"Throw Rick in the last cell in Block B- he has some questions I want answered when the time is right. Get this to Jena, I want everything downloaded and analyzed." Thomas was acting as the conductor to his orchestra of chaotic symphonies. His hand cut through the air as he barked out orders and took in new information in a multitasking fashion. "Someone's had to have seen something." He met with the eyes of the bounty hunter and jutted his chin to his office. "We have much to discuss."

The door closed, and Thomas took a seat behind his desk, tapping his fingers together in pensive thought.

"I was well informed as to your...situation, for lack of a better term, with Evelyn." The glowing ghoul narrowed his eyes at the blood splatter on the far wall from his earlier transgression. "Did you know Darcy was her mother?"

Cross was standing at the window, grinding his teeth together. "...yeah," he finally said in a defeated voice, "she told me."

"Did you tell her that you killed her?"

A gloved hand came up and rubbed over his eyes, and he said nothing.

Thomas snorted and gave a loud tsk. "Did you tell her anything?"

"Why the fuck did Darcy want you dead so badly?" Cross growled, redirecting the conversation as he turned around. "Who was she to you?"

Thomas drew his eyes to slits, but he was not as stand-offish as the merc was. Any sort of information may well lead to clues on Evelyn's whereabouts, and if digging at the past was to help them overcome the present, then Thomas saw no valuable need to withhold it any longer.

"David had...persuaded me, to bring Evelyn back to Braxton."

"You worked for that rat bastard?" he growled.

"I was not informed as to why, or who she was, but yes, that was my job...and I had failed to carry it out."

The merc's palm suddenly froze as it rubbed his jaw, and visible confusion drew over his face. "You knew Evelyn?" He supposed it made sense, seeing as Thomas had a past connection with Darcy.

"Indeed, I did." The glowing ghoul did not care to share his romantic past with the merc; nothing good was bound to come from that conversation.

"Why did that fuck want her here?"

A shrug, and the glowing ghoul steepled his fingers together. "If he were still alive, perhaps I would have asked him... Evelyn had told me you were bringing her to Braxton. Why?"

Cross didn't answer, and Thomas sighed.

"None of this changes the fact that Evelyn is gone, and it makes me wonder if someone is acting out on David's behalf," Thomas continued. "What are you covering up for Rick?"

Cross made his way to leave, visibly aggravated. "Ask him your damn self." The office door slammed behind him.

The bounty hunter was restrained from performing his own investigation, and as much as it was internally killing him, he knew they were on a good enough trail as any. He was secluded with the others back inside the conference room while the whirlwind of activity stormed outside. He couldn't bring himself to look at Charon. He wasn't sure if he would be able to stop himself from shooting him in the face.

How could he just let her leave? In every single way, Charon's retelling of their mysterious encounter made absolutely no fucking sense to the merc. Charon was more apt to chew off his own arm than even consider allowing Evelyn to come to some form of danger.

"Did she order you to stay behind?" The merc hadn't realized he had spoken until his voice vibrated through his own ears.

Charon lifted his head to stare at him, and then answered, "Yes."

"And yet you let her fuckin' go?" he rasped. Charon growled a warning, and the bounty hunter turned to the ominous threat, finally squaring up against the other ghoul. "Why the fuck did you let her leave?! You knew better, you knew somethin' like this would fuckin' happen, and now she's gone!"

"For the same reason you did."

Charon didn't have to speak another word; his eyes spoke for themselves, and Cross had to turn away from what he had seen. It was so obvious Charon was in love with her. Sure, she was his employer- whatever the fuck that meant- but Charon didn't give a shit about the bounty hunter when he had been his contract holder. If he could, Cross was sure Charon would try to throw a noose over his neck and push the chair out from under his feet.

It was how she was able to leave, because Charon couldn't pull himself from her endless well...and now she was gone, and there was always the possibility that she may never come back.

Charon gave a shaky exhale. "She...she wanted to me to tell you-" He had to pause for a moment, and his words might as well have been bullets, for Cross felt them slug at his chest. "-that she is sorry."

