Back to the West: The Damned

by AKDyadyaVasya

As the Corps recovers in New Vegas, their leader missing, a single spontaneous decision sets off a chain of events that will decide the fate of two warring nations, a beautiful and mysterious young woman, and the core of the Mojave itself. Sequel to CoR.

4. Unknown

Guess who's back?

Back again.

Dyadya's back.

Tell a friend.

PLEASE SEE THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AFTER THE CHAPTER.

But for now, let's get back to it:

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Part 4 – Unknown

"Where the hell are we?" Donnovan muttered, squinting into the distance. The day was particularly bright and he, Morgan, and Adriana had been traveling for several hours now. Adriana, rejuvenated after a night's sleep, was fully against being carried again. Donnovan tried making the point that her legs were still in no shape for the whole journey, and it'd be better to save her strength if they had to run, but she didn't listen. It wasn't until Morgan threatened to beat Adriana senseless did the girl finally relent and allow herself to be carried, though not without a foul mood for the first hour or so. Donnovan shifted in his arms so that he could see his Pipboy. "Adri, push that button... no the other one... There you go, thanks."

"So?" Adriana asked, glancing at Donnovan.

"Let's see... Well, if we head straight north from here, we should reach the Mojave proper pretty soon."

"Pretty soon?" Adriana frowned. "Does that thing even work."

"Well yeah, but I didn't mark every town in the Mojave." Donnovan pointed out. "We've just been in the Northeast."

"No need. I see a town there." Morgan, who was standing several yards away from them near the edge of a small cliff, called out. "There are roads leading off of it. I think we're back."

"About time." Donnovan sighed, walking over to Morgan as they all looked out over the cliff. A large, three story building with stone steps leading up to it marked one end of the town. Two large streets ran perpendicular to each other, ending in a t-shape with one side of the shape continuing on into the distance, flanked with buildings of all shapes and sizes, including a two-story red brick structure. "What's it called?"

"That's Nipton." Adriana spoke up. She suddenly went still in Donnovan's arms as she looked out at the town. Her shoulders tensed and her eyes narrowed. "Put me down, okay?"

She actually asked it more than commanded it, so Donnovan carefully did so, his arm still around her back as her legs touched the dirt. They shook slightly at first, but steadied quickly. After bending her knees several times, Adriana gripped Donnovan's shoulder for support, and began stretching out her legs, one at a time.

"You good to go?" Donnovan asked.

"Yeah." Adriana said with a groan as she turned, walking a few paces back and forth to warm up her legs. "Can't look weak going into Nipton."

"What? Why?"

"There's only one way to find out, isn't there?" Morgan shrugged and turned around, walking along the ridge. They found a neat dirt path leading down from their ridge, and walked forward into the town. A worn, crooked sign greeted them: 'Welcome to Nipton'. The streets were surprisingly clean, and besides the wear of the Post-War ages, the buildings seemed taken care of. The inhabitants of the town were of a different caliber, however. Two prostitutes stood on the corners where the streets met, calling out to everyone and anyone that passed by. One of them blew a kiss towards Donnovan, who ignored her. The diseases here must be rampant... Most of the people wandering the streets were men. Bald, with thin, whispy mustaches and the shadow of beards, they wore what Donnovan could have sworn looked like prison jumpsuits. As they entered the town, Donnovan became increasingly aware of several of the men looking at Adriana with rapt interest. One of the men licked his lips. Disgusted, Donnovan caught his eye and sneered at him. The man simply grinned and grabbed his crotch in their direction. As they came closer to the town hall, a pale, bald man in a dusty white suit approached them.

"Welcome to our little town!" He grinned from ear to ear. There was something slimy about this man. "If you need aaaanything, make sure to ask me. I'm Mayor Joseph B. Steyn."

