New World Blues

by Doppelganger312

Months after the notorious Courier Six secured New California's second victory at Hoover Dam, he is abducted and Transportalpondered to the planet Remnant. It seems, however, that the planet's newest "hero" is anything but. After all, who would trust a man to save the world when he's more likely to turn his back on it?

14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: There Can Be Only One

AN: I'll explain the asshole-brigade's disappearance when we get there, hold your horses.

Questions/Comments:

TheMAO17: It's Ruby, she doesn't think things through a hundred percent the time, although nothing really came of it this time. That doesn't mean she's going to me no-scoping everyone who makes her mad, she just assumed in a brief bout of anger that the Courier, the man who treated getting sniped through the eye as a mild annoyance, wouldn't mind a rubber bullet hitting the back of his military-grade helmet.

I guess that's one way to think of it, but the humans of Earth are still human nonetheless, and they're perfect examples of what lies in the darkest depths of man's heart and all that jazz. There used to be a world before apocalypse, after all, and let's not forget that Remnant had some enormous war in the fairly recent past.

Krulla Chief: I can confirm that all of those mementos match up, and those not present survived long enough to part ways with the Courier. And the reviews are present in his head, floating around in that stream of nonsense that is his brain. Mostly drowned out by himself, though. Both himselves.

Gundam-Knight-Chris: I remember reading something about how every character an author writes is a part of their own self, sort of, I don't think I explained that completely right. So technically, there must be some part of me, deep down, that is Courier Six. But in the real world, I'm allowed to leave my bedroom, so it can't be that big a part of me. Even in the game, I'm almost constantly worrying about never using chems and doing just about everything that scores good karma.

Loyaltothelegion: I absolutely despise karma in New Vegas. You can't step into Powder Ganger/Fiend/feral ghoul territory without walking out a saint, and it's frustrating as all hell. This is post apocalyptia, being good shouldn't be this easy, damn it!

I'm not going to say what (yet), but a good portion of that was either correct or partially right. Except for the self-destruct part, just pointing out mercy had absolutely no part in him sparing the Brotherhood. It was all about making a profit without starting a fight with a base full of walking tanks. And he took the tags from Veronica's ash pile (I think, at least. I don't remember killing a single BoS member in-game, so I forgot if the Brotherhood members had holotags in F:NV. Let's just say they do, and Six took hers.)

FiddlertheClown: I think, if you look back on some of the things he's said, the Courier kind of has a history of being hated and/or somebody's bitch. First his own bitch in a stupid, bloodthirsty quest for revenge, then the NCR comes in, et cetera, et cetera. Of course, you can always refer to him as a dog, puppet, servant, or anything else suitable if you don't care for the term 'bitch.' And he'd probably be more likable if he was...well, likable. As a person, not a character. Sure, he's amusing to watch, but could you imagine getting stuck living with this guy? Or having to trust that he won't kill your loved ones while everyone's asleep after he's proven he has the ability and lack of compassion for almost all human life? Scary stuff.

Smuggler of the West: I'm sure more of the Wanderer's gear will wind up coming through. Six already got his shotgun, after all, and I wouldn't be doing this story or this character justice until I get him to simultaneously launch eight tiny tots nukes out of the MIRV. And probably killing himself when they all collide midair right in front of him.

And if there's one thing I love about Fallout 2, it's the ability to get totally overpowered early on. Got my Highwayman and went straight for NCR and San Francisco to steal from all the weapons vendors. I'm practically drowning in shotguns. Don't think I got any power armor yet, though, so I kinda need to hightail it back out of Enclave territory. Luckily, I've been putting it off in favor of occasionally putting off another Fallout game.

Guests:

Sunbro: Probably at least one of those things, hopefully. Can't wait for the deathmatch between CS and LW's charred, oxygen-deprived corpse. And I can have plot development without you realizing it was plot development and still call it plot development, right?

...You're right. You probably are going to jail. That's one messed up ship you got. He's, like, eleven months old, Ruby, have some decency, christ. hashtag-NoToRoseyRanger, hashtag-StopSunbro2015

Sam: I'm just going to assume you're all the same Sam, and this isn't some subclass of Guests that just sprouted up. The fact that all the signatures are different is mighty suspicious, though...

Do I look like Google to you? Kidding, it's Live Action Role Playing, which as far as I know means D&D without the board. And it sounds like you're implying the Courier isn't already insane from hearing his own voice talk back to him. I expect it would take some serious effort to make his mental health any worse.

(Also throwing in Guardian Mikey) Screw that. If all goes well, I can replace his rib cage with retractable machine guns. Turn his fingers and toes into mini mini nukes. Fuckin' sweet.

---

LEVEL UP

R-W-B-Y-Y

Solar Powered: Rank 2

---

7:38 P.M.

"—still not awake? How long does he—"

---

9:41 P.M.

"—don't know how he'll react, just...see...wakes up."

"...I don't like it. Not one bit."

"We don't know if he'll be safe. We have to see how he'll react."

"Still don't like it."

---

4:27 P.M.

"—ake up, you fat son of a—"

---

The Courier opened his eyes. The fact that they were closed meant something bad probably happened just now. 'Or maybe that bullet did knock me out.' The room looked a lot whiter than he remembered, so it was safe to assume this was not the same room. In fact, it looked, and felt, more like a clinic. 'Don't remember .45's ever doing that to me. Especially with a helmet.' As he started to sit up, his face and part of his arm started to hurt, as if burning on the inside.

"...Hey!" Apparently Ruby was here, too. "Take it easy, Six...or Courier? What do I call you?"

"...Either, I guess," he groaned, holding his head as the fiery pangs worsened. "I'm a bit more used to the second, though."

"Well, earlier you were saying...I don't know, I guess you were just being weird again."

"What else is new?" He turned to the right and found Yang and Weiss were there as well. The former was just...glaring at him, as if waiting. The way she was sitting, she was waiting for him.

"You've been asleep four days and your left arm's gone," Weiss answered.

"Weiss! I said be sensitive when he wakes up!" Ruby whispered.

"...What else is new?" he repeated.

"I told you he wouldn't care," Yang muttered responded.

"And I guess you've all been at my bedside the whole time?"

"Uh...sure," Ruby mumbled. They were there whenever they could make it, just to make sure he was still breathing, but four days straight? Not to mention the implications. It was just a bit too romantic for any of them. "But...you're not worried? At all? About the arm?"

"Please tell me you didn't lose it."

"Well...no. You did. We're still taking turns looking for it. Blake says she just found some...things under our window. But it's been four days, it's a bit late to put it on ice, and I don't think you can just tape that back on! And none of us have the money for a prosthetic, except maybe Weiss, and—"

"I already said it's happened before, didn't I?" he said. They backed away a step when he raised his voice. Why? "Once I remember where it is, everything'll be fine." That, of course, was a problem. "Don't suppose anyone can fill me in a bit?"

"...How much do you remember?" Ruby asked.

"I...was putting my stuff in the gun crate so I could move a bit easier, I think."

"Great," Yang grumbled, obviously more tense than annoyed. "This might take a bit."

---

Thursday, 5:18 P.M.

It was, honestly, a bit disappointing going through that duffel bag. Not that Six didn't appreciate the collection the owner had made (although he had to wonder where exactly they managed to find two pieces of New California history.) It just would have been nicer if they managed to get more than the two guns. A gatling laser, or a turbo plasma rifle or a gauss rifle. Those were all pretty well known, too. Hell, a gauss pistol would be nice just swell now. Still, P90s and Jackhammers certainly weren't the worst things he could have gotten from the Chosen One, far from it. But the hype just wasn't the same.

"And what are you planning on doing with those?" He frowned as he noisily slammed another clip into a submachine gun. She was up. "Relax, I'm messing with you," Yang said as she got out of bed.

"What, already got enough sleep? Don't you mortals need that?" It was only a few hours ago they all went to bed.

"Didn't really run into trouble after we split up, actually," she replied, walking to a half-sized fridge in the corner he didn't notice until now. "And I'm not a lightweight like them."

"Well, aren't you lucky," Weiss yawned. Great. The trifecta of antagonism was awake, and the only two mediators of the team were still out cold. This was going to be dandy. She watched the blonde, and realized the students' luggage was separated into the room's four corners, not counting Six's box full of containers under his bed. And that was the only thing in Yang's corner. "You brought a fridge," the heiress observed, her tone deceptively even.

"I brought my stuff in a fridge," she replied, revealing the boxes of food and clothes inside. "Most of it, anyway. Figured out half way through I couldn't fit anything to cook with."

"Probably got a microwave in here somewhere," the Courier muttered, patting his coat. "And toasters. And more hot plates than I know what to do with."

"Well, glad we can count on you," Yang grinned.

That was a bit weird, he thought. Were they getting along? For real? No, there must be something they have to gain from this...or maybe some camaraderie sprouted from their shared near-death experience. 'Speaking of breaking physics...' "Hey. I wanted to ask about your sister."

"...What about her?" the blonde asked distrustfully.

"Where the hell did the scythe come from?"

Oh. That. He could've at least tried to sound a bit less sinister when he said it. "It's her gun."

"But...guns are guns. Scythes aren't guns." This went against everything he'd learned. There was Guns. There was Melee Weapons, Unarmed, Explosives, and Energy Weapons. But they were separate skills, damn it. "...I want one."

