Adult-FanFiction.org : Games

Fallout Wasteland	By : Samson Category: +A through F > Fallout (Series) > Fallout (Series) Views: 28953 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own the Fallout intellectual property, nor am I making any money off of this fanfic. Unauthorized duplication of this work is prohibited.

Chapter List
- 53
- 54
- 55
Rebuilding.

Fallout: Life In The Wasteland

Part 8 - "Echoes of the Past"

By: Jesse Racine AKA Samson

Original Date Written: February 26, 2011

"We've been riding for a day or two now. I said my goodbyes to Dominique back in Rister...I'm going to really miss her, but at least I know that she's not sad and that she's safe with other reavers. She gave me a necklace before we left, I like it. I don't exactly know when I'll be going to Rister next, but whenever I do, I'll look Dom up and see her. During our first day of driving, we came across a big pack of wolves. We had been eating lunch, and Dawn said that they were probably attracted to the smell of the food. Stitch and Ice were all ready to fight them, but Dawn just got everyone in the car before the dogs reached us. We just drove off, Dawn telling us not to bother with the wolves. We all woke up about two hours ago, and we're just listening to the radio right now, driving right along."
Kid placed his pencil within his book's frame, closing the book on his pencil, using the pencil like a bookmark. He placed the book up on the dashboard of the car, by the picture of Dawn that Rocky had given Kid, shortly after Dawn's death at the hands of Ace. Dawn's helmet was resting in her lap, the woman relaxing with only one hand on the steering wheel, simply guiding the powerful vehicle along towards the dark shape of New Reno on the horizon. Libitina was looking through the window to her left quietly, watching the scenery of the wasteland fly by, although it wasn't much to look at. It was usually just dry, dusty flatland, but many a time did Dawn have to navigate up or down a short cliff or hill, or perhaps drive past a clump or rocks or one of the wasteland's withered old trees, leading to some reprieve from the general drudgery of it all. Stitch sat in the middle of the backseat, his head leaning back on the top of the backseat behind him, his hands down on his thighs, gently patting against his pants in time with the beat of the radio's song.
Ice was doing like Libitina was, looking through the window beside her. Unlike Libitina, however, she had her elbow up against the door beside her, her hand resting against her face, close to her mouth. The group drove along in relative silence, simply listening to the radio, everyone waiting the time away. After another hour or so, Dawn spotted something through the windshield of the Highwayman. "Hey, it's a traveller." She said calmly. Everyone looked over curiously. Up ahead was a lone figure, simply walking along in the opposite direction that Dawn and the others were heading in. Their path was parallel to that of Dawn and the others, and it was clear to see that they two would closely pass by one another. Dawn slowed down, pulling up to the traveller. It was an elderly man dressed in a light brown robe of brahmin hide, wearing a loose shirt and shorts to keep him cool on hot days. Hanging over his stomach via fabric strap was an H&K P90c. He had a big, gray, bushy beard, the hair on his head thinning with age. Stopping the car near the man, Dawn left the engine running as she opened the driver's side door.
She rested her helmet up on the dashboard momentarily. Stepping outside, she remained by the door of the car, seeing the man to raise a hand in greeting. The two weren't far from one another, easily within speaking distance. "Hooowee, lady! That's a fine ride!" The elderly man exclaimed. "Ain't seen a car like that since the Chosen One rolled into Redding about ten years back. You don't forget a sight like that. He had a Highwayman, a lot like your's." Dawn smiled a little. She knew the man known as "the Chosen One" had a Highwayman, he had shown it to her when she had met him. His was plain gray in colour however, looking a lot less customized than Dawn's. "You don't say?" She said, smiling, acting as if she had never met the Chosen One or perhaps barely knew about him. The man slowly walked over, saying "Yup, pretty fine automobile, right there. I get by just fine with walking, though. Been walking since I was born, and I'm probably gonna die walkin'." Dawn chuckled lightly before asking "Say, have you been around New Reno lately?" The man nodded, saying "Yup, was there just a couple of days ago, was on my way to Rister when we met."
Dawn asked "What's it like? I heard it was taken over my some raiders." The man raised an eyebrow, smiling as he said "Not anymore. When I showed up, the place was filled with all these bodies, and a lot of 'em were raiders. I don't know who did it, but they sure cleaned house. Some people were already starting to head back there. I was gonna tell some folks down in Rister about it, see if I could help spread the word." Dawn smiled and said "Glad to hear it, I was just headed there. You have yourself a fine day, sir." The man smiled broadly and raised a hand in a farewell wave. "You too, miss. Peace to ya." Dawn got back in the Highwayman, shutting the door beside her, resting her helmet back down in her lap. Her face went calm as she started driving once more. Everyone had heard Dawn's words, but they hadn't caught most of the elderly man's. After Stitch asked what the man had said, Dawn related the gist of their conversation: New Reno was free of the Scaled Hiss.
