Chapter 3: Dii Facientes Adiuvant (God helps them that help themselves)
Felix's pack was full to bursting and he carried another bag in his hand when he entered Novac. The raiders had had no idea what they were getting into when they ambushed him on the road. Felix had delightfully taken all their supplies and moved on. Now it was early evening and Felix needed to find a place to trade and a place to spend the night. He headed to the center of town to look at whatever it was that towered over the town. He stood staring for several minutes.
"Pretty? Isn't he?"
Felix whirled around to see an old woman had approach him while he was distracted. He managed to keep his hand off his machete and even managed to hide the growl in his voice. "What is it?"
"It's a dinosaur. Well, a statue of one." She said happily.
"A dino…saur?" Felix asked having never heard that word before.
"As near as I can figure, they were animals that roamed the world a very, very long time ago."
"Huh." Felix said as he glanced back at the dinosaur. "Looks strong and tough with big teeth; definitely a predator. Doesn't look very fast though."
"Well, welcome you. How can this fine town serve you?" The woman said happily.
"I need to trade and I need a place to stay." This was just a stopping point; Felix knew the man in the checked coat was from Vegas. That was where he was headed.
"Well, Cliff can help you with the trading in the dinosaur and I can set you up with a room. It's one hundred caps and you can stay as long as you like."
Felix found the caps and the woman gave him a key. She then pointed out the room and bid him goodnight. Felix headed into the dinosaur to trade and managed to sell his haul for a decent amount of caps. He also managed to buy some throwing knives and finish filling out his gear. He then headed up to the room that had been pointed out and used the key on the lock. Inside was a well maintained little room, complete with bed and bathroom. Felix dropped him things on the bed and checked the bathroom. He tried the taps and was surprise to find they worked and he had access to clean water. Felix grinned happily to himself and immediately striped down for a shower.
Once he was squeaky clean, he cleaned his clothes and headed out to the bed. Beds were a luxury rarely seen by legionaries. If there was one in decent shape available, someone of higher rank usually claimed it. He was so used to sleeping on the ground that he didn't really know what to expect from a bed. With a sigh he sprawled out on the bed. The comfort of a bed with pillows lulled him to sleep in minutes.
Felix should have moved on the next morning but he had money, a safe place to stay and a bed to sleep in. He did something he'd never done before. He slept in. By the time he woke it was almost noon according to his Pip-Boy. The extra sleep did him some good and finally quieted the pain in his head. He decided he was in no hurry and that he would stay in town for another night.
He got geared up and headed out to a tent the town used as a bar. There he got lunch and caught up on the local gossip. Apparently the Legion had taken a town nearby called Nelson yesterday and the residents of Novac were worried about the possibility of an attack. But apparently Novac had some guards that set up in the dinosaur's mouth to watch the East. He was curious about these guards but they hadn't bothered him yet so it didn't concern him much.
What did concern him was when he was heading back to his room and he ran straight into a Ranger. For a moment Felix almost panicked. Rangers were known for their skill and the way the Ranger looked at him was almost like he knew.
"We haven't met yet." The ranger said happily. "You must be new in town. I'm Andy."
Felix would have breathed a sigh of relief if it wouldn't have been suspicious. "Uh… I'm… Felix." Felix answered brokenly. "You… uh… NCR?" Felix had never been this close to a Ranger before without there being some sort of bloodbath going on.
"Was. Was with them. That was back when my arm and leg used to work better. I still like to pretend I'm a Ranger, though. I'll check in with the guys up at the station pretty regular on the ham radio. Sometimes they stop by, tell me they're paying their respects, the smug bastards. They haven't been responding to me, last couple of days. I guess they got tired of hearing me talk, but it's still got me a little worried. Hell, listen to me talk. Like some damn mother hen."
Felix asked what he hoped were polite and simple questions; tell me about the Rangers, did you do something to your leg, and have you seen a man in a checkered coat. Then he made to get away. As he turned away, the Ranger dropped a heavy hand on his shoulder. Felix froze one hand hovering near his machete.
