Soon enough the group gets close enough to spot Lake Mead, afterwards locating the dock where the bomber is supposedly near. Unfortunately for the group's progress, there's a large building beside the dock that's absolutely covered in a come-like substance, indicating that some creatures had set up shop there...
The group back away slightly as a larger than average Cazadore flies atop the building and starts cleaning it's antenna. It hadn't noticed them yet, but it would once the group got closer, Tamia wondered how many Cazadors were actually inside the structure...
Tamia, Veronica, and Anja drop the bags of ballasts and ready their weapons as they slowly approach the building. The closer they get, the louder the faint buzzing becomes, causing the group's skin to crawl at the sound.
If there was one thing that the three had in common, it would be their hatred of bugs... Cazadors especially due to their sheer speed and incredibly deadly poison. Anja aims her silenced SMG at the Cazador atop the roof and fires a couple shots at it.
The shots are relatively quiet, and the rest of the hive wouldn't have heard it had a few stray bullets not hit the concrete wall of the building, making a large crashing sound. The only good side to this is the fact she managed to kill the Cazador, blasting the creature open with numerous holes that spewed out puss-like blood.
The sound of buzzing abruptly increases as Cazadors, large and small, began pouring out of the building like a never-ending tide of nightmares.
The group start firing with abandon, Tamia firing her revolver, Veronica firing her plasma pistol, and Anja continuing to fire her SMG. The many Cyberdogs at their sides launch sonic attacks as well, but the Cazadors are fast and smart enough to avoid most of that.
The sonic blasts instead strike the building, blowing a large hole into the wall and causing the roof to collapse in on itself. Judging by the screeching, the collapse had killed a few Cazadors with it. Though, now with the larger hole, more Cazadors were able to climb out of the hive.
Tamia had to dodge to the side as a Cazador flies straight at her with its poison stinger ready to strike, she manages to avoid it and a Cyberdog tears it out of the sky in response, but this attack signalled the start of a life and death fight.
The Cyberdogs would be relatively fine if they were struck by a Cazador, but the group wouldn't be so lucky... A couple stings and they'd be killed for sure, the poison these creatures produced wasn't called the deadliest for no reason.
Tamia holsters her revolver and draws her Ultra Chainsword, powering it on and grinning as the blade being oscillating like a chainsaw. She swings it at another Cazador and easily bisects it, it was as if she were cutting into butter with a knife as hot as the sun!
"Remind me to kiss Afton for this thing!" she exclaims with a sadistic grin as she continues cutting down anything that approaches.
Veronica herself was going to town punching Cazador's like they were beachballs with her unique power fist, sending what amounted to timed insect bombs flying into their allies.
The group fights like this for a couple minutes, occasionally having close calls with a Cazador's stinger being stopped by their armour. Veronica even had a stinger still sticking out of her deathclaw duster.
The trio takes a moment to catch their breaths while glaring down at the many Cazador corpses. "Should we loot the hive or just have the dogs collapse it?" Veronica mutters, more to herself than anything.
Tamia nods, "I'm not going in there, so unless you want to try your luck we're destroying it." she states.
The trio nod in agreement and command the Cyberdogs to bark down the building until it collapses completely, hopefully destroying any Cazador eggs that may be inside. Afterwards they head to the docks and look over it into Lake Mead, taking a moment to admire what is essentially the life-blood of the Mojave.
Lake Mead contains some of the cleanest water you'll find in the wasteland, so it isn't strange to see so many factions trying to claim it. If it weren't for the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead would be the most highly sought resource instead.
"So, er... Any idea's on where to start?" Tamia asks, pulling out the rebreather Loyal had given her.
Veronica shrugs, "The news article said it should be close to this side of the lake, so swim around the deepest parts to make sure you don't miss anything... Also, there might be some creatures swimming around here, I'd recommend you don't take that thing unless Afton told you it was safe." she says, gesturing at the Ultra Chainsword.
...
Tamia glares down at it, "Hmm... Afton didn't say anything about using it underwater... But I have a sneaking suspicion it wouldn't be good." she says with a sigh, handing the weapon to Veronica before drawing a knife from her boot.
"Um, can't the Cyberdogs go with her?" Anja asks, not wanting to send Tamia into the lake that's probably filled with creatures.
Veronica shakes her head, "You seen dogs swim? Well imagine a dog trying to swim with metal plates welded to it... They can swim, but barely." she explains.
"Don't worry about it, I'll be in and out fairly quick. Just keep an eye on the surface and shoot anything that looks like it wants to eat me... Cool?"
"Cool." Veronica gives a thumbs up.
Tamia nods, "Alright, all be coming back here to collect the rest of the ballasts occasionally, so just chuck them in when I'm near." she says before taking off the majority of her clothing. Trying to swim with a heavy duster or combat armour seemed like a sure-fire way to drown, even with the rebreather. Plus, manoeuvrability underwater was probably king anyway.
Tamia hefts the backpack of ballasts and nods at them, walking over the end of the dock in her underwear and putting in her rebreather before jumping in, leaving the duo and the thirty Cyberdogs watching as she swims away.
Hope you bois liked the chap, if I missed anything please let me know. Thanks!
If you like my content or want to read ahead please go to https://www.p.atreon.com/Nagross, I'd appreciate it.
