Orange Colored Sky

[Ithildin]

Wonderful work! I look forward to the next chapter, whenever it's finished.

[tokyobiohazard]

I have two chapters done, my only issue is posting them. I've been having some major issues with depression lately and as if that isn't enough, my internet at home is disconnected. My phone is all I have to do anything online with now. I'm extremely sorry.

[Deleted54170User]

I think I will read some more after I've had a nice nap. Good Fallout 3 and NV material!

[MotoSxorpio]

Nice writing, tokyo. :thumbsup:

[tokyobiohazard]

Author's note: I would have posted two chapters at once, but this one seemed quite long. I still have a lot of revising to do with the next two chapters, anyway. Maybe those will be posted together.

 

Chapter IV

 

We had walked in silence for what seemed like at least half an hour when Morgan said, without looking over at me, "Fanny, I've got something to tell you."

 

I took a few more steps before adjusting the tinted glasses Morgan had given me. Listening for what he had to say, I stepped over a pothole in the road.

 

"You should start speaking up more. Can't know if you heard me or not." Morgan sighed as I once again stayed silent.

 

We were approaching what looked like an NCR Ranger Station, and I finally spoke. "I don't know what to say. My dad is dead, I know that much."

 

"Look, Fanny. I have to tell you what happened." Morgan looked over to Loki, who seemed to be on the scent of some animal about twenty feet away from us. "Not many people know the full story, but I'm supposed to be dead. Murdered."

 

"Can we stop and sit down? It's so hot, and I'm tired..." I swallowed. The back of my throat felt about as dry as those plants Morgan so easily set ablaze earlier.

 

"Sure, kiddo." Morgan pointed to a pile of tires nearby. He kicked at them, making sure no rattlesnakes or spiders had taken refuge inside, then sat down on the edge of the biggest one. He motioned for me to join him.

 

I sat down, and took note of our surroundings. The ranger station was across from us, so these tires were most likely being planned for use as shielding somehow.

 

Morgan tossed me a bottle of water, and I reflexively caught it, examining the label. This was the stuff I was used to. Highly purified, Ultra-Luxe quality stuff, really. I looked up at Morgan, "So, you can continue." I twisted the lid off the bottle and downed it all in a few seconds.

 

Morgan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his finger and thumb, then looked at me. "I can't put this lightly, Fanny. I... How old are you? I just can't tell you if you're as young as you look."

 

I averted my gaze and trained my eyes onto my hands in my lap. "I... I'm sixteen. It's my birthday next week."

 

Morgan cursed, before saying, "Look at me." He pointed at his forehead, apparently as a particularly nasty scar that looked like it'd been made by something like a 9mm bullet... But who survived a shot to the forehead?

 

Suddenly, I realized it. Everything made sense. My daddy had been so busy before he took me to that safehouse, and he'd never done that before. Always in his room with the door locked tight. When the door did open, there was no sign he'd even been doing anything. That could only mean one thing. He was plotting in secret.

 

The caliber of that bullet... An image of my father's pistol popped into my head.

 

"Maria..." I whispered.

 

He cursed again and stood up, "Sorry if I seem rude, but I have to take care of something." He unzipped his bag and grabbed a rifle that looked like something a high-ranking NCR trooper would carry, running out of my field of vision, becoming a blur of colors. There was a loud bang, and then Morgan walked back over.

 

"Sorry, kiddo, but we're gonna need to start walking again. Those guys were reinforcements. The Legion is full of bad people, and they'll chase you until either they get the job done or you kill enough of them that they just stop coming for you and go for your loved ones instead."

 

Wordlessly, I stood up and handed my empty bottle over to Morgan, then he stowed it in his pack for later reuse.

 

"You like trail mix?" he asked, after pulling a small pouch off his pack.

 

"Trail... mix?"

 

"You know, nuts, dried berries, little bits of bread occasionally. Stuff to keep you energized while on the trail." He tossed the pouch to me and smiled a little. "Let's get moving."

 

I nodded, walking behind him as I snacked on handfuls of the trail mix. It was strange how much of outside life I'd missed being sheltered by the Chairmen.

 

"Hey, we got side-tracked," Morgan laughed as he skirted a dead... something sprawled across the road. It had been buzzard food weeks ago, from the looks of it, and the smell wasn't exactly like fresh flowers.

 

I pressed a hand over my nose and mouth, "The last thing I said was 'Maria'."

 

"Oh, right. Well, there's no easy way to say it, but yes. Your father did try to kill me. I can't lie to you, Fanny... I got revenge on him. I'm sorry for your loss."

 

"It's okay," I mumbled, "I forgive you. I would have done the same thing as you did."

 

We walked on in silence for a few more minutes until Morgan said, "My strategy wasn't even needed, you know."

 

"When you killed my dad?"

 

"No, Frankie. Don't be so morbid." He pointed off to some smudges of color ahead of us. "My plan was to tell you all this while on the road, so you at least come with me to the next town. You didn't freak out on me and my plan wasn't really needed."

 

"So I'm guessing those blobs are actually buildings?"

 

"Yep." Morgan then whipped his head around and pulled his rifle out. He fired at three blurry, red shapes that were almost close enough for me to see fairly clearly.

