Chapter 10: I Go Right Merrily Along
Goodsprings; what a shit-tip, AJ thought to herself as she stood looking out over the sleepy town. A shanty town, half-way between Primm and whatever there was to be seen further back behind it; AJ couldn't have cared less. She was itchy in her jumpsuit, the Doc's wife had been right: the damn thing was too fucking brazen. She got a few dark looks from the locals, but she could understand; in Freeside the damn squatters made her so mad sometimes all she wanted to do was line the filthy varmints up and pop them, but she digressed: she was the stranger now and found herself making her way over to the saloon. The Doc had told her to go and have a chat with Trudy, the barkeep. AJ knew her; the older woman had been a local of Primm a few years back, before she moved on out to Goodsprings to take over the bar after her brother had died. Trudy was the token 'town mom' in some respects; AJ didn't really like her. She was cagy, too protective over little things and more than a mite suspicious of any new-comers, but she'd speak to AJ.
She had to find out who the bastard was that shot her, but she'd need to find out whether he was getting back to Vegas through ways of either the Long 15 or the 95 through Quarry Junction. Her head pounded in the bright dusky orange sunlight, she wished she had her goggles. Former Vaulties were partial to headaches and sore eyes; came with the gig after being shut down below for so long. That's why the Doc's house was so dim; AJ realised and walked on, heedless to the daggered eyes she was getting from the good residents of Goodsprings. Her progress was halted by a curious sight rolling down the road towards her. AJ squinted; it looked like a securitron, one of the robots that guarded the Strip. Nah, AJ thought; no god damn way would one of Mr. House's minions be all the way out here in Goodsprings. Finally the thing was upon her and AJ's brows climbed her head;
The screen where a hard-nosed pre-war police officer usually occupied was filled with the bright and smiling face of a cowboy. The animation had a cigarette hanging from its stubbly chops and a crooked smile. All topped off with a kerchief tied around his neck and an old-timey cowboy hat on his head. AJ chuckled as it approached and it boomed delighted,
"Howdy pardner! Good to see you again." It ground to a halt and AJ appraised it as it said, "Might I say you are looking fit as a fiddle." This was Victor, AJ deduced and nodded up at the robot. "Thanks for digging me out of my grave." She said and the robot held up one of its rusty arms as if to wave her away,
"No problem, I'm always lookin' to help abody in need."
So this cowboy robot came fully functional with a Texan accent. Whoever built this thing – or reprogrammed it – had a weird affiliation with Old World Texas. AJ smiled, she liked him. He was campy, and old-lookin' rusted and battered, it had wires springing out of his shoulders where his long arms hung down at its side and his one wheel was perilously bald, but he had a certain...charm. Smiling up at the securitron, AJ queried,
"I've never seen a robot like you?" One of her light brows cocked and the robot seemed to shrug. It shrugged. "I'm a Securitron, RobCo security model 2060-B." So he was a securitron, AJ thought. She wondered ponderously if he had actually been built with that particular 'Victor' AI, and if so, why couldn't House's other robots be so gaudy and pleasant. AJ found that she couldn't stop smiling as the robot leaned forward on its axis creaking as it did and said casually, "If you see any of my brothers, tell 'em Victor says howdy."
"Did you know the folk that shot me?" AJ asked and frowned when she realised she was mimicking the robot's easy twanged speech. The robot seemed to deliberate before answering,
"Can't say that I am familiar with the rascals, you might ask the fine folks around town, though."
She sighed, before going on, "What where you doing when you...found me?" Victor's screen flicked and the image changed, the cowboy's cigarette was gone and his expression was no longer cheery, but it was quite frighteningly angered, AJ stepped back as the robot said, "I was out for a little stroll when I heard some commotion up at the old bone orchard, then I saw what looked like a bunch of bad eggs, so I laid low." AJ nodded as she listened and Victor said, "Saw fancy-pants take a pop at you and spiky fling you in the ditch. When they left, I moseyed on over to see if you were still kickin'," The screen flicked again and the happy cowboy was back,
"Turns out you were, so I done dug you up right quick and took you on over to the Doc's house."
