The townsfolk began to disperse and simmer down, even leaving by the dozens that night. David left the bar to use the faculties briefly, leaving Trudy, Sunny and Cheyenne. A rotund robot rolled into the saloon on its single wheel. It was seven or eight feet and had a monitor for a face displaying a typical cowboy stereotype; it went to the bar to talk to Trudy while she was cleaning.

"What can I do for you, robot?"

With a cliché-like tone of voice, it spoke like a generic Texan cowboy. "Howdy partners," it said, "I'm just popping in for a second to see if any of you cowpokes have seen this greenhorn." It showed Trudy a weathered photo.

The photo was of David standing in front of a banner with blue and gold; it was more of a photo ID. While it looked like it was taken recently, the photo was greyscaled and had a strip of tape across his chest displaying his full name.

David Alphonso Wesker...

"David, huh? What do you want with him?" Trudy asked.

"That's on a need-to-know business, partner." The robot put away the photo quickly. "I apologise."

"Right… David just stepped out for a bit; he'll be back soon."

"Yeehaw! No worries, pilgrim. Please do this old dog a favour and hand him this note." As Trudy looked down, it passed her a note before leaving silently.

Trudy respected David too much to read the note without him. "I'll be sure to pass it-" She noticed the Securitron was gone and sighed. "I don't trust that thing."

"What was that all about?" Sunny asked.

"A note for David."

"What's it say?"

"I don't go poking my nose into people's business, but David and now a Securitron… It can't be a coincidence."

"I'm sure he can clear all this up when we hear his side of the story."

David approached the bar in the heat of the girls' gathering with a questioning glare. "Who's side of the story?"

"Yours," Sunny said.

"My what?" David sat at the bar next to Sunny; she and Trudy stared at him with curious glares. "What? Have I got shit on my face?"

Trudy handed David the note; the writing wasn't by hand. "A letter arrived for you, Mr Wesker."

"Wesker?" David hardened in surprise. The name Wesker brings horrible images of a particular man known for his selfishness, cruelness and sunglasses at night. The grandfather he never asked for. "Oh, I don't like being called that."

"A Securitron came in looking for you; it wanted to ensure you got this note." Trudy showed David the letter. "Are you hiding something?"

"Nothing at all; I promise."

Sunny took a bottle of water from the bar. "You don't seem to like your last name, hun..."

"Should I? They're all gone..." David snatched the bottled water from Sunny's hand and took a sip; she didn't mind. "I was born in 1998; I imagine the family died out over a hundred years ago." He placed his firm hand over his empty tumbler.

Trudy felt guilty and sat on the bar closer to David. "I can't begin to understand what you're going through."

"No, no. It's not you... it's... complicated..."

"How so?" Sunny asked.

"Like... I have issues with my family's background; that kind of complicated." David set the water bottle on the bar and took a cigarette from his pocket. "My granddad was an asshole, and I grew up without a dad for as long as I can remember." Then, with a silver flip lighter, he ignited his cigarette. "I just wanted an everyday life, and being reminded of my dad and his dad always found a way to irritate me. They had ties with an evil corporation, and I loathed it... just constant heckling wherever I got too comfortable-" From his sudden rage, he accidentally crushed his glass tumbler, spitting glass shards all over his hand. "Damn it!" he exclaimed. "I'm sorry about that."

"Holy shit, that looked like it hurt."

"It didn't; sorry about the tumbler, Trudy."

"Don't worry about it, champ, as long as you're okay." Trudy wiped down the mess and poured David another tumbler of whiskey.

David stared at his hand; shards of glass were digging and grinding into his palm. He didn't care. The blood seeping through the wounds was the worst part. "I've seen worse." He clenched his hand into a fist, stopping the blood droplets. "I'm sorry. When I talk about my family, I get a bit emotional. Being part of a normal family was obviously too much to ask for."

"Why?"

"Not only was my granddad a psychopath, but he also passed down some messed-up family genetics." David took a long puff of his cigarette and reminisced sourly. "He pumped himself up with a virus before my dad was born, and that same virus lurks around my body. I won't lie, it does me favours, but it just... sucks! It's ancient history, but I still feel that same hatred for him, and remembering my name reminds me of him, which I don't like. That's why I'm touchy about hearing about my last name; the Wesker name is a heritage I'm not proud of…" He sighed. "Now, rant over; let's look at this note."

