Chapter 81: Bounty Killer

Chapter 81: Bounty Killer

Camp McCarran was a massive complex just south of the Vegas walls. It was built out of an old pre-war airport, but you wouldn't know that just looking at the outside. The whole place was surrounded by 25 foot high concrete walls, and topped with coils of razor wire. Every few hundred yards there was a cylindrical tower (also made out of concrete) with an obvious sharpshooter on guard duty. There was only one entrance - by the looks of things, it could open up wide and tall enough to accommodate a deuce-and-a-half truck - and it was surrounded by sandbags, guards, checkpoints... the whole nine yards.

I think the most surprising thing was just how much traffic was going in and out of the base. There was a constant stream of caravanners (with their hired guns and pack brahmin in tow), mixed with obvious NCR troops both in and out of uniform going in and out of the base. And despite the number of people, the guards were still checking everyone coming in. It took us a good ten minutes just to get past security.

The interior of Camp McCarran was basically what I've come to expect of an NCR military base - only bigger. A sea of army-green tents and precast concrete bunkers spread across what was probably a parking lot before the war. Every so often I saw a deuce-and-a-half or a Willys Jeep with a two-headed bear painted on the doors or the hood.

"Hey, Boone?" Veronica called out to Boone, as he led us through the base. "Do you know where Sheason and I can find the OSI office?" Boone stopped in his tracks, pointing up at the terminal building, south of the tent city.

"Should be in there, near Colonel Hsu's office. I think there's a sign."

"Thanks man," I said to him after Veronica veered off. "So where are you heading?"

"Gonna talk to my old ell-tee," Boone said. "See if the 1st Recon squad here knows anything worthwhile about the Fiends. Anyone else want to come?" Boone turned away from me, asking Cass, Arcade, and Raul, who were trailing behind.

"Sure, why not?" Cass said with a shrug. "Not really interested'n plants anyway." Raul didn't say anything, but he did end up following. The three of them started walking off toward the sea of tents, and I followed Veronica with Arcade close behind; V had already reached the terminal building, but was waiting just outside for us to catch up.

"You know, I'm still surprised you came," I said to Arcade as the three of us entered the terminal. "I didn't think you'd be interested in doing something for the Brotherhood." Arcade shrugged as we walked past a row of ancient slot machines; above us was a small, two-seater prop plane hanging from the ceiling.

"I'm not interested in helping the Brotherhood," Arcade said simply. "I want to help out Veronica. She's my friend, so I wanted to help her out." Veronica tried to hide her smile by looking at a nearby sign, directing us to the OSI offices. On the other hand, I had to shake my head in confusion.

"Are you feeling alright?" I asked. Arcade rolled his eyes.

"I'd be feeling better if I wasn't wearing so much armor." He fidgeted with his collar; we'd gotten him fitted for a set of combat armor from the Gun Runners the other day. "It's been a while since I've had to wear something this heavy-duty."

"You wear a lot of armor like that, working for the Followers?" I asked. Arcade visibly stiffened. "I'm just asking because you seem to have taken to that pretty naturally." And it was true. He didn't seem physically bothered by the armor much. Normally, someone who isn't used to wearing anything heavier than a labcoat would be visibly weighed down, but he seemed fine. He was just complaining a lot.

Another oddity: Veronica had loaned Arcade the Q-35 Matter Modulator for this mission, and he was carrying the plasma rifle like a professional. Tight grip, close to his chest, the barrel pointed down and away from anyone, finger off the trigger... Had he learned that just from watching the rest of us, or...

"Well," he looked down at the armor, rapping his knuckles against the chestplate. "It's not really all that complicated. I mean, it's not like powered armor. You don't even need any training to wear it, you just... wear it." He grimaced slightly. "Doesn't make it any more comfortable, though. Besides, I still don't quite get why I'm wearing it,"

"You'll get the point if you get tagged by a lucky shot, and that heavy Kevlar and ceramic saves you from a nasty chest wound."

"But what about Raul?" Arcade asked. "You didn't get any armor for him."

"That's because I want him to stick close to Boone, offer up long range fire support, maybe spot for him." I said. "With any luck, no Fiends will get close enough to shoot at either of them."

