Primm was definitely not the same compared to last time. The difference though is actually good for the town. This time, nobody was killing each other due to all the new NCR troopers patrolling. In other words, Primm was now NCR territory. At least the place was like another peaceful town. Well, peaceful for wasteland standards. Harley had taken a look at her partner's surprised look. Since she didn't really know what previously happened to Primm, she was confused.
"What's the big deal?" she asked.
Troy had awoken from his daydreaming. "Last time I was here, it was a bloodbath" he'd explain. "That and there were barely any troops here keeping shit under control.
"Is that so? Well I'm gonna go see if I can find a spot in the hotel" Harley proposed.
"Hotel was ransacked last time I was here" the courier quickly apprised.
Harley looked back at Troy with for some reason an annoyed look. She was tired so she's probably hating all the bad news. "Well maybe they fixed it don't ya think?" she replied in a sassy tone before walking off.
Troy uttered a sigh before yawning. He was tired too. "I'll catch up with you later. I have to meet someone" he hollered at the girl. After seeing a thumbs up given by his partner, Troy lowered his glance of the girl's body. He shook his head thinking that now is an inappropriate time. "Focus Troy" he muttered to himself before heading towards his destination.
The courier now stood in front of the Mojave Express. This was the building Nash worked at. There wasn't much reason other than curiosity for Troy to be here. He'd let in a deep breath before entering the building. Once inside, he was greeted the same polite old man just like last time.
"Well look who came back. How are you doing youngster?" Johnson greeted.
"Hey. I just had some questions for you if that's alright" Troy requested. The sight of a broken machine on the counter caught his eye.
"Well go right on ahead."
Troy took in another deep breath. "So you remember last time you mentioned my package being strange?" Troy asked.
The elderly trader nodded as he scratched his head. "Yea I remember" he'd start. "That cowboy robot had us hire six couriers." Troy thought back about whatever 'cowboy robot' Johnson was talking about. It wasn't long until he remember about Primm Slim in the Vikki & Vance casino. Troy's distraction broke when Johnson continued with his answer. "Each was carrying something a little different. A pair of dice, a chess piece, that kind of stuff. Last word I had from the office, it looked like the payment had been received for the other five jobs. Guess it was just your chip that didn't make it."
Troy looking more frustrated now rubbed his temple. Of course I had get that fucking package. Why else would I be in this mess he angrily thought to himself. Johnson paused his explanation until Troy gave the go ahead.
"First deadbeat we hired to do the job canceled. Hope a storm from the Divide skins him alive. Well, that's where you came in. Yeah, got this look when he saw you next down on the Courier list. His expression turned right around, asked me if your name was for real."
Now Troy's look went from frustration to confusion. So this 'original' Courier Six knows me? he'd ask in his thoughts. Looks like the old man's information was more important than the courier thought. At least it was personally.
Johnson once again continued with Troy's full attention. "I said, sure as lack of rain, you were still kicking. Then he turned down the job, just like that. I asked if he was sure, it was good money. No, let 'Courier Six' carry the package, that's what he said - like the Mojave'd sort you out or something. Then he just up and walked out." Johnson took a moment to sigh. It was a long and confusing story after all. "No idea. Sounds like you two had a history for him to act like that. And turn down the money, too. Hope he didn't see any trouble in that package of yours. Maybe he thought your name was bad luck. Not for me to say."
Troy winced at the comment. Johnson might have not meant it as an insult, but for some reason it pressed the courier's buttons. Unfortunately, the whole luck thing sounds true. Courier Six has been getting himself into some very shitty situations recently.
By now Six would be out the door, but he was trying to process everything and think deeply into his thoughts. Remembering wasn't going to be easy for him for a long time. Maybe it will never be easy for him. Troy looked at the counter and noticed a peace of paper.
"What's this?" Troy curiously asked as he picked up the note and started reading.
"That's an order made for the fourth courier. "Daniel Wyland was his name I believe. Unfortunately for him, he was killed when those convicts terrorized the town."
After reading the order instructions, Troy would set the piece of paper down. Thinking back, he remembered a dead corpse in front of the building. It's gone now so Nash and the other setters must have taken care of it.
"Oh, before you go" Johnson interrupted the courier's thoughts. The trader reached under his counter and took out some sort of revolver. "Your friend found this in the hotel after getting the NCR to take over Primm. Our mayor is some sergeant named McGee by the way." That explains all the NCR troopers in the town. "Either way, Griffon wanted you to have it" Nash said before placing the revolver on the counter. "He calls it Lucky."
Troy rolled his eyes with a smirk due to the irony. An unlucky man with a revolver named Lucky. What an interesting pairing. The courier took a look at the gun to see if it attracted his interest. The barrel, frame and cylinder are made of a smooth black metal decorated with ornate gold etchings, and the polished ivory handle is inlaid with the clubs symbol. The word "Lucky" is engraved on the silver plate on the ejector tube.
