Chapter 24 – The call of the desert

Their last night was in Zion was peaceful, despite the small fight between father and daughter.
Arcade led Joshua into his cave to stitch up the gash on the older man's stomach, and had asked Sian to help him, but Joshua had violently refused, giving no reason at all.

The doctor had understood however. Sian had no memories of what her father looked like before, but despite knowing what lie beneath the bandages, the girl had never seen it.
And Joshua didn't want her to. Didn't want his daughter to see the scars that marked his downfall.
So, Waking Cloud came to assist instead. The tribal woman lost no word during the procedure, while Arcade was muttering as usual.

Outside, Sian was patching Syrus back together, who clearly looked uncomfortable with the fuss she was making. His wounds weren't that bad, and these things just happened, but the smaller girl had simply told him to shut up and let her work.
Boone was lying next to the fire, his head on Marrita's thigh, and would throw the boy smug grins whenever he winced. He didn't like the young Legionary any better, and that little stunt today had shown him that the boy was incredibly unpredictable in a fight, if very effective.
Not like Boone would ever, ever, tell Syrus so, but the boy had skills. Only needed to learn restraint.

They all wanted to wind down, to relax for a while, for the next morning they would depart for the Mojave and they all knew things would get a lot more complicated from now on.
In a way, each of them wished they could stay in Zion forever, live in peace and let the world be damned.
Boone knew he certainly did. Maybe he would've been able to start over here, away from his past. Here it didn't matter who he was, what symbol he bore.
But there was something, deep inside. He could see Sian felt it as well, when their eyes met, he could see it.
She, too, felt the call of the desert.

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The trip back wasn't very eventful. Marrita had to realize that her Yao Guai would not flourish in the desert, there not being enough water for them, and decided to leave them in Zion with the Dead Horse tribe. Only William, the largest of the lot, was coming with them. She couldn't bear to leave him behind.

They made good time, and over the two weeks, Boone actually got used to Joshua's company. Unlike Syrus, who kept arguing with Arcade and telling Sian about the Legion, Joshua hardly ever spoke of it. As if that part of his life had never existed.
Except when Sian asked him about it. Her father answered her every question, not hiding any of his many sins, but spoke with sincere remorse.
And Sian hung at his lips.

Every night when they made camp, they'd sit down together, he'd ask questions about her life, many of which, she couldn't answer, and they spoke about the decisions she had made. Her father didn't agree with all of them, but all in all, she had done well under the difficult circumstances she'd been in.

The only thing they fought about, was Sian's decision to meet with Caesar once more. Everyone in the group had an opinion on that, mainly that it was a bad, horrible idea. Except for Syrus, of course. But Arcade also understood that she wanted more information, wanted to understand more, especially since she had found out more about her past.
The doctor had also tried to talk to Sian about the dreams, but she clammed up every time he tried. There was still too much about it she didn't remember, didn't understand. She didn't wake up screaming any longer, so everyone assumed Sian was sleeping better. She preferred it that way.

All in all, she was sleeping better. The recurring nightmare hadn't come back since they arrived in Zion, and even though the new ones were even more terrifying, they affected her a lot less in the long run.
These dreams gave her an idea of who and what she was dealing with in her business with Caesar. He was smart. Too smart. She'd need a good cover on where she had been all this time.
In her head, the girl went through numerous scenarios, sometimes just changing a word or a sentence in the imagined conversation, taking into account all she knew about the man.

I will kill House. There's no question to that. Maybe, if I'm lucky, that'll butter him up enough to believe whatever story I tell him. I need to go back to the Fort. I need to find out what the Legion is planning. If it's worth supporting, or if I need to destroy it. And this time, I'm leaving Arcade behind.

Boone watched Sian a lot on their trip back. In the few days he'd been gone, she'd changed. The stony expression was new. He didn't like it, but he had no idea how to address the issue. Even Syrus didn't get through to her like before.
Due to her injuries, Sian tired even more quickly than on their way to Utah, so she escaped many questions and scrutinizing glances by simply rolling up on the ground and falling asleep as soon as they stopped for the night. Some days the girl was exhausted to the point of where she'd just settle on William's back for the last hour or so and just drowsily let the Yao Guai carry her.
Nobody really tried to keep her up, because they all knew she needed rest if she were to make the trek the next day. Marrita especially had been very vocal in letting the girl rest all she needed.

She herself had much less problems managing the long walks every day. Raising a pack of mutated monsters had done wonders for her stamina, despite not being much of a fighter.
But she acted as a sort of buffer between Sian and the others, feeling that, whatever the issue, it could wait until they reached their destination.
Whenever Sian rode on William however, the older woman tried to talk to her.
Marrita was more tactful than the guys, more careful in how she worded things and usually made sure they couldn't be overheard, and while Sian did actually answer her, she didn't share much.
The girl was simply distracted, thinking a lot. And Marrita didn't see a reason to force her to divulge those thoughts.
Eventually Sian would tell them what had her occupied.

