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“State your business in Rivet City.”
Logan barely hears the security guard, he’s simply staring at him. ‘Admiring’ probably isn’t the word he’d use but he is definitely admiring how attractive this man is.
“We’re looking for Vera Weatherly, she’s my aunt,” Bryan says.
Logan remembers where he’s at. “This kid needs somewhere new to live,” he explains. “I need to see if she’ll take him in because long story short, Grayditch got decimated by giant fire-breathing ants and a freaky scientist straight out of a low-budget movie.”
“Yeah, those Fuckin’ Ants!”
The guard’s eyes narrow. “Are you playing some sort of joke-”
“Look.” Logan rolls up his sleeve to show off his bandaged arm. “I got burned by one of those damn things. I wish I was joking right now but his dad’s dead because of them.”
“Fine, you’re allowed in but don’t let me catch you making trouble. The Weatherly Hotel is on the upper decks.”
“Thanks.”
He wants to ask his name but now’s not the right time. Bryan is his first priority. Besides, he’s sure they’ll see each other soon. This ship is only so big, though certainly larger than the size he’s always imagined boats to be.
There are two doors to choose from so they just go straight ahead. “Are you hungry?” Logan asks.
“Yeah. Thanks for the Fancy Lads but...”
“It’s a snack, not a meal. Excuse me,” he says to another security guard. “Where can we buy some food?”
“Very end of the market to the left.”
“Thanks.”
He hopes Vera will take Bryan in. If not, he’s unsure what he’s going to do. Bryan’s only eight years old, Logan can’t just abandon him but no way can he search for his dad with him tagging along. It’s too dangerous for even an adult. Logan does feel terrible for him, Bryan's all alone in this world now. Kind of like him. It took everything within Logan not to lose control and shoot Lesko. It’s his fault Fred Wilks is dead and Bryan has to mourn his father. He settled for punching him in the face instead. That felt real good for a moment at least.
But Fred is still dead and James is still missing. And nothing can bring either of them back right now. At least Logan still has hope...
But maybe Bryan will soon have a new home and that’s still something. The ship looks safe--even though it’s darker than he’d prefer--lots of security, full control of who enters (and leaves). Could be worse.
They find Gary’s Galley easily and Logan orders them a lot of food. He’s starting to worry about caps again. The few hundred from Silver and the payment from Moira have already stretched pretty far. He’s needed a lot of supplies--food, stimpaks, clothing, ammo. Luckily, he successfully hacked Moriarty’s terminal and discovered his dad is at somewhere called Galaxy News Radio. He has a general idea of its location but hopefully someone in town has a better idea. He could always ask that guard.
It’ll be dark in a couple hours. If Vera takes Bryan, that will leave Logan free to explore the ship. He really doesn’t want to spend money on a bed. He has a sleeping bag and there has to be at least one abandoned room around here.
A woman places the two nuka-colas he ordered down in front of them and he takes a giant swig. Why is he surprised that they’re actually cold? Bryan asks him something and Logan realizes he hasn’t paid attention this last minute, making him feel guilty. Bryan is a very talkative child and most of it naturally revolves around his dad. Logan told him of James and how he’s from a vault. That really fascinated him and brought up even more questions.
“That guard said she has a hotel on the upper deck. Let’s head up those stairs.”
“Didn’t you say you needed more ammo? We passed that gun shop earlier.”
“I’ll come back. Finding Vera is more important.” Honestly, he wants to explore the market before buying anything. Depending how much everything costs, he’s considering using...other methods to acquire merchandise.
Sometimes, he and Freddie would steal alcohol from storage. They couldn’t do it often but they never got caught. The last time was just last month. He, Freddie, and Amata got drunk and hung out, then when she left, the two of them had sex all night. It’d been a good birthday. Who knew his life would change completely just a few weeks later?
His dad would be angry knowing he stole from people but he should’ve fucking thought of that before abandoning him. Besides, it’s not like he wants to clear their whole inventory or is stealing from beggars.
They climb the stairs and Bryan starts talking about this one time some molerats and a rabid brahmin attacked but his dad and Will’s dad handled them and they didn’t breathe fire like those Fuckin’ Ants.
“We used to have radroaches in the vault. I guess they snuck in the last time somebody left but that was a long time ago. Keeping them under control was basically security’s only job. I used to shoot at them with my bb gun.”
