Investigation at the Local Clinic

Mikey the merchant trudged through the muddy scrub. The rain had stopped, and there was just a hint of orange morning light beginning to creep into his awareness . He switched off his torch and stopped to catch his breath. The ghoul turned and leant heavily on his knees, panting slightly. Ah, you bastard, he muttered to himself and looked up at the silhouette of the tank. Just a straight black shape in the morning glow as the sun squeezed its rays through the subtle but permanent radiation smog on the horizon behind it. He hoped he wasn't too late. He hoped he could do something about this mess, and he hoped to hell that he could get as far away from Keshar as possible before well . He checked his scribbled napkin map . Well, nothing for it but four toes in front of three, eh, Mick? He chuckled to himself, and pushed on Hello everybody, how are y'all? This is yours, truly Alan Freed. Get your dancing shoes on and welcome to the Camel Rock and roll dance party . Hello and welcome back to a wasteland story. In the last episode of the show we left our heroine and her damp companion absolutely no steps closer to solving the mystery of what on earth is going on on Kesha, but deciding to solve that problem with Mikey's infamous moonshine, she doesn't much care at the moment. Inadvisedly, instead of hitting the hay with a paracetamol and some electrolytes. She decides it might be fun to go and see what all the kerfuffle is about over at the trading post, and perhaps find some answers as to why people have been going suddenly and violently mad all over town. Can Soskaid solve this mystery before time runs out and the Brotherhood descend on Newark, claiming all the all-important FEV sample for themselves? Will dog meat ever get dry and divest himself of that lingering wet dog smell? And will Saskaid get any helpful answers from this nice-looking bloke with the shotgun? Only time will tell as we pick up the story as Saskaid climbs, well, staggers, up the steps toward the aforementioned kerfuffle at the trading post. Which is a building so the trading post is a medium-sized desolate building in the edge of town, uses a makeshift marketplace for scavengers and traders from other settlements to do business. With a recent streak of cold and storms, business has not been good. Today the only two individuals in the trade posts are its quartermaster and a leather clad brutish-looking scavenger . So they witness an argument over payment. The scavenger draws a gun, gives the PCs the opportunity to break up the fight. So I'm gonna see if this actually happens. This is another way you can approach it. Is this possible things that can happen? So when she comes in, are they arguing ? I'm gonna give it as a I'm gonna give it as a very likely because it's in the book, but Mythic has a chance. That's an eighty-five . So yes, they are arguing. So she comes in, she sees this um scavenger and a and the quartermaster the scavenger pulls a gun Suskade stopped and rocked on the spot slightly. A figure stood at the the entrance to trading post door a flight of steps above her. Rain pounded heavily off his heavy leather trench coat as he stared tensely off to the right over town. Shoulders moving up and down in a heavy rhythm as he did. He was gripping something in both hands. Sh it. Her stomach went queasy, er, as a few remaining uninhibited brain cells tugged at her urgently. That's a shotgun. All of a sudden, the man appar,ently making a decision, turned 180 degrees on his heel and strode purposefully into the rectangle of light that was the trading post. He raised the gun. Shit. She had to do something. It looks like we can either try and threaten, disarm, or keep peace. So I think she's gonna try and disarm. Suskey's gonna try and disarm the scavenger. So as she walks in, it's a reasonably small building'.s She sort of coming up behind or to the side of both of them, and the fight breaks out. He draws a gun and starts shouting. On second thoughts, fuck that! The man shouted as he strode forward and suddenlyuskade stumbled up behind him as yet unseen. The quartermaster was frozen behind his counter, one hand reaching under the bar, a recently stilled smug grin still on his face. Every time it's another excuse Raiders, taxes, and yet I bring you your ship, regardless, like a fucking puppy dog. The man was visibly shaking with anger, Spittle freely flying. Suskade saw the quartermaster's eyes flicked toward her nervously as she took quiet but weaving steps to position herself behind the angry client. Rain pounded the roof, and Suskade felt a sudden surge of confidence. She'd defeated much scarier opponents than this guy, and he clearly was n't the brightest. She would drop her arms over his shoulders, pinning them to the side. The quartermaster would grab the gun, the man would cower, crying defeat, and she would be rewarded by the grateful citizens of Kesha with all of the information she needed to figure out what the hell was going on around here and she'd be the hero. Peace a piss, thought Suskade, suddenly channeling her father's comrade old Jim when he wanted to express that something was particularly easy. And she is going to try and quickly disarm him. So this is a difficulty three agility athletics, which is good for us. That's going to be a 12, but that's difficulty three and it's not tagged. So I'm going to buy a dice . 