"Thank you... You have a doctor here?" Donnovan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of cooourse." Steyn preened. "We have aaaanything you could eeever need." He seemed to have a tendency to extend his vowels in a manner he apparently thought was reassuring, but actually made him sound very condescending. He looked over at Morgan and Adriana, his eyes lingering briefly before turning to Donnovan. "Of course, we could have a private chat about anything you-"

"No." Adriana cut him off, seeing full well where this was going. Steyn's smile flickered, but remained on his face as he eerily glanced at Adriana, then turned back to Donnovan.

"You heard her." Donnovan said. "No. Just point me to the doctor... Oh, and if you can promise me something, I'll make it worth your while."

"Of cooooourse. Aaaaanything-" Steyn began.

"Stop that. Let's get down to business." Donnovan frowned. "I've got a proposal that will be mutually beneficial for both of us."

Steyn dropped his airy voice and his eyes narrowed. "Alright, down to the nitty gritty. What do you want?"

"I'm going to take her to the doctor. She will stay overnight, most likely." Donnovan explained. "We'll be with her the whole time, but from the looks of it, not everyone here's exactly an upstanding citizen. So here's the deal. I have a couple hundred caps in this bag. I'll give you fifty now." Donnovan said. "And another hundred and fifty when we leave, if you can make sure nobody bothers her."

"Deal." Steyn said immediately. "How do I know you've got the full amount?"

"Here's the fifty." Donnovan held his hand out, dropping the payment into the mayor's hand. "You'll see the rest when we leave." He hefted his bag, the large amount of remaining caps jingling in the bag. "These are all caps. I'm good for the money, if you're good for the deal."

"Fair enough." Steyn pocketed the fifty caps. "That building, there." He pointed to a neat house, built in an L shape.

"Thank you." Donnovan nodded. With that, the trio approached the house they had been directed to. As Donnovan opened the door to let Morgan and Adriana through, the wood of the door clipped a small bell hanging from the ceiling. Its ring echoed through the old but clean, wooden interior of the building. Several couches and chairs were nearby, a hallway stretched forward then looped to the right, and to their left, a doorway led to a large room. Inside, three clean beds were pushed into three of the corners, with the forth one across from the doorway, being taken up by a desk. Behind it sat an older man, pouring over papers. A black hat sat snugly on his head, not succeeding in taming the tangled brown hair that hung down past his chin and the nape of his neck. The surprisingly clean cut horseshoe mustache on his face twitched as he read the papers, his eyes narrowing through the circle-framed glasses that sat on his nose.

"I told you I'm not seeing your whores again this month." The man said gruffly without looking up.

"I… what?" Donnovan asked, bewildered.

The doctor looked up, and his expression immediately changed to one of mild surprise. "Oh, I apologize." The doctor shook his head. "The mayor's been getting on my nerves these past few weeks. Can I help you?"

"Yes, please." Donnovan said, motioning to Adriana, who quietly came forward. The doctor stood out of his chair and briskly walked over to her as she held out her wrists, showing where the Legion's ropes had rubbed them raw and bloody.

"I see. Do you mind if I ask what happened?" The doctor queried matter-of-factly.

"I do." Adriana answered, but with no hint of aggravation. "Those two got me out of a bad situation, let's leave it at that… I don't mean to offend."

"It is not my business, I was simply making conversation. No offense taken." The doctor nodded. "Your ankles as well, I see… Now this I must confirm. These look like they were left by ropes. Is that correct?"

Adriana nodded.

"You seem skinny as well, to an unhealthy point." The doctor went on.

Adriana raised an eyebrow and glanced at Donnovan.

"Like we haven't told you that." Donnovan crossed his arms. He turned, addressing the doctor. "Yes, we figured she needed food and water in addition to medical attention, Dr. …?"

"Hayren." He nodded. "Well, it's nothing too serious. Food and water, and some antiseptic and bandages for those wrists… I'd recommend she stays at least one night. We'll see how her wounds are tomorrow."

"How much with that cost, doctor?" Donnovan asked, reaching into his bag.

"One hundred fifty caps should cover food, water, supplies, and rest for one night." Dr. Hayren calculated.

As Donnovan counted out the amount, the doctor looked up at him.

