Chapter 14: The Ferals

Underworld; Carol's Place:

7:40pm:

"I know we agreed to help and all…" Coby muttered "…But why do we have to do it at night?"

"Doctor Barrows said that those ghouls are much more active at night…" Dallas answered "He said that it'll be easier to find one…"

"Find one…" the Brotherhood soldier said "… We'll be lucky if we find just ONE. I know we need Underworld's support and all but… This mission is just so…"

"Hey…" the mercenary said as she steps forward "… We all agreed to do this mission… Besides, we can do it!"

"Awfully optimistic tonight…" Coby muttered as he lets out a sigh "… So how long are we gonna wait?"

"The Doctor's still preparing some of his equipment at the Chop Shop" Dallas replied "It may take a while…"

"Well, if that's the case…" Coby said "I'm gonna stroll around town for a while…"

"Alright…" Dallas said "…Let's meet at the entrance once the Doctor is ready…"

"Alright…" Coby answered as he stares at Paladin James "Thanks again for the help"

"No Problem…" the Paladin answered "We're all Brothers and Sisters, aren't we?"

Coby answered with a nod and exited the 'hotel'.

"Since we're all just sitting here…" Ellie said, walking towards the door, "Might as well see the 'sights'"

The 9th Circle:

The mercenary is sitting at a bar stool, by the counter, drinking a bottle of Beer. Having nothing else to do, the mercenary looks around the room. It was an odd mix of ghouls. Some were walking, talking, eating and drinking like normal humans but a few were acting weird.

Notable few being some were twitching their heads, as if they were jolted by a minor electrical shock, constantly scratching their heads as if their lives depended on it, others were snarling & growling and finally, some simply laughed maniacally and are talking with themselves.

"Looks like this is worse than I thought…" the mercenary thought to herself as she continues to scan the room

She then notices an individual in a white suit staring at her with eyes filled with righteous fury…

"The fuck are you looking at, smoothskin?" the ghoul angrily said

"Nothing…" the mercenary calmly replied "Just looking around the place… Looks like some ghouls are acting weird…"

"It ain't got nothing to do with you, smoothskin!" the ghoul replied "Don't get yourself involved in shit that's got nothing to do with you!"

"Alright…" the mercenary muttered as she turns around and continues drinking her beer "The fuck is his problem…?"

Minutes later, the ghoul stood from his seat and left the bar. The mercenary gave a sigh of relief as James enters.

"Oh Ellie" he said

"Paladin Lyons" the mercenary responded

"Oh come on" the Paladin said with an upbeat tone "You sound just like Audrey… Come on, no formalities please… Just call me James…"

"A-Alright…" she answered

"So you ready to face those weird creatures again?" the Paladin asked

"Yeah…" The mercenary answered with an indifferent tone

"What's wrong?" the Paladin wondered

"Oh" the mercenary muttered "I-It's nothing"

"You sure?" The Paladin asked

"Y-Yeah…" the mercenary answered "Anyway, who was that ghoul wearing that white suit?"

"White suit?" The Paladin said "You mean Crowley?"

"Crowley?" The mercenary wondered

"1 word to describe him: Racist" The Paladin answered "He's not particularly fond of humans, or 'smoothskins'. In fact, he hates every single human and for some reason, he has a more passionate hatred for me and I didn't even do anything to him…"

"Damn…" Ellie uttered "I wonder why he's such a prick"

"Who know…?" the Paladin responded "… He may be racist but at least, he's harmless…"

"Yeah… I guess so…" the mercenary muttered as she stares at the door where Crowley exited…

Underworld Entrance, an hour later:

The mercenary arrive at the agreed meeting place.

"Alright" Coby said "We're complete! Now, where to Doc?"

"We'll head to Metro Central Station" the Doctor answered "We've observed that they are particularly fond of that location…"

"Why?" Dallas asked

"Your guess is as good as mine" the Doctor answered

"Well that's reassuring…" the mercenary muttered

"Also, I hope you don't mind but someone is also gonna accompany us on this trip…" the Doctor said as another ghoul, dressed in a Merc Charmer outfit, walks into the group "This is Charon. One of Underworld's finest defenders"

"Hello" the ghoul said in an almost emotionless tone

"Uh…Hi…" Coby said

"Anyway" the Doctor said "Let's get going. Can't waste any more time"

Everybody then answered "Right!" as the squad enters the subway station, seemingly ready to face the creatures that await them inside.

