The mutants were ageless but humans aren't. They grow old and tired. Change is inevitable. Calli sighed as she listened to the old doctor explaining why he couldn't continue to take care of her.
"You've been a fascinating patient, Calli, and what I've learned from taking care of Hawk has been a real revelation. You've taught us a lot about mutations that's helped us to help some of those afflicted with the less useful types. But I'm old now. My hands are starting to shake and my eyesight is going. Do you really want me operating on you?", he asked.
Calli smiled crookedly. She had known that she was as much scientific subject as patient and that hadn't bothered her. They had agreed to allow him to record every operation and observation although not private conversations. The more that could be learned about the process of mutation the better to help those that were afflicted.
"I understand, doctor", she said. "I haven't trusted our care to anyone else in all these years. I'm not sure who we can go to. Do you have any suggestions? What about this new guy you have here in the Citadel?"
"Dr. Loris is a good doctor" , he admitted. "But I have someone else in mind. A good man and an exceptional doctor. The best I've ever seen. Nathan Halliday."
Calli stared. She hadn't given Nathan much thought since he graduated from the Citadel over 5 years ago. Occasionally she would hear his name mentioned in a bar or by a grateful client but she had avoided the clinic he worked out of and had never run into him during his forays into the wasteland on traveling medical tours, though she had helped with that by donating a working motorcycle to the clinic. She did a quick calculation. He would be 26 now. Older than Dr. Bening had been when he had taken on their care so many years ago.
"I don't know," Calli said slowly. "I accept that he might be an excellent doctor, but is he safe for us?"
"Listen, Calli, I've gotten to know Nathan pretty well while I was training him and we're good friends now. He never blamed you or wanted to hunt you. He refuses to help his brother, not that Scott doesn't keep trying. He's gone out of his way to avoid you and Hawk at times so you wouldn't feel uncomfortable. I know him. You couldn't do better than Dr. Halliday", he said earnestly.
She considered this, thinking of the boy she had known, how honest and open he had always seemed; an exceptional boy, with bright intelligent eyes and an easy smile. She sighed again. "All right, I'll trust your judgment. But I need to meet him in a place where he doesn't have a chance to set up an ambush. The Citadel would work but I don't want anyone to know we're meeting. Let me think a minute." She mused for a little then asked, "Do you have a pencil and paper?" The Doctor handed her the items.
Calli concentrated on her drawing, frowning, creasing her brow as she worked. She finally looked up and handed the finished map to the doctor. "Here's a map to a safe house we use occasionally. It should be deserted, a good spot for our meeting to take place unobserved. Tell Nathan to meet me there a week from tomorrow and to come alone. If he doesn't show up then he's not the man for me. I won't have a coward for our doctor." Dr. Bening quirked a smile at the back handed compliment as he accepted the map.
"I'm sure he'll be there", he said.
Nathan frowned at the paper held out to him by Dr. Bening.
"Well, Dr. Halliday, are you going to take it?" the old man asked irritably.
He reached out and took the paper. "A summons from Calli? She wants to talk? Alone? In a deserted spot? I haven't seen her in over 10 years, not since I was 16. What could she want with me?" In fact, he knew he had been prohibited from seeing her during the four years he was at the Citadel. It wasn't a coincidence he was always needed in the wasteland when she or Hawk was brought in.
"I'm not at liberty to say," the old man grumped. "But you have the map to the safe house where she wants to meet you a week from today. It's up to you if you want to go. I know there's been some trouble between you."
"Not me, actually, I never did blame Calli for Marcus's death. It's Scott. He's still hunting her; he comes by once in a while. Not so often since Mom died a couple of years ago, but he always asks about her. I don't know why. He knows I don't try to find out anything about her for him. I guess he thinks because I know you. You know how he pestered me when I was at the Citadel, always wanting me to get information for him." He was rambling as he studied the map and instructions in his hand.
"Well, it didn't stop you from becoming a doctor did it? If you're asking me, I think you should go", the old doctor advised. "Calli wouldn't ask to meet you without a good reason."
Nathan folded the map and stuck it in his pocket. "I'll think about it", he said.
Calli was checking her back pack in their room in the Citadel. After all the years here the room had become something of a storeroom for the many items they seemed to have accumulated.
"There's been a change of plan, Hawk. We're going to Cliffside Safe House. We're going to have to pick up supplies; it's been at least 6 months since we've been there. I want to get there by tomorrow. There may be some work to do to make sure it's functioning."
Hawk wasn't surprised at the change in plan. Calli could change her mind with the wasteland wind.
"Why are we going there?", he asked simply. Calli explained what the plan was.
"We haven't heard anything bad about him," he said thoughtfully. "Maybe we should give him a chance."
