OoO( 34 )OoO
John had spent the majority of the day with his new comrades in arms, eating, getting to know them, and discussing his various 'enhancements' that made his stories so outlandish with them. He had immediately made fast friends with León, finding many similarities between himself and the young man. They were both pretty much thrown from a calm, serene lifestyle into the one they currently resided in, which was a whirling nightmare of death, betrayal, nearly getting killed.
According to León, his family had come from the south where their kin had lived for generations since the Great War. They were far away from any cities large enough to be affected by the blasts, but that didn't stop the fallout from following the winds and destroying their home. The noxious radioactive cloud from the metropolis near them swept upwards, consuming and poisoning land and grass like the plague. They had nothing left after it passed, and decided to move north. They had settled here twenty some years ago, when their mother first found that she was pregnant with Sonora.
So, they stopped and made a home in what is now a giant hole in the ground. Formerly, it was a small settlement further north, near a place known as Old Olney. That was before the Enclave happened to stumble into the settlement, and thought it was a suitable testing ground for a new project they had been working on. The wanderer had looked at León like he was mad when he described what a deathclaw was. But even more unbelievable was the fact that the Enclave were trying to control them now. Sonora and an even younger León only got away just barely, and that was only because their parents had thrown themselves in the way.
From that day forward, they both had a burning hatred for anyone in the Enclave. Years later, they had established a home for themselves here in a former bomb shelter, and used guerilla tactics to try and disrupt Enclave activities. But they barely made a scratch on the proverbial and literal armor. That was, until they had come across Sandman, originally known as Jamaar. The pair of them had taken a trip to an island known as Point Lookout, further south, and off the coast of Virginia. Their ultimate goal had been to find something to give them an advantage over the Enclave, and they'd heard about the old pre-war tech that could be found on the island.
When they arrived however, they'd immediately wanted to go back. The place was a nightmare of radioactive mutation, incest, and bogs that could swallow a behemoth whole. The people were violent and classified into one of two units. 'Family units' consisted of hillbillies that had isolated themselves so far away from civilization that they literally bred among themselves. And 'Tribal units' were a people of all bloods gathered to worship a certain creature, plant, or mythical figure. Sonora had explained that the amusing thing about the entire population was that they hated each other as much as they hated outsiders. One member of one family was just as likely to kill another member of another family as they were a tribal leader. The pair had used that to their advantage many times in their journey in the swampland of horror.
Then, one day they discovered some kind of ritual taking place on the peak of a hill. Sneaking up, the pair of them watched as Jamaar was tied to a post, and had kindling laid beneath his feet. They knew immediately what was about to happen, and they looked at each other, questioning what should be done. The large man had apparently been drugged, or so they thought because he was rambling in some unknown language in a loud baritone voice that shook the airwaves around them. When one of the tribe finally approached with a torch, Sonora made a decision.
Taking her long rifle, she blasted the tribesman's chest cavity open. He dropped, and the others looked around for the perpetrator. Taking her precious few seconds of anonymity, she fired another shot at the ropes binding the large man to the post. Her shot scored, and tore the man free. After shouting at him to run, both Sonora and León ran as fast as their legs would carry them. But it wasn't long before they realized that they weren't being followed. Slightly confused, they backtracked and found out why.
All of their pursuers had been strangled to death by plantlife. Vines, trees, ivy, all of it. The bodies were hanging from the branches with the plantlife tightly wrapped around their extremities, like some twisted puppet show. The only soul to be found was the man they had just rescued, who smiled at them. John looked at León expectantly. "What did he do?"
Sandman walked into the room, his wide smile on his face again. "I said, 'Da Loa sent yuh ta me fer a reason. I be goin' wit ya until I find dat reason." he finished.
"As it turns out, he was a witch doctor for his tribe. They'd gotten annihilated by the people that were about to burn him. So, we brought him with us. From that point, the Enclave didn't stand a chance. He can control the winds, allowing for near sandstorm levels of camouflage, he can disguise the house behind illusions of heat, and best of all, he can cause plant life to flourish in small areas. So not only is he helping us fight the Enclave, but he's also helping to feed us." said the woman with a smile.
John chuckled, making the woman shoot up an eyebrow. "Well, I actually think I inadvertently created a counter to your little sandstorm trick." he said.
Sonora smiled. "Oh yeah? Muéstrame, amigo." she commanded. John looked over at her brother.
