A person with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds. – Mark Twain
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Chapter Seven: Road to Megaton
"Bleah! What is this shit?" asked Maggie as she spit out a mouthful of hot, black liquid.
"Oh, you don't like the coffee?" replied Silver.
"No way this is coffee, Silver. I know my coffee, I've gone to great lengths to scav coffee, and sister, this is not coffee." Maggie gestured to the coffee pot with her cup, accusingly.
"Oh, OK. It's just chicory and some other roots that I get from Crazy Wolfgang when he passes through Springdale. I'm sorry Maggs, but if I had the caps to buy coffee, I'd be spending them on Med-X, ya know?"
"It's alright honey." Maggie said, softening, "I'll leave you some of ours."
She heard the front door open and turned in time to see Sturm walk in followed by a weathered-looking man in leather armor and carrying what looked to be a Chinese assault rifle over his shoulder. At first glance he seemed to be bald, but this was an illusion evoked by his close-cropped hair. His facial hair, by contrast, was abundant and, despite his apparent years, still dark with only a few flecks of grey.
"Jericho!" cried Maggie, jumping out of her chair to clasp the older man in an affectionate embrace.
"Hi-ya, Maggs." he replied sheepishly, sniffing and wiping his nose on his sleeve. "Been a long time."
Maggie stepped back and took a long look at the old raider who returned the scrutiny in equal measure. He saw the woman that he had taken under his wing all those years ago, age wearing better upon her than it had on him. Her hair was still dark and luxuriant, tied back the way she always wore it. Her face seemed thinner to him, which only served to enhance the effect that her piercing, deep blue eyes had on everyone she met. Her ready smile gave way to her welcoming, warm contralto.
"Too long, you old coot, way too long. How've you been?
"I can't complain." he said. "I'm bored out of my mind, but I'm alive and I own a house, even if I am poor as a mole rat." He sniffed again and Maggie noticed Sturm doing the same.
"Sturm, the sun's barely up and you two are already hitting the chems?" she said disapprovingly. "We have work to do today, so don't you go getting all fucked up before we start."
"What's this? Someone getting fucked up without me?" Liam joined the group in the front room. "That wouldn't have happened twenty years ago, Maggie. I must be losing my grip."
"Mornin' luv" Maggie greeted Liam as he buckled his armor and ran his fingers through his hair. "Sturm's back with Jericho here." she said, indicating her old friend. "Jericho, meet Liam."
"Whoa, raider royalty in the house, eh? Well, that don't cut no ice here, eh Maggie?" Jericho said, though without apparent belligerence.
"That's right Jericho. No one gets to ride on his rep. But what if I could do something about your finances, or the lack thereof? Would that 'cut some ice' with you?" Liam eyed the old raider intently. Jericho broke eye contact and smiled thinly.
"What do you need?"
"A couple of things. First we need to meet with the people who make Megaton run. From what I've heard, that means the sheriff, Lucas Simms, Colin Moriarty, the saloon owner, Moira Brown who runs the supply store and I guess there's no getting around inviting the Lone Wanderer. He's probably going to oppose anything we suggest, but at least if we're in a group he'll have to justify his opposition. Feel free to add anyone I've missed."
Jericho considered this and said "Sturm told me what you're planning and I got to say I think it's the nuttiest thing I've ever heard, but if you want to run this pipeline to Megaton I think you need a few more people."
"I think you're right to invite the Loner. Cole's not in town right now, but that could change. He's in and out all the time. Then there's Mr. Burke. He's from Tenpenny Towers, but he also owns a house here. Rumor is he works for Alistair Tenpenny, so if you invite him to the sit-down you can pitch your plan to two settlements at the same time."
"Since this involves water", he continued, "it might be a good idea to have someone there from the water processing plant. Ol' Walter's been in charge of the plant for more than thirty years. Leo Stahl works there too, and if you invite Leo you should also invite his brother and sister, Andy and Jenny. The three of them own the Brass Lantern, the town diner."
"I swear I've never heard you put so many words in a row Jericho." Maggie marveled.
"If you're talking caps you tend to get my attention." he replied. "Now what's the other thing you mentioned?"
"We need Doc Church." Maggie said, taking over this part of the briefing.
"He's right where he's always been, Maggie. You know where his office is; you've been there before." Jericho said, unsure that his answer had been responsive.
"We don't want him for medical treatment, Jericho; we want him at Evergreen Mills." Maggie clarified.
