"I might have found our a-hole." Ash said. Dusk looked through her scope. "I'm tagging him with the-"
"I have him." Dusk said before pausing. "Yup, that's our guy." Ash noticed that the man flicked the cigarette away and reached into his suit. "What's he reaching for?" Dusk asked. Ash looked through the scope and squinted his eyes in an attempt to see what he was reaching for. The man pulled out a pistol.
"What the Hell?" Ash exclaimed.
"I see it."
"What do we do?" Dusk didn't respond. The man named Benny pointed his pistol up into the fired. A bright red flare shot up into the air before exploding. The resulting explosion lit up the night sky momentarily. Ash watched the light flash off his scope, he quickly shoved it down to the ground.
"Shit."
"It's okay, rook. They know we're here anyways." Dusk said patting Ash's shoulder. Ash turned and now noticed at least five men in white suits standing behind them, submachineguns drawn.
"What do we do?"
"What do you think?" Dusk asked. Ash knew she was probably smiling under her helmet. She turned suddenly, throwing a knife. The knife flew like a missile and slammed into the eye socket of one of the men. He slumped backwards, his gun arm pointed upward as his finger pulled the trigger.
Ash turned as a burst of rounds shot into the sky. Dusk grabbed the arm of the man closest to her and judo-flipped him over her shoulder. Ash tackled one of the men and pinned him to the ground. Dusk drew her pistol and squeezed off a round. A man fell to the ground just as Ash stood, gloved fist caked in blood and sand. Ash drew his own pistol and fired, getting the last kill as Dusk aimed her own pistol. She raised her pistol and looked at Ash. She nodded and picked up her rifle before retrieving her knife.
They didn't have much time. The Fiends would be aware of their presence if not before.
"Let's go." Dusk commanded.
James stared out of the vertibird at the moon. It swooped over another rocky hill. Again, he sat leg hanging out, as if expecting a crash of some sort. Though back in the Mojave causing old memories and scars to reveal themselves to James. He could not help but think of Katherine. He wondered how she was doing while under prisoner of the Institute. How he had acted irrationally. He should have given up everything to find her. Why didn't he? He should have stopped at nothing short of finding her and bringing her home. Why did he let work and other responsibilities consume? Why didn't he try harder?
James shook his head and continued to stare at the bright moon as he often did the first nights outside of Vault 101. He was a terrible friend, he concluded.
"ETA five minutes." Arcade's voice popped into James's helmet.
"Alright."
Dusk tumbled down the slope, planting her left arm into the cliff face to slow her descent. Ash did his best to follow. Thought now a member of the Pride, he clearly was no lion. Dusk leapt over a rock and onto a goat path. The flat ground proved comforting. The camp below was livid with activity. As if they had angered a nest of ants, the Fiends gathered arms all throughout the camp. Dusk aimed her rifle, Benny still stood on the balcony.
"Lucky bastard." She grunted. Ash rolled to a stop at Dusk's feet, his head coming into contact with his boot just as he stopped. She looked down at him.
"hi." He mumbled.
"Get up." She grunted and offered a hand. She helped Ash to his feet and pointed to the next trail below. "Aim for that." She said once before beginning her climb down. Ash sighed and followed.
Dusk hid behind a rock as a Fiend patrol passed. She held out her arm at Ash, who flinched back as he hid. She waited for the light from their torches to fade. Dusk waved her hand forward. She stepped out from behind the rock, weapon raised. Ash followed but aimed the opposite direction to cover her back. Dusk turned and tapped Ash's back, indicating that she was going to move in front of him. Ash lowered his weapon, allowing Dusk to take point. They followed the trail as it descended into the mine.
Dusk choked a Fiend until he was unconscious. She wrung his neck and tossed him to the side of the cave.
"Was that necessary?" Ash asked.
"It's that or leave him to wake up and tell his friends we're here." Dusk responded simply. She continued forward. Ash stared at where the man was last seen and remained silent. He followed.
Dusk entered a hallway and aimed her weapon carefully as she cleared the hallway.
"Clear." She said quietly. Dusk felt bad for Ash, he wasn't a hardened veteran per-se. James let him in to distract him from his crippled friend. Ash wasn't ready for the Pride. And yet she still asked that Ash be her partner for this op. Why?
Dusk rushed forward and kicked open the door. A Fiend jumped from his seat, dropping an inhaler of jet. Dusk moved with unusual speed and grabbed his arm. She twisted her torso and threw the man through the crumbling wall. He flew in a 180 degree arc before Dusk let go. As the man groaned and shifted his head, Ash shot him. This act surprised Dusk, who had already drawn her pistol and had it aimed at the man's head. She raised her pistol, nodded her approval before continuing.
"Where's Benny?" Dusk asked. She had her barrel lodged in the man's mouth. The man teared up, creating stains on his once-white suit. The room was littered with countless bodies of men in suits and Fiends. Ash reloaded his rifle and checked for survivors. She looked closely at the man and brought her helmet closer to the man's face.
