"So you really lived in a vault, Miyuki-san?" Tsukasa asked, eyes wide with wonder.
"Yes," Miyuki replied as they walked, "For my entire life."
"That's amazing! You're so lucky, sometimes I wish I could've been born in a vault. Then I wouldn't have to worry about raiders or super mutants or anything!"
"That's Tsukasa for you," Konata commented, "Always the dreamer."
The girls were following the Brotherhood of Steel soldiers along the Potomac River's shoreline; since the Citadel was on the way to D.C., Konata and Miyuki were taking advantage of the company and protection.
"But you know, Tsukasa," Konata started, "You're actually pretty well off, compared to other people out here. I mean, your whole family got recruited into the Brotherhood of Steel, so you don't have to worry about food, water, or shelter. And you're a scribe, so you don't have to do any fighting."
"Well, I'm technically not a full scribe yet," Tsukasa admitted with a bit of embarrassment. "I'm still just a journeyman, so I always get sent out on assignments in the wasteland. You know, stuff the senior scribes are too busy for."
"I'm curious to know what role the scribes play within the Brotherhood," Miyuki said.
"Well," Tsukasa replied, "While the paladins and knights are responsible for protecting the wasteland, the scribes are responsible for researching and maintaining technology, like power armor and energy weapons. We also collect things from before the war to help us rebuild some of what we lost."
"I see, how fascinating!"
"Wait a minute," Konata interrupted, "If the scribes have to do smart stuff like that, then why is Tsukasa one?"
Tsukasa's expression turned shocked. "H-Hey! That was a little blunt, Kona-chan!"
"Hey," Hoss called back, getting the girls' attention. "The Citadel is just up ahead." Before long, the high walls of the Citadel came into view.
"Finally!" Tsukasa said happily. "Home sweet home!"
"I can't believe it!" Tsukasa cried, "I thought I would get to stay at the Citadel, but they sent me back out to the ruins!"
"Don't worry, Tsukasa. You've got me and Yuki-chan to keep you company!" Konata chirped.
"Yeah, I'm so lucky you guys are headed to Galaxy News Radio too. They want me to collect a field report from the reinforcements they sent there."
"Do you know why they sent you out without an escort?" Miyuki asked.
Tsukasa shook her head. "They just said they needed all available soldiers back at the Citadel." She smiled a bit. "But that's okay, because you guys will protect me, right?"
"Of course," Miyuki assured her with a smile.
"Yeah, you can count on it!" Konata said confidently. "Nothing has been able to stop me and Yuki-chan yet!"
The girls continued on along the rocky shore of the Potomac until they reached the bridge leading to the Anchorage War Memorial. "That's where I planted the observer unit for Moira," Konata said, pointing at the Memorial. "See all the craters on this bridge?"
Miyuki looked at the ground and noted many small potholes. "Yes."
"Those used to be landmines. Don't know who set them up, but all it took was one shot and they all went off at once! That was fun."
"You've already come out this far, Kona-chan?" Tsukasa asked.
Konata nodded. "Yep, on one of my many adventures!" Konata replied as she stepped up onto the ledge of the Memorial's parking lot. "Looks like we'll have to get our feet wet," The rogue stated.
The Memorial wasn't actually connected to the river's eastern bank. Miyuki and Tsukasa peered over the ledge at the murky water below. A twenty meter stretch of water separated them from the opposite bank.
"I don't know, Kona-chan... do we really have to swim through that?" Tsukasa asked.
"I agree with Tsukasa-san," Miyuki added, "That water looks very unsanitary."
"What are you two, scared?" Konata taunted. Tsukasa nodded vigorously. "Okay then," Konata sighed. "Watch, there's nothing to worry about." The adventurer proceeded to leap over the ledge, tucking in her legs and cannonballing into the river. "See?" she called up as she swam in small circles. "Nothing to worry about. Now come on in! The water's fine!"
Miyuki sighed as she sat down on the ledge. At least my Pip-Boy and backpack are waterproof. She slid down off the ledge, gracefully dropping into the water. Tsukasa tried to lower herself down the ledge to shorten the drop, but her hands slipped, sending her tumbling down and belly-flopping onto the water. "Nice one!" Konata cheered as Tsukasa sputtered water from her mouth and nose.
"We should hurry," Miyuki prompted them, staring at her Pip-Boy. "The river is irradiated. We should get to the bank as soon as possible."
The girls started swimming across the river, though the water was thick with dirt and muck. Miyuki tried her best to ignore it.
"Eek!" Tsukasa squealed when they were halfway to shore.
"What is it?" Miyuki asked as her and Konata stopped.
"S-Something touched my foot!" Tsukasa cried as she frantically searched through the water.
"Calm down," Konata said, "It was probably a piece of garbage."
"No! There's something in here!" Tsukasa insisted. Suddenly, Tsukasa disappeared under the water, thrashing her arms as she was dragged under.
