Hello out there! Sorry this one is late. Had a crazy day and decided to rewrite everything I had for this piece. Totally worth it. Thanks as always for your reviews, favs, and follows! Hope you enjoy this one :)

Hancock was never a fan of mornings and the splitting hangover headaches he woke up with a majority of the time. Today was no different but there was a smokin' hot babe in the bed next to him, the general of a militia for the people no less, and they were absolutely wild for each other. Life was pretty damn good, hungover or not.

The ghoul reached behind him, expecting his hand to caress a bit of smooth, untarnished skin but his fingertips didn't quite reach. He rolled over with a tired grin that faded at the sight of the empty space on the bed beside him, and his heart thumped at a rapid pace. Betty was gone. Shit. The door creaked opened without a knock and he pointed the pistol kept beneath his pillow at the possible threat.

Betty walked in, wearing Hancock's red frock coat around her shoulders and not a damn thing else, as she held two steaming mugs in either hand. The few guards outside the door ogled her figure without shame. Betty decided that morning, since she was pretty sure the entirety of Goodneighbor heard every carnal sound that emanated from their room, she didn't give a shit what state Hancock's guards caught her in any longer. There were more important things to worry about...like how they had to locate a rogue Institute scientist in the middle of a radiated desert.

"Well, look at you," said Hancock as his grin returned and he lowered the pistol. "I must still be dreamin'."

"God, I hope not, because that would mean it's not real for me either," Betty replied. She walked over and bent down to kiss him, the guards craning their necks at the sight. "Should I get dressed?"

Hancock shook his head with a laugh and said, "Let 'em stare. Proud to have ya on my arm..in my bed..on the balcony..."

Betty chuckled and handed the ghoul one of the mugs. "A little hair of the dog for us both, but yours is mostly whiskey with a splash of coffee."

"Now I know you love me," he said before he drank the whole cup in two gulps. The moment Betty set her mug on the nightstand, Hancock grabbed her wrist and pulled her into bed. He leaned over her as he smoothed his hand down her arm and over her hip while he admired her figure. "Never thought I'd ever meet my match. Nice to be wrong. Sorry you fell for me yet?"

She looked up at Hancock and smiled. "There's no one I'd rather be with, handsome."

"Startin' to believe ya when you say it."

"Good. So just how dangerous is this Glowing Sea?" she asked.

Hancock sat up against the ruined headboard and reached for a pack of smokes before he lit two and offered one to Betty.

"Dangerous enough that we should start gettin' ready, as much as I'd like to stay in bed with you all day. Clean out our guns and make sure we get to the Castle with enough time to check your power armor. That place ain't no joke...and we don't even know where the hell Virgil is hiding himself."

Betty rolled out of the bed with a loud groan, the cigarette hanging from a corner of her lip. She pulled off Hancock's red coat and hung it over an armchair before she padded into his office. The ghoul chuckled as his guards pushed and shoved one another to get a better view of Betty as she dressed. He stood up, the sheets falling from around his waist without a care in the world, and he leaned against the doorway with a grin.

The guards glanced back at Hancock with reddened faces and he said to them, "Enjoyin' the show?"

"S-sorry, mayor," a guard stammered. "She don't look like the gals you usually bring in here is all."

Hancock waved off their apologies and replied, "So long as you're respectful. One of ya go and grab us somethin' to eat, we're heading back out in a bit."

A half hour later, after Hancock's 'breakfast of champions' which consisted of FancyLads snack cakes and a bottle of moonshine, the pair began to load up on fresh ammo courtesy of Kleo. Fahrenheit sulked beside the assaultron as she cleaned out Hancock's shotgun..which obviously hadn't been cleaned since the last time he forced her to do manual labor.

"When the fuck are you going to learn this shit?" Fahrenheit asked her boss as she held up part of the shotgun. "I'm getting tired of doing it."

"I know how, just don't care to..'specially when I have ya around," said Hancock before he laughed. His guard threw an oil-soaked rag at him and he added, "You stain it, you wash it."

Betty tried in vain to stuff yet another box of 5.56 ammo into her knapsack until the metal hand of Detective Valentine reached out and squashed it down for her.

"Where have you been?" Betty asked Nick with a smirk before she rest her head against his shoulder in a sort of, I know you didn't mean to strangle me, we're still friends show of affection.

Valentine chuckled and said, "Spending some much needed time with Irma. I hope you don't think I've been ignoring you two, it's-"

"-Don't sweat it, brother. Sometimes, you gotta smash a few times before all's right in the world again. Ask Birdie," said Hancock. "I screwed her enough that she forgot all about that shit back at the den."

