Wanderer's Diary: Week Ten
Day 64: Too Many Tyrants.
Tenpenny Tower.
It's surreal being here again. Last time I was here, it was to kill the guy in charge of the place for Megaton. Now we've arrived again, and it all seems the same. And I think I was right about my guess. The security chief is calling all the shots now. He's running the tower in place of Tenpenny.
And the "no ghouls" rule has only gotten stricter. Charon was wearing power armour, so I was able to sneak him in. As long as he shuts up when others are around, nobody ever notices that he's got a voice like the inside of his throat is lined with sandpaper, and we don't get any trouble.
Dad wants to get back to Project Purity to continue the work. After all, the whole reason he and subsequently I went through the hell that was the simulation in Vault 112, was so that he could get information about the G.E.C.K. units, which he has now, and which he wants to present to Dr. Li to get her back on board with the project.
He was very insistent that we return to Rivet City immediately, but I convinced him to come with me to help sort things out here first. I've been meaning to fix this place for a while, and I'm still not entirely sure how.
Luckily for me though, dad happened to know a bit about the surrounding area. He's lived in the wasteland before after all, so he had heard of Rockopolis, which lest we forget, is the place where Dashwood last saw Argyl alive. And after reading my journal entries, he knew that I was supposed to look for him there if I ever find it.
So we went there together and searched the place. Sadly, Argyl was dead. Dashwood was less than happy to hear that, but he was grateful to me for having found him at all, for closure's sake at least. As a way of saying thanks, he's letting us stay in his room again, and gave me a key to his safe where he keeps his adventuring supplies, and says I can have it all. It contains, among other things, a mini nuke and some bottlecap mine schematics.
I also picked up a bobblehead dedicated to boxing, which I found in Rockopolis.
That wasn't all that happened today either. While heading south from Rockopolis, we came across a small settlement. Very small. As in, "only two residents" small. One is a woman who's some kind of obsessed addict who wanted me to go get her a shitload of Nuka-Cola Quantum, while the other is some creepy guy who hangs around and protects her because he wants to get in her pants one day, despite the fact that she's completely oblivious to all his advances.
I don't want to encourage her habit, but she's the only other person I've came across in the wasteland who actually likes Quantum as a drink. And I have a machine full of the stuff back in Megaton. So if she wants me to being her a few bottles, I don't see why I shouldn't. It's not like I'm in short supply of the stuff if I need to make more grenades in the near future. If anything, I appreciate the opportunity to dump some of it off onto someone else.
So I've given her the two bottles I've found since I left Megaton, with the promise of a further twenty three from my supply next time I pass through.
And the creepy guy? He was the guy who Grady from Marigold Metro Station in Grayditch was supposed to deliver the "package" I found to. Yep. This small settlement was the Girdershade I was looking for. I had been carrying around that nightwear for weeks in case I stumbled across this place. I'm glad to finally see the back of the thing.
Three guesses who he wanted the nightwear for, but I'm just astounded that so much effort was gone to, by multiple factions, including me, for the sake of this thing. Christ, people! It's nightwear! I don't know what that guy Ronald was thinking with this. People have died because this prick wanted kinky sex with a cola addict!
He isn't quite deserving of my brand of justice just yet, but he's on the preliminary list.
We passed by a few other landmarks on the way here, but we didn't get to explore any of them, aside from an open campground where we were ambushed by deathclaws.
There was coincidentally another set of schematics there too, these ones for the deathclaw gauntlet again. And a copy of Duck and Cover!, which I wanted to sell like all the other duplicate books I've collected, but dad took it for some light reading. I was able to sell the copy of Tumblers Today that I found in the garage though.
I've added most of the landmarks we've passed to the map, as usual. That includes Smith Casey's garage where Vault 112 was hidden, Girdershade, the campground, the Warrington trainyard, and the Dunwich building, which I really need to explore some time, because Ronald tried to warn me away from it, and that just makes me want to see what's in there.
