Chapters Kindness in the Wastelands
The first day of the rest of my life...
Have you ever heard someone talk about dying? I mean, you hear it all the time, the same thing, time after time. “A long tunnel, with a light at the end.” Well, as it turned out, they were right. All I saw was light, and I moved towards it. I was ready to accept the end.
But sometimes, when you walk into the light, seeking eternity. You find the starting gun.
I groaned, my eyes screaming in pain, demanding I shut my eyes to block out the searing pain. I swore, my hand coming up to my eyes to block the offending brightness. I said something color involving fire and whatever God was responsible for light…or eyes…or life. In my ears, I heard a soft whirring, and opened my eyes again to see the light dimming, revealing a ceiling fan, spinning softly, spreading the air around the room.
“Hell seems… well ventilated…” I groaned. I heard a soft chuckle in response.
“You’re awake…How ‘bout that?” Even in my current state, I could tell he sounded surprised, and slightly amused. Still, it was a voice I didn’t recognize. I launched my body upwards as fast as I could manage, which was, humiliatingly, roughly the speed of an old woman with two broken arms, and reached to my hip in an act that sent my temples screaming in response, and my vision blurring in pain. The blur of blue and black leaned in, helping keep me from tumbling off the, admittedly uncomfortable bed.
“Whoaaa, easy there! Easy! You’ve been out could a couple of days now…” Slowly, my vision came back to me, sharpening the blob of color into what looked like an older man, looking at me with concern.
“Why don’t you just relax a second, get your bearings? Let’s see what the damage is…” He said, leaning back and looking me over. When I stared at him blankly, he offered a small smile. “How ‘bout your name? Can you tell me your name?”
Again, my temples screamed in pain as I thought about his question. Bringing my hand to my forehead to rub the pain away, I felt a strange mass under my fingers on my right temple. It felt…unfamiliar. My mind was cloudy, and I realized suddenly, I had no idea! My own name was a complete mystery! All I could remember was being on my knees, and the familiar loud flash of a gunshot, held by a man that I didn’t recognize, but I knew I hated. He…He shot me in the head!? Trying to rise again, I winced as my body resisted, and sent the old man leaning in to help me.
“I-..” I started, not sure how to continue. “I should be dead! I got-“
“Easy there…” He said again. “You’re fine. Listen now: Yes, you did get shot, but you’re gonna be ok. It WAS touch and go there for a minute though…But c’mon, focus. Can you remember your name?” The more I thought about it, the more I realized I couldn’t. And yet, there was a name…something that…felt familiar, but I KNEW it wasn’t my name.
“L-…Lee.” I told him, hoping how unsure I was of my own name didn’t shine through.
“Huh…Well, can’t say that’s what I’da picked for you, but if that’s your name, that’s your name. I’m Doc Mitchell. Welcome to GoodSprings. Now, I hope you don’t mind, but I had to go rootin’ around in your noggin to get all the bits of lead out. I take pride in my needle work, but you’d better tell me if I left anything out of place.” He said, leaning down to pick up a reflectron. “How’d I do?” He asked, handing me the over-complicated mirror.
Sure enough, as I gazed at my reflection, I had no idea if he had left me the same or not. However, I knew there was ONE thing out of place. The weathered, face looking back at me, with eyes younger than the (what I’d like to say is ruggedly handsome) face that hinted at his rough life sported one thing that I highly doubted was there before. I couldn’t tell if the dark soul patch on my chin was right, but on my right temple, where I’d felt that strange mass, lay a mass of scar tissue, centered around a small, round scar. That had to have been the entrance wound. I shuddered at the amount of stimpacks it must’ve taken to close that up so quick, and to leave a scar like that. I shrugged handing the man the mirror back.
“Looks good to me…” I told him.
“Well, I got most of it right, anyways. Stuff that mattered. Ok, no sense keeping you in bed anymore…” He said, starting to stand. Coming to me, he put his hand under my arms. “Let’s see if we can get you on your feet.” I accepted his help, slowly standing. Again, my head threw a fit, refusing to let me stand without a fight. My vision blurred in pain again, but at least it wasn’t as severe. Biting my lip, and with the old m- the doc’s help, I got to my feet, stumbling a little under my own weight. Finally, I found my balance, standing on my own feet. Doc smiled. “Good! Now, why don’t you walk down to the end of the room?” He asked, presumably as a test. Nodding his head towards a strange wooden machine in the corner of the room. “Over by that vigor tester machine there…” I immediately started to move, trying to head to the weird machine. Stumbling again, the old man caught me. “Take it slow now, it ain’t a race…” I wanted to ignore him, to rush strait to the thing, but my body made me listen, refusing to move more than a snail’s clip, as we made our way over to the machine.