12. Oof. Pizza pizza, said Saskaid. A second later, the butt of the shotgun broke her nose. Not only did we fail, we got a complication so I think as he tries to sneak up and tries to disarm him and as she does that the complication is that he's going to hit or shoot her instead. He has a bloody shotgun. So she's close enough that she was trying to disarm him. So she's gonna do an unarmed strike against her, and he's gonna try and hit her with the gun, I guess. Suskade stumbled backward in surprise. Mouth immediately filled with blood. Then her body maid to move her out of the way of the blow she'd just met and amazingly ducked her out of the way of the second. The quartermaster is then Carmene's gonna try and um Is he going to try lethal force against the scavenger ? Dunno, 50-50, will he try lethal force? Extreme, yes. Things slowed down as the adrenaline of Suscaid's blood started to gain ground on the alcohol. The scavenger spun his shotgun around to point it at her head. Who the fuck are you? he shouted, shaking the gun in the air as he did. Stay out of this. As he went to turn back around to the quartermaster, The quartermaster aims his pistol right at the guy's head. Defense one. Right at the head . And he misses. The bullet from the quartermaster's revolver must have just missed the scavenger's head by mere centimeters as he jerked slightly forwards, pulled by Saskaied's clumsy disarm attempt. The man staggered into her and she fell back. She was vaguely aware of her perspective shifting 45 degrees and the wind being knocked out of her as she fell back flat on the wooden floorboards. Her normally excellent reflexes apparently having made absolutely no attempt to control or soften her fall. Her ears were ringing, and she lay still, slightly bewildered, but noting briefly that she was really very calm and there was no pain. Perhaps she had gone back to bed after all , she thought. That'd be nice. He tries to shoot him with the head takes aim straight at the head. The guy sort of steps more towards Suskate and then the bullet zips past just where his head was and zings off the back wall. And now we're in combat. Dr. Susan Drake sealed the final ancient yellow envelope and placed it carefully on the small pile on her green-lit desk. It was very late, but she couldn't go to bed yet. She needed more redundancies. This was too important . Was it enough? Sometimes she wished she was a fighter, skilled and brave like Marcus, or agile like that odd skinny vault dweller. But she knew that just wasn't her. Her value was in thinking, in research, in careful analysis and meticulous detail. To risk losing all that was stored in her head to some bloat fly in the wastes was just unthinkable. This was bigger than her. This was humanity. Well, what was left of it? She sighed and picked up an eyebot, checking again the scan description on the terminal before hitting enter and watching the little green bar fill. The eyebot gave a happy beep, and she slipped the top envelope of the pile into its little hold and clicked it firmly into place . She nodded to herself as she heard the tiny lock engage before sitting it down next to the others and peering out the window. The rain had started to slow, and there was still a few good hours before daylight. Against all odds, it was that skinny wastelander that she was putting all her faith in. She hoped, not for the last time, that it was well placed. Okay and we are back and a fight was just in the process of breaking out between a scavenger and the quartermaster there. Suskey had tried to disarm him, uh, failed. Um, the quartermaster tried to shoot him in the head, missed , and now we're going to pick up where we left off. And the first thing we're gonna do, I did decide this will be a new scene . So the first thing we're going to do is see if the scene plays out as expected. The expected scene is that Suskade and the Quartermaster get the scavenger under control, either lethal or not, we'll see. And she learns more about the local mystery and can keep going with that. So let us roll to test the scene. The chaos. We definitely weren't in control in the last scene, so the chaos has gone up to seven. And I'm assuming the storm is still raging outside. So let's see what we get . That's a one. It definitely does not go as expected, and because it's odd, it's an altered scene . Soskiad was aware of senses. She concentrated. In her ears there was a wine glass wine, hovering over the sound of shouts. In her eyes a sharp image of the side of the counter, but it kept slowly tipping forward before suddenly riding itself again only to go ahead and tip once more. There was an ache beginning to form at the back of her skull diffuse only the idea of pain. And under her back she felt a kind of arrhythmic rumble. Well that was odd, she thought. Let's roll another D ten to for the scene adjustment Okay, so one that makes sense to me is add a character. So I think someone maybe heard the gunshot and came in. Sasuke had watch theed counter continue its not quite falling loop as a sense of dread started to creep up on her. What was she doing? she thought. And then she saw it. A ten millimeter was lying innocently on the floor at the very edge of the coun ter. Well, she thought with an internal chuckle. You'd be in trouble if you'd lost your pistol in the middle of a firefight . Trouble. She realized. Shit. She was in danger. She had to fight. The rumbling feeling on her back was getting stronger, and reality came flooding back as she turned her head toward the entrance of the trading post And somebody comes in. First question is basically, is the person that comes in on the side of the scavenger or on the side of the quartermaster? So is it a is it support for the scavenger? I'm gonna put that at 50-50 because I don't know, but because the chaos factor is seven, that's a 75% chance. So is the person that comes in support for the scavenger? Eight . So that is an extreme yes. So I think actually that means it's two people come in. Two heavy booted figures stomped into the room, weapons raised, and fanned out on either side of the scavenger. For a moment there was no sound other than the unrelenting pounding of the rain as the four figures stood in a motionless stando ff. The quartermaster slowly tilted his pistol out of his grip and toward the ceiling in a sign of surr ender. No one else moved. The skinny girl on the ground apparently forgotten. So two more scavengers come in. I'm gonna assume they're the same. Stats and weapons. There is mates. Do they shoot or do they try and diffuse the situation? I think it's gonna call it fifty-fifty. Do they shoot? Yes they do. So they shoot first, ask questions later. Ooh, this