Chapter 9: Pistol Packin' Mama – Bing Crosby and The Andrew Sisters
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Fallout or Harry Potter, blah blah blah
Also, I want to state unequivocally that a cross over between two disparate genres would naturally incur some AU-like considerations. E.g. not everything you know about the Fallout 4 game will be represented in this story and likewise for details of the Potter universe.
Lastly, I want to clear up some possible confusion with my 'POV: character name' headers. Despite what POV stands for, the header is not actually specifying that the section will be told from their point of view, though it sometimes is. It is more to give you a frame of reference as to who we are focusing on in that particular frame. Consider it almost like a story board for a movie, with the title giving the name of the central character within that scene.
POV: Luna and Soleil, Settlement of Sunshine
The settlement was bustling with industry as the hardworking settlers continued working their land regardless of the pall of war that hung over them. The settlers that were drawn to Sunshine preferred the quiet life, working the land and tending to their families away from the care of the rest of the Commonwealth. They had emigrated here from across the 'Wealth, lured by the promise of safety provided by the resurgent Minutemen, whose diligence was appreciated by the settlers and left them to their own lives without interference.
Built high upon an old-world silo, an observation tower had been put up for the Minuteman garrison to keep an eye on the raiders at the Federal Reserve and a number of Gunner camps to the south.
Climbing up the winding metal staircase had proven no hardship to either Soleil or to Nick Valentine, but had proven quite a challenge to the less physically adept Luna and Susan. Both girls were flushed and breathless by the time they joined their companions at the top, the mercenary and detective sharing a brief amused look at the duo's expense.
There was a more than a modicum of respect there as well, for the girl's hadn't needed to climb the stairs. They could have 'magicked' themselves to the top and left Nick and Soleil in the dust, but had instead opted to do things the muggle way and had tackled the wobbly staircase without complaint.
Once they reached the summit, their breath was taken away by the view, the tall tower affording them a panorama far in excess of any other structure outside of Boston itself.
Though details were difficult to discern at this distance, some activity was clearly taking place at the Federal Reserve, with the muffled echoes of gunfire and explosions reaching them now that they were above the panoply of sound generated by the settlement.
Luna, despite her oft-maligned 'looney' ways, quickly surmised the difficulty and used her wand to draw a circle in the air in front of them. With a sure and deft wave, she compressed the air like a lense, magnifying the image and bringing the distant battle into sharp focus. Nick and Soleil both breathed appreciatively at the witch and bent their attention to studying the battle. Susan's focus was razor sharp as she too looked intently at the image, following along with question as Soleil or Nick asked Luna to move the lense for focus in on a specific spot.
It didn't take long for the tactically minded and experienced mercenary to draw a conclusion, "The raiders are done for. The Gunners will rout them in an hour or less."
Nick grunted his agreement, "Looks that way, doll. Question is, what will the Gunners do once they finish?"
"A little more pressing, is what are the raiders streaming out of that church going to do?" Soleil pointed out, her muzzle drifting in the air in the direction of the church just south of the settlement.
Luna obliged their curiosity and angled the lense to focus on the church. She augmented the vision with sound, filling the space with the angry cries of the raiders in various stages of dishevelment. The clear leader, a woman with red paint over her eyes, knocked and bullied her way through the crowd of filthy raiders, her power armor growling in tandem with her curses.
'Get up you lazy fucks! We gotta get moving before those Gunners realize we snuck out the back. Come on you shits!'
'Where the fuck are we going to go?' One of the raiders whined, looking pale beneath the dirt and blood smeared on his face while he leaned against the church.
Clearly not in the mood to deal with whining, the red raider crudely grasped the man's head with her power armored fist and drove it into the brick wall of the church, the contest between wall and head being resolved in favor of the wall.
She shook the blood spattered brains of her fist in disgust and turned her blazing gaze to the rest of her crew, 'North! We storm that farm up there and hole up while we figure out our next move! Any other stupid fucking pansy-ass questions?'
Soleil and Nick shared concerned looks and turned to Luna and... Wait, where did Susan go?
POV: Susan
She took several measured breaths as she clutched the bag of rad-away in her suddenly sweaty hands. As soon as they had said that the Gunners would win, she had hastily and quietly descended the stairs far enough to be out of sight. She need not have bothered, she realized, as the trio's attention was firmly fixed on the situation playing out at the Federal Reserve.
She offered up a quick prayer, hoping that the few moments she spent looking at her target were enough, and that the Rad-away would keep her alive long enough for her plan to work.
Knowing that her muscles would likely not work the way she'd want once she arrived, she inserted the needle into her arm with a hiss, holding the bag aloft while she fought the wave of nausea that threatened to send her plummeting down the silo.
'Come on… Vincent's watching, you have to be strong.' She murmured, her eyes closed tightly against the vertigo.
It passed and before she could lose her nerve, she apparated to the Federal Reserve.
"Horff!" If Susan had thought getting sick by cleansing the soil sample was bad, it was nothing compared to how she felt now.