The door burst open. "We found something!"

By the time Evelyn awoke, she had the prickling sensation that something was terribly wrong.

Hissing and growling nestled in her ear, whispering and snarling clawed at her brain until she finally snapped from a feverish dream of bones and teeth. Her eyes sluggishly blinked open to a gaping maw greeting her, and she yelped and scrambled backward. An itch in her throat, and she coughed loudly into her elbow as she struggled to make sense of her surroundings. Bright, metallic, unfamiliar. She wavered as she stood, closing her eyes and shaking her head to stem away the double vision. She slapped her face with both hands, forcing herself to take deep breaths. Focus. She was in deep shit- Charon was going to kill her if she survived this.

A quick study of her environment: an empty room in a Vault. There had been a few excursions in her past where she had explored the underground dwellings, and they all had dealt with atrocious experimentations. A viewing window provided observation of the hallway and the containment room across- something big and monstrous had its glowing eyes fixated on her every move. She'd never seen such a creature in her entire life roaming the wasteland: a deformed, quadruped monster that put a deathclaw's size to shame...and something deep in her gut told her it had once been human.

She took a calming breath before a whirling storm of panic threatened to consume her. Focus: the ghoul, Catwalk, a man, pink room...drugged. She remembered a faint murmur of the man's voice, but could not recall what had been said. Another cough, and something cold brushed the naked skin of her forearm. Fingertips grazed over, and she felt metal. She froze and glanced down.

Attached to her neck was a slave collar.

Charon was going to annihilate her.

An angry huff, and she crossed her arms over her chest. She braced her hands against the window and craned her head left and right in an attempt to catch a glimpse of something, anything, besides the thing unblinkingly staring at her across the way. After what felt like minutes stretching into hours, a rather large blue ghoul and a man came into view. Evelyn snarled and beat a fist against the window, internally disappointed as to how it only earned the slightest spiderweb of a crack.

"Nuh-uh, uh," the man chastised her with a teasing smile as he waggled a finger at her. "If you wish to keep that pretty head on your shoulders, I suggest you refrain from any sort of violence." The fist was slowly lowered to her side, but she kept it clenched. "Good girl."

Evelyn blinked stupidly at the man before rubbing her eyes. She was simply stupefied as she tried to understand what she was seeing. He looked almost exactly like Darcy- her mother's ghost was alive and well and in the form of a man before her.

"Who the fuck are you?" Evelyn snapped. "Why...why-"

Roman shifted in place. He was massive, and she gauged him just a bit shy of Charon.

The man chuckled. "Even as a little girl, you were always rather violent."

Evelyn took a step back. "Do I know you?!"

A twirl of a manicured hand, a rather pristine Pip-Boy strapped to his wrist. "It has been years... How old are you now? Twenty-seven, twenty-eight? Not that it matters. I'm rather surprised you had not visited sooner...did Darcy's disappearance not mean much to you, all those years ago?"

A seething glower was all he received, and he dashed her a charming smile. "I cannot say I blame you for your lack of remorse. My sister was rather difficult to be around- believe me, I know."

"Sister?" Evelyn blinked, and then she squinted her eyes. The uncanny resemblance now made sense. "You're my uncle?"

He bellowed a laugh, and after he was forced to catch his breath, he was reduced to a few chuckles.

"My my, Darcy... She never told you?" There was a cruel glint in his arctic eyes as he met her puzzled gaze. "Darcy never had any children. Did you truly believe you were really her daughter?"

"I was able to extract the data. There isn't much on it, file-wise, but there was an interesting pattern-" Some clicking on the terminal the Pip-Boy was connected to. A screen with multiple dots generated. "-here." The lab analyst twirled in her chair, rustling in her stained laboratory coat.

Thomas was stroking his chin, and Cross let out an aggravated sigh.

"Hell does that mean? Somethin' I'm supposed to see?"

