"So, Raul…" Sam drawled. They were sitting at a campfire just outside Boulder City. They'd made excellent time from Black Mountain, making it to the outskirts of Boulder City within a day, but decided to bed down for the night rather than continue on. Sam would rather face Benny on a full night's sleep than halfway exhausted as she was. "Tell me why you look so familiar. I can't quite place you."
"You look familiar too, niñita, but I don't know from where." Raul replied easily, though he was unnerved at how intently the woman stared at him. It was easy to imagine Rafaela at her age, and his heart twinged.
Sam studied him, eyes squinted. Lights Out sat across her lap, and Ed-E hovered over her head. They were on the first shift of night watch. Darren and Boone snored softly a few feet away. Raul had opted to take watch with the young woman, feeling it was the most chivalrous option, but now he was beginning to regret it.
"Two-Sun," the woman said suddenly as she handed him a Sunset Sarsaparilla. "You lived in Two-Sun. But…your name was Miguel. Now I'm confused."
The old school ghoul accepted the drink with a nod of thanks and a sigh. He stared down into his lap, taking in the wrinkled hands holding the cool bottle. He steeled his nerves and looked into the young woman's green eyes. Neither noticed that Darren had woken and was listening intently.
"It's Tucson," he began with a grumble. Sam's head tilted to the side in confusion. "It was called Tucson before the war."
"Before…oh fuck. You were around before the war? What was that like?" Sam asked. By now, Darren had moved to sit with them. Raul couldn't help but grin, rotted teeth barely visible in the campfire light. The niños were sitting in front of him, starry-eyed, waiting at his knee for story-time. Sam passed Darren her bottle of Sunset Sarsaparilla, and the young man took a long swallow.
"Before the war, the world was…different. Different, but the same. We all knew the war was inevitable, but never really expected it to hit home like it did. I am from Mexico, and lived on a ranch just outside of Mexico City – it was the capital of Mexico at the time, similar to how Washington D.C. functioned for the United States. We should've known the bombs would drop sooner rather than later, but…we were just children," Raul reminisced, looking off into the fire. "We lived just far enough outside of Mexico City to be spared most of the damage the bombs caused. But the survivors poured in, more and more every day. We tried to help, Mami, Papi, my brothers and sisters, but we just couldn't house and feed everyone. They…grew angry. They burned down our house in the middle of the night. I got Rafaela out…but…"
The ghoul trailed off, looking troubled. Sam looked to Darren, who looked equally as worried.
"Raul…you don't have to continue if you don't want to," Darren said quietly. The ghoul just shook his head.
"It's okay. Rafaela and I stayed together as I ghoulified, but…she was killed by bandits when she went out to gather food one day. I was too sick, too weak to help her – I found her mutilated. I had been wearing a vaquero outfit I'd found early on, and started acting like a real gunslinger, like the ones you'd see in comic books. It got my sister killed, and I moved on to Tucson as Miguel. I found the jumper at a Petró-Chico."
"Petro-Chicó?" Sam queried. By now, Boone had begun to rouse as well. He'd heard Tucson mentioned, and knew that was deep in Legion territory. If he could find anything out about it, he'd want to know. He sat cross-legged on his bedroll a few feet away from the siblings and ghoul.
"You've never heard of Petró-Chico?" Raul laughed. "It was like the Mexican equivalent of Poseidon Energy. But yes, I settled in Tucson. It was…hard. I started working as a handyman and mechanic. I wasn't just a rebel in my youth, you know. I could fix anything I laid my hands on. I left Tucson four years ago when…well, that's a story for another day. I wandered, but was drawn to the Mojave. And you see what that bought me."
Raul gave a rueful laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. Sam gave him a small smile, while Darren grinned.
"But now you're with us!" he exclaimed. Raul felt oddly secure in that statement.
"Suppose so. Now! It's time for me and the niñita to sleep, and the niñito to take up watch. These old bones need rest," Raul muttered, and Sam stood to stretch. Darren pulled the SMG out of his kit, and took up Sam's spot. Boone laid back down on his bedroll, but was concerned. He didn't think the ghoul was Legion, but who knew what tricks they had up their sleeves nowadays.
The next morning, Sam was the second to wake, greeting Boone as she whipped up a breakfast consisting of prickly pear fruit they'd been able to pick the day prior. She was cooking them in a pot with agave when Boone spoke up.
"Sam," he started. She didn't look up from her cooking, but hummed in reply. "We've got a problem. I did inventory last night while you lot were asleep. I don't know what we're walking into in Boulder City, and we need to be prepared for a showdown. And we don't have the ammo for that."
