Be sure to check out my new story in the Mass Effect Universe: Warrior Queen
Than stepped off of the elevator and on the service level of the hotel. Somewhere nearby, a generator hummed, powering the electronic lights that lit the metallic hallways. Than moved through the different rooms, noting the lack of raiders in his way. "Didn't think anyone would get this far, did you?" he asked the absent Makarov.
This level had little of value: paint and glue, mostly. Nothing that had any value was left down here. Than didn't much care, he wasn't looking for salvage. Nonetheless, he was methodical in his search of the entire floor, checking all the rooms on one level before descending stairs to the next section. As he moved deeper and deeper below the earth, Than was conscious of how easy this was. He revised his earlier opinion of Makarov being an arrogant bastard: he was now clever one. He probably knew someone was down here with him.
Than sighed, then closed the door to the room he was searching and sat down on a chair. He had to make a plan for an ambush, or risk being seriously injured. Even a dumb raider could be lucky some day. Most likely, there were some machines roaming the halls, waiting to ask him for his security pass. Or worse, some Mark II turrets ready to plaster him to a nearby wall. From what he knew of Makarov, it wasn't likely he trusted someone else to be in charge of his own security.
If he was going to be fighting electronics, certain preparations would be prudent. Chief among them, using a new weapon. His laser was all well and good, but flesh and raider scrap armor was a lot more penetrable than a layer of metal plating.
Smiling, Than pulled the .44 magnum he had taken from the remains of the dead raider upstairs. He had enough ammunition to get him through whatever lay ahead, he was sure. He pulled an leather old leather shoe from the closet in the room and cut it with the laser, then worked the hot material into a second holster for his belt. "Perfect," he congratulated himself. He tested the holster and found it satisfactory for the pistol. "Time to keep moving."
Than slipped out of the room, closing the door softly behind him. "Let's get this over with," he breathed, moving further down the hallway. Ahead, a large metal door barred the way forward. "Well that's pretty obvious," he complained, striding forward and pulling the release catch. The door's old gears screeched in protest as it slid apart and open. Than stepped inside.
"Unauthorized entry," a mechanical voice buzzed. Than jumped back through the door as a hail of Gatling laser fire lanced through the space he had just occupied. A sentry bot rolled through the doorway in pursuit. "Cease fleeing, termination imminent."
Than, waiting around the corner of the doorway, raised his .44 and fired two shots. The first broke through the ocular sensors of the robot, entering through the thin glass covering and demolishing the circuitry it protected. The second punched through the thick metal plating in the chest, traveling through circuitry and tubing before piercing the robot's fission battery.
"System error: energy source compromised, switching toooo…" the robot's voice trailed off as it died, the battery's acid leaking out and turning the inner circuitry into little more than useless sludge.
Than looked at the pistol in his hand, grinning. "I like this gun," he declared, putting it back in its holster and entering the door ahead once again. Inside were several computers, probably linked to the building above him. Stepping up to one, he punched in the activation code and the old machine whirred to life. It took about twelve seconds to hack, then the various processes displayed themselves.
The first few were just memo entries, complaining of a gas leak in the lowest part of the basement, or requesting more parts for the A/C on the roof. Considering their date, Than assumed most of these requests were never dealt with. Below these were the utilities this terminal controlled: water purification, power, and access to the main terminal. Than keyed up this option, but was told he needed an "administrator's permission" before connecting from this terminal. Sighing, he closed the machine and perused the rest of the room.
There were twp exits. One went back the way he had come, the other went deeper underground. Than tapped the access pad and the door slid open. Drawing the magnum, he cautiously went forward, then descended yet another flight of stairs.
Than knew he had to be getting close to Makarov by now. Besides the presence of more robots he had to get rid of, there were signs of habitation on this lowest level. Doors were opened where the robots would have shut them. Sheets had been swiped from the beds. Most notably, vending machines were stocked full. Someone was going through the trouble of keeping food down here.
Rounding another corner, Than quickly jumped back to avoid a hail of laser fire. "Unauthorized entry detected. Terminating with extreme prejudice," the protectron droned, its footsteps clumping down the hallway towards him. Than sighed, then rolled out, knowing the limited AI of the robot would be expecting an intruder of the same height. From his low position, Than fired up into the robot's chassis, rupturing several circuit boards and causing the protectron's head to explode.