The Vit-o-matic vigor tester, the box displayed, in big bronze letters over the top. It boasted a handle, and a rotating board, guaranteeing it was Fun! Accurate! And Scientific!
“Well, you’re looking good so far.” I heard Doc mumble. “Go ahead and give the vigor tester a try. We’ll learn right quick if you got back all your faculties.”
With a shrug, I took the strange handle and squeezed. S.P.E.C.I.A.L., It said. Meaning Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck. I had NO idea how this machine could gauge all this from a squeeze of a wooden handle, but, hey, I figured I had done worse things in my life. Probably. As the machine worked, I tried seeking through my memories, desperately trying to figure out who I was, in every sense of the word. A happy tone jingled, telling me the machine was done ‘reading my vigor.’ It claimed I was strong as a barrel chested man, perceptive as a wary trout, I had hardy endurance, I was charismatic as a substitute teacher (something I still don’t know if I should be offended at), I had gifted intelligence and catlike reflexes, and I was as lucky as a stacked deck. Stacked in whose favor, I didn’t know, as getting shot in the head hardly seemed very lucky. But, Doc looked over my shoulder, nodding to himself.
“Welp, that’s a pretty standard score there, but after what you’ve been through, I’d say that’s great news.” He crossed his arms and looked at me for a moment before nodding. “Well, we know your vitals are good. But that don’t mean those bullets didn’t leave you nuttier than a bighorner dropping.” He said, starting to walk into the next room. “What do you say you take a seat on my couch and we go through a couple questions? See if your dogs are still barking.” He asked, taking a seat on a chair facing the sofa. Did he plan this?
“Didn’t know any shrinks survived the war…” The old man chuckled.
“Well, I’m not an official head doctor, but I’m not an official brain surgeon either, but I think that came out just fine, don’t you?” He asked, smiling. “Now go on, take a seat.”
Kindness in the Wastelands
When I opened the doctors door, I cursed as the light burned my eyes. My eyes quickly adjusted, the pain fading. Finally, I got my first look at Goodsprings. It was a run-down little village, a broken, shattered and crumbled, but still recognizable. Quite astounding, considering what happened two hundred years ago. Still, as I looked around, I could see homes, some still standing, but more broken, fallen under the weight of the years in the wasteland. Trucks and vehicles littered the road, and poles carrying electric wires stretched into the sky. Reminders of a time long passed. In the distance, I spotted a water tower, and, idly, I wondered if it had any clean water left in it. I severely doubted it though.
The doc, after asking some questions and having me fill out some kinda form, had ushered me out. Given me what he told me was my things, a nine millimeter pistol, and a straight razor, as well as some stimpacks, and dressed me in an old vault uniform. Vault 21. Fitting, considering where we were, though I suspect that was the reason. He told me I was also carrying an old 9mm sub machine gun, but it had gotten broken over the course of me getting shot, buried, dug up, and brought here. It took me mere minutes to fix the thing. He recommended I ask the town about the people who’d shot me, as he didn’t have any information himself, and to visit a “Sunny Smiles.” He said that she’d be able to help me learn how to survive out in the wastelands. I decided to take his advice, and headed for what appeared to be a saloon in the distance.
Out front of the Saloon, I saw what appeared to be some broken motorcyles, and an old black man in a tan cowboy hat, sitting in a chair out front of the saloon front door. Giving my best smile, I moved towards him, waving.
“Hey there old timer.” I greeted.
“Howdy.” He responded. “What can easy Pete do for ya?”
The two of us chatted for a short time, and I found out, while he didn’t know who the people that shot me were, he didn’t trust the leader. Said he had cold eyes, like those of a snake. Ignoring the immensily helpful advice of “don’t trust the man who shot you in the head.” I smiled, thanked him, and walked inside the saloon.
Once inside, I was greeted by a loud barking and snarling. A black dog stood, poised to attack, growling at me. I rose my hands up, keeping quite aware were my gun was, and smiled, trying to give my best calming doggy voice.
“Heey, easy boy, I ain’t here to hurt ya.” The dog seemed unimpressed, and started to lunge!
“Cheyenne, stay!” An order barked out from the woman next to the dog. The woman had a rifle on her back, and was wearing what appeared to be some kinda leather armor. Looking up from her pet, she smiled at me. “Don’t worry, she won’t bite unless I tell her to.”
