bob_the_rambler
Where'd That 6th Toe Come From?
i started this awhile ago what do you think...
Mission: recovery/death trap
Brother Hood Knight Thomas fell at my feet; a gaping hole burned into his chest the mutant standing on the other side of the hallway holding a sizzling plasma rifle screamed in victory. I turned, my rage over whelming, I pulled out my ripper and charged the beast, startled the stupid mutant could do nothing but shriek in pain as I cut his limbs off. My once shining armor was covered in blood and grime; the hallway where I stood was covered in blood, intestine and grey matter from the shattered skulls of my comrades. What was supposed to be a simple recon turned to hell, and here I was newly appointed General Bradley Wilson 40 years of age with graying hair, standing in the midst of a squad of the brother hoods finest, dead but if it matters any the muties were too. I packed up one of the remaining hummers with all the equipment he could find, there was more to see here at this place, apparently this was a vast compound of sorts, But I just packed up the remaining hummer and left.
Brother Hood debrief:
Two weeks prior to sending a team, a robotics facility was discovered on the coast of old California, the elders in the Brother Hood of Steel decided that it would most likely be full old prewar tech, and ordered a newly appointed general Bradley Wilson to investigate. The Brother Hood lost contact with the general and his squad when they reached within 12 miles of the facility, and according to our scribes this is due to an old communications block out system that is still running. We assume that the squad is lost and will never be found.
As I drove, my mind was turning and calculating, I was troubled not only by the fact that I had lost my squad but by the fact the muties were up to something again. The muties that I fought in the past were nothing like the ones I had just seen; these new mutants looked like they were on they were being prepared to receive cybernetic implants. As I was leaving the complex I had managed to secure some blue prints and doctors notes for the scribes back at base to study, but from what I could understand these implants could make mutants invincible, with the ability to see for miles, take rockets in the chest and laugh, built in artificial stimulant systems that kick in automatically and a host of other things that me a simple solder couldn’t even imagine.
A beeping noise brought me back to the present I looked at his hummer’s readout panel, I cursed, my fusion battery was overheating, it wasn’t meant to be used in this hummer, I had to take one from one of the power armor suites of my dead comrades, and use it to get the hummer rolling. I slowed trying to remember if there were any small towns in this area where I could stop.
Coming up on a small town called junk town I pulled in, the guard at the front gate who normally told every one “to put away your Firearms” just looked at my mini gun and thought better. I walked to the clean but obviously shanty inn and walked inside, a well-rounded blonde woman was wearing a suit of tight fitting leather armor was manning the counter. “Can I help you with something stranger?” she asked in a playful but not that playful tone of voice. “Yes I need a room” I replied, I was dreading this part since I had no wasteland credit she was going to ask how I was going to pay “how will you be paying?” she asked seemingly right on cue. “Well I don’t have any credit on me…but the Brother Hood of Steel will remember you” I winked at her hoping that that would work. “I’m sorry, but no cash no crash” she looked me over a second time “but there might be a way to earn some cash fast” I knew it! she was going to ask into her room and have me entertain her fantasy of a man in armor in bed. “I need your help, my daughter has run off with some boys from the local gang and she hasn’t been back for days, I know where they are hiding but I cant go there because I have no weapons” she stated. damn my hopes crushed, my excitement gone; “Lets go” I replied if getting some sleep meant kicking the shit out of some little shit heads I would gladly do it. As we started walking towards the entrance to the town we stopped by my hummer, I grabbed my power helmet, and armed the woman from the hotel with a submachine gun and some telsa armor, “what is your name by the way” I asked her as I was handing over the equipment; as she stared in awe at the equipment I was handing her, she replied in exasperation “my name is sherry” “Bradley” I replied “now that we know each other lets go get your daughter back”
We walked for about a mile in silence, my helmet locked and sealed, she was glancing my direction every now and then almost at the point of staring she would look away. After a few minutes we reached a cliff face, pathetic little shrubs clinging to the cliff face almost like humanity was hanging on to life right now. “There is a cave right over there” she pointed and I was drawn from my musings. “How many are there?” I asked, “I am not sure, maybe 12 or so” she said with a nervous tone in her voice.
