Well, if Raiders come back, then it'll be Raiders for dinner! Bwahahahaha

I'm not sure what I'll write next since that's the last part of that story. Though, I can make something as mundane as going to catch a Molerat into an epic story with her. I'm also thinking of another character I've created (he's going to be one of the vendors in my equipment mod) who is ...eccentric and unusual, but not in the same ways Jay is.

Okay I seem to enjoy writing Super Mutants who are mentally challenged in a whole different way than their brethren

Toccamatta's Last Stand
The High Inquisitor Toccamatta and sixteen of his best Super Mutant soldiers had been personally escorting General Barnaky back to Osceolla. Their victory over the Brotherhood of Steel had been final and bloody. Over half a dozen squads had fallen prey to a barrage of missile launchers, SAW machine guns and what he called 'non-canon' Cannons which had played a critical role in the battle. The massacre had been punctuated by the capture of the Brotherhood of Steel's leader.

"Something not right." One of the veteran Nightkin that composed Toccamatta's elite soldiers reported. He had used up a Stealthboy and scouted ahead while the rest lay low. Toccamatta already knew something was wrong. They should have been met by Gammorin already. But the base was on lockdown and no patrols or crazed ex-BOS Paladins had appeared. Toccamatta had hid his group and waited.

"Sith and Grail...Stay here with General." Toccamatta eventually decided to take his soldiers further toward the compound. If BOS were trying to rescue their leader then they would use the opportunity to spring their ambush. His two most vicious and deadly Nightkin had the eyes of demons and acknowledged his command with slight nods. Barnaky just sat between them, broken.

"Shiny..." Umbra pointed ahead as the Nightkin Super Mutants continued in skirmish formation ready for battle. Several went prone while others knelt. Hash and Creed plowed off to the right in a flanking manuever. Toccamatta had his own Taco the Fifty Calibre Machine Gun ready and loaded with armor piercing rounds which were especially effective against BOS he had found. It could even turn their APCs and Humvee's into Swiss Cheese. Toccamatta loved Swiss Cheese. It was awesome on ryebread with ham and mustard. After killing these fools he was going to get one from his Prewar vending machine in his interrogation room.

"Surrender and be Destroyed." A metallic voice repeated its one liner for the eight hundred and sixty third time. A humanoid robot stood boldly above them on a boulder aiming a Laser Rifle. Sable's head vanished and her bulk collapsed lifeless. Several of the Nightkin turned their ridiculously massive vehicle mounted weapons on their assailant and fired a long barrage into it riddling the thing with bullets. Sparks glowed in the desert dusk and it bled oil as it withstood the assault long enough to fire two more shots wounding Umbra and Skittles. Then it fell off the rock and broke apart into several pieces as it landed.

"Executing Combat Manuevers" Another chimed in. Before they could turn their wrath on it more popped up making this situation a proper ambush.

"Don't run...We are your Friends."

"Demonstrating superiority. Be intimidated."

"Resistance is Funny."

"Shoot me it Tickles"

"Let's see what makes you Tick"

"Prepare to be Aggrivated"

And a whole lot of other cheesy Robot combat taunts that had never been heard before. The Calculator had sent its most witty of warriors, sparing no expenses for this battle. These Robots had all been programmed to be especially original, which made their taunts special instead of random ones selected from a limited selection within their computer minds.

The Robots had all taken up positions so that they were firing down on the Nightkin from slightly elevated angles. Lasers crisscrossed without remorse or further delay. The Nightkin were standing in a shooting gallery, an execution firing squad. Soldiers who had served under Toccamatta all the way back when this had been the Master's army. One by one they fell under the relentless and merciless salvo of hot cutting red beams of energy. Their deathcries sang out across the desert.

"Fall back and regroup!" Toccamatta ordered his brave soldiers. They dropped their empty weapons and lifted those of their dead and dying comrades.

Toccamatta saw Creed battling one of their new enemies in meelee combat. The robots were not lacking there either. Blades had swung out of its wrists like scythes and it was slicing the Super Mutant to ribbons with unflinching brutality. After his body had taken the final blow Creed fell over Hash who had a bazooka loaded and hadn't lived to fire it.

"What that?" Skittles was normally the most fearless of all Super Mutants but her eyes widened as a giant beetle shaped machine rounded the small hill Creed and Hash had died on. She pulled out her Autoaxe and fought her way through two of the humanoid robots to reclaim the bazooka. She had one shot for the new machine.

"This for Sable!" She called to her target. Sable and her had been very close. The rocket streaked toward the hulking reaper and a tiny turret popped out and sprayed flak detonating the rocket early.

"I am a Behemoth. I am a Behemoth. I am a Behemoth" The giant machine seemed to be mocking Skittles. She took out a grenade and prepped it as she charged the robot goliath. Once she was under it she cut into it with her Autoaxe and planted the explosive. She ran from it as it shattered the rocks she ran past with heavy firepower from its forward turret. Then it went limp following a muffled explosion inside it.

