A/N: Hello, everyone! Welcome back to the latest installment of Return to Sender! I'm very sorry for the delay, but spring semester took all creativity I had, shredded it, and threw it in the air like confetti. Thankfully, I should hopefully be back to updating regularly!
I also have to update my disclaimer: I don't own Fallout, but Fallout 76 isn't *that* bad! I recently picked it up again on Xbox and am having a ball, so if anyone wants to play, please PM me and I'll give you my GT!
Oh, lay that pistol down, babe
Lay that pistol down
Pistol packin' mama,
Lay that pistol down
-Pistol Packin' Mama, Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters
The trio stood in silence, with Ed-E hovering quietly beside Sam. The radio continued to spit static and the NCR radio officer's voice in an alternating pattern until Sam flipped it off without a word.
"What do we do?" Darren asked quietly. Boone's face was stony, and Sam's face reflected that.
"You can go back to Novac," Sam said slowly. "Take Ed-E. Head back to the motel room. I'm not gonna hold it against you – matter of fact, I'd kinda prefer you go back. But I'm going, and I'm sure Boone's coming with."
Boone nodded without a word, arms crossed over his chest. His jaw was clenched, and both siblings could feel the anger radiating from him. Darren rolled his eyes and huffed.
"If you haven't noticed," Darren accused. "I'm not a kid anymore, Sam. I'm not twelve. I'm not helpless. Hell, I escort caravans all over the place. If I can keep them safe, I think I can handle this too."
Caravan guard, Boone thought to himself. That makes sense.
Sam held her hands out placatingly.
"I know, pal, I know," she said, somewhat mournfully. "I just wanted to give you the option."
Darren nodded.
"Let's go, then," he declared. "Nelson isn't that far down the road."
Together the three broke into a light jog down the road, making it to Nelson in record time. The trip was made in tense silence, Sam even turning off Mr. New Vegas. He was too cheery for the current atmosphere.
"We're getting close," Boone declared, breaking the tension. "Any closer, I'm shooting any legionary I see. Hope that's not a problem."
Sam snorted.
"Problem?" she huffed. "Nah, that ain't a problem. More like a fuckin' solution."
"Damn right," Boone agreed gruffly. "Three of us, we're just a buncha problem solvers."
As they approached the town, an NCR Ranger rushed them.
"Hold up there!" he commanded, holding up one hand. The three stopped impatiently. "This area is locked down by the NCR military until we can dislodge some Legion snakes from Nelson."
"We know!" Sam nearly groaned. Did the man seriously not see the berets she and Boone wore? She held up her NCR radio. "That's why we're here. The name's Sam."
"My apologies," the Ranger started slowly. "But that name and face ain't ringing the old school bell upstairs. Afraid I can't let you through until the "situation" is resolved."
Sam resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"Listen, Ranger…" she trailed off, and he supplied his name – Milo. "Ranger Milo, your men are gonna need medical attention, and I'm trained as a doctor. You may not know us, but we're sure as hell no friend of the Legion, and it'll be a pleasure to get rid of them."
"Fair enough," the ranger said sardonically. "Not like any of the troopers around here are jumpin' up to volunteer. If you had a few dozen doses of Psycho on you, maybe we could pep these weepy troopers into charging down into Nelson and taking back the camp. Since that's not likely, I suppose I could use your help. But you're wrong about one thing – what my boys are gonna need is put outta their misery."
Sam gaped. Darren blinked. Boone's fury at the idea of mercy killing began rising. Ed-E just beeped nervously.
"Excuse me?" Sam asked, dangerously. "You're gonna kill them? What the actual fuck? They're your men! Under your command! They've entrusted their lives to you, and you're just…gonna let them die!?"
By the end of her rant, Sam was screaming, drawing the attention of the nearby troopers. They looked to each other nervously in the face of the newcomer's fury.
"Back at Ranger School, they taught us not to run headlong into a battle where you're outnumbered ten to one," the ranger replied, quickly growing irritated. "You want to go down there and try to haul those crippled boys off those poles, you're dumber than you look."
Sam geared up for another round when Darren grabbed her arm.
"We'll take care of the hostages," Darren agreed, ever the level-headed one. Sam turned to him gaping.
"What the hell!?" his sister hissed.
"Good, we clear out the hostages, and they lose their advantage," Milo replied, pleased to see at least someone agreeable. "They're down on a clearing, crucified on some telephone poles. I'll cover you lot from the ridge. Just make it quick. These boys deserve to be put outta their misery, not plinked to death with an old varmint rifle. Let's go."
With that, Milo headed off toward the ridge on the left side of the road. Sam turned to Darren, cheeks rosy with anger.
"What the hell!?" she shouted. Darren pushed her toward a small outcropping of rocks away from the troopers, and motioned for Boone to follow.
