*Primm*
Derek stirred as the sun was just starting to peek over the mountains, the sparse curtains not doing much to keep out the brightness. He was a pretty light sleeper nowadays and it never took a lot to wake him. It didn't seem like Isaac had that issue though, when Derek looked over at him, he was still sacked out. Since there was no point in him trying to go back to sleep, he stood up and stretched, debating if he wanted to eat something of theirs or wait and buy breakfast at the bar. Again, he looked at Isaac and decided to wait, knowing that if he made too much noise, he might startle his Beta… So he opted to look out the window and just enjoy the quiet. A loud crash ruined it just a moment later; Isaac jerked awake and Derek was crouched at the door, Wolf ears out and listening. There were gunshots and loud voices…
"Who are you, what do you want?" a woman screamed.
"Shut up! Open the door!" a gruff voice answered, firing a warning shot.
The woman didn't answer and there was another barrage of gunfire as they forced their way into her room.
Derek cursed to himself, something major was going on downstairs… what should he do about it? He had no way of knowing how many guys there were… or what their business was. One thing was for certain though, he didn't hear any sign of security personnel trying to stop it. He crept back to the bed and put a calming hand on Isaac's shoulder, whose heart was racing, "Stay quiet, it'll be okay."
"What's with the gunshots? Do you think they'll come up here too?"
"I'm not sure but it almost sounds like someone is trying to take over the hotel. If so, it's probably just a matter of time before they continue up to this floor. There's too much noise going on so I can't pinpoint how many there might be and we don't have time to try and figure it out. I really don't think we want them to catch us in here." Derek pulled Isaac over to the window and handed him his belongings. "We should try the casino, there was more security in there than there was for the hotel. If we're lucky, that's where the others will be. Maybe they'll know what's going on."
Isaac whined quietly as he put his shoes on, "How are we going to get out of here? They have automatic weapons and there has to be at least three of them, it won't be easy to sneak past them… especially with the elevator being broken…" He'd been in a few raids when he was in the Scorpion Gang but usually he was on the other end of it, not as a victim. He didn't like it.
"We're going out the window."
Isaac raised a brow, "Derek, we're on the second floor."
"It's really not that far of a drop; just roll as you hit the ground and you'll be fine. Remember, you're a Were now," Derek explained before shushing Isaac for a moment. There was a loud bang as the attackers made their way onto the second floor. "Time to go!" Derek heaved the window open, peeking out to make sure the coast was clear. Thankfully there was no one that he could see on their side of the building so he gave Isaac a thumbs-up. "Alright, I'll hop down first, so you can see how to land. Toss me down the pack and jump out after me. Ready?"
"…Yea."
Derek swiftly climbed out the window and dropped down, letting his knees collapse and dropped down onto his right shoulder. As soon as he was back on his feet, Isaac tossed down the bag and carefully climbed out the window. He took one deep breath before following suit, knowing that he'd be okay. As he fell, he kept thinking 'instinct, instinct' and trusted his body to do the right thing; as his feet hit the ground, he copied Derek and rolled (not quite as deftly) over his shoulder.
"See, not so bad, let's go. Stay behind me, I have no idea how these people feel about Wolves," Derek ordered.
Isaac looked up and saw that Derek's ears were Human once more, so he had nothing to worry about. Again Isaac cursed himself for not knowing how to disguise his Beta form (as Derek called it)… especially at a time like this. It was another reminder for him to buckle down and learn to accept his inner Wolf. Not that he had time to focus on that, he was supposed to be dodging bullets…
They paused at the corner of the building, Derek scouting the area to make sure it was safe. "Alright, there's a few guys outside but they're patrolling the area between the hotel entrance and the residential housing over to the south. I don't hear any gunshots coming from inside the casino… hopefully they haven't already cleared it and are using that as their base." If that was the case, they'd be shot the instant they ran inside… but trying to make a run for the road wasn't an option. If Derek had to guess, there were probably a few guys guarding the main road out of town to prevent people from escaping. He and Isaac could jump over the large wrought iron fence that surrounded the town but no one else would make it… "We're going to have to chance it. If we sprint across the road we should be able to make it inside. I want you in front of me, I'll act as a shield for you. Go!"
Isaac took off running, shoulders tense, waiting to be shot but nothing came. He heard one guy yell out, but since it was only a short distance to the casino, he didn't have time to do anything about them. He practically rolled through the door in his rush and he sighed in relief when he heard the door shut behind Derek. Before Isaac could celebrate making it to safety though, he looked up from the floor and saw a handful of guns pointed at him.
"Easy everyone, easy, just some more people from the hotel," an older gentleman called out, holding a hand up. Once everyone had put their guns down, he held a hand out and helped Isaac to his feet. "I'm not sure how you managed to escape but I'm glad you're alright. I can't imagine how many people didn't make it… They've been shooting at everyone, especially anyone that tries to leave town. I'm not sure why they want us dead but, they sure ain't letting us leave either. As you can see, we gathered as many people as we could when we realized something was going on. Most of the people in the hotel probably didn't make it though, sad to say. I'm Johnson Nash by the way, I don't think we met last night."
