YOU, my friend, have a lot of free time. Great story though.

Excellant! I just took the time to read the last few posts of yours, and you, sir/madam, have my approval! :goodjob:

I love the length. It's pretty rare to find something this long on these forums. It's definitely up to my standards of writing, and I applaud you for it.

Your story is very well thought out and written to a high standard, such as that could be found only in published books.

You should consider writing more Fallout novelizations, although a lot of publishers are as greedy as Wernher :deal: :chaos:

I wish I could write with such quality.

Chapter 4

The old man lay in his wheelchair like a rag doll, head slumped to one side and very little strength left to him at his age. Like most evenings, he'd been wheeled out onto the balcony of his penthouse suite on the doctors' orders. The night air was supposed to be good for him. Allistar Tenpenny didn't know what difference it made considering he did all his breathing from an oxygen tank these days, but the young doctor had done him a lot of good, and he had an excellent? referral. The sprawling landscape in view was once desolate and dead, but thanks to the scientific discoveries at Rivet City, and the Capital Traders, most of the land around his standing tower were now covered by farms.

The deal he'd worked out with the trade group made a lot of people very rich, and made people like him even more rich. But he hadn't reached the position he was in by letting others get anything that he could have instead. They'd been planning the attacks for a few years now, and the plan was carefully thought out and planned. It would have been executed much more efficiently and effectively if their hand hadn't been forced so soon.

"Damned Crowley?" he muttered to himself, his brain addled and his speech blurred by a series of pain killers, energy enhancers, and mood stabilizers. Wasn't easy staying alive for nearly a hundred years in a radioactive wasteland, but money and drugs sure helped.

The door behind him slid open and a pale skinned young man in a lab coat was lead out onto the balcony by one of Tenpenny's guards.

"How are we doing this evening Mr. Tenpenny?" he said in a soft voice. "Are the adjustments to your prescription we made helping you sleep better?" Allistair mumbled something unintelligible, to which the doctor replied, "Good, Mr. Tenpenny, that's very good." He smiled at his elderly employer, and leaned in low near his face, going through a nightly routine of a check-up to make sure the old bastard could be kept alive yet another day. As he checked his pupils, dilated and glazed by the meds, he leaned in close, whispering softly into Tenpenny's ear.

The guards just figured the doctor was reporting to the old man the happenings of the tower and his affairs, as he was regarded by most to be a spy for Tenpenny, acting as eyes and ears for the nearly paralyzed elderly man. No one really trusted Doctor Russ. He'd shown up a few years earlier out of nowhere, claimed he was the best medical help Tenpenny could get, and very shortly became one of Tenpenny's closest confidantes.

Anyone who'd stood in Russ's way seemed to run into trouble sooner or later, getting caught doing something they shouldn't, suffering from random and often times fatal accidents, or just plain disappearing. People in the tower knew the doctor had a hand in all this, but with the young man's power and influence, it was inevitable that eventually no one would stand in his way.

So Russ came up to Allistair Tenpenny's suit every evening, pumped him full of drugs to keep him alive, whispered secrets into his ears, and then left. It was a routine that had grown old and monotonous, and such a normal part of life in the tower that it was expected.

This particular evening the doctor seemed to be in a better mood than usual. As he finished with Tenpenny, he stood up and faced the glass doors leading into the suit, with the two guards on either side. The light from within the room reflected off of his large glasses, obscuring his eyes, and he had a large grin plastered on his otherwise featureless face.

The guard shivered involuntarily, and was glad to lead the man out of the suit. The doctor knew how he made these people feel, and he enjoyed it, cultivating an air of the sinister about him. It kept people afraid of him, and it worked to his purposes. And as for tonight, well after so many years, tonight he'd finally caught his prey, his nemesis. He had in his chambers the single thing that had fueled his hate all these years, driven him to reach his current position of power and influence. Now that he'd achieved his primary goal he figured he would continue on with all the other plans, but tonight, well tonight was all his own. He controlled his steps all the way back to his section of the tower, not wanting to give away the glee and excitement he felt. He had his prize, and he intended to do very bad things to her.

* * *

I read some of the more recent replies. Wanted to say thanks for all the kind words. I do think I have a long ways to go before I get to the level of writing that I want to be at, but that's one of the main reasons I'm doing this, kind of a daily writing exercise.

And for all the free time I may have, it still doesn't feel like enough to get everything done!

Six hours had passed since Marie and Straw arrived at the smoking remains of Megaton. Evening had turned to night, and now dawn was creeping its way over the horizon. In that time they'd found a lot more survivors then they could have hoped for, and with every able hand to join the group, their efforts at reaching more people in need multiplied. Aid was trickling in from Paradise and Big Town, and representatives from the Capital Traders had shown to help organize the relief effort.

Straw had worked as hard as anyone the entire time, never mentioning her urge to return home and help with the defenses of Rivet City. Marie finally had to push her into the TankBus, and insist she go back and at least check up on things.

"I'll come back as soon as I can!" she cried, unhappy to leave her friend.

"You'll do no such thing!" Marie said sternly. "As soon as I'm done here, I'll head over to Rivet City myself. The rate that army was moving, I may actually make it before they arrive."

Neither girl believed this claim but they both accepted it as a substitute until the eventuality of real life corrected it. Marie watched her friend drive off, the first rays of light guiding her way east. She felt haggard, overworked. She needed a break, and enough capable people were taking care of things to allow her to rest. Instead of relaxing, or taking a few hours to sleep however, she made her way to where the remains of her garage stood. The building had been torched, lying now in a pile of rubble, but that was just the top floor, which was mostly for show. She moved some of the debris and junk aside, and felt along the dirt on the ground until her hands came upon what she was looking for. She pulled up on a handle cleverly hidden below a layer of earth, twisting it to release the hydraulic locks, and open the round door leading below the garage. She didn't bother hiding her actions, as this was the last time she would be going down there. And as curious onlookers stood by, she descended into the hole and climbed down a set of iron rungs built into the wall.

When she reached the end, twenty feet below the door, she turned around to face her real workspace. Hidden from the general public, people who always stopped by to gawk at her latest design, or ask endless questions about what she was working on, was an underground chamber containing all of her projects. Various weapons still in preliminary testing, attempts at fixing, rebuilding, or reinventing parts for the TankBus, and piles of junk and parts littered the cramped room. The only two other people who knew of this space were Moira and Straw. Not even Marie's mother knew of the secret garage, though she'd long suspected one existed somewhere. She hadn't come down here for inventions though, and her theory was confirmed when she saw her employee slumped in an overstuffed chair in the corner, a thin smile across her face.

Moira lifted her head to greet her boss and friend, and ended up coughing painfully instead. Marie was immediately at her side, and noticed the dark stain on the older woman's shirt. "I didn't come down here 'till I couldn't fight anymore," she said in a weak voice when the coughing subsided. "I took down a few of 'em before they shot me."

Marie put a finger up in front of her mouth, the universal symbol for quite, "It can't be too bad if you survived this long. Don't worry, we'll have a medic down here in a second." She went to the opening at the other end of the garage, and yelled up the tunnel to the people looking down for a doctor, and then hurried back to Moira.

"It's no use Marie, I'm a lot worse then I look. I've just?" she started coughing again, and the younger girl noticed blood this time. "I've been holding on with the last of my straight, waiting for you. I knew you'd come?"

Marie watched the woman who was once her teacher, now her most trusted employee, and always her friend as she struggled though her final moments. "I needed to tell you a couple things? that are important. You're mother? she knew this sort of thing could happen someday." She ignored Marie's surprised look and continued. "She gave me a holotape message for you if anything really bad like this happened. It's? it's in my pocket, in my pants? Just grab it." Marie reached in and pulled it out, quickly putting it in her own pocket after glancing at it.

"One last thing Marie," Moira said, blood now trickling down her chin from the ever more frequent bouts of coughing. "The raiders? look at their eyes."

Marie had an idea of what the dieing woman was talking about. The raiders they came across who were still alive all had blood shot eyes. Every bit of white replaced instead by dark red.

"There was something wrong with those people Marie? they weren't normal, they weren't? fully human?" Moira began violently coughing again, only this time as it slowly subsided, so too did her breathing, no sign of a medic in sight. Marie held onto her friend for another moment, eyes dry after all the tears she'd already shed. She then walked back to the ladder and climbed to the top. She coolly walked to where the remaining living raiders were gathered. None of them were a danger as each was completely incapacitated, as though every one of them fought to the very end, missing limbs or the end of their lives being the only way to stop them. Those few remaining were all nearly dead as it were, and it was decided early on that they would be left to die, no one wanting to waste the limited medical supplies they had on an enemy that had so thoroughly hurt them. Indeed after all the destruction, wasting a bullet to end their sorry lives seemed a kindness.