Stitch and Ice were especially happy about the news. Kid was just happy that there wouldn't be any fighting going on when they reached the city. Libitina couldn't help but complain about how the city will probably "stink to high heaven", as she put it. "I doubt it. Whoever's there is probably carting all the corpses down to Golgotha. Maybe not burying them all, but at least bringing them down there to rot without bothering anybody with the stink." "What's Golgotha?" Kid asked, looking over. "New Reno's graveyard." Dawn said coolly. Stitch raised an eyebrow slightly. "Hardly a graveyard. There's lots of graves out there, yeah...But most of them are burying poor bastards that pissed someone off, someone or other that they shouldn't have pissed off." Ice was looking out through the window beside her as she murmured "Stakes." Kid curiously mumbled "Stakes?..." Dawn took in a soft breath before saying "Some people get impaled on stakes, the stakes stuck into the ground so the corpse is up in the air. Not a nice way to die." Kid blinked at the thought, finding it awful to imagine. "Finding a chunk of wood long enough can be annoying, so only the people that really annoyed someone end up on a stake." Dawn added. Kid went quiet, looking through the window beside him, gulping softly as the image of a corpse stuck on a spike entered his mind.
The rest of that day was uneventful. On the third day of driving however, as the group was eating lunch, Dawn said that the group wasn't alone. "We're being watched." Dawn softly said loud enough for everyone to hear, her face calm. "Don't look around, don't let them know we're on to them." Dawn quickly added. Kid grew worried. The group had decided to eat their lunch outside, and because Dawn had parked by an old wooden table with several chairs, they ate there. They were amid the ruins of what might have been an old neighbourhood, several skeletons of houses around them, nearly every house having been long reduced to a state of near complete destruction. "How do you know?" Libitina asked. Dawn softly said "We're in yakuza territory, and I'm pretty sure I just saw someone in the doorway of the building behind Ice." Ice raised her left eyebrow, looking towards her left without turning her head. The building behind her had a roof to it, casting a shadow within what remained of it's interior. Most of it's walling had been destroyed, however.
Dawn quietly said "When I get up, I want you to get up with me, Kid. I'll open the driver's side door of the Highwayman, and you get inside. I'll grab my stuff from the car as well as some guns for the others. Everybody else, just stay here and stay cool, just go on eating your food." Kid softly asked "What's a "yakuza"?" The two got up from the table nonchalantly, beginning to walk towards the Highwayman. "Japanese gangs." She whispered. "They're not a crime family of New Reno, they don't have a base, not that I know of, at least. They wander around the edges of New Reno in small groups, usually attacking anyone that wants to get into or out of the city." Dawn opened the driver's side door of the Highwayman, Kid getting inside, crawling over to the passenger's side seat. Dawn grabbed her helmet, pulling it on. Reaching into the backseat, she grabbed her Gauss rifle. She grabbed Libitina's claws as well as a pair of combat shotguns from one of the bags in front of the backseat. Fishing around in the bag some more, she found the 10mm pistol that had come into her possession shortly after her revival at the Brotherhood of Steel's San Francisco base, resting it in a small pile with the other guns.
She shouldered her rifle before grabbing the guns and claws, shutting the door with a bump from her hip, casually heading back to the others. She handed Libitina the pistol as well as her glove, handing Stitch and Ice a shotgun each. Dawn unshouldered her rifle and rested it up on the table as she took a seat once more. Kid watched from within the car nervously, looking around, trying to spot a yakuza like Dawn apparently had. Stitch, Ice, and Libitina resumed their eating, but now they couldn't help but subtly glance around every little bit, trying to spot an enemy. They had just begun to finish their food when Dawn spotted a shadow slowly move into the doorway of the building behind Ice. In a flash, Dawn grabbed her rifle from the table, standing up so fast she knocked down the chair behind her. She fired off a loud shot, blasting it directly down through the doorway. She saw the shadow collapse, a shout of pain coming from it. In an instant, at least seven war cries rose from the dilapidated houses around them, figures racing out towards the group at their table.
Dawn quickly spun around, firing another shot at another figure. Hitting him in the stomach, she blew open the figure's body, innards falling to the ground as the figure heavily collapsed to the ground. Kid watched as the remaining six figures sprinted towards Dawn and the others. They all wore dark leather outfits, their imposing leather jackets flowing out behind them slightly. They all had facial features that reminded Kid of Hiro. They ran blindingly quickly, brandishing large knives with curved tips, the weapons looking perfect for penetrating armour. Other than their knives, however, none of them seemed to have any other weapons. Libitina rapidly fired her pistol at a charging yakuza, killing the man with four shots. Ice and Stitch began to blow storms of pellets at any yakuza they could, injuring two and killing one. It was easy for Dawn to finish off the two that Ice and Stitch had injured, but there were still two yakuza left. One had reached Ice, and the other had reached Libitina. The one that reached Ice grabbed her shotgun and pointed it off to the side with one hand, giving the man safety from her powerful weapon.
