Old World Blues Part 4
Chapter 1
"We're going after him, this isn't negotiable." The Courier hurriedly put on his Elite Riot Armour.
"Don't get too hasty, boss. This could be a trap. I think you should slow down, take some deep breaths and think this over."
"Shut Up, Yes Man." Christine said it this time, clad in her Upgraded Combat Armour. She retrieved her old silenced Sniper Rifle. It brought back memories, of the quarry she'd missed, the quarry that turned the tables on her and almost killed her.
The Courier pulled out his Anti-Material Rife, his 12.7mm SMG, Joshua's pistol and Chance's Combat Knife. He holstered a handful of frag grenades.
"Don't worry Yes Man, we'll take a couple of Securitrons with us."
"ED-E's coming too." Christine added. She was starting to like that determined Eyebot.
"Boss, I really think this is a bad idea."
"Right now, we don't care what you think."
Christine and The Courier each hopped onto a shoulder of a Securitron as it began speeding away. Hanging on was surprisingly easy. The Securitrons detected the tracks left by the motorcycle, making tracking an easy task. They were following a path that led roughly to the former Sierra Madre, though more to the North.
After a few hours their pursuit reached an apparent end. An abandoned, torn building stood on the horizon, the motorcycle discarded nearby. The House was only thing that distinguished itself from the desolate environment. It overlooked a vast chasm, a crater hundreds of feet deep and wide. The crater was dead, devoid of even plant life. The soil was black as charcoal. The house was barely standing, a few beams still stood, but that was all. They saw a trap door. There was nowhere else they could've gone.
"Scan that door; are there any traps or wires nearby?"
"Negative."
"Can you scan below us?"
"Negative. Receiving interference at any depth below 3 feet."
Christine and the Courier stared at another intently, and then at the door. The Courier grabbed a plank of wood. Christine stood far away. He ran the plank through the latch and gingerly pulled. He closed his eyes as the door slowly opened. They breathed a sigh of relief.
The entrance way was extremely narrow; it was barely large enough for them to enter single file. It was too narrow for ED-E, let alone their Securitrons. There was a simple wooden ladder to descend.
"Set up a perimeter. Maintain active scanning."
"Affirmative."
The Courier led the way as they descended to a cramped, darkened basement. The room was arid but cool. The Courier crouched, enabling the armour's night vision to kick in. They were in a hallway, the rooms around them were blocked off by debris, the only way was forward. He crept forward a few paces, retrieving his knife. He saw a tripwire ahead. He gingerly disconnected it. He looked forward and saw a few more. He looked above and saw proximity mines glued onto the walls. This wasn't hastily setup. This was planned. How long had been Dean up to something?
"I'll handle the wires, you do the mines." He told Christine. She nodded and together they cleared the gauntlet of traps. It was difficult work but they managed it. At the end of the gauntlet the corridor curved to the left and they noticed the floor was angled downward, they were descending.
He saw no further traps. As they descended he noticed the walls resembled less and less that of a domestic household. The walls became cold hard steel, where before they'd been dusty drywall. They cautiously walked, their eyes actively scanning everything. Anything, however innocuous, could be a deadly trap. The corridor wound down until they came to a steel plated door.
The door was adorned with the logo of an "E" with thirteen stars encircling it.
They looked at another, worried.
"We can't turn back." The Courier said. Christine agreed with him. He grabbed her hands. "I love you." He said to her, it was more than an expression of affection; it was a mantra, an exhortation to persevere, to never back down in the face of adversity. "I love you." She mimicked, squeezing his hands. They awkwardly hugged another, saying nothing for several moments.
He pressed the button and the doors opened before them, a Leviathan opening its jaws, beckoning only the rashest to enter its belly. They nodded to another as the doors closed behind them.
There was no doubt they were in a military installation. This reminded them of the Hidden Valley bunker. The walls, cold and antiseptic. The ceilings lined with piping and blue fluorescent lights. Grated, noisy floors beneath them. They were in another hallway. There was the gentle humming of the reactor, coursing power through this facility's veins. The heard nothing else, no footsteps, no beeping of machines. No signs of any activity at all. This place seemed dead, yet there was no doubting it was very much alive.
Cautiously they advanced until they reached a T-junction. They saw nothing but empty hallways, not even Turrets were setup. Either path presented another indistinctive hallway.