The determined young girl walked up to one of the dieing raiders, a man with both his legs missing, and most of his body torn to shreds by shrapnel. She held up his head by the chin and took a long look at his blood red eyes, staring back at her with hate and violence, before shooting him twice with her laser pistol. As the man's muscles slumped in a lifeless pile, she took one last look into his eyes, and watched the red drain away, and revert to normal. Moira had been onto something. Something was defiantly wrong with these raiders.

The sound of boots on loose dirt approached from behind, and she turned around to see Harden Simms. The young man was now wearing his father old cowboy hat and grim determination on his face. "You said these bastards were headed to Rivet City?" Marie nodded confirmation. "Well, I just finished burying my dad, or what was left of him." Pain shot across his features before he continued, "Now I'd like to do some avenging, and figure I go there with you."

"And how do you know that's where I'm headed Harden?" she asked.

"Well, I saw your friend Straw head off that way in that TankBus of yours an hour ago, and figured it wouldn't be long before you'd need to reunite with them, seeing as how you ain't ever apart for more then a few minutes."

Marie couldn't help but smile. "You know me pretty well don't you Sheriff Simms."

"Oh no, not anymore," said the young man. "I'm just Mr. Simms now. No more town to be sheriff of? not after this massacre.


* * *

Ren finished reading the transmitted message, and then turned off the computer. He looked over at his two companions, lounging at opposite ends of their temporary base of operations. With Milky on one side, known for his large size, and legendary fist fighting prowess, and Robin on the other, the quietest assassin he'd ever worked with, they made up the Grey Claw. Known as one of the premier Talon Company hit man teams, they were sent out to only the most difficult and dangerous missions, and had a 100% success rate. Ren was the informal leader of the group, and possibly the best sniper in all the Capital Wasteland.

"We have ourselves a new target friends," he said to the two with a thick Russian accent, "and considering the pay, this seems to be our biggest job to date."

His companions smiled, and without a word, got up and started collecting their things. After two failures already, the Grey Claw would have to salvage the Talon Company name and capture the target once and for all.

Interesting read!

Subscribed.

This is very good! Seriously, try and get a publisher for this.

I'm glad you're using Hawkens, i was beginning to think this was just all about girls >_>

Chapter 5

The wind swept through Straw's short-cropped black hair as she sped across the Wasteland in the TankBus. She'd managed to take a longer, curved path to avoid the raider army, and thanks to their slow movement speed, she felt confident she would reach Rivet City long before they did. She wasn't happy about leaving her friend behind, and she would have much preferred to have Marie with her for the coming times, but there seemed little choice in the matter. As she thought about the events of the day, it seemed odd how none of the raiders were left behind at Megaton.

What were they after anyway? What, or by the way the Super Mutant on the holotape had said it, who was this cure they were looking for, that justified the destruction of one of the largest settlements in the Wastes? One of the more prevalent questions was of course where such an army had originated, and who was behind the whole thing? It seemed highly unlikely that a single Super Mutant, even one with an above average intelligence could orchestrate such a large campaign. But who else could have the means or the desire? Tenpenny? Maybe he had money and resources, and maybe he even had some desire to see Megaton destroyed, but it would have been impossible for him to do all that without anyone noticing.

Unless he'd done the whole thing elsewhere! Somewhere far from Tenpenny Towers. But where could that be? The TankBus came to a slow stop. Straw felt like she could be onto something, but she needed to think. Tenpenny had been recruiting new Capital Trader members from the southwest for a few years. Places like The Warren and Hotstown. Places he had influence and standing, and where (aside from a handful of traders), few people visited from the Capital Wasteland region.

The thought first crossed her mind then. Was she really needed in Rivet City in any hurry? Would it really hurt if she checked out those towns? just took a peak? Most people might have decided against such rash options, gone home and spent their time with their family, protecting their home against an enemy that could lay a siege lasting months. Straw didn't really think along the same lines as "most people" and almost without a thought, she found herself turning the TankBus around and heading back. Not towards Megaton, but farther south. She had the locations for The Warren and Hotstown in her Lil' Pip and didn't think there would be any trouble finding them, even if she'd never been past Tenpenny's Tower, and both towns were well passed that point.

She'd been heading back that way for about fifteen minutes, when she felt as though she was being watched. That familiar sensation like the back of her neck was burning. But the Wasteland was deserted all around her. If someone was spying on her, they must be hidden or far away. She stopped the TankBus again and sat quietly for a moment. Suddenly there was a crash from the storage compartment at the back of the bus. A shaky hand had her gun drawn in a second, and a wild sort of fear was coursing through her. Straw called out to the rear of the vehicle in the strongest voice she could muster, "Who's back there?"

No reply. She slowly walked down the bus's center isle, making her way to the fenced of section they kept the giant crates in, and stored the goods being transported. She noticed the lock was missing from the gate door. Straw took a deep breath, tried to steady her gun hand as she reached for the door with the other. Pulling it slowly open, she peered into the compartment. All was still and quiet, but she couldn't see behind any of the crates, let alone inside them, and she realized with a dawning sense of horror that she would need to go in there and really look around for who knows what. Trying in vain to sound tough, she again called out, "If anyone's back here, you better come out, or else I'll shoot ya'."

Nothing for a moment, and then a small voice came from behind some of the crates, "Please ma'am, I don't mean you no harm, please don't shoot me." Straw gave up on trying to sound tough, and let her natural charisma help guide her next words.

"I don't wanna shoot, but I need you to come out slowly, with your hands where I could see 'em." Her statement was true. Straw had never shot anyone in her life, and she had little skill with guns as it was. This young woman had far too much love and goodwill in her heart to ever condone violence, and to most people's surprise, was one of the rare few who seemed unaffected by the continual strife the world around them seemed to operate on. No matter how bad things were, she always tried to approach people in a friendly and polite manner. She'd gotten out of more then one ugly situation by non-violent means, and even made numerous friends out of people who others would have shot at instead. This was another one of those situations, where common sense suggested a shoot first approach, but it just wasn't her way, and she refused to give in to her fear at this point.

The small figure of a young girl stepped out. Straw looked her over, confusion slowly being replaced by a sense of curiosity. The girl couldn't have been older then fourteen, and she was covered in dirt and dry blood. Straw noticed that it wasn't her blood however, and seemed to have dried sometime ago. The girl was tanned by years of being outside on a regular basis, and her dark hair had light streaks running through it, as though partially bleached by the sun.

"Um? who are you?" Was the only response Straw could muster up. The girl looked at her for a long moment, weighing out her options, trying to judge weather the gun toting woman in front of her was to be trusted, and to what degree. Straw noticed this, and figuring the kid was likely harmless, slowly re-holstered her handgun. "Look, I ain't gonna' hurt you, but you gotta' tell me who you are and what you're doing in my ride."

The girl seemed to finally deem Straw worthy, and in a small voice said, "My name is Noise?" She looked down at her feet, as though suddenly embarrassed. "I was in Megaton when the raiders came. When I heard the other girl say you was going to Rivet City? I just thought I could come along."

Suddenly she was in tears, her whole body convulsing with each sob. Straw realized that if this girl was telling the truth, she must have been witness to some horrific sights when Megaton was destroyed. Who knew what had happened to her, where her family could have been. She sprang forward, and immediately had Noise in her arms, cradling the younger girl and whispering soft words to her to help her calm down.

After a few moments, Noise stopped crying, and the two walked up to the front end of the bus and took seats in the second row, facing each other. "Where did you come from? Have you been living in Megaton for long?" Straw asked the young girl.

"I came to Megaton when I was eight," the girl began, her voice not allowing for much emotion, as though growing up in the wastes had hardened her spirit, a part of her humanity its victim. "My dad died, and our home fell apart, so mom sent us there to live with our aunt." Noise seemed almost in a trance, reliving moments of her past as she told her story. "Aunt May wasn't a very nice lady, she'd yell at my brother and me all the time? but when she died, I was still sad."

Straw could see that this was shaping up to be the story of so many kids out here. When parents died, the children suffered. There were even rumors of a place to the west where many of these orphaned kids lived without advlts, but she'd never seen it herself. Noise continued, "I don't know where my brother went after that. I haven't seen him in a long time. And all my other brothers and sisters were sent to different towns?"

"Wait, how many kids did your parents have?" Straw interrupted.

The girl stopped to think a moment, and then proclaimed that there were eight of them, " ?from my mom anyway, but I haven't seen any of 'em since I left the Republic? except for my little brother, who I haven't seen since Aunt May died."