Brother Hood Meeting: same time
An elder stood, “our scouts report that they have seen General Bradley just a 15 miles away stopped at the small town of Junk town, long distance recon suggested that he is uninjured, but there is no sign of his squad”. “Recon suggests that we not approach him, he might have been captured and infected with FEV let him come in on his own, and quarantine him when he arrives”.
As sherry and I approached the cave, I took out my gun and cocked it Sherry did the same. I had left my mini gun back at the hummer and had grabbed my Brother Hood issue .223 pistol instead. When we entered the cave we were surprised to find two dead bodies just inside the cave with no signs as to how they died, Sherry was distressed but the telsa helmet stopped it from showing. We walked farther and we started to see bloodstains all over the floors, the stench of death would have been present if the filtration systems on our armor weren’t working. We came across a pile of bodies in front of a door that would go farther into the cavern, “well this is thirteen bodies so far, and they are all male” I said “yes” was her exasperated reply. I went to the door and gave the doorknob a turn, “its locked” I said. I knocked no reply “you should try and call for your daughter” I looked at Sherry she nodded “Jennifer!! Are you in there?” silence “Jennifer!!” her voice echoed all around us, but with no return reply the echoes left a devastating silence in their wake. She called several more times and I had had enough if she was injured or incapable of answering we could be standing here all day. I walked swiftly up to the door and proceeded to kick it off of its hinges, and as we entered the cavern we saw the signs of what looked like a typical hangout, a few bunks, a corner with what appeared to be a shit bucket, some lockers and what looked like a prison door in the far corner. I had seen this scenario before, a girl is running with a group of boys she thinks she can trust and they turn on her. I knew what we might find behind that cell door and I wasn’t looking forward to it, as we approached the door a gun slipped between the bars “who is there?’ a hysterical voice cried. “You had better not be any more of those damned monsters” her tone was angry. “Jennifer” this is your mother “are you all right” said sherry. Silence was the reply, what ever “monsters” this girl had seen had really scared the shit outta her. The gun slipped back into the darkness between the bars and a grimy hand reached out and put a key in the lock, turning the key was difficult for Jennifer to do from that angle but I wasn’t going to take any chances in running up to help her.
The large door swung open and reluctantly she emerged. She was about 18, definitely her mothers daughter, with brownish blonde hair she was a little shorter than her mom. sherry at this point had taken off the telsa helmet and the second Jennifer saw her mother she rushed out and hugged her mother like she wouldn’t ever let go. A stranger in the midst of a very personal moment I stayed silent, and started to inspect some of the lockers on the wall, I opened up one of the lockers and to my great delight there was sitting a Pankor Jackhammer the drum fully loaded, I picked it up and slung it over my shoulder. At this point Jennifer seemed to notice my presence and became immediately suspicious, she turned to whisper to her mother “who is that” her mother looked at me “his name is Bradley, and had we have had to do any fighting to get you outta here he would have done it” she replied.
Jennifer was still uncomfortable around me but she wasn’t on the defensive anymore and she slumped into a chair and passed out.
I suggested that we “get the hell gone” I was worried that what ever did this would be back, I wasn’t concerned for my safety I had killed super mutants with my bare hands, but Sherry and Jennifer weren’t combat vets. Besides the first two bodies we came across all the others were shredded like so much spaghetti and there weapons still laid were they dropped, in my mind meaning that it was indeed “monsters” that attacked this place. I opted to carry Jennifer as she was still passed out, and we left with the girl slung over my shoulder and my newly acquired Pankor Jackhammer shotgun in my hand.
As we walked to town I sensed we were being watched, and then a thought struck me deathclaws of course, I picked up my pace; I really didn’t want to have to face death claws without my heavy weaponry. We reached the town at about sundown; we were being tracked the whole time. We went to the local “hospital” a sturdy cement building that looked like it was once a car garage, and I dropped off the girl and her mom.
