Rewards

AJ and Penny had made it back to their hotel room without incident and gone back to bed, tired from the mission at The Portal. In the morning they woke early, had breakfast, and spent some time together before heading to the church together. Starlight McCoy was there again, talking to one of the other priests, Starlight Zimmerman. McCoy apparently had had some business to tend to, so he left them in the care of Zimmerman, who led them upstairs to see Startender Brooke again. He left them in her company, where she offered them some coffee or orange juice. AJ declined the coffee, but Penny had indulged herself with some of the orange juice. She seemed to have enjoyed it, but AJ had always been a little suspicious of pre-War food and drinks. Just how was any of it still edible?

"Thank you very much for taking care of that matter for us, Mr. Jackson," Brooke said. "It's a rather inspired way you did it, cutting their tires. I don't think they'll be bothering anyone for a while, unless they take to walking to the other settlements. A task that would be extremely dangerous."

"Thank you," AJ said. "You're going to make me an Arbiter now, right?"

Brooke nodded. "That's right." She stood and approached him, raising her right hand with her fingers stretched out, as if miming the rays of a star. "By invoking the radiant heat of Sol's light I name you, Alexander Jackson, the Arbiter of Sol. Carry her scorching rays to the hearts of those who endanger our lives and our homes, and burn them from the face of our world." She pressed the heel of her hand to AJ's forehead, brought her fingers together, and pulled her hand away. She stepped back and sat on the edge of her desk, her hands in her lap. "You are now the Arbiter."

"Thanks," AJ said. "Do you have more work for us?" he asked, and Brooke nodded.

"We do. As I indicated yesterday our desert is plagued by a robot menace, coming from the east. The settlement at the Three Sisters has told us that they're having even more trouble coming from the machines. We don't know where they're coming from, but they've been restricting travel on the roads by attacking caravanners and travelers. In doing so they are limiting trade between the settlements of the region, endangering us all. This must be stopped."

"I can't exactly drive around the desert all day, hoping to find the factory by mistake," AJ said.

"They're not your average factory robots, Arbiter. They are military robots, some of which are extremely lethal. Protectrons we can handle, but the much stronger threats are too much for any of the settlements to contend with. Finding them will be just half of the battle," Brooke said.

AJ rubbed his chin. "Do you have any ideas as to where they're coming from?"

"Yes. White Sands Missile Range, to the northeast. A pre-War military installation. It's the closest military base in the region," Brooke said. "I'm not asking you to go there just yet. Doing so will be extraordinarily dangerous, and you will need time to prepare. For the time being, I'd like you to pay a visit to our doctor and get both yourself and your little girl checked out. With your clean bill of health assured, I will ask you to go east, near The Arena. The robots have overtaken a pre-War recording station very close to the settlement there, and they've asked us for help. Being that we are the most secure settlement in the region it is important that we demonstrate to them that they can rely on us for help."

"Very well, I guess seeing a doctor would be a good idea," AJ said. "Is there anything else?"

Brooke stood and grabbed a small box. "Yes," she said, and approached him. She opened the box and from within pulled out a golden insignia, a sun cresting a horizon, which she pinned to his desert cloak. "Your sigil. With this the others will know who you are, Arbiter. When you are finished with the doctor return here, and either Starlight McCoy or Starlight Zimmerman will show you to your house."

AJ looked down at the pin. It was well-made, if a little dull, and he wondered just how much of a difference it would make in how the others treated him. He brushed the back of his hand along the pin and nodded. "Doctor, house, Arena, got it. We'll go tomorrow morning, if that's alright," he said.

"Yes, that will be fine. May you have a bright day, Arbiter Jackson."

The doctor was down the street from the church, in a one-story white building. AJ stepped into the room with his daughter in tow and the clerk looked up at them. He noticed the pin on AJ's cloak and stood, a smile on his face.

"You are the new Arbiter, yes? I wondered when the Startender would find someone suitable for the position. You're here to see the doctor, yes? I'll let her know you're here," the clerk said. He reached back to a blue button on the wall next to his chair and pressed it, a bell chime sounding. A few moments later a middle-aged woman came out of the door next to the clerk's desk, pulling off her gloves.

"Oh, you're the Arbiter? A pleasure. Oh, and who's this?" she asked, and crouched down in front of Penny, who put her hands on her hips. "Your daughter, I'm guessing?"

"Yep!" Penny said. "I'm Penelope!"

"Doctor Clarissa, charmed to meet you both. Follow me, please," she said, and led them through the door, through a second door, and down a hall to the left. The hall turned right at the end, an open door at the end. Inside was an examination room, a leather lounge chair covered with a tarp and few counters and cabinets, as well as a mirror. AJ stood by the chair as Penny climbed onto it, the doctor approaching the cabinets and pulling out a few tools. She put on a new pair of gloves, a stethoscope, and pulled out a jar with tongue depressors. "Open your mouth, please."

