ATF CHARACTERS Warden Floyd McMann This is me, Floyd McMann. Some say I’m also the great great grandson of some guy used to be called “The Ascendant King,” who was the first guy to take charge After The Fall. They say an Ascendant Son can’t miss with a pistol. I don’t believe all that, but I am a pretty good shot. Because of that, I do work as a Warden. That means I keep the peace and do the jobs General Simons wants done right. General Simons This is my boss, General Simons. Bein’ a Warden ain’t a bad gig, but it sure could be better. See, Simons don’t trust me much because I used to work for another guy. Wasn’t until he killed the other guy that I went to work for him and he’s got this crazy notion that I might stab him in the back. I don’t got no stomach for treachery, so he can quit worryin’ any time. Until he does, I guess I just gotta prove myself to him. Marion Simons This here pretty lady is Marion Simons, the General’s daughter. She’s feisty as hell and smart as a tack, which makes her even prettier. Me and her used to date, but she’s supposed to marry this other guy. A guy General Simons trusts more’n me, I guess. I’d make a stink about it except for three little things: I ain’t sure I’d live through it, I ain’t sure she feels the same, and if she did feel the same, I still don’t think I’d live through it. Hoss Hardin Hoss Hardin is a crook and a thug, but he’s a crook and a thug who owns a town: Hardin Square. That means he don’t get in trouble for his crookedness unless it outright interferes with what General Simons is doin’. We got some history, and I’m lookin’ forward to the day he gets in the General’s way. So long as he don’t have all his boys with him, it’ll be a short day, ‘cause I’m faster on the draw than he’ll ever be. The Doc This freaky fella is The Doc. He works for Hoss, makin’ crazy weapons and doin’ crazy experiments. He’s dangerous ‘cause he’s smart. Or he’s dangerous ‘cause he’s nuts. Either way, I wouldn’t mind puttin’ him in the grave if I ever had a good reason to, but it’d make things harder for the General to deal with Hoss if I did, so I’ve keep my smokestacks skinned so far. The Mutants of Sumpterville The main reason General Simons can’t go toes with Hoss and The Hardin Square Boys is he’s got himself a Mutant Problem. These fellas, who all got pushed out onto the edge of the Big Waste where they can barely grow a hayseed, built themselves a little town called Sumpterville. They’re getting’ organized, and that’s got General Simons worried. And for good reason. Some of them freaks got some crazy powers. Link Link can fix damn near anything made o’ metal, and he specializes in weapons. It’s a useful skill for a guy like me, whose whole life is spent shootin’ people. If there’s a Mutant in this whole forsaken land I trust, it’s Link. I’ve known him twenty some years and he ain’t never lied to me. He says it’s because I ain’t never lied to him, but deep down, I think it’s because he’s just good people. Don’t tell him I said that, though.