Chapter 7: Another Path to a Longer Road

The gang had followed the old man through the halls of the old capital building. The walls lined with decay, paint chipping off, the carpet smelling faintly of mold. If it weren't for the lights, people would've thought this place was left to rot for decades.

"You know, this place used to be called Omaha before it was called Interplace." The old man said.

"How do you know that?" Courtney asked.

"It was in the one of those old brochures from the back when time." The Stranger explained.

The group walked into a room and they were met by a woman in a suit. She was typing on her terminal before she noticed her guests.

"Well, if it isn't the old troublemaker. What brings you back here?" She said.

"You owe me a favor, Jordan." The old man said. "My friends, this is Jordan Optimo, the current mayor of Interplace."

"Jordan? As in the one in the story?" Rodger asked.

"Story? Oh God. Are you telling them about The Prodigy?" Jordan asked.

"It's kept up going this far." The old man said.

"Then I suppose I don't need to introduce myself to them." She said. "I'm surprised you found someone who'll actually listen."

"Time has forgotten Michael, but it has never forgotten The Prodigy." The old man said.

"Oh yeah? What part are you up to?" Jordan asked.

"Just about after Sioux." The elderly man said.

"I don't understand. How did Jordan become mayor?" Courtney was confused.

"We're not up to that part yet." The Stranger responded.

"Well, why don't you start where you left off." Jordan said as she lit a cigarette.

"Ms. Optimo, I don't think we have the time for this-" The old man tried to refute, but was cut short by Jordan.

"That's Misses to you; I haven't gone by Miss in years." She said. "C'mon. Humor me. For old times sake."

"...Fine." He sighed. "I'll tell the story, but you have a debt to repay afterwards."

—

Bonnie and Jenkins had been following the drag marks that'll supposedly help lead them to Micheal for a bit. They had reached a giant hole in the ground that leads to a cave junction underground.

"Reckon he's in there?" Bonnie asked.

"Can't say for sure, but it's our only lead." Jenkins replied. "I'll go in first; you stay close."

Jenkins walked down the cave with Bonnie following close behind. The cave seemed to be inhabited, but not by Yao Guai, but by people. There were torches, cave drawings, bear-skin outfits, something was living here.

"Movement up ahead. Take cover." Jenkins ordered.

The two hid behind the rocks. They watched three tribesmen patrolling. One in particular was carrying something that didn't belong to him.

"Hey." Bonnie whispered to Jenkins. "Isn't that Micheal's shotgun?"

"I think it is. Let's follow them. They might lead us to him." Jenkins said.

"How about I follow them and you stay here? You're Incased in a fucking suit of power armor." Bonnie said.

"...Yeah. Probably the best course of action." Jenkins agreed to stay put.

Bonnie followed the tribals to what seemed like an armory. It was full of stuff they've collected from other wastelanders and scavengers: guns, knives, ammo, combat armor, metal plating. It was enough to level a town. They were adding Micheal's shotgun to the collection, right next to his revolver. The worst part: they had his Pip-Boy.

Bonnie felt her temper rise, but she stayed back for now. The tribals left the cavern, so she decided to sneak over and get Micheal's belongings. She grabbed Micheal's stuff and sneaked back to Jenkins. She made it back to the Paladin in one piece.

"Those motherfuckers!" She whispered. "They got him."

"What?" Jenkins asked.

"They got him. They got Micheal. I got his shit right here." Bonnie said.

"They might still have him locked up. A Vault Dweller can go for a pretty cap." Jenkins said. "He's probably locked up deeper in the cave."

"I don't know. I saw what these guys had." Said Bonnie. "These guys might carry guns."

"Yeah? Well, we carry guns too." Jenkins said as he followed the walls deeper into the cavern.

The duo traversed the cave system, making sure they weren't seen. They found what appears to be the main cavern. It had wooden huts built into the geometric walls, cave drawings all around and a make-shift throne made from bones of animals and probably human. There was an old man sitting on the throne, most likely the leader. The leader was talking to a ghoul woman about something. She appeared to be in distraught.

"Look!" Jenkins pointed to a cage with an animal inside. It was Dogmeat.

"Shit. You see Micheal anywhere?" Bonnie asked.

"Unfortunately, no. He's not in my sight anywhere." Jenkins replied.

Bonnie was being weighed down by Micheal's belongings, so she decided to put the Pip-Boy on her arm. The device booted up and a wall of numbers and text scrolled up on the screen. Then, a Vault Boy appeared to signal it was working.

"God. How does Micheal carry this thing? It's heavy." Bonnie said as she clicked a few buttons.

Unfortunately, she had unknowingly turned on the radio. The song "Hey Bartender" by Floyd Dixon, a pretty loud song, started playing. She whacked the wrist-mounted device to try and turn it off.

