Chapter Nine
"We're On Our Way"
Show your hands
If you need a new coat of paint
If your bones are now heavy things
Like anchors hidden somewhere 'neath your skin
Or if your head's just an empty box
If your heart has become spare parts
If your days are now just something you must bear
Well, oh, it seems you're a lot like me
You dug yourself into places
You never thought you would be
But don't you fret, and don't you mind
The only constant is change
And you never know what you'll find
Yeah, tomorrow I might wake up nice and clean
And I might believe the things I said I didn't mean
And this might turn and wind up just the way we'd dreamed
And I might become the things I swore I'd always be
Well, we're always on our way
We're on our way
The Jefferson Memorial building was cool and dark, and Posey couldn't decide if that was pleasant or cloying. The dank hallway stretched on ahead of her, branching left and right as well as continuing for a few more feet before ending abruptly amidst a small pile of rubble. A single electric light flickered halfheartedly, sending its dusty beam down to the grimy floor, and illuminating a single Super Mutant, who stood looking almost bored, at the junction where the hallways branched. Jude nodded at her and Posey raised her Hunting Rifle (Flak's Sniper was stashed next to the door and was to be retrieved on their return trip) and with two quick shots, the Mutant fell. They waited until they were sure no more Super Mutants were coming after them before carrying on.
As they crept along, Posey couldn't help but glance at Jude out of the corner of her eye and wonder what had shaken him so badly outside of the building. Jude had always seemed so solid, both in physicality and personality. He'd mowed down ghouls, mutants and raiders without batting an eye. He'd seemed unshakable. So what was it about BB guns and tenth birthdays that were so traumatic for him? Just when she thought he couldn't get any more perplexing, she'd uncover some other clue to his mysterious past.
They reached the junction where the Mutant had been standing and Jude had just started to search it for ammo when there was a sudden crack of gunfire. Both Jude and Posey jumped and tore for cover along the wall, Jude swearing and scowling all the while.
"Those sons of bitches have a turret in here?" He growled, peering around the wall and quickly drawing back as volley of gunfire sounded.
"What's a turret?" Asked Posey, feeling her heart pound in her chest. Her ear ached with each beat of her frantic heart.
"It's a gun, mounted on the ceiling and it can be programmed to shoot things on sight. Pre-War tech. I don't know how the Super Mutants have the brains to use them. Then again," he peered around the corner again. "it looks like it's shooting at them too. Maybe your old man programmed it when he was here, to keep his research safe."
Posey pulled him back just as there was a sharp crack of gunfire and a cloud of plaster from the wall behind them settled over the pair of them.
"But it sure as hell don't like me." Said Jude, brushing his hair forward and trying to rid it of the powdery white dust. "Let me see your rifle."
She handed it over and Jude waited before darting around the corner and firing rapidly at the turret, which shortly after exploded and Jude rolled hastily back to Posey and cover, waiting for the dust to settle.
"Did you see any Mutants in there?" Asked Posey anxiously, taking her rifle back as Jude coughed at the sudden addition of pulverized plaster to the air.
"Nah, the Turret took it out. But there's a bunch of Egghead gadgets and a sandbag barrier in there, so I'd definitely say we're in the right place."
"Are you good to keep going?" She asked, watching as Jude wiped his streaming eyes.
"Of course I'm good." He snapped, shaking plaster out of his hair. It stood out vividly against the nearly black strands and made him look about thirty years older. "Let's keep moving."
The memorial building, similar to the Museum of Technology, still bore remnants of its former glory, although the memorial seemed to have suffered even more degradation than the Museum. There was far more rubble, and much more grime and the place was dimly lit, causing the hair on the back of Posey's neck to rise. Anything could come at them, lurking just beyond the reach of the flickering lights.
As the two of them entered into a room with multiple marble pillars, Posey glanced around, taking in the obvious evidence of her father's old lab. 'Egghead gadgets' as Jude put it, consisting mostly of beakers and other glassware long since abandoned and emptied, were littered everywhere, and there was even a coffee mug, resting on top of a now empty clipboard. The coffee inside had evaporated over the last decade or so but had stained the sides of the mug and Posey couldn't help but wonder if perhaps that mug had been her father's, or maybe even her mother's. She reached out and brushed its handle with her finger just as Jude placed his hand on her shoulder, looking left and right with narrowed eyes. She paused as well, and slowly the guttural voices of Super Mutants floated across the stale air towards them, coming from a dark hallway off to their left. Just as Posey raised her gun, the pair of Mutants rounded the corner, and spotting them, catapulted themselves towards Jude and Posey, Sledgehammers raised and gravelly voices roaring out challenges at the two of them.
Both Jude and Posey started firing but the Mutants were on them quicker than they had bargained for, and Jude narrowly avoided having his skull caved in by ducking around one of the many pillars in the room while Posey fired at the Mutant responsible, the rapid crack of her Assault Rifle echoing deafeningly through the small chamber as he eventually crumpled, as did his companion. Another victim of the destructive force behind Jude's shotgun.
All threats having been momentarily neutralized, Posey turned to face Jude, panting and feeling rather weak in the knees as she always did after a fight. Jude raised an eyebrow and rested his shotgun in the crook of his elbow, almost lazily opening the chamber and proceeding to reload the weapon.
"Well, two greenies down, who the hell knows how many to go. Any idea where to next, Blondie?"
Posey shook her head, propping her rifle against her shoulder, the barrel still warm from her shots, its heat emanating out, uncomfortably present near her still sore ear.
"Your guess is good as mine at this point. I don't-
She cut off with cry as something struck her hard on the back causing her to stumble and she felt another something, wrap around her calf, and yank her to the ground. The wind was instantly knocked out of her as her torso struck the ground and her gun went skittering across the cracked tile.
"Posey!" Cried Jude, and she heard a scattering of his bullet casings on the floor in his haste to prep his gun for firing. Terror flooded her as whatever it was that had her began to drag her backwards, out of the murky half light and she struggled to get out of its grip, whatever it was. Her fingers scrabbled at the tile, struggling to find purchase as she kicked and writhed. Her fingers slid over a grainy patch dirt and she saw a distinctive tread of Vault-Tec issued boots angling towards a door with a sign pointing to it that read 'ROTUNDA'. Posey finally managing to roll over onto her back and she let out a horrified scream in spite of herself. A awful, disfigured something with a misshapen, vaguely humanoid face, atop a mass of deformed flesh, writhing with thick, tentacle like tongues was slowly shuffling backwards, on a multitude of human arms. One of its awful appendages was wrapped around her calf, soaking her vault suits leg in drool that was causing her geiger counter to tick like crazy.
There was a thunderous crack and the creature recoiled, its tongue thrashing around but mercifully releasing her ankle and she scrambled back on all fours, reigning in sobs as Jude fired his shotgun again, and the creature fell back, its awful mass twitching and felt Jude's hands roughly pull her upwards and unconsciously, Posey threw her arms around him, hiding her face in his chest and shuddering, too traumatized to even cry.
"Hey," He said, sounding surprised, and perhaps, a little awkward, "what're you-"
But Posey just hugged him tighter, her arms around his torso, her cheek pressed flat against his leather armor which in truth smelled terrible, but she didn't care. She simply scrunched her eyes shut and tucked her chin into her chest, letting out a shuddering little sob despite her best efforts to keep them at bay.
Slowly, hesitantly, she felt Jude's arms settle around her trembling frame, and he said quietly. "You're alright. It was just a centaur. They look scary but there's really nothing to them. Although I don't think I've ever seen them grab someone like that before."
She didn't say anything, just screwed up her eyes tighter and hunched her shoulders, trembling in spite of herself. Jude shifted his arms so he was holding her a little more comfortably, closer than he had before. He was warm and solid under his stiff armor, and she could hear his steady heart beating under her throbbing ear.
"You're okay," He repeated softly. "I got it. We're good." She felt his uncertain hand on her head, and almost it seemed as an afterthought, gave her hair one quick stroke. Posey finally released him, stepping back and looking up at him, stuttering out
"I-I'm s-s-s-sorry, I-I didn't mean-"
"It's okay." Said Jude, reaching down and picking up his shotgun, which he'd dropped in his haste to pull her away from the centaur. "We better get a move on. There's bound to be more in here. Centaurs are usually found where there's lots of Super Mutants."
Posey shuddered but bent down and picked up her own weapon, checking it over for any visible damage.
