- Knight Prescott -
The room beyond the door was larger than Joules had expected and oddly split down the middle between a darkened area and a vibrant, buzzing laboratory. A woman in a white lab coat was flitting around the lab, adjusting the settings on several of the instruments that whirred and hummed with activity. One of the instruments began spitting out a long stream of paper that apparently contained information of great interest to the woman and she eagerly rushed over and gathered the report as the machine belched it out.
"Look at her go," Ashur said with affection as the two men entered the room.
The woman looked up from her printouts, smiling warmly at the sound of Ashur's voice. As her eyes fell upon the knight, however, her smiling face darkened with suspicion. It was obvious to Joules that the woman guarded her laboratory very closely. He wondered if she would be as secretive about the cure. If so, there was a good chance that this meeting could turn ugly; Joules wasn't leaving without the cure!
"Hello Darling, sorry to interrupt you," the Lord of the Pitt said mildly, looking appropriately apologetic. Joules was amused to see the ruler of The Pitt so acquiescent in the presence of the scientist and it was clear to see that the two of them were more than just associates.
"Allow me to introduce my wife, Sandra," Ashur stated proudly. "Preeminent geneticist, biologist, and all-around smartest woman on the planet."
Sandra blushed slightly with the introduction as she nodded at the knight. The smile had returned to her face, but her eyes were still suspicious and her body language conveyed her displeasure at having a stranger in her laboratory. Joules knew that most scientists were protective of their labs, but Sandra seemed to take it to another level.
"It is an honor to meet a fellow scientist," Joules said with a slight bow. "Especially one as accomplished in her field of study."
"My husband tends to exaggerate, especially when he catches me off guard by bringing unannounced visitors into the lab." She shot Ashur a stern, reproachful look. "You must be the champion of the Arena that I've heard so much about."
Joules nodded, studying the intriguing woman closely. She was tall and slender and moved with a confidence that even made her white lab coat seem dignified. She kept her jet black hair short and it framed an exotic face that boasted high cheekbones and beautiful grey-green eyes. She displayed no signs of the infection that plagued the local residents, and it was obvious that the woman wasn't originally from The Pitt. Joules guessed that the interesting woman was most likely from the former French-Canadian provinces to the North, and it was easy to see why Lord Ashur was so captivated by her.
"I am a Knight of the Brotherhood of Steel" Joules declared with some pride of his own.
"And how did a Knight of the Brotherhood end up as a Downtown worker in The Pitt?" The scientist didn't attempt to disguise her distrust.
"I was captured by Slavers in the Capital Waste," the knight confessed. "Probably not as interesting a story as how a preeminent geneticist ended up as the Lady of Haven?"
Sandra blushed again as she waved away the title. "I am not royalty," she said dismissively. "I am still a scientist at my core, but I suppose I have attained a certain status here in The Pitt; and, as such, it is my responsibility to protect our people – especially from outsiders..."
"I met Sandra several years ago during one of my visits to Ronto," Ashur explained. "We weren't always on the brink of war with our neighbors," the big Lord scowled. "There was a time when we traded peacefully."
"I saw the passion in Ashur when he spoke of his people." Sandra smiled again at her husband and Joules could see that their connection was deep. "And I saw his heartbreak at their illness. It was clear to all of us in the North that The Pitt is vital to the growth and rebuilding of our cities. I knew I had to come here to help keep The Pitt strong, make the factory workers healthy, and find a cure for the illness so that the people of The Pitt can once again flourish and bring children into the world."
The conversation lapsed a moment, and then Sandra looked pointedly at the knight's Pip-Boy and said, "My husband tells me his new champion is a vaultdweller."
"I was," Joules replied wistfully. "Up until about eighteen months ago."
"New Blood indeed," Sandra's grey-green eyes lit up with interest. "I would love to get a sample for my research."
"I understand you are researching the Troglodytic Contagion." the knight replied, hoping to steer the conversation away from his blood and towards the reason he was here. "Are you close to discovering a cure?"