"Tsukasa!" Konata shouted, drawing her sword. Before she could act, however, the adventurer found a solid carapace slamming into her from below, briefly throwing her out of the water. She slashed at the hard shell repeatedly before the creature swam past her. "Mirelurks!" Konata shouted to Miyuki. "Aim for its face!" she advised before taking a deep breath and diving.
Miyuki faced the mirelurk as it came around for another attack. She drew her sawed-off shotgun and fired on the creature, but the buckshot bounced off its hard shell and splashed into the water. Miyuki struggled to swim back as it advanced, but it was faster than her. The mirelurk reared back as it attacked, providing Miyuki a clear look at it. The creature resembled a giant bipedal horseshoe crab, though Miyuki thought it shared some features with a blue crab. Her fascination was short-lived, however, as its mutated claws were soon snapping at her.
Konata spun her head back and forth, struggling to see Tsukasa in the thick muck. She spotted a strip of yellow and reached out for it. As she tried to reach Tsukasa's ribbon, she found a mirelurk claw shooting towards her and snapping shut around her sword arm. Konata saw Tsukasa gripped in the other claw by her neck; she was desperately trying to pry the claw open. Konata struggled to shake her sword arm free, to no avail.
Miyuki managed to fire off her second shot at the lunging mirelurk. The buckshot did little to slow the creature; it snapped one claw down around her neck, abruptly cutting off the air to her lungs. Trying not to panic, Miyuki fumbled through her ammo pouch under water, trying to reload her weapon. She managed to wrap her fingers around a pair of shotgun shells and pull them above the water. The mirelurk quickly snapped its second claw around her arm, preventing her from reloading. Miyuki desperately bashed the creature's face with her empty gun, causing it to release her other arm and grab her gun arm instead. Fortunately, the mirelurk was keeping the barrel pointed straight at itself. Miyuki shoved the shells into her gun and flipped the break closed before pulling the trigger twice. Buckshot splashed across the creature's face, killing it instantly. The claws relaxed, allowing Miyuki to gasp for air as the carcass began to sink.
Konata delivered two sharp kicks as she drew her knife. She stabbed at the creature's face, but it suddenly faced down and swam towards the riverbed, dragging her and Tsukasa behind it. Konata glanced at the scribe as she tried to free her arm; the girl was no longer struggling. Not good,not good! Konata reached up and sawed through the mirelurk's claw with her knife, freeing her sword arm. The creature screeched and turned to face her. Releasing Tsukasa, it charged at Konata with its good claw. The rogue ducked under the claw and brought her sword up, stabbing right through its face as it rushed at her.
Konata pulled her sword back and left the corpse, swimming towards Tsukasa. The rogue picked her up off the riverbed and swam upwards, gasping for air as she surfaced. "She's not breathing!" she called to Miyuki between coughs. The vault dweller swam over and helped carry Tsukasa to shore. "Tsukasa!" Konata shouted as they set her in the dirt. "Tsukasa, wake up!"
"Please stand aside," Miyuki instructed. Konata watched in confusion as Miyuki began pressing down on Tsukasa's chest repeatedly; her jaw dropped when Miyuki put her mouth over Tsukasa's for several seconds. She repeated the cycle twice more before Tsukasa started coughing up water.
"Tsukasa-san! Are you alright?" Miyuki asked.
"I think so," Tsukasa replied as she took deep breaths. "Thank you, Yuki-chan! You saved me!"
"Think nothing of it," Miyuki replied modestly. "Besides, it was Konata-san who recovered you from the mirelurk."
"Is that so?" Tsukasa faced Konata. "Thank you, Kona-chan!"
Konata didn't reply, but stared at the two with her mouth open and eyes squinted.
"Hm? What's wrong, Kona-chan?"
"You two kissed."
Both girls turned red. "Wh-What?" Tsukasa cried.
"Th-That's not it, I was giving her oxygen," Miyuki tried to explain.
"Your lips touched," Konata said, dead serious. "You two kissed. And it was hot."
Tsukasa and Miyuki's expressions turned shocked. Just what kind of thoughts go through Konata's head?
"Well," Konata said as she started wringing out her hair. "Looks like we got off to a rocky start, huh?"
"Indeed," Miyuki sighed as she wiped her glasses. "I dread what we will find once we enter the city."
"I don't even want to think about it!" Tsukasa groaned.
"Well, we won't get anywhere by sitting around here," Konata said as she stood up and surveyed the ruins, sweatdropping as she failed to find a way past all the rubble. "Uh, how exactly do we get into the city?"
"They told me to go to the Farragut West metro station," Tsuaksa replied. "It should take us close to Galaxy News Radio."
"Ah, okay!" Konata started to walk, but suddenly stopped. "So, which way is the metro station? Upriver or downriver?"
"Um, upriver?" Tsukasa guessed.
"Hm," Konata started, "I have a sudden urge to go downriver, but I guess we can try Tsukasa's way first."
"At least keep those thoughts to yourself!" Tsukasa cried.