"You can't have a scythle, Six, that's custom-made. Besides, I don't think your style is...how do I put this...I've seen you fight like an angry blind elephant once, and Blake saw you do it again. Obviously you're not really the...graceful type."

'Oh, like Ruby is,' he thought. Then again, he'd only seen her as an awkward child, not in a fight with Grimm. "No, I don't want a scythe, I'm terrible with those. But I want transforming stuff. I hate having to switch weapons all the time, and it's always a gamble when I do it on the fly. So give me, like, a battleaxe rocket launcher or something."

"We'll talk about it later," Weiss said, hoping he would forget about the conversation. He really was like a black hole. A black hole that wants to own every weapon in existence, and everything he might be able to turn into a weapon.

"Where have I heard that one before?" Six grumbled. the heiress rolled her eyes, and decided she should start unpacking too. She checked the drawers of one of the personal dressers in her corner, just to make sure he hadn't stolen anything. Everything looked to be in order... "Oh yeah, I remember." She shoved the drawers shut as he stood over her. "When you said we'd see about getting Dust. Whaddya got there?"

"...Nothing."

"Don't lie you liar, you're holding out on me! Gimme some. My soul needs saving and Jesus needs help saving it."

Maybe if he got to hold it, he'd stop complaining, she thought. 'Not likely. But it might shut him up for a few minutes.' She reluctantly handed him the Dust jar she was holding moments before. "I don't know what you're expecting to get out of this. Just don't drop it." He started to raise his helmet. "And don't eat it." The helmet slid back down.

"Buzzkill." So, how exactly to go about this? Just...grab a handful? Was it dangerous for him? He was all for abusing dangerous substances, but this...made him feel funny. 'It should probably be the left hand that touches it. Maybe my arm won't get blasted off if the Pip-Boy's there to protect it.' He checked that the full glove was underneath the fingerless one before carefully scooping a handful out.

What the Courier didn't know was that contact between the soulless Grimm and what he thought pretty much equated to soul sand could be...violent. But he had a feeling that if something like that were to happen, it would be pretty bad.

"Oh god, I'm hallucinating again," he groaned as the creepy crawly skittered down his arm.

"Huh...Six, don't let it—!"

'Okay, so Yang sees it too. That's bad.' He moved to slap the bug off, only for Scuddles mk. II to hold its pincer over the pile of red Dust. "Don't you dare." Whenever his hand move closer, the scorpion moved for the Dust. As he pulled back, the pincer also moved away. It was toying with him. "I don't know if you have genitalia, but I swear to God I'm taking them."

"Dust, I thought you got rid of that!" Weiss growled.

"I thought it didn't exist! Ruby! Wake up, I need you to shoot something!" The red-clad girl didn't stir. "Shit. What's gonna happen?"

"It's gonna explode!" Yang answered.

"Shit! Get it off!"

"What do you mean 'get it off,' it's on your arm! Just flick it—" A fiery blast interrupted the heiress and snapped the last two huntresses out of their slumber. The massive man flew backwards through the unhinged door and into the room across the hall. The room's owners, who were in the hall and seconds away from knocking on the door, watched him zoom pass. The dull crack as he hit the wall made most wince, and he slid down, one eye cracked and unlit from the impact.

"...Wow, do it again!" Nora cheered.

"...Fuck—" the Dust-covered Courier sneezed a burst of flames. "...off."

"Six, your arm's on fire! Again!" Ruby called.

"Five lien says he doesn't care," Yang whispered.

He looked down at his blazing left arm. "...Look at that. Sure is."

"Called it."

Six's eyes widened as the flames slowly burned away everything covering his arm, exposing the flesh. It looked...more normal than his neck. Not tan and gray like his neck (and presumably the rest of him, since he only remembered messing with the two limbs.) Aside from the gray tint, it was almost flesh-colored. Kind of like the borrowed leg, just a different shade. 'But...does that mean...?'

The particles of Dust in the air drifted down onto him, coating his skin in a thin film of reddish-orange. There was not another spectacular boom. The grains merely landed, and slowly sunk into his flesh.

The pained howl that escaped his mouth as his skin started to smoke was like the Four Horsemen had started a quartet as they brought about the end of days. The younger hunters held their ears and watched as he clawed at the internally burning flesh. "Get it off! Get it off get it off Damn it!" They only remembered to move when he pulled a knife out and started stabbing into his arm.

"Wait, just h...hang..." Ruby lost all focus and stared as the limb hit the floor, and Six curled into a screaming, sobbing ball. "Oh god...Six?"

He silenced himself, making the sizzling of his arm that much more audible. He lowered his knees from his face, and the remaining glowing eye looked up into hers. "Sure hope you're not talking to me," he said, quite coolly for someone who just received internal third degree burns.

"What the hell?" Yang roared. "What was that, Six? Was there a purpose? Did you want to scare the shit out of us? Because job well—"

He was on his knees in a flash, grabbing her coat with his remaining arm. "Help me," he whispered hoarsely. "It hurts. Get it off."

"It's already off, you just stabbed your arm off!" She gestured to the orange/red-tinted limb on the ground.

As soon as he saw it, he fell back, staring at his right hand. "What? How? Why is that one off? Why is this one back?"

"Oi." The right limb covered his mouth. "You need to cool it," the Courier stated. "Don't remember you being this loud."

Six seemed to notice the blonde huntress a second time. "Please! Go get someone! Now!"

"Six, what's going on—"

"How do you know my name?" He started scrambling back toward the cracked door against the wall again. "Who the hell are you people? Get away!"

"Six, we don't have time for this!" Ruby yelled. "We need to get your arm back o—"

"Fuck off!" He kicked the arm into the hall before quickly clumsily rolling out, grabbing it, and running. If he didn't get rid of this thing, they'd put it back on him.

"Wait, Six! We need to go after him, crap," the red huntress groaned miserably. She started to follow him, trying very hard to ignore the carvings in the walls about how he was 'the Courier,' not Six, and the endless lines of scratchings, all saying 'NOT BLUE.' Occasionally the word 'KNIGHT' would come up and be crossed out. Suddenly, right at an intersection in the hallway, all traces of the man were gone. No marks on the walls, no disturbances in the decor...it was all so unsettling. Untouched. Like he just vanished into thin air. Nobody had kept up with her, she realized. She might be alone. "Uh...Six? The Courier? Or just Courier, maybe? Anyone?"

She picked one hall at random and hesitantly started walking. As she took her first steps, the ceiling above her split open, dropping the man right in front of her. His blue stars and stripes coat was soaked in blood, the stump was wrapped in red gauze, the arm was nowhere, and the carpet around him was getting redder by the second. Ruby tried to stay standing as the room started spinning. Probably more of his black magic, she thought. Trying to confuse her. When she looked back down, there were two men lying on the floor, side by side. Of course. There was really two men. The calm Courier and the screaming one. But she'd ask about that later. She needed to just lie down, maybe just close her eyes...

---

"Then we found Ruby passed out in and you were unconscious on the other side of the dorms," Weiss finished. "Your arm wasn't in the air ducts, either. Just more of the same carvings."

"...Yeah, that sounds like me," he thought. 'And it sounds like someone panics around blood.' Knowledge is power, they say. The power to make people faint from panic attacks and run.

"Hey Ruby. He sounds 'normal,' doesn't he?" Yang asked.

"Uh...yeah, I guess," the younger sister sighed. Things were going so well a few days ago. In a way. Sort of.

The blonde slapped him across the cheek and pulled him toward her. "So now that we know you're 'all better' now, what the fuck just happened?"

"Are you trying to rile him up again?" the heiress snapped.

Six only shrugged in reply. "I dunno," he murmured. Slap. "But some of that does sound familiar. My tactical, completely conscious and not at all insane decision to sacrifice an arm to prevent the incredible pain from spreading to my torso."

"Nothing about that was sane! The screaming? The amnesia, and the dual personalities? You want to tell us that was voluntary, too?" Weiss asked.

"...Don't remember those, actually. Hang on, I'm still waking up."

"Oh, 'calm down,' he says," Yang muttered, rolling her eyes. "Coming from Six of all pe—"

"Ah ah ah," he interrupted, tilting his head so only one eye was visible. "That's 'the Courier.'"

"You said either one's fine, make up your mind."

"You want to hear about my mind?" he hissed. "No, you don't! Fuckin' mess! You think it's easy having two of us in here? You think I like being stuck with him?"

"Stop screaming and tell us what's going on!"

The man was left speechless as the blonde sat back down. Her yelling felt like somebody just threw liquefied jalapenos in his face, but it managed to silence him long enough to get his bearings. "...Right," he sighed coolly. If he lost his head, possible pun intended, he wouldn't have survived half of what he'd been through. "I'm...disoriented. Name's Six. I'd shake your hand, but I lost my right one. Guess that means I can't use his."

"Oh really? You're not The C—"

He quickly hushed Yang. "I think we should leave...that one out of this."

She crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes. He couldn't help but notice what started as a vibrant purple was slowly reddening in the past minute. "Start talking. Ten. Nine. Eight."

Oh, he could do that. Maybe. Between staying almost silent and being inactive for months, he was evidently a little out of practice interacting with other people. "I'm the courier—that's a lowercase C. As in, I'm a mailman."