AJ did as told and waited patiently while the doctor looked around in his mouth. "Your teeth are surprisingly well-kept. You must not drink too much Nuka-Cola," she said. "Your tongue appears healthy as well." Next she inspected his eyes, ears, and face, and found nothing untoward. She pressed the stethoscope's end to his chest and listened for a moment. "No heart murmurs or palpitations. Lift your arms, please."

He raised his arms to the side. The doctor asked him to bend, twist, and stretch, all of which he did without issue. He had all of his fingers and, after he removed his shoes, the doctor confirmed he had all of his toes.

"Undress now, please."

AJ removed his cloak without hesitation, unbuttoned his shirt, and undid his pants. Clad only in his underwear he let the doctor inspect his body, taking in his musculature and form. "A few scars, I see. Cuts and bullet wounds. Old, from the look of them."

"Yes," AJ said. He glanced at Penny, who was looking at him, her gaze traveling up and down his body. She was leaning back in the chair, propped up on her arms, and humming quietly.

"You appear to be in perfect health then," Doctor Clarissa said. "I'll inform the Startender, let her know that you don't have any injuries or ailments that will prevent you from performing your duties." She put away a few of the disposable tools she'd used to inspect him and he dressed himself. "Next is her turn," Clarissa said, looking at Penny. "You're free to stay and observe, if you'd like."

"Yes, I would." AJ stood by the door, watching as the doctor looked his daughter over. She checked all the same things and places she'd checked on him, including a partial strip. AJ kept his eyes on the doctor's hands as she felt along Penny's body, checking her body's response.

"Hmm," Clarissa said. "Have you started menstruating?"

Penny looked back at AJ, who nodded. "Yes," Penny said, and the doctor nodded. "I started when I was 9."

"Awfully early... Any troubles at all since then? Thin or thick flow, erratic cycles, that sort of thing?"

Penny shook her head. "No."

"You're quite healthy," the doctor said, and looked at AJ. "I guess your daddy takes good care of you, hm? Are you from a nearby settlement?"

Penny grinned and looked up at AJ. "We're from Arizona! From a big city called Tucks. And yep, daddy takes very good care of me!"

The doctor cocked an eyebrow and looked at AJ, who nodded. "We left a couple years ago. Big cities are too dangerous, though Tucks is nicer than Phoenix. We both prefer the big open sky and freedom of the desert, though it's not without its dangers of course. Easier to escape, though."

Doctor Clarissa stood and removed her gloves. "Well, you're both quite healthy. It's not often that anyone in these lands is in such good health. I wish you both good fortune and that your good health endures. Good day to the both of you."

"Thanks, doc," AJ said. He watched as Penny dressed herself and with that AJ left the examination, Penny at his side. She smiled at AJ as they went, and he smiled back at her. She lifted her arms above her head and stretched, acting like her usual self. "We're gonna get our own house now, right?" she asked.

"That's right. Come on, let's go back to the church," AJ said, and together with his daughter left the clinic.

Starlight McCoy had returned from his errand and had been waiting for them in the church. When they entered he took them back outside and across the street from the church's front door. From there he led them to an L-shaped one-story adobe house, three doors down from the intersection the church was on. He'd led them inside to show them the place, where they now stood.

The main room, just inside the front door, was the living room. Two couches sat in the middle of the floor, facing each other, a coffee table between them. Standing lamps were in the corners, switched off. To their delight the lamps did have power. McCoy had explained to them that few of the buildings in the town had power, and they were reserved for the clinic, the church, and a select few houses.

"In here," McCoy said, gesturing to a wide threshold to the right of the front door as they came in, "is the kitchen. The refrigerator works, but is empty. You can put water or sodas inside, and they'll be quite cold in a matter of an hour or so. The other appliances, sadly, do not work, but there's an electric hotplate there on the countertop. It should be enough, should you desire any hot meals."

To the left of the kitchen threshold were two doors, the first containing a nondescript and rather small bathroom. A toilet and standing wash basin, facing each other, and a shower. No tub. The second door contained the bedroom, a lone bed up against the right-hand wall. There was an empty armoire, the perfect place for their spare supplies, and a bookshelf next to it, a few pre-War books on its shelves. AJ remembered the 'Guns and Bullets' magazine he'd picked up at the gun shop and reminded himself to read it later.

"That's all there is to it," McCoy said once they were finished with the tour. "I know it's not much, but it should suffice for the two of you. If you have any questions or concerns come see me or the Startender. I live next door, to the right as you come out of the house."

"Thank you," AJ said. "Penny and I are gonna unwind and get some rest before we go out on our mission tomorrow. The Startender has us clearing out robots from a recording station outside The Arena, to the east."

