by M. P. Pubs
Marcus grinned with satisfaction. "Good." He turned to Jessica. "You take care of yourself."
Jessica started to make her way around the bar, but then turned and ran into Marcus' unsuspecting arms. After a long hug she looked up at him. "Seriously, thanks for getting me out of there." With that, Jessica walked around the bar, past her father and into the back room. Marcus turned to leave, and he could feel Moriarty's stare burning into the back of his head.
* * *
Once they were outside the saloon, the trio was approached by Billy Creel. "Hey there Marcus, good to see you back in town."
Marcus shook Billy's hand. "Good to see you too."
Billy noticed the large amount of gear they were carrying. "Man you guys look like a couple of pack brahmain. Why don't you go see Moria and trade some of that stuff."
"Who's Moria?" Marcus asked.
The sound of an explosion caused everyone to jump and grab their weapons. At the bottom of the catwalk the door to a building marked "Crater Ton Supply" burst open. White smoke poured out of the building, followed by a man and woman couching and hacking.
"That's it *cough* I quite!" the man yelled.
"Oh you always *cough* say that *cough* when I blow something up." the woman replied.
Billy turned to Marcus. "That's Moria Brown. She's a...tinkerer of sorts."
Marcus and his companions lowered their weapons. At first he didn't know what to make of the strange scene, but he decided to check it out. They waited until most of the smoke had gone before entering the store. There was a counter to the immediate right of the doorway, and behind were all sorts of items: weapons, clothing, food and a mix-mash of parts and junk. The man, who was clearly a mercenary, leaned against the wall and watched them closely. Moria stood behind the counter. "Oh hello there!" She said in a very cheery tone. "New customers! Sorry about the mess before...sometimes that happens when I'm mixing chemicals."
Moria looked to be in her mid-twenties and she was wearing a Robco jumpsuit and had her red hair in a pony tail. Marcus carefully approached the counter. "You're Moria Brown?"
"Why yes that's me, Moria Brown! Trader, inventor, scientist, buisness owner - jack of all trades, master of none."
"Well Moria my name is Marcus andn these are my friends Clover and..."
"Oh my gosh!" Her sudden outburst cut Marcus off. "You're the Lone Wanderer everyone's been talking about! I can't believe you actually lived in a Vault! You know a few years ago a girl walked in here and she was from a Vault too."
The last sentence caught Marcus' attention. "From Vault 101?"
"Ummmm yeah, that's the one. I remember she had those numbers on her back. She asked me to make an armored vault jumpsuit but she never came back for it. Here..." She reached under the counter and pulled out the suit. It was a Vault 101 jumpsuit, but it had been modified with patches of armor.
"You said she never came back. What happened to her?"
"Oh I don't know. Probably ran off and got killed, the poor thing."
Marcus was surprised at how Moria described a woman dying with the same empathy as someone stubbing their toe. He continued to stare at the armored Vault suit as he tried to process what he had just heard. Marcus knew about the Overseer's scouting parties but it seems he wasn't the first person to actually escape from 101. "Moria, we have some stuff here to trade. Can we throw this jumpsuit into the pile?"
Moria smiled. "Sure thing."
* * *
When their trading was finished the trio walked away with and impressive load. In addition to the armored jumpsuit, they got ammo, food, water and few caps and nuka cola. Marcus led them inside his home, which he hadn't seen in over a week. There wasn't much to it: a small table in the kitchen, a couple chairs, some lockers and an old couch. Upstairs was a small bedroom with a bed and desk. After having a nice meal of canned food and water, Charon agreed to take the couch, and Clover led Marcus upstairs to quote: see how sturdy the bed was.
* * *
Marcus was dreaming. His father was standing in front of him, a sheet of glass seperating them. His father's right hand was flat against the glass and he was saying something that Marcus couldn't understand. Suddenly his father's flesh began to bubble and melt away. Marcus began pounding on the glass until his fist bleed, but he couldn't break through. His father continued to disentegrate before his eyes. Marcus screamed...
"Marcus! Marcus, wake up! You're having a nightmare!"