"It's a log record. A Pip-Boy's fundamental purpose was granting access to and from Vaults." The Pip-Boy was disconnected, and a long wire was held out, a pin dangling on the end. "It's a key, in its own way." Blank looks were given, and she muttered tersely under her breath. "Rick's been using this to go to and from a Vault. With the pings given, I would say he visits it frequently...in fact, his last visit-" A glance to the screen of her terminal. "-was just yesterday."

"There isn't any record of a Vault in this city," Penny remarked from the side.

Thomas indicated with his index finger to the small wrist computer. "Not that we know of...can you tell us where it is located?"

A tap tap and a whir as the screens were rotated. A detailed map of the city was at her fingertips, with a certain brothel in the center. "As a matter of fact...I can."

Thomas gave a wave of his hand. "Thanks, Jena. Alright! Let's gear up and move out. Squad Six, Seven, and Two, I want you with me."

Lydia was riding on the coattails of the bounty hunter's leather duster when she felt Campbell grab at her shoulder, halting her movement.

"I think you should leave this to the professionals, kid. You'll only get in the way."

"That's not fair!" Lydia barked out, stomping her foot angrily. "I-I can help!"

The merc turned and bumped her with his elbow. "Vaults got a lot of gadgets...heard from someone you were good with stuff." A chastising finger quelled her erupting smile. "Don't make me regret it." Cross then gave a growl to his fellow mercenary. "Hell you standin' 'round for, Campbell? Finally goin' to make yourself fuckin' useful?"

The ol' Regulator was unslung. "I figure now is good enough time as any."

They descended upon the Catwalk like a pack of wolves on wounded prey. A gaggle of garbled screams filled the brothel as the Braxton Police Brigade stormed down their front doors.

"Get everyone out of here!" Thomas shouted over the ruckus of confusion. "I want every corner of this building thoroughly searched! It's a Vault, can't be too hard to miss."

The sweep began. Ghouls of every sin scurried and attempted to act naïve and innocent as they were chewed up and spat out. Fingers were pointed; names were made. Nobody wanted to lose more than they already didn't have. A common word was tossed around like a piece of meat to a hungry wolf.

Roman.

A bit of ceramic from a shattered lamp was trodden underfoot as Thomas stepped into a room bathed in an unnatural, pink glow from a covered floodlight. There was a simple table with some seating and a long bookcase along the wall. The whole operation was clean.

The glowing ghoul turned his head as his second lieutenant entered from behind. "Well?"

Penny shook her head. "Nothing."

"There isn't nothing; there has to be something. The map indicates there's a Vault access door somewhere beneath this building. We just need to find it. Keep searching."

The bounty hunter was conducting his own method with his fists. The ghoul by the name of Leaky Joe was reduced to a bloodied, moaning pulp. Lydia had stumbled inside with Charon at her elbow, and the ferryman quickly swiped a gloved palm over her eyes and forcefully redirected her away. She felt her insides quiver as she was quickly reminded of her first encounter with the mercenary. He was terrifying.

The blood dripped from Cross' gloved hands, and he simply let the unconscious ghoul fall at his feet, preparing his investigative manner for the next snitched victim. He finally made his way upstairs, ignoring the looks and whispers he received as he stomped around the place.

"And just how is your search coming along?" Thomas drawled quite sarcastically. "Are you simply hoping to brutishly force an entrance?"

The merc just gave a low growl as he gave a look around the neon room, and he paused at the sight of the bookcase.

"Did you discover something?" Thomas rasped as he watched the ghoul flip out novels to crash to the floor.

"It's a damn whorehouse," the merc muttered, continuing his waterfall of literature. "You don't come here to read- found it." He reached a hand through a slot cut inside the bookcase, grasping for the catch lever. There was a click, and the mounted library was swung forward, revealing a hidden passage leading to an expansive tunnel. "Now this, is the oldest damn trick in the book." A mental note was filed away in his brain to relay the joke to Evelyn- if she was still mad at him, he needed all the leverage he had in his arsenal to help simmer her down.

He disappeared through.

