Characters:
Title | We May Be In Business |
---|---|
Scene Synopsis | When a mysterious merchant comes rolling up on Nazareth's warehouse, Liette becomes aware of Zela's plan and decides to throw herself in the direction of a plan to secure the FEV virus. |
IC Date | February 16, 2194 |
OOC Date | August 6, 2009 |
Logger | Lie |
League City, Nazareth's Warehouse
Someone's been observing the warehouse from afar. From— very afar. He didn't even come close until recently, and that took a lot of easing through the streets. There's the click-click of boots hitting the ground, before a man suddenly rounds the corner— one hand held aloft. Browned by the sun, with sweaty locks of gray plastered to his forehead, a muscular looking man clad in a shined metal breast-plate and black leather pants comes stomping up towards the warehouse. In his hand? A white kerchief, flicked back and forth, whilst his other hand is held at ear level. There's a smile adorning his handsome face, heavy-lidded eyes fixated upon the group.
Zela glances down at Liette. "He left…" she mutters. "I think he's with…Nazareth." she replies. "What did you…need?" she asks. She sniffs at the air, and turns in the direction of the latest arrival. "Another visitor." she insists. "My signs must not…be fearsome enough." she muses. "Smells human." She trudges towards the figure, finally seeing the handkerchief. "Aaah."
Amylynn cheers and turns around and starts walking back to the super mutant "She's not hanging out but that means she's a neghibor! So if she's still her tomorrow we need a house warming party!" she pauses "Hmm but with weather so nice who needs to warm the house…." she looks at Harvey with her rifle shifting to both hands. Watching the man she looks at him curiously and the kerchief and slowly approches him.
Glancing up at Zela, Liette narrows her eyes and looks towards the warehouse with a sigh, "God damnit, Ghoul." The terse whisper to herself comes as Zela's beginning to trudge off towards another arrival. Keeping her distance this time, and already biting back her own whispered curse in Blondie's disappeared direction, Liette focuses on the stranger with a narrowing of her eyes. For now, she's just going to watch the exchange, she's tried to be diplomatic enough for one day.
"Good day," He yells smartly at the mutant, a military clip bucking at the back of his voice, "No, I assure you, the signs are quite unsettling. I've been hiding for the past— uhhh— while, waiting for the fellow with the gun amd the trigger-finger to go somewhere else." By the relaxed way he walks to Zela, hands still up, it must be because he's already aware of how open this Mutie Army Base actually happens to be. Harvey stops short of zela, dropping the kerchief as he looks past her to get a glance-over of Amylynn and Liette. "Look a little pasty to be mutants."
Amylynn keeps her rifle at the ready, her nose and lip twitches visably…. "And who says I'm not just as trigger happy eh?" she keeps the weapon between her and the man and moves cauiously. Her right eye twitches at the man… the girl seems to maybe have lost it or is about to as her face twitch and contorts in strange ways. She dips the barrel of the gun down picking the kerchief up and in one motioin she raises the barrel, and with her left hand grabs the cloth…. her face contorts further…. maybe the crazy girl finally lost it "Yeah…this is what I need…. a release…this will be exactly what I need." her voice turns ominous…the twitch increases…. then in a sudden violent motion……
Shifting her weight to one foot, Liette narrows her eyes as she watches the distant exchange, covering her face with her bandaged hand as she shakes her head slowly, grumbling a sigh of oh god who are these people into her palm.
"I wouldn't doubt it." Harvey's slowly come down, and he bends slightly to make a grab for the cloth. However, as he is still moving fairly slowly so that he doesn't happen to alarm any of the present females (and ambiguous mutant) it is Amylynn who snatches it first. He raises his eyes to her face, hands still up as he queries the mutant. "Am I about to be shot by one of your spies?" He takes a step back, one lower hand moving around his back as though to grasp something. Then, when he sneezes, he releases a bright and loud laugh— and folds his arms on his chest. "Well, I think you can keep it, now."
Zela snorts, glancing from Amylynn to Lie once more. Getting the idea that neither of them is going to attempt diplomacy, she reluctantly resumes speaking. "Why are you…here?" she queries. "We have had many…visitors. It is very…odd."
Amylynn smiles and nods "Thanks." she puts the new chief in her pocket." she looks at him and hmmms "You been watching us for a while then, cause I was watching to…" she hmms and looks to Zela and back to the man "Yeah, odd with the random people and all…." she looks at him and hmm "Are you with the other girl?" she mention Elliot and looks where she vanished to and back and grumbles "Big Z…there are to many people to remember. How will I know who to shoot and not shoot." she flips her white hair back and looks to Lie as she face palms "Eh? You ok?"
