Chapter Seven
"Alone Together"
I don't know where you're going
But do you got room for one more troubled soul?
I don't know where I'm going
But I don't think I'm coming home and I said
I'll check in tomorrow if I don't wake up dead
This is the road to ruin
And we're starting at the end
Say yeah (yeah!)
Let's be alone together (yeah)
We could stay young forever (yeah)
Scream it from the top of your lungs, lungs, lungs
Say yeah (yeah!)
Let's be alone together (yeah)
"So this is D.C." Said Jude, lifting a hand to shield his eyes from the early morning sun. "Not much to look at."
The pair of them stood staring out over Dupoint Station, Posey eyeing the edge of their small concrete shelf uneasily.
Jude had insisted they wait until first light to go for the Museum of Technology. Posey had tried to protest, but Jude wouldn't budge on the issue.
"If you go in there exhausted and half cocked" He'd said, "we're both going to die."
And as he pointed out, if she got her skull bashed in by a Super Mutant because she was too tired to duck, she definitely wouldn't see her father again.
She pressed herself back against the door as a gust of wind rushed over them, tugging at their clothes and hair. Half of the G.N. appeared to have been demolished, the door opening up to a few feet of floor, then nothing but open air. Jude didn't seem perturbed by the predicament but Posey couldn't help but think of the centuries old bracers and rebar protruding from the edge of their small bit of flooring. They didn't look very stable. Jude nonchalantly walked forward, sitting down on the edge and peering over at the level below them, keeping his palms flat against the concrete as he leaned out over the abyss, the wind catching at his hair.
"It's not a bad drop at all." He said, and without warning, pushed himself off the edge. Posey felt her heart leap into her throat and she took a shaky step forward but Jude was already brushing down his leather armor and looking up at her expectantly. It was only about five feet, but that was only six inches shorter than she was. She edged forward, and did as Jude had, sat on the edge and leaned over.
Five feet was a lot longer than she thought. Really that was half of ten.
"Are you coming?" Asked Jude, raising his eyebrows. "You're the one who couldn't even stop to sleep last night."
"I'm coming," Said Posey, frowning slightly. Jude let out a sigh and stepped forward, holding one of his hands aloft.
"Come on, we don't have all day. It only looks high."
Posey reached down, her arm out stretched, but it wasn't long enough to reach his.
"Hold on," She said, and she carefully turned around, so her stomach was pressed against the edge of the ledge, between two rods of steel rebar. "Just don't let me fall." She said, arms shaking with the effort of lowering herself carefully, feeling her heart pound in her throat at the thought of crumpling on the ground below. Not only would it hurt, it would be so embarrassing. She felt Jude's steadying hand on her back and she let herself fall the last foot, her feet smacking solidly onto the pavement and sending a shockwave up to her knees. She turned around, brushing off her hands and saw Jude giving her an almost incredulous look.
"Well," He drawled, raising his eyebrow. "at this rate we'll make it to the museum by next week." He said dryly.
She scowled up at him, straightening her duffel bags strap across her chest.
"I'm not as tall as you are," She said, walking past him towards another drop off. "It's not my fault."
Posey missed the look of utter exasperation on Jude's face as she peered over the next drop off, about the same height as the one before. She wasn't accustomed to heights yet. The highest point she'd ever been was in the atrium of the vault and she'd never had the desire to leap off the edge of the mezzanine to the steel floor ten feet below. Now, she had to make this drop and she could feel her insides squirm uncomfortably at the thought. She took a deep breath, bracing herself when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Jude, a finger to his lips, peering down at the almost canyon like formation below them.
The ground sloped down towards the base of another building, the uneven rubble scattered with more cars and even a dilapidated train, leading Posey to believe that they were standing above an unearthed subway tunnel. More cars and broken up building littered the space and Posey wondered what Jude was looking for, then felt her blood run cold as she saw the familiar figure of a ghoul, skulking near the train.
"We can probably get them from here." Said Jude in a low voice, "I doubt there is just one."
He slipped her Hunting Rifle from her harness on her back and carefully lowered himself to the ground, lining up his shot carefully. He bit his lip and cursed under his breath, squinting harder. He seemed to have trouble getting a clear shot of the ghoul, and Posey wondered if perhaps Jude had poor eyesight. She could see the ghoul clearly once she had spotted it, without having to squint.
"I can do it." Said Posey quietly. Jude looked up at her, considering her for a moment before silently handing the rifle over to her.
"Your rifle is better for range than my shotgun." He said as she laid out next to him, bracing her barrel carefully and lining up her shot. "Once you snipe this one, the others will probably come running, they can hear the shot. Get as many as you can, and if they get closer, I'll take them out."
Posey nodded, and lined up her shot, and quickly dispatched the ghoul with a neat headshot. Just as Jude predicted, more ghouls came around the corner, arms held out threateningly, snarling and growling in their usual fashion. She took out one more, and attempted to finish off the third, but it had spotted them and had taken off at an almost gallop like pace, and Posey's shot sailed over its shoulder. Jude didn't say a word, simply vaulted off the edge, landing in a crouch as the ghoul hurtled itself toward him, jaws open wide. Posey's heart leapt into her throat as the ghoul came closer and Jude simply kneeled there, his shotgun at the ready, waiting until the creature was almost on top of him before firing off the shot, which demolished the ghoul's skull in a way that made Posey glad she hadn't had time for breakfast that morning. Still, she turned her face away, eyes screwed up against the sight and let out a shaky breath. When she dared to peer back over the edge, she saw Jude standing upright and looking up at her with raised eyebrows. His face and torso were spattered with the gory remains of the ghoul but Jude seemed unperturbed by that fact.