Her eyes went wide. "Stitch!" She almost cried out. The yakuza bared his teeth savagely as he stabbed his Wakizashi blade up into Ice's face. The tip stabbing through her right cheek, the blade pushed between her two rows of teeth, nearly stabbing into the back of Ice's throat. Stitch hadn't been fast enough to protect Ice, but he still blew into the yakuza with his shotgun, sending his corpse to the ground. Ice dropped her shotgun in pain, her eyes shut tight as she pulled the blade from the side of her face, dropping it to the ground. "Ice, oh crap!" Stitch said worriedly, the woman keeping her eyes shut as she pressed both hands to her facial wound, blood running down the side of her neck. Meanwhile, the remaining yakuza tried to do the same to Libitina as the other had done to Ice, but Libitina had acted faster than Ice had. When the yakuza went to stab into Libitina's face, she raised her set of claws defensively, the yakuza's blade clashing against her claws. She jumped back from the yakuza, raising her pistol. Just as she began to pull the trigger, the yakuza ducked and gave a shout, charging for her midsection. Libitina pulled the trigger just as the yakuza bashed into her, causing her to stumble and collapse to her back.
Dawn pointed her Gauss rifle at the yakuza just as he stabbed his blade down into Libitina's stomach. Libitina gave a loud scream of pain. Dawn fired a shot into the yakuza's right elbow, severing the limb that the man had held his weapon in. The man appeared to be in shock, as he raised what was left of his arm, looking to his elbow with wide eyes as it squirted out streams of crimson. Gritting her teeth in pain and taking rapid breaths, Libitina pointed her pistol up into the man's chest, firing a rapid three shots, killing him. Seeing Ice and Libitina to be wounded, Kid frantically searched in the backseat, finding the bag of medical supplies Dawn kept there. Pushing open the driver's side door quickly, he ran out with the bag, rushing over to Dawn as she came to Libitina's side. "You'll be okay, Libby!" Kid said worriedly. Dawn kicked the corpse of the yakuza away from Libitina, the yakuza's Wakizashi blade still stabbed into Libitina's stomach. Libitina's face showed that she was in immense pain. Dawn got down on a knee by Libitina's side, Kid bringing down the bag of supplies by Dawn.
Stitch and Ice began to walk over, Stitch helping Ice move. Dawn pulled three stimpacks out the supply bag, quickly pulling up a sleeve on Libitina's left arm, preparing to use the stimpacks on her. "Pull the knife out, Kid..." Libitina panted. Kid nervously reached over, grabbing the handle of the knife. Libitina winced and took in a deep hiss of a breath. Kid felt awful about hurting her, but he yanked the knife out anyway, Libitina crying out softly. Dawn quickly used the three stimpacks on Libitina, Libitina's wound slowly beginning to close. "I can't really m-move all too good..." Libitina said softly, tears in her eyes from the pain. Dawn began to help Libitina sit up, something that made Libitina grit her teeth in pain. Dawn, in an almost motherly way, gave Libitina a kiss on the forehead, saying "It's never fun having something shoved into your guts. Just give the stimpacks time to work." Quickly, Dawn grabbed another two stimpacks from the supply bag, standing up and turning to Ice. Ice lowered a hand from her face, the palm of her hand covered in blood, some having trickled down her wrist. The side of her neck was covered in blood by then. She still had her eyes shut tight, her breathing deep and slow as she tried to stay calm.
Stitch held Ice's outstretched arm steady, Dawn quickly injecting the two stimpacks into Ice's bloodstream. Once the stimpacks had been injected into her, Ice lowered her other hand from her face, shaking her hand off to the side, trying to shake off droplets of crimson. She did, indeed, have a gruesome wound; the large stab going through her cheek gave a glimpse of bloody teeth, although the wound was slowly beginning to close, thanks to the stimpacks. Dawn looked to Kid, saying "Take the bag back into the car and then help Libitina inside, she's going to have some trouble getting up." Kid did as Dawn bid, grabbing the supply bag and hastily rushing off towards the Highwayman. "Stitch, grab their knives. We could sell them somewhere." Dawn said. Stitch nodded, rushing around to the bodies of the yakuza, grabbing their signature Wakizashi blades. As he did so, Ice wandered on over to the Highwayman, taking a seat in the back as Kid rushed back over to Libitina. Dawn kept her eyes peeled for more yakuza as Kid helped Libitina stand, Libitina gasping and softly crying out with every little movement, still in intense pain.
