Queen Of The Wasteland

by Jest

High Times Part 1

“How many caps do I have left?” Twilight asked, tapping out the question on a piece of metal dangling from around her neck.

Janey hummed thoughtfully as she continued to walk alongside the deathclaw, her head tilted back. For a moment Twilight wasn't quite sure if her companion was counting the stars that were slowly becoming visible in the sky above or the caps in her pocket.

“Eighty-nine,” Janey replied. “Patching you up didn't take much, but buying clothes for that wanderer took a bunch.”

“And that beggar,” Twilight added.

“That too,” Janey muttered.

Twilight nodded to herself, content with her friend’s math.

Without anything else to focus on, Twilight simply looked around, noting that it was almost night and that they were near Nipton again. The sight of the town made Twilight shudder in disgust, though that feeling was subdued by just how exhausted she was. The day had taken its toll on the deathclaw, and she could barely even keep walking despite how much she wanted to leave this place.

“We’ll stop at a house near the edge of town,” Janey offered, pointing down the road, past the general store, and near the train tracks. “I scoped it out earlier. It should be a good place to rest up for the night.”

“I’d like to leave this place,” Twilight began, grabbing her metal plate. “But I doubt I could even reach the next town without fainting.”

“Me too, I’m beat,” Janey exclaimed. “I haven't walked this far in a while. Tended to catch rides with traders, or caravans if I was goin this far for a delivery.”

Twilight nodded, following after the courier as she lead the way through town. It didn't take long for them to reach the house Janey had picked out. Sitting apart from the rest, it was in better shape than most, though it was still a prewar structure like the others.

“Hold up. I hid the key in case I ever needed to come back here,” Janey offered.

The courier ducked around the side of the home and emerged a moment later with a rusty house key held in her right hand.

“Right. Let's go inside, and don't worry. There aren't any bodies or anything in there,” Janey added.

Twilight was too tired to question why Janey had thought to say such a thing in the first place and simply walked in. The musty, plaster-ridden smell of all prewar homes all but punched Twilight square in the nose. Despite this unpleasant aroma, the interior had received at least some maintenance over the years. The floor had a new carpet thrown over the beaten hardwood, most of the grime was gone, and there weren't any visible blood stains.

They were standing in what had once been a dining room, complete with a round wooden table and four chairs. From there, three rooms split off from the main area, the closest of which was to the right and contained several bunk beds. Likely a children's room at one point there was also a desk in there, though all personal effects were gone.

Next was a master bedroom, then a bathroom, and finally a kitchen. All of which were neat, tidy, and lacked any kind of distinguishing characteristics. Save for the back door that had been nailed shut from the inside, which was where a generator sat idle, though Janey was quick to remedy that. As soon as the fusion battery was plugged in, and a bit of fiddling was done, the lights flicked on, temporarily blinding the deathclaw.

“Sorry about that,” remarked Janey, presumably. “Forgot I turned all the switches on before I left.”

“What's the story on this place?” Twilight inquired.

“Seems like the mayor owned it and was trying to sell it,” Janey began, pulling open the fridge and depositing a few things inside. “From what I’ve been able to gather he was the one that really made a mess of the whole deal. Though I’ve really only had random terminal entries and scraps of diaries to go on.”

Twilight grunted, urging the woman to continue.

“Saw the whole town as his piggy bank,” Janey elaborated, stepping back into the living room and sitting down at the table. “Had deals with the legion, the powder gangers, the NCR soldiers that were staying here. He was working all angles and planned on leaving before the going got rough.”

“Shoulda left sooner,” Twilight grimly remarked.

“No kidding,” Janey agreed.

The woman popped the top off a beer and took a long swig. She then turned on the radio and took out her guns. As the courier cleaned and oiled her weapons, Twilight sat down near the door. Too tired to try and entertain herself, or do anything productive, the deathclaw simply enjoyed the music before it was interrupted.

"Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen. This is Mr. New Vegas. Thank you very very much for listening," announced the distinct voice of Mr. New Vegas after the song had ended. “Its just about time to get you some news.”

“The mystery of Nipton has been solved, sort of,” he began.

Twilight perked up, and Janey put down her revolver.

“Word is there was a number of shady dealings going on behind the backs of the good people of Nipton,” Mr. New Vegas continued. “Blackmail, extortion, kidnapping, and bribery. It all came to a head during a rather heated meeting at town hall. If you’ll forgive the pun. Reports are sketchy after that, but apparently, our resident heroes, Princess, and the courier were next on the scene.”

“Now, as you expect, Princess saved the day, and the lives of the only two survivors along with the help of her trusty companion, the courier,” Mr. New Vegas explained. “We spoke with one of the aforementioned survivors mere hours ago.”