The trio climbed up onto the sidewalk and headed northwest. Miyuki gunned down a pair of raiders on the way, whom Konata happily searched for loot. "It's starting to get dark out," Miyuki noted as Konata returned with a handful of ammunition and several caps.
"We can camp in the metro for the night," the rogue suggested.
"That's sounds scary!" Tsukasa cried as they started walking again.
"It's probably safer than camping out here," Konata said, "We could at least barricade ourselves into a side room down there. Hey, I think I see it!" The girls approached the distinctive signs and canopy that marked the presence of a metro station. "Well, what do you know," Konata said as she looked down the stairs to the metro entrance. The Brotherhood of Steel emblem and the words "To GNR Outpost" were scrawled above the gate. "Tsukasa got it right."
"Its not that rare, you know!" Tsukasa insisted.
Konata descended the stairs and pushed open the chain link gate, followed by Miyuki and Tsukasa. Rubble was piled up on either side of the passageway, but the metro was surprisingly intact. There was even enough power for the lights to work.
"This isn't so bad," Tsukasa said as they continued down the walkway.
"See? I told you spending the night down here wouldn't be a problem," Konata replied before stopping. "Hold up, I hear something." A trio of mole rats came running down the tunnel towards them, but Konata effortlessly dispatched them.
"You guys are so good at fighting," Tsukasa said as they stepped past the corpses. "I wish I wasn't so helpless..."
"Ah, but to be a good fighter," Konata replied, holding her finger in the air. "You need to spend your experience points on combat skills."
"Uh, I don't quite understand..."
"I think what Konata-san is saying is that practice makes perfect." Miyuki said.
"Oh, that makes sense."
"Hey, guys," Konata said, pointing down the tunnel. "Look, the tunnel collapsed."
"Oh my," Miyuki said as they approached the cave in. "Where do we go now?"
Konata briefly scanned the area before spotting a side door. She opened it and peered inside. "Hey, there's a maintenance tunnel in the back of these offices," she called back. "I'll bet that's where we have to go."
They continued down through the tunnel, finding themselves in a tall generator room. "This must be why the lights still work," Miyuki said as she examined a clattering generator. "These are likely powered with nuclear fission. Fission power was very widespread before the war."
"How is it that you know so much, Yuki-chan?" Konata asked as they climbed a set of stairs.
"Well, the Vault had many archived learning materials from before the war."
"Yeah, I knew that, but what I meant was, how do you manage to remember everything? That stuff is all so boring to me."
"Well, as intelligent as my mother is, she can be a bit forgetful from time to time. I took to looking up and memorizing things she might need to remember, so I could remind her. Over time, I just grew accustomed to learning new things for fun."
They reached the top of the stairs and found another chain link gate. Konata tried to open it before noticing a small padlock on the latch. "I think it's time you two learned about picking locks," Konata said as she crouched down and retrieved her screwdriver from her boot. She opened a small matchbox and took out a bobby pin. "Okay, the first thing you do is hook the bobby pin around the tumblers and pull them up." The other two girls leaned in close to watch. "This lock is pretty simple, but harder locks require you to rotate the pins into place. Then you have to use the screwdriver to twist the whole lock open, like so..."
Suddenly, something slammed into the gate, causing it to rattle violently. The girls all jumped back from shock; Konata broke the bobby pin she was using and spilled the others onto the floor. The things trying to reach through the gate somewhat resembled humans, but they lacked nearly all muscle tone, and their skin was broken and peeling off over their whole bodies.
"What are those things?" Miyuki asked.
"Feral ghouls," Konata replied. "They're people who have a weird reaction to radiation. Rather than dieing, their skin flakes off and they pretty much end up looking like zombies. Over time, they go feral, like these guys, and then they act like zombies too! Don't worry, they can't reach us."
The ghouls slowly began walking back into the dark as they realized their prey was out of reach.
"Unfortunately," Konata said as she faced her friends, "I lost all my bobby pins, so we can't go through this gate now."
"Well, maybe we should find a spot to rest," Tsukasa suggested. "I've had one scare too many for today."
"Tsukasa-san is right," Miyuki said as she looked at her Pip-Boy. "It's nearly eleven pm."
"Okay, let's check in here." Konata approached a door across from the gate and opened it. "Hey, this is perfect!" she exclaimed. "Check this out!"
The door led into a small office. Aside from ancient papers scattered across the floor, the room was surprisingly clean and completely intact. The room contained a row of filing cabinets, sets of shelves, two desks, a counter, and a fold down naval cot hanging from the wall.
"Wow, this is kind of nice," Tsukasa said as they entered the room. "It's so cozy!"
"You two get comfortable," Konata said, "I have an idea for dinner."
"And that's why you shouldn't mix turpentine, Abraxo cleaner, and Nuka Cola Quantum," Tuskasa finished telling Miyuki as Konata threw some more garbage into the fire.
"My, what an unfortunate incident."
"Yeah, it really stinks!"
"Here you go guys," Konata said as she handed them skewers of roasted mole rat. "Sorry about the taste. Mole rat meat can be pretty nasty, and I didn't have much to work with."