"And that's different from an uppercase one...how?" Ruby wondered. "What are you saying, Six?"

"The big C mailman, yes I'm paranoid saying his name gives him power, is the deadliest man alive. And the liveliest dead man, come to think of it. If you can call it a man. You know, the stone cold mass murdering psychopath who lacks any empathy, also might be evil incarnate. Maybe you've seen him? Tends to dig through the corpses of his enemies with his fingers and doesn't understand how to stay dead? I am Six. 'Cause I thought a name might help me sort of remember myself. Six is a courier who was shot in the head for being in the wrong place with the wrong package. I just try to make ends meet. Look at how that worked out."

"Alright, we already knew that...sort of. 'He'—" Yang made sure the finger quotes were visible to the entire room. "Told us he got shot already."

"No, actually, he didn't. He's the mystery creature that stole my memories after I died."

And here they were thinking the bombshell was in the guitar case. Turns out he was just waiting to drop it like it was nothing. "...Bullshit!" the blonde called. "Why haven't we heard from you before?"

"Uh, because it's my mind in his body? I'm in his territory. I can feel him...absorbing me in. Blurring the lines between me and him. Sometimes I feel like I'm just another big C. Can't imagine what this inconsistent mess looks like on the outside."

"...You're actually two different people, aren't you," Yang sighed, dragging a hand down her face. 'Six' even cleared his throat before talking, just to make his voice sound a bit less raspy and more distinguishable. "Dust, isn't this great."

"Aww, come on, it ain't so bad in here, voice in my head," the Courier drawled.

"See? Is that me being loopy, or him? With our memories getting jumbled up, I can barely remember what's mine and what's his," Six sighed. "I don't think he knows you can hear me, either. He'll probably just forget about me in a few seconds, anyway. Again."

"Wait wait wait, what do you mean, 'you don't remember?'" Weiss cut in. "Are you saying you're just guessing that you're right? Do you mean there's a chance you're the hijacker here?"

"I mean, yeah, it's a guess, but it's a pretty good guess, because I doubt this seven-foot behemoth ever had 3 Strength in his life. If Benny tried braining this monster, he'd probably just bite the bullet and spit it back."

"You're still leaving a lot unanswered," Yang stated, more relaxed because neither of 'them' were getting violent, but still tense from how bad this reeked of bullshit. "Why kill you and take your brain? Why isn't he an unstoppable powerhouse of rage all the time? We've seen him get taken down before."

"Because this whole thing is shit," the Courier said. "Like, you have no idea."

"I mean... he probably killed me," Six corrected, ignoring the other half. "Memory's a bit fuzzy between where I end and he starts, what with me being dead at the time. I guess it's technically possible, however unlikely, he mugged me as soon as I left Goodsprings, or minutes before I got abducted, but it was probably somewhere between the two. Might've even asked him to do it, so I'd live on in a way. Even more unlikely. Or he just found me dead and said fuck it, why not take the brain."

"If I took anything to remember you by, it was probably as a trophy," the Courier grumbled. "But that's not possible, 'cause you're me."

"As for why...if I actually am the first courier, I probably had a name for myself when he came across me. People didn't want to cross me. So he took stole my identity. All of it. What better way to disguise yourself as someone than to be them? And...anyone catch a glimpse of my arm? Before the fire happened?"

"Uh...yeah, why?" Yang questioned.

"You see the scar that went around it? Right where he cut? That's right, he stole the arm with my Pip-Boy, too, and he probably pumped it full of weird drugs so it'd fit him. I wouldn't be surprised if the rest of this body's stolen from other people, too."

The other half snickered, slapping a hand over his eyes. "Holy crap, this is great. Someone should write this down, I want a list of things to call this prick out on."

Six stiffened a bit, then leaned toward Ruby. "Someone's watching us. Shoot her."

She turned and found Blake in the corner, mouth agape. When did she come in? "No, she's with us." Ruby noticed a book held tightly in her hands. The one from a few nights ago, about the two souls sharing a single body. Courier Six's god truly had a nasty sense of humor, she thought. "...I guess you heard some of that?" The Faunus managed to close her hanging jaw and nodded.

"...Yeah," Six mumbled. "Yeah, she is. I'm sort of seeing things now. Stuff that happened before. It's going backwards. Wolves...more wolves...the roof..." He shook his head. "...You're welcome."

"And what's that mean?" Yang asked.

"If I weren't the type for dramatics, and he wasn't the type to try and assimilate my mind into his, he wouldn't have bothered to say anything before shooting the red one. So I guess by existing, I bought just enough time for you to shoot me."

"...Oh. Well...thanks," Yang mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck. "Sorry if it hurt."

"God, yes. I don't get the control, but you can bet I get all the pain this God-forsaken hybrid endures. Which is a lot."

"Okay, I think it's about time we talk about how stupid that sounds, other Courier," the Courier said. "First of all: shut your mouth. Or my mouth. I'd strangle you if it wouldn't kill me, too. Stealing your mind? You have any idea how stupid that sounds? Don't listen to him, guys, this is total bullshit from a crazy man's split personality who's trying to win you over so you'll help him take over my body or something. No joke, I've seen this type of stuff before."

"It is not bullshit!" Six cried.

"Oh yeah? How about you tell them about all the other cases of brain theft-slash-assimilation that we've encountered in the Wasteland?"

"Well..."

"What was that?" The Courier said, cupping his ear. "Nothing? Thought so." Now tell 'em about all the split personalities we've seen. Like Dog and God, or Davison and his Brahmin skull, or Lily and...whatever she was talking about. Just to name a few."

"But we're not Nightkin! We're...human? At least, I was. Maybe you're just a demon who possessed me."

"Whether I am or am not a demon is irrelevant, we both know Stealth Boys have the same effects on people." The Courier turned back to his team. "Look, I went invisible when Blake was following me to the shower, and I've used a lot of these things, so I guess that one was the last straw and it made this prick come out."

"Yes, likely story, Si—Courier," Weiss spat. "So why did you steal Six?"

"Oh, come on, are you gonna trust the one with bad memory, an inconsistent story, and spends half his time screaming?"

"That kinda sounds like you, too, though," Ruby pointed out.

"Exactly! Because he came from me! He practically admits his brain theft story's junk anyway, 'cause it's never happened before! Ever! Anywhere! I've stolen spines, I've taken kidneys, and I even took a man's leg once, but the brains are almost never intact when I'm done. And why would I even want them?" It was weird how both parties could be so convincing and unconvincing at the same time.

"Well, now that we've heard that, I guess we can rest easy at night knowing the man who sleeps a few feet from us has standards when he's harvesting body parts," the heiress griped.

"Come on, it's not like I do it anymore." 'That often.' "And I didn't go around dismembering everyone I saw, it was like...really bad people. No need to worry."

"Except for the next time you light yourself on fire again, of course, or you start murdering children in their sleep, or—"

"You believe him? Still? Pretty much every word out of his mouth was a lie."

"Right, like you've never lied to them before," Six drawled.

"...Excuse me." The Courier leaned to his left, almost falling out of his bed to position it between the team and his upper body.

"Courier, I swear, if you—"

"Sssssh." The silenced .22 pistol put another bullet in his head. "...You there?" the Courier whispered.

'Yeah. Dick.' The voice was back in his head and sounded much more Courier Six-ish. Perfect.

"God, what an ordeal," he sighed. "Think he's gone for now."

It took a few more seconds before anyone could start processing the past few minutes, barring Six,* who didn't bother giving it another thought.

"...Did he say he lost an arm?" Ruby realized as she thought back.

"I said I keep losing my arm. Why are you listening to him all of a sudden?"

"Yeah, but he was talking about...that one." She pointed to the bandaged limb.

"Weird, it's the left one that I keep losing. Which explains the scar and the color, now that I think about it." The left looked a bit more like a normal human's than his neck, if a bit more pale. Less gray though. Which means...it's actually deteriorating more slowly than the rest of him? "He's probably just mistaken. What a surprise."

"But that begs the question," Blake spoke. "What happened to the other one?"

Six held his right hand up and wiggled his fingers. "Don't know, but I still have it, see? He-slash-I was probably just high and it got hurt."

"But what if you're both lying?" Ruby asked accusingly, and the clinic room suddenly felt very courtroom-like. "Do you have proof you really are human, and not some evil spirit that takes peoples' bodies?"

"...I...guess not?" the Courier answered. He supposed it was possible the Legate's leg was connected to somebody else's thigh. As stupid as it sounded, he realized that his only evidence against her was that he didn't remember being a spirit. Everyone and their mother was fully aware his memory was shady as hell at best. The Wasteland was a weird place with weird things happening, and even weirder things have been going on since he woke up on this continent of shield-creating souls and creatures born from Darkness. "That'd be cool, though."

Ruby spun to face the others and leaned in. "I wanna change my bet, he's, like, a lich or something," she whispered. "His soul's in the arm Scroll thingie, I'm calling it now."

"No changing bets," Yang told her. "Besides, you already said skeleton face."

"Someone say skeleton faces?" That was always an option, too. Maybe the Think Tank put a bunch of his organs into one of those trauma harnesses and did a really bad job of putting the skin on, so it was going bad. Those skeletons were probably more than two hundred years, anyhow, and sure explained the occasional nigh-immortality. 'Course, that could just as easily suggest I'm a Ghost...oh God, I'm a Ghost, aren't I?'

