Pain was Valeria's entire world. White hot agony blasting through darkness with screaming the only sound, screaming she faintly recognized as her own. The only interruptions were moments where consciousness returned as if she was surfacing from the bottom of a black abyss. The pain lessened slightly as she became aware of a burning thirst, searing heat and painfully bright light. She heard a voice during one of the moments of semi-consciousness.
"Here's a little Brahmin milk dear, drink it down…There we go." A thick liquid filled her mouth, and for a moment the thirst eased.
"Mom?" Valeria managed to croak.
"Just hang in there dear." The voice replied as a dry, calloused hand stroked her forehead. "Just keep thinking happy thoughts." And then the pain roared back dragging her once again back into the abyss.
The cycle continued for an agonizing eternity, with wave after wave of pain smashing into her until she began to yearn for death to release her from her torment. Then the pain grew in a red tide until it smashed into her like a colossal wave, shattering her consciousness like glass and hurling her into welcome oblivion.
Valeria didn't know how long she lay senseless, but slowly she became aware of her body which ached and felt...heavy. She could tell she was lying on a mattress, and there was light visible through her eyelids. Was she back in Craterside Supply? The last thing she remembered was collapsing after ripping the pulse charge out of the Atomic Bomb, and feeling like she was being lifted out of the pool. She gritted her teeth and winced as her teeth jabbed her lower gums. Her lips and mouth were dry, and her teeth felt too big for her mouth. She ran her tongue across her lips and her eyes flew open in shock. Her canine teeth, especially the upper ones, were longer! Her head twisted to the side and she saw she was in the same room in Craterside Supply that she had awoken in before. She could feel perspiration cooling on her skin and realized she was completely naked. She glanced down and what she saw made her eyes open wide in shock.
Moira was sweeping her shop when the scream from upstairs made her start and drop her broom. The scream was followed by a crash as Moira ran up the stairs toward her small infirmary. She opened the door to find the bed flipped on its side, and its former occupant huddled whimpering in the corner in a fetal position.
"You're alive!" Moira exclaimed, her cheerful enthusiasm causing Valeria's head to jerk up to stare at her in wild-eyed bewilderment. "Well that's the good news. But there was a teeny, tiny, uh mutation."
"W...What?" Valeria choked as tears began to fill her eyes. Moira's understatement was so divorced from reality it momentarily shocked Valeria out of her horrified misery.
"You can still talk! That's got to be a good sign. Now lets get you up and see how you're doing."
"I'm a...monster!" Valeria moaned as she hid her face.
"Oh come on." Moira admonished as reached down to take Valeria's arm. "It's really not that bad. Now be careful standing up. Your center of gravity is probably a lot higher than it was."
Something about Moira's refusal to acknowledge the severity of Valeria's condition made Valeria stop crying with a loud sniff and attempt to stand up. With her eyes screwed shut, she slowly rose to her feet, using the wall for support. A wave of dizziness washed over her and she groaned as she heard a small gasp from Moira.
"Okay. Maybe not so tiny." She said uncertainly. "But it does seem benign...at least?"
Steeling herself, Valeria forced herself to open her eyes echoed Moira's gasp as she fully took in the extent of what had happened to her. Valeria had always been tall for her age, but now she was what she could only describe as immense. Her head almost touched the steel crossbeams in the ceiling, and she towered over Moira who's head barely came to her chin. But her height was the least of the distortions she had suffered, and it was clear why Moira hadn't given her anything to wear. Nothing could possibly fit her grotesquely altered body, or even begin to hide it. Valeria had developed a rawboned physique in adolescence that wasn't attractive, but was at least human. Now her bones and muscles had grown to monstrous size, every tendon, vein and striation visible beneath her tautly drawn skin. Her shoulders and ribcage were immense, appearing even more so as they abruptly tapered to a narrow waist before flaring again into wide hips and massive thighs. Every muscle could be seen in stark relief with no fat to soften the harsh contours...except in her breasts. Valeria hadn't been well-endowed before, but now her breasts were large hemispheres supported and exaggerated by her massive pectorals.