"Well," He said, wiping his face on his arm before holding his hand out once again to aid Posey's decent. "shall we?" He said, flashing her a slight smirk.
Posey didn't know if it was the height that made her stomach flop, or the feeling of Jude's hands around her waist as she allowed herself to be helped down.
As she and Jude picked their way across the collapsed tunnel towards a door with the Brotherhood of Steel insignia painted next to it, she marveled at what a difference it made to have someone else along with her. It wasn't even the fact that Jude was handsome. That didn't really matter out here in the Wastes, as she was coming to realize. Although it certainly didn't hurt, either She thought as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
But it was definitely something more than that. They didn't speak, just swept their eyes back and forth across the landscape, looking for potential threats. But it was, nice, to hear someone else's breathing. To listen to the crunch beneath Jude's boots that matched her own, and feel solidness of his arm if they brushed up against each other, or the warmth of his hand as he aided her over a particularly large chunk of rubble. It was nice to have proof that she wasn't the only one wandering in this Wasteland. To know that there was something else nearby with a heartbeat that didn't want to rip out her jugular. The feelings of awful anxiety that she'd felt before in the metro, the dizzying sense of panic that had come to a peak between her ears, had dissipated slightly. She was wary of danger, but the fear she'd felt no longer caught in her throat, and sat in her chest, dragging her down. Now she felt prepared, reassured almost. Jude was capable. Posey hadn't done bad on her own, but she felt if she'd spent any more time down in the subway systems alone, she would have ended up as mad as the Feral Ghouls herself.
"Alright," Said Jude, once they'd reached the door, which was labeled again with the Brotherhood's sloppy white paint job as Collapsed Car Tunnel. "I have no idea what is in here, so keep sharp,and keep quiet. It's best to sneak into unfamiliar places rather than go in with guns blazing. My guess is there is probably a couple more ghouls, maybe even a Super Mutant or two. How do you feel about taking point?"
"I don't know." Said Posey honestly, "You want me to go first?"
"You're good with range." Said Jude in an honest, business like tone. "I'd like you to go ahead of me by at least a couple of feet. I'll be right behind you, but if you see anything, signal me to hold up while you take your shot, okay? If you miss, try not to obviously, get behind me. I can handle them when they get close, and if for some reason I can't, try and use your pistol if you can get to it. We want to save your rifle for the far away stuff, it's a mid range kind of weapon, so you'll want to get close, but not too close. Got it?"
Posey nodded. It was a lot to take in, but she could retain it all, she was sure. It wasn't too complicated.
"You're sure?" Said Jude, "I don't want to go in there if you're not ready."
"I'll go first, keeping low and quiet, you'll be right behind me. Take out targets that are within a twenty to forty feet radius and if I miss, get behind you, so you can take them out. I should have my pistol ready in case you can't so I can save my rifle bullets for the range targets."
"Not bad, blondie." Said Jude appreciatively, "You're a quick study. Alright, let's go."
The car tunnel reminded Posey uncomfortably of the vault. It had the same kind of metallic tang in the air, and all the steel ducts and bracers running along the walls. What was different though was apart from the metallic taste coating her mouth again, was a distinct, musty fetid odor that suddenly accosted her nostrils. Posey grimaced but crept along. The smell was like the one in the Metro, and Posey wondered if all underground places in the Wastes smelled that way. A mixture of decomposing flesh and stale air.
They pressed on, shuffling across the steel floors before coming to a door that lead them into a larger room filled with more debri. Jude pointed silently across to another door where a single light burned in a bracket next to it, and they crept forward. The place was exactly what it claimed to be, a tunnel full of collapsed cars, and Posey glanced through the murky darkness, watching the tunnel stretch on in both directions before hurrying towards the door with the now familiar insignia of the Brotherhood of Steel. She didn't like being out in the open like that, where anything could come hurling from around a car and pounce.
They carried on, the oppressive silence pressing in on their ears, except for the occasional creak of the place settling around them. Each time this happened, she could hear Jude suck in a quick breath, and his grip on his gun tighten. That at least Posey was use to. Vault 101 made similar noises. It didn't occur to her that Jude might not be use to underground places, just as she wasn't use to heights.
They didn't run into anything for longer than Posey had expected, she kept waiting on pins and needles, her finger twitching on the trigger. Every corner they turned, she held her breath bracing herself for a ghoul or a Super Mutant to hurl themselves at her. But nothing came, and eventually they came into something rather like an office, full of dilapidated filing cabinets and a security robot hibernating in its tube. Jude tapped her shoulder again and Posey froze, looking around for an enemy but Jude just said, his voice so low she could barely hear it over her thundering heart.
"There's a Super Mutant, through that door. I saw a glimpse of him as he passed. You good?" Oddly, he said super with a lisp, muting the S to Thuper. She'd never noticed a lisp before.
Posey nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Jude looked at her for a moment then shook his head.
"You get the door, I'll get the mutant. He's close enough range for my shotgun." He said. Posey nodded, creeping forward, feeling her heart pound in her chest and her palms grow sweaty.
"On three." Mouthed Jude, and Posey nodded.
Posey waited until she saw his lips form the word Three before kicking open the door and diving aside as Jude shot the unsuspecting Mutant who instantly crumpled. Posey, crouched in front of the door another Mutant whirling around, holding a board crudely punched through with nails high above his head, preparing to swing it down on her unprotected head. She raised her rifle and started shooting, desperately trying to keep her shots contained and not wild, each crack echoing through the contained room and amplifying it until Posey felt sure her ears would never recover.
The Mutant fell at her feet with a sickening thunk as its hulking mass crumpled onto the paving stones.
Breathing hard, Posey fell back against the dusty brick wall, her legs shaking beneath her as Jude glanced around before straightening up and walking forward to the fallen Super Mutants.
