Author's Note: I haven't uploaded any new chapters in a couple weeks, so I felt kind of obligated to upload another chapter. Besides, my creative juices are really flowing right now. :) This chapter is longer than all of my other ones, and I apologize for that. It may seem a little boring right now, but the action's approaching. Enjoy!
"That's close enough!" A male voice bellowed as Alessa opened the door to the abandoned gas station on a hill in Goodsprings, and the girl nearly turned tail and ran the other way when she heard the yell. She instantly raised her hands, weapons holstered, and tried to look as non-threatening as possible. Which wasn't hard, really, considering she was scared out of her wits and shaking.
The man standing before her held a 9mm pistol in his right hand, clad in simple clothes. Denim overalls, a brown striped shirt, and a dirty reddish-brown bandanna wrapped around his neck. Black boots, caked with dirt and dust, and a simple leather knapsack finished the ensemble. He had dark brown hair that was neatly slicked back, and was clean shaven, which was unusual to Alessa, as the only men she'd seen so far had stubble, mustaches, or full-on beards. The man was frowning, but looked more scared than angry. "Who are you?" He demanded. "And what do you want with me?" Alessa gulped, finding her words after a few moments, her voice shaking as much as her body.
"I-I-I'm not an e-enemy, if that's what you're th-thinking." She stuttered, mentally smacking herself for not keeping calm. The man felt a bit bad, noting how scared she was, and concluded the girl was not a threat. He lowered his gun, an apologetic look crossing his features.
"Sorry about the gun. You kinda caught me off guard, is all." He put on a bit of a friendly smile now, to try and calm the girl down. It had been a while since he'd had female company. Sunny stopped by on occasion, to make sure he was doing alright, but she never stayed long. "Hey, why don't I make it up to you with a friendly game of Caravan?" Alessa raised an eyebrow, lowering her arms.
"Caravan?" She asked. His eyes widened.
"You mean you don't know how to play? Huh, I figured everyone out here did..." He trailed off. Alessa shook her head.
"I...No, this isn't a time for games...Um...You're Ringo, right?" She asked, and Ringo frowned.
"How do you know my name?" His distrust once again began to boil up, and Alessa cringed instinctively.
"T-Tr-Trudy mentioned you! She, um...She said bandits are after you, lead by J-Joe Cobb." She stuttered again, and Ringo sighed.
"Trudy? That lady at the bar?" He asked, and Alessa nodded. "Well, nice to know someone's lookin' out for me, I guess." He holstered his gun this time. "Yeah. Cobb's after me, but he doesn't look too tough. I hear he's afraid I'll shoot him from one of the windows if he crosses me, and he's right."
"You're not worried?" Alessa asked, amazed. Cobb had scared her witless just by looking at her, but Ringo, who she presumed had already been attacked by Cobb once, didn't even seem nervous. He sighed.
"Not by himself, no. But once his friends show up, I'm gonna have a pretty hard time fightin' all of them off. There's just no way a guy like me can handle all of them in a gunfight."
"So...What are you going to do?" Alessa asked carefully. Ringo shrugged.
"Gonna lay low as long as I can, so long as the rest of the town don't throw me to the wolves." He sighed in exasperation, rubbing his temples as he leaned against the counter. "There's just no way I can handle all of this on my own." Alessa felt a bit bad for the man. It seemed he was really at wits' end. She wanted to help, but knew she needed more information first. She needed to assess just how much of a threat these Powder Gangers were.
"So...Why are the Powder Gangers after you, anyway?" She asked. Ringo looked away, and she could tell she hit a nerve.
"My caravan was on a return trip from California." He began. "On our way back to the Mojave branch of the Crimson Caravan Trading Company, we got jumped by Cobb and his boys. Not even a "Drop your weapons, and hands up!" before the bullets started to fly. My boys and I put up a good fight, but...There were just too many of them."
"That's awful." Alessa said, a little shocked by what she'd just heard. Ringo shrugged.
"It's a risk you run when carrying supplies through the Wastes. Still hurts, though, and not just my pride." He laughed hollowly. "I took a few of the Powder Gangers out before I turned tail and ran. Guess that's why they followed me. Lookin' to get revenge for their brothers, I guess."
"Do you think they'd just move on if you keep hiding?" Alessa asked, hopeful. Ringo shook his head.