is now scary. Soskade concentrated on the pistol on the floor. She could do it. She could get there. She counted down from three in her head and braced to move. So Suskade gets to act first . Now Soskade sprang into action by flipping herself over onto her hands and knees and scrambling forward. The second she did, the world exploded. Bits of timber and dust began tinkling all around her, accompanied by the sudden taste and smell of acrid smoke. She couldn't tell if they were firing at her or at each other, but she kept on scrambling, hands and toes now, toward the counter and the pistol resting on the floor. She needed to get it and get behind the cover of the counter if she had any chance at all to tip the balance. Shotgun, she heard herself thinking, somehow more sharply now. Double barreled, he's out. The pistol was getting closer and no bullets had hit her yet. Just a bit further. She grunted with the effort . And that is a crit! I cannot believe it. Soskade took a split second risk and rolled over her shoulder before she reached the gun with the aim to scoop it up and get behind cover in one smooth motion. Somehow it paid off. She felt the grip of the 10mm slot into her hand as she rolled, felt the light change as she moved behind the counter, pulled the slide of the pistol back and sprang to her feet. Her head was spinning, but the pistol was facing the right way. She relinquished control to her instinct, her hindbrain acting on automatic, and she fired. She's gonna take a shot at one of the guys with her hardened accurate 10 mil . Target number 13 tagged, and she's gonna go for the head without the extra difficulty using her sniper perk. That is two successes. So we get an action point. She felt time slow again as her trigger released its straining hammer. All of a sudden, Suskade's conscious brain caught up with her, and she saw that the three men were all turning away from her, their aims tracking the quartermaster as he dove for cover behind some metal shelving. All three to a man had the unmistakable grimace of adrenaline etched on their faces. Suskade's pistol kicked. She hits one of them. So when you use a second bullet and roll an extra die . It's a well known mathematical fact that the longer you shake a pool of dice, the better the chance for success Ooh, that's not good. Soskaid's pistol kicked and she saw the scavenger's hand jerk up to a narrow graze that had appeared along his temple. He stared at the hand for a second in shock, and looked up into Suscaid's eyes before pointing his gun at her head in return. Shit, she thought. That was Susqued's turn. The quartermaster then goes next with the next initiative, doing burst damage . He misses again, this guy is no good, he's not a fighter. He's just a shopkeep. Before she could react, the room was filled with a spatting sound. Everybody ducked away from the wildly rotating hand that had risen from behind the counter Sosuke had realized she was the only one not ducking for some reason and stood rooted to the spot, trigger of her pistol still in full pull from her last shot. Now we have the other three guys. First number one, he's gonna continue attacking the quartermaster. So he's gonna shoot at the shot, shoot with the shotgun . It's a miss too. Man, it is just chaos in here. Sosuke had looked around and tried to assess the situation as another pump of adrenaline seemed to straighten out her warm, wavering thoughts just for a moment. There was a hand reaching over the counter and pulling clicks at an empty submachine gun, ten millimeter SMG, and waving it around wildly. Friend. A man was perched on his elbows on the floor emptying shotgun shells into the front of the counter. Foe. But he needs to reload. Again. Okay, then the next guy gonna is gonna go. Um, the one who Suskade shot who's gonna shoot back at Suskade ? Okay, first . Are they gonna go for shooting or are they gonna go for Melee. There was someone else crouched behind a wooden post in the room. She hadn't noticed him before or seen him fire. Faux, probably . Her she corrected herself as she looked at the woman's eyes. There was fear there, and anger, directed at Suskade. Why? She thought for a split second before suddenly. Are they gonna shoot? Or use melee? 50. 50 . Where was the third? Her eyes focused back down her pistol sights as she released the trigger and felt another bullet slide into the chamber from the clip. Ah, she remembered, looking at him, looking at her down his own sights. There he is. Making it a hit and it is a random event. Jesus Christ. Get away from him, you bitch came a scream as Susco had squeezed the trigger half in a daze, still pointed at the man's head. As she did, she felt a body collide with hers, knocking her aim toward a small hole that suddenly appeared in the ceiling. Another shot rang out . And additionally . There is a PC posit ive . Okay . Soskey had stumbled backwards from the impact and looked down at her feet. There was a lot of blood there. She was starting to get dizzy again, her pistol arm hanging suddenly limply from her side. She looked at the woman's pain contorted face looking back at her, lying in a slow, stickily increasing pool. Oh . She thought. Whew . So they're shooting at Susque 8, which is difficulty 2. They missed the shot with a 9 and a 13. They needed an 8. So they actually hit their mate. And they're doing five vicious spread damage. And the PC positive is that not only do they hit their mate, but Suskay , Saskade manages to not get hit at all . So they're doing one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine damage bridge said the stunned looking man. Everything fell suddenly quiet. Even the rain's relentless pounding seemed to fade away to nothing. Fuck this. We've got to get out of here. There were tears in his voice. Suskade fell back hard on her tailbone, completely drained of energy and sense, pistol forgotten and bent awkwardly under her wrist . There was a flurry of movement as the two men picked up their fallen companion, one under the This is chaos. They go to shoot