aaaaaaaagh_sky

The western sun's rays slanting across the Wasteland cast long shadows, reminding Ellen that as much as she wants to reach DC and find out what the situation is at the Lincoln Memorial, she's going to need to get some rest first. It's a long way from the Temple of the Union to the ruins. She's tired, Dogmeat's tired, and the temperature's dropping fast as it gets darker. Plus, her armor's starting to hum the Battle Hymn of the Republic, which Ellen figures is never what you'd call a good sign. Luckily there's a shack up ahead, one with a door she can open and close. "What do you think, Dogmeat?" she asks. "Does it smell okay to you?"

Dogmeat raises no objections, so she tries the door. It's solid enough. There's a table with a radio on it to one side; the radio's got enough juice left in its fission battery that it picks up the GNR signal when she turns it on. Unfortunately, when she moves to survey the rest of the place, her Geiger counter starts going off as she approaches the far corner of the room.

"Blast. It's not worth the Rad-X we'd both need," Ellen says to Dogmeat. "We'd better find somewhere else."

As they head out of the shack she pulls the door closed behind her, hard. It's not really built for that, so when it hits the doorframe it bounces open again. Pity she didn't turn around at the sound, because she'd've caught sight of the light of Milliways leaking through the inch or so that the door bounces open.

And anyone in Milliways who happens to be looking at the right spot at the right time will notice the door that suddenly opened an inch or so, letting in the cool evening air.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

"... no he didn't," Ellen says. "That was a sawed-off, I'd've- wait, who shot you?"

From:

thanksrainman

"He-- I--" Gus is struggling to connect words as he sits on the hard ground. His mouth hanging open in complete shock, all he can do is gaze blankly at the terrain around them.

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

Oh dear. Ellen gestures to Dogmeat to sit nearby, and moves over to crouch down beside Gus.

She'll be getting that bottle of whiskey out of her pack again shortly if this keeps up.

From:

thanksrainman

After taking a few minutes to breathe, Gus manages to find his voice again. "I couldn't remember until now," he says simply.

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

"... oh," says Ellen, and hands him the bottle without further ado.

From:

thanksrainman

Gus takes it, but just holds onto it uneasily.

"He shot me," he repeats. "I didn't even have the money, but he shot me anyway."

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

"Some people are like that," Ellen says quietly. "They'll do anything just because they're annoyed, or because they can."

She's had occasion to learn that all too often lately.

From:

thanksrainman

"Charlie took it," he remembers. "I don't know when, but the little shit managed to out-weasel me."

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

Ellen wrinkles her nose. "Lovely," she says dryly. "At least it's over now, right?"

From:

thanksrainman

"Well, no. It's not, is it?" Gus points out. "Because now I'm stuck in this purgatory, or limbo, or whatever it is, aren't I?"

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

"I meant the scheme, Gus," Ellen points out. "What you do with the rest of your existence is up to you."

From:

thanksrainman

He looks up at her, and after a few moments, manages to get back to his feet. "Get me back to the bar," he says shakily.

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

"All right," says Ellen. "Come on, we're burning daylight."

The rest of the trip is largely uneventful, with the exception of the giant scorpion attack. Ellen doesn't bother to strip that for meat. She just unloads an extra shot or two into its head to make sure it's properly dead, then keeps moving. But other than that it's all good!

From:

thanksrainman

Gus is quiet through the journey, remaining closed off from Ellen as they travel. It's not until several hours of travel that he begins to draw out again at the sight of what appears to be some basic civilisation in the distance.

"That where we're going?" he asks suddenly.

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

Ellen nods. "That's it," she says. "That's Megaton. Don't argue with the robot outside or the sheriff inside and we should be fine."

She pauses, considering whether or not to tell him about the bomb. Unfortunately, she can't picture any possible good outcome for his reaction. Most of what she's picturing ends with him punching somebody and Sheriff Simms ordering him put to work scrubbing out the common house toilets for a week, or him running off into the desert and getting abducted by slavers.

"There's a saloon on the top level if you want a drink first," she finally says.

From:

thanksrainman

"Yeah," he agrees hoarsely. "Long as you think I can get back."

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

"You'll be fine," Ellen says. "I'll get you back. Come on, let's go to Moriarty's."

No way is she taking him to the Brass Lantern. It's down next to the you-know-what.

From:

thanksrainman

"Who's that?" Gus asks. "Not another freak with a gun, is he?"

He reaches for his cigarettes before remembering that he'd already finished off the pack.

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

"No, he runs the town saloon," Ellen says, wrinkling her nose. "He's a liar and a cheat and he treats his employees horribly, and he's an extortionist on top of it. And he's totally smug about it, too, as if he's completely entitled to everything he can get away with. And he waters down his drinks."

From:

thanksrainman

"Waters down the drinks," Gus echoes. "Christ, we can't have that, can we?"

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

"The beer around here already tastes like you could do better wringing out a wet blanket," Ellen says. "What he does to it doesn't help at all. He's got good Scotch, though. And wine. I don't know where he found it but it's not bad at all."

Moriarty's is on the other side of the crater from where they enter; Ellen makes a point of taking the higher pathways, so they don't have to go down to the levels where Gus might encounter the you-know-what, and so there's no chance of slipping and falling. It's also got the bonus of keeping them away from the worst of the smell of the Brahmin at the bottom of the crater.

"Just be aware that Nova's company costs a hundred and twenty caps a night before you start any conversation with any redheaded women who look really bored, okay?"

From:

thanksrainman

Gus grimaces. "No offence, kid, but I wouldn't touch anyone from around here," he says.

He follows Ellen to the bar, not even bothering to ask questions about their immediate surroundings.

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

"None taken," says Ellen, and opens the door.

It's about what you'd expect; two rooms on this level, one off to the side, and a staircase leading upwards on the left. There's a one-eyed man with a headkerchief arguing with an elderly man in maroon and leather, and two people in tan and white Brahmin-skin shirts and trousers, and a radio pouring out Billie Holiday tunes, and GAH one of the raw meat people's working the counter-

"Hi, Gob!" calls Ellen, striding up to the counter.

"Hey there, smoothskin."

From:

thanksrainman

Gus stares, mildly terrified at what he's seeing. He hadn't gotten a very good look at the other ghouls they'd met, and he's shocked at their up-close appearance.

"It's not gonna make us sick is it?" he asks insensitively. "I don't wanna become no zombie or nothing."

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

Gob's eyes flick over to Gus and then back to Ellen. With a sigh he says, "Same old Brahmin crap. Who's the new blood?"

"Gob, this is Gus," Ellen says. "Gus's been a little out of circulation. I'm going to help him get home from here."

"Gotcha," says Gob, and turns to Gus. "No. I ain't contagious. What's the matter, they don't have ghouls where you come from?"