"Turn that thing off!" Jenkins demanded.

"I'm trying! The fucking thing won't shut up!" Bonnie said as she pressed random buttons.

She flicked a switch and the radio turned off, but it was already too late. Every tribal was alerted of their presence. They were running toward the duo, ready to attack the intruders.

"Nice job." Jenkins sarcastically said. "This is why the Brotherhood collects technology from people."

"Oh shut up! If I didn't alert them, you and your suit would've." Bonnie argued.

Spears whizzed past their heads as multiple tribals rushed them. Jenkins was firing his laser rifle at them and Bonnie was returning fire with her Rangemaster rifle. The two fired at them, but they couldn't see their targets.

"It's too dark! Can't get a visual!" Jenkins said.

"Don't you have a flashlight on your helmet?!" Said Bonnie.

"Yes!... but it doesn't work." Jenkins admitted.

"What?!" Bonnie screamed as she ducked from a thrown spear. "How do you have a full suit of power armor, but not have a working flashlight?"

"These suits were scavenged, alright! They aren't exactly up to regulation." Jenkins said.

"Come on. How does Micheal do this?!" Bonnie said.

She slapped the Pip-Boy one last time and she accidentally turned something on. Time came to a screeching halt and the limbs of a tribal in the dark glowed green.

"What the?" She was very confused.

She looked at another tribal and their chest glowed green. After staring at their chest, a ping sound was heard. She looked at two tribals and the same happened to them. Bonnie now had three tribe members selected. She pressed a button on the Pip-Boy and time slowly started again. Her arms moved by themselves and shot all three of the tribals in the limbs she selected.

"Woah." She said. "So that's how Micheal does it."

"Nice shooting, but we got more coming!" Jenkins alerted.

The two fought through the army of clansmen and women until they reached the main chamber floor. They were surrounded on all sides, even the ghoul woman and leader joined. Dogmeat was barking up a storm from his cage.

"Interlopers! You tread sacred territory and defile by killing our people and bringing weapons of war." Standing-Bear said. "Acts of these proportions can only be punished by death. And death shall come." He declared. "Any last words?"

"I may die, but the Brotherhood will live on!" Jenkins said in pride.

"Can I die somewhere else? Somewhere that isn't near this clown." Bonnie said.

The tribesmen aimed their spears at the intruders. The clan leader raised his hand and was about to give the signal to kill.

"Ready!" He screamed to his people. "Take aim!" Bonnie and Jenkins were back to back, ready for what was about to come.

"STOP!" A voice called out from beyond the crowd.

The people of the Yao Guai turned to face who shouted. In front of them was a familiar face. The Prodigy, Micheal had returned. He walked slowly toward the crowd and walked amongst them. His head was hung low, hiding his face with his hair.

"So, the young dweller of the vault finally returns. You have interrupted an execution of defilers." Standing-Bear said.

"The only defiler amongst us is you, Standing-Bear." Micheal said.

"Me? Defiler? A massive claim from someone outside of our clan." Said Standing-Bear. "Words such as that can get a man's tongue cut out."

"You are no leader. You are a liar and have cheated your people of achieving the trials of the bear." Micheal claimed. "You make them drink the infected water you claim as holy and deliberately give them false guidance."

"High-father, what does he claim?" One of the tribals asked.

"His words are poison. Do not listen to his lies." The leader said. "Dweller, you are trying my patience. You come here and claim me a traitor of my own people."

"Because you are! You have betrayed your people into believing your visions and your lies. You twist Sincala's words to benefit yourself into a leader." Micheal called him out.

"Enough of this! Who are you to claim me a traitor? Who are you to believe yourself higher than me? Where do you get such accusations?" Standing-Bear was furious.

Micheal looked up to face Standing-Bear. His eyes were of different color. Not red from anger, but milk white with no pupils, like a Yao Guai. Micheal ripped off his right sleeve from his elbow to reveal a tattoo he etched into his arm when he was alone. It was a bear claw tattoo running from his arm and claws amongst his knuckles.

"The Great Spirit told me." Micheal said. "He told me everything."

All the tribesmen kneeled down to honor the man who encountered The Great Spirit.

"The Great Spirit? You fought The Great Spirit and won?" Standing-Bear couldn't believe it. "No one has ever beaten The Great Spirit!"

"You're not suppose to fight him. But you would know that, wouldn't you?" Micheal said. "You know you can't win against it, so you made others fight it to declare them as weak. You made them hurt The Great Spirit and I was the one who aided him and listened to him."

All the tribals looked at one another in shock. They couldn't believe their leader would betray them and mislead them from their original beliefs.

"T-The Great Spirit is wrong! I would never mislead my clan." Standing-Bear said.