She knew from Harry's earlier attempt to apparate, that it flooded the traveler with a massive dose of radiation, far in excess of what was necessary to kill a human. That he and Piper had survived was nothing short of a minor miracle, that they had had Rad-away handy. She took the lesson to heart and was grateful she had taken that precaution, even as her stomach emptied itself for the fourth time in as many minutes.
She was painfully aware of how vulnerable she was, she had arrived several feet in the air and had landed with a cry, her horribly bruised body heaving in protest as it fought to preserve her life. The Rad-away bag was nearly empty and with it came the horrible urge to urinate.
Focus! She had to focus! There was no telling if any of the Gunners or the few remaining raiders had noticed her arrival on the ledge above the Federal Reserve.
She spat out bile and gritted her teeth, just barely managing the proper form to conceal herself with magic. The hiss of a stimpack began to relieve some of her pain and a gulp of purified water did wonders to clear her aching head. She guzzled more water down, heedless of the pure liquid cascading down her front and soaking her armor and clothing.
She lay back, panting, waiting for the rad-away to finish its work and for the pain and vertigo to lessen enough for her to get moving.
She peered up moments later, breathing a sigh of relief as it appeared that her presence went unnoticed. She watched with apathy as Gunners lined up a few of the surviving raiders and shot each one in the head before moving into the main concrete bunker.
A small group were left aboveground and began to patrol the area, giving Susan the 'in' she needed. Ensuring that she was still concealed atop the ridge, she peered over the edge and watched as the low-level Gunners walked the grounds, their movements deliberate and their eyes alert for hidden dangers.
She waited until the three Gunners approached just below her before acting, casting a silencing charm on all three. They stopped immediately, their features contorting weirdly as they struggled to make sense of their sudden deafness. She ended the comical scene by hurling all three into the air with a simple wave and snarled incantation. She stood up and brushed errant dirt from her clothes before casually climbing down toward where the patrol had just stood.
She looked up and calculated quietly in her head, moving aside a few steps to avoid the flailing man as he plummeted back to earth, his body breaking in silence. The other two fell shortly after, one smashing into the small concrete bunker and smearing his blood all down the side as his body slid off.
Tucking an errant strand of red hair behind an ear, Susan pulled one of the more intact corpses over and began to undress the slight man, judging that this one was near enough to her size to suit her. Moving as quickly as she could, she stripped off her armor and quickly shed her own clothes, tucking them in a neat bundle inside the small concrete bunker. Clad only in her panties and a tight white shirt, she shivered in the late autumn chill.
She pulled on the dead man's fatigues, crinkling her nose at the smell of the less than hygienic former Gunner, the man's musk making her already weakened stomach lurch. She cleansed the clothing of the stink with a simple charm, modifying the spell so that the slough would accumulate at her feet instead of in her body (a lesson she learned the hard way from the soil samples.)
Stepping gingerly over the yellowish ooze, she moved upwind of it and took a (relatively) clear breath. Shaking her head ruefully at herself for wasting time, she retrieved her armor and buckled it back into place, carefully transmogrifying the gunmetal grey into an olive drab seemingly favored by the Gunners. With luck, the disguise should be sufficient to allow her to steal close to those within the compound.
She had no real plan, but nevertheless felt a surge of pride in herself for improvising so well so far. She felt that Vincent would be proud of her, and that alone was worth the discomfort.
Checking over herself one last time, Susan finally felt as though she was ready. She walked softly toward the entry way of the main bunker, a single Gunner sitting at a desk with her feet propped on the desk. She glanced up at Susan and went back to cleaning her fingernails with a knife.
"Hey, you see those idiots that were supposed to be on patrol?" The woman asked, looking intently at a particular piece of stubborn debris.
"Actually I did." Susan murmured, sliding up beside her and thrusting her wand at the side of the woman's head.
"Hey, what?" Was all the Gunner managed before a dull 'whumpf' stole her voice as a red bolt of energy entered her ear canal and roasted her brain. She slumped down in her seat, her eyes showing nothing but the whites and a line of drool starting to dribble from her slack lips.
Susan turned the woman's face toward her and noted that this Gunner, like most of the others had a tattoo on their cheek, a detail she had missed earlier. She cursed herself for missing what could have been a telling flaw, if this sentry had been more observant, she could have noticed the discrepancy and shouted an alarm. Susan took a moment to apply a quick glamour onto her cheek, looking at the distorted reflection of a broken computer monitor to check her work. It would do.
Susan moved deeper into the underground complex, the signs of the earlier battle still fresh with the coppery tang of blood and the smell of cordite still hanging heavily in the air. She stepped over raider corpses that had not yet been policed up and approached group after group of Gunners leaving smoking ruins of flesh in her wake.
She was methodical, checking every nook and cranny, every side passage and chamber. She had killed perhaps a dozen of the hated mercenaries before she finally heard the hint of an alarm. A distantly echoing cry of dismay was quickly followed by shouting voices and stampeding feet.
Pulling her laser pistol out, she ran and began to shout, calling out to her 'comrades' that she had found more raiders.
