20

"Can you hear me Capital Wasteland?"

It took Cathy hours to leave her patch of sun. The grime on her body baked into a putrescent shell. The smell began to grow pleasant, like flower perfume. At some point she woke up and installed the array, then fell back onto the mattress and slept more. The radio howled from the top of the machine but nothing would wake her up now.

"Those two kooky kids from Vault 101."

Pressing her lips together, Cathy realized they were chapped. She thought about a small jar of balm in the top left drawer of her work desk, back in the vault. Foresight hadn't been her friend the night she left, not that she had any time to think. The way her lips cracked and ached right now, she longed to smear the glorious goop on her mouth.

"From Megaton, to Girdershade, to Paradise Falls, to the Republic of Dave, we're coming to you loud and proud."

Running her tongue across the pink part of her face, she wondered what she should do about her current predicament. While wallowing in the sunlight, the bell on the elevator dinged and the sound of power armor boots clanged across the floor. The person stood over Cathy, and she looked up at them, tired. She cocked her head a little and tried to determine who had come for her. They all look the same in that armor.

"Your job's over," a male voice said. "You need to get out of here."

"I need some water and food," Cathy demanded.

She felt too lazy to stand up. Golden light covered everything and she knew when she left the tower things would be painful again. She couldn't face it and didn't want to. Sadly, the soldier remained unmoved by her dewy eyes and.

"You're taking up a bed. My men need immediate rest; the walk back to the pentagon is too far."

"Shit," Cathy muttered. "I see you guys really appreciate me fixing the radio."

The Brotherhood Soldier said nothing in response. As Cathy smiled at him she felt metal gauntlets jab into her skin, lifting her off the mattress. She stumbled on her feet, feeling dizzier than she would have liked from the exertion. She waved the prying hands away and stumbled towards her pack.

At some point she'd peeled off her armor and stood before this Brotherhood jerk in a pair of panties and a t-shirt. Her situation felt so vulnerable she couldn't get her pants on fast enough. Unfortunately, leaning down caused her head to spin worse and she stumbled backwards towards the central support column.

The soldier watched her trip, his reaction silent behind his metal mask. She pinched her nose and fought the heaving sensation. No need to get sicker. She ticked over her symptoms and realized what the culprit could be.

"I think I'm dehydrated," She muttered. "Would you sell me some water?"

"No," The soldier responded. "Our resources are not for simpletons like you."

"Fuck you, I fixed your radio!" Cathy yelled despite her headache. "That lady who helped me up here last night would sell me water. Why don't you get her to tell you that I'm a friend and not someone to treat badly?"

"What lady?" he asked.

"The one who helped me up here." She felt stupid and she hated it.

"There aren't any female ground troops stationed here until next week."

Placing her palm against the wall, Cathy braced herself as her head started to roll. No wonder her lips were cracked. She turned her head slowly and looked at the man, who snatched up her pack and helped her put it on her shoulders.

"She helped me," Cathy said. "You don't have to dislike her for it."

"Lady, I got no idea who you're talking about."

With her backpack secured, the soldier shoved Cathy towards the elevator door. Almost falling with every step, Cathy found a metal hand on her shoulder, keeping her upright during the elevator ride. At the bottom, he grabbed the handle on her pack, used it to propel her forward, and out of the memorial.

Falling flat on the her face, due to uneven dirt, Cathy groaned and tried to push herself back up. Her stomach churned and she dare not look back at the assholes running the monument behind her. Concrete walls would keep them safe from her fury. Her thoughts drifted to Underworld-the water would be irradiated but otherwise safe.

A small miracle accomplished with every footstep, Cathy hunched over and headed towards the ghoul museum. How she'd let herself get in this state, she had no idea, and assumed some of the dehydration came from the Psycho use. Her bowels shifted as she thought about it, confirming the drug had done something awful to her body.

As she rounded the walkway and stepped onto the sidewalk, she saw Willow on her rounds. The ghoul looked at her curiously, then hustled over with a worried look in her eye. Cathy tilted her hand up like one would drink a bottle of water and Willow chuckled.

The ghoul hurried over to her table and tossed her a half full bottle of water. The plastic landed just short of her fingers, crunching against the ground and rolling a few feet away. Falling to her knees she clawed for the bottle, ripped the cap off, and drank. The ticking from her Pip-Boy's radiation detector caused a headache to settle in her sinus cavities, the place where the vibration proved worst.

When she finished sucking down the water, she returned the container to Willow. She'd save it; people in the Wasteland saved everything. The need to salvage had changed something in Cathy too. The amount bottle caps the vault threw away made her cringe when she remembered it.

"Bring me more water when you can," Willow requested.

"Yeah, fine," Cathy responded. "Thanks for that, by the way."

"Happens sometimes. Easy to forget to take care of yourself when you're trying not to get killed."

"Don't I know it."

"By the way," she smiled. "You might want to get some animal fat for your lips. You can rub it in and it helps with cracking. All us ghouls use it for the dried out places."

The nausea hit worse when Cathy considered turning into a ghoul. It took her some time to realize Willow hadn't meant that but for a few seconds the horror of being a rotting zombie filled her with dread. She looked up at the corpse like face staring back and wondered if new ghouls suffered from depression.

Nodding her head, Cathy stood up and lumbered towards the door. She reached the knob when she heard Willow clear her throat. Turning, she noticed the woman leaning on her sniper rifle with a pleased look.

"Thanks for getting the radio fixed. Keeps me from getting bored. I love those Daring Dashwood stories. Anywho, your brother ain't been back. I'll make sure he comes to see you when he's back."

"That bitch Reilly left yet?" Cathy asked.

"Nah," Willow responded. "Should be on her feet in a few days though."

"Thanks," she said.

Willow took everything with an easy stride but the comment about Reilly genuinely amused her. Deciding not to put much thought towards why, Cathy pressed the doors open and continued her path towards Underworld.

Inside Underworld, Cathy headed straight to Carol's, ordered three bottles of water. She took them over to a side table and downed each one greedily. Satisfied that dehydration wouldn't plague her any longer; she headed down the stairs and bought a cheap dress from Tulip. Holding the worn pink fabric in her hands she came to the showers, pealed her clothes off, and stepped under the spray.

The Geiger counter, attached to the heavy machine on her arm, went nuts. The echoing noise, shaking her bones, beating her down like a sledge hammer, but she needed to be clean. She rubbed a homemade soap across her flesh. The pink places burned and felt alarmingly new because of the lye base in the soap. She turned and saw a naked Ghoul looking at her. His ruined body showed several long faded tattoos.

The man looked her up and down as if he had never seen a human woman before. Lust, mixed with appreciation, made him seem vulgar but Cathy ignored it and continued to wash herself off. If he touched her she'd break his hand and he had to know that. Once she'd scoured herself, she squatted down and cleaned her clothes.

Finished at last, Cathy pulled the pink dress over her head. The old world gown held a little too tight around her chest and hips but she didn't mind. Only a few ghouls would see her in it on the way to Carol's and she couldn't give two fucks if they thought she looked sultry.

At the top of the stairs, Greta met her with a bowl of soup. The Ghoul pushed the food into Cathy's hands and she drank it greedily, her radiation counter going off yet again. It tasted like shit but she'd never tell Greta that. Instead she slammed the bowl on the counter and smiled at her friend.

"A thank you for bringing Three Dog back to us," Greta said.

"You're welcome," Cathy responded. Her voice sounded scratchy and she noticed Carol look at her from a nearby table. At that moment Cathy's stomach growled and she realized she could eat more.

"Got any of those squirrel bits?" she asked.

"I'll have to charge you for them."

"No problem, just tell me how much."

"Half price," Carol shouted. She stood and walked closer, putting her arm around Greta's shoulders. "She's a good girl, friend to us Ghouls. We should do right by her."

This seemed to annoy Greta, who huffed and went over to the kitchen area.

"Guess it will be a minute," Carol said. "You don't look well. Did you get shot while you were out?"

"Thankfully, no. I took a bad blow to my leg, but it wasn't anything a stimpack couldn't fix. I'm afraid the whole thing made me really tired."

"I'd imagine so," Carol said. "Now to sit at a table, I don't want Gob's friend getting sick."

Hearing Gob's name made Cathy uncomfortable. She laughed it off and made her way to a table, hoping Carol wouldn't notice. As she took her seat, she pulled up a bio-metrics screen on her Pip-Boy. The green text informed Cathy she needed to take some Rad Away, badly.

