Chapter 6
Anger
"Incoming artillery has the right of way."
-Infantry Journal
Cord's was one of the most interesting mutations in history. He was the only known human to mutate into a deathclaw. He became an animal.
This transformation spawned of lucky breaks. He told me that he was wearing deathclaw gauntlets upon his mutation. He fainted in Deathclaw Sanctuary.
Where most would die of radiation poisoning or become a ghoul, Cord's DNA merged with that of his gauntlets. His was a mutation that could only occur to one person out of every several billion. He was extremely lucky.
It was that day in 2281 that Cord, the one person I knew that cheated death several times over, passed away.
Dogmeat and I stayed put for who knows how long. I sobbed into Cord's chest, hoping... hoping that at any moment, his paw would come up and hold me.
For a while, I thought he wasn't dead. I thought it was a nightmare, or I thought he'd passed out and would come to again...
He simply started to grow cool.
Though he was gone... I kept trying to treat his injuries. He'd been shot to death by a Barrett M82.
"N-no! Cord, please! Wake up! Wake up!" I shouted between sobs. He was not responsive. His eyes... they were empty; glazed over.
One of the only people in this world I considered family was dead. Dogmeat howled, trying to call him back to us... I continued crying for my fallen friend.
I stood up after a while, and I walked to the sniper that killed him. I wanted to shoot him again, because Dogmeat ripped his throat out and I wanted to show him as much respect for his body as he showed Cord... but I stopped before I pulled the trigger again.
In the man's pocket... a packet of papers was folded up. I took it out and looked at it.
I was reading intel I found in the field, when I should've given it straight to superiors. I didn't read all the intel there at that moment, but I saw names and locations, a hit list... the works. This wouldn't be going to the Brotherhood. Though I didn't read it all right away, I had a gut feeling that this intel would come in handy. If I told the Brotherhood about that intel, though... I'd have to hand it over.
So when they got Dogmeat and I back to the Citadel to report what happened, I told them that those men attacked me. I made no mention of the papers I took, though I did tell them that a Legionary named Marcus once approached me (during my attack on the Enclave), and I figured he was involved (I was right). They added a few names to the Brotherhood of Steel's Top 10 Most Wanted, and I was dismissed.
The hardest thing I ever had to do in 2281 was type up the letter to Cord's parents (over the years, we decided to tell them that Cord was wanted by somebody and had to leave D.C. It was easier than telling them that their son became a deathclaw and started wandering with me, but they deserved the truth now), telling them about his mutation, his life with me, and his death at the hands of the Legion.
I had to stop on several occasions, because I'd look over the letter, and I'd start to cry. I had to send it by courier, because the Brotherhood had me monitored for the first two days and I couldn't make the trip.
Three Dog went ballistic when he delivered the news. He really raised the alarm about the Legion in the area, and he repeatedly told me to come see him when I was up to it. Three Dog's a good guy. The day after Cord...
...he spent the next day's radio breaks playing Cord's favorite songs. I only listened to a few, because it hurt too much to remember.
His deathclaw friend visited us, wondering where he was. She remembered us, so Dogmeat and I were unharmed. When she approached, I knew she wanted to know where he was...
I had to tell her that he was killed, and I was afraid that she was going to attack us, or rampage in the Citadel, or maybe she'd break down and cry in front of us... but she didn't do any of those things.
No, instead she froze for a few moments, and then turned and ran off. Neither of us ever saw Kastine again.
Dogmeat and I... we both cried on and off throughout the night. Nothing could have seperated us. I held him close, and in his own way, he did the same for me. Dogmeat teased Cord a lot, but I knew it hurt him. He loved Cord, in his own way. We both loved him, even after he tried to betray me (he'd apologize over and over until the day he... you know). I forgave him, but I wasn't sure about Dogmeat.
Dogmeat tried hard to stop crying and be strong for me, but it's just difficult to do when you lose one of your own. Sleeping was difficult on that first night.
I would wake up with a jolt, thinking that all that happened was a nightmare, and that I'd find Cord not far away sleeping... but every time I woke up, he was absent.
On the third day, Sarah Lyons led Dogmeat and I to the new Most Wanted poster. She gestured to it with a smile.
"What do you think, Mil?"
