Boone didn't have to travel with the Courier more than two days before he found out that she had a mouth on her. That and a knack for having to help every person she came across. Not that he thought it was wrong to help people in need but this was just ridiculous.
The first recon sniper watched the area in front of the REPCONN factory through the crosshairs of his scope. He winced as the Courier, making too much noise for his taste, crawled up on her belly to where he lay.
"What we got Booners?" she basically shouted.
He glared at the twenty three year old, who most of the time acted like she was seventeen, "an ass load of ghouls in our faces if you don't pipe down, and how many times have I told you not to call me that".
When he looked back into his scope she stuck her tongue out at him and took out her binoculars, "hmm", she hummed. "Not too bad I only see about six of them".
"And probably more inside", he replied pulling back his gun and reloading his sniper. "Remind me why we're doing this again?"
"Remind me why you keep complaining", she retorted, "Novac needs this factory or something like that, and Manny said he'd give me some info on Benny if we do this".
Boone furrowed his brow. He found himself questioning, more than not, why he decided to follow this childlike adult. Especially when she took way too many risks for his taste and talked a little too much for someone that took a bullet to the head. When he first saw her practically crawling up the road to Novac he thought nothing of it, but after she had cleverly investigated the mystery of his wife's' seller he couldn't tell her no on the offer to come with her. He had to make himself useful somehow, and if she was determined on killing Legion just as much as he was then it didn't sound like such a bad idea after all.
"We could have just broke in to his house and hacked his computer", he replied not to fond of doing a job for Manny.
The Courier pursed her lips at him, a look he had already knew meant 'just shut up and get to work'.
He rolled his eyes, "fine you go down first, take out a few and I'll follow behind and get a couple headshots in".
Her grin was almost feral as she pulled out her cowboy repeater, a weapon of hers that wasn't in its best condition. "Don't leave me hangin", she said quickly before sliding down the slope. Boone choked for a moment on the dust she threw up and peered through his crosshairs. He watched her carefully as the attention of the first four ghouls turned to the courier when she charged in. Like puppets on strings they scrambled toward her.
He took out one with a clean bullet to the head and watched as she used her repeater to nail down another then shot at another who quickly replaced it. Courier, or Six, as he had come to call her since she didn't remember her name wasn't very skilled at handling guns, but what she lacked in weaponry she made up for in her lock pick, speech and science abilities. He told her that in their spare time he would help her aim.
Once she had taken out three he killed another on his way down the slope. When they regrouped at the base of the stairs they charged up them and simultaneously took out the last two on the outside.
"Are you coming?" he said impatiently at the door.
The courier made a face at the dead ghoul that stared up at her through lifeless, creepy eyes, "I forget how ugly these guys are".
"I'm sure they think the same thing of us".
The pair walked into the building closing the door behind them, sheathing the place in darkness. It took a few moments for the couriers eyes to adjust but when they did all she saw was an empty lobby with a model rocket still hanging on the ceiling.
"hmm", she placed both hands on hips and turned to him smugly, "looks like no one's home after all".
Boone rose a brow and with catlike reflexes whipped his rifle around. Her eyes went as wide as saucers as she quickly ducked in time for a bullet to fly over and hit a charging ghoul right in between the eyes. He couldn't help but smile faintly while she shook.
"You were saying", Boone reloaded the missing bullet.
"Hey over here!"
They both jumped and turned weapons ready at the sound of a scratchy voice coughing through an intercom on the wall next to Boone.
"Are you listening?"
"Now who the heck could that-"
"Go to the metal staircase on the east side of this building and take the metal staircase all the way up, and hurry!"
"Who are you?" Six shouted back.
"It doesn't matter smoothskin now hurry!"
The other end clicked off.
"Smoothskin?" Six looked over at Boone who just shook his head.
"Well he sure sounds peachy. Let's check it out". '
The recon huffed as he followed the courier into the dark halls. She turned her pipboy light on giving them some kind of visibility, and as soon as she did two ghouls came around the corner, their eyes lit aglow by the green aura she was emitting.
"Zombies!" she shouted as she took one of them down with three shots from a 10mm pistol to the head. Boone shot down another with two shots to its mutated chest. They regained themselves feeling uneasy about groping through the dark with only a small green light as company. After surviving surprise attacks from several ghouls on their way to the east side of the building they finally came to a room with stairs.
"Stairs finally! Please let there be normal people up there!" The courier sheathed her 10mm and started up.
"Doubt it", Boone grunted behind her.
They came to a locked door with another intercom on the wall. She pressed it hesitantly, "hello? We fought our way through those ugly mofo's let us in now?"
"All right, smoothskin I'm letting you two in. You better watch yourself. I'll sure as hell be watching you".
Six mouthed the word 'creep' to Boone before the door hissed and slid open vertically.
A balding man that looked about in his late thirties wearing a white lab coat was there to greet them, none too friendly like. "God but are you ugly!"
The courier, with her mouth slightly open in irritation, glanced incredulously at Boone.
"Uh excus-"
"Get upstairs and talk to Jason before I throw up just from looking at you", he interrupted ignoring the glares he got from the taller man beside her.
"You're not a ghoul?" Boone replied with a slight hint of confusion in his voice.
"Your pranks won't work on me Smoothskin, and they won't work on Jason either".
"Smoothskin?" Six stepped piped putting her hands on her hips, "your skin looks pretty smooth to me bud".
Boone stopped her from advancing , "we'll be going now". He grabbed her shoulders and forcefully turned her before her mouth would get them all killed.
"Good riddance", he muttered at them as they ascended the stairs.
"Can you believe that guy? Called me ugly". She almost pouted but her attitude changed when she saw all the ghouls walking around in robes. He felt her shoulders tense before he released her as if she was expecting them to jump out and eat her brains.
A certain ghoul sitting at a table with two other followers stood to greet them, "Hello wanderers, please forgive us of our humble surroundings. Our true home awaits us in the far beyond". He was a Glowing One, supposedly able to distribute healing powers to those around him. Boone had seen their feral kind before and they were nasty enemies.
The lead ghoul clasped his hands together, "have you come to help us complete 'The Great Journey?'
Boone sighed inwardly. Another mission for another group of crackpots.
"Uh who are you?" Six asked with a brow raised.
The ghoul attempted a smile at her, "I am Jason Bright, the prophet of the Great Journey. All the ghouls you see here are members of my flock. I am in great need of your help with some demons".
Great a Jesus wannabe. Six cocked her hip to the side, "what demons?"
He looked off into the distance, "the demons are invisible. Where one stands the most one sees is the air shimmering, like sunlight on water…"
The courier snapped her fingers and he was back, "They set up when we were on our way to worship one morning. We had just entered the basement. My flock fought bravely, and killed a few but with a cost. Nearly half of us died or went missing. We retreated back up here. One of the demons raved at us but they haven't tried attacking us since. Still their demonic presence brought all progress on 'The Great Journey' at a standstill".
His eyes shifted hopefully between the two, "but now you have come. Once again the creator has sent a human to help us across the seemingly insurmountable obstacle".
"We didn't say anything about helping you. We just need you to leave". Boone replied bitterly not in the mood for a god wannabe's ridiculous stories.
Six glared at the taller sniper and made a dismissive gesture, "just ignore him he grows on you. How can we help?"
She smiled at his irritated groan.