Chapter XV:
Battle Royale
Boone
I reflected over the past 15 minutes as I started to climb up the rock face.
"It all started with a dream, human. About twenty years ago when Marcus and me came here, looking for sanctuary from the storms we came across this place. It was well fortified and off the beaten track. A perfect place."
"To hide?"
"To live, human. We wanted the same things that any other community wanted. A place to call our own and the peace to build it into something greater. For about six months it went exactly like that. We used the radio transmitter to broadcast a message to anybody who was listening. Our little community grew. For the first time in a long time it seemed like we'd finally get a break."
"But then Tabitha showed up?"
"Mmmhmm. Started trouble up immediately. Wanted to 'restore the glory of the master'."
"Why didn't you stop her?"
"Couldn't. She's Nightkin, so the Nightkin would listen to her and not us. Made worse by the fact that there aren't many other first generation mutants left there. Tabitha mebbe crazy, but she knows how to sway others to her cause. And before we knew it we had an uprising on our hands. Marcus tried to fight back but she grievously wounded him. So we left with whoever would come and made our way north."
"You found someplace else?"
"That'd be telling, human. Perhaps some other time. But right now we need to focus on getting your friends out."
"It won't be easy. I just tried it and got compromised barely a few minutes in."
"That's because you tried to go through the front door. I'm going to have you go through the back. On the reverse side of this compound there is a cliff. On the cliff is a fence that leads directly into the center of the compound. It won't be guarded."
"With all those patrols, we'd need a distraction."
"You're looking at it. There's a sub-village down the hill that houses the outer guards. I'm going to blow it up. When I do, the patrols will come back to me and that should be your opening."
"You against an army?"
"Leave that to me."
I don't know where he could've gotten a Fatman. Or the three mini-nukes he had strapped to his back. Both were rare, essentially a high-tech handheld nuclear warhead catapult. But still, I couldn't help but smile.
"I sure will."
It had taken me the better part of twenty minutes to make my way to the back of the compound. It would've taken five but I had to constantly take cover from patrols moving about. Neil was right. This wouldn't work without a distraction. I got to the last fifty yards and had to low crawl the rest.
Finally got to where I needed to be. Right above though was another patrol. Behind them was the cliff. Looks of it, about fifty feet. Still, it isn't too smooth. Should be able to climb it without too much trouble.
But first I need the patrol gone. I checked my watch. Five minutes to go.
Gideon
With our heavy ordinance locked, loaded and ready to make shit dead; we slid out through to the balcony again. Below us was the center of the mountain and a lot of juicy targets. All in all, there must've been about twenty or so of the green or blue bastards spread out across the compound. Most were in the courtyard in the open or in their refurb shanties, but quite a few were positioned on some of the concrete buildings. Those were going to be a problem if we didn't take them out fast.
As I shifted the Hog to a better position, Cass pointed out towards the radio tower.
"What?"
"Fucker in front. See him?"
It took me a moment, but eventually I did. And when I did, my stomach dropped a few pounds. He was hefting a missile launcher.
"He goes first. Think you can take him out?"
"I guess we'll see," she replied lightly as she loaded an HE shell into her M-79, "so any last words?"
"Yeah. I'm here to chew some chew and kick some green ass. And I'm all out chew."
"Classic."
I smirked. Raul came up on my left.
"I'll be sure to chisel it on your grave stone."
"I hold you to it. You good to go?"
"As much as I can be, boss. Your dama ready to do her impossible shot?"
"There's no shutting ya up is there, ya greasy fucker?"
He shook his head. As I scanned the terrain around, I made one last check on all weapons and gear. I shifted the weight of the machine gun in my hands. I adjusted the Colt Commando strapped to my back and a last tug at my handguns. I nodded once to myself. If I was going to die tonight, I might as well be fully loaded for it.
