And we're back with chapter 2! For those of you watching and reading, I hope you enjoy!
As always, feel free to leave feedback, it's how I improve as an author.
With that out of the way, let's get on with the chapter!
Chapter 2: Day After Day
October 22nd, 2281
Time was blasted out of his bed by the sound of a horn just outside of the wall next to it. Shooting back up on his feet in a panic, the blonde stopped to glare through a hole in a wall that had a flickering TV screen behind it.
"What!? What the hell is it Victor?"
"You haven't forgotten your training now, have you pardner? I've got a ten mile run with your name on it! That'll be another mile each minute you aren't out here!" His piece said, Victor wheeled away from the wall before the blonde could respond. Time cursed briefly before throwing on his clothes and heading for the door. Pausing momentarily, he reached into his sack and pulled out one of the doses of medication Doc Mitchell had given him to help stave off those episodes. Popping it in his mouth, Time dashed outside hurriedly.
Running into the crisp morning air, Time slowed down as he got close to Victor, looking around. "Hey, where's Sunny? Didn't you say she was part of this?"
"She is, but everyone needs their off days! Well, unless you're a machine that doesn't get tired. But! That's besides the point here. You owe me an eleven mile run!"
Groaning, the courier shook his head as he started jogging, Victor hot on his heels as the robot shouted 'motivational' phrases at him to get him to run faster. Time may have known very few things, but one thing he knew above all else was that he was not a morning person. If nothing else, he could at least appreciate the morning sun on his face.
"C'mon, you move like a gimped old grandma! Yah! Yah!"
Though he could do without the Securitron yelling insults at him.
\-/
Shifting uncomfortably in her seat, Sunny looked across the bar at Trudy. As much as she didn't want the entire town knowing her business, she needed Trudy's insight for her particular plight. Granted, she knew the older woman could keep a secret if pressed to, but that wouldn't save her from any amount of teasing. Cheyenne yawned from her place laying down on the floor, tail lazily wagging across the wooden boards. Finally, Trudy turned back to her and set down two plates of gecko meat for them to eat while they talked.
"So, what did ya want to talk about hun? Not everyday you come to me all fidgety like this," Trudy inquired.
"It's, um... So you know the new guy in town, Time?" Sunny started off nervously.
"Yeah, I got him set up in the small room. What about him? He's out with that weird robot Victor right now, did he do something to you?" Trudy's voice took a worried edge. The man had seemed fine despite his peculiar lapses, but if he had laid a single hand on Sunny she couldn't promise there'd be anything left of the blonde courier after she was through.
"No no- well, kinda, but it was an accident! Look, that isn't it at all. Have you... you're an experienced woman right? Have you ever had any... guys in your life?"
Trudy's eyes widened as surprise got the best of her. Sunny had never talked about this kind of stuff with her before, she'd never so much as looked interested before! It made her heart warm that the younger girl would come to her for advice like this. Well, best not to disappoint the girl.
"I've been with a few men in my time, yes. Has something caught your eye hun?"
Sunny's eyes darted downwards before she forced them back up, a slight tinge of red to her cheeks. "K-kinda. I suppose you could say that. Let's say that if I wanted to try to get with someone my age, what should I look for? Things to say and do, stuff to avoid?"
Trudy couldn't help the smile from crossing her face as she heard her little Sunny splutter and try to string her words together. Even if she was in her late twenties the girl hadn't so much as even tried to flirt with somebody before and it showed. Strong and tough the young gecko hunter might've been in her own element, but this was like kicking a kid into a pool without teaching them to swim first.
"Sunny, sweetie, this can go a lot smoother if you just admit you like the man. Have you told him?" Stiffly, the young woman nodded her head, not quite trusting her voice with the memory of the kiss playing in her head.
"Alright. What all do you like about him, then? I need to know what we're working with here." Hesitating for a moment, Sunny acquiesced and started jogging her thoughts for what all she liked about the blonde courier.
"Well, he's my age for one. Helps that he's only a bit older. Second, he's nice like Chet ain't. He's a good shot and doesn't seem like the violent type. Not to mention he's kind of a mystery and he can do all these weird things." As Sunny listed off her reasons, Trudy couldn't help it as the corners of her lips tugged down. She was listing a lot of admirable traits, but not a whole lot of things about the man in question.
"Hun, you can stop there. I'm hearing what you're saying, but I'm not sure if you are." Sunny gave the older woman a confused look at that, to which she explained further.
"You're saying a lot of good things about him, about what makes him better than what you got available. But what Time himself? Does he click with you? What aspects of his personality helps complement yours?"
Frowning, Sunny looked down at her plate of gecko meat. She'd barely touched the meal, so absorbed in her questions and problems as she'd been. What did she actually like about him? What kind of question was that? She'd been talking about all the kinds of things she'd liked about him. Looking, she told the other woman just that, making Trudy shake her head with a displeased frown.
"Hun, I don't think you're clicking with the boy the way you think you are. As much as I don't wanna paint a bad picture, he's lost quite a few of his marbles. He doesn't remember the way he was, which means you can't know that for sure either. Guy like that is a blank slate but a whole past just waiting to catch up with him. What you've talked about so far, you just like the fact he's new and he's bendy enough to fit into the mold you were making. You were even talking about how he reminded you of that Ranger you had a crush on."
Shushing Trudy in embarrassment, the redhead gave her a bit of a mean look. "Yeah, and? Isn't that the whole point, to get with a person and try to make it work between the two of you? We're getting to know each other, what am I doing wrong?"
Somewhat shocked at the sudden bout of defensive anger, Trudy shook her head with a sigh. "Do you hear yourself? That ain't how this works at all. If you really want to be with someone, in the way you're talkin, you need to know them like no other. It isn't about forcing the relationship to work. But I guess you're still in the early stages. Do me a favor though? Don't rush things. I know he won't be around forever, but make sure that he's what you really want."
Huffing, Sunny simply took the gecko steak in front of her and began chewing it, but nodded all the same. That was all Trudy could really ask for, she supposed. Finishing off the last of her meal, she took her plate and began washing it, taking Sunny's when she was finished as well.
Soon enough, the door rang out as it opened and a familiar mop of blonde hair walked into the bar. Waving her hand in greeting towards the boy, he gave her one in turn before Sunny stood up and dragged him out the front.
"Come on Time, I still got a lot of things to show you around town! We're burning daylight just standing around!"
Too tired to really fight her, the man simply chuckled and walked with her instead of being dragged out the door. Trudy couldn't help but shake her head at the two of them.
"Oh that girl. She's gonna run that poor boy ragged."
