"Now that stockholm syndrome has finally set in," Piper chirped, trying to avoid the jagged rocks of the woman's flesh as she bounced with the terrain, "mind tellin' me your name?"
"Ajax."
.
.
.
"...Any last name?"
"Never needed one."
.
.
.
"...My name's Piper, thanks for asking."
"Piper Wright. Age 23. Lives with younger sister, Nat Wright. Age 13. Infamous reporter for the Publick Occurrences, likely named after the first multi-page newspaper in British colonial America. Currently exiled from Diamond City under orders of Mayor McDonough due to the controversial statements within said newspaper. Wanted dead by seven prominent figures, alive by twelve. Worth of ten thousand caps alive, seventy-five thousand dead."
"You-wh-huh?" Piper stuttered, both aghast at the amount of information recited so easily and angry at how little they thought she was worth. There should be an extra zero to those caps! Piper thought, still wondering how the hell Ajax knew so much.
She wasn't exactly secretive—a lack of privacy came with the job—but this was more than just publically available info. This was borderline stalking.
"H-how exactly, um-how do you-"
"I'm a paid mercenary," Ajax responded, seemingly used to the question. "Learning info on my targets is basically a necessity."
"Right, yeah, of course..." Piper mumbled before her brain caught up and blurted "Wait, I was your target?"
Kicking a gate out of the way, Ajax flatly responded "You still are."
"So, then, wait, why are you helping me then? Not that I'm not complaining, of course—being injured is much better than being dead, but y'know!"
Ajax didn't immediately respond and instead decided to peek at her Pip-Boy. That was something Piper didn't see before. Seems like Ajax came from a vault... which makes even less sense now that she thinks about it.
"Your silence is terrifying, Scaly," Piper quipped, trying to test the waters and act somewhat like a threat. Not that it worked considering she was injured and being carried by a woman who could crumple her like a plastic bag.
Ajax only responded with "We're camping for the night, Piper," before trudging over towards a house in the distance. Once she arrived, she opened the door with a swift kick, causing it to slam against the wall with a resounding thud.
"Do you usually treat your targets to a date like this, Scaly-" was all Piper got out before she was tossed off Ajax's back and onto the hard, wood floor, the pain in her thigh flaring and consuming her mind.
"Watch the fuckin' names, bitch." Ajax scowled, pointing a jagged claw in Piper's face. "We're not friends, and I certainly haven't given up my contract."
A hushed "Shit" was all Piper managed to mutter as Ajax flounced out of the house. Where she was going, Piper couldn't tell, but she was more focused on the heavily bloodied bandage than the indecisive merc.
YOU ARE READING
Memory of Black Mold, Heart of Broken Glass
Action"How pitiful, a bandit who thinks they can run," they utter, their voice scratchy like sandpaper. or An unfortunate encounter between a mercenary and a journalist and their journey together.