Top 10 Most Wanted:
1- Caesar of New Vegas, for terrorist attacks against Brotherhood Chapters nationwide, for crimes against humanity, and for public urination.
2- Nikolai Rascalov, for terrorist attacks against Brotherhood activities, including the murders of several Brotherhood Paladins.
3- Anson Fullerton (DECEASED), for terrorist attacks against Brotherhood activities in Miami's chapter, including the murders of Brotherhood field operatives and innocent civilians alike.
4- Dimitri Petrov, for suspicion of aiding and abetting known hostiles in D.C area.
5- Sergei Yoblonovich, for arms dealing and smuggling operations.
6- "Marcus", for conspiracy to murder several Brotherhood field operatives.
7- Roland Roger (DECEASED), for the murder of a Brotherhood field operative.
8- Larry Sizemore, for the attempted poisoning of New Vegas' high elder.
9- Allistair Tenpenny, for crimes against humanity, and conspiracy to use nuclear weapons.
10- Holden "Judge" Lee, for aiding and abetting known hostiles against the Brotherhood.
I stared at the poster for a few moments before looking back at Sarah.
"This is supposed to make me feel better?" I asked.
She frowned. "It's supposed to help you rest easy. The son of a bitch that ordered that attack made number one immediately. Could you ask for more?"
"I want Cord back."
She was silent, and I turned away. She put her hand on my shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Milly. I really am. I know he meant a lot to you. He meant a lot to us all... but you can't let this attack get in your way..."
"What do you mean?" I asked, not really interested. I could feel Sarah smile.
"The Brotherhood found a Legion camp in D.C. We're attacking it tonight, and you are invited."
Well, that got my attention. I turned to Sarah.
"Are you in?" she asked. I nodded.
"Definitely. Count me in."
Dogmeat responded with a bark, which I took to mean "I'm in".
"Be in front of the Citadel at 22:30."
We turned to leave, but Sarah caught my shoulder.
"Oh, wait! Listen, Mil... I know you feel very strongly about this... but keep it on the down low. This mission isn't exactly "Elder-Approved", you understand?"
I didn't really respond. I just turned and left. My leave was all the assurance Sarah needed.
Dogmeat and I spent that entire day preparing. I repaired my weapons, and I cleaned them over and over again... I think 50 times. I wasn't being paranoid, I just didn't know what else to do for a while. I was in my room (the room I stayed in the night my Dad died, because the guy that owned it was killed several years ago), and I was just lying on my bed messing around with my weapons.
Dogmeat was laying just before my bed. Neither of us sobbed anymore. We were both infuriated. Whenever I shut my eyes to think, I'd picture Cord's murderer, and every time I pictured him, I felt sick.
That squad said it wasn't personal, but killing Cord made it personal. While I put my Steyr AUG back together, I glanced at my desk where I left the papers I lifted off that legionary.
I still had a few hours to kill before meeting everybody in front of the Citadel for the attack. I locked my door, and I sat down at my desk to read the intel I gathered.
I hit the jackpot! The intelligence I found not only contained the hit ordered on my head with Caesar's approval (thus damning him), but it also made me aware of Legionary camps throughout the United Wastes of America (Cord's name for the USA).
Judging by their camp locations, I figured out what they wanted:
Manifest Destiny.
They wanted to see the west coast and at the same time see the east coast. They wanted D.C specifically, probably because it was the old capital of the U.S.A before the war, and putting it under their banner would be a strong signal for the other wastelands to fall into line.
After they assisted me in defeating the Enclave in 2277, I did a little research on them, and when I did, they only had territory as far as the Mississippi river.
They were expanding. Every one of their newly conqured territories (as well as the old) were commanded through a small camp controlled by a "Legionary Centurion". To kill the Centurion would disorganize the troops, and essentially free the territory in question... at least until Caesar sent a knew Centurion.
They had camps in D.C, Cleaveland, Chicago, Kansas City, Denver, Salt Lake City, Nashville, Dallas, Santa Fe, Flagstaff, New Vegas, and they had influence all along the west coast. The camp in D.C was still getting its affairs in order. I didn't have a photo of the camp's leader, but because of my past research on them, I knew how to tell which Legionary was most powerful by the armor he wore.
