It had taken a while to dig two graves into the dry compact ground behind the Grub n' Gulp. Tash had found two spades, so they took turns on lookout and digging. Even in the hot sun, Phoenix had kept the hood of his cloak up, and she wondered if he ever took it down. His features were barely discernible in the dark shadow the hood provided.
Once the bodies of Lupe and Fitz had been laid to rest, and the graves filled in, Phoenix spoke some words that Tash didn't understand, but sounded familiar in their tone. Vulpes had nodded solemnly and spoke "Amen" in unison with Phoenix at the end. She'd not seen this side of Vulpes before.
They'd decided to spend the night in the building behind the Grub n' Gulp, so they could discuss events that had transpired, and the best possible course of action they could take next. They turned away from the graves and looked at the Legion bodies still scattered around.
"I think we should burn them," Tash said, no remorse in her voice, "send them to hell for what they did."
Vulpes shook his head. "A message might be best. If the Legion are to march on New Vegas, I want them to know they can expect some resistance."
Phoenix looked from the Brahmin enclosure to the tables, then at Vulpes. "I agree, and what better a message than one you're already familiar with Inculta?"
Vulpes looked at Phoenix for a moment, then grinned, catching on to what he had in mind. "I think I could get to like you. Let's make start, they can take a while."
Tash watched the conversation between the two men with interest. They were both very alike in some respects, yet worlds apart. Vulpes was rigid, regimental and deliberate, whereas Phoenix seemed to move like water, loose and graceful. They were both killers, obviously, but Vulpes gave off a vibe that seemed to indicate he enjoyed it. Phoenix wore an aura of someone who valued life, and would only take it from someone if it was truly required.
She snapped out of her reverie and went to lend a hand as the two men broke apart the wooden tables. "What's the plan then?"
"We're going to hang the bodies from crosses," Vulpes replied, "send a message to any Legionaries that come this way. We'll show them of the fate that awaits them if they continue."
They worked for several hours with minimal conversation. There was only so much camaraderie you could muster when hoisting dismembered and decapitated bodies into a macabre exhibition. Tash built a campfire while Phoenix and Vulpes put the finishing touches to the display, and she was busy heating up some Pork n' Beans she'd found in the shack when they came back from cleaning themselves up.
She dished up the food and passed them a Sunset Sarsaparilla each. Phoenix nodded approvingly.
"I used to drink this all the time as a child" he said, taking a drink. "Always preferred it to that new Nuka-Cola."
"New?" Tash asked, raising her eyebrows. "Thats stuff's been around for centuries."
Phoenix sat silent for a moment. "Well, it was new to me anyway."
Vulpes looked at him. "Don't you think it's about time you fill is in on your backstory? We're going a lot on faith presently."
The hooded man took a mouthful of beans and chewed deliberately. "Some of it I'd rather not mention until we meet up with my old friend, but I can apprise you of some of the more recent events which have led me here.
I arrived in the Mojave a few months ago. I was, shall we say, drawn here by the demise of a certain Mr. House." He held up a hand to silence Tash who was about to interrupt. "I'd sooner not give details of this just yet. Anyway, when I got here, I knew it was the Courier I should seek out, and I travelled around, seemingly in her wake, until I ended up at the Fort."
"Tash tells me you knew of Caesar's plot," Vulpes said. "One which would see the owner of a certain contract dead. What do you know of this, and how?"
Tash interjected. "Tell him anything you know please Phoenix. I'm honour bound not to reveal the contract owner, but I feel you already know who it is."
Phoenix nodded. "I do." He sighed and sat upright, his hood still holding his face in shadow. He tilted his head to Vulpes. "Very well. The contract owner is my old friend Desmond Lockheart, a ghoul with many years under his belt. I spent several days in your Fort listening to any chatter I could get within earshot of. Caesar had spoken of his plans with his trusted aide, a Lanius," Tash spat at this name, "and in turn I learned of his plan to use you both."
"How is it you managed to spend several days at the Fort and avoid detection?" asked Vulpes, his curiosity piqued.
Phoenix chuckled. "That's a very old stealth technique, which pre-dates any written word which is likely to have survived to this day. Incredibly easy to learn, maddeningly difficult to master."
"You keep referring to things which make your age very difficult to ascertain." Vulpes stated.
"Yeah," Tash interrupted, a little too quickly. "How old are you?" Vulpes looked at her, annoyed at her outburst, eyes narrowed with suspicion. She avoided his gaze.
"Some could say I'm in my 35th year," Phoenix responded drily, "but I can safely say I feel much older."
Tash coughed a little, causing another reproachful look from Vulpes. "How is it you know who owns the contract? As far as I was aware, only two of us knew of it."
"How I know of it will become apparent when we meet up with Desmond. What you need to be concerned with, young Courier, is if only you and Desmond knew of the Contract, how is it Caesar knows of it also?" Phoenix stood to walk away. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must go relieve myself."
Tash stared at Vulpes. "He's right," she said thoughtfully. "How does he know?"