"I'm Derek and that's Isaac, we got in late last night… Nice to meet you, although too bad it's not under better circumstances. What are we going to do about these intruders? Anyone even know who they are?" Derek asked.
"Well it would appear as though some of the escaped Powder Gangers found their way here and thought they'd take over the town. The NCR might come and help us but I doubt it- they've had more than enough time to deal with their mess. They've just been camped out across the road since the big escape. Ain't doing nothing, not even coming into town to talk to us. Sure as hell never tried to retake the correctional facility… I'm not sure what they think they'll accomplish by just sitting there! No, we're going to have to get ourselves out of this mess but I'm not sure how long we can stay holed up here. It's only a matter of time before the Powder Gangers come in here for the rest of us… I'd say our best bet is to go save Deputy Beagle, he's the closest thing to organized law around here- maybe he'd be able to go 'liaison' with the NCR guys. The Powder Gangers, they uh, they killed the sheriff and his wife… So all we've got is Deputy Beagle's sorry ass. But the Powder Gangers have him over in the hotel with them. And none of us feel like risking our necks to go save him."
Derek sighed knowing that everyone was expecting him to offer to help; there was no question in their minds that he'd be able to handle himself. If he was careful, he could at least do some recon, slowly whittle away at their numbers here and there without committing to anything. He glanced around, assessing the group standing in front of him; he wasn't impressed. None of the townsfolk looked like they'd be much help in a pinch, they were all too scared. But he was glad to see Erica standing with the bartender- she'd survived the initial attack. He could at least depend on her to watch out for his Beta. "Isaac, I want you to stay here with Erica while I go see what's going on across the street. Does anyone know how many people were staying in the hotel?"
Nash thought for a moment, "Maybe about seven other people, although I saw a small number of them make a run for it. Few of them got shot but I think a couple of them escaped. Anyone else who ain't dead would probably be with Deputy Beagle, hostages."
"Okay, I'll keep an eye out for anyone else that doesn't look like a convict. If I do see any I'll probably send them this way so be mindful of whom you shoot at. I'm going to assume no one cares about the Powder Gangers and what I do with them?" Everyone shook their head, which made Derek's job easier. "If I'm not back within two hours, assume I've been caught."
"Derek, I'm not letting you go in there alone!" Isaac growled, holding onto Derek's arm. He was glad that Erica was still alive but he wasn't about to just go sit with her while his Alpha went off like a one-man army!
"Isaac…" he sighed. He couldn't bring his inexperienced Beta into such a dangerous place with an unknown number of assailants. The job would go faster if he was alone; the fewer people doing recon, the higher the chance of success. Isaac didn't seem likely to back down though… If he really had to, he could Order Isaac to stay, but he didn't want to do that to someone with such a troubled past… they didn't know each that well and it would probably hurt their budding relationship. Time to convince him the old fashioned way-
"Derek, I know I'm not that experienced as a Wolf but I can help you- I was in a gang! So I'm not inexperienced when it comes to fighting in general. I'd be able to watch your back at least, or maybe help bring any hostages back here. It will go faster if there are two of us, and it will be good for me," Isaac spewed out in a rush, not giving Derek time to say anything.
"I'm not going to use such a dangerous situation as a training exercise for you, if you get hurt, or-"
Isaac squeezed Derek's arm, "I won't get hurt, I promise. If it turns out to be worse than we thought, I'll come back. But I can't stay here while my Alp- while you go off alone against those guys."
Derek appreciated that Isaac caught himself before outing him, but he supposed it didn't matter if these people knew or not. Not when they had bigger fish to fry. The look in his eyes told Derek just how adamant the younger Wolf felt about it. And just like that it went from a recon mission to a full-on rescue mission. He sighed to himself, wondering why Isaac cared so much. But now the rest of the group was pretty much assuming they'd save everyone so Derek didn't have much of a choice. With the sudden change in plans, maybe it would be a good idea to have Isaac tag along, two pairs of ears were better than one… but it increased the chances of him getting distracted too, having someone other than himself to watch out for.
"I'll go too, I'm a more experienced Wolf than Isaac, so the two of us together should be able to help," Erica chimed in, stepping forward.
Surprised, both Isaac and Derek turned to look at her, but she had a valid point, so he couldn't turn her down… not if he was going to allow Isaac to go. "Alright, both of you can come I guess, the more sets of eyes the better. But if I say head back, you both head back. You're too young to be putting yourselves in such precarious situations." They both nodded and Derek quickly opened his bag, looking for a weapon for Isaac. "I hope you know how to use that thing," he mumbled, motioning to the shotgun in Erica's hands as he handed Isaac his pistol.
"Yea, I haven't had a lot of practice but I have shot it before."
Derek nodded, "Good enough." Since it didn't seem like anyone else was going to be volunteering to join them, he shoved everything back into his bag and carefully peeked outside. "Alright, I can see two guys across the street guarding the entrance to the hotel. It doesn't seem like there is anyone else close by. They're carrying guns though so you two stay here while I go and take them out. I'll bring back their weapons for you, we might as well use their ammunition instead of our own. I'll knock on the door when it's all clear and you can both join me. Isaac, I'm leaving the pack with you, you're in charge of ammunition and any backup weapons."