"And there goes my private life forever," said Betty over her shoulder. She turned to Hancock, took his hand and asked in a soft voice, "Could you at least keep little details about us to yourself? They don't need to know everything."

"Oh, you mean like that thing I do with my tongue?" he asked, sticking out his tongue for effect. His girl flushed for a brief moment, and it was enough to get him riled up. Maybe they had time for a quickie in Kleo's storage room..

Betty leaned into his chest and tilted her head up to whisper, "...Do want me to tell them about the way you beg? Or how you can't even last a minute when I do that thing with my tongue?"

Hancock cleared his throat. "-Gotcha, Birdie."

Nick and Fahrenheit glanced at each other with amused smiles. Betty had guts.

"Thank you," and she pecked the corner of his growing smile. Fuckin' tease...he loved it.

A crash and a roar outside the gates of Goodneighbor brought everyone to a standstill, Hancock and Fahrenheit reaching for any nearby weapons. The ghoul walked towards the bright blue entrance to town and when Betty went to follow, Fahrenheit grabbed her wrist and yanked her behind Kleo's counter.

"Don't get any ideas. If anything happened to you, he'd lose it," Fahrenheit whispered. "Let him be the boss here in town. We both know who holds his leash now."

Betty frowned and replied, "I'm not trying to hold him back, you know."

"Whatever you just whispered to him that wiped the smart-ass grin from his face...keep it up. I'm glad you two ended up together," said Fahrenheit with a laugh. She threw an arm around Betty's shoulder and kissed the side of her face in a very Hancock-esque manner before she gave Betty a squeeze. "If you ever tell anyone about this, I'll wipe you from existence."

Betty looked up at Hancock's bodyguard, who smiled at her and she returned the caring gesture. "I..have no idea what you're talking about."

There was another crash, along with a grunt of pain and deep, rumbling laughter.

"Strong hope we find milk of human kindness, soon," said a rough voice. "So much walking. Want to do more fighting!"

"I'll find you some freakin' milk, just get in here before we get shot, you idiot!" shouted MacCready from beyond the gate.

"You all right, kid?" Hancock called out, silencing the bit of chatter in the streets.

The mercenary opened the door with his shoulder and threw his pack and sniper rifle near Hancock's boots before he reached through the doorway and pulled on a massive, green arm. "Yeah, doin' great. Can't you tell? "

"...New friend there, RJ?" Hancock asked. "Thought you and the reporter were doing well enough."

RJ pulled on the super mutant's arm and groaned, "We are-" He dropped the arm to the ground with a thud and asked, "You think so, too?"

"That I do, kid. Ain't put Goodneighbor to shame yet."

An equally massive green head poked over MacCready's shoulder, almost knocking him to the ground and the super mutant said, "Scrawny human help Strong escape. Flint was weak leader. Scrawny human says there are better leaders, says he will help Strong find milk."

The young merc leaned against the creaking metal wall and explained, "Was comin' back from bringin' Piper home, and I stopped by this one building so I could check my rifle. It's been shootin' a little off lately, and I wanted to-"

"-Hurry it up, kid," snapped Hancock. "Patience is waning."

MacCready pulled at the super mutant's arm with all his strength but the beast simply couldn't fit through the door. "I overheard a distress call on the radio and went after it. Only I didn't know this giant would be on the other end of it with some loser trying to teach him to read poetry or some shi-crap."

"Milk is secret to humans!" shouted the super mutant, who called himself Strong. "Mack Beth say milk make humans strong. Stronger than super mutants! Strong find milk. Drink milk. Make super mutants stronger than humans!"

Betty erupted with laughter and said to Nick, "Pretty sure that super mutant is trying to quote Macbeth. Now I've seen everything."

Valentine laughed and said, "Not the worst adventure if you ask an old timer like me."

Hancock held out his fist to Strong and said, "You play nice, you can stay."

"No playing, Strong fight!"

"Then you fight nice, you hear me?" Hancock said, his voice dark. He held out his fist again and this time, Strong knocked his own great fist against it. "Good boy. Climb over the gate, there. Your big ass won't fit through my front door."

The town watched in silence as the great beast attempted to lumber over the wall. After a single try, Strong chose to ram through the gates instead and sent them crashing at Hancock's boots. Betty walked out from Kleo's storefront and stood beside Hancock to gaze at a breathing super mutant up close.

