Echo Quad made good time to Rivet City and, unfortunately for Leslie, they didn't encounter anything he could vent his frustration with his quadmates on. Nothing had moved into the various pockets of raiders and subterranean dwellers that Leslie now knew The Lone Wanderer had disposed of on his rampage through the D.C. interior. They were supposed to meet their contact and Delta in Rivet City at noon. Wolf's watch, Leslie still had trouble believing the tiny device could tell him what time it was down to the second, gave them thirty more minutes to get down to the Muddy Rudder.
Leslie had never been to Rivet City, his search for The Lone Wanderer had ended at Underworld, but he had heard the stories. Seeing the big boat looming out of the river was very intimidating. He was too angry at the others to let that give him pause as he nimbly ascended the platform that was supposed to access the bridge to the city.
"Help. Please." A weak voice called to him from a rusted corner once he reached the top level of the structure.
Lee turned and frowned at the site of an emaciated man slumped against the low wall. His skin was a sickly pallor and as dry as a dead brahmin that had been laying in the sun for a week.
"What's your problem, señor?" Lee asked, stepping closer out of genuine curiosity.
"I've been drinking too much irradiated water. I need some pure hydro, son. Please. I'll die if I have to drink anymore rads!"
"Shit! I would think you'd want some RadAway!" Lee exclaimed, stepping close and inhaling deeply.
The man definitely smelled like he was on his last leg so Lee didn't think he was lying about that.
"I already used the last of it but I just can't drink no more of that crap, man! My guts is glowin'!"
Lee shook his head as he kneeled beside the beggar.
My momma always told me I was too soft on needy fuckers.
It was little trouble to hand the man his last bottle of pure water and a big piece of dried jerky that was as rad-free as you were likely to get in the Wastes. The man thanked him profusely and Lee gruffly told him to get his shit together before turning back to Echo quad. Wolf was speaking into some kind of machine on the side of the empty metal doorframe on the other side of the platform. Rachel was shaking her head in disgust at him while Evelyn just stared with huge liquid eyes. The entire structure let out a groan as a grated bridge connected it to the hull of Rivet City. Lee broke eye contact and headed straight towards Rachel. The smirk stayed on her face before she realized that Lee wasn't going to alter his course.
"Fuck!" She exclaimed and opened her mouth, presumably to make some scathing comment, but Leslie silenced her with a glare from the corner of his eye as he passed.
The air over the water smelled like metal and oil. It was surprisingly clear when he looked over the side of the bridge though. Lee was shocked at how high the side of the ship rose above him and there looked like there was a tower even higher than that. Of course, the hull was definitely losing its battle against the elements as there were massive patches of flaking and discoloration on every visible surface that Lee let his gaze rest on.
Several guards were waiting for them when they finally reached the other side. Two of the guards were armed with assault rifles and flanked a large steel footlocker. Leslie stopped as one of the guards with a combat shotgun held up a hand.
"Sorry, friend, but we don't allow heavy weapons or explosives inside Rivet City. You can understand why that might make us a little uneasy, right?"
Lee took a closer look at the speaker. She was the only one not wearing a helmet with her suit of black combat armor. For a security guard, the woman was definitely not bad-looking. Her full lips were set in a stern line and her hazel eyes were very serious. She had the short bob that seemed popular with girls in the merc trade, including many of the Rangers that weren't in his quad, but even the hair seemed to demand to be taken seriously.
"And you are?" Lee asked, retaining the mask of icy professionalism that had slipped over him since the incident with the women of his quad.
"Lana Danvers, XO of the Rivet City Security Force."
Lee nodded, "Lee Tanner, Reilly's Rangers. Nice to meet you."
XO Danvers looked at his extended hand for a moment, as if discerning if it would explode upon contact, before shaking it firmly with the tiniest of smiles.
"What counts as a heavy weapon?" Rachel asked condescendingly from behind him.
"We'll let you know." The smile was gone and the stern frown was back in full force. "Check 'em."