"They're over here! More Raiders coming in! Need backup!"
Already in a state of heightened confusion, the five Gunners that joined her readily accepted that she was one of them and began to query her about the enemy.
"How many are there? Where are they?" A grizzled man barked, his eyes scanning the area for enemies.
"One." Susan answered sedately, stepping back to put the Gunners in front of her, "And she's right here."
"What?" The Gunner asked, confusion clear in his voice as he turned to face Susan.
His eyes opened wide in horror as they reflected the fiendfyre streaming from Susan's wand. He opened his mouth to shout, to scream, to do or say something, but the magical flames twisted in the air and surged into his open mouth, muffled his screams to burst out from his body in a grizzly display.
The rest of the squad screamed and quite unlike their reputation for ruthless efficiency, made to flee. Sinuous serpents of flame snaked around their limbs and pulled them screaming back toward Susan, the flesh of their legs crackling black under the intense heat. The screams reached a higher pitch as the Gunners were consumed by the flames racing up their bodies, the sound eventually falling until only the crackle of flame cooking the charred remains could be heard.
Waving away the stink of burning hair and flesh, Susan took a steadying breath and sought her center of calm, an essential skill when dismissing fiendfyre. The sorcerous flames heeded her command and dwindled away until only natural embers remained, the bones of the Gunners still glowing as Susan stepped around the white ashes.
POV: Harry
Harry leaned over the large table they had set up in the main room of the church, the building quickly becoming known as the de facto administrative center of the town.
Barney Rook stood at the table with his second, a quiet but determined looking young blonde woman named, ironically, Reba.
They were joined by the representative of the Minutemen contingent, a familiar face that Harry was pleased to see again. Roger grinned at Harry as he joined the group, his second an older black man with a permanent scowl etched into his hard edged features.
"This is Cranston." Roger said by way of introduction.
The aforementioned Minuteman merely nodded to the others before studying the crude map Harry had drawn on the table.
Harry nodded in return, grateful that his friends in the Minutemen were taking this seriously by sending a good portion of their available strength. He stood straight and grinned, relishing the opportunity to show off a little in front of Roger by tapping the tabletop with his wand.
The Minutemen gasped, even the taciturn Cranston's face evincing a look of wonder.
The table surface morphed and grew, a bubble appearing in the wood and expanding up and out, the Minutemen exchanging nervous glances and stepping back in caution.
The wood shimmered and the bubble burst with an audible pop, revealing, in perfect miniature, a detailed model of the Dunwich Bore.
"Now that IS a good trick!" Roger exclaimed, coming back to the table to peer at the display intently.
Harry smiled and motioned for Cranston to rejoin them, stifling a laugh as the man hesitated.
"Now, let's get down to brass tacks." Harry announced, "I'm expanding the operation a bit. We're hitting Dunwich as planned, but we're also going to use this opportunity to clear the ground around Salem and get rid of those ghouls at the manor to our south."
"Croup Manor." Barney provided, eyeing the Minutemen for any hint of dissent with Mr. Potter's plans.
Roger winked at Barney and turned to Harry, "We're here to support you in whatever way we can."
"Thanks Roger. Having you here makes it possible for me to see this through the way I want."
If Barney felt slighted at the words, he didn't show it, he too was grateful for the Minutemen for their help, so long as they remembered who was calling the shots around here.
"The Constitution will take position above and to the west of the quarry at sunset." Harry pointed his wand and a small simulacrum of the frigate appeared above the display. "They'll fire their cannons and cause as much havoc and confusion as possible. Me, Daphne, George and Lilith will be aboard and will take off on brooms once the cannons have had a chance to do their work."
"What is our role?" Roger asked.
Harry turned to Barney, who fixed the two Minutemen with superior looks.
"I'll be leading the forces on the ground. We'll head out this afternoon in groups and encircle the quarry. I'll lead your power armor boys and a few of my crack troops into the quarry to bust down their door while Mr. Potter provides air cover."
"Your men may get caught in some heavy fire down there." Roger remarked.
"Mr. Weasely and Mr. William whipped up a little something after seeing your General tool around in his power armor. It's not quite the same thing, but it'll do to keep the cultists from making our boys Swiss cheese."
Roger nodded, curious to see what the Salem folks had come up with, "Well, just tell your folks to try and keep up." He added with a good natured smile.
"Keep up? You'll be lucky if your walking tin cans have anything left to shoot at once my boys get through." Barney laughed.
"Once the heavy hitters reach the bottom, I want two squads of troops moving in to help clear the quarry. Once we've secured the surface, I'll take a team inside to deal with any cultists inside and those chindi." Harry continued, smirking a little at the fun Barney was having with the Minutemen. A little healthy competition between allies never hurt.
"While they are inside, we'll divide up the groups to keep watch on the outside so that nothing gets in and surprises Mr. Potter's team." Barney added.
Harry nodded, "I want Roger to be in charge of rearguard. Barney is going to take a group on the Constitution and hit Croup Manor and any other targets of opportunity that present themselves."
