Bad: She wants an apology? Instead, lay down the worst insult you can think of. A beautiful masterpiece of curses, disses, threats, rude expressions, and unappealing remarks about her weight. A ‘why you suck speech’ of epic proportions.
I took a deep breath. Then another. The mechanical breathing apparatus I was forced to wear made my breaths sound like a hacking coughing from an old radio. Though Celestia seemed unfazed by this, standing as rigid as ever before me, waiting for an answer.
That’s it Frank, I’m giving you a direct order. As Enclave protocol dictates, I am your superior. End hostilities with the mutant and apologize now!
That pretty much tore it there. I could handle being shouted at by a higher ranking officer. Have to do pushups and degrade myself in other physical activities because of a captain’s order. Heck, I even sat through a therapist’s session without killing the guy just because I was ordered not to. Was still labeled psychotically insane, but still.
But what I couldn’t stand, was being ordered by a machine. Even something as highly advanced as the Artificial Intelligence chip programmed into my suit to make sure I didn’t die on a regular basis didn’t change the fact that I loathed having to follow the directions of a machine. They’re just barely above mutants in terms of me giving a damn about them.
Plus, my AI happened to be an asshole, so that gave me extra incentive to blow his order off. If the Enclave bothered to care about me being an insubordinate, so be it. The day I get on my knees to bow down to the damn AI’s orders is the day I shove a shotgun in my mouth to blow a cavern through my skull.
So, being as nonchalant as a twelve foot murdering death machine with a habit of bloodthirstiness could, I crossed my arms and leaned closer. “So, you’re gonna kick my ass if I don’t say sorry to the mutant freak?” I asked, dripping my words in as much snark as I could manage.
Celestia leaned in just as close, her off-the-charts radioactivity from her horn making my vision more white than red. “You better believe it.”
“Well, see, that’s the thing,” I began, pointing out my arm to lay a finger on her forehead. Even with a hand the size of her head poking her in her brow, she stayed as rigid and expressionless as ever. Mutie’s got guts, I’ll give her that. “I don’t believe it. In fact, I believe you’re not gonna do anything about whether I apologize to that abomination or not.”
“And what makes you think that?” she asked, glaring past my finger to stare at me, face to face. More face to mask, actually. Not many people bothered to stare at my mask, on account of the bug-eye look it gave me that seemed to freak others out. But not her.
“Because, you’re a spineless, radiation infested, radscorpion looking, ghoul smellin’, piece of shit,” I said, nudging my finger in her head with each rude remark I made.
Of course, you’re not listening to me.
“I’d rather kiss some ghoul’s rotten, stinkin’ ass than ever degrade myself to say sorry to one of you maggot-headed bastards!” I reiterated, Celestia’s eyes narrowing further with each word I uttered.
The Enclave will be furious when they hear about this, Frank. I give you direct orders to cease this pig-headed foolishness, and this is how you act? No wonder you were fired from the Secret Service. You really are crazy.
“So you can fucking forget about me being your bitch boy and beg for your forgiveness!” I said, directing that line to both Celestia and the AI. “I’m a soldier of the Enclave. The best damn one they ever had! And if their best soldier even for a second demeans himself because of gutter trash like you, then I’m embarrassing the proud morals the Enclave stand for! To be the last bastion of pure, unmutated humanity left on Earth! And you, you filthy, disgusting damnation of humanity, go against that most fundamental of the Enclave’s greatest aspiration of a pure human America.”
Damnit Frank, you want us to stay stuck here in fairytale land for who knows how long? When they put you in that armor did they remove some of your brain so your big head could fit into the helmet? Or are you just that naturally stupid?
I removed my finger from Celestia’s forehead, holding my hand open palm in front of her face. “So, here’s how we’re gonna play. You shut up and get me back home as soon as possible. But if you waste my time or piss me off…” I crushed my hand into a steady fist, making a point to make sure my knuckles cracked. And for the finisher, my knife extended from its sheath on my arm, the light from the sun shining off its razor sharp edge, inches from Celestia’s face. “I squash you like the fat little radroach you are, and then wipe my bloodied foot on the corpses of your little ponies when I’m done with them.”
Great, threats. Threats are definitely going to get us home quicker. Heck, why don’t you tell them you’ll cave in their skulls and use them for bowls to eat your Cheezy Poofs out of? I’m sure that’ll just help us along so much better!
In hindsight, those scientists shouldn’t have made an AI program that adapted to the host’s personality. Then mine wouldn’t be a sarcastic asshole all the time. Unless that was an intentional program.
Straightening out my back, knife still out and ready, I waited for my answer from her. After several moments of tense silence, along with worried glances from the ponies off to the side being directed at the two of us, I finally spit out, “Are you just gonna stand there like a retard, or are you–”
To the naked eye, the explosion would’ve been invisible. Or at least a shimmer of the air. But since I could see all radioactivity from my lenses, I was lucky enough to see a force of energy the size and speed of a train smash into my body. Needless to say, I didn’t block it.
I must’ve slid a good thirty feet on my back, the armor plowing through the earth like a shovel as a hill of dirt formed on my shoulders and face until I slowed to a stop.
Frank, you just received 15 hit points of damage. You’re now at 984 hit points remaining. Any suggestion on how to avoid being injured further?
Goddamn, this hit points system was annoying. But still a practical measure, all things considered.
See, ever since the specialty made armor was grafted onto my skin, I’m unable to feel pain. Most of my nerve endings were already fried from that accident I had back at the Mariposa Military Base, which the scientists said was due to radiation burns or something like that. And thanks to the armor, even more of my nerves were replaced with cold metal instead. While this shot my pain tolerance through the roof, it also proved to have complications as well.