"Where did you just say you came from? The Republic?" Noise asked, "You don't mean the Republic of Dave do you?" It was starting to fall into place. She'd been younger when it happened, but some of the older folk would talk about it from time to time. Some crackpot had fenced of a section of the wastes and called it his own. He'd then virtually built an army of wives and children, living it up in his strange personal paradise. When he died back in '89, the Capital Traders had helped with the relocation of this large family. Straw remembered her own mother complaining about the "sick old perv with his personal harem," and how his total lack of foresight or responsibility to the numerous offspring he'd produced made him the equivalent of a tabloid star in the area. He had more kids then anyone knew what to do with, and it was quickly obvious that despite attempts to get them all into good homes, many of them would end up alone in the Wastes, kidnapped by slavers, or killed by the wildlife.

"I also had a bunch of cousins, but I lost track of the ones in Megaton a long time ago? these days its just me on my own. Some people would take care of me from time to time, but now?" the girl was dangerously close to tears again.

Straw didn't know what to do. She needed to take her newfound passenger to a safe place, maybe Rivet City where the girl wanted to go, but she didn't want to lose any time in investigating the Warren and Hotstown. Then, with the logic of an inexperienced teenager, she asked Noise if the young girl wanted to come with her.

The girl seemed hesitant, but it was obvious she had little choice in the matter. "Will you take care of me if I go with you?" she asked in a small meek voice. Straw was filled with emotion at the sound of it, and once again she grabbed the girl and held her close.

"Don't you worry sweetie, I'll look after you as if you were my own sister. And then when we're done, we'll go back to Rivet City and you can live with my family! How's that sound?"

Noise looked at her for a moment with the skepticism of an orphan who'd seen too much poor treatment at the hands of cruel advlts. Perhaps it was Straw's youth, or her positive loving energy, which seemed to almost radiate from her body, an extremely rare attribute for the wastes. She smiled at the older girl and said, "I can really live with your family?"

Straw smiled at her and nodded. "Yup, we just need to go take care of a few things, and then we'll be off to Rivet City. In the meantime, we have a bit of a ride ahead of us, so why don't you tell me a little more about yourself." And with that, the two youngsters drove of towards the southwest, and what fate awaited them there.

* * *

"I'm the wolf and everybody in the world,
Trying to find out who I hound"

Stripped of his cloths, the Wolf sat cross-legged in a meditative stance out in the Wastes a few miles from Rivet City, and probed his mind, trying to figure out who he really was. He remembered a large sealed of building, and a man dressed in white, surrounded by blinding lights. Despite fleeting images of countless people he'd killed over an unknown period of time, his only real concrete memories started with this man.

The man had been doing something to him, as The Wolf lay on a cold metal slab, wires running from his body. He'd woken up to this man in white, and his first actions, the immediate reaction he'd had was to strangle the man, squeezed his fragile little throat until his eyes bugged out and his weak, pathetic trashing ended. Every time the Wolf would try to remember before this, he'd only come up with flashes of imagery, all violent, all bloody, and all caused by his hands.

He wasn't sure what that place was. Only that it was located far to the north, and that the Wolf had wondered along the coast for many days before coming to Rivet City. The journey became a spiritual one for the Wolf, and much like he was doing now, he spent much of the time trying to figure out who he was. He knew very few things for certain, but from what he'd figured out, he was a killer, a highly skilled one, and that had a job, a contract of sorts in the Capital Wasteland. The details were foggy at best on the exact nature of the job however, and he'd eventually come to the conclusion that he would have learned more from the man in white if he hadn't killed him.

What he did know was that he was to kill the girl, but he knew not why or for whom. To test his mettle, he'd thus far killed two of the guards in rivet City. It quickly became obvious to him that he was faster, stronger, and far more capable then these people. He could move in complete silence, stalking his prey like a predator of the highest caliber. He also found very early on that when he closed his eyes, he could see the world in different ways. Living things could be spotted from great distances, even if they were behind solid walls or hidden underground. He also didn't seem to have as great a need for food, like so many of the people in Rivet City consumed in abundance.

He'd killed those guards to test himself, to see what he was capable of, and to confirm that he was able to kill like his hazy memories suggested. Each felt like a defenseless small animal in his powerful hands, and he'd snapped their necks as easily as he had the man in white.

But now for his target. He'd spotted her for the first time the previous day, but instead of attacking her, he'd watched and studied. Despite his belief that he was assigned with the task of taking lives, he didn't know from whence this responsibility came, or weather he should even follow these urges. Could this all have come from the man in white? Was the man a friend? An enemy? Maybe even the one who gave him life! The Wolf didn't know the answer to any of these questions, and until he could find them, possibly in the dark pits of his lost memories, or through observation of his surroundings, he would wait. Wait and watch the girl. He'd seen others attack her, and knew that he wasn't the only one who was stalking her. But he did know that he was the most capable, and though she'd left Rivet City in a hurry, he also knew that she would soon return.

In the meantime he would continue his meditation. He could feel the earth below him tremble with the movement of a thousand men miles away, slowly headed in his and Rivet City's direction. He ignored this though, and wasn't concerned with the raider army, the faith of Rivet City, or any of the politics of the local powers that be. The men hunting his prey were weak, like all the others, and he would deal with them if they got in his way. The only things he really cared about were figuring out who he was, and who the girl was. The only thing he knew for sure about her was a name.

Marie?

nice... you've inspired me to make my own Fan Fiction like this btw the wasteland is no place for a girl

Chapter 6

The rebuilt motorcycle tore through the Wasteland at speeds greater then anything in the region since before the war. Harden held tight onto Marie's waist, unable to believe what he was experiencing. Broken down remains of various motorcycles littered the wastes to this day, but in all that time he hadn't ever imagined he would one day ride one. Most were completely useless, sometimes rusted beyond recognition, but somehow, his young inventor friend had salvaged enough working pieces to reconstruct one and get it to run.

"It's powered by energy cells," she'd explained to him, as she showed of her bike to an astonished Hardin. "It wasn't meant to be ridden 'till I worked out some bugs and fixed a couple things, but it will get us to Rivet City in a hurry."

As they flew out of the underground garage through a door built into the side of a cliff wall and connected by a long tunnel to Megaton, Marie pressed a detonation button on a remote which caused controlled explosions throughout her underground workspace, effectively sealing it off from intruders.

They were now less then a mile from their destination, and had passed the slow moving raider army about ten minutes ago. "It won't be long 'till they reach Rivet City," yelled Hardin into her ear over the roar of the engine. Marie knew this as well, and let it push her onward.

As the bike pulled up to the receiving garage outside the ship, the last of the crowds were quickly evacuating the area, shopkeepers trying to move as many of their wares out and into the city before the horde arrived. People rushed their children ahead, with some even guiding brahmin into the ship to a section of the indoor market that was now dedicated to livestock. Many people glanced over at the oddity of a working motorcycle, but quickly moved on knowing of the oncoming threat.

The two young Megaton refugees got off of the bike, and started pushing it along the bridge with the brahmin, and families of people, and all the others trying to get in before the platform was pulled in and the doors sealed off. The army couldn't get into the city vary easily without a bridge to get them to the ship. This guaranteed some time if nothing else, and time meant more chances at stopping what seemed an improbable force at the doors of the largest settlement in the wastes.

Marie parked the bike near the impromptu barn setup in Rivet City and rushed to the science labs, Hardin following close behind. "Where are we headed anyway," he called out, having had no explanation of what the young woman was planning.

"Before I do anything else, I need to see what is on this holotape from my mom. I don't know what it is, but it could be important. Why don't you look for Straw while I do that? She should have arrived hours ago." And with that, Marie was off, leaving a slightly confused Simms trying to figure out how he would find Straw.

She burst into the science lab and sat at a computer without saying a word to anyone. Some of the people working looked towards her, their confusion fading when they realized who it was and accepted it as being nothing out of the ordinary. Marie shoved the tape into the reader, and then waited impatiently for the computer to bring up its contents. What she discovered was an audio message and an encrypted file. She couldn't do anything with the file, so she played the audio instead.

The voice that came through the computer speakers was her mother Roll's. "Marie, if your listening to this, it must mean something has gone wrong. I made a few copies of this holotape and spread them out amongst my most trusted friends and associates." The voice stopped for a moment, as though her mother was trying to figure out how best to say her next set of words, what to reveal and what to hold back. "There are a lot of things about you and your birth I haven't told you Marie? I've wanted to many times, desperate to share everything I know and stop keeping secrets from my little girl, but the risk it would bring to your wellbeing always outweighed my need to get this information of my conscience. Even now I can only tell you the following things. If you are listening to this, it means very few people we know and normally deal with should be trusted unless they can prove otherwise. Sheriff Simms, Moira, and Dr. Madison Li in Rivet City are all people you can turn to who can help you." Marie thought about how two of those people were already dead, and the third, Dr. Li was someone whom her mom knew but didn't seem to associate with too much, or not that Marie had seen anyway. The message continued, "Also, I have a file included on this tape that contains all the information you would need to know. This is stuff I've told very few people, in some cases none at all. I had Straw use her best encryption software to scramble the file in case someone else gets their hands on this tape. I figure you two are always together, she can easily unscramble it for you, hell she's probably there right now listening with you." Marie started wondering where Simms was with Straw at this prompt from the recording.