"You'll be okay, Libby...It's alright!..." Kid said as he supported her, helping her walk over to the Highwayman. Libitina let out a pained chuckle, saying nothing. As he helped her into the backseat, she pulled him in with her, Libitina sitting in the middle between Ice and Kid. Kid had been going to sit in the front passenger's seat again, but he understood that Libitina might want someone familiar to lean against for comfort due to her wound. Libitina did just that, in fact; leaning against him heavily, she rested her head on his shoulder, keeping a hand over her stomach as she took in pained breaths with closed eyes. Dawn got in the driver's seat a few moments later, reaching into the backseat, resting her Gauss rifle over a bag by Libitina's feet. She rested her helmet up on the dashboard as Stitch got in the front passenger's seat, seven Wakizashi blades in his arms as well as the two combat shotguns. He reached into the back and, after Kid moved his feet with a sheepish apology, shoved the blades and combat shotguns into a duffel bag that held most of Dawn's extra weapons. A few seconds later, the Highwayman was rolling once more, shooting off towards New Reno, the corpses of the yakuza left where they were.
Dawn was pushing the Highwayman faster and faster, the group nearing the outskirts of the city only a few hours later. Ice's wound had healed, but her cheek's flesh had become a little thinner than it had been before. It was only really noticeable to her, however, when she pushed her tongue into a small spot in her cheek. A faint line, a barely visible scar, had developed over her cheek as well, showing a little light compared to the rest of her dark skin. Libitina's wound was taking longer to heal. With Dawn's permission, she had used another stimpack on herself, which seemed to help. Her skin had healed, but Libitina had complained of pain remaining inside her, which the extra stimpack had seemingly begun to ease. Like Ice however, she had developed a scar, a pale and thin line showing up on her stomach. Because most of her skin was already rather pale, however, the scar was practically invisible, so unless someone felt a fingertip over where it was, they'd never know it even existed. Even though her pain had faded, Libitina hadn't stopped leaning against Kid or resting her head on his shoulder, something he didn't bring up.
Looking out through the window beside him, Kid watched as the buildings of New Reno eventually came around the Highwayman, swallowing the vehicle into itself. Dawn slowed down considerably once she entered the outskirts of the city. Driving along roads at a calm yet not leisurely speed, everyone became aware of the corpses littering some of the streets. On some streets, the corpses covered the sidewalks and even the roads, making Dawn pass over them for more accessible pathways. Also, being in the Highwayman didn't save them from the overpowering stench of the bodies, which had begun to decompose not all that long ago. Eventually however, Dawn drove on to the street that the Shark Club and Salvatore's Bar resided upon, which was completely devoid of corpses. She instantly noticed that a huge battle had occurred just outside of what used to be the Shark Club, as bullets holes were evident all along the walls outside it's front as well as the buildings across from it. The Shark Club had been almost entirely demolished in some sort of explosion, a sight that made Dawn's brow furrow a little.
People were looking at her from within the remains of the casino as well as the surrounding buildings. Driving just down the street, she reached the Golden Globes studio. Parking the car in front of the studio, she grabbed her Gauss rifle before pulling on her helmet, getting out of the car then. Stitch and Ice got out next, Kid figuring he should go with them, Libitina following after him. The studio's outside looked to be in fine condition, but upon entering it's front room, Dawn saw bullet holes all along the walls. "Rocky?" She called out, walking over towards his office. Pushing open the door, she found that two of his bookshelves had been ruined, and his desk looked like it had been hit with shrapnel several times. There was blood soaking the floor just by Rocky's desk, and for a moment, Dawn thought he had been killed by the Scaled Hiss. "Someone say my name?" Everyone heard, turning towards the second door nearby, the one that led into the filming area of the studio. Dawn reached up and pulled off her helmet, shouldering her rifle. She was grinning as Rocky walked into the room from the studio.
He wasn't dressed in his usual red housecoat, now he wore a pair of jeans and a gray muscle shirt. He had some dust on his hands and a bit of perspiration on his forehead, grinning when he saw Dawn. "My girl, it's been too long, hah hah!" He said, stepping over to Dawn with his arms out. Reaching over her trenchcoat and around her waist, he gave her a big hug, Dawn closing her eyes and hugging him back. "I'm glad you're okay!" She said. Rocky chuckled as they released each other a second later, Rocky saying "NCR soldiers saved my ass. They rolled in here and took the Scaled Hiss down like they were fuckin' amateurs, it was beautiful." Dawn was smiling as she said "Where did the blood in your office come from?" Rocky glanced at the door to his office for a moment before saying "A super mutant bought it, there. An NCR sniper was getting knocked around, but this other one with a grenade launcher saved her, blew some of the mutie's head off. Took about ten guys to move his corpse, heh." Rocky looked to Kid then, smiling, raising a hand and ruffling up some of his hair. "Good to see you, Kid." He said.