"You do know that Raul constantly talks about the fact that he's blind, right?"

"He can see better than he lets on," I said with a smirk. "I know you saw him hit that lakelurk behind me when we went to Lake Mead. One clean shot between the eyes on a moving target while standing on a moving boat and using an old six-shooter. I couldn't have made that shot."

"Hmm..."Arcade rubbed his chin. "If he can see, why would he try and hide it?"

"Probably the same reason you're lying about whatever it is you're hiding from us."

"Don't know what you're talking about," Arcade said, a little too quickly.

"Oh, hey!" Veronica said, completely oblivious to the conversation behind her. "We're here!"

The OSI offices in the McCarran terminal were much smaller than I was expecting. It was just a pair of conjoined rooms. The first contained a few servers mounted against one wall, and some science equipment and chemistry sets; there was a woman in a labcoat overseeing one of the chemistry sets in that room. The other room was an office, lined with filing cabinets; the only man in the office was sitting at a desk, typing something into a terminal in front of him. I could immediately tell that he was wearing a suit underneath his labcoat. He turned to the three of us as soon as we entered.

"Oh, hello!" He got up, and approached me, shaking my hand. He looked middle aged, with the heavy jaw of someone who's used to eating well, and a head of graying but immaculately parted hair. "I'm Dr. Thomas Hildern, Director of Operations here at OSI East. I presume you're here about Vault 22?"

That was surprising. I thought we were here because Veronica was looking for some kind of vegetation enhancer... Isn't Vault 22 where we're supposed to find the HEPA filters for Lorenzo? Thinking quickly, I said the only thing that I thought would make sense for a trio of heavily armed persons like ourselves.

"Depends," I said with measured precision. "How much are you paying?" Reflexively, I elbowed Arcade in the gut before he got a chance to say anything. At least I knew Veronica would have the sense to keep quiet. Hildern, on the other hand, just laughed..

"Ah, a band of mercenaries, is that it? You won't be disappointed, I promise you. The Office of Science and Industry provides highly competitive benefits. And as external contractors, your pay would be rather more... competitive than those of our regular employees." His voice went low, in a sort of fake-conspiratorial tone. "But... let's just keep that between ourselves, yes?"

"Right..." I said with a nod. Just let him talk, I thought.Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience

"Vault 22... where to begin..." He clasped his hands in front of him, and began what sounded like a prepared speech; he obviously knew exactly where to begin. "Imagine, if you will, the wasteland in bloom... vast fields of corn that grow from seeds and produce their bounty in the space of a month. Orchards of trees, their branches weighed halfway to the ground, hung with fat, ripe oranges. A harvest that could feed a city - or a nation. And all this requiring no more than a few drops of precious water, and the efforts of only a handful of farmers. Impossible?"

"Doesn't sound impossible," I heard Arcade chime in from behind me. "Just highly improbable."

"Ah, a realist," Hildern turned to Arcade, a slight smirk on his face. "We have that in common. A year ago, I'd have said the same... but what if I were to tell you that the wasteland can yield an endless bounty, and that the secret may lie a mere few miles from where we stand? We need only reach out and take it..."

"What does this have to do with Vault 22?" Veronica asked. Hildern cleared his throat and straightened his blue-striped tie.

"Straight to the point then. I believe that the inhabitants of Vault 22 unlocked the secrets of vegetative growth. Plants are spilling from the gate. No one tends them. No one waters them. Yet they multiply and spread in all directions. I need someone to find the reason for this miraculous growth, and I'm willing to pay handsomely for this information."

"Alright..." No need to let him know we were already planning a trip there... He smiled broadly at us.

"Excellent! No need to check in with the NCR authorities, I can authorize your payment from OSI accounts. Vaults typically contain a server room on a lower level where they would have backed up their research data. A computer room, you understand?" I was really not appreciating his condescending tone, so I held up my Pip-Boy right in front of his face.

"What do youthink?" I asked. He cleared his throat again, and smiled awkwardly.

"Well, quite. In that case, you should be able to download all the information on the central server to your Pip Boy. You might think of yourself as a mere means of conveyance. Er..." He looked at me, slightly nervous. "No insult intended, of course."

