It was the most horrific sight she had faced in the wasteland yet. Only her better judgement stopped her from screaming. The monsters, these "super mutants" as they called themselves, were perhaps what the scientists of Vault 75 would achieve if they decided to approve use of an evolutionary catalyst on test subjects.
It could at least be called humanoid. Though it had the correct amount of limbs, a similar facial structure... it was wrong.
Easily eight feet tall, and built sturdy. It held an enormous sledgehammer over its bare shoulder like it weighed nothing, while it stood and stared at Johanna in shock. Its skin was green and stretched so tight over bulging muscles that Johanna could see every twitch its breathing caused. Though it was the only living thing Johanna had met that could articulate speech, it was the eyes that revealed the truth to her. There was nothing in them except rage. For some reason it was angry with her and she knew she had to run.
If she hadn't surprised it by walking boldly up to its door, Johanna wouldn't have had a chance. She only barely moved out of the way in time to avoid the first blow from the sledgehammer, which instead slammed into the brick wall of the bookstore and created a new window for the monster to call inside for backup.
As she ran recklessly into the unknown, her heart pounding against her rib cage, Jo was aware of two more mutants joining the chase. Through the twisting streets of Boston she left them behind, but they did not give up pursuit. She darted from cover to cover, taking care to make sure that nothing would see her.
For "evolved" creatures, it was strange that they were lacking in every aspect other than primal instincts.
Once she got over the initial shock, curiosity got the better of her. She wanted to study these mutants. So she watched them, doubling back a few times to observe them. Jo tried to decide if 10mm bullets would pierce their flesh. They were strong, but they looked mortal enough and only one wore any type of armor. She was grateful they were stupid, otherwise she would never have been able to watch them at such a close distance.
Though they weren't extremely observant, the mutants still must have developed some way to track their prey. She had been very careful and given them no physical trail to find, but still they managed to follow her at a distance and sometimes they stopped and appeared to sniff the air.
There was even one instance where Jo was sure one of them would spot her. He had stopped to breathe in deeply and turned his head suddenly right towards her hiding place on the second floor or a ruined building. She had immediately taken cover behind a desk, as the front of the building was currently in crumbles on the ground, and listened carefully for any signs that it had seen her. After that she had kept her distance and decided just to focus on getting away from them.
The last shreds of light were disappearing over the horizon when Johanna saw something new. There were four of them... people, one in a suit of power armor, the others in various jumpsuits and pieces of armor, all of them had weapons at the ready. The light of the power armor helmet bounced all over the street as the tallest figure scanned ahead. Soon, they would see her crouched in the remains of an alley. She turned on her heel and then swore out loud. There was no where to go. The collapsed buildings had formed a barrier or concrete and steel rebar that effectively left her trapped. Stupid girl, so worried about what's behind that she never considered what was in front of her.
Is that a minigun?!
With their large weapons and shiny pieces of armor, the group looked like they might be the answer to her problems. She could hope they were friendly, but there was no way to know for sure. Weighing her options carefully, Jo retreated slowly into the gap between buildings. She didn't need a bullet wound. As much as she wanted to reach out to these humans, she hadn't escaped Vault 75 just to be gunned down only hours later. She waited, letting the group draw closer and wondering how far away the super mutants were. If there was to be a battle, Jo wasn't sure which side she would put her money on. Admittedly, the group of humans looked impressive, especially the figure in the power armor who rivaled the mutants' height and carried a laser rifle. But something told her that the super mutants wouldn't give up until they were dead and unable to fight.
The humans drew closer, Jo watched their shadows dancing against the wall opposite her hiding place and said a silent prayer. Time seemed to move too fast, the lantern on the power armor was a few feet in front of her, at the edge of the alley. Jo held her breath as it started to move ahead and the vibration of heavy footsteps left her skin tingling. Her hand fell to the pistol at her hip, but she didn't unholster it. Her odds of not being shot at were better if she were unarmed. She would have to talk her way out of this one.
Slowly she raised her arms above her head and waited warily for the humans to reach her. She had no doubt they would discover her. It was tactically irresponsible not to clear the area. Sure enough, the figure in the power armor appeared again and he paused for a moment. After first looking to the right to assure there were no threats in the opposite alley, the light turned to her and forced her to shut her eyes against the brightness.
"Please, don't shoot!" Johanna shouted, trying to open her watering eyes. If they heard her or not, Jo wasn't sure. The figure in the power armor, decidedly male, kept his gun trained on her and shouted at his companions to fall back before he turned his full attention to her.
"Are you a civilian?!" he demanded, the helmet of his armor creating a robotic tone to his deep voice. "Are you armed?'