They skirted the mountains carefully, watching for signs of danger. Cliffside Safe House was a tumbled down pile of rubble on the mountain's side, hard to get to and not looking worth the effort. There was only one path up the steep side of the mountain and it wasn't easy to find. Most people wandering onto it by chance would simply return the way they had come, not bothering with the pile of rubble they would have to climb the steep, rocky path to get to. Hawk and Calli weren't most people. They had thoroughly explored the ruins the first time they had come across it, many years ago now.
They climbed carefully up the steep rocky path. It was still early enough in the spring that the foliage still slept and the trees had not yet budded. They could see across the open land if anyone was approaching, and no one could approach from above as it was completely impassable. They moved into the shelter of a partial roof hidden behind tumbled walls. Moving along the back wall they came to a door set into the cliff. It wasn't locked or even completely closed as it hung crookedly on warped hinges. Calli pushed it open and moved warily into the large cavern beyond.
This second line of defense was a very large, almost empty cavern of a room that had once been a warehouse. It now contained only a few barrels and crates and other debris not worth scavenging. Calli had long ago removed anything of value. If anyone made it this far, it's unlikely they would do more than make a cursory examination of the room or perhaps use it as a camp. Calli didn't see any sign anyone had been there. They walked all over the vast room to leave footprints everywhere in the accumulated dust. They didn't want to lead any trespassers to the secret door in the right corner of the wall. Nathan had explicit instructions on his map to find it.
Hawk moved aside the small rock to expose the panel allowing access to the secret door. He punched in the code then returned the rock to its place. A small section of the back wall slid open. They slipped into the tunnel beyond. As the door slid closed it became pitch black. Calli switched on the light in her Pip-Boy. Nathan's instructions had told him to bring a light source. They had never found the time to fix the lights that had originally illuminated the tunnel. It was a natural tunnel over a quarter mile long of featureless, winding blackness that ended in a steel door. Calli punched in the code and watched as the door swung soundlessly open. Over two hundred year old technology and it still worked perfectly with Hawk's help.
They stepped into the large living room of Cliffside Safe House, one of the safest places in the wasteland. It definitely needed cleaning and the refrigerator restocked with the fresh food they brought. She would check to make sure it still worked as well as all the other conveniences. They only had a few days. Nathan was no fool. She was sure he would show up at least a day early to try to catch her by surprise. She smiled at the thought, put down her pack and went to her room to change into something more suitable for the tasks ahead.
Nathan followed the map onto the mountain path, keeping to the side and moving warily. It had been a pretty uneventful journey for the wasteland. He was alone, carrying only his pack with travel supplies and his weapons. At least she hadn't said to come unarmed; that would have been foolish. He was hot and tired and the leather armor was starting to smell from sweat and the wasteland dust. It was unseasonably warm for so early in the year.
He couldn't use the clinics precious motorcycle for this meeting and it had been a day's journey on foot. It was now late evening and he needed to find a place to camp for the night. He came to the coordinates on his map. He could see the pile of debris up on the mountain. He looked at the map again. It did say there was a safe house there. He was three days early. Hopefully it at least had water. He had brought some dried foods for the duration.
Nathan knelt in the bushes on the side of the path and lifted his binoculars to scan the empty landscape and the tumble of debris on the mountainside. It would be dark in a few hours and he didn't see any movement. The building would be better shelter than the open. He stood and moved warily out onto the path. He would skirt along its side using the brush and boulders to provide cover if needed.
He stopped often to observe the pile of debris of the safe house. He was nearly three quarters of the way up, and dusk was closing in, when he saw them. They were already out of the house and starting to move down the path, not taking any special precautions. He knelt behind the boulder, watching them until they passed and disappeared around a bend in the path. He stood up and proceeded with more speed and less precaution to the ruins.
Calli observed the path as they passed by the large group of boulders. It was just a small tell, easily overlooked. A very faint scent on the wind. She looked at Hawk. He grunted. They moved on down the path.
"Nathan?" he asked. She slowly smiled. He was good.
"Probably. He's 3 days early. Well at least he's going to have a comfortable wait." They retrieved their bikes from the hiding spot and left the area. They had business to take care of.
Nathan had no trouble finding the door and getting into the huge warehouse. He had explicit directions and followed them, going to the right back corner, measuring 10 paces along the back wall. He counted down the small stones to the one indicated and grasped it. It came out in his hand revealing the code pad. He punched in the code, ducking warily. Nothing happened except for the door sliding silently open on the dark tunnel. He replaced the stone and stepped into the tunnel. He quickly switched on the light he had been instructed to bring as all light disappeared from the opening. He headed down the tunnel. Maybe it was booby trapped but he doubted it. If Calli wanted him dead she didn't have to go to all this trouble.
It took 10 minutes to wend his way through the pitch black passageway but his light finally reflected off a steel door. He punched in the code and watched the door swing silently in. He stepped into the living room of Cliffside Safe House.