Sam's lips pursed at yet another setback. If they had to double-back to Novac, she just might finish the job Benny started. Before she could voice her opinion, Darren's sleep-clogged voice spoke up.
"There's a trading post not far from here. 188? And it's in the same direction as Boulder City. I think we'd be able to hit both in one day if we work quickly," the younger male explained. The relief was apparent on his sister's face.
"Good. That's…that's good enough. What do we have as far as caps, Boone? Did you count that?" Sam asked. Darren gulped quietly. He hoped Boone hadn't found the secret stash of caps he'd been holding back for when they inevitably ran by the Gun Runners shop near Vegas. His heart rate slowed when Boone announced they had around 206 caps, if he counted properly. He was holding back almost 2000 caps in gambling wins and wages. He knew Sam would shoot him, but hey, it was his hard-earned pay. Sam nodded, quickly calculating the cost of ammo. They could probably spend around 100 caps for ammo, which would have to outfit them all for the time being. She knew she had her knives in her boots, but was concerned about the others.
"Do you guys have melee weapons at all? You know, in case we run out of ammo?" Sam asked. Boone's face was still impassive, but his eyes sparkled with pride behind his sunglasses.
"Pulled it off a dead Centurion," the sniper explained as he pulled a machete out of his pack and ran his hand over the welded metal hilt. "Caught 'im in between the eyes before he even knew what hit him."
The siblings nodded approvingly, while the elder turned to the younger.
"And you?" Sam asked. Darren laughed.
"I've got a shotgun!" he exclaimed. "Besides, these hands are rated E for Everyone."
"E for…Everyone…?" Sam asked, confused, as her brother held up his two fists. Behind them, Raul chuckled.
"E for Everyone is an old rating for video games. E meant it was appropriate for all age groups," Raul explained as he sat down. His knees creaked painfully, and what would have been his nose wrinkled. "What's this about hands?"
"Asking about melee weapons," Sam said offhandedly. "We're kinda low on ammo, but we're going to hit up the 188 Trading Post before heading to Boulder City. If we happen to run out of ammo, do you have something you can use?"
"Mmhm," the old ghoul hummed. "I have a lead pipe. I prefer my gun, but…"
Sam nodded, satisfied, and passed Darren a combat knife from her right boot. He cocked an eyebrow, but she just shrugged. Nonverbal communication was always a strong suit between the two of them, which their companions didn't particularly appreciate. Above their heads, Ed-E beeped.
"You're right, buddy, time to roll," Sam said as she stood. Boone blinked and Darren cackled.
"It's the wild robot whisperer in her natural habitat!" he announced, falling into laughter as Ed-E beeped indignantly, and his sister flipped him off.
"He said you're a dick," she muttered petulantly. Darren couldn't help but grin. Slowly, she was coming back to herself, whether she realized it or not.
Quietly, they furled the bedrolls and headed out. The road was largely quiet, barring the giant ants. Sam shrieked at the first sight of the insects, and leapt at Boone. She was lucky his training and instincts allowed him to catch her in time.
"Uh…sorry," she muttered. Boone just snorted in amusement as his stoic mask slipped for a moment. Sam later swore she saw his mouth quirk up in a half smile, but Darren shot that down as quickly as she said it.
After several hours of walking, they finally reached the 188 Trading Post. The sun was high in the sky, and Sam worried for a moment that they wouldn't make it to Boulder City at this rate. She agreed that they should split up – Boone would take care of ammo, and she wearily forked over 100 caps to try to outfit their guns. Raul wanted a drink, so he took to the 188 Slop N Stop, while Darren's eyes were caught by a young woman wearing a hood and shapeless brown robe. Sam, on the other hand, was drawn to the boy with the odd headpiece.
"What are you doing out here on your lonesome, kid?" she asked the boy. He told the story of his "thoughts," and she frowned.
"I'm sorry pal, but I don't have any caps to spare," she said apologetically. "But here. At least take some food and water. I've got a little to spare, and I don't want to see you hungry."
The boy took the box of BlamCo Macaroni & Cheese and purified water eagerly, before a thoughtful smile crossed his face.
"I can give you one for free!" he said excitedly. "Let me take off my medicine."
He pulled the headpiece off, and seemed to slip into a trance. Sam moved to shake his shoulder, but he began speaking before she could.
"Local, local, the here and now…little of interest…things to buy, false hopes, and regrets watered down, washed down in dirty glasses. With regret comes a girl…smiling sad, brown robe, name Veronica, half here. Wraps her and her heart up like a pack, in the pack, a key, some say. Forecast: Cloudy, with a chance of friendship."
