Three Months Ago

Click click click

A tongue swathed out and to the side of her mouth.

Click click click

A crimson finger reached slowly from the side, poking the tip of the slimy muscle, and she instantly grimaced. "EW! Charon, what the fuck!" She spit, wiping at her lips with the back of her hand fanatically. "Do I want to know where those hands have been?"

A shrug, and he bit back an amused smile. "I am sure it is not the worst thing you have had in that mouth."

Her jaw dropped so far, he almost feared it would unhinge.

"Ow-!" Charon had grabbed at her forearm, forcing her to the tips of her toes as he studied the map of her Pip-Boy. "-that hurts! Hurry up!"

The ghoul growled, releasing her roughly. "We have been going the wrong way…again"

"No!" she snarled, rubbing at the tender skin where he had grabbed her. "I…okay, so maybe we were going the wrong way before-" She broke off and licked her lips. "-but…what makes you say that?"

He simply pointed a rotten fingertip at her neon screen. "What does that marker read?"

"Vesper," she said in the loudest and slowest tone, as though speaking to someone mentally challenged.

"Read it again."

She blinked at him repeatedly, then glanced back down at her computer. There was the tiniest crack in the screen, distorting the last letter of the word almost perfectly. "…Vespen."

The ferryman cracked his knuckles; there were multiple loud snaps. "Stupid."

"UGH!" she screamed, kicking at a rock with the steel toe of her boot. It completely disintegrated. She rapidly flicked through the knobs. "Then where the fuck is Vesper?"

Charon sighed and rolled his eyes at her dramatic behavior. With another swipe at her arm, he turned the dial once and zoomed out on the page. When he kept zooming, she began to fidget.

"No-"

The ferryman paused, repointing to her screen.

"-way." She stood there frozen for a solid minute, and then it appeared as though she wanted to cry. "FUCK!"

It was in an entirely different state, and in the opposite direction. They would be lucky if the journey wasn't longer than three weeks at the least. The thought of perhaps not catching up to the bounty hunter for such an extended period of time, after the already lengthy journey, made tears form in the corner of her eyes; she sniffled.

A hand gently squeezed her shoulder. "Do you wish to continue? We can proceed to Wells and wait for him there- he is bound to make an appearance, as that mercenary had informed us."

"But…how long would that take?" she blubbered at him, furiously wiping at her waterworks.

"Does it matter?"

She flicked the Pip-Boy screen off with a whir, chewing on her bottom lip anxiously. It would be rather easy to stake him out at his supposed home base, but there was no way in guessing when he would return. There had been a shared story that he took two years before finally passing through to pick up a contract. It was a gamble as to postponing many more weeks before he finally crossed through, or it could be simply days.

In the end, she couldn't continue on her vendetta without him, anyways. And rather than being cooped up in some mercenary town, waiting on his inevitable return, it would perhaps be more beneficial for them to continue on their way in an attempt to catch up along his breadcrumbed trail.

"…let's just get to Vesper."

The Present

David was regarding a screen on his wrist, and he came to an intercom and relayed a message through it, completely unaware of the status that had taken place on the upper levels. "Carol, how is the situation?"

There was no reply, and he glanced over to the security cameras, their red indicator lights switched to green. His eyes then met with hers. "It would appear Roman has failed in his endeavors…useless. No matter."

They came before a reinforced metal door, and he unhooked a pin from the side of his Pip-Boy and entered it into a console. "Sentries, you are to remain here indefinitely." The door opened.

"Understood." The bots whirled to face the other way, their oiled gears spinning rapidly as their hydraulic actuators eased them into a lower position.

"Come." A snap of fingers.

Evelyn was pointedly staring at the floor; the cold metal of the collar flush against her neck. "No." The others were so close-

Another snap. "I will not ask again-"

"Go fuck yourself," she growled.

A button was produced from a pocket, followed by a void stare. "-and if you do not wish to cooperate, I shall ensure you do."

Her head tilted to the side, and she narrowed her eyes. "You're so full of shit. What's the point in keeping me alive if it's just easier to have a corpse to experiment on?"

Unbeknownst to her, a very angry bounty hunter was venting at the monitor with the words of fuckin' smartass, always arguin', and can't keep damn mouth shut.

