Chapter 3: Withdrawl
Ker still didn't have enough caps for more ammo. By the time her and Boone had reached the 188, she'd managed to gather a fair bit of Xander root though. Along the way, Boone's sharp eyes had spotted a lone gecko and he'd taken it down in one shot. Ker traded the Xander root for some food to go with the gecko and as much water as she could get.
As much as camping in the trading post was safer, Ker preferred the wastes. Boone accompanied her over to a secluded sheltered spot within sight of the trading post. Ker went about preparing the gecko while Boone made a fire.
"What's wrong with you?" Ker asked conversationally as she put the steaks on the fire.
"Nothing." Boone said sternly.
"I'd be more inclined to believe you if weren't sweating profusely." Ker thought for a second without looking up from the cooking food.
Assessing situation.
"Your hands are shaking, and it's obvious you're in some kind of pain." Boone didn't respond so Ker kept prodding. "You reeked of alcohol when we first met. Does alcohol work like a drug? Are you in withdrawal?" Ker asked finally looking toward her companion. She could see the snarl on his face. He wanted to deny it, but he didn't. "Since you lost Carla, then?" She assumed. "Can't afford any fixer. Wouldn't buy it if I could."
"I'm fine."
"If you say so." Ker leaned back against a rock and watched the steaks cook. "Tell me one thing though: Did it help?"
Boone jerked his head up angrily. Was she judging him? He met her cold grey eyes but found nothing there, no judgement, no accusation, no anger; just an honest question. "Sometimes." He sighed. "For a little while."
"I never tried drowning my sorrows. It was never really an option for me." Ker said pensively, thinking back. "It makes you forget?" She asked curiously.
Boone grunted an acknowledgement.
"I can see the appeal then." Ker reached into her light pack. She pulled out a bottle of water and tossed it over the fire to Boone who caught it clumsily. "Drink all you can, try and get it out of your system." Ker paused for a second. "Will it get worse?"
"I don't know."
Ker just nodded and pulled some food off the fire to eat. "I think there's a vault nearby." She said after they finished eating and she was playing with her Pip-Boy. "Its location seems to be preprogrammed into my Pip-Boy. Might be worth exploring. Maybe I can find some decent supplies."
"Fine."
Ker looked up from her Pip-Boy. "Try and get some sleep."
Boone tossed and turned in the bedroll. His hands wouldn't stop shaking and his head wouldn't stop pounding. Finally after what felt like hours, he fell into a fitful sleep.
Ker finally heard Boone's breathing even out not long before her shift was up. She didn't wake him. She could function on only a few hours of sleep.
Stupid. Sniper's health is not you concern. Ker's father chastised.
I think its very kind! He looks exhausted. I feel so bad for him! I wish you could do more to help him. Sable added. There's more to the story though, isn't there?
Almost certainly. Sniper has secrets.
So do I. Ker pointed out.
Around 3:00am, Ker heard him mumbling again. Then he started breathing heavily. "Boone." Ker called from her spot by the small fire. He didn't wake. "Boone!" Ker shouted with authority. Boone sat up suddenly in the bedroll. He looked around in confusion before catching his breath.
"Your turn." Ker said when he finally looked over at her. He vacated the bedroll with a word and sat near the fire. Ker shrugged out of her duster and crumpled it into a ball as she walked over to the bedroll. "Here." She said as she dropped the duster in his lap. "Sweating like that in this cold isn't good for you." She then walked over and settled into the bedroll.
Dawn came very fast and the first rays of sunlight woke Ker. She sat up to find Boone exactly where he was when she went to sleep. The only difference was now he had her duster around his shoulders. They ate the leftovers from dinner for breakfast and Ker tossed Boone another bottle of water. As they got ready to go, Boone handed back her duster and they headed toward the nearby vault.
It didn't take long to reach the location on Ker's Pip-Boy. Once there, a quick scout of the area turned up the tunnel in the rocks. When they entered the tunnel, Ker immediately heard sounds of life. She drew her pistol with her right hand and her knife with her left. Supporting her pistol with her knife hand they explored the cave. The insects in the cave were no trouble and soon they came upon the massive open cog door of the vault.
