CHAPTER 32: THE SPARTAN OF STEEL.
"It's hard not to be in favor of taking down monsters." -Michael Ledeen.
April 7/2296
Louis patted the smoldering embers of the crude campfire made from cinder blocks placed in a circle with an old two by four that they didn't need to burn last night. Once the embers were out, he started packing his gear along with everyone else.
"Why did you bother smoldering the embers?" Radcliffe asked while throwing his pack over his shoulder. "We're inside a building with concrete floors. And last I checked, concrete doesn't burn like wood."
Louis stood up and looked to him and answered. "To make sure we keep our trail covered, even if we're leaving. We don't want the smoke to attract someone looking for things to steal. Especially if they happen to cross our path. Doug, what's that old saying about campfires your Dad used to say when out in the Wasteland?" he called to him from across the room.
"When there's smoke, there's people to rob." Doug answered while putting his Browning 9mm away in its holster.
"I agree with Louis on putting the embers out." Victoria pointed up to the ceiling, to which Radcliffe followed her finger's direction. "A lot of smoke did billow out last night."
Radcliffe tilted his head at the small crumbling hole, never noticing it until now. And that was something he decided to keep to himself.
Joe and Chloe examined a map spread out on an old table. It proved difficult to find their current location because the map wasn't one on the area. They where still in the state of Pennsylvania, and the detour they took to find the children a home had them completely turned around. Despite Louis' Pip-Boy pointing the way, taking the roads was still the safest way to travel for the most part. But moving around in unfamiliar territory also left them exposed to an attack and would force them to backtrack more, and that was time they couldn't afford to waste.
"I can't make heads or tails of this." Chloe sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose to clear her vision.
"Me either." Joe sighed and started folding the map up. "We need to find directions. Another town will probably have a better map on the area."
"We haven't seen anything close to a town in days." Inez spoke while walking over. "We might be in a zone completely devoid of settlements."
Louis fed Cavall several pieces of dried meat and let him finish drinking from his metal bowl of water. Once the hybrid was satisfied, the Vault dweller gave him a loving pat on the head before moving to scratch under his jaw. "I got a good feeling a settlement will show up soon, guys. You can't go that far without eventually finding a place where people live."
Wayland threw the ammo box of his minigun on before picking up his quad-barrel missile launcher. Making sure all his gear was gathered sometimes proved to be time consuming. "I just hope any settlement we come up to won't start shooting at me before we can say anything. I don't want any of you to get hit." he spoke to them, holding his sledgehammer.
"Don't worry, big guy." Louis got back up from kneeling with the water bowl in hand. "Just stay close to us and we'll tell them you're not a threat."
"Easier said then done, Lou. Strolling up to a settlement with a Super Mutant isn't very common." Doug said while heading to the stairs. "Some people like to shoot first, ask questions never and shoot some more." he stood at the top of the staircase. The building had two stories with steps of crumbling concrete.
"Hold on, Doug." Louis held his hand out for him to wait. "Those steps are breaking apart. One slip and you'll fall."
"I'll be fine." he replied before starting to walk down. "And we need to make a quick sweep of the ground befo-" a chunk og the seventh step he stood on broke under his weight. Doug's voice was caught in his throat as he went falling forward.
Doug's cries of pain rang up as he rolled down the final few steps and onto the bottom floor, throwing some of his gear all over the place from his backpack. Everyone dashed to the staircase in a panic and stopped right at the top to avoid falling suit with Doug.
"Holy shit, Doug! You okay!" Louis called down, taking a few gentle steps. "Doug, just hold on! Try to answer me!"
His reply came in the form of a pained groan. Doug didn't knock himself out from the fall, but it did leave him winded for a few moments and seeing black spots in his vision. Louis reached the bottom of the steps with everyone following behind one after the other. He looked down to his friend and then turned his eyes to Doug's right leg.
"Doug? Oh, boy..."
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Far off in an abandoned town, a grim air lingered with dread. A large, recently new barricade laid across the center of a long street not too far from the dead town's main street. The barricade consisted of metal sheets, old car bodies, oil drums and other random junk tied and weld together with barbwire for extra measure.
Around twenty-four people stood behind the barricade in various positions. All armed with assault rifles, SMGs, some shotguns, a few LMGs, and even a mobile turret that was still being set up. The men and women stood with their guns pointed and ready, yet anyone paying attention could see a lot of the gun barrels lightly trembling from fear. They wore bulletproof vests or materials cobbled together into armor that gave them mild protection.
Standing in the middle of the barrier was a middle aged man of Asian decent. He also wore a bulletproof vest under his jacket and held an assault weapon. He stood ready with his people at his back, doing his best to issue orders and get them in position while keeping himself calm against the coming attack.
"Make sure you have your ammo checked! Give any extras you have to someone who doesn't have much! Double check your magazines and shells, make sure they go with the right guns! How much longer on that turret?"
"A few more minutes!"
"You got half that time to get it running!"
Two scouts came from a nearby alley, a man and woman that looked like they had just ran a marathon. "Hey! Hiromi! They're coming! They're coming around the bend this minute!" the man called out.
