New Life in New Vegas Part 8 - Danger in the Desert
New Life in New Vegas
Part 8: Danger in the Dese...
New Life in New Vegas Part 8: Danger in the Desert
With Lugnut fully healed from the traum he went through a week ago, surviving the Boomer's onslaught and then being midly transforming into a stronger mutant Jackrabbit, him and Rick had gone out to hunt for Gecko's. After only a few hours, Rick had a half dozen strapped with ropes and hanging over his shoulder, seemingly smiling with everyone they killed as Lugnut was very profficient with a rifle among other things. He would help the doctor when he could with fixing some of the electronics and mechanical aspects of the lodge in Jacobstown. He had even found a pair of coveralls that fit him that he could wear. A tear of the sleeves allowed him to move abit better, plus he liked to show off his toned muscular form, now that he changed.
The two had grown together abit more since then, sharing a room together, even sharing company since there was only one bed and Rick took up most of it, if not all of it with his massive body. Even now, Lugnut would occassionally glance at Rick as he moved ahead him, scouting for more Gecko's. He was only wearing his pair of custom fitted shorts that showed off everything which only enticed the rabbit even more, but he knew that at bedtime he'd get to snuggle up to the green coyote and that was more than could enough for him.
"Oh hey, Lug. We got a large one over here. I think if we catch this one, we'll have more than enough to take back with us for dinner."
Lug hurried up to a nearby rock and set himself up, crouching and bring the rifle scope to his eye, spotting the glimmering scales of a large golden gecko. Just as he was about to fire, another shot rang off in the distance just over the next hill, followed by more and more till it sounded like a battle was going on. The two watched as their Gecko ran off before carefully working up to the hill. They weren't too far away from Vegas, the destroyed outskirts of the city in front of them that was populated by Fiends. As the two looked over the edge of the hill, they could see down in the town that a large squad of NCR troops was fighting off an equally large group of Fiends. The Fiends seem to be trying to attack the gate to the aiport that served as the base for NCR troops in the area. A bold and stupid move to do so, since it was nearly impossible to break in there without an entire army, but they seem determined to do so. Rick wasn't sure why exactly, till something caught his eye. It was large and green, reminding him of...himself!
A huge muscled human, almost like a Super Mutant, but even larger was charging ahead of the Fiends group, wielding a massive Super Sledge that was used to bash through the NCR soldiers, sending them flying, landing in bloody piles around him as he nearly absorbed the pullets, only the larger calibers penetrating his body. He was adorned with leather and fur, but it was so tight, it looked like it would pop off at any second as he moved those powerful muscles and the sight frightened Rick, since the mutated human was smiling, enjoying the carnage he was causing.
"Rick...That's not a Super Mutant, is it? He looks like us...well...you!" Lugnut hunkered down lower, hugging his rifle tighter in case they were spotted and they needed to fight.
"I...He does...but I hid all of the bottles. No way anyone could've got them even if they knew the locations! This is bad..." Rick suddenly slung off the dead Gecko's he was carrying and took Lug by the shoulders. "I have to go find out if they had stolen any of the bottles. Take as many Gecko's as you can and head back to Jacobstown. Tell Marcus what you saw. I'll be back in the morning." And with that, not even waiting for a response, Rick fan for the first location, Lugnut left standing there with his rifle in his arms, watching the coyote run off into the desert.
Rick used as much of his muscle power as he could, keeping his stamina up as he ran for hours. His massive body was dripping with sweat, Rick panting heavily as he neared a huge rock next to a metal cross. Digging his fingers into the bottom of the rock, he lifted it up, arms bulging as he rolled it aside and looked down to see that there were two bottles wrapped in fur in a deep hole below the rock. A quick roll back and a scan of the area and Rick deemed this spot safe enough. With only a few minutes to catch his breath, Rick bolted for the next location a few miles away from there, seeing the abandoned house. He crawled in through the door, shutting it and then lifting the metal plate that made up a chunk of the floor. A large hole was below, filled with the bones of the inhabitants that were dead when he found the place. He shoved the corpse pile aside and then dug abit more to find the hole where two more bottles were left. He sighed and covered it all back up, sitting down and laying agianst the wall, gasping for air. He was soaked with his own sweat and the run was killing him, but there was only one other spot left for him to check.
A few more hourse later, Rick had made it to the last location. It was an old vault, the door long busted that he was able to roll out of the way. Upong getting to the front, his heart stopped. He could see that the door had been moved and was just large enough for a normal guy to fit through. Using his fierce strength, Rick tossed the door inside and rushed in. He pulled the flashlight out of his bag and quickly looked around. The vault itself had caved in long ago, leaving just the entrance area open. Rick had hidden the bottles in some paneling that he pushed shut off to the side, a place that no one would normally scavenge for supplies. And of course, that panel was gone and the two bottles had been taken.
Rick clenched his fist and roared out in rage, echoing out into the vault and surrounding hills as he punched into the metal wall, denting it deep into the shape of his fist. Leaning against the wall, his mind ran of the possibilities that came from him having the bottles. Had the Fiend taken one bottle? Was that his size with just one or had he taken both? Could he get bigger with two? He could possibly be even bigger than Rick and there was nothing they could do. He would have to take the chance that this was his max size and there wasn't anymore bottles left for him. In a one on one fight, perhaps Rick could be the victor, having been at this size longer and being more comfortable with it.
With the idea of challenging the mutant in mind, Rick rushed back for Jacobstown. He was exhausted and nearly dehydrated from running all evening and into the night. Rick stopped by the previous battlefield before he left to Jacobstown, seeing the carnage that had been wrought. Bodies were everywhere, Fiend and NCR. He figured the NCR had won, since there were guards still there, but the metal gate was nearly smashed. No giant mutant corpse was seen around, so he figured that he had been run off, but Rick knew he would be back. All he would need is a larger group of Fiends and they could probably take the airport. Rick wasn't going to let that happen.
It was early morning and Lugnut rose from the bed, rubbing his eyes, saddned that he had slept by himself that night. The bed felt so empty and large, but Rick hadn't returned. He wasn't too worried, since he could take care of himself, but it was the first time he had seen Rick worried, almost scared. Suddenly loud thuds were hud coming up the staircase, down the hallway and into the room. Rick nearly took the door of it's hinges as he came in. The huge coyote was exhausting, sweat pouring off him, muscles strained and bulging from the strain he just went through.
"Lugnut, go and get a machine gun from Marcus. We're heading to Vegas. We have a big problem."