Adam Goldstein was one of the most talkative human beings that Leslie had met in his entire life and the newly minted Ranger had traveled farther than just about everybody he had thus far talked to in the mercenary outfit. Donovan had decided to send them to out to finish mapping the area they were in for the standard square mile, as best they could barring the haphazardly demolished city landscape, since it appeared that the immediate area had been contested between the small group of raiders and the super mutants. It hadn't been so bad, at first, they had mostly scouted outside of casual speaking distance. When they stopped for a break though, Adam had started talking, and then followed Leslie at a distance he felt was close enough to continue talking. He had just finished telling Lee about how he had grown up in a town called Arefu and had not been back in almost ten years. Now he was on the topic of his quad.

"Nails is the best. If it wasn't for him, those raiders would have got us for sure!" Adam chuckled and admitted in an embarrassed voice. "I thought I had pissed myself when Val caught that slug in the leg while she was taping up Brian's ribs, but Nails just turned around and shot back like it was all a part of the plan. Between me and him, we got the others back to the firebase, but if it wasn't for him, we totally would have bought it."

The two scouts were making their way back to the firebase via the road that led past the metro station so Leslie didn't remind the talkative Ranger that they should stay alert. Instead he just grunted in acknowledgment and kept walking.

"Val and Brian are good guys to have on the team but they definitely aren't lookers!" This time it was a nervous laugh. "Do you know how lucky you are, Lee?! What I wouldn't give to be on a quad with three gorgeous babes! Are any of them taken?"

Now Lee did stop and turn to stare at Adam in disbelief. Echo had been at the firebase for three days now and were supposed to remain there until Alpha got back up to speed. It was amazing that Adam had been in close proximity to all three women in Echo quad and not even inquired.

"You haven't asked any of them yourself?"

Adam spluttered, "Hey, shit, man. Can you blame me? That Rachel chick is cold as ice and my balls disappear whenever I even think about saying 'Hi' to her. I mean, she's hot and those legs... Jesus, they go on forever, but I've met whores that were warmer than she is."

Lee had to give that to the man.

"Don't even get me started on your quad leader. I start out well enough, but after, 'Hey, Wolf...' I can't stop staring at her fucking tits! Then she gets as icy as Rachel with me and it's all she wrote. Man, what I wouldn't give to put my head between those fun-bags and motorboat until I passed out! Not to mention titty-fuc-"

"Hey!" Lee turned around, saw that Adam was almost directly behind him, and grabbed his fellow scout by the collar of his armor. "Those are my quad mates you're talking about. I let the tit comment go, but don't be talking to me about your fantasizing, comprende?"

"Yeah, I gotcha, shit."

It only took a minute after Lee released him that Adam continued as though nothing had happened.

"Yeah, but Evelyn is probably the one I get the biggest... uh... reaction to. She's all sweet and fun and stuff. But when I start laying on the charm, she gets shy and starts talking in real short sentences. Plus, she totally has a thing for you. Are you and her... you know."

Lee shook his head, "No. I don't think it's a good idea to mess around with people in your quad. I've seen that kind of thing in small, mixed groups of mercs and it never ends well."

"Well, you got any advice then?"

Lee shrugged, "Why does everyone think I know anything about women?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Adam exclaimed and this time seemed to be aware that he was shouting out in the open without any sort of cover. This time he lowered his voice back to a casual tone. "You're serious, aren't you? Shit, I hate you even more now. I've never seen anybody as good as you at getting girls wet in the panties, man. Eve practically slides out of her pants when you walk into a room. And Wolf, for all she tries to act slick, totally glazes over when she's talking to you and you look at her eyes instead of her boobs. Even Val, who I always thought liked girls more than boys, looked at you like she wanted ta suck your cock off after you talked to her for more than a few minutes." Lee turned around with a frown and Adam raised his hands. "Hey, Val's on my quad. I can say what I want."

"I can see what you're saying about Evie. That's a problem and I'm going to have to deal with it sooner or later. But the rest of it, I think you're just seeing things."