The Courier turned towards Christine. She silently shrugged. He sighed and veered right. The hallway curved slightly, towards the left and subtly sloping downward. They slowly continued on, scanning for more traps. They spotted several dome cameras, though both assumed they'd been surveyed since they'd entered the basement of the house. The hallway continued on, there were no other exits, or junctions, just one long corridor. Had they been less experienced, they would've grown impatient and turned around, or forced forward. But even though they were on a mission of vengeance, they retained their cool demeanour.
The corridor straightened out and led to a closed door. They looked at another silently, though saying more than words could, before pressing the button to open it. There were doors on each wall of the four-sided room, but otherwise the room was empty, nondescript. The door closed behind them. As it closed they heard a loud hissing noise, white vaporous gas began flooding into the room. They reached for the door, desperately pressing the open button but it wouldn't budge. After a few moments they realized the futility of this and held another as they lost consciousness.
Chapter 2
He felt heavy. Where was he? What was this strange beeping noise? Who was talking?
"They're regaining consciousness."
"Excellent."
Why was that voice familiar to him?
He struggled to open his eyes; his vision was blurry, though becoming increasingly clear. He tried to move but was restrained. He was in a white room, a lab. He was upright, restraints on his arms and legs. His weapons and armour nowhere to be seen. He looked around. A feminine shape... Christine next to him, a few feet away, likewise restrained. A couple of AutoDocs, surgical beds, first aid kits, cabinets, a desk and chair, and before him was... Dean Domino, his arm in a sling but otherwise dressed impeccably as ever. And a fair haired woman... the woman who'd aided his would-be assassin. She wore a grey uniform, he now recognized the Enclave insignia on the shoulder pads. She stared at him and Christine impassively, standing ramrod straight.
"Welcome back to the land of the living." He said, his voice oozing with menace and a faint air of triumphalism. He rubbed his hands together, an obscene smile coasting upon his parched lips.
"This is going so well. So much better than my last grand scheme for revenge."
"Revenge for what?" The Courier asked.
"Revenge for what?" Dean shot back, offended. "Didn't you listen to a word I told you in the Tampico? I wanted to get at Sinclair because he was *happier* than me. I saw how desperate you were in the Madre, with no fancy weapons or armour, a time bomb strapped onto your neck. You told me about New Vegas. A new shining monument built atop the ruins of the old. I figured I could find a new home there. Perform again; bask in the adoration of the crowds. And then... then I saw you two...big, smug, satisfied smiles on your faces, everyone fawning at you like you're something special. You're not some kingpin, a head of state; you're just a glorified delivery boy. You're just a petty assassin with a new voice... *Vera's* voice. Oh... you can't comprehend the vile obscenity it is to hear you, your ugly mug and scarred head, speak with Vera's voice. I'll teach *you* to dare to parade yourselves in front of me. "
"So this is my revenge. I'm going to destroy everything you hold dear, just as I almost did with Sinclair. Your precious New Vegas is soon going to be reduced to rubble. The Enclave will flatten it with their Vertibirds and... whatever else they use. Best of all, I'm going to destroy you. You'll see, first hand, everything you love and treasure turned to ash, and then, we'll introduce you to a friend of ours known as FEV. It'll mutate you beyond recognition but your memories will remain perfectly intact. I'll leave you in anguish, wallowing in freakish misery forever." He laughed, quite satisfied with himself. "Letting go of the past, you always say. But here you are, you chased me, unable to let go. But first... we should further explain our diabolical scheme, shouldn't we, Angelica?"
"I'm Colonel Angelica Richardson. My grandfather was the last true President of the United States of America. He was killed by muties like you, our forces scattered after the treachery of Poseidon and Navarro. We've hid underground for decades, consolidating our strength. We lost contact with some of our brethren, but we've recovered enough that we can stop hiding underground. The time is right for us to announce our presence, to reclaim the stars and stripes, and what better way than to destroy the mythical New Vegas, a new nation that was stillborn before it left the womb? You first came to our attention when you sent an old bomber to bomb the Sierra Madre. It's not far from here and we tracked the plane, using radar and one of our Vertibirds. We sent agents to your city, to learn it's weaknesses and strengths. We met your ghoul friend. Our psychological department felt he might be a handy operative for us, so we kept tabs on him. When we saw the assault you inflicted upon him in Vegas, I saw an opening. He was quite open to cooperating with us, so we arranged all this, the assassination attempt, the escape. Your would-be assassin was an Enclave agent with a... poor performance record. He will not be missed. We did not believe it would succeed. Whether you believed it to be NCR or not was secondary. We left a trail of breadcrumbs leading you to Dean."
