"Well there's some good news and there's some bad news." The doctor as he finished cleaning Jericho's wounds. The clatter of bottles and aluminum trays subtly marked Jericho's awakening.
"Then shut up and get to the good news." Jericho muttered.
"Alright, you'll be fine." Arcade held up a tiny white bottle of pills. "Take these for the next month. Once a day and you'll be fine." He tossed them to Butch, who caught them and inspected them carefully. Jericho motioned for the small bottle.
"The hell are they?" Jericho asked. He snatched the bottle from Butch's hands and began to inspect the bottle himself.
"They're supposed to work like antibiotics, really its refined healing powder. A batch that the natives of the Mojave all know how to make anywhere with only a few simple ingredients. Unfortunately, the ingredients are not easily found this far East, but these pills that I have left will have to do." Arcade stood up and washed his hands in the bowl of water that Ashlee had left for him. He stepped out the door and held my gaze for a moment.
"What's the bad news?" I inquired, closing the door.
"Besides the fact that he's missing an arm?" I glared at him. "Nothing, really. He'll just have to get used to operating without his right arm for the rest of his life."
"That's his gun arm."
"Well, that's unfortunate. Sometimes that's how things are."
"What are you doing here?"
"What do you mean?"
"Someone like you, so different. So used to life out in the easy, open fields and deserts of the West. Why come to the East? Don't you know the East is the most dangerous part of what's left of the country?"
"Not if you count any of the things going on further south if you know what I mean."
"I don't. What do you mean?"
"It's a joke, don't worry about it." Arcade packed his equipment away into his bags.
"Thank you, how much?"
"A small fee of 150 caps."
"That's it?"
"I could go higher, if that's what you wanted."
"No, I mean." I passed him the caps. "I know of some doctors here who wouldn't do half of what you've just done for anything below 500."
"I know."
"Then why-"
"Let's just say I have some good friends."
"The Followers, I presume." He was genuinely surprised.
"Now how did you know what?"
"You're wearing their symbol on your lab coat." Arcade inspected his coat until he realized the large image on his shoulder.
"Ah, yes." He looked back at me with a small smile. "I forgot that was there. I haven't run with the Followers in years. Not since '81."
"And why is that?" Arcade's eyes darkened for a moment, then lit up again as he entered the living room.
"Boone!" He pushed his companion off of the couch that he was napping on. "Boone" grunted. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yeah, the question is, are you?"
"Pretty sure. We really should hurry up and link back up with Nathan."
"Yeah, the Captain's not going to be happy that we're late." Boone muttered. It seemed every sentence he spoke was a whisper.
"Captain?" I asked.
"Yes, of the NCR military." Arcade rushed, he widened his eyes and realized his error. Boone glared at him.
"I'm sorry, we really should be going now." Arcade made an awkward bow and slipped out the front door. Boone nodded his farewell and quickly made his way out as well. I grabbed my jacket, backpack, slipped on my 10mm holster and quickly grabbed my hunting rifle before marching out to follow.
It was night. I wiped the snow off the barrel of my rifle. I checked my Pip-Boy, we were just nearing where Rockopolis used to be. I hated never being able to explore there, such a waste for a so-called thriving settlement. Boone and Arcade walked swiftly in the dark. I don't know how they are able to navigate in the night so easily without a Pip-Boy, but I knew I was fine thanks to some Brotherhood engineering with some old Pre-War nightvision goggles. There weren't really goggles per se, more like a one-side pair of sunglasses. Luckily, with some help I was able to program a few added functions. It's not perfect really, but the plethora of tech left behind at Raven Rock sure let me tinker to my heart's content. I zoomed the image of my lens onto the two men. That's it, I've decided on a name for it. I'll call it a Rangefinder. I tapped a button on my gauntlet and was now able to listen in on the two men's conversations.
"Nate's not going to like you spreading rumors about the NCR coming this way." Boone whispered. He looked back as if he knew he were being followed.
"Well they are, whether he likes it or not. I don't think he even knows for sure."
"It's not his fault or attachment got cut off from the main division after a Legion attack separated us from the others." Others?
"Do you think the NCR's going to come?"
"Who knows? First Recon goes on long deployments behind enemy lines all the time anyways, it's probably not even a big deal anymore."
"For four years? Really?!" It looked like Boone shrugged.
"How did Nate even know this place was safe anyways? With all the crap going on here, I would've steered clear for the place we've heard of. What was it called again?"
"What, the Commonwealth? Trust me, I've heard stories, this place is much more preferable than there."
"Nothing's tougher than living out in the Mojave though, am I right?"
"Yeah. But you know why we can't go back."
"I really don't see why can't. The Civil War is not out concern."
"But Nate did start it."
"Unintentionally!"
"Still it never looks good when the hero for both sides of the war is the Courier." The Courier? They hail a mailman as their hero?
"Well, he did save New Vegas from the Legion and he also saved Kimball from that terrorist attack back in '83."
"If we're really going to talk about all the things Nate's done, it's going to make me want go back home."
"Whatever, but seriously, who is Nate looking for anyways?"
"Dunno, some guy the locals call 'The Lone Wanderer'."
"Such a self-righteous name."
"Hmm. I kinda like it."
"That's cause you're a loner. What's this guy's real name?"
"The locals don't even remember if this wanderer was a guy or a girl." What?! After all I did for this place?!
"Seriously? Then he must not be that big of a deal then."
"The wanderer's been missing for some time, apparently. Nathan's trying to find the wanderer in order to warn them about the Legion."
"The Legion's not powerful enough to make too many moves though. Last we encountered them at least."
"I wish that were the case. The Civil War back West is eating up NCR resources and assets. Most of the main armies have pulled back to stop the North from succeeding."