"Dammit. Guess it's already been looted. Might still be some useful stuff left though." Ker shrugged and entered the vault. As she led the way through the vault, she kept glancing over at Boone, noting her looked worse than the night before. As they explored the rooms she heard him occasionally stumble behind her. What the hell had she gotten herself into? Ker felt the shift in the atmosphere before she knew what it was. She heard Boone stop behind her and out of the corner of her eye saw him raise his rifle.
Alert! Poor decisions have consequences!
"Not this again." Ker groaned as she turned to face him and lowered her gun.
"Where is she?" Boone ground out menacingly.
"Who?" Ker asked confused.
"My wife, goddammit."
Something is very wrong. Sable said worriedly.
Ker's initial response was going to be the truth, then she thought better of it as she looked down the barrel of his rifle. She tried to see his eyes behind his sunglasses, they looked glassy. "Boone, it's me, Ker. I helped you in Novac."
"I don't care who you are. Where is my wife?" He growled.
"Look around Boone. She's not here. It's just you and me." Ker tried desperately to bring him around. She had a 9mm pistol and her knife. He was aiming a .308 caliber rifle at her chest that would likely kill her at this range. He looked around in confusion.
"She's not here." He said sadly.
"No, she's not."
"What did you do with her?" He growled. "You're with them aren't you?!"
"Oh for fuck's sake, Boone. You know I'm not!" Ker shouted at him. She saw a spark of recognition in his eyes.
"Then… I… I need to find her." He said and turned around briskly.
Kill him!
Stop him!
Ker couldn't let him leave. He was confused, maybe hallucinating. He'd die if she let him out of her sight. He was bigger than her; stronger than her. She had to be fast. "Dammit, Boone." She dropped her pistol and knife and lunged for his back. He was faster than she expected her would be in his current state. He turned and caught her in the chest with the butt of his rifle. Ker was knocked back a step, just enough room for Boone to aim. He fired. Ker dove beside the gun, ignoring the searing pain along her ribs. She knocked the rifle out of his hands and it clattered to the ground loudly. He fought back trying to overpower her, but whatever skill he might have had he wasn't using. Ker deftly dodged and snaked behind Boone putting him in a chokehold. Boone slammed her back into the wall behind them, trying to dislodge her but Ker held fast as the seconds ticked by. Soon the lack of oxygen became apparent as Boone's blows became slow and weak. When he collapsed to his knees, his weight pulled Ker down with him. She held on a few more second before releasing and letting him fall the metal floor.
Well executed. Disarm him and take his supplies. Her father tried to order her.
"Fuck!" Ker shouted angrily as she stomped a few feet away and then back to Boone. "You are one lucky bastard! You fucking shot me and I'm still gonna save your sorry ass!" She looked down to the deep graze mark along the right side of her ribs. It was long and bleeding profusely but otherwise not serious. Abandoning inhibition she reached down and pulled Boone's pack off his back. A quick sort through found a small, military issue first aid kit. It wasn't much but it was something. Ker sat down on the floor and retrieved her gun and knife, then she proceeded to use the med kit to stitch the wound closed.
"No fucking stims." She growled through gritted teeth as she worked. "No fucking med-x. This is fucking fabulous! If I pass out from blood loss we're both fucked." She ended up using all the supplies to stop the bleeding as fast as she could.
When she finally got her strength back, she pushed herself to her feet. Then she carefully bent down to grab Boone's rifle. She checked the clip; it had four bullets left, then headed deeper into the vault.
Boone woke to a familiar pounding in his head. He was probably late for his shift in the nest. Absently he reached over to where the nightstand was to find a little hair of the dog. There was no bottle. There was no nightstand. He finally opened his eyes. He wasn't in Novac, that much was obvious from the metal ceiling and walls. Then where…
"Finally awake?" He heard a rough female voice from nearby and strained to focus on it. The speaker was a small young woman, perched on a metal cabinet across from him. She wore a whitish tank top and cargo pants; her right side was hidden from his view by the darkness. He didn't recognize her in the dull light, and that put him in panic mode. His rifle should be beside the bed. He quickly reached to where it should be.
