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0.0 PrologueNovember of 2277 was slowly coming to an end, but this night was extraordinary chilly for Capital Wasteland standards. But something even more uncommon was happening inside the walls of the then-Pentagon, now-Citadel and home to the eastern chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel.After having finally won their decades-long battle against the Super Mutants of D.C.‘s leftovers and their conflict with the Enclave, they had every reason to party and so they did. Music was being played loudly and one could spot dancing and drinking knights, scribes and paladins everywhere, the younger initiates especially prone to ending up passing out from having too much fun. Even Sentinel Sarah Lyons and her father Owyn, their Elder, let down their guards and duties tonight.Although Liberty Prime had been destroyed by a suborbital missile strike, they hadn’t even suffered many casualties after the demise of the Enclave – thanks to a small suicide squad consisting of a former Vault dweller, a friendly Super Mutant and a dog.Jills, known as the Lone Wanderer to this part of the Wasteland and a little beyond, her trusty, four-legged companion Dogmeat and Fawkes, her big green friend whom she had freed from his prison cell in Vault 87, had already left the big party and were approaching the riverbank south of the Citadel.Of course, she was just as happy as everyone else about their victory over the Enclave and the successful Go Live of Project Purity, but the price she had to pay for all that had been enormously high. Her father, James, had sacrificed himself to save his team of Project Purity scientists and her from an Enclave squad trying to take over the facility – just a few days after they had been reunited in Vault 112. Too short a time to talk about everything she had experienced and learned during his first absence in her life ever, and an even shorter time she had the feeling this place somehow could become some kind of home after all.Not that she hadn’t made any new friends outside – Dogmeat, Fawkes and she had already grown so close the days they had known each other she already considered them some kind of surrogate family, but she still missed her father and, even if she hated to admit, the Vault where she had grown up.Back then, when she initially set off for Little Lamplight to find an alternative entrance to Vault 87 on the Brotherhood’s behalf – one that hadn’t been totally irradiated – she had suddenly received a distress signal originating from her former home via her Pip-Boy, which Amata had secretly sent.Naturally, she postponed her plans and went back home to help her with whatever was happening. Some kind of civil war had broken out in good old 101 after she had left – some wanted to open the Vault for trading and cultural exchange with the wastelanders, which the Overseer, Amata’s father, didn’t approve of, to say the least. Fortunately, Jills was able to resolve the conflict between the rebellious Vault dwellers and the Overseer and his supporters without resorting to violence.She still had to leave Amata and all the people she had grown up with once again, most likely forever, but at least for an indefinite, probably very long time. If she had stayed, it would only have caused further problems and she would have made it all more difficult for Amata, who had been declared the new Overseer.The decision she had made back then might be the most rational, but that definitely didn’t mean it didn’t hurt her. She had saved and improved the lives of many wastelanders in a very short period of time, whether by bringing Project Purity to life, disarming Megaton’s nuclear bomb or many deeds requesting violence, but she still felt goddamn lonely in this wasteland that was just very slowly beginning to come back to casual life after centuries of violent slumber.Without saying a word, she walked alongside Fawkes and Dogmeat, watching the large boulders edging the Potomac River near the Arlington library. She breathed in and sighed loudly, closing her eyes, opening them again, staring into the dark night. It felt as if all the black surrounding her was taking hold of her body like the freezing cold. She shuddered, weeping silently and without shedding a single tear. Didn’t want her boys to be worried.She wondered if her mother and father had perhaps been here once, right here and on a night like this, long before her time? In case they were with her right now, what would they say to her? Jills had known her father long enough to at least be able to make an educated guess what advice he was likely to give her.
You’ve accomplished and went through so much already, risking your life for other people and the greater good so often. Try staying in Megaton most of the time and wait for Amata to make her move. Spend time with your friends as much as you want for a great part of the Capital Wasteland is safe now, but don’t take any unnecessary risks. I just want you to live a long and happy live.
But what about Mom? Her father had always only been able to tell her some bits and pieces about her, due to the white lie that they had all been born in Vault 101, without any exceptions. Apart from him, she didn’t know any people who had known and spent a lot of time with her mother, let alone knowing what kind of person she had been, not only her being a brilliant scientist.There was someone she could have asked about her mother, but Dr Madison Li had vanished after the water purifier had successfully launched. Sarah Lyons and Jills herself had still been in a comatose state back then, a fact that had made it kind of difficult for them to say farewell. Both girls had almost died back then. Almost … But it wasn’t meant to be. Seemed she wasn’t allowed to rest once and for all.And now she was standing here, without her parents, without really having anything to live for, not knowing what she had to do or where she belonged. If only she could come up with a plan, a thought, anything …Fawkes brought her back to reality as he stopped and held his hand in front of her, instructing her to stand still and be quiet. Damnit, sounds like those Talon scumbags are at it again, she thought, rolling her eyes.But some moments later she understood he hadn’t spotted any Talon mercs or similar assholes. Without really noticing it, they had arrived at the old riverboat landing place, where boats and smaller ships dropped by occasionally. One of said river boats was currently resting there, and some man and woman were standing in front of it, having quite a noisy quarrel.„We should go down there to see what’s going on!“, said Fawkes. Jills nodded and the two of them, together with Dogmeat, approached the bickering figures.„And what do you think I was supposed to do? She paid for her ticket, and I took her to Point Lookout. It’s as simple as that. Business as usual, dear Ma‘am“, said the man, a short, bearded elderly fellow with a cap, with a nasal, odd-sounding voice.The woman he was talking to was most likely in her forties, with disheveled hair, worn clothes and a face marked by sorrow, which she now hid in her hands.„Anything wrong over here?“, Jills asked the woman – the question, of course, being rather rhetorical.The strange man glanced in her direction and froze in place when he noticed the Super Mutant standing behind her – sure enough he couldn’t tell that unlike most of those belonging to his kind, Fawkes did not have in mind to pluck his limbs off one by one. The woman, on the other hand, lifted her head, straightly looking at her.„You! Are you traveling to Point Lookout? You must help me!“, she exclaimed desperately. „My daughter, Nadine … A few weeks ago, she disappeared with this ship and this … Man … And hasn’t returned since … I’ve been waiting here day in, day out for her to come back home, but he claims the last time he saw her was when they arrived at Point Lookout and hasn’t heard a word from her since! I’m absolutely sick with worry, I can’t sleep, I …“Jills placatingly raised her arms, giving her an encouraging smile. „It’s alright. Everything will turn out just fine. We weren’t originally planning to travel, so we’ll have to go get some supplies, but that’s nothing we couldn’t handle within a single day … In any case, we are going to put all our effort into finding Nadine, Mrs …“„Catherine.“„Oh“, Jills said.She did not show any emotion, but to her it was like a stab right into the heart but also comforting at the same time. The foreign mother who was standing in front of her terrified had the same name as her own. Could this be the sign she longed for so badly? What a silly thought, but she had nothing to lose finding that Nadine-girl.