//------------------------------// // Come Fly With Me Part 1 // Story: Queen Of The Wasteland // by Jest //------------------------------// While Janey stewed in a mixture of irritation and anger, Twilight busied herself inspecting her surroundings. Though it was late at night, the moon was high and bright, giving Twilight's excellent night vision more than enough illumination. She was able to see that the road before them lead up and into a hilly area with cliffs on either side. A sign with a boxy robot on it and two children lay off to the right while an overpass lay directly atop the road just ahead. Along the way, there were a few shapes moving amongst the darkness, ones that Twilight recognized immediately. They were ghouls, their reddish-pink flesh sticking out amidst the sea of brown, and grey that was the rest of the Mojave. “I see them,” Janey muttered. “Two of them by the looks of it. Best put them down quickly before they attract more.” Twilight wanted to argue but she could tell that these ghouls were completely feral. Their movements were jerky, and they made no effort to cover themselves despite the slightly cool midnight air. Stealing her nerves, Twilight stepped forward, signaling that she would handle these two herself. Her intentions were twofold, with the primary concern being killing the creatures swiftly so they need not suffer. The deathclaw also wanted to test out the healing she had received and use her muscles a little. She wasn't sure if this was entirely wise, but feral ghouls posed little threat to the enormous lizard person. Stepping forward, Twilight's steps grew in speed and strength until she was all but stomping up to the previously unaware creatures. Sure enough, they saw her and unleashed a feral cry of rage before launching themselves at the former pony. Any last hope that they were simply lost and not feral fled immediately and Twilight readied herself to cut them down. A swipe cut one feral ghoul to ribbons but a follow-up merely grazed the creature’s chest. The ex-human then lurched forward and used his arm like a club, swinging it at Twilight. The attack was barely even felt and Twilight swiftly grabbed him by the shoulder before using one claw to slice through his throat. Only to slice through almost his entire head, the body part dangling backward, hanging on by a bit of skin and muscle. The sight was gruesome, and Twilight gave the creature a shove so it couldn't bleed on her as it died. With that done, Twilight took a breath and pushed down the urge to consume the flesh of her deceased foes. “Feel alright?” Janey asked. Twilight nodded slowly. She felt perfectly alright, despite all the damage she had received not long ago, causing the former pony to pause. Her opinion of her doctor rose steadily as Twilight extended her senses and found that there were no injuries that still hurt her. Sure she was a bit sore, but that was minimal, with the majority of the cramps having come from not sleeping on a proper bed since her arrival. “There are more up ahead,” Janey whispered in a low tone. Twilight followed her gaze up toward the overpass, and the defensive positions placed on and around it. The deathclaw hadn't noticed it before but now that she was closer she could see that there were several sandbag walls ahead. The overpass also sported a fortified area complete with ramshackle walls, and high metal fences on either side. “Keep low until we spot them all,” Janey stated. Twilight nodded, and crouched low, keeping her steps as quiet as possible while following Janey. Together they made their way up the broken, cracked road to where they had seen the feral ghouls earlier. Here, Twilight could spot at least three of the pink, hairless creatures milling about in search of something. The deathclaw was about to attack when she saw that there was a fourth ghoul amongst the others, only this one was different. Where its fellows were pinkish red it was an orangey green color and glowed faintly in the low light. “Glowing one,” Janey muttered. “Kill it quickly before it releases a burst of radiation.” Twilight raised a claw, and looked to Janey. “Stay to the right. I’ll try to bring down the glowing one,” Janey remarked. Twilight flexed her muscles and readied herself for the fight ahead. The voice at the back of her mind that demanded she tear them all apart immediately was quieted. She did not need such wanton savagery at the moment, as these were foes she could handle easily enough. Taking off in a sprint, Twilight heard Janey’s gun go off, and the closest feral ghoul gain a new hole in its midsection. The creature flinched, and clutched at the wound before catching a second shot in the side of the head, dropping it. By