Susque ed. She steps back and they shoot him with the shotgun. Severing that major artery there. And he immediately falls over and cracks his head on the side of the thing and is knocked out and bleeding out. As if regaining consciousness itself, the sound of the rain returned. And Soska had wrapped her elbows around her knees, staring absently at the trail of blood mingling with tracked in muddy water. Her stomach churned, and after a few long moments of mild spinning, she began to haphazardly check herself for holes. There was shouting outside , numbly penetrating the sound of rain on tin. No! No, come back! I can't carry her! Bridge! Bridget ! Bridget Soskad looked over to the counter. The quartermaster was lying behind it, unmoving. Like a howl floated into the room, followed by the pounding of boots on the metal staircase to the entrance. The scavenger stood in the doorway, breathing heavily, water streaming down his face . He looked straight at Suskhaid. You he choked and raised his gun. If she doesn't stop the fight now, the quartermaster's probably going to die . So she says like seriously this is all just a misunderstanding we don't need to keep shooting let's put our guns down and work this out. Just wait, said Suskade. She was surprisingly calm in a numb sort of way. I'm not your enemy. I was just defending myself. Please, I don't care what you came to steal. Whatever you did is between you and him. She jerked her head to the quartermaster still lying motionless, and as she did felt for the cold of the pistol between her palm and the floor behind her. The man was visibly shaking, the physical and metaphorical weight of his gun drooping it slightly towards the floor. What we did to him? He spat incredulously. You have no fucking idea. Okay, okay, just put the gun down, okay? We we don't need to do this. She is a four Which she absolutely does not get. Fuck you, bitch, you killed her. He raised his gun at Suskade's head and gritted his teeth. Bridget she thought he heard him whisper. She says that, and he immediately he now trains his gun on her and says fuck you but she gets to take a shot first but she hits . There was a clatter as the scavenger's gun skittered across the floor, followed by the rumpling sound of his body falling. But the incessant pounding of the rain swallowed it up a moment later. Suskead was still sighting down her barrel at the now empty doorway, waiting with the last of her strength to see if anyone else came in. No one else did. Again in the head , because she is really well trained at this. And she can see that he doesn't really have any protection on his head . And we get one, two, three, four, five, six, seven She collapsed from her awkward crab-like position to the ground with a thud and stared at the ceiling as it rotated slightly. Seriously, Mikey? What What is in that stuff? She thought through the beginnings of a splitting headache. This was followed by a numb and mildly indifferent moment of self-reflection that that was her first thought after she'd just killed someone. As soon as he says fuck you and he's about to pull the trigger, she squeezes off a shot and hits him right between the eyes, and he just his legs kind of go out under him and he just falls back. And Sasuke is left sitting there panting with the quarter mask sort of crumpled on the floor and wavering. Suskade waits for a second with the gun trained at the door to see if anyone else comes in and when it remains quiet, she runs over to try and help the quartermaster So we're gonna see my expected scene is that the weather settles enough to allow Susguard to continue the investigation. I'm not sure if I'm gonna continue with this whole published thread just yet. I'm sort of itching to go see what Lake Town is all about, perhaps. And just sort of let the narrative build outside of this published thing. I've been enjoying the published adventure. I'm not sure yet. Let's see what the dice tell us to do. So, first thing is test the scene . Does the weather settle enough or rather test the scene, expected scene, the weather settles enough to allow Saskay continue the investigation. Chaos level of seven, we roll a ten. So yes it goes as expected Suskade woke with a red eyes flinging open like an unwanted bedroom curtain on a school day. Oh my God She said incredulously and threw her hands up to protect her exploding skull . She clawed her long, thin fingers into her short hair and massaged her skull . Oh my god ! she repeated and slowly became aware of the happy beeping that had unhappily roused her . She looked down and around for the source of the evil noise. Her pistol was crammed down the front of her vault suit, upside down and covered in mud, she noted with a frown to herself. Stupid . She drew a deep breath and took in her surroundings . Let's just roll quickly on the weather . Which tells us that Okay . So it says there's no change, so the weather is settled, let's just say it's drizzling. Now. The small room consisted of a simple but well crafted wooden door, two narrow beds, yin yanging the tin walls, each with a small desk opposite it, completing the metaphorical imagery. Susked revolved herself and sat down on the edge of the cot, leaning heavily on her knees. She was in Hawthorne's bed, and the beeping was coming from underneath her heavy coat, which had been laid out neatly on her o wn. Infamous indeed, she muttered to herself and leant over to lift up the coat. Underneath it lay her discarded pit boy. On it there was a little figure tapping his watch and foot in an impatient rhythm with a graphic of a calendar saying thirteen days left. Uh there are thirteen days remaining . So now that the weather has settled down a bit, we're gonna go to the town square and we're gonna see what else is happening in the published adventure . Um for that there, but we're also going to be open to the idea that something else comes up. So Suskade gets up in the morning, the weather settled down, she decides to go into the town square, notices out the window that perhaps there's a bit of