Hello guys! I just wanted to cover a few setting points before I continued on with the story:
-Rad Away is presumed to be a Diuretic from every Fallout Source I've read, but because of the logistics of finding a bathroom in Megaton, (Stiles can't get out of bed, so that massive ramp? Nuh uh/I would rather not describe such details) I have instead made it Radiation Scrubbing agent, that targets irradiated cells and scrubs them of their radiation. I don't know how scientifically feasible that sounds, but hey Werewolves.
-Megaton is listed as having 27-30 people in game. I completely understand the concept of video game scope, so in no way am I knocking size or the realism of Megaton operating with slightly more than two dozen people. What I will be doing for all in game settlements is expanding the population and size of the establishment for the sake of enhancing the story. I will not be introducing new OC's or adding new areas, but Megaton's current population is around 70-80 people, and it have another two dozen house shacks. The Common house is also significantly larger than it is in game.
-As with the scope of settlements, the scope of the world is larger. In game, no one wants to travel fifteen minutes to get to the next closest map marker. In story, no one can make it to the next closest map marker in fifteen seconds. Everything will be slightly stretched in terms of length, so the distance from Springvale to Megaton on foot is closer to twenty minutes than in game where the two are practically next to each other.
And I think that sums it up Enjoy this chapter and as always thank you for reading! And don't forget to review. Every bit of praise and constructive criticism makes this story that much better!
*Note, this chapter includes some derogatory language towards the Irish, used in a way that is only meant to establish character and not defame any one ethnic group.
"Do you think I'll find a cute pair of shoes there?" Lydia mused aloud as the moved across the crisscrossing catwalk towards the large building that had "Craterside Supply" scrawled on the side of it.
"Given how most people look here Lyd, you might be lucky to find a pair of intact socks at best."
Lydia huffed and continued walking. The sun was high in the sky and the group was trying desperately to avoid the red flags of their surroundings: The two headed cow grazing on grass in the crater; the shifty looking men in boiled leather and dirty jackets; the frigging SUV sized atomic bomb that sat in the middle of the crater, with the townspeople walking by it as though it were nothing at all.
Allison wondered what kind of significance the bomb held for the people in this town. She knew that the US had never dropped bombs on its own land before. Then again, she wasn't entirely sure this was the United States. She didn't want to acknowledge the signs, but Danny's hypothesis made a lot of sense. What if the Radio in the Diner had actually teleported them to a different place? But that was completely insane! She stopped thinking about it and focused on the mission ahead.
"Okay guys, you know how Derek likes things done. We don't know what to expect from this woman, but if the old man in the cowboy uniform thinks she's strange, then we should be ready for anything."
Lydia nodded, but Jackson merely scowled. She wanted to punch his smug face in, but she was aware of how Derek wouldn't like that. Instead she turned towards the shop and pushed the door open
"Well hello there little explorers! Welcome to Craterside Supply! My name is Moira and I'll be taking care of you today!"
Allison was expecting several things as she walked into Craterside Supply. She was expecting a venomous she-devil hawking weapons; or perhaps Moira was an older southern woman who was colder than ice; it was possible that she could have been a punk girl whose indifference would insult only the lawful sentiments of an older peacekeeper like Sheriff Simms. What Allison was not expecting was a painfully cheerful young woman who talked as though she were on medication. She attempted to banish that entirely plausible thought as Moira continued to talk.
"We have a whole bunch of new products in today. Especially after that nice gentleman Harith visited. He has such an exquisite collection of firearms for sale."
Sensing an opportunity, and being legitimately interested Allison asked to see the firearms. Moira simply nodded and moved towards the back of the store with her storage key in hand.
"Allison, what kind of store sells firearms to teenagers?" Asked a mildly inquisitive Jackson.
"The kind that considers having Fat Man in their town square to be no big deal." Lydia quipped, not even bothering to consider how offensive her joking was.
Moira returned with several crates stacked on a rolling cart. She opened each crate, one at a time, and neatly arranged the weapons out on the counter before looking up and stating to her only customers:
"Here's a handful of what we got in this week. Now, here are the rules." She sweetly stated, picking up a bizarre looking handgun and spinning it around her hand. The group instinctively flinched at her tricks, not wanting to get an accidental bullet. "Feel free to handle the merchandise. Play with it, get a feel for it, but don't think about breaking it you little rascals, or else Thom might get angry with you!" Moira continued, as though she were addressing toddlers.
"Who's Thom?" Lydia asked nervously.
Several knuckles cracking from behind them caused the group to do a rapid 180.
Standing in the shadows was a man significantly taller than Derek, covered in scars and sporting a nasty looking shotgun on his back.
"Oh. Okay, well we promise not to do anything stupid! Really!" Allison attempted her peacemaking skills. Even if Jackson was a decent fighter, and Allison could easily kick his ass, she did not want to bring the whole town down upon them. She also didn't want to bring the ire of Derek down upon them.
Moira immediately brightened up. "Super! Take a look at this gun!" She said handing Allison the pistol she had just been holding. The gun was battered and showed signs of wear. It was a dun gray color, with a long body that was both tall and thin. A small air tank underneath the opening chamber caught Allison's attention.
