Fallout- Old Glory

"I'm not a fan of the sentry-bot. They're just glorified turrets if you ask me. The Handy variants have a lot of room for adaptability. That's why you still see some in use by wastelanders, or just roaming around killing things. It was a lot of effort to get GU-DR here back into working order. In fact-" Jacob stopped his train of thought when he noticed Chameleon approach. He attempted to interrupt at the mention of the Enclave. "What kind of stupid question is that? I seriously doubt she's a member of the Enclave. None of them would want to do anything to ghouls except kill them in unimaginably horrible ways." Jacob said, feigning ignorance, and a lack of imagination. He could think of plenty horrible ways the Enclave could kill off ghouls. The situation quickly deteriorated and ended with Chameleon running off. "Where the fuck are you going!?" Jacob yelled after him, somewhat perturbed that the group was temporarily down a man.
 
A strange little creature was hiding not far away. It looked like a young dirty boy but it moved on it's hands and feet and acted like a wild dog.

The only real name the boy ever knew was Biest and had been given to him by Raiders who caught him. It was not a name he would have chosen but he learned to answer to it. By his size he might be guessed to be about 9 or 10 years old and he was so very skinny that his ribs and bones had been well defined under his dirty skin. Beside that dirt he wore nothing but a spiked chain collar around his neck like one would expect on a fighting dog. It had long spikes on the outside to protect his neck against bites and had been welded together with a ring at his throat. On that ring hung a rough little tag and three rusty chain links. His hair was a wild tangled mess and looked like it had not been cut for a long time.

Despite the burned in big sign of the rattlesnakes on his left shoulders and a lot of scars Biest had a number of not fully healed and a couple of days old wounds. He limped with his right leg from a painful bite. This was the reason Biest had not eaten for three days. He knew how to find water but had been to slow to hunt successfully. It was not the first time he had to go without food for a couple days but Biest was very hungry and knew he needed food fast or he might get too weak to survive soon.
After his time with the raiders he feared humans and hid as his keen senses detected them. He saw the fight and he smelled the blood of the dead cazadores. He didn't like their taste but they provided much needed food and had already been opened for him. His hunger was bigger than his fear and made him a bit careless. Crawling on his hands and feet but crouched down so low that the front of his chest touched the ground he sneaked closer to the next cazadore. The problem was so close to the humans he might still be detected despite his sneaking skill.
 
Arianna watched as Chamelion approached. She marveled, felt herself charmed, as he introduced himself to her. She felt her face flush red at his compliments, but before she could speak, he mentioned the Enclave. Her face turned from scarlet to as pale as the face of the moon in an instant; quite literally, the color drained from her cheeks.

Had Jacob not intervened, not tried to cover for her, she probably would have fled at that very moment. As it where, she tried to maintain her composure instead. She was just about to reply when Chamelion bolted.

"WAIT!, Ari cried after him...but it was too late. Sighing, she turned her gaze to Jacob, her eyes slightly narrowed with suspicion.

Was it coincodence that he spoke up at almost the exact same time as the estranged man, trying to raise his own voice over the mention of 'enclave?' Could he have done that on purpose? At the moment, she trusted him. He tried to drown out the bit about the enclave...so either he was an enclave sympathiser, or perhaps...just perhaps, he WAS enclave like her.

EX enclave, Ari, she reminded herself. Arianna nodded her head towards Jacob--almost imperceptively; she hoped the nod would say to Jacon 'thanks for covering my ass, let's hope it worked.' What she actually spoke, when she was able to speak without her voice trembling, was,

That man...who was he? He seemed to be suffering memory loss, and depending on the cause, I just might be able to help him. Ari chose to ignore the little boy--for now--that was slinking across the ground behind them. She was very aware of his precense, her awareness of her surroundings always being very high since she was a young child. Instead of alerting the kid that he was spotted, she pretended not to notice as he drew nearer, chosing to wait and see just what he would do.
 
