The Flags We Bear
Well everyone, it's the end of the year! We've had some highs, some lows and a lot of surprises. 2017 has definitely been a mixed bag of a year for me; I've lost some friends, met some new friends, and I have definitely changed as a person. I've deleted quite a few stories, but also managed to notch up quite a few new stories. So like I said, its definitely been a mixed bag of a year for me. All I can say is that I hope 2018 is a less stressful year for everyone, and I wish nothing but happiness for anyone who reads this. Anyway, lets read this story!
I do not own Fallout New Vegas, that belongs to Bethesda and Obsidian.
As the Courier collapsed to the ground, clutching at his injured arm and cursing up a storm, he couldn't help but feel some sense of surprise. When he had lured Elijah down into the Vault, Eli Cameron had expected to be able to a somewhat kick fight before tossing the old bastard over the ledge and into the Cloud below. What Eli had not been suspecting was for Elijah to not be able to hold his own, but even outsmart Eli.
The old Brotherhood Elder proved to be surprisingly competent in battle, able to move around and throw punches that no elderly human being with arthritis and breathing problems should be able to do. The Courier had to admit he was impressed the old timer could still go, at least until the sneaky bastard pulled out a knife and jammed it right into Eli's arm. While Eli managed to dislodge that goddamn weapon, it definitely had taken a toll on him. Everything then went downhill for Eli, and how he currently found himself down on the ground, trying to figure out what the hell he should do next.
"You arrogant fool." Father Elijah growled, his words laced with pure fury. "You thought you could stop me? After all the time I have spent, all the effort and bodies I've used up just to get here? You think I'd let some ignorant Wastelander take everything away from me!?"
Eli looked up at Elijah and was about to spout off some barbed insults, before finding his words dying on his lips. The crazy fucker was practically frothing at the mouth, his dirty white hair all messed up and unkempt and his eyes blazing with anger. As Eli looked into Elijah's eyes, he was reminded of a childhood memory, a memory he hadn't thought of in many years. His poor dog Rowan, getting bit by some wild mongrel and turning rabid, forcing Eli's dad to put the old boy down. But Eli could still remember the frantic look in Rowan's eyes before he got shot in the face, and it was the exact same look Elijah had on his face right now; of a rabid animal that needed to be put down.
And even worse for Eli, the old Brotherhood Elder was currently pointing a Tesla Canon right at his face. While Elijah definitely wasn't in the best of health and was more than likely way past his prime, but not even a blind man could miss a shot at this range; if Elijah got any closer to the Courier, he'd be stepping right on Eli's throat.
"I will wipe the slate clean and purge the Mojave of its impurities." Elijah breathed. "And I think I shall start with you, Courier. You were useful, most useful. But your usefulness is done…."
"Oh shut the fuck up and shoot me." Eli interrupted, letting out an annoyed grunt. "Death would be better than hearin' your ramblings, you crazy fucker."
"Impertinent to the end, I see." Elijah grunted. "Be happy then Courier, that you helped to change the world for the better."
"And kill the Brotherhood? McNamara, Hardin, Veronica?" Eli asked. "Betray the only people who gave a shit 'bout ya?"
"The Brotherhood…they were disappointments, too afraid to see change." Elijah explained. "HELIOS One...opened my eyes to the truth. The Brotherhood needed to begin again, shed its old form and start life anew. The Cloud, the Sierra Madre…that is the answer to all my problem. A new world will begin, with the Brotherhood of Steel at its head and the Sierra Madre at its heart."
"Traitor!" A new voice shouted, anger evident to the tone
Elijah and Eli both looked towards the elevator, confusion evident on both of their faces. Before either of them could respond, the sound of a gun firing filled the air, quickly followed by Father Elijah stumbling backwards, blood spewing from his new wounds. The Tesla Cannon tumbled from the Brotherhood Elder's hands, hitting the ground with a loud clang.
As the mysterious shooter emerged from the shadows and became visible to the two men, the Courier's eyes widened once he saw it was Christine Royce with a police pistol in her hands. Christine remained silent, her eyes focused right on Father Elijah. As Elijah tried to stem the bleeding from his wounds, he stared at Christine. A flash of some foreign emotion flickered in his eyes, recognition maybe? Fear? Whatever the look was, it quickly disappeared, as Christine fired the pistol. Elijah's head snapped back and his body crumpled to the ground in a heap, his face a bloody and unrecognizable mess.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl for the Courier, as he finally felt some relief. Finally, after all the crazy shit he'd been forced to deal with in this hellhole, it was done. But just as Eli leaned his head against the metal wall behind him and let out a relieved sigh, he heard it. The low beeping sound, that goddamn beeping sound that let him know his head was about to go boom. Eli whipped his head towards Christine, to see her bomb collar was also beeping.
"Oh shit." Eli swore.
The Courier and Christine laid down on the couches in Vera Keyes suite, trying to catch their breath. How they managed to get to the elevator in time, Eli wasn't sure; time just seemed to blur for him, as he rushed past all the Cloud and holograms. But finally, thankfully, it was over. The collars were dead, Elijah was rotting in the Vault, and he could get home. Well, once the Stimpacks did their job and he stopped hurting like a sonnabitch. But once that was over, he'd be making a beeline straight for the Lucky 38 and downing as much booze as possible.
