Chapter III:

Back in the fight

Veronica

It was late that night, with the stars out in a gorgeous lens, so like the neon lights of New Vegas and yet so… different.

"Veronica!" A voice suddenly called from behind me, "You still wanna play Caravan or not?"

I sighed and raised my hood over my head. It was still too dark for anyone to actually see me, but I never liked taking chances. This was an NCR trading post, afterall.

"Yeah, I'm coming." I called back, and reached into my robe, pulling out the deck of playing cards. I turned to face the speaker and began walking over to him. He was a fairly skinny and tawny kid of about 10, calls himself the Forecaster. But don't let that fool you.

He's… special. I really don't believe in all the pre-war mumbo jumbo about psychics or mind readers, but I've played him close to twenty times, with him always winning and never taking any of the money I had pooled. Plus, he can sometimes see the 'future' or at least something in the future (when he's not wearing that head band he keeps for his migraines). Whatever the case may be, he was good company. He's like the little brother I never had…

"You've been here for some two months, I think…" Forecaster began saying, scratching the top of his head for some answer he wanted.

"What's up?" I asked him, already having a feeling about what he was going to ask.

"Never once have I ever seen you go out with another boy, V," Forecaster began, trying in vain to say his words with tactful meaning, "And yer awful pretty, so why haven't you?"

"Thanks for the complement, kid. You're pretty cute, too." I replied, with Forecaster blushing from ear to ear, "It's just that… it's complicated."

"You mean with Christine?"

"Yeah, well I mean…" I sighed, with rather old and painful memories returning to bite me in all the sensitive areas. Relationships for me… well they're complicated. I mean I'm not restricted with my own sex, I've had plenty a good time and memory with the boys. It's just…

"I think I'm just waiting for the right person." I finally relented, which Forecaster nodded thoughtfully. Then suddenly his eyes began to pale, and he ripped his headband off of his head. He slumped to the floor, panting and weaving like a sick dog. My hand slammed into my robe and locked onto the pneumatic gauntlet attached to my thigh and I rushed to the kids' side, trying to straighten him up. Suddenly he spoke, but it wasn't the kid who spoke… it was the Forecaster:

"Anger. Rage. All but red, oh so crimson red. Mist in the air, on his hands, in his soul. A hole that just widens, with two holes, all sown but just keep on tearing. Bloodrage!"

He then let out terrible wail, so I pulled him close, letting his tears soak into my robe.

"It's okay; you're going to be fine. No one is going to hurt you. Shhh, you're going to be okay."

"Blood everywhere, V! Blood everywhere!" He whimpered.

"Who were you talking about, kid? Who?"

"Gideon."

Gideon

My eyes opened, but I felt as though they had deceived me. They were open but I could only see pitch black darkness. Wait, what was I standing on? Why did my whole body feel… soaked? I moved my left limb, which responded in a sluggish way, but I was still able to bring it up to my face and activate the pip-boys light.

Suddenly I was bathed in a perpetual green fade, which shun all about me. Then that's when I looked down at me feet, and I saw…

"Oh dear God," I gasped at the horrors at my feet, bring my right hand up instinctually. I felt something nik my cheek, and I gazed at my hand. Still clenched in it was the crimsoned smeared blade, with tendrils of oozing dark blood slipping over the hilt and all over my forearm. The blood had highlighted those itched war words; 'Si vis pacem, para bellum'. In that moment, my confusion turned from shock to realization as I looked about me at the amassed cavern, which had been… 'decorated' with the blood, limbs and bodies of endless Geckos. To further to prove my point, blood flowed down my forehead and over my eyes. I reached up and felt my head.

"Not my blood, not my blood," Irepeated in a trance. Slowly I began moving or more likely wading through the bog of bodies around me. The pip-boy light continued to shine the carnage around me. Everywhere there were the carcasses and limbs of carcasses piled high about me, and many of them had a distinct gold coat to them…

"Did I truly do this?" I asked aloud, which echoed in that cold and dark underworld. Ultimately, I knew the answer to that question.

It took a few minutes, but I eventually located the entrance to the surface. Slowly I moved towards the dimming sunlight, sheaved my knife and reached my hands up the hole in the roof. Finally I pulled myself up and over onto the surface of the entrance. Suddenly something horrid came face to face with me, and I reached for my combat knife. Then I relaxed, the 'horrid' thing was dead.

