The saloon was empty apart from Sunny; she sat at the bar with Cheyenne listening to smooth jazz on the jukebox. The town mom, Trudy, was in her late-twenties and stood behind the counter. David took a seat next to Sunny and caught Trudy arguing with a dark man in lightly armoured blue colours; he was a few years older. David paid no mind and took a drink from the counter, a tumbler of stale booze.

David knew he had missed a heated argument, ignoring who would pass off as a modern hooligan. From the unknown man's tone of voice, he was impatient with Trudy before leaving in a strop. She, feeling by no means threatened, went back to her bar.

"Can't even have a quiet drink," muttered David, shaking his head.

Sunny frowned. "This can't be good."

Trudy pulled up behind her till and threw a dishrag over her shoulder. "You must be our newcomer. Glad to finally meet you in good health; I thought you weren't going to make it. Welcome to the Prospector Saloon."

"Name's David, ma'am. I heard a bit of that nasty argument; should I be worried?"

Trudy sighed. "Cobb's a big problem around here."

Sunny knew something was going on the second she walked into the saloon; seeing Cobb raised all the red flags in her head. She took a bottle of water from her pocket. "What's crawled up Cobb's ass this time?"

"Cobb's threatening the town with fire 'n' brimstone again; honestly getting sick of it."

"We all are," Sunny replied, drinking her drink. She slammed the bottle on the bar and pointed at the saloon's entrance. "I'll kill him, Trudy. Just say the word, and I'll kill him before he burns a single crop..."

"You left that life behind, Sunny-"

"Then you know I can do it..."

"But I don't want you to, Sunny; that's not our way..."

Sunny drank her water again, thinking how easy it was to eliminate a problem compared to prolonging it with words and broken promises. Finally, she folded her arms on the bar and leaned closer to Trudy. "If one of us were to learn to deviate from our way, then maybe we won't have second-rate raiders at our doorstep in the first place!"

Trudy huffed angrily. "Killing is not-"

Sunny stood up. "Fine! Let's hear your suggestion, Trudy."

"I understand how tiresome it must be for you to watch me protect my town with words, Sunny, but I will not apologise for valuing human life."

"Then don't apologise; admit that you need him gone."

"I do, but with a safer approach."

"I can take him-"

"And his boys coming from the NCR Correctional Facility?"

Sunny gulped. "How many?"

Trudy shrugged. "Whatever amount it takes to take over Goodsprings..."

Sunny silently did the maths inside her head. Goodsprings was tiny for a town to have a store, cemetery and school, almost competing with larger settlements. She thought about the settlers and farmers, along with the people able to protect themselves, and that's when she started to doubt Goodsprings' safety. "Not many..."

Trudy frowned. "Cobb really hates Ringo; I reckon if he had an army, he'd use it..."

"Well, he doesn't have one, and I'm here; we have nothing to worry about."

"It's so easy to ruin your life with a single bullet, Sunny."

Sunny sat back down next to David. While she and Trudy were in a heated exchange, David listened with great interest; he barely touched his drink. "Yeah... and I don't much like plinking a bunch of desperate dudes with a varmint rifle."

"I think Cobb's deadly serious this time, so you won't have to worry about 'plinking' them; they'll come to us."

"What's going on here about this Cobb guy?" David finally asked.

Sunny swigged some of her bottled water. "Cobb's a parasite; he and his Powder Ganger cronies won't stop tormenting our town."

Trudy leaned on the bar. "Time and time again, he's here blustering and threatening me over attacking Goodsprings. Just won't quit it; every day now he's here."

"Why?"

"Because our town got dragged into some nasty business." Trudy poured herself a drink from the bar, a small glass of something brown. "Last week, a trader called Ringo, came into town, so we gave him a place to stay. But, once we heard he was a survivor of an attack nearby, we started having problems with Cobb."

"Didn't think anyone would go this far out for one trader, so we didn't think much." Sunny finished her bottled water and growled. "People like him make me sick."