"Alright. Cass you stay here and get ready to take that tower. Raul, me and you. We'll head a bit north and get in position. When that tower goes down, we need to drop as many of these bastards as quickly as possible."
For once, Raul was all business. He nodded, and as I had done a few seconds earlier, did a manual check on his gear.
"I've lived a shitty life. Might as well go out in a bang."
"That's the spirit. Cass, we'll go on five."
"Copy that bossman. You boys have fun."
I tucked the Hog under my shoulder and vaulted to an adjacent roof, followed closely by Raul. As silently as we could, we trotted across this roof and made a final jump to the next one. Yeah this is much better. I had a better view of the grounds before me and the targets dotting them. Quickly, I dropped low and rested the Sixty on the ledge; setting the Commando to the side along with my second belt of ammo.
To my right Raul was doing the same.
"Pick your targets," I whispered to him, "and remember to fire in short controlled bursts. We want to drop as many of these bastards as possible before they start firing back."
"Fine, fine, but I warn you my cataracts are going to make my aim mierda como el infierno."
"Suppressing fire then if it comes to it. Just try to shoot in their general direction."
"Right, don't shoot till you see the whites of their eyes and all that la porqueria."
"Yeah well this isn't New Orleans, 1815," I chuckled softly, "and I sure as hell ain't Old Hickory."
I checked my Pip-Boy. Three minutes to go.
Veronica
The courtyard was full of them. There would be no way for me or ED-E to make it across. We'd get swamped by Jolly Greens before we went ten feet. Then something caught my eye. There was movement on the roof.
I hit the receiver button on my collar and the soon my vision was consumed by the inside of the helmet. Automatically the visor went to infared.
"Heat signature," I command softly and the vision switched. All about was a sea of black broken by shards of light scattered about by moving figures. I looked up at the balcony and there I saw them. Two of them. They were smaller than the other figures and my heart lightened a bit.
I then went to night vision and from the looks of things one of them, the biggest one, had a light machine gun! I smiled. No doubt they were getting ready to turn this field into a kill-zone.
"Zzptzz?"
I turned around and ED-E was looking at me weirdly.
"Shh," I made the motion with my finger and I as patted him softly on his hide, "can you keep a secret, little guy?"
He nodded.
"Good. Now I got a question for you."
Gideon
I didn't know my Pip-Boy had a receiver until it started squawking. Thank God the volume wasn't high. Somebody was trying to call me through the Pip-Boy. I adjusted the nobs on the side until the signal came through.
"Zzzt, ideon. Gideon, do you read?"
"Your dama?"
"Veronica? Where are you? How are you—"
"Look down to your front left."
I did.
"How'd you two escape?"
"Long story. What are you planning to do?"
"We managed to get to the armory and load up. Cass is positioned to take out the radio transmitter. When she does, we're going to hit them from here."
"Is there anything we can do?"
I thought about it for a while.
"Are you armed?"
"Yes, but not with a gun or anything of that sort."
While ED-E would be able to tank some damage, Veronica would just get in the way. Worse, they might get caught in our line of fire. I shook my head.
"Stay there for now. When the shooting starts, I want you to try and make your way back to me. Avoid the field though."
"I kinda figured."
"By the way, how are you talking to me?"
"Your Pip-Boy has a receiver and a transmitter. I had ED-E find the right frequency."
"Is he okay?"
" Oh I'ma alright, alright, alright. But I could use a new paint job soon! "
"Hey I did the best I could!"
"Do I want to know?"
"Probably not."
"Alright. I'll see you two soon. Out."
One minute.
Neil
A part of me felt guilty over what I was going to do. Marcus would never approve of me killing our own kind. Unfortunately, I do not have a choice in the matter. They have become the very things we have fought for the better part of a century not to become. They've become mad dogs and it's my job to put them down.
No matter how painful it may be.
"May the Master keep you," I whispered softly as I hefted the Fatman over my shoulder. I peered down the sights, getting adjusted. First I aimed down at the camp. Then I moved up a good half foot to angle the blast. Then with a last exhaust of breath, I fired.