The people began to panic upon hearing that. A lot of them started to lose their nerve and considered fleeing, others became disorganized and shifted around at their stations. Some fell behind their barricade and began to pointlessly pray for help.
"Dammit all!" Hiromi cursed. "It was a diversion after all! They did plan to come this way!" he looked to his panicking people and took command. "Hold your ground! This is what Spartan has been teaching us! We will not disgrace everything he's taught by running!" that seemed to calm them for the most part and return to their positions. "We'll survive this, have faith and wait for reinforcements! Spartan will make his way back!"
A crashing boom made everyone go silent, their eyes darted towards the end of the street as a flaming oil barrel rolled in leaving a trail of fire behind. One of the enemies' fear tactics to scare them all up, followed by savage screams and bloodcurdling cries of war echoing throughout the air as the creatures came running out from around the corner.
Super Mutants.
Fifty-four of the hulking yellowish green beasts charged out, waving their melee weapons, popping off rounds into the air and shouting all kinds of death threats to the trembling humans that were once again losing their nerves. Another Super Mutant with barely any form of clothes or armor tossed another flaming oil barrel towards the barricade, landing at least fifteen feet away from them. As the last of the Super Mutants came around, a very different one brought up the rear.
It was like the others except wearing much better crafted armor, it was missing a chunk of its lower left lip, showing a few of its dark yellow teeth. A part of its left arm was missing, and in place of the hand rested a metal cap that went down a part of the forearm and seemed to be bolted into the flesh to keep it in place. At the end of the cap was a short staff connected to an axe, but not a simple axe head of modern design. Instead it greatly resembled a battle axe, including the blade and a point at the back and top.
The leading Super Mutant looked to the people, almost smelling their fear and grinned as best it could. "Kin! Go and gather! Kill who resist and capture as many as you can! We need them to make more of us!" it shouted and pointed with its axe to the crowd as if signaling them to charge.
"More of us! More of us! More of us!" the Super Mutants chanted in unison before charging forward.
Hiromi held his arm up, signing everyone to wait and hold their ground even as bullets started to fire their way. "Wait for it! Just wait!" he needed the Super Mutants to get close enough so they could have maximum effect since their ammo was scarce.
The Super Mutants closed in, crossing many feet in moments until Hiromi felt they were close enough.
"Open fire!"
The people didn't waste a second, their guns lit up with flashes of bullets and empty shells hitting the ground. Several of the Super Mutants with melee weapons in the first row fell, either injured or dead, but they were simple groundlings that were duller than normal and looked at as disposable. The ones with firearms took defensive positions throughout the street, getting behind rusting vehicle heaps and the narrow alleys of the buildings.
From that point on, gunshots were exchanged. The people kept their shots concentrated and only fired when they had good openings. But they already began to drop like flies, either from shoots that wounded them greatly or couldn't continue thanks to the pain of being hit in the chests while wearing bulletproof vests. Hiromi ducked back down behind his section and started reloading his rifle, it was all he could do to keep himself steady and lead by example, just as the one they call Spartan taught. Once he was done reloading and took his position back up to return fire, only to see a new threat moving in.
Ten Super Mutants, split into two groups of five, carried two massive walls across the battlefield. The walls consisted of thick metal plates, standing around eight feet tall and more or less fourteen feet wide. The metal plates were welded and bolted in uneven patterns, showing their crude craftsmanship. The ones carrying the walls from behind held them up by thick bars that were actually once steps bolted into concrete walls like a sewer ladder. Small slots were made all over to allow the carriers to peek through or for others to fire. The wall carriers slowly marched forward, anyone lucky enough to land a head shot to the Super Mutant peeking through was soon replaced with a new one.
Seeing the walls creep closer made the settlers begin to fear the worse as the other Super Mutants started running behind them for protection, even if a few were shot down as they ran. The walls was only a few feet away and closing in, their ammo wasted on it, even with the automatic turret now firing away.
Hiromi's rifle clicked empty again and kneeled to reload, the people near his position were also reloading, missing the slot over and over from nerves wracked with fear. Four Super Mutants suddenly ran out from behind the wall, waving long and very crude blades with jagged edges. Hiromi looked on in horror as they crossed the gap in no time and stood in front of the barricade, which looked easy enough for them to vault over and bring their blades down on the first few helpless victims.
The first Super Mutant cried out in pain moments after three red beams streaked across the air and into its chest, leaving smoldering holes in its armor and flesh. It collapsed to the ground as the next one received two beams to the eye and forehead. The third turned to run and was put down with a few more bolts to the back. The last one received a hail of bullets and fell forward and slumped over the barricade.
Hiromi perked up, those still standing and fighting turned to their savior that came marching in with heavy clomps pounding the pavement and four scouts following behind.
A man in Power Armor approached, Power Armor that greatly resembled the T-60 model, yet its shoulder panels were much more broader like the ones of a X-01. Its armor plating had a different color to it, instead of the usual dull shades of gray, its color had a very faint hue of light blue to it. The plating even looked almost an inch thicker than normal yet still allowed flexibility to the wearer. Even the joints had a different and darker material to it, everything on the armor looked custom made. The helmet was the same except for the headlight being rectangle in shape instead of round, giving it a wider and brighter range. On the left chest plate was the word 'Spartan' etched in bold letters that didn't make it stand out too much yet drew anyone's attention once up close.