"Have you thought about asking Ringo to leave your town?"

Trudy sighed. "I never got around to seeing him yet; he's been a bit jumpy since Cobb rolled into town. Some of us, including Sunny, would stand up for Ringo if he asked nicely, but he hasn't given us the opportunity."

David glared at Trudy. "Is that what those blue colours are? Powder Gangers?"

"Yeah, a chain gang of ex-convicts, nothing too special. The NCR brought them from California to work on the rail lines, but giving convicts access to blasting caps and dynamite wasn't the best idea, and they found out the hard way."

Sunny took out another bottle of water from her pocket and held it tightly before opening it. "There was a great escape not too long ago, and the convicts that didn't disappear formed the Powder Gangers; that's the sort of people we're dealing with now."

David placed his hands under his chin. "Where's Ringo now?

"He's in the abandoned gas station on the hill near the back of town. Why?"

"I might stick around to help while I'm here."

"If you get Ringo out of this, you'll make a name for yourself here in Goodsprings. Might even throw you in a discount."

David smiled. "That sounds like a plan; I'll get it done."

"By helping Ringo or us, it will most likely piss off the Powder Gangers."

Sunny downed some of her bottled water. "They have a lot of friends out there."

"Let 'em come; I'm not scared of their cute little gang."

Sunny was uncertain about David's claim; it sounded like he was the one to kill for fun than for decency. She raised her eyebrow with a suspenseful glare of squinting eyes. "Have you ever killed someone before, David?"

"Of course." David stood up, leaving the bar.

"Where are you going?" Sunny asked.

"To see Ringo." David stopped at the door with his hand on the rough brass knob; he didn't look back. "I joined STARS to make a difference… to always stand up for what's right. I have a gut feeling I should talk to this Ringo and see what I can do."

Sunny finished her other bottled water and wiped her lips. "I'll join ya. Come, Cheyenne."

David left the saloon with Sunny and Cheyenne close behind him; they followed him with confidence and promise.

The gas station was just by Doc Mitchell's home and near a path out of Goodsprings. The way down there seemed dead and dangerous; it was a nasty path full of encounters. However, the hills didn't seem so fun to climb, so David went straight to the decaying station. It was corroded and rusted from the neglected use of its pumps and faculties, just another wreck from a previous world.

Inside was dark, dim and dank. Ringo was alone and greeted David at gunpoint, thinking he was someone else. However, sunny's arrival seconds later convinced Ringo enough to put away his Browning HP. Ringo was in his late-twenties, dark-haired and was wearing rancher's attire. He was also reasonably handsome, just not as much as David, but close enough.

Ringo lowered his arms and cooed. "Sorry about that," he said, "It's just I've never seen you before; frankly, you caught me off guard. If it weren't for Sunny, I would've shot you."

Sunny smiled and introduced David. "David. Ringo. Ringo. David. Happy? We've come to help you out of this sticky situation."

Ringo waved his hand at Sunny and walked away to a thin mattress behind him; he planted himself on it and wallowed in defeat, resting his head in his hand. "I don't fancy asking for more help; shelter is already generous enough. I just need time."

"There's no time left." David lit a cigarette but didn't smoke just yet. "Let us help you stand up against the Powder Gangers."

Ringo shook his head, not understanding David's words. "We'd only end up sharing the same graves."

"I know what it's like to die, Ringo; I'm not afraid."

"Well, I am," Ringo blurted. "Look… I'd love to leave, but now ain't the time."

"He's right." Sunny quickly glanced at David. "Cobb has Powder Ganger patrols all around Goodsprings; they won't leave without a fight."

David placed his hand on Sunny's shoulder. "And how long will it take him to muster up enough strength to raid the town?"

Sunny frowned and panned between David and Ringo. "Now he's right; the longer you stay, the worse it gets. Cobb was in the saloon earlier; Trudy thinks he's ready to attack."

David let go of Sunny and smoked. "We can take him."

"What other choice do I have?" Ringo admitted, standing up unconvinced on his feet. "What's the plan then?"