Cass
I felt the impact 'fore I saw it. As the mushroom cloud mushroomed, I felt utterly fuckin' cold. The ground rumbled and a plumed of wind impacted the building, tossing bellows of dirt in my face and nearly knocking me off the roof.
"What the fuck!?" I screamed as I spat the dirt of my mouth. Then I looked ahead. Ah shit.
"Time ta dance."
The fucker with the rocket had spotted me and was going for the draw. I had the better hand, though. I fired off the grenade. Like in slow motion, I practically saw the HE fly towards it target. Then all in front of me became one giant explosion.
Boone
Right on schedule. The patrol in front of me sprinted back down the hill. Now it's time to climb. Checking left and right, I made my way to the cliff face. I looked around me one more time. Don't want to be caught in the light like a rad-stag about to get sniped.
Satisfied, I leapt up onto the cliff. I grabbed onto the outcropping, secured my feet, and began inching my way up bit by bit. Then there was another explosion. Louder, closer. I could feel the vibration in the rock.
It was above me.
The tower dropped with a loud groan and crashed right into a collection of the shanty town.
"Now?"
"Not yet."
Here they come. Another ten came out of the various buildings to join the other dozen. Some of them were trying to extinguish the fires starting to spread through the wood and metal shanty houses, but the rest were running around like a bunch chickens with their heads off. No better opportunity.
"Go loud."
"Con el placer, jefe."
The roar of the Hog rocked into my shoulder as the night around lit up with the power of dragon's breath. The smell of death and the heat of flying brass bouncing through the air clouded me, and for the first time in a while I felt the utter animalistic joy of battle. The Mutants below me stood no chance. One by one, I ripped to literally pieces as hit them with a long burst. Three dropped to the ground, and the rest scrambled for cover.
Part of me wanted to just hold down the trigger and unleash my rage. But I knew that I had only two belts of ammo. I went instead to firing in controlled bursts, aiming for their legs first then their torso. I spotted one moving towards the building. I fired a burst directly into him.
His legs splattered in a massive explosion of bone and blood as he dropped to the ground. He didn't scream, not even when I finished him off with a second burst that opened up the back of his ribcage. Two more were running together to my right. I shifted aim and fired directly in front of them. The hail of bullets caught them like they'd hit a stone wall. The one in front was completely broadsided, bullets tearing him from thigh to neck as he dropped like a stone.
The one behind him tripped over him and indulged him with a metallic death by opening him up from his groin to his chest until it resembled a cow going through a meat grinder. Then suddenly the sound of guitars, banjos and drums rocked from wrist. I smiled slightly. ED-E had a good choice in music.
" In 1814 we took a little trip, along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip'. "
Now four of them were coming towards us with Commandoes at the ready.
" We took the little bacon and took a little beans and we caught the bloody British at the town of New Orleans. "
Then an explosion ripped one to pieces and threw the other three to side. I looked to my right and I could see Cass loading another shell into her Thumper.
" We fired our guns and the British kept-a-coming, there wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago. "
I opened up one, but then the damn weapon jammed. I cursed loudly as Raul stood and emptied a clip in seconds into a collection of three, plus the one I missed.
" We fired once more and they began-a-running, down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. "
"Short controlled bursts, you idiot!"
"What!? I can't hear you over lo maravilloso que siento en este momento!"
" We looked down the river and we see the British come and there must've been a hundred of 'em beating on the drum. "
Then there was another explosion that ripped apart one of the unflantened shanty houses. With a final grunt of pissed off air, I cleared the jam and began to suppress another group of them that'd taken cover behind one of the concrete houses.
" They stepped so high and made their bugles ring; we stood by our cotton bales and didn't say a thing. "
Then suddenly the ground beneath me exploded and I was flying for a brief second before I hit the ground.
