In retrospect, Johanna decided that Elder Maxson had not let her off easy at all.
For the past twelve days she had been hunched over Maxson's ancient terminal, decoding a single holodisk that contained hundreds of terabytes of data.
He had put her back on desk duty after the recent trip to Sanctuary, and though she thought it would be an easy punishment, the task was grating at her nerves for several reasons.
The computers' processors were even more ancient than the tech she had worked with in her vault and the program worked at a glacial pace that set Johanna on edge. She was in the process of creating files that would eventually become organized by subject and accessible by keyword entry. The hardest part of her assignment was waiting for the program she created to run its course. While she waited, Jo read documents that had been decoded the previous day and tried to decide what subject to file it under.
It was an extremely time consuming task and Johanna had decided not to tell Arthur that it would take much longer than first estimated to finish sorting through the data.
Another source of stress was the actual content of the files. At first, Johanna had been sure that Elder Maxson was playing a joke on her. The documents were immensely varied in format and subject, but many had one thing in common- the synthetic beings created in a science lab that were made to imitate humans in every visible aspect. Within the laws of the "Institute", these beings were seen solely as property and were therefore deemed disposable resources. They were commonly used for hard labor or reconnaissance in the Commonwealth. The sheer number of these machines claimed to have been manufactured was astounding and growing at an exponential rate if she had done the calculations on her spreadsheets correctly.
As if this had not been hard enough to believe as fact, some of the most surprising of the data came in the form of a file that detailed resource usage. The file was huge and Jo wondered how far back the data had been recorded. By her estimation, it could have dated back to the years around the war of 2077.
Everything was meticulously documented and seemed legitimate, though also fictitious when Jo considered the current state of the world. Outside of a vault, it was extremely unlikely that anyone had managed to survive without the constant reminder of nuclear destruction, though the Institute claimed to have clean drinking water. Enough crops for a steady supply of radiation free rations. Electricity that ran on a pre-war nuclear reactor. Near the bottom of one page, it was noted that Room 10C had requested the acquisition of a hospital bed for its tenant.
She had laughed out loud and stared at the screen in disbelief.
The "holodisk project", as she had generically dubbed it after Maxson refused it a title, was often difficult to comprehend. The technology described in the documents did not exist any longer- of that, Johanna had been certain. With every new file that was dycrypted, Jo was sure she was wasting her time. The scientist inside of her was intrigued by the Institute's claims, though every rational part of her brain insisted the files were pure science fiction, even after Arthur assured her that the Institute was very real and the information had come from a reliable source.
Despite Arthur's reassurances, every once in a while she would read something that just struck her as funny, living in post-apocolytic Boston. She would often find herself laughing outloud in Elder Maxson's deserted quarters, wishing for someone to share the joke with. Someone who saw just how impossible it was for a scientific faction of this magnitude to exist in the Commonwealth. One which boasted the resources to be fully self sustaining and the technology to create an army of mechanical soldiers.
It was a ridiculous notion, and Johanna had voiced her opinions to Arthur several times. He had dismissed her concerns with a wave of his hand, seemingly impatient with any line of questioning concerning the validity of the holodisk. It made her absurdly curious about his motives and what kind of information he was searching for.
When Johanna heard the metal door screech open behind her, she decided to try a different tactic to get information out of the young Elder.
Elder Maxson entered, holding a lunch tray in one hand. He had been bringing her lunch to his quarters for the past few days, as Jo was so often caught up in reading that she forgot to go to meal times.
"Is that..."
Forgetting her questions about the Institute, Jo stared at the tray with a smile on her lips.
"Purified water. I thought you'd be appreciative." The corner of Arthur's lip curled upwards into a half grin. "Though I'm afraid the meal itself does contain radiation. Come take a break," he ordered, sounding like the imposing leader she was becoming more familiar with as the days passed by. She wouldn't deny that she was beginning to appreciate Arthur as more than just the figurehead of the Brotherhood.
With a few taps on the keyboard, Jo added a few more files to the que for dycrption so that they might be done by the time she finished her lunch. Only then did she stand up, gasping a little as a sharp pain shot up her spine. Leaning over the computer for extended periods was creating a constant ache in her lower back.
"Thank you. Sir." Johanna smiled at him, despite the pain. She was honestly surprised to see the bottle of clear water on the tray, as it had been weeks since she had last ingested anything that was rad-free.
"Take these." He nodded, perhaps in return of her thanks, and dumped two Rad-X into her palm from a bottle he kept at the small table used for eating.
She accepted without hesitation, having decided not to argue with him about her anti-radiation medications as it would do no good. He would refuse to hear her concerns or to discuss repayment for the expenses.
She swallowed the pills with a gulp of tepid water, almost moaning at the taste of minerals the water left on her tongue. It was a far cry from the murky, iodine treated water she was used to.
"This is amazing, thank you again," she muttered, wiping the corner of her mouth with her thumb. Arthur stood very still, motioning for her to take a seat and begin on her meal. In that moment she noticed that the tray consisted of a flatbread made of razorgrain and a variety of produce that must have been acquired from Sanctuary. He had noticed her distaste for meat over the past few days and appeared to have brought her a custom plate.
She wanted to thank him again as she realized just how thoughtful he had been. It was out of fear of sounding redundant that she kept her lips tightly sealed.
"Perhaps you could eat a full meal today, as repayment. You still look much too small and frail."
