Ash stared at the fallen buildings around her, resting her chin in her palm while sitting on top of the old mailbox that had fallen to the ground probably since before the bombs. A good amount of travellers and securitrons wandered around in the old pre-war settlement, investigating every corner but so far none had returned to her with bad news. The place seemed quite alright for an outpost or a settlement even. There was plenty of fresh water from the river, good view in all directions, good farming land... it was almost too perfect. At best they had found a Mr. Handy who had been roaming around, confused but it didn't seem to mind their being in the area. The poor thing was still waiting for its owner to come back and since they had mentioned over 200 years, Ash was pretty sure its owner in fact wouldn't return. Something she had had no luck convincing the robot of.
One of the women walking around, changed route and started to walk towards Ash, who sat up properly. The blonde woman carried a folder with a notebook on, scribbling something in it as she walked. Named Carina, she was essentially Ash's right hand on this mission; one of the more intelligent people around here as Mr. House had said. While she was short, she had a fierce temper that made her the perfect right hand.
"Ash," Carina started as she stopped in front of the other woman. "I'd say we should build the outpost here. The area's excellent and I don't think we'll find a better spot closer to Boston. Besides, the quicker we can work together a means to send a message back to Mr. House, the better." Ash arched an eyebrow at the last bit; the odds of them being able to contact House at all were slim at best. Something he had been aware of when sending them off like this.
"It's settled then. We'll build it here," the Courier nodded. "Set up the securitrons on a perimeter so that the rest of us can work undisturbed. I can't imagine we haven't attracted attention already." She stood up, as Carina nodded, moving to do as ordered with fast steps. Time was of the essence here. It had already taken them a very long time to reach Boston at all.
Almost eight months it had taken them to cross the country, or rather what remained of it. It was no wonder all the humanoids in the group were tired and impatient. With no stability for a near year – even with securitrons on their side, the trip had strained nerves and bodies all the same. Two had been lost on the walk but House would have called that efficient travelling considering 14 remained, not to mention the 10 securitrons and four brahmin. Their 'success' was only thanks to the securitrons and wise detours around dangerous territories, despite her will to be as fast as possible. She certainly had her reasons to speed things up and it had all been started by what she had thought would be a simple job, so many months ago.
"Ash, as much as I require your assistance in New Vegas, there is a new pressing matter to deal with that will take you beyond the Mojave," Mr. House said. "It is in fact the most important and biggest task I have given you yet." Ash, holding the NCR ranger helmet between her side and arm couldn't help but put on a sceptical display on her face at that. Taking down that Brotherhood bunker, more or less infiltrating the Legion camp... none of those things struck her as small and insignificant. Besides, House had kept her unusually close the last two weeks. So close in fact she had barely set a foot outside New Vegas or barely outside the Lucky 38 itself. Not something she normally had been bothered with, after all it was her job to keep close, but it kept her away from Dean. A silly complaint that she kept to herself, mentioning it to House would earn her nothing but a not so subtle show of disapproval and questions of her loyalty.
Still, it had been only two weeks since she and Dean had finished their last business... where everything seemed like it'd give her a break already. His dealing with Angryl still gave her a chuckle whenever she thought about it, especially since the man has positively disappeared afterwards. For a moment, Ash had suspected foul play from Dean but he had insisted on being innocent in that regard. The fool she might be, she believed him.
"My scouts have collected disconcerting data from the places outside of the Mojave for some time now," House continued. "Strange attacks in other nearby cities... attacks that have now reached New Vegas and me. Something or someone attempted to hack my entire network nine days ago. They didn't succeed of course but the attack lasted long enough for me to take my watchful eye of off New Vegas. More of these people made away with a lot of valuable pre-war objects and citizens. It is a complete affront to me and I will not stand it!"
Ash's gaze fell towards the floor for awhile, pondering who had the nerve or even strength to attack House. She couldn't even imagine there being a way at all but clearly she had been mistaken. She was glad House had managed to fend them off but his words quickly made a worrying thought grow in her head and it wasn't one out of concern for her boss.
"My securitrons did manage to capture one of the thieves but the savage was a stubborn fool. All I got out of him were threats about their return and that they were bigger than anything else I have faced before. I would have you talk to him but the man committed suicide while locked up. I will give these people this much; they are incredibly loyal."