"No I am a Behemoth!" Skittles stuck her tongue out at the dead machine.

"Regroup...Fall back NOW!" Toccamatta repeated his order over the thunderous roar of intense warfare. His few remaining soldiers followed him to their defensive area, some dragging their wounded like Umbra who left a trail of Super Mutant blood. Nearly all of them had been hit. Skittles didn't seem to notice the laser burn on her neck but others were dying.

"We hold here. Osceolla will send reinforcements." Toccamatta briefed his soldiers as the Robots mounted a pursuit.

Two more machine Behemoths provided cover and heavy firepower. Hoverbots were flanking them, firing rockets as they closed the distance for the kill.

"This is it!" Toccamatta stood over his grave weilding Taco defiantly. He poured an angry swarm of stinging bullets into the Behemoths putting plenty of holes in them but hardly slowing the metal demigods.

"Taste life: Die!" Sith hadn't had battle yet and returned fire with fresh enthusiasm. Two hover bots fell under his berserk blasting but a third ended his participation just as quickly.

"Super Mutant power forever!" Grail held a minigun in each hand tearing apart the humanoid robots. Suddenly an entirely new robot variant erupted from the ground behind their position. Grail didn't waste time examining their beautiful design. He shot two of the scuttling spider bots until they exploded and then the rest leapt onto him and dug into his vitals.

Umbra lay dying but managed to lift a SAW and cut several of the scuttler's off of Grail. They went for him next.

"We fight to the last!" Skittles stood back to back with Toccamatta as the machines closed in for the kill. Her meelee skills demolished plenty of them but then a forklift-like tank bot proved too much for her, impaling her and dragging her out of their dug in defensive position.

"MRAWRAWR!" Toccamatta lost his ability to articulate as his last Nightkin were overrun and butchered by the unyielding machines. His battlecry was accompanied by wild swinging of Taco like a club out-of-ammo. He smashed it like a delicate instrument on a humanoid robot's head doing enough damage to drop it alongside him as a salvo of laserfire cut him down.

Toccamatta grunted and moaned as he awoke amid the smoldering and crushed bodies of his fallen elite Super Mutants. They had taken some of the machines with them but they would be replaced. He managed to turn his head and see that Barnaky had been taken as a spoil of war. The robots had won.

He crawled free of the carnage toward Osceolla. Dawn was approaching and he didn't have much life left in him. He couldn't go any further. He rolled onto his back and lay there waiting for the Grim Reaper to find him.

"This one is still alive." He heard a BOS knight say to his squad leader. The Warrior came and saw for himself the mighty Toccamatta, famed nemisis of the Brotherhood of Steel laid low.

"Who did this to you?" He asked. Toccamatta tried to speak but blood was coughed out instead.

"Water." He managed to request.

"Give him some water, Stitch" The Warrior instructed. One of the humans cradled Toccamatta's head and fed him some water.

"All of mine are dead..." Toccamatta told the Warrior. "They came and they killed...took your General away."

"Who did?"

"Machines...Behemoth machines...man machines...creepy crawly machines...so many of them...They ambush and win..." Toccamatta stared up into the faces of the humans. "They worse than all of us fighting."

"Machines..." The Warrior frowned. Suddenly the petty fued between the BOS and the Super Mutants had lost much of its temperature.

"Warrior...Avenge us..." Toccamatta could feel his spirit slipping away.

"Rest now brave one...You shall be revenged." The Warrior assured him.

"Fare thee well." Toccamatta sighed and his final breath escaped. His soldiers waited for him on the other side...

That was epic and awesome. I really love the ending as it just has so many emotional components to it. Hell, the whole thing gives you a thrill and rush of emotions. I can just see them out there fighting to their last and never backing down or giving up.

Thank you.
I have had this story spinning around in my head for years. Finding Toccamatta dying in the game is the moment I decided that I loved FO:Tactics. It was...painful to see the guy I had been hating defeated by the Robots. I really did want to avenge him...

Rise of a Chieftain
The dance had been performed for hours. Now the fires were dying down and the uninitiated had retreated in pairs to the teepees. The first act of the funeral was complete. New life would be sparked in the darkness between couples.

"Why do you remain alone, childe?" A godling asked Cobalt as he watched the fires.

"I have already mated. I am ready to ascend." He claimed. He looked up into the eyes of the mourning godling. He recognized her as Aerie. One of the older godlings. Perhaps she would become the next chieftain.

"What new ones have you sired, childe?" She asked.

"None that I am sure of. I never paid much attention to lineage. But I have made quite a contribution to the effort." Cobalt wondered why Aerie was so concerned that he had kids. He knew in his heart he was ready to ascend.

"Once you have ascended you cannot go back, you will not be able to make offspring. You will always sit in the cold listening as the childes enjoy each others warmth. A godling is lonesome." Aerie sat next to him, her golden and green flesh looking beautiful in the firelight to Cobalt.

"A godling has died, a childe may take his place." Cobalt knew the ways of his people well. He had waited a long time for this.