This well-armed woman was, evidently, Sunny Smiles. Protector of Goodsprings. She agreed, after hearing what had happened to me, to show me a few things, in light of what had happened to me. She told me to meet her out behind the saloon, and, with that, she turned on her heel, and headed for the back door. It was then, I saw her.
She was sitting in the corner of the room, seemingly afraid to look at anyone or anything. She was wearing what looked like a thrown together mesh of leather and cloth, something less to protect her, and more to preserve her modesty. However, even more than these facts, one thing is what caught my eye more than anything. Her long, braided hair was pink. And I don’t mind kinda off red, no, it was pink. Where she’d find hair-dye to do that, and why, I’ll never know, I found myself thinking. Insane hair dye or not, I’m not the type of man to let a woman be scared and worried, and I made my way over to the frightened woman. I gave a soft smile, trying to be as approachable as possible.
“Hey the-“
I was cut off by a surprised shriek from the girl, as she whirled around and pressed her back into the wall. It was then I saw the two things I’d always remember about this woman, for as long as I live. I honestly doubt that getting shot in the head again would make me forget these. One was her beauty. Despite being utterly coated in dirt, her face shined through with a beauty that didn’t seem to belong in this world. It was delicate, though tainted at the moment by fear and, well, dirt. Her body seemed built not for combat, like she hasn’t fought a day in her life. And yet, she seemed fit. No muscle, but far from emaciated. It was strange, but I wasn’t complaining. Simply put, her body was astounding. Even more than her hair, even more than her body, though, was her eyes. Her eyes struck me dumb. Through the fear I saw in them, I saw the most beautiful orbs of emerald green, with a kindness and love shining through even the fear. I stood, staring at the woman for a moment, my eyes locked on hers unable to speak. From behind me, I heard the voice of an older sounding woman.
“Sweetie, you ok?” The voice was laced with concern, and a touch of warning. I understood how this looked; Strange, armed man comes up to this beautiful woman, and she screams. Turning, I kept that same smile. It didn’t escape my notice that she was holding a revolver aimed at my chest.
“It’s fine, I’m sorry, I kinda snuck up on the poor girl.” The woman raised her eyebrow, and looked over my shoulder at the frightened woman. She must have nodded, or maybe the older woman could see I honestly meant no harm. Either way, she sighed, and lowered the gun, leaving the room. I turned back to the beautiful woman, and smiled again.
“I’m sorry for scaring you.” I told her, trying to use my sweetest tone. “I didn’t mean to sneak up on you like that.”
“O-Oh…no...” She responded, her eyes pulling away and locking onto the ground. “I-It’s my fault. I’m just…kind of deep in thought right now…” She said quietly, refusing to look at me. I stood there in silence for a moment, the only interaction between us being the woman looking up at me, before her eyes darting back down to the ground. She did this in the span of roughly three seconds, and she did it eight or nine times. Finally I sighed, and, gave her a short wave.
“Well then, I guess I’ll be off then. You take care, alright?” The woman gave a short nod, before seeming to ignore me again, being much more fascinated with the floor, it seemed. I shook my head, heading past her and leaving the saloon to meet Sunny Smiles.
The gunshots rang out, one after another, after another. I felt that familiar pain in my temples again, but this time, it felt…right. My whole body was doused with what felt like warmth. Like that familiar feeling one gets when doing something he’s done a thousand times. Did that mean I was a trained gunner? Well, the 9mm pistol that was found with me would suggest it… Sunny smiled, nodding in an impressed manner.
“Wow, that’s pretty good. Didn’t need a word of advice, did you?”
“I guess not… I don’t know, it just…felt right. I guess I’m a pretty damn good shot.”
“I guess.” She responded. “Say, you mind putting that good shot to use? I’ve got to go chase geckos away from our water supply. The darn critters are attracted to it. Why don’t you come along, give me a hand?” I stood from my crouching position, shouldering the rifle she had given me.
“I don’t see why not.” I responded. “Let’s go.” Sunny nodded, and we made our way southeast, heading to keep the town safe.
Kindness in the Wastelands
The hunt went well, three groups, each going down rather quickly between Sunny and I. The last group had cornered a woman, who was desperately fighting with only a cleaver. It honestly wasn’t very hard to save the poor girl, who rewarded me with a few bottles of clean water she’d drawn from the well.
“I keep telling them how dangerous it is to come out here.” Sunny said with a sigh as we made our way back.
“You think they’d learn.” I said quietly, rolling my eyes. “You need more than a knife and hope to come out here. Some training, a gun, something!” I sighed, chuckling.
“Still, good work. Glad I brought you along.” She said, patting my shoulder. “By the way, before you head out of town, make sure you poke your head in and say hi to Trudy. She’s kinda the town mom, and she’d be cross at me if I didn’t tell you to stop by.” I smiled in return.
