The courier stared ahead at his two companions with his arms crossed. He'd start tapping his foot while their negotiation with the NCR Major continued. The whole thing to him was pointless, but Harley and Griffon were strongly against leaving the captured soldiers to their demise. By now, Troy came to the conclusion that most people can't be saved. The ruthless way of thinking hopefully won't end up being his downfall. This revenge of his is what's fueling him to continue on with his package. What next though? It's not like he thought of what's next. The only thing in the ruthless courier's mind was to kill Benny and finish delivering whatever the hell he was delivering.
"Glad we can agree" Troy would hear Harley say. His two companions soon turned around to join him.
"Are you two finally done?" Troy asked with an irritated tone. Based on Harley's previous words alone, he already knew the answer. If anything, he just needed the two to hear his tone to know that he's ready to go immediately.
"Why of course Boss" Harley joked.
The muscular rifleman next to her chuckled. "Well what're you waiting for? Lead the way mate" he said.
Troy rolled his eyes before turning and walking down the road with his party members following behind. The new destination was New Vegas. Although some fogs of his past memories faded away, Troy couldn't recall any of the wealthy looking place. It was going to be a long trip. Especially since Troy was so quiet. The only thing he could hear was the sound of the wasteland and his two companions chatting away like they didn't even know he was there.
Harley would mention of her times in Freeside which happened to interest Griffon. The rifleman would start to ask more questions of the territory. As the girl explained more about her former home, Troy tried to listen in as he walked. Unfortunately, getting into New Vegas was going to be tougher than he thought. Wealth was required to enter the Strip. What's worse is that Harley and Griffon spent a lot of caps just to bribe the soldiers back at Boulder City. Even the combined amount of caps of the three couldn't get even one of them into their destination.
A sudden sigh came out of Troy's mouth. It had caught the attention of both Griffon and Harley. They however just ignored it and kept on talking. By now, Troy couldn't hear them. Sweat trickled down his forehead, and his vision started to get blurry. Before he knew it, his face hit the ground. Everything went black, again.
"Well gee, he's a bit tougher than I thought" a familiar robotic voice said. Everything still looked black. The only explanation was that Troy still had his eyes closed. The courier wanted to open them, but he didn't have the strength to.
"Don'tcha think? The sunovabitch surprises me" a familiar accent would respond to the robotic voice.
"Glad to see he's more social" the robotic voice replied.
"If ya saw the guy a couple days ago, you wouldn't think that."
Troy's eyes shot open and he frantically sat up. Sweat streamed down his face while more formed. The courier felt completely soaked. He looked at his surroundings. Apparently, he was in some tent in a sleeping back. He looked at his apparel to see that it hasn't changed. Troy then looked over to see all his gear neatly layed out. His immediate response was to get up and rearm himself.
Midway through his action, the opening of the tent flaps startled him. Griffon's head would peak into the thin structure.
"Oi Six! Glad you're awake" were the first words that came out of the rifleman's mouth. "Listen mate. We got a friend of yours here, so get outta the bloody tent already." He immediately closed the tent without giving Troy a chance to respond.
Soon after getting ready, Troy exited the tent. The first thing he saw was that the sun was starting to set. The next was a familiar blue shade of a robot he had met back at Goodsprings. The rusted machine turned towards the courier. The television attached to the front flickered a few times before the black and white color of a man with a white cowboy hat, grey bandanna, and cigarette appeared.
"Well howdy! Been a while since I've last saw you" the robotic voice greeted.
At first, Troy was struck with surprise. He soon stared at the rusted machine in awe. Soon, he couldn't help but smile. Something he hasn't done in a while. Upon seeing the gesture on the courier's face, Griffon ended up smiling as well. It's glad to see his friend in a good mood for once.
The silence itself was starting to make the metal man nervous. The two humans weren't really unable to tell until the large robot started speaking. "Hello?" the robot would soon wave its metallic hands in front of the courier he was familiar with. "You there partner?"
The gesture had made Troy chuckle. "It's good to see you again, Victor" Troy would finally say to the bot.
The sudden greeting caused the machine to straighten his back. "Yup, but this is getting a might embarrassing" Victor stopped for a quick second to look at his surroundings. He then leaned forward towards Troy. Griffon stared with a puzzled look on his face. "People are going to start to talk" the robotic cowboy joked. Soon, he and Troy started laughing. Griffon awkwardly laughed alongside them.
In all honesty, he didn't really know anything about Victor. He couldn't remember if Troy mentioned the Securitron at all. Victor claims that he saved Troy back at Goodsprings. Since the courier isn't pushing the robot away, it was pretty believable. Griffon didn't care much who the Securitron was though. It was just good to see Troy in a good mood again.
"So anyways," Troy started. "Where are we?" he'd ask looking at Griffon.
"Oh, bout that" the rifleman started. "Ya see, when you passed out, Harley told me about this here outpost." He'd point at the ground signifying that they were where the so called outpost. "188 Trading Post" Griffon would say the name of where they are.
