"Well, welcome to you!" The woman called as Alessa neared the front desk. "You look tired from the road. Why don't you relax a spell? Let this fine town take care of you." As she spoke, Alessa couldn't help thinking she must've been a grandmother.
"Thank you, Ma'am, but we haven't met yet." She held out a hand. "My name's Alessa Grant."
"Oh, what am I doing? I got to thinking about making a good impression, and plum forgot to tell you my name." The woman took Alessa's hand, smiling warmly. "I'm Jeannie May. I take care of the folks in Novac, so long as they don't make trouble." The last few words sent a chill down Alessa's spine. Jeannie May spoke them so serious and stern that she felt the familiar skin-itching Victor had mentioned.
"Oh, I assure you, I won't cause any trouble while I'm here. Is this a hotel?"
"Why, it sure is. This is the Dino Dee-Lite Motel, and it's mine. Rooms run for about 100 caps, but we try and keep 'em as clean and well-decorated as we can. I guarantee you won't find a more comfortable place outside New Vegas."
"100 caps, huh?" Alessa pondered. She was needing a nice, warm bed. "Sounds reasonable. I'll take a room." She shelled out the money, and Jeannie May seemed to brighten at the sight of it.
"Sounds good. You can stay as long as you like. Well, at least until the busy season comes." She chuckled faintly, and slipped the caps into the register. "I'm glad you can stay with us. Your room will be upstairs, closest to the lobby side. Just let Jeannie May know if there's anything that can be done to make your stay more comfortable." Alessa smiled, taking the shiny key.
"Thanks, Ma'am...Actually, come to think of it, there is something you can do for me. Can you tell me if a man in a checkered coat came through here recently?" She asked, hopeful that she'd get some information. At the mention of the man, Jeannie May's face soured.
"Well! He might've been wearing a fancy outfit, but he certainly wasn't any gentleman to me! Had his nose stuck so high in the air, you couldn't see it above the clouds!" she sighed heavily, shaking her head. "City folk, I tell you, they always expect they deserve better than what they've got. And those Khan hoodlums he was with seemed to know Manny, for some reason."
"Manny?" Alessa asked. Jeannie May smiled.
"Our daytime sniper, up in the dinosaur's mouth." She explained, and Alessa nodded.
"Is there another sniper? You mentioned Manny only works during the day." Jeannie May nodded.
"Mr. Boone is our night sniper. Doesn't talk much, but he's a good man. Both of them are, actually. Right angels, they are. Don't know where our little town would be if they weren't keepin' watch over us." Jeannie May gushed, and Alessa smiled.
"It's nice to know that there are still good people in the world, isn't it? Could you tell me where Manny is? I'd like to ask him about the man in the checkered coat and his friends. It's a very important matter." Alessa stated seriously, and Jeannie May nodded.
"He ought to be in the Dinosaur's mouth. His shift should've started about an hour ago."
"Thank you, ma'am. Is there anywhere I can go for supplies?"
"Well, for regular supplies, go see Cliff Briscoe at the Dino-Bite Gift Shop, and tell him I sent you. Poor man must get lonely, standin' in the belly of a dinosaur all day. I'm sure he'd be glad for the company." Alessa nodded, smiling.
"Thank you very much, Miss Jeannie May. I'd better unload all this junk in my room."
"Of course! Why, I'm impressed you could carry all of that all the way here! Go on and get some rest. Sorry to keep you."
"Oh, no, it's fine, ma'am. Thanks again." With that, Alessa would walk out of the office, heading to her room.
* . * . * . * . * . *
"Welcome to the Dino-Bite Gift Shop!" Alessa was greeted by Cliff Briscoe, who was happy to see a new customer. "My name's Cliff, and I run the shop. If you're lookin' for T-Rex Figurines, you're just in time! We still have a few left."
"T-Rex figurines?" Alessa blinked, looking at the one on Cliff's desk. She couldn't help thinking it was kind of cute. "Oh...I'm Alessa Grant. Jeannie May said you had supplies?""Supplies? Well, yeah..." He sighed. "Darn it. No one ever buys the T-Rexes...Well, any friend of Jeannie's is a friend of mine. And my friends get a discount at my store." Alessa smiled.