“Well, I think I will, thanks Sunny.”
“I’m done being nice. If you don’t hand Ringo over soon, I’m going to get my friends, and we’re burning this town to the ground, got it?” An unknown voice floated through the air as I opened the door. It was male, and low, laced with threat.
“We’ll keep that in mind.” This voice was female, but I recognized this one. This was the owner of the saloon, the woman who had aimed at me to protect the girl before. As I came around, I sa a black amn wearing a sort of bulletproof vest with the letters “NCRCF” on the back, talking to the woman. Trudy, I guess. “Now if you’re not going to buy something, get out.” The man glared at her for a moment, but turned around and began to leave, bumping my shoulder to shove me out of the way.
“What the hell is you’re problem?” He snapped.
“Was gonna ask the same.” I snapped back. He glared at me, but kept going. Rolling my eyes, I continued on, walking to meet the woman who was heading for behind the bar.
“Well, you’ve been causing quite a stir. Glad I finally got meet you. Welcome to the Prospectors Saloon.” She stopped, recognizing me suddenly. “Hey wait a second, aren’t you…” She chuckled. “You’re the one talking to poor Flutters, earlier.” She chuckled and shook her head. “So, what can I do for ya?”
“Sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear, but, what the hell was that all about?” Trudy sighed, moving to the other side of the bar.
“It looks like our little town got itself dragged into the middle of something we don’t want anything to do with.” She sighed again, pulling out a rag and starting to clean up the bar. “About a week ago, this trader, Ringo, comes into town. Survivor of an attack, he says. Bad men after him, needs a place to hide.” She looks up to me, nodding to the other room where the pink haired girl, ‘Flutters’, evidently, was. “Seems to be going around..” She shook her head. “Anyways, we figured he was just in shock, so we gave him a place to lie low. We didn’t actually expect anyone to come after him.” I sighed, bringing a hand to my chin, thinking.
“That doesn’t make sense.” I said, taking a seat on a bar stool. “The town’s not that big, why can’t Cobb find him?
“Well, Cobb hasn’t exactly been looking for Ringo to haard. Honestly, I think he’s afraid that Ringo will ambush him. Which is probably true…” I shook my head at her response.
“Shit, why not just shoot the fucker in the head while he’s walking away and be done with it.”
“What, you mean murder him? That’s just not our way, even if he is scum. Cobb can bluster and threaten all he wants…” I nodded, putting my hands together and leaning my face into them, thinking. Finally, I made a decision.
“Where’s this Ringo? I want to talk to him.” Trudy eyed me, as though she was trying to figure if I was working with Cobb. Finally, she nodded.
“He’s holed up at the abandoned gas station up the hill…Be careful, ok? He’s kind of…jumpy.” I nodded, smiling.
“Thanks Trudy, I’ll be fine.”
I left the saloon, making my way up the hill, back towards the doc’s house, and the abandoned gas station. Opening the door, I hear a gun cock. In one motion, I took a single step, drew my 9mm, and pointed at the man pointing his gun at me.
“That’s close enough.” He said lowly. “Who are you, and what do you want with me.”
“If you’re going to shoot me, you better be damn sure you don’t miss.” I hissed as the door swung shut behind me. We glared at one another, both holding our guns steady, aiming at one another’s heads. After a few moments, the man brought his gun down.
“Sorry about the gun. You just caught me off guard, that’s all…” I narrowed his eyes, not lowering his gun. “Look, we got off to a bad start. What say we start over with a friendly game of Caravan, you know how to play?” He asked, holding up two decks of cards.
After nearly two minutes after playing this card game with this man, I was starting to regret not shooting him. We discussed the situation over the game.
“You know,” I started, looking up to him as he removed three of my cards for some reason. “there’s a man name Joe Cobb looking for you.”
“Yeah. He doesn’t look very tough though. I hear he’s afraid I’ll shoot him down from one of the windows when I see him. He’s right. I’ll have a much bigger problem once his friends show up. There’s no way I could handle all of them in a gunfight. You lose.” He told me, taking his cards back. “Play again?”
“Hell no.” I told him, looking up to him. “So, what’re you gonna do?” He sighed, putting his face in his hands.
“I’m going to lay low for as long as I can, assuming the doesn’t throw me to the wolves. I’ve got no chance against the gang on my own.”
“Need a hand?” I asked him, standing up.
“Well, all I’ve got left on me are a handful of caps, but you get me out of this, and I’ll make sure the Crimson Caravan pays you back. You’ve got my word.” I snorted, waving my hand.
