Updated: 6/7/15
This chapter has some borderline M rated content. You've been warned.
Part 2 – Birth of a Ghost
Chapter 10: Coping with a Tragic Change
"Wasteland turns to hell in a matter of minutes and fate changes as well as your motives. All it takes is a trigger, loss, or traumatization to make it all happen. When that change comes, you find yourself more focused, determined; even if you don't realize it yet."
Technology to its finest is too broad of a term for something like this. It was all military grade weapons, like it was going to be used for a counter assault. Either that or the man who owned the pawn shop was hoarding military weaponry. Kate and I looked through it all. It was a surplus and I wanted it. I started to imagine what it would look like in my house in Megaton, or the Armory there. Kate looked over at me with a glee in her eyes. There were Assault Rifles, SMG's, pistols, rifles, grenades, and Rocket Launchers.
"Let's keep this a secret," Kate said immediately, "We won't have to buy any weapons or ammo anymore. We can keep coming back here." I smirked. My thoughts drifted onto the weapons cache again. I really wanted one of those sniper rifles.
"Well duh!" I agreed. I realized again that we needed to get back on track and get to the minefield and finish the section of the Wasteland Survival Guide up. And hopefully, spend a little more time with Kate.
"Um Nathan?" Kate asked.
"Yeah?
"Um….never mind," She said unconfidently. One thing I knew about her, it was that she was shy.
I decided to bolster her confidence a little. "Hey when we finish up here," I said nonchalantly, "we're going to do something together. Okay?"
"Like what?" She asked intrigued.
"We'll figure something out," I answered.
"Target practice?" She asked.
"Maybe?"
I could have sworn I heard her say something along the lines like, that went completely over his head. There was an extremely awkward silence.
"Nate?"
"Yeah?"
"If I told you something," She said, "Would you tell anyone else?"
"Not without your consent," I replied.
"What would you say," She said beating around the bush, "If I told you I've never had a boyfriend?" My mind went into a flurry of thoughts. I decided to answer with something of the same caliber.
"I'd…..say I've never had a girlfriend? I replied with an unsure tone.
"Oh…." Kate said blushing, "That's good. Because….well…..I don't know how to say this. But….uh…." She sighed frustrated with herself.
I smiled. "Don't worry about it," I replied, "I don't think we should be talking about something like this on the road. Let's wait until we arrive home. Okay?" She nodded. "Okay then," I spoke, "Grab what you want. We'll come back sometime later okay?"
"Okay," Kate replied.
I didn't grab anything but one of the many Sniper Rifles. That's the only thing I lacked. She grabbed an Assault Rifle and we left the little weapons cache alone and locked away. We kept walking until we found out we were going to be leaving the main part of the city. Surprisingly, we met little danger. There were a few Radscorpions running around, but we managed to dispatch them easily. It wasn't much to deal with. Kate and I had eventually passed an old Gas station, and then crossed over into terrain of slopes for a good long while. It was strange out here as the outskirts of the DC ruins weren't so open. Eventually, we spotted a railroad situated on a bridge that stretched over the Wasteland. It looked rather scenic. Too bad that scenic nostalgia wouldn't last long. "Raiders incoming," Kate warned me as we climbed a mountainous hill.
True enough, bullets peppered the boulders in front of us. "Shit!" We went behind the cover of the rocks as more bullets flew past us. "Well this sucks."
"No shit," Kate replied before firing off rounds from her Assault Rifle. I started to think of a way to get out of this mess. Unfortunately, I've never fought an uphill battle before. I guessed that this was perfect for the occasion.
"Okay draw their fire," I spoke, "I'm going to take them out." I pulled out my Sniper Rifle.
"Have you even used that thing before?"
"Nope but practice make's perfect."
Kate huffed then started spraying and praying with her Assault Rifle. She definitely was not that experienced. She lost her cool quite often in the heat of things. While she sprayed her Assault Rifle, I took aim and found a target before firing. I missed. "Fuck." I fired again, this time hitting its mark. A Raider started screaming from our side. I quickly looked to see her coming with a machete. I dropped my gun and then kicked the woman in her stomach while taking her machete from her hand then decapitating her. Then out of nowhere, I was hit with a baseball bat from behind. I blacked out.
….
I woke up to the sounds of her screams. Everything went to hell in just a matter of minutes. There was one Raider apparently and he had taken us by surprise. "You awake kid?" The Raider asked slamming my head against the back of something hard. We were inside some kind of junk yard. I groaned as I felt my hands bound behind my back by rope.
"Good," The Raider said smirking and backing up. He kicked me in the side. "That was for killing my whore you asshole! Now I got to find another one!"
I coughed. "You know what I'm going to do to you kid?" He spat. "I'm going to chop every limb off you've got. Then I'm going to chop your balls off and then pull out your intestines. It's a painful way to die. But you know what?" He laughed. "I think before I kill you, I want you to see what's going to happen to your little lady friend." I heard her scream. Kate. He pulled her from around the corner and her limbs were strapped to a wooden plank by rope similar to how I found her to begin with at the Super Duper Mart only this time, she was still clothed.
"No…" I uttered waking up completely.