"We're scouts. Attention to detail is our bread-and-butter, man! I know what I'm talking about. So, think about it. What's your secret?"

Lee rubbed his chin before shrugging once again, "I don't have any secret. I try to treat everyone with respect and just be myself around them. I don't really meet a girl and immediately think about how I can get her in bed. I've never really been that way."

"Oh, man!" Adam's eyes widened. "You're a virgin, aren't you?"

Lee chuckled, "Not quite. I was in Megaton about a year ago and Jericho owed me one and paid for me to visit the only whore they had in the town. I was curious and it was a good time but visiting a whore doesn't exactly count as trying to charm your way into a woman's good graces. Ya see what I mean?"

Adam nodded and ran a hand through his dirty-blonde hair. "So there's no luck for me other than visiting Rivet City and paying a whore?"

"No, amigo. All I'm saying is that you shouldn't try so hard. If all you want is sex, be upfront about it. You'd be surprised at how often women, especially since there are just as many tiny settlements as hard up for men as there are those that are hard-up for women, will totally say yes. Even if it's just so they can get pregnant and keep their communities growing. If you're looking for a girl to settle down with, I'd advise against it until you're about to retire. Think about how fucked up it would be if you buy it and leave a wife and some kids that are depending on you for support all alone?"

It was a wonder, but that actually made Adam shut up for the rest of the trip back to the firebase.

Lee's peace did not last as long as he would have liked. It felt like he had only been asleep for a few minutes when loud moans started coming from the bottom floor.

"What's goin' on?" Lee asked and was surprised when Wolf coughed vigorously for a few seconds before answering.

"You won't believe it if I tell you."

The barracks were dark, not pitch-black thanks to a small lamp in the corner, but Leslie could clearly see that Val and Brian were out like lights thanks to their nightly dose of Med-X to take the edge off their injuries and let them sleep. Donovan, Evelyn, and Nails were on watch right now. Rachel and Adam were supposed to be sleeping as well but there was no sign of them.

"Oh, that's right! Fuck me hard, you motherfucker!"

Lee's eyes bulged out of his head, "Was that Rachel?"

Wolf laughed from across the room, "That Adam guy started talking to her and she started being a bitch and then he just says, 'Look, I just wanna fuck you, you fucking bitch, not fucking marry you.' And then Rachel just grins and drags him downstairs. I would never have believed it if I hadn't seen it."

Wow. I guess my advice worked... but on Rachel.

"Oh, yeah, make me your fucking bitch! Treat me like a whore!"

"Well, she's always Rachel, no matter the situation. Night, again, Wolf."

"G-goodnight, Lee."

Unfortunately, thanks to the moans issuing from both parties below him, Lee couldn't immediately get back to sleep. Sometimes the couple was very quiet and then he became aware of a very faint, liquid noise coming from Wolf's direction. His sensitive ears then picked up the sound of Wolf's heavy breathing and his eyes bulged out of his head again.

Don't do it. Don't you dare ask it! He thought to himself as his penis sprang to frenzied life in his shorts.

"Wolf, are you touching yourself?" Lee whispered and resisting the urge to slap himself in the forehead.

The breathing and the liquid noise came to a stop just as frenzied grunting erupted below them. For a moment, Lee thought she was going to pretend to be asleep, and actually hoped she would. He was still internally berating himself for not being able to resist asking that question.

"Yes."

If his penis has been erect before, it was positively vibrating now. Lee, never one to be a hypocrite, took his own advice and said the first thing that came to him to say.

"You don't have to stop if you don't want to. I won't tell."

There were a few more moments of silence before the noises coming from Wolf started again. Leslie closed his eyes and tried to imagine anything other than what his quad leader looked like as she got herself off. Of course, because he was trying not to, his mind choose to fixate on that very thing.

"You can, too. If you want to. I won't say anything." Wolf's voice carried clear across the room and the next thing she said almost made his heart stop. "If you want, I can... I can..."

