AN: Another disclaimer. I own nothing as always, but I'll start off with saying thanks for reading this shit show I guess… Anyways, onto the chapter.
Location: The Beast's Castle (Six's POV)
Time: 20:00
It's been a few hours since we split up to 'scour the castle.' Along my trek with Belle, I was honestly surprised how well my crew handled their first encounters with the locals here…. Minus the Cazador attack and the fact the Mojave is also stuck here as wel-
"Monsieur," a voice intervened. I turned around and noticed Belle, pissed as always on my monologuing. "Aren't you supposed to be helping me find my father?"
"Belle," I sighed, "A piece of hell that'll make any Villain in this world bluff in disgust that I come from is now somewhere in Walt's Legacy. I got…"
"I know" She replied, "Several things to worry about. But YOU need to listen. My Papa's in d-" Just before she can finish, an all too familiar voice rang in my Pip-Boy…
"Hello ladies and gentlemen. Mr. New Vegas here. You're all so great, we're gonna keep you listening all day. Here are our top stories… Rumors persist about a Super Mutant refuge nestled high in a ski lodge to the Northwest. If you should find it, do not - repeat, do not - belittle a Super Mutant for taking the bunny slope…"
"What's a Super Mutant, Monsieur?" Belle quizzed. I didn't reply as what Mr. New Vegas said next made my covered skin pale as snow.
"Witnesses all across the Wastelands wrote in of several reports of a quote 'storm of unknown origin' sweeping all over the Mojave, NCR and remnants of Caesar's Legion. After the dust settled, more reports came in on tales of magic and pre-war monarchies too similar to the long defunct pre-war animation company, Walt Disney Studios… What that'll mean for the future of the wastelands, is anyone's dream at this point… Mojave, mo problems, am I right?"
Fuck. FUCK! The Legion remnants are here too!? If they find out about any of the villains or god forbid magic here, this whole world will follow the same path as home. Before I can continue on ranting I heard an all too familiar message that I love (and sometimes hate for how perfectly timed it is) [Wild Wasteland] started echoing through my Pip-Boy...
"Got a song for you, now. It's about a guy who's cold on the exterior, but deep down, you know he's a good man. And his name... is Johnny Guitar."
"UGH. DAMNIT MR. NEW VEGAS!" I Shouted. "WHY!? DID YOU START FUCKING PLAYING THAT NO-"
"You don't need to shout, Six" Belle intervenes my pleas to god as Peggy Lee's voice starts up. "Sorry. Sorry." I apologized. "Back in the Mojave , I had to deal with too many merchants complaining on him overplaying thi-"
"That's enough. Junior…" She said, interrupting again.
"Play the guitar~"
"Junior…" Belle sighed, "Where did you go? One day you were just a child, the next you're…."
"Play it again, my Johnny~"
"I grew up. That's what." I asked.
"Maybe you're cold, but you're so warm inside~"
"Yes. I Know. But there's more to you I can tell not physically, but through your posture and attitude.. Qu'est-ce qui t'est arrivé? " She continued.
"If you don't want to talk about it then…"
"I was always a fool for my Johnny~"
"No. I will…" I sneered, "best for you to sit down… this'll be a long one."
"For the one they call Johnny Guitar~"
I took off my helmet, grabbed some cigarettes and Scotch, and began my tale: "I'll start at the beginning. Around 2077 I became acting police chief for a Casino this Sinclair asshole was building. Was easy money at first but then incidents came pouring in from bad work conditions and these… Toxic Cloud taking over the vents."
"Play it again, Johnny Guitar~"
I paused, grabbing the bottle and chugging it down before continuing this sob fest. "That didn't stop the casino from being built until… It Happened" Belle, to no one's surprise, peaked in curiosity. "What happened?"
