Chapter 21: Suspicious Minds
Me and the girls soon arrived at the reception of the School of Impersonation, eager to tell The King the news. The room looked empty at first, but before I could reach the door that leads to the stage room, a certain king walked in the way between me and my goal.
"Hey there pal, how's it goin'?" Pacer, the same guy that tried to take a buck from us earlier approached me with a suspiciously friendly face. "I hear you've been going around town, doing some good stuff for us. That's good, we appreciate the help."
"Ok… yeah my pleasure." This was nothing like the guy we've met earlier, so I was a little on edge.
"Listen," Pacer said. "The Kings do their best around Freeside, and no one can get shit done like we can. So it's inevitable that we've made enemies over the years, you dig?"
Yoka walked to my side and crossed her arms, confronting him. "Where do you wanna go with this Pacer?
"I'm just sayin' some people might say crap about us!" he suddenly sparked, louder than he meant to be. Backing of a few steps, he calmed himself down and shoved his hands into is pockets. "Matter of fact, I hear some old NCR hag has been spreading lies about something we did."
Well ain't that convenient? I think we just the found the missing piece of the puzzle. With a dumb smile, I played around with my next words. "Well shit, I bet The King would loooove to know what they're saying about him."
Pacer looked like was knocked back by a punch. "Uh, sure bu- but make sure he knows they are lies, we wouldn't want him to get the wrong picture here, right?" he muttered. If Pacer was as good of a liar as he was an asshole, maybe he would have fooled me. At least we now have a suspect.
"Right, of course not." I patted him on the shoulder and made my way to the theater. "Come on guys, we've got some news for The King." After my friends joined me, I heard a faint "Damn it" from the corner of my ears.
Seems like The King loves this theater, because I've never seen him anywhere else.
He and Daniel sat together on a table as they engaged in a friendly conversation. Dan was the first to see us arrive and pointed at me to draw the other's attention. The King scooched over with his chair to make space for the rest of us, and I had to grab a seat from another table before sitting down.
"So, how did it go with the squatters?" I asked both man as I pulled up my chair.
Daniel took a faint smile and leaned forward "The King got them on watch upstairs. He'll try to recruit them into their gang and teach them some manners."
"And if they refuse," The King continued. "They'll be given a nice warning and be put on watch. If we ever see those three causing trouble again, they'll regret it." He looked confident that he'd be able to deal with the criminals we brought him, which had me ease up a bit.
"It ain't ideal," Yoka commented. "but I guess it's something." She still sounded disappointed. This woman was really giving me the chills. Truth is, I was starting to feel uncomfortable around her, like she could turn into a radscorpion at any second now.
"So, you find out anything about the soldier boys?" The King finally asked.
"Get yourself another drink ol' friend, cause we got ya a mighty tale." Yoka suggested, suddenly forgetting the whole squatter ordeal.
Instead of following Yoka's advice, The King leaned in his chair, looking a little worried. Rex must have picked up on it, because he started rubbing his head against The King's leg. After giving the cyberdog some attention, The King turned back to Yoka. "Lay it on me."
"Alright, first we found out the NCR is distributing food and water over by the Squatter side." I began explaining. I've decided to give him the news slowly, one discovery at a time, so he'd have a chance to think them over.
The King raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like a reason to get ruffled over. What else you've got?"
"Thing is, they're denying stuff to the locals." Samantha added.
The King rested back on the chair and though it all over. "That would explain the goons. They're here to keep my people away from them, and that ain't something I support, no sir."
"Now here's the big thing King," I said, picking it back up. "The NCR claims they've sent an envoy to negotiate the relief effort."
He leaned in even closer and closed his hands into fists. "Now wait a minute, I haven't seen or heard of any damn envoy!"
I took my time to analyze his reaction. The King had proven to be a good man so far, but I've been fooled by righteous intentions before. Thankfully, his shock was genuine enough, and he didn't look suspicious at all; unlike his friend, Pacer.
"That's the thing," I kept explaining. "They also claim the envoy was attacked by your man, and barely survived."
You must understand how strange it is to see The King angry. The man has kept his cool (and he has a lot of it) ever since I've met him, not only that but his suave style makes him look like someone who could never lose his temper. "There must be some kind of misunderstanding, I'd never order such a thing."
"Than we are an impasse." Daniel concluded. "Either you or the NCR is lying, and no offense to you King, but I don't know who I can trust."
The King didn't look offended, which I wasn't sure if it was good or bad. But instead of wondering who could be hiding the truth, I decided to offer another possibility. "Actually, I think I know who's to blame."
Everyone placed their eyes on me, except for Yoka, who was staring blankly at the wall, like she her mind was drifting from place to place. She did not stay quiet though. "Pacer." She simply said.
"Pacer?" The King asked.
"That's right," I explained. "He confronted us just a few seconds ago, trying to convince us that the envoy thing could be nothing but a story. Pretty suspicious if you ask me."
