Chapter 1 Welcome to the Sierra MadreView OnlineNot a hero, just a courierChapter 1 Welcome to the Sierra MadreThe Mojave Dessert has always been known as one of the most gruelling places in the wasteland known to the man. Very few survived its environment and those who did changed forever. However, there were some people who had things to do in this dreaded place, one of them being courier six. During last couple of months, he became quite a legend , earning him a reputation of one of the deadliest man in the entire wasteland. Now though, he was currently on his way to a certain place. The sun was scorching the earth as lone figure walked through the dessert, sand shifting between his feet. He wore a sleeveless leather duster, with an old world's flag painted on his back and a matching pair of combat boots. His head and hands were covered in bandages, leaving only green eyes shining through them. He also wore a pair of authority glasses, a desperado cowboy hat and a breathing mask, he got from Ulysses. Overall the outfit provided a decent protection while not restricting user's movement range. On his back were located two weapons, somehow strapped on, through some sort of magic, or maybe something else. The first one was called "Christine's cos sniper rifle", while the second one was a katana, hidden in a sheath. On top of that he also carried a unique revolver called "Lucky" and "That Gun". It wasn't the best setup he carried, but Courier six loved to look like a badass, plus he survived the Divide, Big Mountain and even white legs massacre in Zion canyon. Truth to be told, he had done so many things, killed so many people, it was hard to believe it happened not so long ago. “Where is that damn bunker?! I swear to god, if it turns out to be nothing more than a radio broadcast I am going to shoot somebody!” Courier mumbled to himself as he kept on on going. Finally after a long trek he found what he came for. There was a hatch right in the middle of a small valley. Courier six smiled under his mask before he sprinted towards it. Once it opened, he climbed down the ladder and took a look around. The room was poorly lit and just about as dirty as every other place in the Mojave. He turned on his bionic eyes and switched them into night vision before he noticed a body without a head lying under one of the walls. He walked up to it and examined it. Hmm… it looks like he was killed by one of those bomb collars I have seen in Big Mountain. Could it be Elijah's work? That man certainly had quite a reputation. It was him, who caused Brotherhood of Steel to lose many valuable soldiers during defending the plant. He also used to be Veronica's teacher, before he disappeared. During his time at Big Mountain, courier discovered that Elijah travelled there too and performed experiments on ghoul prisoners to find out , which frequency allowed him to detonate a collar and which one to deactivate it. Courier six being a genius in his own right dissected those devices himself so many times until he could assemble and disassemble one in his sleep. He hoped to use them against the legion or something like this, but he haven't had an opportunity so far. He quickly looted the body and went downstairs. In front of him there was a long corridor with a single room at the end of it and a pair of doors on his left, each one with a terminal next to it. He walked up to a nearest one, turned it on and guessed the password on his first try. Once he did that, he opened the door and stepped into the room. It was rather small and looked like someone decided to combine a workshop and a laboratory at the same time. Jackpot, baby. I found a bunker and a place to loot, this deserves a drink. He materialized a bottle of whiskey and drunk it all in one go. He sighed with relief and smiled, as he felt a pleasant warmth coming from his belly. Then he threw out the bottle and began looting. Let's see, some micro fusion cells, some energy cells and a bit of scrap, nothing amazing. Although, I wonder what is this science aperture for? Courier six walked up to the station and gathered some samples. Inside of them was semi-liquid, semi-cloud of a red colour. It looked unnatural to say the least. I wonder what is this thing supposed to be? Hmm… whatever, I will just give it to Mobius or Think Tank, maybe they will help. Now then, is there anything else? He walked out of the room and turned left towards the last one. In the middle of it, there was a single radio, broadcasting something that sounded like an advertisement. It was pretty obvious that it was a trap or something similar. His gut was warning him about this and his gut has never been wrong, except that one time. Still, he should be fine. After all, he had an artificial heart that removed all sorts of poisons and toxins, except alcohol, because he liked it way too much and reprogrammed the heart to not reject it. He also had a pair of synthetic lungs, which allowed him to breathe underwater and smoke without a care in the world. Felling confident, he stepped into the room. As soon as he did that, a cloud of white smoke was blown into his face, draining his strength instantly. “I hate plot devices...” courier mumbled before he lost his consciousness. Author's Note Another Crossover, yay! I kind of started this one at the spur of the moment and I hope to finish this one day. I hope you are going to enjoy reading this one, because writing it was fun and I enjoyed it. But before we go further I am not going to write a 300 k word story just like that. I will probably split it between the arcs just so I don't lose my drive halfway through.
Chapter 2 Police stationView OnlineNot a hero, just a courierChapter 2 Police stationWhen courier six finally woke up, he lazily opened his eyes and murmured, "I hate you, Murphy and your damn laws." Then he sighed and slowly pushed himself off the ground. He felt a bit dizzy as he took a look around. Red foreboding sky, silence like from a horror itself, next to no light shining through the clouds and of course creepy and rotten buildings. Hmm… still doesn't beat Deathclaw Promotory. Courier shrugged but before he could do anything a hologram appeared right in front of him at the top of the fountain. It had a face of an angry old man, which then spoke, “You're awake, good. Now from now on when I talk, listen and follow my instructions. Play stupid, play clever, make a mistake of saying “no”? That collar on your neck will go off and take your head with it.” “You mean this?” courier asked before he grabbed the device, pushed several places, pulled it off, showed it to the hologram and then threw it away. “… well, I didn't expect that. May I ask, how did you do that?” “I think I am the one that should be,” courier stated before he felt a slight breeze on his cheek. Why do I feel a breeze on my cheek, unless... His eyes went wide as he examined his body and his pipboy. His gear, his weapons, his armour but above everything else his bandages were gone! He quickly stripped in front of the man, shredded the jumpsuit he wore seconds ago, bandaged his head and his hands, while leaving only trousers intact. Elijah just looked dumbfound at what that he had just seen. The courier glared at the man and stated, “You have seen my face, haven't you?” “I suppose I did… and it seems like it is a touchy subject for you, so how about we talk this through?” “Go on.” “I don't know who are you or why are you here, it doesn't really matter to me. All I want is Sierra Madre and you can either help me or suffer the consequences.” “What makes you think that I simply won't find you and just get rid of you?” “Because, if you kill me, Sierra Madre will stay closed along with all its treasures.” “I am sorry, did you say anything, I kind of stopped listening after you said “stay closed”,” courier said as he cleaned his right ear with his finger, before he continued, “Look here, I don't really care what do you want to do with this place, so don't try luring me with treasures or anything like this.” “Then, why are you even here? If you don't care for Sierra Madre or its treasures, then why are you here?” “Simple, I was bored. Bored, beyond belief. Mojave is a place full of things to do, but once you do all that matters it gets stale. Then I heard of a city of the dead and decided to see, whether there are still things that can be considered challenging. And this is how I ended up here.” “I see… well, I don't know if I can offer you anything substantial but if you decided to work with me, we could crack open Sierra Madre together and then share what we find. Does it sound appealing?” “Sure, why not? It's not like I have got anything else to do. Okay then, old man, what needs to be done?” “Excellent, there are three other collars I want you to find each of them is in a separate location, so you will need to do some walking.” “Other collars? Why do need them anyway?” “In order for Sierra Madre to open, we have to set off the gala. It's the only way in. And to do that, you need to assemble a crew, any questions?” “Only one, what is this rifle? It looks sexy as hell, uses micro fusion cells and from what my pipboy can tell me, it deals a significant amount of damage. Overall great weapon, if I say so myself.” “It is called a “holorifle” and it is a weapon I invented myself. This model is rather outdated, but it should serve you just fine.” “Nice, then I will be on my way. By the way, you have got my permission to talk through the pipboy for now, but try not to bother me too much. However, first things first. It it time to do some looting,” courier said, before he explored the square where the fountain was located. He took all Sierra Madre's chips, some bottle caps, a card for caravan and a couple other things. Once he did that, he turned west and started walking. A toxic dead city and a crazy old man, seems like there is something to do after all! Courier six was slowly walking towards his objective when suddenly he heard something and immediately crouched down. It sounded like wheezing so he slowly made his way towards the noise. Once he finally noticed the thing, his eyes went wide. It looked like a human, but it felt so wrong. He materialized his holorifle, took the aim and fired. The shoot hit the creature, causing it to fall down. Courier six sighed before he walked up to it and took a look at it. It looked like one of those hazmat suits he found in Big Mountain, but other than that he couldn't say anything. He was about to go, when suddenly the creature lunged at him with a spear. Reacting purely on instinct, he deflected the spear with his left arm then grabbed it and punched the creature's head with his right hand, blowing it up from the force of the impact. He watched it as it fell and waited for a few more seconds, before he looted the body and took all the spears. “What you have just fought was one of the villa's inhabitants. They are tough to kill, so try to disintegrate or blow up them up next time.” “Gee, thanks for an advice. What are those things anyway?” Courier asked, while glancing at his arm, where the spear hit him. It has already regenerated, leaving a healthy tissue in its place. “They are victims of the cloud. It changed them and trapped them in those suits. They are more like feral ghouls than anything else, at this point.” “I see, is there anything else I should know beforehand?” “Two things, actually. The first one is the fact that there are dense clouds, located in some places. Don't go into them, they will kill you if stay too long. Now for the second thing, have you noticed that your sight will occasionally pulse? It is the cloud, slowly killing everything it touches. Too much exposure, death.” “Well, the second one shouldn't be a problem, while the first one, I guess I have to be careful and quick on my feet. Huh, who could have thought, you can be useful after all, old man.” “My name is father Elijah,” he growled. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's keep going, shall we?” courier asked before he continued. The police station soon appeared in his view. It looked shady, but who was he to judge? He went inside and the first thing he noticed was a nightkin in a cage. “Watch out for the radios and speakers, they will detonate other collars, so disable them or blow them up. Although watch out for the red speakers, they are shielded. The only thing you can do is cut off their power.” “So if I had a collar, I would have to go back and forth, trying to find the damn thing that is about kill me. Well, that's not fun, even more it gets repetitive. I sympathize with the previous collars, no wonder they didn't make it.” “It was greed that killed them in the end, not the speakers. ” “I am not surprised by that. White Legs decided that they wanted to join Caesar's Legion but they were up against me so they meet their end rather quickly and you know what? I don't regret this at all. In any case, let's take a look around.” courier answered and did as he said. He rummaged through the station and found some good stuff, including Sierra Madre security armour and an automatic rifle. He quickly put on the new clothes and sighed with relief. Finally an armour that covers my entire body and a gun that will waste those damn ghosts. Life is beautiful, isn't it? As he was walking through the station he noticed a couple bottles of purified water, which he promptly picked, before he noticed a skeleton, with its arm stretching towards the place, where the bottles used to be. Dying from a thirst in such conditions, poor bastard. Once he finished his business on the first floor he went to the basement. As he was walking through it, he finally came across what he was looking for since he had arrived in Sierra Madre. Right in front of him there was a workbench! He run up to it with a huge grin on his face. The first he did was clean his knife spear with an abraxo cleaner, turning it into a weapon that could slice off limbs without any issues. Then he crafted a couple weapon repair kits, which he then immediately used. Once he finished this, he looted the rest of the basement. The only thing important in this place was a holotape, which he played in front of the nightkin, after he went upstairs. He watched as the mutant's eyes shifted, then it slowly got up on its feet and said, “What have we here? You aren't who I was expecting. I'm disappointed. Still … even if you aren't my intended guest, you take directions. You can't have been an idiot to figure out how to release me from my cage … or perhaps you are?” “A nightkin with a