“You were allowed to have weapons?”
“No. My dad gave it to me in secret for my tenth birthday. It’s why I know how to shoot now. I mean, bullets are different from a bb but you know.”
“Bullets are kind of like giant bbs.”
“Heh, yeah.”
Logan sees a sign reading ‘Weatherly Hotel.’ A woman sits outside, sipping water. “Hi, do you know where I can find Vera Weatherly?”
“Well, that’d be me. What can I do for you?”
Logan explains the situation and before he can ask, she offers to take him in. He’s relieved. He doesn’t have to beg, he doesn’t have to take Bryan with him on a trek across the wasteland.
Bryan looks at his aunt then at Logan. “Hey, thanks, mister. I don’t think most people would’ve stopped with the way I was running around screaming. And then taking me all the way to Rivet City?”
“Of course I helped. I’m just sorry about your dad.”
“Me too...are you leaving now to find your dad?”
“Tomorrow. I’ll swing by at some point before I go, okay?”
Bryan nods eagerly. “I’ll see you later.”
“See you two.”
Logan leaves the hotel and wanders the halls. Hopefully he won’t get too lost. He ends up finding a hallway of abandoned rooms and maybe it’d be creepy if he wasn’t so tired and low on money. He takes some quick notes on his pip-boy to remember the location then keeps going. He finds a church and the clinic and even an American history museum ran by someone named Abraham Washington. That...has to be a fake name.
The tales this old man tells about some of the documents in his possession are wildly inaccurate and Logan initially thinks he’s joking. When it becomes clear he’s not playing around, he tries to correct him on the facts. Abraham insists he’s right though--he runs a history museum after all!--and before Logan can grow too annoyed, he proposes a job.
“I’m not the first person you sent to the National Archives? Why on earth would I agree to this?”
“Because if you obtain the Declaration, it’ll be a very important day for America! You--and the other treasure hunter--will go down in history! I will also reward you in caps.”
He shrugs. “If I end up in the area, I’ll check it out but I can’t make that sort of promise.”
“Okay, but if another person gets it before you, they’ll be the one emblazoned in future school children’s textbooks.”
“I’m sure. I gotta get going now. Thanks for the tour.”
He doubts he’ll ever get that fucking piece of parchment. He quickly puts Washington out of his mind as he continues his exploration. There’s a large room full of beds and tables and footlockers. Some quick conversations tell him it’s a free common room. These beds probably aren’t the cleanest or most comfortable but it’s better than sleeping on the floor. He doesn’t trust locking his things up in a footlocker though so he returns to the market still carrying his large pack and multiple weapons while wearing his armor. He feels a bit ridiculous.
Numerous stalls fill the marketplace selling weapons, clothes, chems, junk. However, what he really needs is a bathroom. But then he sees the guard from earlier and temporarily forgets about his bursting bladder. The guy looks him over.
“You’re alone. Did Vera take that kid in?”
“Yeah, she did,” Logan answers. “Which is a relief. I couldn’t leave him alone but I’m not in the position to drag a kid through the ruins of DC. Oh, that reminds me--do you know where Galaxy News Radio is? I have reason to believe that’s where my dad is. I know the general area but maybe if I ask enough people, I can find it through triangulation.”
“Go north to Anacostia Crossing and climb through that tunnel until you make it to Chevy Chase. The area’s crawling with super mutants though. Like all of DC.”
“Bryan and I practically went swimming to avoid the ones nearby. I, uh, never caught your name.” Logan wishes he knew how to flirt but it was never a necessary skill in the vault. The two guys he’s slept with in his life both approached him first--though he and Freddie were already friends by that point. Besides them, there wasn’t really anyone else to practice with.
“Harkness. I’m Rivet City’s security chief.”
Logan licks his lips and pretends Harkness’ eyes dart to his tongue. “Aren’t you gonna ask me mine?”
He huffs. “And what’s your name?”
“I’m Logan. I’m...new to the area.” Harkness doesn’t seem like the type to ask many personal questions and that’s good because Logan doesn’t want to get into it right now.
“Well then, let me stress the fact that DC is full of super mutants.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“You know, if you were just at Vera’s, you could’ve rented a room to put all that gear down.”