With that, the robot's arms swung languidly and AJ reached up and touched her head absently as she thought. Gazing back at Victor, she wondered aloud, "You mentioned a guy, 'fancy-pants'?" Victor's screen flickered, "Yeah?" AJ nodded, "Know anything about him?" AJ was convinced that if Victor had been a human, he would have scratched his chin, tipped his hat back and would have shrugged because it said, "Naw, don't know him. Looked to be a New Vegas-y type 'a feller. Ugly suit." He added shortly and AJ giggled, "I'll agree with that..." She trailed off and her mouth was set in a determined line as her eyes slid back up to Victor, with a shrug she said,
"Well, I won't keep you, Vic. Thanks again for diggin' me up, it was a kindness."
"Aw, don't mention it. Happy trails!"
He called as he rolled around her and sped off in the direction of said bone orchard. AJ shivered as her eyes rested on the old water tower at the top of the hill. The last things she had heard before that guy attempted to blow out her brain was that thing creaking and his gun blasting. She shook herself and continued on her way to go and speak to Trudy.
The old Prospector Saloon was cosy, but nonetheless, just as shitty as the town it was situated in. Walking through the doors, AJ warranted the guarded looks of all the patrons within. Some gaped at her with flat out amazement; she thought that her ordeal had gotten around town. Obviously someone being shot in the head and buried alive would tend to get around. AJ cleared her throat and squared her shoulders, ignoring them and the looks they gave her apparel and the big white bandage that covered her head. She took a seat at the bar and held up one finger; the Doc had kindly gave her back all of her stuff, other than her clothes which had been blood-stained and covered in dirt. Her bandanna had been lost to that spiky Khan, she lamented that. But the Doc had seen fit to look at her delivery order to see if he could find any next of kin after her accident. AJ knew that Johnson would be enraged when he heard about what had happened to her; but she honestly felt that she wasn't ready to face that old goat yet.
Trudy spread her hands on the bar like a stable cat on a roof and eyed AJ quite grandly considering she was a little queen of an even littler mole hill. AJ looked up, "Whiskey, please...double." She said and Trudy went under the bar without a sound and produced a bottle and a half-glass. She held on to them and nodded, "Caps first, we don't molly anybody here in this establishment."
Establishment, now there was a polite word one would use to refer to the Prospector. AJ scoffed and reached into her pouch and slammed the caps on the bar, ignoring her ladyship. The caps were swiped away quicker than AJ could have blinked and she thought she had never in all of her life had a day where a robot was nicer to her than an actual human. Finally Trudy poured AJ her drink, and AJ gingerly wrapped her damaged fingers around the glass, a little embarrassed that she couldn't do it faster and drank it down quickly enough and realised she'd missed her whiskey and so, she just bought the bottle and glanced up at the line of ragged bearded men along the bar who were all looking at her. She tried to blank them as Trudy made her way along her way again, AJ jerked her head and Trudy rolled her eyes and began to wipe down the bar in front of her,
"What?" She asked shortly and AJ bit back her temper and asked, "Do you know anything about the men who shot me?" At that Trudy looked at her strangely and AJ nearly choked when the older woman's stony face softened, "No, no I don't know anything about them...Only that they expected a few rounds on the house." AJ laughed and threw back a drink, feeling better for it and exclaimed,
"The fools," Trudy nodded, "Yeah, but then one of them Khans 'accidently' knocked over my radio. Darn thing's been busted ever since." Trudy complained and AJ looked at her, she was an older woman. Mid forties, AJ would have guessed. Hispanic, she had short greying hair that was browner than anything else and what could have been a kindly face if she weren't scowling at strangers all the time. AJ looked away and feigned vulnerability as she asked,
"I'm plannin' on heading home soon; I'd hate to run into them folk again...Did you happen to hear where they were headed, or what route they were taking?" AJ watched Trudy fold her arms and think, she looked up and bit the inside of her cheek as she raked through her thoughts before saying finally,
"Didn't hear much, but the one in the suit said that they were heading back to the Strip. Said that they'd came down this way down the 95, he seemed anxious, and no wonder after all I've been hearing coming from that-a ways." AJ leaned forward, "Eh?" Trudy shrugged and began wiping down the bar again, "Don't know, just a lot of tales about big and nasty critters that just get mad when you shoot 'em. Heard the road was closed off now, NCR's doing no doubt."
