Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The first thing Ruby remembered from that fateful day was falling onto the dirt face-first. The second was a pistol pointed at her, and a male voice shouting, “What the hell are you?”

“Wha-” She frantically looked around, finding herself not in the temperate forests of Vale, but instead in a hot and dry place she did not recognize. The land around her was nothing but rocks and dust, with some dots of sparse vegetation.

More importantly, she was lying on the ground, and there was a gun pointed at her. Its wielder looked to be a man around 30, sporting a crude leather outfit that matched his dark hair. He had a rough look about him, like he’d been through a lot in his life.

“Stop staring and answer me! Who are you and what the hell did you just do?” The man shouted with a quiver in his voice, before cocking the hammer on his revolver.

“I- I’m Ruby.” She sputtered out. She never was good with people shouting at her. “I’m Ruby Rose, a huntress.” She didn’t know what the man was looking for, but surely everyone would agree a huntress wasn’t an enemy? Except if they were a baddie, but in that case, she would have been shot already, right?

She slowly got up from the floor, but the man didn’t let his guard down. “How did you do that?”

“Do what?”

He looked dumbfounded, “You know… Appearing out of thin air.”

“I did?”

“Yes! I thought lightning had struck next to me, only to find you lying there. Now, I’m no detective, but I’d say something is clearly suspicious here. So spill.”

She strained herself to think, but she couldn’t recall anything specific about her circumstances. She was going for a day out with her team, and… was there someone else? That cute girl she met a few days ago? Emerald? She wasn’t sure what transpired, but she recalled a sensation of falling before finding herself here, “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I know what happened. Um, where exactly are we?”

He pointed to an asphalt road some 20 feet away. It was in a state of utter disrepair, and their location was surrounded by mountains on two sides, now that she had a better look. “We’re at the I-15 highway, specifically the passage leading to the Nevada territory.”

“The what?”

“Nevada. Mojave? Vegas? Bordering the Hub?” Each word only made Ruby’s confusion deepen.

“Uhhh… What kingdom is that?”

The man became irritated at that, but at least he lowered his gun, “Kingdom? It’s the NCR.”

“Never heard of it.”

“You…” he facepalmed, “Okay, change of tactics, where are *you* from?”

“I was last in Vale City, though I was born in Patch.” Seeing no recognition from him, her mood only soured further.

He pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and threw it at her. “Point it out on the map.”

Initially relieved to put this bizarre dispute to rest, unfolding the paper map just left her with even more questions. She knew none of these names. Idaho? Alaska? California? It all sounded totally made up. “This… Uh, I don’t recognize any of this.”

“Are you sure? Or can you not read a map?”

“Hey!” She pulled out her scroll, fiddling with the electronic device for a moment before showing him a map of her own, “You point out where you are on my map!”

He looked at it briefly before backing up. “Are you playing games with me, missy?”

There was no way they both had totally different maps of the world… Or was there? He certainly didn’t seem like a prankster, “I’m not. Perhaps…” She looked up at the cloudless blue sky, and understood everything instantly. The moon here was *whole.* Not shattered, whole. “Oh. I’m not of this world. Definitely.”

A moment passed, the man’s face contorting into a strange expression of recognition. Then, he suddenly turned away. “Very funny. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got places to be and I don’t have the nerve to entertain your nonsense.”

She just about had it with that rude guy, “No one’s forcing you to. You’re the one who pointed a gun at me for no reason and started asking dumb questions.”

No answer came, as the mysterious man simply kept walking away.

Jack just wanted to put that weirdo behind him. He didn’t have the time nor the patience to educate some oblivious little girl about the wasteland. Honestly, how does someone even get so far in life without knowing literally anything about the world? She must have spent her whole existence in some kind of isolated tribe, which was odd considering how there weren’t many such places these days. And it was even weirder how clean and complex her clothing looked. The goth black dress with red highlights, and a similarly dark red cloak. It definitely didn’t look like some pilfered 200 year old pre-war stuff. And it certainly didn’t look typical of tribal craftsmanship.

And she didn’t look like a raider or anything. She did say she was a huntress. The only explanation would be that there’s some really advanced isolationist tribe deep, deep, in the Rocky Mountains. A tribe that could also teleport in a flash of lightning…

“Hey!” Came a familiar high pitched noise from behind.

He turned around, drawing his gun yet again, but not pointing it at her. “What is it now, girl?”

She shied away from him, “I- I’m sorry for being rude, mister, but could you tell me where the nearest settlement is?”

Looking at her tiny figure again, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity. She was deeply embarrassed and looked to be on the edge of crying. He cursed himself for doing this, “Fine. Just follow the road alongside me, and in a couple miles you’ll be at the Mojave outpost.”

“T- thank you, mister…?”

“Jack. I don’t know how you managed to sneak up on me, but don’t startle me like that again, girl.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s just my semblance.”

“Your what?”

His eyes shot open as Ruby dissolved into rose petals, dashing from point to point at incredible speed before returning back to him.

“You’re really not from around here, are you?”

She chuckled, “Well, that’s what I said, isn’t it?”

“So let me get this straight, everyone in your world has this thing called an ‘aura’ which means they can just take bullets to the face… and it gives everyone a magical superpower of their own?”

“Not everyone. And again, it’s not magic! But yes.”

“It is magic to me! But word of advice, people here can’t do anything like that, so unless you want them to think you’re crazy, don’t mention it.”

“I see. That must really suck.” An awkward silence fell between them. “I- I guess I’ll make my way to the outpost you mentioned. I could probably make it all the way with my semblance, and from there I should be able to figure things out myself.”

“Wait.” He held up his hand to stop her, “You should know, it’s not an ordinary settlement. As the name suggests, it’s more of a military installation than a town. They still have rooms and sell supplies, but I doubt you have the money to pay for it.”

She reached into her pockets, pulling out a couple lien notes, “I don’t suppose they take these?”

“Your people use monopoly money?”

“What’s monopoly?”

“Forget it. Point is, don’t ever accept anything other than cold, hard caps. NCR has its own paper money, but it’s worth about as much as yours.”

“Okay… Wait, caps? Like… bottle caps?”

“Yup,” He took out a few from his pocket, “They’re super hard to fake. Even if you can somehow get a metal press or something, getting the right paint, with the weathered colors and all, is downright impossible. Round here a gallon of water goes for around 20 caps, depending on the location. That make sense to you?”

“I guess. It just seems… Odd. Why would you base your money on something so commonly used? Are they no longer being made? And why wouldn’t you be able to mix the right paint?”

“You don’t know about…”

She sighed, “What is it this time?”

“I don’t know how to break it to you, Ruby… But the world sort of… ended?”

“Ended?”

“Yes. We’re living in the ruins of what was once a much greater world.”

“How?”

He shrugged, “We make do.”

“No, I mean, how did it end?”

He sighed, “To make a very long story very short, we invented weapons of mass destruction, and waged a war that destroyed all the major population centers and poisoned the earth.”

She gasped, “That’s… horrible.”

“Don’t sweat it, it’s been 200 years. We’re kinda rebuilding. Emphasis on kinda.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Mmm. I take it your world isn’t like that. I saw that device of yours. Looks like a pip-boy, except really compact. In that case, sorry you’re stuck here.”

“Uh, thanks?”

“I guess I shouldn’t have been so rude to someone who was obviously lost and confused. It’s been a long trip, is all, and you startled me.”

“No harm done.” She offered him a hug. “Friends?”

“Don’t get too ahead of yourself, kid. Now let’s go, we really need to hurry.” He started walking again, with Ruby following close behind.

“By the way, Jack, where are you going?”

“New Vegas. Biggest city on that side of the Mountains.”

“Can I ask why?”

“I’m delivering a package for the Mojave Express. The job pays well, especially on the dangerous frontier.”

“Sounds interesting. Can you take me there?”

“I’m not sure that’s the best idea. Tell you what, we can discuss our options when we get to the outpost. I’ll get you some supplies there too. Sounds good?”

“Sure…” She had a feeling he didn’t want her to travel alongside him.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you won’t miss me that much. Now, we have to pick up the pace. Come on.”

“Okay. By the way, how do you deal with all this heat?”

“Heat?” He chuckled, “If you’re getting bothered by the temperature of the late day, you’re gonna drop dead when you feel the noon sun. Get used to it,” he said bluntly.

An hour passed, and despite the occasional small talk with Jack, which revealed some critical details about the world, it appeared to her that this was going to be an excruciatingly boring trip. Nothing at all around her, except the sand and occasional shrubland.

She pulled out her scroll, more a boredom reflex than anything, only to remember that she had no signal. The device told her that she was sitting at a comfortable 96% percent aura. At least that was working. It was the 84% battery charge that made her worry. She left her charger in her dorm!

What in the world was she thinking? She was utterly lost in a foreign world, and she’s worried about her scroll dying? She will never see her friends and family again. She started hyperventilating. Her team, Uncle Qrow, Dad… They must be beside themselves by now. Soon they’ll think her dead. And what about her? She knew nothing about this world, and Jack seemed eager to ditch her the moment an opportunity presented itself.

She has to get back. Somehow, someone must know a way to get her back to Remnant. She decided to follow Jack to this ‘Vegas.’ Once there, she’ll find all the information related to whatever happened to her. She’ll figure it out somehow. She has to.

“You okay, Ruby?”

“Wha- Yeah. I’m okay.”

“You sure don’t look that way. I get it, you’re distressed about being thrown into a strange world you know nothing about. I’m having a hard time accepting it myself, I can only imagine how you must be taking it.

She avoided his look, “You’re right. I’m not okay at all. Really, I’m lucky you entertained my nonsense.”

“You sure are… Most people from the NCR would think you came from some truly backwater tribe. Speaking of, if you don’t want to be treated that way, try not to act too confused about things.”

“I’ll try. Though I might need your help to start out. For example, you’ve been talking about this NCR thing, what is it exactly?”

“Ah, of course. The NCR.” He put on a mischievous smile. How could I so cruelly mention the apocalypse, yet deprive you of the beacon of hope that is the New California Republic? Founded on ideals of liberty and democracy, they are the bulwark of progress which spreads peace and prosperity across the wasteland.”

“Wow!” Her silver eyes lit up, “That sounds… inspiring.”

“HAH!” He laughed, “If you’re a sucker, maybe. Just kidding, it’s a corrupt piece of shit.”

She lowered her head in shame. Jack did not like seeing her like that.

“Okay, okay. They do some good occasionally. Just promise me you won’t get sucked into doing them any favors out of the kindness of your heart.”

“What’s wrong with doing a good deed once in a while? Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?”

“We? Who the hell is we, kid? I don’t know where you grew up, but please, for the love of God, never do anything out of charity. That’s a good way to end up broke and dead. Who even taught you that?”

“Well, that’s usually how huntsmen and huntresses work. They do good deeds, and they often get paid for it.”

He narrowed his eyes, “When you said huntress, I’m guessing you didn’t mean you were merely shooting bloatflies?”

“No, it’s a job where you help people with all manner of things. And I’m still learning it.”

“Well, whoever’s teaching you is a dumbass.”

“Don’t say that about- We get paid, we just don’t take more than we need.”

“Pft. That’s idiotic. What if you break your leg and can’t work for several months? What if your gun explodes and you have to choose between buying a replacement or buying food?”

“I- I’m not against the idea of savings. You can have all that without extorting people in need like some criminal. And why do you hate the idea of selfless heroes so much? They inspire those around them and make society better.”

He sighed, “Can I tell you a story?” Ruby glared at him silently. That was good enough for him. “Once upon a time, there was a group much like what you described, called the Desert Rangers. These rugged survivalists went from place to place, helping the people of the wasteland in utterly selfless ways. The people loved their charity, for they kept the peace in the chaotic lands of the east.”

Ruby had a feeling that the story wouldn’t end well. “So, what happened to them?”

“One day, there arose a slaver warlord in the area by the name of Caesar. This man gathered a mighty army and went about conquering cities, enslaving tribes, and killing anyone who stood in his way. The Desert Rangers tried resisting him, but they were too few in number. They did not despair, though, for they had the communities that they helped to rely upon.”

“Except… Well, the people loved them, yes, but not enough to stay and fight. Maybe they would have fought if they were paid well, but alas, the rangers never carried more than a handful of caps, always giving their excess to the poor. Really, they just built prosperous communities for Caesar to plunder.”

“So, they were destroyed?”

“No. Worse. Much worse.” The two of them passed through a bend in the road, and in the distance, they could see a few buildings, alongside a massive steel frame statue of two people shaking hands.

“In their desperation, they called out to the New California Republic for help. Of course, their assistance came with strings attached. They were incorporated into the NCR military and are now used as tools of brutal conquest themselves. Their reputation was abused for cheap propaganda, tarnishing it for all time.” He pointed at the statue in the distance, the setting sun barely illuminating the rusting metal. “That monument commemorates the event.”

“That’s… Sad. But I still don’t get your point. What else should they have done?”

“They should have used their popularity to become leaders of those lands. Use that power to bring about permanent order and prosperity, instead of putting out fires whenever they arise until the end of time. But if they tried that, they would have had to make difficult choices. Heaven forbid you conscript someone to fight. ‘That would be slavery,’ they said. Well, they made their choice.” He said bitterly, “Now all the lands east of the Colorado River are controlled by a mad slaver warlord.”

“But that sounds kind of like how you described the NCR. So wouldn’t they have become the same? You think they could have done things better?”

“I don’t know.” He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. “Maybe I’m asking for something that can’t exist anymore. Maybe the radiation has scrambled all of our brains forever. Once upon a time, I believed as you do. Point is, everyone eventually ends up a ruthless cynic. The only question is how much you want to get hurt before you accept that. My advice is to just do what’s best for you and not care about anything else.”

“Mmmm.” She didn’t want to argue, as he seemed dead-set in his ways. “Jack, what’s radiation?”

He sighed, “I am not getting into that. Now come on.”

Ruby followed him into a building at the Mojave Outpost. It was rather impoverished, with decaying facades and dirty floors. She stayed quiet as he bought travel supplies from the counter, instead observing the people present. Most of them were uniformed soldiers, fitting in with what Jack said about the place. They were going to and from, mostly minding their business. Some were drinking at a bar with a handful of people who weren’t in uniform, though they were still armed. As she was looking around, one of them returned her gaze.

“The fuck you staring at?” A pissed-off woman with a cowboy hat and a slung shotgun addressed her.

“N- nothing…” She raised her hands defensively.

“You want trouble?” She took a large swig from her whiskey bottle, “Because starin’ at people like that is how you get trouble.”

“I-I didn’t mean to-”

She rose from her chair when Jack noticed the commotion, “Oh, fuck.” He ran between them, “Sorry if my brat offended you, but you’re not getting your fight today. Ruby, wait for me outside.”

“I’m so sorry, miss.” She apologized before hurrying away.

“That’s what I thought,” The woman spat as Ruby left the building.

“I leave you unattended for two minutes, and you get into trouble.”

