Author Notes: As before, I have no claim to either Fallout: New Vegas, or High School of the Dead. As before, a big thanks to Drgyen and Inconspicuous Llama for their beta work!
Five hours after leaving Novac, Min decided it was time for a quick meal, a motion quickly seconded by Saeko, who'd begun to wonder if the Courier ever actually ate, or was sustained purely by whiskey. After receiving Boone's input the group hunkered down below a sheltering ledge, which hid the munching travelers from both the sun and any passersby on the ancient highway. After the palaver with her comrades that had followed the events of the previous night, Min had decided to avoid the highway until her band had reached the dubious safety of the southeastern Vegas sprawl. Hopefully, by taking a more discrete path, anyone looking for a soft target or Min specifically would be thwarted.
As Boone hurriedly ate and left to explore the area ahead, as he had done at every other stop so far, Saeko and Min took a moment to relax in the slightly less intense heat of the shade. The two women could almost feel their tension dissipate into the hot desert air, comfortably leaning against heavy backpacks propped against stones, luxuriating in the lack of weight on their shoulders. Min idly played with her increasingly ragged cowboy hat while Saeko tossed a broken whetstone from hand to hand. A slight breeze picked up from the south, bringing with it the smell of desert plants and old fire.
Min turned her head towards Saeko, lank hair falling in a spray across her forehead, hiding the white scar behind black strands. Letting the whetstone shard fall to the ground, Saeko met her new sworn leader's eyes. At that moment, Boone returned, cutting the wordless desert silence with his own grim quiet. After a brief pause, Boone broke the silence entirely, bringing the brief moment of respite to an end.
"No hostiles up ahead, but if we keep heading north, we're going to run into an NCR fortification." Boone reported to Min, as Saeko quickly policed up the containers and utensils they'd used during lunch.
Min hummed to herself for a moment. "Regular Army, or Rangers?"
"Regular Army. They're camped around some sort of Pre-War building, with a small picket by the building's entrance and an encampment in an old solar panel field." Boone elaborated, "As far as I saw, they didn't have any sentries on the surrounding hills or on the access road to the highway."
Min nodded. "So, they're just interested in the building, and not the surrounding terrain." The Courier smiled, and turned away from Boone to look back at Saeko. "Well, let's go say hello then! It would be rude not to, while we're in the area!"
Lt. Haggerty had begun to count the minutes until she could return to the building's cool interior at the beginning of her shift. So far, she'd only gotten about a third of the way through her count. The sole redeeming aspect of the situation was the beret she wore, infinitely more comfortable than the "tin hat" helmets Command had inflicted upon the troops under her command. She frowned out at the brown, dusty hills, which looked the same as ever. The scorch marks and burns left from the Brotherhood's last futile defense had long since disappeared under layers of sand and blown grit, leaving the Mojave as timeless as an untouched landscape.
A passing engagement with a wandering golden gecko had broken the monotony briefly two days before, and the plume of smoke that recently emerged to the south had further ruined the usual routine of watch duty. Now Haggerty could feel the tension in the air, and hoped that the tedium that had been the defining characteristic since the Brotherhood's retreat would return. While she had nothing but dislike for her duty station, and wished that she could return to the front line, trouble this deep in NCR territory could only mean a Legion victory. Tedium easily beat military disaster, and the smoke promised nothing good.
As she brooded in the dubious shade of a small overhang, another headache came into view. Moving into sight through one of the tight valleys that separated the southern line of hills was a newly arrived trio, none of whom looked even slightly like NCR military personnel. Sighing, Haggerty left her shade, and marched toward the sandbag barricade, hoping that the wanderers would just keep traveling, and become somebody else's headache.
As Saeko followed Min and Boone, the straps of her heavily laden backpack cutting down into her shoulders, she marveled at their resilience. While she had no intention of revealing her discomfort with the merciless heat of the sun or the blowing grit, the two desert veterans seemed to be entirely immune to scorch and sand alike.
As they rounded a corner the smooth brown lines of the desert were broken by a rising tower of Pre-War manufacture, topped by a dull grey satellite dish. Squatting next to the tower was a rundown building that resembled the closed air conditioner plant on the outskirts of Tokonosu City. As the small group of wanderers approached the decaying industrial monolith, leaving the wasteland temporarily behind, Saeko felt the slightest touch of homesickness. She remembered the nights prior to the end of her world, when the darkness had been burnt away by halogen lighting instead of flames, when the heat of day was defeated by electrically cooled air instead of endured in the meager desert shade.