The nameless guard with a shotgun and a helmet complete with visor quickly frisked each of them. In the end, the ladies were left with their sidearms, combat knives, and Rachel's brass knuckles. Lee had to give his rifle and Telly up. He had heard that the confines of the ship were pretty tight though. He could make do with his knives and tomahawk if things went sour. All of their grenades went into the footlocker but at least they could keep their ammo.
"You look familiar." Danvers stopped Evelyn with a hand on her shoulder after they were cleared to enter. "Do I know you?"
"My family settled here. My papa got a job here as a structural engineer." Evelyn answered, her eyes shyly cast down to the ground.
"Oh, that's right. The new egghead. I guess you're the kid that the old guy's always moaning about." Danvers chuckled. "He'll be glad to see you. If you want to meet him, he's usually having lunch at Staley's about now. Stay out of trouble."
With that last admonishment, Danvers turned back to her men.
Leslie watched as Wolf turned some kind of wheel in the center of the door and then pushed it open. He was presently surprised to find that there was only a faint squeak as the door smoothly pivoted. Lee was right behind Wolf as they entered the portal into some kind of stairwell with signs all over the place. A sign on the left wall has 'Muddy Rudder' written on it with an arrow that pointed down.
"You can go see your Daddy, Evie. We'll meet you in the Galley when we're done." Wolf smiled as Evelyn let out a tiny squeak of joy.
"Thanks, Wolf!" Evelyn was through the other door outside the portal in a flash.
Rachel closed the hatch and twisted the wheel until it locked into place.
"Alright. Let's get this show on the road." Wolf ordered and led the way down the rusty, metal steps.
Rachel was quick to join her, probably at the prospect of booze, and Lee brought up the rear. They reached the bottom of the stairwell and Wolf led the way through some kind of short hallway that deposited them in a large room. Stairs to the left led down to what looked like a bar manned by an older lady that just looked like she only needed the thinnest excuse to verbally eviscerate someone.
"How many Rangers did Reilly take on?" An exasperated, masculine voice came from the shadows on their right.
Leslie entered behind Rachel and turned to see a man with skin darker than his own leaning against the metal wall. A lit cigarette hung from the end of his mouth and he talked around it.
"Name's Brock. I'm the bouncer. Don't start any shit and we won't have a problem. Now get the fuck outta my face."
Leslie sized him up, as he did just about every professional he came across, and thought that he could probably out-draw the man. Brock was older than he was, not to mention bigger, and the younger man had a feeling getting into a fistfight with him was a bad idea for all of them except Rachel.
The woman he had just been thinking of snorted, "My pleasure, fucker."
"Hey, Banger! Look who's here!" Lee grinned as Rachel groaned when they both recognized the voice. Myra, Delta's far too chipper medic, bounced up to them with a huge grin on her face. "We've been here for almost an hour! How are you guys doin', huh? Did you meet that bitchy security guard? I think her name was Danvers? She's cute but a total bitch. I guess she and Rachel have something in common. I heard you guys have a bunch of money. Can you spot me a few caps? That chick says they have some really good booze here. I think she was trying to hit on Banger though. Dumbass didn't know he's as broke as the rest of Delta. I guess we'll be in the money now that you're here. Oh, yeah, I almost forgo-"
"Where's Reiner, Myra?" Evelyn interrupted firmly because they all knew that the girl would just keep up the chatter unless someone stopped her.
"Oh, he's down there in the alcove beside the bar with Lita and that weird guy and his bodyguard. I ain't never seen a guy that wide, not even Banger's got the muscles that the bodyguard's got. And the weird guy smells so clean. Like, you know, he actually takes baths in uncontaminated water or something? Smelling him gives me a damn headache actually."
"Hey, Myra. You want to give them a minute? I managed to win some caps off that guy throwing darts. Go get yourself a shot of whiskey. That'll calm your ass down!" Banger placed a gnarled hand over Myra's quickly outstretched appendage and dropped five caps into it.
"Thanks, Banger! You're the best!" Banger obliged Myra's enthusiasm by bending over so she could plant a chaste kiss on his cheek before she bounced down the stairs and proudly proclaimed that she wanted a shot of whiskey.
Banger chuckled, "She's so easy to please, that girl. Anyway, Reiner's downstairs talking to that guy. He's just waiting for you, Wolf. I think that guy gives him the creeps."