then the rest of the small pack had realized what was happening and were turning to face their attackers. With a cry, they began sprinting at Twilight, who quickly met the first normal feral ghoul with a vicious, lightning-fast slash. The attack opened up gaping red gateways into the creature’s chest cavity, briefly exposing organs before blood began to gush out at Twilight. Who ignored the grisly scene and attacked the next in line with a quick swipe across the midsection. Unfortunately for her, the creature was faster than anticipated and bludgeoned Twilight in the head with its arms. Though it barely even hurt, the sudden impact was enough to daze the deathclaw for a moment. In that moment, the ghoul hit her again, attempting to rake its claw-like nails down Twilight's chest, though this attack was even less impactful than the first. Backhanding the ghoul away from her, Twilight was about to deliver the final blow when the glowing one hit her from the side. The bright green ghoul sported several oozing new bullet holes in its midsection, but this didn't slow it one bit. Hitting Twilight far harder than any other ghoul had, the glowing one actually managed to push the deathclaw back even if she was barely bruised by it. Another bullet hit it in the shoulder, before a second whizzed past, missing the thing entirely. Twilight wasn't going to wait for Janey to get a bead on her foe though, and swiped her claws across the thing’s chest. Several long, deep wounds opened on its body, injuring it but not so much that it was ready to lay down and die. Raising its arms above its head, the thing cried out, a strange energy pulsing inside it. Thinking quickly, Twilight readied herself to remove the ghoul’s head, only for a shot from Janey to catch the thing in the neck. The energy faded, and the glowing ghoul toppled to the side, its gurgled cry dying in its throat. Twilight turned to the one living feral ghoul just in time to see it shake itself off and attack once more. She met this attack with one of her own, booting the thing back with all the strength she could muster. Foot met torso, shattering ribs, and collapsing the chest cavity completely. The feral creature released a single long wheeze before dying and becoming inert. “We clear?” Janey shouted. Twilight nodded, and turned back to the glowing one, inspecting the dead former human closely. “Yeah, they’re pretty tough. Something to do with all the radiation they soak up,” Janey remarked flippantly, giving the thing a kick. “Don't hit a ton harder but will really mess you up if you let ‘em blast you with rads.” Twilight frowned, ignoring Janey as the courier continued to kick the dead thing. Turning her attention towards the overpass, Twilight noticed that there was a second defensive point further up ahead, right near where the road turned sharply to the right. There weren't any more feral ghouls, but Twilight could hear the shuffling of feet somewhere nearby so they couldn't be far. “Let's go,” Janey ordered. Twilight huffed but followed despite her irritation. Sure enough, up near the second set of sandbags, and burnt-out cars were a few more feral ghouls. Only two this time, and they both looked normal enough at least at first glance. Peering closely, Twilight could tell that one of them had what looked like rudimentary armor strapped to its chest. The strangeness did not stop there, as a ghoul corpse was lying slumped over the battlement, a gun laying on the ground just outside of its grasp. “Reaver,” Janey muttered. “Give me a sec. I’ll deal with him.” The courier knelt gripped her revolver in both hands, and lined up a shot on the unaware creature. The thing was wandering around near a burnt-out car about twenty feet from Twilight. It kept looking around right up until a single shot rang out and it gained a new hole right between its eyes. It fell immediately, alerting the second feral ghoul to their position though it didn't matter. The creature made it about two feet before a pair of shots blew apart its lungs and left it sputtering in the dirt. With her foes dead, Janey flipped out the chamber, ejected the spent cartridges, and began to load new rounds. While this happened, Twilight inspected the small living area behind the sandbags, noting that there was a little cooking and eating spot. Grenades and clips were also strewn about the area, unused and forgotten. “Huh, they got smashed, and bad too,” Janey exclaimed. Twilight turned to Janey, only to immediately regret it when she saw what the courier was holding. The dead gun-wielding ghoul had the majority of its chest smashed in, creating a gross amalgam of shattered bone and pulped organs. Its robes hadn't saved it evidently, and it