Chapter 1:

A Local Flavor

-Eight Months after leaving Vault 101-

-Two Weeks after destroying the Adams AFB Platform-

-6:50pm-

As always, I didn't know what to expect when I saw an old riverboat docked south of Rivet City. The only boats I've ever seen were the rusted up, abandoned ones in the Potomac. It looked like something I once saw in an old, pre-war book I saw in the Arlington Library…I believed it was called a "steamboat".

I was surprised to see it in such good condition despite it being over 200 years old. I wasn't aware of who owned the boat, but when I spotted a middle-aged woman near the docks, I left my 10mm submachine gun in its holster. After all the shit I've been through, I never let my guard down for a minute.

I was with Dogmeat and Charon when I approached the steamboat- before Charon, I was accompanied by Star Paladin Cross, a loyal member of the Brotherhood of Steel who knew my father when I was just a newborn. She was very stern, but was very useful in combat. I first met her when I was in the Citadel for the first time with Dr. Madison Li. She was with me for about two months until she was killed near the Capitol Building when we came across Talon Company Mercs and a hoard of Super Mutants killing each other. A week later, I hired a ghoul who lived in Underworld, Charon, who's been with me ever since.

The woman, who's name was Catherine (the same name as my mother's), approached me when she first saw me and pleaded:

"You! Are you going to Point Lookout? I need your help!"

Who doesn't?

"My daughter stowed away on the Duchess Gambit a few weeks ago and I haven't seen her since," she continued. "I haven't heard anything from her, but if you're going to Point Lookout, could you look for her? Please, I'll do anything…"

Another person who needed my help. Again. But she reminded me of when I was desperate to look for my father months ago, which was why I left Vault 101 in the first place and came here, the Wasteland.

"I can't promise anything ma'm, but I'll look for her." I promised. I'm always making promises. Fortunately, I'm usually one to keep my promises.

She thanked me, and told me that her daughter's name is Nadine, who sounded like a stereotypical naïve adventurer from what Catherine told me.

"That Tobar said he dropped her off at Point Lookout, but who knows what's happened to her since?" Catherine said to me.

The shady looking guy behind her on the boat must've been the boat's ferryman, Tobar. I'd be worried to if I let my kid venture in the world left in the care of a man that looked like some Slaver from Paradise Falls.

Catherine wasn't sure if I could convince her daughter to come home, so she gave me a note to give Nadine. I asked her what her daughter looked like, and she mentioned that she had bright orange hair (which didn't really help me). And when I asked her what she knew about this Point Lookout, she said she only knew it was where the ferryman got his "Punga Fruit" (whatever that was), but he makes a good profit out of selling them.

"I hear rumors that place is full of swamps and killer plants, but I don't know about all that…"

Great. Another place where I could possibly get killed and fight for my life.

When I finished getting information shot this "Pont Lookout" from Catherine, I went up to the shady ferryman, Tobar as Catherine called him. It wasn't his appearance that made him look distrusting- he gave off the same vibe as any Slaver I've ever met or that lying ghoul, Crowley I met in Underworld.

"Welcome, my friend!" The ferryman introduced himself. "I am Tobar the Ferryman and this fine vessel is the Duchess Gambit. And who might you be, ma'am?"

"Who I am is none of your business." I spat.

"Now, now don't be like that, girl," Tobar said calmly. "It's common courtesy to address one's name when they meet someone new. Although it seems like such courtesy had been abandoned long ago in the Wastes."

"A name?" I sneered. "People around the Capitol Wasteland know me as the 'Lone Wanderer'. That's the closest thing to a name I have now."

"Well 'Miss Wanderer' we're just back from Point Lookout, but it won't be long before we set off again. From your conversation with dear ol' Catherine over there, you seem interested."

I saw Charon stare at him intensely, as if he was ready to shoot him with his Combat Shotgun. Then again, he always looked like that whenever I talked to a man.

"I might be," I say. "What's in Point Lookout?"