Picking himself up, Than smiled when he saw what the robot had been guarding: a large room housing several processing banks. "Bingo," he gloated, stepping over the smoking husk into the main terminal area. He keyed up the activation sequence, and the machine came alive, demanding a password. Than hacked the terminal, taking his time to be sure he wasn't locked out.
After several minutes, the machine beeped and unlocked, displaying a full range of settings for the hotel's various functions. But Than's eyes were drawn to one in particular: the security. He brought up the options and was surprised to see more than one. He spotted the usual "shutdown" command. But under that was a "clear targeting parameters" option. And below that was a "set new parameters," option. Than assumed Makarov had used this to prevent security from killing him. Grinning mischievously, he cleared all parameters, then hit the enter button. The machine processed the command, then told Than it was finished. He shut down the terminal, then waited.
Sure enough, gunfire sounded from further in the labyrinth. Than sprinted from the terminal and followed the sounds of battle, passing several more turns and doors. The gunfire continued, growing louder and beginning to be accompanied by shouts and commands. Rounding a final bend, Than forced open a door and took in the scene before him.
A few raiders, a woman and two men, were desperately fighting off a horde of machines of all kinds. Than considered letting them tear each other to pieces, but remembered he needed to question one of them. Sighing, he opened fire with both pistols, cutting through several machines before anyone realized he was there. Several robots turned toward him, but they were caught between the four fighters, and soon the humans were alone among smoking hulks of metal.
One of the men turned to Than, his gun raised, but Than had both weapons pointed at both men. One of the men was a large, burly red-head, grimy all over. The second was much thinner, smaller, and cleaner, but the reaver on his belt looked positively filthy. The woman was wearing form-fitting armor, and her blonde hair was tied suggestively in pig-tails. A real looker.
"Tell your woman to keep the gun down or I'll shoot the both of you," he ordered. The woman, half naked, had her assault rifle raised and pointed at him. Both the men looked at her, as if pleading. Than felt a hint of doubt. What if…
A second too late, he dodged to the left. An instant later, an agonizing fire erupted in his shoulder. The woman was their leader! Cursing his bad luck, Than fired from both pistols as he spun to flee the room. A bullet lodged into the skull of one of the men, killing him instantly. A laser bolt lanced through the gut of another man, probably incinerating a few internal organs. He doubled over, moaning feebly. The woman ignored them both, calmly continuing to shoot at the retreating enemy.
Than didn't want to risk slowing down, so turning to fire back was not an option. So he did the only thing he could: run. He relied on his speed and ignored the bullets whizzing past him, trusting his body to carry him to safety. He barreled through the doorway and out of the line of fire, panting as the adrenaline pumped through his system. He stopped and leaned against the wall beside the door, listening for activity from the woman inside. His right shoulder ached from the gunshot, but he ignored the pain. He couldn't shoot the magnum with any accuracy now, so he holstered it and kissed the butt of his laser pistol, praying for luck.
"I assume from your presence that all of my men are dead," the woman commented nonchalantly, like she was describing a bit of salvage she had discovered. Her voice had a soft lilt, which contrasted with her surroundings. "You do realize how frustrating it was to get them all to follow me? Me! A woman? I can't believe you're making me start all over." Footsteps sounded as she approached the doorway, before stopping a few feet away. "The hallway is too long for you to get to the next turn before I put a bullet in you. I won't miss this time." Than realized she was right: his footsteps would signal he was trying to flee, and she'd jump out to shoot him. He was stuck running in a straight line, and she'd be able to hit him for sure this time.
"I'm a patient woman. I know that bullet wound will kill you eventually, I probably hit a major artery or two," she continued. Right again, Than thought. He was bleeding out, wouldn't risk using a stimpack while she was so close. "So you either run, and die, or bleed out and die," she told him. "Or, you come out and I can end it for you quickly."
Than sighed. He was out of options. "I owe Derek twelve caps," he complained. Closing his eyes, the young man forced his breathing to slow and deepen. He concentrated on the path in front of him, remembering every possible detail about where the doorway next to him was, and how many steps it would take to draw level with the woman that wanted to kill him. He repeated the process over and over, counting the steps and memorizing the route until it became reflexive. As easy as breathing.
