Two Best Friends play Fallout 3, chapter 6

(outside Paradise Falls, 10:40 PM)- "alright you batman wannabes, is there any reason you decided to wake us up at 2200 other than you were purposefully being dicks?" i asked the Enclave soldiers harshly, who stiffened at my words, but said nothin. "exactly as i suspected, you mercenaries are nothing more than wasteland garbage, impure and unworthy of living in our new America. such a shame as well, i have no doubts you would've made fine Enclave soldiers." a refined southern voice called out from behind the line of solid black stormtroopers, ordering them aside to have none other than Colonel Autumn himself stare back at us with a cocky smirk. "and we would want to serve as pawns in your little game of chess why? you, Eden, and the rest of the top brass within the Enclave are slimy, pathetic worms, and i'd much rather impale myself with my own knife than serve under your command, Colonel." i spat harshly, saying Autumn's rank like i was talking about the devil himself. "fine then. don't say i didn't give you a choice. two of you stay here, kill everyone in that complex. the rest of you, come with me. we're to say that these savages were unco-operative, and tried to fire on us. if that doesn't get the President off our backs, then try something else." the slimeball ordered, climbing into the Verti-bird with his batman entourage, before taking off into the sky, leaving two heavily armed Enclave troopers to our devices. "oh what to do, what to do with you bat-armored assholes." i crowed with a smirk, circling the troopers menacingly, but not striking if only for the reason that they were both watching me like hawks. "what do you think AJ? they look pretty jittery to me. like rookies fresh out of basic." i commented wryly, watching the greenhorn troopers follow me with their heavy weapons, their aim never faltering once. "and how do you know we're rookies? we could be veterans for all you know." "because, following Hicks's law, the greenhorn is always the one with the biggest gun. most of the time, because they can't shoot straight for shit without some kind of weight added to aid them. besides, you two and i both know a veteran wouldn't need a heavy weapon to kill a merc like me. if they were truly skilled, all they would need is a Ripper and a few Stims to patch them up after the fight. but YOU two need gatling lasers to stand any snowball's chance in hell with either of us. so i'll cut you both a deal. you looked the most apprehensive when the big bad colonel was here; don't deny it, i could see it with my own eyes. which means he's a shit leader. but were you two to work for us instead of him," i began, folding my arms behind my back, and stopping in front of the two towering metal men, "then not only would you be trained how to use a gun as well as our own would be, you'd be the elites of our organization, going into the thickest fights loaded for bare, until such a time where you could teach our own how to use power armor, and someone else could replace you. you'd be given food, shelter, a family that would care for and respect you rather than a hierarchy that berates and belittles you. we would be giving you the life you wanted joining the Enclave, but never got." i explained to the two rookies, who shared a moment of apprehension between them, before putting their weapons down, and giving me a stiff salute. "new orders, sir?" they both asked in unison, and somewhere in the back of my mind, the evil genius was cackling to his heart's content, and plans were being set in motion. "new orders are to disassemble your armor, and remove anything you would find suspicious from within. i have no doubts the Enclave puts tracking beacons on the suits they hand out to their recruits, and they could use that to their advantage if they found out you deserted. after that, get something to eat, take a nice hot shower, and report to the secondary barracks. we don't have room in the first, so you'll have to stay in what was originally the slave housing until further notice. got it?" i ordered the pair, who gave me grunts of assent, picking up their energy weapons and trudging up the pathway to the town proper, where i planned for them to be staying a long while. "how do you do that?" "do what?" "manage to get people to surrender without firing a shot." AJ answered matter-of-factly, and wondering that myself, i pondered it with him while walking up the path to the main gate. "you know what, i can't remember. i guess i'm just good with words." i reasoned, truly having no good explanation for my newly acquired silver tongue.


