Chapter 4: On The Border of Danger

"So some crazy people kidnapped the kid?" Courtney recounted what she heard.

"Yes." The old man said.

"But Micheal escaped and freed Bonnie and the rest of the slaves from The Mine." Courtney finished. "What happened to The Mine after that?"

"Some of the slaves abandoned The Mine and ran back home. The ones who stayed formed a group known as The Excavators. They kept The Mine going, but sold the materials to merchants and allied factions. Became a much needed powerhouse in The Midwestern Wasteland." The old man explained.

"I know about them. My pa used to tell me and my siblings stories of when he worked there as a slave when he was a kid." Jr. interrupted. "I think he did mention a Vault Dweller freeing them. Never really got into it though."

The group had been walking for about two hours now, following the old man as he spat the tale. They had traversed over hills and caves with no sign of civilization for miles. The only thing they've encountered were rusted signs and rocks.

"Where is this fucking place?" McKilla was growing impatient.

"It's close. Just a little longer." The old man said.

"I hate to do this, but I agree with the raider." Courtney said. "We've been hiking for hours and there's been nothing."

"Yeah. Do you actually know where this place is?" Rodger inquired.

"Or if it's actually real?" The raider said.

"Patience is a virtue." The old man said as he raised his cane to point at the horizon. He was pointing to something in the distance. It was a collection of buildings, looked like a town. "Patience leads to reward." The old man finished.

"That the place?" Rodger asked.

"Yes. That is the settlement. Be wary though, it's full of some strange individuals." The Stranger warned.

"What kind of individuals?" Rodger was cautious about what the stranger was getting them into.

"They aren't dangerous, if that's what you're wondering. They just have a bit more...personality." The Stranger answered. "Kind of like what The Prodigy encountered in Bordertown."

"What did he encounter there?" Jr. asked.

"Well we're getting to that part." The old man said.

—

The gang had been riding the mine-cart for awhile through the mines. It's been a straight run, a few bumps here and there. They had found a much safer way to travel to Bordertown and they certainly wouldn't take the alternative.

"So what can we expect in Bordertown?" Micheal asked. He had no idea what was to await him when he reached his destination.

"Bordertown was built on the remnants of Kansas City, so you'll find some people have made it home." Bonnie explained. "You'll see stores, housing, bars, trendy clubs, all that shit. I'd watch yourself, it's nothing like Danbury."

"What kind of people are there?" Micheal asked.

"Crime families, cooky religious figures, ghouls." Bonnie listed.

"Ghouls?" Micheal asked.

"Some poor bastards who didn't die from radiation. It made them look like zombies, some even act like zombies." Bonnie explained. "Some are unlucky enough to keep their minds intact and still be human...kinda."

"Damn. Must be a personal hell." Micheal remarked.

"You have no idea." Bonnie said. The two fell into an awkward silence for a bit.

"Do you think you'll actually find something to fix your vault?" Bonnie ended the silence.

"I've got to. It's my home." Micheal said. "I can't just let my family die."

"An honorable goal, but impossible odds." Bonnie said.

"We were told about The Wasteland, some stories the adults told us to scare the children. Never would I have thought I'd actually see it, let alone try to survive it." Micheal said.

"Well whatever they told you, it's real." Bonnie said. Micheal didn't respond.

Dogmeat barked and alerted the duo to what he was yipping at. They saw a bright light at the end of the tunnel and knew they had reached the end of the mine-track.

"Pull the brake, we should slow down." Micheal ordered

Bonnie pulled the brake lever on the cart and the wheels skidded to a screeching halt at the end of the track. They climbed out of the cart and exited the poorly lit mine-shaft to be met with the bright Midwestern sun. They were on some hill facing South.

"You see the place?" Bonnie asked.

"Is that it?" Micheal pointed to a large city in the distance.

"Yep. That's it." Bonnie said. "Bordertown. You'll never find a place more full of idiots, mercenaries, crime, and drunks."

"Think we'll find what I need here?" Micheal asked.

"I doubt it, but we'll see." Bonnie said. "First we need to get through the Deadwoods."

