Fallout Legends
Episode Three
The Hunter and the Hunted
The Mojave Desert
2292
Fugitives: Day One
Phil and Simon had been walking for hours trying to move as fast as possible to get as far away from the Strip. The night before, they were engaged in a misunderstanding that led to a firefight in the King's School of impersonation which led them to become fugitives. These events led them to journey across the Mojave Desert in an attempt to clear their name.
"You want to make a stop anywhere?" Simon asked, breaking a silence that lasted either a few minutes or a few hours, they weren't sure walking through a desert.
"No, we haven't got a lot of time to make stops right now, and if there were time, I would have no place to make a stop to. Why do you think I was wasting my life in Vegas?" Phil replied.
Simon was about to speak, but decided against it, he didn't want to stir any trouble with, who as of now, was the only person he could rely on.
This triggered another long silence… or maybe it was short. Who knows?
"So tell me, who are you?" Simon asked, breaking that second silence.
"What do you mean?" Phil replied curiously.
"I mean who are you? Where are you from? If I'm going to be traveling with you for however long it takes, I might as well know who I'm traveling with" Simon answered, trying to engage a conversation.
"Well, I was a member of the Ceasar's Legion until their fall during the second battle of Hoover Dam. I did many terrible things back then, all of which I'm ashamed of to this day. It was during that battle that I realised, all the terrible things I did I would never be able to forget and let go. So for a while, I lived in Novac, but the thoughts of the past came crawling back. I then decided that I'll drink myself to death, but I couldn't do it. I blame the war for destroying me, if I died, I would have been saved" Phil explained, it was the first time he opened up to someone in a while and he felt rather moved by it.
"I'm sorry if I seem a little of edge, but my mother was killed by the Legion years back. But I can see you're a changed man. I don't blame you for her death, but I'm still wary of your past" Simon replied.
Phil stopped in his tracks and looked at Simon with a smile. His eyes were beginning to water.
"Are you okay?" Simon asked.
"Yes" Phil smiled, it was the first time he had received any sense of forgiveness in a long time.
However, not too far from their position, Boone was laying on the floor, his Sniper at the ready.
He then took out a packet of cigarettes from his pocket and put one in his mouth.
Freeside
Rodney walked down the streets of Freeside. He had not left the Strip in years, he had no reason to. It was only until the recent events that took place the night before that he had any reason to leave. He was starting the final chapter of his life, his last adventure, and he was going to tie up all loose ends from his old life. His shotgun was holstered and his leather armour still fit him. He was ready to learn who killed his old war buddy. But before he could do that, he had to find his old team mates, they should help him.
"Hey you!" a voice called out.
Rodney turned round to see a thug pointing a knife at him.
"Give me your shit" the Thug threatened.
"I'm carrying a Shotgun that is fully loaded at my fingertips which I can get to faster than you can talk. You have a knife which I can easily move out of the way of any attack you may throw at me due to your inability to move as quickly as I can leap from attacks. Face it, what chance do you have?" Rodney gave the man a smile that said "You fuck with me; I'm going to fuck with you."
The thug looked at him as if he was Mad.
"You're Mad" the Thug cried as he run off down the street.
"No, I'm not" Rodney whispered to himself as he made his way through Freeside.
Hidden Valley
Simon and Phil had been walking since the morning, the day had turned to dusk which left the two fugitives exhausted.
"We should find a place to stay" Simon said.
"Agreed" Phil replied.
"Maybe we can stay in one of these Bunkers" Simon suggested.
"Yep, which one?" Phil asked.
"I don't know lets pick one at random" Simon shrugged as they both entered a Bunker together.
Unbeknown to them, they were followed by Boone, who stood outside the Bunker they had just entered, studying his attack.
He took out his pistol and held it tightly in his hands. He had been longing for this moment for so many years, and now, he was going to get it. It had been the face that was burned into his skull for many years, the face he would never forget.
He put his hand on the door to open it.
But was he really ready?
Was this how he wanted to end his quest for Vengeance?
He trembled.
No!
He had to end this there and then. It had to be finished. He had to fulfil his thirst for vengeance, only then could he be truly complete.
Simon and Phil were lying on the hard ground. They didn't find anything that could be remotely used as a bed and so the floor was the only option. But they didn't care, for all the trouble they were in, not finding a bed was the least of their worries.
"Do you think this would be a good spot to hide for a while?" Simon asked.
"No, if I know the NCR, they would search everywhere. If we wanted to escape from them, leaving NCR territory would be a start. But A. we don't know what's out there and B. they will find us eventually" Phil replied.
