Radiance Ch. 75

The group sat down to a meal that both Ven and Gregory had prepared and the trio explained what they had found out in Diamond city, they went over what they had learned and told them about their meeting with a synth detective called Nick Valentine set for tomorrow morning.

"I don't get it, these people claim to be frightened of synths and synth kidnappings but they have one living right inside their city and they know about it, yet they do nothing about it?" Ven said thoughtfully raking his large claws against the scales of his chin.

"From what limited intel we were able to gather he's apparently different from the other synths and hates this institute as much as any of them, apparently they abandoned him and did other bad things to him as well though they weren't forthcoming with the details, apparently he has also helped a lot of people in the city so they tolerate him," Wisp said.

"And it's not like he's not well known or it's some kind of open secret or something apparently it's both blatantly obvious and well known, though quite how that is when synths are supposed to be pretty much indistinguishable from humans is another story but I'm guessing we'll figure that out when we meet him tomorrow," Wisp said.

Suddenly from outside, there was a tremendous bellowing roar and all of them froze solid, "I know that sound," Shepherd said a hard note creeping into her voice and the six of them made a mad scramble to the windows to look out onto the streets below.

The sight they saw made Wisp's blood run cold, they were less than a block away and charging right for the Diamond city security that was guarding the outer gates of the city were a whole pack of super mutants.

They appeared to be being led by a large and very odd-looking one who unlike his comrades was a deep rich blue colour and right before their eyes he simply vanished into thin air, but the ten or so mutated hounds that he unleashed sure as hell didn't and neither did the horde of about twenty mutants behind them either.

"Holy fucking shit the security don't stand a chance!!" Gregory exclaimed.

"We've got to help them!" Ven snarled.

"But we'll blow our cover!" Shepherd exclaimed.

"That won't matter a single fuck if those fucker break into the city and start killing people now will it, what is it that Seven always says, we prove to the people of this world who we are by what we do and right now we are going to stand for those people in there, so grab your gear and let's kick some fucking super mutant ass!!" Wisp yelled.

The team scrambled with everybody throwing on their Malakai-made armour and grabbing their weapons, "Gregory get up high provide sniper fire, Malakai take out any suicide fuckers you see before they reach and web up those fucking dogs rob them of their speed," Wisp yelled as they ran down the stairs and onto the street below.

"Roger!!: the pair yelled with Gregory vanishing from sight before jumping onto Malakai's back and Malakai leaping high into the air to deposit him on a high rooftop.

"Shepherd on me we are going to lay fire down on those fuckers and stop them getting into cover, Ven and Passa do what Claws do best and get stuck the fuck in!!" Wisp yelled.

"With pleasure!" Ven yelled and he and Passa began to charge toward the unaware super mutants in huge bounding strides.

The war roars that both Passa and Ven let loose a second before they smashed right into the rear ranks of mutants drowned out the cascade of gunshots and screams echoing around the streets.

The effect of a pair of angry Claws was undeniable by anyone with half a brain cell and a single eye, the first two mutants the pair hit never even knew what killed them before their heads were removed cleanly to be sent bouncing off down the street or in the case of the one Ven removed pitched into the face of a comrade.

The dogs totally ignored the carnage happening in the rear ranks of their masters and instead charged full tilt right at the security who were trapped between the oncoming mutants and the sealed city gates but before they made it a series of white orbs were sent shooting into the floor in front of them and into lampposts, bins and any other anchor points he could hit.

The dogs slammed head first into the sticky webbing and instantly got tangled up in it halting their charge dead as like a bloated fly that flew into a radspider's web they were hoisted off the ground with their legs kicking and their jaws snapping at the confused security people in vain.

And the dogs weren't the only ones getting the web treatment as Malakai was in full-on jumping spider mode, he was leaping from building to building before leaping down into the fray landing atop of mutants and using them as moving anchor points, he'd deliver a venomous bite to their necks before leaping off them and throwing a ball of webbing at a second one as the one he'd bit collapsed under the power of his paralytic venom turning into a dead weight anchor.