"Here." He said, tossing her a cartridge of .32 caliber rounds. "For your Rifle."
She caught it, much to her surprise and pocketed it, fingers trembling.
"Not too bad, blondie. At least you didn't shoot yourself in the foot." Said Jude, hiking his pack higher up on his back. "Let's get moving." He said, walking past the desecrated Mutant completely unphased. "The Mall Outpost is this way."
They descended down, more and more levels and Posey couldn't help but notice, despite the fact that Jude was behind her and she couldn't quite see his face, each set of stairs they came across, Jude became more and more agitated. She hoped it wasn't anything she was doing, but she didn't dare stop and ask, in case it was.
They came at last to an old subway tunnel, following the Brotherhood's sloppily painted directions. The tunnel, to Posey's surprise, was littered with glass bottles. Did the mutants brought those down? She wondered, glancing down at them before carrying on.
She skulked forward and saw something like lamplight glowing through slats in the makeshift divider of sorts. She took a step forward, and kicked an errant bottle, sending it clattering across the stones. It smashed into another with a tinkling crash. Posey froze and sent Jude a panicked glance over her shoulder as a brusque, human voice called suddenly.
"Who was that? Larry? That you?"
Jude pushed past her just as a man, his scrawny and filthy body clad in an amalgamation of leather and spikes, wielding a rifle that looked much more sinister than hers came around the corner of the make shift wall. Jude raised his shotgun just as the other man pulled the trigger. Pain exploded through Posey's right side just as the attacker dropped, his chest full of Jude's buckshot and Posey stumbled, falling to her knees, blood soaking the side of her face and neck.
"Hey, hey blondie, look at me! You alright?"
Jude's face came into her vision and Posey couldn't decide if she was alright. Her ear felt like it was on fire and tears unconsciously streamed from her eyes. Jude swore his eyes wide and his jaw set angrily. He took her face in his hands, carefully turning her head to get a look at her ear before letting out a sigh of relief and allowing his shoulders to relax.
"You're one lucky duck, you know that?" He said softly. "Come here."
He hauled her to her feet, and practically carried her over to a rickety bed frame behind the partition the man had been behind.
"Wh-who w-w-was that?" She managed through trembling lips.
"A Raider," Said Jude distastefully. "Where's your medical supplies?"
Posey gestured to her bag feebly and Jude pulled it towards him.
"The bullet just grazed your ear. Took a chunk out of it but you'll be okay."
Posey felt her stomach drop and suddenly felt very cold and clammy. "I-I think I'm going into shock." She said numbly, her breathing shallow and her pulse rapid.
She laid back, careful of her still burning ear and propped her feet on the foot board so they were elevated.
"What are you-"
"I told you I think I'm going into shock. Basic First Aid, elevate the feet above the head, loosen any tight clothing and make sure they're warm. I don't have any tight clothing, but can you hand me that jacket from my bag please?"
Jude looked stymied, but did as she said, and Posey snuggled under Butch's too big jacket, fighting off shivers. Jude cleaned the blood away and Posey winced at the burning sting of the antiseptic as he pressed a clean wad of gauze to her ear to staunch the bleeding.
"You know a lot of first aid?" He asked, sitting back on his heels while still holding the bandage to her head.
"Enough. My dad was the vault doctor. He taught me a bit. If it were Pre-War times, I'd technically be a certified EMT."
"A what?"
"Emergency Medical Technician." Said Posey. She found if she talked more, she thought less about the fact that part of her ear had shot off. "Ask me something else."
"I don't-"
"The more I talk, the less chance I have of throwing up or passing out, so get chatting."
Jude hesitated for a fraction of a second before saying,
"What's your dad's name?"
"James. James Matthew Bennett." Said Posey, holding her bandage close, allowing Jude to lower his arm. She felt the warmth of her own blood under her fingers and suppressed a shudder.
"Your mom's?" His voice was low and difficult to hear over her own shaky breaths.
"Catherine. Catherine Marie Campbell." She replied mechanically, trying to force her breathing into a slow, even pattern.
"What's your full name?"
"Posey Marie Bennett."
"When is your birthday?"
"July thirteenth. When is yours?"
"I thought I was suppose to be asking the questions." Said Jude, shifting on the pavement so he was seated more comfortably.
"I never said ask questions, I just said we needed to keep talking. You're the one who started in with the inquires." She said with a slight frown. "But I think you can at least answer a simple one. When's your birthday?"
Jude paused, mulling it over before answering:"January twenty-fourth." He added, "How old are you?" After a moment's indecision.
"Nineteen. How old are you?"
"Twenty four."
"And you were born on the twenty fourth." Finished Posey, lips twitching up in something like a smile.
Carefully, she sat up, keeping her hand over her ear and looking down at Jude. He was crouched down near her bed, hands stained with her blood, his dark hair awry and looking up at her warily, in case she slumped over or vomited all over him, she assumed.
"Why did that man shoot at us?" Asked Posey, pulling Butch's jacket on over her shoulders. Jude snorted and stood up, turning so he was facing the entrance of the tunnel so no one else could sneak up on them.
"Because he was a Raider, it's what they do."
"I don't understand."
Jude looked at her, his gaze unreadable. She'd been surprised by his age when he'd told her. Despite being well under thirty, the skin around his eyes was wrinkled. Crows feet already beginning to form. Probably because he spent so much time squinting out at the Wasteland sun.
"People talk about ghouls like Gob being monsters." Said Jude simply, turning back to the doorway he'd been facing. "Raiders are barely human. They see what they want and they take it, and whatever you've got, they want. You see a Raider, you shoot it. Understand that?"
"How will I know it's a Raider?"
"Trust me, you'll know. You ready?"