"I said we'd take care of the troopers," Darren replied mischievously. "I didn't say how. Here's the plan – you and Boone can snipe, right? We'll take to the opposite ridge. It'll give us nice cover and a nice view of camp. You two take out everyone who's easily in sight, then we rush the camp. Shouldn't be too many left outside, but I'm sure we'll find more inside the barracks. Those ones should be easy to take out, though. We handle them, get the troopers off the poles, you help them, and get them back up here. Legion'll never know what hit 'em."
Boone nodded thoughtfully. It was a damn fine plan, particularly for one made up on the fly. Kid had potential, he had to admit.
"That…is…genius!" Sam whispered.
"I'd say we should each take up position," Boone said slowly. "But we'll just waste ammo. One of us should spot, the other should shoot."
"I'll give you the honor of taking them out," Sam replied, pulling the binoculars out of her pack. "I'll be the spotter."
Boone nodded, and together they scaled the small ridge on the right of camp. They could see the suffering troopers, as well as several legionaries of varying rank.
"Looks like most are recruits," Boone whispered. "No helmets. Easy to punch through."
Sam agreed, and took up position beside him, looking through her binoculars. She counted twelve legionaries, as well as three hounds. She relayed this information as Darren hunkered down behind some rocks.
"Two o'clock," Sam said. "He's isolated. They won't notice him."
Boone fired off the shot, and the target's head exploded. He dropped to the ground soundlessly to the trio. The process repeated several times, until only four legionaries and their hounds remained.
"Drop the dogs next," Sam said. "They're gonna catch our scent if you don't."
In rapid succession, the three hounds dropped to the ground. The remaining legionaries looked around in fear, unprepared for a surprise attack.
"Four o'clock, seven o'clock, nine o'clock and ten o'clock," Sam said. They quickly met the fate of their compatriots. Sam scanned the town for several minutes, waiting for barrack doors to slam open, pouring another wave of legionaries onto the now stained sand, but none did. Nodding, she stood, Boone and Darren following suit. They climbed the opposite face of the ridge, now descending into Nelson.
The first of the barracks was empty, but the second yielded three legionaries and a decanus. As Darren, Ed-E and Boone took out the three small fish, Sam advanced on the decanus.
"Halt!" he ordered, drawing his machete. "I'll execute Caesar's will by hurtling your corpse into the Colorado, like the other Profligates before you!"
"And I'll execute my will," Sam remarked menacingly, "By removing your head from your shoulders!"
He rushed her, machete swinging wide. She knocked him back with a swift kick to the face, satisfied to hear his teeth clack together as his jaw snapped shut. She whipped Peacemaker from its holster and aimed for his head, though she aimed too low and caught his throat instead. Whatever worked, she supposed. He dropped to the ground, gurgling.
"Everyone okay?" Sam asked. Everyone replied the affirmative. "Look around here – see if these assholes left us any goodies."
Darren took to checking the footlockers by the beds with Boone, hopeful to find scrap parts to make necessary repairs. He'd noted the scope on Boone's sniper rifle was cracked, but it would be an easy fix, provided he could find the parts he needed. Sam took to looting the first aid kits, knowing she'd need them soon.
"Uh, sis?" Darren asked. Sam whirled around. He was holding up a 9mm SMG that looked to be in good condition.
"I don't think that's Legion," Sam said slowly. "They don't use SMGs…do they?"
The sparse memories she had of legionaries consisted of hunting rifles, machetes, throwing spears, and the occasional revolver.
"Centurions sometimes carry anti-materiel rifles," Boone explained. "But I've never seen any legionary carry an SMG."
"Makes it NCR property," Darren mused. "Ah, what the hell, to the victor go the spoils."
Sam snorted as he tucked it into his pack. She gathered the supplies she'd looted and tossed them into her pack, before going to the next building and repeating the looting process. She was surprised the Legion hadn't garrisoned more soldiers here, but she wasn't complaining.
Finally, they made their way up to the clearing where the troopers were crucified.
"They haven't been up here long," Sam murmured. "Definitely less than a day, or they would've asphyxiated by now. It's not being crucified that kills them – eventually they just can't hold themselves up to breathe anymore, and they suffocate. Help me get them down. I'll take their feet. Each of you take a hand."
Slowly, the three of them lowered the troopers to the ground. Their cries of pain made Sam wince, but she quickly got to work triaging her patients. They were all nearly equal in injury, so she took them in order of who was nearest. She injected them with Med-X first, hoping to dull the pain, then stimpaks into their chests, hoping to heal any internal damage.
As wounds knit closed, Boone cleared his throat.
"Mercy killing is a last resort," he said quietly. "Glad you recognized we had options."
"There's always options," Sam replied, still focused on the troopers. "You seen many mercy killings in your time?"