Rifling through her pack, Cathy didn't notice a male ghoul taking a seat across from her. When she found the bottle she sat up and jumped in surprise. The ghoul frowned and she ignored him to pull a white pill out of the brown bottle.

"Name's Crowley," He spat.

Cathy looked him over, trying to remember the tears and features of the ghoul who'd ogled her in the shower. He had too much of a right ear to be the same guy, so she relaxed a little.

"Cathy," She responded. "You probably already knew that, though."

Opening his mouth to respond, Crowley paused as she saw Greta making her way over with the squirrel bits. Ignoring her companion to eat, Cathy threw all pretense of manners out as she gobbled down the gamey meat. He inhaled sharply as if he disapproved of her behavior but said nothing.

"I've been hoping a stranger like you would come around."

These words reminded Cathy of Burke and she felt her headache threatening to come back. She shoved a chunk of squirrel in her mouth and briefly looked at Crowley. At least she wouldn't spend the rest of the evening fucking this guy; the idea of ghoul flesh against her skin disgusted her.

"I have a little job for someone looking to make some money."

Cathy sighed. "In my experience people recruiting in bars never have little favors."

"Perhaps little is a poor word choice," He continued. "Profitable might be more accurate."

Chewing a particularly tough piece of squirrel, she sized up the man sitting across from her. The ghoul held a gentlemanly air with just a hint of scoundrel. Whatever he wanted would have strings attached or she'd be misinformed about something and end up in trouble.

Swallowing down her bite, she spoke. "I'm listening."

"There are some ghoul bigots I want to see eliminated." As he spoke, Crowley pushed a piece of paper across the table. She palmed it, letting him talk more before she looked at the names.

"I want these people killed," Crowley said. "Shot in the head. Like in the old zombie movies. I figure you see ghouls are people and would appreciate the irony."

"Murder ain't my bag," Cathy said. "I'm not really the mercenary type."

"How many mutants did you kill getting that array fixed?" Crowley sneered. "They are conscious just like we are. You can't tell me this is any different. These men have done everything they can to bring misery to ghoul-kind."

Curiosity got to Cathy, who lifted up the paper and scanned the names. The one at the bottom stood out more than the other ones. Alistair Tenpenny. She'd heard the name somewhere before but couldn't say where. Twisting the yellowed parchment, she looked at Crowley, who waited to hear her answer.

"Tenpenny sounds familiar."

"Not the easiest kill on the list, but you have no idea how badly I want him dead. Remember, you'll get a bonus for shooting him in the head. He did me wrong-a long time ago."

"Does he live in a town or something?"

"Jesus kid, you really don't know who he is, do you?"

"Nope."

An annoyed sigh escaped Crowley's lips. "He is the owner of Tenpenny Tower. Maybe you've heard that report on the radio about them not letting ghouls in? Anyways, it's a really posh palace and he built it by doing some evil shit. Time for him to pay."

Her head grew foggy and a memory pushed at the edge. Words came back but the face felt blurry.

"Tenpenny will have to understand," Cathy repeated. "Who said that?"

"I got no idea, kid."

He pushed his fingers though his green hair and turned to look at something. Pulling her lips tight, so the center part of the crack began to bleed, Cathy used the pain to help her focus. Her tongue ran along the edge, sopping up the blood. A scoff of disgust came from Crowley and she remembered who said it. Burke.

"Fuck," she whispered. "He works for him. Was it Tenpenny who wanted to blow up Megaton?"

These words made Crowley grow stiff and uncomfortable. He adjusted the tie on his faded shirt to avoid having to make eye contact. "Tenpenny's crazy. Wouldn't surprise me."

Having forgotten someone else might overhear her words, Cathy chewed on a piece of meat to shut herself up. Her blood mixed with the salty flesh and she felt a little bit like a vampire. She looked over at Crowley, who acted ready to give up this enterprise.

"I'll do it," She said. "Even if it is so I have a reason to see Burke again."

"Charles Burke," Crowley said.

"Charles."

She felt stupid finding out her lover's first name from a stranger, and scolded herself for telling him anything. Still, the damage had been done. He seemed to take her shock as confirmation and he pushed his greasy fingers through his hair again. Exhaling curse words, he seemed to grow angrier with each passing second. His whispered vitriol forced her to lean in-wanting to know if it applied to her or not.

"What would a girl like you want to see Burke for? Man's Tenpenny's stooge, so long as Tenpenny can keep paying him. A smoothskin like you should hook up with one of those Brotherhood dicks and leave Burke alone."

His words left Cathy cold.

"I'll take that under advisement. You'd better make killing his boss worth my while."

"Don't worry about the money kid, but I'm going to need proof you did the job. Each one carries a weird looking Key as a trophy. Bring it back to me and we'll settle our scores."

"Sure thing."

Something about Crowley's proposition didn't sit well with her but she didn't really intend to follow through. What she really wanted was the excuse to go see Burke. Hadn't he written that he missed her?

"Kid?"

Blinking, Cathy focused on the ghoul.

"What?"

"Be careful. Tenpenny isn't to be trifled with, even if you know his right-hand man."

"I'll remember that."

Standing up from the table, the ghoul put his hands in his pockets and casually strolled out of the bar. Cathy watched him go, before fishing in her bag for a cap. She placed it on top of the plate, returned her Rad Away to her pack, and looked at Greta with an expectant smile.

The old ghoul woman jumped up from her chair and came to retrieve the plate. As she lifted the chipped white dish from its resting place she asked Cathy, "Can I get you anything else, dear?"

"Willow said fat will help my lips."

"I was going to suggest that," Greta said. "On the house, 'cause it doesn't cost me much and you can't carry it with you."

"Greta?"

Turning on her heel, she looked down at Cathy with a concerned look. Cathy met her eyes and they shared a moment of weariness between each other. Despite her disgust at ghouls, Cathy respected the hardened old coot in front of her. "Know anything about Tenpenny tower?"

"Racists." She hissed on the S. "According to the radio, of course. Speaking of the radio, Three Dog's been broadcasting a message for you and Caleb. He says you should look in Rivet City."

"Where the fuck is Rivet City?"

She felt exasperated at the idea of traveling more.

"When you're ready to go I'll show you on your Pip-Boy map, free of charge."

"Thanks. Do I owe you for another night?"

Greta shook her head, whisking the plate back to the kitchen area. With this news Cathy rose and moved over to the bathroom stall that served as a hotel room. She locked the door behind her, her eyes drawn to the empty cot belonging to her brother.

The pillow on the palette still had the indention of his head. Worry pounded in her heart now. She might not ever see him again. He might get himself killed helping out Reilly, and for no good reason. Tossing her bag in the corner, she climbed onto the bed, cradling her pistol in her palm.

Laying awake, listening to the inane conversation of customers in Carol's Place, Cathy tried not to think. Despite her best efforts her eyes grew heavy and sleep settled in as she thought a million horrible thoughts. Reliving the last few days, she realized how numb she'd grown to most of it. Even the prospect of finding Burke failed to stir any deep emotion in her. Right now consisted of going through the motions because she had no idea what else to do.

Perhaps this numbness lead her to say yes to Crowley rather than telling him to fuck off. She couldn't imagine hunting people down and shooting them in the head for caps. She wouldn't do it, nor would she tell Caleb about it. Instead she made a resolution to get word to Burke, even if she traveled to Tenpenny Tower to see him.

With this firm in her heart she looked over at the lonely pillow again and everything slipped out of her mind. Why did he have to leave her to her fate? Didn't he know she needed him to save her from herself?

21

"One of Reilly's men came to get her. Your brother sent word that you should meet him in Rivet City."

The prospect of crawling through the ruins alone didn't appeal to Cathy. The ghouls were adamant about the easy route to Rivet City being to follow the coast from the Lincoln Memorial. Apparently Rivet City had been constructed out of a giant boat, left floating on the coast for two hundred years. How it hadn't sunk a hundred years ago, no one knew.

Staring at the ship now, she couldn't offer any explanation. Shifting to and fro on the waves, half of a rusted hull appeared to be barely in working order-The other half having been cut off and left to sink into the mu-d. In between these two pieces existed the bridge Cathy stood on, waiting to cross.