"You force them to drink the water and make them destroy the already fragile ecosystem by killing all other animals that enter the land; You force them to such a primitive way of life in a cave, even though there is a perfectly good city right at your doorstep with barely any hostile creatures; You capture innocent traveller's and steal from them, even when they have so little to give. You betray the foundation of your bloodline. In fact, it's not even your bloodline!" Micheal said.

"This is heresy! Cubs, kill him!" Standing-Bear ordered. But no one listened. "Cubs! Kill him!" He ordered again.

"Sinclair wasn't a tribal warlord, he was a soldier before the war. He was stationed at Tooele Army Depot in Utah, that's why there's so much Yao Guai imagery; black bears are in masses in Utah." Micheal said. "But you didn't tell them that, did you? You said he was a warrior of the Yao Guai and he was the only one to defeat The Great Spirit."

"Th-that's right!" The ghoul woman said. "My son was stationed at that place. How do you know that?" She asked.

"He told me himself." Micheal said. "He is The Great Spirit after all."

"What? Adam is..what?" The ghoul was confused, as well as everyone else, to this revelation.

"Adam was dead before the war. Or at least, his body is." Micheal said. "But you knew that SB right? You know Adam isn't truly dead?"

"What? What's going on?" The ghoulified mother asked the clan leader.

"SB has been keeping a secret from his people. Adam isn't dead, he's alive." Micheal said.

"What the hell is going on?" Jenkins tried to ask.

"No no, let him finish." Bonnie stopped him.

"Where is he, SB?" Micheal wanted an answer.

"I..You..You'll never find him! He is weak, I am strong! He will kill my people!" Standing-Bear shouted.

"Probably. But I don't think they're your people anymore." Micheal said.

Every tribal stood up and aimed their spears and weapons at Standing-Bear. The ghoul woman pointed her gun to his head and Micheal's companions aimed their weapons as well. Bonnie threw Micheal his guns and Dogmeat was let out of his cage. He ran to Micheal's side and growled at Standing-Bear.

"You're not going to win, SB. Tell us where Adam is and we might let you go." Micheal reasoned.

"...He's in the main hut, just behind the locked door. The code is 2-4-8-3." SB reluctantly admitted.

"Thank you. Mrs. Sinclair, I believe you have a reunion that is long overdue. You guys can do whatever you want to him." Micheal said.

Micheal walked to the main hut with Mrs. Sinclair following him. They entered the wooden structure and saw a red door with a number pad next to it. Micheal punched in the code and a mechanized lock could be heard as it unlocked from the other side of the door.

"Now, Mrs. Sinclair, I should probably tell you what went down at Tooele before the war." Said Micheal.

"What happened?" She asked, nervous for her child.

"The military wanted their soldiers to become killing machines, so they experimented on some guards to see if they could actually do it." Micheal said as he entered the secret room. "The sad thing: they took the machine part literally."

In the room was an old Mr. Gutsy unit that was turned off for years. Covered in cobwebs and dust it's collected since the moment it was left to rust. But this wasn't an ordinary Mr. Gutsy; they experimented with soldiers brains, digitized them and uploaded them into robot bodies to fight wars. This was a two-hundred and three year old soldier. This was Adam Sinclair.

"There he is." Micheal said. "Still sitting there after more than two-hundred years of laying dormant."

"That's Adam? That's my son?" She said quietly.

"Yep. The army really fucked him over. That's why he didn't talk to you for so long." Micheal said.

Micheal went over and opened a panel on the Mr. Gutsy. He flicked a couple switches and closed the panel. Soon after, the robot began to hum, rebooting after so long. The robots thruster turned on and it began to hover in the air.

"W..wha..What the..Hello?" It said as its voice chip reactivated. It didn't sound like your usual Mr. Gutsy; it sounded like a young man.

"Hello, Adam." Micheal said.

"Do I..Do I know you?" He asked.

"Somewhat. Do you remember your name? Rank? Personal details?" Micheal was making sure he still worked.

"My name? My name...My name is Adam Sinclair. Second Lieutenant of the U.S. Army. I was..I was.. experimented on? Yeah. Yeah, they put my brain in some kind of gel." He said.

"That would be bio med gel, that stuff keeps the brain alive." Micheal explained. "Unfortunately, I drank some of that stuff, the same gel that your brains been in. Fortunately, it allowed me to access some of your memories and have a conversation with some part of your subconscious. And it allowed me to find you."

"You drank some of that stuff? Why?" He said.

"Thought it was water, kinda need it in The Wasteland." Micheal said.

"The Wasteland? So the bombs were real?" Adam asked.

"Yep. Happened over two-hundred years ago. You were shut off during that time by one of your fellow soldiers after you led them out of Tooele." Micheal explained.

"Two-hundred years? Goddamn! Is the world fixed?" He asked.