 

Suddenly, it happened again. I fell to the ground. Only, this time, I was tackled from behind. Luckily, I flung my arms out just in time to break my fall. My glasses once again broke, though this time because they slid off my face.

 

"No," I groaned, and then roared as I rolled onto my back and began writhing in the grip of my crimson-clad foe. I spit in his face.

 

"You little worm!" the man growled, thrusting his palm directly at my tender, bandaged scalp. I groaned in pain as he wrapped his fingers around my skull and glared at me. "I'll be sure to get you a nice husband. Hell, might even marry you myself." He leaned in closer, "And I guarantee, this isn't be the only kind of head I'll be--"

 

Before I could even think to fight back more, and before he could utter another word, the head of the Legionnaire exploded, sending a splatter of brains, skull, and flesh across my face. His throat gurgled for a split second.

 

My face blank, I lay underneath the headless corpse, staring up at the orange clouds that dusted the sky as if they were the wispy strands of my wavy hair.

 

"So, you just gonna lie there forever?" Morgan asked, extending a hand to me.

 

I pushed the corpse off of me, rolling it over and listening to the dull thump it produced as it limply hit the ground.

 

"Today," I began, taking Morgan's hand as he helped me up, "I think I've been attacked more times than I have in my entire life. I'm really not good at this whole fending for myself thing."

 

Morgan laughed, "Well, maybe we can help you with that."

 

I picked up the frames of the broken glasses before tossing them somewhere far off. "Let's hope it involves prescription goggles."

 

Morgan led me by my shoulder toward the blurred shapes of buildings. He opened up a door and led me inside a room, then pressed a key into my hand. "This place belongs to me. You can stay here as long as you like, but leave the key under the mat if you ever choose to go anywhere, in case I need back inside."

 

I blinked, confused, and looked at Morgan, "You aren't staying with me?"

 

He shook his head and patted my shoulder, "No. I'm needed in other places right now." He turned and placed his hand on the doorknob, "There's a box under the bed with random junk inside. You may find some eyeglasses in there or in a drawer somewhere. If anyone asks why you're here, say Morgan sent you. A few people around here owe me one. I'll be right back, though. You need someone to look out for you, and I know just the guy." He walked outside and closed the door behind himself.

 

I stared at the walls for a while, before deciding to look for those glasses Morgan mentioned. I started by sifting through a box under the bed. Scraps from electronics, toys, bits of plastic, and wire frames were all I could find inside. I decided to check the drawers, and found a pair of thick eyeglasses immediately.

 

As I slid them on, I happily realized these were almost the perfect prescription, and I could see everything in the room clearly. Now, I just had to come up with a way to keep them on if I fell down again.

 

***********

 

When the door opened again, I was sitting on the bed, surrounded by wires and strings. I jumped, then put the glasses back on, shoving my few attempts to make a strap for them under a pillow.

 

Morgan stepped in the room and motioned for someone to follow.

 

A relatively tall man in cargo pants and a white shirt followed him inside. His brow was furrowed as if he were angry, which was barely visible beneath a pair of dark sunglasses. A red beret with some sort of badge clipped onto it topped his shaved head. He was silent.

 

"Well," Morgan said, "This is Boone. He's one of the town snipers. Ex-military. Got a nasty grudge against the Legion, and not much of a talker."

 

I looked over the man again. Being a sniper meant he had a good eye. Ex-military meant he had training and could teach me to fight. Quiet, like me... But most importantly, he had a grudge against the Legion. Morgan had found me the perfect companion with barely any time to think it over.

 

There was a silence that lasted a few minutes, before Morgan finally sighed and said, "Since Frankie won't talk, let me introduce him."

 

"Frankie?" Boone inquired, raising an eyebrow, "How old are you, exactly?"

 

"Old enough to know I'm not a boy!" I exclaimed, glaring at Morgan, who was cracking up with his hand over his mouth. "I did have gorgeous, long hair until someone in this room shaved it off!"

 

"Hey, I only shaved half your head!" Morgan said said defensively. "Ladies and their hair, sheesh."

 

"You two seem close somehow..." Boone said, looking over to Morgan, "I thought you didn't have any family."

 

"I don't." Morgan replied. "Closest thing I got to that is back east."

 

Boone grunted in response, as if he'd forgotten.

 

"I've got to leave now," Morgan said, shaking his head as he looked down at a golden pocket watch. He snapped it shut and looked up at Boone and then me, "I don't like long goodbyes, so I'll be seeing you."

 

With that, he left.

Edited September 20, 2012 by tokyobleach

[AurianaValoria1]

Awesome writing! Very descriptive, and it flows very well. Nice work! :D

[MikeRyan]

Excellent addition my dear!

 

I knew it was a good idea to let you borrow Morgan haha, keep it up!

[Flipout6]

I see what you did near the end :whistling:

 

Awesomely Epic mother-o'-god worthy story! :biggrin:

[AliasTheory]

Now this is good writing that I can enjoy. I'll be watching this thread.

[tokyobiohazard]

Thank you, all. I'm working on the next chapter. Edit: I mean two chapters. Oops. Edited September 20, 2012 by tokyobleach