Crawlout Through the Fallout - Ch. 04

Welcome back, gentle readers. This is the fourth and final chapter in my fan-fiction set in the Fallout 4 universe. The other chapters are in my profile.

Any and all feedback, whether good, bad or indifferent is welcome. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

#

When we left our heroine, Beth, along with her paramour David and detective Nick Valentine, had uncovered a sinister plot to turn the remaining synths of the Commonwealth into mindless killing machines. They have tracked rogue scientist Symington DeLaurier to Poseidon Energy, where he intends to power up his control beacon. Beth and the others plan to stop him but first, they need to recruit just a little more muscle.

#

Silence descended on the room. David looked at Ellie. Ellie looked at Nick. Nick stared into space.

I didn't blame them. We were talking about recruiting a super mutant, so that our squad of misfits--a mutant, a synth detective, and two kids from the wastelands--were going to take on a group of soldiers in order to stop a renegade scientist from wiping out hundreds of minds and turning them into unthinking death dealers that would obey only him.

My eyes rested on David. We'd only known each other for a little over a week, since I'd saved his naked ass from being blown away by the Gunners. In that short time, I'd come to really like him. I thought he was a great guy--one of the best men I'd met in my short life. And he seemed to like me. It wasn't just physical attraction, though there was plenty of that too. He listened to me, looked out for me, he smiled when he looked at me that wasn't filled with lust but admiration. I admit it, I wanted him, badly. The hasty blowjob I gave him wasn't enough. I wanted to fuck him like there was no tomorrow.

And now there is no tomorrow. We're probably going to die. Why the hell does life have to be so unfair? I sighed. "So how are we going to go about recruiting this... guy, I guess, without getting ourselves murdered and eaten?"

"Very carefully," Nick said. He glanced at the clock. "Strong likes to run around at night and stir up trouble and I don't want to be traipsing around Boston in the dark looking for him. Let's be waiting at Trinity Tower when the sun rises and he comes home. We'll give it our best shot and if it doesn't work..." He chuckled. "At least if the sun is up, we'll be able to see which way to run."

My mouth fell open. "Jokes? Really, Nick? Now?"

"Yeah, okay, sorry. It won't take us long to get to the Tower from here. Stock up whatever supplies you need and get a couple hours of rest. Be here and fully prepared, by two. David, plan on bringing Long Nelly. Assuming things with Strong go well, we'll set out for Poseidon Energy directly from Trinity Tower. Agreed?"

David and I both nodded.

"Good. I'll see you at two."

We left from the office and walked towards the apartments in the Lower Stands together, though neither of us spoke. I tried to think if there was anything I really needed and there wasn't. I had enough ammo in my apartment to refill my clips. I could clean my guns but beyond that there was nothing to do save try to sleep... and let my brain imagine everything awaiting us. The enormity of our situation closed in, crushing me like a tin can underfoot. Tears filled my eyes.

We reached my apartment door. David said, "I'll see you back at the office at--" He stopped and peered at me. His hand touched my forearm. "Beth? Are you okay?"

"Sure, I... I..."

The tenderness and caring in his voice smashed through my crumbling defenses. All the fear, anxiety, and sadness I'd been collecting since I left Ratchet Falls tumbled to the forefront of my mind, in a deluge of horror that swamped my conscious thoughts.

In short, I lost it.

I collapsed weeping against David's chest. His strong arms encircled my shoulders and he held me. His warmth and strength filled me with comfort even as I cried. We stood motionless outside my apartment for several moments. Fortunately, none of my neighbors wandered past or stuck their heads out their door. I think I would have been mortified if anyone else had seen me bawling like a baby.

A few minutes later and the worst of it was past. In spite of myself, I felt a little better. Pops used to tell me that crying was good for the soul, that it let out things that were poisoning the mind. When I had responded that was bull, he had shrugged, had said, "Okay, how about this?", and told me that crying was a chemical release and was still good for me to do when I was under a lot of pressure. I decided Pops had, as usual, known what he was talking about.

I pushed back from David. Stray tears continued down my face but I smiled at him. "Sorry about that."

"Don't be." His thumbs wiped the tears from my cheeks. "It's the stress getting to you."

"We're going to die for sure this time, aren't we?"

He took a deep breath. "It's not looking good. But if anyone can figure a way out of this, it'll be Nick."

