With a dry rustle of thick, rough paper, Dare unrolled a handmade map of the Capital Wasteland as he knew it. There were several marks drawn on the surface, with names above them like 'Arefu', 'Big Town', 'Paradise Falls', 'Tenpenny Tower' and various metro stations and stores, a good many with an x drawn next to the name. "What do those mean?" Amata asked curiously, tapping the mark.
"It means those places had Raiders or animals living there, and that I cleared them out," Dare replied, directing their attention to north-east of Megaton, "This where we're headed. Minefield."
He wrote the name above the coordinates Moira gave him. Nearby there were more places, such as a scrap yard, an area called 'Simms' Coordinates' and a circled spot that had the question 'Raider hideout?' above it. "This is a pretty dense area," Katie remarked, tapping the spot, "There's about five things around there."
"And that is all I currently know about the area," the sniper answered, before pointing at the lower left quadrant of the map. "And this is downtown. It's about twice as dense, building-wise."
Clover leaned over the map, peering at the words. "What's the plan, Dare?"
He tapped Megaton. "We'll leave in a few minutes, head up north and cross at this shallow point in the river," he dragged his finger up, "then, we'll head into the scrap yard and scavenge. Most of what we'll find is junk, but even junk can be useful, and you never know what you might find. If we find a good amount of salvage, we can stash it nearby. After that, we'll head up to Minefield and take a look, then loop around to Simms' coordinates and the possible Raider base. Then we'll grab our salvage and walk back home."
"That sounds good," Katie said with a nod, buckling her metal armor on. "What do you think about Minefield? It sounds sort of suspicious to me. Some random ruins that just happen to be covered in mines? Why?"
Dare shrugged, adjusting his pack and sniper rifle for comfort. "Can't say, but it is odd. I'll take a look at it from a distance and see if there's anything odd before we go in proper. Let me check your pack," he ordered Amata, who opened it and showed him the contents. "Good. Katie?" The blonde bruiser did the same, getting an approving nod. "Alright, I think we're good to head out."
He lead as they stepped out of the house, pulling his hat on as he did, waving to Stockholm as they exited Megaton proper. Amata tugged on a red ballcap to keep the sun out of her eyes, and Katie and Clover set armored metal helmets made from scavenged bike helmets on their heads.
They walked through the mostly destroyed town, passing a trading outpost set in a half-exploded school and crossing the rocky shallows nearby. Katie pointed out a grouping of derelict buildings, where they could see the smoke from a fire spewing into the air. "Are we going to check that out?"
Dare glanced at the thrown-together barricades. "We're busy already; let's just note the location and come back later. If we step off the path we're on, we could spend an entire week finding random things to do in the Wasteland," he replied, popping a piece of gum in his mouth.
A few minutes later, they crested a hill to find a broken road leading into the crumbled, rusted gates of the scrap yard, which was stacked with the desiccated husks of cars, buses and box cars. There was an empty shack near the entrance, and they could see three smoke stacks rising in the distance.
As they neared the entrance, a sudden shout rang through the air, followed by gunshots. Drawing their weapons, the group hurried into the yard, running past a rusted shipping container. Rounding it, they heard a shout as a Raider fired her SMG at a mottled grey and black dog that crouched and lunged, driving the woman to the ground and, with a vicious jerk of its head, ripped her throat out.
Dare raised his pistol cautiously, watching the dog carefully as it climbed off the corpse it had just made and faced them with bared teeth, its muzzle bloody. The dog sniffed the air briefly before sneezing and licking its chops before slowly trotting over to the sniper, peering at him curiously.
He pointed his gun at the ground and held his left hand out slowly towards the dog. It sniffed his hand before licking it and stepping forward, letting the Sniper pet his head. "You're a good boy, huh?" Dare asked, holstering his pistol and crouching, petting the dog with both hands as the ladies stepped around him to search the bodies. His eyes found the body of a man not wearing Raider armor, clad in the typical scavenger garb; that is, mostly made of pockets, which were stuffed with handfuls of ammo, chems, tools and other junk. "Is that your owner?"
The dog whined sadly, hanging its head and tail low. "Oh, don't worry boy." Katie soothed, rubbing its back comfortingly. "We'll take care of you. Right?" She asked hopefully, looking at Dare with pleading green eyes.
"Sure. He could come handy." Dare replied, eyeing the torn apart corpses. "He obviously knows his way around hostile people. We are going to have to think up a name for him."
Clover, who was searching the dog's former owner, held up a greasy bundle of paper. "Dogmeat." She announced, making the dog perk up and trot over to her, looking up at her with eager eyes, one of which was brown and the other, blue. The former slave held a piece of something out to him, glancing up at Dare. "His name's Dogmeat. I found a piece of paper wrapped around a few pieces of mole rat jerky with the name on it."
"Anything else?" He asked.
Amata shrugged, pocketing a few clips of ammo. "An SMG, a Chinese pistol and 10mm, along with three doses of Pyscho, some Jet and a pool cue. Nothing's in amazing condition, but there are some useful parts." She relayed, efficiently taking apart the sub-machine gun.
"Let's split up and take a look around." Dare said, glancing around the scrapyard with a critical eye. "It's a pretty small area, and we should be able to hear each other if we shout."
He strode off to look in the shack and the others split off to do their own searching. Katie looked around and grimaced, before looking at Dogmeat speculatively. "Hey boy!" she said, crouching and rubbing his ears, "Can you find something interesting for me?"