"What if you go, what if you stay, I love you~"
"Unknown to me, but the war began. A Great War. Instead of guns and Power Armor, it was Fucking Nukes." I Paused, chugging more Scotch before staring blankly at her. "I was grabbing a drink in the Tampico theater when the security system my boys installed activated and started gunning anyone down."
"But if you're cruel, you can be kind, I know~
"It was hell that day… I saw families commit suicide, friends I made ripped from me by those ghostly holographic weapons, and much… Much more. I only survived by simply finding my way to the sewer and railway system the casino built for supplies to get in. When I got back out…" I shuddered, remembering the first town I saw after the bombs fell. "Hell was unleashed onto the world and 200 years later, is still not the same…"
"There was never a man like my Johnny~"
Belle was speechless for a solid second before responding "Oh mon Dieu..." she said. "Que s'est-il passé alors ?"
"Became a Desert Ranger and roamed the wastes for them... Even helped out a tribesman find his 'Holy G.E.C.K' around 2241… Anyways, around the early 2270s, my group merged with the N.C.R Rangers. Most of my group was pissed but still stuck on until… Until the Divide Happened." I pulled out Benny's lighter and huffed a Cigarette before continuing.
"Like the one they call Johnny Guitar~"
"I was assigned to deliver this package for my squadron in Hopedale. A few days after doing so, I was in Primm when the whole area around it blew up in flames. Turns out, it was connected towards the old missiles still hidden over there and well…" I sighed, "the whole place blew to hell." I ditched the cigarette in favor of an all too familiar platinum chip.
"I was promptly discharged afterwards and went back to roaming until hiring out for the Mojave Express as a courier… Was assigned to deliver this thing for House… However.." I sighed, "I got ambushed and shot twice in the head. After that, I recovered, delivered said chip and well.. You can figure out the rest from there." I slid the chip back into my pip-boy as I stood next to Belle.
"There was never a man like my Johnny~"
"Mon Dieu…" She replied, then turned her head to face Me. I nodded.
"Yes. It's… A lot to take in-" I barely finished as Belle suddenly grappled my whole chest and hugged me for a solid few seconds before letting go. "Junior, I'm sorry for être un connard towards you but…"
"I know… I know…" I said, straightening my chest and pulling out my Brush Gun. "Now, C'mon." I started. "Let's go kick some sand and find your Papa." I finished before strolling the long hallways once more.
"Like the one they call Johnny Guitar!~"
"WAIT! I'M NOT Done... Yet." She stopped mid sentence, turned her head towards the dilapidated hallways and quietly sang the same Pip-Boy's Tune.
"Play it, again/Play it, Again... Johnny/Johnny Guitar~"
END OST
A Few Minutes Later…
Location: 'Adam'/The Beast's West Wing Bedroom.
"This place, no matter how old the stones may be, will never beat the concrete tomb of Hoover Dam or Boulder City..." His burnt mind said to himself. True to his word, Graham was winding through the dimly lit hallways of The Beast's.. 'Tomb' Keeping Six's words to heart. In his words, the former Legate was having thoughts on whether to kill it, or… Tame it.
Shaking his head, he continued onwards, his hands still clinging on his .45 Pistol until reaching a hallway that would've looked all too common back at home. Before he can open the door at the other end, the radio Six gave him started to chime on. "Six to Graham you read me?" It said
"I do Six, what is it that you want?" He answered neutrally, "Field report on the West Wing. any beasts there?" Six asked.
"I just approached the West Wing like you wanted. I've been beginning to have my doubts on this. I feel like being watched around every corner and doubting if this Beast is friendly." Graham said as he slowly opened the door. He nearly scoffed at the room as, to a wastelander it merely looked like an ordinary house turned wait…
"Six," he started, "What's the story of Adam? I'm not too keen nor cultured on such Fairy-Tales like you are." He quizzed while inspecting the broken furniture.
"I wouldn't say it's just Adam, Graham…" Six started through the mic, "I'd more say 'Prince Adam…" Graham hummed to himself while Six continued.
