The Mojave Shadow

Chapter 6: Paying my debt to Society

We all took our time getting back to the NCR Capital City. Considering that we had to limp all the way back there. It took even more time than we when first made the trip out there. I had used the last of my stimpaks, the plasma bolt had done more damage than I assumed. Ty got the worst of it, being hit in the stomach and chest. He said he was having a hard time breathing and that he couldn't keep his food down for more than an hour. Every so often, we had to stop so Ty could vomit. Regi had to stop also, he complained that his leg was acting up. I tried my best to tough it out and not say anything. Joshua was the luckiest, he didn't get hit at all. The plasma bolt that hit him only burned his back a bit. The fucking Arc Projector Manifold saved him from a few back problems.

We got back to the eastern gate of the NCR Capital, then one of the veterans saw how beaten to shit we were. "What the fuck happened to you guys?" He asked with slight concern. None of us had any patience to be asked questions, "Just let us in, please? We kinda need medical attention." I said sternly. He agreed and told the other guards to open the gates. "Josh, I think we should go see Lieutenant Jones while Regi and Ty go to the doctor." I told him. Joshua simply nodded and grunted in agreement. "Regi, we'll meet you two there. We have to break the news to the El Tee." Regi nodded as well and helped Ty, who was really struggling with his breathing, get to his feet and they headed off in another direction. I followed Joshua to the NCR Military offices. When we entered through the doors all eyes turn to us. There was a pause, no one said anything until the receptionist spoke up, "What happened to you two?" The receptionist asked with a stupid look on her face. I was starting to get annoyed by that question. "We need to see Lieutenant Jones." Joshua said. She simply pointed in the direction of his office. We staggered down the hallway, until we got his door. We tried to straighten ourselves up then entered the office. The Lieutenant looked up from his computer terminal. He looked at Joshua, then me, then back to Joshua, he knew not to ask he was thinking of asking. "Sir, we have some bad news." Joshua said. "Do I dare ask what the news is?" Jones asked. Joshua tossed the manifold on Jones' desk. Jones picked it up and looked at it for a few seconds. "What. The. Fuck. Happened?" Jones demanded. I laid down the helmet of one of the troopers on his desk. "This can't be." Jones said as he picked up the helmet. "Why? Who were they?" I asked him. "The Enclave." He answered. "That's bullshit, the Enclave were destroyed by a tribal almost forty years ago." Joshua said. "Or so we thought." Jones said. There was a pause between all of us. "Get to the doctor, you two look like shit. Dismissed." Jones said. Joshua saluted then we turned and exited the building.

We got to the doctor's office and someone came from one of the backroom to greet us. She wore a lab coat and her brown hair was in a bun, but it was unsettling when she came out with blood on her hands. "You the other two that Mr. Aldren warned us about?" The doctor asked. "Who?" I asked, "Aldren. Regi Aldren?" She asked in return. "Oh, yes... I guess... Do you sterilize after each procedure?" I asked nervously. She looked down at her hands, "Oh, yes. I'll be back." She turned and walked to the backrooms again. The most awkward twenty seconds passed, then she came back with clean hands. "If you'll both follow me to the back, please." We both walked to the same room that Regi and Ty were. Ty was given a shot to help regain his breathing and Regi's plasma burn was patched up and sterilized thoroughly. "Please, sit down." The doctor said, "I will be back momentarily." So we both sat. A few minutes later, the doctor came back and told me remove my clothes. I sighed, but did it anyways. I leaned my weapons against the wall and laid my clothes on the table. I sat on top of the table, but winced when I lifted myself up with my left arm. The plasma burn opened up and bled a bit. The doctor took a syringe and held it up. "Try to relax." She said as she injected me with morphine. She put the syringe back onto a tray she brought back with her, then took a scalpel and began to scrape away the burnt, dead skin. If it weren't for the morphine, I'd be in an unimaginable amount of pain. After scraping off the burnt sections of my arm and my leg, she soaked them in antibiotics and wrapped them in a couple of layers of bandages. All Joshua got was a layer of burn ointment, while the rest of us were fucked up on pain killers, not that I was complaining. I knew wouldn't be going anywhere for a bit, so I decided to sleep off my pain-killer trip.