“I don’t need your caps… I’ll help you out. “
“I won’t let you stick your neck out for free. I can’t pay you now, but I’ll make sure the Crimson Caravan pays up. Now, we’d just end up sharing the same grave if it was just the two of us. Now, if some of the other people in town were also on board…”
I traveled around the town, asking everyone I could, however, I could only get Sunny on board. But that was just as well. Honestly, I wouldn’t want to put any of these people in danger. I could tell, they weren’t much the combat types. I even ran into Victor, a securitron bot that told me he was the one who saved me. We talked for a moment, but I had to get back to Ringo before the Powder Gangers, the gang after him, got here. Opening the door to the gas station door, I saw Ringo knelt down behind the counter. Hearing the door shut, he looked up, standing.
“What’s going on? Is Sunny with us?” I nodded, cocking my gun.
“Yep, you all set?”
“I hope…” No sooner than the words had left his lips, we heard the door swing open behind us, Sunny and Cheyenne. Sunny looked at me and Ringo.
“Time to look alive. The Powder Gangers are here to play.”
It took us a few minutes to get down to what I liked to call the finical district of Goodsprings, in front of the Saloon and the general store. I had told Sunny and Ringo to go on ahead, and lay down in between an electric pole and some boxes in front of the general store. I put my SMG ahead of me, and pulled the rifle that Sunny had given me from my back. Taking aim, I saw the six of them. All, except for two, dressed in blue gear with the NCRCF logo. The other two had no shirts, just pants. One of those shirtless ones was wearing a black cowboy hat. I liked that hat. Four of them were packing guns, one of them a knife, and the last, a baseball bat. I focused in on the man in front, cowboy hat, holding a rifle like mine, feeling my breath. In….out…in…out. Finally, the group moved into a clear spot. In…Finally, I fired, and watched his head kick to the right, a red circle appearing in the center of the side of his head. As he dropped, Joe Cobb shouted, and the group scattered, the two who had melee weapons, ran to cover, presumably trying to safely get to me, the others charging for the saloon. One dropped immediately from Sunny, and Ringo shot another one down. I heard two screams, and looked at the nearby dip where some of the houses hadn’t survived the bombs, brandishing their bat and cleaver. Jumping to my feet, I grabbed my SMG, and charged back, emptying the clip into the two. Taking a breath, I heard a gunshot. Looking over, I saw Ringo had fired, hitting the bulletproof vest, as Joe brought his gun up to aim at Ringo’s head. I dropped my now empty SMG and pulled my 9mm, charging.
“Joe!” I screamed out, causing the criminal to look up at me. I fired three times, every bullet missing their mark. Joe spun, taking his shot without aiming. The bullet was lucky, catching me in the leg, making me fall to the pavement. The bullet didn’t hit anywhere vital but the face plant into the road didn’t feel good. I heard boot steps just ahead of me. Looking up, I saw Joe, leveling his revolver on my head.
“Shouldn’t have played hero smartass. Time to die.” I growled, trying to grab my 9mm again, when I heard a gunshot, and saw a hole appear in Joe’s forehead, as the man fell to his knees, then on top of me.
Shoving him off, I stood, looking at Sunny.
“Close one.” She said with a smirk. “That’ll teach the Powder Gangs to avoid Goodsprings.” Ringo ran to me, helping me up.
“I owe you big for this.” He said, shoving one hundred caps into my hands. “Here, There are technically Crimson Caravan funds, but I know they’ll understand once I explain things.” I smirked at him.
“What was that about you not having any money?”
“Well…” He started, his shoulders sagging. “I did have what was left of the Caravan’s money from when we were attacked. But…I wasn’t sure if It was my right to just give it away.” He looked up, looking me in the eyes. “But I owe you more than that. Look me up at the Crimson Caravan camp in New Vegas if you ever visit.” I nodded, smiling.
“Will do.” I turned my head, looking at the bodies. “I can’t just leave these guys laying in the middle of town. With a sigh, I started to cleaning the bodies, dumping them in a ditch outside of town, but not before taking what I liked from them. Starting with a nice new hat, and a shotgun practically calling my name.
Kindness in the Wastelands
After the attack, I wanted to rest in the saloon while I figured my next move, a fresh hat on my head, and a whole slew of new, fresh guns in my pack. The bullet in the leg was easily patched up by a stimpack, sealing the wound, after I dug the bullet out, of course. I’d gotten information that the men who shot me had headed back towards the New Vegas strip. However, they had to head south, towards a town called Primm. Sunny had told me the town was easily visible due to a roller coaster, whatever that was. I had busied myself while thinking by working on Trudy’s radio, which she had asked me to fix. Turned out the group that had shot me, part of a group called The Great Khans, had knocked it over when she refused to give them free drinks. A voice from behind me pulled me out of my thoughts. A voice so quiet, I barely heard it.
