Drew stepped into the nurse’s
office where he was greeted by a rather jovial Sarah. She had one of
those infectious smiles and her peppy persona and pleasant manner had
a way of putting him at ease.
“Good
morning,” she said. “How
are you doing today?”
“Good,” he answered.
Regarding
whether he was going to let her stay or
not, he still hadn’t made
up his mind. Amy had taken to her rather well, but he and Jack hadn’t
really spoken to her much. They had been far too busy fixing up the
turrets so that they had full external coverage.
“And
how are you feeling?” he
asked back.
“Been
busy,” she said. “I’ve done a full stock tally
to list what we have and what we need. Some of our supplies have gone
bad, so I got rid of them.”
If
there was one thing Drew could say about Sarah it
was that she was a professional and
it was working
in her favor.
“You have a list?” he asked.
“Yeah,”
she said as she ejected a holotape from her Pipboy.
“It’s on here.”
“You keep it for now,” he said. “I’ll check it later.”
“Sure.”
“Besides, when we next head into town you can come with us and see
if we can get those things you need.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Sarah said with a nod.
“I’ll
leave you to it,” he said as he left the office and headed down
into
the basement where Jack and
Amy were working on the
water system.
Today,
he planned on
going to check out the Mega Stop to see whether the Greenclaws
had set up a nest there. His initial plan had been to take the two
Gutsies
with him, but he had ultimately decided against it. They
were far too
noisy for one thing, and
also, he wanted them here to look after Amy and Jack.
“There he is,” Amy said as he stepped through the door.
“What’s up?” Jack asked. “Come to see how we’re getting
on?”
“I’m heading out for a bit,” Drew told them.
“Where?”
Amy asked.
“Just out. Wanted to grab some supplies.”
“Want company?” Jack asked.
Drew shook his head. “I want you and Amy to keep working on the
water purifier.”
“Sure,” Jack said.
“You taking the Gutsies with you?” Amy asked.
“Yeah.”
It
felt weird to lie, but he knew that if he told them he was going to
scope out the Mega Stop for
signs of a claw nest, they
would either want to go with him or try
and stop him. There
was no doubt that what he was going to do was stupid, but he had to
know whether the claws had decided
to call the place home.
“See
you later,” Jack said.
“Yeah,” Drew nodded as he headed off to grab his backpack.
After making sure he had everything he needed, including some water,
a snack, his binoculars, and most importantly, his leather armor and
a laser rifle, he headed out.
As
he walked along the highway, he went through his plan in his head. If
there was a nest, then he would be building as
many Gutsies
as he possibly
could and
he would be arming
them with nothing but flamers. He’d burn the place to the ground,
incinerate everything. Even deathclaws
weren’t immune to fire. He just hoped these
Greenclaws
were the same.
As
the Robco factory vanished from
view behind him, he decided
to get off the road and made for the treeline. The foliage was dense
enough that a large beast such as a deathclaw
would have difficulty navigating it. It would also shield him from
sight and by the looks of it, the wind was blowing northward
towards him, meaning they
wouldn’t get his scent either. Perfect conditions
for scoping out the old Mega
Stop.
It
took
a good three hours to walk the four or so miles. His progress had
been slowed due to him moving carefully and silently through the
trees and foliage parallel
to the highway.
In
position on a ridge, he pulled out his binoculars and stared down at
the old Mega Stop. Considering
that he’d scoped out the
place not too long ago, he
knew that the deathclaws
hadn’t had all that much time to set up a proper nest. If
there was even
a nest at all. He couldn’t see any obvious signs, at
least not from his current position. From what he could see, the
place appeared to be abandoned.
They
had certainly been there, though. At least something had. The
security Protectrons were
destroyed. The robots
had been hostile,
making the
place too dangerous to scavenge from. Even
so, Drew had given it a shot
on more than one occasion. Sometimes
he’d even managed to come away with something worthwhile.
With
nothing visible on the exterior, Drew realized that he was going to
have to take a look inside. He
didn’t want to but knew he had to.
Slowly,
he made his way down the ridge, emerging
from
the treeline. He kept himself low, moving across
the parking lot which was occupied by a scarce two rusted-out
cars.
