The Things We Do
Chapter 10
Disclaimer: I don't own Fallout or any related materials.
I hide in Red's clinic for the next couple of days while making preparations for the assault on Big Town. I spend the time committing the hand-drawn map to memory, getting supplies, and catching up on my rest.
Memorizing the map was simple enough as all the houses' layouts were identical, right down to the number of windows in each room. Getting supplies was a bit harder because the people who'd brought me in decided to steal anything I wasn't wearing or holding in exchange for saving my life.
Luckily, Red had some personal investment in seeing me succeed. She took me to the Craterside Supply and allowed me to pick whatever I needed, within a certain budget of course. She even convinced Moira Brown, an eccentric to say the least, to let us in afterhours so I could avoid the sun and the curious onlookers who kept coming into the Clinic with fake injuries to see 'the man who blew up Arefu'.
Moira looks to be in her 30's with a dirty blue RobCo jumpsuit, green eyes, and red hair tied into a bun. I listen to the conversation between her and Red, chuckling as Moira rambles from one line of thought to another. It's almost as if her thoughts fall directly out of her mouth and have to go back through her ears in order for to be processed.
"So, I hear you blew up Arefu." Moira tells me as I put the materials on the counter in front of her. Her chipper tone doesn't match the weight of her words, but she seems not to notice.
"That's right." I reply, my voice low and a little resentful at the awkward opening for a conversation.
"That's too bad. You know, I bet the Super Mutants would stop eating people if we could just tell them how much we didn't like it." Her tone is thoughtful and the look on her face tells me she's sincere. I'm shocked, confused, and don't know if she's naïve or just stupid. I can hear Red chuckling behind me and wonder if this is what she had in mind all along. "I bet if I could just get some real experience with them, I could find a way to talk to them. Hey, you look like…" Her voice trails off as she's suddenly immersed in the contents of the pile in front of her. "Ooh, looks like you're building a Nuka-Grenade." Moira suddenly blurts out with unrestrained excitement.
"That's right." I say, still not sure what to make of her.
"Ooh, I made this great formula for Nuka-Cola that works great!" Her voice rising with thrill of sharing her invention."Great for what?" Something about this woman makes me guarded, careful like she's going to suggest something insane or suicidal. Maybe this is exactly what I need.
"Well, no one's actually drank it yet, but it's perfectly safe. I mean, I've dropped it a couple of times and it didn't explode so that's pretty safe, right? You know, I was really worried the first time because I only had one bottle and I would have to start all over again if it exploded. Not that I would have anything to make it with because all my stuff is in here...""You said the new Nuka-Cola is great for what?" I have to cut her off lest she never come back to the issue at hand."Oh, it works great for a lot of things! It glows really bright and it gets oil off your fingers, but it gets sticky sometimes and can burn your skin if you don't wash it off quick enough...""How does it work in a Nuka-Grenade?" She's easily distracted, but hopefully she knows what she's talking about."You know, I don't know. Say, since you're going to make one anyway how about you make it with this instead and tell me happens? Ooh, take great notes and tell me all about it!"
"Alright let me see it." A feeling of dread hits me like a sledgehammer as I watch her run into the back room, a look of excitement on her face.
An old conversation with my father comes to mind. "There are people, things and places in the world that should be avoided at all costs. Only during times of dire need should you approach them." I sigh knowing this excitable, air-headed queen of junk should be avoided at all costs, but these are times of dire need.
She comes skipping out of the back room, clipping her own feet causing Red and I to hold our breath as the eerily glowing bottle almost escapes her grasp. She stumbles a few heavy steps before Red catches her and steadies the mentally unstable woman.
"Here you go, isn't it neat?" She holds the bottle out to me, Red still holding on to her. The thing glows a deep purple, the different chemicals swirling captivatingly in the small glass bottle. I take it unsure of its the contents, but knowing it'll be safer in my hands than hers.
"What's in it?" I ask, trying not to jostle the thing.
"Well, I thought if I could get the good parts of Psycho, but not the ba…"
"You mixed Nuka-Cola with Psycho?"
"That's right! That's what makes it that color and gives it those swirls. Neat, huh?"
"Yeah, neat." I hope I'm not going to regret this.