She pressed her lips together, the animal fat had helped with the chapping, but she would need more before nightfall. She had no idea if her brother had made it to Rivet City already and she wondered why she had come. Her brain kept turning to Burke, in his posh housing at Tenpenny Tower, and wondering if she shouldn't go to him. He loved her, didn't he?

"It doesn't matter." The words kept springing to Cathy's mind as the bridge to Rivet City lowered. She needed to find her father for Caleb's sake. At that point she could make a decision about her future. Walking across the bridge she smirked at a man holding a glowing plasma rifle at her chest.

"State your business," he announced. She recognized the voice from the intercom.

"I'm looking for my father, Dr. James Irving. I'm going to meet my brother and talk to someone in the research lab. You might have heard about us on the radio."

Lowering his gun, the man relaxed.

"You are one of the kids from the radio. I trust you will not cause any trouble."

"Last thing I want is more trouble."

The guard laughed at this, leaning his weight on his Plasma Rifle. Cathy tried to look him over subtly, noting how acutely perfect his face looked. He had a rounded nose, apple cheeks, and a pointed chin. He reminded her of Siegfried in an Arthur Rackham drawing-only instead of curly blond locks he had a side part and nut-brown hair. He seemed to be checking her out, too.

"That's a nice gun," Cathy commented. "By the way, names Cathy Irving."

This seemed to embarrass the guard. He fidgeted before remembering his plasma rifle. Cradling the rifle in his arm, he smiled at her with a warm confidence Cathy rarely saw on Wastelanders. It seemed like a high quality piece of machinery. Living in the Wastes made her appreciate guns more. He seemed to notice her attention.

"She is my pride and joy. Everyone around here calls me Harkness."

"Guess I better call you Harkness, too," she winked. "Is that a custom handle?"

"Good eye. I upgraded her using parts left over from the old military occupants. Makes the grip more comfortable."

"Gotcha," she responded. "Looks you keep her up good. I'm dreaming of running into something plasma. They cost a lot at the shops."

"Indeed," he responded. "Your rifle looks well-used but sturdy."

"I don't have a nice custom handle like that," Cathy gushed. "I try to swap out better parts when I run across them. Brotherhood's are always in better shape than mine."

"The Brotherhood is the Brotherhood, you know?"

This made both of them laugh. Harkness swung his gun onto his shoulder harness and opened his mouth to say something, when one of his men shouted behind him.

"Get off. We need to close the bridge."

"We had better listen," he said, "We do not want molerats running up on us. It happened once and the man could not walk for a week afterwards. The molerat's teeth severed the tendon in the back of his leg."

"Guess its hard being an easy dinner."

She stepped off the bridge and next to Harkness, watching the grated metal lift up and swing over to the side. They both stood in silence and she tried not to be so affected by his presence. In her mind Cathy's other lovers tried to push themselves forward, angry at the attention, but she ignored it in favor of enjoying herself for a little bit.

"I guess I better show you around Rivet City."

The invite made her gush.

"I'll probably bump into you again." She said, wishing it she sounded smoother. "Where would I go to find a place to stay while I wait for Caleb?"

A frown spread across his lips. She hated it instantly. A man this pretty should never be disappointed.

"Who is Caleb?"

With a cute grin, so she didn't come across as cruel, Cathy used her fist to bump Harkness's arm. "My brother, silly."

"Yes, you said he would join you."

Visibly calculating something, Harkness seemed lost for a moment. Suddenly he stood up straighter and bowed slightly. "If you will excuse me, I have rounds. You can find room and board at The Weatherly Hotel. Garry's Galley is famous for his mirelurk Cakes and is located in the market place. I suggest staying out of the Muddy Rudder, she tends to attract trouble."

"Roger-Wilco," Cathy answered. A sly smile crept out as he nodded his before leaving.

Watching him go, Cathy held her breath, hoping he'd turn to look at her. When glanced over his shoulder, she felt her heart leap and waved despite herself. Harkness seemed to chuckle and waved back before heading up a metal stairs. She closed her fingers slowly as she remembered Burke didn't look back at her when he left and she still didn't know if she'd ever see him again.

With a heavy heart, she opened the door to the Market and fell into a rush of people. All around her merchants hawked supplies, while dozens of people selected merchandise. She hadn't seen this many people in one place since the vault. Add in the metal walls and she really missed home. She walked down rows of goods, before heading up the stairs towards a sign reading "hotel."

On the landing she bumped into an Asian woman scurrying up from the deck. The blow landed both of them on their backsides. The woman looked over at Cathy in fear. Fortunately, the flirtation with Harkness left her in a good mood and she offered the scared woman her hand.

"You alright?" Cathy asked.

The woman seemed to size her up; shrinking away from the direction she'd fled. Desperation was an easy read at this point and this woman throbbed with it. She put her hand around the woman's shoulder and pulled her towards the doorway they were both moving towards. At the top, she moved into an abandoned room, made sure they were alone and waited for an explanation.

The woman picked at the middle knuckle on her right hand, a red welt where her fingernails had pinched thousands of times. The doctor in Cathy took over and she snatched the woman's hand to look at it. The woman choked back a shriek, causing Cathy to lift an eyebrow in consideration.

"I'm a doctor. Trained in a vault. You gotta quit doing that or you'll get an infection."

"It calms me. I got bigger problems than an infection anyways."

"I can tell."

"Look Doctor-"

"Cathy."

"Cathy," The woman said. "Like the girl from the vault on the radio?"

"Yeah, that's me."

All the fear and worry she had been carrying melted. She stepped in closer, giving her an easier view of the wound on her hand. The flesh looked irritated but not sick, so she let her hand go. The sadness buried in this woman's dark brown eyes brought her to the decision that listening would be best.

"My name's Mei. I ran into you trying to get away from Sister. I think he's here from Paradise Falls to take me back to Tenpenny."

The mention of Burke's boss caught Cathy's attention. She put her arm around Mei and walked her over to the corner so they could both see the door easily. "What is Paradise Falls?"

"You really are from a vault. It's the slaver city. Everyone who lives there are either a slave or a slaver and I know Sister from when I lived there."

"You knew him as a slave."

She nodded. "They sold me to Tenpenny-"

The woman shuttered at the name. Cathy squeezed her shoulder and tried to give reassurance. The news set her own heart beating and she hoped the woman thought it part of her sympathetic response. In truth the idea of slavery disgusted her and had been part of why she'd help put that beast, Moriarty, down.

"I'd rather die than go back to him," Mei whispered.

"I've heard of him before," Cathy said. "Some ghoul's willing to pay me top dollar to shoot him in the head. He sounds like a pretty bad guy."

"He's a monster." She whispered this, as if speaking of him to loudly would cause him to materialize. "The slaves he doesn't work to death maintaining the building, he uses as his personal toys. He dressed me up like a doll and did sick, sexual things to me. The worst were when he'd blindfold me and share me with the men in the tower. I couldn't say no, I couldn't tell them stop, and they would do whatever perverse act they could dream up."

Tingles crept from Cathy's arms from where she touched Mei. The woman repeated this information with a blankness she understood all too well. Normally Mei probably muddled from day to day, trying to keep her fear at bay. Seeing Sister had sent all her defenses crashing to the floor.

"He stopped feeding me at the end," Mei resumed. "He said good dollies should sit on the shelf and never ask for anything. I was dying when I jumped off the tower. I broke my leg, but I'd stolen a Stim from his doctor and the drugs mended it quickly enough. He'd loaned me out to one of his meaner friends, who lived on the third floor. I used the wall to slow my descent, but God must have smiled on me, cause I should be dead. I found a molerat carcass with some meat on it not long after. Deathclaw must have gotten it. Raw meat is disgusting to me now but I hadn't eaten in days."

The memory of ripping apart a fresh dog carcass came back to Cathy. It took her a few minutes to return to the room with Mei, the bitter taste of blood boiling on her tongue. Mei hunched down now, her arms and legs threatening to ball up. Rather than let her lose herself in memories, Cathy cradled the woman against her chest. The two rocked in place, an agonizing question forming on the tip of Cathy's tongue.

"What about Burke?" She asked. "I met him in Megaton, did he ever hurt you?"

"I have no idea," Mei sobbed. "I don't know half the men Tenpenny forced on me. I just don't know. I know he did jobs for Tenpenny and he'd left before I did. Tenpenny said he would blow up the bomb in Megaton-I heard your brother disarmed it."

