Chapter 3

The raiders' hideout, if it could be called that, was a small townhome on a lonely hillock. Most of the walls were missing, and a ramshackle second story had been constructed using rusted metal and wooden panels. It was accessible through a single ramp which stretched out behind the building.

The ground floor had been dug into a pit around three feet deep, which the raiders all rested in. it contained five rotten mattresses and a set of six lockers with a small campfire at the very centre. The entire place stank of sweat and rot. Meat sacks hung from chains at every corner of the dwelling, dripping slowly and staining the ground beneath.

As they approached, two more raiders exited to meet them. Both were women, one with dark hair and a ragged shirt, and the other with blonde pigtails and a bra made from mininuke parts. They both had crazy eyes and a spaced-out look which suggested heavy drug use. The blonde one sidled up to Bloodbeard and gave him a long, passionate kiss. The other greeted Lagbolt with a similar reaction. Both of them avoided Tadpole completely, giving him nothing more than dirty glances. He drew a little closer to Jessica.

The blonde one who had attached herself to Bloodbeard reached up and snatched Boone's beret from his head. "What's this?"

"A present for you." the leader told her as she wrapped herself around him. She gave Jessica a thorough look. Her voice was high-pitched and grating on the ears. "Who's she?"

"I'm Jessica." The Courier introduced herself, "It's a pleasure to-"

"Shut yer facehole! She's a prisoner," Bloodbeard explained shortly, "Where's my fucking Jet, bitch?"

"Fuck you, that's where!" the female raider answered resentfully.

"In your locker where it always is, bro." Lagbolt said.

Bloodbeard turned on him immediately, "An' how the fuck do you know that, huh?"

"Ain't no secret. Ain't no secret." Lagbolt held up his hands in surrender.

"I'll get it!" sang the dark-haired woman.

The blonde reacted immediately, rushing after the brunette. "Don'tcha fuckin' touch it! It's Bloodbeard's Jet and Bloodbeard is my man! I'll get it!"

"Niether of ya touch it or I'll kill ya both!" Bloodbeard howled, launching himself after them.

"Bloodbeard likes 'is jet." Tadpole observed.

"Shut up, dipshit." Lagbolt replied.

"He does, doesn't he?" Jessica agreed thoughtfully, giving Tadpole an appraising look. Who's a smart man?

"You shut up, too!" Lagbolt ordered, yanking roughly on her arm. "We don't know yeh, so you shut the hell up." Jessica met his sharp eyes and directed her gaze submissively towards the ground.

Tadpole entered the pit before Jessica and reached up to grab her, but Lagbolt was standing behind her and kicked her in. Jessica cried out as she landed, her sore ribs flaring up, along with pretty much everything else.

"Hey!" Tadpole began to protest, but Lagbolt raised his rifle and the younger raider shut his mouth resentfully.

Jessica shuffled up to the pit wall and leaned against it, letting the pain die down a little.

Tadpole crouched beside her. "Ya want some water?"

"I need a stim pack." Jessica said, coughing and clutching her side.

Across the pit, Bloodbeard was taking puff after puff from his jet inhaler. "Ya ain't fucking getting nothing!" he roared.

"What are we gonna do with her, boss?" Lagbolt demanded as he jumped down into the pit with the rest of them.

Bloodbeard settled back on his mattress, and the blonde-haired woman crawled up beside him, laying her head against his chest and glaring at Jessica.

"I'm thinkin'." Bloodbeard said.

"We can't keep her."

"I'm Thinkin." Bloodbeard murmured, his eyes drifting shut.

"We ain't got much food and water. If she ain't gonna tell us where the other vertibirds are, I say we off her!"

Bloodbeard's eyes snapped open and he snarled at Lagbolt, "Fuck off!"

Lagbolt threw up his hands in defeat. He gave Jessica one last glance, and moved up to the second level of the shack, gripping his hunting rifle tightly.

Time passed. Jessica watched the raiders carefully, observing their little ecosystem. Lagbolt was by far the smartest of them, though that wasn't saying much. He stood on the second level, watching the wasteland and throwing the occasional withering look down at Bloodbeard.