“But I didn’t do anything. I tried to appear as nonthreatening as I could.”

“That’s exactly your problem, Ruby. You presented an easy target. She wasn’t harassing the soldiers there for a good reason, you know.”

“Okay…” She gulped. “I’ll do better next time.”

“I sincerely doubt it. You need to learn how to present yourself as strong without provoking people. Something especially difficult with your small height.” His tone turned softer, “It’s a subtle art, and an important skill when dealing with lowlife. And another reason why I wanted to talk with you.”

“You want to get rid of me, is that it?”

“No… I mean- Listen, I just want to tell you that you maybe don’t know where you’re going.”

“I said I’m going with you to Vegas.”

“Do you even know what Vegas is like? Do you have the slightest idea of what you’d do there?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean as a job. You’re dead broke and living off my handouts, Ruby. You’ll have to find work.”

He handed her a bag with water and food. “Follow the road from where we came. This should be enough to make it to the Hub. Once there, you find yourself a decent, safe job, and don’t worry my conscience again.”

“And if I were to go to Vegas? Why wouldn’t I want a job there?”

“Because it’s dangerous. Raiders, hostile wildlife, and worse roam the land. The law barely exists. People live short and miserable lives. A girl as naive as you will be dead in no time.”

“I’m not totally oblivious, I just have some basic decency. Tell me, if it’s so dangerous, why are you going there?”

“Because the job pays very well.”

“So… If it pays well… You said I should go do what’s best for me.”

“That’s not-”

“That’s what you taught me. I bet you just don’t want competition in the courier business.” She giggled before doing a loop around him with her semblance, covering him in rose petals.

“You might have a point… but that just means you can make good money out west without exposing yourself to danger.”

“But then I wouldn’t have opportunities to help people in desperate need.”

“No means no, Ruby.”

“I’m going there, with or without you.” She tried her best to sound threatening.

“You’re going to get yourself killed.”

“Then we can travel together! Easy.”

He sighed, “Fine. But I’m not sticking around with you forever.”

“Yaaay!” She jumped in triumph, and it took Jack all of his willpower to not roll his eyes.

“I get the feeling I’m going to regret this.”

“Papers, please.” The NCR officer tapped his finger on the checkpoint counter. Jack calmly handed his passport to the man, while Ruby was already spiraling. It hasn’t been 50 feet, and I’m already going to fail. What if they arrest me for having no identification? They wouldn’t, right? I could make a run for it. Would Jack get in trouble? And what if the soldiers ask for identification out in Vegas? Oh this is all going so wrong. She was doomed already-

“Alright, Rose, you can pass.” The officer said in an emotionless tone.

She blinked. What? Then she saw the pile of caps he was stuffing into his pockets. Jack tugged on her cloak to tell her to move. She did as he asked and hurriedly walked away from the checkpoint and into the Mojave wasteland proper. Once they had made some distance, she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Was there no other way to do that?” Ruby asked, “I mean, I’m thankful he let me through, but I didn’t expect…”

“What, never seen a bribe?” he laughed, “Think nothing of it. NCR has so many ridiculous rules and protocols, nothing would ever get done without a little corruption.”

“That’s…”

“Horrifying? Yup! But it is how it is. The system is mostly there to make sure no Legion spies or known criminals come through, but the guard could tell you were neither of those, so he was willing to bend the rules.”

“I see… That’s still a worrying mindset.”

“I don’t particularly care. By the way, you’re cutting into my delivery margins quickly, kid. That bribe alone was 40 caps. And I’m gonna ask for payment once we get to Vegas.”

“Oh? Okay.” She looked downcast. “I was wondering why you were acting so charitably for me when you told me I shouldn’t act like that.”

“Right. It’s all self-interest. Yeah… Let’s go.”

They continued to walk the length of the I-15 as dusk turned to night.

“Sooo…” Ruby began, “When are we going to sleep?”

“At noon. The night is pleasant enough for travel, it’s noon that you need to skip in a desert.”

“That makes sense. Sorry, I’ve never been in such a place. So, we’ll be at the next settlement by then?”

“Next town over is Primm, but I doubt we’ll make it. I would have, were I not distracted by you. We might have to find some shade and sleep there instead.”

“I’m not sure if I’ll be able to fall asleep, especially on a dirt floor. I don’t suppose you’d let me share your sleeping bag?”

Jack laughed, “Hah, as if anyone’s crazy enough to carry a bag, even a tiny one. It’s too much weight for too little gain. Speaking of unnecessary weight, what’s with that big gun on your back?”

“Oh!” She perked up, taking the weapon out, “That’s my baby, Crescent Rose. She’s a super, super cool sniper rifle that’s got two main modes and-”

“Never mind, actually. Point is, if you can’t sleep, you can keep watch until I wake up, right?”

“Eh?” She looked like she got the wind knocked out of her. “Sure, I can do that. I haven’t been awake for that long.”

“Interdimensional jet lag, I take it? Say, you don’t seem like you’re too used to the wilderness. I take it you’re a city girl?”

“Not really. I was raised in the countryside, but I visit the city all the time.”

“Do you have many cars? I’ve read all about them in old books. There are some wrecks still scattered about here and there.

“Oh, so you don’t have them? I thought it was odd how we were walking on an empty highway.”

“Well, There are a few out west, but they’re rare. If I had to guess, less than a hundred total. Unless you’re a senator or something, you can forget about it. It’s not even that useful, considering how few roads are maintained with them in mind. Even this old highway would be too rough for ’em.”

“I see.”

“We’re supposed to have a rail line going through the Mojave, but it hasn’t been in service for months. We’ve got a few vertibirds, though.” He smiled, “I got to see one fly a couple years ago, they’re truly Beautiful machines.”

“What are they?”

“They’re like planes, except they take off and land like helicopters. It has engines that can rotate to change the mode of transport mid-flight.”

“Oh, that. I got to ride on something very similar on my commute a few hours ago.”

He sighed, “Of course you did. Can’t impress you with anything, can I?”

She giggled, “Sorry, sorry.”

“So… when are we getting to Vegas?” Ruby asked.

“Like, three more days of walking, if we pick up the pace.”

“THREE DAYS?”

“That’s assuming we face no interruptions. Which is very unlikely. So more like five days.”

“That’s…”

“A lot? Hey, Rubes.”

“Yes?”

“Look at the horizon, you can see the big tower now.”

“What? Oh, that thing?” She pulled out Crescent Rose and looked through its scope. It was a slim spire with a round top that had massive glass windows. “That’s so far away.”

“Then you better keep moving.”

“Hey, I can keep up just fine,” She dashed 50 feet with her semblance, just to spite him. “In fact, I can get there way before you.”

“You can try. But you’d probably lose your way in outer Vegas. I know I did the first time I went there.”

They continued their walk in silence until Ruby asked, “So, what is the big tower?”

“It’s called the Lucky 38. Look, there’s a billboard just ahead.”

She looked at the cracked and faded advertisement, “It’s a casino?”

“Yup. No one’s been gambling there since the bombs fell, though. It’s now the residence of the city’s ruler, Mr. House. Real weird guy. I’m actually supposed to deliver my package to him.”

“Oh, that’s cool! What are you delivering?”

“A… poker chip of some kind, made of platinum though. It’s a weird job, alright. Doesn’t make for good jewelry, so I’m not sure why anyone would go through such efforts to acquire it. But I’m being paid enough to not ask any questions.” His hand went to his breast pocket, taking it out for a moment. “He strikes me as an eccentric guy, and that’s probably all there is to it.”

The night walk was peaceful, and the temperature was rather pleasant at this hour. Ruby started to relax for the first time since coming here. That was, until she spotted a worrying detail while checking her scroll once more. She was going to look through photos of her friends, but it was her aura readout that shocked her.

95%. That couldn’t be right. She made two short dashes since last looking at it, and that was a while ago. She should be at around 98% or 99% aura. Unless… If the people here didn’t have it, maybe she herself would start to lose it? Maybe it doesn’t regenerate here at all? The thought occupied her for hours, adding to every other anxiety she had about the future. No, she couldn’t afford to panic now. She had to calm herself somehow.

“Hey, Jack.” She showed him her scroll, “You wanna listen to some music?”

“I wouldn’t recommend it. I’d rather be focused on any dangers that might appear.”

Ruby pouted, and he relented. He had a feeling this was going to be a pattern. “Fine… I mean, it is a dull job. Sure, introduce me to your world’s music.”

He watched her fiddle with her scroll for a bit, her expression getting increasingly more frustrated.

“What is it, Ruby?”

She made a face of disgust, “Could not authenticate music app. You can pay 9.99 lien for the ability to save your music offline.”

“Hah! All that fancy tech, and the radio is still better.”

“Hmmm…” Ruby thought. “I’m pretty sure this thing can catch radio waves… Somehow.”

“Well go ahead and try it. Radio New Vegas. 95.2 Hz.”

After a few more minutes of fiddling with the device, the previously quiet desert air burst with the life of song. She initially found the music to be a bit corny. She never really liked the love songs, and this one was particularly bad. The singer dragged the words out with the most grating violin imaginable. Though the next song was quite catchy, and about a desert ranger to boot. So maybe it wasn’t all bad.

She was going to ask Jack a question when the broadcast suddenly cut, replaced with an announcer of some kind.

"Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen. This is Mr. New Vegas, coming at you with another news segment."

“Citizens of Outer Vegas are flocking to the Strip in droves amid a wave of terror caused by a band of raiders known as the Fiends. Those who can afford entry say the added security is well worth the price of admission.”

“No surprises there,” Jack said. “NCR fucking up as usual. Just means we’ll have to be a bit more careful as we approach the city.”

Mr. New Vegas kept talking, “There have also been reports of a prison riot at the NCR correctional facility. Citizens of the nearby town of Primm report hearing an unusual number of explosions coming from that direction, though officials claim that the situation is currently under control.”

“That’s not good,” Ruby said.

“Not in the slightest.”

Before she knew it, the night gave way to morning, which gave way to greater heat. With every passing hour, it seemed to get worse and worse.

“We’ve been walking for ages now.” Ruby said, “Are we there yet?”

“Nope. Still got a while.” He looked at his watch, “Damn, it’s 11 am already. We should find a place to rest.”

A few minutes later, they found a large rock resting on the hillside just off the road, providing a small bit of shade. Once there, Jack pulled out some meat from his backpack and handed Ruby half of it.

She took a good look at the meat cut. It… did not look particularly appetizing, especially as it was likely sitting in that bag for a while. “So, what is this?”

“What? Salted Gecko not good enough for you?” He was already biting into his own portion. “I can eat it if you’d rather starve.”

“No, no. I’m good.” She bit down on the meat. It was unbearably salty and almost impossible to chew, but she managed to finish it somehow. The fact that it had been a while since she last ate helped her pull through.

Jack fell asleep shortly after, while Ruby took out her weapon to guard the area. She was kinda excited to do it at first, all the heroes in her books did this on their adventures. Though she quickly found out why they also had a tendency to fall asleep on their watch in said stories.

She was bored out of her mind. She passed the time by admiring her dear Crescent Rose and thinking about her future. She wondered if they had her specific caliber of rounds. Probably not. It would be a major pain to remake the barrel and chamber, assuming the machinery for that was even obtainable. Maybe she could reload the casings with gunpowder and reuse them forever? Yes, her baby would keep on working!

But what about cleaning supplies? Was she going to have to settle for an imperfect alternative? It was horrifying to think about. What if her weapon malfunctioned and she couldn’t fix it? She concluded that this world sucked. And that’s without considering the absolutely insane heat that was making her space out… What was she even watching for? The desert was practically empty. After all, they had walked for way over half a day now without any encounters. And the bright noon light was making her eyes irritable- It wouldn’t hurt to close them… Just for a moment…

Suffice to say, Jack was not pleased to find out she had dozed off on her first watch and that they were only a few hours from sunset. But at least the lengthened nap improved his spirits. Honestly, he seemed like he needed it, so he let it go pretty quickly.

It took them another two hours of walking before they saw the next town over in the distance.

“Is that a roller coaster?” Ruby asked excitedly.

“Yup. Wouldn’t climb on it though. But yes, you can always spot Primm in the distance by that thing.”

“Anything else interesting about the place?”

“Nope. There’s a really shitty casino, if you’re into that.”

“What’s with every place of note here being a casino?”

“Apparently this whole area was a really popular gambling hotspot before the war. Even today, that’s the main attraction here.”

“But isn’t gambling bad? You always lose on average, right?”

He chuckled, “You’re wiser than most. There are some games of skill, but then you get drunk, and ego takes over… It’s no coincidence they also sell alcohol at the tables.”

“Ugh, why? Why would anyone poison themselves willingly? Or gamble for that matter?”

He shrugged, “What else are you going to do in a desert? As for the gambling, well… Live long enough in such a hopeless place and you’ll want to try winning it big too.”

“I don’t believe you. I won’t become like that.” She said resolutely.

“Easier said than done,” Jack said. Upon hearing Ruby’s disappointed sigh, he added, “I mean, I think you can do it. Many people manage to. Even those who have suffered a lot.”

That put a small smile on Ruby’s face, which Jack returned. They passed through Primm without stopping, as Jack decided they should be making up for lost time.

“So, any other places we’ll see on our way?”

“Nothing too interesting. Goodsprings is a few miles off the road. We might stop there to get some cheap water. Other than that… There’s Sloan, I guess. It’s just a quarry with some houses, though, nothing special.”

“Oooh… I’ve never been to a quarry before. That would be cool to see.”

“Sure, why not? It’s not that impressive, but cement is in high demand.”

“It’s good that you’re still building stuff.”

“Sure, except none of it is going towards nice new houses. It’s all being redirected to the dam.”

“The dam?”

“Hoover Dam, out east on the Colorado River. The thing makes electricity, and its reservoir is a big source of fresh water, so the NCR is spending most of its resources on fortifying it.”

“Why?”

“Remember that whole slaver legion thing? Yeah, they tried taking the dam once before, and it almost worked. This time, they’re building up an even bigger army. What can I say, it’s the most valuable thing in the whole desert.”

“So they’re going to fight again.”

“Probably, it’s the only damn thing people talk about these da-” Jack was cut off by the sound of a shot to his right- the bullet had landed just a foot away from them.

“Ambush!” He ran in the opposite direction of the sound, while several more gunshots followed. After a moment of confusion, Ruby dashed to him instantly, “I’ll cover you with my aura.”

“Appreciated, but aren’t you too small for-” He screamed in pain just as he took cover at a small mound of dirt, with Ruby following just after him.

“What happened? Are you hurt?”

Bullets kicked up dirt around them, but it seemed the shallow cover was just barely adequate enough to stop them from dying. “I got hit… on the hip. There’s bleeding, but we have bigger priorities.” Another burst of gunfire hit all around them, it was so close that the dust it kicked up got into Ruby’s eye.

“I don’t trust this cover, Ruby. Whoever’s shooting could easily change angles a little, and it’s all over. I don’t even think I can treat myself behind this.”

