Chapter 16: An Old Friend
The old wastelander extended a helping hand, "Yup. Now come on, let's get you up off the ground." he said as I took his hand.
"Mind tellin' me what you were doin' tryin' to fight one of them murderbots?" he asked.
"I got mixed up in a fight against some Talon Mercs when this thing interrupted us. What the hell is a robot doing way out here?" I asked in response.
Kirk stroked his soul patch, "I honestly couldn't tell ya kid. Most of the time these things can be found around factories or power stations." he answered.
"Well thanks for killing it and saving my life. I owe you one Kirk." I told him.
A smile formed on his semi-wrinkled face, "Oh it ain't dead, it'll just be out of commission for a few hours. Pulse Grenades will do that to any kind of robot. It sends electric currents through their circuits and temporarily shuts em down." he explained.
I looked over at the dormant bot and felt a bit uneasy, "Maybe we should get out of here then."
Kirk placed a hand on my back, "You read my mind kid. Come on, I got a hideout near here. We can get your hand fixed up there."
I had completely forgotten that I had gouged my hand on that jagged rock when I fell. I lifted my left hand and sure enough a sizeable gash had been made. It had already stopped bleeding and the blood around it had already started to dry. Bits of dirt and rock were stuck in the incision so I knew I should treat it before it became infected.
Kirk and I walked for some time before we reached a small shack hidden at the back of a sheer cliff face.
"Well here we are. Not bad, eh?" he asked.
I nodded, "Not bad at all."
We headed inside and Kirk placed his pack on the counter and went over to a med kit near his bed. He pulled some gauze and a small vial of clear liquid from it. He pointed to a chair near the counter and I sat down to wait.
He pulled another chair close and sat down next to me. "Let's see that hand of yours." he said as he placed the medical supplies on the counter.
I held my left arm out to him and he grabbed the vial of liquid. "This'll sting like hell." he said as he unscrewed the cap.
I clenched my teeth as the clear liquid entered the incision. It started to bubble and froth as the liquid cleaned out any infectious materials. Kirk then grabbed the gauze and wrapped it around my palm, and sealed it together with some medical tape.
"There, that should prevent it from getting infected." he said.
I pulled my arm back and rubbed my wrist, "Thanks."
"Any time kid." he replied. He picked the excess medical supplies up off the counter and placed them back in the med kit.
He looked over at me with a quizzical look, "So what brings you all the way out here?" he asked.
"Oh, umm, I'm trying to get to Vault 108." I replied.
He raised his brow and smiled, "Another Vault? What're you lookin' for this time?"
"Something called a G.E.C.K."
He walked over to a cabinet in the corner, "Mhmm, you thirsty?" he asked.
As much as I love to drink, I felt like I should abstain for now, it might slow my progress. "I'm good." I replied.
"Suit yourself." He said and grabbed himself a bottle of whiskey.
He sat down next to me and his face became stern, "I…I heard about what happened down at the purifier…and what happened to your pappy." he said in a low voice.
I cringed a bit at the mentioning of my father and nodded rigidly. "That happened only two days ago, how do you know already?"
"News travels fast in the wasteland kid; you can thank Three Dog for that. Speaking of which, why don't I turn on the radio for a bit." He said and then walked over to the small box sitting on the desk next to his bed.
With a quick twist of a knob the radio flickered on and static entered the room. Kirk messed around with the dial for a few seconds before some old jazz music erupted from the single speaker.
Kirk sat back in his chair and kicked his feet up on the counter. The music rolled through the house and helped relax me a bit. When the song finished the radio went silent for a minute before a voice I hadn't heard in some time came out.
"Good evening children, this is Three Dog! Awoooo! I hope you enjoyed that little piece by Roy Brown. Now, let's get down to business. Word has reached me that the kid from 101 has set out on a quest to retrieve some sort of device that's supposed to get the purifier up and running. Let's take our hats off for the courage that this kid has displayed even when faced with the tragedy of losing his father to those damned Enclave bastards. Yet despite all of this, he's still out there fighting the good fight and making sure that we have something to look forward to. Way to go kid, and if you're listening, I wish you the best of luck, and know that what's mine is yours. You ever find yourself near GNR, feel free to stop by and we'll have a drink together. So here's to you kid." When he finished I found myself with a smile on my face.
I'll have to remember to take you up on that offer Three Dog.
"In other news, the people of Megaton have been reporting increasing sightings of a mysterious stranger roaming the area. One man even claimed he saw this lone ranger take out a group of ten raiders without ever moving from where he stood. Well, whatever he really did see, it's clear that there's someone else out there exacting his own brand of justice on the evil doers of the wastes. Watch out 101, it seems like you've got some competition!" Three Dog added.
Kirk laughed in his chair, "You believe that? What kind of man can take out ten raiders without moving from one spot? These guys need to lay off the Jet if you ask me." he said before taking another swig of his drink.
I chuckled to myself at this remark.
Another old pre war song burst forth from the box and Kirk soon found himself humming along with the beat of the music with his eyes closed.
Just then a quick thought came to my mind.
"Kirk?" I called out.
"Hmm?" he answered through his humming without opening his eyes.
"What would you say if I asked you to accompany me in my search for the G.E.C.K.?"
One of his eyes popped open and he looked over at me, "I'd say what's the catch?"
"No catch. It's just that the encounter with that sentry bot made me realize that I could do a lot better out here if I had someone covering my back. I can pay you if that's what it takes." I explained.
Kirk leaned forward in his chair and scratched his chin. After contemplating for some time he finally came to a decision.
"You drop 500 caps for supplies and I say you've got yourself a partner." He answered with a grin on his face.
I held my hand out and shook his, "It's a deal then."
Kirk got out of his chair and headed for an old chest lying at the foot of his bed. He rummaged through it for weapons and supplies that would be necessary for the trip.
He then went to the cabinet and used his arm to sweep a bunch of food items in to his pack. He pulled a custom made leather jacket from the dresser and put it on. It had a Kevlar vest sewn to the inside for extra protection.
The last time we travelled together he sported a single silenced 10 mil and a combat knife, but this time he opted for dual custom modified 10 mil SMGs, a belt of multiple types of grenades, and a single machete which hung from a sheathe on his left leg.
The SMGs held a larger clip than their normal counterpart and the fire rate had been upped at the cost of lessened accuracy.
When he finished gathering everything he waited for a response from me.
"We travel through the night. I need to find this thing as soon as possible. Stay low, and let's try and avoid any more confrontations from here until Vault 108." I told him.
"Well alright kid, it's been a long time since I've done anything worth mentioning." he replied.
We exited his shack and he locked the door behind us. As we trotted down the dirt path leading away from his home I turned to him, "Thanks again Kirk. I'll feel better knowing I've got someone like you for company."
He nodded and then downed the last of the bottle of whiskey he had been drinking before we left.
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Quick note, this is for everyone who wanted Jason to finally get a companion to help him on his journey, so Kirk is here to stay...for now ;)