"From what I recall, his parents were killed around the French Revolution and left the Prince an orphan with his servants here. Naturally, raising a kid who had a brahmin up his ass was hell for them but they tried until…"
"Until what?" Graham asked, examining the rather deathclaw shaped marks, not knowing he was being watched... "When he was 11 during Christmas, an old Broad came'a knockin' on his estate. Adam from what I can remember turned the ugly bitch away."
"Hmph. Sounds more like normal 'don't talk to strangers' more than anything.." Graham rebutted. "Yeah, you'd be right… Well the same broad warned him to 'not be deceived by appearances' or some goofy shit…" Six chuckled, "She'd have a field day with the crazy bastards at home.. And you."
"Very Fun.. Hold on." Graham paused mid sentence when he spotted a rather scratched up painting. It looked like a young boy with rather ginger hair and unnervingly, the same eye color as the former Lega- "You alright over there, Graham?" Six asked, a bit nervous for his mummy companion.
"This painting… I don't know why but it almost feels like the same story as mine before your arrival in Zion yet it feels... Different in many ways." Graham said, whilst holstering his pistol.
"Well.. I hate to say it but, you'd be partially right Joshua… J-Joshua?" Six's voice was muffled as Graham started eyeing a… "I think I found the floating rose you were talking about, Six." He said, "I assume this was a gift for the Prince, Hm?"
"I was just about to get to that… You see… The old hag turned out to be an Enchantress and as punishment for simply following stranger danger transformed him into what I can describe as…."
A rather shadowy figure out of nowhere throws Graham into a corner of the room. When he looked back, he raised his pistol and aimed it right towards its location as Six's reception was cut off after receiving three final words..
"A Furry Deathclaw."
"As if one trespasser wasn't enough…" It Said, "YOU Nearly ruined m-"
"I would stop that if I were you." Graham sneered, his finger just moments away from pulling the trigger.. "My… Friend told me everything about your conundrum, and the curse that Witch brought hell upon this castle turned tomb. I was contemplating ending you here but.. I realized something."
Graham paused, staring into the Beast's soul with his eyes and 'Light Shining in Darkness'. "I realized that you went through the same pain like I did all those years ago in The Grand Canyon.." He paused, thinking of the flames once more on his hands.
"I was once a high level figure like yourself. Although I never turned into a… Beast, I was horrifically maimed after a rather… Bad miscalculation.." He sighed, facing his free bandaged hand towards his face,
"The only way I survived my fall was love. New Canaan's Love. God's Love. After crawling out and arriving at my home in New Canaan, they welcomed me back. As if the prodigal son had returned once more." He breathed again as he continued his tale.
"Unfortunately, they met the fate of death after a band of tribals butchered them. I became acting warchief of the Dead Horses, another tribe I taught how to fend for themselves and held that title until my friend arrived in Zion and helped me… Appease those flames as we both butchered the man and tribe responsible for his massacre on my home, New Canaan…"
Joshua said, lowering his pistol and standing back up before continuing, "I've been traveling with him ever since and slowly trusted him as if he and I are Christ and John." The burned man paused, then focused his glare back at Adam.
"Now you Adam, however, were caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. No way to connect to a family member, no mother or father to help guide and teach you, and a revolution far beyond your control. The only Love was from your servants and nothing more tried until She ruined your entire life… Until now." Adam was about to growl at him before Graham interrupted.
"I, my friend and his crew, are willing to help you forget the trauma you went through for a decade. And In return, help you fall in love with the man you're holding captive's Daughter."
A Minute Later…
Location: Castle Dungeon (Six's POV)
I was starting to get worried for Graham after I lost connection with the police scanner I handed him.. Thankfully it didn't pick up no gun s-
"Oh merde! Six look!" I snapped out of my thought when I spotted Belle making a mad dash for a cell. Followed by her dad's voice.