Cass
Shit where the hell did he come from!? I spotted him down under the tower. Must've been that fucker I'd shot earlier! How the fuckin' hell did he survive!?
"Tenacious bastard," I cursed as I loaded a Plasma Shell into the M-79. But before I could even get a second to aim; he had his aimed at me.
"Shit!"
He fired and I ran. I got dozen steps when roof exploded and I got thrown through a wall.
Gideon
" Old Hickory said we could take 'em by surprise if we didn't fire our muskets till we could look 'em in the eye. We held our fire till we their faces swell then we opened with our squirrel guns and really gave them…well… "
I feel like shit. There's no other way to put it. My entire fucking body feels like I've been going a dozen rounds with a really pissed off bull and he's done nothing but broadside me all damn day. My head feels like an overdose of tequila and jet combined in a fucked up concoction that's making my brain swim in a raging torrent of its own fluids. And ontop of that I felt so damn weak my bones were going to crumble under their own goddamn weight.
" We fired our guns and the British kept on a'comin', there weren't as many as there was a while ago. "
Then I felt, not heard the reports of high caliber shots. I looked up and I could see Raul blasting a Super Mutant to pieces with his Model 29's. One round punched a hole through its shoulder; a second obliterated its kneecap and dropped it to the ground. Then he followed up two simultaneous rounds that destroyed its head. Tough or not, nothing stands up to a pissed off Mexican armed with pair .44's.
"And that's for making me fix your puto coche, cabrones endogamicas feos."
Then there was another one coming at us from our rear. Like a true gunslinger, he spun on his heel and fired point blank from the hip. Its legs split apart at the shins, throwing it to the floor to which he finished it off with a round to the head. Then through the smoke I saw him. It was the missile launcher guy and he was looking right at us.
A bolt of electricity ran through me but I knew I was still too slow. My hands reached around the Hog, but my brain was screaming that I wasn't fast enough. There would be a flash and then I would be gone.
" We fired our cannon till the barrel melted down so we grabbed an alligator and fought another round. "
That wasn't coming from my wrist! I looked up and there was ED-E, firing rapidly a flash of red that pelted the Super Mutant like a horde of Carrion Bees. It welted under his onslaught, and then I saw something that still could not believe.
" We filled his head with cannon balls and powdered his behind! "
A figure in brown leapt forward in a blur and delivered a powerful kick that tossed the creature against a wall. It recovered fast and tried to swing the launcher like a club. She caught it deftly with both hands, twisted at the hips and tossed the Mutant aside. She then tossed the launcher aside and charged.
" And when we torched the powder off, the gator lost his mind! "
The Mutant countered, throwing a punch to which she deftly dodged. Yet before it could swing again, ED-E slammed right into its face and knocked it over. It doubled over and leapt forward. The pair dodged to either side and I saw my opportunity. I rose, the Hog clenched tight in both hands as I fired. This time I did not bother with the conservation of rounds, rather its utter consumption. I started at its foot and worked my way up as I marched forward, my teeth bared in a growl as I diagonally ripped the bastard in half.
By the time I was done and slipped a new belt, he was a smoking dissected carcass loaded with so many holes he might as well be holy. Bad joke I know, but it fits. I scanned the area, and the field of corpses that chocked the desert sands. It was clear.
"And I thought I had anger problems!" Veronica laughed. I shook my head.
"Darling, you have no idea. Hey buddy," I practically hugged the floating discoball, "ya okay man?"
"So you're the mysterious dama who'd they conveniently stored in a VIP suite, eh? Nice dress."
"Okay, who are you?"
"V this is Raul. He's the smartass who got us out of this. Still, he's got a point."
"And what point is that?"
There it is: the mask. No more lies, no more games.
"You're Brotherhood, aren't you?"
"What? Me? I think you got banged on the head too many times."
"V…"
"You can't have Raul!"