“I don’t know that I have the money. I found the common room but it seems like a bad idea to lock my things there and leave them unsupervised. Supplies take priority, after I’m done here I’ll see where I’m at.” He looks around. “This is a pretty smart set up. Have people lived here long?”
“I’m a little busy protecting its current citizens to worry about history lessons.”
“Bit of a long-winded way to say you don’t know.”
He sighs but doesn’t tell him to go away. “I know Dr Li arrived about twenty years ago, though the city was established by then. But any earlier than that? I don’t know.”
“Hm. Maybe that old guy at the museum knows, since history is ‘his thing’ and all.”
“I wouldn’t bother asking. He’s...odd.”
“Heh. I can’t argue with that. Say, one more question. Where are the bathrooms? Any place I can shower?” He thinks about adding ‘Care to join me?’ but knows that won’t get him anywhere except tossed into the river. Harkness points him in the right direction. “Thanks. I’ll see you around.”
“Just don’t let it be for the wrong reasons.”
Another reason Logan doesn’t want to get caught--it’ll definitely ruin his chances with Harkness. He stops himself from rolling his eyes as he walks away. Sleeping with Harkness is just a fantasy he’s letting play out in his head because he really wants some fun. And human contact that isn’t violent.
It doesn’t take long to do his business then make a mental list of things he needs. He talks to some of the shop owners and sells what little he salvaged from the train station, some people are nice and some are super obnoxious. He’ll definitely steal clothes from Bannon. And ammo from Shrapnel. As much as he needs stimpaks, Cindy was pretty okay towards him.
He buys a few stimpaks and med-x since his arm’s starting to hurt again. When he brought the pharmacy supplies to Moira, she told him to keep them. A couple shots of med-x were included and she warned him about getting addicted so he’s only used mini doses for his burn and when a particularly bad headache from his concussion develops. As long as he keeps an eye on his arm for infection, there’s no need to pay for a doctor. Maybe he’ll find his dad and he can examine his burn.
Cindy tells him the entire market closes at 9pm. If he wants food after that, he’ll have to go to the hotel or the Muddy Rudder. He decides to head to the bar now. He easily loses track of time, drinking his beer and playing games on his pip-boy. Eventually he pulls out a journal from his bag and starts writing about Grayditch and Rivet City.
He misses watching Amata work on new drawings. He misses writing silly stories about the other residents and dramatically reading them to her and Freddie. The short stories he’s written out here just aren’t the same. Concussions, raiders, and ants aren’t exactly fun topics and the challenge isn’t inspiring.
He hears laughter and glances up. At the table in the other corner sit two young men. They laugh and whisper to each other then pass a tin between them. Mentats? Logan knows it’s not med-x. Or psycho. But other than that, he’s unsure what other chems exist--or if they’re taking chems at all. He looks at the rest of the bar, more people fill the seats than when he first sat down. Checking the time, he sees it’s almost ten. He debates buying more watered down booze then sees someone else enter the bar.
Harkness.
He shouldn’t but he gets up and--without rushing and looking crazy--returns to Belle, making sure to stand where he can see all his things. How many people go through with theft and don’t just think about it? He finishes ordering just as the other man approaches. His stomach flutters when Harkness looks at him.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” Logan returns and almost laughs. The conversation’s going well so far.
“Staying out of trouble, I hope.”
“So far.”
Belle comes back with his beer and he pays. When Harkness orders his, he pays for that too.
“You don’t need to-”
“I want to.” He thinks about how he’s supposed to be saving caps right now and also how dumb and gay he is. “Consider it a thank you for the...warm welcome you gave me.”
Harkness laughs--actually laughs--and it’s a sound Logan wants to hear a lot more of. “Can’t have newcomers or current residents thinking I’m a pushover.”
“Well, I can promise that’s not the word I’d use for you.”
Belle gives him his drink and Harkness thanks him for paying.
“You meeting anyone?”
“Yeah, Lana Danvers. She’s my second-in-command but also a good friend.”
Logan’s heart sinks a bit. Is she a friend or...?
“Just a friend.” Harkness rushes to take a sip. “You, uh, you didn’t ask about that.”