"Marie, I want you to know, that no matter what has happened, if I'm dead or captured, or whatever, in case I don't get a chance to say it, I always loved you, and I'm more proud of you then you can ever imagine. Seek out my friends, and decrypt the information on this disk, and everything that's happened will be explained."

The message ended, and Marie sat at the desk for a moment, silently shedding a few more tears for her mother. When she'd gotten it all out, she started wondering about Hardin and Straw again, and her puzzlement was doubled when the young man came into the lab alone.

"Where is Straw?" she asked, "I need her help with this tape, its real important."

"Straw never showed up?" Hardin said, his voice betraying the worry he felt.

"What do you mean never showed, she should have been here hours ago! Where did you even look!" She was getting agitated, unwilling to accept that another one of her loved ones could have disappeared.

"I'm sorry Marie, but I was just talking to her very hysterical mother, no one's seen her since she left with you to come to Megaton! She never came back to Rivet City! Umm, also, her parents are pretty upset with you for taking her out there in the first place."

"What about the communicator in the TankBus, has anyone tried to reach her like that?" Marie asked, frantic at this point and ignoring the news about Straw's folks.

"Yeah, it doesn't seem she's in range. She could have headed to Paradise or some other place that's farther away from here, maybe to avoid the army or something." Hardin pointed out, hoping to calm his friend down.

"No it wouldn't make sense, where the hell could she be!"

As though guided by silent stage direction, Dr. Madison Li walked into the lab at that moment, and quickly approached the two. "Oh, I'm so glad you made it Marie," she said quickly, "Come, I need to speak with you, we don't have much time. We should go to my room for some privacy though, I can't talk openly here." Dr. Li looked over at Hardin and added, "Your friend should wait out here as well."

Marie was at her wits end, and hardly appreciated the older woman barging in and telling her what to do when her best friend could be in need of help somewhere out in the wastes. It was only with Hardin's calming words that she reluctantly agreed to follow Li.

"So what's this all about," Marie asked angrily as soon as the door closed behind her in the doctor's room. "You know what's going on here or what?"

Dr. Li didn't seem to appreciate the tone with which the younger woman spoke to her, and let it be known by saying, "Look here young lady, I can only imagine what you've been through in the last 24 hours, and I'll chalk your rudeness up to shock this time, but unless you change your tone soon, don't expect any help from me, and from what I understand, there may not be too many people left who CAN help you."

Being talked to like a child helped Marie realize she'd been acting like one, and her cheeks reddened a bit with shame. "Now if you'll let me explain a few things?" Dr. Li began, "How much did your mother tell you anyway?"

"Not much if anything?" Marie began, "I have a message from her saying to find either Lucas Simms, Moira, or you? Unfortunately Mr. Simms and Moira are dead?"

"I see," said Li and continued, "and that's all you know?"

"Yes ma'am."

"That changes a few things?" Li said, and then stopped, as though checking her self, making sure she said the right things. "Ok, listen and listen well. Your life is in danger. You need to leave the Capital Wasteland as soon as possible. Before the raider army arrives at our door steps in fact." Marie looked confused, unsure of what to make of this information. "You should talk to Flak in the market district, I think most of his guns have been sold by now, but he should have a few things for you? where is Straw? I thought you two were never apart."

Marie had a look of confusion mixed with misery on her face. So many strange events, coupled with the disappearance of her friend were beginning to bear down on her. "I don't know," she said in a quiet voice, "She should have been here?"

"Well, she's a capable young girl, we can't worry about it. Maybe you can take Hardin with you for help though."

"Hold on a minute," Marie interrupted, "Why do I have to leave the Wasteland? And where the hell am I supposed to go."

The doctor looked annoyed by the questions, frustration causing the wrinkles on her face to deepen into a scowl. "Listen girl, we don't really have time for it all, but I can tell you this. If my guess is correct, the raiders destroyed Megaton because they were after you!"

Marie didn't know how to process this. "What do you mean?" was all she could manage.

Again, frustration on the Li's face as she said, "I can't really get into it, for your own good and because of a promise I made to your mother. But trust me, they destroyed Megaton, and failing to find you there, are now they're gonna sack Rivet City for the next best thing. You have to believe me when I say you have to leave!"

"You're saying that my mom, Moira, Simms, everyone I knew and loved that died in Megaton? was somehow because of me?"

"No, they died because greedy, shortsighted men sent an army to do something time would have allowed for naturally. Megaton's destruction wasn't your fault exactly. You didn't blow it up; you intended no harm to it. But you have to believe me when I say they were after you nonetheless. Now please child, lets finish with the questions, get you some guns and gear, and send you out. Is there anywhere you can go?"

Marie was in shock. Every bit of info Li had provided her brought along new questions she couldn't answer. "I don't know where I can go? maybe one of our trade partners outside of the Capital Wasteland?"

"Maybe, which one would you say was on the best of terms with your mother or Capital Traders?" Li asked her, voice growing with concern for every minute wasted.

"Gravel Flats I guess. It was the first settlement to join us outside of the region. I've been there a few times. Mr. Burns is our manager there. He's always seemed like a good guy? In fact, I just saw him about four months ago on a trade run?"

"It will have to do. Now lets hurry and find Flak." The doctor briskly stood up, and motioned Marie to follow her. Hardin was waiting outside, and without a word, Li waved him along. The young man seemed to have many questions, but knew better then to question Dr. Madison Li. She'd been on the three person council in Rivet City for many years, and was easily the most respected scientific mind in the Wasteland. When she said follow, you did so.

They quickly reached the market, now full of brahmin, crates of supplies that would normally be sitting outside in the receiving garage, and crowds of people unsure of where to go in the panic and confusion of dealing with the oncoming army. They found Flak, the local arms dealer, arguing with a brahmin herder about how close his animals should be standing to his supplies, and what was to be the done with the fast growing piles of dung.

"Flak, quit your arguing and listen up!" Dr. Li barked at him. Flak turned towards her, fury burning his face, but immediately calmed down when he realized who was talking to him.

"What can I do fer you Madison?" he asked, voice low and guarded.

"I need you to outfit these two with some weapons. The best you got in fact."

Flak looked Marie and Hardin over. He knew Marie. Most every trader in the Wastes did, and he recognized that Hardin was an experienced gunfighter by the clothing he wore, the way he carried himself, and by the two pistols he wore on either side of his hips."

"And I suppose I ain't getting paid for these anytime in the near future?" he said as he began gathering up some clips and weapons. Most of his supplies were gone, as everyone had rushed to purchase guns when they heard about the approaching army.

"You can count them against your merchant dues. Charge what you think is fair and deduct it from your next payment," Dr. Li said, her annoyance apparently growing with every word.

"Yeah, if there's anyone left to pay my dues too," Flak laughed in a gruff voice. "Nah, I'm just kiddin', but these are some of my personal items I'm giving to these kids here. Real high quality guns, so expect a big deduction!"

"Whatever you say Flak, just hurry up." Finished Madison.

Flak gathered up some guns, than turned to Simms. "Now I'm going to assume you can handle this one. It's a high-powered rifle, modified to shoot farther, faster, and hold more ammo then your typical hunting rifle. He saw the doubt on Hardin's face and said, "trust me kid, you'll notice the difference when you shoot it. Now for you young lady." Flak looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to them. When he saw that that it looked clear, he pulled out an odd looking blaster from a small gun safe he kept behind the counter.

Flak walked up to Marie and put the gun directly in her hands. "Listen and listen good lass," he said, his eyes serious and piercing. "This is my Gaston Glock 86 Plasma Pistol, and is the absolute prize of my collection. It's ultra rare in these parts, and can turn a man into liquid goo with one shot! Now when you're done with whatever mission you're going on, I expect you to return her to me, you understand?"

Marie nodded, immediately recognizing the gun for its rarity and value, and truly appreciative of the gift? or loan, however you looked at it.

"I wouldn't give this to nobody, not even my old partner Shrapnel, rest his soul. It's only 'cause I can see here that you are in need of something like this, and, well, your mother helped make me a very wealthy man over the years? I suppose I owe her one."

"Don't worry sir," she said, truly in awe of the weapon in her hands, "I'll treat her as well as I can! I promise!"