"I don't think he'll go for it." said Jericho. "He's already worked that side of the street and he's pretty well dug in here, now. I don't know how you could convince him to leave."
"We're not going to convince him of anything," said Maggie, "Lucas Simms is."
"Why would Simms do that?" asked Jericho, genuinely puzzled.
"Because you are going to plant a bug in his ear, a bug about the good doctor's past."
Jericho paused as the nature of Maggie's plan became clear to him. "You were always a ruthless one, Maggie Gray. That's one of the things I've always liked best about you. I just hope that there are lots of caps involved."
"More than you'll ever need." she said, smiling.
"Oh I don't know; I need quite a few." he joked as they headed out the door for Megaton.
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The sun hadn't yet appeared over the Potomac River when Daniel and Vikia crossed the Citadel Bailey. In the pre-dawn light they walked down the small corridor into the lee of the massive steel gate that controlled the entrance to the Brotherhood's headquarters. As the gate opened Daniel was greeted by the familiar odors of the Capital Wasteland; odors that mysteriously never seemed to penetrate to the courtyard of the enormous, five-sided structure. He turned north and Vikia fell into step wordlessly.
They walked steadily for some time, first crossing under the Arlington Memorial Bridge where not so long ago he had followed Liberty Prime into the teeth of the Enclave defense of the Jefferson Memorial. Moving north along the Potomac Daniel signaled Vikia to move off the road as they passed Wilhelm's Wharf, a meeting place for some of the local bandits. The dining area was outside, all year round; today it seemed empty. Then he saw the woman he had hoped to see. Grandma Sparkle was sweeping up, presumably after breakfast. He stood and walked toward the little kitchen waving a hello to the retired trader-turned-restaurateur.
"Hello there, Vault Boy" – she never remembered names – "how nice to see you again."
"Hello yourself, Grandma Sparkle; how's the mirelurk stew today?" he asked her.
"Fresh, just like it always is. My boys are out hunting 'lurks right now." she informed him.
Daniel and Vikia sat, ate and spoke for the first time since leaving the Citadel.
"How far is it to Megaton?" Vikia asked.
"Just a few more miles. We should be there by noon." Daniel answered, and with that terse answer he finished his meal.
The silence was beginning to become uncomfortable
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From the Wharf the terrain rose slowly toward another broken link in the ubiquitous highway system that once criss-crossed the continent. The temperature rose sharply as the pair ascended the broken landscape. Boulders and fences prevented a direct-line approach to the plateau upon which sat Megaton and the old town of Springvale. By the time they reached the top of the rise Daniel was panting under the weight of his pack and weapons. Daniel was as fit as almost any other human roaming the Wasteland; even under a heavy pack he could walk all day and then get up the next morning and do the same. But he was human, and despite his reluctance to show weakness he finally said "Let's take a break."
Vikia replied airily "If you must."
Annoyed, Daniel shot back "Oh that's right Vikia, you could probably walk straight to Megaton non-stop."
Turning to face Daniel she retorted "Is that what your problem is with me? That I'm an android? I didn't have you pegged as a bigot. Or is it because I wouldn't sleep with you at the Pitt?"
"I don't take rejection badly; I just take exception to being referred to as a 'Beast of Burden.'" Daniel said.
"Yes, I can see how that would rankle." Vikia said. "Please accept my apology and consider the circumstances; I was quite literally not myself at the time."
"Apology accepted" Daniel said, feeling magnanimous and vaguely relieved, "and as for being an android, would it surprise you to learn that you are not the first android whom I've met?"
This seemingly offhand remark fell on Vikia like a thunderbolt. She stopped in her tracks, eyes wide and mouth round "You know of another android? Why didn't you tell me? Who is she? Or is it he? Tell me everything!"
Daniel smiled, clearly pleased with himself. "Back at the Citadel you said yourself that nothing is free. Just how badly do you want to know about this android?"
"What? Do you seriously mean to suggest that I should pay you for information …Wait, just what are you suggesting …?"
"Hold on." Daniel said, laughing now. "I was just kidding. You should see the expression on your face." Laughing harder while trying to contain himself and just barely succeeding, he went on "The truth is that I can't tell you very much about him – yes, he's male – because I promised that I would keep his identity in confidence."