Kid smiled with embarrassment. "I noticed a bunch of people when I was coming in, mostly dead people. What's happening around here now?" Dawn asked. Rocky looked to her and said "Well, people are starting to come back to the city." He crossed his arms over his chest as he let out a sigh. "Anybody that comes in is told that they have to help clean things up, whether they're a tired junkie or not, it doesn't matter. If they refuse, they're told to leave. If they refuse again, they get shot. You'd be surprised how many people have decided to help, heh." Dawn smirked a little. "So, what? You're just cleaning up the streets of bodies and stuff? What're you doing with them?" Rocky raised his eyebrows as he said "Well, nobody wants to carry the bodies down to Golgotha 'cause it'll take too much time and effort. So, instead, we're just taking them down to streets that were never used before and are just piling the bodies there. Might've seen one or two on your way in." Dawn nodded.
Rocky continued, saying "We're trying to clean up the insides of the buildings that were most affected by the battle, you know, places like the Desperado or especially the Shark Club. Lots of bodies, lots of little bullet casings...Lots of work. I've got some guys inside, cleaning up the studio. I'm helping, of course." Dawn smiled. "I've got some things to do, but they shouldn't take all day. When my stuff is done, want some more help?" Rocky smiled and said "Sure, could always use more help, babe." Dawn smiled more and said "Alright, I'll be back here when my stuff is done. It's good to see you're okay, Rocky." Rocky grinned a little and said "Same to you. Now go on, do your stuff, I'll be here." Dawn gave him a wave before turning and heading for the exit, Kid giving him a wave as well, the rest following after Dawn. Piling back into the Highwayman, everyone relaxed for a moment after Dawn started the car. "Now, where would Ronald be, then?..." Dawn pondered aloud.
Kid thought for a moment before saying "I remember that, a while back, he had his brahmin carts set up in some parking lot...I don't remember the n-name of the street, but...Across from the parking lot was some place called the "Cat's Paw"." Dawn half-smiled and glanced upwards for a moment. "The Cat's Paw. I know the place." She said with amusement. Stitch grinned a little, something that Ice noticed and gave him an elbow to the ribs over. Stitch just chuckled, putting an arm around Ice's shoulders, bringing her a little closer to himself. Dawn drove off to Virgin Street, driving past the Desperado casino. As the Cat's Paw brothel came into view across the street, the parking lot across from it also came into view. Kid grinned when he saw Ronald's brahmin carts set in one corner of the lot, Ronald standing in front of them along with Krypt, Marv, and Heather. Ronald and Marv raised a hand in greeting, knowing that the only people to possibly be in the Highwayman would be their acquaintances. Heather was jumping up and down, waving excitedly, a big grin on her face.
Dawn pulled into the parking lot, parking the car near the carts. Everyone got out of the Highwayman and walked over towards the others. Heather ran over to Dawn and jumped up at for her a hug, something that surprised Dawn greatly. "It's great to see you again!" She said happily. Dawn caught the little girl in her arms, unable to help but smile a little, chuckling lightly. Ronald shook hands with Stitch and Ice, greeting them with a smile. He gave Kid a pat on his shoulder, nodding at him with a friendly face. Kid smiled a little, but he was interrupted when Heather lightly bashed into him from behind, grabbing him in a hug. "Kiiid! I missed you!" She said happily. Marv walked over with a smile, apologizing, grabbing Heather around the waist and prying her from Kid. Heather reached her arms out to Libitina, swinging her legs a little as she excitedly complained to Marv, wanting to be put down. "She ate a lot of sugary breakfast this morning, heh." Ronald explained amid Heather's excited chatter. Dawn, Stitch, and Ice chuckled at Ronald's explanation.
Dawn and Ronald shook hands in greeting. "Good to see you again, Dawn. I take it you've gotten a look at the shape o' the city?" He asked. She nodded, her long black hair bobbing slightly. "I have. It's pathetic compared to how it used to be." She looked around for a moment, looking left and right. "This place would be better suited to serving as a cemetery rather than the city where the parties are located." Ronald raised a hand to his face, scratching at his beard for a moment as he said "Well, there's people here, at least. Not much, but that's to be expected. They're just all out there, cleaning up different parts of the city. Plenty of people have gone out to spread the word that the city's been cleared of raiders." Suddenly, Ronald looked past Dawn, squinting slightly for a moment. His eyes widened. He stared past her for a couple of seconds before saying "Is that a fuckin' ghost?" Dawn looked over, seeing a woman she didn't recognize. She was dressed in a full suit of combat armour, which had been custom painted so the protective plates were red while all the other bits were black.