I noticed that only two hours passed when I woke up. I got up off the bed I fell asleep on and noticed I was fully clothed. I guess I dressed myself before I fell asleep. Regi and Ty were just getting up as well. We walked out into the front room of the doctor's office, there was an NCR higher-up waitng for us. He was talking to Joshua, and Joshua seemed a bit more pissed than usual. "Jace Hurtzs?" The officer asked. I hesitated, "Yes." I said. "I'm Colonel Alyas, I want to see you, Joshua Rane, Regi Aldren, and Ty in my office in thirty minutes." He said then turned and walked out without saying another word. I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration and looked back at Regi. "This has 'Shit-Storm' written all over it, Stakes." He said, "I agree." I simply stated. I sighed, "C'mon guys, lets get the 'Shit-Storm' over with." I said, then we all walked out of the doctor's office and followed Joshua.

We all went back to the NCR Military offices. The same receptionist pointed us in Colonel Alyas's office. We all stood next to each other in front of Alyas. He looked up from his computer terminal. "Well, gentlemen." Alyas said, "What happened?" We weren't sure if that was a rhetorical question, so neither of us answered. "It was simple, you were all to take the manifold to a specified site. Instead, you all come back with it destroyed?" He said keeping a calm face, but clearly furious. Alyas looked down at his desk where the manifold and the Enclave trooper helmet were. He picked up the manifold and held it up to us. "Do any of you know how much time, money and research was put into this piece of shit?" He said, "A whole fucking heap!" He yelled and slammed it on the desk. "And then I hear that the four of you took down five Enclave troopers who had clearly superior firepower?" Alyas said with disbelief. He sighed, "I can't tell if that is impossible, or you guys are the kind of people we need in the NCR." He paused, "Sargent Rane." Alyas said, then Joshua looked up. "You are hereby demoted to the rank Private." He said. Joshua sighed deeply. "As for the rest of you three..." He started. We all stiffened. "Jace 'Stakes' Hurtzs, Reginald Aldren, and Ty. You are all hereby fully indoctrinated into the NCR." I closed my eyes and sucked it up, I never thought this would happen. Regi seemed unphased by it. I don't think Ty really cared either. "You will be in the NCR until you have all paid off your debt to society." He said then stood up, "And the way you will be paying your debt is up to me." Alyas said, "And I've got it all figured out. Follow me, men." He said as he passed up, then we followed him out of the building.

Alyas walked ahead of us, but made sure we were following him. Regi came up to me, "What do think he's going to make us do? Scrub the latrine until its clean enough for him to eat off of it?" He joked. I shook my head, "I don't think we're getting off that easy, Regi." I told him. We followed him into a warehouse. There were a few scientists working on several different things. Behind them were four sets of mannequins with armor on them. They were almost identical as the ones the veterans wore, except these were black, the metal chest plate was replaced with a different material, I couldn't tell what though. One of the soldiers by the scientists looked up and saw Alyas. "Colonel Alyas, Sir." He said calmly and saluted. "At ease, Corporal. Is Professor Masen available?" He asked. "Yes, Sir. This way." We followed the soldier to, who I assumed to be, Masen. "What can I do for you today, Colonel?" He asked without looking up from his project. "I have some 'test subjects' for your project." Alyas told him. Masen looked up at him, "Are you sure? The armor sets were just completed this morning. We have yet to have them properly tested." He tried to explain, "Well lets hope that the armor lives up to your expectations, Professor." Alyas said. Masen sighed, "Alright, but I will have to give them the full tutorial before they put it on." He said. "Take your time, Professor." Alyas told him. Masen scowled, it was obvious that Masen didn't have enough time, and that Alyas' comment was in spite of the situation. "Gentlemen, follow me." Masen said. We did so, and he stopped in front of the four armor sets. "What you see before you is our Prototype H3RM35 Compact Power Armor Version One." He said. I heard Regi whisper behind me, "What a mouthful." Masen continued, "You can call it 'Hermes P.A.' for short. This armor is a hybrid between the Brotherhood of Steel power armor and the pre-war stealth armor used by the Chinese during the reclamation of Alaska. We managed to find a way to bypass the need for power armor training so that anyone could use it without any problems. The armor is as hardened as the typical power armor, but is half of the original weight. As for the 'Stealth Armor' side of it, the Chinese stealth armor was fitted with a device that enables the wearer to become relatively transparent, but not invisible. We integrated the device to the armor, so when you crouch, it will activate the device and you will be transparent as long as you keep up the posture and move slowly." He finished up. "Any questions?" Masen asked.

