Chapter XVII:
Midnight Chase
Gideon
We ran like hell. As we did, the tremors in the ground increased in magnitude and frequency. It was close, we could feel it.
"Guys!" Veronica shouted at us when we came to view, "There's something coming! We need to go now!"
"No need to tell us twice, sister!" Cass called back as we tossed the tire back into the truck and we jumped in ourselves. The tremors were now indistinct from each other and now were increasing faster and faster. The thing was running.
"Start the engine!" Raul screamed as he drew his Model 29's, "get us el infierno out of here!"
I turned the ignition and the engine stalled. I went for a second but more of the same. But on the third it roared to life. That's when we heard it: the grinding of metal scrapped across stone.
"Oh shit," I whispered. Slowly we all turned. No one breathed. No one dared move. We were utterly stupefied into place. For half hidden in shadow and flanked by the cliff was the looming figure of a Deathclaw.
Massive would be an understatement. As it lumbered out; it rose on its hind legs to its full height of nearly twenty feet of black hide muscle and scaled carapaces. It was like a fucking demon from some kiddie's worst nightmare with long curved horns flanking piercing, putrid yellow eyes that cut through the night and a maw of sword like fangs that jutted out of its snout-like mouth like weathered tombstones. It approached slowly, cautiously; its tail dragging lightly through the sand with its knife-sized clawed paws held ready like a boxer in a coming ring fight. As discretely as I could manage my hand went for the stick.
Yet just as it touched metal it bellowed aloud and pointed one of its knife claws straight at me. It then waggled its finger and growled something that sounded like:
"Gruh uh uh."
" Well pardner, " ED-E suddenly shot from his seat to face the looming beast, " I gotta somethin' to say to yooouuuu! And that something is… " suddenly his bluegrass tune changed to a weathered man cursing at the top of his lungs, "YEAH FUCK YOU TOO!"
Then his laser went hot, the world went red and the Deathclaw screamed as it clutched its burning face.
" Run cowboy run! "
"No fucking kidding!"
I slammed the rover into drive and mashed the accelerator down to floor. The tires smoking in protest and ripping up the ground around us as I hit its max speed in seconds. I hit the road and we were around the bend. But then I felt the ground shake and I looked in the rear view mirror. My stomach dropped: it was chasing us; lurching and leaping on all fours!
And it was gaining on us!
"Shit!" Veronica screamed, "Shit!"
"Drive faster!" Raul hollered at me, panic rising in his voice. I screamed back, my bowls half way to giving out:
"This thing's not built for speed! I'm going its max pace!"
"Keep us straight then," Boone replied, somehow fucking calm despite of the fucking demon in flesh chasing us, "we'll slow it down."
"Que loco?!" Raul screamed, "You seriously want to piss this thing off more?!"
"No, I want to kill it. Aim for its legs."
The air then crackled with the thunderous reports of Thirty-odd-Six and Forty Fours. But then I looked in the rearview mirror and I saw the thing dodging the bullets, leaping back and forth and somehow keeping pace! Even when one of Boone's hit in the shoulder it paid it exactly two seconds of mind before it was off to fucking chase us!
"Cass, gimme a gun!" Veronica called from the back.
"Ya didn't have one before!?"
"Never mind that! Gimme a gun!"
She tossed over her N-99, and Veronica started taking rolling potshots as the two others reloaded.
"Look out!"
I turned back to the road to see a building directly in front of us.
"Oh shit! Hang on everybody!"
I swerved the wheel, almost toppling us over as I just barely missed crashing us into a wrecked home.
"Pay attention ta the fuckin' road man!"
"Sorry!"
Then I heard a crash. I looked behind to see the Deathclaw practically bulldoze through the very same building we'd just avoid being pancaked into! It demolished it in a big cloud of fucking smoke!
"Jesus Christ!"
Then I saw something in its hands, and that something went flying! I hit the brakes and suddenly there was a giant boulder in front of us!
"Jesus H. Christ!"
"Fuckin' drive man!"
I couldn't get around it though at this angle. I had to reverse first.
"I need a mag!" Veronica called. The thing was now twenty feet from us. Cass handed over a second clip. I put the thing in reverse. The tires hacked apart the ground and sent it flying as I drove past the boulder. Then I looked left and it was right there! It was fucking grinning at us! Then it raised its oversized gardenshear hand and slashed across the door, just barely missing my leg!
"Fuck you, you oversized goddamn lizard!"
"Down!" Cass bellowed. I ducked, and the next thing I knew a shotgun blast went off over my head. My ears rang like a dinnerbell. The beast screamed. I looked back to the see it clutching its face.
Then it started chasing us again!
"Eat this!"
The roar of a submachinegun went off as Boone opened up it. The sickening splatter of the bullets smashing into flesh meshed with its bellows of pain, but it just kept coming! It then leapt forward and slashed apart the back door!