As the two weeks neared their end, the country around them became flatter and drier. Marrita understood now why the others had rationed the water so strictly and why Sian collected every empty bottle of Soda or water they could find. One night she had helped the younger girl improvise some make-shift saddle bags for William, with Sian happily commenting how much more water they could take now, whenever they came upon a freshwater source.
Marrita had never thought this far. She lived in Zion her entire life; water, food, all of it was abundant there.
Arcade, too, had been taking advantage of the vegetation along the trail and had stuffed a bag full of brock flowers and xander roots to make stimpacks. Marrita had laughed and called them hoarders.

Everything went more or less smoothly until they were three days away of their destination. Sian was chasing ahead with Syrus. It wasn't smart, and Boone grumbled about them being to conspicuous, but they didn't listen to him and neither Arcade nor Joshua had the heart to reign them in.
They could both handle themselves, after all. And hearing their laughter as they taunted each other was refreshing.

"You're gonna have to do a lot better than that if you wanna catch me!" Sian called back over her shoulder.
There were still boulders everywhere, but the land had gotten flatter, so running at breakneck speed was a lot less dangerous.
Syrus chased the girl through a crevice, marvelling at how much faster than him she was. He had to concentrate on the ground to not trip over any loose rocks.

Both him and Sian needed this. These carefree moments, away from the 'adults' and their disapproving glares, moments in which they could be children. Away from the bloodshed and the hatred and the decisions that weighed on them, far before they were ready to shoulder them.
While thinking on this, Syrus tripped over a random branch and skidded across the sandy ground. He heard Sian shriek with laughter, but she didn't stop.
The young Legionary spat out the sand and jumped back to his feet with a wide grin.
He'd lost sight of his blue-haired friend, and gave pursuit. He wouldn't be stood up by a girl, after all.

Sian had heard him fall, but as long as he didn't call for her, she knew he wasn't hurt. The crevice was becoming more narrow, branching off into three paths.
Sian instinctively took the left one, not questioning her decision, and kept running.
Syrus would make it to the fork within seconds and she wanted to keep her headstart.
The young blonde skidded to a halt at the fork, suddenly unsure.
Joshua had grabbed him before they ran off and told, no, ordered him, to keep Sian in his sight at all times. Her father was still worried, even though her injuries were healing well.

Right. Everyone would go right... Right?

This convoluted thought made up his mind and he sprinted down the path to his right, confident that he would catch up in no time at all.
The small pathway twisted and turned at odd angles.
Sian wasn't entirely sure which direction she was heading in, but she didn't stop to orientate herself. The high, narrow walls threw back her footsteps a thousandfold, and she couldn't be sure how far behind her Syrus was. The crevice would even out eventually, opening into flat land again.
Syrus was giving it his all, pulling every bit of strength from his legs to go faster. He kept his eyes sharp for that flash of blue that showed him his prey was close.
She couldn't be far. Syrus turned a sharp corner and nearly smacked into a wall of solid rock.

A dead-end? What... That's not possible! Fuck! Joshua's gonna skin me alive!

Suddenly the boy was worried. He took off down the way he came, and when he came back to the fork, he prayed to Mars he would take the right path this time.
Sian could see the end of the crevice and burst through, laughing.
The laughter died in her throat, when she realized she had burst into a small campground. Four men, all dressed in Legion garb.
They stared at her as incredulously as she at them.

The fuck are Legionaries doing this far north? Shit! Shit, shit, shit! They can't see my dad, they can't report back where they saw me... They can't leave alive.

But Sian hesitated in drawing her guns. They outnumbered her, Syrus was taking his sweet ass time to catch up. And these weren't thugs or raiders.
If she made a move, she would die.
The Legion soldiers were simply surprised, but it wore off quickly and the oldest of the troop grabbed her arm, even though Sian made no move to run.
He wasn't sure what to do with her. They were a scouting party, had an assignment, but a fresh capture, especially an easy one as this, could not be left behind. This was a young, pretty girl after all and the slave handlers would pay a good price for her. But something kept him from it. The older man squinted at the girl, but they were all startled again when a young man stumbled into the little clearing.
Syrus assessed the situation with one glance, and made a quick decision.

"Ave, amici," he called out, raising his hands slowly and drawing out the golden pendant from under his armour. This was a bad, a very bad situation, and he needed to get Sian away from that man, immediately.
The Legionary saw the pendant and recognized the sigil of the frumentarii at once. Everyone knew the winged man who represented the messenger god.