Museum Station:

With a few flashlights and Ellie's Pip-Boy light as their only light source, the squad treks deeper into the dark derelict subway, many of the soldiers couldn't help but feel that something was watching them or, at least, something was lurking in the darkness that surrounds the tunnels…

"I don't like the looks of this place…" Coby muttered "… Hey! NCR trooper, mind if you take point?"

"W-What?" Marco replied with a hint of fear

"Coby…" Dallas uttered disappointedly

"What?" the Knight replied "Just saying we need a point man…"

"I'll do it…" Ellie said as she takes point

With their weapons locked and loaded, the squad cautiously moves towards Metro Central Station. So far, not a single feral 'ghoul' appeared. The subway tunnels were dark and quiet, almost too quiet for the squad's comfort…

Metro Central Station:

A certain familiar snarl began to echo throughout the tunnels as the squad nears the station proper, where the NCR camp was.

"I hear them…" Coby whispered

"I don't know if it's because of the tunnels…" James whispered "But judging from how loud these snarls are, I'm guessing an entire horde…"

"Let's hope you're wrong then…" the mercenary responded "Doctor Barrows, stay behind the squad"

Without uttering a word, the doctor stands back as the squad raises their weapon, ready to face these strange mutants once again.

Taking point, Ellie takes a peek from behind a derelict train and she soon learned that James' observation may be true…

"Oh shit…" she whispered "… There's a lot more of these fuckers…"

"… How many do you count?" Coby asked

"I'm counting about 8" the mercenary answered

"Holy shit…" the knight muttered

"Wh-What should we do?" Marco asked

"Taking on 4 was bad enough…" Coby muttered "But now that number's doubled… This is great… Just great…"

"So do we abort?" Ellie asked

"No we can't" the Doctor said "This is a rare opportunity to-"

"No offense, doc" Coby interrupted "But these creatures are also active during the day and at much fewer numbers too…"

"We can't" the Doctor said "… I'm looking for a particular ghoul that only appears during the night"

"What do you mean?" Dallas asked

"Imagine those things except they wear some weird black suit. They're armed with guns and if enough damage is dealt, they mutate into things that are much tougher than those 'ghouls' you see there…" the Doctor answered

"What the fuck!?" the mercenary muttered "There are other mutations!?"

"Yes" the Doctor replied "And these ones only appear at night"

"Shit…" Coby muttered "… Knowing all this, makes me wish that we're still fighting Super Mutants…"

As the squad ponders on their options, 3 individuals emerged from the Station proper. These were tall men, wearing black suits and gas masks. Each was armed with 9mm submachineguns.

"Speak of the devil…" the Doctor muttered

"… Are those ghouls?" Ellie asked

"Yes they are…" the Doctor replied "Feral ghouls but these creatures are able to wield a wide range of weapons, from guns to knives"

"How is it possible?" Dallas wondered "The degeneration on the ghoul's brain was supposed to include their ability to interact with a lot of items…"

"I know…" the Doctor said "I've studied my kind for decades! It's kind of weird, even for our standards… Nevertheless, I believe that these ghouls may be the key to a cure for our condition or, at least, a way to stop from turning feral…"

"So that's why you wanted some samples of these things…" Coby muttered

"Yes…" the Doctor replied "Somehting in their system may be the key to helping every single ghoul in the world!"

"B-But how are we going to take these guys down?" Marco asked "Those things are also there"

"Good question…" Doctor Barrows answered

Cautiously using her Pip-Boy light, the mercenary begins to scan the tunnels for a way to limit, if not eliminate, the danger posed by the feral 'ghouls'. She then notices several cracks along the walls and the roof. Turning to her squadmates, the mercenary asks "Does anybody have C4?"

"C4?" James wondered "What do you plan to do with it?"

"If I can cause part of the roof to collapse on those 'ghouls', we can isolate the targets without the fear of being torn apart by those pieces of shit"

"Sounds risky…" James uttered "But it's our only shot…"

"I only have grenades and mines" Coby said

"I can use those" the mercenary responded as Coby hands over the explosives to her

"I don't carry explosives" Dallas answered

"I-I have nothing…" Marco said

"Audrey?" James said "You have any C4 on you?"

"I have 4" Audrey answered as she hands over the explosives to the mercenary

"But how are you going to plant those explosives?" James asked "You'll be spotted if you even try to reach the other side"

"Then we'll just have to gamble…" the mercenary said as she climbs a derelict train and stealthily proceeds towards her first target.

