Chapter 9: Cadit quaestio

The Question Falls ; Implies that a settlement to a dispute or issue has been reached and the issue is now resolved.

Sanctuary Hills was hardly ideal for a settlement in terms of defense - the whole place was on a hill and while that may seem like an advantage - it just meant that they stuck out like a sore thumb in the landscape and no matter how hard you could try, you couldn't always barricade everywhere - Garv knew firsthand that there was always a weakness somewhere to be exploited.

Then there was what happened if they came to the attention of somebody - anybody really. Garv had promised to leave Vaultie's little home alone - he never made a promise to help her defend it against other raiders. Lexington was too far away - a day's walk, at least - to really be of any assistance, anyway.

However that was not his problem. None of this was his problem. It was a shining beacon of truth that he had to hang onto right now as he watched Vaultie show her new "friends" around the place. They did not seem enthused by what they found.

It had been a long, awkward walk back - though at least the Mr Handy, Codsworth, hadn't threatened their new "settlers" like he had Garv and Sturges. He seemed to be warming up to the fact that people were starting to come through the area again. People who didn't attack on sight. Vaultie had also demanded they stop to pick up the dog, claiming it wasn't safe for it all alone at Red Rocket - which annoyed everyone involved bar Mama Murphy and Sturges. The old lady greeted it like an old friend and likewise - the dog seemed keen on her. The Mr Handy had also exclaimed about the charms of the dog. It seemed that the mutt was there to stay and had happily trotted away to - what Garv assumed - sniff and pee up broken walls. Garv refocused on Vaultie's little show of what was left.

'You can have any house you want.' Vaultie offered gallantly as the three arrived back in front of Garv.

'Okay. That one.' Marcy pointed to the one lit by glittering candles and seemingly in better condition. That was Vaultie's house, Garv knew.

'Uh, no. No. I'm sorry that's - that's my house. You can't have it.' Vaultie defended.

Marcy Long snorted. 'So you get the best house on the block? Why do you deserve it?' She demanded in tones that made Garv want to shoot her. It was just another example of why you should never give an inch in the Commonwealth but Vaultie surprised him with her curt and stoutly unmoveable answer.

'It's my block and my house.'

The two stared at each other for some time and Garv was sure that if someone got between them, they'd be laser-dust before you could blink. Evidently, Marcy lost and looked away to Jun with an unhappy scowl on her face. 'This place is a wreck, anyway.'

'If you don't like what I'm offering, you're free to leave.' Vaultie replied. 'I'm willing to put in the work myself.'

Marcy seemed as surprised as Garv was at that answer. It seemed that when push came to shove and it was something she clearly cared about - Vaultie would choose to push back. 'I wasn't saying that - I was saying that it's going to take an awful lot of work - and for what, huh?'

'Lets start with a free roof over your head.' Vaultie replied. 'I'm being generous when I don't really have any need to be.' Marcy Long grumbled but Garv knew that realistically, she was getting a good deal.

Marcy and Jun descended once again into the rapid fire language of theirs as they seemed to discuss whether staying was a good idea. He wasn't sure who was taking what stance, or who was winning. Nor did he particularly care. Garv left their new guests to it and instead went to find Sturges and the old lady. Vaultie was following him, but he hardly cared. He already knew she wasn't going to shoot him in the back, wasn't the type. Maybe she intended to apologise or restart their argument, he wasn't going to give her the opportunity to do either and stepped up his pace.

He found them in the house across the street where the two raiders had spent an uncomfortable night's sleep. He stalled at the door. They seemed to be deep in conversation and Garv was hesitant to butt into it unless something pressing occurred. Somehow, Mama Murphy had found an intact old armchair in the most hideous shade of green Garv had personally ever seen - which was probably why it had been left mostly intact. She seemed to like it.

'Sturges, I warned you long ago what would happen. Just like I warned Jared.' Her voice was weary and tired.

'I know, Mama Murphy. We can't all avoid our fate. We tried though. We tried.' Sturges replied.

Garv leaned against the outside of the door and listened, aware that this probably wasn't meant for his ears.

'You know as well as I do, she needs all the help she can get.' She? Garv speared the Vault Dweller who had followed him and positioned herself on the other side of the door with a look but she looked just as confused as he did. 'It's not gonna get any easier, you know.' The old woman added with a cracked sort of sigh. 'I've seen it.'

'Seen what?' Sturges pressed. 'Mama Murphy, we've been through so much already.'

From his perch, Garv watched Mama Murphy give the raider a sad sort of smile. 'You know that whatever I see is always cryptic.'