Barney whooped, "Me and Reba are going to give it to 'em!"
Reba looked over at him with an arched eyebrow.
"I, uh, I meant you. Really!" Barney stuttered, slowly placing his beloved rifle, also named Reba, behind his back.
"Sure…" Reba stated flatly, reaching up to run a hand through her short platinum hair. Roger took a moment to admire the woman, though not beautiful in the traditional sense, she had strikingly blue eyes and filled out her leather armor very nicely. Though to be quite truthful, he was very disappointed to learn that Soleil wasn't around.
"Sounds like we have a plan gentlemen." Harry announced, "I'll leave you four to work out the details, I'm going to get my team together. Be ready to leave as soon as you can, I want them surrounded before the Constitution gets into place."
Barney grinned and snapped a salute, "Sir, yes sir!"
Reba rolled her eyes dramatically then grinned and nodded at Harry, while Roger and Cranston gave him a casual wave.
"What is it? What's happening?" A middle-aged, curvy blonde hurried to the base of the tower, harrying Nick, Soleil and Luna just as they were coming down.
"Ah, Mayor… well I have good news and bad news." Nick replied, lighting a cigarette, the cherry glow betraying the worry etched on his synthetic face.
"Can it, Nick. Give it to me straight." Mayor Ester Tourette snapped, her hands planted firmly on her hips.
"The Gunners have won out over the raiders. The Federal Stockpile is now in their greedy little hands."
"Is that the bad news or the good news?" The mayor demanded.
"Um… the good news?" Soleil provided sheepishly.
Nick and Luna both eyed Soleil askance, the latter clearly unused to that tone coming from the stoic amazon.
The mayor dropped the tough girl act and looked almost pleadingly at the trio, "Tell me about the bad."
"A good portion of the raiders survived and escaped through Lonely Chapel. They're practically on our doorstep and intend to occupy this settlement to recover from their set back." Nick answered sympathetically, patting the Mayor's shoulder consolingly.
Mayor Tourette smiled gratefully at Nick's gesture and drew herself up, "Alright then, time for these 'Minutemen' to earn their keep. I'll see if I can wrangle up some of our own militia to join in the defense. How many are we facing?"
"About twenty, the leader is in power armor."
Ester blanched at that, but kept the tremor out of her voice, "Ms. Lovegood, Soleil, you and your troops aren't under my authority, but I would appreciate your help."
"You have it Mayor." Soleil replied without hesitation.
"Thank you. Now let's stop jawing and get our asses in gear!" She hiked up her sun dress and ran, very unladylike toward the large warehouse at the center of the settlement, where the main generators and siren were located.
Soleil nodded curtly to Nick and Luna and moved off at a jog to muster the pair of Salem militia that had accompanied them. Luna and Nick, with a breathless sigh from the disheveled witch, started back up the watchtower.
They had ascended only a few steps before the wavering tone of the siren sent shivers down Luna's back, the eerie noise raising her sense of alarm all on its own. Luna considered that it was probably an intentional side effect of the muggle device and marveled at how inventive the muggles were. She found her pace increasing, soon even overtaking the android as she huffed to the top of the watchtower.
Completely out of breath and feeling a little faint, Luna stayed away from the edge of the open air platform at the top of the tower. She heard Nick mount the platform beside her and felt his hand on her shoulder.
"You alright doll?"
Lacking the breath to reply, she nodded vigorously, regretting it immediately as she nearly swooned from the motion. Nick caught her easily and eased her into a folding metal chair.
"You just sit for a minute and catch your breath, I'll take a look and see what's what."
She didn't reply this time, just concentrated on keeping the tower from spinning. She recovered some of her wits in time to hear Nick begin to mutter.
"The Minutemen are all on the southern wall. The raiders are getting close too. Looks like Ester got about six or seven of her people together. There's Soleil, she's got your two Salem boys trailing her."
The raiders let loose a warbling battle cry as they charged across the grassy field separating them from what they considered an easy mark. If they were taken aback at the presence of a ten foot high concrete wall, they gave no indication of it, merely slowing to light Molotov cocktails and toss them on top of the walls.
The dull 'wooshes' of expanding flame was accompanied by pained shouts as Minutemen scrambled to avoid getting splashed. Sporadic gunfire rained down into the raiders as the light machine gun turrets activated and began to add their fire to the increasing volume of violence.
A missile streaked in and took out a turret, the unfortunate Minuteman standing near it blasted right off of the wall trailing flames. Ester was there in a flash, stabbing the man with a stimpack while simultaneously patting out the flames. She called over her own people over who grabbed the moaning man and carried him to their infirmary.
Luna gnawed her lip in worry as she watched from the tower. Despite the wall and the turrets, the raiders were giving as good as they got, several defenders having already fallen. The power-armored raider loaded another missile and aimed it at the gate, preparing to open the way for her boys to rush inside.
Pointing her wand and concentrating, Luna managed to nudge the missile upward as it streaked out of its launcher. The raider leader cried out in surprise as the projectile fired straight up and curved straight back down into her own men.
