14
The 'decent chow' turned out to be some kind of meat ground up and boiled in a stew. Patience picked at the food in the bowl while Valrie and Gia both wolfed it down like they hadn't eaten in days. Gia even got herself a second helping and ate that as fast as she had the first bowl. Patience, herself, found herself too distracted. The last few hours had thrown up a number of things to think about, not least of which turned on who, exactly, Vincent was.
The canteen, situated on the second floor of the GNR building, had rows of tables and chairs and a hatch through to the kitchen area where Brotherhood soldiers wandered in to get their daily rations. Each and every one of the soldiers sat at least a table length away from the three women, pretending not to stare at the new arrivals and whispering among themselves.
Kowalski and Bitterman remained standing, still ensconced in their black Brotherhood power armour, weapons at the ready and not saying a thing to any of the three, even when asked direct questions. Patience didn't know if they were prisoners or guests. Nothing she saw indicated either way. For certain, they weren't trusted, but neither did she feel any animosity.
"I still don't fucking trust him." Valrie brought Patience out of her reverie, pulling Patience's bowl of stew towards her and digging a lazy spoon into it. "So, he's with the Brotherhood of Steel, or tied to them. He still works for that weasel faced fucker, Moriarty. You can't tell me he hasn't been doing what Moriarty has told him to, up to and including killing people. I know. That's how fucking Moriarty works,"
"I don't know. Does it matter?" Patience glanced over to the other tables and all the soldiers' eyes slipped away. "It doesn't change anything. I don't know these people. I don't know what they stand for. All I know is, I still have to get to Vault-Tec HQ. Everything else is someone else's problem."
"Now you're fucking getting it!" Valrie stuck a thumb out towards the other people eating. "These fuckers aren't the worst in the Wasteland, but they have their own agenda. Not our problem."
"I'm going to steal one of their power armours." Gia, her head down, giving a mournful look into her empty bowl, didn't notice the sudden whipcrack turn of several soldiers' heads at her words. "Then I can be a hero, like you."
"Watch what you're saying, Gia. I don't think these people will understand your sense of humour." She said that loud enough for everyone to hear, hoping they would think Gia was joking, rather than serious, as Patience thought the girl was. "And besides, I'm not a hero."
"That's not what I've heard." This man, planting himself down in the seat beside Patience, didn't look like a soldier. A thick, sleeveless jacket covered a white sweater. A grey beanie hat lolled upon his head and a pair of round, dark sunglasses adorned his eyes. An easy going smile framed by a well trimmed beard and a hand held out to shake. "I'm Three Dog and I've heard a lot about you, Sister."
"Well, Valrie has been exaggerating things." Patience shook Three Dog's hand.
"Valrie! Hey, nice to finally meet you!" Three Dog leaned behind Patience to shake Valrie's hand. "Thanks for all the news you send my way. If I had station merchandise, you'd get the whole damned lot."
"No problem. Just doing my bit for the Good Fight." Patience couldn't be certain, but she thought she caught a slight blush on Valrie's face.
"I'm Gia. I'm a big fan. A big fan!" Gia reached over the table, grabbing Three Dog's hand and pumping it with both of hers. "Oh, god! I'm so excited, I think I just peed a little."
"It's nice to meet you too, Gia." Three Dog laughed and then returned his attention to Patience. "You know, I thought you'd be taller."
"I get that a lot." Patience felt embarrassed at the attention. "I must be a disappointment after the crap Valrie's been feeding you."
"On the contrary. It just makes your story that more relatable." Taking out a pack of cigarettes, Three Dog offered them around, lighting everyone else's before his own. He leaned back in the chair, resting his arm on the table. "You're big news and you've made a name for yourself beyond this little group of yours. I've been getting reports from Girdershade to Megaton and right here in the Downtown ruins. You can't stop the signal."
"Like I said, exaggerated." Patience took a deep draw of her cigarette, released it and glared at Valrie. Valrie grinned and shrugged.