movement, people are moving around, so she's gonna go from there and see who she can talk to . The mud was thick as ever on the tank floor, but there was a feeble sense of sunlight threatening to break through the clouds. Her head was pounding, and all she wanted to do was go back to bed, but her father had told her if you're responsible enough to drink too much, you're responsible enough to get on with it the next day. So it says here with the arrival of winter Okay, I'm not sure it's winter. The town square today is less busy. So let's say with the weather, the town square is less busy than usual, but there are several recognizable faces. Up in the marketplace, there was an unfamiliar feeling in the air . People were sitting on the edges of walkways, chatting and generally swinging their legs in an absent-minded childlike fashion. A few caught her eye and gave her a knowing smile or a grimace. How's the head? Someone she didn't shouted and she gave them an awkward smile in return. Still more people leaned against walls drinking from steaming mugs that were releasing a rich and wafting smell into the air . Wow, she thought. She'd never had a particular desire for coffee before, but now she realized that she'd never wanted anything more in her life. Okay. So the first thing we're gonna do is speak to one of the locals. As if manifested by that thought, a mug appeared in front of her. Slightly fuzzily, Susqueade followed the outstretched arm up into the smiling face of the mare . Thought you might need one of these, said Jessie with a knowing wink. Thank you, Suskade muttered and took the steaming mug. Then she realized what was different. You're all not working . Sright, said Jessie, hands on hips and chin high as she surveyed her town and her people. Would you believe I have to enforce it ? Otherwise, they'd just keep going and going . Suske took in the faces around her. They were smiling. They seemed happy. Contented . We're proud of what we've built here, and we worked hard for it. Together . Soskade nodded and felt a brief but intense feeling of loss. And there are forces out there who would take it all away from us. Forces bigger than even those b astard raiders bickering with one another . Suskade flinched and then was hit with a realiz ation. She turned to the mayor with a gasp. The quartermaster? Gerard? He's o kay. Resting up in the medical ward. Doc says he should make a full recovery . Soskade let out the recently gasped air in a lump. Okay , she said, nodding . I managed to get everything cleaned up first before anyone else got up . Soskia had noticed a crease of worry appear on the mare's forehead. They really needed the day off, you see, she said, half to herself. I'd like to go see him, said Soskaid, understanding. Jessie nodded. Anyone. We could have merchant. Who is the merchant here? Mikey? Does Saskai recognize anyone in the town square? I'm gonna say it's unlikely But she does. So I think the most thing is she recognises Mikey. Suskade couldn't smile as the ghoul merchant turned to her with a knowing glint in his eye, proffering a coffee pot. I hear you had a big one . Yeah, something like that, she said as she held her cup out under the flow of thick black caffeinated goodness. Thanks. She said, and cupped her other hand around it for warmth. Carefully blowing off a few errant wisps of rich smelling steam, she looked up through her fringe. It was starting to get a bit long. Should have to cut it again. Her eyes refocused and she saw the ghoul holding up a well tarnished brass plated Want me to uh make it a Mikey? he said, proffering the flask with a grin. Jesus Christ, no, Suskade replied with an involuntary chuckle. Hey, Marky went on, face changing suddenly to a more serious expression. Uh come with me, eh? I've got something for ya. Came in the night. Was hoping I'd see you before I uh head off for the day . For me , she said, and hurriedly followed the already walking ghoul towards the top story of the tank's central building. Mikey she comes up to Mikey and she says, Hey , do you have any news? Anything you can tell me, either about this murder or anything else that's going on with with UARC. Do you have any news? Now I think actually this is pretty likely because he's a merchant. You know, he knows a lot of stuff. So that's 85 , and we get a 33, which is a random event. And that random event is current context. Okay , so the current context is um let's look on our threads about the Kesha mystery makes sense and then we have and about New Ark. Ooh, okay. Saskade climbed through the window and into the mostly deserted interior building. Mikey was walking quickly and determinedly without looking back until he reached the front counter of his barcom workshop. As he did, Susquea had noticed him pick something up hurriedly off the counter and stuff it into his faded but fancy mini pocketed jacket. He turned to face her and pulled something else from a different pocket . So, he said as a breath There's an event that happens. It involves the Kesha miscre mystery and New Ark is involved somehow. Now maybe we go completely off book then if we get into newark. Let's see what the meanings table says to us. So we get uh um stop And personal . Okay . I think this means for personal reasons, which we'll find out what they are in a second, that Saskaiid is going to pause her investigation in Kesha because of something happening in Newark. So what is happening in Newark then Observe Cooper ation Okay . So I think what happens is um he says, Hey look , actually , I have a note for you. Soskad felt a little thrill of anticipation as she took the ancient yellowed envelope. It crinkled slightly in her hand. Her breath caught as she forced herself to turn it over. Written at the top of whatever address had previously been there, in a firm and confident but unfamiliar hand, was written Intended for the vaultsuit clad, thin of stature, young woman known as Suscade, Alone Wanderer . Suskade felt her rapidly beating heart sink before it suddenly rose into her throat. She wiped