Satisfied at the carnage, Luna turned her attention to another section of wall, where four raiders were making ready to scale with jury-rigged grappling lines.
The surprise of those raiders wall lasted precisely two seconds, when the wall rumbled and the entire section they stood beneath suddenly fell outward and slammed down onto them. The wall shook and stood up again, bloody smears along its white surface the only evidence that men once stood there.
"Hey! That' a girl!" Nick shouted, clapping Luna on the back.
Soleil gritted her teeth at the severe burn on her arm as she raised her rifle and put down three raiders in as many seconds, aiming and firing without pause. She couldn't stifle the scream as a blazing line of pain erupted along her neck, hot blood splashing the Salem militiamen next to her.
She felt strong hands clamp onto her neck as she was lowered, the man crying out for a medic.
Luna felt the sudden anguish like a stab in her neck, making her lurch uncontrollably. Nick caught a hold of her before she could plummet off the side, the synth muttering that they really ought to put a rail or something up there.
The pain easing slightly, Luna risked a look at where her instincts directed, and paled even further when she saw Soleil being pulled away from the wall by the Salem militia. A twinge of anger spiked through her, an unwelcome and nearly foreign sensation to the normally serene witch.
She scanned the battlefield and though the defenders had paid a bloody price, the raiders were nearly spent, only a small group still pressing the attack. In a move fraught with desperation, one of the raiders pulled the pin on a grenade and tossed it underhand at the gate, perhaps hoping that once inside, the half dozen or so of them left could turn the tide.
Luna repeated her trick of catching thrown grenades (from the battle at Salem) and gave it back to them, the explosion in their midst doing more to add a measure of disorder than actual harm. The defenders pressed their momentary advantage, laser blasts knifing into the disoriented raiders and cutting them down.
As the dust settled, only the power-armored leader still stood, stomping in anger even as potshots plinked off her heavy plates. She turned at just the right angle at just the right time for a minuteman sniper to put a round right into her fusion core, the breached container hissing green gas at an alarming rate.
With a cry of panic, the raider forced open the unwieldy armor and stumbled into a run just before the device exploded like a miniature nuclear blast. A few unfortunate souls got knocked off of the walls, but the raider took the worst of it, being blown off her feet to slam face first into the unyielding gate.
She staggered back dazed, the blood from her face blinding her and making the scene almost comical with the way she lurched about.
"Hold your fire!" Ester screamed, forestalling the defenders from turning the raider into paste. She marched over to the gate and shot a glare at the militiaman who was too slow in opening it for her liking.
The men shrugged at each other and hurried over to open the gate for their volatile mayor, then accompanied her outside the settlement in case of trouble.
Ester stomped right up to the raider leader and punched her directly in the face, sending the woman sprawling with a groan onto the blood soaked ground.
"You stupid bitch! Fucking whore! Where is Lily! You had one job! Keep her safe, and you become a piece of shit raider! Dad would fucking kill you if he were still alive, you stupid cunt!"
Ester's rage was only further fueled by her victim's pleading groans, her curses punctuated by swift kicks she delivered into the raider's side. She reached down and picked up the raider, who flopped listlessly in the strong woman's grasp.
She shook her violently, "Damn you Steph! Where is Lily?! Where's our little sister?!"
'Steph', the raider boss formally known as 'Red Tourette', could only drool blood in response.
Ester let the raider fall in a heap at her feet and stepped back, wrath and worry warring for expression on her face.
Her ire finally spent, she spat down on the raider and tersely ordered her men to lock her up. She marched back inside, her face flushed with effort and ignored the questioning glances directed at her by the defenders.
In no mood to climb the stairs yet again, Luna stepped off the platform and used her magic to gently float down to the ground. She alighted with a soft step and glided over to Ester, her serene presence seemingly calming the irate mayor.
"Who is that?" Luna asked calmly, placing a delicate hand on the woman's back and stroking her gently.
There must have been a measure of magic in the touch, for the blonde visibly relaxed, though the departure of rage left only grief to fuel her. Ester's shoulders fell and she grasped Luna desperately, the slight woman teetering under the sudden weight.
"She's my little sister." She sobbed, "One of three. She took Lily with her to find work while I stayed on with our dad. Last I heard, she said she had found a good spot to find salvage to sell and actually sent caps home once in a while. When dad died, I came out here to start again, hoping the three of us could meet up and start a new life together. I should have known something was up, Steph was always a mouthy cunt of a girl with the common sense of a carrot."
Luna was unprepared for her life story, her unrelenting sobs, or the burden of holding the larger woman, but she held on stoically, listening to Ester go on about how she waited and searched and turned down offers to settle and marry, all because she couldn't relax and settle until she found Steph and Lily.
She straightened up just as a pair of her volunteer militia dragged the barely sensate Stephanie past them. Steph lifted her head for a moment and started to gurgle something, to which Ester angrily demanded that she 'shut the fuck up!'
As if that shout stole all the remaining strength from her, she collapsed, dragging Luna down onto the ground with her.
