Summary: Courier Six, known as Dan, sets off to get revenge on a man he knows only as Suit, who blew a hole in his head and had him buried alive. Along the way, he has to deal with the personality changes caused by the bullet and find a way to become not just a courier, but something more. Follower doctor/researcher Arcade Gannon could be the solution, the problem or just an ordinary man. Dan isn't sure.

Note: This will eventually be a M!Courier/ArcadeGannon story, but it'll be a while before Arcade even appears. I'm not sure how long this'll be, but I don't think it'll be short.

Please do let me know if I've made any errors, or if you have feedback for me in general. Here we go...

Prologue

Dan prided himself on always making his deliveries. The only time he came close to failing a delivery was in 2276, when The Divide was ripped apart. He'd been there himself, to make his delivery (some old tech the NCR brass thought would be useful to the community), but if he'd been a few days slower to leave, he'd have been caught up in the disaster too.

As it was, he'd heard a great rumbling in the distance behind him, but hadn't had a clue what it was. He found out months later, when he'd been ready to set out for home again. Dan'd promised last visit that he'd come back for a longer stay, sometime: he was always 'just passing through' on courier business. Trouble was, he never stopped working long enough to stay more than a couple of weeks at best. This time he was determined to stay a year at least, maybe even set up a shop.

He'd been in New Reno when he found out his home was gone, in one of the big casinos. His company had been surprised at his lack of knowledge.

"You mean you hadn't heard?" his sister-in-law asked. "I thought for sure you knew…" her voice trailed off at Dan's visible shock. Dan shook his head.

"Oh… I know you had friends there. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news," she said, wincing. She touched his shoulder lightly before reaching for her glass and downing the last of her scotch.

Dan shook his head. "Yeah, that's usually my job, isn't it?" he said, only half-joking.

Katie pursed her lips, staring into her empty glass. She didn't say anything.

"Oh shit, Katie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to remind you about –"

Katie put down her glass and cut him off, her voice forcibly cheerful. "I'm not some delicate flower, Danny-boy. You should know that by now."

"It's Dan," he said half-heartedly. After all, she couldn't be too upset if she was using her nickname for him. If she was angry, she'd have used his real name. That's when he knew he was in the shit.

"Mhm," Katie replied distractedly. "Are you gonna finish that?" she asked, hand already inching towards his own glass.

Dan waved a hand. "Go for it," he said. "I'm not in the mood now."

Katie hummed thoughtfully and wasted no time in downing Dan's whiskey. She sighed, smacked her lips and sat back. Dan watched her.

"Where will you go then?" Katie asked. "Back to Junktown? I'm sure you're missed there." She looked at him knowingly and Dan fought a scowl.

"I'm sure I'm not," he muttered.

"Aw, hun, don't sulk!" Katie laughed. "You'll never catch anyone's eye like that!"

Dan shook his head. "Who says I'm looking?" he demanded, but the words sounded hollow even to himself. He preferred to travel alone, but it sure did get lonely sometimes. He had friends in many places, but the only family he had left was right here in New Reno.

Katie rolled Dan's empty glass between her hands, clearly deep in thought. "Somewhere new, then… How about San Fran?" she asked.

Dan shook his head again. "I was there – two years ago," he said.

Katie tried again. "The Hub? No – you've been there." She scowled and put down the second glass with a thunk. "Your trouble is you've been everywhere on the west coast!" she said, laughter in her eyes. "You'll just have to go somewhere you haven't been recently. You did a run out to Fort Aradesh out east a few years back, didn't you? Why don't you go that way again?"

Dan looked startled. "Katie – you're a genius!"

She giggled and looked pleased. "Oh, honey I know," she said, tossing her hair theatrically and laughing at herself. "So – Arizona then?"

"No, not Arizona." Dan said. At her puzzled expression he elaborated, "Caesar's Legion is getting stronger there. Fort Aradesh is now called Fort Abandon – Caesar defeated the NCR there some months ago."

