4. Lost, Super Mutants, Brotherhood
Xaria sat huddled in a corner of the long abandoned underground railway- hisses and grunts echoing from around the corner. Then a battle cry and gun shots could be heard. Guarding the mouth of the metro station- right in the path of where she needed to cross- was a Super Mutant. Every so often he would rush off to attack a Ghoul before returning back to his post.
What do I do? She thought frantically. She quietly checked her ammo supply and knew she had enough, however the beast was huge and she didn't know how fast it was. She leaned her forehead against the cool concrete wall, trying to calm herself down to think rationally. I obviously can't stay here forever, this is the only path I can take so I need to hurry up and make a decision or I'll never find dad.
Xaria checked her pistol's ammo, injected a stimpack in her arm for good measure, and then started crawling away from her safe hiding spot and in between the ruble- slowing inching closer to the Super Mutant.
"Huh?" The monster uttered when he heard rocks and debris shuffle. He began to walk away from his post and towards her direction.
Alright, use the element of surprise when he gets closer. She thought, trying to motivate herself. Once the Super Mutant was within distance for her to accurately shoot, she bolted to a standing position- her gun ready. A smirk tugged at her lip at the surprised look on its face. "What up?" pop, pop, dodge, dive, and crumple. Under a minute later the mutant was dead and Xaria came out of the battle with a graze on her leg. She took a moment to look over the dead mutant's body- taking the assault rifle and ammo. She felt energy going through her veins and she went headlong into the Ghoul populated section of the metro station. She was so engrossed in running and shooting that she took a wrong turn and ended up off course.
"Oh God I'm lost," She said under her breath. It surprised her how cocky she got and how quickly she lost focus. She felt like she was becoming a different person after just being out of the vault for a few days. While she was a vault-dweller Xaria had been quiet and reserve, even though she knew almost everyone around her. Only her father, Jonas, and Amata saw her stubborn and sarcastic side, because she knew they truly cared about her and wanted her to be real with them. Also, she didn't feel like starting fights with Butch no matter how annoying he was. She had a feeling that she would have to start becoming less polite and reserved as she continued on in her journey to keep from being walked over, but it was a hard cycle to break.
With a sigh she pulled herself together and focused on the compass on her pip-boy. She power walked through the debris- clearing out or barely dodging Ghouls and Radroaches as she went. It took her a lot longer then she expected to get to Chevy Chase- the sun hanging around four of five in the afternoon. It seemed quite enough, and she almost let her guard down, but then she heard gun fire. Crouching down, she inched closer until she could see Super Mutants fighting a group in armor. She stood up, making sure to hang back enough to be unseen by the Super Mutants as the group attacked with laser rifles. Once all the Super Mutants were taken out, blond women- along with another solider with in an armored helmet- walked towards her.
"Is this the idiot who blew our cover?" The woman asked the soldier, looking at Xaria in annoyance.
"Looks that way," The man replied.
Excuse me? Xaria wanted to snap, however she bit her tongue. There was her reserved and non-confrontational side again. I'm pretty sure I went unseen. You blew your own ambush. She flashed the women a polite smile, trying to show that she meant no harm.
"Look, I don't know who you are but you don't belong here. The Super Mutants have overrun our brothers at the Galaxy News Radio building, and we're headed there to back them up," She said firmly. She then paused, as if to decide if she really wanted to say the next thing she had in mind. "You can tag along if you want. But keep your head down and try not to do anything…stupid."
"Okay…thanks," Xaria replied, trying to stay pleasant but the women really grated on her nerves. "Who are you?"
"Sentinel Sarah Lyons with the Brotherhood of Steel," She replied shortly. "Any more questions."
"Nope," Xaria replied. "Lead the way.
She struggled to keep up with the fast paced soldiers. She was hungry and thirty, but tried her best to ration her supplies out so they would last longer.
"Who's she?" She heard one of the men ask Lyons.
"Just a stray," Lyons replied.
Just a stray, huh? Xaria thought. I guess she's right. I am a bit of a stray. I've got nothing left right now- just wondering the waste with the thought that I'll find my father.
After taking on more Super Mutants- which was a lot easier with help- Xaria stood in the GNR plaza feeling her spirits raise. She was exhausted, but knew she was just moments away from finding out where her father was. She was about to climb the stairs to access the building when she heard a monstrous growl that echoed though the plaza.
"What is that?" Xaria shouted, to anyone who could hear her. She ran back towards the center where she heard shouts coming from the soldiers about a Behemoth coming. Moments later the rubble that once stood immobile near the side of the GNR building was blasted away- revealing the largest Super Mutant she had ever seen. She stood in shock for a moment, not sure what to do. What could she do? She watched as Brotherhood of Steel soldiers ran out from the building and began to fire at the monster, but it had little to no effect.
What do I do? Xaria questioned frantically. She then noticed, next to a dead solider that laid forgotten on the water fountain, was a mini nuke. She sprinted over to the weapon, picking the weapon up with a struggle- she couldn't stand up with it, but the area was just the right size where she could aim at the Behemoth without having to be on her feet. She fumbled with the missile as she put it into the weapon- the monster was getting closer and more people were being injured or dying. When she finally got the weapon together she had just enough time to fire the weapon before it took a swing at her. The kickback from the mini-nuke took her breath away- debris flying into her face and leaving scraps all over any exposed skin. She fired the second missile without hesitation, making her shoulder ach, but she got the job done. The Behemoth was down- sprawled out in the middle of the GNR plaza.
"Hey!" She heard Lyons shout. Or it least the tone sounded like a shout; everything sounded muffled. "Are you okay?"
She looked at the women who was heading her way and tried to crack a smile. "Yeah I'm fine." She dropped the weapon with shaking arms. Her ears rang and her head ached. "I need to…" She took a shaky breath, feeling incredibly faint. "I need to see…who runs Galaxy News Radio. I need to…" Xaria felt herself fall to her knees, her hearing fading. The last thing she saw was Lyons trying to catch her.