'We need you to tell us more about this secret entrance.' Sturges pressed. 'Please, Mama Murphy, we need everything we can get.' He pleaded and Garv squirmed up against the door. It was true that they needed help, and he hated it. The thought of relying on someone like her - without any sort of proof, either, was laughable. Nobody could see the future.

'You know to do that, The Sight needs help.'

'What kind of help?' Vaultie asked and stepped into the room, breaking the spell. Sturges whipped around, gun in hand but paused upon seeing the trademark blue and yellow suit. He seemed almost apologetic about the fact he could have and almost had shot her.

The handyman-raider laughed nervously and put the pistol away. 'Sorry, reflexes. I don't like bein' snuck up on.'

Well, that was out there. Garv stepped into the room himself and nodded to Sturges who frowned at him, knowing he'd been eavesdropping but nodded back universally understanding him before he turned his attention to the old lady. 'What do we need for this thing to work?' Sturges said.

'I need Jet.'

Vaultie looked confused. 'What's Jet?'

'It's this little red inhaler that you get. Chems.' Garv informed her, disapprovingly. 'It'll rot your brains.' He warned. 'I didn't save you just for you to die on me.' He speared the old lady with a frown.

'Stop fussin'.' Mama Murphy griped. 'I'm an old woman. I lived this long.'

'Not much longer if you take that shit.'

'That's the deal.' Mama Murphy smiled and winked at Vaultie. 'Don't try any lawyering on me, now. I'm not as easy as some of your clients.'

Garv frowned. None of them had told her that Vaultie was a lawyer, he was damn sure of it so how had she known?

'A little red inhaler.' Vaultie mused and something in her voice made Garv think she was trying to remember something. 'Comes in a little yellow box splattered in paint? Or at least - I hope it's paint?'

'Sometimes.' Garv agreed. 'Why?' He asked in suspicion.

'I think I have some.' She said. 'It was in a safe in one of the other houses. This little orange box. So I pried it open and there were these little red inhalers in there.'

Garv wasn't sure whether to question just how paranoid you've got to be to store your shit in a locked box in a locked safe or rage that they honestly couldn't be talking about giving a little old lady something that - quite possibly - she'd have a heart attack on. He wasn't digging a goddamn grave tonight.

'Get me some Jet and we'll see what The Sight wants to show us.' Mama Murphy smiled.

Ten minutes later, Vaultie was ransacking her house looking for the little yellow box that held the stash of chems she'd found. Garv hadn't paid much attention the last time he was in her house - mostly it had been spent arguing about how it was damn foolish to stay here - but now he took the time to look around. There hadn't been much to salvage, but anything even remotely worth it had been saved. A small book had been placed on the shelves beside the front door, surrounded by candles. It would be the first thing anyone walking in saw and the last thing as they left. Maybe it was intentionally set up that way. Garv struggled to read the bloated cardboard but eventually managed to see the title. It was a colourful little book faded slightly by time - something a child might read: You're Special!

There was also a chipped and watermarked glass on the kitchen island beside a bottle of something dark. The peeling, faded words on the bottle said "Beantown Brewery's Finest Whiskey!". Beside those was a bright yellow holotape and a photo. He angled his head slightly to get a look without alerting the woman with her head stuffed in a cupboard.

It was Vaultie, some unknown man and a baby at the seaside. It was faded, slightly torn, but it must have been protected to survive all these years. Possibly trapped under a piece of furniture - or was preserved in the vault?

'So this vault -' Garv leaned against the grimy kitchen bench and pierced her with a stare. 'What happened?'

She jolted, her upper half struck the top of the cupboard with a bang and she pulled her head out, cursing. One hand went to the impact spot, the other grabbed the bench to drag herself up. She glanced, puzzled at him and then down at the sad little collection on the counter-top.

Vaultie grimaced as though she'd put two and to together and then pulled the glass towards her, filling up a good slug of dark liquid.

He watched her tip back her drink and grimace as it burned down her throat. 'I thought you didn't want to know.' She bit grimly, staring at the watermarked glass in her hand.

'Well now I do. You told us you were 200 years old. You were looking for your son - and you had a husband.' They were meant to be looking for chems, but anything to postpone letting an old lady kill herself. The remarks that Mama murphy had given about their Vaultie were cryptic, Garv found himself curious for the first time in a while. Might as well get the story while they looked.

'Had is a relatively new term for me to deal with.' She grimaced. 'I don't even know how long he's been dead. How long I sat there, staring at his corpse.' She was sliding into morose as the whiskey kicked in. He wanted to take the stuff off her, but he knew that sometimes you needed a crutch to talk about some things.