The quality of the report changed, and suddenly the sound of the ex-powder ganger, Rick came over the radio.

“It was a shitshow let me tell you,” he remarked bitterly. “A meeting with a local NCR patrol was interrupted by Powder Gangers expecting an easy score. During the chaos, someone threw a Molotov and within minutes everything went up. Shit was fuc-”

“And pardon the interruption but I’d hate to sully your ears with too much profanity,” Mr. New Vegas cut in. “As you could tell though things got a little crazy out there. Do try to stay safe everyone. Now, more classics coming right up for you, so stay tuned.”

The room was quiet for several seconds before Janey suddenly cursed.

“Princess and the courier,” Janey muttered. “I was barely more than a footnote.”

Twilight snickered.

“Yeah yeah, laugh it up missy,” Janey groused.

Twilight pulled out the metal plate. “At least they bought it and there was no mention of the legion.”

“I’m surprised they bought it at all,” Janey admitted, going back to her cleaning. “It sure wasn't easy to sell them on all the details, or set things up so it looked the way I said it did.”

“I’m just glad that- what did you call him, Vulpes? Didn't get any credit,” Twilight pointed out.

“True,” Janey agreed. “Contrary to what you might believe. I don't actually like lying, but, that was downright enjoyable.”

Twilight nodded.

“Well,” Janey paused to tip back the rest of her beer. “Best be hitting the hay if we want to reach Novac by noon tomorrow.”

“What's the road like?” Twilight inquired.

“As you saw, just outside of town is a tight turn near some rather tall cliffs,” Janey began. “I’ve heard of ambushes around there, but there aren't any other great ways around.”

Janey stood up, putting her weapon and cleaning supplies away. “But if we do get surprised I’m sure we’ll handle it. After that, it should be more or less smooth sailing. The roads are wide and open, plus they are well traveled so we’ll likely see a caravan or two along the way.”

“That's good,” Twilight offered.

“Damn right it is. Good night,” Janey offered.

The human then walked into the back room and closed the door shut before locking it with a click.

Alone, Twilight considered asking Janey to leave behind the radio so that she could keep listening to more human music. Then a wave of exhaustion nearly knocked Twilight off her feet, and she laid down on the floor. For a moment the deathclaw considered flicking off the light, only to think better of it and decide to leave it on.

Just for tonight. She thought to herself.

---

Twilight brought a clawed hand to her forehead, shading her eyes and allowing her to look out over the terrain. Before her, only a few hundred meters away was the narrow turn that Janey had mentioned the night before. The already broken highway was in especially rough shape there, as a rockslide plus a tipped-over truck created a decent-sized roadblock.

Other broken-down cars were strewn around the area, or half buried under the dirt that had gathered. There were a few traffic cones sitting out, the bright red triangles spaced along the middle of the road. They stopped right before the highway took an abrupt left turn, disappearing out of sight of the deathclaw.

“I don't see any movement,” Janey whispered, putting down her binoculars. “But I still got a bad feeling about this.”

“Should we go around?” Twilight inquired.

“No,” Janey answered. “South would add another six or so hours to our time and would go through some big horner territory. North isn't much better. I don't even know of a way through that wouldn't force us to fight an entire pack of deathclaws.”

Twilight frowned.

“I know it sucks but so long as we keep our heads we should be fine,” Janey declared. “If things do go sideways we’ll just pull back and go around.”

Twilight didn't like it, but the plan didn't involve her getting shot a bunch so she liked it.

“I can see that glimmer in your eye. Let's go,” Janey encouraged. “I’ll take point.”

Twilight stepped aside and allowed the courier to take the lead. Following close behind, the deathclaw kept low, her gaze sweeping across the tall cliffs surrounding them. Impossible to climb, and completely sheer at points, they provided perfect cover for any would-be ambushers.

Despite the anxiety-inducing situation, Twilight kept her heart rate low, and her guard up.

Janey raised a hand suddenly and pointed down to one of the traffic cones. She then crept ahead by herself, only to lurch forward when a ticking sound could be heard from somewhere nearby. Janey’s right hand knocked the cone aside before the other lurched forward and pressed a button atop a small round device.

The human then stood, tucked the circle into her bag, and took a step back, wiping her brow.

“Watch out,” she muttered. “There are mines under those cones.”

Twilight was mid-nod when a shot rang out from somewhere above them. Striking Janey in the left shoulder, the bullet knocked the courier to the ground. It wasn't enough to take the girl out of the fight, however, and Janey hastily scrambled over to a nearby car before pulling out her revolver.