"Nope, no one said skeletons, I..." The tilt of his head screamed bullshit. And exposed his discolored neck. He may well have been a zombie... "...We were talking about a game," Ruby told him.

He wasn't even paying attention at that point. 'My God, nobody has a clue what I am anymore.' He couldn't tell if he was horrified or ecstatic anymore. Maybe both. It wasn't hard to figure out which half was happy with the news. 'Well, if I'm an unstoppable Cloud-sucking mutant, no point in sticking around here.' Standing up, however, proved to be a bad idea, as he immediately collapsed.

"Clinic, four days," Weiss reminded. "The blood loss alone was bad enough. I doubt walking is—"

He grabbed the bed and pulled himself off the floor, leaning heavily to one side as he wheezed. Blake looked him over. It was kind of hard to tell, since he was always looming over them, and he was slouching a lot right now, but... "Did you get smaller?" The pants went down to a respectable level again. Definitely a shape-shifter, she thought.

The Courier looked down at his ankles. "...No," he said, despite the fact that he did, in fact, feel smaller. "I patched them so they weren't small on me."

They didn't look any different to her, though. No material other than denim was present, and his pants were still messed up when they brought him to the clinic. So unless he was lying again (probably,) he either sewed them in his sleep, or it was another case of Courier magic (also possible.) "You don't look ready to leave yet."

"I don't want to stay here."

"And I don't like him being where we can't see him," Yang added, putting his remaining arm over her shoulder. "If he doesn't want to stay, why should we make him?"

"...Thanks," he grunted uncertainly. She didn't sound too pleased with the lack of chains in the clinic, if he had to guess. Ruby went off to tell the nurse that he was ready to go, and returned with... "No way in hell."

"They need to get crutches...well, a crutch in your size," she answered, pushing the wheelchair toward him.

"Then someone's gonna have to push me until I get my other arm back," he said as he dropped into the barely large enough chair. His life was already a metaphorical cycle, he didn't need to start literally going in circles. He already had enough insult to go with his injuries.

"You know, when people have to row with one paddle, they keep alternating sides. You could do that." Yang ducked under the bent tin can. "Take a joke, I got you."

With a bit of effort, she managed to get the wheelchair, which strained under his weight, rolling, and the four exited the clinic to one of Beacon's courtyards. "...Are we still at the school?" Six asked. "You didn't think to take me to a hospital?"

"Oh, right, it's not like the combat school would have a decent clinic or anything, what were we thinking?" the blonde muttered. "And we already said money would be a problem. You want to know how much blood the nurse had to put in you?"

"How much?"

"She didn't. We don't know your blood type because your dog tags don't tell us anything and the needles kept breaking every time we tried to draw some. But she says you need a lot. As in, you shouldn't be standing for another week, even if you had Aura to heal yourself."

"I'll give it a day," Six said. "I'm already feeling a bit better."

Ruby glanced down at the man, and did a double take. "...You're...glowing."

"I don't feel that good, It still hurts—"

"No, there's...light. From your skin."

"Oh?" He tilted his head back, and as he looked down, he could barely see what looked like some kind of purplish/bluish/whitish light coming from his neck. The cracks in his armor and the tears in his clothes had the same rays peaking out. It was like looking at HELIOS all over again, with all its solar panels. He felt like HELIOS. He felt like standing up to get a bit closer to the light. So he did. "Oh." Standing wasn't a problem anymore. Hell, this was the healthiest he'd felt in ages. The Courier reached higher toward the sun. The light from his body flared, and he was bathing in almost translucent fire of the same blue-purple shade as it materialized over his back and shoulders. "Oh yes." His fingers curled, as if holding the gas ball in his hand, drawing more power from the light in the sky.

"Woah woah woah, hang on," Ruby gawked. "Since when do you have Aura?"

"...Oh man, she's right," Yang murmured. It felt wrong, almost false, but it still felt vaguely like Aura. But why now? Was that device on his arm some sort of restraint on him?

"...I don't know," he grinned. In all honestly, he wasn't even paying attention to what they were talking about. 'So what is this?' he thought gleefully. 'Powered by light? No, the clinic's lights barely helped.' His wild smile widened as he started to piece everything together. The fluorescent lights still helped a small bit, but it was nothing compared to being in direct sunlight. It wasn't the light itself. 'Ultraviolet radiation.' A mutant still, just one that ran on rads of a different kind. 'Maybe with some practice, can take more light.' All the light. He was ARCHIMEDES. No more 24 hour limit anymore, he was free to rain Heaven's fiery judgement on anyone he chooses, whenever he chooses—

A cloud drifted between the sun and the Courier. The brilliant spectacle that the huntresses could only describe as beautiful (aside from his teeth and nails, it wasn't often the word was associated with the man nowadays, what with him being a trenchcoat and gas mask) immediately faded. The beams, the rays, the flames, the homicidal thoughts and craving for power, all gone as Six collapsed back into his chair. "...Where did it go?" Blake thought. Once again, there wasn't a trace of any sort of Aura, 'normal' or otherwise, in his body.

"Hang, on, just...just wait for the cloud to move," Six coughed, trying to block the pain in his legs and torso. The five stared up until the clouds drifted by, but the glow was nowhere to be found. "...Maybe not." He was really looking forward to that again. That feeling that was more addicting than any drug. Not just the feeling of power. He felt like he had control. Over himself, over his life. Even with his strength and weapons, he was a slave, but this felt different. He wanted to feel it again. "...Let's go." Screw all the other stuff he forgot to remember to do, he would find out how to do this again.

'I don't know, you got a bit...weird,' the Courier's double murmured in his head. 'I think that's enough sunlight for you, actually.' As the group set off again, he subconsciously started searching through his pockets for a sufficiently large hat to block the sun from his body before realizing he wasn't wearing his Ranger coat. 'Fine, but when we find that coat, you're putting the big hat on.'

'Whatever. Probably got face cancer again, anyway. Maybe I wanted the hat. So ha.'

'You know, skin cancer wouldn't be such a bother if you didn't have skin.'

"...You're right," the Courier murmured to himself. Maybe if he stripped the rest off...

"Right about what?" Yang asked.

"Nothing, just talking to the voice in my head."

"...Great. Comforting."

As they neared the main building, Six heard a...sound behind them. One that just went on and on and it was so loud, even from this distance. "Yeah," he sighed. "Just great. Hey, can we speed up before—"

"Hey, there he is!" Nora was sitting on his armrest in the next instant, almost strangling him as one arm wrapped around his neck while the other dropped something into his lap. "Gueeess what I fooound!~" It was his coat. And there was more blood than he remembered.

"Where the hell did—" The Courier unwrapped the limb, frowning at the thick coating of syrup all over it. "W...why is it..."

"It was like that when we opened the cabinet!" she answered.

"The cabinet..."

"With our food in it!"

Maybe some questions were better left unanswered. "...I think I'm ready to go to bed," Six muttered.

"It's not even noon yet, you can't go to sleep now! It's almost lunch—" Nora wrenched the chair from Yang and almost got away with him, but was grabbed before she could get it rolling fast enough.

"Hang on, I want to see this," the blonde whispered out of the corner of her mouth. He was wiping the sugary topping off his arm with a rag. He was always healing himself in fights, where they were distracted. But this time, they'd see it happen, and they'd learn something from it.

"Hey, red one," he called. No response. "Ruby."

"Is that so hard?" she asked.

"Can you do that scythe thing? I don't have a mirror in this coat."

"Really? Something you don't carry around?"

"It's in my regular coa—oh right." In that case, he didn't even have to lie about the mirror. He started searching through the inside, but couldn't find any sharp implements. Of course not. He was doing maintenance on his weapons and armor before he passed out. It was the only way Nora could have carried the thing, anyway. "Never mind, still need the scythe."

"Fine." The large metal blade unfolded right in front of him. After a few seconds of looking at his reflection, both to catch them off guard and to check the damage, he swung what was left of his upper arm into the blade, slicing the end of the stump off. "Holy crap, did you not just hear us about the blood?"

"Relax, all...according to plan," he panted. Starting to get sleepy again. After lining it up, he held the severed arm to his new wound. The two pieces of bone slowly grew toward each other until they fused. Then the nerves and muscles, which actually looked vaguely like a normal human's. He wiggled his fingers to make sure everything was coming back right. "...Hey," he groaned, practically unconscious. "Don't...hurl on the boots...please."

"Trying," Pyrrha gagged, covering her mouth.

"Weak stomach?" he wondered.

"...Not before you came."

"...I know a liar when I see one." With those words, he went limp and began snoring as the arm's pale skin started crawling up the muscle.

"...Well, I think we should get him to bed," Ruby said, feeling more than a little queasy herself. "Thanks for the help, I guess?"

"Could've waited before you gave it to him. I would've been just fine not seeing that," Weiss stated. Nobody really knew what to say, although they all agreed with her, and the two teams went back to their rooms once again, talking about the day before it turned weird, and new ideas about the Courier' physical and spiritual forms which may or may not exist.

"I know we don't have necromancers, but maybe they do!" Ruby argued.

"At no point has he ever mentioned using any kind of magic. He's not a 'magic skeleton wizard!'" her partner retorted.

