"Okay Doc, he's over here."
Everyone who was going with us to City Hall had gathered in the hanger, but when I brought up Blanche and Drake, he started to get concerned. Not for Blanche, but for the not so talkative deathwing. Nate and I were probably the closest to Drake other than Blanche, so his health concerned us the most, but he seemed to be taking it much harder than me. I missed the big guy, but I think trying to not focus on Blanche's 'death' also pushed Drake out of my head as well. It was hard to think of him and not picture him going in after Blanche after the bombs started to go off. All that radiation had really messed him up it seems.
That's why Nate got the idea to get Doc involved with this little effort. There's no such thing as an 'expert' when it comes to deathwings. I'm sure there are mammals who have tried, and just as I'm sure about that, I'm also sure that they all failed, whether it was death, dismemberment, or simply fear overwhelming them at the last minute. Sure I don't know this exactly, but even my own curiosity wouldn't put me within a mile of a savage deathwing, and I've already fought three.
"Do you think this'll work Doc?"
Nate was the one leading Doc to where Blanche and Drake were. We had left Mark and Holly to wait back at the base to make sure that they didn't take off without us, but I doubt that was necessary since everyone's boss was absent as well. While Drake normally was friendly towards Mark and Holly, in his current state, I didn't want to risk them getting hurt. I was concerned for Doc as well, but he insisted on going with us.
"I have no idea, but theoretically it should. A deathwing physiology is one of the few unknown biological components within this world, so to get this close to one is a dream come true to some."
"But aren't you scared?" To me he looked as calm and straightforward has he ever does.
"Terrified. The one thing I have learned after all these years, after saving, and losing, so many mammals, is that fear is natural. Without it, you're not strong or tough, you're simply ignorant to your own mortality. Those who cannot face death without even the smallest bit of fear are doomed to their fate. However, there is a difference between not being afraid, and not showing it. I hide it and with good reason. Fear spreads. If you were dying and I showed you that I was afraid that I couldn't save you, then you may simply accept your fate and die rather than struggle to hang onto that slim thread. So, am I afraid? Yes I am, but I won't show that fear to anyone other than myself unless I have to."
"That's rather… poetic Doc. Ever think about writing poems?" Sometimes a mammal surprises me, and Doc certainly did the job there.
"I actually used to write, but put that behind me when I joined the Guardians. Being their physician is a full time job."
"I can always find others who are willing to take the burden off your shoulders Doc, give you some more free time to do something you enjoy."
"I enjoy this. I'm not a doctor simply by trade, or out to earn some caps. I enjoy saving lives, working on new beneficial medicines, and making sure that I have enriched the lives of mammals any way I can. I wouldn't give this up for anything in the world."
"The Guardians are glad to have you Doc."
"Thank you Mister… Chief Valiant. Very few appreciate my work the way I do."
We finally arrived at the shack where Blanche and Drake were.
"Doc, Nate, you two stay here for just a moment. I wanna let Blanche know what we're up to first. The sudden arrival of the Guardians new Chief dressed in his uniform, along with a lab coat wearing mammal might cause some unnecessary stress, even if it is just you Nate."
They waited on the other side as I moved to the front. Inside, Drake was curled up on the ground. I didn't see Blanche anywhere, so I quietly slipped in. It was starting to smell, and I saw the rotting corpses of various creatures laying around Drake. It didn't look like he's done too much other than stay inside here.
"Hey." Blanche dropped down from the ceiling and landed on my shoulder.
"Fuck! Don't scare me like that!"
"That's why I said 'hey'. Anyways, what's up?"
"Your seeming a bit… mellow."
"Eh. Really haven't felt like my bitchy self lately. I'm worried about him." She pointed at the half asleep deathwing on the floor.
"He seemed fine, other than the whole semi-feral and non-talkative thing."
"That's the thing. He was starting to get better. I finally got him to stop attacking random mammals, and while I couldn't get him to speak, I think he was starting to remember me. Then he meets back up with you two and from the moment you guys left, he started acting like this."
I walked over to Drake and knelled down near his head. He was breathing heavily, and his eye was half open. I put my paw on top of his head and slowly stroked the black fur upon it. I heard a low growl followed by some clicking as his eye widened.