"It was to lure you two here, leaving your city vulnerable, while the attack begins." Dean continued. "And it's worked oh so well." He looked at both of them. "What? Nothing to say?"
Angelica shrugged her shoulders. "I've got an assault to partake in. I don't think you need my help anymore. Have fun." She left the room, leaving them chained and alone with Domino.
"I hope there is a purgatory for you to burn in for the next thousand centuries." Christine shot.
Dean chuckled. "Very creative. How about you, delivery boy?"
"We're going to enjoy killing you, slowly, and then we're going to kill any Enclave cunt in our way and then blow this base right to Mars."
"Who's this 'we' I keep hearing about?" He asked. He pulled out a pistol and shot Christine in the throat once.
"Now you're mute again. I like you better this way."
Christine turned away from Dean and looked at the Courier. Blood flowing out of her mouth and the hole in her throat. She tried to talk, but all that came out was garbled gibberish. Tears flooded her eyes, seeing his pained expression. She wanted to tell him that she loved him, to give him strength when he needed it the most. Just three words we're all she wanted to say. But she couldn't manage that. Once again, she was unable to verbally express her gratitude to the man she loved, the man who'd saved her sanity and her life.
The Courier screamed a cry of anguished pain as his love slowly died in front of his eyes. He saw the fight in her fiery eyes slowly fade into shadow. He struggled in his restraints, howling like a lugubrious banshee. Before him, Dean was laughing like he hadn't laughed in years. "There's no dish as sweet as cold revenge."
The Courier saw Dean laughing. His emotions morphed from grief to rage. He looked straight ahead and summoned every ounce of strength, he called upon every single implant, every cybernetic modification and pushed against his restraints. Dean continued to laugh at his adversary's futile struggle, his agony. The leather restraints budged ever so slightly. The Courier knew it was time, he activated his GRX implant. It was surreal as the restraints snapped one after the other in rapid succession. It was in slow motion as he rushed Dean, his free hand just beginning to reach for his pistol.
The Courier tackled Dean on the floor. He grabbed his pistol and threw it away. With his fists he pounded away at Dean, his fists landed blow after blow upon Dean's face, the cheekbones caved in one after another. Dean grasped for air, his free arm waving in a futile gesture to ward off his attacker. Dean's arm fell after several more blows landed. The Courier knelt up and broke his other arm. Dean squealed in agony. The Courier walked over to the desk and retrieved the chair. He brought the chair down on Dean's head. Again. And again. And again. And again. Filled with bestial rage, he crushed Dean's head until it was unrecognizable, but a pool of putrefied goo that oozed onto the floor. Dean Domino was dead, two hundred years too late. Once again, Dean had been undone by underestimating his partner.
Chapter 3
He rushed to Christine's body and undid her restrains. Her lifeless body fell into his arms. He wept freely, wailing her name aloud. He cradled her limp body, stroking the soft hair he'd grown to love so much. He didn't know how long he wept, cradling her body in her arms. Gradually, he composed himself, remembering there was still much to do, remembering her final words to him.
"I'll be back for you." He said to her body. He retrieved Dean's pistol and left the lab.
Right before his eyes was a map, detailing where he was. He studied it for several moments before plotting his course. The hallways were largely deserted. There was the odd Enclave personnel he was able to seek by. Everyone he saw was wearing grey uniforms and unarmed except for the odd officer with a sidearm. The base must've scrambled all its front line personnel to take part in the assault.
He cautiously wound his way around a few more corridors, down a narrow stairwell when he encountered an Enclave Officer.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Private Benny." He spat out instantly, without thinking it over.
"What the hell are you doing dressed up in those rags? Where's your uniform, soldier?"
"I eh... lost it, sir."
"Sir! Sir! Do I look like a sir to you? Look at me, you radioactive iguana! Do I look like a member of the male genus to you? You see these boobs? They're bigger than your damn balls, especially when I'm done crushing them! Secondly, I'm not an officer numbnuts! I work for a living you moronic slab of mutated maggot meat! Don't three chevrons mean anything to you, you RadScorpion breeding, radioactive parasite! I am Sergeant Hartmam! The Angel of Death herself!"
"I lost my uniform, sergeant."
"You did more than lose a uniform! You lost an expensive piece of government property! Why you little maggoty moron you make me want to vomit! You are going to personally spend the next thousand and one years working in this man's army until you pay off the cost of that uniform and after that you're gonna spend the next five hundred years with my boot lodged up your ass because you're such a goddamn moron! Christ! You look you just paid some ghoul whore to bleed from her cunt onto your shirt. Get to the Quartermaster now before you turn into a fucking mutie!"