"Don't look at me," Sunny said.

David inhaled and smoked his cigarette. "Firstly, the bystanders should take cover somewhere safe," he said, waving his hands. "Then, we should take a defensive perimeter around the saloon - that will act as HQ; we can retreat around the back if we need to. I'll try my hand at negotiation first, see if we can avoid any of this crap."

"You can't negotiate with these men, David," Sunny said. "Criminals like these guys understand nothing but violence."

David shrugged. "Eh, I'll feel better knowing that I tried. If it fails, which it will, I'll improvise my way back to you guys."

Sunny moved away from David and stood by the entrance. "I'll organise the people; we'll open fire when negotiations fail. Come, Cheyenne, let's go." Sunny left the station with Cheyenne.

Ringo was unsure of David's abilities and questioned Sunny's belief. "You could die out there… we all might."

"That's a possibility...," David asserted, finishing his cigarette and rubbing the butt on his chestplate. It was a habit he developed lately; doing that leaves the occasional scar now and then. "Sure keeps it interesting, though." He leant on a counter and started idly playing with a broken cash register; he prodded at the broken buttons.

"Truth be told," he continued," I don't know how this will turn out; I was never the one to make battle plans…" He chuckled. "Being dealt a terrible hand sure knows how to bring a guy down, doesn't it?" He checked on Ringo; his posture was still tense. "Don't worry about it, dude; we'll make it through this. You could call this a speciality of mine."

"I've heard worse plans, but what is your speciality?"

"To protect and serve..."

David left the station with Ringo armed and ready. Sunny was outside with Cheyenne and stopped them for a quick moment before walking them to the saloon. "Time to look alive; Cobb's here with some buddies. Nine of them altogether. You ready to start talkin', David?"

"I think I can scrape something together; this shouldn't take long. I'll work on my chops while you assume the positions."

Ringo shivered and threw looks between David and Sunny. "We really doing this?"

"I know what I'm doing." A crude smirk cracked its way to David's face. "Shooting my way out of tight situations is what I do. All you guys gotta do is protect yourselves and provide some covering fire if possible."

"No arguments from me." Sunny handed David some ammo for his Browning. "You should have some extra ammo, just in case you run dry on the field. I hope you know what you're getting yourself into."

"I don't, but that never stopped me."

Sunny hugged David. "Be careful."

"I'll... do my best..."

Sunny, Ringo and Cheyenne left David. He was reflecting on the choice of words he said earlier that day, mostly about him handling situations like this. David was starting to have unforeseen thoughts, mostly around Operation: Beverly Hills and even a faint glimpse of the time he died. He lit another cigarette.

"Oh, boy, here I go killing again."

David quickly made his way to the Powder Gangers, hoping to intercept them before they got too close to the saloon. When he did, he stopped them far outside, all spread out, leaving Cobb in the middle. The Powder Gangers let David have a moment with their leader. Tumbleweed brushed David's leg, and the wind brushed his hair; he felt a Wild West tingling sensation.

"Out of the way, kid," Cobb barked. "This has nothing to do with you."

"Oh, I'm in your way? I thought you were in my way..."

"The fuck?"

David sighed, not feeling the velvety charm. "I kinda like the people here, and it would mean the world to us if you guys just walked away."

Cobb didn't believe David and snarled. "Fuck you! Get outta the way, or we'll kill you too!"

David took a calm breath and spoke with restrained calmness, "I don't like that attitude of yours." He innocently kicked up some sand with his boot; being threatened was something that grinded his gears something awful. "You shouldn't need to hurt people to get your kicks."

"It's just business. Those pussies are holdin' out on us, and we ain't leaving empty-handed."

"You lugging around goons to raid these people is dirty work, not business..."

Cobb and his Powder Gangers burst out laughing at David's expense. "Get a load of the freaking preacher here!"

