Fallout: Blood And Bullets

[Macman253]

My name is Samuel Kane, most call me Kane... I was born in New Canaan and I had a wife and son but that was years ago. Now I live in New Vegas and I am a bounty hunter. I say Bounty Hunter because it's really the best job description available, I personally hate Mercenary and Assassin, I don't normally set out to kill my targets but usually they try to kill me and in the hail of gunfire they end up dead and I loose most my caps.

 

I woke a Thursday morning with a splitting hangover and a gently snoring Lexi in my bed. Lexi was my dog, a small for her breed Cattle-Dog that I had found a few years back as a puppy, her fur was a reddish-brown and she wore a red bandana around her neck that my dog loving neighbor gave to her. I sat up slowly and pulled the covers off my bruised and beaten chest. A few days before I had tangled with the Romero Twins, they were worth a solid five hundred caps alive and I got my God-fearing ass kicked but I was able to bring them in, spent half my caps on the local town Doc to give me a few pain pills and a half assed stitch job.

 

I felt Lexi's tail begin to thump against the mattress as she had realized I had awoken and was moving about. She jumped up onto her feet and licked at my face excitedly. I smiled and swatted her away, she jumped off the bed and slipped through the dog-door I had built into my second floor apartment's door and went outside. I drank the last of a bottle of whiskey and picked up my colt .45 and checked the magazine, it was full and the safety was off so I carted it and my beaten and bruised ass into the bathroom for a shower.

 

I got the eternally cold water running and sure enough there was a pounding on my door within minutes of me climbing in. I cursed to myself and rolled my eyes as I stepped out naked as the day I was born and wet as a Lakelurk. I heard the familiar voice of Jeannie-May at the door.

 

"Open up Kane... you are a months late on your rent." She screamed through the heavy wooden door. I unhooked the custom latch on the side that was tied to a string that fed up to the triggers on a double barreled shotgun fixed on the roof and aiming at the door, should anyone force their way in they will get a face full of buckshot with enough powder behind it to put down an angry Supermutant.

 

I opened the door and leaned against the frame, letting her see my nearly naked form, the door hiding the parts that would be indecent to expose in this fine noon sunlight. The look of shock on her face almost made me laugh had I not been so tired. The older woman stared at me after collecting herself,

 

"Mr. Kane when you agreed to rent this room from me on a monthly basis you made a promise to pay me." She said sternly, her foot rapidly tapping in anxiety and frustration.

 

Most around Novac said Jeannie was a wonderful person but she always hated me for some reason and only when it was the pair of us did she make it well known. I said nothing for a long moment and then disappeared behind the door and found my pants, I removed fifty caps from the pouch on my belt and handed them to her.

 

"There... this and next month's rent. Do I have any mail?" I asked as I slipped my blue jeans on behind the door.

 

Jeannie tucked the caps into her pocket and nodded, she pulled the parcel from under her arm out and offered it to me. "Came with a letter too... from a guy named Big John, said he wanted to meet with you today at the 188." She said quickly and turned on her heel and stormed off.

 

I closed the door and hooked up one of the many traps hidden around my apartment, I had too many encounters in my past days to not have them. I kept a .38 under my pillow and a grenade tucked under the end-table next to my bed. Under the folding table where I ate my meals and listened to the Radio I had a combat knife and a .22 pistol taped to it aswell as a sawed off hidden in the back of my toilet.

 

Yeah I am that paranoid don't judge me.

 

After I had finished my shower and gotten dressed I grabbed my duster and my wide-brimmed hat along with my flip-lever action 12 gauge, I slipped a few shells into my coat pocket and a few magazines for my .45 in there aswell and left. I locked the door on my way out and whistled for Lexi to follow me. It took me two hours to make it to the 188, Michelle had fixed her afternoon surprise meal for the pair of caravan guards sitting at the bar along with a very short man that looked like a child, back in the days before the War they called them Dwarfs. That was 'Big' John.

 

He wore a ratty suit with a cowboy hat and some silver rings and a pearl grip pistol tucked into his belt as he drank a beer bottle that barely fit in his hand. He ran a Bounty Hunting firm in Freeside that had tried to recruit me for several years and I guessed this was another proposition. I sat at the bar next to John and ordered a whiskey and a water for Lexi.

 

"So... you got me out here half-pint give me the pitch." I said as I poured myself a glass of bootleg whiskey. Michelle smiled as she flipped a few Brahmin Steaks the Caravan Guards ordered.