Posey felt the bandages Jude had wrapped around her head to keep the gauze pressed firmly to her ear. It was a bit sloppy, but it would hold. She got to her feet, feeling a little unsteady, but gripped her rifle tightly.
"Shall we?" She asked, and Jude flashed her a slight smile, before turning and leading the way further into the murky dark of the metro.
If asked, Posey doubted she could recall many of the details of the subsequent rooms in the Metro or how she made it to The Mall by the time the sun had reached its peak at noon, shining through the hazy clouds. It had been a blur of bloodstains and bullets, of Raiders filthy faces and twisted grins, their jeers and war cries. The screech of ghouls and the terrible mangled remains of the raider's victims hanging from meat hooks all along the metro. What she did know is that she wouldn't have made it if it weren't for Jude, and she privately thought he might not have either if she hadn't been there. They made a good team.
He'd taught her a lot as well. How to reload her gun after each fight so she'd be ready for the next, what to pick up and scavenge along the way and how to be as silent as possible so as to sneak up on enemies and get the jump on them. He'd been relatively happy about the loot they'd gathered, and Posey's bag and his pack were stuffed full of extra ammo, guns for spare parts and stimpacks and other drugs that they could sell for a decent amount of caps.
"You'd think the Brotherhood would know about that rats nest living beneath their feet and using their tunnels." Said Posey quietly as they took a moment to breathe in the fresh, or at least fresher, air of D.C. "Why don't they do anything about it?"
"Heck if I know. I've never liked the Brotherhood much. They're so high and mighty but all they are is a bunch of saps with some noble mumbo jumbo crammed into their brains and a big suit of armor."
"They're at least containing the Mutants in D.C." Said Posey, feeling oddly protective of the Brotherhood of Steel. Sarah Lyon's and her soldiers had seemed good to her, and that was more than she could say for most people she'd met in the Wasteland. "They could be roaming all over the Wastes if it weren't for them."
"Whatever. Let's get a move on. What's your map say? Where's the Museum of Technology?"
"Right there." Said Posey, pointing directly to their left. Jude looked surprised but then scowled, almost as if the ease of access to the Museum offended him.
"Probably full of mutants. And I'd bet there are some hanging out here too. Careful now, keep it quiet, like before."
Posey nodded, shifting her grip on her newly acquired assault rifle, and set off. They made a mad but silent dash for the doors to the museum, and managed to slip into the building unnoticed.
The entrance to the Museum of Technology was another example of what majesty humans were capable of creating, and also destroying. Lofty marble columns were now covered with grime and a few had crumbled. A model of a biplane that had once been suspended from the ceiling now lay in a crumpled heap on the intricate and filthy tiles. The electric lights sent beams of dusty light down onto the floor, a couple of them flickering dully. A mezzanine with a broken up railing lead deeper into the museum and Posey couldn't help but imagine what this place must have looked like, Pre-War. The tiles gleaming, the terminals humming and families walking about the place, looking at the exhibits without a care in the world.
"Stick to the walls." Said Jude, his lips so close to her ear she almost jumped. Her glorious vision of the golden age of America popped like a soap bubble and suddenly she was standing in a dank fallen down building, possibly infested with Super Mutants. She noticed again as she crept forward, Jude had a hint of a lisp once more. She cataloged a thought to ask him about that later.
There was one mutant, behind the plane, and Posey dispatched him with three quick headshots, and Jude ducked around her, as her shots had drawn the attention of a Brute, who came barreling down a carpeted set of stairs, guns blazing. Jude made short work of him with his Combat Shotgun. Truly, it was a destructive thing at close range, grotesquely so. It tended to leave Jude a little, messy.
Posey nodded towards the stairs and Jude nodded back, and they set off, Jude following behind as he had in the metro. Posey paused at the foot of the stairs, looking back at a book resting on a dusty desk with long abandoned and no longer working terminals. She took a few steps toward it, and picked it up.
"What're you doing?" Asked Jude, glancing around the place.
"Nothing, it's just-" She brushed her fingers of the dusty surface, the grey film sticking the her fingers and revealing a familiar cover underneath. "this book." She blew gently across it, a plume of dust followed and Posey grinned at the now clearly visible title. "This is it!" She said excitedly. "This is the book Jonas had, Duck and Cover the Extended Edition." She looked up at him, eyes shining. "This book can tell me how to disarm the bomb in Megaton!" She said with a wide grin.
Jude looked at it apprehensively. "You sure about that, blondie? And keep your voice down!"
"Yes! Look here," She rifled through the pages feverishly and held it over to him, pointing to a diagram. "This is the exact model of the bomb in Megaton!"
"Looks like it." Said Jude grudgingly, his eyes flicking from the book to the stairs above them. "Are you sure you can do it and not blow us all sky high?"
"Positive." Said Posey, looking at him with a determined smile. "I can do this. Here, put this in my duffel for me."
"Alright. Lets just get a move on."
Jude took it from her and slipped it into her bag.
"Thanks," She said, and she lead the way up the stairs, a new spring in her step. There were few things she loved more than a simple solution presented to her through a book. Somethings at least, hadn't changed.
At the end of the walkway that the stairs had deposited them on was an arrow, pointing towards the door directly in front of her. Printed on the arrow were the words, Vault Tour. Posey's feet stilled and her smile from finding the book faded slightly.
"What's the matter?" Asked Jude, keeping his voice low.
She looked up and saw a model of rubble, leading to a cog shaped door that was all too familiar.
"Nothing." She said, shaking her head. "Let's go."
They stepped inside. The lights automatically flickered on and an automated friendly voice caused both of them to jump, and hold their guns up threateningly.