There were two questions from Regi and I. My question was, "Are these properly tested?" While Regi's question interrupted mine with, "Can we try them on?" Masen answered both questions, beginning with Regi's. "You will put them on now, and no they haven't been tested yet, you will be the testers." Then I spoke up, "How will we test them?" Masen wasn't sure, then Alyas said, "You will be taking them on your first task on paying your debt to the NCR." We paused, "So what? This armor is as expendable as us?" Regi asked. "You are. But the armor isn't, you are simply giving it a test run. If it is deemed reliable, it will go into full production over a span of ten to fifteen years. If there is anything you think that should be added to the armor, let us know." I looked up at Alyas, "I'd like one thing added to my armor." I said. "What would that be, Mr. Hurtzs?" He asked. "I want the number twenty-seven on the end of the right-side of the collar." I said. Regi grinned, while Joshua sighed and shook his head. "Done." Was all Alyas said. "Well gentlemen, let's get the armor on." Masen said.

We all had to undress for the armor, otherwise it wouldn't fit properly. The first piece of the armor to go on was the leggings. It was simple enough since it was basically just a pair of armored pants. After that, came the boots which were a snug fit. Next was the chest piece, which folded up and over our head to reach our backs. It was harnessed together with a series of buckles and locks. Last was the helmet, it still looked as intimidating as when I first saw the armor almost a week ago. I slipped it on and then one of the scientists came up and flipped a small switch on the side of the mask. It provided a night vision mode for the goggles. "Standard issue." The scientist said, then switched them off. As we finished putting on the armor, Alyas came up to us. "Since you are all now a part of the NCR, you are now also being volunteered for the NCR's classified military company, dubbed 'Shadow Company'." He said. "Ooh, aren't you fucking original." Regi mocked Alyas under his breath. "But, one of you will have to lead this newly established company. Who will it be?" Alyas asked. I just happened to be in the front of the group when Regi and Ty shoved me forward. "I guess I will, sir." I said as I took off my helmet. "Good," Alyas said. "You are now ranking officer, Sargent Hurtzs." Joshua's face was in rage and confusion. He began to argue the Colonel's decision. Alyas turned to him, "You know why I gave HIM the promotion. Now I won't have to deal with your incompetence and insubordination anymore." He said with irritation at Joshua. "You will all get your first task in the morning. Goodbye." He turned and was about to walk away when he said, "And if any of you try to leave the city, you will be found and reeducated. You four aren't the only ones in this company. They may not use the same advanced armor that you have, but they do have sharp eyes." Alyas said then walked out.

Regi and I looked at each other, Regi just shrugged. "What do we do now?" Regi asked. "I know what I'm going to do." I said with a cynical grin. I walked up to Joshua as he was sitting on a few armor footlockers. "The fuck you want?" He said angrily. "Just so you know, I am a ranking officer for the NCR. When you need to address me, you better call me 'Sir'. I ain't your friend, I ain't your 'lesser'. You got that?" I told him. Joshua's face flared with anger from my play of words. Regi laughed behind me. "We will meet at the Colonel's office at seven A.M. sharp." I announced to the group with my newly acquired authority. I turned to Joshua and added, "And thats an order." He just sneered at me. He finished with "Understood... Sir."