"You let this one escape, eh?"

"No, you misunderstand," Syrus chuckled, seemingly at ease.
"She's an... associate. We work with her on occasion. So, if you would unhand her, we can be on our way."

The man holding Sian was about to let go, when one of the younger members of his party piped up.

"What were you running from, then?"

Sian had to bite her tongue to keep the snarky response in, but Syrus had no such reservations.

"You know what training is? You know, running for the sake of getting better or faster? Look around, there's not much to do other than stare at rocks, and I'd rather have an enjoyable trip."

Syrus put right amount of disdain and arrogance into his tone to dissuade the foot soldier. They were about the same age, but Syrus was higher in rank, and the other boy did not dare mouth off.
The commander, whose hand was still clamped around Sian's arm looked angry, but he let the girl go.
Praetorians and Frumentarii stood above the rest of the Legion. No matter if he wanted to or not, he had to obey this... child.
Sian returned to Syrus' side and kept quiet. In this situation, until it was defused, the less she said, the better.

But before her friend could say something to distract the Legionaries, the sound of a gunshot startled them into action. The high-calibre projectile tore through the head of the boy who'd been suspicious of them.
Syrus pulled Sian behind him and back towards the crevice, diving out of the way as William came barrelling through.
The mighty Yao Guai faced the Legionaries, acting much like a barrier between them and the teens behind him.
Boone had stuck to the top of the crevice and was now stomping towards the edge, rifle raised and ready. Arcade and Marrita appeared beside Sian and Syrus, Joshua only a step behind.
Now, with the security of enough backup, Syrus, who gave Joshua a furtive sign to stay back, came out behind William, his gun drawn.
Arcade followed suit, Marrita stayed back with Sian and her father.
The three remaining Legionaries were by no means cowering however.
One drew his hunting rifle, but wasn't sure who the biggest threat was. The sniper, the Yao Guai, or the rogue Frumentarius.

"Lay down your weapons," Syrus called out as the other two drew their machetes.
"We can do this the hard way, or the easy way."

"You traitor!" The young Legionary had spotted Boone's beret, and cried his accusation with honest anger. He started towards Syrus, but William's feral roar stopped him in his tracks. The huge animal shifted in agitation, waiting for his command to attack.
Syrus almost groaned. He could've found a cover, something, if that stupid NCR-dog hadn't opened fire. He could've handled this, and now he had no other choice.
He approached, his weapon pointed upward.

"Fratres. Hoc est umbra." Syrus truly felt like a traitor. That was it. The code everyone in the Legion knew. It was the sentence only the Frumentarii used, and only when they had no other choice.
It meant: You have to comply to my every order, or you're endangering a mission."
And comply they did.

After they heard the code, and a nod from the commander, they dropped their weapons and came closer to Syrus to await further instruction.
Boone and Arcade watched slack-jawed, the later having seen once before what kind of pull their Legion boy had, simply because he was put in the right unit.
The sniper hopped down from his vantage spot, and him and Arcade approached at an angle. If they made a move for their weapons, they'd be dead.
Syrus suddenly found it hard to continue. Killing White Legs… It had been him or them.
But these were his brothers. Beneath him in rank, yes, but they were Legion. He didn't have to make a move, however.
Sian came out from behind William, her father right behind her.
The Legionaries eyes grew wide when they spotted the bandaged man.

"You! You're supposed to be dead!" The commander was shocked and angry. He made a step backwards, only to feel the barrel of Boone's .50 cal poking into his back.
Arcade raised his plasma gun as well.

"You are a traitor," he roared at Syrus. Before he could even think on what he was going to say to that very true statement, Sian was beside him, her hand on his shoulder.

"He stands with me," Sian spoke very calmly. She looked at the commander, the one who'd grabbed her.
"You know who I am."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement. He knew.

"And furthermore," she continued, just as calmly, her hand sneaking to her gun, "You know who my father is, that he is alive. And that is why you won't leave. Rotten luck, amici. You die here."

Nobody said a thing. They all knew this had to be done. But Joshua and Arcade seemed deeply troubled.

Sian raised the intricately ornamented .45.

"Why! You are Legion! You were our priestess. You alone had the favour of Mars!" The commander was not begging, nor was he hysteric. He was angry.
Sian looked him straight in the eye, her sparkling blue leer cold and distant.
"Pax per bello." She pulled the trigger, calmy, and watched dispassionately as he crumpled, dead long before he hit the dusty ground.
She didn't move as Boone shot the remaining two Legionaries. Their deaths meant nothing. They would have endangered her father, her friends, and herself.
There was no other way.