personality disorder? Why am I not surprised?” “Now, why did you come here, why did you let me out?” “I am looking for someone with a bomb collar, something about an angry old man that keeps ordering others around. In any event, where is your collar?” “It is close, closer than I'd like. Dog… he ate it. And you come, it is tugging like a leash, interesting.” “You ate it? Damn and I thought I had an iron belly. Still, you wouldn't have locked yourself in, unless you had a way out? And if that is the case than the old man could control the other half, from what I can tell.” “Dog … obeys, yes … why … do you have some means of contracting Elijah?” “An audio log.” “You … don't play it! If you do, I will find a way to get out of this, end you. I'll murder you, crush your arms and legs, until...” “So, I get to choose between a ravenous beast and a guy that will tear me apart, if I don't listen to him?” courier six asked with one of his brows raised. Then he smiled maniacally and hissed, “I think, I will take the beast, goodbye whoever you are.” He played the audio log on his pipboy and the nightkin changed again. It looked at the courier with its eyes devoid of any intelligence, before it asked, “Master, master, where are you, master?” “Calm down, the master needs your help. There is a key somewhere on you, just get it and open the door,” Courier said and the nightkin obeyed. It found the key, opened the door and followed the courier. Once they were outside, the man noticed two things he didn't want to see. A ghost and another ghost. Not those things again! Courier six quickly materialized his knife spear and charged the ghost on his left while Dog attacked the one on his right. Fortunately neither of ghosts had any spears to throw, so there was that. The ghost lunged at him with its bear trap fist, but the courier simply sidestepped, before he hit the ghost with his spear, sending body parts all across the area. He sighed with relief as he rested the spear on his shoulder before he glanced at the Dog, who tackled the ghost. “Om nom, nom,” nightkin said happily as it devoured the ghost. Damn, that guy can eat anything, can't he? And now I am hungry myself. The courier opened his inventory, took out some “pork and beans” and a bottle of dirty water, which he ate instantly thanks to his pipboy. Then, he wiped his mouth, walked up to the mutant and asked, “I watched you devour one of the ghost people. How did you make it stay dead?” The nightkin looked at the courier before it explained entire process to the courier. “ I see, thanks. Now then, I want you to go to the fountain and wait for me. The master is waiting for you,” courier said before mutant nodded eagerly and run off. The courier raised his head and watched the red clouds of Sierra Madre, slowly drifting above him. I wonder how did this place used to look like, before the cloud, before the war? Courier contemplated his thoughts when suddenly he heard a distinct noise that caught his attention. It sounded like something just crashed into a cupboard followed by a girly scream. Again? Why is always me, that has to play a hero all the time? The courier ran towards the source of noise, using his kinetic implants to propel himself to inhuman speed. It took him a few seconds, but once he arrived, he noticed a peculiar sight. Three radroaches were trying to break into a room where the creature that made the noise was hiding. He quickly materialized his spear and killed all the bugs with one swift move, cutting them all apart. Once he did that, he slowly backed away, sat down under the wall and began to wait. It didn't take long, until he noticed a big green eye carefully peeking out of the corner, at the bottom of the door. When the creature noticed him, it squealed and closed the door again. Courier six stared dumbfound at the door, as he repeated the sound in his mind, it had just made seconds ago. Did it just squeal? That … was … adorable!!! I want to know what made that sound. The door opened again, but this time the creature kept watching him. Courier six slowly raised both his hands, showing they were empty and said, “I am not going to hurt you.” The creature frowned before it said something that sounded like a language, but unlike anything he has ever heard before. So it's sentient, probably. However, I can't communicate with it through words. Just my damn luck. I can find a full suit of power armour in a trash bin, but the chances of an English speaking alien are zero of course. Courier six sighed, before he looked at his pipboy, materialized a fresh apple, he found through his luck, put it in front of the creature and stepped back. The creature smelled the air, slowly opened the door and walked up to the apple, its' hooves clanking on the floor. Courier's eyes went wide, his jaw dropping to the ground. In front of him there was a small unicorn with a light grey coat, green eyes and grayish mulbery mane with some some pale, light grayish rose streaks. It was a little taller than his knees, making it seem like a medium sized dog. It slowly grabbed the apple with its mouth before it quickly retreated behind the door. Well, it seems like the wasteland still can't cut me some slack in terms of being crazy. Although a small female unicorn? This trumps even aliens! The courier was slowly accepting the fact that he had just met a unicorn before he realized something very important. He was still in Sierra Madre. He cursed his luck as he understood the consequences of that. If she stays here on her own she is going to die, killed by a cloud, ghost people or from lack of sleep, food and water. Well, fuck me. I can't let that happen. This thing is too cute and there are very few cute things in the wasteland. Okay then, it is decided. Courier six, ruler of New Vegas, scourge of the Legion, wild card of the NCR shall become a babysitter! … that sounded better when I first though about it. He slowly got up, dusted himself off, knocked at the door and took a step back. The unicorn slowly opened the door as she looked at the man with a curious glance. He knelt down and slowly extended his hand towards her. She glanced at him before she she slowly walked up to him and let the courier pet her. It seemed like she was enjoying it. Seizing the opportunity, he quickly grabbed the unicorn and lifted her from the ground. She tried to struggle, but he quickly shushed her. She gulped and watched as the courier carefully ... hugged her. He kept stroking her mane and whispering soothing words, she couldn't understand until she calmed down. Then he secured the unicorn with his left hand while in his right he drew a police pistol. Okay then, objective number one: grab the unicorn, complete. Phase two, go to the workshop and create an armour for her so she doesn't get hurt, if it ever happens. And so he did just that. Courier six returned to the police station along with his new companion and went down to the basement. Once he was there, he took some measurements and got down to work. Author's Note THE MADNESS CONTINUES!!! Will Sweetie Belle survive the Madre or will she perish? Nah, who am I kidding, if she died it wouldn't make sense to write this fiction in the first place, but what she doesn't know that the Courier is not exactly a hero, as the title suggests.
Chapter 3 Medical DistrictView OnlineNot a hero, just a courierChapter 3 Medical DistrictSweetie Belle knew she had a bad day ahead of her once she woke up late. That lead to her being late to school and being scolded by miss Chearlie. Fortunately, her friends Apple bloom and Scootaloo were there to cheer her up, making the rest of the school quite bearable. Once it finished, she went to a library to get some books from Twilight Sparkle. However, when she knocked on the door, she found out that is was open. It was unusual so stepped inside and heard a noise coming from the basement. As was expected, her curiosity got better of her and she went downstairs. On her way down she turned on the light, startling Twilight Sparkle, who was working on some weird looking machine. “Sweetie Belle, what are you doing here?” Unicorn asked before she took of her welding googles. “Well, the door was open, so I thought you forgot to lock them or something.” “I did? Huh… who would have thought. Okay then, I will lock them up right now. But before that, do you need anything, Sweetie Belle?” “Oh, a couple of books actually, here is the list,” the unicorn said as she handed the list with a couple of titles to Twilight. “I see, I will get those books right away. Just wait for and don't touch anything, okay?” Twilight said before she went upstairs. Sweetie Belle nodded as she glanced at the machine. It looked weird, like something straight out of scary story she had heard before. And as usual there was a control panel just a few feet away from her. Sweetie Belle, you know this isn't your lucky day, so don't touch anything. She agreed with her thoughts, but she still wanted to know something and turned towards the machine. Then she slowly creped forward, touched the machine and jumped away. She waited for a few more seconds before she smiled and turned away. As soon as she did that the machine came to live, creating a portal that started to suck everything in. She tried to fight, but it was too strong. She screamed as the portal pulled her in. The only witness of what happened being Twilight Sparkle, who dropped the books and run up to the machine. She dropped on the ground and whispered, “What am I going to say to Rarity?” After that Sweetie Belle ended up in a small, dirty saloon. She got up on her hooves and the first thing she saw were three giant roaches. Her brain stopped working after that, so she screamed and barricaded herself in the toilet. There she struggled with keeping them away before she was rescued by her saviour. He looked weird, like a big monkey or something similar. However, despite everything he, or at least she assumed it was he, saved her. But at the same time he was scary. That long spear and armour made for some shady impressions, especially since she couldn't see his face through the glass. However, for once it seemed like luck was on her side this time. He fed her an apple that was sweet and juicy, although it wasn't nearly as good as the ones in Equestria and then he petted her, which felt really good for some reason. She panicked a bit after he grabbed her, but it all started to change, when he started to whisper those weird words and stroke her mane. She felt safe in his embrace and she had no idea why. And now she was in some sort of basement, while her saviour was currently working on something. She shrugged it off, but then she felt a terrible pain for a second before she coughed up a bit of blood. Urgh, that hurt. Why did it hurt so much? *** Hearing the unicorn cough courier six stopped working and turned his head towards her. As soon as he noticed a few drops of the blood, he scanned the unicorn. As he suspected she had already lost a quarter of her total health, due to exposure to the cloud. Luckily for her, the buildings were mostly safe from the cloud, but they couldn't really stay here or wait for her to recover. He came up to the unicorn and knelt, causing her to take a step back. Once again he extended his hand and this time the unicorn came to him without too much hesitation. Once she was in his range, he materialized a stimpak in his other hand and injected it before she could react. She squealed, but didn't move because he held her in place until the small hole rebuilt. He let her go, which she used to put some distance between them. She was staring at him, while he backed away and got back to work. He had to do a couple of adjustments to her armour if he wanted to keep her alive. During that time, courier's mind was busy as he thought through different plans and strategies. I could just leave Sierra Madre and come back alone later on, but what is the guarantee the other collars are going to survive? If I leave now, I could could cause some unnecessary death, again. Ech… I guess I just have to get this over with. However, if that unicorn has to get out of here then I will use THAT, but only if it is absolutely necessary. In any case, let's see how did this armour turn out to be? Courier six finally showed the unicorn what he was working on. It was a Sierra Madre security armour and helmet reduced to the size of the unicorn, although a bit modified. It had three slots for auto-inject stimpaks, a hole in helmet so the horn could fit and a harness that he could use to strap on the unicorn to his chest. That way she wouldn't walk into traps and with his enchantments he should be able to react to any threat before it could get close. He quickly mounted the stimpaks before he knelt once again and put the armour on the unicorn. She was a bit hesitant at first, but it didn't take long before she was done. The unicorn took a few steps around, trying out the armour, while being watched by the courier. It seems like it is perfect in terms of size and comfort, which is great. That means I do not have worry about it for the time being. Now then, I guess it is time to hit the road. He whistled, startling the unicorn before he gently grabbed her and strapped her to his chest. She squirmed a lot early on, but after a few seconds she calmed down. Satisfied courier grabbed the rest of his gear and went outside. There was no time to waste, he had to reduce looting and searching to minimum, which hurt his soul quite a lot. You'd better be grateful, you stupid horse. Thanks to you I have to reduce the amount of caps I could gain from this place. Money isn't everything, but damn it all, I hate this. The courier frowned, shook his head and started sneaking. It was a bit slower than walking, but what else could he do? At least he still had an implant that allowed him to move faster while crouching. Okay then, the next target is collar twelve, Christine in a medical district. Let's hope ghost people aren't going to be there. As he was silently moving through the city, he was constantly on high alert, checking his compass as often as he could in search of enemies, his high perception helping on that matter. He managed to safely return to the fountain, where the old man was waiting. He was about to go away, when suddenly a thought hit him. Wait a second, Dog is a viscous beast that devours everything in it's path. What if he finds this unicorn tasty? Shit, I can't let that happen but at the same time, I can't kill him. That leaves me only one option, I have to release God. Courier six