The mutants were so confused by these newcomers seemingly hitting them from all sides at once that they lost focus on the security and tried to focus on them, with quite a few of them trying to hit Malakai who was bouncing around like a large fluffy armoured pinball never staying on a single spot for more than a second.

In fact, more than once he took a mutant with him into the air only to send them screaming into the floor far below him as he let him go mid-jump.

"Keep up the pressure their ranks are cracking!!" Wisp bellowed.

"Suck this you mutant fucks!! No one ruins my quiet time with my Claw boy!!!" Shepherd bellowed unleashing a full automatic barrage into the rear ranks of the mutants who were still trying to fend off the two angry Claws in their midst while also trying to dodge the angry jumping spider who kept landing on them from high above.

While that was going on a series of incredibly high calibre shots were ringing out from high above them as Gregory unleashed sniper fire down onto the exposed mutants taking out dogs and humanoids alike.

Suddenly out of nowhere Shepherd was hoisted into the air by her throat and was sent kicking and scrambling into the air.

"Shepherd!!!" Wisp yelled as she turned but she couldn't risk shooting at the blue mutant as he decloaked as he'd turned Shepherd so she was between them.

But her shout didn't go unheard as suddenly from her left there was a bellowing roar so loud it seemed to shake the very city itself, this happened exactly one second before a white bullet shape smashed right into the blue mutant with enough force to make him drop the struggling black woman.

The shape rocketed onwards before shooting high into the air taking the blue mutant with it and as Wisp rushed to grab hold of the injured Shepherd to pull her to safety she looked up and what she saw made her mouth fall open.

"S-S-Shepherd look! It's Passa, he's flying!!" she exclaimed as she held the coughing and gasping woman but she still had enough sense to follow where she pointed and what she saw made her cough and grimace turn into a dark smile.

High above them with his giant wings spread was Passa holding the blue mutant by his throat, "How dare you lay hands on that woman!! SHE IS MINE!!!!!" Passa bellowed with such rage that it sent a chill down Wisp's spine.

"Fuck him up, my love!!" Shepherd yelled through powerful wracking coughs.

"With pleasure" Passa yelled before he pitched the blue mutant away from himself and dove passed him with such speed that at first, it didn't look like he'd done anything, that was until the mutant split clean in two right down the middle.

Passa had hit him so hard that he had cut the mutant clean in two from head to arse crack, he then proceeded to dive like a white scaley bullet right into the rapidly diminishing mutant ranks hitting them from above before landing back on his feet and laying right into them alongside his cousin.

Never underestimate the power of an enraged Claw and it seemed that seeing his beloved mate in danger had sent Passa into a full-on berserker rage, he might be smaller and weaker than his cousin Ven but that didn't stop him from tearing into the remaining mutants with such brutal force that he looked like a white Grim Reaper dealing death with every swipe of his long claws.

Finally, after fifteen minutes of relentless fighting every single mutant that had attacked lay dead or dying on the concrete and asphalt, blood filled the gutters and ran down the drains and two very pumped but tried Claws stood in the centre of it all covered in blood and gore, the pair looked like they'd just stepped out of the gates of hell itself.

Malakai dropped down from one of the buildings with Gregory on his back and no sooner had the young human's feet touched down than he was running right towards Ven while Passa charged the other way heading for Shepherd who had by now recovered from the worst of her ordeal.

"Are you ok my love oh please tell me you're ok?" Passa exclaimed with his voice dripping with concern for his beloved human mate as he scooped her up but managed to keep her away from the worst of the gore that coated his scales and feathers.

"I'm good lover don't you worry none, gonna have a stiff neck and a sore throat for a few days to come but I'm sure a nice massage will sort out at least one of those two," she said softly reaching up and stroking his relived looking face.

"Don't fucking move or we'll shoot!!' a voice yelled from behind them and Wisp looked behind Passa to see a group of security had moved forwards and were pointing their weapons right at both Malakai and Ven.

"Wouldn't do that if I were you," Wisp yelled stepping out and walking towards them as Ven turned to look at them with a rather unimpressed look on his face.

