Violet figured the best thing to do would be to find Lucas Simms, like Johnny had told her. If he wore a sheriff's duster that probably meant he was a sheriff, so at the very least he'd be able to give her directions. Once again though, she had no idea where to start. Megaton was a big place, and Violet knew she'd get lost if she strayed too far from the entrance. The bowl shape helped though. If she could orient herself around the center, she'd be able to make her way down in spirals.
So she had to find Simms to see if he knew anything that would help her find her dad. It was like borrowing from Tim to pay back Tom, Violet thought. She swung her pack off her shoulder and took out her water bottle and a bag of potato crisps. She hadn't eaten since the evening before she'd left the vault. She finished the water and ate half of the chips; the rest she put back in her pack for later.
"There you are, just like he said you'd be," said a gruff voice behind her. "'Pale girl with a deer in the headlights look' he said. Yeah, I'd say that describes you pretty accurately."
"Excuse me?" Violet turned to see a tall, dark skinned man with a sheriff's duster standing behind her. This must be Lucas Simms, she thought. Violet noticed he had a rifle strapped to his back; didn't anyone walk around without a weapon out here?
"Name's Lucas Simms," he said. "I usually make a point to welcome everyone new to Megaton, so, welcome. I serve as the sheriff around here, sometimes the mayor if need be. Johnny caught me just as I was leaving my house, said there was a girl from the vault looking for her dad. I'm assuming that's you?"
"Yeah, that'd be me. My dad left the vault without telling me for some reason, and I really need to find him. Do you know if he passed through here?" Violet felt like she'd told the story a hundred times already, and it was starting to wear on her nerves. So far she hadn't gotten any concrete information regarding her dad; she hoped Simms here could change that.
"Sorry kid, I don't remember anyone else from the vault visiting Megaton. But that doesn't mean he wasn't here," he said quickly, seeing the dejected look on her face. "You could try asking around down at Moriarty's Saloon, but watch yourself. Moriarty is a snake in the grass, and I don't trust him."
"Moriarty's Saloon, right," Violet said. "And, uh, where exactly is that..."
Simms chuckled, and pointed over to the other side of the bowl. "Right across from us. There's a big sign out front, can't miss it." Violet looked where he was pointing and sure enough, she could just make out the word 'Saloon' scrawled in old timey characters of one of the nondescript buildings.
"Thanks Mr. Simms," Violet said, turning back to him.
"No problem. Stay out of trouble kid." He turned and sauntered off.
Violet wondered what would be the best way of getting to the bar; should she go down and up, or should she make her away around? She decided it would be best to descend to the bottom of the hollow and then climb up again. She wasn't the most coordianted person in the world, and slanted ground still threw her off a bit. She'd probably make a fool of herself getting there, but at least she'd be able to keep the building in her sights. She carefully started to pick her way down the steep incline, the metal slats that had been buried partway into the dirt doing nothing to ease the difficult descent. She finally managed to reach the bottom without falling on her face, and gawked when she saw what lay at the center of the crater.
An enormous, undetonated atomic bomb served as the centerpiece of the town of Megaton. That explained the name, Violet thought. She glanced arround to see if anyone else was seeing what she was seeing. Everyone was just strolling along, happy as can be, as if there wasn't a giant nuclear weapon sitting not twenty feet away from them. Violet even saw one man standing next to the thing, preaching. Or at least, that's what he appeared to be doing. Maybe he was just crazy. Actually, nevermind, he was crazy either way. Things just got weirder and weirder out here. Violet shook her head and started the ascent to the saloon.
The people she passed looked at her strangely. Violet, who had always hated being the center of attention, blushed and looked away. She supposed it was a combination of her vault attire and her lack of a tan. Simms had called her pale; was it really that noticeable?
At long last, Violet found herself in front of Moriarty's Saloon. She could hear voices coming from inside. She pushed the door open and stepped through. One by one the voices stopped as everyone turned to stare at her. Violet was reminded of the old western films they used to play in the vault, when the good cowboy walks dramatically through the door and all the bad guys drop what they're doing to watch as he slowly makes his way towards the bar. Violet didn't walk towards the bar though, not at first. She cast her eyes about the room, getting a feel for the place.