"Gotcha. Rachel, go mingle and don't spend all your money on booze. Lee, you're with me."
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Rachel grinned and leapfrogged down the stairs. "Hey, bartender! Keep that bottle out!"
Lee looked over the railing and noticed that the several other occupants of the bar were staring at the two Ranger females with identical looks of bewilderment. The bartender just scowled and growled something as she poured Rachel a shot. Wolf descended to bar-level and Lee followed at a careful distance. He spotted the big guy that Myra had been talking about sitting at a round table with an intimidated-looking Lita sitting across from him. The bodyguard had on a black headwrap and a sleeveless shirt that left his musclebound arms bare. Leslie couldn't see from his vantage point but he guessed that the abnormally large man, from the way his hands were placed on the table, had a sidearm of some kind. Lita, on the other hand, seemed so petrified that she wouldn't reach for her pistol if the guy did make a move. Lee had to admit that their informant's muscle was one of the fiercest looking bastard's he'd ever seen.
Wolf nodded over to the table and Lee instantly veered in that direction while his quad leader continued towards the tiny alcove where Reiner sat talking to a cadaverously-thin man in a business suit.
"Mind if I join you, amiga?" Lita looked up at him with grateful eyes.
Lee knew that Lita was older than he was but, as he often found, living like he had for the last few years had hardened him up more than many of his peers. Of course, there was always Rachel, who would have been trying to pick a fight with the big guy just to prove that she wasn't afraid. He knew which one he preferred.
"I'm Lee." He nodded to the stranger sitting across the small table.
The man's too pale face, he could understand a little better why the man made Lita nervous, returned the head nod, "Frost."
"Come here often?" Leslie asked and Frost just shook his head in the negative.
So that's how it is, puto? Gonna play that game?
Leslie reached down to strap of his gun holster and removed a partially hidden throwing knife he kept there. Its edges were dull and the handle was simple a flattened end but the point was sharp. He had seen it penetrate up to two inches into someone's neck at this range before. Frost's eyes automatically went to the weapon and Leslie could feel the man sizing it up. Then the Ranger began to idly thread the knife through his fingers.
"Hey, Lita. I heard your job went pretty good. Why're you guys back this way so soon?"
"Oh." Lita's voice was low and husky. For some reason, her voice always had him thinking about what she sounded like in bed.
I never used to be this fucking bad. It's those women. I haven't been around a woman for this much time since I was a kid. It doesn't help that one almost made me shoot in my pants without touching me, one nearly humped me to death, and Rachel's always talking about fucking and getting fucked. Damnit.
It also didn't help that Leslie knew that Lita was nearly as sex-crazed as Rachel. The petite Delta scout was just far more stealthy about it since that approach suited her nature.
"We got the mapper data, easy as pie. We popped a couple of stray Muties on the way back to HQ. Even saved some poor bastard they had strung up for carving. Reilly ordered us to escort him back here since we were coming here to see if there were any potential clients. Reiner and Banger almost got into a fight with some Talon mercs upstairs in the market, but Myra and me talked them out of it."
"Yeah. It'd be bad if we killed any of those pendejos. Danvers looks like she's just waiting for an excuse to bust some heads."
Lee had not taken take his eyes off of Frost for one moment as he talked to Lita while twirling the throwing blade in his hand. Frost met his eyes and gave a tiny nod of respect. As quick as lightning, Lee slammed the knife point-down into table. The flat-end quivered in place a few inches in front of him.
"Is it true what they said that you and Rachel did?" Lee quirked an eyebrow at the question and Lita hurried to explain. "Well, Brick was telling us that you and Rachel snuck into a raider camp and killed like fifteen of them with nothing but knives and fists before anyone even knew you were there!"
Lee scoffed, "It wasn't that many, Lita. You can't believe all the bullshit Brick tells you. She'd have us all believe she's killed over a thousand Muties with Eugene. And, as young as she is, she couldn't'a done even half that many. Even she and Eugene need to rest sometime."
There was a moment of silence before a surprisingly light voice asked, "So... how many did you take out?"
