Scrapyard Revisited

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

The cool indoor air of Milliways abruptly gives way to the blazing dry heat of an August afternoon. The only thing between the sun and the ground here is a couple of circling scavenger birds; it's been a long while since rain fell on the scrapyard that sprawls in all directions. Mostly the sun beats down on the gutted, rusted wrecks of what used to be cars, but there are former cargo trailers and the remains of trains and trucks scattered about the place as well.

"The people we're going to cover up are off to the right," Ellen warns quietly. "Just so you know."

Comments

[basic_powers]

"S'okay, I can't always stop Winston from chasing down some of those demon bunnies when we take walks in Milliways." Pause. "...and at least Dogmeat doesn't bring you back presents from his kills."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"This is the first thing I've seen him kill that-" Ellen stops; she's pretty sure that saying 'that wasn't a person' isn't going to go over well. "-since I got him," she finishes, a bit lamely. "I don't know about the presents part..."

[basic_powers]

"If he does that you should just pat on the head real nice and-"

Tyler's explanation about pack behavior is interrupted by something huge and mostly hairless leaping out at the group. That's the point where nothing less than sheer will to survive takes over and the boy is running, and grabbing for something in his backpack.

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

As they bolt, Dogmeat starts barking furiously, turning to face the snarling monster, fangs bared. "Dogmeat!" Ellen yells. "No! No, don't try to-"

This dog is going to get her killed, she just knows it.

[basic_powers]

He's going to get the both of them killed! Which Tyler is really, really against, because someone's going to have to explain WHY he disappeared to his parents.

Meantime, the bear has it's attention focused on dumb ol' Dogmeat, who happens to be LOUD ANNOYING MEAT. But the dog isn't the only distraction it's going to be getting, in fact two more are headed it's way.

THUNT! ZzzZzrt!

One, a charged tazer probe in the ear.

Beeee beeee bee bee bee be beepbeepbeepbeep

Two, a rapidly beeping metal egg.

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

The egg was set on tanglefoot, and yao guai are normally so fast they don't even pay attention to their own feet. This is not a good day to be a giant bear.

It is, however, an excellent day to run like hell. Even if it means Ellen has to grab Dogmeat by the ear to start him running in the right direction, which is to say, away from the bear.

[basic_powers]

Were he thinking of things in such a context, he would agree the poor bear didn't know what hit it. However, Tyler is more concerned with running away and checking to make certain the bear isn't following them.

What he glimpses behind them is the giant mutant bear eating at the stuff sticking it's feet to the ground.

His adrenal glands won't be thanking him later, but at least he's going to be in one piece.

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

Ellen's killed a few yao guai before. It's not easy. She doesn't like doing it. The fact that the giant mutant bear isn't chasing them? That's the important thing right now. She's going to run until - well, okay, Dogmeat is in better distance-running condition than she is, so she's going to run until Tyler looks like he needs to stop. And then she'll remember that she could probably have shot the bear at least once, maybe twice.

Not until she's done panting with her head down and her hands on her knees, though.

[basic_powers]

Tyler's just going to lay on the dry ground for a bit, if that's alright with Ellen. At least until he gets his wind back, unless something else decides it's a good time to attack the bipeds.

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

Nah, they'll be fine.

*ZAP*

"Stupid radroach. You go squish now."

... okay, now they'll be fine.

"Tyler? You okay?"

[basic_powers]

"I'm a lil winded." And thirsty, so out comes the non-radioactive water bottle. He's not even bothering to look at whatever it is Ellen just shot. "Too tired to run, but walking is good."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

Probably for the best, since what she shot was a cockroach the size of a human baby.

"Okay. We can start walking once... you've..."

If Tyler looks up from his bottle, he'll see Ellen frowning at the display on her Pip-Boy.

"Oh, blast..."

[basic_powers]

"What? What is it?" The bottle's a good third down by the time he's done, and likely in another hour, he'll have to use the little boy's room.

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"We've gone the wrong way." Ellen holds out her arm. "See? This is the scrapyard, this dot here. And this one is Megaton, down here."

They're... well northeast of Megaton, and a good way east of the scrapyard.

"I have no idea where the nearest door is."

[basic_powers]

"Well boogers...guess we start walking."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Guess so," says Ellen gloomily. "Not that I can tell which way is west from here..."

She starts scanning the surrounding region as if it'll pop up an arrow saying 'this way'. Which, alas, it does not.

[basic_powers]

Tyler, recapping the bottle gets up to his feet squinting at the horizon in all directions. Most of this is wasteland..but there's still some buildings left, so where there're buildings, there's got to be doors.

Which...in the very distance...that doesn't look like a tree of any kind.

"Ellen, I think I see a building over in that direction."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

Ellen turns and peers, one hand coming up to shade her eyes.

"Up on that ridge in the distance?" she asks. "I think you're right- do you want to head that way?"

... not that any of the other directions are any better.

[basic_powers]

"Sure, where there's buildings, there's a much better chance of Doors."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"All right, then," Ellen says. "Let's get started."

It's a long trudge through the dusty desert sands and scrubby, twig-dry brush of the Wasteland, but it's not as if they have any other opportunities, is it. And at least the building is getting closer, even if they do have to climb up a long, twisting path to get to the top of the ridge. In better times it was a paved road; now it's all broken. At least it's mostly flat.

When they reach the top, there's an open plaza with a leafless, long-dry tree in the middle. A column with bits of brick poking out of it gives mute evidence to the location of a long-ago office complex's presence. Some yards away, there are mostly intact buildings.

And, in the open street between the buildings, there are voices:

"-never get away with terrorizing this town! Not while it's under the protection of the Mechanist!"

The speaker is a man in crude silver and black armor, and a helmet that looks as if it just wants to go back to being a bucket. He's flanked on one side by a hovering robot with three dangling arms and three perked-up optic sensors all coming off a central olive-green ball the size of a human torso, and on the other by a brushed metal robot with a vaguely humanoid upper body balanced on three equally spaced legs, each terminating in a wheel. Behind him, a third robot resembling a tin can on tire treads, with what appears to be a human brain under a dome of glass, waves its floppy hoselike arms threateningly. The speaker is addressing someone across the street, a woman in ...

... er.

Well, The Flea would recognize the design of her helmet, but the rest of her outfit just screams 'villainness with a glue gun and a lot of time on her hands'. She's surrounded by ants. Big ones. Bigger than Dogmeat. And she tosses her head back and sneers: "You and your pathetic tin cans are no match for my army!" before laughing.

Tyler's heard that laugh before. Zodon was a prime example.

[basic_powers]

...Tyler is thinking only one thing right now and it mostly involves kicking the multiverse in general in whatever it calls a shin. And staring, because these guys are making Captain Chronos look like the very perfect picture of mental health.

"Ellen?"

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"The citizens of this town have nothing to fear! The Mechanist is here to protect them!"

"... I don't know either, Tyler."

[basic_powers]

"...they're both crazy Ellen. Very. Very. Crazy."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"I'd noticed," Ellen says.

"Ha! We'll see about that! Attack, my ant soldiers! Destroy this fool and his tin toys!"

"I kind of think everybody on the surface is, at this point."

"Go forth, my steadfast creations! Show these vermin humanity's true power!"

As the robots open fire on the ants, Ellen adds, "Maybe they'll kill each other. Then we can start trying doors."

[basic_powers]

"These two are a special different kind of crazy." Tyler replies, backing up as the explosions begin. "The kind you want to be at least fifty feet away from."