Faith exited Three Dog's wing of the building feeling emotionally drained. He had wanted her to go recover a dish for him, a communication relay dish to be exact; to replace his now bullet riddled one that wasn't broadcasting very well. Which would explain why Gob was always banging on his radio back in Megaton, on the current dish, clear reception was only going to happen within a few miles.

But after extracting promises from her that she would enlist her father's aid in helping Three Dog with more than just the dish, but with helping with the 'Good Fight', he had relented and told her she needed to seek out Dr. Li in Rivet City.

He had also told her that if she was going to be asinine enough to travel in Calaway's company, she shouldn't bank on him getting past the bridge into Rivet City.

So tired, but with a whole new slew of questions for Mark, she trudged down the steps; emerging onto the small inner balcony that overlooked the main floor. Gripping the reinforced railing, she stared down at all the crates packed full of ammunition, medical supplies and whatever else it was that the Brotherhood of Steel had brought with them.

"Well hello there, Faith."

Faith turned around to find Knight Finley walking along the wall behind her, decked out in full power armor minus his helmet, his laser rifle cradled in his left arm. Hesitating for a moment, she managed a smile. "Knight Finley."

"Oh, just call me Finley." He returned the smile, extending his arm.

Mindful of the unforgiving armor, she slowly linked her arm with his, allowing him to guide her down the remaining stairs. "I was looking for Mark."

"Calaway?" He frowned somewhat. "He never came down."

"Oh?"

"There's a back stairwell, he probably stepped outside for a cigarette."

She nodded.

Three Dog had told her about the back stairs, how it would probably be easier for them to leave that way then try braving the square again, even though the Behemoth was dead. Super Mutants still ravaged downtown D.C., this would be the quickest, safest way out.

"Here." He gestured to a crate before disappearing into one of the side rooms; returning quickly with a tin bowl of... Blamco Mac 'n Cheese. "It's fresh." He promised.

Faith stared down at the bowl; really hating this shit but forced herself to eat it, knowing it would probably taste good when she was in the middle of some damn tunnel with nothing but roach meat to eat.

"When you're done, I want to give your side a look."

She nodded again. "Thank you, by the way, for... for taking care of me."

"You're welcome."

The awkwardness that ensued was ended when Mark came thundering down the stairs; a scowl on his face. Sarah was right behind looking very pleased with herself; she was also fastening the clasp on her pants.

He halted at the bottom step when he seen Faith; not even noticing when Sarah collided into his back.

Faith looked at him and then to Sarah; feeling her cheeks beginning to burn harshly.

Finley just cleared his throat, wishing he were anywhere but in this room. "Shall we then, Faith?" He asked after a moment when it became clear nobody was going to say anything.

"Yeah, sure." She set aside her untouched food and quickly got up, following him out.

Mark just groaned.

Three days later, silence was still the rule as Faith and Mark made their way south along the Potomac River towards Rivet City. Faith didn't talk and Mark didn't try to engage her, too busy keeping an eye out for Super Mutants.

Faith wasn't really thinking about anything but getting to Rivet City and finding her father, her mind reeling as she thought of everything she didn't know about him. She had always known he wasn't happy in Vault 101 but she had never figured he'd leave it either. Hell, she had always assumed he had been born in the Vault, recent findings had told her otherwise.

Along with the burning drive to find him was another: to discover the truth. Just what the hell else was he hiding from her? Why did he leave her behind?

"Faith, watch-"

Mark's words came too late, Faith realized with a jolt of pure panic that she was about to walk into a gaping mouth; a mouth that had... three... forked tongues and brown, acidic ooze seeping from all three.

She screamed.

If there would have been time to roll his eyes, Mark would have. Instead, he shoved Faith roughly out of the way before a wad of saliva could hit her; none too pleased when it got his chest. Instantly, he began to wipe the radiated goo off of him with his gloved hands.

"Son of a bitch..." He growled, keeping one eye on the waist creature that was moving towards him as quickly as it could.