Edward watched as the group talked and argued. It reminded him of his old squad, and the memories made him smile. He kept silent, though, when chameleon mentioned the Enclave. His usual reponse was to feign ignorance. He noticed Jacob speak up when Chameleon mentioned the enclave. He wondered if the boy was enclave too. He would expect a younger member to stand up and defend the righteousness that was the planned FEV Genocide over 42 years ago. What region was he from. Certainly not the core membership on the west coast. Maybe Chicago, or maybe even the East Coast. The boy knew how to handle himself, if he had come from raven rock. He had learnt what had happened to the east coast. He had rumours of a big battle between them and the brotherhood of steel, but that was all. He had also noticed the new girl go a deep red when Chameleon had said it. Was she enclave too? Edward smiled. Maybe the big man didn't hate him after all. He now had two people who understood how he felt, what he was running from. His train of thought moved onto the Eagle. Who was this man. A tribal, who parents were kidnapped? Another one of them wasteland hero wannabes, trying to prove themselves the next vault dweller by killing off the dying members of the Enclave or Super Mutants they came across. Maybe he was an ex-enclave member? But why would he kill his brother and sisters in arms? Surely he would want to talk about the past, not get rid of the final survivors of it? He was broken out of his trance of deep thought when he saw movement in the corner of his eye. He turned and saw a kid, watching them. Nobody else seemed to be doing anything, so Edward decided to relinquish the leadership role for a while, and waited to see what they did.
 
Even growing up in the wilderness as a wild dog Biest had learned that the strange two legged animals could kill over some distance. His pack lived well away from those two legged beings but sometimes they saw one or a few of them. The dogs of his pack stayed away from them but a few time Biest saw them kill over far distances. Sometimes it looked like they threw lightning but even stranger to the boy had been those sticks that sounded a bit like thunder. The lightnings he saw flying from the two legged to the animals but the thunder sticks just bellowed and their prey dropped dead or was severely injured. Once he fund a molerat killed that way. There was a little hole in it like the sting from a radscorpion and a lot of blood around it but he couldn't find the reason for it.

Biest knew he was near enough for them to attack but his need for food was to big. If they took the cazadores away he might not survive for long. By the look of it they had not seen him and seemed occupied with themselves. The one that opened the cazadores walked in the other direction. Only one of the two legged animals had turned and looked in his direction. Biest stopped but as nothing indicated he had been spotted he crawled forward again.
Reaching the cazadore the most distance from the two legged beings he grabbed it with his teeth and slowly pulled it around in a way he could feed through the opening in it and keep an eye on those strange creatures. Biest had learned from his pack that it was dangerous to feed from the nasty tasting cazadores. Sometimes their meat could kill. Carefully he sniffed on the cazadores wound but couldn't detect the strange smell that indicated dangerous meat. Putting his 'front paws' against the cazadores side he checked again if he had been detected by the two legged creatures before he thrust his head into the wound and bit into bloody meat. Pulling with all his strength he used his teeth to rip a big chunk of meat out of the cazadore. His face was bloody as his head came out of the opening but he didn't care as he dropped the piece of meat into the dirt.
With another nervous look towards the two legged beings he used again his 'front paws' to hold the meat down as he ripped smaller pieces from it and gobbled them down quickly. Still crouching low his muscles and tendons stayed tense in case he needed to escape. As quickly as he devoured the meat it wouldn't take long before he needed to rip another chunk from inside the cazadore.
 
Arianna turned the second she saw the child start to eat the cazadore meat. The instect was venemous, she'd gathered that much from watching Jacob degut the damned cursed things. If any of those venom sacks had broken or leaked while being removed, this clearly feral child would die. So, hoping like hell she wasn't going to terrify the child, a grim expression on her face, she turned towards the Biest.

"Wait, don't do that! Arianna exclaimed, reaching into her pack and pulling out a small plastic bag containing Iguanna bits. She took the contents in her hand, knelt down, her bare knees pressing against the rocks, dirt, and blood--and she held it out to the boy.

eat this, instead. It's not as dangerous, and probably tasts better too.

As Ari gazed at the child, another young child--a girl--came to mind. She remembered the little girl that the Enclave had brought to her lab. They had wanted her to see if FEV had any beneficial effects when introduced to the still-developing physiology of a child. That was just three days before Ari fled the Eastern Enclave. She just chouldn't look at the terrified little girl, who's parents were either dead or worried sick about her, and inject her with a substance she knew would have lead to an unbearably painful, horrific death.