Realizing that motion was noticed, Lie just smiles hesitantly towards Amylynn and starts moving towards the warehouse wordlessly. Liette comes to settle down on crumbling stairs at the edge of the parking lot. Her eyes focus over towards the conversation for a moment, until she starts unbuckling her armored gauntlet, removing one strap after another, laying out the pieces down onto the concrete, fishing for a screwdriver and pliers in her toolbelt, picking up the segmented armor plates while tapping at rivets and screws, working the screwdriver around on loose screws. Occupying herself this way, it keeps her from getting antsy around so many new people.
"I wasn't aware of that. I was on a merchant route when my caravan encountered difficulties," some genuine stress tightens his voice, "and I lost my partner and the load." Ge looks towards the young guard, frowning, "…No, the woman was a surprise to me, too. I was going to come over, but someone pulled a gun and I decided to wait it all out." His expression has returned to some seriousness, eyes searching Zela's face for a hint of sympathy. But his head tilts towards Amylynn when she calls out to Liette, who has seemingly disappeared. "I just want to rest before I pick up my route, would it be all right if I sat here? I could keep watch."
Zela glances over Harvey again, closely. "Fine…fine." she says. "Feel free to…stay. A warning…hacking the…robots is…futile. It will only…get you killed." She motions back towards the building. "We have…stew cooking."
"I wasn't aware of the robots. I think …" He doesn't feel inclined to go inside. "I think I'll wait out here until I can walk out of here without falling asleep on my feet." Harvey's head tilts downwards, pale eyes searching his own front. A hand is jammed into a pocket, searching. "I have a few caps if you want them." He digs around, pulls out a paltry amount of five, and holds them out to the pair. His expression is entirely serious, even if the payment may seem laughable. "I'm sorry about your parents, that must have been awful. I was blessed that they lead full lives."
Zela shakes her large head atop her thick neck. "I don't…need caps." she says. "I don't…value money." She glances towards Amylynn. "I have…such family too. Or did. They are…all mutants now." Back towards Harvey. "What…do you trade? Is your caravan…still there?"
Amylynn blinks "Ummm I didn't say they died I just know the nightmare of always worrying bout losing everyone…I thought you lost yours." she smiles "Oh well it's ok then." she shrugs "Yeah don't need caps….buttttt if ya have any sugarbombs or cola I'm game…" she giggle. "I though ya said you lost your caravan and all…"
"I sell basic living amenities. Food, water, clothing, sometimes I'll have some clean medical supplies." He says without hesitation, looking distraught. "This was a particularily good sell, too. I was just taking them out to a camp but I— well. … No, it isn't still back there, and I wouldn't advise anyone to go. I'm sure the merchandise is long gone by now." He rubs at his head, repocketing the caps into his pocket. A somber smile pulls at Harvey's face, and he grins just a touch towards Amylynn. "… Fresh out of nuka cola, m'dear."
"My family…has no memory." Zela clarifies to Amylynn. "We were…captured by the army of the…Master. The people I once knew…no longer exist. Their minds were not…strong enough to survive the…pain of the transformation." She grunts. "Super Mutants can withstand pain…greater then you can imagine. And its not…because of our…biology. You…have no idea. Those burning alive…have no idea. I consider them…long dead."
Amylynn looks to Zela "So your people turned into mutants? I know ghoul have radiation…my dad read lots of science books….but how do they change people to mutants?" she frowns "The worst thing in the world is to forget yourself…." she gets gloomy but then perks up "Guess that's why I'm the way I am…I never wanna forget enjoying life even if it is hard."
"I didn't want to say it earlier, but you are the first Super Mutant in my life I've had a conversation with. In fact, I don't think I've ever been this close to one of you before. Are there— are there others like you?" Harvey finally lets his fascination break for the Mutant, eyes searching the tall figure up and down. He seems to be engrossed in her physiology to the point of obession; observing musculature, skin tone, height, and any physical abnormalities she may possess. Much like a repairman looking at a brand new spankin' Lamborghini. Then, noticing he may be staring too hard— blinks, and frowns. "I'm— I'm sorry, I apologize for that."
Zela shakes her head. "Ghouls are not the…result of radiation." Zela says. "They…believe so. Most sceintists…believe so. But they…are wrong. It is a…simplistic…mistake to make because…you must be irradiated to become…a ghoul. But that is…not the cause…it is a…vector." She then turns her attention towards Harvey.