'Vaultie.' Garv warned as he reached out for a spotted, watermarked glass of his own and poured himself a shot of whiskey.

'When the bombs went off Nate - my husband - and I grabbed our son and ran to the vault. They told us they were just going to "depressurise" us in these huge machines. He had Shaun. When we climbed in though - it was like a light going off. Like falling asleep. But when I woke up all the vault people were gone and there's people - different people - in front of the pod I was in. But they weren't interested in me - they opened Nate's pod as I banged and banged on the door and when he wouldn't hand over Shaun….they shot him.' She poured another slug of whiskey and threw it back with a grimace. 'And then I could feel myself….slipping back. Watched helplessly as they took my baby. The next time I woke up the door actually opened - I thought they'd come back for me but I was alone - and my husband was dead.'

It was a hell of a story.

For a minute or two, Vaultie just stood there, this stunned look of sadness on her face. Was this the first time she had ever talked about the events leading up to her finding them in Concord? It probably was. She shook herself, as though trying to rid herself of a bad dream and dropped the glass back on the table. 'This isn't helping us find the way into Corvega, though, is it?' She sighed.

No, it wasn't.

She turned back to the cupboard and began to root around again, leaving Garv with his own drink, feeling awkward. The first time that she'd ever spoken of what had happened to her family, and it had been to him.

'Vaultie?' He murmured.

'Hmm?' She murmured from under the cupboard.

'I'm... sorry I lost my temper with you in Lexington.' He admitted uncomfortably.

Her head reappeared from the dark space ad she smiled at him. 'Thank you, Garv. That means a lot.' She resumed trying to find the chem stash.

'Haven't you got something to say to me?' He demanded.

'Mmm - no.'

Oh so Thicket Excavations wasn't her fault?! And the ferals?! He was just about to argue that when Vaultie pushed aside a cooler containing god knows what and stiffened. There, in the back corner, was the bright orange container. 'Found you.' She grunted and pulled it out.

He scowled but warned 'I still don't like giving an old lady hard drugs.'

'I know.' She agreed. 'But Sturges says that it's our best chance. I trust Sturges.'

Yeah, so did Garv. With this though? He wasn't so sure.

'Do you think that Mama Murphy can see into the future?' Vaultie asked carefully.

'I don't know.' He answered as they stared down at the battered box.

The Jet inhaler looked so small in Mama Murphy's hand but she shook it expertly and brought it to her wrinkled lips.

'Ohhhh that feels better. The Sight can see…'

Garv threw Vaultie a scathing look as Mama Murphy hacked and coughed, the chemicals in the canister scarring and scouring her lungs. If the old woman died tonight he was absolutely not going to help dig a grave.

'I see a city...A factory.' Mama Murphy wheezed. 'So many people - so many doors. But one - one isn't as guarded as the rest. To the south-east there's a tunnel. It will lead you to Jared and then - oh.. Oh Sturges-'

'Mama Murphy?' Sturges asked in alarm. 'Are y'all okay?' He begged.

'You're gonna be too late, Sturges.' She whispered and looked up at the man with soulful eyes.

'Too late for what?' Sturges pressed.

'You know what.' Mama Murphy sighed and slumped back into her chair as the high wore off. She looked pale and fragile and drained. 'That's all The Sight will give me.'

Garv's eyes narrowed. It wasn't much to go on and he didn't like what she had to say about them being too late - but what did the old biddy know about that? She was fishing.

'I need to rest.' Mama Murphy sighed. 'These old bones aren't what they used to be.'

And they needed to prepare for Corvega.

As they left Mama Murphy and Sturges to watch over her come-down, the night had really drawn in and the air seemed crisp and cold - but Garv could see The Longs still working in a house not too far down the street, trying to patch up what they could before they were forced to sleep.

'What did Mama Murphy mean by "you're gonna be too late"?' Vaultie murmured as she watched Marcy Long berate her husband. One of these days, Garv would not be surprised if Jun Long took the hammer in his hand and beat his wife to death. He had the look of a hen-pecked husband who couldn't do anything right in his wife's eyes.

'I have no idea.' Garv lied. 'But I wouldn't take any of what that old fraud says at face value.'

'You're not a romantic then,' Vaultie smiled up at the stars.

'I'm a survivor.' Garv told her. 'We've got some supplies from Super Duper Mart. Get some rest - tomorrow we're heading for Lexington and this time, we're not leaving til Jared's head is on a spike.'

A/N: I'm running around like a headless chicken updating everything since my laptop spent a month or so in the repair shop. Sorry for the delay! Enjoy the new chapter and hello reviewers, favouriters and followers!