They were sitting around a fire on the platform outside the office, enjoying the warmth and allowing themselves to dry completely.
"I'm simply grateful that we have any food at all," Miyuki said. "Given the state of the world, it seems that food can be difficult to obtain."
"That's one way to look at it," Konata said as she handed out bottles of water. "But food's not really an issue if you know what you're doing. Neither is water, for that matter. The real problem is that it all slowly kills you."
That's right, everything is irradiated, Miyuki thought as she glanced at her Pip-Boy. "To think, I've only been out here for four days, and I already have almost seventy rads."
"We all took a big dose from the river," Konata stated. "Your rad count doesn't usually go up that fast. Still, it's something you gotta keep on top of." Konata took another bite off her skewer. "Unfortunately, the world's gonna run out of Rad Away sooner or later."
"Wouldn't it be nice if someone found a way to purify lots of water at once?" Tsukasa suggested. "Then people wouldn't have to worry so much."
"It's just like you to think of something like that, Tsukasa," Konata said. "But how would you purify enough water for everyone in the Wasteland? Not to mention how dangerous it would be bringing it out to all the settlements."
"Well, it was just an idea..."
"I think it's a good idea, Tsukasa-san," Miyuki said, "And it might be possible, in theory at least."
Tsukasa's eyes lit up. "You really think so, Yuki-chan?"
"Of course. It would take great effort to accomplish, however. The most difficult part would be locating a substance strong enough to continue absorbing radiation despite the large amount of water."
"I still don't think it could work," Konata said. "Hey, didn't you say that thing on your arm has a radio?" she suddenly asked, abruptly changing the topic.
"Yes, it does," Miyuki answered. "But are there any radio stations still broadcasting?"
"Yeah, Galaxy News Radio does."
"Is that so?" Miyuki said as she tuned her Pip-Boy. "I assumed our destination was named as such because of its pre-war function. I hadn't considered that it might still be used to broadcast."
Her Pip-Boy suddenly started playing the end of a saxophone solo before moving on to a verse.
"Oh, I'm a single man, I really don't need a wife. (Pick up, you gals!)
Yes, I'm a single man, and I really don't need a wife.
Yes, I'm gonna stay this way, cause' oh what a wonderful life."
"Oh, it's almost over," Tsukasa said as the song went into a short instrumental. "That's too bad. I like this song, it's catchy!"
"Oh, I'm a mighty man, I'm young and I'm in my prime.
Yes, a mighty, mighty man, I'm young and I'm in my prime.
Well, when you want me, holler and I'll be there on time.
Well, when there's work to do, send for the mighty one.
Yes, when there's work to do you better send for the mighty one.
Yes, he'll stay on the job, until the job is done!"
As the song ended, another voice came on. "You just heard a little ditty called 'Mighty, Mighty Man,' by Mr. Roy Brown. This is Galaxy News Radio, and I'm your host, Three Dog! Lord and master of all that I survey.
"Seems we got – da da da da! – a bit of news, just listen to this. Not too long ago, I reported that a cat recently left Vault 101. Her name is Yukari. Good gal. Turns out, it gets better! I've got a new report here, that says someone else has just climbed out of that hole."
"Hey, that must be you, Yuki-chan!" Konata said. "You're famous!"
"I suppose so," Miyuki said with a smile.
"What the hell is going on down there?" Three Dog continued, "Revolution? Vacation? Somebody fart? Your guess is as good as mine, kids. Thanks for listening, children! This is Three Dog! Awoooo! And you're listening to Galaxy News Radio! We're radio free wasteland, and we're here for you. And now a super important public service announcement..."
"Say, why did you leave the Vault,Yuki-chan?" Tsukasa asked. "I always thought that people in the Vault had a good life."
"I haven't told you yet, have I?" Miyuki replied. "Four days ago, my mother suddenly disappeared from the Vault. That's why I left, to come and find her."
"Does that mean Yukari is your mom then?"
"Correct. That's actually why we're going to Galaxy News Radio; that was the last place my mother was seen."
"Hey everybody, did the news get around, about a guy named Butcher Pete?
Oh, Pete just flew into this town, and he's choppin' up all the women's meat!"
"Oh! I love this song!" Konata exclaimed. "It's so funny! Especially when you think about what he's singing about."
Tsukasa cocked her head. "But isn't it just about a butcher?"
"Not quite. Think about the lyrics."
"Um... a serial killer? That's not very funny."
"No, really think about it."
Tsukasa thought for a moment. "...I still don't get it."
"I guess there's no use trying to explain it then," Konata sighed. "Say, Yuki-chan, when we find your mom, can we go with you to see the Vault? I've always wondered what it was like inside."
"Oh, well, I suppose that might be possible..." Miyuki replied nervously. "To tell the truth, I haven't really figured out what to do once we locate my mother."
"Won't you just go back to Vault 101?"
"I'm afraid it might not be so simple."
"Oh!" Tsukasa suddenly exclaimed, interrupting their conversation.
"What is it?" Konata and Miyuki asked.