"I seriously doubt that. From what I hear, when Powder Gangers want somethin' bad enough, they'll get it, no matter how many innocent people have to die. And they already know I'm here. It's just a matter of me standing up, or them storming in here and killing me themselves. I don't see a way for this situation to resolve itself peacefully."
"Maybe I can help." Alessa asked, and Ringo looked up at her, as if not believing what he just heard.
"What'd you say?" He asked incredulously. Alessa frowned, trying to act tough.
"Well...I-It sounds like you need a hired gun. I'm available." Judging by the look Ringo was giving her, the tough act wasn't working very well.
"Sorry. You look as much like a mercenary as a Yao Guai looks like a teddy bear." Alessa had absolutely no idea what he meant by that, but assumed he didn't buy her tough-girl act.
"Well...Okay, you're right. I'm not a mercenary. But maybe I could round up the rest of the town. They've been threatened by the Powder Gangers, too. I'm sure they'll want to help you out." Ringo mulled the idea over in his head.
"Guess it couldn't hurt to try." He shrugged. "I'd start with Sunny Smiles. She's been friendlier than most in this town, and seems like she knows how to handle a gun." Alessa smiled.
"She'll be glad to help. I know it." She turned to the door, but Ringo stopped her.
"Hey," he started, and Alessa looked over her shoulder at him. "Why're you helping me, anyway? You don't even know who I am." Alessa just smiled.
"Maybe not. But...The people here didn't know who I was, either, but they saved my life. They don't know who you are, but they gave you a place to lie low. Good people still exist in the world. It's just hard to find them, that's all." Ringo was floored by her pseudo-speech.
"I..." He nodded. "Yeah. You've got a point. Well...Thanks, uh...I didn't catch your name." He realized.
"Alessa." She held out a hand. "Alessa Grant. I'm a courier for the Mojave Express. And I was shot in the head a week ago." Ringo's eyes widened at the story.
"And you're still kickin'? Maybe we do stand a chance, after all." He chuckled, shaking her hand. "Thanks, Alessa." She smiled in return.
"Don't mention it. I'll be right back." With that, she turned to leave the gas station, and headed to the Prospector Saloon.
* . * . * . * . * . *
Sunny Smiles had just kicked back and opened an ice cold bottle of Sunset Sarsaparilla when the door to the bar opened, Alessa stepping inside. She smiled at the girl, gesturing to an empty seat at the table in front of her.
"Hi there." She greeted. "Stickin' around Goodsprings a while longer?" Alessa nodded, sitting down beside her, removing a bottle of Sunset Sarsaparilla from her own pack, opening it up.
"Yeah. I...Talked to Ringo." Sunny raised an eyebrow.
"He still at the station?" She asked, lowering her voice. Alessa nodded.
"I'm...Going to help him fight off the Powder Gangers. He wanted me to ask you for help..." She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence.
"Say no more." Sunny said, suddenly determined. "I'm in." Alessa's eyes widened.
"Just like that? It could be really dangerous...Someone may get killed..." Sunny shook her head.
"I have a feeling we'll be facing Cobb and his boys eventually. I know his type. They say they'll leave us alone, but if they decide to come after Goodsprings, they'll roll right over this town. Turn it into ash if we resist. And they will come after the town eventually." Alessa gulped.
"I know they will. Ringo knows it, too. I think he feels kind of bad for bringing them here." Sunny shrugged.
"It ain't his fault. Cobb and the others like him are just scum. Ringo didn't make 'em that way, so he shouldn't feel sorry." She took a sip of Sarsaparilla, as did Alessa. "The three of us won't stand a chance against the group that's building." Sunny said seriously. "We need to find a way to get the whole town involved, or we'll never stand a chance." Alessa nodded.
"Right. But...How can we convince everyone to band up?" Sunny grinned.
"Trudy's got pull over everybody in this town. Start with her."
"Any advice on how to convince her? She didn't seem too happy with Ringo when I spoke to her." Sunny frowned now, thinking.
"Well...A silver tongue would help." Alessa cringed. That was something she wasn't gifted with, unfortunately. "But a plan would be even better. Trudy likes people who know what they're doing, who aren't just screwin' around." Alessa nodded.
"Okay, I'll talk to her. Any other advice?"
"Well...I know Ol' Easy Pete has a stash of dynamite somewhere, but he's pretty protective of it. You'd have to convince him you know a thing or two about explosives, or he's likely not to give it up. And I know Chet got some supplies recently. He probably has armor he could give to the town, if the word "give" was in his vocabulary. You'll probably have to barter with him." Alessa sighed.
