PLANET FALLOUT THIRTEEN

[Maharg67]

-22-

 

JACKY, JESSY, JILLY JACKSON

 

Sugartown was fairly busy that day but no more than normal. Mutated sugargrass was being harvested and was being processed into biofuel. The sweet sharp tang of it was to smelt through out the settlement. Sugargrass was also being brewed into semilegal Sugar Lightening, a deadly spirits served in clay bowls and clay jugs by tradition. There was some tension when the Biofuel Guild suggested it might drop prices for unprocessed sugargrass by 5% but that quickly ended with the guild backing down; the sugargrass farmers simply threatened to take their product elsewhere and there were plenty of possible buyers out there.

 

The Jackson Triplets did some work with their father as electricians and their mother as clay potters making basic but good quality bowls, dishes, vases, mugs and cups for the townsfolk. At other times they did some volunteer work for the Equality League, a group of folks who fought quietly for the rights of all people, be they smoothskins, roughskins, patchskins or ghoulified or some other classifications. The Ash Sisters who ran the local branch of the Equality League were a little naïve but they were hard working supporters of their beliefs.

 

The triplets had a secondary psychic link with the Ashworth Triplets in TekVault0101 and the Bobbins Triplets now in Megaton. They picked up strong impressions of what was happening to the other two sets of triplets and what they were aware of. They knew that the Bobbins were being hunted by raiders. They knew that Jasmine Ashworth had picked up a resupply sending from UnityNetwork, including such as the special sending-bracelets used to send items back to UnitySanctuary. That is UnitySanctuary that they had no real memories of though they had been born there and had lived there until they were six years old.

 

All of the Nine were now aware that Alphana, Betena and Gammati were in Centralia, being in the Clansdom to the northern side of the great disk shaped floating continent. The Jackson Triplets even knew that it was Betena that was to come to assist them but she, like the others, had been delayed by some kind of troubles.

 

The Jackson Triplets began to take steps to improve their situation, to add to their resources, starting with finding or making a secret base of operations.

Edited September 7, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/tt9/Dragonpen61/Forum%20Terminal%20Pix%201/TERMINAL-IT-Workit-00026.jpg

Edited September 13, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

-23-

 

THE RETIROWA AS SAMSU

 

The Retirowa came to Centralia as a barely controlled force of randomity, of chaos, appearing first close to the Republic of Dave. Retirowa came in the identity, the shapeform, of a woman called Samsu. She was tall, she was elegantly power and wore tough knee length robe-tunic of odd design with a hood that she had pulled over her head. Otherwise she wore boots, her slimly muscular lower legs being bare. Her skin was oriental yellow brown, her hair was silky thin dark brown and her eyes were light brown with some oriental slant to them. In her right hand she held a silver, copper and gold patterned metallic quarterstaff, slim and exactly one metre long. Except that the patterns slowly but constantly changed as they flowed along and around the shaft of the quarterstaff.

 

Samsu called forth a manifestation, seeking a vehicle to use to travel across the crazy landscape of the Wastelands. She chose an atomic motorised military sedan like vehicle of a type known as a HumV. HumVs had been copied of an earlier kind of vehicle up upgraded, adapted to atomic motor power and heavier armour plus a roboremote weapon turret on top.

 

Instead, with a sparkling shimmer, an atomic motorised Ashton Martin sportscar appeared out of mid air except it was not alone. There was a strange looking super power atomic motorised drag-racer car, a mid 2100s Dodge Super Challenger. Neither of these vehicles could get her across the Wastelands with out falling to pieces. The second one would not get very far at all.

 

The third vehicle to appear was a oddly ugly graceful looking small helicopter with a ‘car’ like cabin and yet it was classed as a ‘bubble-helicopter’. It was atomic motorised and though it had not been what she desired, it would have to do. For even the Retirowa could only dare to manifest so many times a day and every manifestation had the danger of attracting the attention of dangerous, powerful entities.

 

Samsu left the Ashton Martin and the Dodge Super Challenger where they were. True they would be a puzzle, a mystery, to any Wastelanders who found them but while they would attract attention, she doubted that any locals would guess how they had gotten to be there.

 

She was wrong, at least to some extent!

 

Samsu was soon flying the quiet helicopter through the skies over the Wastelands as she was careful to look out for danger. The helicopter had no real armour and no weapons. Most creatures that flew in Centralia were no threat to her but there were some military aircraft, rogue flying robots, mutated flying beasts and other such dangers out there.

