A Little Tease

We'd just passed by Nipton when she finally asked.

"You fuck her?"

"Who?" I asked, trying to sound innocent but likely failing.

"You weren't in the visitors' barracks last night. I went to bed late, and there was no sign of you last night, nor this morning. So I can only assume you stayed on the roof and fucked her."

"I did spend the night on the roof."

"Fuck her?" I gave Cass a look. She held up her hands, portraying her own innocence. "Tell me to butt out if you want, but if anyone could have done with a good fucking, it's her. Might loosen her up a bit so she's not such a fuckin' bitch."

"She's not a bitch," I retorted, more sharply than I intended, "She's delightful company."

"Yeah, you fucked her." I gave her a look, which earned a smirk this time. "Just admit you fucked her, and I'll let the matter drop."

I stopped and met her eyes, making sure an easy smile formed. "I didn't fuck her, Cass. April and I made love all night." I paused before adding, "And once this morning too."

I enjoyed the fact her jaw did drop. "Shit, sounds like you actually like her."

"Of course. Wouldn't sleep with a woman I didn't like, but maybe if people got to know her instead of judging her on whatever they do judge her on, they'd realise there's quite the woman under that hat and behind those dark glasses."

"Didn't have you picked for being soft-heart, Courier." We resumed walking and she asked, "So her name is April?" I nodded as she fell silent a moment. "You're serious? She's actually as sweet as you say?"

"You actually have a conversation with her?"

"She's not what I would call a conversationalist."

"I had no problem talking with her last night, either before or after making love."

"Maybe she just wanted to sleep with you." I shrugged. Maybe she had liked me from the off. Maybe doing a simple favour had pleased her. Or maybe we'd just had that sort of connection that meant we enjoyed a good night together before parting. "Well, while I'm surprised, everyone deserves a little happiness. Even someone like her."

"She'd probably kill me for the fact I told you her name."

It was only as the road and scenery changed that we grew silent, the robot hovering above and slightly behind us, forgetting most of the time it was even there. Hills to either side of the road concerned me, particularly the road turned north ahead of us. Perfect place for an ambush of any unwary travellers. Sharing a glance with Cass, we both ensured to have a weapon in hand before walking onward, eyes now surveying left and right, just waiting for what felt like inevitable.

The first couple of gunshots echoed around us, hearing the bullets whizz by us. Cass and I split apart, keeping low, looking for cover. I found some behind the rusted ruins of an old trailer, Cass sliding behind the carcass of a car. We heard shouts as raiders appeared over the hills, firing wildly, a couple of others charging forward, armed with nothing but a crude, blunt weapon in hand. The first one of us to fire was the robot, though it swooped in and out of cover, firing its laser while also drawing fire from the bandits.

Aiming carefully, ensuring my breathing was correct, I put down one of them easily, the blast of Cass's shotgun following up afterwards. I thought that would have led to the rest being at least a little careful in attacking us. Instead, seeing their comrades fall sent them into a frenzy, their shooting verging on ridiculous, half their bullets barely even heading in our direction.

It was like shooting fish in a barrel for myself. Arrogant? Yes, but even the Powder Gangers had shown more skill and certainly better temperament in their attack on Goodsprings. These people, whoever they were, simply beggared belief in how utterly stupid they were. To make life easier for myself, I let them get close enough that I could just put a bullet through their heads. The mess left by a bullet by a repeater rifle made a mess, blood and brains flying out the back of their heads.

The last raider, seeing all his friends drop dead around him, turned and ran back the way he came. I didn't like the idea of shooting someone in the back. Then again, I don't like being ambushed by a bunch of armed dickheads. So I put a bullet straight through his spine.

Checking the bodies, I had no problem putting a bullet in any of them still breathing. Cass glanced at me once and simply nodded without a word, so I figured she agreed with what I was doing. "Vipers," she said, "Can tell from the armour."

"Who are they?"

"Raider gang. Don't know much about them. As I said, this is bandit country. NCR aren't really in control here, though they do have outposts scattered around to give a semblance of it. Legion definitely not around here, though the fact they made it to Nipton frankly scares the shit out of me."