I didn't mark Rockopolis on the map though. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit this, but I didn't mark it when I immediately arrived, and after we left I forgot where it was. Though it shouldn't be too hard to find again, because there was a hilariously out-of-place fridge full of water right by the entrance, and a bunch of wastelanders fighting a massive fuck-off radscorpion.
Though to be fair, it's now more a hilariously out-of-place empty fridge surrounded by the bodies of several wastelanders and a massive fuck-off radscorpion that's had its poison glands removed. Tragedy in some respects, hilarious than others. It's juxtaposition at its finest. A modern art piece. I call it "Tragilarity".
Needless to say though, it's been an eventful day. Dad hasn't really said much so far. We have personal moments where we talk about our issues and reminisce together, but he hasn't really commented much on my methods of dealing with people. When I agreed to get Sierra her Quantums, he said nothing.
And he had equally little to share on the subject of how I dealt with the combined Talon/Outcast/slaver ambush. Though, I think it scared him a little bit. He's clearly more of a talker and a negotiator than he is a warrior. I'm okay at that, but it's not really my preferred style. And I was never really gifted with a silver tongue like dad was. I could never have a voice that smooth and calming. How does he do that?
Well...I don't know. All I know is, tomorrow I need to put an end to this ghoul prejudice, once and for all. I need to work out a plan of action. I have an idea, but I don't think dad will like it much.
But we'll see.
Day 65: Recruitment Drive.
I've been working out the plan all day, and I'm making frightful headway. So much so, we can expect my plan to come to fruition tomorrow.
Dad was of course disappointed that it was going to have to come to this. He wants to try and talk the whole issue out. Try to convince Gustavo to let the ghouls live here. Thing is, while he may have allowed that if Tenpenny had given the order, Gustavo is the one in charge now, because I killed Tenpenny. So the negotiation angle is out.
But, Roy Phillips' alternative when I talked with him in in the Warrington station was to open a door in the tower, and let loose a whole bunch of ferals to massacre everyone. And there are people I like in the tower. So that's not happening either.
So, what did I come up with instead?
Revolution.
My job today was going to all the residents and convincing them to either fuck off somewhere else, or agree to help in overthrowing the security force. Or at the very least, staying the hell out of our way while we do it. I don't want to have to kill all these people when the fight breaks out. As it stands, I already need to kill all the security guards in the tower, because there is no question as to their loyalty to Gustavo.
I suppose I could just kill Gustavo stealthily, and get him out of the picture, but I don't think it will work. This whole plan of getting the ghouls into the tower through negotiation requires that whoever runs the place be someone who is ghoul friendly, like Dashwood. However, I don't think he's the next in line to inherit Tenpenny Tower.
Tenpenny himself was the original owner. Then I killed him. So who takes over once Tenpenny is dead? Burke would be the natural choice, but he was already dead by the time I got to Tenpenny. So who was the next leader?
Gustavo. Exactly. When the original owner and his assistant are gone, it's the security team that takes over the tower. It's only natural, after all. The other residents were Tenpenny's customers, while the security were his employees. Gustavo taking over the tower could almost be analogous to a promotion.
However, it also opens up a whole new can of worms, that being that from now on, it'll always be the head of security that calls the shots. So if I kill Gustavo and Gustavo alone, whoever his second-in-command is, they'll be the one to take over next, not the residents.
And being so loyal to him, I can safely assume that the majority of Tenpenny security probably share their boss's opinion of ghouls.
So, fuck it. I don't have the patience to keep killing subsequent security chiefs until we get one who will allow the ghouls into the tower. Even if we do get lucky and have a security chief who is pro-ghoul in less than three assassinations, he'll probably still be extremely pissed that so many of his colleagues have been killed, and so will be unlikely to do myself or the ghouls any favours.
And that's not even accounting for the fact that there is no way in hell I can get away with that many covert murders in quick succession. Frankly I'm stunned that no-one seems to have picked up that it was me who killed Tenpenny.