David gave out a laugh, and he grinned. "Darcy did say you had a rather sarcastic quip about you. But you're right…" The button was pushed, and an electric shock coursed through her body, driving her to her knees. "Now come along."

The ferryman was being refrained by three ghouls as he was trying to make his way blindly out the room; Cross had his arms wrapped around him in a modified chokehold. The bastard was so damn tall.

Slowly, she got to her feet and wiped away the spittle at the corner of her mouth. "Fuck you." Evelyn was hugging herself, breathing heavily as the twinge of her muscles was still spasming. Her expression was completely lethal.

David raised an eyebrow at her stubborn refusal. "You came here for a very specific purpose. Are you going to give up on that, when you have come this close?" There were a few clicks as he typed away something on his Pip-Boy. "What do you really have to go back to? Is it Thomas, perhaps? Did you revisit your past for a night recently?" A glance was given to the spying camera trained upon them. "Difficult, I'm sure, with him being…changed."

Everyone's jaw dropped on both sides of the screen. Now the ferryman and the bounty hunter found their roles reversed. The merc was shouting curses at the glowing ghoul and his quiet resolve, two massive forearms keeping him from enacting a spontaneous act of violence.

Evelyn's jaw snapped shut. The gears in her brain were spinning wildly. "W-w-what?!" she finally sputtered, taking a step back.

The blockade of the sentry bots kept her from retreating any further. She flew her arms over her chest, suddenly feeling extremely exposed. "How rude! No! How…how do you know about that?! That was years ago! Did Darcy tell you?! How do you know Thomas?!"

A hum: he appeared completely unfazed by her fluster. "It does not matter- come along-"

"You are such a FUCK!" Evelyn shouted, momentarily forgetting her situation as a wave of fury pounded beneath her skin. "What do you want?!"

The button was retrieved.

"Go for it, fucking fry me! I'm not letting-urckg!" A crash to the floor, and she tremored helplessly. When the button was released, she let in a gasp of air and coughed loudly.


Charon pounded both fists on the table, snarling. "We cannot stay here."

Thomas crossed his arms and tapped his elbow. "I agree. But the sentry bots are making the situation difficult…we know David wants her alive, for now at least, so we have an assurance she will not suffer serious injury before we can make our way to her." He pointed at a completely different screen. "I am going to make the assumption that this is Roman- is he the one?"

A growl. "Yes." Before, Charon was momentarily surprised at seeing a fellow contracted man in the city, but now, he was blatantly pissed off. The blue ghoul, despite having no will of his own, had made a very costly mistake in taking her away from him.

The merc was just furiously pacing. The newly acquired information of Evelyn's past flame and her present situation was making him aggravated. He stalked over to the control monitor beside the glowing ghoul and keyed down on the vault's P.A. system.


Evelyn gave a delayed startle as the merc's raspy voice crackled through the overhead speaker system.

"You goin' to fuckin' lie there all damn day?!" Her eyes shot wide open, and she bolted upright, turning her face to the blinking spyware. "Yeah, I see you, and so does everyone else. Put some damn clothes on and get your ass up here. You sure as shit don't want to make me come and get you."

David was just as surprised as she was, and he hesitated for a moment too long. Evelyn's fingers were already curled around the inside of her collar, and she gave it a snap as it cracked in half.

Whiiiiiir

The sentry bots began to spin around, but David held up a hand to them before they rotated completely. "Resume your posts."

A thck-chk-chk as they returned to their positions.

She shakily began to stand upright. There was a burning sensation under her skin, and it tingled to her toes.

David merely crossed his arms in a studious stance, and he had a look of amusement. "If you wish to kill me, then I hope you realize all of those questions you have had these past few years-"

Another click of the P.A. "Who gives a fuck-"

"-will die with me. However-"

The merc's voice continued to drift down to them. "-I'm goin' to fuckin' make sure you stay dead this time, you piece of sh-"

"-oh, for godsakes." David gave an irritated glance to the camera.

"-just fuckin' one tap those damn bots and get the fuck up here. Charon's pissed, and I don't want him takin' it out on me."

Evelyn clenched her fists, frustrated. She pointed at the blinking lens. "No one asked you to come here, you fucking jackass!"