Johanna took her seat, unable to believe her luck. She gave Arthur her brightest smile and tore off a chunk of bread with her fingers.
He looked like his usual grandiose self, leather jacket stretched taut across impressive muscles, jaw set and a serious expression across his features, but the wrinkles in his forehead seemed much more pronounced as he watched her slowly chew.
Jo felt her stomach flutter lightly as she met his eyes, somewhat embarrassed by his attention.
"Actually, I have regained the weight I've lost since leaving my vault. I currently have a very healthy BMI." She reassured him, thinking of how she had suffered without the medication he was providing. How he still showed concern for her well being. She fought to stay silent, so that she would not make a fool of herself by fumbling over her words.
"You could stand to put some more weight on," Maxson replied, his eyes running over her body. Though she saw only a clinical interest in them, Jo felt her cheeks warm with his intrusive gaze.
"I-I have always been unable to surpass certain proportions. An imposition I can only blame on my genetics. Not every experiment in the vault was a success."
They were both silent for a long moment, Johanna watching her reflection in the pupil of Arthur's eyes. He stood over her with a blank expression, his gaze locked on hers.
She could have kicked herself for ruining a perfectly normal conversation with the mention of her unusual origins. She had long ago learned that it made others uncomfortable and she offered Arthur a small smile while wishing she knew what he was thinking. Unreadable as always, his demeanor gave her no clues.
"I'm sorry, I have not acheived much success with normal social interactions," she admitted for lack of anything better to say. "Perhaps that's the main reason why I have no close relationships. It's hard to relate to someone who was conceived in a test tube."
Though slight, the shift of his facial muscles suggested pity.
She startled slightly upon feeling a brush of weight against her skin, before realizing that Arthur had closed his hand over top of her own. She looked down at their connected hands, wincing slightly as she realized that she had messed up their conversation so badly that he felt he had to comfort her.
"It's not that bad," she blurted out, her hand twitching nervously under his huge palm. Her heartbeat began to quicken, uncomfortable with the unusual contact from the stoic Elder. His skin was rough against her own soft flesh and it brought his touch to her full attention.
"Perhaps it's you that can't relate," Maxson suggested, surprising her with his blunt words. "You're incredibly intelligent. I can't imagine that many on this ship could offer you a stimulating conversation."
Johanna chewed her lip nervously, still hyper aware of the feel of his calloused hand on her own.
"That is untrue," she replied, shaking her head minutely. "You make me sound like some sort of elitist with a superiority complex. Everyone has some measure of intelligence to share. It's simply that they prefer not to share it with me."
Jo was surprised when he smiled, seemingly unbothered by her indignant tone.
"You are rather intimidating. My men may claim to be fearless, but I can assure you they wouldn't know what to do when you start talking about the half life of radioactive isotopes in your lunch."
Johanna was already blushing, still ready to argue further, but paused and looked down at her hand where Arthur had begun to rub his thumb in circles over her fingers. She looked back to his eyes, her own widening with shock. Was he still attempting to comfort her?
"I never understand what you're talking about," Maxson continued, squeezing her hand lightly, "but you don't deserve to be so isolated. I'll speak to Neriah about assigning you some duties on the upper deck. It will be good for you."
"Oh. But Arthur- sir. What about decoding the holodisk?" She glanced back towards his terminal, feeling dejected at the thought of being replaced and pushed into the science labs with Neriah as her direct superior.
Arthur stiffened at the mention of the holodisk, finally removing his hand from hers.
"I'll be having Proctor Quinlan take over after today. I understand the task is an enormous undertaking, I would never ask you to complete it on your own."
"I was under the assumption that I would be working on the project until completion. Have I... has my work been unsatisfactory?"
"Not at all," he assured her with a smile she was certain was forced. "The program you created works amazingly well and I believe your talents are now being wasted. Wouldn't you enjoy working in biological development alongside those with similar interests?"
Feeling as though she could not be truthful, Jo pressed her lips together and remained silent for a long moment. Being direct would be much easier.
"Is this to be on a permanant basis?"
"Polowski..." Maxson sighed, running a hand through his dark beard, almost tiredly. "I'm not the only one that has noticed you haven't developed any personal connections. It's an integral part of being in the Brotherhood, sharing a bond between soldiers. Where else can I place you so that you might find common ground with another soul on this ship?"
Jo felt her stomach flutter with anxiety at the thought of being thrown into the provernial lions' den that was Neriah's lab. Maxson thought he was doing her a favor, but that couldn't have been farther from the truth.
"I don't want to be stuck on this ship with all these hateful stares," she quipped, surprising even herself, yet she did not stop there. "You asked of my readiness for field missions and I can assure you that I am ready. I thought this desk duty was supposed to be temporary?"
Maxson still looked genuinely surprised.
"That's really what you want? To be a field scribe?"
"It is. I think I've had enough of biological development for a lifetime."
"I see." But she could tell that he didn't, not really. He was surprised, perhaps by her audacity to speak to him in such a manner, though Johanna believed he respected her straightforward mannerisms.
"I apologized for my disobedience in Sanctuary. Please don't send me to the science labs." She managed to speak clearly, though her tone held a slight quiver. He lifted his hand to her face, though he did not make contact. His fingers hovered by her cheek for just a moment before he dropped his hand.
"As you wish, Polowski," he sighed, rubbing his beard again. "I'll make the arrangments to have you transferred back to Danse's outfit. Don't make me regret this."