"Well, I didn't say I wasn't interested in the T-Rex figurines. I'll take one." Cliff's eyes widened, surprised.
"You will? Seriously?"
"Of course. I think it would look very nice on one of the endtables next to my bed." Cliff was absolutely stupefied.
"I...All right, then. Oh, uh, you needed supplies, too? Let me see what I have in the back..."
* . * . * . * . * . *
After stocking up, Alessa ascended the stairs in the Dino Bite Gift Shop, seeing a man standing there. He wore a red beret, a red sweatshirt, black vest, pants, boots and gloves, his hair slightly messy. In his hands was a hunting rifle with a scope added on to it. He turned to face Alessa, raising an eyebrow.
"What's goin' on, man?" He asked, seeming very laid back, which surprised Alessa.
"Are you Manny Vargas?" He nodded.
"One and only. What can I do for you?"
"Well..." She nervously scuffed the floorboards with one foot. "I'm looking for a man in a checkered coat. Miss Jeannie May said you saw him." Manny nodded, crossing his arms as he leaned against the dinosaur's teeth.
"Sure, I know him. What do you want with him?" Alessa's expression hardened.
"I...Have a score to settle, and I'm looking for answers. He shot me, stole my memories and a package I was supposed to deliver. I want to know why." Manny sighed.
"Hoo, that's rough. I mean, I knew the guy was a snake, but I didn't know he'd stoop that low. I can help you find him, but I've got problems of my own."
"Is there any way I can help?" Alessa asked, and Manny was surprised by her eagerness.
"Huh? Well...Sure. Yeah, if you don't mind fighting off Ghouls."
"Oh...Up near REPCONN, right? Miss Jeannie and Cliff said something about the rocket factory." Manny nodded.
"See, Novac's home to me now. And I wanna protect my home, no matter what. That factory is our bread and butter. Without scavenged parts from there, no one will wanna come through here. Those Ghouls gotta go, or else this town...It'll become a ghost town before long."
"That's awful..." Alessa looked down. "Well...If you promise to tell me where that man went, I'll help you." Manny smiled.
"I knew there was something about you I liked. You look like a person who can really get things done." Alessa smiled in return, blushing a bit as she ruffled her hair slightly.
"I just like to help people. Should I meet you back up here once I'm done?" Manny shook his head.
"Not after sunset. That's when Boone takes his post."
"Oh...Um...Who's Boone again?"
"He's our nighttime sniper." Manny looked away. "I'd introduce you, but...He and I aren't on very good terms right now." Alessa raised an eyebrow, curious as to why that was. Manny seemed to read her mind, and continued. "Me and his wife didn't see eye-to-eye on certain things, had some pretty bad arguments. One day she turns up missing, and he hasn't said a word to me since."
"Do you think he blames you for it?" Manny shrugged.
"I dunno. I'd like to think he knows better than that. As much as I didn't like the bitch, he seemed happy with her. I wouldn't wanna screw that up. He's...Well, was my best friend, y'know?"
"Of course not. What do you think happened?" Manny shrugged again.
"Who knows? Jeannie May thinks she ran off to Vegas or something. But, thing is, when she disappeared...She was pregnant with his kid." Alessa's eyes widened.
"Sounds suspicious...I don't know a pregnant woman who would run out on her family like that."
"I agree. As much of a bitch as she could be, she really loved Boone. If she wanted to leave him, she wouldn't have even come to Novac with him. Like I said, he's up here at night. If you wanna try and talk to him about it, be my guest. But...Nobody's been able to get very many words out of him about the whole thing."
"I'll see what I can do...Anyway, I should head to REPCONN before it gets dark." Manny nodded.
"Hey...Thanks for this. It means a lot." Alessa smiled.
"No problem. You can count on me."
* . * . * . * . * . *
"Hey!" A gruff voice called over the intercom as Alessa entered the REPCONN factory, startling her enough that she nearly fired her gun. "Over here! Are you listening?" Upon realizing that the voice was coming from the intercom, she spoke into it.
"Um...Who are you?"
