The Long Road Home
Dec. 13th, 2010 06:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aaaaaaaagh_skyThe shack door closed. Ellen took a good, long breath and resisted the urge to rub at her face with both armored hands. "Cross?" she called. "Fawkes? I'm back."
"We're here," came the Paladin's voice from inside. Ellen opened the door; mercifully, it led only to the shack this time, and not to Milliways. Cross was seated exactly where Ellen had left her, testing the mobility of her lower legs. Fawkes stood nearby, his Gatling laser slung across his back. "Did your friend get back safely?"
"Yes," said Ellen. "Yes, she did."
Cross nodded. "I don't think I'll ever get over how quickly that works," she said. "I have come to a conclusion, though."
Ellen tensed a little. That didn't sound good.
"Some time ago, we spoke about Milliways, and about my responsibilities to the Brotherhood," said Cross. "Do you remember?"
Ellen nodded slowly. "Right after I told you I wasn't allied with any mole people," she said. "Yes, I remember."
"I've been considering how to go about reporting this to Elder Lyons," Cross said. "And I've come to the conclusion that I shouldn't even try."
"I- what?"
Cross's armored shoulders lifted briefly, then fell back with a clatter. "Milliways is a resource which is not ours to claim," she said. "Without your cooperation, we have no access to it, no way of contacting it. Were anything to happen to you, we would have no proof of its existence at all."
Ellen couldn't help it; she glanced down at Cross's previously-injured legs.
"Stories of being healed by mysterious women who turn into dragons at the blink of an eye don't look very good on official reports," Cross said, a touch of humor in her voice. "Elder Lyons would believe me, because he knows me well enough to trust my word. But there are others in the Brotherhood who would have to be given the same reports as the Elder. I would never be able to convince them all of the reality of the place. The Enclave threat is far too immediate for me to waste time explaining the Milliways situation when we could be preparing for war."
Ellen nodded. "Okay," she said. "What about you, Fawkes?"
The mu- the meta-human made a peculiar face. It took Ellen a moment to realize that, despite his hairlessness, he was trying to raise a single eyebrow. "What about me?" he echoed.
"What's your opinion on this whole Milliways thing? I know Cross here said she would explain it to you back when we were at Fort Constantine."
"My friend," the meta- human said, "you brought us help when we had dire need. How you find it, and how you bring it to us, matters very little to me. If you want it left unspoken, then unspoken it shall be."
Ellen exhaled; she really hadn't been looking forward to explaining the whole sorry mess. "Thank you, Fawkes."
"You're quite welcome." He eased the firing portion of his Gatling laser off his shoulder. "Shall we continue on our way?"
The Enclave had been here. There wasn't anybody else in the Wasteland Ellen knew of who could leave green goo-piles on the landscape. They'd been, and they'd left their mark, and they'd gone.
There was burning in the distance, the smell of smoke and explosives twisting on the wind. Ellen knew those smells by now- knew them very well, from a hundred encounters in a hundred different places.
And other things; Ellen had caught that smell last in Andale.
This... used to be Big Town.
The Big Town reek was still in her nostrils when Ellen caught sight of the Megaton city walls in the distance and picked up her pace.
The sound of the Vertibird sweeping down on her position and disgorging soldiers before she and Cross and Fawkes could draw any closer would be with her longer.
WELCOME TO GRAYDITCH, the graffiti scrawled along the concrete wall read. Cross glanced swiftly left and right, then gestured towards the side streets that led to Marigold Station and the Metro tunnels.
Well, Ellen had always meant to get back here and make sure the giant fire-breathing ants were all dead...
"Ellen?" said Fawkes, stopping in his tracks and peering through the dimness of the Metro tunnel. "Are you all right?"
"Sorry," murmured Ellen, who was doing her best to keep up with Cross without tripping or going off course. It wasn't working; she leaned heavily against the tunnel wall. "Been running all day. Don't think I have anything left."
"We haven't much further to go," Cross said. "unless I miss my guess, we're coming up on the nearest station to the Citadel."
"Do you need assistance, friend?" said Fawkes. "I can carry you a while, if-"
"No," said Ellen, gulping. "No. I can keep going a little bit more." She pushed herself away from the wall. "But there's one thing."
"What's that?"
"There's guards on the Citadel," Ellen said. "A lot of guards. If they see a mutant coming- no offense, Fawkes-"
"No offense taken."
"They'll shoot first and ask why he's got company later." Ellen looked at Cross. "Can you go on ahead of us? Tell them to hold their fire? I'll come with Fawkes myself."
"That would be wise, I think," Cross said. "So long as you're sure you can make the distance."