He was a man, about mid twenties but well into his decaying process. It looked as though he had been dead for weeks. Then I looked over to his right, another body similar build as the former. They both had black hair and… were covered in burns and bight marks.

"Yeah and killed two of the Rodriguez brothers—they're a large family who live in town." Sunny's words rang through my head, suddenly I shivered badly. Where was Sunny and Cheyenne? The last I saw them was before I blacked out…

"I'll worry about that later."

It pained me to say that, but I knew that if I was going to find Sunny I would have to be armed and alive first. I then realized that my 9mm was missing. Damn. Then that's when I saw metal glimmering in the quickly fading sunlight. I moved over to the body and then pulled back as I caught a whiff of his stench.

I quickly pulled my bandanna over my nose and began checking the dead man's contents. He had a .40 cal N-99 pistol (40+ rounds) and some caps (35). I searched some more, and found a locket clinched in his fist, it featured him and a young Latino girl. I made a mental note to return it to his family. I moved over to the other man and began searching him as well.

He was carrying a single shot 20 gauge, with a bandolier of 30 shells (6 empty) wrapped around his middle. I took both. Then that's when I noticed the satchel on his hip, which… my eyes widened at the red and tan sticks in the sack. I pulled it away from the cadaver and pulled out one of the boomsticks to inspect.

"Well boomskies, they're perfect." I said chuckling with myself. I then wrapped the bandolier and satchel around myself and began to move out of the valley. Up here, the scene wasn't any prettier that it had been down in the cave; there were dozens of Gecko bodies' strewn all around, many cut up and missing limbs. Finally, I located the hill where I last saw Sunny and Cheyenne, and there I found my Browning, plus my hat and shades.

I placed the Browning in my holster, and slung the bag of TNT over my shoulder. Good, now it was time to find Sunny. I inspected the ground, analyzing the prints in the sand. I could see my own there as well as a small female and dog; they went down the hill where they got muddled with blown sand and strewed Gecko bodies. These either had teeth lacerations or .223 rounds blown in their chests.

"She made a stand here, but she didn't die here. There's no human blood here."

Okay, I'll accept that. I examined the ground, and although the tracks were muddled and confused with the Geckos, I could begin making out a possible trail that led away from the battle and away from the area. These prints were matched by more Gecko tracks and eventually, bodies. I continued until the tracks led to a rocky outcrop, there the tracks went cold. Damn, but I at least had a direction to follow.

I readjusted the various straps around my shoulders, shoved the .40 cal and ammo into the bag, and donned my 20 gauge. There was nothing else to it, I had to press on and find Sunny, alive… or dead.

Minutes passed and the sun finally crept behind the horizon and the moon took its place. As for me, I just kept on walking in the outcroppings which had led me to a trench. No tracks or signs yet, but also no blood, human or canine. Then suddenly I heard a loud cry; a female cry. My heart pounding on my ribs, I began racing towards the direction of the sound which had led out of the trench to an overlook.

Then I looked down, and I could see its source. She wasn't Sunny, but probably the 'idjit' that we had been tracking earlier. She was in her late teens, raven black hair and she wore a ripped up waste attire made of rags, in the fight of her life against about half a dozen Geckos with just a kitchen knife. I could already see a long gash along her right arm and she was beginning to drop her defenses from exhaustion. I raised the shotgun to my shoulder and took careful aim.

A split second later the 20 gauge shook and pounded into my shoulder, unleashing a crack of thunder that blew a hole in the Gecko. The 'idjit' then look up at me and I could swear I could see her mouth 'thank you Lord'. I reloaded and shouted to her to move, which she obliged. By now the Gecko were starting rush up at me, presenting perfect targets. I fired again, punching a hole in the nearest of the monsters and drew the Browning.

Strangely enough, time seemed to slow to almost to a standstill, and the Geckos themselves were… glowing in orange tinge. Then my mind focused and the glowing parts moved to encompass the creatures head. Finally I fired, my aim and focus honed to a knife edge, obliterating the Geckos head. I gasped at the sudden focus returning as I found myself entering this slowed 'action time'. I accepted the invitation and focused my mind upon the other three Geckos.