He looked around before pointing to a larger hill, “There, about 200 feet away. If we scale that, we should be able to get away from their line of sight. You’ll need to cover me, though.”

“But that didn’t work out last time?”

“No, you dumb brat, cover me with your sniper rifle.”

“O- Okay,” She pulled Crescent Rose from her back, but she hesitated to peek out, “Wait, if you people don’t have auras… Then wouldn’t I be potentially killing them?”

“Wha-? Yes, of course you’d be killing them, what kind of asinine question is that?” He said as he clutched his wound.

“But-” A shot nicked Ruby, flaring her aura.

“They’re bandits, Ruby. They all deserve to be crucified.”

“What’s that?”

“Doesn’t matter. Just fucking shoot them unless you want us to die.”

Ruby took a deep breath before climbing up the mound and searching for targets with her scope. Almost immediately, she located them by their muzzle flashes. It was coming from a handful of men some 800 meters away, who were wearing short sleeved black jackets and had wild haircuts. Still, looking at their individual faces, she hesitated. Surely there was a better way? Huntresses didn’t murder people. She managed to get plenty of criminals to accept arrest on Remnant, but then again, they usually gave up after their aura was gone. Not really an option here.

She heard Jack getting up, so she fired a shot. It took them by surprise, as they ducked behind cover, but it took only a moment before they went back out of cover and started shooting again.

Though so many bullets landed all around her, she kept focus and fired another bullet at one of the guys who had an automatic gun. The shot rang true, as she knocked the weapon right out of his hands. That really sent them down, and she fired through the rest of her magazine to keep them there. She looked behind her to see that Jack had made it to the hill, so she dashed with her semblance to meet him on the other side.

“You okay, Jack?”

“As good as I could hope for.” He was rummaging through his backpack, pulling out a large syringe with a handle and a pressure gauge. He rammed it right next to the wound on his right hip, which she could easily see now through his bloodied clothes.

“What’s that?” Ruby asked.

“You never seen a stimpak? Smart little thing, seals wounds quickly and keeps you pumped up for battle. Pricy as hell, but beats dying.”

“That’s good. I was worried you’d need proper treatment. Who were those guys?”

“Probably common raiders, NCR is supposed to keep the roads safe, but they’re too busy getting drunk, I would imagine. You get any of em?”

“You mean kill? I don’t know, they were far away, and obscured by the rocks…”

“So you didn’t.” He sighed, “And here I thought the old books were exaggerating, you pre-war people really didn’t like killing.”

“Yeah, you could say that.”

“Word of advice, the sooner you forget all about that, the better off you, and everyone else will be. Now let’s go. There’s a town nearby, we can make it pretty quick if we cut through the wilds. Just gotta give those raiders a warning.” He came out of cover, firing a couple shots from his pistol in the direction of the enemy, and ducking before return fire came.

As they were concealed behind the hill, they managed to run further away from the road without being shot at. Jack was doing surprisingly well on account of the stimpak’s effects, but it was slowly wearing off as the sun was setting. Ruby managed to follow him well enough, though a sour mood had overtaken her.

“I’m sorry for not protecting you, Jack.” She was winded from the running, as she hadn’t used her semblance in an effort to preserve her aura.

“Eh, I’ll survive.” He said in between tired breaths, “You should have run, instead of trying to block bullets with your body. You’re not a bodyguard.”

“Maybe I am now. I did help you escape, call it payment for travel expenses.”

“I probably would have been more aware of my surroundings if I weren’t talking to you… But I guess it’s good that you’re thinking that way. Vegas always has room for more bodyguards.”

“Um, thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” He looked around as the last rays of twilight had disappeared. “We’ve been running for, what, two hours now?”

“You think the raiders gave chase?”

“Unlikely, but who knows. Thing is, I’m too damn tired to keep going. Stims are great and all, but they’re not all powerful, and you feel like shit after it wears off. Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking it’s not a drug.”

“You want to rest? I don’t like that idea.”

“You may be able to keep going, but I’ve been on the road for a week before I met you, kid. I only had a few hours of sleep each noon, and we’ve been run ragged by all this running. I’d be tired without losing all that blood.”

“I’m sorry, I-”

“Forget it. But I’ll be fine, just need to sink into some hole in the sand for a couple hours.”

He eventually found a small depression to lie down in. Ruby had her sniper rifle out and was sitting nearby, watching for any threats. She knew she could have handled things much better, though honestly, she was surprised at how she kept it together until now. She had this feeling of growing dread in her gut, knowing she hadn’t fully internalized what this all meant.

She still felt like she was just lost in the woods, and would meet her team in a few days. But no, she was in another world filled with strangers, and she would never see them again. The friendliest person she met thus far was Jack, and even he was a bit of a jerk.

Her musings were cut short as she saw some movement in her peripheral view- a short reptilian biped creature had just crested a nearby hill. “What the heck is that?”

“Wha-?” The half-awake Jack mumbled, crawling up to get a better view, “Oh, that’s a gecko. Damn, but guess this is their territory. Still, it shouldn’t be much of an issue.”

“Okay, I’ll take care of it,” she aimed her gun at it, but Jack quickly pulled it down.

“Are you crazy? Everyone in a 5 mile radius is going to hear that oversized gun of yours.”

“You said the raiders weren’t chasing us.”

“I said it was unlikely, but even if they’re not searching for us, I wouldn’t recommend making so much noise. It could also easily attract more creatures. Or worse, people.”

The creature in question was staring at them with its creepy, reptilian eyes, before a second gecko came up. They wasted no time in descending the hill, “Well, what am I supposed to do? The things are charging at us.”

“Crap, they usually don’t go for people, and certainly not two at once. Use your knife and kill them silently.”

“I don’t have a knife, but I can-” She tried to hold up her weapon, but he stopped her.

“I don’t wanna hear it. Wrestle ’em down, they’re tiny things and you’ve got magic protection for fucks sake.”

“Again, it’s not magic- AAAaaa” She screamed as one of the things leapt at her. She instinctively put her arms up, and the creature bit down on one of them, the skin holding up only due to her aura. She tried kicking it as it was trying to chew the limb off, but to little effect. Right next to her, Jack’s hands were covered in gecko blood as he was stabbing the other one in the throat. By the time he got up and was running towards her, the gecko realized its position and let go of her, dodging Jack’s lunge before turning around and charging again.

“These things are bloody aggressive, we must be near a nest or something.” He tackled the creature, trying to keep it still so he could sink his knife at its vitals, but Ruby spotted a third gecko coming up. She picked up Crescent Rose and went forward, “Watch out!”

The Gecko underneath Jack finally gave out and died. He turned to see another one running at him, only to be skewered by a massive red scythe. The blade cut clean through its neck and came out of its belly.

“Woah.” He marveled at Ruby.

“I don’t exactly have a knife, but I trust this will do?” She said innocently. Her sniper rifle was transformed into a scythe taller than its wielder.

He couldn’t help but laugh a little, “You’re crazy, kid. No wonder that thing looked so bulky.”

“It is my pride and joy, Crescent Rose.”

“Wait, you named it? And gave it your last name?” He burst out laughing.

“You’re just jealous of my bond with dear Crescent.”

“Sure, whatever makes you feel good. Tell you what, you keep a lookout while I skin these two guys and then we make a beeline for the town.”

“Alright. Wait, two guys?”

“You ruined the skin on that last one. But it was probably going to scratch me up good if you hadn’t done it, so don’t stress it.”

She beamed at his compliment, “Hold on, how much experience do you have with hunting? I thought you were just a courier.”

“No one here’s just one thing, Ruby. I’d barely have enough to eat if I only delivered mail. You take opportunities as they come, so you have to know many things. I don’t think I can carry all the meat, but the hides alone are a good 20 caps.”

Ruby sighed, “I don’t think I have many useful skills for this place. I call myself a huntress, but I don’t even know the first thing about skinning animals. All I can do is fight and maybe tinker with weapons.”

“Eh, you’re halfway there. If you learn quickly enough, the rest should be no trouble.”

“Thanks for believing in me.”

“Ugh. Your optimism is infectious,” he grouched.

“Awww, you’re warming up to me.”

“Don’t dream of it, brat.”

*Two hours earlier.*

“Damned bitch in red. She shot out my gun!” He tried to rack the bolt, to no effect, “It’s not bloody working anymore.”

“Relax, Murphy. It’s prolly some minor thing, we can get it repaired back at Red Rock.”

“Shut up, Jessup. I’m not going without a weapon for that long.”

“You’ll take it from that courier boy, okay?” The man in a checkered suit approached them, “Be happy he didn’t kill you, and be happy I didn’t kill you just now for losing them.”

“It’s all good, Benny.” Murphy tried to calm him down, “We can go find them, they’re probably tired as hell. Not to mention how I shot the big one.”

“I’m not risking an ambush in those dunes,” Benny said.

“How else do you mean to catch them? We can run up the highway, set up an ambush somewhere after Sloan.”

“We’ve taken a big enough risk with NCR patrols as is, I’m not doing another ambush along the I-15.” He gave it some thought, “If they keep going north, they’ll run into a nice little town called Goodsprings. Once they leave it, we’ll ambush them on the connecting road. Don’t worry, you’ll soon have your caps and a replacement weapon. The loot’s free pickings, boys. Just like the contract stated. All I want is the platinum chip.”

Chapter Text

The trek to Goodsprings was harder than the map made Ruby think. They moved slowly off the road, and when night fell in earnest it was even worse. Luckily for Jack and her, Crescent Rose’s blade easily fended off any Geckos looking to take them in the dark.

By the time they spotted the faint lights of Goodsprings, it was already very late, and both of them were exhausted. The town itself was quite small, consisting of about 10 or so buildings, with some of them seeming abandoned. Ruby followed Jack’s lead to a large house on a hill overlooking the area. He knocked on the door vigorously until it opened.

“Who is it at this hour?” An old man answered. He was bald, with a gray mustache and a pistol in his hands, though he had a rather kindly expression on his face.

“Sorry for waking you up, doc,” Jack began, “I got shot near Primm, and was wondering if you could get it looked at. I had nothing to disinfect it with.”

“Oh, Jack. It’s you. Come on in. You sound fine, so it can’t have been too bad.” He deposited his gun on a nearby shelf before spotting Ruby behind him. “And I see you brought someone over.”

“Found her on the I-15. A bit of a long story.” The doctor raised his eyebrows at that, but said nothing, content to study the girl in strange garments.

“Um, hello.” She looked up at him, “I’m Ruby. Pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise.” He gave her a friendly smile. “I’m Doc Mitchell. Welcome to Goodsprings.”

“Apart from the blood loss, you’re fine. The prophylactic antibiotics should be sufficient.”

“Thanks. Again, sorry for waking you up at night.” Jack reached into his pockets.

“20 caps is more than enough. You two can stay here for the night, though, no point in letting a regular like you sleep outside.”

“Thanks, doc.”

“And keep out of further danger. Especially if you have a lady tagging along with you.”

“Bout that… I’ve been meaning to ask you something. You’re the only doctor in Goodsprings, right?”

“And I’m getting old, I know.” He looked Ruby over once again, “I see what you’re aiming at, and I don’t mean to sound judgmental, but I don’t think this young girl is a student of medicine.”

“It’s fine, mister.” Ruby said, “I know first aid, but I don’t have an interest in becoming a doctor. I said I’m going to Vegas, Jack. Stop trying to get rid of me.”

“See what I mean?” Jack said. “She seems to crave danger.”

“Well, it’s to be expected of youth. If you try to force them to stay, they’ll still get in trouble, just without your guidance. I’d know, believe me. Still, I wouldn’t mind training a youngling- It’s past time I pass my skills on.”

She looked relieved, “Thank you for respecting my wishes, doctor. I’ll keep your offer in mind, but I want to see more of the world first.”

He nodded in acknowledgment. “I won’t bother you with things Jack told you already. Your life is your own thing.”

Jack rolled his eyes, “Helpful as ever, I see.” He handed over the caps. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m dead tired.”

“Of course,” The doctor said, before taking them to a room with a handful of patient beds in what was, by all accounts, an ordinary house. “Make yourselves at home.”

Much as Ruby was hoping to talk to Jack some more, they were both too tired, and as soon as they were shown a pair of beds, sleep overcame them easily.

“Wake up, sleepyhead!”

If Jack’s shouting hadn’t awoken her, then the harsh sunlight from the parting curtains did.

“Ugh, I feel awful.”

“I bet. It’s 2:30 PM.”

“Already? Are we behind schedule?”

“You betcha. But it’s fine, I’m actually thinking of taking it easy today. I still feel a little weak from yesterday, you see.”

“How much blood *did* you lose?”

“Not enough to stop me from getting a drink. Lord knows I deserve one. You ought to go as well, the place down the hill serves some great food.” He left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Before doing anything else, Ruby looked over her scroll. She was at 89% aura when she fell asleep, and it only went up to 93%. Doing some quick maths, she estimated her aura was regenerating at about 10% a day, which was about 10 times slower than usual. As bad as that was, she was relieved that it was regenerating at all. And considering that other people somehow didn’t have aura in this world, she figured she would do well as long as she was smart about using it.

Questioning the doctor, she found out Jack had gone to a bar/restaurant down the hill called the Prospector’s Saloon, and so she followed him there.

Ruby didn’t realize just how hungry she was until she was presented with a massive slab of meat that they called ‘Bighorner steak.’ Maybe her previous experience with salted gecko (ugh) lowered her expectations, because this rivaled the best meals she ate in Vale. It wasn’t long before she cleaned her plate and gulped it all down with a nuka-cola.

“Looks like the city girl loves it.” The woman that served at the humble bar exclaimed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She glanced over to Jack at the other side of their table. The jerk was snickering. “What did you tell them before I got here?”

“Hey, was just setting expectations.”

She pouted, “What you’re doing is being mean. I’m not some spoiled princess to be pampered.”

“Alright.” A smile crept up on his face. “Trudy! A bottle of whiskey and two glasses.”

“Excuse me? W-what are you doing?”

“What you wanted. Treating you like you’re one of us.” The bartender, Trudy, had already put the bottle on the table, alongside the two shot glasses.

“Uhhhh…” Ruby shuffled uncomfortably as Jack poured the amber liquid for both of them, while a couple of the patrons were looking on in mild amusement. It only served to make her more embarrassed.

“What is it? Don’t tell me you’ve never had alcohol? And here I was hoping for a drinking contest.”

“That’s not- I mean yes, but-” She couldn’t help but be annoyed at his smug expression. “Do you get some sick pleasure from getting people drunk?”

“I assure you he does.” Trudy said from across her counter.

“I mean, it’s unheard of for someone to get to your age without at least trying a drink. I’m just amazed.”

“I’m sorry for not being eager to become an addict.”

He rolled his eyes, “Oh come on, a single drink won’t make you into an alcoholic, Ruby.”

“Two won’t either. Neither will 10. But some number will, and I don’t think you know what that number is.”

“Ugh, talk about a killjoy.” He took out a cigarette and lit it.