Dear Mr David Wesker.

You do not know me, but I know you. Too well, in fact. I know all about you and your estranged family ties, including how you returned to our time zone. It would be best if you understood that you were not the first.

I have all the answers you seek, and all I require is your company as soon as possible. Meet me in the Lucky 38's skyscraper in New Vegas, past the Strip, beyond Freeside, the topside of the Mojave.

I warn you; that the journey will not be easy. You will be challenged every step of the way, encounters you most likely have never faced before. But, if you are the acclaimed David Wesker from the 21st century, you will have no problem adapting to the adventure you will meet.

Should you expire along the way, you are not the man I seek, and I will have no further desire to exchange words with you. Nonetheless, I wish you a safe journey.

Kind regards.

Mr Robert Edwin House.

David shook his head in confusion. "Who the hell is Mr House?"

Trudy quickly turned to David in surprise. "Mr House? What on Earth does the ruler of New Vegas want with you?"

David finished a cigarette and dabbed it out on his chestplate. "You know him?"

"Not in person..."

"No human ever saw him in person since before the war. He lives in the Lucky 38 Casino, which no person has ever entered for two hundred years."

"That sounds boring, doing nothing up there all these years. So what does House do up there?"

"He's the founder of the three families, each of them owns a third of Vegas, thus giving him complete control."

"I don't like him," Sunny admitted.

David felt disgusted. "Huh... another corporate big shot like all the others. I find it strange that he knows me too much, considering what he typed in this note. I might have to visit him and ask why?

"Not right now, you're not. You should probably get some rest and leave tomorrow; the land is way too dangerous at night."

"That's fine with me, but I have no place to stay here."

"I can fix that. Sunny, take David home, will you? I'm closing tonight."

"Okay. Come with me, David."

Outside was dark and windy; the blistering Sun called it in. David followed Sunny and Cheyenne to her home, he hoped. Along the path were Joe Cobb and the Powder Gangers' untouched corpses; Sunny went to scavenge their personal belongings, starting with Cobb.

David felt weird about Sunny looting the recently deceased; he found it disrespectful. "Sunny… What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm looting the bodies."

"You steal from the dead? Disrespectful much…"

Sunny didn't even look in David's general direction; her interest was in the things Cobb had on his person. Weapons and ammo. "It's disrespectful not to loot the dead, David. Scavenging plays a big part in overall day-to-day survival, and I won't apologise for surviving."

"I believe a body should be respectfully laid to rest after death. But looting them?"

Sunny sighed and walked to David with a weapon she stole from Cobb. It was a two-handed weapon. "You see that right there? That's the feeling of honour, respect and modesty weighing an educated person like you down. I understand you uphold certain standards from your time, David, but those standards are just old words from the Old World."

David frowned. "I'm too young to be reminded I'm from the 'Old World'."

Sunny shrugged. "Sorry, David, but that's our world now." She handed David a 20 gauge shotgun. "Those three words, particularly, mean jack shit; I know that better than anyone..." Her hands tightened. "I still have the nightmares..."

David examined the 20 gauge shotgun. It was a sawn-off, five-round lever-action. "Guess some things don't change." Model 1887. Nice.

Sunny handed David a box of 20 gauge shells. "Do what comes natural." She carried on walking with Cheyenne, leaving David with his perplexed thoughts.

"Dad used to say that…"

David followed Sunny and Cheyenne to an intact single-floor bungalow; it's what you get when poverty strikes. Small and ordinary. The critters and foliage along the way were otherworldly but docile and harmless to some extent. But, on the other hand, the plants looked carnivorous, and the bighorners were ugly as fuck for mutated cattle.

If a cow were to have sex with a pig in a drug-fuelled frenzy, that monstrous offspring would probably be the best outcome. Gene-splicing has hit an all-time low. The night was still frigid outside; David couldn't wait to get out of it and into a nice warm bed.

Sunny's home was small and furnished to have a '70s style décor, but everything was old, like the walls and floor. David sat down and got comfortable on the couch in the living room with Cheyenne. Sunny went into the kitchen and returned to sit next to him, handing him a water bottle and shooing Cheyenne away.

"Here you go."