He gave a sly smile started off his monologue, "From you attitude, you seem like a woman who's been around the wastes, so I'll cut right to it before your friend starts to put bullets through my head,"

He was referring to Charon, who indeed looked pissed off and he did seem like he was about to shoot the ferryman in the head. He had the same look on his face when I first met him when he was employed to Ahzrukhal the former owner of Underworld's local bar, the 9th Circle… After I bought his contract from his former employee, he only had that look on his face when he was around someone he didn't trust, or didn't like. Then again, Charon never seemed the type to trust anyone- the one thing he and I have in common.

"Don't mind, Charon. He won't shoot unless I tell him," I tell him. "Same rule applies to Dogmeat." I gesture toward the adorable animal beside me, Dogmeat, my first true friend out here in the Wasteland. "As you were saying Tobar?"

"Oh yes, didn't mean to get side-tracked- Miss Wanderer, in Point Lookout, you'll find fresh-grown fruit, mysterious locales, and treasures as-of-yet un-looked," He continued his monologue. "But keep your wits about you, because you'll find more than a exotic critters and inhospitable locals-"

"Tobar," I cut him off bitterly. "You have no idea of the amount of shit I've been through since I arrived here in the Capitol Wasteland. If I've survived this long out in this hellhole without as so much as losing a limb, I can survive whatever your little 'exotic critters' and 'inhospitable locals' has in store for me."

Before he could reply to my threat, I continued, changing the subject. "I was told that a girl named Nadine caught a ride on your ship. Know where she is?"

Tobar merely responded that he didn't know where she was, but probably got herself into "plenty of trouble" as he said it. Knowing suspicious slime like him, he was hiding something.

When I asked him more about Point Lookout, he started spouting some bullshit, so I didn't really pay attention to what he was saying…until he mentioned that he doesn't do "group trips" and told me to leave Charon and Dogmeat in the Wasteland while I go to Point Lookout.

Although I didn't feel comfortable going to some unknown location without the two of them, it couldn't' be helped. I told Dogmeat to meet me back home in Megaton- and knowing that I was probably going to be gone for a while, I told Charon to wait for me back in Underworld. I didn't want him to wait for me back in Megaton where he'd suffer the peoples' bigotry like Gob, the town's punching bag.

After I bought a very expensive ticket to Point Lookout (330 caps? I spend less money at the local clinic whenever I need to buy Stimpaks) Tobar showed me the cabin I'd be staying in before we set off. I gave my goodbyes to Dogmeat and Charon before I slept on the cot in my cabin.

I didn't know how long my trip down there would take, so I got as much sleep as I could.

*

-11: 57am-

-The Next Morning-

Apparently, it didn't take too long to get there (from what Tobar said), but Tobar said he didn't want to wake me up.

When I took my first look at Point Lookout, I don't think I've ever seen a more disturbingly, creepy place in my life. The area was covered in fog, and the remnants of an abandoned amusement park were still standing. Despite everything I've seen in the Wasteland, I found that this place had the true depiction of a "ghost town"- even though that this pier was only part of the haunted Point Lookout.

"Welcome to Point Lookout, my friend!" Tobar greeted me when I first saw him. "The trip was fine, the weather's nice and damp, and everything out there looks as pleasant as ever!"

I wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic or if he was serious.

"Looks like nothing changed since my last visit…except all that smoke I saw on the way in." He said.

Smoke?

I looked behind me, and I indeed, saw a pillar of smoke, as black as charcoal, emerge from a large building less than half a mile from the pier. I was a little startled, but then again, not completely out of the ordinary from all that I've seen.

"Tobar, what's over there?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing much," He answered. "Just old Calvert Mansion. Just a huge, abandoned estate teaming with who knows what opportunities for profitable scavenging. Y'know, nothing much."

"Wow. Thanks for the advice." I scoffed sarcastically.

"I know I said Point Lookout as perfect for treasure hunters, but it's a rare day when you get a beacon like that!" He exclaimed, ignoring my comment.

"I see…" Looks like I'm gonna have to help another local. Again.