Despite the ugly design, the Enclave X-02 design was distinct in the manner that it terrified the opposing side. This feature was kept in the redesign by Arcade and Eden, who both felt that fear could be useful in certain situations. Dusk felt it apt to appreciate the fearsomeness of her former enemy.
She was unbearably close to the man, with her mask brushing against the man's nose. There was no doubt that in the darkness, the helmet was surely much more imposing than what is imaginable. She slammed her fist into the rock face beside the man. He flinched as Dusk cleaved a large chunk off the rock face. She said nothing and pointed at the man's face. The man's eyes widened before he began to nod slowly. Dusk removed her pistol but kept it aimed carefully at the man's heart.
"Promise me you'll let me go." He stammered.
"No promises." Dusk said.
"B-but-"
"You're lucky to be alive." Dusk growled. She nodded towards his former friends. Foretunately, Ash ahd found a survivor at that moment. The woman reached out towards the man before Ash shot her in the head. The man shuddered. Dusk looked over and noticed a blood spot on the back of her white suit. It was near where her spine should be. Perhaps Ash didn't kill her for dramatic effect?
"I'll tell you what you want to know."
"Now."
"He's in the panic room."
"Why?"
"I dunno."
"You need to do better than that."
"Has somethin' to do with him pissing off the Courier."
"How'd he do that?"
"He reminded the Man who put him in charge in the first place."
"Wait, Benny put the Courier in charge of this place?"
"Sorta."
"Explain."
"You ever hear of a bot named Yes Man?"
The dust flew into the air and fluttered down from James's landing. Fiends surrounded him. But he wasn't alone. One by one, another member of the Pride slammed into the ground.
"Okay, Eden. Time to get to work." James said. He was aware that his eye lights flicked on, flashing a white beam in his area of sight. Probably freaking out the Fiends high on Jet. Kodiak and Glade opened fire before the Fiends had time to think to fire first. The canyon lit up with gunfire.
"There." Eden said, highlighting a concrete structure. James lifted his Fat Man and loaded a Mini Nuke into its launder and fired. "Armor lock!" James shouted. All the Pride members planted their feet to the ground as James's tesla armor upgrade activated. It was modified to emit a small field of electricity. It was strong enough to shield them from shockwaves and bullets for a short amount of time. According to Eden and Arcade that is. The explosion, though very close, had no effect on the Pride members. The field fell as the Fiends began to pick themselves up from the ground. James grabbed one by the face and lifted him high.
"Where's Benny?" he asked calmly.
Dusk kicked in the door to Benny's panic room.
"For a panic room," Dusk began as she blocked a stab from one of Benny's men. "This isn't very secure." Dusk headbutted the man, causing him to drop to his knees, forehead bloodied and body limp. Benny drew a silver pistol and fired twice. The rounds richocheted off Dusk's helmet. She stormed at him and slammed her fist into his face. Benny flew to the floor as Ash walked into the room. He noticed a few white objects on the floor.
"How many?" Dusk asked.
"I count five, but one of them looks like it's been cracked off something else." Ash responded.
"That's gross."
"You're the one who wanted to knock out some of his teeth."
"So how much was the pool?" she asked.
"1500. You only knocked out five. You said at least six." Ash responded. Dusk grabbed Benny by the collar and raised her fist.
"Well, we can fix that." she began.
"Hey, you said in one punch. You already had your turn." Ash objected. Dusk lowered her fist but kept Benny raised.
"Damn." She muttered. "So what do we do with him?"
James tossed the man aside as the Pride gathered prisoners. Kodiak gathered kids and civilians that were kidnapped or forced to work. James walked over to the concrete foxhole that now had a huge gaping hole.
"Benny!" He shouted. "I know you're in there! Come out, I just want to talk!" No response.
"I guess he's a no show?" Glade asked.
"I guess so." A grunt later, a white figure flew out of the hole, fell two hundred feet by splattering onto the ground beside James. The body rolled to a stop, entangled in its own mangled limbs. The man groaned softly. James grabbed his face and inspected it.
"It's him." James announced.
"How many?" Glade asked.
"Four!" James announced. The Pride cheered. "Drinks on Dusk!" They cheered even louder. James dropped Benny, and he groaned once more. James looked at him, saddened by his crushed body and aimed Nathan's pistol. He thought back to their conversation.
"You still haven't killed him?!" James exclaimed.
"Trust me, I've wanted to. But he's more useful than I'd like to admit."
"Then keep him."
"He's been working behind my back. Usurping my authority."
"Then kill him."
"Not that simple."
"Man, do your own dirty work."
"Listen, I want you to do this so I have time to get my guys ready."
"For what?"
"I'll tell you when you get back."
"Fine. I will go to the Springs after this."
"Sure."
James glared at Benny. He whimpered some incoherent words.
"Sad." James muttered and fired.