"God damn it," the ghoul said under his breath. He looked to the mercenary who crushed his hat in his hands and said, "This is goin' on your new tab, you know."

"I know," MacCready replied with a grim face.

Betty pat her friend's shoulder and added, "Better mend the fence, too."

"Thaaanks Bets," he muttered.

The ghoul nodded and pointed to the super mutant, "Strong, right? You run with me now. They call me Hancock."

Strong shoved MacCready aside and picked up Betty with both of his hands, his large fingers wrapped around her arms. He sniffed the top of her head several times before he stared into her eyes. She didn't move an inch for fear of agitating Strong.

Hancock reached for his magnum and MacCready moved to stop him. "He did the same thing to me, it's all right."

"Human smell tough, like new, tiny leader. This human can help find milk," said the super mutant before he set Betty down. Strong grabbed Hancock's hat and inhaled deeply before he slammed it back on the ghoul's head and said to her, "Human smell like leader, choose strong ghoul for mate. Wise."

"Ain't as dumb as ya look," said Hancock with a laugh. Strong bent down and when he was eye to eye with the ghoul, both of their faces hardened. Even Betty took a step away from the potentially explosive pair. "Tryin' to challenge me already? You won't live another fuckin' second."

Strong let out a low growl and said, "Ghoul good fighter, good leader. Ghoul help Strong. Super mutants are brothers. Brothers share all. Ghoul shares like brother. Super mutants fight. Kill, not talk. Ghoul talk but will kill. Ghoul would be good super mutant."

Hancock cracked a smile and assured Strong, "You'll do plenty of killin' for me, brother."

Betty and Hancock stood at the edge of the Glowing Sea. Despite being arid and desolate, it didn't seem too deadly in Betty's eyes. She'd never seen such a vast expanse of land devoid of trees or life, but as far as deadly pits of doom, this seemed like a walk in the park.

"You'd think a place like this wouldn't be so damn dull...needs a bar," said Hancock.

"It's not as bad as everyone made it out to be," said Betty, her power armor giving her voice a metallic twang.

Almost as if the Glowing Sea was waiting for someone to be doubtful of its danger and power, the sky grew dark with a green haze and the thunder and lightning began to rumble overhead from the southwest.

"Now you did it," said the ghoul and he nodded towards the angry skies. "Pissed someone off up there."

"Great. Just fucking great," muttered Betty.

Hancock held out his hand to her and said, "C'mon love, helluva lot of walkin' in our future and when the storm really hits, we don't want to get separated."

The rain begin to fall, gently at first before it come down in great torrents. Betty squeezed her ghoul's hand and when she glanced down at him, he was drenched to the bone.

"Sorry," she murmured. "I hate doing this to you."

Hancock chuckled and said, "All the rads a ghoul could ask for. Warm, too, so don't worry. Wish there was a way to see around those rocks ahead..easy to hide behind for an attack."

Betty dropped to one knee before she said to him, "Climb up. If I could drag the mirelurk queen carcass out of the Castle on my own wearing this, I'm sure I can carry you on my shoulder."

Her ghoul smiled as he climbed up to her shoulders and when Betty stood back up, he could see much further ahead.

"There's a radiated pool of water up ahead." Hancock motioned for Betty's assault rifle and peered through the scope before he added, "At least twenty ferals around it, holy shit."

Hancock handed back her assault rifle but she shook her head and said, "We'll switch for now. You can use the scope to scout ahead. I should get used to a shotgun anyway."

The journey itself was long and arduous. The Glowing Sea proved to be the stuff of nightmares, what Betty feared the world would be like when she first opened her eyes after leaving the vault. Even the few creatures who called the vast expanse home were not to be trilled with. The sight of two albino radscorpions dueling over territory with lightning-quick jabs of their poisonous, foot long stingers was enough for Hancock suggest that they go around and "Get the fuck out of here." At one point, Betty teetered on the edge of a concrete slab and nearly fainted when she realized she was standing on the roof of a factory that was almost completely buried by the fallout. It seemed where ever they looked, there was no sign of the scientist.

After walking for almost an entire day, the rad storms eased and a faint glow appeared on the horizon.

"Can you see anything from up there?" Betty asked Hancock.

He peered through the scope and replied, "Nothin'. Still too far. You said you hunted with your dad before the war, right? What should I be on the lookout for?"

"Out here? I can't imagine anyone surviving without protection, so any places to hide is a start, but as we learned from the mob of ferals hiding in that church, he might not be the only living thing trying to call it home. Wind'll cover any tracks of his so we'll have to keep checking structures, or what's left of them. Caves too, but I'm not excited about those."