"If you find yourself by Ranger Station Charlie, let me know what you find. I'd be interested."
Felix nodded. A little goodwill from a Ranger couldn't hurt. He left town at a sprint, heading north. He kept up a fast pace, one the recruit speculatores could never match. He reached the Ranger station in less than an hour. He was winded but still ready to make the run back. Once at the station he knew something was either wrong or the Rangers weren't as diligent as reports had always claimed. He looked around outside and found no one. Eventually he risked calling out and still got no reply.
He figured he'd try the building. He opened the door slowly. The stench of death and decay hit him immediately. He would have gagged if it wasn't a smell he knew so well. His eyes quickly scanned the interior. He knew it was Legion work so he knew to be on guard for traps. He checked the building carefully, ignoring the horrid smell. He found everyone inside was obviously dead. Then he found the tapes on the table. He looked down at his Pip-Boy and decided it couldn't hurt to try. The tapes fit and he played them. A legionary's voice was on one; claiming total responsibility. Felix wasn't surprised; he was barely fazed. He had a good idea how horribly everyone had died. He knew far worse was waiting for him if the Legion even got their hands on him. Felix did feel something he hadn't felt before; a certain obligation. It was likely someone would eventually come by and unlike him they may not be expecting the traps. Felix sighed, and then took his time to dismantle the traps he could find. He then left the building and headed back to Novac.
It was just after dark when he got back to Novac. He found Ranger Andy sitting in front of the reception office. "Uh, Andy?" Felix tried carefully, hoping the ranger was above shooting the messenger.
"What can I help you with?" The Ranger answered happily.
"I hustled down to that Ranger station… Members of Caesar's Legion ambushed them." Felix was careful with the pronunciation of Caesar, using the soft s instead of the hard k. He played Andy the tapes as proof.
"Those were good men at the station. Good men. This whole town was sleeping a lot easier because of them. Now, who knows what we're in for? The Legion? Christ, we'd be better off with Raiders." Felix agreed with that entirely. "Well, thanks for telling me. I know that knowledge didn't come without risk." Andy handed Felix a small bag of caps.
"Thanks." Felix said hastily.
Once he was away from the Ranger, Felix decided to check out the mouth of the dinosaur where the guard was supposedly situated. From up there he might be able to see Nelson and see if there were any fires burning there. He headed into the closed but not locked shop and up the stairs. He pushed open the door to the mouth of the dinosaur only to have it pulled out of his hand. He saw the rifle coming up and that pissed Felix off enough for him to lash out. He knocked the barrel away. As he did, he noticed the red beret on the guard. Red berets meant First Recon snipers and snipers had no melee training. He didn't even bother disarming the guard he just clocked him a good one across the jaw and dealt an uppercut to his stomach; both punches were not nearly at full strength. He still had some control. Before the sniper could think to respond to the attack, Felix spun him around and shoved his face and chest into wall with an elbow in his back. Then he wrenched the hand that wasn't holding the rifle up behind the snipers back. First Recon was useless in hand to hand.
"Expecting someone else?" Felix seethed.
Boone knew his hand to hand skills weren't great. Even expecting someone to come for him in the middle of the night, he had been beaten easily. Whoever this wastelander was he knew how to handle himself in a fight. Boone may have been bigger then him, but his size had offered him no advantage. If this was the Legion finally coming after him, he was fucked. "Kill me or get the fuck off me!" The sniper growled back, struggling against Felix's hold.
Felix considered carefully. Killing the towns First Recon sniper would probably make them mad and Felix actually liked this place. He wasn't sure he wanted to be banned from the town just yet. Felix had to let this guy go. He glanced around. The area in the dinosaur's mouth was limited; no room to aim a rifle. Even if he released the sniper they would still be close enough for Felix to kill him before he could get a shot off. "Fine." Felix seethed back after a moment. "Just keep the rifle down." Felix took a step back and released the sniper. The sniper spun around so his back was against the wall, his hands grabbed his rifle and twitched in Felix's direction.