"I've been struggling to decide just how much I can tell you." Daniel continued. "Under the circumstances I'm pretty sure that he wouldn't object to me telling you of his existence, but I don't know how much more I can reveal without breaching my promise. I can promise you one thing; I will see this man … this android as soon as circumstances permit and with your consent I'll tell him that he is not alone in the Capital Wasteland. I believe he will be very anxious to meet you."
"Alright." Vikia replied, after considering Daniel's words. "I can see your dilemma here and I suppose I'd want you to keep my confidence if the positions were reversed. I'll hold you to your promise, though, and if there is anything else you can tell me at this point I would be very grateful."
Daniel considered what he knew of Harkness, now the security chief of Rivet City and formerly the Hunter for the Institute's Synth Retention Bureau. Vikia's greatest fear was that the Institute someday would find her and return her to the Commonwealth. Without Harkness, their ability to locate android runners was severely compromised if not utterly stymied. He looked at Vikia and held her gaze.
"You don't have to worry about the Institute's Hunter any longer."
"The Hunter? Do you mean the android is the Hunter? Or did he kill the Hunter? I'm still not sure …."
"That's all I can say at the moment." Daniel interrupted gently. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to put your mind at ease. I promise to tell you the rest as soon as I can."
Vikia broke the eye contact, looking north, symbolically toward the Commonwealth. "Thanks Cole. You're OK, I don't care what they say about you."
Daniel looked back at her in surprise, ready to question her last statement, but found her chuckling to herself. "Just kidding. Android humor."
They resumed their walk to Megaton in a companionable silence.
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By midday Daniel and Vikia were within sight of the distinctive walled crater of Megaton. Daniel glanced to his side and realized that you didn't see too many redheads in the Capital Wasteland. He wondered why her designers – or was creators the more accurate term – had given her this bright plume. In fact, why had they selected all of the various physical attributes they had bestowed on their creation – their child in a sense?
He looked at his 'new girlfriend' more closely now. She was perhaps 5'4" and slim. Of course everyone in the Capital Wasteland was slim. Coming perilously close to starvation on a regular basis provided a nearly-perfect negative correlation with obesity. She had a triangular face with a pixie-like chin, a long, graceful neck and wide, Spring-green eyes. Her skin was pale – too pale for the average Wastelander, but someone who could control her own melanin level would neither tan nor burn so that much was due to her unconventional origins. Her complexion was … perfect, much clearer than anyone raised in a radioactive and essentially unsanitary culture had a right to exhibit. This too was striking. Even in a Darwinian era in which the physically gifted were much more likely to survive, Vikia's body was a close to perfection as was possible to imagine. The Institute had given her strength in a perfectly-proportioned and aesthetically pleasing form. Indeed, if you have the capacity to place strength, intelligence and character in any kind of body you choose, why not choose the most perfect form you can create.
The overall effect was, well, attractive; no, that was too bland by half. The woman was really quite beautiful, although one had to look beyond each individual feature to realize it. Still, there was something in the way the pieces fit together …. Damn, he thought, I should just ask her.
"Vikia" he said, "I don't mean to pry, but I'm curious about the way you were …created. Let me know if this seems rude or if it make you uncomfortable; it's just that I wonder about some of your … um, characteristics."
"I don't mind, Daniel, but can you be a bit more specific?"
"Well, for example, your hair." he said. "It's not only red, but quite nearly pink. I would think that in creating an android your creators would try for a look that, well, blended into your surroundings better."
"You're wondering why I stick out like a super mutant in an evening gown?" she asked, grinning.
"I wouldn't have put it exactly like that, but …"
"I think you'll find that it's my hair that throws the picture out of focus, skewing the gestalt as it were." she said. "When I was born, my hair was, at least in my own opinion, a rather drab brown. When you're in a room full of androids who are exactly the same, you have to seek your individuality wherever you can find it."
"Conveniently, we androids have a degree of control over the chemical processes in our bodies. Once I decided what color I wanted my hair to be, it was simply a matter of increasing the production of pheomelanin in my body while decreasing the levels of eumelanin at the same time."
"How do you do that?" Daniel asked, intrigued.
"To decrease levels, I simply block receptors and the surplus comes out as waste; to increase I ingest foods that are rich in the chemical I need and avoid consuming anything that would conflict with its uptake."
"We're so different from one another, but you seem utterly human to me." Daniel said. They were nearly at the gates of Megaton, now.
