If I thought Goodsprings was a dry, dreary and desolate place, it was paradise compared to what met my eyes upon turning right at the end of the road, joining the highway that led south. Calling it a dustbowl would have offended anywhere else called a dustbowl. It left me staggered as to how anything managed to survive. It wasn't just the unbearable heat. It was the complete lack of vegetation, and dare I say it, water. There was next to no colour. Just varying shades of yellow and brown.

I wasn't sad to leave Goodsprings behind. I still had no idea where I was going, who I was following or what I was even really doing, but I thought about it as I walked, and figured I could just ask questions along the way. From what I could gather from conversations at the saloon, there was no chance that those responsible for shooting me would have headed north, so there was a good chance I would be following them. Quite a few days behind, but I had an idea of what questions to ask. I was a courier. I carried a chip. The man who shot me wore a checker suit. There was at least half a dozen of them. Then I shook my head. That is absolutely fuck all to work with. But who knows?

The heat built slowly through the morning, and by the time the giant rollercoaster of Primm was in clear view, I was sweating profusely, and was being careful in not immediately draining my canteen of all its water. It would have been after midday by the time I reached the outskirts of Primm, and I thought it was very quiet. The road veered off to the right, and I could see a flag in the distance, so figuring there might be people there, I stopped following the highway.

Approaching what looked like a barricade, I think my appearance startled the lone trooper on guard. "Holy… Have you just come form up north?"

I thumbed behind me. "Goodsprings, in fact."

He nodded. "Well, I can give you one piece of advice, stranger. Turn around and head back. There's nothing for you here in Primm."

"What makes you say that?"

"I wouldn't even know where to begin." Then he seemed to take me in. The hat. The coat. The body armour. The pistol at my hip and the butt of my rifle no doubt appearing at my back. "What are you? Some sort of drifter? Mercenary?"

"A courier, actually."

That made him laugh. "You're well-armed for a courier."

"The roads are dangerous. Can't be too careful."

He nodded again. "True. True. Well, I tell you what. If you want to continue onwards, I can't stop you. The NCR…"

"Ah, so you're the NCR?" He appeared surprised by my lack of knowledge, so I clarified, pointing at my temple. "Amnesia. I have no memories from before three days ago."

"Really? Damn, that's a whole load of bad luck. Well, NCR – New California Republic. And while we're here to help the likes of Primm, to be honest, stranger, we don't have the men available to deal with the situation that's developed here. Heard of the Powder Gangers?" I nodded. "They've taken over the hotel and we simply can't flush them out."

"I've just helped Goodsprings fight off another part of their gang."

"You have?" I nodded again. He thumbed back towards the flag. "You'll find Lieutenant Hayes back there. You're only one man, but hell, if you've already taken on the Powder Gangers and won…"

"I'm after information too."

"Hayes will be your man for that too. Not sure if anyone is still alive on the other side of the bridge."

Few buildings remained standing on this side of Primm, particularly compared to the opposite side. There were mounds of rubble and some facades of what may have once been commercial or residential buildings. I followed the street to the end, where I found a trio of tents. Two of them were empty. In the third, I found Lieutenant Hayes. He was a fountain of positivity. If these guys are a reflection of the NCR, how are they apparently so powerful?

Our conversation was interesting from the aspect that he was not prepared to lift a single finger to help the people of Primm, though the longer he explained, particularly in response to my rather intense questioning, the more I did at least understand. But I certainly didn't agree, particularly if the townsfolk of Primm were being held hostage.

"You're more than welcome to try," Hayes suggested.

"What? By myself?"

He just shrugged. "From what you've told me, you mustn't be a bad shot with that rifle. You've dealt with this gang before, so know what to expect. And, to be honest, one man entering the building might catch them by surprise, rather than me sending an entire troop."

I didn't particularly buy that explanation at all, but I knew he wasn't going to budge. Primm was on its own unless someone was willing to step forward to try and help. "Do you know where they are?"

"They're holed up in the Bison Steve Hotel. Or most of them are. We see occasional patrols. We take pot shots at them. Managed to kill or wound one or two. But that just leads to retribution against the townsfolk, so we stopped doing it after the third civilian was thrown from the roof."

Checking my Pip-Boy, it was still very early afternoon. I figured I could at least scope out the hotel, see how many were on patrol, and go from there. I thought doing this solo verged on suicide, and wondered if I shouldn't just keep moving. But just like helping the people of Goodsprings, something deep within was telling me that it wasn't just a case of that I should help, but that I must help.