What
wasn’t scarce was the foliage that was growing through the concrete
as nature retook what had once been its dominion. The
only thing keeping it at bay had been the Protectrons, which had
crushed the foliage beneath their metal feet and burned the
rest away
with their lasers. But they hadn’t been able to keep up, and now
that
they
had
been destroyed,
nature
was now
sure to win.
As
quickly as he could,
he moved
behind an
old rusted car
and peeked
over
the hood
trying to see if he could make out anything through the grimed-up
windows. He
saw nothing and more importantly heard nothing. No deep thumps from
heavy footsteps, no growls,
nothing.
It
was his opinion that there was nothing here. The deathclaws
had been, clearly, the destroyed Protectrons proved that much;
the same with the front doors which had
been smashed in. It
appeared they
were long gone, likely having found nothing of interest.
Cautiously, he stood up from
behind the old car and made his way to the front doors, stepping
inside.
It
was dark and gloomy with a dusty, dank and
rotten smell
permeating the air. The
rotting flesh smell was likely from the two corpses he could see,
their flesh burned from energy fire, likely from the Protectrons.
With
the robots
gone, this place would be stripped clean by
scavengers pretty
quickly.
Drew figured he might as well take
first dibs and grab
some himself.
But
to his surprise, the first isle was
surprisingly empty.
“Looks like someone’s
already been cleaning house.”
He
walked
over to the nearest shelf and turned
on his Pipboy light,
shining
it on
the disturbed dust and grime. It appeared as though giant fingers had
scooped up the preserved food that had been sat there. Looking
closer, he noticed that there were scratches and
gouges on
the metal surface.
“Did the Greenclaws take the
Sugarbombs?” he asked out loud.
It
seemed stupid,
but the somewhat fresh claw marks and the missing food suggested
otherwise.
Drew
didn’t like it, not one bit.
With
most of the food supplies on the floor seemingly taken, he decided to
make his way into the warehouse in the back, hoping to find something
still
there.
As he stepped towards the large
door, something caught his eye. It was a first aid box and it had
most certainly been torn open and judging by the gouges it had been
done by large and strong claws.
“They
weren’t here to nest,” Drew muttered
to himself. “They were here to gather supplies.”
His
heart rate started to rise.
These Greenclaws,
whatever they were, weren’t typical deathclaws.
They
were intelligent and
frighteningly
so.
“Coincidence,”
he said, shaking his head.
They couldn’t have known what
they were getting. Maybe they smelled something they might have been
able to eat inside so they had smashed it open. But there weren’t
any supplies discarded on the floor, the same with the shelf of
cereal or any of the other shelves. All that was left was the
remnants of food that had long since rotted away.
If they were intelligent then
everyone in the region was at great risk. Then again one had chased
Sarah all the way to the plant as though it was more interested in
scaring her away than actually catching and killing her. There was
also the Greenclaw he had seen at the plant. The one that had managed
to climb up onto the eave and peer in through the window. If it had
wanted to, it could have easily smashed through the glass and gutted
him. Instead, it had jumped down and sauntered off before turning
invisible.
There
was also the one Jarik had seen with
a radstag
over its shoulder, like a human
hunter
with a fresh kill. That mixed with the fact they were green and
seemed to have breasts told him that
they
were most
definitely
not regular deathclaws.
The
question was: where had they come from and
did they pose a threat? Could
they be reasoned with?
Drew pinched the bridge of his
nose. “They’re fucking monsters,” he hissed. “They can’t be
reasoned with, you moron.”
With a sigh, he stepped over to
the terminal by the doors to the warehouse and after hacking his way
through the login screen, he unlocked the doors and stepped through.
Inside
were sealed boxes and
crates stacked
on palettes. It was strange to think that it had all
been
stood there since the bombs fell all those centuries ago. He wondered
why those that worked here hadn’t returned? Had
the Protectrons turned on them like the Orderlies back
at the hospital? Suzy had mentioned small robots with stars on them.
What if they had somehow
reprogrammed
all the robots in this region, and
if
that was the case, then
why
was Suzy okay?
It was something he would have
to figure out later if he could be bothered. For now, he wanted to
fill his backpack with supplies and return home before any unwanted
guests arrived.
After finding a crowbar in the
corner, he started to pry them open, hoping he found something
worthwhile inside them.
