AN: Hello and welcome back to another chapter of Fallout: Unforgotten. I never know what to put at the beginning of these things until I've uploaded them so with that said enjoy chapter 8!
Amata walked with Boone towards the settlement of Novac in the darkness of night and in total silence. As the moon hanged high above them, Amata couldn't help her nagging curiosity getting the better of her.
"So how do you know the Courier?" she finally asked.
"It's a long story." Boone answered.
"Well it's a bit of a long walk." Amata countered.
"It's not something you'd want to hear." Boone responded, a sharp pain shot through his ribs causing him to wince. Amata moved to put his arm around her so she could take some of his weight to alleviate the pain.
"You're not the type to let things go easily." Boone observed as they walked.
"No, No I'm not. So it's better to just come out with it." Amata reasoned.
"Well don't say I didn't warn you." Boone muttered.
Meanwhile the Courier had continued a bit of ways up the road and was standing in front of the run-down El Dorado Gas & Service station. With a freshly lit cigarette he nudged the door open with his foot and peaked inside, seeing no one he stepped in. Nothing but dirt and darkness surrounded him but he knew his way around. He looked behind the counter and picked up the gas lantern and with the flame from his cig he lit the tender inside causing a faint yellow glow to illuminate the inside of the gas station. The Courier put the lantern in the window, it was the signal that he was at the meeting spot. Several minutes pass when he heard a knock on the door. It was the Rangers' signal that it was them.
"Come on in." he answered.
The first Ranger walked through the door and was greeted with the sight of the Courier's Ranger Sequoia pointing right in their face.
"Bang, Bang. You're dead." The Courier smiled, he couldn't see the look on the Ranger's face due to their helmet with red lens they were notorious for wearing but he could feel this one wasn't aware of his particular style of 'humor'.
"Six, if you're done. I'd like to hear your report." Another Ranger told him as 2 more filed in after him. Six looked at them, it was hard to tell who was who until they spoke but they were the same rangers from the patrol station.
"Very well, what do you want to hear first? The bad news or the very bad news?" he asked as he holstered his revolver. He could tell the ranger was exhausted as he let out an audible sigh.
"Alright what's the bad news?" he asked.
"Well after 'accompanying' the target, I'm no closer to finding the individual who made a mess of your blockade three weeks back. Speaking of which, why do you think this girl knows anything about him?" The Courier asked.
The ranger looked at the rest of his comrades before turning back to him. "The guy who attacked the blockade wore a pip-boy, now if I'm not mistaken not many people have those. There's you, the girl, and him. Three weeks after the incident this girl shows up… with a pip-boy, I don't believe in coincidences. I think it's a safe bet she knows the guy" The ranger reasoned.
The Courier's cigarette was burning low, with one final pull he picked it from his mouth and flicked it towards the ranger he had greeted. "What the hell you think you're doing?" the ranger growled, an obvious attempt to save face in front of the others but it only serve to amuse the Courier as he blew smoke in his face.
"Stand down." The ranger ordered. The ranger in question begrudgingly obeyed stepping back from the Courier. "Alright, what's the 'very bad' news?" the ranger asked.
"The Legate has been spotted in Nipton, seems he wishes to even things with me." The Courier noted, he notice the other two rangers look at each other.
'Seems the NCR had no knowledge of this.' The Courier observed.
"Alright, we'll look into the Legion. You're to continue on with your assignment. Rangers let's move!" the ranger ordered. The two moved to comply but the one the Courier had been goading decide to try one more thing to establish dominance over the Courier. He stepped towards the Courier as he was lighting another cigarette and with a quick motion snatched it out of his mouth and stomped on it.
"Don't you know smoking kills." He taunted.
The other three rangers froze looking at the two men. The ranger was a bit bigger and taller compared to the Courier but they knew size didn't mean a thing to Six.
"That was my last one." The Courier noted still looking at the cigarette with the ranger's boot over it.
"Six-" The lead ranger didn't get to finish as the sound of a Ranger Sequoia interrupted him. The Courier had put a single round through the rude individual's windpipe. The others watched as their fellow ranger collapsed to the floor drowning in his own blood.
"Bang, you're dead." The Courier muttered. The dying ranger looked to the others for help but only saw them stand stills as statues, soon he could no longer see as his own blood flooded his helmet. As the ranger was in his death throes the Courier knelt and picked up his cigarette.
"Aww you got it all wet with your blood, how the hell am I supposed to smoke this now?" The Courier asked. With a sigh he stepped over the dying ranger and walked out the door of the El Dorado Gas Station.
"Anyone want to remind me as to why we're working with this guy?" One ranger asked.
"The better question is why we're not dead?" the other asked.
"Both are good questions that are better left not thought about." Their leader said as he pulled his pistol and put the dying ranger out of his misery.
Amata could see the small lights of Novac meaning they were getting close to the settlement and to the ending of Boone's story. At first Amata didn't think much of Boone's story until he got to the part about the Top's casino and the fate of an unfortunate idiot who shot and robbed the Courier.
"You can't be serious, he didn't really wear his skin as he walked out." Amata asked.
"It wasn't his entire skin just the face and the suit. I wouldn't have believe it myself if I hadn't watched him do it." Boone answered with a sigh.
"I get the feeling that wasn't the worst thing he did." Amata figured.
"Not for me it wasn't, I've seen somethings… done some of them too but genocide that was the breaking point." Boone muttered as dark memories began to plague him.
'Genocide? I thought he was lying!' Amata thought.
"Care to tell me about that." Amata asked as they entered the settlement.
"No, you'll have to find someone else to do that." He answered as he took his arm from around her.
"I can make it to the doc from here, thanks." He told her.
"Well I guess I'll need to find a place to rest." Amata said stifling a yawn, she had no idea how tired she was or how late it was.
"Manny should give you a room for the night, talk to him." Boone suggested as he started to head towards the doctor, after a few steps he stopped and turned around.
"Listen, you seem like a nice person. I've seen what the Courier do to good people, don't end up like them." Boone advised.
"Alright, thanks." 'I guess' Amata thought.
"Oh, and for the love of God, do not trust him." Boone warned as he walked away.
AN: I'm currently working on another chapter which will hopefully be done and uploaded later on in the day. (This is not a normal thing, so don't get used to it! LoL) with that said I hope you enjoyed this chapter.