People were sitting in groups of two or three, beer, whisky, and various other kinds of alcohol on the tables in front of them. Only one person was alone; a man in the corner, who looked out of place in his fancy suit and hat. Most of the others were dressed shabbily, and almost all of them were armed. Violet looked at the largest group in the room and immediately recognized Johnny. He was sitting with three other people: a young blonde lady, a pretty redhead and a man wearing an eye patch and a bandanna. Violet waved excitedly at him, happy to see a familiar face. Johnny waved back sarcastically, then smirked and looked away. The eye patch guy clapped him on the back and the two women snickered. Then they all turned back to the bar and resumed their conversation. Violet was slighly hurt, but remembered that he had every right to be angry with her, since she'd blown up pretty much everything he had. Even though she was probably the last person he'd want to see, she began to walk over to him. Maybe one of his friends had seen her father. Even if they hadn't, they could probably tell her where to find Moriarty.
"Uh, hey Johnny," she said when she reached him.
He swivelled around in his chair and faced her. His three friends did the same. "Violet!" he said, his tone overly cheerful. "We were just talking about you. Guys, this is Violet. Violet, this Lucy, Nova and Billy." He pointed to each one of them in turn.
"Meet any more friendly raiders?" Billy asked. All four of them laughed, and Violet blushed. "Hey, we're just teasing you know," he said after he'd stopped laughing. "Johnny told us about your dad. We're really sorry."
Violet was glad she wouldn't have to go over it again. "Have any of you seen him?" she asked. Billy and Lucy shook their heads.
"Sorry honey, Moriarty'd have my head on a platter if I told you anything," the redhead, Nova, said.
"Moriarty's the owner of this place, right?" Violet asked. "Do any of you know where I can find him?" She could tell from the looks on their faces that this was not a common question.
"And what could you possibly want with Colin Moriarty?" Johnny asked, one eyebrow quirked.
"If anyone knows who passed through town, it would be the saloon owner, right?" Violet replied. "Besides, it can't hurt to ask."
Nova chuckled. "Oh it certainly could, believe me honey."
"He's probably in the back room," Johnny said. "I'll ask Gob to get him for you." He turned back to the bar. "Hey Gob," he called to a man washing glasses at the sink. "Come here for a sec." The man put down the glass he'd been drying and advanced towards them. Violet nearly jumped out of her skin when he entered the light. His flesh was mottled and looked like it was rotting right off of his bones. He had no hair, and a dank, musty smell wafted around him. He reminded her of zombies from the old horror movies she had seen. Violet tripped as she took a hasty step back.. Luckily, Billy was there to catch her.
"Easy kid," he said reassuringly as he set her up straight again. "That's just Gob."
A sound, not words exactly, but approaching the realm of normal human speech, escaped her lips.
Johnny clapped the zombie-man on the shoulder. "Nice first impression there Gob," he said.
The zombie-man grunted. "Hm. I'm used to it by now." His voice was gruff, but it wasn't a pleasant gruff like Lucas Simms' voice. It was scratchy, and sounded unhealthy.
Johnny turned to her. "My fault, I guess," he said. "Shoulda warned you. Gob here is a ghoul." Violet stared at him blankly.
"Sometimes, when people are exposed to too much radiation, instead of dying they turn into ghouls," Billy explained kindly. "Jury's still out on who's luckier. Anyway, despite the way they look, ghouls are just as human as you or I."
Violet regained her composure and turned to the ghoul-Gob. "I'm sorry for the way I reacted," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "I didn't mean to offend you." She held out her hand. Gob stared at it in shock. Evidently people didn't often offer to shake with him. He slowly reached out and lightly took her hand in his. His skin was dry and papery, like an old person's. Luckily, it wasn't mushy; Violet didn't think she could handle that. He pumped her hand once, then released it. For a few seconds, no one said anything. Gob turned to Johnny.
"You called me?" he said.
"Oh, right. Das wunderkind here wants to speak to Colin."
Gob eyed her strangely. "She does?"
"Yup. She's very adamant about it. I'd go get him if I were you, or she might blow up the bar." Billy and Nova chuckled. Lucy lightly hit Johnny on the shoulder and gave him a look that plainly said 'quit it', but he just huffed and looked away.
"Alright, I'll go get him. He's in the back." Gob walked away.
"Why is it so weird that I want to talk to this Moriarty guy?" Violet asked.
"People don't generally seek out his company, if you know what I mean," replied Billy.