\-/
October 23, 2281
Slowly moving his hands as he balanced the open
Locksmith's Reader on his knee, he teased the bobby pin from side to side until he heard a satisfying click echo out as the door slid open. Yanking it to the side, Time grinned widely upon seeing the wealth of items and loot inside. Grabbing it all, he counted the caps before setting a few in another pouch. As he did so, the blonde heard several buzzing sounds behind him as well what sounded like a wet cracking, not unlike the breaking of a Deathclaw egg.
Turning, his grin took on a slightly manic edge as he saw several giant mantises skittering towards him. Standing up to his full height, the blonde jumped and landed on the nearest insect's head, crushing it completely underfoot. Several of the green critters chattered to one another nervously, but yet more swarmed forward. Laughing to himself, Time met the tide of mantises head-on.
\-/
Picking at her nails in boredom, Sunny looked up in interest as her companion exited the schoolhouse.
"Hey, welcome back! You find anything good in there-"
*Squelch*
Cut off by the wet crunch, she looked at the blonde man closer before feeling a bit green. Looking up from the headless mantis in his grasp, Time smiled at Sunny, showing all the viscous fluids coating his teeth.
"Heya Sunny! You were spot on about that safe, it had a ton of goodies inside of it! Here, I got a few caps for ya as well as that magazine you let me borrow to help crack it open." Digging through his satchel, he took out the magazine with roughly twenty caps resting on it. The redhead had to hold back from dry heaving as she looked at the bug fluids all over the items.
"You - hmp, you can keep it. You went in after all. Speaking of, are those things even safe to eat?" She gestured towards the bug hanging limply in the courier's hand. Shrugging, he stashed the magazine and caps back into his pouch. If she didn't want it, she didn't want it.
"Yeah, they're perfectly fine so long as you remove any venom sacks first. Really good source of protein too. You want me to get you one? There's plenty more back inside."
"No! No, I'd rather not. Let's uh, let's just move away from here, yeah? Still gotta show you around some more after all."
Turning around and walking away with a quickness, she couldn't quite hide her disgusted flinch as she heard another wet crunch from behind her as Time finished off his impromptu meal.
\-/
October 24, 2281
Time sat with Easy Pete on the porch of the Prospector Saloon, both of them taking a load off, with Pete telling the youngster about his prospecting days and the courier telling him about what he'd found in the safe the day prior. As he finished the tale by recounting stomping on the puny insects, their attention was drawn towards the road as they heard gunshots off in the distance. Squinting, Time could make out what looked like a caravan down the way, the Brahmin jerking back and forth as they panicked. And beyond them, he could see what he assumed to be raiders wearing blue jackets and flashes of gunfire coming from them.
"Shit, looks like we got some rough company heading our way Pete!" Running for cover, Time ran closer to the road as Pete went around the back of the building to get his own weapons. Picking up his SMG, the courier clicked the safety off before looking out at the road. The caravan had gotten close, close enough to yell at the panicked man riding front and center.
"Hey, hey! Get around the back, I'll cover you!" Shouting, Time waved the man down, ushering him towards the saloon. The driver, not wanting to look the gift horse in the mouth, went straight back behind the saloon, keeping his caravan safe for the moment. Pete hurried out and took shelter behind the rusted husk of a truck and together the two men fired on the men out in the distance.
Time could tell with certainty that his shots weren't going to hit anyone from so far out, but Pete had a better gun for aiming and managed to pop one of the men right in the head. There was a lot of shouting among the raiders, but sure enough they began to run away, not wanting to take on an entire town with defensible positions with so few numbers. They pulled back and cleared out, but that didn't stop Time and Pete from continuing to shoot at them. Eventually, they both ran and dry and there was nothing left worth shooting at but tumbleweeds.
Sighing to himself, the blonde stood up from his cover and walked over to Pete who was slowly getting up and cursing his aching joints all the way. "Good shot there Pete, way to knock that raider ass over teakettle. Do you need any help getting into the saloon?"
"Pah, I don't need no help getting over there. Get on and make sure whoever that was that came into town is a trustworthy sort, Ranger boy." Cracking his back, Pete took his time to make sure he was good and ready to head out. Giving the older man a look over the strange nickname, Time hurried up and headed into the saloon. Upon entering he saw that Trudy was already addressing the man that had fled into Goodsprings. He seemed happy if a bit hassled over being shot at the way he had been. After another word from Trudy he nodded before leaving through the back door again. Walking up, Time lifted an eyebrow up at the older woman.
"So, is he a pleasant fella? Worth me Pete shooting at raiders and getting shot at?" Trudy turned towards the blonde and gave him a smile as she nodded her head.
"Yeah, his name's Ringo. He said he's with the Crimson Caravan. Apparently the poor guy ran into some escaped convicts while doing his route and had to high-tail it here from about a half mile off. I told him to go up to the gas station on the hill to rest for a bit. Doubt that'll be the last we hear from those convicts though."
Clicking his tongue against his teeth, Time shook his head in disgust at the thought the convicts would mosey on up and try their luck again. "They can come and try, they'll just get blown away. No better than raiders the way they are now."
Trudy gave the blonde a curious look before shaking her head. "We can't afford to do that, or at least I'd like to stay out of their way. If anyone's gonna fight it's gonna have to be Ringo that asks the others for help."
Heading behind her bar, Trudy got back to cleaning several dirty glasses she'd left during the commotion. Finding himself staring in disbelief at what he saw as the older woman not being willing to act, Time shook his head before heading out to the gas station. He'd get the measure of this Ringo guy himself and make sure he was ready to fight to survive.
\-/
Picking his way past rubble while going up the hill, Time moved towards the gas station before pausing as he heard a clicking sound. Recognizing the sound as the hammer of a revolver being cocked, the blonde put his hands up as the man in the abandoned building stood up to look through the window, gun pointed straight at Time's chest.
"That's close enough. Who are you, and what do you want with me?" The man looked frightful and was bleeding from a gash on his forehead. It looked like he'd been in the middle of patching himself up before hearing movement outside of his hideout. Eyes drifting to the dangling arm not holding the gun, the courier could see that it was obviously broken.
"Name's Time, and I was checking out the guy Pete and I killed a few raiders to save. Mind putting that gun down so we can actually talk like men?" Looking surprised, the injured caravaneer holstered his firearm and waved the blonde in. Putting his arms back down with only mild annoyance, Time closed the distance to the gas station and made his way in. Looking around, the blonde let out a low whistle as he looked at everything Ringo had laid out. Weapons, ammo, food items, medicine, crafting supplies, and water for days and days.