"You saved Sierra from raiders."
"I caught them by surprise."
"Stared down a horde of Super Mutants."
"Something else was going on there. That wasn't my doing."
"Killed two Super Mutants by yourself and saved four people from god know's what horror."
"More luck than anything and I almost died."
"Got your friends out of the Metro tunnels, safe and sound, through dozens of feral ghouls."
"That was a group effort."
Three Dog paused, rocking the chair back onto two legs. He watched Patience through a cloud of smoke and the dark lenses of his sunglasses, studying her. Patience still didn't like the attention. She looked anywhere but at Three Dog, or Valrie, or Gia, but saw other people in the room staring at her. Their expressions had changed from thinly veiled animosity to interest.
"You really don't see it, do you?" Three Dog dropped the chair back onto four legs and leaned in towards Patience, resting his elbows on his knees. "You really believe that bull you just told me. I've never known a more modest, self-effacing bullshit artist in my life. Hell, even the Lone Wanderer knew what they were. But you, you don't even know what you are."
"She's a big damn hero is what she is." Gia stared at her, admiration in her eyes.
Valrie had that look on her face. The one that said she was going to say something honest, whether you liked it or not. The canteen prickled with silence as everyone watched her. It was too much. She jumped up, sending her chair crashing behind her.
"I'm not. I'm not a hero. I'm not here to right wrongs or help people. I just want to find out who I am, where I came from and why I was found dying in the Wasteland. This, all of this, this is the real bullshit. I'm no-one. I'm not better than anyone. I'm not worse than anyone. I'm just ... just ..." She needed to get out of there. There was a door to the bathroom at the other end of the canteen and she barged her way through the Brotherhood soldiers, slamming the door after her.
"Well, she's better at throwing a fucking hissy-fit than anyone else. That's for fucking certain." Valrie took another draw from her cigarette and winked at Three Dog.
"You're listening to the adventures of me, Herbert "Daring" Dashwood, and my stalwart ghoul manservant, Argyle. Today's episode: My ghoul has no nose.
"Remain calm, Argyle, old chum. These chaps haven't killed us yet."
"'Yet' is a big word, boss. Where are you dopes taking us?"
"The High Priest will want to talk to you."
"The High Priest? Is this some kind of cult? And why am I tied up and my manservant isn't?"
"Don't worry, boss. You'll think of something. These tunnels are winding around, I don't even know which direction we're going."
"Look, Argyle, there's some kind of room ahead. Maybe we can turn the tables with a bit more space?"
"Behold! The Great Ghoul and our High Priest."
"Is that ... is that a statue ... of you, my faithful friend?"
Well, it's something alright."
"Ah, my flock have found you at last, oh Great Ghoul. The statue is, indeed, of you."
"I don't see the resemblance. The nose is all wrong."
"Whatever do you mean, Argyle? The statue is you to a 'T'."
"Yes, you are the Great Ghoul. The prophesied one and we are yours to command."
"You'll do anything I say?"
"Anything, oh Great Ghoul."
"Then the Great Ghoul commands you ... to kill each other."
"Argyle! That can't possibly ..."
sounds of furious gunfire
"Well, I'll be gosh darned, Argyle. It worked! They're all dead!"
"It was worth a shot, boss. Now, let's get you untied and get out of this dump."
"But, what about that statue? Don't you want to know why they have a statue of you?"
"Nah. Like I said, the nose is all wrong. That ain't me."
"If you say so, old chum. If you say so."
"Be sure and tune in next time for another exciting adventure of me, Herbert "Daring" Dashwood and my stalwart ghoul manservant Argyle!"
Patience emerged from the bathroom several minutes later. Everyone had left the canteen. Everyone except Three Dog, sat lounging still in the same chair, hands in his pockets. He said nothing, only pushing a chair around and inviting her to sit.
"You're friends are being assigned cots for the night. Your buddy, Vincent, won't be out of debrief for hours yet." He waited for Patience to sit and then leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "Look, I get it. You have your own thing going on, you don't need the hassle of being raised up as a hero of the wastes. I get it."
