The journey to Vault 34 is tiresome as Vulpes nips at her heels, driving a frantic pace. By her reckoning, they were making excellent time but according to Vulpes, she is hindering his progress. He pushes them well into the heat of the day, only stopping when Agnes refuses to go any further. Her Mentor is rabid at her refusal as she sits in the shade of a long abandoned gas station.
"Get your worthless ass up!," he shouts.
"We have to rest," she insists. "When was the last time you drank something?"
"I said get up!," he hisses, standing over her.
"We do no good if we both die," she argues. "If we die, Caesar dies."
Vulpes grits his teeth.
"Fine," he spits before stomping away.
Vulpes disappears shortly afterwards, only to reappear later in a much better mood.
"Must of found something to kill," she muses as she scans the radio.
"Heartache by the number, Troubles by the score," the radio croons.
"Tell me about it," Agnes says, changing the station.
...
This Vault feels different than the others.
The skeleton that lay just outside the main entrance puts Agnes on alert. It was unusual to to find an intact skeleton in the Wastes.
"Maybe the Geckos killed 'em?," Agnes volunteers, looking at the bones.
They had killed several Golden Geckos outside in order to gain access to the passageway to the Vault. Vulpes nods at her suggestion.
"It could happen, " she reasons.
Gecko bites were mildly poisonous, too many bites in a short amount of time could possibly kill a person. She checks the pistol found by the skeleton, only to find it fully loaded. They look at each other, uncertain of what to make of it.
The steady ticks from her PipBoy punctuate their entrance into the atrium.
"Here," Agnes says to Vulpes, handing him two white pills. "Take these."
Vulpes looks skeptic, watching Agnes take hers first.
"Rad X," she explains, handing him the bottle of water. "It'll help with the radiation. I'm sure the further we down we go, the more radiation there will be."
Vulpes takes the pills, finishing off the water.
Agnes looks around the ruins of the Vault. A faint green haze appears to float in the air. Somewhere below them lay the Clinic and within that was the module they so desperately needed. unfortunately, she got the uneasy feeling that they were not alone in this Vault.
...
The moans of the feral Ghouls echo along the metal corridors.
"Abominations," Vulpes mutters, checking his pistol, attaching a silencer. He insists on going down the darkened corridors first with Agnes following closely.
After their first encounter with the feral Ghouls, Agnes switches to her hunting knife. Silence is key, besides she won't have to worry about shooting Vulpes in these tight quarters.
The blade sinks easily and silently into the eye of a feral Ghoul, killing the former Vault Dweller. She slashes the throat of the next Ghoul as it surprises them from behind a partition with a raspy hiss. Agnes stares down at the creature, still dressed in a ragged Vault suit. How long have these people been this way? she wonders. Vulpes appears beside her, nudging her arm.
"This way," he says.
...
The former Vault Security Ghouls are the worst. Armored and powerful, Agnes is having a hard time putting hers down. Using her machete, she lops an arm off before decapitating the miserable creature. Any hopes of salvaging the body armor is halted by the overpowering stench of the rotting Ghoul.
"Dear God," she gags, covering her nose.
She looks to Vulpes, who is visibly pale.
"You okay?," she asks, touching his shoulder.
Vulpes nods his head. "Let's keep going."
...
There are signs of fighting on this lower level. Hastily built barricades litter the intersections, along with empty magazines and spent bullet casings. The walls behind the barricades are pox marked with bullets holes.
Agnes checks her PipBoy and makes an unhappy noise. The radiation levels are steadily increasing. She gives Vulpes more pills to take. Finally, they spot a sign for the Clinic, walking quickly in the direction of the arrow.
Almost there, Agnes thinks.
After clawing her way out of a shallow grave, Agnes is not too keen on being underground for extending periods of time. She yearns for open sky and clean air, the stench of rotting flesh and overwhelming sense of despair getting to her.
Vulpes and Agnes quietly creep into the Clinic. The moans of more feral Ghouls could be heard from down the hall. The Clinic had been trashed, medical equipment and papers litter the dimly lit space. Agnes finds the Auto Doc in the corner, kicked over and missing several arms. Vulpes keeps watch while she fiddles with the cover, relief floods her body when she finds the precious module. Quickly removing it, Agnes secures the module in her pack. She nods to Vulpes, who shares her relief. They leave as quickly as they arrived.
Emerging from the underground tomb called Vault 34 and into the cool night air, Agnes has never been so happy to see the moon and stars.
"Its beautiful," she says to Vulpes, smiling like a Fiend.
"That it is," he agrees.
"Let's get going," Vulpes says to Agnes. "I wanna get far away from this accursed Vault."
...
"Still trying to wrap my head around that Vault." Agnes says, breaking the quiet trek back to the Fort. "All that fighting and those Ghouls. Were the residents fighting each other or fighting the Ghouls?"
Vulpes thinks a moment. "Probably each other. Feral Ghouls don't uses guns, they are like rabid animals."
"Feral Ghouls?" Agnes asks. She was aware of Ghouls, having traveled around California for a few years.
"Ghouls are created by radiation. Most Ghouls are not like that. They can talk and think," he explains to her.
