Chapter 180: 163. Deathclaw Egg
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The trio, with their weapons at the ready, cautiously approached the old staircase leading to the museum's ground floor. The building groaned ominously around them, the very air thick with the scent of decay and old secrets. Each step seemed to echo through the halls, announcing their approach to whatever awaited above.
As Sico, MacCready, and Robert reached the top of the staircase and entered the ground floor of the museum, the scene that greeted them was grim. The corridor was lined with the butchered bodies of Gunners, their equipment strewn haphazardly around them. The scene bore the marks of a savage struggle, with blood splattered walls and shattered exhibits nearby.
The grim sight hardened their resolve, and they moved forward with even greater caution. Sico surveyed the area, his experience telling him this was no ordinary attack.
Sico: "Looks like they were caught off guard, whatever did this, it's not just defending territory. It's hunting."
As they advanced through the museum, they followed a trail of destruction that seemed to lead towards the back, where a series of locked doors suggested restricted areas possibly used for storage or private exhibitions. One door, in particular, seemed to be the epicenter of the chaos, with deep scratch marks and dents visible on its heavy metal surface.
MacCready inspected the door, noting its fortified nature.
MacCready: "This one's been reinforced, probably holds something valuable or dangerous."
Sico approached, pulling out a set of lockpicking tools from his belt.
Sico: "Stay sharp. I'll get this open, but be ready for anything."
The others covered him, guns raised, as he inserted the tension wrench into the lock and worked with a pick. The silence was intense, punctuated only by the small clicks of the tumblers as Sico skillfully manipulated them. After a tense minute, the lock clicked open, and Sico slowly pushed the door, peering inside cautiously.
Inside the dimly lit room, the flashlight beams swept across a horrific scene. The floor was littered with debris and fragments of what appeared to be large, shattered eggs. Amid the carnage lay the body of a Gunner, his lifeless hand clutching a holotape. Close by, a solitary large egg remained intact, ominously undisturbed in the chaos.
Sico cautiously approached the body, crouching down to retrieve the holotape. He examined it briefly before inserting it into his Pip-Boy, the device's screen flickering as it began to play the audio.
The voice of a panicked Gunner filled the room, his breathing heavy and ragged.
Gunner's: "This is Sergeant Holst. Our team was transporting cargo to Diamond City—classified materials. We were ambushed... thought we lost 'em, but they tracked us here."
His voice grew more frantic,
Gunner's: "We secured ourselves in this room, but it wasn't enough. The cargo... it was Deathclaw eggs. We didn't know until... Oh God, it's here!"
A deep, menacing growl echoed from the holotape, chillingly similar to the sounds they had heard earlier. The Gunner's voice trembled,
Gunner's: "It found us... tracked us all the way. It's just outside—I can hear it moving. We thought we could handle it, but we were wrong. If anyone finds this, make sure the egg gets back to—"
A louder growl cut off his words, followed by a scream and the sound of chaos: the unmistakable noise of a struggle, claws tearing through metal and gunshots echoing. The Gunner's last words were barely audible over the tumult,
Gunner's: "Hi, mama..."
As the holotape ended, the room fell silent, the weight of the Gunner's final moments hanging heavily in the air. Sico, MacCready, and Robert exchanged grim looks, each man processing the implications.
Sico: "It seems clear now. The Deathclaw tracked them here for its egg. We need to decide quickly what to do with this last one."
As they deliberated, a low growl reverberated through the room, eerily reminiscent of the sound from the holotape. Instinctively, the team raised their weapons, scanning the shadows as the growl grew closer, louder, and more threatening.
MacCready, gripping his rifle tightly, whispered,
MacCready: "Sounds like 'mama' is still around and she wants her egg back."
Sico nodded, his mind racing for a strategy.
Sico: "We need to use the egg as leverage, keep it secure. Our priority now is to get out alive and, if possible, return this egg to a safe location. Let's move carefully, and keep your eyes peeled. This is her territory, and she will be relentless."
With the tension in the air palpable, Sico, MacCready, and Robert stood back to back, their eyes darting around the dimly lit room as the growls grew louder and the footsteps seemed to circle them. Each noise heightened their alertness, yet every sweep of their flashlights revealed nothing but the cluttered, shadow-filled surroundings of the storeroom.