The stranger had still not returned when the Courier and Vulpes turned in for the night. She took the bed, and Vulpes lay on some old sheets on the cabin floor. He'd been stand-offish with her since the quizzing of Phoenix earlier, and truth be told, she'd had too much on her mind to ask him to share the bed with her.
Tash awoke the next morning and Vulpes was still sleeping soundly. She got out of bed and freshened up at the sink, trying her best not to wake the Fox. She exited the shack, secretly hoping that Phoenix would be outside, but there was no sight of anyone. The smouldering embers of the previous nights campfire were all but out, so she got some fresh firewood and stoked them until it was burning once again and opened another can of Pork n' Beans, heating them on the fire.
She heard the distant sound of footsteps behind her and assumed it would be Phoenix. The steps got closer when Tash realised she'd never heard Phoenix's footsteps before, that he moved in near silence. She sprang up and turned to face the newcomer. There were two of them, both wearing familiar blue shirts. Powder Gangers! They both had raised weapons, one of them held a varmint rifle and the other carried what looked to be a 9mm pistol.
Tash calculated the odds of being able to drop them both, and she liked they were in her favour. She noted that they both had sticks of dynamite tucked into their waistbands and she wondered if she could go for some flair and see if she could get the sticks of dynamite to take them both out. They stopped about 40 feet away, just far enough that she might not be able to make a shot of that accuracy.
"Can I help you?" she called out.
"We know you" the one with the pistol replied. "You's that bitch that killed Cobb. Think's herself some kinda big deal in these wastelands."
She sighed. "Joe Cobb was a long time ago, and he was looking to hurt some friends of mine." Dropping her shoulders, she slowly positioned her hands to make a grab for the 10mm. She was sick of this shit, always being called out by someone or other. She pulled her pistol and engaged V.A.T.S, targeting the dynamite just above pistol guy's crotch. She put 4 bullets at it, but only needed 2. The first shot hit him in the stomach and ripped a hole, causing him to double over. The second hit the stick of dynamite perfectly and her plan worked. It exploded and took Powder Ganger pieces with it. Tash dove to one side, ready to be rocked by explosions from the other sticks, but none came. Seems she'd struck lucky and hit the only one that wasn't a dud. She stood up as Vulpes burst out of the shack to her left.
"What the hell happened?" he demanded.
"Powder Gangers," she laughed in reply, "you shoulda seen that shot I just made!"
He looked round at the pieces of body lying around. "I'm not sure I needed to, do you remember we just spent hours cleaning up body bits last night?" He shook his head in mock disbelief.
Tash laughed again. "It's not my fault everyone wants to kill us. Well ok, maybe its a little bit my fault, but hey…you're legion, nobody like you guys." She chuckled at his scowl as she walked over to where the varmint rifle was lying, remarkably still intact. As she bent down, a shot whizzed past her head into the dirt.
"Shit!" She grabbed the gun and took cover. Vulpes ducked into the doorway of the shack.
"Do you see them?" he shouted to her.
She risked a peek over the rock she'd taken refuge behind. "I see movement on the bridge, but I can't make out who or how many."
Another shot rang out and she ducked down again. As she was about to take another look, a lit stick of dynamite came overhead and landed just out of her reach. She scrambled at it, grabbed it and threw it away, back toward where it came from. It boomed and covered her with dust, just as another stick came over.
"Fuck this!" she screamed, and took to her feet. There was no explosion behind her as she weaved through the crosses they'd put up the day before. She hid behind one with the thickest base and looked out. The shooter from the bridge was no longer there and she recognised the outline of Phoenix stood against the blue sky. She saw the flash of a rifle from in front of him and a second later, heard a man scream in agony. She saw him stumble out from behind an old concrete support and drop a lit stick of dynamite. It exploded two seconds after his corpse fell on top of it, disintegrating him. Blood and dust rained down on Tash and she shuddered.
"Ugh! We get all the luck."
Vulpes came out of the shack, pistol at the ready, but they could see no other threat. Phoenix had gone from the bridge, so they took it that he could see no more threats from the high vantage point. He asked if she was ok, and she nodded, though she was shaking. Behind them, the dynamite she'd assumed was dud exploded and they spun in shock, pistols up.
"Must've been a long fuse on that one" she pointed out. Vulpes nodded.
Phoenix approached from the direction of the bridge.
"Where've you been?" Tash asked.
"Taking care of a prior concern." He indicated the mess around them. "I see you've been making friends."
She looked at him, wondering about the vagueness of his whereabouts. "Yeah, I'd taken care of one of their prior concerns." Her tone was sardonic. Phoenix seemed not to notice.
Vulpes spoke. "I'm going to head over to a temporary Legion camp not too far from here. I want to determine if they know what is happening with Caesar, or try to glean which side their loyalties lie. I'll be back by nightfall."
"Good idea," Phoenix replied. "I'm going to scout around for anyone else, unless you would care for support?"
"If it's all the same, I think it would be best if I went alone. My history with the legion might get me further than if I was in the company of a stranger, or the Courier for that matter."