The three of us left Hildern's office... but before we could leave the OSI offices completely, we were stopped by the woman in the other room.

"Um..." She spoke low as I got close, presumably so as not to be heard in the other room. "Did Dr. Hildern... this really isn't any of my business, but... did he give you a job?" The woman spoke in a strange sort of drawl; it almost sounded like an old-world Texas accent.

"He asked us to get some data from Vault 22," I said simply. I looked down at the nametag on her labcoat. "Why so interested, Dr. Williams?" She grimaced, looking a little nervous.

"I shouldn't say anything, I know that. But you're not the first person Hildern's sent out to the Vault."

"I thought that speech sounded too well rehearsed," Veronica muttered under her breath.

"There were a lot of mercs," Williams said. "One after another. None of them came back. Then, about a week ago, there was a scientist. Keely. She's unusual, not the sort of person you'd expect, but she's an absolute genius, and... and he didn't mention her? Not even her name? Or any of the other mercs?" I shook my head.

"No, he didn't mention anyone else. Maybe Hildern and I need to have another talk..." When I said that, Williams' eyes went wide, and she reached out and grabbed my arm.

"No, wait! I don't mean to see any harm come to Dr. Hildern..." She paused. "Unless... by 'talk' you just mean... talk. Listen, I make a fair wage, but I'm not rich. Not by any means. Maybe my kind of money wouldn't appeal to your average merc..."

"Well, we're certainly not average," Arcade said. "Or mercenaries..."

"I'm willing to pay you, if you find Keely and make sure she's safe." Williams' said earnestly. "Isn't right leaving her out there, no idea if she's alive or dead..."

"I'll see what I can do." I said with a nod and a smile. Williams smiled back, a look of hope spreading across her features.

About half an hour later, we were all in the ruins south of Vegas. This was more like what I was used to: vast stretches of nothing, occasionally dotted by ruined concrete buildings. Boone and I were on the top floor of a building that had collapsed in all but one corner; he was looking at the expanse of wasteland to the west of us through a pair of binoculars.

"So, this Hildern wants you to go to Vault 22, huh?" Boone said. "That's lucky." He was almost like a statue, wearing that armor of his with his binoculars pressed against his face and his sunglasses perched on his forehead.

"Maybe," I said, leaning against the concrete window frame. Even from this distance I could see a dozen Fiends, about half a mile away. "Seems a bit too convenient, if you ask me..."

"Do you still want to recon the Vaults tonight?" Boone asked, continuing to scan the area.

"Oh, absolutely. Something stinks, and I want to find out what before we fully commit. But whatever. Did you guys have fun talking with the 1st Recon squad?"

"Fun is probably the wrong word." Boone coughed. "I do know Raul spent a while talking with Corporal Sterling."

"Who?"

"Used to be a Ranger," Boone said. "Was part of the Mojave Scouting Campaign in '73. Got his hands and feet mangled by Legion. He can't run anymore... hell, he can hardly walk, but he can still shoot. That's why Gorobets, my old lieutenant, requested he be transferred to 1st Recon." Boone handed me the binoculars, and pointed. "There. I think that's where Vault 3 is. The location matches the map reference you showed us the other day, and I can see smoke from several campfires around it."

"With pleasure." Veronica walked past me, dropping Oh, Baby! on the floor next to her with a heavy, reverberating thud. She grabbed one of the bars on the door with her right hand, held onto another bar with her left, set her foot against one of the ankle-high metal slats running parallel to the ground, and gave a good yank. There was a wrenching sound of metal against metal, and she forcibly bent the upper part of the cage door outwards; a jagged piece of metal that used to be part of the now shattered lock flew past me and clattered against the back wall with a metal ring. The door swung open freely.

"Th-thank you!" The woman said, latching onto Veronica as she practically rushed out of the cage.

"Why'd th' Fiends capture you?" Cass asked, coming up behind me. The male looked back at the ghoul, and shook his head.