"To make sure it works out all right for Fawkes," Ellen said, "I'll manage."
"Very well," said Cross. "I'll start now. Give me five minutes, and then follow."
"We're here," came the Paladin's voice from inside. Ellen opened the door; mercifully, it led only to the shack this time, and not to Milliways. Cross was seated exactly where Ellen had left her, testing the mobility of her lower legs. Fawkes stood nearby, his Gatling laser slung across his back. "Did your friend get back safely?"
"Yes," said Ellen. "Yes, she did."
Cross nodded. "I don't think I'll ever get over how quickly that works," she said. "I have come to a conclusion, though."
Ellen tensed a little. That didn't sound good.
"Some time ago, we spoke about Milliways, and about my responsibilities to the Brotherhood," said Cross. "Do you remember?"
Ellen nodded slowly. "Right after I told you I wasn't allied with any mole people," she said. "Yes, I remember."
"I've been considering how to go about reporting this to Elder Lyons," Cross said. "And I've come to the conclusion that I shouldn't even try."
"I- what?"
Cross's armored shoulders lifted briefly, then fell back with a clatter. "Milliways is a resource which is not ours to claim," she said. "Without your cooperation, we have no access to it, no way of contacting it. Were anything to happen to you, we would have no proof of its existence at all."
Ellen couldn't help it; she glanced down at Cross's previously-injured legs.
"Stories of being healed by mysterious women who turn into dragons at the blink of an eye don't look very good on official reports," Cross said, a touch of humor in her voice. "Elder Lyons would believe me, because he knows me well enough to trust my word. But there are others in the Brotherhood who would have to be given the same reports as the Elder. I would never be able to convince them all of the reality of the place. The Enclave threat is far too immediate for me to waste time explaining the Milliways situation when we could be preparing for war."
Ellen nodded. "Okay," she said. "What about you, Fawkes?"
The mu- the meta-human made a peculiar face. It took Ellen a moment to realize that, despite his hairlessness, he was trying to raise a single eyebrow. "What about me?" he echoed.
"What's your opinion on this whole Milliways thing? I know Cross here said she would explain it to you back when we were at Fort Constantine."
"My friend," the meta- human said, "you brought us help when we had dire need. How you find it, and how you bring it to us, matters very little to me. If you want it left unspoken, then unspoken it shall be."
Ellen exhaled; she really hadn't been looking forward to explaining the whole sorry mess. "Thank you, Fawkes."
"You're quite welcome." He eased the firing portion of his Gatling laser off his shoulder. "Shall we continue on our way?"
The Enclave had been here. There wasn't anybody else in the Wasteland Ellen knew of who could leave green goo-piles on the landscape. They'd been, and they'd left their mark, and they'd gone.
There was burning in the distance, the smell of smoke and explosives twisting on the wind. Ellen knew those smells by now- knew them very well, from a hundred encounters in a hundred different places.
And other things; Ellen had caught that smell last in Andale.
This... used to be Big Town.
The Big Town reek was still in her nostrils when Ellen caught sight of the Megaton city walls in the distance and picked up her pace.
The sound of the Vertibird sweeping down on her position and disgorging soldiers before she and Cross and Fawkes could draw any closer would be with her longer.
WELCOME TO GRAYDITCH, the graffiti scrawled along the concrete wall read. Cross glanced swiftly left and right, then gestured towards the side streets that led to Marigold Station and the Metro tunnels.
Well, Ellen had always meant to get back here and make sure the giant fire-breathing ants were all dead...
"Ellen?" said Fawkes, stopping in his tracks and peering through the dimness of the Metro tunnel. "Are you all right?"
"Sorry," murmured Ellen, who was doing her best to keep up with Cross without tripping or going off course. It wasn't working; she leaned heavily against the tunnel wall. "Been running all day. Don't think I have anything left."
"We haven't much further to go," Cross said. "unless I miss my guess, we're coming up on the nearest station to the Citadel."
"Do you need assistance, friend?" said Fawkes. "I can carry you a while, if-"
"No," said Ellen, gulping. "No. I can keep going a little bit more." She pushed herself away from the wall. "But there's one thing."
"What's that?"
"There's guards on the Citadel," Ellen said. "A lot of guards. If they see a mutant coming- no offense, Fawkes-"
"No offense taken."
"They'll shoot first and ask why he's got company later." Ellen looked at Cross. "Can you go on ahead of us? Tell them to hold their fire? I'll come with Fawkes myself."
"That would be wise, I think," Cross said. "So long as you're sure you can make the distance."
"To make sure it works out all right for Fawkes," Ellen said, "I'll manage."
"Very well," said Cross. "I'll start now. Give me five minutes, and then follow."