The only thing that was missing from her suit of armour was the helmet. She had thick black hair that reached down to about her shoulder blades, swaying behind her as she quickly walked towards them. A white eyepatch was covering her right eye, its gray fabric loop going through her hair and keeping the patch snug and secure against her. She was smiling broadly. A leather bag was slung up on her right shoulder, filled with unknown items. "Tansy? You survived?" Ronald said, taking a few steps past Dawn towards the approaching woman. Kid looked to Tansy, his face breaking into a huge smile. For a moment, he thought he was imagining things. The only ones to survive what had happened at Vault 17 had been himself, Dominique, and Libitina, as far as he or anyone else had known. "Never felt better. Gimme a hug, you motherfucker." She said jokingly, her smile turning into a grin. Ronald gave a hearty laugh, he and Tansy rushing over to greet each other, grabbing one another in a tight hug. "Great to see you, what happened down there, how did you get out?" Ronald asked, the two releasing one another after a few moments.
"It wasn't easy, and it took a while. Let's just leave it at that, I'm not feeling up to talking about it just yet." Ronald gave an understanding nod. Kid stood and watched her with a happy smile, not knowing what to say yet feeling thoroughly overjoyed that she, too, had survived the vault's horrors. Tansy looked to Kid, her grin turning back to a big and happy smile. She said nothing, walking over to him, reaching down and grabbing him in a hug. Kid blushed a little, hugging her back. Dawn raised an eyebrow silently, Libitina looking at Tansy with a look of protective jealousy. Tansy said "God, I'm so glad that you made it out of there...I went back there to kill Judas and Marylin after I got away, and maybe to see if I could get you out, but...There wasn't anybody around..." At the mention of Marylin's name, Libitina's face went a little serious, a little dark. They released each other, Kid happily saying "I'm so glad you got out, Ronald and Dawn came back for me, Dominique, and Libitina, although it took a while..." Tansy looked to Ronald with a suddenly serious expression. "Why didn't you come for me?" She asked.
Ronald's face was apologetic as he said "I heard that everybody from my group was dead, that Kid and the other two were the only ones to survive. I wanted to at least see a body, but with all the crazy things going on, I just had to get the hell out of there with the others. I'm sorry, Tansy." Tansy stared hard into Ronald's eyes for a few seconds before saying "It's alright, I guess. But you should've looked around some more. I'm the last one, though. Judas killed all the others." Ronald nodded. She had told him what he had always thought in the darker reaches of his mind, that he hadn't looked hard enough while he had the chance, that maybe he could've saved someone if he had stuck around a little longer. It had been nothing but a fear for the longest time, but Tansy's appearance as well as her words turned his fear into cold, depressing fact. Tansy looked back to Kid. "Anyway, it's good to see you, Kid." She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. That's when Dawn was spurred into action. Stepping close to the two, Dawn calmly said "I'm Dawn, and I'll thank you not to kiss my boyfriend."
Kid looked to Dawn with blush in his face, but Dawn's face was rather serious. Tansy raised an eyebrow and looked to Dawn, saying "You're his girlfriend?" "Got a problem with that?" Dawn asked, raising an eyebrow. A sort of competitive spirit rose within Tansy, giving her eyes a confrontational gleam. "Maybe I do. Maybe I'll steal him from you, how do you like that?" Tansy said firmly, raising a hand near Dawn's chest, wiggling her fingers tauntingly. Everyone went totally quiet, varying expressions among them all. Ronald had his left eyebrow raised, his jaw hanging down just a touch as he glanced between the two women. He didn't want any fights to break out, but he didn't know how to quell the situation. Kid had lost his blush, his face a little worried. He remembered his one moment of passion with Tansy from before, but he didn't feel for her like he felt for Dawn, he didn't want either of them to fight. He didn't know how to put all that in words however, and he was secretly afraid that, if he did and spoke how he felt, Tansy would leave. Libitina had a serious face. The thought of challenging Dawn for Kid had only flitted across her mind once or twice, and she had always pushed it away when it had.
She wanted Kid, yes, but she thought of Dawn as a friend, and she didn't want to ruin that friendship. Stitch and Ice as well as Marv and Krypt had serious looks to them, like Libitina. Heather had a frightened face as she stayed close to Marv. She could tell just as well as anyone else that Dawn and Kid had something special, and she could easily see the emotions charging between her and Tansy now that Tansy had come and voiced a threat to that special relationship. "Get your hand away from me and listen up." Dawn said, narrowing her eyes a little. Tansy didn't seem to take Dawn's words seriously, and she even proceeded to taunt Dawn further, raising her hand in front of Dawn's face, wiggling her fingers back and forth once more. "I like Kid. I think I'll take him for my own." She said in a chipper tone. Dawn moved in a flash. Reaching up with her right hand, she grabbed Tansy's arm by her forearm, yanking her arm to the side. Tansy gasped, being twisted to the side, showing her back to Kid and her right side to Dawn. Dawn kicked Tansy's legs out from under her, the young woman falling to the pavement, pain shooting through her from slamming down to her back.