I also learned that they succeeded in taking Hoover Dam from the NCR (the New California Republic. The Brotherhood doesn't exactly see eye to eye with them... or didn't). They didn't stop, though. Morale can decide one battle, and at the same time decide them all. If you lose one battle because your morale is low, you may be more likely to lose another, and then your morale depletes further, and you lose another... it's a cycle.
It doesn't happen to everybody, but in the NCR's case, it did. They lost Hoover, and it hurt them. They got pushed out of Nevada. Then, the Legion hit them again, and they lost more influence... and they got hit again, and they lost more influence... and again... and again... and again... until the NCR did not exist.
I got ahold of the Legion's 10 Most Wanted, which was more like the 5 Most Wanted, because most of their targets were dead. I was at the top of their Most Wanted list, followed by someone named "Craig Boone", then "The King" (I swear to God, I'm not making that name up), a man on our Most Wanted list named "Larry Sizemore", and finally a girl named "Veronica".
I decided to keep that Most Wanted list as a reference for when I found my way into Caesar's vicinity. I'd like backup ready as I prepared to make him eat a bullet.
I read the intel I gathered over and over again. I gathered names of highly ranked Legionaries (those that Caesar respected enough to remember by name).
I made a point to show them that they chose the wrong side.
When the time came for our attack, we didn't skip to the door and we didn't say anything badass before we left like in a stupid action movie. I put the intel in a slip in a lockbox I carried in my backpack, put on my armor, grabbed my weapons, and Dogmeat and I were out the door. That was it.
When we met Sarah outside the Citadel, she ran up to me.
"Hey, glad you can make it..."
"Sarah! Don't you walk away when I'm talking to you!"
...
"So, yeah... you can go ahead and board the Vertibird..."
"Sarah!"
"So... Elder Lyons found out, huh?" I asked. She scowled in the direction of a Brotherhood Paladin.
"Some people can't keep quiet... alright, already Dad!"
She turned to face him, but then returned to me.
"Go. You guys get on the Vertibird and conduct the attack. I'll try to convince my Father that this is the right thing to do..."
We were both going to end up in hot water for doing this, but I'm not going to stand by and let the Legion hang its banner over the Capital Wasteland.
The Vertibird took off, and the trip was mostly quiet. Dogmeat lay next to me in the seats, and we both stared at the aisle that Cord would have so much trouble fitting into (he hated Vertibirds). The sadness I felt was quickly replaced by fury.
I'd soon be at that camp, but that wasn't enough. I wanted to go to Caesar's little play fort and kill him now... but I couldn't, because we didn't have enough fuel. We could've fueled up more before we left, but... we'd still have to land in a Brotherhood chapter in another state, ask for fuel, and that requires the mission to be legal...
Fuel was the main reason behind the Great War, anyway. We didn't blow ourselves up because we had more fuel than we knew what to do with... we blew ourselves up because the world feared having no fuel left... and so it turned itself into something that could not use fuel (for the most part).
The Great War was really a brief ironic explosion.
I didn't have nuclear weapons to use on the Legion, though. Even if I did, there's a rumor that the paranoid shut-in that lived in New Vegas (someone killed him) was the reason New Vegas even existed; he allegedly managed to protect the Strip from the nuclear attacks. Even if I had a nuclear bomb, whose to say his defenses weren't still active? What if they stopped the device?
I was jolted out of my thoughts by the pilot.
We were about halfway to the camp.
And then there was an explosion. Alarms started blaring, red lights started flashing, and the Vertibird started into a death spiral.
"Damn!" shouted the pilot. He tried to regain control of the craft, but we were dropping out of the sky. Through the window, the skeletons of buildings spun around us.
"Mayday, Mayday, Mayday! Viking 2-1 to Citadel... Agh! We're going down hard!"
I don't remember actually hitting. I was knocked unconscious, though I managed to catch Dogmeat yelp as he was thrown around the cabin.
My head throbbed, and I was out for an unknown amount of time. I was unconscious for hours, and I was unconscious for seconds. When I opened my eyes, I saw Dogmeat (my vision was blurry) not far away from me, bloodied. His rear left leg was hanging onto his body by a thread, and bone was protruding through his skin in various places. He was whining and whimpering, trying to move but unable to. His blood was pooling around him.