"Okay, let me take a look around and I'll see if doing it solo is possible."

"The bridge across is mined, so you'll need to find another way across."

I eventually did, though it was a complete pain in the arse. They'd better remove the bloody things if I manage to do this. I took the rifle from my back and walked forward slowly, my eyes constantly searching left, ahead, right. The entire town seemed to be deserted. It was a little unnerving, particularly as I knew there were people around. Heading to my left towards a couple of shacks, one was completely locked up tight, but the second one revealed what happened. A pair of bodies hacked apart, blood leaking through the mattress onto the floor. Turning away, I quickly realised I was in the joint home and office of the sheriff. Well, that's another problem for the town to solve.

Walking close to the wall of the large building, I stopped at the corner and chanced a peek around. Two people were patrolling the front of the hotel. They were not dressed as the Powder Gangers I had helped deal with at Goodsprings. Most importantly, they were not wearing body armour. Gazing to my left, I could see a lone figure walking along the rollercoaster track. I will have to deal with him eventually. Taking a knee, I lined up the figure on patrol walking in my direction.

And I fired immediately. He went down with a shot to the chest, and that gained the attention of the other figure. He was only aimed with a pistol, though he opened fire in my direction. I watched bullets flick up dust from the ground, but the aim was poor, and while distracting, I simply lined him up in my sites. The idiot had no sense of self-preservation, and I took him down with another shot to the chest.

I heard another crack of a rifle, turning to see the figure on the rollercoaster track had me in his sights. I immediately moved, charging forward to close the distance between myself and the hotel. Crashing into the wall, I slid along it, stopping where it ended. The figure had watched my progress, and he opened figure again. Three shots. He has two more. Another shot flicked some masonry into my face, and chancing a peek led to his final shot.

Knowing he would have to reload, I was out of cover in a flash, lifting my rifle in his direction. So busy reloading his rifle, he stupidly ignored what I was doing, so by the time he returned his attention in my direction, I'd already lifted my rifle, and I know his eyes met mine as I fired. He'd barely lifted his rifle by the time the bullet went into his face.

Turning and still crouching, I made my way to the two bodies. Both of them were now dead, left impressed by the accuracy of my shots. I checked them over, finding some ammo, which I pocketed, while also grabbing the 9mm pistol. I figured that heading indoors would lead me to using a pistol, not a rifle, and I thought having one in each hand might not be such a bad idea. Storing the rifle on my back again, I lifted both pistols and had a quick practice, though I didn't fire. Feels quite natural actually. Looking at the front doors of the Bison Steve Hotel, I knew going in the front door would be a very stupid idea. Then I looked right and noticed another building.

Figuring bursting in wouldn't be the best idea, I slowly opened the door, pistol forward as I waited for someone to open fire. But it remained quiet, sliding myself through the gap, met by slot machines and a few people wandering around. They looked like civilians, so I immediately lowered my pistol. I was closing the door behind me when I heard footsteps approach.

"You don't look like one of them." Turning to look at him, I knew I was in the right place as I noticed he recognised me. "The courier?"

"You know me?"

"I recognise you, certainly. How could I not? One of the strangest jobs I've ever been involved in sorting out. Name's Johnson Nash. I run the Mojave Express."

I removed my hat, making sure he saw the scars. "Well, that strange job ended up with me being shot and nearly killed. So what can you tell me about it?"

The eyes widened in surprise, if not a little fear. Yep, definitely appear to be intimidating. He's ready to shit himself. "Look, I'll tell you what I can, but all the paperwork is at my office. And I'm not leaving here until that gang is taken care of."

"I'm looking for the people who shot me. You know anything about that? They were apparently heading this way."

"You'll want to talk to the Deputy. Unfortunately for you, the Powder Gangers have him. And I can only assume the sheriff is dead?"

"I found the body of he and his wife. Do they have other hostages in addition to the Deputy?"

"I'm not sure if they have anyone else. And if you want to speak to anyone, it's the Deputy."

"Don't suppose anyone in here could back me up?"

He turned slightly and gestured. "None of us are armed. We're simple civilians."

There was no point arguing with him. He was elderly himself, and I quick glance suggested that they were definitely not armed, those pacing around appearing to be scared more than anything. "Okay, I'll let you know when it's safe. Stay here for now."