"I believe you girl, you know your way around machines and the like better then anyone I ever met. I trust you with this." Flak went on to load them up with plenty of ammo for either weapon, plus some for the other guns they already carried, and then finally gave them a couple of grenade belts. "Wear these around your torso, over one shoulder, like a sash. Yeah that's it?" he said as he helped them get their gear on.

"Thank you Mr. Flak. Really, thanks!" Marie said as they finished up.

"Ahh, don't mention it," the old gun dealer said, looking at the floor like a man not used to gratitude from a pretty young girl.

They walked away, the two heavily armed youngsters, with Dr. Li following close behind. Marie grabbed her motorcycle, hoping it would keep running until she reached her destination. As they came to the door, they could saw Harkness ushering the last of the crowds into the city, yelling out "Last call! Last call to enter Rivet City before we pull in the bridge."

They stopped by the doors, Marie turning to Li to say her goodbyes. "One last thing Dr. Li," she said. "Why does my mom trust you so much? I never saw you guys hanging out like she did with Lucas or Moira?"

Dr. Madison Li looked at the younger girl for a long moment before she answered. "I was a friend of your grandfathers, a long, long time ago, before he took your mother and moved into that Vault almost forty years ago. I even helped deliver your mother when she was born."

Marie looked back at the older woman, and saw her in a completely new light. She knew very little about her grandfather, or any of her family outside of her mother for that matter. "My grandfather?" she asked.

"He was a great man, truly a revolutionary thinker, and probably where your mom got it. It was a shame he disappeared? we lost a great human being the day he abandoned your mom and left the Vault."

"The Vault? What are you talking about Madison? Mom hasn't told me any of this!"

"Then she must have had her reasons," Li insisted. "Now get going before they pull the bridge back and you're stuck here on this boat with the rest of us."

Seeing that there was no time for the many questions Marie had, she said a quick goodbye to Dr. Madison Li, not hugging her, as she would have with most people, too much in shock from everything to even think about it.

She walked out across the bridge with Hardin, and they looked out across the horizon at the growing horde of raiders approaching the city. She could already make out the giant super mutant that led them. They really didn't have any time left, and would need to hurry out of there before the mad army slaughtered them. She hopped on the bike, and Hardin got on behind her. They had a long road ahead of them to Gravel Flats, and she had a lot of thinking to do along the way.

Chapter 7

The motorcycle's engine came alive with a roar as Marie accelerated down the bridge. She took it down the ramps and hit the dirt at well over 50 mph before taking full notice of her surroundings. The raider army was all around, and it was immediately obvious they would need to break through the lines of crazed killers to escape. They were spread out all along the road leading to Rivet City, and the first ones were just arriving within a 100 feet of the bridge as it was being pulled back and the doors to the city were closing.

"No time like the present to try out this new rifle," she heard Hardin's voice behind her. The man pulled out the gun from its holster where it hung from his back like an ancient barbarian's sword. Gripping the sides of the bike with his legs, he leaned back from Marie and brought the weapon up to aim.

Marie felt the weight of the bike below her, and how much more difficult it was to balance the thing with Hardin not leaning into the curves with her, as a bullet whistled past her ear. How the hell were they supposed to get through this? She decided to find the loosest knit group in the army, and with them just arriving only seconds ago, the raiders were still incredibly spread out and unorganized. As she leaned the motorcycle into the turn, she heard a shot ring out from directly behind her. A steady stream of additional bullets followed this as Hardin took down any raider who got too close.

There was a strange growing silence for Marie, with the sound of the engine having faded to the background of her senses, and the lighting looked like it was in very high contrast, as though the adrenalin pumping through her veins had heightened her vision. More bullets were flying past them as the raiders started going after the only enemy in reach. One of them tried running up to the bike and was taken down by a shot from Hardin's new rifle. More began to follow the first's example regardless of its outcome, and many were wielding melee weapons. Hardin couldn't seem to take them down fast enough as one raider after another ran up to the bike, metal pipe flashing in the sunlight. Some would try to leap out in front of them, using their own bodies as a road block. How mad were they to sacrifice themselves with such abandon? One of them managed to get close enough to swing a heavy chain at the two, and hit Hardin in the ribs. The young man grimaced in pain, and pulled the gun down to grab his side.

Marie started losing control with her passengers' sudden movement, and the sense of silence heightened, the only thing coming through was the sound of bullets. The bike wobbled dangerously and a shot ricocheted off the hull. She started to panic, and could swear the raiders were getting ready to jump on them the moment they crashed, tearing their flesh from bones like a pack of wild cannibals. Suddenly Hardin was helping with his weight to straighten the vehicle, and Marie found herself regaining control. If he hadn't helped, she was certain it would have all been over.

She could see a break in the army. If she could just make it another three hundred yards, she would be free of the horde and it would just be a matter of not getting shot as they sped away into the nearby ruins. Hardin had the rifle up again, and was shooting raiders as they sped by.

A few hundred feet away, the large super mutant named Cruz watched as the two made fools of his army with their fast little toy. He looked around him at the closest thing he had to generals or a personal guard, and spotted a man with a long-range rifle. Cruz grabbed the weapon roughly from the surprised raider and pulled the sights up to his eyes. Unlike most of his east coast super mutant brethren, Cruz was highly intelligent, even by human standards, a true example of what the original FEV virus was intended for, an enhanced super human with the strength of ten normal men and more brains then all but the brightest military minds. Never mind the serious skin and body deformities that were the common result of the mutation.

Cruz followed the bike with his gun sights, slowly beginning to lead a foot ahead of them to make up for the distance the bullet would have to travel. He was a great shot, and he knew when he could take a target down. Just when it looked like Marie and Hardin might escape the horde, he pulled the trigger, and saw the bike wobble dangerously as blood exploded in a thin spray from the girl's shoulder. It hit, though he was aiming for the head. As he watched her turn her head around to the side, wide eyes looking at the gaping bullet hole he'd put on her, he recognized her as their primary target.

Cruz swore loudly and threw the gun down. He couldn't risk killing her if there was a chance to take her alive, and they were getting too far out of range anyway. But how could he stop them within the quickly closing window of opportunity that had been handed him?

Marie felt a sharp sting immediately followed by what felt like fire coursing through her shoulder. Did she just get shot? She felt herself loosing control of the bike again, but looked to the left anyway to see blood flowing from her wound. Hardin was yelling something in her ear, but by this point she couldn't really hear anything. Her entire attention was focused on the pain and her quickly reddening shirt. She felt his hands on hers as he tried to take some control of the vehicle from her and make sure they didn't wipe out. This sensation of another's touch seemed to bring her back to her senses and suddenly the world was full of sound again. The engine screaming in high gear, Hardin yelling words she couldn't make out as he tried to steer from behind, bullets still flying past them from all around.

She wanted to scream from pain, but instead forced herself to drive, breaking through the last of the raiders on the side of the army they'd been driving through, and heading up a hillside into the ruins of the old Washington Mall.

As they went further into the old city, the sound of bullets fell farther behind them, and they could do no more then to wish Rivet City luck. With no time to really prepare, and with no prior planning, they were out in the wastes again, and the raider army was suddenly not their problem anymore. Despite her gunshot, Marie kept driving for about twenty minutes before pulling over to mend her wounds. She wanted to be nowhere near that horde, and the few remaining super mutants left in the mall seemed a much more manageable obstacle.

Back with the army, Cruz finished beating the crushed remains of the closest raider to him when the motorcycle had driven out of his sight. Nothing like some mindless violence to work the stress and anger out. He dropped the body to the ground and turned his attention to Rivet City. The girl may have slipped his grasp, but his second target was always Rivet City, and that was grounded in place right in front of him. If they couldn't get the source of the cure, they would get the next best thing. All the research the scientists had conducted, the tissue samples collected from the girl, and the closest thing to a complete cure were in Rivet City's labs, and it was only a matter of time before he had them in his hands, and could complete his mission. Tenpenny would never need to know how close he was to actually getting the girl herself.

* * *

When can we expect another add to the story? I love it.

Soon I swear. I've been busy... plus Brotherhood of Steel and all.. You know how it is.

True. I just bought it yesterday. I got fed up with the reavers on very hard though, and I figured I'd save my wall from having a few holes smashed in it.

Chapter 8

The TankBus lumbered along the Wasteland on its way to the Warren. Straw thought it best to avoid Tenpenny Towers all together, and thus they'd taken a longer rout then they would have taken otherwise. She found that as a traveling companion, the younger girl named Noise was actually very quiet. She could tell the girl had warmed up to her somewhat, but obtaining anything more then single sentence answers from her seemed impossible. What little she did learn was that the girl claimed to be experienced in medicine of all things, and had been thought first aid and other preliminary medical procedures for things like sprains, stings, and broken bones.