„And you’re totally serious? You are surely going to look for her?“„Of course. Nothing wrong with that, is there, Fawkes? Don’t think we will come across anything worse than the Enclave“, Jills said to her friend.Fawkes would have taken part in the search for the girl without hesitation, just like Dogmeat. However, the weird ferryman named Tobar who had just regained his language skills intervened that it would not be an option to take more than one passenger on board due to lack of space.Yeah sure, it’s definitely space issues and not you being scared shitless of Fawkes, Jills thought. Well, someone had to ensure everything would be safe and sound when she was leaving for what seemed to be very long this time. And her dog most likely wouldn’t be very too pleased spending weeks on a riverboat where he couldn’t even properly read the dog news.„So be it, then“, Fawkes growled unhappily. „But you –“He raised his fist towards the ferryman.„You better make sure she is not harmed in any way! If anything bad happens to her, I will eat your brains and drink your blood! Promise!“Jills smiled broadly, very much aware Fawkes must have picked up that line from one of the other Super Mutants who were occasionally attacking them. But Tobar didn’t know, and she was fine with that. She couldn’t exactly tell why, but she couldn’t bring herself to like him.*One day later, at around the same time, they had once again gathered at the landing place. She had packed all her relevant equipment, supplies and clothes she was going to need for such a long trip. And a shitload of books. Apart from that Tobar guy she would not have any kind of company and she had decided the moment they met she didn’t want to spend more time with him than absolutely necessary.She had also taken some of her bottle caps with her. A small amount of her savings would most likely be more than enough. Not having to worry about finance was a small benefit of having to fight raiders, Super Mutants or Enclave by an almost daily rate. They were always carrying so much equipment she had more than enough goods for trading with the local merchants.Apart from that, she had taken a traveling washing machine with her – actually, Fawkes had carried it for her. Fortunately you could still find stuff like this here and there in the wastes if you were lucky. She couldn’t go on a two-month long trip with just as many panties for changing.I just hope nothing bad is about to happen while I’m gone. But well, Sarah and the others shouldn’t have any problems dealing with some Enclave leftovers. It’s not like they haven’t survived without me so far, Jills tried to keep her conscience clear.She stroked Dogmeat’s soft fur once more and hugged Fawkes – he only hugged her back very gently for a reason.„Take good care of yourself and try to relax a bit if you can!“, her friend softly groaned to her. „And if that guy -“He nodded his head towards Tobar.„If anyone is going to hurt you, be sure it will be a fatal mistake!“„Thanks, Fawkes“, Jills whispered, smiling a bit sadly. „Please look after all the people in Megaton. And thank you also for always being there for me. If it wasn’t for you and Dogmeat, I’d be really done. See ya!“Catherine tearfully thanked her one last time before she approached the boat. She was going to look for Dogmeat in the meantime so he could be there and welcome her as soon as she returned. A few minutes lates, the old riverboat began its journey into the darkness.It wasn’t long before her two friends and the Capital Wasteland altogether were nothing more than a dimly lit dot in the pitch-black night. Jills threw herself onto the bed in her cabin. She let loose her thoughts, thinking of everything she went through after leaving Vault 101 for the first time. There had definitely been no shortage of dangerous and weird adventures since the day of her departure.She had survived deadly simulations, freed a bunch of slaves from their oppressors in a place known as Pitt … And captured a spaceship from so-called Zetans who had abducted her, all that peaking in Project Purity’s go live and the defeat of the Enclave a few days ago. Those were the events she considered her milestones up until now and somehow, she had handled all of them without any consequences.So now it was time for her next mission far from home, all alone – traveling to Point Lookout and finding Nadine. And Jills was fine with it.Nothing would change after all.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It was Christmas Eve when they finally arrived at Point Lookout, as her Pip-Boy told her. Exactly half past nine. Tobar briefly told her where she would be able to find supplies, but they parted as quickly as possible. Jills put on her power armor – better safe than sorry! – and for now grabbed only the bare essentials. The month she had to spend with him didn’t change her bad feeling about him. Good thing he was scared shitless of Fawkes …The wider the Potomac had gotten, the colder the air had become, or at least she perceived it being like this. A biting wind was blowing, worse than the one in D.C., no doubt. But maybe it was just a common winter, how was she able to tell?When she left the boat, she stepped on a wooden boardwalk that seemed to be in good shape considering its age – meaning there were only a few holes in the floor. And none of them so big that a grown person could fall through.Jills stopped for a moment to look back. It was pitch black all around and the river made the impression of wanting to swallow all the souls of the ones who fell and drowned inside. Really creepy. And really exciting! She would give a lot to have Amata with her right now, or at least having the possibility to tell her about it later on.Back in the Vault, when they were younger, they were very much into spooky stuff and stories. She was sure they’d both have loved this place.She switched on her Pip-Boy’s light to be able to get a better impression of the only dimly lit place she had just arrived at. Apparently, before the Great War happened, the pier had once been home to one of those amusement parks which also were a popular setting in many of those old movies. She walked along the old street that looked still very fascinating to her since she had never been to such a place before.Jills could still vividly imagine small groups of older ladies meeting at the numerous bar stands for a glass of champagne to discuss the latest local events and rumors. Children eagerly begging their parents for ice cream, candy floss or another ride with some merry-go-round. Or boys, maybe a little younger than herself, trying to win some plushie for their girlfriend at one of the games.Further ahead, there was a Ferris wheel on the left, which had held up surprisingly well, and on the right was an old prize counter, above which now were some letters, saying „Panada’s House of Wares“. Apart from an old Protectron, however, no one was there right now. It was good to know there was a shop in case she needed one, though.At the end of the street, she found the old Homestead Motel Tobar had mentioned and two wild dogs strolling around. Jills could tell they didn’t want to attack her. She knew how to treat and deal with most animals by now, at least mammals weren’t an issue most of the time. The two street mutts were in a pretty bad condition, and she felt sorry for them, so she took off her backpack and looked for something edible they might like.The dogs accepted the deathclaw jerky gratefully and with greedy snouts. Seems like you’re the only company I’m going to have for this year’s Christmas Eve, Jills thought and gave them a sad smile underneath her helmet. She stroked them both before taking a closer look at the motel. Three of its rooms weren’t boarded up. Hmm, guess I’m not short on choices. Let’s see …Number one was definitely not going to be her favorite, she could tell after a short investigation – some poor guy had shot himself inside. Right on the bed. With a rifle. Bones were all that was left of him at this point, but the blood hat seeped in everywhere and was also partly stuck to the walls.The second option topped the first in terms of being fucked up without any effort. There were lots of skeletons whose bones had first been taken apart and then reassembled into weird sculptures, some of the bones still being very small. Probably some mad cultists or raiders, one crazier than the other, she assumed. She considered taking some time during her stay here to dig a hole and bury all those poor folks.The third and last