The gray ghoul put on a strange, high-pitch raspy tone. "I've heard you're the best, most badass bounty hunter around, come find me; I'll be waitin' for you," he mocked.

"Ugh!" Evelyn took a step forward, visibly angered.

"Now I know you ain't fuckin' mad at me when you're the one makin' dogshit decisions and in this fuckin' mess-"

"This is giving me a headache." The camera blew into a display of white sparks and wispy smoke.

Evelyn spun her head back to her captor, and he stowed a pistol back into its holster under his lab coat.

"Now I'm fuckin' pissed." The com clicked off, as the viewers upstairs were rendered blind to her position.

David gave a terse sigh, locking his artic eyes with the waves of her ocean. "Alright. I will allow us some time to talk."

Two Months Ago

"Hey, Charon-" Evelyn called to him from her perch, hands on her hips and a wide smile set on her lips. "-think I can make this jump?"

The ghoul didn't bother in peering over the edge for betting grounds; it was a solid no, either way. "Get down from there." When she didn't immediately comply, he sighed irritably. "I am not going to ask you again."

"My God, you have never been this…demanding, before."

He gave her a pointed look, and he held up his arms for her to jump down to him. "Evelyn, I am going to give you until the count of five."

"I'm coming-I'm coming!" Her fingers intertwined through his own, and he swiftly pulled her into his embrace. "Jeez, make me feel like a kid."

"Then do not act like one." She was set on her feet, and he tilted her chin slightly to view the colorful bruising along her face. "It is getting better."

"I honestly can't tell," she muttered to the side, feeling his hand fall away. "Still hurts."

A snort. "The bruise? Or your pride?"

There was a flash of mild annoyance at his comment- but he was right. Having your own face slammed into a closed doorframe- as a failed escape attempt from radscorpions- was a story she didn't bother in sharing with those who had curious stares.

"Whatever." A huff, and she bypassed around him to continue their way down the empty side avenue. "Someday, I'll-" There was a sudden sound of skittering from an alleyway, and both turned their heads as something emerged from a rusted dumpster.

"Eek!" Evelyn's feet seemed to magically teleport her, safely shielding herself behind the crimson ghoul as he lifted a boot and grumbled incoherent nonsense.

Smash

The radroach blew out along the sides of his foot in a gory display; he pounced on another; the chittering screams they produced pierced their ears. A flutter of wings to the side- one had caught them unawares and was attempting to crawl up her legs. A very distorted human sound escaped Evelyn's mouth as she left the ferryman's side and jumped over the side of the wall separating them from the canal. A splash was heard, followed by Charon's curt chastisement.

The mutated roach was quickly disposed of in his hands as it skittered up his chest. He attempted to wipe the gooey residue from his torso and arms, peering over the side where she had fled over. "Evelyn?"

A spew of bubbles in the river and she emerged, blowing water from her face. She twirled around, her braid following along behind her in the murky water. "Are…are they gone?"

An aggravated sigh. "Yes."

Something slimy brushed against her, and she shrieked. "Charon!"

"Ch-!" He was spinning around, searching for something to reach down and grab her with. With two long strides he disappeared from her view, and he could hear her splashing frantically. Evelyn swam to the side of the wall and was making pathetic, mewling noises as whatever was in the water with her was letting itself be known. He reappeared, bending over the edge as far as his body would allow, a metal pole being offered to her. She gripped it with both hands, and he easily hefted her over. He dumped her unceremoniously at his feet, and she hacked up some inhaled water from her lungs; a rather large splash could be heard back down below.

"Stupid," Charon merely growled.

And he thought the Lone Wanderer was a handful.

The Present

"You are perhaps the densest person I have ever met," Thomas quipped from the side, mildly aggravated at the developing situation. "Please, continue with your negotiations."

Cross just snarled in reply.

"I suppose I was being rather brash in assuming you would simply cooperate- whether coerced or not." David's voice filtered through. "After all, you came here under a very different pretense, but perhaps if I clarified a few things, it would make more sense, no?"

There were a few moments of silence, and he continued.

"Did you think it was a strange coincidence in seeing Thomas, here in Braxton? Did you know I asked him to come for you all those years ago?"