At that moment, the Bunker door opened.
Simon and Phil shot up and took out their guns.
"Who is it?" Phil called out.
There was no reply.
Footsteps echoed towards them. A shadow walked closer to them until light hit down on them.
"Who are you?" Phil asked.
"By name is Boone, and I'm here to kill you" the Sniper replied, pointing his pistol towards Phil.
"Are you with the NCR?" Simon cried.
"No. I was once. Didn't work out" Boone answered.
"Then why do you want to kill me?" Phil questioned the Sniper's motives.
"You were there, all those years ago. You were the one who was ready to Auction my wife. Standing up there, looking so ashamed. You were standing next to her, no guilt, no mercy. Just you and the Legion. You were ready to sell her to the highest bidder like a piece of meat. I watched as she was humiliated by your words. I pulled the trigger and ended any misery those words may have impacted her. I'm here to the pull the trigger on you" there was no mercy or sorrow in Boone's words. He had become an emotionless figure, someone who was to be feared by all who cross him.
"I know that whatever I say, it will never change what happened. I know that if I say I'm sorry, it won't make anything good. I'm not begging for forgiveness and if this was any other time, I would ask you to pull the trigger. But the boy, he needs me, he needs me to help him clear his name. He was put into a misunderstanding last night. I'm the only person who can help him. So please, save the boy's life, not mine, and don't shoot" Phil cried.
Boone looked at Simon and studied him for a minute.
"Believable story. Don't buy it" Boone kicked the story out as he turned back to Phil.
"Look, I don't know who you are, or how you found us, but I'm in the same boat as you. My mother was killed by the Legion when I was a kid. I can't justify what he has done, but he has spent the last few years suffering from his actions. He has had to relive everyday knowing what he did was wrong. No one's asking you to forgive him, but let it go. He has spent years killing himself for what he did; don't kill him for what will that make you?" Simon tried to reason with Boone.
The sniper took a moment to process what was being said.
"I kill you, he kills me. Seems like a deal" Boone said as he got ready to fire.
Bang!
Mojave Desert
Rodney trekked across the Desert, his rifle in his hands, waiting for anyone that tries to fuck with him. He figured his first step should be Novac, where his friend Bobby lives.
"I just hope you're still alive" Rodney whispered to himself, he believed that if Bobby was still alive in Novac, he would be able to find the rest of his old squad.
The Desert was warm that night, and the Lonesome traveller found the trek rather easy. There wasn't many hostile creatures roaming out for some reason. Rodney thought this was strange as he heard tales from NCR soldiers who would patrol these parts at night and face was seemed unbeatable monsters. But for tonight, there was none. Maybe it was too warm for them.
Or maybe it was something else.
Bunker, Hidden Valley
Bang!
Boone fell to the floor, and a blood puddle surrounded him.
"What did you do?" Phil asked, angrily.
"He was about to kill you, I had to stop him" Simon replied, he felt bad through, Boone's story affected him harder than he thought it would.
"So what do we do now?" Simon cried.
"I don't know, I guess we'll have to sleep here and see what happens tomorrow" Phil sighed.
Novac
The Next Day
Rodney arrived at the gates of Novac, it was a bright, sunny day. He was growing tired for walking all night, but he had no time to rest. As he walked in, he was greeted by a young woman in a pink dress.
"Hello, I'm Lucy, and welcome to Novac" she smiled.
"Hello" Rodney returned the smile.
"What brings you here?" Lucy asked.
"I'm looking for an old friend of mine, Bobby?" Rodney replied.
"Ah, old Bob. Yes, he is in the Hotel, third door on the ground" Lucy answered.
Rodney followed her directions and opened the door. There he saw an old man lying on his bed. He was bald and looked very ill and weak.
"Bobby?" Rodney cried.
The old man turned and faced him.
"Rodney" the old man smiled.
Rodney walked in and sat on the chair by his bedside.
"Look at you. You look like shit" Rodney laughed.
"And so you do" Bobby laughed with him; the two men shared a close bond with one another. Their friendship was just as strong as the last time they saw each other.
"What brings you here to see an old dying man like me?" Bobby asked.
"It's Adam, he died" Rodney cried.
Bobby looked shocked. He didn't expect the one member who stayed on in the NCR to die before he did.
"How?" Bobby asked.
"He was killed. I'm actually looking into it" Rodney replied.
"And so why did you come to me" Bobby was confused; he felt a little cheated that his best friend would go to him requiring a murder.
"I came to find the old squad, find out who is behind all this as I believe one of us may have murdered him" Rodney explained.
Next Episode: The First Clue