Hello due to recent events I've decided to try and rewrite this story as I have many times but never published. So if you read my older version of child of the waste you know I had Butch with Ava in the tunnels. Not this time instead Ill have Charon. Why? You may ask. well the idea of a 7ft tall zombie body guard the uses a shotgun and grumbles to himself all the time just seemed to appealing. Besides I never had butch as a follower any way. So without further ado (except for the disclaimer) I give you the new and improved Child of the waste.
Disclaimer: I do not own fallout in any way shape or form all right belongs to Bethesda and their respective owners. So please don't sue me.
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"Gather around children I have a story to tell. A story of great adventure danger mystery and heroics. It was not that long ago in fact but this adventure would become one of the great myths and legends of the capital wasteland. Now some may say that this is just a myth and nothing more that it's too farfetched to be true. But children I have seen stranger in my life time including beings from another world, but that's another story all together. No this is the story, of the child of the wasteland.
Ava stared down into the metro tunnel she had used just a few days ago her head teaming with emotions and ideas. Most of which were trying to debate over whether she should go back down there again. Her sapphire eyes staring from behind the glass of her brass goggles. A slight grumble from her new companion crashed her train of thought. Glancing behind her she saw the extremely tall and muscular ghoul scanning for threats. His pale eyes slowly moving back and forth in a permanent scowl.
He was an odd case. She had bought his contract two days ago intending to set him free. Instead he blew his old contract holder's head off and then simply stated that so long as she held his contract he was in her employ. After several attempts to convince him otherwise she got sick of him saying the same exact sentence over and over again. She stated with exaggerated movement "FUCK IT! Let's just go."
She sighed muttering that same phrase under her breath as she headed down the cracked and charred steps. Charon followed wordlessly, his aged leather armor creaking ever so slightly.
Charon looked at his new employer unsure what to make of her just yet. The fact she had tried to tell him he was free confused him, especially after paying so much for his contract. Though it might have something to do with blowing his former employers head apart.
She stood there staring down at a metro tunnel entrance, her armored vault suit hung on her loosely being a size to big. Her auburn hair was pulled up into a short pony tail and held together by a simple twine string. The clunky pipboy attached to her arm seemed slightly out of place on her slender form.
He turned back to scan for threats to his employer grumbling as he did so. His piercing gaze almost daring someone to run over the hill. He heard the heavy clunk of a boot from his employer and proceeded to follow her down into the metro.
She had been down here just a few days ago her foot prints had lingered only barley being dusted over. She strained her ears listening for any sign of a threat. Not hearing anything she preceded cautiously Charon followed suit keeping his combat shotgun holstered. Ava had seen the deadly efficiency he had handled the brutal weapon when he blew Ahzrukhal's head apart.
She turned the corner, hearing the telltale clicking of exoskeleton on tile; she looked down seeing a radroach scurry across the floor a few feet from her. Looking down she picked up a sizable chunk of ruble and chucked it at the mutated cockroach the resulting squelch echoed through the tunnels. She walked past the crushed bug to where a pile of glowing ashes laid sheets of metal in them warped by heat.
They stood atop a platform that crossed the room to a collapsed tunnel. The rest of the large room hadn't fared much better through the years, the ceiling had sagged dramatically while the missing chunks lay on the ground burying the behemoths of metal that once ran through the tunnels so long ago. They headed to the nearest set of stairs and started making their way down one of the clear tunnels. Other than the occasional radroach they didn't run into any trouble.
Of course that's when they heard someone yell.
Charon immediately brought his shotgun to his hands, faster than Ava could register. The yell sounded angry and full of malice. It was followed by someone screaming "SOMEONE KILL THAT BRAT." Ava took off anger already rising as she ran for the source, Charon keeping up with long strides. The shouts and laughter got louder and louder tell the entered a room almost identical to the one where they had entered.
She saw a flash of brown slip under a train across the room bullets striking the metal beast. Her head snapped to the other side of the cavern, two men and a woman were running out of the opposite tunnel donned in spikes leather and dried blood. Ava pulled her laser rifle out of its back holster switching it on; she aimed down the thin sights leveling it to the first raiders head. His hair was styled into a Mohawk and looked like it was gelled up with dried blood; his focus was on whoever had hid under the train. A bright red steak of light stuck his skull super heating the contents and causing the resulting pressure to make it fragment and explode in a shower of steam and grey matter. The other two raiders shifted their attention to Ava saving no time to morn there dead ally. Bloodthirsty grins plastered on their faces the woman swung a battered assault rifle to aim at Ava.
Ava's eyes widened having no cover but before the raider could even pull the trigger the butt of a shotgun was brung down on her head then blown apart in a shower of lead. Charon turned to the next one; he was equipped with just a rusty piece of rebar. He charged Charon bloodlust and fear in his eyes. He swung the metal rod down only to be caught by the oversized ghoul and with a twist of his hand he wrenched the weapon from the surprised man's hand only to receive it back full across his head. He dropped like a rock, dead before he even hit the ground.