"Vault-Tec welcomes you to our new line of subterranean vaults featuring our patented Triple-S technology." Said the chipper voice, and Posey lowered her gun, though still feeling her heart pound harder than necessary. She stepped forward, through the door, and looked around at the steel floorings, the lever that was identical to the one she'd pulled what seemed like months ago, but was in reality just last week.
It was a perfect model, an exact copy of Vault 101. Perhaps of all Vaults, but eerily similar to the place she had spent her childhood and Posey felt something pinch at her heart as she walked through the familiar structure in this unfamiliar city. She half expected to see Amata through one of the windows, or turn the corner and find Butch leaning arrogantly against the wall. When they passed the medical office, she was forced to a stop.
It was identical to her father's, except that it lacked her father's framed verse of Revelations 21:6, but the desk was the same, the layout a perfect copy. She could almost hear her father humming under his breath, see him sorting through files with is reading glasses perched on the edge of his nose. Jonas would be there too, clacking away at the office's terminal, and they would both look up as she entered, and both give her a smile. Jonas would tease her about something, and she would fire a quick quip back. Her father would ask how her day had gone, if Tom and Mary Cushman were making any progress in their counseling sessions. She turned away quickly, taking a jerky step forward before she could think about it any longer.
Her foot brushed something and she looked down and let out a little cry and jumped back, bumping into Jude. A grinning skeleton stared up at her and she stumbled back, nearly falling. She could feel Jude's steadying hand on her arm and hear his concerned voice in her ear but all she could see was that skeleton and, unbidden, the image of Jonas dead on the vault's steel floor came to her mind and she suppressed another cry.
"Blondie, hey, you're as white as sheet. It's just a skeleton, settle down. You look like you've seen a ghost."
She had seen a ghost, even if he hadn't. She looked up, hearing the cheerful feedback filled voice ringing in her ears,
"Worried about security? Don't be! Our Eyes-On-You Camera's enable the Vault's Overseer to watch your every move! You'll never be alone again!"
She took an unsteady step forward and ran the rest of the way out of the vault, the fluorescent lights blinding her each time they flickered on.
Jonas, dead.
She rushed on, another set of lights, another memory.
Her father's voice in the dark of her room when the power had gone out for a few hours when she was six.
"It's alright Posey, my brave girl. I won't lose you, I promise."
Flash!
Amata's bruised face, tears streaking down her cheeks as the door ground shut in front of her.
Flash!
Jonas. Dead.
"What're you doing!" Hissed Jude but she didn't stop until she was free from the Vault's metal throat, standing back in the Museum of Technology, panting and shivering. Her ear burned again and she could feel hot, slick blood under her bandage.
"What were you thinking?" Demanded Jude once he'd reached her, his eyes sweeping the museum angrily. "Making a racket like that, every Super Mutant in this place is going to-"
His voice died when he saw her face and he said, a little softer. "Blondie, what-"
"I'm sorry." She said, shaking her head. "I just... That place," She tried for a smile but it didn't work. "It's a little too close to home."
Jude swept his eyes over her, silently taking in in her pale wan face, the blood soaked bandage standing out vividly against her almost ashen skin.
"Let's get out of here." Said Jude at length, and Posey nodded. This time, he took the lead, and they delved deeper into the building.
Jude
Jude didn't know exactly what had spooked Posey back in the model of the Vault. He did know however, what it felt like to be chased by ghosts of home when all you wanted to do was forget about them. Except Posey might not be the suppressing and forgetting kind. Maybe she was actually in the business of dealing with emotions in a healthy manner.
She would be.
He followed behind her, treading softly and quietly, keeping his eyes sweeping across the building watching for any signs of movement. They entered the West Wing and Jude hoped they were going the right way. There was no way to know really. There were some signs on the walls directing to them towards the Space Exploration Exhibits but who knew how accurate those were now. Posey's steps were confident however, and she kept checking the thing on her wrist periodically. It must have had some kind of map.
They paused in front of a pair of doors with shattered windows. Through the gap created by the broken windows, he could see something like a missile, standing in the center of the room, with stairs wrapping around the walls around the contraption. He could also hear the gravelly voices of Super Mutants. Posey glanced back at him, and Jude shrugged. Depending on whether the Super Mutants were above them on the stairs, or even better, a landing far above; they might be able to sneak by them.
Posey nudged open the doors, and crept down the stairs, after glancing up and finding no Super Mutants on the levels above. She paused though, and Jude froze as well, both of them spotting the Super Mutant who thankfully had yet to see them. Posey took careful aim and Jude was glad to see that she didn't shake, her form was practically flawless despite her shake up back at the vault. It took one shot from her Assault Rifle and the Mutant crumpled, and the pair of them hurried on, lest their gunshots draw more Mutants. At the bottom of the stairs, there was another Mutant, just cluing into the fact that he was no longer alone.
Thank goodness they're stupid. He thought as he stepped in front of Posey and dealt the usual devastating blow of his Combat Shotgun. He gave the gun an almost affectionate look before turning to Posey.
"We've got to be close, come on. Let's go."
They jogged forward now, through the once stately hallways, pausing at the door to the Virgo II Lunar Landing display. He waited, mouthing at her "Ready?"
She looked pale and tired but gave him a firm nod. He nodded back, and pushed the doors open.
Posey as usual, took point, sniping at the Super Mutant that was above them, while Jude ran in, shotgun at the ready to take on an unfortunately heavily muscled, even larger than normal Super Mutant. He dodged its swinging blows, the heavy lead of its crude club cracking the tile below their feet. Jude fired, feeling the usual kickback of his gun and the Mutant stumbled, a gaping wound in its chest. Jude prepared to fire again when a searing pain flashed through his shoulder. A bullet from the Mutant Posey had just dispatched had gone wild in its effort to shoot her and apparently, grazed his shoulder. His leather armor had protected him for the most part, but he could feel blood slip down the front of his chest, sticking his armor and his undershirt to his skin.
