Author's note:

kitsune-demon16: (Rant time) Nothing annoys me more than a hero with perfect morality. What you remarked upon is the main force that drove me away from much of the different types of fiction around this site (Most notably the Mass Effect section). In a world like Fallout, the idea of a single hero going around touching hearts, saving lives, and basically becoming the Wasteland's personal servant just doesn't sound plausible, nor appealing, to me. Flawed characters seem far more "real" and just generally human to me; paragons of justice roaming a dead land looking for the next kitten to save from a tree just end up making me think the protagonist is some sort of machine programmed to think and act a certain way regardless of the situation. Anyway, rant time over. I'm glad you enjoy it, and I hope you will continue to read in the future.

DesertStar87: They will be meeting eventually, I'm just not entirely sure when. It could be in the next couple of chapters, or it could be ten or so down the road. Only time will truly tell, I suppose.

Everyone else: I know these chapters so far have been Courier-centric, but the Lone Wanderer will be making another appearance soon, this I promise. I also check the review box frequently, so feel free to ask questions or feed your author a cookie. *wink* Reviews aren't exactly necessary, I suppose, but it's good to know that someone out there will take the time to critique the story/comment on things. I hope you all continue to enjoy the story.


"Today was such a fun day, don'tcha think?"

Alex groans tiredly in response, dragging her feet as the company of three - two women and a dog, Cheyenne - make their way back up the hill toward Goodsprings.

The "afternoon training session" with Sunny had been exhausting, to say the least. They had both learned that Alex was far from a "crack-shot" with a rifle, as was evidenced by her wasting an entire clip of ammo just to shoot one Sunset Sarsaparilla bottle off of the fence behind the saloon. She had gotten the hang of it somewhat around the fourth bottle, but it was obvious that she would need a lot of practice before she could shoot as well as Sunny.

Sunny had insisted that Alex come along with her to clear the geckos out of the areas surrounding the water supply, which Alex had done. Geckos, she had learned, were fast little buggers; she had almost gotten bitten once or twice in the ensuing battle. The ordeal hadn't been for nothing, however; they had managed to save one of the settlers from a fate others occasionally succumbed to in Goodsprings: death via gecko mauling.

Lastly, Sunny had taught Alex how to make "Healing Powder" from Xander Roots and Broc Flowers. It was apparently an old herbal remedy used extensively by the tribes further West in California. That little bit of information would likely come in handy later on. Alex's brief "encounter" with Checkered Suit and the two goons had made the dangers of the wasteland real to her. She would likely get hurt out there. A lot.

"So, Sunny... Is there anything else around town that I can do? I might be leaving soon, and I could use the extra caps." Alex asks, wiping a few beads of sweat off of her forehead. God's blood, it was hot outside. And the leather Vault jumpsuit certainly wasn't helping her cool down any.

"Hmm. Nothing I can think of - wait... There's this trader who stumbled into town about a week or so ago we got holed up in the gas station. Name's Ringo. The Powder Gangers have been lookin' for him recently, and they're... Not exactly happy campers." Sunny frowns heavily upon mentioning them. Alex raises an eyebrow.

"Powder Gangers? Never heard of them." She remarks, hoping that Sunny will enlighten her.

"Chain gangs, or at least they used to be. The boneheads back West in the New California Republic brought them out here to lay the railroads. Apparently they didn't stop to think of what might happen when you give a bunch of convicts all the dynamite they could ever want... But anyway, that's the deal. If you go to speak to Ringo, tell him I'll throw in with him if the Powder Gangers try anything funny." Sunny replies. Alex kicks a small pebble in her path absentmindedly.

"Just how many of these guys are there?" She asks.

"Heck of a lot more than just me, you, and Ringo can handle. If we're gonna take 'em on, we're gonna need help. You might want to try talking to Trudy, up in the saloon. She's basically our leader. If you got her on our side, I'm pretty sure some of the townspeople would help out. Chet just got a shipment of leather armor, but he's a cheap bastard, so don't expect too much out of him. Easy Pete's got some dynamite we can use, and we could always get some use out of a stimpack or two, so you should check in with Doc Mitchell too."