"…Yeah," came the delayed reply. Sam turned to look at him. "Mercy killing is expected of NCR snipers. Legion likes to torture their prisoners within sight of NCR positions. We get called on to end it. I've had my share. Some of 'em, you think, maybe you could've gotten them out. Maybe it's not the Legion that got them killed. Maybe it's your orders and you following them."
"You can't blame yourself for that," Sam said over her shoulder. "You just said it – you were following orders. If you hadn't done it, someone else would've. Just know there will always be options with me."
He nodded thoughtfully as Sam ordered Darren to loot anything else he thought he'd want from the camp before they moved back topside. He rushed off to the cleared barracks, hunting down necessary scrap. He returned only moments later, stating he'd found everything he needed.
"Let's move out, then," Sam commanded. "Pick a trooper to help back up topside. They should be able to walk now, but they'll probably need help. Med-X is one hell of a drug."
Together, they mounted the hill. The trip took around twenty minutes with their precious cargo, but they made it back to the camp to find Ranger Milo waiting on them.
"I have to admit, I didn't think you could do it," the ranger admitted as he helped lay the freed troopers on bedrolls. "Guess that makes you the heroes and me the sap."
Sam smiled.
"Happy to help, Ranger," she grinned. "No hard feelings about the meltdown earlier?"
"Only if there are no hard feelings about calling you dumb earlier," Milo replied ruefully. Sam laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.
He reached into a pocket on his armor and pulled out a purse of caps, pressing them into her hand. She looked at him quizzically.
"I'm not authorized to pay for contract work," he said apologetically. "But here's something for the effort. And I'll make sure everyone knows about what you did. Thanks. I'm going to radio in and request more troops to occupy Nelson – make sure the Legion doesn't take it back."
"Smart man," Sam praised. "And if you need help again, just radio for Sam."
The trio said their goodbyes and made their way back toward Novac. Night had fallen, and being caught in the Wasteland after dark was never a good thing. At nearly one AM, they made it back to town. Boone decided not to return to the motel room he'd shared with his wife, opting to sleep on the sofa in Sam and Darren's. All three promptly fell asleep.
The next morning, Boone woke earliest, and woke the other two. They needed to let Manny know about REPCONN, and get more information on Mr. Checkered Suit. Wearily, Sam dragged herself up and checked her pack for food. The half box of Sugar Bombs from their previous excursion was found first, and was eaten. Sam's nose wrinkled at the blast of sugar, but she couldn't complain – at least there was food. Boone opted to stay behind, not wanting to see his former best friend. Sam and Darren dressed for the day, leaving their packs and Ed-E in Boone's care. They made their way up to the sniper's nest, greeting Cliff along the way.
"Any luck, man?" Manny asked as they squeezed into the nest. Sam nodded.
"The ghouls are no longer at REPCONN," she explained. "The town is safe to scavenge again."
"Really? Unbelievable, man!" He exclaimed. "I knew that wasn't gonna be easy. But I had a good feeling about you. You look like you've been through a lot."
"Understatement of the century," Sam muttered under her breath. It was true – in less than two months after being shot in the head, she'd managed to save a town, liberate another, establish law and order in said liberated town, save yet another town from drying up due to lack of resources, help a sniper with a grudge obtain revenge, and boot the Legion from a camp. And she hadn't even caught up to the man who'd shot her. Hell, she didn't even know his name.
Either Manny didn't hear her, or pretended not to. He continued as if she'd never spoken.
"The guy you're looking for, Benny, he was traveling with some members from my old gang," Manny explained. "They were going to Boulder City."
Benny. So that was the sonofabitch's name.
"Any idea why they were going that way?" she asked. Manny shrugged.
"No clue," he replied. "I know Benny hadn't paid up yet. Maybe that was where they were supposed to get square."
He pointed out Boulder City on her Pip-Boy, and Sam turned to leave before pausing.
"Hold on," she said. "You were a Great Khan?"
"Yeah," Manny said rubbing the back of his neck.
"And you…joined the NCR?" she asked curiously. The next hour was spent explaining his role – or lack thereof – in the Bitter Springs Massacre.
When they returned to their motel room, Sam seemed troubled.
"Find out what you need?" Boone asked.
"Yeah," Sam replied distractedly. "Something we need to do first, though."
Darren cocked an eyebrow in silence.
"I promised to recon Nipton for Ranger Ghost, remember?" Sam asked. Darren nodded. Boulder City and Nipton were in two different directions – it would be easier to backtrack to Nipton, then head on to Boulder City.
Together, the three of them packed up and headed back west toward Nipton. After several hours of walking, they made their destination, and were promptly greeted by a Powder Ganger proclaiming he'd won the lottery.
"Be on guard," she cautioned. "I've got a bad feeling here."
The smoke plumes were unexplainably still rising into the sky as they walked into the center of town, and they soon found the cause – crucified Powder Gangers gave it away immediately. The three watched silently as a small posse of legionaries and mongrels walked out of the town hall.