So, we're all getting prepared for tomorrow.
Dashwood's in, of course. His final adventure, you could say. He'll be directly assisting in the revolution, as will Dr. Banfield, providing medical support for my revolutionaries in exchange for large amounts of caps, and Tenpenny Tower's resident water beggar, Willy, who I have armed with combat armour, two assault rifles and a sledgehammer from Gustavo's own armoury, and promised a residency in the tower and all the fresh water he can drink if he assists us.
Given that Willy absolutely despises the people of Tenpenny Tower, it was equivalent to telling a child, "Okay, you can stay up late and skip classes tomorrow, but only if you eat all this candy for me first."
Mr. Wellington and Susan Lancaster are sadly both dead, their lives taken by Mrs. Wellington in vengeance for an affair they were engaging in. Lydia Montenegro, Anthony Ling and Mrs. Wellington have all left the tower altogether, the former two because they wouldn't accept living with ghouls, and the latter because she might be in a bit of trouble with security herself, what with having murdered two people.
Michael Hawthorne, Margaret Primrose, and Mr. and Mrs. Cheng have a mixture of opinions on the ghoul situation, but have all basically agreed to stay well out of the way when we make our move, barricading themselves inside their respective rooms.
And as for the rest of the residents? I have no clue what to do about them. A large number of them I haven't spoken two words to either time I've visited here, so I hardly have the time to get their names, ask them their opinions on ghouls and either warn them to stay in their rooms or else talk or blackmail them into leaving.
There simply isn't the time, and the more people I let in on the plan, the greater risk we have of security finding out what we plan to do ahead of time. All I can do is hope they're not stupid enough to run in front of gunfire, or try to attack the heavily armoured invaders when they storm the gates.
Dad's making his disapproval known, but there literally is no other way to get the ghouls the fair treatment they deserve short of slaughtering everyone. I can either get the residents on my side or away from the tower depending on their affiliation and just kill the guards, or I can kill everyone. There's really not much room for choice here. I'm just trying to do the moral thing.
...He says after inadvertently causing a woman to murder her husband and his mistress...
Whatever though. We can pull this off.
Dashwood, Banfield, Willy, Charon, Dogmeat, Roy Phillips, and his right hand man, Michael Masters. Between them and myself, we have assembled an elite team capable of taking on any challenge.
Tomorrow is Security Chief Gustavo's last day on Earth.
Day 66: Storm the Gates.
Audio file embed. Automatic transcription as follows.
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] Hey! It's me. Open up this gate.
Man 13: [Through intercom.] Yeah, hold on...[Mechanical gate opens.] ...Woah! Hang on a second! You didn't say anything about bringing in any new friends! We were already really pushing it when we let you bring in two extra guys and a dog! And now you're bringing GHOULS here too?!
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot because I don't give a fuck. Willy?
Willy: Yah?
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] Headshots, if you please. [Assault rifles firing.] [Collapsing.] That's some fine shootin' there, Will.
Man 14: WE'VE GOT HOSTILES!
Man 15: [Deep, gravelly voice.] CHARGE! [Various gunfire.][Screaming in background.][Dog growling in background.]
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] I WANT TO SEE DEATH! LET THERE BE RIVERS OF BLOOD! KILL, MAIM AND SLAUGHTER THEM ALL!
Day 66 Part 2: Security Chief Gustavo, and Other Massive Cunts.
Audio file embed. Automatic transcription as follows.
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] We all clear here?
Charon: [Deep, gravelly, electronic voice.] No more by the looks of it, boss.
Dogmeat: [Barking.]
Willy: Area is secure, SIR!
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] Anyone in need of medical attention?
Man 16: [Deep, gravelly voice.] I'm in a pretty bad way over here...
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] Doctor Banfield, help Michael.
Doctor Banfield: Alright. Give me just a moment...
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] Has anyone seen Security Chief Gustavo yet?
Man 17: Oh my...
Man 15: [Deep, gravelly voice.] I think we found him...