“I don’t want to get drunk, okay!” She shouted. Seeing the attention she attracted from the rest of the saloon, she shrank into her seat, on the verge of tears. “I’m sorry, it’s just… I have an uncle whose life was destroyed by alcohol. I’m already so anxious with everything that’s happened, and now you’re messing with me when I’m supposed to relax.”

Jack sighed, “Okay, okay, I get it. I shouldn’t be pressing you to drink in the first place. Kind of a dick move on my end, I admit.”

“It is. And besides, Yang- uh my sister told me not to accept drinks from strangers.”

“I thought you wanted to be friends, and now we’re suddenly strangers?” he mockingly clutched his heart. “Your sister has a point, though I don’t think someone would spike their own drink as well.” He gulped down his shot of whiskey. “Regardless of the presence of any drugs, alcohol alone is enough to make you stop thinking straight.”

“I know all that.”

He took another puff of his cigarette, “I’m just saying, because people round these parts will get insulted if you refuse a drink. So if you ever do go drinking, you need to know your limits and not let anyone push you into taking more than you’re comfortable with. Especially given your smaller size, you’ll get drunk quicker than most.”

“I already told you, I don’t plan on drinking.”

They rested at Trudy’s bar for a while longer, listening to the jukebox while Jack refilled his glass periodically. At first, he thought he was seeing things, but after a while he couldn’t deny it. Ruby was sneaking glances at the whiskey glass in front of her.

It brought him a measure of amusement. “We’ve still got a lot of time to kill before it gets dark, Rubes. If we set off at nightfall, we’ll arrive at Sloan just before the noon heat.”

“Okay…”

“Also, you gonna drink that?”

“Um, actually… I changed my mind. I would like to try it, just this once.”

He chuckled, “Well go on ahead, you don’t need my permission.”

She gripped the small glass nervously before suddenly swinging it towards her mouth and gulping it down. Not a moment later, she burst into a coughing fit.

“So… What’s the rating?”

*cough* *cough* “How can you guys drink this crap?” *cough*

“That’s what they always say at first. But see, it’s nothing that scary. Besides, if you’re determined to fuck your life up, you’ll manage to do it without booze.”

“I still don’t want to take a chance on it.”

He shrugged, “Maybe you shouldn’t. Maybe I don’t have the best of intentions.”

“…I trust you. If you wanted to take advantage of me, you had plenty of opportunity.”

“Fair enough, just don’t get too comfortable in the wasteland.” He took the bottle, filling his glass and offering to fill hers. She gave a short nod.

“We should have done it properly the first time.” He put his glass up for a toast. She mimicked him.

“Cheers.”

“Cheers.” They both downed their shots, this time with much less coughing.

“Say, I don’t feel any different at all,” Ruby said. “I expected something by now.”

“Oh yeah, important lesson there. Be careful with downing shots quickly. It takes a bit to kick in, so you might down way more than you can handle without realizing.”

“I… hadn’t thought of that. Thanks for the advice.” She smiled.

“Think nothing of it.” He waited a little while before he refilled his glass again, “Want more?” He offered the bottle.

“Actually, I think I’m good. I might be getting what you’d call a buzz…”

They spent a few more hours that way, just relaxing and listening to the music. Ruby wasn’t sure what to expect from intoxication, but it felt strangely mundane. She was just a bit more relaxed, able to find more joy in the songs and idle conversations. She thought she finally got the appeal of it, though she didn’t like the way she was thinking of it already. Goodness, she was only on day 2, and she’s already slipping into vice!

She declined further drinks, and Jack also laid off the bottle eventually, instead choosing to put it in his backpack when it was approaching half.

For the first time since arriving in the wasteland, Ruby felt comfortable. Happy, even, and she was sure it wasn’t entirely the booze. Of course, there was so much uncertainty about her future, but at least she had a friend. Even if they’re a grouchy jerk who doesn’t accept hugs. She’ll melt his hardened heart in no time, just like she did with Weiss.

She did not want to think of how much she missed Weiss.

The time had come for them to set off. Jack, to her surprise, looked entirely sober. She had experience with telling when people were faking it, and Jack was genuine. He might have had a casual attitude to drinks, but at least he was disciplined enough to not mix it with his work, unlike a certain someone she knew. It filled her with confidence.

Exiting the Prospector’s Saloon felt freeing to Ruby, the cigar smoke that dominated the inside was gone, and in its place was fresh air that reminded her, however faintly, of home. They went down the road, into the all-encompassing darkness of a moonless night.

“So, the next town over is Sloan?” Ruby struck up a conversation, “You said it had a quarry?”

“Calling it town is a stretch, but yes, it’s got a limestone quarry.”

“It sounds like a pretty big operation. Shame all that effort is going to military purposes.”

“I’m sure there’s some leftovers. If not right now, when this is all over, the infrastructure will be useful. And if they manage to get the railway running again and open it for non-military traffic, it’ll be a godsend for my line of work.”

“Mmmm. Are you sure they’ll have room for us over at-” She felt her aura take a monumental hit. Then several more. She was standing in a veritable hail of bullets. One after another, she could see the muzzle flashes coming from the left side, not even 20 meters away. She was taken by total surprise, and by the time she dashed to a piece of cover, she felt like half her aura was already lost. She was behind a medium sized rock, which Jack had already hidden behind, miraculously unscathed.

“Bloody persistent bastards. Ruby, get ready to attack them together.”

She pulled Crescent Rose from her back and unfolded it into its scythe form. As Jack got up from cover, she dashed with her semblance straight into the midst of the enemy.

She could see it now, four people in biker clothes, the exact ones from yesterday, and one fancy looking guy in a checkered suit whom she hadn’t seen before. All but one of the men had guns, the last one carrying a machete.

Two of them were busy exchanging fire with Jack, while the rest were facing her. The machete guy wasted no time charging her.

Her instincts told her to kill him like a common Beowolf, but she was better than that. She would use her aura to beat them up and hand them over to the NCR. She would resolve this without murder, she knew she had the means to do so. And so she swung her scythe with the blunt end facing the raider’s head. It was a direct hit, and it knocked him unconscious.

One of the biker guys and the fancy suit guy opened fire on her. She ran up to them, hitting the biker on the head, as well as one of the men shooting at Jack, while the other one was shot in the shoulder by Jack’s gun, falling to the ground.

Only the man in the suit stood before her now. Or so it seemed, as one of the downed men turned out to be conscious, and he grabbed Ruby’s leg, knocking her off balance and making her drop Crescent Rose.

She kicked off the hand that grabbed her, but he then took hold of her weapon and held onto it with his superior strength. In the meantime, the suit guy fired his entire magazine into her, the last shot coming with the quiet, but distinctive sound of an aura shattering.

She knew her chances were truly abysmal now, so she ran. She ran back to Jack, dodging bullets along the way. A glance back saw the guy who was shot had gotten up, alongside two others. All of them were now shooting back. They were hurt, but still in fighting shape.

Okay, so her knockout game wasn’t on point. Jack had to duck for cover now, too. He was lucky enough that the night was this dark and they were practically shooting blind, but his fortune couldn’t last forever.

“What the hell was that!” Jack shouted at her, “You’re supposed to kill them, not coddle them, you numbskull!”

“I’m sorry, I-”

“To hell with your sorrys, I already told you what to do. How dumb do you have to be to-”

“O- Okay Jack, I’ll do better next time I promi-” BOOM.

Her vision blurred, and it took her a few moments to reorient herself. “Was- was that a grenade?” She saw smoke rising from a spot some 10 feet away from them.

“What else could it be, you bloody idiot? I wouldn’t have gotten into half the shit I did without you. Once we’re out of this mess I’m going to-” His voice gave out as he noticed his suit rapidly redden in a dozen places.

“Oh. It- It did reach… Oh no.”

Ruby noticed two small red spots on her own body, on the stomach and the thigh. The adrenaline stopped her from feeling the pain, but that just made it all the more unsettling. The nauseating sight almost made her faint.

“I…” Jack gulped, “I’m sorry. For everything.”

She didn’t know what to say. The gunfire ceased, and they sat there in the dark for a few more moments, until she could hear the sound of another grenade landing somewhere nearby. She wasn’t sure where it was, but Jack gathered the last of his strength and jumped onto her.

He hugged her tightly. Then came the explosion.

Ruby woke up to a harsh, scraping sound that repeated at regular intervals. The next thing she was made aware of was the stinging sensation on her arms. They were very scratched up and uncomfortable. In fact, her arms were behind her back, and her attempt to move them made her realize that they were tied together. Her heart jumped and her eyes shot open as the memories of what had just transpired came back to her.

“Look who’s wakin’ up over here.” A male voice said.

She struggled up to her knees, shuffling her body in the direction of the sound, only to see the gang of raiders that she had just fought, led by the well-kept man in a checkered suit. They were looking at her with varying degrees of mockery. The leader was playing with a white poker chip, the same one she saw Jack carrying. That’s right, Jack!

She looked around, only to see his bloody, motionless body to her left. And right next to him, a man was digging a grave- the scraping sound she heard was that of his shovel.

“Shame you got caught up in this, kid.” The leader said to her.

“Jack! He… He’s-” She didn’t know what to say. Looking around, she realized that she was in a graveyard. A graveyard! There was only a small gas lamp for light, if one discounted the gentle glow of Vegas in the distance.

“Was that his name? Sorry for killing him, promise it was nothing personal. Nothing personal against you either, Red.”

“Will you get it over with?” An annoyed raider interjected.

“Maybe Khans kill people without lookin’ em in the face, but I ain’t a fink. Dig?”

As she shuffled around, trying to get a look at her surroundings, she felt pain come back to the two places she got hit in, but that was hardly her biggest concern. “You’re… Are you going to…”

“Don’t worry, grave’s big enough for the both of you. Hope you don’t mind sharing, we’re a little strapped for time.”

She didn’t know what to say. He was just casually telling her of how he was going to execute her.

“W- Why? Why’d you kill him? And I’m no threat to you, so… Why?”

“He had something I wanted.” He put the chip into his pocket. “Just business. And you’re a witness. Sorry it had to be this way, but that’s life.”

They stood there in silence for a few more moments, the shovel taking the grave, her grave, ever closer to completion. One of the men approached Jack’s body, rifling through his pockets. His backpack was nowhere to be found, likely already looted. The man took away a watch, a cigarette box, some matches, and a couple loose caps. He approached her and rifled through her pockets as well, taking her lien and the scroll. She wasn’t sure they even knew what it was, but she was too scared of his stature to say anything.

The leader sighed before lighting a cigarette, “I gotta say, kid, you are the luckiest person I’ve ever met. All those bullets, and none hit you. I thought my gun was broken for a second.”

He didn’t know about her aura. Then again, what use was it to her? She couldn’t regenerate enough to prevent whatever execution he had planned under normal circumstances, let alone with this world’s ridiculous rules.

“Maybe I’m a good luck charm. Getting rid of me might be a bad idea.” She awkwardly chuckled.

“Hah,” the man laughed, before huffing his smoke. “Points for wit, but not gonna work. I wanted to ask, though, why didn’t you kill any of us? I mean, I’m glad you didn’t, but you could have. And you’d have both lived through this night.”

He was right, wasn’t he? It was all her fault. She was always distracting Jack with her stupid questions. She refused to kill the raiders when they were near Primm, and refused to do it again here. She really did get him killed. She was an utter failure of a huntress. She was going to die a failure, and there was nothing she could do now.

“I don’t like killing.” She answered honestly. That’s what she was taught to be like by those she trusted, and right now she wished they could see where it had led her.

Her statement was met by laughter from everyone around her. And that, of all things, put her on the verge of tears. She was fully aware of how pathetic it was.

“That’s hilarious.” One of the Khans said. Another came into view, dragging Crescent Rose in her scythe form.

“Look, boss.” He said as he pushed a button, putting it into sniper form.

“Don’t- don’t touch her!” Ruby shouted.

“Oh? But you shot my gun, only fair I have yours. Though it is heavy, dunno how you manage to carry it everywhere.”

“It’s not the same as your gun. I made it myself, from scratch.”

A smile crept up on his face, “You know you gave me a good concussion, right? I think I’m gonna strip it for scraps.”

“NO!” She shouted, tears welling up in her face. “Please, don’t…”

“Leave it, Murph,” The man in the suit said, “You’re gonna have to haul it across the desert for at least a week now that the highway’s closed.” The man looked reluctant, but ultimately dropped it on the ground. Benny pushed Crescent Rose into the empty grave with his leg.

As he did so, she noticed the digging had stopped at some point. “It’s done.” The raider said, before unceremoniously rolling Jack’s body into the grave. He then went to Ruby, dragging her towards the hole by her hoodie.

It was time. It really was going to happen. She started shaking and hyperventilating. It was becoming all too real now. She struggled with everything she had, but to no effect. In no time, she found herself kneeling before them with the grave just behind her.

“P-please. You don’t have to do this. You’re better than that.”

He pulled a pistol from inside his suit. It was a beautifully engraved piece, one that she would have appreciated were it not about to kill her.

“I- I promise I won’t tell anyone if- if you let me go.” She spoke through tears, her voice cracking.

“Don’t make this harder than it has to be, kid. I’ve been a good sport thus far, return me the favor.”

He’s been a good sport? What, for not torturing her? And she was a bad sport for not wanting to die? She couldn’t believe the audacity of the man. In what world was that fair? This world, it seemed.

“Any last wishes, Red?” He said. “A cigar, maybe?”

She knew her line of work was a dangerous one, and many times she imagined how she would die. Her fantasies always had her perish in a heroic way, perhaps saving her friends, and she would always take it stoically. That was, evidently, another one of her delusions. When push came to shove, she cried and begged like everyone else.

“No.” She said meekly.

“Have it your way, kid.” He cocked the slide of his gun.

Her memories went to her team, to her ever cheerful big sister, Yang. She imagined her comforting embrace, how badly she wanted to feel it tonight. She remembered her other teammates, Weiss and Blake, wished she got to know them better. She sobbed thinking of Qrow and Tai, they’ve been through so much, and her disappearance was bound to break them. Most of all, she thought of Summer, of her mother’s gentle smile she half-remembered from childhood. Would she be joining her? That was a nice thought to die to…

He pointed the gun towards her, and she forced herself to look at it.

Bang.

She felt an instant pain between her eyes, then nothing. She couldn’t see.

Was she dead?

But she did feel a pulsing sensation in her skull. She felt a warm liquid coming down her face, only to be covered in dirt. She was still at the grave, right? If she wasn’t dead by now, she would be soon. She could barely think, she could just… feel. Feel as more and more of her was covered in dirt, and as she lost consciousness for the last time that night.

Chapter Text

Ruby sharply inhaled. It burned her throat. She found adjusting to the light difficult, but she could see a cracked plaster ceiling and a fan. She threw down a frustratingly heavy blanket and tried to get up, when a concerned voice addressed her.