Eyes still closed, he took a step forward.
The woman, gun raised and pointed toward the door, noticed a slight blur of motion in front of her. She blinked, and it was gone. "Eyes playing tricks," she mumbled.
Than took one careful, measured step after the other, his eyes always closed. He counted them, then stopped when he knew he was level with the woman. "Eyes playing tricks," he heard her say as he opened his eyes. He grinned and raised his laser pistol, pointing it at her head. "Nope," he informed her as she stared, wide-eyed, at him. She was dumbfounded. There was no way he had gotten to her from the door. There simply hadn't been enough time. She had seen him running away, and thought he was pretty light on his feet. But this had been something else entirely.
Than grinned and knew she was trying to fit the distance into the span of a few seconds, and knew she was coming up short. Letting her stew for a few moments, he then kicked the rifle from her hands. "We're going to have a nice chat, you and I," he informed her. "Shall we get comfortable?"
Still stunned, the woman nodded dumbly, and the two of them moved to a couch in the room behind them. "So, you're Makarov?" he asked, still holding his gun on her as he reached into his pack for a stimpack.
She nodded. "Yes, I am." Normally she would've been silent as a 'fuck you' to her captors, but she was afraid of what else this boy could accomplish.
Than nodded, happy his search was at an end. He jabbed the needle from the stimpack into his neck and depressed the plunger, sighing softly as the liquid flowed into his blood. In a few moments, the river of blood coming from his shoulder was staunched. "Well, Makarov, we need to talk about your friends on the HAM radio."
Makarov was startled. "How did you know about them?"
"One of your raider friends told me. He was scared shitless the whole time," Than informed her, shooting another stimpack into his neck.
Makarov sighed. "Well, you probably know about the lifts we've been pulling from the Brotherhood trains."
"Sure do!" Than said cheerfully. "But that's not why I'm here."
The woman shifted uncomfortably. "The first time the radio turned on, all it said was to keep stealing from the Brotherhood. It was profitable, so I wasn't complaining."
Than nodded. "Makes sense."
"Then, they started giving me other instructions," she continued, lowering her voice and sounding ashamed. If Than had to guess, it was because she didn't like taking orders. "I tried to ignore them… but people started disappearing."
"Like how?" Than asked, for clarification.
"One day one of my men went to take a leak and never went back. The next day, two spotters on the roof vanished, and the third had no idea how. The next day a patrol of three people didn't return…"
"I assume it kept increasing?" Than reasoned.
Makarov nodded. "By the time I realized, we had lost half of my men. I didn't hesitate after that, I started to do what they asked."
"Which was?" Than prompted.
She shifted again, obviously uncomfortable. "To start with, they had us leave supplies at random drops. Just some food and a few guns."
"I assume it didn't stay that way?" Than asked. It seemed like she had been supplying whomever had been using the radio. But that didn't explain her discomfort.
Makarov shook her head. "Soon they started telling me to go to different parts of the city and… kill whatever was there."
Than raised an eyebrow at that one. "Rival gangs?"
She shook her head. "Wildlife."
"Oh? Chimera and myrelurks?"
Another head-shake. "Something bigger."
"Bigger?" Than asked, skeptical. "Bigger than a myrelurk?"
The woman nodded. "Bigger, meaner, much more lethal." She was clearly on edge now. Whatever she had been asked to hunt down had spooked her.
"Describe it," Than told her.
Her eyes went to his, and there was fear in them. That was rare for a wastelander, and even more-so for a raider. Makarov knew how to handle herself, that much was obvious. But she was thoroughly spooked. "It stands on two legs. Over eight feet tall. It has horns and big teeth, and claws that can gut you with one swipe. The skin is scaly, like a lizard's." She paused, and gulped. "And the eyes!" she went on. "They're not some animal's eyes. They're intelligent. A hunter's eyes. They look at you and you can't help but be scared, because both of you know who will win in a fight."
"Deathclaw," Than murmured.
She nodded, indicating he was right. "That's what they called them, too."
"The voices on the radio?"
The woman nodded again. "There were never more than two at a given spot. But after the first time, I knew to bring as many people as I could spare. Explosives worked best, but failing that shotguns always helped. They liked to get in close. They're almost as fast as you."
