Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize. Fallout New Vegas belongs to the respective owners.

Savior

02

"Arms up, like that. Keep your finger off the trigger for now. Look down the slide and keep your eyes on your target. Right, now gently pull the trigger." Elise frowned when the gun went off. The bullet hit the target, but a little off center. "You're pretty decent at this." Joshua stepped back from where he had his arms around her and gave her a grin.

"Why are we doing this again? Is this even allowed? Isn't someone going to be angry that you're teaching a slave to use a gun?" Elise frowned at the .45. It was a beautiful gun, Joshua's personal favorite. Elise knew how to use guns, but she was never particularly good at it. Growing up in a tribe meant she learned when she was young, but it was never a pushed skill. Before Caesar, they were a relatively peaceful group of people.

Joshua frowned at her, those bright eyes boring into her gray ones. "Stop it. You haven't been a slave in almost a year now, you do realize that? Being the Legate's wife, when we move to the Mojave, you will become a target. The NCR has no problems with taking and hurting a defenseless woman if they think they can get information out of you. I can't be with you all the time, you need to be able to protect yourself. No one will say different."

"If they did, you would shoot them." Elise rolled her eyes and took a shot on her own, hitting very close to where she had with her husband's help. "I do know how to fire a gun, you know. And has it really been a year already?"

"Not denying that." A sly smile spread across Joshua's face. "Are your days blending in together, Elise?"

"If you would let me out of bed occasionally, maybe they wouldn't." Just saying that made Elise's face turned red, which earned a rich laugh from the Legate. "When are we, er, migrating?"

"We're not birds, Elise. It will be a while yet. We need to get the rest of the recruits trained and then we will make our move."

"Migration sounds better than invasion if you ask me."

"See it as liberation."

"I'll see it as liberation when the scars on my back miraculously disappear." Elise sighed, her good mood gone. "Are we done here?"

"Ugh.."

The light was bright, far brighter than she remembered it being. Wasn't it dark just a few minutes ago? Elise couldn't seem to remember what had happened. She remembered picking up the package in Primm, then moving to Goodsprings- SHIT. That idiot in the checkered coat. And why the hell did her head hurt? Did that man actually shoot her? Wouldn't she be dead?

She opened her eyes again and was surprised to see a shape leaning over her. Her eyes slowly focused and the shape became a man. "You're awake. How about that."

Elise shot up and groaned when the world seemed to dance. "Woah, easy there, easy. You've been out cold for a couple days now. Why don't you just relax a second and get your bearings? Let's see what the damage is. How about your name? Can you tell me your name?"

Elise took a deep breath and held her head. "It's Elise."

The man looked thoughtful. "Huh, can't say that's what I would have picked for you. But if that's your name, that's your name. I'm Doc Mitchell, welcome to Goodsprings. Now, I hope you don't mind, but I had to go rooting around there in your noggin to pull all of the bits of lead out. I take pride in my needlework, but you'd better take a look and tell me if I left anything out of place."

Doc Mitchell handed her the mirror and Elise looked at herself. Everything seemed to be in order. Same gray eyes, hairline, her eyebrows. The only thing that looked different was the scar that stood out right above her right eye. She handed it back and nodded, not really trusting herself to speak.

"Looks like I got most of it right. The stuff that mattered, anyways. Okay, no sense in keeping you in bed anymore. Let's see if we can get you on your feet." Elise allowed him to pull her to her feet, holding on when the world swayed a little more than she thought it should. "Good! Why don't you take a walk to the end of the room, over by the vigor tester. But take it slow, there's no race."

When Elise successfully, albeit slowly, made it to the machine, she took it in. It was definitely flashy, not something she had really ever seen before. It rated your endurance, strength, even luck. She looked at the doctor.

"Go ahead and try it, we'll see if you got back all your faculties." She nodded and put her hands on the machine and it only took seconds. "Yep, that's a pretty good score, but after what you've been through, it's great news. Your vitals are good, but that doesn't mean the bullet didn't have lasting damage. Sit on the couch there and let me ask you a few questions."

Elise was feeling tired already, but she slowly made her way to the couch, testing her limbs. She moved her hands and toes, her shoulders and knees. Everything felt sore, but it was better than being dead. When she got to the couch, she looked expectantly over to the doctor, who smiled warmly.

