Chapter 6 Disarmed
It was around 2 pm by the time they made it to town and Douglas got to the clinic. "Oww, Take it easy doc I want my arm fixed not broken." Douglas said pained as the town's doctor was extracting the 10mm round from his shoulder. "Not my fault you went and got yourself shot, now sit still and stop squirming damn it." The doc's bed side manner sucked to say the least. But he was good maybe not as good as his father but got the job done. 15 minutes later and Douglas's shoulder was bullet free and patched up, still sore but stims helped with that. "Thanks doc pleasure doing business with you." He jumped off the bed paying the man and heading out the door. The clinic was located at the base of the crater just down the hill from the town's main entrance. "Douglas, bout time he finished with you. While you were in there I found work with that old man at the water plant up there." Sage was ecstatic if the expression on her face was anything to go by. "Apparently his work load is getting to be too much to handle for just him alone and I'm good with tools so it's the perfect job for me I can't thank you enough." She said hugging him. "Ow ow ow again, please have mercy." He said slightly pained but playfully. "Big baby hahahahaha." They both laughed as they walked up the ramp toward Crater Side Supply before Sage went off to the water plant to help the old man. I'm glad she found work so fast she'll definitely get along well here, at least I hope so. Heading inside he wasn't prepared for what he walked into. Getting smacked in the face by a stuffed bear that came out of nowhere, bursting into a flurry of white snow like stuffing all around him. Douglas glanced at Moira while spitting fluff from his mouth. This woman is going to get me killed at some point I just know it. "It's never a dull moment with you when I come here Moira." Batting stuffing off his shoulder he walked over to the bench where she was working on a devise that threw the bear at him. "Ohhhhh I'm so sorry I thought I removed the battery on this thing my bad. So how did your shopping trip go? Did you find food or medicine?" Yeah I found it alright, found a bunch of fucking raiders too. "Yeah it wasn't easy but I found everything we talked about and more." Saying that last part under his breath he sighed. "Really? You did? You did! Well, all right! Tell me all about it." Moira exclaimed giddily as she rushed over to the counter and grabbed her notebook and pencil to scribble down what he would say. Ok where to start? Or do I have to be super descriptive, probably not. "Well the place definitely wasn't abandoned, a group of raiders were using the old pharmacy in there as a secure place to store their loot and they didn't part with it peacefully. Douglas recalled the story to Moira as she wondered out loud how many other places out there hide treasures behind monsters. "Well keep what you got. I just traded for a shipment of food myself why don't you take some as payment. Oh, and take this! It's an old food sanitizer. You can use to clean up some of the radiation from food and drink making them more, better I suppose." Douglas perked up taking the supplies and food sanitizer. "This is awesome Moira thanks. Ohhh and before I forget did you find those tools for me. Just as he asked Moira put a bundle of tools on the counter. "Sure did this should be everything you need." Douglas excitedly looked through them seeing what he had to work with. "Awesome Moira this is exactly what I was hoping for. Before I go what's next for the book?" He asked grabbing the bundle and stuffing it in his pack. "Well there's two bits left for the first chapter, the first is about radiation and how to survive and then well…. Then there are landmines." If Douglas had been drinking water he'd have spat it out at the mention of landmines. "What? Ok seeing as I'm terrified of what you mean by landmines lets go with radiation next. "Ok so I know a lot about radiation from old books and stuff but I haven't had the opportunity to study a live person with radiation poisoning yet. I need you to…. well get radiation poisoning, at least 600 rads worth of it then come back here so I can study you. But don't worry I have an anti-radiation cocktail I can administer to you after." Douglas's eyes shot wide open surely she didn't just say what he thought she did. "YOU NEED ME TO WHAT!?"