"You sound like you admire them," Ash piped up, having noticed that in his tone. His voice was all she had to try and judge his emotions, as few of them he seemed to still have. She figured she was pretty good at reading his tone too, something she took pride in.
"I can admire their sense of loyalty. It has always been an important part of whom I select to work for me, something you know well. It does not, however, mean that I will let this go unpunished. I aim to take the fight to their domain.
Now it has come to my attention that a large caravan departed from New Vegas a week ago. I have spent the last days investigating what identity they had and which direction they are heading and it is as I suspected. They are the ones responsible for the attack. You are going to follow them... but not to kill them. You will follow them to their destination which is Boston and take them out from there."
"... Say what?" Ash interrupted, looking dumbfounded for a moment. Boston? "Perhaps my geography is rusty but... isn't that a very long way from here?"
"East coast."
Ash sharply inhaled before taking a step closer to the screen, brow furrowing. She couldn't believe what she was hearing; being sent to the East coast... it'd take her away from everything she knew. If she'd even survive the trip... let alone ever make it back! Already the realization was sinking in, making her fingers tremble in tension and fear.
"East coast? You're sending me to the East coast? That's across the whole damn country! How am I supposed to make that walk and –"
"Silence," House demanded. "You will make that walk. I am not sending you alone; I am giving you a caravan of your own. Everything and every person you will need to make the trip and survive it. I have but a few days left to finish upgrading the last of the ten securitrons I have designed for this trip. They are better equipped to handle such a long walk and will protect the caravan, even against greater assaults. I am not to see my first caravan sent to the East Coast fail."
Stuttering, Ash put her hand to her face, groaning underneath it. "But... why? Why do this at all? Just wait for them to come back, prepare yourself and be stronger than them! You're demanding me to leave everything I know here for what... for, for revenge?"
"This is not about revenge and it disgusts me that you think I am capable of such a barbaric act. It is a sound tactical choice, to send out my best people to their territory and deal with them there, before they become strong enough to attack me again. If I fall, Ash, all of New Vegas will fall. All I have worked for, all you have done for me will be for nothing. And if that is not enough to make you do this, even with me ordering you to, you should know that the Tops lost their greatest entertainer during this attack. A name I believe you are well acquainted with. Dean Domino? Never much cared for his music back in the day, not as much as I know you care."
"Dean was kidnapped by these people?" Ash asked flatly, eyes narrowing. "You knew this for how long?"
"Since the attack happened. I did not tell you because I knew you would run after them, unprepared and filled with hormonal rage. I need you alive, not dead. This way you stand a much greater chance of reaching Boston to carry out my orders and rescue any of the citizens they took with them."
Ash felt a pressure build up in her nose and eyes that she hadn't felt a long time; closing her eyes hard to prevent her outburst from becoming an even more emotional one than it already was. This explained why she had barely been able to leave the Lucky 38. Essentially, House had kept her under house arrest and that made her furious.
"Had I know... I could have stopped it," she nearly growled at the screen.
"And have died. I have already made my reasoning clear; it is up to you to accept it. Correct me if I am wrong, but you do not want anything to happen to New Vegas or your friend, do you?"
"Oh, shut up, I'll do it. I have little choice, don't I?"
"I will treat that as an uncontrolled outburst because you are upset. You are correct. We will speak later. Decide on one or two of your companions that you want to bring along. The rest I will pick from the very best that New Vegas can offer."
"Right. Are we done here?"
"Watch that tone, I would hate having to remind you of your place before you leave. Go back to the suite."
Ash obeyed, with great irritation and with the feeling of being nothing but a pawn in a much larger game than she had anticipated when first walking into House's office; which wouldn't be the first time either... and now she wondered why she had sided with House at all. He had been right about one thing though. It would be the most demanding job of her than it ever had been.
It had taken her weeks after that to even get over the shock and anger. Fed with only a few more titbits of information and an order to set up small control towers along the way where none'd hopefully try and destroy them, she had made the trip to Boston along with the others. Now they were entirely on their own and with very little to go on, except vague hints and a possible ally that House had mentioned existed in Boston.
Eight months of hard work and she knew it was first now the really hard work would begin. Thank god that House himself wasn't here; she would have attempted to throttle the screen carrying his smug face if so was the case.
"You're looking very tense, boss," the ghoul voice startled her out of her thoughts and she looked briefly back at Raul eyeing her from a short distance.