As I was walking I saw the “mayor’s office” a huge mansion just 100 yards away from the hotel, and thought it might be a good idea to warn the mayor that there is a pack of death claws roaming around just outside of town. I walked up to a big set of sturdy oak doors and knocked “BOOM BOOM” my knocks seemed to echo throughout the entire house. No answer I knocked again “who is it” came a mans sleepy reply, “My name is General Bradley the Brother Hood Knight that came into town this morning” I replied “I need to speak with you”. The door opened “come in” said a man, around 5’ 11” with slightly graying hair well built for a man is his position, the mayor seemed to have an honest look about him. “What is wrong” he looked at me from over his desk, we had sat down and he brought out a bottle of prewar brandy. “I was hired by the hotel owner to go and retrieve her daughter from the hands of the local punks that roam around these parts” I said “I was given directions to a cave where I found that all the punks had been killed”. “What happened to the girl” asked the mayor “she is resting at the hospital” I replied. “but what ive come to tell you is that I think that you have a pack of death claws stalking your town, you should double your patrols and petition for brotherhood help” he looked at me in silence “ok I will fill out the request forums to the brotherhood” he replied. “good, I will take them back with me when I return to my base tomorrow and with any luck a patrol will be station here within a few days” I said, in the silence that followed I downed the brandy. I stood “im going to go get some sleep, I’ve had a rough trip” I turned and left. I was tired fist I loose a squad to muties and then death claws come out to play. I walked to the hotel and used the keys that sherry gave me to unlock the doors, sherry was still at the hospital with her daughter.
I took my armor off and stood it up in a corner looking over my like a sentry, it was a huge breech in protocol to take off my armor outside the base but i was tired and i didn’t give a damn. I was lying there in the bed going over the past few day’s events, the imagery of fellow Brothers falling to the floor dead, the mutant i took apart with my ripper pulsed through his mind. I awoke with a start, there were sounds of explosions and gun shots were going off in the direction of the front gate. I hurriedly put on my armor and grabbed my Pankor and I ran out into the street, people were running for cover, panicky chaos was all consuming. I ran towards the sounds, coming upon a desperate battle for survival, the guards where being attacked by the death claws. I saw a guard go down his head removed by a monster of a beast, I ran to my hummer and grabbed two flamethrowers. Running up to the battle I gave the flamers to the guards and ordered them to “spray in the damned things general direction and stop them from getting close!” they did as I told them and they toasted a death claw like so much B-B-Q its shrieks of pain motivating the men to stand their ground. I spotted one trying to get around the streams of fire; I shouldered the Jackhammer and gave the fucker a burst. I hadn’t checked what kind of load my gun was loaded with but apparently they were slugs, the death claw flew to pieces its left shoulder flying 20 or so feet away from its mutilated corpse. Two down so far but I could see that there were about 3 more to go, the guards were keeping them off for now but I wasn’t sure how long that was going to last. I ran to my hummer and grabbed a rocket launcher with some Napalm rockets. Returning to the scene of the battle I notice that the flamers were running low and the deathclaws were advancing like hungry beasts on pathetic prey. I ran up shouldered the rocket and fired, the result was awesome a enormous ball of fire engulfed the deathclaws charring them instantly; a fiery crater was all that was left of the deathclaws.
I checked with the remaining guards to make sure there weren’t any seriously wounded. Injuries weren't bad besides the dead guard there was only one with bad injuries; his leg was hanging off, a deathclaw had gotten close and bit him. As I was helping the injured guard back to the hospital I ran across the mayor, wearing his combat armor and carrying an old but well cared for “Chicago piano” the old Tommy gun was loaded with a huge drum. “what the hell happened” the mayor said, he was ready for a fight I could tell, “deathclaws attacked the front gate” the guard I was helping said, “we lost the new guy, his head was torn clean off” the mayor was pissed he was absentmindedly fingering the trigger. “I don’t think they will be back tonight, if ever” I interjected “we kicked the shit out of them” I hated myself right then, I was wearing the most shit eating grin, “five deathclaws and only one loss for us is very good” I said. The mayor had calmed after a second and then he saw the injured guard, “well what the fuck are you standing here for! “Go get this man some help” I started off towards the hospital at a near run carrying the injured man.