Walking up to the raider I'd shot in the back, I carefully turned him over to hear him struggling for breath. I put a bullet into his head before moving on, glancing back to see the robot still following us. We walked in silence until making it to the highway, where we turned north and would hopefully be in Novac by sunset.

"You don't hesitate, do you?" she asked.

"About what?"

"Killing people. I won't say you're a shoot first, ask questions later kind of guy. Who the fuck's going to ask a bunch of raiders questions? No, it's just… We put them down, but then you had no problem finishing them off."

"I can't remember who I am or what I was, but what I have learned about this world already is that the only justice is at the barrel of this," I replied, holding up my revolver, "If that's the way it is in the Mojave, so be it. I've found I'm rather good at killing."

"It doesn't bother you?"

I glanced her way. "Should it?"

"Well, no, because you're killing… the right people, I guess. Powder Gangers? Fuck 'em. Vipers? Fuck 'em too. Guess as long as I don't see you killing what I'd consider innocents, I won't have a problem with it either."

The road continued to pass through a countryside dotted by hills, which meant we remained cautious as we walked along, but after that Viper ambush, we were not bothered by anything again after that. Though she hadn't been along this route often, she assured me, and I think herself, that we should make Novac by sunset, but I was more interested in the camp we were approaching by mid-afternoon.

It almost looked like a fortress, three walls made up of abandoned trailers, the fourth wall provided by the large hill. I thought there would have been a presence on the walls, at least, lookouts or a patrol, but the camp appeared abandoned. I glanced at Cass and her face showed nothing but concern. Though intrigued, I decided I wasn't all that curious, so I suggested we just keep on moving to Novac.

Novac had power as lights illuminated more than one building as we approached by the late afternoon. The thing that took both our attention was the giant dinosaur statue. Admittedly, we'd seen in for a while, but up close, it was something else entirely. Novac also had a fully functioning hotel, Cass and I heading into the reception to be met by an older woman behind the desk. We rented a room, ready to argue at the price of one hundred caps, before she added we could have the room indefinitely. Aware that I was in town for information, but that I had no idea who to ask, I figured it was a fair price in the event we remained longer than anticipated.

Opening the door, we were greeted by a well-furnished room, something I didn't actually expect. To be honest, the only thing missing was running water. There was naturally only one double bed, Cass and I dumping our things to either side, before we glanced at each other. "Awkward for you?" I asked.

"Why would it be?" I shrugged, just assuming it might be weird. "Hungry? Maybe there's somewhere we can get a bite to eat."

There wasn't exactly, but the receptionist, who introduced herself as Jeannie May, proprietor of the hotel and mayor of Novac, could provide meals for the price of only a few more caps. There was a small dining area Cass and I could relax, enjoy a drink and more than one cigarette as we waited for food to arrive. Digging into a couple of steaks later, we took the bottle of whiskey up to our room afterwards, kicking off our boots and sitting back on the bed.

"I'm not fucking you, Courier," she stated rather bluntly, before adding, "Well, not yet anyway. I like casual sex as much as the next woman, but that involves me or the guy fucking off the next morning. Don't have to see them again, so if it's awkward, at least I can forget about it. If I'm going to be hanging around you, well, you're going to earn this pussy, and it'll be better for both of us."

"Okay," I retorted with a shrug, sipping at the bottle.

She gave me a playful shove. "You're meant to put up an argument, or at least be desperate to get into my pants!"

"You want to fuck, Cass, you let me know. But I'm not going to play games."

"Spoilsport." Then she leaned into me. "But thanks for not being an awkward bastard."

"You told me where I stand. I prefer upfront honesty to pussyfooting around any topic, but particularly when it comes to sex. Though this is based on me now. No idea what I was like before."

We drank almost the entire bottle before deciding retiring for the night would be a good idea. Standing up meant wobbling a little bit as I stripped to my underwear, and that's when I did notice an appreciative glance from Cass. I laid down and tried not to watch her get undressed, feeling her slide under the blanket next to me. We shared another glance and burst into laughter, and I wasn't surprised when she turned onto her side and cuddled against me, wrapping an arm around her. "Thanks," she whispered.