"He did and I gave him the plans to do it. I'm so sorry all this happened to you, Mei. We need to see to it that you're safe. I have a place in Megaton you could stay at."

"My home is here. Harkness knows about me and promised to keep me safe as long as I stay in Rivet City. He's a good man and he knows I think Sister is a slaver, but I don't have any proof. He can't do much without proof."

The woman began to sob and Cathy cooed as she petted her hair-remembering Carol doing the same thing not long ago. They both slumped to the ground; she assumed Mei's legs had grown weak with terror. Life could be terrible and the broken down woman in her arms proved it. Worst of all, her story made Cathy wonder what kind of man she'd tied herself to. Burke probably used slaves, even if he didn't own them. Not to mention he had to know about Tenpenny's peccadilloes and did nothing to stop it.

The small woman in her arms pulled at her shirt. Cathy patted her on the back, wanting to make her feel better but at a loss as to how.

"What will it take to make you feel safe?"

"All the slavers to die," Mei sobbed.

"I can't do that," Cathy said. "I could give you enough caps for a gun and some ammo. You should have one anyways. Would that help?"

"It would," Mei whimpered.

"Hell, what can you handle? I've got a few I pulled off some raiders in the tunnels."

"I know how to handle a pistol from childhood but not a rifle or anything. I'm pretty little; it would probably kick me on my ass anyways."

"I got a ten millimeter you can have," Cathy said. "They don't fetch much on the market anyways. I'll make sure you have enough ammo to hold your own in a fight. I'll toss in knife too; it's good to have both."

Pulling off her pack, Cathy dug around and pulled out a small gun with a spare clip full of bullets and a hunting knife she'd taken off a raider. She turned the gun in her hand and offered the handle to Mei, who stopped crying long enough to take it. Next came the knife, Mei opened the blade a little, then rubbed her finger across the eagle carved into the handle. Once she slid over the spare clip, Mei attached everything to her belt and looked over at her new friend with a smile.

"Avoid that Sister guy," Cathy ordered. "I'll see what I can do about proving he's a slaver. I'd like to see him kicked off the boat in everyone's best interest. Do me a favor, though; don't tell anyone I gave you that. I don't want it blowing back on me if you do something stupid."

"I promise I won't tell anyone. Thank you so much Dr. Irving."

These words made Cathy feel extremely sad. "Just Cathy, my father's Dr. Irving."

"Sorry, Cathy."

Assisting Mei up from sitting, Cathy checked her pack and let the small woman head out the door first. Before she could leave the room Cathy heard Mei say "excuse me," to someone and walked out to see Harkness standing in the doorway with a grim expression.

"Mei managed to get a gun I see."

"I imagine she needed to feel safe from someone nefarious."

"Allegedly nefarious."

"I guess you'd like some proof, huh?"

Pointedly avoiding Cathy's gaze, Harkness looked at the wall.

"I never like seeing a hysterical person with a weapon but if it relaxes her, good. I would love to see the source of her worries kicked off the ship."

"You and me both." Cathy gave her biggest, cheshire grin.

A breathy laugh escaped Harkness and he nodded her way before continuing his rounds. "Stay out of trouble."

"You make it hard but I'll try," Cathy teased.

The way he shook his head from side to side made her feel lighter. She made her way down the corridor, looking for the Weatherly Hotel. The signs posted overhead seemed to take her around in circles before she found the compartment hosting the hotel. Inside, a stately looking blond woman welcomed her.

"Vera Weatherly." The woman introduced herself with a hearty shake. As Cathy squeezed her hand, the name resonated in the back of her head. After a few second Cathy slapped her leg and grinned.

"Aunt Vera," she said, wagging her finger at the confused blond.

"I'm not your Aunt, darling."

"No but you're Bryan's."

"How do you know my nephew?" Vera asked. "I haven't heard out of his father in weeks. With the radio reports about smoking coming from Grayditch, I'm starting to worry."

"Your brother's dead," Cathy said. "I'm sorry. Bryan's still alive though and living in my house in Megaton. We paid someone to watch him while we went looking for our dad, but meant to come here at some point and tell you."

"Oh my god."

Taking a seat in a large arm chair to her right, the hotel owner looked up at Cathy with watery eyes. Another crying woman today, this felt insane. "That means Bryan is all the family I have left."

"Good thing you're alive then," Cathy said. "I know he'd love to come stay with you."

"Of course," Vera said. "It's my duty."

"You can send word on one of those caravans." I'll help you pen the letter. Nova's the name of the woman taking care of him."

Wiping tears out of her eyes, Vera Weatherly slowly moved over to a robot working behind the bar. The Mr. Handy greeted her and asked how he could help.

"Give me some paper," she ordered.

Cathy stood over the crying woman, offering words of comfort and helping her address the letter. Satisfied Nova would get the gist of what needed to happen, she decided to leave Vera to mourn. She put her money down for one of the rusty rooms before requesting to be notified if Caleb showed up. As she walked towards the door she bumped into a short man with dark hair.

"Watch it," he hissed.

"You were in my way."

"Sister, please don't start anymore fights," Vera called from the bar.

The man raked his eyes across Cathy, shot her a perverted grin and stepped inside the hotel. Watching him from the hall, Cathy decided she hated Sister and would do everything she could to help Harkness find a reason to kick him off the boat.

The room she'd been given contained pock-marked filled walls, a rotting old world bed, small vanity and an empty pitcher and glass set. She turned one of the glasses over and poured the last of her purified water into it. She hadn't used a glass since Megaton and it felt sophisticated to have this small luxury.

She leaned back on the bed. Doing nothing while she waited for her brother to show up didn't settle well. Not with a slaver sleeping in the room next to her. Cathy swished the water and told her brain to mind its own business and let Harkness deal with it. At the same time she hadn't been successful at shutting her brain up thus far and had no reason to think Sister would make a mistake dumb enough to reveal his intentions.

Fatigue nagged at Cathy and she crawled between the sheets, snuggled in between the mattress lumps and nodded off. Hours later she woke up-disoriented by the strange walls. When she remembered being in Rivet Cathy her thoughts drifted back to Sister. The words Colvin said to her about God sending her as a tool of wrath felt important right now. She could destroy anything, according to him, if God felt it needed being done. To her heart slavers existed as proof evil dwells in this world.

The clock on her Pip-Boy told her evening came while she rested. Most Wastelanders were well into a bottle of whiskey at this point. She considered joining them, forgetting her foolishness and waiting for her brother like she should. Then she remembered promising Colvin to pray at the chapel if she made it to Rivet City. To be worthy of the chapel she needed to atone for killing Moriarty and getting Sister kicked out seemed like the perfect way to do that.

Shucking her equipment, Cathy put a small pistol on her belt and tucked a knife into her pocket. Making sure she had enough bobby pins, she headed out into the hall and prepared to pick Sister's lock. His voice rose from the Hotel lobby as she walked down the hall. She'd seen him emerge from the door down the hall from hers and felt confident he wouldn't be going to bed right now.

At his door, she waited for a guard to turn down the hall. With a prayer no one would discover her; she set upon the lock, twisting her screw driver and bobby pin around inside. Sweat beaded up on her lip as she heard it click, just in time to hide her tools as the next guard made his rounds.

The city policeman eyed her wearily as he walked by and Cathy responded with an impish grin. She felt victorious when he passed without knowing she had committed a crime. Once he passed, she stood with her back to the knob, balanced the screwdriver between her fingers, and stepped into Sister's room.

The interior contents were not unlike hers. He didn't seem to have any possessions out in the open, so tried his footlocker and found it unlocked. She sorted through a few changes of clothes, a back pack, a little ammo, a few caps, and a holotape.

Frustrated by her lack of evidence she placed the Holotape into the slot on her Pip-Boy, preparing herself for the nausea that would follow. A man named Eulogy Jones proselytized on the tape. He spoke of a runaway android slave and a bounty on the head of the mechanical man. The biology of the person didn't seem to matter to Eulogy, who ordered Sister to find the android at all costs.

Voices in the hallway prompted Cathy to stop the tape. Shaking off the dizziness, she stood near the door and listened with relief as the people passed Sister's room. For several seconds she listened for footsteps, then made a beeline for her own room. Safety restored, she finished listening to the tape, removed it from her Pip-Boy, sat it on her table and thought.

