Ruby could see what she assumed to be Rivet City in the distance as they crossed the bridge near the Citadel onto the perimeter of the Jefferson Memorial. Her destination was a large gigantic aircraft carrier beached on the dirt, its aircraft payload either decaying on the top deck or lying in a heap near the bow that from what Ruby could tell where she was standing seemed to have broken off due to decay. "Must have been a Naval Yard here, there cant be any other explanation why the ship would be beached or else a good fraction of downtown DC would have been destroyed if it was washed in." She muttered as she began walking around the Jefferson Memorial. Dogmeat remained at her side and on alert sniffing for danger for the area they were in was usually occupied by Super Mutants. Suddenly Ruby stopped and looked towards the water and then looked at herself noting the bits of ant flesh still on her, the liquids from her savage meal now becoming a damp sticky muck. "I better get a bath, hey Dogmeat keep an eye out okay?" He barked in acknowledgement as he turned around facing the memorial and began to patrol around. Ruby had just begun to undress laying down her cloak when Thorn appeared. "This place….seems familiar some how." She whispered as Ruby finished undressing piling her clothes onto her cloak and pulled her hair back as she dove into the water. When she surfaced she saw Thorn looking at her. "Yeah I agree…every time we go along the Potomac I always can't help but stare at this place…like something is drawing me over to it." She said as she looked up at the large almost temple-like structure of the Old World.
3 hours had passed as Ruby washed her body clean, she looked around as if expecting an intruder to walk up and steal her clothes and gear and kept her eyes on the water in case any Mirelurks attempted to pull her under. This is really weird. She thought as she washed her hair, Why haven't the Super Mutants found me yet? They always guard this place like a damn fortress! During the past few weeks before she and Dogmeat went to Big Town to pass the time during her exploration travels she practiced her sharpshooting skills from the edge of the perimeter of the Citadel shooting at the patrolling Super Mutants at the Jefferson Memorial and during all the times she came she'd always find more of them replacing the ones she killed the time before as she dispatched them the same way with a bullet to the brain. Today however the outside area seemed completely deserted as there was barely even a sign of the muties she had taken care of during her personal training. It was all too strange to her as she finally stepped onto shore and redressed clipping her new katana to her belt and slinging her M4 over her shoulder as well as her pack taking care of not having it ripped by all the new treasures she had accumulated inside from her dive into the Marigold Metro Station. She called Dogmeat over and noticed Thorn staring at the entrance to the Jefferson Memorial with a solemn expression. "What's up Thorn? C'mon we have to get going Rivet City is practically just up ahead." She asked as the little girl turned and looked at her. "I think we haven't seen the last of this place…something is going to happen here….it reeks of death…." She whispered before vanishing. Ruby wasn't sure how to respond to Thorn's grim prediction, normally she'd be ecstatic at the thought of deaths about to occur in an area because it usually meant she was the one causing them and those deaths were usually Raiders, Super Mutants or hostile wild life. However this time when she heard Thorn's words, an uneasiness tugged at her heart, somehow she felt if people were going to die here, it just wouldn't be enemies, but friends and loved ones as well. She quickly shook her head and continued walking around the building until they discovered a ford crossing over the river and onto the road beyond to Rivet City. "I have to get away from this place…" She mumbled. "This uneasiness is making me sick…"
As they crossed the ford Ruby quickly began to recover as she began to hear gunfire. They turned and saw a large camp over looking a sloped hill as she saw Brotherhood of Steel soldiers charging up the hill engaging several Super Mutants firing down at them. Ruby smiled as excitement and a euphoric bloodlust now gripped her heart. "Lets go try and help em buddy!" She told Dogmeat and the two began sprinting over towards the camp entrance where four of the soldiers stood hidden behind the steel barricades firing up at the Super Mutants. She dove down next to the troopers as she fired up at the muties taking at least two down before an armored one rose at the top of the camp where Ruby could see a flame began firing at them with a minigun. One of the soldiers whom she assumed to be the commander yelled out "Brute! Take cover!" as he and his comrades ducked down. Ruby acted quickly as she looked over at the man. "Do you guys need any help?!" she asked as the bullets flew over their heads while some pounded into their metal shields stopping the deadly projectiles. The man looked at her sounding confused despite Ruby's inability to read his expression behind his helmet. "I don't know who the hell you are but if you can take out that brute with the minigun and help us clear this camp I'll owe you a fucking drink! I've already lost three of my men on this fucking patrol and I've got one stranded out there wounded!" As the Brute turned to fire on the other soldiers Ruby peeked out and saw three other Brotherhood of Steel soldiers pinned down hiding behind even thinner cover as three more were laying on the slope dead. She then noticed laser fire coming from an obscure side of the slope which she assumed to be the afore-mentioned wounded man desperately fighting for his life. That was when an idea popped into her head.