"Kinda, but not really. But enough of us, someone wants to meet you." Micheal moved out of the way to reveal the ghoulified mother.

"...My God..It's..It's really you.." Mrs. Sinclair was at a loss for words.

"...Do I know you? I feel like I know you?" He was certain.

"Adam..It's me..It's mommy.." She said in tears.

"Mom? Wh-what happened to you?" He asked.

"Honey, it's been a long time. A lot of things aren't the same." She said.

"Mom..I..I wanted to talk to you, but..but I'm a robot. An abomination. I just..I didn't want you to see me like this." Adam admitted.

"Adam, I'm a rotting corpse that can't die. I don't care if you're a hunk of metal. You're my son, I love you." She said as she hugged her robotic son.

Micheal decided to leave the two and rejoin his team. He saw Standing-Bear tied up to a wall and the tribals throwing rocks and random crap at him. Basically stoning him to death. He went to search for his team and found them watching the tribals stone SB to death.

"Hey! There he is." Bonnie said to Micheal. "What the fuck happened?"

"Captured by tribals, sent on a quest, spoke to a mythical being and reunited a family." Micheal recounted. "Don't know if I ever want to do that again." He said as he petted his faithful canine.

"Glad to see you're still alive, Micheal. Can't risk losing someone this far in." Jenkins said.

"Nice tats by the way. You do that yourself?" Bonnie said.

"I was under the influence when I did it. Drank some of the "mystical water" which was really bio med gel." Micheal responded. "Speaking of arm accessories, I would very much like my Pip-Boy back."

"Oh. Right." Bonnie returned the Pip-Boy to its rightful owner.

"That's good and all, but we have bigger fish to fry." Jenkins reminded.

"Right. Micheal, we gotta go. Now." Bonnie said. "The NCR are looking for you."

"NCR? What do they want with me?" The Prodigy asked as he put his device back on and shook his head to return his eyes back to normal. "And why is that a problem?"

"The NCR are people you don't want after you. They're like the old world government, you don't get on their bad side." Bonnie explained. "They sent a Ranger after you. Rangers are the most deadliest people in The Wasteland. You get a Ranger sent after you, you're already dead."

"The NCR basically wiped out the Western Brotherhood. We haven't heard from them in awhile and I doubt we'll hear from them again." Jenkins joined in. "They're the only thing that's stopping Caesars Legion from crossing the Hoover Dam."

"We gotta go. Like, yesterday." Bonnie said.

"Alright. We still gotta find this guy who can help us." Micheal said. The team were about to walk out, but were stopped by Adam.

"Wait! Micheal." He called out.

"So you do know my name." Micheal said.

"Yeah. I put that bio gel in my brain, so I know what happened." He said. "I just wanted to personally thank you. You've been a godsend to my family."

"Think nothing of it. Just doing the good work." Micheal said.

"And he still has hospitality. I gotta say, I like you. We don't have money, but I was told there was an armory further up the cave. Take whatever you need and then some. It's the least I can do for bringing our clan back to its roots, where it belongs." He said.

"That's mighty kind of you. Maybe you can help me with one more thing." Said Micheal. "I'm looking for someone. I was told I had to follow the waters of misery to where the elk lies."

"Waters of misery? Can't say I know any waters of misery, but I do know of the Missouri River leading to a place called Elk Point. Maybe that's where you need to go." Adam suggested.

"Hm. I'll try that. Thanks for the help." Micheal said.

"No problem. If you ever find yourself in Sioux again, or if you need any help whatsoever, you always have a place here." He said.

The two said their goodbyes for now and separated. The trio went to the armory and resupplied themselves with stronger weaponry, ammo, and armor.

"Dude! This place is a wastelanders goldmine." Bonnie said. "Look! A R91 Assault Rifle. Shit! You can only get these in the Capital."

"That's cool and all, but laser weaponry is better." Jenkins said. "Just look at this thing. A gatling laser." He pulled out a massive laser mini-gun.

"Yeah, but you can barely find any ammo for that shit." Bonnie argued. "What're you gonna get, Mikey?"

Micheal was looking around the armory to see if anything fancied him. He saw a workbench and decided it was his time to shine again. He threw his armor and jumpsuit on the bench and got to work as his companions watched. He upgraded his belt by adding more pouches and a tool pouch to his right thigh; He took apart his vault suit and insulated the lining to resist more radiation; He made a metal lower leg armor piece and added a combat armor lower leg piece as well; He made an elbow pad from an old leather jacket sleeve and used the rest to make holsters for his guns and sword; He cut the fingers off a cloth glove and put it on his Pip-Boy arm; He threw in a piece of red cloth and wrapped it around his forehead, like a headband.

"How do I look?" Micheal asked.

"Like shit, but it's better than going out there naked." Bonnie said.