They reached the source of the glow as night fell and stared up at the high sides of a crater. The geiger counter on Betty's Pip-boy beeped off the charts, even at the crater's base, as she waited for Hancock to scout up ahead.

"See anything?" Betty whispered.

"Looks like a cult down there."

She scrambled up beside the ghoul and shoved him aside to get a better view of the absolute lunatics that chose to live in this madness.

"Never did like cults..too organized for my tastes," said Hancock with a shrug. "Wanna take a peek?"

Betty climbed over the edge and slid down the side of the crater faster than she expected. That pond of radioactive water was coming up fast-

"John!" she yelped and the ghoul managed to grab a hold of her power armor with a loud grunt before her feet could hit the deadly water.

Hancock held on long enough for Betty to drop to safer ground and he hopped down after her. A handful of people stood around them, surprised to see wanderers in a place so harsh, before they returned to whatever held their attentions prior. Hancock waved Betty ahead, but kept a hand over the magnum on his hip just in case.

"Stop right there, strangers," said a gray-haired woman at the top of the rickety stairs as she held out her hand to stop the pair from going any further. She seemed much too young for graying hair, and the skin around her face had begun to blister and peel, a sure sign of ghoulification. "You approach Atom's holy ground. Why? State your purpose, or be divided in his sight."

Hancock reached for his pistol with a sneer until Betty rested her hand over his. "We ain't got time for cults, and you're suckin' down a lotta rads in this place," he said to her.

"I'm pretty sure I've been sucking down rads for the past two nights. Ten minutes here won't change anything," Betty replied with a smirk and Hancock turned away with a mighty laugh. She turned to the woman and said, "Sorry...but I'm not sure what you're talking about. I mean, Holy Ground? Atom? What's going on?"

"Atom reached out and touched this world, bringing his Glow to us. It remains to this day, a reminder of his promise. Infinite worlds through division," the woman explained. "I am Isolde, and I watch over the Children of Atom."

"I'm General Betty Parker of the Commonwealth Minutemen and this is my partner, Mayor John Hancock of Goodneighbor. We don't mean you any harm." Betty looked back at Hancock, who shrugged, and she asked Isolde, "But we would like to know...what is this place?"

The woman smiled and explained, "This is where we commune with Atom himself. I am surprised you survived long enough to reach it." Isolde turned to Hancock and smiled kindly. "I see Atom has already graced you with his gift to walk across all the worlds he shall create."

"Uh, yeah...sure," Hancock answered. "Fuckin' awesome bein' a ghoul, lemme tell ya."

Betty asked Isolde, "We're looking for someone named Virgil. He's here in the Glowing Sea and as you might imagine, he hasn't been easy to find."

"Virgil?" the woman replied, surprised. "Yes...we know this Virgil. What do you want with him?"

"We just need some information from him. He might be able to help us with something," Betty explained. "Something that will help me find my son."

Isolde looked Betty over for a few moments before she replied, "He has sought refuge with Atom...I would know more before I tell you where he is."

"Don't see how that's any of your fuckin' business-" Hancock began and Betty clamped her hand over his mouth and glared him into silence.

"I need his help reaching the Institute. They're the ones who kidnapped my son. They killed my late husband, tried to kill me, too. He's the best chance I have at getting my son back. Please," Betty said and she took the woman's hand. "You watch over these..children of Atom as a mother would...I'm sure you understand."

Isolde sighed and said, "I have heard of this Institute. They hide themselves, trying to avoid the power of Atom. A futile effort. In truth, this Virgil has caused some concern among my people. Some believe his presence is an affront to Atom. He has come to trade with us on a few occasions, but we've had little contact with him otherwise. It was quite clear he wanted to be left alone...but you may find him southwest of here, living in a cave. I would approach cautiously were I you. I feel he does not want visitors."

"Thank you for helping us," said Betty as she shook hands with Isolde. "If you ever need the Minutemen for anything, please ask. My men will be there to help as best as they can."

"You are kind, Wanderer, but Atom provides all we need here."

Isolde pointed beyond the Crater of Atom and the pair followed the long path back out into the Glowing Sea. It wasn't long before they could see the faintest hint of artificial light blinking from within the cave where Virgil hid himself from the world, and sleeping soundly just beyond the entrance was a savage looking deathclaw.

"Fuck me, that's a big bastard," Hancock whispered.