"Please, I'm peaceful!" It was hard to see through the glaring light, but she could tell his weapon didn't twitch at all. "I... I'm a vault dweller. I'm lost," she admitted. Her heart picked up speed at his term "civilian". Was the military still active?
He stood very still and considered her. Johanna supposed she might look crazy, but certainly not dangerous. She had always been the smallest of her class, standing at just five feet two inches and she was bony, despite years of vigorous training. Her vault suit was dirty from roaming the Wasteland, her skin was bright red, and her long blonde braid was frizzy and sticking up in odd places. She tried to convey innocence with her pale green eyes and just hoped it didn't appear as crazed desperation, which was closer to what she felt.
A second person appeared behind the one in armor. This one was a woman in orange military fatigues and a hood that hid her hair completely. She was dwarfed by the giant in power armor, and the look in her eyes gave Johanna hope. These were the eyes of a real person, sparkling blue, happy and full of humanity. The freckles across her nose made her look very young. Her weapon was already at her side and she smiled gently at Jo, though she did not speak. Slowly, the man next to her lowered his weapon as well.
When it appeared that the company wasn't about to shoot her, Johanna offered a warning about the mutants that were following her as she straightened into a standing position.
"Don't worry, Civilian. The super mutant menace is no match for the Brotherhood of Steel." He said it with complete confidence, almost a boastful tone. Johanna believed him. Even if they weren't with the United States government, they were obviously trained and prepared to deal with the horrors of the wastes in a way that Vault-Tec could have never accomplished. Still, Jo wasn't sure the man understood how close the mutants were. She had opened her mouth to try again, but it was too late.
The screams of a super mutant shattered the still night and Jo was instantly back into a crouching position against the wall, trying not to get hit with stray bullets or attract unwanted attention. The thought occurred to Jo that she should take out her pistol, and provide what little fire support that she could. She needn't have been worried. The Brotherhood members dealt with the mutants quickly, the woman with the sparkling blue eyes was crouched in front of Jo, as if protecting her as she fired a laser pistol at the charging enemy. Jo wondered briefly how many times the group had done this as the ground shook when the last mutant hit the ground only six feet away from her, dead.
When the firing stopped, Jo sank to the ground and sat there. She was exhausted and this was becoming too much to bear. She wished again that she had never left the vault. The "All clear!" came from one of the group, inviting Johanna to look up at the scene before her. Three mutants, almost certainly the ones who had been tailing her, lie dead and still smoking from their laser wounds. The open areas in which their bodies rested told Jo that none of them had tried for cover. She looked into the staring eyes of the one closest. The first thing she noticed was that with the emotions of the monster gone, they were human eyes. Dark brown irises, but light enough to see the pupil. Jo would assume the biological context was nearly identical to that of a human and it shocked her. They were out of place on the ugly brute. It's jaw was slack, letting the lipless mouth fall open and reveal yellow, bloodied teeth that made Jo suppress a shudder. She was glad they hadn't caught her.
It was hard to tell how many rounds it had taken to put it down, maybe twelve? Her 10mm should do significantly more damage than the standard laser pistol. She made a mental note to compare weapons if she should get the chance, but otherwise made no movements as she sat and stared at the monster in front of her.
"Are you okay? Are you injured?" The woman asked, shifting close to Johanna, but unsure of what to do.
"I'm fine." She coughed to clear her voice. "Thank you," Jo added, tearing her eyes away from the bloody mess to meet the other woman's eyes. The concern in her voice had been real.
There was a whoosh as the air lock released and the man in power armor removed his helmet.
"How far is your vault, Citizen? We could help you to return safely." The man was not old, but his face was lined with age, especially his forehead. Still, he had a full head of thick brown hair and warm brown eyes that at least showed concern, if not pity.
"No," she replied calmly. "I can't go back." She wanted to tell them more, wanted to tell them everything, but thinking of everything she had been through made her quiver uncomfortably. Jo decided she didn't like the feeling and turned her thoughts elsewhere. "I need a map. I need to find a city with people who are still alive."
The soldiers of the Brotherhood of Steel looked at each other for a moment, communicating with a shared expression.
"We... are unfamiliar with the area," The man admitted roughly. "Our Brotherhood chapter hails from the Capital Wasteland." This meant nothing to her except she was no closer to finding a safe place to sleep and Jo felt her skin begin quivering with emotion again. As if she could sense it, the woman in the orange fatigues lay her hand on Jo's shoulder. She then looked pointedly at her companion and tilted her head, as if trying to say something without speaking. The man wrinkled his forehead in response, considering.
It was fascinating to watch, obviously at least these two had worked together for some time.