 

Even as she flew away, was still a black dot in the sky, some men from the Republic of Dave came upon the two cars. The hunters were deeply surprised. They were men who lived in the Outer Republic with other men and not with the women in the Inner Republic. The roughly dressed, rough men knew at once that President Dave Machota would want them very much for his bizarre museum and its crazy collection. The powerful psychic leader would reward the men very well with hard functional currency and brothel vouchers plus other bonuses.

Edited September 7, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/tt9/Dragonpen61/Forum%20Terminal%20Pix%201/TERMINAL-IT-Workit-00032.jpg

Edited September 13, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

-24-

 

JASMINE, JADEKIN, JIFFY ASHWORTH

 

When the Social Regulation Service called the Ashworth Triplets in for a special interview in a rather bare meeting room, on the face of it this was nothing special. The SRS had a habit of carrying out such interviews in a seemingly random fashion to keep an eye on the population and to keep people on their toes. Yet the triplets, even Jiffy, sensed something wrong as soon as they saw the man who was to interview them.

 

While he was slightly plump, had a big friendly face, his big smile did not reach his eyes and there was something harsh about him. He wore a typical dark dull blue jumpsuit and only a small set of badges to show his official title, who he worked for and his name plus ID-Code. But this man was no SRS employee but somebody who had caused much pain and even death; he was a Security Intelligence Service interrogator.

 

His identity, the one he gave them, was Interview Officer David Merlond but the triplets, who had managed to hack a few SRS secured datafiles, knew in truth that he was the dreaded Interrogation Officer David McClay.

 

David smiled at the triplets and then he inspected the documents the two bigger triplets had filled out earlier on. They had filled out the document for Jiffy who was hiding in her pouch.

 

He spoke after they made formal introductions to each other. “The Ashworth Triplets are not known to be in any way troublesome to our well ordered society. Indeed, your record is above average in that you have no demerit points, no economic debits, no social discredits, no criminal record.”

 

Jadekin spoke then. “Is that a bad thing?”

 

David smiled. “Of course not! Indeed it would be a fine thing if many more citizens had such fine records.”

 

Jasmine shook her head. “Not such fine records, really. When we were twelve we were caught trying to hack into our school records but you already know this. Only our father’s influence and our own otherwise very good school records stopped us from being punished worse. The Civil Police did not wish to push charges but the Social Regulation Service wanted us to be put into a Reconditioning Centre for a whole year. It was the Ombudsman who decided finally on our side but we ended up doing a whole year’s worth of part time casual community work. After that our records were cleansed. At least our official records were.”

 

The plump man lost his smile. “Yes, we would have put you into a Reconditioning Centre for a year, if not longer. It was a wise decision. Like your father you are dangerous to our ordered, harmonious society. Like your father you are misfits that actually came from outside of the TekVault. Yes, I know you were not born here. You are too smart for your good and for the good of the vault. In the past your father has helped protect you but know this, times have changed and Professor James Ashworth is now considered to be a social misfit and a political renegade. On the day we finally deal with him as we should do, we will also deal with you. The apple never falls far from the tree.”

 

Jiffy looked up with a hopeful expression. “Got apple?”

 

David frowned at the neobaby. “No, no apples for misfits.”

 

The neobaby did not bother to take offence but kept smiling as if she sensed something that her brother and little big sister didn’t.

 

Suddenly a change seemed to go through the other man. The confidence seemed to melt in him, a sadness overcame him and taking out a notepad he rapidly wrote down something. Then he pulled out the page he had written on and passed it to Jasmine. “I have always had a soft spot for neobabies. The real controllers of TekVault0101 want you dead. For some reason you frighten them even more than do the rebels or the organised crime syndicates or those like your father. Go now before I come to my senses.”

 

The triplets left quickly and Jiffy smiled and waved to cheer the man up. Waiting for Jiffy at the reception desk was a small, crisp, fresh, red apple. Of course she let Jasmine and Jadekin have a small bite each and they thanked her for her great generosity.

Edited September 7, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/tt9/Dragonpen61/Forum%20Terminal%20Pix%201/TERMINAL-IT-Workit-00033.jpg

Edited September 13, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

-25-

 

OUMMUO

 

OummuO came to the great Centralia Broadcasting Network Tower, a towering monolith both amazingly tall and broad. Above in the upper levels, high above the broken ground level of the Wastelands, was CN3D, or Centralia News 3D Broadcasting Studio. The studio complex had survived fairly well from Doomsday but it now only broadcast 3Dradio to a smaller area and more primitive AM radio to a far greater area.