Taken care when exiting the casino, I looked left and right, but noticed no-one approaching, the pair of bodies remaining where they had fallen. I crossed the gap between the casino and hotel quickly, approaching the front doors to the hotel. No, this is a stupid idea. There must be another way in. Turning back to my left, I noticed a collapsed section of the track led up to an elevated section. Wondering if that might be a good idea, I climbed it carefully, ending up in position on a ledge above the door. Continuing along, I came to another corner and stopped, noticing another guard patrolling the track. He hadn't noticed my approach, so I put a bullet in him, watching him stagger and then eventually fall over the side to the ground below.

Rounding the corner, I found another entrance point. Even better news, it looks unguarded. Barely used. Perfect. Storing my rifle again, I took out both pistols and, after taking a deep breath, slowly opened the door, asking it not to make too much if any noise, before I slid inside into the darkness.

Someone must have got an electricity source flowing, as there was a little light, though the hallways were shrouded in darkness. The building had obviously seen better days, collapsed sections of ceiling and walls. But what helped me were the voices I could hear. If not voices, then laughter. So they might be patrolling, but I doubt they'd believe anyone would attempt this.

I checked each room I passed, making sure I didn't leave any gang members behind me. The last thing I wanted was a bullet in the back. But once I stumbled on the first gang member, putting a pair of bullets in his chest for good measure, all hell broke loose. I kept to the shadows and stayed low, listening for voice and footsteps. The first gang member rounded the corner, so I put a bullet in his leg and one in his head once he fell to the ground. The second gang member was slightly more circumspect, peeking around the corner. But I was quicker, and put a bullet through his head too. Even in the darkness, I saw the mist of blood appear out the back of his head.

I could hear shouting now, even more footsteps as no doubt the gang members knew they were being infiltrated. I would have chuckled at their thoughts that was the NCR, and not a lone… well, idiot. I couldn't remember a thing before Goodsprings. Taking on the Powder Gangers there hadn't been so foolish as I had back-up. I was now infiltrating a hotel, filled with an unknown number of enemy, armed with a couple of pistols and a rifle.

Keeping silent, I let the gang members let me know where they were. If they were smart, they would have remained as silent as I did. But they were too busy yelling threats in my general direction, so with a pistol in each hand, I figured out where they generally were and got to work.

I didn't walk out of there completely uninjured. I was winged by one bullet, left bleeding from my upper left arm. And I had my first taste of hand to hand combat, fighting off one gang member armed with a cleaver, who did manage to sneak up on me. It took brute strength to stop him cutting off parts of my body, and I took grim satisfaction in managing to disarm him, though the spray of blood across my face when I used the cleaver on him in return did catch me by surprise.

Somehow I managed to find a stairway leading down, and I followed it until I hit ground level. Exiting near what appeared to be a non-working elevator, I came out behind a lone gang member. Unsheathing my knife, I crept up behind him, clamping a hand over his mouth as I slit his throat, lowering him to the ground and dragging him into a dark corner.

Figuring that the entrance was to my left, I chanced a quick look, noticing a trio of gang members watching the front door. I pulled back slowly, not wanting to face them just yet. Noticing a door off to my left, I busted the lock and moved on through into a dark corridor. Turning right, I noticed another gang member ahead with his back to me. So I did the same thing, making short work of him. And it was there that I noticed a man tied up with a cloth covering his mouth. I put a finger to my lips as I then dragged him backwards in the corridor as quietly as possible.

Removing the cloth, I asked, "You're Deputy Beagle?" He nodded. "Good. You have information I need. But we need to get out of here first."

"I couldn't agree more," he whispered.

"Grab whatever weapon is on the body there and follow me."

I approached what appeared to be a dining hall. There was at least half a dozen people, but my eyes immediately found what I figured was the leader, thinking they were considering they appeared to be armed with some sort of flamethrower. Taking the rifle from my back, I lined up the tank and wasted no time by shooting it.

The explosion was enormous, left surprised that the entire building didn't come down on us. The person holding the flamethrower dissolved in an instant, with three more blown away by the explosion, never to rise again. By the time the other two reacted, I'd already shot one, the Deputy taking care of the other.

Ordering him to hold back, we waited for anyone else to come storming through, as no doubt the explosion would have caught everyone else's attention in the hotel. Two came flying around a corner to be met by bullets from myself and the Deputy. The third one appeared in our vision for a second before diving back into cover.

