A PLACE CALLED JUNKTOWN
Dawn and Damon walked across the lone desert road and saw a town not too far ahead. They still had plenty of supplies and weapons.
"That's it, Junktown," Damon acknowledged.
"Are you sure it's not a mirage?"
Damon jogged towards the town as Dawn trailed behind. Junktown's entrance was surrounded by steel, stacked cars, and metal trailers. She had no idea what to expect from Junktown, but she hoped it was better than wandering through a desert. There was a large steel wall surrounding the town. Damon was up ahead, near a large blue trailer speaking to someone. Dawn approached them.
"This is Dawn," Damon introduced, "Without her I'd be dead."
The man guarding the entrance had a black buzzcut and wore green army fatigues. There was a large metal chest plate around him and he had a sniper rifle and two sidearms.
"Dawn, this is Kalnor, he's one of the guards here," Damon told her.
"Nice to meet you," Dawn greeted.
"Your assistance is appreciated. I'll let you in, but keep your weapons holstered unless you are provoked," Kalnor stated, "I trust Damon will keep you out of trouble."
"Kalnor, don't worry about her," Damon assured.
Damon guided Dawn ahead of him as they walked through the trailer. She took in the sights of Junktown which had the feel of an abandoned city. There were small buildings, metal shacks, and apartment buildings.
"Finally home!" He said, holding out his arms.
"I'll admit, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. I mean, who came up with Junktown?"
"We are about to meet him."
They walked towards Darkwater's General Store which was a former gas station. The pumps were still outside and some still had the hoses attached and there were a few dune buggies and motorcycles in the parking lot. There was a large glass window outside which had "DARKWATER'S" written on it. Damon opened a makeshift door made of steel and entered. The store had weapons, ammo, clothing, armor, and consumables in full display. A man with short dark blonde hair and a stubble beard turned around from the weapons display. He had on a blue sleeveless vest with a white shirt, dark blue jeans, and a pair of white and blue athletic shoes. He appeared to be in his mid-forties.
"Damon, nice to see you back," he greeted Damon and then asked, "Who's your friend?"
"This is Dawn Crenshaw," Damon answered.
"Ah yes, Miss Crenshaw, I heard a lot about you. Nice to meet you. Name's Killian, Killian Darkwater. I'm the mayor of this fine town."
"I heard a lot about you," Dawn said, "You helped with the rebellion years back."
"The good old days."
Dawn and Killian stared at each other for a brief moment.
"Killian, we got a problem," Damon interrupted their locking eyes, "Those damn Outcasts are after us."
"So I've heard," Killian responded, "It's all over the radio. If they are headed south, it's likely they'll stop here."
"Look, we can leave," Dawn suggested, "I hate to bring this burden on you."
"I'd hate for you to leave. Besides, you can't keep running."
Dawn and Killian smiled at each other. He handed her a bottle of purified water while locking his eyes onto her. Her body began pulsating slightly as she attempted to grab the water, but instead grabbed his hand. She chuckled and then took the water as Killian kept his smile.
Later that evening, Dawn and Damon walked around the town. They walked past old stores, homes, and piles of scrap metal. It looked like a 1950's version of the future.
"What do you think so far?" Damon asked.
"It's actually a nice small town," she admired as she looked around, "I like the 50's sci-fi style; never seen a town like it."
"It's really a synth refuge."
"Everyone here is a synth?"
"Mostly. Most humans still can't accept that synths can be a normal part of human society."
"Killian seems like a good man for providing this."
Dawn and Damon walked side by side, passing more homes and other residents. She had wondered how many of them were synths. It was also safe to assume that the residents may have thought she was a synth.
"Dawn, I know what I said earlier, about proving I'm a synth," Damon reminded her.
"Look, I believe you," she reassured him, "If you say you're a synth, then you're a synth."
"You really believe me?"
"Of course."
"Thanks. And remember, I still owe you. I won't let you refuse it too."
It was almost too good to be true, Damon thought to himself. However, he felt relieved that Dawn had accepted him. Later on, Dawn was curled up on the couch in Damon's house watching TV. Earlier, she had gone to the liquor store to pick up a bottle of bourbon which was leaning against her. Damon's house had a small couch, two La-Z-Boy chairs, and an oval coffee table in front of a Radiation King TV. Then, Damon walked in.
"Hey, Killian wants to talk with you," he told her.
"About what?"
"I don't know, you should go see him. He's near the diner by his store."
Dawn stood in front of the retro diner as the evening grew darker. The sign above read "DINER" with blue neon lights and there were 50's style cars in the parking lot which were kept in pristine condition. There were also four black motorcycles outside. She had not seen anybody drive in the town and assumed they were for show. She saw Killian standing by the entrance with three guards surrounding him. He waved to her and she approached him.
"Glad you could make it," he happily greeted her, "Don't mind them, can't be too careful with all the trouble going on. I would like for you to join me."
"Oh yeah, that would be great."