"Well! Isn't this a surprise!" a man wearing a dog's head as a hat cried, pleased. "I was just finishing up here. To think that we might have missed each other! It's fitting you got to see how I punished this town, for such is your fate. You will die for your crimes against the Legion!"
"I'm going to wear your head like you wear that dog's," Boone grunted, raising his gun as the man called the legionaries to arms. Darren took point, spraying the crowd of legionaries with SMG fire. No one was sure who actually killed the man with the dog's head – his torso was shredded by the blasts from the SMG, while he received an extra hole in his head courtesy of Boone. This time it was Sam focusing on the small fish, weaving between telephone poles with practiced ease she didn't know she had. Bullets whizzed past her ears, buzzing with all the anger of a horde of cazadores as she danced to avoid injury, and fired Peacemaker at the legionaries. In this moment, she wished she was on the roof in a sniper's nest – it was so much safer to stay far away. Boone and Darren turned their attention to the men now that their leader was downed, with Darren spraying wildly into the crowd. They fell quickly, though one got too close to Boone and was promptly cracked in the head with the rifle before being turned to ash by an enraged Ed-E. By the time all was said and done, legionary bodies and dead hounds littered the pockmarked asphalt in front of the town hall. Sam's 10mm was jammed, and the crack in Boone's scope had finally shattered the lens.
The crucified Powder Gangers were too far gone to help, and those still alive were promptly put out of their misery.
Sam pulled out the NCR radio that had alerted them of Nelson's predicament. She wasn't sure if she was in range, but still held out hope she wouldn't have to trek back to the outpost.
"Mojave Outpost, come in Mojave Outpost," Sam called into the radio mouthpiece.
"Mojave Outpost here," came a staticky reply.
"My name is Sam, I need to speak with Ranger Ghost," Sam replied. Static greeted her before Ranger Ghost came on.
"Ghost here," her voice was tinny, but recognizable. "This Sam?"
"Yeah," Sam said. "Got the lowdown on Nipton for you. Legion turned this shithole into a sinkhole."
"Legion? This far West?" the ranger's voice came sharply through the static. "That's not outside the border, they're moving in – and fast. Fucking Mojave's going to hell, and all I can do is sit here and watch. Thanks for checking it out, though. Didn't know you had a radio on you."
"Neither did I," Sam said with a modicum of amusement. "If you need anything else, you know how to find me."
"Will do," came the reply. "Ghost out."
Sam looked up to see Darren and Boone standing by. She heaved a sigh.
"Let's find camp for the night," Sam said. "Preferably not here."
Both agreed, and decided on Wolfhorn Ranch for the evening. While it didn't offer the amenities, it was closer than Novac. Boone set up their bedrolls while Sam cooked up gecko steaks.
"Boone," Darren called. "Pass me your rifle."
Boone cocked an eyebrow, holding his rifle.
"The scope's fucked. I can fix it," Darren explained, holding out a hand. Sighing, he handed over the gun in favor of a steak.
It took Darren under an hour to fiddle with the scope, magnifying the distance while he was at it. He looked down it, able to see even miniscule dust floating in the air.
"See how that works," Darren proclaimed, passing the rifle back. Boone took it and checked the scope.
"How'd you manage that?" Boone asked. Darren grinned, but Sam beat him to the punch.
"Punk's always been damn good at fixing shit!" she exclaimed as she handed Darren the jammed 10mm. "Ever since he was a kid."
"Just learned by taking shit apart and putting it back together," Darren explained shyly. "Sam would always bring me stuff to break down, and I'd end up putting it back together better than ever."
It took a few hours to unjam the pistol, and by the time he'd finished, Sam was already set up on watch, while Boone took his shift of sleep.
"Thanks, kiddo," Sam murmured quietly, passing him a steak. He'd forgotten about dinner, so wrapped up in fixing the pistol. She grinned as they traded.
He munched on his steak before falling asleep himself. Sam watched the door quietly waiting for the time to wake Boone up. He roused himself before his time, though.
"Nightmare?" she asked quietly as he sat bolt upright. Snapping his head to hers, he realized where he was.
"Yeah," he replied simply. Sam nodded, not wanting to pry unless he wanted to talk.
"You've still got a few hours, if you wanna go back to sleep," Sam said. "I'll wake you."
"I'm good," he replied. They sat in silence for a beat while Sam searched for the words she wanted.
"Can I ask you a question?" Sam asked awkwardly. Boone frowned, but nodded.
"You must've been at Bitter Springs," she said quietly. "What happened?"
Boone tensed as if struck by lightning.
"We won," he replied, jaw set. Sam decided to let Bitter Springs go. They'd traveled together, done good work together, but the subject was still clearly too touchy for conversation.