"We were part of a caravan heading into Vegas from down south. It was supposed to be a ransom thing, but... when they ambushed our caravan, they... the Fiends killed anyone who could've paid. So now, they're just keeping us around for... sport." He looked over his shoulder, and I followed his gaze to a corpse, lying face down in a pool of dried blood in one corner of the cage.

"It's not like the caravan bosses would've paid for me anyway, smoothskin," the Ghoul behind him growled with a sick sort of chuckle. The man shook his head.

"Look I don't have much to thank you for letting us out, but..." He looked around at all of us. "You're trying to get deeper into the Vault, right? I can give you this - it's a scrap of paper I managed to steal that has the Overseer's password on it." He reached into a pocket on his tattered pants, and handed me a small square of paper.

"1L0V3B Nana5..." I read aloud. "Seriously? I love bananas?" The man shrugged.

"Hey, I didn't come up with it, I just stole it. It should get you into the Overseer's office."

"Rick," the woman came up behind him, and put a hand on his shoulder. "You should tell them about the Ranger!"

"Ranger?" I asked. I raised an eyebrow, but they couldn't see it anyway, so it felt a bit pointless. Rick nodded.

"About a week ago, an NCR Ranger snuck in here. He tried to open the lock on our cell, but... a pair of Fiends interrupted him. I know he got out of this room, but one of the Fiends shot him in the leg, I think. He might still be here."

"Alright then," I nodded, handing the scrap of paper to Veronica. "There you go. Cass, go with her, make sure she gets to the Overseer's office. We'll regroup at the Vault entrance when you're done." Cass nodded as she took the time to refill the drum magazine on her shotgun. "Arcade, you want to come with me, help get these people outside?" He nodded.

"That Ranger might need medical attention, too. If we can find him." Arcade changed the microfusion cell on the rifle. "I think-"

Suddenly, there was an explosion behind us. All four of us turned at the sound, and the three of us with guns all had them raised and at the ready. The only thing any of us saw was a bloody hulk of a corpse in the far corner, and the wall and floor surrounding it was on fire. Cass started laughing nervously.

"Eh-heh... sorry. Must'a clipped th' fuel tank on one've th' flamethrower dudes..."

Whoever this Ranger was, he'd come prepared.

Rick and the other two caravaners were leading Arcade and I through the Vault; I had a strong feeling that we were heading in the right direction when we discovered dead Fiends that I knew we hadn't killed, and lots of traps. Frag mines, trip wires that were connected to claymore explosives and grenade bouquets... this guy had fortified his position heavily.

After we disabled the last mine, we came to a locked door at the top of a long set of stairs. It was easy enough to unlock, and as soon as the door slid into the ceiling, we were face to face with a Ranger leaning against the back wall, wearing a campaign hat, that ceramic Ranger patrol armor I'd seen in the past, and a revolver in his hands, pointing straight at us.

"You're not Fiends," He said, lowering the revolver slightly. "Rangers? No," He looked between the two of us. "No, you're not Rangers. How the hell did you get in here? Who the hell are you?" I shouldered the G36 and slowly approached the Ranger. I just hoped I'd be able to think on my feet for this one.

"I'm... an independent contractor. Doing some work for the NCR." That was... technically true, I guess. I tried to remember what Boone had told me about the McCarran base commander. His name was... "Colonel Hsu sent me here to find you." As I spoke, Arcade knelt down, and looked at the Ranger's leg; there was a worrying pool of dried blood on the floor, and it looked like he hadn't moved it in a while.

"He sent you?" He asked, looking confused. "Why?"

"The Colonel was concerned. And I'm sorry - he didn't give me a name. He just said that a Ranger was lost inside Vault 3. What's your name, soldier?" He grimaced.

"Anders. Staff Sergeant Bryce Anders, 5th Ranger Battalion. You can go back to Hsu and tell him the mission will be completed. I just need... a couple more days." Almost reflexively, he reached for his leg. "I killed a dozen of those degenerate Fiends sneaking my way in... but one got the drop on me. I holed up in here after I killed him. They're too stupid to unlock the doors, so I knew they'd figure whoever attacked had just taken off. I just need a day or two and then I'll take out Motor-Runner myself. I even got the key to the Maintenance Wing, where he's made his... throne room. The situation's under control."