MacCready, frustration edging his voice, hissed,
MaCready:"Where is it? I can hear it moving, but I can't see anything!"
The footsteps stopped as abruptly as they had started, leaving a suffocating silence. The team paused, hardly daring to breathe. It was then that Sico noticed a subtle shift in the air, a slight distortion that moved like a ripple across the room. He squinted, focusing on the anomaly, and saw it—a faint outline, the shimmer of scales that blended almost perfectly with the surrounding darkness.
Sico's voice was a low whisper, barely audible,
Sico: "It's camouflaged. Stay alert, the Deathclaw can hide itself. It's been watching us, waiting."
Realization dawned on MacCready and Robert, and their grips tightened on their weapons as they scanned the room, trying to spot the signs Sico had seen.
Sico: "We can't just shoot randomly; we need to draw it out. Let's use the egg as bait, but be ready to move quickly."
He carefully moved toward the intact egg, using deliberate, slow steps to avoid startling the creature. Placing the egg in a more visible spot near the center of the room, he then backed away, joining the others who formed a protective circle around the bait.
They waited, every sense strained for any indication of the Deathclaw's movements. Minutes stretched on, feeling like hours under the intense pressure of the standoff. Suddenly, the subtle distortion reappeared, moving with deliberate stealth towards the egg. As it came into clearer view, the Deathclaw's form became intermittently visible, its scales flickering in and out of sight as it adjusted its camouflage with each step.
Just as the Deathclaw reached out a clawed hand towards the egg, Sico gave the signal, and all three men opened fire. The room erupted with the sounds of gunfire and the Deathclaw's enraged roars as the bullets found their mark, causing the creature to lose concentration and fully reveal itself.
Wounded but far from defeated, the Deathclaw reared up, its massive frame imposing and terrifying as it prepared to charge.
Sico: "Aim for the head and belly! Keep it back from the egg!"
The battle was fierce, with the team coordinating their fire and movements to keep the Deathclaw at bay while preventing it from retreating or using its camouflage.
The battle was fierce, with the team coordinating their fire and movements to keep the Deathclaw at bay while preventing it from retreating or using its camouflage. Bullets tore through the air, their sound echoing off the walls of the narrow space, magnifying the intensity of the confrontation.
Sico, MacCready, and Robert were relentless, each round fired with deadly precision, aimed at the creature's vulnerabilities. The Deathclaw, despite its formidable strength and agility, was clearly in pain, its movements becoming more erratic and desperate.
MacCready managed to clip one of the Deathclaw's legs, slowing it significantly.
MacCready: "Got one of its legs! It's slowing down!"
Taking advantage of the creature's hindered mobility, Sico directed the team to concentrate their fire. "Focus on that spot! We can take it down!" His voice was steady, cutting through the chaos as he aimed another precise shot.
The Deathclaw, sensing its predicament, let out a guttural scream of fury and pain, its eyes flashing dangerously as it looked for a way to escape or charge. But the narrow confines of the room limited its options, and the team's disciplined firing pattern kept it cornered.
Robert, noticing a brief lapse in the creature's movements, seized the moment.
Robert: "Now, everyone, together!"
The volleys of gunfire overwhelmed the Deathclaw, and with a loud, pained grunt, it finally collapsed, the life fading from its eyes. For a moment, the only sounds in the room were the team's heavy breathing and the soft clinking of spent casings hitting the floor.
Sico stepped forward cautiously, rifle still aimed at the creature, ensuring it was no longer a threat. After a tense moment, he finally lowered his weapon and nodded to the others.
Sico: "It's down. Good shooting, everyone."
MacCready wiped sweat from his brow, looking over at the still form of the Deathclaw.
MacCready: "That was too close. But at least it's over."
Robert checked the egg, which had miraculously remained unharmed during the fight.
Robert: "The egg's secure. We should get it out of here before there are any more surprises."
Sico agreed, signaling the team to prepare for extraction.
Sico: "Let's move out. We'll take the egg back and decide how best to handle this. The last thing we need is more of these creatures tracking it."