her eye quickly and internally scolded herself for stupid girlish hopefulness. How did this? She started , not giving away the quaver in her voice. Mikey waved another folded sheet in answer. When my boys on night duty picked this up they brought it straight to me. Couldn't mistake the addressee. Soskade lifted the already un stuck corner of the envelopes flap and raised an eyebrow. Yeah, sorry about that. Couldn't help yourself . Suskade smiled, despite herself. Mikey's didn't turn, however. He looked uncharacteristically gra ve. Well, we not mean . Good thing it was me that picked it up though, eh? I think you'll agree, said Marky with a worried-looking nod towards the envelope . Sofgade slid out the crinkling paper from its recycled housing and unfolded it with barely a shake of the hand. She began to read. Oh, is the message from Dr. What was her name ? Susan? Dr. Susan Drake ? Oh, extreme yes. Okay. So here's what's happened . Drake has managed to get a message to Keshar for the Wastelander, for Soskade, saying that she has to that she should obser ve her cooperation with the Brotherhood of Steel . Maybe it's not gonna be in every one's best interest that Suskade works with them. They do have similar goals. Okay, so what Susan Drake says is you have to cooperate with them in order to get in there and get the FEV, but then they can't they can't be allowed to get hold of the FEV because there's some kind of plot to use it maybe in an opposite way , maybe to use it as some kind of a weapon to wipe out non-humans . Ooh, that's rough. Suskai lay in Hawthorne's bunk, one wrist on her forehead, the other stretched out in the air holding Drake's note, re reading it for the hundredth time . She tried to identify her feelings. There was a dull feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. Well, that was always there. Anger? Betrayal? Why? She hadn't been betrayed. Why should she care? It was just a whole group of people with hopes and dreams of good and evil like everyone else. K ids, families, couples. She caught a flash of Daisy speared to the kitchen wall and promptly threw up. Yuk , she said to herself and swore also for the hundredth time that she would never drink again. She had to get moving, do something, figure out what was going on. If she lay here feeling sorry for herself any longer, she might just lose the plot. She pulled out the sticky list it note from when she'd first met the mayor and taken on the c ase. Ah she thought to herself. Who do I think I am? She looked at the last uncrossed scroll in her own barely legible handwriting. The medical centre, question mar k. Well, nothing else for it, she said to herself with a groan, swung her legs out over the cot, and stood up with only the hint of a wobble. Right then . Okay . So the only place we haven't been is the clinic. So I think we're going there. She goes to the last place she hasn't been to yet, which is the clinic. And when the PCs enter the clinic, read the following. The clinic st'ser ile waiting room was flanked by a door on one side and a long hallway leading to four curtained rooms on the other . There were also cots laid out in an organized fashion, atop a few of which lay motionless bodies. It was eerily qu iet . Hello , called Suskade into the still space. The call probably not loud enough to be effective in its purpose. So Suskade walks in sort of cautiously. Um it does appear to be a working clinic, so she's not too worried about anything just yet. But then again, she did just nearly get killed in the trade post. So she is cautious and she goes up to the front desk to see if there's any indication of if anyone's around. Hello she called again, only slightly louder. No answer. She tiptoed towards the empty admin desk, peering over its edge and surreptitiously lifting the corners of a few files that lay there. And atop the desk are several files that suggest there's an alarming number of new cases involving town residents having trouble with memory Suska had let out a low whistle through her teeth, all thoughts of subtlety out the window as she picked up the large stack of files and started flicking through them large chunks at a time. The mayor had really undersold how bad the problem was getting in their initial meeting. I think in our version of this story, it's not because of the institute, which is what supposed this adventure is supposed to be about. I think in our version of the story, um I think there's a plot, and this is why the NCR and the Brotherhood want a sample of the FEV, but I think there's a plot to develop sort of a watered-down version of the FEV. I believe that what they had to do to turn real supermutants with the FEV is dip them in vats of the stuff. And the master himself became like he was 'cause he fell in a vat and was exposed for way longer than anyone should be. So I think there's a plot with Wright to produce and develop a um like a diluted version of the FEB that could FEV that could be distributed quietly through the water systems to slowly turn people into super mutants without causing alarm and without having to like go and get go and capture people and dip them in these vats . And I don't think they know if it's gonna work y et. I think they've done some testing. Maybe the sister, Adrienne, was one of the first one of the earlier test subjects, and they're working out the dosage. And I think I think that they are testing it on Kesha now because they have a water supply and in fact getting the FEV into their water reserves would be a wonderful way to spread it through the area because this is a hub for water . So I think that's what the plot is interesting . And maybe one of the side effects is because they're ghouls and they're already radiated, maybe they're not turning into um supermutants slowly, but rather it's just fucking with their heads. And so I think that's what's going on. All presenting with stomach cramps and mild nausea, followed by unconsciousness. Upon waking a short time later , apparent and nearly complete memory loss . Saske jumped at the