Arianna's brilliant emerald eyes were made brighter with unshed tears as the memory of that child filled her heart. She should have taken the child with her; but she didn't. She'd left her with the Enclave when she and her sister fled. Ari was under no dissolussions...she was a horrible person who, in the name of science, tortured and killed countless individuals. Still, she could not let the little feral boy eat the Cazadores; so she knelt there, tears glistening in her eyes, and held the Iguanna Bits out to him.
 
Jacob noticed Arianna's glare from the corner of his eyes, but he let it pass, better to act oblivious. "He's just a merc that Mr. Stone hired. And he's completely off his rocker too. I've only known the guy for a few hours and he's already getting on my nerves." Jacob answered when she inquired about the other merc. During the exchange both Jacob and GU-DR failed to notice the small child creeping up on the dissected cazadors. His attention was only brought to the child when Arianna attempted to try and coax him out of eating a cazador. Jacob had encountered feral children on occasion in the wasteland, and had for the most part ignored them. They were a tragedy to be sure, but were little better than animals once they got older. "It might be a kindness to let him eat the bugs and die." Jacob said, keeping his distance from the child whose mannerisms were disturbingly canine.
 
Chameleon wasn't far from the group, but he needed some time alone.
'Damn it!' He thought... Why did that girl strike a sense of normality within him? He knew not of her, but a striking similarity felled upon those radiant eyes. He had known those eyes before.
A few decades perhaps? No, it was a sense of love. The name was remembered. Mirelle. But that piece of the puzzle was far from completing te rest. Whilst before, his memories died every decade, he knew now that he must uncover his past life. But to do that, would be a risk of eternity.
'You're afraid!' A voice inside spoke.
'How so?' He replied.
'Afraid of the truth. Afraid you might have been half-decent.'
'I was!'
'No,' the voice continued. 'You're a coward and a villain.'
'I prefer the term; anti-hero.'
'Despite the need to kill people you don't like? Please...'
'I don't like much, but very few die! So shut up!'
'No Chameleon. You don't even remember your own name. Do you remember the murder of your parents?'
'NOOO! It wasn't my fault!'
'I suppose so. Who knows? It's why you created a code of honour to defend yourself from true evil.'
'Yes, I remember. The insanity would have totally consumed me if not for the honour. I'm not a bad guy. Not that much.'
'At least you restrict your killings. Never killed a child, despite the records. World War 1?'
'Let me forget that event.'
'Do you remember the Enclave?'
'Typical bastards. I remember they're the cause of my immortality. Now most people dismiss that fact an think I'm a ghoul.'
'Then why the mask? You know you're not a zombie.'
'Then everyone would know who I am. That girl though...'
'She helps you. She's your calming factor. I suppose she may cure you of your insanity.'
'What do you mean?'
'The interest in those eyes. She'll want to know why you never age. She'll be interested alright. Then maybe you'll find the truth.'
The voice stopped speaking and left an echo in his head. Damn, what a mess. Chameleon started treading back to the group.
"Great! Now I'm in a pickle. Guess I better get back to business. How embarassing." With that, he walked slowly whilst muttering angry rants all the way. He was back to his normal self. Whatever normal was...
 
Arianna's head snapped towards Jacob at his words. She gaped at him, mouth open and eyes flashing dangerously. She almost chasticed him for his seemingly cruel words, but then she reminded herself that she was just as cold, as cruel, as she took his words to be. They were a sort of truth, she realized. She might want to be the kind hearted woman that she presented to others--but inside, she was a monster; one that even Victor Frankenstien couldn't have concieved of.

Arianna's expression softened. Her glossy eyes went from a glare to an expression of bitterness, self-loathing, and even regret. She stared at Jacob for a long moment before finally speaking.

"I won't let this child die out here!" She exclaimed. "Not like--" Ari cought herself, and immediatly clamped her jaw shut. She'd almost said 'not like that little girl I was too damn cowardly to protect.' She mentally scolded herself for lowering her guard, even for a moment, reminding herself that there are people who would kill her just because she was ex-Enclave. She turned her attention back to the boy, holding out the smoked Iguanna-bits (that were more like Jerky now), and let the rest of her sentence go unsaid.
 