"What about your wife?" she asked. "What happened with her?"
"I don't see what this helps," he growled. "She's dead."
"The better we understand each other," she explained soothingly. "The more effective we'll be."
Boone sighed, dropped the defensive position his shoulders had taken. He looked like all the tension had drained out of him, and he was a defeated man.
"Alright," he acquiesced reluctantly. "She…I tracked her down. Southeast. Near the river. They were selling her. Saw it through my scope. Whole place swarming with Legion. Hundreds of them. Bidding for things no man has a right to. I just had my rifle with me. Just me, against all of them. So…I took the shot."
"Better for her to die than live a Legion slave," Sam said quietly. She desperately wanted to reach out and give the man a hug, like she'd do to Darren when he was younger after a nightmare, but figured it would be rebuked – possibly violently. "You did the right thing."
"Yeah," he said softly. "What they do to women…that's worse than death. There was no choice in what I did. It was more like…being forced to watch something you can't stop. All this was ever going to play out one way. It still is. I don't have any say. All I can do is wait for it to be done with me."
"You make it sound like her death was inevitable," Sam said, tilting her head in confusion.
"It was gonna be somethin'" he replied haltingly. "If I'd never met Carla, it would've been something else. I should've never gotten close to her. I've got bad things coming to me. You'd better keep your distance, too. You and your brother both."
By this point, Sam couldn't help it. Her legs moved of their own accord, carrying her from the chair she'd been perched on to the floor beside his bedroll. She gave him a tight squeeze around the torso before she asked her next question.
"Why do you think you have bad things coming to you?" Boone frowned.
"Because fair is fair," he whispered. Sam tilted her head again, trying to read his face.
"I don't understand," she said slowly.
"Better that you don't," came the quiet reply, and Sam knew to leave well enough alone. She frowned, concerned, but held her tongue. "What about you?"
"What about me?" Sam asked.
"What's your story?" he clarified. "You know more about me than I do about you. All I know is that you're confusing as hell."
Sam gave him a sad smile, and tears welled in her eyes. She blinked them back and patted his knee.
"I don't know," she replied thickly. "You'd be better off to ask Darren that question. He'd be able to give you a better answer. Now look at the time! Your watch starts now. Thanks for answering my questions, but I'm gonna catch some shut-eye now."
Boone watched in confusion as she made her way to her bedroll, rolled to face away from him, and fell asleep. Well, pretended to sleep – he could tell she was faking to avoid the conversation. It was clearly a touchy subject, and one he'd be damn sure to ask the boy about when it was time to wake him for watch.
The hours trickled by, and finally it was time to rouse Darren to take over. Boone had turned the situation with Sam over and over in his head, but couldn't think of a reasonable explanation to save his life. He woke the boy for watch and sat down in front of the chair.
"Uh…can I help you, Boone?" Darren asked tiredly. He rubbed his eyes and yawned as he settled in.
"Your sister said something weird," Boone explained. "I want answers."
"When doesn't Sam say something weird?" Darren retorted. "But what was it this time?"
"She said if I wanted to know about her past, I'd be better off asking you," he said slowly. Darren sighed heavily.
"She's not wrong about that," he said quietly. "You sure you wanna hear that? It's a long story."
Boone nodded, and Darren slowly started.
"The reason she can't tell you about her past is that she was shot in the head a few weeks ago," Darren explained slowly. "Sam's been a courier since she was fourteen, and she was carrying a package for the Mojave Express. This Benny guy shot her in the head and buried her in a shallow grave for it. Some Securitron in Goodsprings dug her up and took her to the town doctor, who saved her ass. Did you notice the scar on the left side of her head? That weird little indent? That's from the bullet. It scrambled her egg somethin' fierce – she doesn't really remember anything from before she got shot. Hell, she caught me in Primm and didn't even remember me."
His voice cracked on the last sentence, and Boone frowned. Darren took a deep breath and continued.
"We live just outside of Goodsprings, along the Long 15," he said. "We've lived there our entire lives. Mom took care of us, and Dad…well, it depended on the job available. Sometimes he was a caravan guard, other times he took jobs as a mercenary. Eventually, it caught up to him, and got him and Mom killed when I was 11 and Sam was 14. That's why she took on courier work – it kept caps in our pockets, clothes on our back, and food on the table. Sam wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty, but she didn't want the blood on her hands mercenary work would bring. The only blood Sam liked to deal with was from helping people. Dad brought her all kinds of books on medicine and science whenever he went with a caravan, and Sam's real smart. She picked it all up real quick. Everybody loved her since she didn't charge no steep prices for care. She'd do it for leftover food, or caps if people had it. If they didn't have nothin', she'd do it for free."
Darren stared off into space, remembering easier times.