Twilight followed a moment later, though she was only dimly aware of what was happening. Her heart was starting to pound hard enough that it felt like it might leap from her chest, and her fingers twitched with anticipation.

“Alright, I’ll lay down some covering fire while you fall back,” Janey shouted. “One three. One-”

Twilight was gone before she even heard the first number, the deathclaw charging out from behind the cover. The beast had seen four raiders outfitted in leather armor and wielding crude weapons just up the road. The quartet was held up behind one of two burnt-out cars sitting on either side of the area.

The only thing the deathclaw saw was the path that led between the front and back half of the turned-over semi and its trailer. Beyond there lay its prey, and so it sprinted that way, headless to the danger, as well as the bullets, hitting it. Most of these attacks merely bounced off its thick hide, but a couple was able to hit something non-vital.

Behind it, Janey cursed under her breath and took advantage of the sudden break from cover. The raiders were predictably focusing fire on the charging deathclaw, leaving Janey to put a bullet in the head of one of the snipers. The man tumbled down the cliff before coming to rest near the highway’s edge, dead before he even hit the ground. Janey then ducked back behind cover right before her foe’s ally turned their attention on her.

“One on the left, two on the right, four or so down the middle,” Janey exclaimed aloud, attempting to think of a plan.

A plan which was interrupted when a sudden explosion prompted her to peek out of cover. Janey watched as the dust cleared, revealing that the deathclaw had sprinted so fast that they had barely been affected by the blast. It was a strange sense of irony that princess had been saved by her own reckless disregard for her own life.

The beast didn't see it that way, the explosion didn't even register to it. There were only the targets before it, and the distant prey that was shooting down from somewhere out of reach. It would take care of such gnats later, after the more pressing concerns were dealt with, permanently.

Fear blossomed like the most vibrant flowers on the faces of her enemies as the beast approached them. They emptied their guns and were about to run when the deathclaw suddenly hit the car they were using as cover. Mighty clawed hands hefted the entire thing up, into the air, and over the two screaming raiders behind it. One of whom was crushed flat by the impact, while the other was pinned beneath the bulk, their legs stuck under the thing.

With those foes dealt with, the beast turned its attention to the other two that were still alive. While it charged them, Janey put a bullet in the chest of the second sniper, dropping the man to his knees before slumping forward. The courier then turned and emptied the rest of her rounds at the two remaining snipers still camped over the pass. Most of the shots went wide due to the incredible distance, but at least one hit their target, though it didn't kill them outright.

The beast also saw none of this, as it was rapidly closing the distance between it and its prey. Both of whom were panicking and firing rapidly without taking much effort to aim. The pair dropped their weapons the moment they clicked empty before grabbing whatever sidearm or backup plan they had on hand.

The woman pulled out a machete and rushed to meet the deathclaw head-on. Desperation rather than bravery urged the raider onward, hoping against hope that she could land a killing blow quickly. With that thought firmly in mind, the girl swung the heavy improvised blade at the side of the deathclaw’s head.

The beast saw this coming, and leaned down toward the woman, hooking her horn around the raider’s limb. Before she even had a chance to figure out what was going on, the woman felt herself be pulled from the ground. Her arm was tangled in the bent horn of the deathclaw, the limb snapping due to the sudden weight placed upon it.

Helplessly pulled into the air, the girl with the bright green mohawk was almost immediately disemboweled. The deathclaw’s sharp talons punched through her midsection before ripping down and out from between her legs. Steaming entrails spilled across the shattered blacktop, the scent of viscera flooding the noses of everyone within a dozen meters.

Janey saw this all, but unlike the raiders, didn't bat an eye at the bout of sudden and intense brutality. Instead, she used the chaos to move up until she was as close as she dared from the cliff. She then pulled the pin on a grenade, and using all the strength she had, threw it up over the lip.

The resulting boom, followed by screaming signalled that it had likely done its job. An assumption further proven when no more gunfire came down from above. Another explosion followed mere moments later, however, this one was far closer than the previous detonation.

A few seconds earlier the beast had used a flick of its head to toss aside its latest kill. It then lurched towards its newest victim, claws raised and ready to cut him down. He, however, had readied his backup plan but not soon enough to save himself.

The male had managed to rip the pin out of a grenade and had gotten ready to toss it when the beast was upon him. A swipe cut his arm off, dropping the explosive straight down before a second sliced through a good majority of his neck. Unable to breathe, and barely aware of what was happening, the raider tried to clutch his throat with his now non-existent arm.

The beast was upon him instantly, swiping away, eager to end the man when a loud thud knocked it clear off its feet. Hot shrapnel ripped into its side, and the blast left one foot numb, and severely injured. Still, it wasn't enough to completely disable the deathclaw, and it rose unsteadily, eager to find another foe to slate its thirst for violence upon. A bigger, louder, and more powerful explosion ended that search and sent the creature flying down the road.

