Scavengers- ...spend their time crawling around old ruins in hopes of finding some valuable trinket from before the war.

It's such a lonely and morbid sort of work, what kind of person would...

WASTELAND SURVIVAL GUIDE

"Hey!"

Wha...

"Jessica!"

Who?

"Wake up!"

Jessica was still half asleep. Lifting her head up she wiped a bit of drool off her face and glanced around.

Nobody. She saw nothing but the junk strewn around her apartment, she heard nothing but the faint scratching of a radroach somewhere in the walls, nobody was there.

Huh.

Lacking a better explanation she plopped back down on the pillow. She couldn't get back to sleep though, that radroach was really going at it this morning. Instead she rolled over in bed to a terminal precariously balanced on the nightstand. Booting up a game of Red Menace she spent a productive morning jumping over barrels and defeating communism. Eventually though a rumble in her stomach forced her out of bed and across the room to her kitchen. Grabbing a pot from the pile of dishes in her sink she gave it a quick scrubbing before filling it up and setting it on the stovetop to boil. When it was good and bubbly she dumped the noodles in, absentmindedly stirring every few minutes. When it looked ready she flicked the burner off and let it cool for a minute while she rummaged for a fork. Picking it off the stove she slurped up noodles as she walked over to grab a nuka-cola from the fridge. Halfway there though she slipped on a discarded bottle and tumbled back, noodles and all. She was lucky not have been scalded by the hot broth. That was not how Jessica took it.

You fucking idiot! You can't do the simplest task without screwing up. You...

She goes on like that for awhile. After cleaning up the mess she simply tossed the pot back aside, in no mood to cook again. Instead she went to dig through a pile of clothes in the corner for something to wear. Pulling out a relatively clean outfit she got dressed, grabbed her pack, and left for work. The moment she opened the door though a slip of paper fell out. It was sternly worded letter from the landlord informing her the rent was due Friday and their would be no exceptions. Sighing she shoved it in her pocket and headed out into Diamond City.

'Out' was a relative term though. This part of Diamond City was so built up that she spent ten minutes weaving through dark cramped alleys before she made her way up a stairwell and got her first peak of sunlight. She was taking a favorite shortcut of hers by carefully stepping her way across unstable rooftops several stories in the air. She found this far less stressful than dealing with the crowds down below. When she did make her way back to ground level it was to head for the exit, but as she headed out the gate a guard waved at Jessica from his post and shouted some pleasantry to her. Struck dumb and uncertain how to respond she could only manage to mumble something in his general direction before hurrying off into the wasteland.

Noodles. Noooooodles. Noodleoodleoodles.

I think she's gone mad from hunger. Her mind could focus on little else as she switched off her hotplate and started slurping up lunch, spitting it back out when she burned her mouth. With the second mouthful she blew on it beforehand and washed it down with a swig of nuka-cola. Repeating that process she was able to devour the steaming hot meal without further injury. Finishing with a burp she shoved the cookware back in her pack and began her day's work. Wandering aimlessly through the streets she looked over every building she passed, applying a rigorous scientific analysis to determine the optimum target.

"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, catch a raider by the toe..."

This method brought her to a midsized office with a large hole smashed through the top floor. It's only entrance had collapsed, but digging in her pack Jessica removed a small explosive charge and set it among the rubble. Retreating to a safe distance she ducked behind cover and set off the detonator. When the dust settled she returned to find an opening just large enough for her. Before going in she paused, listening carefully for any groan that might indicate an imminent collapse. These pre-war buildings were in rough shape and she'd seen them brought down by less than her firecracker, but after a few minutes of silence she was confident this one wouldn't fall. Pulling out a flashlight she squeezed through the gap and scanned around inside for any company. Feral ghouls and aggressive wildlife were another occupational hazard, but this place seemed clear. Relaxing her guard she began her usual search of the premises for any scrap or valuables left by the former occupants. The first floor was routine, the biggest highlight being a gun and some bullets from the small security station, but the second floor held a surprise. There a vertibird had crashed through the ceiling and lodged itself inside. With the crew dead on impact it sat untouched for over two centuries. Until now.

Jackpot!

Indeed. The military grade parts alone could earn her a small fortune. Checking inside she found the pilots and a briefcase clutched by the lone passenger, some sort of officer judging from his tattered uniform. Showing little respect for the dead she ripped the briefcase from his skeletal hands and began fiddling with the lock. Like most scavengers Jessica was quite handy with a bobby pin and it didn't take long to get it open. Inside were some technical papers she found utterly indecipherable and a holotape labeled 'Project Agelasta'. Looked boring, but popping the tape in the cockpit's terminal showed it to be heavily encrypted. Figuring it might be worth something she tossed it in her bag and began the long task of striping the aircraft down for anything of value.

By the time she finished her pack was bulging at the seams, but the light outside had grown uncomfortably dim. She needed to get home before sunset. You didn't wanna be caught out here at night. Bad things happened at night. 'Bad' by the standards of a post-apocalyptic wasteland. That was just a nagging worry though, what sent a chill down her spine was the figure she saw watching her as she turned to leave. The room was dark and she only saw them for a second, but she swore...

No. It's just my imagination. Or maybe this place has a gas leak.

She told herself that, but she'd spend the whole walk back to Diamond City looking over her shoulder.

Look at all the caps! I'm rich! Filthy rich!

Jessica probably could have gotten more if she had actually talked to the merchants instead of staring at her shoes and mumbling, but it was a big haul. It was such a lucky break that she had a smile on her face and a skip in her step as she made her way home. Made her way at night through Diamond City. To her home in the bad part of town.

You can probably guess where this is going. Jessica should have known where this was going. She was in a state of blissful ignorance though and took no notice of the street thug tailing her. Jessica naturally took the path most devoid of other people and was walking down an empty street when she heard the voice shouting in her ear.

"Behind you! Look out!"

She had no idea where the warning had come from, but it was too late anyway. She barely had time to process it before she was slammed against the wall. The next thing she knew a woman was holding a knife to her throat and rummaging through her pockets. A minute later all of her caps were gone along with the mugger.

Jessica wasn't sure what to do now. For a long time she just slumped there. When she did finally get back on her feet it was a slow trudge, beating herself up all the way.

A once in a lifetime opportunity and you blow it! You fucking...

Even after getting home she continued, pacing back and forth across the room.

...this might be the worst thing you've ever done.

Eventually she came to a stop in the middle of her room and looked up at the apartment's only light. Reaching out she grasped the hot bulb, holding tight for as long as she could stand before pulling away. Staring down at her fresh injury she sighed, reached up with her other hand, and pulled the bulb's cord. Left in darkness she stumbled across the room and flopped down on her bed.

Jessica was already asleep when a figure appeared in the shadows, desperately waving and trying to get her attention.