"Who I am doesn't matter, Smoothskin." The voice sounded annoyed. "Go to the big room on the east side of this building and take the metal staircase all the way up. Hurry." The intercom soon went silent, and Alessa could hear the growling and hissing of Feral Ghouls throughout the building. Not only that, but there were corpses on the floor. One was a Super Mutant. Alessa sighed heavily, reloading her new gun, a mysterious pistol called "That Gun."
"This is going to be a long night..." Alessa murmured, and began to head through the building.
* . * . * . * . * . *
"God, but are you ugly!" The voice on the intercom belonged to a middle aged man, with dark hair, dark eyes, wearing a scientist's coat. He was balding, and he wasn't very attractive himself. "Get upstairs and talk to Jason before I throw up just from looking at you." Alessa frowned, crossing her arms.
"That's a nice thing to say to someone who's willing to help you with...Whatever it is you need help with." She moved past the man, and headed up the stairs. Before her stood a Glowing One in a tattered suit. This was the first Glowing ghoul she'd met that wasn't feral.
"Hello, wanderer." He greeted Alessa warmly, smiling. "Please forgive us our humble surroundings. Our true home awaits us in the Far Beyond. Have you come to help us make the Great Journey?"
"Um...Well, if you need help, sure. But actually, I came here because feral Ghouls have been coming into Novac." Jason's smile turned to a concerned frown.
"And they've been shooting them down like animals, haven't they? Those Ghouls were members of my flock, even after madness consumed their minds. We never let them wander free. They must have escaped our enclosure when the Demons came."
"Demons?" She asked. "What demons?"
"The Demons appeared from nowhere...Although, it's more accurate to say they never actually appeared at all." Jason explained. "The Demons are invisible. Where one of them stands, the most one sees is the air shimmering, like sunlight on water. They set upon us as we were on our way to worship one morning. My flock fought bravely, but nearly half of us died, or went missing. The survivors retreated up here. One of the Demons raved at us. Their presence has hindered the Great Journey greatly." His expression soon brightened. "But now you have come. The Creator has sent us another human to help us overcome what appears to be an insurmountable obstacle."
"You say one of the demons raved at you? About what?" Alessa asked.
"Threats of death should we step outside. It went on for hours, and did not always make sense. But since the first day, we have heard only silence."
"I'll take care of the demons for you, so long as you promise not to allow any more feral Ghouls to wander into Novac."
"You have my word, Wanderer. Bless you. Bless us all! As soon as the underground has been rid of Demons, preparations for the Great Journey can resume."
* . * . * . * . * . *
"What's that, Antler? We have a visitor? An assassin, more like! I say we kill it, Antler! For safe's sake!" The invisible "demon" seemed to be talking to a Brahmin skull, a sight which slightly unnerved Alessa. He went quiet for a moment, as if listening to what "Antler" had to say. "Hnnh? Okay, Antler. I'll ask nicely. Uh...Hi, human! Why you come here?"
"I, um...I came on behalf of the Ghouls upstairs."
"A human who is friend to Ghouls? Suspicious. Antler told them stay put, but they want to come down in basement anyways. I cannot allow! My kin are not, uh...Right in the head, like I am! They kill, go crazy! Your Ghoul friends have to wait until we find what Antler brought us to get!" Alessa raised an eyebrow, wondering what on Earth these things could possibly find here.
"And what is it that you're looking for?"
"Antler brought us here for a reason! What was it, Antler? ...Oh, right! Piece of paper, shipment invoice! Hundreds of Stealth Boys, here! Sent a long time ago! But, Stealth Boys must be in one room, room we can't search!"
"Why can't you search the last room?" Alessa asked.
"A Ghoul! But not squishy like others. This Ghoul is tough. Ghoul is a crack shot, and set traps, too! Antler says you are solution to problem!" Alessa thought about it.
"Okay. I'll help you, but only if you promise to leave this place once I've found your Stealth Boys."
"Yes. Antler says we leave as soon as we get Stealth Boys. I give you key now." The creature moved over to her, and handed her a worn key. "Ghoul inside not suspecting human. Maybe he no shoot you! Or maybe he will."