(three days later, Paradise Falls Cantina)- so far it had been slow going, the past couple of days. nothing of note really happened after our newest recruits, who i'd taken to calling Tick and Tock, because of how in sync they were with each other. we'd had a few travelers poke their heads in here to see if the tales Three Dog spoke of were true, but the second they got proof they were gone, satisfied to note that the 'guardian angels of DC' Three Dog spoke of so often were indeed real, and made alot of friends. "hellooo, Capital Wasteland! it's me, Three Dog, OWWW! and you're listening to GNR! that's Galaxy News Radio in case you forgot. and here's....me! ha ha, with the news! hello kiddies, its ya boy Three Dog again. and i want to tell you guys all a story, about how two of the meanest mercs in DC came to pay this old hound a visit. they didn't want money, or power, or some other bullshit like that though. no, no, they wanted locations. specifically, the locations hiding the meanest, most bigoted sons of bitches this shithole has to offer. and i'll admit, i was hesitant to give the holotape to 'em at first, given they didn't really scream 'bedside manner'. but 'ol Three Dog is nothing if not sympathetic to people who fight the Good Fight, so i ended up givin' 'em a freebie. Reaper, Blackhawk, if y'all are listening to this, you're good guys. keep up the fight, and make those slaver bastards pay for what they did to my niece. anyway, this has been Three Dog, OWWW! and you're listenin' to Galaxy News Radio! we're a radio-free wasteland and we're here, for you! now, some music. oop! wait! almost forgot. PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT TIME, children! to any of you backass yahoos operatin' out of Evergreen Mills, The Pitt, or anywhere else where there's some seedy shit goin' down, just give it up if Reaper and Blackhawk come after you. you'll know who they are when you meet 'em, trust me, and you'll be sorry if you think you've got the balls to take them on and win. these guys cleared out the Super-Duper Mart, AND Paradise Falls, so it would be stupid to think you guys stand a chance. alright, now that that's out of the way, here's Frank Sinatra, askin' us all to come fly, come fly away with 'im. sorry Frank, some other time." Three Dog howled over the radio, making me smile at the thought that for once in our lives, AJ and i were famous. not only that, we just got shouted out by Erik Todd 'Three Dog' Dellums, arguably the coolest son of a bitch this hellhole has ever seen or heard of. i didn't even care when a Frank Sinatra song floated out of the radio's speakers, focusing on that thought alone with a cheshire grin. "what's got you so happy? thoughts of me naked i hope?" a sultry voice commented mirthfully, before charlotte circled around and sat at my table, crossing her arms over her chest with a smirk. "while that's always on my mind, what's got me happy is Three Dog just gave me and AJ a shoutout. we haven't been here a month, and we're already famous. CAN I GET AN AMEN!" i shouted dramatically, deflating when nobody got the joke, and responded in kind. "wow. tough town." i tried to say mirthlessly, but i failed miserably. "y'know, while i'm liking this you, AJ's looking for you, says he's got a lead on where Vault Boy 2.0 may be going next. then there's the problems with Big Town, the vampire dealings up in Arefu, and so on." charlotte explained, and heaving a heavy sigh, i gave a sad smile, already sliding out of my seat. "nobody ever said a mercenary's work was easy, eh? c'mon, we'll get our gear together, and see what mr. paranoid has for us this time." i quipped, already making for the primary barracks with charlotte hot on my tail.