"Yeah, I already said he's—"

"We know, Jaune," Yang sighed. They knew all too well. And with the revelation of his stolen pieces, they couldn't even trust his human skin anymore. If any of it was his to begin with.

The Courier stirred, and the eight silently watched him, waiting. Whatever he was mumbling in his sleep, they couldn't understand most of it. "...good luck...behind seven thousand skeletons..."

Weiss didn't need to look to know her partner's gaze was pointed at her. "...This proves nothing."

"This proves everything, he's building a skeleton army," Ruby gasped. "But the question is why."

"No it isn't, because he's not!"

"Oh, right, because he's starting his robot army," Yang grinned. She nudged the door to the side, careful not to mess up the careful duct taping that held it together, and wheeled Six into the room, which was now almost covered with boxes, before dumping his body on the mattress.

"You're the ones who wanted me to join your stupid game, and you had way more time to think about it!" the heiress defended.

"Excuses, excuses." It was so close. He was unconscious, it should be easy. But the nurse said she couldn't get anything off of him. The bandages just wouldn't come loose or be cut, somehow, and it was like the armor was welded on to him. The blonde gave a small tug on the helmet anyway, just to be sure, but nothing happened. "Well played, you shady SOB."

"Has anyone thought about his helmet being his face?" Pyrrha wondered.

"I..." Their jaws collectively dropped. It didn't seem possible before, since he wore the bandanna-goggles thing, which was obviously smaller than his helmet. But when did that ever stop him?

"And the Paladin's helmet wouldn't come off, either," Weiss said thoughtfully. "Do you think they're actually not humans?"

"But he got shot in the eye, how would that make sense?" Ruby questioned.

"They could have bonded their armor to themselves," Ren mused.

"Or..." The group turned to Blake, awaiting her input. "What if he really is two people? The first got shot in the eye, and the second isn't human, but still remembers getting injured?"

"...That might be it," Yang muttered, looking back down again. Multiple people, or just one crazy guy. And it sounded like even he knew which was the case.

"That's—" The Wastelander broke into a hoarse coughing fit. "How did I ever smoke those things? That's probably it."

"Come on, Six, it's confusing enough without you in the conversation. Go back to bed."

"I never was asleep. I just didn't think it was worth trying to talk while he was awake."

"...See? Now you're just trying to mess with our heads again," she dismissed.

"No, I'm trying to tell you I'm not the same person as him."

"Is that Aura?" Pyrrha spoke up.

"See?" Six said. "I have a soul, the Courier's a heartless monster."

"But you're the only person we've met with split personalities, too," Ruby told him. "What if that's just how Aura works in these cases?"

"And you said you're not completely sure if you're separate people," Blake added.

"...Yes, it's true that my existence as a separate individual is debatable. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't hear me out anyway. Because I know stuff he doesn't."

"I don't know, guys, split personalities becoming self aware sounds pretty shady to me," Ruby whispered.

"Caesar's Legion is gone."

"...What," she said blankly.

"He doesn't know it, but, uh...you know those forty-whatever thousand people he killed? Yeah. That's them."

"But he said he—"

"Lied."

"But if he doesn't know about it, how could he lie—"

"He was drunk when he 'hacked' it. Even if I can't control the body, I can see through the eyes. The real one, at least. Window to the soul and all that. He was really just switching through the radio stations for a few minutes and mumbling about being an 'expert hacker' or something."

"So the people he used to fight...before he came here...was he hallucinating then, too?" Ruby asked urgently. "Who has he been killing all this time?"

"The Legion disbanded, and the more fanatical ones turned borderline suicidal. And he's none the wiser, somehow. I swear, he might actually be brainless."

"But...that doesn't make any sense," Yang said. "Why would the Republic lie if they use him to kill wild animals?"

"Maybe you haven't noticed, but him and authorities don't mesh well. At all. If he knew the Legion fell, he'd realize there's only one real army present in the desert, do that stupid overconfidence thing he does, wage war for his 'freedom,' and get himself and thousands of New California troopers, and probably citizens, killed in a battle that wipes out half the continent."

"But...how could he forget killing so many people? Just like that? He..."

"For forty days, Jesus wandered the wilderness, resisting the Devil's temptations." Six turned his head, looking through the helmet, through Ruby. "For forty days, the Courier walked through the Legion's land and brought Hell to Earth. Only he came back alive."

Maybe they should have seen it coming. Maybe they already knew he was lying, and didn't want to believe anyone was capable of such a thing. "So...the Legion is dead, huh?" The students backed away from area around the Courier's body. "And I've been lied to. Is that what you're saying?" They backed away further as his tone darkened. Then his limp arms flew up...and he clapped. "Ha! Ha ha ha! Oh, wow, wouldn't that be hilarious?"

"...Oh dust," Ruby whispered, stepping away. "You're not angry?" He wouldn't have been nearly as terrifying if he was.

"Are you joking?" he laughed. "I'd feed Oliver his God damn legs if that was true. But that doesn't mean I won't appreciate some black humor. Like a man wasting his whole life as a servant thinking he still has work to do. Besides, I already know other me is a lying tool, so this is totally horse shit."

Ruby gave a worried glance to the others behind her. If he was upset over that, they'd have to be a lot more careful keeping the whole 'other planet' bit a secret. "Well...Six makes a good point. You don't really sound safe—"

"You wanna talk about Six being right? Raul went east a while ago, and I saw a few days before I came here, so I don't want to hear all that 'there were no survivors' shit. And that 'first courier?'" The Courier accented the words with finger quotes on his quite usable hands. He didn't seem so paralyzed anymore. "The one who said I'm going to get killed 'cause I'm 'overconfident?' And a 'ruthless monster?' The second he left Goodsprings, he tried to take on a ten foot scorpion alone before coming to his senses and running."

"Six," Weiss warned, and the man's body jolted as he heard the tone of her voice. "Is he telling the truth?"

"Well, uh..."

"And let's not forget the Powder Gangers," the Courier continued.

He fidgeted again. "Courier, if you don't shut up right now—"

"You girls wanna know what he actually did?"

"Courier, shut your trap now."

"But Six," he grinned darkly. "I thought you loved the story you came up with. About the hero who sent the bad guys running off and saved the town."

"What are you trying to say, S...Courier?" Ruby asked fearfully.

"Are you trying to get is both in trouble?" Six hissed.

"What's that? 'Both?' Are you saying we're one and the same, Six? Or maybe you're not so innocent, yourself."

"Get on with it," Yang growled.

"The dynamite perimeter didn't kill the Powder Gangers, he told the truth there," the Courier told them. "He just left out the part where their legs got blown off. And the bit about him using his own headstone to smash their skulls to bits. Keep in mind he was skin and bones. Could barely do any damage like that. So it took minutes just to kill one of them." He stroked the chin of his helmet. "Say, maybe we are different guys. I'm not sure even I could bring myself to do that to a person. Sounds pretty merciless to me, courier."

Six tried to respond, but only succeeded in choking up. It was rare that anyone could catch him lying, he had no clue how to defend himself. They were all silently judging him, waiting for him to talk, and it only made it that much harder to speak. "...Yeah, yeah, I get it, 'what a sick person.' I got better after that." The Courier started viciously shaking his head. "I can feel you doing that, you know."

"So did you kill them or not?" Ruby demanded.

"Yes."

"No. Well, probably not, at least."

"Why'd I even bother," she groaned.

"Why d'you even care?" Six wondered. "They gotta die, whether you like it or not."

"...I know." That didn't mean she could accept it just like that.

"Yeah, but why should I have to do it?" the Courier asked aloud. "My job's to secure the Mojave, so I don't really care what happens on the other side of the river."

Six wasn't lying, Ruby noticed. It was like the two had completely switched mindsets. "Well...I doubt it helps, but I'm sorry you got dragged into another war."

"Doesn't matter, anyway," he sighed, folding his hands behind his head. "Even if I was back, even if the whole Legion really is gone, it's not like there's a happy storybook ending waiting for me with the NCR. Not in the real world." It was like an even darker echo of Blake's words to her, and she was almost sure there was no exception in this case. "No happily ever after, living out my days on the farm. No getting accepted as the hero...I don't get any kind of end. It's just...Purgatory. Fitting for a guy who's Neutral. I just keep going on when there's nothing to do with my life. Can't even remember what I wanted to do after the war ends..."

"But why do you want your story to end?" Nora asked. "You only get one, you should try to make it a good one, even if it's hard sometimes."

Six finally noticed the other team outside the door. He was actually speechless when he remembered Nora. "How sickeningly optimistic," the Courier spat. "Should. Tried. Failed."

"But have you really tried here?" Yang wondered. "Or are you still thinking about the Wasteland? You keep talking about beginning again, but you won't let go."

"You actually believed I killed fifty thousand people. You might still believe it, and knowing me, I can't blame you. Integrating back into society isn't so easy for someone like that."

"...Yeah, I guess that is a lot to ask." She was beginning to feel sorry. He, or they, whichever it was, were actually trying. "Maybe if you came earlier, you wouldn't have such a hard time. And I guess we haven't all been as supportive as we should have all the time."

"If it helps, I realize I've been an unforgivable dick a lot of the time, even by our standards, so I can't really say I blame you," the Courier replied.

"...Yeah, you kind of have," Yang agreed.