"I took everything out of my caravan and put it all in here. Didn't want to risk those people sneaking past me and robbing it in the dead of the night. Name's Ringo by the way," Ringo grunted as he sat on a chair and wrapped a bandage around his arm. Nodding along with his logic, Time grabbed a chair and set it across from the merchant before sitting in it. Ringo kept about setting and fixing his arm before putting it in a sling to rest.
"Looks like you got pretty banged up out there. Least you still have your shooting arm to defend yourself. Mind telling me a bit more about those raiders that chased you across the I-15?" Inquiring about a potential enemy, the courier brought out a bottle of purified water and sipped from it. It was a hot day and adrenaline did a wonderful job at drying anyone's mouth out. Seeming to think the same, Ringo grabbed a bottle of water and took a swig himself before responding.
"They're escaped convicts from the NCR Correctional Facility. Giant structure to the southeast, apparently the prisoners flipped the tables on their captors and took over the place. Call themselves Powder Gangers after the explosives that they used to do it. And apparently they think they're tough enough to take on the Crimson Caravan. Managed to take a few out myself before running into town, but I don't think that'll stop em. And if what you said is true, it sounds like the town is going to feel their ire too."
A sinking feeling opened up a pit in Time's stomach at hearing that. An entire prison's worth of convicts managed to break free, and he'd as good as helped to paint a target right onto Goodsprings' back. He couldn't help but feel as if he'd broken some sort of taboo as shame pulled at his heart, but the courier shook it off. Vague feelings had been cropping up every now and then whenever he did certain things or activities, the most recurring one being anger whenever he heard about raiders and the one time he'd talked about the NCR and Legion with Easy Pete. He couldn't afford to waste time poking his own empty head for answers that weren't coming.
"So you know they're gonna be gunning for you. Are you prepared to fight them if - when - it comes down to it? Raiders aren't the type to let shit go, they'll just hunt you down even if you skip town."
Shaking his head, Ringo's face contorted in anger and frustration before going slack as if giving up. "I can't fight them like I am. Even when it was just a handful of them they had me running, now I'm injured and they probably got dozens more waiting in the wings. Maybe if I had a full company with me I could fend 'em off, but that's no dice."
"You're just going to give up like that!? Roll over and die like some kinda hound?" Incredulous, Time shot up from his chair as anger blossomed in his chest. Ringo looked surprised before shaking his head bitterly.
"If I could win I'd fight, but I've got no chance. I need people to help me, but I ain't got none here!"
Before Time could retort, the door opened and Sunny peeked through, looking between the standing courier and the sitting caravaneer.
"Um, am I interrupting something between the two of you? I heard there was a new arrival in town and I wanted to see who they were."
Looking between Sunny and Ringo, Time shook his head and backed away towards the door.
"No, I was actually just about to head out. Have fun Sunny." And with that, the blonde left. Stalking away from the gas station, he looked down at his shaking hands. Balling them up into fists as tight as he could, he couldn't make them stop. Time didn't understand why he was so angry, it was just when Ringo had been talking about not having the people to back him up to keep fighting-
Gasping, Time held a hand to his head as a crack of pain thundered out through his skull, a scene overtaking his vision.
\-/
Summer, ???
A young black man and Time stood at the back of a crowd in a bar, shuffling backs and echoing voices ringing out from all around them. It was dull, muted to the blonde who tuned it all out. All the young man cared for was his own anger at the situation, that they were forced to pull back even though they could keep fighting. He knew it, they all knew it, everyone was just too scared to risk their necks to do anything! Growling to himself, Time's fists shook before he slammed one into the wall behind him.
"Goddamn cowards, turning to the NCR! We can take them! We can still fight! Come on Cain, you have to agree with me here!" Sighing, the other man turned towards his blonde friend.
"We could, yes, but there are too many moving parts for us to tackle by ourselves. If we slip up, we'll be wiped out in no time flat. You've seen the Legion, Time. You know how they operate."
Brutally swift and effective. Damn it, he knew that! He knew it when he'd seen friends and other fighters be cut down by machetes and gun fire. Those were the lucky ones, the ones that died instantly when they went down. Biting the inside of his cheek, Time forced himself to stop going down that line of thought. It only made him angrier.
"I know, damn it! But that's why we need to keep up with it! Imagine all the people we're going to leave to be picked up by the Legion, how many families are gonna be murdered and worse!"
"So you're fine throwing your life away for complete strangers? Leaving your mother a wreck just so another tribal kid can fight and die for his mother to weep over him as well?"
Time could feel his temper flare before stamping it out. Cain was trying to rile him up in that cold and calculating way of his. Get the blonde to act out so the others would lock him up so he couldn't go out and stir trouble. Cain's brown eyes stared down into Time's blue, daring him to say or do something. Before the blonde could snap, their attention was drawn by the sound of hands clapping and boots clicking on the floor towards them. Looking at the new arrival, Time and Cain stood up straighter.
The face was - it was blurred. The scenery started blurring all together too. Gray smears blending through sight and sound, distortion ringing out over all of it, drowning the scenery. But through it all, he could hear a deep voice with a tempting offer.
"How would a couple of boys like yourselves like the opportunity to keep fighting against Caesar's Legion in our own way?"
\-/
Snapping back to reality, Time gasped as he caught himself before he fell. Dropping to one knee instead, he stared at the dirt below him in wonder as thoughts pinged around at a thousand miles a minute. He remembered something else. It barely made sense, but it was something to latch onto. If he had to guess, Time had barely been a man in that memory, just like that Cain. Cain. That had been a friend. Cain had known more about him. Maybe if he found this person then he'd be able to learn more about himself, about what he was like! But there was one niggling thought pestering the blonde in the back of his head.
"But that man... at the end. He wanted us to fight against Caesar's Legion. Why did I want to fight them? Are those two even alive still? Ugh, that'd be just my luck. First solid memory I get, and it's of two dead people. Fuck it, I just need to keep my ear to the ground. Worst outcome, they're either dead or want to kill me."
Standing back up, Time looked about him. It looked like no one had noticed his little episode, abandoned as the area was. Shaking his head, he headed back to the Prospector Saloon. He needed to mull over his thoughts and these new pieces to the puzzle of his past. If nothing else, it did give him insight to one part of his personality.
"So I've always been a bit of a hothead, even as a kid. All these things that keep making it flare up are echoes of that, huh? And I guess that whole deal with Ringo not wanting to fight was the cherry on top of it all. Ugh, I need a drink. Hope Trudy has something strong enough for this headache."
Dusting himself off, Time finished his journey to the Prospector Saloon, unaware of the robot watching him the entire time.