The man in the Power Armor marched over to Hiromi and held out his hand. Hiromi took the big metal hand with tiny scratches all over it. The whole body was covered in old and new scratches that weren't that noticeable from afar and could be buffed out. He pulled him up with ease and let Hiromi get his balance back.
"The attack on where we patrolled was a diversion." the man in the Power Armor spoke, cutting right to the chase. "You did a great job leading these people, Hiromi. Get the injured out of here, I'll take care of the rest."
"Right away!" Hiromi nodded before looking back to his people. "Fall back! Get the injured and those who can still fight, stay behind and support Spartan!"
To that, the man called Spartan leaped over the barricade and landed his feet with a thunderous slam. In his hands was a prized laser rifle, heavily modified beyond any normal one. The body itself was slightly larger with a number of reinforced panels and filled with new parts, even the stock had been redesigned with a shock absorber. The end had three barrels in a triangular shape and a large one in the center. An electronic scope rested on top, giving the laser rifle a sniper option.
The Spartan looked to the approaching wall and prepared himself, for a number of the Super Mutants remained despite the resistance's efforts to fight them. With that, he slightly squatted as a whir of gears and actuators was heard coming from the legs. The Power Armor activated a speed boost that propelled him forward through the hail of bullets.
In moments the Spartan rammed right into the middle of the wall on the right. The impact made the wall buckle inward a little and sent it falling back and pinning the five Super Mutants under it. The momentum sent the Spartan falling, but he easily regained his balance by rolling despite the bulky Power Armor and was soon back on his feet. Now he turned his attention to the other Super Mutants holding up the other wall and took aim. In five rapid shots the hulking beings were shot down at the sides and heads before they could even manage to turn the wall around to protect themselves. The metal wall came crashing forward to the ground, wobbling upon impact before settling at the Spartan turned his attention to the other charging Super Mutants closing in. One of the mutations started crawling out from under the first fallen wall, only for Spartan to bring his metal foot down on its head. The cranium became crushed in a little at an awkward shape with blood and brains leaking out.
He took aim, steady and disciplined as ever, just as he was taught in the BOS. Red beams flew through the air, causing the Super Mutants to spread out and force him to pick his targets. The people who stayed behind gave their support by attacking with renewed confidence. Their rain of bullets now reduced to pops while the wounded were carried away.
Another Super Mutant with no armor fell face forward to the ground with a few burning holes that went through the chest and out the back. The Spartan saw a heavily armored one charging with two axes in hand, he turned a small knob on the side before aiming again and fired, this time three triangular beams came from the barrels and started to burn the mutation's armor. A few more beams finally burned through and the rampaging Super Mutant collapsed. A panel on the side flipped open, two depleted microfusion cells popped out as Spartan reached into his side pouch to take out new ones while scolding himself for forgetting he had already used a lot of the cells' energy from earlier.
The Super Mutants noticed he stood vulnerable and began charging in. They happen to end up in a wavering line while closing in, not allowing him the chance to reload. But instead of backing up or turning to run, the Spartan placed his left hand under the body of the laser rifle near the front and pulled a slide back like shotgun as a different charge noise rang out and pulled the trigger. The large barrel in the middle of the tri-barrels unleashed a massive laser beam that streaked through the air, in that instant each charging Super Mutant stopped in their tracks and looked down at their chests. Each one had a burning, gaping hole in their chests big enough for a person to put their fist through. The Super Mutants barely uttered a breathless gasp before falling straight down like stones.
Another slot on top behind the scope flipped open and popped out another microfusion cell that was steaming from overheating. Spartan continued reloading, now having to put three in as another scream came from the side. He barely had time to turn as the head of a sledgehammer came flying for his head. He lifted both arms up and took the brunt of the blow that sent the laser rifle flying from his hands and onto the ground. He mentally sighed as the new Super Mutant continued swinging blindly with its weapon.
Spartan held his arms up, blocking each hit with his forearms, easily predicting the attacks. And those that landed on his sides or chest were absorbed by the suit's kinetic dampeners. But soon he realized the Super Mutant was trying to back him up against one of the buildings. He leaped back and lowered his arms to the sides and waited for the Super Mutant to close in. The lumbering mutant didn't hesitate and charged with its sledgehammer raised, and that was what the Spartan wanted. He flicked his arms and two long blades popped out from the forearms, they were wide with strong tips that could pierce through almost anything.
The Super Mutant swung its sledgehammer just as Spartan lashed out with his right arm and sliced the shaft near the head right off. The head clattered onto the ground and the Super Mutant stood dumbfound as Spartan swung his other arm and sliced open its neck with ease. Blood sprayed like a fountain and the Super Mutant fell to its knees and then face down while holding its bleeding neck. Another one came charging in with a baseball bat, it was child's play for him to dodge and swing outward to slice open its exposed belly. Its guts spilled onto the ground, it screamed while trying to pull its intestines back in before blood loss took its toll. Once more another Super Mutant charged towards its death, Spartan raised both arms and plunged both blades into its torso until his balled fists touched the chest. The Power Armor kicked its lifting capacity up a few notches and hoisted the Super Mutant up with ease and threw him aside to the ground.