He only stared back at her in silence, and tilted his head. "...Heh." Yang wasn't sure why, but she cracked a grin as well. The Courier chuckled again, and Ruby hesitantly laughed with them, even though nobody was really sure what was so funny. "Christ, this week's been a hell of a mess, huh?" It was a wonder he hadn't fallen out of his bed yet, or torn a wound open from laughing so hard. And just watching him was enough to spread the positive atmosphere.

"You sure know how to make a mess of things, I'll give you that," Yang said with a snicker as Blake tried to stifle hers. "Guess it's what you're best at, huh?"

"'A mess' is an understatement," the Faunus added. It only made him laugh harder.

""I know! I got fuckin' abducted!" Even though nothing humorous had been said, they couldn't help but keep laughing. They didn't think they were supposed to, considering how terrible everything had been so far. And the fact that it was a bit dark, watching him laugh at his own misfortune. Maybe that was the point. Maybe laughing was all he could do at this point to make it a bit more bearable, and he just needed someone to laugh with him.

The students took a moment to breathe, just to be sure another fit of laughter wouldn't break out again. "So what now, Six?" Ruby asked. "Uh, Cour...uh...guys?"

He shrugged, and the lack of care suggested it was the Courier who shrugged. "Guess I'll just...see what I can do here. I mean, there's a 'good side,' no confusion around the whole thing. Maybe I'll actually get some God damn respect this time around. What else can I do?"

"I guess we should give you props for even trying after what you've been through," Yang said.

"Yeah, I wish you all good luck," Six grumbled bitterly. "He's your problem to deal with now, if you want him so bad."

"Sounds like someone's a little jaded with life," the Courier mumbled. "Maybe I should put on my other helmet. You know, 'cause—"

"Because its eyes are green and I'm 'jaded,' yes, I get it," the split groaned. "Prick."

"What are you two going to do?" Blake asked. "You can't keep arguing and...losing control like this."

"I'll probably forget the past hour happened, probably. And he'll give up and go back in my head. Maybe we'll rejoin and forget ourselves like Dog and God."

"Probably," Six agreed despondently. "What's the point if nobody believes me, anyway?"

"Do you believe you?" the Courier asked.

"...I don't care anymore."

"Hey Six?"

"Yeah?"

"Not you, Courier, I said Six," Ruby scolded.

"...Yes?" the double said. His eyes welled up when he saw her smile at him. How long has it been since someone did that, he wondered.

"I don't know if you lied, or why, but...thank you for helping us with him. We'll do what we can to help you two."

Help? "...Uh...yeah, no problem." With that, he faded back into the Wastelander's head.

"Ugh..." Courier Six slapped a hand over his face. "God, feel sick all of a sudden."

"Well...you haven't eaten any real food in days," the fifteen year old said. It was still hard getting used to him changing topics so quickly. "Not since...when was the last time you ate something?"

"Had some nails...which I spat up. And the juice from those red things. And...no, puked the potato crisps, too. I think. I forgot, did those ever exist?"

"You mean that's all you've eaten this week?" She put the back of her hand on the helmet's forehead. It felt like it was burning up. Did the Dust make him feverish? Was she turning into his mother? "What's wrong with you, how did you even get this big eating like this? Somebody get some soup!"

Yang and Blake started going through his pockets again until the former managed to find one of the electrical hot plates. The latter kept searching until she placed a top hat she found on his head. "The hell is that for?" he asked.

"...I can see it, actually," she muttered.

"See?" Ruby exclaimed to Weiss, gesturing to the top hatted man. "There's your proof!"

"This changes nothing!" the heiress hissed. So what if she could easily picture him as a top hat-wearing, cane-twirling skeleton?

Yang looked to the Courier as the water in the pot boiled. "...Yep, that's pretty spooky alright. Have you considered skeletons?"

Not with top hats, no. Although he could picture it, now that he thought about it. "Funny you should ask, 'cause—"

"Nope, forget I asked."

"Hey, can we turn the A/C up here? I feel like I'm on fire right now. And that's coming from a man who's regularly on fire and doesn't complain about it."

"Are you sure? Feels kinda cold to me," Ruby stated. "But you were sneezing fire earlier, so I guess that makes sense, actually."

"Oh yeah, I was," Six mumbled as he sat up and leaned on the headboard. Having fire inside of him was an almost entirely different experience altogether, considering it didn't happen quite so often. "Seriously, can we open a window?"

"It is open."

"Auuugh..." After a lot of violent inner conflict, he decided he really, really, really needed to cool down, and flicked the top portion of his helmet off.

"...What." Yang was far from amused when the helmet fell, letting the shoulder length, almost sand-colored hair loose. "...Something's not right here."

"I know," Six grumbled, turning away. He tried to find something a bit more average, but the brown dye was running on empty and the black was...reserved for something.

"No, I mean really not right."

"So maybe I used to look prettier before the helmet. Shut up." Or so he'd been told, anyway, and his early Charisma score suggested it was true.

"Well, yeah, but..." Ruby stopped as her sister pushed past and practically jumped on the Courier.

"What are you hiding in there, you fabulous son of a bitch!" No amount of tugging would loosen the mask's straps, though. She collapsed and started feebly pounding on the breastplate in defeat. "Just...show us...damn it..."

He gave her a few pats on the back. "There, there, I'm sure I'll slip up someday and we'll all discover my horrifically mangled body together."

"...You really mean it?" she asked with a fake sniffle.

"Promise. And you won't have to worry about me being prettier than you ever again."

She immediately dropped the pout. "Slow down, your hair's not that nice."

He frowned as the top of his head started burning up. "Your food's done," Weiss said.

"Is it? I couldn't tell."

"Wow. You're a lot more stable than I thought," Ruby noticed, watching him effortlessly balance the bowl of noodles on his head. It wasn't wobbling at all. 'Almost...inhumanly stable...especially for an addict.'

"Alright, time to eat," Yang said, grabbing the bowl.

"What, are you planning on feeding me?"

"That depends, can can you actually feel your fingers? Or is it just your arms?"

"Don't be—" Nope, the hand penises weren't responding.

Yang took his silence as an answer. "Open wi~iiide." She could feel the Courier's scowl through the metal mask. The gas filter opened, and a number of blades started whirring inside. She pulled the fork away. "The fork isn't supposed to be edible."

"Neither is my dignity, but you turned that into shit real fast," Six snapped.

"You're gonna accept my help and you're gonna like it! Now turn the can opener off."

"Ugh, deja vu," he groaned.

"What, you mean this isn't the first time you've been crippled and spoon-fed?" Ruby wondered.

"And I doubt it'll be the last." He considered himself lucky he wasn't 'permanently paraplegic' this time, at least. "You're lucky you have a wheelchair. I had to get piggybacks everywhere. Don't think any of you could manage that."

"Yeah, great. Less talking, more eating." He sighed, but shoved the mask further up his head. The face of bandages opened above the chin, revealing the tooth-filled black hole. It was so tempting for her to move the bandages, just to see if he even had lips. If he wouldn't assume she was going for a kiss, she probably would have. As he leaned forward, she pulled the fork back again. "Gotta work for it."

"Are you with me or against me?" Six growled.

"We've got classes tomorrow, we can't have you getting lazy."

"I could bench this team. And your stuff. And my stuff. At the same time. So I wouldn't be worried about me going soft." 'Physically, at least.'

"But you are lazy," Ruby argued. "You're always trying to sit things out and stay home."

"That's if I can keep a home, and I'm usually spending my time trying to redecorate it!" the Courier retorted. "You remember that farm? And How lots of people attack me out of nowhere? It got shot to hell, it looked like one of those abandoned ruined wall-less shacks you find in the middle of nowhere. Then another ambush. I made a fort out of the furniture."

"You had a couch fort? That sounds awesome."

"It was alright, before that got shot, too. At that point, everything was wood and metal shavings, so I had to go find a picnic table."

"And that got destroyed, too?" Blake guessed.

"And the metal tent. And I was...too heavy for the folding chair. So now my home is a literal hole in the ground. I put a wooden plank and some sand over it. I have to re-dig it because the walls keep caving in. So don't tell me I sit at home and do nothing all day, there's a reason I'm there."

"But there—"

"It's ten by ten by ten. I can barely fit."

"...But there's gotta be something else, right?" Ruby continued.

"They took my suites! For their stupid VIPs! It's a damn crime, I tell you!" Yang shoved the fork into his mouth, shutting him up for a few seconds. "...Isn't it supposed to be chicken soup?"

"We're students, instant ramen's what we've got. Take it or leave it."

Funny how it tasted exactly like the two hundred year old noodles he was used to. Without those zippy, tingly rads, of course. "Liked the red things more," he grumbled.

"Well when you can walk on your own and you've got money to support yourself, you can go buy all the strawberries you want."

"I can walk, actually." He pulled a pair of crutches from his coat and stood up with them.

Blake frowned at the old, wooden crutches. They almost looked rotten. "I don't think those could hold Weiss without snapping."

Almost as she said it, they snapped and he fell back onto the bed. "...This changes nothing."

"Right. Well until you get some more blood and get over your Dust cold thing, you—" The Courier jammed a handful of blood packs into himself. None of which had the same blood type, Yang noted. "...Sure. Why not. When did taking these things slowly ever work?"

