The Man Himself
Feb. 4th, 2009 02:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aaaaaaaagh_skyThe touch of warm evening air on Ellen's face startled her; after the chill behind Milliways, she'd half forgotten just how warm it was in Megaton. She took a long, deep breath of it (yep, still smelled of two-headed cow) and leaned against the railing that separated the walkway from its rather spectacular view of the town.
"Well, now!" came a man's light, oddly accented tenor voice from behind her. "And who is it's crawled out of that hole in the ground this time?"
Ellen spun on one heel and found herself facing a grey-haired, grey-browed, grey-bearded man with a far too knowing smile. He dipped his head in an ironic bow, his leather vest creaking as he straightened up. "Colin Moriarty, at your service."
Her eyes flickered up to the sign over the saloon door for a moment, then back to the man. "This is your place?"
"It is indeed! My home, my business, my little slice of heaven in this backwoods little burg. Although I'm not on duty just at the moment, strictly speaking."
"But you'd be the one everyone says to ask about my father, though, right?"
The man leaned forward a little farther, squinting; then he whistled. "My God. It's you- the little baby girl, all grown up. Persistent little thing, ain't ya? Then and now, it'd seem..." He flashed a too-bright smile. "It's been a long time, kid."
Ellen opened her mouth and closed it again, but nothing seemed to come out.
"Oh, your daddy passed through here, all right," Moriarty continued. "Here and gone. Got what he came for, and then left. I'm assuming you'll do the same, correct?"
"But- I-" She tried again. "I was born in Vault 101-"
Moriarty let out a sound that was more a bark than a laugh. "Is that what your father told you? That you were born in that hole? Oh, the lies we tell to those we love..."
It was a lucky thing that she had her back to the railing, or Ellen might have lost her balance to disastrous result. As it was, she could only grab onto the metal support and stare at the man in front of her, not speak.
"Your father brought you to the Vault right after you were born," said Moriarty. "To keep you 'safe', you see. Ah, I remember it well- you stayed in my saloon, after all. Your father, his Brotherhood of Steel friend, and you, the suckling babe with nary a tit to suckle."
Something in Ellen's expression might have changed at that, because Moriarty rather quickly added, "Sorry about your mom. Truly." Then he tch'ed and shook his head. "But, life goes on. Daddy lied. Life's full of little disappointments. And now... you're all grown up, and wondering where he's gone to..."
She wanted to tell him you're wrong, Dad wouldn't do that. But she'd seen the scouting reports about the surface. Dad didn't sound like Andy's programmed voice, and he didn't sound like someone imitating a movie. He had the speech of someone from outside, beyond any shadow of a doubt. She'd spoken to Englishmen enough at Milliways to recognize it. She'd thought maybe Dad had crept into the Vault with the scouting party's return, all those years before she was born, but...
"I heard about the brainwashin' that goes on down there, you know," continued Moriarty. "From some other fella, escaped... oh, five years back. 'All hail the Overseer! We're born in the Vault; we die in the Vault!' And all that other nonsense. Kid, that's better programming than our own Deputy Weld, out front. You'd best wise up quick. Wouldn't want anyone... takin' advantage of ya, hmm?"
There was something about the arch of his eyebrows that Ellen didn't like at all. The sooner this conversation was over, the better. "Look," she said, "I just want to find my Dad." Liar or no. "Do you know where he is?"
"Oh, I do, I do indeed," said Moriarty, leaning back comfortably against the outer wall of his saloon. "But that, my dear, is information- and information's a commodity, isn't it? It's something I have that you want. The question is, just how much are you willing to pay for it, hmm? Say... a hundred caps? Of course, if a girl fresh out of Vault 101 hasn't got access to that kind of money, I can think of a few jobs for you to do around here..."
Ellen pressed the tips of her fingers together a moment and counted silently to five before turning away. When she turned to face Moriarty again, she'd fished an alarming number of flattened bottlecaps out of the supply Lissar, Mr. Rogers, and Percy had given her. "Here," she said. "Tell me. Please."
"Well now." Moriarty's eyebrows jerked upward in what looked like momentary true surprise. "Hand it over, and let me have a look... I'll be damned, they're the real thing. You've been busy since you got out of there, haven't you? All right, then." He shook his head. "He did come through here, but he left. I'm truly sorry. But maybe you can catch up to him?"
Ellen tried not to glare.
"He headed southeast, into the city. Said he needed information from those loonies at the station. You know, Galaxy News Radio- what there is of it."
"As a matter of fact," Ellen said, and her voice was surprisingly even, "I don't know. Tell me about Galaxy News Radio, if you don't mind. I expect fair value for my caps."
"Hmf." Moriarty sniffed. "Galaxy News Radio is some loudmouth radio broadcaster located in the ruins of DC. Three Dog's the king of that looney bin. Keeps yappin' about 'fighting the good fight' or something. A bunch of crap, frankly. But I suppose if you wanted to know what was going on in the Wasteland, that's the place to go. Me? I could care less."
It should've been 'couldn't care less', but Ellen didn't bother to correct him. She wanted to get out of his presence. "Thank you," she said. "You've been helpful."
"And so now we part, eh?" Moriarty smiled. "All right then."
