aaaaaaaagh_sky | Giddyup Buttercup Factory

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It would be nice to say the sun was beating down from overhead, but it's not. Partly because a few minutes ago it was raining, and partly because, well, the door opens onto the factory interior. It's dark here, with the only light coming from Ellen's Pip-Boy, the side lamp on Ellen's helmet, and the occasional crack in the walls or chink in the ceiling.

It also smells here. This was never a well-ventilated place. Two hundred years of neglect have improved the cross-breezes somewhat, but only barely- and things have been living here for a while now that had no concept of sanitation or hygiene.

"I'm sorry about the smell. I can only imagine what it must be like on your side of the helmet," Ellen's muffled voice says.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

aeons_crackshot

"Those grenades are impressive," Annabelle says with a grin once the KABOOM has subsided.

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

"No kidding." Ellen shakes her head. "That's why I'm headed south at all. I need to get the materials necessary to make a whole lot more of those before hitting Talon-"

Ellen's eye falls on that central computer terminal.

"You know, I think I'd like to see what this woman- this former woman- was doing before we go check out that snuffling noise. Mind watching my back while I get this running?"

From:

aeons_crackshot

"Both of those sound like excellent plans to me," Annabelle says with a nod.

She'll watch Ellen's back very well indeed.

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

Ellen nods and starts to work on the computer. After a moment, it goes pleep! and spits up a series of entries.

Diary Entry 2R-A0: The first ghoul chips

Some of my earlier chip prototypes(C6-A and C6-L) have started to malfunction causing the chips to overheat and eventually detonate the implanted charge. In retaliation I have upgraded the P7 series and above to counter the malfunction. I have also altered the Y2 series in the mutants as a precaution. Ghouls are easily replaceable, mutants are not.

Diary Entry 64D-A3: Mutant Chips

I have had to alter the chips for the mutants to account for their greater size. Fortunately, they exhibit a higher intellect than the ghouls and can be controlled to an even greater extent. The enthralled mutants have mentioned legends of even larger mutants, almost twice as big as the ones I've captured. If only I could get my hands on one of those...

Diary Entry 07-C: Stefan

My masterpiece! Stefan is now under my control! The latest chip I installed in him seems to have taken and he is now mine. The effort to capture one of these glowing ghouls was immense but finally I can take solace in the fact that I have one under my control. His limited intellect means I will have to keep him downstairs with the rest of the ghouls but I pity any rabble that pokes their head in here now.

"... uh huh."

From:

aeons_crackshot

"There's no understanding some people," Annabelle says with a shake of her head.

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

"No, ind........"

Ellen trails off, looking from the computer to the dead woman and back again.

"I'm downloading the data," she says suddenly. "It's probably not anything like the same, but if there's anything at all useful here Ms. Vance ought to know about chips in skulls that overheat and go bad."

From:

aeons_crackshot

Annabelle hisses. "I hadn't thought of that connection, but you're right," she says solemnly. "If this is anything like what the Combine do to people..."

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

"And now we should check out that noise," Ellen says. "Bets that it's Stefan?"

From:

aeons_crackshot

"I try not to take sucker bets," Annabelle says with a wry smile. "Let's go but Mister Nightlight out of his misery."

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

Mister Nightlight, as it happens, is a snuffling, shambling Glowing One locked in an oversized closet that's been converted into makeshift living quarters. Apparently the scientist's been feeding him, if the distinctly partial human corpse in the corner is anything to go by.

"You want to do this or should I?"

From:

aeons_crackshot

"I can do it," Annabelle says calmly. She'll spare Ellen whatever wounds on her soul that she can.

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

Ellen nods. "I'll go get the scientist laid out," she says. "I mean. If I can find anything. That was a big grenade."

From:

aeons_crackshot

"Just be careful while you're looking," Annabelle says with a small smile. Annabelle suspects she won't find anything, but you never know.

Once Ellen is out of earshot, she says quietly to the snuffling thing, "I can't fix you, but I can end your pain."

The sound of the her rifle is oddly loud, echoing a bit.

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

Eventually Ellen calls out, "All done out here." When Annabelle emerges, Ellen's not only located a few lumps of mad scientist, but she's cracked the lock on a safe tucked away in the shadows to one side and gathered up as many supplies as she could find in the room.

"We should go now," she says. "Find as many horse parts as we can, and bring them back to Milliways. I don't think either of us needs to be here any longer."