I wanted badly to crawl over to him (I wasn't sure how injured I was yet), and hold him... because he was all I had left and I was losing him now, too...
...but my eyes shut again. Once more, I was unsure of how long my eyes were closed. I remember being pulled out of the flaming wreckage. When I opened my eyes again, I was looking up at my rescuer.
"...Cord?" I mumbled. Cord looked down at me, and I blinked.
Suddenly, I'm standing, and I can see clear as day. Three Brotherhood Paladins were tending to the wreckage, and before me was my own body. None of my bones looked broken... but the Paladins that were aiding me were taking no precautions (we landed very close to Galaxy News Radio). I looked over at Dogmeat's body and saw him being tended to, as well. He was still alive at that point.
"He's all in, the poor fellow," said a new voice. I looked to my side and saw a man in a suit and top hat with a mustache. I felt like I knew him forever.
"Is he going to... die?" I asked. The man paused for a moment.
"I can't tell you that."
"Do you know?"
He shrugged. "I know, but I don't know."
"Who are you?" I asked. The man chuckled a bit.
"You know, Cord asked me the same exact thing."
I was silent for a moment.
"Did he now?"
"He did. Several times, as a matter of fact. I don't blame anybody for not knowing me, though. Mine is not the name many focus on lately. People, as a general rule, try to avoid me."
I paused again. I wanted to ask more about Cord, but I wasn't able to. I couldn't find my voice in that sense.
"Are you with the Legion?" I asked. He shook his head.
"I don't concern myself with petty squabbles. I only concern myself with petty people."
Before I could respond, he continued.
"You're very lucky. You escaped with cuts, bruises, and a mild concussion. You'll be walking again."
I looked back at the wreckage, and then at the man.
"I was sure that would've killed me."
The man shook his head. "If it isn't your time, it isn't your time. Incidentally, this isn't what does you in."
"What does?" I asked. He shook his head again.
"I can't tell you that. All I can say is... the luck Cord had seems to smile on you, as well."
He turned to face me, and I felt... light headed. The feeling only got worse and worse.
"I'll tell Cord you said hello."
I was blinded by a bright light, and then I lost my sense of everything again.
I had blacked out. Even now I don't recall what, if anything, I dreamt about.
I only regain my memory when I actually woke up. I was in a bedroom in Galaxy News. I was starving.
"101... can you hear me?" asked a voice I was very familiar with. I nodded weakly, and regretted it. My head throbbed.
"You are very lucky. If you'd crashed anywhere else, you'd probably be dead."
I sat up a little, and propped myself up by my arms.
"What happened?" I mumbled.
"One of the rotors in your Vertibird blew. You crashed about 300 yards away from my building. You were lucky the Brotherhood got to you before the big uglies did."
We were both silent for a moment. Three Dog shifted in his seat.
"I'm sorry about Cord, Mil."
I looked at him, and suddenly felt overwhelmed by worry.
"Dogmeat! Is he... is he alright?"
Three Dog took a deep breath in and I suspected the worst. I nearly broke down right there, but he beat me.
"He's alive and stable... that's the good news."
My relief nearly brought me to fainting. The "attack" was a complete failure, but... at least Dogmeat was alive.
"Your pilot didn't make it, though. He was killed on impact."
I felt horrible as soon as he said that. I didn't know our pilot well, but he was doing the mission because Sarah asked him to, and she was asking him to because I was so upset about Cord, so it was technically my fault.
"Does Elder Lyons know?"
"Does he? He's furious. Sarah was suspended for the attack. As for you... he hasn't quite made sense of what happened yet. You're supposed to meet with him when you're able to."
I sighed.
"I'll take full responsibility for the attack. Sarah was just trying to make me feel better. She doesn't deserve the punishment."
It dawned on me around then that when I asked about Dogmeat, Three Dog said that the "good news" was that Dogmeat survived. I looked at him.
"Wait... Dogmeat survived the crash, and that's the good news... what's the bad news?"
"Well, for one thing... the pilot... and for another... he's not going to be the same. Uhh... ever."
I stared, feeling hollow. I feared that he was totally crippled... but even after my time with the Brotherhood, it still could do things that amazed me.