"I'm no good at bartering...But...I did find a magazine about explosives. Maybe it'll have an article about dynamite." Sunny nodded.
"Well, it's a start. If you could talk to Doc Mitchell, too, it'd help. He might have spare medical supplies that could really help us out, considering someone's bound to get hurt." Alessa nodded.
"Okay. Leave everything to me." She stood, finishing her Sarsaparilla, and tossed the bottle in a wastebasket near the door, heading to the bar.
"So, you're back. Anything I can get you?" Trudy asked as Alessa sat down.
"No, thank you, ma'am. But there's an important manner to discuss. Sunny, Ringo and I...We're going to try and scare off Joe Cobb." Trudy's brow furrowed.
"So," she said, "You're plannin' on takin' on Joe Cobb's gang? You're crazier than you look." She shook her head. "But, I suppose you gotta do what you think is right." Alessa forced a smile.
"Ringo and I owe our lives to this town. I don't want to see it get taken over by thugs. But...Um...Well, we're a little outnumbered as it stands. We were hoping, um..." She stumbled over her words. "Maybe...You could help? Please?" Trudy raised an eyebrow.
"All the more reason for me to sit this one out, from the sound of it. I'll root for you from here, though." Alessa frowned, standing now, and moved to the windows, observing the area outside. There were plenty of good hiding spots: Behind a cart in front of the Saloon, behind a bunch of crates in front of the General Store, and the alleyway between the buildings were a good start. She turned back to Trudy.
"There's plenty of places near the Saloon and the Store that are good spots to stage an ambush," She said, having already calculated the possibility of a successful coup. "But we need bodies to man those spots, and we don't have enough right now." Trudy mulled the thought over in her head, and nodded.
"You certainly sound like you know what you're doin'. Count me in." Alessa smiled brightly at this.
"Think you can round up the other members of the town?" Trudy smiled.
"I think I can have a few words with people. But we'll need some more stuff to keep us alive. Everyone in town may own a gun, but without armor, we're sittin' Brahmin."
"I know. I was going to try and talk to Chet, and see if he'd give his supply of armor to the town." Trudy scoffed.
"That man's got caps for eyeballs. Even if the town was burnin' down around him, he'd still make you barter with him. Although, he is quite susceptible to the charms of a lovely lady." Alessa's cheeks flushed.
"I...Uh...I mean...I guess, if it's for the town...M-Maybe I could, um...Er...T-Try to...To sweet talk him..." She shuddered at the idea, as if the very thought disgusted her. Trudy chuckled a bit.
"I was kiddin' about that part, although it'd probably work. But I wouldn't make you do that. Do whatever you have to, but if he doesn't budge, we'll get by without him." Alessa gulped, and nodded.
"Okay...Well...I guess I'd better round up the rest of the town." Trudy nodded.
"Focus on Chet, Pete, and Mitchell for now. I'll worry about the others." Alessa nodded, but her eyes brightened as a thought crossed her mind...Victor! If the Powder Gangers saw a massive robot barreling towards them, they'd probably run with their tails between their legs.
"Oh! What about Victor?" Trudy raised an eyebrow, confused. "You know, the robot that found me?" Alessa asked. Trudy scoffed again.
"That ol' thing's been around since before I set up shop here. Some say his owner lived here, but nobody knows who it was...I'd be careful around him, if I was you." Alessa seemed confused, and Trudy continued. "It's never taken to helpin' anyone before. All it really does is roll around town once in a while. I dunno why it took such an interest in you, but I don't trust it." Alessa frowned a bit.
"You...Don't like him?" She asked. Trudy crossed her arms.
"It acts friendly, but I don't trust that whole "cheerful cowboy" act. Be honest, I find it very creepy."
"Well, he saved my life." Alessa put emphasis on the word "he," which surprised Trudy a bit. "Besides, I bet the Powder Gangers would be surrendering in no time if they saw him speeding towards them."
"I suppose, but like I said, I wouldn't put too much faith in that robot." Alessa shrugged, and got up again.
"Well, it wouldn't hurt, right? I'll be back." She soon moved to the door of the Saloon, pushing it open. Outside, on some old chairs, sat an older gentleman she hadn't seen before. He had cloud-white hair and dark skin, and wore similar attire to most of the residents of Goodsprings, with the addition of a rawhide cowboy hat on his head.
