"Hey, wake up. You got a visit." I groggily opened my eyes, looking over at the two guards at the entrance to my cell. "Wha-What?" They unlocked my door, and opened it. "What're you deaf? I said you got a visit. Get up." It was only until then, that I saw there was actually a third person, standing a bit off to the side. I sat up. Was it Piper? "Come on." The guard motioned behind him, and the two walked off. The shadow in the dark stepped a bit more into view. But this definitely wasn't Piper. Way too tall. Would you say, three, four inches taller than you? Uh, maybe. Why- Oh fuck. I sat up, and practically jumped backwards into the corner of the cell. This might not go well. "What do you want?" "Is it not obvious?" He stepped into my cell, wicked smile, and I could see the bruise on his neck from our last encounter. "Oooh, you get lucky? Heh-" He advanced on me so quick I wasn't sure if I was even being attacked until the blood left my mouth. He kicked me, directly in my ribs, and I turned on my back. A searing pain spread over the right side of my chest, and my body started contorting in weird ways, like my abs started contracting one side, and I was pretty sure I looked like a ballerina dancer doing a move. Did I break a rib? The fuck is going on with me? He straddled my chest, and grabbed my shirt, pulling me up, and slamming me back down onto the ground. The back of my head bounced off the floor, and my entire world started spinning. My entire body as well, started to go limp, and I could barely feel my head being banged against the cold floor a second time. The back of my head started to feel very warm, and my ears popped, as I realized I was bleeding from the back of my head...And then my vision just turned into one big color...
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"-At do you mean critical? Will he be alright?!" "I can't say right now, I'll need to do more tests to figure it out before I can make a proper diagnosis. As of now, I would advise you find the man who did this." "Hey, listen man, that's our number one priority, but we need to see if this guy will live, or if he'll die. Sorry, but this guy is kinda important." "I understand that, but I must ask you to leave, as I need to go check up on him, alright?" "...Alright. But you better fix him, Doc!" "Yes, yes..." Footsteps, and then a door opening. They echoed, so I assumed I was in some sort of small room. I was lying on my back, but it was way too cold and flat to be a bed. The footsteps got closer, until they sounded right next to me. It was silent for a couple of seconds, until a familiar voice called me out. "I know you're awake." "...Maybe." He sighed as I sat up. Opening my eyes, I realized I was in Sun's surgery room. "How did I get here?" "The guards brought you in. Said you, uh, tripped and fell into your bars-Hahaha!...Obviously, this shows signs of foul play, but from first impressions, it won't do any lasting damage." I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Christ...Am I free to go?" He shook his head. "I'll still need to do some tests, see if you're still mentally there, but...After that you should be fine, um...Have you taken any medication or anything like that in the past twenty-four hours?" "I've been in jail the last seventy-two hours, so no, I haven't." He nodded, cracking a smile. "Personally, I couldn't give two shits about the security here. All they do is fear monger, never actually do something to help this shithole." "What happened with the missing kid? They're looking into it, right?" He scoffed. "That? The guards won't handle anything if it's Institute related. Got a problem with that? They'll tell ya to pack your bags." "Hasn't anyone said anything about that?" "Piper has sometimes, but McDonough just calls it slander, holds a speech and then everyone is back to hating Piper. It's a shitty world we live in right now, but that's how it's going to be forever." "...Maybe not. Sun, you got any medical supplies I can buy from you?" He looked at me weirdly. "...Yeah...I'm the fucking doctor. I can sell you medical supplies...I'm a doctor, that's kinda what I do..." "Asshole...I need stimpacks, like, LOTS. How much?" "Straight to the point...How many stimpaks we talkin'?" "About two hundred."