The Super Mutants backed off, their numbers have dwindled too much and their ammo was running low. The axe arm Super Mutant, who stayed away from the battle since the beginning, started to feel they had been lost. Spartan flicked his arms again and the blood and flesh stained blades retracted back into the forearm housings. He dashed over and picked up his laser rifle and finally reloaded the two slots with three microfusion cells and sighed in accomplishment.
A low growl escaped from the torn lips of the axe arm Super Mutant. Their numbers have been thinned out faster than planned, at the moment no gunshots were exchanged as the remaining ones stood waiting with their weapons pointed. The fighters also waited for the Super Mutants to make a move, and mostly because they were almost out of ammo and couldn't hold out against another assault.
"Retreat! Fall back!" the axe Super Mutant called out, waving its weapon in the air before turning to run, not even making sure its kin were following.
Spartan didn't bother to give chase or shoot the ones fleeing, taking care of everyone came first. Hiromi ran up to him, keeping his eyes on the fallen Super Mutants in case some were still alive. A lot of them have learned the hard way that sometimes a few bullets to the body isn't enough to fully put them down.
"If it wasn't for you, we would be dead or worse, Spartan." he said once coming to a stop in front of him.
Spartan turned away from the road the Super Mutants fled and faced Hiromi. "It's because of your leadership you all held out. I would have never been able to take them all myself. What's the status of the injured?"
"We've already gotten them out. Thankfully, no casualties. But we can't waste a moment getting them treated." Hiromi informed quickly.
"Good." Spartan nodded. Yet something about there being no casualties made him wonder. "But these attacks...they're too focused and organized. They don't even take as many kill shots. They're trying harder then ever before to take prisoners. I actually wouldn't be surprised if that diversion was just to draw our forces away so they can get to your stronghold. They really do need more people."
Hiromi shuddered in thought of the Super Mutants reaching their home. All those people a sitting target wondering each day if they would be killed, eaten, or taken away to be made into Super Mutants. It was thanks to Spartan that they were able to organize and come together and put up a defense and fight back. But no matter how many they killed, new ones always showed up at some point.
"What do you want us to do now?"
Spartan gripped his laser rifle tight and stood straight. "You make sure everyone gets back safe. I'll scout around and make sure there aren't anymore waiting to attack. We can't lose hope after all we've fought and bled for."
Hiromi gave a quick salute, another habit he and the fighters have picked up from Spartan's training. The man of the Brotherhood returned the salute before turning around and ran off in the direction the Super Mutants went, determined to make them stay away. Hiromi went back to join those leaving, but not before gathering what they could from the Super Mutants since the last thing they wanted was any of that valuable materials to go to waste in the open.
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"I just can't believe this..." Doug muttered to himself once more, arms crossed and frowning deeply.
"Doug, you've been saying that for hours." Louis looked back over to him. "Just chill. It's only a sprained ankle, you'll be fine in no time."
"A sprained ankle doesn't just heal overnight!" Doug argued back. "I'm completely defenseless right now!"
"Defenseless?!" Radcliffe scoffed. "You're getting carried like a newly wed by Wayland!"
As the Raider said, Doug rested in Wayland's massive arms. Carried bridal style with his right boot off to not irritate his raised ankle. Doug couldn't stop beating himself up, even with friends an injured member of a group is always a great risk to themself and others.
"I don't mind carrying you at all, Doug." Wayland smiled softly, not fully understanding his worry. "You are very light."
Doug sighed and turned his head away, slightly envying the Super Mutant's simple outlook. "It's fine. The sooner we find a settlement, the sooner I can get patched up. We're vulnerable while I'm like this."
"And the sooner you guys can find a place for your honeymoon!" Radcliffe said before barking with laughter.
"Radcliffe, if you don't shut it, another person here is going to have a sprained ankle with no one to carry that said asshole!" Joe shot him a warning glance.
"He's right, Radcliffe." Inez said while brushing past Radcliffe rather harshly. "And a person laughing like a jackass draws just as much attention."
Radcliffe shut up at that point but kept muttering swears to himself.
A few minutes passed until a large town came into view. One that looked more like the ruins of a place that had suffered endless battles. Yet they decided to risk it and go in with hopes that people are living nearby. Once they went in and started moving down the street, their nerves went on the defense. The air was stale, yet had a faint smell of gunpowder and smoke, an odd thing for a seemingly abandoned town. They even spotted a few casings here and there, Joe stopped and picked up a few to observe them. He showed what he discovered to the group, pointing out that the casings were relatively new and not rusted. Now they began to worry even more, thinking the town might have had a big fight go down or still in the middle of it. All they could do for the moment was pick up the pace and keep their guard up while staying close and try to find someone friendly.
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"Open up! We got injured!" Hiromi called out to the large gate they came up to.
The fighters finally reached their home settlement, a section of the town that had been barricaded with concrete and metal plated walls with guard posts every fifteen feet or so. A moat of poles made into spikes and barbed wire rested against the surrounding wall to add more protection. Many of the old buildings weren't too far from the makeshift walls, snipers patrolled on top with a number of mounted guns stationed near the ends of the roof. Guards stood behind the mounted guns, holding the handles with thumbs just resting over the triggers.