Isaac nodded and slipped the pack onto his back as Derek ran out the door. It wasn't until the door swung shut that he realized Derek didn't even have a gun… was he crazy?! But there was nothing he could do about it now, not without alerting the Powder Gangers outside. Derek had to have a plan, of course he did. He turned to Erica, asking her a question to distract himself while they waited. "Why did you decide to help us?"
"Because I'm tired of working here; I get the lowest pay because I'm a Wolf and hardly any tips. Plus, every full moon, Deputy Beagle locks me up in the basement, it's horrible! I figured if I can prove to Derek that I can be an asset, he'll let me join your Pack," Erica explained in a quiet whisper. Aside from Beagle, the people were nice to her but she still felt like a second-class citizen. Derek was the first Alpha she'd seen and she wasn't going to miss her chance!
Isaac stiffened- she got locked up during the full moon? That was heartless! Erica seemed like a capable person, he doubted that she still lost control… so they shouldn't have to lock her up. He'd have to mention that to Derek after they finished saving the town… he wouldn't turn her away, not if he heard how she was being treated.
They sat in silence after that, wondering why they hadn't heard anything, not even a burst of automatic gunfire. That had to be a good sign, if Derek had been spotted, they definitely would've shot at him. It felt like an eternity had passed by the time there were finally two sharp raps on the door.
"Coast is clear, c'mon," Derek told them through the door,
Isaac and Erica glanced at each other, eyes wide, but they nodded and opened the door, joining the Alpha out front. He handed them the machine guns and the spare magazines which they both tucked away. Erica holstered the shotgun over her shoulder and acquainted herself with the gun Derek had handed her. Isaac was the first to say anything, "How did you get over there without them even taking a shot at you?"
"I waited until they were looking the other way and I sprinted back across the street, then I climbed up the side of the building, dropped down on them from above. They never saw me and no one inside knows we're coming in either. We're going to go in quiet, take our time, alright?"
"Right."
The three of them hurried towards the entrance of the hotel, taking a brief moment to listen at the door before entering. As soon as the door closed behind them, the group paused, trying to determine if there were any assailants nearby. There was no one right inside watching the entrance but there were people very close by; all of them stayed silent, crouched down low.
Derek looked around and knew they are in for a tough fight… there were tables stacked up as barricades. It would seem as though the Powder Gangers weren't completely inept, they knew to build some cover for themselves. Derek led the group over to the check-in counter on their right, aiming for the door behind it. As far as he could tell, the room sounded empty so it seemed like the best place for the three of them to hole up and come up with a plan. As he reached up to open the door, he found it locked and he cursed silently. He couldn't just kick the door in- that would alert everyone to their presence… the exact thing he was trying to avoid. Instead he flicked out his claws and hoped he'd be able to pick it.
"The computer," Erica whispered, pointing up to the desk. She knew that it controlled the key lock for the door so she figured it would be faster.
Derek sighed, "I don't do computers..."
"I do! Let me try real quick," Isaac offered, quietly sitting up on his knees. He was technically exposed, if anyone walked towards the foyer from further inside the hotel, they'd see him… Isaac could hear boots clomping around and he had to take a moment to steady his hands. But no one appeared through the archway and he was able to successfully guess the appropriate password and unlock the door.
Derek kept his eyes glued to the far wall, ready to pull Isaac down if anyone came their way. But before he knew it, the door was open and he herded them all inside and shut the door behind them with a sigh of relief. The room was dirty but looked untouched by the Power Gangers… or any survivors of the attack. "Okay, we're safe in here as long as we're quiet, give me a minute to come up with a plan," Derek whispered. As he mentally planned out their next step, he signaled for them search the room, hoping they might find something useful. There wasn't much to look through, just some lockers and a few boxes but he did find a maintenance key and ammo, better than nothing. He shook his head as he spied Isaac fiddling with a wall safe while Erica was adding bullets to her magazines. There was no reason to interrupt his Beta though so he left him to it as he crouched near them. "Alright, the first thing we need to do is figure out just how many people are in here with us. The issue is that we'll have no idea how many of them might be hostages, if any. The hope is that at least one of them is Deputy Beagle but we can't count on it so we should assume that anyone we sense belongs on the enemy list. Since you both insisted on tagging along, we might as well exercise your Wolf abilities while we're safe. How many people do you think are in that big dining room?"
Isaac paused his work on the number pad and closed his eyes to concentrate- he was still getting used to focusing his hearing, so pinpointing the heartbeats was hard… Especially when they moved around so much… it was hard to keep track. And he had to remember to block out their three heartbeats. When he opened his eyes, he couldn't help but notice that Erica seemed confident and he hoped he wasn't about to make a fool of himself… "Six that I can pick up for sure, but a few keep moving and I can't tell if I've already counted them or not," Isaac finally guessed.
"I got seven," Erica admitted, glad that her number was close to Isaac's. She didn't have a lot of practice in focusing her hearing in quite a specific way so she really wasn't sure of herself, even if she pretended otherwise.