Tsukasa was blushing. "I think I figured out what those lyrics mean..."
"Just five more minutes..." Tsukasa mumbled as she rolled toward the wall on the naval cot.
"You said that ten minutes ago!" Konata complained. "Come on! It's time to get moving!"
"Tsukasa-san certainly seems to enjoy her sleep," Miyuki commented as she put on her backpack.
"Well, we'll see how deep a sleeper she is when she's up against this!" Konata held up a fragmentation grenade.
"Doesn't that seem a bit extreme?" Miyuki asked with a sweatdrop.
"Nah," Konata replied as she pulled the pin. "What makes you say that?" She dropped the grenade in a filing cabinet drawer and slammed it shut. "Cover your ears!" The grenade went off, sending a startled Tsukasa rolling to the floor. "Let's go! Time's wasting!" Konata shouted as she tossed Tsukasa's messenger bag at her.
"You didn't need to do that," Tsukasa said as they left the office.
"If I hadn't, you'd be in that cot all day!" Konata replied as she unlocked the gate with a key she had found. They were greeted with the snarling of the feral ghouls; Miyuki picked one off before they started their charge. A second fell to the meganekko's rifle while a third carelessly impaled itself on Konata's outstretched sword. "Poor guys," Konata said as the corpse fell. "Their brains are completely wrecked by the radiation."
They proceeded through a short tunnel opening out onto a set of metro tracks. "Looks like we're on the right track," Konata said with a grin as they passed another sign pointing Galaxy News Radio. They made their way through the ancient tunnels, killing the occasional ghoul or two, before reaching the Tenleytown metro station.
"Woah," Konata said as the emerged from the metro into Chevy Chase. "I thought D.C. looked bad from the outside, but it's an even bigger mess on the inside!" Rubble and wreckage was piled high in the streets, and the skeletal remains of tall buildings dominated the skyline.
"This explains why we must use the metro system to travel here," Miyuki commented as she examined the debris. "All of the roadways appear inaccessible."
"Hey! There it is!" Konata shouted, pointing to the south. Beyond a series of destroyed buildings was the Galaxy News Radio broadcasting station, marked by the letters "GNR" and a tall broadcast antenna. "Come on!"
The girls crossed a split open street and descended a dirt ramp into the basement of a ruined building. They had made it halfway through the building when a pair of super mutants attacked from the ledge to their right. The girls scrambled for cover among the scattered support pillars.
"Alright, Miyuki, you take the one on the left first, I'll draw their fire and try to weaken the one on the right-"
Konata was interrupted by the loud zaps of laser rifles overhead. Faced with the powerful weapons, the mutants were quickly put down.
"...Or not."
The girls made their way to the dirt ramp leading up to the left ledge, finding several Brotherhood of Steel troops. A woman without a helmet approached them.
"Look, I don't know who you are, but you don't belong here. The super mutants have overrun our brothers at the Galaxy News Radio building, and we're headed there to back them up. The last thing we need is a group of locals slowing us down." She paused as she noticed Tsukasa. "Wait a minute, what are you two doing with one of our scribes?" she asked suspiciously.
"It's okay," Tsukasa said. "They're taking me to Galaxy News Radio. I was sent to collect a field report."
The woman snorted. "That's going to have to wait. Unfortunately, the building's been hit by mutants pretty hard lately. We're their backup. So if there is nothing else, we really need to move out. You can tag along if you want, but keep your heads down and try not to do anything... stupid." She started to lead them down a covered alley around to the next street.
"Thank you for the assistance," Miyuki said as they walked.
"You're welcome. I'm Sentinel Sarah Lyons of the Lyons' Pride, by the way. We do our best to hold back the super mutants in this area. But when civilians stumble into our sights, that gets a bit difficult, doesn't it?"
"So," Konata started to ask, "You guys looking for new recruits?"
"That's a negative. We've got too many local conscripts as it is. Most are undertrained and too damn trigger happy for their own good. Take our very own initiate Reddin," Lyons gestured toward a trooper with an assault rife. "She's a sterling example."
They reached another soldier crouched around a corner. Another trooper was laying on the ground beside him.
"What's the situation, Colvin?"
Colvin fired his laser rifle twice, downing a charging mutant.
"All clear, Sentinel. Five mutants released from their torment. The rest are keeping their heads down."
"Good." Lyons glanced at the trooper on the ground. "Jennings?"
"Negative." anther trooper answered.
Colvin glanced back at the girls. "New recruits?"
"Just a few strays we picked up," Lyons replied. "The ones that blundered into the uglies on 42nd."
"Welcome!" Colvin greeted them enthusiastically.
"Alright, it's the usual drill," Lyons said, "Reddin, you just do whatever Paladin Vargas says and keep your mouth shut."
"Yes ma'am."
"Just follow my lead, Reddin," Vargas said as the Pride moved out, "You're doing fine. No dead heroes today, okay?"
"Tsukasa, wait," Konata said as the other girls started to follow the Pride.