sighed before he turned his steps towards the mutant and came up to it. It was starring at the hologram like it was the most beautiful thing in the world. This is going to be ugly, god I hope I don't have to fight him. He played the audio log and mutant's eyes changed as he turned turned his furious glare at the courier, causing the unicorn to squeal. Then he asked with an irritation in its voice, “If it isn't a clever one. What, what do you want?” “I want to … apologise,” courier admitted reluctantly, while scratching his head. “It was wrong to let Dog out of the cage and now I regret it. I don't expect you to forgive me, all I am asking for is that you won't hurt this little thing on my chest.” The mutant raised his left eyebrow, glanced at the unicorn then back at the courier and said, “You are right, I won't forgive you, but it's not the time for us to fight. After all is said and done I will take my revenge, but before that we will have to work together for the time being.” “That is all I expected. In any case, are you hungry or anything? Because I have got tons of supplies which I won't probably eat and I can't let you die of hunger, can I?” “Hmm… now that you mention it, I could use some food and water.” “I thought so,” courier said before he handed over a few cans of “Pork and Beans” and two bottles of dirty water. As he was doing that, he noticed that the unicorn gaze was following consumables all that time. He face palmed as he realized the most basic mistake he could have made. He cursed himself before he put the unicorn on the ground and took off her helmet. Once he did that, he materialized a couple “Dandy Boy Apples”, a bottle of purified water, a red plate that was still in one piece somehow and a coffee cup. He then poured the content of the boxes onto the plate and filled the cup with a water. The unicorn smiled, said something in her language, which sounded like a “thank you” before she dug into it. That should help, although I wonder how well does she react to radiation? I hope she is not going to die because of it. I have to remember to give her a bit of radaway after all of this. He really wished he had more apples, but unfortunately this place didn't seem like anything healthy could grow here. In the end, it didn't really matter, but he genuinely wanted to get the poor thing out of here as soon as possible, but he couldn't leave others to the crazy old man. He sighed and watched the unicorn, who was happily eating. This sight brought a smile to courier's face and reminded him of his trusty companion, Rex. I wonder, if Rex and this unicorn ever met, would they get along? Once the unicorn finally finished eating, she wiped off her face and nodded towards the courier. He returned the nod before he put the helmet back on and strapped on the unicorn to his chest, again. Once he did that, he went towards the Medical District, while sneaking. Suddenly he noticed a red blimp on his compass, he slowly made his way towards the hostile before he peeked out of the corner and noticed a ghost shambling a couple meters away from him. He took a step back, grabbed a small rock, threw it one of the walls and hid behind a nearby pillar. He waited until the ghost was right around the corner before he jumped it and killed it with one swift move of the spear, sending blood and gore all over the place. The body fell limp on the ground around the same when the unicorn decided to puke, spilling all she had eaten previously on the ground. Well, shit. I didn't expect that. If I had known she is vulnerable to such things I wouldn't have killed the ghost with a spear but the holorifle. I can't do anything about this now and there are more ghosts in area, so you have to endure it. The courier pitied the unicorn but they had to keep moving forward, despite unicorn's condition. She had to get used to it sooner or later if she wanted to survive in the wasteland. That brings another question to the table, will she even stay in the wasteland after all this? *** Sweetie Belle was grateful to the creature that saved her from those big bugs and she also appreciated the armour she got from him. Although that needle was unexpected and scared her a little, but the relief that came after that eased all her doubts. She was afraid for a few seconds when she meet that scary looking blue thing, but nothing bad happened. Her saviour was also kind enough to feed her and let her drink some water. Overall, all those acts of kindness made her fond of the creature. However, what she saw not too long after that made her doubt herself and question, whether it was a good idea to trust him in the first place. How could anypony do that? Those shambling creatures are scary, but why did it have to die? Rarity, I am scared. *** Courier six knew that what the unicorn had seen was quite shocking to say the least. He knew he fucked up, but at the same there weren't many different choices. Sneaking by those guys had always been a hazard and if they noticed him, he would have to fight anyway. That left him with only one option option. He had to use holorifle and kill them before they could come close with a sneak attack critical. He didn't like to waste ammo, if he didn't have to, but it seemed like he didn't have any other choice. He sighed as he continued walking, before he heard a speaker. He walked until he could see it, made sure no ghosts were around and threw a spear, destroying it completely. Courier six kept on going until he noticed another ghost. So he took out his holorifle, aimed down the sights and pulled the trigger. The ghost disintegrated into particles and blew up in green explosion at the same time. Satisfied with the result he went into the clinic. The building was poor poorly lit and just about as dirty as the rest of Sierra Madre. He took a look around and noticed two very important things. A dispenser code that allowed him to exchange all those Sierra Madre chips for stimpaks and a hidden stash with hand marking on it. Pleased with what he got, courier six went to explore the rest of the floor. He walked into a room that resembled a morgue or some sort of test lab. There were at least two corpses without heads lying on a surgical tables with blood sprayed all over the place. The unicorn on his chest reacted to the sight by holding her mouth with both of her hooves. Courier struggled with a proper response, but managed to pat the unicorn on her head, allowing her to calm down a little. God, if there is one thing I wish I was better at then it would be my charisma. Thanks to Doctor Usanagi, it is a tiny bit better, but it is still pretty damn awful. I could convice Ulysses to fight on my side, but I can't come up with a way to calm down a small unicorn, what a joke. He sighed and took a look around. There were some medical supplies, but what caught his attention the most was a stealth suit lying on one of the cupboards. He saw a similar one in Big Mountain, but this one was much less advanced. Still it was light and didn't restrict user's movement range nearly as much as his current armour. He decided to keep if for the future events or something. Once he finished, he walked out of the room and went to the basement. There he noticed another workshop, a couple of generators and a terminal. He walked up to it, turned it on and browsed through its files. There he noticed he could turn off, all of the generators. If I remember right there was a shielded speaker down where I am supposed to find collar 12, Christine. This means that, if I turn it off, her head won't probably explode. Okay then, let's do this. He clicked a couple of buttons and the generators slowly stopped, leaving him in a pitch black darkness. Using his bionic eyes he returned to the upper floor, before a thought struck him. I haven't looted upper top floor! I have to correct it immediately. Without wasting any time, he went upstairs before he noticed a security hologram walking down the corridor, away from him. Those things were nasty, since the only way to get rid of them was to destroy the projector and their lasers were absolutely devastating. He looked down the corridor and noticed the emitter, which was glowing with a blue light. He aimed his police pistol and pulled the trigger, blowing it up. He sighed with relief, if what he read at Big Mountain and in couple of terminals along the way was true than he had to be extremely careful. Without further ado, he looted the floor before he went downstairs. He then turned his steps towards the corridor with multiple rooms on both sides, each one with a functioning autodoc. His pipboy showed him the way as he finally stepped into a room at the very end of the corridor. The autodoc in it was active and it seemed like it was working just a few seconds ago. He used the console and opened it. His eyebrows raised as he noticed a bald woman with multiple scars on her face. She looked confused as she looked at the courier six. “Looks like someone carved a roadmap all over your face.” “...” she tried to speak but nothing came out. She then grabbed her throat, her expression pained, before she narrowed her eyes and entered combat stance. “Now hold on a second, this isn't what it looks like,” Courier six said before he took a step back with both of his hands spread open. The girl relaxed a little before reached to her neck and she felt the collar under her fingers. Her left brow raised as she started to examine the collar. “Don't fiddle with it or it will go off and take your head with it,” courier said. The woman narrowed her eyes as she crossed her arms and looked at the courier with a studying glare. “Look, I can explain everything later. Right now we have to get out of here. There are ghost people all over the damn place, so we need to be careful. Here take this police pistol and a set of Sierra Madre armour,” Courier said before he handed over the items. She didn't bother with courier's presence as she changed her clothes. He was a bit surprised by that but still didn't turn away. The last thing he needed was a shot to the back of his head, he already had two scars on his forehead. Once she finished, she tapped him on the shoulder, gesturing him to lead a way. They started walking towards the exit, before Christine noticed a speaker and stopped abruptly. Courier six noticed her look and said, “Those are decayed speakers. If you stay too long, too close to them, they will will trigger the collar. The same happens if you are too close to a radio.” "..." Christine looked at the courier before she made a set of gestures, including closing and opening a fist. Seeing this Courier's high perception kicked in allowing him to recognize what she meant. “You can dampen a signal somehow? That is useful, good for you then. I don't have a collar, so it isn't a problem for me.” Christine raised her eyebrows, frowned and made another set of gestures with her hands. “Why didn't I take of your collar? The reason why I didn't do that is because it is the only thing that can keep people's greed in check. Without those bomb collars we would probably turn against each other to get Sierra Madre for ourselves, just like the previous collars.” Christine shook her head as she made another set of gestures. “Release everyone and then storm Sierra Madre? I like your thinking, but unfortunately there is one major problem Father Elijah,” Courier six said, while Christine clenched her fists , before she gestured to him to keep on talking. “Wait just a second,” He quickly clicked several buttons and disabled microphone in his pipboy,” Okay now he won't hear what I can tell you. I can see that you despise him for one reason or another, I don't care why. However, this guy caused so much pain, so much suffering that he has to pay for what he has done. Let's just play along for now and then … I will tear him apart,” Courier said with angry tone, his terrifying presence kicking in. Christine took a step, bewildered at such a sudden change in demeanour and the killing intent coming from the man. She then hesitantly nodded her head. “Thank you for understanding, now let's go,” He said and the trio kept on going. *** After the initial shock Sweetie Belle kind of accepted that her saviour is not a kind and caring being, like she thought at the beginning. The violence he exhibited when he killed that shambling creature made it apparent. At the same time he saved her and has had been trying his hardest to protect her. She didn't know what to think anymore. Still, it seemed like he was able to learn from his own mistakes as the next creature that he spotted was turned into dust without spilling any blood or anything like this, saving her a bit of a horror. Although she couldn't even imagine how painful it had to be to be turned into dust. Once they went into the building, she experienced another bloody scene with bodies that lacked their heads. It almost made her puke but the creature patted her head and she managed to calm down a little. Despite her saviour being scary and violent, he was still trying his hardest to make her feel at ease. She appreciated this and smiled but didn't say anything. When they went upstairs she took a notice of a blue ghost that wore the same outfit as her saviour. She didn't know what to think about this, but luckily the creature knew. He aimed his weird small thing at a glowing blue wall on the wall and then destroyed it. The noise was unexpected and she shivered from it. After that they went downstairs to something that looked like a clinic. There they met a being that looked similar but different to her saviour. She had some guesses about it's identity, one of them being a female of his species but she couldn't be certain. Luckilly, they managed to communicate somehow through gestures and words as they went outside. She hoped they wouldn't fight each other. Author's Note Tututu, I think by this point you have noticed how hard it is to write a crossover like this without boring a reader to the death. The thing is that Fallout New Vegas is an rpg and it is full of searching different locations, especially its DLC. If I wanted to describe every container, every street, etc, this fiction would be at least two or three times as long. And I doubt anyone wants to read that. Also beginning is boring, but I can't help it. Sierra Madre is supposed to be scary but honestly 90% of the time, it is frustrating above everything else. So I hope you enjoy it so far. PS: Is anyone out there, that is willing to be a pre-reader and just that? I kind of have got my doubts towards the future chapters.