Dogmeat barked excitedly, before chasing his tail for a few seconds and trotting off with his nose close to the ground. The blonde shrugged and followed him as he walked through the scrap yard, when he suddenly dashed forward into half of a burned-out bus next to a red shipping container, pointing at a mostly-hidden ammo box under the bench with his nose. Katie smiled to herself and knelt next to the box, retrieving a bobby pin and a screwdriver, using them as a makeshift lockpick and to provide torque, respectively.
After a few minutes and about six broken pins, the blonde growled and threw her screwdriver down in frustration. "Dare!" She shouted, making Dogmeat whine sadly. "Oh, it wasn't your fault boy, this damn lock is getting on my nerves."
Dare stepped out of the shack, looking up from the magazine he was reading. "What, Katie?" He asked, walking over to her.
"I can't unlock this thing," she complained, rapping the box with her knuckles. "Can you take a crack at it?"
"Sure." The sniper crouched next to her, bringing out his own make-shift lockpicking kit. He worked the lock gently, listening intently, nodding when he heard something good and turned the lock, making it click. Opening it, he reached inside and retrieved three rolled up magazines. "Odd." He muttered, spreading the readables on the bench. "All I've found so far is another magazine. And a handful of caps and a couple of cherry bombs."
"It's not like expanding our library is a bad thing." Katie offered optimistically, before grinning. "Oh, issue twenty-three of Grognak the Barbarian! I haven't read that one yet. And issue eight of U.S. Army: 30 Handy Flamethrower Recipes! Score."
Dare smiled to himself, noticing that the blonde had referred to the collection of books and magazines as 'our library'. She had come to consider his house as her own, along with Amata, and they were taking to the change of lifestyle very well.
They gathered up their papery loot and made for the exit of the scrap yard, finding the others there as well. "Find anything interesting?" Clover asked, standing up from the broken fence she was leaning on, "Because I didn't find jack shit."
"I found some useful scrap metal, but nothing beyond that." Amata reported with a shrug.
"I found an issue of Lying, Congressional Style, and Katie found Grognak the Barbarian, U.S.: 30 Handy Flamethrower Recipes, and Guns and Bullets." Dare relayed, rolling the magazines up and storing them away. "Not too bad and nothing too heavy. We should continue on."
They exited the yard with Dogmeat bounding along beside them, heading for the cluster of houses in the distance. Dare scaled a short hill with Amata, setting the butt of his rifle in his shoulder and peering through the scope as the medic looked through the monocular. "Doesn't look like the neighborhood itself has anyone living there," she told him.
There were only four houses still standing out of what looked to be eight or nine, the others having been reduced to burnt, collapsed skeletons. At the far end of the road ending in Minefield, there was the ground floor of what might have once been an office building overlooking the neighborhood. Dare was scanning that building when he saw a flash of sunlight reflecting off of glass and his hair stood on end.
"Sniper!" he shouted, pushing himself back as a bullet impacted the dirt just below his face. "He's in the concrete building! Amata, give me cover fire, I'm going to move down there." He pointed at an outcrop of rock on the far end of the hill they were on. "Fire off a few bursts, then take the others and move near the road. I'll whistle when I'm in position, and when I do, I want you to distract him."
"Okay, Dare!" Amata answered, removing her assault rifle before lifting it over her head and blindly firing in the direction of the building.
Dare rolled away from her and sprinted across the foot of the hill, diving behind the outcropping. Amata pushed away from the hill and slid down the curve to join the others. Clover lead the charge from behind the hill, making tracks towards one of the whole houses. As her feet pounded the dirt, a shot impacted her shoulder, twisting her around and making her fall. Quickly rolling back up, she slid behind the house, Katie and Amata following a second later with Dogmeat hot on their heels, just missing another bullet.
"Clover, are you alright?" The medic asked worriedly, checking the white-haired woman's shoulder.
"It's fine, the shot ricocheted off my armor, didn't even get through." She reassured, patting the brunette's hand. They waited in cover for what felt like minutes, but was merely seconds in reality, until a low whistle reached their ears, making Dogmeat bark. "Now!"
They slipped out from behind the house, firing their weapons at the building. From the distance, they could vaguely make out the form of a man half-hiding behind a pillar, looking down at them through his scope.
A sharp crack rang out and the man collapsed. All they could see were his feet, shuffling as he writhed on the ground in pain. Another shot made his feet jerk, then go still. The ladies slung their weapons on their backs as Dare jogged over to them, his rifle secured. "That takes care of that," he said simply, as if it happened everyday. It probably did, actually. "Now, do you remember what I told you about mines?"
Katie rolled her eyes good-naturedly. Given his dull tone of voice, a stranger would be mistaken for thinking that Dare was being nagging, but she knew that he was simply concerned. Not on the level of her father; he knew she could take care of herself and trusted her to do so. He would have her back as long as she had his. "The on/off button is in the middle of the mines," She started.
"Walk carefully, because making the ground shake will set the mine off quicker," Amata continued with a smile.
"If you don't think you can disarm the mine, shoot it from a safe distance." Clover finished with a smirk, getting in on the joke.
"Because getting your hand blown off is not worth a handful of caps." They repeated at the same, making Dare give them a dry look.