The city was surrounded by billions of charred logs sticking out of the ground that used to be trees.

"Stay close. We don't know what's in these woods." Bonnie commanded.

"Yes ma'am." Micheal stuck to her like glue.

The trio cautiously traversed the burned forest and found a highway that leads right to the city. When they reached the outskirts of Bordertown, Micheal could finally get a sense of what he was in for. The buildings towered over him, but they were destroyed and looked as if they were about to crumble. There were lights coming from within the ruins, but they're a sorry excuse of comfort. It was like a match in a pitch black cavern. The trio reached the end of the highway and came across a poorly built barrier with armed guards in metal armor patrolling it.

"Halt!" One of them ordered to the trio when he saw them from on top of the barrier. "State your business."

"I'll deal with this." Bonnie said to Micheal. "We're just here to do business. Don't mean to start any trouble." She called out to the guard.

"What business?" He questioned her.

"Looking for work." Bonnie answered.

"Sorry doll, but we've got plenty of workers here." The guard denied them entry. He was about to walk away, but his eyes landed on a certain teenager dressed in a blue jumpsuit. "That a Vault Dweller with ya?" He asked.

"Yeah. What of it?" Bonnie asked. He looked to another guard and said something to him under his breath.

"Is it him?" The guard called out.

"What?" Bonnie shouted back.

"Is it him? That Prodigy that's been on the radio?" He said. Bonnie looked to Micheal.

"Maybe. Why?" She asked. The guard turned to his fellow armed brother again.

"Alright. We'll let you through, on one condition." He said.

"What's that?" Bonnie said.

"Keep that 'Prodigy' close to you. We don't want him running in with a car or some shit like he pulled in Danbury." He ordered.

"Deal." Bonnie said. "Looks like your reputation precedes you, kid."

The guards opened the scrap gate and allowed entryway for the trio. The group walked into Bordertown and found it to be full of citizens, homeless, and bums throwing up on the cracked street. This place was a horrid place to call home, but it did have its charms. There were merchants on every corner, trendy clubs to fill one's loneliness and drown their sorrows, and guards dawned in combat armor acting as some kind of police force in this chaotic city.

"So this is Bordertown?" Micheal said. "How...scenic."

"This place is a cesspit. Let's not spend all day here." Bonnie said.

"Where do we go?" Micheal asked.

"There's a bar nearby that's extremely popular 'round here. We should start there." Bonnie suggested. "Stay close."

Micheal and his canine companion followed Bonnie to some club called "The Hell and High Water" made from some old shopping center. There was a large bouncer outside. He stopped Micheal and Bonnie.

"Sorry. No kids allowed." He said. At least they had that decency.

"Shit. Sorry kid. You want me to go in there and ask around?" Bonnie asked.

"You go. I'll wait outside." Micheal said.

"Alright. Stay here and don't wander around. I'll only be a second." Bonnie ordered.

"Fine by me." Micheal said.

Bonnie walked into the bar to try and find someone to point them in the right direction. The club was filled with drunken idiots wooing over the showgirls on the counters and addicts pumping any kind of chem. Bonnie weaseled her way through the crowd of patrons to try and find a certain someone. She stopped at a certain woman slamming down shot after shot against someone else, the poor bastard couldn't even chug another glass before falling to the ground.

"Hah! Sorry man, you ain't ever gonna best little old me." The woman said. She didn't seem like most of the other people; she was wearing a fancy suit. She seemed rather chipper than the rest.

"Hi Marcy." Bonnie said to grab her attention.

"Well I don't believe my eyes. Bonbon!" This was Marcy Ainsley, the founder of this club and the person who brought up most mercenaries in the Midwest. Bonnie pulled up a chair and sat down with her.

"You know I hate it when you call me that." Bonnie said.

"That's why I do it." Marcy said in a laugh. "So why are you here?" She got serious real quick.

"I've got a contract with this Vault Dweller." Bonnie said.

"Vault Dweller? You don't happen to mean that kid from Vault 25, do ya?" Marcy said.

"Yep. Was in the town of Danbury at the time. He hired me and we've been trying to get here ever since." Bonnie replied.