Chapter 4 Dean DominoView OnlineNot a hero, just a courierChapter 4 Dean DominoThe trio walked through the door and the first thing they noticed was a ghost armed with a bear trap fist, standing right in front of them. It turned its head towards them and lunged at them "Not those shits again," courier complained before he materialized a knife spear and threw it with his entire might. The effect was imminent as the ghost exploded into pieces, sending blood and gore everywhere. Christine's jaw almost dropped to the ground while Sweetie Belle just closed her eyes as soon as she spotted the ghost. Seeing their reactions courier sighed, before he started sneaking again, Christine following him. He kept checking his compass constantly until he noticed another red blimp. He then drew his holorifle, took aim and fired, ending ghost's suffering. Along the way to the fountain they met a couple more ghosts, which he killed before they could notice any of them. Once courier six arrived at the fountain, he took a look around and noticed God, who was sitting in one of the corners, making him harder to notice. It was a good tactic in this dreadful place. "Okay, here we are. This is where we are supposed to gather. Now that we are have you got any questions?" Courier asked, while Christine tapped her chin a few times and made another set of gestures. "Why did I come here? Hmm... I guess you could say, I was bored," courier answered while Chrisine grabbed her temple, shook her head and then waved her hand. "Okay I guess that's it. By the way, are you hungry, because I wanted to take a break, anyway?" Christine's stomach rumbled, while she got a hint of red on her cheeks. Seeing this courier chuckled, put the unicorn on the ground, took of her helmet and then materialized a bunch of supplies, which he shared with both females. Christine was eating slowly and carefully, trying not to drop anything by an accident. The unicorn on the other hand seemed resigned as she ate without any energy. Seeing this courier six scratched his chin before he snapped his fingers and materialized a teddy bear, he found at one of the houses. He then dusted off the toy, knelt and handed it over to the unicorn. Her eyes widened as she glanced between the toy and the man before she grabbed the the toy and then hugged it, while closing her eyes for a few seconds. Satisfied courier six got up and glanced at the Christine, who was looking at him with a small smile and her arms crossed. “Don't you dare tell anyone about this. The last thing I want is for people to think I am getting soft,” He said while Christine just rolled her eyes and nodded. “Thanks, I appreciate it.” The trio finished eating their meal in silence, both Christine and Sweetie Belle sighing in relief. “Okay now that you are here, you'd better stay here. It would be dangerous to go in a bigger group. That reminds me, the cloud is poisoning you, isn't it, Christine? Here take those stimpaks, they should last for a while,” courier said as he handed over the items, while Christine nodded gratefully. He then put the helmet on the unicorn and strapped her to his chest. He then made sure he had everything before he turned towards the location, where his target collar fourteen Dean Domino was located. Once again, he started to sneak his way through the city. The best way to kill all the while legs, ghouls, legion soldiers and basically everything else is to sneak attack critical them all the time. Sniper OP, Obsidian please nerf. Courier six chuckled under his breath as he remembered the phrase he read on a terminal, long time ago. He continued on, blasting apart every single ghost he came across. After a short while he entered a living district of the Sierra Madre. There were two ways he could use, the one on his left or the one on his right. He snipped out a single chip from his pocket, flipped it, watched it fall and then grabbed it. He looked at the result and turned right. On his way he met a few more ghosts but above everything else a ton of traps, which he disarmed and took all the mines and grenades he could find. It didn't take long until he arrived at his destination. It was a small plaza, surrounded by buildings, from which one of them had a resident on the highest floor, who didn't seem like a ghost, if his pipboy was right. He found the back way in and climbed the stairs to the upper floor. There he noticed a ghoul in a suit with and eyeglasses, sitting on a chair. Next to him there was another, which was empty. Courier six sighed before he put unicorn on the ground with her teddy bear and sat down on the chair alone. “Sierra Madre, a beauty, isn't she, even after all these years? By the way don't move an inch, unless I tell you, the cushion is just for a show.” “Better be shaped charge or you will kill us both,” courier answered as he made himself comfortable. “So you know a bit about explosives, your mama must be proud of you. Still move without my permission and I will blast you through your skull and colour the moon cherry pie red.” “I will keep my questions for latter, please continue,” courier said eloquently. “Finally, this is what I have been missing, a proper audience. Just because I am a singer, doesn't mean I am a moron. I know we are in this together and I want my way out and my part of a deal. You will also do as I say, understood?” “Okay, you got yourself a deal,” courier six answered. Just you wait you old prick, nobody messes with courier six. “Good, good, good then we are in business. I am a betting man, but I like when the odds are in my favour. Well then shall we go?” “I suppose so, although I wish I had something to drink, I miss my wasteland tequila,” courier answered, grabbed the unicorn and strapped her to his chest. “Hmm… I suppose I could share a recipe I made myself. It is called “Sierra Madre Martini”, are you interested?” “Always up for a new drink, how do I make one?” “Take a bit of residue from the cloud, two packs of junk food and a tin can. Mash this all together and volia.” “Sounds tasty. A beverage made out of toxins. I found a couple of bottles already but I haven't had an opportunity to drink them. Thanks though, I appreciate it. By the way take this Sierra Madre armour set, it should help.” “No need to thank me, we are partners, aren't we? Now then, there is a short cut through the cloud, if you are interested.” Dean said and changed his clothes. “No, not really, especially since this thing on my chest is pretty damn fragile.” “I have noticed it once you entered my residence. May I ask why is this?” “To be honest, I am not certain myself. She looks like a small unicorn, but maybe it is some sort of mutant. I have got no bloody clue,” courier answered before they went back to the fountain. As the travelled through the city, they killed a couple of ghosts before they arrived at their destination. “Now that everyone is here I want you to take them to a couple of locations, where they will trigger the event. Don't disappoint me,” hologram said before it disappeared. Courier six sighed before he took both Dean Domino and Christine with him. I guess this is where things get really ugly. Let's hope it works just fine. *** When Sweetie Belle arrived at the fountain with the mute, she felt both hungry and thirsty. Fortunately her saviour didn't make her wait too long and soon she ate a small meal that satisfied her hunger. What she didn't expect was a teddy bear, which was given to her. It wasn't nearly as good as good as those in Equestria, but it provided some sort of comfort and she was grateful for it. However, she was slowly getting tired after everything that had happened and before she noticed she was fast asleep. She woke up for a few minutes at one point, but details were hazy and soon she fell asleep again. *** As the group was walking, courier six heard a weird sound coming from his chest. It sounded like snoring so he glanced at the unicorn, who was sleeping peacefully and hugging her teddy bear. Amused, he shook his head and smiled before he noticed that one of the auto-stimpacks was almost empty. He quickly swapped it before they continued. First place on the map was Christine's station so they turned towards it. Along the way a new threat appeared. Now some of the ghost people had gas bombs in their hands. If one of those things exploded anywhere near them, it would get ugly. He drew his police pistol and shoot the tank, causing it to explode and killing a ghost, who was holding it. He was about to move when suddenly a sweat appeared on his forehead as his instincts screamed at him that he should run. Then out of nowhere, dozens of ghost started to appear, coming from every direction, more than courier six had killed so far. He then entered vats and tried to aim at the gas tanks but those were in the middle of the horde. He frantically looked around before he noticed a hole in the wall. “Run!” he yelled on top of his lungs as he pointed the wall. Both Christine and Dean were startled by this, but they reacted fast enough. Oh shit, I forgot about the unicorn! He quickly detached the harness and whistled at the same time, causing Christine to turn towards him. He then flung the unicorn at her just before three gas bombs impacted his body. Fuck me... *** The explosion Sweetie Belle just heard frightened her and almost made her drop her teddy bear. She quickly turned towards its source. There she saw a sight a that froze her in place. Oh no... Right in front of her was her saviour lying under wall, his body covered in flames. Tears started to gather at the corners of her eyes. No, please get up. She wanted to go, she wanted to help him, but then a spear flew right in front of her and then she screamed. *** Both Christine and Dean went into the building firing shoots randomly until they found themselves at a dead end. “Well, this is not how I expected to die,” Dean said as he aimed his pistol. He was about to shoot when suddenly he heard a sound that caused him to stop. Is that … a laughter? It was coming from the way they came trough and it was getting louder and louder until it abruptly stopped. “I will kill every single one of you!” courier six roared before he materialized his clean knife spear and charged the ghosts that were approaching his allies. At the same time, his pipboy injected to his body a mix of slasher, med-x and a rushing water before it activated his kinetic implants at full efficiency. Time slowed down so much that he could see a bullet leaving Dean's pistol. He slashed and diced through every ghost he came across, sending body parts flying everywhere. Then he glanced at his allies who were shooting desperately before he jumped towards them, turned around, slashed horizontally and killed five ghosts in one attack. Blood and gore were sent all over the place as the group of ghosts turned their attention towards him. Suddenly one of the ghosts threw a gas bomb at the courier. What it didn't expect was courier's agility, who grabbed the bomb mid-air and then threw it back with even greater might. The bomb exploded killing all the ghost in the building, leaving only those outside alive. He then turned his head towards his allies. The trio gulped nervously as they looked at what could be described as a devil incarnate. Dim light provided a terrifying background for courier's single green eye that was looking at them through his shattered helmet. His armour with tons of cuts and holes allowed them to see a flesh through it, which was regenerating in front of their eyes. It was hard to believe that what was standing right in front of them was still a human. “Stay here, I will deal with them,” courier ordered before he walked outside and turned towards an army of ghosts, which stopped for a moment when they noticed him. ”Before we begin there is one thing I want to say. I am going to decorate my home with your guts!” he roared and charged head first into the ghosts. A few gas bombs were thrown towards him but he grabbed two of them, while avoiding the rest before he sent them back, killing several ghosts with just that. He then whirled around and turned himself into a tornado of blades that disembowelled all the ghost in his path. He continued his rampage, slashing and dashing like there was no tomorrow. Ghost people tried to hurt him but to no avail as he dodged, blocked and countered every strike. Then after a minute or so one of the ghosts managed to score a lucky strike right into courier's heart. The man staggered for a second while the ghosts readied their weapons. Then he grinned maniacally, snapped the offending spear, grabbed the ghost the did that and threw it at the nearest group. A couple were taken along for a ride before they splattered all over the wall, sending blood and gore flying everywhere. He then continued on until there was just a handful of them left, right in front of him. He was breathing heavily, his body sweating like crazy, but not even for a second did his grin diminish. In fact it grew ever wider the longer the battle lasted. “Want some more?” he as asked as he took a step forward. However the ghosts weren't so keen on that and started to retreat. They kept watching him until they disappeared in the shadows of the city. Seeing the battle was over, courier six collapsed on his knees as he felt the adrenaline fading away. He slowly got up to his feet, lifted his pipboy and checked his status. His body suffered a bit of beating but nothing too crazy, he