"It's a challenge. She wants you to show her." he said in amusement. The gunman smiled, then slid his eyepiece up onto his face, then pushed the button on the ear clamp. The display lit up on his side of the lens, showing all of the figures in the room as a bright green color. They all looked at him expectantly. Realizing he was the only one who could see what he was seeing, he chuckled, then removed the headset from his head and handed it to her. "Take a look." he said.
She looked at him cautiously, then took the device and clamped it to her ear with his assistance. Once it was secured to her head, he lowered the lense, then turned it on. Her eyes widened as he lit up green as well in the view lens. "Oh Dios mío…" she said as she looked around at the others. He hit the button next to her ear once more, and it switched to a low scale x ray, allowing her to see slightly through him and her brother, showing her their basic bone structure. Then he hit it one last time, and his frame lit up orange, as well as anyone else in the area while the walls and surroundings turned blue. "What is this?" she asked, astounded.
"I call it VATS. It gives me a full range of vision, allowing me to see far beyond what someone would normally be able to see." he said, then held up his pipboy. "Elsa, activate full range vision." he said. The view shifted again and highlighted his, her brother's, and Sandman's bodies with the number 100% above all of them. "This mode tells you how exposed the target is, and whether or not your weapon would be able to hit them if aimed correctly."
"This is so far beyond anything I've ever seen. Nobody would be able to sneak up on you...ever…" she said, astounded. "Where did you get this?"
"Well, I got the eyepiece from a Vault-Tec bunker. But the programming came from me and Elsa. It's gotten us out of many nasty situations, and when combined with your ability to blind the enemy with dust storms, would be devastating to anyone you decided to attack." he said.
She nodded absentmindedly. "They couldn't see us, but we could see them as clear as day…" she said. Then she looked up at him. "Do you know where we can get more of these?" she asked.
Much to her letdown however, he shook his head. "It was a prototype medical scanner that allowed doctors to see inside patients without having to cut them open. The military added their own applications, like the ladar and thermal views, for things like night missions. But as far as I know, it only ever got to the prototype phase before the bombs fell. But your best bet would be vaults, or any other Vault-Tec facilities. As a matter of fact, I'd try Vault-Tec medical locations. That's your best option." he said. "And if you ever find them, I'll program them for you." he said.
"So…" interrupted León. "If you don't mind me asking, who is this Elsa? You talked to her a minute ago, but unless she is invisible, I don't see how she got in here." he asked curiously.
John looked up, then chuckled, slightly embarrassed. "Oh...sorry. There's actually a reason for that." he said, then held up his pipboy. "Elsa, say hello to the nice people."
"Make me." she said playfully.
"Elsa…" he said, his voice becoming stern.
"Fine fine. Hello new people." she said, popping up on the screen.
"Is that what Ah think it is?" asked Belle, who had been cleaning her shotgun on the couch.
"She…" said John, emphasizing his point on that one word. "Is an artificial intelligence."
"Mah goodness. I never thought Ah'd see one'a them." she said as she walked over and stared at the screen.
"Take a picture, it'll last longer." said Elsa, crossing her arms.
"No need tah get fresh sugar." said the southern woman, eying her. Elsa pouted, staring up at her admirer. "Mah you're a cutie." Belle said with a smile on her face. Elsa sat there speechless for a moment, unsure of how to react to the compliment.
"Uhhh..thanks I guess?" she said, scratching her hair on the screen inquisitively.
"Might as well meet the whole gang. Elsa, call in Liberty." said the gunman as he walked over to the door. "I'd like you all to meet another of my close friends." he said and swung the door open. The small bot was hovering outside the door as it opened, and immediately all of the Regulators inside drew their weapons and aimed at the robot.
"Hostility increased." said the deep voice of Liberty as he looked back and forth between them. "I politely ask you to drop your weapons before I am forced to take action, communist scum." said the bot as he began targeting them all. But John immediately stepped in the way.
"Woah woah woah!" he shouted, holding his hands up to them. "Slow down, he's not going to harm you."
"¿Qué crees que estás haciendo?" asked Sonora, her tone now extremely threatening as she aimed a rifle straight at him.
John looked at León for assistance. The man crossed his arms, being the only one unarmed, but glared at the wanderer. That was the first time he'd ever shown anything other than pleasantry towards him. "She's asking why the hell you brought and Enclave spy drone into our midst." he said, his voice even showing anger.