He looked back at the Mutant just in time to see a meaty green arm swing at him, knocking him clean off his feet, and sending him crashing onto the tile below, his head cracking with a sunburst of stars on the floor. Dazed, he lifted his head to see the wounded Mutant bearing down on him, blood seeping from the wound caused by his shotgun, his club held high when there was a flash of pale blonde hair and a sharp crack, and the mutant dropped.
Posey's pale, dirt streaked and worried face appeared above his.
"Jude?" She asked breathlessly. "Jude, are you alright?"
He coughed, struggling to get air back into his lungs.
"Jude!"
"Get that damn disk and let's get out of here." He wheezed, sitting up and rubbing his head, could already feel a large bump forming under his fingers. Posey let out a shaky laugh and helped him to his feet. Her hand felt almost too small in his but she managed to pull him up and steady him when he swayed on the spot, nearly toppling over again.
"You wait here." She said, leading him over to the stairs and helping him sit down again. "I'll grab the disk. Are you sure you're alright?"
"I'm fine." He said, and he knew he sounded irritable, but he figured he had the right to at this point. "You can patch me up later, lets just go!"
"Okay, if you throw up, it means you're concussed. So tell me if you feel nauseous."
"Yeah yeah you're a regular Nurse Nancy now grab that disk!"
Posey scurried over to the display and fiddled about with the disk, trying to detach it without harming it in any way. Jude allowed his eyes to drift shut as he leaned against the railing of the stairs, his head throbbing and shoulder stinging. He'd thought, for a moment, he seriously might have been a goner. With that brute leering down at him and his head spinning. He'd gone all sentimental on this quest to help this girl and it was going to get him killed. But, it didn't. Posey had been quick, quicker than he could have ever been. Darting in front of that monster like that, no fear in her stance as she jammed the barrel of her rifle under its jaw and fired. Then, those eyes when she'd leaned over him, panic stricken and the sort of blue that would be found on postcards from the beach. If this place still had a postal system, or beaches.
"I've got the disk."
Jude opened his eyes, and saw Posey, clutching the disk to her chest, looking triumphant.
"Come on, we've got to get this to the Washington Monument. We can't miss it, it's the tallest thing here in D.C."
She wasn't as small as he'd always thought, as he realized when he stood up. True, the top of her head didn't quite clear his shoulder but she seemed, bigger now. Perhaps it was the way she was standing, shoulders square, chin up and eyes blazing, a smile twisting her lips. Little victories, they had the disk and they were still alive. He shook his head,
"Alright blondie, lead the way."
"I said run! Not run into me!" Bellowed Jude. Bullets rained down around them as the pair of them sprinted towards the Monument. All had been going well for a while, the two of them had been sneaking past the Mutants, and were almost to the monument when the sun, which had been hiding behind the clouds all day, suddenly decided to make an appearance. And the bright, reflect surface of the dish in Posey's hands suddenly shone like a beacon, attracting the attention of three Super Mutants.
Where are those Brotherhood bozos now! He thought, a bullet whistling by his ear. Posey's usually pale face was slowly growing redder as the two of them ran and her hair was slipping out of its braid. Her grip hadn't slipped on the dish though, and at last, sandbag barriers with two Brotherhood of Steel members standing behind them came into view.
"A little help!" Bellowed Jude.
"Step aside civilians, you're not authorized-"
"Authorized my ass shoot those mutants!"
They skidded to a halt in front of the gates leading to the monument and Posey slammed the keys on the terminal next to the gate while the Brotherhood members advanced on the Mutants, and bullets still ricocheted around them. The gates swung open and the two of them dived inside, landing hard on the paving stones inside. The gates swung shut again, muffling the sound of gunfire and shouts minimally.
They lay, side by side, panting in the dust, staring up at the sky, the shadow of the Washington Monument falling over the pair of them. Jude's shoulder, which had stopped bleeding by the time they made it out of the Museum, was now at it again, and his head pounded. Posey looked ready to throw up, her face was bright red, her hair sticking to her face and her bandage covering her ear slipping off.
"Well," She said, panting heavily, "That wasn't so hard, was it?"
Jude scoffed, but felt his lips twitch up in a smile in spite of himself.
"I've seen worse." He replied. "Maybe not in the last decade, but still, worse."
Posey laughed, and Jude felt himself shaking with a silent one as well.
"I can't believe-" Said Posey through giggles, "You just said 'Authorized my ass' to that Brotherhood captain."
"I can't believe they told us to 'step aside'. What pricks."
"I can't believe I got a piece of my ear shot off today." Said Posey, placing a hand over her bandage, and laughing almost hysterically.
Jude sniggered, "I can't believe I talked myself into thinking that helping you would be a good idea." He said, staring up at the sky, feeling as if the earth were slowly spinning beneath him and the only thing grounding him was Posey's laugh in his ear and the throbbing in his head.
"I can't believe that either." Said Posey, and she slowly got to her feet. "Even I don't think it's a good idea."
"Let's get that relay in place," Said Jude, getting laboriously to his feet. "and get back to Three Dog. You're old man can't be that far ahead of us now." Posey sobered up at once, her smile diminishing and she nodded, leading the way into the monument.
Inside, there wasn't much to see, just a set of tarnished gold doors and more dirty and cracked tile.
"An elevator." Said Posey in utter fascination. "I've read about these."
"Well now's your chance to get a look at one, up close and personal." Said Jude, depressing the button next to the doors.
"Have you ever ridden in one before?" Asked Posey, stepping inside as the doors slid open.