As Saeko followed in the footsteps of the Courier, briefly indulging in the unique Wasteland variety of mental fatigue known as "old world blues", Boone and Min each independently wallowed in nostalgia at the sight of the Bear stirring in the slight desert breeze. Boone remembered marching under that banner along the Long 15, proud as a new father at the expansion of his beloved Republic. Min recalled noise of proud parents waving and cheering as the freshly trained 2nd Klamath Regiment marched through southern Oregon, heading north to fight raiders in the Cascades.
"This is a restricted area! State your name and business!" The harsh crack of the soldier's raised voice signaled an abrupt return to reality.
Wincing slightly at the yell, Min waved at the NCR officer before throwing a casual salute at the flag. "Hi there! I'm Min, this is Boone, and this is-" Min looked over her shoulder at Saeko, before turning back to the officer "Keiko! We're just passing through on the way to Freeside, and wanted to know if you have any news!"
Saeko wondered why Min hadn't introduced her by name, but decided that inquiring would have to wait until they were well away from the NCR outpost.
The officer beckoned them closer, and the group walked into the shadow of the rusted structure. The troopers had stood down, slinging their rifles back over their shoulders and leaning against the sandbags; the commanding officer had reholstered her pistol, though she was still scowling at the new arrivals. Her eyes seemed to catch on the red beret perched on Boone's head. "Ex-First Recon?" The tone of her question implied that she already knew the answer, but had enough wary respect to seek clarification. The sniper nodded, somewhat reluctantly. "At Bitter Springs?" An even more reluctant nod. "Bad business all around, soldier." No response.
The officer turned to Min. "You want news? Nothing's happened; the area is as quiet as a Caananite brothel on a Sunday!" Misinterpreting the Courier's glare to Saeko's amusement, she hastily clarified her point. "Err… Not that I'd want there to be action this far behind the lines! Still, I miss Camp Gulf."
"Well, we have a bit of news for you." Min replied coolly, ignoring the Caananite comment for the time being. "You might be seeing action here whether or not you like it. Nipton's been razed to the ground by the Legion, and my companions and I ran across a Legion patrol west of Novac."
The lieutenant stared at the Courier for a moment, skin pale and eyes wide. Min, in contrast, was almost smiling, apparently amused at the junior officer's shock. Saeko could understand why the sight was amusing, but had to fight back a frown at her liege's horrible manners.
Sadly for Min, the moment wasn't to last. With commendable speed, the officer recovered her poise. "Shit! They're already here!" She spun on her heel, and began to shout commands at her troops. One hurried inside, presumably to convey word of the new threat. Turning back to Min, Boone, and Saeko, the lieutenant hastily thanked them for the information, and threw a small sack of caps at Boone's feet in thanks before following her trooper inside.
Boone stooped and picked up the small canvas sack. Thoughtfully bouncing it on his hand for a second, the sniper tossed the sack to Min. "Twenty-five caps."
"Cheapskate…" Muttered Min, before pocketing the caps.
As the power plant began to resemble an overturned anthill, with troopers darting back and forth and sergeants bellowing orders at the top of their voices, the small group resumed their journey north and west, following an old access road towards the highway.
The group paused on the highway, and took a quick water break. Saeko looked back towards the south, back towards Novac. The plume that had been rising from the area behind them had thinned, but a ribbon of grey still meandered across the blue sky.
"Do you have any idea what the smoke behind us signifies, Boone-san" Saeko inquired.
Boone grunted. "Use your head. What do you think smoke rising from a town means?"
"You think that Novac is under attack?"
"Probably."
The sniper's apathy began to annoy the younger woman. "Then, why do you seem so disinterested in doing anything about it? Isn't an attack on your home something that concerns you?"
"Novac hasn't been home for a while." Boone responded, with a degree of emotion in his voice. "Besides, we're far enough away that any raider would be long gone by the time we returned." The slight passion left, leaving behind only a monotone. "Looks like we're going to have to trust in your friends' abilities, huh?"
The sardonic air of Boone's last comment apparently annoyed Min almost as much as it bothered Saeko. "Alright you two, we need to get moving. Break's over."
As the trio walked northward, Boone slightly ahead of Min and Saeko, the sun slowly descended through the sky and a wind kicked up. Saeko, in a manner uncharacteristic with her war-seeking ways, hoped that the town had not been attacked, that her comrades were still whole. "Failing that, hopefully they acquitted themselves honorably" she muttered to herself.
Around an hour after the group had trudged past the collapsing remains of the El Dorado Gas & Service Station, the group saw a sign warning travelers that the turnoff for Boulder City was five miles ahead. As the group continued past the sign, Min passed on the information she'd stolen from Manny Vargas's terminal.
"So, now that we know where the Khans are, what are your plans for them?" Saeko asked, already sure of an answer.
Min turned towards her companion and grinned. "We are going to kill every single one of those bastards. After all, turnabout is fair play, right?"