 

John chuckled, "Kane... I am not here to hire you for a position in my firm, I am here to personally offer you a contract." He said with a toothy smile, John had snaggle-teeth that were as dark as his suit. But I knew behind this stinky little mole-rat beat the heart of a snake.

 

I glared at him for a moment and then chugged down the disgustingly strong whiskey. "So... tell me what you got?"

 

John's eye twitched as I figured he guessed I was fishing for information before I accepted. He nodded his head and removed a piece of paper from his coat pocket and placed it on the bar counter. He flattened it to reveal the picture of a beautiful young woman with long dark hair and a scar under her left cheek.

 

"I need you to find this girl... Natalie. Her parents are wealthy Brahmin-Barons from out west and she was vacationing here in New Vegas, she lost all her money and was last seen with a caravan near Primm. I think the Powder Gangers may have kidnapped her for a ransom." Said the dwarf as he removed a long cigar from his jacket and lit it with a match.

 

I looked over the poster, under it written in black ink was 'Wanted Alive, 1,000 cap reward.' I personally hated tangling with Powder Gangers, last time I had done so I ended up with a knife in the leg and my eyebrows singed off. This job had a deadline of at best three days and I would either have to force them to bring her out into the open or hit them in the most secure facility in the Mojave.

 

"Alright... but for double the poster price, and I will need a few items on you." I said with a straight face, I knew there was a reason half-rack came to me instead of one of his own thugs, this required skill and finesse that they didn't have and I barely ever had. I saw the dwarf's teeth clinch in barely restrained rage and his fist grew tight but he relaxed and nodded. I removed a pencil from my coat pocket and gave him a list of items I would need and handed it to him. I stood and tipped the brim of my hat to him with my finger and left.

 

I refused to look back as John slammed his fist on the table hard enough to spill the open bottles of booze and make the plates of food jump into the air. Even as I strode away I could feel the heat of Big John's anger, he needed me more then I needed him and I so enjoyed sticking it to him.

 

When I returned to my apartment it was just before sunset, I walked up the stairs slowly to let my wounded body adjust to the movement but at the top stood Ramona, the dark-skinned goddess that lived next door to me. I smiled at her and she gave me a big white tooth filled grin. She wore a floral sundress and low heels that I found to be very fetching on her.

 

"Hello Sam..." She said with a quick wink and a smile, I wrapped my arm around her waist and walked with her to my apartment.

 

[Macman253]

The next day, at about noon came a knock on my door. I opened it half dressed as Ramona showered. The man standing before me was tall, he wore fatigues with a flak vest over his chest and a large duffle-bag in his hand along with a shotgun in the other. He had large dark sunglasses on with real silver frames and a cigar stuck in his teeth. He thrusted the duffle bag into my arms and pushed his way into my apartment.

 

"Your things, courtesy of Big John." He said sternly as he walked over to my table and poured himself a glass of whiskey.

 

I tossed the bag of items onto the bed and turned to face him.

 

"Hi... please come in." I quipped as I opened the bag and removed the flak vest fit for me, a flare gun with a box of ten flares and a broken down missile launcher with two missiles. "Well, I am glad he got everything I ordered." I added as I began to assemble the launcher.

 

The Stranger swigged his whiskey and nodded. "Yes, and I am to go with you... Boss wants to make sure you do what your hired for."

 

I couldn't help but chuckle and turn to face him. "I have never failed to complete a job I have taken on..." I retaliated. It was too early in the morning for me to put up with some five-dollar pistol jockey's snarky remarks. "Unlike your foul spawn of a gecko and a mole-rat boss I keep my promises."

 

Yeah, I was in that kind of mood.

 

Mr. Shades chuckled and poured another drink for himself. "Either way... I am here to stay. We leave in an hour." He said coldly. I rolled my eyes and grabbed my long-coat and the duffle-bag, I slid the launcher into the bag and threw it over my shoulder. "Let's go... we are going to have to take my Corvega." I said as I opened the door.

 

Mr. Shades looked at me with a raised eyebrow and followed.

 

Now before I continue let me explain, about a year before I helped out an old guy named Felix Letrush who managed to repair... if you could call it that an old world Corvega. He gave it to me as a reward for what I did for him, bringing him back his wife can do that to a guy. I lead Mr. Shades out of Novac to the gas station across from the motel where the baby blue and rust colored Chryslus Corvega waited. Most of her windows were reinforced with metal sheeting save for a small space open for the driver to see and the drivers window. The back seats were removed for a lockbox that held an arsenal of weapons, from assault rifles and frag grenades to my sawed off shotgun aswell as a small seat with restraints for any live captures. Wong had the rear engine compartment up and was idly tinkering with the engine.

