Myina looked to the horizon where a dust storm was brewing. She sighed heavily and ED-E tweeled in response.
"Guess we need to find us some shelter." Myina repositioned her pack on her shoulders and groaned. She was in desperate need of a vendor to trade some of her loot to. She had located a pass through the rocky hills that would have given her an opportunity to shave a few days off of her journey to Boulder City, but had found it guarded by a deathclaw. She had gotten a good enough look at it to know that it was blind, but still didn't feel comfortable trying to take it on by herself. So she opted for the long way round, which meant Nipton.
She hadn't gotten far when she saw the dust storm coming, and knew she wouldn't be able to get to the town before it hit. It would be a grave mistake to try and continue on through it, so finding immediate shelter was a must. A quick assessment of her surroundings revealed an old run-down fuel station, so, sidearm in hand, Myina quickly made her way toward it.
A few dead radscorpions later, she was rummaging through the old crates inside the Poseidon Energy station. Sunset Sarsaparilla, yes thank you, some abandon caps, sweet, and ooh! a Star bottle cap! She pocked the items and cracked open the old sarsaparilla bottle, taking a swig. Myina had never been a huge fan of the stuff, preferring a cold Nuka Cola anytime, but seeing as she had been out of water for the past few hours, she chugged the bottle gratefully. ED-E beeped somewhere in the room and she turned to look for him. He was hovering over the counter look curiously at a magazine lying there.
At least, Myina figured it was curiosity. She was all kinds of confounded about the eyebot. It seemed to have a personality to it that one just didn't find in other robots. The closest thing to a personality any of them had in fact, was the upbeat and overwhelming Mr. Handy. And that was pretty flat as far as she was concerned. ED-E, on the other hand, seemed to have a genuine personality. It, he?, had been interestingly excited when she'd first revived him in Nash's shop, and had bounced up and down in the air before following her out of the store and down the road. He seemed genuinely pleased when she called him ED-E, instead of "eyebot" or "bot".
Damn, she must be getting lonely. Less than half a day out and she was getting attached to damned robot. She could practically hear Randall laughing at her.
Myina walked over to the hovering eyebot and looked at what he was interested in. The magazine was old and a little faded, but she could clearly make out the title, Pugilism Illustrated, scrawled in flat letters at the top. Myina wasn't exactly sure what pugilism was; she'd only received a basic education as a child, and fancy words hadn't really factored into that. But if the illustration was anything to go by, she imagined it had something to do with hand-to-hand combat.
"Want me to read it to you?" Myina said jokingly. But to her surprise, ED-E breedled excitedly. Guess that's a yes?
She picked up the magazine and settled onto the floor near a window. The wind was beginning to pick up outside and she could see the sand and dust whirling by. ED-E floated down to her side and watched her as she carefully opened the old booklet, clearing her throat.
Craig Boone woke suddenly to the howling of a dust storm. He sighed heavy, and brought the heels of his hands up to his eyes. It had been one of the rare days he was actually getting a decent sleep. Too bad. He rose from his position on the bed and stood, crossing the darkened room to the window. There wasn't much to see, which put him on edge a little bit. He vaguely thought about his counterpart, Manny, up in the sniper's watch, and whether he was still there or had chosen to step inside away from the storm. Heavy winds and low visibility rendered a sniper near useless.
Boone sighed again and walked toward the peeling fridge in the corner of the room, pulling a beer out and sitting at the table. He stared at the phone in front of him and he swigged from the dusty bottle, wondering why he kept the old thing around. It wasn't like he had anyone to call, or that anyone would want to talk to him, for that matter. The last two people that he'd been close to were either dead or might as well be. He didn't talk to anyone else in his old unit, and certainly had no desire to speak with his previous CO. No one in town wanted anything to do with him.
The dark thoughts of his lonely existence crossed his mind, not for the first time, and he figured it wouldn't be the last. Boone emptied the beer bottle and got up to grab another, catching sight of the clock on his nightstand. He still had another four hours before his shift. Fuck.
Boone flicked the radio on and flopped down in bed as Mr. New Vegas' voice filled the empty apartment.
"You're all so great and we're gonna keep you listening all day. I've got news for you. A package courier found shot in the head near Goodsprings has reportedly regained consciousness and made a full recovery. Now that is a delivery service you can count on."
Boone rolled his eyes. What a fucking world to live in. He let his eyes droop as he rested against the headboard of the bed.
"The news has been brought to you by the Vikki and Vance Casino. Vikki and Vance: Be our partners in crime. Gonna play a song for you right now, and it's about that special someone you only find once in a Blue Moon."
