|
|
Post by Generalfoley on Jul 21, 2012 11:06:34 GMT -7
Tom sighed, leaning back in his chair as he rubbed his eyes. The lab's white walls and chromed steel surfaces were starting to hurt his eyes, he was in here for so long. He had just gotten back from an assignment in the old city of Manhattan a few days ago and he'd been cooped up in his lab since. He reached for a cherry, but grabbed nothing but air. He looked over and saw that his cherry bowl was, sadly, empty... The perfect excuse.
He looked up at the interns that had come with them from Marxis and whistled. "Hey, I'm heading out to get cherries and lunch, you guys want anything?" The shook their heads, disgust on their faces, and went back to work. "Pfft," Tom let out, grabbing his coat. "Fine, pansies. Can't handle Earth food, I understand. I'll be back later." Tom shrugged on his coat as he walked through the room. "If you two fuck again while I'm gone, you both are on the next shuttle back to Marxis."
Tom grinned as, out of the corner of his eye, his interns looked at each other with surprise before he walked out the door.
---
Tom breathed in deeply as he got out of the lab building, enjoying that fresh Earth air. While it seemed ironic, Earth's atmosphere had cleaned up quite a bit since the Collapse. Not much pollution now. He walked through the busy streets of Freeport, stopping by at his favorite food venue for a box of greasy noodles and beef before continuing on.
He walked on until he came upon a stand in the bazaar he often frequented for his cherries. It was selling moonshine. While moonshine wasn't all that uncommon, it often came in a small glass jar. Of course, due to the new plantlife sprouting up all over the planet, it was often a green color.
This moonshine was clear.
Tom walked up to it and picked up a jar, looking at the man behind the stand. "Clear moonshine? Rather uncommon, isn't it?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Zeno on Jul 22, 2012 7:06:31 GMT -7
Scorpion sat in the back of his stall, his back rested against his chopper as he slowly smoked his cigarette, completely relaxed. He really enjoyed these times, when nothing happened, when everything was calm, and he didn't have to worry about anything. The only thing that had sucked about coming to Freeport was that he and his chopper were searched for bombs after that attempted bombing last week by a couple of Marauders posing as wanderers.
Hopefully, he'd get some customers outside those who bought from his stall this time, since the directions to his bar were written on a sign on a post at his stall. Putting out his cigarette, Scorpion stood up and stretched, before walking up to the counter and looking around. So far, he'd had seven customers, but it was still early, so he might get more.
Just as he thought that, a man came up to him and started looking over his label-less bottles of moonshine, inspecting them thoroughly. "Clear moonshine? Rather uncommon, isn't it?" the man asked. He looked like an unshaven scientist, like the hands-on type of scientist. Scorpion knew he was a scientist because... well, every Colonist was pretty much a scientist in some way, from what Scorpion had gathered.
"Not when it comes to my moonshine, it's not. Of course, I've got colored moonshine, too, but not because it's dirty, but because it's stronger than the rest. Of course, you people think it's too dangerous, so I'm not allowed to bring my Southern Black Label here anymore," Scorpion said, lighting another cigarette. "So, you interested?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Generalfoley on Jul 22, 2012 23:13:30 GMT -7
"Not when it comes to my moonshine, it's not. Of course, I've got colored moonshine, too, but not because it's dirty, but because it's stronger than the rest. Of course, you people think it's too dangerous, so I'm not allowed to bring my Southern Black Label here anymore. So, you interested?" Tom looked at the man in some surprise. "You were the guy who brought in the contraband moonshine? Man, you brew some strong shit, I tell ya. They had to bring it to me for chemical analysis, and lemme tell ya, it almost gave me liver failure." He was exaggerating, of course, but he had tasted the stuff. It was brought to him, after all, and it was some of the strongest alcohol he had ever tasted, while still being good.