Sam stared between the boy who was now muttering in pain, and her brother, standing with a woman in a brown robe.
"That wasn't cryptic at all…" she muttered, thanking the boy for his time. She wandered her way over to her brother, who was stuttering about starting over. As she approached, she was relieved to see that the girl in the robes looked amused.
"I was just joking when I said they shoot lasers from their eyes!" her brother cried. Sam had to stop in her tracks when she heard this, and the girl in front of them burst into laughter. She turned to the newcomer and repeated her question.
"Well then," she said between chuckles. "Do you know anything about the Brotherhood of Steel? I was asking him about them, but all I got was laser eyes!"
Sam stifled a snort as Darren's face screwed in indignation.
"It was a joke!" he protested weakly. Sam held back laughter by the skin of her teeth.
"My brother has a way of putting his foot in his mouth. Sometimes both of them," Sam laughed. "As for the Brotherhood, they're usually–"
"Harmless unless you use advanced technology around them!" Darren exclaimed, cutting Sam off. She blinked at him. "And you won't see us running around toting Gauss Rifles, so we won't have any issues."
Sam vaguely remembered hearing about the reclusive Brotherhood from other couriers, but couldn't bring up any concrete memories involving them. She just…had a feeling. But she was thankful Darren took over the conversation when he did.
"So where are you guys headed?" the girl asked. Sam looked to Darren, her mouth in a thin line. She didn't like sharing her plans with anyone nameless.
"We're just kinda drifting from place to place," Sam responded slowly, thankful Darren hadn't beaten her to the punch.
"Just wherever the wind takes you, huh?" the girl mused longingly. "Look, I'll be honest with you guys. You're the first people I've seen around here who look like they can handle themselves. There are places I've never been to that'd be too dangerous for just me. What do you think? Maybe we could travel together, help each other out?"
"Absolutely!" Darren agreed. Sam gave him her classic bitch face – raised eyebrows and all.
"You've got another free pass!" he hissed to his sister. She huffed before turning back to face the newcomer.
"You're not coming with us unless I at least know your name," Sam huffed. Fortunately, the girl didn't look offended.
"Veronica!" she chirped. "Thanks for taking a chance on a naïve young girl from California with stars in her eyes and a pneumatic gauntlet on her hand."
Sam raised an eyebrow as her mouth involuntarily quirked into a smile. Darren gave her a gesture that just said, "See!?"
"Well, brother-mine," Sam drawled. "Since she's your best friend…you can explain this to Boone, hmm?"
Her brother's groan as she walked away to gather Boone and Raul made the entire ordeal worth it.
The trip back to Boulder City was mostly quiet, barring the excited chatter of Darren and Veronica. Sam discovered that the other girl was brilliant at drawing her quiet brother out of his shell, something she was ruefully thankful for. Only once did they pass a small roving band of Powder Gangers.
"Raul, Veronica, stay close to me," Darren ordered quietly. The girl in question snorted.
"This is as close as I'm getting unless you turn into a leggy brunette," she replied sarcastically. Sam had to bite down on a laugh, while Raul shook his head and Boone sighed.
"He'll sooner turn into a super mutant," Raul muttered under his breath.
Outside of Boulder City, they greeted the NCR soldier standing at the monument, before moving on to the entrance to the obliterated city. There, the next problem made itself known.
"We've got a situation with some Great Khans right now," another soldier, Lieutenant Monroe, informed the group. "The brass at McCarran has ordered me to lock down the ruins until it's resolved."
"What's going on with the Great Khans?" Sam asked. She looked frazzled, and Darren knew her nerves had to be shot, facing setback after setback. To his surprise, Boone grasped her shoulder. The lieutenant made short work of explaining what happened to his patrol, leading to the current hostage situation in the rubble that was Boulder City.
"The Great Khans have something of mine – a Platinum Chip," Sam explained after taking a deep breath. "And what are you gonna do about the hostages?"
"Acceptable casualties," he explained mournfully. Unlike Ranger Milo, Lieutenant Monroe seemed genuinely upset about losing his men. The grip on Sam's shoulder tightened, and she knew exactly how Boone felt about the soldiers becoming sacrificial lambs.
"We may be able to negotiate a deal with the Great Khans," Darren piped up. "Or sneak in, take them by surprise, and bring the boys home. What do you say, Lieutenant? What would you have to lose if they're just going to be killed anyway? At least this way they've got a fighting chance."
No one could argue that logic, and the Lieutenant nodded thoughtfully.