"Oh yes," the Raider said grinning ear to ear with a sadistic look. "You get to watch." Kate screamed even more, crying her eyes. The Raider pulled out a switchblade and walked over to her. He cut her top off then tore it from her revealing her bra that didn't last long either. He did horrible things to her that involved her breasts, his mouth, and several slaps to the said breasts. I struggled against my bonds. Next he cut her pants off then went straight for her other female part. But before his head went between her legs, he looked at me. "Oh you want some action too?"
"Stop you Bastard!" I yelled in anger.
The Raider merely laughed. "I take that as a yes!" He said leaning her and her board up. "Here." He leaned her to where she was facing me, her breasts pressing against my face. I was seeing red. Pure red. If I got my hands on this guy, he would suffer. Kate was crying hysterically. I couldn't do anything about it. I was sure my wrists would start to bleed as much as I was tugging against my bonds.
"Don't hog her now!" The Raider said mockingly before pulling her off of me and letting her flop on her back. "I want her more than you…." He reached down crouching and massaging her breasts while grinning with the sadistic evil look. "But I guess it's time to quit playing with her. I'm going to carve her out real nice. Then she'll die and I'll just go ahead and kill you."
"No!" Angela screamed as the Raider lowered himself. She tried to shake herself loose but to no avail. He took off his pants, positioned himself, and forced himself inside her. He held her mouth shut as he moved all in her. I couldn't close my eyes. It was the most horrible thing I've ever witnessed, yet I couldn't turn away. Before long, Kate just gave up. He defiled her. Defiled her very being for the next ten minutes. The man let out a series of moans before pulling himself out of her.
"That was so good," He said putting his pants back on, "Too bad I have to kill you now darlin'. You're a masterpiece. But I guess it wouldn't sit well with the rest of the ladies in my crew if you are around." He pulled out his switchblade again. Kate didn't move. She had lost all train of thought and was so traumatized there wasn't anything anyone could do. I found something sharp against my arm near my bounded wrists. I started moving my arms up and down over it where the rope was. I had to get out of this. I had to save her.
"Kid you didn't know what you were missing out with her," The Raider laughed, "She was one hell of a ride. Now if you want, I can get real creative." I just glared at him still moving my arms up and down trying to cut my bonds. "Try all you like kid. You aren't slipping out of those ropes. He didn't know that I was trying to cut them. "Oh well," The Raider said shrugging, "I guess it's time to quit beating around the bush." He went to Kate and crouched down at her face while stroking her cheek. "You're one hell of a woman." His hands moved down to her breasts. "But all good things never last." I felt the rope go slack as the Raider sliced her across the chest. She screamed with agonizing pain as he made another swipe around her stomach, then he rubbed his free hand over her reproductive part.
"You bastard! If I get out of here I'm going to kill you." I yelled in fury still struggling against my bonds.
He laughed. "If that pissed you off," The Raider said smirking, "Then this'll kill you." He did the thing I feared the most. He killed her. He sliced her jugular. My world shattered and I saw red again.
"NO!" I had finally broken free of my bonds surprising the Raider. I tackled him to the ground, overpowering him and then broke his arm that had the switchblade. He yelled in pain rolling in agony. I grabbed the switchblade and just started stabbing. The Raider was way past dead. His body was covered in blood due to the multiple stab wounds. I was no exception to being covered in blood due to my anger. I got off him and went to Kate's side. She was gone. "No…" I said in complete devastation, "no, no, no, no…." For the first time in a long time, I wept. Why? Why did this have to happen? This truly was hell. The rape of an innocent woman, whom I had finally found as a possible companion in this stupid ass world, was unheard of. She died because of one man's sick mind. Raider; I hated that term. I stared at Kate's lifeless body. "No! God please No!" I yelled at the skies. I yelled to hell. I lost my balance and fell back on my rear wiping tears from my face.
I don't know how long I sat there, but I didn't move for the longest time. My mind was racing in several different directions. I failed to protect her because of my weakness. My weakness….I was weak. I know what it was. I was too carefree….I didn't think things through and I didn't notice the Raider who ended it all for us. Why did I live? I wouldn't have found my father, but if I could've taken her place, I would have in a heartbeat. I stared at her more. I huffed finally looking around. I saw a shovel. I found myself staring at the thing for a few minutes, just a blank stare. It took me three hours to bury her and by that time, it was night. There was no way in hell I was going anywhere tonight. I retrieved my belongings and found myself sleeping in a destroyed bus.
…
I woke up to the distant sounds of barking. I ignored it and closed my eyes again. The barking stopped at first. I remembered the previous day's experiences. Kate and I almost got out alive. We escaped big green men only for her to be raped and killed by a Raider who was right around my age. I opened my eyes as I remembered those events. Kate was so full of life. She was a good woman, soft, shy, and gentle. Maybe that's why she died. She couldn't handle it. She couldn't handle the wasteland. If she couldn't, how could I? She's been out here all her life, but I'm just some kid who lived in the safest tunnel all his life. Why did I live and she didn't? Was it fate? Was it Luck? No. It was the choice that bastard made. He decided to rape her in front of me then kill her. I huffed again trying to choke back tears. I have killed before, and it took me a while to cope with it. But how do you cope with losing someone you care about right in front of you? We were just about to hit it off pretty well.