"How come you know about all that stuff?" Straw asked her.

"My mama thought me." her only response.

"Yeah, did she teach all her kids? Or did you just take a particular interest in it?"

"Naw, we were all thought something to help people in town. I had injuries." A surprising two-sentence answer!

Straw eventually gave up on the small talk and they continued along in silence. When they left the Capital Wasteland itself, there was no indication or fanfare, the borders being fuzzy at best with few maps giving specific detail.

The TankBus slowly moved along the old roads, following the instructions and maps on Straw's Lil' Pip. They were only about a mile outside of the Warren when the vehicle died. The rear stabilizer Marie had been meaning to fix finally gave out, and the grinding sounds coming from under the hull were more then enough to convince Straw to park it and continue the final stretch on foot. She didn't know what they would do about it, but hoped something would present itself in town.

"Lets go see what this place is all about," she said to her younger friend as they stepped out into the hot sun. Thus far, Tenpenny had handled almost all affairs with the Warren and Hotstown, and very few trade members had actually been to either settlement. It was Straws first time, and she didn't really know what to expect.

"Now remember, don't say nothin' about Megaton or where you from ok," she cautioned Noise, who was probably in no danger of saying anything to get them into trouble. "Maybe she's just shy," Straw found herself thinking as the began to walk.

As the settlement came up over the horizon, they could make out the tin metal roofs of a town made from scavenged parts. Rust covered most surfaces, and dust swirled up from the hot winds. Getting closer, the girls found few people walking around, and in fact, it seemed the place was nearly a ghost town.

"Well, this is strange," Straw said to herself. "I thought this was supposed to be a growing settlement, comparable to Megaton as it was about ten years ago. But it looks dead to me." They came upon the first of the shoddy structures, and were standing at an informal entrance to the town. The road they'd followed was the main thoroughfare for the warren, a sort of central-street. Many of the building seemed abandoned and left to the elements. "What the hell is wrong with this town?" Straw found herself musing again. Her companion was fully quiet, and standing near the older girl, eyes wide and alert, as though her primal instincts were telling her this place smelled of death and sadness.

A few buildings down along the main road was an old two-story saloon, with western style swinging doors, and small dark windows. "Maybe we can find out what's going on here at that place," Straw said, pointing it out to Noise. "Find out about a town handyman or mechanic too. Someone who could help fix the TankBus, though I got less hope for that one."

The main room of the saloon was empty of anyone but the bartender and a passed out drunk in one corner. The man behind the counter was skinny and wiry, with large eyes that bulged out from his face, and a smile that revealed a crooked row of missing and unhealthy teeth. Thin strands of white hair fell from his head, uncombed and dirty.

"Well, I'll be," he said, flashing the disgusting smile at the two girls. "Customers! Not too many people come round here these days. What can I do fer you?"

Straw pulled up a chair at the bar and motioned Noise to do the same. "Well sir," she began, and Noise noticed the older girl was now talking differently, using a different tone, similar to how some wastelanders who lived in more remote areas talked. People who were in many ways the modern day homesteaders, ranchers, and now farmers as well, thanks to Rivet Cities scientific developments. "Me and my sister heard of yer town here. People said it was a growin' settlement, a place fer us to start anew, ye' know what I mean. Well, we been lookin' 'round some, and I gotta say sir, your town looks deader then an overeager scaver. What's the deal then, we come here fer nuthin'?"

The man looked them over a moment before answering, "Lookin' fer work then are ya'," smiling again, "Ya know, if you wanna stick around I can bring some? recruiters here to talk to ya'. It's all in the next town over though, Hotstown they call it. That's why ain't no one here, they all gone there to work." His smile grew with his closing, "So what you say, should I bring some people by to pick you two up?"

Straw smiled back and put her hands on the counter leaning in close to the man, and lowering her voice so that it was a bit deeper. "Well, we'd really appreciate that, thank-you-very-much, don't we sis'," she turned to Noise who just stared back quietly.

"Well, I won't lie to ya' ma'am, its fieldwork, and it ain't easy," the bartender said. "You work with the sun, and you work hard, but the rewards are well worth it."

"Well then, we'll just wait fer yer recruiter friends over here, how long you think it'll be?"

"An hour or two, since they gotta come from Hotstown, and that's a ways away, but they'll be here." He reached down below the counter and pulled out two Nuka Colas, which he put in front of the girls. "Here, why don't you two enjoy these, on the house, whilst you wait."

Straw took the drinks with some thanks, than walked to a table in one corner of the room. They sat down, and Noise spoke for the first time since they came into town. "I don't like that man Straw. I don't trust him."

"Don't worry sweetie, I don't like him or trust him either, but something is definitely going on in this town, and this seems like a good way to find out what it is."

They sat for a few hours, trying to ignore the bartenders leering gaze. At one point, Noise asked about the TankBus, and Straw had to admit she didn't have a plan for that one. "Just hope scavengers don't get to it anytime soon?"

When the recruiters came, the two girls had been lost in thought. Straw's senses were jarred by the swinging doors slamming against the walls, as four heavily armed men dressed in dark leather walked into the room. They looked like raiders, and Straw found herself immediately wondering if she'd gotten in over her head. She didn't expect anything like this.

"This the new meat?" One of the men said looking over in their direction.

"Yes sir, those be them right there. Two healthy young girls like I promised." The bartender said, his head lowered in front of the men, eyes averted, and his voice beginning to stutter. The leader of the men ignored his sniveling, and slowly walked over to the girls' table.

"Lookin' fer work are you?"

Straw tried moving her mouth, but found it stuck in place, unable to say anything to the large figure taking up most of her vision. He leaned in close to her, all but ignoring Noise. Well now, that little gutter rat wasn't kidding when he said you was pretty," he laughed with satisfaction. "Well com'on now, we got a ways to walk back to Hotstown, and no reason to mess around here. Grab your things and let's go."

Finally finding her voice, Straw tried to protest, saying, "Wait, I'm not so sure I wanna work for you guys, I wanna learn more about where I'm going and what we'll be doing?"

The man slammed his fist on the table, anger suddenly flaring across his features. "Your going to Hotstown, and your gonna be workin'. Now what more you want!" The two girls cringed at the sight of this, an angry, large, well armed men glaring at them, his friends all staring with sick grins across their faces. The bartender was all but hiding behind the counter at this point, and the drunk passed out on the other corner was beginning to stir. The large man leaned in even closer to Straw's face, sweat glistening on his leathery skin, and his foul breath overwhelming her senses. "Now like I said, grab your things and lets go," he growled in a low voice, and Straw found herself even more afraid of him. He grabbed her roughly by the arm and pulled her up, pain coursing through her muscles as he did so. "Get the hell up and move, your little brat too, com'on, get up, let's go!"

The two girls followed orders, slowly walking to the door. As the men were about to lead them out, the bartender almost whispered to them, "Um, Capper? what about my finder's fee? You said you'd pay twenty five caps per head." He was rubbing his hands together, as sweat poured from his brow.

Capper, as he was now identified, slowly turned to the barkeep, and flashed him a big toothy grin, which was no less scary then his other limited range of facial expressions. "Well, how thoughtless of me, I forgot your fee!" sarcasm obvious in his voice. He started walking to the bar, and the man behind the counter was ridged with fear, his eyes darting to and fro, as though looking for an escape rout. Capper pulled out a small sack from his pockets and held it up. "The price has just fallen, we only buying slaves for ten a head now. You don't have a problem with this, do you Eugene?"

Straw's spirits dropped even more when she realized her deepest fear was true, these men were slavers, and the two girls were now under their control. "No, no sir, ten caps'll do just fine sir." Eugene said, and Capper dropped the bag on the counter. As they all walked out, Straw looked back at the bartender, greedily counting his petty sum. This had all gone much differently then she'd imagined. But at least she knew now that a lot more was going on here then they could have guessed. Even if all this had nothing to do with Tenpenny or the raider army, at least she could report back to the Capital Traders that some of its members were engaging in slavery, a practice that was strictly outlawed by the traders. That is, if she could be free of this situation soon. But she would first need to see Hotstown and get a better idea of the full extent of the issue. She found herself regretting having brought Noise into all this; the trouble with being so impulsive was that she was constantly dragging others into her problems. Only usually they were minor things, and couldn't really compare to their current predicament. Noise, on the other hand, remained cool and quiet throughout the whole scene, and seemed not the least bit bothered by all of it. Just a new facet of misery in the poor young girl's life it seemed.

This is awesome please dont let it die i want to know what happens next!

Just to let you all know, I haven't stopped, working on the next section, just been crazy busy. I'll try to have the next one up in a couple days!