Encountering no problems, the mercenary proceeds to plant two C4 charges on the wall. Using some tape she found, the mercenary straps several frag mines and grenades onto the C4. With the explosives armed, the mercenary then scans the area for a safe path towards the other side.

The ghouls wearing the black suits are standing idly by the edge of the tunnels, a notable distance away from her current position, while the other 'ghouls' are idling by the partially collapsed subway tunnel.

"If I run fast enough, I can avoid detection…" the mercenary said as she activates her 'eagle vision'. Luckily, her ability does not detect any 'hidden' enemies in the area. Taking the chance, the mercenary leaps from her position and makes a mad dash towards the other side. Unfortunately, one of the ghouls wearing the black suits spots her.

The ghoul quickly shouts and signals the other ghouls of her presence and begins to fire their 9mm submachine guns. The resulting noise roused the feral 'ghouls' and like an angered bear, they began to sprint towards the mercenary.

Using her varmint rifle, the mercenary furiously tried to keep the creatures at bay. Using hollow point 5.56mm rounds, the mercenary manages to stagger the feral 'ghouls'. However, the other ghouls, wearing the black suits, made it difficult for her to freely move and fire.

As the other ghouls close the distance with the mercenary, the rest of the squad breaks cover and opens fire on the ghouls.

"I knew this wouldn't go according to plan!" Coby shouted "ELLIE! Plant those explosives!"

"RIGHT!" the mercenary responded as she breaks cover and climbs a derelict train. Reaching her target, the mercenary begins to arm the explosives as the squad keeps the enemy ghouls at bay.

Soon enough, the explosives were armed and ready. Her objective complete, the mercenary then runs towards the other ghouls as she detonates the explosives, causing part of the tunnel to cave-in, crushing the feral 'ghouls' in a pile of rubble and metal.

Jumping from the train, the mercenary plunges her hidden blades upon one of the ghouls' neck. The creature merely flinched as it tries to grab the mercenary. Acting quickly, Ellie releases her hidden blades and jumps at a safe distance. As the other two were about to shoot the mercenary, Charon and Dallas manage to land several bullets on their torsos, severely disorienting them.

Meanwhile, the 3rd ghoul drops his submachine gun and reveals to have some hidden blades of its own, with the blades coming from the top of the arm.

After a brief standoff, the ghoul dashes towards the mercenary. For the next few minutes, the battle would seem to be an exchange of swipes and slashes between the two.

Soon, the mercenary blocks one of the ghoul's blades using her armguard. Although the blades were sharp enough to stab the mercenary in her right arm, she manages to pull through by stabbing the ghoul in the stomach. Despite this, the ghoul is still able to fight and simply jumps back, resuming its former stance. As the ghoul attempts another pounce, the mercenary quickly grabs her 9mm pistol and fills the creature with +P 9mm bullets.

The ghoul then drops to the ground and begins to shake uncontrollably. Soon, the creature was beginning to act as if it was suffering from a heart attack. Its body was quaking as appendages begin to sprout from the creature's back. The legs then become fatter and, seemingly, thicker. The arms and hands looked like they turned into oversized mallets. With its mutation complete, the creature stands up and resumes its assault on the mercenary. Following on the ghoul's demonstration, the other 2 ghouls mutated the same way and resumed their assault on the other squad members.

The creature swings both arms in an attempt to crush the mercenary. Ellie acts fast and rolls to the side. The creature misses but the attack caused a shockwave that slightly disoriented the mercenary and left a small crater in the area it hit.

"Holy shit…" the mercenary muttered "These things pack a punch…"

The creature continues to swing its arms towards the mercenary. Fortunately, Ellie was fast enough to dodge the creature's attacks but her guns were hardly flinching her target as the creature was also using its arms to shield its face.

"I need to find an opening…" the mercenary muttered as she notices that the creature creates a small gap between its arms and face before it attacks.

"Bingo…" she muttered as she continues to dodge the creature's attacks

Soon, the creature stopped and, like a boxer on the defensive, was covering tis face using its arms. The mercenary slowly walks towards the creature, hoping that she will be able to exploit the small opportunity presented to her.

The creature then unleashes a right hook. The mercenary quickly aims her pistol and unloads an entire clip, of +P 9mm rounds, on the creature's head.

Unable to withstand the damage it has taken, the creature drops to the floor and dies. Wasting no time, the mercenary quickly sets her sights upon the other two ghouls but soon realizes that the other squad members have already eliminated them.

With the threats neutralized, the squad begins to put the ghouls into body bags as Coby picks up two of them and Charon carries the other one.