"I know about Ghouls," she replies. "I've seen them out in California. There was even a whole city full of nothing but Ghouls or so I heard."
"Abominations," she hears Vulpes mutter. "Ferals are Ghouls that have lost their...," he trails off looking for the right word. "Humanity," he finally says. "They are no better than wild animals. As you saw, Ferals are powerful and quick. A true danger if many are present in a confined space. Our scientists believe that all Ghouls are capable of going Feral if given enough time. Caesar issued a decree that all Ghouls we find are to be killed because of this possibility."
Agnes makes a face at his words, imagine surviving the end of your world only to be slaughtered because of a possibility.
...
"Why did you leave Arizona?," Vulpes asks as the sky begins to lighten. They had been walking all night and still had far to go.
Agnes debates on which version to tell him. Not like he would know any different, she muses internally. She gives him the abbreviated version.
"I was looking for work," she begins. "To help support my family. After my Mother and Stepfather died, my oldest brother, Adam and his wife inherited us. I was eighteen and my younger siblings ranged from seven to five years old. They needed money more than another mouth to feed, so I took off and signed up with a caravan heading West that very day. That was six years ago, I still send money and write every now and then. Well, except recently, I've been kinda busy."
"I was in California when the First Battle happened. Followed the supply lines back to the Mojave in hopes of crossing the river but by then it was hopeless. The NCR had everything locked up tight. Been stuck here ever since." Agnes sighs before finishing her tale.
"I found work with the Mojave Express and the rest, as they say, is history."
"Interesting," Vulpes says.
Agnes gives a snort. "Not really. I'm pretty certain that anyone related or involved with the Legion has their own personal tale of woe."
Vulpes remains silent.
"What about you?," she ventures. "How long have you been here?"
"Too long," Vulpes says. "I've been here from the beginning. Our losses at the first Battle were almost disastrous. I watched as the Malpais Legate was set aflame and thrown off a cliff for such a loss."
Agnes's mouth falls open. "A man was set on fire and then tossed off a cliff?"
"Yes, Caesar does not suffer failure lightly." He turns to look at Agnes. "Which is why everything we do must be perfect. For your sake and mine."
"Sonofabitch," Agnes curses under her breath, earning a firm look from her Mentor.
...
"Tell me something that most people don't know," Vulpes asks as they rest, eating a small meal of hard bread and jerky. The sun had yet to break free of the horizon, casting long shadows on the cool ground.
"I was once betrothed," Agnes says after a moment.
"I was sixteen and his name was Maximus. Max was a young Decanus and per my Stepfather, was very driven and destined for great things. I met him once, he thought I was very pretty."
Agnes smiles at the memory.
"Is that the real reason why you left Arizona? Are you a run away bride?," Vulpes teases.
"No," she replies. "I would have married him. He had pretty blue eyes. First time I ever saw eyes that blue. Unfortunately, something happened to him and the engagement was called off. Pater was pretty upset about it."
"What was your Stepfather's name?," Vulpes asks.
"Guillium," she states. "I'm not sure how they knew each other, I supposed they worked together at some point or another. Max seemed pretty nice. He was a couple years older than me. I asked Pater what happened to him but he would never say exactly. All he would tell me was that it was a tragedy, a damned outrage."
Agnes trails off trying to remember Max's face but the only face that comes up is Vulpes. That can't be right, she thinks. Must be the eyes, both men have bright blue eyes. Her thoughts drift to her first traveling companion, Craig Boone. She met Boone in Novac, shortly after meeting Vulpes in Nipton. Meeting Vulpes standing amongst the carnage had frightened her, his satisfied smile haunting her for days. She was glad to have found the sniper. Despite his gloomy attitude and self loathing, she knew he had a heart of gold. Boone would do anything to keep her safe and she adored him for it.
"What you thinking about?," Vulpes asks, interrupting the trip down memory lane."You're smiling like an idiot."
"Oh nothing," Agnes says quickly.
"My left foot," Vulpes says in a light way. "I saw dimples, spill it."
Agnes is caught by his easy smile. She really enjoys moments like these, when Vulpes is calm and smiling, like a normal person.
"I was thinking about how I find myself drawn to tall men with blue eyes," she says smiling.
Vulpes gives her a pointed look as if she said something wrong. She frowns, unable to understand the reason for such a look. His gaze burns into her, giving her cause for concern. Growing fearful of his look, she drops her eyes. Agnes hears him stand , brushing off his hands. His boots move into her field of vision as he stands before her.
"Come on, let's get going," he says, offering his hand. "We still gotta long way to go."
Agnes looks up at him, only to see a carefully blank face, eyes unreadable. This is the Vulpes that people are wary of. She nods and takes his hand.
...
The quiet of the early morning trek is punctuated by bird calls as the desert begins to awaken.
"This is one of my favorite times to be in the desert," Vulpes says. "How it's quiet until the sun rises and then the birds wake up. I find it very peaceful. That and it's not so damned hot."
Agnes smiles.
"What's so funny?," he asks, noticing her smile.
"Nothing," Agnes says. "Well, to hear you speak of peace is something I don't think happens often."