"Alright, I'm going to say a word and I want you to say the very first thing that comes to mind. Dog."

"Cat."

"House."

"Shelter."

"Night."

Elise frowned at that. "Silencer."

"Bandit."

"Swiss cheese."

"Light."

"Inspiration."

"Mother".

Another frown. "Regret."

Doc Mitchell gave her a look that just spelled sympathy. "Okay, now I've got a few statements and I want you to tell me how much they sound like you. First one: conflict just ain't in my nature."

Elise groaned, she was getting tired of this already. "Agree."

"I ain't given to relying on others for support."

"Agree."

"I'm always fixin' to be the center of attention."

Elise glared. "Strongly disagree."

Doc Mitchell held his hands up. "I am slow to embrace new ideas."

"Disagree."

"I charge in to deal with my problems head on."

"Agreed."

Doc stood up. "Alright, looks like we're done here. You've done mighty well for being shot in the head. Come with me, I'll see you out."

Elise stood and followed him, but he stopped her at the door. "Here, these are yours. Hope you don't mind, but I went through a few things to see about a next of kind. But all the note said was something about a platinum chip."

Elise nodded but noticed something was missing. Her clothes were there, the 10mm, her ammo... her .45 was gone. "I'm missing a .45 Auto."

Doc looked surprised. "That was all you had on you. Maybe the man who shot you took it. That type of gun is pretty rare around here. Would that gun have anything to do with the scars on your back?"

Tears burst from behind her eyes and Elise felt very overwhelmed. She nodded and broke down, telling him everything. For Doc Mitchell's credit, he just nodded and let her sob her story out while rubbing her back. "I'm sorry," she said, wiping her eyes. "I'm just, upset I guess. And I would appreciate you not telling anyone about that."

"Even if I did, with a back story like that, who would believe me?" He laughed softly. "Don't worry, your secret it safe with me. I did look your scars over, there isn't any lasting muscle damage. How long have you been free?"

"About four years or so."

"So no one has come looking for you?"

Elise shook her head. "No, and I never told anyone. The only people who know anything are you and the NCR rangers that pulled me out of the river, but they only know that I was an escaped slave. Not the other part."

Mitchell nodded slowly. "Well, I imagine if someone was going to come after you, it would have been before now. And I don't think Legion would have dug you a grave"

Elise nodded, now more mad than anything. "I just can't believe they took my gun. It was my husband's." Mitchell nodded sadly before he thought of something else.

"Here, since you're heading out, you might as well take this. It's called a Pipboy. I grew up in one of them vaults they made before the war. We all got one. It's ain't much use to me now, but you might want such a thing, after what you've been through. I know what it's like, having something taken from you. And put this on, too, so locals don't pick on you for lack of modesty. It was my wife's. I think she was about your size and she hardly wore it after we left the vault. Thought it too brazen."

Elise looked down, just now noticing that she was in nothing but her underwear and a tank top. She colored brightly before taking the vault suit. "Thank you so much, Doc. I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it, it's what I'm here for. Go talk to Sunny Smiles before you leave town, she can teach you how to fend yourself out in the desert if you need it. She'll likely be at the saloon. The other folks at the saloon might be able to help you out, too. And that metal fella, Victor, who pulled you out of your grave. And remember, if you ever get hurt out there, you come right back. I'll fix you up." Doc Mitchell walked away and Elise quickly pulled on the vault jumpsuit before walking out into the light.

Sunny Smiles was a very, very happy individual. So happy that it was apparently contagious. Elise found her previous sad mood melting away by spending time with Sunny. The fact that she gave her a Varmint Rifle probably helped a lot, too. Cheyenne also made her smile, running around and jumping. It had been a long time since she had seen a friendly dog.

More than once Elise found her hand moving down to her hip, where her .45 should be and the fact that it wasn't there made her angrier every time she caught herself doing it. Sunny had apparently caught her, too. "What's with the hip thing?" She asked as they sat down on a old bench by the water system. They had taken care of the geckos and Sunny had brought a few Sarsaparilla with her.

Elise sighed. "Sorry. Before I was shot, I had a .45 Auto that used to be my husbands. I've had it with me for at least four years. It's missing."