The first was full of bar
lights. They would definitely come in handy as a few back at the
factory needed to be replaced. There was also a healthy supply of
robot oil and cleaning fluid, which again, would be very useful.
Finally,
he found what
he needed. It was food
that had enough preservatives packed
in them
to keep them edible even after all these years. He took a few
Salisbury
steaks, some sugary candy, and some cereal, stuffing them in his
backpack.
Just
as he was fastening it up, he felt a deep thump rumble through the
floor, followed
by another, then another.
In an instant, Drew had his
backpack over his shoulders and was sneaking towards the store floor,
hoping to make his escape.
That
thought was dashed a moment later as he reached the door. Inside the
store, he could see a Greenclaw
illuminated dimly from light coming in through the grimy windows. It
raised its head and sniffed the air.
In
fear, Drew held his breath as he gripped tightly onto his laser
rifle. It didn’t turn his way, though he knew that could change at
any moment.
Slowly,
he pulled
the door closed
as quietly as he could,
only for
there
to be a rather
loud click.
He
held his breath as he silently cursed his bad luck. There was no
audible sign that the thing had heard it, but that didn’t mean it
hadn’t
As
quickly as he could,
he moved
behind a stack of crates and hid
behind
them.
Barely
a second passed before he both heard and felt the thump of footsteps.
They grew louder and the tremors grew more intense before they
stopped right outside the door. His
grip tightened on his rifle as it
rattled. If
it entered the warehouse then it was certain it would find him. His
only hope was to slip out while it was searching and pray that it
didn’t see him.
Drew
peeked over the crates, his gaze focused
like a laser on
the door. He expected sharp
claws
to burst through it and tear it clean off its hinges. Instead, he
felt fear roll up his spine
as he watched
the handle as
it began to twitch before it was
pulled downwards.
He
ducked back behind the crates as it opened. The
door creaked loudly before it thumped against the wall.
A
moment of uneasy
silence
followed though it was short-lived
as he both
heard and felt the heavy footfalls of its large clawed feet on
the
hard concrete floor.
With
his heart thumping in his chest, he peered back over the crates to
see the Greenclaw
standing
there menacingly.
Thankfully,
it was
looking away from him towards some boxes
he had opened only a few moments earlier.
In the darkness, he was just able to make out its
shape with dark scales on its
back which seemed to become smoother
and lighter in tone around its
surprisingly
large and round buttocks,
though it was difficult to get a good look as its
thick scaly tail was blocking his view.
Its head turned slightly and he
ducked back down, silently cursing himself for staring at the
monster’s ass. What the hell was wrong with him?
With the sound of the Greenclaw
moving further into the warehouse, Drew peeked over the crates one
more time. To his relief, the beast was busy rummaging through some
boxes, its back turned toward him. With it preoccupied, he decided it
was probably a good time to make haste and get the hell out of there.
With his breath held and his
rifle tucked against his chest, he quickly and quietly made for the
door, exiting the warehouse.
Only his actions hadn’t gone
unnoticed.
The
deep thumps came quickly and they were fast.
So fast that there was no chance for him to even think about hiding.
“Shit!” he hissed under his
breath as he heard a loud deep growl from behind.
Slowly, he turned around and
found himself face to face with the towering monstrosity. It had to
be eight or nine feet tall and it looked far from happy.
Shooting
it at this range was out of the question. All he’d accomplish was
to piss it off and he
was sure to receive a
quick disembowelment as
a reward. The
only choice he had available to him was to lower his weapon and take
a step back, hoping that the thing didn’t see him as a threat, or
worse,
its
next meal.
Who
was he kidding? The
thing was a deathclaw.
He was probably dead already.
It
growled
at him a
second time and
in
response he
took
another step back, his eyes drifting down to the two large bare
breasts that adorned its chest. It growled louder, indicating its
displeasure at where his eyes were focused.
Quickly, he looked back up at
its face, noting that there was something strange about it,
particularly its eyes. He hadn’t seen many deathclaws, at least not
this close, but her eyes looked disturbingly human and on its face
there seemed to be the faintest outline of lips.
Knowing he was out of options,
he decided to play the only card he had left.
“So-uh… I guess shooting
you will just make you mad, huh? Listen, would you be willing to let
me go? I promise, everything in here is yours and I won’t come
back. Deal?”