Douglas left not uttering another word to Moira before he stormed out. That woman is a fucking lunatic, absolutely bat shit crazy. Douglas made his way down the ramp to the bottom of the crater mentally cursing the woman as he went. Approaching the bomb that sat in the middle of a large water filled puddle he removed the tools from his pack and set it aside so it wouldn't get wet. Ok time to see if I'm as good as taking things apart as I think I am. Douglas waded into the shin high water looking for the service hatch that would allow him to remove the bombs detonation components hoping that the bomb lying on it, his pipboy's Geiger counter ticking away from the higher levels of radiation near the bomb. "Shit I'm not going to enjoy this, at least I'll have that radiation poisoning Moira wanted me to get." He sighed finding the access panel thankfully above water and unscrewing it to get access to the innards of the bomb. This looks fairly straight forward at least, not simple but I should be able to get this done. Douglas set out taking bits and pieces out of the bombs internal chambers as minutes passed until he reached his goal. The detonator connected to the shaped charges that would cause the bombs core to implode ultimately resulting his and everyone else's death in town and several miles around if it blew. Ok there it is I just need to disconnect and remove that without completing a circuit and vaporizing everyone in town, piece of cake. He joked to himself as he was honestly terrified that with one wrong move he would kill everyone. Unbeknownst to him a small crowd had gathered around watching what he was doing with bated breath, Lucas Simms was among them making sure the local cult didn't try and stop him. Come on kid don't go blowing us up now. Time seemed to drag on as Douglas disconnected wire after wire and screw after screw as slowly and carefully as he could. Last one, if there is a god please don't smite me now. He removed the last screw slowly pulling the detonator from the casing sighing a breath that he felt like he'd been holding since he had started. He stood wrapping the detonator in with his tools in the bundle turning to see the crowd that had gathered. Lucas was the first to ask. "Is it? Is it disarmed kid?" He asked hope written upon his face that the next word's out of the kid's mouth would confirm it. "Yeah she's disarmed, she won't be detonating without a detonator." A cheer rang out from the crowd as the tedium of the last 30 minutes erupted into excited relief. "Damn good work kid you're a damned hero. You've earned those caps and the deed to that home I mentioned, damn fine work indeed." The Sheriff praised him handing him his reward as the crowd surrounded and thanked him. When the crowd finally dispersed all who remain was Douglas and Lucas at the water's edge. "Hey you aren't looking so good kid how about we get you over to the clinic let Doc clean you up. Douglas didn't feel good either he was sweating and felt like he was going to faint from exhaustion. Glancing at his pipboy the readout being just over where he had wanted it to be. "Damn 625 rads. Yeah I could use some help but not to the Docs get me to Moira." Despite the Sheriff's protest he helped Douglas up to Crater Sid Supply. Douglas felt like his was burning up by the time they got there.
"Ohh dear dear dear, feeling a little under the weather are we? Or over the Geiger-Counter? Sit him down right over here." Moira said with an annoying yet honestly caring tone when the sheriff staggered in with Douglas leaning on him. "He told me to bring him here instead of the Docs, what the hell are you up to now Moira?" Douglas was barely coherent at this point but he had heard what Lucas had said. "Not entirely her fault sheriff, I agreed to it after all go home I'll be fine." The Sheriff begrudgingly left after helping Douglas to sit down. "Ok Moira I'm about as irradiated as I can get before I melt a hole through your floor." He said coughing and wheezing in fits in between words, while Moira was ecstatic running to get her note book and medical supplies overjoyed at her chance to study someone with such a high rad level. "Ok soo tell me how you're feeling. Light headed, Nauseous, any pain of some kind?" She asked clinging to her pencil and paper already writing down observations. If you only knew what this felt like Moira if you only knew. Coughing Douglas tiredly stated. "Who me I'm fine I'm just great, hell if you listen close enough you can hear my cells yelling in agony as they're ripped apart by gamma radiation." He had said that with a little more venom in his voice than he had liked. "Ohh you poor dear, having some hallucinations are we? Don't worry a bit of Brahmin milk and some magnets and you'll be fixed up in no time." Douglas must have passed out after that point because when he woke up it was 4 hours three hours later. He felt better not one hundred percent mind you but better. Upon opening his eyes he was met with Moira's cheery face right in front of making him jump with a start. "JESUS Moira! What happened? Your treatment work out alright?" Douglas asked as he stretched and got up from the chair he had fallen asleep in. "Well… yes and no. Your aliiive…That's the good news, however there may have been a sliiight mutation caused by your exposure. Douglas went from a tired expression to staring daggers into the woman in front of him. "What kind of mutation Moira?" He asked venom seething from his voice again. 'It seems to be benign at best, you shouldn't have to worry about it too much. Douglas had had enough he grabbed his pack and left not uttering another word to the woman on his way out knocking over Sage as he stormed out. "Ohh hey Sage sorry about that not in the best of moods right now." He said helping her up off the walk way. "It's all good you apologized, guess I should have been watching where I was walking huh. Anyway what's got you so pissed all of a sudden?" She asked dusting the rust and dirt from her backside. "Uhhhhhhhh just a long day, that and Moira's a damn lunatic at times." He said letting out an exasperated sigh at the day's turn of events. What a day man giant ants, raiders, bullet wounds... I need a beer. "Hey Sage want to join me for a drink at the saloon I could use the company?" Sage brightened up at the invitation cheerfully taking his hand. "Sounds like fun lead the way big guy.
Moira may be bat shit crazy at times but she's got a good heart and that mutation turned out to be very useful to me very useful indeed. As for the hangover that came from this night that I could have done without.
Authors note: Another chapter done alright! A bit shorter I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to keep up this one a day thing I've had going on its very tiring, but don't worry I'm not going anywhere. Thanks for reading and please do review ide love some feedback.
Sincerely Bradknight