I reached the hospital and was surprised to find that when I opened the door I was staring down the barrel of a sub-machine gun, it was sherry. When she saw that it was me she lowered her gun, “what the hell is going on! I heard explosions” to say that she was scared would have been an understatement. Jennifer, sherry’s daughter was sitting in a chair holding what appeared to be a sawed off shotgun, she looked at me once and then looked away. “This man needs help” I said as I moved into the building, “where is the doc?” I looked around. “He is down stairs, I will go get him” sherry ran into a room off to the side and I heard foot steps going down stairs. I set the man down on a bed, he wasn’t at much of a risk of bleeding to death but it was very painful for him to stand. The doctor came rushing up; he was a short bald man, wearing a white smock he looked like pictures of pre-war doctors of the past. As he examined the man I had brought in, he looked up at me but didn’t say anything.
We hung out at the hospital all night, the mayor came by the hospital at around dawn and recommended that sherry, Jennifer and I go and get some rest. We all agreed, and it was almost a mad jam at the door we all wanted nothing more than to get some sleep. As we headed for the hotel I tried talking conversationally, I looked at Jennifer “the doc give you a clean bill of health?” I asked. She looked smug “Yea, and now I suppose you are going to act like my mother and chastise me for running off with those terrible boys” she replied in a sarcastic tone. I thought about what to say in reply, she didn’t seem all worked up about the death of the punks so I can assume that she didn’t really care. “Why would I chastise you for running off with dead men?” I said, stabbing at dark humor. “they got theirs” I added a grim smirk crossed my face. Jennifer looked at me strangely “you really enjoy the pain of punks, and vermin don’t you?” she said, in that all so familiar tone the tone that many outside the brotherhood used when criticizing. I thought about how to answer, “I hate people that hurt others, I have taken an oath to never let evil live and I am under oath to unite the wasteland” I paused to let that sink in, “you cannot have unity when you have raiders, and punks terrorizing the people that are trying to survive” I finished feeling like an asshole, I swore to myself when I was a junior initiate I wouldn’t ever spread that load of shit around, my drill sergeant was to blame.
I could just see my drill sergeant standing there at the front door to the recruitment base telling us about the battles he had won, the people he had saved, and the technology he had recovered. We held him in the highest regard; he could have killed any of us with his bare hands, he was a true hero of the brotherhood.
Mission: recovery/death trap
Brother Hood Knight Thomas fell at my feet; a gaping hole burned into his chest the mutant standing on the other side of the hallway holding a sizzling plasma rifle screamed in victory. I turned, my rage over whelming, I pulled out my ripper and charged the beast, startled the stupid mutant could do nothing but shriek in pain as I cut his limbs off. My once shining armor was covered in blood and grime; the hallway where I stood was covered in blood, intestine and grey matter from the shattered skulls of my comrades. What was supposed to be a simple recon turned to hell, and here I was newly appointed General Bradley Wilson 40 years of age with graying hair, standing in the midst of a squad of the brother hoods finest, dead but if it matters any the muties were too. I packed up one of the remaining hummers with all the equipment he could find, there was more to see here at this place, apparently this was a vast compound of sorts, But I just packed up the remaining hummer and left.
Brother Hood debrief:
Two weeks prior to sending a team, a robotics facility was discovered on the coast of old California, the elders in the Brother Hood of Steel decided that it would most likely be full old prewar tech, and ordered a newly appointed general Bradley Wilson to investigate. The Brother Hood lost contact with the general and his squad when they reached within 12 miles of the facility, and according to our scribes this is due to an old communications block out system that is still running. We assume that the squad is lost and will never be found.
As I drove, my mind was turning and calculating, I was troubled not only by the fact that I had lost my squad but by the fact the muties were up to something again. The muties that I fought in the past were nothing like the ones I had just seen; these new mutants looked like they were on they were being prepared to receive cybernetic implants. As I was leaving the complex I had managed to secure some blue prints and doctors notes for the scribes back at base to study, but from what I could understand these implants could make mutants invincible, with the ability to see for miles, take rockets in the chest and laugh, built in artificial stimulant systems that kick in automatically and a host of other things that me a simple solder couldn’t even imagine.
A beeping noise brought me back to the present I looked at his hummer’s readout panel, I cursed, my fusion battery was overheating, it wasn’t meant to be used in this hummer, I had to take one from one of the power armor suites of my dead comrades, and use it to get the hummer rolling. I slowed trying to remember if there were any small towns in this area where I could stop.