"Piensa rapido, se rie!"
He then emphasized his point by firing both .44's right into its face! An explosion of blood and bone splattered the back of the Rover. It howled in pain, but then came running after us screaming! It just wouldn't fucking give up!
"Querido Dios! What will put this thing down!?"
"This will!"
She had the M-79 in hand. She braced it against the door, adjusting the sights and taking a good ten seconds before sending a grenade its way. It impacted to the right and behind of the thing; missing it.
"Shit," she looked at me, and I knew what I needed to do. I slowed the Rover letting the thing get within thirty feet. With another second, it closed it to twenty.
"Smile you son of a-"
The M-79 went off. The grenade exploded right in front of the beast, throwing up a huge cloud of debris up and high. The beast was nowhere to be seen.
"I think you got him."
She slouched against the seat.
"Good shot," I complimented. She shook her head.
"I was aiming for its head."
"Joder! Joder! Puto infierno! Oh por el amor de mierda en un puto lago del joder Dios maldito!"
"Well that certainly illustrates the diversity of the word."
"You… I spent half a day on this damn vehicle. Now look at it! Todo roto de mierda!"
"Yeah, well it could've been worse."
"Your optimism is starting to annoy me, extrana. When I want to rant, I rant."
"Hey, I like defusing timebombs. Though in your case I'd say more like lifebomb."
"Puns! Puns! That is the extent of your humor!?"
"What? No! I've got plenty more than that. I could probably do some stand up com—"
"Por favor no. I'm not in the mood for half baked, lazily executed stories."
"Sounds a little hypocritical, don't you think?"
"Boone…"
"He's the one with the tall tales about stealing women and shooting their men. Fair's fair."
"Buen Dios, you two are killing me! Killing me!"
"Oh brother."
"Hey you okay?"
I sighed as I let the smoke trail out into the night before I took another.
"I'm starting to get concerned."
"Ya ain't the only one."
She came over to stand by my side, peering out at what I was seeing ahead. There, no less than fifteen miles out by plains, hills and a ton of sand was the bright gleaming city of New Vegas. Or Las Vegas as Raul kept insisting on calling it. Against the backdrop of night, this one spec of civilization blurted out its defiance in neon yellows, pinks and reds that lured the many downtrodden onward like some perverse Venus Fly Trap. So when one looked at it, you would think it as one giant monotonous light show; all dazzling but as just one giant entity.
Nothing really should stand out right? Yet somehow this one single structure did. It was a single tower of platinum radiance that just seemed to outshine everything else.
"Like some mean old pepper shaker amongst bunch a salties."
"Eh?"
"Ah just something some jackass told me about the Lucky 38. You were lookin' at it, right?" I nodded, "Stupid analogy, but hey it fits."
"Yeah," I nodded somberly before I took another blow, "it does."
She nudged me a little and I gave her a cig. And there we were, smoking away in perfect silence for a few minutes. A little peace for once.
"So what's on your mind?"
"Benny. He's just that way," I pointed off away to the right of the city, "but it's not just him. I'm just thinking about all the crap I went through to get here. What we went through."
"What, Deathclaw on the mind?" She chuckled. I just shook my head again.
"I'm starting to wonder if something just doesn't want me to get this greasy bastard. So they keep serving me bullshit along the way."
"Oh c'mon Mr. Tin-foil-hat," she laughed, "ya ain't seriously telling me ya think some boogeyman is responsible for all this shit?"
"How would you explain it then, Professor Cassidy?"
"Quite simply, my young student," she smirked smugly, "shit just happens."
"Well I'd wish it'd stop. I've had it to here and if I could I'd strangle the bastard who keeps pulling shenanigans on us."
"I'm with you there. I'd give 'em ol' buckshot to the ass for good measure."
"How about roast them over a spindle?"
"Wait what? When did you become a cannibal on me?"
"Nah it was Raul's idea. Though I do say you do look mighty tasty from over here, Ms. Rosy Cheeks."
Playfully I reached my hands out to snatch her into the night. She mockingly giggled back:
"Oh no you don't Jerkface McGee!" she then swatted my hands away like a startled cat, "You come near me with those filthy paws of your, I'll chop 'em off and wear them as a necklace!"
"And little does she know that my hands are living!" I laughed as I butchered the Voodoo accent, "Oh look! They grab at the living again!" This time I managed to grab her around the middle and hoisted her a foot or two into the air, "Ha ha, they have a life of their own!"
"Yeah well so do mine, oh crazy prince of the dead!" she startled me with a legitimate reenactment of that one broad in that one movie who got cozzied up with Dracula, "And they demand payment!"
Then my groin went into panic mode when I felt certain organs being grabbed and squeezed. With a voice utterly squeaky from the withheld pain I asked:
"Like what you feel?"
"Really wanna push your luck, eh?" she smiled sadistically. I shrugged my shoulders.