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Nobody addressed the incident for the remainder of the trip. Syrus had been a bit more quiet and withdrawn, but he walked beside his friend faithfully and didn't seem to hold her actions against her.

Joshua had more trouble with that. One night, when only him and Arcade were still awake, the older man had given up any resentment he might have had and asked the Follower's doctor if Sian had done this before. Killed in cold blood.

"Well... She killed Benny. I wasn't there, and well… He shot her first, so I don't know if that would be 'in cold blood.' She... It's been a difficult few months for her. But…" Arcade had remembered when Sian had come to him, out of fear that she was cold and heartless. But could he betray her trust like this? If it was to help her, then he could.
"She told me that, sometimes, when she's in a fight and there is too much blood she gets this... feeling. Like, an urge to spill more. It frightens her. I personally haven't seen it yet, but she told me she gave in to the urge once and that it wasn't pretty."

"It's the Legion," Joshua had answered with a steely voice, "Part of the basic training for recruits is to make them develop a bloodlust. That way, they will never back down from a fight. It's what makes even the lowest of our soldier so dangerous."

Getting no reply, Joshua continued bitterly.

"They must have started her shortly after my execution. This sort of training, it's done from the very first day usually. Get the boys used to the feeling, let them give in to the beast residing in every man. But they learn to reign it in again. But that takes years. Sian didn't have that, clearly. They taught my daughter how to unleash that rage, but not how to stop it. That makes her dangerous."

"But you trained them. You know how to train them the restraint. Teach her," Arcade had interjected.

"No. It's not that I don't want to," Joshua had held up a hand to keep Arcade from interrupting him.
"I can't. Bloodlust is like a high. The adrenaline made the recruits near feral, and the things we had to do to stop them… I could never do that to Sian. No, we just have to make sure she has neither chance, nor reason to give in. And Doctor... No psycho. Ever."

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"Look! I can already see the lights!"

Sian was running ahead with Rex and Aurelio. Ever since the Lucky 38 had come in plain view, the girl had been excited, almost giddy. Despite not all her experiences in the city having been enjoyable, she loved Vegas. Loved the lights, the liveliness and the friends she'd made.
The girl wanted to visit the King, and see Vero and Eddie again.
Arcade and Boone were looking forward to their arrival as well. The doctor had missed his friends at the Old Mormon Fort and Boone just wanted a cold goddamn beer already.
Sian had given her father her shawl, and Syrus had dug up his fedora from the bottom of his pack. It was slightly crumpled, but it helped hide his bandages.
Marrita was looking forward to seeing New Vegas, having only ever heard of it. She was a bit worried about William, but Sian assured her they'd be fine.
Of course the Kings guarding the Freeside entrance draw their weapons at the sight of William. But Yao Guai were incredibly rare in the desert and they recognized Sian's telltale blue hair beside him.
After all, this was the kid who kept a dangerous, venomous nightstalker as a snuggle pet.

They were stopped every few yards with people asking what the hell that bear thing was and Marrita found herself explaining it numerous times.
Arcade left them at the Followers' HQ, promising to come by the 38 in a few days. He'd been gone so long, Julie would surely need him to help out. And he would have hours of work ahead of him, making stimpacks from the ingredients he'd collected.
The rest of the group made it through the strip without being held up too much.

Sian remembered how foreign and awkward it had felt to call the 38 her home before she left, but now, she couldn't wait to get back. She wanted to sleep in her own bed, get some cold drinks and she had missed Vero and Eddie terribly. For the moment, she forgot that House still needed to be dealt with, that Caesar expected her back, that she had a decision to make. All she thought about was going home.
The girl made it up to her floor in no time and, stepping out of the elevator, heard the brotherhood scribe rummaging around in the kitchen.

"Vero!" With a gleeful shout, Sian barged in and threw herself at the woman, squeezing the life out of her. Veronica stiffened for a second, but then drew the kid close.
She was sick and tired of the silence in the tower, and the second her friends had come back, there was hissing, and rattling and laughter.
Boone and Syrus were bitching at each other, and a huge Yao Guai was trying to push himself into the kitchen…

"What the…" Veronica staggered back a few steps. She'd only seen drawings of this creature and hardly knew what to say.

Sian turned around and saw what had startled her friend.

"Oh, yeah... That's William, don't worry. He's a big puppy. And that's Marrita. She came back with us from Zion."

While the two women greeted each other and Veronica still stared at the bear in disbelief, Sian darted into hallway and came back with a man.

He was pulling off the shawl around his face, revealing the heavy bandages. Sian tugged him forward, grinning from ear to ear.

"Vero. Meet my dad, Joshua Graham."