Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-5543592-20190722215436/@comment-3293219-20190804002508

Hamilton had been sneaking around the reactor level for hours at this point. It was the only part of the Vault that had been frozen in time.

The only things that changed down here were the little details. The odd pipe got replaced, the occasional fuse or part were swapped out. To him, this was how he saw the whole Vault but it was only here that the window dressing was gone, making things a lot more tangible.

In truth, he didn’t know what brought him down here. There were several benefits and opportunities to be had, sure but all of them were potential at best.

Maybe a chance to sabotage this place, if it ever came to it. A means to extort? Means, basically, to get one over on Alphonse and remain a step ahead.

All that he had to do now was wait, hoping for the best. Everything wasn’t going to work out, that was to be expected.

There was always 2 jokers in every deck. In Vegas, it was Josey and Benny. In New York it was Morgan and the Governor. In Boston it was Naomi and... well, she had a rival. She had to have had one. Maybe Maxson or the original owner of the Institute.

The point? He was a wild card, it’s why Shrike picked him. She knew that he’d be needed to play against Denis, who was Miller’s wildcard.

He understood clearly that they were not the players of this game. He’d like to think that this was the first time that he was a playing piece, rather than a player but the Capital Wasteland had been someone else’s chessboard for decades now. Even men like Littlehorn were moving as told, taking pieces as told, sacrificing as told.

The removal of a card, from a deck could ruin a player’s chances of winning. Removing the wildcards meant a perfectly balanced game, hence why most games removed them. It made it much easier to manipulate the odds, stacking them in your favour.

Such odds were being stacked but it was only a matter of time before Denis came home and ‘fixed’ the changes. This would set into motion, allowing him to enact his final phase.

In truth, it was a gamble at best. He wasn’t going to kid himself otherwise but if he didn’t kill Denis now, he’d be a dead man anyway. It was ten years ago, again. Except on a much larger scale. He was in the same flight or fight situation that he was, when he invaded Megaton. Only this time, he knew that he had to be cautious.

The Wild Wastes were set to be tamed. People like him were on the retreat and extinction was nigh.

There was little here to entertain him, resulting in him head back down to that makeshift shooting range to see if he could still use it as a short cut to the diner. As the door slid open, he immediately saw a brown scuttler, feeling its way along the ground. A radroach of little to no threat was tentatively stepping over the gun metal tiles.

It was so meek and pathetic that it didn’t bother to attack.

As he stared the creature down, he noticed some rather light, shallow breathing to his right, getting him to glare to the top of one of the crates. To his surprise, he saw Maeve, trembling on top of it, clutching her BB Rifle.

The small Vault Dweller didn’t seem to be able to look at Hamilton, keeping her eyes on the Roach.

<p class="MsoNormal">“G-Get it away!” She stammered, seeming too desperately terrified to get her words out.

<p class="MsoNormal">“No.” Hamilton said, rather plainly as he failed to see the urgency in this situation.

<p class="MsoNormal">“You have a weapon, take the shot.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“B-But I did that and it just made it mad!” Maeve insisted, getting a heavy sigh out of Slaver as he shook his head, approaching the creature.

<p class="MsoNormal">“It’s only attacking you, because you’re weak. You’re afraid of it and it knows that. You’re easy pray and it knows that.” He explained, turning back to her, with a glare.

<p class="MsoNormal">“You might as well feed yourself to this creature, because it will get you eventually. So long as you’re running and hiding from it, like a coward, you are its prey and you are destined to become its meal.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Oddly enough, this wasn’t really helping Maeve with her Roach phobia. She didn’t know that these things ate people and now she was even more freaked out.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Fine, get security!” Her voice shook, furiously and it was clear that she didn’t understand what he was saying to her. She was too concerned with dying at this point to care about this lecture on Darwinism.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Security can’t help you, I can’t help you. The only one who can help you is you. Kill it or it will kill you, either it or time will.

<p class="MsoNormal">I’ll walk you through it, if you need that.”

<p class="MsoNormal">The former Vault Dweller understood that she was an adolescent. She had a long way before she was able to fully protect herself but this? This was beneath her...

