CHAPTER THREE: THE NOT SO CALM BEFORE THE STORM
Hey everyone, it's Travis, and that was Train, Train by the lovely Magnolia. Got some Elton Britt up next but first, a little PSA, courtesy of Commonwealth Weaponry! The number one place for all your deadly needs! So remember folks, gun safety is essential for surviving out there in the wastes, be sure to practice your aim and keep that baby in nice condition, otherwise you might be the one getting killed! Alright folks, now time for Uranium Fever, by Elton Britt.
JAMES' POV
My first thought was wondering where the hell these raiders had picked up a functioning RPG as a rocket slammed into a long dead tree. Its splinters rained down on the group of Minutemen taking cover behind some rubble on the side of the road. Focus James, focus. There were at least a dozen raiders fanned out in an attack pattern heading straight for our caravan. They were an ugly sort, in various pieces of mismatched metal and leather armor. Most were wielding short combat rifles or pipe submachine guns. Nothing like our finely tuned and well maintained weapons, I noted with pride. They must have either been really stupid or really desperate to have attacked our caravan in near broad daylight like this.
Orderly counterfire from the entrenched Minutemen had blunted the raiders initial charge and now they broke off taking shelter behind rusted out cars that were strewn across the road or diving behind rusted median barriers or fallen trees.
The raider that had just obliterated a tree with a rocket launcher made himself known. He made himself known, clad in a suit of power armor so poorly put together it would have made a Brotherhood Knight fume. It didn't look like any standardized version from before the war. It appeared to be built by welding an assortment of street signs and scrap metal directly onto a damaged power armor frame. The scrappy knight threw the spent missile launcher to the side and slammed on a helmet that looked just as crappy as the rest of the armor. Was that a welding helmet? The left side of it looked burnt with a massive concave dent right in the center of the forehead. It was rusty and had dozens of dents evidently from smaller caliber bullets. The glass that had once protected the slat for the eyes had long since been broken and now left a perfect view of the man inside's crazed drugged up eyes. The scrap knight let out a loud guttural battle cry and started firing towards the minutemen with a large assault rifle.
The other raiders began firing in chorus with their rusty boss. I nestled the stock of 'Ol Reliable into my shoulder and peered through my scope, sighting a shirtless raider. Exhaling slowly, I fired as my crosshairs centered on what I guessed was his forehead underneath the sack he was wearing on his head. The raider's head snapped backwards as he collapsed suddenly.
Mechanically pumping the lever of my rifle to chamber another round, I sighted another husky looking raider's forehead and fired again, this time grazing the side of his face. It didn't incapacitate him but it was at least enough to keep him pinned down. As I chambered a new round and began scanning for a new target, the raiders broke cover and charged the forward rank. A few were cut down before reaching the Minutemen lines but most were so high on psycho or whatever other cocktail of chems that they ignored the obvious danger and smashed into the Minutemen in a flurry of bayonets, fists, or any blunt object.
"Damn it, can't get a clear shot!" I swapped my rifle out for my machete. I hadn't even managed a half-step towards the fight before a familiar nagging voice stopped me in my tracks.
"Thatch! The girl!" Ada's scolded. Cursing and sheathing my machete, I pivoted and looked behind the brahmin cart. Summer was holding her knees to her chest, pressing herself as tight as she could to the back of the cart, with her hands firmly pressed against her ears. Through the ragged strands of pale hair, I could see the fear in her eyes.
"Are you okay?" I yelled over the din of the melee occurring just a few meters ahead. She looked up at me with wide eyes looking very much like a radstag caught in a flashlight. "Just… just stay put!" I ordered uncertainly before turning back to watch the fight. I wasn't sure how to comfort her right now. Every fight was brutal and terrifying, but it must have been especially difficult for Summer. She had no memories of who she was. She didn't know who was fighting or why, or even where she was.
The Minutemen clearly had the upper hand. Superior training, armor, and weapons (as well as fewer crippling drug addictions) all meant an effective fighting force at any range. The old cart driver fired both shots of his boomstick point blank into a charging raider's chest, sending the poor guy flying backwards. Another raider wearing ragged brahmin leather armor rushed the shotgunner. The old man dodged the raider with impressive agility, letting him charge past him like a brahmin fighter does a charging bull before quickly turning and swinging his shotgun like a baseball bat into the raiders back.