Dogmeat: [Barking.]
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] Is that a fucking rocket launch- [Loud explosion.][Screaming.] OH, YOU CHEATING BASTARD!
Day 66 Part 3: Wanderer Tower is Open For Business.
Kay.
Death toll time. Recording this for prosperity.
We have killed...all the security guards, if I am not mistaken...and Gustavo...and...four unidentified Tenpenny residents who were too dumb to know that bullets are not drugs and you cannot get high by jumping in front of them.
And on our side we have lost Banfield, due to RPG fire. He will be somewhat missed.
Who cares though? The tower is won.
VIVA LA REVOLUTION!
Day 67: On Audio Recordings.
Sometimes I just like to set the machine to record and transcribe at random points in the day. Usually, I have to delete it all and just toss the whole thing out because it's just a recording of me bitching for twelve hours.
Sometimes though, you get those real magical moments on tape, where all you have to do is listen to it, and you can tell exactly what went down. Well, assuming you've been reading my journals anyway, which to my knowledge no-one has, aside from me and dad, and even he hasn't seen the most recent ones.
I just love recordings like that, because you can stick them and the transcripts on the Pipboy, and it just conveys so much of the strangeness that is my life that a journal entry that day is entirely unnecessary. And I love it when that happens, because the Pipboy keyboard is tiny, and getting features like italics to work on this thing is a son of a bitch.
Me and the Pipboy's user interface long ago accepted that we will never get along. We're just doing this dance because we have to.
Anyway, speaking of recordings, here's a great one:
Day 67 Part 2: More Talking With Dad.
Audio file embed. Automatic transcription as follows.
[Footsteps.]
James: Son, I know you were only doing what you thought was best-
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] Damn right.
James: But if you really are feeling as guilty as you say over everything you've done...Maybe you should think about the idea that more violence may not be the answer?
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] I don't feel guilty for the killings. What I feel guilty for, is killing people who didn't deserve it. Gustavo was a tyrant who was oppressing innocents, like Tenpenny before him. I fixed the problem.
James: And you got other innocents killed. They didn't deserve it.
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] Perhaps not, but I still have no sympathy for people who get killed by their own stupidity, and that's exactly what happened to them. The guards were there to protect the residents, and invaders or not, we sure as shit were not aiming for them. They got killed because they were panicky and stupid, and they ran out into a warzone when they could have just cowered in their rooms and been ignored by both sides.
James: What about that doctor? The one killed by the rocket.
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] Banfield was doing it for the caps. He knew exactly what he was getting into.
James: What if that had been me, then?
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] But it wasn't you. Because I didn't let you come. Remember?
James: ...Son...
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] Look, you're pretty much the most important thing in the world to me. There can never exist a what-if scenario that would place you in danger, because I would never allow it.
James: ...You seem very confident when you say that.
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] Dad. You've read my diaries. Be honest with me. Did you see anything in there at any point, that suggested I had a reason to not be confident in my abilities?
James: Admittedly, no.
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] No. That's right.
James: But I saw a lot of other reasons to be concerned for you. This wasteland...It's changed you. You're not the boy I raised anymore. You've had to adapt to survive. I don't blame you for it, and I don't think any less of you either. But you've been playing fast and loose with your morals, and even if you can't see it, I can tell it's cutting you deep.
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] You're telling me...
James: That entry about the slaver struck me most. What was her name? Somah?
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] ...Yes.
James: She obviously meant a great deal to you.
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] I wouldn't say a great deal. I definitely felt more for her than most though.
James: Felt more as in...?
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] No. It was entirely platonic. It's just that...Well, you know what happened. Zeta. Going through that kind of trial with someone will definitely bring you closer to them.
James: I still can't believe you really met aliens...
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] Maybe I'll show you the ship one day, when this Project Purity thing is finished...
James: I don't suppose your Mothership Zeta has a G.E.C.K. anywhere on board?
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] Rather doubt it.
James: Oh well...