"Well, I'll take a jar of moonshine for now, but whenever you come back to Freeport, you bring me a jar of that Southern Black Label of yours. In return, I'll make sure you get the clearance to bring it in and sell it to the general public. One thing for another, yeah?" That was how most of the world worked at the moment, a bartering system. It was why it was getting tougher and tougher to introduce a stable economic currency to the Settlements.
"ATTENTION ALL RESIDENTS: AN ACID RAIN STORM IS HEADING TOWARDS FREEPORT! FREEPORT AUTHORITIES SUGGEST YOU HEAD INSIDE FOR THE DURATION! THAT IS ALL!" Tom listened to the warning blaring in the streets, and looked at the man.
"And if you want, we can discuss details over at my lab, where it's safe and where there's a garage to hide your chopper from the rain." Acid Rain, on Earth, was now far, far more corrosive than it used to be. It took out metal and flesh like... well, like acid. It was why there was a warning.
|
|
|
|
Post by Zeno on Jul 23, 2012 5:50:50 GMT -7
"You were the guy who brought in the contraband moonshine? Man, you brew some strong shit, I tell ya. They had to bring it to me for chemical analysis, and lemme tell ya, it almost gave me liver failure." Scorpion gave a short laugh as he nodded. "Yeah, that's some strong stuff. Most wanderers take a liking to it. Makes them forget about the troubles around them. Makes them forget about almost everything, really."
"Well, I'll take a jar of moonshine for now, but whenever you come back to Freeport, you bring me a jar of that Southern Black Label of yours. In return, I'll make sure you get the clearance to bring it in and sell it to the general public. One thing for another, yeah?"
"Sounds good, but you mean a bottle, right?" Scorpion said as he walked over to his chopper, taking an old liquor bottle without a label filled with moonshine out of the saddlebag hanging from the seat. The bottle was marked with a single X, which meant that it was his weakest stuff. The Black Label was marked with five X's.
"ATTENTION ALL RESIDENTS: AN ACID RAIN STORM IS HEADING TOWARDS FREEPORT! FREEPORT AUTHORITIES SUGGEST YOU HEAD INSIDE FOR THE DURATION! THAT IS ALL!"
"And if you want, we can discuss details over at my lab, where it's safe and where there's a garage to hide your chopper from the rain."
Scorpion nodded in thanks as he puffed on his cigarette, beginning to pack his things into his saddlebags, but leaving the scientist's liquor on the counter for him to take. "It's much appreciated. The last time you fellas had acid rain, it melted my stall. Had to barter for a new one. Didn't come cheap, I tell ya. I'm Scorpion, by the way."
|
|
|
|
Post by Generalfoley on Jul 29, 2012 21:21:26 GMT -7
"It's much appreciated. The last time you fellas had acid rain, it melted my stall. Had to barter for a new one. Didn't come cheap, I tell ya. I'm Scorpion, by the way." Tom nodded, picking up the liquor bottle. "Tom, pleasure to meet you." He stuffed the bottle in the bag that he had, almost forgetting that he had his food in his box. He packaged that up as well and put in his bag, then he realized something. He had forgotten his cherries. Well, he couldn't get them now. Stupid acid rain.
---
"And welcome to lab 437," Tom said, leading Scorpion into his lab. His assistants were working diligently, and it didn't reek of sex, which was good. He didn't want that smell in here, in his lab. They could do it in their quarters. He had just taken Scorpion to the Garage behind the Labs, which, much to their relief, was just before the rain started to fall. "Otherwise known as the Zoo, where we, mainly I, go out and collect samples of plants, animals, tag the various beasts, and bring some home for further study, like the Skitter in there," Tom said, leading Scorpion over to the creature pens, basically a cell with a seemingly glass window. The six legged creature lashed out at the window, but didn't damage it in the least.
"I've been studying these guys for weeks, trying to see why they take kids and kill adults. No one knows, but I think I'm on to something. I almost managed to tag one, but this one got to me first, so I tranq'd it and brought it back here, for study. We've always had dead skitters, but no live ones." He looked at Scorpion. "Fascinating, isn't it?"
|
|