"I'd hope he doesn't...Alright. I'll find the Stealth Boys for you." She soon turned to leave the room, heading down the metal walkway towards a dead Nightkin, unlocking the door in front of it.
"Come and get it you big, dumb-!" A gruff voice, similar to the bald man upstairs shouted, but paused upon seeing Alessa. "Huh? You're not one of those things. Who the hell are you?"
"Jason sent me down here to get rid of them. They wanted me to search this room for something they're looking for." The Ghoul frowned.
"Lemme guess, Jason told you it's the Creator's will to risk your ass down here? Good luck with that. I might look like a corpse, but I'm pretty partial to living."
"How did you end up trapped down here?" Alessa asked, hoping to find a way to convince this Ghoul to abandon his post.
"I'm not trapped. This was a tactical choice, alright? I'm no match for those things out there, so I found a good defensive position, and I've been holding 'em off." He paused, soon shaking his head. "Aw, who'm I kidding? I'm trapped. Name's Harland. Pleased to meetcha."
"Alessa Grant, and likewise, Harland."
"See, what happened was, I was escorting some folks down here. Then those things attacked, some folks panicked and went further into the basement, and I went after them. I couldn't find the others, so I fell back to this room. End of story."
"How can I help you get out of here?"
"Hah! Well, you're polite, I give you that. If this was just between you and me, I'd leave. But it's not. I had a friend with me when those bastards attacked, and I think they captured her when she ran further into the basement. She's probably dead, but I ain't leaving until I know for sure."
"I'll find her, don't worry." Alessa assured him.
"Thanks. Let me know what you find out. Here's hoping she's okay." Alessa turned to leave the room, determined to find Harland's friend.
* . * . * . * . * . *
After another hour (and nearly getting herself killed), Alessa discovered that Harland's friend was dead, and that there were no Stealth Boys in the facility. She tiredly made her way into the offices where the Ghouls were holed up, to meet Jason.
"Is the way clear?" He asked, hopeful.
"Yes. The Demons are gone." Alessa answered, and Jason sighed in relief.
"Praise the Creator! And bless you, Wanderer! Now, I will lead my flock through the basement, to the Sacred Site. I hope you will come and find us there, for there is much to be done!" With that, Jason gathered his group, and the Ghouls headed to the basement, Alessa following behind. Upon arriving in the basement control room, Jason stopped her to speak with her.
"I wanted to speak with you one last time before we depart. I want you to know that we will remember for all eternity how you delivered us to the threshold of the Great Journey. Our preparations are nearly complete, but our rockets are still missing vital components. If you could help Chris track down those components, it would be a blessing."
"On the subject of Chris..." Alessa spoke softly, a little concerned. "He thinks he's a Ghoul..."
"Yes. Chris came to us seeking shelter, and we granted him shelter. We tried to convince him he was human, but that only angered him. He seemed...Lost. We decided to let him stay with us, and over the course of time, we learned he was quite the mechanic. It became clear that the Creator sent him to help us complete the Great Journey. Equally clear was that Chris should labor in blessed ignorance of his humanity. It is no coincidence that two humans have been vital to the completion of the Great Journey. The Creator has sent you both to us to expiate the sins of your kind. You have redeemed humans, and for that, I bless you."
"So...You're going to leave Chris behind?" Alessa asked. Jason nodded, sighing sadly.
"We'd love to take him with us, but the radiation on the launch pad would kill him. The radiation of the Far Beyond is much stronger."
"But you've been using him...It's not right."
"It is the Creator's will, and I must submit. There is no malice behind it. Now, I must bid you farewell. I need to descend to the launch pad to finish our preparations." Alessa nodded.
"Goodbye, Jason. I...Hope all goes well." He smiled at Alessa, and soon left the room. As Jason left, Chris entered, and Alessa felt a pang of guilt.
"Jason says that I am to cooperate with you on the final tasks necessary to launch the Great Journey."
"How can I help?" Alessa asked, wondering if she should tell Chris the truth about what Jason said.
"I was close to completing work on the rockets before we were driven into hiding. Two components are missing. A radioactive igniting agent, and a set of thrust control modules. I believe you can find the thrust control modules somewhere just outside of Novac. Some old scavenger woman should have them. As for the igniting agent, Jason has mentioned some industrial ruins nearby that may have some." Alessa nodded, sighing.