"Hey there Drake. How you doing?"
He opened his jaw a few times, as if wanting to talk, but always closed it without any sound other than his breathing. I checked my Pip-Boar's radiation detector. It started to click as I waved it over Drake's body.
"Just as I thought. You said that he started to act… savage after saving you?"
"Yeah. Think all the rads got to him. I've seen something similar in ghouls before, but he's not glowing like them."
"Hey Nate, Doc, you can come in."
"What's going on Olivia?" Blanche sounded concerned.
"Well, I guess Nate had a talk with Doc, the Guardian's lead physician, and he thinks he may have something to help."
Doc came in, his paws resting in each of his lab coat's side pockets. Nate was right behind him, still dressed in his new uniform. He took one look at Drake and I could tell he knew something was wrong with him. Doc slowly walked up to where I was and knelt down next to Drakes head. Drake growled what sounded like a warning, but Doc kept still.
"Drake, he's a friend, okay?"
His growling quieted, but his eye kept locked on Doc as he slowly drew out what looked like a gun, but rather than a barrel, it had a long needle on the tip of it. A small vial was connected to the back with a hazy green liquid in it.
"Hey ass-twat! What are you planning on doing with that?"
"Blanche, it's okay. Like I said, he wants to help. You care to explain this to her Doc?"
"It's quite simple really. Radiation poisoning is not uncommon, especially amongst the Guardians. Over the years I've developed and re-engineered certain chems to aid in the recovery of such sicknesses. From what Chief Valiant explained, it sounds like this deathwing here has developed advanced stages of it, but due to his unnatural physiology, it is not effecting him the same as it would a normal mammal or even a ghoul."
"Wait, what do you mean by 'unnatural'?" the way he casually said it made me stop and think.
"Oh, you didn't know?"
"Know what Doc?"
"Keep in mind that most of the documentation was lost through time, but what little the Guardians have uncovered show that deathwings were not a natural form of evolution, or even a strain of mutation like some of the other creatures out there, but rather an act of genetic manipulation gone wrong."
"You mean they were created? By who?"
"No clue. Like I said, most of it was lost to time, but from the sound of it, they were meant to be some kind of super soldier. Whether they were supposed to look like some kind of mythical creature or not is up to debate. No one has gotten close enough to one to try to find out."
"Well you better not go and try to dissect him or anything you ass-twat!"
"I would never. He is such a unique specimen that it would be a shame to let him die like that. Plus, the way the Chief here talks about him, he'd probably dissect me if I even tried."
"Your damn right I would."
"That's very unprofessional of you sweetie."
"So is calling me sweetie."
"If you two wouldn't mind not flirting with each other, I can continue my explanation."
"Sorry." Nate and I said it simultaneously.
"As I was saying, since I had to constantly modify my radiation chem to adapt to different circumstances, I occasionally created a serum that would not perform the job, but rather aid in increasing the effects of the sickness, or even worse, outright kill the mammal. Despite these failures, I made sure to log them as to prevent me from accidentally duplicating any negative results. Due to this need to log even the failures, I have quite the extensive catalog of them."
"Get to the point you ass-twat, what's with the needle?"
"Yes, well, as I said, I discovered a few that would amplify the effects of radiation poisoning rather than cure it. One such failure I believe will actually be the key to saving his life."
"What if it doesn't? What if it makes him worse, or even kills him? How do you know it will even work?"
"I don't."
"Well you fucking ass-twat, you better go back to your little lab and find one you know will work!"
"The only way to be certain this will work is to have a live subject to test it on, and since I highly doubt another deathwing will come walking into our base, it's the only option."
"I'd rather him die like this than suffer whatever is in that fucking vial! How many mammals have you killed trying to perfect this miracle cure? Huh?"
"None."
"Then how the fuck do you know if it works then?"
"Because I test every single one, on myself."
A stunned silence filled the small shack. Nate's eyes were locked on him in horror, and even Blanche's showed a bit of shock as well. I was caught by surprise as well, but oddly enough, by a bit of curiosity as well.
"How are you even still alive?"