"Well you guys got here quick! Usually takes a week or two to get here from the other side." Marcy said.

"We found a shortcut." Bonnie said. "We're here cause he needs help trying to locate something that could fix his vault, or something like that."

"Fix his vault? What could be wrong with it?" Marcy asked.

"Something about the dwellers turning into blood thirsty monsters. I don't know, I didn't listen to him when he explained it." Bonnie admitted.

"Sounds like he could use some real help, at a price of course." Marcy said. "You know what? I'd like to meet this Prodigy. Where is he?" Marcy asked.

"He's outside. No kids allowed." Bonnie said. "Willing to make an exception?"

"Ah fuck it, I'm in a good mood. Go get him." Marcy accepted.

Bonnie got up from her seat to go fetch her employer. When she got out the front entrance, her little Vault Dweller and dog were no where to be seen. They had wandered off.

"Motherfucker." Bonnie exclaimed.

Micheal was personally never one to sit down and do nothing. He needed something to do in order for him to stay in one place. He walked around the streets and saw desperate people trying to make a living the best they could.

"Man. This place is vastly different from home." Micheal said to nobody. He saw some kids bullying a fellow youth in the streets, one had seemed to break one of that kids possessions. The kid started crying and the others ran off laughing.

"Shit. That's rough." Micheal felt sorry for the kid and decided, in his good nature, to comfort them. When he got closer, he noticed the kid was in fact one of those ghouls Bonnie had mentioned. Micheal walked up to the kid and kneeled beside them.

"Please mister...Please don't hit me.." The ghoulified child pleaded through the tears. Micheal could only feel sorrow and pity for the unfortunate soul.

"Hit you? Why would I hit you?" Micheal asked.

"Because..Because I'm a ghoul.." The child had been hit, used, and battered for the sole reason of them being exposed to an ungodly amount of radiation and not having the fortune to die.

"So what? Still wasn't right what those kids did." Micheal said as he sat down next to the kid.

"You're...You're not gonna hit me? Not even curse me out?" The child said.

"God no. Unlike most people, I'm not a monster." Micheal said. He looked over to the broken possession and found it to be an old giddyup buttercup.

"This yours?" Micheal said as he picked up the toy.

"Yeah..my daddy gave it to me. He worked a lot to get it for me." The kid said.

Micheal took a good look at the pieces and started piecing it back together. The child watched at the young Vault Dweller worked his magic with whatever tools he could muster from the sidewalk. Soon enough, the toy was fixed.

"Here you are." Micheal said as he handed the toy back to the child.

"Wow! Thanks mister." The child said. "I-I don't have anything in return..."

"No need, kid. You don't have to give me anything." Micheal said. "Run along now, and try to avoid those other kids."

The child hugged The Prodigy and ran off into the streets toward home. Micheal had a warm smile on his face. It was nice to have something like that out here, a moment of kindness in an unkind world. Micheal stood up and continued his journey among the streets of Bordertown.

"Do you think there are nicer towns out there?" He said to his dog. Dogmeat softly barked in response. "Yeah, hopefully."

Micheal wasn't looking where he was going and ended up bumping into a stranger. The stranger staggered and his fedora fell off his head.

"Sorry about that, mister." Micheal said as he picked up his hat and handed it to the stranger. Micheal walked off before the stranger could say anything.

The Prodigy wandered around the city some more and eventually stumbled upon a metal structure with some sort of logo painted to the steel door. The logo was three gears and a sword in a circle with wings at the bottom.

"Interesting." Micheal said. "Ever seen anything like it, boy?"

The young Vault Dweller approached the building and saw a guard standing out front. They didn't look like any of the normal guards, in fact they didn't look like a guard at all. They were in some sort of giant, metal suit of armor that towered over Micheal. It didn't look like any scrap armor, it looked manufactured by an actual factory.

"Wow." Micheal said in amazement.

"Huh? Oh! Hello citizen. How may I help you today?" The guard said.

"What..are you?" Micheal asked.