(thirty minutes later, Eulogy's Pad)- "god, took you two long enough. whatever, now that we're all here, we'll get started." AJ snapped, flicking on the projector that used to be above Eulogy's bed, but that was moved to the secondary barracks with the rest of the mattresses that couldn't fit in the primary. "if you'll all draw your attention to the screen in front of us, you'll be surprised to note that on it is a picture, depicting Smith Casey's Garage. i have it on good authority the Lone Wanderer's father, James, is trapped in the vault below the building, stuck inside his own virtual hell. that's where we come in. now that we know where Evergreen Mills is, and the Wanderer has fixed Three Dog's relay, all we need to do is intercept the Wanderer, and tell him where his father is, and where abouts to look from Evergreen Mills. be advised though, the raiders there are going to either be jumpy as all hell, or shit-scared of anyone under our flag, so stay out of sight if you can. now, i'll be picking my best runners for this mission, and they'll be traveling light. so Boomer, Ravager, you're heading southwest to intercept Vault Boy, and give him the good news. chances are he'll already be on the right track towards the place, so just help him with specifics, and provide him and his father a safe escort back to Rivet City." "oh c'mon! i have to go with him? seriously?" Ravager whined, her accent becoming more prominent as she crossed her arms with a frown. "fucking hate that guy." "Ravager, sometimes we need to suck it up and work with someone we don't like. you two are the best scouts we've got right now, and Boomer's the better shot, so you two are going together, and that's that. the rest of you are either being dispatched to Big Town, Germantown Police HQ to clear it out, or Arefu to investigate the commotion there. Tick, Tock, you're on mutie duty. get to Germantown ASAP, and if you run into any mutie resistance, end 'em. as for the group dispatching to Big Town, you're to protect it from any future attacks, be them from slavers, muties, or otherwise, until we give the RTB order. Arefu detachment, you're going to provide us intel on what exactly is going on there, and see if you can help if at all possible. make sure to keep your weapons holstered when dealing with them and the gang pestering them; the mayor of the place is a bit grenade happy, and Vance won't hesitate to decapitate you with his Shishkebab if need be. alright people, you've got your assignments, report to me to receive your designated walkies and radio frequency, so you can check in with base camp." whoa whoa whoa, walkies? base camp radio frequency? okay, A) i didn't know we had a working HAM radio to use as an anchor point FOR walkie talkies, and B) if we did have those, how the hell was AJ able to find the time to get them to work, and turn into a damn five-star general in just a few days? "and as for you two," AJ began, singling char and i out from the others, "i need you two to head on up to Raven Rock, see if the Enclave are mobilizing for a strike on the Jefferson Memorial any time soon. i have a feeling that that night a couple days ago won't be the last we'll see of Autumn, and i want you two to check and see if Enclave forces are gathering earlier than anticipated." "you sure about that bro? what happens if we get spotted? they have power armor and big guns. we don't." "well, you're in luck, because our boys found something out there in the wastes that i think you'll enjoy." AJ smirked wryly, motioning for two of our soldiers to remove a sheet off of a vaguely human looking figure at the back of the room, revealing something that made my heart stop for a second, and re-start at twice normal speed. "you found T-60B?!! nigga if i wasn't straight i'd kiss you!" i giggled with an evil grin, looking at the specially painted black and red suit of power armor in all its entirety. "any other surprises you got in store for me?" "as a matter of fact, yeah. we managed to calibrate the suit to go into a sort of 'active camo' mode when you crouch down, not unlike the stealth armor the Chinese wore during Operation: Anchorage, so you could paint the suit up however you like, and still be invisible to the untrained eye when you crouch. just thought we'd paint the fucker up in Outcast colors, so you wouldn't blanch at how bland-looking it was." AJ explained, and putting a hand to my chin in admiration, i crossed the room toward the jet black beauty, running a hand down its pitted shoulder pad, making note of the obvious bird-shot markings there. "oh you beautiful, beautiful thing, if i wasn't already in love i would be with you." i purred with a smile, running a hand down the chestplate before turning back to AJ, and turning my smile into a grin. "when do we start?"