room which was still accessible was a real stroke of luck, being compared to the other two. No blood and no batshit crazy people’s art, just a single skeleton lying on the bed.Hmm, nothing that would indicate a violent death, at least at first glance, she concluded. Possibly died when the bombs were dropped. Well, I guess bone-boy won’t get angry with me if I stay here some time.As carefully as possible, she grasped the ends of the blanket to gently remove it from the bed, together with the skeleton. She wasn’t the least superstitious or anything, but had no disrespect for the deceased, nor was she as insane as those artists from the second room. At the wall opposite the bed was a desk with what appeared to be a working terminal. That can wait until tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, she told herself and stretched as far as her power armor would allow her to.The journey to this place had worn her out, as she had stayed awake most nights to keep an eye out for mirelurks and similar harmful critters. Now she was more than due to get some good night’s sleep. Jills got out of her faithful power armor which saved her life countless times by then for sure, took her cuddly warm blanket out of her backpack and threw it on the bed before she put on something comfortable for the night.After moving out of the Vault, she had hardly ever missed an opportunity to pick up clothes and fabrics she liked in old stores and houses. Probably not an unusual quirk regarding she got to wear something other than blue overalls for the very first time in her life.She got the bed ready. To have at least a very minimalistic celebration, she grabbed one of the candles she had taken with her and lit it. She actually needed them in case her Pip-Boy light wouldn’t work for any reason, but firstly, she couldn’t fight with a candle in one hand anyway and secondly, today was a holiday after all.Just a year ago, she and her father had celebrated Christmas together, down in the Vault when everything was still fun and games compared to the life she lived now. It had not been special or different from any other Vault Christmas, but had she known what the future had in store for her, she would have enjoyed and cherished it way more. She hated to admit it, but sometimes she indeed missed the Vault. Not because she was worried about an untimely demise or being able to reassure having enough food, water and toilet paper on a daily rate.She was just lonely as fuck.Her mother had given her own life to bring her into this world. Her father had sacrificed his to save her life. And it seemed her best friend didn’t want her around anymore. Surely the residents of the Capital Wasteland and the Brotherhood of Steel valued her because of all the good things she had done and the fact she was useful to them, but nobody seemed to care about her as a person.Maybe that’s just the fate of a so-called hero, she considered. Everyone wants to learn about your great deeds and adventures, but they never give a damn about who you truly are and what you feel.She tucked herself in and picked up her Pip-Boy she had just removed from her arm to listen to all the voice recordings she had from her father and the only one she had from her mother.At least some remains of the family I used to have, she told herself. Merry Christmas, Mom and Dad, Jonas … Amata … Dogmeat and Fawkes … Would be nice to have you here right now.For the first time in what felt like an eternity, she was totally alone. And for the first time since she had left the Vault, she was balling her eyes out – and damn, how good it felt. It was about time to let it all out.She fell asleep eventually.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
She slept late, waking up when the sun had already risen. About five weeks of playing the night watch all by herself had really crashed her daily rhythm and routines, so she had been dead tired as a result last night.Well, never mind, Jills thought and slowly sat up. That Nadine, according to her mother, doesn’t seem to be some little princess who needs to be saved from the vile beast in no time. I’ll find her and bring her home – in case she actually wants me to.Still a little tired, she grabbed a canister filled with water and strolled into the motel room’s bath room to get ready for the day. After finishing with bodycare, she took two slices of bread and a piece of Brahmin cheese out of her backpack. Since she was no longer a Vault dweller, she was anything but picky about her breakfast. No mold would do it most of the time.Then she hopped into John, her trusty old winterized T51b power armor – and winterization turned out to be very useful here in Point Lookout, due to the icy winter days in the swampy area. Jills wondered if they were common or in fact extraordinarily cold. Would take her some more years of observation to be able to tell. Not a good reason to live, she determined. She grabbed her backpack and left her room.She spent some additional time investigating the old amusement park by daylight, which one could rarely speak of. Point Lookout was a kind of foggy place. Not that foggy that she couldn’t see her own hand in front of her eyes, but still, she was not used to fog.Jills was having a little talk with Madama Panada, who, as she had already guessed, was the local merchant, before they were suddenly interrupted by a very loud bang somewhere in the distance.„Where the hell came that from?“, she asked the local lady and within the next second she wondered why it had actually caught her off guard. Stuff exploding when she was close wasn’t an uncommon thing these days.„Considering the direction, it must have been that old Calvert Mansion“, Panada assumed. „No one really does live there anymore, but some weird figures – even to local standards – tend to settle down over there every now and then. Maybe the … locals and those cultist guys are beating the living crap out of each other once again. It does happen more frequently …“Jills sighed, sounding deep and masculine, just like her voice due to the voice module in her armor’s helmet. Locals versus cultists, she thought gloomily. Most likely just the same crap as Enclave versus Brotherhood of Steel, the only difference being less lasers and more gunpowder.Despite her lack of interest, she still had to investigate the whole situation; there was a fighting chance Nadine was somehow involved in whatever was happening there. And even if she wasn’t, it was still possible Jills could get some trace that would lead her to Catherine’s daughter.Unfortunately, Panada had not been able to provide her with any information about the missing girl. Too bad.„Guess I’ll leave and learn what’s going on. See ya“, she told Panada.*The ambush had started sometime after midnight.After a few hours had passed, they had taken a break, only to come back with reinforcements later on.It wasn’t that he did not have a backup plan. He always had one. But blowing up the whole place just because some degenerate yokels didn’t like him? Nope.Desmond wasn’t the kind of man to make hasty decisions or give up way too fast.He looked at the screens, which were all connected to security cameras placed everywhere he needed some. Thus, he didn’t have a hard time staying one step ahead of his enemies – who were just getting ready for the next strike, containing a really unpleasant number this time. Possibly their last stand. But this being plenty.Another screen showing him the main entrance outside the building held a surprise in store for him. Some guy seemed to be approaching the front door, and he apparently did not belong to those clowns. Instead of the rags his attackers tended to wear, he had gotten himself some power armor. Enclave, Brotherhood of Steel or just some scavenger lucky enough to find one of those military cock enlargements, he guessed. Most likely more civilized than those morons and – what’s the most important – not on their side.Now Desmond simply had to persuade the stranger not to run away. So, he activated the microphone connected to the pair of loudspeakers above the door.„Hey, you there, outside the door! Yes, I am talking to you – I don’t know who you are or what you’re doing here, but you must help me!“The stranger stopped and looked him straight in the face. Well, kind of.„Yes, that’s right! Don’t stand there watching like some idiot, come inside and help me!“Power armor boy didn’t move, crossed his arms in front of his chest and moved his head from left to right, feeling all safe and cozy. Of course, he had all the time in the world, the bastard, unlike him.