Dawn quickly got down and dropped a knee on Tansy's throat, Tansy's eyes going wide, her hands shooting up to Dawn's leg. "Dawn!" Ronald said, stepping closer, worry on his face. Dawn didn't move. Tansy was writhing her body around, trying to get away from Dawn, her desire for oxygen growing rapidly with every second that passed. Dawn had her trapped however, and try as Tansy might, she couldn't get away. "If you touch Kid in any way again, I'll kill you. Are we clear?" Tansy had her teeth gritted and bared, her eyes shut tight. Dawn waited for a moment before angrily saying "Are we clear, bitch?!" Tansy let out a choked sound, opening her eyes a little. Kid didn't like seeing Tansy getting hurt, and he felt the same about seeing Dawn getting into a fight, so he stepped closer, saying "Dawn, please! Let's just go, you said we had to look out for the Wrights?"
Dawn blinked, still looking down at Tansy's face. Her struggling was just beginning to weaken when she took her knee from Tansy's throat. Tansy let out a loud gasp, coughing slightly. Dawn stood up and glanced at Ronald, saying "I'll see you later." She started heading off for the Highwayman, Kid, Libitina, Stitch, and Ice quickly following after her. Kid got in the front with Dawn, the others piling in the back. Ronald helped Tansy stand up as Dawn drove away, Tansy bringing a hand to her throat, throbs of pain flooding her nerves.
Everybody was quiet as Dawn drove the car out into the east side of New Reno. "Dat girl wasn't de sharpest spear in de tribe, was she?" Ice suddenly said. Dawn raised her eyebrows a little, shaking her head slightly, still looking out through the windshield. "I always figured you'd get with someone your own age Dawn, maybe someone a little older. What drew you to Kid?" Stitch asked. Kid looked over to Dawn, curious of the same thing, himself. What was it about him that had captured her heart? "Don't you mind that." Dawn said mysteriously, smiling a little as she glanced at Stitch through the rear-view mirror. Stitch smiled a little with amusement. The silence broken then, the group chatted about random things for a few minutes until the Wright manor came into view. To Dawn's surprise, she spotted a large mass of people walking around the grounds of the manor. "They're back!" Stitch said with a grin, his eyes widening a little. Dawn smiled happily, Ice doing the same. Dawn quickly drove up to the front of the manor, parking in the street directly across from the partially destroyed building. Several members of the large group pointed their rifles at the vehicle, but an aging man told them to lower their weapons.
Dawn, Stitch, and Ice all got out of the vehicle. The elderly man grinned and began to walk towards them. "Dawn, Stitch, and Ice, you tough sons of bitches, am I glad to see you!" Dawn grinned then. "Keith, where have you been this whole time, I had been looking for you!" Keith Wright walked up to Dawn, grabbing her in a hug, hugging Stitch and Ice afterwards. "Been a bit, boss." Stitch said. "Too long. I was worrying so bad I thought I was gonna have a heart attack like my old man. Where did you go all this time?" Dawn smiled and said "We were around, did some things here and there. Where were you? I checked this place out not long after the Scaled Hiss had taken over, and there were some bodies, but I knew that the most of you had to have gone off somewhere." Keith glanced over his shoulder, briefly looking to the two dozen or so men and women behind him. "Well, you see, a while back, I was searching through my dad's safe...In his will, he had left everything to me, so I figured I might as well take a look at the stuff he found important enough to stash away." Dawn nodded, Stitch and Ice listening intently, curious as to what their boss had kept hidden away.
Keith pushed a hand into a pocket on his pants as he said "There was some papers and some booze, along with some stimpacks and shotgun shells. You know how my dad was, he loved his liquor and shotguns." Dawn smiled and nodded. Keith raised his eyebrows as he said "I was looking through the papers, almost all of them were just accounts of his liquor profits from the still, as well as the dues some of the shops around here owed us. But I eventually came across a map." "Where did it lead?" Stitch asked. Keith smiled and said "It was some old map to a military bunker not all that far north of New Reno, just maybe a day or two's travel by foot. It was called the "Sierra Army Depot". Apparently, some guy had helped my old man get into the place ages ago, and that was where my dad got his best hardware. He looted a suit or two of combat armour as well as assault rifles, grenades, and I think a couple of rocket launchers. Some of the shit he ended up selling, but most he kept for his best enforcers. He would've given you some, Dawn, but you had good enough gear on your own, and-"
Dawn nodded, smiling. "I remember. He asked me one day if I wanted to have some of his advanced gear as a reward for this one job I pulled. I told him I was fine as I was, that he should give the gear to someone else. I think he liked that response, although he might've been a bit worried that I would've gotten messed over without it." Keith smiled and said "Yeah, there ya go. But see, since my dad already got into the place and got it's tech, it wasn't of much use to anybody anymore. He didn't pitch the map though, he kept it at the bottom of his safe, maybe to make sure he just never forgot where it was. Well, when the Scaled Hiss first showed up, we tried fighting them, but they started to swarm us way too quickly. I remembered the map and decided to bring everyone to the depot it talked about. Although it's been ages since the place was made and abandoned, all the food dispensers and shit worked, so we just stuck it out for a while before deciding to come back here and check on things. I sent a couple of scouts, and when they came back, they said it was all clear." Keith raised his arms by his sides, glancing left and right. "And here we are. We just got here about three hours ago. The place is a mess, we're trying to clean it up a little."
