Much like the morning after a good bender with my husband, waking the next day was no treat. My mouth tasted like someone had taken a shit in it, and for all I knew, maybe had. My head hurt, and the urge to take another hit of Jet was strong. I had one more of those incredible chems left. After much internal deliberation, I tucked it into my caps pouch instead.
I put myself back together as best I could, and headed down to the lobby. I stopped by the front desk, and asked if getting a warm bucket of water was a possibility. After shelling out more caps than I thought reasonable, I went back to my room and gave myself a sponge bath. Not quite the steaming hot shower I was used to, but at least I was clean and smelled better. The fragranced soap Dan had given me as a gift went a long way towards that goal.
Dan. Maybe it was the Jet after effects, but I couldn't help smiling at the thought of him. He seemed to be a very gentle and caring man. The week spent on the road with him had been pleasant despite the challenges of Commonwealth travel. And then there was that kiss. Why on Earth was I becoming attracted to a man who first off, had no nose, and second, was a ghoul of all things? I suppose it was his sweet hearted personality that did it for me. I shook my head to clear him from my thoughts.
I dressed in my road leathers-and-armor combo, gathered my belongings, and left the hotel. The fresh air seemed to clear my head. Jet may have made me feel good last night, but by the light of day it didn't seem worth it. Just as I was heading towards the shops to meet Nick, Dan exited the hotel.
"Hey! I didn't know you were still in town!" I said brightly, surprised and happy to see my traveling companion.
"Same goes for you. Headed back to Sanctuary?" Dan asked, sounding equally happy to see me.
"I'm not sure. I've gotta meet Nick Valentine by the shops. I'll know more after I talk to him." I said.
"Well if you are going back home, you're more than welcome to come with me, assuming I didn't already scare you off. After…you know…the kiss." he stammered.
"I didn't know ghouls could blush. It suits you." I said. I was immensely enjoying the little shy way he glanced down at his feet.
We parted ways, and I left to see Nick. I could hear the hustle and bustle of the customers long before I saw them. I took a peek into the first shop I passed.
A robot with tits? Guess they've thought of everything these days. I thought.
I decided to ask Nick about it. Curiosity killed the cat, you know. He told me that K-LEO was an assaultron model, and that she had decided to set up as a weapons purveyor instead. I made a mental note to check out her stock.
"I'm thinking of heading back to Sanctuary, Nick. Unless you've got a lead for us to hunt down?" I asked.
"I've got some ideas. Checking in with Preston and his Minutemen could net us some chatter over their radio system. We'd be able to cast a wider net that way." Nick explained.
"In that case, I'll catch up with Dan and head home. I can tell Preston about your idea when I arrive." I said.
"From what I've heard, Nate brought Preston over to the Castle. That's certainly closer than Sanctuary. We can be there within the day." Nick said.
I sighed. Getting back home to my yellow house would have to wait. Part of me was actually disappointed to not have that time on the road with Dan. Guess I had enjoyed his company more than I'd thought.
Time to load up on road supplies. K-LEO welcomed my caps, and I welcomed the ammo and the new sight mod for the 10mm I still carried. I'd named my hunting rifle Helga just for shits and giggles, but the 10mm still felt more like Nate's than mine.
Leaving the town, we took a path that trailed around Goodneighbor, and out into the wastes. We followed the coast, and tried to stay out of the way of any major fighting. That didn't work out so well. Sneaking about isn't one of my strong suits.
"Would you take cover for once? And not behind a car!" Nick shouted as I tried to pop a raider in the face.
"Yeah, yeah. Gimme a moment here!" I yelled back.
The raider's head didn't take the hit but her shoulder sure did. She spun and took cover behind a car, the very thing Nick told me not to do. I ran behind a fallen concrete wall as Nick began unloading his gun into the car. Much to my surprise, the car and raider exploded in a mini mushroom cloud.
A group of about six raiders came screaming around the side of the row of abandoned destroyed shops and buildings we had been passing by. A supermutant and its nasty green hound were hot on their heels. I ran over to where Nick was crouched down and traded the 10mm for my Helga.
I lined up the lead raider in my rifle's scope. I whispered a little prayer, and squeezed off a shot. He doubled over, and tripped up two of his buddies. Nick took out the tangled raiders in quick succession.
The mutant hound was getting our scent and dodged through the remaining humans.
Shit.
Its master wouldn't be far behind. I missed several shots at the hound before giving up on it as I reloaded. Nick's attention was held by the remaining raiders.
I scooted closer and nudged his arm. It made his shot go wild, and earned me an annoyed look from Nick.
"Mutant beastie!" I squeaked, gesturing with my rifle.
"So shoot the damn thing!" he replied.
"Fuck." I muttered.
I tried to target the swerving sack of slobber, and despite my best efforts I only winged it. Nick covered me while I jammed more bullets into Helga. I popped back up to see that the raiders and beast had been dispatched, and only the lumbering mutant remained. The freak was toting a fucking chain gun!
Nick ducked and began swiftly reloading. It was all up to me apparently. Without an entire settlement to join in the attack, this felt like a Commonwealth baptism by fire. Any illusions I had about the "live or die trying" nature of this version of Massachusetts were blown away the moment I saw that mutant spraying us with bullets.
I found myself wishing for the Jet I'd tucked away to help steady my racing heart and thoughts. I hunched down lower to the ground and waited for that whirring sound of the gun barrel to stop. As it slowed, I hopped up from my hiding spot. I tried to calm my shaking hands, and fired Helga at the mutant's arms. If I could get it to drop the gun, that could give us the edge we needed.
The clang of metal hitting pavement, and the guttural howl of the now disarmed freak told me that my last ditch effort had worked. Nick gave me that smile that said he was proud of me, and finished off the supermutant. A sudden silence fell over us. We were now the only living things remaining outside the shops.
Nick congratulated me on keeping my cool, and set off to gather up all the crap I had dropped in my initial panic when we were attacked. I jogged to catch up with him.
"Valentine! When the hell did cars go nuclear?" I asked, bent over with my hands on my knees, desperately trying to control my breathing after the shootout.
He looked up at me from where he had squatted down to pick up my rucksack.
"Right about after WWII. Hiroshima and Nagasaki changed the world. Nuclear power became commonplace after that." he said matter-of-factly.
I stopped dead in my tracks and stared wide eyed at Nick. This world knew the same devastation caused by loathing and science that mine did. Mankind's lust for dominance and bloodshed bound our timelines.
"The war happened in my world as well. We just…shied away from using nuclear energy extensively, I guess." I whispered in shock.
Nick left off from turning out a dead raider's pockets for anything useable. He brushed his hands off on his pants as he stood.
"You had Hitler too, eh? Looks like Piper's alternate universe theory just might hold water after all." he said, sounding mildly surprised at best. The synth was unflappable.
"My grandfather fought the Germans. We were always proud of him for taking up arms against evil." I said, not knowing if my words mattered or even made sense in Nick's version of the war.
"I bet Nate would be interested in hearing about the warfare of your world. He's a veteran of the Battle of Anchorage." Nick said.
"Anchorage? Alaska? Who fought there?!" I asked.
"The Chinese." Nick said, looking as if he were making mental note of every word I breathed.
"Chinese? Shit." I sighed.
He passed over my rucksack, now jammed full of looted gear. I shouldered it, and resolutely marched off in the direction we were originally headed. Nick fell in line with my steps. The quiet between us remained until we approached the Castle as sunset caressed the Commonwealth sky.