"Moira, what is this pistol?" Asked Allison, who was not transfixed by this gun.
"Oh that is the N99 10mm handgun! It is a pre-war weapon designed and mass produced by the US Military for its' service members! I just love the history of things!"
That was the second time today she had heard the phrase, pre-war. Feeling incredibly uneasy, Allison asked Moira the follow-up question.
"Moira, what do you mean by 'Pre-War?'"
At that, Moira's face dropped. "Oh, dear… I guess you kids need a history lesson."
Erica, Boyd and Danny arrived at the saloon before either other group had reached their individual destinations.
"What is the game plan?" Danny said, trying to figure out why Derek wanted him to go to the Saloon.
"Plan? I plan on going in and getting trashed. It's been a long day, and I don't know if you noticed, but there is an atom bomb sitting down in the crater. That thing could go off at any point in time! Besides, did you see the size of it?! It's bigger than a Cadillac!" Danny knew Erica was always a fractious personality, but he never realized just how rebellious she was until now.
"I don't think Derek would want us drinking." Boyd said in a calming tone. "Besides, what happens if we get caught? I don't think the Sheriff would be too happy about some punk kids ordering drinks from the town's barman."
Erica seemed to process that for a moment before a rough laugh was heard behind them.
"Oh ain't that precious. Listen twinkletoes, you ain't gotta worry 'bout Moriarty playin' by the rules."
The man speaking was older, maybe in his fifties, but Danny couldn't be sure. He had a hard face, covered in lines and with eyes that made iron look soft. His voice was coarse and scratchy, with an accent that was vaguely Boston.
In equally rough tones he continued. "That baby-faced mick don' care nuthin about Simm's 'laws', and you kids drinkin' ain't even one o' them. So take ol' Jericho's advice and knock a few back!" He took another deep laugh and pushed past Boyd into the Saloon.
Erica looked back at Danny, raised an eyebrow, smirked, and walked inside.
'This is going to be not enjoyable in the slightest.' Danny mused before following her inside.
The inside of the saloon was grimy and crowded. Multiple patrons were smoking, including the unsavory man who had accosted them outside the saloon. Danny would have typically thought it was strange, but given that he had seen both an unexploded atomic bomb and a two headed cow he thought nothing of the smoking patrons around him. He scanned the bar: The shifty man was sitting towards the end of the L-Shaped bar. A blonde was sitting right next to the entrance, nursing a glass of wine. A red haired woman in a skimpy one piece skirt, knee-high boots and an oversized belt was leaning against the wall. She lazily raised a cigarette to her cherry red lips and surveyed the new patrons with some interest. Danny was well familiar with the way that she was sizing him up, except that he had rarely had a female use it on him. With the way she was dressed and acting, Danny would not be shocked if he learned if she were at best a floozy, and at worst a prostitute.
"Gob honey, the radio is broken. I don't think hitting it will help." The woman husked.
Oh she was definitely a hussy. Danny knew that this woman would hit on him for being a strapping young man, and he would have to awkwardly turn her down. He then noticed that both of his peers had stopped dead in their tracks and were staring dead at the bar. He turned to look and found himself staring straight at a corpse.
"What the hell are you staring at, Smoothskin?"
Meanwhile, Scott and Isaac had not found their way towards the Church, and were still bumbling around Megaton. Scott had wanted to go look at the two-headed cow they had spied earlier, and Isaac was weary of entering a Church headed by a man who held delusional sermons in a pool of irradiated water. The people in this town did not seem all together sane, but this man in particular seemed particularly unhinged. Instead of upholding their responsibilities Isaac and Scott decided to bum about the town, trying to find people who would talk to them. As they were ascending the steps towards the bar an older woman motioned the two boys over to her.
Isaac strode towards her with newfound purpose. Scott was not nearly as bold. Dealing with Gerard had given him an unhealthy fear for geriatrics, and he was not looking forward to the possibility of this older woman stabbing him in the kidneys with a knife.
They approached the woman, who began to talk with a kind, weathered voice.
"Good afternoon boys! You must be part of the new group that came into town!" The older woman was settled in a wrought iron chair on her "patio" and motioned the boys to sit down at her table.
"My name is Manya Vargas, and I'm older than some of the dirt you've walked by today." The woman said, with a wry smile.
Isaac and Scott both laughed and let her continue.
"I've been living in Megaton for years now. I was born here, and my father helped build the town. My husband Nathan is even becoming something of a fixture in Megaton after years of living here. He's the jackrabbit wandering about and spouting about the Enclave this and the Enclave that! He's a grade A fool, but I love him." Manya took a sip of water and offered the boys glasses. Both of them accepted and began pouring the pitcher into their glasses. Isaac noticed instantly that the water was not entirely clean.
Isaac was about to ask what the Enclave was when an older man stumbled down the path and towards the home assembled from a bus, which he assumed belonged to Manya. This man must be her husband, the apparently irascible Nathan.