(two days later, just outside Raven Rock perimeter fence)- "alright, remember, if shit goes south, let me be your meat shield. i've got the armor to soak up their rounds, and if we need to get out of here in a hurry, just hop on my back." i whispered to my companion, my voice coming out hushed but tinny through the T-60b's built in helmet mic. truth be told, i was enjoying being the leviathan for a change. the armor easily shot me up in height about six inches, and on top of that, it was big, hefty and could pack a mean punch if i was down to just my fists. not to mention i could attach a damn JETPACK to my back. "i'm tellin' ya corporal, this guard duty shit sucks. why are we even out here anyway?" "shut the hell up private, you whine too much. we're out here to make sure the Verti-birds are safe and sound. Colonel Autumn said he'd have our hides if either of them were so much as scratched, so shut the hell up, and keep watch. i'll be on the other side if you need me." two power armored voices conversated to one another, and turning back to char, i nodded wordlessly, going right while she flanked around and too the left. "god damn, love the kid like he was my own son, but he really needs to relax. it's not like anything bad's going to happen while we're on watch." the corporal of the two sighed, keeping his back turned to me while i crept up behind him. "that you private? what, your helmet stuck on aga-" the corporal tried to get out, hearing my approach, before i tapped him on the shoulder, and decked him across the face before he could sound the alarm. "jackass." i spat down at the unconscious body, hopping into the Verti-bird's cockpit, and just about to take off, when i noticed charlotte was pulling the 'ol 'fake an injury so the guards show sympathy' routine. "please! help, i've been shot!" she cried overdramatically, practically falling into the private's arms pretending to clutch her side in pain. "are you oka-" the poor kid tried to say, before charlotte shoved her knee right into his codpiece, making it hurt where the sun don't shine no light. after she'd done that, she introduced her elbow to the back of his head, effectively knocking him down to the ground, out for the count. "hey, you know how to fly one of these?" i asked her, only for her to give a disconcerned shrug. "it can't be that hard." she reasoned, and feeling a ball of worry drop deep into my gut, i took the pilot's seat of my own Verti-bird, finding the ignition switch and the engine alignment, twisting it to 180 degrees straight up. throttling up as slowly as i could, i lifted the craft off the ground, surprised to see charlotte did the same with little problem whatsoever, despite the lack of flight experience with VTOL aircraft and how they operated. "alright then, to Paradise Falls." i decreed to myself, aligning the rotors straight forward and rocketing off eastward towards our base of operations, cackling like a madman after a successful grand theft Verti-bird. "whoo! fuck yeah BITCH! i just stole a goddamn Verti-bird! suck it right on down!" i cheered, feeling the craft respond amazingly well beneath my palms. it was weird, it felt like i had a connection to the thing, even though it was pretty much a glorified whirly-bird. and as i touched the bird down just outside of Paradise Falls, until such a time where we managed to create a hangar for the marvels of machinery, i could only wonder just what i could pull off in one of these, and why exactly i felt so used to the controls. "whoo! now THAT was awesome!" i chanted once i stepped out of the cockpit, leaning my head against the cockpit glass of the VTOL while charlotte landed hers a good distance away from mine. "ah man, Autumn's gonna seriously flip his shit when he finds out two of his Verti-birds got stolen! oh fuck me is it good to be bad." i sighed with a smirk, that though it went unseen from behind the visor of my T-60, was definitely acknowledged by charlotte.


"that did feel good. can't imagine it'll be long before either the Enclave wants their toys back, or Autumn sends hit squads after us though. i can definitely sense trouble on the horizon." "yeah, but that'll come in time. and if Autumn sends more rookies after us, then great! we can use the extra firepower and the extra power armor if shit goes south and we really do need it. besides, i've got one hell of a bone to pick with Autumn, and i want to be there, or actually be the one to give him his comeuppance." i explained simply, pushing off from the Verti-bird, and walking back up the path to the main gate with char on my arm, drawing lazy circles in my chestplate. "it's a shame i don't get to feel that hard muscle underneath all this armor. and we didn't even need it too!" charlotte pouted, but i wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "think of it this way char, it's better than to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. if we'd gotten spotted for whatever reason while sneaking onto the base, the both of us would've been shredded if i didn't have my T-60 with me. you would've been fine no doubt, but as you can tell i royally suck at sneaking. and i don't know about you, but having a few more holes for me to pee out of is not on my bucket list." i snarked with a grin, walking through the main gate to be greeted by the night shift personnel, who'd taken up both night and day shifts since the others were gone doing their assigned tasks. "so, how was Raven Rock?" AJ asked from my side, and flicking my head left to stare at him, i could actually feel my heart pound out of my chest before settling back down to a normal BPM again. "not bad. we got you a couple presents." i stated evilly, losing my grin and donning a smirk when AJ cocked his head. "i take it you heard the sounds of a pair of Verti-birds not long ago?" "yeah, why?" "well, take a look outside, should you be overly curious. 'cause we just fuckin' jacked they whips yo!" i hollered with a cackle, turning full tilt black for a minute there, before leveling out and continuing to smirk at AJ's stunned expression. "bullshit." "nope, two of 'em, charlotte and i flew them back here without trouble. she's actually not half bad a pilot, which is surprising given her lack of flight experience." i commended my girl, who blushed at the praise, but said nothing. "is that so? well good job charlotte, you've officially earned my respect." AJ replied in stunned admiration, while i swatted him on the back, actually sending him forward a bit from the T-60's enhanced strength. "see? i knew you'd warm up to her sooner or later ice-king-the-indomitable-douchebag. now c'mon, help me find the paint so we can make these things a bit more homey." i barked, slinking off to find the paint i wanted to use to make these Verti-birds ours, with AJ following behind in stunned silence.