Derek just nodded, not commenting as he tried to visualize the floor plan; there was a small group of them together in the large dining hall, talking and pacing around. Without a visual representation, he wasn't surprised that the two Betas couldn't get a completely accurate read from heartbeats alone. He was able to sense eleven total, two in the hallways and nine in the dining room. He had asked them to focus on the large room specifically so they hadn't been too far off. "You two have some burst-fire guns, so I don't want you using them right away, not unless we run into a tight spot. Gunshots are sure to attract everyone's attention and then they'll be swarming us. I'd rather avoid that for as long as possible. So if you can, stick with claws, or a knife if you know how to throw one." Both Betas shook their heads, dashing his hopes. "Well, I'm a little rusty but I do have some practice with throwing blades. If not, well, we'll just have to hope for the best. Stay behind me at all times, unless we're running for cover, then I expect you to be in front of me."
Isaac and Erica both nodded, understanding that Derek was trying to keep them out of danger as much as he could. They had promised that they wouldn't be distractions so neither of them would be wandering off. Next they went over a few quick hand signs, practicing them together a few times: stay, go, listen, watch, weapon.
"Alright, ready?" Derek asked, feeling like they were about as prepared as they were going to get.
Erica nodded but Isaac held up a hand, wanting to try the safe one more time, he had almost figured out the 4 digit combination. 30 seconds later Isaac threw his fist in the air and opened the door, finding a small cache of caps that he pocketed. He didn't have a lot of experience cracking safes so he wanted to practice as much as he could. Keeping the loot was just a bonus.
Derek rolled his eyes good-naturedly, he could tell that Isaac used to be in a gang of bandits. Someone might notice the missing caps but Derek let the boy keep them anyway- they could always blame the Powder Gangers. Ready to leave, Derek eased the door open and cursed- one of the convicts was standing in the hallway that led to the rest of the hotel… He wasn't facing the entrance, thankfully, but if they weren't careful, he would spot them out of the corner of his eye. It was surprising that he hadn't noticed the door opening. Derek had been so caught up teaching them the hand signs that he hadn't thought to listen to their surroundings before heading out… off to a great start. He motioned for the Betas to stay low and he quietly dug his machete out of the bag on Isaac's back before creeping closer. With a quick prayer, hoping that the other guy in the hall wasn't looking, Derek stood up and threw the machete. It lodged in the guy's neck and he gurgled as he collapsed in the chair that was right behind him. The three of them paused, listening… no one came running or cried out in surprise. But there was another person in the hallway; Derek could tell that he wasn't a part of the group huddled in the dining room. He must have his mind on other things since he didn't make a fuss about his friend just dropping into the chair; the machete wasn't really hard to spot, sticking out of his neck from that distance.
The group crept closer to the main hallway, Derek looking around the corner to spot a single guy leaning against the counter at the far end, casually cleaning his nails. Even though he wasn't really paying attention, it was too risky to try and grab the machete. The movement was more likely to be noticed than not. So he waved his hand behind him, signaling Isaac to dig another knife out of the bag. It wasn't as big as a machete and the guy was a lot farther away so Derek hoped he could manage a good hit. If not, he'd cry out in pain and alert everyone else to their sneak attack. He carefully leaned further out into the open and gauged the distance, thankful that he wasn't moving. Once he felt ready, he cocked his arm back and threw the knife as hard as he could. It lodged itself right in the guy's forehead a moment later and he fell back onto the desk with a thud, dead. He quickly ducked back behind the wall with the other two and listened, waiting to see if anyone would come investigate the noise… No one came. The large group in the dining hall were all talking and joking with each other so they must not have heard the commotion in the hallway. Their luck was holding!
The three ventured forward, Derek making sure to grab the machete on the way. They quickly ducked into the next small room, choosing to slowly advance down the hall. It had been the gift shop but everything was in shambles; the shelves were all knocked over and the various trinkets littered the ground. There wasn't much room to move around, not without making too much noise, but they did manage to duck behind the register counter without any fuss. Derek was carefully monitoring the doorway, about to motion for them to head out again when Isaac cursed suddenly, startling him and Erica.
"Sorry," he whispered, "I found another safe here in the floor behind the registers, but it's got a 6 digit code, I don't have nearly enough skill to crack this."
Erica slapped him upside the back of his head, "Idiot! You're going to give our position away!"
Isaac opened his mouth to retort but Derek glared at both of them and they closed their mouths, both looking reprimanded. Satisfied that no one had been alerted to their presence, Derek led the way to the next alcove, just a few feet further down on the opposite side of the hall. He wasn't ready to rush ahead, they were doing fine just going slow and steady. They were almost to the elevator alcove when Erica gasped and pushed the other two. Isaac almost slammed into the elevator doors but Derek was able to grab him before they made a lot of noise. Just as Erica tucked her tail out of view, they heard a man enter the sitting room at the end of the hallway. Derek mentally berated himself for missing the obvious… if Erica hadn't noticed they might've been spotted. That had been one of the reasons he wanted to come alone… his lack of attention could get someone else killed if he wasn't careful. He really didn't want to lose anyone else in his life.
"What the-" the guy suddenly exclaimed as he spied the body on the desk.