"Thanks, Sunny. I needed one of these."

"After everything you've been through, you deserve it. You feeling well?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"You took a nasty hit earlier today. Dynamite is dangerous."

"I feel like a million bucks, despite being blown up with dynamite."

"Let's try and keep that to a minimum, yeah? You're a kind man, and that's no way to go." Sunny sighed. "We got an hour at best before bed."

"What's there to do in here?"

"Not much, I'm afraid; Goodsprings isn't a place to come to for fun." Sunny petted Cheyenne; she eventually laid down by Sunny's feet.

Trudy entered the home and gave David and Sunny a wink before going to her room. She closed the door with complete silence. "Trudy lives here?"

"We both live here."

David had a dirty thought and raised his provocative eyebrow. "You and her, you know…"

Sunny didn't understand David initially, but as the penny dropped, she blushed awkwardly. "Oh, no! It's not like that; I have nowhere to live. Trudy cares for me like an older sister."

"Cute. You seem to have a sisterly feel."

"I'm twenty-four this July. You?"

"Twenty-three this August, but let's not get too attached. Considering I'm leaving tomorrow, I don't see the point."

"We got time."

"My story is long and depressing."

"So's mine; let's talk about it."

David groaned loudly. "Why?"

"I saved you days ago; I feel like it's my responsibility to get you ready to face the world." Sunny suddenly blushed. "And… I like you."

" I'm only opening up to you because I like you too. What's today's date?"

"Saturday, third of March, 2281."

"Okay, but only the part that matters; the incident that brought me here..."

"Fair enough." Sunny shrugged. "You gotta draw a line somewhere."

"Exactly! I don't want to talk about my friends, the places I worked or how I feel about everything in between... just the important part." David put away his water and reached for his whiskey flask from within one of his pouches. It was empty; he regretted not topping it up before leaving Trudy's saloon. So instead, he took a sip from Sunny's bottled water, leaving his flask in his pouch.

"Okay." David cleared his throat. "It was April, 2021; I was in this vile facility owned by terrible people, arriving shortly after my dad's counterattack. There was this machine... I cannot describe what it did exactly, but I knew it was killing him." He set aside his water bottle and took out a cigarette and a flip lighter from one of his pouches. He sparked the one end lazily. "I damaged the machine while it was in motion, and it exploded, killing pretty much everyone in the room. It wasn't a traditional explosion, but it deafened my ears and blinded me. Before I knew it, I woke up in Doc Mitchell's bed."

Sunny couldn't think of anything worthwhile to say. The idea of a machine capable of sending someone into the future was insanity, but Sunny had no good reason to deny what David had summed up. "What are the odds the same thing could've happened to your dad?"

David shook his head. "To have odds would mean understanding the bloody machine, and I don't have a clue... It was called a Nexus, or the Nexus, or something; that's what I know, and it ain't much." He smoked his cigarette.

"I imagine damaging this Nexus doo-hickey was an accident..."

David nodded. "It sucks so freakin' much, but I'm happy I died in a blaze of glory; I even took a bioterrorist out with me."

"You did?"

"Well, he was right on top of me, and... oh... he might've been sent here too..."

Sunny leant closer. "Who?"

"Dorian Savage... the biggest dickhead in the history of dickheads..." David smoked. "He was a ruthless psychopath with a massive hard-on for war and conquest and the same bastard that killed me the year before." His shoulders sagged. "I guess I could be moderately happy I got the last laugh, assuming he wasn't dropped here like I was..."

"You actually... died? I must've misheard you there."

David shook his head. "The worst experience of my life. Dorian punched me so hard on the chest I died of cardiac arrest within the hour; had to dig myself outta my own grave that night."

He died and came back just like me… Something about a virus and dead cells… "You really weren't kidding about killing people before..."

David stared at Sunny. "You doubted me?"

Sunny hesitated. "You just seemed too nice-"

"Nice people can be killers too... I just killed enough to regret it sometimes..." David looked away. "I can't complain; I chose to be a police officer, not like being an artist did me any favours... Or an activist... I was such a melt back in school..."

Sunny frowned. "I still think of myself as nice, but I know I killed my fair share..."

David wiped his face. "I don't know what I'm gonna do with my life... I need time... A fuck-ton amount of time..." He straightened his back and smoked again, feeling better getting some of that off his chest. "What are recent bits of your story then?"