Troy slowly nodded. "So where's Harley?" he'd ask.
"Bartering" answered Griffon. Troy nodded his head again. Meanwhile, Victor awkwardly stared at the two in silence.
Thankfully, he wouldn't need to be silent for long. Troy looked over at the robotic cowboy. "How did you get here by the way?" he curiously asked. It was pretty weird in his eyes hat he saw Victor again. Especially since he met the bot recently.
"Just rolling along on my spurs. Looks like I just might make it to New Vegas after all" Victor quickly answered.
"Fancy-pants" Troy started. It was the nickname he remembered Victor calling Benny. "Saw him come by here by any chance?" Griffon would frown at the answer. It seems that Troy still had his main priority in sight.
"Fancy-pants?" Victor repeated the name. "No, I ain't seen hide-nor-hair of him since the tussle in Goodpsrings. I'm sure he ran back to the soft-living of New Vega though."
Troy started cursing. He didn't care whether his two friends heard. He looked back at his robotic friend. "Thanks anyways."
"No problem. I should head going now" Victor said.
The courier nodded. "It was nice seeing you again Victor."
Even though there were no physical signs of the robot cheering up, the tone of his voice made it obvious that he was happy. "Look me up when you get to New Vegas, I'll buy the first round!"
The two old friends waved each other goodbye before watching the one-wheeled rusted metal-cowboy rolling towards the large tower of the shining city of Vegas. Troy crossed his arms and watched for a bit. He didn't notice Griffon walking up to stand besides him.
"Hey mate. We gonna get him aight?" Griffon would assure his friend. Troy easily knew that his companion was referring to Benny.
Troy grinned and nodded. "Hey man, sorry if I've been a little" he stopped to look for the word. "I guess a bit of a dick towards you and Harley" Troy apologized.
"Ay, no worries. Guess hitting your head against the ground helped chill you out?" Griffon joked.
Troy snickered and shook his head before walking away.
Griffon threw his arms up in the air with an amused face. "That it?" It looks like the guy was hoping for more of a reaction. Griffon would soon jog up to his friend and walk besides him.
The outpost wasn't big to begin with. Then again, an outpost isn't necessarily suppose to be huge. This one however only had a few tents and ruined vehicles used as storage. There was a makeshift bar, but Troy just woke up so he wasn't too into drinking. Harley was yet to be seen. Eventually, Griffon came to the idea that that was who Troy was looking for. The rifleman nudged his friend on the shoulder and motioned him to follow. Griffon led Troy to the last place Harley was seen heading. That place being under the bridge. When they got there, they both found out that the woman was still there. She however was arguing with some guy who had a couple bodyguards behind him. Behind the body guards were a bunch of unopened crates and a resting brahmin. Troy approached making it clear to hear what Harley was screaming about.
"You guys are fucking lame!" she'd insult the man.
The man laughed. "Whatever you say Blondie" he'd say before glaring at both Troy and Griffon. The two wastelanders returned the gesture with glares of their own. The man and his bodyguards all dressed in the same apparel. A denim sleeveless duster with a dirtied white t-shirt underneath. The man looked to be the leader of the guards behind him. Maybe because of the way he was positioned. The only difference between him and the two behind him was his dark brown short hair which was combed flat onto his forehead.
"You alright Harley?" Troy asked while glaring at the man.
Harley was ready to say she's fine, but the man interrupted.
"Who is this suppose to be? Your boyfriend came to rescue you?" his two bodyguards happened to laugh. Troy and his party only glared. The three all had the same attire.
Troy snickered at the guy. He talked tough, but Troy wasn't afraid. Especially after what he's recently been through. "Some attitude" he'd comment.
The already hostile man scowled. "You like it any better if I tell you to fuck off?"
Troy shrugged before looking at Harley. "So what's wrong?"
His female companion crossed her arm and spat in front of the man. "Apparently they're too good to sell to us."
The man would laugh. Alone this time. "You three are small time. Why don't you run along now and stop wasting our time?"
Troy looked back at the man and raised an eyebrow. He eyed the crates, then at the guards. The weapons the two of them carried looked to be impressive. One had a hunting rifle, the other an assault carbine. Now even though those are guns Troy's group already has, it's quite easy to tell that this man's guards have ones in better condition. The courier sighed before looking at the man. "You know, I figured you guys have some nice picks of killing gear."
The man and his guards were caught by surprise with his comment. He looked behind towards his guards who only looked back. The two armed men shrugged before their leader looked back at Troy. "You might be on to something."
Harley and Griffon both stared at Troy with widened eyes. For one, Troy was calm and collected. The second thing was that he actually fixed the problem without violence. Troy didn't notice the looks on their faces. Instead, he just bartered with the men. They called themselves the Gun Runners. The leader Harley argued with was named Alexander. Now as previously seen, he was a huge asshole. Out in the wasteland, Troy wouldn't mind popping a bullet into this man's skull. It was just unfortunate that people with the NCR badge on their apparel were nearby.