"He's an asshole, plain and simple," said Nova. "Don't tell him I said that though. He could make my life very difficult."
The door to the back room opened and Gob walked out, followed by a gray haired man who looked to be in his mid fifties. He didn't look nearly as intimidating as the others made him sound.
"Which one of ye' wanted me?" He asked. He had an odd accent that Violet recognized as Irish.
"That would be me," Violet said, stepping forward. "I'm looking for my father. He left the vault recently, and I was told he might have passed through here."
Moriarty eyed her shrewdley, impassively, like one would look at a piece of meat at a market. Suddenly, it was as if a lightbulb had gone of in his head. He beamed, and recognition crossed his features.
"Well, if it isn't the little baby girl, all grown up!" he said.
This made no sense to Violet; she'd never met this man before in her life. "Um, right," she said hesitantly. "About my dad?"
Moriarty looked back at Johnny and his friends, all of whom were listening in. He cocked his head towards the door to the back room. "Let's talk somewhere more private, shall we?"
Violet wasn't in the habit of going into rooms with strange men, but she was desperate for any information he might have. She nodded and moved to follow him.
"Hey Colin, if no one's seen her again by nightfall, we know where to look," called Johnny loudly. A few people in the bar laughed.
"Aw, to hell with ye'!" The Irishman waved his hand dismissively. He shut the door behind them and the bar noises faded. "Now, where were we? Ah yes, I believe we were discussing your father."
"Yeah," Violet replied. She waited for him to say something, but he didn't, so she continued. "So has he been through here?"
"Aye, come and gone he has."
"Do you know where he went?"
"He might have mentioned something about where he was planning to go."
"Oh, that's great!" Violet was overjoyed; she finally had a lead. "So where did he say he was going?"
"Not so fast there girlie," he said, crossing his arms. "I have information, information you want. I don't know what things are like in the vault, but out here information costs caps. I'm thinking something like two hundred ought to do."
"What?" Violet felt like hitting something. "Look, if you know anything, you have to tell me, please! Every second you don't, he could be getting farther away!"
"Very true. You'd best cough up the caps right quick then, if you want to catch up to him." Moriarty smirked.
"I-I don't have any caps…" Violet said dejectedly.
"Well that's fine lass, no need to go getting all upset," Moriarty said, his voice full of false sympathy. "I'm a fair man. Tell you what. I have an errand for you to run. One of me girls, Silver, ran off with some caps that didn't belong to her. If you can find her and get the caps back, they're yours. Well, yours to pay me with at least. What do you say?"
"I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Violet asked, glaring at the older man.
"Glad to hear you're up to it! I was starting to wonder if I'd have to go after her meself. She's probably lying low somewhere near Springvale. Now, of with ye'! And don't come back until ye' have me caps!" Colin waved her out of the room and went to sit down in front of his computer.
Violet walked back into the bar, her spirits low. She glanced over at Johnny and his friends, but they were engaged in conversation and hadn't noticed her come out. She sat down at the bar and held her head in her hands. She knew the more time she spent dawdling the less chance she had of finding Silver and, therefore, her dad, but she was hungry and tired and lonely; she figured she deserved a break.
"Hey kid, you don't look too good." Violet lifted her head and saw Gob standing in front of her. The sight of him still startled her a little, but she tried to hide it.
"Just a lot of things going on at once, you know?" she replied.
Gob scoffed. "Moriarty's being his usual self, I'm guessing." He glanced around furtively, then looked back at her. "I like you kid, you aren't a pompous bigot like most smoothskins. First drink's on me, but don't tell anyone. Moriarty'd kill me. So what do you want?" Violet was shocked. Someone in the wasteland, doing something selfless? Maybe there was hope for the world.
"Do you have orange juice?" she asked. Blank stare. "No? Okay, I'll just have a water then." Gob nodded and handed her a bottle. She thanked him and went back to moping. She noticed the man to her left leering at her, and decided it would perhaps be wiser to mope somewhere else. She got up and walked over to the side room, where the well-dressed man was sitting. It was much quiter, and Violet didn't think the man with the hat would bother her. She was wrong about that however; before she'd even sat down, he was gesturing her over to his table. Violet sighed and approached him.
"Can I help you?" she asked, annoyed.