(POV change, four hours later, Raven Rock)- "HE DID WHAT!?" Autumn yelled at us harshly, seething with a fury the likes of which neither me nor the private have ever seen. "you two nimrods were supposed to be guarding two verti-birds. TWO, VERTI-BIRDS. how pray tell did you manage to fuck a simple guard duty assignment up?" Autumn roared angrily, looking like he was about to eat me alive when i stepped forward to explain. "sir, i don't pretend to know much about the event, given someone had come up behind me and knocked me out, using my assumption it was the private, who earlier on in the day was having an armor malfunction, to their advantage. the second i turned around they decked me across the face, and i can only assume their accomplice took out the private here." "oh believe me sir, she did. faked being shot so she could get up close, knee'd me right in the family jewels. when i was hunched over i could feel something sharp and hard come down on my head, probably a rock, and that's all i can remember." the private added, only making the Colonel that much more outraged. "you were beaten by a woman? a woman?!!! you aren't fit to make meals in our canteen, let alone be a soldier in the Enclave! remove your armor and begone from this installation." "sir, if i may interject, we're still human at our core. does it bother you so much to think that we'd actually help those who need it?" "is that an insubordinate tone i hear from you corporal? because if it is, then you may join your useless friend in being swallowed up by the Wasteland. we are not here to help these filthy curs, we are here to control. to conquer. now remove your armor, and get out of my base." Autumn ordered harshly, at me this time, but being the proud Irish-American that i was, i resisted. "i think not, Colonel. i joined the enclave six years ago to give back to my family, be a generous person to the Capital Wasteland, and make sure that DC was safe from the so-called 'threat' of the Lyons Brotherhood of Steel. but i'm starting to see who the REAL threat here is. it is-no, WAS, me and the private. like you said, we've been fighting to control the Capital, not free it. and you know what, Autumn?" i asked the man, bringing my plasma rifle to bare, "have fun shooting straight with a disintegrated kneecap." i growled, firing a blast into Autumn's knee, and grabbing the private by the collar of his helmet to make our escape. "sir, where are we going?" "anywhere but here private, now move. your. feet!" i snarled, dodging small arms fire from Autumn's 10mm pistol, and bolting out into the Capital with the private in tow.