"Well… no."
"Good answer."
Relief hit me when she let go. But when she did I immediately took the opportunity to grab her again and spin her in the air again laughing like a goon.
"You fucker!" she cackled, "Let me go ya big bully!"
"Never, my dear. I shall spin round and round 'till you pop and gah!"
I tripped on a rock and stumbled, taking us both down the hill. Rolling over and up until we hit the ground with a thump. When I opened my eye, I found Cass tangle in my arms right over me. I smiled winningly when she came to.
"Well this feels convenient, don't you think?"
"Well…"
She never finished her sentence. I felt her body tense and relax as her eyes dotted over me until they settled on my one. They locked and I felt as though I was going to drown in those big icy pupils of hers as my mind swam a little. I opened my mouth to speak but no words came. Time or maybe just the awareness of it blurred till it seemed mute.
My body felt cold, but my heart pumped and beat like a jackrabbit. As she slowly began to inch closer and closer until out chests touched; I could feel the steady motor jugging away there too. She stared wide down at me as she sighed deeply and longingly; her breath smelling like whiskey and tobacco, but I didn't mind. Then I looked down to see that her shirt was open and I could see as far down as I wanted. She smiled slightly.
"Like what you see?"
I didn't answer; I just smiled like the fool that I was when I looked back up. But when I did, I found she consumed my entire world. Her hair flopped around me as our noses touched and before long my entire world went wild. I closed my eye and allowed myself to take a back seat and let things carry on as they should. When we broke contact; I felt utter bliss flow through me like an overturned dam, and when I looked up at her again she never seemed more beautiful than now in this moment.
She smiled a smile I'd never seen before and in me my heart longed for her.
"Ms. Cassidy?"
"Yes Mr. Maddox?"
"Gideon!? Cass!? You guys down there?"
I sighed annoyingly and we broke apart as I called back:
"Yeah we're down here!"
"Yes," it was Veronica grinning from ear to ear to the point my stomach felt as though it'd been stabbed violently, "yes we can see that."
Helping Cass to her feet we made our way to the top, where we found everybody waiting for us… well really just V and Raul. Veronica continued smiling manically with Raul holding her by the shoulder as he asked:
"What do you think carina? They a thing now?"
"Oh I don't think so. Maybe a bit more—"
"One more word," I growled as I drew my blade for show, "and I will gut both of you right here."
"Oh scary!" Veronica mocked as she waved her hands at me. Then we heard a clunk and Cass had her scattergun opened and cradled in arm.
"Ya peeping shitheads. I outta blast y'all here fer spoiling our moment. Why I outta turn this into a slaughter house like I did back in Navarro."
"Subject E: Diagnosis complete. Begin Recording."
"ED-E?" We turned to see him just floating there like he was in a trance, "You okay buddy?"
Then a voice; this tired weathered voice echoed from his speakers:
"My name is Whitley. I'm a researcher at Adams Air Force Base."
"Adams Air Force Base?" Veronica asked in disbelief, "But that's on the East Coast!"
"Until recently I was the head researcher for the Duraframe Reinforcement Project for the combat model eyebots."
"Espera un segundo, you're saying he crossed the country to get to here?"
"It would appear so."
"Bueno ahora estoy celosa."
"Eyebot duraframe subject E is both the prototype and the last functioning model in this test group. I was prepared to make several improvements to the machines; however by the order of Colonel Autumn all resources allocated with the project were transferred to the development of Hellfire Armor."
"Colonel Autumn? But he died years ago."
"Who is he?"
"As such I am sending this model to Navarro outpost."
Boone shook his head at this:
"We took that place years ago. He was sending him into a trap."
"If you are listening to this log from one of our outposts in Chicago, give this unit whatever repairs it needs to continue its journey," then the speakers tone changed. It became… personal… urgent, almost like he was begging, "Please take care of him. Our future… my hopes… all rest on his shoulders."
Then suddenly ED-E started shaking and twirling in mid air like he was having a seizure. Then when he stabilized he blurted out:
" Whoa Whoaaaa! What the dang gawd just ought happened here? " then he turned to me, " I'ma hopin' no one kissed me! I ain't no Snow White! "
"Okay seriously," Cass exclaimed, "what the fuck is going on here?"
I turned to Veronica:
"You seemed to have an idea. Care to share?"
"It's a bit of a long story so I'll give you the cliffnotes version."
" Well don't keep us all in suspense, oh lady lass! "
"Wait, you don't understand what just happened either?"
He shook his head. I provided the explanation:
"When I found him, he was badly shot up by heavy caliber slugs. More than likely he literally can't remember anything."
"Just like you," Cass pointed out. I shrugged and Veronica continued her tale:
"Thirty years ago, the Enclave tried to start Doomsday all over again. Short version is they failed. We kicked their asses," she said this particular bit with a certain sense of pride before Boone cut in:
"We?"