It had taken some time, but Alex had convinced just about everyone to assist against the Powder Gangers. Trudy had promised to have a few words with some of the settlers, and Chet had agreed to supply the militia with armor and weapons, reluctantly, and had also given Alex a suit to wear as well, which she gladly put on. Doc Mitchell had been the easiest to convince; all Alex had done was mention the Powder Gangers and he had sent her off with plenty of stimpacks and a few syringes of Med-X. Easy Pete was the exception, however; he had refused to give up the dynamite, though that was okay in Alex's point of view. She had little knowledge of explosives and didn't want to run the risk of blowing away an innocent bystander.

Having taken care of the preparations, there was only two things left for Alex to do: go talk to Ringo, and wait for the Powder Gangers to finally make their move. She decided to do both, starting with the former. Slowly, she walks the path up to the gas station, gazing at the Sunset Sarsaparilla vending machine longingly. Perhaps she would grab one after her banter with the trader was finished.

Ringo was much younger than Alex had previously expected; he couldn't have been any older than 25 or so. He was dressed rather typically of a westerner, complete with a bandana tied around his neck. He also pulled a gun on her as she entered the building.

"That's close enough. Who are you?" Alex immediately holds her hands up to show that she meant no harm, unconsciously taking a step back toward the door. She wasn't going to attack him, but that didn't mean she was just going to stand out in the open and let him take potshots at her either.

"Easy... You're Ringo, right?" She asks.

"That depends. Who wants to know?"

"I'm Alessandra Roark. Alex. Sunny Smiles and I are going to help you with your Powder Ganger problem." Alex responds. Obviously surprised by her words, Ringo quickly lowers his weapon, shoving it back into its holster.

"Oh... I had no idea. Sorry about the rude welcome, with the gun and all. I've been pretty tense lately." Alex smiles wryly at his words.

"So would I be, if I had a gang of murderous psychopaths after me... Anyway, mind telling me exactly what you did to get these guys' attention?" Before Ringo is able to respond, the door bursts open, revealing Sunny Smiles with Cheyenne in tow.

"Time to look alive! The Powder Gangers are here!" Ah, the words Alex had both been waiting for and dreading at the same time...

"Are Trudy and the others ready?" Alex asks. Sunny gives a short nod.

"Yeah, they're getting set up in cover outside the store, but things still might end badly if we don't get down there." Alex drops the conversation at that point, following Sunny back out the door with Ringo close behind. They arrive to find three townsfolk standing outside the store in leather armor, along with Trudy. Two more were perched atop the store on its roof, holding weapons of their own.

They had arrived just in time, apparently, as Joe Cobb could be seen off in the distance along with five other Powder Gangers, slowly advancing on the town. Alex glances around for a suitable defensive position, before finally crouching down behind a pile of Sunset Sarsaparilla crates, Varmint Rifle in hand. She uses the smaller stack of boxes to prop the rifle up on, aiming down the sights and breathing heavily. Slowly, she lines them up with the head of a Powder Ganger...

And hesitates.

Could she do it? Could she really squeeze the trigger and end that man's life? She had shot the occasional gecko or coyote on a delivery once or twice, sure, but Alex had never fired a gun at another person before, not once in all of her 19 years of life... Nor had she even used it to threaten someone else into submission.

On the other hand, these were Powder Gangers, evil men who had nothing better to do than cause trouble and rob people. They likely deserved to die as a punishment for the crimes each of them had no doubt committed.

With these thoughts in mind, Alex aims down the sights once more, exhaling slowly as her finger squeezes the trigger of the rifle. The single round flies true, punching through the skull of a Powder Ganger wearing a cowboy hat. The hat flies off of his head as he falls, dead before he even hit the ground. Alex stares blankly at the small battlefield, day-dreaming slightly. She had just killed somebody.

The rest of the Powder Gangers charge the hastily erected defenses, though they are quickly gunned down by the rest of the militia. Alex watches the display of violence silently, unable to even think. The battle had been won, without casualties to the Goodsprings settlers.

"Alex, you okay? You froze up on us." Alex glances down at the ground as Sunny and Cheyenne come over. She nods slowly.

"Yeah... I just..." Alex trails off, glancing out in the direction of the Powder Ganger she had killed. Sunny must have understood, because she felt the smaller woman's hand touch her shoulder gently.

"I see. Look, we've all been through a lot today. Why don't you stay at my place for the rest of the night? You can go do whatever it is you're going to do in the morning." Sunny offers. Alex nods, giving her a small smile.

"Yeah... I'd like that."