章 53: Pipboy

Afton rushed to the workshop where they were keeping the newly discovered Pipboy, he entered and saw a few Scribes examining the machine on a work desk. Some had clipboards in their hands and were writing notes while others just stood there stoically.

The Pipboy itself looked the same as in the games, if a bit less bulky. It had the typical rad detector, volume buttons, etc. It looked basically the same as he imagined it would. The only problem was what the Scribes were discussing around it.

"We've encountered these before, they are impractical for combat and get in the way for other more delicate tasks... Nothing more than a recreational tool, I suggest we rip all the information it may contain before dissembling it, it may have answers to the... Elder's problem." one says, clearly referring to the damaged ventilation system, it was a rational thing to do as well, all Pipboys came from vaults after all, and this one might have the location of said vault in its database.

Afton couldn't allow them to destroy it though, he walked up and greeted them with a nod, "What's this?" he asks with curiosity.

"This? Just a pre-war relic from one of the vaults, we were thinking that it might contain information about where it'd come from, perhaps more depending on where the original owner had gotten it from." one replies.

Afton raises a brow, original owner? He doesn't voice his concern as its a rather badly kept secret that the Brotherhood had no qualms with eliminating "barbarians" for their technology. "Where was it retrieved from?"

The Scribe shrugs, "Didn't ask, we'll probably find out if we go through its data though.

Afton "Do... Do you have to dismantle it? I'm sure its mapping systems could be put to good use by some of our scouts?" he walks up and brushes some dirt off of its screen, his breath hitching when he notices something in the top left corner of his vision...

[Retrieve Pipboy]

No one else seemed to be able to see the amber message, and while Afton did his best to hide his surprise, it was clearly noticed by the other Scribes.

"You alright there Knight Parker? Was there an exposed wire we didn't see or something?" one asks worriedly, Pipboys were notoriously efficient and one had never run out of power before, the cells powering it could give quite a shock if you were directly exposed to them.

Afton nods his head, "Yeah, I was just... Surprised that you managed to find one in such good condition."

[Speech Check: Succeeded!]

The Scribes nod, "As to your previous question, it would be useful for a scout to have, but the problem lies with the fact that the Pipboy automatically records every place it's been... If the scout were to be captured, it could lead the enemy right to our doorstep."

Afton continues for them, "So it has to be destroyed huh..." he mutters, feeling peculiar at having his successful lie notified at the top left of his vision... How did it know he had lied, was it inside his mind or something? "When will you be dismantling it, I'd like to see its base components afterwards."

"Hm, we'll be putting it database through a terminal which should take most of the day... Pipboys while easy to access, contain so much information that I'd rather an encrypted file most of the time. We'll be dismantling it tomorrow I believe." they looks to the other Scribes who nod at them in agreement.

"I'll be back tomorrow then, see you guys around." he says, waving at them before leaving, all the while peeking at the notification still at the top left of his screen.

[Retrieve Pipboy]

He quickly walked to the cafeteria, grabbing some food and taking a seat before chewing on it idly. He needed to think of a way to get the Pipboy out of here, the Scribes had already decided what to do with it, and he couldn't come up with any valid reasons as to why they shouldn't disassemble it... It was fortunate he'd already been planning to leave the Chapter, otherwise he'd be a massive pickle right about now.

As he was going over his plan he felt two people sit either side of him...

"Hey, what's up?" Melissa asks, she'd turned eighteen a month or two ago and had grown into quite the beautiful girl. Her bright blonde hair, hazel eyes and youthful face had most of their age vying for her attention.

Even that lecherous Head Scribe Taggart couldn't contain himself around her, he'd had a "word" with the man about taking advantage of her, and had made it clear he'd have an unfortunate accident involving some scissors and his genitalia should he lay a hand on her.

Melissa had been apprenticed by the man and most people knew why he'd done it, she wasn't the smartest girl and so inducting her into the order of Scribes was foolish at best. She'd fit better in the Knights, but, it was her choice in the end.

Miles, on the other hand, had filled out and become quiet like his father Bert Stanton. Broad shoulders and above-average height, his demeanour was also quite intimidating to some. As a child he'd been meek and quiet, by after losing his father and the battle of Helios, he acted more like a seasoned warrior than anything else.

Afton shrugs, "Nothing much, as usual."

[Speech Check: Succeeded!]

...

If this thing was going to give a notification based on every social interaction he had, it was going to get annoying very, very quickly. The other two noticed his frown and twitch of the eye but didn't say anything about it. He'd made it clear how much he hated boredom, and there wasn't much that topped sitting in a bunker for years.

They chatted as old friends do, but he wasn't committed to their conversation, his thoughts were still on the Pipboy and how to leave. Not to mention the constant Speech Checks that'd pop up made it difficult for him to speak without being distracted. Eventually, he finished his food and stood up, heading for the workshop to do his daily work for the Brotherhood.