Marcus jumped up in bed, nearly knocking Clover out of it. He was covered in sweat, breathing heavily and shaking uncontrolably. Clover wrapped her arms around him. "It's okay, it's okay. It was only a dream."
They heard foot steps coming up the stairs, and Charon appeared in the doorway with his shotgun. "I heard a scream."
Clover was craddling Marcus in her arm. "He had a nightmare. He'll be alright."
Without saying a word Charon turned and headed back down the stairs. Clover held Marcus and slowly rocked him. "Shhhh, it's alright. It was only a dream."
Marcus was still shaking. "I'm never going to find my father. He's going to die and I'll never see him again."
"Shhhh, don't say that. You will find him. If anyone can it's you. Now try to get some sleep."
Marcus laid his head on her chest. Clover held him and caressed his hair until he finally fell to sleep.
Chapter 13: I, Android
For the third time that morning, Marcus found himself on his back with Charon standing over him. "Remember to use your opponent's momentum against him." the ghoul said.
Marcus shook the cobwebs from his head. "I'll keep that in mind." He held out his hand and Charon helped him to his feet. Since dawn the three friends had gathered outside Megaton's Children of the Atom temple for some training. It wasn't the most ideal place since it was only a few feet the bomb, but it was the only part of the city where the dirt was flat enough. As promised, Charon began teaching Marcus his hand-to-hand style of fighting that he called mixed martial arts. To say that Marcus was frustrated was an understatement. He had only managed to best Charon once, and that was by using VATS. Marcus was determined to hone his skills and not rely on the targeting system for everything. Sure it gave him an advantage, but he didn't want it to become a crutch.
All morning long people would stop and stare at the two men sparing with each other. The children Harden Simms and Maggie were especially fascinated and started mimicking them. That was until Maggie gave Harden a bloody nose and his father had to break it up.
"Sorry about that, Sheriff." Marcus called out. "Charon here was just showing me some moves."
Simms nodded. "That's alright; kids will be kids. Besides if you're going to survive out there you need to learn all you can." The Sheriff took his son by the hand. "Come on, let's go see Doc Church."
Harden looked at Maggie and stuck his tongue out, and Maggie responded in kind. Marcus watched the whole scene play out and a smile crossed his face. It was exactly how he and Amata used to play together when they were kids. Clover grabbed him from behind and he spun around to face her.
"Time for our training secession, suga."
Marcus gave her a smirk. "I don't think we can do that out here."
Clover laughed. "Not that lover - you don't need training in that category." She drew her chinese officer sword. "I meant this." For the next hour Clover showed Marcus everything she knew about sword fighting. Having no sword of his own, Marcus used a small pole he had found in a scrape pile behind Craterside Supply. Clover showed him how to parry, thrust, counter, and disarm ones opponent. Marcus was shocked to learn that Eulogy Jones would often have his slaves fight for his amusement, and Clover had to be a quick study if she was going to survive. She never told Marcus if she'd killed any slaves, and he wasn't about to ask.
Afterwards they had breakfast at the Brass Lantern, and then they went back to Marcus' house to prepare for their journey. According to Moria, Rivet City was a half days walk from Megaton, and there was no telling who or what they'd run
into. As they were getting ready, Marcus realized he hadn't shaved since leaving the Vault and the facial hair was beginning to annoy him. Having no razor, he was forced to use his combat knife, which, (to his dismay), was rather dull. To pass the time he decided to turn on GNR and listen to some music, and after playing a song from a guy named Elvis, Three Dog began to speak:
"Now, you all remember my brother James right, who came out of Vault 101? Well wouldn't you know it, someone else has come out of that same Vault! And, I kid you not, he came to visit yours truly right here in the studio! Now. You want to know if it gets better, don't you? Well hell YES it gets better! Turns out vault dweller #2 was none other than James's kid! I know! I know! I couldn't make this shit up! Okay, but now it gets kind of sad. You see, the kid is looking for his dad, looking for James. See, James left Vault 101 without telling the kid why. Now, I've since learned that James is a scientist and is working on something big. But James, if you're listening... Your kid's out, man, and he misses you. So you might want to find him before he gets swallowed up and spit out."
