The heavy headwear was pulled over the small girl’s head, pulled down until she could see out of the two plastic eyeholes, looking up at the woman with bright red hair to match her own. “Mama?” the small girl questioned, a hand lifted, touching a finger to her lips before pressing her lips to her hair. “Shh… keep quite Sai.. They’ll hear you..” The loud shouts and cries from outside their makeshift shack forced her head to turn, watching the door as it began to rumble. A hand grabbed her face, forcing her to look away, to look back to her. Green eyes stared into those of the smaller girl, face full of worry. “You’re going to go under the house and hide,” she stated, the girl almost speaking before the woman continued, “I know I told you to never go down there, that the radiation is too high. It’s only air-born, keep this mask on and you will be alright.” “But mom…” she began, only to have the woman shake her head and push her towards the hidden door in the floor. Tossing aside the rug she pushed in a piece of the wood, a small computer lifting and asking for a password. A few clicks away and the floor opened to reveal a small opening just big enough for the little girl. “Wait twenty minutes after everything goes silent, then say ‘Release’, it’ll let you out then sweetie. Remember, don’t take off that mask.” Picking up the small girl she set her in the hole, Sai sobbing, “mommy?” “I love you baby girl…” With that the cover closed, sealing her in the darkness with nothing to tell her what was happening besides the sounds.
The sound of a door falling, hitting the ground hard, before the sounds of footsteps clacked on the hardwood floors. She counted them, trying to figure the number of people, one… two. three, maybe four, but there couldn’t be anymore than that many. “Mr. House has been quite patient with your debt, Richard..” The man who spoke sounded gruff, probably one of the wandering strangers that this ‘Mr. House’ had hired. The sound of a wheel made her realize that there was a robot as well, a securitron. Her heart stopped, hearing her father then speak up. “I’m really sorry that I haven’t been able to pay you, work has been pretty tight since the Deathclaws moved into the quarry,” he stated. The man from before heaved a sigh, or at least, she thought that it was him, hearing a soft ‘tsk’. “Mr. House doesn’t care about that, Richard, now then, do you have the money, or don’t you?” It was all silent, then the sound of another sigh before a gunshot. She heard her mother scream then, as if crying out not from pain, but from the pure anguish. Did.. Did they shoot her father? Another shot and the crying stopped, everything silent but the footsteps of the men.
Wide green eyes were wide, plastic lens fogged with the heat of the tears she didn’t even know were coming, staring above her, listening to the voices of the men. “Didn’t they have a daughter or something?” one questioned, the sound of furniture being broken, the men ransacking the place, looking for anything of value. “I dunno. If we don’t find anything we’ll tell the boss we killed them all,” the next answered. After what felt like forever, the sounds of feet and voices faded out, waiting just like her mother had said. “Release,” the word was muffled as it came from her, but a small beeping in the room told her it was accepted, the panel above opening to allow her to climb out. She hesitated before she reached up, pulling her body up and out, looking at the ruins of her home. Dark green eyes were then on the two bodies, limp and atop one another, the small girl falling to her knees before crawling over to them. “Mommy?” she questioned, shaking her body gently, “daddy?” There was no reaction though, bring tears from the girl while she clung to the two, sobbing softly into the mask, never even bothering to take it off.
That story was long since past, over ten years ago, she was just about to turn twenty four. Her hair was the still bright red like her mother’s, eyes as green and sharp as emeralds, lean frame that was used more for running and dodging than it was physical fighting, that wasn’t to say that she couldn’t put up a good fight. Hell, besides her looks it was her attitude that brought her attention, wanted or not… At the moment her long lean legs were covered in dark tight pants, black heeled boots on her feet, her shirt nothing but fishnet with a black cover underneath that was used only to cover her chest. She sat at a bar, gas mask on the counter, messy red hair sprawled around her face while she stared into her whisky. By her feet a long tail slithered, the rattle at the end, the dog like body shifting a bit while snake laws opened to let out a hiss. Dark green eyes looked down to the Nightstalker at her feet, knowing the reaction meant someone was behind her.
“Can I help you with something?”
Her words were sharp, dangerous, snapping for an answer. The man behind her never let his gaze cast away from the dark beady eyes that stared dangerously, swallowing hard before speaking in a shaky voice. “You’re.. you’re the Red Mist, right?” he questioned, the girl lifting the glass, pressing it to her lips to take a long slow drink of the warm whiskey. When the glass was set again she spoke, not even bothering to look at the man. “Depends on who’s asking..” she stated, turning her head to stare at the man, green eyes dangerous. “I’m with the NCR. We have a job we need for you to do. The pay is five thousand caps.” With the mention of money her head lifted, some, eyes narrowing while a hiss sounded from the nightstalker at her feet.
“I’m listening.”
It was a simple grab and go operation. It seemed someone had stolen something very important from one of their ‘bosses’ and they wanted that person back, dead or alive. She had been given a picture, a name, and half the pay before she had taken her leave to go looking for this thief. As much as she hated working for the NCR, knowing they were almost hand and hand with Mr. House, she needed the money, the booze and Med-x didn’t pay for themselves. Hiking along in the desert, the nightstalker at her feet, weapons slung on her body while a bag of supplies hung on her hip, she was making her way to Goodsprings, ask around, knowing the people were pretty big in hiding out those who asked. Entering the saloon she let the creature stay by herself, it giving a hiss of a warning to a man that stared at the strange girl who wore the gasmask. “I’m looking for this person,” she stated, pulling out the picture to show Trudy who stood behind the bar, “any information?”
[Yes, this is based off Fallout New Vegas.]