Also, thanks to my patrons for their support :
ShinAmazake
Chris Lindsey
Kingsprovince
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Nazlican Erdem
Inside the lake, Tamia could barely see anything... Perhaps she should've had Afton make her some goggles? Regardless, she could kind of make out some shapes underwater, which would help in actually finding the bomber.
The only plus to this was the cold, refreshing water surrounding her. It isn't often you can escape the hot Mojave climate, nor did most people in the Mojave even know how to swim. She slowly drifts down to the bottom of the lake, allowing the weight of the ballasts she was carrying to move her deeper.
She swims around the bottom of the lake for a minute or so until she eventually finds the large, dark shape that resembled an aeroplane she'd seen depicted in past records and photos... She swims up and starts sticking the magnetic sides of the ballasts to the bomber according to how Loyal had explained.
She needed to make sure nothing was misplaced, otherwise the bomber would simply break up and sink to the bottom of the lake in many pieces, something that'd be incredibly difficult to fix. She quickly places all the ballasts from the first bag and heads back, collecting the 2nd and doing the same with that.
However, once she returns to the bomber with the third and final bag, she makes a mistake... She was underneath the bomber and carefully pushing off of the floor to properly attach the ballast when she feels something crush underfoot... She looks down and spots a heavily damaged egg that's leaking all of its insides into the lake...
"Shit." her muffled curse can be heard through her rebreather. She had no idea what creature the egg belonged to, but whatever it was, it'd most certainly be pissed.
*SHOOK!*
Something quickly passes by her position, disturbing the surrounding water but not allowing her to get a glimpse of it. She readies her boot knife in response but knows that most creatures wouldn't even flinch at being stabbed with it...
*SHOOOK!*
Again, Tamia spins around, but still only barely spots some kind of blue-green foot that disappears into the distance...
*SHOOK!*
Ready for it this time, she spins and intercepts the creature as it attempts to claw her, unfortunately, her knife simply slides off of its slimy skin, the tip barely penetrating. It's claw springs out and lightly stabs into her shoulder, drawing blood. She holds in her pained groan, not wanting to accidentally spit out her rebreather and doom herself.
She glares at it , now able to identify her attacker. It was a 7ft humanoid with slimy blue-green skin, a scary bald head with glowing red-orange eyes, and menacing claws attached to each arm. Honestly, this was her first time running into a Lakelurk, but all that meant was she was inexperienced in dealing with it.
All she had were a few anecdotes from soldiers who'd fought them on land in the past... Unfortunately, everyone who'd tried to fight one underwater never returned. Most likely having been eaten.
The Lakelurk viciously glares at Tamia, the scent of its destroyed egg still heavy in the water as its lifeforce bleeds out. This is where Tamia made her first mistake, in forgetting that a Lakelurk's claws were its secondary weapon...
The Lakelurk opens its mouth and lets out a screech that only seems to be amplified by being underwater,
*SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!*
Tamia struggles to not spit out her rebreather as the sonic attack hits her, almost bursting her eardrums entirely as she holds her head in an attempt to stifle the attack at least slightly. While she's disorientated, the Lakelurk thrusts itself forwards, stabbing a claw into Tamia's stomach.
Tamia, having just been stabbed, spits out her rebreather in response but instinctively lashes out with her knife, managing to stab it in the eye, causing it to retreat momentarily.
She looks down at her wound that's heavily bleeding but ignores it to find her rebreather... She finds it nearby floating towards the surface and quickly grabs it, all the while pulling a stimpack from the pouch she'd brought.
She stabs it into herself which allows the body to quickly seal the wound via a burst of platelets, but the threat of the Lakelurk is still around... She looks to the surface, wondering if fighting it there would be easier but quickly ignores this thought, the surface would probably be more dangerous than where she was now...
*SHOOK!*
Tamia scowls as readies the knife again, this time prepared for a potential sonic attack...
*SHOOOK!*
She quickly turns and intercepts the claw strike, barely dodging it but not managing to cut into its annoyingly resistant skin. It tries to bite down on her neck but she kicks her legs, forcing herself backwards... The creature follows though, clamping its jaws onto her shoulder and tearing a good chunk of flesh out.
Tamia gives a muffled roar through her rebreather and furiously stabs at it in retaliation, but the restrictive water and skin of the creature would basically nullify any damage she might do.
'Fuck!' she thinks to herself, she's literally being eaten alive down here and has no chance of escape... If she tried to swim away the thing would claw the fuck outta her...
The Lakelurk swims away after getting some meat, but it'd be back very soon for another bite... Tamia quickly looks around the area for something that might save her, when her eyes lock onto the last ballast she had to place...
Her pained expression becomes one of determination as she picks up the ballast and approaches the bomber... She doesn't place it however, instead, waiting for the Lakelurk to approach again...
*SHOOK!*
She has her back to the metal chassis of the bomber and can see the creature approaching, once it's near enough she avoids a stabbing claw by kicking off of the bomber, positioning herself so the bomber is behind the Lakelurk before thrusting the ballast into it...
Its strength is incredible, but it isn't just Tamia working against the creature... The magnet of the ballast was pushing towards the bomber!
Hope you bois liked the chap, if I missed anything please let me know. Thanks!
Also, thanks to my patrons for their support :
ShinAmazake
Chris Lindsey
Kingsprovince
Michael Jarrett
Nazlican Erdem
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