Derek quickly leaned out and threw the machete but his aim was off… the machete sliced into the guys shoulder and he cried out in surprise. Before either of them could react, Isaac rushed forward and slashed at the guy's throat, silencing him before he could rally the others. He slowly lowered him to the ground as Erica and Derek rushed forward to cover him in case anyone else ran into the sitting room. They all waited, tense, but no one else came. Their luck wasn't going to continue to hold though and Derek wanted to press on. They quickly searched the corpses, gathering some caps and the knife. As they were searching the bodies, Derek noticed that the last guy had been wearing body armor, which complicated things. So far none of them had needed to fire a shot but if the rest of them were wearing body armor it would make killing them that much harder. The next step was going to be hard enough as it was… The sitting room had two different archways leading into the dining hall which made Derek uneasy. It would be easy for someone to duck through the second archway as they stormed the first and then sneak up behind them. He remembered that he had the key to the maintenance door, which would probably be the safest route. Once they cleaned out the dining hall, they could circle back and head up the stairs, which were next to the elevator. As he contemplated the best course of action, Derek guarded the sitting room while Erica checked the stairway, and Isaac the maintenance hallway. Both of them signaled an all clear and Derek had to make a choice… after a moment, he waved for Erica to join Isaac. They'd clear the upstairs rooms after they dealt with the group in the dining hall.
The three of them huddled in the short hallway just inside the maintenance door, debating what to do next. Derek knew the area wasn't huge but he hadn't been back there so he was completely blind when it came to the floor plan. There was only one direction for them to go though… the path going straight was blocked off; a section of the above floor had collapsed long ago, leaving only the path shooting off to the right.
"Derek, I'm picking up a couple of distressed heartbeats, maybe one belongs to the deputy," Isaac whispered, ears perked forward.
"It's Deputy Beagle alright, I recognize his skeezy scent," Erica stated. "I'm not entirely sure who the other person is."
"And that leaves the other six heartbeats as enemies. Let's be careful as we go 'extract' Beagle. Then we should clear the rest of the building I suppose," Derek told them both, barely audible. Silence was going to be key going forward, they were about to head directly towards the Powder Gangers.
As they slowly moved along, creeping up right to the corner or the hallway, they all picked up on the sound of approaching footsteps. They paused as they realized the guy was coming down the hallway right towards them! Derek quickly motioned for the other two to get ready, stealth was about to go out the window. Isaac and Erica held up their weapons, waiting for the shitstorm... when Derek took that guy out...the others would come, no more time for silent kills.
With a sigh of frustration, Derek grabbed the pistol from the bag and rushed around the corner; he pulled the trigger as soon as he adjusted to the right height, shooting the guy in the head. He dropped instantly, gun still at his side. It only took a moment for the sound to register with the others and there were shouts and rushing footsteps. Isaac and Erica were ready, running out and firing as soon as they saw people enter the hallway. The first two guys dropped easily, not expecting the sudden barrage, but the third wouldn't go down. Derek saw that he was covered in armor and carrying a huge weapon.
"Get back! Now!" Derek ordered, recognizing it immediately.
The two of them had already starting backpedaling as soon as they realized he was armored. Neither of them liked the look of the huge weapon in his hands.
The man crouched down as he entered the small hallway and shot a flaming canister down the hallway as the other gang members shot at them from over his shoulders.
The canister exploded as it hit the wall beside the three Wolves, Erica yelping as the flames engulfed her tail. Beside her, Isaac grunted in pain and stumbled, but he managed to slide around the right corner safely, holding onto his thigh. Derek grabbed a hold of Erica, shielding her with his body the last few steps as they veered off to the left. Just in time too, Derek felt a bullet slam into his shoulder, a shot that Erica probably would've taken to the head.
"Shit!" Isaac panted, pressing down on his leg. "That really freaking hurts! I'm healing though, I'm fine, what about you?"
Erica whimpered hysterically as she tried to pat out the flames on her beautiful tail. She was burning her hands but didn't stop until it was all out. She sat back on her heels, holding her hands out to watch them heal and then turned to Derek. "It will grow back right?" She asked, not caring if she sounded vain or not.
Derek didn't answer though, he was searching his jacket pockets. When he pulled something out, he told them to take cover and tossed a metal pin on the ground. Their eyes widened as they realized he was holding a grenade; he waited a moment, letting the fuse burn before he rolled it around the corner. The three of them covered their ears as the hallway exploded and Derek belatedly hoped that the hostages hadn't been hurt. Now that they had a few seconds, Derek looked at the two youngsters, "It was a through and through right, the bullet isn't still in your leg?" Isaac affirmed that there was no bullet. "We'll have to trim away the burnt hair but it should all grow back, just like before," he assured Erica next. "I took a bullet to my shoulder, nothing else. Remind me to dig it out when we get done with this."
"I can get it out," Erica stated, not wanting him to be in pain. She used her claws to reach into the wound and grab the bullet while Isaac gave short bursts cover fire. Occasionally the guy with the incinerator would lob flaming canisters at them which exploded on the back wall. She made sure to press up against the wall with her tail tucked behind her whenever she heard him fire a shot.
"I winged one of the shooters, the other guy practically ate the grenade from what I can tell. All that's left is that fire guy and I can't touch him," Isaac called out while Derek healed.