I closed my eyes again and my thoughts drifted. I lived in a world where the weak are preyed upon the by the ruthless and strong. This world needed help and I knew it. But being like I was now, it was going to get people killed. It was a proven fact. I lost two people in my team in Megaton. Two people I didn't even know, but still. They died when I couldn't handle the burden of stopping two Mercs and a shady businessman. Kate died when we weren't paying attention. But she had to live through rape first, before the Raider slit her throat. Twice people died because on my account. I wanted revenge. I wanted Justice. Maybe I should just stop being too damn friendly with people. I've had enough already. Being friendly with people gets them killed. I'll make this world a safer place without being so damn kind. I huffed.
I made up my mind. There is zero tolerance for Raiders. Zero Tolerance for lack of common sense in combat. I will change. I have to otherwise I'm going to just get myself killed eventually. I needed to train harder than before, become a killing machine that no one else could be. I needed to find solutions to problems that no one else would even try. Bravery and stupidity had a thin distinguishable line. I was about to become borderline. It felt good. Despite all the hardships I just went through, it felt good to let it all go. I will not allow myself to die or anyone else that depends on me.
"Help!" I heard from somewhere in the Junkyard. My eyes snapped open. I heard the sounds of barking and laughing. I got up and walked quickly towards the sounds. I turned a corner to see three Raiders killing a merchant with sledgehammers and melee weaponry. I was about to engage them from behind when I saw a dog tackle one of them and rip his throat out.
"Holy shit!" One of the Raiders exclaimed backing away before going to slam his sledgehammer onto the dog. The dog pounced away then jumped at the Raider nipping his arm before going for the neck again. The Raider's throat was ripped out. The last Raider went to raise a pipe when the dog barked and growled viciously. The Raider hesitated for a split second and the Dog barked again before running at the female. She smacked him across the head with the lead pipe. The dog shook his head and pounced ripping her throat out viciously. It looked at the three bodies before walking over to the dead Wastelander whining. It sat down and howled sorrowfully.
My initial shock over this dog's viciousness was eradicated the moment I saw this scene. The dog was just trying to protect its master. It was mourning. I felt bad for the dog. We had both just lost someone. I thought I was done with stupid decisions for the rest of my life. But I just did another. I walked up to the dog and his deceased owner. The dog's ears perked up and looked at me. It growled slightly before looking at me with its head tilted. It had different colored eyes, one of them being gold and the other blue. Anyone could tell this was a male.
"You're alright," I said gently.
The dog whimpered.
"It hurts losing your master doesn't it?" I asked.
As if he understood me, the dog barked.
"I've lost a few people myself," I continued, "So we both know the pain."
The Dog whined coming over and licked my hand.
"You're pretty friendly for a dog that just killed a bunch of Raiders," I said petting him.
The dog started panting then let out a bark again. I got an idea. If humans seemed to die around me a lot, what if I could get this dog to follow me? I could train him to help me out. He seemed to be without fear, just loyalty.
"Your master must've trained you well," I spoke, "Do you want to come with me? It'll be good to have some company."
The dog tilted his head before barking.
"Okay then," I said nodding and I looked around at the bodies. I looted them and kept going. I made sure to grab any caps I came across. Carrying two backpacks was tough enough. I knew how this dog could be useful to me now other than just a companion. When I got back to Megaton, I would definitely have to make a harness that could fit him so he could carry anything that was light such as ammo or caps. I looked at the Wastelander's corpse with much thought.
An hour later, I stuck the shovel blade in the ground with my dog right beside me. In front of us were two graves each with a cross and both were right at the stone wall in the center of the Junkyard. I etched words into the wall with my combat knife. Roughly it said: In loving memory of two good souls that perished here on August 22, 2277. Their spirits live on inside of their friends.
I took a moment of silence bowing my head and closing my eyes. From this day forward, I am a wanderer with one purpose; to make this world a better place. The dog stared silently at the etched words on the wall. I crouched down and petted him.
"Come on boy," I said, "I've got a promise to keep." He licked my head before barking. I stood up and looked at my Pipboy's map. According to this thing, the Minefield was about a half a mile away Northeast. My dog and I walked around the large wall and found a gap in the fencing to see a small neighborhood at the base of a large slope that had a water tower on it. It also looked like there were factory exhaust towers on the other side. If I wasn't mistaking it, there was a large destroyed four story building between the Eastern side of the slope and the little neighborhood.
The trip over there was uneventful, just nothing but ceaseless walking. Eventually we came up on it. I knew this place was a death trap, and I didn't know if the dog would set off any mines in here. I looked at him before making my decision. "Hey boy," I said leaning down and rubbing his head, "Listen. I want you to stay right here next to this house okay?"
He tilted his head in response. "I'm going inside of a minefield. I don't want you to get hurt okay?" The Dog whined. "I know. Just stay." I got up, put Kate's backpack down and backed away. "Stay and guard this." The dog whined again but didn't move.