Tash frowned but said nothing. She walked over to the shack and opened the door, as she crossed the threshold she looked back to the two men, hoping she'd see them both again.
Vulpes Inculta set off south, away from the Grub n' Gulp. He walked tall and his feet soon found the rhythm to which he'd become so accustomed rising through the ranks of the Legion. Despite the desert heat, he barely broke a sweat as he covered ground. He'd told Phoenix he didn't want support, but truth was, he did. Everything he'd done until recently had the backing of an army, and he'd always been one to receive or give orders. He'd never been part of…what was this…a democracy? But, he needed time away from the other two to put his mind in order. Compartmentalising, he'd once heard it called.
He allowed his thoughts to wander until he found them resting on Phoenix. This stranger had found his way into their trust, and yes, Vulpes realised he trusted him, with little more than a brief explanation, a couple of well fought battles and a hell of a lot of guarded mystery. He understood without needing further information that there was more to Phoenix than they could ever guess. He filed him away in a part of his mind, then allowed it to wander once again.
The courier came next, but Vulpes wasn't ready to deal with the multitude of thoughts racing through his mind for her, so he gathered them up mentally, pausing momentarily at the memory he had of being with her before they'd left the Fort, which seemed like months ago, but was in fact…what…less than a week? He locked her away in his mind and vowed to come back. He started thinking again.
This time his thoughts landed on the Legionaries who'd attacked them the previous day. They'd spoken of a plot to overthrow Caesar, that he'd fall before that night was done. He wondered if this was true. Had his once great Lord been removed from power, and if so, who had taken his place? It had to be someone inside the Legion, someone who could garner the trust of the men who'd so often put their lives on the line for the alleged Son of Mars. Images flicked behind his eyes of the most likely candidates. Lanius, Lucius, Aurelius of Phoenix, Gaius Magnus. Had Joshua Graham something to do with this? Ulysses perhaps? No, he discounted the latter two and focussed on the others. It had to be Lanius or Lucius, but which one? They were both as likely or unlikely as each other. They both had the absolute trust of Caesar, and the men they led. Vulpes thought back to the Praetorian who'd spoken to him at the attack. It had to be Lucius, the leader of the Praetorian guard. Yes, it made sense that he would entrust that mission to one of his own men. He filed Lucius away. His thoughts started to stray once more when he was distracted by a distant explosion and he looked west toward it's source. The faint sound of gunfire followed and he thought he could see movement on the horizon. Probably more Powder Gangers, he figured.
Vulpes continued on. It wasn't too far until he'd be able to see the Legion camp, so he decided to give his thoughts a rest until he knew what was ahead. As he approached the single remaining wall of a ruined building, he took cover behind it and peered round. He was higher than the camp, and from this vantage point, he could see it in the distance, though making anyone out was difficult. The smoke of an extinguished campfire rose inexorably upward, carried by the slight breeze that had picked up. Vulpes could not see the Legion Standard flying, or even the pole for that matter and that gave him pause. By their law, no Legion camp should have the banner lowered so it indicated something had gone down here. He emerged from the ruin and made his way toward the camp, checking his pistol as he went.
It took about 10 minutes to get to the outskirts of the camp and Vulpes already knew he would find nobody there. The Legion flag was the thing smouldering in the campfire and there were trails of blood everywhere, though no bodies. The trails seemed to lead off in a single direction, but Vulpes checked each of the three tents first, pistol drawn. They were all empty as he expected, no people, no equipment, nothing. He set off, following the blood tracks which meandered across the dry earth, down a small valley to a crevice between two large rock formations. Raising his weapon he cautiously peeked into the crevice and was surprised to find a door set back about 15 feet, heavy and thick but not as sturdy as a vault door. It was partially open, but too dark to see beyond it. Vulpes stepped into the natural vestibule, wishing he was as silent as Phoenix as he placed each foot as quiet as possible. As he passed between the walls, the silence was almost a sound, broken only by his movement and breathing. His eyes adjusted quickly to the dark and he knew it would grow better still if he kept his gaze away from the bright fissure behind him. He pressed on, eyes darting from side to side. Placing his hand on the edge of the door, he pulled it slowly toward him, thankful it did not make a sound, instead opening effortlessly. When it was open enough to allow him to pass through, he let go and sidestepped through the doorway, pistol at the ready. Peering in, he could just barely discern a long dark corridor leading away to the right of the entrance and a flickering light at the end of it. Confident now that anyone would be silhouetted against the lit backdrop, he took a bold step into the corridor. As he did, he felt a tug at his foot at the same time something above him clicked. He looked up and felt something smash into the crown of his head through the Fox helmet he wore. His vision swam as he sank to his knees and the light at the end of the corridor retreated slowly into a pinprick as he lost consciousness and collapsed to the floor.
PhoenixConcept: I'd like to thank anyone who has managed to keep reading this far. I hope you come back as I update chapters. I'll try not to leave it too long between each one.