"You think Pacer is the one attacked the envoy?" The King questioned, more worried than angry. "Now, I know the man has done some reckless things before, but there is no way he would-"
"King, we've got a problem!" shouted one of the Kings, bursting into the theater through the door in a mad hurry.
The King jumped from his chair, clearly startled. He quickly picked up his posture and faced his man "What is it boy? This better be important"
"It's Pacer," the messenger said, sweating through his pores and breathing like a mad Bighorner. He obviously ran along way to tell us something. "He gathered up some of our boys and attacked the guys from the NCR."
The King brought his hands to his head and almost pulled his beautiful hair apart. "What is that fool doing!" he turned to me and pointed at my chest. "I need you to get down there and defuse the situation. Do it as fast as you can and tell the NCR I'm willing to convince them of the King's innocence!"
"Don't worry, we've got this!" Samantha assured The King with her trademarked enthusiasm. We rushed the door but before we got out, he called us again. "Wait! I know this might be hard to ask… but don't hurt Pacer. Please."
He is right, it was going to be hard. I didn't want to hurt anyone I didn't have to, but Pacer has proven to liking fights he could avoid. "Don't you worry King, we ain't gonna lay a hand on him." I sort of lied. Hopefully, this won't end like Boulder City.
I can't have another slaughter in my hands.
Moving as fast as we could, the four of us quickly made our way to the building we found the relief effort, and just as quickly we found out it was empty. "Where the hell is everyone?" Dan asked us, but of course, none knew.
His question did not go unanswered for long though, as the sound of gunfire echoed through the streets, directly south of us. Around the nearest corner was an abandoned warehouse, with a tall watchtower next to it. Taking cover behind the warehouse and a bus stop near the street were a couple of Kings, trying to keep a constant fire on the watchtower, which in turn was full of NCR on the top and bottom.
At a single glance you could see that the NCR was winning this fight. Five Kings laid dead on the floor, and one was sitting against the wall, bleeding through his leg. Pacer and four others were still on the fight, all pinned down by the constant rain of fire. The NCR on the other hand were starting to push up to their enemy's location. If we didn't stop this soon, all these Kings would die for nothing.
One of Pacer's guys got up from his cover an sprinted down the street, away from the fight. As he passed I heard him shout "Fuck this, I ain't dyin' here."
"Come back here you coward!" Pacer shouted as another two of his man ran away, leaving just him and two more.
"Pacer, we gotta give this up, there's no way we're winning this fight! Hell, what are we even doing here, why would The King send us like this?" one of his friends shouted, grabbing Pacer by the collar of his jacket. Pacer pushed him off and rained a few bullets on the NCR with his pistol. "I'm not a pussy like you guys. These NCR fucks invaded our home and now they gotta pay!"
"Screw it, you've lost your mind, I'm out!" with that the two last guys left running.
"Fuck all of you then, I'll do it all myself!" Pacer tried take a shot but was immediately forced back behind the warehouse when a rain of bullets came down on him. If he popped one inch of himself out of cover, he'd get turned into mashed greaser by all those assault rifles.
"Pacer!" Ahyoka shouted at the guy before he did anything else. She also got the attention of the NCR, who aimed their rifles at us, but I could see Major Elizabeth Kieran tell them to hold their fire.
Pacer looked at us and his anger turned into rage. "God damn it Yoka! You and those stray dogs had to get in the fucking way didn't you?" He aimed his pistol at us, and in return, we pointed our guns at him. I locked my eyes into his, but against my better judgment, kept my finger off the trigger.
"The King knows everythin', Pacer. Stop gettin' you and your friends killed and come back with us, we'll give ya the chance to explain yourself." Yoka pleaded him. I'm amazed to see she just didn't shoot him o sight, because that's the impression she gave me so far.
For a second I though he'd give in. He even lowered his gun and stood up from his cover. But at some, point inside his head, something must have snapped, because he turned around sprinted towards an alleyway. Yoka aimed her pistol, which I didn't realize she had pulled out, and attempted to hit Pacer. One shot scraped him in the arm, but he quickly entered said alleyway and disappeared.
"You three go after him, now! We'll meet back at the school." I shouted to my friends. Yoka didn't waste a second and dashed after him, faster than I could have expected. Daniel gave me strange look, like he was asking who let me order him around, but followed right after.
Sam stood around for a second to ask something. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm just gonna square things up with the NCR, before they decide to storm The King's headquarters. Now go, they'll need your help." And so she parted off, running as fast as she could towards the same alley.
I on the other hand, walked to the watchtower with my hands high up in the air. Major Kieran was already at the bottom of the staircase with two of her man. Behind some crates, at the feet of the tower, I saw two wounded soldiers getting treated by a medic with bandages and stimpaks; but other than those two, no one else looked hurt, much less dead. Seems like the NCR won't be having any casualties today.
"I'm guessing I have you to thank for their leader's retreat?" The Major asked, motioning her soldiers to stand down. "Court, was it?"
I put my hands down as the soldiers lowered their rifles. "That's me. And actually, that guy was not their leader. The King is back in his school, looking more worried than you are about this whole situation."