"Yes Sergeant!"
"Actually, before you go to the Quartermaster, get yourself to the head and take a fucking shower! You smell worse than a herd of Brahmin with diarrhea! When was the last time you showered, private? When dinosaurs roamed the earth! Goddamnit! Everyone else is fighting mutant morons and I'm stuck back here with the maggot meat! Do you know why I'm stuck back here?"
"No Sergeant."
"Because of professional misconduct, I'm on administrative leave. They say I yell too much! They say I'm meaner than a Deathclaw and that I hurt people's precious feelings! Do you believe that?"
"Yes Sergeant!"
"Wrong answer moron! I've had enough of you! After you get showered, get yourself a uniform, meet me on the parade square in 30 mikes. I'm going to take a personal interest in seeing you suffer. Understand?"
"Yes Sergeant!"
The Sergeant stormed past him, fuming audibly, not bothering to check upon the Courier any further. The Courier breathed a sigh of relief. He'd never had an encounter quite like that before.
He was nearing the reactor room, just around the corner. He saw the words "Ice cream" written on the wall. If only there were barracks on the way, he could've stolen a uniform or even a passkey. He opened the door to the reactor room and cautiously looked inside. It was a typical reactor room full of centrifuges and computer terminals.
He spotted the mainframe, directly ahead of him. He silently crept in. He didn't see anyone. That made him nervous. Surely they would've used security measures. A Mister Gutsy floated from above in front of him. "Unidentified personnel. Please submit password or security measures will be activated." The robot was too far away for him to attempt to deactivate it. His pistol would do little good against its armour. He only had one try.
"Ice Cream." He was desperate and remembered the graffiti outside.
"Thank you, you may proceed soldier."
He couldn't believe that had worked. He hurriedly walked over to the mainframe and activated the interface. It was a standard RobCo model. After several attempts he deducted the correct password.
He looked at the options, disbelieving his luck.
Reactor Status-Nominal
Reactor Safety Protocols-Active
Adjust Reactor Settings
He disengaged the Reactor safety protocols; this would hopefully prevent any alarm from sounding. Then he went into the Reactor Settings Submenu. He increased the output of every reactor to maximum levels within the base, and initiated the drainage of all the tanks.
Warning! Current settings could result in critical overload of all systems within 15.5313432 minutes. Are you sure you wish to proceed? Y/N
He checked the time, clicked yes, smashed the interface and ran out the reactor room. He ran towards the lab, not caring if anyone saw him. He bumped into a couple of people. They both called him an asshole but otherwise ignored him.
He found Christine as he'd left her. He gathered her and slung her body over his shoulder. Attempting to retrace their steps would take too long. His best bet was to head towards the hanger. Maybe he could hijack a Vertibird. It was difficult to move hauling her body like this, with his free hand he gripped the pistol. The Hangar was just a few turns away.
He opened the doors leading to the hangar and shielded himself from the blinding light. The skies above him were wide open. He looked around and realized the hangar, the base, was built into the crater. The strange blackened ground was actually the doors that hid this base from view.
The Hangar was largely deserted. To his right were dozens of supply crates and barrels. Small sheds built into the steel floor, electrical generators perforated the walls of the hangar, dozens of thick cables coiled around them. He saw no one walking around, no sentries, no flight crews, and no soldiers. To his left he saw a handful of Vertibirds resting on the ground. Their cargo holds were empty though he could see movement in some of their cockpits. He made his way for the nearest one, moving as fast as he could.
"Stop right there!" A voice behind him shouted.
Slowly he turned around; two sentries were pointing their plasma rifles at him. They weren't wearing Power Armour, only the standard grey uniforms. He knelt down and gently lowered Christine's body onto the ground.
"Drop your weapon." He did as asked.
He looked at a digital clock behind them. The reactor would go in about 8 minutes.
"Who are you?" One of them asked.
"I'm the Courier."
They looked at another.
"What, you deliver pizza or something?"
"Not pizza." He answered.
"What then?"
"Death."
The two sentries looked at another and were about to share a laugh. The Courier never gave them that opportunity; he activated his GRX Implant and rushed them. He ran behind them and snapped both of their necks. Their bodies fell loudly to the ground. He looked around. No one else was around. He grabbed one of the fallen sentry's plasma rifles and rushed over to Christine, hoisting her body over his shoulder.