Chapter 9

The motorcycle cut a path through the wastes like a creature free and alive. Marie let her thoughts and emotions fade away, and instead immersed herself in the experience of the cool morning breeze through her short-cropped hair, the light vibrations of the machine as it rode over dirt and old dilapidated roads. She had enough sadness and sorrow, and this was her brief moment to enjoy herself, not think about the drama.

Her wound was bandaged, and appeared to not be nearly as bad as they first suspected. Her mother, her home, her friends, though unforgotten, were set aside for a moment. She needed this, the respite from the hells of the wasteland. Behind her, Hardin gripped her waist, growing accustomed to the strange machine, which he had no control of, and understood little about it. He was lost in his own thoughts, and unlike Marie, who had seen nothing of her mother's remains, couldn't get the image of his father's desecrated corpse out of his mind. He was angry, and bitter, and didn't know how to abate the sensation. His father was his only real family, and now, after all these years, a man who'd dedicated his life to protecting and helping those in need, was rewarded with a most gruesome death.

The path to Gravel Flats was familiar to Marie, who'd traveled it numerous times, and though she took a slightly different way each time, depending on her mood, and need for speed, it was always essentially a north-westerly direction. Even now, as the husks of burnt dead trees and the ruins of old buildings flew by their peripherals, the sights of the wastes still managed to amaze her with its strange beauty.

Few words were said as the hours went by, and the two young friends dealt with their loss and sorrow in their own particular way. Neither noticed the various people who were following them, and neither had the experience or knowledge to notice such things. Their pursuers traveled in their own way. One of them was aware of the other group, following the motorcycle. The other hunters thought they were alone.

As the rooftops and taller structures of Gravel Flats came within view, both of them broke free of their personal trances, and focused on what laid ahead.

Marie found herself thinking about Mr. Robert Burns, their contact in Gravel Flats whom she'd seen only a few months before. Mr. Burns was a squat, fat man, prone to hearty bursts of laughter, a voracious appetite, and good business sense. She'd not known him long, but everything about him pointed towards a good man. She almost felt relieved that they would be meeting with him soon, a sense of the familiar and comfortable permeated from Mr. Burns, and he had a way of brightening up the spirits of all those around him, something she and Hardin could use right now.

"Mr. Burns has his home near the center of town," Marie yelled out to her friend. "If he's not home, his housekeeper can give us a room to wait."

"Damn, a housekeeper, you don't hear of that sort of thing very often," Hardin responded.

"He's done very well for himself actually, good trader."

As they road through town, people all around stopped to stare, their eyes wide and their jaws hanging. None had seen a working motorcycle before, and the sight of it was enough to notify the town of the newcomers immediately. Word spread like wildfire, and people lined up to see the curiosity before them.

"You know, I usually park the TankBus outside of towns to avoid this sort of attention? wonder if we should have done the same here," Marie found herself saying.

"Too late now," was the only response from Hardin.

They pulled up to the home of Mr. Robert Burns, and Marie killed the engine, much to the crowd's displeasure. She expected someone to greet her in the yard outside the home, but found it deserted. The two of them walked up to the door and Marie knocked. The crowd was already dispersing, and aside from a handful of kids gawking from a safe distance, it seemed people were already moving on with their day.

When no one answered the door, Marie knocked again, and was once again forced to wait with no response. "I wonder what's going on," she found herself saying out loud. She reached for the door handle, and found it unlocked. "Mr. Burns," she called out as she opened the door a few inches and peaked inside. The interior was dark and quiet, and figuring he was either not home or somewhere on the second floor, Marie decided it wouldn't hurt to go in.

"You sure this is ok?" Hardin asked as they walked into the dark room.

"I'm not sure?" Marie responded, and then called out again. "Mr. Burns! It's Marie, Roll's daughter. Are you home?"

No response.

"Maybe he's upstairs," Marie said as she started moving further into the home. Hardin followed hesitantly, not too happy to be walking around someone else's house uninvited.

They made their way through the living room, poked their heads into the kitchen, and finally came to the base of the stairway. As they looked around, Marie noticed the house was not as well kept as it usually was. Random cleaning supplies were scattered about, and it seemed as though the daily chores were interrupted suddenly. Not a sound could be heard anywhere, and the two climbed the stairs cautiously, the silence slowly wearing on their nerves. As they reached the second floor, they noticed a faint light coming from one of the rooms near the rear of the long hallway.

"I think that's the maids room," Marie said in a hushed voice, and then followed it up by calling out, "Auntie! You in there? It's Marie!"

When there was no response, they slowly moved forward, each step sounding too loud in the quiet of the house. The creaking steps below them echoing in their heads like the sounds of falling trees. They reached the door, left slightly ajar, and could now hear faint sounds from the other side.

Marie put her hand on the knob, and slowly pushed the door open. In the room was the maid, sitting on her small bed with the light of a single lantern illuminating the place. The older woman had her face in her hands, and was softly crying. When the two visitors stepped into the room, she looked up, noticing them for the first time, and after a moment taken to recognize who it was, she rushed up to Marie, and began wailing as she put her large meaty arms around the smaller, younger girl.

"They killed him," she cried, "they killed him, and said it was an accident, and now they want to take his things!" She was hysterical, tears running down her wrinkled face as she clung to a confused Marie.

"Who killed who?" she asked, before it dawned on her that the maid was speaking of Mr. Burns. "They killed Robert!?" she exclaimed with the realization. "Who? Who killed him?"

"It was sheriff Niles and his men," the old woman cried, "They killed him in cold blood, and said it was an accident!" She kept sobbing loudly, as Marie tried futilely to console her. Where would it end? They had come all this way to escape the troubles at home, only to stumble upon this new horror. She'd looked forward to seeing Mr. Burns again, used it as a way of making things ok, justifying the trip with the promise of a friendly and warm smile to reward her journey.

"Please Auntie, tell me what happened. Who's sheriff Niles? Why did he kill Mr. Burns? When did this happen?"

"Yesterday evening," the old woman managed between sobs. "They shot him by the brahmin ranch outside of town. Said it was raiders, but I know it was the Sheriff and his men!" She cried out in pain, and Marie realized that Mr. Burns was all the old woman had. He was like her son, as they'd lived together for many years, her working as his maid, and him taking better care of her then she could have ever expected as an old woman living on her own. Now, with him dead, she'd lost her closest friend, and was left alone in the world.

Suddenly, there was a loud knocking sound from downstairs. All three jumped with surprise, and looked at each other without speaking. The knock was followed up by a second, this time louder and more forceful. The maid cried out, "It's him, it's the sheriff! He's come to take Mr. Burns' house!" She started crying again, only louder and more frantically.

"We'll handle this," Marie said, and she gently pulled the old woman's arms off of her and headed for the door, Hardin following closely.

The maid cried out, "No, they'll kill you too! You must hide! Please, they'll kill you too!"

Marie looked back at her, "Don't worry Auntie, I've dealt with worse then some small town sheriff and his posse of local drunks. We'll be fine."

They went down the stairs as the knocking grew louder and more frequent. They could hear a man's voice yelling from outside, though his words were unintelligible and muffled.

As Marie and Hardin reached the entry room of the large home, they could tell that the men outside weren't knocking, but were in fact trying to break the door down. Marie tried to reach the door before they forced their way in, but was a moment too late as a large bald man in overalls burst through, shards of wood flying all over the room. He was followed by two other men, dressed in ragged cloths and wielding rifles.

A skinny man with a couple of missing teeth and a straw hat called out, "All clear boss, just a couple of kids." They all stepped aside to let Sheriff Niles walk in. The man was tall, and sported a thin beard, long tan coat, and a beaten up cowboy hat. On his hips hung two large revolvers, in the style of a gunslinger. The look on his face said he wasn't here to talk or approach anything in a civilized manner. He took one look at the two young people in the room and spat on the floor.

"Who the hell are you!" he said, venom practically dripping from his mouth.

Marie was furious by this point. She'd simply put up with too much, and instead of finding some rest, she faced this angry man who was accused of killing her friend. She wasn't about to let him intimidate her, and she slowly rested her hand on the plasma pistol hanging from her right hip. "I could ask you the same thing," she said, her voice low and dangerous. " But I know who you are. I hear you killed my friend last night."

Sheriff Niles looked surprised, but only for a short moment before anger swept over him. "The hell you talking about!"

The skinny man who'd given the signal that the coast was clear a moment ago spoke again. "Them's some dangerous allegations you making against the town sheriff."

"Shut up Tim!" Niles yelled. "I'll do the talking around here, now I'm gonna ask you one more time girl, who the god damned hell are you, and what the hell are you doing here. Where the hell is that no good maid!"

As though summoned with her mention, the maid appeared at the top of the stairs, still sobbing, but softly now, as terror filled her eyes, and she held onto the railing carefully to steady her knees. One slow step after another, she walked down the steps.