(three hours later, outside Fort Constantine)- "what the hell are we gonna do sir? we're deserters of the Enclave! i don't know if you keep up with current events but not only did we just get our asses kicked by thieves, we're going to be on the Enclave's shoot to kill list for life! it's Game Over, it's Game Over man!" the private cried hysterically, and trying to keep him quiet, i slapped him across his helmeted face, turning his head to the side to the left, and the right before he began to calm down. "relax, private. we just need to find Paradise Falls. i can bet Reaper and Blackhawk would be willing to take us in and help us out, if we just-" i tried to say, crouching down and bringing the private down with me when i heard footsteps crunching beneath the dirt. "an' i'm tellin' ya, those tin-head in the Brotherhood don't give a fuck about this place no more, we'll be able to have what they got and fight back 'gainst them without any problems at all." "yeah, but what about those two mercs we've been hearin' about on GNR? you heard Three Dog, they ain't the kinda guys that just sit around with their thumbs up their asses waitin' for somethin' to happen, y'dig?" "oh shut up, manny, always buyin' inta the superstitious shit. Three Dog probably made those fuckers up just to scare us. if anything, we need to worry 'bout those batman wannabes and the tin-heads over two kids fresh outta grade school. so shut the fuck up, put on yer big boy pants, and help me fuckin' dig!" two voices argued back and forth, without a shadow of a doubt both belonging to raiders. putting a finger to the audio speaker on my helmet, private got the message, and followed me to the edge of a bombed out bus we'd taken shelter behind, looking out from the corner with me. and sure enough, there were two raiders huddled together on the ground, one digging with his hands while the other had a rudimentary shovel. "i take the one on the left, you take the one on the right. got it?" i whispered to my partner, who got the message pretty quick, about to follow through with my order, until a loud roar shook the two of us and the raiders present out of our boots, making them jump up and hastily reach for their weapons should they be in for a fight. but i knew that roar, and this was going to be no fight. it was going to be a slaughter. sure enough, i spotted a pair of horns on the road following up to Fort Constantine, and watching in horror as those horns grew to the full height of a Deathclaw, i'd seen the monstrous beast charge the two raiders scrounging for pre-war tech, and cleave them in twine without an inch of remorse. but apparently, there was more than one raider, because a .32 caliber round struck the creature in its shoulder, making it roar a challenge at the perpetrator for daring to harm it. the ensuing bloodbath was quite gruesome, i'd found there were a total of thirteen raiders in total at Fort Constantine, and the Deathclaw wiped them all out, and actually proceeded to EAT the corpses afterwards. it was so horrifying the private had to take his helmet off to throw up last night's rations, and i'll admit it was hard for me to keep my stomach settled watching this display as well. but thankfully the creature had its fill of dirty, irradiated raider, and took its leave, making us the sole survivors of the encounter. "what the hell was that thing sir?" "Deathclaw, private. nasty sons of bitches. things actually killed half of my settlement back in Massachusetts before i came to DC, that's why you saw me straighten up when you heard the roar." i explained, taking my helmet off now that i was sure the danger had passed, and running a gloved hand through my nigh blood red hair. i was at the very least thankful the beast hadn't smelled us, given Deathclaw are known for being able to sniff out even the most elusive prey. well, that's what i thought, until i felt something lukewarm, slimy and wet hit my head. "private, that Deathclaw is behind me, isn't it?" i asked, knowing full well that it was, but waiting for the private's terrified nod before i actually looked up. and the thing belched at me. it didn't roar, it didn't growl, it fucking BELCHED. right in my face, allowing me to get real familiar with the smell of blood, and what i could only gag on being forever known as 'Deathclaw morning breath'. "uhm.......hi?" i squeaked nervously, unsure of the beast's intentions, and actually coming close to pissing my pants when the monster picked me up easily in one hand, and stared at me with a cocked head.


"i'm terribly sorry that the two of you had to see that side of me, but i'd been so very hungry these past three weeks, and i was willing to eat anything." did......did this Deathclaw just talk? did this Deathclaw just TALK? "uhm......thank you, for the apology, but would you mind putting me down now? i'm not exactly fond of being in the grasp of a creature that could cut me to ribbons even while i'm wearing power armor." i asked meekly, still terrified beyond all belief of this somehow extremely sentient Deathclaw. as i should be, not only was this Deathclaw intelligent enough to learn English, to a scholarly extent at that, but this Deathclaw KNEW we were watching it, and didn't care at all. "oh, terribly sorry. of course." the beast sighed, setting me down on the ground as lightly as possible, and actually patting me on the head like i were a domestic pet. this was incredibly surreal, and i almost slugged myself in the face to see if this were actually a dream. "i hope i don't come off as rude or anything, but......how are you this intelligent, and how are you able to talk? i need to know." "ahh, yes. that is actually quite a long tale to tell, so it would be wise that we make our leave while i tell you both of it. i find it safer on the move than were we to stay here." the Deathclaw explained, and nodding dumbly, i pulled the private up from his spot on the ground, shoving his helmet onto his head and doing the same to myself.