"I should warn you, this town doesn't have the best reputation as far as safety for young women." Dr. Hayren explained.

"Figured as much." Donnovan said. "I'm paying off the mayor to keep everyone away."

"Smart move." The doctor said. "Those Powder Gangers don't listen to most people. The mayor's one of the few that can control them in this town… Possibly because he runs all of the whoring..."

"Powder Gangers?"

"NCR ex-cons." The doctor said as he pointed out a bed to Adriana. She sat down on the edge of it silently as the doctor went on with his examination. "They were brought up to blast through the rocks with dynamite and make way for rail lines."

"They gave ex-cons dynamite…?" Morgan asked with an air of disbelief.

"Indeed. Wasn't the best idea, was it?" Dr. Hayren answered, turning to a nearby medical cart and handing Adriana a bottle of water. "Drink that. I'll get to work on your injuries." He turned to Morgan. "They managed to free themselves. Even took over an NCR prison."

"So these Powder Gangers don't live here, then?" Donnovan shook his head in confusion.

"Not quite. They visit during the day, taking part in the whoring and other services." Dr. Hayren explained as he took Adriana's pulse. "You should be alright, miss. Go ahead and lay down."

"Thank you." Adriana nodded, graciously accepting the offer and stretching out on the bed.

"Most of my patients are fine here." Dr. Hayren explained. "The mayor keeps everyone out… For obvious reasons... And with you paying him off, she will be safe for sure. Steyn may be an evil son of a bitch, but he's a business man. A deal is a deal with him. Feel free to go get some food or water. You look like you need the latter especially."

Donnovan glanced at Adriana, who nodded. "Go for it." She said. "I'm fine."

"Let' s go, Don. You know as well as I do that we need to get more supplies. We will only leave for a short while." Morgan suggested. "The sun is setting, let's hurry."

"Dr. Hayren…" Donnovan began as Morgan stood up, shouldering her pack. "Do you mind if I ask you a somewhat personal question?"

"Depends on the subject." The doctor said with no sign of anger.

"Okay… You are rather out of place here." Donnovan said. "You seem like an honest man, you have medical training… Couldn't you find a better paying set up somewhere else?"

"Possibly." The doctor nodded. "The pay here isn't too bad, surprisingly. The main reason is those poor girls."

"The… Uh… The…."

"The whores." Dr. Hayren finished Donnovan's fumbling sentence. "They get treated like garbage by anyone and everyone who comes through here. The mayor treats them worse than anyone else. I am the only human contact they have that isn't using and abusing them physically."

"I see…" Donnovan grunted.

"They deserve better. I can't exactly just free them from this life, but I can at least ease the pain, however slightly, when they visit me for check-ups." Dr. Hayren said, glancing out the window.

"That's very noble of you."

"Noble?" Dr. Hayren raised an eyebrow. "It's to assuage my own guilt that I have no power, or rather haven't given a thought as to how to end this. I'm sure if I didn't have a conscience, I'd have left long before now… But you should get going. Your companion seems antsy."

"Damn right I am." Morgan spoke up. "Let's go."

"Fine, fine… Christ. Let's go." Donnovan sighed, making his way out of the doctor's office and into the streets, Morgan following.

As they stood, watching people file by, Donnovan stretched and looked at the desert stretching in every direction. In the setting sun, he could make out a small cluster of buildings to the southeast. As he looked on, he could've sworn he saw something shining. Curiosity getting the better of him, he briefly turned a corner, making sure no one was watching him. As quickly as he could, he lifted Dusk's rifle scope to his eye for a better view. Just barely, he could make out the fading outline of a figure on a rooftop before the glint from the figure's own scope took over. He quickly lowered his rifle, not wanting to seem like a threat and rejoined Morgan.

"What was that all about?" She asked him.

"Someone's keeping an eye on this place. Over there." He pointed in the direction of the buildings.

"Well if you're done sightseeing, let's go get our supplies. I really don't want to be out here past nightfall." Morgan took in her surroundings as two Powder Gangers passed by, staring at her. One stopped and came forward.