"Nope, frankly I have no idea what this thing is." Said Jude, joining her while she pushed the up arrow.
"But you just pushed the button to call it down. How did you know to do that?"
"It seemed like the thing to do." He said with a shrug. "I saw a button and I pushed it. It's not rocket science."
The doors slid shut and the elevator jerked, pulleys and gears grinding to life and Jude felt his insides drop away as it lurched upwards. The elevator shuddered and Jude shot out his hand, gripping Posey's shoulder tightly.
"What is this thing!" He asked, his heart in his throat and eyes wide. Posey laughed and Jude looked across at her in what was as close to terror as he'd been in a long time.
"It's an elevator." She repeated, her voice loud over the grating pulleys and ropes. "They were more common in Pre-War times. It's an alternative to stairs. My guess is this is probably a rope elevator, rather than a hydraulic."
"Rope!" Demanded Jude, nearly hysterical.
"More like steel cables." Amended Posey. The elevator trembled and she reached out, steadying herself against his good shoulder. "The cables are attached to the elevator car, and looped around a sheave . A sheave is just a pulley with a grooves around the circumference. The sheave grips the hoist ropes, so when you rotate the sheave, the ropes move too. The sheave is connected to-"
The elevator shuddered again and Jude fell back against the wall, bracing himself against it.
"Why would they have this rather than stairs." Demanded Jude, squeezing his eyes tightly shut. He'd never felt this unsteady before. He felt like his stomach had been left behind at the bottom of this awful contraption.
"Well think about it, you'd have to make a pretty tight spiral staircase to even fit in a building this shape. An elevator is just more-" It trembled again and Jude flinched. "convenient." Finished Posey, looking at him with a slight smile. Jude looked back at her with scowl, and to his relief, the elevator slowed to a stop, and the doors opened with a slight ding. He stepped out of the elevator with shaky legs and Posey tired to suppress another smile.
"Maybe you should sit down while I replace this relay. You look a little, pale." She said, and Jude shot her a withering look.
"Whatever, I need to take care of my shoulder anyway."
"Oh right," Posey looked instantly both concerned and guilty. "I forgot about that, here let me-"
"I can do it." Said Jude a little snappishly. "You work your egghead magic."
Posey dropped off her duffel and medical supplies by him as he rested heavily on a chair in the corner of the observational deck while Posey meandered over to a set of complicated looking machinery and started tinkering with it while Jude laboriously started removing his leather armor, and letting it fall to the ground. He sat for a moment, letting his skin enjoy the breeze from up here, and watched Posey fiddle with all the wires, a slight frown creasing her features. His shoulder stung slightly, but he knew it wasn't anything serious. His armor had done its job. The bullet barely grazed the top of his right shoulder, it wasn't even by his neck. He pulled off his undershirt and set to cleaning and bandaging it. The blood had trickled down from his shoulder to his chest and now was covered in fine white fuzz from his shirt. He cleaned that off too and just slipped his undershirt back over his head when Posey cried in delight.
"Got it!"
She looked up from where she'd been messing with her odd watch thing, and Jude could hear from hear the unmistakable cadence and timbre of Three Dog's voice echoing from its speaker.
"Well I'll be damned." He said, listening to the radio broadcast a crooning song, a woman's mellow voice floating across the air. "Not bad, Blondie."
"Let's go sunning
It's so good for you
Let's go sunning
Beneath the sky of blue
Greet the sun every morn
Feel as free and happy as the day you were born"
Posey let out a delighted laugh, and started to sway, smiling widely.
"What are you doing?" Asked Jude as she twirled on the spot her arms outstretched.
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm dancing!"
Her hips swinging and her hair falling from its braid she looked utterly ridiculous, but... happy.
"Be creative
Learn to live and play
Pretty flowers need the sun
This applies to everyone."
"Where did you learn to dance, blondie?" He said, smirking slightly, leaning back in his chair.
"Not much to do down in the Vault. You get creative." Said Posey, carefully picking her way across the floor littered with tubes and wires. She actually wasn't too bad, not that Jude had any idea what good dancing looked like. No one in the Wasteland bothered with such things. The jazzy notes cascaded through the air and Jude found himself nodding slightly along with the beat.
"Life's worth living
When nature's giving
Happiness to everyone
Let's go sunning."
Jude laughed in spite of himself as Posey wobbled, the toe of her boot catching on a wire leading from the broadcast rely and nearly causing her to fall.
"Steady on," Said Jude, standing up "You just fixed the thing, you don't want to break do you?"
"You sure you're not just saying that so I'll stop?"
"Whatever works." Said Jude and Posey stuck out her tongue before dancing her way over to the edge of the deck, and leaning out on the railing, looking out over the wasteland.
"I thought you didn't like heights." He said, joining her.
"I'll make an exception occasionally. Besides, no one is really afraid of heights. They're afraid of falling."
He let that sink in for a moment, and stared out at the dilapidated skyline of D.C. watching the hazy clouds transform into pinks and oranges as the sun slowly sank. He glanced over at Posey, who's eyes were transfixed on the sky, drinking in the fantastic colors, her face awash in the golden light of the setting sun, the wispy hair framing her face making an almost halo in the fading light. He'd never seen anyone stare at the sky with such open and unabashed awe. He'd never seen anyone dance before. Let alone someone who'd just had part of their ear blasted off, and was out in the Wasteland for the first time, looking for someone and with hardly a clue as to where to start.
"We're at the Washington Monument." She said quietly, finally dropping her gaze and staring out at the Capitol building, its majestic dome crumbling in one itself. "Do you know how many people would come here, before the war?"
Jude shook his head.
"Millions. One year, nineteen million. Nineteen million people have ridden in that elevator, and have stood where we're standing. Looking out over the capitol building when it still had presidents and party members and meetings."