Tsukasa faced Konata. "What is it?"
"Here." Konata handed the scribe a laser pistol and several energy cells. "I don't think Jennings needs this anymore, and you won't last in a fight with just a 10mm."
"Okay," Tsukasa replied hesitantly. "I'm not sure I'll be any good though..."
They hurried out to find Miyuki finishing off a mutant with her rifle in the street. The Lyons' Pride had now turned their attention to several mutants firing down from the second story of Early Dawn Elementary across the street. The girls helped to quickly take down the remaining mutants.
"You know," Konata said as they crossed the school's playground to the back door, "It's kinda nice not being the only targets for once. I could get used to hanging around these guys!"
"Having the additional weaponry certainly makes things easier as well," Miyuki replied.
The group entered the school, finding only three mutants still inside. Their slow rifles barely got off two shots each before they were annihilated by seven separate weapons at once.
"Okay, the outpost is just to the south of us," Lyons said. "Colvin, you're the eyes. Vargas, Reddin, secure this building."
Konata and Tsukasa made their way to the front of the destroyed school with the rest of the Pride. Miyuki started to follow when Colvin tapped her on the shoulder. "Come with me if you like," he said as he headed for a set of stairs. "We'll have the best view."
Miyuki followed him up, and they skirted the mostly collapsed floors of the second story until they found a row of windows at the front of the building. They were overlooking the plaza in front of the Galaxy News Radio building, which was across the street. At least a dozen mutants, many of them well armored brutes, were laying siege on several Brotherhood troops defending the building. "This looks like the main force," Colvin said. "Many tormented souls will meet the Maker today. I will pray for forgiveness."
The two waited for several seconds before Sentinel Lyons initiated the attack. Laser fire erupted out from the main gates of the school, prompting Miyuki and Colvin to begin attacking. Konata took the opportunity to rush out and charge the mutants, darting among them and delivering leaping slashes with her sword. Even Tsukasa was landing a few hits with her new laser pistol. The mutants hadn't even returned fire yet; they hadn't been expecting to be shot at from behind. Before long, only a single mutant remained; Miyuki took the honor of the final kill with a well placed headshot.
"That was insane! I killed seven of them!" Konata exclaimed as the rest of the group approached her. "I must of gotten shot at least eight times!"
"Um, that's great?" Tsukasa replied as Konata slid a stimpak into her wrist. She threw a thumbs up at Miyuki, still in the school window.
"We're all clear out here," Lyons spoke into her radio as she passed the girls. "You can have your troops stand down."
"I'll be right back, Kona-chan. I need to ask Sentinel Lyons something."
"Sure thing," Konata replied before Tsukasa ran to catch up with Lyons. The rogue turned to the approaching Vargas and Reddin. "Hey, Reddin! Awesome battle, huh?"
"You know it!" Reddin faced Vargas. "So how'd I do, Vargas? I pass my little trial run? Come on, Lyons' Pride needs me and you know it! That Citadel guard duty is such bullshit!" She started firing her rifle into the air.
"Yeah, yeah. We'll see. Now knock that off," Vargas replied, casting an irritated glance at Konata as she joined in with her pistol. "You're wasting ammo."
"Aw, come on," Reddin whined, "We just kicked their asses!"
"We need to sweep the area," Vargas replied. "You think those were all the uglies in D.C.? You take the east side, I'll go west."
"Okay, okay."
"Once we're inside, then we'll celebrate."
"Now you're talking!"
"Yeah," Konata chimed in as Reddin jogged to the east side of the plaza, "Now you're talking!"
"Hey, is something wrong?" Tsukasa asked as she reached Lyons, who appeared agitated.
Lyons ignored her. "Are you serious? Where?"
"What is is?" Tsukasa asked fearfully.
Lyons suddenly grabbed the scribe's arm and dragged her behind some sandbags.
"Colvin! We've got trouble!" she shouted into her radio.
"Go on," Colvin replied.
Miyuki gave him a confused look. "What is it?"
Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the plaza. "Holy shit! What was that?" Reddin shouted.
"Reddin! Get out of there!" Vargas shouted.
"Behemoth!"
The pair of city buses blocking the east alleyway suddenly exploded, frying Reddin and revealing an enormous super mutant.
"Woah..." Konata could only stare, dumbstruck, as a chunk of the bus flew through the air and destroyed the fountain just feet behind her. "Haruhi help us..."
The behemoth towered over the plaza at over twenty five feet tall, and was covered in armor made from scrap, including a car door used as a shield. The beast wore shopping carts as backpacks and wielded a fire hydrant, still attached to its water main, as a club. Human heads were strung around its neck and waist.
In just a few short strides, the behemoth had reached the center of the plaza, ready to bring its hydrant down on the bright blue target. Konata dove to the side, uselessly firing off the remaining rounds in her pistol. The hydrant smashed down into the concrete, leaving a crater where Konata had just been standing.
By now, every weapon in the plaza was being fired at the monster; laser bolts and rifle rounds flew from all directions. The beast didn't even slow. It swung its hydrant into a Brotherhood trooper, sending him slamming into a wall.