"Hey there honey." He said with a slimly tone, his hand rising to Morgan's check. "How about we go somewhere private and you can show-"

Morgan's hand closed around the Powder Ganger's palm, her thumb finding the gap between the pinky and ring finger, just below the knuckle. She cranked hard, dropping the man to his knees with a shriek of pain.

"Don't ever touch me you worm." She said through gritted teeth, her voice laced with poison. She maintained the force on the man's wrist as he shook with pain.

"FUCK! FUCK! OKAY!" He yelled. The scene was starting to draw attention.

"Morgan, let's go." Donnovan suggested. "Let's try not to be our usual selves here. This always ends with the town burning and us running away, or some shit."

Morgan took in the growing attention they were getting, and released the man, who curled up on the ground, clutching his wrist.

"Despicable." Morgan shook her head, throwing one last insult at the man before she joined Donnovan and they continued onward. As they did so, Donnovan took note of one particular man who had paused to watch the scene. He was completely out of place in this town, far more than he and Morgan were. He wore the unmistakable garb of the Legion. Red armor converted from old sports equipment. He had a lanky, wirey frame, not unlike Donnovan's. His eyes were covered by sunglasses, and covering his hair was the head of a wolf. Something about this man was different than the stranded Legionaries the Corps had encountered in Dogtown. The troops there seemed without purpose. This man was the exact opposite. Focused and composed, he watched Donnovan and Morgan with rapt attention as they walked.

He never made a move, threatening or otherwise, but simply continued to stare at them, his face completely blank. Donnovan had only ever seen Colonel Autumn manage an expression exactly like that.

Donnovan and Morgan continued past the Legion soldier to a nearby trading stand. It was completely wooden, a shack in every sense of the word. The shelves behind the counter were stocked with a variety of goods, though it was the bottles of water that the travelers had their eyes on, despite the fact that they were rather dirty looking.

"Waddaya want?" The shop owner grunted. He was a bald, overweight man with a sheen of sweat on his forehead and small, sunken eyes.

"Water." Morgan answered curtly.

The shop owner began to reach for the bottles on the shelves.

"Clean water." Donnovan stated.

"That's quite a bit more, you know."

"I figured." Donnovan raised an eyebrow. "How much."

"Sev'ty five caps a bottle."

"Does that come with a hit of jet and a blow job? God damn." Donnovan grunted, digging into his pockets. "Three bottles… Oh, give me those snack cakes and that sack of fruits."

"Tree hundred fity," The owner grunted.

"Here." Donnovan placed the payment on the counter. Usually he was much more formal with vendors, but something about this town just made him want to be rude to everyone.

"Tanks." The man grunted, accepting the payment as Donnovan and Morgan took their purchases and went on their way.

"That wasn't exactly a friendly conversation."

"Fuck him." Donnovan shook his head as they walked by the same Legion soldier as before. He was still standing in the same location, and yet again, he watched them silently. "Dude seemed like a total prick."

"Back to the doc?" Donnovan asked.

"Seems like the best option." Morgan glanced around. "This town…"

"Yeah… I'd rather not split up." Donnovan agreed as they made their way back into the doctor's office. They eventually, with the doctor's permission, all gathered around Adrianna's bed. Dr. Hayren joined them several minutes in, and they all sat, discussing topics ranging from the trio's current travels and the doctor's history.

"So you decided to wander into Legion territory?" The doctor said, his mustache twitching in amusement.

"We had nothing else to do." Donnovan shrugged. "Well, besides the casinos, but I can only do that for so many times in a row. Seems to always end horribly if I hang out there for too long, too."

"Like being thrown into Freeside?" Morgan suggested.

"Yeah, something along those lines." Donnovan grinned.

From outside, there was the sudden ring of a gunshot and a scream.

Donnovan and Morgan both jerked and stood up, while the doctor remained where he was.

"It's not a real night in Nipton without someone getting shot." Dr. Hayren muttered.