<p class="MsoNormal">If she couldn’t kill a radroach, while armed, then she was doomed to live a life of cowardice and self helplessness. Anyone else wouldn’t get this from him, he just didn’t want her falling to the vice of cowardice and a dependency on the strength of others, that her fool grandfather had fallen to.

<p class="MsoNormal">She was better than that and he could see it.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Get down from there and lets take care of this.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“You won’t... Let it get me, will you?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“No, you won’t let it get you. Now come on.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Maeve clearly found it difficult to move, due to her petrified state but after a few deep breaths, she eventually found the courage to do so. She shimmied over to the edge of the crate, clutching her rifle, like a security blanket, eyes glued to the tiny monster on the floor.

<p class="MsoNormal">The Roach reacted to her movements, moving back and expanding the pincers on its mouth and swaying its tiny head as its wings stood up on end, fluttering aggressively to look intimidating. It widened its stance to look like it was going to pounce or do something else erratic, swaying its whole body and raising its rear to tower over Maeve... or at least attempt to.

<p class="MsoNormal">The flapping wings sounded more like the tail of a rattlesnake to her, its squeaks, groans and scuttling was far more unsettling up close than it would be, were it described to her.

<p class="MsoNormal">“It’s standing off, posing. Its testing you at this point and there’s only one passing grade. Shoot it in the goddamn face.” Hamilton insisted, glaring at her.

<p class="MsoNormal">Maeve swallowed the pool of vomit, at the back of her mouth and raised the rifle, pulling the trigger and hearing a faint ‘click.’

<p class="MsoNormal">“Cock it.” Hamilton said, keeping his eyes fixated on the roach.

<p class="MsoNormal">“You know how, right?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Y-Yeah...” Maeve sighed, struggling to speak as her mouth felt incredibly dry.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Take aim and fire. If you don’t think that you can hit his head, aim for the body instead.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“R-Right... Okay...”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Hold your breath, when pulling the trigger to steady your aim.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“I know... Grandpa told me.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Alphonse taught you that?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Hmm? No... Grandpa... Dad’s Dad.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Grandpa Gomez, there was a phrase that had a disgustingly nice ring to it.

<p class="MsoNormal">“His advice could even be better than mine, when it comes to firearms.”

<p class="MsoNormal">As he said that, she took the shot, hitting the Roach and breaking a piece of its shell off and causing it to stagger profusely. Yellow blood leaked through the cracks in its exoskeleton and instinctively threw itself onto its back and curled up, having some sort of fit before it finally expired.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Not bad...” Hamilton observed, looking it over as he approached it.

<p class="MsoNormal">“This one was a hatchling of sorts. Its shell was softer than usual... Still, you killed it. Good job.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“F-Feel kinda bad...” Maeve admitted, gently clutching the rifle as she ventured a little closer towards it.

<p class="MsoNormal">“It wouldn’t feel anything for you. Don’t waste regret on monsters.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Hamilton wasn’t just talking about creatures either, people could constitute as Monsters and they seldom cared either. Not until they were in a place where they had to live with themselves, knowing what they did, realising how little it amounted to.

<p class="MsoNormal">He always felt something, not guilt per say and it wasn’t anything like regret. It was more akin to wonder. Wonder if things could have been different, if certain people didn’t have to die and if certain alliances could have been cemented.

<p class="MsoNormal">It was an idle thought of course, not something he genuinely wanted to change. Imagining that unicorns might suddenly exist and offer themselves as mounts to anyone willing to offer them a lifetime of friendship. It’s idle amusement but expecting it to happen or trying to make it happen is a waste of time, just like bringing back the dead or erasing feelings.

<p class="MsoNormal">Maeve on the other hand was still incredibly shaken. Her mouth was dry and sticky, the rough of her tongue rolled against it, in an effort to see if that changed but it didn’t seem to. Only a glass of water or a Nuka Cola could solve that right now and the diner felt like a million miles away.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Would you have really let it eat me?” Maeve asked, glancing up to the battle hardened waster, who didn’t seem to be in a jovial mood.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Well, the decision was yours as to whether it killed you, not mine. The only person you can rely on is yourself and any tactic that you have, that relies on your opponent showing mercy to you is a poor one at best. Especially when your opponent is a mindless, man eating beast.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Maeve fell silent, taking in a deep breath. So it really would’ve killed her, had she not killed it... even with Hamilton there. It was beyond concerning, how many adults would do the same, similar or even worse than that.