"Okay." I hesitated. "David, in case the worse happens... I just want to say, I... uh..."

He smiled. "I really like you too."

"I do, David. It's amazing how much we've clicked in just a short time." I flushed. "And after everything with... that happened in Goodneighbor--"

"Beth." He put a finger on my lips and I stilled. "You were right that it was none of my business. We weren't together, we didn't make each other any promises. I was hurt but that was on me, not you."

I kissed his fingertip. "Please don't be hurt."

"I'm fine now." He moved his finger and leaned his head toward me.

My heart fluttered. I closed my eyes, tilted and raised my head to meet his and our lips met. Bolts of fire and ice shot down my spine. It was a simple kiss, closed mouth and gentle. We didn't grope each other; I didn't run my hands over his bulge, he didn't grab my ass. Yet, I was more turned on than I had been in... well, ever.

He was too. I could feel the girth of his cock pressing against my belly and the stiff heat beat at me even through our clothes. The recognition that he was as excited as me made me tremble. My hips twitched and my loins started to quiver.

We broke contact. I opened my eyes to see him grinning at me. Steady heat mounted my cheeks. "What?"

"Nothing. That was nice."

"Just nice?"

"Okay, it was hot."

I bit my lip. "You... you want to come in?"

"No, I don't think we should."

"David, come on." Sudden desperation seized me. I didn't want to go to my grave without having him. "I mean, what if we die, we'll miss our chance."

"And that's exactly why we should wait, at least this one time." He placed his hands on my shoulders and gazed into my eyes. "Beth, I want you as much as I think you want me. I could die happy afterward. But more than that, I want us to live. I want us to be able to come back here and have long, happy lives... and to do that, we need to be at the top of our game tomorrow. We only have a few hours and we need to be thinking clearly out there in Boston. Even if you don't sleep, we'll both need that frosty edge that comes from sharp senses and reflexes." David smirked. "Too much sex would bleed that edge away."

A tinge of rejection stung my cheeks, though I was able to avoid getting angry. My pride wanted me to say he was making excuses but from our brief week of interactions, I could tell that he believed everything he was telling me. I didn't have to agree but I knew he was telling me the truth. I put my palms on his chest. His rapid heartbeat belied his calm words, which made me feel a little better. "So... later?"

"Oh, absolutely." A feral gleam came to his eyes. David's hands covered mine and squeezed. His strength was both intimidating and exciting. "Like I just said, I like you and I want you. Once we make it through this, as long as your feelings haven't changed, I'm going to show you how much."

"You think you can?"

"You'll be lucky if you can walk afterward."

Oh God, I hope that's true. "Going to hold you to that."

"That's fine." He squeezed my hand one last time. "But for now, I'm going to get ready. Is there anything you need help with?"

I shrugged. "I don't think so. I'm going to clean my guns and reload my clips. I doubt I'll be able to sleep. Too keyed up."

"Same. Would you like some company--that is, if you think we can keep our hands off each other?"

"Sure." I gave him my most straight-faced, serious look. "Business is business."

David laughed. "I'll go gather my gear and be right back. Oh, I have something that might help us--something I picked up from Arturo earlier."

"Okay, I'll be here."

He left and I entered my apartment, though I left the door cracked. I glanced around but there wasn't really any mess, so I sat down my with my weapons and started disassembling them.

David returned a few moments later with his hunting rifle, a pistol, and a long, boxy gun with a massive scope on it. "What's that?"

"Long Nelly. It's a sniper rifle. I don't use it much because it's heavy and the recoil's a nightmare, but if I have to buy us some time to get away from Strong, it's the best tool I have."

"Is he that dangerous?"

"I've never seen him but from Nick says, I can empty this magazine into him and that will buy us a maybe a minute to run."

I swallowed and got back to work.

We sat on the floor of my apartment and performed our weapon maintenance. I used a steel rod and wad of clean cloth to clear my rifle's barrel, dragging it back and forth until I'd removed any carbon build-up. I brushed grit and dirt from the receiver and checked the springs on each clip to make sure they would still feed rounds to the gun. I took similar steps with the pistol.

I had to admit, it was a calming routine, that helped me focus on our job. Pops had always told me a well-cared-for weapon would never let me down, while one I neglected would fail me at the worst possible time. I realized that getting my mind settled was my own version of personal maintenance and I had to laugh. Even though he was in the grave, Pops was still with me, helping me every day.