Where did you get all those caps from? Killed a lot of fucking people, man...Scumbags like you, mostly. Wow, thanks... Ya know, this is really boring. What? Laying here. It's so goddamn cold, how the hell does he expect me to sleep like this? Look, you should be thankful that in this mess of a city, no one needs a surgery right about now. You're lucky he wasn't like that other guy and won't eat your brains...Or whatever he did. I don't know, I only heard rumors. So dark...Yet, I could feel something...I had been laying here for almost two hours, in the pitch black basement of Sun's medical center, but it was like I was up for a reason... You feel that Kellogg? Feel what? I don't know...*crrrreeeeeaaaak*...Okay, the fuck was that? I sat up, scanning the darkness. "...Sun?" I called out, hoping to hear a friendly voice. The only response I got, was a clear footstep. Whoever it is, they're coming closer. Alright, not to worry you, but you're about to die. Shut up, let me listen. I'm just sayin, this is some creepy shit, man- Shh! "Sun!" Still more silence. I reached over to the table next to my, uh, bed? Feeling for any surgical tools that may be there. "Identify yourself!" You got a light on the Pip-boy, reach for that! Oh yeah...Where is my Pip-boy?! I had it in the cell right?! ...Oh no. When did they take it off?! I-...When did they take it off? Well, this isn't gonna end well...
"Last chance, identify yourself!" All I heard, was the soft scrape of a footstep...Right in front of me. I swung forward, and immediately regretted it, as I instantly felt nauseous from the sudden movement, and fell to the ground, trying to catch my breath. Well, that wasn't a good idea... Hey, you can't see him, but he can't see you, remember. I swung again, not moving as much, in the direction where I thought I heard something. I completely missed, my momentum throwing me forward, and I almost threw up as I hit the wall. I wasn't sure I was even fighting anybody, until a sharp kick to the side of my head confirmed my suspicions. I drooled onto the ground as I got up to one knee. The kick both made my head feel like that night in the diner, but at the same time, it sobered me up. I quickly took a deep breath, closing my eyes, and rested my head in my hand. Mustering up as much strength as possible, I lifted myself from the ground, and stood still. He wants to hide in the dark? I'll join him.
I took a step to my side, controlling my breathing, and not moving a single inch as my foot touched the ground. The training from the army paid off, as I didn't immediately get punched in the jaw. Get to the hatch. I'm planning on it. The shadow obviously wasn't as trained as I am though, because another scrape against the pavement made me turn to my left, in the direction of the sound. I kept walking forward, making sure not to bump into anything, or anyone. Slowly tiptoeing, I reached the first step without incident...Then another...Then another...After a couple more, I was at the exit...And so was he. My leg pulled out from under me, and I was barely able to put my hands on the ground before I cracked my skull open. I used my leg to pull the assailant into me, and latched onto his shirt...Or suit...It definitely felt more like a suit jacket than it did a shirt. Cocking my fist back, I threw a punch into the shadow's face, and was rewarded with a yelp of pain in return. He was stunned for a second, giving me enough time to open the hatch, and throw myself onto the ground outside.
I limped down the street, hearing my attacker's footsteps getting closer to me. Turn around and fight. You insane? Yeah, but so are you. He's gonna catch you anyway, might as well fight now. Goddammit. I did a quick one-eighty, throwing a hook as I did, and actually managed to catch my chaser in the side of the head. "Ah!" He stepped back, falling to one knee and holding his hand up, as if to take a timeout for a sec. "Who the fuck are you?!" He looked up, blooding coming out of his nose. He was a middle aged man. Maybe thirty-five, forty. He was clean shaven, had black hair, actually pretty attractive. He wore a two piece suit, checkered tie, black slacks, beautiful dress shoes. Looked like a high-ranking mobster. "You know how to throw a haymaker, kid. Ain't nobody ever caught me like that." I loosened up a bit. "Who. Are. You." He chuckled, looking back down. "Your would-be assassin. Is it not obvious?" "Is that your fucking name? Would-be assassin? Your mother had a sense of humor." "That she did." He took his hand that he used to stop me, and motioned for a handshake. "They called me a lot of things." "They?" I grasped his hand, still wary. "The Nevada folk." "You're from Nevada? How did you get over here?" "I walked. Did anything to get the fuck outta there." "Long time?" "Took me almost two months. But at least I'm not in a civil war." "Civil war?" He looked at me strangely. "The robots vs the Legion vs the NCR?" I sighed. "Doesn't ring a bell, but none of this shit does." He shrugged. "Well, just to keep things simple, you can call me...Courier."