At The Precipice Of Something New

Something Far

Far Harbour
October the 23rd, 2288
15:17

The fog had not changed.

His chest constricting and his shoulders squared and tense, Preston Garvey took in a few long, deep breaths and cut the motor to the boat, close enough to the dock to be able to safely tie off the boat. The water crashing against the sides of the vessel, it swayed side to side until, with the help of Derek Branson and Eleanor Perkins, the thickly braided ropes secured the boat from the cleats to the dock by the dock lines. After a few minutes of careful knotting and tying up, Preston let out a sigh of relief, the swaying of the boat largely ceasing once it was tied flush against the dock. The feeling of relief washed over him again when the nauseated feeling dissipated with the significant reduction in the boat's back and forth, side to side, motions. Taking his bags up from where he had left them on the seat beside him hours before when they had departed from Salem, he pushed away the trepidation clinging to him, reminding himself of why they were there. The Nakano family need their daughter to come home. If we can help in any way, then we have to. Seeing Ada Branson shivering in the chill of the fog, Preston handed her the coat she had absentmindedly left on one of the seats in the boat's cockpit. She gave him a grateful smile, pulled it on, and quickly scurried off the boat, swinging her backpack over her shoulders, to catch up to her father, already on the dock. With one last check around it, Preston finally stepped off the boat, his laser musket in his hands, and onto the dock of his hometown for the first time in over a decade.

It was almost the same as it had been when he had left, and the fog blanketing everything beyond the visible horizon was the same, too.

"No wonder Mister and Missus Nakano were terrified when they found out this is where their daughter had run off to," Ellie said, taking out her notebook and writing down a few things for Nick to review later. "I'd be scared if my kid were out here alone, too."

"The fog only gets worse past the town," Preston warned her. "And the radiation it brings in is the least worrisome thing coming from the fog."

Ada squeaked, tightly wrapping her coat around herself. "Then what's..." She said, nervously chewing at her lips. "What's the worst thing in the fog?"

"Honestly? I don't think there's one 'worst' thing in the fog," Preston said, turning towards the stairs up to the dock proper. "Well? No point waiting around."

With a brief look at Derek, Preston stepped aside to let him head up the stairs first, keeping one hand firmly on his daughter's shoulders. He went up soon after them. Lingering on the dock, and checking one last time, paranoid, the ropes had been secured, Ellie looked around, taking down a few more notes. Soon enough, she closed the cover and tucked the notebook into the pocket of her skirt alongside its pen. Walking quickly to catch up to Preston, Derek, and Ada, the detective's secretary moved almost silently on the tips of her toes in her well worn boots. She took a minute to simply stare after reaching the stairs and crossing the first few steps. The weather beaten wood, metal, bricks, and concrete were almost cosy, and the well lit buildings all over the dock seemed rather inviting. Breathing in the salted and misty air for the first time in what felt to be nearly forever, Preston closed his eyes and smiled faintly, only to lose any sense of serenity and happiness when he opened his eyes and remembered where they were. Ada, however, was non plussed by their surroundings, and she didn't try to hide her excitement when she and her father stepped onto and into the dock proper no more than a few seconds before Preston. Much more cautious, Derek sent his daughter a pointed look when she turned to him, grinning, and let out a tired sigh when several people started towards them, one of whom was carrying a rather large and very much loaded gun.

"Well, well, well," The man said, setting his gun down and resting it against his legs, glaring at Preston. "Look who came crawling back to his country roots."