"Yes and he was our chieftain. Now noone will be able to say whether you are worthy or not until another takes his place." Aerie seemed to be asking Cobalt to remain patient.

"How long have you lived? When was the last time a childe ascended?" Cobalt asked two questions that were only slightly related.

"I am old enough to tell you who your mother's mother was and even maybe who your sires were." Aerie smiled and the power of her face shone down on Cobalt.

"I did not know godlings paid such close attention to lineage." Cobalt was sincerely suprised.

"I do." Aerie stood. "It matters to me. I like to know who my descendants are."

"Aerie?" Cobalt asked her before she could leave him.

"Yes childe?"

"Who will become the next chieftain? Cannot I ascend if I would be the chieftain?" Cobalt asked.

"Only a godling may be chieftain." Aerie spoke after a long moment. "But if none will avenge him then you may claim that right...and ascend."

"I want to ascend now."

"All in good time. Wait three days. Your hopes do look good." Aerie sounded amused and impressed.
.
Three days were an eternity.
Cobalt niether slept nor ate.
Then the godlings came for him.
.
"Cobalt, if you would like to avenge our chieftain...then you may ascend to do so. But know that your death will be the end of this." Hanzo addressed him.

The childes all stood a distance away, afaid for Cobalt. Few had seen so many of the godlings gathered. Their numbers were not always replaced and they had allowed themselves to dwindle to two dozen.

"I am ready." Cobalt stated.

"When you ascend you might go mad. It is very painful. Not all are allowed to leave the holy place." Aerie spoke next. In turne each of the godlings gave him a warning. When they were done he stood weakly and followed them.

The holy place was on the shore of the lake in an ancient round building. They descended into it. In the lowest chamber was a large sealed vat.

"Take this into you first. It will help with the suffering you will endure. You must remain sane." Horus fed him powerful narcotic pain medicine.

"I am Cobalt." Cobalt stepped into the vat.

Fire. His limbs were on fire. His flesh was blistering. Needles of ice stabbing into his organs. The air svcked from his lungs by a cat goddess.
His eyes could see sounds. Bones were bleeding. Mind being crushed by the weight of the stars.
Ancestral echoes. Birth pain. A thousand body parts growing and stretching.
A nightmare about vomiting forth a demon made of sleep.
Veins twisting into knots.
Bile becoming cream.
Rising to the top.
Bursting like a row of glass statues.

Cobalt climbed from the vat. Its residue absorbed by his newly forming skin. He blinked open his eyes. The pain had been surreal. He remembered it like a strange and incoherant dream. It had lasted a very long time. A lifetime.

"Who are you?" A godling repeated the question.

"I...it...I am...I it...you are...I am..." He tried to speak. Forming words felt like an impossible task. A deep rage swelled inside of him like a storm.

"What are you? A different godling interrogated him.

"What is...who is...I am...What Cobalt." He pulled his own name to the surface of his mind like an anchor on a ship freed from the depths.

"Good. What is Cobalt?" She asked another question. Cobalt felt the rage returning but he wrestled with it, forcing it back down.

"I am Cobalt." He spoke with force. The murmured amongst themselves.

"How do you feel?"

"It hurt. I can't rememer very well. I have anger in me." He was honest. But they seemed to approve of his condition.

"You will remain in a special place for a time. When that time is gone you must avenge the chieftain. It is why you ascended." The same godling. She seemed very familiar.

"Aerie." He recalled her name.

"You will be fine. Your confinement is...tradition." Aerie assured him. He was taken to a room in the holy place with many fragile things stacked delicately about. They left him there alone.

He sat there in the cool dim place in quiet contemplation. Slowly suffering turned to eleation as he collected himself into a whole again. Becomeing a godling had been a second birth. A thousand times worse than the first. And he could remember it. At least disjointed parts of it.

Days passed and then the godlings returned. They did not seem suprised that he had passed their simple test.

Now one more remained.

"Each of us has a super spear as you well know." Aerie told him. "They were made long ago and contain much power. They are passed down from the dead to the living."

"I am to have one." Cobalt stated.

"Here it is." Aerie handed him the giant weapon. A lance of deadly weight and power.

"Sicarius." He read its name, engraved upon its shaft in tiny faded silver letters.

"Avenge the chieftain or die trying." Aerie said.

Several other godlings including Horus and Hanzo went with him to the Lake.

At the Lake the giants stood and watched as he embarked on a raft. The morning mist made it seem tranquil. Beneath the still surface lay a mighty killer.

Soapsud.

The giant Mirelurk Catfish. A beast of legend that had inspired their last chieftain to die in battle against it. Cobalt gripped Sicarius. In the Lake a spear had been lost. So had a chieftain.

He called to Soapsud.

"Feed my childes for a year. Make me their chief with your death. We are both gods now let us battle." He called to the monster. Soon it came

Soapsud rose to the surface and bore its wicked mouth of fangs and tenticles. Cobalt leapt onto it. They thrashed into the shallows.