Before I went out to look at this Calvert Mansion, I bought a couple Stimpaks from Tobar and asked him if there were any shops close by that I go to in the future. He mentioned a shop owned by a woman named Panada down by the docks, and an old motel if I needed to rest. Soon after mentioning a man named Plik, I went toward Calvert Mansion.

When I walked along the pier, I was surprised I didn't fall through the wood considering that it was over 200 years old. The weather was uncomfortably humid- the Wasteland was just hot as hell, but the humidity made me feel like I was suffocating. The walk to Calvert Mansion felt as though it was taking forever. (I was attacked by a Swamplurk on my way there, but I quickly disposed of it with my 10mm submachine gun. The bastard was tougher to kill than regular Mirelurks back in the Capital Wasteland).

When I approached the mansion, I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into. Something told me that I was going to get in a whole lot of trouble in this haunted mansion…and my instincts are usually always right.

As I made my way near the door, I saw a camera and a set of speakers that were added on after the war. An irritated, raspy voice had recognized my presence.

"You! You're no Tribal! Get in here and help me fight these bastards off, goddammit!"

I starred at the camera for a minute, but after that I put my hand on the doorknob while the voice kept cursing at me. "You! I see you out there, woman! Stop dicking around and help me, or else those cocksuckers will be coming after you next!"

Jesus.

The first thing I saw when I walked into the mansion were a pack of dogs attacking, what looked like, a set of Raiders. They, however, must've been the Tribals that the owner of the mansion mentioned. I pulled out my gun from its holster and shot the head off one as another began to attack.

Before I realized that the dogs had already disposed of the other Tribals that attacked them, several more appeared behind me. I continued to shoot one in the head, but he still wouldn't die- it was then that I switched to my Chinese Assault Rifle, and continued to fire upon him until he fell to the ground.

Another one appeared before me, but this time, one of the dogs managed to kill him before he attacked me with his ax. By this point, the dogs, whose names were Geri and Freki, had moved to the other side of the foyer where I couldn't see them. I followed them, and saw them attack more Tribals that had appeared from the room next to the set of stairs. I managed to finish one off, who was already wounded by Geri. Another one came at me, and I continued to shoot her until the Mark Turret system installed in the mansion had killed her.

These Tribals- they were like Raiders- their movement, the fighting style…everything except that they were harder to kill. And less eager to die.

Someone came up behind me, and I was about to pull the trigger, suspecting it was another Tribal- but it was a Ghoul. Despite the air of excitement from the attack of the Tribals, he still had a very sophisticated, if almost jumpy look about him. He wore a Pre-War business suit, and was one of the few Ghouls I've seen to actually have a full-head of hair.

He starred at me intensely, never taking his finger off his shotgun's trigger. "I don't know who you are," He stared. "But you need to help me if you want to stay alive."

"I tend to do that a lot," I say.

"Goddammit, woman!" the Ghoul cursed. "I'm in no mood for your fucking sarcasm!"

"Sorry," I say. "But I usually like to know who I'm work with."

"Smoothskins…" He cursed. "Either they're rude, or they're so goddamn friendly- my name's Desmond. The dogs are Geri and Freski."

He then briefly explained his situation to me.

"Those bastards have been at it since dawn- they've just about breach the inner walls-" He explained walking toward the room. But before he could say anymore, an explosion came from the giant hole across the room, and more Tribals appeared.

I fired upon sight, as Desmond did the same. One fell before they came close to us, but it was only a matter of seconds before the rest were close enough to attack. A female Tribal armed with a Combat Knife had cut my arm before I shot her again and again in the head. I backed away as her blood covered my face, and I reacted to her stealth by bashing the left side of her head with the rear of my Rifle. When she fell to the ground, I fired again, leaving another corpse to decorate the floor of the mansion.

When I looked up at the Ghoul, I saw him finish off one Tribal as another began to attack him. I fired my Rifle aimlessly toward the Tribal until he fell as his comrades did before him.