"Heh. I am a Brotherhood of Steel Paladin, Paladin Jenkins. How can I be of assistance? If you wish to join the Brotherhood, then I am sorry for we are currently not taking any new members." He said.

"Brotherhood of Steel? What's that?" Micheal was interested.

"You've never heard of the Brotherhood? You've been living under a rock or something?" The Paladin couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Technically, yes." Micheal answered honestly.

"Wait a minute...Are you that Vault Dweller that's on the radio?" The Paladin realized.

"Yes! Yes, that's me. Vault 25." Micheal said.

"Well then, it's nice to finally meet you. You know, a lot of the scribes would be very interested in personally meeting you as well." He said.

"Scribes? I'm sorry, I don't follow." Micheal was confused.

"Oh right! Sorry." The Paladin said. "The Brotherhood of Steel is a collection of men and women who have dedicated their lives to the preservation of technology. We are from California, but our chapter broke off decades ago when we were sent out to the Midwest."

"What are you wearing? I've never seen armor like that." Micheal asked.

"This is Powered Combat Infantry Armor model T-51b, or more commonly known as Power Armor." He explained.

"Power Armor. I think I've heard about that in one of our history lessons." Micheal said. "Developed by West-Tek before the war and powered by a small fusion battery, or a fusion core. Issued into service by the U.S. Military during the Resource Wars and sent out to Anchorage, Alaska to hold back the Chinese. First model issued was the T-45, but it was soon replaced by the more superior T-51b."

"That's right. Not many people know that." The Paladin complimented.

"There were many records of the world before in the vault. I was one of the only people to have access to them." Micheal said.

"Hm. What kind of information?" The Paladin said.

"All kinds of information: history of certain events, locations of other vaults, the works." Micheal said. "Hold on. You said you guys preserved technology, right?"

"Yes, that is correct." Jenkins said.

"Then maybe you guys can help me." Micheal suggested. "My Overseer created a vaccine years ago, but it created fumes and the vats holding it all broke. The fumes went throughout the ventilation and turned everyone into psycho murder machines. I went out to try and find a cure for them. Do you know of anything that could help?" He explained his situation.

"No. No, I don't know anything. But I think the Scribes would know." He said. "But I doubt they'll help. They're backed up as it is."

"Well how about we strike a deal?" Micheal asked.

"...What kind of deal?" The Paladin was interested.

"You guys preserve technology, I assume that also means information. I'm willing to trade you a copy of all the information in my vaults database if you guys help me acquire what I need."

"Hmm...I may need to consult with my superior about this." He said.

Before any discussion could be made further, Micheal was pulled aside from the Paladin.

"Sorry. He's not interested." It was Bonnie. She dragged Micheal away from the Brotherhood outpost.

"What did I say? What did I fucking say?" She angrily said. "I told you to stay put, and I find you trying to make a deal with a Brotherhood soldier."

"Seemed like it was working." Micheal said. "I don't see what the big deal is."

"You don't talk to the fricking Brotherhood of goddamn Steel! They're just a bunch of technophiles in tin cans." Bonnie ordered. "It's dangerous enough you wanted to go to Bordertown, but it's a whole other can of shit if you talk with those creeps. Don't you know any better?"

"No! I've been underground my whole life, I don't know shit about this place." Micheal reminded her.

"I...you...Eugh!" She couldn't fight that logic. "Look, just stay by me at all times. You don't leave my sight." She ordered.

"Fine." Micheal said.

"Fine." Bonnie said. "I was able to get us a lead or something. Better than talking to those Brotherhood freaks."

"Who is it?" Micheal asked.

"Marcy Ainsley, otherwise known as The Chief, big shot around here. Get good with her, she'll help you with anything." Bonnie said. "Get on her bad side, she'll hunt you here to New Reno."

"Alright. Did she say anything that could help us?" Micheal asked.

"She wanted to meet with you first." She explained.

The trio walked back to The Hell and High Water and Marcy awaited them outside. She was talking with some Wastelander before she spotted her old associate and that Vault Dweller she so anxiously awaited for.

"You're back! And I see you found that Prodigy from down under." March said. "I expected him to be...taller." Micheal was about 5' 5" around that time, which was good for a boy his age.