"Dogmeat lost three of his legs, had puncture wounds to one of his lungs, suffered extreme blood loss, was essentially disemboweled, and a broken rib just missed piercing his heart by inches. Debris from the crash ravaged one of his eyes and blinded it, and a broken rotor wing was found lodged half an inch from his head. His heart stopped for four minutes."
I was numb, and Three Dog continued.
"His legs were impossible to save, and many of his organs were too far gone to recover. Much of his body was impossible to save."
"So, he's been crippled?"
Three Dog shook his head.
"He's alive and he can walk. He's just... uhh... shinier now."
I kept staring. Three Dog continued.
"Mil, they made him a cyberdog. It was the only way to keep him alive."
I almost fainted. A cyberdog... that's a biological dog with robot parts; essentially a cyborg. Up until that point, I'd heard of Cyberdogs... but I thought that the technology required to make a cyberdog died out along with the Old World. However, the Brotherhood collects high technology. It shouldn't have surprised me to hear that they had the ability to do that.
"A... cyberdog?" I finally asked. Three Dog nodded.
"He's still Dogmeat. He's still got his old brain, most of his old head, and he managed to keep about 35% of his old body... but the rest of him was replaced."
I was silent and looked at the ground.
"Mil, he was getting old as it was. Look at it this way: as a cyberdog, he won't be dying of old age for a long, long time."
I looked back at Three Dog.
"A cyberdog... That's okay."
He was surprised at my reaction.
"You're not upset...?"
I shook my head. "He's a cyberdog now. So what? At least he's alive. That's all that matters."
He chuckled a little. "101... you never cease to amaze me."
"How is he... reacting?"
"He seems really nervous. Every time one of his new legs makes a noise, he jolts. Most of all, he wants to see you."
Three Dog was done with that sentence for about a second, and then the door to the room I was in launched open, and Dogmeat ran in.
When he was in the shadows, I couldn't tell what was different about him other than the sound he now made as he walked; the sound of metal clacking on tile. Take that away, and his silhouette looked more or less the same as he did before we crashed.
He must've sensed his cloak, because he stopped just before running into the light. It was as if he was ashamed of what happened.
"Dogmeat, come here..." I said. I got off the bed and knelt down. He hesitated for a moment, and then stepped into the light.
Dogmeat's face was mostly the same, but his brain was floating in a dome full of gel. The eye that Three Dog said was blinded was missing and replaced by a red optic sensor; essentially a red iris and black pupil in the center. His chest was the same until the front right leg. From his front left leg to his rear left leg, no part of his original form remained. No, that part of his body was shiny metal. His paws were essentially controlled by hydraulics, as were a majority of his movements. Down his other side, only his front right leg remained. It, and some of his shoulder and ribs remained untouched (I saw a few bandages on them), but the top of his rear end was completely replaced (his private area survived, along with a thin strip of fur along his belly that merged into his chest). His tail was gone, too; replaced by a long robotic substitute. Towards his neck, his spine had a reflective black glass on it. It was a sensor, but I wasn't sure then what it was for.
He barked as I examined him, and I smiled. His bark was exactly the same. I wrapped my arms around his cold, metallic neck, and I felt him bring himself closer to me.
"I'm so glad you're okay," I said, squeezing him tighter. I was squeezing him so tight, I was afraid I'd dent the metallic parts. In a way, it's good he was a cyberdog. I might have crushed him otherwise.
"...arooo?"
Dogmeat was very smart for as long as I knew him. He was smarter than some people, but some people are very stupid. No, saying he's smarter than some people does nothing to compliment his intelligence.
Saying that he didn't really need to be told twice about anything is about right, though. He could comprehend what I said to him, and he was able to speak to Cord.
So, knowing Dogmeat, he was wondering what I was thinking about his makeover. I didn't care. He was still Dogmeat.
I held him for a while before a Paladin walked in the room. Three Dog and the Brotherhood members gave us a few moments (I seperate Three Dog from the Brotherhood because he's technically not a member).
"I'm glad to see you're up and about again, Milly. It's been four days."
Well, that explained Dogmeat's ability to move around so easily... and also why I was so hungry.
"You're probably wondering about Dogmeat, huh?"