Kieran scoffed. "He should be, since he's pretty much declared war on the NCR."
Before she went on, I raised my finger at her. "Hold on now, let me finish. The King has nothing to do with the attacks. It was one of his man who's been acting on his own, doing these things without his boss's knowledge."
"A rogue soldier?" The Major asked, not too convinced, but at least open to the possibility. "How can I trust your word?"
"You don't need to. The King himself has called you to a meeting. He wishes to clear things, end the fighting." I pulled off my most sincere voice to try and convince her, and it seemed to be working.
She whispered something to the man beside her, who replied with another whisper. They traded a few more words before turning to me again. "Fine, we agree to this meeting, but only if I can bring some of my man with me."
Fuck it, it would have to, and I guess it's a fair deal. Don't think I'd trust any King if I were in her shoes. Pacer really did some damage, didn't he? "Alright, come as soon as you can to the school. And please, do come with peace in mind."
"That, will depend on you and The King." She told me, arms crossed and boots hard on the ground.
I turned my back to her and began making my way back, whispering to myself. "Let's put this senseless bloodshed to an end."
When I got back to the theater, my friends had already returned, but with no Pacer in sight. Each stood in a corner while The King was sitting in the same chair as always.
"We lost him." Daniel walked to me and explained before I could even ask. "That fucker is a slippery one, Yoka got really close but he lost us in some twists and turns."
"Pacer was born in those alleys, same as me." The King cut in, looking down at Rex and petting him slowly. The dog whined and licked his master's face, a worthy attempt to cheer him up. Didn't seem to work though. "He knows them better than the back of his hand."
"So, what we do now?" Samantha asked, sitting down next to the cyberdog and petting him along with The King. "We just wait till he comes out hiding?"
The King let out a sad sigh. "I guess so. I already have my boys looking for him, but he is… was one of our best. We might not see him anytime soon."
Yoka, who was resting against the bar counter, got up and approached me, looking very tense. "How did it go with the NCR? They agree to a meetin'?" She calmed down when I gave her a nod. "Thank God, when are they comin'?"
"Told them to come as soon as they could. I told them how Pacer acted alone and that The King had no knowledge of what he was doing." I explained to everyone. The King's frown seemed to get smaller, and he got up from his chair, with a face of determination. He now looked like someone with a plan.
"We'll take care of Pacer later, now we have some work to do." Placing two fingers in his mouth, he blew out a loud, ear popping whistle. Before I could scold The King for making my ears ring, a bunch of Kings began pouring into the room and walking along the walls. Outside I could hear them call each other, spreading the news through the building.
After the last of the Kings came in, the place was completely crowded, with barely enough room to move around. The King had gotten up on stage, where he grabbed the microphone and spoke into it. "Listen up everyone. We're gonna have a two-headed bear for a guest in just few minutes, so we gotta get ready to impress if we don't wanna get eaten. You all know the drill, let's get this place ready to rock!"
Like a hive of Cazadores, every King ran off to do something that involved cleaning or decorating the theater. They moved and coordinated like they've been training to do this their whole lives, which they in fact might have. Colorful lights were hanged all across the ceiling. The floor, tables, chairs and walls where all cleaned to near perfection, and the stage lights and speakers had been set up and tested multiple times. During the entirety of this frenzy, an agitated rock solo played through some of the speakers, and the Kings would stop to dance to it as they moved around, like a piece of musical theater. If this was just the preparation for a show, I was very curious to see the actual thing, because this was all too amazing.
"Holy molly…" Sam let out under her breath, just as amazed by all this as I was.
"That's the Kings for ya." Yoka told us, bumping her shoulder on Sam, who seemed a little startled by Yoka's move, before giving her a warm smile.
The time they took to finish the job was also jaw dropping. In just fifteen minutes everything was ready and in place. The room barely looked the same after the makeover. Along with being a million time cleaner, it was now full of decorations. Colorful lights were on every surface, cups and plates were placed on the tables along with plastic roses inside glass vases, and posters of Old-World shows and celebrities were hanging on the walls (Most of them about the original "King").
"Damn, this is some impressive work like I've never seen before." Daniel commented, nodding approvingly at the scene. "And that's saying something. You see a lot when you're over two hundred years old."
"You're never gonna get tired of saying that are you?" I told him, with a faint smile.
The ghoul shook his head. "Nope."
The King jumped down from the stage, landing with bent knees and two finger snaps, and the music ended exactly when he hit the floor. He then joined our group, smiling proudly as he saw how impressed we all were. "So, what do you think? You dig the new aesthetic?" No one vocally answered the question, instead we all nodded as we kept on appreciating the room. "Glad you did, let's hope the soldier boys do too."
As if on cue, a King ran into the room and stopped before us. "King, they're here. We've got an officer, and she's got four armed guys with her. They're not in uniform though."
The King glanced at me, looking for approval, and I gave him a nod. "That sounds like Major Elizabeth Kieran alright."