"He's not an Enclave drone...well, he physically is…" said John, stumbling over his words. "Look, just put the guns down, and I'll explain." he said.
"You really didn't think this situation out huh?" asked Elsa with a chuckle.
"I sometimes forget about minor details." he said, glaring at her.
"Obviously." she said, shaking her head.
The Regulators stared at him for a long moment before finally lowering their firearms. John sighed in relief as he saw them relinquishing. "Explain yourself One-oh-One." said Sonora, keeping her now icy gaze on him.
John nodded. "When I first came out of the vault, Liberty here was an Enclave drone floating around Springvale. He was destroyed when I was attacked by raiders, so I took him home and repaired him. I also removed his Enclave brain chip and installed one that I modified from a protectron class robot. So, he is not an Enclave spy." he said forcefully.
The others looked at each other questioningly, then looked back at him. "He called us communist scum." said León.
"It's part of his coding that I wasn't able to rewrite. If I wanted him to keep his defensive capabilities, he had to be stuck with the voice of the Communist Defense protocols. Which apparently calls everyone, from me, to Simms, to a little girl, communists. Hell, I'm pretty sure he claims that the brahmin in Megaton is a red spy." he said. The tension eased considerably when the brother and sister chuckled. "Liberty, front and center."
The bot swerved around its creator and stared at the two Regulators. "Deputy Liberty at your service red dogs." he said.
León laughed even louder at the robot, and Sonora just smiled. "Alright, you pass." she said, waving Liberty aside. The robot floated over to her brothers side, and she shot John a look again. "Hey estúpido, the next time you decide to collect Enclave stuff, warn us. I about put one right between your eyes." she said with a threatening playfulness. Then she looked over as the robot looked at her with its emoted face. "You sure you disabled all contact with the Enclave?" she asked.
"I've upgraded him several times. Don't worry, the only person in there is Liberty. And as long as you aren't shooting me or anyone in Megaton, you're safe from him." he said, reaching up and patting the eyebot on the head. The other two still eyed the bot with caution, but the brother and sister seemed to have made peace with him. "Now, if you don't mind, there's something I'd like to ask you." he said, getting all of their attention again. "Simms said you could help me find out where Talon Company is based out of. Is that true?"
Sonora's face went sour as she heard the request. "We can tell you, maybe even show you. But why the hell would you wanna go there?" she asked.
John scratched his head thoughtfully. "Well, you'll probably be hearing something on the radio about what I've been doing for the last few days. In any case, I'm chasing after a member of their band that was wearing a suit of stolen power armor. I'm not sure where he went, but if I can, I'd like to try and cut him off before he gets back to base."
She looked from John, to her brother, then back again. "He's in power armor?" she asked. The gunman nodded. She sighed and shook her head. "Then I'm afraid he's probably already there. It only takes a day to get from here to Fort Bannister, and if that's where he was headed, then you probably already lost your chance." she said.
The gunman leaned against the back wall and thudded his head against the concrete in frustration. "Dammit…" he said.
"I don't know how you intend to track him down again, but my advice is this. Don't turn your back on anyone you wouldn't ask to save your life. Talon Company is well funded and very resourceful thanks to that culo in Tenpenny Tower. Whatever you do, don't let your guard down when you're on your own." said the woman's brother cautiously.
John just reached up and rubbed his head in irritation. "Why is it that I seem to make more enemies than friends? I'm a nice guy!" he said, exasperated. The others chuckled.
"You should know how it is by now. It's being a nice guy that gets you killed in the wastes." she said, patting him on the shoulder.
OoOoO
Simms had held down the fort after John had left again. But now, he had a new job on top of his usual duties. Instead of just patrolling the town, checking up on each of the residents, and his share of the wall, he now had the duty of keeping an ear open for any information in the wrong hands. At first, the sheriff had been confused about how he would recognize when someone had information they shouldn't have. But the gunman had smirked at him and told him that that was the easy part.
He approached the familiar form of Leo Stahl as he stepped outside of his sisters diner. He hadn't questioned him yet, so that was his target. Walking up to the man, who looked like he'd had better days, he stopped and tipped his hat to him.
"Leo, been a while." said the man, cordially enough.
The youngest of the Stahl's looked up at him in irritation. "Look man, I've been clean for a month now…"
"I'm actually not here about that. But I do want you to know that I'm proud of you for kicking the habit." said Lucas as he patted the man on the shoulder.