"You get what you get and you don't get upset. We learned that back in daycare." Micheal said. "Never quite agreed with it myself though, but I was locked underground for fifteen years."

"Fifteen years? You're telling you're a teenager? I thought you'd be at least nineteen or something." Marcy's expectations of The Prodigy were vastly different from what she got, but that only made her more impressed.

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint." Micheal said.

"No need. If anything, that only makes what you did more impressive. A fifteen year old fixed a car, killed the Maverick gang and saved the town of Danbury all in one fell swoop." Marcy recounted. "Kinda reminds of The Vault Dweller or The Chosen One back in California so many years ago."

"He doesn't know who those people are." Bonnie said.

"Right. Sorry, I'm just so used to talking to bums and wastelanders." Marcy said.

"Do you know anything that could help my vault?" Micheal asked.

"Searching for something to help his people. Now you really remind me of those old tales." Marcy said. "Sorry, I don't know anything. But I do know someone who can probably help you."

"Who?" Micheal was anxious to know.

"Hold on there cowboy! Information doesn't come cheap." Marcy said.

"How much you want?" Bonnie asked.

"Not much. Say...1,500 caps." Marcy said her price.

"Woah! That's way too high." Bonnie said. "How're we suppose to get 1,500 caps?"

"You guys better learn, otherwise you're gonna get nowhere." Marcy said.

"Now hold on just a minute." Micheal said. "Surely a woman of your position must want something." He bartered.

"...Go on." Marcy listened.

"1,500 caps is little high for us, but certainly you must want something that is worth that much, or more." Micheal said.

"Hmm...There is one thing." Marcy said. "One of my girls on the streets came back with bruises and cuts. I figure one of our clientele had abused their privileges."

"So you want us to try and find this guy. That it?" Micheal said.

"Everyone knows the rules of my girls, but this guy clearly needs to be reminded of those rules." Marcy said. "Do what you have to do to find him, I suggest asking the girls. I'll tell the bouncer to let you in." She walked to the front entrance and told the bouncer outside to let Micheal in. She left the trio to return to her duties and the gang entered the club.

"Try to look for a girl with bruises." Bonnie said.

The trio scoured the club for the girl, but couldn't find any sign of her. They searched every nook and cranny of the main area, but no luck whatsoever. The duo regrouped.

"You got anything?" Micheal asked.

"Nope. Can't find any sign of this girl." Bonnie said.

"Wouldn't it be wise to ask Marcy?" Micheal suggested.

"Yeah, but Ainsley locked herself in her office. Best not to intrude on her business." Bonnie said.

"Well she did say the girl worked the streets that night, maybe we should look for the outside crew." Micheal said.

"Yeah. That's probably a good idea." Bonnie said.

"Well come on, let's go." Micheal tried to walk out, but Bonnie stopped him.

"You're staying beside me." She ordered. "Can't trust ya to be by yourself."

"Hey! If it weren't for me, you'd still be a slave in The Mine." Micheal argued.

"Yes, but you were kidnapped by two farmers, one of which tried to have sex with you, and everyone knows who you are." Bonnie said. "We don't someone holding you for ransom."

"Fine." Micheal said. "God, you're sounding just like my mother."

The gang went off into the streets. Bonnie kept her guard up while Micheal and Dogmeat stood close. They explored the streets in search of anything for the rest of the day.

"Bonnie. It's been hours. We've got nothing." Micheal said.

"I know. I know. Honestly I'm starting to think it's best to run tail and rent a room or something. My feet are killing me." She said. Dogmeat started barking.

"Whatcha got boy?" Micheal asked his faithful canine. Dogmeat ran off into the streets and the duo chased after him. He led them to barely lit street corner, a place where only the distraught think to travel. Among the lights was this woman, looked to be one of Marcy's girls, being harassed by some greaser.

"Come on darling, just a quick in-out and you'll never want to go back." He tried to convince her.

"Go stick your dick in a robot." The prostitute declined.

"Hey! You don't hear me throwing insults." The greaser said. "Now come on, how bout a kiss?"

