Nova Vi was a soft town. Nestled deep in a blind canyon, it was naturally defensible, and the unsealed vault that was at its heart, full of books and knowledge, allowed the inhabitants to make a better life than could be found in most places in the wastes. A long while back they'd cut a deal with a few of the stronger raider groups, and eventually they'd managed to form a lasting symbiosis. The former raiders lived large in Outertown, benefiting from the knowledge they protected in Innertown, which is where the scientists, scholars and doctors, with their technology and advanced ways lived.
Doc was from Innertown, and he'd been talented even for someone raised to it. If it hadn't been for the worm, he'd probably still be there. I still hadn't quite figured why he'd come with us, and there'd been many times I thought the soft, idealistic kid would die in the wastes. In some ways though, I guess he did. He still walked, talked and cracked the same ironic grin, but that youth who'd followed her out into the unknown was dead and buried.
Doc didn't say much as we wended our way into the canyon, but I could see the mix of emotions on his face. One moment he almost looked eager, young again in his enthusiasm for his former home. At other times, almost afraid, and still others... contemptuous? It was definitely a complicated homecoming for the kid, that much was obvious.
Just one more bend of the canyon, and we'd be within sight of Outertown.
