A dead legend
It was nearing the night. So they made a fire outside, and made time to better acquaint themselves with each other. Exchanging names and stories.
Though, aside for the robot, the names were nicknames. It seems the two humans were still cautious, despite their shared goal.
He named himself Dead-Eye Diamond. Commonly called Diamond.
A nickname given to him because, even in the most distorted of light, in whatever place he found himself, he will hit anything dead-on.
The Diamond apparently applied to lighting distorting and splitting up.
He said he didn't particularly liked the name, but it was that or 'a-hole'.
He took the liberty to share his partner's nickname. The Shotgun Surgeon.
Named Surgeon in short. She didn't tell the story of her skill, but she did share how she shot off a man's ear who was holding someone hostage.
The poor sod didn't consider the second shot as he whailed in pain.
But when they turned to their metallic companion, the first words said wasn't a nickname, but questions.
They had guessed that she was a brain in a metal body, but they wanted to know more.
She lifted her metal hand, and started with her name.
Evelynn, she said. Commonly called Eve. The man said he once heard of an Eve or a Lynn.
They were the early days, a few years after he was born.
Eve nodded. She once was a legend. An independent mercenary figure, shouldered by men and women she trusted like family.
She didn't lead them, but they trusted her like a leader.
Her skill with a rifle was unmatched, and her tactics were superior to those of her opponents, except for one…
A peculiar raider. A cruel one, in the very least
It was a day of bad omen.
The sky was unusually dark, possibly the annual day where rain befell the mojave and showed mercy upon the dried plants that survived the harsh sun for so long.
Eve and her team were to take down a Raider Leader who had been planning organized attacks at randomized locations, usually traders but also less well protected NCR caravans.
The location was unfortunate, and soon enough she found herself captured as her remaining teammates were brutally murdered in front of her.
It was all planned, she was destined to see this, then be brought before their leader.
The man was a monster. Said he wanted to make an example of NCR's favorite hired gun.
One hand on her throat and his face near her, he wanted to see her cringe in fear as a knife served to rip open her clothing up front.
He wanted her naked and violated.
She'd have none of it. In a swift move, she bit at his nose and possibly even bit off a piece.
She wasn't sure anymore of that detail.
Instead, the knife now went into her, completely.
A stab that just missed the heart, but sliced downward across almost her entire body.
The pain was horrendous, she remembered. But she passed out quick enough.
What happened next was based on mere assumption.
She couldn't really see, but she could still feel, somewhat.
She could certainly hear, and somehow she spoke.
An image of a man appeared before her. It would turn out to be Mr. House.
"I've saved you.
You are a legend for these NCR and as much as I'd like them to submit to me, the idea of losing you would strike even harder in their upcoming strife.
So I have a proposition for you."
She tried to speak, say a few words.
"Yes, you can speak. Sadly, your brain had to be extracted from your body.
Your body… it is held elsewhere. Last I recorded, it was being kept in a tank so perhaps it can be saved.
Actually, this would be part of our deal."
She wasn't sure if she could express herself in any other way beyond words.
It was almost like a nightmare.
To be nothing more but a brain in huge jar, being told by a voice, the only sound that manages to come through, that you have no option but to submit.
"Work for me, and I will continue to preserve you.
I will give you a body to fight with, and you will be my pawn in the field. Enforcing my will."
He paused.
"And if you still want your old body back… I will see what I can do in recovering it from that damned mountain…"
Did she think to talk to him? Did she pretend to have lips to speak to him?
Somehow, she gave her consent, remembering vividly these words…
"Give me the prettiest body that you have.
Return to me my beauty and permit me my vengeance, and I will fight for you for however long you want me."
One word echoed in her head.
"Good."
Was it the silence? The uncertainty of the passage of time?
She heard nothing else, and nothing interacted with her.
It was simply darkness and no sound, which was almost the loudest and deafening sound existent.
For a moment she even believed to be in hell, or purgatory.
"I have worked hard on this." she heard.
"A dream for those who build robots. Nothing with wheels or unstable arms.
You are to be the first human remade out of metal…"
Then sight returned. And hearing. And speech. And a mirror, to observe the new body she was granted.
She looked pale, shiny and polished.
The kind of quality was unlike the world she was in. But only the best for employees of House.
Then the story of revenge was recounted. Her skills were optimized.
She was explained that only a brain adjusted to this level of skill could deal with mental shortcuts for such extreme precision and combat expertise that this body would allow.
A testament to this would be the fortified Raider encampment that she cleared out just to get back to the man who had ditched her body to rot in the hot sands.
She dreamed of shooting every limb and torturing him until he died.
But when the moment finally was there, she only needed to see his desperate and begging face to leave it to a bullet in the brain.
She had enough of this, of her life as a mercenary.
While she was on the leash of House, she at the time felt happy that she found a sense of purpose now.
A lord to serve. With no more needs such as food and a reduced requirement of sleep, she almost felt content to be in this situation.
"But how did you find us? Know of our common goal?" Surgeon asked.
"House has ears everywhere. Told me this man, this Bomber, was disturbing the status quo so harshly, he felt the need to step in."
She adjusted her metallic arm.
"Told me to find you on the way to this shack.
Said you might be hostile, I was to try and convince you two or… force the information out of you, had need be."
They looked at each other.
This was how it was going to go down.
Three guns against a bomber.