"You help everyone who gets injured?" Donnovan asked.

"Most of them." Dr. Hayren nodded. "I don't let the Powder Gangers in though."

"I wonder why…" Donnovan grunted sarcastically. Hayren, however, had paused. "Something wrong, doc?"

"There's usually more gunfire answering the first shot." Hayren answered, standing up and walking toward the window. He was several paces away when the window was filled with light that could only have come from a fire. Hayren peered through the window briefly before whirling around. "We have to hide. NOW."

Not needing a second command, Donnovan and Morgan stood up. "What's wrong?"

"Legion." Dr. Hayren stated, and the blood drained out of Adriana's face.

"Fuck me." Donnovan grunted. "Maybe they-" He was interrupted as the front door was kicked in. Heavy footsteps thudded down the hallways as Donnovan and Morgan drew their weapons. Seconds later, two massive Legionaries appeared in the doorway, each gripping Mp10s. Normally, Donnovan and Morgan would have opened fire, but the two men did not have their weapons raised, and something was stopping them from shooting. Both Donnovan and Morgan had come to the realization that they were probably outnumbered. The Legion soldiers were gripping them at the ready, but kept them low. Donnovan was just wondering about this when several slower steps came down the hallway, and a third legionary appeared in the doorway. It was the one that had been watching Donnovan and Morgan earlier.

"You, travelers, do not seem like the type one would find in this town, though this debased place does serve anyone and everyone." His voice was steady and deliberate with an undertone that made it seem like he was analyzing everything about the people he was speaking to. This man obviously chose his words carefully and was not someone to be trifled with, mentally or physically.

"I'm not sure how to respond to that." Donnovan said.

"Your response must be your own. Your reaction, however, must be immediate and as I tell you."

"Say what?" Donnovan raised an eyebrow.

"Who are you?" Morgan asked.

"My name is Vulpes Inculta, and I serve the great Caesar. Nipton is about to be purged from this desert, and I suggest you leave immediately so as not to be caught in the cleansing. All except for you." He turned his head and locked onto Donnovan.

"Why me?" Donnovan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"As I have stated previously, you are not a local resident. That Pip-Boy you try so hard to hide is one reason. Your apparent lack of allegiances in the Mojave is another."

"What do you intend to do with him?" Morgan asked, while Adriana continued to stare. She had not said a word since the Legionaries had burst into the house.

"We will take him to Caesar. He will no doubt show interest in your friend."

"What about the others?" Donnovan asked. He had not lowered his weapon, but had shifted uncomfortably at the mention of his Pip-Boy.

"There are two options. We can either subdue all of you and take you by force, or you can secure safe passage for your companions."

"You'll let them go? Morgan, Adriana, and Dr. Hayren?" Donnovan asked.

"We had originally intended to include the good doctor in the cleansing, but I sensed that was no longer an option upon your visit to his clinic." Vulpes Inculta stated.

"You let the three of them go, I'll gladly go with you."

"Donnovan…"

"Morgan… Go…" Donnovan urged. "Take Adri and the doc and get the hell out of here." He turned back to Vulpes. "You'll honor our agreement?"

"Despite what you may have heard about the Legion, we have a sense of honor." Vulpes explained. "A Legionary breaks his honor at the cost of his life. This is why we execute legionaries who flee."

Morgan expression was hardened as usual, but Adri's, for once, showed worry.

"Will you be alright?" Adriana asked Donnovan."

"As I said, I will honor our agreement." Vulpes repeated. "You two may leave safely along with the doctor, so long as your friend surrenders his weapons temporarily and comes with us."

"Are you certain you want to do this?" Morgan asked.

"It's like he said, he can either kill us all, or let you three go, and eventually me as well." Donnovan grunted, swinging Dusk's rifle from his back. "This is borrowed from one of my other companions, so it's going back with her." Donnovan more stated it than asked it. He turned and held it out for Morgan.

"May I request that you take the ammunition out of the magazine…?" Vulpes asked softly. "We'd prefer to not have either side break our arrangement."