"Fine," she replied annoyingly, "the Brotherhood and NCR both kicked their asses out of New California. While most of them bought the farm, quite a few fled east to Washington, DC. So the Brotherhood sent one of our best, an Elder Lyons, to chase them down. Exactly four years ago they made contact with them and blew them to high heaven," she emphasized this point by throwing a fast ball at the air, "the guy who was running that particular group was a certain Colonel Augustus Autumn who caused quite a bit of ruckus before he finally got put down. But it was always rumored that a few special projects were still out there."
" Like someone like little ol' me? "
She nodded.
"But somethin' don't make sense to me. If our bot here is the only one of his kind, then why'd this Whitley guy send him out cross-country by his lonesome?"
"Desperation," I answered, "you heard that last bit at the end. Whitley clearly cared for him. So if the Brotherhood was knocking on your front door, you send him out the back and hope for the best."
"There's more to it than that," Boone countered, "Navarro was an advanced R&D facility that cost its worth in blood to take," he then turned to Veronica, "isn't it true that Eyebots could store large packets of data for long periods of time?"
"Wait you're saying…"
"Our friend here is a courier."
I smiled lightly at this:
"Looks like we have a few things in common buddy."
I swore ED-E laughed at this, but then he echoed again his old country tunes:
" Hope to pray that y'all don't go operation on me, Doc! "
"What? No! But I do need to ask the obvious: is what he's carrying dangerous, to us and him?"
"Well we only got this much from a code phrase," Veronica answered, "when Cass said Navarro. That must mean his databanks would be protected by military levels of encryption."
"And no doubt estos chicos installed failsafes just in case someone went poking around," he then smiled at ED-E, "Entonces no te preocupes pequeno, you're off the hook."
ED-E then made a gesture and sound like he was wiping his brow in relief.
"So what do we do then?"
"We wait," Boone answered again, "we wait and keep a double watch on him. Sooner or later someone is going to say the right thing and we'll get the rest."
"We got bigger problems," Cass called over from the edge of the cliff, "take a look at this."
We ran over and we saw why.
"You gotta be kidding me!"
Boulder City was burning from a dozen different hotspots that seemed to be popping up all over the place. Before I could even move, Boone grabbed me by my Pip-Boy.
"What are you doing?"
"Accessing your radio. I can still tap into the Emergency Military Frequency."
He spent a few seconds twisting dials and pushing buttons but before long a signal flared through:
"zzzt…All NCR military forces and civilians, this a general broadcast warning! Legion forces are attacking Boulder City checkpoint and all surrounding areas! We are receiving reports of raiding parties as far south as Camp Gulf. If you are in the area, please evacuate now. All NCR military personnel, please report to your posts and await further instructions. This message repeats."
I then switched the Pip-Boy off and Cass chuckled lightly:
"What was it you said about someone sending bullshit our way?"
"I told you," I then turned to Boone, "is there any chance these guys are here for the Khans?"
"Last I heard they were allies, but not close enough for them to do something like this."
"Could be coincidence?" V added, but Raul shook his head.
"These guys bumble in and these other guys show too? Dios no tienen ese tipo de humor!"
"The chip," I whispered softly, "they're after the chip."
"Did you say something?"
I took a long hard look at the city ahead and bared my teeth at it.
"Arm up. We're going in."
Kowalski
"INCOMING!"
The mortar shell blew apart the wall and I got buried beneath half of it. My breath was thrown out as rubble continued to slam into my back. Oh Jesus. I didn't want to move. I just wanted to lie there and hide under the debris until the shooting stopped.
But it didn't. My entire world was just one long loud noise. Goddamn. Goddamn. Is this what Jimmy felt like at Hoover?
"Someone get Kowalski from under ther—gah! Fuck!"
I felt strong hands pull me from under my arms and lift me back into the world. My mouth and eyes were wide open as my vision suddenly became blurry. I then felt my face get slapped and I refocused.
"Hey! You okay!?"
I turned to see Donny Smith standing over me. He started shaking me by my armor harness. Then suddenly he fell on top of me, blood running down his forehead. I felt utterly terrified, but somehow numb. If I hadn't shit my pants earlier, I would've done so now.
"Kowalski!"
"Sarge!" I shouted as I pushed out from under Smith. I took a couple of seconds to—oh fuck. The back of his head was gone.
"Get the fuck down!"
Suddenly the entire side of the wall came alive as gunfire blasted through it. I dove to the ground. Where's my weapon!? I looked up to see Carter, our medic trying to bandage the Sarge's hand. Oh fuck. Are we the only ones left?
"Kowalski! Stop gawking and pick up your weapon!"
Then there was another mortar shell and another part of the roof caved in. I took cover. Fuck I wanna cry! Then I looked up to see Carter lying across the floor. A big piece of metal was sticking out of him! I ran over and tried to pull it out, but it just was too fucking slippery!