Coming up on a small town called junk town I pulled in, the guard at the front gate who normally told every one “to put away your Firearms” just looked at my mini gun and thought better. I walked to the clean but obviously shanty inn and walked inside, a well-rounded blonde woman was wearing a suit of tight fitting leather armor was manning the counter. “Can I help you with something stranger?” she asked in a playful but not that playful tone of voice. “Yes I need a room” I replied, I was dreading this part since I had no wasteland credit she was going to ask how I was going to pay “how will you be paying?” she asked seemingly right on cue. “Well I don’t have any credit on me…but the Brother Hood of Steel will remember you” I winked at her hoping that that would work. “I’m sorry, but no cash no crash” she looked me over a second time “but there might be a way to earn some cash fast” I knew it! she was going to ask into her room and have me entertain her fantasy of a man in armor in bed. “I need your help, my daughter has run off with some boys from the local gang and she hasn’t been back for days, I know where they are hiding but I cant go there because I have no weapons” she stated. damn my hopes crushed, my excitement gone; “Lets go” I replied if getting some sleep meant kicking the shit out of some little shit heads I would gladly do it. As we started walking towards the entrance to the town we stopped by my hummer, I grabbed my power helmet, and armed the woman from the hotel with a submachine gun and some telsa armor, “what is your name by the way” I asked her as I was handing over the equipment; as she stared in awe at the equipment I was handing her, she replied in exasperation “my name is sherry” “Bradley” I replied “now that we know each other lets go get your daughter back”
We walked for about a mile in silence, my helmet locked and sealed, she was glancing my direction every now and then almost at the point of staring she would look away. After a few minutes we reached a cliff face, pathetic little shrubs clinging to the cliff face almost like humanity was hanging on to life right now. “There is a cave right over there” she pointed and I was drawn from my musings. “How many are there?” I asked, “I am not sure, maybe 12 or so” she said with a nervous tone in her voice.
Brother Hood Meeting: same time
An elder stood, “our scouts report that they have seen General Bradley just a 15 miles away stopped at the small town of Junk town, long distance recon suggested that he is uninjured, but there is no sign of his squad”. “Recon suggests that we not approach him, he might have been captured and infected with FEV let him come in on his own, and quarantine him when he arrives”.
As sherry and I approached the cave, I took out my gun and cocked it Sherry did the same. I had left my mini gun back at the hummer and had grabbed my Brother Hood issue .223 pistol instead. When we entered the cave we were surprised to find two dead bodies just inside the cave with no signs as to how they died, Sherry was distressed but the telsa helmet stopped it from showing. We walked farther and we started to see bloodstains all over the floors, the stench of death would have been present if the filtration systems on our armor weren’t working. We came across a pile of bodies in front of a door that would go farther into the cavern, “well this is thirteen bodies so far, and they are all male” I said “yes” was her exasperated reply. I went to the door and gave the doorknob a turn, “its locked” I said. I knocked no reply “you should try and call for your daughter” I looked at Sherry she nodded “Jennifer!! Are you in there?” silence “Jennifer!!” her voice echoed all around us, but with no return reply the echoes left a devastating silence in their wake. She called several more times and I had had enough if she was injured or incapable of answering we could be standing here all day. I walked swiftly up to the door and proceeded to kick it off of its hinges, and as we entered the cavern we saw the signs of what looked like a typical hangout, a few bunks, a corner with what appeared to be a shit bucket, some lockers and what looked like a prison door in the far corner. I had seen this scenario before, a girl is running with a group of boys she thinks she can trust and they turn on her. I knew what we might find behind that cell door and I wasn’t looking forward to it, as we approached the door a gun slipped between the bars “who is there?’ a hysterical voice cried. “You had better not be any more of those damned monsters” her tone was angry. “Jennifer” this is your mother “are you all right” said sherry. Silence was the reply, what ever “monsters” this girl had seen had really scared the shit outta her. The gun slipped back into the darkness between the bars and a grimy hand reached out and put a key in the lock, turning the key was difficult for Jennifer to do from that angle but I wasn’t going to take any chances in running up to help her.