"It hasn't for me," he grunted. It was hard to keep conscious as the blood rushed to his head, but his cold limbs at least got some more feeling to them. "For someone so lazy, I always got so much to do, and not a lot of time to do it." He tried to sit up again, but that only caused more problems. "Okay, never mind, fuck all of this. I'm not leaving this bed again."

"Isn't there some prophecy you need to do, though?" Ruby asked. "Can't, you know, be the savior if you're in bed."

The prophecy. He didn't want to even think about that anymore. "I only gotta kill the one guy. I'm sure you all can handle the rest."

"Worst chosen one ever," Yang muttered.

"...No. I'm not the Chosen One. Or Graham. And I'm not..."

How exactly did Graham fit into this? She glanced curiously as the Wastelander's voice lowered. It was unlike the fearful tone from the last time he went in-depth about Graham, and unlike the light-hearted tone of the room minutes before. "Hey, did I say something wrong?"

"I'm not...I'm fine," he mumbled.

"Mm hmm. Convincing. Something you wanna talk about?"

Of course it wasn't. Why was she even asking? "Let's just...never discuss any of the topics we just mentioned in the past minute." He blinked as soon as he noticed the walls. And what was hanging on them. "Are...are those my guns?"

"Technically, those are Weiss' guns, since she found the bag that wasn't yours," Ruby answered. "She said she didn't want them, and I thought it looked cool, so—"

"'So' nothing! That's Wasteland property, damn it! Do you have any idea how much these are worth?"

"...Probably a lot of lien..."

"What the fuck is lien."

"An actual currency, unlike the literal trash you carry around," Weiss said.

"New California used to use gold, actually," Six told them. "It got blown up. Therefore, trash."

"Somebody...blew up the gold."

"Yeah. Those BoS SOBs. So I blew up their concrete. Now stop changing the subject and tell me why you're using my guns like furniture."

"I already said, I don't care what happens to the guns," the heiress snapped. "If you want them so bad, talk with those two."

Of course, he thought. Both sisters were responsible for this. "Ruby."

"Come on, how could you possibly need all these—"

"I require at least a medium-sized military's worth of weapons."

"You only got two hands!" Yang exclaimed. "How do you plan on using any of these?"

"...Creatively." He's made his fair share of shotgun traps before. "They'd be getting more use with me, anyway, this interior decorating thing is just insulting."

"Would they? You seemed just fine with a couple swords and pistols a few days ago, you don't need these."

"And if more Wasteland things start coming over? What do I kill them with then, huh?"

Yang narrowed her eyes. They hadn't considered that yet. "Yeah, you're right. What will you do when they come?"

"If they come," he corrected. "Last I saw, the ship was kind of blowing up, so the stuff we saw probably came right after me and were hiding in the woods."

"And if there's more out there? What are you going to do about that?" she demanded. "Just do nothing until more of those things start trouble again?"

"I don't know, Ozpin didn't seem as upset, though. I'm sure he's got a plan. Cameras and people and shit. And it doesn't sound like anything happened the past few days, so what's there to worry about?"

"Wow, savior of the world here," Yang droned sarcastically.

"Reluctant savior for the second time," Six responded. "Well, no. There was also Big MT and Sierra Madre, so fourth time now, not to mention all the small stuff. Why don't I ever go anywhere nice?"

"'Anywhere nice,' he says. As if living in a building isn't a step up from a hole in the ground," Weiss muttered.

"At least I had that hole to myself. And I had plans for that hole, thank you. It was gonna be way bigger than this room."

"We actually wanted some help with that," Ruby murmured, partially because the room was a mess, and also because these three could probably argue for hours without slowing down. 'Can they keep a decent relationship for a minute? Just one?'

"Well, I'm practically a vegetable and have a bunch of other stuff to do, so why not? What do you need now?"

"Well, you do that...thing you do. You know. With the coat."

"I wear it?"

"No, you keep everything in it. We were holding off on the unpacking because...well, there's too much stuff. We thought you might do your weird black magic to help sort it all out."

'Sewing capes? Unpacking luggage? I thought I was gonna kill things, not play housekeeping,' he thought bitterly.

'What happened to not putting your life in danger?'

'Shut up, you're not even a real person.'

The Courier sighed and shrugged, put his helmet back on, then started clearing the bags from the floor for space. "You don't have to do it now, if you're still..." Ruby's words slowly faded. He didn't seem to be having trouble now, all of a sudden. At least one of those blood packs must have worked, then. 'Or all of them.' It was disorienting to watch as more open space seemed to come from nowhere while he moved things around...but at the same time, it all somehow seemed a bit more clear how he and the universe worked. Just a little bit.

LEVEL UP

R-W-B-Y-Y

J-N-P-R

Pack Rat: Rank 1

Six suddenly stopped and looked out the door. "H...have you been there this whole time?"

Nora shrugged, typing something on her weird thin terminal. "We've been in and out." Though the touching, the comedic, and the downright depressing. "It got boring when you started unpacking, but we didn't want to say anything."

He narrowed his eyes at Ren. "Why didn't you get anything?" The smaller huntsman raised his hands and flicked his twin guns out of his sleeves, then back in. "Well...don't you four have anything better to do?"

"We already unpacked," Pyrrha answered. "There's nothing else but to prepare for classes tomorrow."

"Nothing left for us, anyway, they probably have tons of stuff to do," Nora pouted.

"Yeah. We do. And it's not all it's cracked up to be," Blake mumbled.

"Well I didn't have a whole lot of company before I came, sorry I didn't bring any other psychos with me," Six grumbled. He wasn't sorry. 'I hope that asshole** got mauled by a Super Radcazdeathtalker before he blew up.' Unlike the boxes and shelves, however, the beds proved...difficult. They were big, and there was only so much space he could pull out of his ass. 'For now.' He was still waiting for another rank of Pack Rat. No more breaking down thermic lances into pieces to fit them in his coat. No more failing to store something just because it was bigger than the thing he was trying to put it in. 'Some day.'

"You done?" Yang asked, pointing to her bed, which he had stacked on top of Blake's in the process of cleaning up. "'Cause, uh...no." That was most certainly not how you top someone in bed.

"...Why not?" Ruby asked as an idea dawned on her. "We could make bunk beds!" She went for one of her bags and started tossing things out, like sheets and rope.

"Huh," Six said to himself. Like nails, rope was quite scarce in Nevada. He hadn't seen any in a good few decades. '...I had rope a few decades ago?' That was a weird thing to have a memory of. Especially considering his significant lack of other memories.

"Why did you bring that?" Blake asked. "...Were you planning on making bunk beds?"

"Uh...no?" She could hear Yang's hair swooshing as she shook her head, and Ruby lowered hers. "...Yes."

"...Alright. Bunk beds." The rest of the team, as well as JNPR, looked to Weiss. "What?" she asked.

"You...agreed with her," Jaune stuttered.

"Who are you?" Nora cried.

"Maybe a sign of the apocalypse," Ren murmured to himself.

"What, another one?" Six groaned. "Great."

"Oh, come on!" the heiress exclaimed. "When I said I'd be nicer to her, I meant it! Is that so hard to believe?" The other eight were quick to avert their gazes awkwardly.

"You kinda didn't follow through the first time," Yang pointed out.

"What happened to everyone getting along?" Weiss growled. "Are you trying to start something again?"

"We're just saying, you were fine at first, then you kinda changed back," the Courier stated.

The blonde nudged him in the side. "Shut up, you were getting chased by the cops when this was happening."

"And you're hardly one to complain about her attitude changing," Blake added.

"Well, yeah...just didn't want to be on the outnumbered side for a change," he muttered.

"But here I am, trying this time, and you're all treating it like it's the end of the world! Am I just supposed to take that?"

"Relax, snowflake, it was a joke!" Yang griped. "You're the one who started getting aggressive."

"Yeah, we're just messing with you," the Wastelander said. "And if she's calling you aggressive..."

Blake sighed as she rested her forehead in her hand. "Again, Six, you have a bad history with both."

"Well...nobody told me it was a joke!" the heiress roared, growing slightly more red in the face.

"It was just...you know, playful teasing," Ruby told her.

"...So why didn't anyone tell me?" Weiss asked again. The question managed to puzzle her teammates for a few seconds, which JNPR took advantage of to escape the inevitable awkward realization.

"...Oooh, you never had friends," the Courier said out loud. He promptly received two elbows in the gut from the girls on either side of him, and doubled over.

"...No, Six, I didn't," she said quietly.

"Ohmygosh Weiss I'm sorry we didn't know—"

"Yes, Ruby, I know," she sighed. "I'm not blaming you, I...I just..." Weiss tensed as her partner wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

"It's okay. We're here."

"I...I know it's okay, who said it wasn't okay?"

Ruby hugged tighter as her partner's voice grew shaky, and was joined by the other pair. "Come on, you don't need to act tough for anyone. We're all friends here." She frowned at the scraping sound behind her, and turned to see the door back over the doorway. And the Courier gone. "I thought we were, anyway."

"If he wasn't lying about his amnesia, he probably didn't have an easy time, either," Blake thought aloud. "It could just be a sore subject for him."

"...Amnesia?" Weiss repeated. 'He...didn't choose to be alone, did he?' She supposed she may have...jumped to a few conclusions in thinking he had the option, even if he suggested as much sometimes. "...Oh, Dust."