"Remind me why that was again?"
"The NCR launched a massive campaign to claim lands near Zion. They found another country, dedicated to Old World ideals."
"Country's a strong word for a-"
"Not this one. This was a country. They had this system, complete with a professional army, education, economy. It nothing like the NCR had ever seen before. Kimball liked this system and tried to convert the NCR government to be able to imitate this system."
"That was before he was assassinated though."
"Right."
"That was a bad day, wasn't it?"
"The Captain was very disappointed in himself for letting that happen."
"But that wasn't his fault, the President insisted on acting on his own."
"That does not excuse the fact that the President died under the Captain's watch."
"And that's why Nate was demoted?"
"Exactly."
"And Hsu and Moore let this happen?"
"Of course they debated it. A wise man once said that it was unwise to change horses in the middle of a river."
"I'm surprised you know your history. President Abraham Lincoln once said that."
"What? I only heard the Captain mutter it once. Who's Lincoln?"
"Seriously? One of the most famous American Presidents?"
"I didn't run with the Followers. I don't have a background based on education and history."
"Wow. The NCR's education really needs to step up."
"Or maybe the NCR is simply prioritizing the present over the past."
"I can't argue with that. But seriously, why would the North want to succeed?"
"Well, that's the thing. After Kimball's death, Vice President Ramos took power. She had no idea what Kimball's plans were, so she simply annexed the entire territory."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that."
"And these people were okay with it?"
"They're called the Holy Empire of the Grizzly."
"Wow, that's their name?"
"Yeah."
"Nothing better up there? They couldn't come up with a better name than that?"
"Not my problem."
"This Holy Empire was supposedly a big player up north in Canada, past the Pre-War American border. There are three big 'nations'. Quebec, Montreal, and the Vancouver. Apparently, the Holy Empire took up Vancouver and most of the territory west of that Pre-War city. Quebec and Montreal quickly pounced on old imperial territory, which was now territory of the NCR. As a result, the NCR went to war with both counties to protect the NCR's holding. Now, Imperial remnants have incited the tribals near Zion in a Holy War against the NCR."
"And The New Canaanites are just letting this happen?"
"Last I heard, they were trying to convince the tribals to stop fighting."
"And of course, this is all old news too."
"Correct."
"And we're here."
"Yup."
"Why are we here?"
"To find the Lone Wanderer."
"Yeah, I get that. But why?"
"Apparently, the Captain is convinced this wanderer will be able to train our NCR battalion into becoming a superior fighting force." Me? Of all people? I heard a shuffling sound behind me. I turned before watching a dark figure slam an object into my helmet. The object slammed into my faceplate with a twack and knocked me onto my back. Dazed, I let my body roll down the concrete slope of the destroyed road. Once my feet hit the pavement, I bounced up draw my calvary knife from its sheath and my machete. Holding the knife in my right hand and the machete in my left, I readied myself for the next attack. I scanned the area, the rangefinder wasn't picking anything up. I searched left and right to no avail, my attacker was gone. Then, I noticed a faint shimmering in front of me. I saw the shimmer move swiftly and barely raised my Machete and knife high to parry the stun baton. Now I know it's a stin baton. Only vaults carry that, meaning.
"By the Order of the Knights of Vault 101 you are under arrest." A gravely voice growled from behind the shimmer. I kicked the man back and waved my machete at him.
"The what of what?" I asked. The man disappeared once again into the darkness.
"You are trespassing on Vault 101 territory." I heard shouts and gunshots. I turned and saw that Boone and Arcade were fighting another unknown assailant. I heard a slight whoosh and turned once again to be smacked in the faceplate with the baton. I held my weapons in a guarded position. I knew how to engage an attacker utilizing a stealth boy. Just kick up some dirt. I slammed my left foot into the ground, launching up some rubble and dust into the air. I blinked a few times and luckily the new program on my helmet registered it as the 'Low-light function' command. My viewport changed into a ghastly grayish blue color, allowing me to see more in the dark. The targeting computer tracked the rubble bouncing off of my attacker. I swung downward with my knife. The man grabbed my arm with his free. Using my weight, I shifted my body to throw him off balance. The man stumbled, allowing me to nick his leg with my machete. HE grunted and I smirked. I got a lucky shot, the machete had sliced the back of his knee, meaning I got his tendon. The man roared and headed-butted me. I stumbled backwards and managed to somehow dodge another swing from his baton. I ducked under another attack and slammed my right hand into where his face should have been. I heard the crack of plastic and watched as the security helmet explode into the man's face. The man roared and stumbled backwards. I leapt into the air, and thrust forward with my machete. The blade nicked him in the neck, before the stealth boy could compensate the loss of the helmet. The man shimmered back. I could no longer see him. But the blood was a sure sign that I got his jugular. The man began to grunt and choke. I watched for the slight shimmer and leapt forward at it, tackling the man. We rolled down the road together.
"I'll kill you." The man gurgled. I punched him in the face with my Calvary dagger. A tooth flew from his mouth as blood began to pool onto his face. WE stopped rolling and I lifted my machete high into the air before slamming it down into the man's chest. He groaned and desperately tried to lift the blade from his scantily armored chest. I took my knife, slit his throat and it was down. I stood up and realized the damage the man had done on my own new armor. There were multiple dents and cuts on the brand new prototype. Luckily, the helmet held up very well against brute force. I tapped the button near my right ear. The rangefinder swiveled down, cracked, with sparks flying out. I cursed myself, now I wasn't going to be able to track Boone and Arcade. Then I heard it, a high-pitched whine and the clack of guns being cocked and ready to fire. I looked up and saw a group of men materialize out of thin air, clad in black combat armor and some kind of gas mask.
"We've got you surrounded."