She'd give it to Harkness, of course, and he would toss Sister out. Yet the android story intrigued her. Apparently the robot appeared so human he could disguise himself, hiding amongst humans so well even his creators wouldn't know him. She tapped the tape on the desk, made a note to check it out later, and went to find Harkness.

22

Worthless clouds obscured the moon, carrying a sticky humidity that only teased of rain. While the stars tried to peak back out, Cathy stood on the deck talking to Harkness. The captain of the guards listened to the holotape over her Pip-Boy's speaker, rubbing her shoulders to help with the sickness making her cheeks green.

Shaking his head, Harkness exhaled and her neck grew warmer at its base. He walked around, looking Cathy in the eyes and she looked away. In his eyes she saw anger and a question. Neither of which she wanted to address. At least he'd toss Sister out now. As she looked back up to see what he wanted to do next, Harkness turned and she saw a figure standing on the bridge. Cathy knew the wanderer by the way he stood but Harkness didn't. The buzzer sounded below and a voice called up to the Captain from the lower deck.

"Boy named Caleb wants in."

Harkness looked at her again and she smiled weakly.

"Let him in." he called back. "Tell him his sister will meet him at the Weatherly in ten minutes."

"He has a ghoul with him."

Raising an eyebrow, Harkness looked at Cathy for an explanation. She groaned, having forgotten about Charon. Scratching the back of her head in an effort to stall him, Cathy considered asking Harkness to park the ghoul on the docks. Then again being left out in the open like that might kill Charon and Caleb would never forgive her. She'd need to explain this in a way that made the ghoul sound less frightening.

"He's a side-kick kinda," Cathy explained. "He only hurts evil people. Caleb has a contract on him, got it off some dude in Underworld."

A stern look came from her friend and she shrugged to show she didn't know what else to say.

"He owns the ghoul?"

"From what I understand that's not exactly correct. He follows the orders of whomever holds this piece of paper-brainwashed I guess."

"I've heard about it." Upon speaking Harkness's eyes grew murky and he got lost in thought for a second. Snapping out of it he looked down at the duo. "I don't like it. It's slavery; I don't care how you dress it up."

"The guy my brother got him from seemed like a real dick. At least Caleb will treat him like a free person who tags along for some reason. He hates slavery, really he does."

"I take it your brother can be a bit of a hypocrite."

"Can't we all?"

A heavy sigh heaved itself from Harkness's chest. "I don't like this," he mumbled. Leaning down, he shouted orders at his men. "The citizens won't like a ghoul on board in the first place. To keep the peace, tell him to keep the Ghoul in his room and that I'd better not hear about him mistreating the man. Contract or not he's still a human being."

"Roger," the gatekeeper responded.

"Thanks," Cathy offered.

"I should be the one thanking you. I am not going to, though. I do not want to know how you got this tape, because I think the answer would upset me-You do not strike me as the seductress type."

Inside her mind, Burke's hand traveled up her thigh while they sat in Moriarty's Bar. She shook it out of her head, casting the thought out into the bay to drown. Trying not to let more in. It never turned out well when she gave in to remembering things.

"You might be surprised," She whispered.

"I probably would not because I know what people are capable of. I can imagine if I were a young person thrust into a foreign land, cut off from the only life I had ever known, I might make some stupid mistakes. Nothing is coming to the forefront of my memory, but I have the strong notion that I have made terrible errors before. Cathy, not going to judge you for your past, being a better person now, is all that matters."

"I appreciate it," she said. "Do you know anything about the android mentioned on the tape?"

Harkness's head tilted to the side while he thought, his chin tilting up more than most people would allow. Eventually he righted his head, the glow returning to his eyes and his features softened. Squinting, he seemed to notice she'd moved back, but made no emotional reaction to it. His jaw dropped and his skin pinched in an awkward way as he looked out over the water.

"I think Doc. Preston mentioned something about receiving a holotape looking for a robot. He has a clinic near Dr. Li's if you are interested. Also, two men showed up earlier today from the Commonwealth. People say they are looking for a runaway android. They have not caused any trouble, so I have not interrogated them."

"If they cause trouble?"

Furrowing his brow, as if the question bothered him, Harkness took on a cold tone. "People who would rob another of their freedom are the lowest of the low, in my opinion. Rivet City does not allow slavery and it never will. If those men move to arrest anyone, I will see to it they have plasma burns where their guts use to be."

"Are you always this passionate?" His words made her feel shaky and she liked it.

The clouds parted just enough to cause a sheen off Harkness' perfect lips. His chin lifted up for a second and he stepped closer to Cathy. In a lower voice he warned, "A sweet young thing like you, better be careful what she asks a dirty old man like me."

"You don't seem that dirty," Cathy giggled. The comeback sounded stupid but she let refused to acknowledge it. "I think I've met worse fellows before."

Her failed flirtation made Harkness remember her age. He stepped back and adjusted his pants. Lifting his head to glance at the haze around the moon as he shook his dark brown hair out and sighed. Before Cathy could say anything else, he waved his hand dismissively. "You should go find your brother before he gets lost looking for you."

Caleb, the eternal cock blocker.

"Sure," Cathy sputtered. "If you need any help with Sister, let me know."

"My guards will suffice."

Crossing his arms, he surveyed the land beyond the ship and Cathy knew she needed to leave. Silent, she headed towards the stairs and descended them, hoping Caleb had enough brains to make it to the hotel by himself. A few minutes later she encountered him flirting with Vera.

Covered in dirt, he turned and smiled at Cathy. He had bruising around his neck and a black eye, yet his face lit up when he saw his sister. Automatically he extended his right arm and Cathy stepped toward him slowly. She stood in the crook of his arm and he closed it around her, squeezing her hard and crushing her against his chest.

"Missed you," he mumbled.

Unwinding herself she scoffed at the wounded look on his face. "Take a bath and I'll give you a better hug."

Gesturing towards Vera he grinned. "Did you know she's Bryan's aunt?"

Already changing the subject, avoiding the fact he'd abandoned her in a strange place to fend for herself. No 'good job' for fixing the radio and killing dozens of mutants solo. Disappointment left her bitter and resentful. If he noticed, Caleb didn't show it; instead he continued talking to Vera as if Cathy hadn't showed up.

During the period where she pretended to be interested in whatever Caleb was talking about she began to notice how badly he smelled. A powerful odor mixed with the smell of old alcohol and she had a nagging feeling he'd gotten lost in an old sewer section of D.C. She stepped away from her brother and waited in one of the chairs for him to stop talking.

Meanwhile, a commotion started in the hallway near Sister's room. She could hear Harkness telling him to get out and several guards rushed past the open doorway. This shut Caleb up, who turned and peeked down the hall. The commotion grew louder as the guard's dragged the slaver up towards the top of the ship. Caleb turned and looked at Cathy, something mischievous playing across his face.

"These guys don't play around," he said. "You'd better watch out around here."

Squirming in her seat, Cathy felt his words grate at the lower part of her spine. She hadn't seen him in days and still he had to talk to her like she was the worst thing in the Wastes. This made her rise up and shove her brother as she passed by. Why not follow the citizens up towards the deck? Her brother yelled for her and she assumed he would follow.

Out on the ruined metal deck, a wind had picked up, sending a bitter chill into the collected people. Eventually Harkness and members of the council emerged at the top of the boat, grim faced and trepidatious. Words passed between the group but Cathy couldn't hear what had been said. A hand landed on her shoulder and she turned to see her brother standing behind her.

Sister stood in the middle of several men. His hands had been bound together and he stared defiantly into the crowd. Murmurs began to spread about him being a slaver. Other words followed in succession: scum, monster, evil. Caleb caught this wave of dissension and rode it. Turning to the right he spoke with a vocal woman, sharing his outrage at a slaver trying to infiltrate the boat. After a few seconds they whipped themselves into frenzy, screaming about how slavers should be put to death.

On the edge of the crowd stood Mei, her arms pressed together and her face full of worry. She locked eyes with Cathy, nodding knowingly. A voice rose over the crowd and Harkness moved his arms up and down, trying to directed the crowd. He begged for silence and a hush passed over the people.

"Slavery has never been tolerated in Rivet City," he shouted, "and I am not partial to changing that. Evidence has been turned over by an interested party, providing Sister came here hunting a slave and trying to set up commerce between us and Paradise Falls."

"Kill him," Someone cried out.

"Fuck slavers," another voice yelled.