"Dark and depressing."

David bumped Sunny's shoulder with his. "So's mine. Come on..."

Sunny huffed. "To answer that, I would have to start around five years ago. I left the vault I grew up in to find my dad when I was nineteen; he abandoned my sister and me to tie up some unfinished business outside. Unfortunately, the vault fell into chaos at the time, so we had no choice but to follow his trail and ask why he kept us in the dark." She started to take off her boots. "After sorting out the unfinished business, we returned to the vault, but the new overseer exiled us..."

"The place you grew up in?"

Sunny nodded, pulling off her left boot. "Amata said she was sorry... She said we were heroes... and we had to leave..."

"That's... a strange thing to say."

Sunny started to take off her other boot, starting with the leather straps again. "I don't blame her... Being around our fellow residents would inspire others to adventure the dangerous, radiated Wasteland... as overseer, she couldn't have her people leaving so soon." She frowned. "That was back in 2077, I've lived here for nearly a year now, but I heard my sis settled down in Diamond City."

David smiled lamely. "I probably shouldn't ask you what you've been up to all those years; that would be a lot of finer details to cover..."

"I don't mind." Sunny pulled off her second boot and shrugged. "I'm thinking about writing a memoir anyway; you can read it when it's finished."

David's eyes met with Sunny's. "I'll take you up on that offer; it might be fun."

"It does?"

David shrugged. "Yeah. You and me with a drink over an open fire... Delicious..."

Sunny's eyes strayed away from David's face to his chest. "I like your armour. What's the brand?"

"A prototype stealth armour I was testing before I died." David looked away, staring at the floor. "My dad wanted to give our combat armour some extra functionality, so he dabbled a bit with technology that could-"

"Generate a modulating field that transmits the reflected light from one side of an object to the other," Sunny said, finishing David's sentence. "Yeah, I've used Stealth Boys before. The one you used earlier might be different, but the tech looks like it works the same."

"Oh... that's pretty cool..." David smoked the last cigarette before putting it out on his chestplate. "No surprise that technology is still around."

"It is. Although, I'm pretty surprised combat armour is that old. If your father was still around, he would be rich; people pay thousands for combat armour."

"Oh, well, I'm sure he'd take that as a compliment." David took a cardcase from the pouch over his right shoulder. He took a photo from the leather card case, gently rubbing his other thumb over the silver police badge. He felt a mix of sadness and relief that he didn't lose it.

Sunny leant over David's shoulder to get a better view of the photo; it was of a couple. "Is that you?"

"Yeah..." David handed Sunny the photo. "It's my wedding photo."

"I'm sorry to hear that, David, truly..." Sunny handed David's photo back to him. The photo was too beautiful in an otherwise bleak universe. A husband and a pregnant wife holding a baby; such a beautiful moment.

David put the photo back inside his cardcase. "Have you got any family?"

"It's complicated..."

David stared at Sunny, waiting for her to carry on.

Sunny huffed. "Just Cheyenne and my sister Amanda... We decided to leave everything behind when we were exiled, including family... there was just so little left for us back home... Mom died at birth. We found dad after leaving the vault, but he didn't last long. We liked the friends we made along the way, but..." She sighed. "We're not proud of leaving our lives behind, but that's why people call us the Lone Wanderers; we chose to wander... not like there was much left for us..."

David turned his head away. "I... can't think how lame it must be to go forward without family... then again, my family's gone too."

Sunny put her hand on David's shoulder. "We just gotta take it one day at a time."

David tried to smile. "No other choice, really."

"Yeah... I had a daughter before I left the Capital; the vault was willing to raise her safely." Sunny chewed her lip. "I don't know whether she'll be fed sweet lies or bitter truths, but I can sleep soundly at night knowing she'll live a safer life than I did. Amanda and I had a rough life once we left the vault; I'd rather my daughter not follow in our footsteps."

David nodded. "That's quite a sacrifice..."

"Now Cheyenne is my daughter. Isn't that right, girl?" Cheyenne got up and barked, rubbing her head on Sunny's leg. "I can see why dogs are man's best friend; she saved me more times than I saved her." She stroked Cheyenne's ear, letting her rest at her feet again. "Come a long way since I found you in that scrapyard, didn't you, girl?"