"Belle, h- how did you get here? And who is that next to y-"
"It's Junior." I sharply answered, pressing myself on the side in case it shows up. "Now listen, we gotta haul your ass outta here now."
"It doesn't matter, I want you two to leave this place." Maurice coughed while Belle spoke up.
"Who's done this to you?"
"N- No time to explain you must go, N-"
"NOPE. We're getting you outta here one way or an- OW FUCK." I was thrown into the ground as the beast started to interrogate belle.
"Who's there?" She yelped, "W- Who are y-" BPANG~ All eyes turned on me, getting up with a smoking Sequoia I reached to shut them up.
"Before your Deathclaw ass can begin" I sneered through my helmet, "Allow me to provide my side of the story… Adam." I snickered whilst he tried to throw a few slashes at me. "OOp!" I yelped, "Too slow!" I laughed while throwing warning shots at his feet. "WHY WON'T Y-" BANG~, BANG~ I stopped when I spotted Joshua smoking pistol in dimly lit ro-
"Adam, that's enough." He said, as he holstered his gun. "While what I may say sounds harsh Belle, but it's for your own good."
"W- What do you mea-" Belle paused, realizing something. "You want me to… Take my father's place?!" She asked nervously. Me and Graham nodded. "Yes, in return we'll free your father and have a transport to take him back to the village…"
"And…" The beast interrupted, "You're promised to stay here Forever." The room was silent for a moment until Belle's voice broke it. "Come into the light…"
A few moments after the deal war finalized, the furry fuck had me and Graham drag him back to his transport. Sure enough, if his reaction to the beast was bad enough, seeing him react to Graham and Raul (whom I fucking forget were still roaming the east wing until I called them back) was hysterical.
"Boss, are you aright." Raul asked, as the three of us (and our furry friend) made our way back to the dungeon. "Yeah I'm fine…" I answered, "Although, something feels off about The Beast."
"Wow! A talking deathclaw with fur is different! Who would've guessed!?" Raul sarcastically snickered, patting my shoulder, "But really though, what's seems to be your issue now?" He asked
"Usually," I said, "he isn't this violent. And even then, it was du-"
"Master," Lumiere said, breaking the silence.
"What?" He snapped. "God damnit, there we go" I mentally sighed.
"Er.. Since ze girl is going to be with us for quite some time.." The candelabra continued "I was thinking that.. You might want to offer her a more comfortable room" Adam growled in anger as we continued to the cell. Could've sworn I heard him say something himself as we all piled in.
Belle, the girl Graham told me about, was crying after what transpired while the two of us were gone.
"Graham.. JUNIOR. QU'AVEZ-VOUS FAIT?" She croaked, crying between words. She then eyed the Furry.
"You didn't let me say goodbye.. I will never see him again because of you FOUR! I couldn't…"
Just as she was about to continue whining, I coughed to get her attention. At the same time, Mr. New Vegas chimed on my pip-boy playing another tune.. "God damnit, Mr. New Vegas" [OST- That's Life!]
"Listen Belle…." I started, "I have it in good faith he'll be fine. After all.." I paused, waiting for Frank to say two words to end my sentence.
"THAT'S LIFE! (that's life~) THAT'S WHAT ALL THE PEOPLE SAY~" My Pip-Boy's speaker exclaimed as I was trying my hardest not to laugh at how perfectly timed this was. Graham and Adam joined in with me as Belle, not understanding a damn thing about it, started to soothe and bop her head to Frank Sinatra's voice as we relocated her to a more comfortable room.
Location: Pitcairn Yard Office, Pennsylvania Railroad Pitt. Division, Few miles east from Pittsburgh.
Time: 14:00 EST (A few hours behind)
200 miles away from his hometown near the Steel City, Jim was recounting his.. Experience with the eye-robot to his co-workers.
"So Dozvolite mi da razjasnimo, a giant робот fell from Бог and počeo da.. agresivno juri svoje ljubimce?" One of the workers asked, with a broken English-heavy-Serbian accent.