Lee picked up his knife and scratched the underside of his jaw for a moment, "You know. I don't keep count so I can never remember. Rachel!"
Lita nearly fell out of the chair at Leslie's sudden bellow.
"What, you fuck!? You can't talk to me, but you can yell at me!?" Rachel screamed back from the bar as she swivelled in her barstool.
There really was no need to shout, the room wasn't that large, but it felt good to vent.
"Frost here wants to know how many raiders we did in that camp! I figured you'd want to impress somebody!"
"Oh! Shit! Let me think! I did two and you did three. Five. Oh, wait. Are we counting the six we got at the firebase?"
Leslie was actually amazed because, now that Rachel had jogged his memory, her counting was on the money.
"Nah. Just the ones we got before we go that one. Gracias."
"Yeah, yeah. God. I wish I could buy the whole bottle. One more shot, you crusty, old bitch!"
"You know. With a mouth like that, it's a wonder you haven't been shot yet." Rachel was about to protest when the bartender continued. "In the face."
Myra roared with laughter as if it were the funniest joke ever told by a crusty, old woman. Rachel just glared and threw back her shot with a grimace.
"Good to see that Rachel hasn't changed at all." Reiner's voice came from behind them.
All three seated guards stood and regarded their employers.
"We have what we came for, Frost. Let's go."
Frost nodded at Lee in farewell and the Ranger returned the gesture.
"Lee actually got him to ask a question!" Myra bounced over to them after the two strangers had left. She seemed to bounce all the time unless she was actually doing her job. "I thought his voice would be more deep and growly like Banger's!"
"Never judge a scav by his stink, Myra. Do I have to keep repeatin' that?" Reiner scolded the young woman with an obviously playful scowl.
Myra, for her part, just stuck her tongue out and crossed her eyes. Even after having known Myra and Evelyn for weeks, their personalities still amazed Lee.
"I hate to break up the party, but we still have some daylight to kill."
"Shit, Wolf." Rachel whined, her eyes already slightly glazed from drinking on an empty stomach. "I figured we would sleep here!"
"I don't like sleeping in a room full of strangers and the common bunkroom is always filled to overflowing. People'll be sleeping in the corridors from what Evie told me. And I'm not spending the caps to buy a room at the 'hotel' even if they have one available. So get your shit together and let's go."
Wolf was really coming into her own as quad leader. Lee could see it more everyday in how she talked and handled all three of them. Of course, that still didn't stop him from remembering that night at the firebase.
Yeah. Well, that'll be easier after that shit in Underworld. Lee thought bitterly.
"I was thinking the same thing but Banger somehow managed to get a free room for the quad from that Weatherly woman." Reiner's statement caused both Myra and Lita to giggle. "I probably don't want to know. You guys can sleep there, too, if you want."
Wolf shook her head before Rachel could jump at the chance, "No thanks, Reiner. I've seen how tiny those rooms are. I'm sure we can find somewhere we can camp for the night on the way to Megaton. Let's go get Evie, guys."
Lee was surprised that Wolf only gave Reiner and the others a nod before heading up the stairs. It was not a shock that Rachel didn't even do that as she sullenly followed the older Ranger.
"Nice seeing you Lita, Reiner, Myra. Try to keep Banger and Reiner out of trouble, ladies."
"Bye, Lee." Myra said with a giggle and a wink before she bounced up the stairs to Banger.
"See ya, Lee." Lita surprised him with a hug and whispered into his ear. "Wolf wants to fuck you."
Lee smirked a little and winked at Lita. Reiner clapped him on the shoulder.
"Whatever thing happened to put you guys at odds... fix it. Is bad mojo to have your team pissed off at each other."
Lee shrugged, "You can't fix what can't be fixed."
Some really old scav, Lee thought he had been at least fifty-years-old at the time, had told him that once. He was pretty sure that the look on Reiner's face was a reasonable duplicate of the one he had put on a the time.
"Later." He said with a little wave before hurrying after Wolf and Rachel.
Banger gave a lazy salute from his chair at the pool table and Leslie returned it with one of his own. His two quadmates were waiting for him just outside the entrance. Neither said a word as Wolf led the way up the stairwell. They exited by the same door they had come in by; only to enter the door next to it.
