Having cut his teeth and risen quickly as a trusted scout around Somersville and Elmsfield, gangleader Shirley Knowles would give him the mission to retrieve Humberto Garcia and his shanghai`ed squad from Firelight. Arriving with extra tires and rifles to bring his friends home, his forethought would be squandered as local squad-leader Humberto forgot to distribute the weapons or do pre-combat checks.
Vulnerable on the roads between Firelight and Badlands with an unwieldy Windsor following his voyager and only two gangers armed with personal weapons, they`d lose the Windsor off the path and return to attempt an assault against the 3 Phalnax vehicles pummeling the immobile vehicle. Humberto and gunner Frederick Brown would die immediately for this decision, and Michael would find himself, Curtis `Mack` Brown, and Derek Austin in the inhospitable lands short of Badlands with only 1 rifle.
Unfortunately this wouldn`t be enough against 5 mutant spiders. Michael would go down shooting, killing two spiders before being poisoned and torn to shreds. Curtis `Mack` Brown would fall just 7 yards beyond him, fighting desperately against a spider with bare hands before being poisoned and slaughtered himself. Still, Michael`s actions would at least give Derek Austin the opportunity to flee, stumbling in to Badlands days later, unarmed, radiation poisoned, and cursing the name of Humberto Garcia. |