Than couldn't help but grin at that one. "What was there? Where you went to kill the deathclaws?"
Makarov shrugged. "Always bodies, but they were usually torn and bloody. But I was told not to touch them, or else. And I knew better by then to defy orders."
"Anything else?" Than asked. "It could be very important."
The woman thought for a moment, before a spark lit behind her eyes. "Cages. There were always cages wherever we went. Metal boxes, more like, but they looked like they would hold a deathclaw or two."
Than nodded. "I see." He thought for a moment, processing the information. "Well, this brings us to an awkward position," he informed her. "Since you don't know anything else, I don't have any further use for you. I'd like to let you go, honest. Your raider friend who was kind enough to help me get to you got away with is life. But I'm fairly certain if I do the same for you, you'll just make more trouble. For me and everyone."
Makarov's eyes dropped again, and her tone was hopeless when she spoke next; "I can't disagree. All I know how to do is fight, really. Well, fight and fuck."
"At least you're honest," Than said with a wry smile. He primed his laser pistol and centered it between her eyes. "Any last words?"
Her eyes, a striking silver color, closed, and she breathed deeply. "The eyes are not here. There are no eyes here," she murmured. "In this valley of dying stars. This-"
"-Hollow valley," Than finished, causing Makarov's eyes to open in surprise. "This broken jaw of our lost kingdoms."
"This is the dead land," she breathed, her eyes hopeful now.
"This is cactus land," Than responded, lowering his weapon and smiling. "Hollow Men is my favorite poem."
She smiled too. "Does this mean I get to live?"
Than shrugged. "I still don't know what to do with you. Knowing a bit of poetry doesn't change that."
Makarov's face dropped. The young man had a point Even if she promised not to go against him, all she could really do was find somewhere else to fight, and there was no guarantee they wouldn't cross paths again. Better to eliminate the threat now, while he still could. But wait, there was one thing she could do! "Take me with you!" she suddenly insisted.
Than laughed. "I just wiped out all of your friends and stormed your fortress, and you want to follow me around?"
The woman shook her head. "They weren't my friends. I just made sure they didn't kill each other."
"You sounded pretty angry before," Than insisted.
"Wouldn't you be pissed if some random man ran into your house and smashed all the furniture? Same thing, more intelligent furniture."
Than considered that. "So you're willing to drop everything and head off with me?"
Makarov nodded. "Consider me a damsel in distress."
He laughed at that one. "How old are you?" he asked. "Damsels have an age requirement."
"Twenty-five, I think."
Than laughed. "You are a little old for me to be saving you."
She pouted. "Stop that. Can I come with you or not?"
"That is not how you ask someone whether you can live or die," Than responded, though the point was ruined by the smile on his face. He sighed, then relented. "If you have your heart set on continuing to breath this burning air, then you can come with."
Makarov's face brightened considerably. She sprang forward and embraced him, and he cried out when she irritated his shoulder wound. "Sorry! Sorry!" she said, leaping back and throwing up her hands in case he was mad. "I'm really sorry for shooting you now, honest."
A bitter smile crossed Than's features, and he shot himself up with another stimpack, this one right to the shoulder. "It's a little late for that," he informed her. "But you sure seem eager to leave this place."
She laughed. "Yeah, it's pretty dreary, being held hostage by a radio. It's nice to be free for once."
Than stood from the couch. "Well if you're coming, get whatever you need. We need to go report back to my boss."
She nodded and stood, trotting off to gather her belongings. Than considered what he was doing, taking a random raider queen with him to meet Gaulm. But he knew if she was lying, Gaulm would figure it out, and then kill her for wasting his time. He was like that. So he didn't care either way. There wasn't much harm in it, and he could potentially gain a companion. An attractive, openly sexual companion. The possibilities were endless.
Makarov returned with a small satchel, still in her revealing outfit. She retrieved her rifle from where he had kicked it away from her, then bounded back to him, eager to leave. "Ready to go?" she asked.
Than nodded. "Let's go Makarov," he ordered, setting off for the ground floor.
"Oh, call me Lily," she said, skipping after him.
The Hollow Men is a very good poem by T.S. Elliot. I highly recommend it: it mirrors Fallout quite well.