“Cold and Bitter”
By DarkMalcontent
Proofread by alisia

***

Appalachia, Eastern Commonwealth, 2105

Mal groaned as the world around him came into focus. The dimness in his vision cleared away as he tried to sit up. Hands slipping lower, he hit his head on cold metal behind him, sending a jolt of pain followed by numbness through his skull.

“Careful.” A stoic remark came. Filtered through a speaker, it dripped with unrealistic concern. “You've been passed out for….some time, General.”

Mal sat up slower this time and held his head as he came full upright. Waves of a throbbing headache bleed off as he groaned. “MODUS,” he said softly. “Last thing I remember I was fighting another scorch beast queen. She had me on the ropes. I was dug in behind a tree.”

“Yes. You were unsuccessful in destroying that particular queen.” MODUS replied, a monitor popping on next to Mal. The middle aged face of MODUS flickered into view. Not a human face by any stretch, but an amalgamation of several programmers for the AI it was representing. The most striking element was the round ping pong glasses it wore, hiding its eyes. “You succumbed to the….radiation of the area. We were...able to retrieve you using some of our assaultron we used as ...proxy...for that area.”

“Spying on me?” Mal swung his legs around and tried to stand, the world very unbalanced from his bout with death.

“We prefer to...think of it...as..” MODUS paused, the damage over the decades to his memory banks causing glitches at times. “Looking out for our friend.” He finished, the screen changing to a grinning version of the avatar.

“I'm sure. Turn the lights down. It's killin’ me.” Mal held his hand over his eyes, adjusting his glasses carefully. He had but one spare set and wasn't planning on losing these ones. Looking down to the floor he found his boots, reaching for them. Hr didn't make it far before he got dizzy from the height change.

“You really shouldn't be moving too much. We've been examining your… body while you slept.” MODUS chimed in. “We've made fascinating discoveries.”

“Yeah? I grow a third arm?” Mal chuckled, ignoring the advice and slowly but clumsily putting a boot on.

“No such...aggressive mutations present thankfully for you.” Another set of monitors popped on near Mal, making him wince in pain.”Your sensitivity to the light is not merely from your sleep. The eye aches you complained of for many months seem to be associated with a sudden growth of a Tapetum lucidum in your eyeballs.”

“Ok. I'm not a doctor. Do I have cancer, MODUS? Has all the radiation I've soaked in, then cured, soaked in, then cured over the years finally done me in?” Mal winced as he tried to look at a screen. “Cuz I'm going to be so pissed off if it's the case.”

“While we do think….this is associated with the volume of radiation you have...soaked...in over your time with us.” MODUS changed his expression a moment and displayed a bar graph. “We must admit that no one we have...hmmm..worked with...has ever endured as much radiation as our records indicate you have.” The display switched back to a grinning face. “Well, at least none who lived longer then twenty-two minutes.”

“Bottom line, MODUS.” Mal grabbed a pair of sunglasses and found that made the low light tolerable. Standing up, he straightened his uniform with the Enclave symbols a bit shabby for all the wear and tear he’d put it through.

“Yes. We...forget your background is...not medical.” MODUS chuckled. “You have, by our estimations, become one of the few documented cases of a positive mutation event. Typical...mutations in the lab setting needed extracted chemicals and serums to do such things...you...have the recipe...for lack of a better term.”

“Well at least some good came from the raiding of those queens.” He took a few steps, adjusting to the balance he felt gone moments ago.

“Yes. The...specimen...runs were quite successful it would seem.” The matter-of-factly statement caught Mal’s attention.

“You planned this?”

“Certainly not this...it was however...always a possibility you would..show some new mutations like so many others before you.” MODUS admitted. “We merely meant the tissue and resource samples you've...procured us...over these many...years have not been in vain.”

Mal picked up his gun belt and rifle from the table, the clicking of automated turrets and assaultrons moving about in the hallway filling his ear. He stopped cold when the doors did not automatically open.

“We would like… to share another revelation in our...hmmm...examinations.” MODUS said cooly, popping up on a standing terminal near Mal. A blood panel and cell sample graph appeared suddenly. “Based on...previously documented..samples of your body. It would appear another effect has occurred. This one more...important to tell you.”

“Go on,” Mal hesitantly said, staring at the data, a desperate clutch on his firearm.

“It appears…” MODUS popped back on the main screen. “Your cells have had their aging slowed down by some 99.7 percent.”

Nuka World Tram Station, Commonwealth 2287

Mal stared off into the distance, waiting for Dash to finish her pit stop. Puffing smoke in a brief cloud in front of him, he stared at the patrols of mercenaries walking the old world tram station. Safely hidden and crouched down, he had been studying their patterns while his lesser partner relieved herself behind a rock.