"No problem."

Her hand was soon trailing up and down my chest, and though I'd noticed that she was shorter than I was, out of her clothes and resting against me, she felt rather tiny. She wasn't, I did have a broad frame myself, so it was probably in my mind. Still, the feeling of her hand moving up and down my chest felt nice. Rather relaxing.

Until she moved it down to gently run her fingers over my cock still in my underwear. "Cass," I whispered, "No teasing."

She moved her hand back onto my chest, leaving it there for a few seconds, and to prevent temptation, I gently grabbed it, holding it against me. I was asleep rather quickly, waking to find I hadn't moved, nor had she. I didn't move until she woke up, surprised when she lifted herself up to see I was awake, then lifted herself up so she rested on my lap, leaning forward on her hands.

I wasn't surprised when she leaned down to kiss me, and I learned she was one hell of a good kisser. And a good kiss certainly provokes the right reaction, as she giggled when I was no doubt prodding her. "What the fuck are you packin' down there, Courier?"

"I've had one or two compliments since waking up."

We resumed making out, running my hands up her arms to her back, finding the clasp of her bra to take that off, her breasts larger than I expected, particularly considering her frame. Reaching down, she took off her panties but kept my underwear in place for now, though I could feel the heat of her sex against my cock as I rolled her onto her back, sitting up myself to look her up and down, though her eyes went straight for my tented cock.

"Take it out," she insisted. I did so quickly and her eyes widened in apparent delight. "Holy shit! That thing is… Wow…"

"I'm glad you approve, Cass."

"Approve?" That made her laugh. "I do more than approve." She reached forward and pulled me down to kiss her again before I pulled back. Her face changed, and the fact she seemed a little unsure was rather cute. "Part of me wants to fuck right now… then there's that other part that is enjoying being naked and doing this…"

"If you're one hundred percent…"

"Won't think I'm a tease?"

"Oh, you're a giant fucking tease, Cass." I made sure I smiled. "But I like it."

She reached down and gently grasped my cock, which made me raise my eyebrows. "It's tempting. Very tempting." Then she let me go but leaned up to kiss me before I lay down on my side, Cass turning to rest her back against my chest. My cock obviously rested against her back, and I heard her sigh. "Sorry if I've really turned you on only to shut down."

"Don't worry about it. Now you've seen the goods. And I've seen yours." I leaned closer to her ear, "Can't wait to eat your pussy later."

"Really?"

"I've learned since waking up that I love doing it."

She sighed and snuggled back against me a little more. "You're not making this any easier."

"I know. You're enjoying it too though."

"I am. It helps the anticipation." She paused a moment. "God, I'm going to cum so hard when you finally fuck me." I couldn't help burst into laughter as the idea definitely thrilled her. "Can't wait for you to cum in me either. Love that feeling."

"You're not the only one, or so I've learned."

"Yeah, but that cock you're swinging, no wonder." She sighed again. "I'd love to stay here like this all day, but you have shit to do. Five more minutes?"

Five minutes turned into half an hour in all likelihood. How we didn't end up fucking, I don't know. We obviously had better self-control that either of us thought. When we finally did move to get dressed, we ended up standing together naked, making out for quite a while, and I was wondering if I was going to get a blowjob or something, as the look in her eyes suggested she was far more turned on than I was.

But she eventually pulled back, took a deep breath, then threw her panties in my direction. "I'm far too wet to even bother wearing those," she said with a giggle.

Breakfast was on offer, as much as dinner the night before, and that's when I enquired with Jeannie May about the man I was after. To my slight surprise, she had an idea of who I was talking about. She didn't know his name, but had seen the man in the checked coat. Called him 'city folk' and was rather disparaging of his manners, which told me that he was more than likely from New Vegas. If he was from anywhere else, the trail might end up going cold. Then she added that he had spoken to someone at the motel.

"He seemed to know Manny quite well, for whatever reason."

"And Manny is?"