The interior space they found themselves in was a lot bigger than the bar. There was a clear "street" directly in front of them with shops on either side. Lee recognized a gun shop on his left and a place that sold clothing on the right as they walked. There were a few others, one he was almost positive sold drugs, but their purposes were lost on him. Wolf stopped at what was definitely an eatery. The smell of simmering stew and roasting meat was very strong at this end of the path. A number of tables were scattered through this area as well. Almost all of them were occupied. A trio of Talon mercs in their black combat armor were talking loudly at one. A lone man, garbed in suspenders with a generally suspicious air about him, sat at one and seemed as though he were watching one of the girls sitting at the table in front of him. A pair of Regulators, their long dusters gave away their profession at a glance, sat staring at the creepy guy who was staring at the girls.
Lee took a moment to spot Evelyn above all the noise when he realized that she was sitting at a table where half of it was coming from. The short, shy girl was surrounded by boisterous, loud strangers that seemed to make her shrink in on herself. Wolf strode over to the table without hesitation and Rachel was right behind her. The Talon mercs all got quiet as they passed and Rachel threw one a dirty look. This one had an eyepatch on, that side of his face was a mess of burn tissue, and he flicked his tongue at her obscenely. Lee just ignored them and so he caught the end of a conversation.
"-you really need to come home, Evelyn! You've done what you wanted to do and seen some more of that nasty ass Wasteland. Now it's time to come back where you're safe. I'm sure your sisters can help you find a nice man and you can find a job." The oldest man there was obviously trying to sound convincing as he chewed on a piece of roasted brahmin. His thick, brown beard and long hair gave him a brutish appearance but Evelyn has always talked about how smart he was. Lee knew he was a manipulator though. His brown eyes fairly gleamed with it. "I don't want you becoming another Waster scav-whore, damnit!"
"She's a little too shy for that, Dad." One of the girls at the table giggled and stretched.
The Talon mercs started whispering among themselves and Lee turned to see them stare with huge eyes at her chest. Lee had to admit that it was an even more impressive one than Wolf's and that was saying something. Of course, Wolf didn't go around with a jumpsuit that was unzipped to show off the maximum amount without spilling out of her clothes. From the upward cast of her lips, Leslie had a feeling she often invited the attention.
"Hey, Evie." Wolf greeted the remaining member of their quad with a nod as she stopped a foot from the edge of the table.
"Hey, Wolf." Evelyn said quietly. "Dad, this is my quad. That's Wolf. The tall one is Rachel. The guy is Lee. Guys, this is my family." Evelyn pointed to them in turn. "This is my Dad, Thomas." The older guy nodded and took another bit of brahmin. "My oldest brother, Tommy." This brother was sitting down but Leslie thought he would be a bit taller than Rachel if he were standing. He also had dark blonde hair like the attention-seeking sister. "These twins are Randy and Liz." Now that he was closer, Lee could see that the two did look almost exactly alike. It was a good thing for them they had the peculiar facial features that could be attractive on both a man and a woman. "And that's Layla."
Lee had not known Evelyn as long as her family but they all seemed to miss the hint of distaste in her voice as she pointed them out.
That's funny. She always seemed to miss her family when she talked about them while we were training.
"It's nice to meet you." Wolf greeted them and Rachel just nodded. Lee, for a change, took the pale Ranger's lead and did the same. "Unfortunately, we have to be going now. We're on the clock."
"I was meaning to talk to you about that, Wolf." Thomas said, leaning back and putting his folded hand on his gut. Lee hadn't seen anyone with a gut in years.
How in the Hell can this asshole afford to eat that much?
"We don't think Evelyn's cut out for this thing, despite what she may think." The twin named Liz said. She was definitely beautiful but there was something about the way she carried herself that put Lee on edge. "She fainted when we had to put our dog down."
Layla chimed in then, "I'm stronger than she is and I don't think I would be much help to you guys. I always used to beat her at wrestling back home."
Rachel burst into laughter and actually bent at the waist as she tottered in place.