It was a Centaur, another one of the Capital Wasteland's mutated residents. Its head somewhat resembled that of a humans and it crawled awkwardly on limbs that were somewhat human-esque but that's where the similarities ended. It did not walk, but crawled... the arms and legs splayed like a mutated toad's. On its meaty, flesh covered stomach was a row of upper and lower teeth; jutting out of the skin as if to bite the unwary.

All in all, not a pleasant looking thing.

And usually, they were companions of Super Mutants.

Thanks to Faith's untimely scream, Super Mutants were now approaching; their rough voices sounding very excited; which wasn't a good thing.

"Faith, into the water!"

"Are you fucking serious?" She shouted back angrily, having recovered her poise though she was still pale; now armed with the Chinese assault rifle Finley had given her. "We'll come out with feelers and webbed feet!"

"Better than either dyin' or whatever it is they do with the ones they don't kill!" He was already running towards the river, grabbing her arm along the way.

Faith had time to take a deep breath before he was throwing her over the edge of the waist high railing that separated broken sidewalk and the icy depths fifteen feet below. She had no idea if Super Mutants or the other monsters could swim, but... it probably didn't matter as the water was radioactive anyways, she was probably going to mutate into some kind of fish spawn and live happily ever after... with her fish spawn idiot mercenary.

Providing she didn't drown first.

Living in a Vault did not equip a person for certain physical things... like long distance running, football and swimming.

There hadn't been tubs, like she had seen in Megaton, there had been showers.

Faith was panicking worse underwater than when she had seen that hideous thing, that she could have shot. Now all she could do was struggle with the weight that was pulling her down.

Mark surfaced, flicking his hair out of his face and turned in a circle; treading water easily. He glanced up, not surprised to see the Super Mutants already walking away. He didn't know if they could swim, but it had been his general experience that they wouldn't.

He'd also seen a Centaur drown; those fat globs couldn't swim at all, thank god for small favors.

"Faith?" He called after spitting out water; knowing as soon as they were on land, a healthy injection of Radaway was in order. If he had known they'd of been going for a swim, he would've insisted they took some Rad-X. "Faith?" He scanned the opposite bank, up and down the river and felt his stomach knotting up. "SON OF A BITCH!"

He dived back under.

"Mark?" Shivering Faith, kept on clinging to the stone pillar she had caught hold of. She had managed to surface only to find herself drifting down river, having a vague idea that paddling her limbs would have been a good idea but she was just so damn tired. "Mark!"

Fighting back bitter tears, she managed to pull herself around the pillar and onto a slippery cement bank, digging her fingernails into the grit as she hauled herself up; cursing when she lost her grip and went down.

When she had caught herself again and worked her way back up; she became aware she was bleeding; her numb fingers going to her chin. When she pulled them away and looked down, she saw blood. "Great, just fucking great." She cursed, knowing she must have scraped it rather badly when she had fell on that slope.

After getting her bearings, she looked to her left and then to her right. Then she looked directly ahead and wished she hadn't.

"Sweet cheeks," A man around Mark's age said, only he had an accent she didn't recognize. "All those weapons of yours... drop them."

Her eyes were crossed, staring at the pistol aimed directly for her mouth. Nodding, she began disarming herself, not moving for the hunting knife she had started carrying in her boot at Mark's prompting. When she was finished, she raised her shaking arms, feeling the cold and exhaustion taking over. "I'm not looking for any trouble, mister." She said as calmly as possible.

He was holstering his gun, smiling broadly at her. "Hey, no trouble, I just don't like anyone ruining my parties, right girls?"

Faith could only stare as two women wearing thin robes over sheer... shirts, nightclothes... lingerie, that was the word, approached from behind.

"Right." Agreed the colored one, her eyes thoughtful as she studied Faith. "Dukov, honey, maybe we should get her inside?"

"And dose her, she was in the river." The other added, wrinkling her nose.

"And out of those clothes!" He laughed, slinging her arm around Faith, kicking away the assault rifle. "Come on sweet cheeks, Dukov has JUST what you need."

Faith could only let him guide her inside his home.