For one thing, if I couldn’t really feel much physical pain, judging how much damage I’ve sustained can be tricky. A laser blast to the stomach doesn’t feel much different than a deathclaw scratch to the face. So some scientist got the brilliant idea of implementing a ‘hit point’ system that directly correlates to my suit and AI.
I get 999 hit points at top condition. Then I lose points each time I get injured or damaged. It’s near the halfway point that I actually feel an effect from all the loss of health. But its near the last leg of my points that it really hits me, like when I fought that bloody mutant son of a bitch that killed me the first time.
I was going to make sure there isn’t going to be a second time.
I flipped my torso to the side, lifting my chest up on one arm and then the other. Trying to heft my heavy body back to my feet, I had the joy of being knocked by another radioactive blast. This time, right in the ass. Actually felt that one.
Another 15 points to bring the grand total to 969. Regretting anything yet, Frank?
I grunted, swiping a hand through my face to clear the dirt from my lenses. “I swear to God, if she fucking does that ag–”
This time I only slid ten feet. Though my head was implant in the ground at the time, so I still tumbled for a bit after stopping. I landed on my ass, body leaning heavily forward as I felt the armor joints in my legs groan from the pressure of my entire body being tossed around like a ragdoll.
That another 15 points of dam–
“I get the fucking point!” I shouted, shoving myself to my feet quickly by pushing off with my powerful arms and getting my feet under me in a timely manner. Turning back to my attacker, my rad counter was still in the red, and the shining white light made it hard to pinpoint her specific location.
Guess it was time to go trigger happy then.
"Eat plasma you sick freak!" I shouted, letting loose a volley of firepower from my gatling gun at the spike of radioactivity in my sights.
My eagerness to see her full of holes was left unsatisfied, however. Just as I started pulling my trigger like crazy, a bubble formed itself around her. It had the same white shimmer from her radiation, meaning it was a construct of hers somehow.
Each shot bounced off the barrier like rocks being thrown at a Vertibird. Great, she could make a shield that can counter my firepower. But let's see if it can handle my knifepower!
Frank, stop wasting firepower and stab her already!
"Way ahead of you!" I answered back, charging forward with my knife by my side. Each long stride forward brought me closer in a cinch, closing the gap between us in mere seconds. If I could've looked through the barrier, I'm sure she would have had quite a surprised look on her face.
Arching my arm back, I brought it forward like an off the rails train right where I was sure her head was located. My knife met the shield before my fist ever did, and the first strike cleaved through the radiation construct like a hot knife through butter. This weapon was made to cut through the best power armor there is like a can opener to a tin can. She didn't have a chance.
Once the knife was a good of the way in there, the shield broke, cracking like an egg and crumbling to bits beneath my feet. Sans the mutant, of course.
"Goddamn!" I yelled, pounding my foot in the ground at where she last was. "I'm getting really fucking annoyed by this disappearing act these muties keep on pulling!"
Frank, you don't have much time. She can reappear any second!
"Yeah, but where?" I asked, inspecting my surroundings. Library in the distance, the ponies from before desperately trying to drag their friend to safety, and the abandoned plaza we were currently duking it out.
Wow, you really do have an Intelligence of 10. Wherever the rad is the greatest, that's a good chance of her being there.
"Yeah..." I said, doing a full three-sixty. I stopped circling around once the rad meter hit the super deadly zone of the deep red. "I found the bitch."
Looking up, I spotted her flapping in the air near me. Pointing my gun at her, I chuckled, "I always did want to go duck hunting!"
Celestia dodged the deadly line of fire I directed at her, her graceful movements cutting through the air quicker than I could aim. To make matters worse, she returned fire as well.
It was one of those laser blasts Twilight shot at me not too long ago. But instead of bouncing off my armor like it was a poorly thrown pebble, these packed more of a punch. I nearly staggered under the first impact, and just barely managed to get out of the way of the other two that exploded at my feet.
That was 30 points of damage, Frank! Only 924 hit points left, and still not a scratch on her!
"You know, for a highly advanced artificial intelligence, you have a habit of pointing out the damn fucking obvious!" I shouted, running past more return fire from the skies above. While I thought I had the advantage with her so high up to shoot it, it was now clear that I was more of a sitting duck than she was.
Glancing to my side, I searched desperately for a cover of some sort. If she could produce firepower like that in a consecutive rate, a couple of blasts could cripple me in no time. So using a soldier's intuition, I needed something to duck under, fast!
Nothing nearby, but in the distance to my right there was those pony freaks from before. Still trying to drag the unconscious members of their party to safety from the battle being thrown down in the streets.
To my left was a water fountain with a statue of the mutant I was just shooting at, which was spitting a clear stream into a pool surrounding it. A good place to use at protection, plus, I had a couple of good ideas of how to put that Celestia statue to good use.
Gazing back up at the sky, there was Celestia, brighter than the sun at this point. She had stopped firing at me for some time now, and by the readings on my rad meter, she was building up power for something big. I sure as hell did not want to meet it head on.
Frank, we're in trouble here! And the scary thing is that I think you have a plan. Please tell me it's not going to get us killed like last time!
Karma Decision:
Good: Use that statue on the fountain as cover. Then let's see how good she is at dodging statues than bullets.
Neutral: An Enclave soldier never retreats from the enemy. Keep on firing, and throw out some insults to hopefully get her down closer. This time the only place she'll disappear to is under the heel of your boot.
Bad: There's still the ponies from before, moving much too slowly to get away. You can use them as human... erm, mutant shields. Plus, using one of them as hostage could get Celestia closer and you having a better chance at blowing her brains out.