"Do you? Just days ago, I woke up with no memory of who I am in a country that I don't remember. In my mind, there should be fields and trees. Kids playing in the parks. There should be colour and life and ..." She waved her hand in an aimless fashion then used the same hand to run fingers through her hair. She could feel tears forming, but she'd be damned if she started crying.
"And instead you found the Wasteland. You found bad things and bad people everywhere." Three Dog's voice soothed her, somewhat. He had a kindness to his voice that she hadn't heard in a while. "You know, the Lone Wanderer was a lot like you. A vault dweller, dropped into the wastes without a clue what was going on. All they wanted was to find their father. And they did! But, along the way, they did some great things. Fought the Good Fight, even though that wasn't what they set out to do."
"I never set out to fight anyone." She looked away, her hand covering her mouth, holding back those tears. "It all just happened."
"Whether you meant to or not, you helped people and that's a good thing, right?" He reached over, clasping her hand. "Sierra is alive because you didn't think, you helped. Those four Wastelanders are alive because you didn't think, you just did the right thing. Not everyone goes looking for the Good Fight. Sometimes the Good Fight comes looking for you. And you? You stand up. You say you didn't want to do those things, but you did them anyway. That makes you a hero in my book."
The tension of all the days since Valrie had found her had built up inside. She couldn't relax. She couldn't take any time to take anything in. It had all washed over her in a continuous river of desperation and violence crashing against a dam and she felt like she was drowning. She looked at Three Dog, his circular sunglasses removed and those soulful dark eyes watching her with such sympathy and the dam burst.
She couldn't stop it. The stress of everything she had experienced poured out. Deep, wracking sobs lurched her shoulders. Three Dog gathered her up in his arms and she clung to him as the tears trailed down her face. He held her tight enough to be comforting, but not too tight to make her feel restrained. He gave her just enough of his own strength to supplement hers.
It took several minutes before Patience found herself able to let go. She pulled back from Three Dog and the radio man released her from his arms, looking into her eyes and smiling. She wiped her eyes with swipes of her fingers and gave a hiccuping half-laugh.
"Not so heroic now, eh?" She blinked a few times, looking up at the ceiling of the canteen.
"Biggest damned hero I ever seen." He patted her hand and stood up. "Well, I got a radio station to take care of. Come see me before you go. Oh, and just so you know, I'm gonna keep talking about you. The Wasteland needs its heroes and its my job to give those heroes to the Wasteland. That's how I fight the Good Fight."
Three Dog left the canteen with an easy-going saunter, replacing his sunglasses as he left. The man had a way about him. Different from the persona he had over the radio. More reserved, yet more intense. Less overtly friendly, but more sympathetic and thoughtful. Patience guessed that was the nature of his chosen calling. No-one wanted to hear someone dour and quiet over the radio.
Seconds later, Gia returned to the canteen. At first it didn't look as if she saw Patience, heading straight for the serving hatch into the kitchen. Seeing no-one around, she came over and slumped next to Patience.
"I was hoping to get more stew." She didn't notice the redness in Patience's eyes or, at least, she didn't draw attention to it. "You should see the beds! I swear, there's barely any stains on the mattresses. I mean, like, hardly any! Not the good kind of stains, or the bad."
"What's a good stain?" Patience screwed her eyes trying to figure that out.
"You know!" Gia made exaggerated moaning sounds, thrusting her groin up and down while rolling her eyes. "The good kind."
"You're a strange little creature, Gia, but I like you." Patience stood up, holding her hand out to the young ex-raider. "Come on, show me where my rack is."
"It's right there." Gia stood up and made a sweeping gesture with both hands across Patience's chest. "You can't miss it. Trust me, no-one can miss that rack!"
"I meant my bed for the night and you know it." Gia grinned and winked, grabbing Patience's hand and leading her out of the canteen towards the dormitory area.