Derek cursed, "He's too armored... I'll have to get close to him..." Derek knew they didn't have time to sit around and struggled to come up with a solution. He didn't want to leave them… but they were going to have to split up if they were going to succeed. "I'm going to go back through the sitting room and see if I can't sneak up on him, take him out that way. If we're lucky he won't try to get any closer, he knows that we still have ammo and that he's outnumbered. Keep him at bay as long as you can, but if he advances, just run. Fire is too dangerous, it can easily get out of control, and that incinerator lobs those canisters pretty far. Stay safe." Isaac and Erica both nodded their heads, promising to be super careful. Satisfied, Derek hurried out the side door and back to the sitting room, pausing just outside one of the entrances to the dining hall. Isaac had said that he had only winged one of the shooters so that meant there was still one other person for him to watch out for. After he managed to block out the armored guy calling out insults, he heard labored breathing coming from the other side of the wall. It had to be the guy that Isaac hit, the only person in the room. From his spot in the hallway, Derek pinpointed the guy's position by his heartbeat before rushing into the room and easily picking him off. Now that the way was clear, Derek ran into the small kitchen area- the last guy was still distracted by the other two! He waited for a round of shots from Isaac before rushing forward; he jammed the machete between a seam in the armor, burying it between the man's ribs. As he hit the ground, Derek immediately called out to the others, needing to hear that they were both fine. Both of them popped around the corner and assured him that they were fine. Before he could say anything else to them, another voice cut in.
"Don't suppose you're here to rescue me, although I'd be a bit surprised if a group of blood thirsty savages were my rescue party."
All three of the wolves tensed as they turned around, glaring at the man on his knees, hands tied. Isaac couldn't hold in his growl but at least he didn't march forward and punch the guy, although Erica did take a few steps before reining herself in.
The woman beside him gasped, "Deputy Beagle! I'd think you'd be more cordial to the people that just saved our lives! You certainly weren't doing anything to get us out of here!"
Derek's eyes flashed red as he admonished the deputy himself, "Do you want to be saved or left here to rot?"
The deputy paled a bit before smiling sheepishly, "Yes, I'd be most appreciative if you'd set me free. That earlier comment was coming from my past experiences with the Legion. I honestly thought you were a scouting group or something, probably going to kill us anyways."
"You know damn well that that's Erica!" the woman screeched, unable to believe his tactlessness.
Even if she hadn't said anything, Derek had caught the lie in his heartbeat. He just disliked Weres in general and didn't know how to keep his mouth shut. "If you really thought we were Legion, I'd think you'd have better sense than to open your mouth at all. Insulting a Legion member is the best guarantee to a slow death. If you'd honestly had any prior experience with the Legion, then you'd know we weren't with them… we aren't wearing clothes from that faction."
"Well, maybe you were scouts in disguise," Beagle floundered.
"Legion members don't disguise themselves like that. They want everyone to know who they are. I can only think of one or two times they might care enough to engage in espionage and resort to using disguises. You're lucky I promised Nash that I'd do my best to get you out of here alive because I'm getting closer and closer to kicking your ass!" Derek growled, bending down in front of the cowardly man.
Erica spoke up, her disdain for the man clearly coming to the surface, "You know, we can just shoot him and say he was already dead when we got here. No one would know, and I honestly don't think they'd care."
"Alice would be a witness!" Beagle cried out, turning to the woman beside him, "You wouldn't let them murder me will you?"
"No one is going to murder anyone," Derek cut in before Alice could answer, although judging by her sneer, she wasn't exactly on Beagle's side of things. He reached out and easily cut through the ropes tying their wrists. "The fact of the matter is, Primm still needs some form of law around here and I'll be damned if they think they're going to ask me to stick around and be the sheriff."
Beagle tried to hide his nasty smirk at that comment, like anyone in Primm would want a dirty Werewolf to be the sheriff. They were just too eager to kill, if the carnage in the hotel was any indication. He'd learned his lesson though and kept that opinion to himself. "Well, you three seem like you've got things covered on your own, I'd just be in the way. I'll see you outside after you finish up with the rest of the thugs," he called to them as he ran out of the kitchen.
"Ugh, he's so slimy... I hate him!" Erica commented as they all watched him run away.
"You aren't the only one," Alice murmured as Isaac helped her to her feet. "Even if he won't say it, I will- thank you. I thought for sure that we were both goners, they shot everyone else in the hotel…"
Erica smiled, "You're welcome. We weren't sure if there were any survivors but we had to come check. The whole first floor is cleared so you can head over to the casino with everyone else, alright?"
"I will, please be careful, there's still a good number of guys upstairs."
Derek and Isaac waited at the stairwell as Erica escorted Alice to the front door, just in case there were any other shooters out in the street. When she returned, Derek cracked the door open, peering into the stairwell. "Why do you think no one came down the stairs to help out?" he asked.
"I can't imagine it's because they're all deaf… maybe they're scared?" Isaac guessed.
Erica nodded, "Yea, that'd be my guess. I mean, they have to know we're coming right?"