POV: Harry
The orange light of the setting sun painted his skin in ruddy tones as the wind tousled his hair.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Harry couldn't quite suppress the thrill he felt whenever he flew, even if it was on the deck of flying gunship. He held onto Daphne and stood on the foredeck enjoying her presence.
Looking at her, he was thrilled to see the same wonder reflected in her eyes as the ground flew by beneath them in a blur. He was sure that he had found a love of a lifetime in Daphne, and once Salem was safe, intended on making their relationship more permanent.
Seeing that they were approaching their destination, Harry sighed and took Daphne's hand as they walked back toward the others. Looking up at the crow's nest, he felt a surge of pride at the flag that now snapped proudly in the wind.
One of the former vault residents, a seamstress by trade, had sewn it for them. She had painstakingly attended to every detail, even sewing gold piping around the edges. The flag was black, unfaded by the passage of time. A mirror of the Hogwart's coat of arms was centered on the flag, though the central 'H' for Hogwarts had been replaced by an 'S' for Salem.
The same insignia adorned his 'battle robes' special garments also lovingly crafted by Ms. Petrova. Though it definitely set the wizards and witches apart from the non-magical people of Salem, the muggles had been unanimous in their pride in their resident magicals and felt that they should stand out proudly.
He looked as though he was ready for a Quidditch match, the dark red robes draped over pale cream colored trousers, a black shirt and supple but strong leather armor on his chest and arms. The ensemble was completed with a set of high leather boots, similarly armored. Lilith had etched runes on the armor to increase their protective qualities, proudly proclaiming that it would stop all but the most powerful muggle weapons.
Harry wasn't eager to test that claim, but was grateful to them both for the hard work they had put in. George and Lilith were both similarly attired, standing ready with their brooms. Neville had protested at being left behind, but there hadn't been time to make another outfit for him and if Harry was perfectly honest, Neville's spell craft left much to be desired. No, he much preferred his gentle friend to stay in Salem and look after it for him, especially in case things went badly at the quarry.
Harry pulled an old telephone handset from his robe's pocket and marveled at the constant stream of innovations that poured from the William and Weasely workshop. This device would permit anyone to talk to anyone else having a similar device, like a mobile phone from the old world. The only downsides to it was that it was a little bulky and couldn't reach more than a mile or so, a weakness that befuddled and embarrassed the irrepressible inventors.
The device changed color even as he held it, turning coal black and vibrating slightly in his hands. He lifted the device to his ear and greeted Barney, the color the phone changed to letting the receiver know who was calling.
"We're in position Mr. Potter." The man reported, his voice sounding small and far away, "We can see you approaching now. We'll be ready to move on your signal."
"Brilliant." Harry replied, "Just remember, the Constitution is going to fire at least two volleys before I give the signal, so don't move out before then."
"We got it, Mr. Potter sir! Excelsior!"
To the raiders in the quarry, it sounded as though heaven had rent open to spill its fury down on them, unleashing a cavalcade of fire and thunder. They scrambled for what cover they could find, quickly discovering that their ramshackle shelters of wood and steel availed them little, for the mighty guns of the Constitution sheered through sheet metal and smashed wood to kindling. Only the large stone blocks of the quarry offered any sanctuary, and only to those lucky enough to not be killed in the opening exchange, and keen enough to recognize the bulwark they provided.
Harry watched impassively as the robotic crew bustled around him, loading and firing the broadsides in horrendous salvoes which belched such a tumult of smoke and noise that the wizards and witches aboard had to shield themselves with magic to avoid being overcome by it. He clenched his broom tightly in his left hand while holding his wand with his right, watching for the perfect moment to signal the ground attack.
He noted that no structure erected by the raiders remained intact, and that there seemed to be no further movement from below. He nodded to the others, and as one, raised their wands and sent several bursts of red light soaring into the air like a shower of fireworks.
Not waiting to see if the signal was seen, Harry motioned to Ironsides to quit the broadsides and leapt off the side of the mighty ship, mounting his broom even as he plummeted to earth. He pulled up quickly and began a rapid corkscrew flight path down through the quarry, his wand flashing with destructive magic at any target that presented itself.
Barney noted the signal and the subsequent silencing of the frigate's guns and urged his team forward. The ground shook beneath the tread of the three power-armored Minutemen, their mini-guns held easily in their augmented fists despite the tremendous weight of the firearms.
The Salem heavy troopers followed behind, their black armor gleaming with polish as they hefted their own assault rifles and tried to reign in their zeal to keep from overtaking their living shields.
The armor they wore was a modification of heavy combat plates scavenged over the last several weeks and augmented with magic to be nearly impervious to bullets, lasers and plasma. Though they could still be overwhelmed under sufficient firepower, their task was to put down any aggression before enough firepower to threaten them could be brought to bear.
Despite the thickness of their armor plates, the suits weighed next to nothing, another benefit of the enchantments laid upon them. It allowed them freedom of movement unprecedented, and gave them an enormous advantage on a field where mobility counted for much.