had worse. On top of that he was already regenerating, his limbs healing, his tissue regrowing, where it had been split open. After the battle he had about eighty percent of his total health left, although he was getting sleepy after running around in the Madre, making him slower than he should have been during the fight. He was so focused on protecting the unicorn that he forgot to take care of his own body. Besides sleeping in this toxic, dead city was hardly an appealing idea. Because of that he materialized a syringe full of adrenaline, which he then injected into his body. He could feel a surge of energy slowly coming back to him. It was just a temporary solution, though and after all is said and done he could use a good long sleep. He then checked the condition of his equipment. He sighed when he noticed that his Sierra Madre security armour was on the verge of falling apart just like his helmet. There was no point in even fixing it at this point, because it wouldn't be worth it. So he quickly de-materialized both the armour and the helmet and then he materialized stealth suit instead. It clung to his body like a rubber but at the same time it was light and flexible helping him sneak better even though he had already been a master at that. He looked into the sky as he waited for his companions. Holy hell, that was intense. I haven't fought like this in ages, at least since Quarry Junction. But at least now I know that beating Deathclaws with power fists is not a good idea, shotguns are though. Courier, a madman like no other, maybe I should write down all that I have done in a diary? It would give people nightmares for ages to come! Hehehehahahhahaah, eh... is that all I am? A boogeyman of all the wasteland? Huh, what a joke, what a fucking joke I am. "Cause I am only a crack in this castle of glass, hardly anything else for you to see..." courier sung. In the meantime, It didn't take long until the trio came up to him. “I guess you saw and heard everything, haven't you?” Courier asked as he turned his head towards his allies. “Unfortunately, yes. You can be quite vocal with your threats,” Dean said, his hands shaking as he lit up a cigarette. “Heh… I guess. Tell you what, if you don't want anything to do with me just say so, I won't hold it against you. It wouldn't be a first time.” courier said before Christine shook her head, handed over the unicorn and made set of gestures,” Forget about this for now and just do what needs to be done? I like that idea. Okay then, shall we go?” The duo nodded before they departed. *** When Sweetie Belle saw her saviour fall to the ground her heart stopped for a second while her mind raced. She thought he was gone, that she had just lost someone important to her, a friend that could have been. Tears were dripping slowly as they ran deeper into the building, which turned out to be a dead end. As they turned around and prepared for the worst, she heard him again. At first she couldn't believe it but then it grew louder and louder before it was suddenly replaced by a beastly roar. What followed next could be described as a slide show. One second five of those shambling creatures are getting closer, the second her saviour is in front of her while body parts are flying all over the building. However, when he turned towards them her mind screamed to her that she should run as fast as and as far as she possibly could, away from the creature in front of her. She had never felt so terrified in her entire life. It was like she was looking at the very essence of horror itself, worse than the nightmare moon herself. Then suddenly he spoke some words in his language before he walked out of the building. She sighed with relief as she felt her heart, pounding like crazy. Her throat was dry as her mind the repeated the same thought all over again. What is he? After a few seconds though, she heard another roar, which was followed by explosion and multiple wet sounds that seemed similar to balloons full of water hitting the ground. It lasted for a minute or so and then there was silence. The trio walked out of the building, avoiding all the dead bodies around them. Once they went outside, they noticed the courier who was standing in the middle of the massacre, while watching the sky. As they walked up to him, Sweetie Belle prepared for the worst. However when he glanced at them the aura of madness and blood lust was gone, replaced with something that felt similar to relief but different. She couldn't really put her hoof on it, but It was like he was completely different being just seconds ago. What happened? Why did it happen, why did he change so much? What if this happens again? I am scared, Rarity. Where are you? Author's Note BUM BADAM BUYAH, aka Courier six is a one crazy son of a bitch AND I LOVE IT! Seriously, I like when the heroes are a bit insane and aren't typical goodie to shoes or broken man tortured by their memories. (Which kind of happens often now that I think about it).
Chapter 5 Awake the beastView OnlineNot a hero, just a courierChapter 5 Awake the beastThe group was slowly walking through the Madre, being as careful as they could be. Nobody wanted another ghost army to come out of nowhere and try to kill them again. However, what surprised them the most was the fact that the ghost people kept watching them but they never attacked. It made them nervous but at the same time they were kind of relieved they didn't have to fight them. The group advanced forward until they reached Chritine's building and went inside. It looked like some sort of control station, with multiple wires and big, clunky machines spread all over the place. They were about to move forward when suddenly Dean's collar started to beep. The ghouls eyes went wide as he quickly back-pedalled until it stopped for good. He frowned and said, "It seems like this is as far as I can go. Good luck to you, partner. I will be waiting here until you do what needs to be done." "I guess so. Okay then, let's go, Christine," courier ordered before they went further into the facility. Along the way they came across a couple of speakers which they shoot just in case. They followed down the stairs and arrived at a huge hangar like structure. Currently they were located on a catwalk close to the ceiling. As they took a look around, they noticed that at other side was another catwalk on the same height as them, but there wasn't any way there, except through the cloud at the bottom of the hall. Courier six cursed under his breath as he evaluated different options. He then snapped his fingers, detached the unicorn from his chest, handed her over to the Christine and said, “I am not going to risk heading through the cloud with any of you, so what I am going to do instead is take a leap of faith at the other side.” Christine looked surprised at him, but she carefully nodded and made way for the man. She understood that there wasn't any other way around the cloud. Courier six nodded gratefully before he walked into the corridor they first came through. He then stretched his muscles, took a sprinter position and then accelerated to inhuman speed, using his kinetic implants at full efficiency. Just as he was getting near to the edge of the corridor he jumped into the air, flew for a couple of seconds before he splattered all over the wall at the other side. Both Christine and Sweetie Belle winced at the sight as they looked at the man who was grounded in the wall in a comical pose. He then released himself from the trap, dusted himself off, raised his hand and said, “I am allright!” And then he fell on his back on the catwalk. Sweetie Belle just stared at the man, her eyes wide open, her jaw hanging before she started to laugh herself. At first it was more of a chuckle, gradually increasing until it turned into a full blown laughter, making it a struggle for her to catch a breath. It was ridiculous and reminded her of one of the cartoons she had seen before. Tears of joy were dripping out as she held out her belly. Soon the entire building was noisy from the laughter of the unicorn and the courier who decided to join up, even Christine was amused as she watched the duo. Then the courier slowly got up to his feet before he bowed and said, “I hope you enjoyed this performance miladies.” Hearing this Christine smiled and rolled her eyes, while the unicorn glanced between the two. The courier then saluted before he went deeper into the building. Okay then, let's get this over with. *** When Sweetie Belle saw her saviour jump at least ten meter gap, her jaw dropped to the ground but when he splattered all over the wall she cringed at the sight. However, when he freed himself from it and then made a pose she lost it and laughed like crazy. However, that brought more questions. How did he do that? Magic, maybe? Her thoughts were interrupted by something that sounded like a loud carpet, vacuum cleaner, followed by a voice of her saviour yelling something. Then she heard a loud bang, followed by another. For a couple of minutes the hall was silent, except their breathing. Then the machinery came to alive draining away all the red cloud from the hall. They blinked their eyes a few times before they noticed the courier who waved his hand at them and then walked up to them through the stairs and a bottom of the hall. *** “I took care of all the turrets, speakers, cloud and traps, so it should be safe,” courier said while Christine gave him the unicorn. Along the way they saw the result of man's work. Disarmed bear traps, blown up turrets and turned off speakers. After a short while they finally arrived at their destination. It was a small steel room near the celling with a single terminal on a small desk. Christine raised an eyebrow before courier said, “I unlocked the terminal and transferred controls to it, so you can operate it from here. Is it good enough?” She looked around, smiled, nodded and showed him a thumbs up. He smiled himself before Christine held out her hand. Courier six grabbed it, squeezed it gently and said, “We will get through this.” The female nodded before the courier let go, said goodbye and went back to Dean Domino. As soon as he arrived in the room he took note of the ghoul, who was smoking a cigarette, while sitting on a chair. When he noticed the courier, he got up, dusted himself off, extinguished the cigarette and followed the courier. They silently went outside, making sure there weren't any ghosts nearby. Once they were certain about that, they moved out, sneaking through the ruins of the Sierra Madre. “This crouching is a hell on my knees,” the ghoul complained, while the courier just rolled his eyes. After a couple of minutes they arrived at their destination. It was a roof of one of the highest buildings in Sierra Madre that had two sparkling wires in one of the corners. “This is where I want you to stay Dean and trigger the gala event, is that clear?” “Yeah it is, but I am not staying here with all those ghost people around. As soon as the gala is triggered they will swarm this place and I am not going to risk my life for that.” “Yeah, it makes sense. In any case, I think I might have an idea, can you wait for a couple of minutes?” courier asked while the ghoul nodded. He then started looking around, searching for terminals. There should be something to activate those holograms in this area. I noticed at least two emitters along the way and if there is one thing I can tell for certain is that they are very powerful. Hopefully they can still work. It took him some before he managed to activate all the holograms, thus securing the perimeter. He then went back to the ghoul. “It looks like this place can be safe after all, but how do I know that the holograms won't suddenly go out?” Dean asked with a hint of worry in his voice. “That hologram on the fountain lasted all that time, they will too,” courier answered a bit annoyed. God, this is guy is such a buffoon, it makes want to shoot him, but I can't. What a pain in the ass. “Well, okay then, I will stay here while you take care of everything else. I wish you luck, partner,” Dean said before courier departed with a unicorn on his chest. *** Sweetie Belle didn't know what those weird gestures made by the mute meant, but after seeing both her saviour and the mute shake their hands, it reminded her of Equestria and her friends. I wonder what Scootaloo and Apple Bloom are doing right now, do they miss me? Her musings were interrupted when her saviour decided to move and returned to the zombie looking thing. When she first looked at it, she could hardly believe something like this existed and she was a bit on the edge. However, it didn't seem like it would try to eat her brain or anything like this. In fact it acted like her saviour or the mute. As they progressed through the city, they hadn't come across any more of those creepy things and soon they arrived at their destination. It was a rooftop of one the buildings. Then after a bit of talking and activating those blues ghosts, they left. Where are we going now? *** Courier six bit his lip as he sneaked through the city, avoiding as many ghosts as he possibly could. Luckily the ghost were more focused on the holograms that appeared in the district and It didn't take long until they were back at the fountain. The courier walked up to the nightkin and said, ”I need you to follow me, are you ready?” “The sooner we get over this, the better it will be for all of