"Good." The King said, looking rather satisfied and calm. "We will take them to my office, where we will negotiate." The messenger nodded and ran back into the reception.
I gave The King a confused look. "Wait, I thought you were going to bring them here, to see the show."
"Let me give you a lesson pal," The King said, laying a hand on my shoulder and pulling me out of the room. "You don't show a girl all you've got on a first date, mainly when you're a guy like me, because if you do, you might scare her away." His logic wasn't making too much sense to me, but I decided not to argue. "No, this show here is for after your night out, that way you prove her she made the right choice."
"So," said Major Kieran with her arms crossed, sitting on one side of the desk. "Our friend here told me a story about some rogue King that's been causing trouble on his own." Her four bodyguards stood behind her, each with an AR-15 Assault Rifle in hand, each looking as mean as their officer. The five of them and the two of us were now inside of The King's office, a comfortable and well decorated room, with plenty of wooden furniture that held everything you'd find in an office, along with some flashy toys and trinkets, most lf them were cinema or rock related.
The King sat on a large leather chair opposite to the Major, with his back to a large window that overlooked Freeside (we were on the third floor, by the way). Beside him was me, a little unsure of what I was doing here. "That's right Major. I'll admit, I should have seen that Pacer was a little out of line, but he was a close friend, you must understand that."
"I don't care how close he was to you. He caused a lot of trouble and someone's gotta pay for it." The Major complained, slamming her finger on the desk.
The King leaned forward on his chair. "Like I've told you already, we are looking for him under every brick in Freeside. He can't hide forever."
"We'll see…" Elizabeth said, not sounding too convinced. "For the time being, I suggest The Kings stay away from Squatter side, and let us run our operations in peace."
The King didn't look too happy about that suggestion. "Now hold on a minute, you can't just lock us out. We have many friends over there, locals who keep getting harassed by your thugs everyday!"
"Then maybe they shouldn't poke their nose in the wrong corners." Kieran barked, much to The King's dismay.
"Wrong places? This is their home, they should be able to roam as they please."
"The same can be said for our citizens. Freeside was never owned by anyone, so why do you act like it's all yours?"
"When the hell did I ever do anythin-"
"Enough!" I shouted, making the two leaders jump in their places. I didn't realize how angry that useless discussion was making me. I pointed my fingers towards Elizabeth. "Major, beating the locals to scare them away doesn't make you better than some second-rate Freeside gangster. I wish I could say the NCR knew how to deal with a problem peacefully but you people keep proving me otherwise." I then turned to The King and gave him the same treatment. "King, so far you've proved to be a nice guy, at least to Freesiders and their friends. But you have to see that NCR citizens are a part of Freeside now, so better start treating them as such."
"Now hold on a minute," The King protested. "I've never disrespected NCR, I've always welcomed them. Just ask Ahyoka."
"And I've always tried to carry out things without violence." Kieran joined in. "I can't always be there to monitor my man, but when I get into a fight, I was not the one to start it."
"If what you two are saying is true, then why are even in this room, having these useless discussions about who owns what or who has the right to where. Pacer is gone, the attacks can stop now. You two can put in action that relief effort Elizabeth has planned."
Both settled down in their seats and stared at each other for a minute. Elizabeth was the first to show initiative. "Your friend is right."
The King nodded in agreement. "That he is." He looked at me with proud eyes and a soft smile. Now I know why he insisted that I be here.
"You two have the chance to make this place better than it has ever been in over two hundred years. Don't waste that chance." The two kept staring at each other, until The King placed his hand forward and offered it to the Major. Took her a second, but she eventually shook it. The King gave her a wide smile, which she replied with a short smirk.
"I'll be looking forward to see us work together, Major." The King told her.
"I'm putting a lot of trust in you and your friend King. Don't betray that trust, and we'll do just fine."
Elizabeth and her man were as amazed as I was earlier when they walked into theater. "What is this?" The Major asked us as The King brought her to a table in front of the stage.
"I don't know about you folks," The King told her. "but we Kings like to celebrate." He turned to one of his guys across the room, near the door. "You can bring them in now!"
And so the guy opened the door, letting dozens of NCR citizens and the rest of Elizabeth's man inside. As they looked around the room in awe, they were seated by the Kings and served drinks and snacks, turning this into a proper and crowded party. The King rushed towards the stage and climbed it, disappearing behind the curtains, with a couple of Kings following behind him. At the same time, everyone except for the Kings that remained had taken a seat, including me, who found my three friends in the table next to Elizabeth's. "What's gonna happen now?" I asked them, but everyone seemed as lost as I was.
"If the Kings are as good as they claim to be, this should be very interesting." Daniel commented. "I doubt they're as good as the real thing though."
Me and the girls looked at him with confusion. "What do you mean the real thing?" Sam asked him.
"Heh, seems like not even the legacy of The King of Rock & Roll could survive the nukes..." He told himself, making us even more confused. "No, that's not true. The Kings might not know who he was, but his music still inspires and entertains people, even if he's not around to play it."