“Whoa, easy there. Eaaasy. You’ve been out cold for a couple of days now.” It was the doctor. He rushed to her and stopped her from going anywhere. She pretended to be annoyed about it, but she probably would have fallen were it not for him.

Ruby tried to speak to him, but all that came out was a frustrated groan.

“Right. Right.” He poured a glass of water from a pitcher on a nearby table and gave it to her. She drank it all immediately. Plain water had never tasted better.

“That’s right. Why don’t you relax for a second? Get your bearings.”

She stayed there for a moment, taking in the surroundings. She cringed at how… unclean it was. It was adequate for when she last slept there, but for a doctor’s office? She had her apprehensions.

She hadn’t even noticed that he had refilled her glass and was holding it out for her. He looked concerned.

“Okay… Let’s see what the damage is. How bout your name? Can you tell me your name?”

“Uhhh.” *Cough* *Cough* “I’m Ruby. Ruby Rose. How long was I out for?”

“Two days, maybe a bit more.”

“Two whole days?”

“Oh yes. In any case, how’s your memory, Ruby? Do you know what happened?”

She instinctively reached for her forehead. There was gauze between the eyes. “I got… shot.”

“Seems so. It’s a miracle you survived. Anything else you remember?”

“I was with Jack, we- Wait. Is he-”

“Jack’s dead.”

Her heart sank. He really was gone. He was gone because of her.

“Was… he was your friend, right?”

“Don’t know. Don’t know if he had any friends. Oh, he visited me more than a few times over the years, but he never tried to get close. Everyone’s got their story, and I wasn’t privy to his.”

“I see. I’m sorry for losing him.”

“There was nothing you could have done. Victor said there were too many of them.”

“Victor?”

“He’s the one who dug you out of your grave and brought you here.”

Too many of them… Right. She knew that wasn’t true. But she couldn’t tell him about aura. It would take an hour of convincing, even if she showed him her semblance. Jack… Jack understood her circumstances. She was overcome with an intense sensation of loneliness.

“It’s a shame,” The doctor continued, “He was an honest man from what little I knew of him.” They lingered in an awkward silence for a while, “Well, at least you seem like you’ve got most of your faculties in order. Now, let’s see if we can get you on your feet?”

He offered her a hand, which she accepted. It was difficult at first, but she slowly found her balance.

“You good?”

“I feel a bit… weak.”

“Not surprising. You must be starving.”

She hummed affirmatively. “Also there’s a dull pain in my thigh and abdomen.”

“There was some shrapnel lodged there. Not to worry, I pulled it all out.”

With doc Mitchell’s help, she made her way out of the room and to the kitchen, where she sat down. She noticed that her clothing was replaced with quite ordinary ones. Plain brown pants and a black, long-sleeve shirt.

As she examined them, the doctor spoke up, “Your clothes were torn and bloodied. I hope the replacements I found are comfortable. They belonged to my late wife.”

They were a little oversized, “It’s all good, doc.”

“You don’t sound too enthusiastic, Ruby.” He set down a plate of canned meat. “I mean, your outfit did look quite expensive, I’d understand if you’re upset.”

It was hardly the most important thing in the world right now. “It’s okay. It just reminded me of home, is all.”

“I know what you mean, Ruby. I was inconsolable on the day I tore my vault dweller suit.”

“Vault dweller?”

“Oh yes, I came from one of the great post-apocalyptic bunkers. Vault 21 in central Vegas, though it’s since been taken over by Mr. House.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

The conversation went silent as Ruby ravenously devoured her food. She could feel her energy return to her as she ate, which brought her a measure of optimism. She was further delighted when the doctor presented her with the red cloak she used to wear as well as her boots, as they didn’t seem to be all that damaged.

“So, what are you going to do once you get out?” He asked her.

“Probably try to track down the ones who killed Jack and shot me.”

He chuckled, “I didn’t help you out just so you could get yourself killed.”

She felt a tinge of shame. But no, those people were evil, and she had a duty to stop them. “I understand your concern. I may not look it, but I’m an excellent marksman. I can handle myself.” He looked at her with renewed unease. “Besides, it’s not like I’ll take them all alone. There’s some law enforcement out there, right?”

“Here and there, sure. But mercenaries are always a better bet.” She conceded to his wastelander expertise. Shortly after finishing her meal, she prepared to set off.

“I’m thankful for all the help, doctor. Truly. But I don’t want to burden you any more than necessary. I already don’t have anything to pay you back with.”

“Don’t worry about it, miss Rose. Pay me back by not dying anytime soon, okay?” He gave her a soft smile, “And you’re welcome to stay in town for a while. Maybe settle down like I did. Jack did make a good point.”

They were in the hallway now. Ruby looked herself over in a mirror that stood there. Her hair was messy, and she looked like she hadn’t slept in days, even though that was all she did. “I’ll think about it, doc.”

“That’s all I ask for.”

She carefully undid the tape and gauze on her head, revealing a scar starting from a point between her eyes, and going up and to the right, just barely clipping her eyebrow.

“I did my best, hope it’s not too bad.”

“It’s good. Actually, I kinda like it. Gives me the look of someone more experienced.”

He laughed a little, “It sure is a helluva conversation starter. Oh, and before you go, Jack’s backpack was found near the graveyard. They took most of the valuable stuff, but I imagine he’d want you to keep it and whatever’s left inside.” He pointed to a leather backpack in the hallway. “If you need any more guidance, talk to Sunny Smiles and she’ll help you out.”

“Thanks again, doc. I’ll be sure to repay you one day.”

“Well if it keeps you from rushing into a deathclaw’s mouth, I’ll reluctantly accept it.”

She smiled at him. “Deal.”

She opened the door, and was blinded by the early morning’s light. Not knowing any other place here, she slowly went downhill to the bar that she visited the last time around.

Entering the place, she was greeted by a barking dog. “Cheyenne, stay.” A young woman said, kneeling down to it and ruffling its fur.

“Don’t worry, she won’t bite. Not unless I tell her to.” The woman wore rugged leather and had a rifle on her shoulder, and she had a cheerful expression on her face. “You must be Ruby.”

“Yup. That’s me. The doctor told me I should find someone named Sunny to help me figure things out before I leave.”

“Well, that would be me.”

“Oh. Erm, nice to meet you, Sunny.”

“Nice to meet you too, Ruby! So, let’s see what we’re working with… How well can you fight?”

“I’m really good at shooting things!” She affirmed. “And I’m good with fighting up close too.”

“Wanna test it out? We can go slow at first, ease you in.”

“I meant I’m good with a weapon. I don’t really know much about hand to hand…”

She gave her a worried look. “You sure you can fight? It’s nothing to be ashamed of if you can’t.

“No no no, I can fight. I wouldn’t lie about that.”

“Okay. In that case, let’s go outside and see if your marksmanship is still good.”

They made their way to an improvised shooting range just behind the bar, where Sunny gave her rifle to Ruby and set down several bottles about 50 feet downrange.

“It’s a good old varmint rifle. 5.56 caliber, bolt action, 5 round capacity.”

Ruby carefully inspected the rifle. It was definitely old, and it did not meet any standard of maintenance she was familiar with. “How reliable is it?”

“It shoots. Sometimes it’s a bit hard to cycle, but otherwise it’s good enough for hunting.”

She shrugged before aiming at the bottles that were arrayed before her.

Bang, bang, bang. Three shots, three hits. Easy.

Sunny whistled, “That was quick.”

“It wasn’t that far away. Try throwing a bottle.”

Sunny looked skeptical, but she obliged, throwing an empty bottle into the air. Just as the object reached its apex, it shattered into a thousand pieces.

“Wow.” Sunny said, “You’re really good at this. Thought you’d at least be shaky.”

She, too, was glad to still be in top shape. “Throw another one.”

“Okay, but these bullets ain’t cheap, Ruby.”

That knocked some optimism out of her, “Oh. How much are they again?”

“You just spent some 15 caps.”

“Is- is that a lot around here?”

“Well, for a skilled gecko huntress like me, that’s maybe a third of a day’s profit.”

“Oh. I’m so sorry for being so careless and-”

She chuckled, “It’s fine, Ruby. After all, I made the offer to go to the shooting range.” She suddenly threw another bottle, this time at a much higher speed and at a lower angle. Ruby’s hands shot up instinctively, and she shattered the glass just before it hit the ground.

Sunny whistled, “Huh? I was thinking of taking you hunting, though honestly, you could stand to teach me a thing or two.”

Ruby smiled, “That sounds good. I fought wild beasts before, but I don’t really know much about hunting itself.” She was well aware of how ironic it was for a supposed huntress like her.

“Alright, I can teach you no problem. Let’s go.”

She took Ruby a little ways away from the town, to one of the water springs the place was named after. The mild uphill journey brought back the ache in her thigh, but she endured.

The spring was actually more of a well that they were overlooking from a distance, with a trough that two Geckos were drinking out of.

“Damn Geckos.” Sunny said, “They tend to be attracted to the water. It’s a bad thing for the settlers, but good money for me. Go on, Ruby. Give it a shot.”

So Ruby did. She fired one bullet straight into the first Gecko’s head, and another one into the second creature’s skull- all before they could even react.

“Great work, Ruby. Now, to skin them. Watch what I do.” She pulled out a knife and went down to the well.

Ruby looked on with great fascination at how Sunny worked on the dead reptilian. “You cut off the throat skin all the way around, then make another cut starting at one leg, going across the crotch, and ending at the other leg. After that, you just pull the skin off like a sock. Then you cut away the bulk of the meat located near the belly.”

“And the rest?”

“Food for Cheyenne and the cattle that come to drink here. Gecko meat is notoriously unappetizing, so people aren’t exactly eager to get every scrap.”

“Even the wasteland has standards, I guess.”

“Exactly.” Now you try it. She handed her the knife.

Ruby’s work… was not exactly glowing. Unlike Sunny’s hide, hers had jagged edges and an inch-long tear on the side. Not to mention that it took her three times as long to do it.

“It’s still passable. I mean, it’s great for someone’s first time, just that Chet might give you some trouble.”

“Who’s that?”

“He owns the general store. He’s the guy you should talk to if you wanna buy or sell things. We can head-” Sunny was interrupted by a woman’s scream in the distance.

“Someone’s in danger,” Sunny exclaimed, but Ruby was quick, and she had already dashed away. Quicker than any person could reasonably dash. But Sunny was probably just seeing things.

When she reached the source of the commotion, she saw one of the settlers, an older woman, thanking Ruby for saving her from another two Geckos. Coming down to the spot, she noticed that she suffered a number of scratches. Rather than get the woman to town, she saw this as a learning opportunity for Ruby and had them both stay put.

“Alright, Rubes.”

“Yes? Is she going to be okay? Does she need to see the doctor?”

“It’s not a big deal. In fact, we’re gonna make some healing powder for her.” Seeing her wide eyes, she clarified, “Don’t worry, it’s really simple. You just need some Broc flower and Xander root. Crushed and mixed. Come on, I’ll teach you how to spot them.”

It took a whole 30 minutes for them to help the old woman and for Ruby to skin the remaining Geckos. But eventually, they had made it to Chet’s store. She was kinda surprised coming in, as it really was just a general store, with a bit of that classic wasteland dirt finish applied. Everything from clothing to weapons to books was sold there.

“Okay, that’s four hides.” He said. “Ordinarily, that would be 10 caps each, but a couple of them are of subpar quality.” The middle-aged man with a trimmed beard eyed Ruby suspiciously. “But it’s a helluva lot better than I expected considering what I heard from the doctor. Sounded like you weren’t making it out of there.”

“Soooo… You’ll buy them?” Ruby tentatively said.

“Absolutely not. I’m not running a charity here. 30 caps for the four hides.”

“No need to lowball the girl.” Sunny said.

“Don’t ruin my negotiations, Sunny. I-”

“What if I gave you some of the healing powder we made?” Ruby asked, pulling out a small pouch and putting on her best puppy eyes.

“Ugh. It’ll… find a buyer, I’m sure.” He relented. “40 caps it is.” He took the goods, giving Ruby a bundle of 20 caps.

She gave him a questioning look. “What is this?”

“Your cut?” He eyed her with a confused expression as he gave Sunny another bundle of the same size.

“My… cut. When did we agree to split things 50/50? In fact, we didn’t agree to split anything at all.”

Sunny gave her a look of pity, one Ruby decided she absolutely hated seeing on her. She started to speak, but Chet jumped in to explain, “It’s the standard agreement if you’re using someone else’s equipment, at least in these parts. Dunno where you sprang from, but that’s common knowledge round’ here.”

“But- but- I did most of the work. That’s not fair.” She was indignant, and Sunny wasn’t saying anything. She suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Were these the scams Uncle Qrow warned her about? Her face grew red.

“Of course it’s fair. If you couldn’t have done the work without Sunny’s rifle, you wouldn’t have made any money at all.”

Sunny began, “Chet, don’t-”

“I’m sorry, Smiles, but the girl’s gotta learn the basics of business somehow.”

“So you’re saying that if I don’t have a gun, I’ll have to take a pay cut until I can afford one?”

“Yup. It’s called capital, or assets that produce value. A gun is usually the most valuable capital people have. It allows you to do so many lucrative things, from hunting to scavenging to trading at dangerous places.”

“And I’m assuming it’s expensive.”

“And you’d be right. 300 caps for a gun like hers, not counting the cost of ammo. Unless you’re very rich, you’ll have to compromise on most things. The tanner that’s gonna process these hides also has a pricy setup, as does the person that’s gonna make them into armor, belts, shoes, and whatever else is needed. That’s just the way life works.”

Even assuming every day was productive, and she saved money… She still had to eat, drink, and sleep somewhere. Her head was spinning just thinking about it. It would take her weeks to get a gun of her own. It hadn’t occurred to her before, but she was poor here. Like, she was literally homeless.

She rummaged through Jack’s backpack for anything of value. Well, technically, it was her backpack now. She pulled out the two hides they took a couple of days ago, she guessed the raiders didn’t feel like hauling that either. She handed them over, accepting another 20 caps in return. Other than that and a map, it was mostly miscellaneous junk. Among the pile of half-smoked cigarettes and empty bottles that littered the backpack, she found an odd note.

INSTRUCTIONS – MOJAVE EXPRESS, PRIMM

Deliver the package at the north entrance to the Vegas Strip, by way of Freeside. An agent of the recipient will meet you at the checkpoint, take possession of the package, and pay for the delivery. Bring the payment to Johnson Nash at the Mojave Express agency in Primm.

Bonus on completion: 250 caps.

MANIFEST

This package contains:

One (1) Oversized Poker Chip, composed of Platinum

Standard penalties apply to failure to deliver- Monetary forfeiture, criminal charges, and/or pursuit by mercenary reclamation teams.

250 caps? If she wasn’t already going to track down that jerk in a checkered suit, this definitely sealed the deal. And what the hell was so special about that chip that would drive someone to murder, anyway? She resolved to find out after she reclaimed it.

“You okay there, Ruby?” Sunny said. “What are you reading?”

