Iron and Isotopes
Ch. 12:
Simon couldn’t recall his last true relationship. He’d had his crushes to be sure, but nothing that ever went anywhere. Now, a century later, he felt even more out of his depth.
Jack took Simon’s awkwardness in stride, though was a bit more physical for obvious reasons. Simon was thankful he’d lost the ability to blush. Who gets embarrassed by holding hands?
Sam the Eyebot hovered forwards they walked along the old drawbridge.
“Step carefully, easy to lose balance.”
Jack stopped, tapping at the broken asphalt with his staff.
“Hold on, where are we? I smell salt water and it’s different than you,” he said, smiling as Simon lightly elbowed him in the ribs.
“Cute. We’re on an old drawbridge. Looks like it’s…stuck?”
“Good stuck or bad stuck?”
“Stay there,” Simon said, walking to the edge of the bridge. “HA! There’s a tugboat stuck in between the damn thing!” He drew his gun, now well used to having to use it. His first human kill had bothered him for a month or so, even if it had been self defense. Now, he didn’t even think twice.
Simon jumped to the now tilted helm, going down the makeshift ramp. There were two dead…dolphins? near a cooking station. Someone had camped here in the past. Simon aimed a kick at one of the carcasses only to suddenly be showered in gore.
“Having fun, babe?” Jack called from the drawbridge.
“I…kicked a dead mutant…dolphin thing…and it exploded…”
Simon could hear Jack howling in laughter.
“Yeah, dolphish do that. Nobody can figure out why. It’s why you can’t eat em. Are you coming back up or should I go to you?”
Simon shook some of the gore off himself.
“I’m gonna swim back to get cleaned off, meet me at the shoreline.”
Simon jumped off the edge of the boat, thankful he couldn’t feel the temperature of the water. He made it to shore, lying on the sand to catch his breath and to process what had just occurred.
“Ya know, mirelurks are gonna be all over this beach by dusk,” said Jack, holding out a hand to help him up. “We should probably get moving.”
Simon grabbed the blind man’s hand and got to his feet. Jack wrinkled his nose.
“You smell like a cannery. Diamond City isn’t far, maybe I can bribe a guard to let you in.”
Simon slicked back his hair, pulling it back into a low ponytail.
“Diamond City?”
Jack nodded.
“Yeah, biggest settlement in the Fens. Used to be some kinda… what’s the word…arena?”
Simon could see the crudely painted signs showing directions to this so-called city. He’d never been one for sports but even he’d visited Fenway Park in the past.
“Hang on. They turned a fucking baseball stadium into a city?”
“Thing’s fortified to hell, why wouldn’t they? Though they really don’t like ghouls so maybe we should set up camp first….”
Simon chuckled as Sam hovered forward, happily playing “Crawl Out Through the Fallout”.
“All things considered, I never realized how bleak that song is now,” said Simon.
“Oh fuck, I never really paid attention to it. I can have Sam change it,” Jack replied.
“Nah, tune’s catchy.”
They made camp on the outskirts of Diamond City, Jack chatting up a city guard while Simon slipped a bandana over the lower half of his face.
“Keep your ghoul away, buddy. They’re as bad as fucking Synths,” the guard was saying.
“And deny a blind man his seeing-eye ghoul? That is discrimination to the both of us, thank you,” Jack replied. “We just need a hot meal and some fresh supplies. Be outta town right after.”
Simon saw Jack slip a handful of caps into the guard’s hands.
“…Fine. You have an hour to get your shit and go.”
Simon shot the guard a glare as he walked past, looping his arm around Jack’s.
“‘Seeing-eye ghoul’? Really?”
“It’s called improv, fuck you. Now let’s get some food, clothes and a restock on chems and get the hell out.”