The wind blew gently and pushed the few bangs from his eyesight. The gentle glow of his split iris’ purple ring the only real color on his figure. Worn leather and other straps were all meant to conceal him during his operations. On his arm armor plating was the black and red lighting bolt of the Enclave Airforce, dulled with age and weather.

“Shite.” Dash stumbled from behind, her voice barely audible to him. “What the hell makes ya pee neon red? What the hell was in that DayBreaker?” she grumbled, her irish accent breaking through despite her attempts to suppress it. Zipping up her meager coverings she crouched down and snuck up next to her boss, a smoke in her mouth by the time she settled in.

“Ready?” Mal stared forward, eyeing up one of the weak points of the compound parameter. “They move in a decent pattern but the one coming up...” he pointed at a larger female, her rifle slung over her shoulder lazily. “Isn't focused entirely.” He motioned to the girl further left. “That leaves her vulnerable.”

“Guns blazin'?” Mal heard her ask as she tightened her harness around her chest. “Or quiet as a mouse?”

“Don't want the whole squad coming down on us immediately. Knock out the left with subtle lead poisoning.” He screwed a silencer to his pistol with a snicker. Checking the load out on the side, he flipped a switch and a small whine followed by a series of green lights flickering to life on the receiver. “And you do that thing you do to the lazy one.”

“One dose of Dash Downer outta bring that tower of a bitch down.” She smiled, loading a chemical cocktail canister into the butt of her Syringer rifle. “This thing may have been meant for wild animals, bit it's going to be lights out for that amazon.”

“Charming to the last.” Mal ran a possessive hand over his partners ass before slapping it softly. “Go.” He smiled as he brought the iron sights of his pistol to bear.

“With pleasure.” Dash grinned, her eyes locking on her victim as she moved to keep in the shadows.

Mal concentrated a few more seconds, waiting until he heard Dash's footsteps taper off. Satisfied with the timing, he took to steading his pistol with both hands as he closed an eye. A distant stare of 1000 miles came over his face before the muffled shot hit the air. The girl in front of his sights grabbed her throat as his round silently cut her windpipe. The gentle clatter of the woman's rifle alerted her lazy companion as anticipated, giving Dash her exposed neck.

A similar muffled sound echoed near Dash as her round fired and stuck into her target, the contents of the canister injecting rapidly on impact. As the yellow fluid vanished from sight, Mal watched as the girl grabbed her neck and tried to scream. Nothing came out as her eyes rolled back into her head and she dropped to the ground like a sack of bricks.

Mal smiled as he stood up, jogging across the old parking lot to reach the bodies. A shot of plasma echoed into the air, stopping him cold in his tracks. Looking at the source, he cursed softly while looking at his partner. The drugged out girl was no doubt in paradise in her mind, but was spasming in some sort of climax. The resulting trigger pulls sent random gunfire in the form of plasma bolts at him and Dash, sending them scrambling to dodge.

Glancing towards the main gates, Mal heard the tell-tale sounds of mechanical legs. “Well she fucking blew this going quietly all to hell.” He complained while unscrewing the silencer and tossing it into a pocket on his jacket. His thumb flipped a switch near the trigger, changing it to automatic fire. The reconfiguring module in the pistol charged, the deadly harbinger of its whine piercing the air.

Shouting and boots hitting pavement grew closer, followed by stray opening shots that strayed wide. Mal ducked behind an overturned hull of a centuries old nuclear powered car as the green tint of plasma rounds shot past.

Glancing to his companion, Dash had ditched the stringer, thankfully, and was returning fire from a set of trash cans. The plasma rounds lit the front of the cans, the bleed off making her duck out of instinct. He heard the automatic ballistic fire from her carbine cut through one of the attackers, confirmed by a wet thud near his position. Tilting his head out, he got a quick glance of the opposition.

Three heavily armed Gunners with automatic plasma rifles wearing full sets of combat armor were their front line. Behind them were lighter armored infantry. Of them all only two were male, both wearing control collars of some sort.

Seems these girls have two trophies they like to show off. He mused mentally, reaching into his jacket and yanking a fragmentation grenade from his belt. Letting the pin drop and the handle fly, he lobbed the orb between the two males. Taking advantage of the moment of panic, which the more intelligent females took note, he caught one of the girls in the stomach and shoulder with a spray of automatic fire. As she fell holding her wounds, the grenade took out one of the huge brutes and blew the arm off the other.

“Suppression fire!” a louder more commanding voice cried through the violence from far in the rear.

