[IC] Atomic Rain (Fallout)

[NinjaButterfly]

Kaye cleared her throat and was about to begin when Jace held his hand up to stop her. "Stop right there. No doubt that you know what you're talking about, but I would like to actually understand the bullshit that ya'll are about to feed us."

She glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Listen here, I am sorry that you two got into a spit with one another and aren't on the best terms right now, but you just can lay off, alright? We are trying to help you, you asshole, but you're making me think otherwise."

Jace bit back another smart comment but stopped himself short by biting the inside of his jaw until he tasted blood. After a long bout of silence, once he was able to curb his anger, he spoke once more, "Alright. Let us hear what you have got to say."

"Thank you. Now, so crybaby over here doesn't have another bitchfit, would you care to explain, Leith?"

[Nekoholic]

Leith sighed, as he'd been hoping that Kaye would be the one to do most of the talking, but he supposed that he was the one who had spent several years in a Vault. Leaning forward until his elbows were propped on the table, he said, "Well, in case neither of you have been able to figure it out yet, I've had...bad experiences with Vaults. That's because I registered myself and my family into one a couple of years before the Great War, and, well, I was the only one who survived through it." He clasped his hands together, staring at the tabletop as he continued, "In short, since I doubt either of you cares to hear the details of it, this Vault had G.E.C.K.s in it. Not just one, but five. And we used two of them."

[NinjaButterfly]

Jace's eyes widened upon hearing that news and stared at him intently for the longest. He didn't know whether to be excited or angry considering that they had waited so long to tell them. After a few minutes to gather his thoughts, he decided to go with the latter.

"If what you say is true, then why the hell didn't you tell us about this sooner?"

"Like we actually trusted you when we first met." Kaye rolled her eyes at him. "We still don't know if we can trust you, so I guess the feeling is mutual."

"And I still don't trust you, so why do you think we should believe a word that you say? For all I know, you coul be trying to lure us into a trap." He glared at her.

[Nekoholic]

Leith rubbed his eyes with one hand, and interrupted their arguing, "Look, there's a catch--there always is. In that Vault, everything was designed to break and malfunction within a few years; each Vault was nothing more than a social experiment, designed to test which batch of humans was or wasn't fit to survive after the bombs fell. The two that we used didn't even serve their intended purpose. One was useless from the very get-go, and the other that the scientists in the vault attempted to reverse-engineer taught them nothing. Honestly, I doubt that any amount of tampering and examining them will lead to anything fruitful. Not with the limited resources and equipment that we have, at least." He looked between each person at the table. "We need someone who does, though."

"Are you suggesting that we find that Brotherhood of Steel scribe?" Basil inquired dubiously after a moment's consideration.

"Kaye, you take over from here," Leith said, leaning back in his seat.

[NinjaButterfly]

Kaye looked between the two of them, smiling sheepishly. "Now before you go into complete shut-down mode, just hear me out." She took an exaggerated deep breath and released it before continuing, "I know that none of us are very fond of the Brotherhood, but at this point I don't see any other way. They have the resources to make this happen and-"

"And they will take everything from us," Jace said, narrowing his eyes.

"So now you admit that there actually is an 'us?'" Kaye smiled slyly at him, but he simply ignored her.

"Just like with the one in vault, she will take these just as well and leave us with nothing but scrap metal and dust."

"That is why we only tell her of the one."

He fell into a short bout of silence. "Even if we tell her about this G.E.C.K., what do you plan on doing from there? Do you honestly believe they are simply going to fix it for us and say 'here you go and have a good life?'"

It was Kaye's turn to remain silent. "I know it sounds crazy, but it's worth a shot. If we can somehow entice her to help us out, it just might work."

"How would we entice her, Kaye? We barely have any caps to get us through to the next day, and we don't have anything more to offer."

"Well do you have any other ideas?!" Kaye was seriously growing tired of Jace's constant pessimism.

He simply stared at her blankly for a long while before shaking his head in disbelief. "I need another drink..." He raised his hand to call over the waiter.

[Nekoholic]

Basil, without even thinking of the potential repercussions, leaned over and brought Jace's hand back down to rest on the table. Realizing what he had done, he instantaneously retracted his hand, almost as if the contact had burned him. After a moment, he cleared his throat and said, "You shouldn't drink, especially not when we're about to be back on the road."