Betty gulped, hopeful that her ghoul wouldn't notice. Whether he did or not, now wasn't the time to take a playful jab, and he remained silent.

"We could try to sneak around him," Betty suggested.

"Still need a plan if he wakes up or follows us in...I say we just kill it. I'm quicker on my feet than you are in that armor, maybe I could-"

"-We're going in together!" she shouted without meaning to.

"You'll be the death of me, love," he said, as he shook his head with a smile. "What a way to go."

Hancock took aim with the rifle as the deathclaw woke up with a snort, looking about before letting out a ferocious roar when it laid eyes on the strange pair. He squeezed the trigger and emptied an entire clip into the creature's hip and side as it struggled to its feet and lunged for the ghoul. Betty shoved Hancock out of the way and the great beast crashed into her instead. She stayed on her feet, the deathclaw pushing back against the weight of her power armor with a snarl.

Betty slammed her helmet into the beast's jaw and it reared back before it lashed out at her with its razor sharp claws, shattering pieces of armor off her frame.

"Quit huggin' him and kill the bastard already!" Hancock bellowed as he rushed up and stabbed the deathclaw several times in its soft underbelly. He ducked back, away from a wayward swipe of the deathclaw's hand. The creature turned, the ghoul's raspy voice catching its attention. "Aw, shit!"

"Up the cliff face!" Betty screamed as she grabbed the deathclaw's tail and dug her heels into the dusty ground.

Hancock turned on his heel as the deathclaw swiped at him again and scrambled up the rocky outcroppings beside the cave. The beast lumbered behind him and Betty made a grab for a spike on its back, and it carried her several yards off the ground as it gave chase.

Betty reached out for the deathclaw's left horn and yanked it toward her, forcing its grip loose. They toppled down the cliff face and came to a crash at the bottom, the weight of the power armor having broken the deathclaw's neck. The sole survivor's eyes blinked open and she laughed weakly as she sat up. Being bold was paying off.

Hancock stood at the cave's entrance, smoking a cigarette with a wide smile. Betty lifted her arms and asked him, "How awesome was that?"

"Never been so hard in my life," he admitted.

"You sure know how to flatter a girl," she said, her smile wide within the helmet.

Inside the cave, Betty stepped out of her power armor with a short gasp, her hair matted to the back of her neck. After wearing the armor for so long, it started to feel like an oven inside. She leaned against the metal frame as Hancock crept around the corner to take a look for any defenses.

The ghoul rushed back to Betty and shoved her towards the power armor, whispering, "Get the fuck in there, hurry! Get in!"

"I know you're there!" shouted a deep voice, and the pair froze in place. "Just take it nice and slow when you come in here...no sudden moves."

"He's a god damn super mutant." Hancock whispered. "That can't be Virgil-"

"-Why not?" Betty asked. "There's no shortage of weird and unexpected shit out here, is there?"

Betty brushed past Hancock, who followed close behind her with a scowl. The cave widened and there stood a super mutant at its center, wearing a some semblance of clothing with a pair of cracked eyeglasses perched on his wide nose.

"I know you're from the Institute," said the super mutant, "so where's Kellogg? Huh? Trying to sneak up on me while you distract me? It's not going to work! I'm not stupid, I knew they'd send him after me!"

The super mutant threw over a chemistry station with a deafening roar, yet Betty stood her ground, as did Hancock. Meeting Strong had been a god send for this moment. She had to remember to find him some milk. Maybe brahmin milk would do..

She lifted her hands and elbowed Hancock to follow suit before she said, "Easy now, Virgil. Kellogg's dead."

"Dead? He's...dead?" the super mutant asked with wide eyes. "Don't you lie to me!"

"John?" Betty asked, and the ghoul nodded before he pulled his coat open and revealed Kellogg's .44 to the super mutant. "Look familiar to you?"

"You killed Kellogg?" Virgil asked Hancock.

Hancock chuckled and said, "That honor ain't mine...it was all Betty here. I watched her put a few rounds in his skull."

"Kellogg was ruthless. There's a reason why the Institute used him to do their dirty work for so many years. I knew they'd send him after me; tried to prepare for it...but I still wasn't sure I'd make it. And...and you killed him?" asked Virgil, a bit incredulous. Betty nodded. "Then what do you want with me?"

"I need to know how to get inside the Institute," she said.

Virgil shook his head a few times before he asked, "Wait..what? You can't be serious. You want to get into the Institute? Are you insane? Never mind how nearly impossible that is; even if you were able to succeed it'd almost certainly end in your immediate death. What reason could you possibly have for taking that kind of risk?"