I walked around the side of the house and looked at the minefield. I could see the mines already. If I remembered correctly, the Frag mines started blinking when I entered their detection range. After that, I had three seconds to press the red sensor to deactivate them. I breathed. Life or death. Bravery, stupidity, or somewhere in between, which would be borderline. Time to go to work. I looked over and broke a wooden plank out of the nearby picket fencing and slid it over towards the mine I had spotted. I was about twelve feet away and the wooden plank was six. I walked over to the wooden plank and waved my hands around. Nothing. I stretched my hand out towards the mine only to have my heart jump to my throat. The thing started to beep. I backed away quickly and the thing exploded in three seconds. I quickly felt the heat of the explosion and realized that the Frag mine's area of effect was six feet in radius which meant that it had a twelve foot effective range. I frowned. Okay. Now that I knew that, I needed to pick another mine and attempt to disarm it. If I failed, I wouldn't be around to remember it being a bad idea.
I breathed again looking at a mine. It was relatively close to an old car so that meant that I needed to disarm it otherwise it would be overkill. My dog barked looking around the corner of the building. I turned to see him.
"It's alright boy," I encouraged, "I'm fine." I heard him whine. I turned to look at the Frag Mine again. It was now or never. I ran for the mine, hearing it beeping when I was in range. Three….two….click! I pressed the button on top and the thing stopped beeping. It was deactivated. I was alive. I win. I picked up the Frag mine. Moira would like to take a good look at this. To get some practice in, I started towards the next Frag Mine when something stopped me. I heard the unmistakable sound of sniper fire. I heard a ping sound as it hit the car nearby. The car immediately ignited as the bullets hit the car's nuclear motor. Fuck.
I ran and jumped behind a fallen tree just in time. The car exploded leaving a green lighting effect and heat washed over the area. A sniper was around here. I peered over the fallen tree to see the four story building. That would be the only direction the shot could've come from. I looked around and judged my distance. This guy was either a bad shot or he was aiming for the cars. I decided to run for it. I was fast enough to run through the minefield without risking dying. I just had to make sure I didn't run through close to the center of their range. The sniper shot at the car I was running to. I quickly moved against the wall of a destroyed house to avoid the explosion. I pulled out my sniper rifle and pointed it at the building. Sure enough there was an old man up there sitting in the window with his gun drawn. But I couldn't hit him from this angle. I had to think smart. I looked over at the playground and got an idea. I pulled out a Frag Grenade and lobbed it that way. The effects were immediate. I looked at the man who had his gun pointed at that direction. I went right and around the building then straight for the building he was held up in. I snuck in disarming several frag mines on the lower level before ascending the stairs quietly. The first floor I came to was nothing but a bed and some provisions. When I came up to the man's level I saw him scoping out the entire minefield again.
I crept up behind him with my combat knife pulled out. "Hey." I said.
"AH!" He yelled turning around and firing. I smacked the gun away from myself and he just kept firing.
"I'm not going to hurt you!"
"Get away!" He said letting his sniper go and then pulling out a pistol, "You will not get me!" I stabbed him before he could fire. He looked at me with pleading eyes holding his wound. "I won't become a slave…." He raised his pistol again only this time firing a bullet into his brain. I stared. The man thought I was a Slaver? He was willing to take his own life to keep from being a slave? I let out a sigh. This was just another way someone was molded by the harsh conditions out here. I took his pistol from his hand and then emptied it of the magazine.
"I'm sorry," I said mourning him. I began to scavenge around getting Sniper Rifle Ammo, the food he had collected, and some basic meds. I started to disarm the minefield as I went along and eventually checked out the houses. They were full of Prewar Money and Meds with the occasional weapon and ammo. Afterwards, I decided it was time to go. The minefield was a ghost town now. Ghost. That word seemed to come up at the most convenient times. I walked back and retrieved my dog and the supplies.
"Sorry about that boy," I said to him as I tore off half of my robe, "We're ready to get going. Come on." I had my blue hood with the same cloth covering my face and part of the robe acting as half of a cape that covered my two backpacks that were tied together on one side of my back. He barked following me. Back on the hill where the Junkyard was located, I stole one final glance at the Minefield then never looked back again. I looked at the graves of the two that had fallen the previous day. I paid my respects once again before leaving with my dog in tow. I retraced my steps and traveled back down the sloped terrain towards the Potomac River. Everything was the same, yet empty of life. The gas station, the streets Kate and I passed on our way here, and even the bridge that crossed over the Potomac near the Super Duper Market. By the time we got to the Super Duper Market, the sun was behind the buildings. We camped out inside of the Market. It was eerily quiet. I guessed that I should've seen this coming. Without Kate, even if I only knew her for a few days, things were different. But having a dog here made it better.
I cooked us up some food while my dog checked the place out. The place was starting to smell. I guess it was from the decomposing Raider Corpses that were still in here. After dinner was done and we ate, I sucked it up and threw all the corpses out front in a pile then lit them on fire. Afterwards, I found some Abraxo cleaner and covered the entire place up. Eventually, the smell left the building. This place too was like a Ghost town. Ghost. There was that word again. Why did it appeal to me? I sighed as my mind drifted off into thinking about today's events. It was enough to motivate me to write about my experience in the Minefield.