The large door swung open and reluctantly she emerged. She was about 18, definitely her mothers daughter, with brownish blonde hair she was a little shorter than her mom. sherry at this point had taken off the telsa helmet and the second Jennifer saw her mother she rushed out and hugged her mother like she wouldn’t ever let go. A stranger in the midst of a very personal moment I stayed silent, and started to inspect some of the lockers on the wall, I opened up one of the lockers and to my great delight there was sitting a Pankor Jackhammer the drum fully loaded, I picked it up and slung it over my shoulder. At this point Jennifer seemed to notice my presence and became immediately suspicious, she turned to whisper to her mother “who is that” her mother looked at me “his name is Bradley, and had we have had to do any fighting to get you outta here he would have done it” she replied.
Jennifer was still uncomfortable around me but she wasn’t on the defensive anymore and she slumped into a chair and passed out.
I suggested that we “get the hell gone” I was worried that what ever did this would be back, I wasn’t concerned for my safety I had killed super mutants with my bare hands, but Sherry and Jennifer weren’t combat vets. Besides the first two bodies we came across all the others were shredded like so much spaghetti and there weapons still laid were they dropped, in my mind meaning that it was indeed “monsters” that attacked this place. I opted to carry Jennifer as she was still passed out, and we left with the girl slung over my shoulder and my newly acquired Pankor Jackhammer shotgun in my hand.
As we walked to town I sensed we were being watched, and then a thought struck me deathclaws of course, I picked up my pace; I really didn’t want to have to face death claws without my heavy weaponry. We reached the town at about sundown; we were being tracked the whole time. We went to the local “hospital” a sturdy cement building that looked like it was once a car garage, and I dropped off the girl and her mom.
As I was walking I saw the “mayor’s office” a huge mansion just 100 yards away from the hotel, and thought it might be a good idea to warn the mayor that there is a pack of death claws roaming around just outside of town. I walked up to a big set of sturdy oak doors and knocked “BOOM BOOM” my knocks seemed to echo throughout the entire house. No answer I knocked again “who is it” came a mans sleepy reply, “My name is General Bradley the Brother Hood Knight that came into town this morning” I replied “I need to speak with you”. The door opened “come in” said a man, around 5’ 11” with slightly graying hair well built for a man is his position, the mayor seemed to have an honest look about him. “What is wrong” he looked at me from over his desk, we had sat down and he brought out a bottle of prewar brandy. “I was hired by the hotel owner to go and retrieve her daughter from the hands of the local punks that roam around these parts” I said “I was given directions to a cave where I found that all the punks had been killed”. “What happened to the girl” asked the mayor “she is resting at the hospital” I replied. “but what ive come to tell you is that I think that you have a pack of death claws stalking your town, you should double your patrols and petition for brotherhood help” he looked at me in silence “ok I will fill out the request forums to the brotherhood” he replied. “good, I will take them back with me when I return to my base tomorrow and with any luck a patrol will be station here within a few days” I said, in the silence that followed I downed the brandy. I stood “im going to go get some sleep, I’ve had a rough trip” I turned and left. I was tired fist I loose a squad to muties and then death claws come out to play. I walked to the hotel and used the keys that sherry gave me to unlock the doors, sherry was still at the hospital with her daughter.