Marie glanced toward the maid for a second before turning back to the Sheriff. "I'm a friend of Mr. Burns, and am here to take care of his estate and accounts seeing as he won't be able to handle them anymore. Now you all have broken into his home and are trespassing. I recommend you leave immediately." Her voice was filled with thinly disguised rage. Behind her, Hardin slowly reached for his own rifle, still strapped to his back.

Sheriff Niles either didn't notice how close the young woman was to exploding, or did not care. "Girl, I don't care who you are or what you want. You don't come into my town and tell me what to do. Now I recommend you get the hell out of our way. We're here to seize Burns' assets, and evict the old woman. If you don't do as you're told, then we will shoot you down." He glared at Marie, and added, "Have I made myself clear?"

"Only that your itching for a fight," Marie said, returning his glare with her own.

"Damn it, I don't have time to play with you children," Niles exclaimed, and then motioned the big man who'd broken the door down moments ago toward the old maid. "Grab the old lady and get her out of here," he said angrily.

"The first one of you who touches her is a dead man," Marie said, as Hardin tried to put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. They were outnumbered, and he knew what it meant to tangle with a town's sheriff.

"Grab the old lady, and get her out of here Mule," the Sheriff said again to the big man with a low growl.

Mule reached out to grab the old woman, who now was cowering a few steps behind Marie and Hardin. Before he could touch her, Marie spun around, her gun quickly appearing in her hand, and pulled the trigger. A bright green light emitted from the small weapon, and flew through the air like a specter of death, making contact with Mules back in an explosion of bright plasma. The large man screamed as his skin began to glow with the same ghostly green light, and before the horrified eyes of everyone in the room, he began to melt, the plasma eating his body until a short moment later, nothing was left but a softly glowing green pile of ooze where he once stood. No one moved for a long moment, with even Marie shocked by the effects of her weapon.

It was Sheriff Niles who first broke from the trance, and quicker then lightning, he had his two guns drawn, and pointed at Marie and Hardin. It was obvious by the way he held his weapons that this man was an experienced gunfighter. "You just made one hell of a mistake young lady," he spat the words out with absolute hate. "You just made one really bad mistake. Now I recommend you drop your weapon there, and you come with us."

Had she been alone, Marie's anger at the situation would have been enough for her to attempt a fight, try to take down the three remaining men. But Hardin stood next to her without his gun in his hands, and the old maid was there as well, quiet now as her horrified eyes stared at the still glowing pile of Mule. Instead of fighting, she spun her gun in her hand so the hilt was facing out, and offered it to the sheriff, showing that she was giving up. Niles took the weapon from her hands, and motioned Tim to grab the maid, and the thus far quiet third man to take Hardin's weapon.

The sheriff put his hand on Marie's shoulder and dug his fingers painfully into her skin. "You're coming with me girl." He said as he pushed her out roughly.

They stepped into the courtyard to find a crowd had gathered outside. All the commotion had brought half the town to see what had happened. Before anyone could react, Niles planted his boot in the small of Marie's back, and pushed her to the ground.

She fell into the dust, and felt the sheriff's foot on her back again, holding her down. The sheriff called out to the crowd in a loud and confident voice. "Fair citizens of Gravel Flats, we have before us a most dangerous woman!" The crowd listened intently, hanging onto his words. "Ladies and gentlemen, I just witnessed with mine own eyes as this woman turned deputy Mule into nothing more than a pile of slime!" Marie was confused by what she just heard. What was this man getting at by that comment. "Good people of Gravel Flats, I believe what we have here is a bona fide witch!"

The crowd suddenly broke out into a loud commotion. The word "witch" could be heard over and over as they all busily talked amongst themselves at the strange new revelation their sheriff presented to them. "Any one of you can see what's left of poor Mule, who died in service to his town. And when this witch killed him, she also admitted to the murder of Robert Burns last night!"

The crowd went crazy with this news. It was well known that Mr. Burns was a good man who'd done much for Gravel Flats, and thenews of his death had weighed heavily on everyone. Now to know that it was a murder, and at the hands of an evil witch, was enough to get people riled up. Someone threw a rock from the crowd and it hit the ground next to Marie's head.

"She tried to call out, to tell the people it was all untrue, and that she was neither a witch nor a murderer, but the crowd was now in an angry frenzy, and calls for burning her could be heard by some of the louder voices. Hardin watched helplessly, a gun in his back least he try something. The old maid kept sobbing.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please, let me continue." The sheriff seemed to be having a bit more trouble keeping the townspeople in order then he'd expected. Their love for Mr. Burns was far greater than his evil heart could have understood. "People listen to me," he called out as the crowd quieted down a bit. "Now we have rules in this town. It's what keeps us civilized, and elevates us above the savages living in the wastes. I won't have a mob lynch this witch in my town."

Suddenly, the maid called out to the crowd, still sobbing, "She's not a witch! She's not a witch." The crowd seemed thrown off by this new development. They all knew the old woman, knew her close relationship with Robert Burns.

The sheriff didn't let her continue. "Well now, it's easy for you to say that, seeing as you were working with the witch!" The gathered people hung onto every word of the unfolding drama. "You see ladies and gentlemen, this old woman got tired of waiting for our beloved Mr. Burns to pass, so she hired the witch to kill him with her magic and make it look like an accident, all so she could take his estate and belongings! She's a greedy old creature, with a heart as dark as that of the witch here."

Before anyone could argue with him, Sheriff Niles continued, "Now I see only one fair way of dealing with this. I propose we give this witch the most fitting of deaths for her actions." He paused briefly for dramatic effect. "I say we throw her into the hole!"

The crowd erupted with approval. Whatever the hole was, they seemed to deem it an appropriate way to deal with someone of a homicidal witch's caliber. They parted to allow for an opening, as the sheriff pulled Marie up and pushed her forward.

They walked through the crowd, and as they passed, people called out to Marie, screaming vile names at her, calling her "murderer" and spitting on her.

She was too amazed by the drastic turn of events to even respond. How had this happened? How did these people even believe such a preposterous story!

As the moved forward, the crowd followed behind, angry and thirsty for blood. They wouldn't be satisfied until they saw justice done. The sheriff leaned in close to Marie's ear and whispered, "Mighty convenient of you to come by girl. Not only do I have someone to put the death of that fool Burns on, but I get to come out looking like a hero! Thanks for the help." He laughed then, a cold hateful laugh that penetrated Marie's spirit with its venom.

They reached the outskirts of town, and saw before them a crater left by a bomb from during the war. It looked as though a building stood there once, but now all that remained was rubble sinking into the large hole in the ground. At the bottom was a large, rusty metal box, with a door on one side. The sheriff motioned to deputy Tim, indicating that he was to put the girl into the box.

As Tim lead her down into the hole, the sheriff turned to the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, for the murder of one Mr. Robert Burns, and one Mr. Mule, I sentence this woman to the hole, where the radiation will strip the skin from her bones, and kill her in the most painful and agonizing manner, befitting a murderer and a witch!"

The crowd cheered, and Hardin, realizing what was happening tried to move towards his friend, only to be knocked out by the butt of a rifle by the third deputy. He fell to the ground, the world spinning around him. He could hear the sounds of all the people, and the clanking metal sound of the door closing on his friend down in the irradiated hole.

As consciousness slipped away, he could only make out the voice of sheriff Niles, telling the crowd that justice had been done that day.

Hey all, just wanted to say thank you for your patience. Sorry this chapter took so long (see above), but between finals, personal life, and Broken Steel, I didn't have too much time on my hands. I'll try to make the updates more regular again, and I hope you guys continue to read and enjoy the story. It's gotten a bit big, and has a few more sub plots then I should have done, but I'm committed to seeing this through, so hopefully we can have a resolution to the story in a few months time.

In the meantime, I'm also working on my very first mod with the GECK, so I'll let the PC players out there know when I finish and upload that, likely on the Nexus forums. For now, I hope you enjoy chapter 9 and I'll try to keep them coming!

I'm not a gamer, but my boyfriend eats that shid up. He told me to read your story, and what can I say? It's good, even captivating! I don't know the game, but kudos to your story.

:thumbsup:

Nice add!

Well... If this wasn't based on the Lone Wanderer, something that's been fanfic'd to death already, this may have been quality stuff. Still okay I guess.

Thanks! I actually started writing this for my g/f, as she too isn't a gamer, but I wanted to somehow share my love of games, and this one in particular with her. She's been pretty into the story as well!



It starts off about the lone wanderer, but eventually becomes Marie's story, the baby from The Pitt DLC. I started off not really knowing what I was doing, but I think its gets better as it goes. Give it a try.