Today's world is filled with dangers. They could be monstrous, human, inhuman, or what started this Post-Apocalypse, Explosive. Explosives can be an invaluable asset, or one's demise. Take example for having a Minefield. The tactical advantages to the one who set it up would be endless, such as using it to protect yourself while you sleep soundly at night. Another thing is using it as an early warning system while you find a high spot within it to snipe from. The tactic always works if you keep attentive to your surroundings. But there is also a way around the mines, only if you are experienced enough to deal with them. A standard MF10 Frag mine has a lethal blast range of six to eight feet. Its detection range is five feet. Theoretically, if you move fast enough, you can avoid them; however, if you're not careful death will be the outcome. To disarm the mine, just press the red lit button. To activate them, you will be given a thirty second timer after you press the activation button. Be sure for safety reasons that you keep the safety switches on to avoid accidentally setting the mine off.
I looked up at nothing in particular but my eyes landed on the cash registers. It was pretty late. It was another day's work in the Wasteland. I yawned and put up my belongings before finding sleep in the Pharmacy again. I dreamed. It wasn't a dream. It was a nightmare. I relived Kate's rape and murder. I relived those agonizing minutes. I woke up with my dog licking me in the face wiping away my tears. I pushed his head away lightly.
"I'm alright boy," I said leaning up and looking at him. I stared at the wall on the other side of the room before breaking my trance and stretching. I got up, gathered my things, and we left the Super Duper Market. I saw the burnt bodies of the dead Raiders on my way out. Another one of those floating spherical robots was hanging around the Parking Lot. My dog and I made our way back to Megaton. Half way there, a giant ant came at us from downhill. To my surprise, my dog tackled the ant and snapped its neck from behind.
Other than that, the trip to Megaton wasn't eventful. Deputy Wield and Stockholm were in their usual spots. Stockholm waved as soon as he saw me, but looked slightly confused when I approached with a dog and not my other companion. He opened the gates nevertheless and allowed me in. The town was still active, everyone busily fulfilling their day. A few settlers waved at me and welcomed me back, but I didn't reply. I just walked into my house and unloaded everything I had collected onto the shelf. Wadsworth greeted me again as usual.
"Good morning Sire," He spoke, "Where is Mistress Kate?"
"She won't be coming back," I replied plainly, "She was murdered on our expedition."
"Oh…" The Mister Handy said, "I am terribly sorry Master Nathan."
"It's alright Wadsworth," I replied, "Could you give me a few moments to myself?"
"Of course sir," Wadsworth replied before hovering off into his closet and closing it behind him. Damn that Robot for making me remember her. I was trying not to remember her. I am trying to move on. I will move on. To keep my mind off of her, I did a head count on whatever I had gotten. I was obviously richer. I could afford a few things now. I estimated I had around ten thousand caps already due to all the prewar money. I frowned as I came across something that was in Kate's backpack. It was a little box she had. Inside it was a photo of her and on the back it said, to Nate. She had a necklace of some sort in her box. I huffed trying to keep from tearing up again. I cared too much for someone I only knew for a few days. I eventually put it on a shelf in her room. I went through everything I had and stocked the shelves up. I was looking at my own personal little armory here. I put on my poker face by keeping it hidden and left my home with my dog.
I walked over to Moira's with my report, so far not spotting any of the three friends I had made here. My arrival inside her store was unnoticed by them as well. They were probably in the Brass Lantern or Moriarty's. I didn't care at the moment. Moira instantly recognized me and spoke with her normal tone.
"How were those hot little potatoes?" She asked grinning. When she found out I didn't laugh, she tried to explain the joke. "You know…because they're on the ground….like potatoes. And hot….because they….um explode." She regained her composure. "Anyways what's up?"
"I got through it," I said giving her a frag mine and my findings, "And here's my observations."
"Cool!" She said perking up, "I've got just the reward. I know you may not want to see anymore explosives for a while, but obviously you know your way around them. Have a couple of rainy-day toys of mine. And looking at this landmine gives me an idea. It's a terrible device that does terrible things of course, but it's easy for you to make your own too."
Not receiving my reward yet, I continued the conversation. "That completes the first wave of research correct?" I asked.
"Of course," She said, "but why don't we take a break for a little bit? I've got to compile all of this research."
"Fine," I replied nodding.
"Oh don't forget these!" She handed me a few Frag Grenades, some kind of Schematic, and a couple of Stimpaks.
"Thank you," I replied huskily collecting my reward and getting ready to walk out.
"Hey wait a minute," Moira exclaimed, "Where's that woman Kate at?"
I cringed inwardly but kept stone-faced. "She died." I walked out but I could hear Moira's last word.
"Oh."
I made my way back to my home and piddled around. I cleaned my guns, organized them, read a few pages in a book, and made my own schematics involving my guns. The place was nothing but my own personal little playground. I was content with being left alone. The next day however, the Sheriff came by. He seemed to come by every time there was something wrong or just to tell me something important. I opened my door to see him.
"How you doing Nate?" He asked looking as if he was trying to figure me out, "Do you mind if I come in?"
"Sure," I said with my emotionless expression. He closed the door behind him.