"As soon as you free them, the rest of my crew will move in and provide covering fire if necessary," he said slowly. "Go on. Do your best to get my boys outta there."
The six of them made their way into the ruins, Ed-E beeping nervously. One of the soldiers pointed them to a building that was still mostly standing, indicating that it held the Great Khans. Together, everyone stood outside. Sam had a hand on the doorknob, Ed-E directly behind her. Darren stood to the left of the door, shotgun at the ready. Veronica stood behind him, fists clenched tightly for anyone that may jump out. Boone stood at Sam's right shoulder, sniper rifle trained over her it. Behind him, Raul stood, .44 at the ready in his gnarled hand. Sam breathed deeply, nodded, and threw open the door.
"What the hell!?" the redhead behind the bar cried. "You're that courier Benny wasted back in Goodsprings. You're supposed to be dead!"
Sam grinned, and even Boone was shaken. It was wicked, evil even, and Darren knew she was royally pissed.
"I got better," Sam replied sarcastically. "Make one move, and when I kill you, the job will get done right."
The Khan looked nervous, with his back to the wall.
"Here I thought us Great Khans were tough to kill," he muttered. "So, what happens now?"
"What happens now is simple – you hand over the Platinum Chip, and release the hostages, and we all walk away from this, deal?" Sam huffed angrily. The Khan looked confused.
"What, you're not here to just kill us?" he asked. Behind her, everyone was thinking the same.
"Look, I don't like you," Sam started. "At all, but you were just the hired muscle. I get that a job's a job. You're not the one who pulled the fucking trigger. Now, Platinum Chip please. Also, where's Benny? He's the asshole I want to deal with, and I want his head on a goddamn pike. Like, yesterday."
"About that…" the redhead trailed. Sam was quickly growing exasperated.
"Where's the damn chip?" she growled.
"Don't have it," the Khan sighed. "Benny stole it, right before he stabbed us in the back. He's probably back at the Strip by now, laughing at me."
"At least he didn't shoot you in the head," Sam muttered angrily. "Alright, well let's settle the issue of the NCR hostages you've got hidden somewhere around here, yeah?"
"What's to negotiate? The NCR backs off, we walk out of here, nobody gets hurt," he replied easily. Sam's eye twitched, and Darren knew that was a sure sign things were about to go sideways. It was almost nice to see that the bullet didn't change her hair-trigger temper.
"Free the hostages now, and I'll have the NCR escort you out of their territory," Darren spoke up. Sam begrudgingly nodded to him, knowing it was the only way someone wasn't walking out of there plugged full of holes. She really didn't fancy another bullet in the brain, thank you very much. Equally begrudgingly, the Great Khan gave the okay for the hostages to go. As they ran back to the safety of their commander, Boone looked to Darren.
"How are you gonna convince them to escort the Great Khans out?" he asked gruffly. Darren just shrugged.
"I have my ways," was his easy reply. Sam smirked. She remembered that his mouth either got them into trouble, or out of it, no middle ground.
"I've been ordered to take out the Great Khans," the lieutenant announced as soon as they opened the gate to the outskirts. Sam sighed.
"The Great Khans let the hostages go in exchange for their own freedom," Darren explained emphatically. "If you have any integrity at all, you'll honor that deal."
Sam looked impressed as the officer mulled over his options. Regardless, they'd now done all they could to try to sort things out peacefully, and Sam was proud of that. After a moment, the officer nodded slowly.
"You're right," he replied. "The Great Khans are free to go."
Sam clapped Darren on the back with a grin.
"We'll make a negotiator out of you yet!" she crowed.
"Oh hell no!" he cried. I prefer machines to people, thank you!"
Laughter followed the six of them all the way to the dilapidated train station, where dread once again settled into the pit of Sam's stomach. A familiar robotic silhouette seemed to be waiting, and she had to choke back nausea, knowing now that Victor really had been following them.
"Fancy meetin' you here, friend!" the robot called as it rolled up to the group. Boone was immediately apprehensive, as was Veronica. Raul was just confused.
"It's good to see you again, Victor!" Sam replied. Her enthusiasm for their reunion was as fake as it comes, but the bot seemed not to notice. "How did you get out here?"
"Yup, but this is gettin' a might embarrassing – people are gonna start to talk," the bot laughed. "I'm just rollin' along on my spurs. Looks like it's just down to you and fancy-pants now, ain't it? I wouldn't worry about him. He looks like all hat and no cattle if ya ask me."
"Thanks for the encouragement, Victor, but me and my pals really oughta get to New Vegas," Sam said cheerily. "There's a certain asshole I'd like to deal with sooner rather than later, ya know?"
