"There are dangers I would not be able to see from a distance," Mini pointed out. "An attacking mech, for instance, would be able to fire rockets from a distance. Or one of those Sherlock mechs could pick us off using their long-range rifles."
"And if we were attacked by either one of those, what benefit would there be if they hit us from a distance?" she asked, chose some of the rations from the mech, and sat on the small wall.
"If they missed, we would be able to escape with more alacrity," the AI pointed out.
"Well, be that as it may, I think I need a little fresh air anyway. We've moved almost without a break for the past twenty hours and I need time to stretch my legs. I don't think I've spent that much time in a mech before."
"Given our situation, getting used to being inside the mech is likely something to consider," he said as Jessica13 began her meal.
Once again, it wasn't great but it was from a different bunker and that made it taste different. It was more savory, she realized, like someone had prepared the rations with more spices. That would have been considered an unnecessary waste of resources and time in Sanctuary.
All it really did was add a touch more flavor to the otherwise almost tasteless stew mixed with protein patty that she'd eaten her entire life.
"So," Jessica13 said, still chewing. "What is this? One of those theaters you talked about?"
Mini didn't answer for a few seconds and she wondered if he hadn't heard her. Or maybe he was sulking again.
"My records indicate that this is a popular social area, maintained outside to encourage other humans to interact with each other on a larger scale," the AI said. "The most common name for it would be a fountain. The location would have water running from the central structure to fill the outside ring, which would then force the water down into a couple of pipes and back into the spout."
"Huh." She frowned and tried to picture what it would look like. "Did they use any covering over it?"
Mini paused again. "My records indicate no."
Jessica13 scowled. "How did they keep the water from evaporating and being lost into the air?"
"It would appear that letting the water be lost to the atmosphere wasn't that great a concern back then."
That was reasonable, of course, but she couldn't help but scowl at the small bottle of water she had for herself. It was a wonder that people could be so wasteful, even people who lived over a hundred years before. Folks living in a time of plenty never quite imagined that their situation could change so drastically.
"I wonder what it must have been like," she said softly, finished her food, and packed everything into the mech before she climbed in.
"Being that wasteful?" Mini asked.
"I wonder what it must have been like to be around so many people simply…well, enjoying themselves. Not having to worry about things like wasting evaporating water. Is that crazy?"
"I can assure you that your wondering does not classify as a mental illness," he replied as they began to move again.
"That's not quite what I meant, but I guess it still answers the question." Jessica13 turned and retrieved the radio. "Do you think you could get us to a higher point? I think I'll be able to manage a focused comm burst to reach the second bunker to tell them I'm here in the city."
"Hold on." The AI reverted the mech to Bulletfoot mode, settled onto the ground, and ran quickly to one of the smaller buildings that looked more or less intact. A few calculations crossed the HUD before the grappler fired to enable them to climb to the top. A host of birds flew up from inside the building, startled by the sound, but settled slowly when the mech began to clamber up the side of the building.
"Sorry," she said softly, not wanting to disrupt their lives any more than was necessary.
Once they reached the roof, Mini maintained the connection with the cable. The building didn't appear to be that stable, to begin with, and adding the full weight of the mech in the wrong place could bring the structure crumbling down.
"I’m calling up a location for the second bunker now and giving you the most direct connection," the AI said and brought more computations up on the screen to run them through a variety of different algorithms. Jessica13 could comprehend most of them and thought she could probably make them herself but nowhere near as quickly as Mini performed them. In under a minute, a comm line was opened.
"This is Jessica13," she said into the mic. "Can anyone hear me on this frequency, over?"
A moment passed before a soft crackle and hiss was heard over the line and finally, a voice. "We read you, Jessica13. How goes the search for Hammerhand, over?"
"I've just reached the city," she said. "It's mostly deserted, over."
"You might…find the industrial complex on the western end of the city," the voice said but crackled severely with the interference and distance. "Knights Mechanica…defenses up in the area. Advice…short-range bursts over general comm channels…should respond, over."
She nodded and thought she’d at least understood the general idea behind what was said. "Roger that. How are you guys doing there, over?"
More crackling. "…better if we…the Knights are coming. Still rebuilding otherwise, over. You should send the communication…head on back, over."
"Well, I'll get back to you once I know more. Out," Jessica13 said and cut the communication.
"Connections over that kind of distance are probably what burnt the disruptors in the radio the first time," Mini said. "Ours are currently well above recommended heat settings."
"We probably shouldn't contact them again until we have good news to share." She studied the wiring behind her. "Anyway, can you put out a short-range, general burst?"
"I’m connecting with as many channels as possible," the AI said