"You're talkin' about the man in the posters right?" Yoka asked him. "When I came to Freeside as child, I met The King and his gang in this here buildin', which they had turned into their headquarters before I arrived. The King's friends joked how much he looked like the poster guy, so that's how he was given the nickname we all know and love."
"What's his real name anyway?" I asked Yoka. "And I'm talking about this King, not the old one."
Yoka shook her head and laughed. "You know what's funny? They never told me. Only the old Kings and the man himself know his real name, but they refuse to tell anyone. They say it's doesn't matter who he was before, only who he is now."
"Huh… That's cool." Samantha commented, pointing at the stage. "It only makes me more curious about what he's cooking behind that curtain."
For a few minutes, nothing happened. The entire room was in a stir, drowned in voices coming from the dozens of tables, each in their own conversation, but none dared to take their eyes from the stage. Suddenly, the lights in the room dimmed, not completely turning off, but leaving us in a soft darkness.
The spotlights on the roof turned on, each being operated by a King standing on catwalks that were placed under each light. The speakers crackled to life, spewing the sounds of a loud trumpet and some other instruments, followed by the sound of metal mugs being hit against the wall.
The show had begun.
Curtains were raised, revealing the setting of an Old-World prison, with two levels of jail cells connected by a side staircase and a firefighter's pole in the middle.
Dressed in his white jacket, but this time with a black and white prison shirt like the others, The King rushed to the middle of the second floor, dancing and singing in a way I just can't put into words. He was good, really good, moving like I've never seen before and spilling words in such a happy and agitated but at the same time melodic voice that you could call intoxicating, but in a good way, like the burn of whiskey or the taste of fine cigar.
"The warden threw a party in the county jail
The prison band was there and they began to wail
The band was jumpin' and the joint began to swing
You should've heard them knocked-out jaibirds sing
Let's rock everybody, let's rock
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock"
As he sung, he danced, he walked, he jumped and he swinged. At one point, the man slid down the firefighter's pole and climbed onto a courtyard table as his buddies gathered around him, dancing and playing a bunch of different instruments. As the song went on they played a fun little chase scene, choreographed to follow the music.
At the end of that song, everyone was on their feet, clapping as loud as they could, whistling and jumping in place. Little did we know the show was far from over. They went through many different songs, some had a little play like the first one, others were just a regular show, and few had The King sing on his own, usually about themes of love. But it didn't matter how different each song was, they were all amazing. We found ourselves dancing and singing along, even though I wasn't much of dancer.
But then again, they did serve us drinks and I might have had a few too many. Bah, who cares, I was having fun, more than I've had in really long time. Travelling alone for so many years makes you forget how amazing it can be to have people with you.
"Whoooo!" Samantha shouted as she ran to the stage and joined the crowd that had formed. Yoka jogged behind but turned around for a second to call me and Daniel. "Come on boys, let's get close to the action!" Daniel and I shared a look and laughed.
I motioned towards the show, with a beer in my hand. "Shall we?"
Daniel shook his head. "Nahh, you go ahead. I was never a fan of crowds."
I leaned my head to the side and gave him a friendly push. "You sure? You might not wanna miss out on this!"
He just nodded his head. "Yeah kid, I'm sure. You go have some fun, I'll be waiting for you by the bar once it's all over."
"Don't say I didn't warn ya then." With that, I chugged my drink and jumped into the crowd, joining them in whatever crazy dance they were copying from The King. Me and the girls gathered around and tried our best to throw down some moves. Despite failing miserably, I didn't care. I was in a burst of adrenaline and everyone was too drunk to judge. It went on like that for the rest of the show.
And so the rest of the evening went by like flash. A few hours later and I found myself sitting besides Daniel and girls, eating a plate of Brahmin Steak on the bar's counter. Major Elizabeth and The King were having a conversation on the opposite end of the room, and two Kings were passed out by a corner. There were also the four bodyguards that first came with the Major earlier today. One of them was asleep while the others talked to one another around a table next to their officer. The room looked exactly like you would expect it to look after a party that wild, but it was mostly empty, with the exception of the people I mentioned.
"Who would have know, dancing gives you one mighty appetite!" I thought our loud as I shoved another piece of meat into my mouth.
Samantha nodded and answered with a "Uhmhumph!", agreeing through a mouth full of food.
"Jesus, you two are animals." Daniel laughed, sipping his glass of scotch. Yoka wasn't eating or drinking anything, instead she was playing around with a couple of toothpicks by holding them up straight and flicking them into the cups and glasses on the shelves. She was very focused in her game, and I don't think she missed a single one so far, something that brought earlier memories from today. She had shown exceptional skill with a pistol when facing Orris, and when I questioned her about it, she gave me and unconvincing story. Then she pulled her pistol out before I even noticed her move when Pacer ran away. There was more to this girl, and I don't think she wants us to know what.
"Hey, Yoka," I called her after swallowing some more steak. "You never told us your story. All I know about you is that you are the local stable girl." and that you can shoot like a pro, along with having some questionable morals, but I left that out. "There's gotta be more to you, right?"