"Oh God, oh God."
"Leave him he's dead! Grab your weapon! We need to move!"
I nodded, panting as I did. I scrambled across the floor until I found my Service Rifle. I grabbed, my hands fumbling for the mag release as I changed it out for a fresh one. I ducked again as they started shooting at us again.
Get over here, he mouthed. I low crawled over to where he was. Oh fuck. Half his hand was missing.
"Sarge… what are we—what…?"
"Hey listen me!" he grabbed me by my helmet and brought me over, "We're gonna live alright! We're gonna get out of here! Now do you see that building?"
He pointed over his shoulder and I looked past the wall to the ruined and smashed main street. But I could see what he was pointing at. There was an apartment building thirty feet away. Somehow it hadn't been blown to hell.
"I'm gonna fire, and you run! When you reach it, you fire and I'll come to you! Do you understand?"
"Yes sir!"
"Alright go!"
I picked myself up and run. I was out onto the streets. I could see bullets all around me, hitting the ground but somehow not hitting me. Then there was an explosion to my left and I hit the ground. My ears rang and I could barely see.
But I picked myself up again and just started running. I kept running and running until I hit a wall and I fell over. I looked up and saw an open doorway. I crawled in and then hugged against a wall as more bullets ripped apart the top just above me.
"Okay… okay, I'm still alive. Alright let's do this!"
I turned through the doorway, going prone as I started sending lead downrange. I didn't know what I was fucking shoot at, but I just kept shooting until I had to change out. I then called down to the end of the street:
"Sarge, come on!"
There was no response. Just more shooting between me and where he was. I popped a round in their direction and called again:
"Sarge!"
There was nothing. Oh fuck. I'm alone here.
"Oh fuck… oh God please, please no."
I heard a noise. Something clattered. I swung my weapon down the hallway.
"Please God, please…"
Only silence. I perked my ears open, listening to anything that might be moving. There was nothing. It was then that I realized that there was silence. I mean total silence.
They'd stopped shooting.
"Why?"
I peeked around the corner. Oh fuck. They were in the streets! At least six of the crimson bastards. I brought my weapon up but I didn't shoot.
I only had half a mag left.
"Just turn around and go away," I caught myself whispering, "just—"
They went into the building and started dragging out the bodies. No. No no no no, don't you fucking dare!
"A message to the profligates."
The Decanus took out a hammer and nails.
"May Mars anoint them in blood and filth."
They grabbed Sarge's corpse and held him against the wall.
"YOU MOTHERFUCKERS!"
I rose to my feet, switched the rifle to full auto and opened up on them. I screamed as I ripped apart the fucker with the hammer. His arm went flying and I sawed open the second one right behind him.
CLICK
Oh fuck me.
"Retribution!"
I hit the ground and started crawling away as the opened fire on me. Oh shit, oh shit. The walls around me crumbled to pieces. I kept moving, kept running. I was at the street.
Oh fuck where am I going!? Suddenly more bullets were coming my way. I rolled forward and took off at a run. There was a door in front of me. I ran as fast as I could and I tackled it down to the ground.
"Spumae terrae!"
I spun and one of crimsons was in the doorway. He raised his machete and swung at me. I did the only thing I could think of. I raised my rifle and blocked the blade. The blade impacted and then slid down to the floor.
There was no thinking in what happened next. My training kicked in and I just went off of muscle memory. I swung my rifle and slammed the butt into his face, knocking him right back into the doorway.
"Come on you shithead!"
I charged, swinging my weapon again. Oh fuck, he ducked. Suddenly he grabbed my weapon by stock and barrel and then tackled me into the wall. Oh fuck my back. Suddenly I felt a knee in my gut and I almost dropped to the floor.
"Just like the rest: weak and undisciplined."
"Yeah fuck you too!"
I threw my weapon forward, hitting him in the face and then I followed up by slamming the butt across his head. He dropped to the floor. Fuck this prick, I ain't ready to die. I started smashing my weapon at anything in my path. I smashed at his face, his arms, his back.
Then suddenly I was on the floor. He hit me across the face and my head went spinning. My weapon went flying and I saw the glint of a knife. I threw my arms up like the Rangers taught us and caught his blade arm in a cross section. I then twisted over and his blade went into the floor.
I then threw a fast one at him, knocking him off me. I then swung over and I was ontop of him; slamming my fist over and over at him.
"Fucking die!"
"You first."
My hand went into the ground and I screamed in pain. Then I felt an elbow hit me across the cheek and was on the floor again. I turned and he was standing over me with a gun on my head.
"May Charon receive—"
Suddenly he was grabbed from behind and a knife slashed across his throat. He dropped to the floor. I looked up and there was a man standing over me, hidden in shadow.
"You okay?"
"Who the fuck are you!?"
He then dropped to his knee and the red beret of First Recon came into view.