“U-Um…E-excuse me. Could I, maybe, um, talk to you for a minute? I-If I’m not bothering you to much…” Looking up, I turned, seeing the pink haired girl from earlier. I gave a smile, putting my tools down.
“Bother me? A pretty thing like you? It’s no bother at all. What can I do for you?” The girl squeaked, jumping slightly, and looked down, apparently trying to hide her blush behind her bangs.
“O-O-Oh! Oh my. Thank you.” She said, trying to avoid my eyes. “N-Nopo-“ She stopped, shaking her head. “I-I mean, nobody’s ever told me I was…” Her voice dropped lower, and her face burned even brighter. “p-pretty before..” I chuckled.
“I can’t see why…Now come on, what do you need?” How I became the official odd-jobber of this lil town was beyond me, but I couldn’t find myself complaining at the moment. The girl closed her eyes, taking a breath, clearing her mind. Her blush faded as she focused on what she wanted to say.
“W-Well, you see, I’m kind of…stuck here. I don’t know where I am, and I want to go home, but…” She bit her lip, fidgeting with her hair, as though she didn’t want to ask, but I had an idea.
“But you’re scared. And you want to hire a bodyguard?” I frowned softly. I didn’t like the idea of another person’s life depending on me, of a woman like this… She looked away for a moment, before looking up to me. She nodded.
“Y-Yes.” She then quickly spoke again, as though she thought I’d be mad. “I-It’s just, I heard you were leaving soon, a-and you seem really brave, protecting the town from these meanies.” She bit her lip again, before lowering her voice though. “But...I…I really wish you didn’t have to…” She stopped, as though she was terrified of the word. “kill them…” I snorted, shaking my head.
“People like that deserve to die.” Her face contorted into a mask of horror, apparently appalled I would even think something like that.
“That’s a terrible thing to say!” She cried, her eyes looking at me with a little fear. I cursed. Probably not the smartest thing to say to this woman, but it did confirm what I thought. If she was going to act like that over every kill I had to make… I shrugged.
“Well, regardless of how horrible what I say is, you said you wanted a bodyguard?” I asked, looking to her. She was silent for a moment, as though considering if she really wanted someone like me as a guard. Finally, she nodded again.
“Yes. I have to find some way to find home again. B-But..It’s…r-really dangerous out there.” She said, wringing her hands nervously. This girl really had issues. I had no idea how she survived out in the wasteland this long. She looked at me again, hope in her eyes. “But you don’t seem scared at all!” I raised a finger, noticing something about what she said.
“Wait. You don’t even know where your home is?” She bit her lip again, the hope draining from her eyes as she looked down.
“S-Sorry, no. B-But I’m looking for clues! T-That’s why I need help! N-need protection!” I looked back to the radio. She was cute, and there was something about her that called me, but…My mind flashed to the last image I could remember, the man in the checkered suit, the gunshot that started this whole thing. And how she reacted involving the Powder Gangers…
“I’m sorry sweetie. But I’ve got my own things to take care of.” I regretted those words as soon as I spoke as I saw the hope drain completely from her eyes, replaced by a depression I couldn’t describe. It shattered my heart just to see her like that, but I turned, biting my lip and focusing on the radio.
“O-Oh..” She spoke, her voice dropping to where I could hardly hear it. “I-I’m sorry for wasting your time…” She said, turning and leaving, sitting back in the same corner as when I first saw her. Sighing, I continued my work, trying to forget about the whole thing, just get the radio finished. However, her face stuck. That crushed look, that look that seemed to suck the joy out of the area. The way she apologized for wasting my time, and finally, the thought creeped in, joined with a heaping helping of guilt. What if she decided to go out on her own, and got caught by raiders? God only knew what’d happen to her. And that wasn’t the worst thing that could happen to her out there. I gave a groan, and slammed my tools into the bar, hearing a squeak from the girl. Standing, I tapped her.
“Hey, hold on.” She turned, that same crestfallen look in her eye.
“Y-Yes?” She asked, looking up at me. I took a deep breath, readying myself.
“Alright… Look…I’ll…I’ll help you.” As soon as I said it, her eyes lit up, a gasp on her lips.
“R-Really!?” I smiled and nodded.
“Yay!” She gave a cheer that melted my heart. It was, without a doubt, the most quiet, but sweetest cheer I’d ever heard, even to this day. “Thank you! I can’t tell you how much this means to me!”
