(Untitled)

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

Ellen eases the door open before ducking swiftly through and slamming it shut. "Oh, thank God," she says to no one in particular. "I was starting to think I wouldn't find it here

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[plays_chess]

"Um," John says, as he spots her after he orders a red gatorade at the bar. He's broken the cap, but hasn't had any of it. He screws the cap back down and stops nearby, walking in her line of sight--though she's looking down, so it's hard to tell how well that works.

"Hey, Ellen," he says, "you should probably--" her leg is bleeding. "Drink this? Unless you like a different flavor better, I mean. Um, do you need anything for your leg?"

[plays_chess]

"--I meant busting through the Capitol," he clarifies, almost startled. "Is there a bigger than that?"

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"From the Capitol we have to get to Seward Square Metro," Ellen says, "and from there it's through the tunnels- assuming they haven't been collapsed like the one I originally used to bypass the Capitol months ago- to get to Metro Junction and eventually to Vernon Square. Star Paladin Cross and I are looking for the old Vault-Tec corporate offices in the hopes that we can get the location of a Vault with a Garden of Eden Creation Kit out of the files somewhere, so that we can grab the kit before the Enclave does. They need it to start up my dad's water purifier and they can't make it work without one."

[plays_chess]

"Right," John says. "I --guess I thought they were trying to destroy the water purifier. What do they want to do with it?"

Isn't purifying water good?

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"I don't know," Ellen says. "But I talked to a man once who was part of a force that fought them thirty years ago. They'd devised an airborne virus that was supposed to latch onto and kill anybody mutated- I don't know if it looked for radiation-damaged DNA, or what, but that's what it was supposed to do. He said the virus was destroyed and the Enclave's leadership almost wiped out. I think the people in the Wasteland now might be trying to pull the same kind of thing, but they want to use the water to distribute the virus instead of worrying about whether the wind does what they need it to do."

[plays_chess]

...

"Is there anyone not mutated by now?"

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"People in Vaults that haven't been opened since the War," Ellen says. "And, I assume, the Enclave themselves if they're willing to use weapons like that."

That's it.

[plays_chess]

"Well, that's just--that's," he lets out a shaky breath. "Fuck," he says, closing his eyes. "Wiping out most of what's left of the human race and--god, your food sources too--that's..."

Idiotic beyond belief.

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"I don't know if it'll take food sources out. Maybe they used a virus that only attacks humans this time." Ellen shrugs. "I honestly don't know. All I know is what they've done before, and that I'd really rather not give them the chance to do it again, let alone do it with what my mother and father spent their whole lives trying to create for everyone else's good."

[plays_chess]

"Yeah," he says, quietly, "yeah, that makes sense."

He glances over at her. "You should probably see to your leg."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Oh. Right." Ellen looks down. "I'll go do that... thank you, John. I appreciate it."

[plays_chess]

"Don't worry about it," he says, quietly. "I'll probably still be out here when you're done, if you want to talk later. But--take care of yourself, okay?"

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"I will," Ellen promises. "I'll see you around."