Chapter Nine.

She helped Dr. Banfield, an elderly black man with short white hair help the wounded that could be helped and give a lethal dose of medication to those who couldn't. Moira let Dr. Banfield handle the dosing.

There was no sign of Mr. Burke, something the guard who hid behind the desk with her, Chief Gustavo, said wasn't surprising at all.

"When I see him, he's dead," said Gustavo once the wounded had been set to rest. In the end, three of the twelve guards had survived. There were other guards upstairs, but Gustavo was not happy about his forces being depleted. Moira, again admitting she knew little about war, didn't see why he was so bothered by the loss. He clearly had no personal affection for his men, and the tower was fortified well enough so that only a few were needed to keep danger out.

After all was said and done, Gustavo went about reassigning security guards to make up for the loss. Moira had been about to ask Dr. Banfield if anyone else lived in the tower, when they were joined by another old man. He wore a brown sweater over a blue shirt, and had a rifle slung over his back.

"Looks like I missed the fun," he said, stroking his beard and surveying the damage. "Herbert Dashwood," he said, walking over to Moira and extending his hand. She took it to shake, but he too it and kissed the back of it. "And who might you be, young lady?"

Her cheeks turned red. "M-Moira Brown," she said. "I'm from Megaton." Dashwood's voice sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she had heard it.

"Ah, Megaton," Dashwood said. "That's the place with the live nuke right in the town square? My kind of place."

Dr. Banfield was frowning. "Indeed it is," he said. "How is everyone upstairs?"

"Fine, fine," Dashwood said, as Gustavo came back towards them from a back hallway. "I think everyone's enjoying the little holiday caused by the ruckus."

"More likely they're bitching," said Gustavo. "I can hear it now 'This place is supposed to be secure. Why are there bombs going off in the lobby.' I'll kill that Burke when I see him and feed his carcass to the ghouls."

The three men went silent at the mention of ghouls.

"I know a ghoul," Moira said. "His name is Gob."

"That's a good name for a ghoul," Gustavo said. "Descriptive. Take that Roy Phillips. His name aught to be Disgusting, or Asshole."

"I knew one named Argyle," Dashwood said. "Best manservant a man could have. Saved my skin more times than I care to admit." Gustavo's eyes rolled, while Dr. Banfield's seemed interested. "Why, one time, we…"

"Can it," Gustavo said, cutting Dashwood off. "I'm in no mood for your stories. How about you head over to Warrington Station and kill those assholes yourself? I'd listen to that."

Dashwood crossed his arms. "Young people, who needs 'em?" He looked to Moira. "Are you a fan of Galaxy News Radio? You might have heard about me from there."

It clicked in Moira's mind as to where she knew Dashwood from. She should have recognized the name, and now could taste Mentats on the back of her tongue. Maybe they had some in the tower.

"I can see by your expression you're a fan," Dashwood said. Banfield and Gustavo excused themselves while Dashwood, launched into a long monologue about how he used to roam the wasteland with his ghoul manservant Argyle, getting into adventures.

Many of the exploits he recounted she had heard over the airwaves, but a few she hadn't. Moira stood enthralled, forgetting her Mentats. He can help with the guide, she thought. He knows everything!

She didn't know how long she had been listening to Dashwood, but his talk was interrupted by Gustavo. "Mr. Tenpenny would like to see you," he said. "This time, it's your choice, but I suggest you meet with him."

Dashwood nodded for her to go, and she followed Gustavo to the elevator which took them up to the top of the tower. He led her past some of the finer suites and through an interior garden.

Past a red door, Moira found herself out on a high balcony, overlooking the wasteland. She could see the D.C. ruins with the Washington Monument jutting up into the sky, and thought she could pick out a pile of junk nearby to the north that could have been Megaton.

Alistair Tenpenny was sitting in a chair next to a chessboard off to her right. "Moira Brown, is it?" said Tenpenny. He was an older man, as Moira had expected. He was dressed in white pants and a red coat with a red tie. Leaning on the rail next to him was an impressive looking rifle.

"Um, yes," she said, extending her hand. He took it and gave it one firm shake.

"I'm afraid I owe you an apology," he said. "I mentioned off-hand one day around Mr. Burke that your hometown was a bit of an eyesore. The man is quite eager to please and it seems he took it upon himself to blow the place up."

"Oh," Moira said. "I was wondering what was wrong with it."

"A trifle," Tenpenny said. "If the sum of my ambitions was this tower and this tower alone, Megaton's renovation might be a priority, but it is not."

"That's good to know," Moira said. "Um, not to be rude but…"

"No, no, my dear," Tenpenny said. "I understand perfectly. You may leave at any time, although…"

"Although?"

"I would advise you to look around. Have Gustavo here take you on a tour. See what my tower has to offer, meet some of the people. If you like it and think you might consider staying, come and speak with me. I may be able to get that Moriarty fellow out of your business, as well as see to it that the Talon Company doesn't seek retribution."

Moira swallowed hard. She had figured Mr. Burke was the bad one, but it seemed as though she had her hopes up for nothing. "I'll have a look," she said, hoping she didn't sound as terrified as she felt.

"Very well then. Gustavo?"

Gustavo tapped her on the back and they walked back into the tower. It was quite clear to her Gustavo wanted no part of being a tour guide judging from his one word descriptions of places. All the suite doors were shut as well, so she didn't get to meet any residence.

The tour ended at the tower's front gate. "In case you didn't get it," Gustavo said, "Either Megaton goes or you do. Personally, I don't give a molerat's ass. Serves you morons right for living near a bomb. Now, get out of her and watch your back."

She was ushered out the front gate. It was late in the afternoon and she had no weapon, plus the back of her head still hurt. Hungry, thirsty, and tired, Moira set off running back towards Megaton. Simms' time limit on killing Mr. Burke didn't seem to matter much now, but she still had some work to do with the mini nuke, if it was still where she had left it.

People still wanted to blow up her home and perhaps her along with it. I wish there was a guide on not getting kidnapped, she thought. It takes up an awful lot of time.

To be continued…