David sat next to me, performing the same tasks. I caught him watching me and we smiled at each other. Just sitting together, working in silence, felt comfortable and natural. He cleaned and reassembled his guns with the practiced hand of someone who took the same care and attention to detail that I did, which made me respect him all the more.

When we were done, I said, "You said you had a surprise for me?"

"Yeah." He dug into his satchel and withdrew three small items that looked like red tube attached to a perpendicular gray box. He offered them to me.

I took the three objects. "What are these?"

"Jet."

I made a face. "The drug?"

"Yeah. Have you ever used it?"

"No. Pops told me it was made from fertilizer."

"He wasn't wrong. I won't lie, Beth; Jet tastes horrendous and if you use too much, you'll get addicted and the withdrawal for Jet is awful. But in a pinch, it will save your ass."

"How does it work?" I looked at the three plastic containers. "Injected?"

"No, you breathe it in, though this aperture--yeah, there. Put that in your mouth, push down on the red tube, and inhale as hard as you can."

"What happens when I do?"

"It boosts your reaction time. Everything will slow down. Colors will seem sharper, sounds more distinct, and your skin will feel really hot. Most importantly, the motions of everyone around will look much slower, like they are moving through water. You'll be able to move faster, dodge quicker, see threats coming. It only lasts about ten seconds, so use it sparingly. I wanted more but I bought up all I could find in the market." He produced a pair of stimpacks and handed those to me as well.

I placed the chems in a pouch that hung from my gun belt. "Thank you, David."

He smiled at me and I felt a warmth that had nothing to do with any drug. I lowered my head to hide my own smile and resumed cleaning my gun, wishing I was cleaning something else.

#

Trinity Tower loomed many hundreds of feet into the sky. When I'd first come to Boston, I'd been awed by the tall buildings. After a couple days, I'd gotten used to them, though I had no desire to really ascend one, since every single one looked like it was going to come crashing to the ground at a moment's notice. Fortunately, Nick assured us that this Strong character hung around the bottom floor. Most of the glass had been blown out, revealing the white tiled space inside. Bags made of old nets and ropes hung from the ceiling. Every one bulged with half-rotted meat and carcasses of animals and things I didn't want to look at too closely. I could only imagine the smell inside the building itself.

David crouched next to me in the pile of rubble. I was amazed at how still he could sit for an hour at a time. My nerves wouldn't let me be still and the heap of broken concrete, dirt, and dead leaves was quite uncomfortable. Every five minutes I felt the need to fidget, wiggle, scratch my butt... something. But after a couple of times when I'd changed positions and created a minor avalanche of debris--and earning a glare from David--I'd limited myself to wiping my face or rubbing my arms.

Morning approached; the eastern sky had taken on a shade of indigo. My eyes roamed across the blasted cityscape. Nick said Strong liked to return to the Tower at dawn--presumably after a night out doing whatever super mutants did.

Probably eating people. Well, this is one lady he isn't going to eat. My mouth twitched. And if I'm wrong? I hope I give him indigestion.

A shadow lurched at the far end of the street and ambled along the avenue, as if it owned the place. I took in the silhouette's height, broad, misshapen shoulders, and overly muscled limbs, and concluded this had to be our boy. I nudged David and jerked my chin in the target's direction.

David nodded.

When the hulking form was almost to the front door of the Tower, Nick stepped from behind the corner of the next nearest building. His voice, laconic and relaxed, drifted to us. "Morning, Strong."

Strong froze. His head whipped to where Nick stood. "That voice. Strong knows that voice."

I shivered. The super mutant had the deepest bass tone I had ever heard and sounded like he chewed on broken concrete every morning.

A flare of light illuminated Nick's face as he lit a cigarette. "Yeah, I think you do."

"Roboman! You shot Strong in the face!"

Strong's rage was undeniable but he didn't do what I expected, which was charge directly at Nick. Our boss had set us up where we had clear shots at Strong if need be, without Nick being in the line of fire, but looking at the super mutant, I honestly questioned whether we could get enough bullets in Strong to put him down before he reached Nick.

"I did, Strong." The tip of the cigarette glowed. "But you know why. You were going to eat that little boy from Covenant. I couldn't let you."

