Session 11

Synopsis
Our intrepid heroes, having journeyed by crane and flat bed to the bombed-out crater of Perimeter Mall, found themselves fighting the darkening skies. Between Wally's curiosity about what structures might have survived and keeping an eye out for choice buildings to salvage goodies from, the group spied a mostly intact building with "FACTORY" written across the top.

Thinking this was a good place to explore and also hide out for the night, they worked toward entry into the building. Finding it locked, Wally practiced his fledgling lock pick skills learned in the hidden halls of Vault 46. Lucie attempted to disable the crane so vandals would not make off with it but accidentally broke some key engine components.

(Sam, therefore, found something for him to do during the adventure as an NPC while the other three explored the FACTORY.)

Inside the building, they encountered a podium, inside which was a log book of names. Leaning against the podium was the well-preserved remains of a woman in uniform with a name tag. "Polly" was the name on the tag. Wally took possession of what they soon realized was the Cheesecake Factory's guest registry and Polly's name tag.

Dr. Connor explored the kitchen and claimed some of its ancient and intact cookware. Lucie found an energy cell. Their exploration would not last much longer as they were attacked by the latest batch of mutated wildlife! Two dogs (a poodle and a Lhasa Apso), a bear, and a cyborg dog attacked them viciously. The cyber dog had a laser eye with which it pummeled both friend (sorry bear) and foe (sorry Dr. Connor), but the three explorers dispatched them all. During the battle, Wally noted that while he was holding the guest registry, every laser shot aimed at him missed, leading him to believe it was actually laser proof. But only in jest. Supposedly.

(Sam, meanwhile, enacted a plan to extend the crane hook to surprise the beasts from above, but too slowly did he execute this as the battle ended before he could get the drop on them.)

They spent the night in the factory with the door barred. During the night, Wally visited the deceased patrons of the restaurant. He found a man in a suit, hand-cuffed to a briefcase, in a dark corner booth.

After several failures trying to guess the numbers on the two sets of five-number pinwheel combination locks, Wally, in a truly wild display of talent (using his Wild Talent skill), successfully employed some cryptography skills he must have read about once in a magazine back in Vault 46, and popped the combination lock on the briefcase.

Inside were some papers, which contained detailed instructions on the location, place, and time to visit a locker at one of the MARTA rail stations of the Atlanta metro area, to retrieve the item in the locker and deliver it to Turner Field. Also, there was a key, presumably to the locker.

Wally pocketed the mans wallet, handcuffs, id card, laundry dry cleaning receipt, and the man's pre-war money.

In the morning, with the engine repaired thanks to Sam's efforts, the crew left the Cheesecake Factory and made it within visual range of the bridge they had hoped would be intact across I-285. But it was occupied by a hostile force, as evidenced by the maze of automobile barricades across the bridge, and chained up humans tied to the cars.

The adventure continued....