Ava blinked in surprise, she hadn't even seen the ghoul move to the raiders and was amazed at the sheer strength the ghoul possessed. She rushed up to him his eyes still held that piercing cold stare. She looked over to the space between the train and the rails and slowly walked to the wreckage where the flash of brown had hidden. Coming up to it she crouched down to peer under the wheels, her eyes strained to see through the darkness. There huddled up to some rubble that had managed to get under the vehicle sat a boy. He had obviously had a bad day. He was covered in bruises, scratches and shaking uncontrollably, his light brown shirt barely hid the ribs poking from under his skin. He was curled up in a tight ball his hands hidden from sight and his eyes wide in fear.
Ava smiled softly trying to be as unthreading looking as possible "It's alright there gone now, it's safe we won't hurt you." She cautiously stretched her hand under the belly of the train.
His eyes darted to her hand and immediately stopped shaking. Ava took this as a good sign but he just stared at her hand unsure of what to do. After several tension filled minutes he very slowly started to uncurl and brought his right hand out. Now it was Avas turn to be shocked she stared at the bloodied extremity, five long talons extended from the fingers. He stopped trying to read her facial expressions.
She smiled a little awkwardly staring at the knife like claws; she had seen those claws before. The black talons belonged to one of the wastelands most fearsome creatures. She had seen them rip through thick metal armor as if it were nothing. Her eyes trailed up his arm trying to see the end of the glove. A thought struck her.
That wasn't a glove.
Still smiling she managed to say something. "Well… that's interesting isn't it?" the strange boy looked up at her and started to reach for her hand almost reluctantly. She tried to not jerk her hand back as his fingers found her hand with surprising gentleness and grace. She closed her hand around his and started to pull him out from under the train gently as he crawled out from under the train she saw it wasn't just his hands that were strange, his amber eyes glancing out from under brown shaggy hair the pupils slit and wide. A large leathery appendage swept out behind him and trailed up to the base of his spine. At full height he was just a bit shorter than Ava he let go of her hand. His eyes immediately studied Charon who, now seeing his whole form, had kept his scowl unchanged and stared back his eyes glanced to the dead raiders' then back to the ghoul. "Don't worry he won't hurt you as long as you don't hurt me or him." Ava said with a kind voice."I'm Ava the big guy over there is Charon, what's your name?"
He looked back at her and opened his mouth revealing that his canines were extremely long and sharp but quickly shut it before answering in a raspy voice. "Rennan."
Ava smiled glad she got something out of him. "Alright then Rennan we need to get some food in you. You look starved." His eyes seemed to brighten at that before becoming skeptical.
"Why." He asked not sure what to make of her. She pulled her pack from her back set it down and started digging through it.
"Because it would be stupid to save someone from raiders only for them to starve the next day." She answered flatly pulling out a box of dandy boy apples. "Here eat this." She tossed it to him. He caught it haphazardly and quickly sliced it open with a talon before emptying it into his mouth. Crunching the dried out apples loudly he eyed her, content she wasn't going to hurt him but still suspicious. With a dry gulp he finished off the apples
"I meant why save me? I don't owe you anything and I obviously don't have anything of value what are you getting out of this?"
She sighed "A clear conscience. Why does no one ever think I'm just a nice person huh?" she looked at him again. "The real question is what are you? I haven't been out here that long but I'm pretty sure I would have heard something about lizard people. So what's your story?" she questioned
He sighed a long sigh "wish I knew that myself. I don't remember much up to a few years ago and as far as I know I'm the only one of my kind so I'm just as stumped as you really did expect you to shoot me back there when you saw my hand. It's a nice change of pace when someone's not trying to put a bullet in your ass."
He frowned "why didn't yo-"
Ava cut him off irritated "shoot you? Can't you just accept I'm a good person? It's not that hard to believe is it?"
Rennan frowned and opened his mouth to say something but decided against it. He looked back at Charon intimidated by him. His eyes hadn't left Rennan since he crawled out from under the train car. He was observing taking in new information and processing it down to two basic out comes. Either he stays calm and doesn't try to kill his employer, or he tries something in which case he has took take him out quickly.
Fortunately he looked to scared and weak to try a stunt like that.
Ava stood up and shouldered the pack turning around she smiled. "Want to come with us?" she asked casually
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Well there you have it personally I wanted it to be 4000 words or at least close. But I'm lazy and tired seriously I didn't sleep at all last night which is why this came out today. That and future me will take care of everything else. Thank you I hope you have enjoyed the newest version of child of the waste. Post a comment of what you thought of it.
Peace out.