"Yes, Nikola." Jim replied "That ain't the worst part. It gets crazier."
"Crazier?" Said another, "How the hell can yer story get crazier, Jim." he finished, holding his CT. 1000 Sidings guide. This time in English but with a hint of Western Pa/Italian. "The dog's can talk, Williamson" Jim answered. "Apparently Elizabeth knew about this too without telling me!"
"Jim! Добро је. Смири се јеботе. Претерујете!" Nikola stated again, this time in full Serbian.
"I know Nikola.." Jim sighed, "I'm just worried if any other random out worldly thing will happen next." As he finished, another worker in blonde hair and substituting an ascot instead of a standard bandana walked up to the three men.
"Oh.. Uh hey guys!" He said, sitting down with a coke. "Had to ditch a phantom case my wife and her friends were in, currently assigned to VL-2 that'll arrive in a couple minutes.." The man said, as he started to chug the soda.
"What's the issue with Jim?" He asked, pointing at the usually faceless man until this Fanfiction [Wild Wasteland]
"Jimmy Dear had a run in with a… 'Rab-Co' sentry bot and found out his pets can talk.." Williamson replied.
"WAIT. YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THAT JIM? DAMNIT WILLY, YOU WON." He exclaimed as he started handing a few dollars to Williamson
"FRED! YOU AND WILLIAMSON PLACED BETS!?" Jim exclaimed
"Well.. yeah!" He replied. "Also, have you seen one of the new roundhouse workers, fellas?"
"Nope/Jok/Nuh Uh.." The three replied
"Some weak ass named 'Jaune' fell into the tender of a Hippo being serviced just a few days prior, the kid crawled out not squished screaming on demon bears and high-schools!" Fred laughed
"...What. Fred are you serious?" Williamson quizzed.
"Yep! Hell, he's now a cleaner for some of the engines as well! But wait, there's morrenat." He exclaimed.
"Shit gets even weirder when he starts to talk about this… 'Healing force' called an Aura to the Foreman and I swear he was so damn close to sending his ass to a Mental Ward."
Fred then looks back at Jim, who was pale as snow. "Uh.. Jim? You okay?"
"Fred. Where'd you say you're from again?" Jim asked sternly.
"Erm… Crystal Cove, Pennsylvania? How's come? Are we in someone's schizophrenic fanfic?" He replied. "I think so…" Jim Answered
The group goes silent, as a background worker asked the dreaded question "Hey, What tha hell is a 'Fanfi-" [Wild Wasteland]
"DON'T ASK/Не питај!" Jim, Fred, Williamson, and Nikola screamed in Unison as the camera cuts to the four continuing to argue on anything before their next assignment.
AN: JESUS TAP DANCING ON A POLE CHRIST THIS WAS A NIGHTMARE.
Okay... Writing this was a bit difficult but I hope it pays out. If graham is out of character, I apologize. It's my first rodeo with F:NV Fics and I've scanned several that had him in it and in game to get a better glimpse of what I'm dealing with.
OH YEAH THE FINAL PART. Okay now that's interesting. For starters, Williamson and Nikola are OCs. But they ain't random one off OCS like Cold Steel oh no. They're actually tributes to both my great grandad and great/great-great Uncles who worked on the Pennsy system. Hell the second Williamson (it was a father/son duo) was even in a Penn Central Employee Magazine!
Cannot be so happy to carry their Railroading Legacy and I'm damn proud of it.
Also Fred Jones speaks yinzer. Had that as a running joke since I added him into Trainz Simulator as a driver asset so.. Expect that anytime he appears. (Like I said, Multi-Fic)
Jaune's there too. Ya happy RWBY Dwellers? Because enjoy him suffering 1930s Railroading! It's fun! (IF you know an entire 1945 C.T 1000 List of Station Sidings)
That's all I can rant about now, expect the next chapter whenever. Adios~