(POV change, Meanwhile, outside Paradise Falls)- "so, everything in the green?" "parts check out, things have been recently serviced, they should help us out significantly if we ever decide to really go to war against the Enclave. but we're going to need more than a couple Verti-birds for that." "shouldn't be too hard. the Enclave practically rolled these things out for us the night we stole 'em, if the guards they place on the next couple are either the same ones as before, or as incompetent as the ones before, it'll be easy." "you're forgetting this is the Enclave we're talking about here. they probably exiled the sorry bastards out into the Wasteland a few hours ago, and with any luck they're dead, meaning that's two less Enclave morons to have to deal with." AJ explained, shutting the engine access panel on the first Verti-bird, and setting his tools down in the box at his feet. "so, how'd she fly?" "about what you'd expect from a twin-rotor VTOL aircraft. like a mo-fuckin' dream." i smirked, leaning against the cockpit in my T-60b, sans helmet, getting more familiar with it now that it was fitting better to me. i'd noticed last night that while the T-60 worked and moved like a charm, it still didn't feel quite right. so, i've been wearing it off and on since i woke up, only really climbing out of it to spray paint it how i wanted it. the colors i chose weren't anything special, they were exactly like the colors the Outcasts used for their armor, but instead i reversed them, adding a bit of black to the red paint to give it a darker finish. it wasn't much, and i planned on adding more to the armor later on to make it feel a little more like me, but it felt more personal now. like it was a part of me. "hmm, maybe a pair of Deathclaw horns on the helmet." "what was that?" "oh, nothing. just thinking about stuff i want to integrate onto the T-60. it would be a pain, but i'd love to be able to slice the horns off a Deathclaw, and melt them onto the helmet." "hopefully not the ones from off of my head. i'm quite attached to them, you see." a new voice joined the conversation, and looking at AJ, i gulped nervously, going pale when he shrugged, telling me he didn't make the voice. turning around hesitantly, i'd come face to chest with the one creature i'd hoped not to fight while wearing a giant tin can, especially at this close a range. and the worst part is?

it could talk.

"i'm terribly sorry if i gave you a start, my name is Nathaniel. Nathaniel Under-bite the third." the Deathclaw jested, and gulping once more, i hesitantly extended my hand, practically squeaking when the thing's own hand dwarfed mine easily. "relax, kid. he ain't gonna hurt ya." a tinny voice called from the Deathclaw's left, and turning my head to look in the voice's direction, i was met with two rather different dressed Enclave troopers (think the 'Enclave' power armor from Fallout: Tactics), whom i remembered from last night. "s-so, i take it you two got ousted by the douchebag himself?" i nervously asked the two Enclave personnel, wary of the giant murder machine still holding onto my hand, watching the former party nod stiffly, as if the memory pained them. "yep, apparently the beloved Colonel didn't take too kindly to us trying to help someone of the Wastes, and someone who i'd thought was my subordinate, and exiled us before we could explain ourselves. after hearing about Reaper and Blackhawk, we decided to come to Paradise Falls to seek them out, involuntarily stopping at Fort Constantine when we encountered a raider scavenging party that was looking for pre-war tech. that's when we met this beast here, killed every last one of 'em and ate their corpses. though after that, through conversation, we found he was much more willing to speak rather than fight." the man explained, and still keeping an eye on the Deathclaw attached to my hand, i looked back at AJ, who was as jumpy as i was. "we were actually wondering if Reaper and Blackhawk were around, seeing as our former Commanding Officer decided to throw us to the wolves, we wanted to throw our cards in with them." "i.....well, you're looking at 'em. i'm sorry Nathan, but could you please let go of my hand now? i'm a bit less nervous around you, but no offense; you