Micheal saw a mirror and finally caught a glimpse of himself after so long. He was no longer a simple Vault Dweller, that's for sure. He had specs and lines of blood on his suit which would be hell to get out; His hair was longer and more poofy; He had a tan, but still emanated that Vault Boy charm. The tattoos were prominent and completely unexpected from a boy wearing a vault suit. He was now a survivor.

"Good God. If my mother saw me now, she'd throw me in the shower instantly." Micheal commented about his appearance. "And then she'd yell at me to get a haircut."

The gang took some ammo, stimpacks, water and food with them on their journey. They left the cavern and continued their quest. The team followed Micheal to a dried up river bed just outside the city.

"What are we doing here?" Bonnie asked.

"Adam said we should try the Missouri River. It might be the waters of misery." Micheal explained as he slid down the dirt into the shallow water.

"I hope you're right. I don't want to stay in this place any longer than we need to." Jenkins said.

"Hey, Micheal." Bonnie caught her employers attention. "I got a hold of your Pip-Boy there and something weird happened."

"Like what?" Micheal asked.

"Time just..stopped for some reason. I targeted the limbs of those guys and I shot them. My body, like, took control without me telling it what to do." Bonnie explained.

"Heh. Bonbon, what you endured was the V.A.T.S. system, the Vault-Tec Assistant Targeting System." Micheal said. "It selects certain limbs of targets, pinpointing them with extreme accuracy. Giving the percentage of the target and slows down things for a bit. In other words, V.A.T.S. lets you pause for a moment. Every Pip-Boy has that system."

"Really? Maybe your Brotherhood can take that tech as well." She mocked Jenkins.

"Sorry to say, each Pip-Boy model has a different version of V.A.T.S." Micheal said. "The Pip-Boy 2000 model has a version where it scans the target and gives you extremely specific pinpointed targets, like eyeballs, but at the cost of less accuracy. You need a lot of training to actually do anything with it. The Pip-Boy 2000 Mk VI, the one I'm wearing, has a more advanced version, but it doesn't slow down your surroundings. The only reason mine does that is because I personally upgraded it. The 3000 model has the most advanced version where it can actually make you feel as if you stopped time for a bit, but you can't move. The future models have the same system, but time doesn't completely stop. You just perceive it slowing down."

"I need to get my hands on one of those." Bonnie said.

"Pip-Boys are extremely rare; only ever assigned to vaults. My Pip-Boy was the only one assigned to my vault, so it's extremely important I don't lose it." Micheal said.

"The reason the Brotherhood don't carry them is because we can never find them." Jenkins joined the conversation. "The Brotherhood aren't willing to raid some old vault only to find God knows what down there. Those Vault-Tec experiments are brutal." Micheal stopped in place, but the others didn't realize he stopped.

"What Vault-Tec experiments?" The young Vault Dweller asked. The two companions looked behind them to see a troubled Micheal.

"Oh great. Just fucking perfect. This is the exact thing I didn't want to tell him, you idiot." An exasperated Bonnie said to Jenkins.

"What Vault-Tec experiments?" Micheal asked again.

"Ah..shit." Bonnie sighed. "Alright. Okay. Micheal, there are some things I think are best you don't know."

"What're you guys talking about?" Micheal wanted an answer.

"Micheal, you're a smart cookie, but there are things you don't know. Vault-Tec wasn't exactly the great heroic company you were fed to believe." Jenkins said.

"What do you mean?" Micheal asked. "Vault-Tec created the vaults because of Project Safehouse."

"Yes, but-" Jenkins tried to say.

"But Vault-Tec liked money more." A familiar voice had interrupted him.

The gang looked up from the river bed and saw the Ranger atop the mound staring at them. Bonnie and Jenkins stood in front of Micheal and pointed their guns at the Ranger.

"An NCR Ranger knows when someone's lying." The Ranger said as they walked down the dirt mound into the river bed. "And you guys are horrible liars."

"How'd you find us?" Bonnie questioned.

"It's pretty easy to spot a person in a big metal suit of armor and a guy in a blue jumpsuit. If it were just you and the dog, I wouldn't have suspected a thing." They answered.

Micheal was analyzing their unexpected guest as his companions questioned him. They were wearing some kind of salvaged riot armor pieces - that much was obvious - but it also appeared to be upgraded: tactical visor/gas mask, radio comm-link, and some kind of respiratory system mounted on the large, brown duster jacket. They also had some decals as well: a two-headed bear on the left shoulder, the wording "A7" on the back, and the sentence "Do You See Me? I See You" written on the helmet. They were carrying some strange rifle strapped to their back. Needless to say, the young Micheal was intrigued by this stranger. Micheal swore he saw this person somewhere.

"Look, my target isn't some mercenary and a Brotherhood member. I'm here for that Vault Dweller." The Ranger tried to negotiate.