The blue brain robot fought against two of the raiders. The raiders charged the bot before being pushed back by baton swings so powerful they could, and in fact had, taken one of the raider's heads off. There were a dozen individual fights going on. A dozen life or death dramas happening at once under the clear blue sky of what was once Massachusetts. It could be very overwhelming even for a veteran, you couldn't blame Summer for looking away.
The General and Col. Preston were battling with the scrappy knight. The General dueled with the knight who was now wielding what looked to be an electrified. The General's own sword searched for any gaps in the armor while Preston had disregarded his laser musket and was taking shots at the raider with a .44 caliber pistol. Together they worked as an effective team, with The General ducking and weaving slicing at the joints of the armor while Col. Preston moved in sync with him, taking shots at the battered fusion core in the back of the armor. Of course, he wasn't looking to hit it, but rather dislodge it from the torso so the raider would be stuck. It was like a bizarre and intricate deadly dance, a flurry of sword strikes and pistol shots as the raider helplessly swung his own sword, his range of motion limited by the shoddy nature of his armor.
There was a triumphant shout and I looked to see that Col. Preston had succeeded in dislodging the fusion core, rendering the raider immobile. The General quickly took the opportunity and stabbed his sword right through the small eye-slot and into the head of the raider, the point sticking right through the back of the helmet. As his armor was now locked up, the scrap knight was forced to remain upright in the position he had been killed in, a statue to his own defeat.
With their leader's death, the raiders' attack had been broken. Their only advantage sat immobile in the sun. The few remaining raiders were quickly dispatched or beat a scattered retreat. Luckily, not one Minuteman had been killed, but there were plenty of scrapes, cuts, bruises, and burns that had to be patched up. I took a deep breath and I returned to the girl, who seemed to be calming down now.
"You can relax, we won," I said, offering her a hand. Summer cautiously accepted and stood up, "You okay?" She took a shaky breath and wiped the front of her smock, for all the good that would do, before nodding her head. Hoping to lighten the mood, I offered, "Yeah I know, combat is always pretty jarring. I remember I almost peed myself the first time I heard a pipe pistol go off." Summer gave me a funny look before she began to silently chuckle. My weak defense of, "Hey! I was only like 7!" just prompted more silent laughter from the synth.
"James, it appears we are regrouping." informed Ada, pointing towards the group of Minutemen centered around The General. The trio quickly walked (or waddled in Ada's case) over to the group.
"-Medic, patch up anyone who needs it. Adams, take a look at that power armor, see if we can't salvage it. We've still got room in the carts. I want the rest of you to loot anything worth it and move the bodies to the side of the road, cleaning up after ourselves is the least we can do. Dismissed!" The General ordered. The group broke apart to begin their assorted tasks as the trio approached. General Delaney turned to the blue brain robot. "Status report: Need any repairs?" he asked.
"Negative sir, no major damage was sustained. I could do with a proper cleaning when we reach Murkwater." The robot stated.
"We all could do with a proper cleaning right about now" The General with a grin.
"Sir! Specialist Tha-"
"Yes James, I know who you are," interrupted The General, only slightly annoyed, "Are you alright? Was anyone hurt?"
"No sir, all clear here!" I reported, "I got one of the raiders and just nicked another before they charged"
"Great work kid, your marksmanship is improving" Nate approved.
I tried not to let my happiness show too much on my face, "So what's the plan sir? We need to get moving if we wanna make it to Murkwater before dark."
"Negative Thatch, report to Egret with the girl. Take Ada with you, she'll keep you safe." replied The General.
"But sir-"
"That's an order James. Right now the best way you can help with the mission is by escorting Summer here to Egret for processing and medical treatment."
I fired off a "Yes sir," that I hoped hadn't betrayed my disappointment at having to leave the caravan halfway through its trip.
"Good. Follow the railroad tracks 'til you hit Egret then hitch a ride with a Provisioner's Caravan towards Sanctuary City. This is your mission Specialist, I'll debrief you once you've reached Sanctuary."
"Sir, yes sir!" I barked one last time, snapping to attention. "I'll radio once we reach Egret."
"At ease, soldier, dismissed. Grab what you need and be on your way. If you hurry, you should be able to reach it by tonight. Good luck James, and be safe."
A/N: And the story finally gets going! Had a lot of fun rewriting this chapter. Hope you'll consider following or leaving a review :) When I was first writing this years ago I had planned to release a map to follow along the journey with and also other content like what certain characters or places look like. I still want to do the map but I'm undecided about the other stuff.