She quickly took off her backpack laying it against the metal wall and put her M4 next to it. "What the hell are you doing?!" She heard the man say as he watched her. She grinned at the man as she grabbed her sword, "Just watch commander, my buddy and I will handle this." Dogmeat barked happily wagging his tail following Ruby's plan as she began to sprint up the slope while he crept up under the platform where the Super Mutant Brute stood. Ruby laughed ignoring the man's frenzied calls after her as the Super Mutants growling in surprise as they tried shooting at her. The young woman dodged and weaved between bags of meat and sheets of metal as she began slashing her way through the guards. Ruby winced as she felt the blade almost slow itself cutting through the Super Mutant's tough flesh but each of them fell just the same in a bloody heap some of the blood splattering all over her until she finally reached the top of the hill as the Brute turned and fired at her laughing triumphantly confident the puny human with the silver sharp stick couldn't reach him. Over the noise of firing his weapon though he failed to notice the canine beast that accompanied her poke his body through a hole behind him climbing onto the platform and jump at him from behind sinking his teeth into its neck.
Ruby was having problems of her own as she slipped into the small area behind a wooden junk wall ducking down as 5mm bullets shredded through the wood behind her. That was when she noticed another Super Mutant charging at her with a large sledgehammer in his hands attempting to bash her head into the ground. Ruby dove to the side under its swing before feeling its hand grab onto her leg lifting her up. She flailed struggling as he roared yelling. "You'll be coming with us when you cant even move human!" Ruby groaned in disgust at what any Super Mutant would have in store for her if she were captured as she quickly swung up thrusting her katana forward. The blade cleanly entered up through the mutant's chin passing through its skull as it fell back dying and dropping its captive in the process. She cried out in pain as she landed on top of the monster hearing a snapping sound in her knee. Agghh shit! Did I just break my leg?! She thought as she crawled up to the wall peeking out to see the Brute fighting to get Dogmeat off his neck. She checked her radiation counter on her pip boy hoping the regenerative part of her mutation she received from her over night nude swim being exposed to radiation for Moira would take hold soon. She grabbed onto her sword and began pulling it out from the Super Mutant's corpse as she cried out from pain in her leg. "Agghh! Thorn help Dogmeat out quickly!"
As if in a response she saw a light cloud of ash blow past her towards the struggle. She could hear the Super Mutant Brute howl in agony as Thorn herself appeared in front of it laughing happily pulling the monster's arm that had been reaching to grab Dogmeat clean from its socket as blood jetting from the bony stub into the fire and onto the platform. Thorn quickly vanished as it fell dead once Dogmeat tore out its throat quickly running to find Ruby as the Brotherhood of Steel patrol ascended the hill. When Ruby heard the screaming die down she felt her knee began to regenerate rebuilding and reconnecting bone structure and tendons as she crawled along looting through the camp's supplies and had just begun cleaning her sword when Dogmeat found her. He barked happily wagging his tail as he began to lick some of the splattered blood clean from Ruby's face. "Hey buddy! That tickles!" She giggled as she caressed his fur proud of what they just accomplished as she heard heavy footsteps come around the corner as she looked up to see the man she spoke with earlier. "Okay I can't say what the fuck that was my men and I saw from you earlier but Ill be damned if we aren't glad you and your dog came along to help us out." She smiled up at him as she felt her knee snap into place wincing as she stood up cleaning the blood from her sword. "Just another day at the office for me." she muttered shaking her head at the man's offer to help her stand. "Well all the same miss, I appreciate the help I'm Knight Captain Dixon of the Brotherhood of Steel, I'm the commanding officer of the ragtag bunch of misfits you just saved." He said as Ruby shook his hand, "My name is Ruby Hanson from…well I used to be from Vault 101, but I kind of live in Megaton now." She said shrugging as if it had just been a matter of inconvenience. He laughed as she could hear the smile in his voice. "Hey you must be the gal Three Dog keeps howling about over the radio! Wow I didn't think I'd run into someone like you!" Ruby blushed as she scratched her head chuckling in embarrassment and confusion remembering that somehow, Three Dog was hearing about all the things she'd been doing in the Wasteland and was turning her into quite the celebrity. She hadn't listened to him recently but she was sure that because of her and Dogmeat saving Big Town that he had been making broadcasts about that as well. Suddenly she remembered something important as they heard one of Dixon's men calling out to him.