The dark-haired raider woman pulled a body out of a smashed cupboard and proceeded to take it to pieces with a dull kitchen knife, hacking off the limbs and stuffing them into a sack. She seemed to delight in the amount of blood and gore her activity was leaving behind. Jessica filed her under the title of torturer and probably resident cook.

"She's Knut," Tadpole whispered in Jessica's ear, "real good wiv knives…"

Jessica's attention turned to the blonde woman. She was still lying against Bloodbeard, and was watching Knut carefully, like a cat, twitching at the slightest movements, and keeping a tight hold of Bloodbeard.

Paranoid. Jealous.

Jessica wondered what her place was in the strange little family until – in full view of everyone – Bloodbeard awoke from his drug-induced haze just long enough to mount her. His grunts and her giggles echoed around the building for all of forty five seconds until he collapsed back into the mattress and started snoring, trapping her underneath him.

"Dat's Vixen. She's da bosses. And da boss is hers. Don't touch da boss or she'll gut ya."

"Thank you, Tadpole." Jessica said, keeping her voice low and a little bit husky, "You're so helpful…" she smiled at him and he grinned back, showing a mouthful of rotting teeth. He held up a finger and crept very quietly over to a nearby crate, where he rummaged inside, producing a stimpack and a small bottle of something labelled Aqua Pura.

He crept back, quietly handing both items over to her, watching Lagbolt up above as he did so, but the raider's attention was focused out into the wasteland. Knut was occupied with her… hobby, and Vixen and Bloodbeard were otherwise engaged. No one was watching them.

Jessica took the stimpack first and injected it into her side, feeling immediate relief as the pain subsided. The PHOENIX Monocyte Implants helped a little, but nothing equated to the immediate relief of a stimpack injection. She felt the familiar rush of warmth through her system and moaned gently, a small smile touching her lips.

She opened her eyes to find Tadpole watching her with hungry eyes, taking in every one of her movements with a sense of awe and adoration. She wondered when the last time he'd seen a person he wasn't actively trying to murder was.

"Where am I?" Jessica opened the bottle of Aqua Pura and to her delight discovered that it was cool, clear, pure blue water. The best she had ever tasted.

"Dis is our house."

"I mean… all of this…" Jessica motioned at the desert beyond their little pit.

"Dis is da Capital Wasteland."

"Tell me about it."

"It's… big. Hot. Dangerous."

"Mmhmm?" Jessica's idle gaze fell on the jet inhaler which had fallen from Bloodbeard's limp hand onto the dirt floor. She looked up at Lagbolt, who was cleaning his hunting rifle, and chewed her lip thoughtfully.

"Dere's Megaton off in dat way." Tadpole exclaimed, pointing clumsily behind Jessica's head, desperate for her attention. "Built in a bomb crater. It's got big, big walls. Too big for us to raid."

"Megaton…" Jessica repeated thoughtfully, gracing him with another smile.

"Uh huh. Uh huh. And off in the southeast is Rivet City in a big big boat."

"And who runs Rivet City?"

"Dunno…" tadpole scratched his head, and a few flakes drifted down into the dirt.

"Tell me about Vox…" the word had popped up twice in the few conscious hours she had spent in the wasteland.

"Dey're new. Come since da war ended…"

Jessica frowned, keen with interest. "War? What war?"

"Oi, dipshit!" Lagbolt yelled from on high. He was staring down at them from the second floor. "Shut the fuck up!"

Tadpole scurried away, and Jessica was left alone. Once again, her gaze fell on the discarded jet inhaler as a plan began to take shape.

Night had fallen, and the embers of the campfire had burned to a soft warm glow. Jessica had not moved since she had first sat down. Lagbolt had spent the rest of the day sitting on a chair on the second level, staring down at her, with his rifle across his knees. The message was clear: if she tried to run, she wouldn't make it ten meters before a bullet found her back. Tadpole had tried to crawl back to her several times but each time, Lagbolt had shooed him away.

That was okay. Jessica was a patient woman, and she had no intention of running. She could feel the weight of the switchblade in her sleeve. They had not found it yet, and in a way, she felt like hiding it somewhere else. Burying it or something. It was probably a bigger danger to her than if she had no weapons at all: they would kill her immediately if they found it.

She waited, checking every ten minutes to see if Lagbolt was awake. To his credit, he managed to watch her for a good few hours into the night before he finally drifted off in his chair.

