The Invasion Of The Megaton
By James Harris
Shadows crept across the desert, towards the gates of Megaton. Deputy Weld stood in front of the main gate, waiting to greet visitors. Without warning, a claw tore it's way through his metal body, causing sparks to fly. This alerted the posted guard, Stockholm. His eyes widened as he looked down the sights on his .32 caliber Hunting Rifle. He turned to the town and shouted.
"HEY! WE'VE GOT COMPANY! HEY! WE'VE GOT COMPANY!" He yelled, catching the attention of Colin Moriarty, the owner of the local saloon.
"Get Lucas," Moriarty ordered his goulified bartender, Gob.
Gob hurried across the town and bursted into Lucas Simms house. Simms was Megaton's mayor, and town sheriff when the need arised. Simms was currently doing maintence on his 5.56mm Chinese Assault Rifle.
"Hey, Lucas," Gob said, in his raspy, undead voice.
Lucas joined Stockholm on his guard tower and surveyed the situation.
"How long till they get in?" Simms asked Stockholm.
"I don't know. Ten, fifteen minutes tops," Stockholm responded.
The rest of the small settlement were started to file into the town square at the sound of the clawing at the front gate, many still in their sleepwear. Simms stood in front of them, thinking up a battle plan as he spoke.
"Folks, in about ten minutes, that gate'll give way to a swarm of deathclaws," He stated to the crowd, causing murmurs. "I want you to get the kids and anybody who shouldn't be fighting into Craterside Supply. The rest of you are hereby deputized by the Megaton Sheriff's Office. It's time to show how Megaton Settlers kick ass,"
Lucas oversaw the towns preperations. Everything from the weapons being handed out in the armory to the fortifications being set up out of scrap. Moira requested that her mercenary remain in Craterside Supply for protection. He recluctantly accepted, knowing that he needed all hands on deck.
As time passed, they got into position. All together, he was able to gather up 12 resistance fighters and the towns secondary deputy, Deputy Steel. They stood behind fortifications, on roofs, and on the walkways from leading from building to building. The resistance held mostly .32 pistols and hunting rifles, along with a few 12 gauge Combat Shotguns and 10MM Pistols.
Simms and the others waited as the clawing continued until sudden silence. A bead of sweat trickled down Simms forehead as the door clashed down onto the ground with a thunding clatter. The group opened fire as dust and dirt rose into the air.
"HOLD YOUR FIRE!" Lucas shouted, over the gunfire. "DAMN IT! I SAID HOLD YOUR FIRE!"
A low growling rose up from the darkness beyond the gate. Multiple creatures emerged from the dust cloud. They had a hunchback, humanoid build, with reptilian heada and limbs. They stood rouphly ten feet tall with thick, resilient hides, powerful muscles, and twelve-inch-long, razor-sharp claws, capable of killing anything with only a few swipes.
Simms opened fire, followed by the rest of the group. The first wave fell with ease. There was a slight moment of calmness, giving the settlers a chance to regroup. Simms eyes darted to the sky, catching something dreadful. His breath shortened as he spotted a line of deathclaws perched on top of the gate. One of them hissed as if giving an order, and they pounced on their resistance.
Less than a mile away, the Lone Wanderer had just finished scavenging the Springvale School. The sudden presence of automatic weapon fire caught his attention. He turned towards the town and saw the scene. He took off running as fast as he could wearing his 54 pound power armor.
As he reached Megaton, the sight was horrendous. The settlers were being slaughtered. Many had already fallen. There were guts, blood, and shell casings covering the ground. Simms caught sight of the Hero Of The Wastes and shouted to the survivors.
"DUCK AND COVER!" He yelled, as the Lone Wanderer loaded Vengeance, a very powerful and unique Gatling Laser.
Lasers flew into the crowd of deathclaws. The settlers took cover in and under buildings as slowly but surely the deathclaws fell. The last deathclaw approached the Lone Wonderer from behind. He saw this, flipped Vengeance around, and fired, causing the carcass to fly into the wall. As the Gatling Laser round down and the settlers came out of hiding, Simms approached the Lone Wonderer.
"I'm starting to thing that this town has become reliant on you," He said, holstering his Chinese Assault Rifle. "Thanks,"
And the town of Megaton had survived yet another day thanks to the heroic actions of The Hero Of The Wastes.