working for the corporate operations on Pittsburgh was more akin to being enslaved than being a contracted employee. Pulling a scarf out of a pocket of her undersuit and wrapping it tightly over her nose and mouth, Olivia hurried towards the nearest air cab.

A brief ride later, during which she had ample opportunity to admire the utter devastation of the surrounding landscape by the aggressive, reckless mining conducted by DSE et al., the taxi came to a stop on a narrow but surprisingly well maintained road, rows of squat apartment complexes interspersed with a few single houses lining either side. Stepping out onto the sidewalk, Olivia glanced around cautiously. There was some light pedestrian traffic, workers returning home from a hard day in the mines and administrative offices, a few families out for a stroll, seemingly oblivious or maybe just accustomed to the awful quality of the air. She herself stood out like a sore thumb in her combat gear - however, no one seemed to take notice.

The job posting had not provided an exact address, omitting Price's house number. But identifying it was not difficult. No other building had several black air cars parked in front of it and half a dozen armed guards patrolling its front yard. Squaring her shoulders, Olivia marched towards the front door, nodding at the hired men as they noticed her approach. One held out his hand, beckoning her to stop.

"Can I help you?" He asked in a gritty tone, his voice probably ruined from years of inhaling dust and ashes. Olivia reached into her pockets and retrieved her PDA, showing him the job post on the screen.

"Here for the job," she replied casually. The guard eyed her closely, letting his gaze run up and down her body, inspecting her armor and assorted weaponry. With a subtle nod of his head, he directed her towards the door, already opened for her by one of his colleagues. "Boss'll see you in a few," he muttered and returned to his post, letting her pass.

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Olivia Sable