still really freak me the fuck out." i stammered, grateful when Nathan complied, and removed his giant hand from around my own. "i understand. a beast such as myself is not so easily welcomed. though one must admit, when sated, i am quite an admirable ally." the giant death-dealing lizard thing smoothed out, its voice refined if a bit rumbly, with a vague undertone of a british accent. in truth, it reminded me alot of Zinyak, only less maniacal. "i.....duly noted. i can't guarantee your safety within the walls of Paradise Falls Nathan, nor can i your friends given our recent sour dealings with the Enclave, but i'll try and think of a way to keep you all alive and give you a home within T.W.O." "splendid. and if it wouldn't be a burden, could you mayhaps craft some armor for me? my less-intelligent brethren and sisters may enjoy running amuck like this, but i for one abhor being in the nude for any prolonged length of time." Nathan adamantly stated, actually going so far as to stamp his foot to the dirt in protest of the Deathclaw's baser wants and needs, and why clothing for their people wasn't one of them. "i....well, we'll look into that if we've confirmed it possible. after all, your measurements aren't exactly normal, and we'll have to craft a replacement set of armor should any of the pieces you wear be damaged, but i have no doubts it'd be worth it." "again, wonderful! come my friends, let us make haste and greet our new family, hmm?" the giant beast grumbled to his comrades, who looked unsure of the idea for a moment, before following the beast up the pathway with exhaustion ever-present in their body language.


"two bat-boys and a lizard thing comin' up the path! get ready!" a new recruit, that went by the name 'rocksteady' shouted from his perch on the big-boy statue, before i waved him off from where we'd leveled out the ground and made a landing pad for the Verti-birds. "they're alright! let them on through, just make sure that the Deathclaw eats something with meat in it before the day is done!" i yelled up to our replacement sniper, (kind of ironic that our best sniper is named boomer, and his replacement sounds more like a sniper name than his does) who gave a two finger salute, before going back to what i'd learned was his favorite past-time, shooting birds. "ugh, really need to talk to the kid again about wasting our .308 rounds on birds. every time i tell him 'if you aren't going to take the time to go out there, bring the bird back, and eat it, don't waste our ammo. and what does he fucking do?" AJ groused, sliding under the first Verti-bird and popping open one of the fuselage compartments, fixing something that i couldn't see, but could definitely hear. "yeah, kid's a bit dense when it comes to listening to authoritah, but he's new, so cut him some slack." "a bit? he's so dense your brain cells start collapsing in on themselves if you stay around his dumb ass for very long. he's the world's first human black hole, and he's way too good at his job for it to be healthy." AJ bit back with snark galore, making me smirk a bit at his ability to just naturally be a massive prick sometimes. "good to know the asshole's back. just try and keep the snippy remarks to a minimum, 'kay? we've got a certifiable monster living with us now, and i don't think he'll put up with that as long as i have." i warned, leaving AJ there to tend to the Verti-birds, while i got Nathan and his former Enclave friends settled in.

AN- what's good wastelanders? it's me, the DAWG! OWWWW baby is it good to bang these chapters out for y'all. y'know, i'ma tell you somethin'. back when the first chapter was just gettin' its internet legs, i didn't think the series would last as long as it did. but since i've gotten overwhelming support from some of you guys, and my main nigga AJ, i'ma keep 'em comin' children! little word of warning though. neither of us are going to be going to the Commonwealth until Fallout 4's released, and i have ample time to finish its main story. shouldn't take long, i soak up that kind of info like a sponge, so i'll be back before you knew i was gone. as for DC, you can bet your sweet asses that that story's gonna continue until the bitter end. thanks for listening, CHIIILDREN! the DAWG is out!