"Yeah. And you ain't getting him." Bonnie said. "So why don't you just mosey on back to California and leave us alone."

"I'm afraid I can't do that." The Ranger said back. "My mission requires that I speak with The Prodigy. Seeing that he's here, my mission would soon come to a close if you would let me speak with him."

"Not a chance in hell." Jenkins said. "You want him, you gotta get through us."

"That can be arranged." The Ranger said as they pulled out a pistol from its holster.

The trio were locked in a stalemate; guns were pointed at each side as the air grew tense. Dogmeat growled and prepared to pounce the Ranger.

"Okay. Everyone calm down." Micheal said. "There is no need to fight. We can all be civil here." He walked in front of his companions to be face to face with the Ranger.

"So you're this "Prodigy" I've been looking for. Hm. I though you'd be taller." The Ranger said.

"Yeah, I get that a lot. Micheal Becker, The Prodigy." He introduced himself and put his hand out for a handshake.

"Charmed." They said and accepted the handshake. "Ranger Phyllis, NCR."

"Micheal, I don't think this is a good idea." Bonnie said. "It was enough trouble getting a Brotherhood fucker in on this, but NCR is a whole different pile of shit."

"For once, I agree with her." Said Jenkins.

"Guys, it's fine. We're just talking." Micheal reassured them. "Why don't you walk with us? We're near our destination." He asked Phyllis.

"Alright. We'll walk and talk." He agreed and the adventurers continued on their journey. Jenkins and Bonnie were keeping an eye on Ranger Phyllis as he walked next to Micheal.

"So why were you looking for me?" Micheal asked. "It's a long way from California."

"I was already out this far when you came to Interplace." He said.

"Hey...Yeah. Weren't you that guy I saw in one of the medical rooms in the community center?" Micheal asked.

"Yep. You passed right by me." Phyllis confirmed. "I had just left town before the Legion attacked. I came back just in time to see what you guys pulled back there. That was some crazy shit."

"Yeah. Too bad it put us behind schedule." Micheal said.

"Just what do you want with him?" Bonnie didn't care for small talk.

"I'm getting to that." Ranger Phyllis said back. "It was only after the fight that I learned of you repairing that Fat Man and building a flaming sword. So not only can you fight like you're hopped up on Jet and Buffout, but you can also build those tools and repair machines that no one else can fix."

"Well, I'm called The Prodigy for a reason." Micheal gloated.

"That you are. Anyway, I came looking for you because I believe you can be of use to the NCR." Phyllis said.

"There it is. I just knew he was gonna say it." Bonnie said to Jenkins.

"I'll be the first to admit it: we're fighting a stalemate with the Legion, one that cannot be fought for much longer." Phyllis said. "You've got skills that could better the odds and tip the scales of war. With your talents, you could shake the very foundation of The Wasteland."

"Well, I'm flattered of the offer, but I'm kinda doing something right now." Micheal said. "My hands are pretty full."

"I understand. It's not everyday a Vault Dweller is sent out with no purpose." Phyllis replied.

"Yeah..." Micheal quietly said.

"Alright, Mr. Ranger, you got what you want, so you can leave now." Bonnie said.

"Now hold on Bonnie. We don't know what's up ahead, so it's best we have all the fire we can get." Micheal tried to reason. "It'll only be for a bit longer."

"Ugh..Fine. But I'm not gonna be happy about. And I'm pretty sure Jenkins wants to shoot him in the back as soon as possible." She said.

The group walked in silence for a bit longer until they reached a canyon sized crevice. The river went on for longer, but this seemed like a good place to stop and rest. Bonnie, Jenkins and Phyllis took a breather while Micheal and Dogmeat searched the crevice for anything. Dogmeat dug something out of the dirt and ran to give it to his owner.

"Whatcha got boy?" Micheal asked as he took the object out of his canines jaws. The young prodigy looked at the object and found it was a sheet of metal, a street sign that was blasted off its pole. Micheal dusted off the sand and gravel to reveal the words "Elk Point" on it. "This must be it then." He returned to his companions.

"Whatcha got?" Bonnie asked.

"We're here. This is Elk Point." Micheal handed her the broken sign. "But, uh...there's nothing."

"Did we come all this way for nothing?" Jenkins said.

"Looks like it. Fuck! I knew Marcy would fuck us over." Bonnie threw the sign on the ground.

"There's gotta be something." Jenkins said.

Micheal thought about his situation. His companions were tired, they were in the middle of nowhere, and now there's just gravel and sand. Phyllis joined his side and stared at nothing with Micheal.

"What do you make of this?" Phyllis asked.

"Hm. I don't know." Micheal sighed. "There's gotta be something. Anything." He scanned his surroundings and saw nothing to work with.