"What happened to me?" Valeria gasped in horror as she looked at her huge hands, her nails now as long and sharp as claws.
"Well, after you disarmed the bomb Confessor Cromwell found you and brought you here. I've wanted to study the effects of severe radiation exposure, so I asked the Children of the Atom to bring anyone heavily radiated to me for treatment. They spend all their time exposed to radiation, so I thought it was only a matter of time. The problem is they don't want me to treat 'atoms blessing' so none of them volunteered."
Valeria put her hand to her head as she began to feel faint. Moira noticed as Valeria began to stagger and quickly said, "Uh oh, let's not push things too far. Why don't you sit down before you fall down." Valeria leaned heavily against the wall and slid to the floor where he wrapped her arms around her legs and pressed her sweating forehead to her knees.
"The Children of the Atom were pretty excited for you." Moira continued cheerfully. "It's not often a stranger tries to receive 'the blessing of Atom' as deliberately as you did."
"Aren't they angry that I disarmed the bomb?" Valeria asked in a hoarse monotone without raising her head.
"I don't think they believe you did." Moira replied thoughtfully. "They seem to think you were just 'basking in Atom's glow' or something like that. Oh yes, Sheriff Simms would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about the bomb. He figures it would just scare everyone if they knew."
"So nobody knows what happened?"
"It was pretty late, and the Children of the Atom wouldn't let anyone near the bomb until Sheriff Simms arrived. He took the charge during all the excitement and brought it to me after you were carried here. I don't think anyone even saw it. Of course when you started mutating it sort of...made everyone forget about the bomb."
Valeria's head snapped up, her eyes wide with alarm as she stared at Moira.
"Oh don't worry." Moira said waving her hand dismissively. "You had a rough few days, and you were sometimes pretty...noisy. Fortunately my homemade anti-radiation concoction worked perfectly, although it did have a few side-effects."
"Side effects!" Valeria exclaimed in anguish as she stared in disbelief at the inventor.
"It hadn't really been tested before." Moira admitted with a shrug. "But based on your earlier blood work I think it actually helped to pull you through. Now that I have something to compare against, I can tell most of your mutations were already latent in your genes. All the environmental stress you've been exposed to started activating them until the radiation finished the job. I think my concoction actually slowed the rate of mutation enough so your body could take the strain."
"So they were right." Valeria finally whispered to herself. "I'm some kind of freak."
"It's really not so bad." Moira consoled with a cheerful smile. "I can't tell you how much this experience contributed to science. However all the screaming was kind of bad for business, and I pretty much used up all my medical supplies this past week."
"I don't have any way to repay you." Valeria said miserably as tears began to flow down her cheeks. "I don't even have clothes anymore."
"I think we can work something out." Moira said thoughtfully as she stroked her chin. "We can't have you parading around in your birthday suit, but I think I have something in stock that I can adapt. Why don't you fix the bed while I get you something to eat. You haven't really eaten anything for days, and I bet you're really hungry."
As if on cue, Valeria's stomach growled and Moira smiled and nodded. "I'll get you something before the store opens. I had to close up for a while and there's probably a line down the ramp. I'll be right back."
As soon as Moira left the room Valeria reluctantly rose, righted the bed and replaced the mattress. Although she was getting steadier on her feet her body felt so alien it was with relief that she lay down, the bed frame creaking and popping alarmingly as she rolled onto her back. Afraid it might collapse Valeria lay still with her feet resting on the floor as she stared up at the ceiling, her mind whirling as she tried to comprehend everything that had happened to her.
As she was growing up her father had given her regular physicals and each time he had declared her perfectly healthy and normal. Even when he began to treat her for mild anemia he still insisted that everything was fine. Now Valeria knew that was impossible. If Moira had spotted latent mutations in her genes with makeshift instruments, her father also had to have found something, something he kept secret her entire life. She closed her eyes as anger began to replace her despair. Ever since she'd left the Vault she'd uncovered one lie after another, all proving that she knew nothing about the man she had grown up with. Why did he lie about his life outside the Vault? Why did he leave? And most of all why didn't he tell her what she was? Valeria had no answers, and her father's trail was over a week cold and getting colder by the day. Valeria squeezed her eyes shut with frustration as she faced the fact that she was trapped in Megaton. If her lack of knowledge or resources hadn't trapped her before, the grotesque body she now wore certainly did. She had been persecuted in the Vault in part because of her appearance, and she couldn't imagine the Wastelander's reactions to the monstrous freak she had mutated into.