made a wet splorch when Janey dropped it to the ground. “I’ll grab the goods. Keep watch on the road leading further in,” Janey exclaimed, gesturing in the direction of the facility that was their destination. Twilight nodded, and did just that, walking over past the corpses of the fallen feral ghouls. Behind her, she could hear Janey rummaging around, no doubt stuffing everything of value into one of her many pockets. Twilight didn't concern herself with that and just focused on the path ahead of them. A path that went to the repconn test facility, or repcnn if the sign was accurate. Twilight ignored the missing letter and looked at where the road circled around an enormous red rocket. The metal tube was unlike anything Twilight had ever seen before, standing nearly three stories tall at its yellow tip. Though rusted, and clearly not a real rocket, as it was fastened to an immovable support at the base, it looked accurate. Twilight's mind whirled with possibilities, right up until she noticed that there were a half dozen ghouls scattered around the rocket. Most were inactive, but a few moved slowly about the area as if searching for food or threats. Two of their number were reinforced with metal plates while the rest wore only tattered cloth. Further up ahead to the left was the facility itself, accessible by a pair of ramps with stairs. The building was massive, nearly a dozen stories tall, and split up between three wings, two on either side and one in the center. Numerous metal spires and spheres sat atop the rooves, their purpose completely unknown to the former pony. In the hills around them were other facilities, such as the domes to her left which were accompanied by a great dish of some kind. A collapsed tunnel lay on one side of the repconn main building; on the other, several pipes led to spheres. None of it made sense to Twilight, and that fascinated the ex-librarian immensely, though she restrained that curiosity through great effort. “Ton of good stuff was left behind,” Janey remarked, the courier stopping to Twilight's right. “Couple energy weapons, some grenades, caps. Whoever hit this place wasn't looking for easy loot.” Twilight frowned. “Either way we gotta clear out these losers before we can find out any more details,” Janey concluded. “And don't worry, I got an idea.” Twilight wanted to ask what exactly Janey had in mind but decided to simply watch instead. First, the human pulled forth several mines, and crouched down low, sneaking down the road toward the ghouls. She placed them in a line next to the burnt-out car, one after another until she had three in a row. With that done, she stood back up, aimed her revolver at the ghoul furthest to the right, and took the shot. The ghoul dropped like a puppet with its strings cut, its body hitting the ground the same moment its fellows cried out in anger. Charging towards the source of the gunshot, two ghouls ran almost right beside each other, hitting the first mine at the same time. They exploded in an eruption of gore and debris, bits of concrete raining down. The next one was one of the normal ghouls, and like its companions, was making its way directly at Janey, heedless of danger. It hit the mine and was torn in half, with its right side getting vaporized in the blast. The last one was a reaver, its arms, legs and chest covered in patchwork metal armor bound with harsh wire. It hit the final mine and was brutally maimed, its legs flying off in either direction. The creature landed a few feet away from Janey, its gangly arms immediately reaching in her direction and pulling it toward her. The sight was a grim one, and Twilight ended its misery with a well-placed stomp, turning the feral creature into a mound of gore. “Barely had to lift a finger,” Janey remarked, twirling her revolver and dropping it into its holster. Twilight rolled her eyes, and took the lead, tromping around the blast sites towards the stairs leading to the facility. Once past the final set of sandbag emplacements, she noted that more robed ghouls were lying dead nearby. Each one had been the victim of intense blunt force trauma, missing limbs, or being bent in ways no creature should be bent. “Probably super mutants,” Janey remarked. “They are about the only thing who use blunt weapons, and have the strength to do that.” Janey leaned down and plucked the laser weapon laying nearby, stuffing it into one of her many pockets. The casual nature of her grave robbing was disarming, and Twilight could barely even muster the effort to be annoyed at the courier. She instead focused that irritation at whoever had hurt these creatures, her gaze turning to the repconn facility entrance. A few long strides put her up to the