Chapter 18: You’re a seven-foot walking tank wielding a 20mm anti-tank rifle

Chapter 18 - You're a seven-foot walking tank wielding a 20mm anti-tank rifle

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It's late in the evening. The full moon is in full view over a quiet, mountainous enclosure. Two mercs approach a small camp nearby. Inside the tent, a crackling flame could be heard as a man walks past a destitute slave girl, sitting on a cushion. The mercs enter, and the girl looks up at them uninterestingly. The two glance at her and walk further inside to someone eating at a table, as her gaze follows them.

This was Leon Swallow, the main antagonist. He was once a member of Caesar's Legion, where his charisma and ego clashed with the strict regimental life mandated by Caesar. Tired of having to follow orders, Leon struck out on his own with the blessing of his brother, who was a very high-ranking member of the Legion.

It was around the time of his departure that he began believing in his so-called Prophecy, wherein his son, created with the "perfect mate," would rule the West. His dream was to rival Caesar's own holdings.

To fulfill his Prophecy, Leon began capturing, buying, and trading female slaves in order to find the "perfect mate." He also began amassing followers, eventually acquiring a substantial private army.

After a time, Leon settled on a young woman named Becca, whom he purchased from a group of slavers (that he eventually murdered,) believing her to be his "perfect mate." Later, he came across a "more perfect" woman, Scarlett, whom he persuaded to be with him.

When she attempted to flee, Leon made his point clear by destroying her town with Artemis, his modified Fat Man. He then took her as a slave, intending to wait until the perfect moment to fulfill his Prophecy.

An unknown amount of time later, a chance encounter in a cave with Twig and Ben enabled Scarlett to go free.

An eyepatched Merc spoke.

"Sir."

Leon stopped cutting his steak as he heard them.

"In what buffoon reason could you have to interrupt my evening meal?"

"Forgive me, sir, but we bring news from Nevada."

"The three mercenaries commissioned to return your wayward slave have failed."

Leon drops his fork and knife and sighs in frustration.

"Y'Idiots..."

"What happened?"

"Our spies indicate that they were killed by her liberators northwest of Primm."

Leon sighed lazily.

"Send in Daniels, I wish to speak with him."

The eEyepatch Merc bows.

"At once, sir."

The two mercs leave. Leon makes an audible gesture, and the slave girl notices, he gestures for her to come, and, driven by fear, she complies, kneeling next to him. He holds her delicately by the chin and examines her features. A dark-skinned man, Daniels, enters the tent hesitantly and Leon continues to examine the slave girl.

Daniels took a deep breath.

"You wish to see me, Leon?"

"Yes. Yes, I did."

"Your idea to use raiders to retrieve my Scarlett have failed."

"Perhaps it was a misjudgment to offer two-hundred caps for her, sir."

"I told you to offer two thousand. It was a misjudgment to charge you with such a specific task."

"We could not spare any additional men, sir."

"Your incompetence is disgusting to me. That you would willingly trust my Scarlett to such... degenerates."

"I should have you crucified."

"What would you have me do, sir?"

Leon takes a knife out and stabs a spot on a scrunched-up and charred map on the table.

"This is where those idiots were killed. That means they're moving toward California."

"It would be impossible to take legionnaires that far!"

"I believe you should raise your reward to three-thousand caps and try again."

The second merc enters in an urgent manner, grabbing Leon and Daniels's attention.

"Could I have your pardon, Leon."

"Sir Daniels, we've received word. One of our spies in California has located the runaway in Eastwood."

"And?"

"He's declared his intention to apprehend her and claim the reward."

Leon interrupted him.

"No no no no no."

"No?!"

"I will not spend a single cap more hiring degenerates. I will go myself."

"What'd you expect?!"

"Uh, uh. That's enough, Daniels."

"Send word to my brother; I'm sure he would be more than willing to support my cause.

Leons dislodges his dagger and points it at Daniels.

"You, may go."

Daniels bowed nervously and left with the other mercenary following him, while Leon took a swig of vodka, slamming the bottle on the table.

-Meanwhile, in the morning with the team-

Twig and Company traversed a small valley, passing a wreck on the roadside.

"Okay, if nobody's going to address the elephant in the room, then I'm going to ask the question."

Ben said, frustrated.

"Why is the midget in power armor?"

"For her safety."

Six replied, followed by Rebecca speaking through her Power Armor voice box.

"Hey, that's rude! I'm sensitive, you know~"

"Yeah, right. When you were four feet nothing, you were as deadly as a Deathclaw, and now you're a seven-foot walking tank wielding a 20mm anti-tank rifle. Sure, you're a delicate flower."