"Get to it." He said, waving them off, stepping carefully on the road, stopping to disarm the mines he found before heading into the house closest to the sniper's building. After unlocking the door, he stepped in and found himself in the dimly-lit interior. It was bare of any furniture, save a bookshelf that had a pre-War book lying on top of it in workable condition. The kitchen was bare, save for a few scattered plates, a Salisbury Steak in the fridge and a box of Sugar Bombs on the counter.
There was an office on the ground floor with a desiccated skeleton lying on the floor next to a desk, which he paid his respects to before searching the room. The desk yielded a few caps and bobby pins, and when he looked around the room again, he saw a wardrobe that been pushed away from the wall a bit, exposing the edge of a safe. Grabbing the wardrobe, Dare pulled it away, completely revealing the safe.
It only took him a few seconds to have the safe open, finding a pair of clips for a 10mm, and what might have been a pistol at one point, but was now a rusted hunk of metal, and what looked like a Pip-Boy, except smaller, with a number pad and a small reflective dish instead of a screen, and exposed wires.
Shrugging, the sniper pocketed the device and looted the wardrobe of clothes to use as rags before continuing up the stairs, finding a bedroom that had a small bed, which had a large teddy bear with a magazine on it, along with a small skeleton that had to have belonged to a child. Dare sighed, before taking the magazine and a box of darts under the bed.
There wasn't much else in the house, just a skeleton that had belonged to a very large man in the main bedroom and couple of stimpaks and a dose of Med-X in a first aid box.
Dare exited the house and made his way up to the sniper's post, disarming a few more mines before walking up a set of steps. He found the body of the other sniper lying near the central pillar, a pool of blood having spread from the shot Dare had landed in his chest that had taken him down, and the one to the head that had finished him off.
He had been an old man wearing crudely-made clothes, and the sniper lying next to the corpse wasn't in the best condition. Dare touched his forehead and his chest and drew an A, before scavenging the rifle and a pair of ammo boxes that held a good amount of .308 ammo and more frag mines.
With all the mines they had collected in Minefield, after selling a good chunk for a profit, Dare could salvage the explosives to make more trip-mines, and have enough left over to teach the girls how to create them.
He took the all that he could, including a trio of Nuka-colas and dropped down to meet the others in the playground. Their packs were a little more full than before. "What did you find?"
Clover opened her pack and rifled through the contents. "A couple of books in good condition, some ammo, a medical journal and a couple of bodies that didn't have much on them." She relayed, grabbing a can of Pork 'n' Beans, cracking it open as she sat on a rusted and bent bench.
"I found much the same," Amata added, "Four books, some ammo and a few caps, nothing else besides a few stimpaks. And a magazine about locks."
Katie huffed. "The house I went into was filled with fucking radroaches and pretty much nothing else, except for a couple of books." Her countenance brightened. "I did find another issue of Grognak, though. And some weird thing that looks kind of like a Pip-Boy."
Clover peered at the device, humming in recognition. "That's a Stealth-Boy. You strap it on and activate it, and it'll turn you mostly invisible for about an hour. You can only use them once, though."
"Could be useful." Amata commented as the blonde put it back.
They sat around the destroyed playground, eating lunch. Dare chewed on a strip of brahmin jerky after giving some to Dogmeat. "We have found a lot of books today." He noted, patting his pack. "I found a few books and an issue of Pugilism Illustrated in the house I searched."
"Ooh!" Katie sat up, beckoning for him to hand it over, "Can I see that?" she asked around a mouthful of bread.
The sniper handed it over and sat back, eating his meal. A few minutes later, they had finished and set off from the now-empty Minefield, heading around the scrap yard to the coordinates Simms had given him nearly a month ago. They found that it lead to a tall, well-constructed shack with a trio of brahmin grazing out front.
Striding up to the door, Dare knocked twice. A slat in the door was pulled back to reveal a pair of serious brown eyes. "What do you want?" the person, a woman by the voice, asked roughly.
"A man named Lucas Simms gave me the coordinates to this place, and note for someone named 'Sonora Cruz,'" Dare replied blandly.
"Oh!" the woman said, her tone becoming friendly, "Come on in."
The slat closed and a pair of locks clicked before the door swung open, allowing them entry. The woman who had answered was on the short side with a friendly smile, wearing a tough brown leather duster that was zipped up to the top. "Sonora's in the room at the top of the stairs," she told them.
Dare thanked her and walked through the shack, heading up the stairs. The interior of the shack was dimly-lit but well cared-for and neat. They saw a few more people milling about, and all wore the same duster, and few had ten-gallon hats on their heads, and laser rifles sitting next to them.
The sniper entered the top most room to find a tall woman in a duster and cowboy hat standing next to another who was sitting at a radio. She arched an eyebrow at them and strode over with long, even strides. "Can I help you?" she asked seriously.
"My name's Dare," Dare introduced himself, "Lucas Simms told me to give this to you." He handed her the note and watched her reaction carefully. It was humorous to watch the woman's eyes widen as she read it.
"I haven't seen Simms sound so excited before," Sonora muttered, impressed, giving Dare a searching look, "What did you do to make him sound so happy?"
The sniper thought back. "There was a man in Megaton who called himself Burke. He hired me to use a fusion charge to rig the nuke in the center of town to explode and paid me to do it. I went to Simms and gave him the charge, then disarmed the nuke for good measure. After that, I traveled to Tenpenny Tower to meet Burke, told him the charge was armed, and went with him to meet his boss, Allistair Tenpenny. He had sent Burke out for the job to destroy Megaton because he said it was a 'blight on his view of the horizon.'"
