The courier would start chewing on a couple more tablets of mentats. The taste itself were disgusting, but to Troy it was worth getting his memories back. Behind him, Harley and Griffon followed. Harley normally would have taken the drugs out of his hands and tossed them, but Troy had informed her that the chems were for medical uses. The jet on the other hand was just for pleasure.
Griffon and Harley obviously cared for the confused courier. If they didn't, they would have easily accepted Troy's offer back at Novac. They didn't though. It confused Troy, but he didn't care. There is only one thing in his mind right now, and that's to get to Benny. This goal scares his companions. After all, Troy threatened to kill them if they interfered. Just goes to show that they do care for his safety.
"Maybe we should take a break" Harley timidly suggested.
Troy stopped, turned his head and met his two companions with a glare. Harley jumped at the sight. Griffon stepped in.
"Mate, you didn't sleep on a bed last night. Two hours, kay?" he'd offer.
Troy wanted to argue, but he was willing to admit that they were right. He hated the decision he was willing to make. "Fine" he'd finally respond.
Harley smiled brightly. She was glad that Troy was willing to finally ease up. She then pointed at a billboard sponsoring Sunset Sarsaparilla. "Over there. It'll provide nice shading from the sun."
"Good eye" Griffon complimented. Troy would remain silent. If he were in a better mood, he might've also complimented the girl.
The three would approach the large billboard which happens to have a wastelander already in front of it. The stranger had definitely spotted the three miles away, yet he didn't show a single sign of hostility. He'd sit on a log with an acoustic guitar which leans against it. In front of him was a campfire that had died recently due to the visible smoke hovering over it and the ashes residing in it. The stranger looked up and smiled upon being approached by Griffon.
"Howdy there, partner" the stranger greeted. It was hard to tell his ethnicity due to his large bushy mustache and dark cowboy hat which hid features on his face. The only reference available was his tan face that most wastelanders happen to have now a days. He'd wear a brown and dirty duster with dusty tan pants tucked into his black leather boots.
"Waddup mate" Griffon greeted back as he sat on a burnt log across from the stranger. "What's your story?"
The stranger leaned back and threw his head up causing him to look at the sky blue sky. "My story's a long one, friend" he'd start. "And I can't say that it's all that interesting" he'd warn.
"We're pretty interested" Harley chimed in. She'd sit on a log next to Griffon. Meanwhile, Troy decided to isolate himself and sit against the billboard. Under normal circumstances, his companions would have tried to invite him into the group conversation. Not this time though. Troy is just isn't the same anymore.
The loner in the duster sighed as he got ready to tel his tale. "Well, I was born in a little town out Montana way. Me and Ma didn't have much, ever since my pa up and left."
The mention of a father shook Troy up a bit. He'd look at the group. The feeling inside of him was unusual. His head started to throb.
"Your father abandoned you?" Harley asked. She then covered her mouth when realizing that the question was probably inappropriate.
The drifter sighed again. "That he did." He'd take notice of Harley's sympathetic look. "Don't worry. It ain't a big deal" he'd assure her. It eased the girl up a bit, although not too much. She couldn't help but still feel terrible for bringing it up. "Never did know why he left. Ma said he was a real mysterious feller, even when he was with her. Like he was a stranger sometimes."
"You miss your pop?" Griffon ask. "Could be why you out here wandering."
"Maybe. Maybe I just never felt like I belonged back home" the drifter assumed.
"It must have been hard growing up without a father" Harley commented.
Troy grasped onto his head with one of his hands. He'd soon collapse and curl up which had caught the attention of the other three. The courier breathed heavily as he started to notice his vision blur. The voices of his concerned friends quickly approaching him were replaced with ringing. Everything was then black.
"Where am I?"
Everything still remained black. Nothing couldn't even be heard as well. Suddenly, something slowly appeared. There was a little boy in the corner. The childish face looked a bit familiar. It looked like the face of an unscarred courier. The boy was crying as he looked towards something with fear in his eyes. The child's nose was bloody. Red dripped down his chin onto some ragged clothing.
"Is that... me?"
More things around the child soon showed up. There was a man. He was a little on the chubby side with a dark grizzly beard and long hair. The man screamed at the defenseless child. He'd then suddenly threw a beer bottle which instantly shatter upon contact with the wall. The fragments of the glass surrounded the cowering child.
Everything was black again.
Troy's eyes opened and was instantly met with a dark night sky. He sat up and looked around him to see that there were three familiar sleeping figures around a dimly lit campfire. The courier felt his head who wasn't throbbing much anymore. He'd think back to the visions he remembered.
"What the fuck just happened?" he cursed.
Troy stood up to look around for his belongings. His bag remained against the log next to the drifter's guitar. The courier walked up to it and dug around for something that might lighten up his mood.