The big metal gate slowly swung open as several more guards came out, in case the Super Mutants were lying in wait or watching from afar. Hiromi and the fighters carried back their injured on stretchers or on their backs and shoulders. Even a few had to be dragged back on thick tarps, making the ride back quite unpleasant. The people from inside the gate wasted no time retrieving the injured and bring them inside to be treated, careful to not worsen their wounds. Hiromi stayed out from the settlement gate until every injured man and woman was brought in. While he waited, another guard with more durable armor, one of the people in command, came running up to him. Panic and worry was written all over his rough face and Hiromi knew something was up.
"Hey, Hiromi! We got a problem!" he said while catching his breath.
The Asian man sighed, knowing he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear. "What is it now? Don't tell me there's another squad of Super Mutants coming."
"Just as bad. The little adventurers got out again! We can't find Sid, Emily, Cameron, James, and Wally anywhere!"
"Dammit all! Again?" Hiromi grumbled with his hand over his eyes. "Okay, no time to waste! Spartan is still out there patrolling. Me and a few others will go find them. You make sure the injured get taken care of, keep an eye out for trouble!"
Hiromi and the people he called to follow him ran off before anyone could say anything else and tended to the injured.
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The still looked for any signs of people while remaining cautious. Another long stretch of road laid before them, the surrounding buildings either still stood or crumbled into ruble a long time ago. Giving odd openings and messy barricades all around the town blocks, a danger to anyone who didn't know the area.
While the wanderers walked through the streets, another person patrolled the streets many meters away. Spartan entered a three stories building and marched up the stairs and onto the roof. He has taken to using the roofs as a means of scouting for trouble. It gave him the advantage because if he was cornered or coming under attack, he could simply jump off and land with no problems thanks to his Power Armor. Yet he knew it could only take so many feet before even the shock absorbers and inertia disperse system would fail. At best it could take at least six stories from what he learned with the new model.
Spartan raised his laser rifle and looked down the scope and started scanning the ground. "Now let's see...last we checked, the Super Mutants seemed to have an interest in this place." he said to himself, focused on nothing else but the task at hand.
He turned his scope down to the ground, slowly moving and looking for any signs of life. He passed a shade of blue and stopped, moving back to said color before making the scope zoom in to get a fuller view of a man in blue.
"A Vault dweller in a trench coat? That's interesting to say the least." Spartan said before moving the scope up. One by one he looked them over, making a mental note of their appearances to see if they were any form of threat. "Let's see, a redhead. Wow, that's like...blood red. I wonder if it's dyed. Another woman with plasma weapons, seems like a mercenary. A Ghoul, they usually don't travel with that many normal people. Another woman, seems Hispanic, and most likely a mechanic with all those tools. And...an Assaultron?! Another model type?. And...a dog? Or a wolf? I've never seen a canine that big! What else, another man, who looks incredibly shady. And from the way he's walking...is he drunk? And there's a..."
He paused upon seeing Wayland, almost squeezing the trigger thanks to impulse. But it wasn't just seeing the Super Mutant that made him stay his hand. Rather, it was seeing another young man being carried in his arms with one of his boots off and displaying a disgruntled look on his face, yet didn't seem like a prisoner at all.
Spartan moved his head away from the scope's view, completely at a lost. "Well that's...something you don't see every day..."
()()()
Five children, ranging from seven to nine in age, walked the streets alone. All five of them carried small satchels filled with things they scavenged from the buildings. From random bullets to a few pieces of metal like screws and bolts, even a few cans of food. The children reached a section of the street with crumbling buildings and a fallen power pole.
"Let's check this building!" a skinny blonde boy named Sid said to his friends.
"But this one looks dangerous..." a little Asian girl named Emily whined slightly upon seeing the building.
"All the buildings are falling apart or dangerous." Cameron, a dark skin boy pointed out to her.
"I bet we'll find all kinds of treasure!" a rather dust covered boy named James quickly walked up, his hair shaved almost bald. "Maybe even a Fat Man!"
"Even if we found something like that, we can't carry it!" the last boy named Wally said. He tugged on a long strand of his curly ginger hair out of habit.
"We're not gonna find anything by standing around. Now come on, guys! We need to show our Knight we can be of help too!" Sid began marching up to threshold, acting as the lead.
Once he got within several feet, he stopped upon seeing something in the dark. A large bulky figure that he couldn't make out but assumed it was their Knight and waved his arm up. But fear suddenly streaked across his face, the hulking being stepped out of the dark, and it wasn't the Power Armor man they called Knight. A Super Mutant with a few scars on its face looked down to the boy and growled with hunger.
"Little humans! Get back here!" it bellowed before giving chase.
The kids were too afraid to even scream, they turned and ran while dropping their satchels. Three more charged out, zeroing in on them in moments before they could even get to the middle of the street. One grabbed James and Wally by the arms and held tight to the point of bruising, another snatched Emily by the collar of her jacket and picked her up like a rag doll. The third Super Mutant snatched Sid and Cameron by their arms and pulled them back harshly, almost dislocating their arms in the process. The first one that found the kids stood over them, grinning wide at the possibilities on what to do with them.
"What we do with them?!" the one holding James and Wally asked its kin.
