It takes a few stops for refueling at way stations to get to our destination, but we got there. I don't really know what I expected. I've never been west before, so imagining it in ruins is difficult. But what I was faced with was so much worse that anything I could have possibly imagined.
Lands that were once home to many farms and prairies now held broken cities, pools of radiation, and huge monstrosities that lurk around in my broken nation. America's well known cities are now leveled and partially put back together. The deserts were littered with destroyed highways and little hometowns. Scorched cars litter the baked earth like little ants. And when we land, we are met with a barren wasteland. Even more bare than the commonwealth.
If I had to pick one word to describe the scene before me, I would pick depressing. A whole nation once covered in patriotism and life is now stripped and replaced with depression and death. But it makes me wonder just how much of the world looks like this. I wonder if other nations and continents were spared of this burden we have to bare. I wonder if china had to face the same fate as us. In all honesty, I hope they didn't. I wouldn't wish this upon anyone, no matter who they were.
I think about all the lives that have been lost because of our past, but then I think of all the lives that are here now. All the families that I've seen and met. I think of how someday, I might could have that family too. Me and Shaun as one happy family. That's all that I want now. But I know that if i'm not successful in this mission, then that will never happen.
Once we've reached our destination, on the border of california and nevada, we begin to unload our belongings. My squad is exhausted from the trip. It didn't take too long. Maybe a week? But no one has slept much at all in that amount of time. So I begin to formulate a plan to get us in a safe spot to hunker down and rest up.
Once we get all of our belongings and supplies, the vertibird leaves us. It's new destination is the closest way station to await our completion of the mission. Once our objective is complete, he will be our ride home, if we survive that long. We have no idea of what we're up against, and how we are to defeat them. But I don't plan on loosing any of my squad mates. I'd take a bullet for any of them.
The first and only thing I can register at this moment, is the heat. I've never been faced with this kind of heat. I've always lived in places where the heat only got up to the upper 90's maybe. But this kind of heat is at least in the lower 100's. Enough to dehydrate you by just standing.
I quickly take in my surroundings and decide that a town off in the far distance. It's at least an hours walk from our current location, but it at least has houses that we can hold up in for the night.
I point to the town, "look," I say, "there's a town, we can hold up there for the night." I tell them.
"How long will that take?" Masters asks.
"Eh, no more than maybe an hour to an hour and a half." I say.
He shrugs his shoulders and scoffs, "oh, of course. It's only just going to take an hour to and hour and a half. No big deal." He says sarcastically.
I see Shire roll his eyes. I shake my head and we head for the town.
--
When we reach the outskirts of the town, we see soldiers guarding the perimeter. They wear brown colored uniforms with what looks like the california state flag as their mark. The letters say NCR, which I have no idea what it stands for.
I signal for them to get down behind a patch of rocks to the left of us. We all head over there and I turn to speak to them.
"You all stay here, I'll go talk to them." I say.
I get up and walk towards the gate. Once they spot me, they raise their guns to point at me and I put my hands up.
"Stop right there!" The yell at me and I do as they say.
"State your business!" One of them yells.
"I am Sentinel Rogers of the Brotherhood of Steel! We are here in peace." I say.
"Walk slowly towards us." They say.
I do as they say and when I reach them, they turn me around and tie my hands together and make me kneel on the ground. One of them keeps their gun to my head while the other searches me for weapons. He stops once he finds my holotags. He looks at them for a moment before looking and nodding to the other. They bring me to my feet and untie my hands.
"Sorry, we have to take precautionary measures for our safety. You understand i'm sure." One says.
"Of course." I tell them as I dust myself off.
"So, where is your squad?" One asks.
"I'm not sure what you're talking about." I tell them.
"Oh come on now, don't give me that shit. We know that you and your people never travel alone." He says.
"And how do you know that?" I ask.
"Because dipshit, we are allies. Ever since the second war at hover dam, we've been allied with them to help control the mojave and to fight the legion. Well, them and the enclave. But it's all thanks to the courier." He says.
Then, someone appears from behind the gate, "did someone say my name?"
He is a heavily muscled, tall, blonde haired man. His hair is cut short and he has not too long of a darker toned beard. I notice that he is dressed differently, however, than the rest of the NCR soldiers. His uniform is made up of a black overcoat with harder armor underneath and jeans along with a utility belt. He has a sniper rifle strapped to his back and what I also notice, is his pip-boy on his arm.
"Who's this?" He asks.
"Sentinel Rogers." I say offering my hand for him to shake.
He takes it firmly and I give a firm grip back, "Max. What are you here for?" He asks.
"Nice to meet you Max. I am a Sentinel with the Brotherhood of Steel and we are here on a special assignment. We just need a place to rest up, that's all." I say.
"And what is this special assignment exactly?" He asks.
"It's classified." I say plainly.
"Oh come on, don't give me that 'it's classified' crap. Believe me, I completely understand the whole secrecy thing, but come on now, you wouldn't hide things from a fellow brother would you? Of course if you do though, then that's understandable. If you wanna keep your secrets about your special assignment then I guess I can keep the secret on where the California brotherhood chapter is." He tells me in a mocking tone as he turns to walk away.
"Wait!" I say as I grab his shoulder.
He turns around with a smirk on his face, "well?" He says.
"Fine, but allow us to come in and find a spot to rest first and we can tell you whatever we know, but it needs to be done privately." I say glancing at the ncr guards.
He nods, "as you wish. Come on, let me show you to your place." He says.
I nod and turn around and whistle. I see Maccready's head pop up from behind the rocks and I gesture for them to follow. He nods and they all stand and run over to us. Once they are here, Max shows us inside.
"Welcome to Nipton."