\-/
October 25, 2281
"I've played nice with you damn townies, but I'm getting sick of this. Hand Ringo over or I'm bringing some of my friends over and we'll burn this shithole to the ground, you got that?"
That was the very first thing Time and Sunny heard upon entering the saloon after their morning training. Sharing a glance between each other, Time nodded towards the bar while pointing to the back wordlessly. Wordlessly, the redhead nodded in turn and crept to the back of the saloon to cut off the other exit. Drawing a breath, Time rested his hand on his belt next to his SMG before walking out of the foyer. Greeted by the sight of an angry man wearing a blue jacket shouting at Trudy, the blonde could feel his nostrils flare as his own anger spiked. A Powder Ganger. Noticing the new person, the ganger pointed at Time with a sneer.
"You! Do you know where fucking Ringo is? His ass belongs to us, we know he's here!" The Ganger shouted, demanding an answer from the blonde so he could hunt down an innocent man. Opening his mouth to respond, Time found himself cut off from his angry retort as Trudy slammed her fist on the countertop.
"For the last damn time Cobb, if you want Ringo you're free to go out and look. Stop bothering us, especially him. He's new in town, hardly knows anyone or where anything is." Lips slamming shut, Time shot a look towards Trudy but she refused to look at him. Her eyes were locked right onto Cobb's. Cobb looked between the two of them, snorting with derision before moving past Time and shoving his shoulder aggressively out of the way. As he did, Time couldn't help sticking his foot out to trip the raider.
Crying out, Joe Cobb hit the floor. Cursing up a storm, he picked himself up and got into the blonde's face. "You think you're fucking funny!? Try that shit again, I'll blow you to fucking pieces you shitstain!" Finger shoved into Time's face, he couldn't help but smirk down at the convict.
"I'd love to see you try. Now get that finger out of my face before I break your hand," Time said, trying to keep his own cool. It was hard with such an easy target to provoke and help feed his own fire, but Trudy obviously didn't want any trouble in her bar from how she had been diverting Cobb beforehand. He'd already fucked up on that end by tripping him, he needed to reign himself in. Hand moving off of his SMG, it caused enough noise for Cobb to look and realize what the blonde was packing.
"Wait, a blonde with an SMG. You're one of those pricks that shot at my boys yesterday! Fucking bastard!" With a swiftness, Cobb smashed his fist into the blonde's cheek. Taken by surprise, Time didn't roll with it but collected himself enough to catch the next fist hurtling towards his gut. Instinctively, he grabbed the man's elbow before cracking the arm over his knee. A sound not unlike a piece of dry firewood meeting the business end of a sledge echoed out as Cobb's firing arm created a new joint between elbow and wrist. Letting go in surprise, the Ganger collapsed with his broken arm to his chest, gasping in pain.
"What the fuck was that?" Time questioned himself as he looked at his hand, backing up a few paces from the man on the floor. Trudy had backed away a few paces, her hand under the counter reaching for something. And just beyond her Time could barely make out Sunny watching from the hallway in the back. Before he could do anything, Cobb managed to stand back up.
"That's it! I'm bringing my boys tonight! You better say your fucking prayers, cause we're gonna kill every last one of you!" His piece said, Joe Cobb ran out the front door, all the while cradling his arm to his chest. Time watched him run off as a familiar sinking feeling settled in his core. That... was not supposed to end this way.
"Well, there goes all that hard work trying to shake him off our tail," Trudy lamented as she brought her hand up and laid a rifle on the countertop. Sunny slipped out from behind the wall and fixed Time with a questioning look. He simply shrugged, unable to come up with an adequate answer.
"I'm sorry Trudy, I'm not sure what came over me there. He took a swing at me and then my body just reacted without me putting any thought into it. This is-"
"Just like the geckos. When the one got close to you, I remember. That's... kind of concerning Time. You don't have control over it?" Sunny cut in, expressing some legitimate worry over the blonde's autonomous action.
"...It doesn't seem so, no. But that's beside the point right now. We've got raiders coming down on us tonight because of me," Time finished with some slight disappointment in himself. He'd totally flubbed that whole situation and made it actively worse, to the point the town was actively in danger. But he couldn't wallow in self-pity, he needed to make this right. "Alright, we need to get everyone ready to beat them back in that case."
"Obviously. My gun is ready to put some convicts down any time. Cheyenne too." Sunny's furry companion barked in agreement. "We'll need Easy Pete's explosives, Chet's supplies, and Doc Mitchell's medicine to keep everyone patched up. Everyone that can fight will need to chip in."
"Got it. I can get Pete to give some dynamite, I've talked with him and he's shown me a thing or two. I'm sure anyone can get Doc to help with how good that man is, but we're gonna need someone to strongarm Chet."
"Leave Chet to me," Sunny said with a cocksure grin. "I can get him to see reason if he tries to throw a fuss about his damned 'profits' over the safety of the town. But it'll probably take a while. Could you go get Doc after? Maybe direct him towards Ringo so we can have an extra hand to shoot at those Powder Gangers too."
Nodding, Time made a mental note of it. It made sense, numbers played a big part in any gunfight. As did location. Turning towards Trudy, the blonde voiced his next question carefully. "Trudy, I know you didn't want any part of this and I'm sorry that I've dragged this all down on your head. But we've got to fight, and your saloon and the store would make a good bit of cover for a lot of people. Can we please-"
"Hun, I'm not going to just leave everyone to die out in the open. Not to mention you'd probably use it regardless if the going got tough enough. As much as I dislike it, it's become fight or die, and I'm pretty darn keen on living to tan your hide after the fact." Chuckling sheepishly, Time nodded and accepted it. He as good as deserved it after such a big fuck up. But that secured where the battlefield would be.
"Alright, thanks! Can you try to get some barrels and crates and stuff out to act as potential cover in the meantime? Anything at all can help. Now, let's go protect Goodsprings!" All of them sounding off in agreement, they began their preparations in earnest.
\-/
Easy Pete was simple to convince as he took Time at his word, and he'd seen Cobb hobble off earlier. The old man wasn't too keen on giving up any more of his homes to raiders, and he'd taken a shine to the blonde man. Or maybe he just liked that Time actually knew how to handle explosives without losing his fingers or causing property damage unintentionally. He'd gone off to dig up his old cache and promised it'd be out within the hour. After getting through with talking to the leathery prospector, the sun had begun to dip, showing only a few hours before nightfall.
Next on the list had been Doc Mitchell. The balding man had given Time an earful about endangering the town, but ultimately agreed to lend his supplies free of charge. The Doc had made it abundantly clear he wasn't fighting and would strictly be there to help mend those actually fighting. The courier didn't press the doctor for anything more, the medical expertise and supplies were all he needed from the man in the first place. The sun was getting low, sunset and night being just around the corner as Time set off for his last task to convince Ringo to fight alongside them.