"Don't bother." The woman said as she held up his rifle for him to see, then dropped it back into her lap with a groan.
"What going on? Who are you? Where am I?" Boone demanded.
"Take a moment to sift through those fuzzy thoughts." The woman said tiredly. "And if you try to rush me I will kill you."
Boone tried to focus past the pounding headache, but she was right, things were fuzzy. He tried to focus on the person in the room with him. A young woman, easily a foot shorter than him but he still knew she was deadly. How did he know that? Because he'd seen her fight in Nelson. Nelson? When did he go to Nelson? Nelson was occupied by the Legion now. Not anymore. He remembered the fight; the courier had been vicious and relentless. He left Novac to clear out Nelson with her. Then they…. It all came flooding back.
"Courier?"
"Got it in one." She said tiredly.
"What happened?" He asked as he tried to sit up. He was nauseous and the world was spinning. He was also sweating and his hands were shaking. He tried to focus on the world around him; metal walls, metal doors, metal floors and ceilings. "The vault." He said remembering traveling to the vault.
"What's the last thing you remember?" Ker asked, glad he remembered something.
"We found the door to the vault open. I followed you in to see what we could find. Then…" Boone trailed off, after that things didn't make sense.
"Then what?" Ker prodded.
"What happened?" He said sternly.
"Then. What?" Ker replied in kind.
Boone didn't want to answer. It didn't make sense. "It was just a dream."
"Tell me." Ker pushed.
Boone hesitated and then shook his head. "I found out Carla was missing. I told Manny, but he said she wasn't there. I had to find her. Had to kill the Legion bastards who took her."
Ker cocked her head to the side. "That's it?"
"Yeah. What happened?" Boone said earnestly.
"I think you were hallucinating." Ker said as she eased herself off the cabinet. In doing so she brought herself more fully into the light. He saw her shirt was soaked with blood under her right arm.
"Shit!" Boone said as he struggled to his feet. "What got you?!"
"You did."
"What?" Boone stopped cold, rethinking his plans to move closer to her.
"You said you needed to find Carla and went to leave. I couldn't let you go in the state you were in. I couldn't disarm you fast enough." Ker said wincing.
"What?!" Boone said in shock. "I…" His knees gave out and he sat down hard on the bed behind him.
"You're lucky that I'm too goddamned tired to be angry." Ker said shaking her head and leaning against the wall behind her. "You were out all day and all night." She slid down the wall into a seated position. "I think I'm gonna pass out now." She keeled over onto her left side on the ground. "Don't do anything too stupid…" She mumbled before trailing off.
Boone was left alone in the dimly lit room. He stared at the Courier, collapsed in a pile against the wall several feet from him. She still had his rifle in her hand as she slept. Judging by how fast her breathing evened out he guessed she was exhausted. He couldn't believe that he'd shot her. He could've killed her. He hadn't thought his drinking had gotten that bad.
Since Carla died, he had kept up with his regular nights in the dinosaur. In order to accomplish that, he needed to stay awake. In order to stay awake he needed sleep during his downtime. But after everything he'd done, sleep was elusive. He could barely get a few hours without waking to nightmares. That's where the alcohol helped. It made the dreams go away. It made him forget, at least for a little while. But the longer he relied on the alcohol to sleep the more of it he seemed to need. He didn't even know how much he was drinking a day before he left Novac.
And now he found himself with more blood on his hands. He had shot the only person who had helped him since Carla died. He could've killed her when all she was doing was trying to keep him safe. She could have let him go. Let him wander deliriously through the desert until he passed out; an easy target for anything passing by. Instead she risked her life to subdue him. Other than the withdrawal effects the only pain he felt from her bringing him down was a sore neck. She had been armed too; she could have just shot him and left him to die. What had he done to deserve this kindness from an almost total stranger?! He didn't even know her name!
