This is a Fallout story. It is also four in the morning. I haven't the time nor energy to explain fully what's going on here, so just bear with me. Thank you.
Conference
Sometimes the moon just glows silver. Could be the radiation, but Vic was pretty certain that even before the bomb had dropped, it had still been as beautiful. He turned his head slightly, and saw the car, with Cassidy sitting on top of the roof, holding his sniper rifle close to him. A present from the boss, Cass had proven to be a fantastic shot, downing quite a few raiders in that previous battle.
Vic smiled as he remembered the glory. Ariel had ran in, scope to her eye and foot to the ground. Six shots went off, and five raiders were dead, another one lying prone on the ground. They didn't even have time to react. Cassidy had followed, sniping anyone who got near her while she reloaded her gun. Vic himself had then ran in with his Jackhammer blazing shells, spraying three or four raiders with buckshot. Lenny and Sulik stayed back and fired with their guns, and Myron, well.
Vic's smile transformed into a frown as he remembered Myron. What a dickhead. With an ego the size of an Enclave guard and an attitude problem to match, Vic was almost glad that he died in that cave. Even Ariel, the most compassionate person he knew, took an instant disliking to the, in her own words, 'obnoxious prick'.
He had ran out of Needler cartridges and charged a deathclaw head on. Idiot. True, the thing was only three feet tall. But he was soon surrounded, and even though Ariel tried to kill some of them, Myron was dead before she could empty half her clip. After the deathclaws died, she just took the gun from his hand, and the remaining stimpaks he had left in his pocket, and let him rot on the cave floor. After all the passes he had made at her none of the members of the group were surprised at her lack of respect.
Ariel was pretty. Very pretty. Even though she was a tribal, she could make heads of both sexes turn on every street in every town. She had a way with words, and with a trigger. She was strong, fast, and smart, everything a person needed to be in this harsh world. She had saved him from almost certain servitude in the Den from a slaver named Metzger. He heard that she'd lured him to his bedroom, then planted a shotgun shell in his groin. Sounded just like her style. Cunning and vicious when she needed to be. She knew that she had oodles of sexuality bundled up inside of her, and she used it to her maximum advantage. She'd talked (and slept) her way out of numerous deals and scrapes, and even though it was suspected by the majority of their party that she was a lesbian (Lenny didn't know the meaning of the word.) she seemed to be able to fake it enough to satisfy whoever she copulated with.
Vic was interrupted from his train of thought by Cassidy's humming. He looked up and saw the younger man moving his head in time to the tune. Vic couldn't quite place the song, but it sounded familiar. Inside the car, Sulik turned onto his side and mumbled something unintelligible. Lenny was sleeping like a baby in the passenger seat.
He normally slept in the car with the rest of the boys, but tonight he decided against it. It was going to be his turn to keep watch soon, anyway, and what with Ariel gone ahead to scout out the route through the valley, Vic felt slightly less safe with the loss of one gun. But he knew that Ariel, despite her tender age of seventeen, would be safe. The girl could take care of herself. He knew. He'd seen what happened to people who threw ammunition her way.
'We are going, to Saaan, Fraaan, Siscooo.' Cassidy sang. He tried to keep as on-key as possible, but there were no true singers left in the desert. 'Cept maybe the boss, who sent shivers up and down Vic's libido every time she broke into song.
'Keep it down.' Vic said in mock annoyance as Cassidy continued to belt out notes at least half a scale off.
'Thought it would be situational.' Cass said, ending his singing. 'We are going to San Fran, aren't we?'
'That's what the boss says.' Vic replied, getting up. 'But she also said that we were going to stop off at Redding first.'
'Right.' Cass said, his back still turned to Vic. 'That Jet antidote thing. You know, I almost tried some of that stuff once.' He shrugged. 'Good thing I didn't, seeing as to the side effects.'
'The boss carries some of it around, doesn't she?' Vic asked.
'Got it off cold, dead bodies.' Cass said. There was a long pause after that. 'You know what?'