"No, it's a bad idea. Don't mind me. Just finish and go to sleep, okay." He tried not to sound gruff but he couldn't help it.

"Yeah. You're right." Wolf actually sounded a little bitter and Lee realized that Adam was probably right. "You like listening to me, don't you?"

Fuck yes.

Lee grunted in reply and, for some reason, that caused Wolf to grunt in a very different manner.

Wolf avoided Lee for most of their watch by ordering him to take the roof while she watched the floor below him. She wouldn't even meet his eyes and Lee honestly couldn't blame her. The woman was gorgeous but she seemed to be very uncomfortable with that fact. Rachel, on the other hand, was brimming with pride after her sexual frenzy. Lee had thought sex was supposed to be relaxing but the woman was just as prickly as ever. The only difference was that her hateful tirades took a dip into the lewd after her romp with Adam.

Lee, Adam, and Evelyn were on the second-level now as Lee showed them how to play dice with his ancient, metal pair.

"Seven! First try! Good job, bonita!" Lee grinned and gave the short girl a one-armed hug.

"Hey, Lee." Adam said, frowning as Evelyn snatched up the three caps that had been playing for. "Why the Hell is Rachel so pale? I mean, I've seen people with pale bodies because they're always covered up, but even her face is pale. It's weird!"

Evelyn giggled and a subtle blush flourished on her olive skin, "You ask that after what happened last night?"

Adam grinned widely, "You've seen her legs! A guy'll look the other way about a lot of things for legs like that!"

"You're a weird guy yourself, Adam. I think you might want to ask Wolf about it. Maybe she knows?"

"I don't know, Lee. Some people just don't tan. But I've never seen anybody that didn't burn and didn't tan and still be so white. It's weird." Wolf's voice came from the stairs and all three turned to see her outfitted in full battle kit. "Get your things together, Lee, Eve. We just got new orders and we're moving out in fifteen. Meet down in the basement so we can restock on ammo."

Lee nodded and quickly gathered his dice to stash them in their pouch on his knife belt. He helped Evelyn to her feet and they both quickly went down to the basement. The majority of their gear was being stored there and they quickly suited up in their Battle Armor. Lee made sure that all four of the bolts for his hunting rifle were full before he did the same for his .44 speed-loaders. He had never fired a shot from his rifle and they had found no additional ammo for his Telly, so there was no ammo for him to restock.

Wolf's eyes were locked on him, he could feel a peculiar warmth emanating from her amber orbs, before she turned away the instant he glanced in her direction. He watched as Evelyn and Rachel took just enough ammo to replace that which they had expended during the gunfight to free Alpha quad. There was no chance to increase Echo's ammo supply because Alpha needed it much worse than they did.

"Okay." Wolf began an impromptu briefing. "Here's the deal. We've been ordered to return to HQ to drop off Alpha's mapper data. We'll bunk there for the night to resupply and get paid. Then we'll be off to Megaton. Apparently, we've proven ourselves enough that they're not waiting to make us entirely independent. You all know what that means, so let's not fuck this up, okay? Let's go say our goodbyes."

The whole of Alpha quad, as well as Donovan, was there to say their goodbyes. Alpha quad was a very touchy-feely group and everyone wanted to give them hugs. Adam took the opportunity to give Rachel's ass one last squeeze and she returned the favor. Val's hug felt decidedly more than friendly and Lee didn't miss the irritated grunt Evelyn issued while it was occurring. Donovan whispered some last minute advice to Wolf, at least Lee assumed it was so, before Echo quad started the trek back to Ranger HQ.

Lee was maybe a couple hundred feet ahead of the group and he could hear Rachel as plain as day. The galling part was that she was playing tail-end Charlie so the distance was even greater. Of course, the tunnels echoed weirdly sometimes, but that was no excuse for poor sound discipline.

"I'm telling you, Evie," Rachel calling Evelyn by his nickname for the petite girl irked Leslie, "-if you want to get fucked, try that Adam guy next time we see him. His cock his huge for such a little guy and he knows what he's doing. Plus, Wolf vouched for him being clean as a whistle, so you don't have to worry about gross shit leaking out of your puss!"

