Hurray, first review! Thanks a bunch.


Megaton was quite possibly the antithesis to Vault 101. From where she was standing, there seemed to be nothing but a vast pile of disorganized rusting shacks climbing up the crater walls, and a surprising amount of people. Very very dirty people. And if the rather unfortunate cow-thing(things? Was it pluralized with more than one head?) next to her was any indication, possibly mutated. Cort leaned on the railing and watched things flow around her, trying to pick up anything she could. It was the strategic thing to do. Besides, not having any clue whatsoever where to go made parking her ass here as good an idea as any; not being sure she could make it down the ramp without rolling to the bottom cemented it as a fine, wonderful fantastic idea. She would let the world come to her for a change. Hopefully it wouldn't use guns like her last one. She was just considering that there still had to be some kind of spectacular mental disconnect going on with her to be this calm standing next to a holocaust heifer in a bomb crater when Sheriff Simms came up next to her.

"Hello there Miss. Glad to see you up and around."

Cort smiled. Nice twice in a row. She liked him. He was like Doc Church but younger, definitely more pleasant, with a bushier beard. "Hello Sheriff." She smiled again at his puzzled look. "Read your badge. Crabby in there tells me I owe you something called caps for pulling me into his little domain."

"Crab...oh, Doc Church, hah! Crabby but good, and you're better off owing me than him. I assume you're out of that Vault up there?" He continued after a nod from the girl. "Well I kind of figured seeing how clean and whited out you were, even with the scuffing around the edges. Caps, bottle caps, are what's used as currency out here. Don't worry too hard, looking at the stuff you showed up with you've got enough to pay me back and have some left over for supplies. Just tot yourself up to Moira's shop there, Craterside Supply -see the big globe up there?- and she'll trade out with you. She's a little bit scattery, but she won't cheat you."

"Thanks. Say, I'm looking for someone. I think I told you before I fainted on your shoes. Taller fellow, beard, looks like me? Like actually like me, aside from the Vault suit and one of these." She waved her Pip-Boy around. "Name is James." Cort decided to be charitable and leave out 'abandoning bastard'.

"Yes, your father. I'm sorry Miss-"

"Cort."

"I'm sorry, Miss Cort, but I can't say I've seen anyone like that recently." He blinked at the clunk her forehead made on the railing.

"Ow. Well. What do I do now?" She missed Simms looking at his feet and back up again. He opened his mouth to say something, seemed to think better of it and then tried again with a suggestion.

" I suggest you get on up to Moira's and at least get your obligations sorted out and yourself some basic supplies. Then come find me - my name is Lucas Simms, by the way- and we'll see about getting you a bed in the Common House."

"Can you tell me why the cows have two heads when I come back?"

"Wha-sure kid. Sure."

Simms watched her guiltily make her way up the ramps, reminding himself how much of a good, safer for her idea of not telling her where her father had gone was.