The courier picked the gun up to be met with a nice but familiar feeling. Why do I feel like this fits me? Troy thought to himself. He looked up and noticed a box of .357 ammo place on the counter in front of him.
"Don't worry. I won't have you buy any ammo from me" Johnson said with a warm smile on his wrinkled face.
Six was walking towards the Bison Steve Hotel with Lucky in his hand. He was still confused that the gun felt extremely comfortable in his hand. Perhaps he's overthinking it. When he finally looked up, he noticed Harley smoking a cigarette at the entrance. Her eyes soon met with his which made her form a grin.
"You were right about the building unavailability" she'd say annoyed.
Troy grinned. "Don't worry. We can just camp out here" he'd propose.
"That's a pretty pretty toy you got there" Harley complimented the new magnum with a teasing intention.
Troy smiled with a lit cigarette in his mouth. It's good to see him amuse more than he was. "I'm grateful that Griffon and Nash gave this to me, but I might stick to the 9mm for now." He'd take the cigar out and offer it to his partner.
The girl nervously accepted the stick and would attempt to suck in some smoke. Immediately, she started violently coughing.
The courier raised an eyebrow at his partner. "You're new to smoking?"
"I literally just started" she'd say before laughing. She flicked the cigarette away since it's almost burned away. "So tell me more about Griffon."
Troy sighed. "Not much to say. I barely knew him, but he was nice I guess. He went out of his way to help this town with its sheriff problem even though he has his own shit to do." Troy uttered a sigh. He was still guilty about leaving his friend behind, but it the guilt irritated him. The irritation made him think about who he was before having a bullet lodged into his head.
"Troy" Harley interrupted Troy from staring off into the night sky. "Go to sleep. You'll probably need it to keep yourself from getting a bad headache like last time." The courier nodded as agreement. The girl was right. Troy layed down on his sleeping bag and would shut his eyes.
Both Troy and Harley were panting as they lay in front of the large statue of two figures shaking each others' hands. Troy felt really stupid for forgetting about how long the trip uphill would be. He would have mentally prepared himself. Harley on the other hand was obviously irritated due to the look on her face.
"Why are we hear again?" she'd ask her partner while heavily panting. "We just rested at Primm. She'd sit up and try to catch her breath.
"I need to see someone" Troy answered. He immediately got up and would leave Harley to rest. The courier headed towards where some wooden planks were placed in positions that would help lead to the roof of the barracks.
When on the roof, a sniper with an amused look on her face turned to meet him. It looked like the sniper noticed Troy's and Harley's arrival. The courier stared at the sniper with an annoyed look on his face.
"Ghost, are you done yet?" he'd ask.
The sniper would hold a finger up before laughing a little louder. It was fake, but the point was to annoy Troy in the first place. "That's a sight to remember." The laughing soon died down and her smile faded away. "Did you check out Nipton yet?" she asked. It was all down to business now.
Troy slowly nodded with a nervous look on his face. A single word was all that was needed. "Legion."
If it weren't for the sunglasses, Ghost's eyes could be seen widening. "This far West?" she blurted out. "You're fucking kidding me." She shook her head. "That's not outside the border. They're moving in, and fast. Nipton wasn't the most friendly town, but..." she had a gloomy look on her face. She then let out a sigh of disappointment. "Alright. Thanks for checking on that, wish it set my mind at ease, now I'm more on edge than ever."
There was nothing else Troy needed from the place. It was time for him to go back to being selfish. A lot of time was wasted. The odds of him finding this fucker in the checkered suit is a lot lower. Chances are that all the leads are gone. "If that's all you wanted, I'm done" the courier proclaimed.
The NCR sniper responded by giving Troy her thanks. "Well, thanks for hoofing it there and back, even if it was bad news. Wish we could spare the troops to go hunting, but orders are to stay put." The sniper made a dirty look. Troy could understand the feeling of being held back from trying to seek vengeance. "Fucking Mojave's going to hell, and all I can do is sit here and watch.
"Really? Four minutes. Four fucking mintues Troy! We walked up that giant ass hill, just so you can do something that takes four minutes!?" Harley screamed at her companion. Meanwhile, Troy just kept walking down the hill while trying his best to ignore the enraged girl.
"No breaks at all! No resupplying! Just you and some bitch chatting it away!"
The girl wasn't going to stop. It would be a while before seeing Nipton again. When the now burned town came to view, an unexpected encounter waited.
"Can't believe what happened to this place. Both the town's destruction and all the dead Legion members killed by you" Harley commented while looking at Troy.
The two suddenly stopped when their eyes met with a figure sitting against the General Store. Harley's hand approached the holster of her pistol, but was stopped by Troy's hand. He then shook his head. The courier started approaching the figure while Harley stood back and watched.
"Griffon" Troy would timidly call the figure out.
The guy suddenly raised his head and looked at his old friend. The look on Griffon's face made Troy feel some anguish. The guy had been crying, but for what? "Ayy Six" Griffon greeted back. "It's been a while."