"Leave now and you won't die!" I called.

"You're not serious?" the Deputy hissed into my ear.

"All his friends are dead. He won't survive five minutes."

There was silence for at least a minute, no doubt the lone gang member thinking over his options. Finally, he called, "Do I have your word I can leave?"

"Yes. You probably won't survive out there anyway, but I've killed enough people in here. Go now, and take your chances out there."

"Okay. I'm leaving now."

I gave him a couple of minutes before I stood up and walked forward. The scene in what appeared to have once been a dining room was gruesome, yet it felt slightly familiar. I'm not sure why. It may have been from a memory that was buried someone in my brain, wanting to be exposed but whatever made my brain work was faulty. Body parts littered the ground, while the members who had been caught out by the explosion had been horrifically burned. There was a whiff of cooked flesh in the air.

"We should get out of here," the Deputy muttered. A glance at him suggested he was about to be sick if we didn't. Once back outside in the fresh air, the sun was starting to set as the Deputy thanked me for the rescue, amazed that I'd done it all by myself. "So what did you need to know, stranger?"

I removed my hat to show him the scars. "I was shot and left to die by someone. Man in a checkered suit. Headed this way a few days back. Probably had some companions."

"He didn't just have companions. They were Great Khans." I looked at him blankly. "You ever heard of them?"

"No. But there's a long story as to why I haven't. Okay, so I assume the man is no longer here with his companions. Do you know where they were going?"

"Yes. I overheard them talking about heading to Nipton. That's a little south and east of here. After that, they mentioned Novac."

"Are there signs leading me to these places at least?"

"Just stick to the main roads. You might also come across the occasional NCR patrol. They might point you in the right direction."

"Okay, thanks."

I was ready to just leave when he called me back. "Wait, before you go, this town still needs help." I looked at him blankly, ready to say that it simply wasn't my problem. I'd already been delayed and helping out further would only delay me some more.

But there was that part of me said You should help out. Help those who need it. I didn't know if it was my brain or my conscience, but I knew I would have to listen to it. "Okay, let me talk to the old fella in the casino. He might have more information for me."

"My shack is on the other side of town. I'll be sitting outside once you're ready to talk."

Johnson was waiting for me inside the casino. He looked startled by my appearance, motioning to my face, and I figured it was probably blood. Likely from the gang member who'd attempted to take a body part of mine by cleaver. Waving away his concern, I asked him about the information he might have had for me. Leading me outside, we walked to the Mojave Express office and he managed to find a little paperwork.

"Had I worked for you before?"

"No. First job you'd ever done for me. Sorry, son, you're a relative stranger to everyone, it seems."

"Great," I muttered.

He looked through some paperwork, making the occasional noise, continuing to mention how strange the job was. "Know how I've mentioned the job was strange?" I nodded. "Three things. One. What you were given to carry. You were given a platinum chip. Looked just like the sort of thing you'd get in a casino. Another courier carried a pair of dice. Two. The job was given to me be… well, a robot."

"A robot? You mean one of those securitron things?"

"You know what they are?"

"I ran into one in Goodsprings. Apparently he'd been there for over a decade. Name was Victor."

The old man shrugged. "Robot never gave me his name. Spoke weird too. But it appeared harmless, and I took the job because the credits were, well, more than I receive in a month otherwise."

"And the third thing?"

The old man met my eyes. "I think you were set up, son. The courier originally tasked to do your job refused it once he saw your name next on the list. I'm not sure if he had an axe to grind or what, but he made sure it was you who carried the chip."

"Know who the man was?"

The old man shrugged again. "Nope. Just like you. Experience as a courier, never worked for me before."

"And you know nothing about the man in the checked suit or his friends?"

"Never saw them. I mean, why would they shoot a man in the head over a casino chip?"

"That's what I aim to find out." I had taken note of the machine lying on the desk. "What's with the small robot?"

"That piece of junk? I've been meaning to get rid of the stupid thing. Doesn't work. Nothing more than scrap metal."

I had a closer look at it. Clearly malfunctioning. Maybe I could fix it? "If I fix it, can I take it?"

"You'd be doing me a favour, stranger."

"I'll leave it here for now. I'll come back later and see if I can get it working."

The sun had completely disappeared by the time I walked back outside, and was amazed at the drop in temperature, pulling my coat a little tighter as a chill wind started to blow. People had been around lighting fires in barrels placed around the town, as it appeared that any electricity that may have flowed into town didn't reach everywhere. Any street lamps that remained standing didn't appear to work.