Knocking on the door, Time waited for several seconds before knocking yet again. Still with no answer, Time's eyebrow twitched before he knocked on the doorframe instead, to reverberate more. With still no answer, the blonde shook his head before an idea came to his annoyed mind. Kicking the door to the gas station open, Ringo jumped in his chair, magazine flying from his hands, and fumbled for a gun as Time strode inside. "Get your ass ready, I broke Cobb's arm and the Powder Gangers are coming to town."
Ring stared at the blonde in shock and horror, his mouth refusing to work momentarily before he regained control of it and responded appropriately with the thousands of thoughts popping up in his terrified head. "WHAT! What kind of asinine idiot are you! He's going to tear this town apart, rip your arms off, and then he's going to shove dynamite down my throat! Oh god, he might bring the entire facility down on our heads, it's going to be a massacre, why the fuck did the NCR imprison so many people over there, why do they even have a jail he-"
*Slap*
Having heard enough of Ringo's panicked rant, the courier had closed the distance and slapped the man across the face, cutting him off mid-sentence. Shaken, the caravaneer staggered back several steps before looking up at the blonde. "You done losing your shit?" questioned Time. Ringo nodded hesitantly.
"Good. We've already got the rest of the town ready to fight, you're the last one. If you still can't use that arm, I suggest jamming a stimpak in there cause we'll need every fighter we can get. We've got the homefield advantage and cover out the ass that we can arrange in whatever way we want. They have one way they can come from and they'll be out in the wide open wastes. This is the single best shot you'll get at dealing with this before they catch up and kill you."
Understanding dawned on Ringo as the situation was laid out before him. Laying a hand upon his red cheek, he nodded slowly. "A-alright. I'll make sure I'm ready then. Also, fucking ow. Did you have to wind up for that?" The blonde just shrugged at the caravaneer, drawing a groan out of Ringo. "Just go already, lemme get ready," waving the courier off with his good hand, Ringo shifted through his laid-out supplies and picked out a stimpak. The last thing Time saw as he left was Ringo injecting himself with the medical miracle and flexing his broken arm to test it.
Leaving the gas station, Time looked off to the horizon to see the sun stradling the desert, its harsh yellow radiance mellowing into soft shades of red. The Powder Gangers would be coming soon, more than likely under the cover of night to make it harder to see them. Making his way back to the saloon, Time regrouped with Sunny and Trudy, as well as Doc Mitchell, Chet, and Easy Pete who had reconvened inside with a whole host of supplies. Leather armor, Med-X, dynamite, guns, ammo, stimpaks and even mines and grenades were all laid out across several tables.
"Hey, I just got done talking to Ringo. He'll be down here in just a bit. I see you managed to get Chet to help with this," Time said as he walked next to the bar's counter. Sunny smiled up at him and nodded, but Chet looked like he'd sucked on a gecko's eyeball. "That's good. Is there anything else we need, or can we focus on prepping our defensive front?"
"We've got all the supplies we'll need," Trudy spoke up, grabbing the blonde's attention, "and I've gotten some things set up outside to use for cover. If you want to rearrange them feel free, but we should focus on a plan of attack. I also got some of the settlers and farmers to spread the word to come around to help us protect the town soon."
"Great, we'll definitely need more people to help fend them off. I'll go outside to check things over, but first we need to focus on making a strategy to keep them off of us. They'll be coming under the dark of night, so we have to take advantage of it."
"We've got dynamite and mines to lay out for traps," Easy Pete said. "I'm an old hand at making tripwires and the like, very helpful for making sure raiders couldn't sneak up while I was searching inside houses. I can rig up the street and the perimeter of town, but that'll be all the traps I can lay out. Wouldn't want one of them getting off a lucky shot on some explosives right next to us." The man gave a leathery smile before going off and picking up a few mines, weighing them in his hands before taking out spools of wire to begin measuring and cutting. Doc Mitchell cleared his throat, getting the attention of the rest of them.
"I've been here and there, especially around the Strip, and I know a thing or two about defending in the night. We're gonna need to turn off every light we've got in town and set up some decoy lanterns, draw fire away from us. Only issue there is they'll know right away where we are when they get close enough and when we start shooting back."
"Actually," Chet cut in, sounding a bit sheepish yet excited, "I might have a way to help out with that. It's something I've been looking for an excuse to use ever since I won them off a bet at the Gomorrah."
Doc chuckled before standing up. "Alright, let's go see what you got then. We can go take care of the lights and whatever this little surprise will be." Nodding eagerly, Chet shot up and led the Doc back to his store, leaving the rest of them in the saloon.
"Alright, so... what do we do now?" Trudy questioned. Time stood up and walked over to the laid-out supplies, picking up a silenced .22 and examining it before responding.
"We gear up and make sure we're ready to kick ass."
\-/
Joe Cobb was many things. Clever, a bit brash, handy with dynamite, and more than willing to kill to get what he wanted. All of these things helped to put him a rung above the rest of the rabble that made up the Powder Gangers and secure him a semi-leadership position. Something to set him apart like he damn well deserved. He never wanted the responsibility of being the top dog, but he was more than happy to play ball with his own squad of men to rough up traders and whatever NCR folk they could get their hands on. He was happy with this sweet spot in life compared to the years of imprisonment he had faced prior. What Joe Cobb was not, however, was a patient man or one willing to forgive slights against his person.
First it had been Ringo, that caravaneer bastard, who had broken through their shakedown and even killed some of his men. Second was that damn town Goodsprings, shooting his men when they came and refusing to give him what was rightfully their kill. Then the third and last straw that broke the bighorner's back, that blonde bastard. He'd made a fool of Cobb, tripping and provoking him after being turned away from that bitch behind the bar. And to top it all off, the bastard had broken the Ganger's arm when Cobb tried to instill some respect. He'd had to lie to the rest of his boys when he ran back and say he'd fought off the whole town, that they were Psycho-fueled demons.
It was all this that Cobb carried with him as he marched towards Goodsprings with three dozen Powder Gangers behind him. It was all that ran through Cobb's head whenever his barely patched together arm throbbed in pain. It was all these things that blinded Cobb to the possibility that the townies had taken his words to heart and that they'd prepare. He only took note of the absence of lights in the town itself, and his grin grew as he took it as a sign that they'd gone to bed. Raising a hand up, the group paused just outside of town, right next to a lantern set up next to the road so the men could get a clear look at Joe Cobb as he spoke.