"No, it isn't." Arcade said grimly looking up. Anders attention snapped to Arcade, who pushed his glasses up his nose. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your leg looks - and smells - like it's on the verge of infection. You're going to need to get serious medical attention soon, or the infection will spread."

"Goddamnit..." Anders grimaced again, shaking his head. "I knew that wasn't just a flesh wound. Was just hoping that, uh..." He looked up at Arcade. "Are you trained as a doctor? Can you fix my leg?"

"I'm trained as a doctor," Arcade said. "But I can't fix your leg right now. I didn't bring any serious tools or medical equipment, just some stimpacks and a few syringes of Med-X."

"Hey, Rick?" I stood up, and called out to the three caravaners we were helping escape. Rick emerged from behind the door. "Do you think you three can carry this guy?" He nodded, and I knelt back down to get at eye level with the Ranger. "Don't worry soldier, we're going to get you out of here and back to Camp McCarran. Do you know a quick way back to the Vault entrance?" Arcade and I helped him on his feet, and the three caravaners rushed to help us; he yelled out when he tried to stand.

"Augh! Y-yeah... there's a... we're right next to it. This is a false wall I was leaning up against." He tried to wiggle his way out of our grasp, and smacked a button next to us; a section of the wall that just looked like concrete slid into the ground, revealing the room with the Vault door that led outside. "Look, I'll go back to McCarran... but..." He reached into his armor and pulled out a red metal keycard, placing it in my hand. "Motor-Runner is still my mission. If you want me to go back to base... can you promise me you'll finish it?"

"Don't worry," I grabbed the keycard. "I think we can handle a raider boss." I jogged ahead of the limping Ranger, letting out a single shrill whistle as I ran; ED-E bobbed into the room through the open Vault door. "Hey buddy, think you can cover these four for a while?" He wobbled in the air, letting out a trio of beeps and squeaks. I turned back to Arcade, grabbing my car keys out of my pocket. "You can drive stick, right?" Before he even answered, I tossed him the keys; thankfully, he caught them. "They're not going to make it in time on foot. Drive to McCarran, drop them off, and come right back." Arcade looked at the keys in his hand and sighed.

"I apologize in advance for any mangled gear changes." I laughed as the five of them walked out the open Vault door, with ED-E flying through the air right in front of them. I pressed the transmit button on the side of my helmet.

"Boone, you reading me?" There was a hiss of static, and then a pop in my ear.

"Loud and clear." Boone said over the radio. "We done?"

"Not quite. There's a trio of civilians and a wounded Ranger exiting the Vault. Arcade is taking them to my car, and they're gonna need covering fire on their way to McCarran."

"Copy that. Over and out." The line in my ear went dead. I turned around... and came face to face with Veronica and Cass.

"Found where they kept the reverse pulse cleaner," Veronica said with a smile.

"Let me guess," I sighed. "The Maintenance Wing?" Veronica looked confused.

"Yeah... how did you-" I sighed and shook my head.

"Guess we really do have to kill Motor-Runner after all..."

"You guys ready?" I asked the two women on either side of me.

"I was born ready," Veronica hefted her massive hammer at the ready.

"Does a yao guai shit in th' woods?" Cass laughed and pulled the charging handle on her AA-12. "C'mon, let's kill this fucker."

I nodded, and slid the metal keycard in the slot next to the door. There was a clunk, and a hiss of hydraulics as a pair of arms on the door unlocked themselves. The door swung open. The two Fiends on the other side didn't even know what hit them.

Now, I want to stress at this point: I thought things were going well. It's entirely possible that I let my guard down. In fact, it was more than entirely possible. I was getting cocky, and I let my guard down - which is what allowed a mangy dog to get the drop on me when I rounded the next corner.

I suddenly found myself on the floor, G36 knocked out of my hands, and a snarling maw full of teeth snapping wildly a few inches from my face. All around me I could hear the sounds of combat erupting, but I was too focused on keeping this practically hairless, scabby mutt from tearing my throat out. It was thrashing above me, keeping me pinned to the ground... right up until I reached up, forced its snout closed with one hand, grabbed it by the scruff of the neck with the other, and twisted.