"…I don't understand." Her voice was soft, and the glowing ghoul turned to the side and thrust his hands deep inside his pockets.

"I will make this very easy for you- you are a testing subject, one of two that successfully adapted to our program, and Darcy broke protocol and left with you nearly twenty-four years ago from this very vault. I had hoped my sister would have come to her senses and brought you back, but the years passed, and the other positive subject died of complications. I had inquired Thomas to search for you, but for whatever reason he did not disclose to me, he would not bring you back as I had tasked…you do not need to cry, really, this information was something he should have told you. I am honestly surprised he didn't, perhaps it was to protect you? Or, to protect himself?"

"What else is everyone lying to me for?!"

"You need not ask, come along, I will tell you everything."

The voices stopped, and the glowing ghoul reached down to mute the audio feed. Now they were blind and deaf.

"Fuck you doin'?!" Cross growled.

"She will not be coming back," Thomas spoke quietly, and he gave a sigh. He could not even bring himself to meet his present lover's eyes. "There will be no pursuit. We will continue in making a thorough-" There was a whoosh as the door opened, and the ferryman made his leave.

Cross shot his fellow mercenary a look. "Keep an eye on her right this time." He then jabbed a finger in the air at Lydia's stubbled head peering warily over the monitor. "And you, stay fuckin' put."

Campbell gave a curt nod. "Come back in one piece."

The merc muttered under his breath as he strode out the door. Evelyn was still pretty pissed at him. "No guarantees."

Thirty Years Ago

"Welcome- here at Vault-Tec, we are proud to-"

Darcy Lackins coughed loudly as the fluorescent lights flickered above, blinding her momentarily as she splashed the thick solution over the rim of her pod. She wiped a hand down her face, blinking away the piercing brightness of the artificial lighting after being succumbed to a comatose state for almost two hundred years.

"Rather unpleasant, isn't it?" A voice said behind her, and she whipped her head around to her twin sibling reading her health monitor on the side of her containment unit. "But, I suppose I would have preferred this than to Vault 111's cryogenic option." He flashed her a smile. "I wonder how they're faring."

"David." Darcy croaked, and she began to shiver violently as the suspended liquid animation solution she was still soaking in began to feel cold. A large towel was held out to her, and she proceeded to exit her pod. "When…what-"

David typed something away on his Pip-Boy. "Let us get you a shower and some food, and then we can talk…I am afraid I have some good news, and some unpleasant."


"So, Dr. Mahid, and Dr. Greer…" Her voice trailed off as she stared blankly over the rim of her cup, the steam from the hot tea no longer appealing. She cleared her throat, shaking her short, white-blonde hair with her fingertips.

How could this happen?! Out of the team of twelve scientists, how did only four of them survive the initial stage? Granted, it was a rather risky endeavor, being submerged in an experimental suspensory liquid- never mind the long-term effects that were still unknown. They didn't have the luxury of time, who knew when the bombs would fall-

"I am going to assume that makes you our chief scientist then." Her eyes flit to his identical ones.

It made sense- although the two of them were the youngest on staff, a mere twenty-two years old, their excellent academic records and outstanding test results had placed them high on the recruitment list for Vault-Tec. Darcy was smart, but David was simply gifted.

David gave a nod. "I had decided to wait until you had awoken to begin…we were actually kept rather busy disposing of the others, and a few of the testing subjects."

"How many are left?"

"Enough, I should say. I already have the first docket being prepped. Shall we?"

The Present

Charon released a frustrated growl.

Reckless.

He was stalking carefully down a hallway, armed and alert for any sign of danger.

Foolish.

There was no way she would actually leave, she wasn't that-

Stupid.

There was movement in his peripheral, and he instinctively raised the barrel of his shotgun, aiming at the merc on the other side of the viewing glass that separated their hallways. A grunt, and he lowered it.

The bounty hunter gave him a glower. "Don't worry, I'll make sure she stays put this time," his muffled voice said sarcastically.

Charon growled in warning, and there was the sound of heavy footsteps at the end of the hall. A certain blue ghoul paused in the doorway for a moment, a sentry bot at his elbow.

"Hostile- Detected."

"I'll tell her you put up a good fight." Cross left his field of vision, and Charon turned his attention back to his new threat.