Miranda: War On Steel #0 (Part 2)

War On Steel #0: Cold Comfort (Part 2)

It was mostly all busted up outside. Miranda had seen old pictures of the city, nice houses, beautiful buildings. Now there was just broken up bits. She could still kinda see the shapes of the houses. They musta been nice.

The damn machines were out here too. She put down the floating metal ball with a couple of shots. Killing robots was good, but not like killing men. That got done over at a big brick building that used to be a school. Now that was satisfying.

Her stupid pipboy pinged. It still ached when it did that. She followed the compass marker to the most horrible thing she had ever seen. An entire city made of machines. She knew better than to kill the robot with that many people around. She had one gun, not many bullets, and they all had some mean looking rifles.

The Sheriff was mean to her, and the people in the store yelled at her. She barely noticed, not just cause she was used to it. In the middle of the ugly crime against nature of a town was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. One big damn bomb.

Someone mentioned they had seen another jumpsuit like hers up at the saloon. She nearly vomited when she met her first Ghoul. Backing away, she encountered a snake of a man in the corner. She knew the type. When the guards would feel her up or Jonas would “accidentally” walk in to the showers when she or Amata were in there, they would talk all smooth like that.

Miranda learned what Ghouls were from this Mister Burke. Sick and twisted mockeries of humanity. Radioactive Zombies like in the George Romero films they used to get to watch on Halloween. This town, these people, the ghouls.. He wanted them gone. So did she. He wanted her to make the big bomb work. She had a small climax at the thought. Dealing with the Guards, the Tunnel Snakes, Jonas and Floyd had taught her how to talk to men. She got Mister Burke to agree to pay her double.

Miranda made her way through town, creeping in shadows and corners. She took everything she thought could be of value and sold most of it off to the merchants around town, trading for medicine and supplies for her walk to Tenpenny Tower. She stood and listened to the crazy preacher, lovingly caressing the warm casing of the bomb as she slipped the remote trigger in.

She stopped outside to spit on the robot, trade with a crazy drug dealer, and kill a beggar who deserved a little better death than the others were gonna get. The robot didn't even look.

Some packs of wild dogs and mutant flies gave her some trouble on the way. She met one of the Brotherhood of Steel on the Bridge on the way over by someplace called Fort Independence. He was mean to her too. Everyone always was. Her last bullet went into the head of a nasty rat thing. She was sad she didn;t have any to pump into the zombie at the gates of the tower.

Mister Burke not paid her, he paid her double, and creepy old Tenpenny gave her a room in the place. They even let her push the button. She got the switches wrong once on the computer in Mr. Burke's briefcase and instead, the box started playing music.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Blondie
Uh huh make me tonight
Tonight make it right
Uh huh make me tonight
Tonight
Tonight
Oh uh huh make it magnificent
Tonight
Right
Oh your hair is beautiful
Oh tonight
Atomic
Tonight make it magnificent
Tonight
Make me tonight
Your hair is beautiful
Oh tonight
Atomic
Atomic
Oh
Mister Burke looked embarrassed. Mister Tenpenny laughed. Burke set the switches for her, and pointed to the button.

Miranda almost passed out from the powerful felling that ripped through her when the blast hit.

Mister Burke looked like he felt the same. He was still a creepy old bastard though.



Miranda was spent as she snuggled into her nice bed. “One down. Bout a million to go.” She fell asleep with a smile and dancing mushroom lights behind her closed eyes.