Bloodbeard was still out cold, as was Vixen, curled up beside him. Knut had wandered off into the wasteland with her assault rifle, and occasionally in the distance, Jessica could hear the rat-a-tat-tat as she unloaded on some poor creature.

Once again, she was alone… with Tadpole.

A regular person would have perhaps been worried by the prospect of being taken captive by a gang of crazy murderous raiders, but Jessica had long ago learned that all problems in life were people problems, and solving people problems was all about levers. It was about wants and needs.

Bloodbeard wanted Jet. As leader, he needed to keep his head on his shoulders.

Vixen wanted Bloodbeard all to herself – only god knew why... However, like her lover also needed to not fly off the handle at the slightest provocation.

Knut wanted violence. And she was with Lagbolt. That suited Jessica just fine.

Lagbolt wanted his raider gang to think and plan ahead. Or at least just think. Period. What he needed was a team which agreed with his life philosophy.

And poor Tadpole, the intellectual runt of the litter, wanted a friend. Even more, he wanted a lover. What he needed was someone he could trust not to take advantage of him.

All in all, a volatile mix.

It was just a matter of pulling the right lever…

Keeping one eye on Lagbolt, Jessica picked up a small stone and tossed it at Tadpole, who was curled up nearby, clutching his combat shotgun. He shifted and murmured in his sleep.

Jessica rolled her eyes, and tossed another pebble. It took two more before he finally woke up.

Of course, the first thing he did was look around to see if she was still there.

Jessica gave him a twisted, secretive smile. She held a finger to her lips and beckoned him over.

He moved gingerly, watching Lagbolt just as she was, and when he was beside her, she leaned in so that her lips were right up against his ear. She rested a hand against his knee.

"I've got a game to play…"

"Uh huh…" the rider seemed stunned that she was touching him.

"I want you to sneaky sneak across to Bloodbeard's locker…"

"That's-"

"Shh…" her lips brushed his ear, "I'm not done yet… I want you to take Bloodbeard's Jet and put it into Lagbolt's locker. Can you do that for me?"

Tadpole leaned back and gave her a serious look. "That's… that's bad."

Jessica's hand traveled a small amount up his thigh and she smiled at him. "It'll be our little secret. A prank."

"Just a joke?"

"Just a joke, Tad…" A harmless joke…

"Well… okay." Tadpole said uncertainly. He crept across the pit, passing carefully by Bloodbeard's mattress, and rose to his feet to reach into the lockers. The door creaked gently as it opened, and Bloodbeard stirred in his sleep. Tadpole froze and for a moment, Jessica thought he might have lost his nerve, but he opened it regardless and pulled out a small sack full of jet, moving it two lockers over.

He crept back and settled in beside her.

Jessica grinned at him. "Good job!"

He smiled. "It'll be funny in the morning!"

"Shhh. Let's go to sleep now." She waved him off and he obeyed, curling up with his combat shotgun.

In the morning they awoke to an almighty roar.

"Where's my fuckin' jet?" Bloodbeard was on his feet, running around the campsite in a fury. "Where is it? Where's my jet?"

"What are you talking about, bro?" Lagbolt was already awake and up on the top level, but he dropped down into the pit to investigate.

"My Jet's gone!"

"Okay calm down. Let's just look for it."

"Who took it?" Bloodbeard searched their faces. Jessica was wearing her usual innocent look, and was sitting in the same place he had last seen her. Tadpole was crouched nearby wearing a look of terror. Vixen was distressed because Bloodbeard was upset, and Knut was off to the side, using her cleaver to carve up a radroach, presumably for breakfast. She was watching with an air of disinterest.

"No one took it!" Lagbolt exclaimed in exasperation.

Bloodbeard ignored him and began to root around their small hovel, tearing apart crates and boxes, and overturning matresses.

"It ain't us, bro!" Lagbolt protested as the bearded raider approached the lockers. He opened Tadpole's, then Knut's, then Vixens, then finally Lagbolt's.

Bloodbeard froze, his back to the raiders.

"No one took it!" Lagbolt insisted.

Shaking with rage, Bloodbead reached in and pulled out the bag.

Lagbolt fell silent under his leader's glare.