Johanna turned her attention on the others of the group, whom she had previously ignored. One was a stocky man with a light buzz cut, his armor was all polished leather over an orange jumpsuit similar to what the freckled woman wore. His gun, Joanna was most impressed with. She had been never been allowed to fire a plasma rife in the vault, but the weapon fascinated her. She held back a smile and turned her attention to the last person of the group. The person carrying the minigun she had seen earlier was this woman, who shockingly couldn't be more than an inch or so taller than Johanna. The ease with which she carried that minigun only made her look that much more intimidating. Her brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, dark eyes were scanning the streets.
"I am Paladin Danse of the Brotherhood of Steel," the man in the power armor broke the silence and pulled her attention back to him. "We have an area in the vicinity secured and you're welcome to accompany us. Scribe Haylen," he nodded to the freckled woman, who looked delighted, "would love to hear more from a vault dweller."
Johanna was shocked, and then so relieved that her eyes stung with tears.
"I would be happy to tell you what I can," Jo smiled at the woman, Scribe Haylen.
It hurt her face to smile and she supposed the burns she received from the sun were worse than she thought.
In the days that followed, Johanna felt as if she learned more than she had in an entire lifetime in the vault. It was a different world and Johanna expected much of her knowledge was now completely useless. What possible reason could anyone out here have to study Physics? Trigonometry? Greek history? Geography? She found herself wishing she had paid more attention in weapons training and wasted less time in art.
She wasn't a bad shot with her stolen 10mm pistol, but larger guns had her straining after short periods. Hand to hand was always what she had preferred in the Vault, but it would be suicide to approach a super mutant with a close range weapon as it fired a hunting rifle or threw a grenade.
Her new acquaintances from the Brotherhood of Steel gave her some sense of security, if nothing else. In their downtime Haylen seemed to be the only one interested in acknowledging her presence. The woman was kind and went out of her way to include Jo in conversations, but Johanna didn't kid herself. They weren't friends, merely people forced together by circumstance. As a scribe, Haylen was responsible for collecting information, among other things. She was so curious about the vault at first, but grew quieter as Jo answered her questions.
Even the most innocent subjects left an uncomfortable silence in the air.
"What did you do for fun in your vault?" Haylen asked uneasily, trying to redirect the conversation after Johanna explained the real purpose of Vault 75 and exactly why she couldn't return.
"Well, we didn't get much free time. We were encouraged to study or train whenever possible. I enjoyed theoretical science, mostly to stay out of the medical bay. Blood makes me queasy." Rhys, the male knight with the plasma rifle Johanna had admired, gave a loud snort from across the room. She knew better than to say anything. Most likely, she didn't want to know what Rhys was thinking. He was cold and abrasive. In two days he had managed exactly four words to Johanna. Once, he came up behind her as she had been lingering in the doorway of the old Cambridge Police Station the Brotherhood had secured as a base. "Can you move?" He requested coldly, followed by a grumbled "Thanks." She didn't quite understand his angle. He seemed to be a dedicated soldier, but it was obvious he held no love for the civilians they were trying to protect. Johanna decided quickly that ignoring him was probably her best bet.
The look on her face said it all, but Haylen said it out loud anyways. "I'm sorry." She shook her head slightly. "You've been through a lot."
Johanna offered Haylen a genuine smile. "It really wasn't so bad. At least in the vault there were no super mutants. We only had to worry about killing each other." Her sense of humor was lost on Haylen, who grimaced.
Thankfully, Paladin Danse, who was the highest ranking officer in their squad entered the lobby of the police station and stopped the conversation from going any farther south.
"To attention, soldiers." He almost sounded cheerful and Jo had to wonder what caused this outburst of emotion. The Paladin was as reserved as they came. Johanna remained seated, but watched intently as the others fell into line and awaited the orders of their commanding officer. She had to admit, Danse was an impressive leader. Upon his request, she had ventured outside of the police station with him to scout the area further.
They had spent a good portion of yesterday in the underbelly of Cambridge, and Johanna realized she would have died in a matter of days if she hadn't met Danse and his team.
The abominations called ghouls were something out of a horror story. It was a creature that looked like a corpse, but moved with lightning speed to attack anything that moved. Where there was one, there were many. The metro tunnels were full of them and Johanna couldn't keep up. She had managed to take down two with neatly aimed shots from her 10mm, but wasn't quick enough to prevent the third from colliding into her. She was taken by surprise at their speed and left disarmed. Danse took it out with a single shot to the head, just moments before it would have ripped her open. She couldn't help but to respect him, even with his personality lacking. He never acted as if she were a burden, but instead offered advice when she made a mistake or had no idea what she was doing, which was often.
