When I opened the door to the Museum in Concord, I was hit by the smell of dust and rotten wood. Something I am slowly getting used to since practically everything has an 'old and musty' smell to it, these days.
I walked in and felt something on my foot. I looked down and a radroach had crawled out from somewhere and began chomping on my boot.
I raised my foot and stomped on it.
*splat*
The roach was crushed into a gooey paste.
"Gross. Well at least it wasn't a swam of them. Being eaten by a swarm of roaches has to be one of the worst ways to go."
I made my way through the building, not forgetting to grab the FC in the utility room.
There wasn't anything of value here really. All the guns on display were fake, and the only other loot to be found was everyday items which I could get later if I wanted to.
I exited to the roof from the third floor access and sitting there just like in game was the vertibird.
I started inspecting the vertibird and even found the holotape and T-45 power armor left there.
Just like the holotape said, the vertibird's electronics got fried by the EMP that happened when the bombs went off.
But otherwise, the vertibird was still in great shape.
"Hm... If I replace the fried circuits and wiring, fusion cells, as well as those broken vacuum tubes I could probably get this thing running and have another mode of transportation in my possession."
[Author is pulling shit out of his ass again...]
I smirked and began taking a few parts out of my inventory that I snagged from Wattz and the wreckages.
I pulled out all of the fried wires and began replacing them with new insulated copper wire.
I then began removing the broken vacuum tubes and inserting a few new ones in place.
The last major repair was fixing a broken rotor in one of the propeller engines.
With grease and dirt covering me I closed the panel I was working in after replacing the fusion cells needed to power the thing.
I sat in the pilot seat and flipped on the power to the instraments.
Then I flipped another switch and the engines began creaking and whirring to life.
There was a whining and sputtering sound but the grease I added to the bearings were starting to spread so the metallic sounds starting decreasing and the engines started turning the propellers.
The propellers were still broken off so it was not yet able to fly but the fact I got the engines running was a good start. I used the cyclics to turn the rotors and felt satisfied when they rotated as they needed to.
The vertibird has left and right cyclic control sticks since unlike a standard helicopter with has one rotor, the vertibird has two.
Something I found fascinating.
I had moved much of the debris around the craft beforehand so it wouldn't cause issues while I was working.
Feeling satisfied, I shut the veribird down and then climbed out and started packing my things.
I needed to make new propellors before I could operate this thing and dislodge it from the roof here.
I took measurements and then grabbed the power armor still sitting there which caused me to nearly be at my limit for carry weight.
With a final look at the vertibird, I left the museum.
Things were looking up for me since I was acquiring many useful assets from this excursion.
As I walked down the cracked streets of Concord, I thought about the survivors that must have been panicking after the bombs dropped.
It was wierd that so many useful things would still just be laying around for the player to find 200 years later.
I tried to think of reasons for it and could only assume the people had to travel light or the danger involved with scavenging kept most from entering certain areas.
But I haven't had much trouble. In fact, things have almost been too easy. Other than Jack Cabot and his mercs, I havnt run into any other humans.
Not even raiders. And the creatures have yet to pose a significant threat other than those wandering super mutants.
I could only hope my streak of good luck stays consistant.
I made my way carefully down the road, passing the Drumlin Diner, which was currently unoccupied. South towards ArkJet and avoiding Lexington.
I traveled the broken roads until I saw a model Stingray jet on a pedastal. This was in front of the ArkJet building which was quite imposing.
That Stingray was likely one of the originals they made and decommissioned for the use to this monument.
There is no usuable parts in it. It was just a shell for display.
The robots I had sent ahead were waiting for me in a group in front of the building.
However, as I approached, I suddenly heard a scream in the distance.
A human scream for help.
It was barely audible but I managed to pick up on it with my 5 Perception.
'It might be wise to put a few more points into perception when I can...'
The sound came from south of me and I decided to check it out.
I ran down the hill until I could see the river where the source of the sound came from.
"Help! Please help me, someone!"
Running along the road going east was what appeared to be a little boy around age 10. But he wasn't alone. He was being chased by mirelurks and was screaming like a banshee.
I pulled out Fuckbringer and launched towards the mutated crustaceans.
*bang* x12
I unloaded a full mag into the side profiles of the mirelurks.
Because of thier hard carapace, much of the damage was mitigated but some of their legs had been blown off.
The mirelurks turned thier attention to me and the five of them because skittering in my direction.
This is what I wanted however since I couldn't get clean shots on the sensitive areas around the face and chest of the mirelurks when they were turned.
I reloaded my mag and then unleashed another volley of gunfire, aiming for the weak points.
*bang*x12
Twelve rounds went off again this time each shot hit it's mark of the soft interior the mirelurk shells. Pieces of them exploded with each shot until five mirelurks lay dead on the dirty ground.
[+2180xp]
I don't need the Bloody Mess perk since the explosive effect of Fuckbringer does the same thing almost.
With the threats dead and XP gained, I turned my attention to the kid, who had been watching from behind a ruined car.
"Come on out, kid. I ain't gonna bite." I coaxed the kid to abandon his cover and approach me.
"Um... um... thanks mister...?" The boy stuttered. I was currently wearing a marine wetsuit and darkened combat armor so I'm sure I looked pretty scary to this kid.
"Frankie Winter. What's your name?" I asked.
The boy hesitated before making up his mind and blurting out his name.
"I... I'm Joshua."
Joshua looked tired and was completely filthy. His unkempt sandy brown hair and malnourished appearance made my heart ache. The rucksack on a stick he carried and tattered shit brown rags and scarf he wore completed the whole impoverished orphan look.
"Nice to meet you, kid. Why are you out here alone? Where are your parents?"
He stiffened up and figeted when I mentioned the word 'parents'. Something I noticed and could already tell what the answer was.
"They... They got killed by raiders... the whole settlement was burned..." he said with a downcast expression.
'This kid was destined to die today most likely but I intervened and saved him. Sigh... I can't just leave him alone out here, can I?'
"I see. Do you have a place to go? More family somewhere or another community willing to take you in?"
He shook his head negatively. "No sir. Everyone I know is gone..."
My heart sank. If I left this boy alone it would prick at my conscience. But I already saved one person and put her in cold storage... I suppose I could do the same with this child.
I crouched low so I could have direct eye contact with him and said sincerely.
"Joshua. I have a deal for you. If you accept then I can bring you someplace where you can be safe. But you'll have to listen to everything I say, deal?" I reached out my hand and the boy's eyes widened.
"You'll give me a safe place to live? Really?" The boy who barely had any light in his eyes brightened up.
"Yes. I'm a man of my word. But for now you can just tag along as I take care of some business over there. After I'm done, I'll take you to that safe place."
The child nodded enthusiastically. Kindness is a rare commodity in the wasteland and this boy probably hasn't seen much of it in his short life.
"Alright, follow along. And try not to wander off. I cant help you if you end up in the belly of some wasteland creature." I warned him.
"Hm, okay. I'll stay close!"
'sigh... I'm too nice, aren't I? Well maybe the brat can make himself useful...'