"One of the two snipers who protect the town. They take position in the dinosaur's mouth, watching the bridge and highway approaches."

Finishing breakfast, we thanked her for the food before heading outside and straight into the dinosaur. There was a man behind the counter of the gift shop, wondering who on earth would be wondering about, looking to buy gifts. The door leading to the mouth was unlocked, but not wanting to startle the armed man on the other side, I knocked gently before slowly opening the door.

"Manny?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"Been told you're a man who might have some information for me. I've come to ask you some questions about it. Man in a checked coat mean anything to you?"

He moved from his position, rising to his feet. "We should talk downstairs."

I was left thinking that didn't bode particularly well. I didn't think he'd attack me but I couldn't be sure, swapping a glance with Cass, a subtle shake of the head, though I wasn't sure if that meant it was okay or about to go very pear shaped. Standing by the steps leading into the dinosaur, he'd looped the rifle to sit on his back, so I assured myself he simply wanted to talk.

"What do you want with the guy in the checked coat?"

I removed my hat to show the still healing scar. "He put two bullets in my head. I want to ask him why."

"Doesn't surprise me. Guy seemed like he'd do whatever it takes to get what he wants. Probably makes a lot of enemies." He sighed, removing his hat and running a hand through his hair. "Look, I can definitely help you find him, but I've got problems of my own. Maybe we can do a trade. You need my help. There's something I need, too."

"Fuck off," Cass exclaimed.

"We've all got problems, lady. You want this information; it's going to cost you. This is the Mojave. Nothing is free here."

I was going to suggest I could just beat it out of him, but that would just piss off everyone else, might have me run out of town, or worse. "Okay, what's the price for this information I want? Funny that you can see he shot me yet you still insist on a favour."

"People are shot and killed all the time. I'm sorry you've gone through it, but you should be thankful you're still alive and walking around. Anyway, Novac, it's home for me now. I want that to be for good. I like it here, and I've left too many homes behind. But the only resource we got here is junk. Without that, people wouldn't have anything to trade. They'd all have to leave. We get most of it up the road from the old rocket test site. But a bunch of ghouls showed up one day and took it over. We can't get in there now."

"Why don't you deal with it?" Cass asked, "You've got a gun. From what we were told, there are two of you with guns."

"I would. But I've gotta watch the road. Caesar's Legion has been taking territory just east of here. They took Nelson. If we let our guard down, they might attack. All it takes for the Legion is for them to sense weakness."

"Shit," Cass muttered, "If Legion controls this place, they would stop any trade now going on between Vegas and the south since the Long 15 is closed right now."

"What makes you so sure we're capable?"

"Couple of reasons. Firstly, you've been shot, but you're up and walking, and I saw you walking in yesterday with all your pieces. Two-person army. Secondly, you've made it here to Novac, having passed through hell. I think handling a few ghouls won't be a problem."

"The fuck are ghouls?" I had to ask.

"You don't know?" Manny retorted, obviously surprised.

I tapped my temple. "Amnesia."

The eyebrows raised in surprise. Now he was aware why I wanted the man in the checked coat. Two bullets in the head was always going to be a problem. First, he sighed before replying. "Shit. Look, I feel bad for you, I really do, but those ghouls need handling, and considering… where've you come from?"

"Woke up in Goodsprings."

"And you made it here? Fuck, you're perfect for the job. Few ghouls won't be a problem considering…"

I glanced at Cass, who shrugged her shoulders in return. She was simply along for the ride. I sighed again. "Fine. Where am I going?"

He gestured and I followed him out onto the road, where he then pointed west. "As I said, old rocket factory that way. We made some great pickings there until recently. All we need is for them to be cleared out, then you can have your information and be on your way."

"Fine. We'll go handle it now. Cass, you okay with this?"

"Sure. Better than sitting in a hotel room not doing anything." She paused and smirked. "Well, one thing, but we can do that later."