He struck Soapsud with Sicarius over and over. Finnally he pierced its brain. He dragged its bulk up the the shore where he needed help from his other Super Mutant brethren.

They butchered its meat.

"Cobalt, Chieftain of the Lake peoples. May he live a thousand years and his childes grow strong and proud!" Aerie raised her own super spear. The childes bowed down.

A great celebration was held, similar to the funeral but with feasting.

It had grown late and Cobalt looked over his childes as they coupled off and retired for the night. He saw a lone female sitting and watching the fires die down.

The full moon shone beautifully on the Lake, weeping for the fallen Lake god. This had put Cobalt in a sentimental mood more than anything else had.

"Why are you alone, childe? You are one of the lovliest mothers. I am sure you could have had your choice of suitors." He sat across from her.

"I have already made offspring. One of them was yours. Have you seen her? She is growing up fast." She told the godling.

"I will watch over her. And her offsprings. All the childes are mine now." Cobalt smiled down on her patronly. She smiled back.

"You are a great chieftain, godling Cobalt." She informed him. She curled up in his moonshadow and slept contently.

Cobalt felt lonesome.

I wonder how that specific situation came about? It'd be interesting to hear more about these tribes and how they got started.

The Lake Peoples:
Their vat is a high quality one left over from the days when a Super Mutant army ruled the area. That's as far as I have gotten. Maybe the first 'godling' of the tribe was a chief or shaman that discovered the left over vat and 'survived' becoming a Super Mutant.
Anyway they breed their childes (humans) to withstand the dipping and then use conditioning, drugs and lore to 'guide' them through it producing sentient Super Mutants.
Oh, yeah, the super spears are pre war and ultimately determined how many godlings there were to be. It is their tradition that each godling gets their own super spear.
There are several prominant npcs among the Super Mutant godlings also:
Aerie (the unofficial leader, nicknamed Granny),
Horus (their 'doctor'),
Hanzo (the teacher of warriors) and
Reed (not mentioned in the story but one of the oldest and wisest.).
None of them want to be Chieftain. The chieftain's role is that of the champion and fighter among them.
.
I will continue to develop their history in my own thread by having Cobalt mention it piecemeal. Hopefully this will lead to more such stories here if you like. At the moment I haven't really given it a lot of thought.
.
btw when are you gonna post another Super Mutant tale on this thread?

Ah, okay. I look forward to reading those, then, as I really really want to know more!

I'll probably write more, but I've not yet chosen anything precise yet. That and I'm trying to joing an RP and hoping that it doesn't die like the last one I tried to join That's where Jay came from: she was originally a character for an RP here that never got going. I have plenty more character ideas, though, so the well is far from dry! I just need to sort through them and pick one, or maybe write more about Jay.

Okay, Verisco suggested I start putting these in a thread and I thought it'd be a good idea. These are excerpts from a much larger story that I've been writing for a long time now about Kane and Fawkes and their adventures. I can't post all of that story here (there's large chunks of it that are uhh.. a bit beyond what is allowed here), but these excerpts I can trim down and post for fun I'll pick through the story and post ones I think might be funny or interesting, so they're not going to all be in one post. Also, some of these might seem familiar as I've used very condensed versions of some of the quotes in my sig before.

~

"I hope you got a good reason for bringing a super mutant into town, boy." At least the self-proclaimed 'Sheriff' of the settlement knew better than to assume anything, especially where Kane was concerned, just because Kane was about as predictable as a wildfire at times and required special handling.

His chin held up proudly, extruding self-confidence and authority, the slender man answered in an even, if slightly harsh tone, "Lucas Simms, this is my friend. His name is Fawkes." The words were very clear because a zone of dead silence had surrounded them, townspeople stopping in their tracks to watch.

Brown eyes inspected the mutant up and down, almost if Lucas was sizing him up, then he finally said, "Fawkes, is it? Don't think I've ever heard of a super mutant with a name before."

Surprising himself, and Kane who was practically vibrating in pride at this point at how level and calm his friend was remaining, he responded to Sheriff Simms, "I prefer the term 'Meta-human', personally, though I cannot say the same for my lesser-minded brethren." Looking down at the black man, he inclined his head politely. "Kane has spoken to me of you and has had nothing but nice things to say. That you keep the peace in such a lawless place is impressive indeed."

The very air seemed to be filled with surprise as everyone around them listened to Fawkes speak. He was as articulate and polite as ever, his tone one of respect towards Lucas. "Well I'll be damned," the Sheriff finally said, shaking his head and smiling despite himself. "Welcome to Megaton then, Fawkes." He extended a hand and it was taken in a huge one and shook carefully. "Kane sure knows how to pick 'em."

"He is a very wise and intelligent man, even though he may seem to be rude at times," he replied, seeing Kane working hard on not blushing out the corner of his eye and smiling inwardly. "You do well to welcome him and any he deem proper to bring within these walls, not just myself."

"I'll keep that in mind," was the response.

