As he stood and opened the door the sounds of Megaton's night time reverie came in. He stood calmly feeling the crude wasteland breeze against the neck of his torn Enclave officer's jacket and he pulled down the brim of his pre-war hat and stepped out. The metallic clanking under his light boots perfectly echoed the ones from above near the saloon. He started towards the gate, brushing past Nathan Vargas who was walking towards his home rather distractedly. Nathan said something to him but continued on and under Stockholm's post. As he continued through the gates, he heard Stockholm call out:
"Where the hell are you going so late kid?"
"Somewhere else."
Alex pulled the hat farther down on his head and secured the strap on his bag. With his hand on the butt of his holstered .38 revolver he began walking in the direction of Tenpenny Tower. As Alex was walking towards the direction of Tenpenny tower, Red kept a eye on making sure trouble didn't cross him even though he didn't have much ammo to spare he would do anything to keep a fellow wastelander from perishing. Alex decided to stop and sleep off the fatigue from the long, tiring trip. Though he didn't know a problem later that night would soon he kept his .38 loaded prepared to shoot anyone who crossed him.
The sun can be unforgiving, but it's the cold wasteland nights that really brand you. Alex shivered and warmed his hands with the fire in front of him. The wind picked up with a faint chemical burn and pushed right through his jacket. Off in the distance a Bloatfly buzzed greedily and a soft thwack rent the air. Alex stood fully and drew his weapon, all of his senses on alert. A faint and steady hiss echoed from somewhere just over the hill followed by another swish of a blade. A hearty laugh rang out that made Alex's blood run cold. Alex rang one shot in the air, slowly removing the cloth of his Stormchaser hat from his face.
"Whoever the fuck you are.. Show yourself. You get one warning now."
As the hissing sound grew closer it became more evident to be some sort of propulsion, a sound one might relate to a stove's burner clicking on over and over. At the crest of a hill a man appeared. In his hand was a long blade. It appeared to be the bastard child of a lawn mower and a motorcycle, connecting behind his back to a large tank of what must be gasoline. Although the man's face was hidden under a protective fireman's helm, Alex could swear he was smiling. The gun in Alex's hand rang out twice.
It was the gunfire that woke Eleanor up. The twenty something year old wastelander was sleeping against the big boulders north of where Alex's fire was. She had seen him in the distance before her slumber and determined that he was no threat to her where she was. Now that she heard the gunshots, she knew it was time to be aware, even though her eyes still wanted to rest. Her hands immediately went to work as she wrapped her wavy raven color hair with a string of leather and put on her glasses that she had next to her, pushing them up the bridge of her nose. She reached to her belt on her green combat armor for her canteen, taking a swig of the last remaining water she had.
"Great. One problem at a time."
She murmured to herself to be quiet, putting the canteen back where it came from. Last and foremost, she reloaded her plasma rifle as quietly as she could, knowing that rifle wasn't as quiet as her laser pistol but since being so far away she couldn't chance shooting with a pistol. What she could see of Alex, he wasn't trying to hurt anyone. Hell, he could be a really good guy and she didn't want to just stand back as some psycho raider just came for him. Or worst, some slaver.
Hearing the nearby gunshots Red jumped up and quickly put on his regulator duster and loaded the .308 magazine into the decaying but loyal sniper rifle. Observing the skirmish of Alex and the stranger, Red taking aim took a deep breath and fired but only found it jamming. Cursing that his gun had jammed, pulled a 10mm out of the holster attached to the duster and silently running towards the commotion.
Chinese officers sword pierce his chest leaving only a gushing pool of blood, the attacker chuckled Red barely alive pulled the pin of the grenade on his side giving out a faint smile knowing he had the last laugh. The explosion alerted many in the area the explosion distracted the stranger which gave Alex a change to kill him once and for all.