Headshot, headshot, torso and headshot and then… Suddenly I found myself unable to focus any further, so I took my shots that I had been so graciously given. Suddenly my arms and fingers moved like a motor, firing, moving to another and firing. In less than a few seconds the three monsters were downed. I gasped at my sudden control and a sense of… I don't know… equilibrium, flowed through my tensed body and mind, making feel a sort of artificial calm. As my breathing began to regulate and return to a sense of normality, I heard beeping coming from my left hand, or perhaps more specifically, my pip-boy.

I looked down at the beeping screen of the machine, suddenly a message popped up onto the screen: Thank you for using the Vault-Tec Assisting Targeting System! This added on addition to your Pip-Boy 3000 will allow a greater freedom of accuracy with any weapon of choice!

Hmm, now that's a mouthful. I remember Doc had mentioned something about a 'time slowing system with enhanced adrenaline'. He claimed that he could never get it to- -

"Oh thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Cried the idjit as she practically bear huggedme. Ah man, for a mouse she's pretty damn strong. Ah, ribs hurtin'… can't breathe!

"Ah, thanks for the hug!" I practically chocked out, "But could you please let go of me! You're gonna crush me!"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" She said as she released me, leaving me to gasp for air, "It's just that you saved my life…"

"I know. And you can repay me if could tell me if you've seen Sunny Smiles?"

"Sunny? No I haven't! But I did see another set of tracks headin' that way, before I got jumped!"

I nodded, as she pointed just ahead of me.

"Okay thanks! Now you head on to town now!"

"But what about the nest?"

"Let's just say they're having issues with the new crimson decoration they're having all over their walls."

She gazed at me, her eyes registering a sense of amazement and shock, but she nodded and headed off. I on the other hand began moving forward. I now had a fresh set of tracks ahead of me and they were clear to the light of day. I pressed on, as seconds and minutes passed by in a blur as I charged on forward. Finally I reached the end of the track and found… her.

Sunny was leaning against a wall, dark blood sprayed all over her as she sat with her arms wrapped around her knees, her rifle held limply in her hands. Cheyenne was sitting next to her, covered in blood and panting like a motor from exhaustion. I was about to call out to her when I saw it. Sprawled to the floor was the largest mutant scorpion that I had ever seen, its entire face was completely punched through with an untold number of bullets. Then Sunny looked up at me, her face in minute terror;

"Gid behind you!"

I spun around and almost right in my face was three more of the Mutant Scorpions! I ducked and rolled to my side as one of the things lobbed the air where my head had been with a massive barbed stinger tail! I steady myself and fired the 20 gauge into the monsters face. It whirled in pain and fled behind its two comrades. I cursed and pulled at the Browning. I fired at the things faces until my gun went click.

The three things were still coming at me! As I reached into the satchel and grabbed one of the boomsticks, Sunny was at my side firing her rifle into the one with I had buckshot. It screeched in pain but was still scuttling towards us, and then suddenly Sunny began a firing advance at the thing.

"Sunny get back…" I screamed but it's was already too late. The monster side swapped her with one of its massive claws, tossing her aside likes a ragdoll into the rocky wall. A similar fate was suffered by Cheyenne, but at least they were clear. I reached into my pocket, pulled out a lighter and set the fuse of the stick. I tossed it at the thing, lodging into its arched back.

A second later the stick exploded and I was knocked back by its concussive force as sprawling body parts began flying everywhere! Suddenly I was slammed upon by its blown apart body that weighed me down. I could now see the other two coming at me and they looked mighty pissed. I struggled to wrench the claw off of me but it was just too heavy. Then I saw something that would make me question my sanity…

A man, barely five-eight tall dressed in a white trenchcoat and a gray fedora, suddenly appeared at my side facing the scorpions. In a flash he procured a massive hand cannon, a forty-four from my guess, and leveled it at the approaching creatures with one hand. Then came the loud crack of an ear splitting sound akin to lightning that thundered through the land, as he dispatched the two oversized Scorpions with ease. The two scorpions went flying as their bodies were ripped apart by the powerful handgun. He then turned to me, and that almost inhuman blank expression that he bore chilled me to the bone.