"Ahh Nathan, come meet the new travelers! They are a pair of very nice young men!"
Nathan stopped at the door of his house. Isaac noticed that he was a wiry, older man with snow white hair and deep wrinkles in his face. He looked from Manya to Isaac and Scott. The moment he laid eyes on Isaac, Isaac knew the look he was giving him. He had seen men give him the look when he walked along the street with Danny.
Nathan took one look at Scott and Isaac and began to speak.
"Manya, you shouldn't be spending time with these unpatriotic nancy boys. President Eden doesn't speak highly of those people, and the Enclave always knows what is right. God bless America!"
And with that he slammed the door.
Manya pursed her lips and turned to face the boys.
"I'm sorry my husband acted like that. He can be so closed minded sometimes. But don't worry." Her frown turned into a smile. "I personally think you two make an adorable couple."
Scott began coughing up a lung, while Isaac began to snicker. By the time they were finished Isaac helped her clarify.
"Scott has a girlfriend. I… have the boyfriend." Isaac admitted somewhat sheepishly.
Manya continued to smile. "Well I'm sure he is a sweet young man, your fellow."
Isaac produced one of the first genuine smiles since he had arrived. "Thank you Manya, could you tell us more about Megaton? Our group is new here.."
Manya cocked her head. "Oh well where are you boys traveling from? Come up north from the Pitt? Or have you come from the South, out of New Durham?"
Isaac processed the information carefully. He had heard of neither of these towns, but they sounded vaguely familiar.
"We're from out west. California to be specific." Answered Scott unexpectedly.
Isaac did a double take and gave Scott a hard look. He knew they weren't supposed to give away information to the townspeople, but Scott was apparently too thick to follow even Derek's basic instructions.
"Oooooh coming here from the Republic, eh?! Exciting business! You must be part of one of the larger caravans then yes? It is a long route from the West." Manya seemed ecstatic.
"Oh yeah, the Republic is a pretty good place to live. But money is scarce out in the Republic, so when we got a chance to travel with our caravan company we took the chance."
Suddenly Isaac understood what Scott was doing. He was giving Manya crumbs so that they could keep the conversation going. In turn Manya was dropping enough clues for Isaac to decipher. He kept quiet and let Scott continue to bullshit his way through the conversation.
"Well you've come through quite a journey, coming all the way out west. To think, you passed through New Vegas, Texas, Nawlins, Chicago, and now you are here in the Capital Wasteland. What was it like, your travels?"
Isaac actually truly considered Derek's theory for the first time. This woman was convinced that they had traveled thousands of miles to reach their town. Suddenly her earlier referenced towns made sense. The Pitt. In the north. New Durham. In the South. The Capital Wasteland.
Isaac prepared to ask another question when gun shots rang out by the front gate.
Derek had made his way back to the clinic, trying to focus on the situation at hand: They were in a strange place, where no one questioned the strangeness of undetonated atomic bombs and robots welcomed you into town.
Derek stepped through the clinic and moved over to where Stiles lay. It had only been about forty-five minutes since he had taken Stiles to the clinic with Scott, but he did not feel comfortable leaving Stiles alone with the surly doctor. Doc Church scowled when he saw Derek walked through the door and moved to stop Derek.
"He's resting, you'll have to come back la-"
Derek and moved with amazing speed slamming the doctor against the wall, his hand encircled around his throat.
"Here's the deal Church: This man, is my partner. I love him more than you can possibly imagine, and I don't trust you to shine my shoes, let alone be responsible for his medical care. Either you let me stay here with him, or I will find a new doctor for Sheriff Simms. Understand?"
Church was a hard man.
He had made his life as a wasteland doctor, patching up drugged out raiders with gory wounds, trigger happy mercenaries with delicate injuries, and surly slavers who were fighting sensitive infections and diseases. He had learned from an early age how to deal with patients, and which patients needed to have their wishes appeased no matter how unethical or insane.
This young man, who was holding Church up with one hand and giving him a glare that would send most raiders cowering away with soiled pants, was unlike anything he had seen in his forty-three years of wasteland living.
Church weighed his options carefully and responded. "Very well, but you will not disturb the other patients, and you will follow my instructions to the letter. If I need you to leave, I will ask you to leave. And you can comply, or I can go get the sheriff to remove you. You've noticed how he works? That's not just him. Every man in Megaton would rather waste a bullet on a criminal than waste food, housing and time on a prisoner."
A flash of confusion flashed across the young man's face. "What about due process? The government will intervene if your town gets caught shooting up lawbreakers."
Now it was Church's turn to be incredulous. He didn't even think when he said his next sentence. For all of his wisdom in dealing with patients, he was short on social sense. He didn't consider what he was about to say would profoundly affect the young man who was still holding him in the air.
"Boy, I don't know which fancy land you've come from, but there hasn't been a government in Washington for over two hundred years. They don't call it the Capital Wasteland for nothing."
So the structure of this chapter is that all of these events are happening at the exact same time, and they will be resolved in the next chapter (which I should have up by later today.)
Thanks for reading Beautiful People!