He tried to kiss her, but she spat in his face. He punched her as a result.

"Damn bitch! How many of your girls must I do this to?!" He tried to hit her again, but was caught in the jaws of a mangy mutt and met the end of a rifle barrel in mere seconds.

"You forget the rules." Bonnie said as she pointed her rifle at the scumbag.

"Ah crap." The thug knew what he was in for.

Micheal went over to the prostitute.

"You alright?" He was genuinely concerned, unlike everyone else out here.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine. Thanks for the help. Marcy send you?" The prostitute said.

"Yeah. Came looking for some jerk causing trouble." Micheal explained.

"Cool. I'm gonna head back to the Club for now, I'm done with the streets for tonight." The prostitute said and ran off.

"What're we gonna do with this guy?" Micheal asked.

"I say we just kill him. Be over, said and done quick." Bonnie suggested.

"No! We're not gonna kill him. Maybe, rough him up a bit." Micheal objected.

"You didn't seem to have a problem offing Maverick or those raiders." Bonnie argued.

"Those were different. It was all in self defense." Micheal said.

"Self defense?! Bullshit. That was some righteous justice or some crazy shit you pulled." Bonnie said. "Probably had some of those old world movies and books about cowboys and superheroes. You liked reading Grognak or The Silver Shroud?" The thug chuckled.

"What was that?" Micheal asked.

"What was what?" The thug shot back.

"Why'd you laugh?" Micheal said.

"..Vault Dwellers. You all think you're so high and mighty just cause you're from some cozy bunker underground." The thug said as Micheal listened to every word he spat out of his disgusting trap. "First it was Vault City looking at people outside their vault as nothing but slaves and mongrels, then it was that Vault Dweller and Chosen One in that Vault 13 Jumpsuit. Next it was that Lone Wanderer seen as a hero. All you Vault Dwellers do is take glory and use us as cannon fodder. You're all just some glorified rats from the dirt and those vaults are your graves."

Micheal's brow furrowed and his teeth gritted against each other.

"If I had it my way, I personally hunt down every vault out there and force the dwellers out into The Wasteland. Make them feel what this hell is like." He finished.

The thug had pride in his statement, he wholeheartedly believed every word he said. Micheal knew that.

"What're you gonna do about it, Vault Dweller? Try to bargain with me? Steal something from my pocket? Or how about-" Before he could finish his sentence, The Prodigy had ripped his revolver out and shot the the man in the foot. The man screamed and crumbled to the concrete, wincing in pain as he gripped onto his injured foot.

"You son of a bitch!" The man cried out. "I'll fucking kill you!"

"Woah." Bonnie hadn't expect this kind of behavior from The Prodigy. "That was hardcore. And definitely not in self defense." She joked. Micheal wasn't amused.

"We should report back to Marcy. Then, we should try to see if we can rent a room for the night." Micheal ordered.

"What's this new side of you that I'm just now seeing?" Bonnie asked.

"The side that's paying you." The Prodigy said with venom in his voice.

They walked off back to the club to report to their employer about their recent success. They reached the bar and went up to Marcy's office, where she was pumping chems and living the best life a crime lord can live.

"Oh! You're back. Shit, hold on." She said as the chems rushed through her. "So...did you do it?" Bonnie was about to answer, but Micheal cut her off.

"He learned his lesson." Micheal said. There was no evidence, but Marcy could see a look in his eye. A look that said he ain't lying. "Now, you tell me where I can find this guy you mentioned." Micheal said.

"Hold on slugger. What's the rush? Chill...take some breathing exercises." Marcy joked.

"I don't have time for jokes, Ainsley." The Prodigy said. "I can't afford to chill, amigo." He grew more impatient and angry, which was a horrible thing for him to be. He pulled up a chair and sat at the other end of Marcy's desk. "Either you tell me where I can find this guy..." Something was different about him. "Or I'll skin you alive, feed your entrails to my dog and the rest to your showgirls in a Marcy Soup Special." His voice changed when he said that. It was more raspy and slow, but more terrifying and rough, like there were scars in his throat. His eyes had red veins growing in them and eventually the white surrounding his pupils malformed into blood red.

