Hitman

A Hitman is a member of a four man squad of assassins hired to ambush and kill the player. They come in two varieties and appear for two different reasons. When the conditions are met the squads appear as random encounters only at certain areas of the map, usually when coming out of a sewer into the Wasteland or when Fast Traveling to an unpopulated location.

One type of squad appears only if the player has good Karma, has reached level 6 and does not have the Contract Killer Perk. These Hitmen appear as Talon Company Mercenaries, complete with armor and weaponry and are leveled to challenge the player. They greet the player with a threat, cannot be bargained with, and then open fire. They carry a "Contract for Extermination" signed by "Burke" (whether dead or alive) which seems to imply that the reason for the contract is revenge for failing to arm the Megaton bomb but that is actually not one of the conditions. Evil characters will have analogous encounters with Regulators.

A second squad of Hitmen can appear randomly in ambush similar to the previous type once the player has completed the Strictly Business quest. These Hitmen appear as leveled Wastelanders, greet the player as "Slaver scum," and then attack. These Hitmen carry the Contract Killing note demanding "Wasteland justice." A random encounter with Slavers asking about escaped slaves is not related to the Strictly Business quest.

It should be noted that squads of Talon Company Mercenaries and Regulators appear randomly to attack those with good Karma or evil Karma regardless of other conditions. Neutral Karma characters have reported encountering both groups, sometimes at the same time.