Just then another patron hollered for Trudy and she left AJ alone to think. Absently guzzling her drink, AJ's thoughts were furious. If there was no way through Quarry Junction, then the only way back north was the I15 which meant she'd need to pass back through Primm, which would also mean she'd need to check into the Mojave Express and explain her situation to Johnson. AJ groaned and grabbed her bottle, leaving the Prospector and stepping outside into the cool evening air.
"Well lookie at that, the walkin' dead." There came a voice from her side, AJ looked round and her eyes fell on an old man. His beard was whiter than snow, but that might have just been in contrast to his very brown, much wrinkled leathery skin. He had a straw hat on his head, AJ eyed him and he motioned for her to sit,
"Mind if Easy Pete takes a nipper?"
AJ sighed, "Go for it," She said blandly and handed the old man her bottle. "Easy Pete?" She queried and smiled, "You're not a slut are you, old timer?" The man guffawed and wiped his mouth as he handed her the bottle back and shook his head, "Nah, nothin' like that." He watched her carefully take the bottle, she didn't trust her fingers to grip it tightly enough and she winced when it nearly fell. She rose her eyebrows at Easy Pete who was regarding her closely, "So, how're you feeling? The way I heard it told, it didn't look like you were ever comin' out that office." AJ nodded and took a swig,
"Yeah, well, Doc Mitchell really knows his stuff."
"That he does," Easy Pete agreed and pulled a little bottle of bourbon out and drank it. AJ smiled, crafty old bastard. He redeemed himself by offering her a cigarette which she took and he lit it for her, AJ's belly tightened at the prospect of lighting a lighter, the state her hands were in at the moment. Taking a drag, she sat back and looked out over the barren wastes; the light had dwindled now and it was night-time, but the sky wasn't wholly dark and still rather light casting a subtle hue over the land.
"It's beautiful, ain't it? In a dangerous kinda' way." Said Easy Pete and AJ nodded, "Sure is, gramps." Easy Pete chuckled then as he exhaled a great plume of smoke before remarking, "You find out about the yahoos who tried to plant you?" AJ shook her head, her eyes still forward, "Not yet, I know where they're headed, though." She added darkly and Easy Pete gave her a sidelong glance,
"Revenge ain't a thing you should chase lightly, kid." AJ nodded, "I know, gotta' be done, though." The old man's face crinkled as he laughed, "I suppose, no man ever got his deserts sitting in Goodsprings." AJ chuckled lightly then and looked over at Pete, "D'you know anything about him?"
"Him?"
AJ nodded, "The man who shot me."
"The one in the suit?"
"How'd you know it was him?" AJ asked curiously and Easy Pete shrugged and pinged his cigarette butt away from him and said, "Man's got cold eyes, like a snake. Looked like the sort who could shoot a woman." He said in an angry growl before he took another swig of his bourbon. "Have you been back up there?" He motioned with a thumb behind him. AJ looked round and shrugged,
"The graveyard?" Pete nodded, she looked away and frowned looking down, "No...Not yet."
"You should. Might find something up there."
"Oh, right," AJ scoffed, "what am I gonna' find up there?" She watched as the old man leaned forward in his seat, his calloused hands hung between his legs as he said seriously,
"Shoot a person in the head; you don't expect them to be comin' back." He said, all his words were dripping with meaning to them and AJ frowned as Pete added, "You don't expect them to come back and find anything. You'd get sloppy. You," He said pointing at her, "You might just get the jump on him. Ball's in your court, kid."
With that, the old man got up and shuffled back into the Prospector leaving AJ alone out on the porch.