"What are we gonna do about that." Said Jude, looking distastefully at the leg of her suit, which now was soaked in radioactive slime.
"I-I-I don't know, but-"
Jude crouched down beside her, pulling a rather large and threatening looking knife from the back of his belt, and quickly, careful not to touch the saliva, cut off the affected portion, which left Posey's left leg exposed from the knee down. Jude threw aside the soaked fabric with a look of disgust and straightened up, sliding his knife back into its sheath on his belt.
"There." He said, looking down at her leg then up at Posey with a grim smile. "Now you've got some ventilation in that suit of yours as well."
"Thanks," Said Posey, looking down at her now uneven trousers.
"No problem. Now, where to?"
"I think he went to the Rotunda." Said Posey shaikly, straightening up and looking at Jude with what she hoped was a steady gaze, though she was sure it was far from it. "When I uh, fell-"
"You mean when you were yanked viciously to the ground?"
Posey winced. It was true, her torso did feel sore.
"Yeah, then. I thought I saw a boot print, a Vault-Tec boot. It looked like it was leading into the Rotunda."
"Alright, lead the way." He said, and Posey nodded before stepping forward on shaking legs towards the door.
Jude stopped her before she could open the door though and said,
"Actually on second thought, Blondie. Let me take this one."
"What?" She looked up at Jude, her hand still on the door knob.
"Just let me take this one, I'll yell for you if I can't handle it, but, just let me do it."
"Jude, I'm fine." She said impatiently. "I can go in there and help you. I'm fine."
"That Centaur really shook you up, I just-"
"What? You don't think I can handle Super Mutants anymore?" She demanded, glowering up at him. She could feel the beginnings of anger prickling in her stomach, making her curl her toes in her boots and clench her fists. She instantly regretted the hug moments before.
"No it's not that. I just-"
"It was just a scare! I'm fine!"
"Blondie-"
"That's not my name!" She snapped, "And you don't get to tell me where I can and cannot go! So I was scared! Big deal! It doesn't mean I can't go in there and kick Super Mutant ass just as well as you! I-"
"Your dad might be dead in there, Posey."
Posey jerked back as though he'd struck her. Her mouth hung open, her eyes were wide and her hands were limp at her sides as she stared up at him, her anger replaced by a dread so all consuming it almost knocked her off her feet.
"There are so many Mutants here," He said, never taking his eyes off her. "I don't know how he slipped past them all, but if he didn't... It would be better for me to see first, just to make sure. Okay?"
She nodded, not daring to speak and she drew back away from the door, slinging her Assault Rifle over her shoulder and shoving her shaking hands into her jacket pockets. She couldn't decide if she wanted to hug Jude again, or give him a good slap for bringing up the apprehension she'd been feeling about her father ever since she'd left the Vault. She settled for leaning back against the wall near the door and refusing to look at him at all.
"I'll be quick." He promised, and she heard the door open and close behind him and she slid down the wall, hiding her face in her hands.
The thought that her father's corpse might reside on the other side of that wall sent her shivering and shaking just as badly as when she'd been released by the Centaur. Her mind reeled, and as she heard the now familiar noises of combat from the rotunda, she had to bite her lip to hold back the sobs. If he was gone, if her father was gone...She had no idea what she would do. She had no marketable skills, out here in The Wastes. She highly doubted anyone in Megaton or Rivet City would be willing to pay for a marriage counselor. Did people even get married anymore? Jude had been enormously generous but he'd said it himself, everyone out here was a selfish bastard, and even he was only sticking around until they found her father. Dead or alive.
The Rotunda quieted, and Posey raised her head, waiting and listening. Jude hadn't called for her, but perhaps that was because he himself had been killed before he'd had the chance. Posey got to her feet, resolve quelling her panic and fear as she pushed the door open. Waiting be damned, she'd had enough of waiting. It seemed like her whole life had been spent waiting and she'd had enough of it. Her father wasn't dead, and neither was Jude and she was going to march in there and show him who was boss. And it certainly wasn't going to be him.
She strode into the room, the grip on the strap of her rifle so tight she could once again feel the stinging in her palms as her nails bit into the still healing flesh. She could hear the gentle lapping of water as she progressed forward and the air was heavier here, muggier, and stepped onto a metal catwalk, looking around carefully, before turning and-
Crashing headlong into Jude.
Posey lept back, her heart pounding in her chest as Jude stumbled and hurriedly bit off a swear word.
"I told you to wait for me outside!" He hissed, righting himself and glaring down at her.
"Is he here?" She asked, unable to help herself. "My dad? Is he.."
She bit her lip, unable to continue as Jude looked down at her with an unreadable expression, his face softening slightly as he said,
"No. No he's not here."
Posey let out a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding and her shoulders sagged with the weight of it.
"I found some of these though." He said, holding up three holotapes. "They were up there." He pointed up a short metal walkway leading towards some kind of chamber, the catwalk enclosed by steel and glass.
Posey took them and felt her heart beat pick up as she looked down at the now grubby masking tape labels that read in a very familiar handwriting:
Project Purity Personal Journal-J.B
They were numbered: five, eight and ten. Posey traced the initials J.B. with the tip of her finger, and asked:
"Can we listen to them here or are there more Mutants?"
"We can stay here for a bit." Said Jude, shifting his shotgun in his grip and walking over to take a seat on a set of metal stairs leading up to the second level catwalk. Posey joined him, sliding the holotape numbered as five into her Pip-Boy before settling down on the cold metal as her Pip-Boy's scratchy speakers carried her dad's voice through the air:
Even in Vault 101, my work on Project Purity never really stopped. Soon after we arrived, my nightly routine included sneaking into the restricted areas.
"And he got mad at me for wanting to be an explorer!" Said Posey indignantly, but Jude shushed her, listening to the recorded message with a slight frown she was coming to know as his 'thinking face'.
Searching for, I don't know, whatever I could find. It was a Vault-Tec facility after all. The place was built with some of the most advanced technology this country had ever developed. Those excursions never turned up anything particularly useful. So one night, after half a bottle of scotch, I broke into the Overseer's office. It was easy enough to hack his console, gain access to the restricted files. Most of it was garbage: propaganda, spy reports, just plain rambling bullshit, really. But there was one thing, one name that stood out amongst all the others... Dr. Stanislaus Braun. I knew of Braun's work, of course. He was a celebrity in his day. Vault-Tec's sorcerer-scientist, leaving his peers in awe of his technological wizardry. But it was in Vault 101 that night in the Overseer's office, that I first learned of Braun's involvement in Vault-Tec's social preservation program, and his work on something called GECK, Garden of Eden Creation Kit.
"Your dad was a bit of a rebel." Commented Jude as Posey downloaded the tape with a slight scowl before ejecting it.
"Clearly," She said grumpily, "and he chewed me out for wanting to see outside the Vault! He broke into the Overseer's office! I don't know if I should be impressed or upset."
"You can work out that later, let's listen to the next one." Said Jude, and Posey obligingly put the next tape, number eight, in her Pip-Boy.
To be honest, the GECK sounded like pure fantasy, even for someone of Braun's capabilities. It was nothing short of a miracle. A terra-forming module, capable of producing life from complete lifelessness.
Posey looked up at Jude, astonished, to see him looking down at her Pip-Boy with raised eyebrows.
"Now that's what I call egghead magic." Said Jude appreciatively and Posey felt her lips twitched up in a smile.
But not only was this thing a reality, it was actually distributed to several vaults to be used after an atomic war. Vault 101 was, sadly, not on that list. I did some digging and discovered Braun's name on the reservation list for a Vault 112. I'm no slouch, but this man, he could have easily succeeded where I failed. Does his collected knowledge remain within the halls of Vault 112? Journals, holotapes, computer records, maybe even experiments? If I could gain access to just a fraction of Braun's genius, Project Purity would become a reality.
Posey wasted no time in inserting the next tape, and Jude leaned forward as her father's voice crackled out of her speaker,
I'm off to Vault 112 to search for anything of Braun's that might help me get this purifier up and running. All I know is that it's West of some place called "Evergreen Mills," and it's well hidden in some sort of garage. But I'll find it, I have to. It's so close, but that's the story of Project Purity, isn't it? An eternity of "almost there's". Let's see if Braun has the missing puzzle piece.
"Evergreen Mills." Said Jude, looking up at her. "I know where that is. I hope your old man took the long way around."