"She was a good big sister," he reminisced. "Always teased me, but she was the only one allowed to tease me – she'd beat up anyone else who tried to mess with me. She'd always bring home scrap for me to toy with, too. Didn't matter where she was goin' – California, Capital Wasteland, Commonwealth – she'd haul all kinda shit with her. Surprised she didn't break her back carryin' it. Between the courier work and doctor work, we made it. She's always been real selfless too. When NCR held the Dam, she treated soldiers who were comin' along the Long 15. Dunno if they were headed back to California or Mojave Outpost, but she made friends of 'em right quick when she fixed 'em up. Didn't want anything for it, either. Just said she was doin' her duty."
Darren paused to take a drink of water.
"Always hated the Legion. Hated the fuckers with a passion. They scared the life outta her when we were younger. She makes friends with people everywhere she goes, and she told me that if the Legion took the Dam, she had friends in Boneyard who'd take us. Said we'd leave the Mojave behind. Wouldn't be safe anymore, not for either of us. They'd try to make me a legionary and her a slave, and she wasn't havin' none of it. She used to hang around the Old Mormon Fort. Think she made friends with the Followers of the Apocalypse, and they'd be the ones to take us in. Thank God that wasn't necessary."
Darren took another drink of water.
"She might make friends everywhere, but she don't trust people more than she needs to. Sam don't like to rely on people. That's one of her biggest flaws – that and that redheaded temper. Dear God. Piss her off and she runs off at the mouth like no one's business. You've seen that in action."
Boone nodded, and Darren stifled a snort.
"Shoulda seen her one time. She told off some merchant trying to overcharge us for food. I thought he was gonna shoot us both!" he chuckled fondly. "She was gone a lot since she was a courier, sometimes months at a time, but she always made sure I was set before she left. When I got older, I started running a repair shop outta the house. I'd fix up peoples' gear for a few caps, and when I turned 17, I started freelancing as a caravan guard. Crimson Caravan picked me up, eventually. I was on a run when she got shot. I went to hit up her boss in Primm to see if she'd checked in, but she hadn't. Then the Powder Gangers took over. She rolled into town not too long after. I think you know the rest."
Boone nodded again, content with the answer, but before he could voice as such, Darren continued.
"Don't confuse kindness for weakness from either of us, Boone," Darren said seriously. The look in his eye was something that reminded Boone of himself from his younger years. "If she gets hurt because of your suicide mission, I won't hesitate to take your ass down myself."
Boone nodded stiffly and motioned for Darren to take his spot. There was something disturbing about being threatened by the otherwise socially distant young man – he knew Darren wouldn't think twice about following through if he felt he needed. Boone fell into a fitful sleep, and was woken by voices what felt like far too soon.
"What's this radio station I keep picking up? Black Mountain Radio?" Sam's voice filtered through his consciousness. He heard her fidget with the radio dial on the Pip-Boy before new voices burst from the machine.
"Are you tired of getting chased because you're bigger than humans, and scaring them?" a woman's voice asked. "Did you kill some and they overreacted? Are the two-head-bear people shooting at you, and battle cattle mooing? Beware the battle cattle…"
The woman's voice changed as she trailed off. Sam looked confused and on the verge of laughter, while Darren was trying to stifle chuckles.
"Leave the fear behind," the "new" voice prompted. The previous voice took over.
"Leave the fear behind!" the announcer crowed. "Meet at the mountain top! Enjoy life in a state of Utobitha – free, safe, secure!"
"Freedom limited to following the commands of Best Friend Tabitha. Safety not guaranteed against siege or assault by two-head-bear people or battle cattle. Many infractions are punishable by death, no allowances for dumb-dumb misunderstandings," the second voice whispered. Sam looked to Darren and promptly burst into peals of laughter.
"Battle cattle, oh my god," Sam wheezed. "That's what I'm calling Legion for the rest of my life. Fucking battle cattle!"
The radio had continued to broadcast through her laughter, and now this "Best Friend Tabitha" was announcing a new segment.
"…joining us from his locked cell is Raul Tejada, master mechanic who can be executed at any time! Hello, Raul. Or should that be "Hola?""
Sam's laughter abruptly cut off, and she watched the radio with trepidation now. Darren's attention was successfully piqued at the mention of the master mechanic, while Boone watched on expressionless. By the time the segment ended, Darren's eyes were set.
"We've got to rescue him!" he declared, shouldering his pack. Sam blinked up at him.
"Pardon?" she asked her brother. Diving into a nest of something inhuman, likely Super Mutants, did not sound like a wonderful way to spend her afternoon. Besides, she didn't want the distance between her and Benny to widen, and she voiced as such. In the background, Tabitha continued to ramble.
"We've got to rescue him!" Darren insisted again. "He's a prisoner, and he's going to be executed. Benny can wait. Maybe the Mojave'll swallow him whole. We can't just let this Raul guy die! If we don't save him, who will?"