 

Wong was an elderly Asian guy that had a thing for machines, normally he fixed Robots but since I brought him the Corvega he has been keeping it in repair for me. I opened the door and tossed the duffle-bag into the back. Wong closed the hood and walked over to me.

 

"Mr. Kane, I have her batteries charged but you need a new Nuclear Converter... your's will blow out if you do not fix it." He said as he wiped the grease and radioactive oil from his hands. Mr. Shades walked up with Lexi in tow as I slapped Wong on the shoulder. "Go talk to Felix, tell him to give you one and I'll have his caps by tomorrow."

 

Wong nodded and I climbed into the Corvega, Mr. Shades opened the passenger door and Lexi hopped into the rear seat while he sat in the passenger seat. I turned the key and the engine turned over slowly, the engine came to life with the sound of metal scraping on metal before the gentle hum of the V24 nuclear powered engine began to purr calmly. Mr. Shades looked at me and I shrugged.

 

"Working like a charm..." I said as I backed out and floored it.

 

An hour later we pulled into the Mojave Outpost, not by choice either. The batteries began to give out and until I could get my hands on a mess of Microfusion cells it will have to stay here. We grabbed all the water and food we could carry, Mr. Shades took an AR-15 and a few magazines. Mojave Outpost was sparsely occupied by NCR troops and full of trapped Brahmin Caravans. The roads to New Vegas were too dangerous to travel now that Sloan and the Long 15 were closed off.

 

We left the Corvega locked sitting next to the Mojave Outpost's front gate and left for Primm. If anyone knew anything in and or around Primm it would be Beagle. About a year ago I saved his lyin' ass from a pair of Raider's that were shooting up Primm, he took full credit for the shooting and I nearly shot him but seeing as how I know he didn't do it he owed me a favor. After we got to the old Highway Patrol Station we slowed down our pace, three men were coming at us from the distance and I knew well that the less people you see while travelling the Wastes the better. Mr. Shades looked to me and flipped the safety off his rifle.

 

"What's the plan?" He asked as he offered me his shotgun, I took it, pumped in a fresh round and looked up to the roof. "You post up there... I'll go and chat with them." I replied as I walked out to meet them. The three men stood in a line and like any smart Waster they were all armed. The pair on the right and left both had 9mm pistols but the guy in the middle held an assault rifle. The three of them wore ratty clothes and had dirt covered faces, the one on my right had wild eyes and his body twitched irregularly.

 

I held out my shotgun to show that I didn't have my finger on the trigger, while I held my .45 behind my back with the safety off and a round chambered.

 

Hey, I never said I was an honest New Canannite.

 

The man in the middle held up his rifle with the barrel pointed at my chest. He lit a cigarette and looked at me. He stank of Brahmin dung and cigarette smoke, the guy to my left held his pistol on me and giggled.

 

"What you doin' on our road?" He asked.

 

I set my shotgun across my foot and pointed my fingers at Giggles like a pistol and smirked. "Bang..." I said just as a loud gunshot filled the air and Giggles' head exploded in a shower of brains and blood. I popped the shotgun into the air and caught it, swung it around and fired a shot into Wild-Eyes groin that sent him flying off his feet. Stinky raised his rifle as he took a few steps back but just as he pulled his trigger instead of a bang came a click. I leveled my .45 at him and smirked.

 

"That is why you clean your rifle regularly..." I said before putting two into his noggin.

 

Mr. Shades came running up to me and inspected his handywork and mine. He looked to me and nodded in respect. "I can see why my Boss likes you so much... you get results, I haven't seen anyone fight like that before. Ranger?" He said as he toed over the now headless Giggles.

 

I one-handed pumped his shotgun to expel the spent shell and rack in a fresh one and shook my head. "I was a missionary..." I said with a smirk, Mr. Shades looked at me with a blank stare then shook his head. "God must be recruiting a different sort these days..." He said as he fished out a few NCR dollars and caps from their bodies aswell as a few sticks of dynamite.

 

"Looks like Powder Gangers..." He said as he tucked them into his pack. I nodded and started for Primm. "C'mon, we got a girl to save and caps to collect." I replied as I laid the shotgun across my shoulder.