~

"Don't mind the smoke!" was the reply from the back of the shop. "It's perfectly"-cough-"safe to breathe!"-cough cough. Kane rolled his eyes at the petite woman with fiery red hair who emerged from the more dense smoke around the workshop. She was waving a hand in front of her face. "Phew!" Then she stopped, dead in her tracks, eyes falling on Fawkes and growing wide, but not for the usual reason people's eyes bugged when they first saw him. "Kane!" she said excitedly, "Introduce me to your large friend there!"

This failed to surprise the pale man at all. He had just known that Moira would be falling all over herself to welcome his friend, though he glanced up into green eyes that had widened ever so slightly in alarm at Moira's actions thus far. Snickering just a little, he finally said, "Moira, this is Fawkes. Fawkes, Moira Brown." Whispering, he added, "If she tries to talk you into anything, be firm in telling her no." She was safe enough, so he left his mutant friend to talk with her while he made use of the workshop. He'd scavved some weaponry and he wanted to see if it was worth anything.

Meanwhile, Fawkes was finding out why Kane talked about Moira the way he did. "A real, live super mutant! Oh, come over here and have a seat. I'm sure the two of you must be tired from all the walking Kane does. Fawkes is it? Oh, you don't mind if I ask you a few questions, do you? I promise they wont be very long!" Fawkes caught his friend's eye across the room and sent a pleading look that just got him an amused wink in return.

Hearing the interrogation begin, Kane smirked a bit as he took apart a broken plasma pistol he'd picked up outside Raven Rock. Even when fleeing for his life, he was loathe to leave anything valuable laying around. Honestly, he'd wished he could have grabbed more, but there just wasn't enough time. Maybe when the mountain was done imploding, he'd go back and see if there where any bits left.

~

"-over seven hundred rads!" Moira exclaimed as Kane walked back up to the counter, carrying what bits he deemed salvageable from the odds and ends he'd picked up.

Rolling his eyes, Kane said, "Are you talking about me again, Moira? How much will you give me for this stuff?" He placed the parts on the counter, giving Fawkes a sidelong glance. That look was replied to by his friend lifting one hand and making a circular motion around his ear with his index finger. Kane snorted.

Picking through Kane's offering, Moira huffed, "Only talking about the best research assistant ever!"

Sweet! More adventures of Kane and Fawkes, please? My poor brain is filling in all kinds of blanks. I'll just be over here.

Okay, one more for tonight

~

The large, intelligent super mutant was musing to himself if, in fact, his friend was quite insane. From the short amount of time he'd spent outside, it occurred to him that insanity seemed to be one of the many survival instincts humanity had taken to and now he wondered that, despite the young man's obvious intelligence, if he was also mad as well. It would certainly explain their current.. activity.

Well, not Fawkes' activity so much as Kane's. He was simply watching as the human did his thing, whatever bizarre thing that might be. Oh, sure, it was obvious what he was doing, but the why had been quite lost on him in the burst of excited pvssyr before he'd been shushed and told to hold still.

Crossing his burly arms, the mutant leaned against the poor excuse for a wall he'd claimed while he watched Kane make an ass of himself. To think, he mused, this was the same human whom was a self-proclaimed bad-ass. If only there were other witnesses now to the Lone Wanderer's antics. His mouth quirked slightly in a secret smile as dull green eyes tracked the smaller man's movements.

What seemed, in theory, simple enough, was apparently quite the task. Kane trotted this way and that, crouching into a sneak every so often as he chased his quarry around the small patrol circuit it was following. Had he been trying to catch the thing, surely he would have done so by now, but apparently that wasn't the point. He had to catch it.. unawares.

The Enclave Eyebot, despite its lack of broadcast to fill the air with, still happily bobbed this way and that, emitting a high-pitched whirring noise that sounded like a tiny desk fan. It would acknowledge its pursuer every few minutes by dipping to give Kane a glance, but other than that, it seemed to not understand the peril it was under. Though, what that peril might be, Fawkes wasn't entirely sure, but he knew it had to do with the overly-shiny wrench his friend was currently wielding.

After at least ten minutes of this odd game of cat and mouse, Kane crowed excitedly, the Eyebot laying on the ground, deactivated but still intact. "Buggers are so bloody hard to catch," he said with a certain amount of pride in his voice. "They'll blow up on you if you knock them too hard."

Please sir, may I have another?

~

"Let's blow this joint," Kane said as he walked up to where Fawkes was leaning against a wall, eyes downcast. That same misery filled the air almost and even Butch seemed to notice it.

"He went quiet a few minutes after you left," he informed Kane. "I figure, he don't want to be bothered, I ain't gong to bother him." Pulling the other man to the side, Butch showed an amazing amount of tact and spoke lowly, not knowing that even if he whispered, Fawkes would hear what he was saying, "Dude, I think the huge guy ain't feeling so hot."