us,” the mutant answered before they moved out. As they walked through the ruins courier six noticed the ghosts were back and they were looking for them. He wasn't going to risk sneaking past by any of them, so he took them out one by one using his holorifle. Soon they arrived at the switching station where he needed the mutant to trigger the event. “So, here we are. A row of switches all lined up. How familiar… these switches won't move by themselves, after all. There must be some trick to it. Now that I'm here… what do you expect me to do?” the nightkin asked. “I need you to stay and operate the switches for the Gala Event.” “You can lead me to water… no, being trapped in this courtyard while lights are flashing and sirens are screaming. I can survive one or two inhabitants … more than that, even Dog would have have to work to keep full without being carved to pieces. And the gate here… if it somehow got locked, it'd be the holding call at the Police Station again, except with no way out.” “If you don't stay here, I bet I could make Dog stay and operate the switches.” “Oh really? No, you need me to do that.” “I can guide Dog through all the instructions with the Diagram over there,” Courier said while pointing at the poster plastered on the wall, next to the switches. “You think, you could … Hmm, maybe you could. I will stand my post and trigger the event. Hopefully we will meet again after everything is said and done.” "I hope not,” courier whispered before he departed, leaving the nightkin all by himself. Now there was only one thing left. He had to go to the tower and activate the gala. He groaned as he prepared himself for the worst part of all. This time though, he was ready and could use one of the trump cards he had, including stealth field of both stealth suit and his nano bots. It was a rare technology he found by an accident and could only use it for up to a minute before the stealth field gave in. As he was sneaking through the city he came across fairly big number of ghosts before he entered a square surrounded by buildings. Now things were about to get from bad to terrible in a matter of minutes. Ghost people were dangerous, but they were even more deadly in enclosed spaces, allowing them to swarm their prey and overwhelm it or even worse drag them into the cloud. So what the courier did to make sure none of that happened, he laid a bunch of mines and threw a grenade inside the building, attracting ghosts' attention. He then turned invisible and waited for them to come. As he suspected they walked right into the mines and blew themselves up. Satisfied with the result, he turned off the invisibility and showed a fuck you to the Sierra Madre. He continued the rest of the way by sneaking without much difficulty. Soon he climbed to the top of the tower and took a look at the casino. Hot damn, I didn't expect to say this but it looks quite good from here, if it wasn't such a deadly place I could come here for a vacation. Although, maybe after everything is said and done I should turn Sierra Madre into a prison with no way out. Those who want to get out would have to go through all the crap I went through and then they would still die at the end because Sierra Madre wouldn't open again. That sounds fun. Well then, let's get this thing started. He looked at the console, pushed several buttons and pulled the lever. The sky erupted with fireworks, lighting every street in the city, now each one full of ghosts. Courier six nodded satisfied and took a look around. Ghosts were basically everywhere, slowly shambling towards him and the rest of the places where he left his allies, their breathing heard even at the top of the tower. Luckily for him, he was a master of stealth allowing him to sneak by almost everything as long as they weren't directly looking at him. It was fun to rob someone from almost everything except their armour and then watch their reactions, especially if it happened in the middle of the camp full of soldiers. However, this was going to much, much harder. If just one of the ghosts was killed by his holorifle the rest would come soon after. The only way he could avoid that was by using his stealth field and utilizing his sneaking skills to their full extent. Determined he moved out of the structure, slowly and carefully. He made sure not to stay as far away as he possibly could. Even when the ghosts were walking right next to him, he kept being calm and took no risks. The good news was the fact the unicorn was as silent as she possibly could, while holding her teddy bear tightly. Courier six was a man that survived many things, walked many roads, but he had never experienced something like this. Normally he would just charge in and kill all the ghosts by himself, but because there were so many of them right here and now it would attract way too much attention. So it was something new for him and it made him feel excited for one reason or another. It took them a while, but they finally arrived at the fountain and then run to the Sierra Madre. As soon as they entered the casino, white smoke was blown into their faces, draining their strength instantly. Not again… Author's Note The Sierra Madre, opened once more to greet its new guests but will they survive or maybe they will perish? Yep finally there, that took a while but here we are, SIERRA MADRE. I feel spent and I have got some bad news. This is going to be last update for the time being. It is not like I don't want to continue, but I have got stuff to take care off - studies. Which means I won't probably have time to write. Maybe sometime during the February but not before that. So this is just a warning. When you finish reading this chapter you can turn towards different stories, I hope you enjoyed it so far and I hope that you will understand why I am doing this.
Chapter 6 Put the Beast DownView OnlineNot a hero, just a courierChapter 6 Put the Beast DownAuthor's Note Small heads up, I edited a small party of the story in the second chapter. Now instead of some events there is a white Legs Masacre. I did that because it was a bad decision. Also, does anyone know how much nutritions have got military MREs? Also big thanks to the author of the crossover "New World Blues", I am going to strive to write like you. Fallout fans should read it. It is confusing as hell but amazing at the same time. It is on the fanfiction in RWBY crossover. Chapter 6 Put the Beast Down Courier six slowly woke up, his mind a bit dizzy just like the first time. He shook his head before he rose to his feet and checked if the unicorn was all right. She was breathing albeit a bit slowly. The gas must have taken its tool on her, the dose was meant for an average man so it probably was too much for a creature as small as her. I'd better check if everything is all right. He detached the unicorn, put her on the ground, took of her helmet and checked her vitals. Thanks to his knowledge about medicine he diagnosed she would be fine, but just in case he would keep a close eye on her. He took a look around and noticed that they were currently located is some sort of lobby. It was poorly lit, but rather clean to his surprise. It also had a hologram standing on the stairs. He checked his pipboy and noticed that a new note from Elijah and a quest appeared. It was called "Put the beast down" and it said that he had to restore the power to the building. He gently strapped on the unicorn to his chest without putting the helmet back on and then he went deeper into the casino. He went through a pair of double door and entered what looked like a gambling part. He grinned happily before he noticed a bloody security hologram standing right in front of him and then his smile dropped. Luckily, there was a terminal on his right, which he sneaked up to and turned it on. He then rerouted the hologram, causing It to patrol the ground floor. What followed next could be described as a ton of sneaking, gathering supplies, turning off hologram emitters and finally returning power to the villa. The lights turned on, presenting Sierra Madre in its full glory. Slot machines were spinning, holograms were waiting for him patiently to exchange the caps and the music. The music was great, better than hearing "Johny Guitar" ten times over. Courier six grinned before he announced, "I am going to break the bank, just you wait Sierra Madre." Now he had a couple of games he could play, including Slots, Blackjack and Roulette. He had already cleaned out all the other casinos in the Mojave and was banned from all of them, which was kind of sad. But now, he was going to get even richer. He walked up to the table with the Blackjack, put maximum bet and started playing. *** When Sweetie Belle arrived at the fountain with the courier and met with the big blue creature, she felt nervous. Luckily, the feeling was gone after a while. Along the way they found more of those shambling creatures, which were disposed of by her saviour. That was an easy part but when the fireworks were sent into the sky she had to survive at least ten minutes of pure horror as her saviour sneaked by those creatures almost touching them. She was afraid, she wanted to scream but couldn't, it was like she had a lump of ice in her throat. Her mind was racing as she held the teddy bear as hard as she could, almost ripping the toy apart. However, when they went inside the big building a cloud of white smoke was blown into her face. After that she lost her conscience and didn't wake up for a while. When she woke up though, she heard many different noises around her. She lazily opened her eyes, rubbed them and noticed a room with a table right in front of her. Then she remembered where was she and what had happened before. Everything she experienced wasn't a dream. She wanted to cry but all she felt was emptiness. Too much happened in such a short amount that her mind couldn't take it anymore and she fell asleep again, a single tear dripping from her face. *** While the courier was playing the unicorn suddenly woke up. She took a look around before a single tear came out her face and she fell asleep again. When he saw it, he felt like a deathclaw just punched him in the gut, followed by being set on fire, thrown into the canyon, pulled back and thrown again. The terrible pain coming from his heart made it even worse. He thought he had lost his humanity a long time ago, but it seemed like this was not the case. He never wanted to see unicorn cry, ever again. What was I thinking? Why did I bring her with me?! If I just left, she wouldn't have suffered through all that, she wouldn't have experienced all those terrible things. But she did and it is all my fault. Fuck me! He summoned a bear trap fist and punched himself as hard as he could repeatedly, until the weapon fell apart. It didn't help much since his wounds were already healing but he had to make himself suffer for his pure idiocy, also these couple of critical strikes definitely helped. He looked back at the blackjack table but he kind of didn't feel like finishing it anymore. He was about to quit but decided to get this over with and broke the bank in the next three games. He left the table with a scowl on his face. Now that It was over, he had to take care of both the unicorn and his companions, who were all sent out to different parts of the villa. The first one on his list was Dog, who locked himself up in the kitchen. Courier six manoeuvred through the casino before he stopped front hermetically sealed door. What surprised him the most about that was the fact they were sealed due to a gas leak. Dog was inside and he had a bad feeling about this. He immediately crouched and started sneaking before he quietly passed through the door. Once he entered the kitchen it became obvious what was going on. Courier six gulped nervously for the first time since he had entered Sierra Madre. The gas valves were open and if even one small spark was ignited the villa would be destroyed along with everyone else in it! He turned on stealth suit making himself invisible before he started to repair the valves. One by one he fixed all of them until there was just one left. Just as he finished the last one, the unicorn decided to cough alerting the super mutant their presence. He turned off the invisibility before he approached the nightkin. “You …? Master… no, not master. Dog remembers you. Kind to Dog… Dog can't … do this? Yes, he can. You caused this – coddled him, protected him, now I'm going to have to take control from … you, you need to go, run. Dog is going to burn voice… burn voice out, burn it away.” “If you try to burn the voice out of you this casino will be destroyed and us along with it,” courier said before he continued, “Dog, Master is here now, Master wants you to stop this.” “Master? Master, Dog hoped you would come, voice… voice is going… to stop you. You think your pull is stronger than mine? No… no, I've minded Dog, protected him far longer than you ever have. He won't … listen to you. If Master sent you, Dog is listening.” “Imagine the voice, not as a voice but as a water. Look at the voice now, what do you see?” “Dog can see the voice. Looks just like Dog … and Dog looks just like me. You've hurt yourself. Inside. Do you see now, see … in the water. Dog understands now. Dog know what happened.” “Then...step into the water, step into yourself.” “If Dog … if Dog goes into the water… Dog can't help if Master gets mad. You were nice to