"Good luck, Arbiter," McCoy said. They shook hands and then McCoy left, leaving the two of them alone. AJ looked at Penny, who beamed up at him. He pulled off his backpack and set it by the front door, rummaging through the pockets for something he could heat up. A can of Cram and sardines would have to do for their dinner.

"I'm gonna go clean up," Penny said, and headed into the bathroom. AJ went into the kitchen and, after trying twice, turned on the electric hotplate and waited for it to heat up. He simply dumped the cans of Cram and sardines on a pan and set it on the hotplate, waiting until steam began to rise off the food. He pulled the pan off the hotplate and set it aside, searching the drawers for silverware. As he pulled out two knives and two forks he heard Penny come into the kitchen and join him at his side, looking at the pan. "Smells salty."

"Well it is preserved meats," AJ said. He cut up two servings of the meal and put them on the tin plates he found in a cupboard, reserving the larger portion for Penny as always. They sat at the table, across from each other, the afternoon sun casting long shadows outside. "You know," he said as they ate. "You still haven't shown me that surprise you mentioned yesterday."

Penny's face brightened up. "Oh yeah!" she said. "I'll show you after dinner, when we go to bed, OK?"

"Looking forward to it," AJ said. They ate the rest of their dinner in silence, and AJ took the time to think about everything Brooke had told him. He'd encountered military robots before, and had learned to steer very clear of them. If significant numbers of them were coming up and attacking travelers then Brooke was right, that was bad news. Of course, in his experience most military robots attacked people because they were malfunctioning. If the robots had mentioned a 'Machine God' then there was a good chance they were functioning just fine, and that chilled him even more. Few things were more dangerous than a robot who still had a master controlling it.

And then there was White Sands Missile Range. If military robots were dangerous, then military bases were even more dangerous. In all his thirty-three years AJ had never once felt the desire to set foot in a pre-War military base, especially since some of them were still inhabited by their legal owners. He'd seen them around here and there over the years, flying around in their black vertibirds with the white 'E' on the side. Whoever they were and whatever they were doing he wanted nothing to do with it.

Whatever the case was, answers would have to wait. They'd clear out the radio station, as asked, and then discuss their next move with Startender Brooke. If the robots really were coming from White Sands then he wanted to come up with a solid plan to get in there and shut the whole place down.

Eventually, the two of them finished their dinner. Penny hopped off her seat and walked out into the living room to read her pre-War comics while AJ put the dishes away. He was amazed to find that the house had running water too, just like the hotel. He shut the hotplate off and walked out into the living room, taking his cloak and boots off. "I'm going to bed, Penny," he said.

Penny looked up at him and put down her Silver Shroud comic. "OK! You go on ahead, I gotta do something," she said. She grabbed her backpack and ran into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. AJ went into the bedroom and took off his shirt and belt, setting them on top of the armoire. Normally he'd keep his clothes on and gear close by, even with the desert heat being what it was, but he figured they were safe enough there in the City of the Sun. He lied down on top of the blanket and put his hands under his head, staring up at the ceiling.

A few moments later the door to the bedroom opened and in walked his daughter, dressed in a yellow sundress that fit her almost perfectly. The hem went down to just above her knees, the color clashing a little with her red shoes. She quickly took them off and stood there with her hands on her hips. "Well, whaddya think?"

"Oh, wow, you look very cute," AJ said, and Penny pouted.

"I wanted to look pretty, not cute!" she said.

AJ laughed. "Well, how about we settle for pretty cute, then?" he said, and Penny rolled her eyes. She climbed onto the bed and sat on AJ's lap, straddling him like a cowboy. Or cowgirl, in this case. She leaned forward a little and put her hands on his stomach.

"Do you like it, daddy?" she asked.

AJ nodded and sat upright. Immediately she wrapped her arms around him and he put his own hands on her shoulders. "Yes, it's very nice. As promised, I'll give you a reward. You can pick whatever you'd like tonight."

Penny grinned. "I want a tickling, and I want it just like this!"

"Sitting like this, you mean?" AJ asked, and Penny nodded. "OK, princess, but sit adjacent to me, OK?"

"Like this?"

Penny turned in place on AJ's lap, her left arm wrapped around the back of his neck. He wrapped his right arm around her back to hold her steady, and put his left hand on her leg. "Ready?" he asked with a grin, and Penny nodded vigorously. AJ's hand traveled up his daughter's leg, from her knee to her thigh, and then slid underneath the hem of her dress. She opened her legs just a hair, her movements jerky and excited. His hand continued to snake up the inside of her dress, all the way up to the very top of the inside of her thighs. "Lemme just take off your... Oh," AJ said, and looked into his daughter's pale grey eyes. "You're not wearing any..."

Penelope grinned at him.

"Good girl," he said with a leer as his fingers entered her. "Good girl..."