(Charon)

How could I have missed it? How could I have been so blinded by my own confusion, that I missed the most vital and important signs of Dezbe's disappearance? Of course she didn't leave because she wanted to. How could I have been so careless, and stupid? I have wasted precious time. Time, that perhaps could have cost her life. Time that I so desperately needed. Yet in the beginning I was so fearful of leaving Megaton, too scared to leave behind Dizzy to search for Dez, that I had completely lost my sense of direction. Lost any logical analysis of the situation. And now, as I walk further and further from Megaton, I wonder who the enemy could be. Wonder, who could have taken her, and why.

Dezbe would not have left without her weapon. Even someone as radical as she, would never, ever, leave without some form of protection. She is far too aware of the dangers and villains hidden within the Capital Wasteland. Just because she cannot see them, does not mean they are not there. It is completely against all she has learned, been through, and seen, to leave home for any reason, without a weapon to defend herself. There have been times where she did not have a gun, yes, but during those times I have been with her. I was her weapon.

But whom could have taken her? Jasper swears she knows nothing of any other faction coming from New Vegas. The Brotherhood has all but disbanded over there, and Jasper is correct in saying that the NCR was too fearful to follow Caesar's Legion over. But then whom? There are no longer any factions here worth worrying about. A few Slavers, and a few Raiders would not have taken Dezbe without a fight. She is not completely defenseless without a weapon, and would have made enough noise to alert someone within the vicinity to aid her. I cannot think of anyone left out here, who could have held a grudge this long, and taken her. Or, why should would be taken in the first place. It still makes no sense to me. The only thing I truly know, is that I must find her. No matter the cost. I have wasted enough time, wallowing in my own self-pity. I cannot waste any more.

Inside the pack, I have irradiated water, frag grenades, ammunition for Dezbe's gun, Dezbe's gun, and ammunition for myself. On my back, I carry my own shotgun. Tucked safely in the sheath concealed within my boot, is my combat knife. And finally, within my pocket, tightly wound, is my garrote wire. Since I do not know my enemy, or how many there may be, I came prepared. If I must use stealth and stay to the shadows, the wire will assist me, as it has in the past. The knife is far too loud, and leaves a mess. But a wire such as this is quick, silent, and clean. No traces of blood, and no indication that anything happened, as long as you are quick to hide the body. I was pleased when I found it, as I hastily packed my items into this pack. I had not thought of using it in decades, but now seems like the perfect time to bring it from its retirement.

Stopping a few miles away from Megaton, I look around at the barren Capital Wasteland. Buildings lie on the horizon, some intact, some crumbling before my eyes. Boulders, dirt, and rugged terrain flows all around me, as I wonder just which direction to travel in. The Capital Wasteland is not a small place, despite the numerous times I have traveled it. I have little to no idea as to where Dezbe would be brought. There's miles and miles of metro tunnels, and even more miles of decrepit city, and settlements and buildings outside the D.C. area. I could search for months, and still be unable to find her whereabouts. I cannot go blindly into this. I need to search for clues of some sort, and asses this situation as I was trained to do.

Setting down my pack, I clear my mind. During my training, we were taught how to track and locate with little to no leads. It was our duty, and our mission, to not lose our employer. Had we done so, we were failures. We were to seek out our employer, no matter what it could cost us. The facility and trainers did not slack on teaching me everything I needed to know, about being a man bred for war. Picking up a small twig, I begin to draw a map of the Capital Wasteland in the hard ground.

I have seen this land so many times, and watched the map on Dezbe's Pip-Boy, that I can recreate it from nothing but my own memory, and images. I create it on a grid, down to scale as perfectly as my rusted mental math allows. The grid allows me to view the Capital Wasteland in near-perfect square miles, which leaves six-hundred and forty acres of land within each one to explore. The Capital Wasteland is roughly sixteen square miles, and within there, hundreds and hundreds of locations as to where Dezbe could be. Carefully, I create points of major settlements, and outline the city. I add Megaton, Vault 101, and all the surrounding landmarks that are important. Each metro tunnel entrance, each large building, everything I can imagine.

When I am complete, I stand to clearly asses the detailed map I have just created. My home is in Megaton, in a one-square mile grid. Assuming Dezbe went straight from our home, she would be places around Vault 101. From there, since 101 is built into a cliff, she can only be ambushed from three sides, as opposed to four. Lighting a cigarette, I carefully calculate everything, and add a line where Tenpenny Tower is. Roy said he would send word, had anyone spotted even a trace of Dezbe, suspicious activity, or anyone for that matter. Roy is a man of his word, and nobody came from Tenpenny, so from the southwest, Dezbe was most likely not attacked.

This leaves the north, and the southeast. To the north is The Pitt, and there are travelers who come from The Pitt almost daily. With word of Dezbe's vanishing reaching The Pitt, there is also no doubt in my mind that Dezbe's attackers also did not arrive from there. Which leaves the southeast. Glancing over the map, all that remains in the southeast are decrepit businesses, and metro entrances. But it is the only direction in which nobody from Megaton, or surrounding settlements would have been notified had there been suspicious activity.

I do not presume anyone from Vault 101 captured Dezbe, either. As she by now would have escaped, and laughed her entire way out. Dezbe is not an easy woman to kidnap, especially now. She would have had to been attacked from behind, in a silent matter. Which would further prove the southeast as the most obvious area of attack. Leaving my home, one is facing north, upwards to The Pitt, and to one's left is Vault 101. Whomever took Dezbe, came from the outskirts of the D.C. ruins. They came fast, and they came silent. Dezbe was perhaps watching the sky, as she does when she needs to clear her head. She could not have seen her attackers creeping from behind, and perhaps did not even hear them, depending on how quiet they were.