"What the fuck do want?!" The sniper demanded coldly. Not the Legion then… goddammit.
Felix pulled a lie out of the air quickly. Simply coming up to check out the view wasn't going to cut it. "Got news. Ranger Station Charlie was massacred by the Legion."
"What? When?" The sniper replied quickly. Ranger Station Charlie was just down the road. There were eight Rangers stationed there. If the Legion was pushing this far west…
Felix shook his head. "Hard to say. Two days ago maybe? It… wasn't pretty."
"Shit." Legionaries alone and isolated with Rangers at their mercy? Shit, that probably wasn't pretty.
Something about the way he said it made Felix think the sniper knew what he meant. "Thought you should know." Felix shrugged. He glanced out through the teeth toward the east. He could see fires burning way off in the distance. "Anyway, I'll leave you to your work." Felix nodded to the taller man and turned toward the door.
"Wait. You a merc?"
"No. Why?"
"Maybe you shouldn't go. Not just yet. I need someone I can trust. You're a stranger. That's a start." Felix leaned against the wall behind him and nodded for the sniper to continue. "This town... nobody looks me straight in the eye anymore. I want you to find something out for me. I don't know if there's anything to find, but I need someone to try. My wife was taken from our home by Legion slavers one night while I was on watch." Fuck! Felix mind screamed at him. He tried to follow the conversation and not show his shock. "They knew when to come and what route to take, and they only took Carla. Someone set it up. I don't know who."
Felix considered the sniper's words. The Legion came to town and only took one slave? There were barely a hundred people in this town. If the Legion knew how to get past the snipers, it'd only take a few men to take the whole town. "What do I do if I find this person?" Felix asked to keep the conversation going.
"Bring him out in front of the nest here while I'm on duty. I work nights. I'll give you my NCR beret to put on. It'll be our signal, so I know you're standing with him. And I'll take care of the rest. I need to do this myself." The sniper pulled the red beret off his head and held it out to Felix.
A vengeful sniper. Better not give him a reason to look my way. Felix nodded and took the beret. "I'll see what I can do."
"Good. I'll make it worth your while. And one more thing. We shouldn't speak again. Not until it's over. No one in town knows that I know what happened to my wife. Best they never know. Or the Legion will be after me next." With that, the sniper dismissed Felix and turn toward the teeth.
Oh, buddy. Felix thought. The Legion already has its eyes on you or they wouldn't have taken your wife. Felix left the dinosaur and spent another night in that comfy bed.
The next morning, Felix asked around about the sniper's wife, Carla. He ended up wasting the entire day talking to people. Luckily the questions were always the same; always about Carla. In the course of asking questions, Felix met the other town guard, another First Recon vet named Manny Vargas. He discovered Vargas and Boone had been partners while enlisted but had had a falling out over Carla. While Manny did confirm the man in the checked coat had come through town, he didn't help Felix learn anything new about Carla. Finally a babbling madman gave him a clue and he forced the lock on the reception office to check inside after dark. He went right for the safe and managed to pick the lock with a bit of effort. He pulled out the caps and paper inside. He immediately recognized the bill of sale as what is was even though he couldn't read most of it. It was something he had seen a dozen times before. He snuck back to his room and it took him until midnight to decipher the note completely.
Carla was pregnant. The Legion was always after fresh blood. If Novac provided it, the Legion would likely leave them be… for now. He also had the name of the seller, Jeannie May Crawford, the old woman who told him what a dinosaur was. The note was proof enough but Felix wanted the truth straight from the bitch's mouth. And he was not above using his background to fuck with her.
Felix snuck out of his room and found Jeannie May's house easily. He snuck inside and could hear soft snoring. He crept into the bedroom and sat on top of the dresser.
"Ave." He said loudly and forcefully. Jeannie May jerked awake. Felix repeated himself.
