Chapter 602 - Traitor Angst

Boone releases a sigh as he hikes up the mountain, pulling up the strap holding the silenced Anti-Material Rifle. He was beginning to regret accepting this mission without asking what it was, he'd only actually realised what he'd be doing as he started climbing.

The parade awaiting the president's arrival had already been prepared, allowing him to see the various decorations and etc. It wasn't the fact he'd be assassinating someone that was bothering him though, as he'd done that plenty of times in the past as well.​​

No, his internal debate is due to who he was assassinating... While he had set himself against the NCR and had no intentions nor hopes of rejoining them, there was a limit to how much he could suppress and ignore.

How did a loyal soldier, born and raised, end up on a mission to assassinate the President of the country he once served? It was pretty hypocritical he noted to himself... He was willing to kill soldiers, but not the man leading them?

He sighs as he climbs up a steep wall, unceremoniously throwing himself over it before readjusting the hood shielding him from the sun. It wasn't sunny, but it certainly felt better for him to hide his face, as if it were numbing his emotions for him.

Soon enough, he reaches the peak where he drops to a knee and starts organising all his equipment. He lays it all out on the floor, noting everything that might be useful for the act, as well as fleeing from it once it happened.

Sniper, Explosive Ammunition(For a sure kill and to disorient the enemy), Stealthboy, Legion Denarius(Coin to make the Legion seem responsible for the act), and... A Cigar... No, that's just his personal item...

He checks his watch and notes that it's only 3 PM, meaning he had around an hour before his target arrived. He didn't doubt the intel he'd been given, as Afton was never wrong with this kind of thing, nor would he rely on unreliable intel.

Boone just sits down and lights his cigar, slowly smoking it as he waits for the moment... He observes the Dam and notes that everyone inside was rather frantic, meaning they hadn't known that the President would be arriving soon. Heh, why isn't he surprised that Afton would know before the people attending the parade?

He chuckles as he digs the cigar into the ground, quietly and carefully taking up position and awaiting the president.

An hour passes and the President's Vertibird finally arrives, doing a couple laps around the Dam before quickly landing on the roof of one fo the towers. Boone could have tried shooting it down with the President inside, but felt it was better to assure the man's death instead of risking it on a plane crash.

The parade finally begins, and many rangers lead the President up onto the stand where he begins giving a speech. Boone actually finds himself unconsciously listening to the man, seemingly forgetting about his duty as he finds himself enthralled by his charisma... A single tear collects in one of his eyes and he's forced to shake himself out of his stupor.

Gritting his teeth, he aims at the President and squeezes the trigger, but can't find the strength to complete the action... His arm trembles, making aim unstable as he finally loses his composure and drops the gun. Looking at his hands in surprise and anger.

"*Bzztch!* Boone, you gonna take the shot or what?" Afton's voice asks over the radio, revealing that he'd been watching from somewhere the entire time.

...

"I-..." he trails off and hears Afton sigh at the other end.

"If you can't do it then just say so, there are other plans in place." he states.

...

Boone looks down at the parade and back at his gun, "I can't complete the mission." he reluctantly states, knowing that adding this regret to his list would only make his life harder... If Afton had another way of completing it then he'd prefer to not have bloody hands... Especially the blood of a President.

"Alright, don't worry about it buddy. There are some things I'm not willing to do either, I'd be a hypocrite to blame you for this." Afton says as Boone catches a shadow descending from the corner of his eye.

He looks at it and notices some sort of orb floating high in the sky, directly over the parade stage... It was carrying something, 'Was' being the main concern as whatever it'd dropped was rapidly headed for the President.

Boone does nothing though, resting his hands on his knees as he watches the events unfold. The thing crashes directly onto the President, killing him instantly in a spray of blood, and before people were even able to react it explodes, killing most of the rangers and Parade watchers.

*BOOOM!*

Smoke billows to the sky, and after the dust clears all that's left of the stage is scorched ruins. A few injured people try to crawl away to safety, but another explosion occurs nearby... Bear Force One, the President's Vertibird had exploded as well, collapsing the tower it was on and killing many NCR troopers.

Boone watches on with a neutral expression, not being able to bring up any emotions at the sight. He wanted to feel something towards the death of many former colleagues, but he simply didn't. As if he were watching a movie, and those dying were only actors.

"Boone, get outta there before they start scanning the surroundings." Afton's voice shakes him from his thoughts, and he unconsciously nods while picking up his gear. Quickly leaving, but not before tossing the single Denarius off of the mountain peak, allowing it to roll onto the Dam.

It was unlikely they'd pin the attack on the Legion, but the regular soldiers wouldn't think like that... Instead, turning their ire towards their closest enemy, instead of the one actually capable of committing this act... After all, the Legion isn't able to drop bombs from the sky, and if they were, the NCR would certainly know about it.