AN: Woah it's been a while! Here have a chapter!
North of Freeside the Legion army set up a base of operations from which they could monitor the siege. There the Legate stood watching and issuing orders with unquestionable authority. The Legate's confidence could be felt by all as his plan to separate and conquer was showing to be very effective against the profligates of the NCR. Not much could sour his mood this day that was until a bedraggled foot soldier came running into the camp. A scout from the telltale of his uniform he noted. The soldier had just barely entered the Legates presence when he immediately fell to his knees.
"Legate… we were unable to secure the Crimson Caravans and the Gun Runner's arsenal." The lowly soldier began, it was evident that he had ran a considerable amount of miles to inform the Legate of his failure and was equally well aware of what his punishment would be, even then the Legate could tell the soldier was withholding something.
"And what of your scout leader and fellow brothers?" the Legate menacingly inquired. By now most of the camp had started to turn their attention to the interaction between the two but none dared to stop working. A moment of silence passed before one of the soldiers superiors stepped in.
"The Legate demands an answer from you!" he roared as he moved to punish the insubordinate but stopped in his tracks as the Legate raised his hand to holt him. The Legate stepped closer causing his shadow to fall over the man, with a unforgiving punt to the soldier's ribcage sending him a good two feet away from him. The Legate could feel the soldier's ribs breaking against his armor but that didn't matter to him as he walked over and wrapped his hand around his neck, in a show of brute strength he deadlifts the soldier with little effort and held him above his head.
"I will not repeat myself." The Legate growled from under his mask, by now the entire camp had stopped working to watch, some in awe but most in terror.
"The… Courier." The soldier managed to choke out. The mere mention of the Courier caused the Legate to slowly begin squeezing the neck.
"Is he still in the city?" the Legate demanded. To which the soldier could only shake his head no.
"Where." The Legate demanded with such intensity he felt he could turn the man to ash in his hand.
"East." The soldier choked out as his eyes began to roll to the back of his head as his conscience began to leave him. With an audible 'SNAP' that could've been heard throughout the camp the Legate dropped the limp lifeless body to the ground.
"Centurion Aemilius." The Legate barked.
"At your command." The Centurion snapped to.
"Take your men and head east, contact any Frumentarii in the area and hunt the Courier down. I will not be undone by this individual." The Legate ordered.
"As you command." The Centurion acknowledged and went to collect his men.
The Legate looked around the camp which had come to a complete stop as if awaiting orders.
"BACK TO WORK!" he roared.
Achoo! The Courier let out a sneeze.
"Don't tell me you're catching a cold." The Lone Wanderer deadpanned.
"How the hell do you catch a cold in all this heat?" Amata bemoaned wiping sweat off her forehead. The blazing sun had been sitting high in the sky for hours beaming unforgiving rays of light and heat down on the trio as they headed east.
"Can you tell us where we're going?" the Lone Wanderer asked the Courier.
"Nope." Came his simple reply.
"Can you at least tell us if we're even remotely close?" Amata asked, a bit convinced that even the sun was trying to kill her.
"We're almost there, just got to get pass one small obstacle." The Courier answered as they stopped in the shade of a prewar overpass.
"Obstacle? What obstacle? You didn't say there would be obstacles!" Amata said a bit hysterical from heat exhaustion.
"What is this obstacle?" the Lone Wanderer asked noticing that the Courier had started stretching his arms and legs.
"Nothing major, just a quick run." He answered before doing a couple breath exercises.
"Quick run my ass." The Lone Wanderer muttered as he took the opportunity to stretch his legs.
"Seriously, what is it?" Amata demanded.
"Just think of it as a race between the three of us." The Courier said as he patted her on the shoulder as he made his way to the edge of the shadow of the overpass. He took up a runner's starting position and the Lone Wanderer followed suit. Amata reluctantly lined up beside them.
"Where's the finish line?" the Lone Wanderer asked almost as if challenging the Courier.
"The chain linked fence on the other side of this field." The Courier smirked.
Amata could already feel her heart racing as the Courier counted them down.
"3…2…you know what would make this a lot better? Some music!" he exclaimed.
Amata had almost face planted at the Courier's sudden abruption and chewed on her lower lip in annoyance as the Courier shifted through radio frequencies before settling on a song.
'I can see that lone star from a thousand mile away…' it began just as the Courier took off.
"Should've known he'd cheat." The Lone Wanderer muttered as he chased after him with Amata in tow.
Amata could still hear the Courier's radio as the song as she did her best to catch up.
'Lone star shine down on my home town. Fill my memory light my way.' It was then she could hear a low whistle starting to grow louder soon followed by an explosion which shook the ground beneath her.
"Are you seriously taking us through a minefield?" Amata yelled in surprised.
'Cattle in the old corral, the open range all 'round. Sunlight and the smell of new mown hay'
The song was cut off by another explosion only a bit closer.
"This isn't a minefield, Amata!" the Lone Wanderer yelled over the noise.
"More of a field of artillery." The Courier yelled.
"Wait! Someone is shooting at us!?" she exclaimed.
"That's kind of how artillery works. Remember to serpentine!" the Courier advised.