Jacob finished her sentence as he believed it was to be finished. "Like an animal?" he said with a tone of cold indifference. "Personally I'm surprised he isn't already rotting in the gut of a deathclaw." Jacob said. He turned away from Arianna and the child to look at the rest of the group. He saw Chameleon making his way back to the group, though it seemed that they were stopping for a short while. He decided to take the chance to ensure that GU-DR was fine. "Power down, I'm gonna give you a quick once over." Jacob said, and the Mr. Gutsy powered down and landed so that Jacob could go to work. Jacob opened up the top storage compartment of the robot and retrieved some tools. He set up a hardline between the robot and his pip-boy and began taking readings on the robot's condition.
 
Biest stopped feeding at the sudden words in his direction. Seeing two of the two legged beings had seen him. His strong instincts told him to flee but he knew he wouldn't get away far enough before they would be able to kill him. Another reason he didn't flee on the spot was that he learned to understand the meaning of some of their sounds at his time with the raiders. It was more like a dog hearing commands but at the moment it was enough to bring some sense into the sounds the female made.
If Biest had a tail it would be tucked between his legs like a frightened dog. Instead the fear and nervousness made him shiver visibly. As far as he understood the female wanted him to stop eating. He flinched as Arianna grabbed into her bag but she pulled something out he had never seen before but it didn't look dangerous. With the iguana bits out of the plastic the air brought the smell to Biests keen nose. He straightened his arms and legs until he stood at full height on his hands and feet and moved his head a bit around as he sniffed the air to identify the smell. This made his very skinny body and the spiked chain collar with the three rusty chain links and metal tag hanging from it better visible.
The smell told Biest that that it was some sort of meat but his keen nose caught also some smoke in it. The raiders had given him some cooked meat. He didn't like it and thought it made him ill.

Biest heard Jacobs words but couldn't understand the meaning. He saw the Ariannas reaction and figured she didn't like it. Her answer told him nothing either because he figured it had nothing to do with him. He sensed the coldness in Jacobs words without really understanding them. The males next action looked strange to Biest again. He never saw a robot before and it hovering in the air puzzled him. As the robot shut down and landed Biest thought Jacob somehow killed the strange creature. He saw the male that opened the cazadores too as he came back to the group.
A surprisingly deep growl was Biest answer as he bared his teeth too. His pointy sharp front teeth and the bigger than usual canines didn't look very human. Biest was nervous and in a strange situation. He needed to escape but he needed food too. His reaction was mostly an instinctive warning for them to stay away. Realizing it Biest quickly stopped. Keeping a look on the two legged animals he ripped another piece of meat from the cazadore. His hunger somehow made it taste better than he expected and he thought it was far better than the burned stuff the female offered. But somewhere in his mind Biest realized that Arianna knew the meat might be dangerous and tried to keep him away from it. At the moment that thought didn't reach Biests consciousness though.
 
For the most part Jacob had been content to leave the situation be for the moment. That changed when the feral child had growled. Jacob froze in place before hastily forcing GU-DR to reactivate. He scrambled to his feet spun around looking for the dogs, drawing his pistol and holding it in front of himself. It took a moment before his mind made the connection of the sound to the child. He gave a small sigh of relief before lowering his weapon with a small shudder. "I want nothing to do with that little fucker." Jacob said and strode away, moving himself closer to Edward.
 
Arianna shook her head in amazement, surprised that Jacob could be so cold towards a small child. She jumped at the viscious growl that issued from his throat, amazed that such a sound could come from a human. She turned back to Beist, wondering why he chose to eat the cazadore meat instead of the iguana bits. She frowned, looking from the child to the meat in her hand. And then it hit her. The meat was cooked. Maybe, the child being as animal-like as he was, wanted raw food.

'I want nothing to do with that little fucker,' she heard Jacob say, which momentarily distracted her from the child.

"Little fucker?!" Arianna cried in disbelief. He is just a child, who's probably spent most of his childhood in the wild and unsocialized. Look at him! He needs our help, and if you won't do the right thing, I will. With that, Arianna reached back into her bag, pulling another treat she'd bought from a wandering trader--Iguanna on a stick, a delecacy of these parts; and also out west too, she knew. This was raw, meant to be cooked over a campfire. She pulled the dead lizard from the stick, and sniffed it to see if it had spoiled yet. The smell seemed okay, so she turned back to Beist.

"Don't," she called to the child, once again kneeling down to his level and inching her way closer to him despite his growls. She moved carefully, ever so slowly, her hand extended and offering the raw iguanna. "Eat this instead. It's rather good, and this is raw unlike the smoked bits. Go ahead, child...take it.
 
