AN: Welcome back to another chapter of Fallout: Unforgotten.
The world became a little darker to the Courier as he made his way to the Old Mormon Fort. Whether it was due to the sun setting or the smoke from the still burning buildings blocking out what little sunlight the people of Freeside had left didn't matter to him. What did matter was getting Veronica and Cass medical help and he was going to get it by any means. As he neared the fort he wasn't surprise at the mob of people crowding around the large wooden gates all seeking medical attention for themselves or for someone they knew, however he was mildly annoyed. As he entered the crowd he could hear mumbled complaints as well as a few curses being thrown about.
"Open up! There's wounded out here!" he could hear someone shout.
"You have to help me! My friend was caught in the blast, we're afraid to move him!" Another could be heard. Of course it didn't take long for emotions to run high and desperation quickly turned to anger.
"Hey I know you can hear us! Open up." A woman shouted.
"You can't just let us die out here!" someone else yelled.
"I bet they're the ones behind the attack!" another accused. The crowd began to get restless as people began shoving against one another which only served to rile them up further.
"Open the goddamn gates or we're burning the damn fort!" someone threatened.
The Courier had heard enough and made his way to the front, pushing and shoving anyone aside unapologetically. Soon he was at the front of the crowd and turned to face them. He could see the anger and desperation in the crowds eyes it wouldn't belong till someone followed through on their threat.
"WILL ALL OF YOU SHUT THE HELL UP!" He yelled, but instead of silencing the crowd it just made them turn their anger and frustrations towards him.
"Hey fuck you!" someone in the crowd yelled.
"Yeah! Who died and made you king!" another agreed.
The Courier calmly drew his Sequoia and fired a round into the air causing the crowd to reel back from him.
"Now that I got your attention I have only one thing to say. Leave." The Courier told the crowd. A man stepped from the crowd to challenge the Courier's authority.
"You can't be serious! There are people dying!" he told the Courier.
"People die every day. Leave." Was the Courier's simple rebuttal, which only serve to anger the crowd.
"And what are you going to do if we don't? Not even you can-" the man was interrupted as a .45gov't round pierced his cranium blowing grey matter back onto the crowd, as the mob backed away from the man's body the Courier pulled the hammer back on his sequoia readying another round.
"The Follower's aren't going to come out if there's an angry mob outside their fort. Now I'm sure everyone is having a bad day but I assure it's not as bad as his." The Courier said pointing his revolver at the dead man. The mob glared at him weighing their options and begrudgingly complied with the Courier's command. He was sure he had made more than a few enemies at that moment but he figured he'd deal with the repercussions later. When the crowd disperse leaving the Courier alone in front of the Mormon fort he banged on the wooden gate with the handle of his revolver. After a moment of silence he could hear a voice answer from the other side.
"Are they all gone?"
"Yeah, now let me in." The Courier demanded. He could hear the bar being lifted from its holders as the followers undid the latch. The gate creaked open slightly enough for the Courier to enter. the voice on the other side of the gate finally had a face. It was the branch leader of the Followers Julie.
"Looks like you came at the right time. Though I can't say I approve of your methods." She told him.
"That makes you the 4th person to tell me that." The Courier retorted as he looked around wondering where he could find Arcade.
"What are you doing here? You don't look hurt." Julie noted.
"I'm looking for Gannon, where is he." The Courier demanded.
"Uh, he's with a patient at the moment. We've been up to our necks in patients and that was before the explosions. Speaking of which, what is going on out there?" she inquired.
"Legion spies infiltrated and set off several bombs, one of which has severely injured two people I know. Which tent?" he asked flipping the questionnaire around.
"He's over there." She pointed at one of the tents near the rear wall. "But like I said he's with a p-" was all the he heard as he walked towards the tent at a brisk pace, he brushed aside the tent flap revealing Arcade bandaging a patient's arm.
"I'm a bit busy at the moment, I'll be right with you." Arcade said not even turning to see who had walked in.
"Want to run that by me again?" the Courier growled.
Arcade immediately recognized the voice and turned to greet the Courier.
"I- I didn't know it was you!" he stuttered but the Courier simple shook his head.
"Sure you didn't, now grab your doctor bag and a few other medical supplies, you're needed elsewhere." He told Arcade.
"I- I can't leave. These people… they need my help. Please try to see it from my point of-" the Courier cut him off with a right jab to the mouth.
"The only point of view I care about is mine, and right now I don't see you grabbing anything." He told him.
"What the hell are you doing?" Julies yelled as she went over to check on Arcade.
The Courier ignored her question and repeated his demand. "Grab whatever you need, we're leaving."
"No." Arcade defiantly said.
The Courier was a bit taken back by Arcade's sudden defiance, normally a punch is all it would take to get Gannon to comply. This sudden rebellion would need to be crushed quickly he figured.
"200th time someone has said 'No' to me and a first for you, so let me tell you what you've won." The Courier announced as he cocked his revolver and fired a round into Arcade's patient bandaged arm. Julies quickly got to work on trying to stop the bleeding as the man cried out in pain.
"Was that even necessary!?" Arcade yelled as he moved to help.
"You're right I should've shot him in the other arm, I mean you just got done bandaging it." The Courier sarcastically stated. He could hear the guards coming to see if everyone was okay which meant he would have to get a move on. He quickly grabbed Julie's arm and pulled her close to him and pressed his Ranger Sequoia against her temple just as the guards entered with their rifles ready.
"The hell are you doing?" Arcade screamed.
"I know what you're not doing!" The Courier retorted as he position Julie between him and the guards.
"This doesn't solve anything!" Julies cried as she struggled to free herself.
"Well the obvious solution is to give me what I want. Otherwise this situation is about get a lot worse." The Courier told her.
"Fine, Gannon for the love of god go with him!" she ordered.
"And the med supplies?" the Courier inquired.
"Take whatever you need. Just let me go." She pleaded.
"Well Arcade are you coming or not? If so would you mind hurrying? My trigger finger is getting really itchy." He warned.
With a sigh of resignation Arcade gathered the things he needed. The Courier kept Julies close as they headed for the exit, the guards opened the gate slightly enough for Arcade and the Courier to slip through.
"Well Julie, it's been fun. We should really do this again sometime." The Courier joked as he shoved her towards the guards.
The gates quickly slammed shut closing him off from her but he was sure she had flipped him off.
"Well who's in such desperate need of help that you would go through such extremes to get me." Arcade sighed.
"Veronica and Cass." He told Arcade as they started heading back.
"Why didn't you just tell me?! This could all had been avoided." Arcade exclaimed.
"I could've but then you wouldn't have learned a very valuable lesson." The Courier causally answered.
"Lesson? What lesson!?" Arcade yelled reaching the end of his rope.
"Don't say no to the Courier." The Courier told him.
AN: Another chapter down! Thanks for reading! I had to make some changes to the story to get all the puzzles into place (Don't worry it wasn't anything major.)