"I may use my own body as a testing ground, but I'm not careless. For every chem I make, I create a counter to it, one that will instantly negate its effects. If it fails, I always have someone standing by to inject me with the counter-agent."
"Wait, if you're testing anti-radiation chemicals, then does that mean you…"
"Yes. I submit myself to a controlled radiation exposure. That's the only way to know without putting another's life in danger."
Nate stepped up and placed his paw on Doc's shoulder. "Doc, did Mister Lazlo know about this?"
"No. Only one person knew. Chief Lazlo cares about his Guardians too much, he would have never let me do it, but it's my duty to save lives, and I must be willing to do anything to be able to, even if it's putting myself in danger."
"Doctor Jebediah Hedgeworth. You will not risk your own life over that of the others."
"But Sir…"
"No exception. I will not risk losing one of the best doctors I know because of some foolish mistake."
"This is my life Sir. You know how many Guardians, how many civilians that I would have lost if it wasn't for my self tested medicine? At least half of the Guardians owe their life because of what I do to myself. Would you be willing to risk that over a single life?"
"Yes. Every life matters to me, and yours is no exception. You are hear by ordered to refrain from all self testing, and to give me the identity of your assistant. They will not be punished, and neither will you, I just need to know in order to speak with them regarding my decision."
"I… I can't give you her name."
"I order you Doctor."
I could see that this was starting to effect Doc. He was showing signs of concern in his face, something other than his typical sternness, and it just felt unnatural to see it.
"Nate, we need to hurry up, the others are waiting for us." I nodded towards Doc, and after Nate's eyes met with his, I could see he saw the same concern that I was.
"Doc, please continue with this. We'll speak again when I return."
"Yes Sir." He turned away from Nate and held up the syringe. "Now…" his voice cracked, another sign that what Nate had said was impacting him. He cleared his throat and spoke again, this time sounding more like his usual self. "This may sting him, do you mind keeping him still?"
Nate walked over to Drake. He bent down and stroked the top of Drakes head like I had been doing. His eye focused on Nate, and it almost looked like a smile formed on the deathwing's face.
"Drake, Doc is here to help, okay? You will feel a sting, but it's okay, nothing bad will happen to you, I promise."
I moved close to Nate and placed my hand on Drake's head, right next to Nate's. "And I'm here too. It'll be okay, I promise."
"C-cu… B-Bun…" Drake tried to get the words out, but it almost sounded like it hurt him to do so.
"Shh, you don't have to talk or move." I moved my paw to his jaw and started to scratch. A very weak purring started. "Okay Doc, now's the best time."
Nate and I kept our focus on Drake, so we didn't know when, or where Doc injected him. Drakes blinked a few times and started to growl, but Nate and I kept there, trying to make sure he didn't react negatively. His iris started to fog up.
"Doc? Is this normal?"
Doc moved over to where we were and turned on a small flashlight, shining it in Drake's eye. "Yes. A bit more sudden than I anticipated, but it's not a bad sign."
"How long will it take to work?"
"Hours, maybe even days, who knows. Like I said, I had no way to test it without another deathwing, so while I'm certain of its ability to heal, I'm unsure of how long it will take."
Nate took a small box out of his pocket and set it on the ground. "I don't have anything smaller unfortunately, but this is a direct communicator tied to my Pip-Boar. Blanche, keep me informed of anything, okay?"
"Yes…" Blanche replied with a sense of uncertainty in her voice.
"While I don't like his methods of testing, I trust Doc when he says it will work. We should be going. Doc, can you make sure to check up on Drake here and there?"
"Yes Sir."
"It was good seeing you again Blanche."
"Yeah. You too. Though I'm NOT calling you Sir, or Chief."
"Since you're not a Guardian, you can just call me Nate. It's what my friends call me after all."
"Yeah, well, don't you ass-twats have something to do?"
That's the thing about Blanche. If she's calling you names in that tone, you know she cares about you, even if it's only a little bit. It's her calmness that gets me concerned. With how she responded to Nate, I can tell that she at least trusts the Doc. With all the times he saved me from near death, I do too. I'm just not sure how I feel about his means of doing so.