After an awkward silence ensued, Leith absently questioned, "Wasn't it odd that, even though she was a scribe, she was alone? She said that she had other men stationed with her, but we didn't see any of them; not on patrol as we headed here, not in the vault. Someone surely had to have accompanied her into the Vault. She'd need at least one knight, if not more."

[NinjaButterfly]

Raider quietly cleared his throat after hearing this and lowered his head to stare at the table. It was obvious that he wanted to say something, but looked as if he didn't know if he actually should.

"What is it, Raider? We can tell that you want to say something," Kaye said, smiling slightly.

"I...I just wanted to tell you that..." he sighed heavily, "She was there for three days and while I was hiding out in there for her to leave, never did I see anyone else with her...didn't even hear other voices. There is little doubt in my mind that she was alone in there, because surely I would have heard them if there were others."

Jace stared at Raider for a moment before speaking, "So you think she is operating alone? Brotherhood of Steel do not work alone, as Leith just mentioned. They had to be hiding out and we just were looking in the wrong places."

Raider glared at Jace. "I know what I didn't see. No one else was there. I know that for a fact."

[Nekoholic]

"Brotherhood of Steel doesn't even have any permanent, much less stable postings here," Leith continued, "So, she must have either come here on her own accord, perhaps as an exile, or she was sent here on a recon mission, which, in that case, there would have still been more with her."

"Perhaps the others were killed?" Basil suggested.

"It would certainly explain why she was alone. Recon missions are seldom sent reinforcements, after all. Those teams are assigned to uncharted territory to ascertain whether it's worth exploring; if the others died, then the higher-ups must have decided that it isn't worth sending more people out to the same area just to get wiped out, too."

[NinjaButterfly]

Jace thought that, that made sense but wasn't so willing to admit as much. He pondered on their options for a moment, not seeing much of an option. If there were three G.E.C.K.'s that could be salvaged and if there was even the slimmest of hope that the BOS woman would help them, even after he'd nearly killed her, then it was worth the shot. It wasn't as if they had many other options to go off of at this point...

Slowly, he turned to look at Basil to gauge his reaction. "You want to do this...don't you?"

[Nekoholic]

Basil immediately nodded, "Yes, but who is to say that she is even there? She may have left by now."

"The kid here just said that she'd been there for three days before us, so evidently, there's something that's keeping her there; I doubt that she could have wrapped up her research or whatever she was doing within just one more day," Leith pointed out.

[NinjaButterfly]

"You do have a point," Jace grumbled, falling silent once more for awhile.

"Whatever she was doing, something is keeping her there. And I doubt that it was just to find a G.E.C.K. She...she obtained the G.E.C.K. on the first day of being there, so there has to be something more important there."

"So it's settled, then? We're heading back to the vault?" She spared a glace at Leith and smiled apologetically. She knew he hated this, but if this is what it took to get what they needed, then so be it.

Jace looked over at Basil, waiting for an answer. Even after everything that happened, he still looked towards him for guidance considering this was his mission to begin with. For the moment, he actually felt as if everything was normal between them...

[Nekoholic]

"It's a plan, at least," Basil said, "And it has a firmer foundation than our original one." For the past couple of months, they'd only been finding information about more Vaults from the locals in other communities and heading into them with the hope for the best, after all. This was a firmer lead.

"Well, is everyone prepared to leave then?" inquired Leith. He glanced at each person seated at the table. "No one needs to buy ammunition, water, medicine?"

Jeez, he sounds like my dad whenever we headed out to find scrap metal and spare electronics, Basil couldn't help but think. He smiled softly, albeit sadly; sometimes, he was excited about hitting the road and discovering more about the world, but at other times, he wanted nothing more than to return home and be with his father. Then again, that wasn't his father, was he?

[NinjaButterfly]

"I bought all of my supplies yesterday before I came to the bar," Jace muttered, already standing.

Raider looked rather uncomfortable at the question and raised his hand as a kid would do in the middle of class. "Umm, I don't have any weapons... I have that rusty combat knife, but that's not really going to do anything in a gunfight."

"Here." Jace didn't waste any time as he unstrapped the holster of his 10mm pistol from his thigh and handed it over to him. "She has a catch in the safety switch, so you have to slide it twice before it unlatches itself. Been meaning to get it fixed for awhile, but why fix something if it still works?"