"That depends," he replied. His voice was smooth like silk, but something about it immediately set her on edge. "You're not from around here, that much is obvious."
"Yeah, and?" Violet was tired of people gawking at her and making fun of her because she was from the vault.
"No need to be so defensive," the strange man said. "As far as I'm concerned, the fact that you're not a denizen of this slag heap is a huge point in your favour. You see, I represent certain parties who have come to view this so-called town as a blight on an otherwise fine piece of real-estate. Now, as you are no doubt aware, Megaton was built around an undetonated atomic bomb that fell during the Great War. It would be quite easy to activate it, and I know the people I represent would be more than happy to pay a handsome sum to anyone willing to take it upon themselves to do so. I happen to have in my possession a pulse charge; if, hypothetically, you were interested in my offer, it would simply be a matter of attaching it to the bomb and leaving the area as quickly as possible."
Violet was horrified. She wasn't Megaton's biggest fan, that was for sure, but she certainly didn't want to wipe it off the map. She'd have to tell Simms about this right away. She couldn't risk letting the dapper demoniac in front of her know what she was planning though, so she carefully schooled her features into a look of passivity. She paused for a moment, as if contemplating his offer.
"How many caps are we talking here?" she asked.
He smiled. "How does fifteen hundred sound?"
"Up front?"
"Smart girl. I could give you two hundred and fifty caps after the pulse charge is in place."
Violet paused again. "And would I be allowed to warn the citizens to evacuate?"
He scowled. "No, I should think not. The people here are almost as repulsive as the town itself."
"Hmm. Tell you what, Mr…"
"Burke."
"Burke. I'll think about your offer. I am short on caps, and it's not like I have any connections to anyone here."
He held out his hand and they shook. "It makes me glad to see that not everyone in this atomic wasteland is a common rube," he said. "If you come to a decision, you can find me in my house in the center of town. Good day." Burke let go of her hand and walked out of the bar. As soon as the door had shut behind him, Violet released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. She had to warn Simms, but where was he? She immediately thought of Johnny. He seemed to know everyone in town. If she explained the situation, surely he'd help her.
Violet walked up behind him where he was sitting at the bar, talking. She tapped him lightly on the shoulder and he turned. "Johnny, could I have a word with you?"
"Uh, I guess," he replied slowly. "What?"
She glanced at his friends. "Actually I was hoping I could speak to you in private." Johnny blinked and looked back at the others. Billy whistled and Lucy elbowed him in the ribs.
"You better go Johnny, she wants you," Lucy said teasingly.
Johnny pushed his glasses farther up his nose and grabbed her arm. "Come on, we can talk outside," he said. He took her around to the back entrance of the saloon and turned to her. "I just can't get rid of you, can I?" he said. "What do you want?"
"I don't know if you noticed, but earlier, there was this fancy looking gentleman sitting in the corner of the bar," Violet began.
"Mr. Burke." Johnny said evenly.
"Oh, yeah. You know him?"
"I know he's an evil, heartless bastard, but go on."
"Oh good, so you'll believe me then!" Violet had been worried he'd brush her off. "After I was done talking to Moriarty, he called me over to his table and basically asked me to help him blow up Megaton." For the first time since she'd met him, Johnny actually looked surprised.
"He asked you to what?"
"Yeah, he said he 'represented certain parties' that wanted Megaton wiped out, for whatever reason. He's planning to activate the bomb in the center of town."
Johnny's face had darkened. "I knew he was a soulless old bastard, but this is a new low, even for him."
"Who, Burke?" Violet asked.
"No," Johnny replied. "I have a feeling I know who the 'interested party' is."
"Who?"
"Not important. What is important is what we're going to do about it. Do you know where he went when he left? I'll just go kill him now, save us the trouble of it later."
"What? No!" Violet exclaimed. "You can't just kill the man!"
"Sure I can, that's what guns are for." Johnny gestured to the pistol on his hip.
"No, I mean you shouldn't just kill him. Where's Lucas Simms? He's the sheriff, we'll let him deal with it."
Johnny rolled his eyes. "Well, if that's the way you want to do it. He's probably at home." They set off for Lucas Simm's house which was, of course, all the way on the other side of town.
Violet knocked on the door, hoping he would answer. She didn't feel like trekking all over this confounded concave community to find him. The door opened just as she was about to begin knocking a second time. A young boy, obviously Simms' son, was staring at her expectantly.
