Afton's Power armour had basically been totalled when the EMP had caused it to malfunction. Though, this was more due to him forcefully breaking the servos to manually move it than anything else.
Fortunately, Klein and Mobius had been working overtime to get it back up and running. Though they had been wanting some more time to test EMP shielding and a number of coolant systems, he and Veronica had both been hit a number of times by Flame throwers while fighting the Legion, this had melted some of the electronics under the Saturnite plating. This was apparently incredibly annoying to repair, primarily due to the sheer strength of Saturnite.
Afton didn't want to head into Freeside without his armour though, the NCR still had a massive presence and he wasn't willing to risk getting trapped in an ambush. Sure, he might be able to avoid or even fight his way out of it, but why risk it?
He was tempted to wait until they found some way to protect the armour against EMP attacks as the NCR would no doubt attempt it, but he wanted to catch this 'vigilante' before things got too hot and they moved somewhere else.
Soon enough, he'd gotten fully geared up, with repaired Bulwark Power Armour, Energy Weapons, Anti-Material Rifle strapped to his back, and his new Ultra Chainsword which hung intimidatingly at his side... While it might not provide many more advantages than the Proton axe due to his various Perks, that wouldn't stop him swinging it around like a maniac Space Marine.
He makes sure to wear the large Deathclaw leather duster to stop people from instantly recognising the Power armour, even if it's a temporary tactic.
Of course, the ensemble wouldn't be complete without the new Bulwark logo stamped across one side of the chest plate. Once everything was done, Afton left and teleported a good distance from New Vegas to prevent large groups of people from spotting the lightning. The last thing he needed was people realising just how their teleportation actually functioned.
It was around midday now, so the sun was still high in the sky as he marched towards the North gates of Freeside. As always, there was a small group of Kings watching the entrance with bored looks... That is, until they spotted Afton approaching them.
"What in the-HOooly jesus, do you boy's see that thang comin' right on here?" the leader mutters, his hand reaching for the revolver at his side.
Afton can only chuckle at their reaction... These guys had seen him come passed many times, once on Dirt-Bird, once on Dirt-Hog, and now in Power armour... Hmm, that reminds him, he wonders how the excavation is going for his next vehicle. He'd sent a number of robots to the vague area he remembered it being, but that didn't mean everything would go completely ok...
"Boy, you better stop where you are, don't come any closer or we'll pop a cap in your shiny ass." the king threatens, but the others in his group look ready to run should shit hit the fan.
Afton just shrugs his shoulders, causing a rough clanking sound to reach them as he begins speaking, "You guys don't recognise me? It's Afton." he states.
This quickly calms them, the King's relationship with the NCR had been steadily degrading since they basically declared war on him... After the 'terrorist' attack that the NCR hadn't been able to link to him it hadn't gotten any better, but it must be remembered that Afton was the one to first help the two groups at reconciling.
He makes small talk with them as they joke and bluster about his armour, but eventually he gets to what he wanted to ask. "So, what's this I hear about 'Vigilante' around here?"
"Oh, you mean that guy? I dunno where he came from, but I ain't ever seen anything like it. He crawls on walls like an insect and can punch men clear through concrete walls..."
...
Afton raises a brow as he hears the vigilante's description, he thought he might've misheard them, but when they repeat themselves he feels like the world is folding in on itself... "Hey... Do you know what he calls himself?"
The King nods, "Yeah, guy's a weirdo calling himself 'Scorpion-Man'."
Afton scoffs but holds his mouth to block the nervous laughter threatening to escape, "S-Scorpion-Man? He doesn't run around in a skintight red and blue suit, right?"
The man shrugs, "No, nothing so stupid... He wears yellow and green body armour with a mask though."
Afton stops himself from facepalming and releases a long sigh, "Alright, I'm gonna try and meet this guy, know where he operates?"
"The boys say he's been beatin' thugs in the Northeastern slums... Might just be rumours though."
Afton nods, "Anything I should know before I head out? He ain't gonna magically shoot a scorpion tail outta his ass or something?"
The King shakes his head, "I never heard him do anything like that... I'd be careful though, must be callin' himself Scorpion-Man for some reason."
Afton leaves the Kings, easily pushing the gate open with his Power armour reinforced strength before stepping into Freeside... Obviously, his presence draws everyone's attention, even the few patrolling NCR soldiers, but no one dares impede his path, no doubt rumours of what went down in the Fort had reached even here.
He pulls up the large hood on his leather duster and heads straight for the slums. Due to the time of day, not many 'thugs' are out and about, but just because their numbers are lower than usual doesn't mean they've disappeared.
He walks around the slums a couple times, his eyes peeled for any movement, but doesn't spot his target... Either he's being avoided, or the Spider-man knockoff has no reason to reveal himself. Afton was honestly betting on the latter, meaning he'd need to make a reason.
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Afton glances around the area and eventually spots a chem-addict sprawled out on the floor limply. He walks over and gives the guy a nudge with his metal foot, minding not to injure them with the incredibly sharp blades extending from his boots. "Oi, you awake?"
"MMmmmmh, f-five more minuuutes..."
...
Afton bends down slightly and flicks the man in the side of his head, he does this as lightly as he can, but ends up giving what amounts to an average persons punch instead. The addicts head whips to the side at the impact, his eyes rapidly opening as he turns to face his attacker... Only to squeak in fear as he looks up at Afton, the red lights of his eyes from his shadowed form looking like an accurate depiction of death. "You're awake."
"Yyaaaaaaiii! P-P-Please don't hurt me! I-I got ten caps, take em! Leave me!" the man exclaims, quickly scrambling backwards while tossing three caps out of his pocket...