Boone dropped his spinning head into his hands. As he did he noticed both of their packs on the floor beside the bed, half covered with the courier's bloody duster. He pulled them over. He found the courier's pack completely empty except for an empty canteen. His pack wasn't much better. There were a dozen .308 rounds, the bedroll, his lighter and his compass. His med kit was, unsurprisingly, gone. The remaining item did surprise him though. His canteen was still full. Had she gone without so he'd have water when he regained consciousness? He didn't know. He didn't want to drink it if it was all they had left but if he had been out a day and a night like she said, it would explain how thirsty he was. He had no choice. He was in no condition to forgo water. He drank, carefully and slowly. He downed half of the canteen before he could stop himself. He put the rest back into his pack. The Courier had been injured quite badly if the blood was any indication, she'd need the water just as bad, if not worse, than him.
Feeling at least slightly better, Boone got to his feet and went over to the sleeping woman. He carefully knelt down beside her and lifted her shirt. This is fine. He assured himself. I just need to check the wound. He saw a long, deep gash cut across her side, going between two ribs. The wound had been stitched together quite well. He was surprised to see that; given the location of the wound, it must have been awkward to stitch. Looking at the wound, he was able to see a portion of the scars on her back. There were more scars on her side too. As well as down her arms. Her wrists were also bad; the white scars obvious even in the dull light. Whatever had happened to her, whatever she'd been through, it had taken a serious toll on her body. This woman had gone through hell.
Boone took a moment to will away the dizziness then reached out toward the Courier. Carefully, he slid an arm under her knees and around her shoulders. He picked her up, surprised by her lightness. As he did, her hand slipped off his rifle. He took a few heavy steps and put her down gently on the bed.
Ker woke in pain, as usual. Her side ached and she was stiff. She opened her eyes and recognized the vault. She sat upright quickly, ignoring the pain. She quickly scanned the room, quickly attributing her disorientation to the fact that she had been moved. He eyes stopped on the man sitting on the floor where she had collapsed.
"Figured you'd be out longer." He said as he stood up.
"You took back your rifle." Ker said sternly when she noticed it in his hands.
"Things are clearer now." Boone took his canteen from his pack and passed it to Ker. She eyed him suspiciously but took the canteen and drank slowly. When she was done and had passed it back to him, he noticed it was still a quarter full. He offered it to her again.
"No. You need it more than I do." She said as she dropped her legs over the side of the bed. "Besides, this is a vault. There might be access to clean water here." Ker grit her teeth as she stood. She shook her head to clear the dizziness.
"You should get more rest."
"Yeah, so should you, but we need supplies." She gave a careful stretch. "You look better at least." She said as she attempted to bend to pick up her pack and duster. She flinched as she bent and stood back up with a pained grunt.
"Here." Boone bent and picked up her gear and passed it to her.
"Let's go." Ker lead the way, pistol in her right hand, left hand using the wall for support. They methodically explored the vault, gathering anything of value while on the lookout for food and water. Loot was scarce near the entrance but the deeper they went the more prewar goods they found; sensor modules, fission batteries and lots of persevered prewar cigarettes. Eventually they found an armoury but it had been striped clean except for a few odd rounds. Near the armoury though, they found a promising sign of loot.
"Locked door. Good sign. Know anything about hacking?" Ker asked her companion.
"Nothing."
"Alright, let's see what I can do." Ker managed to hack the terminal after a few minutes. Inside they found a fair amount of random ammo, including a bunch of 10mm rounds. There were also several bottles of liquor on the table. Ker overtly stowed them in her pack.
"Things went to hell in this vault." Ker said as she gathered more random ammo from behind a makeshift barricade.
Ker was tired, hungry, thirsty and in pain when they reached the door labeled cafeteria. They searched the entire interior.
"Here." Boone finally called out. Under a stack of empty crates was one full of prewar food; eight boxes to be exact.
Ker went over the sink. "Maybe we'll get lucky twice." She turned on the facet. Black water poured out, but after running for a few seconds it cleared up. Ker brought her Pip-Boy close to it. "No rads. Better than the water in those flooded sections." She filled her canteen and then drank greedily. Boone did the same.
With packs full and food and water acquired, Ker checked her Pip-Boy. "My Pip-Boy says its 6:00pm. I doubt we'd make it to the 188 before nightfall in this shape. Might as well crash in the dorms."