„These tribals have been attacking me all night. There’s nothing on their dim-witted minds than destruction. When they’re done with me, you can bet your ass you’re the next they’ll be after! Seems you have the choice – let’s fight those assheads together or die right after me!“The stranger let out a deep, metallic-sounding sigh and finally started to move forward. And not a second too soon, as it turned out. The first squad of tribals had reached the main hall of his quarters at just the same moment. He left his shelter to take care of them.His two dogs ran straight at the attackers, giving them what they deserved. He grabbed his sniper rifle to do the same, keeping a safe distance. A few seconds later, the newcomer had arrived.He took a short amount of time to get a better impression of his new ally. Gauss rifle, electric katana, some modified plasma gun – and a Zetan rifle? Seemed the guy liked to roam around. He preferred it that way. There was no place for amateurs in his ranks. He also wore one of those Pip-Boys. Vault dweller?Not a second too soon, he turned his attention back to the fight happening in front of him – some crazy chick with war paint all over her face was standing right there, holding a large hammer that she was already swinging. He dodged her without any difficulties and placed a bullet right between her eyes. The woman collapsed, but two of her allies were already approaching him, both aiming at him with assault rifles.However, the newcomer had also reached him by then and did not hesitate to make use of his Zetan rifle. One that was also a fully automatic version. Well equipped, the guy. And as it turned out, he also knew how to properly use all of his stuff. Lucky for him.He most likely was neither a member of the Enclave nor the Brotherhood of Steel – those jerks would have shot him right away just because of his form of existence. Well, at least they would have tried. But this one had no concerns helping a ghoul. And he was traveling alone while those armored boy scouts usually showed up in packs.„Follow me, I’ll show you where the next ones are going to turn up!“, Desmond told him. This time he fortunately wasn’t that stubborn and obeyed his orders straight away.„You are going to take care of the ones that show up here and then you must seal the entrances they come through! There are some gas tanks next to them, just find a way to detonate them and you won’t have any issues. I’ll go back down to observe the overall situation.“The guy just grunted and nodded at him before disappearing into the direction he had shown him, his gun still drawn. Desmond took a quick breath and then made his way back to shelter. A bloody exhausting day, even by his standards. As soon as it was all over and done, he would take some nice nap. But there was no question of taking a break for now.He watched his new ally fighting on his screens and had to admit he was doing an extraordinary job. Via microphone and speakers, he was able to direct him where to go and tell him where the next bunch of tribals was going to appear. And he kept fighting well. Desmond considered making him an offer after those shitheads were done for good.Right now, however, he had other things to worry about. He went back to the main hall where his dogs were already waiting for him, and the newcomer arrived at the same moment. They stood side by side at the railing on the first floor where they had a good overview of the whole room and all the side doors and the big front door.„I guess they’re teaming up for their last stand“, Desmond explained the situation. „Get yourself ready. If you need any equipment, you’re welcome. And if you have any mines or similar stuff, now would be the time!“„Yeah, sure“, the guy in power armor replied with a sarcastic voice. „And the dogs? Guess I am better going to keep my mines.“„Whatever. Here they come …“It took both quite some time and some bullets, but eventually they had gotten through the worst part of the firefight. By now, the whole place resembled a slaughterhouse more than anything else. When he used the Zetan rifle, ashes were the only thing that remained of their foes. The Gauss rifle, on the other hand, showed what stuff these degenerates were made of, literally.Now the last five of the tribals were about to attack them, at the front door. The stranger took a glance at the small group, just before he took the initiative talking to him for the first time.„You’re better off staying a little behind, that one auntie’s got a minigun and regarding my armor, I’m a lot less likely to end up as a Swiss cheese than you.“No sooner said than done, he just swung himself over the railing, hit the ground with a crushing noise and got ready for the final stand. Once again, his decision fell on his Gauss rifle. The tribals fought well, but their opponent surpassed them. It didn’t take him long until even the last of his enemies was not more than a pile of separated limbs, organs and blood scattered all over the place.„Merry –“Guy with cleaver – dead.„- Christmas –“Filthy guy with shotgun – dead.„- you -“Crazy girl with body paint and minigun – dead.„- goddamn -“Barely dressed chick with assault rifle – dead.„- scumbags!“Post-apocalyptic hippie dude with machine gun – dead.It seemed they were done. For the moment.It had already gotten dark. Desmond was still standing upstairs but started to walk down to him slowly.„I got to admit that was a pretty decent performance“, he said almost unable for him to hear. But he was still pissed at the guy because he had taken such a long time before helping him. And he wasn’t planning on hiding his anger when he stood in front of him.„And who do we have here? My little knight, huh? Thinking you came to my rescue at the very last minute and saved the day, right? It’s just you’re very wrong about that.“„Well, to me it rather seems I just saved your life“, the one in front of him grunted with a deep voice.„You weren’t even close. But you did help me indeed, a fact that won’t be to your disadvantage – and if you’re willing to aid me further, there’s even more in it for you, if you are going to do your work well“, Desmond continued to explain. „I’m Desmond, by the way.“„… John.“
Yeah, that’s your name, for sure.
But the important thing was the fact the guy knew how to win a combat, not whether he trusted him or not. And that he was going to remain and his side. This was not going to be a problem though, he had certainly more to offer him than those yokels.„Whatever. Well, Johnny“, he said. „As you may have figured out, in case your wits are up to it, these tribals have been causing me some trouble for quite a while now. The problem is not to fend off the fuckers, but I don’t have a damn clue why they keep attacking me. Of course, they don’t have the decency to tell me. And that’s where you will be of use.“„So, I’m supposed to play good friends with some cultist freaks to find out why exactly they are so pissed off“, John guessed, crossing his arms in front of his body again. He had nailed it, but he didn’t seem to like his plan.„That’s exactly what you are going to do. In case you succeed, you’ll end up being so rich you will be able to settle down for the rest of your life. And since you seem to be such a nice boy, you shouldn’t have any problems infiltrating their little private party.“John made an amused sound.„Money, hmm? I already have so many caps a goddamn Behemoth could take a swim in them. But maybe there’s something else you could help me with … Have you by any chance met a girl called Nadine around here a while ago? Bright red hair, rather tomboy-ish, a riot … Her mother is looking for her.“„Tell you what, kid … Back in the days when my body was not in this state, I knew five birds called Nadine. At the same time. “„Yuck!“, Johnny exclaimed.„But giving it a second thought … Some girl approached this place about a week ago. I wanted to, well, introduce myself, but she was gone for good once she had noticed us. Maybe she’s allergic to dogs, I don’t give a fuck at all … Based on how you described her looks, there is a very likely chance it was her. And who can tell she hasn’t joined those apes …“„Hmm, this could be a good trace. Maybe she really is with them … I hope you haven’t gunned her down in the meantime“, John said more to himself than to Desmond. „But it’s worth a try, I guess. Alright, I’m going to lend you a hand once again. Seems our goals do overlap somehow. What are you doing over here anyway?