"Hey Harden," Johnny said from behind her. "Is your dad home?"
"Hey Johnny. Yeah, he's upstairs, I'll go get him." The boy turned to leave, but hesitated. He looked Violet up and down. "Are you that girl from the vault?"
"I guess so…" Violet was starting to feel like an exhibit in a zoo. She'd really have to look into getting new clothes to wear for the remainder of her time out here.
"Is it true you ran up to a group of raiders?" the boy asked.
Violet turned to Johnny, who shrugged. "What?" he asked innocently. "It's a funny story. I was telling Simms and he must have overheard."
"Yeah, I ran up to a group of raiders," Violet explained. "It was an honest mistake. Now could we please see your dad? It's urgent." The boy ran off into the house to fetch his father. Violet faced Johnny again. "How many other people have you told about that?"
"Huh? Oh, uh, Simms, everyone at the bar. Small town rules apply here in Megaton, so pretty much everyone knows by now I'll bet."
"Great." Now she was the town joke, the crazy vault dweller who ran up to raiders and blew up grocery carts. "Do you live here?" she asked, changing the subject.
"No," he replied. "I don't really live anywhere. I just wander. I keep cache's of stuff in most of the larger settlements, replacement firearms, bottle caps I've saved, that sort of thing."
"So you have more caps then? I didn't blow up all your stuff?" Violet was extremely relieved to find that she hadn't destroyed everything he owned.
"Of course I have other stuff!" he said, annoyed. "Think of how impractical it would be to keep all your things on you at once out here. One well-planned heist in the middle of the night by a desperate wastelander and everything'd be gone. No, I have spare stuff laying around. I have about two thousand caps altogether. That doesn't mean I'll just let it go though, you blowing up my cart." He glared at her.
Violet was about to respond but a noise from behind her made made her turn. Lucas Simms was standing in the doorway. "Long time no see," he said. "How's your search going. Find anything?"
"Yes, but that's not exactly why I'm here," Violet said. She wasn't sure how to begin. "You see, there was guy in the bar, and, well,"
"Burke's asking people to blow up Megaton." Johnny broke in.
Simms' eyes widened. "What?"
"He said he'd pay me to attach a pulse charge to the bomb," Violet explained.
"Hate to say I told you so, but, I did tell you so." Johnny said.
"Yeah yeah, you can gloat later," Simm's said. "Where is he now? Do you know?"
"He said he'd be waiting to hear from me in his house," Violet replied. "It's near the center of town."
"I know where it is." Simms frowned. "He bought it just a few weeks ago. Probably so he could scope out the town." He turned to Johnny. "You have your gun?"
"Of course."
"Then lets go."
"Are we going to arrest him?" Violet asked as she fell into step behind the two men.
"Hopefully," Simms answered. "I like to avoid a scene when I can. Be on your guard though. I have a feeling Burke won't go down without a fight."
"Speaking of feelings," Johnny piped up, "do you remember what I said when he first moved in here? Hmm? Didn't I say something like 'Trust me Simms, it's a bad idea'? I could have sworn I said something along those lines. Am I wrong?"
Simms sighed. "No, you aren't wrong," he said. "Yes, you were right. Remind me next time I doubt you that you're infallible. Now, could we please just get through this?"
Violet walked up beside Johnny, hoping to resume their conversation from earlier. "I just want you to know that I have every intention of making it up to you," she said. "I mean, you did save my life."
"I appreciate the sentiment kid, but I don't see how you'll go about doing that," Johnny replied. "You don't even have two caps to scrape together; how do you plan on coming up with five thousand of them?"
"I'm still working on that actually. But I'll think of something eventually, I'm sure. Maybe when we find my dad he'll know what to do."
"Speaking of your dad. What did Moriarty have to say? Anything useful?"
"I'll tell you about it later." Violet said. They had arrived at the center of town. A few people were milling around outside a building with a rickety sign over the top that said 'The Brass Lantern'. Violet figured it must be a diner of some sort, as most of the people there seemed to be eating. She thought she saw a cooked squirrel impaled on a stick and had to supress a gag. The crazy man was still standing next to the bomb, yammering on about atoms and something called 'the glow'. There was another building that obviously functioned as the town clinic; a big red cross was painted on the door. Only one of the buildings in the vicinity looked like someone's private home. It had to be Burke's.
