FFF - Go down

You descend after the blonde. Your light shows you a rather small space that it takes you a moment to understand. The blonde climbs back up to close the hatch. You’re a little worried about being stuck down here, but apparently, she isn’t.

The room is five meters by three. It’s a workspace. There’s a layer of dust over everything, but it’s thin. Computers and monitors sit on a desk, and there’s a light coat of grime over the glass front of some locked cabinets. It’s a tiny laboratory. And if you had to guess, you would say that it’s never been used.

The blonde stands in the middle of the space, her hands on her hips, taking it in.

“How did you know this was here?” you ask.

“It was in the plans,” she replies absently.

“Plans?” You don’t understand. You sit tiredly on a rolling stool, which creaks slightly. This space isn’t comfortable, and there don’t appear to be any supplies here that you can use. But it does seem like a safe place to wait until daylight.

The blonde blows out her breath and sinks into the rolling chair by the desk, slouching. You’re both exhausted. She puts that chunky pistol on the desk and sighs.

“What’s your name?” she asks.

“Jane. What about you?”

“Melody.”

“Melody, do you know someone named Shell?”

She looks surprised. “I do,” she says.

“She’s looking for you. She’s out here somewhere,” you tell her. There. You’ve done your part. You expected to find Shell, not the person that Shell is looking for, but it’s good enough.

“Aw,” Melody replies, looking moved. “Is she worried about me? How is she?”

“She seemed OK last time I saw her,” you reply with a shrug. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

“I shouldn’t talk about that,” Melody replies, slouching in the chair to get comfortable.

Great.

“You knew this room was here,” you press.

“I’ve seen plans for the facilities in this area. We’re here to investigate,” Melody replies. “That’s all I can say.”

Investigate what? We?

“We? What happened to your friends?”

“Enclave happened.”

“So they’re here too,” you say, thinking of Maggie. Melody isn’t great at withholding information. You aren’t sure what Enclave is supposed to be. Or Shell and Melody, for that matter. The Sisterhood of Steel? You’re still waiting for someone to tell you exactly what these people want.

Melody nods.

You sit in silence for a moment. You’re oily and disgusting after all the running. With a groan, you get up and shed your gear, then begin to strip out of your soiled clothes. Melody watches without much interest until you’re down to your underwear. Her eyes lock on the bulge in your underwear for a moment, but then she politely chooses not to stare. You sit again. It’s stuffy in this room, but at least it’s cool. You take a drink of water and toss your canteen to Melody.

“Thank you,” she says, giving you another lingering look. “So who are you?”

“I’m not Enclave if that’s what you’re asking. I’m nobody,” you reply.

“Thanks for your help.”

Melody seems nice. Nicer than Shell, for sure. On the other hand, she was quick to start blowing holes in things with that gun. And she was walking around in gigantic armor with a gun bigger than you.

“What did you get into it with that wrecked your armor?” you ask her.

“Deathclaw,” she replies, looking critically at her fingernails. She tosses the canteen back.

“Those pale things aren’t out as much in the daytime,” you tell her. “What are you going to do in the morning?”

“Well, now that I’ve found this place,” she says, pointing at the floor. “I guess I didn’t find it. But now that I’m here, I know where I am. I’m going to the lab. I think it’s where those things are coming from.” She gives you an appraising look. “I’ve lost my armor. I don’t have much ammo. I’m by myself. I could use backup.”

You snort. “I’ll bet. Even if I had the time, you got some caps stashed somewhere that I can’t see?”

She adjusted her position, crosses her legs, and meets your gaze. It’s not a coincidence that her arms are coming together slightly to accentuate her already lovely bust. That bodysuit looks incredible on her.

“I could find a way to make it worth your while,” she says.

The way you see it, you have two options when the sun comes up. You can stick with Melody or go off on your own. But it’s not as simple as choosing between Melody and your friends that you left behind. You’re lost.

“Do you know how to get back to where I found you?” you ask Melody.

She frowns. “I know where this spot is in relation to the place where I was, I guess. We are northwest of that spot. So if you go southeast, you should be going in that direction if you want to go back. But there’s a deathclaw out there,” she reminds you.

Yeah… imprecise directions and danger. That’s a dicey proposition. But you don’t like leaving QT and Chastity on their own. It looks like there’s no tidy solution here. What will you do in the morning?

Back up Melody in her investigation?

Or take your chances in the forest and head Southeast?