"They too small to make one of us!" the one holding Emily said while dangling her around. The little girl finally began to whimper with tears streaking down her cheeks. "Quiet! Or we eat you now!"
"Hey! That sound like good idea!" the Super Mutant hoisted Sid and Cameron up and licked its lips. "I'm getting hungry..."
The children finally broke out into screams and calls for help, and the Super Mutants added on by laughing at how weak and feeble they were to them. The mix of screams and laughter echoed throughout the street, catching the attention of both the wanderers, and Spartan on the roof.
He turned his laser rifle scope and felt his voice hitch in his throat. Anger flooded him before remembering his discipline. In one swift motion he leaped off the room and came falling back to earth and landed with a heavy thud, cracking the ground around his feet and charged forward at full speed.
"Hang on, kids! Just hang on!" he said to himself, keeping his breathing steady. "I won't let anyone take you!"
The wanderers looked towards the screams and crouched low to stay out of sight before reaching cover behind some rusted cars. Louis, Joe, and Chloe poked their heads up for a moment to look around in case more were coming thanks to the noise.
"Dammit! These things are out this far?..." Chloe spoke almost a little too loud.
"Well, not many things can easily stop them. Especially when they're in groups." Joe commented while reaching for his combat shotgun. "But all the same, it's rotten luck to bump into some."
"And those kids, I can't fully hear what the Super Mutants are saying, but I get the feeling they're quite hungry." Louis drew both his colts and held them tight. "Okay...we need a plan. Let's split in half, surround the Super Mutants and wait until we all have clear shots for their heads and chests. Let's start by-"
A shadow suddenly loomed over, he quickly turned his head up to see Wayland standing over. Before anyone could speak, Wayland carefully placed Doug down next to Louis and pulled out his sledgehammer and held it tight in both hands. The farmer vocally complained of being passed around like a burlap sack.
"Stay here, I'll handle this." he said, moving before any of them could try to stop him.
"But Wayland..." Louis began to stand up.
"No. Stay here! I'm the only one that can get close enough." he spoke more firmly, this time to all of them.
That stopped the group from taking action, something about Wayland's actions made them a little uneasy as he quickly made his way over.
"What is he planning? He's not thinking of taking them all on, is he?" Louis questioned, he considered following, but stopped himself and decided to trust Wayland's plan.
Radcliffe on the other hand had something else to say. "Okay, if no one is gonna say it, then I will."
"And what would that be?..." Inez frowned towards him.
"Isn't it obvious? He's joining up with his kind. Figure the odds would be better with them than us." he finished with an equally cold frown.
"You don't know him!" Victoria spun around to face him from her crouched position. "And you don't know how bad he's been treated by his own before joining us. Just trust him."
"If Wayland is planning on facing them, he stands a high probability of success since it's unlikely they will see him as an enemy." Asimov spoke, plain and calculating as ever.
The Super Mutants still argued on what to do with the kids, although the one holding the girl started to growl with hunger burning in its eyes. Wayland's heavy footsteps soon caught their attention, he stopped short a few feet away with a hard face that made him seem more like one of them.
"Who that?..." one of them spoke once they looked him over.
"That one don't look familiar." another said with a quizzical look.
The one without any kids began walking towards Wayland. "Hey! Where you come from? We never see you before back at the factory!" it soon stood right in front of him, which was what he wanted.
Without answering anything, Wayland flung back the sledgehammer until it was hanging behind him. Then in one swift motion the front of the Super Mutant's face was torn clean off. Its lower jaw hanged limply as blood came out like a fountain and collapsed to the ground. The other Super Mutants staggered back in terror and confusion, releasing the kids and allowing them to flee to a nearby dumpster.
"What are you doing?! You gone crazy?!" the closest Super Mutant screamed while reaching for its rifle, fumbling around with the trigger.
Wayland hurried to the next one, his sledgehammer found its mark on top of the Super Mutant's skull before it could loop its finger on the trigger. A noticeable indent could be seen on the Super Mutant's skull, it screamed in horrid pain and fell to its knees, blood dripping from its nose, ears, and mouth as Wayland put it out of its misery by striking it in the back of the head where the neck bones connected and snapped with ease. The third one finally attacked, swinging a machete wildly. Wayland used the head of the sledgehammer to block the strikes, creating sparks with each blow. The mutant swung outward again but stumbled forward and gave Wayland an opening to strike it in the chest hard. Several ribs shattered upon impact and even caused a few to poke out at the side. The Super Mutant's weapon fell from its hand, Wayland lifted the sledgehammer up and stamped the mutant's skull above its eye with the end of the shaft, creating a big bleeding hole like a bullet wound and ended it for good. A bullet being loaded in the chamber made Wayland freeze up, in his haze of battle he lost track of the last one.
"You insane! You no good! You defective! You die like puny humans!" it screamed while taking aim.
Wayland prepared for the worst by raising his arms up in defense, even if it was unlikely that would do any good. Several rapid gunshots rang out, the Super Mutant's left side ruptured with bullet holes and dropped the gun from pain and turned to its shooter. Louis stood several feet away with Joe and Victoria standing side by side. The Super Mutant barely managed towards them before it was shot down with a volley of Louis' assault rifle, Joe's combat shotgun, and Victoria's 10mm SMG. In moments it collapsed to the ground in a pool of its own blood.