 

OummuO slipped easily past the Orderhood of Steel soldiers in power armour guarding the base of the tower, the big entrance lobby included. The Orderhood of Steel had made a deal with those previously dwelling in the huge CN3D Tower. They would bring protection, would have broadcasting time and would gain a major fortified outpost for their soldiers, scholars, scientists and others.

 

Towertown was a settlement at the base of the super sized tower. Radiotown was another settlement up in the middle levels of the massive structure. Balcony gardens for both settlements grew food and other resources now but still some flowers. Both settlements utilised resources found in the CN3D Tower, some quite exotic and surprising in nature.

 

Semisecretive and below, in the deeper basement levels, was the ghoul settlement of Basementville that was part of the big underground network of settlements that were known collectively as the Ghoul Underworld.

 

The great tower had mainly been about broadcasting with studios, specialised computer centres, administration and other related facilities. Yet there also had been some program production done there, a hotel for staff and special guests, a big museum, an exotic amusement park level, a large news and current affairs centre, a government propaganda and censorship centre, three big archives deliberately build separately from each other. This was far from all that the super-tower boasted.

 

OummuO had come there before. OummuO was more than one but all of those were one, were OummuO. OummuO knew well how to slip through the many levels with out being picked up by electronic or human security.

 

3Dog was examining the guts of a console, having carefully removed an inspection panel, and was doing some trouble-shooting. He peered at the exposed hardware through polarised glasses. A large radio studio chamber stretched out around himself.

 

MrDJ, the upgraded MrHandy robot, hovered on its fanjets as it supervised the transferral of data from scavenged holotapes to datadrives.

 

3Kitty was busy doing some research for a bulletin discussing the increasing trouble with raiders and the nature of the raiders. Her bulletin was going to focus heavily on the big battle raging in Portsburg, a big port city on the western coast of Centralia facing the distant North America and the former USGA. The battle was between a big army of raiders on one side and on the other side an uneasy alliance of gangers, bandits and hardline religious survivalists.

 

1Owl, the old woman, came in with a tray of coffee, home made biscuits and a selection of freshly picked fruit. She looked around and smiled. “OummuO is here, I can sense her.”

 

2Kitty looked up and around. “Yes, now you mention it, so can I.”

 

OummuO showed itself as a shimmer ball of rainbow pattern energies. “One is OummuO who is one who is OummuO. OummuO is one that is many and the many are one that is OummuO. Great changes come to Centralia that are starting with clues and smaller changes. Danger comes to Centralia but also hope, also new possibilities of making a better Centralia.”

 

OummuO sparkle shimmered and shapeformed, transformed, into a tall, slimly voluptuous woman in a tight fitting polished leathery armour. The armour was coloured rainbow splashwork but so as to fit with the leathery look. OummuO herself had soft leather skin of red brown and long leathery skin plus eyes that were smooth orbs of softly glowing rainbow patterns.

 

She spoke. “OummuO is very human looking now.”

 

1Owl smiled. “Not so much as OummuO might assume. Would you like a hot cup of tea or coffee.”

 

OummuO turned and smiled to show rainbow coloured teeth more clearly. “OummuO would have a litre mixed of coffee, tea, milk, sugar, salt, butter, raw chickens’ egg including the crushed up shells and, if you have any to spare, some honey for flavour. Heat to boiling and then simmer for one minute exactly while stirring briskly.”

 

1Owl just smiled and nodded. “We have a nice metal camp-fire jug that will do the trick. It will take about ten minutes.”

 

The exotic woman nodded. “So very quick is 1Owl. OummuO thanks 1Owl.”

 

The old woman turned and departed quietly and efficiently as she tended to do everything. She was, as both 2Kitty and 3Dog had to admit, the quietly efficient backbone of CNR PostDD, the particular name they gave their radio service.

 

3Dog frowned softly. “Are you going to tell us more of the coming danger?”

 

OummuO turned to look at 3Dog with her disturbing eyes. “3Dog now needs patience. OummuO senses things as OummuO but OummuO is not human. Clues are as follows: the Old Patriot Thirteen, the New Patriot Thirteen, the New Patriot Republic, what Nathan really knows, the Unity Thirteen, the human rot in Centralia City, the Retirowa as Samsu, what Elder Owyn Lyons knows, Datafile 768-0987-098-RAN-980-098 in the Smithsonian University Museum, SVR Normalville in TekVault0101 and the rise of UnityFree. OummuO asks 2Kitty to recount past given clues.”

