Fallout Equestria: The Long Road Ahead

Chapter 4

The last of the legion patrol fell as Hawkeye reloaded her rifle. She grinned. They hadn’t noticed her position even one time during the whole ordeal. She had been worried that her skills were failing since there hadn’t been many targets around the town for the last few days. Once reloaded, she laid the rifle back into position and watched as Courier led a small band into the middle of the now-quiet killzone to release the slaves. They set about cutting the ropes binding them, and then gathering the legion supplies off the bodies. She kept a careful eye on the slaves, as the legion had been catching on recently. Several times the slaves would be Legion moles, and would grab a machete or a gun as quickly as they were released. This was not one of those times, however. She packed up her gear and went down to meet the rest of the team.

“You’re still up?” Courier stood in the doorway of the room she had been given in the underground bunker. She wasn’t entirely sure why she rated a room while the others slept outside, but she had a fair guess. She wasn’t sure what to think of it just yet though.   “Yeah.” She was looking over the map of Vegas a scav team had brought back from the ruins of the old Repconn building. Several places had been marked by some of the escaped slaves that had been picked up earlier, each one detailing Legion activities within the wall.

“It’s a bad plan, Hawk. You know that.” Courier walked in and looked over her shoulder at the map. She had drawn several lines, and marked out several as well. He didn’t know what they meant, but he knew she was planning to break in somehow.

“So I’m just supposed to let them have my brother?” She laid down the pencil. She knew she wouldn’t be able to think properly now. She was lost somewhere between soul-crushing sorrow and righteous fury, as well as aggravation with Courier. He knew how important this was to her.

“No, that’s not what I meant.” He placed a hoof on her shoulder. “I want to help you get your brother back, but not if it means you getting hurt. We just have to wait for an opportunity.”

“Screw that. The Legion doesn’t give opportunities.”

“That’s what everyone said about the NCR. House, too.”

Hawkeye glared at him. She knew he was right, but she wasn’t willing to admit it. He sighed and began to walk out of the room.

“Goodnight, Hawk. Sleep well.”

Morning came, but Hawkeye never noticed it. She turned over for what felt like the millionth time, and sighed again. Her pillow was soaked, and her face tear-stained. She sat upright and threw the blanket off before stepping out of bed. There had to be a way in, there just HAD to! She looked over at her rifle hanging on the wall. For all of her skill, and its ability to end lives, she still didn’t have what it took. She looked at the door as it slid open.

“Good morni-… oh no.” Courier stepped in and wrapped her in a hug. “We’ll get him, I promise you that. But throwing away both our lives won’t help him. We have to be smart. There will be a way.” She held back her tears, not willing to let him see her at her weakest. Pulling back, she simply gestured at the door. “Alright.” He said. “I’ll be in my room if you need anything.”

As soon as the door slid shut, she bucked the wall, leaving a dent. She was furious with herself for pushing everyone away. She had done it all her life, and now was no different. Courier reached out to help her at her moment of need every time, but she simply pushed him away. She needed to stop thinking about it. She turned her eyes again to the rifle hanging on the wall. She could blow off steam at the range, but that would mean going outside, and that wasn’t something she felt like doing. The sparkling water of the fish tank in the wall drew her attention, and she walked over to it. She sat on the cold metal floor and watched the fish swim about. It was oddly calming to her. She didn’t think about the world, the Legion, her brother, or Courier. Everything else melted away as the fish swam. She decided that she wanted fish of her own.