Valeria stayed upstairs most of the next day, listening to the coming and goings of the citizens of Megaton inside and outside the shop. Her hearing seemed sharper than before, and she found she could make out snatches of conversation, even from outside. More often than not the topic was the stranger from the Vault who most thought had died agonizingly from radiation poisoning. Clearly Moira and Lucas Simms were keeping her fate quiet for the time being, giving her a chance to recover in peace.
Finally curiosity overcame her revulsion and she began to tentatively explore the alien landscape of her own body. To her astonishment she found only faint scars where there should have been partially healed wounds. Her skin had darkened from light olive to a deep bronze and she had lost all her body hair except for what grew on her head, and that had lengthened considerably. Taking some scissors and using a piece of metal as a mirror, Valeria gave herself a crude haircut as well as finally taking a look at her face. To her relief she saw that her features remained unchanged, although the pigment around her eyes had darkened making her white eyes even more startling. She also saw that she had fully developed fangs which she gratefully observed remained hidden when she closed her mouth.
The sunlight shafting through gaps in the walls finally faded as the sun began to set over the wastes. Valeria sat in the gathering darkness, not bothering to turn on the light as she discovered that her eyes were adjusting to the gloom. She stood and stretched, placing her hands on a ceiling girder as she straightened her legs. She hadn't intended to exert herself, but the act of stretching felt so good she began to push harder as her joints cracked and popped. Then there was a groan and Valeria jerked her hands down as the ceiling showered her with rust and dirt. Valeria was staring with astonishment at the bent girder when the door opened and Moira backed into the room carrying a metal box.
"Oh hey there! Everything okay?"
Valeria nodded guiltily and crossed her arms over her breasts while Moira turned on the light.
"Great!" Moira exclaimed as she set the box down with a heavy thud. "I have a new suit of armor for you. I got it awhile ago from a trader named Crow. He said it was found in a Supermutant camp and I thought it would be fun to adapt it."
"Supermutants?"
"A kind of mutant raider we've been seeing a lot in the Capital Wastes lately. Real big and mean with green skin." Moira grinned as she pulled out a large black metal plate with leather straps dangling from it. "There aren't any female Supermutants, or at least no one has seen any, so I had to make some adjustments. I even found a way to mount your Pipboy. Now Let's see how it fits.
With Moira's help, it didn't take Valeria long to put the armor on and Valeria looked down at herself with consternation while Moira nodded with satisfaction.
"It hardly covers anything." Valeria complained. Moira's creation consisted of heavy steel bracers, spiked pauldrons, and greaves that stopped mid-thigh. Aside from leather straps across her breasts and a miniscule steel brief she was completely exposed.
"I had to make some…compromises between protection and freedom of movement." Moira replied while adjusting Valeria's pauldrons. "Only power suits can reliably stop bullets. Unpowered armor would have to be so thick it would really hinder your movements."
Moira stepped back and nodded. "There, that should do it. Now move a bit, flex your arms."
Valeria stood a moment, then raised her massive arms and flexed. Valeria was still astonished at how much they swelled when she exerted herself.
"I'm sorry Val, but you're just too…big for a full suit." Moira said with a shrug. "Your muscles expand so much when you move it would be impossible to get you a protective bodysuit that fits."
"I don't see this helping much."
"Well, the important parts are protected, and your muscle tissue is a lot denser than normal. It doesn't look it, but your skin's tough as leather. You also seem to regenerate when exposed to low levels of radiation. Kind of like a Ghoul."
Noting Valeria's look of alarm, Moira hurriedly added. "This doesn't look like Ghoulification, it's something I've never seen before. Exciting isn't it?"
Valeria sighed heavily in reply. Each new revelation about her condition only made her feel even more strange and alien.
