Author's Note: Ok, let's see if I can get another chapter in. This next one should be um, interesting, hahahaha.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Fallout characters, nor the source material. The only character who came from my own imagination is the name and personality of the Courier, (and I don't own the "Courier" name, either). Oh, and I will probably make some references to Elvis Presley and his songs(and I don't own those either).
Chapter 13: It's a Dog's Life
Raven ran past a dead King member and jumped over some rubble as she ran for cover. A stray bullet almost hit her. She mumbled something under her breath before running toward the train station. As she did, the courier spotted Pacer crouching in fear by an old bus stop. What a coward. How he and the King ever became best friends, she had no idea why. Raven ran past him, ignoring his question on what she was doing there. Stepping over some more rubble and rocks, she spotted Elizabeth over by some old wooden tower and sighed with relief. This was going to be easier to settle now that she had her sister-in-law to talk to. Raven waved over at Elizabeth and continued her fast jog. As she approached Elizabeth, the blonde woman shook her head.
"This isn't really a good time. What did you want?" asked Elizabeth.
"The King..." the courier crouched over, catching her breath. "...wants to help with the...relief effort."
"Like he helped with the envoy we sent?" Major Kieran scoffed. "No thanks."
"You don't understand, Lizzy," Raven explained. "That...wasn't him. He..." she stood up with her hands on her hips, breathing heavily. "...didn't even know...an envoy was sent."
Elizabeth sighed and pointed a finger. "Then he should watch his back. We know for a fact that the envoy made it to their headquarters."
"Lizzy, I told the King...about it myself..." She took in a deep breath. "...He was very...shocked...and surprised..."
Elizabeth put a hand on Raven's shoulder. "Are you positive that he wasn't faking it? Swear on something important."
Raven looked into Elizabeth's eyes. "I swear it on my momma's Mirelurk Casserole that he didn't know about the envoy."
"Shit, that is important," replied Elizabeth. They both chuckled a little, the inside joke totally lost on Elizabeth's soldiers. "Alright. If the King's willing to deal with us, perhaps we can work something out. I'll tell my men to stand down."
"Thank you, Lizzy."
Elizabeth Kieran made a motion with her hand and the shooting ceased. "Raven, when you have some time off, you should stop by and have some dinner with the kids and I. You know they miss you terribly and when I told them about seeing you yesterday, they were real excited."
"Ah, yes. Nora and Jason Jr. I'll stop by in the next few days...with some mirelurk meat."
They both smiled and Elizabeth reached for Raven's Pip Boy. "I'll put the coordinates into your map. Wait a second, where did you get this thing?"
"Ah, that's a long story. I'll tell you when I come by."
After the location was put into the Pip Boy, Raven gave a good pat on Lizzy's shoulder before walking off toward the direction of the King's building. She stopped when she saw some of the King's gang members dead and shook her head. It didn't have to come to that. She noticed Pacer was walking away, but still cowering. The courier frowned. Why did Pacer have to make it out of this while the others had to die? She knelt down by a dead King and shut his eyes gently.
"Just what in the hell do you think you're doin', Pace?" the King bellowed, now fully dressed in his normal white suit.
Pacer made it back in one piece only to be torn to shreds by the King. "King, the NCR wa-"
The King slammed his fist on his pool table, cutting Pacer off . "I'm aware that you beat the hell out of the rep for no good reason. While that was completely uncalled for, that's not the only reason why you're knee deep in trouble right now!"
Pacer crossed his arms, a confused expression on his face. "What the hell do you mean?"
"I'm talking about your behavior toward Miss Wagner."
Pacer rolled his eyes. "Oh, you mean her."
The King turned around, glaring at his right-hand man. "Yeah. She's done a lot for Freeside and we owe her some respect."
"That's bullshit, King. She's a snake trying to find her way past your defenses so she can probably kill you."