"Why?" Asked Posey, curling her fingers tight around the edge of the stair and feeling her heart clench.
"Because it's a huge Raider compound." Said Jude, leaning back against the stair above them and stretching out his legs in front of him. He brought his gun around to rest on his lap and began his usual check up on it while saying: "You and I will most definitely be giving that place a WIDE berth."
Posey looked down at the three holotapes in her hands. Before she'd left the Vault, she'd honestly thought her hands were one of her better features. Amata had always said they looked graceful, with long thin fingers and naturally nicely shaped nails. Her father had told her they looked like her mother's hands, one of the few things she'd inherited from her as far as looks went. Now, they were caked with dirt, hang nails peeling off all over the place, and her right knuckles mottled with yellowing bruises from when she'd punched that Vault guard and fractured her knuckles.
Graceful. Right.
"Do you think there are more of these tapes around here?" Asked Posey, tracing the initials J.B. with the tip of her finger. "These are just five, eight and ten. So there's got to be more. Right?"
"I guess so." Said Jude, not looking up from his gun maintenance. "There weren't any more up there, but we could poke around if you want. There might be more Super Mutants though."
Posey considered it for a moment, absently turning tape number five over in her hands. They had all the information they needed, but hearing her father's voice would be wonderful, and she had to admit she was curious. She wanted to know more about Project Purity. But was it worth the risk? She was exhausted not to mention starving. Jude looked marginally better than she did, but even his shoulders were stooped and his movements a little sluggish.
"No, it's not worth it." Said Posey, putting the holotapes into her bag. "We should head back to Rivet City. How far is this garage then?"
"If it's past Evergreen Mills, it's a long ways away. It's gonna take us a couple of days to get there."
Posey groaned and got to her feet, feeling her muscles in her calves and lower back pull uncomfortably. She had a blister forming on her heel and the prospect of a two day trek was definitely an unwelcome thought.
"We'll spend the night in Rivet City." Said Jude, getting to his feet after a final check up on his shotgun and shrugging into his pack, looking down at her with a thoughtful frown creasing his face. "We'll do a supply run there, maybe sell some of the stuff we've picked up, and set off as quick as we can."
"Alright." Said Posey wearily, hauling her duffel bag up onto her shoulder with a wince. The strap was chaffing the side of her neck and digging into her shoulder more and more each time she picked the damn thing up. "Let's go, how much will a room be to rent at Rivet City?"
"Depends. There's a commons area, but I always lose stuff when I stay there. We should be able to rent a place for cheap between the two of us."
He seemed quieter than before, almost taciturn, vastly different than when they'd first arrived and he'd been almost, dare she say, friendly. He'd teased her, laughed and smiled and it was such a stark difference from the Jude she'd first met in Megaton. Now he seemed different from either form, and the walk back to Rivet City was as quiet, as the sun had started it's descent and Jude kept his eyes trained on the path ahead of them. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, taking in his clenched jaw and the lines around his eyes. They were much more prevalent than they had been that morning. She was sure it had to do with the BB gun story and this time, she had no intention of pressing the issue.
The early evening sun shone murkily down on them as they approached the city and Posey chanced another glance as Jude shifted the Sniper Rifle he insisted he carry back with a sigh. Jude's looks were the first thing she'd noticed when she laid eyes on him, back in Megaton. She'd thought him something remarkable, flawless and and completely out of place in the Wasteland. But the more she looked at him, the more she realized that his face wasn't as perfect as she'd first believed. It wasn't symmetrical, persay. His forehead protruded slightly right at his eyebrows, which she'd never noticed before, his nose veered a little to the right, and he had freckles on his ears. Not that there was anything wrong with his freckles, or his ears. His square jaw was made even more so by the way he was clenching it and Posey felt her own jaw ache in sympathy.
Jude, stand offish and cut from marble was undeniably good looking, but Jude, laughing and smiling was on an entirely different plane. His cheekbones rounded out when he smiled, his eyes brightened and his crow's feet became much more obvious but in the best kind of way. His jaw softened slightly, his chin morphing into his neck, and when he laughed, his nose crinkled and his shoulders shook as if the rest of his body couldn't wait to get in on the joke. In short, he was beautiful and Posey wanted to see him like that all the time.
Looking at him now though, as he wrenched the door open for the marketplace and strode inside, it was difficult to believe he was even the same person that had escorted her to the memorial. She hurried to keep up as Jude approached Flak and thrust the Sniper at him, clearly in no mood to bargain anymore. Perhaps Flak sensed that, because the transaction was much shorter than their first. Wordlessly, Jude pocketed his deposit caps and turned on his heel, striding out of the Marketplace and Posey hurried to keep up as Jude navigated the twists and turns of Rivet City with ease, despite his clouded face and scowl. He stopped in front of a desk in a relatively large area of the ship and said to the woman behind the counter.
"Vera, I'd like a room please."
The woman, in her late twenties Posey guessed and very pretty, turned to face Colorado with a smile.
"Evening Colorado, the usual room? It's empty and I just washed the sheets in that room."
Her eyes landed on Posey, who finally caught up to Jude and her smile faded slightly.
"Oh," She said, forcing her smile back on, "are you two together?" She asked.
"Yes," Said Posey, anxiously reaching for her measly forty caps. "Do you have any rooms with two beds?"
"Two?" Said the woman, and her smile slowly became a little less forced. "I think so, let me check."
She went over to a terminal and Posey asked under her breath,
"How much will this be?"
"Not much." Said Jude, still avoiding her gaze. "Vera always gives me a discount."
"Probably because she thinks you're handsome."
"What?" Spluttered Jude, finally looking down at Posey, who felt a slow smile creep up onto her face at his discomfort.
"Are you blushing, Colorado?" She asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking up at him.
"No!" Said Jude, hastily looking away and scrubbing the back of his neck with his hand, but she saw a distinct pinkish flush creep up his neck, and highlight the tips of his ears and nose. Posey laughed in delight and Jude scowled,
"She's very pretty, Jude." Taunted Posey, smiling widely at her chance to rib him instead of the other way around. "Maybe you should ask her out sometime, see how far you can stretch that discount."
"I..That's-" Jude was definitely flustered. "She doesn't." He finished, looking anywhere but at Posey or Vera, who came back to them with another smile.
"We do have a room with two bunks. So that'll be eighty five caps for the night. Is that all you'll need?" She asked kindly, though looking a little confused by Jude's sudden interest in the floor.
"It is, thank you." Said Posey smiling as she put down her forty caps and elbowed Jude, who fumbled to do the same.
"Have a good night." Said Vera, handing Posey the key and frowning as Jude surged past her and stumbled back towards the room.
"He's just..really tired." Said Posey, suppressing a grin and Vera nodded, though she looked a little lost. "Thank you for the room."
She followed after Jude, and couldn't help the smirk that came to her lips as she unlocked the door for a still blushing Jude and stepped inside after him.
"She doesn't just give me a discount because she thinks I'm handsome." Said Jude stubbornly, tossing his pack onto the floor next to a bunk riveted into the metal wall. "I've given her good business, is all."
"Whatever you say," Said Posey in a sing song voice, dropping her duffle onto the other bunk and propping her rifle up next to her bed. "you seem to give Flak a lot of good business and he certainly wasn't giving you any discounts."
"That's because Flak is Flak, he's a crotchety old bastard." Said Jude, sitting down on his bunk and rifling through his pack, pulling out a handful of clothes and a small packet of pills, which he popped open and swallowed two.
"Are you okay?" Asked Posey, her smile fading slightly as he got to his feet, "What medicine was that?"
"Rad-X." He said, his hand on the doorknob. "The showers in Rivet City are slightly, slightly better than the ones in Megaton. At least I'll have my own stall."
"You have to take Rad-X before you can shower?" Said Posey in disbelief. Jude shrugged, and tossed her the remaining two pills, still in the package.
"Better safe than sorry. You'll still have to be pretty speedy."
Posey watched him go and looked down at the pills in her hand, marveling at how difficult life was out here in the Wastes. Something as simple as a shower, (which sounded absolutely heavenly) required meds, and for Jude and Posey's case, some serious travel time. What would it have been like to grow up out here? She couldn't even begin to imagine.