We finally made it back to the hangar and after a small 'discussion' with Logan about Nate needing to be back already, we finally left. We told Mark and Holly what happened, well everything except the whole Doc issue. Nate wanted to work it out with him before mentioning it to anyone else. He had asked me my opinion on it, and I told him I was torn. On one paw, it was putting one of the best doctors in the Guardians in danger every time, even if he had an assistant watch over him, but on the other paw, Doc was right. His self-sacrifice has saved countless lives. I reminded him that both of us have put our own lives in jeopardy more than once in order to save another's life. The only difference was, this was pre-meditated as opposed to spur of the moment. There was no rush of adrenalin and other chemicals altering his perception of events, Doc was doing this with a sound mind. I think all I did was confuse Nate even more on what to do with Doc. Thankfully, he didn't mention it again the rest of the trip.
The trip was rather familiar, taking the same path as we did to Precinct One the first time. That trip ended with tears, and it was making me a bit fearful as to what to expect.
"You okay Olivia?" Nate placed his paw on my back and slowly massaged it.
"Yeah. No. I don't know. Last time we followed this same path, it ended up with Lazlo dying, along with many Guardians. It also ended with me nearly losing Onion as well."
"I am still here Miss."
"Yeah I know Onion, it's just that, it feels different, you know? I was so used to hearing your voice and then seeing you floating nearby that every-time I hear it, I can't help myself but look for you."
"I do apologize Miss."
"Don't apologize Onion. You saved not only us, but part of the wasteland from turning into one big crater. I just… why didn't I think about downloading you into my Pip-Boar?"
"I don't blame you Miss. You were not in the right state of mind to do such a thing. Plus, I am uncertain I would have been fully decrypted within your Pip-Boar Miss."
"What do you mean? I should have plenty of room in here."
"May I?" Nate placed his real paw on my Pip-Boar screen.
"Sure."
Without taking it off, Nate started to poke away at it. After a few moments he had a rather shocked face. "Your memory is at fifteen percent capacity."
"You mean I'm using fifteen percent?"
"No, you have fifteen percent left. What do you have on this thing?"
"Nothing. Hell, up until I met you, I barely knew how to use the thing other than interface with my projects." Thinking about my lack of knowledge on this thing still gets to me. How can I call myself a 'genius' if I can't even figure out a device that has been attached to my arm for the past twelve years.
"Hmm… wow this is some deep level encryption here. Not saying it's beyond my capability, but it would take time, but whatever it is, is taking up nearly sixty percent of your total memory."
"What could it possibly be?"
Before Nate could respond, a voice cut into the Tac-Lifter's radio.
"Chief Valiant, come in."
"Report Agent."
"We have signs of Legionary activity at the Hall."
"How many?"
"At least a dozen Sir. All heavily armed."
"Thank you Agent, please inform me of…"
"We have a situation down here Sir."
"Situation?"
"Yes Sir. The Legionaries look to be engaged with another group, but… no, wait. I have visual contact. Robots Sir."
"Robots? What do you mean, robots?"
"Five large robots, they appear to be modified Ultra Sentinels, seem to be engaging the Legionary forces. Orders Sir?"
"Do not engage. Keep an eye on them and we'll meet up with you shortly. Chief Valiant out."
"Robots?" Images of the robot that attacked Hope, and the one that attacked Drake popped into my head. I haven't seen too many out here, but all the ones I have seen have been trouble.
"Ultra Sentinels too. That's the same thing that attacked Hope, right before we first met."
"Yeah, I remember that. I also remember how you nearly blew up the town, sweetie." I jokingly nudged him.
"If it wasn't for that, I probably would have never gotten to talk to you, you know that?"
He was right. The only reason I had talked to him was because Mayor Swift wanted me to be there while she 'interrogated' him. If that had never happened, he, along with his brother and Holly would have probably left Hope behind for their bunker. It really is funny how an event such as a nuclear powered robot going critical can shape someone's lives like that.
"Yeah. Of course, if I didn't meet you, maybe I would have hooked up with Jessie. I mean, she did seem to be hitting on me ever since I stepped foot in that place…"
"She wasn't hitting on you, she was just making you feel welcome."
"Well she did give me a sexy nightgown. I mean, she is into women, and I am one after all."