“Oh, nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

Before she could leave, Chet spoke up, “Oh, and don’t be too mad at Sunny, okay? She’s a great gal, but someone’s gotta stop her from giving everything away to random travelers.”

“Oh, I’m not mad. Promise.” She tried to assure him as she left the building.

40 caps and two gecko steaks richer, she went down to the Prospector’s saloon. At Sunny’s suggestion, she ordered a roasted squirrel and some sunset sarsaparilla. Though the meal wasn’t exactly up to Vale standards, the fact that it was bought with her own money made it much, much sweeter.

“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable earlier, I really didn’t mean to.” Sunny said, “We should have come to an agreement earlier. I can give you the caps if you-”

“No, I’m fine, you can treat me like any other adult. I’m not some charity case, okay?”

She put her hands up defensively, “I never said you were, Ruby.”

After finishing her meal, she waited around the bar for a while before deciding to ask around for information on her attackers. Approaching the counter, she sat on a stool, striking up a conversation with the woman at the counter.

“You’re Trudy, right?” She said in her deepest voice. Was this one of those cool moments where a gruff huntsman goes to a bar to gather info? She was kinda gruff now with her scar, right? Yeah, she was already as cool as Uncle Qrow.

“That would be me.” She said, “Surprised you remember, after everything you’ve been though.”

Yeah, very cool… “Why does everyone think there’s something wrong with me? I’m perfectly fine.”

“Sorry, sorry. You just don’t hear of many people getting shot in the head and walking away from it, is all. Ruby, was it?”

“Yup.”

“The doc said Victor dug you up. Just a piece of advice, don’t trust that one.”

“Erm… Okay. If you say so.”

“Anyways, what are you here for?”

“Well I was wondering, since you’re the bartender and all, if you know anything about the people who attacked me?”

“Not much, just that some Great Khans and a man in a checkered suit rolled by town and were seen by some of the folks.”

“I heard that name before. Who are these ‘Great Khans’?”

“They’re a tribe of raiders and chem dealers. They’re numerous and tougher than most, even NCR thinks twice before bothering them. They’re set up near Red Rock Canyon, up the I-15, so they’re probably heading there. As for the fancy suit guy, my guess is that he’s a Vegas type. Probably hired them as mercs.”

“So, I should head north if I want to catch up with them?”

“Not sure, really. There was talk about a blockage of the highway there. You’d have to take the road east and around, probably would take you a week or two longer.”

“But… you’re not sure?”

“Nope. Some assholes came by yesterday and broke the radio,” She pointed to a slightly dented radio box on the counter, “So we’ve got no idea what the situation is.”

Gears were turning in Ruby’s head. What if she… “Hey, Trudy. How much did you pay for that radio?”

“A hundred caps, maybe a bit more? Why?”

“Do you mind if I try repairing it?”

“Well, do you have any kind of experience with that stuff?”

“Yup. Repaired things more complicated than that back home.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Guess there’s no harm in trying. It’s useless to me as is.”

People used to give Ruby so much crap back at home for caring more about weapons and tinkering than people. Well, she just liked it that way for a reason. No wastelander cultural norm could jump out of the wiring and surprise her all of a sudden, and the laws of physics generally remained the same across worlds. She wasn’t this relaxed since coming here.

The 15 minutes she spent immersed in the system of the old radio felt like heaven. Luckily, the only thing wrong with the device was a knob coming loose and a wire knocked out of its socket. Honestly, she was disappointed that the radio came to life so easily.

“It’s me again, Mr. New Vegas.” The radio’s sudden start startled her. “Before we jump over to the next song, we do have some more news for you.”

“It’s working!” Trudy exclaimed.

The charming voice continued, “The reports of the I-15 highway being inaccessible have been corroborated by caravans that have been turned back at Sloan. According to their reports, the quarry has been taken over by a pack of deathclaws. NCR authorities urge people to avoid the area until the threat has been dealt with, though they refused to give estimates on when that would happen.”

“Well, that answers that,” Trudy said.

“Sooo… how dangerous are these deathclaws?”

“They’re the kinds of things that aren’t going away without at least a platoon of top rangers. Don’t even think about trying to take them on, or sneaking past.”

She might be able to dash through the threat with her powers. But in any case, it would take a while for her aura to recover enough for her to do so. She might as well follow the path of her attackers and perhaps learn more about their identities. It would be hard to find some random person in Vegas just going off a suit, so any extra info would help.

“Don’t worry. I’m not that crazy. Now, I believe payment is in order.”

“Of course. I don’t expect things done for free. How does 50 caps sound?”

Tempting as it was, she didn’t actually know how much she should charge. Chet was willing to ‘lowball’ her, as Sunny put it. Think, Ruby, think.

“You said you paid over a hundred caps for the radio? It was just scrap before, and now it’s back in working condition. I’d say the value of what you had increased by a good bit over 50 caps. 75 is more fair.”

Wait, did she overdo it? Was she going to make her angry? No no no, why did she have to get greedy, this isn’t how a huntress was supposed to act at all. She should just apologize before-

“Alright.” Trudy said. “I don’t know how much is ordinarily charged for these services, so…” She handed Ruby a whole pile of caps. Just like that.

She felt guilty accepting so much money. It was fair, right? She didn’t accidentally scam this woman? Would she have accepted paying so much money if she knew how simple the fix was? She thought of asking Sunny about it, but when she looked back at the bar, there was a scary-looking man in a blue uniform talking to Trudy.

“I’m done being nice,” He said. “If you don’t hand Ringo over soon, I’m gonna go get my friends and we’re burnin this town to the ground, got it?”

“We’ll keep that in mind. Now, if you’re not going to buy something, get out.”

He gave all of them a death glare before walking out of the place. Sunny excused herself, saying she was going out to keep an eye on things.

“What was that about?” Ruby asked.

“Looks like our town got itself dragged into something we don’t want anything to do with. Couple days ago, this trader, Ringo, comes into town. Survivor of an attack near Primm, same as you. Said he needed a place to hide. We figured he was just in shock, so we gave him a place to lie low. We didn’t actually expect anyone to come after him. Now they’re harassing us, tellin’ us to hand him over.”

“I’m assuming he also broke the radio?”

“Joe Cobb’s the leader, but it wasn’t him. Was another one of his Powder Gangers.”

“Powder Gangers?”

“They’re chain gangs. NCR brought convicts in from California to work on the rail lines, clear debris, that sort of stuff. Turns out, giving a bunch of thugs dynamite and blasting powder isn’t the best idea. Was a big escape not too long ago. Many of em stuck together and are now making trouble.”

“Sooo… what are you going to do about it?”

“Some of the folk, like Sunny, would probably stand up for Ringo if Cobb started searching the town. But most of us are just hoping the guy sneaks out at night and takes the Powder Gangers with him.”

“So you’re planning to let those thieves do their thing unopposed? You can’t be serious.”

“Some things just ain’t worth dying over, and those guys have a lot of dynamite on them. They could make our lives a living hell. Of course, if they overstep I’ve always got a shotgun under the counter.”

She couldn’t feel precisely how much aura she had, but she estimated about 20%. Certainly not enough to take on a bunch of people all by herself, so she’d need help. But then, good people could very well die. Not to mention the Powder Gangers. Wait, was she really going to kill all of those people? What if- No. No, she couldn’t afford to go down that line of thought. Not in the wasteland. Jack died because of that. How about… how about she takes Jack’s advice once and see how that works out? She owed him that much. She could save Ringo and Goodsprings, then feel all guilty about it afterward. Besides, she didn’t deserve any moral high ground after what she’s done.

“So, where is this Ringo guy, anyway?”

Chapter Text

“So, where is this Ringo guy, anyway?” Ruby asked.

“He’s over by the abandoned gas station.” Trudy said, “Just be caref-”

Before she could finish, Ruby had already left the room and was making her way to the building up the hill. She found that walking uphill still agitated the wound on her thigh a bit, but she could deal with it. Aura could help heal injuries after they were inflicted, but its effect was slow, and it couldn’t do anything to heal permanent damage. So long as she didn’t lose a limb or something, she didn’t care about a few scars here and there.

The moment she opened the door to the gas station, a voice shouted from the dark, “That’s close enough.” Her eyes adjusted to the light, and she make out a young man with a pistol pointed at her. “Who are you, and what do you want from me?”

She kept her cool, “I’m not here to hurt you, if that’s what you’re asking.”

A moment, and he lowered his weapon, “Sorry bout the gun, you just caught me off guard, that’s all.”

“You’re Ringo, right? I’m Ruby.” She extended her hand, “I’ve been told you’ve been hiding here from all those Powder Gangers. I thought I could help.”

“Well, you’re strangely forward, kiddo.” He shook her hand. “Not that I don’t appreciate it, I’m just surprised.”

“Well, someone’s gotta step up and do the right thing.”

“No objections here, those guys are true scum. Other bandits at least do the whole ‘drop your weapons and hands up’ routine, but not those guys. They killed most of my caravan, but I got a few of their guys too, so now they’re after me.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. But now we will finally to bring some justice to them.” She confidently declared.

“I love your enthusiasm, but we’d only share the same grave if it was just the two of us. Now, if some of the other people in town were also on board…”

“I’ve only been here for a little while, but I can think of a few people already. We’ll handle this, don’t worry.” She gave him a reassuring smile.

“Good. I’ll trust your judgment. I’d also appreciate it if you could return the money they stole. It’s not even mine, it belongs to the Crimson Caravan Company, and I’ll be in a lot of trouble if I don’t get it back. It’s probably on their leader.”

“Okay, got it.”

“We should be quick about getting ready, though. There’s no telling when they’ll attack. You see if you can find anyone to help, I was thinking of visiting the doctor for some stimpaks myself.”

“Yeah, you do that and we’ll meet up soon.”

“So, you just offered to fight for him without asking for any reward?” Sunny asked. They were on a height overlooking the town, observing the Powder Gangers hanging out in a ruined building at the town outskirts. By their count, there were six of them.

“Uhhh… yes…” Ruby replied. “Was I not supposed to?”

“I wasn’t suggesting anything like that. It’s just so refreshing to see someone do good for its own sake, especially as the rest of the town is so reluctant. Say no more, I’m in.”

“Wow… Just like that?”

“Just like that. Even if they say they only want Ringo, I have a feeling they’ll come back.” Her smile was somehow more infectious than Ruby’s, and she was told that she had a blinding smile. “But…”

Ruby sighed, “The rest of the town doesn’t wanna get involved, yes.”

“Exactly. So I’ve been thinking… If you could convince Trudy, she should be able to rally a fair amount of the townsfolk. She kinda calls the shots around here.”

Okay, Ruby. You just gotta convince Trudy to help out. She stood outside the Prospector’s Saloon with Sunny right behind her. This was much easier when she thought Trudy was just a bartender, not the town leader. Okay, deep breaths. You can do this, Ruby. Just walk in confidently and say the words.

She opened the door and walked over to the counter.

“I see you’re back,” Trudy said, cleaning the glasses. “I take it you’re planning on taking on Joe Cobb’s gang?”

She was caught off guard. “Uh, yes.” Not a good start.

“And you want my help to do it…”

“Yes…” She felt like a kid who was caught taking from the cookie jar, not like the badass huntress she was supposed to act like.

She sighed, “Listen, I know that’s the right thing to do and all. But there’s a good chance some of us are going to die if we do this, you know that?”

“I do.” She said solemnly. “But those people are going to terrorize innocents even after they get Ringo. Even if they leave, Goodsprings will be back in their sights soon.”

“Or, they’ll get caught by NCR patrols in a week. Unless I’m certain we’re winning, I’m not telling anyone to risk their lives.”

“We can stage an ambush next time they come over.” Ruby said.

“Still possible we screw it up. We don’t exactly have any military people round here.”

“That’s not true,” Ruby said matter-of-factly.

Trudy raised her eyebrow, “Listen, kid, I don’t mean to sound rude, but are you sure those bullets didn’t scramble your brain? Because I don’t believe for a second someone who’s had their first drink a few days ago is some military commando. I was gonna go along with this, but now you’re making me doubt it.”

“I…” She gulped. She really screwed up. And it wasn’t even technically true. She was actually just a huntress-in-training. “I lead a team of huntresses back home. We found plenty of fearsome beasts.”

“And yet you didn’t know what a deathclaw was?”

“They don’t exist back home.” Technically true.

“And where is your home, again?”

Crap. She tried her best to recall the map Jack showed her when they first met. What was that really big name? The one far, far away? “Uhhh… Alaska?”

To this, Trudy actually relaxed. “Huh, that would make some sense. Reptilians like them shouldn’t be able to survive in permafrost. And there wouldn’t be much plant life to make alcohol out of. Not to mention I’ve never heard an accent like yours before.”

Sunny came in at just the right time, “And she really was an excellent shot. From what little I saw, I’d wager she was even better than me.”

“That’s high praise from her.” She said. “Alright, I’ll buy it. So, you know how to lay an ambush, right?” Ruby nodded.

“Okay, I’ll do my best to get some of the townsfolk on board. Now, while everyone does own a gun, we could still use some more supplies. You should talk to Chet about that. And if you could convince Easy Pete to give us some of his dynamite, we’ll be golden.”

“Easy Pete?”

“Old scavenger that’s settled down here. He’s usually outside the Saloon. He’s a bit protective of his explosives, but I’m sure you can convince him somehow.”

“I’ll see what I can do. Sunny, if you don’t mind going back to that lookout and keeping an eye on the gang. You should be able to come warn us in time if you see them getting ready to move out.”

She nodded, and they split off to do their jobs.

“So, you’re Pete, right?” She said to the old, bearded man sitting on a chair in the shade of the Saloon’s canopy.

“Yup. Howdy, miss. What can I do for ya?”

“We’re going to take on the Powder Gangers, and I’ve heard you’ve got some dynamite that could help.”

“Ah. Too dangerous, missy. Gonna kill all yourselves if I let you touch it. Better to leave it buried– safer that way.”

“Please, mister. I assure you we’ll be responsible with it.”

“I told you already, I’m not lettin’ anyone touch it.”

“Hmmm…” She looked around the area the battle was likely to take place. The place where the Powder Gangers were at was connected to the Saloon by the main road. And on the side of that road were some crates, barrels, and a wooden cart.

“That’s okay, because we’re not gonna touch it.”

“I’m not spry enough to use it in a fight, missy. No offense, but I think you can handle it just fine without little old me.”

“No no no, you don’t understand. What if you put your dynamite in that cart over there?” She pointed at the offending object, just a foot off the main road. It looked to be in disrepair anyway, no one was going to miss it. “When we see the guys coming over, we light it and seek cover. We put a very long fuse, so we don’t get hurt.”

He thought it over for a few moments, “Alright, but do be careful with it.”

Okay, thus far it was all good. Really, she was on a roll. Now Chet… That one’s gonna be a tougher nut to crack.

“So, yes. We’ll likely have some half a dozen people, and we need more supplies to fight with.”