"I'm designed to seem human, even to myself, Daniel. Any illusion is more powerful if the person responsible for creating it believes her own publicity." Vikia paused for a moment. "So, now that you know I'm not human, are you still interested in sleeping with me?"
"Are you kidding?" Daniel laughed. "More than ever. You should never miss a chance for a new experience."
Vikia laughed too, but before she could ask him if he was serious, her eyes shifted to something behind Daniel. She paled, stiffened and opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.
"Hello Vikia; nice to see you made it to safety." Maggie Gray had more experience covering her reactions than Vikia, so her voice remained steady as she greeted the woman who had come to Evergreen Mills from the Pitt.
Vikia looked blankly at Maggie for a moment; Daniel thought that she seemed to be resetting some subroutine in her programming. He silently chided himself for thinking of his companion as a collection of hardware and software. This was obviously a chance meeting with the raider leader of Evergreen Mills – quite fortuitous actually – and Vikia was no more surprised than any human would be in her position.
Then Vikia's face suddenly and quite unnervingly took on an expression of amusemnt. "Hello Miss Gray. I did indeed escape the ambush, and in the process I recovered my long-lost memories. I'm afraid I've found other employment in the interim."
"We all do what we must to survive, dear, and I wish you joy of your new employment." "This last word was accompanied by a frank gaze in Daniel's direction.
Following Maggie's eyes, Vikia turned toward Daniel while speaking to her former leader. "Let me introduce Daniel Cole; you may know him better as …"
"The Lone Wanderer." Liam entered the conversation, completing Vikia's reference to Daniel's nom de guerre. He looked the younger man in the eye and reached out his hand politely in the common greeting of all civilized Wastelanders. Whether his hand was taken would show him whether he would be accepted, however tenuously, as being civilized. If the gesture was ignored, he would know from the outset that he would have an enemy in this formidable and influential figure. "Nice to meet you, Daniel." he said.
Daniel hesitated for a moment, then reached out and shook Liam's hand. Not to be put in a corner, however, he replied "Welcome to Megaton, Raider."
Liam had to admire Daniel's adroit handling of the introduction. No direct insult was offered; the proffered hand was taken, the gesture made. At the same time, however, he had made it clear that he knew exactly with whom he was dealing and that any business would be conducted at extreme arms-length.
For his part, Daniel was impressed, however reluctantly, by the self-possession of the couple in front of him. Jericho and the other man were stereotypical raiders, but these two might as well have been visiting heads of state given their cool demeanor. What do they want here? a voice in his head demanded.
"You must be Margaret Gray." he said to Maggie, taking her outstretched hand in turn. Turning back to Liam he said "Liam Conal, I presume." Daniel was gratified to see Liam's eyebrows rise slightly, as much of a reaction as could be expected. He studied the man. Daniel didn't have to look up to many people, but Conal was a tall man, perhaps six foot three or four. Slim through the waist and torso, his shoulders still filled the armor he wore, evidence of years of hard work. Apparently this was not a man used to delegating even his manual tasks to others.
His nose was aquiline; though it had clearly been broken at some point. Under his nose sat a thin moustache, much like his own. His mouth was full and he smiled at Daniel's scrutiny, revealing strong, white teeth – some missing, whether from accidents, ill health or fighting. He was not young but he exuded a vitality that would preclude taking him lightly in combat. His face showed laugh lines and the beginnings of crow's feet framing his dark, brown eyes.
Perhaps the most dangerous thing about this man, however, was his voice. Low and melodic, it was a voice used to persuasion as much as for command. What do they want here?
Daniel realized, then, that either he could wait for the raiders to make their intentions known, or he could simply …ask.
"What brings you to Megaton?" he queried.
Liam and Maggie exchanged a look and by the silent consent common to many long-term couples decided that Liam would respond. "We're here to bring water – to Megaton and to any other settlement that wants it."
"At the risk of appearing to have a firm grasp of the obvious, the Brotherhood of Steel is already providing pure water for every significant settlement in the Capital Wasteland." Daniel replied. "Maybe you didn't get the memo?"
Smug bastard, Liam thought. Well, the hook is baited; let's see if I can reel him in. "Yes, the Brotherhood gets high grades for their altruism, but from a practical viewpoint they've left a lot to be desired."
"Such as?" Daniel asked.