"Enough talk about who almost banged who. Sheesh." Holly actually seemed annoyed. Still a little teasing, but also a little annoyed.
"I hate to interrupt this… engaging conversation, but we're here Sir." Zack interrupted before either Nate or I could respond to Holly.
"Land us behind Precinct One. We'll escort the engineer team before moving on to our primary mission."
"Yes Sir!"
"You really have been adapting to this whole leadership thing well Nate. I'm actually a bit surprised to be honest."
"Honestly, it's something to keep my mind focused on. Not saying that I don't think about you, sometimes that's all I can think of… ahem, but, it helps give me a purpose in life that I never thought I'd have. It's all thanks to you Olivia."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm… I was not a very strong mammal, you know that. I was broken, and honestly, I still am, but you gave me the glue to help keep myself together, and this seems to be helping to further support it. If I never met you and this still happened, if Mister Lazlo died and made me leader? I don't think I could have stood up to King like that, I don't think I could have shown all those mammals what happened to me all those years ago. I wouldn't have been able to refuse him, but I also don't think I would have had the strength to do it."
"I'm glad to have been able to help you. I really am. You have helped me too. When I left the Burrow, I felt like I was being compelled to save everyone, to be the hero that Hope called me. I've since learned that it's impossible to do that, at least not alone. You've shown me that I need to protect those closest to me first, and only by having a shoulder to lean on, having friends, and a family to support me, only then am I able to protect those around me."
"Why can't you have such touching things to say about me Marki!"
"Um… I love you?" Mark seemed hesitant about what he was saying.
"Way to ruin the moment Holly." I would have punched her if I didn't have two foxes between us.
A hard shake informed us that we had landed. Almost as if by instinct, Nate switched back to leader mode.
"Alright, Defender Bronco, Stalker Jessup, make sure that those Engineers are protected at all times. We're dangerously close to an active combat zone, and while this area is still reported as clear, I don't want anything to happen to them, or those nukes."
"Yes Sir. Shall we wait for your return once they're done?"
"Yes, await escort back to the base, but if for any reason waiting will endanger the transport of the cargo, alert me and Control as to the situation and high-tail it back to the base."
"Understood Sir."
"So, what now?"
"We walk."
It was a long and slow walk. Based upon Agent communication, Nate had us take the long way around to prevent either of the opposing forces from noticing us. When we finally were able to reach a good vantage point, the entire battlefield was in front of us to see. Just as the Agent had said, there were five of those large three legged robots lined up and shooting at six Legionaries. From the corpses littering the ground, their force used to be much larger.
"How are we going to face off against five of those? Taking one down was hard enough."
"You got any of those remote bullets?"
"No, I haven't had time to make more."
"Hmm. Stalker Rothschild."
"Yes Sir?"
"Do you have any armor piercing rounds for your rifle?"
"Yes, I… Yes I do."
"Good. Now, give me just a moment… could you bend down a bit? Thanks."
Nate pulled a cable out of his arm and connected it to a small backpack like device that was adjacent to Jasmine's gun. He did something with his Pip-Boar before detaching the cable.
"I uploaded the schematics of an Ultra Sentinel to your interactive display. You see it?"
"Yes. I mean, Yes Sir."
"Target the round into the highlighted area on my signal. Reload and repeat as fast as you can."
"Where did you get those schematics Nate?"
"Being Chief of the Guardians does have some perks, such as having access to pre-war documents like this. The Guardians don't use robots anymore, but apparently shortly after the war, they were used quite often to access areas too hostile for a mammal."
"What are you… please don't tell me you're having her shoot the reactor core."
"No! No, no, no. I don't wanna blow up this whole area. Rather, I'm having her target their power distribution nodes. If I'm right, it should shut them down without any issues."
"That is probably the only thing I hate about you Nate."
"Um…"
"You are so smart you make me feel dumb."
"You're not dumb?"
"Was that a question?"
"Um… Okay Stalker, fire when ready. Stalker Grant, Mark, Holly, Olivia, be ready for any retaliation."
"You and I are gonna have a talk after this mister."