Even if his tone hadn't changed, everyone in the room could feel the sarcastic air-quotes he had used on that sentence.
"I killed both of them," Dare continued simply, "And took their forefingers, like Simms had asked. I gave them to him, then a month later, I went in to Paradise Falls, killed every slaver there and set the slaves free."
Sonora gaped at him unashamedly. "Wait, you're the one who cleared out Paradise Falls?" She asked in amazement. "By yourself?"
The sniper shook his head. "No. Clover was a former slave that I bought, set free and we cleared it out together."
Clover smiled and nodded, patting her shotgun in satisfaction. "Best day ever." She declared, hugging Dare from behind. "I got set free, and I got to kill those bastards."
The leader of the duster-club blinked in surprise. "Well…okay, then. I can see why Simms was excited, and why he sent you here. You're definitely Regulator material." She stated proudly.
Dare frowned in thought. "Regulator?" he asked.
"It's what we are," Sonora replied, waving her hand at walls of the shack, "We're the Regulators. We've dedicated our lives to bringing evil to justice. And out in the Wasteland, there's only one brand of justice: the gun."
"How many of you are there?" Dare questioned, watching as she strode over to a locker and pulled it open.
"How many of us, you mean," she said with a smile, presenting him with a newly-made duster, "There are quite a few of us spread out all over the Wasteland. The ones here just help with organizing things. I'd be proud to have you join us."
The sniper looked from the coat to the woman for a second, before nodding in acceptance and taking the duster. "I accept."
Sonora grinned widely, shaking his hand firmly. "Welcome to the Regulators, Dare. Wear that coat with pride. As part of the Regulators, if you bring me the fingers of evil people, I'll pay for them as recognition of your work, and if you need help, any nearby Regulators would be glad." She explained as Dare pulled it on, adjusting it to fit comfortably around his leather armor.
"I appreciate it," Dare replied, turning as Amata tapped his shoulder and whispered to him. "Could I buy a laser rifle?"
"Sure," the lead Regulator answered easily, nodding, "The quartermaster is downstairs, he has a few spares you could buy. I look forward to meeting you again."
"Same," he said, and the group fell out to head downstairs. The sniper found a male Regulator downstairs, swapping Amata's assault rifle and a pouch of caps for a blocky laser rifle that the medic nearly squealed in happiness upon receiving.
They exited the building and Dare immediately unzipped the duster and left it that way. Having closed leather over more leather was a good way to overheat, and it was far more comfortable that way. He looked at the ladies questioningly and gestured at himself. "How do I look?"
Katie hummed before reaching out and adjusting the collar. "You look like a pre-War gunslinger," she said, smiling, "It's good. It works for you."
Clover agreed vocally, while Dogmeat barked happily and Amata was rubbing her new rifle. "Thanks for getting this for me, Dare," she said gratefully, "I like how it feels."
"Good," he replied. "Just remember that they can disintegrate people, and you can't scavenge much from a pile of ashes."
"Mhm," the medic hummed, slinging it over her shoulder, "So, the possible Raider base next?"
Dare nodded, setting off south. "Yes. We actually got what we need to get done earlier than I expected, so we can investigate those ruins we passed earlier." He replied.
They walked for a few minutes before an antenna array rose in the distance, above the bombed-out ruins of a building with an underground installation built into a nearby hill, all contained within a rusted fence.
The group paused before they came within range of the possible Raider base. "So…" Katie started hesitantly, playing with the handle of her sledgehammer. "This is it, huh?"
"Yes." Dare replied bluntly. "I'm going to find a good overwatch position, and if it looks like you're in something you can't handle, I help; but for the most part, it's your show. Make your plan of attack, watch each other's backs and stay safe." He ordered, before nodding to them and striding off.
Amata sighed heavily, fingering her laser rifle. "Alright, how are we going to handle this?" She asked.
Clover patted Dogmeat. "Don't look at me, this is your show." She replied blandly.
Katie sucked her teeth for a second, before snapping her fingers in realization. "Amata, let me see that monocular." Her childhood friend handed her the telescope and she climbed on top of a rock, peering through it to scout out the area. "I see four, no, five Raiders in the ruined building. One of them has a missile launcher on the second floor, two of them have assault rifles, one has a pool cue, and another has a baseball bat. Wait, there's another walking along the road with a hunting rifle."
She jumped down and gave the monocular back. "Here's what we're going to do: We're going to wait until the raider on the road turns the other way, then sneak from the fence to those sandbags. Amata, you wait there for the signal, then pick off the one with the launcher. Clover, Dogmeat and I will sneak up below the windows and on my signal, we'll bust in and start shooting." She explained, drawing a few crude figures in the dirt to illustrate.
"Sounds like a plan." Amata agreed and Dogmeat yipped quietly, and they set off to enact said plan. They waited until the raider on the road turned around to walk the distance again before crouch-running over to a pile of sandbags. The medic stopped there and watched in tense silence as the others continued on, kneeling just under the windows.
She shouldered her laser rifle and took aim at the missile-launcher wielding raider's head.
Katie shouted, "Now!" Before jumping through the window and unloading into the room with her shotgun.
Amata realized something was off the second before she pulled the trigger and the loud, hissing splash of a laser splitting the air rang as a red beam zipped right past the raider's head, making him cry out in pain, clutching his forehead. He growled and turned towards the source, revealing the laser beam had burnt and angry red line above his brow.