The King turned his back to Pacer, grasping the edge of the pool table. "Miss Wagner is not part of the NCR. Besides, the NCR wouldn't try to pull a stunt like that again, especially after what you did to their assassin."
"And I'd gladly do it again."
"I don't care, Pacer!" the King swirled around and walked to Pacer, pointing a finger at him. "NCR or not, Charlotte did not deserve to die like that! And Raven has done nothing to deserve the crap you've been pulling. I will not let you out of it this time! You've undermined my authority, treated potential allies like monsters, and gone against everything we stand for as Kings! Either you shape up or you can ship out...permanently. Is that understood?"
"...Yes, King. Came in loud and clear."
"Good," the King barked before showing his back to Pacer. "Now, you're going to give a very heart felt apology to Miss Wagner and you better fuckin' mean it this time. You're also going to apologize to that NCR rep for your actions. To his face. When you're done with that, report back to me."
Pacer agreed and walked out of the room. When the King heard the door shut, he walked to a chair by the window and sat down. Rex came up to him and started licking his hand. The King smiled down at his old friend and scratched behind the dog's ears. Rex panted softly as he looked up at his master before placing a paw on the King's knee.
"You're a good boy, Rex." the King said. Just then he heard a knock on the door. "Yes?" he yelled out calmly.
"Are you decent?" a voice asked as the door opened slightly. It was Raven's voice.
"Yes, I'm decent. Please come in, Miss Wagner."
Raven walked in slowly, her eyes drifting to the King and Rex. She didn't say anything as she made her way to both of them. As she cornered the pool table, the courier leaned herself against it. Rex walked up to her and sat down in front of her, staring up at her in anticipation. Raven smirked at him and lazily trailed her nails under his chin. The King watched her curiously, waiting for her to speak. When she made no attempt, the King ran a hand through his jet black hair.
"I heard all about what happened. Maybe it's time for a little more talkin' and a little less fightin'."
Raven eyed him suspiciously. "Yes, I suppose it is."
"I...also heard about what Pacer said to you."
"Yeah, I ran into him downstairs. His apology seemed sincere," she smirked.
"That's good." He stood up from his chair and walked up to her. "But I think I owe you an apology as well, Miss Wagner."
The courier tilted her head. "Oh really? For what?"
The King rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Not just for Pacer's attitude, but for my inability to keep him in line. He's got his reasons, but he's always been the type to shoot first and ask questions later." The King looked at her sincerely. "I should probably explain why."
Raven lifted a hand. "No explanation is needed. At least not now. We can save that discussion for another time." she said, as if understanding how bad a subject it was. "Anyway, about Rex here...have you given any thought about my offer?"
The King smiled at her, grateful that she was still willing to help Rex out. "Yes I have."
"And?" she bit her lower lip.
Rex barked a few times at the King, encouraging him to continue. "And...well, you've done some good work for me. Now I know for certain you're capable of making that trip and keeping Rex safe, so...I'll lend him to you since you already promised to get him to that doctor."
A broad smile lightened up her face. "Absolutely. I'll see that he gets better," she said, and Raven giggled when she knelt down to Rex and hugged him. "Did you here that, boy? I'm taking you to get fixed!"
Rex tilted his head and made a weird sound. "Aroo?"
Raven laughed as she looked at Rex. "No, not that kind of fixed. I was talkin' about your brain, silly!"
The King shook with laughter.
"Are you sure you can make this trip without me?" asked Boone. He had to remove his hat so Rex wouldn't become hostile. Raven would have to ask about that later.
"Yes, I'm sure. You just concentrate on getting better. I'll be back before you know it." she said, stuffing a pack full of supplies. "Besides, from my understanding Rex is going to need a new brain entirely."
"Really? Just any old dog brain will do?"
Raven shook her head. "No. It's got to be an exceptional one, and only the best will do for Rexie here." she smirked. "But I'll probably need more than a new brain."
"And you know this how?" he asked.