Saeko felt like she was walking on air for the next two miles. After all, how many could say they served such a fierce and proud master?
A mile short of the Boulder City exit, Boone shot a molerat that had been grubbing in the dirt near the road. As Min built a fire beside the asphalt, using the remains of a rotting mesquite tree as fuel, Boone gave Saeko a tutorial in butchering prey. After the lesson concluded, Saeko managed to cut several decent cuts of meat off, before hauling the remaining portion of carcass further out into the desert.
By the time she'd returned, the Courier had impaled the meat on a number of segments of old car antennae and began to "spit-roast" the meat over the low fire.
While the molerat cooked, the trio passed around a box of crackers and a tin of Dandy Boy Apples, accompanied by sips of water from the bottles Saeko had carried all day. When Min pronounced the meat done, the three quickly consumed the flesh. It was far from the tastiest meal Saeko had ever had, but it was definitely welcome after the light lunch and long walk.
The day had not ended yet, the sun was still in the sky, and Min's Pip-Boy claimed that it was 19:42. Nevertheless, Saeko was exhausted – the desert march had required far more energy then she'd anticipated! The decision to leave Takashi, Kohta, and the rest behind at Novac had definitely been vindicated, she thought. There was no way any of them could have kept up with Boone and Min; Saeko could barely keep up with that pair. Despite her weariness, she did not complain or show any discomfort when Min decided to press on towards Boulder City. Shouldering her pack, she fell in step behind her leader, prepared to march until she collapsed.
Fortunately, no collapse was necessary. After another hour of marching that brought the group three miles closer to Boulder City, Min finally decided to call it a day. Settling in behind a ridge that concealed the group from the road, Saeko chose to take first watch, with Boone taking second and Min the last shift.
As her two companions slept under the shadow of the cliff, Saeko sharpened her katana, as well as Min's hatchet and Boone's knife. Sitting with her back against an outcrop, Saeko scanned the desert, and admired the stars.
Presently her gaze fell upon something she admired even more. In sleep, the Courier was much less foreboding, curled up in a ball with her nose buried in her sleeve. Still, the long graceful lines of her body tensed with energy, ready to respond if called upon. The combination of strength and weakness was as magnetic to the predatory yet devoted eyes as the bright plumage of a bird, or the watery reflection of Damascene sword-steel. The inky blackness of her hair seemed to draw in the light of the stars, as if a void sat atop her head.
After the passing of three hours Boone awoke to some internal clock and relieved her. Lying down beside the Courier, Saeko quickly fell into a deep and dreamless sleep, undisturbed by any noise or light, despite the cold of the desert night.
All too soon, that sleep was interrupted as the morning broke. The Courier shook Boone and Saeko awake, dragging the sleepers back to the Mojave. After a hasty breakfast of pinon nuts and banana yucca fruit, the group was back on the road to Boulder City. The seven o'clock sun was still weak, and the heat had not yet begun to beat down upon the Wasteland, yet the cold of the night had faded to a whisper of coolness against bare skin.
Another four hours' worth of travel brought the group to the outer ruins of Boulder City. Stepping across the old railroad lines that disrupted the cracking asphalt, the group passed the outer fighting holes, abandoned since the first Battle of Hoover Dam. Finally halting in front of a rundown saloon, the group dropped their packs in the shadow, and heaved themselves onto the ground. Min decided that this was a good moment for lunch, and sent Saeko inside with the sack of caps the lieutenant had given them.
Saeko opened the creaking wooden door as carefully as she could; the hinges were rusty enough that their continued operation was a minor miracle. Stepping into the dim room, lit only by the sunlight seeping through the open door and the filtered beams braving the dirty windows, cool air seemed to embrace the Japanese girl, soft tendrils soothing heated and sunburnt skin.
"Welcome!" An unshaven man behind the bar shouted. "C'mon in!" Saeko stepped through the door, and slowly closed the door behind him. "Welcome to the Big Horn Saloon! What can I get you?" Saeko smiled, and walked over to the bar. "I'd like three brahmin steaks, and three bottles of sarsaparilla." Exchanging 24 caps for the food and bottles, Saeko headed back outside, plates stacked in one hand, bottles wedged under her arm, cool glass pressing against her breasts.
Sadly, as Saeko once more contended with the door, all of the food fell to the ground, shortly followed by Saeko herself, diving towards the ground. As her mind caught up to her honed survival instincts, another round of gunshots rang out, punctuated by the high, stuttering rattle of a submachine gun. Meat and drink forgotten, Saeko picked herself off the ground, and ran outside. Her liege was out there in the exposed street, possibly under attack – Saeko had no intention of letting Min fight alone.