The laser rifle had been calibrated for someone who was left-handed. Quickly adjust her aim, Amata fired again, just as the raider brought his launcher to bear. But, she had overestimated the adjustment and missed his head again. This time, though, she hit something.
Her laser sped into the tube of the missile launcher, detonating the explosive inside.
A cloud of smoke and dust engulfed the room, making Katie cough and close her eyes to rub the grit out of them. Someone jumped her from behind, landing on her back, yanking her shotgun out of her hands and tossing it somewhere in the cloud before clawing at her face.
Katie growled and flung her head back, feeling the reinforced metal impact someone's face. She reached over her shoulder and grabbed the raider by the back of their neck, bending over and hurling them to the floor, drawing her sledgehammer in the same motion. She stomped on the figure's chest and brought the hammer down on their head, splattering their skull on the floor.
Someone screamed from behind and Katie spun on her heel, slamming the top of the hammer into their stomach before swinging low into their jaw, sending the female raider tumbling to the floor. She stepped forward and finished her off with another blow to the head, then pulled her SMG and turned to face the room.
She found Clover finishing off the last in the room with a shotgun blast to the head. Before she could speak, a round glanced off the side of her helmet, making her head jerk from the impact and surprise. Katie turned and found the raider on the road cycling the bolt for another shot, when a red beam burned the air, scything through her arm and the butt of the hunting rifle.
The raider screamed in pain and stumbled back, letting another beam impacted her chest. She was engulfed in a red flash and a loud crackling before her form tumbled to the ground in a pile of ash.
Sweeping the room, Katie holstered her SMG before retrieving her shotgun and looting the room of ammo and anything useful. Amata waved to them from outside and they joined her, Dogmeat cleaning his muzzle of blood. "Sorry about that." She apologized sheepishly. "The sights were calibrated for a left-handed person. And the missile launcher was scrapped. Sorry, Katie, I knew you wanted that."
The blond sighed, rubbing the score the bullet had made in her helmet. "Don't worry about it, 'Mata. We'll find another one, somewhere." She soothed, patting her shoulder. Looking up, she found Dare standing from his position, waving down at them. They waved back but paused in realization. "Dare!" Katie shouted, "Behind you!"
As Dare waved down at them, he heard the crunch of dirt behind him and felt something traveling towards his head. He ducked instantly, a blood-stained bat passing through the space his head had occupied. He threw his arm behind him, jamming his elbow in his attacker's kidney before standing straight, grabbing the bent-over man by the face and throwing him to ground. Then, he drew his pistol and shot the raider in the head.
He searched the body before sliding down the hill to join them, brushing the accumulated dirt from his duster. "That was pretty good, though there were some problems. You missed your first shot, Amata." The medic relayed the situation quickly, and he nodded. "That explains it. You'll get better with experience, and you pulled your plan off pretty well. But…" He lead, gazing at them seriously from under his hat. "You just killed people. How do you feel?"
Katie looked down at her bloodstained hammer, remembering how the handle shuddered in her grip as it plowed through a pair of human skulls. To her surprise, the bruiser didn't feel sick; vaguely disgusted, yes, but not sick. She wasn't even trembling.
Amata glanced over at the pile of ash that had once been a living person. Sighing, she slung her rifle on her back. "I didn't like it, but they would've killed us in heartbeat. They weren't going to show us mercy or talk about it. So, while I didn't enjoy it, it was necessary. We did what we had to do to survive." She said quietly, with Katie agreeing.
Dare nodded solemnly. "That's a very healthy way of looking at it. Keep yourself detached from the killing, but remember why you do it: So that you and the ones you care for can live another day. When you enjoy killing others, you start down a terrible, bloody path that leads to dark places; and that path is very hard to step off of." He stated seriously. "We still have the rest of this place to explore. Let's get moving."
They headed towards the underground entrance and upon opening the door, the former Vault-Dweller's Pip-Boy's began to click in warning. "Radiation." Amata muttered, handing out Rad-X pills. "Let's make this quick."
The hallway lead to an angled room with a long, round window overlooking a tall, empty room. At the very bottom, there was some sort of door in the floor that was tightly shut.
There wasn't much in the room, and as they descended down the staircase to the bottom of the room, their Geiger Counters clicked faster. Hurrying towards the only corridor they could see, but stopped when something chirped and opened fire, bullets whizzing past them.
Clover grabbed a grenade from her pouch and pulled the pin when the turret ceased firing, hopping out into the line of fire just long enough to hurl it down the corridor. They heard a clank as metal hit metal, then a brief explosion and dying whirr.
Stepping out cautiously, then quickly when nothing shot at them, the group hurried down the corridor, passing the destroyed remains of a turret. The farther they got from the tall room, the softer their Counters clicked. The end of the hallway ended in metal door with a wall-mounted terminal next to it. Katie knelt at the door, fishing her lock-picking equipment out as Amata slid the keyboard out and started clicking away.
Five minutes and several broken picks later, Katie growled and stepped away from the lock. "Dammit, it's too tough." She muttered through gritted teeth.
Just then, the terminal buzzed and shut down, making Amata throw her hands up in frustration. "This is impossible!" She said angrily, smacking the side of the terminal.