There was a glance from Jacob as he approached the group. He happened to spot the heated discussion between him and the Arianna girl. He avoided eye contact with the fair lady. Instead, he turned his attention to the ragged child. As he walked, he heard the growling from the kid.
"Well, this is a surprise. A little kid who thinks he's a mutt. Doubt ya speak my language though." He walked over with no caution. If he would be ripped aprt, it heeded him no worry.
"Now, try anything and I break ya neck. Now, have a look at this." He brought out a small picture of a well-groomed dog.
"Recognise this lassie?"
 
Biest was surprised as the robot came alive again. It looked dead before and not like sleeping but now it came to life again. He wasn't able to think longer about it because Jacob pulled his pistol. Biest recognized that it looked a lot like the thing that allow the two legged creatures to kill over a distance. Biests body tensed and he took a quick look around hoping for a way to hide and get away. Only there was no such escape and with his injured leg he was to slow to outrun them.
Looking back he was a bit relieved to see the weapon had been lowered but Jacob still held it in his hand. The short argument between Arianna and Jacob followed. He was not sure what was the cause of it but to him it looked a lot like two wild dogs growling at each other. It was interesting for the boy to see this between the strange two legged creatures. It didn't take log before Arianna pulled something else out of her bag. The iguana on a stick was raw and caught Biests interest instantly. Iguana was one of his favorites too. Easy to catch without much risk and well tasting. He sniffed the air and barked friendly as she slowly moved closer holding the iguana out to him. Like the growl the boys bark was quite deep too but had no threat in it. Another dog would have understood it as an invitation to move closer. The few words he understood and her actions suggested she wanted him to take the meat. Again Biest sniffed the air and caught Ariannas smell too. It was not like the raiders but still strange for him. It roused Biests interest.

Before Biest and Arianna had a chance to meet Chameleon walk directly towards the boy. Biest moved back with a visible limp because of his injured right leg. He barked again towards Chameleon but this time it was sharper and a warning to keep some distance. The boy didn't dare to attack. He couldn't understand the words but the sound of them warned the boy. He might be as primitive as a human being could be but he wasn't dumb. He knew he wasn't able to win a fight and tried as good as possible to avoid one. He would fight like the beast he was if cornered but luckily Chameleon pulled something out and just showed it to Biest with a few words he didn't understand again.
It was the only picture Biest saw in his life. There was some strange looking very small dog but it didn't move and Biest saw no threat in it. The male holding it was another story.

Biest was unsure what to do. If he tried to escape they had a lot time to kill him and even if he escaped there was his hurt leg that kept him from hunting successfully. It was quite obvious for him they wouldn't allow him to continue his feeding on the cazadores.
Again it was more his instinct than a conscious discission that decided his next move. Ignoring the pain in his leg as good as possible he dodged around Chameleon and ran towards Arianna. Biest never learned to run on two legs but on hands and feet he became able to keep pace with the wild dogs of his pack. As he grew up his still young body adapted to this way of movement and living.
Reaching Arianna Biest tried to snap the iguana out of her hands and stay close to her. It was a risk to do this but she had been the only two legged that had been friendly to him. Despite the dirt on his body the big burned in sign of the rattlesnakes in his left shoulder was visible from a close distance like Chameleon and Arianna had.
 
Edward watched as Arianna tried to talk with the feral child that had come near the group. He sighed and said,"Look, Jacob has a point. The child is at an age where he won't be able to learn how to speak or become a normal human. Previous cases like this throughout history have proven that. He might as well be mentally retarded, even worse considering how mentally disabled people can at least understand English. He'll only be a burden, and I need to get to our desination very soon."
 
"Yes, little fucker!" Jacob shouted back. "And the right thing to do is leave him and let nature take it's course." Jacob made a motion with his arms, folding his hands into fists to mimic paws. His disdain for the canine mannerisms of the boy being quite clear. "Most feral children still instinctively walk on two legs! You want to tell me that him running on his hands is at all normal? You can't fix him! Just like you can't fix feral ghouls! They aren't robots that you can just gut and repair. We're infinitely more complex than that. I hate to break it to you Laher but idealism causes more problems than it fixes." Jacob said, throwing his arms up in frustration.
 