Forced to deal with this first, Kane was itching more and more to just get out of here, feeling almost caged and his worry was gaining steam. "He doesn't like being in a [censored] Vault, Butch. He lived in one.. those [censored]s did that to him, made him like that. He was human, but they experimented on him without his consent--he didn't even know until it was too late. Also, you might as well not try and keep your voice down, because he can still hear you, even if we went to the other end of the hallway and whispered. Got some damned impressive hearing."

Looking a bit caught and uncomfortable, Butch cast a wary glance at the Super Mutant, but it seemed as if Fawkes was ignoring them, eyes trained on something only he could see. Like the others, he felt that the whole Vault idea was just bad news and Kane had all but proved it. "Well, I knew these vaults weren't any good!" he responded, trying to act indifferent about the whispering. "Your friend there, he's an alright guy once you get over the whole size thing. He and I was talking and he's just like anybody else, but man, he seemed so.. I dunno.. depressed. Don't blame him, either."

Honestly surprised, Kane blinked a few times, making sure that yes, it was Butch DeLoria in front of him and not some impostor. Butch, of all people, would be the last person he'd expect to actually be friendly to Fawkes. Maybe the man was finally growing up. "Thank you," he said, getting a curious look from the other man. Smiling a bit, he said, "For not judging him. For treating him like any other human."

Patting at his greased hair nervously, Butch shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Yeah, well, the cat can't help what other jerks did to him, right? Ain't his fault."

"Butch DeLoria, I do believe you are going soft," Kane proclaimed, smiling.

"Eh," was the reply, "I'm not, I'm just thinkin' he'd make a great Tunnel Snake, ya know?"

More Eyebot love. Also, someone please bore a hole in Kane's head to drain the sap out.

~

All business now, he said, "We should probably just head back to the little hellhole we stayed in last night. If we're lucky, that Eyebot is still there." He'd placed the little metallic creature on a guard patrol around the outside of the house, making one lap around every few minutes or so. If nothing had attacked it, it was likely still circling happily around the house. "I really don't want to travel today. Not lazy, but when these wear off, well you know how I can get. Rather not waltz into Megaton looking drunk out of my mind. Lucas would have some kind of fit, I'm sure."

"If you believe this is the best course of action, then I shall follow your lead." He watched, slightly fascinated by Kane's pupils slowly dilating until there was the barest circle of blue around the pool of black. Somewhere in the back of his mind he found the knowledge what those actually did, other that apparently destroy migraines, and was watching his friend closely as they set out, heading back to Springvale. He knew the 'coming down' Kane experienced was withdrawal, that his friend was addicted to the drug and normally, would have commented on this, but he'd seen Kane in the grips of one of his migraines and, well, drug addiction was just the price he had to pay. He wouldn't wish such horrible agony on anyone, except possibly a few of his brethren in Vault 87, but that was another matter entirely.

When they arrived back at the ranch, Kane was mostly back to normal, though his senses were sharper and he was babbling a little about this and that. "Oh good," he paused his rant on the dangers of flammable gas near running electronics, "It's still here." It was a little scratched and was sporting a fashionable dent, but was otherwise still working, making its circuit around the house. Kane was happy he thought to upgrade its laser with one from an extra laser pistol he'd been carrying around. The pistol was pretty much busted, but the laser was in perfect condition and the Eyebot's current status of "not in a million pieces" could attest to that.

It was a bad habit of his and he had no idea when it started, but Kane got some kind of weird amusemant out of reprogramming the robots he repaired to respond to all sorts of ridiculous things. "President Eden is over here wearing nothing but boxers!" he exclaimed, snickering afterwards, and the 'bot obediently floated over to him. Fawkes gave him a bewildered look that he only responded with "What?" before checking the Eyebot over for any damage that could be repaired.

"Well, he's a bit banged up, but nothing I can't fix. We've still got a few hours until night anyway and it'll probably take me that long to get him back in tip top shape." Turning to his Eyebot and making Fawkes reconsider the state of his sanity, he cooed to it, "Aw whose a good little Eyebot? Daddy Kane will make the ouchies go away." Humming a bit to himself, he found a rock to sit on that was big enough for Fawkes to join him, which he did, before deactivating the machine and digging in.

Fawkes was definitely reaching alarmed at his friend's behavior, even the Mentats couldn't account for that, but either Kane failed to notice his worry, or was ignoring it. "My friend.. are you in full control of your facilities at this moment?"

Kane stopped fiddling with the stabilizer he had in about twenty pieces to look up at Fawkes. "Oh god," he suddenly said, realizing what his friend meant. "You probably think I've gone off my nut. I just get.. lonely out here sometimes, so I'll talk to things. It probably is a bit crazy, but it's better than the damned silence. As for the cooing, uh," he paused to look slightly embarrassed. "I think it's funny."

Relieved, the large man shook his head in wonder. "You never cease to surprise me, my friend. You are one who has many things to think, but never the time for all of them."

