A week had gone by until Jax and James were fully recovered. His talk with Three Dog was informative, but as he already assumed, nothing had really changed. Super Mutants were still a threat in D.C. Raider gangs were running rampant in the wasteland. Slavers had apparently settled in as well. James was glad he decided to leave his son in the vault. "Ready to head out, boss?" Jax asked, arming up. "Yes, Jax, let us make way to Rivet City." he answered, picking up his bag. Three Dog had informed a great number of scientists now work there. It's his best bet to find Li, an old friend of his, before the vault. The Brotherhood gave them a route to Rivet City and wished them luck.
Kirk woke up the next day and found Lucy staring out into the wasteland. She turned to him with tired eyes. "Didn't sleep well?" he asked, standing next to her. "Slept as well as you do." she said irritably. "Sorry, that was harsh, I just had nightmares I meant." she said, holding her hands. "It's okay, I figured that's what you meant." Kirk said, but he didn't like how apparent it was that he had nightmares. "I'm sorry... that you had to experience something like that... with the raiders. At least, you got out of it in one piece, though. I've seen other survivors more messed up, like Micky." she went on. Kirk started to get annoyed and decided to change the subject. "So, where is Jericho?" he asked, looking around. "Right here." he answered, walking up with Evan King. "So blondie. What's the play? Are you staying here, or are we heading back to Megaton?" he asked smoking a cigarette. Kirk was confused, and then he realized what he was asking. 'That's right, the job was to get her here and possibly back to Megaton at her discretion. Still, though, haven't the circumstances changed?' Kirk thought. "We can't just leave with things as they are here, Jericho." Kirk said. "The job was to get her here and/or back. I didn't sign up to deal with cannibals." he snarled, putting out his cigarette. Before Kirk could retort, Lucy interrupted. "I am staying here to find my brother. Here are your caps." she said, handing each of them a bag. Kirk took the bag hesitantly. It didn't feel right, but he did do the job. "Good luck on your way back, guys, and thanks for getting me here." she said, tearing up.
"Alright, kid, let's go." Jericho said, walking away. "No." Kirk said, walking up to Lucy. "I'm staying. I'm going to help you find your brother." he said to her. "Why? You don't owe me anything." she said, surprised. "I know, but I can't walk away from this situation. Not when I am able to help." he answered. Lucy hugged him, shocking Kirk a bit. He immediately felt uncomfortable and pulled away. Jericho cursed and paced around a bit. "Suit yourself jackass, I'm gone." he said, walking off. "Just like that? I know you are an asshole but I didn't think you were this heartless!" Kirk yelled out to him. Jericho simply gave him the finger as he walked down the ramp. "Unbelievable..." Kirk turned to King. "You sent men to look for the family, right? Show me where they went." Kirk asked, holding up his PIPBOY. King showed and explained three locations they thought they could be coming from. Kirk pondered on the locations. "I doubt they are at this 'drive in' place, it's too close to the raider gang anyway." he said. "That leaves this cave and metro station." he continued. "Lucy, what do you think?" he asked. "I know that cave, and it is full of critters you don't want to mess with. The metro station is our best bet." she answered. "Alright then, let's get ready to go." Kirk said, pulling out his bag. As they checked their gear, Kirk noticed Lucy had a new gun. A double barrel shotgun, very well maintained, too. Lucy saw Kirk eyeing it and said, "It was my Dad's, figured I'd put it to good use in his memory." Kirk nodded, and once their gear was set, they left. "Please be safe." King said to them as they did.
As they left, they could see Jericho walking in the distance, but too far for him to hear them if they called out. "I got the idea that he was a selfish prick, but I didn't think he would really leave." Kirk said. "You know... I just remembered something." Lucy said, stopping. Kirk stopped and looked at her, waiting for her to speak. "When we were taking out the raiders and I was grabbed. The raider lowered his hold on me when he saw Jericho, giving us an opening." she explained. "What of it?" Kirk asked, not understanding her point. "It just seemed like the raider recognized or knew Jericho is all." she said. Kirk was surprised to hear that. "It was just weird is all, I'm not insinuating anything." she clarified, walking on. Kirk pondered on her words, realizing he didn't really know anything about Jericho. Other than that, he was an asshole.