He took a quick look around seeing how much more things I had. "Are you alright?" he asked concerned.
"No." The word came out before I knew it. I sighed looking at my salvaged non-working Power Armor. I didn't know what I was going to do now. With Moira wanting to take a break on the Survival Guide and I couldn't get a solid lead out of Colin about my dad, I was stuck in a bind.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked sitting down, "I heard from Moira what happened. I'm sorry about that."
"No offense," I said a little too hostility, "But why do you care?" He looked at me with surprise but not backlashing at me.
"It's my job to care," Lucas replied with an encouraging tone, "Plus I figured it is what friends do."
The word friend was strange to me inwardly. Externally, I guess I did have a few such as Lucas here, Billy Creel, Stockholm, and Jericho. I sighed letting my arms flop to my side. "I'm sorry Lucas," I said giving in, "I just didn't expect us to be overwhelmed. My mistake cost Kate her life."
"What mistake?" Lucas asked brow furrowing.
"We were engaging Raiders uphill," I said, "They spotted us first. We took cover behind a boulder and started shooting back. Somehow, one of them got around us and knocked me unconscious. Maybe Kate too, I don't know. All I know is that I was tied up in a Junkyard with Kate bound by each limb. The Raider who had us started ranting about how pissed he was I killed his whore or something. So he took it out on her, made me watch as he raped her. I was trying to get out Lucas. I was trying to cut free so I could save her. It happened a second too late. He slit her throat. I saw Red. I did overkill, I couldn't stop myself. It was too much. I gave her a proper burial in the Junkyard. I completed my task I told Moira I'd do and came back home. Kate died, because I didn't fucking pay attention. How do you live with something like that?"
He stared at me with pitying eyes then sighed. "Damn," He said rubbing the back of his neck, "I'm sorry for that Nate. To see her raped and killed? That's a fate no one should have to endure on either end. Overkill was totally justified. I don't blame you for that. I don't know if I can say anything that'll make you feel better, but what I will say is the best advice I can give anyone even if it pisses them off. That's life out here in the Wasteland. People die all the time Nate. Damn good people too. I've seen it happen more than once. The only thing someone like us can do is move on. Move on but don't forget. I know that's the hardest thing in the world to do right now. Getting revenge will feel like justice all the time, but in reality it'll just consume you and turn you into someone no better than the one you killed. Don't let hatred do that to you. A good friend of mine turned on me for that, and it cost him his life. Do what is right and things will eventually work out even if it doesn't seem that way."
I stood there silently, letting his words sink in. He was right. He was always right when it came to his version of Justice. "Thanks," I said nodding, "Best advice I've heard since I got some from my dad."
"You're Welcome Nate," Lucas replied, "Now I've got to get back to my rounds. Try to have a good day will you? Oh by the way. Where did the dog come from?"
"The same place Kate died," I replied, "I befriended him and we've been traveling together ever since."
"Okay then," Lucas replied not thinking anything else of it and leaving.
I looked at my dog who stared back panting happily. "I've got to think of a name for you." He tilted his head.
I didn't really try to come up with a name, but I guess that would be better to do than sit here. Besides, I was going to need to learn to train this dog. He was obedient enough to follow me and kill, but I wondered if he knew how to fetch or retrieve something. Maybe it was time to teach him a few things to help me out. But first, the dog needed a name to respond to. I looked at him. "Sam? Ghost? Gunner? Riley?" The dog barked. "Gambit? Wolf? Meat? Dogmeat? Oh hell no. Not Dogmeat. Riley?" The Dog barked. "Riley?" The dog barked again. "You want your name to be Riley?" The dog barked again panting. "Riley it is then." He barked again affectionately jumping into my lap. "Okay down boy," I laughed slightly. I started on Riley's training.
I wrote on one of the chalkboards I had purchased from Moira. I wrote:
Riley's training-
Riley already responds to his name, knows to follow and stay. His intelligence is pretty high for a dog. I must work on more methods to make him more useful than just a companion.
Phase 1:
Potty training, Fetching and retrieving
Phase 2:
Spotting danger, recognizing friend and foe
Phase 3:
Scavenging small items such as Meds, ammo, and food
Phase 4 (Experimental and a longshot):
Covert Operations such as stealth and distracting enemies
I looked at my dog who was just staring at the board as if he understood it. This truly was an intelligent dog, almost like another person. I made a mental note to see if Moira had any kind of tennis balls for seeing how well he would learn to fetch. Speaking of which, I went in, bought a few things, and came home. End of story. I didn't make any conversation with her if I could help it. I was turning out to hate conversing with people unless there was business involved. But shrugging off Lucas, Jericho, and Billy was low even for me. I just wanted to cope with it alone for a little while.
I had gotten a few tennis balls and a small carpet-like dog bed for Riley. The moment I brought out one of the Tennis Balls, Riley went into a playful stance panting. "Oh you know what this is don't you boy?" I asked holding the tennis ball up. Riley barked. I laughed. "Okay time for some training," I said, "Sit." Riley tilted his head. "Sit." Immediately, Riley sat on his hind legs obediently. "Good boy." I tossed the ball to the other side of the room and Riley bounded for it, pouncing on the ball before sitting down. "Bring it here boy." Riley tilted his head before dropping the ball and coming back over to me. That's where his training ended apparently with his old master.
