Isaiah 6:8

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?"

Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."

The sunset over the Mojave made it look as though the desert was on fire, the sand dyed a burning orange by the fading light. A single man stood at the mouth of a cave in the north, his keen, crinkled eyes zeroing on every movement below him. A cigarette lay unattended between his thumb and forefinger.

"Jed?" a voice called from inside the cave.

The man sighed and turned, running his free hand over his bald spot. "What is it, Stella?" he called.

A woman with her dark brown hair pulled back into a utilitarian bun poked her head out of the cave.

"We need to leave soon," she remarked, brushing an imaginary speck of dust off her armor.

Jed nodded, pressing his lips together in stubborn disappointment. "Yes, I know. I was just hoping…"

"That someone else with a Pip-Boy would come by?" Stella finished, an understanding smile softening her sun-scarred face. She stepped forward to stand by Jed. "Ricky is a bit of an ass," she admitted.

Jed snorted. "That's an understatement."

Stella chuckled, crossing her arms. Her face suddenly settled into a frown. "I hope New Canaan is alright," she murmured. "Losing contact with them is a bit worrisome."

"I'm sure it's all fine," he replied, not truly believing his own words. His friend glanced at the sky.

"Do you think we should wait to leave until tomorrow morning? It's already pretty late."

Jed roused himself from his thoughts and shook his head. "Nah, we've already waited long enough. Having Ricky along should be fine." He pushed his hands into the pockets of his overalls, turning to enter the northern passage. "The lanterns should help us along for a couple of hours and I'd rather get more ground covered than wait another day."

Inside, Jed surveyed the company. The two caravan guards, Angela and Joseph, were cleaning their weapons. Joseph always cared for his hunting rifle like it was his baby. Leaning against the other wall of the cave, Ricky fiddled with his Pip-Boy, his wispy eyebrows knitted together.

"We're leaving soon," he announced. Everyone looked up at Jed as he started speaking. "We'll travel for a few hours past sunset – the lanterns will light our way."

"Can't we just wait until tomorrow?" Ricky grumbled in his whiny voice. Jed shook his head.

"We've already wasted enough time. So make sure you've got all your stuff together, and let's go."

"Wait, wait!"

Jed turned to see a figure sprint into the cave before coming to a halt.

It was a young woman, no older than twenty-five, dressed in doctor fatigues – he could see where she hadn't been able to get the bloodstains out of her dirty white tank top. Her honey blonde hair was swept up in a wide brimmed straw hat, almost hiding the freckles that splayed across her nose; they matched the ones that sprayed over her shoulders. The Pip-Boy on her wrist glowed amber, lighting up the ivory-handled pistol that hung on her hip. A sniper rifle was strapped to her back, the worn barrel gleaming in the fading sunlight.

She readjusted the duffel bag she had slung over one shoulder and looked at Jed with green eyes. "Sorry, I just heard you guys talking about leaving, and I just…" She stopped herself before speaking again. "Is this the Happy Trails Caravan Company?"

"Indeed it is. Reckon you heard my broadcast. You certainly look the type."

The young woman stuck out her hand. "Name's Penelope."

"Jed Masterson. You know the job?"

"Just that you're looking for people to help you run a caravan into Utah. Anywhere specific?"

"We're headed to Zion, to look for New Canaan." Jed folded his arms. "We're looking to reestablish a trade route with the New Canaanites after they dropped off the radar." Jed glanced at the sniper rifle on Penelope's back. "What kind of credentials you got?"

The young woman shrugged. "Other than being a decent shot? I've been a courier for the past three years, till recent. I was a doctor with the NCR for about four years before that. Learned everything from my dad back when we were living in the Boneyard." She gave Jed a toothy grin. "And I happen to be a damn good cook."

Jed nodded. "And you know about the weight limit? Less than seventy-five pounds?"

"Only got the essentials. Medicine, armor, ammo."

He nodded again before pausing. She looked like such a sweet girl. "You sure you want to do this, though? Utah's pretty dangerous. More tribals than you can shake a stick at."

The new girl looked amused at the warning. "I've dealt with worse. Tribals are no worry to me."

"Ever dealt with the 80's? Or the White Legs? These tribals ain't the kind you'll find in the Mojave." He waited for her to respond, but she didn't say anything and he shrugged. "Just wanted to let you know what you were getting into."

Penelope nodded before turning her head to study every face in the cave. "What's the pay?"

"Twenty-five caps a day, half up front, half when we get there. You'll get a bonus if we make it into Zion, another bonus when we reach New Canaan." He paused. "Oh, and – don't mention the name Joshua Graham to anyone."

She raised an eyebrow. "Who is Joshua Graham? And why am I not mentioning his name?"

Jed hesitated. "Just don't. It makes the New Canaanites powerful uncomfortable, and it scares the britches off the tribals. Don't talk about the Burned Man, either, while you're at it."

Penelope opened her mouth as if to say something, but closed it almost immediately. Instead, she just nodded.

"Any other questions?" Jed asked.

"Do you mind if I talk to some people here before we head out? Just to get a feel for the company."

"Not at all. Go right on ahead."

The girl placed her duffel bag on the ground carefully before walking over to where Ricky was standing. Jed turned to Stella.

"Looks like you got your wish, Jed," his friend remarked, watching as Ricky leered at the freckled young woman, who had an amused expression on her face. "Another Pip-Boy."

"Aye, and she doesn't seem to be useless, either. It would be nice to have someone with medical background on the trip."

Stella nodded. "Shit happens on these trips."

"Don't I know it." Jed suddenly remembered his still burning cigarette and took a long drag on it. The resulting cloud drifted through the air, ghostlike. "Perhaps she could help with the pack Brahmin if it ever wears down."

"Perhaps." Stella suddenly fell silent as Ricky, storming away and clearly seething, cut off their conversation. He exited the cave with not a single word to Jed or Stella. The brunette raised her eyebrows before her gaze flicked back to Penelope. She still had the amused expression on her face as she meandered over to where Jed and Stella were standing.

"What was all that about?" Jed asked.

Penelope shrugged. "Kid was a pathological liar and a Psycho addict to boot. Not to mention he found that Pip-Boy on a prospector, as well as the jumpsuit, so he doesn't know a damn thing about it."

Jed snorted. "Well, looks like it was a good thing you came along after all." The young woman grinned at him, hefting her duffle bag over her shoulder.

"Well, looks like I'm ready to start this journey."

"Are you now? You know we ain't coming back this way for a good long while now, right? And you know about the weight limit?" Jed took another drag on his cigarette. "I don't want no whining about, 'Oh, Mr. Masterson, I left my one-of-a-kind plasma cannon back at base, can we go back for it?'" He gave her a look. "You sure you're ready now?"

Penelope nodded. "Yes, I'm sure," she replied, a little meekly.

A slow smile widened Jed's face. "Well, all right then. Let's get moving – we've got a long road ahead of us."