"Oh, I getcha girly. But look me up when ya get to New Vegas!" the robot answered. "I'll buy the first round!"
With that, the robot rolled off into the distance, and finally, out of sight. Sam's shoulders and jaw stayed tensed until he was well and truly gone. She sighed again as he faded into the sunset.
"Never seen a cowboy Securitron before…" Boone muttered. Darren snorted.
"That's a long story," he replied. "And it's not mine to tell."
"The sun's setting," Sam said. Her voice was worrisomely empty. "Let's set up camp. I'll tell you what I know about Victor."
The five humans set to making their camp near the train station, with nearby outcroppings of rocks providing needed shelter from the elements and potential nasty surprises. With the campfire stoked and food cooking, Sam sat cross-legged in front of their group. She was surprised and pleased by how tight-knit they were becoming. Dean Martin crooned quietly from her Pip-Boy in the background as she stared into her giant ant steak.
"Boone already knows, but not long ago, I was a courier," Sam started. "I may as well catch everyone up. I was on a job to deliver a Platinum Chip to the Vegas Strip, but I never made it. I was near home, because…"
For as smart as you are, girly, you sure are forgetful, a voice laughed as she struggled to remember. Sam blinked a few times, willing anything to come back to her.
"I forgot my emergency med kit!" she exclaimed when she remembered. "Dad always said I was forgetful, right Darren?"
The young man gave a chuckle and nodded. Sam smiled and continued.
"I went back to get it. Figured it wouldn't take me too far outta my way," she explained. "I was attacked by the idiots back in Boulder City, and the guy named Benny. Benny wanted the Platinum Chip for God knows what, and he was willing to do anything to get it, I guess. They tied me up, dug a grave, and Benny shot me. In the head, at that."
Veronica and Raul looked horrified. All Raul could think of was Rafaela, then Claudia. All young women, in the prime of their lives, preyed on by the worst the Wasteland could offer. Veronica just imagined the terror of lying there, tied up, knowing you were staring death in the face. Boone's face was impassive, but his blood boiled. He'd only been on the road with the siblings for a short time, but they'd grown on him against his will. He respected the quiet determination Darren faced every obstacle with, and the reckless sarcasm Sam greeted every threat with. Dare he say that he liked the fiery girl and her resolute brother? But the danger and pain of losing his wife still gnawed at his chest, and kept him from opening up to the siblings. Regardless, the thought of Sam, bound and gagged on the desert sand for no good reason infuriated him to no end.
"I was actually pretty excited about getting to Vegas, I think," Sam chuckled ruefully. "I don't really remember. When I woke up, I didn't remember anything at all, not even my name. Didn't remember my kid brother either. I was a blank slate. They called me Six in Goodsprings because I was Courier Six according to a paper in my pack. Victor, the robot, hauled me in to Doc Mitchell's place when he pulled me outta my grave. Doc patched me up as good as he could. But I'll always be stuck with this."
Sam gestured to an indent at the left side of her forehead. It was small and nearly unnoticeable, Boone thought, and obviously came from a smaller caliber gun. She was likely shot with a 9mm, which was probably the only thing that saved her life. That, and good luck.
"I headed for Primm to see my boss at the Mojave Express, once I helped the town deal with the Powder Gangers running around, and found Darren," she chuckled dryly. "He'd been looking for me – was worried when I didn't come home from Vegas, and ended up trapped by the convicts roaming the town. We hit Novac after that, and picked up Boone. Victor was there when we showed up, too. We picked up Raul, then Veronica, and the rest is history. I just don't like the fact that he's popped up in two places we've been. The Mojave is huge. How did he know we'd be here?"
"Well, there's only one safe route to Vegas these days," Veronica reasoned. "Maybe his algorithms assumed?"
Sam sighed and nodded.
"Could be it," she agreed slowly. "But it's really not worth speculating, I guess. He's friendly, so that's something. It doesn't matter anyway – we need to get some shuteye. We head for Vegas at first light. Who's partnering up for watch tonight?"
"I call Raul," Darren piped up immediately. "We can talk shop!"
"Make sure you're actually keeping watch while you talk shop," Sam teased. "I know how you can get. I might not remember, but I can feel it in my bones. Veronica?"
"Is the robot an option?" the girl asked. "Because he looks interesting!"
"Ed-E, you okay with hanging out with Veronica for watch?" Sam asked. The eyebot beeped excitedly. "Suppose that's a yes. That means it's you and me, Boone. We'll take first watch – get some sleep, guys. Vegas, here we come."