Joe Cobb screamed in rage, with passion, to the men before him. "Powder Gangers! That's what we are! We've broken free from the NCR! Free from their imprisonment, and taken their damn jail as our own fortress! Our men to the south are attacking and taking over Primm to the south as we speak!" The raiders preened and smiled viciously, liking the sound of their accomplishments being laid out before them. "So what's one more town!? Especially when they spit in our eye and take our mark!" The men began to rumble and get aggressive, pitching in with their own yells and pumped fists. Joe Cobb smiled as he raised his arm in the air, hiding his wince of pain with a manic grin of his own.
"To burn Goodsprings! To kill Ringo! To kill them all!" The men hooted and hollered, picking up 'kill them all' as their chosen chant. With their warcry echoing across the plains, Cobb yelled in the air before running towards the town.
The Powder Gangers roared in turn. The men followed their fearless leader in his blind charge. And they had a marvelous view as Cobb tripped a wire and had his legs blown off in front of them.
\-/
Time had to stifle his laughter as the loud jackass got himself blown up. He must've been steaming mad if he didn't even bother to be quiet about the attack. The blonde observed the rest of the Powder Gangers from behind the corner of the crate he was hiding behind, a smile creeping inch by inch across his face as they scattered. Mines beeped, wires snapped, and the raiders fell victim one by one. Some of them were quick on their feet and turned off mines, others pulling back friends inches away from tripwires, but there were very few capable of thinking clearly among them.
"Goddamn, they're gonna make this easy aren't they?" As Time whispered his wonder, he winced as he was shushed by Sunny beside him. She had left Cheyenne in her home far from the violence to make sure she didn't accidentally catch a bullet between the fire from both sides and was now shooting him a disapproving look. "Sorry, sorry." Holding his hands up in surrender, Time mimed zipping his lips shut before turning his attention back to the spectacle.
Explosions rocked the landscape, great spews of sand and dirt erupting from mines, occasionally accompanied by body parts. Dynamite detonating into balls of fire and force, scarring and blowing apart any who tripped them or were simply too close. The rain of fire, hell, and blood lasted for but a few minutes, and soon the smoke cleared. The Gangers had finally crossed the trap line and were wildly disorganized, having been separated amidst all the explosions. Roughly half had died or been indisposed of from the traps, leaving twenty raiders left to deal with. Nodding to Chet across the way, the merchant offered a wide grin to the courier before he stalked over to a giant circular object. Fiddling with the back of it, Chet couldn't quite contain himself and peeked over the rim to shout at the Powder Gangers.
"Hope you liked the fireworks! Now how about a light show!" Flipping a switch, Chet dove back behind cover further away as radiant light pierced the eyes of the raiders who had looked to the voice mocking them. Several cried out in anguish, clawing at their eyes to no avail. Others, smarter or simply not looking and tending to wounds, shielded their eyes from the blinding floodlight. Some even scrambled to get guns aimed at the fierce light or lob their own dynamite at the floodlight, but their shots went wide without properly aiming.
Putting his fingers to his mouth, Time whistled a sharp note to the rest of the town as the final piece was set in place. Popping his pistol above the crate he was kneeled behind, about ten other guns clinked and clacked from all around as they were set into position as well. Eleven fighters were all they had managed to rustle up for this fight. Himself, Sunny, Easy Pete, Ringo, Trudy, and several other settlers that were willing to fight. Even Luanne, that one Sunny and he had saved by the well, had shown up and was fighting to protect her home. As one, their guns barked and sent a volley of death towards the Powder Gangers.
Those blinded fell in the initial volley, unable to defend themselves. The others simply ran to the sides, diving for cover and one even running back the way they had come. A ringing explosion sounded out the futility of that notion. It also reminded the remaining Gangers that they had no options left to them but to fight or die. They fired blindly in return, some fire focused on the floodlight still blinding them. A shattering of glass rang out, echoed by Chet's cry of anguish, as the floodlight was finally hit. Its bulb was busted, cutting off the blinding light that had been inhibiting the invaders' aim and allowing them to mount a more accurate offensive.
A bullet whizzed past Time's cheek, splitting flesh open and splattering blood across his face and shoulder. Wincing in pain, the blonde simply steeled himself and returned fire, hitting the one that had grazed him in the neck. Ignoring the man as he choked on his own blood and fell, Time ducked back down and discharged his spent magazine, carefully shoving a new one in place and muttering all the while. "Goddammit, bullets fucking hurt! Ugh, if I had better gear this'd be over already."
Before he could stand up again, his attention was grabbed by a pained yell from across the way. Eyes shooting towards the sound, they widened as Time saw Easy Pete fall on his back, hands clutching his chest. Blood spurted between his clenched fingers, staining them and the ground he laid on. Out of the corner of his eye Time could see Doc making his way to the injured man, but he was too far away.
Briefly, Pete locked eyes with the courier. His mouth moved, words escaping him that Time was simply too far away to hear. A shaky hand started to reach towards him before falling flat, eyes glazing over as the life drained out of him. Time could only stare at the life that had been snuffed out in front of him, at the man he had been casually talking to not even a day ago.
It had taken all of five seconds between the man falling and dying. The courier grit his teeth and peeked back over his cover. Now was not the time to falter nor to dwell in what little grief he might've felt. Taking aim, he left off several shots, riddling a Powder Ganger's chest with bullet holes. The man fell with little resistance, but one of the other Gangers caught him as he fell. Using the dead man as a human shield they pressed forward. Time tried to get a good shot in but couldn't quite find the opening he needed. And that's when he heard it, the sinister hissing of a stick of dynamite.
Eyes widening, he saw the approaching Ganger take out the lit dynamite and chuck it straight at him. Panic shot through the blonde and desperately he raised his gun higher to track the explosive, left hand slapping his wrist by accident in his hurry to aid his aim. "Sunny, run!"
"Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System activated," A robotic voice echoed from Time's wrist, drawing his attention to the Pip-Body.
"Surroundings Check complete. Calculating trajectory... target acquired. Likelihood to hit: 95%. Engage." His arm moved instantly without his input as an unpleasant feeling of needles sinking into his flesh followed the strange voice. Muscles no longer his to control, the courier watched helplessly as his aim was corrected slightly and as his finger pulled the trigger.
For a moment there was nothing but the sound of the bullet ripping through the air. And then the next an explosion ripped through the air, singing Time and Sunny's faces with the heat. They both blocked their faces from any debris with their arms and hands, the blonde being knocked on his ass from the shock. After regaining his senses, Time got back up on his knees and surveyed what had happened before letting out a low whistle. "Damn, I need to find that button again."