“But!” I said suddenly, making her jump. “I have rules.” She seemed to calm down, and nodded, watching me intently. “One, I’m going to have to kill people, that’s all there is to it. So, if you can’t deal with that, I can’t help you.” She paled a little at the thought of that, but nodded. “Two, you and I work together. If you have an issue with killing people, fine, just stay out of the way when the bullets start flying, and carry your share of the weight, got it?” She nodded again, seeming to have less of a problem with this. “Three: We travel my pace. If you can’t keep up, you get left behind. If you don’t like where I go, you stay behind, understand?” Another nod. “And finally, something you need to understand.” I took a breath, this was my real issue with bringing her, and it had to be addressed. “This is a hellish world we live in, I’m sure you know that. You’re asking me to protect you, and I may fail at that. You. May. Die.” I said, emphasizing the words. She gulped, paling slightly. “Do you understand?” She bit her lip and tried to hide behind her bang again, looking down. Taking a moment, she took a deep breath, before looking back up, looking me in the eye. She gave me a single word.
“Yes.” This word, and, more importantly, the conviction behind it, made me smile. It was all I needed to hear. Keeping my smile, I stuck my hand out. She blinked, staring awkwardly at my hand, before slowly taking it. I shook her hand, her own moving merely in reaction to mine, the confused look never leaving her eyes.
“Good. So, what’s your name? I can’t very well call you ‘Sweetie’, or ‘you’ the whole time, now can I? My name’s Lee.” She brightened up at this, seemingly happy to be free of the topic of death.
“Oh, my name’s Fluttershy. Very nice to meet you, Mr. Lee.”
Kindness in the Wastelands
“So, Fluttershy…” I said slowly, the two of us walking down the southeastern road. The woman jumped with a little squeak, shocked at my words, before looking to me, finally finding me more interesting than the road. “that’s a strange name, if you don’t mind my saying. Is it…tribal?” I’d heard of some tribes, like the Great Kahn’s, who adopted strange names like that. I had stopped by the general store and bought a set of leather armor, and some ammunition. Sadly, I didn’t have very many caps, so I wound up with a pitiful amount of ammo.
“U-…Um…yes…” She said quietly, avoiding looking at me. “I’m from the….Canter tribe…” I raised an eyebrow, looking at her. Normally, I’d assume this woman was a terrible liar. But, honestly, I could barely remember anything past my own name, and besides that, this was the woman who could barely look me in the eye to tell me her name, so, I decided to let it go. This girl did seem to have an issue talking with people.
“Canter, huh?” I said, my mind working. “Your tribe big on horses?” A look of shock flitted across her face for the slightest moment before she quickly hid her face, looking away.
“S-Something like that…” She said, playing with her hands.
“Well, who leads your tribe? I mean, every tribe needs a leader, right?” Fluttershy’s eyes suddenly lit up, as though she’d been waiting to talk about this.
“Oh! That would be Pri-“ She stopped suddenly, as though correcting herself. “Priestess Celestia, who raises the sun, and Priestess Luna, who controls the moon. I can’t imagine where we’d be without their magic.” A chuckle slipped out of me before I could stop it. I didn’t want to hurt the poor girl, but the idea was just silly to me. “What?” She asked, sounding baffled at my chuckle.
“You honestly believe that.” It was more of a statement than I intended, I really need to learn how to keep my mouth shut, evidently.
“What do you mean?” She responded, now looking me directly in the eyes. She cocked her head, ever so slightly.
“Well, the Earth orbits the sun, and the moon orbits the Earth. No magic involved. Hell, they might even be leading you on!” The girl stopped dead in her tracks, prompting me to stop and look at her. Her eyes showed a look of horror and confusion, akin to finding out someone she loved just died.
“W-What? N-No! That can’t be right! Celestia and Luna, t-they would never-!”
“Easy!” I rose my hands, gently placing one on her shoulder. She flinched away from my touch, but didn’t remove my hand. “Easy, alright? Ok, maybe they’re not lying. But, the closest thing to magic there is are thinks like Psykers and their weird abilities.”
“Psykers?” She asked, the fear still in her eye, but replaced by more curiosity. “What’s a Psyker?” I shrugged, shaking my head. In truth, I was more confused how I knew that. As far as I could remember, I’d never heard of Psykers. The more I thought of it, the more my temples started to scream at me, so I let it go, and just accepted the fact that I knew.
“It’s…well, it’s someone with these psychic powers. Telekinesis, pyro-kinesis, electro-kinesis, telepathy, stuff like that. A lot of people think it’s magic though.” I heard her mumble something about twilight, but shrugged it off.