"It…is fine. There are…many…many of us. We come from…the West. We served an…artificial god…called the Master."
Amylynn listens by tell Harvy "We ran caravans all over… You'd be amazed at what is now human. I met two good super mutants…Three now." she looks at Zela "Well good as in they don't act like they need to squish everything. I saw a lot of strange things in our caravan….then again we were well armed and protected…" she hmms and looks to Zela "Master? So he turned you into a mutant?"
"That's fascinating." And it seems it really is, because Harvey just watches the Mutant for a few more moments before turning his attention to Amylynn, querying her lightly. "I am of the suspicion that most of you are not turning this warehouse into a permanent residence. Are any of you leaving perchance? Might like to follow a group, if possible." Safety in numbers.
Zela grunts. "Yes." she replies. "He did. He was…better then most. He realized that humanity…could do so much if it…would stop fighting…and being racist…and greedy. That if we all..fought for what we believed…we would not need…anything else. He was…killed by others…who believed…otherwise. And so…his dream died." She nods towards Harvey.
"I will…be leaving soon…with a ghoul…and perhaps others. You may…come. Any may…come."
Amylynn listens "If Blondie goes and boss oks it i'll go…." she looks to Harvey "All up to the boss really…"
"Nobody leaves until Nazareth says so." The sudden chiming in of a young girl who talks a few years older than she should is abrupt. Working her metal-plated fingers open and closed, Liette's pale eyes are upturned towards the caravan merchant as she steps out from behind Zela's silhouette, nose wrinkled from the considerable aroma of sun-dried super mutant. "Not anyone on the payroll, anyway. I've got about another days worth of work to do on those robots, and I know Blondie won't high-tail it out of here until the Doc says so."
Rolling her armored wrist around, Liette looks from the merchant to Amylynn, then Zela, then up to the merchant. "Liette," she offers out her bandaged hand, instead of the metal one. "What brings you all the way out here?"
"You and that trigger-happy one? Well, as long as you're the one introducing us, but I think I'm going to steer clear of him." He smiles at the mutant for another moment, then twists slightly to face the younger woman. "Well, I'll just follow whoever goes. I'm not exactly armed at the moment," he lifts up his arms, showing off a lack of weaponry. "But I may be of some help on the road." That is, of course, until Liette speaks. Harvey's eyes flicker to the right and roam over her, an eyebrow jutting sharply upwards. "Blondie is another girl, I presume?" A hand is extended, it being thoroughly calloused and tattooed with strange, oblong circles. He grips the girl's hand lightly. "Trading. Making a living. Getting attacked. Running away. The usual."
Zela grunts at Liette. "You ….do not understand." she replies, but does not elaborate. "In any…case. I will…leave soon. Perhaps alone…perhaps with others. In a day or two, at…the most."
"Blondie's the trigger happy Ghoul," Liette notes with a wrinkle of her nose, glancing up at Zela curiously, then back down to the merchant. "I don't know if Nazareth plans on hunkering down and fortifying out here, but if he does he's going to need to establish caravan routes for fresh food supplies, this isn't really fertile ground to set up a farm on."
Edging away from Zela, Liette's eyes focus up on her despite the distant movements. She consider something, then quietly shakes her head and looks back up to the merchant. "I didn't catch your name," she adds with all of the polite interrogative attitude of a pre-war police officer.
"I'll keep that in mind." Harvey says, looking up at the warehouse. It seems to be a place one could fortify, and it has the added bonus of being near his route. However, the man doesn't appear to be particularily interested for the moment. Perhaps it's because of the two more apparent figures in front of him. "I'm John, John Roswell. It's a pleasure to meet you." He nods to Liette, eyes settling back on her.
"I…" the Super Mutant begins, "…am Zela. If you wish to come with…me….you will be welcome. I may need someone…who can speak well. There will be…great treasure…if we succeed…or death…if we fail. But…if we…do what…I wish…and find it…all who come…will be very wealthy…and perhaps…someday…very long lived."
"Pleasure t'meetcha John." The young girl offers a slight nod, looking back to the warehouse for a moment, distractedly, because all of the sudden Zela has all of Liette's attention. "Wait, what?" The young girl looks up with a puzzled expression, apparently not having listened to a word Zela was talking about with Iona and the others earlier. "What… kind of treasure are we talking about here?"
"Well, Zela, I am a man inclined towards conversation." Harvey does venture towards Zela, "I could be a useful addition in that regard." After sweeping a lock of gray hair behind one ear, he lifts a hand and extends it to the large Mutant. He holds it out solidly to her, seemingly unfrightened of disease or harm coming from her. He must either be incredibly brave, or just incredibly trusting. "I didn't catch your name— ?" He asks Liette.