The dynamite had detonated mid-air due to his shot, saving the both of them from its destructive wrath. However, what was not spared was neither their cover nor the side of Trudy's saloon. The crates were in tatters and there was a new entrance right on the corner of the building. He'd probably catch earful from Trudy about that if they both managed to survive
"Hurry, we need to move!" Sunny cried out, already moving to the hole in the saloon to take new cover. The blonde nodded, trying to get up fully before being pinned down under a hail of fire. Falling flat on his stomach, he rolled until he laid flush with the saloon's patio, his head and body covered by just enough debris to offer cover. Waiting until the gunfire let up for a moment, the courier looked down the field to see how the fight had changed.
There were eight Powder Gangers remaining, who had all taken up their own cover however they could. Three were using their dead friends as human shields like the one who threw dynamite at Sunny and Time while two others were behind stacks of the bodies as cover. The last three were coming in hot, switchblades, dynamite and baseball bats held at the ready. All of them had murder in their eyes and gleeful grins at the promise of up-close violence.
Looking behind him to the rest of Goodsprings defenders, he saw that Doc had gotten Pete and two other settlers into a secluded area to look after them and patch them up as quickly as possible. Trudy was defending the small makeshift hospital and drawing fire from the fortified Gangers. Ringo was still dutifully firing among the other settlers, coordinating them to fire into the men with shields and blocking them from drawing their weapons to return fire. And by his side in the saloon was Sunny, trying to pick off the rapidly approaching Gangers with melee weapons.
"Alright, looks like that's the role I need to play." Springing up from his position lying down, the courier reached to his side and drew a knife before running into the fray. Sunny had insisted that he bring one just in case, and it looked like that case just popped up. "Come on, let's dance!" Time screamed as he ducked under the swing of the first Gangers baseball bat. Rising up he thrusted the knife into the side of the raider before pulling out and backstepping away before a second could cut the blonde in a similar manner.
Kicking up, Time broke the other knife-wielder's wrist, sending his weapon flying. Taking advantage of the opening, he grabbed the man's broken wrist, ignoring his pained scream as he shoved him into the swing from the first Ganger. A hefty 'whoomph' echoed out as the bat landed solidly into the man's gut, forcing him to the ground as he choked and took haggard breaths. As Time let go of the man's broken arm, he found himself being sucker punched in the back of the head. Staggering forward a few steps from the force, the courier turned it into a roll that caused the next swing of the bat to go wide overhead.
Whipping his knife out to the side, a grim smile spread across the blonde's face as the bat wielding Ganger screamed in pain at the cut tendons in his calf. Unable to support himself, the man hopped on one leg and tried to tackle the courier but came up short without the stability of both legs to support him. Dispatching the man with a swift kick to the back of the neck, a crack echoed out as Time looked back up to the third Ganger. He was close, within arm's distance and now sporting a bloody hole in the center of his head. Grinning as the last man crumpled to the floor, he waved to Sunny. "Thanks for that!"
"You're welcome! Now go blow up those assholes!" Nodding, Time took out some of the dynamite Pete had given him earlier. The human shield toting Gangers were still pressing forward, but one of them had gotten knocked down and they were still being fired upon by the settlers and Ringo. That left the two still huddling behind their makeshift cover of bodies. Lighting the wick on his dynamite, Time ran up to the side of them and tossed it, watching as it landed right between them. One tried to run, the other whipped his gun toward the blonde, but both were too late and were caught in the explosion before they could fully act.
"Thank you Pete... now to deal with the re-" before Time could finish, he heard another explosion followed by a hail of bullets. Looking to where the last three raiders had been, he saw only gore and body parts riddled with bullets. "...or not. Eh, less work for me at least. Guess that means it's time for damage control." With that final bit of fighting finished, he regrouped with the town to begin their wrap-up.
\-/
October 26, 2281
Dawn broke over Goodsprings, its gentle rays kissing upon the destroyed terrain on the border of the town. It washed over the residents, toiling away to fix what damages had been wrought on their home. Great craters in the ground, body parts strewn about hither and thither, and three buildings with holes blown into their sides. Three Goodsprings residents dead, four injured, and the rest just glad to have survived. And among them was the courier, the blonde man having taken it upon himself to take care of the raiders that littered the landscape.
The corpses and body parts had been tossed into a shallow pit just outside of town. It had taken hours, from clearing the field of the rest of the mines and traps that hadn't been tripped, to digging the hole, and finally transporting everything. The radio playing over his Pip-Boy had been helpful for taking his mind off his task, but even the dulcet tones of Mr. New Vegas could only do so much to distract him. Upon moving the last bit of raider in, Time tore off the gloves Chet had lent him for the task, tossing them on top of the nearest body.
"Doc had better be damn right about getting rid of these bodies to avoid disease and carrion," the blonde muttered to himself as he took out a box of matches. Taking one out, he struck it before flicking it towards the gasoline-soaked bodies. Watching for a moment as the flames danced and spread across the soaked flesh, the blonde eventually turned away from the sight and placed his attention firmly on the Powder Gangers that were still alive.
Eight Powder Gangers, lined up in a row and forced to watch as the bodies of men they used to know and even be friends with were set alight and burned to ash. Eight men that remained silent, unwilling to show weakness even in the face of defeat. Some seethed in anger, others were groaning in pain from their permanent injuries. The unique one among them was Joe Cobb, simply lying on his back. He'd miraculously managed to survive the explosion that had robbed him of his legs, but it didn't take a medical expert like Doc Mitchell to realize the man's days were numbered without his lower half. Joe Cobb simply stared up into the sky, his eyes glassy and unfocused. Time would've thought him dead, had thought so, until the man's lips had moved and his voice carried resolutely.
"Just kill me now. I know you want to," the man stated flatly. He'd been telling anyone that came close to kill him, but no one had. How many hours had he been suffering like this, Time thought. He couldn't even begin to imagine it. Maybe the explosion had knocked something loose in Cobb's head or seared away his ability to feel pain. That was the only explanation the blonde could think up for why Cobb wasn't screaming in absolute agony. Walking up, Time knelt beside the lead Powder Ganger and turned down the volume of his Pip-Boy.
"Don't worry. I'll put all of you out of your misery soon enough. Goodsprings has passed judgment on you all, and they don't take kindly to people trying to burn their town to the ground. But first, I want questions answered," Time licked his lips before pressing on.
"Earlier you mentioned Primm, back when you first charged in. I couldn't make much else out, but looking back on it now... what's happening there?" Time didn't know why he felt compelled to ask. But there was something deep inside of him that begged to know, that absolutely needed the answer at any cost. Cobb simply turned his head to the blonde, eyes not quite able to lock onto Time's but getting close.