She took the hat that Jude had lent her off and turned it over in her hands, looking at the faded red material with a slight frown. Why did Jude have this, when it was clearly too small for him? He'd lectured her about unnecessary weight before, and not that a baseball cap would weigh much but still...She turned it around, examining it for any sort of hint as to why he would have kept it when she found, on the back of the hat, near the bottom, two embroidered letters. A.H. Initials perhaps? The H could have stood for Hiller, but what about the A? And what about BB guns sent Jude into such a tizzy?
Posey had always been curious. It was just part of who she was. This particular mystery, the mystery that was Jude Hiller was unlike anything she'd ever encountered. And yet...
She didn't want to dig. His face, back at the memorial. The way his smile had froze, and his eyes... No. Whatever it was was too painful, and she didn't even know Jude, really and had no right to try and delve into his past, no matter how intriguing it was. Besides, it was as he'd said. He was with her until they found her dad, and no longer than that. No point in getting in too deep with him. Not that she thought Jude would allow that to happen. She got to her feet, grabbing fresh clothes and her toiletries bag and headed out, pausing to ask Vera directions before heading off to the bathrooms.
As she waited for the shower water to become a little less freezing, Posey thought of her dad, out in the wasteland, by himself, and felt her stomach clench. Her father, gentle, kind and loving father, battling his way through raiders and Super Mutants and who knew what else. Did he even know how to shoot a gun? How on earth was he making it out there? Was he hurt? Did he have anyone out here in the wastes to help? Anyone who cared if he were injured besides herself?
Anxiety crept into her heart, tying her insides in knots as she plunged into the cold water and began hurriedly washing herself, shivering under the steady icy stream. Thankfully, the cold water did stem the stomach curdling worry as she scrubbed at her arms and especially her hands and under her fingernails, and worked through the many tangles in her hair in her attempt to wash it. She could hear the murmur of other Rivet City residents as she shut off the water and stood, shaking with cold in the stall, trying to shake off as much excess water as she could without a towel handy, wringing her waist length hair out and listening to the snippets of conversation she could hear. People talked of other residents, of food prices at the galley, the security regime and other surprisingly normal things. People, it turned out, were still people, even after a nuclear Armageddon. They still had the same concerns, food, water, shelter and even love in some cases. The human condition hadn't changed as much as the people down in the vault would have her believe.
She slid on her last clean Vault suit, zipping it up and pulling the sleeves down over her cold fingers as she stepped out of the bathroom, her hair dripping onto the floor and hanging in wet tangles down her back. The guards leaning against the wall paused in their conversation as she passed, eyeing her distrustfully. She simply nodded to them and carried on down the corridor, heading for The Weatherly Hotel.
Jude was still gone as she let herself into the room, and sat down on her bunk, reveling in the feeling of being clean. Five days. That's how long she'd been out of the Vault. Five days. Not even a full week yet, and it felt like years. She started brushing out her tangles and thought about the Vault, wondering how Amata was doing. She hoped her father hadn't hurt her for helping Posey out. She'd never considered that, and her grip on her brush tightened. Surely, he wouldn't take it out on Amata. All he cared about was that Posey and her father were gone, and no longer a threat to his cozy little kingdom. Right?
Her stomach churned and she braided her hair back with shaking fingers. She'd never considered how leaving would affect anyone else. The Overseer might be a control freak but he wouldn't hurt anyone, would he?
Except Jonas...
Posey closed her eyes, fighting back tears. Five days out of the Vault and on how many of them had she cried? Probably five. She wasn't exactly keeping track.
The door opened and Posey hastily wiped her eyes, looking up to see Jude, wearing a navy blue tee shirt tucked into a pair of pants that seemed a bit too big, cinched tight with a worn leather belt. He sat down heavily on his own bunk and ran his fingers through his still damp hair and let out a sigh. He'd shaved as well, his scruff replaced by hints of razor burn on his cheeks. He didn't look up at her, just stared down at his boots, and didn't say a word. Posey waited, but as the silence stretched on, she reached down to her bag and pulled out Duck and Cover, The Extended Edition, and started flipping through the pages, looking for the model of the bomb in Megaton. Once she found the right page, she started reading, settling back on the mattress and letting the words wash over her, bring her back into the familiar and comfortable plane that reading had always whisked her away too, no matter what book she had in her hands. She let herself sink into the jargon and pace of the book, absorbing all the information she could but paused as she at last heard Jude's voice, low and almost gravelly ask: "Why even bother disarming the bomb? What's Megaton to you?"
She looked up at him, feeling a little dazed, as she always was when interrupted while reading. She blinked and Jude came into clearer focus, sitting on his bunk with his hands clasped in front of him, elbows resting on the worn knees of his jeans. His hair was beginning to dry, and she noticed for the first time that it had some natural wave to it.
"Once again, why do you get to ask all the questions?" She asked, sitting up a little and brushing a stray lock of hair out of her face. She hoped that this question meant he was coming out of the mood he'd been in, and wondered if she was pushing her luck with her banter.
"Because I'm the one helping you and doing you a favor, that's why." Said Jude, finally settling back on his bunk and giving her a sharp look. Yeah, she was pushing her luck.
"I don't exactly know," She said with a shrug. "I guess because I can? There a children in Megaton, they don't deserve to live in the shadow of that. The Wasteland is difficult enough, why make it harder for them?"
Jude simply stared at her, and she stared back, the rumble of the ship's generator and slight buzz of the lights overhead filling the space with white noise as she finally looked away, unable to hold his gaze any longer.
"And," She continued, running the pages between her fore finger and thumb to avoid looking at him, "if I can disarm it I'm sure there is someone out there who could rig it to explode, and from what I've come to realize out here, for the right amount of caps some people will do just about anything. I figure I'll just take care of it now and spare them the trouble."
"You've been out here five days and you've given up on humanity all ready?" Asked Jude, leaning down and picking up his shotgun and his repair kit and he set to work on checking the weapon over. "You think someone would rig it to explode?"
"I haven't given up on all of humanity." She said, looking back up at him. "I'm just saying somebody might. So I better get there first."
Jude paused in his gun care and looked up at her uneasily. "What if someone does want the bomb to explode?" He said slowly, "Someone with a lot of caps and influence? You willing to step on that someone's toes?"
"Who says they'll know it was me?" She said, folding her sore legs up underneath her and marking her place in her book with her thumb as she let it fall shut. "Do you know someone who's planning to rig the bomb?" She asked, looking across at Jude, who avoided her gaze, simply leaned over and picked up her rifle leaning against the end of her bunk and started cleaning and repairing it as well.
"I know someone who's not too fond of Megaton," He said at last, still keeping his eyes trained on her rifle. "and he's got a lot of dough."
Posey looked down at the cover of the book in her hands, feeling her heartbeat quicken slightly and she said lightly, "Well I'll just have to beat them to the punch won't I?"
Jude looked up at her and she forced herself to lift her eyes and meet his gaze. His face was, as usual, unreadable. Posey wished she had that skill, but she felt her emotions were always too close to the surface, she was always too easy to read. She dropped her gaze and cleared her throat and said, "Alright, you've asked me half a dozen questions, not to mention my two I stored from back at the memorial, so now it's my turn."
Jude sighed and went back to his cleaning, looking resigned. "Fine. Do your worst. I still don't have to answer. And neither do you when I ask, just so you know."
She watched him for a moment, taking in the curve of his shoulder and bicep as he turned away from her, keeping his eyes glued to the gun in his lap, meticulously pouring over it for the tiniest anomalies in it's structure. His thick eyelashes actually cast a shadow on his cheekbone, and he pursed his lips slightly as he stared down at the gun and Posey thought hard about all the questions bouncing around in her head. Where did you even come from? Why did you have a too small hat in your bag? Why do you go by Colorado to everyone but me? What does A.H. stand for? What is it about BB guns and tenth birthdays that made you look at me like that? She remembered that look, and so the words sprang to her lips before she could stop them and she asked: "What's your favorite color?"
He froze, looking slowly up at her with a look that she could only describe as a 'what. the. hell.' look. His eyebrows were quirked down and his mouth pursed in a slight frown and his eyes almost looked suspicious, like she was making fun of him.
"My favorite...what?"
"Color." She repeated, "What's your favorite color?"
"I don't have one."
"Yes you do," She said, putting Duck and Cover aside and sitting up, bringing one knee to her chest, "everyone has one."
"Yeah, well not me." He said, frowning more in confusion than actual anger.
"Come on, this isn't even a hard one! What's your favorite color?"