Afton sighs, the act sounding oddly like Darth Vader's respirator, he holds his hands up pacifyingly, "I don't want to hurt you... I've actually got a job for you." he states as the addict slowly calms down.
Ten minutes later :
"AH! THIEF, HELP I'M BEING ROBBED! SOMEONE!" a terrifying sounding voice roars at the top of their lungs, the sound managing to travel through most of the slums.
A figure darts across the ravaged and ruined rooftops until it eventually finds the alleyway where the voice was coming from. The man leans over the ledge and spots a dirty-looking ragged man being held up by the neck by a heavily armed, huge man in some strange leather coat.
Not wasting any time, he leaps from his position to the wall opposite him, his hands sticking to it like gecko's as he begins crawling towards his target. Once he's close enough he bursts into action, jumping off of the wall and sending a flying kick at the back of the large man's head.
The man in question turns his head slightly, revealing his glowing red eyes, the attack hits regardless but Scorpion-Man realising that something's wrong at the fact the man doesn't budge an inch once struck... His attack should have been enough to crack concrete, yet it did nothing!?
He lands a good distance away from his target, but is surprised to see the large man dropping the victim and tossing a small sack of caps at him. "Good job, also try to get yourself cleaned up for god sake." the low, slightly muffled voice states.
The man quickly runs off as the large man turns towards Scorpion-Man, "Huh, that actually worked... Colour me surprised." he states, opening the coat slightly to revealing the arsenal of weapons and heavy armour underneath.
"What do you want with me, Villain!?"
Afton raises a brow under his helmet, was this guy acting or actually for real?... That hit to the head did hurt slightly, it had certainly hit harder than any of the Legionaries had managed back at the Fort... Still, it wasn't enough to actually 'harm' him... It did activate [Grit] however.
[Grit is in effect]
He had to admit though, he was slightly tempted to play along, like some kind of reverse Mechanist and AntAgonizer roleplay... Eh, I'll indulge him a bit. He holds his arms out wide, "Muahahahaha!" he exaggeratedly points a finger at the man in tights, "WE FINALLY MEET SCORPION-MAN! AND I, FINALLY GET MY REVENGE!"
...
"Who are you! What revenge!? I've never done anything to you!"
"REVENGE FOR MY FAMILY! THE FAMILY YOU FAILED TO SAVE!"
Scorpion-Man straightens at this, "What!? Really? I'm so sorry!" he shouts, and Afton swore the guy's eyes were watering under his mask.
...
"No, I'm joking you fucking clown." he retorts.
...
"DO NOT PLAY WITH MY FEELINGS VILLAIN!" he suddenly exclaims before jumping at the wall, springing off and trying for another kick at Afton's head.
Afton just catches the leg and swings the 'superhero' at a wall, creating an ironic spider-web of cracks from the impact. He continues, smashing the guy on the floor, wall, floor again, and then, surprisingly, the wall!...
After a minute of this Afton drops the man on the floor, "They weren't joking about you being strong. An average guy wouldn't become a slushy at this point." he states and uses [Living Anatomy] to see what the guy's stats actually were.
[Scorpion-Man]
Health : 40%
Stamina : 34%
DT : 21
Strength : 9
Perception : 6
Endurance : 10
Charisma : 5
Intelligence : 6
Agility : 10
Luck : 2
Ailments :
[Psyker] : Grants Supernatural abilities at the expense of the user's Luck.
[Radioactive Scorpion] : Allows user to climb anything, and grants massive bonuses to their physical stats. +5 to Strength, Endurance, and Agility. Grants Superhuman regeneration. Fluids produced by user are also Radioactive.
[Broken Back] : Spine is crippled!
[Broken Arms] : Arms are crippled!
[Broken Legs] : Legs are crippled!
[Fractured Skull] : Head is crippled!
[Broken Ribs] : Chest is crippled!
...
"Err, woops..." Afton mutters, not having realised the extent of the man's injuries. He prods him with his foot, getting along pained groan out of the man, "Hey, you alright?"
"Urrrrrrrghghhhh!"
"Yeah, no, he not alright..." Afton mutters.
"Hey! Look! The big guy took down that masked freak! Let's finish him!" a voice shouts from behind Afton, and once he turns he spots a small group of thugs quickly approaching.
Afton sighs, "Are you guys stupid or something?" he mutters as he pulls the Ultra Chainsword from his hip and activates it, the purple blade illuminating the alleyway as the 'teeth' begin rapidly oscillating back and forth.
"OH SHIT!" is all they can say before Afton barrels into them.
*SHEWSHEWSHEWSHEWSHEW*
*SPLATTER*
*THUD*
"AAaaaarghhh! HELP OH GOD SOMEONE PLEA-"*SHEW*
A couple seconds later Afton is left standing amongst many utterly annihilated corpses while examining his weapon for any nicks, scratches, or malfunctions... It'd obviously been tested before, but he wanted to make sure it was properly ready to slice and dice humans. Afton finding no damage whatsoever he grins, "I fucking love this thing."
"Uuurrrrghh"
"Oh yeah, you're still here... Hmm..." Afton mutters, the Van Graffs would probably want evidence of his death... But Afton was more interested in the man's physiology than anything else, he knew Dala would cream her Brain-Dome if he let her examine Scorpion-Man.
Nodding to himself, he takes the man from the vigilante, revealing a surprisingly young, Latino-looking face. He then puts it on one of the intact thugs and cuts their head off. Afterwards he allows Nyx to find the coordinates for this point before teleporting Scorpion-Man back to the Think Tank with a note attached to his forehead.
"Welp, that's that then."
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