Leaving the Riverside Slum was smoother than expected... at least for the first few hours.
After half a day of trekking through the concrete jungle, Philip's sharp eyes spotted a rusted-out pickup truck rotting in an abandoned garage. To anyone else, it was scrap metal. To the "Genius Engineer" who could visualize internal schematics, it was a diamond in the rough.
"Engine's still viable... just a clogged fuel line and a dead battery."
It took Philip less than two hours to scavenge parts from nearby wrecks and "frankenstein" them together. He rewired the ignition, tuned the engine with his unique touch, and then...
VROOOM!
The engine roared to life, belching black smoke. It had no doors and a missing roof, but it moved!
"Awesome!" Murphy slapped his brother on the back. "This cuts our travel time by a whole day!"
...
Night One
They hid the truck under a collapsed overpass and camped on the second floor of a ruined building for safety. The night was silent, save for the whistling wind and the distant howls of mutant beasts.
Murphy shared some dried meat with his brother, while Philip sat polishing a crucial piece of equipment... the 'Ventilator Bracers' he had just cobbled together from car parts.
"Cooling system is stable..." Philip muttered, strapping it onto Murphy's right arm. "Remember, Murphy. Green gauge is safe. Yellow means tension... If it hits RED, you press the release button immediately. Otherwise, your arm explodes before the enemy does."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it, pipsqueak." Murphy flexed his arm, testing the hydraulics which hissed responsively. "Get some sleep. I'll take the first watch."
...
Day Two: Uninvited Guests
The morning sun bathed the broken highway in light. The brothers' rust-bucket was speeding along, dodging craters with impressive agility.
But then... the ground began to tremble.
RUMBLE—!
The rearview mirror vibrated violently. Murphy looked back and his eyes widened. A massive cloud of dust was approaching from behind, kicked up by a towering shadow moving with unnatural speed.
It was a "Car Transporter," a double-decker hauler modified into a moving fortress. Spikes lined its hull, and the upper deck was packed with armed thugs!
"It's Kaiman's men!" Philip shouted over the wind. "How did they track us!?"
"Must be a tracker... forget it! Just drive!"
BANG! CRASH!
The massive hauler accelerated, slamming into the side of their pickup. Metal screeched and sparks flew. Murphy knew their little truck would be crushed like a tin can if this continued.
"Philip! Keep it steady!"
Murphy unbuckled his seatbelt, grabbed a short sword, and climbed out the window. The thugs on the transporter jeered and hooted.
"Hey! Look at him! He's got a death wish!"
"Let's see who dies first!"
Murphy tensed his legs and launched himself from the pickup, clearing the gap and landing heavily on the lower deck of the enemy transporter.
"Kill him!"
A thug swung a heavy steel pipe at Murphy's head.
CLANG!
Murphy raised his right arm. The bracer absorbed the impact, sparking on contact. Instead of his bone breaking, the energy gauge on his arm spiked.
"Thanks for the ammo!"
WHOOSH!
Murphy swung his arm back in a Reflection counter. The kinetic energy from the strike was redirected instantly. The pipe bounced back, smashing into the thug's own chest, sending him flying off the vehicle.
"Get him! All at once!"
Two more thugs lunged with chains and machetes. Murphy grinned. He didn't dodge. He puffed out his chest and took their kicks and punches head-on.
THUD! THUD!
The gauge on his arm flickered to YELLOW. Heat began to radiate from Murphy's body.
"Eat this!"
Murphy threw two quick punches into their guts. But... they seemed like light taps, merely pushing them back into the arms of a third thug waiting behind.
"Haha! Hits like a girl!" The thug who caught his friends laughed.
Murphy snapped his fingers. Snap!
Delayed Blast activated! The massive kinetic charge he had planted in their bodies detonated a second later.
BOOM—!!!
An air-pressure explosion erupted in their midst. The two thugs and the one catching them were blasted away like bowling pins, flying off the moving truck and crashing onto the asphalt below.
"Phew..."
Murphy hit the release button on his bracer. HISS! Hot steam vented from the device, and the gauge dropped back to green.
"New toy works great, pipsqueak!" Murphy yelled down to his brother driving alongside.
But the victory was short-lived... A massive shadow emerged from the truck's cab. It was 'Butch' (Kaiman's right hand), wielding a gigantic sledgehammer.
"Not bad, kid... Let's see if you can catch this."