They took the long way around to avoid the raiders and were walking by the drive in location when Lucy stopped. "Do you hear something?" she asked, looking around. Kirk stopped and listened. He heard very heavy breathing and grunting. "I think it's coming from that truck." he said, pointing at it. "It could be an injured person based on what we are hearing. Let's check it out." Kirk said, approaching the truck. "I don't think that is a person, it sounds... different." she said, pulling out her shotgun. Kirk ignored her and walked around to the back of the truck. When he came around and looked inside, he screamed in terror.
Jericho was back at the house they wiped the raiders out of when he stopped. He was staring at the raider that Kirk brutalized. Lucy mentioned it, but he didn't think anything of it. Now, looking at the dead raider with his whole face crushed in and brains on the ground, he realized something. The kid is dangerous and probably doesn't know it yet. "Fuck me." he said to himself. He thought back to his conversation with Simms. "Just make sure he gets back here alive, is all I'm asking." Simms said. "Why me? Anyone else could go with him." Jericho snarled smoking a cigarette. "You know that ain't true. You are the best I got and have way more knowledge than anyone else." he said. "D.C. is a warzone, a death trap. We wouldn't last a day in there." Jericho said putting out the cigarette. "Come on, now you're just selling yourself short. Besides it would be a good test on yourself." Simms said. Jericho scoffed at the memory and looked behind him. He didn't see them anymore but saw them going in the other direction toward the raider field. "Dammit, can't believe I'm doing this." he said to himself. He changed direction toward the kid and the girl.
Kirk screamed and shot into the truck but then rolled out of the way of a metal box being thrown at him. Lucy brought her gun up and watched as a giant green monster walked out holding a board. Lucy screamed in terror and opened fire at it. The bullets did nothing to the monster as it charged at Kirk, slamming the board into the ground, barely missing Kirk again. Kirk rolled up onto his knee and shot again, hitting him in the chest. The creature ignored it and came swinging at him again. Kirk ran away, trying to keep his distance while Lucy took another shot. The creature must've noticed the pellets and turned their attention to her. It charged at her while she was reloading. She screamed and went to run but tripped over a rock. She looked up in terror as it was already on her swinging down at her. She closed her eyes, holding her gun up to block in desperation, but the blow never came. She opened her eyes to see Kirk blocked the blow with his rifle. Kirk pulled out his pistol and opened fire into its ugly face. It roared in pain, holding its face and stepping back. Kirk got too close, though, as he kept shooting at it. The creature swatted Kirk like a fly, and he flew a few yards away. Lucy watched in horror as she watched the creature approach Kirk and stomp on his leg, crushing it. Kirk cried out in pain but then passed out from it. "KIRK!" she cried, unloading her pistol into the creature until she was empty. The creature unfazed by her bullets raised its weapon overhead, readying itself to deliver the killing blow on Kirk. Lucy watched in horror, tears streaming down her face, realizing she couldn't save him. Even when he just saved her.
Shots rang out, and the creature turned to see Jericho charging at it. Jericho had a molotov lit and threw it at the creature, setting it ablaze. It roared as it writhed in the flames. "HOT! HOT! IT BURNS!" it roared. Jericho ran up and thrusted his bayonet into its neck and unloaded shots into its throat. The creature collapsed dead. Lucy ran up and hugged Jericho. He shoved her off immediately. "No time, we gotta go! Those raiders at that damn field nearby are coming." he said, reloading his rifle. Lucy heard them coming now and looked at Kirk. "Help me pick him up!" she cried, trying to lift him. "He's dead, girl! Look at his leg! He is crippled for life anyway!" he shouted, grabbing her. "I AM NOT LEAVING HIM!" she yelled. Jericho cursed and handed her his rifle. He threw Kirk over his shoulders. "We can't go back to Arefu, so where were y'all heading?" he asked. "Meresti station!" she yelled, pointing in direction. "Alright, keep up!" he yelled, running. The raiders saw them and yelled, chasing after them. Lucy shot at them periodically as they ran. The run felt like it lasted forever, if it wasn't for Lucy shooting at them forcing them to take cover, they would have been fucked. They started throwing weapons at them as they got closer to the station. When they got close to it the raiders stopped chasing. "Stop, the freaks are there! Run!" they yelled running away. Jericho and Lucy saw them run away and decided not to ponder on it.