"Captain! Captain Dixon we located a prisoner!" him and Ruby quickly ran out onto the platform as they saw a young woman bound up in rope seemingly beaten as she was covered in bruises stared at them pleadingly. "Oh thank god you guys are here! You have no idea the things those mutants talked about doing to me!" She said as she struggled in the rope that held her wrists. Ruby walked up to her taking out her knife cutting her free. She could hear murmurings of admiration amongst some of Dixon's men as she guessed they were avid listeners of Three Dog's radio broadcasts as well. She looked at the woman and asked. "How did they get you?" The woman sobbed as Ruby could feel her body trembling frantically. "I was on my way up to Megaton in a caravan when we were ambushed! They killed everyone else and grabbed me when I tried running! I was so scared!" Ruby nodded as she looked over at Dixon. "I have to get my dead and wounded back to the Citadel, I'm afraid you will have to get her to safety, Rivet City luckily isn't too far so she will be safe there." Ruby nodded as the important question that had been bugging her since she had first started listening to Galaxy News Radio came to mind. "Umm Captain? Why is Three Dog only able to have a clear signal only within the downtown DC area?" Dixon shrugged as he said. "We aren't sure, communications with the unit stationed there to defend the area has been garbled the past several days but we do know they have been having trouble with Super Mutant attacks, Lyons Pride got sent in two days ago and so far we haven't heard much."
Ruby's head perked up when she heard the name. Lyons Pride? That sounds like a real squad of badasses! She thought as she nodded to him. "Thank you for telling me Captain." She said and grinned. "Oh and don't worry about the drink we can take a rain check on that." He chuckled as he walked away leaving the camp with his men while Ruby and Dogmeat took the woman over to Rivet City. When they first stepped onto the platform Ruby couldn't help but be in awe of the massive ship up close as she noticed an intercom. Dogmeat and the woman who introduced herself as Lauren watched her step towards the intercom and press the switch. "Hey is anybody there? I got a woman here who needs some shelter and some medical attention!" All she heard in response was an almost automated recorded voice. "Welcome to Rivet City, please wait while the bridge extends." She stared at the bridge as it seemed to fold out extending towards them. "Genius…! Simply Genius…!" she mumbled as Lauren stared at her nervously unsure that her savior was going to turn on her. When they began to cross the bridge reaching the end, three men in black combat armor stopped them. The only one not wearing a helmet stepped forward as he pointed his assault rifle at them. "Hold it right there, what are you people doing here in Rivet City?" The trio stopped as Ruby defiantly spoke keeping her hands down. "I just rescued this woman from a Super Mutant bonfire, she needs shelter and medical attention quickly, and I'm here looking for a woman by the name of Vera. Do you know her?" The man seemed to scowl at Ruby as he signaled his men to escort Lauren inside. "Get her to Doctor Preston to have her looked at, Ill speak with our other new guest here." He told them before speaking with Ruby. "I'm Harkness the security chief of Rivet City and to answer your question yes I do know Vera, she owns the Weatherly Hotel here, now my question is why the hell are you covered in blood miss?"
Ruby smiled as she introduced herself and opened her cloak showing him her katana clipped to her belt. "Chopping up Super Mutants isn't exactly a clean business you know." Harkness looked at her as if she were crazy and began to laugh. "You're really a few bullets short of a full magazine aren't you Ruby?" Ruby chuckled as the man acknowledged her insane adventurous exploit. Harkness then turned towards one of his men leaning on one of the walls. "Stay here Samuels, I'll be back soon." and then looked at Ruby. "I'll take you to Vera, having you walk around the ship alone with all that blood on you will just make people nervous, why are you looking for her anyway?" He asked as they turned and entered the ship. "Her nephew in Grayditch got orphaned because his dad got killed by Giant Ants." Ruby responded as she looked around still in awe of the ship's interior. 200 years and this baby is still protecting the lives of those its crew vowed to serve She thought in admiration. Harkness seemed to not notice Ruby fawning over the ship as he sighed, "Shit, one of her relatives is all alone in Grayditch? Is he alright?" He asked as they walked up some stairs turning a corner down a hallway. "Yeah he's alright for now I've got a couple of friends of mine guarding him as we speak." Harkness seemed to nod in respect to her as he stopped in front of what Ruby saw was the Weatherly Hotel.