"Well, from the looks of it, his brain is not working right because it's old and the gel isn't able to sustain the brain functions anymore. I'll have to examine him a bit more, but I'm starting to suspect he's got other problems going on besides an old brain. I'm not sure, but I could have sworn he's got some ataxia going on." Raven looked at Boone.
"What the fuck is ataxia?"
"Shaky and unsteady movements. Rex's brain is unable to keep a good posture for very long, and his amount of strength is lowering each day. Mostly in his back limbs, which is almost impossible to detect considering his hind legs are cybernetic. But it's there."
"Anything else?"
"Muscle atrophy, which is hard to notice on a cyber dog. That could be from malnutrition but I doubt the King would let his dog starve. I suspect he has a spinal cord problem."
"Are you a doctor or something?" asked Boone.
"...Not exactly."
Boone sighed. "I don't understand why you like dogs so much, Wagner. They bark, they drool, they smell funny...they have weird quirks like hating hats," he huffed. "They don't even poop or pee in a toilet."
Raven chuckled. "Toilets weren't designed for dogs. They were designed for people. And a dog's gotta do his or her business somewhere."
"Do you know how many times I've stepped in dog shit on the way here from Novac?"
"Ha! That's because you weren't paying attention to where you were stepping...and how do you know it was just dog shit?" she teased.
Boone laid down on his cot and grunted. "That's just sick, Raven." Just then, Rex started licking the sniper's face. "Aaaah! Sonuva-" he sat up quickly and nudged Rex away. "Knock that off, you mangy mutt!"
Raven almost fell over from laughing so hard. "C-careful, Boone," she stammered. "You don't know where that tongue has been!"
"The hell is that suppo-" Boone watched as Rex shifted and leaned his head down to lick his own private parts. "Oh my god! That's...ooh gross!" Boone grabbed a bottle of water and started wiping his face with the contents. "I need some detergent...no, I need abraxo! Help me get this shit off!"
"No pun intended?" This time, Raven doubled over with loud and joyful laughter. Clearly, Boone never had a pet dog before.
The King stood at the gates of Freeside as Raven and Rex walked to him. Raven gave a friendly wave and the King smiled at her. Rex ran to the King and jumped up in him. The King laughed and kissed the dog's face before looking at Raven.
"I really appreciate you doing this, Miss Wagner. I can't thank you enough."
"No problem, Mr. King."
"Now, there's a few things you should know about ol' Rex here while you're traveling together. First, he hates rats. Can't stand the things. Giant rats, molerats, doesn't matter. He catches a whiff of one and he's off like a shot after them. He's normally pretty obedient, but you might have to chase him some if he goes after one of the little varmints."
Raven stared at Rex and made a face. "That...shouldn't be a problem."
"Ok. Second, he doesn't like hats, or the people wearing them. Don't ask. I have no idea why. Maybe because it rhymes with 'rats'. That should be it, though. Other than the occasional bad spot when his brain starts hurting him, that is, but I'm hoping you'll see to that. I wish you both luck. Take care of my Rex now, y'hear?"
Raven nodded. "Of course, Mr. King."
The King leaned down to Rex and scratched his neck. "Rex, this is your new master. Protect her, as you would me."
Rex responded with a few barks and a lick of the King's face. Raven watched as the gate opened, and she began walking through it. She gave a sharp whistle and Rex perked his ears. He ran to the girl eagerly and the King stood. He watched them both stand there and he frowned a little. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know how to. Then, as if she could sense his inner battle, Raven gave the King a reassuring smile as the gates began to close.
"Rex will be just fine. I promise." was all she said before the gates shut completely.
The King lowered his head and shut his eyes. "Please come home ok...the both of you."
Well, that was interesting. In case you were wondering about that whole discussion about Rex's condition, well...I'm in college earning my associates in veterinary technology, so I do know a thing or two about animal conditions and such. :P the next chapter should have a lot more detail into that part of the story.