David laughed sarcastically. "Buddy, I been through that tree-huggin' hippie phase." He shook his head. "Boring. Not again. I'm just trying to be nice, and if you're going to be that way, I'll make it simple. 'Kay? Leave or die, your choice."

Cobb unholstered his .357 revolver and aimed at David's face. "You'll be the first, hotshot."

David gritted his teeth, gripping his hands. "I'm just trying to help."

"Then help yourself and fuck off; this ain't your business."

"Oh, I am helping myself." David flipped open a compartment on his right gauntlet. There were some buttons underneath. "Ever heard of stalling?"

"What's that?"

David smiled, pressing a red button and activating a cloaking field over his entire body and arms. David moved quickly, but not so much to give himself away. Cobb wore an armoured vest; the other five Powder Gangers were shirtless and armed with cleavers, baseball bats and some handguns. They all had sticks of dynamite strapped to their chests. David liked the odds as he was much harder to anticipate.

"He's got a Stealth Boy!" Cobb yelled.

The Powder Gangers scattered, all firing in different directions. Then, with some covering fire from the saloon, the fight commenced, and David went to pick out targets while the Powder Gangers were distracted.

David focused on his stealth abilities and drew out his combat knife to begin the stabbing and slicing. One by one, David quickly killed three Powder Gangers with little effort from his sharp blade. The group shifted away from him, already at a severe disadvantage. David danced around the scattered shots, almost invisible when sneaking on his toes, even if he was a bit of a heavyweight.

When the Powder Gangers fired in all directions, the bullets didn't even scratch David's armour; the calibre was not good enough. Although, when they used their dynamite, the explosive force kicked up dirt and sand. David's cloaking field glimmered before powering down; the sudden change left David with a pounding headache. Going from partially invisible to plain visible rocked David's head like a vicious headache; he threw off the helmet in frustration.

The more David was exposed, the more accurate the Powder Gangers were when they fired on him. Finally, David threw his knife at the closest Powder Ganger, striking his chest and throwing off his aim as his break-action shotgun fired at the sky. He dashed forward and wrapped his arm around the severely wounded member, turning around to face the other three already shooting at him with their handguns.

The human shield treatment didn't last long, though David killed the two Powder Gangers shooting at him; some of the exchanged rounds killed his shield too. David was surprised the lengthy improvised move worked in his favour, but Cobb and the last two Powder Gangers were already closing in on the residents at HQ. One of the three Powder Gangers got back up and resumed firing, despite being near death and only wearing a light shirt.

David dived, firing at the wounded Powder Ganger, hitting his stomach twice with his last two rounds. He grunted when his shoulder crushed into the ground. "Max Payne made it look easy..."

He stood up and reloaded, not forgetting to retrieve his knife. The sound of intense gunfire attracted David back towards HQ; Cobb and his cronies were harassing Ringo and Sunny. David fought the urge to shoot as he was concerned about the collateral damage, so he rushed forward, pivoting between shots fired at him.

While Sunny contested his last two men, Cobb was already pinning down Ringo; the former didn't last long as their handguns failed to compete with Sunny's rifle. David was getting close; his hand was ready to rip and tear Cobb apart, but suddenly, a bundle of dynamite landed close to David's feet, stopping him in his tracks. He couldn't tell how a disgruntled Powder Ganger threw the dynamite, only the time until-"

Krom!

David felt his heart stop as time froze. There's no telling how much damage a bundle of dynamite sticks can inflict on him, known to be unpredictable. Then he felt it; the explosion threw David onto his back, dazzling him with the large puff of debris.

Catching Sunny off guard, Cobb threw her rifle's aim over her head, putting her down on her back and holding his revolver to her face. Cheyenne went for Cobb's hand and tore at the wrist; the gritty pain gushed his blood, masking his cries. Cheyenne's canine teeth ripped and tugged through the meat and tendons.

Ringo came to Sunny's rescue and popped a round into Cobb's head with his Browning HP. They never exchanged a single word, but turning the tables hit Cobb hard. The fall of his lifeless body was a warm sense of satisfaction.