Faster than he could react, it
reached forward with its clawed hand and clamped it around his chest,
lifting him off his feet, its sharp claws cutting through his leather
armor, through his jacket, and painfully into the flesh beneath.
This was it. He was dead. His
overconfidence had ended the only way it could.
Instead
of finding its claws tearing out his intestines, the
creature tossed him away like unwanted trash. He
sailed through the
air
for
a moment
before
he
found himself slamming into the concrete floor so hard that the rifle
skittered
from his grip.
“Fuck,”
he groaned
in pain.
Before
he could even think about trying to get up, it grabbed him by the leg
and dragged
him outside where
it
rested one of its large
feet
on his legs,
pinning him in place.
Drew
expected his death to come shortly after that, but instead, he heard
deep heavy footsteps. He
turned his head to see yet another of the Greenclaws
approaching and this one was bigger, at
least ten or eleven feet in height. It
also had
larger, rounder breasts and thick legs. It also seemed to be standing
more upright, and much like the one that had him at its mercy, its
eyes were
unnervingly
human.
With a pat on the shoulder from
the larger one, the smaller claw took its foot off his legs before
the larger one reached down and grabbed him by them, hoisting him up
so that he was dangling upside down, his heavy backpack hanging
awkwardly from his shoulders. It then brought his face frighteningly
close to its own and stared, its hot breath blasting against him. It
appeared to be studying him and he desperately hoped that it wasn’t
because it was wondering how tasty he was.
No,
it looked confused, not hungry. Clearly, these creatures had
intelligence. Neither of them had murdered him yet, though that
didn’t mean they still wouldn’t. There
was still a chance no matter how slim that he could talk to them.
That was if they even understood English.
“Um, hey,” he said. “Can
you understand me?”
The creature glanced at the
smaller one. It seemed to shake its head before it approached, claw
raised with murder in its eyes.
It appeared that this was it.
He was finally going to meet his end.
“I
guess
I’ll be seeing you again, Gemma.”
The larger claw that had him by
the legs growled, pulling him in close. Awkwardly, he found his face
slipping between its breasts as it wrapped its huge arms around him
in a protective hug, his groin pressing up against its chin.
Then, for a moment he swore he
heard a deep yet feminine “no”.
He
felt rumbles as the Greenclaw
took a few steps back.
It
released its hug and he found his face slipping free out
of its cleavage as
he fell towards the hard concrete.
Thankfully,
the larger Greenclaw grabbed his legs with one hand before he smashed
his face into the ground. Then with the other clawed hand, it
reoriented him and placed him down. He
staggered for a
moment as he got his bearings and found himself staring at the
stomach of the larger
of
the two
Greenclaws.
He looked up at it, his vision
filled by its huge breasts. He took a few steps back, looking at the
other one who seemed to have a deep scowl on its face.
His theory was right. There was
now no doubt in his mind that they were intelligent and much to his
relief it seemed the larger one wasn’t nearly as bloodthirsty as
the smaller.
It pointed back down the
highway and grunted, clearly indicating that he should leave.
Though he couldn’t, not
without his weapon.
He cleared his throat, trying
his luck one last time. “Can I… well… can I have my laser rifle
back?”
The huge Greenclaw seemed to
frown at him.
“I dropped it inside,” he
explained. “If I could have it back that would mean a lot.”
For a moment, he thought he had
pushed things too far when the larger growled at him. It then looked
to the smaller and seemed to gesture towards the building with her
head.
The smaller glowered before it
headed inside, returning a few moments later with his rifle in hand.
It tossed it down at his feet then growled. It looked irritated.
“Thank
you,” he said as he picked it up. “You two aren’t so bad. I
hope you don’t cause too much trouble. And,
uh… Well, try not to scare too many people, yeah?”
With
that, he turned on his heels and retreated
back onto the highway as fast as he could.
He’d had enough for one day. Hell, he’d had enough for several.
Somehow
he had come face to face with two Greenclaws
and had managed to not only come out alive but also communicate with
them. He was amazed, he was astounded,
but most of all he was emotionally
exhausted
and he
just
wanted to get back to the Robco plant
and
put his feet up.
He
felt like
he’d
earned at
least that
much.