"Alright," I said, "Let's see…" I went over it in my head trying to figure out how I was going to teach him to fetch. I think that his previous master just used him as a guard dog. But I was going to expand Riley's usefulness. I kept being repetitive. I'd throw the ball and say fetch and he'd go after it then told him to come. Every time, he would drop the ball and come back. I said no. Eventually throughout the day, he started to bring the ball back which I rewarded him with pieces of Iguana Bits. The next day I kept it up, only this time teaching Riley to fetch without me recalling him which went better than the initial fetch. If it was one thing about him, he enjoyed learning and being active. Somehow, he was smart enough to already have potty training under wraps. I guessed that Riley's previous owner already did this. Good.
With Phase One of his training complete in less than two days, I decided to take him out of Megaton for a while and train him in phase two. It took me a few days just for this phase as well. His training eventually involved him letting out a low growl when he smelled something potentially hostile. He seemed to already know the difference between friend and foe though. He was completely obedient, but he was loud. When he saw an enemy or hostile animal such as a weird looking creature called a mole rat, he started barking uncontrollably which attracted a pack of them. He dispatched two easily and I finished the rest with a single silent shot with my silenced N99. Eventually, after a grueling two days of hunting, he got the idea to be calmer. Phase three turned out to be more fun than anything else. For starters, I trained him to identify the three different things I wanted him to eventually retrieve if I'm scavenging. I trained him to understand what I wanted. He would look for meds, ammo, or food. He picked up on that part easily. Getting him to retrieve whichever one was another thing. It took four days for him to learn just this little fraction of phase three. The next part of the phase was considerably harder. I tried to get him to react to the way each smelled different in case there was something in a container he couldn't get to. He was to bark once to get my attention, while staring at the container. For Meds he would stand to signify what was in there, for ammo he would sit, and for food he'd lay down. I ended up training him in my house; usually hiding whichever item I wanted to train him with under one of three buckets for him to find. Repetition. It's how I trained Riley. Eventually he caught on with nothing but a week and a half of training from Phase one to Phase three. I decided that I was slowly driving myself to boredom. It was time to get moving. I needed to get out there and do something.
After days of hardly any contact with anyone in Megaton, I finally decided to come out and sit in Moriarty's. Moriarty was upstairs doing something. Nova and Gob were downstairs. "Hey kid," Gob said as I sat down. Riley sat beside my bar stool. "How you doing?"
"Alive," I spoke with a rough voice.
"Listen," Gob said, "I don't want to bring up bad blood at the moment with whatever you're going through, but Moriarty doesn't like animals in his saloon."
I shrugged. "Just give me a beer."
Gob gave me a confused look. "You don't drink," Gob said unsurely.
"Don't worry about it," I said huskily, "One ain't gonna kill me. And if Moriarty fucks with me, I'll let my dog piss all over his bed sheets." Gob handed me a beer from the refrigerator.
"Wow that bad huh?" Nova asked. She was probably referring to my inner confliction.
"Yeah," I said popping the top off.
By the time I finished my beer, Billy came in and looked just as surprised as Gob and Nova did. "Hey Nate," He said patting my shoulder then sat beside me, "You doing alright man?"
"Trying to be." I threw the bottle with precision and it landed in the trashcan behind gob. "I'm just bored out of my mind."
"I can tell," Billy said, "Listen man, you shouldn't be cooped up here in Megaton. It's probably home to you. Or as close to a home as you can get, but sitting around here ain't helping you."
"Ain't that the truth," I muttered frustrated.
Billy sighed seeing my frustration then heard something on the Radio. "Hey Gob!" He said turn that up would ya?"
"Sure," Gob replied complying.
I listened to the Radio.
"This is Three Dog and you're listening to Galaxy News Radio. Now tell me something children? Are all yall ready for some news? Good, because I got some on someone who is proving very interesting even if he hasn't been out here for too long. Not too long ago as a matter of fact, I reported that a cat had recently left Vault 101. His name was James…."
My eyes widened.
"….good guy. Turns out, it gets better! I've got a new report here that said someone else had just climbed out of that hole a week or two ago. What the hell is going down there? Revolution? Vacation? Somebody fart? Your guess is as good as mine kids. But I'll tell you what I do know. This kid's been out here traveling alone lately with a dog near Megaton. Speaking of which, guess what children? Got some great news out of the town of Megaton itself. Turns out that live atomic bomb in the town's center has finally been deep-sixed for good. The town's sheriff, one Lucas Simms, commissioned the one the only Lone Wanderer from Vault 101 to disarm the nasty nuke, and the kid delivered. Hey, nice work 101. Next time you're in the neighborhood, pop into the studio. Ol' Three dog's toaster's been on the fritz. Oh! And a little birdy told me this guy was out doing some kind field research when he came across some Raider's over at some old supermarket. At least, I'm guessing that was him. I got this information from my little news web, all claiming that they saw a Raider going crazy over some ghost in the market. Sure enough, a few Waste landers went to check the place out to see nothing but a bunch of dead Raider's all over the place and it was picked cleaned of anything valuable. My guess was that it was Mr. Lone Wanderer due to popular belief he was out that way. You gotta wonder; why the hell did that kid come out here? Wasn't that Vault supposed to be shut tighter than a tick's ass? What the hell is he out here researching anyways? Our humbly hellish soil and irradiated waters? Your guess is as good as mine on that one too. We'll see how this goes kiddies. I think that this "ghost" is not here to play around with anyone who tries and fucks with him. So far, it seems he's only after the baddies. Finger's crossed and good luck to all yall out there in Post-Apocalypia. Now sit back, relax, and enjoy some music."