Konata jumped behind the sandbags with Lyons and Tsukasa as the beast lifted a soldier into the air and crushed him in its fist. "How do the heck do we beat this thing?"
Lyons ignored her and shouted into her radio. "We need all troops and ordinance you've got in there, now!" Within moments, a fresh wave of Brotherhood troops came running out of the Galaxy News Radio building. The behemoth charged over to the group, but was finally halted by a massive mushroom cloud, searing much of its flesh. One of the knights was wielding a Fat Man nuclear catapult.
The behemoth zeroed in on the knight as he loaded another mini-nuke into the weapon. The knight took aim, but found a fire hydrant slamming into his side before he could fire. The Fat Man misfired as it was launched across the plaza, sending the deadly projectile at the Galaxy News Radio building.
"Look out!" Lyons shouted, shoving Konata away as a pile of debris came barreling down at them.
"Wait!" Konata shouted, "Tsukasa!"
The scribe was frozen from fear, staring up at the blocks of concrete bearing down on her. A trooper rushed down the steps of the building and tackled Tsukasa to the ground, narrowly avoiding the debris.
Tsukasa stared up at her rescuer with surprise. "Th-Thank you!"
The trooper quickly got to his feet and started sprinting for the Fat Man.
"Initiate, wait!" Lyons called after him. "It's too dangerous!"
"I gotta say, that guy's got guts," Konata said with a grin. "I think I'll try improving his odds."
Lyons shook her head. "You wastelanders must all have death wishes."
"Well, we've got nothing to lose at this point!"
The rogue dashed forward across the plaza, easily catching up to the initiate. "I'll get his attention!" she called out, holding up a frag grenade. The initiate nodded and broke off from Konata. The otaku hurled the grenade high at the monster's head. The explosion wasn't enough to seriously harm the beast, but it was enough to focus its full attention on her. Konata drew her blades, grinning wide as the behemoth stomped towards her. She rolled sideways to dodge the predictable downward swing before jumping forwards and grabbing the beast's scrap metal boot. She clung on as the behemoth kicked and thrashed to shake her loose. Konata watched as the initiate reached the Fat Man and hefted it to his shoulder.
"Looks like this is where I get off!" Konata released her grip as the behemoth kicked, sending herself flying towards the initiate. She came sliding in feet first as the Fat Man's pneumatic piston launched the mini-nuke. The explosive arched through the air before landing at the behemoth's feet. The beast was momentarily shrouded by a mushroom cloud, but it soon rushed at its attackers. The explosion had crippled its legs, however, so it was forced to slowly limp towards them.
"Well?" Konata said, giving the initiate a pointed look. "Take it out!"
"No ammo," the initiate replied, looking around for another mini-nuke. Konata's eyes widened as she frantically started searching as well. The behemoth reached them before they could do anything, however, swinging its hydrant in a wide arc. The initiate's heavy armor forced him to take the hit, sending him flying towards the school and slamming his helmet against the wall. The impact shattered one of his eyepieces and ripped out a respirator hose. Konata vaulted over the hydrant as it swung, but she was swatted out of midair and sent flying after the initiate. She hit the ground and tumbled until she slammed into the wall as well.
"Konata-san!" Konata looked up and saw Miyuki leaning out of the window above them. "Another projectile is in the fountain!" She pointed to the center of the plaza with her rifle. The two had no choice but to run straight past the behemoth as it slowly closed on them. The beast swung as they approached, but Konata was too fast, easily dodging the blow. She drew its attention as she ran between its legs, allowing the initiate to skirt around the beast. When they had both passed, the rogue sprinted toward the fountain, narrowly dodging a swing as the behemoth struggled to keep up. She leaped into the fountain and scooped up the mini-nuke.
"Catch!" she shouted as she hurled the projectile at the initiate. The initiate managed to catch it by the tail fin and loaded it into the Fat Man. Konata ducked and covered as the projectile soared into the behemoth's back. Even with the behemoth end the rim of the fountain for cover, Konata could still feel the intense heat from the powerful explosion. The behemoth was now completely scorched, and it was now feeling the sting from the heavy crossfire directed at it. Enraged, it reached into the fountain and grabbed Konata. The initiate began firing his assault rifle at the beast's hand, backing away as it came at him.
"Hey! Over here!"
The initiate turned to see Tsukasa running towards him, carrying a mini-nuke. The initiate turned back to the behemoth, only to find a fire hydrant coming at him. He dove away, scrambling to get to Tsukasa. The scribe was firing her laser pistol at the behemoth's hand as the initiate reached her. The initiate loaded the projectile and got ready to fire.
"Don't shoot yet!" Konata called out as she struggled to free herself from the beast's grip. The rogue managed to squirm her sword arm loose and plunged the weapon down into the behemoth's wrist. The blade easily stabbed into the beast's charred skin, causing it to recoil its hand and send Konata flying. She plowed down onto Tsukasa as the initiate fired off the last mini-nuke.