Carrying the secured Deathclaw egg cautiously, Sico, MacCready, and Robert made their way back through the labyrinthine corridors of the Museum of Witchcraft. Each step was measured and careful, their senses on high alert for any additional dangers that might lurk in the shadowed recesses of the old building.
Upon reaching the basement, they found Piper and the two Minutemen positioned defensively, maintaining a secure perimeter. The tension in the room eased slightly as Piper saw them return safely, her relief palpable when she noticed the egg was intact.
Piper: "You're back. And with the egg. What happened out there?"
Sico placed the egg gently on a sturdy table set up with some basic containment measures. The weariness of the battle was evident in his voice as he recounted the events.
Sico: "The Gunners... they didn't stand a chance. They were transporting this egg to Diamond City when they got ambushed. Seems like they tried to hide out in the museum, but the Deathclaw tracked them here for its egg. It could camouflage—never seen anything like it before. We managed to take it down, but not without a tough fight."
The Minutemen listened intently, their faces a mixture of awe and concern. The reality of what they were dealing with began to sink in—this was no ordinary creature, and the implications of its abilities were not to be taken lightly.
Piper nodded, processing the information with a grave expression.
Piper: "Camouflage abilities in a Deathclaw... that's new and alarming."
Robert, who had been checking the containment setup for the egg, chimed in.
Robert: "We've secured it for now, but this thing is like a beacon for trouble. We need to move it to a more secure location ASAP."
With the decision made to relocate the Deathclaw egg to a more secure facility, Sico and his team began their preparations for departure. Robert and Piper worked together to ensure that the egg was securely fastened within its containment unit, while MacCready and the two Minutemen who had been guarding the basement door conducted one final sweep of the area to ensure no traces of their activities remained.
Satisfied that everything was in order, Sico gave the signal, and the team carefully moved the egg out of the basement, navigating the tight corridors with the precious cargo. Outside, the early morning light had begun to brighten, casting a pale glow over the Museum of Witchcraft, which seemed even more foreboding in the dawn's light.
The team loaded the egg into the back of the Humvee, where makeshift stabilizers prevented it from jostling during the journey. Piper checked the communications equipment to ensure they could maintain contact with Sanctuary throughout their trip, while Sico briefed the two Minutemen on the security protocols for the return journey.
Once everything was set, the team piled into the Humvee. MacCready took the driver's seat, his eyes focused and alert as he started the engine. The vehicle pulled away from the museum, its tires crunching over the gravel path as they left the site of their intense battle behind.
The journey back to Sanctuary was tense. Each member of the team was quiet, lost in their thoughts about the implications of their find and the battle they had survived. The landscape passed by in a blur, the normalcy of the world outside contrasting sharply with the life-and-death struggle they had just experienced.
After about eight hours on the road, the familiar sight of Sanctuary's bridge came into view. The community's watchtowers stood vigilant, and as the Humvee approached, the guards welcome them back.
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• Name: Sico
• Stats :
S: 8,44
P: 7,44
E: 8,44
C: 8,44
I: 9,44
A: 7,45
L: 7
• Skills: advance Mechanic, Science, and Shooting skills, intermediate Medical, Hand to Hand Combat, Lockpicking, Hacking, Persuasion, and Drawing Skills
• Inventory: 53.280 caps, 10mm Pistol, 1500 10mm rounds, 22 mole rats meat, 17 mole rats teeth, 1 fragmentation grenade, 6 stimpak, 1 rad x, 6 fusion core, computer blueprint, modern TV blueprint, camera recorder blueprint, 1 set of combat armor, Automatic Assault Rifle, 1.500 5.56mm rounds, power armor T51 blueprint, Electric Motorcycle blueprint, T-45 power armor, Minigun, 1.000 5mm rounds, Cryolator, 200 cryo cell, Machine Gun Turret Mk1 blueprint, electric car blueprint, Kellogg gun, Righteous Authority, Ashmaker, Furious Power Fist, Full set combat armor blueprint, M240 7.62mm machine guns blueprint, Automatic Assault Rifle blueprint, and Humvee blueprint
• Active Quest: -
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