[u][b]Vertibird Crash Site[/b][/u]

 “You’re gonna be ok", a man's voice echoed as if from the bottom of a well, "You’ll make it, buddy”.

Steve felt something prick him in the arm and chest, each time a pleasing warmth began to flood through him. Finally fully conscious again, he looked around, seeing Corrine to one side of him, and Castner, pocketing a empty stimpack, on the other.

"You OK, Corrine?", Steve said weakly, as he tried, and failed to sit up. "I don't feel so good." 

Somewhere behind him, a woman cried out in despair. 

"NOO!" She screamed again, "T-t-they're" She sobbed, "..they're...Synths."

Castner looked over at Corrine. 

"I'll see what she's talking about", Castner said, and got up and left. 

Corrine nodded and held the bandages against his wounded arm. 

"Well now..." Longfellow began, "The only thing I can think of is that crazy spirit those Children of Atom fruitcakes used to go on about. Their missionaries would always go on and on about the 'Mother of The Fog'. Not sure if this 'Mother' is the same one, but I guess it could be. The cultists don't look like the children at all though. For one thing...they've got full heads of hair..."

Corrine wiped her nose on the back of her sleeve in an attempt to regain some composure. She swallowed and finally spoke, her voice initially coming out as a gargle. "Suh-smooth skin, too. Many long-time cultists don't tend ta look so...well...fresh." She glanced around at the other islanders who had turned to face her while she spoke. "Well, it's true, ain't it?" Corrine shrugged. "Not like I know what it means. Maybe they just haven't been goons long enough ta have lost their hair an' their skin."

She crouched back down to take Steve's hand in both of hers, once more. "Can we just finish up, here, an' get back to down? Steve and James both need to see the doc. Nothin' about those cultists is gonna change in the time it takes us to get back to town."

Corrine looked into Steve's face and squeezed his hand. "You just hang in there, all right? We're gonna get you back to town, to a warm bed, and some medicine." As an afterthought, her gaze shot up to meet Longfellow's eyes. "Don't you forget about Avery, neither."

"Avery", Steve said slowly, "That explains it....I'm [i]so[/i] sorry, Corrine." He squeezed Corrine's hand gently.

Finally feeling strong enough...thanks to the Stimpacks, he sat up, and with the rock he had tried to use for cover as support, with Corrine's help was able to get on his feet. Thankfully, the townspeople had come to their aid....Corrine seemed to be the only one of them that wasn't seriously hurt. Looking into the clearing near the Vertibird, he saw what he expected to find....the still form of Avery, and snuggled up to her, the creature, with a blood trail leading straight back here. The vision he had seen while unconscious was uncannily accurate....something Steve found highly unnerving. 

"Corrine, if we're taking her back to bury her...", Steve said, nodding at Avery, "We oughta take the critter, too and bury them together....it's what both of them would have wanted."