Miyuki watched the scene unfold from her spot on the school's second story. Suddenly, she realized with horror that the mini-nuke was arching too high. Oh no! It's going to fly right past it! There has to be something I can do to help! Wait, if I can shoot the projectile, then maybe I can detonate it! She cycled her rifle's bolt and took aim. I can't miss this time!
The world slowed to a crawl as Miyuki lined up her shot. She watched as the explosive slowly arched closer to the beast. Scattered assault rifle and laser fire slowly passed by the nuke; the others had realized what was happening and were trying to shoot it as well. Miyuki held her breath as the nuke approached the behemoth's shoulder. She waited until the projectile was next to the monster's head, keeping her barrel a few inches ahead of her target as she pulled the trigger. The .32 round streaked through the air, taking what felt like an eternity to reach the target. The round barely nicked the outer casing of the nuke, but it was enough to set off the devastating explosive.
The behemoth was engulfed in nuclear fire, searing away much of what was left of its charred and scorched hide. The remaining Brotherhood troops cheered as the giant husk collapsed to the ground.
"That was amazing!" Tsukasa said to the initiate as he turned around. "Who are you?"
Konata grinned as the initiate reached for his smashed helmet. "There's only one person I know who would take on a monster like that by herself."
The initiate lifted up her helmet, revealing sharp indigo eyes and letting long, lilac twintails spill over her shoulders.
"And that's Kagami!"
"Sis!" Tsukasa pounced on her twin, smothering her in a hug. "I can't believe you killed that behemoth!"
"Nice to see you too," Kagami said as Tsukasa squeezed her. "And I can't take full credit. We all killed the behemoth."
"Darn right we did!" Konata exclaimed. "That was the best fight I've ever been in! Especially since I was fighting alongside my Kagamin!" The otaku chuckled. "You know, I almost didn't recognize your voice out there. You sounded so deep and manly!"
Kagami faced way from Konata. "It's not my fault the helmet speaker makes my voice deep!" she huffed before noticing Miyuki approaching.
"Oh, you must be the marksman who hit my mini-nuke," Kagami said to Miyuki.
"Hm? How did you know that was me?"
"You're the only one here with a hunting rifle, and it was a .32 round that detonated the nuke."
"Sis is really into guns and ammo and things like that," Tsukasa chimed in.
"So, you two are sisters?" Miyuki asked. "I can certainly see the resemblance!"
"Yeah, me and Tsukasa are twins. I'm Kagami."
"I see. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kagami-san. My name is Miyuki Takara."
"Isn't she adorable?" Konata said as she wrapped her arms around Miyuki's waist. "I found her in Springvale not even a week ago. She's the one that came from that vault."
"Konata," Kagami sighed, "You shouldn't invade people's personal space like that. It's rude."
"Oh, it's quite alright," Miyuki said, sweatdropping as Konata squeezed. "Konata-san is only teasing."
"I guess it's my turn to thank you." The girls turned to see Sentinel Lyons approaching them. "You wastelanders did good out there today. And initiate," she faced Kagami, "Charging out like that was the most dangerous thing I've ever seen anyone do. Good job. Keep making the Brotherhood proud."
Kagami saluted. "Yes ma'am!"
"You sure you're not looking for recruits?" Konata asked slyly.
"I'm sure. You can handle yourself, I'll give you that." Lyons crossed her arms. "But lets not get carried away. Anyway, the area's secure, so you're free to talk to Three Dog if you need to. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to talk to Paladin Vargas. I think he's taking Reddin's death pretty hard."
"I'm truly sorry about her passing," Miyuki said.
"She died well," Lyons replied. "In the end, that's all that really matters. Farewell."
"Well, come on, guys!" Konata said as Lyons walked away. "Its time to go meet Three Dog! And you're coming too, Kagamin! You're officially a member of this party!"
Greetings, all! What did you think of chapter 8? It's a bit later than promised, but that last scene turned out longer – and better – than I expected. Clocking in at over a thousand words, the behemoth fight by itself takes up a large chunk of the chapter; a fitting entrance for team muscle Kagami.
And speaking of character intros, after looking over my newly written outline for the story, I can say that new characters will be revealed at a much faster pace than before; in fact, the next chapter will most definitely feature another Lucky Star girl. This is probably because the group is covering much more ground than in previous chapters, where they mostly stayed in Megaton. And if you liked the idea of having the character intros spaced out, don't worry. While a bunch will be shown within a short period of time, not all of them are in the same place. There's still a bit of time before they all make an appearance.
I have to say, this was my favorite chapter to write so far. The behemoth battle was an obvious highlight, but the mirelurk encounter, and the banter immediately after, was the most fun to write. Slowing things down for a bit in the metro was nice too.
All in all, I hope you are all enjoying the story. Maybe if I keep picking up the pace, I can have chapters out every few days! (Yeah right. Like that's actually going to happen. It would be nice though, huh?) Anyway, just keep on reading. And don't be afraid to tell me what you think!