Marcus stood there staring at himself in his broken mirror. It seemed like a lifetime ago since he'd left the Vault and began this quest to find his father. He stood there and wondered if his father was listening to the same broadcast, and what his reaction would be if he found out he had disobeyed him. Just as Marcus was afraid of never finding his father, he was just as afraid of what would happen if he did find him. He quietly finished shaving, and despite a few nicks, he felt human again.
Once they were packed, the trio was ready to leave. Marcus carried his standard tri-beam laser rifle, his .44 magnum pistol, Lucy's sawed-off shotgun and his combat knife. Since he wasn't expecting to go into heavy combat, Marcus decided to leave the 40mm grenade launcher home, and took a few frag grenades instead. Charon of course carried the Terrible shotgun and a .308 sniper rifle. Clover was armed with her assault rifle, chinese sword, and a 10mm submachine gun they got off one of Dukov's guards.
"According to my PIPBOY Rivet City is on the edge of the Tidal Basin. So if we follow the river we should get there by dark."
Charon locked and loaded his shotgun. "As long as we are not delayed by anything."
Marcus let out a sigh and nodded. He was not looking forward at going back out there, but what choice did he have? He had already lost two days because of Moriarty, and he wasn't about to lose anymore time. He checked his gear one last time. "Everybody ready?"
Clover flashed a smile. "Lead the way, suga."
* * *
As it turns out the walk to Rivet City was pretty uneventful - until they encountered a small super mutant camp about a mile from their destination. At first they had planned to avoid the camp until Marcus heard a woman's voice crying out for help. Marcus and his companions took cover behind some rocks along the river bank about fifty yards from the camp. It was surrounded by a combination of steel walls, plywood, steel beams and barbed wire. There was only one way in and out of the camp, and it was facing the trio. With the sniper rifle's scope, Marcus could see three mutants: a master armed with a minigun standing on a catwalk, another mutant armed with a hunting rifle, and third armed with a nail board. Marcus spotted an asian female bound and nealing on the catwalk next to a fire.
"So how do we proceed?" Charon asked.
Marcus lowered the rifle. "Well the Master is clearly the biggest threat so I'll take him out first. That will draw the other two out and as soon as they're in the open, we take'm. You two stay hidden until I tell you."
Charon and Clover nodded in agreement. "You got it, lover."
Marcus took a deep breath and took aim with the sniper rifle. He knew he had only one shot at this, and if he missed or didn't kill the Master instantly, they would have to contend with a minigun. He took another breath, held it, and activated his VATS. The number 86% appeared and he pulled the trigger. The .308 round hit the Master's left eye and blew out the back of his head. Just as calculated, the remaining two mutants ran to the camp's entrance completely exposing themselves. Marcus quickly dropped the sniper rifle and picked up his tri-beam. "Now!"
Charon and Clover popped up from behind the rocks, and the mutant's look of surprise was replaced by anguish as they were peppered by lead and laser fire. 'These mutants are strong, but they are also very dumb.' Marcus thought. Quickly the trio ran into the camp and Marcus freed the female captive.
"Oh my God! Thank you so much!" she cried. "They were...they were going to..."
One look at the fire told Marcus the grim truth why the Super Mutants captured humans. A torso was attached to a spit, and a pile of limbs and heads were in a net bag near the fire. Fighting the urge to throw up, Marcus helped the young woman down off the catwalk. "It's okay, you're safe. My name is Marcus."
"I'm Mei Wong. I was on my way back to Rivet City when these Frankensteins grabbed me. I thought I was a goner until you all showed up."
"So you live in Rivet City? That's where we're going."
Mei Wong was ecstatic. "That's great! You come with me and I'll make sure Harkness let's you in without any problems. He's a great guy, but he can be a bit of an asshole about security."
"Harkness, he's the robot I heard about, right?"
Mei Wong seemed to become insulted by Marcus' question. "He's not a robot, and I wouldn't call him that to his face either. He's an android, a cybernetic man, but as far as we're concerned, he's more man then machine."