We all turned left and there on the two stories building was another Super Mutant, except this one was blue. And it was wearing… a wig and heart-shaped glasses!? I shouldered the Hog and fired at her, but she wasn't there!
"What the hell?"
"Boss she's a Nightkin!"
Oh shit. That means she can go invisible.
"Stick together! Don't let her pick you off!"
So that's what they did. They practically flooded around me as I swung the Hog to my right and balanced it to where I could use the Sensorium. I had no idea if it would detect this Nightkin's movements but I didn't really have any other ideas here. That's when I spotted it, directly ahead at 20 yards. I opened fire in a wide arc, hoping I could at least wound her.
Then she appeared directly above me freefalling and wielding a really big sword.
"Die, dumb-dumb!"
Then she came down with the blade cracking the ground as it sliced the air with its quivering death song. I barely managed to roll to the side, but I had to ditch the Hog in the process. As I came up, I unslung the Commando into combat readiness.
"Tu bruja. You've made me fix your toasters for the last time whup!"
She backhanded him aside, tossing him into a building. I opened fire, but she moved way too fast for something her massive size. She swung her blade and I jumped back, then she followed up with a downward cleave meant chop me in two. I raised the Carbine to shield myself but the blade chopped right through that too. Instinctively, I dropped to the floor and rolled to the side.
Then I felt a foot in my back and I flew a dozen feet forward, my face buried into the sand. As I turned over, I saw she was coming for me again. My hand felt the handle of the Colt, but I knew it was too late as she prepared to surgically redecorate me. Then out of nowhere, ED-E flew right between me and the crazy blue monkey. He fired a burst right into her face.
She screamed; her face shrouded in smoke as she swung anyway. ED-E was to her like a baseball to a swatter, him being sent flying away. Hot anger raged in me and I drew my .45's with a blood curdling scream, the explosions of lead an extension of my rage as I unloaded upon her. The impacts staggered her, but she just kept coming for more. I rose and tried to jump away, but then I felt the blade slash me across the chest.
I didn't feel anything save for the cold sand in my face. It wasn't until I turned over that the pain hit me like a brick to the nose, hot and searing.
"You've ruined it all! You ruined everything! Now I'm gonna ruin you!"
My ticket had been punched.
Veronica
Not often have I felt the hot fingertips of monotonous fury. This one time, I felt it like the wrath of some ancient deity bestowing her rage across a land of monsters. I felt alive, I felt on fire. I felt ready to kill. I hadn't known Gideon long but I sure as hell wasn't going to lose another friend.
My finger hit collar and my mask formed around my face as I rolled between man and monster. The world around went into slow motion. I could see the blade, giant and crude an instrument of death as any other singing its murderous tune. I raised my hands in a praying mantis and caught the blade between them. The beast tried to dislodge it, but found me not in the mood.
Then with the sickening grinding of bending steel, my armored fingers squeezed into the blade until it deformed around them. Then with an exertion of strength, I wrenched it out of her fingers and tossed the lump of metal aside. She staggered back, panic stretched across her face. Then it warped into a snarl. She swung her ridiculous sized fist at me.
I step slightly to side, deflecting it with one hand as I threw a punch to the face. She stepped back and I pressed my assault. I swung again, but she raised her arms to block me. I bobbed low and delivered a bone breaking blow to the blue bitch's ribs, cracking them. She dropped her guard in pain and I slammed my fist right into her cheek, breaking that too.
Screaming, she withdrew a couple of steps. I knew from experience that even breaking bone wouldn't stop a mutant. The only way to put them down was to kill them. I was half tempted to go for the power fist strapped to my thigh, but I shook my head. I was going to relish this, and I was going to make this slow.
She charged forward, swinging low and then high. I ducked back, letting the blows pass over me before I stepped in for a blow to the face. She blocked me, and then I was knocked back by her retaliatory blow and then another. The armor held up and I blocked the third, knocking it to the side as I slammed my palms right over her ears. She staggered back, covering over her blistered ear drums.