“„If I took the time to try and explain you my story in a way you were capable understanding it, we’d probably still stand here a year from now and I don’t think either of us would like to“, he replied, annoyed. One thing he made clear to John was that he hadn’t come here to make new friends. „Just leave it at the fact that I have some business to do here. And as soon as I’m done, I’m out of here as fast as I can.“„Sounds more than good to me“, John said dryly. „As I said, you can count on me for now – until I have found Nadine, at least. But I’ve really had enough for today. I’ll continue investigating tomorrow and let you know about my progress as soon as I find out anything new.“Desmond groaned in annoyance, but it didn’t help. He supposed Johnboy was also very tired. He would be no use to him if he was not able to work efficiently.„Whatever. Just find yourself a bed and get some sleep. There’s enough space.“„… No. Cannot stay. But I’ll start working as soon as I’ve had a good night’s sleep.“„I hope you’re not considering betraying me“, Desmond told him. „That would definitely your last mistake.“„Yeah yeah, whatever“, John replied, unimpressed. „In case anything happens – I’ll spend the night at the old motel by the docks. If Nadine shows up, be nice and look after her … Or at least don’t hurt her, because in that case I won’t lift any more finger for you. Well, Merry Christmas, good night and who knows what else.“With these words, he left.*“Oh, John, what an awful mess this has been once again!”Upset and swearing, Jills washed the remains of blood and tissue off her power armor. She had to finish the cleaning before she could lie down and get the sleep she needed so badly. If she waited until after she got up, all the dirt would have dried and she would have to scrub even more. But this didn’t mean doing it now brought any more joy to her.What a day it had been. That firefight had been quite tough and exhausting, especially her enemies had actually been just some freaks who hadn’t even been well-equipped, but still, they had fought like hell. After about a month without a single fight she obviously wasn’t in a good shape. Some raiders or a deathclaw would have been enough for some refreshing.But at least she had learned that Nadine was most likely still alive and even well within her reach. That Desmond was undoubtedly a jerk, but it didn’t seem that he was playing with her to make her do what he wanted.She didn’t have the slightest clue what his intentions could be. He did not make the impression to be here without a reason, especially as his accent suggested he wasn’t a local. English, maybe, if she took some old movies she’d watched back in the Vault into account. And these days, one didn’t travel that far just for some sightseeing.Either way, he didn’t trust her – or John – enough to reveal anything about himself beyond what she really had to know. And neither did she. He didn’t give her bad vibes like that Tobar, but she still preferred not to spend her nights near people she wasn’t familiar with.So she was going to pay those fucked up cultists a visit tomorrow. Desmond had told her where he assumed them to be. An old church. She’d prefer if these guys left it out of their own free will. If they didn’t, she was going to take care of them. But first, of course, she would check whether Nadine was among them.After the last piece of her armor had been freed from blood, she went to sleep immediately. What an odd Christmas day. Last year, most of the red stuff surrounding her were some antique Christmas baubles in the Vault, this time it was the blood of those cultists. Quite an odd kind of holidays.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Who is it, standing on the threshold of transcendence?”Your worst nightmare, you drugged-ass jerk, Jills thought, rolling her eyes in annoyance. Even if there was a camera somewhere, the idiot on the other end of the line wouldn’t be able to notice the rude gesture anyway. Another full face helmet advantage.“I am searching for enlightenment and a purpose in my life, dear friend”, she feigned, doing her best to sound fucked up enough to persuade him.“What is that? A humble traveler seeking the guidance of our awakened spirit? This is truly a glorious day!”, shouted the loudspeaker.Yes, in case I will survive your ramblings without any mental damage, I suppose you can call it a glorious day indeed, she mocked wordlessly.“If you really want to become a part of us, you have to prepare yourself to expand your consciousness. You must prove yourself worthy of transcendence!”, the cultist continued excitedly. “To do so, head west to the Sacred Bog. It is there where the mother of all punga fruits dwells, towering above all humans and showing us our future.”Great, a plant that was supposed to show her the right way. She was sure those folks would have crapped their pants out of joy and excitement if they had met Harold, the talking tree.“Collect her seeds and bow down to her wisdom. Only then you will be worthy to enter these hallowed halls.”Jills grunted angrily.You’re the very last people worthy of hanging around in a church, she thought to herself, but didn’t say a word or let her displeasure show any further.“If this is Mother Punga’s wish, then I am immediately going to leave to fulfill it!”, she said in an awe-inspiring tone and left as fast as she could. She was looking forward to leaving this weird place behind her.It was a quite long way to the Sacred Bog, so she embraced the opportunity to have a further look at the area while she walked. Actually, it looked kinda nice here – there were still trees, some grass, insects and birds, unlike her home, where the only place that could offer those things was a small area called Oasis. And here this odd fruit called Punga thrived, from which she was supposed to collect the seeds.She was abruptly brought back to reality when she felt a blow on her back, which was quite painful despite she was wearing her power armor. She staggered for a moment, but managed to stay on her feet.Jills turned around as quickly as she could and looked into the face of a very tall and very disfigured man.“Jeez!”, she exclaimed in disgust. “Any D.C. subway ghoul would be crowned beauty queen with you being the opponent!”His egg-shaped head lacked a neck, it had plenty of warts and was covered in bumps that looked a lot like tumors. His left eye was completely overgrown by them. His mouth was opened, grinning, revealing a group of black stumps which had once been teeth many decades ago. Putrid-smelling breath made its way into her air filter.A huge hand, also full of bumps and warts, closed its fingers around her arm like a clamp. He laughed triumphantly. From a distance, Jills could hear more laughter. More of his kind were approaching them. And she wasn’t able to get her arm out of his hand. Damn!While the giant was happily shaking her arm, she somehow managed reaching her left thigh with her right hand, where she had put her trench knife. With a few jerks, she freed it from its hold rather clumsily. She took a swing, growling. As hard as she could, she rammed the knife into her attacker’s face again and again. He didn’t even seem to feel the pain, but the blood spurting from his wounds spoke a different language. Still, he was quite a tough one.After what felt like an eternity, the deformed man fell to the ground, his fingers slowly losing grip on her arm.She had no time for a break. The three other guys whom she had heard laughing before had appeared out of the thick fog, one almost as tall as the first one was equipped with a cleaver and two rather short men with sawed-off shotguns. Once again, she praised the day she had found her power armor. There was no doubt these hillbillies were completely nuts, but they were also extraordinarily strong at the same time.They were already too close to her for any experiments with her Gauss rifle or Destabilizer, so without further planning she decided using the shocksword that had once belonged to a Chinese general called Jingwei. Nowadays, it helped her out to stay alive.She dodged the man with the cleaver as gracefully as one could, wearing such a clunky and heavy exoskeleton. Her decision whom to handle first fell on the two smaller ones, who looked like two peas in a pod. With one swift stroke, she had cut open the throat of the first one. The gush of blood poured all over her breast plate which ensured another nice round of cleaning and scrubbing after she was done.His twin brother – and presumably also his cousin – shot at her, but he narrowly missed. Due to the recoil, he briefly lost control over his movement. Good for her. She used her sword to stab him in the chest first and then his head. He took his last breath, being only a muffled gasp.After she was done with