AN: I promise, I didn't mean to just make a story so stereotypically about Charon and the Lone Wanderer. I had a bigger story in the works, but I lost it and need to rework it. Maybe when I get that one posted, I can weave them together in some weird way. Plus, there will be weird plot devices to get this story in a good curve, since I was planning to make this separate from my main one.
|Prologue|
"Shit, Vault Gal!" Three Dog stood up faster than he could comprehend from his desk, holding his arms out wide. The girl in front of him smiled sheepishly, her face turning red. "You did it! You fucking did it!"
"Well, you needed my help, so, I was obliged to-"
"You don't need to explain yourself, girlie. Three Dog's fine without one." He came up to her and gave her a firm pat on the back, and she stumbled a bit out of surprise. He hardly knew her personally, but he was proud of her and honored to have the girl in his studio anyways. She was just like her father, he could tell. Talking to her, well, was like talking to James. Both of them almost idiotically determined to follow their goals. His, some sort of experiment he abandoned nineteen years ago. Hers, simply finding the man. "Here, sit down, you must be fucking exhausted."
The girl gladly fell on a chair after making sure it was cushioned. He crossed his arms and smiled down at her, before pulling up a chair of his own, "Now, you gotta tell me, how was it down in the Mall? I know we've got some brothers down guarding the Washington Monument, but that's it."
She blushed and smiled slightly, leaning back a bit, "Oh, it was terrible, Three Dog. I don't know how I do it sometimes, those green guys... super mutants?, were entrenched as far as the eye could see." He nodded, a huge grin on his face. No matter how much she would complain, she still managed to survive it all anyways. "I mean, I was lucky I knew how to handle them from a distance. If it weren't for this beat up old rifle, I would have had to risk sneaking past the brutes." This was his cue. He reached in his pocket and pressed the record button on a tape recorder he kept on hand at all times. A little doohicky he scoured from GNR when he first set up in the place. With the help of a Brotherhood of Steel member, he had managed to get it operational again. The best part was that the tape had still been intact, probably due to the radiation from the bombs in the war that had pseudo preserved it.
"How, how did you even find out how to kill the bastards? I mean, you're a fucking Vaultie! You were blinded like a newborn in a hospital ward when you stepped out from that hole in the ground, you didn't even know what the fuck those things were, yet you managed to find yourself in the depths of the ruins looking for a damned antennae relay. How did you manage?"
"Well, I mean..." she had been taken surprise by the onslaught of questions. "It's all thanks to my father. He gave me a BB gun for my tenth birthday and I used to shoot radroaches with it. We had a little shooting range set up in storage in the vault." She took a glance at the hunting rifle near her chair. "I found this busted up thing in Springvale and, well, with a little help from Sheriff Simms, I managed to transfer my nine years of BB gun practice to an actual rifle. And it just sorta escalated from there."
Three Dog smiled; he was still brimming with questions, and the tape was already getting great info. "But how did you figure out how to kill Muties? How to handle raider skirmishes and feral attacks?"
Her face blanked. "Um... well, I got a lot of practice up in Big Town, when my Pip Boy malfunctioned and sent me north instead of east, and I only ran into a couple of raiders and a few of those feral things you talk about. I guess the bad guys were taking a break when I went to the Mall. As scary as it was, there were hardly any super mutants around, too. They didn't even notice me when I snagged the relay." She stopped and thought for a moment, "but, I did leave here at the beginning of night, and got back early morning. And the ferals died due to a gas explosion, and the raiders weren't patrolling, and, well, yeah. I just guess I got a lucky streak, huh?"
That embarrassed smile reared up again. Fucking lucky indeed. "Now, I agree, that was damn fucking lucky. You've managed to course through the wastes without a hitch so far. But now, things may be different. The raiders listen to Galaxy News; I can't help it. They're probably gonna start looking for you when they get news that you've been a little vigilante for us. They hate good people, of course." He frowned at the sudden image of a raider cornering the poor girl that arose in his head. "And the super mutants aren't too dumb. They understand language, and they go into overdrive when they realize their ranks have been cut down. The longer you're out here helping us, the harder it'll get, Missy."
"So, so, how do you propose I survive all of this?" She had a look of fear on her face. He was right; she had only hit a lucky streak.
"I'd say find a partner, or a bodyguard, or something. Being a lone wanderer isn't a smart idea in the wastes, you know. You gotta have backup. You're hardly experienced." Three Dog suddenly liked the sound of Lone Wanderer. Too bad this girl wasn't strong enough to achieve that title yet. But he would keep it in mind; he had a prediction that she'd definitely be a good story to follow.
"Where could I find someone to help me?"
"Hm... There's probably plenty of people in main settlements that can help you. Rivet City, where your dad went, might have someone willing, possibly. It'll be hard getting a person to risk their lives with you, though. Go back through the Mall and find the subway that'll lead you to Rivet City. Your computer thing should help you with that. I'd suggest taking a rest stop at Underworld though, in the Natural History Museum." Half way through his speech the girl started to poke furiously at her computer thing. Probably recording everything he said. "The place is a safe haven from the Muties; you'll be good to spend a night there. Just don't cause a ruckus, those people there are antsy around people who, well, have normal skin." She nodded whilst poking at the computer. He hoped she was actually listening. "I doubt the ghouls there will want to help you, so that's why it's best to check Rivet City instead."
She looked up, smiling, and stood, "thanks a lot, Three Dog. I'll do exactly what you said, and hopefully dad will, well, be there." She held out her hand; a shake.
Three Dog stood up as well and took her hand. "Be careful girlie, I hope you find James. Make sure to update us about how you're doing when you can, okay? Oh, and don't forget about that weapons stash you've got the key to."
"Oh I definitely won't forget about that. And I'll try as hard as I can to keep in touch, but for now, goodbye, Three Dog."
He watched her practically run out of the room. For some reason, he knew she'd be fine. But in the meantime, he needed to get the scoop on what, exactly, she did in Big Town. Something inside him told him she did more than a little target practice.