Clover sighed and took another Rad-X, and Dare frowned in thought. He wasn't going to leave after coming so far and being stymied right at the very end. Katie and himself shared a similar skill-level at picking locks, so if she couldn't do it, neither could he. Knocking it down with Clover's Super-Sledge and Katie's regular sledge would take long enough that they would die of radiation poisoning before they actually broke it down.
Dare snapped his fingers in realization, pulling out his combat knife and one of the cherry bombs, using the edge of the blade to split the seam containing paper cylinder that held the gunpowder. It fit neatly into the lock, and the sniper took his gum and pressed it around the gunpowder, making a homemade shaped charge.
They backed away after he lit the wick, but there was only a loud crack and barely any smoke as it detonated. Dare approached the burned out lock and slid his knife under the bent metal; with a quick twist and a jerk, the sniper pulled the whole lock out of the door entirely. With a small flourish, he twisted the switch and the door rolled open, metal slats falling away to reveal a room that made the group gasp in surprise.
It was a treasure trove. Clover and Katie rushed in, seizing what they wanted.
In the room, here were four tables and two large shelves. The table nearest to the door had two missile launchers sitting on it, with two ammo boxes underneath that held six missiles each. Clover grabbed one of the tubular weapons quickly.
Another was covered in explosives; three frag mines and three black cylinders that had glowing green nodules on the top and bottom, and two ammo boxes containing four more of each type.
The center table had two sniper rifles sitting atop it, with two boxes full of .308 ammo for them.
The shelves in the back had the largest wealth of goods stacked on the shelves: Several bottles of Rad-X, six packages of RadAway, three silver Pulse Mines, three bundles of energy cells, two advanced radiation suits, and four ammo boxes on the bottom shelves. One contained several boxes of 10mm., another with boxes of 5mm., another with .32 rounds, and the last contained a plentiful supply of microfusion cells.
The last table held what had immediately grabbed Katie's attention. Sitting on top of it was a weapon. A big weapon. It had six barrels held together with metal bands that lead to a large cylinder connected to a box.
It was a minigun, with a pack to carry the ammo boxes, and three olive-green boxes that held several hundred rounds.
It was like the Garden of Eden, except for killing people.
Amata began packing the mines and chems in her pack, while Clover hefted one of the launchers to get a feel for it. Dare checked the sniper rifles and found that they weren't badly damaged, though his was in better overall condition, so he used parts from one to fix his and reduced both to spare parts and scrap metal before taking the ammo. He looked up as a loud whirring rang through the air, finding Katie spooling up her new minigun with a gleeful smile on her face.
"It must be Christmas." She whispered, chuckling to herself. "What is this place, that it has some many guns?"
Amata looked up from packing her bag with microfusion cells. "When I was trying to hack the terminal, I remember seeing that this place is called 'Wheaton Armory'. I didn't think to mention it at the time."
Dare laughed quietly. "That would explain it." He muttered.
It took about an hour for them to split their loot in a manner that didn't leave them crawling back to Megaton, having to use some of the clothes they found in Minefield as makeshift bags. In the end, though, they were extremely pleased with what they had found.
They left the Armory quickly and headed back out into the Wasteland, slower than they had at the beginning of the day, making their way back to Megaton. As the ruins they passed earlier came into view, Katie looked to Dare and jerked her head at the area. "Should we still check it out?" She asked curiously.
Dare scanned the area, which consisted of around four buildings, two of which were almost entirely intact, while the others had been blown in half or flattened. Given the size of the buildings and their structural integrity, along with the evidence of a small population, there were would a lot of salvage, if the tenants were hostile.
Given their spoils from earlier in the day, they wouldn't be able to carry any of it. "We'll take a look at it another day." He finally replied, adjusting his multiple bags. "We have enough salvage as it is, we don't need more. Yet."
Nodding in agreement, they continued towards home.
…
It took them three hours to trudge the distance, and when they entered Megaton's gates, the sun was beginning to set. When they entered their house, they set their packs down with groans of relief, then got down to the task of sorting their gains.
The books and magazines were added to the bookshelves, the ammo sorted into the appropriate containers, weapons placed on the weapon table, armor taken off and clothes put on, and medicines separated.
A good amount of the Rad-X they found was to be sold to Doc Church, some scrap metal to Walter, and a few guns they wouldn't use and clothing scraps to Moira. As Katie prepared a bath, Dare gathered a few frag mines and a pulse mine and left with Dogmeat at his side to report to the eccentric shopkeeper.
Moira smiled as he entered, with her customary greeting in the air as soon as he stepped up to the counter. "Hey, Dare! You're back from Minefield, I see. How were those hot little potatoes?"
He smiled back and set the gathered mines on the counter. "We got through Minefield in one piece, and I even brought you a few presents." He waved his hand over the explosives.
The shopkeeper looked over the presents with a surprised expression. "Ooh! Thanks so much, Dare! I can really put these to use in my research, this is a huge boon to my work!" She leaned across the counter and hugged him tightly. "So, how was it? How did you spot the mines?"
"Most of the mines were placed under cars or bushes, though a few were planted in the road where they blended in with dirt. They're easier to spot in low light because of the red lights, but if you watch the details and look for broken patterns, you can find them pretty easy. And, with fast hands, you can get quite a bit from them." Dare replied dutifully.
Moira finished jotting down her notes, looking up when she was done. "Good job, Dare. Here, for your hard work." She handed him a bundle of frag grenades. "You can never have too many explosives, right? And, since you drew up those trip-mine blueprints for me, I made one of the Bottlecap mines for you."