"Hell, I don't know Blondie," He said, reaching up and tugging on his ear uncomfortably before settling back in his bunk, her rifle still in his lap.
"Just pick one." Said Posey with a slight smile. For some reason, making Jude uncomfortable was immensely rewarding.
"Fine," He glanced up at her, then swept his gaze around the room before muttering, "blue, I guess."
"Blue," Said Posey, her smile growing as she leaned back against the ship's cold metal wall. "Okay. I like that one too."
"Well what's your favorite color?" He said, sounding defensive. Posey laughed in spite of herself,
"I said I like blue! And are you sure you want to get into this game? I get another question now. But if you're curious... Pink."
"Pink." Said Jude flatly, looking at her with raised eyebrows.
"Yes, pink." She said, "Not like, bright pink. Pink like you'd see in sunrises and sunsets. Well I guess you can see bright pink in those too, but soft, really light pink. In the Vault there was this old catalogue, magazine things that people could order dresses and furniture and such out of, and there was an ad, for perfume I think, and it had these really pretty pink flowers. Peonies they're called. I loved that ad."
"You're not gonna find any flowers out here." He said, turning back to her rifle putting all the pieces he'd pulled out to clean back together.
"I know." She said, looking back down at Duck and Cover.
"You really think you can disarm that thing?" He asked, watching as she ran her fingers over its faded cover.
"Yeah. It's actually not that complicated," She said, picking it up and turning to the page where the model of the bomb in Megaton was, "There's only a couple of mechanics involved with that particular model." She said, offering the book over to him. Jude wiped his hands on a rag from his gun cleaning kit, his fingers were smudged with gunpowder, before accepting the book. He looked at the diagram, his dark eyebrows drawn down low.
"I guess that doesn't look to hard." He said slowly.
"No, it tells you exactly how to right here." She pointed to a small paragraph below the picture of the bomb. "Step by step instructions, with diagrams and everything."
Jude looked over the book and Posey drew back, looking down at her Pip-Boy's map with a slight frown. Jude had programmed the location of where he guessed Vault 112 would be, if it was west of Evergreen Mills, and it was a long ways away. She looked at the few dots representing locations she'd already found and programed in. Vault 101, Rivet City, The Jefferson Memorial Building, Museum of Technology, and...
"Megaton. We need to stop in Megaton." She said, not looking up from her Pip-Boy. "On our way to Vault 112, we need to go there first."
"That's a little out of the way, Blondie. Are you sure?"
Posey swallowed hard, "Yeah. I'm sure."
"Okay. I'll sell what I can to the buyers here, but I can get better deals on these chems from Moriarty."
Posey's nose wrinkled at the mention of Moriarty. "And I can disarm that bomb."
"Yeah, and you can take care of that too. We should be able to head directly west of Megaton and that'll take us far enough away from Evergreen Mills that we won't have to worry about running into them, and we'll just have to head south for a little while, and we should find Vault 112 no problem."
"How on earth has he made it this far through all these Mutants and Raiders?" Said Posey, mostly to herself. "How is he ahead of us?"
Jude shook his head, and closed Duck and Cover with a snap before handing it back to her. "Your old man must be pretty spry. That's all I can say. We better get some sleep, especially if you aim on saving all of Megaton tomorrow."
"I do aim to do that." Said Posey, tucking the book back into her bag.
Jude looked up at her, quiet for moment before shaking his head. "Just don't miss, Blondie."
The walk back to Megaton was long, not to mention hair raising. They'd run into a lot more raiders than Posey was prepared for, not to mention Mole Rats, and an even more disgusting creature Jude called a Bloatfly. Yet through all of it, Jude didn't seem troubled, even when he pulled a two inch Bloatfly larva out of his arm, it's dart like spine sinking into his exposed flesh. He did however, seem to be in better spirits, though not quite as talkative as he had been on the way to the memorial.
"Well, we made it." Said Jude, standing in the shadow of Megaton, and Posey could only nod in relief. The journey had been something of a blur, and for that Posey was grateful. She didn't want to think of how many lives she'd ended in the few short hours they'd traveled.
"Yeah, we did." She said shakily. "And in one piece no less."
"What an accomplishment." Said Jude, giving her a smirk before pushing the gates open and heading inside.
The dusty gathering was much as she'd left it, a few settlers milling about, and Lucas Simms giving them a nod as he came to check who had arrived in his town.
"It's a pleasure to see you again, Miss Bennett." He said, giving her a smile. "If I'm going to be completely honest, I wasn't sure you'd make it."
"Me neither." Said Posey, wearily. "But, I did find something that will help with your, uh, atomic problem."
The Sheriff raised his eyebrows. "Did you now?"
"I did. I can disarm it for you, for good." Said Posey confidently. Simms raised his eyebrows.
"You're sure?"
"Positive."
"So long as you don't blow us all sky high." Said Simms uneasily.
"She won't, Simms." Said Jude, and the sheriff looked up at him with raised eyebrows.
"You vouching for her, Colorado?"
"I am." Said Jude with a nod.
To both Jude and Posey's surprise, the man let out a loud laugh.
"Well, I'll be," Said Simms, his eyes bright and smile wide. "never thought I'd see the day. Well, I trust you got this covered Miss Bennett. You take care of the problem, then come and find me afterward. There'll be something in it for you if you fix it up right. I'll be seeing you two later."
He left them with almost something like a bow, then turned and walked away, chuckling to himself.
"Odd." Remarked Posey, watching him go with raised eyebrows.
"Yeah." Said Jude with a thoughtful frown. "Well, whatever. I wanna head to the saloon, get me one last drink before you start tinkering with that thing."
"Hey!" Said Posey indignantly, "I thought you were vouching for me!"
"I did, didn't I? Now let's go sell us some chems and get me drunk so you can not blow us all up."
"I won't blow us all up." She said with a scowl. "And I don't want to go to the saloon. I hate Moriarty; I don't want to give him business."
"I'll deal with Moriarty. You just have to bring the chems, they're squirreled away in your bag."
"My bag?!" Cried Posey, wide eyed "You turned me into a drug mule!"
"Would you stop fussing and just come on?" Said Jude impatiently. "Your bag had more room! Chems make good caps, and you're the one who found most of them anyway."
"Fine." Said Posey with a scowl, "but I'm just going to say hi to Gob and I'm not even going to look at Moriarty. You get to barter with Moriarty not me."
"Fine. You'd probably mess it up anyway."
"Yeah," Said Posey, hiking her bag up on her shoulder and setting off towards the saloon. "I'd probably end up punching him in the nose again."
Jude's eyes widened, "Again? Did you just say again?!"
The saloon was just as dimly light and smoky as always and Posey took a seat at the bar just as Gob turned and said,
"What can I-Hey! Smoothskin!" His face split into a wide smile (Which looked rather painful) and said "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes! Glad to see you made it out of D.C. in one piece!"
"Thanks Gob." Said Posey with a smile, while Jude sought out Moriarty to start bartering.
"You want a drink? This one's on me, pick your poison."
"No thanks Gob, I'm fine. I just stopped by to say hi."
"Well I'm glad you did," He said, his rough and gravelly voice surprisingly warm and kind. "Moriarty has really been cracking down, it's nice to see a friendly face."
"There's really no way for you out of that deal?" Asked Posey, folding her arms on the counter and looking at Gob with a frown. Once you got past the, well, the almost everything, Gob's milky white eyes looked kind, and she could see a hint of brown, perhaps an indication of what color his iris' use to be. Gob shook his head and absently started to wipe down the counter.
"Nah, probably not. I gotta pay back my loan to Moriarty, but at at the same time he charges me room and board here and I ain't got anywhere else to stay, really. People don't take kindly to ghouls in the common house."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Gob." Said Posey sincerely. "If there's anything I can do for you-"
"Probably not." Said Gob with a sad smile. "Thanks for the offer, Smoothskin. Hey, did you find your dad yet?"
"No, but I've got a good lead, I'm headed to-"
"Well well well, if this isn't just what the doctor ordered."
Posey turned just as Gob shrank back and practically vanished behind the bar as a man in a surprisingly spotless and impeccable suit stood before her, giving her a slow smile that suddenly made Posey wish she was wearing a winter coat. The man tipped his stylish hat to her, dark eyes flashing behind tinted lenses as Posey asked uncertainly,
"Can I help you, Sir?"