"Where the fuck are the chems?" he'd curse again. Troy soon found a pipe he used to smoke some jet, but frowned when he realized it was empty. Overwhelmed with rage and frustration, he threw it into the dark wasteland. He soon sighed and went back to rummaging through his pack only to find the next best thing. Cigarettes. They don't calm the courier down as well, but they're a lot safer than jet. All Troy did was sigh as he took the pack and a lighter before heading behind the billboard to smoke. There was no need to interrupt the others as they slept.
Harley's eyes met with the blue sky when she opened them. She sat up and stretched her arms while yawning at the same time. She looked around to see Griffon still asleep on the floor. The drifter however, he was still wide awake and sitting on the same log he sat on yesterday. Troy was nowhere to be found.
"Morning" the drifter greeted.
"Good morning" Harley responded. "So where's Troy?" she'd ask as she stood up.
The drifter shrugged before grabbing his guitar and setting it on his lap. "The courier came up to me, looking like nothing happened to him at all. The boy said he wanted to go on a walk" the drifter informed.
Harley frantically got up and scrambled for her things. The first thing that came to mind was that the unstable courier had left his group, but that wasn't the case at all. When the frightened woman made her way to their belongings, Troy's supplies remained there as well. The only thing that was missing was Lucky, the .357 magnum.
Harley let out a sigh of relief. Troy's not gonna leave with just a magnum. The only reason he'd only take a weapon is for protection after all. She wondered how the courier was managing. Two times, he had passed out since they met. This time however, wasn't as bad. Troy simply collapsed and closed his eyes a few seconds afterwards. To her, it looked like the guy was tired. She knew better though. Doc told her about his brain damage. That had to be the reason for it. It was then that she found away to help her friend. Hopefully the three of them could head to Freeside. Not only did she want to revisit some friends, but she knows people there that can help Troy. Whether they're willing to, Harley doesn't know. For now, all she can think of is how that those specific people is what Troy needs right now.
"Thanks for your hospitality" Harley thanked the drifter.
"Well," Griffon started. He'd shut up knowing what he wanted to say would piss Harley off. Although what he was going to say was right, Harley was definitely not gonna allow it. She considers what they were given hospitality. Griffon just saw it as a small conversation with the loner. Either way, they both enjoyed it. Troy was the only one who didn't.
"Anytime lads" the drifter responded. "Maybe we'll cross paths again huh?" he'd assume.
The drifter would take off his cowboy hat and wave at the three with it. Harley and Griffon waved back as the two walked backwards. Troy led the group and kept his vision forward. He didn't have anything against the drifter. It's just that he wanted to hurry up and get to Boulder City. The courier has said it many times both to himself and to his companions. They are way behind. If that continues, Troy might never find this Benny.
"How are we on supplies?" Griffon asked. He knew that Troy wasn't going to reply, so he glanced at Harley. That gave her the queue to answer.
"I saw we restock after visiting Boulder City" she suggested. Troy didn't say anything. He didn't really care as long as there weren't going to be any stops from where they are all the way to the city they'll soon visit.
The three continued down the road. A couple caravans passed by, but Troy wouldn't let his comrades start a discussion of any kind. Griffon and Harley weren't too miserable, but they were definitely disappointed with Troy's mood. They wonder if Benny will even be worth it in the end. It's not like the two would know. The three all went through different things, but Troy's story is a bit more unique.
The road led to a desolate city. Troy was the only one who looked surprised. Actually, he looked worried. Did he lose his lead already? Soon, he and his friends saw NCR troopers patrolling. Some acted like nothing happened. Then there were the ones that looked worried. Troy would explore the area for a bit in order to grasp the situation.
"You here to pay your respects too?" the sudden voice of a young male asked. Troy looked over and saw a NCR trooper standing in front of an engraved stone tablet the size of a deathclaw.
"Memorial?" Griffon asked. Harley gave him a puzzled look. She was surprised that Griffon didn't know anything about this. Then again, she remembered Griffon mentioning that he wasn't from the Mojave.
The NCR trooper didn't seem upset by the fact that Griffon didn't know about this memorial. Little did the soldier know that Troy also doesn't know about it. That would be due to his memories though. Unless of course, he never learned about it when he had them in the first place.
"You know, the one commemorating the Battle of Hoover Dam" the soldier started. "Rangers lured the best of Caesar's Legion into Boulder City, then blew the whole town up" he'd explain.
The realization of the city's current look had hit Troy in the face. "So that explains the destruction" Troy mumbled under his breath. Just like he intended, nobody heard.
The NCR trooper continued to inform Griffon and those in his party. "The NCR still lost a bunch of troops in the fighting, though. My older brother sacrificed himself so they could evacuate some of the wounded."