him, it was Cleaver’s time to leave this world. He naturally was not amused by what she had just done to his family and started attacking her with an unintelligible, savage noise. His weapon met her blade, which she held to him at the back with her hands. A metallic, clashing noise broke the silent harmony of the swamp.Enraged, the swamp dweller took another swing, but Jills kicked him hard in the shin. Howling in pain, he slowly collapsed. She let her sword slide to the ground, grabbed her plasma gun and shot him three times in the head, the energy cells turning his body into a puddle of green goo.Jills really should’ve been prepared better in case she was ambushed. The unpleasant feeling of shock was still echoing through her body, way too much adrenaline inside of her. What douchebags, she thought. Such bulky monstrousities, yet still they’re able to sneak as quietly as a damn mouse!hsjdWhy did one even need stuff like the FEV for creating supermutants when a few generations of inbreeding seemed to do the job just as fine? Whatever, these folks were only further proof that Vault 101 had to be opened for exchange with the wastelanders sooner or later. If they didn’t, in like one or two centuries the place would be swarming with crazy sibling bangers.Suddenly, the one that had attacked her first started to move again, groaning loudly. She picked up her knife and threw it in his direction, hitting him right in the eye which was not covered by tumors. After that, they were done for good.*It took her a few hours altogether to reach the entrance of that so-called Sacred Bog. Fortunately, no more bad stuff had happened on her journey to this point, with the exception of a couple of bloatflies who had felt the need to sprinkle John with their maggots that they used as projectiles. Disgusting little fuckers they were, but Point Lookout was not short of mud pools she could quickly hop into to get rid of the pests without any effort.Inside of the bog, she also didn’t encounter anything she had to fear anymore. Just some mirelurks, both in their well-known crab and humanoid forms. When she had just left the Vault, the common, crab-shaped mirelurks had caused her quite a few problems. The beasts were armored on almost every part of their bodies except their faces, and their hunched body shapes made it nearly impossible to attack them from behind.With the knowledge and equipment she had appropriated during her days in the wastelands, she made her way through the bog without any problems. Regarding the lurks, at least. There was something about that place that gave her a very bad feeling. It was as if something was urging her to leave, like a bad premonition. Finally, she found the plant that most likely was the so-called Mother Punga. It was surrounded by rocks arranged in a circle and some big roots, in front of them a pond, also round, looking quite like a moat.Jills stopped, stood still and shook her head. She really shouldn’t be doing this. Suddenly she had a feeling like her father was standing right behind her, his hands resting protectively on her shoulders, holding her gently, but firmly in place. Go home, little one. There’s nothing good for you waiting here. You don’t have to take such a risk. Change your direction!She snorted amusedly, laughing at herself. Ohh, here we go. Now you’re starting to believe in ghosts. Soon you’re going to be all nuts, she told herself. There were loads of worse things you’ve been through. And now you’re crapping yourself over an oversized fruit tree. Don’t be a frightened little baby!Two more steps she had to take and the giant plant’s seeds were within her fingers’ reach. She clutched some of them and pulled. A crappy idea to come up with, as she had to learn a few seconds later. All of a sudden, the air surrounding her was filled with some gas that had such a foul odor even her helmet was no aid escaping or at least reducing its effect. It felt like she had fallen into a cesspit with her mouth wide open, multiplied by ten. A biting sensation was spreading through her nose, her mouth and her entire body soon afterwards. It felt as if billions of tiny needles were ripping her veins open and popping all her alveoli, tearing her lungs apart. Coughing her heart out, she fell and faded.*Jills opened her eyes and did not feel anything apart from her heartbeat that was echoing inside her head like an organic metronome. She was still in the bog, as it seemed, but everything around her had turned dark in no time. How long had she slept? Had she slept at all? Slowly she sat up and raised her left arm to take a look at her Pip-Boy which would be able to answer her question in case it’d still been there.She was surprised to notice she was no longer wearing her power armor. Truth be told, she didn’t even feel like she was in her own body that suddenly felt odd, yet still … also familiar. Instead of her trusty armor, she was now wearing a white dress. No Pip-Boy. No shoes.And she felt so small. Not metaphorically – apparently, she was a child again. Like back then in the Tranquility Lane simulation, where she had saved her father from Dr Braun. Well, she had, hadn’t she? The memories of her previous life suddenly seemed so far away and not real anymore. She was a child. Maybe she had just woken up from a very long nightmare that was way too real. Dad? Mom? Where had they gone? Why was she here, all alone, in that dark and scary place?She rose with a jolt and took a look around at the bog, which suddenly seemed incredibly large to her. Without a destination and with a pounding heart, she ran off into the night. Protected by her armor’s metal embrace when she arrived here, she now had to find her way through the bog, water and bushes with bare hands and feet. A branch hit her in her little face. Salty tears started running down her cheeks, burning like hellfire when they reached the bloody scratches.Chirping crickets, the rustling of the bushes, her own footsteps in muddy water and her sobs mingled with the loud sound of her beating heart. A pond with slightly deeper water appeared in front of her. Slowly, she stopped, looked into it and backed away. A person suddenly materialised out of the water – her own, ten-year-old reflection.Scared to death, Jills ran away. The other girl followed her.“Aaa~nd here we go again!”, she called after her. “Seriously, how stupid could you actually be? Ohh, the giant plant some mad junkies told me to find! I should definitely go and take a closer look at it!”The girls ran through the bog, slowed and hindered again and again by muddy puddles and undergrowth. Nuka Cola bottles hit the ground to their left and their right and exploded. Jills’ twin laughed sarcastically.“Really a great place to spend your time, Jills! A wonderful choice, as always! Same shit with Pitt, Anchorage … That battle at the Air Force base … And let’s not forget you almost commited suicide when activating that goddamn water purifier! A shitload of adventures that could have easily cost your head!”Situations from their past materialised around them, like back in Vault 106, where a hallucinogenic gas had leaked, driving all the inhabitants who were still around insane. Happier times, more pleasant memories than any she had made during her time in the wasteland. What was she even doing here?“You left all that behind! You took it away from us! And don’t you dare pretending you didn’t have a choice! Amata is the Overseer’s daughter, you know very well she could’ve gotten it right for us! A night or two in a prison cell and everything would’ve turned out just fine! But you had to get the hell out! Why?”They came to a clearing where there was an operating table in the middle someone had tied balloons to. And a skeleton with a party hat was lying on it. Mom …“Yes, that was your fault, too! She died because of you, we don’t have to fool ourselves! And how exactly do you thank her, huh? By constantly trying to please people who don’t give a shit about you anyway! Do you … Do we really mean so little to you?”Jills paused and turned around slowly. The other girl was standing in front of her, her face buried in her hands. She was crying. Jills swallowed.“I … think I understand now”, she said hesitantly. “It’s a good thing I try helping as much people as I can … It’s what Mom and Dad would have wanted me to do … But they wouldn’t want me to throw my life away by being too careless. And actually, thinking about it … I don’t want to, either.”The other girl looked up at her, her face still tear-stained, but she managed to give her a last smile. She noddeed contentedly before hugging her. Jills returned the hug, whereupon her copy burst into thousands of drops of water. She began running again, and at some point she was able to perceive voices in the distance.