"You know," Kane said, getting back to work, "My dad used to tell me that. He'd say 'There's only twenty-four hours in a day, son, you should relax a little and not try to make it longer.' I've mellowed quite a bit since then, if you'd believe it, and yet sometimes I just feel ready to burst. Okay, part of that is the drugs, but I've still got my days where I'm just.. excited over nothing. It's a hell of a lot worse when you're all alone. I guess I've just used some of my thinking time to come up with ways to amuse myself." Pausing briefly, he smiled up at Fawkes. "But hey, I don't need to do that anymore."

"I would dislike to begrudge you of your eccentric hobbies. I find them to be quite entertaining and fascinating." Which he really did. He enjoyed Kane's babbling when they walked, enjoyed the odd completely bizarre things his friend would do out of nowhere. Kane was just.. interesting to watch, how the man had so many layers to him, how he could be an ass-hole to someone one minute and then turn around in the next and give him one of those smiles that made him feel warm and fuzzy inside. Fawkes didn't doubt that Kane likely suffered from some mental disorder, he'd be surprised if the man didn't, but he was Kane and that was okay with Fawkes.

Super Mutants the Musical

The voice of the Super Mutant Bard (a behemoth) soared out over the bleak hills as he stood upon a big flat topped boulder on the very peak of one great hill. He spread his arms out to the sky as he sang.

"Can't anybody feel sorrow for a poor Super Mutant soul?"

"Can't anybody tell we didn't choose to be this way?"

"Can't anybody see that if we bash in your head, that deep inside we?"

The Brothers of Steel Chorus broke in then from where they stood almost shiny on top of another hill.

"Super Mutants, as dumb as a brick!"

"Super Mutants, bigger than a brick s**** house!"

"And nastier than a sack full of wolverines!"

Super Mutant Bard, again:

"Can't anybody feel sorrow for a poor Super Mutant soul?"

"Can't anybody tell we didn't choose to be this way?"

"Can't anybody see that if we bash in your head, that deep inside we?"

The Super Mutants Chorus added their bit.

"Super Mutants, hammer bash crash!"

"Super Mutants, blast bang boom!"

"Super Mutants, crack snap kill!"

Super Mutant Bard!

"Can't anybody feel sorrow for a poor Super Mutant soul?"

"Can't anybody tell we didn't choose to be this way?"

"Can't anybody see that if we bash in your head, that deep inside we?"

The Brothers of Steel Chorus!

"Oh we love to kill a Super Mutant!"

"Oh yes we really do!"

"We love the smell of burning Super Mutant in the morning!"

Super Mutant Bard!

"Can't anybody feel sorrow for a poor Super Mutant soul?"

"Can't anybody tell we didn't choose to be this way?"

"Can't anybody see that if we bash in your head, that deep inside we?"

"Really don't give a damn!"

As you leave the theatre please don't forget to buy our bargain priced Super Mutants the Musical coffee cups, Tshirts and tea towels, just $100 each plus tax.

:lmao: I love it! Was not expecting that last bit!

Had to do some intensive work on this one. Thanks, Kikaimegami! :talk:

In which we learn Kane has a very foul temper, an even more foul vocabulary, and Fawkes is obviously the only sane one of the pair.

Also lol@Bael

~

Paladin Bael was in the middle of what one might call a 'conniption fit' as he had a heated argument with Kane. Fawkes stood silently by, keeping the young man between himself and Bael at all times, not wanting to be anywhere close to coming in contact with the overtly rude man.

They'd honestly been lucky that they weren't simply shot at on sight, but luckily all the snipers knew Kane, could recognize the pale man even at that distance simply due to the fact that he was so pale, and knew better than to shoot at him. Kane had the rather uncanny ability to, for one, not get hit on the first shot, and also to return fire rather quickly--most of this speed due to the V.A.T.S. program built into the Pip-Boy attached to his left arm, but there was at least some part that was simply Kane's volatile temper.

The super mutant had not ever really seen his friend well and truly angry. Sure, he'd seen him extremely upset, especially when confronted by the Overseer of Vault 101, but nothing like the unholy rage that shook his entire slender frame and caused him to shout right in the Paladin's face. Fawkes was, to put it mildly, surprised at just how angry Kane was capable of getting. He didn't blame his friend, not one bit, but it still caught him off guard.

If not for his height--or lack thereof--Kane would have been nose-to-nose with the Paladin, burning holes right through his eyes with his enraged glare. Instead, he settled for shouting up at Paladin Bael, close enough that it could be considered shouting into the other man's face. Even his Brotherhood Outcast powered armor--and that certainly didn't earn him any brownie points in this situation--couldn't make up for the fact he was so short. He seemed to try and make up for it in anger and volume.

The two had been arguing back and forth for some time while the Knights standing nearby simply watched the drama unfold. None of them were close to stupid enough to try and break up the fight, nor were they willing to shoot at the super mutant that had came with Kane and was obviously with the angry little man. Anything that kept them out of Kane's warpath was worth it.

