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

[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.

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Probably. With Paradise Falls gone there's bound to be someone else taking up the trade."

Up on one of the catwalks, a mohawked figure in patched-together leathers comes into sight.

[aeons_crackshot]

"Got one fellow on the catwalk patrolling, with a sniper rifle," Annabelle reports, sweeping the area with her scope. "He seems pretty calm, not like he's expecting trouble."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Tell me when he's gone. I'm not moving off these tracks."

If this many people stayed to a path this narrow, there has to have been a good reason for it- and people notice moving irregularities way more than they notice irregularities that haven't changed position for several minutes.

[boston_bruiser]

Mohawk stays like that for a while, alternatively scuffing his boots or admiring his gun or picking his nose.

(Really, dude, you could've had the decency to do that when Voodoo wasn't holding his crosshairs at your center chest.)

But eventually, he saunters on down the catwalk, turning his back to Ellen.

"He's moving on," Voodoo radios. "You're good to go."

[aeons_crackshot]

"Nobody new in my sights," Annabelle adds.

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Good. Because I found out why there's no scent trails off the tracks... the whole area's mined. Remember when we had to get into Minefield for Moira's book, Annabelle? Worse than that."

[aeons_crackshot]

"Oh, goody," Annabelle grumbles sarcastically. "That's gonna be a bitch to deal with."

Annabelle ponders this situation. "Unless you know someone who can fly, anyway."

[boston_bruiser]

"We can worry about that plenty once she's out of there," Voodoo says. "What else can you see, Ellen?"

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"The catwalks go on a good ways," Ellen reports. "I'm moving slowly. They've got a tripwire stretched across the gorge, and where there's one there might be more... okay, I can see up ahead where the gorge takes a bend and gets wider. Railroad cars to the left, fences and buildings to the right, and more catwalk guards."

[aeons_crackshot]

Yeah, it definitely sounds like they're in there well and good.

"How many guards and are they alone or in groups?"

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"I'm seeing singleton guards every couple of yards or so along the catwalks," murmurs Ellen, her voice dropping as she gets into more heavily guarded territory. "Tin shack overlooking the railroad cars and the first few buildings, the big ones built into the western wall of the gorge. Pretty sure I'm seeing slave pens up ahead on the right. You don't forget that smell...."

She trails off into silence, and then says, very quietly, "Oh God."

[boston_bruiser]

That is not a tone of voice you ever forget.

And it is not a tone of voice you ever wanna hear.

"Ellen?"

He starts moving up to the window - stupid, since it silhouettes you, but goddammit, he needs to check on her.

"Ellen, you there?"

He fiddles with his radio and mike, gently smacking them as he brings the rifle to his shoulder, peering through the scope along the tracks where she should be.

"C'mon, Ellen, talk to me."

[aeons_crackshot]

No, no it's not. Nothing GOOD ever happens when someone has that tone of voice. Annabelle can feel her adrenaline kick in and her gut twist with worry. (Voodoo is not the only one moving toward a window.)

"Ellen. Ellen!" Annabelle hisses into her mike. "Come on kiddo, don't leave us hanging...."