The Minutemen fired on the move, scouring the rocks all around them with a storm of 5mm fire. Very little of their shots actually hit a raider, but it served extremely well to panic and un-man the cultists, despite their supposed fervor to their chindi masters. The Salem shock troopers peeled off from the Minutemen and drove the raiders from their holes with precision fire from their assault rifles, cutting down raiders left and right before they could evacuate into the open where any remaining men found themselves under the less than tender care of the soaring harbingers of destructions, the four men and women lashing out with their wands at any raider they saw.
The power armored Minutemen reached the bottom and fanned out to cover one another, the squads topside moving to the edge of the quarry and adding their own fire to the chaos and clamor.
Harry wasn't sure if it had been 15 minutes or 15 seconds, so loudly did his heart thunder in his ears, nearly enough to drown out the multitude of weapon discharges. Regardless, the shots petered out and silence fell heavy and thick in the Dunwich Bore.
He and the others made a few extra passes before landing at the bottom of the chasm, their eyes piercing the smoky gloom alert for any hidden dangers. A shape jogged easily toward them, their wands trained on the hidden figure until the smoke parted to reveal a grinning Barney Rook and his companion Reba.
"My boys are securing the area, Mr. Potter." Barney saluted, not making any effort at hiding the obvious glee in his face or tone.
"Did we lose anyone?" Harry asked tremulously.
"Not a single man." Barney responded enthusiastically.
"That's great news!" Harry exclaimed, relief clear in his posture, "Glad our plan worked out and things didn't get dodgy there. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, we still have a ways to go."
"On your word, Mr. Potter!"
Harry paused as Roger and Cranston joined them, both of them looking as though they had just chewed on rusted nails.
At Harry's quizzical expression, Reba leaned over and whispered, "There weren't any raiders left by the time their squads joined in."
Roger held up a hand in greeting while Cranston busied himself with cleaning his nails.
"Well, brilliantly done, everyone." Harry began, ignoring the sour expression on Roger's face, "It's time to move on to phase two. Barney, before the squads leave for the second part of our plan, I need some men to stay here and keep an eye on things up here."
Barney nodded and turned to Reba, "You and Cranston here will watch over the hole. Mr. Potter's safety is in your hands!"
He continued before Harry could argue, "Roger and I will take the rest and head out for Croup Manor. We'll see if we can flush anything nasty your way so you can have a bit of fun."
"Very generous of you sir." Reba replied sarcastically. She nudged Cranston who fell in line with her without a word. They moved off, gathering a squad each of Minutemen and Salem militia to do a thorough search of the quarry and keep sentries up top.
Barney noted the approach of the rest of Harry's team and moved off, placing his finger along his nose at Harry and smiling as if privy to some inside joke.
"Is it me, or is he getting stranger?" Harry remarked to Daphne, as soon as the happily whistling man was out of earshot.
Daphne opened her mouth to reply but shrieked in terror instead, actually leaping up into Harry's arms.
A thoroughly bewildered Harry held on to his sweetheart while searching out the source of her distress. His sight locked in on it and icy tendrils of fear tickled the base of his spine and made the hair on his neck stand up straight.
It was the size of a child of perhaps 7, a poor caricature of life with a clumsy stilted gait and eyes bereft of life. It appeared to be a doll made of plastic and wood, a barmy smile painted on its face and dressed in a blue and yellow vault suit.
"It's a Vault Boy!" George proclaimed gleefully, his sudden appearance nearly making Harry drop Daphne.
"I don't bloody care what it is, what the hell is it doing here?!" Daphne shouted, finally putting her legs back down and relieving Harry from having to keep holding her.
"It's coming with us! It's my muggle back up… you did say we each had to have one." George pointed out, motioning toward Fingers and Adam MacTavish, both skilled fighters who volunteered to join the expedition.
"I meant something… living, and not so… creepy."
"You're going to hurt his feelings." George cautioned, a serious look darkening his features.
"Wha… what?!" Daphne whispered.
"I'm only kidding! It's just a toy." George laughed.
"Only a toy." The doll stated evenly, silencing the entire group.
"Um, Mr. William didn't tell me it could do that." George murmured, crouching down and looking at the doll evenly.
Harry let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when George finished his examination and stood up with a shrug.
Noting the disquieting looks, "Oh come on. We're going into a deep dark hole to confront evil ghosts who have driven a small army of raiders insane. You're seriously not going to get all buggered over a toy! Besides, we're going for the big win today Harry! Dunwich, Croup manor and any other nasty within miles of Salem is about to get an eviction notice!"
Harry was forced to agree, "By this time tomorrow the entire Northwest Commonwealth will be safe and firmly under Salem's protection. We'll finally have the breathing room we'll need."
"Wow, it's almost as if you are forging a nation up here." Daphne noted.
"Does that term really bear any meaning anymore?" Harry asked, rhetorically, "In any case, I'm doing this for all the people depending on us. This will send a clear warning to all those raiders and their ilk out there that Salem is not to be trifled with."
Harry's voice carried a hint of menace and Daphne had to admit, it kind of turned her on.