"I'm trying to find my son. They kidnapped him...well, Kellogg did," said Betty. "I'm getting him back."

"Oh. Oh no," Virgil whispered. "I had no idea..I'm sorry. The Institute has taken people from the Commonwealth in the past. If your son is one of them, I can understand why you'd want to get in there. I can help...but I'll need something in return-"

"-Name it," said Betty. "You help me, and I'll help you."

Virgil nodded and explained, "Before I was forced to leave, I was working on a serum to reverse this mutation. It could return me to normal. You understand? So if you get in, I need you to go into my old office and find the serum for me. I think that's pretty reasonable, in exchange for helping you."

"More than reasonable, right, John?" Betty asked. The ghoul nodded his head slowly and pointed to a bar stool.

"Please, sit," said Virgil and Hancock sat down, never taking his eyes off the mutant. If that big bastard can cure himself...Betty caught his eye and he looked away, feigning interest in a set of test tubes on the table beside him.

Virgil asked Betty if she knew how the synths enter and leave the Institute, and Betty nodded before she answered, "They use some sort of teleporter, maybe it's built into them, I'm not too sure."

The scientist nodded, impressed with her reply, and said, "Well, well...not many know about it. Closely guarded secret and all. You've certainly done your homework. It's commonly referred to as the 'Molecular Relay.' I don't understand all the science behind it, but it works. De-materializes you in one place, re-materializes you in another...I'm sure it sounds crazy, but it is a reality. The Relay is the only way in and out of the Institute. You understand? The only one."

Betty's mouth was a tight line across her face as she nodded, and Hancock rubbed the back of her neck. It never got any easier for them and she wondered if that day would ever show itself.

"That means you're going to have to use it," Virgil continued. "Now, have you ever seen an Institute Courser?"

Betty shook her head and when Virgil looked at Hancock, the ghoul shook his head as well and said, "If we did, we didn't know it."

"If you two are still breathing, then you haven't seen one. A Courser is an Institute synth, designed for one purpose: to hunt. Operations go wrong or a synth goes missing, a Courser is dispatched. They're very good at what they do...and you're going to have to kill one."

"Point us in the right direction and it's done," said Hancock. "We'll leave right fuckin' now and bring one back by tomorrow."

Virgil chuckled and said, "Well, I suppose your enthusiasm counts for something. Every Courser has special hardware that gives them a direct connection to the Relay in the Institute. It's embedded in a chip inside their heads. You need that chip."

"Won't be the first time I've ripped something out of someone's head," said Betty. Virgil tilted his head and she laughed before she explained, "That's how we found out about the teleportation. I ripped out some of Kellogg's brain and used it to look into his memories."

"You are a force to be reckoned with it seems," said Virgil. "As far as where you can find a Courser, I am not too sure. The Institute hasn't sent any after me yet, and sitting here waiting doesn't seem like a good plan. I do know the primary insertion point-"

-Hancock coughed out a laugh and nearly fell from the bar stool. Betty tried to shush him but his laugh always made her laugh and she couldn't stop herself.

"-Just ignore him, he's not all there," said Betty with a grin. "You were saying?"

"The Coursers enter and leave the Relay primarily in the ruins of CIT, directly above the Institute. You two will want to head there. Now, the Relay causes some pretty heavy interference all across the EM spectrum. You've got a radio on that Pip-boy, right?" Virgil asked. Hancock held up Betty's wrist and pressed a button, blasting Atom Bomb Baby for a few moments before he clicked it off again. Virgil shook his head with a snort and said to Betty, "When you get to the ruins, tune it to the lower end of the band and listen in. You'll be able to hear the interference. Follow the signal, and it will lead you to a Courser. Then you have to just...not get killed."

"Hey thanks for that vote of confidence, man," said Hancock with a roll of his eyes.

"The odds are not in your favor, ghoul. Or hers. But if you do make it in, remember what I said about the serum. I need it, badly," said Virgil. He turned to Betty with a solemn frown and added, "I..I do hope you find your son."

"Thank you," said Betty. "I won't forget about your serum, I promise."

Virgil formed what resembled a smile and Betty rushed past her power armor until Hancock's shrill, piercing whistle stopped her. Her bare skin prickled at the cave's entrance and she dared to take a deep breath.

"Forgettin' somethin', killer?" Hancock asked. He watched Betty jog down the path before she climbed into the armor, and swatted her rear as the armor closed. "Not that you wouldn't make a hell of a ghoul, love."