Atomica #2 (Part 2)

ISSUE 2: SPRINGVALE SCHOOL – OF HARD KNOCKS! (Part 2)

Atomica felt a strange, sad pang of nostalgia as she gazed upon the rocket-shaped red sign of the ancient fuel depot.

This is the first place I saw when I arrived here.

Something in her avoided looking in the direction of the Vault as she looked around.

Lots of usable scrap and old leftovers here for Moira. Looks like Allison has a job. Scav is such an ugly word. I think I shall be.. a Reclamation Specialist. Yes.

LIFESIGNS DETECTED.

An intact home in the middle of the devastation showed signs of recent rebuilding and maintenance. Carefully, Atomica knocked.

The blonde woman inside seemed to think she was a Supervillain at first, sent by The Professor. Atomica was able to reassure the woman, whose name was Silver, that she was not interested in pursuing the innocent.

“Oh, you're one of them Superheros like Three Dog talks about.”

There are more of us. Perhaps Three Dog is one. I'll have to find him and ask.

After hearing the former harlot's story, Atomica promised to mislead the Professor into thinking she had fled. Or worse. Leaving the woman in peace, Atomica approached the partially ruined school building carefully.

MULTIPLE LIFESIGNS DETECTED.

Telescopic scans revealed more of the ubiquitous Raiders patrolling the area.

Atomica kicked in the front doors of the former Springvale Elementary School.

“Evildoers! Your day of reckoning has arrived!”

She took the first two as they rushed her. Grabbing the tire-iron wielding raider by her ill-advised straps and buckles, she quickly swung her off balance into the other, knocking the woman with tbe baseball bat over. A pair of quick and brutal throat punches silenced the attackers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OOC: The 1950s were different, kids.

Four more came at her, guns blazing. A dive and roll into a small storage closet across the hall created a bottleneck allowing her to deal with them one at a time. The last went down hard, bruising her even beneath her advanced armour.

Upstairs, she fought off more of them, her thoughts fading into the muscle memory of countless hours spent in katas and drills when she was younger.

Assault Rifle.. Dodge right, grab left. Butt to pelvic bone, hot barrel metal into the chin. Next... 10 mm Police Special. Feint retreat into spin and grab, snap wrist.. Next..

At the end of the run, half a dozen raiders lay at her feet. She was bleeding, and thought she had a cracked rib. The suit was already administering treatment.

A terminal in the ruined hall past the remains of the library revealed the source of the tremors.

The fools were trying to get into the Vault. And they were digging the wrong way.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OOC: Really! ... Check the map.

The notes about ants made her realize the true threat.

Stockholm sniped a giant ant outside Megaton the other day. It must have come from the nest these criminal scum disturbed!

Downstairs, Atomica was ambushed by three more raiders. Twin blondes with tire irons got her into a corner while their leader came for her with a combat knife. Switching to close-quarters techniques, she folded in close and took blows from the tire irons on her forearms. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she crossed her arms, grabbed the ends of the irons, and twisted them out of the twins hands. Now armed, she adjusted her stance to Kukishin Ryu Bojutsu. In short order, she disarmed the knife wielder before discarding all three weapons and finishing the job.

School's out. Lessons over, kids.

The leader had a key to the basement. Steeling herself, she unlocked the door leading to the tunnel.

Immediately set upon by two giant ants, she struggled to find the proper striking points to defeat them. The second went down faster than the first.

Deep underground, she made her way through six or seven more of the insects before emerging into their nest.

These monsters cannot be allowed to threaten Megaton.. Or the Vault!!

She went back upstairs and fetched some turpentine to set fire to the ant eggs that were massed in the cavern. Discovering and examining the bodies of two settlers, she barely had time to retreat as another wave of ants, too many to engage, began to pour from deeper within the tunnels.

“Damn it, no ammo!”

ALTERNATIVE ORDINANCE AVAILABLE.

What? OH!

She scooped up the dead settler's weapons and made for higher ground. The few frag grenades she had available were more than enough to finish the mass of insects with one to spare, and set the cavern ablaze. She quickly gathered the rest of the settler's gear and retreated to the mouth of the tunnel. The last grenade sealed it off for good.

Changing clothes, “Allison” stripped the school and the remains of the surrounding town clean. Moira was impressed, and offered the mild-mannered Allison a job as a reporter of sorts.

“If you and... Atomica... work together, we should be able to get the Wasteland Survival Guide done in no time!”

With a promise to contact Atomica in regards to stress testing and medical endurance trials, “Allison” cashed out and went home for the evening. The clean water bubble bath in the Sanctuary was an indulgence, but one she felt she had earned. After all, tomorrow was going to be rough on both her identities.

A trial of champions..Indeed.