"See, big guy?" Louis slung the AN-94 over his shoulder. "That's why you don't do these things alone..."
Wayland looked down to the bodies and sighed in disappointment of himself for being too rash in attacking alone.
The children poked their heads out from behind the dumpster and slowly approached the group, keeping their eyes on the three and Wayland even more. The rest of the group made their approach, Radcliffe carrying Doug on his back with his gear hanging in front of him.
Louis put his gun away and looked down to the approaching kids. He kneeled down to get eye level with them and show he wasn't going to do anything harmful. "Hey there. Are you guys doing okay?" he asked gently, but their attention was mostly on Wayland, to which the Vault dweller picked up on. "Hey, it's okay. His name is Wayland, and trust me, he's a good guy."
Radcliffe also got in close, a worried frown came across his face. "Oh, dammit. Please tell me you kids have parents or someone who's taking care of you..."
The children gave each other confused glances before looking up to him and nodding in response. Heavy footsteps approached from behind, thinking it was another Super Mutant or something else, everyone turned to face the coming threat. But the children's eyes lit up with joy upon seeing their Knight coming to the rescue, even calling and waving their arms up.
The Spartan aimed his laser rifle right at Wayland. "Step away from the children, now!" he came to a hard stop with his aim still steady.
"The Brotherhood of Steel? Here?..." Joe said to himself, something stirred in his memories from long ago.
Chloe took a few steps back, hand over the plasma pistol at her hip. She had a right to be worried, remembering the warning her father gave on the BOS before he died. "Of all the people to come across in the Wasteland."
"I won't say it again! Step away now, mutant!" Spartan warned fiercely, his finger moments from pulling.
Louis jumped in between them with his Desert Eagle aiming right at his helmet. "You back the hell off, or you're gonna find trouble with all of us!"
The Spartan lowered his laser rifle a little and looked around at the strangers, almost all of them pointing their guns at him, save for Radcliffe and Doug. He couldn't help but admire their loyalty to each other. "I must say, it's not often to see people stick up for a Super Mutant..."
"We stick up for any one of us." Louis retorted. "And you should be thanking Wayland for saving those kids. He's the one that took action first."
Spartan finally lowered the end of his gun to the ground, standing down for now. "Who are you people and why did you come here? Don't you know about the Super Mutants in this area?"
"Oh, god, don't tell us there's more!" Doug groaned, fearing his disadvantage even more.
"I'm afraid so. There's always more." Spartan answered before turning his attention to the kids. He went over and kneeled down in front of them. "And as for you kids...why are you out here? You know how dangerous it is. What do you all think would have happened if none of us were here?" he said while keeping his anger in check, yet his tone stayed firm and clearly indicating they were in trouble.
"We just wanted to help!" Sid argued, standing in front of them like a leader. "We came out here to salvage!"
"Yeah! We found lots of stuff!" Emily went to her bag on the ground and held it for him to see.
"Some ammo, canned food, and even tools!" Cameron also held up his bag for Spartan, too.
The children held up the bags to him, any anger that Spartan had faded away. He stood back up with a light chuckle coming from his synthesizer. "Indeed you guys have gathered quite a lot. You've earned your title as the Scavenger Squad, as you call yourselves. But now's the time to return home."
"This home of yours," Louis asked to get his attention. "Is it a place where we can buy some things or get a map of the area?"
Spartan turned back to them, there was still many questions on his mind that he wanted to ask. Including the Vault dweller and their Super Mutant companion. "We might be able to help you all. But follow me, it's still dangerous out here."
"What about Wayland?" Victoria curtly asked. "Is he allowed to come?"
The man in Power Armor stopped and looked back while thinking it over. "Keep him close once we reach their settlement. I'll tell everyone what's going on, I have some questions to ask. Kids, stay close to me."
Not long after they began walking, Hiromi and his group found them and ended up pointing their guns towards Wayland. Spartan stepped in between both sides to avoid any exchange of gunfire. He gave Hiromi a quick explanation of what happened with the children and how Wayland came to their rescue. With hesitation, Hiromi understood and agreed to letting the wanderers and even Wayland in to their home.
Almost an hour of walking finally brought them a large wall with a long gate. The wanderers stopped for a few moments to look at the wall to allow Hiromi and his team to run ahead and give everyone on duty at the wall a heads up and to spread the message. While they waited, it became clear that the walled section of the town was for more than looks or protection, the Super Mutant threat was bigger than they imagined. After a few minutes Hiromi waved the all clear and allowed them to come forward with the Spartan in the lead.
He turned back to the group before they proceeded any further. "I think it's best Wayland completely disarms before we go in. It will put everyone at ease."
"Spartan, listen..." Louis began to say once more.
Wayland suddenly went passed him while taking off the ammo backpack of his minigun and held it up to the man in Power Armor. "Here. You carry this."
Spartan nodded and took the heavy weapon from him. A familiar weight could be felt even through the armor. "Thank you. I'll give this back later."