"Just because I prepare for war doesn't mean I don't yearn for peace."
"True," she says. "To speak frankly, you just have this whole persona of destruction and chaos. This reputation of being terrible and leaving nothing but a pile of dead bodies. When I first met you in Nipton, you did frighten me."
Vulpes gives a toothy grin. "Oh yes, Nipton. That was a plan that went perfectly." He pauses to reminiscence, smiling deviously.
Agnes eyes him and his smile. A shiver runs down her spine. That is the Vulpes Inculta on the Wanted Posters that hangs in every NCR office and station thru out the Mojave.
"Why do they call you Inculta?," she asks.
Vulpes snorts in amusement before breaking into a wide smile, a memory playing in his mind. Agnes does not return his smile, slight concern etched on her face instead. Vulpes notices her look and the smile fades away.
"It's not a story for women to hear," he says, dryly.
Agnes scoffs, "Says the man who showed me how to..." but is a cut off by a menacing glance from Vulpes.
"I do not wish to tell you," he snaps. "You already look like a scared child."
"I am not scared," Agnes says, jutting out her chin. "I said that you frightened me in Nipton, is all. That was over a year ago, dare I say that I am not the same person I was when we first met."
Vulpes smirks at her. "I would agree."
"Are you gonna tell me?," Agnes asks after a few moments.
"No."
"Fine then, keep your secrets," she smirks.
They walk until they are just on the otherside of Camp Searchlight. Agnes spots the water tower in the distance and knows they are almost home.
"Almost there," Vulpes tells her, the sun beginning it's downward arc. Agnes smiles in relief, they have been walking nearly the whole day at a staggering pace. Her body aches but a long soak should fix that. Her daydream about a warm bath is interrupted when Vulpes grabs her arm.
"Let me do the talking," he mummers to her.
"What?" she says, looking around.
A NCR patrol is approaching, four soldiers in total.
"Ah, fuck," she mutters.
Agnes is amazed at how smooth Vulpes could be. Silver tongued bastard, she thinks as Vulpes explains away their presence in the "borderlands", turning down the offer to being escorted to more secure area north of their current position. Agnes smiles accordingly but remains silent, standing slightly behind Vulpes as he weaves lie after lie into a believable story. They are prospectors hoping to find riches that had been overlooked due to the proximity of the Legion camp. After a short round of trading, the CO allows them to continue on their way, issuing final warning before bidding the pair a good day.
Vulpes smiles wickedly as they continue to Cottonwood Cove.
"You are smooth," Agnes drawls, leaning into him.
"The best," he winks.
...
The pair stop at the abandoned snipers nest to refresh themselves before strolling into camp. Vulpes explains that just because you about killed yourself accomplishing a mission, doesn't mean you need to look like it.
"Impressions are very important, " he tells her, giving the nest a quick once over before placing his bag on the table. "A good reputation is worth more than gold." Agnes smiles at this gem of knowledge. So there is a man behind that fearsome mask, she thinks. A very clever man.
Agnes stares down the steeply sloped road that leads into Cottonwood Cove.
The trip had been incredible, the pace grueling but Agnes felt something that she hadn't felt in a long time. Proud, she was proud of herself and what she had accomplished. Only one more thing to talk about before returning to camp. Something much smaller but just as important and probably about to be a hundred times more difficult.
"Can I talk to you for a moment?," she asks Vulpes as he sits in the only chair, adjusting his boots. "Its about the other day, when you came to my tent."
He pauses briefly before motioning for her to continue.
Agnes sits on the sandbag wall, facing Vulpes. She closes her eyes and digs deep.
"I didn't mean to upset you the other day. I was in a dark place and didn't know what to do. Hell, I don't even think you began to like me until I jammed my gun in your face."
Vulpes smirks at the memory.
"Showed me you had courage. None had ever stood up to me like that before. I could see what Caesar saw in you, more than just a lump of clay to mold."
Agnes practically melts at his praise.
"I was more upset that you felt that you couldn't talk to me about how you were feeling," he continues. "That and you should know your worth, you are a rarity."
Agnes is tempted to remind Vulpes that Caesar twisted her arm to ensure her cooperation but keeps her mouth shut. The look she receives from her Mentor lets her know that he is thinking along similar lines.
"Boone was the one that left me. I hadn't seen him in months before I saw him at Camp McCarran and then suddenly he shows up in Novac," Agnes suddenly volunteers.
Her Mentor makes a face at the mention of her former traveling companion and now confirmed cause of her delay.
"Why did he leave you?," Vulpes asks.
From anybody else, this could be a normal question but from Vulpes, it sounded like a trick question. How much would she tell him? How much did he already know?
Agnes tells Vulpes the truth.
"He told me that the amount of killing he wants to do, it would be best if we didn't travel together anymore. Boone was concerned what could happen if the Legion caught up with us. So he rejoined First Recon and we split."
"Too bad," Vulpes says, pulling a fresh blouse from his pack. "I would have enjoyed taking you away from him."
"How do you mean?," she asks, eyeing him.
"It doesn't matter now," he says, putting on the blouse. "It's better this way."