It wasn't that the entire Brotherhood of Steel feared the lithe, pale young man, but that Elder Lyons himself had indicated Kane was to go on undisturbed with his business within the Citadel. The fact that Kane had a knack for causing disturbance was what made them all give the man his space and try to not rile him up. Sarah had shown some fondness for this man and none of them wanted to face her if anything happened to Kane either by his own initiative, or if one of them finally had enough.

Things were certainly looking dire for Paladin Bael if he kept it up for much longer.

If there was ever a time when Kane could say that he was seeing red, it was now. "I swear to [censored] God himself or Atom Almighty that if you don't get out of my goddamned way you'll be a pile of ash before you even know what [censored] hit you!" He was more than willing, ready, and able to back up this threat, holding Sovereign in both his hands. Sure, it wasn't pointed at anyone at that moment, but it could definitely be in the blink of an eye and with a step backwards, Kane could have it aimed at Bael's right nostril if he wanted to. He'd have naught a regret about it, either.

"I'm not going to take this from the likes of you, you upstart little Vault brat," Bael replied, wondering if he could shove his minigun into Kane's stomach and let loose before the young man could get a shot off. Probably the only thing that kept this from being action instead of thought was the rather large Gatling Laser that the super mutant was holding at the ready, having whipped out the over-sized and heavy barrel at the first hint of danger--not even danger to himself, but to Kane. Even if he could turn Kane into Swiss cheese first, he highly doubted he'd live much longer after that, especially at this range. "If you honestly think we'll let a mutie inside, then you're delusional."

That was, apparently, that and Kane's unchecked fury finally boiled over at the insult to his friend. He clocked the Paladin upside the head with the butt of his rifle hard enough to send him to the ground and had the muzzle pressed against his jaw before anyone realized what was going on. Of any of them, only Fawkes had seen it coming. "You watch your goddamned mouth!" he snarled, shaking all over with his anger. He heard his friend say something, but over the rushing of blood in his ears, he couldn't tell what it was. He was too focused on Bael at the moment.

"Kane," Fawkes tried again, attempting to get the young man's attention before this escalated any further than it already had. He really didn't want to shout and risk startling his friend, but it was obvious Kane either wasn't listening, or honestly couldn't hear him. Another few tense seconds ticked by and finally he let go of the gat's barrel with his left hand, holding it at his side with his right and using the now free hand to grab a shoulder as he practically roared his friend's name to jerk him out of his enraged trance, "KANE!"

The slender body jerked in surprise, but his aim never wavered and his trigger finger was perfectly controlled. Slowly, he backed off, letting Fawkes pull him away so the Paladin could regain his feet. With some whispered words, the mutant had him lowering his rifle and letting go of the trigger. He still shook all over in anger, but he wasn't liable to shoot anyone now. Watching the Paladin get up, the slender man was perfectly silent, the only sound he really made was his deep breaths as he tried to calm himself down. He couldn't really feel the hand on his shoulder through the thick armor, but knowing it was there was enough to help calm him.

His voice still shaking a bit, but at a much more controlled volume this time, Kane sighed, saying, "Just let us through. I'm too tired for this [censored]." Bael glared at him, which he returned in kind, until the Paladin finally relented, stepping aside. He might've challenged Kane for that, but it had knocked some sense into him and he realized that with his permission or no, Kane was getting in with the mutant.

"Thank you," was the response to their being allowed in and Kane rubbed his temples, dreading the migraine that was going to originate from that little standoff. He shuffled past the others, Fawkes following him silently, until they were past the outer doors.

Putting the gat away completely now, Fawkes finally pulled Kane up short even as the young man searched around in his pack for his emergency migraine stash--he'd even remembered to fully stock it as he knew he'd be needing it a lot. "Perhaps," he said after Kane had taken his pills and was looking less in pain, "It would be in both our best interests for you to stay your temper while we do this task."

A deep sigh escaped Kane and he really wished he could just get himself wrapped up in those big arms and properly soothed, feeling far too on edge. "Yeah, I know, but.. [censored]. Just... [censored]. [censored] [censored] [censored]. [censored] [censored] [censored] [censored]s. [censored]."

Sensing Kane was finally done, he spoke up once more, understanding what the stream of swearing was about without needing to ask, "I shall permit your foul language if it helps you to keep yourself under control."

That finally got a laugh out of Kane as more of the tension seeped from him. "Ass," he responded, finally moving again and pushing the double-doors to the Bailey open. Making a rude grunt at the Knight standing aside the entrance door who had twitched the grip on his gun at seeing Fawkes, Kane silently lead his friend around to the Lab entrance, scowling a bit as he went along. Since they were finally inside the Citadel, nobody stopped them, but they sure didn't look happy about the situation. Kane couldn't have cared less.

Browsing the forum, I came upon "Super Mutant, the Musical"...

...and fell off the chair laughing.

:rofl:

:thumbsup:

YOU R.O.C.K!!!!

Thanks D.Foxy.

You can attribute Super Mutants the Musical to deep tiredness and too much coffee late at night.

But thanks again.

Kikaimegami, your writing is wonderful.