Chapter 42: Paradise Lost.
The training was intense and took a couple of days to get everyone up to scratch, Seven was also pretty happy with the results they had gone from a ragtag bunch of survivors to a cohesive unit.
They were working incredibly well together and now they had gotten used to having rampaging claws around the place along with the super mutant girls they were a lot better, it was seriously distracting to have them rampaging around and it was something you needed to learn to work around so that you didn't get distracted and killed.
But now everything was ready, all that was left was to take the fight to Paradise falls, the team had decided to hit them under the cover of night so that the majority of the guards would be asleep, it meant resistance would be lighter and take them longer to respond.
"Are you sure this is going to pass muster?" Seven asked for about the sixth time looking at Shepherd.
"Trust me ok plenty of the raider groups have salvaged power armour, granted X-01 isn't exactly common but they have all different shapes and sizes, most found in old military cashes or convoys they've stumbled across, but don't worry it'll pass muster," Shepherd said looking over her handiwork.
Seven looked down at all the crap that had been spray-painted onto the outer skin of the armour along with all the things like rusty chains and metal fins that had been stuck all over him to make his armour look more raider-like.
"Hey, at least your ass isn't hanging out!" Wisp said from his right and Seven turned to see Wisp now dressed in a very fetching pair of ripped denim shorts that barely hid anything, a white tank top and black leather jacket that was covered in studs and chains, but it was her hair-do that really set it all off, all of her hair had been pulled upwards into a Mohawk style.
"Well, I'm not complaining," Malakai said and Seven snorted a laugh as she shot him a look.
"Well of course you'd like it," she said shooting him a grin as she flicked a hip at him making Malakai grin and twitter his mandibles.
Malakai was currently modelling his brand new armour which Wisp had insisted on him making for himself, over the days while everyone was training Malakai had been designing and improving his armour design, now everyone was wearing his mark two armour which was made of incredibly tightly woven silk with plates now mounted in at important points like over their hearts and major organs, as they had already proven the spider silk stopped most low calibre and the plates would stop heavy calibres or at least that was the hope.
Once the preparation work was complete all they needed to do was head across the city to Paradise falls, moving across the city as the light was failing was quite eerie, from all around them they could hear the distant noises of gunshots, screams, howls and a million other unidentified noises that echoed down the city streets.
Seven could see the nerves of the group as they moved and they all hung pretty close to the non-humans in Seven's group for the support of feeling their strength and presence close by.
Seven couldn't believe that this city was still inhabited despite the multiple strikes it had taken during the war, but still, people clung on to this place, to the prestige that came with living in Washington DC or as it was now known the capital wasteland.
It was fully dark by the time they arrived at their destination, "That's it, Paradise fucking falls, literal hell on earth" Shepherd spat as she pointed off towards the distance where the lights of the converted strip mall-style shopping centre which was surrounded by a high welded steel wall.
"Alright people you know the plan, stick to it and let's do this, we'll get those people out of there, everyone knows their jobs, let's get this done," Seven said and there were nods all around.
He turned to Wisp, "You ready for this?" he asked and she sighed heavily and nodded.
"As I'm gonna be," she said and Seven nodded.
"Aright let's do this then," he said and Wisp took two steps before she stopped suddenly.
"Hang on one sec," she said and she turned on her heel and marched right up to Malakai before grabbing the front of his armour and yanking him down to her level.
"You keep that fluffy bum of yours in one piece you hear me? I do not want your cute fluffy bum shot full of holes, you keep it in one piece because I do not want to be wasting my fluffy bum stroking time picking out bullets" she said making Malakai smile and chuckle to himself.
"You got it, my love," he said and Wisp nodded.
"Good boy, I'll be holding you to that and if I find a single bullet in that fluffy bum I will tear the arms and legs off the one who put it there," she said and before Malakai could answer she pulled him down further showing off the strength of those android synthetic limbs and jammed her mouth to his.
"You come back to me whole or the one who hurt you will find out that my bite is far worse than my bark," Malakai said softly stroking her face with his mandibles and she smiled at him and pressed her forehead to his.
Suddenly Seven was spun on the spot and pulled into a very tight armoured claw hug, "That goes doubly for you my human, if a single bullet makes it through that armour of yours I will tear that entire place to the ground with my bare claws you hear me?" Visa growled.
"Isn't that the plan anyway?' Seven joked and Visa growled before pressing her forehead to his helmet.
All around them Seven could see the other couples doing exactly the same, they were taking the moment to remind their beloved one just how much the meant to them and to make sure that they knew the biggest reason to fight and live, to come back to the one person in this universe who loved the very air they breathed.
Finally, Visa let go of Seven and Wisp let go of Malakai, they both nodded at one another and then began the short walk towards the huge front gates of the shopping centre come hell.
"Here we go game face on," Seven said quietly to Wisp as he lifted an armoured fist before banging it on the door which made it ring like a bell.