Then with one hand he grabbed the dead mutant arachnid smothering me and wrenched it away as though it was weightless. Then he grabbed me by my forearm and lifted me to my feet. I felt more afraid of this man than I had of any other, yet I somehow felt safe being next to him. Then he spoke in a flat, yet even voice:

"You should be more careful, Mr. Maddox. It is not yet time for you to be at peace."

"Who are you?"I asked in a shaky voice, "Or should I say what are you?"

He then smiled slightly as he continued to stare at me with those blank, expressionless eyes. Then he spoke again:

"I am Arcanum, Courier. Pray that we will meet again on… not so dangerous circumstances. Take care."

Then, with the fluttering sound of birds' wings, he was gone. My body was shocked still by his sudden appearance and then disappearance, but my mind was racing, turning gears as it looked for the familiarity of this Arcanum. Only then, one could only guess his identity, which in many respects, could have been obvious.

"A guardian angel…?" I asked softly. Then I heard a groan from my right and my body sudden jolted with energy, as if I had been shocked by electricity. Sunny was lying on the sandy floor, her dog already up and trying to get her up and about with her whines and whimperings. I ran to her side and cradled her limp head in my shaky hands.

"Please Sunny," I whispered to her, "Please don't die because of me. Please don't go…"

"Hmm… Gideon?" She suddenly replied with a weak whisper, opening her eyes slowly to beckon on to me, her green iris flashing with recognition.

"You okay?"

"Head hurts. Got the wind knocked out of me…" As she was saying this, I suddenly realized how moist my hand was. It wasn't from my own sweat rather from Sunny's blood.

"How bad is it?" She asked. I lifted her head just slightly so I could peer under head, to my relief was nothing more than a road burn. I smiled at her, the sudden relief in my eyes betraying what I wanted to say. She smiled back; as she was doing this Cheyenne came over and liked her hand. She responded by petting her furry head.

Good, she didn't have a spinal injury.

"Can you move?" I asked her.

"Yeah I think so. Why… whoa!" She suddenly whooped as in a fluid motion I swept her to her feet. Cheyenne then began barking in admiration at my sudden feat. Sunny placed her hand on my shoulder, bracing herself.

"You kill 'em?" She asked pointing her hand over my shoulder at the dead irradiated oversized lobsters. 'Yeah' was all I could say. I mean what was I supposed to tell her? That some angel in a noir look suddenly popped up and iced the crabs, then suddenly poof! he was gone? Nah, she'd think me loco and maybe try to take me out.

"You need a…" I began, but she just shook her head. She then proceeded to take point, her rifle slung over her shoulder as I fell in behind like a soldier on the march. Hell, we were on the march. Off to Goodsprings…

Cobb

"I KNOW RINGO IS IN THERE DIPSHIT!" I shouted at the moron who was telling me the man who had killed my brother wasn't in that hobble of crap they called Goodspings. I knew he was in there, where else would he be!?

"Look Cobb, you've gotta calm it down man. Even if that Ringo bastard is in that town, and that's just if, how we gonna get in?"

As much as I didn't wanna admit it, the kid was right. Hell, maybe Ringo led a false trail? Shit, he could've doubled back for all I know.

"Look…" I said, sighing deeply, "He's in there or not, we gotta check it." I looked around at all my crew, 40 and then some. Killers and convicts, the lot of 'em, all dressed in our old prison suits, all arranged in our little campfire 'bout 3 miles outside of town. They all nodded their agreement.

"Okay, this how we'll do this shit. Ricky, you take 6 and go into town, all quiet like. Kirk, you'll take 8 of the boys and wait out the town. Got it?"

"Yeah, boss we got it."

Gideon

We had been walking for ten minutes, when Cheyenne started barking. At first I thought nothing of it, 'till I realized that she was barking at the sand dunes ahead of me. My hand instinctively went for the shotgun hanging to my side, and shifted closer to one of the dunes. Good thing because Sunny had taken notice, then suddenly the hill went alive with fire. I grabbed Sunny and ducked behind the sand dune as a round went past my head and into the rocks in front of me.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Sunny cursed as she pulled out her rifle and cocked it another round, "Where'd these guys come from!?" I wasn't paying attention; however, I was focusing my gaze at the figures holding the high ground above us. Whoever they were, they weren't very smart. They were using cover but were stupid enough to be hanging out enough for me to see them, hell even pick 'em off from here. Though if it hadn't been Cheyenne they would've gunned us down in less than a second… Wait where was Cheyenne?

