The Trail

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

The door opens, as it often does, on a patch of scrub desert under a cloud-studded sky. Peering eastward, you can make out the shape of a shattered, once-elevated highway in the light of the just-risen sun, and perhaps the jagged edges of the tallest parts of the Megaton city walls. The air is a little cooler than it's been on past visits, and here and there the brown and yellow scrub that characterizes Wasteland vegetation seems to be sharing space with hazes of green.

There's also kind of an overwhelming stink of cow, because Ellen left Megaton astride Shiphrah and Puah and the Brahmin is busily chewing its cud with one head nearby. Ellen pats the other head briefly with one stealth-suited hand as she says, "We're not far from the caravan route where the raiders ambushed our water men. This is the nearest door I could find."

Comments

[aeons_crackshot]

"I am flexible, but that's not the point."

She shakes her head, bemused. "I guess it doesn't really matter. Not like I live in this universe or anything."

"Night Ghost? Nice. You've got better naming sense than some of the folks back home. There was one nitwit after my time who decided to call himself the Penetrator."

Yes, that's actually canon. Some people should not be allowed to name things.

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"It wasn't my choice. Moon Shadow had to identify me to somebody when I turned off the stealth field, and it's the first thing he could come up with," says the blur. "Although I hear the Chinese originally called the people who wore these suits Black Ghosts, so it's not that far off."

"Are we out of visual range yet? I'd like to drop the stealth field..."

[boston_bruiser]

Voodoo glances over his shoulder. The stranger, whoever he is, is long in the distance by now.

"Yeah, you're good," he says. "He ain't even lookin' our way."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Good."

foomp!

"One of these days I'm going to have a long talk with Three Dog. I really wish he wouldn't get people's expectations about me up like that."

[aeons_crackshot]

"I can help you with that, if you like," Annabelle offers. "I'm good at shouting at people!"

[boston_bruiser]

Voodoo shrugs. "I ain't too good at that 'less they give me a reason, so by all means. Goggles tellin' you anything, Ellen?"

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

Ellen considers this a while, then shakes her head. "Thanks, no," she says. "It's probably too late to do anything about it now. He's been at it long enough."

She glances off westward, then switches her Pip-Boy display on. "I have a general view, and it looks like it might correspond to some of the map data I gathered when I was looking for my father," she says. "Vault 112 was dug in this area because of the rock formations. There's a railroad line south of Little Lamplight and Vault 87 that I never got to follow all the way- here, on the map, that's the line. It's probably the one that feeds into Evergreen Mills. I'm seeing some signs of scent trails moving in this general direction... they're headed more northwest than straight westward, though."

[aeons_crackshot]

"Makes sense, a mill would have needed rail access to get materials in and move their own stuff out," Annabelle replies while she glances at the map.

"Might be something straight west we don't want to deal with, unless they're trying to confuse any trackers about where they're coming from."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Could be. And it's not as if all the raiders are a unified force, anyway," Ellen agrees. "Maybe this bunch doesn't get along with the Evergreen Mills crowd- anyway, we should probably follow the tracks first before coming to any decisions."

[boston_bruiser]

Voodoo nodded. "I got point. Just keep us pointed in the right direction, Ellen."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Shouldn't be a problem," Ellen says. "Shiphrah, Puah, come here."

Not that the cow listens, but at least it doesn't wander off while Ellen goes to grab the reins and start leading it along the way. They're going to be at this for a while, and in a few places Andrea is going to have to get them back on the right track. The goggles are good, but they can't really differentiate too well between specific humans, and in a few areas there are traces of multiple passers-by relatively recently.

Eventually, though, they get to a point where the trail starts to swing around more west than north. Ellen consults her Pip-Boy, then squints into the distance. "Looks like they were making for those railroad tracks," she says. "The ones that look kind of like they're going down into a gorge... want to bet there are people perched up in the rocks with guns and a lot of spare time?"

[boston_bruiser]

Voodoo nods. "Gotta be. We go into that gorge as we are and we get spotted."

He swivels his head - there's naught but rolling hills around them - along with a few three-story office buildings to the north.

"We head into that office building, we can get some eyes on, but it still ain't as good as a recon in-depth. Ellen, how good's the camo on that suit?"

[aeons_crackshot]

"Might be able to pick them off from the building too, depending on the range," Annabelle muses. "This gun is rated for at least a thousand yards."

[boston_bruiser]

Voodoo shakes his head. "'cept this is recon. We don't know what we're up against. We start lightin' 'em up, we might get more than we bargain for."

[aeons_crackshot]

"Point," Annabelle allows. "Should get a decent view through the scope from up there, at least."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Pretty good, if I move slowly," Ellen says. "I was able to get into a crowded room full of people in the Pitt and not be noticed until I was in sword range of my target."

It helped that everyone's attention was focused elsewhere, but still, she wasn't noticed.

"If you guys can cover me, I'll give it a crack and see if there are any better ways into the gorge further along. Or places along the opposite rim that at least get us a good look down into it without having to climb."

[aeons_crackshot]

Annabelle nods. "I can cover you."

[boston_bruiser]

Voodoo nods. "Probably best if we head into that office," he says. "We can see into the gorge no problem from there. We can talk you on once you're on-site."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"All right," says Ellen. "Heading in now."

foomp!

The blur heads off on an irregular course towards the mouth of the gorge and is quickly lost in the landscape.

[boston_bruiser]

Voodoo unslings his rifle and looks at Annabelle and Andrea.

"Follow me, stay low. Keep it tight."

With that, he sets off into a fast crouchwalk, heading toward the derelict building, rolling his feet out of habit.

[aeons_crackshot]

Annabelle moves similarly, low to the ground and quiet. We could almost feel sorry for anything that comes across this bunch. Almost.

[boston_bruiser]

They reach the offices soon enough, clearing it silently, methodically. The stairs to the third floor are old and moldy, but they don't creak, and that's enough for Voodoo as they sweep their way up. There's a set of windows on the far side of the room, and Voodoo takes up position near the back of the room, peering through the scope into the gorge. It's deep, with a train track running straight into the middle and improvised catwalks (sheetmetal and tent poles) ringing the walls of the gorge.

"Ellen, we're set," he radios. "No hostile contact. Gorge looks clear."

(Even if it's not.)

"Watch yourself."

[aeons_crackshot]

Annabelle signals that she's not picking up on anything either.

"Clear over here. If they're down there, they're keeping their heads down."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Roger that," comes Ellen's voice over the radio in reply. "Looks like our band came through here, all right. And a lot of other people, too... all of whom stuck to the tracks like their lives depended on it."

[boston_bruiser]

"Slaves?"

Voodoo's eyes are away from the scope for now - easier to scan the whole of the catwalks that way, even if they're far away.