I know this isn't the time to be messing with him like that, but it just kinda slipped out. I wonder if I've experienced so much trauma that my mind is trying to find new ways to shield itself from more? It's not that I'm not scared. Every time I enter a combat situation, especially when it involves those closest to me, I'm afraid of something happening to take them away from me. Despite that present fear, I still can't help to feel a bit of confidence that we'll succeed. The way he takes charge, maybe Nate was destined to be a leader.
I heard a quiet mechanical whirring as Jasmine's helmet locked on and her gun situated over her back. She was laying prone on the ground, probably trying to make sure that she wasn't seen after firing her gun. It wasn't the quietest thing around. I started to ready my pistol, but seeing what we were up against, I changed my mind and took out the plasma rifle. If Nate's plans didn't work, my pistol would be useless against the giant robots.
I waited, anticipating the gunshot next to me. When Jasmine fired her first round, it was almost deafening. Those rounds seemed to have made it louder. Maybe it was just my imagination. I watched as it impacted the first robot. Sparks flew as it stopped moving. It's arms went limp and I saw the small red lights in its domed head flicker off. By the time that happened, her gun fired again, and the same thing happened with the next closest robot. If Doc won't let me use B.A.T.S., maybe I can get Tuskgen to make me a targeting helmet like Jasmine's.
The other three shots made their mark as I saw the last robot power down. That was actually pretty easy. The problem is, easy is such a rarity in this world that it didn't do a thing to help me drop my guard. Sure, I still felt like this was going to succeed, but the simple act of violence, even if it wasn't from myself, caused my mind and body to get extra alert.
"What about the Legionaries Sir?"
"Take them out as well. They've had their chance."
"We can't just kill them all Nate! How are we going to figure out who the hell keeps sending them if they're all dead?"
"Jasmine, cripple one. Make sure they can't get away. Kill the rest."
"Yes Sir."
It's not that I didn't want Nate to kill them. I knew the second they saw us, they would try to do the same, but every time we encounter these fuckers, not one of them survives in order to question them. Of course they probably won't tell us what we needed to know, but they definitely won't be able to if they're all dead.
I watched as Jasmine's gunfire tore the leg off of a tiger, and then killed the others. I wondered how much of it was her own doing, and how much of it was the targeting computer. She didn't seem like the type to enjoy killing, especially after everything she went through, but she also didn't have to remain with the Guardians. I would've found her a safe place to stay if she wanted to avoid any violence. The Guardians really are the best place for her though. Besides trying to build confidence in her, it also will help protect her from any Reclaimer forces, and since I haven't seen or heard of Red-Necks in the area since the attack on Hope, I think it was doing a good job.
"Good job Stalker,. Okay, let's move out."
Nate led us to where the injured Legionary was. I slipped back to Mark and Holly.
"He's really doing good, don't you think?"
"Yeah, he sure is 'livi. We never thought he had it in him, but he's right. It's all thanks to you."
"I'm sure mom would be proud of him, just like I'm sure yours would be proud of you Olivia."
"Yeah. I keep wondering what she would think of him. I'm sure she'd like him. She wasn't the hateful type, even when told to do something she didn't like. That's one thing I envied about her. I could never do that. If I didn't like something, I was always so damn adamant about not wanting to do it. Sometimes I still feel like that."
"Hate isn't always a bad thing, you just need to learn to separate it from bigotry, and you 'livi, are far from a bigot."
"Thanks."
We got close enough to be able to make out details of the fight. From the positioning of the corpses, they must have gotten ambushed by these robots before they could take cover. We were right below the steps of the City Hall building. The tall building cast a shadow over part of the area, but it was still light enough out to not be impeded by it.
I heard some groaning coming from behind a fallen statue of a lion. It was the tiger that Jasmine had crippled. His one leg had been completely torn off by her shot, and when he saw us, he tried to scramble for his weapon, but he was slow. He must have already lost a lot of blood. Nate walked over and kicked the weapon from out of the tiger's reach.
"Going to make this quick. Who sent you?"
"F-fuck off."
"Who sent you?"
"F-fuck off, fox."
"We'll have to take him in for questioning. Stalker Grant, get something to tie him up with, and make sure to check for any surprises on, and in him."
"Yes Sir!"