"Oh yes, my dear girl." He said, his voice like velvet over steel, "I believe you can."
A chill ran up Posey's spine and unconsciously, she dropped her hand to rest on her pistol strapped to her thigh.
"I had just about given up hope." He said, smoothly taking her hand in his own. "I'm delighted to make your acquaintance. I am Mister Burke. And you are?" His lips brushed over her still bruised knuckles and Posey drew her hand back. His lips were cold.
"Posey Bennett." Said Posey, feeling a drop of sweat slide down her back. There was something immensely off putting about this man, with his black hair, greying at the temples, slicked smoothly back, and his sharp, slow smile.
"Charmed, my dear. Charmed." He took a seat next to her, and his movements mimicked his voice: smooth, poised and dangerous. "Tell me, you are not a resident of this putrescent cesspool, are you?"
"No," Said Posey slowly with a frown. "Not exactly."
"I thought not." He said, draping an arm over the bar and giving her a lazy once over, which caused Posey's grip to tighten on her gun, hidden beneath the shadow of the bar. "Never could a place like this put forth a shining gem like yourself. That makes you a very valuable individual, darling."
"Oh?"
She glanced around, looking for Jude but he was nowhere to be found. Probably off bartering with that skeez Moriarty in the back.
"Indeed." Said Mister Burke, "A most valuable individual."
"Well, thank you very much Mister Burke, but I'm afraid I must be-"
His hand shot out faster than she could have imagined, icy cold and steely strong fingers clamping around her upper arm while his voice purred: "There's no rush, my dear. Please, have a seat. Allow me to buy you a drink. I simply want to inform you of the, interests, that I represent."
He steered her back to her stool with surprising strength and kept his arm resting so close to hers, she could see the weave in his pinstriped suit, caging her in. Posey glanced frantically around the bar, trying to meet Gob's eyes, who was starring in something not unlike terror at Burke.
"What sort of interests, Mister Burke." Said Posey, looking back at him. She could smell some sort of heavy, overpowering cologne coming off of him, and it was making her head ache, and her thoughts muddy.
"Real Estate, one might say." Said Burke with a smile, "They view this place, this Megaton," He spat out the word as though riding his mouth of a foul taste, "as a blight on a burgeoning urban landscape."
Posey raised her eyebrows. "I wouldn't call the Wasteland, burgeoning, Mister Burke."
"Perhaps you simply lack the ambition me and my peers are burdened with." Said Burke with a sardonic smile. "Although I can think of many categories where you are gifted beyond belief." He murmured, eyeing her frame once again and Posey fought back a gag. "But I digress, Miss Bennett. You have no connections here, no interest in this cesspit's affairs, or fate. You, my dear girl, could assist us in erasing this little accident right off the map."
Posey's blood ran cold.
"I don't know what you're suggesting," Lied Posey, "but I'm quite sure that I don't want to be a part of it, Burke."
Burke's eyes flashed and a deadly smile rose to his lips. "I could make you rich, dear girl. Easy money. You wouldn't want to end up stuck here, would you? A pawn in this Moriarty's game? A beautiful young thing like yourself, We wouldn't want anyone," she felt his icy fingers brush her cheek and goose bumps rose where they'd trailed. "taking advantage of you, would we?"
"I think we're done here," Said posey attempting again to rise, but Burke's hand came down hard on her thigh, just above her knee, his fingers smooth and cold as marble clenching into the bare skin so tightly she knew it would bruise, sending a chill throughout her whole body.
"Are you sure, dear girl?" He breathed, his face uncomfortably close to her own. "It would be simple enough. That bomb, mere feet away from us, is still very much alive. It would be a very straightforward job, and as I said, it would make you rich. Rich beyond belief. And did I hear you were looking for your father? I could aid you."
"I don't want your help." Hissed Posey, glowering at him and her hand so tight on her gun her palms were stinging again. "Now let me go, or so help me-"
"Hey Blondie, we've got to head to Moria's before-"
Burke drew back and the pressure on her thigh was gone in an instant as Jude came around the bar, looking from Posey, to Burke. His eyes narrowed slightly and his mouth pressed down in a firm, hard line. He looked just as threatening as Burke did.
"Ah, Mr. Colorado." Said Burke sardonically. "Still scavenging and scrimping by in this dung heap I see."
"And you've still got your head up your ass, apparently." Said Jude darkly. Burke's smile vanished, replaced by a look nothing short of murderous and Posey got hastily to her feet as Jude glared back.
"I'm not going to rig that bomb, Burke." Said Posey, her voice steady though her hands shook as she stood in front of Jude, facing down Burke. "And neither is anyone else, you hear me?" The rest of the bar had gone deathly quiet, even the radio seemed to stop buzzing. "There are children here, you sick son of a bitch!" continued Posey vehemently. "You stay away from that bomb."
"Oh that's cute." Said Burke, his thin lips twisting up in a razor sharp smirk. "And how do you plan to carry through with that gallant little speech?"
"I'll figure something out." Said Posey coolly, "If I were you, I'd stear clear of the thing."
"Is that a threat?" Said Burke lightly, getting to his feet, his broad brimmed hat casting his face into shadow. "Oh, my dear girl you are just precious aren't you." He purred.
"I'm not your dear girl." Snapped Posey, "And if I were threatening you, you wouldn't have to ask." Her leg throbbed.
She felt Jude shift slightly behind her, his chest just brushing her back, muscles taut under his leather armor.
"You are just adorable, my dear. Tell me Colorado, where did you find this novel little thing? Darling," He said, leaning forward, his eyes behind his glasses were pitch black and as hard as stone. "you don't want to threaten me."
"And you don't want to mess with me." Said Posey, sounding much braver than she felt.
"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure." He said lazily, "I find the prospect rather stimulating, actually." Posey lips twisted in disgust.
"You're despicable, Burke." Growled Posey, her lips contorted into a snarl, "And I'd rather die than work with you."
Burke smiled, reached up and removed his glasses. "Well, that can certainly be arranged."
He had his gun out faster than Posey could comprehend, but there was an crash, and Burke stumbled forward to revel Gob, holding the shattered neck of a bottle and Jude shoved Posey aside, tackling Burke to the ground. Posey leapt forward and stomped hard on Burke's wrist, causing him to howl in pain as she pulled the gun from his frigid fingers and stepped back, aiming it directly between his eyes. Jude struggled to his feet, and Posey handed him her ten millimeter pistol, which he took and aimed it down at Burke as well, spatting out a mouthful of blood at Burke's polished shoes.
"You two have made a very deadly mistake." Growled Burke, his black eyes feral and smooth hair arway.
"You're not exactly in the position to be intimidating, jackass." Said Jude,
"We're going to escort you to the gates." Said Posey smoothly, "And if you're smart. You'll never come back."
Burke looked livid, but got to his feet slowly, his hands above his head, and Gob got the door for them as Jude prodded Burke in the back with his pistol, and the odd parade shuffled out of the bar. Lucas Simms, who was about to enter looked surprised, but not exactly displeased to see Posey and Jude ushering Burke out at gunpoint.
"Well, this is an interesting turn of events." Drawled Simms. "Care to share, Colorado?"
"I'm not entirely sure what happened." Said Jude thickly through his split lip. "Ask Blondie over there."
"He asked me to rig the bomb to explode." Explained Posey, her eyes never leaving Burke's back. "I declined, he attacked, so we're escorting him out."
"Escorting him out, that seems generous." Said Simms with a menacing glower. "Let me take over, Miss Bennett. You see to our bomb, while Mr. Colorado and I see to this bit of filth."
"You'll regret this, Simms." Growled Burke, but Simms just shoved him forward, and Posey stepped aside, leaning against the railing and watching the group pass. Burke looked over his shoulder and pinned Posey with a lethal glare.
"This isn't over." He growled,
"From where I'm standing it is." Said Posey, gripping the railing tight in her shaking hands, feeling her leg begin to swell with her bruise.
Burke gave her a deadly smile, that made Posey feel cold all over.
"Oh, this is only just the beginning. Remember, I gave you a chance. Expect to hear from me again soon. I'm coming for you, Miss Bennett."
"Shut it." Snarled Jude, baring his teeth, a terrifying sight seeing as they were smeared with blood, and shoving Burke's head forward. "One more word and I blow your greasy head off."