She shot another toothpick into a glass before looking at me and shrugging. "There ain't much. Half the people here in Freeside have a similar story, you'd honestly have more fun hearin' them from alleyway junkie than from me."
"Oh come on Yoka, tell us more about you. You seem like a fun time, I bet you have some cool tales to tell us!" Samantha begged her with that cute puppy look she makes.
Yoka rolled her eyes balls and sighed. "Alright, you guys win." She took a deep breath and poured herself some wine. "My dad and I come from an old tribe down in Colorado. And when I say old, I mean really old, like, Old-World old."
"Cherokee, right?" Daniel asked her, and she nodded.
"If you two have never heard of that tribe, that's because we don't exist no more. We survived the bombs because we lived far away from the cities, we survived the radiation because we migrated west, and we survived the mutants because we were great warriors. What we didn't survive… was them." Yoka pointed towards the wall behind us.
"Uhh… you didn't survive modern architecture?" Samantha guessed and Yoka laughed.
"No ya dummy, I'm pointin' east."
"Caesar's Legion…" Daniel let out, almost whispering. Samantha and I went stiff, stories that involve The Legion are never happy.
Yoka didn't look sad though, and kept on telling us her story like it was just a regular conversation. "I was born at our village located on the bottom of the Rocky Mountains, where we had plenty to hunt, fish and forage. I didn't get to live much of that life though. A little after my fifth birthday, one of Caesar's Frumentarii showed up by himself, tellin' us that if we didn't join their empire, they'd take us by force."
"And... what happened." I asked, afraid of what was to come.
Yoka took a quick breath and kept on telling her story with a stone cold expression. "We were too proud to simply give in, so we fought. Three times they tried to take us, three times they failed. Our village was not some vulnerable agglomeration of tents like you might expect. We had grown and adapted over the years, buildin' walls, scavengin' guns and makin' traps to protect us, along with having the skill to face even the best of Caesar's man. They tried to burn us, but we put out the fire and killed them with their own flames. They tried to sneak in to our village, but we found them sent them back with broken legs. They tried to take by storming with brute force, but we beat them back before they could scream for their Caesar."
"Then how did they defeat you?" Sam asked her.
"They used our strength against us. They constructed a blockade around our village, shootin' down anyone that left it. We had some farms inside, but most of our food still came from huntin' and foragin'. There was a river that ran through the village, but they poured poison up the stream, killin' all the fish before it killed some of us. And so we were left to slowly die of hunger and thirst." She made a short pause to drink her wine. In one swift gulp, she downed the entire glass. "But we would not go down that way. Our most skilled warriors gathered to make one final push. While we may have had the skill, The Legion had the numbers, everyone knew that. It was not a fight we could win."
She paused again, and while I wanted to know more, I did not dare to ask for it. She wasn't showing it, but I'm sure it hurts to tell that story.
"At least they bought enough time for the children and their caretakers to escape." She finally said.
"And so you and your father came to Vegas." I assumed, but she shook her head.
"Not at first. We ran west and were met with the NCR, becomin' citizens of a small town in eastern California. We ran a farm there before decidin' to move to Freeside." She fished off with a short smirk.
"That's it?" I asked her. I know it was a little rude of me to say it like that, but I was hoping to uncover the reason behind her shooting skills.
She thought about it for a while before continuing. "I guess I never mentioned my younger brother Moha. He ain't around because he left to serve the NCR, wants some payback from The Legion for what they did to our people."
"Well, that's honorable, I guess." Samantha commented.
Yoka shot out an ironic laugh. "Hah, it's stupid that's what it is. The boy is too proud and hot-headed for war. He's gonna get himself killed and I won't forgive him for it." Now Yoka sounded angry, but a little sad.
"What about your mother?" Sam asked, even if she shouldn't. Yoka was starting to show some discomfort. "You never mentioned her."
Now Yoka looked even sadder, but answered anyway. "Remember that last pushed I mentioned?" We all nodded. "Well… mom was one of them skilled warriors. Last thing I saw her do was shoot a Legionnaire before throwing her tomahawk at another." Melancholy was all over her face, but she took a deep breath and swallowed her sorrow along with it, a trick I'm all too familiar. There were more questions I wanted to ask her, but decided that enough was enough.
"We should check out with The King, know if things are fine between him and the Major." Daniel suggested, breaking the small tension we had created.
"Yeah, good idea." I replied as I took a last bite from my steak.
"I'll stay here, you guys go ahead." Yoka told us.
Samantha looked at Dan and me, before looking back at Yoka. "I think I'll stay too, still have some steak to finish."
"Alright then." And so the ghoul and I made our way to the big leaders, the two of which seemed to be having a grand time. "-and then I said "Tom, you'll find me playing the flute before you get that girl!" I must have missed the context off the joke, because Elizabeth almost laughed her lungs out.
"Oh God you're too funny!" she screamed and pushed The King back before noticing us. Seems like I'm not the only one who had too much to drink. "I must thank you Court, for bringing us together. I haven't had this much fun in fucking ages!"