"You on something?" Marcy asked, not intimidated by the threat. "Fine. If you don't wanna relax, I suppose we'll do the boring part first."

Micheal shook the feeling from his being and wiped his eyes. He was back to normal, for now.

"I gotta warn ya though, he isn't exactly the type that most would want to talk to." Marcy said. "He isolated himself in a cave North of here. Just follow Interstate 29 and you'll reach a place called Sioux City."

"How will I know the cave when I see it?" Micheal asked.

"There was a riddle that should lead you to it. Old bastard thought it'd be funny instead of giving coordinates." She 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." The room fell silent.

"...What the fuck does any of that mean?" Bonnie asked.

"I don't know! Some biblical shit or something." Marcy admitted. "Look, just be glad it's something. Can we end this now? I kinda got a date with a lovely man they call Jet."

"Fine. We'll leave." Micheal said.

He got up from his chair and left the office with Bonnie and Dogmeat. They were back out into the streets, but it was getting dark.

"C'mon. I know a decent motel we can stay the night." Bonnie said.

They walked off to some cruddy complex repurposed into a motel. It was rusty, dusty, crusty, looked as if it was about to come falling down, but it was better than nothing. Bonnie walked up to the front counter and talked with the receptionist about renting a room, which cost only 60 caps. They got the room and went to pack it in for the night.

The room itself left much to be desired. The walls hadn't been repainted since the war, there was only one makeshift queen-sized bed, and the sound of the neighbors pounding each other into meat patties was loud enough to be heard through the walls.

"Well...It's not much." Bonnie said. "It's better than sleeping in an old barn."

"Yeah. Or waking up tied to a chair and being sexually assaulted." Micheal joked.

"Heh. Yeah." Bonnie said.

Micheal sat down on the mattress and petted his canine companion sitting next to him. Bonnie removed her leather armor and jacket, but kept her tank-top and jeans on.

"You gonna take off your armor, or are you gonna sleep like that?" Bonnie asked.

"Huh? Oh. Right." Micheal said. He took off his armor and set it aside, but still kept his signature vault suit on and his revolver on the nightstand next to him. He also refused to remove his Pip-Boy.

"That thing is gonna be stuck to your arm if you don't take it off." Bonnie said as she laid down on the mattress.

"If I lose it, I'm fucked. Besides, it holds more tricks than you think." Micheal said.

He looked at his Pip-Boy and read what was on the screen. Mostly just stats and inventory he had databased, but it also had some map locations of certain areas he'd had already been to. If he had time and tools, he could probably make it better and more efficient, but he worked with what he had.

"Hey Bonnie?" Micheal said as he laid down next to his companion mercenary.

"Yeah?" She said back.

"What do you think Marcy meant? With that riddle." He asked.

"No clue. All I know is that we need to follow Interstate 29 until we reach Sioux City in Iowa" She said. "Sad part is that Legion patrol those parts."

"Legion?" Micheal asked.

"Some crazed bastard formed a group of glorified raiders off some old empire on the other side of the world." She explained. "Calls himself Caesar and his followers of Legates. They crucify people and enslave women and children. The men are either killed or forced to join."

"Sounds awful." Micheal said.

"It is. They even have their own unstoppable juggernaut, calls him Legate Lanius. Good thing he's been positioned to hold off the NCR at Hoover Dam, far away from us." She said.

"I don't want to have the honor to meet him personally." Micheal said.

"Now it's my turn to question you." Bonnie said. "The hell was that back in Marcy's office?"

"...I'll tell you about it in the morning. It's late, we should catch some sleep." Micheal avoided the question.

"Alright. Goodnight." Bonnie said as she rolled over.

"Goodnight." Micheal said back as he rolled the other way.

He flicked the lamp on the nightstand off and the room was surrounded by shadows, the only light coming from the window. Dogmeat laid next to the bed and Micheal gave him one last pet goodnight. It was quiet, the only quiet one in the place would long for. Today was a long day, and it only ever felt like it was gonna get even longer.