Harry gestured for the team to move out, with Fingers and Adam taking point. The door into the quarry interior opened with an ominous screech inviting them into the gloom with a rush of wind as the air pressure equalized.
POV: Susan, Luna
The moonlight glowed silver along the grass, turning the field in to a glittering sea of twinkling motes as she strolled back to Sunshine. She noted the burned patches and the smell of blood in the air. Feeling the first hints of concern, she peered at the approaching walls and noted one section that was appeared almost black from the dried blood smeared all over it. She quickened her pace and was only slightly assuaged by the flags still fluttering from their mounts, the yellow sunburst on a green field of Sunlight and the crossed musket and lightning bolt of the Minutemen.
"Who goes there?!" Came the shouted challenge as she came within twenty yards of the gate.
She stepped a little closer to be in the light offered by the burn barrels and called up, "It's me! Susan Bones!"
Silence met her announcement, but just before she could call out again, the gates creaked open and Luna and Soleil came out.
Luna gasped when she saw her, "Susan? You looked awful. Did you douse yourself in paint?"
Soleil sniffed audibly, "That's blood Luna."
"Blood? Is it yours or somebody else's?" Luna asked.
"Gunners." Susan replied, "The Gunners that were in the Federal Reserve are dead. All of them."
"Oh Susan." Luna lamented.
"What?!" The redhead suddenly blazed, her eyes looking like white flames set on a black mask, "Oh Susan? Don't pity me Luna, don't you dare! I'm a Hufflepuff and Hufflepuffs believe in justice. Today, I bought a measure of justice for my Vincent and I won't be made to feel bad for it! Not by you or Harry or anyone!"
Soleil shrugged as Luna gaped at the outburst, so unused to such raw emotion from the quiet Susan.
"Susan did what her heart demanded. Besides, Vincent is worth a hundred of them. Susan just made a good start at squaring things."
Luna's expression turned to horror at Soleil's ready acceptance of what Susan had done. Susan smiled gratefully at the tall woman and walked in the settlement gates.
Soleil smiled sadly in sympathy to her friend and in an uncharacteristic show of affection, draped a sisterly arm over the witch's shoulder.
"I know it seems that we should be horrified, but that's how things are out here."
"I know." Luna replied, regaining her composure, "it's just that this is going to end up hurting Susan in the long run. You can't murder that many people and have it not affect you, especially for people like us. I'm afraid for her. I think she needs to go back to Salem for a while."
"That is probably for the best." Soleil agreed, "She's been through a lot and she needs to work through it. Best that she does that surrounded by people who love her."
Susan headed for the communal bathroom, hoping that the late hour would mean she would have it to herself and could spend some time showering the blood and sweat off her body. Though she could have just as easily used a simple charm to clean herself, she looked forward to letting warm water slough off the day's filth.
Sighing in anticipation, she let herself in and padded to the first stall, opening it and finding herself mere feet from a man enthusiastically thrusting in and out of a woman who was bent over in front of him. They noticed her standing there and shrieked in surprise, the sudden noise jolting Susan from her frozen shock and sending her slipping and scrambling for the open air.
She stops and leans against the wall just outside the bathroom and let's herself sink down to the ground, giggles erupting from her throat as she thought of what a sight she must have been… there the couple was, having sex, when the door opens to show a small figure covered in dried blood. It must have been terrifying!
She let the mirth play itself out and laid her head back against the cold metal wall, looking up at the stars as she waited for the couple to 'finish'.
She imagined what it would have been like, to be in that woman's place, but with Vincent behind her. His strong hands grasping her hips, his manhood plunging deeply into her while waves of pleasure cascaded through her body. Her eyes closed and a real moan escaped her lips as she immersed herself in the fantasy.
The haze of passion was blasted away when the door slammed open, the couple giggling to one another as they walked off, hand in hand.
The dream thoroughly lost, Susan felt the deepening gloom like a hole opening in her heart. She sank down even further as the overwhelming heartbreak urged her tears to flow anew.
A/N: Hello everyone, I imagine it must be something of a surprise to have an update so soon after the last one, especially after such a long hiatus between Chapters 7 and 8. But I just happened to have most of the outline for Chapter 9 fleshed out already. In fact, there was originally going to be much more, but as I wrote, I realized that the chapter would end up being far too long and found that this was a good point to end this chapter and go ahead and re-organize the rest into Chapter 10, so sorry that this chapter is slightly shorter than usual. Next Chapter will detail Harry and company's venture into the Dunwich Borer's quarry, so that along will take up quite a bit of space.
I would like to point out that though this outline was drafted a long time ago, the tenor of this chapter is somewhat reflective of some of the latest reviews that suggested the story was becoming less Potterverse centric. I hope that my modification will serve to correct the course of the story so that Harry and company aren't being sidelined.
Both Harry Potter and Fallout are extremely rich in both characters and atmosphere and care must be taken that one does not overshadow the other, a notion made somewhat more difficult in that the story takes place in the Fallout world. Hopefully I have accomplished this balance to some degree. Anyway, thank you for reading and as always, I welcome your reviews.