The crowd churned like the sea behind them, a violent wall of unceasing movement. People offered to do it themselves, ending a life for destroying so many. Years of suffering and fear caused the people of Rivet City to belch up forgotten abhorrence. Standing in the middle of the crowd, Cathy began to regret turning the information over. As if Harkness could hear her thoughts, she caught the head of the guard's smiling at her, and they held still while the world went crazy.

"He has not enslaved anyone, yet." Harkness yelled out. The people grew quite again.

"Because he has not harmed anyone, we will show clemency. The ropes will be cut from his hands, allowing him to swim away from Rivet City, assuming he can avoid the Mirelurks below. Normally we would leave him to drown but I want the slavers of Paradise Falls to hear word of his failure, so they never come to us again."

Cheers sounded, faces contorting, illuminated by torches and fission powered flashlights. She saw her brother amongst them, pumping his fists into the air and calling for the punishment of a man he didn't know. One of the men from The Council walked forward with a knife in his hand. He cut the rope around Sister's wrist, giving the slaver enough leverage to spit in the man's face. The Council member wiped the fluid from his brow and nodded to the guards.

Grabbing Sister by the shoulders, two men lead him to the edge of the boat. The wind flared up, catching the clothes of the slaver as he looked over his shoulder at the mob. A cruel glare came from his eyes and he stepped forward before the guards could shove him, falling into the water bellow.

Instantly the crowd moved to the edge of the boat, to see Sister's fate amongst the waves. Mei pushed to the front and when Harkness noticed her he nodded approvingly. You could see the relief on the woman's face as she looked over the side- monsters exorcised for now.

Scanning the crowd for her brother, Cathy noticed Caleb on the edge of the boat, watching the slaver swim. She shook her head and noticed Harkness speaking with an Asian doctor. The middle-aged woman faced Cathy, her eyes wide in shock. This made Cathy shrug and the doctor gave her the saddest smile she'd seen in her short life. A few words were exchanged between her and Harkness and she made her way back inside the boat with the rest of The Council.

Walking over to Cathy, Harkness stood beside her quietly as he watched the crowd dissipate. In a few seconds Caleb joined them, cocksure and full of glee.

"Now that's justice," Caleb gloated.

"You think so?" Harkness frowned, unimpressed.

"I know so," Caleb said. "Slavers are scum. He's lucky you didn't let him drown."

Ignoring Caleb, Harkness turned and softened his lips as he looked into Cathy's eyes. She could see Caleb shift on his feet, being ignored by someone in his old line of work would bruise his ego.

"Doctor Li noticed you. She knows you want to talk to her and said to come by the lab tomorrow at ten AM."

"Doctor Li knows where our dad is?" Caleb asked.

"I have no idea," Harkness responded. "She said she would talk to you, though."

"Thanks," Cathy said.

Smiling at her with a bolder sense of assurance, Harkness tipped his head forward as if he were wearing a hat. Behind him Cathy's brother made a big deal of showing his disgust. Sensing something, Harkness turned and looked at Caleb quizzically, making her brother swing from foot to foot uncomfortably.

"I'm going to go to sleep," Caleb blurted at last. "I'll see if I can get Sister's old room so you can have some privacy, Kitty."

Cathy felt her skin rankle at the sound of her nickname. Her brother grinned at her like an idiot and ran for the stair before she could yell at him. Whatever he gleaned about tonight, he seemed to have missed the fact she'd ratted out Sister. Probably for the best her role in this didn't become public knowledge, it sounded like Paradise Falls had power.

Putting her idiot brother's problems out of her mind, Cathy noticed Harkness still staring at her. He seemed gentle around her but when he talked to others he grew stern and authoritative. A weird something crooked up the corner of his mouth, revealing a dimple at the edge of his cheek.

"You don't know how pretty you are, do you?" he asked.

Not knowing what to say, Cathy turned away from him to try catching her thoughts. When she looked back, his lips were parted in a feline grin. He took a few steps forward, standing inches from her, looking down at her. She opened her mouth to speak, closed it and shook her head no.

"I did not think so," he responded. "It makes no sense for me to find you appealing but I do. You are quite beautiful in the moonlight, just as you were covered in tunnel muck and standing on the bridge platform sixteen hours ago."

His weird wording made Cathy snicker. Memories of Burke flooded her thoughts but so did Crowley and Mei's warnings about Tenpenny being a monster. For a moment she saw only Burke's lips under that grey fedora, asking her to blow up Megaton. He would murder thousands of people with no remorse and yet he loved her.

Meanwhile, Harkness stood over her, a boyish grin on his handsome face. She struggled to put voice to this, to warn him she'd already given herself to an evil man and that she had tainted her soul with some nasty worm long, thin and dark. Still, she couldn't tear herself away from that pair of deep brown eyes staring into her own.

A few people walked past them on the deck, turning away when they saw their faces. She hated herself for feeling this way, for being so fucking fickle. Harkness saved strangers from slavers and kept his community safe-she'd fucked the man who tried to seduce her into being a mass murderer. She needed to get away from him, save Harkness before the worm crawled out of her and laid eggs in him.

A pair of hands landed on her shoulders. The skin felt clammy and dry. Spinning, she stopped with her body pressed against his, leaning back in his arm. He looked into her now, very much the older man, and then he kissed her. She melted under the touch, pleasure erasing all of horror and doubt she'd bottled up inside- replacing it with a temporary rush of lust.

When the embrace broke, he pressed her head to his chest. She listened intently, positioning her ear so she could hear his heartbeat. When she couldn't find it she blamed his uniform, her ear filled with a whirring sound from somewhere below. Another cool gale swept across them and Cathy shoved Harkness back, a wounded look coming across his eyes.

"I can't do this," she said. "It feels good, and I want to, but-"

"There is someone else," he sighed. "It makes the most sense. You are a beautiful young woman, fresh from a vault, new to the world; I imagine all of the men you meet are eager to have you. It is hard to see you and not want to stand beside you, free and on the side of right. He must be a good man to have won you."

"I don't know that I picked a good man, but I owe him to break it off before I'm with someone else. He says he's going to come to me and take me someplace better than Megaton."

Something about what she said made Harkness laugh. "There are not a lot of places better than Megaton. He either lives here, Tenpenny tower, the Commonwealth, or he is in the Brotherhood. A word of warning; if he's not from here, I would not count on his society accepting you."

She didn't know the truth in what he said but recognized it. This made her afraid. Truthfully she knew so little about Tenpenny tower; maybe they wouldn't want her there. Maybe you had to be a victim or a rich lord to fit in. Cathy didn't want to be a victim.

"Thanks for the advice." She managed, now more unsure of herself than ever. "I wish things were different."

"If something changes, you know where I am. Understand, I do not always pursue women like this. You seem lost, Cathy Irving, I guess I hoped I could show you somewhere you could make a difference. You have already made life better for the Wasteland and to Mei Wong."

"Someone told me God moves through you when you try to do the right thing." This felt feint and stupid in the wind.

"I do not know about that," he laughed. "I do know there is something special about you. I can see it in your brother too but I doubt he looks as good in a dress."

Pursing her lips, Cathy looked at Harkness and wished she wasn't such a fool. She could see him coming up with a reason to leave now so she broke the quiet. "I should get to bed; I think Caleb will have us running all over hell and back tomorrow."

"Sleep well." His eyes burned with sadness. Something distant and lost coming to the surface and she wanted to reach in and fix it. Make him feel better about things. "I think I will be up for a few more hours. I do not sleep a lot, as it is, and tonight has me on alert. If you need me, I will be walking the halls."

"You sleep well too, when you do. I know I feel better that you're here." This response made her feel like a stuttering toddler, trying to coax a cookie from her dad.

"Good bye Cathy," he bid her.

She nodded and headed towards the stairs. She didn't hear his feet behind her, so she turned and saw him standing, watching her leave. An uncomfortable pout formed on her mouth as she considered running to him. Before she could do anything stupid, he shook his head, prompting her to turn and head toward her room.

23

"I knew who you were when I saw you up top last night," Dr. Li said.

Her eyes flicked between the twins, a painful look every time they rested on Caleb's face. She reached out as if she would touch him, then quickly pulled her hand back and grew distant. Something seemed off to Cathy and she didn't like it.

"I thought I saw the ghost of Catherine," Li explained. "Part of me wondered if she came to chastise me for refusing to help James. Then I remembered you'd arrived here and knew it had to be Cathy. It must have been hard for you growing up in her shadow, sharing the same name."