He quickly trotted over to the nearest Vertibird without further incident.
He gently dropped Christine's body into one of the seats.
"Well, what's the word? Oh shit!"
The Courier pointed his plasma rifle at the pilot.
"Take off. Now. Don't use your radio."
The pilot nodded, her eyes full of fear. She was a fresh young girl, not even 20 years old.
The Courier strapped Christine's body in as the doors closed. The engines began loudly whirring to life. The Courier joined the pilot in the cockpit, sitting in the co pilot's seat.
"We're heading to New Vegas. We need to get there ASAP." The pilot nodded, her eyes fearful as ever as the Vertibird lifted off into the Mojave sun. He looked out the window towards the abandoned house. He saw his Securitrons and ED-E sprawled on the ground, surrounded by the debris of their robotic entrails. A few lifeless suites of Power Armour surrounded them. They hadn't gone quietly but it was small comfort as he had another companion to mourn.
Chapter 4
The concussion of the explosion rocked the Vertibird, but the pilot held it steady. He felt a small sense of satisfaction, but there was still much to do. He heard the pilot sob quietly, she was trying to hide it. There was a part of him that wanted to console her, but he remembered what had happened the last time he'd tried that.
The Courier was unable to hide his own anxiety as the Vertibird flew towards his city. Blooms of smoke filled the sky, nearer and nearer. "From what I can hear on the radio, battle sounds pretty brutal." The pilot told him.
"Battles are always brutal. They just get fiercer."
"All sorts of weird shit going on."
"Like what?"
The pilot hesitated. "Like some shit about an old Pre-War bomber bombing troops on the ground. Some teams getting hit bad by artillery fire... Those robots are pretty fucking tough... Just heard something about Super Mutants...Sniper Fire around a camp in the West side's a real pain in the ass...Something about a ghoul in a sombrero...It's fucked up."
New Vegas was in sight. The Towers of the Strip stood proudly as ever, though surrounded by uncountable plumes of smoking billowing in the sky. He saw dozens of destroyed Vertibirds. He saw flashes of fighting in the North and Northwestern outskirts of the city. They were passing near Raul's shack.
"Land here." The Courier said. Any closer they risked being shot down.
The pilot gently set the Vertibird down. The Courier thanked her as he left the cockpit; he untied Christine's body and hauled her over his shoulder.
"What about me?" The pilot plaintively whined, lowering the cargo doors.
He turned to face her.
"You have to let go of the past. Find new reasons to live, new ways to do things. That's what I'm fighting for. You're fighting the wars of the past. You throw around the name United Sates of America like it means something. It doesn't. That world died in nuclear fire two hundred years ago. It's time for a New World. The Old World has to die. Do you want to be part of the New World, or the Old?"
She thought it over before unstrapping herself and together they left the Vertibird.
The fighting in their sector had died down. Scores of dead Enclave soldiers littered their path. It was rare to find a dead Securitron. He guessed there was maybe one Dead Securitron for every 20 Enclave soldiers. They heard the sounds of battle, towards Westside and Camp McCarran, explosions, plasma fire, laser fire, rifle fire, vague screams.
The New Vegas Medical Clinic was damaged, but still standing. He asked the pilot to open the door for him.
A couple of Follower Guards pointed their rifles at him but quickly lowered them when they saw who he was. They stared in open bewilderment, not believing who they saw. The Clinic was overflowing with the wounded, the dead and those in between. The floors soaked in blood. Screams of agony echoed throughout the small edifice. Outside these men and women were partisans on opposite sides, here they were equals.
"How's everyone?" He asked a guard.
"Could be better. We took a couple of hits but nothing too serious. We could use more help. It's tough to operate on someone wearing Power Armour, removing it is a real pain in the ass. Dr. Usanagi's outside somewhere, treating more wounded out there."
He'd wanted to drop off her body here, but that wasn't going to work. He left the clinic.
"What's your name, by the way?"
"Flight Lieutenant Gabrielle Dornan."
"You should choose your own name from now on."
"Okay." She said unsurely, following him as they made their way westward. She clutched her sidearm as they moved from building to building.
At the H&H Tools building he finally saw a Securitron mopping up a couple of Enclave troops. He waved it down and it quickly sped towards him.
Yes Man's cheerful mug appeared on the screen.
"Hi Boss. I'm glad you could make it. Say, what..."
"Never mind. What's going on?"