Dog, Dog wants to help. He's right. If you merge us, then … I … we … or whatever we become … we can't help you when you reach whatever is at the end of Sierra Madre. And Dog … Dog doesn’t want to unremember you, may forget you. We will forget almost all that has happened here. You'll be alone – at the Old Man's mercy. Like Dog. Like me.” “Don't worry about me, I don't intend to die here. It is the Old Man that should be afraid of me, not the other way around. Besides, not having your help doesn't matter if this heals you,” courier admitted while smiling. He wouldn't tell that anyone but he could sympathize with the mutant. It reminded him of a Jacobstown and Lily, who finally found peace thanks to him. “Dog understands … Dog has done … bad things, knows why voice was … furious with him. Tired of the anger. Thank you … courier. Even if it's only for minutes before Sierra Madre kills us all, then … Dog hopes you find a way to save self, like you help Dog, and … when you meet him, find a way to save yourself, as you tried to save us. Otherwise, I'll be upset with you.” “We came this far together, I'll manage. Go on, let go.” “You were there all the time … all the time you were there and so close … together.” “Are you all right?” “Who… who are you? What is this place?” “It'd take too long to explain.” “I feel as if I've woken up. I don't know you, yet I feel like I do, and a feeling of gratitude. I … forgive me, I … I'm wounded. This chain this bear trap on my arm … how did I even get this far with these wounds? The pain is excruciating, I … I need to rest for a moment.” “Fine, but don't take long or it'll be a short recovery, trust me." “Thank you … for whatever you have done. I will remain here, need to get my strength back,” mutant said before it sat down under one of the walls. Courier six turned away, walked out of the kitchen and turned towards the lobby. Goodluck, I hope everything works out for you. Now only Dean and Christine are left. Let's just get this over with. *** Sierra Madre, despite its state, It was still a well built building. A Fortress, one of a kind. But even its' defences couldn't keep every threat outside forever. The door to the villa swung open, letting a group of ghosts to enter the building. They took a look around when suddenly they heard a sound of metal hitting the floor, which came from the middle of the group. They turned towards it and saw a grenade, which then exploded sending body parts flying everywhere. The door closed again before courier six materialized out of thin air, his stealth field turning off. He glanced at the bodies, climbed up the stairs and went to the Thampico theather. This place gets worse with every minute, if I don't hurry up ghost people will overwhelm this place. If that happens…, brrrr just thinking about it is giving me the creeps. Courier six walked through the door and arrived at some sort of reception. There was a desk with a computer on it and a long hallway next to it. He entered the hallway, glanced around, turned left and walked down the hallway. At the end of it he found a locked door, which he promptly picked using one of his fifty booby pins, he found along the way. He then opened the door and entered the theater. Courier six whistled under his breath as he took in the sight in front of him. Not even the Kings or the Tops have got such a fine looking theatre, I am envious. And now I want to see a play at the Tops, damn it! He then turned towards the stage and noticed a music sheet right in front of him. He walked up to it and grabbed it, causing a key to fall out of it. He picked both of the items before he noticed a movement at the back of the stage and noticed Dean Domino standing at the catwalk. “Finally, a friendly face … hey! Partner! Up here. I'm in a bit of predicament here … had to shut back stage, take a powder, the audience is a little … murderous tonight.” “Wait, Dean? What the hell are you doing down there? How did you even get there?” “Thought I was back at the Fronds … well, except no audience, used to pack theatres back then … so stepped up on the stage, check things out … Then suddenly Holograms walked out of the wings … and they started raising their hands to heads all creepy like. Not a good sign.” “Wait, what Holograms? Do you mean the security ones?” “Look … those ghosts are going to come out of the wings behind you in a second, the security types, not the “friendly” bald types. Trust me – as soon as you can, run to the door to the left – use the key you got out of the music rag there, and camp out.” “Wait a second – I need to head to the door to your left or to my left?” “What? Oh, my left – your right. So, yeah, run to the door on your right. Heh, almost got you killed there. Us killed there.” “You know, getting backstage is only a temporary measure if I can't find the security terminal,” courier said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “Yeah … yeah, right. So … let''s see … security's here because the show hasn't started. Guests aren't allowed in, so … guess we need to start the show. Okay … so then they were setting this place up … we had rehearsals … So, find the music, get it to the projector room upstairs, then play it …? Might reset security, worth a shot.” “All right, makes sense. Where's the music?” “The holotape should be where I left it … no, wait. It's … it's in Vera's dressing room, probably. May … may be a key to her room on my desk.” “Last question, what were you doing with a key to her room?” courier a small grin on his face. “Do I have to spell it out? Come on. Time's wasting, and those holograms are going to be on us any second.” “All right, all right, I'll break to my right, head for the locked door.” “Good, go and don't get yourself killed – do that, and we're both done.” The courier rolled his eyes before he noticed Holograms coming to life. He quickly sprinted to the door on his right, opened them and closed them as fast as he could. There he saw a sight that made him cringe. On his right, down the corridor, there was a red cloud leaking through the closed door. He sighed before he went past the cloud as close to the other side of the wall as he could, his back turned towards the cloud. Luckily the gap was big enough so neither of them took any damage. The rest of the tour was spent by looting the backstage, finding some blackmail tapes and a song he needed alongside some blackmail tapes which he played during that time. There was only one step left, he had to deliver the song to the projector and activate it, without being turned into swiss cheese by Holograms. He gently put the unicorn on the bed in Vera Keyes' room, showed her to stay and left. As soon as he opened the door, he activated his kinetic implants, dashing past the holograms before they could raise their hands to their heads. He quickly climbed the stairs, put the holotape into the projector and started the machine. The theatre came to live, its lights shining, ordinary holograms walking around, except the one who sung on the stage. To courier's surprise it was Dean Domino in his pre-war glory. He returned to the unicorn and was greeted with a smile on her face. He returned the smile before he attached the unicorn and opened the door leading to the ghoul. “Those electric ghosts aren't the kind of audience I like the best of times – at least the ones in Villa had manners. Look, I'm more about the short goodbyes than long thankful speeches … but I appreciate bailing me out of a tight sport there – partner,” the ghoul said with his arms crossed before he continued, “I know you didn't do it out of the goodness of your heart. So let me give something a little more practical – a way we both come out ahead.” “Oh and what do you mean by that?” courier asked with his brow raised. “I'm not an idiot. I know the reason I'm in here now is because of the old guy and you. Thing is, here's where being my partner pays off. See, I know how to get into the casino vault.” “Go on,” courier prompted while gesturing with his hand. “There's a private elevator, Sinclair's elevator. It's up in the executive suites, in Vera's room. Not a coincidence. Vera. She was … my other partner, before the bomb. Took some legwork. Some convincing made it happen.” “How so?” “Sinclair was already puppy-eyed, so all I had to do was the introductions. She smiled, fluttered her eyes, showed a bit of … and he built this whole place for her. Made her the key to his vault, like a joke, cause of her name. Her fake Hollywood name. Except Sinclair didn't know I'd been there first. I could twist her whatever direction I wanted. Now we finish the job. Rob the Sierra Madre, rip out its heart. Last chapter of Fredrick Sinclair, close the book. Had to take him down a few pages, bring him down to my level. 'Begin again?' Some things you don't get up from… I was going to prove it." “And you are going to prove it? How? Sinclair is most likely dead so I can't really see how you can do that.” “I didn't know at first. Then … that woman showed up, covered in scars. I put her in the clinic, tuned her like an instrument. If she heals up, it's not going to be her voice speaking anymore. That is, if the Sierra Madre didn't get her. If it did … well there's enough of Vera around for me to spend a few years piecing a book together.” “And if she is still alive?” “Then she can make some beautiful music. I'm not banking on it.” “I see, now everything makes sense. You know what Dean, at first I really, really wanted to gut you, tear you apart and then hang you up while using your insides as a rope,” courier admitted casually a grin on his face while Ghoul's eyes went wide, his hand reaching for his pistol. But the courier was faster, he quickly materialized a police pistol and shot the gun of out ghouls hand. “However, I have changed my mind. I am going to make your death the most agonizing thing in your entire life because to me you are as evil as Elijah with your dick measuring contest with a Sinclair. “Now hold here for a second, partner. I think we should talk this through,” the ghoul said, his eyes spread wide open as he started to back away from a man who was slowly walking towards him. “Dean, Dean, Dean. Do you honestly think I am going to listen to a guy that spent two hundred years in Sierra Madre because a long dead man was better than him? No, you are finished.” The courier hissed before he materialized automatic rifle and pulled the trigger. Barrage of shoots hit the ghoul, tearing the flesh and suit apart. Then the ghoul exploded into tiny pieces, painting the theatre red with his blood. The courier looked at the scene, sighed, quickly looted the body and left the place. He then went towards the lobby and downloaded the music onto his pipboy. Now all that was left was to open the vault and to do that he needed Christine's help. He travelled to the suits and started traversing through them. Along the way he had to sneak past some of the Vera Keyes' Holograms. “We all pay for what we've done. I'm so sorry, Sinclair. Sorry, I... I should have trusted you,” the ghost said while the courier bit his lip as he listened to the last words of the starlet. Dying alone, trapped in this dreaded place. She didn't deserve that, nobody deserved to die in Madre, nobody. Just you wait, Elijah, I will make you pay for your greed. The courier gritted his teeth as he went back on track. Along the way he came across a security room, with tons of supplies, weapons, armour and a way to make holograms not hostile. After that the rest of the trip became as easy as it could. The courier strolled through the apartments until he reached the best suit and entered it. The room he entered was spacious and elegant. It had a small bar on his right, with several stools by it and a terminal next to it. It also had a small coffee table surrounded by chairs. There was also a single door on his left, which he walked up to and opened it. “You made it, good…,” Christine said as she coughed before she continued, “Ugh… Hurts to talk. I'll keep this quick in case my … voice goes out.” “Christine, you know that you sound like the woman in the Sierra Madre broadcast.” courier said as he took a look at the her. She was wearing a Sierra Madre security armour and it seemed like she wasn't injured beyond the scars she got at the beginning, which was definitely good news. “Do I? It sounds off to my ears … hard to tell. Not to mention it … hurts like hell to swallow. Might be why I got moved off to this suite … it's hers. That's her over there, got trapped by security like I did. Just took a different way out.” “Now that your voice is back, what did you want to say?” “I've been hunting the one who hijacked your Pip-Boy, Elijah, for … some time. He cannot leave the Sierra Madre alive. What he's done … what he's done here is nothing compared to what he's done in the past. The only way to bring him out is if you get to the vault … he won't allow you to go down there alone. That's when we kill him.” “You could have said something sooner,” courier said while crossing his arms trying not to touch the unicorn. For whatever reason she was still asleep all this time even when he shot Dean and it was starting to worry him. “Wasn't sure until now I could trust you. Now I know.” “Look, when I woke up here … however that happened … I had this key on me – I think it belongs to her. Haven't had a chance to use it yet – might open the dresser, or the safe – didn't have time to experiment with it