(Gamma World) This is Not a Test #29 - Dr Helianthus and the Return to the Lost City

Sonny felt an odd sensation.  The mutant sunflower involuntarily jerked its head up.  It took him a few seconds to reorient himself.  He was still firmly rooted in the ground, inside a group tent with a photosynthetic amplifier on top.  The journey through the Glow Zone had been trying for his team, but after a quick rest, they were all ready to finish their mission.  

Dr Sonny Helianthus -  Scientist, Researcher, Sunflower of Action

He had assembled a top notch team of PLANT operators. The Plant Liberation Army of a New Tomorrow didn't hate animal-kind, but animal kind was getting in the way of everyone's improvement.  

That would stop today.  One way, or another.  

Stick, his trusted scout and hand-to-hand expert, returned to camp.  "Doc, the device was right where you said it was, surrounded by a ton of living metal."

Stick

"Stick, I have something up my sleeve for that."

"Is that why you where a human lab coat, Doc?"

"That... and other reasons, my friend. Go tell Venus and the others it's go-time."

The scout left to tell the others:  Stump, a tree with artillery-sized projectile capability.  Twig I and Twig II, the big guys friends (children) but very capable plants.  And Venus, the true intelligence in the party, even if she was dumb enough to get involved with Sonny for some extra-curricular activities.  

Venus

Sonny's team, about to dash across the City of Eternal Flame

The device across town supposed to fix alot of the glow zone issues, and bring back plant life.  That would help everyone.  Sonny had spent years pouring over an operator's manual someone had found years ago, and even more time sending teams to find if any of these machines still existed.

His biggest problem know was the device's location:  The City of Eternal Flame was a no-go site deep with the Glow Zone.  Fires constantly raged throughout the city, fueled by something that even kept the adjacent lake aflame.  The glow counts were normally in the Instant Death category on the Ancients' instruments, but one week out of the year, the winds changed and pushed enough material off into the lake to make the counts drop to Deathly Stupid.  If they were quick enough, they could complete the mission and get out of their with only lingering complications, or, if they were lucky, a new mutation.

The problem was, most other groups were aware of the weather patterns, and it was a prime week for scavengers, restorationists, and power hungry groups to prowl the ruined streets, looking for artifacts, and dealing with any resistance in very murderous ways.  

The PLANT Operators spread out.  Sonny had given them orders to secure buildings quickly, and scavenge even faster.    The Twigs quickly uncovered a lost stash of electronics from another group.

Venus moved over towards an old industrial facility.  They were always good for more practical items, and the elevated position would give them better intel about what was coming at them.  

A single shot rang out through the town.  Everyone froze in their tracks and crouched down.  A second shot rang out.  Venus was already dead before she fell onto the platform below her, a victim of a scavenger sniper.  

Where Venus fell.  Scavengers unleashed toxic mutants from the tanks, so there was some karma.

The orders quickly changed from Secure/Scavenge/Move On to "Go, go, go!"    Sonny appeared to wipe a tear (?) from his face with his sleeve, then proceeded to run forward.   The others followed.  

Those two shots appeared to bring the City of Eternal Flame back from the dead.  Weapons fire from every direction could be heard, and off in the distance, something was flying in the air.

The PLANT operators was shocked to find Sonny sprinting across a wide open street, then feared the worst when a mutant, six-legged reindeer came charging right him.  

They were even more shocked when the sunflower jumped on the creature's back and they rode towards the device.  

Sonny wasn't prepared for the loss of the love of his life, but he did call in favors from his old crew, the De Facto Explorers.

Another group emerged from the rubble, a motley group with a mutant weasel, a mutant ram, a mutant earthworm, and a some sort of human barbarian, blasting away at multiple packs of monstrous animals.  Sonny's old crew still had connections to the Restorationists, but years of working with the sunflower built up a number of favors he cashed in for today.  The reindeer was a stagon named No Name,  a loyal mount for the human in the group, Lathar the Mighty.  

(L to R) Front Row:  Sneaky Pete,  Squiggles
Back Row: Lathar the Mighty, Ramsay, No-Name.

The De Facto Explorers dispatched some wolves and turned their attention to distracting the living metal guarding it.  With an opening, Sonny leapt off of No-Name and slid right towards the device.    With the sound of slugthrower fire and chicken clucks coming from the east, Sonny activated the device and once it was engaged, jumped back on No Name and headed back to his fellow PLANT Operators.

With a boom the device began to work, terraforming the City of Eternal Flames.  Where there had been desolation, huge growths began to sprout out of the reclaimed soil.  

For the members of PLANT this seemed divine, but the terraforming rapidly exceeded anything Sonny had pulled from the manual.  Plant growth grew exponentially, vines covered everything, including passive humans, until succumbing to an even heartier plant growth.    What could have been a paradise for all races turned into primaeval jungle only the most dangerous beasts could survive in.  Most of the exploring gangs survived with only their lives. 

New lifeforms began emerging from the soil.  Sentient lifeforms

The City of Eternal Flame had turned into the City of Eternal Flowers.

Sonny felt an odd sensation.  The mutant sunflower involuntarily jerked it's head up.  It took him a few seconds to reorient himself.  He was still firmly rooted in the ground, inside a group tent, just outside the walls of the Hisser village of Notex.  A noise appeared to have awoken him in the middle of the night.

But.... mutated plants don't sleep, much less dream, do they?

GM: Welcome to a proper place to put in the Fistful of Lead: Wasteland Warriors game I played in, and Mike Lung ran at Historicon 2023.  Mike was nice not only have myself, but "Gnome King" and fellow Gamma World player Jim play in the session.  I ran Sonny's plant commandos, while Jim statted out the other characters from the campaign to play in the miniatures game.  

Next: #29 - Coffins for Hissers