"The Enclave began attacking us 3 hours ago. A group of Six Vertibirds landed north east of here, another six landed north of here, another six landed just outside of Westide and four more landed outside Camp McCarran. We detected their arrival so we were able to position Securitrons to appropriate locations. The Boomers used their artillery to lay down suppressing fire on those who got too close to their base, then mopped them up the old fashioned way! They also used their B-29 to carpet bomb a whole bunch of them. That was too much fun to see those Power Armoured mooks blown up! You should've seen it, boss! 30 Minutes after the first landing the Nightkin and Super Mutants from Jacobstown arrived on the scene to help out. Camp McCarran withstood a heavy assault, thanks to an old sniper friend of ours and our new recruits. A couple of Vertibirds tried to land at Hoover Dam, but they were shot down. A further six tried to land on the Strip and Freeside, but the 38's laser batteries dealt with them. Currently, enemy forces are 90% eliminated, all Vertibirds destroyed. We should finish them off in the next 20 minutes or so. I think we have this under control. I can't calculate casualties at the moment, a lot of outlying buildings have been severely damaged but the walls and gates still stand. Get yourself back to the 38."
"Listen, if any of them surrender, don't kill them."
"Understood, boss."
Dornan looked at him. "What now?"
"We move on."
Epilogue
"These brave men and women who fought and died a few days ago defending this new nation did not die fighting the past. Though they were killed by the ghosts of the Old World, they fought defending the future; they fought defending the New World. We shall honour and remember their sacrifice. Not as martyrs, not as icons we pay lip service to on certain days of the year, but as reminders that war never changes, and so it is people who must change. We must let go of the past and look to the future. While there is some value in the past, the greatest harm has been caused by those who refuse to let go of the past, those who are afraid to begin again, those who learn the wrong lessons of history. The future of New Vegas lies in your hands as much as it does mine. We will soon have AutoDocs that can cure any aliment, any injury, Matter Replicators which can create any item such as food or medical aid with the insertion of a simple chip; soon we'll be able to feed everyone thanks to Salient Green. With the help of these technologies, and more, we will be able to forever banish the nightmare of history from these lands and begin anew."
The crowd erupted in applause. They'd all gathered in Camp McCarran, too many coffins behind him, emblazoned with the flag of the Ace of Spades, the flag of New Vegas. To his left in impeccable formation was the First New Vegas Regiment, standing proudly at attention, with their new uniforms and new rifles that had served so well. Not a single casualty during the entire battle, yet they demolished every Enclave force they encountered.
He saw a few familiar faces in the crowd. Raul Tejada. One minute, he'd been working in his shack. The next, with Power Armoured troops roaming by, he donned his old Vaquero outfit and got to work, defending the city he'd come to believe in. Marcus and a few Super Mutants were towards the back of the crowd, he thought he saw Dog/God, but wasn't sure. They'd played a huge role in the defence of the city and he'd make sure it would not go unremarked or unrewarded.
He saw a few Boomers, looking uncomfortable, surrounded by the "savages" they were slowly beginning to realize they had much in common. The families of the Strip were there, they'd sent their own muscle to help bolster the city's defences. He saw familiar faces from the Thorn. When news of the attack hit, The Thorn sent all their hunters to the surface to fight the invaders. There were rumours some Enclave soldiers had been taken alive, and were now the newest attraction in the Thorn arena. Away from the crowd, standing atop the El Ray motel was a lone figure. He wore a duster with an old world flag and dreadlocked hair. He could not see it, but the man wore a content, if cautious, smile.
He wept as he backed away from the podium, he couldn't hold back the tears anymore. Despite the positive words and emotions, it was hard to feel happy. It was impossible not to think of Christine Royce. Her body in a wooden casket, just a few feet away, forever away him.
He sat in the Lucky 38 Cocktail Lounge, sipping a Scotch straight from the bottle as the evening sun drifted gently below the horizon. His eyes red and moist, thinking of the love he'd lost. The wounds as fresh and searing as it had been a week ago.
"Boss, I took the liberty of finding a visitor for you." Yes Man announced over the intercom, shattering the suffocating silence.
"What? I told you, no visitors!" There was no answer. He stood and walked towards the elevator. The doors opened and there stood Rose of Sharon Cassidy. His apprehension vanished and he dropped the bottle. They rushed towards another and feverishly embraced.
"I need you." He whispered into her ear, holding her tightly.
"I need you, too." She whispered back, holding onto him desperately.
"I'm here for you." He said to her.
"I'm here for you too." She answered back, knowing they would be there for another until the end of their days.
THE END