Dawn nodded understandingly. Thinking back, she furrowed her brow a little, saying "Um, Keith...When I came to check out the manor, I noticed that the place was really...Empty. No ammo, no food, no nothing." "You fucking serious?" Stitch asked, his eyes widening a little. Keith raised his eyebrows, nodding. "I know. It's one of the first things we noticed. I think the Scaled Hiss might've taken it all, which...Might put us in some trouble down the road. If I remember correctly, I still owe a debt to the Brotherhood of Steel for getting them to bring you back, Dawn." Dawn nodded, being reminded of her death and revival. "Thank you for that, Keith. I wish I could help pay that debt off." Keith raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Well, maybe you can. If more people are coming to New Reno and all the establishments are going to be up and running again, then our family can come back into business. And as I recall, we were the only family in New Reno before the Scaled Hiss showed up. The Wrights control New Reno. You were the best enforcer my dad and I ever had. Come and work for me some more, do some jobs for me, and I'll consider everything in the past."
Dawn raised a hand, shaking Keith's own. "It's a deal." She said, nodding with a little smile. Keith grinned appreciatively. Keith looked to Stitch and Ice for a second before asking "Hey, where's Krypt? He was never with me. He was with you, right?" "I'm right here." Krypt's raspy voice came out. Everyone looked over to the side, Ice giving a little jump of fright. Krypt was slowly walking up to the Highwayman from behind. "Followed the Highwayman?" Stitch asked. Krypt nodded. "Hiro's on his way, too." Krypt said softly. Keith nodded. "Good, glad he made it, too." Keith looked back to Dawn, raising his eyebrows. "Well, I guess there isn't much else to say. I'm glad you're okay, but this clean-up work is getting troublesome enough with so many people working around one another on the grounds. Stop by tomorrow?"
Dawn nodded. "Sure. Gotta help a friend clean his place up, anyway." Stitch and Ice turned to Dawn. Stitch took in a deep breath with a smile before saying "Well Dawn, it's been quite a ride, but I should stay here and help with things. See you tomorrow." Dawn nodded, the two hugging briefly before Ice said "Just like old times, Dawn." Dawn smiled and winked knowingly, the two hugging for a moment before Dawn turned and headed back to the Highwayman. Getting in the driver's seat, she drove off, seeing Keith and the others give a wave through her rear-view mirror.
As she drove back to the Golden Globes studio, Dawn filled Kid and Libitina in on what she and the others had spoken of. Their curiosity was sated then, but they didn't really have much to say about the topic. Dawn parked the Highwayman in front of the studio when she reached it, shutting it off. She grabbed some of her spare clothes and said she'd be right back. Heading off into a nearby alley, she came back a minute later, changed out of her black armour and wearing some of her leisure clothes. Tossing her stuff in the backseat by Libitina, Dawn said that she was going to help out with the cleaning of the studio, that she'd be going at it for a while before she took a break. She asked if Kid and Dominique would be okay alone, Kid and Libitina saying they would, that they would just listen to the radio, if it was allowed. Dawn let the car run yet didn't start the engine, allowing the car to play the radio without actually being able to run. Dawn said that if there was anything that either of them needed, they could go into the studio and ask her. They said they understood, and Dawn left. Kid reclined in his seat, Libitina sighing and lying down in the backseat, the both of them relaxing. "Your stomach feeling better?" Kid asked at one pointed. Libitina smiled a little and said "Yeah. Thanks." The both of them fell silent again, listening to the radio as a classical song drifted through it's speakers.
Harlot and Cain had reached New Reno not more than an hour later. They had caught a ride on a brahmin cart headed for the city, departing from the trader who ran the carts as she entered the city. Going deeper into the city, the two were on the lookout for the Highwayman, knowing that Dawn Darkwater wouldn't be far from it.
- 53
- 54
- 55
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Fallout Wasteland