"I appreciate it." He thanked with a nod, taking the equipment. "We gathered a lot of salvage today, so I'll be in tomorrow with a bit of stuff to sell. Are we still on for tomorrow night?"
Moira smiled widely and hugged the sniper again. "You betcha! Have a good night!"
Dare waved as he left the store, sighing as he stretched his shoulders and walked back home. He found Katie sitting at the table with loose, wet blonde hair as she cleaned her minigun, the sounds of splashing water and the lack of Amata indicating that it was her turn to bathe.
He cracked open the fridge and got to cooking, and within minutes, the house was filled with the mouth-watering scent of grilled brahmin steak, potatoes and carrots.
When Amata was finished, she took over the cooking while Dare and Clover took their turn to wash up. And even though they were both naked in the hot water, nothing happened. Both were too tired to try anything.
Dinner was served piping hot with ice-cold Nuka-cola to wash it down, and they ate devoured their food hungrily, Dogmeat using his heterochromic eyes to great effect to beg for food, even though Dare had set aside a portion for him.
As soon as they were done and the dishes washed, the ladies headed up to bed, leaving Dare alone at the table.
Hours passed as he cleaned and performed maintenance on his weapons with care and attention, enjoying the simple act as a way to unwind from the stress of the day. Dogmeat was curled up on the chair, snoring and snuffling in his sleep.
He looked up as Katie emerged from her room and shuffled down the stairs, peering at him with sleepy eyes. "Dare?" She asked sleepily. "What are you still doing up? It's like…" She checked her Pip-Boy briefly. "One in the morning."
"It's that late?" He mused, cleaning Red Empress. "Huh. I must've gone into a trance or something." He glanced at her from the corner of his eye as Katie trotted past him to the bathroom.
She emerged a minute later and sat across from him with a sniff. "You know, I was wondering about that gun. I haven't seen anything like it before."
Dare smiled at her as he cleaned it with a rag. "I doubt you'll see anything quite like this, Katie." He said warmly. "This was my mother's gun. She gathered up the best parts she could find from all different sorts of pistols and put them together to make this. She called it Red Empress. She even wrote the initials in the grip."
Katie looked closely at the carefully carved 'R.E.'. "Why'd she call it that?" She wondered, before adding, "Besides it being painted red."
"I'm pretty sure she spent a lot of time coming up with name that had the same initials as her own." Dare replied humorously. "Her name was Rachel Elizabeth. She was Ranger, a form of law enforcement who would wander for weeks, even months at a time, righting wrongs and protecting the innocent. She also called it that…"
He leaned in and cleared his throat. "She also called it that because she did something to the barrel that carves the bullets as they fly out of it. It makes them barbed, and the bullets make the enemies bleed." The sniper chuckled. "Her favorite target was the crotch. She used to say, 'what do you get when you shoot a man in the crotch with a barbed bullet? A Red Empress."
Katie laughed loudly, before covering her mouth and trying to restrain her giggling. "She sounds fun," She managed through giggle fits. "I would've liked to meet her."
Dare's smile faded slightly. "She would've liked to meet you. In some ways, you kind of remind me of her."
The blonde bruiser titled her head curiously. "I look like your mother?" She asked.
Dare snorted loudly. "No. No offense, Katie, but you look nothing like my mother. She had blonde hair, sure, but it was more sunshine yellow than gold, like yours. She was tan, and had deep blue eyes, and a smile that charmed many a person out of a drink, their pants, then their caps. She was probably the toughest woman I've ever met, and you're a close second." He explained. "She was also kind, caring and loving."
Seeing his mood dip a little, Katie asked. "What happened to them, if you don't mind me asking?"
He sighed quietly. "They died when I was ten, during an ambush on their post. A band of slavers attacked them, killing everyone at the outpost. But, they didn't survive, either. They found my parents lying next to each other, covered in holes, the ground around them ankle-deep in spent shells and dead bodies." Dare reached into his shirt and pulled his dog tag out. "Besides their guns, this is all I have of them. And I lost my dad's rifle."
The blonde reached across the table and grasped his hand comfortingly. "We'll find it, Dare." She promised. "We'll get it back for you."
"Thanks, Katie." He replied with a small smile, getting back to cleaning his pistol.
Katie swallowed hesitantly. "My mother died the day I was born." She revealed quietly. "Even though I'm named after her, I've only seen her face in the pictures my dad kept. I look a lot like her."
"I'm sorry, Katie." He murmured, patting her hand.
"And even though I've never met her, I still miss her, you know?" She said, her green eyes watering. "I always wondered what might have happened if she survived…if giving birth to me hadn't killed her. Would I still be in Vault 101, fixing pipes and kicking the Tunnel Snake's asses?"
The sniper set his gun aside and reached over the table, taking her hands in his. "I can't say, Katie, because I don't know, but I do know this: I'm glad you left the Vault, and I know this will sound selfish, because even if the Wasteland is a terrible place, you and Amata and Clover have given me something I wished for. Companions. Friends." He sighed. "After my parents died, I trained myself into the ground, trying to follow in their footsteps. And even though I had Uncle Moore, I was alone."
Katie squeezed his hands gently. "You don't have to say anymore, Dare. I know what you mean." She sniffed and shook her head. "I was the same, when I was a kid. I was too different from everyone else. Always more interested in reading Grognak, or playing baseball than playing doctor or with dolls. Even my dad, though he tried to put up a happy facade, was always sad. And I felt like a stranger in a Vault full of people. Then, I met Amata."