Dark brows furrow together as Liette flicks a confused stare at the merchant. "Liette," she reiterates, "I gave it when I offered the handshake," she adds. The young girl's brows crease even further as she stammers out, "The Ff— " her words cut off entirely, jaw snapped shut to trap down on the remaining letters of that infamous acronym. She tenses up, forcing a smile and nods her head.
"Pre… Pre-war military base," her eyes cast to the side, then back up to Zela. "Alright. How's this sound…" Suddenly, she's interested in something else, a grab at her attention. "You stay here as long as it takes for me to fix up Nazareth's robots, and then I talk to him about coming with us and bringing the Sentry Bots. If you're going to a pre-war military base, I'd like to come along. I've got a…" she chooses her words carefully, "…pretty extensive knowledge in that area, might help you out some. But if we can have those Sentry Bots backing us…" her head inclines towards Zela, suddenly willing to do anything with the super mutant? "I'd like in."
"A pre-war base? And how are you going to find it?" Harvey asks quietly, seeming to turn these thoughts over in his head. This all presents a lot of danger for the man, and he doesn't seem to be completely comfortable with the idea of risking his neck to get into a station. However, he folds his arms behind his back, sending Liette one more distracted and apologetic glance. "I'm sorry, but I must admit I'm overwhelmed." So much information, so much opportunity, the man is at a crossroads. He lifts one hand to rub his lower lip, staring off into the distance to process. "… I'd like to join you, then. And if this girl— if Liette— can convince this fellow to bring his arsenal… We… May be in business."
"Forced…Evolutionary…Virus." Zela completes for Liette, each word spoken by itself. "The robots will…probably not leave. And Nazareth…wishes to stay. He has…all the power he wishes. But I do not…desire power. I merely desire…to help others."
"I…will as the pre-war ghouls…at Nasa." Zela explains to Harvey. "If they do not know…they will know a lead. I will search. I…will find it. No matter…how long it takes. I already…have part of what I need."
Turning then, she peers towards Liette. "And I…will offer…a choice. In addition…I hope…to let Ghouls…and Super Mutants…breed. But…I will probably…die first. But…all life…deserves the chance…at freedom. Since I consider…my life…doomed…I can either…be as greedy as I want…with no reprecussions…or…as kind. I choose…kindness."
Something uncertain shadows Liette's expression as she listens to Zela, swallowing it down as she adds, "The robots will go wherever I— " she grimaces, "wherever Nazareth tells them to. That's what he's got me working on, repairing and reprogramming them so they move. Trust me, if he's as interested in two robots as he is, I imagine he'll be even more interested in doubling or tripling that number. The sheer amount of tech at a military base…" she breathes out a heavy sigh. "Zela," it's the first time she's really spoken the mutant's name. "Trust me on this one…"
Looking over to the trader, then back to Zela, that Cheshire smile from Liette begins to form across her lips again. "I can be very persuasive. We'll get Naz's help, he'll go where the treasure is. I know his type." Or maybe she just knows her type very well.
At Zela's admission that she is traveling to the destroyed aeronautics facility that is full of Ghouls in hopes of getting information about a pre-military base that is probably full of a large amount of dangerous robotics, Harvey's eyes glaze over again as he thinks. "Yes, try and convince the man.." He's distracted. His posture slackens a little, but the man blinks again and nods at the pair. "Yes, you are quite right, everyone deserves…"
Zela grunts. "Nazareth and I…have different…philosophies. I could…have had the robots. I…turned them on. I…hacked the mainframe. I…could have had them. But I…gave Nazareth the password…and the keycard…because they tempted me…into greed. Nazareth…is very greedy. I…am not. Our paths…must diverge…eventually." She grunts. "We should…get to sleep. It is getting…very…very dark."
Harvey seems to be ambivalent to the subject. "Well, as they say, —to greed, all is insufficient." He rolls his shoulders and sits on the concrete, resting his back against a wall.
Zela goes back to stand underneath the bloody sign. "I will…stand guard. You two…may sleep."
Liette looks up towards the sky, noticing the sun has finally dipped down below the western horizon and the jagged skwers of ruined buildings jutting up from it. She nods her head, biting down softly on her lower lip as she takes a few steps away from Zela, nodding slowly. "I… I still have work to do on the sentries, but afterwards, maybe. It— it's been a very long day."
And from the sounds of their plans, it's going to be a very long month.