There's A Time For Everything
Chapter 4: It's All Over But the Crying
When I was a little girl, my parents used to say that Virginia was a beautiful place. While in vault 63, we expected to walk out and see clear skies, rebuild, and live as my parents did before I was born. We slept for over 150 years and when we woke and the vault doors were opened, everyone was lost overnight, as if taken in their sleep by some unseen force. I had to live without them for ten years. When we all finally ran into each other again, my Father was a part of the Enclave and my mother was a member of the Brotherhood of Steel. Although their organizations were sworn enemies, they disbanded and rekindled their love. They became a notorious duo known as the Nuclear Couple. They were able to keep me safe and all the while, they thwarted any advancements from the Brotherhood of Steel, Enclave, or even the New California Republic. That is, until they were caught in a firefight with Enclave forces and were gunned down by a vertiberd. I was twenty years old then. It's been four years and I feel like I haven't changed at all.
While sitting in a cell in an NCR base, I look down at the dog tags I've worn for so long. They are my parents'. This blasted organization stripped me of my armor and weapons until I agree to fight with them. They refuse to tell me of Mehail's condition and all I can do is sit here and reminisce. It turns out they came after me due to my connection to my parents and the supposed crimes they committed.
"Ma'am, the boss is here to see you," an NCR grunt says, holding the door open for his superior. I don't give the man the time of day and continue looking at those old dog tags.
"Miss Rivet, are you ready to accept our offer yet?" a very large man asks. He is most likely the same man that shot Mehail.
"I won't accept anything until you tell me how my companion is," I reply, a hint of disgust in my voice. The man sighs, obviously out of frustration.
"Please, ma'am, we've already gone over this. If you don't agree to this, then we will never tell you how he is." I look up at the man, pain and anger raging in my eyes.
"I'll make you a deal. If you tell me how he is, I will agree to your terms, regardless of the answer. Until then, I will not accept." The man nods in agreement and I let my nerves cool down for a moment.
"Your companion is in critical condition. We believe that he will die unless some miracle comes up." I look at the man, now with tears in my eyes. I look back down at those dog tags.
"He's all I have left…" I feel tears welling up in my eyes again, but I quickly push my feelings down. "Alright, I'll agree to your terms, as I promised." The man gives a sadistic smirk and opens up my cell.
"Very good. I will give you a weapon and a uniform. We set out in a few hours." He walks out of the room and I know I fell right into his trap. However, I had to know how Mehail's doing. Right as I start heading out of the jailing center, a woman appears before me bearing a sad expression.
"Miss Rivet?" The woman says, obviously sensing my sadness. I look up at her and nod, giving her the go ahead to continue. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but your companion just passed away. We couldn't save him." Upon hearing the news, I feel myself on the brink of a complete breakdown. I nod to the woman as calmly as possible.
"May I please say my goodbyes?" I ask, my voice stuttering in the process. The doctor nods and leads me to the medical center. I see Mehail, lifeless and pale, dead on an operating table. I rush over to his side and take a moment to let it sink in. In only a couple minutes, my emotions overwhelm me and I let the tears wash over me. I scream in agony at the pain of being alone once again. Mehail was all I had left. Without him, what the hell am I going to do?! I can't help but to think that everything I've done up to this point has been useless. On the radio station, the song Maybe begins to play, making me cry harder. I hold Mehail's body in my hands and just let myself mourn him until I can't anymore. What seems like a few hours gone, I finally step out of the room. The boss appears before me, smirking as he had before.
"I'm so sorry to hear about your companion, Miss Rivet," he says, still smirking. "However, we're going to leave soon, so get ready." I give him a look of sheer anger and disgust.
"You better watch your back, sir," I reply, gritting my teeth. "I told you that if you can't save him, I will slaughter you. Better keep a sharp eye on me." He attempts to put his hand on my shoulder as "comfort", but I shove him away as coldly as I can. Not only did I lose my friend, but now I have to work for this terrible organization. Maybe I'll get lucky and the boss will be killed on the field. Hopefully raiders get to him. I think of a few scenarios in my head for a second and chuckle at my own sadistic nature. As I enter my room, I see a hunting rifle and NCR uniform. I ignore the uniform, but pick up and load the rifle. Walking out, I notice everyone staring at me.
"Miss Rivet, why don't you put the uniform on before we go?" says a soldier. "It'll protect you more than your current apparel." I give the man a belittling smile.
"I'd rather go out naked than advertise you assholes."
The other soldiers just turn away. I assume they got that I didn't want to be bothered right now. In my head, all I can think about is how to avenge my fallen companion. The doors of the military compound open and this is the first time it hits me. The world is never going to change. Overhead I hear the roar of Enclave vertiberds and on the land ahead, I see dozens of corpses shot to pieces.
"What the fuck do you expect me to do here?!" I yell, feeling as powerless as I did the day my village went up in flames.
"You're here to turn the tides, little lady," the commander says. "I expect you to run out there and slaughter every man, woman, and child in our way." The man smirks so widely that it makes me want to vomit. I nod my head and walk toward the endless destruction. My eyes must be emotionless and I easily shoot through multiple targets. The armor is weak near the underarms and elbows. A few well-placed shots can take down a soldier in seconds, even with a pea shooter. I hear the vertiberds hovering overhead and I quickly run through the crowds of enemy soldiers, knowing that if they shoot, they'll do most of the heavy lifting for me. Although I expected different, the Enclave vertiberds start firing and take down most of the armored men for me. I spot a quad barrel missile launcher, quickly pick it up, and fire on the flying targets. The first one spins out of control and crashes into the one next to it and for the last one standing, I fire the remaining three missiles, causing the thing to erupt in fireworks. Standing in the middle of the battlefield, I drop the missile launcher and let the flames surround me. Through the fire, I look at the commander and smile as twisted as I possibly can. I will not die until I have the satisfaction of seeing the life drain from his body.