I shoved the dog carcass away from me and tried as quick as I could to get back on my feet. There were Fiends on either side of me that I could see in my peripheral vision, but they seemed to be rushing past me - or, in the case of one of them directly to my right, getting his chest caved in by Veronica's super sledge. Directly in front of me was another dog, just as rabid looking as the one before. It jumped, leaping at me - and then shuddered, practically collapsing in mid-leap when I fired my sawn-off shotgun point blank into its muzzle.

"So!" I heard a voice call out ahead of me "NCR's finally sent more hitmen, huh?" Motor-Runner was rushing at me, an insane grin on his face and a crazy look in his eyes. I knew it had to be Motor-Runner, because he was running at me with a chainsaw held above his head, revving and growling and belching a trail of black smoke behind him.

I snapped off a point-blank shot with the shotgun, but... it didn't even slow him down. He just took the hit and kept running at me, like he didn't even realize he'd been shot. He let go of the chainsaw with one hand - keeping it held above his head with the other - and managed to grab my shotgun before I could get out of the way. He tried to bring the chainsaw down, but it was so heavy that he wasn't bringing it down fast enough. I grabbed the empty handhold of the chainsaw as it came down, and pushed against it as hard as I could to keep it away from me.

"Man! You fucks are persistent!" Motor-Runner yelled in my face. I was focused so hard on keeping the chainsaw away from me (the bladed chain was spinning worryingly close to my helmet...) that I wasn't able to keep him from twisting the shotgun in my hands to point at me. "You must really like the sight of your own blood!" He twisted his thumb into the trigger guard and-

Click.

I think for the first (and quite possibly, only) time in my life, I was glad that sawed-off only had two shots.

"I dunno!" I pushed off against the floor and slammed my helmet into his face; I heard a crack of bone, and I had no idea if that was his skull or the bighorner helmet he was wearing. "How about you?" I wrenched my shotgun hand free, and cracked him across the face again with the shotgun's grip; I forced his hand holding the chainsaw down and away from us, and the spinning chainsaw's teeth started grinding and chewing up the floor.

"Fuck off!" Motor-Runner yelled; he swung, and managed to uppercut me in the jaw. The blow was softened by the helmet somewhat, but I was still surprised - how was he hitting me this hard? This helmet had shrugged off rifle rounds. And then I remembered: Chem Fiends. He was probably flying on Buffout and Med-X. He'd probably broken all the bones in his hand hitting me.

"You first!" I delivered a single, decisive, swift kick in between his legs. Med-X or no, that certainly did the trick, and he let go of the chainsaw as he doubled over in pain, clutching at his wedding tackle. I twisted the chainsaw around in my grip and decided to end the fight.

I shoved the chainsaw with all my might into Motor-Runner's gut. I couldn't tell if he was screaming, because the chainsaw was revving so loud. The spinning chain ripped through his skin like a... well, a chainsaw through butter, really. It was so fucking messy and disgusting. Blood and guts were getting sprayed in every direction. It only got about halfway through his torso before the chain started slowing, obviously getting clogged with pieces of bone and guts. But that probably did the trick; I pulled the chainsaw out of his gut, and gave him a swift kick in the middle of his chest. His legs fell in one direction, his upper body fell in another, and what was left of his intestines spilled out and fell in a third.

As I stood over him, chainsaw still revving in my hand, I suddenly became aware that the sounds of violence and combat around me had simply ceased. If it wasn't for the chainsaw, I'm sure the hallway would be completely silent. I turned, and saw Cass and Veronica both staring at me... and around them, I saw three more Fiends (and plenty of dead Fiends besides) not attacking anybody, but just staring at me in slack-jawed horror.

"Boo." I said, half to break the silence, and half just to screw with them. Instantly, the last three Fiends bolted. They just ran away screaming. As for Cass and Veronica... I'm not sure if that was fear or admiration in their expressions. It could have been either. Hell, it might have been both.

I looked down at the weapons I was carrying. Shotgun in one hand. Chainsaw in the other. Really, in a situation like this, there's only one thing a man can say:

"Groovy."