aaaaaaaagh_sky

The door opens from Milliways onto the tumbletown ruins of what used to be an industrial area on the fringes of Arlington. The temperature is summertime-warm, the air dry; the last rains to pass through here are long since gone. Overhead, a scavenger bird or two circles, visible only to people who know what they're looking for. A breeze listlessly stirs the air, kicking up brief dust-devils along the shattered ruin of the local roads. Beyond that, the place is quiet in the way that only emptiness can bring.

"This is where I came in," Ellen says over her shoulder. "Like I mentioned the other day, it's about a day's travel to the Fort Bannister region from here. There's still some pre-war asphalt laid down here but pretty soon it all gives way to open sand and scrub. The nearest radiation source is a hundred yards northeast of here, and we're not going in that direction, so unless my Geiger counter goes off without warning we should be all right."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

aeons_crackshot

Poor thing. Maybe it would be more pleasant if it was fed better.

"Easy, boy," Annabelle says quietly. Moving in to grab its muzzle and hold it shut.

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

Possibly. Hard to say.

It's thrashing pretty hard, though, and trying to claw at Annabelle's arms to get her to let go.

From:

aeons_crackshot

"No," Annabelle says quietly but firmly as the dog thrashes and its claws scrape across her armor.

She knows a bit about dogs. It's not so much about what you say with words as what your tone of voice and body say. Right now, her body language is saying 'I am dominant, you will submit.'

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

The dog thrashes some more, trying to pull away, but Annabelle has more at stake than it does. Eventually, with a heaving sigh, it gives in. There's no point to putting up more of a stink.

(Dogmeat is currently looking disgruntled. Ellen in power armor outmasses him by a really amazing amount.)

From:

aeons_crackshot

"Good dog," Annabelle says quietly once the dog gives in. She lets go of the dog and waits to see what it does.

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

Whimpers, mostly. And looks as if it's not sure whether to fear-bite or run.

From:

aeons_crackshot

Annabelle decides to leave it be, then. "Go home," she tells the dog firmly.

"I think we're good now, Ellen. So long as Dogmeat doesn't attack this fellow, anyway."

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

With one last whimper the dog turns and slinks away. Ellen looks up and lets go of Dogmeat; the heeler stands up, shakes himself off, and turns to bite at an itch on his flank. That, clearly, was embarrassing for him. "I think we're okay," Ellen says. "But we'd better get moving. There might be others."

There's a tent up ahead with its back to their location. Ellen thinks for a moment, then gestures silently at the canvas. Peek under it or slice it open?

From:

aeons_crackshot

Annabelle nods and follows Ellen toward the tent.

At her gesture, Annabelle makes a motion that suggests 'peek under it'. That will be less obvious if anyone comes along behind them later.

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

Inside the tent there isn't much- a footlocker, a first-aid kit, a raised round concrete thing that on closer inspection has a large steel door built into it, a couple of beer bottles...

From:

aeons_crackshot

"Does that look like our way in, or is it just me?" she asks Ellen.

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

"It's not just you," Ellen murmurs back. "But I'll bet there's a guard outside the tent, and getting that open's going to make a lot of noise..."

From:

aeons_crackshot

"He won't be a problem for very long," Annabelle says quietly. "Do you think you can raise the flap a little more, so I can crawl under it? It will be easier to do the job with this," she says, gesturing with the knife, "if I can get him from behind."

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

Ellen nods and carefully eases the burlap up a little higher. Much further and it's going to be a real problem not tearing the cloth or yanking out pegs, but there should be room. And there's definitely a human on the far side of the entrance to the tent; Annabelle should be able to make out his feet as she wriggles on in.

From:

aeons_crackshot

Annabelle is thankful once again for her own athletic ability and flexibility as she wriggles in. She pauses for a moment once she's in, to make sure she hasn't been seen.

She's listening for signs of other people and observing her prey, trying to determine how alert he is and whether she can easily cut his throat with her knife in the armor he's wearing.

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

Most of the other people are far off in the distance, dim shapes in the darkness. The man just outside the doorflap is straining his attention to see where all the fuss is going on, just in case it comes his way. As for his neck, Talon Company armor doesn't come up all that far; with the right angle and a good hand... well, Annabelle can fill in the blanks, can't she?

From:

aeons_crackshot

Oh, she can fill in the blanks, sure as sunrise. As she sneaks up behind him, she ponders whether she should prop his body up against the tent to give the illusion of someone still on guard.

He may never even know what killed him. Annabelle's cut is quick and precise across the carotids once she sneaks up behind him.

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

There's an unhappy little gurgling sigh, and the world is down by one Talon. We probably don't need to mention that that's gonna make a mess.

We probably also don't need to mention that the instant the Talon's last breath is heard, Ellen starts working at getting that door opened.

From:

aeons_crackshot

Thankfully, most of the mess does not end up on Annabelle. Once the gushing has stopped, she maneuvers the body so that it is in a more or less upright position against the tent. The ruse might buy them a little more time.

If the coast looks clear, she'll go back inside and see if she can't help Ellen with the door.

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

When Annabelle looks in, Ellen is busily working the door open with the additional leverage that a long, well-made firearm can provide. That footlocker had somebody's hunting rifle in it. Ellen made sure it was empty before she set to work, and she's just about got it now, but she'll be grateful for the assist.

From:

aeons_crackshot

Leverage is one of man's best friends, but a little extra muscle is also very handy.

Annabelle will do whatever she needs to to help Ellen get the door open.

"I think we've just about got it."

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

"I think-"

SCREEEEEEEEEEETCH goes the metal, and the door pops open at last.

"-we'd better get down there quickly. Dogmeat, you can jump down when we're through."

The dog wags his tail. People are paying attention to him!

From:

aeons_crackshot

"That sounds like a plan to me," Annabelle replies with a grin as she starts making her way down the ladder.

The strange smell in the tunnels sets her hackles on edge, which may be why she notices the gun turret on the ceiling so quickly. She grabs hold of Ellen's arm as she goes to move forward and hisses "Gun Turret!"

From:

aaaaaaaagh_sky

Ellen would flatten herself against the wall if it were possible to do so in this armor, but that'll happen the day the Capital Senators play the Cincinnati Redbirds in the World Series again (trans.: never). The best she can do is stash the Shishkebab blade and reach over her shoulder. "They're automated," she murmurs. "I've taken them out before, at the Robco factory-"

Two ZAP!s later, the turret explodes in a shower of sparks and smoke.

"I really have to thank Chief Harkness for this gun."

From:

aeons_crackshot

"It is a nice piece," Annabelle agrees. "Now that that's taken care of, where do we head from here?"

Annabelle is switching to her own guns at the moment.