I looked at my Rifle, and saw that I had about 84 556mm bullets left to use, so I put the Rifle away and took out my 10mm submachine gun again, to save some ammo.

Desmond looked into the next room as I cured the few wounds I had with Stimpaks. "It looks like they're coming from upstairs," He mentioned. I was then lead to another set of stairs, where he instructed me to find out where the Tribals were coming from inside the mansion. He mentioned he would stay on the first level to keep an eye on the camera in the next few rooms over before I headed on upstairs.

These Tribals didn't waste any time when it came surprise attacks. The first thing I saw when I walked upstairs was a hoard of Tribals coming through the aged ceiling. I automatically held the trigger and let the bullets fly toward the first one I saw. The fighting in that one, single room, was exhausting, but I had to keep going. I continued my path, only stopping to loot ammo off of the corpses around me.

I managed to fight off the other Tribals that came my way and attacked me when I reloaded my gun. They kept coming after me and continued to fire aimlessly toward me before I put each one out of their misery.

But in all honesty, fighting my way through these bastards would be much easier if I had Charon and Dogmeat with me- I wouldn't have survived this long out in the Wasteland if it wasn't for them.

It sucked that they weren't here with me.

When I came to the end of the west wing upstairs, I heard Desmond's voice over the intercom- he told me to block the hole across from me and suggested to shoot something explosive to seal the entry where the Tribals were coming from. Luckily, there was an explosive in the room, and the entry was sealed instantly when I shot it.

But it wasn't the end- there was one more entry point where the Tribals could enter. I needed to go to the east wing of the mansion to block the breach where they were entering.

When I exited the room, I saw the owner of the mansion with his dogs showing me the way to the east wing. It wasn't long before more Tribals appeared and attacked us. But because they didn't focus their attention on me, it was easier to kill them as we continued through the wing. He told me to find a way to stop the Tribals from coming in just like before, and I made no complaints.

…Neither of us expected me to fall through the floor beneath me when I made my way through the wing.

I was lucky I didn't break my back from such a fall.

From the looks of it, I fell through the first two floors all the way to the basement… God, you've got to me kidding me.

After an hour of killing, and dragging myself across the mansion, I finally found the breach I was looking for- as before, I managed to block off the entry using an explosive in the room.

When I made my way back to the foyer, I saw Desmond once again, who briefly "congratulated" me for destroying the two entry points of the Tribals- making it less easy for them to storm the mansion.

"Heal up and reload your gun, Smoothskin," He says. "We're gonna hit them hard."

A loud crash was heard, coming from behind the walls. They were coming.

"All right, any second now…" He mutters. Never keeping his eyes off the monitors stationed on the top floor of the foyer where we were.

We waited as time flowed by…5 minutes…10 minutes…and then-

"Here they come! Second floor, on the right!"

They came through the boarded door, armed with axs, double-barrel shotguns, and lever-action rifles. Six of them came at us, but it didn't seem like any more would come. Desmond fired from afar, as the dogs attacked the Tribals head-on. I moved in towards them, aiming for their heads, and trying to shoot their weapons out of their hands.

It took a while, but the first batch of Tribals fell.

The next group appeared on the first floor, on the right. Instead of shooting them from afar as Desmond did, this time I threw Frag Grenades from where I stood- the only thing that worried me was dogs getting hit instead of the Tribals. Luckily neither of them did. When only a few stood standing, I switched back to my gun and shot them from afar. It took a while since I was so far away from them, but I managed to finish off the last of the Tribals.

And then-

"Door on the left, first floor!"

Son of a bitch! I am sick of these motherfuckers! Don't they ever give up?!

104 10mm ammo left… Damn. I've had it. I'm taking out the Tesla Cannon.

Probably the best thing that happened to me while helping out the Brotherhood of Steel- obtaining a Tesla Cannon. They were rare, but powerful. I had enough ammo on me for the Tesla Cannon, so I merely fired away. I shot at every Tribal I saw, not caring if I missed or not. It didn't matter to be honest, the after shock from the Cannon's attack would still injure any nearby enemy anyway.