"Just a friend."
Cass
"Double tap them just to be sure."
"What's the point?"
"Trust me," he gave the smarty pants a grim look, "they have a habit of playing possum."
"How would you—"
"He's right," Boone called, "they'll take every opportunity to kill you. Never give them one."
He was supporting a boy. There ain't no other way of describin' him, because that's exactly what he was. He couldn't have been more than eighteen. Hell, I can barely remember what I was like at his age. He had brown hair cut in a jarhead fashion and a face that was covered in blood.
And from the smell, I'd say he was due for a change in trousers soon.
"Who's your friend?" Gideon asked. Boone shrugged.
"Private Kowalski," he answered shakily, shit this kid could do for a smoke and a shot, "3rd Infantry, 2nd Company. Who are—"
"Just passer throughs, Private. Where's your commanding officer?"
"I—I don't—I don't have one. My squad they—"
He pointed to the poor sonsabitches who bought it. I motioned over to Boone and I took the boy by the shoulder.
"Hey kid's its okay. Yer safe now. Here, take some of this."
I handed him my flask and he drank like a swindler 'bout to settle his affairs.
"Not too much," I soothed as I held the bottom down ta keep him from going overboard, "feel better?"
"God, yeah. A lot better."
I then heard Gideon talkin' to Boone.
"So, what do you think?"
"Fairly standard raiding party. I'd say maybe fifty or so raiders like these guys. Those mortars though mean they brought along a support group."
"Which would mean at least five tubes, plus a handful to provide security?"
How the hell would he know that?
"Yeah," Boone replied simply, "From the distance and arcing, I'd say their somewhere in the city."
"Right. But first things first, we need to find the rest of the garrison here and dig in. Do you know who would be in charge here?"
"Lieutenant Monroe sir," the kid answered, "he and his guys are set up in the center of town. I can take you."
"Alright. Boone, you and me we'll take the kid and head the front. V and Raul, you guys stay in the middle and watch our flanks."
"Don't worry boss. Manejar esto como un Puñado de Dólares, eh?"
"What are you," Veronica asked with a smile, "The Man with no name?"
"'Were you gonna die alone?'" he smirked, doin' some grittier than nails impersonation, to which she rolled her eyes.
"ED-E, I need you to do some recon. Just zoom ahead and take a look see. Do not under any circumstances start taking potshots at these guys. Just observe them and then head back."
" You can count on meeee! But gotta admit, you're spoiling my blue moon fun! "
"I'll take spoiling your fun over finding you a junkpile—"
"Again," I added with a grin and he nodded.
"—again. So don't do anything stupid, alright?"
Then outta nowhere he tuned up this little mopy boy tune as he darted around the corner:
"Yeah, okay."
"Cass, you take the rear and watch our asses."
"Gotcha Boss Man."
"Wait," the kid called, "I need to do something first."
I helped him to his feet and he headed over to the bodies of his comrades. I walked over and I heard the tail end of what sounded like a prayer. He crossed himself, his buddies and then he took their dog tags, followed by a rifle and some mags.
"You good kid?"
"Yeah. Let's go kill these fuckers."
Veronica
As we head down the street, me and Raul had taken the opportunity to equipped ourselves with some of the soldiers' spare rifles. I don't like guns, but I'm not a pussy (despite my gender, but you get what I mean) and right now fists were not the best choice. Besides, we were in the middle of an NCR trade checkpoint; which means a lot of guys stressed out of their minds and trigger happy. Last thing they and I need is them finding out my allegiances and taking potshots at me and not at the lunatics with machetes.
We advanced down the street in a tight military fashion, with Boone and Gideon in front with their silenced rifles (Boone picked one up for his back at Black Mountain) and Cass holding the back with that lever-action scattergun of hers. Everybody was tense, well tense is the wrong word, but everybody (including me) took their steps carefully, our weapons trained to shoot at a moment's notice. The very air felt cold and scared, almost frigid and in the distance we could hear the distant gunfire and explosions.
"Bienvenido al infierno."
He… he wasn't kidding. Four years ago, the Legion almost overran the NCR at Hoover Dam. They drove them past the Dam and ended up here. Thousands of the Roman copycat bastards marching and chanting like hooligans through these very same streets. Let me tell you though that the NCR, despite everything they do wrong, occasionally have moments of brilliance and this was one of them.
As they advanced, small pockets of snipers (I wonder if Boone was among them) started picking off squad leaders and officers (pretty easy to do considering the getups they wear) and threw the jerkwads into utter confusion. Then they blew up the town. Yes you heard me right. From what I heard they packed thousands of pounds of explosive in and around almost 2/3rd's of this town and then blew it to high heaven. Hundreds died from the explosion and the aftereffects… well you can see it here.