“Ha, it’s okay.” It’s true, he didn’t vocally ask, so does that mean Harkness might be a little interested in him too? “I guess I’ll get back to my journal, I like to write things down while they’re still fresh. I should probably change the bandages on my arm at some point tonight too.”
Harkness’ eyes drift down even though his sleeve covers the burn. “So...fire-breathing ants, huh? And there were no other survivors besides the kid?”
Logan frowns. “Grayditch had a tiny population to begin with. Apparently. I’d never been there before. I don’t know what happened to the others, if they ran or died or what. But to actually answer your question--one guy survived that I know of, the scientist responsible for the whole mess.”
“Why the hell would he unleash those on the town? To what end?”
“He...is a dumbass. But the fire was an unintended consequence. In his mind he was trying to help the wasteland but didn’t care whatsoever that he killed a small town and left Bryan orphaned. He’s a terrible scientist, he completely ignored the protocols you’re supposed to follow during experiments.” He sighs.
“A random kid asks you for help and you go in there all alone? You must be confident.”
“Not particularly. But he was looking for his dad, I’m looking for mine. My first real trip into the Capital Wasteland and a raider knocked me out and gave me a concussion so I’m not really feeling confident.”
“Did they just leave you there or did you escape?”
“My new ghoul friend rescued me otherwise I’m sure I’d be dead. My head still feels fuzzy but it hasn’t interfered in a fight. Yet. Speaking of my dad, you haven’t seen him around, have you? White guy in his early fifties, graying black hair. His name is James and he’s a doctor.”
“I haven’t seen or heard of any doctors coming in and quite a few people look like that. Sorry.”
“It’s okay...Three Dog should have info for me. I’ll let you go now. Lana will probably be here soon.”
Harkness looks around the bar then points at the stairs. “There she is. I...you staying onboard long?”
“Til tomorrow morning. I have a feeling it’s going to be a very rough journey to GNR.”
“Wish I could tell you differently but then I’d just be lying.”
“Yeah. Do you work tomorrow?”
“I do. I’m in the marketplace pretty often during my shift.”
“I’ll probably run into you before I head out then. I’m sure once I go to bed, I’ll remember what supplies I forgot to buy today.”
Harkness looks like he’s mulling something over but Logan knows it’s just wishful thinking on his end. “See you later then. And thanks again for the drink.”
He grins. “Anytime.” He walks back over to his table. He sees Lana say something to Brock before finding Harkness. Logan’s original plan was to sneak into the market right now using the stealth boy he found in Marigold Station. He’s completely intrigued by the technology but it’s more practical to actually use it than to take it apart for dissection.
But now he’s thinking about theft more. How many new people entered the ship today besides him and Bryan? If stuff suddenly goes missing, it’s obvious who will get blamed. They'll probably search his belongings by force and find the ammo and clothing he wants. And the caps he wanted to skim from each shop.
His gaze quickly darts to where Harkness and Lana are now sitting. If this is one of the capital's main cities, it’s very likely he’ll be back at some point. Is it smart to get banned from a safe town and fuck himself over later just for some quick items right now?
He rests his head on the table. The two men in the corner laugh loudly then noisily get up to leave. Logan hopes his dad is at this GNR building, though he wonders why he went there of all places. But then everything about his dad fills him with questions now. It makes him angry and it makes him sad. He doesn’t want to think about his dad and get depressed so he turns his attention to his notebook.
He opens a new page and starts thinking about a story he can write instead. It’ll give him a distraction whenever he has time next. He jots an outline down about two scavengers who meet in the ruins of the white house. It was probably bombed to hell during the war but it’s been two hundred years, maybe something’s been built in its place. They both hear of a great treasure and race to find it. Initially, they’re lifelong enemies and come across it at the same time. They stake out, waiting for the other to crack, then realize they’ve never actually wanted to be enemies and decide to share the treasure--as boyfriends.
Logan knows it’s silly but he’s excited about the idea and that’s all that matters. Once the outline is done, he packs up for the night to head for the common room. Harkness glances at him as he walks by and waves. There’s a small smile on his face and Logan’s never seen a more handsome man--he silently apologizes to Freddie but it’s true. Lana asks her friend who he is as he passes but he doesn’t hear the response.
The market’s locked door taunts him but he continues up the stairs and through the hallways. He stares inside the common room then keeps going. He’ll just go to the abandoned room and sleep there. It’s a relief when he can finally put his stuff down and strip off his armor. He really needs a shower but that will wait until the next day.