“… made it? Is he going to survive?”“Yes, he’s pretty tough …”“And the ritual? Did it work?”“Ohh yeee~s, of course! I just … I put his helmet back on … so he will not notice it so soon! He’s such an impulsive youngster …”Ritual? What kind of ritual? Oh yes, now she remembered. This was the reason she ended up in this crappy bog in the first place. Nadine. Catherine. Mom. Not her own, but another one who was waiting for her daughter, full of sorrow. Wasn’t that what she did, helping people or something? She wondered if her parents could see her right now. At their reunion, Dad had told her he was proud of her because she had behaved well and did a lot of good things after leaving the Vault. She wondered if he had told Mom about it. He surely had.She looked down and realized she was obviously walking on the treetops, the sky below her. Glancing upwards, she saw the ground. Jills shook her head. That’s why Dad always told me not to try any drugs, she guessed. A little further ahead she spotted Mr Burke, a henchman of that crazy old Mr Tenpenny. He had intended to detonate the atom bomb in Megaton and tried to gun down Lucas Simms, the sheriff, after confronting him. Jills had intervened – with a baseball bat.“Well, well, look at you. You did it! No, don’t move yet! Stay calm for now!”, Mr Burke said, who was standing in front of said atom bomb, which was now in the bog, with a voice that wasn’t his. She knew the voice, but she couldn’t assign it.And then, the bomb detonated. At least inside her head.*“A perpetual motion machine of the first kind is a machine that contradicts the law of conservation of energy!”These words being said, she opened her eyes and sat up straight once again. She was relieved to find out she was wearing her power armor again and, more importantly, was back inside her adult body. Obviously someone had dragged her into the church. Whoever managed to do so must’ve had some kind of carriage but she didn’t care. She made it!“Oh dear, so you’ve become one of their victims, too. Poor unlucky bastard. But at least you are still able to get a straight sentence out, whatever that gibberish you said is supposed to mean”, someone with a deep, feminine voice next to her said.Jills turned her gaze to the side, and, to her delight, spotted a snub-nosed, bright red-haired woman with almond-shaped, brown eyes. She was slightly taller than her and, unlike her, was well-tanned. On her body she wore the same raggy clothes the tribals she and Desmond had fought against the other day. Oh yes, Desmond. It was to his credit she had had to go through this hell of a drug trip in the first place. But she’d also found Nadine, so she decided not to hold a grudge against him.“Hey … you’re Nadine, right?”, she asked the girl to make sure. After all, she didn’t want to bring back the wrong daughter to Catherine. “And you’re from D.C.?”“Yep”, the other one confirmed with a grin. “Glad to see you haven’t gone nuts after that fucked up ritual. Let me guess, my old lady asked you to find me!”Jills also grinned, but due to her helmet, Nadine couldn’t see.“That’s exactly the case. You don’t seem to be some dumbass either. Your mother really missing you and she’s worried as hell.”Nadine rolled her eyes a little, but she didn’t seem really angry at all. “Oh, mom. Y’know, it’s not that I don’t love her. But I’m eighteen now and she treats me as if I were still a little girl. I think I can watch after myself than she can. Well, I gotta admit I do miss her … A little, at least. And the food she cooks. I swear to you, if I gotta eat another of these punga thingies, I’ll throw up right here and now!”Jills laughed. She liked Nadine straight away. She seemed like a funny one. Would be great if she came back together with me. It’ll certainly make a more interesting trip than the outward journey if she joined, she thought to herself.“But tell me – does your head hurt somehow?”, Nadine asked her, looking at her curiously. “Could ya take that helmet off for a minute? I’d like to check something.”“Hmm”, Jilles made hesitantly. She wasn’t really keen on taking off her helmet in front of all those strangers. Nadine wasn’t an issue, but they were surrounded by numerous tribals. “I’d rather not, too many folks around there right now.”“Well, follow me then”, Nadine whispered to her. The two girls stood up and hid behind the altar.“They’re so smashed, you can bet your ass they won’t be able to notice any difference if you take that thing off for a moment.”“Okay.”She still wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea, but it seemed as if Nadine wanted to check something on her head really badly. Maybe to see if she had suffered any damage from the ritual. Hopefully she didn’t look like one of those yokels she encountered back in the swamp, full with bumps and warts. The thought made her shudder. So she carefully took off her helmet to make sure everything was fine.“Hey, didn’t expect you to be also a girl!”, Nadine whispered to her quietly. That fact immediately seemed to make Jills more trustworthy to her. “Damn, gotta admit I’d kill someone to have such hair. Never seen one with curls before.”“But not me, please”, Jills whispered with amusement, smiling a little. It felt good to finally see a friendly face after such a nerve-wracking experience.Nadine touched her head, ran her fingers through her hair and parted her strands between them to inspect every single inch.“Hmm”, she said, seemingly a little lost in her own thoughts. “That’s really odd.”“What is it?”, Jills replied. “Is something wrong? Spotted some lice on my head?”“No, nothing like that. Nothing wrong with you at all. That’s what makes me wonder”, Nadine explained to her calmly. “Y’know, some asshole’s cutting open people’s skull during this ritual to remove some part of your brain matter – the one responsible for impulse control or something. Well, that’s what actually happens. Most people don’t survive it, and if they do, they usually end up like those crapheads.”She pointed her thumb in the direction of the tribals, a few of whom had just started dancing and singing strange songs in a language with made-up words. Jills remembered the last fragments of her fever dream.“When I … passed out, I could overhear some guys talking in the distance”, she told Nadine. “One of them asked if everything regarding the ritual went well and the other one said it had been successful and he had already put my helmet back on so I wouldn’t notice anything right away or something like that.”“Well, one of them had probably been Jimson – that’s the dude on the intercom – and the other one being the unknown who’ doing the head-cutting thing. I dunno who it is by now, but I got some suspicion … Can’t prove it yet, though. Meet me at the docks in a day or two, I’mma make sure I know for sure who’s behind all this by then. And I think I’ll come with you. I really miss Mom’s food – and her too, well, a bit … And I’m also goddamn sick of this sick place and all those idiots!”Jills was glad to hear that. Maybe she could make friends with Nadine on their journey home. She wouldn’t mind that. And a month on a boat could be really long if you only had some weird ferryman to talk to.She wouldn’t have minded setting off straight away, but Nadine still had some business to do and so did she, she just remembered.“Tell me”, she whispered to Nadine as quietly as she could while putting her helmet back on. “Do you know why they attacked that old mansion near the lighthouse?”“I get it, so you’re the reason they’re missing!”, Nadine realized. “Gotta tell you I haven’t the faintest idea why they did it. To be honest, I couldn’t give a damn either. I was wandering around there a while ago and guess what happened – some old ghoul showed up, and that jerk had nothing better to do than sic his dogs on me!”“Yeah, sounds like something he would do”, the other girl said.“But I can tell you nothing that happens here does without orders from that asshead leader, Jackson. Every now and then, he leaves for some old cave, underneath this church. The entrance is northeast of here, hidden within some old shipwreck. Who knows what the heck he does there, but when he’s finished, he always comes back with some ominous instructions on what to do next.”“Thanks, that’s some useful information to me”, Jills said. “Gotta go now, there is someone else who is counting on me. But I make sure we meet again as soon as possible.”