He walked over to a boulder in the middle of the dried up river and sat down to think things over. He remembered what Marcy said:

In the ruins of Sioux, follow the waters of misery toward the place of where the Elk lies dormant. There you will see man's eyes through history face the setting sun. Only then, can you find the sacred rock of which he stays.

"See through man's eyes through history face the setting sun." He recounted that sentence over and over again in his head.

He took out his book of drawings he took and skimmed through the pages. While he skimmed through the book, he noticed a glare on his Pip-Boy screen. They sun was above him, but it wasn't in the position to make glares where he was sitting. Something was making a glare. Micheal looked around, but didn't see any light source that could make it. He noticed that the glare was facing toward him, but he was facing away from it. The glare was coming from his right, which was the West.

"Face the setting sun." Micheal said. "The sun sets in the West." He stood up. "Hey Jenkins! Come over here." He called to his Brotherhood companion.

"What is it?" Jenkins asked as he stood next to The Prodigy.

"Stand where I'm standing." Micheal moved and Jenkins did as he was ordered.

"Okay. What am I doing?" He was confused.

"Look that way." Micheal pointed to the West. "Do you see a glare?"

"Uh..Yeah. Yeah I see a glare. Why?" Jenkins asked.

"I don't. Where is it coming from?" Micheal said.

"..Right there." He pointed. "It's coming from those rocks."

Micheal went to where Jenkins said the glare was coming from and felt air seeping through the cracks. His companions joined his side in interest.

"You find something?" Bonnie asked.

"See man's eyes through history face the setting sun." Micheal repeated. "T-51b Power Armor was used by the Americans to fight against the invading Chinese Communists in the Battle of Anchorage, a massive historical event in American history. It's what started all this."

Micheal moved a couple rocks and his companions soon helped him. Micheal was onto something.

"However, one thing that separated the T-51 suits and the T-45's was the visor." He moved another boulder. "T-45's have plastic visors, same shit they used to make protective eyewear. T-51b's have a darkened glass visor."

"What're you trying to say?" Jenkins asked as he chucked another rock to the dirt.

"You're wearing a window." Micheal said. "You can see glares better."

Micheal moved one final rock and the rest came tumbling down, knocking Micheal to his back. It revealed a cave entrance and a construction light shining toward them.

"Only then, can you find the sacred rock of which he stays." Micheal repeated the final part of the riddle.

"Hot damn. You found it." Bonnie said as she helped Micheal back to his feet.

"Yes. Now..Now we have to go down it." Micheal said as he looked into the cave. "I'll take charge. I'm the one with the light."

Micheal walked down the cavern with his Pip-Boy light on and the others followed closely behind him. They descended deeper and deeper into the dark cave, almost seeming endless.

"How many caves is this now?" Bonnie asked.

"Three. There was The Mine, the Yao Guai clan and now this. Four for me, if you count my vault." Micheal listed.

Micheal walked forward and his light revealed an open cavern that seemed like someone was living in it. There was furniture, lighting, radio, a cabinet full of books. Someone tried really hard to make this home. Micheal turned off his Pip-Boy light and scanned his eyes around the place. All of a sudden, Micheal felt something strange; like something was in his head. It wasn't anything he was familiar with, it felt foreign.

"Ah, hello." A voice said from deeper into the cave. "I, uh, apologize for the mess. I don't usually have guests over." The voice was deep, but it sounded genuine and soft as it could possibly be.

"Well, uh, that's not a problem." Micheal said. "We came looking for someone."

"Yes. And you have found him, Prodigy." The voice said. A figure emerged from the shadows of a cave. The figure was massive, at least ten feet tall, and had on a giant robe, covering their appearance. "I have heard of your deeds outside this cave, young Vault Dweller. Might I say, you are quite the talented young man."

"Thank you, I guess. Who are you?" Micheal asked as his companions watched.

"Who I am is the man you were seeking. However, a man I am not." The figure took down the hood of its robe, revealing what it really was.

"Deathclaw!" Jenkins called out and all the companions aimed their weapons at the beast, even Dogmeat growled. "Micheal, get back." He ordered The Prodigy.

"What? What's going on? What's a Deathclaw?" Micheal was confused.

"Mikey, just stay back." Bonnie ordered.

"Are these your friends? They seem...nice." The Deathclaw said.

"A talking Deathclaw. Now I've seen everything." Bonnie commented.

"Guys, just calm down. We can be civil here." Micheal said.

"Civil? Civil with a Deathclaw? I don't know if you know this, but Deathclaws are the most viscous things to walk The Wasteland." Phyllis said. "They're monsters."

"Well, if it's a monster, why hasn't it attacked us?" Micheal asked.

"Probably just deciding which one of us to kill." Bonnie said.