Marcus was more then a little surprised at her response. Quinn had told him about how the people of Rivet City rose up to defend Harkness from his creators in the Common Wealth. Mei Wong's answer confirmed to Marcus that the citizens regarded him as one of their own; a person, not a machine. As a boy growing up he had seen his share of scifi movies that featured sentient robots, and the idea always fascinated him. Is it possible that one actually existed? Clover ran up to him with a bag full of scavenged supplies. "Well lover we have a rifle, some .38 rounds and a few frag grenades. Oh, and that Master's minigun of course."
Charon was holding the massive gun. It wasn't in the best of shape, but Marcus figured they might be able to sell it. "Okay, we better get out of here before more of these uglies show up."
* * *
About fifteen minutes later they had reached Rivet City. The massive aircraft carrier stood ten stories tall and was the length of four football fields. The front part of the ship (or bow), had become completely detached from the rest of it, but there was still more then enough room for the hundreds of people that lived aboard. Marcus could see a handful of old F-18 Super Hornets on the flight deck that clearly would never fly again. For a moment he could imagine those jets launching off the deck and flying off into the sky. To fly at twice the speed of sound must have been a thrilling experience. On the side of the rusting ship, Marcus could see the faded letters that spelled out the ship's name: USS Abraham Lincoln. Marcus smiled at the irony.
"We'll have to climb this platform and request to have the bridge swung over to us." Mei Wong said.
After climbing the two metal staircases they found a man bearly clinging to life. Marcus knelt beside him and checked his vitals. "He's still breathing."
The man opened his eyes and tried to speak through cracked lips. "W...water...water, please!"
Marcus removed a bottle of purified water from his bag and put it to the man's lips. Almost immediately the man reached up and grabbed the bottle with both hands and began to chug it down.
"Easy, easy!" Marcus said . "You're dehydrated so you have to take it slow."
The man took a few more swigs from the bottle and slowly sat up. "Thank you" he gasped between drinks. "Thank you. You saved my life!"
Marcus smiled and handed him another bottle. "You're welcome."
He stood up and turned and found his three companions staring at him as if he had two heads. Purified water was more valuable then gold, and he had just given two bottles of it away to a stranger. Marcus ignored their stares and went back to the task at hand. "Shall we?
" he asked.
Mei Wong stepped up to an intercom and pushed the button.
"State your business, please." said a voice on the intercom.
"It's Mei Wong, bring the bridge over."
"Standby."
A large crane on the deck of the carrier screeched to life, and swung the metal bridge over to the platform. The four companions walked across and were met on the other side by a tall man with brown hair and brown eyes, wearing black combat armor and carrying an AK-47. "That's far enough!" he ordered. "Who are you and what is your business in Rivet City?"
Mei Wong stepped out from behind Marcus. "Chief Harkness these people rescued me from Super Mutants and brought me back here."
The Chief relaxed his stance. "Alright, I guess you guys can come aboard. Thank you for rescuing Mei Wong; not many people around here look out for others. I mean, unless you believe those stories on Galaxy News Radio about a 'Lone Wanderer' going around helping people." the chief scoffed. "A bunch of malarkey if you ask me."
A small smile crossed Marcus' face as he held in the urge to laugh. Clover put her hand over her mouth and started to giggle. Even Charon showed a hint of a smile.
"What's so funny?" The Chief asked with a confused look.
"Um...nothing," Marcus said, "thank you for letting us come aboard."
The Chief regarded them one last time. "Just remember: I've got my eyes on you."
Marcus watched as Harkness walked away. He couldn't believe how human the android looked and acted. If no one had told him, he'd swear that Harkness was just another man. Once they were inside, Mei Wong was kind enough to show them where Dr. Li's science lab was, which was a god-send considering how massive the ship was. Mei Wong told them that in addition to living quarters, Rivet City had everything you'd expect to find in a real city: shops, restaurants, bars, a chapel, a green house up on the flight deck, and their own water purification system. The city even had a hotel and night club. It was without a doubt the most successful settlement in the entire capital. As Marcus approached the water tight hatch leading into the science lab, he was met by a security officer in black combat gear.