“Now hold on a moment, I never voted to take on the Powder Gangers. That’s a thousand cap investment you’re talking about.”

It’s okay, he’s a bit of a greedy jerk, so that’s to be expected. Just point out how this would all be in his interest, too. “Would you rather the town be taken over by them? I’m sure your business will be sooo much better off.”

“It won’t be well-off if I give everything for free to you either. If you’re hurting for supplies so much, why don’t you pool your money and simply buy my merchandise?”

Okay, that made a little too much sense for her liking. They probably could afford it if they spent all of their money. But that would mean she couldn’t immediately travel in search of answers. Not to mention how she hated begging for any help. Damn it, think of something.

“I’m just saying, Ruby. It’s for everyone’s benefit to get rid of them, I agree. But I can’t escape the feeling that I’m getting the short end of the stick here.”

“The Powder Gangers are armed well, you know?” Ruby said. “When they’re dead, we could leave their stuff to you. We’ll return whatever we don’t use, and you might even make a profit.”

“And how many of them are there?”

“Six, last I checked. But Ringo thinks their leader has his money. You get five.” This was beyond morbid for her, but it was the only thing she could offer him. “You don’t even have to fight, the risk is more than worth the payoff.”

“Okay, you’ve made your point. While everyone has some ammo, they’ll be more eager to use it if it wasn’t on their dime. And I could get some leather armor for the others, it should protect against shrapnel and make them more confident. I don’t think I have your size, though.”

“That’s fine. All I need is a gun of my own.”

“You’re familiar with the varmint rifle, right? I can give it to you, but you need to return it.”

“And no secret rules?”

“We’ve made the details clear this time. I’ll get my stuff, you prepare to fight.”

An hour later, and almost everything was prepared. The dynamite was in the cart by the road, while Trudy got two more townsfolk to fight, swelling their numbers to six people once everyone joins. The ammunition was distributed to everyone, and the militia was in hiding- Either behind the Prospector’s Saloon, or the various large crates scattered across the town. She could see Sunny and Ringo running towards them, Cheyenne following closely behind.

“Look alive,” Sunny said. “They’ve started moving our way.”

“Okay,” Ruby said, “Go light the fuse and take cover over by the general store with your dog. Ringo, where have you been all this time? The doc couldn’t have held you up that long.”

“I did get a stimpak from him, you should keep it.” He tossed it to her. “I spent my time getting that Victor fella to join us. He said he’d be here, but he’s nowhere to be found.”

She accepted his gift and ordered him to follow Sunny. Ruby took a position on the flat roof of the Saloon. There was a big sign providing concealment, so she felt safe enough there.

Barely two minutes later, Joe Cobb went down the road with five of his goons dressed in blue clothes, which she just realized were prison uniforms. They were armed with dynamite, long rifles, shotguns, and revolvers. The leader went up to the Saloon door and tried to open it, while his guys stood a few feet behind.

“Damn it, it’s locked.” He said.

“You think they went to hide?” One of the gang members asked.

“Don’t care. If they’re not handing over Ringo, I’m gonna blow this whole joint.” He went back to the group. “Give me the dynamite.” Ruby was still hiding behind the sign, looking at the scene from a tiny gap at the bottom, ready to spring into action.

One of the men handed over a couple of sticks, but just as Joe Cobb turned around, his underling called out to him “Hey, Boss.”

“What is it now?”

“You hear what I hear? There’s some kinda hissing sound, almost like-”

The cart, some 5 feet away from the group, exploded with such incredible ferocity that all the nearby windows shattered. The group was in disarray, and clutching their heads, though none had died. But it was enough to give Ruby an opportunity.

She stood up and went to the side of the sign. Some of the villagers had already opened fire, and she would be no exception. She leveled her sights at Joe Cobb’s head, and pulled the trigger.

Just like that. A pink mist scattered behind him as he fell.

Just like that, Ruby had taken her first life.

The raiders were hopelessly outmatched- they were falling left and right against the storm of bullets without firing a single shot themselves. She cycled the bolt and set her sights on a Powder Ganger that ducked into a ditch and was desperately trying to light a stick of dynamite.

Bang, dead.

It ended as quickly as it started, and the town of Goodsprings went quiet once more.

The townspeople slowly approached the dead, and Ruby climbed down the roof.

She looked over the residents, “Everyone okay?”

“Seems like it,” Trudy said. “I did doubt you, and so I guess I owe you an apology. You made a great plan and executed it perfectly.”

Ruby beamed at her. She had helped a town out, got no innocents hurt in the process, and was being praised for her efforts. This was kinda like what a proper huntress did back in Remnant, right?

“Now, you did also blow off my windows.”

“Oh, um… Sorry bout that.”

“It’s whatever, they already had a few cracks in em. They needed replacing.”

Whew. At least Sunny was giving her a thumbs up. The townsfolk were busy hugging each other, when she just had to look at the dead bodies. Those lifeless bodies- their dead eyes and terrified expressions. Their blood pooling more and more. It was sickening.

And when she saw Joe Cobb’s head, or rather his brains, her legs gave out and she puked.

What in the world did she do? He was an asshole, a good beating and prison stay would have sufficed. Not… She looked over to the celebrating townsfolk. She definitely did not belong here. It was all too much for her. She wanted nothing more than to be back in Patch with Dad and Yang. She’d take Beacon’s dorms too, really she’d take anywhere back on Remnant.

“You okay there, Ruby?” Sunny crouched down to comfort her. “I mean, it is a pretty gruesome sight.”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” She lied. She took a deep breath, then went over to Joe Cobb’s corpse, trying not to look at his face. She pocketed a large amount of caps alongside some loose ammunition and a revolver. It looked to be pretty high caliber, so she grabbed it for her own use.

She handed the money over to Ringo, “Looks like around 100 caps.” The man said, “Not nearly as much as we had on us. Must have been split with some other group.” He looked at the other bodies that were being looted, “The others with him didn’t seem to have much money either. Tell you what, keep it.”

“Really?”

“Yes, you deserve it. I’ll get chewed out when I get back to the HQ at Vegas, but I’ll survive. Certainly, a hundred caps isn’t going to make them meaningfully less mad.”

“Thank you so much, Ringo.”

“It’s nothing. I’ll be staying here for a few days, see if the I-15 opens. What about you?”

“I’m taking the long route around. I should be heading out soon.”

“In that case, good luck. And be careful of any ambushes.”

“Don’t worry,” She smiled, “I’ve learned my lesson.”

The sun was already setting, and she wasn’t sure what to make of this day. Sunny said they were going to bury them at the local cemetery and that she shouldn’t worry about it. She tried her best not to. She was going to stay a little longer, make sure her wounds healed properly, and that her aura regenerated a bit more. She might even make a few caps during her stay. But there was another reason why she didn’t rush to catch the trail of her attackers.

She had finally made it to the graveyard. Not much seemed to have changed since she was last there. There was a lot of useless junk the Khans left littering around. She would clean it up, but first…

Jack’s grave was half dug, and she could see his skin poking through the hole she was dragged out of. It was beyond creepy. And she could also see the red of her beautiful creation, Crescent Rose.

She was glad she had emptied her stomach earlier, for digging up the grave made her nauseous again. She knew she was just retrieving her possession, but still… Her hands clawed at the dirt until she could wrench her weapon from the earth. Her baby was absolutely filthy, and the barrel was clogged. It was unusable as it was, and would require a full disassembly to clean, but she had the time now. She put it down on the ground before filling the grave back up and properly burying him.

She spent some time cleaning up the garbage lying around and also finding the scattered magazines for Crescent. All in all, she had 3 mags of 5 bullets each. Not good, but she could use it for long range and as a melee weapon, while using Cobb’s revolver for anything in-between.

“Howdy pardner!” a metallic cowboy voice from behind made her jump. Turning around, she saw perhaps the goofiest robot ever. It was a blue, ‘T’ shaped robot with a single wheel, like an oversized unicycle. It had two arms with appendages and weapons that she didn’t recognize, but they looked formidable. Still, she couldn’t get over the robot’s defining feature of a central screen with a stylized grayscale drawing of a cheerful cowboy.

“What- Who are you?”

“I’m Victor. The doctor mentioned me, I hope?”

“Yes, he said you rescued me… I just didn’t think you were a robot.”

“Yup. I’m a PDQ-88b Securitron, RobCo’s finest.”

“So… I guess I should thank you?”

“Think nothin’ of it, pardner. Shame I couldn’t step in sooner. By the time I got close, my combat algorithm estimated only a 2% chance of victory.”

“It’s alright. I’m glad you helped out at all.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you today. Ringo told me those Powder Gangers are preparin’ to cause trouble, and I’m gonna to give them a nasty case of bullet poisoning.”

“Uhhhh… You know the fight ended hours ago, right?” She was starting to doubt the veracity of this robot. Trudy did say he was not exactly trustworthy. But then again, he did literally save her life.

“Really? Well I must’ve dozed off.”

“Robots don’t doze off.” She narrowed her eyes.

“Oh, I know. It’s never happened before. Hold on, I’m looking into my memory banks… Huh? Forced shutdown at 18:21. Oh, that’s a puzzle, alright.”

“Did you… run out of battery?”

“Nope. That doesn’t happen to us. I’ve got enough power to run for several years, assuming I don’t use my laser gun too much.”

“I see- Wait, you have laser guns?” Her eyes lit up.

“Sure do. What about it?”

“Can you show me? Pretty please.”

“Well alright, if you insist. It’s only right after I missed the big fight.”

*Pew* *pew* *pew.* Several red laser pulses shot into the dirt, its sizable impacts leaving a strange glassy imprint.

“Ooooh, that was so cool!”

“Why, thank you for the compliment, miss…?”

“Ruby. Ruby Rose.”

“Well, Ruby, I hope you track down the rapscallions that attacked you. I already told some of the townsfolk, but I think they’re heading towards Primm.”

“They said as much to me. I’ll rest for a day or two before going out.”

“Just don’t forget to get the platinum chip. Mr. House is giving a huge reward for anyone who finds it.”

“What? How did you know about that?” The robot just stood still, the cowboy drawing on the screen flickering silently. “Victor?”

Okay, she could see why Trudy found him so creepy.

“Alright… I- I’ll be going now, Victor.”

“Okay! Happy trails!” The robot’s cheerful voice returned. She decided that the apocalypse wasn’t entirely unjustified, as whoever designed that thing deserved to see the end of the world. She dashed out of the graveyard with her semblance, wanting to never, ever see him again.

Chapter Text

Ruby took it slow the following day and let her wounds heal fully, only going out to hunt some Geckos, and even that was mostly just to try out her new revolver. She made use of her newly obtained funds to buy some water and preserved meat, as well as other things she might need in the field, like a knife, ammunition for her 357. Magnum, and weapon maintenance equipment for Crescent Rose, which she used to disassemble and deep clean her baby.

By the next day, though, she got tired of waiting around and figured she should follow her attacker’s trail before it got cold. So she said her goodbyes and headed down to Primm. It was the most likely route for them to take, and not only should someone have seen them pass through, but she could also learn more about Jack’s job and the chip if she went to the Mojave Express, which apparently has its headquarters there.

The journey was long and tiring, though at least the road was clear of danger. The only threat she encountered was a small pack of geckos, which she scared off when she sliced through one of them with her scythe.

As the city came into view, she prepared herself to react to any ambush that might come. She wouldn’t be caught off guard again. Especially as she could freely use her semblance now that she had built up decent aura reserves. She felt like she was at about 35-40% now. And she used to consider that low. How times have changed…

She was somewhat relieved of her worries when she saw the flag of the New California Republic waving above a small military outpost just outside the town, which wasn’t there when she first passed by.

But before she could get too close, one of the soldiers who stood watch motioned for her to stop, “Hey, where the hell do you think you’re going? Primm is off limits.”

“What’s going on?”

“Some escaped convicts have taken over the town. Everyone inside is either dead or in hiding. You’d be safer turning back or going around.”

“Huh? Then what are you doing here?” She narrowed her eyes, “You’re supposed to be protecting the city, right?”

“We’d love to, but they don’t fall under NCR jurisdiction. And even if they did, we’re in no shape to protect them. All we can do now is make sure they can’t move out of the settlement. We don’t have enough equipment for an assault, and even if we did we’d need extra backup.”

Again with this? “Okay. I can be the backup, then,” She pulled out Crescent Rose from her back.

“You’d have to talk to Lieutenant Hayes about it, he’s over in the command tent just down the road.”

She made her way to the middle of the small camp that had set itself up there. She found the commander in one of the tents, smoking a cigarette and not doing much else. She was already brimming with confidence.

Once she approached, he calmly stood up and introduced himself, “Lieutenant Hayes of the New California Republic, 5th Battalion, 1st company. What’s your business?”

He didn’t exactly exude the professionalism she came to associate with the military, so she found it somewhat easier to engage with him. “I’ve been told by the guard outside that you might need backup here. I’d like to help, if you’d have me. Erm, Sir.”

“Thanks for the offer, but we don’t exactly have the money to pay for mercenaries.”

“Oh, I’m not a- I’m offering to volunteer for this.”

He blinked. “Volunteer? As in, for free?”

“Yes.”

“Be my guest, but you’ll be waiting here for a while.”

“And why is that? The guard said some nonsense about not having enough equipment to handle them, but how bad can it be? Goodsprings handled a convict gang no problem two days ago.”

“Did they? Some good news for once. But our intel underestimated the number and organization of them here. They sent only 8 of us, and we lost two men the initial clash, so now the soldiers are reluctant to fight.”

Her breath hitched, “I’m sorry to hear that. How many of the convicts are there?”

“Right now? Maybe 10 to 15. They have a lot of dynamite, and they’ve stolen guns from some of the locals they killed. Most of them are holed up in the hotel, but a few are scattered among the buildings, making sure none of the surviving settlers can get out from the casino they’ve retreated to.”

“Can’t you at least set up a rescue operation for them? Or ask the outpost for more supplies?”

“We’ve only just arrived a few days ago. And the process for getting any extra stuff is slow these days.”

“So what, you’re just going to stand by and let innocents die? I’ve seen your soldiers, they have proper guns, almost certainly better than what the criminals have. You can try infiltrating the town at night, or picking them off one by one, or… or something. Anything.”

“Hey, I’m with you on that, miss. But you try getting these guys to move. They’re conscripts, they don’t give a rat’s ass about any of this. They’re here because they have to be, and would rather not risk their lives, especially now that two of their friends have died.”

She sighed, “Can I help at all? In any way?”

“You can go to the Mojave Outpost and try to convince them to send aid, but don’t expect much.”

“I should be going there anyway, in case they passed- Hey, quick question, did you see some guy in a checkered suit pass by a couple days ago? He was escorted by some Khans.”

“Sorry, but if they came through, we must have missed them. You might have better luck asking the townsfolk, but the Powder Gangers are standing in your way.” He pulled out some documents from his breast pocket. “If you’re set on going to the outpost, take this to Major Knight. It may or may not help, but it’s worth trying.”