I nodded slowly. "What are the advantages to his... condition?"
"He's stronger and faster now. Additionally, the technological enhancements to his body put his life expectancy at about 200 years, give or take 10. Also, there's one more thing that Dogmeat can do now..."
I stared. "What is it?"
"Do you see the sensor just before his neck?"
I did. The Paladin held up some thick, heavy looking goggles.
"For scouting purposes, you can see the world through his eyes. These goggles have a range of about three miles. They constantly send a signal to and from that sensor. They can detect your brain waves and transmit them to Dogmeat, giving you control over his body if you need to scout an area without attracting so much attention."
I looked down at Dogmeat, and he blinked at the goggles (his original eye blinked normally; his new eye had a new eyelid, or else it might hurt to blink).
"How did you guys get all this done while I was out?"
"We had some basic mechanics around we could use to stabilize him. Once we were sure he wasn't going to die yet, we had the rest of our parts flown in from the Citadel. You're lucky we had the bare minimum here."
I was silent.
"You've got a hell of a fighter there, 101. As soon as he woke up, he wanted to see you," said the same Paladin.
"Are there any disadvantages I should know about? Is water an issue?"
"He's fine drinking it and swimming in it. As for disadvantages, the body work was not cheap, and we wouldn't have done it at all if it wasn't... for you. If he gets a scratch on him, be prepared to have it on him forever."
I relaxed with a smile and patted Dogmeat on the... brain case. This might take some getting used to.
"I don't know what I would do if I lost him, too..."
The Paladin nodded. "I'm sorry about that, by the way."
"What's the investigation into Cord's murder looking like?"
The Paladin didn't answer me at first. I eyed him.
"Well?"
"Caesar is on our list of Most Wanted... but we can't send our guys across the country to kill that man when he's got a Legionary camp in the area. Even in that... Lyons wants to try to negotiate with them."
"Negotiate!" I screamed. "I'll negotiate a bullet in the back of his head... No, the Legion-"
"101, it isn't your call..."
"The hell it isn't. One of my best friends was killed by those bastards."
"Lyons wants to see you when you're able to meet with him, by the way..."
"Oh, believe me. I want to see him, too," I grumbled. I looked out a window at the night sky, and the Paladin looked with me. I was shaking with rage, and Dogmeat looked infuriated, too.
"It's too late for us to leave now. We'll head out in the morning. If you didn't understand, I meant he wants to seek peace with the camp in D.C. Caesar is a target still," said the Paladin.
"Yeah, that makes it much better," I grumbled. I turned my back on him and walked back in the room with Three Dog.
Three Dog followed me into the room. I sat down on the bed and took my backpack from under the mattress.
"If it makes you feel any better, Lyons is worried about you."
"Yeah, terrific."
Three Dog was silent while I fumbled with my backpack.
"Did they search this?" I asked. He shook his head.
"No, should they have?"
I shrugged. I found the lockbox and looked up at Three Dog.
"Can I trust you?" I asked. It was like he knew what I wanted, because he reminded me of his status with the Brotherhood.
"I let the Brotherhood hang around here, and I house you, but I'm not actually with the Brotherhood. I don't owe allegiance to them... if that's what you're wondering."
I opened the lockbox after glancing at the door. Yes, Three Dog was someone I could trust.
End of Chapter
5,076 words.
Keep reading. This story gets f**king weird.
Apparently I'd written a bit of this a few nights ago, and most of it looked like I put a blindfold on and started pushing keyboard buttons (you know, like how the Twilight saga was written). Most of what I wrote was completely meaningless, but I did manage to get some of the stuff I wanted to cover while I was still able to somewhat think straight. So, I had to re-edit this chapter once I sobered up, and it's still fairly strange.
I said that when someone sees the Strange Man, they aren't going to live, but Milly didn't actually see him. She hallucinated him, and since a hallucination is a false sensory experience, it technically didn't actually happen. Therefore, he didn't actually appear to her, so she's not doomed. Granted, she may die somewhere in the story (every character seen in any of my stories has the chance of death), but it's not guarenteed.
Next chapter covers Milly showing Three Dog the intel she gathered, we learn a little more about the Vertibird crash, and we meet several new characters that Milly probably shouldn't speak to.