I did not relent. I stepped in and swung a kick right into her face, knocking her around as I punched twice into lower ribs, the second breaking two. With a roar like a mountain lion up at Sacramento, she swung round and slammed me across my face. I'd felt that one and I spat blood in the helmet. I righted myself and reengaged.
She swung once then twice, and I dodged both. Then I chopped above the eyebrows before pulling back.
"What was that? A love tap?" She growled.
"Just a cut above the eye. The kind that bleeds."
Soon enough, blood poured over her face. Distracted, she did not notice me hitting her across the jaw, or when I grabbed her by the shoulder and flipped her over me and across the floor. She recovered fast, and this time grabbed a barrel and tossed it at me. I dived low, missing it but going right into her foot which sent my backwards. I drew myself up and blocked an on mass of blows.
Then I struck. With a karate chop, I disrupted a nerve cluster in her deltoid. She wouldn't be moving that arm for a while. Undeterred, she charged. I ducked low and delivered a knee to another nerve cluster, this time to just below her knee.
I then took this opportunity to kick her square in the chest, knocking her down. It was here that made my mistake. I moved in too late, and she barreled me with multiple blows to the helm until she then slammed me right into her undamaged knee. My nose exploded with pain as I could taste blood running down my chin.
"You're finished, human!"
I headbutted her.
"You don't get it, you hag!"
I tackled her to the ground.
"This isn't a sand field."
I grabbed the arm.
"It's a surgical table and I'm the sawbones!"
I twisted the arm and it broke in two. Bone ripped through the flesh and blood squirted out as the blue bitch screamed. But I wasn't done. I moved to her leg and did the same. Then I settled into bashing her face until I could see the skull underneath.
Then for good measure, I slammed my boot into the remains and the head was no more.
"Bitch," I smirked, drawing back as more pain flared into my nose. I hit the collar button and the helm drew back once more. Then I felt the cold finish of a barrel right to the back of my neck.
"Don't move," a voice hissed in my ear.
Gideon
I felt so physically drained I needed ED-E to help me get up off the floor. I looked right and I saw Cass running. Never before had I been so happy to see her that I smiled at her like a fool, even though it hurt to do just that. With concern locked in her eyes, she took my other arm and started to support me. She looked down at the gash on my chest.
"Oh Jesus, ya okay man?"
"Not really," I chuckled weakly, "could use some Vodka if you've got some."
"For you, you magnificent dumbass, you're getting Tequila."
"Sounds good."
"Don't move."
"Well Boone glad you could join the par—"
Oh shit. The worst possible scenario had come to life right in my face. Boone had Veronica at gun point.
"Whoa Boone, what the hell are you doing!?"
He didn't respond. Didn't even look at us, he just kept his eyes trained on the back of her head. And within them I saw the same frightening anger nights ago back at Novac. He was going to kill her.
"Look Mr. Shades," Veronica replied, trying desperately to be calm, "I don't know what you think I am but I—"
"Shut up," he growled, "don't even bother trying to talk your way out of this. I know who you are. What you are."
"Boone don't do this! She just saved our—"
"Your life!?" He growled at us, "Don't believe a word she says. She's done nothing but lie since the night she—"
"Kicked my ass, Boone? Yeah we know who she is. It wasn't that hard to figure out."
"And you still trust her? The Brotherhood cannot be trusted!"
"And what the hell is that supposed to mean!?" Veronica barked right back at him. In response, he pushed the muzzle of his rifle even further into the back of her neck.
"Try Shady Sands, '72. 507 people died in your little explosion at the Gold Reservatory. Or Camp Willow, Greene or even the Hub! Thousands died because you just couldn't keep your hands off your so very precious tech!"
"I had nothing to do with any of that!" she screamed right back, "I wasn't even old enough to be anywhere near those places!"