They went down into the tunnels looking for a place to lay Kirk down when a door swung open with a ghoul aiming a shotgun at them. "Stop right there! Another move, and I'll blast you to bits!" he yelled. "Please help us! Our friend is very hurt!" Lucy cried with the rifle lowered. Another ghoul walked out. "You're not here to steal my secrets?" he asked. "No! We are just looking for the Family but got ambushed by a Super Mutant!" she said frantically. "Please help us!" she cried, clasping her hands together. "In here." he said. They put Kirk down on a bed, and the ghoul examined him. "I'm a doctor, so let me look at him." the ghoul said. He removed the armor and suit off of Kirk and cut his shirt opened. Lucy gasped in horror. Scars were all over Kirks torso. Too many. "I gotta remove the leg. It's completely crushed." he said, grabbing a saw. Kirk grabbed his arm. "R...ra..radiation. Ir...irradiated m...me." he said weakly. "He is delusional. Let me give him a sedative." he said, grabbing a syringe. Kirk swatted it out of his hand. "R...radiation...heals...me..." he said weakly. The ghoul looked at Jericho and Lucy. They both shrugged. "I heard a rumor he got a mutation... but I don't know anything about it." Jericho said. "Fuck it. He is probably dead anyway. Let's try it." the ghoul said. "Barret give me a hand. Lucky for him I got irradiated barrels in the other room." he added. They picked up Kirk and carried him into a room filled with hazardous material. They heard Kirks geiger ticking loudly. "You two stay here, we will see what happens." the ghoul said shutting the door.
"So, why did you come back?" Lucy asked, sitting down. Jericho sighed. "I promised Simms, I would bring the kid back alive from D.C. I figured he meant with this shitty trip, too. So much for that..." he answered. "The scars... from the school?" she asked. "Yeah, they tortured him for days... hold on. Did you see any scars on his arms or legs?" he asked. "I just saw them on his chest." she answered, confused. "Holy shit." Jericho said, getting up. He opened the door to see the ghouls standing over Kirk watching him. His leg was healing itself and going back to its original state. "Get me some RadAway!" the ghoul said to Barret. They brought Kirk back onto the bed and lowered his radiation in a few hours. His leg was fully healed and back to normal, like it never got crushed. "That's some mutation he's got there. How did he come about it?" the ghoul asked. "I think it was when he defused the nuke in Megaton. He stood in radiated water for two hours, defusing it." Lucy said. Both ghouls just stared at her and then looked at Jericho, who simply nodded. "Well, that is the most wild thing I have ever heard, and I have been around over a century." the ghoul said. "Did you guys say you're looking for the Family? Why?" the doctor ghoul asked. "Looking for my brother, we think they took him. Are they in these tunnels?" Lucy asked. "Yeah, we trade with them, and they protect us too." he answered. "They're good people, just misunderstood." he continued. Jericho scoffed at that. "Cannibals are not misunderstood, they're fuckin animals." he stated, angrily. As the two started arguing, Lucy couldn't help but stared at Kirk. So many scars all over his torso, it was overwhelming. She thought back to what she said to him earlier that day and felt stupid. 'Of course he wouldn't get out of a situation like that unscathed.' she thought.
"Enough!" Lucy yelled at the two bickering still. "We are not gonna do anything until Kirk wakes up, so let's just get some rest." she said, sitting down. Jericho nodded and did the same. They all settled in and waited for Kirk to wake up. Lucy couldn't stop thinking about Kirk. She had never met a guy like him. Usually, everyone is out for themselves, yet Kirk showed no hesitation in helping her find her brother even after being paid for the escort job. He even saved her life from the Super Mutant, a monster he had just seen for the first time in his life probably. But he also brutalized a raider so easily, yet after seeing his scars, it makes sense why. He scared her when she saw his face after he stopped hitting the raider. He is dangerous, yet so kind. She kept staring at him and noticed herself liking what she saw. 'What is going on with me?' she wondered. Soon, Kirk woke up and immediately asked for a shirt.