Some of the suspicion returned to her eyes with the question, but the scientist in Sandra still seemed intrigued with the vaultdweller. "Are you familiar with genetic biology?" she asked skeptically.
"My parents were both scientists," the knight stated with pride. His voice was still wistful, but Sandra's skepticism had him feeling defensive now. "My father was head of the vault's Bioengineering and Genetics Lab."
"I see," Sandra seemed unconvinced. "Well, you've been working in Downtown, so you've seen our city's affliction firsthand. What is your scientific opinion?"
The knight knew he was being tested, but he'd gathered enough information about TDC to draw a few conclusions about the disease. "I'd say the affliction is the result of intensively concentrated ambient radiation exposure combined with industrial toxins and pollutants that your husband believes are buried beneath the city."
Sandra's grey-green eyes widened, and the scientist was clearly impressed by the vaultdweller's analysis. "Well, this is a nice surprise. Apparently you do know something about science. That's not too common in this place," she exclaimed with genuine excitement. "So you must be familiar with the effects of ionizing radiation, then."
"I am," Joules assured her. Having a father who was a Super Mutant made the subject a little too close to home. "That type of radiation causes damage to the body's proteins and other cellular macromolecules."
"Yes," Sandra nodded excitedly. "The oxidation of protein can especially wreak havoc on a person's DNA, resulting in covalent modifications that change the physical and chemical properties of protein molecules including their structure, solubility, and enzyme activities."
Joules was familiar with oxidation. The process could be seen all over The Pitt in the rusting ironworks, where oxygen atoms were continually stealing electrons from iron atoms. He was also aware that the same process affected humans at the cellular level. "So the people of The Pitt are basically rusting…"
"In a manner of speaking," Ashur nodded. "And the process is just as damaging to my citizens as it is to the structures of my city." He added sadly.
"Well, from what I've witnessed, the disease is certainly running rampant in your city," the knight agreed. He was beginning to lose his patience with the Lord and Lady of Haven. Joules was tired of being tested and it was time for him to do the questioning. "What about this cure I've heard rumors of?"
The scientific excitement vanished from Sandra's face and the wary, overprotective suspicion returned once again and she cast a nervous glance toward Ashur. The Lord of The Pitt returned the strange look as the two of them exchanged an unspoken communication.
"It's all right, Sandra," the warrior king finally said, placing a reassuring hand on his wife's shoulder. "I believe this vaultdweller can actually help us."
"Fine," she huffed. "Follow me, New Blood."
Sandra led them to the other side of the laboratory where the lighting was dim and the noise of the machinery was just a low, almost peaceful murmur. In the center of this quiet, darkened half of the lab, the knight could see a single structure squatting in the half-light. He couldn't make it out at first, but as his eyes adjusted he suddenly realized that he was looking at a crib – and it wasn't empty!
"Is that a baby?" the knight exclaimed in a whisper.
"Yes, New Blood," Ashur replied with the same low, reverent tone. "This is our daughter, Marie."
"I… I didn't think babies were possible in The Pitt."
"Technically speaking, they aren't," Sandra said. "But neither Ashur nor I were born here, which makes us less affected by the genetic mutations common to the city."
"But not completely unaffected..?" Joules was beginning to form a hypothesis – and he didn't like the implications.
"Yes, it seems that our daughter was born with a naturally acquired immunity to any form of mutation," Ashur said.
"It's nothing short of a miracle, honestly," Sandra added, affectionately gazing down at the sleeping child. "My research into the molecular basis of Marie's extreme resistance to ionizing radiation has suggested that her body has developed some genetic alterations and functional enhancements to her DNA repair enzymes. Her genes contain condensed nucleoid structures and increases in cytosolic antioxidant capacity. These anomalies seem to have created specialized pathways for DNA repair and prevent protein oxidization which facilitates her DNA repair processes."
The thought of enhancing the human body's ability not only to resist radiation, but to actually repair the damage done to DNA sent the knight's mind reeling. What could such a cure mean for Sarah? What could it mean for his father? The possibilities were almost too good to be true. Still, extracting the cure from its source and synthesizing it seemed like a daunting task. Especially when the source was a baby girl and the extractors were her parents.