Sunny looked thoughtful. "Have you went up to your grave yet?"

Elise choked on the drink she just took. "Sorry?" She sputtered a little.

Sunny laughed. "Yeah, that's probably not what you want to hear, right? After we finish these, I'll show you to the cemetery. Only this time, I promise you won't be buried in it."

Elise glared at her and shoved her playfully, eliciting a "hey!" and some sloshed soda. "Thanks, I really appreciate it."

"Was the gun really important to you?"

Elise nodded. "Yeah, it's the only thing I have left of my husband."

Her companion frowned. "What happened to him?"

Elise paused. "Legion."

Sunny's face twisted into a frown, which looked unnatural on her face. "I'm so sorry. What have you been doing since then?"

"You know, wandering around the Mojave, taking up odd jobs. The longest one I've had is the Courier, and the thing that got me shot was only my third package."

Sunny was thougtful for a minute. "So, have you spoken to the robot yet?"

Elise frowned. "No, you were the first person I ran into, besides the guy at the general store. So far, I've gathered that he's a city boy in a stupid checkered coat with a few Great Khans. I remember them, partially. It gets a little fuzzy before the whole bullet in the brain thing."

Sunny nodded. "Understandable. It's not every day that you get shot in the head and live to tell about it."

Elise leaned back and felt the sun's rays on her face, undoubtedly burning her. "You're telling me."

Seeing your own grave was very creepy. Elise glared down at it while Sunny moved around, looking for anything that might be a clue. "Hey!" Elise turned around and saw Cheyenne sniffing at something.

"What'd she find?" Elise turned away from her grave with one last shudder and walked over the where her new friends were by the tree. Sunny was crouched down and held up a cigarette. "Yeah, people smoke, unfortunately. Those are probably the visitor's."

"No." Sunny sounded confident. "These are different. I've never seen these kind of smokes before. Seriously."

Elise frowned and took a closer look. There did seem to be something off about them. She pocketed a whole one and looked back down into the town. "I guess I need to talk to the robot." She started off, with Sunny and Cheyenne following behind.

It wasn't hard to find him. In a town like Goodsprings, a robot stood out like a sore thumb. He was in front of an old house, so Sunny stayed back a bit as I walked up to him. "He" was a securitron. I had run into them occasionally on my jobs. However, this one had a different face, it had a cowboy picture on the screen instead of the usual cop. Noticing my approach, he turned. "Howdy, partner! Might I say, you're looking fit as a fiddle!" He apparently had a twang, too.

Elise gave an uneasy smile. "Er, thanks. Thanks for digging me out of my.. grave, I guess."

"Don't mention it! I'm always ready to lend a helping hand to a stranger in need."

"How did you find me, if you don't mind me asking?" Elise couldn't help but fidget. This robot was creeping her out, and she noticed Sunny felt the same way.

"I was out for a stroll that night when I heard the commotion up at the old bone orchard. Saw what look like a bunch of bad eggs so I laid low. Once they'd run off, I dug you up to see if you were still kicking. Turns out, you were, so I hauled you off to the Doc right quick."

"Do you know who they were?"

"Sorry, but I can't say I'm familiar with them. Some of the folks in town might be able to help you out with that."

Elise sighed. "Well, thanks anyways."

"No problem!"

Elise sighed and motioned Sunny into the saloon. She sat down on a stool and held her head in her hands. Sunny sat next to her with Cheyenne at her feet. "I guess he didn't say much?"

"Nope. Nothing useful, anyways. Same thing. I'm going to have to go to Primm. Again. Nash is going to kill me."

Sunny just patted her back.

Primm was just a short walk away from Goodsprings. She had been there a few times since starting her job as a courier, so she knew it well. What differed from the normal Primm, though, was that it was no overrun with Powder Gangers.

Elise was fighting her way through the Bison Steve Casino, which was a wreck thanks to the stupid cons. She had found Johnson Nash in the Vicky and Vance Casino, but he refused to talk to her until she cleared out the town. Oh, and found the good for nothing Deputy Beagle, who Elise knew was just a perverted pig. Thanks to him, she now had a bullet wound in the shoulder.