"Tomorrow we'll let everyone know you pulled through. I mean everyone's going to know as soon as you step out anyway."
Valeria started and stared at Moira with fear in her eyes.
"Is something wrong?"
"Moira I...I can't." Valeria stammered as she gestured at herself. "Not like...this."
"Oh." Moira touched a knuckle to her chin as she frowned in thought. Then her expression cleared as she smiled.
"You know, I've been thinking about hiring a security guard. Sometimes people look at my inventory and get…ideas. All you have to do is look big and threatening while you meet Megaton one customer at a time in a controlled environment!"
"I don't know Moira..."
"It'll be great! Here, try to look threatening."
Valeria attempted to scowl, and Moira nodded thoughtfully. "Not bad, but you need an accessory. Hold on a minute." Moira left the room for a moment, and then returned carrying a huge steel hammer.
"It's a Super Sledge." Moira explained as Valeria effortlessly lifted the hammer and tested its heft. "It's too heavy for most people not wearing power armor, so I haven't been able to sell it." Moira stepped back and nodded approvingly. "That ought to do it. The store opens at eight so I'll expect you bright and early. I even posted a notice outside that you're looking for work. It never hurts to have another source of income!"
Valeria nodded and watched as Moira left the room before lifting the Sledge and staring thoughtfully at the huge weapon. It was obviously very heavy, yet she hardly felt its weight. Clearly in her hands it had the potential to be a devastating weapon, if she had the will to use it. Then she remembered killing Officer Mack and realized she really didn't know what she was capable of. With that sobering realization she began to remove her armor as she prepared for what she was certain would be a sleepless night.
In spite of her anxiety, Valeria finally did fall asleep only to be awakened what seemed to be moments later by Moira. Apparently the inventor had an early to bed, early to rise philosophy and after a quick breakfast of Cram and beans unbolted the door and opened for business. The first person to walk through the door wore a star on his leather duster, and Valeria immediately recognized the man who had saved her outside of Megaton. Simms tipped the brim of his hat with his thumb and gave a low whistle as he saw Valeria.
"Damn girl." The Sheriff rumbled as he looked up at her face. "Moira said you'd survived but..." Simms shook his head clearly at a loss for words.
"Thank you for saving my life sir." Valeria finally said as she hesitantly extended her hand.
"You saved mine and the lives of everyone in town." Simms replied as he took her hand in a firm shake. "It was a mighty brave thing you did, and I consider us more than even." The Sheriff released her hand and folded his arms as the smile left his face. "As you may have seen, life's hard in the Wasteland, and only a little better in here. As Moira probably told you, I think it's best nobody knows someone tried to kill them."
"I understand sir." Valeria replied grimly. Simms nodded, touched the brim of his hat in farewell and then turned, waved to Moira, and strode out of the shop.
Soon Valeria found that word had traveled quickly that the stranger from the Vault was alive. Soon the curious began to arrive as well as those with business. Everyone was startled when they saw her standing in the shadows, her white eyes glittering in the dim light. Some tried to pretend not to look, others swallowed hard and left as quickly as possible. Only three other people approached her during the day. One was Gob, sent to pick up empty whiskey bottles for Moriarty.
"Wow, that bomb really did a number on you didn't it?" The Ghoul rasped, his eyes filled with sympathy.
"Yes...it did." Valeria replied sadly, already weary of the fear and disgust she had seen all morning.
"It could have been a lot worse, a lot worse." Gob observed wryly as he glanced down at himself. "Hey Smoothskin, Moriarty doesn't give me much free time, but if you ever need to talk to somebody, I'll find the time."
"Thank you Gob." Valeria said with a heartfelt smile, accidentally baring her fangs. Gob looked away a moment, clearly unsettled before looking back with a yellow toothed grin.
"It's the least I can do Smoothskin. You didn't give me any shit because I look like a corpse and I won't forget it. I don't meet many decent people in that dive, and I know what it's like to have everyone judge you because of how you look."
Valeria could only smile, although she was careful to keep her lips closed as her eyes shone with unshed tears. Clearly feeling awkward, Gob waved goodbye before picking up a crate filled with scratched and dust-scored bottles.