"Gotcha." Donnovan grunted, removing the magazine and checking the bolt before handing the gun to Morgan. He removed the rounds and stowed them in his pack. He showed the empty magazine to Vulpes before tossing it to Morgan. She stared at him for a second. "Get going already, would you?" Donnovan grunted.

She nodded, and with that, went on her way. Dr. Hayren helped Adriana to her feet. He quickly gathered his most vital medical supplies haphazardly into two large bags before throwing his head in the direction of the door.

Donnovan watched his companions leave before turning around. He could've sworn he saw Adriana glance back at him with wide eyes, but he couldn't be sure.

Donnovan allowed one of Vulpes' legionaries to remove his pack, but stopped the man when he reached for his pistol. "Sorry, but I'd prefer for this to be well taken care of." He removed the 1911 from its holster, making it safe and removing the clip. He tossed it in a circle and caught it half-way through its arc so he was gripping it barrel first as he stretched it out to Vulpes.

"Understandable." Vulpes said, taking the gun with a respectful nod as Donnovan gave him the clip. Donnovan removed his knife and handed it to the legionary he had snubbed earlier. "Sorry man. That gun… It's just something I really want to keep track of. It's not that I don't trust you in particular… I just can find your officer much more easily because, no offense, but a lot of you guys look the same."

The legionary simply nodded wordlessly, but looked significantly happier at this explanation.

"Shall we get going?" Vulpes asked.

"Ready when you are." Donnovan nodded.

"What is your name?" Vulpes suddenly asked.

"I'm Donnovan Edan."

"Well Donnovan Edan, follow us."

"Sure… Oh… You mind telling me how you, uh… "cleansed" this place?"

"We prefer the flame and wood of old." Vulpes explained matter of factly as they all stepped out into the street.

"Uh… What's that me-HOLY SHIT!"

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Did you miss me? It's been a while ladies and gentlemen, and I truly apologize for that. Quite a lot has happened in the time we've been apart. As of two months ago, I have been living and working in Japan. I had only planned to take a month or two break from writing, but got very busy planning my move to a new nation. In addition, within five days of my arrival in this beautiful country, my laptop power brick decided to die on me. It took me quite a while to get oriented and settle here in a foreign country, so between the chaos of the first few weeks of work and getting paperwork done, I was very busy and fixing the computer was the last thing on my mind (I could access e-mail and Skype through my phone). I also had to apply for car insurance, buy a car, get a phone, and so on and so forth. For some reason, upon arrival in Tokyo, none of the foreigners (not counting tourists/visitors, as they don't need anything besides their passports) arriving that day received resident cards (otherwise known as gaijin cards, "gajin" being the plain form of the Japanese word for foreigner, "gaikokujin"). Let me tell you, trying to set up almost anything even slightly useful in Japan as a foreigner is a BITCH without the gaijin card, and I had to wait several weeks until mine arrived through the mail.

Because the Japanese love paperwork and bureaucracy to a ridiculous point, it takes a long-ass time (no exaggeration here, actual weeks) to get even simple things done, and I kept putting off fixing my computer since I didn't have internet anyway. But I now have the computer up and running after ordering a replacement power brick from an awesome local computer shop, and I'm back in action as far as writing goes. I should finally have high-speed internet in my apartment on the 15th, so updates will be much more regular after that.

I have gotten quite a few messages in my absence, with the senders telling me how good the stories I wrote were and asking me to continue them. To all of you who sent me messages during this time, I have no shortage of thanks to give you. It truly makes a writer feel appreciated when such compliments are given to what he writes, even months after he stops.

Above is the fourth chapter to Back to the West: The Damned. I apologize if it's a bit awkward, as I haven't written in a long time. It might take a chapter or two for me to get my writing flow back to where it was before this long break. Either way, I still have the storyline planned out, and I hope you enjoy reading about the adventures of the Corps of Rediscovery.

Again, thank you to everyone who used to read, is reading, and will be reading this series.