Simms turned to them, his mouth a grim line. "Alright, we're here. Johnny, you stick with me, I might need you as backup. Kid, stay behind us." Violet was more than happy to oblige. She didn't think Burke would try anything with all these people around, especially since everyone and their mother seemed to be packing heat, but even being close to the man gave her the creeps. Simms walked up to the door and knocked firmly. "Burke, it's Simms. Come on out. I'd like to have a word with you."
There was the sound of drawers opening and closing, then footsteps. Finally, the door opened. Burke stood there, an eerie, unsettling smile on his face.
"Ah, Sheriff Simms, always a pleasure. And you brought Johnathan with you as well. What's the occasion?" His gaze fell upon Violet, and his eyes narrowed. "Oh, I see. It seems I've been deceived. Well played girl, well played."
Simms moved in front of her, blocking her from his view. "I don't like people threatening my town Burke. I take extreme issue with it in fact." Simms took a step closer to him. He had a good six inches on the smaller man, and at least fifty pounds, but Burke stood his ground. "I suggest you come with us, before things get real ugly, real fast." His voice had lost all the earlier good humour. Violet could tell he meant business.
The two men stared at each other, and Violet was sure it would end with one of them punching the other. Finally though, Burke dropped his gaze and took a step back. "Of course, of course," he said, his tone acquiescent. "I'll go quietly. Wouldn't want to cause a ruckus, would we? Lead the way." He held out his hand to motion Simms ahead of him. Simms nodded to Johnny, who took his place behind Burke. Violet fell into step beside him and the four of them set off for Simm's house.
"So, Johnny, how are you liking Megaton?" Burke asked. Violet was surprised to hear him address the younger man so casually. "Bit of a slum, don't you think?" Johnny didn't reply. Suddenly, Burke's face darkened, and his voice acquired a dangerous edge. "Allistair would love to talk to you Johnny. Why don't you stop by?"
Johnny's face revealed no emotion as he replied. "Keep walking Burke," he said, his voice steady. Buke only laughed, a cruel, evil sound.
"No really," he said, "a lot of people are taking notice. No doubt you've realized."
Johnny quickly glanced over at Violet, then looked back to the man in front of him. "Shut up Burke," he said, a hint of panic in his voice. "I don't feel like going down this road right now."
Suddenly, three things seemed to happen at once: Burke elbowed Johnny in the stomach, throwing his whole weight into the blow; he pulled a pistol out from under his jacket and pointed it at the back of Lucas Simms' head; and there was a bang. Violet fully expected to see Simms drop dead, but instead it was Burke who fell to the ground. A red stain had blossomed on the back of his meticulously clean jacket, and was quickly spreading. He didn't move.
Violet turned back to see Johnny doubled over, clutching his stomach with one hand and holding his 10mm in the other. Simms was standing beside Violet, looking down at the dead man.
"I didn't even think to check him for weapons…" he said. He turned to Johnny, who had starightened up and was brushing himself off. "I guess you can bring the total number of lives you saved today up to two. I owe you one son."
"Don't mention it," Johnny replied. He was reloading his weapon, replacing the bullet he'd just used. "It was my pleasure. That bastard had it coming."
Simms nodded. "That he did. Saves me the trouble of dealing with him too. We don't exactly have any place to keep him here, and we couldn't have just let him go, not knowing what he was planning." A crowd had started to gather, and Simms turned to address them. "Nothing to see here folks, just routine wasteland bullshit." He nodded to a balding, middle aged man in the crowd. "Jericho, would you mind taking out the trash?" The man, Jericho, picked up Burke from under the shoulders and began to drag him towards the city entrance. The crowd was starting to disperse. Murder was a common occurrence out here apparently, not something to get too worked up over.
"I'd better go help Jericho," Simms said, turning back to Violet and Johnny. "Good luck finding your dad kid. And thanks again Jack." He walked off, and Violet stared after him.
"He seems pretty okay, for someone who nearly died," Violet said.
"You get used to the feeling." Johnny replied. He sighed. "I need a drink." He headed in the direction of Moriarty's saloon, and Violet followed.
"So who's Allistair?" she asked.
"Hmm?"
"Allistair. Burke mentioned him, he said he wants to see you. Who is he?"