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] Might still be worth a look. I'll check for you next time I'm there.
James: I can't believe we're so close to completing it. My life's work, you know.
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] This has been a long term project for you, hasn't it?
James: Oh yes, it has. This place needs it. The Capital Wasteland is in such a state. Compared to some of the places west of here...
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] West?
James: The west coast. Post-apocalyptic civilization over there is thriving compared to D.C.
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] You've seen the west coast?
James: Heard of it. Seen very little. I have been west, but not quite that far. Trust me when I tell you though, the Capital Wasteland has it worse than most.
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] What's it like out west?
James: Depends how far west you mean. Some places are prosperous and wealthy, almost on par with pre-war society, perhaps even surpassing it. Other places house only tribals and mutants; people who forgot their culture, and their origins, and made entire religious orders out of worshipping old technology. Some places are as irradiated and uninhabitable as the deepest craters of D.C., yet others were almost untouched by the Great War, letting their native people live easy.
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] ...That sounds amazing.
James: There's even an almost fully developed nation far west, called the New California Republic. I'd hear a lot about them from the Brotherhood of Steel. Never went there myself. Always wanted to.
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] ...I'm going to go there one day.
James: Really now?
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] Yeah. Probably not anytime soon. I still have to fix this place. But hey, I have a spaceship. With teleporters. It's always possible, right?
James: I never thought of that.
Lone Wanderer: [Electronic voice.] Who knows what we'll find out that way?
James: Indeed...
Day 67 Part 3: In Conclusion.
They say a voice recording is worth exactly however many words it consists of. That's a lot, and those are all words I don't have to type. And I would have to type them, because that was a great conversation.
In the vault, we talked about daily events, about people, about our interests. Out here, and with all these secrets out in the open, conversation with dad suddenly got ten times more interesting. So many stories about the wasteland. About faraway places, and people, and customs, and technology, and just life out here in general.
I will always miss the standard of living I enjoyed in Vault 101, but nothing will ever make me regret leaving it. The wasteland is a cruel mistress, but it brings with it great adventure, great fortune, a true connection to my father, that was always hampered by the need to hide the truth from me, and most importantly of all, all those squishy little people crawling over it like so many ants, and at least sixty percent of them with exposed necks.
I only just realised my murder boner is acting up again. We didn't come across any raiders all day during the walk from the tower to the memorial.
Hmm. Dad's hunkering down here for tonight, but it's still early yet. I probably have time to slip on the stealth suit and run over to Rivet City to gut that Tammy Hargrave bitch. Would definitely be useful to be able to come into the city tomorrow with an alibi and find a murder committed in my absence. If anyone's discovered what happened to Seagrave yet, it could also serve to deflect suspicions away from me and onto a phantom serial killer.
You know what? That plan's perfect. I'm totally doing that.
Day 67 Part 4: So Guess Who I Orphaned Today?
It's okay. No need to thank me. Just doing my job.
Day 68: Dicking Around.
Dr. Li returned to the Jefferson memorial to continue the work with dad. Dad wants my help setting up there too, so I told him I'll stop by tomorrow to assist with some things. For the moment, I had a few other things around to deal with. For instance, I was invited to a wedding.
Yeah, I wasn't expecting it either, but the Staley girl didn't just manage to get Diego into bed, she got him to marry her. Those ant queen pheromones must be incredible! I feel kind of stupid for having just purchased them from the drugstore and given them away now. I should have kept them for myself. If they're just as effective on females, then I can imagine so many creative scenarios that could result from that.
Come to think of it, I seem to recall killing a couple of ant queens during my adventures. One in that Marigold station where Lesko was experimenting, and one in the Corvega factory.
Hmm...
It was a beautiful wedding though. I am glad those two found happiness. This wasteland isn't all doom and gloom, and there are some instances where everything doesn't end in tragedy. My faith in the human race is affirmed.