"She was your first friend?" Dare asked gently.
"Yeah. I'd known her since I was able to walk, but we grew distant as we got older. Then, she approached me when we were nine. She wanted to play with me again because the other girls were treating her differently for being the Overseer's daughter." She explained. "We became best friends almost instantly. Even though we were different, we still fit together perfectly. The thought of leaving the Vault without her was…not possible. I love her like we have the same mother and shared a crib. Even my dad feels like he was more our dad than just mine."
Dare stood from the table and came around it, Katie rising to meet him as they embraced each other tightly.
"I miss my dad, Dare." She whispered softly, her voice thick. "I want to see him again, hug him again and hear his voice telling me everything's going to be alright."
"We'll find him, Katie." Dare promised, his cheek rubbing against her soft blonde hair. "I promise."
They stayed together for a few minutes, waiting for the storm of emotions to calm down. Eventually, they composed themselves enough and pulled away. "Thank you, Dare." Katie murmured, wiping her eyes. "I needed to say that, to talk about it."
"I was just returning the favor." He replied softly.
She laughed and stepped forward, hugging him again. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, enjoying her warmth.
A few minutes later, he yawned. "We should get to bed." Dare muttered grudgingly.
"Let's stay like this for a little while longer." Katie whispered, squeezing him tightly.
Dare couldn't find it in himself to refuse.
…
When they did eventually separate, they headed up the stairs to their respective rooms. Outside of the room she shared with Amata, Katie turned and hugged Dare again. "Thank you, Dare." She said after kissing his cheek and stepping away.
He blinked in surprise. "For what?"
She shrugged. "For being you."
He arched an eyebrow at her in question, before shaking his head. "I'm just trying to do the right thing." He said quietly, before smiling at her. "Good night, Katie."
"Night, Dare." She opened her door and made to step in, but stopped and watched the sniper enter his room and flick the light on, leaving his door wide open as he prepared his bed. Looking in her room, she saw Amata sleeping peacefully on her bed. Biting her lip, Katie glanced between her best friend and the room of the man who had quickly become very important to her.
Making her decision, the former Vault-Dweller closed her door softly, before padding into Dare's room, swinging the door shut behind her.
…
…
…
A/N: God, emotional scenes like that are hard to write. Too close man, too close. And no, Dare and Katie didn't have sex at the end, they just slept together after revealing a lot personal hurts. It's too damn soon for something like that. Despite their differences, they have quite a bit in common with each other.
Also, the Armory: It's an actual place in Fallout 3. I was doing research, searching for places around Scrapyard, Minefield and the Regulator HQ, when I saw Wheaton Armory. I was like, 'what's that? I've never heard of it.' Then I saw it and I thought it was perfect. It had most of the weapons they needed, and plenty of ammo and materials.
And it's Fallout. All that ammo they got will probably last a month. The armory was a boon, but it didn't set them for life.
I also have little weapon progression charts for all the characters.
Amata, Medic: Main Weapon: Assault Rifle - Laser Rifle - ?(Wazer Wifle?)
Secondary: 10mm Pistol -?
Melee: Security baton -?
Heavy Weapon: ?
Clover, Off-Tank: Main Weapon: Combat Shotgun -?
Secondary: 10mm. SMG -?
Melee: Super Sledge
Heavy: Missile Launcher -?
Katie, Main Tank: Main Weapon: Minigun -?
Secondary: Sawed-off Shotgun -?
Melee: Sledgehammer - Super Sledge
Heavy Weapon: Missile Launcher -?
Dare, Ranged/Rogue: Main Weapon: Hunting Rifle ( -?) / Sniper Rifle ( -?)
Secondary: 10mm. Pistol (-Red Empress) / .357 Magnum (-Justice, .44 Magnum)
Melee: Combat Knife -? -?
Heavy Weapon:?
The '?' don't mean I don't know what they're getting, just that I don't want to reveal them yet, as a few are minor spoilers. It'll be interesting to see what people think they might be.
I gave them the weapons they have so that they're balanced, i.e. minigun for mid-range, sawed-off for close range for Katie, laser rifle for mid-range, pistol for close range for Amata, shotgun for close range, SMG for mid-range for Clover, ect., ect. Along with a melee weapon as a hand-to-hand option.
So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter of Dare To Wander; next chapter, a few more errands are run, and Katie comes to a decision that sets the broader story in motion. Look forward to it, because I look forward to writing it.
If you liked the chapter, leave a review, and if you have questions, PM me and I might answer them. Jinchuriki of the World-Eater was updated just on Friday, and so was The Guardian of the Avatar, if you like those stories or want to read something else by me. A new chapter for The Life With Monster Girls will shortly follow, along with Still Not A Hero.
As always, thanks to NorthSouthGorem for editing. Why not check his works out?
Stay Awesome.
~Soleneus
P.S.: And before anyone says anything, my parents are still alive. Not together, but still alive, and I've spent excessive time (years, in some cases) living away from the other. It's a painful thing to miss your parents, even if they're just a phone call away. It's even worse when they're gone.
So, what I'm saying is, call your parents or hug them or something. You'll appreciate it at night, right when you're drifting off with the memory of their warmth on your mind. I know I'm going to.
Or just hug anyone. Hugs are nice.
Stay Awesome Some More.
~still Soleneus