"That was a lovely chat, but it's time for bed.

"You can take Cheyenne's spot and bunk with me."

David was sure Sunny was inviting him to something besides sleeping. "You don't have to."

"You're the guest of honour. Please join me in my bed; the nights can be very unforgiving these days."

"Sure, if Cheyenne doesn't mind," David said lamely. That was a strange invitation she offered.

David was sure Sunny would pounce on him after he removed his armour. Just last week, he was married to his high school sweetheart, and now this woman he had only just met was showing signs of affection. David wondered if it was just because Sunny was lonely and life was shorter than it used to be... Sunny was attractive, but David didn't feel the same way about her; the emotion just wasn't there. David felt too comfortable, as if she was a friend or a sister...

Once David and Sunny got up, Cheyenne jumped onto the couch. Sunny took her leather jacket and shirt off and threw them into the corner of her room while guiding David to her bed. Sunny's bed wasn't spectacular, but it was big enough for two, and there were some covers. A cold draft of air breezed through the gaps in the walls, and David felt comfortable enough to take off his armour and get into the warm bed.

Awkward stares were exchanged between David and Sunny while they shed their armour, down to their underwear. Naturally, David expected a move at some point in the night once under the bedsheet. However, two single adults in bed is just flirting with disaster, and it was far too soon for him.

Then suddenly, the night went as cold as the grave. David could handle the cold like a polar bear, though Sunny quickly held him tightly and combined their body heat. It was typical to fight the cold, but it was mostly to get some nighttime loving. David wrapped his arm around her.

Sunny pressed her backside into David's crotch; he knew she was purposely trying to stimulate him. Then, when it seemed like she was failing, Sunny rolled David over and climbed on top of him, kissing him on the lips. Surprisingly, David's body wasn't convinced, but he went with the flow, gripping Sunny's bare thighs.

He could tell when a woman was trying to get intimate with him, but his body wasn't interested. It was strange, like two different brains working against each other. David pushed on, trying to meet Sunny halfway. He knew he had the mojo, but something was wrong; he had never tried this hard to get some sexual juices flowing. Nothing he tried worked.

Suddenly, everything stopped. Sunny's advances and David's innate sexual desires hit a massive wall.

As if she didn't feel the chemistry anymore, in a sudden realisation, Sunny rolled off David without a word and went to sleep. Baffled by what happened, David rolled over and tried to sleep. He couldn't take his mind off how everything was warming up, only to diminish abruptly. He sighed, feeling okay to sleep the damned cock-teased night away.

Sunny was the first to wake up; she decided not to disturb David until she arranged his belongings in order. Trudy wasn't around, and Cheyenne was still asleep on the couch. Sunny felt that David would appreciate having all his clothes and gear made for the day when he wakes, considering that's something she'd appreciate. So she threw on her leather armour and laid out all David's belongings at the bottom of the bed.

David rolled over, yawning himself awake. Once he smelt the warm, musky air, David knew he wasn't home; he was still in the dusty, brown future. He sat up as it was too warm to stay in bed.

Sunny had her hands on her hips. "Sleep well?"

"Sort of..." David rubbed his eyes, not knowing what she meant. Then, finally, he sighed, seeing he was naked. "It's nice not having screaming kids wake me up for once..."

"Same." Sunny patted David's belongings. "Here's your stuff; we should have a take before you head out." She left the bedroom.

David rolled over and sat up, rubbing his face. "Damn it... it wasn't a dream... I'm stuck in the brown future..." He stood up and adjusted his groin. "I miss Sam..." He picked up his jacket and combats, finding his boxers underneath. He threw everything back on and met Sunny in the lounge. He patted himself down, making sure he had everything.

His mind was already made up; David thought about leaving Goodsprings before going to bed last night and was anxious to go. However, he didn't know what he should say to the woman that helped him during his stay in Goodsprings. Offering a hand to understand the ways of the Wasteland and showing him some excitement was just two of the few things he could specify, and those acts deserved a lovely final goodbye.

"Well, here I go; I'm leaving now."

"I wish we had more time..." Sunny sighed. "Especially after everything you did for us..."

"Someone out there knows me, and I need to find him; maybe he'll give me a reason to live; who knows..."