As he began to drift off to sleep again, Frank Sinatra's voice crooning in his skull, Boone couldn't help but remember the lights of New Vegas dancing in the background. A figure stood, smiling at him. It had only been three years since he'd last seen her, and yet, she was as clear as day. Carla. She was wearing the same dress she'd worn the night they met and she was tugging on his arm, dragging him into The Tops. She wanted to go see the shows, play some cards. It was her scene.
"Merchants are saying there's been little contact with traders from Nipton in recent days, causing concerns that the isolated town may be in trouble. Now, I've got a very special song for you . . ."
Myina jerked awake just as she was about to fall over. She groaned and rubbed the back of her neck. Not the most comfortable sleeping position, that's for sure. She stood and stretched, ED-E rising up to eye-level and chirping to her.
"Mornin'," Myina cracked her back, "ooooohhh, yeah." She looked blearily about the room, then stooped to grab her bag before checking the window. The dust storm had settled and dawn was about an hour off, if she had to guess. She normally preferred to travel about at night; more shadows for her to hide in. Also, it wasn't so hot that she wanted to attempt to pounce around naked. But having been in Goodsprings under the care of Doc, she had been forced into a daytime schedule. It did not make her happy.
As she stepped outside, Myina looked left, then right. Technically, Nipton was equally far away from her as the Mojave Outpost, and it was more in the direction she was headed. But as she thought about it, she figured she was more likely to get some gear there, what with all the NCR soldiers running around the area. Nipton would be a good place to restock on food and medical supplies. But right now, she need bullets more than she needed bread.
Myina arrived at the Mojave Outpost just as the sun was spreading across the desert, lighting up the hats of the two large figures of the Unification tribute. She trekked up to the headquarters, nodding at several NCR boys who were changing guard. Inside the building, fluorescent lights flickered dimly. An officer stood behind a counter filling out some forms. He looked up to her as she stepped close.
"Hey there!" She smiled at the handsome major. "Anyway I could get some supplies?"
Myina noticed him stand a little straighter. "Yes, actually. We've got a little surplus here for trade. And of course, we can do repairs." He smiled at her, his dark eyes warm and welcoming.
"Good! I could use some repairs." She handed her things over, and was pleased when he accepted from of her salvaged goods in return for repairs on her sidearm and rifle along with a couple boxes of bullets.
"It'll just be awhile." Major Knight said, taking her items in hand. "If you want to head over to the barracks, Lacey should still be there. She doesn't close up the bar since so many traders come in at odd hours."
Myina nodded and headed for the door, ED-E following closely behind her. The front area of the barracks was mostly empty, aside from the occasional trader slumped over a drink. Myina stepped up to the bar and nodded to the woman she assumed was Lacey.
"New face in the Outpost." Lacey eyed her up and down. "Must've come from the North. So, what'll you have?"
"Hey, I was wonderin-" Myina began, but she was suddenly cut off by another woman, sitting at the other end of the bar, shouting to Lacey.
"She'll have a glass of whiskey!" The woman in the cowboy hat raised her drink and pointed sloppily at Lacey, trying to articulate her words in vain. "A-not-her."
"No. I've already told you twice, Cass, you've had enough." Lacey snapped back at her, the woman muttering something inaudible in reply, before turning to Myina. "You were saying?"
"Um, I just wanted to see what you got. I could use some water and food rations." Myina laid some caps on the bar, still staring that the drunken woman.
"Sure thing." Lacey began grabbing some water from the shelf behind her. The woman peered at Myina and turned her pointed finger on her.
"What're you lookin' at?" She drooled a little, but didn't seem to notice. Myina raised her eyebrows, but before she could respond the woman turned her eyes on ED-E. "What the fuck is that fucking thing?! It looks like a floating garbage can." ED-E chirped in reproach and Myina folded her arms in front of her.
"Don't mind her," Lacey intervened, nodding towards the woman, whose cowboy hat was teetering off her head. "Cass is kind of the town drunk here. She'll not give you any trouble."
Myina nodded, losing interest, and turned her attention to packing the rations into her now-lighter backpack, Cass grumbling about whiskey and flying trash.
Collecting her items from Major Knight, Myina set out for Nipton. She wasn't planning on taking much time there on her way to Boulder City, hoping to just grab some more supplies and getting right back on the road.
But lately, it seemed her plans were all for naught. Maybe she should just stop thinking things out loud in her head. Whatever divines had crossed her path sure didn't like her making plans.