The second was a barefoot little girl in tattered overalls with her hair tied back with two white bows.
"Hello Maggie." Moira said cheerfully. "What can I do anything for you today?"
"Nothin." Maggie replied brightly. "I just want to meet the Vault lady. Is that her?" Maggie saw Valeria in the corner and her eyes grew wide.
"Wow, you're humongous!" She said in delighted awe as she approached and looked up into Valeria's face. Valeria smiled and Maggie's mouth dropped opened in surprise. "You've got pointy teeth too! Cool!" She turned to Moira and asked excitedly. "Billy said you were doing experiments on the Vault Lady. Can you experiment on me too?"
"I think Billy might have something to say about that Maggie." Moira replied with a smile.
"Awww." Maggie replied in disappointment before looking up at Valeria and saying. "I gotta go. See you later, okay!" Valeria smiled and nodded as Maggie ran out of the store.
The third encounter proved far less pleasant when a scarred, sun-burnt man wearing leather armor and a heavy assault rifle entered the store.
"Good morning Jericho, can I help you find anything." Moira said as she looked up from sweeping.
"Nah, I'm just here to see the freak show." He spotted Valeria and said. "Would you look at that? Damn you got fucking ugly!" He shook his head in distaste. "You were kinda freaky cute at first, but now…fuck!"
Unbidden, a snarl formed on Valeria's lips and Jericho took a step toward her. "You wanna make a move? Huh?"
Valeria's hands closed into fists when Moira interrupted. "Kinda busy here Jericho, but if you need anything?" Jericho glanced at Moira, then back at Valeria.
"Nah, I got what I came for. See you around freak." Jericho laughed mockingly as he strode out of the shop leaving Valeria shaking with suppressed rage. The ferocity of her reaction to Jericho's taunts frightened her. She had been insulted before, but this time only Moira's intervention had kept her from attacking the Wastelander. It was like when she'd faced Moriarty, but much more intense. Jericho's eyes held no fear, only the promise and even eagerness for violence. As much as Gob and Maggie had touched her with their consideration and sympathy, Valeria knew that Jericho and others like him were what she was going to face in the Wasteland. If she couldn't get her sudden temper under control, she was going to die at the hands of one of those hardened killers.
It was near closing time when the last customer entered, an attractive young woman with blond hair tied back from her face. Moira looked up from sweeping and said, "Oh hey Lucy, can I help you? We'll be closing soon."
"I won't be long. Actually I'd like to speak to...Valeria about a job?"
"Sure." Moira replied before turning and shouting. "Hey Val! Could you bring the crate in here?"
Valeria entered with a large metal crate balanced on her shoulder. In between customers she helped Moira move inventory dropped off by caravan earlier that week. They soon found that she could lift over three-hundred pounds with no apparent effort, which got her the duty of freight handling.
"Wow." Lucy exclaimed as she took in Valeria's size before holding out her hand.
"I'm Lucy West. I read the notice outside and I was hoping you'd be available for a delivery?" Valeria set the crate down with a heavy thud and took Lucy's hand. Lucy didn't flinch when Valeria's hand enveloped her own, and her smile didn't waver.
"Sure. What do I need to deliver and where?"
"Great! It's a letter to my brother Ian in Arefu. I haven't gotten any word from him in a while and I'm getting worried."
"How soon do you need it delivered?"
"As soon as possible if that's okay."
Valeria hesitated a moment before nodding in agreement.
"I'll leave first thing in the morning if that's okay with Moira." Valeria glanced at Moira who nodded with a smile.
"Oh thank you." Lucy said gratefully. "I'll give you directions."
Valeria started to enter co-ordinates into her Pipboy as Lucy described Arefu's location. It wasn't very far from Megaton, but Valeria knew first hand how dangerous travel in the Wastes was. However she knew it was a danger she had to face if she was going to find her father. Something in her genes had transformed her into a grotesque giant, and her father was the only person who could tell her why. Somewhere out in the wastes were answers, and she was going to find them...
...somehow.