"Is this what you call gratitude human, we save you from a mutant attack that would have cut through your little band of merry men like a Claw and you decide to get brave enough to point guns at us, are you mad?" Ven said in a very matter-of-fact voice that seemed to shock all of them into momentary silence.

"T-T-That Deathclaw just spoke!!" one of them exclaimed.

"Yes he did and his name is Ven of the proud Northen pack, he and his cousin Passa there just saved your fucking lives along with the rest of us here so how about we have some civility and lower the guns because I can tell you this for free, those pea shooters won't even dent the armour he's wearing let alone the gorgeous scales under them, what you will do is piss him off and me," Gregory snarled stepping in between his man and the guards.

"And me," Wisp said stepping up to join them.

"Me too," Malakai said stepping up next to Wisp.

"And us," both Passa and Shepherd said joining their friends and all staring the guards down.

The guards were all glancing between one another as well as them and then the leader lowered his weapon and gestured for his comrades to do the same and after some nervous glances, they followed suit.

"Alright well I guess this ought to be interesting I never talked to no deathclaw before let alone whatever the hell he is supposed to be," the guard leader said.

"He's an Arachnakai, his name is Malakai and he is the best tailor you are ever likely to meet," Wisp said proudly stepping up to his side and leaning against her man.

"Tailor? Thought you were supposed to be bounty hunters?" one of the guards who recognised Wisp from earlier said curiously and Wisp shot him a smile.

"What can't people have more than one job?" she said.

"Why the hell did you save us?" one of the others asked.

"Simple, because it's the right thing to do, we were here earlier and we could see that you are good people in here, just people trying their hardest to live the best lives that they can be given the circumstances that they have been dealt, you certainly don't deserve to be wiped out or eaten by mutants, so if we could help we were going to and we did, because the only way this world gets any fucking better is if good people help each other when in need and good people doesn't just mean humans, these days people wear many faces and these guys right here are as many people as you or me," Wisp said proudly, she knew if Seven was here he'd be nodding approvingly.

"If you're so sure of that why didn't you bring them in with you when you came here earlier?" one of the other guards asked somewhat accusingly.

"Simple because when was the last time one of you saw one of my kind and didn't run off screaming or start shooting?" Ven asked and the guard looked at him in surprise.

"Well can you blame us? I don't think many people want to be cut in half and eaten!" he shot back and Ven bristled but remained calm.

"Most Claws just want to be left alone even the solitary wandering ferals, so if you see them its usually best just to let them pass by and give them no reason to attack you but the Claw wants to live as much as you do so think about it from their point of view, they see an armed human is their first thought going to be oh this human wants to come to say hello to me?" Ven said somewhat sarcastically and the guard flinched.

"N-No I guess not," he said and Ven nodded.

"Now I'm not saying for a single second all of my kin are angels, pretty fucking far from it to be honest, but not all Claws are monsters either, same rules apply to your species as to mine, how easy would it be for me to look at your kind and to say ahh they are all raiding murdering scum because of what I've seen out there in the wastes?" Ven said and now all the guards were shuffling uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"Exactly, the difference is taking the time to not only understand but to try to make things better and that's what I am doing right here human, same as my friends and beloved one here, we are trying to make things better for all sides, so we help to protect you then maybe one day you repay the favour down the line because you remember what was said and done here today," Ven said proudly.

"Well if I'm honest we owe you and yours our lives so I don't think we are in any position to argue that point, so here's to a better tomorrow I guess, my kin might not understand it but I saw with my own eyes what you did here today for us and I'll be damn sure to be telling everybody that will listen about it, so thank you," the guard leader said holding out a hand towards Ven a little nervously.

Ven simply smiled and shook it, "I'm glad we understand one another human," he said.

"Now then we'll leave you to clean this up as I think I speak for my entire group when I say we're pretty beat, so we'll be back tomorrow though don't worry our non-human friends will hand around outside as to not cause a panic, regardless of the step taken here today I don't think the entire city is quite ready for that step just yet but who knows maybe one day soon," Wisp said.

"If I have anything to say about it it will," the guard leader said obviously happier now.

"And that makes me happy, well then see you tomorrow," Wisp said and with that, the group turned and headed back towards their HQ, so much for being undercover.