"Touchy touchy." Taunted Burke, "Don't worry Colorado, I'll be sure to show her a good time before the end. Nothing like the occasions she's spent with you, I'm sure."
"I said shut it!" Roared Jude, jamming the barrel of Posey's pistol at the base of his skull.
"Colorado, maybe you'd better let me take him in." Said Simms, and Jude shook his head, hands trembling, expression deadly.
"I'll take him, you stay here. Cover me, just in case he tries something."
"Fine." Said Jude stiffly, and Simms and Burke made their slow progression down the ramps.
"I'll be in touch shortly, my dear." Called Burke, and Posey shuddered as she watched as Simms escorted him away.
Jude didn't say anything, simply stood, glaring down at Burke's retreating figure, his lips curled in a snarl, all of his muscles taut as a bowstring.
"What an asshole." Said Posey lightly as Burke faded out of sight. Jude didn't say anything, and Posey turned to look at him, the blood dripping off his chin and his jaw set tight in anger.
"Are you alright, Jude?" She asked hesitantly, stepping closer and looking at his mouth. His bottom lip was split and was already starting to swell. "Your lip, it looks-"
"I'm fine." Said Jude shortly. "I've had worse."
"Well that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt." Said Posey with a slight frown, "Here, let me see-"
"I said I'm fine!" Snapped Jude, "I have to cover Simms. Go take care of your bomb."
"But-"
He stomped away, following after the path that the sheriff had taken, and Posey watched him go, bewildered.
"Well, ye certainly know how to cause a scene, I'll give you that."
Posey turned and saw the most unwelcome sight of Moriarty, leaning against the railing beside her, looking after Burke with a slight smirk.
"Did ye find yer daddy yet?"
"Information's a currency." Said Posey snidely, "and I'm in no mood to barter."
"Ach, you're no fun." Said Moriarty, pushing off on the railing. "Still, glad you got rid of that prick. So, he was gonna blow us all up then?"
"Or find someone to do it for him."
"He didn't look very hard then, hell I would've done it, if he payed me well enough."
"You're disgusting." Said Posey, pushing off the railing and marching away.
"Don't look so high and mighty, lassie." He called after her, "You wait 'n see! You live long enough out here, you'll lose them high standards of yours awful quick!"
Posey didn't dignify that with a response, and instead made a beeline for the bomb, tuning out the sermon of the man standing in front of it with his arms held worshipfully upwards. She found the control panel, just as the book described and pulled it off. Inside were a mass of wires, and Posey found the two that her book had indicated, after double checking Duck and Cover to be doubly sure, reached past them to a switch which she flicked. The mass let out a slight hiss, and passersby jumped and looked at the thing uneasily as it let out a stream of gas, but Posey just raised a pair of wire cutters Jude had lent her and snipped the two black wires. Just as the book had said, the light at the top right of the control panel, blinked three times before going out. Satisfied, Posey replaced the control panel and stepped out of the muddied water, hands on hips and smiling up at the bomb that was now truly deactivated.
"Just as I thought." Said Posey under her breath, "Easy as-"
There was a crack of gunfire and Posey whirled around, her heart leaping into her throat and her feet unconsciously taking her to the source as she sprinted up the lane to see Burke tearing through the gates of Megaton, and Jude and Simms sprawled in the dirt, near the brass lantern.
"Jude!" Cried Posey, feeling a sob build in her throat as she flew towards him, skidding to a halt on her knees, as she leaned over him, heart in her throat and tears pricking her eyes as Jude's head lolled and he struggled to keep her in focus. There was a trickle of blood down his temple "Jude are you alright!"
"That sonofabitch-" slurred Jude, "I'll kill 'em. No good, dirty rotten-"
"I'm guessing this means you're not critically injured." Said Posey, though her heart still pounded.
Simms let out a groan a few feet away and Posey looked up, to see him struggling to sit up, his hand clamped around his side.
"Where's that bastard?! I'll shoot to kill this time! That son of a bitch!"
"He's gone, sheriff are you alright?"
"He got away?" Demanded Simms, looking furiously towards the gate. "Damnit! We gotta-"
"Get you two to a doctor?" Said Posey, "I think so."
"I'm fine, Blondie. I told you, I'm fine!" Groaned Jude, bringing a hand to his head.
"You!" Said Posey, snapping her fingers at a nearby Settler. "Get over here and help me. These men need a doctor."
Thankfully, the man didn't protest, and he hauled the sheriff to his feet, who let out another groan and kept his hand to his side, which Posey now saw was bleeding.
"Mr. Simms! Are you-"
"It's just a graze, girlie." He said, though he was wincing and covered in a fine sheen of sweat. "I'll pull through. Doc Church has patched up worse."
"What about you?" She asked as Jude slowly sat up, his hand to his head and wincing. "What happened to you?"
"He had another gun, a punny little pistol." Said Jude, groaning as he leaned back against the wall of the Brass Lantern. "Pulled it on me and Sheriff. He got one shot, grazed the sheriff before I got him, a good one in the leg, but he'd already brained me and so he took off."
"I really think you should see the doctor too." Said Posey, eyes wide with concern. "You might have a concussion."
"Isn't that what you said to me last time? I've got a thick skull."
"So I've noticed." Said Posey dryly, and Jude's lips twitched in a smile, immediately followed by a wince. "Come on, up you get. You're probably concussed. Trust me, my dad's a doctor."
"I don't think that's how it works." Said Jude, stumbling slightly and Posey steadied him, draping his arm around her shoulder and slipping hers around his waist.
"Sure it is." She said, panting under his weight. "I'm pretty sure that is exactly how it works."
Jude, as it turned out, was concussed.
"See, I told you." Said Posey while Doc Church put his medical examination kit away.
"Well then what'd ya need me for?" Demanded Doc grumpily. "It's a pretty mild one. I injected a stimpack up there. Here." He thrust a cold pack at Posey, loosely wrapped in a cloth. "Keep this pressed to his head and get him on outta here. I got other patients to see. Come back if he throws up again, has unequal pupils, weakness on one side of the body or passes out. Just rest up for the rest of the day and clear out."
"Yes sir," Said Posey, "I'll keep a good eye on him."
"Miss Bennett," Called Simms, who was propped up on a cot in the corner of the room, his graze bandaged and cleaned. "before you go, here's your payment for fixing up our little problem." He handed over a small pouch. "One hundred caps, and." He reached into the pocket of his duster, hanging on the back of a chair near his bed. "the key to your new place. Welcome to Megaton, Miss Bennett. I hope you enjoy your stay."
"Wait, what?" Said Posey, accepting the offering in surprise. "A house? Here? For me?"
Lucas laughed, which caused him to wince and place a hand on his side. "It ain't no Tenpenny penthouse, but it's yours alright. Follow the path just above the Brass Lantern and it'll take you straight to it. If you want it to be a little, homier, talk to Moria Brown. She'll help you fix it up. And, Miss Bennett,"
Posey paused in the act of stowing her caps and her key, looking up at him expectantly.
"If you see my son around, Harden, would you kindly explain what happened, and maybe send him down here?"
"Of course," Said Posey with a smile. "thank you, Sheriff."
"Always a pleasure, Miss Bennett." Said Lucas with a smile. "You take care of that Colorado now."
"I will." Said Posey, turning and leading a dazed Jude out of the clinic.
As Posey walked up towards her new house, Jude grumbled absently behind her, his footsteps a little ungainly. "Sure, I come and bring my business here for four years and I still sleep in the common house. You waltz in and he just hands over a key to some property!"
"Just hands over?" Said Posey indignantly. "I had to defuse a bomb!"
"Yeah, whatever." said Jude grumpily. "You said it yourself, it wasn't that hard."
"Well I still did it." Said Posey, sliding her key into the lock and turning it. "I made an effort, and that effort is being rewarded. And I think you need a nap, Mr. Grouchy Pants."
"Only because while you were busy getting the key to the city I was getting brained by the bad guy you pissed off!"
"Excuse me!" Demanded Posey, forgetting about the house and turning to him with a scowl, her arms crossed over her chest. "I didn't tell the psychopath that he had his head up his ass!"
"Yeah well I didn't run my mouth and threaten him!" Fired back Jude, bringing his hand to his head and flinching.
"What was I supposed to do!" Shouted Posey, balling her fists.
"I thought you were going to be more 'calculating'." Jude bellowed back. "Isn't that what you said? But no! Instead, you got one of the most dangerous men in the Wasteland's attention! What the hell is wrong with you, Blondie!"