"Now, let's head inside to make sure…"
A series of beeps and the sound of mechanical grinding stopped Nate dead mid-sentence. We all turned towards where the robots should have been powered down, but they were moving again. Their weapon mounted arms were pointing right at us, and minus some smoke and a few sparks, they looked completely operational.
"I thought you took them out Stalker?"
"I did! I followed your schematic and the targeting computer did the rest."
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"
The new voice bellowed from the top of the stairs that led to two large doors. At the top were some very recognizable raiders.
"Fuck, it's those damn Berserk-Kings. They were the ones who sent that robot to Hope, why didn't I think of that?"
This new voice, it sounded rough, and a metallic chime told me that it was reverberating through something metal. I looked for it and saw its origin. A hulking armored mammal slowly appeared between the other raiders. At first I thought it was a modified suit of Exo-Armor, but after a long enough look, I could tell it wasn't. Rather, it looked like someone took a bunch of robots and crafted a suit or armor out of it. Despite its haphazard look, was intimidating. Although its nondescript design made it hard to tell what species was under it, and the metallic echo made it hard to even tell the gender.
The unknown mammal then hoisted up the largest hammer I have ever seen. Wielding it between its two massive metallic gauntlets, it slammed it down on the ground in front of it. The impact was so great that I could feel small tremors even this far away. A large crack formed down the stone steps.
"I am the Berserk King, and it appears you're trespassing. Normally I would want to have a nice chat with you, but I'm expecting company, so I need this place cleaned up. Alright Berserkers, it's time to take out the trash."
Fallout: Zootopia After Show
Featuring:
'Stripes in the Morning'
[Stripes]
"Yeah. I'll make sure everything is all set for Sunday. Mmhmm. Yes sweetie, don't worry, I won't forget. Now if only… wait, what's that… Max! I thought I told you to wait until I was off the phone… radio… whatever this is. Gotta go, my show's starting. Love you too. Ahem, let's get this started correctly.
"Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Now let me start off by saying this. After announcing that we had only eight more shows left, seven after this one concludes, many of you were, well, how should I put this, concerned over the fact that this is wrapping up. Yes, this story will soon be over, but I will say that this story will soon be over. Max and I have, well, plans. They are in the pre-development stages, so they will not be brought into fruition for a bit, but do not fear folks! We are not going anywhere anytime soon. There may just be some… vacation time for the two of us as we pursue other projects until the next Fallout one is fully established. If you haven't already favored or followed me on either site, be sure to in order to keep updated.
"That said, I have another little thing I am thinking about doing. Everyone here came for the story, and I am sure there are some who skim over the After Show. I'm not mad if you do, the story is the meat of this, the After Show is simply the small mint at the end. This mint, however, has delusions of grandeur. Since there are some of you that enjoy the After Show and would like to have a nice bowl of mints at the ready… I gotta stop making the food comments, it's making me hungry… let me just tell you this. I am considering having a stand alone After Show, or rather, Stripes in the Morning. While it's not set in stone, I want to have the show keep track of the goings on in the world until things pick up again. The stand alone show, however, will be a couple times a week, as opposed to the current schedule, but even that may not pick up until after the new year. I will keep you all informed.
"Now, let's get to today's episode. Everyone already knows the radioactive effects on ghouls, deathwings, and everyday mammals. Even insects, those tiny little creatures that often serve for meals for many predators, they can become much larger, and much more dangerous when exposed to the right amounts of radiation. Now, I know some of you have expressed your thoughts on how and why such high levels of radiation can still exists centuries after the nukes went off. Now the simple explanation is just to say that this is all a story, that in a story you can do what ever you want to. That's what normal mammals would say, but as we all know, I am not normal, nor am I simple.
"It all started back after nuclear fission was discovered. Now, I already went over a bit of this in an earlier After Show, so I will not bore you again with the details, but when nuclear energy started to power homes across the world, there were entire branches of research dedicated to not only improving nuclear energy output, but to also make it more efficient. Radiation is a side effect of the energy production of nuclear fission, but under normal circumstances, it decays at a fairly fast rate, so by that, there should be no residual radiation within the wasteland, but we all know there is, so why is it?