Wayland continued with his disarming, giving Louis his AK-47, Victoria his sledgehammer, and Asimov his quad-barrel missile launcher. Soon the Super Mutant stood weaponless, his ammo and supplies the only things he currently carried. After that they pressed on, once they went through the gate, all eyes were instantly on them. Both over the fact that it had been a very long time since outsiders came, and that a Super Mutant had finally breached their gate after fighting for so long to keep them out. Even if one was invited in by their guardian. But still ironic either way.
Spartan continued to lead them on, he had a private strategy room where he could finally question the odd mix of a group. The sectioned off town was a zone of old buildings, ranging from small apartments and other forms of businesses that have been refitted to support the surprisingly large population of a few hundred people. Hiromi joined back up with them to give Spartan the current status report of the fight from earlier.
"How many ended up injured during the attack?" he asked.
"More than half of us. Which brings our entire fighting force down to around one hundred and five, strong." Hiromi answered.
"One hundred and five." Spartan sighed to that number. "We started with three hundred and ten able bodies. And our current population is four hundred and sixty-two. All of them either too young, too old, or unable to fight. What's the injured's current status?"
"Thankfully they'll pull through. But our supplies are stretched thin as it is and we simply don't have enough stimpaks to help speed it up. We need to save them for those who have it the worst." Hiromi answered, knowing that their situation was growing more grim by the day.
"Understood. We'll go over the supplies later. Just make sure they get the care they need. We might have to rely on some home remedies you've talked about before." Spartan said before Hiromi headed off to get more updates around the settlement.
Finally, they stood in front of their main base of operations. A building that was once a Super-Duper mart many times bigger than normal. Enough to easily hold a few hundred people inside and store all their weapons, food, and supplies. It had even been refitted to act as a place for a last stand if worst came to worst. The sign above had been taken apart, leaving its faded letter marks behind.
"Good god, who builds a Super-Duper mart this big in a town like this?..." Louis asked out loud while looking up to the top.
"Greedy corporations that force their way into every town like this..." Joe answered, half jokingly and half serious.
"It's size has proven very useful. It's held up well in the last two hundred years or so." Spartan said almost admiringly at it. "Now we're going inside. Stay close because it can get very hectic."
They approached the glass doors that actually worked and went in. As expected, the inside was filled with people doing tasks like carrying crates or moving weapons and supplies to their designated locations. Even though word got to them about a Super Mutant being escorted in by Spartan, everyone nearby couldn't help but either stand and stare or get away.
"Alright, kids, go back to your parents and don't get into trouble." Spartan said to them before they went any further. "I'm sure they have a lot to talk about with each of you for running off again."
"We were only trying to help you, Knight." Sid avoided the gaze of his lenses.
Gently, Spartan reached his giant metal hand out and placed it on the skinny boy's shoulder. Not even making the child stagger or crumble. "The best thing you guys can do to help is stay safe. Once the threat is gone, you kids will be tasked with making this town a good place to live. Now run along..."
They said goodbye to their Knight and headed off to find their parents and the long lecture to come. The Spartan waited until they were gone before continuing to the back of the mart. As they moved, Spartan was approached by a few people here and there, all giving their reports and him relaying new ones or making changes to their current tasks.
"So why does everyone call you Spartan, and the kids call you Knight?" Chloe asked as the last of the fighters went off. "Doesn't that get confusing?"
"They call me Spartan as a form of formality during fights and because of the etch on my chest." he answered while tapping on it. "And all the kids like to call me Knight because they think I'm a knight from tales long past. You know, protect the villagers, save the princess, slay the dragon. All those stories of make-believe."
"At least they have someone to look up to." Louis said as a few kids waved to Spartan. "Good thing they don't know that knights aren't as noble or amazing as they're cracked up to be."
"Oh, I know the history of knights too. But what they don't know won't hurt them. They are just kids after all."
At last they reached the back room, which was once the employee break room, and a very big one at that. Spartan allowed them in first, they laid down their gear and weapons to take the weight off for a bit. Doug was gently placed down on a rolling chair as Spartan asked for someone to come treat him when a doctor was available before closing the door.
The break room had been converted to a mission room, four tables were cluttered together to form one big one covered in papers, maps, coffee mugs, and many other clutter. On one wall was a large printed map of the entire town with sticky note papers with writings on them covered almost the entire thing, all of it laying out the patrol routes of the Super Mutants and places of interest for them to scout and gather information.
Spartan placed his laser rifle on the table, along with the pouches carrying his ammo. He moved over to the corner and faced the wall for a moment as a faint beep went off. The Power Armor opened up with a whoosh of gears and motors that finally allowed the man inside to step out.
A Caucasian man with a svelte build to his body stood before them, wearing a BOS under-armor for his Power Armor frame. Despite his very slender build, his strong muscles still showed under the padded uniform. He took off his BOS hood and allowed his short and spiky, dark blonde hair to finally be free while running a hand through it to spike it up more. And the thing that stood out the most was his eyes, steel gray in color and just as strong and cool as metal.
He raised his arms up and stretched, popping some bones in his shoulders and back before clearing his throat to speak while coming up to them.
"So now that we're alone, I think it's time to put aside ranks." he held out his right hand to the first person who would shake it. "My name is, Ezrah Qualler. A pleasure to meet you all."