Glancing at the gate, Mal squinted and caught an eyeful of the apparent company leader. Gunners are nothing if not consistent. He thought, taking aim at the yellow haired girl as he flipped to semi automatic fire on the switch. Bringing up the iron sights, he zeroed in on the leader and let a round fly.

Much to Mals disappointment the bullet hit the guard from her side. It was not for lack of aim but her situational awareness which let her prepare for the shot, sacrificing one of her pawns as a result. “Over there!” he heard her bark, the dead bodyguard dropping in a limp fleshy mess.

The remaining company Dash hadn't picked off all trained their laser sights on the car frame Mal hid behind within seconds. The resulting firepower began to melt the frame from the sustained heat. Ducking hard, he knew he was in trouble as several plasma orbs hit his shoulder and burnt the leather of his trenchcoat.

“Son of a bitch!” he shouted and dropped a plasma grenade. Fumbling fingers grabbed it before several shots chased his hands from it. “Alright you overrated bitches. You like plasma? Let's go with plasma!” he shouted as they all began to reload. He turned to eyeball his target, an almost calculator like projected arc appeared in his vision. Several centuries of fighting gave him full confidence in his grenade tossing as he visualized his lob. The silver orb gave a metal thud as it hit and rolled on the concrete.

“Scatter!” the leader ordered, a second later the air was filled with a bright green explosive wave. Burning everything it touched, the grenades discharge did its job and took out the main tank, their last male and one more support girl.

He heard Dash open fire again only to run dry, her trademark “Shite!” almost made him chuckle had it not been a very dangerous situation for him. He may be relatively immortal but he knew he wasn't invulnerable. “Alright ya piss heads!” Dash shouted from her cover. “Let's see how ya like a lady up close…”

He heard the distinct sound of his companion injecting a chem into her arm. Probably Psycho, he thought, peering out to assess the battlefield.

He heard Dash let out a satisfied groan he seldom heard from her in battle, followed up with a growl of intense power surging through her body. Mal knew the tide had turned when she sprung up. Watching her adrenaline and chem induced rage take over, the few shots the soldiers next to her got off missed or didn't even phase her as they hit. Grabbing the first bewildered soldier, twisting her arm too quick for them to react, a distinct snap followed by a cry of pain sounded. Dash twisted the girls wrist again, breaking both bones at the pivot point and letting her crew finish her off as Dash used her as a human shield. Allowing the poor girl to drop, the chem powered merc shot forward at a frightening pace and knocked the shotgun out of the next girls hands easily, catching it in mid air and reversing its direction so it come to rest under the Gunners chin. Fear didn't have time to register on her face before Dash pulled both triggers and the barrels blew at the same time.

Mal leaned out a bit more and watched with amusement. “Useful to no end.” He lit his smoke, leaning back as several stray shots from the leader whizzed past, the last bullet hitting him in the shoulder. Spinning in place he cursed loud and his smoke went flying in a random direction.

Trying to regain his balance, Mal heard boots run up on his position. This one knows a thing or two. He thought, pulling a Bowie knife from a holster on his right boot. “Gotta take her down.” Sounds of metal on metal filled his ears as the Gunner Commander pulled a machete down to end his life, meeting his blade in turn.

“You're so fucking dead!” she finally shouted, driving forward with brute force and taunting him. “You're going to pay for making us lose those breeding stock!” she growled and slashed at his head, cutting several strands of his hair.

“I think I did them a favor.” Mal wasn’t one for the stoic lone wanderer personality. He knew exactly how to push buttons and revelled in it. Sending an elbow into her chin, he took advantage of her stunned moment, cutting her across the chest. “Seems they would have fought your piss poor genetics. You can’t even beat two mercs with a full company.” He laughed as she slashed up, trying to castrate him.

“You fucking insecure bastard!” she replied to him, growing more frustrated as he knife play met block after block. “Wait ‘til I get a collar on you. I'll turn you into a dildo with wings!” she cursed, trading the knife in her hand to come down as a powerful stab from above him. “Keep you in the basement and make you eat what I say, when I say it!”

“Sorry,” Mal was unpaved. The many battles he’d been in as well as life in the wasteland numbing his potential fear. “I've never been one for marriage!” he punctuated his statement as he sidestepped her stab, slicing her across the throat with a step forward. Smiling as she dropped her blade, he closed his eyes in satisfaction, the once smug leader now seconds from the end of her life at his own hands.