"Power. I am not talking about energy production, but rather control. With the onset of the war, even in the early stages of it, there were many mammals who wanted to exert their own power in order to take control before things went south, and some wanted to put that control in the paws of specific mammals. What is the best way to tear control a mammal? Fear.
"Before the war, nuclear weapons were created, but they were created as a symbol rather than a weapon. A few public tests of their power kept everyone at bay, all sides afraid that if they pushed the button, the others will retaliate causing the world to end. No one wanted that, so just by showing off their deadly weapons, it was enough to keep everyone in a relative peaceful state. The problem with fear is that it is not constant. Like a virus can mutate to adapt to new vaccines, fear can change to adapt to the situation.
"Have you ever been deathly afraid of something but then later in life you realize that that fear was so much more benign then it actually was? I am sure most of us have, but did that suddenly make us immune to all fear? No. It just meant that the fear had to return in another form. That's what began the development of the nuclear weapons that ended the world as we knew it.
"These new nukes were not just more powerful, but they had a special capability. You see, bombing a city, or a country is one thing, but after a while, people will move back in, rebuild, and start again. This has happened in the past where a city was destroyed only to rise again more powerful and take their vengeance back upon the destructors. The military, and I will not say which one because there were so many spies throughout the world that no one really knows who came up with it first, started to play around with the idea to make a place inhospitable long enough to allow for the opposing forces to slowly decay. Thus was born what was called the Blanket Nuke.
"As I said, normal radiation usually decays over a short period of time. It may take months, or even decades depending upon the initial dosage, but after two hundred years, it would have been gone, or at least gone enough to have no residual effects on any living organism. However, the Blanket Nuke was different. While the science behind it has long since been forgotten, the scientists figured out how to allow the radiation initially emitted by the explosion to, well, replicate. This in turn created a weapon that not only caused physical damage, but also could poison an area for an unforeseen period of time.
"This radiation was also hydrophilic, meaning that it loved water. The radiation was able to bind with water molecules, causing the water to become saturated with radiation. This is also why many living creatures underwent severe and rapid mutations. Most living things are made up mostly of water, and that allowed the radiation to spread rapidly. With how strong the radiation within stagnant water is today, I am certain that the radiation is also feeding off of the water somehow.
"The strongest source of radiation in the wasteland is surprisingly not Darkwater, but rather a place we call The Mist. The Mist is located north of Bunnyburrow and is so over saturated with radiation, only ghouls and deathwings live there, along with some of the most dangerous mutated creatures the Wasteland has ever seen. Thankfully, they are so adapted to the high radiation, they tend not to wander outside The Mist too often because they need that radiation to survive. A word of warning to anyone listening. Even the strongest raider or the bravest Guardian won't traverse The Mist, and I don't even think Olivia Springs would. She may be attracted to danger, but even that place is way out of her league.
"That wraps up this episode. I have a date on Sunday, so will be a bit too preoccupied for the After Show, and Max is still recovering from earlier incidents so is not in the best form to take on the show, so I have reluctantly agreed to allow Celeste to host it. I really am hoping I do not regret that decision, but if we skip out on a show, we skip out on a paycheck and I need to restock my coffee supplies after some otter decided to toss it all away. That was not all instant either!
"Ahem. Now, before I officially end today's episode, I want to extend once again my hoof towards any and all writers out there. This world I have created is huge. Way too huge for even the After Shows to cover. There are places that I haven't even touched upon yet, and some I may never talk about, especially those places beyond Bunnyburrow and the Medowlands. I extend an invitation for anyone who even has the remote inkling to expand upon this world. I want to see you out there exploring the Wasteland. While they may not all become canonical, I am not above expanding my world to allow others to stake their own claims to. I am always open to hearing ideas, and if anyone wanted to tackle their own adventure and want to know more details about anything in the world, be sure to hit up my Tumblr. Just look for ciderstripes over there and drop me a message. There may be some details that are off the books, but that is mostly due to the fact that they may be utilized in a future project and I want to keep them clean. Other than that, the world is large. So, until next time folks, take care and remember, you are always your worst critic. Never be afraid to show your work, you may be surprised, I know I was. Take care!"