It was Katie's turn to look shocked. "I hadn't heard," she said. "So it's true, then? Caesar's going to try for us, eventually, isn't he?"

"I don't know," Dan said, looking troubled. He studied his hands as he thought. "I don't reckon he's the sort to be easily satisfied though. He had soldiers and spies back home – in The Divide. Met a few of them."

"This far over?" Katie was horrified.

"Yeah," Dan said, and they sunk into silence.

Just when Dan was contemplating another drink after all, Katie spoke.

"So – where did you decide to go then? You made it sound as though I'd given you an idea."

"Oh yeah," Dan said, "you said I'd been everywhere on the west coast. And while not absolutely accurate, I have been around a bit."

They shared a smirk.

"I thought of Utah, actually. I hear New Canaan's fairly civilised, these days," he joked. "And my home's gone, once again, so I'm free to wander as I like," he finished, more bitterly than he meant to. "Guess it's a good thing I didn't have that second glass after all." He left the apology unspoken between them.

Katie shook her head. Nothing to forgive. "You could always stay with me, you know," she suggested, honestly meaning it but knowing he'd refuse. "You know your niece adores you."

Dan smiled. "That's because she knows I adore her!" he laughed.

"You do spoil her something dreadful," she teased. Her voice grew gentle. "You're an awful softy at heart, Dan. I just don't wanna see you hurt." At his pointed look she amended that statement with, "again."

"Don't worry about me," Dan said, voice light. "I'll just pop up to Utah for a bit – maybe come back via the New Vegas Strip, take a holiday or something."

"The Mojave, huh?" Katie asked, a knowing smile quirking about her lips. "Isn't Nevada stuck between Arizona and California? You just can't keep your nose clean, can ya?"

"You know me too well," Dan said. He smiled broadly. "I'll do some recon on the way back – just a quick look around, see what's what. I'll be back before you know it."

Dan meant to set out the next morning, but little Susie gave him the puppy-dog eyes and begged him to stay, and who was he to say no? He stayed with Susie and Katie for another three weeks before getting restless and joining a caravan out of town as a hired gun.

He did travel to Utah, even stayed in New Canaan a month or so, but didn't make it as far south as the New Vegas Strip. He'd been asked to run a package back out west and grabbed the excuse to see the girls again. But once he was back in California, where he had a reputation of someone who got shit done, he was in demand again.

One thing lead to another, as it always does, and the next four years passed almost without Dan noticing. He'd spent the time working for the Gun Runner's, as he had on and off over the years, and running odd jobs for the local NCR officials of where-ever he was at the time. He made sure to stop back and visit the girls as often as he could, though; Katie'd remarried to a rancher and Susie was growing up terrifyingly fast.

By the time he finally made the journey, it was 2281. He arrived from the south, by way of the Mojave Outpost, and kept on walking up the I-15, avoiding critters and raiders alike, until he reached Primm. There he signed on as a Courier, and as there were no jobs immediately available, went hunting. When he returned with Radscorpion Poison Glands for Ruby Nash to cook up, her husband Johnson had Dan's first delivery for the Mojave Express all ready and waiting to be taken straight up the I-15 to the New Vegas Strip.

He didn't waste time in Goodsprings, just walked right on through. At the cemetery though, Dan settled under what little shade from the scorching noon-day sun the water tower provided and had a nap. That was where Benny and the Great Khans caught up with him, travelling down from the north to intercept. It was easy enough to sneak up on Dan while he slept and knock him from sleep to unconsciousness just as he started to wake. Next thing Dan knew, he was tied up, on his knees and staring at a junkie, a tribal and a creep in a suit. Sounds like the start of a joke, he realised.

He knew then that he was about to die, and there was nothing he could do about it. Katie and Susie'd never know what happened to him; he was gonna die alone in a cemetery of all places. Guess that's karma for all that grave digging I did in Golgotha, Dan thought wildly, and then don't just chuck down your cigarette butt, you moron, it'll light the whole place up!

He didn't get the chance to say any of this out loud though; first because he couldn't seem to make his voice work and then because the bastard shot him.