When the group of Tribals fell, however, I saw that the dogs were unconscious- they would be out for a while.

To me dismay, it was still not over.

"Last one! They're at the front door!"

Fortunately, only about two or three Tribals came barging through the front doors. Within three shot of my Tesla Canon it was all over.

The Tribals' raid was over.

"That's the last of 'em," Desmond says. "You're a pretty good shot…for a Smoothskin that is."

I dropped the Tesla Cannon in exhaustion, I wiped my face to see that I had been sweating heavily.

"You're not so bad, yourself." I say to him.

When I checked the time on my Pip-Boy, I saw that it was already 4:30- I spent four hours helping this man live another day, he better be thankful for me helping him.

"…Even so, you think you're my hero? Think you came in and rescued me right in the nick of time?"

…Or not. Ass.

"Hardly. Had it all well in hand, and I didn't even need to use the failsafe," He bragged.

"Oh please, don't start acting like some egomaniac- you were the one who asked for my help in the first place," I said coldly. " Besides, I'm pretty sure I just saved your life here, Desmond."

"An 'egomaniac'? Look who's talking," He says. "You do one good deed, and you think you're as holy as those Brotherhood of Steel assholes."

One good deed? I've done more than just "one good deed", you prick. I've disarmed an atomic bomb, rescued a doctor from a Super Mutant infested area, made a deal with a group of self-proclaimed "vampires" to stop attacking a poor town, destroyed the base of the Enclave, as well as destroyed the remnants of said organization in the Capitol Wasteland.

I was in no mood to deal with son of a bitch treating me like a common merc.

"You mentioned a failsafe," I merely say. "What kind of failsafe?"

"The type that kills everyone outside of my saferoom and leaves a hell of a mess to clean up. Standard type." Desmond answers. "Not worth wasting on those savages- luckily for me, you happened to come along."

Great.

"Well you know my name, I might as well know yours," He says. "Although it doesn't really matter to me at this point."

"Then why did you even bother asking?" I ask. "Want to know the name of your 'hero'?"

"Very funny, wiseass."

"The people in the Capitol Wasteland know me as the Lone Wanderer," I say to him. "My real name is not worth mentioning. By the way, why were those Tribals attacking you?"

"Not a fucking clue." Desmond cursed. "I don't know if it's because of their crazy religion, but if I'm right, and I always am, there's something else going on. This was the third attack this month, so somebody's got it a grudge with me. And whether it's a man or a god, I intend to set the fucker straight."

God, well isn't he cocky.

"Desmond, do you know why they'd want to attack the mansion?" I asked him.

"Damned if I know," He answered. "It was abandoned when I got here. But nothing here would be useful to a bunch of crazed inbreds."

After drinking a bottle of purified water I had, I asked the foul-mouthed Ghoul if he knew this Nadine girl that I was looking for. He answered that the last time he knew anyone named Nadine, he "still had skin".

"I see…" I merely replied. My business here was done. Before I could make my way through the sea of corpses to the door, the Ghoul stopped me.

"Not so fucking fast, woman." Desmond says as he walks up to me. "You can be useful to me. I need someone willing to get their hands dirty."

I glared at him intensely, but he didn't seem to care- he probably had enough people look at him like that throughout his long life.

"I may be tougher than your average merc, but the payment for our services are the same-" I tell him. "You want to use me, it comes with a price."

"Yes, if you're gonna be a good pup, I'm gonna have to give a treat. I've lived long enough to know how you Wasters work." He replies to my words. "Of course I'm gonna pay for your efforts- but before I give you your reward, I need to find a way into their little commune and figure out what's going on in their little heads- figure out why they're trying to fucking kill me."

"What kind of reward are going to offer me?"

"The only reliable currency in the world: information. You provide me with valuable info about those damned Tribals, and I pay you in kind."

I was going to tell him that it wasn't my kind of reward- my services are worth far more than "information". But I figured that he wouldn't let me leave until I agreed to help him.

…Dear Lord, what kind of shit have I gotten myself into this time?