The Braumin Steak was pretty decent, although as hungry as I was, I might have even been able to eat Radroach. Once my head was clear, I decided I needed to take a look at this bomb. Simms was right to be concerned, this bomb is very active, and aside from Cromwell and his group, it seems other parties are interested as well. Disarming the bomb will take some time, as well as some resources I don't have right now, so unfortunately for Simms and his people, it's going to have to wait. Hopefully Megaton will still be here when I can disarm it.
From there I went to Moriarty's. I need to stay focused on finding Dad. I'll help people as and when I can, but I can't let it distract me from what I'm supposed to be doing. Right as I walked in, a short blonde woman caught my attention and waved me over. I was hoping maybe she saw some recognizable feature, maybe had a message from Dad. She did have a message, though it wasn't for me. Apparently her family lives in a settlement not far from here called Arefu. She hasn't heard from them in some time, and asked if I could deliver a message to her father, David West. She assured me he would pay me for my troubles. I agreed to help her of course, I understand how important family is, but I did warn her it might be a bit of a delay before I can get to them. She didn't seem to like it, but seemed thin on options. She's too afraid of the raiders to go herself, and her father alienated some of the caravans, so she's not sure they'll help her.
I concluded my business with her, and started looking around again, trying to size up who might best be able to help me when I caught the eye of a slimy looking fellow in a worn out suit, sitting in the far side of the room. He summoned me over with a quick nod of his head. Am I going to be this popular everywhere I go? He introduced mimself as Mr. Burke, and was pleased as punch when I told him I wasn't a local. Apparently Burke represents other "interests" who don't care for the town, and would like to see it gone. He looked dangerous, so I thought it best to hear him out. He gave me a detonator, and offered me 600 caps for the deed. 600! That's a lot more than Simms was paying me to disarm the thing. I asked if I could clear out the town first, maybe come up with some line about how when I was trying to fix the thing, I accidentally triggered some timer. That was a no-go. Apparently if I want the cash, the town, and the people have to go. Told me how to find him if I do the deed. There's a lot of people in Megaton, 600 caps or not. I'm thinking of telling Simms, but I'm gonna hold off for now.
I found an "employee" of the bar, a woman named Nova who services patrons, for the right price. Offered me a room, and some company for 120 caps. She wasn't interested in any barter any more than I was interested in the company. I do need to start thinking about where I'm going to rest my head tonight though. I asked her about Dad, and surprisingly, she gave me some info free of charge. She had seen someone that fit the description talking to Moriarty, but couldn't give me much more detail than that. She told me to talk to Gob, the fellow who worked the bar. I noticed him before. I guess he's what they call a "ghoul". Apt description. He looked more than half dead, skin rotting off and such. I overheard her earlier mentioning to him about the radio. Apparently not only does the wasteland have a plethora of settlements, but they've got 2 radio stations as well. One of the stations is called "Enclave Radio", and most people think its a loop from before the war. She gave me the frequency and I was able to tune the Pip-Boy into it. I'll give it a listen when I'm out of town. The other station is called "Galaxy News Radio" and is run by some fellow named "Three Dog". Apparently someone out there still has faith in humanty, and he's using the station to spread that idealism. Turns out the signal's been pretty weak lately. I guess the good fight and always an easy win.
Bellied up to the bar from there, waiting on Gob. Made small talk with a local scavenger/trader named Brian Crealy. He told me he heard the towns water purifier was on the fritz. Fella named Walter was responsible for it, but sounds like he was having trouble. Maybe I can lend a hand there too. Maybe Megaton will have bigger concerns than water soon.
When Gob got over to me, he almost literally jumped out of his skin when I reached out to shake his hand. Apparently bigotry is still alive and well out here, and the "ghouls" are the main scape goat. He seemed normal enough, despite appearances, and even seemed friendly. A kind word went a long way, and despite the fact he was to afraid of Moriarty to tell me much, he did let me into the back office to talk to the man himself.
Moriarty recognized me immediately, maybe the clothes, maybe the resemblance to dad, but whatever it was, he definitely confirmed that Dad came through here recently. He told me that Dad and I weren't born and raised in the vault. That Dad had taken me there after I was born, tryingto keep me safe. He said Dad had a friend in the "Brotherhood of Steel" that he was travelling with after mom died. I'm gonna have to make a note to find out who they are sooner than later. Moriarty didn't seem trustworthy, but he did seem a bit full of himself. I accused him of lying, and to set him off his guard, I fed him the typical vault dweller mantra "We were born in the vault, we would die in the vault". He mimiced it back at me mockingly, and said he heard the same thing from another vault escapee a few years back. He definitely knew enough about the vault to back that up, so I turned it around, told him that I did know about him, that Dad talked about him all the time. This seemed to hit him on a sentimental level, and he opened right up. Told me Dad had come through, that he made a quick stop in Megaton to get something he needed, and was headed to Galaxy News Radio. Looks like I'm going to be meeting a celeberity soon. I got directions from Nova on the way out. Right before I left the town proper, I passed by Simms. I kept the info about Burke to myself. I told myself I would disarm the bomb before talking to Simms about the threat. I hope thats the truth.