Ringo was happy to be free of Cobb's constant pestering and took a moment to enjoy it; after feeling satisfied, he helped Sunny back on her feet. Cheyenne ran to David's aid and sniffed around his head, hoping he was still in one piece. Sunny stood over her dog and offered David a hand. "You alright?" she asked.

David glared at Sunny, but in a subtle way. "Define 'alright'."

"At least you tried. But, ultimately, it's good that Cobb's dead; he's too dangerous to keep alive."

"I'll take your word for it, Sunny." David got back onto his feet." Let's get inside; I need a drink."

"Sure. First round's on me."

"Neat." David flexed his back, and it clicked somewhere around his spine. He grunted. "Yep, back pain's still there..." He walked towards his helmet and scooped it into his hands. "Better than nothing..."

David enjoyed his victory with the others at the saloon and his cold whiskey even more. All the townsfolk were cheery and happy from the result of their defence, so the town's get-together was well-earned and completely worth the hassle. Overall, the mood was feeling grand, totally David's cup of tea. Get-togethers like these bring fond memories of staff parties and meetings.

Some hours passed until everyone started to disperse; it was sometime in the early evening, leaving David with Ringo, Sunny, Trudy and Cheyenne. "Didn't think I'd see the day," Ringo said. "Now, I can finally leave and lead these punks away."

David stared at the bottom half of his tumbler. The whiskey was weak. "Don't they have patrols lingering around the outskirts?"

"Cobb's men will retreat without him to boss them around; they're just sheep. I've known these thugs for quite some time."

David felt flattered. "Would seem pointless to stay with me around," he took a quick sip of his whiskey, which tasted as bad as it looked. "I think I left a big enough impression here for them."

"Thank you, David, for all your help." He handed David a small bag of caps. "This is only half; I'll pay the rest when I get back to Vegas."

David tried very hard to resist Ringo's generosity regarding payment. "You don't have to; a good job is its own reward."

Ringo left the bag of caps by David and handed a bigger one to Trudy. "Paying you guys is the least I can do. I'm going now, anyway. The caps are for your troubles."

Unlike David, Trudy gladly snatched the bag of caps. She was surprised he was even good for it. "Oh. Caps are a welcomed surprise. Thank you."

"For the trouble I put you all in, you deserve more; I'll remember that when I get back on my feet." Ringo left the saloon shortly after.

Trudy counted the bag of caps Ringo gave her; it was over a thousand in legal tender. "I might miss him." She chuckled. "Sunny, can we get another trader to use our town as a hideaway?"

"Don't get any ideas, Trudy; one was enough. Now we can be glad it's over."

David took the bag of caps next to him, left by Ringo for him to have. "Yup, the miracle of life. Think he'll make it to Vegas safely?"

"Traders like him will stick to a registered safe route."

David paid a fair amount of interest in the pre-war Nuka-Cola caps – like the old Coka-Cola, they were equally iconic. He took out a fistful of caps and saw they were all caps but in various colours and designs. He put them back in the bag. "Is all your currency based on bottlecaps?"

"Mostly. Quality is a factor, so keep 'em clean and safe."

David felt a bit more emotional at the sight of old bottlecaps."My brother and I used to collect bottlecaps back in my time." He sighed. "I miss him… Now, I'm to wander for the rest of my life without him… and my parents... Can I have another whiskey?"

Trudy smiled. "It's on the house, hero… all drinks are."

David was excited to hear that; he knew he'd make the most of it. He felt a massive thirst for liquid gold coming on tonight. "Then make it two, please."

Later on, the entire salon was soon full of happy settlers drinking freely and wildly over their independent victory. David sat alone at the bar for hours with Sunny; he rarely noticed her due to being clouded with sadness, regret and sorrow he usually feels when he drinks. That is what alcohol does to a person.

Sunny looked beautiful, her body was slim, and her smile was as beautiful as he was handsome. Though it wasn't the right time to get too acquainted, she was positively glowing, so it wasn't easy fighting the temptation.