Janey winced as she watched exploding car hit the ground a moment later, a miniature mushroom cloud forming overhead. As it faded, and debris stopped raining down across the pass, Janey took stock of the situation. The raiders, likely vipers in her opinion, had been dealt with, but Twilight had yet to rise from the spot she had fallen.

Janey leveled her weapon on the deathclaw and waited for several seconds. Until at least the creature groaned, and rolled onto its back, making no effort to rise. A little more confident that she wasn't about to be eaten, Janey slowly walked over to her companion.

“Twilight!” she shouted. “Are you okay?”

The deathclaw made a sound relatively close to the word no and continued laying there, sprawled out on the ground.

“Fuck,” Janey cursed.

Slipping her weapon into its holster, the human charged over to her downed comrade and pulled out her backpack. A quick search located what she was looking for and Janey pulled forth a stimpack attached to a leather belt. She then hooked the thing as best as she could around the deathclaw’s enormous bicep before activating the drug cocktail.

The bright red liquid held within the syringe vanished into the deathclaw while the pressure gauge went from red to green. Once done, Janey removed the barely secured belt and tossed the used chem aside. She then took a hesitant step back, and looked down at the deathclaw.

For a moment nothing happened, then all at once Twilight's wounds began to heal. Shrapnel all but shot out of her flesh a moment before the muscle and scaly skin knit itself back together. The burns that covered a good third of the deathclaw mostly healed up, though scars remained on her scaly hide. Bullets were pushed out of wounds that closed up all on their own before finally, the creature blinked rapidly.

“Augh,” Twilight groaned, a hand grabbing at her chest.

Where she found the dinged-up metal plate she had acquired at their last stop. Though it sported several new bullet holes, it was at least serviceable for the deathclaw’s needs.

“How bad is it?” Twilight asked.

After pausing to hear the translation, Janey winced and shook her head.

“Not good,” she declared. “But the super stimpack did its work, and you should be back up in a minute or two. Watch out though, you’ll feel weak and lethargic for a few minutes after the fact. What on account of a bunch of muscles growing back all of a sudden.”

Twilight grunted. “Makes sense. Is it supposed to make my chest hurt this bad though?”

“Well you did get shot in the… boob?” Janey remarked.

“That explains that, but not why it hurts every time my heart beats,” Twilight replied. “Or why I still feel really angry, confused, and unable to recall what happened the last minute or so.”

“That's… probably psycho withdrawal,” Janey admitted.

“What?” Twilight asked, looking up at the human in confusion.

Janey sighed and looked away. “Do you remember when we fought those powder gangers back in Goodsprings?”

Twilight nodded mutely.

“Well after negotiations turned sour I made a quick exit, and when I ducked out, I hit you with a dose of psycho,” Janey reluctantly admitted. “You were so naive that by the time you worked up the nerve to fight you’d already be dead so I figured I’d help things along, ya know?”

“Janey,” Twilight muttered.

“I didn't have a choice okay? It was to save your life, and the whole town!” Janey exclaimed. “I did the right thing, but I never expected any of this to happen. I didn't think it would affect you this badly, or get you hooked after only one dose!”

Twilight lay there in silence, unable to utter a word, all the while barely containing the urge to gut the courier.

Author's Note:

This is part of the 12 days of christmas, head over here to keep track of all the cool stuff coming down the pipes. If you want to ensure I can afford to keep doing stuff like this, consider backing me over on Subscribestar or Patreon.

Comments

[Jest]

Hoo doggy, that was a reveal I've had planned/been looking forward to putting to paper for literal years. Hope it was a surprise to ya'll!

[Professor Litmus]

ah yes the busted addiction mechanics of new vegas, may their buggy function forever rot in hell.

[Jest]

11454527
its not a bug, its a feature.

[Sigmacipher]

11454539
Ah yes new Vegas way of discouraging drug use.

[Jest]

11454716
She is a more human looking deathclaw, whose appearence is not based on any games actually.

[Anon E Moose]

“I didn't have a choice okay? It was to save your life, and the whole town!” Janey exclaimed. “I did the right thing, but I never expected any of this to happen. I didn't think it would affect you this badly, or get you hooked after only one dose!”

Good thing addiction removal is only like a hundred caps, and NoVac has a doc.

[proverbs]

Achievement Unlocked
25G - What's a Blood Rage?

You learned why you can't remember when you Rage

[Capitalist Banter]

What a twist, brilliant story choice.

[44burn]

She then pulled the pin on a stick of dynamite

what.....