Arianna stared at Jacob, aghast at his statements. It was like a verbal slap in the face to her; and one that caused more pain than he probably realized. 'Just like you can't fix feral ghouls...idealism causes more problems than it fixes.' Those words stung deep, reopening old wounds that would never truly heal. She blinked, startled, blinked again, stunned into silence. She had no retort, no way of explaining why she felt she had to do something for the child. For that, she'd have to admit to being ex-Enclave; and she already suspected he knew about her, somehow. Yet the others didn't...at least, she didn't think so. She had almost managed to get over her stunned silence when two things happened.

First, the strange amnesiac man appeared seemingly out of nowhere--she must've missed his footsteps, being so distracted by the child. She would have warned him to keep his distance, but she couldn't have spoken even if she'd tried.

The second thing was when the man did get close, the child suddenly charged...right at Ari herself! Arianna leapt to her feet in shock, mouth gaping open. At first, she thought he was attacking her, but then realized he was seeking her protection. A flood of emotion filled her heart, at this child seeking protection from her of all people. If the child truly understood who she was...*what* she was, it would likely have fled. Instead, he darted forward, ripped the iguanna from her hand, and had managed to put her between the strange charming fellow and himself.

Look, Ari spoke, her throat dry and voice cracking slightly. She was still even visibly shaken from Jacob's words. "I know...he probably won't ever be normal, not in the way you or I are normal. But I can't just abandon a child who is going to die out here, if we don't do something. It's not a -might- situation. This child WILL die if we don't do something to help him. she shuddered, a chill runing the length of her spine.

'Just like you can't fix feral ghouls! They aren't robots that you can just gut and repair...' Jacob's voice rang in her head once more. She bit down on her lower lip, struggling to contain the sorrow that filled her heart.

"Maybe," she continued at last, I can't 'fix' this child...but perhaps I can help ease his life, and his suffering. Look, I really would like to travel with you guys, I've got nowhere else to go. But if you won't allow me to bring this child, then I'll go off on my own, and take him with me. She shrugged, gazing at the wilderness around her. She knew she'd probably die out here if she did take off alone. She was in unfamiliar territory. But then, was death really so bad? She gazed at Jacob, at Edward, and at Chameleon, wondering just where fate would take her.
 
Gregory heard the gun shots and took off running toward the group.
As he ran gasping for breathe, he was out of shape and he knew it, he had never been very athletic to begin with and it took him awhile to approach the group.
Gregory White came running yelling, "I heard shots, is anyone hurt does any one need medical attention?"
He stopped dead in his trap realizing this may have not been the smartest move he'd ever done, running in to a group of heavily armed mercenaries is not often the best course of action in any situation.
"Is, Is everyone alright?" The doctor said with a stutter.
Eve: "The Job."
"Oh Yes, the job." The doctor muttered to himself in an inaudible manner.
"This may seem a little abrupt, but I have a posting here for a job...? The town people said the group had left in this direction and since you're the only group I've run across I concluded you must be who I'm looking for..."
Greg's voice fell faint, he feeling foolish for be so strait forward.
"Is there any chance the job is still available...?"

White was confused as he took stock of the scene before him a beautiful girl, a injured feral child, and some of the most fearsome and capable looking mercenaries he had every seen. What had he gotten himself into.
 
OOC: I read your char sheet Dark (I had to do some searching to find it, lol)...but umm...who is Eve?

Arianna's attention was torn from Jacob by that of a man, dressed in a labcoat not unlike her own--only his seemed to be hardier then hers, armored in several vital areas. She couldn't help but feel a bit vexed that she hadn't thought to armor hers. She heard him muttering, but couldn't make out the words; and she saw the laser rifle strapped to his back.

She was slightly alarmed at the sight of this man. Was he Enclave? Was he after her? Anyone still working with the Enclave would jump at the chance to deliver her head to the nearest base of operations; that individual would likely recieve quite the reward, and certainly a promotion. The thought made her jumpy, and she drew her plasma rifle with amazing speed, aiming it right at Greg's head.

Who are you? She called to the man, her green eyes reflecting the fear and suspicion she felt. And don't bother going for the gun, or I will shoot. And seeing as how you're not a cazadore, I'm unlikely to miss.
 
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