Well I'm the type of guy, who likes to roam around...
The music from Diamond City Radio played from Ash's Pipboy. She sang out loud as she roamed aimlessly throughout the dilapidated ruins of Boston Common. She heard the scampering of a mole rat, bumbling towards her with it's awkward and round pink body. She drew his pistol and put it down, still singing. Ever since thawing out of Vault 111, Ash had just been doing odd jobs here and there, never really staying in one place too long. She had only stayed in Sanctuary Hills for a few days to have Codsworth catch her up on everything that had occurred, then she moved on.
She never really connected with anyone in the places she ever stayed. She felt like an outsider, an alien in a world she was completely new to. It only took her one time to realize that if you didn't shoot first, then you probably wouldn't shoot again. When she was ignorant to the gangs of raiders that now controlled the streets of Boston, she walked through them with her guard down. A raider who was luckily a very poor shot, clipped her on arm and the ear before she managed to escape. She vowed to never let that happen again.
Her now very, very torn vault dweller outfit was barely holding together under the assorted pieces of armor that she had "borrowed" from raiders that would no longer be needing them. Her faithful companion, Dogmeat, was happily jogging beside her, when the German Shepherd halted, and pointed directly to the left of where they were standing.
"Oh no, not this again." Dogmeat cocked his head to look at Ash. "You know what I mean. Last time you pointed like that, you lead me straight into a lair of super mutants. Do you know how long it took to get the splinters from that huge board out of my back?" Dogmeat whined and began running to where he was pointing. "Ugh. Fine, but if it's more mutants I swear you're taking the splinters out of yourself." Ash begrudgingly followed her furry companion.
Dogmeat slowed as he approached. He looked up and then sat down right in front of Ash who tripped and fell on top of him.
"You fuzzy, adorable asshole." He licked her face. "Soooo does not make up for that." Ash pushed herself to her feet. "Alright, what did you want me to see?"
"Look here fellas!" Ash her a voice call from the other side of a makeshift wall that covered one of Boston's many back alleyways. "We got ourselves a hot one! She's a reporter too! We're gonna be the next big story!" It sounded like raiders.
"Lemme go you pricks!" A female voice reached Ash's ears. It sounded vaguely familiar. Perhaps someone from Diamond City or Goodneighbor. "Diamond City Security is coming for me right now! I've got a chip implanted in me so they can find me anywhere!" Ash chuckled out loud to herself. Someone's in a little over their head.
"Yeah… right ohh I'm shaking in my boot here… Ow! What the fuck man she bit me!" There was a chuckle from the voice of the captive then a smacking sound followed by the female voice yelling profanities at her captors.
Ash looked to Dogmeat. "Time to rescue us a damsel in distress huh boy?" He gave a sharp bark in reply.
"You got some serious balls lady, and I mean probably even bigger than mine and I've got some big ass balls, but honestly what the hell did you think you were going to accomplish coming out onto our turf? You got a death wish or something?" A gruff male voice asked. Ash approached the heavy door slowly.
"Oh ya know, just taking a nice walk and taking in the beautiful sites of Boston Common. Was maybe gonna stop by the library. Until I was interrupted by you strapping young assholes." The female voice dripped heavily with sarcasm. There was the sound of movement from the other side but Ash couldn't make out what was going on. She approached the door, and banged loudly on it with her laser rifle she had acquired from a fallen Brotherhood of Steel knight. She banged it loudly on the door. Subtlety was never my strong suit.
"This is Diamond City Security." Ash boomed as loud as she could. "Release the hostage, we have you surrounded. Deliver her safely outside this door and you shall be spared. Failure to comply will result in your instant vaporization"
"HA! I told you assholes! Now let me go before you get vaporized!" The reporter yelled, and then added softly "Holy shit, I'm so good at lying my lie became the truth."
Ash heard a raider clear his throat. "How do we know you're not bluffing?" Ash kicked the door open and blasted the nearest raider with her laser rifle.
"That proof enough for you?" Ash smirked. Dogmeat growled and leaped onto another raider.
"Don't just stand there!" A woman in a rusty metal assorted suit of armor yelled as a raider nearby her was disintegrated. "KILL THAT BITCH!" Ash ducked behind a wall. She saw the brunette reporter roll behind a crate. Ash switched on the V.A.T.S on her Pipboy to survey the area. The screen showed two raiders on the balcony and four on the floor she was on. She heard a snarl from Dogmeat and a yell from a raider. Three on her floor.
She leaned out from her cover and took a shot at the woman on the balcony. She clipped her in the arm. She took a second shot at the man near her. He was disintegrated. The raider woman fired a shot that ricocheted off of Ash's metal arm guard. Ash fired back and took out the raider. She helped Dogmeat finish off the others.
The raiders were dealt with, so Ash moved to the reporter still huddled behind a crate. She propped herself up and finally jiggled her hands free of the restraints.
"Well, you sure are the cutest security officer I've met." The reporter said. "Oh wow I just said that. I was not supposed to say that out loud. That was supposed to stay as a thought okay um moving on, thank you for your timely rescue. I'm Piper Wright, editor and writer and publisher of Diamond City's best, and only, newspaper Publick Occurrences." She put out a hand.
"Nice to meet you Piper, I'm Ash." Ash shook the reporter's hand. And you are definitely the cutest person I've ever rescued.
"So, if your outfit is any indicator, you're not with Security. So, why are you out here? And why did you decide to come to my rescue?" Piper questioned.
"You can thank Dogmeat for that. Never would've found you if not for him." Dogmeat came trotting up beside Ash. Piper barely contained a squeal as she bent down to pet him. "What were you doing out here all alone, without a gun?" Ash inquired.
"I have a gun, they were just better at using theirs." She explained. "Which reminds me, one of them got me pretty good, would you happen to have a Stimpak I could borrow?"
"Sure." Ash tossed the reporter the healing device.
"Thanks." She injected it into herself. "Much better. Well, it was real nice meeting you Ash, but I gotta get back to Diamond City. But hey, next time you're in town, stop by. It'd be awesome to get an interview with a Vault Dweller. Get an inside scoop to what the vaults are really like."
"How did…"
"You're still wearing the jumpsuit."
"Right."
"Next up on Diamond City Radio, we have the Ink Spots, with 'I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire." Tyler the host's voice came from the radio Ash forgot she still had playing. The music began.
"Hope to see you around Blue. I'd love to see your face again. I mean.. I would.. uh.. love to... do you.. no! I mean the interview, I'd.. umm.. I gotta go." Flustered, Piper Wright walked as quickly as she could, trying to make herself look not flustered, and failing miserably.
"Blue huh?" Ash said to herself. She patted Dogmeat on the head. "What do you say boy? Should we go for the follow up interview?" He barked. "Yeah. I thought she was cute too."