"Glad to be of help." I replied with a smile. This night is turning out to be a lot more fun and surprising than I could have expected.
"I will do more than just thank you friend!" The King sparked. "I've made you a promise, and I will see it through. Come here tomorrow morning and I should have four passes ready for you."
Four passes? I looked over at the bar and saw Yoka laugh at something Samantha told her, before addressing The King again. "We only need three actually, Yoka's not with us."
"Really?" he asked. "Shame, I thought you four were working together. You all seem to get along well."
"I'm not so sure about that." Daniel grumbled, eyeing the girl in question. Seems like he also had second opinions about her.
"Oh, come one." The King contested. "Look at the four of you. I can tell the way people feel about each other when they party, been looking at them do it for years now. Trust me when I say this, you guys are team."
I gave that a long and deep thought. I didn't really believe that, I mean, yeah Dan knew a lot about The Mojave and was a really good shot, two things that have been of great help, and Sam's knowledge of computers and machines came in handy a couple of times. Ahyoka was a new addition but she already saved my life once and helped us navigate Freeside. But the only thing that brought us together was coincidence , convenience and insistence. It made us interest partners at best, but I'm not so sure anymore. Daniel and Samantha don't even have any business with me anymore.
The King noticed how we weren't too moved by his words, so he just shrugged. "I don't know, I guess you guys just look good together. There's a mix of looks and styles you don't usually see around the wastes. You four have already helped rock Freeside, imagine what you guys can do in The Strip?"
I couldn't help but smile a little. The King sure knew how place his words. "I'll sure show Benny a good time." I told myself, but Dan seemed to have picked it up, and smiled.
"What's that about Benny?" The King interrupted. "You mean Benny as like, the Chairman guy?"
I motioned for him to drop it. "It's a long story. Look, we'll see you tomorrow to pick up the passes. Today was an interesting day and I just want to rest. Thank you for the a amazing party, by the way. I'm sure none of us will ever forget it."
"It was my pleasure." He pointed at me before I left. "I hope to see you around Freeside one day, you should stick around now that you're gonna be so popular." The King commented.
I scoffed and laughed at the idea. "Popular? Me? Come on, I'm just a Courier, I deliver stuff for a living."
"Then next time The Kings need something delivered, we'll make sure to give you a call." He winked at me before Dan and turned our backs to him.
The girls were in the same spot we left them, expect they each had water bottles. It's always good to stay hydrated, mainly after ingesting so much alcohol.
"So, you're all set?" Yoka asked
"I guess so." I answered. "We'll come back to pick our passes tomorrow morning." My mind quickly went back to The King proposing to give Yoka a pass too. She definitely deserves a reward, but it's up to her to decide what that will be. "The King offered you a pass too, but I think you can negotiate for something else."
"Hum." She hummed, thinking. "A pass is a fine deal. You don't get something worth two thousand caps everyday."
Samantha's eyes glimmered and she sparked. "Oh! Hey, if you come with us, we can like, visit the Casinos and go barhoping and everything!" Woah, someone is eager to visit The Strip. Sadly, I have other interests in mind.
"Slow down. You know that's not why we're here Sam." Daniel quickly shot her down.
"Oh… right…" She mumbled.
"Sam, you can do whatever you want when we get to The Strip." I reassured her, before turning to Dan. "We already talked about this, once we're in there, we're parting ways."
Dan rolled his rotten eyes and scoffed. "Really, you're still pushing us away. Even after this whole Freeside ordeal."
I glanced over at Yoka, hoping she'd ignore this whole discussion. I didn't need anyone else prying into my business. She just stared at me, expressionless, which I think was worse than having her say something.
Daniel took offense to my silence and began speaking a little louder. "Why are you so excluding out sudden. You're nothing like the guy I met at that Ranger Station, all friendly and welcoming."
"Our situation was different back then. You needed help, I needed a place to sleep. Taking those gangsters out was in both our interests." I argued with him.
"So you just saved me, shared food with me and let me travel with you, because it benefitted you, and nothing more?" He questioned, crossing arms.
"Why else would I do it?" Honestly, I wasn't sure of the answer for that question myself, and I don't know which possibility scared me the most.
"Simple. You need help, and we can provide it"
Jesus Christ this was infuriating. I did not need this in my life right now. "I don't need any help. I've been travelling by myself for years, I've always figured out how to deal with things on my own, and sure as hell don't need anyone babysitting me!"
"Babysitting?" He almost shouted, but like me, he didn't want to draw attention. "Do you insult your friends like that everyday?"
Before I could reply, Samantha jumped from her stool, getting between us. "Guys, please, come on, let's not act like children, we are all-"
"We are acting like children?!" I scolded her. "Ha! You're one to talk. You act all immature, seemingly oblivious to danger, playing around with your gun like it's a toy. It's no wonder you got yourself locked in that room in that first place!"