My answer was given by a short whimper and moan. I looked to my right, and I saw the dog, though her tail was now a bloody stump. Bastards, my mind swore. But now was not the time to be thinkin' about that. I pulled out the .40 cal with one hand and 9mm in the other.

I looked over to Sunny and she nodded.

"Go for it! I've got you covered!" I nodded and soon I sprang from my feet in fast run, firing the two weapons into the hillside. It wasn't a blind hit or miss, my hands were rock steady and the foe on the hill made easy targets. I poured shots into the foe, two dropped from their combined fire, with one's arm blown off in the darkness. That was when they noticed and took fire at me from some kind automatic. I quickly rolled and lunged behind a boulder, hugging its precious cover as it was peppered by suppressing fire.

I then put away my handguns, and drew out of the boomsticks, the one with the long fuse. They were about 30ft out on a 10ft slope, so… I made the mental calculations, and prepped the dynamite, setting the fuse. I then stood and tossed it at the fools on the ridge. Damn, it bounced on one of the rocks and slid back down the ridge. It then exploded below the target, but it was able to blow up enough sand to give me a smoke screen to move in.

I dodged out of cover and dove for the one in front of me. Then suddenly time slowed down. The screen began dissipating, reveling an exploding head, whose hand still clenched a 9mm SMG which sprayed off a burst. I gazed over to where Sunny was and in slow motion I saw the strafing rounds bounce off her cover, but one smashed into her metal chestplate, causing to back from the recoil and then another slammed into her leg. She let out a cry as hot pain was no doubt shooting through her body, as it was mine.

I could feel the rage flowing through me but an iron cold discipline countered it and ordered me to draw my handguns. I did so, rolling to my feet and bringing them up to eye level. Then time stopped and the strange equilibrium began soothing my troubled mind, then targets began lighting up in that orange hue. With precision in total control, I began picking my targets. Head, torso, torso and… then I began to lose focus so I accepted my aim.

My left hand rocked as the .40 cal fired a stem of burning anger into my target, and then my right hand finished off the last one. I holstered my pistols, and then drew my knife from its sheath. I leaped onto the flat top and slammed my knife into the chest of the first target that came running over the crest. He slummed into the floor and then his two remaining buddies came running at me. One had his pistol aimed at me, but his draw was two seconds too slow.

I ducked under his arm and slammed my fist into his gut. He tried to recoil in pain, but I grabbed him by his blue coat, and kneed him in his leg. He began dropping in pain, so I sped up the process by smashing my fist into his face, slamming him into the floor. The second one was almost on top of me but I was ready for him. As he lunged at me, I grabbed his fling body and twisted my back, sending him flying over my shoulder. The fool on the floor was trying to raise his pistol, so I disabused him of the notion by slamming the heel of my combat boot into his wrist, breaking the joint with a satisfying crunch.

He cried out in pain, but it wouldn't help him. I'd be back for him, when I've finished his friend. Speaking of, he was standing now with a heavy duty baton in his hands. I turned towards him, locked eyes and grinned at him, putting forth my left hand in the 'come and get some' gesture. He accepted, swinging his baton high as he charged. I took a step back and held my fist for him to meet.

He met it alright, with him skidding to his back as his face took the full impact of my fist. Quickly, I moved in and delivered an elbow to his face to keep him dazed. I then grabbed his baton hand and twisted it forcefully, breaking it and catching the fallen baton. He screamed, but that was stopped when I smashed the baton over his head with all the force I could manage, so much that it actually broke the stick. I dropped the broken stick, and used a rock to finish him off.

Slowly, I stood up, my face once more covered in fresh blood. I then moved over to the body with my knife and yanked it free.

"Die you motherfucker gahhhh!" a voice screamed from over my shoulder. I spun and there I saw him, the man who had tried to shoot me, but this time he had cold, white fangs in his throat. Cheyenne released the limp body and came running over to me, whinnying in an urgent groan. What was…? Oh God, Sunny!

I swept back down the hill like a man on fire, hoping that I wasn't too late.