"How do you plan to isolate the source of Marie's miraculous mutation," the knight asked carefully.
"I admit, the research is slow and difficult," Sandra replied. She was regarding Joules with her suspicious, momma-bear look again. "But the tests I run are perfectly safe. Ashur and I would never risk the health of our daughter – even if that means it takes longer to develop a full cure. I know the people of The Pitt are struggling with the current conditions of their world, but they will just have to wait until I can safely isolate the nucleoids in Marie's DNA."
The people of The Pitt aren't the only ones who are struggling with the conditions of the world, Joules thought. He wondered if the Scribes back at the Citadel would be able to make quicker progress. They certainly had more technology at their disposal than Sandra did. And they weren't as emotionally invested in the research which might provide them with clearer judgement.
"You don't really think the slaves can develop a cure more efficiently than I can, do you?" The woman asked angrily, guessing at some of the knight's dark thoughts.
"Workers, dear," Ashur corrected. "Not slaves. And no one is going to harm our daughter. She is the little miracle that is going to lead our people to salvation – Midea as much as told me so herself."
"That witch woman is as bad as the rest of them," Sandra scoffed. "If anyone so much as plucks one hair off Marie's head, I'll be sure to pluck one eye out of each of theirs."
"Marie will save us," the Lord of The Pitt attested stubbornly. "And you will find the cure, Sandra. And in time, the people of The Pitt will become the strongest, healthiest, and most industrious workers on the planet…"
Joules admired Ashur's conviction, but the knight wasn't so sure the people of The Pitt had time to wait. In fact, the entire world needed whatever was locked inside the baby's DNA, and they needed it sooner rather than later. If Marie really was a miracle cure, was her life worth the lives of millions of people who were suffering and dying in the Wasteland every day? Joules was finally starting to understand just why Wernher was so secretive about the cure and why Sandra was so protective of it.
"How many people know about Marie?" the knight asked.
"Too many," Sandra spat, her mood darkening.
"Now dear, I assure you our daughter is just a rumor for the most part" Ashur soothed, "Most citizens believe we are working on a cure here in Haven, but precious few actually know of Marie's existence."
"But Wernher was one of them," the knight said knowingly.
"If that sonofabitch, or anyone else for that matter, dares to touch my daughter I'll cut off their fingers and let Marie use them as pacifiers. She'll be playing with their bones as a rattle!"
Joules understood a mother's natural instinct to protect her child, but Sandra seemed particularly violent in her declarations.
"Sandra was not a fan of my former Captain of the Guard." Ashur patted his wife on the shoulder lovingly again with a look of pure admiration in his grey eyes.
"He was an ambitious, ruthless asshole – If you'll pardon my French," the scientist flushed from a combination of anger and embarrassment.
Joules could understand her anger, but he wasn't sure what to believe. Wernher had said the same about Ashur and Sandra – living in their safe, luxurious high rise while the workers of Downtown slaved away in the Work Pit. Perhaps the Lord and Lady of Haven truly did believe they were doing what was best for their city, or maybe they had lost touch with the suffering of their people.
In the meantime, there were people Joules loved who were suffering as well. Maybe the research needed to be in the hands of a less emotionally attached scientist? Or maybe Marie was supposed to be here with her parents? Either way, the knight had sworn an oath that he wasn't leaving Haven without the cure…
He thought of the Slave Mother telling him he would have to make a difficult choice. He wasn't sure if he was on the precipice of that decision, but looking down at the tiny sleeping miracle in the crib, Joules knew he needed to figure something out – and he needed to figure it out now.
- Paladin Vargas -
The next few days passed by in a blur of long hours spent doing Atom's work. Rico had written so many Holy Water Pamphlets he had the damn invitation memorized. He lost count how many times he wrote to the good people of the Wasteland that their salvation was at hand! But writing pamphlets about Holy Water was better than bottling the ungodly stuff. Spending hour after hour elbow deep in the radioactive liquid tuned his stomach sour and left his head throbbing.