"But you do have a reason to live; you're a good man who helps people-"

"Which means it would be selfish for me to stay here, wouldn't it?"

Sunny folded her arms, keeping her eyes low. "You make life here sound like a prison..."

"No, it isn't; it's just a future I don't yet understand. I'm sorry, Sunny; I have to leave to explore sooner or later; it was only a matter of time..."

Sunny was saddened but humbly accepted David's choice. "Then I won't stop you." She took off a device she had on her left wrist. It was a large metal bracelet with a small screen fixed over it. She looked up, finally meeting David's eyes. "This is what people call a Pip-Boy 3000. It contains the user's personal information, vital signs, a rad counter, radio and even an area map. It's easy to use and might help your situational awareness; I'll just input the safest route Vegas traders take so you don't get lost."

With the map interface up, Sunny put in a breadcrumb trail leading to Vegas based on the safest and shortest route. Then, she strapped the Pip-Boy tightly over David's left wrist and showed him how to use the interface. There wasn't anything complicated, just a dial and a few buttons.

"Thanks, Sunny, you're the best."

"I know. The gadget's the final remnant of my old life, and it has long since lost its sentimental value; it barely means anything to me now... It's yours."

David stared at the green map screen, separated by lines and grids. Some settlements were already marked on the map. "That's a good map interface. South, east, and then north. Easy enough to follow."

"When you discover new locations, the Pip-Boy will jot it down."

"That's great! I will get a lot of mileage outta this. Such a tender gesture, but I reckon that's everything now..."

"Must you go alone?"

"Don't tell me you want to come with?"

Sunny sighed. "I can't… I made too many enemies in my old life, and I ain't itching to meet them." She frowned. "I've been roaming the wastes for so long I forget how many people I wronged, and that's not me anymore... I finally have an honest life here."

"I understand. Just promise me you'll take care of yourself."

Sunny smiled. "I'm not a naive girlie-girl; I can protect myself here. If there's any chance I need your help, I'll hop on a radio."

"Okay, then." David walked to the front door, ready to leave, but stopped. "I have a confession to make... If you weren't here to comfort me in the lowest moment in my life, I'd most likely have... killed myself..."

Sunny was distraught by David's confession. "David?"

"I've always been a little self-destructive..." David turned to Sunny, smiling. "But I ain't talking about a bullet to the dome; I was thinking by slowly not caring anymore... and what's the difference between dying and giving up?"

Sunny placed her hand on David's chest. "David..."

David's hand tightened on the door's handle, so tight he wondered if he might crush it. He looked down at Sunny and wrapped his arm around her, his head nuzzled into her shoulder. Sunny's arms wrapped tight around him, giving him the warmth to let go of the door.

David felt like crying, but he fought the sadness and regret. "Even though the world I knew is gone... I don't mind taking your approach to life... Leaving the old one behind to start a new one sounds like it could help me accept reality and move on..."

"Which is why I feel you should stay longer-"

"We don't need to make this any harder than it needs to be."

Sunny pulled herself away. "But David, I-" David placed his finger over her mouth, silencing her.

"You stay, I go..." David ripped something off his left tricep, placing it into Sunny's hand and closing it. "No following." David brushed Sunny's hair over her ear and stroked her cheek. Their hands locked together, their faces nearing closer until their noses almost touched; the two locked eyes and kissed.

Sunny's knees trembled while feeling David's lips caress hers. She pulled away again. "You have wonderful eyes, by the way. Were they always gold?"

David nodded. "Are... yours gold too?"

Sunny nodded. "We're like two peas in a pod, huh?"

David smiled. "Yeah..." He leaned back into Sunny for another kiss, although she tried to fight back this time.

"David..." Sunny murmured, feeling David's kisses caress her neck. Then, she gently pushed him away. "Please go... Go before I beg you to stay..."

David sighed, frowning. He backed away towards the front door. "Goodbye, Sunny; I'll never forget you..."

Just like that, David was gone. Sunny opened her hand and saw that he had given her a badge. It was black, blue and white with gold stars in the rings under the STARS abbreviation. She left her home, and David was nowhere to be seen outside. She knew David was already on his way to Primm, and she wondered when she would see him again... Sunny gripped the badge in her hand while she stood outside.

I never saw him again...