"Wrong with me! I was trying to get away from him when you showed up and ran your mouth! Didn't you see the way he looked at you? He was going to kill you!"
"Then I would've shot him first! Instead of pronouncing myself a goddamn hero in front of everyone in the bar! Is that what you think you are? A hero? You know what happens to heroes, Blondie? They end up dead! Is that what you want?"
"Of course that's not what I want!"
"You could've fooled me! And don't even talk about how he looked at me! Didn't you see how he looked at you? At least with me I would've just been dead! if he got his hands on you,"
Posey slapped him, hard. She didn't think about the fact that he'd just been diagnosed with a concussion, she didn't think about the fact that she was suppose to be caring for him and that he'd already gotten a fat lip today, on her behalf. All she thought about was Burke's cold eyes on her, his slow, razor sharp smile.
"I'm coming for you, Miss Bennett."
Jude stared down at her, a welt already rising on his cheek and Posey felt her palm sting and wondered absently if the skin there would ever heal out here, or if she would just keep breaking it, over and over again with more and more bouts of stomach churning anxiety.
"Of course I noticed." She said through trembling lips. "Of course I saw. Don't you think I know what would happen if he caught me? I'm not an idiot, Jude. I know what he would do. I don't need you to remind me. I just, reacted, okay? I let my mouth get a head of my brain because I thought he was going to kill you. You didn't see the half of it, while you were busy haggling with Moriarty, Burke had me pinned at the bar, trying to convince me to blow this place to smithereens. Of course I knew he was dangerous."
She turned back around and unlocked the door, pushing it open and stepping inside. She looked back at him with slightly raised eyebrows and stepped aside, clearing the way for him so he could follow after her.
"I think I'll stay at the Common House." Said Jude, refusing to meet her eye. "This is your place. You earned it."
"Don't be an idiot, Jude." Said Posey impatiently. "You're hurt. Come on, get inside."
"No." Said Jude, shaking his head and cringing at the no doubt shooting pain through his head. "I..." He swallowed hard, "I shouldn't have said that, about Burke. I.. I'm sorry. I'll stay at the Common House, it's not a big deal."
"Would you get your ass in here and lay down already? I've already been a crappy nurse, I slapped you for heaven's sake."
"I deserved it." Said Jude with a shrug, looking at her from under his lashes.
"Yeah, you did. Now get in here, before I slap you again."
Jude hesitated, before finally stepping inside and closing the door after them. Posey glanced around at the space that was now hers, and heard a very chipper robotic voice say in a very proper sounding accent:
"Good Evening, Madam! I can't tell you how delighted I am to meet you! I am your personal assistant, Wadsworth."
Posey and Jude both turned and saw a Mr. Handy robot, hovering down the stairs towards the two of them, its eye apparatice waggling almost happily as it introduced itself.
"If there is anything I can do for you, anything at all. Do not hesitate to ask. Oh! I see that we have a guest! Shall I prepare the guest room, Madam?"
"Um," Posey bit her lip to hold in a smile. "sure, I guess."
"Right away then, madam! And there are five purified water bottles in the refrigerator for your pleasure, Ma'am. Please do enjoy yourself while I make the necessary preparations."
As Wadsworth floated away, back up the stairs, his thrusters humming gently, Posey looked around house appreciatively, a small smile on her face. It was far from Vault 101, it's ramshackle walls, a combination of corrugated tin, sheet metal and odd planks of wood and plywood, had a few gaps, allowing sun to shine on through, and as she stepped into the main room, she looked up and saw a similiar problem with the roof.
"Well, would you look at that." She said, looking down at Jude with a smile. "I've even got a sunroof. Fancy that."
"This actually isn't too shabby." Said Jude, looking around the place. "In fact, it's pretty nice, compared to the Common House."
"Yeah?" Asked Posey, looking around the small living area, with its two banks of lockers, a simple bookshelf and adjoining kitchen. "I guess it's not too bad. And Wadsworth says there's a fridge even, with purified water no less."
"That is a pretty sweet perk." Admitted Jude,
"How's your lip?" Asked Posey, turning back to him. Jude shrugged, looking down at the floor almost shyly.
"Fine."
"Does it hurt?"
"A little."
"You should alternate between putting your cold pack on your head and your lip, to help with the swelling."
"Okay."
"And you can put your pack down now, you know."
Jude let the heavy pack fall to the floor, pushing it next to the bookshelf with his foot with a sigh, rolling his shoulders now free of its weight.
"I'm sorry."
They both looked surprised at the pronouncement, made in sync and Posey smirked.
"What're you sorry for?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.
"For blowing up at you, I guess." He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just... Burke. He's a bad guy, Blondie. And he's got connections."
"So I've gathered." Said Posey softly.
"He's not someone you want to be on the bad side of."
"I don't think I'd want to be on his good side, either."
"It'd be a hell of a lot better than on his bad. But you know what would be best? Him not noticing you at all."
"He seemed to know who you are." Said Posey definitely, "So don't you be lecturing me about that."
"Yeah well, he's a sore loser. He shouldn't play cards against me if he doesn't want to lose."
"Cocky," Said Posey with a half smile. Jude smiled back, despite his split lip.
"I don't get it, Blondie. How long have you been out here? A week?" He said with a shake of the head, "And yet Three Dog won't shut up about you, fixing his relay, aiding the Good Fight. You've made one of the most influential men in the Wasteland your enemy, and saved a town. I've lived here my entire life, and-" He let out a slight laugh, "About, twelve people, know my name."
"No," Corrected Posey with a smile, "twelve people know Colorado's name. How many people know Jude?"
"Not many at all." Said Jude, giving her a crooked smile.
"The guest room is ready for you, sir." Wadsworth called cheerily. "And if there is anything else I can do for you please, do not hesitate to ask!"
"Thanks." Said Jude, not taking his eyes off Posey, who could feel herself blushing but met his gaze steadily enough. Jude finally looked away, smiling and shaking his head, "You're somethin', Blondie. You are somethin'." He said, looking back at her with a grin.
"A good kind of something? Or a bad kind of something?" She asked, feeling her heartbeat pick up a little as Jude stepped closer, his gaze searching.
"Can't decide yet." He said softly, and he was close enough now that she could see there were flecks of yellow in his bright green eyes. He made a loose fist and chucked her gently on the bottom of her chin, before stepping back, a small smile playing on his lips. "I'll tell you, when I figure it out."
He turned, and headed up the stairs, his feet thudding on each step and Posey stepped back feeling suddenly a little light headed. She heard a door close above her and she set her own bag down on the floor, and sat down next to it, placing her back against a bank of lockers. She looked around, taking in her house. Her house. What would her dad think of that, when she finally found him. She was a bonafide home owner.
"Living the American Dream." She said, smiling a little to herself. She pulled her bag closer to her and started unpacking it, taking out her rumpled Vault suits, empty ammo boxes and finally, the thing she was looking for.
The framed picture of her and her father, on her tenth birthday. Posey brushed the glass with the tip of her finger, looking at her tousled hair and gap toothed smile, her father's bright eyes and happy grin. She got up and walked over to the bookshelf pushed up against the stairs, and set it on top.
"I'll see you soon, Dad." She said with a soft smile.
An: I'm not even going to bother apologizing for the length at this point. You all know I'm long winded.
Anyway, what do you guys think? It didn't exactly go how I planned it but this one was fun to write. I had a good time, and good news! it didn't get deleted like my last chapter! Woo Hoo! But now we're really getting into the fun stuff! I've got it all planned out now, and we're ready to go! So hopefully I'll have a better, more frequent updating schedule.
As usual, drop me a review and I seriously always push for song suggestions but you guys have no idea how badly I need them. This chapters song is by Radical Face. (Uh, I love that band) I have fallen into a trap with putting lyrics at the beginning of each chapter! Do you guys even like that? Tell me if you do or if you think it's annoying, because I really would like to know! and if you guys don't like it, that might save me some trouble. But if you do, I'll keep my eyes peeled! I've already got a list of songs that remind me of Jude and Posey, hahaha, but that might just be because I know where they're headed ;) If you guys are interested I might post that in my bio!
HUGE shout out to tirechanclas, Latisha McPeanuts, Silberwolf64, and Dieselface for their reviews! You guys are the BEST!
Thank you for reading!
XoXo
Living Pretty