Every single building you could see was leveled. I don't just mean blown up or destroyed, I mean they were broken down to their foundation and all that was left was rubble. Some were just literally craters. Looking at this place… it reminded me years ago when I found a book on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the first human cities to be annihilated by the splitting of an atom. Desolation is the only word that comes to mind.
How man could do—Gideon held up his hand.
Kowalski
Johnson. Oh God they got Johnson too. He was lying face down with—with a fucking spear in his back. These fucking savages. Well they ain't gonna nail his body up too.
"Wait," the one eyed guy said.
"What for? He's dead and they're gone. Let me at least get his dogtag."
"Boone?"
"No chances."
He suddenly raised his weapon on Johnsons body.
"What the fuc—"
He took a shot and suddenly his body exploded!
"You—you fucking crimson monkeys!" I screamed.
Gideon
"How did you know?" Veronica asked me, and I shrugged. Funny enough Raul provided an answer.
"Pretty obvious, cariño. Grenade hidden under the body, I could see that from a mile out and I'm half blind. Aficionados, even the raiders down in Tucson, not Two Sun, could do that better."
"No doubt someone oughta heard that," Cass called from the back, "need to get a move on."
"Agreed. Keep moving. The last thing we need is the sky to come crashing down on us. Kid, take point."
I can feel a half dozen pair of eyes on the back of my head and I don't blame them. This place is bringing back memories. Nothing like what hit me just a scant few days ago, but every once a view I see a flash and I'm in another city, another time, another war. The smell of cordite and charred wood choke my senses, the howling of wild dogs drown out my hearing and through the paved streets of some post-America big city I feel a river of blood wade in my boots. This place, this city, it's familiar but I can't place it but I can almost feel its venom in my veins.
I know thousands died there. I can feel the cold weight of their shattered bodies in my bones. And a few snapshots I see their carcasses clog tight the highways of the long gone; their uniforms and dress a telltale sign of their past allegiances. Some bearing the crimson cloth of the Legion, but these ones I remember especially. They're more ragged and torn, adorned with animal pets; hardened in their faces and hands. Instead of the traditional leather mish-mash gear most of these guys wear: they had Kevlar plates and each a bunch of knife sheaths rigged to their chests for all manner of blades.
They don't wear the horse hair sports or Kevlar helmets either: instead hollowed hide heads of mountain lions. Most of them carried regimented sawn-off shotguns, though every tenth man of the contubernium had the habit of carrying an M2 or M9 pattern flamethrower. Close in fighters, perfectly suited to urban combat. But the final clue came from their shields. Oh yes, these guys had shields, or at least every third or fourth man did.
They were old-world riot shields: long steel rectangles with a grilled port view and spray painted completely scarlet with an iron spiked umbo bolted to the center. But over and around that was the face of a ferocious cat with its teeth bared and on its forehead was the Roman numerals XIII.
"In inferno autem non sequuntur," I mumbled under my breath.
"What'd you say?"
"Nothing. Let's keep moving."
Then I looked up and saw a sign directly ahead of us.
Welcome to Denver! Home of the Rams!
"What the hell?"
I closed my eye and the sign changed to:
Welcome to Boulder City! Home of H—
The words Hoover Dam was shot out. Fucking memory lane; you'll be the death of me.
" Hey ya folks! "
ED-E suddenly zoomed in from around the corner.
"Hey buddy; what'd you find?"
Monroe
This day just keeps getting better and better. First these goddamn Khans and now these Legion bastards. On top of that, I'd just lost contact with Sergeant Castellone and his squad out on the eastern fringes.
"INCOMING!"
I ducked my head as another mortar hit the outside wall and blew out a tiny storm right in our faces.
"Everyone okay!?"
"Yeah!" Jackson called out. I nodded and started shooting at the pukes that were shooting at my men. They had us pinned down in the saloon building on three sides with shooters on the second floors and roofs. We were at an extreme tactical disadvantage. Not just in terms of position, but also in numbers and firepower.
I had twelve men here awaiting transfer, plus another six from Castellone's guys who were on the otherside of town awaiting transport to take them home, and now I was down to just three healthy shooters: Jackson, Carlos and Mackie. Jeff, my combat medic assigned from the 7th Support Corp, was in the back tending to both my wounded and the dozen or so scared as shit caravaners who'd been caught in crossfire. Two of my guys, Gilbert and Ackermen, who both been wounded but were still willing to fight were in the courtyard keeping the half dozen or so Khan fuckers pinned in their little snake hole. I took cover as a dozen shots hit my spot; stone, wood and concrete splintering off in finger sized fragments. I ducked out and fired back, taking single shots to try and conserve ammo.
Another problem weighed on my mind. We'd lost our long range transmitter, so we were cut off completely from Gulf and McCarran. All we had was our shortwaves and those were only good for maybe a couple of blocks at most here. The only plus side was that the saloon was built into two large caved in buildings, so they couldn't flank us. There was also a fifty yard open field between us and them, so they couldn't charge us and we had a damn wall of concrete rubble right in front of us.