As he disappeared into the saloon Ellen shook her head. Maybe she could find someone else in town who could fill her in on how to get to DC. Certainly she wasn't going back into the saloon.
"Well, now!" came a man's light, oddly accented tenor voice from behind her. "And who is it's crawled out of that hole in the ground this time?"
Ellen spun on one heel and found herself facing a grey-haired, grey-browed, grey-bearded man with a far too knowing smile. He dipped his head in an ironic bow, his leather vest creaking as he straightened up. "Colin Moriarty, at your service."
Her eyes flickered up to the sign over the saloon door for a moment, then back to the man. "This is your place?"
"It is indeed! My home, my business, my little slice of heaven in this backwoods little burg. Although I'm not on duty just at the moment, strictly speaking."
"But you'd be the one everyone says to ask about my father, though, right?"
The man leaned forward a little farther, squinting; then he whistled. "My God. It's you- the little baby girl, all grown up. Persistent little thing, ain't ya? Then and now, it'd seem..." He flashed a too-bright smile. "It's been a long time, kid."
Ellen opened her mouth and closed it again, but nothing seemed to come out.
"Oh, your daddy passed through here, all right," Moriarty continued. "Here and gone. Got what he came for, and then left. I'm assuming you'll do the same, correct?"
"But- I-" She tried again. "I was born in Vault 101-"
Moriarty let out a sound that was more a bark than a laugh. "Is that what your father told you? That you were born in that hole? Oh, the lies we tell to those we love..."
It was a lucky thing that she had her back to the railing, or Ellen might have lost her balance to disastrous result. As it was, she could only grab onto the metal support and stare at the man in front of her, not speak.
"Your father brought you to the Vault right after you were born," said Moriarty. "To keep you 'safe', you see. Ah, I remember it well- you stayed in my saloon, after all. Your father, his Brotherhood of Steel friend, and you, the suckling babe with nary a tit to suckle."
Something in Ellen's expression might have changed at that, because Moriarty rather quickly added, "Sorry about your mom. Truly." Then he tch'ed and shook his head. "But, life goes on. Daddy lied. Life's full of little disappointments. And now... you're all grown up, and wondering where he's gone to..."
She wanted to tell him you're wrong, Dad wouldn't do that. But she'd seen the scouting reports about the surface. Dad didn't sound like Andy's programmed voice, and he didn't sound like someone imitating a movie. He had the speech of someone from outside, beyond any shadow of a doubt. She'd spoken to Englishmen enough at Milliways to recognize it. She'd thought maybe Dad had crept into the Vault with the scouting party's return, all those years before she was born, but...
"I heard about the brainwashin' that goes on down there, you know," continued Moriarty. "From some other fella, escaped... oh, five years back. 'All hail the Overseer! We're born in the Vault; we die in the Vault!' And all that other nonsense. Kid, that's better programming than our own Deputy Weld, out front. You'd best wise up quick. Wouldn't want anyone... takin' advantage of ya, hmm?"
There was something about the arch of his eyebrows that Ellen didn't like at all. The sooner this conversation was over, the better. "Look," she said, "I just want to find my Dad." Liar or no. "Do you know where he is?"
"Oh, I do, I do indeed," said Moriarty, leaning back comfortably against the outer wall of his saloon. "But that, my dear, is information- and information's a commodity, isn't it? It's something I have that you want. The question is, just how much are you willing to pay for it, hmm? Say... a hundred caps? Of course, if a girl fresh out of Vault 101 hasn't got access to that kind of money, I can think of a few jobs for you to do around here..."
Ellen pressed the tips of her fingers together a moment and counted silently to five before turning away. When she turned to face Moriarty again, she'd fished an alarming number of flattened bottlecaps out of the supply Lissar, Mr. Rogers, and Percy had given her. "Here," she said. "Tell me. Please."
"Well now." Moriarty's eyebrows jerked upward in what looked like momentary true surprise. "Hand it over, and let me have a look... I'll be damned, they're the real thing. You've been busy since you got out of there, haven't you? All right, then." He shook his head. "He did come through here, but he left. I'm truly sorry. But maybe you can catch up to him?"
Ellen tried not to glare.
"He headed southeast, into the city. Said he needed information from those loonies at the station. You know, Galaxy News Radio- what there is of it."
"As a matter of fact," Ellen said, and her voice was surprisingly even, "I don't know. Tell me about Galaxy News Radio, if you don't mind. I expect fair value for my caps."
"Hmf." Moriarty sniffed. "Galaxy News Radio is some loudmouth radio broadcaster located in the ruins of DC. Three Dog's the king of that looney bin. Keeps yappin' about 'fighting the good fight' or something. A bunch of crap, frankly. But I suppose if you wanted to know what was going on in the Wasteland, that's the place to go. Me? I could care less."
It should've been 'couldn't care less', but Ellen didn't bother to correct him. She wanted to get out of his presence. "Thank you," she said. "You've been helpful."
"And so now we part, eh?" Moriarty smiled. "All right then."
As he disappeared into the saloon Ellen shook her head. Maybe she could find someone else in town who could fill her in on how to get to DC. Certainly she wasn't going back into the saloon.