Ben retorted sarcastically.

"So, what's the gig, beef jerky? Are we going to whack some bitches or what?"

"No, shorty, we're retrieving a Jet stash from a cave."

Ben replied, sighing with boredom.

"Wait, so there's a cave full of Jet?"

Twig interjected nervously.

"You guys do realize that this is most likely a trap."

Six stated, capturing everyone's attention, especially Ben's.

"Hmm... Probably, since it's Larry."

Twig quickly added.

"Wait, this job is probably a trap, and your buddy Larry wants us to retrieve it and bring it back to him in Eastwood?"

"That's right, fatty."

"But why would he stash the Jet in the cave, Ben?"

Ben paused, tracing shapes in the air with his finger.

"I don't know, Twig. Argh... The more I think about it, the more I realize this is probably a trap."

"Well, why—"

Scarlett, having had enough, interrupts Twig.

"Twig, please! Just stop."

Unsurprisingly, Twig continued to whine.

"But why is it in a cave? Is it a big cave? Are there other things in it?"

"It's a bloody cave, fatty, so there's likely more than just Jet in there."

"Like what? Giant mutant bugs? Giant mutant animals? Giant mutant robots?"

"Robots don't mutate, choom. Not that I know of."

Rebecca said

"They don't get giant either."

Scar added.

"But why a cave?"

As Twig persisted, Scar attempted to soothe him.

"You grew up in a Vault! It's basically a cave with air conditioning. What's your sudden issue with caves?"

"I don't have an issue with caves... I have an issue with small spaces."

"Your Vault was packed with people. Small spaces were all you had."

"I know, but... I was the thinnest! And I was bullied the most, so the guys would always cram me into small spaces to mock me. Like, 'Haha, you're so skinny, you can fit in this fridge and we can't, haha...' A fridge is small, you know, and well, mine wasn't exactly—"

A shot rang out, echoing and causing everyone to flinch, until Twig spoke again.

"Wait, wait. Maybe they're not shooting at us!"

Another shot rang out, striking the can beside them, thrilling Rebecca.

"Fuck yeah, I've been itching to take down some gonks for a while now."

Rebecca grinned, clutching her 20mm anti-tank rifle firmly.

Further up the path in a rocky tunnel, three mercenaries appeared with guns drawn, only to be shredded, their bodies mangled beyond recognition by each shot.

Boom, Boom, Boom!

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Rebecca's laughter was unstoppable as she fired at the mercenaries advancing from the other side. Their shots harmlessly bounced off her armor, while her own rounds sliced through her targets, fatally wounding them. When the gunfire ceased, Larry was the sole survivor, having wisely hit the ground to dodge the bullets.

"Okay, it was a trap. What now?"

Scar inquired.

"By Mannan... This is like the fourth time this week!"

Twig interjected, as Ben approached the shaking Larry and kicked him to capture his attention.

"I expected this from you, just not so close to Eastwood."

Ben stated.

Larry finally ceased shaking and looked up with a shrug.

"I'm here to collect a handsome bounty on a valuable slave. We're far out; Mayor Conners' ignorance is our bliss. I anticipated boredom," he confessed.

"Damn smoothskins! DAMN IT, BEN! How can I work if all my men are dead?"

Scar exploded as Larry yelled, shooting to incapacitate him. She hoisted him up by the collar, aiming her laser rifle at him.

"Scarlett, stop!"

Ben yelled.

"I refuse to be prey any longer."

She declared.

Ben caught up, Twig in tow, attempting to disarm her.

"No, no, no..."

Scarlett resisted, firing off several shots before Ben wrested the rifle from her grasp and pulled her away from Larry, who quickly stood.

"We're even. Leave."

Ben commanded.

Larry vanished into the wilderness. A heavy silence fell before Ben returned the laser rifle to Scar.

"Are you okay?"

He asked.

"No."

she replied.

"Why did you do that?"

"It's a long story,"

Ben answered.

Level: 6

NAME: Six XI

GENDER: MALE

STRENGTH: 10

PERCEPTION: 10

ENDURANCE: 10

CHARISMA: 10

INTELLIGENCE: 10

AGILITY: 10

LUCK: 10

BARTER: 42

ENERGY WEAPONS: 27

EXPLOSIVES: 30

GUNS: 100

LOCKPICK: 27

MEDICINE: 27

MELEE WEAPONS: 27

REPAIR: 81

SCIENCE: 42

SNEAK: 30

SPEECH: 27

SURVIVAL: 27

UNARMED: 30