Fallout: New Vegas – The Lost Courier

Arthur and Boone waited until midnight. By then, only a few people remained outside. They watched as the door to Jeannie May Crawford's house creaked open. She stepped out cautiously, glancing around to make sure no one was watching before heading northwest of Novac.

Keeping their distance, Arthur and Boone silently followed her through the darkness. After some time, they arrived near Highway 95, where another figure stood with a captive, shifting nervously. Jeannie joined them, standing in anticipation of the Legion's arrival.

Boone settled into position atop a small hill, his rifle steady in his grip. His sharp eyes scanned the trade-off point below, where the deal would soon take place. The wind whispered through the dry wasteland grass, carrying the faint scent of dust and decay. An eerie silence hung in the air, thick with anticipation.

Arthur crouched beside him, adjusting the strap on his scoped carbine. He leaned in and whispered, "I'll take the other hill near the trade-off. Remember, wait for my signal."

Boone gave a small nod, his expression unreadable. "Got it."

With that, Arthur moved out, keeping low as he navigated the rocky terrain to his designated position. From his vantage point, he had a clear view of the cracked, sunbaked road leading up to the meeting spot. The minutes crawled by, each second stretching longer as the moment of action loomed closer.

Half an hour later, movement on the road caught Arthur's attention. Through his scope, he spotted a small group of Legion members approaching Jeannie May Crawford, the woman responsible for countless tragedies—including Boone's. He signaled Boone with two quick flashes from his Pip-Boy, indicating readiness.

Boone adjusted his grip on his rifle, his heartbeat steady despite the storm brewing inside him.

The Legion men halted in front of Jeannie, exchanging a few words before one of them pulled out a worn leather bag filled with caps. Jeannie inspected the payment, her cold, calculating eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

A moment later, she signaled her partner, who dragged out the captive—a frightened, shackled woman with a torn dress and terror in her wide eyes.

Boone's fingers twitched over the trigger as rage burned in his veins. The ghosts of his past whispered in his ear, but he forced himself to wait.

As soon as the Legion members turned to leave with their prize, Arthur sent the final signal—a single, sharp pulse of light. Boone inhaled deeply, steadying himself. In one swift motion, Arthur activated V.A.T.S., time slowing to a crawl as he locked onto his first target—the Legionary closest to the captive. His rifle barked, and the shot landed clean between the man's eyes, sending him crumpling to the dirt.

Before the others could react, Boone followed suit, his rifle thundering as a Legionnaire's head snapped back in a spray of crimson. Chaos erupted.

The remaining Legionaries scrambled for their weapons, but they were too slow. Arthur adjusted his aim and fired off two quick shots, tearing through another Legionary's chest before he could even raise his machete. Boone, efficient and merciless, tracked the last Legion soldier with his scope. A single breath, a precise squeeze of the trigger, and the man collapsed with a bullet clean through the heart.

Jeannie, realizing what was happening, turned to flee, her breath coming in ragged gasps. But Boone was already tracking her movements, his rifle locked onto her back. A single, cold shot rang out, and she crumpled to the ground, lifeless. Her partner barely had time to draw his weapon before Boone put him down with equal precision.

The dust settled. The acrid scent of gunpowder and blood hung heavy in the air. The wasteland had claimed more souls tonight.

The captive woman stood frozen, wide-eyed and trembling, her chains rattling as she struggled to process what had just happened.

Boone chambered another round, scanning the corpses with a detached gaze. Then, after a moment, he muttered under his breath, "Justice."

Arthur exhaled, his grip on his rifle loosening. He turned to Boone and nodded. "It's done. Let's move."

As they made their way downhill, they approached the woman, who sat curled up on the ground, her body tense with fear. She looked up as they neared, her wide eyes flickering between them with uncertainty.

Arthur crouched slightly, keeping his tone calm. "Are you hurt?"

The woman hesitated, then shook her head. "No… just shaken. Thank you—for saving me."