Neither of us wore any armour, something that I did keep in the back of my mind, figuring it might be worth trying to scrounge, if not just buy something, at least for my chest and back, though I figured that even the thickest of armour wouldn't stop every bullet around. Once we had weapons in hand, plenty of ammo to spare, and the robot once again hovering in the air behind us, Cass and I started the walk towards the old rocket factory, leaving the robot back in the room this time.

It didn't take long to reach the first barricades, left wondering if they were new installations, which appeared unlikely, or if they were remnants from when before the bombs dropped. I gave it some thought and figured a rocket factory before the bombs dropped would have had layers of security, left thinking we were passing various checkpoints.

I'll admit it right now. Ghouls are fucking horrific. And they were feral. Soon as they saw us, they're only thought was to attack, running straight at us without any thought of self-preservation. Made the job for Cass, the robot and I rather easy. Bullet in the head if aiming was precise, otherwise a shotgun blast in the chest sent them flying back, or take out their legs then put a round in their head for good measure. Cass didn't have to explain what ghouls were. Figured that out within five seconds of seeing the first one.

No idea how many we killed before we made it to the ruins of the facility itself, the rusted statue of a rocket taking pride of place. "Repconn? Guess no other vowel would fit in the space," I stated, "Mean anything to you, Cass?"

"Never been here before, Courier. But the rocket would likely suggest what they were up to here."

I was surprised a facility like this wasn't targeted by all the bombs that apparently fell so long ago. Guess there was a reason why, but for the moment, the only thing that mattered was finding ghouls and putting them down. Cass certainly didn't hesitate either, admitting she'd seen more than her fair share, and while there were some ghouls she knew who were not insane, even those who seemed 'civilised' always seemed to end up going nuts.

"Think their brains just end up rotting," she explained, "Or that bit which makes them human, for want of a better word, stops working. No-one really knows, nor cares. Soon as a ghoul starts looking like it's gonna go feral, you ensure they are not going to be a problem."

Entering the facility, the next few minutes was a firefight… well, was gunfire from us, putting down any ghoul we found, in addition to exploring the ruins for any sign of where the ghouls might have come from. But when we found ghouls bedecked in clothing, even what I would call a uniform, Cass and I couldn't help exchange questioning glances.

Then we found the blue… things on the floor, and the evidence suggested a battle had taken place between the ghouls and the blue things. "You recognise what they are?" I wondered.

"Not on your life, Courier. But what the fuck have we walked into here?" She gestured around the room, where more than a few bodies lay, in addition to discarded weapons and ammo. "Fucking battle, is what it looks like. So what are these blue fucks doing here? And where are the ghouls coming from?"

Heading back towards the entrance, all the noise must have attracted attention, as an intercom on a nearby wall burst into life, asking us to head upstairs. We made our way towards a metal staircase, needing to deal with a couple of more ghouls along the way, but apart from signs the facility had been abandoned for centuries, I was left in no doubt this must have been a treasure trove for the people of Novac.

Finding a second intercom, the gravelly voice, calling me a 'smoothskin', said the door would be unlocked. Walking through the unlocked door, we were greeted by a human who called me ugly upon seeing me. I'd been called worse, so let it slide. He suggested I head upstairs to speak to someone called Jason. Walking away, Cass whispered to me that she was left believing the man we'd met thought he was a ghoul. I returned what would have been considered an incredulous look.

"The voice he was using," she whispered, "What I would call ghoulish. It's one of the many effects."

Though I was intrigued as to all these ghouls that seemed… docile, though perhaps not overly friendly, at least they were not mindlessly attacking. Cass gestured with her head, and we walked up to the stairs to the next level. No doubt this was the old laboratory, and I was left feeling a mixture of bemusement and amusement at all the ghouls that were busy at work.

Our arrival had obviously been noted, and the fact two 'smoothskins' were walking around definitely attracted attention. Standing in the middle of the room, or what looked like some sort of laboratory, we were eventually approached by a ghoul, though this one was different to the rest surrounding us, mostly due to the fact that half of him was glowing, and even I knew that was due to radiation.

"Hello, wanderers. Please forgive us our humble surroundings. Our true home awaits us in the Far Beyond. But I must ask if you have come here to help us complete our Great Journey?"