entrance, and a gentle push opened the door. Though there was no movement immediately upon entry, Twilight could tell that ghouls were all around them. The space she stood in at the moment looked to be a reception area, with a large half-circle desk laying directly before her. To her right and left were doors, while before her were three more entrances, with more visible on the second story that opened up above the reception desk area. More concerning than the shuffle of distant feet was the dead super mutant, lying next to a deceased ghoul in very similar robes. The ghoul was nearly identical to the nonferal bodies they’d seen so far, but they had yet to locate a mutant until now. Twilight's thoughts were interrupted when an intercom crackled to life only a few feet away. “Hey over here, are you listening? Wait, that's a deathclaw. Oh as if this day could get any worse,” muttered a gravely masculine voice before the intercom cut out. Janey stepped in a moment later and went over to the small metal box on the wall, pressing her finger against the call button. “Hello?” she whispered. When there was no response she turned to Twilight and shrugged. “Whatever. Guess we’ll figure out what that was later,” Janey remarked. Twilight gestured to the grey super mutant that lay at their feet, pointing at the strange rebar club nearby. “Nightkin,” Janey whispered. “Stealthy super mutants that can turn pretty much invisible. Crazier than usual, which is saying something.” Twilight frowned. “Something to do with frequent stealth boy use. Messes with their heads, and makes them nuts,” Janey continued. “Watch your corners, and remember what I told you about stealth boys.” This time Twilight nodded, the deathclaw looking around expectantly, unsure of where to start. “Come on, looks like the mutant was trying to go this way,” Janey murmured, pointing to one of the doors on the main floor. Twilight nodded and crouched down alongside the courier, joining her in walking slowly in that direction. Rounding the desk, they moved deeper into the facility and immediately stumbled upon another robe-wearing corpse. Like the others, he had an energy weapon, fewer limbs than he should have, and a look of terror on his cold face. A little further and they found a side hallway marked by a long streak of blood along one wall. Further in a bit were a few stairs down before abruptly ending at a sturdier-looking door with an intercom nearby. Together they walked up to it, with Janey trying the handle only to curse. “Locked. One sec,” she whispered. Twilight glanced back the way they came, watching their backs while Janey fiddled with the door. After a few quiet moments, there was a click, and the door opened, revealing a mostly metal tunnel that went down. The change was stark, with the walls going from that of an office to that of a vault or underground facility of some kind. For once Janey took the lead, walking slowly and cautiously downward until she reached a metal door. This one wasn't locked, and after a moment it slipped into the walls with a metallic clatter. Janey peered inside and after a moment, waved Twilight into the room, before going in herself. Twilight looked around and found that there were two banks of computers as well as bits of debris and some barrels filled with burning garbage. The smell was unpleasant, and a fine layer of smoke gathered near the ceiling, prompting Twilight to crouch a little lower. The lone exit had no door, allowing Janey to peer into the hallway beyond. She glanced left and then right before waving Twilight forward. Twilight obliged the request, and noted that here the lights were lower, and illumination came from small blue lights dotting the ground on either side of the hallway. Though it stretched both left and right, Twilight felt herself pulled left by some instinct she didn't totally understand. Peering a little closer, she saw what looked like a long hallway with two exits to the right and one at the end. There was no sign of movement, and she couldn't hear anything save for the distant thrum of something mechanical. Then there was something else, something heavy rhythmic and coming directly towards her. Yet no matter how hard she stared, there was nothing, only a dimly lit passageway devoid of features. Then a flicker, the light bending oddly around what was a towering figure as tall as the deathclaw. Twilight's instincts flared, and she ducked just in time to dodge the swing of a rebar club aimed at her head. The attacker shimmered into existence a second later, revealing a grey-skinned super mutant who was pulling their weapon out of the wall and raising it for another strike. Twilight sighed. Here we go again. She thought to herself.