"Now why the hell... should I tell you that?" Cobb questioned, breath labored and words hard to string together.
Time scowled down at him before replying. "Because if you don't I won't kill you. I'll drag you all around the Mojave until your body gives up. And your boys will be pushed onto the fire themselves instead of getting a quick death."
Many of the Powder Gangers stilled at the threat, eyes darting between the blaze in front of them and the courier. One even began to weep before being elbowed in his side by another Powder Ganger, silencing him through the pain. But the damage had been done and Time kept staring down at the prone form of Joe Cobb. Closing his eyes, Cobb turned his head to the sky before taking in a breath and letting it go.
"Primm is where... some of our boys are setting up. Wanted to make... a new HQ. Don't know much else. Not top of the chain. But... we're running all around the place. From what I've heard... even the NCR have been called to handle it. Now keep your word. Make it quick."
Time's heart leapt to his throat. He didn't understand where the intense feeling of panic, the sheer urgency to leave to the south immediately came from. His mind itched, memories floating before his eyes but just out of reach, merely shades of what they might have been. A great wooden construct, a small plot of farm, and a parcel with a letter. A woman with blonde hair and green eyes.
Standing abruptly, Time cranked his Pip-Boy's volume to the max, radio blaring out a peppy piano tune with a man singing about balls of fire. Taking his gun out, he clicked the safety off before executing each Powder Ganger, one by one. The courier saw each face, the fear, the regret, and even the slight relief whenever he pointed his gun and pulled the trigger. They each fell without any grandeur, jerking and slumping after the bullet passed through until the only one left was Joe Cobb, already splayed out on the floor.
"...you deserve to burn for this. For Pete, Luanne, and everyone else you killed," Time spat, the hatred dripping thick from his words. He may not have known this man, but he knew his type. Every single one of them was sick and twisted and didn't care who they hurt as long as they were allowed to do it. But as Time's glare tried to burn a hole through Cobb's head, the man only offered a smirk.
"For the people I killed? Heh. I ain't even... kill those people. For damn sure. I did a few... but your voice. The way you fought. You've killed way more. For damn sure. Go ahead. Burn me. Shoot me. You'll kill me. Just like... all the others... for damn sure..." Cobb trailed off, his eyes drifting shut.
Time could only stare. Stare in disbelief. Rage boiled in his gut, indignation at being proclaimed worse than the raider in front of him. His ears rang as he fired into Cobb's body, precision tossed to the wayside in favor of draining the rest of his magazine into the raider. His throat burned as the blonde picked what remained of Cobb up and tossed him into the flames. And as he watched it burn away with bloodshot eyes, he finally gave into the scream building within him.
"WHO AM I!?"
\-/
It was Sunny who noticed first that Time had come back to the saloon. The redhead had gone up to give him a smile and ask how he was feeling but paused. The blonde she had grown familiar with over the course of a week wasn't there. In his place was a man she knew nothing about and who stared at her in much the same way. Just how little she knew him struck her once more, but she tried to push through it still.
"H-hey, are you doing okay? Your radio is kind of loud, can you turn it down? Did those Powder Gangers give you any trouble?" Time looked at her for a moment before twisting a knob on the piece of pre-war tech, muting it.
"I'm fine. Those raiders didn't give me any trouble either, they actually gave me some valuable information. I need to head for Primm." His voice came out flat but hurried, as if he was in a rush.
"Oh, okay! Well I'm sure after we get this place patched up in a few days I can-"
"No, I need to go now," Time cut her off, voice sharp and unforgiving. "I'm leaving within the hour, I just need to resupply first."
Sunny flinched at the abrupt cut-off but tried to push on regardless. "Are you sure that's a good idea? You've been up all night, we all have. It's okay to take-"
"Take a break? Like I have been? No, I need to leave. I need to find out who I am and why I feel so desperate to go defend Primm."
Having been cut-off a second time, Sunny's temper began to fray, anger slipping into her tone. "What? You don't even know why, you just
feel like it? Is it really that pressing that you need to run off all gung-ho like this!"
"Because I feel like it?" Time questioned, his nostrils flaring. Emotion was bleeding back into his voice, but he kept a hold of it all the same. "Sunny, Primm is under siege. The NCR is involved. And I keep having these visceral reactions, I just- I know something is in Primm, and it somehow relates to me. I need to know more about myself, and I'm going to go find out before whatever it is either gets killed or destroyed!" Time finished with a shout, unable to hold back how he truly felt.
Sunny took a step back in shock before slowly shaking her head. "Fine. Go ahead, Chet and Trudy will be glad to help you. Ringo too, so long as you don't scare him again. Good luck Time. I hope you find what you're looking for." Shoving her way past him, Sunny stepped out of the saloon.
Time stared off after her, rubbing his shoulder. "What's her problem? It's not like it's her life being questioned..."
"No, but her home did just get shot up and nearly invaded." Trudy chipped in from around the corner. Time turned towards her as she continued, "But not like I can blame either of you for being blinded by your own circumstance. So, you need to skip town I hear?"
"I need to get to Primm ASAP. I plan on leaving within the hour. Would you be willing to part with some supplies? I'll pay, same as always." Time offered.
Trudy simply looked at the blonde before nodding, waving for the courier to follow her. "Aye, that I do hun. I'll get you a travel pack and some canned food. Not bad after you get past the radiation. It'll shake out to a hundred and fifty caps total."
Time nodded, reaching into a sack tied to his waist and placing the cash on the counter. His pockets had gotten slightly heavier after going through the pockets of several of the dead raiders. "Thanks Trudy. I wish I could stay to help but-"
"Hun, I'd say you've done more than enough. As much as I'd like to keep my promise of tanning your hide, this whole affair has left me running on empty. You've helped us nip that Powder Ganger problem in the bud as well as getting us prepared for them. It's a shame what happened to our friends, but at least we can keep living with their memory. Hopefully those Powder Gangers can do the same if they settle down to farm or something."
Time grew silent, unwilling to respond as Trudy finished packing a backpack for him. Accepting it, he gave her his thanks before leaving the saloon. Chet had been next and he'd given him an earful about returning the guns and armor he'd 'borrowed', but grudgingly relented and let Time keep them. After buying some more ammo as well as a rifle and a couple modifications, the courier left to go find Ringo. Managing to corner him just across the street, the caravaneer had given Time praise as well as a promise to give him a greater reward if he met him at the Crimson Caravan headquarters just outside of The Strip.
And so with a goal in mind, a heavier cap pouch, and supplies for the road ahead, Time set off for Primm and whatever answers lied in store for him.