Using the small stick, I circle the group of settlements and ruined buildings that rest in the lower right corner of my map. It gives me a direction, one more plausible than others, and one I can at least have some faith in going towards. But it still does not answer my question as to whom took her. So I begin to analyze what buildings are within that area, as to narrow it down even more. Bailey's Crossroads, is where I went for the Anchorage simulation. There is nothing there, as it was sealed as we left it behind. Quietly, I erase it from the map. The Red Racer factory is a known place of feral ghouls, and Super Mutants. Neither of which would kidnap Dez, due to the low intelligence and based on the fact that Super Mutants very rarely venture so close to Megaton.

Crossing off Grayditch, and the fire ants, Sewer Waystation, Hubris Comics, Fall Church, and many others, I find only Alexandria Arms, Mam Dolce's, and Arlington Library. Dezbe and I had just come from the library, only a few nights before her vanishing. There was no one of interest there, and I erase it. I am left then, with Alexandria Arms, and Dolce's. Whom from there, would attack us? There are only feral ghouls in that area, and nothing more. Could I perhaps be wrong, in my analysis? No, that is impossible. I may not be in war any longer, but it does not mean my skills have been compromised. I trust my instincts, and my intelligence. Just because I do not know what resides in these locations, does not mean they are safe. Perhaps a band of Raiders simply overpowered Dez, or caught her by surprise. They have her in one of these areas, either dead or kept alive for an unknown ransom. But, if she remains alive, why not notify someone? If one wants ransom, would one not wish to notify those around them that they have captured an important person? Is it ransom they even want, or revenge?

Revenge seems more plausible, but it leaves to debate as to who wants revenge. As I state before, there are no longer any factions of military or gangs in the Capital Wasteland that would harm Dezbe. Staring at the map, I drag on my cigarette as I concentrate. Mama Dolce's…Mama Dolce's…where have I heard that before? I know that in pre-war it was a food processing center, but why now, does it reemerge in my life? Why is it one of the larger buildings in the area? What in the Capital Wasteland could still be salvageable there?

There are three main parts to the compound; processed food, loading yard, and food distribution. In the center of the building is a courtyard. I catch myself drawing out the layout of Dolce's with a stick. How do I have knowledge of a building, that I never before entered? Dropping the stick, I realize that perhaps, I have the answer. Hidden within my mind, three-hundred and more years of memories are sorted and sifted. I isolate my memories of pre-war, and focus only on that. I know now, more than ever, that this place was mentioned to me before. That before Anchorage, this place was important to my facility. But…why? Why can I not remember? Was I forced to forget? No, even if I was, the memory would have reemerged with the loss of my contract. Just as all my other memories have before. So why is it so difficult for me to remember? And why would Dezbe be kept in such a place?

Sitting down, I rub my temples, in an attempt to remember why I have such a vast working knowledge of this seemingly unimportant place. It has…it once did have an importance. Yes. At the peak of the war, Mama Dolce's was a very important place to my trainers. They were constantly speaking of it, which is why the name is so prevalent in my mind. It was whispered about and muttered in only the most secret areas in the Pentagon during the war. Suddenly, an image of a blueprint, with the layout of Dolce's upon it, flashes in my mind. I remember now, why I know so much of it.

Before my contract was sold, I, along with few others, were to infiltrate this place. Because it was a cover for Chinese operatives. Spies and informants of the like were riddled all over the place. Soldiers and informants, disguised as migrant workers distributed food while having access to places such as the Capitol Building, and the Pentagon. I remember often, seeing a delivery truck for Dolce's on the streets of D.C as I walked with John. It was a clever disguise, but it does not help me now. Though I remember why it was a place of importance, is does not answer the question as to why Dezbe was taken. Yes, in pre-war it was to be invaded, but that was dropped as Anchorage came to light, and the war progressed. It is no longer pre-war, and the Great War has since ended.

Erasing the map from the ground with my hand, I can think of no other reasoning as to why Dezbe would be there. Only that there is a possibility she is. If she is not, someone in that general area will know her whereabouts. Armed with more information than when I began hours ago, I set off in search of Mama Dolce's, all while wondering what could possibly exist there, after so many years.

Raiders, perhaps, more likely than not, settled there. But the Raiders are now more acutely aware than anything, that Megaton and its citizens are not to be fought with. The Brotherhood would not be there, as there are none in this area. With as many informants as I have, someone would have mentioned a sighting of Brotherhood Scribes or Knights. Roy's men ventured close to that area, and reported no unusual activity. Dezbe and I also traveled that way and saw nothing out of the ordinary, either. I cannot imagine what I will find when I get to Dolce's, but I know now that I must approach with upmost caution and discretion. Perhaps it is good, that Dizzy and Cain do not know where I am headed, so that they do not follow. It is not unlike them to do such a thing, either. I do not know what to expect there, but if it is danger, the last thing I wish to worry about is my daughter.

As I near Dolce's, the sun begins to set. I am thankful, because it will be easy to stay hidden during the night. Though I am still unsure of what I could find, I do not wish to take any unnecessary risks. Dezbe may be safe, and not even here at all. Or, this place may be riddled with unknown enemies. There is no certain way of telling, and no way to find out, unless I investigate.