As soon as I finished that sentence, I regretted saying it. Sam had stumbled backwards, almost tripping over Daniel. Her eyes glimmered, and her jaw trembled. For a few seconds, she looked sad, as if on the verge of crying, but then her sorrow turned into anger.
"Wait, Sam, I'm-"
"Is that really what you think?!" She shouted, slamming her finger on my chest. Remember how I mentioned she looked strong? Well, turns out she didn't just look. Her tap knocked me on my ass. Now there was no avoiding it, everyone was staring at us. "Guess what, you're not the first one! But the thing is, I don't usually try to help the people who think that of me." She lowered her voice, looking down at her feet and sitting back down again. "You're right, there's nothing for me to do here. I should have just gone home when we arrived in Freeside."
Dan's eyes were just as shocked and angry as you might expect, but Yoka gave me that cold gaze of hers, and I couldn't say if she was angry, disappointed or indifferent about all this.
Crap, what have I done! I'm such a fucking idiot! I was just angry, and I didn't think before I spoke! Say something damn it, apologize, make up to her, do anything!
But I couldn't. I couldn't make things right, not only because I didn't know how to, but because I was too busy staring at my Pip-Boy, who had just turned itself on for some reason.
Yoka noticed my sudden confusion and placed her hand on the back of her waist. "Court? What is it?"
"Don't try to escape this now, Court." Daniel barked at me. "If you're really going to be an asshole like this, we'll leave-"
"Not now! There is something-" My eyes widened when I realized what was going on, and my hand quickly reached for my Peacemaker. The screen on my device was turned to map screen, with the compass on the bottom.
Where a single red blip was pointing behind me.
Before anyone could ask what was going on, a scream echoed through the room. "Ahhhh!" Major Elizabeth shouted as she was pulled from her chair.
Pacer had his arm around her neck and a pistol to her head. "Nobody move or the lady here gets it!"
"Pacer, what the hell!" The King shouted at him, frozen in his place. I already had the revolver aimed at Pacer, but he and the Major kept wriggling around, making a clear shot impossible. Her bodyguards were to my right, all aiming their rifles at Pacer. I crossed the room, getting closer to the bad guy, but stopped once he pushed the gun against the Major's head. "I said nobody fucking move, damn it!"
"Pacer, this has gone on for long enough. Let the woman go so we can talk this out." The King tried to convince him, sweating trough his forehead and slowly approaching the hostage. It all just seemed to make Pacer angrier.
"There ain't nothing to talk about! All I gotta do is blow this broad's brains out, end this fucking madness."
"The only one who's mad here is you Pacer!" This time, Yoka was the one talking. "Why do you want to create a war between The Kings and the NCR?"
"Because we don't need no god damn NCR! Ever since we created The Kings, it was just us and Freeside. No governments like The Legion, these republican fucks, or even !" Pacer explained, pulling Elizabeth back at each step. He'd soon hit the corner of the room behind him. "We don't need people like them, we don't want them here, and I thought you'd agree with me King, but no, you had to go soft on outsiders!"
"Pacer, please, nothing good will come out of this." The King begged him. "You're my friend, and I want things to stay that way. If you kill Elizabeth, you know what will happen to you."
Yoka leaned in closer to me and whispered. "I can take him out if you distract him."
I gave her a are you serious? look. Pacer was her friend too. Is she just gonna give up on him like this?
Without taking my eyes from the hostage and her captor, I whispered back. "No, we'll handle this without violence."
"You two, stop whispering!" Pacer blinked as sweat dripped into his eyes. He was afraid and angry at the same time, besides bat-shit crazy.
And the worst part is that I knew that look, the emotion he beamed from his eyes. He had the look of someone with nothing to lose.
And the look of a killer.
"I get it Pacer," I told him, trying to sound as sympathetic as I could. "The Kings are your life, and you're willing to give yourself away for them. The problem is that you're stuck in the past, stuck with what the Kings used to be. Things change Pacer, they evolve. It's time you do the same."
He was shaking a little before, but now it's like the man himself is an earthquake. I could see his grip around his pistol loosen up, and he almost took the muzzle out of the Major's head. He took a look around the room. A couple of Kings were entering the room after hearing the confusion. They looked at Pacer with sad, angry or disproving expressions. The man was about to cry, he couldn't deal with this much pressure.
And pressure drives people to do two things: give up, or give in.
Pacer chose the latter.
His eyebrows frowned and his eyes turned mean. His hands gripped the pistol tightly again, and he placed his finger on the trigger. He was fast, but not fast enough, cause I already had V.A.T.S. activated, and his head had already been selected.
*BANG*
Pacer fell to the ground with a hole above his nose. Elizabeth ran away from him, stopping just before her bodyguards.
The King rushed to his friend's body, holding his head up on his lap. "Pacer? Pacer, buddy, come on, don't give up on me, don't go out like this, don't do it man!" Tears began to roll down his face as he realized his friend was not getting up. It was a clean kill, the round entered through the nose and up the brain.
Pacer, The King's best friend was as dead.
And I was the one who killed him.