"Strong been waiting a long time to pay you back, roboman. I still I think I pull your arms off." He looked right to where David and I were. "Then eat your friends."

"Oh shit." I started to rise but David pulled me back down. I glared at him. "What are you doing?"

"Our only chance is to let Nick play this out."

I realized he was right and gave him a clipped nod. I wiped my sweaty palms on my trousers.

"You don't need to do that," Nick said, drawing Strong's attention anew. "Besides, we came here for your help."

"Help? Ha!" Strong's harsh laugh reverberated from the building walls. He stepped from the shadows and into the growing light of dawn. He wore a tattered tunic and trousers and clutched some kind of rifle in both hands. While his face was every bit as brutish as I'd expected, his eyes held a degree of intelligence--too much to make me comfortable. "Help into my belly, you mean."

"Not quite. We need your help to stop the Brotherhood."

"Brotherhood!" Strong glowered. "One of them fire missile at Strong, hit Strong in side of head. Took Strong a week to get hearing back."

"So we can count on your help?"

"Strong hates those tin cans, so he has deal for roboman. Roboman tell Strong where to find Brotherhood. I leave your arms until I kill them, then come back for you."

"That's a hell of a deal," Nick said with a chuckle, "but I was thinking maybe we could come with you."

"Why?"

Nick flicked out the cigarette. "This is something the Vault Dweller wants us to do."

Strong hesitated. I was flabbergasted to see a variety of emotions flicker across the super mutant's face: surprise, respect, and maybe even a touch of reverent fear. He scratched his armpit. "Why you not tell Strong that in first place?"

"You were doing so well with your rant."

"Strong come with you. For now, not tear your arms off or eat friends. Strong help wipe out Brotherhood." Strong fixed his eyes on Nick. "But roboman, if Strong finds out you lie about Vault Dweller... Strong be very angry."

I could already tell I didn't want to see Strong very angry.

But Nick only nodded. "Good. Also, can we borrow your Fat Man?"

Strong glared at him. "You want Strong's kidney too? How about first offspring?"

"I have my own mini nukes."

"Fine. But you carry." Strong wheeled toward the Tower entrance and stomped away.

"All right." Nick turned and motioned to us.

David took my hand. "Let's go."

We worked our way across the rubble, joined Nick, and paced to the front door. With all the bodies, I'd been expecting the stench of rot and decay, but I only caught the coppery tang of blood.

Strong awaited us inside. I trembled when he turned and looked at us. He stood over eight foot tall and was at least four foot across the shoulders. Muscles rippled beneath his emerald-green skin with every movement and he looked like he could bend an iron girder in half. His eyes sized us up and when he leaned toward me, it was all I could do not to scream.

He sniffed the air and his eyes darted back and forth between David and I. "You mates?"

I blinked. That was the last thing I expected. Seeing David was equally stunned, I stammered, "Uh, yes, sure. Why?"

"I smell you. Mating scent." While I was trying to decide whether to be more frightened or embarrassed, Strong's hand rose to hold my chin. I tensed but his grip was surprisingly gentle as he turned my head to either side, peering at me as he did. The rough skin of his knuckles scraped over my cheeks. He gripped my shoulders and biceps, tapped my belly, and patted my hips, then gave the same exam to David, nodding. "Good. You both stout. Produce healthy offspring."

I didn't know what to say to that.

Strong pointed to a bulky object covered by a sheet. "There, roboman. You take."

"Thanks." Nick strode to the object and threw back the sheet.

I admit, considering the talk of it, the Fat Man wasn't much to look at it... kind of a rifle stock and trigger with a mesh half-barrel about as big around as a breadbasket. I hoped it would be as much help as Nick thought.

Harsh voices drifted down the nearest stairwell, followed by the stomping of many feet.

Strong frowned. "Wait. Will return." He thumped his way up the steps. More voices shouted from above, followed by the harsh blare of multiple guns firing. Then silence.

I held my breath.

Strong appeared a moment later. He did not look hurt but the blood spray across his torso was unmistakable. "We go."

"Wait," I said. "What was all that upstairs?"

Strong shrugged. "Stupid mutants. They want to eat you. I say no, you Strong's friends for now. They insist, then pull guns. Strong kill six of them."

"Six?" David's mouth fell open. "You killed six other super mutants?"

"Yes, other three run further upstairs. Strong let them go, feel like he make his point."