Raider's eyes lit up when he was handed the weapon and stared at it as if he'd been handed a bar of gold. He'd never owned a gun before because even the people from his community didn't even trust him with a weapon of that caliber. If he were to attack them, then they would have easily been able to stop him with the cheap knife they supplied him with because he hadn't been trained to protect himself with it. He knew they had only given it to him as more of a joke than anything else, but if it hadn't been for the gag gift then he'd probably be dead right now like all the other bastards rotting in that vault.

Kaye was a little surprised that he willingly gave Raider a weapon considering that he'd went on incessantly yesterday about how much he didn't trust him. Perhaps they had bonded a little more last night than she once imagined.

"Umm...thanks," he muttered softly, actually smiling softly. It was such a foreign thing to him that it came out awkwardly.

"Don't mention it. You're going to need it and I don't want my ass hanging in the breeze when we get into a firefight. And I'm willing to bet that we are most guaranteed walking into a trap."

"What about my armor?" Raider asked.

"You will be painting a target on our backs if you wear that armor," Jace said, looking over at him. "Forget about it...we'll find you some more...sophisticated armor."

[Nekoholic]

The soft, neon green glow of the ancient terminal highlighted the sharply angled features of Kate's face; eyes squinted, lips pursed, her fingers glided over the clunky keys as she sorted through the assorted options for the Vault's maintenance and security on the first floor. Most of it was useless at this point, as electricity was only directed towards certain areas; for example, only the residential section for the single women received any power now, while the rest were left in the dark and, if they were even more unfortunate, were flooded.

She sighed softly, tilting her neck away from the screen.

She was so close to hacking into these programs; then, the Vault would be safe and likely even habitable, at least temporarily. Then, she could bring him back. She could excavate.

Soon, Desmond, everything will be okay.

[NinjaButterfly]

Jace wiped sweat from his face with the back of his hand as it dripped into his eyes and scowled as it stung his eyes. The weather outside wasn't as hot as it usually was, but after his drinking binge the previous night he was fighting through the effects of a hangover and was sweating like a stuck pig. His head also felt as if someone was taking a sledgehammer to it and waves of nausea kept him teetering on the edge of emptying the contents of what was left of his stomach. He was good at hiding how miserable he felt, but he knew Basil would easily see through his facade if he even gave a damn about Jace anymore. Not that he could blame him after everything that happened in the past couple days.

"It will be getting dark pretty soon. I think we should start looking for a decent place to camp for the night," Jace said, barely refraining from gritting his teeth. "I was talking with the trader back in town about the surrounding area and he mentioned a few caves just north of here. We should be getting pretty close."

"That sounds like a good idea. And maybe a yao guai will eat our faces in the middle of the night for disturbing its home," Kaye said sarcastically.

Jace shot a glare in her direction. "It would be better than staying exposed to the elements. It looks like it might rain tonight and I've already been there done that, so if I have the chance to stay dry and radiation-free for the night, then I'll happily make acquaintances with the yao guai tonight. Sure to be better company than you."

"I hate to admit it, but I'm kind of with her on this one," Raider murmured uncomfortably.

"I didn't give you that gun for nothing, so put it to use. Or I could always take it back." Raider slowly placed his hand over the holster as if he was afraid Jace would snatch it from him at that very moment.

[Nekoholic]

"Enough," Leith snapped, glancing between each of them. His gaze lingered on Jace for a moment longer than the others, taking in his ill complexion and the sheen of sweat that coated his face. Well, at least he wouldn't be drinking again anytime soon, that was for damn sure. With a sigh, he pointed out, "Jace, if something were to be in those caves, would you even be able to stand your own against it like you are? You look like shit, so I doubt you're feeling much better."

"A couple of us could go in first, scout the area. We wouldn't have to go too far in, either. The worst of the vermin nests tend to be deeper inside, away from the roads," Basil said. He avoided looking at Jace. "But you're right, Leith. Jace shouldn't be the one to go in, not like he is now. I could probably handle that much, though. It's not like we're heading into a Death Claw lair or anything, right?"

Leith stared at Basil for a minute or so. "Kid, for the love of God, do not jinx us like that. The last thing we need are Death Claws on our asses."

"Sorry." Basil flushed, clearing his throat before he continued. "But really, I could go in that far. Believe it or not, but I do know how to use a gun."