Her words struck something in Cathy and felt compassion for Dr. Li. "You have no idea."

"Your brother looks just like James," Dr. Li laughed again. "I can't get over it. How did they make two children who look so much like them? It doesn't matter; you probably want to know where your father is."

"Please," Caleb begged.

Dr. Li moved to inspect a clipboard, the pleading look in Caleb's eyes disturbing her. Unfortunately he never noticed things like this and the cruelness of it made Cathy want to smack him.

"I wish I could be more help to you," Dr. Li continued. "I don't really know. He came to me talking about Project Purity; he wants to revive it after nearly twenty years. I told him he's an idiot and he vowed to prove me wrong. I forgot how idealistic your father could be, how passionate."

She lingered on 'passionate,' her body betraying what she would never admit to the twins. Cathy pitied her and imagined Dr. Madison Li nobly accepting her father meeting someone else, while holding on to the memory of their affair to motivate her to keep working with him. Did her dad know she still held a spark for him?

Then she realized he'd left her and her brother in the Vault, with the Overseer who always hated them, so he could work with his old lover. This shaky, grouchy, middle-aged woman seemed symbolic of his betrayal and it made Cathy's ire grow.

"What the fuck is project purity?" Cathy growled.

"Try not to sound so vulgar." Dr. Li scolded her. "No one wants to help a foul-mouthed young woman."

This made Cathy even angrier. "He ditched us in that vault for this bullshit, ruined our lives. I have a right to know."

The added hatred took Dr. Li unaware. She peered over her notes at Cathy and any pretense of familiarity severed itself. Putting her papers down, the doctor straightened herself, preparing for a fight.

"I'm sure James told you about it. He and Catherine devoted their lives to the project. I know he constantly whispered that stupid bible verse to you two while you were in her belly."

"I am the alpha and omega," Caleb cited.

Cathy interrupted him, "Water of life, yadda yadda yadda. Mystical nonsense has no bearing on reality."

Both Dr. Li and her brother seemed hurt by her callous words.

"They had everything to do with Project Purity," Dr. Li explained. "Your father wanted to purge the tidal basin of radiation, bringing pure water to everyone in the Wastes. Free, clean, water for everyone. The Brotherhood of Steel would have helped distribute it, but the mutants attacked the Jefferson Memorial more and more every day. When Cathy, your mother, died, he gave up. Took you two and joined the Vault. I never thought I'd see him again."

"Only you did," Caleb added.

This brought the faintest of smiles to Dr. Li's lips. It took her a second to gather herself before she could continue.

"I sent him on his merry way. I'm working on my own research. Rad-free food. I'm having a lot of success and my work is keeping this community going when nothing else would. I can't leave everything I have here and let Rivet City rot."

Folding her arms tight, Cathy found herself growing angry at Dr. Li. "Any idea where my Dad fucked off to, after you told him to piss off?"

Fury played across Dr. Li's face as she leaned in to confront the petulant teenager. "Listen, missy, I am a very busy woman and you are wasting my time. Seeing how the future was supposed to play out, the only reason I'm being helpful is that I feel mildly responsible. He said something about the base of operations at the Jefferson Memorial. You can try there but I'm going to warn you, it is probably overrun with supermutants."

"What isn't?" Cathy asked. "Do you have any idea how many of those bastards we killed getting here?"

A look of pity came from Dr. Li. She seemed very aware the two had come out of a vault; unready to face the world, yet she didn't do anything to help. Caleb shot his sister a look, the kind he used when he wanted her to shut up and let him talk. Cathy had no problem letting him take over the interrogation.

"You have to forgive my sister," he started. "We lost our home and the last few weeks have been a whirlwind of violence and chaos. I'm afraid she's not taking it well. Has nightmares and stuff."

"I can't help you," Dr. Li added, but it sounded more like pleading with herself.

"Don't expect you to," Caleb said. His smile seemed to melt Li a little and she nodded her head in response.

"Can you do me the favor of showing me where on the map the memorial is, please?"

Tossing a pout at the doctor after he asked, Caleb successfully melted the doctor's façade and convinced her to help him. She moved towards him, grabbing his Pip-Boy and mumbling something about the general direction. She stood closer than Cathy thought appropriate, as she pressed buttons and put a map marker on his arm.

When they'd finished Cathy leaned back against an old pre-war computer server and crossed her arms. Dr. Li looked away, unable to face her for some reason. This made her want to wound the woman in any way she could.

"So how was the future supposed to be?"

Her brother's head snapped around and he glared at her. An order to stop but she wouldn't let him have his way. Dr. Li seemed colder, unwilling to discuss this. She turned to another clipboard, and Caleb moved to collect Cathy to head back towards their room.

"No." Cathy shoved her brother's arms away. "I want her to answer. She knew mom, so she automatically knows more about our lives than we do. Dad's been lying to us for years and it's time we found out the whole truth."

Sighing, Caleb leaned on the other side of the server and motioned for Cathy to go on.

"Who were you to Dad, really?"

This made Dr. Li slam her clipboard down at the table and turn half profile. She laughed sadistically and then came to face her accuser. Regretting her decision to needle the doctor, Cathy debated leaving.

"James's second wife and your other mother."

That wasn't what either twin had expected to hear. They looked sidelong at each other, open mouthed and flabbergasted.

"There was a group of us," Li continued. Probably assumed that if she had to tell a little she might as well tell all. "We were all researches of some sort. Five at the core. We all slept together, worked together, dreamed together, and promised to help raise each other's kids. Everything out here is easier in a community and we were going to start a commune full of genius scientists."

Trying not to fall over, Cathy felt the shock numb her body. Gone were her smart-alecky responses and general contempt. Instead she found herself locked onto Dr. Li as if nothing else in the world could ever fascinate her again.

"Young people are wistful like that." Something sultry exited out of the corner of Cathy's eye and she knew she told the truth. "We thought we could change the world, one genius baby at a time. It was fine when it was the four of us, then James met your mom. She never really liked the arrangement but we were friendly enough that she didn't mind me being part of the unit. She joked that one of you really belonged to me."

A sweeping glance moved from twin to twin, settling on Cathy with a cruel smirk. "Looking at you now I don't know if either of you would have deserved me. When she died I was ready to raise you as my own, but he wouldn't have it. He tore us apart and now he's come back begging like a dog at my door. The two other members moved off long ago and I've been lonely all these years. So much for our commune and the happy family that could have been."

"Holy shit, lady," Cathy said.

Dr. Li took a perverse amusement from her words. "Will you call me 'Mommy Dear' now? Come to me for the maternal love you never had?"

When neither stirred in response she visibly grew bitter and slunk back towards her work. A few of her assistants seemed to be whispering in the back and Cathy wondered at her relationship with them. With her back to the twins, Dr. Li's shoulders slumped down and depression seemed to hang in the air around her. Had she hoped the answer would be different?

"I didn't think so," Li added. "Why don't you get out of my-"

A loud bang came from the stairs overhead as door opened and an ancient man entered the room, followed by a younger looking bodyguard. Dr. Li groaned as she saw the two of them and stepped away from the table. It made Cathy feel a little guilty to see more emotional turmoil thrust upon the woman. The old man descended the stair with a surprising spryness and the twins watched him curiously.

"I don't care about your robot, Zimmer." Dr. Li snarled.

"It's not just a robot," Zimmer protested. "It is so advanced it puts those bucket of bolts to shame. You should rethink your position and help me look for him."

A single finger rose from Dr. Li's hand in answer to Zimmer's proposal. This caused the old man to scoff and straighten his brown suit jacket. Refocusing his attention on the twins, he smiled and tried to act cordial.

"I say, you two don't look like you're from around here."

"We're from a vault," Cathy murmured. Really she wanted out of this place but the word robot had caught her attention.

"Interesting," Zimmer stepped forward and inspected the two before continuing. "Explains the Pip-Boys and the soft quality of your faces. I don't suppose you'd be interested in helping me find my missing property."

"A robot," Caleb said. She could tell he wanted out of here, too.

"Very good," Zimmer praised. "Not just a robot, though-an android. A robot so advanced you wouldn't think him a machine at all. He thinks talks and acts just like you or me."

Cathy was enthralled.