“Just make sure those inbreds living in the swamp won’t get you, they’re a lot of stronger than these guys. Would be a shame after mananing to survive that ritual without any further damage.”“I know, I already got to know them”, Jills told her, remembering the locals with a very unpleasant feeling.“Oh, by the way, you can only access this cave with the right key. Too bad Jackson isn’t good at looking after his things”, Nadine said with a big smile, holding a key in front of her face which Jills gratefully accepted.Then she left. Due to the incident in the Sacred Bog, she had been knocked out most of the day – probably, she had slept for several hours. And although no one had sawn open her head, she still felt as if a truck had been driving over it. Apart from her pain, she was also in a quite bad mood.Unfortunately, she didn’t have any time to just head back to the motel and have some sleep she needed so much right now. According to Nadine, this Jackson guy had just headed off to his secret cave to meet with his customer, head cult leader or whoever was giving him his orders. This was the perfect opportunity to eavesdrop on him and finding out everything she had to know. In case she missed it, she might have to stay longer, a possibility she was not really keen on, to say the least.It was already dawning when she reached the steep cliffs Nadine had told her about. If she had not been that busy and overall fucked up, she certainly would have been able to appreciate the impressive sight in front of her very eyes. The sun was setting, turning the brown rocks and the bright water a glistening red. The fog that had been dominating the last few days had long lifted.Finding the boat in question was not a problem, either – the one thing that was indeed going to be problematic was reaching it in one piece, especially since her tactile perception was very limited due to her power armor. But she was not going to take it off, not in a million years. With a little patience and loads of courage, she managed the descent, only slipping twice on the slippery rocks’ corners. Climbing was fun, she noticed. Of course, she had only had a few opportunities to do some climbing back in the Vault. A few cupboards had been the highest of the highs, quite literally.The key she had gotten from Nadine fitted perfectly and Jills quietly entered the cave that was Jackson’s sanctuary. At this point, she had to do everything she could to avoid him noticing her, something that could be a difficult act as she wasn’t familiar with this cave. So she decided making use of a so-called Stealth Boy, a device which made her temporarily invisible when connected to a Pip-Boy.As careful and as quick as possible at the same time, she hurried along a narrow ledge, which, like everything else down there, was kind of wet and slippery. And she could also spot Mirelurk eggs sticking on the wall. Oh no, if I gotta fight off some stupid crabs in here and anyone will take notice, everything would be in vain, she realized.And indeed, it didn’t take her long discover there were some full-grown Lurks hanging around underneath the ledge, in a lake in the depths. Now she had to be especially careful, taking one step at a time so the damn pests wouldn’t hear her. How good were their noses, actually? Did power armors smell pleasant to them?With the greatest effort, she left the passage with the mutated crabs behind her, once stepping on an old skull that cracked beneath her steel-encased leg with a sickening sound, afraid the Lurks would’ve heard something.She could hear voices talking to each other in the distance, one very calm and high – most likely Jackson – the other one sounding strangely metallic, as if it came from a speaker of very poor quality.“Finally! Desmond is going to die and I am going to be the one to succeed from this eternal conflict!”After hearing this, she increased her crawling speed and soon caught the sight of another ledge within the cave, at the foot of which she found herself. At the top sat this Jackson guy, talking to … some kind of hologram. Which had the shape of a brain. And could also talk. Why did she only ever end up in places where such crappy nonsense was happening? Couldn’t she go somewhere nice for at least once? Unwillingly, she resigned herself to her fate and crept further along the steep path.This Jackson was just as stupid as she feared and there really wasn’t any useful information leaving his mouth, but accidentally, the brain-shaped hologram told him and herself, who was still hidden by the Stealth Boy, all they needed to know.“Think of it as a divine command as much as you want – the thing that matters is that you morons have to listen to me and do what I tell you! So, to summarize it for your bird brain once again: You go to the mansion, blow it up and thus also destroy his cogwave jammer so that my influential range is no longer limited to you idiots, and then burn everything and everyone you find there to the ground! Was that clear enough?”“Yes, Master, we will carry out your order to take your powers to new astral spheres!”, Jackson kind of repeated.“Very well! Soon I’ll get rid of Desmond once and for all and my new power will spread across the whole world!”That was all she needed to hear and since she didn’t think it was a good idea to let Jackson go back to the cathedral to give the new instructions to the rest of the tribe, Jills was going to make sure he wouldn’t leave the cave. Some brain, whether it was human, an Artificial Intelligence or whatever, longing for world domination and using humans as tools to achieve its goal, wasn’t something that should exist at all. There was a possibility for all of them to end up as the playthings of some mad scientists, just as the inhabitants of Vault 112 had been at the mercy of Dr Braun.Without any more hesitation, she grabbed her trench knife, kneeled behind Jackson – the Stealth Boy’s protection had worn off by now, but he didn’t notice her – quickly fastened his head at his lower jaw with her left hand and cut his throat with her right one. With a final, surprised sound, he fell.“You don’t mind getting things done, right?”, the brain said. “Too bad you had to kill him. On the other hand, he started getting on my nerves with his esoteric talk. So it is a good thing that you’re here now! You are going to prove way more useful, since you don’t have any issues getting rid of someone so easily!”It seemed like everybody in this place thought she was a goddamn merc. But it didn’t matter. If she played along, she’d probably learn all she had to in no time.“And who exactly are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”“What you are seeing right now is merely a holographic projection, a shadow of my actual self! You are talking to Professor Calvert, one of the most renowned scientists and geniuses of the former United States of America!”Damn, that guy’s even more full of himself than Butch has been the one time he’d gotten a C in English class, Jills noticed with annoyance. But she, of course, pretended to be very impressed.“You mean that you used to be just as famous as Robert House?”, she asked naively.“Maybe not that famous, but ten times better than that poser!”, the bodyless subject told her proudly. “And a hundred times better than Desmond!”“Yeah, I can tell he’s quite a jerk”, Jills remarked parenthetically, trying to earn some more of his sympathy.“It is his fault that I have to spend my days in this disembodied state and that my sphere of influence is still so low. But you, in comparison, are tall and strong, having a full set of healthy limbs! So, all I need you to do is to return to him and disable his cogwave jammer, and I will finally rule this place that has always been mine! You don’t have to kill Desmond … yet. But if you feel the urge to do so, well … It’s not that I would mind.”“I don’t think he’ll cause me any problems”, Jills told him. “He thinks we’re allies, after all …”“Very fine! You can be sure Professor Calvert’s gratitude is worth more than that of some nasty old ghoul!”Whatever, I’m getting out of here, she thought to herself and turned around, ready to leave. By now, she was so tired she wouldn’t be surprised if she fell asleep on the spot. It was probably better to let Desmond know everything she had learned, though – she had not been able to provide him with new information since yesterday. Well, actually she had only agreed to help him until finding Nadine, but she had to do some business apart from her. Thus, she might as well be of use herself in the meantime. Jills arrived back at the mansion after about an hour, tired, hungry and in an extraordinarily bad mood.