She could see how he commanded the attention of the others so easily.
"New orders from the Prydwen. We are to return immediately and await details for a new mission. A vertibird should arrive within the hour. Be ready."
The group remained quiet and scurried away to pack their belongings, but she registered relief on their faces. Haylen had told her last night how much she was looking forward to a warm shower once they could return to their ship, the Prydwyn. Johanna was amazed that such technology existed in this world where everything was destroyed.
"May I have a word with you, Polowski?" Danse addressed Johanna as he usually did, by her last name. She assumed it was a habit of the military.
"Of course," she replied, and followed Danse into a smaller room off the lobby for privacy.
"I may have some good news for you," he offered her a rare smile, which Johanna returned easily. His eyes held excitement, but he stood rigid like the model soldier he was. "I have been informed that the Elder wants to extend to you an invitation to join the Brotherhood. He's most interested in your studies in the vault and thinks you would make an excellent scribe."
"Really?!" Johanna forgot herself for a moment and threw her arms around Danse. It was the cold metal of his power armor that reminded her exactly who she was hugging. "Oh, I'm sorry..."
"It's fine," Danse cleared his throat as she pulled away. There was a slight blush to his cheeks. "I assume this means you will be joining us on the vertibird. You should ready your belongings and make yourself smart. You will be meeting with Elder Maxson himself to discuss your entry into the Brotherhood."
Johanna had to admit, she didn't know much about the Brotherhood of Steel. Danse had tried to supply her with information, answering all her questions with a show of pride for his faction. They were a pseudo military group, which was actually quite widespread with chapters based from Washington DC to California. Their mission in the wastes always seemed to revolve around obtaining technology, with exterminating dangerous abominations and saving reckless vault dwellers being only a by-product. Danse's group was part of a larger unit from Washington DC. When Danse told her they were only in Boston, or the "Commonwealth", until Brotherhood business was completed, Jo was absurdly curious. She knew better than to ask for more details. Danse would sooner walk into the Commonwealth without his power armor than discuss details of a private military operation with a "civilian". She assumed that after joining the Brotherhood, she would discover more than she cared to know about their military operations.
A Brotherhood Scribe. Jo wasn't sure what she thought of that. It was better than being alone in the Commonwealth, even though the military didn't appeal to her. After nearly meeting her death several times in the previous days, she silently reminded herself that this was probably her best chance for survival and began stuffing her scattered belongings in the duffel bag she had taken from the vault. Along with her vault jumpsuits and a few first aid supplies, Jo carefully stowed her findings from her adventure with Danse. He had scoffed when she looted the rifle from a corpse, explaining that it was more likely to kill her than save her in its current state. She could fire it, and somewhat accurately, and that was most important to Jo. She could always repair it later, when materials became available. She had also found over fifty .38 rounds in a locked container she easily cracked open with a bobby pin from her hair. Danse had loved this skill of hers and told her as much. She didn't have to try to impress him, her time in the vault had apparently not been wasted on these "extra curriculars".
When they came across a working terminal, Johanna flashed him a toothy smile and began working on it before he could even approach the question. She hacked it in less than fifteen seconds and was able to shut down the air lock on a door so that they could continue their exploration and go on to find a filing cabinet full of technical documents and an ammunition box with three fusion cores. It was in this moment where Jo saw the approval in his eyes. Maybe she wasn't overly talented with a gun, but when Danse quietly asked her to store the technical documents in her duffel for Proctor Quinlan, Jo knew she had won him over. She wasn't surprised he had included her in his reports to his superiors, but was relieved that the Elder found her skills adequate enough to allow her entry into the Brotherhood.
It only took her a few minutes to gather everything she owned and fit it neatly inside her duffel bag so Johanna devoted the remaining time to making herself look presentable. The bathroom of the police station still had a mirror on the wall that was mostly intact. After changing into a clean vault suit she used a small amount of water and soap, only irradiated water remained, to remove the dirt from her face and neck. Her sunburn was fading, but her nose and cheeks still remained red and itchy. There was nothing to be done about her ruined complexion. Johanna sighed and began to free her hair from it's ruined braid. She hoped she would have a chance to wash properly once aboard the Prydwyn. In the meantime, she shook the dust from her hair and neatly remade a simple braid that fell to her lower back.
Johanna wasn't sure what meeting the Elder would be like, but she decided that she needed him to endorse her. If the Brotherhood was even half as interested in scientific pursuits as the vault had been, she figured she could be very happy there. Maybe even do some good and help the people in Uptopland, the Commonwealth, like she had been preparing to do for her whole life. For the first time since leaving the vault, she felt something stir inside and wondered if that was what hope felt like.