"Nice work, everyone!" James said "Let's head back to Underworld!"

Museum Station:

Returning home from their recent excursion, some of the members couldn't help but feel overjoyed over their success.

"Man…" Coby muttered "I thought we were gonna have a bloody fight in our hands…"

"I-I think I regained some c-confidence…" Marco said with a hint of pride in his voice

"Really?" Coby responded as he puts both bodies down and revs his minigun "Can I 'give' these 5mm bullets to you now?"

The NCR trooper jumped in shock as he says "W-What!?"

Annoyed, Dallas uttered "Coby!"

"Relax…" the knight replied "I'm just tripping your balls…"

Marco gives a sigh of relief as Coby stops revving his minigun and picks up the ghoul's bodies.

As the troopers neared the station platform, loud snarls echoed throughout the station

"Oh hell no…" Coby muttered as Ellie takes point and cautiously scours the station proper for any threats.

Soon enough, a horde of feral 'ghouls' emerged from the opposite tunnel. Almost immediately, the troopers opened fire and proceeded to retreat towards the station's exit.

"How many of these things are there!?" Coby shouted

"No use complaining!" James responded "Just keep running and shooting!"

Reaching the 2nd floor platform, the 'ghouls' were slowly closing the distance. The mercenary knew that they would be overrun unless the 'ghouls' are distracted.

Acting on impulse, the mercenary leaps from the 2nd floor platform, landing on some debris before jumping down towards the 1st floor platform.

The mercenary then proceeds to make as much noise as possible, even turning her Pip-Boy's radio on and putting the volume on full blast.

"The fuck are you doing again!?" Coby shouted

"I know what I'm doing!" Ellie responded "You guys head to Underworld! Doctor Barrows has to start research on those things!"

"Know what you're doing, my balls!" Coby shouted "You get back here now!"

"I wish I could!" the mercenary replied "But it looks like some of these bitches want to play! Catch you guys later!"

"Damn it, Ellie!" Coby shouted as the mercenary makes her way deeper into the subway tunnels, all the while being chased by a horde of feral 'ghouls'.

As she neared another subway station, a feral 'ghoul' suddenly bursts from a maintenance room, ready to pounce the mercenary.

The mercenary's perception of time slows as the 'ghoul' lunges one of its appendages towards her. She then places the barrel of her rifle in the 'ghoul's head and fires a hollow point round. The 'ghoul's head explodes and the creature's body collapses into the ground.

Having no time to waste, the mercenary makes her way into the unknown station's exit, emerging in a section of the DC ruins that she has never been before.

Having no time to discern the landmarks and find out her location, the mercenary enters a derelict apartment and attempts to hold off the 'ghouls'. With a few well-placed headshots, the mercenary managed to take down a few 'ghouls'. However, this was not enough to stop the horde.

With her position almost overrun, the mercenary jumps from the 2nd floor window. This time, however, a 'ghoul' manages to stab her left leg with one of its appendages.

"Gah! Damn it!" the mercenary shouts as she does a roll the second she hits the ground. Having no time to check on her wound, the mercenary tries to enter another derelict building, while amassing every single ounce of strength and will she had to be able to run fast enough despite her injured leg.

Unfortunately, the 'ghouls' manage to close the distance. With one, pinning the mercenary down onto the ground and attempting to stab her head with its appendages. The mercenary's quick reflexes saves her head from the 'ghoul's attacks, although, one of the appendages manages to stab her in her right shoulder. She writhes in pain as she struggles to get the 'ghoul' off of her.

As the ghoul was about to give the coup de grace, a shot was fired and the bullets lands on the 'ghoul's head, killing it. The mercenary then witnesses several well-aimed headshots, killing a significant number of 'ghouls'.

Soon after, the horde retreats back into the dark subway tunnels… With the threat gone, the mercenary checks on her wounds. Her left leg was in bad shape as the 'ghoul's appendage manages to drill right through her entire leg. Her right shoulder wasn't doing any better. It looked like a gunshot wound, only this wound was deeper… Any attempt to move was met with sharp pain.

The mercenary then hears distinct footsteps walking closer towards her. Turning to face the source, she sees an individual, wearing leather armor with a hooded cloak and a dog.

Staring at the individual, the mercenary said "Did you rescue me?"

"Well, well…" the individual said in a deep male tone "Looks like this is the 2nd time I rescued your ass"

"2nd time…?" the mercenary wondered as the individual lowers his hood "You…!"

"Nice to see you again" the man said with a smile "Good to see you're doing fine"