Alex breathed deeply, doing his best to remain calm. The strange commotion around him confused him a bit. In a matter of seconds, a woman had appeared and rushed to his side and a man had given his life in an attempt to help. He shakily looked from where Red laid on the ground, sensing him still breathing then back to the woman at his side.
The next morning rose slowly through the crests of the hills surrounding the campfire. The stranger who had given their life for his lay buried a few hundred yards away. The attacking raiders had been removed of all their loot, which now lay piled next to a dirty backpack near the campfire. Alex straightened himself up and stared over at the sleeping stranger. Who was she? Why had she and this other person risked their lives for him?!
Alex waits until the next night when the stranger who had aided him has fallen asleep to move on. The day was spent in silence, pieces of a mole rat roasting over the fire crackling in protest to the quiet. The stranger seemed sweet, but she would only slow him down. The progress is made quickly as the next night falls, nothing between himself and Tenpenny Tower now. As he comes over the last hill, he watches as a woman in a vault's jumpsuit exits the gates and heads into the distance. A small mangy dog follows with it's tail bobbing eagerly.
"That's the 'lone wanderer' no doubt.." Alex thinks aloud to himself. He waits a moment watching her disappear into the distance then makes his way to the gate which is now closed back. He pushes the intercom. A rude, clearly upset voice comes through.
"What the hell do you want?"
Alex shifted uncomfortably and straightened his jacket out before pressing the intercom to speak into it.
"My name is Alex, I overheard an exchange between one of Mr. Tenpenny's associates and the woman who just left, I'm seeking employee-"
The intercom crackles an interruption.
"Yeah whatever, I'll let you in just don't mind the ghouls.. I'll have one of my men escort you to Tenpenny's suite."
Alex pulls the jacket closer to his body, hiding the. .38 revolver under it just as the gate opens and a man in combat armor greets him, holding a combat shotgun.
"Follow me, don't make any trouble."
The glare the man gives him makes it incredibly obvious that nobody here is in the mood for joviality at the moment and that Alex isn't making the best first impression showing up battleworn in an obviously stolen Enclave jacket. He follows the man into the tower and around a security desk to an elevator. As they step on Alex carefully examines his surroundings noting the people walk around. One of them is a ghoul male in a leather armor clearly quite pleased with himself.
"Hold tight, next stop Tenpenny's suite."
The elevator opens and the man beside Alex steps off and continues up a ways taking a left, he raises an arm to a man around the corner then turns back.
"You coming or what?"
Alex comes around the corner, entering the room before Tenpenny's perch. The man behind him closes the door and Alex puts his hand back on the revolver, opening the door to the outside slowly. The old man is peacefully setting, proper and straight like a true gentleman.
"Hello then, what can I do for you friend?"
His hands raise a small glass of whiskey which he swishes around. His face has a genuine smile, but Alex doesn't return it.
"The girl from Vault 101, she came by I see.."
Tenpenny took a slow deliberate sip from his glass and nodded.
"Yes, quite a nice girl.. I'm afraid she was rather short with me at first but she warmed up once we allowed that Roy fellow to move in, I think you may have noticed him on your way up.. Rotting flesh, cocky demeanor?"
Alex finally returned the favor with a smile as he wiped his mouth, the rough dirty particles from the wasteland air scratching him as it goes. The hand with the revolver comes out and points at Tenpenny who quickly loses his smile.
"I don't know why you stuck your nose in Megaton's business.. But you managed to get the sheriff killed in the process."
Tenpenny quickly moves and starts to say something but Alex pulls the trigger twice.
"I don't need to know either.."
Alex takes a step over to the edge, dragging Tenpenny's draining body over to it. Below the men in combat armor raise their heads to the sound of the gunshots. He drops Tenpenny who plummets into the courtyard and Alex busts through the doorways in a rush, knocking the two men in front of it. He breaks for the elevator which dings and slowly opens. As the door closely slowly, Alex crouches and attaches a stealth boy to his side and activates it. The elevator reaches the lobby. A tense group is huddled, guns drawn.
Ding...
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