"Sorry to hear that mate" Griffon said. He had a sympathetic look having been in a situation where brothers are lost.
"Don't worry about it" the trooper replied. He'd turn around and went back to staring at the tablet. It was time for the three wastelanders to leave the soldier alone.
The party wandered around the city for a while until the found themselves at a barricaded area. There stood a NCR soldier with a green beret an dirty blonde beard in between them and the barricades. It's a shame. Troy hasn't found any leads in the rest of the town. The area behind the barricades might be where his answer lies.
"We've got a situation with some Great Khans right now" the soldier informed the three. Troy's eyes widened. Harley's and Griffon's did as well, but not as much as Troy. The courier is the one desperate for the answers, so his reaction was the different one. "The brass at McCarran has ordered me to lock down the ruins until it's been resolved."
Troy wasn't very happy with the information. He's will to either help the followers of the two-headed bear, or kill them to get to the Khans. "What's the situation" the courier asked. The tone wasn't very polite, but the soldier didn't hesitate from informing the three.
"One of my patrols was on its way back from Novac when it came under fire from the Great Khans. They radioed for reinforcements, but instead of waiting for us, they chased the Khans into the ruins where they were caught in a crossfire." The soldier took a moment to catch his breath. "No deaths, but not all of the squad got out. The Khans have Private Ackerman and Private Gilbert as hostages."
Troy groaned. The hostages are gonna make this a lot harder. "That gang has something of mine" Troy told the soldier. Thankfully, the courier got a cooperative response.
"Once the Great Khans have been killed or captured, you're welcome to retrieve any property they've taken from you."
"We can try negotiate with them" Harley suggested out of nowhere. "I'm good with those situations" she'd add on. Troy didn't object as he glanced back at her. Griffon looked at him and shrugged. It seems like the big guy didn't mind the option.
"Normally, I'd turn you down since I have no idea who you are," the soldier started. "But considering that the hostages are as good as dead when we attack..." He wouldn't finish the statement. There wasn't a need to since everybody gets the idea. "All right, I'm going to give you a chance to talk to the Great Khans. Their leader is a man named Jessup. If we hear shooting, we'll be coming in, but it'll probably be late for you" he warned.
Troy simply nodded before he walked through the barrier door which the soldier had opened.
"Good luck" the soldier said after Griffon, who was at the back of the line, entered.
"Jessup, Jessup, Jessup" Troy kept repeating. He couldn't remember who that person was despite remembering the name. Eventually, Troy gave up on remembering and started walking. He and the other two started off by walking passed more NCR troopers hiding behind whatever cover they could find. They soon led themselves to Great Khan soldiers. They were hiding as well. Troy had caught a glance of the hostages. Soldiers guarded them pretty well, so a surprise attack wouldn't work. Finally, the three found themselves in front of a building that wasn't destroyed. This structure was damaged, but it was able to be entered. A guard glared at the three. Troy only glared back, but Harley quickly stopped the tension by pulling him towards the door.
The sound of the door had shut behind the small party. There was silence in the room, until the Khan member with a mohawk and bandanna started taking. "What the hell? You're that courier Benny wasted back in Goodsprings. You're supposed to be dead."
Silence filled the room again. Now that Troy knew that this man was there when he was robbed, he viciously glared at the Khan member. Sweat trickled down Jessup's cheek. It was an awkward reunion, but he and the other Khan member next to him didn't show fear.
"You have something of mine" the silence was interrupted once again. This time, by Troy.
Jessup gulped. "Yeah... about that..." Troy raised an eyebrow. His two companions looked ready to jump the courier in case he tries something. "Benny stole that chip of yours. Right before he stabbed us in the back. He's probably back at the Strip by now, laughing at me" Jessup angrily explained.
Troy rolled his eyes. Another dead end. He turned away ready to walk right now, but Harley wasn't finished.
"Let's talk about settling things between you and the NCR" she started. Troy rolled his eyes knowing that there was no stopping her despite his warnings.
"What's to negotiate? The NCR backs off, we walk out of here, nobody gets hurt" Jessup said.
"So what are the chances you'll surrender?" Harley asked.
Jessup groaned. There was no stopping this girl. "We'd try to bribe our way out, but seeing as Benny didn't pay us yet, that won't happen."
Harley looked at Griffon who looked back. They both nodded their heads at each other in unison. Troy only watched in confusion. He didn't care if they payed for the Khan's freedom, but he ain't gonna lend a single cap. This whole situation is useless to him now that he has what he really wanted in the first place. Benny's at the Strip. Now that he knows, Troy walked out of the building without warning his companions.
Wow I'm late... sorry about that. I will warn that things will get busy from now on, but I'll try my best with weekly updates on the story.