"Howdy," he greeted when he noticed Alessa looking in his direction. "What can Easy Pete do ya for?"
"You're Easy Pete?" He nodded. "Well...What do you know about Joe Cobb?" She asked. He frowned.
"Bad trouble." He said simply.
"That's...Helpful?" She replied, for lack of better words.
"Welcome." He said, although she didn't exactly tell him "thanks." She shook her head.
"Well...Some of us are gathering to push his group out of Goodsprings." Pete nodded.
"Sounds like a plan. They been nothin' but a plague to us good, honest folk. Be nice to go back to peaceful nights without havin' to have our guns too close." Alessa nodded.
"My thoughts exactly. And Sunny mentioned you have dynamite-" Pete cut her off there.
"Woooah, now, don't get too ahead of yerself. It's too dangerous. You'll blow yourselves up if I let you touch it. Better to leave it buried. Safer that way." He nodded. Alessa thought back to the magazine.
"Well...I'm familiar with the care and handling of explosives." She said matter-of-factly, hoping the facade would work. "Dynamite included." Pete seemed to be staring into the depths of her soul, but eventually gave way.
"Uh huh. Guess if you know what you're doin', I'll go dig it up and get it ready." The older gentleman rose to a stand. "You'll have it by the time the fightin' starts." Alessa smiled, amazed that her trick worked.
"Thank you. It means a lot to me...A-And the rest of the town, too. Say, while we're here...Do you know anything about Victor?" Pete nodded.
"The machine, y'mean?" Alessa nodded. "Harmless, no matter what Trudy says. She thinks it's hiding somethin'. Me? I think it's just a broken-down relic, with no place to be. This place is the only home it knows, so I'm thinkin' it won't be hard to get him to help out." Alessa smiled even brighter.
"My thoughts, exactly. Um...Do you know where he is?" Pete nodded, pointing down the road.
"Just follow the main street down a ways. You'll find him by the old shack. Can't miss it. Place looks older'n half the buildings here."
"Thanks." Alessa began to head out. "Please hurry. I don't know how much time we'll have before the Powder Gangers show up." Pete nodded.
"You got my word. You'll have those 'splosives by the time they show." Alessa smiled, reassured, and hurried off to find Victor. The robot was standing, as Pete predicted, by an old shack with a pre-War flag hanging on the door.
* . * . * . * . * . *
"Howdy, Pardner!" Victor called, spotting her. "What d'you need?"
"Are you decent in a fight?" Alessa asked. "There may be a scuffle in town soon, and we could use all the firepower we can get." Victor's cowboy-face-monitor turned serious for a moment.
"Trouble with rustlers, huh? You can count me in, Pardner. Those varmints'll be runnin' home with their tails between their legs soon enough." Alessa smiled, and Victor's monitor-face cheered at the sight.
"Thanks, Victor. You're the best." She wanted to hug the robot.
"Aw, shucks, it's no trouble."
"Say, does anyone live in this shack?" She asked.
"Nope. Not that I remember, anyways."
"Maybe I could use it to store some of my stuff." Victor nodded.
"Fine with me. I'll keep watch out front. Keep ruffians outta your belongin's." She smiled, the urge to hug the robot growing stronger.
"Thanks, Victor."
"No problemo, Pardner. Now, you better get your things settled. No tellin' when them ruffians'll show." Alessa nodded in agreement.
"Right. I'll come get you when we're ready."
* . * . * . * . * . *
"Doc Mitchell?" The older gentleman turned from his seat, having just sat down and cracked open a pre-War novel for what seemed like the millionth time in his life.
"Well, now. Welcome back. I didn't think I'd be seein' you again so soon. What's the occasion?" Mitchell asked, folding an already well-used corner of the page he was on, and set his book down.
"The town's going to be attacked by bandits." She stated seriously. "They'll be using explosives. We're going to need supplies, if you can spare them." Mitchell frowned.
"Seems like wherever I go, it's always the same. Folks just never seem to leave each other alone." He shook his head. "I ain't much good in a fight, what with my bum leg. And my supplies're scarce, but I have a few I can spare. It ain't much, but it'll do more good out there than it will in here." He got up, gathering a sack half-full of Stims, Doctor's Bags, and even some Med-X. "Take what I got." Alessa smiled.
"Thank you, Doc Mitchell. These supplies will save plenty of lives." Mitchell smiled in return.
"That's what I'm here for. No need to thank me. Find me when the fightin's over, and I'll help however I can." Alessa nodded.