The inside had checkered floors, pink and blue seats, a jukebox, and numerous retro signs and ads on the wall. Dawn and Killian sat in a booth and both drank Gwinnett lagers. There were others at the diner and the place seemed to have a joyous mood. The jukebox was playing "The Twist" by Hank Ballard.
"You hungry?" Killian asked.
"Sure am. Wandering the desert while fighting off a ruthless gang that wants to kill you makes anyone hungry."
When the order came, Dawn had a fried chicken steak and mashed potatoes. Kilian had a double burger and fries. They conversed and laughed.
"Ravenholm?" A surprised Killian asked, "You actually went through there?"
"And it was a nightmare," Dawn recalled.
"You're quite amazing to have survived."
"Well, I didn't do it alone. I had help from Alyx Vance. Without her, I'd have a headcrab gnawing at my brain."
"Makes me glad I never went through there. Now, I don't know if you heard, but they completely wiped that place off the face of the earth."
"It's really gone?"
"Yeah, everything. Every building, road, and whatever hellacious monsters that roamed that place, all gone. It's nothing but an empty field."
"Nice to hear."
Killian drank the rest of his beer and began consuming another one.
"How'd you like City 17?" He asked.
"City 17 was never a great place for me," she answered, "I was miserable the whole time."
"Why'd you come out here? Danger lurks at every turn, even in the Mojave."
"Got a job offer from James Hsu. Grunt work."
"James Hsu, I remember him, former colonel of the NCR. How's he doing these days?"
"After he retired, he moved to Arizona, found a haven for people who wanted to get away from city life and everything else. Enough about me, I want to hear about you."
"What would you like to know?"
"You were in the resistance in City 17, let's hear about that."
"I fought at the Overwatch Nexus and near the Citadel. Dodging striders and dropships. That's when I saw him, the man behind it all. His name was Wallace Breen. After Mercy McGowan met her demise, we went after him."
"I remember him, he was like an ambassador for the Combine."
"Yeah, he went into a dropship. We took it down with an RPG, went right into a strider which crashed on the Nexus. That was the end."
"When me and my friends heard that on the radio, we were cheering like crazy."
Killian finished his meal and drank another beer. In the background, the song "Rockin' Robin" by Bobby Day played on the jukebox. Dawn had consumed two more beers.
"I assume Damon told you," Killian reckoned, "Otherwise he never would have brought you here."
"He told me and I'm fine with it," she informed him, "He's just someone who needs help."
"I appreciate you helping him and accepting our resident's lifestyle. I'm gonna help Damon out as well."
Dawn and Killian began to feel buzzed from the multiple beers they drank.
"Geez, I haven't been to the Strip in years," Killian said, "Probably for the best. I'd just piss it all away."
"I hate gambling. No point in it. The way the world is no other place would be much better."
"Nearly 30 years after the invasion and we still haven't fully recovered. It will be a long process…"
"It's hopeless," Dawn presumed, "I've been out there, and people don't change. They just want to kill each other. Maybe Damon or this Institute he talks of, maybe they can create synths to be more civilized."
"Synths can replace humans."
Dawn looked at him puzzled.
"At least that's what the vicious rumors are," Killian continued, "They can replace a human without anyone noticing. In the Commonwealth, it's a real fear among the people."
"So, any synth can replace any human without no one noticing? Why would they do that?"
"I wish I knew. Look, I don't mean to worry you, it's just what I hear."
Dawn and Killian stared at each other and then smiled. After they left the diner, Killian rode his motorcycle with Dawn holding onto him as the guards trailed behind in a Corvega sedan. They drove past an ice cream parlor, a pizza restaurant, a gas station and car shop, an electronics store, an arcade, a bar, and a grocery store. Dawn caught a quick glimpse of the buildings and it was hard to determine if they were in operation or abandoned. The lights, signs, retro futuristic designs, and mix of old and modern styles intrigued Dawn. Killian drove the motorcycle towards a large house.
In a matter of minutes, Dawn and Killian were on his bed kissing each other. The passion drove Dawn into a feeling that she craved. She pulled open his buttoned shirt and he unbuckled her jeans. They kissed again and then Killian pulled her shirt off. He kissed her chest as she wrapped her legs around him. Dawn got on top and with each movement, she let out soft murmurs. She had wanted this for a long time. Then, she reached climax which gave Killian more passion as he moved faster while Dawn let out louder sounds.
The next morning, Dawn was still sleeping in Killian's bed. When she finally did wake, he was not there. She looked around for her clothes and after she got dressed, she saw a note on the side table. It was from Killian that said he was in his office. She went back to Damon's house and looked around for him. He too was nowhere to be found. Dawn decided to look around the house. She looked in the closet and saw more leather trench coats and casual clothing. There was also a white coat with a large black patch on it that also had the Institute logo. Next, she headed to his room. Inside was a large computer, a bed, and a long black leather coat that had ridged shoulders. There was also a pair of large black boots on the floor. Dawn walked outside to the back porch noticed a large black tripod. Underneath was a large black platform with a shiny surface. It was connected to a control console that had the Institute's logo on it. She also saw a relay dish nearby. Dawn had wondered why Damon had something like this.