"Ugh! That's nasty, Rachel!" Evelyn whispered and that carried to Leslie as well, but the scout was more forgiving of his favorite gear-head.

"Nasty!" Rachel guffawed. "You don't know nasty. I once saw this guy's pecker after he went to visit some whore-bar near The Pitt and it looked like a purple brahmin sausage!"

The muffled scuff of a bare foot on rock had Lee dropping to one knee in an instant. He focused on listening to his surroundings and actively tried to let Rachel's words fade into the background. This part of the tunnel was perfect for an ambush. They had just passed a partially collapsed section and an old metro train was stopped about twenty feet in front of Lee. There were no other exits or alcoves to take cover in.

But that sounded like a bare foot. The only people crazy enough to run around down here with bare feet are super mutants and feral ghouls and that footstep was too light to have been a Mutie.

It was the tell-tale green glow that gave it away a moment before the first feral ghoul came charging out of the shadows cast by the train.

"Glowing One!" Lee bellowed, raising his hunting rifle to his eye with professional calm.

The first shot hit the ghoul high in the nasal cavity. A .32 round generally didn't have enough power for complete, through-and-through penetration of the skull even at these relatively close ranges but it was enough to scramble the ghoul's brains.

"Ghouls behind!" Rachel shouted as Lee turned to race back to where the three women had knelt to cover both ends of the tunnel.

Wolf was kneeling facing Lee and waved him forward a second before she raised her SMG. Leslie skidded to the ground at the beautiful woman's side and twisted to face the opposite direction. A pair of ghouls were charging towards their position. The harsh clatter of Rachel's assault rifle sounded like thunder in the enclosed space as she opened up at the ghouls behind them. Lee worked the bolt, aimed, fired, and did so again so fast that he knew it looked like a blue of motion. Unfortunately, he only clipped the ghoul on the left in the side of the head, and it kept coming. A short burst from Wolf's weapon absolutely pulped the ghoul's head. It stumbled forward for a few more feet before rolling into a lifeless heap almost on top of them.

Lee's eyes widened as a Glowing One emerged from beside the train tracks. He knew it was only his imagination, but his skin instantly tingled as the massively irradiated ghoul emerged.

"Rachel." Wolf's voice was very calm. "Hand Evelyn a grenade, 'cause I need it. Now!"

Wolf held out her hand and at least five more ghouls began running towards the sight of their stand. Lee fired twice more before Wolf had pulled the pin and rolled the grenade.

"Frag out!"

Lee let his hunting rifle dangle from the strap as he drew his Telly with one hand while shielding his eyes from the potentially blinding flash of the grenade. He remembered to open his mouth so that the over-pressure wouldn't damage something in his head and the grenade went off with a seemingly monstrous blast. Lee looked up before the faint ringing in his ears, earplugs were truly a gift from God, had faded. The Glowing One was in several quickly fading chunks and three ghouls had horribly shredded legs. Wolf calmly stood, drew her N99, and put bullets in the brains of all three from a safe distance.

"All clear behind!" Rachel called and whistled as she came to stand beside Lee. "You really fucked 'em up, boss."

"What happened, Lee?" Wolf asked quietly as she threaded spare rounds into the clip.

Leslie took the opportunity to change the bolt in his rifle as he tried to come up with an answer that wasn't placing the blame.

"I was paying too much attention to what Rachel was saying and not on my job."

Rachel laughed derisively, "Rookie mistake."

"Maybe it was, Rachel. But if you're so experienced, why were you chatting it up like some stupid slut? It happens again while we're out in the field and I'm docking you fifty caps. Understand?"

"Yeah, boss, I gotcha."

"Leslie." Lee perked up and found that Wolf was looking him square in the eye. Unfortunately, she was not happy at all. "Take point and you'd better stay alert this time."

"Yes, ma'am."