There wasn't much time in the day after that. Certainly not enough to help dad at Project Purity. But I did stop by the memorial to say hello late in the evening, because I looked at my map and realised that we had passed several major landmarks on the way to Rivet City yesterday and not even noticed. So I went to check them out.
I only actually checked out one of them though. That was the Arlington Library. Inside, I found a bunch of those Brotherhood of Steel types. Most were the typical power armoured soldiers, but the one in charge appeared to be a woman in red robes. She's a scribe. Basically the Brotherhood of Steel's tech people.
They'd came to the library hoping to find surviving pre-war books so that they could archive them. Preserving the knowledge of the past for the benefit of the future. I really felt a kindred spirit in this woman, for I too have been dragging pre-war books out of the ruins for months, even knowing that they held nothing interesting to me, just so that I could save them from being reclaimed by the elements and their contents being lost to time.
Naturally, after clearing out the library of raiders for her, I helped scour the place and get her what she wanted. I presented her with I believe fourteen books from in and around the library, including one I found in a preservation shelter outside. Out of the fourteen, six were from the usual lineup. A Tumblers Today, a Big Book of Science, a Lying, Congressional Style, a Tales of a Junktown Jerky Vendor, and two Guns and Bullets.
I lamented my bad fortune to keep finding these same books over and over again. Interesting as they were to read the first time, I kept hoping to find something new that didn't suck. It was then that the scribe pointed out something obvious that I had been missing.
All the books I've been continuously finding over the place had the same kind of special plastic wrapping. Most of the other books I've been coming across survived just by luck.
It's so obvious in retrospect that I feel like a fool for not noticing it. These books, while made by different publishers, all came with the same wrapping and cover that gave them the extra durability to survive two hundred years of radiation and awful weather rather than rotting away or burning like most others.
It's a bit like how there were all kinds of foodstuffs before the Great War, but the only ones we have now are the brands that were packed with enough preservatives to make them last.
The Brotherhood were thankful for my help though. I'm glad to see that I'm getting on their good side. They seem like pretty good people, as opposed to the Outcasts. Maybe one day I can call in some favours from them. Until that time though, the Brotherhood will be staying at the library for a bit to search through all the ruined books for anything that could be salvaged, and I've promised to stop by if I find any more pre-war books they might be interested in saving.
I've marked the library on the map with intention to return there soon and continue exploring the area. Maybe tomorrow after I'm done with Purity.
For now, I'm returning to Rivet City for a good night's sleep.
Day 68 Part 2: Oh fuck, what have I done now?
Shit.
Okay, so I was thinking, since Dr. Li already left for Purity, then surely her living quarters were uninhabited, right? That meant I could break in there and stay in the city without having to pay for a night at Vera's hotel again. I could just have easily decided on Seagrave's room instead, but on a whim I decided to try Dr. Li's.
And then just when I got there, as I turned the corner, the door opened and out strolled that little girl C.J. Young. And inside on the bed, apparently asleep, was Bannon.
You can probably guess what they were both doing in that room, and I could too. I don't know if pedophilia is an accepted practice in the Capital Wasteland, but so far I've observed that vault society and wasteland society have pretty much the same taboos. So I felt pretty justified in shooting Bannon in the head with Blackhawk.
Problem is, C.J. heard the shot, and went running to get security. I heard them running my way. No time to slip into the stealth armour or activate a stealth boy, all I could do was slam the door shut and hold it shut. And now I'm trapped in here with a whole squad of Rivet City security on the other side of that door who all want in.
No-one saw my face or heard my voice yet, but this is still a pretty desperate situation.
What the fuck am I going to do?
Day 69: Detective Skills.
The solution was explosives.
Not proud of it, but that's what I did. I laid mines over the entire room, gave myself a shot of Med-X so that I'd have an easier time of surviving the explosion, slipped into Chinese stealth armour, and then I stopped holding the door.
By that point the guards were cutting their way through with a welding torch anyway. I got into the furthest corner of the room and let them charge in while I was invisible. The security guards blundered into the minefield, blew their legs off, most of them probably died, and I escaped while they were all screaming in agony or running around in a panic yelling to fetch medical help.