"Kill? The thought hasn't even crossed my mind. And your response toward me is not foreign, but I thank you for not shooting me immediately." The Deathclaw said. "I understand my brothers and sisters are much less fortunate than me, but I was not birth from their branches. As you can see, I am not your average Deathclaw."

"Who are you? What are you?" Micheal asked.

"My name...is Goris. I am the last of my kind and the only one of the Albino Deathclaws." He said.

"Goris? That's a nice name." Micheal said.

"Thank you. Not many people show my kind hospitality such as yours." Goris thanked.

"Don't mention it. Anyway, are you the person I needed to find?" The Prodigy asked.

"Marcy sent you, didn't she? I should've known." Said Goris. "She stirs up the most trouble for me. She sends hunter after hunter to bag the only Albino Deathclaw for a few caps. She most likely sent you in hopes that I would kill you."

"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised." Bonnie said under her breath.

"But you didn't come to kill me, young Micheal. You came for hope. Hope of finding something that could help you. What is it you seek?" Goris said.

"Well, I don't know what I seek...I've been running around The Wasteland in hopes someone will tell what it is I need to find." Micheal admitted. "I want to save my vault, cure my people. But things are just getting more and more complicated than I could ever imagine."

"Heh. You remind me of someone I once knew, a long time ago. Had to leave his home in search of a miracle; knows nothing about the world ahead of him; turned out to be more than anyone could of expected." Goris said. "My friend, what you require is a Garden of Eden Creation Kit."

"A G.E.C.K.? Aren't those just a myth? Some miracle kit assigned to only a limited amount of vaults?" Jenkins asked.

"I assure you, they are very much real." Goris answered. "They were assigned to very limited amount of vaults. Extremely limited in numbers, most were used while the rest remain unknown. However, there is one G.E.C.K. that I know exactly where it is."

"Where is it?" Micheal asked.

"Far from here, but the closest one you can find. You must travel to California." Goris said.

"California? You gotta be fucking kidding." Said Bonnie.

"It will be a long journey, but I can give you transport. I have an old memory that may give you the aid you need." Goris said as he walked down the cavern. Micheal followed him and his companions reluctantly followed as well.

The group followed Goris to a dead-end. Goris pushed the wall down and it revealed an exit to the cavern and back to the surface. The light from the sun revealed something large hidden under a tarp. Goris pulled the tarp off to reveal an old Highwayman car. It looked to be in good condition, minus the dirt on it. It looked old, but used.

"This is a Highwayman. I used to travel with the person who drove this car." Goris said. "I remember I would ride on the back because I was too big to fit inside."

"Does it work?" Micheal asked as he analyzed the car.

"Yes, but it has been laying dormant for a very long time." He reaches into his robe and pulled out some rolled piece of cow leather. "Take this. It's a map that'll tell you where you must go." Micheal opened the leather map and it had drawings of buildings and canyons on it.

"Is this all you can give, Goris?" Micheal asked.

"Yes. You are on your own, but you are not alone in your search. I wish you the best of luck, young Micheal." Goris said. "Hopefully one day, we can actually have a sit down and talk." He walked back into the cavern and disappeared into the darkness.

"Well..that was..interesting. Are your adventures usually like this?" Phyllis asked.

"No. Sometimes we get kidnapped." Bonnie snarked.

"Hey, Phyllis. How about you stay with us a bit longer. We could use the directions to California." Micheal suggested.

"Hmm. I guess. I do need to get back there anyway. Alright, fine. I'll stay for now." He said.

Micheal got into the drivers seat, found the make-shift key to the car and turned it into the ignition. The old Highwayman gurgled and hummed until it eventually roared to life. The lights flickered and the radio sputtered. Micheal looked to the dials and saw the tank was almost full. Bonnie got in the passenger seat and Phyllis and Dogmeat climbed in the back.

"Where do I sit?" Jenkins asked.

"You're in a full suit of power armor. Get in the trunk." Bonnie said.

"Oh come on. That's so degrading." Jenkins argued.

"You shouldn't have worn a fucking fridge then." She shot back.

"Jenkins, think of it this way: you'll be our mobile turret." Micheal said.

"This is below me." Jenkins said. He hopped into the back and held onto the roof of the car.

Micheal stepped on the pedal and the car was on the move. It drove through the sand and was soon met with what it was made for, the road.

"Why're you driving?" Bonnie asked Micheal.

"Because I'm the only one with any actual knowledge on how to drive." He answered.

"The last time you drove, you ran over seven people." Bonnie reminded.

"They had it coming." Micheal said.

"Where are we going anyway? I know we're going to California, but where in California?" She asked as she put seat back and her feet up on the dashboard.

"Uh..let me see." Micheal pulled out the leather map. "Some place called..."Arroyo." Am I saying that right?"