"Just someone. It doesn't matter."
Violet knew better than to keep asking. She wouldn't get anything out of him, not if he didn't feel like telling her. She changed the subject. "How did you manage to draw your gun so fast? He'd barely even drawn his own before you'd shot him."
"I had my hand on my holster the entire time. Burke is…was a snake. I knew he'd be planning something."
"So why didn't you pat him down when he first answered the door?"
"The truth? I wanted an excuse to shoot him. Been waiting to do that a long time."
Violet didn't know what to think about that. She didn't approve of taking a life, except in self defense. She supposed the fact that he'd waited until Burke had drawn his gun meant that, technically, it was defense of a sort. But he'd gone into the situation planning to kill the man; did the fact that he was a horrible, evil person justify his death?
Johnny went to sit down with his Billy and Lucy when they'd arrived back at Moriarty's Saloon. Nova was nowhere to be seen. Violet was about to go sit in the back room by herself again when Lucy, motioned her over.
"So what was it you guys talked about?" she asked teasingly.
"Oh, just the usual," Johnny replied. "People trying to blow up the town, assassination attempts on the sheriff, that sort of thing."
Lucy turned to him. "You serious?"
Johnny nodded. "Burke tried to get Violet to activate the bomb in the center of town. We told Simms, and when we went to arrest Burke, he tried to shoot him in the back. Didn't end too well for him though." He smirked.
"Burke? That fancy pants who sat in the corner?" Billy exclaimed. "Who'd have thought."
"I knew he was bad news the moment he stepped in here," Lucy said.
"Well, tragedy averted. Good job you two," Billy said. "Oh, I been meaning to ask you." He turned to Violet. "How'd it go with Colin? He tell you anything that'll help you find your dad?"
Violet's spirits sunk. She remembered the impossible task she had ahead of her. "He says he has information, but I'll have to pay to get it," she explained. This was met by a chorus of angry exclamations and an 'I told you so' from Johnny. "I don't have caps, as you all know, so he said he'll tell me if I run an errand for him instead."
"And what did he ask you to do?" asked Lucy.
"He wants me to find some lady named Silver and get back all the caps she stole from him," Violet answered. "He said she's probably in Springvale. Fat lot of good that does me though; I don't even know if I could find my way back to the vault, nevermind an entirely new town. And from the way you guys talk, I'll be attacked by an army of irradiated, spiky haired monstrosities the moment I set foot outside of Megaton." There were a few minutes of silence, during which everyone concentrated on not looking at Violet. Suddenly, Lucy looked up.
"Hey, I have an idea!" she said. "Johnny, why don't you go with her?"
Johnny nearly choked on his drink. "What? No, why would I do that!"
"Look at the poor girl. She needs help. You know this area better than anyone, and you could definitely keep her safe while she looks for her dad. You're always telling us how bored you are, wandering around picking up junk. Just think of it as an adventure! Plus, she could pay off her debt to you along the way."
"How do you figure."
"Anything of value she finds on her journey, she gives to you as payment. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement. How does that sound?"
"It sounds ridiculous." Johnny replied.
"I think it sounds like a great idea," said Billy. Johnny whirled on him. "What? She's right, you're always telling us you wish something exciting would happen. Well, here you go. And besides, look at her. We have to help her. And by we, I mean you."
All three of them turned to Violet.
"Well Violet? What do you think?" asked Lucy. "Would you want Johnny to tag along for a while?"
"Umm, I guess. I do need a guide." Johnny had proven that he was more than capable of taking care of himself, but Violet wasn't too sure about his people skills. Still though, beggars couldn't be choosers.
"There. It's settled. Johnny, you're going with her," Lucy exclaimed excitedly.
"Woah woah woah, I didn't agree to this!" Johnny cried.
"Well, are you going to or not?"
"…Fine."
"Great! I love it when things work out."
"I guess we're going to Springvale then," said Johnny, turning to Violet. He took another swig of his drink and looked her up and down. "But before we go anywhere, we have to get you some new clothes."
AN: I'm going up to my family's cottage for a week, so there won't be any updates for a while. Sorry if there are any typos, I had to stay up until 2 in the morning to finish this before we leave tommorow, and my spell checker isn't working right now. Hope you enjoy it! Leave a review if you'd like. As usual, friendly criticism and advice are welcome.