The only thing he looked forward to after a day in the bottling plant was a visit from Silver. Despite the paladin's determination to help the people of his hometown, he wasn't sure if he could have kept up his ruse as a zealous pilgrim on the path to Atom's Enlightenment without the help of the effervescent apostle. She always showed up at his door, smuggling him some more of her brahmin milk mixture to flush the worst of the rads away. Silver was truly a silver lining to his clouded, murky existence in the catacombs of the Eternal Light Monastery.
But today was different. Despite the doldrums of service to the church, the paladin felt the thrill of anticipation as he performed his monotonous duties. Today was the day that he was finally being allowed to witness the Great and Luminescent Mother Curie the Third deliver a sermon to the congregation. After what seemed an eternity of exposing himself to mind-numbing boredom and immeasurable amounts of radiation, Rico was finally going to lay eyes on the woman who was responsible for poisoning the minds and bodies of the local Wasteland population.
He spotted Silver waiting for him in a large antechamber just outside the underground chapel on the second level of the catacombs. Her face lit up when she saw him with a radiance brighter than any light Atom had to offer as she pushed her way through the crowded gathering and met Rico with a warm embrace.
"Mother Curie really draws a crowd," the paladin said awkwardly as he returned Silver's hug. He wasn't sure how the apostles felt about public displays of affection, but he hadn't seen much hugging since he'd been working in the catacombs.
"This is the one day a week no one works," Silver explained. "Every Apostle of Light in the Monastery gathers in the chapel to listen to our Great and Luminescent Mother speak of Atom's Enlightenment."
Rico took a moment to survey the congregation. It was true, the chamber held more people than he had seen even during meal times. There must have been half a hundred white-robed apostles or more gathered in the chapel foyer. Brother Gerard had told the paladin that their religion was spreading rapidly across the Wasteland, and from the looks of the crowd, Rico began to truly understand just how wide-spread and dangerous the cult was becoming.
As if on cue, the doors to the chapel suddenly swung open and Brother Gerard emerged with a warm smile on his broad face. The First Officer of the Apostles spread his big arms wide open and invited the congregation to enter the chapel. "Enter blessed pilgrims and let our Great and Luminescent Mother put you on the path to salvation," he roared above the din. "And may Atom light your way."
"Here we go," Silver said, taking the paladin's hand and leading him forward with the throng of worshipers, "The moment you've been waiting for."
Rico nodded but didn't respond. He still couldn't believe how many cultists were gathered here in the catacombs. Even though the chapel was the largest subterranean chamber he had seen so far, the sea of white-robed zealots had to pack themselves pretty tightly on the rows of pews in order to fit the entire congregation. A few even had to stand in the back, all to catch a glimpse of Mother Curie the Third.
The chamber was modestly adorned as far as chapels went. Pictures revealing the glory of Atom performing what appeared to be various miracles and radioactive acts of benevolence were painted on the chapel walls. The walls themselves were lit by a glow that the paladin was certain came from troughs of irradiated liquid that ran along the base of the cathedral. The dais simply consisted of an elevated wooden platform with an old podium at its center. Behind the podium, a large metal sign depicting the yellow and black symbol for radiation was the only ornamentation.
Brother Gerard stood to the side of the podium, still wearing his ever-present smile and shaking hands with some of the parishioners as they filed into the chapel. The worshipers all smiled back at him as they entered. It seemed that today was everybody's favorite day of the week. Rico thought it was his too if it meant he didn't have to wallow in irradiated Aqua Pura all afternoon – although he had the sneaking suspicion that the background radiation levels in the chapel might peg a Geiger counter. The warmth emanating from the green glowing walls wasn't encouraging.
Eventually, when the crowd finally settled into place, The First Officer raised his arms again and the room fell into silence. Brother Gerard's robe hung down like two giant wings making him look to Rico like a big bird considering taking flight, but the apostle's expression had turned serious.
"Behold," he bellowed, his booming voice rumbling through the stone chamber like a clap of thunder. "She who consorts with Atom's Angels, she who communes with Atom's Prophet, she who gave birth to the very Sun of Atom, our Great and Luminescent Savior, Mother Curie the Third!"