Harkness knocked on the wall catching the attention of a young blond woman at the front counter. "Vera? I brought someone here who wants to see you. Its very important." She looked up at him and stood up as Ruby walked through the door. "Thanks Harkness sorry to have her draw you away from your security duties." She said politely as he smiled and walked away most likely back to guarding the city entrance. She looked at Ruby and almost seemed mesmerized by her red eyes, "whoa you're the first person I've seen with eyes like that. I must say they look very pretty." Ruby chuckled with a sheepish grin feeling buttered up by the woman's compliment. "And you're the first person who's really noticed! Its really nice to meet you Vera Weatherly I'm Ruby Hanson." She said as she shook the woman's hand. She couldn't help but check her out taking note of her astonishingly well kept blue dress that hugged Vera's womanly curves. Wow for a woman who looks to be in her early to mid-20's she's actually pretty hot. Ruby thought with a blush. Vera stared at her with a friendly smile almost making Ruby forget her mission. "Anyway Harkness said you wanted to see me about something?" She asked. Ruby quickly shook her head free of any perverted thoughts of mentally undressing Vera as she told her everything that happened in Grayditch including about Bryan. "Oh no the poor boy! I'll be happy to take him in let me grab my things and I'll come with you to bring him here." Ruby's eyes widened with shock staring at the woman in disbelief. "What about your hotel? Aren't you worried about leaving it unattended? Besides I literally chopped my way through Super Mutants to get here if you couldn't tell." Vera smiled as Ruby followed her to her room where she began packing some traveling supplies loading a 10mm pistol. "No worries Ruby I'll have Mister Buckingham watch the front desk while we are gone." As if on cue a Mr. Handy robot floated into the lobby towards her room. "You wont have to worry about anything Ms. Weatherly! I will take care of everything while you are away!" It said in its thick automated British accent thanks to its artificial intelligence. Vera thanked Mister Buckingham and looked at Ruby as if saying "See? It'll be fine." And then they left the city journeying back to Grayditch.
The trip to and from Grayditch went surprisingly smoothly as Bryan was ecstatic fighting his tears of joy hugging Malika, Ruby, and Vera thanking them as he packed his things and the return trip to Rivet City began. It was late into the night when they arrived back at the gangplank building when four heavily armed men stepped towards them assault rifles at the ready. A large burly Caucasian man stepped forward his brown eyes peering directly at Ruby like daggers as he spit out some tobacco he had been chewing. "You must be the bitch who's got Crag with such a huge boner for you." Ruby kept one hand hidden in her cloak. "And who's asking? I don't know who that is." She said glaring back at the men as they seemed to be eyeing them up feeling only disgust at what they could be thinking. "Now c'mon now, just about anybody who's anyone in the Wasteland knows the story about the Wasteland Ghost, the red eyed demon woman who goes around slaughtering raider tribes left and right just because she gets off on it. You have quite the price on your head girlie." He said with a sleazy grin. Ruby felt a snarl crease her lips at the mention of Crag, the supposed warlord of the raider tribes in the Capital Wasteland, the one she promised Maxine she'd help rescue her sister from at Evergreen Mills. "And I suppose you're his thugs then?" She asked as she felt her hand close around Scarlet in her holster. The man smiled as he stepped towards her. "Us? Naahhh fuck no, see he's good buddies with our boss Eulogy Jones, and we just happen to be good faithful employees in the business of slavery and fuck me when I say when Crag sent his boys to Paradise Falls and told him about you, he slapped a 50,000 cap bounty on your head to be taken in as a slave." Ruby gritted her teeth mentally adding this "Eulogy Jones" to her checklist of people she would take great pleasure in torturing to death upon finding him. "thanks for the info fucko." She said before pulling Scarlet from her holster and then gunning the Slavers down methodically with a single shot to the head.
All was quiet in the group when they entered the city. Vera helped Bryan settle in as she booked a free room for Malika and Ruby saying they were welcome to live in Rivet City free of charge promising she'd make a deal to the city council about it. Ruby and Malika were ecstatic after finding out about the clean water showers in the bathrooms as they took turns taking two showers each one to wash themselves and the other to bathe their dogs. As Ruby lay on the bed her and Malika were to share, a clean towel draped over her body as Malika was bathing Bale she couldn't help but think of what the man had said to her. "So Crag thinks I'm a ghost huh…? That I'm some demonic fright…?" She felt a maniacal grin from ear to ear smile cross her lips as Thorn appeared the two saying in unison. "Then we shall haunt him and this entire Wasteland for all eternity even when we die!"