I escaped the city and made a run for Project Purity instead, and that's where I spent the night.
Today, dad wanted me to begin helping them out, but I had to return to Rivet City to see the damage I caused, and it wasn't pretty. Harkness was really pissed off, and enlisted my help in tracking down the elusive serial killer behind the deaths of Bannon, Seagrave Holmes and Tammy Hargrave.
Being part of my own investigation team, I was in the perfect position to cover my tracks and direct the trail away from me. And I did it perfectly, too.
Me and Harkness walked together across the bridge outside of Rivet City, going down to the caravan traders because I spotted Lucky Harith, and he owed me some caps still. But then we stopped to talk to the water beggar, Carlos, because I wanted to say hello. And also because I wanted to give him a pair of stealth boys that I found in in Arlington Library the previous day, along with the usual bottle of water.
When we left, Harkness asked why I'd given him that. I said because Carlos had asked me to provide him with any stealth boys I found, because he used them to hide from super mutants when he went scavenging in the D.C. ruins for water.
Of course, old Harkness knew with his superior android logic processing that there were dramatically less super mutants in D.C. as of late thanks mostly to my work, that Carlos never actually left that spot by the bridge for fear of missing opportunities to beg for water, and that the mysterious serial killer had the ability to turn himself invisible.
Carlos has now been executed, and as long as I stop murdering people in Rivet City, it looks like I'm off the hook.
I wish there were another way this could have ended, but there really wasn't one.
I'm so going to Hell.
Day 69 Part 2: Forgetting the Past.
Since Harkness killed Carlos, I've spent the day continuing my exploration of the area around southwest D.C.
For a start, I went north up the river to check out the Citadel, where the Brotherhood of Steel make their base. I tried to get in, but they said that they couldn't allow it. And, for once, I decided to respect their authority in this situation. The Outcasts, I just broke into their base and rampaged through because I wanted what was inside. But I actually respect the Brotherhood. So I decided to leave well enough alone.
Then I went back to the library and looked around a ruined building near it called the Alexandria Arms, from which I looted some things. Three pre-war books, including a Guns and Bullets and a Duck and Cover!, plus a Nuka-Cola Quantum. I may have also forgotten to mention an additional Quantum I picked up at the library the previous day.
I returned to the library and sold the books, marked the Arms on the map, and then after that decided to head back to Purity again.
It's beginning to feel like I'm running out of steam. Times were that I'd have also had time to raid the Nuka-Cola plant that my map says is nearby, but today I just felt exhausted and needed to go to bed.
Maybe I just need a break from all this heavy stuff. Tomorrow will help with that. Just a relaxing day of helping dad fix Project Purity.
Day 70: A Call to Adventure.
Audio file embed. Automatic transcription as follows.
Man 18: [Through radio.] This message repeats. To anyone who can hear me, my name is Wernher. I come from a settlement to the north. I have information of great value, to anyone willing to help me free my people. Please, help us. This message repeats. To anyone who can hear me, my name is Wernher. I come from a settlement to the north. I have information of great value, to anyone willing to help me free my people. Please, help us. This message repeats. To anyone who can hear me, my name is Wernher. I come from- [Pipboy beeping.]
James: ...I...see...
Lone Wanderer: Sorry, dad. I know, I should stay to help you. Lord knows you could use it. But there might be people in need of my help out there, and I can't just refuse a call for help. Someone else might get it, but...I've seen the rest of the wasteland. And I've seen its people. I'm probably this man's best hope. Duty calls, you know?
James: I understand, son. This wasteland needs you, I think. Go on then. Go help this man free his people. There's probably not much time to spare.
Lone Wanderer: I'll be back before you know it. Come on, Charon. Dogmeat.
Charon: [Deep, gravelly voice.] Ugh. I was just getting comfortable here.
Dogmeat: [Barking.]