"So…we're going to waste ammo and possibly our lives to save someone we don't even know?" Sam asked incredulously. Darren huffed and crossed his arms.
"I'm going. You can come with if you want, but I'm going!" he declared. Sam blinked, and Boone scowled.
"So help me God, kid," Sam ground out. "If you get me killed, I'm gonna haunt your ass until your last breath. Then bring you back so I can keep haunting you, capiche?"
"I just have a weird feeling," Darren explained. "I feel like we're supposed to find him and bring him with us. I don't know. Let's just go. I'll mark Black Mountain on the Pip-Boy. It's a bit of a walk."
Sam stared at the route plotted out on the Pip-Boy. Black Mountain seemed oddly familiar. It was like she'd walked a similar route before.
"We'll shave at least an hour and a half off if we cut here," Sam said softly, pointing to a few points on the map. "And here – elevation's a little high, but I don't think it's too bad."
Darren grinned and ruffled her short hair like she would do to him at a younger age. Sam squawked in surprise and her fingers flew to fix her hair.
"You always were good with shortcuts!" he crowed triumphantly. It was slow going, but the sister he knew was peeking back out. "Let's roll out!"
Hours of walking and several dead bark scorpions later, they'd reached the base of Black Mountain. They'd only stopped once for lunch, with Sam cooking some of the bark scorpions over a low fire.
"Bark scorpion soup! Just like…" she trailed off, and both Darren and Boone looked up at her, waiting for her to continue. "Well…I don't remember who taught me. Guess it doesn't matter too much. Tuck in!"
Back on the road, Boone stuck an arm out in a motion for them to stop. Up ahead, he spied two giant green humanoid figures. Super Mutants, just as Sam had worried about. They set about dispatching them with little fuss, maintaining a large enough distance that their victims hardly got the chance to lift their Super Sledges before they found their heads blown apart. Now on guard, the group quietly made their way up the mountain. Another Super Mutant stood to the side, but was quicker than the others. It held out giant hands and slowly made its way toward them.
"Don't shoot!" it called. "I'm not aiming to hurt you!"
Guns still drawn, the four waited for it to approach. Ed-E beeped dangerously over Sam's head.
"This is a dangerous place, humans – especially for your kind!" it exclaimed as it approached. "I suggest you turn back. There's nothing good waiting for you further on."
"Yeah, we kinda figured that out," Sam groused, looking at her brother, who just shrugged his shoulders. "Apparently, we're on a rescue mission. Know anyone named Raul?"
"Ah, Raul," the mutant cleared its throat. "Tabitha turned him into her personal mechanic. A slave, really."
Darren shot Sam a look that just said, see! Sam sighed.
"Well, I guess we're here to rescue him. And judging by your attitude toward human travelers, I'm going to guess we've got our work cut out for us," Sam sighed heavily. "You wouldn't wanna help us overthrow your batshit crazy leader, would you? Pretty please?"
The mutant snorted as Sam batted her eyelashes up at him.
"If you're good enough at what you do to meet me in the village near the peak, we can talk further," the mutant said slowly, his voice tinged with doubt. "I'll have a plan by the time I see you – if I see you. Good luck. It's going to be a lot harder for you to get up there than it will be for me."
Sam turned to her compatriots and shrugged. They slowly continued up the mountain, Sam and Boone's sniping abilities coming in handy to take care of the mutants before they got too close. Darren took care to pilfer the ammunition caches, while Boone and Sam checked the bodies for anything useful. Sam checked her Pip-Boy to find that it was 6 PM, and the sun would be setting soon if they didn't get a move on.
"Here's the plan," Neil greeted as he saw the quartet approach. "The gate to Tabitha's compound is guarded by several Nightkin, all of them using devices that make them invisible. I'm going to draw them away from the gate by telling them I spotted an intruder in the village. Then you slip in."
Sam's eyes widened in alarm.
"That's your plan!?" she hissed. "We are intruders in the village!"
"Yes, so try to stay out of sight, because they'll be coming this way," came Neil's sardonic reply. Sam flailed to find cover, throwing Darren behind some wooden crates and ordering Ed-E to stay with him. She crouched down behind an outcropping of rocks next to Boone, and prayed to any god who would listen as the Nightkin rushed past. They waited another moment for the dust to settle, making sure the Nightkin weren't realizing they'd been had, before making their way up the mountain once more.
The last few Nightkin met their end at the hands of Boone, his improved scope able to sight them from several hundred yards away. The one on the radio tower had a missile launcher, and Sam shivered to think of what would have happened if it had been able to get a shot off. Annabelle was etched into the side of it, and Sam shrugged. She would certainly never use it – if she tried to pick it up, it would just topple her over. Darren hefted it up, claiming either they could sell it, or scrap it for parts.
