Fuck me running.
Xao and I are currently camped at the edge of the "Glowing Sea." By edge, I mean there are still some scraggly ass signs of vegetation here and there. We have been on the road for two days. To be honest with myself, I needed to get the hell out of Home Plate because I was losing my goddamn mind. Cait was doing better and I figured it was time to hunt down this Virgil character. I had to get a little shitty with everybody, but it was only because they weren't seeing the damn logic in what was trying to explain.
After telling everyone that I was going to go look for Virgil, the conversation got heated. Hell, even sick and weak Cait got into the fray. The general consensus was that I had to take everyone. After trying to be gentle about it, I finally had to take off the gloves and go bare knuckle.
After asking each one of them to tell me about their non-existent power armor, I then asked how they felt about having their guts irradiated and possible ghoulification. (Fuck you Shakespeare, I can make up words to.) I then did the math for them - 1 suit of power armor, one ghoul. Heather mentioned her suit, but admitted that it lacking rad scrubbers made it a poor choice. I have 5 Radaway doses and 7 Rad-X doses. After pointing all of this out, the grumbling died down to a point that made it possible leave without being burned in effigy. Mental note - Warrior women can be a pain in the ass.
Xao and I set out early morning on the 14th and headed southwest. It became painfully apparent to me that my planning skills were not all that I imagined they were by the end of the first day. For starters, I had to leave the power armor at home... Just getting into it would have woken everybody up. I loaded my pack with Radaway and Rad-X to deal with the issues inherent in traipsing across the Glowing Sea.
Things were going great for the first part of the day. Xao and I made quick work of two groups of raiders that had the misfortune to have crossed out path, and we were, overall, in a fairly jovial mood. Xao was in the middle of busting my balls about not wanting to drag me away from a Deathclaw like he did with the tiger when the first shot rang out. That fucker hit me square in the shoulder and spun me clear around before I hit the ground. Xao was down with me.
"Who the fuck is that?" He asked while trying to look over the top of the tall grass inconspicuously. "How bad is it?"
"I am fine... It hit a mirelurk plate..."
"You're welcome."
"Fuck off.."
"Well, we know they aren't raiders.." I told him after we heard another shot whiz by.
"Who the fuck.."
"Gunners..."
"How do you know? It could be the Institute..""
"Naw. Institute uses lasers... These are definitely bullets." Another round whizzed by over our heads.
"Why not raiders?"
"Did you hear them talk shit before they fired?"
"Good point.."
I looked around and spotted a nice sized outcropping of rocks jutting through the grass.
"Any idea on how many?" Xao asked while trying to look around.
"Seriously? Did you not just see me get spun like a damn ragdoll? I was eating dirt too quick to give a real good look..."
"Point taken.. Is there a plan?"
"Don't get killed?"
"I like it."
I hadn't been paying attention to the surrounding because we were out of the clutter of the city for the first time in ages and I admit to enjoying taking a walk without smelling shit, garbage and burning tires.
A burst of sand poofed uncomfortably close to where we were laying.
"Fuck... He is ranging in on us. He has discipline and training."
"Fantastic.."
A thought hit me and I couldn't help but to giggle.
"We draw this bastard, or bastards, out."
"How, pray tell, do you suggest we do that? Invite them for a Nuka Cola?"
"Rope-a Dope."
"Umm.. What?" The look on his partially melted face was priceless.
"You are going to start to help me get to the rocks... I throw an arm over your shoulder, with you on the down range side of me. I will be your cover."
"They are going to shoot you again Cain... you know that right?"
I reached into me coat and pulled out a nice clean white section of sheet that Heather had sent with us to use as a bandage and handed it to Xao.
"I am counting on it."
"This isn't sounding real encouraging yet..."
"I have three ballistic plates overlapped with the mirelurk shell. There is a very slim chance of them actually damaging me... I'll take the hit and drop. Haul ass to the rocks and then wave the sheet. With luck, they will think that I am not a threat and head towards you. When they do, I should be able to get the drop on them..."
"Ok... A few questions about your brilliant plan.."
"Go for it." Another puff of sand. "Fucking quickly..."
"What happens if they go for a head shot?"
"They shouldn't.. Center of mass is a better target.."
"Uh huh... what happens if they do?"
"I get my brains blown out?"
"Great... Question 2.."
"What happens if they do actually penetrate the armor?"
"I'll bleed a lot?"
"I should have seen that one coming..."
"C'mon mom.. Hurry the fuck up.."
"What happens if they head to you first?"
"Unlikely, I will make it look good... Anything else?"
"What happens if all the above happen?"
"You worry too much.."
"Goddammit Cain!"
"They likely capture and torture you for days until you tell them whatever it is you know, and then kill you."
"Boy, you are a fucking breath of fresh air..." was all he said as we started to get up and attempt to pull off my hairbrained scheme.
We made it about 3 steps when I felt the shot tear through my left shoulder and the warm spray of blood splash onto my face. There really wasn't a whole lot of acting involved at this point and I went down hard. I heard Xao yell fuck and then watched as he hauled ass to the rocks.
"See... I am bleeding a lot.." I whispered at him with a laugh in my voice. It felt like some had jabbed a hot poker into my shoulder. "At least it wasn't a head shot.."
"Fucking asshole.." He hissed back at me.
"Just wave the goddamn flag Xao.." I hissed back as I moved my working arm to the grip of the Rsh.
He waved the flag very convincingly, I must admit.. A minute or so later, I could hear the sound of multiple men approaching.
"Number?" I whispered.
"Three..."
"Rifle present?"
"Yes.. shooter is present."
"Trajectory?"
"Two coming at me, one heading your direction."
That was when I felt the shift. I started to get pissed. My shoulder was screaming at me.
"About 100 meters."
"Distract the one coming at me.."
"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." Was all i heard him say as he stepped out and started waving the flag all over the damn place.
"Yeah, yeah... We see it freak boy.. We haven't shot you yet." They sounded close.
"Identify yourself, you are in gunner territory." A different voice said.
"I am just a scavver heading to the Glowing Sea for scrap to sell."
"Who's your friend?" A third voice moving away from me. That was what I needed to hear.
"A merc I hired to be a bodyguard..." Xao replied.
"Yeah?" Goon one laughed. "How's that working out for you?"
"Well, I am alive..." Xao said, chuckling.
I heard one of them laugh. "Well, you do have a point there.."
"Do you ever find anything good out there?" Goon two.
I marveled as Xao managed to get them into a conversation about the scrap one could find in the Glowing Sea. They were interested enough in the bullshit he was feeding them that they didn't hear me move into a crouched position. Definitely not at my best, but not at my worst either, I aimed at the Gunner that had a pistol in his hand thinking that his reaction to my presence would be the quickest and squeezed off a shot square at his chest. The impact from the round threw hime back a few feet before he hit the ground. As the other two started to turn in my direction, Xao quickly pulled the pistol from his shoulder holster and ventilated another. The third, making a quick assessment of his situation, immediately put his hands up. It was enough for us to pause in our task.
Then he saw me up close. More specifically, he saw the helmet and mask.
"Holy fuck... your him..."
"Him?" I asked.
"Mogui..." He whispered..
"Wrong answer..." I aimed my weapon at him.
"No.. please... You don't have to kill me." He pleaded.
"You see... I do. You could fuck everything up..."
"How? What could I possibly do?" He asked in a panicked voice.
"You saw me bleed..." I responded coldly.
"So?! How could THAT fuck shit up?!"
As I pulled the trigger, I simply said, "Demons don't bleed."