"Is he warm to the touch?" Cathy asked. "I don't see how you'd compensate for the heat a human gives off. Unless you somehow tied cooling and heating into a circulation system, spreading deceptive warmth from the maneuvering of muscle substitutes-like in the human body. Either way, what you are proposing sounds insane."

Zimmer's patronizing tone wasn't lost on Cathy. "You seem like a smart girl but I don't want to bore you with the details. All I want is for someone to find him. Don't talk to him, or tell him what he is, come directly to me and let me deal with him. I promise you, if confronted he would prove dangerous."

"Okay," Caleb said. A look passed between Cathy and him and she could tell he didn't care about finding this man's robot.

"I don't see why, though," she continued. "How smart could a robot be?"

"This one feels a good deal of guilt about his past and probably wiped his memory to forget what he has done. I don't want him becoming unstable if he realizes he's not human."

"A machine that feels guilt," Cathy mused. "Is that really a machine then?"

"I think there for I am?" Caleb quipped.

For the first time, in a long time, Cathy found something her brother said amusing. Unfortunately, Zimmer didn't seem to share in their joviality.

"You're as clever as you are annoying," He said. "The fact is, A3-21 is the most advanced machine I've ever made. Other robots, like my bodyguard here, are replaceable and easily reproduced. But A3-21 is unique and I need him back as soon as possible."

"I'll see what I can do," Cathy promised.

Zimmer glared at Caleb, probably expecting a similar vow. Her brother nodded his head and took the queue to go.

"Thanks for thinking of us," Caleb added. "We'll let you know if we find out anything."

"You might start with that Doctor Preston," Zimmer added. "He might know what you need."

"Thanks," Cathy said, waving her hand to try to speed their exit along.

Remembering Harkness told her about Dr. Preston receiving a message about the android, she made a note to stop in the clinic before going anywhere else. Unfortunately, Caleb seemed impatient and tugged at her shirt, snapping her out of her thoughts. She had exited the lab and had been hovering in front of Doctor Preston's door. Her brother held a smug look on his face and she wondered what he wanted.

"We need to look for Dad, not robots."

"Don't fucking start that with me," she hissed. "You were the one who ran off to save Reilly's men while I went through hell fixing the relay. It is fucking horrible dealing with those mutants and you have no idea how much I struggled to get here."

"You think you're the only one who has to kill them?" Caleb sneered. "I had to mow down dozens of them to get to Reilly's men. I got a bullet in my side; luckily one of the rangers was a medic. You're not the only one having a bad time."

"I didn't ditch you to chase some tail."

A fist landed on the metal next to her head. Her brother stood there, panting, and it took her a second to realize he'd almost struck her. Ducking under his arm and moving away, she held her hands up in the air to signal defeat. Sadly he didn't seem impressed and his face grew red.

"I'm sick of how you talk to me," he shouted. "I didn't leave you to chase some girl. I fought hard to save the lives of good people. Plus, she has a boyfriend-by the way-not that it makes a difference to you. You probably think I'd sleep with both of them or something, like I'm some polygamist dick-wad, just like Dad."

"You need to step off," Cathy warned. "Go look for Dad, and get the fuck away from me. You obviously need more time to process what Li said and on top of that you owe me one. Meanwhile I'm going to stay the fuck away from you and look into this android thing."

"Why?" His disgust sunk into her cheekbones and corroded away her skin. "Don't you want to find dad together? Show him he should have told us the truth from the start?"

"Make him explain why he had two wives, only to abandon one, just like he abandoned us?"

Having voiced the thing neither of them could say, both twins stared down at the floor and decided to let this go. Being mad at Dad wouldn't change the past or bring him back. Dr. Li could rot for the rest of her lonely life. They needed to put their family back together.

"I want to find dad," Cathy broke the silence. "But I have a funny feeling this is going to be another dead end. He seems to have a lot of places to go and isn't slowing down for us. At some point, someone must have told him we were looking for him, because Three Dog constantly announces it on the radio. This is assuming he is listening to the radio like he did when he first arrived in Megaton. If he really gave two shits, he'd have met us here."

"Maybe something happened to him."

Despite her best efforts, tears rolled down Cathy's cheeks. Realizing he'd finally hurt her, Caleb reached forward to try and comfort her. Shoving his hand away, Cathy shouted "No!" catching the attention of a passing guard.

Using her sleeves as napkins, Cathy tried to get her emotions under control. All the things she'd done wrong in the past few days: kissing Harkness, running off without Caleb, getting involved in the whole Sister thing, caused her more pain than she admitted. Her brother would never understand this, his moral fortitude kept him blameless and everyone else weak. She didn't need to be patronized more.

"I want to stay here," She said. "I've had enough running around. The memorial isn't that far away and you can come get me when you're done. By the time you get there and back, I'll be done with the robot thing."

"Dad's going to be sad to see only me," Caleb said.

Shooting her the pout he used on Dr. Li, Caleb loomed over his sister. While his face melted the doctor's heart, it did nothing to Cathy. She knew her brother too well to be fooled. Manipulation did nothing to endear him to her.

"Dad ditched us in a vault, nearly getting both of us killed. I think he can deal with waiting a little bit to see both his kids again."

"Fine," Caleb sighed and the illusion of sweetness vanished. "You won't be happy till you get even. I hope this doesn't leave me catching a bullet in the brain because you wouldn't help."

To drive his point home Caleb turned and walked off. She decided to end the fight and let him go. Instead of looking back to see if she would be okay, he turned the corner, eliciting a shout from a startled citizen. Cathy took a deep breath, wiped the rest of the moisture from her face and pushed the door to the Rivet City clinic open.

Inside a middle-aged man sat in a chair reading a book. He sat it down long enough to take a good look at Cathy then resumed his reading. The man she knew as Doctor Preston scanned a few lines before muttering, "Let me finish this paragraph, you don't seem to be bleeding to death."

"I think I'll live," Cathy said.

The doctor chuckled as he placed his book on the counter. "You're pregnant?"

His words shook Cathy. Could she be pregnant? No, probably not. Because she trained as a doctor she knew the vault put birth control in the water, taking the residents off of it when they scheduled the next round of births. That's why Butch, Amata, and all the other kids' birthdays were close together. That she and Caleb had been born six months after everyone should have made her suspect something.

"Do I look pregnant?"

"You look fine," Dr. Preston offered, "That's why I guessed pregnancy. I've found people react better when I ask that than they do if I ask about STDs."

Curling her nose at his words, Cathy looked out in the hall, half expecting to see Caleb returning for more trouble. When no one showed up she refocused on Dr. Preston. "No, nothing medical. I came to ask you about the holotape you received. The one about the android."

"Is that all?" Dr. Preston laughed, "Here I'd started to worry I would have to do some work. I'll give you the holotape, didn't make any sense to me, anyways. Truthfully, I shouldn't have listened to it. The envelope came addressed to Pinkerton but he hasn't had a lab here in years."

"Who the hell is Pinkerton?"

Dr. Preston picked up an otoscope from the table next to him and started looking at Cathy's ears. His behavior irritated her but when she tried to protest he hushed her.

"Might as well make the most of you coming in," he said. "To answer your question, Pinkerton was one of the original researchers on the boat. He and Li had a disagreement about ethics and he left. Some people say he died but I've heard enough talk to think otherwise."

"I guess they wanted his help finding the robot, just like they want Li's."

Switching to Cathy's eyes, Preston used the light on his tool to make her pupils dilate. When he'd successfully completed this task he sat back down in his chair and acted satisfied.

"Seems to be the gist of what I've heard," he said. "I'm afraid Pinkerton left a few years before I got here."

"Do you think the android came here looking for tech he left behind?"

"Listen to the tape. Seems someone thinks Rivet City used to be able to redesign faces."

Scratching the bridge of her nose Cathy looked away in annoyance. This conversation didn't give her much to go on. Dr. Preston seemed glad for the company, so she didn't feel bad bothering him, but he also didn't seem interested in being involved.

With a solemn look Cathy thanked the doctor. He nodded, reached out to catch her attention as she turned and left, "You're not, you know."

"I'm not what?" Cathy asked.

"Pregnant."

"Thanks," Cathy quipped. "I didn't think I was."

"That's good," Preston responded, "Because you're not. I guess your baby daddy will have to hold off on accepting the title."

"Let me guess," Cathy asked, "When no one's around you use your medical supplies to build a still."

"Bath tub gin is an old family tradition," Dr. Preston winked.