The sun had set by this point, just a dim orange light on the horizon, and finding which building they needed to enter was going to be a game of trial and error. Darren shrugged and pulled a random door open. The human trio stepped over the threshold with Ed-E hovering overhead, wary of anything that may jump out. Sam noticed a robot lying on a shelf against the far wall, with a small sign above it marked, "Rhonda." It was clearly out of commission, and Darren's curiosity got the better of him.
With a screwdriver, Darren pried open the protective covering that housed the bot's wiring. He could see several pieces had corroded through, and would need to be replaced. Boone settled on guard duty watching the door, while Sam hunted through the room for scrap electronics. She dropped an armload on the counter, and Darren was able to find enough replacement wire to bypass corroded circuits. After a tense hour of surgical snipping and replacement, Darren closed the hatch.
"Hello!" The bot greeted cheerfully. "Could you please direct me to mistress Tabitha?"
Sam blinked and opened her mouth to answer, but the door slammed open before she could get a word out. Boone whirled around, rifle at the ready, while Darren whipped out his SMG. In front of them stood a Nightkin with a blonde wig and red heart-shaped glasses.
That's one to remember, Sam thought to herself.
"R-Rhonda?" The Nightkin stuttered. "Is that you?"
Darren looked to Sam, who just shrugged. She pulled Peacemaker from its holster in preparation for a fight, but hoped none would be forthcoming.
"It is, Mistress Tabitha. How I've missed you so," the bot replied. "These strangers here fixed me up right as rain. Are they friends of yours?"
The Nightkin turned to the quartet cornered in front of her. The man in the red beret looked angry, the other man looked confused, and the woman just looked like she didn't know what to think. It was the woman who spoke up first.
"So…" she drawled. "Does this mean you're not gonna kill us, or…?"
Tabitha couldn't help it as she burst into laughter.
"No, of course not. I... don't know what I'm going to do now with Rhonda back...," she trailed off, before holding out a key to the girl, who took it gingerly. "I... don't know how to thank you for bringing Rhonda back to me, strangers. Take this."
Sam looked at the key, then back up at the Nightkin, before thanking her and walking out the door. She could hear Tabitha talking to Rhonda in awed, hushed tones as she left.
"What the hell, Sam!?" Darren groused as he caught up with her. She grinned and waved the key in his face.
"I'm willin' to bet this unlocks that Raul guy's cage. We just gotta figure out which building he's in!" she crowed. The next building proved to be the spot. Sam stuck the key in the lock and turned the knob.
Sitting at the table was…a ghoul with a mustache? Sam blinked a few times and stopped abruptly, forcing Boone to walk into her, and Darren to walk into Boone. Ed-E failed to stop in time as well, and bounced off Darren's head.
"Ow…" he muttered as he sidestepped. "Are you Raul?"
"Yeah," the ghoul replied. "Name's Raul. Raul Alfonso Tejada. I'm the mechanic around here. Can I go now?"
"Uh…yes?" Sam said. "Tabitha has her pet robot back, and she gave us the key to get in here so…I'd say so."
"You should come with us!" Darren cried eagerly. Sam gaped a little and pulled her brother to a corner of the room to discuss.
"What happened to "another mouth to feed?"" Sam asked accusingly. Darren grinned.
"Didn't you say I get a free pass when I wanna bring a friend?" he asked. "I wanna bring him along. He'll help me keep everything fixed up and right as rain. C'mon sis! I let you have your sniper boyfriend!"
"He's not my boyfriend!" she hissed, alarmed. She looked over her shoulder, but Boone hadn't even glanced their way. Thank God for small miracles. Sighing, she acquiesced. It was only fair.
"So, Raul!" Darren said, striding back over. The ghoul looked at him, seeming to assess him. "That offer stands. Come with us?"
The old ghoul looked intently on the three humans in front of him. The oldest male had his arms crossed over his chest, and sunglasses hid his eyes from view. His face was expressionless, and without his eyes, Raul couldn't tell what exactly he was thinking. The red NCR beret at least gave him hope they'd have a bit of protection. The younger man was grinning broadly, seemingly excited to have him along. Raul wondered why. He was just an old mechanic, and would probably just be a burden. He turned to the lone woman of the group, and felt a tinge of sadness. She was older than his Rafaela was by a few years, but looked to be very close in age to Claudia. She seemed a bit exasperated with the younger boy, but it was affectionate – despite not looking much alike, Raul could tell they were brother and sister just by the way they treated each other. The eyebot floated above the woman's head, plastered with bumper stickers. Raul sighed and stood.
"Sure," Raul replied. "Anything's better than here. Let's go."
A/N: Thank you all for reading! I'm already working on the next installment, so be on the lookout! I also wanted to add - if there are any specific quests, characters, etc. you would like to see included in story, please don't hesitate to PM me or leave a comment!