"Volume. The last time they brought water to Megaton they almost got into a pitched battle with the settlers here." Liam said, demonstrating that Daniel wasn't the only party to this discussion with access to Wasteland gossip. "The way I heard it, you had to mediate the situation yourself, and in the end Big Town lost most of their water supply for this trip. I'm sure that didn't go over well with your old friends there. Has Three Dog heard about this one?"
Now it was Daniel struggling to keep his temper in check. He took a breath and opened his mouth to reply but Maggie beat him to the draw.
"Boys, if you would both put your testosterone on the shelf for a minute, I'll try to explain what we are offering." she said.
"I'm listening Miss Gray," Daniel finally said, "but patience is not my strong suit."
"I can tell you in one word, Mr. Cole." she replied. "Pipeline."
"?" Daniel looked at her quizzically, wordlessly and uneasily.
"She's talking about a water pipeline – one that is capable of bringing more than 500 gallons of water to Megaton each minute. That's like having almost 300 Brahmin pull into the caravan area every hour, 24 hours per day, every day of the year." Liam was unable to stop himself from explaining his plan himself. "You can drink your fill, build a reservoir for emergencies, take a shower …"
"Fat chance." Jericho interrupted, making his first contribution to the discussion. "Well it's bad for you; everyone knows that." he said, suddenly aware of the scrutiny of the rest of the group which erupted in mirth at the old raider's assertion.
"The larger point is," Liam went on, "that with enough water you can begin to grow your own food."
"Grow it where?" Daniel asked, intrigued now, in spite of the speaker. "The soil itself is contaminated."
"Radiation can be cleansed from the soil, Daniel." Liam explained. "What's more, some areas in the Capital Wasteland were hit harder than others in the Great War. Because there's been very little rain since then, the seepage of radio nucleotides has been somewhat limited. We can dig into the soil, run radiation tests and then plant crops in the least contaminated areas."
Despite his misgivings Daniel was now listening intently to Liam, trying to decide whether he was some kind of visionary of simply a madman. Because of his vault education, Daniel was one of perhaps 20 people in the Capital Wasteland able to follow Liam's exposition. If this was really possible ….
Liam continued with his theme. "There are several bacteria that will actually "inhale" toxic metals and "exhale" them in a non-toxic form.
Daniel broke in to say "The bacteria's cleaning power must come from their proteins' ability to bond with metal oxides, which the bacteria must use the same way we use oxygen - to breathe."
"That's exactly right." said Liam. Then he stopped and stared at the Lone Wanderer. His reputation was that of a cowboy, or some kind of knight. He hadn't expected the young man to follow his explanation, much less draw this kind of conclusion from it. He finished his thought. "The bacterium Shewanella oneidensis, for example, breaks down metal to chemically extract oxygen. It can reduce chromium, technetium and uranium to form insoluble compounds. The last two are byproducts of plutonium. Dump this into your soil and let it sit for a couple of months. Pour water onto the soil and let it leach out the waste products. The next Spring you can plant a garden."
"So what do you need from the town of Megaton to get started on this project?" asked Daniel, cutting to the chase.
"We need contract to purchase the water at a fair price and some startup money. We're almost ready to start pouring steel right now, but the expense of running a pipeline to Megaton will be considerable." Liam said. "We want to speak with the citizens of Megaton in order to explain our plan, its benefits and the cost of implementation. All we're asking for is a fair hearing"
"I won't stand in your way, Liam" said Daniel, "but I'm still skeptical and I'll remain that way until I see significant progress. Most people will think it's a crazy idea. And because of your, um, background, a lot of people will expect to see twenty miles of pipe with mutilated corpses every fifty feet."
"I know the people here will be reluctant to deal with any Raiders, even the Khans." Liam said. "I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. As for it being a crazy idea – well of course it is. But you see Daniel, even a blind dog runs up on a bone once in a while."
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Note: In the game, Vikia is a raider at the Pitt. The Fallout Wiki identifies her as a possible android in the following paragraph:
"She may possibly be an android. Vikia is likely named after the robot project created by Carnegie Mellon University. Also upon her death, you can find a fission battery, a sensor module, and two scrap metals in her inventory, like you would with normal robots in the wasteland. This is further evidenced by the fact that she replies to a Male PC's Lady Killer conversation attempt, with having an "immunity" to the PC's seductive charms. "
Source: The Fallout 3 Wiki – Vikia's Page: .com/wiki/Vikia
Her "immunity" to the Lady Killer perk was the reason for the "I'm still not interested." line in the previous chapter.
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