 

3Dog frowned. “Why not me?”

 

2Kitty smile frowned at 3Dog. “Because you always mess it up, sweetie, and annoy OummuO. Past clues were given in the following order: OummuO of Unity Thirteen, the Nine of Unity Thirteen, Orderhood of Steel, Guardian Thirteen of Centralia, Centralia is not just Centralia but is more than Centralia, from SkyIslands looking down, Centralia above, in the middle and below; assume nothing, not even your own existence; focus Doomsday focus and count them all, list them all and network them all.”

 

OummuO smiled. “2Kitty does well. 2Kitty is pregnant with twins as fathered by 3Dog. OummuO blesses 2Kitty’s babies to keep them in good health and also 2Kitty. OummuO wishes OummuO could say more but OummuO can not even say why OummuO can not say more. OummuO will look out of window until 1Owl comes with special drink. OummuO will then drink special drink.”

 

Both 3Dog and 2Kitty now knew that OummuO would not speak to them until at least she had drunk her drink that somehow 1Owl would not only get together but would do so in almost exactly ten minutes. They were surprised by the announcement of the pregnancy but pleased for they had been wanting children.

 

As promised, 1Owl came with the camp fire jug full of the drink as ordered. OummuO took the hot jug in hand and gulped down the drink with out pause, the heat of it causing her absolutely no concern at all.

 

Then she smiled at everybody, gave the jug to 1Owl who wore oven gloves and vanished with a sparkling shimmer.

 

3Dog cursed, 2Kitty frowned but 1Owl only smiled as if she was not surprised at all, which she wasn’t.

Edited September 7, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/tt9/Dragonpen61/Forum%20Terminal%20Pix%201/TERMINAL-IT-Workit-00050-1.jpg

Edited September 20, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

-26:1-

 

BOBBY, BENNY BOBBINS

 

Not long after the Bobbins met the Harrington Family in the amazing Harrington House, which was mostly underground and dug into the side of the crater, the Bobbins moved into an offshoot from the main Harrington House. It was a metallic, wooden and hard packed earth building plus three well reinforced underground chambers. They had a basic bathroom, a cramped toilet room, a spare room, two small bedrooms, a kitchen-laundry with a half-wall and a commonroom. They also had an enclosed, tough, well locked garage chamber for their battlebuggy that was close to Harrington House.

 

Elaine Harrington gave them $200 in EID coins and cards. Bobby took Benny with him to Craterside Supplies, a large and popular shop run by the Brown Family. Like the Harringtons, the Browns were one of the Founding Families of Megaton. Benny wanted lots of lollies and apples but Bobby managed to buy groceries and a handful of domestic items.

 

Items were fairly expensive but not because the Browns were out to cheat people. Even with efforts of manufacture items and items found in storage, much had to still be scavenged from active or semiactive status storage containers found out in, or more often under, the Wastelands. Scavengers took big risks to get relatively small loads and so items tended to be expensive. Not only that but better quality stuff was getting increasingly harder to get.

 

The goods were not on open display but were all locked inside the armaglass fronted counter or in armglass fronted cases behind the counter. The exception were some locked armaglass top lidded status preservative boxes out in front of the counter.

 

Bobby was paying for the stuff he had bought at the counter when a spry, slimly muscular old man, quite handsome in a weathered fashion, came into the chamber. He wore a curious blue duster, a wide brimmed tophat of dull, dark purple and otherwise a vault jumpsuit that had its vault number removed to be replaced by a simple circle smile face in the same yellow as vault numbers were normally written.

 

The man bustled up to the counter and put his shoulderbag down onto the counter. He smiled at young John Brown who was serving behind the big old wooden counter and then at Bobby. “Well, young man, who certainly chose an exciting way to introduce yourself to Megaton. Sheriff Lucas Simms will never forget his sudden and very paranormal flight up into the air. Still, he deserved it well enough. My name is Professor Gregory Brown. I am a cousin to young John Brown here but I am a scientist and scholar of sorts.”

 

Bobby nodded to the man. “I suppose you wish to know how the sheriff was lifted up into the air like that.”

 

Professor Brown sighed. “Yes I am but I long ago learned not to push with such matters. If one day you choose to share, good, and if that never happens, also good. I run a research centre here in Megaton based partly in the aircraft that is raised above Inner Megaton. Look up and you see the Bo7447 Super Jumbojet with its great bulberous nose, its three internal levels, its two great wings, its two great stub-wings and its tail and smaller rear wings. Of course there are its great big atomic engines that help to power up Megaton, both Inner and Outer. Up there are a few facilities. I have an observatory of sorts; perhaps you could help me construct the new telescope that I want to observe the planets and stars with.”