"More than likely, which means we're going to have to be extra cautious as we continue. The element of surprise is completely gone at this point." Derek led the group up to the second floor, thankful that they only had one more floor to clear- the stairs going up to the third floor had been blocked by a collapse. There weren't too many rooms that were accessible on the second floor anyways, as he and Isaac had found out when they had rented a room. So the last part of the fight should go even faster as long as they were careful.
The Wolves all paused at the door, Derek signaling for them to listen again. Erica and Isaac both reported that they didn't hear anyone in the immediate vicinity so Derek pushed the door open, thankful that the hinges didn't squeal. They all hurried into the small alcove, easing the door shut behind them. "Check that machine, see if there is any soda left in it, if so, both of you should drink some. The sugar will help perk you up since you were both injured earlier. I'll keep an ear out," Derek whispered.
Isaac carefully pried open the old Nuka-Cola vending machine, seeing three sodas lying at the bottom. He passed one to Erica and snagged another for himself before quietly closing the door. After they had both downed their drinks, Derek pointed to his ears, then to his chest, silently prompting them to figure out how many people were up there with them. Erica and Isaac look at each other and quickly decide to focus on separate sides of the hotel, giving them a smaller area to focus on. Within a moment, Erica held up three fingers and pointed straight, indicating that they were on the other side of the building. Derek nodded his head, correct; then he turned to Isaac. Isaac held up two fingers, then pointed to the left, they were probably just out of view down the hallway. Another nod from Derek, he was also correct. But they had missed one; he held up one finger as he pointed upward with his other hand- there was also a single man up on the third floor. With the enemies all accounted for, Derek gave a nod, they were ready to continue.
Erica and Isaac both rushed forward, eager to finish it. They took out the two Powder Gangers standing in the hallway as Derek pushed passed them. They used their claws, slamming them into the men's soft throats- silent kills. Derek waited at the far corner for them, glad that they remembered not to drop the bodies to the ground. The next three were patrolling the far hallway, all on edge. Derek decided to knock on wall, knowing the sound would catch their attention. As all three of them rushed around the corner to investigate, Erica and Isaac started shooting; they were mowed down easily since they didn't have any armor. The only one left was the last man on the third floor. But with the stairwell blocked off and the elevator out of order, how had he gotten up there? The three of them split up and quickly searched the rooms, Isaac finding one that was full of rubble. The ceiling had collapsed and had created a ramp up to the third floor.
Isaac started to scale it but Derek grabbed the back of his shirt. The last man had to be expecting them, as soon as he saw Isaac's head, he'd shoot. They'd have to find another way… He led them back out into the hallway and they searched for a second way up.
Erica opened up one door and immediately backed up, eyes wide. There was a huge hole in the ceiling and she was able to see up to the third floor… and the last guy was up there. His back was to her so he hadn't seen the door open but Erica didn't want to take any chances. She waved Derek over and let him poke his head through the door.
After a quick glance he shooed them both down the hall, not wanting the guy to hear him. "Okay, I have an idea. I'm going to pretend to climb the ramp in that first room, as a decoy. I'll make enough noise to draw his attention but try to make it sound like I'm trying to be quiet. You two are going to sneak into that other room and shoot at him from below, okay?" Derek waited until they were outside the door, before he turned towards the ramp and made some scraping noises.
Isaac looked at Erica and they both counted to three in their heads; together they rushed into the room and took aim, spraying the unsuspecting gangbanger with bullets. Isaac quickly scaled up one of the old dressers and climbed up to the third floor, "Let's see what he was guarding!"
Erica scowled at his over-eager attitude but followed him up there, meeting Derek at the doorway as Isaac searched through his pockets. She looked around the room but the only thing of interest was a desk… it was locked. "Hey Isaac, see if he's got a key on him, this has to be it."
"Uh yea, right here." He tossed her the key and commented that he was going to go search the other bodies.
With a shrug, Derek motioned for her to unlock it, might as well see what the fuss was all about. As he stepped closer, he saw that they were using the lockable drawers as their weapon storage. There were pistols and all kinds of ammo stored in there. "Well, let's load up as much ammo as we can and pick up anything that looks sellable."
"Oh, I'm keeping this," Erica declared as she pulled out a machete. She had seen how effective Derek had been with his and was eager to try and learn. So she strapped the holster around her thigh and started counting out bullets.
"We're going to need more packs," Isaac called out from below them. "They don't have much but I mean it's more than what we can fit in your bag Derek."
"If we can manage to carry most of it back to the casino, I have plenty of room in my own pack. I don't mind carrying some stuff, but it would probably be a good idea for Isaac to get a bag too," Erica commented.
Derek looked over at her… she made it sound like she was going to be joining them… He didn't say anything though, just jumped down to the second floor to help Isaac sort everything. She'd have to take that up with her own Alpha if she wanted to hit the road.
By the time they were done, they had almost doubled their number of caps and had added a few weapons to their 'to sell' pile. Derek had made sure they had picked out the weapons in the best condition, knowing that they deserved the lion's share for doing all the hard work. Erica had wanted to just take it all but Derek made her drop some of it. The others in Primm deserved at least some of the loot since they were the ones that had been attacked.
"Alright, let's go tell everyone they're all dead," Derek called out, heading for the stairs.