Leith folded his arms over his chest. "No one's going in alone. And I'm willing to go in. But I don't think either Jace or Basil should be the ones signing up for this." He turned to Kaye and Raider, waiting for their input. "Any other volunteers?"

[NinjaButterfly]

Jace turned to glare at Leith. "I am plenty capable of taking care of myself and I don't need you telling me otherwise, Rotface."
"Jace, I think you should just listen to them this time," Raider said softly. "It's better to be safe than put yourself in unecessary danger."
"And you think you know any better, Raider?" he snapped. He didn't mean to take his frustrations out on him, but he felt as if everyone was ganging up on him.
Raider fell into a short bout of silence. "I have a name, you know," he said, looking at the ground. "It's...it's Torin."
"Well...Torin. Why don't you jump in and scout the caves and save the day?"
He flushed slightly at that, falling into a short bout of silence. "I...I don't know how to use a gun. This is the first time I've even held one. No one back at the raider camp would trust me with one."
Jace groaned loudly. "You've got to be kidding me."
Kaye rolled her eyes as she stepped forward. "I'll go take a look. While you are busy acting like a child, I will be the grown-up and do something productive."

[Nekoholic]

"Just calm down, Jace. We don't deserve to be screamed at just because we're attempting to be rational. And I think it bears mentioning that, in this case, being rational involves looking out for your safety even before ours." Basil shook his head, biting back a huff. He then turned to R--er, Torin. "And if you don't know how to use a gun, then why did you accept it when Jace gave it to you? You could hurt yourself or one of us if you were to pull it out and attempt to use it in an actual fight." He supposed that it was up to him to get onto people, then.

Leith spared Basil a look, surprised with his gumption. Rubbing the back of his head, he said, "Well, it's settled, then. Kaye and I will check out the caves, decide whether or not it's safe enough for the night. You three wait here and stay out of trouble for a few minutes, even without me around to keep a close eye on you." Maybe Jace or Basil could even show Torin how to, like, not shoot himself in the foot with the gun or something during their little scouting trip. That'd be great.

[NinjaButterfly]

Jace barely fought the urge to say something more as he watched Kaye and Leith making their way into the cave. Only when they were out of sight did he turn to look at Torin once more. Without saying a word, he held his hand out towards him. Torin looked at the offered hand confused for a while before Jace finally spoke up. "Give me the gun."
Torin's eyes widened as he placed a possessive hand over it once more. "What? No way! You gave it to me!"
"Yes, I did...being under the impression that you knew what you were doing. I should have known a raider wouldn't know how to do anything right."
Raider wasn't the type to lose his cool, but he found his anger rising quickly. "Not everyone has the same opportunities that you have, you know. You made a choice being out in this wasteland. You have a goal and a purpose that you founded on your own terms. I was never given the option to lead a different life, and if I could have any sooner then believe me, I would have taken it. And for you to stand there judging me like you're any better than me, then look in a mirror for once. In the end you're still an ass."
Jace was a little surprised at his outburst and couldn't even bring himself to comment on it. It was the most he'd heard the kid speak since they found him back at the vault. Although he didn't want to admit it, he knew he was right to some degree. It was unfair of him to judge Torin for the select actions of a few, and he didn't know anything about his story any more than knowing what was in that cave.
"Torin...give me the gun. I will teach you how to use it properly, but now isn't the time. A gun in the hands of the untrained is just as dangerous as a deathclaw."
Torin gritted his teeth in anger as he took off the holster and shoved it into Jace's chest as he stomped off towards the woods, wordlessly. He watched as he disappeared around a small hill before Jace released a soft sigh.
"He won't go far," he mumbled softly as he took a seat on a fallen tree. "We are his protection and he's not going to abandon the only chance of survival he has."

[Nekoholic]

Basil sighed, hoping that Jace was correct in that assumption; although Jace had been rather harsh in how he'd handled the situation, he was nonetheless relieved that the gun was no longer in the possession of someone who was just as liable to shoot the foe as he was his allies. Turning to Jace, he said, "We should give him something more to defend himself with, though, at least until we have the chance to train him with a gun. That knife of his isn't in the best shape." He looked back to where Torin had disappeared to, now even more concerned than before. What if he happened upon some predator out there and had no method of protecting himself?