“What do you think?” She asked suddenly, watching me for my response. The question took me off guard, causing me to really think for a minute. I put my chin in my fingers. What did I think? Honestly, I shouldn’t have an opinion, I lacked the experience to make one. And yet, a thought worked its way from the back of my mind.
“I think it could be magic. It’s not like there’s any better answer, after all. Why not magic? “
“But, if that could be magic, why not moving the sun and moon?” I stopped, having no answer for this. It wouldn’t be fair to just say ‘because’, but I honestly didn’t have any answer. After a moment of deliberating, I finally shrugged as I started walking.
“Got me there. All I know is any science book will tell you what I told you. Anyone that survived anyways.”
“Science..?” She started quietly, more to herself, continuing along behind me.
“So, what else does your tribe believe?” I tried to continue. When I got no response, I looked back at her. She seemed to be in too much thought to have heard me. Realizing that I was looking at her, she jumped a little again.
“Oh! Sorry, I…was just wondering…do you have any powers?” I chuckled. She seemed really glued to that subject. Maybe her tribe had a high value on magic.
“I wish. Tell ya what. If I get some, you’ll be the first to know!” She nodded, smiling.
“Ok, thank you. N-Now, what were you asking me?”
“What your tribe believes?” She smiled wistfully, her eyes slightly glazing over.
“The power of Harmony…” Fluttershy said softly, as though lost in her own world of joy, back in her tribe, wherever it was. “The power of Magic, Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Laughter, and…Kindness.” She spoke the last one quietly, blushing ever so slightly. I have no idea why. “Through the power of Harmony, the unbelievable is possible…It’s just so wonderful…” The way she spoke of harmony made her glow even more. Her eyes lit up, her smile took on a nearly angelic tone. It was hard not to belive in what she said. That this harmony was the way to go, that it was a viable way of living, and even thriving. Hard, but not impossible.
“It sounds amazing, but I doubt it’ll ever happen.” Undeterred, Fluttershy smiled at me.
“Oh, I’m sure it will.” Her smile fell as she quickly backpedaled. “U-Um, N-not that I meant you’re wrong or anything, I jus-“
“Hey! Where the hell do you think you’re going!?” We heard a voice cut her apology off. Male, young, but angry. Trying to relax the armed man, I held my hands up, noticing that Fluttershy had ducked behind me. I guess she trusted where her money was going.
“What’s going on in Primm?” I asked. The man stared at me, before finally lowering his gun.
“Some convicts from the prison up the road have taken over the town. Everyone inside is dead or hiding, what’s more, there are two tribes of raiders causing trouble in this area. You’d be safer heading back to Goodsprings.” I bristled. The town was going through this trouble, and this clown, this pathetic excuse for a soldier, for a warrior, was standing here telling people not to go near? Biting my lip to avoid punching this idiot in the face, I focused on asking him.
“Shouldn’t you be protecting the town?”
“We’d love to, but they don’t fall under NCR jurisdiction. Even if they did, we’re in no shape to protect them.” I grit my teeth, resisting the urge to punch this man in the teeth.
“C’mon Fluttershy…” I started. “We’re going to Primm.”
“But…” I heard Fluttershy and the man start at the same time.
“But nothing.” I said calmly, so I didn’t spook Fluttershy. “You and I, Fluttershy, are going into Primm, and we’re helping those people.” Fluttershy looked between me and the angry man, seeming to debate between upsetting this armed guard and me. Finally, she nodded, moving closer.
“Do what you want.” The man snorted. “We won’t drag your bodies out.” Hearing this, Fluttershy bit her lip, looking back towards the man, then to me.
“U-Um…Lee? Are you sure? I mean, h-he said…”
“I know what he said Fluttershy, and it makes me sick. I know his type. They arm themselves to the teeth, and pretend they want to help, but just stand around and make excuses as to why they can’t help anyone. I won’t have it. If their strong, they should prove it, and wipe these bastards out! And that, dear Fluttershy…” I looked to the girl smirking. “is exactly what we’re going to do.”
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Kindness in the Wastelands
My darkened room. (Non-Canon, delete, announcement)
The door opened with protesting squeak, throwing light into the room for the first time in...well, far longer than I can remember.
Heavy bootsteps, walking the familiar path to the big chair, sat before a working desk, with a computer perched upon it, a layer of dust covering the whole set-up, along with the rest of the room. A gloved hand ran across the keyboard, pushing down on the space key, light flooding the room, a soft jingle sounding out in greeting.
A soft smile came across my face.
"I'm back."