'What?'
'I'm beginning to like Ariel.'
'You mean besides the fact that she's pulled your ass out of the frying pan a good dozen times, performed Vault City class First Aid on you, and gave you the best bloody gun she could afford?' Vic announced sarcastically.
'I mean, as a friend.' Cassidy said. 'I mean, first I thought she just wanted a hired gun. Even offered to pay me. But the moment,' Cass put up one finger. 'The moment she pulled that slug out of my gut and put her last stimpak in my veins, I knew she was a good soul.'
'One attractive soul, too.'
'Oh, you mean you haven't noticed?' It was Cassidy's turn to joke now. Vic laughed, standing up and walking towards the car.
'Sure I have.' Vic said.
'Of course.' Cassidy said, with the tone of someone who knows it for sure. 'She could give a dead man a hard on if she tried.'
'True, true.' Vic said, leaning on the bonnet of the car. 'You think she's run into any trouble?' He changed the subject.
'If she did, she can bloody well pull herself out of it.' Cassidy said. 'That girl's tougher than a Deathclaw on Psycho.'
'Would the two of you please be keeping quiet?' Sulik said irritatedly. 'Spirits need sleep too.'
'Back to dreamland, Bone Boy.' Cassidy quickly replied. Sulik grunted and fell silent. After a while, the sound of steady breathing returned.
'You remember the time when she knocked down that Masticator guy in Reno?' Vic immediately resumed the conversation.
'Do I ever!' Cassidy chuckled. 'He didn't even know what hit him!'
'I mean, it was a left hook and a right jab, and then a roundhouse to the face! Man I wish I could see that fight again!' Vic mocked the punch movements with his fists.
'She sure enjoyed herself.' Cassidy laughed. 'Knocking down guys twice her weight with fists the size of apples. Reno was taken by storm!'
'Her kicks are pretty good too.' Vic noted. 'Remember that pimp who tried to touch her tits?'
'Changed him into a permanent soprano with one knee movement.' Cassidy shook his head slowly, his grin threatening to engulf his face. 'Not that I blame him for trying, though.'
'They are nice tits.' Vic said, his thoughts drifting.
'Her ass ain't bad either.' Cassidy stated. 'Tribals sure know what they're doing back where she comes from. Just too bad she likes chicks.'
A small scorpion scuttled past Vic's foot.
'Yeah. Her and that Bishop woman back in Reno.' Vic said. 'I could've sworn that they stayed up there for a good hour and a half.'
'But she did come down with some pretty good loot.' Cassidy pointed out. 'Safes are tricky, especially if they're booby trapped. Looked to me like she did a lot more than sleep around.'
'Talking about me?' Ariel said, her sniper rifle pointed towards the sand, her other arm resting on the curve of her hip. Both Vic and Cassidy whirled around. How long had she been standing there? Judging by the smile she was wearing on her face; long enough.
Cassidy found his tongue first. 'Just some chit-chat.' He said sheepishly. Vic could've sworn that he turned red as he said it.
'Well, enough of that.' She said, slinging her gun over her shoulder. 'We've got to get to Redding.'
'Valley clear?' Vic asked.
'Is now.' She said. 'Ran into some raiders who thought I would be an easy lay. I showed them a good hard one.' Ariel patted her rifle, and Vic felt a chill go down his spine.
'Any loot?' Cassidy asked, jumping off the roof.
'A few SMGs, couple of stimpaks, nothing much.' She shrugged, opening the trunk of the car. 'But the real jackpot was this.' She dug into her pocket and brought out a single micro fusion cell.
'Holy mother of God!' Cassidy said. 'How the hell did Raiders get their grimy paws on that?'
'Don't know.' Ariel said. 'But this goes straight to the fuel bank.'
'Hot damn!' Cassidy was still in a state of minor shock. 'We can get to NCR and back with that!'
'Can't wait. Besides.' Ariel said, smiling. 'I've got some nice tits to show off.'