She had made it through most of the casino and was making her way to the kitchen, which was the last place the idiot could possibly be. After quickly shooting the last two convicts in the head, she walked over to where Deputy Beagle was, on the mattress on the floor. She wrenched the gag out of his mouth.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite courier. You happened along at a good time today."

"What, time to save your ass? What good are you, really? The sheriff is dead and you're captured."

"You think I don't know that? Will you just untie me before the rest of those convicts come in?"

Elise raised her eyebrow. "I don't think you're in any position to talk to me like that." She untied him anyways. "And, for you information, the town in clean now. Go, I'll see you outside."

She followed Beagle outside, knowing her day was not about to get any better.

Johnson Nash was inside the Mojave Express building already when she walked in. "Thank you for the help, Elise. The town appreciates it."

She waved him off. "It's no problem, Johnson. But I do have a bit of a problem."

He looked at her expectantly. "Does this have to do with that new scar on your face?"

She gave him a nervous smile. "Possibly?"

He sighed. "What happened?"

"A weirdo in a checked jacket with two Great Khans shot me up by Goodsprings. Was nice enough to bury me while they were at it. They took the package."

"And you survived?"

Elise shrugged. "Seems like it. Can you tell me about the package?"

"Sure. That order had strange written all over it. That cowboy robot had us hire six couriers. Each was carrying something a little different. A pair of dice, a chess piece, that kind of stuff. Last word I heard from the office, it looked like payment had been received for the other five jobs. Guess it was just your chip that didn't make it. First deadbeat we hired to do the job canceled. Hope a storm from the Divide skins him alive. Well, that's where you came in."

Elise froze. "What? He canceled?"

"Yeah, got this look when he say you next down on the Courier list. His expression turned right around, asked if your name was for real. I said, sure as lack of rain, you were still kicking. And he turned down the job, just like that. I asked if he was sure, it was good money. He said 'No, let Courier Six carry the package"- like the Mojave'd sort you out or something. Then he just walked out."

Elise swallowed, her heart hammering in her chest. An uneasy feeling formed in the pit of her stomach, like acid. "Do you know who he was? Or where he went?"

Johnson shook his head. "No idea. Sounds like you two had a history for him to act like that. And turn down the money, too. Hope he didn't see any trouble in that package of yours. Maybe he thought your name was bad luck or something. I don't know."

"This job just keeps getting better and better, you know that?" Elise rubbed her hand over her face. "Would you happen to know a city boy with a checkered suit running around?"

"Not that you mention it, one of the folks from town mentioned he say a guy with that description come through with a couple Great Khans. They was talking about a chip."

"Well, would you know how to get to them?"

"You'd need to talk to Deputy Beagle for that. He was keeping track of them while they were in town."

Elise nodded. "Great, thanks." She then took a look at the broken robot on the counter. "How much for the Eyebot?"

Johnson shrugged and crossed his arms. "If you can fix him, you can keep him. I was going to do it myself, but never got around to it."

Elise looked at the Eyebot and grinned.

In a stroke of luck, Beagle was outside waiting for her and her new companion, ED-E. He approached her warily as her eyebot friend beeped warningly. "I just want to thank you for getting me out of that tight spot back there."

Elise nodded. "You're welcome, but I have a question for you. Nash told me you were keeping tabs on the guy with the checkered suit that came through here with a couple Great Khans. Did you happen to overhear where they were headed?"

Beagle thought for a second. "The Great Khans were talking about going to see an old friend in Novac. The pretty-boy didn't seem happy about it, but I guess that's about a good a place to start as any."

Elise nodded and turned to go, but Beagle caught her arm. "We need a sheriff. Someone brave like you but would be a homebody, would want to stick around. Can you find someone?"

"What about Primm Slim? Would he work?"

Realization dawned on his face. "Yeah, I guess he would. But I don't think anyone here has the skills to reprogram him."

Elise grinned. "Oh, I do."

A/N: Two chapters in two days! I'm on a roll today. Thank you for the great reviews, I hope that this goes well. Heaven knows I have plenty of inspiration. Once we get past the next chapter it will hopefully be more interesting. There was a lot of in game dialog that I felt was unfortunately necessary. I've also started a new gave in FNV to keep this fresh. You know the drill, if you like it let me know. I also love constructive criticism.