I found the Deputy outside a shack on the other side of town, leaning back on a bench, sucking back a bottle of beer. Don't blame him, to be honest. He was polite enough to offer me one, which I accepted gratefully. We sat in silence for a few minutes. I was assuming he was just happy to still be alive, while I was starting to feel tired. It had been a long day on my feet, and I was left wondering where I was going to sleep.

"So, about this other thing," he stated after what must have been around ten minutes, "This town is going to need a sheriff. I'm figuring you won't want the job."

"Not at the moment. I have things to do."

"And I doubt the NCR are going to help unless it benefits them. I'm no sheriff, so that means we're going to need an outsider."

"I'm guessing you have an idea?"

He nodded, taking another sip of beer. "I heard rumour than an ex-sheriff had been locked up at NCRCF. That's the acronym for the correctional facility up the road."

"He's a Powder Ganger?"

"He might have joined them, but I believe if he's ex-law, then he probably hasn't. And I think he'd be the best choice. I'm not sure about everyone else here, but I like Primm being independent. The NCR can do what they want otherwise. If they want to keep the highways open, then good for them, and us too. But if no-one local wants the job, then someone with experience would be best."

"I've had a look at that correctional facility. I know I've just taken the hotel single-handedly, but that place will be ten times harder."

"So enlist the help of the NCR. Explain what you've done here, and I'm sure they'll suddenly find plenty of bodies to help out."

"Hmmm. They might go for it."

"Something to sleep on anyway. You have somewhere to stay tonight?"

"No."

"I have a spare mattress if you don't mind the floor."

"Well, I don't know if I've slept in worse places, but a mattress will be just fine."

We enjoyed another beer on the bench, not really talking about all that much. There was little point asking me about my life, considering I didn't remember a thing. The deputy, or just Beagle as he liked to be called, didn't share too many personal details either. He seemed like a good kid just trying to survive the harshness that was the Mojave.

The next morning, I headed back across to where the NCR had set up camp. The Lieutenant was surprised to see me again so soon, and was left speechless once I'd explained everything I'd done. Considering I was now in his good books, I then suggested what Beagle and I had discussed the night before. He spent a good minute considering it.

"You know; it might just work. If you've eliminated Powder Gangers attempting to take Goodsprings, and taken even more of them out here, then surely they've either pulled back to the facility, or we might even find it abandoned."

"So you're for it?"

"Fuck yes, I'm for it. We do this, we're all looking at promotions, and you will have a friend in the NCR. Hell, I'll make sure everyone up the chain knows who you are. Give me an hour to get the men together and then we'll march."

An hour later, and there were fifteen of us marching north, led by Lieutenant Hayes. This meant Primm had no NCR presence for the moment, but as the town had just been liberated, we were all confident that we could hit NCRCF and return, perhaps not within the day, but some of us would at least return by tomorrow. Hayes forced a quick pace, and we had to take out a small team of Powder Gangers on the way. We were lucky not to lose one of our own men thanks to booby traps that had been set up in and around their camp.

Approaching the turning for the facility, we ran into more Powder Gangers. Our troops simply fanned out and returned fire, the weaponry the NCR soldiers having at their disposal far superior to anything they had. Even my weaponry paled in comparison, my varmint rifle rather pathetic compared to their service rifles.

We didn't hit the facility straight away, circling around a rise, keeping the facility in view, as we wanted to understand the lay out of the facility. We could see four of the towers were currently occupied, though it was doubtful they had sophisticated weaponry. There were two men guarding the entrance, so they would have to be eliminated immediately. Another half dozen people were strolling the grounds within. And then there was however many were inside the buildings. That was the concern.

"Standard clearance," Hayes said, before he started pointing, "First, we take out the towers. Rodriguez. Mason. They're all yours. Second, the two at the front door. Once they're out of play, third, we start clearing. Grenades to clear the room before tactical insertions. Fourth, we take the yard, eliminating all resistance. Then we split. McGee, you will take a small team and clear the cell blocks. Shoot to kill, but not everyone in here may have joined. Some may have had no choice but to remain within the walls. If they're unarmed, or surrendering, don't kill them. Uhtred, you're with me and the rest. We'll take the command post. Everyone clear?"

I nodded as everyone else verbalised their understanding.

"Good. We'll hit them at sundown. They'll never know what hit them."