Rico wasn't sure what he was expecting, but after an introduction like that, he thought perhaps the heavens themselves would open and a winged angel would appear in a blinding burst of light. Instead, a tall and slender, almost fragile looking old woman tottered out onto the raised dais. She looked roughly the same age as his mother, somewhat eerily similar in appearance too. For a moment the paladin wondered if perhaps each worshiper saw a resemblance to their own mothers in Mother Curie – but Rico knew he was just being ridiculous and chastised himself for letting the superstitious mumbo-jumbo of the Monastery get to him.
"It warms my heart to see the chapel filled with so many Apostles of Atom's Holy Light," the old woman said in a voice that cracked with emotion and age. Mother Curie even sounded a little like his own mother, the paladin thought as a chill ran the length of his spine.
"Where others walk only in a dying Wasteland, today we take another precious step along the path of eternal light."
"Praise Atom," the congregation murmured.
"But let us not forget those weary Wasteland travelers. It is a part of our duty to Atom to help them find the path to his Eternal Glow. For it was not so long ago that we were lost like them."
"Amen," the crowd responded.
"I too was once a pathless pilgrim, wandering through life in a sleep-walk state, lost in the endless darkness of the unenlightened. I searched long and hard for answers. Sought refuge in the words of charlatans and false prophets. I even rose to the ranks of Confessor in the Church of the Children of Atom."
Hushed gasps of shock rippled through the congregation. Even Rico was surprised to think that Cromwell would let one of his confessors turn on the church – if what this old woman said was true.
"But the Children of Light teach of a Great Division, a splitting of Atom into infinite universes. But that which divides us leads us into war, and warfare always leads to death and darkness.
"Yet, it was during one such sermon that I drifted off into a dream-like trance and Atom, in his infinite wisdom, bestowed upon me a vision. A vision of this very Monastery!"
She spread her rickety arms out to encompass the entirety of the chamber evoking another gasp of approval from the crowd.
"She's not the first one to nod off during one of Cromwell's sermons," Rico whispered to Silver beneath the oohs and aahs of the congregation.
Without looking at him, Silver nudged the paladin to hold his tongue, but out of the corner of his eye he could see her smile.
"And it was here," the old woman continued, "in the deepest levels of these very catacombs that I was met by a Prophet of Atom. And do you know what he said unto me?"
That you're a complete loon! Rico kept that comment to himself.
"He spoke to me of unification, my children, not division! He spoke unto me of fusion not fission. Where others would see a world divided, Atom unites us. And, dear apostles, when you achieve enlightenment, you will indeed be infused with Atom's Holy Light and become one with the Glow!"
"Praise him," the worshipers said in full voice, caught up in the rush of religious fervor. "Praise be to Atom."
"Children of the Light," Mother Curie yelled above the crowd's enthusiasm. She was really hitting her stride now. "Hear my words and feel Atom's warmth!"
I can feel it alright, Rico thought, casting another dark glance at the glowing walls.
"For too long, our world has been barren and the souls our people have become stark and sterile," the old woman pressed on, her voice quieter but somehow more commanding than Brother Gerard's. "Their hearts have grown empty and dry, and a powerful thirst consumes the weak and strong alike."
Yeah, they're thirsty because you're stealing their water.
"But we can save them! For Atom's bounty has granted us the gifts of mercy and compassion! Oh, my brethren, let us share with them the Waters of Light!"
Rico was becoming less and less enthralled with this wicked old woman who had the nerve to call Cromwell a charlatan.
"Let them be fulfilled by Atom! Let them know his glow and be truly Enlightened!"
Let them be ghoulified – or worse! The paladin thought darkly.
"And let them live forever, and walk with us in the grace of Atom's Glow, and never be empty again!"
The congregation could contain its passion no longer and erupted in a chorus of praises and amens. Rico, however, kept his eyes locked on Mother Curie, and something about the look on the old woman's face reminded him of the evil smile a Deathclaw makes right before it devours its prey!