"Chris...I...You need to know something. Jason won't let you work on the launch pad because the radiation down there would kill you...Because you're human." Chris scoffed.
"I thought we were past this, Smoothskin. But you just can't resist the chance to mess with me. Typical human."
"I'm not messing with you, Chris!" She exclaimed, but he continued.
"I was human, once. I grew up in Vault 34. Nice upbringing, if you like assault rifles and explosives, but oh, you like machines that don't kill people? Not so nice, then." He scowled. "Who should maintain the reactor? How about Haversam? He likes machines! Haversam won't mind getting irradiated! Haversam won't mind when his hair starts falling out after a few years! He's already ugly as it is! There's no connection, Haversam! You're neurotic!" Alessa frowned.
"So...You left your Vault because you were going bald?"
"Bald?" He shouted. "You call this bald? I'm a monster!"
"Chris, listen to me! Jason told me himself, you can't go on the Great Journey! You're human, and it's only for Ghouls!" Chris glared into her eyes, but saw nothing but honesty there.
"Oh, God...You're telling the truth, aren't you? How could they do this to me?" He cried, anger filling him. "For two years? God, I've been a joke to them! Do you have any idea how easy it'd be for me to sabotage those rockets? That'd be a joke, huh? One hell of a joke!" His mind raced, and Alessa realized she needed to alleviate the situation.
"That would be murder, Chris. You're no murderer."
"What, you think I'm too stupid to pull it off? I know enough to get the rockets working, don't I? So I can make them fail, too!""It isn't a matter of smarts, Chris. You would never forgive yourself."
"Like I could forgive myself for getting duped like this?" He shouted. "They used me! And now they're throwing me away!" Alessa shook her head, feeling sorry for the lost man.
"Chris, they'd take you if they could, but you'd die."
"And dying would be worse than this? Used up and thrown away like garbage?" Alessa shook her head.
"How can you say that? They're going to revere you as a Saint!"
"So I've redeemed the human race, huh? What a crock! The human race can't stand me!"
"That's not true. You're not a bad guy, Chris." He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms.
"So, what, you want me to accompany you on your adventures across the wasteland?" Alessa shook her head.
"No, but I think the town of Novac, down the road, could use somebody like you. And they wouldn't just use you up and throw you away." Chris thought about the suggestion.
"Life among humans again? I...Suppose it's worth a shot. I'll get Jason and his flock on their way, and then I'll head for Novac." Alessa smiled.
"Now, that's more like it. I think you'll fit in very well there, Chris."
* . * . * . * . * . *
After getting the materials needed, Alessa was relieved to finally call this mission a success.
"So that's it, right? The rockets are ready now?" Alessa sounded hopeful as she spoke to Chris, wanting nothing more than to go back to Novac and relax for a while.
"Yes. I'll tell Jason that the Great Journey can begin." After a long speech from Jason down on the Launch Pad, Chris left the facility, leaving Alessa to do the honors of launching the rockets. She ascended to the top of the building, in a sort of control tower where a console sat. Alessa gulped, looking the buttons over, finding the launch button. She took a deep breath, pressing it. Suddenly, the facility was alive with music, and very dramatic music, at that. A dome opened up, revealing the rockets, and within minutes the rockets took flight. Alessa watched, amazed at the sight, knowing she'd never see anything like it in her life again. Once the rockets had blasted off, she sighed in relief, leaving the REPCONN facility for good, and heading back to Novac to tell Manny the good news.
"After this," she spoke up to ED-E. "I'm going to take a nice, long nap." ED-E responded with a beep and a chirp, and followed Alessa back to Novac.
* . * . * . * . * . *
Author's Note: Long chapter, I know, but I wanted to get all of that out of the way in one shot. But hey, think of it this way...Next chapter, we get introduced to Boone! Woo! New companion! *Throws confetti, and whatnot.* I'm probably going to take a short break after writing this chapter (LOOOOONGGGGGG), but rest assured that it won't be too long before we meet Boone. :) Talk at you all later!