Crawled Out Through The Fallout

Chapter 27

After a lot of going the wrong way, we found the room where the Courser was. I didn't want to give up our main advantage, which was the element of surprise. (Which would be Ah on the periodic table of elements.) Deacon aimed at the Courser, who was interrogating a Gunner. I pulled him behind the wall and pushed him against it. I whispered in his ear.

"What the hell are you doing?! We have to be smart about this. We have a better chance of outsmarting it than we do of using sheer force."

He shifted uncomfortably in my grip.

"Got it. No charging in head first."

I released him and listened to the Courser.

"You are harboring a synth run away. Where is Z1?"

A synth was hiding here. I made a mental note to find them and help after dealing with the Courser. There was no answer from the mercenary, so the Courser shot him. He then turned around and spoke.

"I know you're there. There's no point in hiding. Come out and face me."

I took a deep breath, and moved to look through the window. I searched the room for the Courser, but he was gone. I looked back at Deacon, who shrugged. I put my face up to the window again, and the Courser was at eye level with me. I jumped back and cursed. The Courser gave a creepy smile and walked to the side of the wall where I stood.

"Found you. Why did you come here?"

I was terrified, and decided to cover up with sarcasm. 

"That thing in your neck, it's just so shiny that I have to have it."

"You're after my chip. Interesting. Needless to say, you'll have to pry it from my cold, dead body."

"Pretty sure your body is already cold. You're a machine. Living and being warm aren't your strong suits."

"Enough talk. Let's fight."

I gave him a smug look, then aimed my gun at him.

"Prepare for your funeral."

I used V.A.T.S. to shoot him in the head multiple times. After getting hit, he turned invisible.

"What the hell?! That is not fair."

I searched carefully for him, and got sent flying back by an unseen attack. I grunted as my back hit the wall, and I pushed myself up again. I looked for any movement, and saw a wavy movement out of the corner of my eye. I ducked out of instinct, and heard a loud thud and a growl. The Courser became visible again, and I used this opportunity to take more shots at him. Deacon shot at him from behind his cover. The Courser seemed barely fazed by our attacks. This was going to require something more sneaky and clever to destroy him. I sprinted out of the room, pulling Deacon with me by his arm. I ran back into the maze of rooms, and pushed Deacon into a closet. I went in the closet too and closed the door. I searched through my bag for some explosives while waiting to be found. Deacon grinned and whispered.

"I didn't think that this was going to be the way I was going to get in a closet with you."

I rolled my eyes and whispered back.

"Not now, Deacon. I'm focusing."

I put a bunch of grenades on the floor and used some cotton string to tie the pins together. I let out about ten feet of the sting, and cut it with my knife. I held on to the string and listened for the Courser. A few seconds later, I heard footsteps. I spoke to Deacon in a louder voice.

"He won't find us in here. We'll wait until he leaves, then escape."

"Are you sure, boss? We need that chip."

The door opened, and the Courser was standing there with an evil grin.

"You didn't get far, did you?"

He took a menacing step towards us. I nodded slightly to Deacon, and we both lunged at the Courser, knocking him down. We pushed past him, and I shut the closet door and blocked it with a broom through the handle. I tugged on the string.

"Take cover!"

We jumped behind a desk and covered our heads. There was a loud boom from the closet, and smoke started billowing out. I opened the door and put my shirt over my mouth to filter the air. Deacon helped me pull the dead Courser out of the closet, and I took the chip from the back of his neck.

"And that's how to kill a Courser 101. Class dismissed."

Deacon chuckled at my comment.

"Sign me up for the next class, boss."

I put the chip in my pocket and walked back out to the room where we first saw the Courser. I looked around, and called out.

"You can come out now, we killed the Courser. We're here to help you."

A door opened slowly and a girl walked out. 

"Thank you. My name is Z1, but I prefer Jenny."

"You're welcome, Jenny. We can take you somewhere safe."

"No, I can handle myself. That Courser just found me a lot faster than I was expecting."

I was a bit startled by her insistence on being left alone, but I felt she really meant it. I looked at Deacon, and walked down the stairs to the lobby. We left the building, and made our way to Railroad HQ.