Suddenly she spun around, knocking the rifle out of hand and away. But Boone was no fool. He stepped right back and had his side arm trained on her head.
"Boone put the fucking gun down!" Cass screamed at him, drawing her 10mm on him.
"Cass don't!"
"I warned you this was going to happen! This guy's too many rounds short of a full magazine. He's too fucking dangerous!"
"You don't know the Brotherhood like I do! I lost seven good men, comrades, to these delusional bastards at Helios One!"
"And I lost my parents there!" she screamed right back at him, "You think you're the only one who's lost people!? Wake up, it's the damn apocalypse! Everybody's lost somebody!"
"Those deaths were unnecessary! Command offered you all a way out! We were going to let you go, but instead you just had to make us come in right after you!"
"We didn't ask for any of this! We just wanted to be left alone, but you just couldn't do that!"
"OH FOR FUCKS SAKE!"
They all looked at me; their mouths wide open at me. But I was not finished.
"I HAVE HAD THE WORST POSSIBLE NIGHT IMAGINABLE! I HAVE BEEN SHOT AT, BLOWN UP, TOSSED THROUGH WALLS AND NEARLY FUCKING DISECTED BY A CRAZY ASS MUTANT!"
"Gideon—"
"DON'T YOU FUCKING START! I'M NOT FINISHED!"
I'd never felt so fucking angry in this moment than in any other possible place.
"SO FUCKING WHAT THAT YOU'RE ENEMIES! NEWS FLASH: WE JUST GOT KIDNAPPED BY A BUNCH OF GODDAMN, CANIBALISTIC GREEN MONKEYS! HAVE ANY OF YOU EVER THOUGHT FOR A SECOND IF ANY OF THIS SHIT YOU'RE DOING RIGHT NOW IS WORTH THE FUCKING TIME WHEN THE REST OF THE GODDAMN WORLD IS TRYING TO KILL US! HUH!?"
Stone silent. I had to catch my breath, either way. It took me about a minute for me to get the sense back in order. I sighed, and continued:
"Look, just stop and think. We've all lost our families. We've all lost the things that kept us sane and kept us grounded. All we've got left is each other."
I looked them hard in their eyes. Their guilt ridden, sorrow spun eyes that were weighed down by an uncaring world.
"So don't do this. Don't kill each other over some rather stupid shit. Bury it. Let it go. If you can't do it for each other, or yourselves, then please just do it for me. Because I am tired, and don't like to see my friends turn on each other. Just let it go."
The world at the moment felt as cold and as silent as a graveyard of broken dreams. Each of us lost in our own pain. Boone's hard boiled, unemotional face broke. Tears rained down his sullen cheeks, his eyes burned a light in everything before him. Then at last, his gaze rose and he stared apologetically at Veronica. It was long time before he finally uttered softly:
"I'm… I'm sorry. I'm… so sorry."
Veronica's face on the other side of the spectrum was warm and relaxed; her true self, her sensitive, emotional and frightened self emerging for the first time. They both didn't need to hide anymore. Then she spoke softly:
"I'm sorry too, I… I know what it's like to lose someone that close and there are times that I… I can barely hold it in at times."
He stared at her with eyes of understanding.
"Me too."
"Ah, this is so sweet!"
We all turned to see Raul coming out of the rubble, clapping aloud with a shit eating grin locked on his scarred face.
"Look at you, all ready to kiss and make up, eh? Let me go get my bible, sombrero de jueces for our floating friend here, maybe some organs and I could give you all a classic doble matrimonia forzado right here and now! Eh? What do you say?"
Nobody had the words for this piece of work. Well except me.
"Way to ruin the moment, Raul," I chuckled. Then my mind felt light and I slumped to the floor. Soon after, the blissful darkness came to take me, and this time I did not resist.
Translation
Con el placer, jefe.
With pleasure, boss.
lo maravilloso que siento en este momento!
how awesome I feel right now!
doble matrimonia forzado
double forced matrimony