 

The mighty big constructor machine that had been used to build Megaton’s walls, to put up three big aircraft and to carry out other major work, was parked outside of both Outer and Inner Megaton but was protected by its own walls.

 

Bobby smiled. “I will be happy to consult my planning to journal to see if I have time to assist you.”

 

The other man gave a big grin of pleasure. “A fine start to a wonderful working relationship. It will be good to work with you.” Then he leaned forward and gave Benny a kiss on his small forehead. The neobaby was pleased at the attention, the sort of attention he did not welcome from anybody.

 

Bobby departed from Craterside Supplies feeling mildly annoyed that Professor Gregory Brown had not gotten the hint that there would be no assistance. Benny was just calmly happy as he often was.

Edited September 7, 2010 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

-26:2-

 

BUFFY BOBBINS

 

Buffy soon realised that protecting Mayor Elaine Harrington was not going to be easy. The mayor did not intend to hide away even if there were strong indicators that she was on more than one death list targeting important USC individuals. Such individuals were in a wide range of roles from politics to the military, from organised faith to media stardom.

 

The lists held many of those who had the will power and power, influence and, sometimes, wealth to truly lead the USC out of trouble. Yet, so far, the instigators of the death lists remained largely a mystery.

 

Buffy found herself standing behind and beside the mayor as she was in a meeting with a delegation of petty officials from the USC capital city of Centralia City, which was the easily the largest and most powerful settlement of the USC. Problem was that the government cityfolk there were becoming increasingly arrogant, corrupt and fractured by internal factional conflict. They were poorly dressed for people travelling in the Wastelands and the fineries they wore had clearly been stained and partly damaged by their journey.

 

These petty officials were arrogant, narrow minded and focused more on gaining political advantage for themselves and their political faction than anything else. It was quickly evident that Elaine was not going to play their foolish games and that these ‘VIPs’ were unable to do anything else but to indulge in such games.

 

Very soon the visitors were getting angry, frustrated and one tall, plump woman was standing and waving her hands around. Elaine Harrington remained strong, calm and she simply waited them out. When they were exhausted, she quietly, politely, kicked them out of the chamber.

 

Then, to her surprise, she turned to Buffy. “So how would you sum our visitors up?”

 

Buffy had not expected to be asked anything. She went to say nothing in particular but there was something about Elaine Harrington that had her be more honest. “They are the victims of a twisted inner logic of a social political structure that has become inward looking, narrow focused and corrupt. Some of them are sharks and some actually mean well but all are unable to get beyond their own conditioning, their own assumptions and their own comfort zones.”

 

Elaine sighed. “Were any of them of any significance, of any great promise or threat to the USC?”

 

Buffy shook her head. “No! If anything I would find out who else came with them. If anything, these are the decoys for this expedition cost a good deal of resources to undertake and why would Centralian City VIPs come all this way just to talk to you, no insult intended.”

 

“No insult taken!” Elaine opened her leather briefcase, which she had not bothered to do before, and took out a neat stack of slim A4 sized plastic folders. Each one had some information letter-taped on the front in a fairly crude fashion. Yet she only chose four of them, leaving the others in the briefcase, and the chosen four she placed in a pile in front of Buffy. “Please take a close examination of these classified dossiers.”

 

Again surprised, Buffy carefully placed the dossiers apart and then picked up the first one. Very quickly did she go through each one as if just skimming them but then she was frowning softly.

 

Elaine arched her eyebrows. “That was very quick. Do you need more time to study them?”

 

Buffy shook her head. “I have examined them thoroughly. The man named Edgar Hal Fallon is a fraud; the identity is false. The woman named Shallane Tree appears to be more dangerous than she is; if anything she has been sent here to attract danger from the real threat, though I doubt she knows this. The man named Brent Quin is a dangerous killer but he is here as an assistant to the real threat. The last is a woman named Ellen DeStrange but though she seems to be dangerous, there is a good chance that she could even be the opposite. The indicators are that there is at least one threat that came with the expedition that you have not identified here. If there is a major threat, it will be there.”

 

Elaine looked startled but only for a few seconds before she hid her response smoothly. She smiled as she gathered up the four dossiers and returned them to her briefcase. “Time for a short break, some coffee and a small meal. Hopefully Kate and Mandy will have something prepared for us in the Council Diner.”

Edited September 7, 2010 by Maharg67