"What is it?" Ruby asked.

"...Nothing, I'll take care of it when he gets back."

"If he gets back," the younger girl grumbled. She was, understandably, still a little upset about the last time she had to chase him down.

"Are you sure we shouldn't go after him?" Blake asked. "Didn't Six say he could use the left hand?"

"...Yeah, he did," Ruby muttered.

"And you've noticed the cowboy motif?"

"...Yeah? Why, wha—no. No. He wouldn't." What was she saying, of course he would! She could already see the two having an old cowboy-style duel, forgetting they were in the same body.

"...Nah," Yang drawled, calmly stretching as she laid back at the foot of the bed. "Six sounded terrified of Courier...the Courier? I don't know. Even if they don't like each other, I doubt he'd try to fight."

"Unless Six is the violent one instead of the Courier," Blake added thoughtfully.

Ruby held her aching forehead as she tried to figure the whole conundrum out. This was all getting stupidly complicated. "I think the Courier was kind of making sense, though. If they were both the same person in the beginning, there's no actual 'violent one.' I think? So they keep switching?" If they were supposed to be like two halves of a person, it was no wonder they were always at odds with each other. 'Well, maybe not always.' The Courier was...oddly lax about everything for the supposed Slayer of man. '...Oh, dust.' It was actually fitting together. The Courier might very well not care about anything. He was practically trying to die every time he ran into a fight injured. Meanwhile, Six actually showed emotions, even if he tried to hide them. Self preservation actually meant something to him. And if the outburst on the roof was any indication, his companions did, too. Six was holding onto the past as the Courier was dragging them forward.

Maybe they really did have to bring the two together. The bat-shit bastardization they had most of the time just wasn't right. It wasn't right to make either of them go through that.

The door slid back and the Wastelander(s) came back into the room, holding his head with a hand.

"Please make him stop," Six groaned. "It's been nothing but 'Hey, remember the fifth time I went to outer Vegas and tore through all those Fiends?' and 'You know how the Powder Gangers pretty much aren't a thing anymore?' I think he's trying to scare me or something."

"They were pretty impressive, is all I'm saying," the Courier shrugged.

"So why don't you do that kind of stuff now? You're living in the past, old man."

The Courier swung, punching himself in the face. "That oughta show you."

'Living...in the past.' Ruby frowned and threw a stray ramen pack at his head. "Stop messing up my theories!"

"What, now you're coming after me, too?" Six asked.

"Uh...no, sorry, that was for Courier."

"Lotta good that does me," he grumbled, rubbing his face where the fist struck. "And what the hell was that for?"

"You don't even know if I exist as a physical being, how the hell would you know how old I am?"

"Don't have to know, you act like a crotchety old man." As Six spoke, the other man mimicked a mouth with his right hand, making Yang snicker at the two. "And a brat at the same time, somehow."

"You were being a giant pain in the ass a bit ago," the Courier shot back. "With the whole BS story and trying to win their support. Figured I'd return the favor and be really obnoxious."

"I just woke up after being stuck in your brain acting like you for probably months, sorry if I was a bit disoriented! And your twisted 'eye for an eye' logic won't get you anywhere good, I'm saying it now. I should know."

"Treat others as you want to be treated."

"If we didn't have the company we do, I'd write you a God-damn autobiography here and now detailing every occasion where you've broken that rule. 'Fear and Loathing in New Vegas: the thrilling, gruesome six volume saga of...'" He looked out of the corner of his eye at the girls. "'...Very Disturbing Things.' Recommend for absolutely no one ever."

"Such a gentleman, protecting our fragile maiden ears from such foul language," Yang fake-swooned.

"Well, I try."

"Wouldn't recommend it, playboy," the Courier grumbled lowly. "Unless you like coughing up buckshot. And I know you don't."

"I don't know, I think I could get used to never hearing your stories again," the blonde said. "And, you know, having someone who doesn't act like you."

"First of all, he totally does, just not when you're around—"

"Convincing," Weiss interrupted.

"And I have a reason for being the way I am." 'Probably. Unless I lost that, too, and just didn't notice.'

"And what might that be?"

"Loose lips sink ships."

Six stuck his left hand up. "I think it might be because he's got a—"

Bang!

He couldn't feel the right hand draw Lucky and put a bullet in his head. The Courier barely caught himself with his other foot, and just sagged there.

"...Six?" Ruby said cautiously. "You there?" He actually did it. Was he a mind reader, too?

"...Uh, yes?" he responded, straightening. "I'm not using a Stealth Boy, am I?" Six* rubbed his head. Did he have too much to drink? Or another concussion, probably. Or both, he wasn't really sure.

"...Anyone else?" No response, and he didn't start arguing with himself again. It looks like that bullet put the other one to sleep for a bit. Or killed him. With his history, though, she doubted it.

"Look, I'll say this once, I am not two people in an overcoat. Getting tired of hearing that question." The proportions for the body and the arms and the legs would be way off if he was just a tower of people.

"...Yes, you are." He shook his head. "Oh, come on, you seriously forgot the other courier?" Weiss griped.

"Oh, come on, do you know how many couriers there are?" he asked, shrugging. "I'm Six for a reason, you know, it's not just some stupid 'number of the beast' thing. There were actually other couriers before me, believe it or not."

"But...it just...okay, then, next topic. Stop shooting yourself."

"Shooting myself?" Well, that explained it. He smacked the left side of his helmet, dislodging a few bullets from the right side of his skull in the process.

Yang watched blankly as the bullets rolled away, then stood up and went for the door. "I think I've endured enough of him for today. That's the breaking point. I'll be in the lunch room if anyone needs me. Don't follow me, Six."

"Me? What did I do?"

"You...keep doing things. All the time. It's just...happening nonstop. I need a break before something else comes up." It was only a matter of time before he got into more trouble, and she was damned if she was going to be there when it happened.

The others murmured in agreement before following after her, leaving the Courier alone with Weiss. She crossed her arms and scowled at the man as he sat down on his bed. Not just because he was practically the same height as when she was standing up. But she couldn't maintain the glare for long. He didn't even know what was going on right now. "I'll be honest, I hated you. You're loudmouthed, arrogant, reckless, disgusting, violent, and just generally difficult to tolerate."

"...Well, this has been pleasant," Six said, standing up. She pushed him back down onto the bed.

"And you're still all of those things, and I've come to accept most of them. You still need to take more showers. But I couldn't stand how you would take advantage of us. Ruby especially. And the people who tried to help you in the past. How you kept getting what I never could. How people tried to be your friend, and you always chose to blow them off."

"That's not what—"

"I know that now," the heiress interrupted. "And I realize I did the same thing before. I just...didn't know how to handle them. And I didn't know you had it so bad before you came here."

"I thought I made it pretty clear it was bad."

"You did...but you didn't sound any better."

'I didn't realize I was any better.'

"But Blake just told me you lost everything when you were shot."

"Yep, sure did," he said. She frowned at the nonchalant tone.

"You're not making this easy, you know," Weiss said.

He shrugged. "I'm over it. I got him in the end."

He shouldn't have been over it. It wasn't even a year ago, right? "...Alright, fine," she huffed as she turned to leave. "If you don't want to talk, that's just fine with me."

"Thanks anyway," he called, making her pause for a moment before leaving. 'I'm not making a big deal out of it, why are they?'

'I wonder why,' the other voice drawled sarcastically. 'Maybe because you do make a big deal out of it?'

"Just want them to stop snooping around my business for a few minutes, is that so bad?" he asked aloud.

'...You don't hear me,' Six sighed.

"I thought I made it pretty clear I was an unfeeling son of a bitch anyway, what gives? Amnesia was probably the best thing that ever happened to me, can't imagine childhood was all that great. Good riddance."

He didn't feel his left hand reach up and touch the chain around his neck. '...Someone has to feel pain when you don't, you know.'

"Yeah, I know," the Courier responded. "But it's them, not me, so why should I care?"

Six didn't bother answering. The Courier already forgot about him, and thought he was just a voice in his head. Whatever Six said would be forgotten, too. It was nothing new. The dreary cycle they both went through. They both just learned to live with it. Nobody was ever around who was willing to try and help, anyway. 'You better treat these people right, Courier. Give 'em what they deserve.'

"...Suppose they should at least get props for trying after what they've gone through," the Courier parroted.

'Think they deserve a bit more than that.' They laid there in silence, barely moving a muscle. '...You can't move, can you?'

'Getting shot does tend to lead to blood loss,' the Courier mentally murmured in agreement. The silence continued.

He almost turned his head when the door cracked open, then he realized he couldn't. His vision went dark as something was thrown over his face. "Almost forgot," he heard Ruby's muffled voice say. "Thanks for helping with it!"

"...No problem," he growled before trying to blow the tattered cape off his face. The voice in his head only laughed.

---

Footnotes:

* - Six the Courier, of course, not Six the courier, who was back inside the cage.

** - Of course, 'that asshole' was far more sane than Six. And, on hindsight, the westerner noticed he only start acting strange when Chinese or communists were mentioned, which made for quite a convincing post-traumatic soldier. The fact that he fell for it only made it that much more infuriating.

---

AN: Look at that, I think I might actually finish a whole week of story in less than a year of writing. Who woulda thunk it?