Leo just sighed. "Yeah...makes it feel all better." he said sarcastically, running a hand through his hair. "So, what can I do for you then Sheriff?" he asked.
"I was just curious if you've heard any rumors wandering around Megaton about John." he said. He immediately began looking at Leo's demeanor.
The Stahl brother looked up at him oddly. "John? I mean...nothing beyond the usual. Savior of the wastes, can do nothing wrong, practically Jesus Christ reborn." he said shrugging.
Simms nodded with a chuckle. "Don't let him hear you say that. I mean more along the lines of what he's doing. Have you heard anything about where he's going?" he asked.
Leo just shook his head. "Sorry man, I've been asleep most of the day. I haven't heard anything about him."
The sheriff just nodded. "Thanks for your time. If you hear anything, be sure to let me know." he mentioned, before tipping his hat and walking off. On the catwalk above, Lana stared down at the Stahl brother, her piercing blue eyes locked onto the figure as Lucas departed.
Leo walked over to talk to his sister on the grill again, grabbed a bit of food, then went back inside the diner. She just sighed to herself. "Another dead end." she said. "If he is the informant, he doesn't give a shit that Simms is onto him." she said as she shoved off the railing and walked towards the shop known as Craterside Supply. When she entered, she saw Moira across the counter, and Simms leaning on it.
"Anything?" he asked. She just shook her head, making him sigh. "Easy part he says." he grumbled as he patted the redhaired woman's shoulder, then left the store. Lana looked over at Moira, who was sticking her tongue out, deep in thought as she stood over what looked like a car engine.
"Whatcha got there?" she asked curiously.
Moira wiped a bit of perspiration off her brow as she smiled. "Oh ya know. Bits and bobs. This here is new kind of engine for holding the nuclear core. That old pile of slag in the water purification plant is gonna go out eventually, so we need to have a backup just in case." she said cheerfully.
Lana looked at the woman oddly. She herself was an optimist, and often found herself in cheery moods despite the wastelands harsh, oppressive nature. But even she was shocked by the northern woman's unstoppable air of friendliness. "I see...so you just...build a new one?" she asked, getting an enthusiastic nod. "First genetic manipulation, now mechanical engineering? Where did you learn all this?" she asked, leaning against the counter.
Moira finished the part she was working on, then wiped her hands on the oily rag that she kept tucked into her belt. "I read alot. Loved reading since I was a girl. Plus, you learn a lot when you spend years devoted to one subject." she said as she turned and took down another tool off the shelf. When she did, Lana noticed a small patch attached to the arm of the shopkeeper's jumpsuit. It was a small fox that matched the color of her jumpsuit. She just smiled at the adorable icon.
"But you'd have to be in your seventies to be skilled enough in both subjects that you could manipulate genetics and build a nuclear reactor. How did you fit all of that in there?" asked the Brotherhood of Steel representative, wondering how talented the woman in front of her actually was.
Moira looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Huh...you're right. How did I learn all that stuff?" she asked, scratching her brunette hair.
Lana just looked at her in shock. "Y-You don't know?" she asked, bewildered.
"Sorry, when you get to my age memories like that kind slide by, ya know?" she asked as she reached down with one hand and lifted the engine, and grab one of her tools from underneath it. Lana stared at her as she lifted the machine effortlessly and set it down as if it were no more than a table.
"Alright, well, I should go." said Lana with a bright smile.
"Oh? Alright! You come back now!" waved Moira as the woman left.
Knight McGyle just stood outside the shop for a full minute, pondering the crazy woman that ran Craterside Supply. "What the hell is she?" she asked.
OoOoO
After having truly met his fellow wasteland guardians, the gunman felt much less alone in the wasteland. For the longest time since he'd left the vault, he had felt a dark cloak of isolation around himself. He had many great friends, from Billy, to Simms, Nova, Three Dog, Elsa, Cid, and beyond, he'd had many people at his back. Both figuratively and literally. Despite these people however, he always felt like he had been somewhat of a lone wolf. He didn't feel alone, or isolated per se, but he felt as if he were the only one in the world quite like him. Coming out of the vault, he'd have thought that many people were like him, wanting to go out and help others to survive the sandy, miserable nightmare that the nation's capital had become.