Gear sold by the Gun Runners were very expensive. However, it was all worth it. Condition of the weapons and ammunition were the best Troy has seen. Griffon and Harley had already spent caps bribing the NCR officer back at Boulder City. Their money was scarce, so they did what they could. Griffon only bought ammunition. Harley however sold all her firearms and would buy a brand new pistol. A 5.56mm one to be exact. Troy would eye the gun. It looked familiar. It then would hit him. Cliff Briscoe back at Novac had a similar looking pistol for sale. It didn't look exactly the same, so it must have been a different variant.
Once Harley and Griffon were finished, Troy stepped up to see what he was able to offer and receive. Lucky, he'd keep. His scoped rifle however had to go. Lately, Troy has been seeing himself as more of a gunslinger type fighter. When asking Alexander for any recommendations, the Gun Runner would suggest a cowboy repeater. There were a few for sale, the prices varying due to the weapon's condition. Troy didn't want to spend too much since a lot of caps are needed to get into the Strip. Due to that, the Courier decided to make a cheap choice and purchase the rifle in poor condition. The decision surprised his companions who tried to convince him to buy something better. Troy however didn't listen.
"Guess that's it" Troy said to Alexander. The Gun Runner only nodded feeling guilty that he was difficult before. Troy and his party turned and walked farther away just to chat for a bit. "I'm surprised I had to convince him" the Courier said to his female companion.
Harley growled. Upon examination, Troy noticed bags under the girl's eyes. She'd force her back to be erect to look more awake. Standing this close however is only gonna reveal how fatigued she is. That's probably gonna temporarily cause a decline on her charisma. Her little argument with Alexander already proved it.
"You should probably rest soon" Troy suggested. He held back from telling her to rest now because he didn't want to sound like a hypocrite.
"Really? You out of all people are telling me that?" she'd ask with a grin on her face. "Get a loud of this guy" she'd try to elbow Griffon, but she couldn't feel the bulky rifleman with the edge of her elbow. When she turned, she noticed him missing. "Where the hell did the big guy go?" she'd ask while looking around. She then saw him behind Troy talking to some kid sitting on a sleeping bag surrounded by a bunch of junk.
"That's interesting. I don't mind buying" Troy and Harley heard Griffon say to the kid as they approached.
"Well if that's the case, what would you like for me to think about Mister?" the kid asked Griffon.
The rifleman turned to see his friends had approached. He then pointed at Troy. "Think about my friend Six ovah here." He'd tell the kid. Before letting the kid respond, he gave him some caps. Troy didn't seem to like that donation.
Meanwhile, as Troy glared at the rifleman, the kid took off his odd looking helmet. He'd take a deep breath and close his eyes. "You're friend is in a bunch of distress. A lot of mixed emotions. Most are fake ones to hide behind. Luck has ran out. Actually, more like used up. Fragments in his head. Two kinds of fragments actually." The kid opened his eyes to take in another deep breath. He'd then scratch his head. "Man. Your friend is a bit... depressing."
"I'm wha-" Troy's outburst was cut off by Harley.
"Shut up. This sounds interesting" she'd tease.
The kid continued. "He was once just a shadow under a man. The shadow however, took control. He searches for something. Actually, someone." The kid pressed his palm on his forehead. "Ow... my head hurts. Everything's fuzzy." Griffon was ready to say that what he got was enough entertainment, but the kid wasn't done yet. "Changes occur. Some may stay, but most will go back to normal."
Griffon looked at Troy and Harley. "Y'all gotta admit. This here is pretty accurate."
Troy shook his head and rolled his eyes before walking away.
The small group were walking again. Troy was in front leading just like last time. This time, he wasn't going to pass out anytime soon. Hopefully...
"Think he mad now?" Griffon leaned over and whispered to Harley.
"Wha-what?" she jumped and looked at the man next to him. It appears she's half awake.
"Maybe I shouldn't have paid for that thinker" Griffon said.
Harley shrugged. "It was entertaining. It's funny how right that kid was" she replied. "So where are we headed next?" she'd ask with a yawn following.
Griffon stopped walking, but Harley continued. She soon bumped into the back of Troy. "What the fuck!?" she screamed. She leaned and looked passed Troy only to widen her eyes in horror.
In front of the hardened mailman stood Legionaries. A Decanus stood in front while two gunmen and two melee fighters were behind him. Troy didn't do anything but kept a blank stare at the men. Griffon already had his carbine out. Harley, while hiding behind Troy, slowly gripped the handle of her 5.56mm.
"Troy Volk" the Decanus started. Troy didn't respond. "The Caesar has marked you for death" he'd calmly threaten. "Prepare yourself!" he'd suddenly raise his voice into a demanding one.
Author's Note: Yea, I think I'll stop making false promises. Updates are gonna be random for a damn while. That's all I can really say. Life you know? It keeps things like this from continuing.