unfamiliar voice and she spun around, freezing in decision paralysis if she should draw her pistol or a knife. Her head was so foggy . She relaxed as she saw the friendly but frowning face of a mature woman in a white coat holding a clipboard to her chest. The lone wanderer, I presume? it said. Susu had looked guiltily at the ground and mumbled. Sorry I was looking for may I? The woman said, sounding surprisingly more curious than angry. She extended a gloved hand and Suske deposited the document she was holding into it. Come with me, she said, and turned on her heel before walking smartly up the short corridor and into a small office at the end. The desk within contained a meaningful mess of files, folders and bits of paper. Soskade noticed a small eye bot with a yellowing envelope sat on the desk's edge. Forty-four. We have a random event . Involving Cash mystery and the NCR. What's the nature of this event ? Befriend ? Building . So I think we're gonna befriend someone in the building who has ties to the NCR. Sit, why don't you ? She obeyed, wondering why she was feeling like a kicked puppy. Soskade sat as the doctor leant back in her chair and crossed one slender leg over the other. Now, said the woman in the white coat, tell me about Joseph. She suspects that it's something to do with the water source ? I mean it's not necessarily the first leap that you would go to. They have purified water there, but the fact that it's so widespread. Um, she was narrowing down what is something that everybody comes in contact with, and the one common thing that everybody in town comes in contact with is their main water source. Suscade considered the woman before her. She had a kind face and intelligent eyes, crinkling at the edges. Her hair was dark and her skin quite pale, but it suited her. There was an air of confidence about her that made Suskade want to sit up straight up The doctor raised an eyebrow and Suscaide dropped her gaze awkwardly, catching a small ankle tattoo only partially covered by the woman's tight carved jeans as she did. A roaring bear with two heads under a red star . Right, said Suske, taking a breath, and she told her everything. So she has a tattoo, and I think from memory the the insignia on the NCR flag is that of a um I think it's a bear. But Suskade recognizes it. Dr. Shannon Arlow put down her clipboard and uncrossed her legs. She'd only taken a note or two for the eternity that it felt like Soskade had been speaking. There was a long silence, and the cathode ray wine from the doctor's terminal seemed to slowly take over the small space. Suskade felt her face start to grow hot until eventually doctor Arlo smiled . You've put a lot of faith in me right now, wanderer . Suskade squirmed a little in her chair. Had she been naive and foolish again ? But no, this whole situation wasn't even her problem, was it? Why was she feeling so responsible and loyal to a small town mayor she'd only just met ? I um I I recognize your tattoo , blurted out Suskade by way of covering her doubts. The doctor's hand twitched toward her newly crossed ankle for a moment and seemed to be considering something. Well that's interesting, she said . Order, progress , democracy . These are the words that would one day spread through the west of the North American wasteland. A faction would one day emerge in the rubble of the wastes in the diverse backgrounds of the denizens of Vault 15. This faction would slowly form, then rise, then stand. Stand for justice and personal liberty and the rule of law. They would become a republic and a central The new California Republic. The NCR . A movement of the ideals of the old world. But they wouldn't have it easy. Over the century to come, they would face threats from within and from without. Competing for control over the region with New Reno, from the marauding armies of Caesar's Legion in the Mojave, and ultimately from, the nuclear destruction at its birthplace, a once humble village known as Shady Sands . Order, progress, democracy. But in our story, all of that is yet to come. And while our erstwhile narrator constantly refers to the NCR, it is still just the inkling of a yet unnamed idea in the heads and hearts of ordinary people, just trying to survive and carve out their place in this horrific ally unforgiving world . For justice, for personal liberty, and for the rule of law. So how to think about it, I think basically, it's that um so this doctor does know Susan, I think that makes more sense. I think the NCR have a bit of a network collecting information, and they have shared but different goals to the Brotherhood. So both want to neutralize the FEV, obviously, but the Brotherhood also want to use the FEV to reverse it so that they can wipe out non-humans. And so what um the doctor tells us is that it's important like you have to work with the the brotherhood, but there's no way they're gonna let you go free afterwards. You know too much. I hope you appreciate just how important a piece you've somehow become in this whole mess, said Shannon frankly, leaning forward, elbows on knees in front of Suskade. They'd been talking for hours and it was well into the dark of early morning . We need that sample and a copy of the formula. We need it so that we can try and reverse engineer and synthesize a substance that can neutralize its effects. If indeed this sickness is being intentionally spread, then it's much likely much bigger than just Keshar in Newark. And if it is in this facility that you spoke of, or more likely locked in Newark itself, then we will need the Brotherhood's help to get in there. Help that currently only you have access to . Suske had made to disagree, and for the hundredth time that evening proved to the doctor that she wasn't capable, but the doctor silenced her with the wave of her hand. There is something else . The Brotherhood. They can't be allowed to get their hands on it themselves. Shannon paused and let the unspoken words sink in . And it seems like you may have gotten close to some of them, she continued . Soska had