There’s a broken desk in the room as well as an ancient bed that looks ready to collapse. He shoves the desk in front of the door to prevent any unwelcome visitors then lays his sleeping bag down. He stares at the ceiling and tells himself this is at least better than sleeping under the big scary sky.
~~~~~
“I’ve already told you, stop coming around here. I have a clinic to run and I don’t have time for this.”
An old man grumbles before turning towards Logan, who’s trying to slip by. “Hey you, you look like someone who needs a few caps.”
It’s true but Logan still bristles at the condescension. “Hello to you too, old man.”
“Quaint. I have a very important job if you’re interested.”
“First off, who are you?”
His name is Zimmer and he’s from some place called the Institute. He does need caps but the more Zimmer speaks, the more he dislikes him. He’s looking for an escaped ‘synth’ and compares them to nothing more than toasters or generators but Logan immediately believes otherwise.
“But if they’re thinking for themselves then they’re alive. They’re self-aware and understand their situation and want out. You’re nothing but a fucking slave driver.”
“Nonsense! They’re simply malfunctioning.”
The two of them talk in circles and the only thing Logan feels is his anger rising. Then he mentions the man standing behind him is also a synth and Logan wants to riot.
“I’m losing my patience. Do you want the job or not?”
“Fine, but you said it’s ‘very important’ and it’s also very important that I get paid adequately for my services.” No fucking way is he turning in this synth, whoever they may be, to Zimmer. If he discovers their identity then he wants to help them. It doesn’t matter how much Zimmer pays him.
Leaving can wait a little while longer. At this point, it feels like he’ll never catch up to his dad anyways.
His search begins at the clinic since it’s right here. The doctor gives him a holotape and claims it was an elaborate hoax. It doesn’t take long for his investigation to run dry, maybe some other doctor in the wasteland will have more information. He just needs to keep asking.
It pains him almost as much as his current headache, but he spends a few more caps on shotgun shells. He’s not sure what he’s going to do if he goes completely broke. The job from Abraham is a terrible one. Going to the National Archives is practically begging for a brutal death.
Why can’t someone just pay him to fix their computer? Or write them porn? The only bright spot in his morning is when Harkness enters the marketplace. They see each other and the security chief waves before talking to him.
“Time for me to head out,” Logan announces. “I stopped by to see Bryan and bought some ammo for the road.”
“Now to Anacostia?”
He nods. “And whatever creatures await me inside.”
“Probably ghouls. The feral kind. If you’re leaving, I can walk you out. If you want.”
“Yeah, I’d like that. Say, this old guy came up to me earlier-”
“Ugh, was it Zimmer?”
“It was.”
“He’s harassed everyone on this ship about that synth business. He’s been a huge pain in the ass.”
“Can’t you throw him out?”
“As much as I’d like to, no. If ‘annoying’ was a crime, not many people would be here.”
“I agreed to help but only to help the synth, not him. But I didn’t find much.”
“Plus you have your own mission.”
“Yeah.” His eyes squint when they walk outside. “I’ll be back here at some point though. Hopefully sooner rather than later.”
“Eager to come back to the safest town in the wasteland? Can’t blame you.”
Logan’s heart beats faster and he takes a chance. “I think more like eager to see someone again.”
“Oh, I’m...I’m sure they’ll be eager to see you too.”
Logan swears this gaze they share is heated and so badly he wants to grab Harkness’ face and kiss him. But he doesn’t, he hesitates. And maybe Harkness is feeling the same and he’s hesitating too.
But then the moment passes and it’s gone.
“Good luck with your dad. Stay safe out there, always keep an eye out for super mutants. And...come find me next time you visit.”
“I will. See you around, Harkness.”
He smiles at him and Logan marvels at the difference from the gruff man who first greeted him and Bryan. “Later.”
Logan’s still trying to figure out his feelings about the wasteland. Over a week has passed since he was suddenly thrust into it and his journey has been steeped in turmoil. Things could be so much better. But he’s met good people--Gob, Moira, and now Harkness. He can’t quite pinpoint what exactly about Harkness fascinates him so much but he knows for a fact that he is eager to visit him in the future so they can get to know each other better.