"Aww-way?" She said in confusion. "Wait, are you with them Legion folk?"
"Verum." Felix said with a nod in his commanding Legion voice.
"I'll… take that as a yes. Boy, have I been waiting for you!" Jeannie May said indignantly. "That wonderful Mr. Fox promised me five hundred more bottle caps when the baby was born."
Felix didn't know which hit him harder; the fact that this woman sold an unborn child to the Legion or that she had done so through the only frumentarius who dared to use the alias of Mr. Fox. "Indeed. Mr. Fox has asked that I bring you to him so he can pay you himself."
"Oh, Mr. Fox is here?! Wonderful! He's such a nice young man." Jeannie May got out of bed quickly. "Just give me a moment to freshen up."
Felix nearly laughed at the idea of Vulpes Inculta being a 'nice young man'. Instead he glared at Jeannie May to make her move faster. In a few minutes she was ready and Felix led the way to the dinosaur.
"Aren't we meeting in the office again?" Jeannie asked as they walked by it.
"No." Felix growled, still walking toward the sniper.
"But the sniper-"
"The sniper," Felix seethed. "Is of no concern." Jeannie May was sufficiently intimidated by his tone and shut up. Soon, they were in front of the dinosaur. Felix didn't hesitate. He pulled off his cowboy hat, his white hair almost glowing in the moonlight and he fit on the beret. He averted his eyes, knowing there would be blood spatter. The shot went off, effectively removing Jeannie May's head and splattering blood all over Felix. He looked down at the body. That was the fate awaiting him if anyone found out about his past. He sighed and pulled off the beret and plopped his cowboy hat back in place. He then headed back into the dinosaur.
"That's it, then. How did you know?" The sniper asked when Felix entered. Felix handed him the beret and the bill of sale in silence.
The sniper read the paper carefully then shoved it into his pocket. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It'd be like them to keep paperwork." He said as he fit his beret back on his head. He pulled a bag of caps out of his cargo pants pocket and handed it to Felix. "Here. This is all I can give. I think our dealings are done here."
"What will you do after this?" Felix asked as he took the caps.
"I don't know. I won't be staying, I know that. Don't see much point in anything right now, except hunting legionaries. Maybe I'll wander, like you." The sniper said darkly.
"Hunting legionaries? A lone sniper?" Felix asked as the wheels turned in his head. "Seven days."
"What?" The sniper asked confused.
"Alone, with only the supplies you can carry? Even staying on this side of the river? I'd bet you the Legion will catch up to you in seven days. Whether its sleep deprivation, starvation, dehydration or you run out of ammo; they'll get you. If one legionary gets within twenty feet of you, you'll end up on a cross."
"Maybe you're right." The sniper said quietly, but with conviction.
"You need someone to watch your back if you want to be effective." Felix began. "If you want to maximize your legionary kill count you need to…" Felix considered. To maximize the amount of legionaries he killed the sniper needed support and that support had to offset his shortcomings. He needed melee support and knowledge of Legion tactics. Fuck. He needed Felix. But Felix had gotten away from the Legion. It was never his intention to fight the Legion. He'd only come to the Mojave because he wanted to learn more about the NCR. How better to learn about the NCR then from one of their snipers? The voice in Felix's head asked. But the sniper would kill him if he knew what Felix was. The Legion had taken his wife and child. Felix could do nothing about that but he could help the sniper get a bit of revenge. Who knows? Maybe the revenge would help Felix too. "You need me." Felix finally sighed. He was sure this was going to get him killed… or worse.
"You?" The sniper asked, sizing him up.
Felix nodded in agreement. "But this isn't a suicide mission. We stay on this side of the river and retreat when necessary. We can start with Nelson."
The sniper eyed Felix through his dark sunglasses. "Fair enough." He finally said with a nod. "When do we leave?"
"Dawn. Go get some sleep."
"This isn't gonna end well." The sniper said coldly.
"You want to start a personal war against the Legion. No, this isn't going to end well."