"Tell me something I don't know," she replied, incredibly thankful Raul had not been one of the ghouls kidnapped. His age would have fit the bill but he had been stuck in the Lucky 38 along with her and thus safe. It was bad enough she had lost Dean in the process... when she had finally found him again. There were so many unspoken things left between them and now she wasn't even sure if she'd ever see him again. That thought was a lot more terrifying now than it had been after their separation in the Sierra Madre. So much more was at stake this time and even then, time itself hadn't changed what she felt towards him. One thing was sure, if she did find him again she wouldn't hesitate to tell him this time.
"We just got here and there's still so much else to do. That and I know next to nothing about Boston or these lands. They're completely new to me and what's worse, there's already rumours of something terrible happening here," she continued, gesturing out towards the landscape they faced below. Raul tapped the side of his temple, lifting an eyebrow; what remained of it.
"Watch it or you're gonna become as loco as this old man," he smirked. "One thing at the time, that's always what I try to do. Besides, you got a bunch of great allies here. Even Blake's warmed up to you and that's saying a lot, the kid hates all smoothskins."
Blake had been another choice of hers, it hadn't felt right to pull the others up from the Mojave and the only reason Raul was along was because he more or less followed her right into the Caravan until she said yes. That and Ash couldn't imagine making the long trip without Raul; he was one of the very few reminders of the Mojave she had left now... no matter guilty as she felt about dragging the old man with her.
Blake was already a mercenary and a damn good one. Besides, according to himself, he had nothing better to do than to do a suicide walk across the country. Running her hand over the right side of her head – a side she had started to shave down to the skin, leaving only the top and left side with hair that reached to the middle of her neck – she tried to spot Blake somewhere among the others but failing. Instead she looked back at Raul.
"We're going to build the outpost in this old town; it's probably the best place for it. What do you think?" she asked him, genuinely curious on his opinion but she was met with a shrug.
"I let the younger people like yourself make the decisions here. But if we're staying here, I can go find something we can roast over the fire later. Must be better wild life here than in the Mojave."
"Just be careful, we haven't scouted the place properly yet," Ash nodded to him while having walked up to him and squeezed his shoulder gently in poorly hidden concern.
"I'm always careful," he pointed out to which she chuckled, removing her hand, making an 'uh-uh' sound. With that she kept walking forward, eyes scanning the people around them. A glance over her shoulder told her that Raul had started to move too, making good on his words. She choked down the concern she felt again, deciding against it – Raul had survived for 200 years before she found him after all. She should probably focus her concern on Blake if anyone then, the man was as hot headed as a deathclaw at times.
She spotted him on top one of the few remaining buildings and she made her way there, slowly scaling the tilting, broken walls. It was harder said than done and she slipped, her fingers clutching onto one of the open windows from the wall. The sudden sound made Blake alert to her presence but he made no attempt to help her as he glanced at her. Ash crawled the last of the way up, coming to stand next to him and brushing off her hands.
"Well, this is a nice view you found," she commented; she did mean it though, from here a lot of the land ahead of them were revealed. Old trees, scattered buildings and the city of Boston in the distance. It wasn't as great as the Mojave though but Ash doubted much could be. It certainly was colder than the Mojave at least. Her old ranger coat helped her keep warm but she wasn't looking forward to the possibility of... snow was it? She had only heard tales of the substance... and a lot of talk about nuclear winters but they certainly didn't need one of those.
"If by nice, you mean that I can see everything vital from here, then yes," Blake replied. The black tufts of hair across his skull had grown a bit less since they started the trip... Ash wondered if that was due to the actual long time spent outdoors or if his ghoulism was slowly progressing still. Nothing she'd dare to ask, she simply knew he was a recent developed ghoul from the other ghouls he had protected once in New Vegas. Short in words, aggressive and only ever talking about business; Ash found him valuable in his own way, even if his social skills had much left to be desired. But it helped her to keep her mind on the business too and not having her thoughts take over with all the 'ifs' she saw in their mission.
Ash broke the further silence by announcing to him that this were to be their outpost and current home in the Commonwealth – and what they knew so far about the area – but unless he had other plans...
The question only added another long silence before the man shook his head.
"No, I'll stay here for as long as you need me," he said in the end.
"That might be a very long time still," Ash smirked. The ghoul shrugged.
"I'm immortal anyway."
OOC: I just wanted to say thanks to those who welcomed me back, I'm honestly surprised anyone's still left that remember that fanfic. But it's nice to see some old readers!