Amata could see the chain linked fence, or the 'finish line' as the Courier had put it. It didn't look any closer than it did when they had started and in between them rows of demolished houses and wrecked cars littered the landscape all looked like that it had been blasted to pieces repeatedly.
'I know my home is waiting for me by the river shore. I know that all the ones I love would welcome me once more.'
Another explosion went off this time knocking Amata off her feet, she could actually feel the heat from the blast knocking her away as rocks and dirt pelted her. She felt disorientated as she struggled to her feet. She felt someone pulling her up, it was the Lone Wanderer as he pushed her ahead of him urging her to keep running.
'I remember though I've wandered and much happiness I've found. Still I wish that I could be back there today.'
Two explosions rock the ground this time as a car's fusion reactor went off sending it careening through the air towards Amata, at the same time she tripped over her own foot causing her face to suddenly introduce itself to the cracked asphalt. The car arced over her and demolished what was left of a house's foundation. She peeled herself off the ground and took a glance around and didn't see neither the Lone Wanderer nor the Courier, a sickening feeling of loneliness gripped her stomach as she set her sights on the chain linked fence. With a burst of adrenaline fueled energy she made a b-line straight for the fence. She could hear her heart pumping over the ringing in her ears as explosions just became background noise and vibrations.
'In dreams I see them now though it seems I'm bound to roam. My thoughts are still of home.'
Amata leaped for the fence and gripped it with all her might. A few moments passed as she discovered that the shelling had stopped, she could hear laughter as she caught her breath and discovered it was coming from her.
"I can't believe I made it!" she laughed hysterically.
"Hold it right there!" a woman commanded. Amata's laughter began to subside as she glanced over at her and the rocket launcher that sat on her shoulders.
"Oh, fuck you." She retorted still out of breath.
"Care to explain what the hell you're doing here?" the woman demanded.
"Can you at least lower the launcher? I'm with the Courier." Amata answered.
"Being with the Courier doesn't exactly earn you brownie points with the Boomers." The woman responded frankly.
'Of course why would this place be any different, Amata?' she mentally chided herself.
"Now Raquel, you'll never make friends with an attitude like that." The Courier jokingly chastised. Amata didn't even notice he had came up behind her but the woman now known as Raquel did and adjusted her aim more towards the Courier than her.
"Did you see him out there?" Amata asked a bit worried.
"Yeah a bit of him over there, and a another bit over there. Hell maybe some in your hair." The Courier answered. Amata quickly brushed through her hair only knocking bits and pieces of dirt and rock to the Courier's amusement.
"Nope haven't seen him since these idiots began shelling us, was kind of busy running for my life." The Courier finally relented to Amata's frustration.
"That's not funny." She fumed.
"Anyone mind addressing the woman with the rocket launcher!" Raquel demanded a bit annoyed at being ignored.
"You know I never pegged you as the attention whore type." The Courier replied.
"Not exactly smart insulting a woman holding us at gunpoint with a rocket launcher!" Amata scolded.
"And it's definitely not smart holding me at gunpoint." The Courier countered as he locked eyes with Raquel.
"Rocket beats bullet jackass." Raquel growled.
"Oh 199 so close to the 200th slot." The Courier mockingly told her as his hand began to hover over his sequoia. Amata could feel the intensity in the air as seconds ticked by.
"You and I both know this won't end well for you. The time it takes for a rocket to leave it's firing tube is more than enough time for me to put a bullet in it and make it detonate prematurely, which in turn will make a very nasty mess out of your very nice body." The Courier noted with a smirk. Amata could see Raquel weighing the probability as she tensed up.
"sigh, I'm going to have to ask you both to calm the hell down." The Lone Wanderer said as he decloaked, his plasma rifle aimed at Raquel's back.
"Well aren't you full of surprises." The Courier noted.
"Wait… you had another stealth boy?" Amata exclaimed surprised.
"I always carry a backup." The Lone Wanderer stated matter-of-factly as if he expected her to know this about him.
"Asshole." Amata called him incredulously.
"Oh so she calls you that too." The Courier remarked.
"Yeah I get the felling she calls me that." The Lone Wanderer stated before nudging the muzzle of his plasma rifle against Raquel's back.
"Now if you would kindly lower you weapon." He ordered to which she begrudgingly complied.
"What do you want?" she asked a bit soured.
"We're just here to retrieve a coin, we be in and out before you know it." The Lone Wanderer said as he lowered his rifle as a sign of good faith.
"Then you'll want to speak to Mother Pearl. She over in the hangar today." Raquel reluctantly told him.
"See now that wasn't so hard now was it." The Courier coyly smiled.
"Just hurry up so you can leave." She said as she stormed off.
"Don't pay her no mind, we do this song and dance every time." The Courier said as he walked off toward the hanger.
Amata walked over to the Lone Wanderer and punched him in the shoulder. Though she ended up hurting her fist than him.
"What was that for?" The Lone Wanderer asked a bit confused.
"For scarring me! I thought you were blown to pieces!" she scolded but she was relieved that he was alive.
The Lone Wanderer rubbed his shoulder looking back at the Courier.
"Does this happen everywhere he goes?" he asked.
"Oh you have no idea." She answered.
AN: It's been waaaaaay to long since I've updated and I am sorry for the very long wait. (hopefully you won't have to wait as long for the next chapter.)