A few minutes later Ker was sitting on a bed in one of the dorm rooms. Leaning back against the wall she ate slowly; silently dreading what she knew she had to do after finished. Boone sat on another bed in the room also eating.
"Why did you stop me?" Boone asked after a lengthy silence.
"What?"
"From leaving. You could have shot me or let me go. Either way I wouldn't have been a problem for you anymore. Why risk your life for someone you hardly know?"
Sniper makes logical point. He should be dead. Her father said smugly.
Sniper doesn't seem very grateful. More like disappointed? Sable said in confusion.
Ker thought carefully. "I will admit, a part of me did want to leave you where you fell after I brought you down. But you said we were partners. I know what that means. I had another partner, once. A long time ago, before I started traveling alone. You watch each other's backs; trust each other with your lives." Ker shook her head sadly. "Maybe, that's not what you meant when you said it but it's what I heard. Was I wrong?"
"No."
Ker sighed and slouched against the wall. She then added quietly. "Also, I know what it's like to go through hell. A little company along the way can't hurt." They were silent for a few minutes, and then Ker sat upright. "I've pushed this off long enough." She rooted thought her pack and pulled out a bottle of whiskey she had found. Ker then got up and sat in one of the metal chairs. There she unscrewed the cap and pulled up her shirt to reveal the long stitched gash.
"Let me." Boone stood and joined her. Ker handed over the bottle.
"Just be quick." She said through gritted teeth. Boone nodded and quickly but carefully poured the alcohol over the wound. Ker didn't make a sound as he worked. The only sign he saw of the pain he was inflicting was the tightened muscles around the wound and her ragged breathing.
"Finished." Boone said and recapped the bottle. Ker just nodded in response. "You alright?" He asked in concern.
"I'll live."
Ker woke first. This deep in the vault and in the state they were both in, they'd decided not to keep watch. After the nightmare she'd had she wanted to do something to take her mind off it. Instead, she waited for Boone to wake. While she waited she sharpened her combat knife and thought. Ever since she'd assisted with the murder of Jeannie May, Ker found her thoughts drifting more and more toward things she had thought she'd put behind her.
Her thoughts wandered to her new partner. He was on the verge of self-destructing. She could see that. He was balancing on a knife's edge; on one side, death by legionary, on the other, suicide. It wouldn't take much to push him either way. The words she would say and the things she would do could influence him drastically. She had to be careful.
The thing was, she knew how he felt. She'd been there herself once. Who was she kidding? She was still there. The line she walked might be wider than a knife's edge, but it wouldn't take much to push her either way.
Maybe she should tell him. Ker stopped sharpening her knife when the thought came to her. Tell him… No, there was no point in sharing her life story with him if he really was looking for death by legionary. She'd keep it to herself and he wouldn't ask. She would commit no more than necessary to this partnership, that way she wouldn't be hurt if he fell off the knife's edge.
Everything is temporary; emotions, thoughts, people, scenery. Do not become attached.
"Shut up." Ker said quietly as she shook her head to try and clear away her father's voice.
"Something wrong?" The gravelly voice startled Ker.
"Yeah. I'm out of ammo. Used the last of it killing the critters down here."
"What about what we found?"
"Lots of variety, but no 9mm. And no guns for the various ammo."
Boone sat up in bed and dropped his legs over the side of the bed. "Here." He pulled the spare magazine from his pistol holster and held it out to Ker. Ker hesitated for only a second before taking the offered ammo.
"Thanks." She mumbled.
They left the vault a short while later and headed back to the 188.
"Your hands aren't shaking anymore." Ker said as they walked. She saw Boone look down at his hands. "Does that mean the worst is past?"
"I guess."
They arrived at the 188 around noon. It took Ker an hour to sell everything they'd gathered. In exchange, Ker was able to get three 9mm clips as well as a dozen .308 rounds. She was also able to get a small emergency med kit, an assortment of food and some bottles of water. With the rest of the caps she bought a Stimpak and a new shirt. Ker applied the Stimpak to her side to kickstart the healing process. When all was said and done, Ker was broke, again.