"Now I really don't want to go back in that elevator."
Posey laughed, and Jude's lips twitched up in a smile. It was so infectious, it was hard not to.
"You live in a town with an undetonated bomb in the center of it and you're scared of an elevator?" She said incredulously.
"I don't live in Megaton." Said Jude, looking back out over the ruins of D.C.
"Where do you live, then."
"Nowhere, at the moment." Said Jude with a shrug.
"But,"
"I stay in the Common House in Megaton when I'm there, and I've rented a room out in Rivet City when I need a place to crash and I'm in the neighborhood, but I don't 'live' anywhere. I scavenge, and I sell what I scavenge to Moria or the buyers in Rivet City, then I scavenge some more."
"Back in the Museum," said Posey after a pause. "You had a lisp, sometimes. Why was that?"
"If you're trying to be quiet, the S sound is the loudest one there is. Th is a lot softer than Ss. So if you have to talk to someone, and you need to be quiet about it, you use a lisp."
"Where did you learn that?"
Jude fingers twitched, and unconsciously he ran his fingers over his collarbone, but with his armor on, he couldn't feel the round scar he knew would be there.
"Let's get going," He said, standing up suddenly. "We want to make it back to Three Dog before dark."
"But-"
"Listen Blondie, don't go digging around in my memory banks alright?" He said, harsher than he meant to. "You might be alright with the whole world knowing your sob story but I'm not, okay?"
"Jude I-"
Jude winced, and he suddenly wished he hadn't told her his real name. He walked over to the elevator and punched the down button.
"I don't want to be in D.C. after dark, get the lead out."
Posey looked back at him, looking more confused than wounded at his harsh tone, but followed him into the elevator without another word.
Posey
Back at the G.N.R studios, Posey buzzed the intercom and waited for a response, shifting her weight anxiously from foot to foot. The journey back had been a little, uncomfortable. Ever since Jude had snapped at her, back at the monument, Posey had almost regretted asking about his past. Almost. Not enough that she wouldn't do it again.
She knew it was rude to poke around in someone's life, especially when it seemed like whatever had happened had hurt him. She also knew it wasn't any of her business, but she couldn't help it. Jude was just so, enigmatic. That was a good word for him. She just hoped he wasn't the serial killer sort of enigmatic.
The intercom crackled and a voice called. "Alright, come in." And Posey opened the door, stepping into the building, Jude following close behind.
"Three Dog is waiting for you upstairs." Said the nearest Brotherhood member. Posey nodded, still unnerved by their odd helmets. It was disconcerting and difficult to tell if they were looking at you or not.
"Hey, the Hero of the Wastes returns!" Three Dog cried, flashing Posey a wide grin as she stepped into his studios and he stood to greet her.
"Your broadcast relay is set." Said Posey, crossing her arms across her chest. "It should be set up, I could get your broadcast from downtown."
"Excellent, excellent!" He crowed, obviously delighted. "See, I knew you could do it. I'm tellin' ya. Three Dog knows how to pick 'em, and you kid." He gave her another smile, "Are destined for greatness."
Jude snorted softly and Posey shot him a withering look.
"So, my dad," Said Posey slowly.
"Right right, of course. You kept up your end of the deal. Your dad was here, like I said, we had a conversation. Real great guy. He was talking about some scientific mumbo jumbo, mentioned a Project Purity. I didn't understand it but he seemed real into it. He also said something about visiting a Doctor Li in Rivet City. Then he left in a hurry."
"Rivet City." Said Posey, "Alright, where's that?"
"You don't know where-" Three Dog looked stunned. "Wow, just wow."
"I know where it is." Said Jude, "We'll head out in the morning."
"You're welcome to crash here." Said Three Dog, "Least I could do, you saved my baby."
Sure, now you're accommodating. Thought Posey wryly.
"Thanks Three Dog."
"You're very welcome. Good luck out there. And remember, keep us tuned in and watch yourself."
Posey nodded and left the studio, heading down to the bunk room, followed by Jude.
"Rivet City isn't too far from here." He said, tossing down his pack when they reached the bunk room and starting to undo the many straps and buckles of his leather armor. "We should get there by tomorrow night if we leave first thing."
"Alright." Said Posey "And Jude,"
He paused, half way out of his armor, his white tee shirt stained with blood from his graze.
"I'm sorry, back at the monument. It wasn't my place to-"
"Don't worry about it." He said, shucking the rest of his armor and flopping back onto a bed. Posey blushed and looked away now that he was clad only in his undershirt and shorts.
"But you know who doesn't like talking about their pasts?" She said quietly as she slipped out of Butch's jacket and pulled out one of her spare Vault 101 Jumpsuits to sleep in. Jude opened one eye and looked at her exasperatedly.
"Who?" He said dryly.
"Raging psychopaths who prey on young girls." Finished Posey, raising her eyebrows and looking at him seriously.
Jude snorted and rolled over, pulling his blanket up over his shoulder.
"Good night, Blondie." He said irritably. Posey smiled at his back and said,
"Good night, Carolina."
Jude gave a slight huff of annoyance but Posey simply laughed. She couldn't see it, but even Jude's lips twisted up in a slight smile before dropping quickly off to sleep.
An: And once again I am incapable of writing a chapter that is under 8,000 words. I'm sorry! . I'm also sorry for the delay! I was on vacation, and I've got little kids running all over the place now. I hope there's not to many mistakes. I really tried to crank this chapter out for you guys, so it might be a little rushed.
Special shout out to FalloutVegasGirl and Jacob W for their reviews! You guys have no idea how much it helps to have them!
As usual, thanks for reading lovelies! Please please please PLEASE review!