He was wrong. Very wrong. There were many good people out there in the world, like Simms, Gob, and Nova, but they were too busy surviving to do much about helping others. Simms did his best with his role as the guardian of the town, but he never strayed that far from their little crater. So finally meeting others who went out of their way to actually help others was a great relief to him, knowing that he was no longer the sole fighter in the wasteland.
Despite his newfound friendship, he knew he wouldn't be able to stay with them for long. If the stray mercenary did indeed make it back to Fort Bannister, then whatever retaliation they were planning was aimed directly at Megaton. That was something that was going to happen only over his dead body. So after telling them briefly where to find him, and what he intended to do for the next few days, he left.
Stepping back out into the desert, he shielded his eyes as he looked over the scape, then down at his pipboy. It shouldn't take him long to get back to Megaton, especially if he didn't stop to rest like he did last time. That wasn't likely, as his pace had him beelining directly for the crater city, little to no stops on the way. A few hours in however, he did stop briefly at a small burned out husk of a house to drink some water. His regeneration was a strange thing. If it worked how he believed it worked, then he wouldn't necessarily need food or water either. The tissue degeneration from lack of food or water should technically be healed just the same as if he were shot or stabbed.
But that was just the thing. Did that mean he ran off radiation now? If the radiation were to go away, would he be able to survive, or could he sustain himself with food and water like regular people. These were all things he would have to run across Moira when he got back. She was the one who turned him into a radioactive juggernaut after all. "John, we really need to get moving. Liberty is picking up readings of a raider group nearby. I think they already know we're here." she said in a worried tone.
John was about to respond when he heard a crack echo off the horizon. He looked up just in time to see someone aiming a rifle at him, then looked down and saw the water in the plastic bottle he was holding start pouring out of a hole that had just been made in it. He looked at his chest, then reached up and touched a burned hole that was now searing his skin. Suddenly, there was another crack, then another, then another. Six more rounds entered his chest and knocked him back as he tried recovering from the first. He breathed heavily as he fell to one knee. He could feel the healing process begin, but that was far from the first thought in his mind. Looking up, the wanderer saw the form of a raider with a sniper rifle come out of cover with a large smile on his face.
Suddenly, there was a loud sound like a shotgun to his right. Something impacted his side with a sharp sting, then he screamed loudly as he felt an enormous amount of electricity enter his body. Two more explosive sounds followed by stinging, and another rush of electricity.
"I want him out before we secure him. Don't take no fuckin' chances." said the eye-patched raider. He glared at the form of the gunman, which was now spasming horribly on the ground as wave after wave of electricity coursed through him. When the electric shocks stopped, the man nodded to one of the men at his side. "Keep your sights on him boys. If he moves, hit him again." said the raider.
The man walked over and looked down at the wanderer. His eyes were still open. He got goosebumps by looking into the glowing eyes of the terror of the wasteland. But right now, the eyes weren't looking back. They were now looking into the distance as his brain lay in unconsciousness. Looking back at his leader, he nodded. "I think he's out boss." said the man.
The eye-patched raider glared at John, then looked over at a few others in his party. "Secure him, and make sure he isn't able to break loose." he said. As the two mean he assigned began using a thick steel chain to bind the gunman, one of the raiders men, specifically the one that had shot him with the sniper rifle, screamed. They all looked at him as his body lit up and ionized into dust.
"Prepare for destruction communist dogs." came a cry from above them as the eye bot swooped in and unleashed a hellish laser fire, it's display screen now blaring a red crosshairs.
OoOoO
Author's Note: Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the reviews and favorites. And to those who believe that John is invulnerable, and that there's no tension left in the story, all I have to say is this. :P Prepare yourselves my friends, because you asked for it. This next chapter I've had in my head since the last story was up, but I never really got to it before starting this one. So here it is in all of its glory. And for those interested, the chapter before this one was rewritten, as I am prone to do when I don't like how I wrote something. It's the same content, but neater and and in more detail.
Oh, and huge thank you to CowTits the Udderly Glorious for correcting my work in regards to the Spanish language. I'm pretty much piecing together what I remember from the four years of Spanish I took back in highschool, so it's good having someone around who can make sure Sonora isn't asking John to put a cat in his pants.
Also, huge kudos to Shouvin who has pretty much been my proofreader since he discovered the story. xD He's out there kicking up dirt now doing the same kind of work John is in protecting his homeland, so well wishes to him, and thanks again for questioning the details of the story. Not only does that help me put those details into existence, but it also creates potential for future story ideas.
See you next time space cowboy.