"Will do." With that, she left to finish the last (and perhaps hardest) task left to her: Reason with Chet.
* . * . * . * . * . *
By the time Alessa had mustered up enough courage to step into Chet's store by herself, it was already eleven at night, according to her Pip-Boy. The man had just been getting ready for bed when he heard the door open. He stumbled out, wearing well-used pre-War nightclothes.
"Oh, it's you." His grumpy, annoyed at being interrupted attitude faded at the sight of the pretty Courier that had come in with Sunny that afternoon. "Lookin' to buy some supplies?"
"Um, not exactly..." Alessa shuffled her feet nervously after making her way to the counter. "The, um...The town's going to be attacked by bandits." His face turned serious.
"That sounds bad."
"It is. Sunny mentioned you got a shipment of leather armor, and we could really use it..." She trailed off as dollar signs appeared in the older male's eyes.
"Now, hold on. I didn't agree to standin' up to those bullies. That's a 1,000 cap investment we're talking about." Alessa's eyes widened and she nearly fell backwards at the price he proposed. She didn't even have 100 caps.
"Th-That's insane!" She cried. "I don't have anywhere near that amount..." Chet merely shrugged.
"Well, then, I guess we have nothing further to discuss." The man's nonchalant attitude annoyed her, especially since his very own hometown was at stake.
"If we lose to the Powder Gangers, they're going to overrun your store, and there's no way you can fend them off with a shotgun by yourself!" She shouted, angry at his attitude. "They'll take your supplies, and burn your store, and probably burn you alive in it while they're at it! Would you prefer that route? Because I wouldn't, and neither would the rest of the town!" Chet gulped at Alessa's sudden change in attitude. It actually frightened him a bit. Although she was considerably shorter than he was (she was about 5'2" at the most, and he was 5'11"), she looked like she wasn't afraid to throw him across the room at this very moment.
"I, uh...I see your point. But still, these supplies cost a lot of caps..."
"And what about your sister, Cindy?" Alessa recalled the young blonde she and Sunny had rescued. "She was attacked by Geckos at the water source earlier today. She couldn't hold her own against a bunch of thugs, I'm sure. Just imagine, for one second, what they could do to her. What they could do to the rest of the town!" The images that popped into Chet's head were less than savory, and he shuddered at the thought of the terrible fate that could await his little sister.
"Okay, okay, I get it! You can have the supplies. Just tell everybody to get in here. While the fightin's goin' on, Cindy and I will stay in here. Gotta have someone protectin' the store." Alessa frowned further at his answer, and he gulped again. "I, uh...I gotta put my business first. Y-You understand...Right?" Alessa understood completely. Chet was gutless, cowardly. But at least he surrendered his armor.
"I believe our discussion is over." The girl replied. Chet nodded.
"Oh, uh...I got some spare ammo, too..." Alessa turned to leave the store.
"We could use it. Now, if you'll excuse me, sir, I need to tie up some loose ends."
"I won't keep ya." Chet said quickly, and Alessa left the store, amazed at her own change of persona when dealing with the man. Perhaps, somewhere deep inside herself, there was inner strength left untapped. She made her way back up the hill to the gas station, after paying a quick visit to the bar to let Sunny and Trudy know that the work had been done. Some of the town's citizens had already gathered at the Saloon, and the sight eased Alessa's concerns further.
"I talked to Sunny, Trudy, and Easy Pete. The town's on our side." Alessa announced as she entered the gas station. Ringo smiled, looking more relieved than he had before.
"That's great news. When's it all gonna go down, then?" Alessa was about to reply, when Sunny came up behind her, looking grave.
"Right now." The woman answered, and Alessa turned, surprised. "The Powder Gangers are here, and they're making their way towards the Saloon as we speak." Alessa's eyes widened, her mind instantly going to work. She needed to calculate...
"How many are there?" She asked quickly.
"Six, I think. Cobb included." Sunny answered.
"Not too bad, we can handle them." Alessa nodded, relieved at what seemed like a small number to her. "Where's Trudy, and the others?"
"Already takin' cover near the Store and the Saloon."
"Excellent. The Powder Gangers won't know what hit them."
"Let's go!" Ringo surged forward, with renewed vigor, pushing past the two girls. Sunny followed, and Alessa watched the two for a moment, before gathering her wits again, removing her Laser Pistol from its holster, charging down the hill after them.