As soon as they entered the casino, Beagle came up to them and started talking, hands on his hips like some big-shot. "Man we sure handled those convicts didn't we? Breaking myself out of that hostage situation sure was thrilling- not to diminish your slight role in helping out! I'm glad those Powder Gangers are all taken care of. But you know, we still need a sheriff…" He hated asking but everyone else had already voted on asking the Alpha to stay.
"Not my problem, I'm out of here!" Derek growled, absolutely done with Beagle's shit. If the guy wanted to pretend like he had saved himself, he could deal with Alice. He certainly wasn't going to stick around and put up with his attitude though, nor did he want the responsibility of protecting a whole town. He barely knew how to handle being responsible for Isaac!
"But with no sheriff in Primm, what are we going to do the next time some ruffians come into town and take us hostage?"
"Since you're so capable, why don't you become the sheriff? With your head that far up your own ass, it isn't likely to get blown off! You'll be perfect for the job!" Derek yelled out before turning to Isaac, "How far is Goodsprings from here?"
"Really close. We should be able to make it there before the worst of the afternoon heat if we leave right away. We can rest there until evening and figure out where to go next," Isaac answered.
"Alright, let's get out of here then."
Isaac chewed on his lip. He looked over at Erica, who was showing her bundle of loot to the bartender, "But…"
"But what?"
"Erica… she…"
"I want to come with you!" Erica suddenly cried out, not realizing that he had been about to leave. She'd thought he'd at least talk with Nash or something, give her time to pack… but Beagle had to open his fat mouth! She ran over to them, grabbing Derek's wrist, "Please."
Derek gaped at her, "Why do you want to come with us? What about your current Alpha?" He really didn't want to deal with someone accusing him of stealing Betas.
"Don't have one, it's long story. If you let me come with you, I'll tell you on the road- I know you're eager to get out of here. It will take me like, 5 minutes to pack. Don't go without me," Erica pleaded.
"Derek, you have to let her come, they lock her up on the full moons! That isn't right!" Isaac cut in.
"What?"
Isaac hastened to explain, "She told me earlier, while you were outside, Beagle locks her up and they barely pay her, just because she's a Were! We aren't going to leave her here right?"
"Now, now Erica, why did you lie to the gentlemen," Deputy Beagle said, trying tug Erica away from Isaac.
"Please, please let me come with you- I'll be a good Beta!" Erica begged, eyes full of desperation as she ripped her arm away from the deputy.
As Beagle reached out for her again with a dark look in his eye, Derek pulled her behind him and got in the deputy's face, "Keep your hands off of her." He knew he couldn't leave her there… not after hearing about how she got locked up every month, and especially not with the way Beagle kept looking at her. He was afraid of what might happen to her the next time they were alone. Erica could easily overpower him but not without risking her job. "Isaac, go help her pack."
The two of them rushed upstairs to Erica's room while Derek escorted the sleazeball outside. She didn't have much and most of what she did have was already in her bag but she still gave her room a once over. Once she was satisfied that they hadn't missed anything, they rushed back downstairs to grab the stuff she'd left on the bar. "Bye Sam, here's your shotgun back. Thanks for letting me borrow it earlier," Erica called out in a rush as Isaac scooped everything else up. She made sure to say goodbye to Johnson and his wife Ruby but ignored everyone else as she rushed out the front door. She spied Derek over by the Mohave Express building, Deputy Beagle on the ground holding his stomach. "I'm all set, we can leave now," she told him, refusing to make eye contact with the other man.
Derek nodded and gestured for her to lead the way as he sighed to himself. He probably shouldn't have punched the guy but he had deserved it! They'd just have to mark Primm off of their list of towns to return to. Derek glanced up at the sun as they approached the highway… it was maybe about ten o'clock. The raid had taken longer than he would've hoped but he did feel good about saving the town as a whole. As Erica started to explain her story, he was only half listening… he couldn't get over the fact that he had two Weres that were willing to follow him… they knew nothing about him! Was he even sure he could protect them? He would try his hardest but he couldn't help but be worried, figuring it was only a matter of time before he let them down in some way. His wounds were still too fresh, even as he tried to teach Isaac, he could tell that he was having a hard time opening up to the Beta. Derek didn't know how to be an Alpha! As he looked over at his two companions, Erica talking a mile a minute and Isaac listening intently to her story… he vowed to do his absolute best to learn. He might be the last Hale but he wasn't going to let his family's legacy die out just yet.
A/N 9-8-2018: Now this is the chapter that needed the most editing yet... it was chock full of random moments of present tense when the rest of the fic is past tense... past tense is my default! Honestly, the only thing I can think of for why this section has bits and pieces of present tense is that I was trying to play the game and write at the same time instead of just taking notes and then writing the scene after I finished that section of the game... I read back over it and got so confused with myself! Anyways, it's fixed now, all past tense. I did make a few other changes as well- about 3k words added! But nothing that majorly changed the flow of the chapter.
Incinerator: This is a weapon in Fallout that is similar but not quite the same as a Flamethrower (just called Flamers in the game). Incinerators are large weapons that shoot flaming canisters that explode instead of just a large stream of fire.