Turning as he heard the body drop, he picked up her machete and examined it. “Nice blade. Poor form.” He commented, kicking over the leader as she began to spasm, her body going into shock. He began searching her pockets, letting deaths grip take her as he looted her still warm body. “Hmmm...what is this?” he asked teasingly, the light leaving her eyes as she clutched her throat uselessly. Unfolding a piece of paper he began to read it. “Ah. I see. These orders make you being here make much more sense.” Mal stepped on her chest and looked into her vacant eyes. “I appreciate the help, Commander Kaylor.”

Dash snapped another neck as her savage nature began to leave her. The chem she’d shot into her had a very good buff to her physical strength, but the downside was it burned out fast. She felt a crash coming and charged the last frightened girl in front of her. Several shots from the Gunners pistol hit Dash in the armor plating harmlessly as she closed the distance. Stumbling by part of a crash from the chemical, the last shot rang out and hit Dash in the exposed stomach, her grunt crossed with a cry of pain catching her keepers ear.

Mal snapped out of his enjoyment and drew his iron sights up on the last survivor. He unloaded the rest of the magazine he had at her, taking her down when his shots blew out her knees, the last hitting her gun arm at the bicep. She dropped and groaned as she impacted the stained concrete.

Dash felt reality return to her as she sat crumpled over, clutching her stomach. Trying to move at all sent another cry of anguish into the air. She barely registered Mal kneeling next to her and the last Gunner crawling away slowly, pulling with one good arm as she was in worse shape than Dash.

“Fucking...bast…” was all she got out as Mal kicked her onto her back, snatching her pistol and tossing it far out of reach. She stared helplessly at him, fear and curiosity radiating from her gaze.

“Don't break other people's toys. It's impolite.” He said calmly, raising his pistol and firing a round into the girls own stomach. He smiled as she made a pathetic whimper, her effort to curl up in pain making it all worse with wounded limbs. Turning to Dash, he reached into his side satchel and knelt beside her, pulling her hands from her gut wound. “Let me see,” he said serenely, as if he were a concerned parent.

Mal gave a seldom seen expression of concern, not that Dash registered it. He opened his kit and pulled several vials from it, preparing a syringe. “Easy. Easy. ” He said evenly, eyeing up the needle and making sure air was clear of it. “The crash from the Psycho is making your nerves endings fire. Being shot makes it worse.” He sprayed a bit from the tip. “Being gut shot makes it twelve times as worse.”

“It...it fucking h..hurts so..bad..” she stammered and shivered, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Oh fuck … it hurts!” she repeated.

No further words exchanged as he plunged the needle into her wound, a long sustained whimper coming from her, bending her forward in new pain. She curled into his grip as he injected a cocktail meant to heal and take the edge off. Staring forward as he listened to her breathing stabilize, he found himself subconsciously stroking her back, the glistening sweat transfering to his leather glove.

“You got her...right?” she stuttered, laying on him. “That bitch that shot me..?”

“Yeah.” He nodded, patting her head softly. “I got her.” Mal held on still, pulling the needle out and helping her stand. The wound was closing quickly thanks to the stimpak he had blended with the painkillers and addictol. He steadied her as they stood properly and moved towards the main gate, stepping slowly at first.

“I...I tried Mal.” she said, sweat pouring from her brow and mixing with dried tears. “I almost got them all.”

“Now, now.” He gave her the slightest of hugs, knowing most of his affection would not be remembered after she came fully to her senses. “Ya did good. I'm proud of ya.” He said flatly, not sure if he was lying or telling the truth himself. “And...I got you some nuka cola cherry!” he teased as they limped alone.

“I..I bloody hate cherry.” She gritted her teeth as her internal organs knitted back in place.

“Oh Dash...” he rubbed her neck softly. “Dont be ungrateful.” Mal snickered. “It turns me off.” He handed her the cola and she stared at it as they hobbled in faster, turning the corner and out of sight from the main road.

***

“Well that's just shitty.”

“Come again?” Sunset turned to her traveling companion. She noticed he had opened a panel on the cryo tube and was messing with the wires hanging from it. Her eyes focused and magnified his work. “Ah. I see.”

“Yeah. I can't unhook her without committing to a full defrost.” Knight rubbed his brow, staring into the dozens of colored wires in front of him. “Battery backup died a while ago from no upkeep.” Shutting the compartment on the mess of wires, he stood up, brushing the glass on Twilight’s tube.

“What a peculiar use of the word.” Sunset mentioned as she walked to join him. “Can anything mechanical truly ‘die’?” she tilted her head, her eyes refocusing on him.

There was a brief pause as they looked at each other, broken as he cleared his throat. “I mean it’s non functional. It's a figure of speech.” He hesitantly smiled as he turned back to the sleeping girl. “We better get Dr. Grumpy on the line.”

