Rachel

She'd been there for days, maybe weeks. She'd finally saved enough to get shot of Moriaty and was headed back to Rivet City. A messenger had come by with word of her family, her father was ill and wanted to see her again. She knew of the dangers but wanted to be there as soon as possible to see her family again. And here she was, not even close to Rivet City, not even in DC. She was in the Citadel, what was left. She'd taken a bit of a detour so that she could stop by The Brotherhood, maybe go with a patrol through the city if there was one on that way. But she'd showed up and there was no-one here. She'd been going through looking for provisions and the walls had collapsed around her. She'd been lucky to be in the kitchen at the time, and a nearby terminal had allowed her to hack into what cameras were still intact. From what she could tell there weren't anything left of what had attacked, but there was nothing of anything left.

Until today. Today when she looked up at the monitor there was a man so big at first she thought it was a Super Mutant. But he was shouting, he wasn't far away, she could here him "HELP! HELP! I'M IN HERE!" she saw him stop and start digging furiously. It took him almost half an hour to shift what she guessed to be a ton of hardcore and rubble, as he got closer she could make out the words.

"ANNIE! ARE YOU OK?! TALK TO ME ANNIE!" When a face appeared and through the final slab away she was as scared as when she thought it was a Super Mutant. The Titan of a man was dripping with sweat, dirty as hell, and his muscles were bulging with the task they'd just achieved. He looked at her and his face changed from relief to anger "Who're you?" it wasn't loud, but the raw emotion in his voice tore into her soul, leaving her powerless. "Where's Annie, where's my sister?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know, I came here for help and it was like this" She struggled to get the words out as he advanced on her "Please it collapsed around me, don't hurt me" She pushed herself further back into the corner, shrinking to the ground "Please don't hurt me sir, I just want to get to my family"

Bullet stopped in his tracks, the words registered somewhere behind the red, the red that he so often saw. His face became a welcoming beacon above his huge frame, his huge arms opened like the gates of a fortress, the gravel in his voice ceasing to be threatening and instead becoming reassuring. Rachel stood gently and walked towards him, still slightly wary but willing to accept any help. "What's your name sweetheart?" his gruff tones seemed to sooth her as she let his arms carry her out into the sunlight.

"I'm Rachel" she stammered "Are you going to hurt me?"

"No Rachel it's okay, I know what it's like to need you family. I can help you find yours if you do me a favour, Is there anyone else alive here?" she shook her head "Did you see anyone else when you came? Any bodies, anything?"

"No, sorry" She shook her head again "I've been watching the cameras and there was no-one here until you showed up..." She explained to him how she'd learnt to hack Moriaty's computer and how she'd got into the CCTV system.

"Do the cameras record?" It was a while later and Rachel had calmed down, she was sitting across from Bullet on the wreckage of one of the greatest beacons of hope, and eating pork and beans out of a tin.

"Probably, if you can find the security center or what ever they're probably on tape. Even if they're on disk I can probably load them up, why what do you want"

"My sister was here, the Brotherhood were taking care of her. I show up, no bodies, no fires, no survivors. You know what that tells me?" she shook her head "That tells me Slavers, or Raiders, or both to take out the brotherhood. Whoever came here wasn't after gear though. They wanted people. Which means if I can tell who was here, I can go get my sister. Cause they'll have her too"

"But what about my family, you said you'd help me!" there was desperation in her voice

"Where are they?" she told him "Wait, Rachel Aymer? You're dad's got the weapon shop right?" She nodded, a smile broadened on her face "I got this for ya, I was supposed to be headed for Megaton after this, they said you were there." It was a holotape. She rushed back into the kitchen and played it. Bullet came in a bit later, the tape was just finishing

"My dad died, that's why I was heading home, to see him. I would've made it back too, if I wasn't stuck in here" she sobbed before composing herself. She started grabbing her equipment and loading up "He was making a full recovery, some guy came with a load of radaway and sold it to my mom, his radiation poisoning was getting better. Then a Mirelurk got in from the lower decks, busted through the old doors I guess. Anyway were always had a cabin lower down but, I guess mom was watching his store, and it got him. It took out the whole damn floor before they could kill it" She turned and started shouting "I'M GONNA KILL EVERY ONE OF THOSE FUCKERS IF IT'LL SAVE JUST ONE MORE LIFE!" she fell to the floor and burst into tears. Bullet helped her up.

"Hey there doll-face, don't look so sad, I dunno if I've seen anyone so glum as you" She looked up at him "Believe me I know how you feel. I just come back here to get my baby sister and I find out she's gone, she was gonna come away with me and we were gonna be happy" He held her chin "Now I find out I might have to go kill some more Raiders, that it's not enough for them to kill my parents they gotta sell my sister like she's cattle" He looked into her eyes "I'll help you go back and see your mama, I'll even help you kill every swamp loving, shit eating, crap wearing mother fuckers if you want. But I'm gonna need you to help me find out who took my sister first. And I'd be much obliged if you come along and give me a hand. Especially if you know how to use those guns you got with ya"