I shared a glance with Cass before looking back at the ghoul. "I assume you're Jason Bright?"

"I am he. You are?"

"Call me the Courier. This is Cass. What's this 'Great Journey' you're talking about?"

"We wish to escape the barbarity of the wasteland, especially the violence and bigotry of its human inhabitants. The creator has promised to my flock a new land. A place of safety and healing. A paradise in the Far Beyond. Unfortunately, problems have since arisen which has delayed our journey. Demons appeared out of nowhere and now prevent our departure."

Cass and I shared another glance. This sounded like complete and utter folly. I could only assume they planned on using the old rockets from long ago to blast off into space, but the idea they could still possibly fire?

He seemed confident all would be well. No surprise he asked us for help. The demons, he admitted, were invisible, but they were leaving them in peace, as long as they didn't leave where they were. Asking us for help didn't come as any surprise, once he'd explained what happened when the two groups had met each other.

I figured being honest would help. "You do know all the ghouls…"

"I'm aware, stranger. Their minds were lost. There was nothing that could be done for them. We simply believe they are now at peace. Bu you appear to be peaceful with those of us still at sound mind. Can we rely on your help? Once we leave, we realise the people of the settlement nearby may wish to return here."

Cass snorted. "Shit, these ghouls are more civilised than most of the arseholes I usually deal with."

"And you, stranger?" he asked me.

"Sure. Sounds like you've got a few problems on your hands. Novac would like this place cleared, so helping you helps them. And doing it peacefully would be preferable."

"Thank you, strangers."

Heading back downstairs, Cass and I discussed what these demons were and immediately headed back to where we'd found the blue body on the ground. Turning it over, it was like nothing I'd seen before, but Cass met my eyes and there was no doubt she knew what it was.

"Super Mutant," she muttered, "Not one I've seen before. They're usually green. No idea why they're blue, and no idea why they're somewhere like this."

"So if they're downstairs, we'd best go armed?"

"Fucking right we're going armed. As the ghoul said, these things are most invisible."

"So what do we do, shoot first, ask questions later?"

"I don't talk to Super Mutants, Courier. They don't talk to us as they do exactly the same thing. Difference is, they have developed a taste for human flesh."

"Shotgun?"

"I wouldn't use anything else."

With shotguns in hand, we headed towards the door that led down to the basement. Stepping through carefully, the only sounds being made was our breathing and the slight clink of our footsteps on the metallic floor. Remembering what Jason had told us, each step was taken with precaution, weapons raised, fingers resting near the trigger, ready to pull in an instant.

Turning left, we saw no shimmering near or far, but each step was slow, barrel of my shotgun sweeping slowly, Cass watching our rear, almost walking back to back. She muttered to herself more than once about how she should have just stayed at the outpost.

What I didn't expect to find upon walking through the next door was a Super Mutant. I was just about to open fire when I noticed it was unarmed. Then it said something that had me lowering my shotgun in confusion.

"Hi, human. Why you come here?"

"Cass, I think this one wants to ask questions first."

"Well, fuck me gently," she muttered.

"Later. Lower your weapon and shut the door."

Stepping forward, the Super Mutant introduced himself as Davison. I explained the situation to the Super Mutant in return, though he eventually called himself a Nightkin, Cass whispering she had heard rumours of such creatures. What I realised within a couple of minutes was that they were completely and utterly insane, and the fact he told us that they were there looking for Stealth Boys left me believing that was why Jason and his followers had been caught by surprise.

Then we got to the crux of the matter. The Nightkin would have left already, but there was one last room they needed to search. The problem was that a lone ghoul had bunkered down in said room, and would shoot at anyone trying to enter. But Davison figured that somewhat friendly human faces might work to all our benefits.

My life had mostly been death since my arrival and then resurrection in Goodsprings. Trying to end this peacefully would perhaps feel good. The Nightkin were clearly nuts, but if I managed to get them to leave peacefully with either retrieving what they wanted, or at least finding information, could only be a good thing. Then help the ghouls escape then the people of Novac could also have their peace.

"I'll see what I can do, Davison."