Within
the freezer, sealed in plastic vacuum-packs, were chunks of meat. Raw
meat. Which were very rare in Covenant. George could not remember the
last time he himself had tasted real meat.
"Real
meat! What's it taste like?" George asked.
"Yummy!"
Iona replied.
"But
we're selling these," Mabel said, "Hopefully, it'll be
enough to pay for my shopping."
"I
was hoping to have a taste," George said.
Iona pulled George's hand. "If you want to eat meat, you can come to
my house and have some!"
"Really?"
George asked her.
"Note
that Io's place is across the wasteland," Mabel told him, "A
few day's drive from Covenant."
George
looked at Mabel with narrowed eyes filled with disappointment and
accusation. Not that his expression could be seen through his mask.
"Meat
is plentiful there," Tricia told him, "You can eat all you
want."
"Yeah,
but it's still far away," George said dejectedly.
"We
can take you there one day," Mabel offered. "Maybe,"
she added under her breath.
George
glanced at the items in the room. "So, we've got some pretty
good stuff after all," he commented.
"No!"
Mabel exclaimed, "This isn't good. Not even on a bad day!"
"This
isn't much of a prize," Tricia said as she looked around, "Is
there anything else we can take that isn't nailed down?"
"The
keypad by the door!" Mabel pointed out, "The door!"
"I
can't carry both the door and the freezer," Tricia said.
"Get
working on the keypad then, Squirt," Mabel ordered, "See if
you can get the electromagnets too."
Long
story short, George easily salvaged the keypad since he had partly
disassembled it earlier. With the electromagnets, it was easier
to have Tricia rip them off, rather than risk contact with a live
wire.
Once
they had taken everything they could, they went back down.
On the
level with the Trial of Patience, Tricia commented, "We
shouldn't have trashed the turrets. The guns could be salvaged."
"If
Laura were here, I'm sure she would salvage something," Mabel
said, "Hey, what about that giant power armor Io left running
downstairs?"
George
chased after three excited Vixens hurrying down the tower. They did
take extra care crossing the Trial of Caution, though. Perhaps that
was why that Trial had been called 'Caution' - they had to be careful
after solving it.
However,
once they reached the Trial of Combat, the black power armor was
gone. The warrior had probably sensed the approaching danger and had run
to avoid being taken away.
At the
curtains to the level with the Trial of Endurance, Mabel spoke up,
"Can we pick up a few of the cabinets?"
"One
small cabinet," Tricia decided. She already had her hands full
with the freezer. "Unless Io takes one too."
"Is
there anything else that isn't nailed down that we can loot?"
Mabel asked, "Not that being nailed down would save something
from looting." She indicated George's toolbag that everyone knew
had the keypad.
"There's
still that man in the ground floor," Iona suggested cheerfully.
"Let's
just go get us a couple of cabinets," Mabel said as she parted
the curtains, "and leave quick before the itching starts again."
The gas! George was not about to stay any longer than necessary. As
Tricia and Iona considered the cabinets, George hurried through the
level to the other pair of curtains on the other side. He pushed past
the curtains to stand on the stairs leading down.
"Hey,
Squirt!" Mabel called when she caught up to him, her rifle
lowered, "What's your hurry?"
"I
don't feel like itching again," George replied.
"Yeah,
but charging ahead alone and unarmed isn't wise." Mabel was
glancing about the staircase.
George
stared at her. "Haven't we been this way before?"
"Yeah,
but we're still not at the bottom level," Mabel pointed out, "In
fact, we're still in the wastes. Someone could have placed a trap or
something while we're gone. Anything could be here."
George
could have gotten himself hurt or worse! "Uh, sorry..." he
started to apologize. He must have been a handful to look after if he
was careless of his own safety. It was fortunate that Mabel still
looked out for him.
Mabel
clapped him on the back. "Ah, don't worry! If you die, we can
always hire Sharpwrench Kelly!"
So much
for her having any concern about his well-being!
***
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