Boone, his voice steady but gruff, asked, "Where are you from?"

"Primm," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

Arthur exchanged a glance with Boone before motioning for him to step aside. Once they had some distance, Arthur lowered his voice. "Now that you've got your revenge… what's next?"

Boone let out a slow exhale. "I don't know. I won't be sticking around, that's for sure. Don't see much point in anything anymore—except hunting Legion. Maybe I'll just wander… like you."

Arthur studied him for a moment. "Then why not come with me?"

Boone raised an eyebrow. "You asking me to travel with you?"

Arthur shook his head. "No."

Boone frowned. "Then what are you getting at?"

Arthur smirked. "You know Nipton's been wiped out, right?"

Boone crossed his arms. "Yeah. Legion made a damn example out of it."

Arthur nodded. "Inside the town hall, there's a Securitron—used to assist the old mayor. When I was there, he put me in charge and handed me blueprints to rebuild the place."

Boone's eyes narrowed. "And?"

Arthur's expression turned serious. "I want you to oversee that rebuilding—turn Nipton into a base of operations."

Boone scoffed. "A base? For what?"

Arthur's smirk widened. "You'll understand soon enough—by the time the battle for Hoover Dam comes."

Boone mulled that over before asking, "And what's in it for me?"

Arthur chuckled. "You get to kill any Legionnaire dumb enough to come near the place."

Boone let out a rare, satisfied breath—almost a laugh. "Now you're speaking my language. But one problem—where the hell are we supposed to get the firepower to hold it?"

Arthur's smirk turned razor-sharp. "Give me a week. I'll handle it."

With that, Arthur turned and started back toward Novac, disappearing into the wasteland without another word. Boone watched him go, then glanced back at the woman.

"Come on. Let's get you out of here."

Without another word, the two began their journey toward Nipton.

By 3 AM, Arthur arrived in Novac, exhausted from his journey. Without wasting time, he headed straight to his rented room. The first thing he did was take a much-needed bath, letting the warm water wash away the grime of the road. Once clean, he sat down and ate a simple meal. Satisfied, he lay down on the bed, allowing himself to finally rest. Sleep came easily, and for the first time in a while, he slept peacefully.

The next morning, Arthur woke early, feeling refreshed. After a quick wash, he stepped out of his room and made his way toward the dinosaur-shaped building that housed the town's sniper post. Climbing the stairs, he reached the mouth of the dinosaur, where another sniper was stationed, scanning the horizon.

Noticing Arthur, the man turned and greeted him. "What's going on, man?"

Arthur got straight to the point. "I'm looking for a man in a checkered coat."

The sniper nodded slightly. "Sure, I know him. What do you want with him?"

"He has something of mine," Arthur answered, his tone firm.

The sniper smirked. "You talking about that chip? Man, I don't think he's giving it up that easy." He paused before continuing, "Listen, I can help you find him, but I've got problems of my own. Maybe we can make a trade—you help me, and I'll help you."

Arthur crossed his arms. "What do you need?"

The sniper sighed, looking out over the town. "Novac… it's home for me now. And I want that to stay the case. I like it here—I've left too many homes behind already. But the only thing keeping this place going is salvage from up the road. Without that, people won't have anything to trade, and they'll be forced to leave."

Arthur listened silently as the sniper continued.

"The problem is, a bunch of ghouls took over the old rocket test site where we get most of our supplies. One day they just showed up, and now we can't even get close. If they stay there much longer, Novac's finished."

Arthur nodded. "What exactly do you need done?"

"They gotta go," the sniper said simply. "Don't care how you do it—just clear 'em out. If you can make that happen, I'll help you track down your guy."

Arthur thought for a moment before replying, "Alright. I'll see what I can do."

The sniper gave a small nod. "It'd mean a lot to me." With that, he turned back to his duty, resuming his watch over the town.

Arthur didn't waste any time. He left the tower and began making his way toward the REPCONN test site, ready to deal with whatever waited for him there.