I took my armor off and stood it up in a corner looking over my like a sentry, it was a huge breech in protocol to take off my armor outside the base but i was tired and i didn’t give a damn. I was lying there in the bed going over the past few day’s events, the imagery of fellow Brothers falling to the floor dead, the mutant i took apart with my ripper pulsed through his mind. I awoke with a start, there were sounds of explosions and gun shots were going off in the direction of the front gate. I hurriedly put on my armor and grabbed my Pankor and I ran out into the street, people were running for cover, panicky chaos was all consuming. I ran towards the sounds, coming upon a desperate battle for survival, the guards where being attacked by the death claws. I saw a guard go down his head removed by a monster of a beast, I ran to my hummer and grabbed two flamethrowers. Running up to the battle I gave the flamers to the guards and ordered them to “spray in the damned things general direction and stop them from getting close!” they did as I told them and they toasted a death claw like so much B-B-Q its shrieks of pain motivating the men to stand their ground. I spotted one trying to get around the streams of fire; I shouldered the Jackhammer and gave the fucker a burst. I hadn’t checked what kind of load my gun was loaded with but apparently they were slugs, the death claw flew to pieces its left shoulder flying 20 or so feet away from its mutilated corpse. Two down so far but I could see that there were about 3 more to go, the guards were keeping them off for now but I wasn’t sure how long that was going to last. I ran to my hummer and grabbed a rocket launcher with some Napalm rockets. Returning to the scene of the battle I notice that the flamers were running low and the deathclaws were advancing like hungry beasts on pathetic prey. I ran up shouldered the rocket and fired, the result was awesome a enormous ball of fire engulfed the deathclaws charring them instantly; a fiery crater was all that was left of the deathclaws.
I checked with the remaining guards to make sure there weren’t any seriously wounded. Injuries weren't bad besides the dead guard there was only one with bad injuries; his leg was hanging off, a deathclaw had gotten close and bit him. As I was helping the injured guard back to the hospital I ran across the mayor, wearing his combat armor and carrying an old but well cared for “Chicago piano” the old Tommy gun was loaded with a huge drum. “what the hell happened” the mayor said, he was ready for a fight I could tell, “deathclaws attacked the front gate” the guard I was helping said, “we lost the new guy, his head was torn clean off” the mayor was pissed he was absentmindedly fingering the trigger. “I don’t think they will be back tonight, if ever” I interjected “we kicked the shit out of them” I hated myself right then, I was wearing the most shit eating grin, “five deathclaws and only one loss for us is very good” I said. The mayor had calmed after a second and then he saw the injured guard, “well what the fuck are you standing here for! “Go get this man some help” I started off towards the hospital at a near run carrying the injured man.
I reached the hospital and was surprised to find that when I opened the door I was staring down the barrel of a sub-machine gun, it was sherry. When she saw that it was me she lowered her gun, “what the hell is going on! I heard explosions” to say that she was scared would have been an understatement. Jennifer, sherry’s daughter was sitting in a chair holding what appeared to be a sawed off shotgun, she looked at me once and then looked away. “This man needs help” I said as I moved into the building, “where is the doc?” I looked around. “He is down stairs, I will go get him” sherry ran into a room off to the side and I heard foot steps going down stairs. I set the man down on a bed, he wasn’t at much of a risk of bleeding to death but it was very painful for him to stand. The doctor came rushing up; he was a short bald man, wearing a white smock he looked like pictures of pre-war doctors of the past. As he examined the man I had brought in, he looked up at me but didn’t say anything.
We hung out at the hospital all night, the mayor came by the hospital at around dawn and recommended that sherry, Jennifer and I go and get some rest. We all agreed, and it was almost a mad jam at the door we all wanted nothing more than to get some sleep. As we headed for the hotel I tried talking conversationally, I looked at Jennifer “the doc give you a clean bill of health?” I asked. She looked smug “Yea, and now I suppose you are going to act like my mother and chastise me for running off with those terrible boys” she replied in a sarcastic tone. I thought about what to say in reply, she didn’t seem all worked up about the death of the punks so I can assume that she didn’t really care. “Why would I chastise you for running off with dead men?” I said, stabbing at dark humor. “they got theirs” I added a grim smirk crossed my face. Jennifer looked at me strangely “you really enjoy the pain of punks, and vermin don’t you?” she said, in that all so familiar tone the tone that many outside the brotherhood used when criticizing. I thought about how to answer, “I hate people that hurt others, I have taken an oath to never let evil live and I am under oath to unite the wasteland” I paused to let that sink in, “you cannot have unity when you have raiders, and punks terrorizing the people that are trying to survive” I finished feeling like an asshole, I swore to myself when I was a junior initiate I wouldn’t ever spread that load of shit around, my drill sergeant was to blame.
I could just see my drill sergeant standing there at the front door to the recruitment base telling us about the battles he had won, the people he had saved, and the technology he had recovered. We held him in the highest regard; he could have killed any of us with his bare hands, he was a true hero of the brotherhood.