"So, where is everyone else?" Christine inquired. "Dog and Dean?"
"Dog…he was too far gone ta help 'im; burnt himself alive." Eli explained, shaking his head sadly. "As for Dean, shot the sneaky bastard and left him for dead. The fucker planned on stabbin' us in the back and tryin' to snag all that gold himself; been plannin' this for the 200 years, and wasn't afraid to get his hands bloody."
"Glad to hear that." Christine responded. "Never trusted that Ghoul."
"Funny thing is I'd have let him have it." Eli explained. "Ain't gonna lug all that shit home; fuckin' huge target on my back if I did."
The Brotherhood scribe just let out a grunt and nodded her head, letting silence reign in the dusty old suite. After a few moments, Eli slowly got up and stretched, his back cracking and snapping like a set of fire crackers. The Courier slowly turned around and faced the scarred woman, an interested look evident on his face.
"So…ya really stayin' here?" The Courier asked. "Was hopin' ya might change your mind, honestly."
"I need to stay here, Eli." Christine explained. "What if another one like Elijah comes here, and actually succeeds? This place has the potential to kill the entire Mojave, and needs to be watched over. I'm sorry, but I have to stay behind. This place needs to be guarded, to be prevented from ever becoming a weapon."
"…Alright, I can understand that." Eli muttered, making his way towards the exit. "Well then, guess its sayonara. Good luck with this place, Christine."
"Wait, before you go." Christine responded, a hesitant tone to her voice. "I need to talk to you, about the courier, the one with the flag on his back."
Eli stopped dead in his tracks, his nose just brushing against the faded doors to the suite. There it was, the behemoth in the room, that damn courier again. This mysterious bastard with a flag on his back, with the who seemed to be haunting his every step ever since Eli wandered into the Mojave. This fucking courier, who seemed to be more legend than person, who everyone seemed to know and yet no-one could find. And given that this fucker was indirectly responsible for him getting shot in the face and buried in a shallow grave, Eli definitely wanted to find this slippery bastard.
"Alright, ya got my interest." The Courier stated, turning around to face Christine. "Who's this courier, that both Elijah and ya seem to know?"
"I don't know much about him, we only met briefly and I was recovering from…the surgeries done to me at Big MT. I don't even think he told me his name." Christine explained, running her fingers across the scars on her face. "But he was interested in discussing philosophy, especially about the Brotherhood and our stance on technology. He also warned me, to not follow Elijah to the Sierra Madre. Guess I should have listened to him, huh?"
"Anythin' ya can tell me about this guy?" Eli inquired. "Cause so far the only people who have met this guy is a crazy Brotherhood elder and some old fool from Primm who can't even remember what he ate for breakfast this mornin'."
"His hair was…weird, like tied up? I can't explain it, but it was unique. A hair style I've never seen before. He had dark skin, and worse some kind of breather." Christine answered. "And his duster, it had the old world flag on it."
"Ya mean the flag of America?" The Courier asked. "Now that's definitely somethin' unique."
"And he had a message for you, something he wants you to hear." Christine continued. "Something about making you walk to the west and sinking your feet in ash, and see what happened in the Divide. I still don't understand what he meant; I mean, there's nothing in the Divide. It's just dead land there, right?"
"…."
"Eli?"
"He said the Divide?"
"Well, yeah. He seemed really obsessed with the Divide, convinced that there was something there. Why, does it have some special meaning to you?"
"Oh, the Divide does have some meaning to me. And this courier fucker has now pissed me off."
"Why? What's wrong?"
"I was there when the Divide went to shit, when everythin' blew the fuck up and died. I thought I was the only one that managed to survive, but I guess I'm wrong if what you're sayin' is true."
"….You're gonna journey to the Divide?"
"Yeah, but not yet." The Courier answered, cracking his knuckles. "This mysterious bastard wants to send me a message? Well then, I'm gonna wait and see. Would be rude to hunt the fucker down before he sends me his invitation, after all. And when he does…I'm gonna find this courier and get some answers, and maybe shoot him."
And The Flags We Bear is done and dusted! I'd like to thank Talarc, QUEENSPELLER67, Mandalore the Freedom, TMDF-Artyom, PaladinDelta, Fanfictionfan3601, Dragonbornwanderer, Jacob Sailer, Iridescent Isabelle, Starship King, Pro Assassin, Alexeij, Squasher, Leaf Ranger, Solivore, hopelessromantic34, JayceCarter, AliceEdwins, crackinglamb, Feral21, Azuki Rose, Blindluck92, Rogue Warden, ghost company, NyxShadowFur, Words Dance, Curie-ous, MisfitArtist, Cloud F11, CynicSun92, Nawghty, HappinessIsBlau, IamtheAble and colstrent for all of their support and reviews. All of these people have played an important role in my life for this year and I thank and appreciate each and every one of them. I hope all of my readers have a Happy New Year and enjoy a peaceful end to 2017!
Love,
The Desert Dancer