felt a hollowing feeling as she was handed the letter Shannon had been holding. It had doctor Susan Drake's now familiar handwriting on it outlining what she suspected the beauty Okay, so it also says that the doctors uncovered a signal . Or rather the NCR have uncovered a signal transmitting to a hidden device in a specific coordinate in the wilderness nearby. I personally helped set up the initial water table that got Keshar pumping in the first place, said the doctor. She pulled out a pre-war hydrogeological map entitled Umpqua Basin. The main underground feed comes from here. She pointed to a spot just southeast of Kesha , which is where we set up the initial draw. Sosco had nodded, starting to feel a prickling sensation of understanding. She spun Drake's sketch on the table towards her and double checked the coord inates. Referencing them to a point on the map further away from town, she traced her finger back along a very thin line. It wound its way down the crinkling paper and intersected with the main water source close to Kesha. The pieces suddenly fell into place in Soskaid's head. It's in the water, she whispered. Exactly, said Shannon, standing and beginning to pace the small room. I've already sent word to Jesse to cut off the water supply and start distributing our older stockpile of bottled water to the citizens . Soskaid nodded and then frowned. So the fact that Dr. Drake came up with those exact coordinates like you somehow means that there is something there, said Shannon, finishing the sentence. She says if there's a way to save the town , then it may have something to do Our oldest backup water stocks won't last long. We need to get up there and cut off whatever is distributing this stuff into the water. Then you need to get to this gala place and go in with the Brotherhood. But you have to get And the doctor stood. Just a moment, she said, and promptly left the room. Okay . So I think that's where we're at . Um So we say okay, we still have a little bit of time, we're gonna go and see if we can find this device and figure out what it's doing and if it might be the key to A figuring out who is doing this, is it the Brotherhood or is it right ? It's gotta be right, right, right. Soske had sat back and let out an exasperated breath. She didn't know how to feel. On one hand it was a relief that to know all of her actions so far had apparently been important, had been for something. But she wasn't capable of saving the wasteland. She wasn't capable of saving anyone, not Ea, not Marcus or Ramirez. She was barely capable of saving herself. She choked on the image of the dying boy in the facility, pleading in his eyes. You have to tell them, he had said, or no one will be able to stop the FEV . Maybe it was safer in the Brotherhood's hands. She didn't really know anything about Shannon or Susan Drake or whatever network they were building other than a feeling of trust towards them, but her feelings seemed to always be getting her in trouble . Suskade was suddenly aware of a muffled sort of grumbling sound coming from the waiting room, and then a distinct, calm down, help me get him over here and tie him down . She listened for a moment and then stood up suddenly, nearly knocking over her chair with the back of her knees as she did. Something was wrong. She thought and walked warily but swiftly out of the door and toward the waiting room, hand instinctively resting on the butt of her pistol as she did. When the PCs leave the room, they return to the waiting room, and it's no longer empty when she returns. There's several townsfolk um standing there between you and the door. Soskade walked into the waiting room. Something felt wrong. Doctor Arla was strapping down a vaguely struggling ghoul to one of the triage cots lined up against the wall. Another figure was lying motionless on the floor. Here, hold this, please, Jessie, said the doctor, reaching out her hand behind her without looking. There was an eerie silence, and the doctor's hand hung there for a moment. Something was wrong. Jessie, the doctor said again. Let's keep reading. Jessie Pettigrew is there, and she steps forward, speaks in a strange whispering voice. I don't know you, said Jessie in a strange whispering voice. I don't know you, she repeated, turning to Suskade. I don't know . Suskade froze, and for a second nothing moved, nothing other than the ten millimeter pistol that was wavering slightly in front of her face before a pair of reddening eyes. She heard her heartbeat, once , twice, and then all hell broke loose. Thank you for joining me today for another chapter of A Wasteland Story. It is my honor to continue this crazy labo of loveur into a brand new year, and I want to thank each and every one of you here for your enthusiasm, commitment, and patience as we work our way towards this final act of the first season of this show. This story, these characters, this whole mutated thing is just so important to me. And although things have slowed down a little on the production side with work commitments and of course the other projects that I keep somehow coming up with and committing to, for better or worse, I absolutely treasure and adore every minute I get to contribute to creating a wasteland story, and I'm so glad that there are people like you out there listening and following along. If you are into solo role-playing but somehow are still unaware that I have a whole other show, you should definitely go and check out the Solo RolePlayers podcast, on which I have it on reasonably good authority to say there just might be something featuring some pretty significant fallout news in the not too distant future. This month, in fact. Thank you as well as always to the usual musical suspects, whom you can read all about in the show notes. Stay tuned for what's to come and I'll catch you next time when we return for another episode of A Wasteland Story. And until then, if you find yourself beginning to turn green, make sure to drink lots of fluids, tie yourself to a chair, and get a good night's sleep. Bye.