<p class="MsoNormal">She took a few deep breaths before turning around, leaving the remains of the Radroach behind as she went back up to the civilized surface, to find her Grandfather.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Hamilton wasn’t exactly expecting a warm welcome from Old Man Alphonse. The aging Overseer didn’t seem to approve of the cannibalistic, slave trading assassin for some odd reason. Perhaps it was some form of jealousy.

<p class="MsoNormal">Regardless as he saw Maeve, he furrowed his brow rather quickly, seeing that her hands had a few minor cuts on them. It hadn’t really occurred to Tom that she had softer hands than he did, what with having little to no contact with rough services and not really being used to climbing them.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Hey Grandpa.” She said, she wasn’t the most energetic of children but it was obvious that she was pretty shaken, rather than her usual withdrawn self.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Maeve, your hands...” Alphonse murmured, looking somewhat sharply up to Hamilton, narrowing his eyes with a burning gaze of suspicion.

<p class="MsoNormal">“What did you do?”

<p class="MsoNormal">Hamilton stared him down, though he eventually folded her arms and shrugged.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Nothing, she was attacked by a Radroach. She fought it off herself and only hurt her hands climbing to higher ground, could’ve been a lot worse, if she wasn’t so intelligent and capable.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Alphonse’s demeanour changed somewhat as he looked down to his granddaughter, getting a nod of confirmation.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Radroaches? It’s been a few years since any slipped through the cracks, cracks that I was under the impression had been filled in years ago.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Maybe some new cracks have formed? Regardless, the reactor level needs to be purged of the vermin.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Do not assume to tell me how to look after the Vault, Mr Hamilton. Especially when you have little to offer but the bleeding obvious.”

<p class="MsoNormal">One would think that it being obvious would mean that it would be done by now, sadly Alphonse wasn’t the strongest of leaders and now he’s not even the strongest of men.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Can I get a drink? My mouth’s real dry...” Maeve said, breaking the tension as he grandfather’s expression softened. It was funny, he used to be so effortless, when being cold and calculating but now? Now he looked like it was something that he had to put on, a part of himself that he had to dig deep down inside to find the man, he used to be.

<p class="MsoNormal">It was one of the few things that Hamilton could relate to, there were layers that he had to invoke from the primordial and human parts of his brain. The longer that he lived in one, the harder it would be to go back to the other.

<p class="MsoNormal">Escape from comfort, complacency, that was the key to his success and even his survival.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I had no idea that Maeve was such a great marksman.” Hamilton commented, watching her as she went to the bar.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Marksman? Oh! The BB rifle... She isn’t supposed to have it but given how she is such a responsible young lady and the range already exists... Well, her Mother doesn’t seem to mind it.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Nepotism tends to work that way, yes...

<p class="MsoNormal">Still, she is surprisingly good with that rifle. Killed the Radroach unaided.” This was technically true, he only had to convince her to shoot the Roach, not help her take the shot. With that, she was very good for her age, better than he was, when he left the Vault.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Good with a rifle and at chess. Just like dear old Dad.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Alphonse found himself freezing on the spot, trying to work out if he was grasping at straws or if he had somehow worked it out. If he knew what only a handful of Vault Dwellers knew, thus far. How would he? Breaking and entry? Did that quack doctor blab again?

<p class="MsoNormal">“I think you should leave.” Alphonse advised.

<p class="MsoNormal">“You’ve gotten what you came here for.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Hamilton noticed his change in composure, the fear that became apparent as soon as he noticed.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Pretty much.” The Slaver agreed, though in truth, he’d say that he got more than he wanted, when he came here. He’d leave, some time in the night. He did it once, he can do it again... Of course, this time it’s going to be a lot easier.

<p class="MsoNormal">They weren’t trying to keep him here anymore.

<p class="MsoNormal">