That'd proved especially usefully earlier when they'd tried to use Bazookas to try and blast us out, but did shit against our cover. Now it was just a waiting game. How long would it take for the Calvary to show before the Indians killed us? I fired again, this time at a shadow moving across the rooftops. I put three rounds in him and he dropped all the way to the ground.
"Got you, you sorry bastard."
"INCOMING!"
Another mortar hit us, this time just in front of our position. These guys were getting better.
"Everyone okay?"
"LT, I'm out!"
"Here my last mag!" I tossed it over to Carlos, "Make it count! Helps coming soon!"
No it wasn't. A lot of troops had been pulled out this month due to combat rotation, and freshies were being sent down to Forlorn Hope instead of Gulf or McCarran. We were on our own.
"crzzt…enant Mon—crzzt!"
"What the hell?"
I reached down to my shortwave.
"This is Lieutenant Monroe, 4th Infantry. Who's this, over?"
"crzzt…enant—crzzt!"
"Say again! I repeat say again you are coming scrambled! My signal is 93-oh-7, over."
"Lieutenant Monroe, this is Sergeant Boone, First Recon. What's your status, over?"
First Recon? Oh thank Christ. God, I take back everything I said about you.
"Sergeant Boone, my men are pinned down at the northwest corner at the Big Horn Saloon. We are surrounded by an unknown number of hostiles on three separate buildings. They have mortars and bazookas. I have a lot of wounded and scared shitless folk who could use an extraction, over."
"Copy, LT. I am approaching your southwest with six friendlies. Private Kowalski is in company, over."
"Kowalski? What happened to his squad."
"All are KIA. I'm sorry."
Castellone was a good man. I'd served with him when shit hit the fan at Hoover. I knew Kowalski's brother too. Jimmy gave his life to cover us when I was hit and they'd need to extract us out. So Jake'd joined up to do his brother proud. I'm glad he'll make it out tonight.
"Also be advised, we have a bunch of Khans pinned down in a northern building. We think the crimsons are here to extract them. They hit us right when we got them cornered, over."
"Copy. LT, sit tight. We'll take out the party crashers. Out."
Kowalski
"Well I'd say that kicks the original theory right out the window."
"They're not here for the Khans, V. They're here for Benny."
"The fuck that creep gotta do with them?"
"Simple. The chip. It's pretty clear to me that Victor works for House, and Victor hired me to transport it. So whatever it is, it's important enough that his employee would want to steal it."
"So the Legion would want it too?"
"Exactly."
"Ah the plot thickens! Oh la alegría!"
What the fuck are they all talking about? Whatever.
"Excuse me, but can we kindly get back to the matter of how we're gonna kill these jackasses?"
"How well you know this town, kid?" The One-Eye asked me.
I shrugged.
"Well enough. I was here for about a day and half."
"Do you know where the Saloon is? Could you ID it on a map?"
"Sure I guess."
"Then you're our guide," the First Recon said, "come over. Gideon?"
"Yeah I got it. Everybody get in close."
I crawled over and this guy had a damn Pip-Boy!
"Are you from a Vault?"
"No, but one gave me his."
He then it a few buttons and a giant layout map popped up. It took me a couple of seconds for me to get that it was of the town. He then pointed at a cross section of a half dozen so buildings.
"This is us. They're northwest of us. I'm going to scroll up and when you see it stop me."
I nodded and he started moving the map. A few second later, I spotted it.
"Stop stop, right there!"
It was a corner building, plus a plaza with three apartments.
"'bout half a mile out," the red head replied, "looks like we'll hit the first building here just as we go up. So what ya thinkin'? We ninja our way in and take 'em out one at a time?"
"That'd be the safe route."
"No it wouldn't."
They all looked at the First Recon guy. I asked the obvious:
"Why's that?"
He looked at me with eyes as cold as fucking ice. This guy's seen some heavy shit that I can tell.
"These crimsons are spread out over three buildings, and they got that firepower on all three. Me and Gideon are the only ones with silenced weapons. We hit them one at a time, they'll hit us back and we'll be in as much trouble as Monroe is out there. We need to hit them all at once, all at the same time."
"Seven of us versus probably thirty or forty of them. Not odds I'd like."
"When have the odds ever been in our favor? Plus it'll be more like fifteen or so versus two or three of us a piece. And we have the element of surprise."
"Points taken. Okay here's the plan. We advance to the first target building here. We'll split off and take these guys in groups. Boone, you take the kid and Raul and hit the first building. I'll take V and hit the second. Cass you and ED-E take the last one."
" Oh beauty! Me an' you gonna make some history! "
"That sounds kinda kinky."
" Ah you're a mighty embarrassing me! "
"Alright, ammo check and then we head out."
God, please watch over me and them. Jimmy, I'm going to avenge you. This I promise.