"I knew it!" Bloodbeard snarled.

"Whoa, now hold on just a second!"

"You was always chirpin' at me about it. I knew you was eyein' it…"

"I wasn't eyein' nuthin!" Lagbolt assured him. "This is just a misunderstandin'. There's been a mistake." He glanced around the camp for support, but everyone was watching in silence.

"You think yer smarter'n me? Huh?" Bloodbeard shoved Lagbolt to the ground and held up his fist. "You ain't smarter than me! You ain't the leader!"

"I didn't take yer jet, dumbass!" Lagbolt argued. His suspicious gaze fell on Jessica. "It was her somethin's wrong wiv her!"

"Don't cha try an' trick me. You bin eyein' my stash for ages!"

The two raiders began to tussle. For Lagbolt, it wasn't serious – just letting off steam, but for Bloodbeard, it was life and death. He pinned the smaller raider to the ground and began to pound on him. Ten seconds in, Lagbolt stopped struggling. A minute into the beating his feet stopped twitching. By the time Bloodbeard was done with him, there wasn't enough left of his face to recognize him.

"Oh no…" Tadpole moaned, clutching his combat shotgun to his chest.

Knut let out an anguished screech and charged at Bloodbeard, cleaver raised above her head. She was intercepted by Vixen, who tackled her to the ground. There was a second tussle and an ugly schlucking noise as Knut pinned the younger woman to the ground and drove the cleaver through her chest.

Enraged, Bloodbeard charged in, pulling out the cleaver and driving it deep into Knut's protesting face. She dropped to the ground, toes twitching.

Bloodbeard turned on Jessica and Tadpole.

Jessica rose to her feet, back against the wall. "He's going to kill us, Tad!"

Tadpole whimpered as the larger raider approached them.

"Tadpole, he's going to kill me!" Jessica screamed, holding up her hands in self defense.

"Raaaagh!" Bloodbeard rushed at them, waving the cleaver.

"Tadpole, kill him!" Jessica ordered.

There was a blaat from the combat shotgun and Bloodbeard's head blew out sideways, spattering the wall beside him. He fell to the ground, stone dead.

Tadpole whimpered quietly, eyes wide as he surveyed the carnage. "They're all dead."

"It's okay. You did good, Tadpole." Jessica whispered, sidling up to lean against him. She planted her chin on his shoulder and ran her hand slowly up his back to run through his hair. "You did very good, Tadpole." Her other hand drifted down his arm and gently prised away his combat shotgun.

"Dey was my family…"

"Uh huh." Jessica dropped the shotgun behind her back and flicked her switchblade out of her sleeve.

Tadpole, turned to her, grief-stricken. "I didn't want dis! I didn't mwan for dis to happen…"

"Look into my eyes, Tadpole: Everything's going to be fine." Jessica assured him, raising her hand. He obeyed, looking deeply into her beautiful green eyes, even as she drove the switchblade deep into the side of his throat, dragging it across roughly, eve3n as his eyes bugged out. He snapped up and grabbed her hand but it was already too late; blood poured out of the open wound and down his chest, even as he stumbled backwards, trying to stem the flow. Jessica sighed and turned away, picking up the shotgun as he gurgled and groped blindly for something to save him.

She turned back around and emptied two shells into him to finish the job. As she surveyed the carnage araound her, she recalled something which House had once said: "You of all people know just how dangerous base urges can be, Jessica. Those who suffer from them are easily manipulated. Easily tricked. Easily bought. Easily sold… easily killed."

She slung the combat shotgun over her shoulder and began tearing the hovel apart, looting for ammo, stimpacks, and food. She found fresh water, a couple of stimpacks, a few dozen extra shotgun shells, and a bag stash of caps and hunting rifle ammunition which had obviously been Lagbolt's bug-out plan.

Armed with the combat shotgun and Lagbolt's hunting rifle, Jessica climbed her way out of the raider den and dusted herself off, staring across the open wasteland towards downtown D.C.. She placed Boone's beret back on her head where it belonged, and let out a long relieved breath. Time to find this 'Megaton', which Tadpole had mentioned.

I realize that the sequence with the raiders may have gone on a little long. Jason would have simply killed them all in seconds, but it was important to set up how Jessica handles a bad situation.