Sunset nodded, a small smile at the reference to their superior. The same person her appearance was modeled after was also waiting to hear back from them at The Institute. “Broadcast enabled. Dialing.” Sunset’s eyes dilated as she spoke. Widening as the communication array in her body connected, her eyes shifted color as a connection took. Changing to a deep red glow, her body language changed, going rigid and stiff.

“Dr. Shimmer?” Knight asked hesitantly, waving a hand in front of the red eyes.

“Operative.” a modulated voice came from Sunset, clearly no longer dominant in the synth. “These communications pull a great deal of power from both ends. Your synth will need to be recharged. I trust you have something important to report?” her frown reminded him of her shortness on pleasantries.

“Operative contact of pre war nature. Found cache of cryogenic tubes. One survivor. Appears intelligent.” Knight reported to her, motioning to the tube. “Please advise. Battery failure negates teleportation of subject or moving of entire machine.”

Sunset turned to view the tube, curiosity expressed by her body language as she approached. Stiff steps brought her nearly to the ground, only for her to catch herself on a table. “Fascinating. Remote control of this nature is foreign to me. You must forgive my--” Shimmers voice stopped as her vessel came to a cracked mirror. She tilted her head, craning back and forth as her body brought its hands to her face, running them through her hair.

Knight looked away for a moment as the realization hit him. She's looking into the past. If S-537 was built using her as a model. She's no spring chicken anymore. He thought. Must be strange to see her younger self.

“They did quite the job of perfecting this synths appearance. Remarkable. Just remarkable.” Shimmers voice sounded unsure for once, stuck between emotion and the scientist in her. “Now. Let's see. Yes, Twilight Sparkle.” She cleared her throat, examining the data on the terminal.

“What's the verdict, doc?” Knight slung his plasma rifle on his shoulder gruffly. “Still haven't begun to assess this vault and I could use Sunset back.”

“The unit is called S-537, operative.” She turned sharply. “It's better to think of it as a tool rather than a person. It's easier that way.”

“I'll just call her Sunset, no offense.” Knight responded, folding his arms with a slightly impatient tone.

“In response to your juvenile question, I authorize you to begin wake up procedures on this one. We may have a use for her, if she’s specialized in fertility or any other field we need. No doubt she'll be useful to tell you more about this vault.” Shimmer's tone grew colder. “Make sure this unit begins the process. It's beyond your understanding so the machine will have to attend to the machine.” Shimmer finished and her eyes flickered. “Contact us when you assess the vault. That is all.” Her voice filtered out into static as her eyes reverted to S-537’s blue tint.

Sunset blinked a few times as her systems returned to normal, staring at Knight silently. “Was the uplink successful?”

“You don’t remember?” Knight raised his eyebrow.

“No. My central processing units divert all resources to ensure a smooth transmission. I essentially black out, for lack of a better term.” She shook her head softly.

“Well Shimmer said Hi.”

“I seriously doubt that.” Sunset smiled.

“You got me there,” he shrugged helplessly. “But she does want us to wake our friend up.” He walked to the case and brushed more frost off, looking in again. “Boy is she in for a rude awakening.”

“You would know best of the two of us.” Sunset remarked, pulling a dusty chair from the terminal desk and sitting down at the keyboard. Knight heard her as she typed away feverishly without a second thought. “It appears most of this will be automated. But it will take some time.” She said to him, not turning from the screen. “I'll set it up and we can finish checking the vault to see if it meets parameters.”

“Sounds good.” Knight pulled his rifle to a ready stance. “How long do you think it'll take for her to thaw?”

“At least 2 or three hours.” Sunset turned back to him, standing as she pressed the enter key. “All set.”

“Good work. Let's head in further and see what's what.”

“Such strange terminology.” Sunset remarked, walking behind her partner and looking back for a moment at Twilight. “Let's hope she went to sleep pleasantly. She'll be snapping right out of the moment when she revives. Whatever the moment was...” she said, the door sealing behind them as the faintest sound of hissing mixed with ice breaking filled the room.

***

Author's Note

So there's another fine chapter released! As we work on fleshing out the good and bad characters traits, it sure is a lot to process!

I went further then most of my teen rated stuff goes but also tried to stay away from being outright lewd or violent.

Mal is hard to work out (you'd think he'd be easy ;)) but equally hard tok balance is Knight.

Now that we gave you a glimpse of what the Mal is all about for good or bad or in between, the next chapter will no doubt shed some light on Dash or Twilight.

Depends really since a lot of how this story goes is based on what interest we see posted in comments!

So good or bad, tell us what makes you interested and don't forget to subscribe to us!