before you arrived. Here you go.” The courier nodded before he de materialized the key. “Do you know whether that Auto-Doc there works?” courier asked as he nodded towards the machine behind Christine's back. “Yeah, still functional. Lot of garbage data on it, its basic procedures should still work fine.” “Is there anything you can download of it?” “Lot of Med-x was dispensed for … Vera Keyes. Guess that's her corpse there for certain … and why all those meds are scattered around in here. Here's the medical report. Looks like she had some sort of terminal condition … diagnosis isn't conclusive, must have been painful. I am not even sure she knew, if these medical reports are enough. She must have been numb most of the time.” “Just glad you are safe. Hold up here, I'll take care of Elijah.” “Good luck. He's not an easy opponent. If I can, I'll help. Might be able to figure something out using the Sierra Madre's computer systems.” The courier nodded before he quickly looted the place, taking everything he could even the dresses that used to belong to Vera Keyes before he went back to the main lobby. As the last time the ghost appeared seemingly out of nowhere and he had to blow them up using his holorilfle and a couple of mines he left earlier. Then he walked up to the terminal and downloaded all the track, which now formed a password. With that at hand he returned to the Christine. “I found the phrase for elevator's audio lock.” “You did? Looks like even the Old World can't keep you out when you've got a mind to get in. So … I just rasp out some words, and the vault opens? That woman, the starlet … she didn't build this place, why would the builder do that?” “This place … I'm not certain myself, It doesn't feel like a casino. Not entirely.” “I know. The sealed doors, the security … it's almost a fortress. Think that's why we're being ordered to come here and crack it open?” “I guess, It's the object of someone's obsession – or affection.” “Love makes people do strange things. Won't argue that. It can drive you crazy sometimes if you can't … connect. If they loved each other, and they were together … I suppose that's all that mattered. But she's in that side room, dead, because the casino wouldn't let her leave. And who knows where he is?” “I have got no idea myself, anyway let's unlock it. The phrase is contained in the lyrics to a song.” “All right. If you go down there, are you prepared … what if you don't come back?” “Then you will have to take care of her,” courier said as he pointed at the Unicorn before he continued, “Besides I've got you to come down after me, it'll respond to your voice.” “I … just wanted to make sure you're ready. When you go down there, that may be it for us … we won't be needed anymore. The one who made these collars, he'll follow you down there. And he won't let you leave. He's not one for sharing, never was.” “That's why you are waiting. You are going to kill him.” “I … I … can't let him leave here. Look, you have done so much, and he's not going to show himself until you go down there.” “Do you trust me? If you do, let go of this.” “I can't let go. Every time I've thought about it … I've lost him so many times. He needs to die … what happened here, with us? He's … he's done so much worse.” “Let him come through the suites, follow me. If he escapes, you'll still be here, waiting.” “You have to promise me. Promise me you'll deal with him … if I see him, I …” “Chrisine, please, let go of this. Let me deal with him.” “All right. All right, I'll … but I'll need to leave this floor. He'll pick up my collar, and …” “Not really, here let me take care of that,” courier said before he carefuly defused the collar and dematerialized it. “I never mind. Let me get the vault open … “Begin again … but know when to let go.” Sounds like you.” the woman said before she said the password to the communicator. “Now, there is only one thing left. Can you do something for me, Christine?” courier asked his voice cracking up at the end. “What is it, is something wrong?” “You could say that. Thing is, I don't expect myself to go back. I should have died a long time ago, when I was shoot in the head by Benny. Maybe if I did none of this would have happened.” the courier said, shook his head and continued, “Christine, do you remember what I told you when you asked me why did I come here? Well, I lied. I didn't come here because I was bored or something like this. I came here because I expected to die, I should have died. And you ask why? Heh, that is a good one. I did it, I managed to blow up two nations, damning them all to hell. How did this turn out like, I have got no clue. All I know is that I caused a second Apocalypse. I wanted Mojave to be free from both the NCR and the Legion but if I had known the consequences I wouldn't have done that. That is why when I go to the vault I may or I may not come back. If that happens, please take care of her.” The man detached the harness and handed over the unicorn to the woman. Her eyes were spread wide open as she silently took the unicorn before he moved past her and entered the elevator, leaving Christine alone in the apartment. She couldn't say a word as she tried to comprehend everything he just said to her. It couldn't be right, nobody could have done anything like this, or maybe he could? She gulped before she went to the Vera's room and sat on the bed, closing the door behind her. Her mind was confused , while being swarmed with questions. What he had just said, it scared her. She didn't want to believe it, but deep down she knew that it was truth, or at least this is what the courier thought. She bit her lip as she tried to come up with something, anything that would let her help the courier, maybe convince him otherwise. But there was nothing, and then he went down to the vault. All she could hope for now is for the courier to get back safely. In the meantime she focused her attention on the little creature, currently laying on her lap. Throughout her travels she has never seen anything like this and it was way too cute. She gently stroked her mane and the unicorn cuddled to her touch, while still holding her teddy bear. It was adorable and caused her to smile. She continued gently stroking her mane as the time passed. Then after a couple of minutes the unicorn woke up. She looked around confused before she noticed the woman. Her eyes spread wide open before she squealed and jumped of Christine. She took a look around before she glared at the woman. Seeing this, the woman lifted her arms showing that she had no weapons in them. The unicorn frowned and said something in her language. It sounded unlike anything she has ever heard before and she wasn't really surprised by that fact. Christine sighed before she made herself comfortable on the bed. “I can't understand you and the courier went into the vault. So … please be quiet,” she said before she put a finger to her lips. She then opened the pre-war book she found and started reading. The unicorn looked confused as she took a look at the room. Then she started walking around. Once she reached the door though she tried to push it but it wouldn't budge so she kicked the door next. “What are you doing?!” Christine asked startling the unicorn who looked at her with a her eyes spread wide and tears in corners of her eyes. Seeing this Christine scolded herself before she stood up and then knelt in front of the unicorn. Then she extended her right hand and said, “Here, I am not going to hurt you.” The unicorn looked at the hand then at the woman then back at the hand before she slowly walked up to Christine and let herself be petted. Seeing this Christine smiled and continued petting the unicorn before she heard the sound of the door opening. Reacting quickly she held her finger to her lips while blocking the mouth of the unicorn. Then she heard footsteps, sound of the elevator before it was quiet again. She let unicorn go, who quickly jumped away from her. She then carefully opened the door and took a peek outside. Seeing nothing, she quickly rushed to the nearest terminal and started working on it. She was about to finish when suddenly she heard the sound of the elevator opening. Her mind switched into overdrive as she drew her police pistol before jumping behind one of the armchairs and aimed her pistol at the door. In the meantime unicorn hid in the Vera's room as she watched the entire spectacle unfold. The door swung open revealing the man in an assassin suit and Sierra Madre helmet. He looked towards them and murmured, “It is over ...” “Courier, is that you?” Christine asked her pistol still aimed. “I think so, god what a mess. You won't have to worry about Elijah ever again. I locked him up in the vault with no way out. He can have this entire Casino for himself as he dies of boredom in a tiny little vault, an irony isn't it?” Hearing this Christine breathed out deeply before she smiled and holstered her pistol. The unicorn soon followed as she walked out of the room and run towards the courier with a teddy bear on her back. Courier smiled under his helmet as he knelt, lifted the unicorn and hugged her. Christine smiled as she watched the duo, which reminded her a bit of her family and Veronica. She then shook her head and said, “I am glad to hear it, courier six. Now then, I wish you luck, I am going to stay here and make sure noone can use the Madre as Elijah wanted to.” “I can understand why would you want to do that,” courier said as he attached the unicorn to his chest before he continued, “If this is your decision, I am going to respect it. Still do me a favour and don't die to a ghost or anything pathetic like this, would you?” The man said with a cocky smile on his face. Christine rolled her eyes and said, “Don't worry, I am not going to throw your life away. Stay safe, courier.” She said before the duo made their goodbyes and left the apartment. As the courier six and his companion walked through the madre, the ghosts stayed away from them, watching them from the shadows, letting them pass through the toxic dead city. He glanced at the casino one last time, saluted it and left for the Mojave Wasteland.
Chapter 7 The final curtainView OnlineNot a hero, just a courierChapter 7 The final curtainSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
April Fool's Day specialView OnlineNot a hero, just a courierApril Fool's Day special"Smoke Weed Every Day!" courier shouted at the top of his lungs as he drunk yet another bottle of wasteland tequila. He was currently sitting in his armchair in botanical garden. He pulled that piece of furniture here, before he closed the door to his bedroom, where the unicorn was sleeping. "Might I suggest that sir would stop drinking, it would be beneficial for the entire Sink," central intelligence unit said in it's British voice. "Shut up, I am drunk and I want to stay drunk. I had enough of this nonsense. First Indiana Jones in a Fridge, then Aliens and then fucking Walking Eyes! What is this some sort of cartoon or a fiction written by a horny teenager that has never kissed a girl?!" "That actually hurt you know," said a new voice. Courier's eyes darted to the newcomer. His eyes went wide open as the bottle slipped through his fingers and shattered into pieces on the floor. Right in front of him there was a ghost like being, that looked like a poor imitation of the wastelander. A pre-war helmet that wouldn't stop a bullet, a horrendous gas mask and a big long leather coat, almost as good as his. "The hell are you?" "Oh, I don't know, you tell me, Mr Dead Drunk." "I think ... you are a ghost," courier slurped out. "Close enough. Now let's talk, Courier or should I say DRAKE," the figure said causing the man to jump onto his feet, pull out a revolver and shoot the ghost. The bullet flew right the being, hitting the wall outside. "Well, fuck. I knew I was drunk, but this is ridiculous." "Stop thinking about it before your head explodes. I have got some important news for you. First of I have got an idea for a very long story involving you. You will go to the land of ponies and get laid by one!" "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!" "YEEESSSS! ... Just kidding," the figure said before the courier charged it and swung his trusty sledgehammer at the ghost, causing a dent in the floor. He glared at the ghost before he said, "That wasn't funny!" "I have got different opinion. You should have seen the look on your face. Now then take care courier, I am going to leave you alone, at least for now. Don't worry I will be back in one year to torture you some more. Until then Hasta La Vista Baby!" The ghost said before it shoot from its fingers, which were shaped like a gun. When the courier woke up, he noticed that he fell asleep in his armchair. As he felt a bottle in his hand, he breathed out a sigh of relief. It was just a dream. As sweet liquor poured down his throat, he didn't notice a new object sitting on the table. It was a small figure of both the courier and a certain gray unicorn fully grown up. In his arms there was something, wrapped in cloth. What it was nobody knew, but the courier had a big smile on his face as he held it. Author's Note Happy April Fool's Day! A small little chapter for a special day like this. I hope you had fun reading this because I certainly had a lot of fun writing it. Don't worry the next chapter is being worked on, in the meantime I hope you enjoyed this little snippet.