Layla's face scrunched up with irritation, "What's so funny?"
"She didn't tell you?" Rachel straightened and got that look in her eye when she was about to say something that would cause a dramatic reaction.
"Tell us what?" Thomas glared at his youngest daughter before turning the look on Rachel.
"Don't, Rachel." Evelyn said, before turning a longing gaze on Leslie.
Oh, no. I'm not doing it. Fuck her, anyway. I'm just a ghoul-lover, right?
"Well, your sweet, innocent little Evelyn here shot a pair of Raiders to shit with the little Subby she likes to carry around these days. She puked after, but everyone does. That's right. We're turning her into a badass merc. You should see her naked. We all have and you might be surprised at how hard she is. I know her ass is like a rock."
That really set the entire table off.
"Lee, you could sit here!" Evelyn had to shout over the roars of her family as she patted an empty chair beside her.
Lee shook his head and Evelyn's lower lip trembled. Rachel, Lee couldn't tell if she had noticed the exchange or not, flopped down into the chair. The smirking Ranger put an arm around Evelyn and then both of her boots were on the table. Lee felt eyes on him though and turned his head to discover the oldest brother glaring at him from beneath a pair of bushy eyebrows. Tommy stood and came over to him. The Fitch man was just a little taller than Rachel and he did his best to loom over Lee.
"Can I talk to you over here for a second?" Tommy took him by the arm and started moving before Lee had said a word. He thought about digging in his heels and not budging for a moment but he was curious as to what the man wanted. They stopped in a shadowed corner of the big room and Tommy had maneuvered them so Lee was walled-in. "Are you screwing my sister?"
Why does everyone think that? The thought only severed to produce the image of Evelyn dancing in front of him.
"No." Lee kept the answer short and simple in the hopes that it would end the conversation there.
"I saw the way she was looking at you." Lee's luck was obviously not very good lately. "She's a virgin and a good Catholic and she's going to stay that way. So you'd better stay away from her. Once she gets this little thing out of her system, she's going to come back here and find a good man to marry."
"Right. Did you give the same speech to the guy that popped Layla's cherry?"
Wow. I think Rachel's rubbing off on me.
Lee could nearly hear Tommy grinding his teeth. "Layla's got her problems and we're trying to stop Evelyn from going down that same road. We have ways of dealing with little Waster shits like you, boy. So you stay the fuck away from my sister."
"Right now, I wouldn't touch your sister with a ten-foot cock. Apparently she got the asshole gene from you and your Dad's side of the family in spades. So, you have nothing to worry about."
"It's good that some people know their place." Tommy turned to go but Lee snatched his forearm in the tightest grip he could manage. The taller man turned with a wince and stopped at the feel of the tip of Lee's long knife in the hollow of his throat.
"You don't know me, muchacho, but I'm gonna do you a favor and tell you something. I don't like threats. To me, they're just promises, see. And you just promised me that you'd kill me for nothin' more than your sister wantin' to fuck me. I got a problem with that see. And I like to cut problems off before they bother me too much, comprende? I don't care if she is your sister. If you ever talk to me like that again, I'm going to kill you and she won't ever even know about it. I could kill each and every one of your family, in their beds, get rid of the bodies, and no one would know what happened to you. Do you understand me?"
"Yeah. I hear you." Lee removed the blade from Tommy's neck and sheathed it in a motion almost too quick to follow. The taller man rubbed at a spot of blood on his neck. "So, I guess you don't like threats but you can make them?"
Lee grinned widely, "No. I only make promises."
Lee let his face drop back to a neutral expression as he walked back to the table to find the rest of his quad waiting for him. Apparently the dispute about Evelyn leaving had been settled.
"Is everything alright, Tommy?" Layla asked after taking a look at her brother's face.
"Uh, yeah. Just told him to watch out for our little E." Tommy said despite his face still being a little pale.
"Let's go, Lee." Wolf said, her voice icy from having to deal with Evelyn's family.
Echo quad quickly made their escape back to the weapons checkpoint.
"So, what did you guys really talk about?" Evelyn asked as they retrieved their weapons.
Lee grinned, "Promises."