Inwardly, I felt a burden lift off my shoulders for two reasons. One, it seemed that my hard work in helping the town of Megaton was being recognized. Two, I finally got an idea where my dad was, or at least had some kind of contact with this Three Dog. I had to figure out a way to get in touch with the disc-jockey. But I wasn't in a rush. Dad was probably out there doing some science experiment. But that didn't change the fact I needed to find something to do and fast.
"You see?" Billy said, "You're helpfulness has earned you recognition by G.N.R," Billy said, "And I do have to admit, you did look white as a ghost when you came out of that Vault coming after your dad."
I chuckled. "Yeah well," I said smirking, "I didn't do it for the recognition. I only did it because it was right." Our conversation was interrupted by a young blonde headed woman. She was a pretty girl.
"Excuse me?" She said, "You're him right? The Lone Wanderer? The guy who saved us all?"
"Something along those lines," I replied.
"Hello," She spoke, "My name's Lucy West and uh….I was kind of hoping you could do me a favor."
"Shoot."
"Yeah uh," Lucy said cheeks going red slightly, "I was um…hoping you would deliver a letter to my parents for me?" What did I look like? A delivery boy? "I'll…uh pay you when you get back."
"Sure…" I spoke indifferently.
"Oh um….thank you." She said slightly confused. Truthfully, I accepted the request a little too quickly myself.
"Where am I going?" I asked plainly.
"Oh um Arefu?" She said handing me a letter. Where the fuck is Arefu? "It's North of here on an overpass. You can't miss it. Just follow the Potomac. When you get there, talk to David West. He's my daddy."
"Very well," I said with my newfound professional attitude, "I'll leave in the morning."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet," I said getting up, "I haven't completed the task yet. See you around Billy."
…..
Billy's POV
"See you kid," I said turning around. No one saw this kid leave the building, but he was gone. Even his dog.
"So Billy…." The sounds of Miss Lucy West came, "What can you tell me about that guy?"
Nova started to laugh. "Quite the charmer isn't he?" She interrupted, "I can't tell you how many women had come in here looking to get with him. I think that girl Kate he rescued was the only one who got somewhat close to him before she died in a Raider ambush."
"I like competition," Lucy said smirking.
"Good luck with that honey," Nova replied, "That boy isn't really into talking to people much unless it's business. Moira was smitten with him for a moment before she realized that all he wanted to do was finish that damn book. He didn't pay any attention to her at all. Ever since that girl Kate died, he's been distant from everyone."
"Why's that?" Lucy asked.
"Beats me," Nova said, "I don't butt into the kid's business. He's got his own agenda."
"I can tell you why," I said grabbing a beer from Gob, "The kid saw how life was out here. That girl Kate? She didn't just die. Nate talked with the Sheriff. They were both taken captive by the Raider that knocked them out. That damn Raider made Nate watch while he raped the poor girl, then killed her. Imagine coming out of the Vault with something like that in your head. He got a hard dose of what life's like out here. I'm telling you girls something right now. Gob and Nova are my witnesses. That kid was a good kid, had his morals and was a bit too kind for his own good. But he's changing his tune."
"You think he'll go bad or something?" Gob asked.
"No nothing like that," Billy said, "Far from it. Mark my words. That kid's going to change everything out there for the better. I've seen it. He just might not be such a kid about it anymore. He'll be gruffer, guard his heart, become cold to his enemies. I can see it now. I've seen it many times before in a bunch of decent folk."
There was a short silence. "Wow," Lucy said sarcastically, "That was so poetic Billy." This caused a few laughs from Nova, Gob, and I. I took a swig from my beer. Yeah….that kid's something else. I think Jericho and Lucas were right. The Wasteland just got a new hero. Too bad he had to learn the hard way how life is out here.
…
I hope everyone didn't mind the change of Dogmeat to Riley. I like the name of Dogmeat strangely, and usually I don't like changing the names of characters, but I wanted to name something after my German Shephard, Riley. Dogmeat seemed like the suitable replacement. Riley is everything Dogmeat is in-game but I felt that I needed to add a touch of realism to the story involving the intelligent dog, hence the dog training. If you're wondering when the main quest will pick up in this story, all I can say is soon and maybe within the next few chapters. Our Lone Wanderer or "Ghost" is learning the hard way about life in the Wasteland. I felt the only way to cope with Kate's death (Sorry for killing her for her OC fans), is to come across Dogmeat's character and keep busy. I hope that it was convincing enough.