Thomas shook his head and cupped a hand around his mouth. "We found it!"

Charon grabbed at Lydia's elbow, halting her from advancing through the hidden doorway behind the other ghoul forces. If they were to meet a threat, he tactically wished for them to encounter it first. Lydia was not reckless like Evelyn, but she was still a decent target to be made.

"Be cautious," he rasped down at her, and she gulped before nodding wildly.

The merc grumbled to himself as he descended down the dimly lit tunnel. A decent-sized rock made him stumble to the side.

"Are you alright?" Penny rasped at his elbow.

Cross coughed into his fist. "Fuck is Thomas?" He then spun his head around. "Need a damn light."

The second lieutenant gave a barking laugh. She hated the pleasing jitters he still gave her, tingling all the way down to her toes. There was a glow from some fluorescent lighting up ahead, and they both drew to a stop before a Vault door.

9 1

Thomas caught up with the duo and retrieved the Pip-Boy from within the depths of his pocket, giving a single look to everyone who had gathered around. "I suggest everyone be on their guard. We do not know what we will find inside."

Lydia took a few steps back from the glowing ghoul; even from a safe enough distance, she could still just feel the hum of him. Cross came to her side and bent down low enough to mutter in her ear.

"Guy makes my teeth fuckin' chatter," he joked, and she couldn't help but grin.

Thomas pressed a button on the control panel, and cautionary lights began to rotate as the door of Vault 91 rolled from its place. It came to a screeching halt as it settled into the mechanical track, the overly loud sirens leaving a faint echo down the tunnel. Lydia removed her hands from her ears, slightly shaking her head.

"Now now now! Just what is this?!" A Mister Gutsy flew down the extended bridge to the unsuspecting company. "You all better have some proper identification out and readily scanned, or we're going to be in a world of hurt!"

A multitude of clicking was given in response, and the floating Robco robot gave a half-spin as it assessed the multiple weapons pointed at it threateningly.

"System: Self-Terminate."

"Shit-" The merc snagged Lydia by the back of her collar, and everyone hastily dove for some form of cover as the Gutsy detonated into a fiery ball.

Everyone pushed through the thick smoke, a few coughing into their elbows. With cautious steps and watchful eyes, the team congregated inside, and an alarm began to blare.

Ten Months Ago

Evelyn's proximity to the edge of the overpass irked his nerves, and as though by some sick twist of fated humor, she rocked back on her heels and tipped forward on the tips of her toes. His open palm was hovering just inches away from nabbing at her body, and he felt his fingers twitch as she gave a slight start forward.

She twirled her head around and raised an eyebrow at his extended reach. "What are you doing?"

"You should not be so close to the edge," he warned her, his fingertips grazing the back of her jacket. "It is not safe."

"Not safe," she mocked in a horridly raspy tone, cracking a grin as he growled in response at her lack of seriousness about the situation. "Come on, do you really think I would-"

Fate proved ironic on both sides as she kicked herself with her own foot while she made to turn around, and careened off-balance. A look of horror crossed her face as she felt herself right over the edge.

Charon already had a handful of leather inside his palm, and he had jumped to her side for assurance and banded an arm around her waist. Her face grew hot, and she tapped the tips of her index fingers together at her foolishness.

"Oops," she mumbled, and she was suddenly tossed headfirst back on solid pavement. "Ow!"

The ghoul dusted his hands together. "Not safe."

"Ugh," she muttered under her breath, giving a cough to cut through the dust that swirled. "Are you always like this?"

"I do not understand." Charon dropped beside her, crossing his arms together as he watched her slowly rise to her feet.

A phew of air was blown forth from her lips to a stray hair that landed across her face; it gently fell back over her nose. Another blow. "Are you going to be coddling my every move? It's starting to get really annoying."

There was a snort. "Your decisions require my intervention; it is necessary for your safety."

The ghoul grumbled and looked out to the distance as she began to shrill her indignities. Her complaints did not matter- so long as she never ordered him to actually withhold, he would always keep her safe.

It was his duty.