I put my helmet back on, turned and nodded to Regi. He nodded back, we both knew what we were going to do for the rest of the day. So, we headed off the base grounds to the bazaar, specifically toward Drew's place. "Think he'll mistake us for veterans?" Regi asked along the way. I shrugged, but said, "Most likely." After a few minutes we were at Drew's place, the distance was much shorter from the base to there, rather than the inn we stayed at four days before hand. We headed right in and into the garage. The Corvega seemed to be in the same state as I had last seen it. Maybe Drew hit a snag with it. Eva was at a crafting table facing the other way when she heard us walk in. She turned and looked at us. "Drew, some veterans are here." She angled her voice downward at the bottom of the car. There was a loud thud, followed by, "OW! Gawd-mutha-fuggin' damn it." He slid out from under the car. "Veterans. Whew." He whistled and wiped his hands with a very dirty and oily cloth. "What can I do for you gentlemen?" Regi and I looked at each other. "Actually I'm here to drop off my friend. As for us," I refered to me and Drew. "I came to compliment on your work." I finished as Regi and I off our helmets. Eva's eyes lit up as she saw Regi, she ran up and hugged him tightly. Drew was shocked and confused. "Wha- How the hell this happen?" He asked. "Do you want the long story, or the short?" I asked. "Uh, short?" Drew said. "Its community service." I told him. He paused, "Okay, the long version." So, Drew and I sat down in his armory and I told him everything that happened. Drew chuckled when I mentioned the Arc Projector Manifold. "What, do you know what the thing was?" I asked him. "Huh, 'Know about it'? I designed it." He said and sighed. Drew got up and pulled out a blueprint of the device. "I only designed it, I never got to see it." He said. "The NCR paid me a shit load to make a layout and to keep it quiet. It was being made on the base, but they wouldn't let me make sure that it was being made exactly as I designed it to be."

I paused for a moment, trying to think of another subject. "Any progress on the car?" I asked. "I'm having a small problem with it. I'm trying to get the parts for an engine design, and that's where most of my money is going into. I have a design where I can use micro-fusion cells as fuel, since making gasoline is a bit out of my price range." I nodded in agreement. After a couple of hours of conversation and complimenting on my Bodkin's performance, I was ready to leave. Regi said he'd rather stay at Drew's place for the night. "Just remember, you're under my command Regi. Be there by seven o'clock." I told him. "Yes, mum." He mocked with a smile. I headed back to the Promise Inn. When I walked in, Cryss looked up. "Ooh, whats a little soldier boy like you doing here?" She asked with a smile. "Well, I hear this is the best place for a fun night." I told her, trying to keep my voice from being recognized. "Who told you that?" She asked. "Some guy, looked about six feet tall, matted down hair. And it seemed that every girl here wanted him." I said as I took off my helmet and looked at Cryss. "Jace!" She said out loud and hugged me tight. Then from the back halls, another girl called out, "Did somebody say 'Jace'? Girls! Jace is back!" She yelled out. In a few seconds the front room was filled with all the girls I was with the last time I was here, including Tori. She was fighting to get to the front of the group to me. They were all touching my new armor and all trying to speak at one time to get me to answer questions. I got them all to calm down, even if it was one at a time. So I told them what had happened to me. Though I fluffed up the story a bit to make it seem like I was suffering more than I really was. I smirked at all the sympathy I was getting. "Well, I believe you deserve the best room here." Cryss said as she grabbed a key. The girls and I followed her upstairs to some double doors, she unlocked them. The room was four times bigger than the one I was in the last time I was here, and much more decorated and clean. "Are there any girls you'd like to keep you company?" Cryss asked. I thought about it for a bit. There were a very good choice of girls I could choose from, plus I knew all their names. "Just one." I said, the rest of the girls leaned forward hoping to be chosen. I looked down at the girl in front of me. "Tori, would you like to stay with me for a bit?" I asked her. She smiled and nodded, the rest of the girls seemed disappointed. "Don't worry girls," I said. "You'll all get your turn." They all left with a bit of hope. I sat down and set Tori on my lap, and we talked about what to do next. Literally and metaphorically...