“Alright, Lieutenant. I’ll do my best.” It was hardly an ideal situation, but at least the officer wasn’t such a cynical jerk. She could do this.

She was given a letter, but also a document saying she was working as a mercenary for the NCR, so the border guards gave her no trouble when she made her way to the outpost.

As for the Major, however… “I’d like to help, but we can’t spare any more units. We have to maintain a minimum headcount at the outpost, orders from the west.”

“Can’t you at least send some supplies down there?”

“Maybe I could spare a little bit, but I can’t exactly entrust some stranger with a whole bunch of ammunition, especially considering that we’re short as is. Hmmm… Are you at least an NCR citizen?”

“N- no.”

He sighed, “You’re making this a lot harder than it needs to be.”

She appreciated that there were people out there doing good, but she was starting to understand the frustrations with the NCR bureaucracy, “Can I at least find someone who is a citizen to accept it?”

“That could work. Really, I just need some kind of justification to fill out the paperwork. I’m sure you understand.”

She did not. How could he not bend the rules to make sure his comrades did not die? Surely his superiors would understand? But she had to accept things for what they were, and went about searching for a volunteer to help her out.

Turns out, the military outpost had few non-soldiers present. And even fewer who wanted to help her go into danger. And once she mentioned there would be no guaranteed pay, there were none. Well, one of the passers-by tried to convince her to steal part of the ammunition, but she politely declined his suggestion. Oh, and nobody saw any trace of her attackers to boot.

So, she was out of options as she sat at the bar, waiting for someone new to arrive. She briefly considered buying the ammunition herself, as she still had some hundred caps to her name. Or maybe she could use them bribe the Major into going through with it? She bet Jack could, but if she tried it she would probably find herself arrested.

And just to add to her set of troubles, a familiar rude woman just sat down next to her, ordering a bottle of whiskey, though Ruby could already smell alcohol in her breath. It took her a few moments to notice her. Once she did, her face turned into an instant scowl.

Ruby looked back, trying to seem defiant.

“What is it now, brat? Looking for more trouble?” She was getting fired up. Ruby had to be careful.

“No.” She replied flatly.

She looked around, “Where’s that tough guy of yours? I’m not lettin’ him bait me into some stupid fight.”

“You were the one looking for a fight. And besides, he’s dead now.”

That shook the woman out of her drunkenness. “Dead?”

“Yeah, we were attacked near Goodsprings. I got hurt pretty bad too,” she pointed at the scar on her forehead.

“I see…” She took several gulps straight from the bottle before offering it to her. “Want some?”

Ruby recalled what Jack said about it being rude to refuse a drink, “Sure.” She took a small swig, trying her best not to cough.

“So, yeah… World’s fucked, huh?” The woman said.

“Yup. I’m trying to track them down, but the trail passes through Primm.”

“I see the problem. NCR’s supposed to be helping, but they’re doing jack shit, right?”

“Yup. They asked me to get some help, but the Major said he needs a citizen to handle the delivery of supplies.”

“So you want my help, is that it?”

“Well, you don’t seem to be busy.”

“Maybe. Think they’ll accept a mercenary contract?”

“It’s not paid. But maybe you can convince them to give you the loot?”

She sighed, “Lord knows I need a distraction after everything that’s- I’ll do it for free, I just need someone to unload my anger at.”

“Okay. I won’t ask any questions. By the way, the name’s Ruby.” She offered a handshake.

She accepted it, “I’m Cassidy. But you can call me Cass.”

Lieutenant Hayes was definitely surprised when he was awoken in the middle of the night by the girl he sent out yesterday, now with a companion in tow and a whole box of munitions. A hundred rounds of 5.56 and 9mm ammo each, several hand grenades, as well as some shells for grenade launchers.

“Wow, you really did get us help. That was fast.”

“I said I would.” Ruby proudly proclaimed. “And… I brought another volunteer.”

The woman looked bored out of her mind, and maybe a little tipsy, but the extra shotgun on her back would be a welcome addition either way.

“Thanks…” He said, “Though I’m not sure if we can still do this.”

“What’s the problem now?” A frustrated Ruby exclaimed.

“I’m just… The morale of the soldiers isn’t good. I know I’ve said that before, but now there’s a sniper set up somewhere on the roller coaster harassing our guys. One of them got wounded badly and… The soldiers don’t even want to get out of cover for a second.”

“Morale my ass, you’re just cowards,” Cass said. “What the fuck are we supposed to do if you don’t wanna fight, give you a corny speech? Cook you a nice meal? Bring you tobacco? Hookers? As if that will make these losers into better soldiers.”

“Cass!” Ruby cringed at her blatant insults. The officer didn’t seem to mind too much, almost as if he was used to blatant disrespect from the locals by now.

“Okay,” Ruby said, taking out Crescent Rose. “I’ll take care of that sniper. It should inspire others and make them see that we can do this. And later, Cass and I can start an attack and have you join in.”

“I don’t think that’s going to work.” He said.

“When the shooting starts for real,” Cass started, “You just tell the soldiers that you’re the ones being attacked. If they’re huddled behind cover, they won’t know any better. A little bit of concentrated fire and those scum will scamper off into the wasteland. Trust me.”

“We’ll see what we can do, but don’t expect us to come to your rescue if you bite off more than you can chew.”

She asked around about the sniper on the roller coaster, determining that he was positioned at a relatively flat section up high that was covered up with some kind of sheet metal. It didn’t seem strong to her, though at such a large distance it might block something like a 9mm.

It was still effective concealment, though, as the covered section was about 50 feet long. The main problem, she was told, was that the NCR guns were simply not accurate enough and they couldn’t justify spraying their whole arsenal into it.

And no wonder they were so inaccurate, it took everything from Ruby to not chastise every single one of the soldiers for their subpar maintenance.

She camped out that night, looking for any movement in the gaps of the sheet metal, while Cass snuck into town to scout it out. She figured the sniper might have been napping, so she fired a single shot into the metal.

That woke him up, alright. She could see shuffling between the sheets and some dust being kicked down below the rail at the same location. So she aimed another shot at where she estimated him to be, and fired.

She didn’t hit, but it was close, as the guy arose from right next to the impact hole, and started frantically shooting at her approximate location with what appeared to be a varmint rifle. She remained calm, and aimed her scope at his head.

Bang. One shot, one kill. Well, it was three shots technically, but you get the point. The man’s body fell out of the rollercoaster, confirming her kill.

She heard some commotion in the town itself, and soon enough, she heard a very clear series of shotgun blasts. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Cass was meant to just scout enemy positions that might have been checking out the fighting. She must have been discovered.

She dashed with her semblance to the approximate location of the fighting, honing in on Cassidy as the blasts continued. When she rounded a corner into an alley between two wrecked houses, she found herself at the wrong end of her shotgun.

“Watch yourself, Ruby.” Cass exhaled, lowering her gun, “I almost turned your brains into paste.”

She saw two bodies on the floor, clearly dead. “What the hell happened?”

“Saw a good opportunity, couldn’t resist.”

“We weren’t supposed to do it now.”

“I don’t care, we caught them off guard and now is our chance to start a full attack. Did you take care of the sniper?”

“Of course.”

“Okay. There’s one more guy I nicked, but he’s fallen back somewhere in this mess of buildings.”

Ruby went out of the alley to look at the main square, where the entrances to the hotel and casino were located, not to mention the Mojave Express right next to them. A shot from one of the hotel windows grazed her aura, and she pulled back, but a few shots did come from the NCR camp, and she could see them impact the hotel windows when she looked out again.

“Wanna try and go in?” Ruby asked.

“Dunno, its likely they’re waiting for us at the entrance.”

The NCR continued to exchange fire with the Powder Gangers for about a minute or so before a fearsome explosion struck the hotel building, shattering many of the windows. They looked to the side, seeing two soldiers who rushed out, one of them was an NCO she saw with the commander, and he was holding a grenade launcher. He shot another round, this time impacting the wide wooden double doors of the hotel, shattering them into a cloud of dust. The soldier following him shot his whole rifle magazine into the lobby before both of them pulled back.

Cass shrugged, readying her shotgun. “It’s the best chance we’ll get.”

Ruby rushed in, with Cass following behind. Once in the cloud of dust and debris, she switched to her semblance, getting behind one of the convicts who was waiting behind an overturned table, and sending two shots into his back. She noticed a second guy was on the floor, wounded but reaching for his gun, so she pulled out her revolver and shot him in the head. She swallowed her feelings, she still didn’t like this. Not by a long shot. But she promised herself that she would stay strong in the heat of battle.

Cass had caught up with her, and they went through the halls of the old hotel, shooting up whoever stood in their way. Ruby only barely helped, as Cass’ shotgun proved to be very effective here. On Remnant, the weapons had to get through aura or tough Grimm hides, so higher calibers were more common, but here, even a single shotgun pellet was enough to incapacitate in many cases, making the optimal weapon types much different.

They had cleaned out three more enemies before reaching the main hotel lounge, only to find it empty. Did they run away, or were they killed by NCR? She noticed the shooting outside had died down as well. There were also ample supplies lying about, and it certainly looked like it was supposed to be inhabited. There was even a prisoner in the corner.

“I don’t suppose you ladies came here to rescue me? I’d cross my fingers, but my hands are numb.” A young guy with blonde hair was tied up and looking up at them expectantly.

“Who the hell are you?” Cass asked.

“Name’s Beagle. I am- was the deputy sheriff of this town. But as you can see, I’m in a bit of a predicament. So I’d appreciate it if you freed me first.”

“Okay,” Ruby went to cut open his bindings, but Cass stopped her. “Now just hold on a moment, the girl here has some questions for you first.”

“Uh-” Ruby looked embarrassed. “I guess we can do that now. So, have you seen a guy in a checkered suit one of these days? He was with some Khans.”

“Oh, yeah, they passed by a few days ago. I shadowed them, but when I heard them say they were going to Nipton, I left them be. Later that day, I got jumped by the convicts and ended up here.”

“You… let them go?” She couldn’t believe him. The Khans were supposed to be an infamous raider group, and he let them go?

“I mean, what else was I supposed to do? They certainly looked like trouble, but I wasn’t going to get involved, especially as they weren’t bothering us.”

These people… The attitude disgusted her, but maybe it wasn’t fair to judge those who lacked auras and would fold to a single bullet. So she tried not to let it get to her.

“Okay, so they headed to Nipton?” Cass asked.

“Yup. Maybe they stayed there, but it’s possible they moved further to Novac and beyond. Now, can you untie me, please?”

Ruby got what she wanted, so after rescuing Beagle and scavenging the place for valuables, she and Cass made their way outside, where they were met by several NCR troopers and a handful of armed civilians near the casino entrance. Many of the convicts surrendered after the soldiers entered the town proper, and they were now being processed by the Lieutenant. Both the soldiers and the townspeople thanked the two of them personally. Cassidy even got them to give everyone free drinks, an offer which Ruby declined.

The celebrations were short-lived, however, as the question arose about what was to be done with the town now. The previous sheriff was dead, and the deputy was, as every townsman agreed, kind of a coward. The Lieutenant made haste to declare the city under the protection of the NCR, a move that dampened the mood of everyone.

Ruby did understand the reluctance to work with the NCR, but the reaction still confused her.

“What’s wrong with the NCR protecting them?” She asked Cass, who was drinking at the casino bar. “Now that they’re under republic jurisdiction, shouldn’t they get more men to protect them?”

“If by ‘men’ you mean taxmen, then yeah.”

“That can’t be right. What kind of country would prioritize taxing devastated communities?”

“This one. Really, it wouldn’t be a big deal if the NCR fulfilled its obligations and kept things safe. Much as I hate to say it, Legion runs their trade routes well. All without the exorbitant taxes and tolls. No reason the NCR couldn’t do the same.”

“The… Legion? As in, the slavers?”

“Who else?” She drank another shot of spirits, “I know we’re all supposed to hate them, and trust me, I do, but I can’t help notice that they killed every single raider there was in Arizona. If the legion guarded the roads, I wouldn’t have ended up a drunk fuckup…” She took another shot.

“Do you… wanna talk about it?”

“Not much to talk about, really. Used to own a caravan company, now it’s ash. Raiders, they say, but I think it was hired guns. It’s a cutthroat business, you know? Point is, none of that crap would be tolerated under Caesar. Though a woman owning such a company wouldn’t be tolerated either, so I don’t know what the hell I’m complaining about.”

She pat Cass on the back. “Sorry to hear that.”

“I don’t need your pity.”

“Okay.” She backed off. “I get it. I’ll be seeing you around. You wanna come over to Nipton?”

“I’ll pass. Still need to sort out some paperwork at the outpost. But this has been a welcome distraction. So thanks, Ruby.” She gave the girl a mock salute before returning to her drinks.

Ruby wasted no time looking for the owner of the Mojave Express, and she found him easily. He was a very old man, but his spirits were high tonight.

“Thanks again for everything you’ve done, miss. How can I help you?”

“There’s some questions I would appreciate if you could answer. Do you remember a certain delivery job that was given out some time ago? It was meant to deliver a platinum chip to Vegas.”

His expression darkened at that, “Oh, that thing. That job had strange written all over it. What’s it to you?”

“The person hired to do the job was killed, and the assailant took the chip,” She showed him the job note she found in Jack’s backpack.

“Of course.” He muttered, “Of course that’s what happens. Listen, I don’t think you should be getting involved in this. The money is good, but not that good.”

“Still, any information would be welcome. Please?”

The man sighed, “Okay, but there isn’t much to say. This weird cowboy robot shows up one day, orders a whole bunch of odd deliveries from The Hub to Vegas. A pair of dice, a chess piece, that sort of stuff. Six deliveries total. I got word that the other five made it, seems only that one got lost. A shame, Jack was damn good at his job.”

“I’m on the hunt for his attacker. If I find the chip, I can take over the job, right?”

“Might as well try, but I doubt you’ll be able to find who you’re looking for in the desert.”

“I can.” She assured him. “Hold on, you knew Jack?”

“Hmmm… Kind of. He was a very secretive guy. But if Jack really is dead, there’s something of his that I’d like to show you.”

“Whoa, what’s that?” She looked upon a table with a spherical robot with a handful of doodads attached to it, and various tools scattered around.

“It’s an Eyebot. Jack brought it one day and went about repairing it. Named it ED-E. Said it was holding something really important inside, but from what I can tell it’s just a flying robot that might be able to shoot. Not sure it would be that effective in a fight, though.”

“Oooh!” She jumped up and down in excitement. “But… You said it was broken?”

“Yup. Jack was really excited about it, kept spending all his money on parts. Said it was almost done, too. So I’m thinking someone ought to take possession of it. Maybe give it to someone who can complete it. Because to me it’s just scrap metal, but it would be a shame to destroy it if there really was something nice inside.”

“I can do repairs. Mind if I take a look at it?”

“Knock yourself out, just try not to break anything.”

It was a hell of a task, but one she went about undertaking bravely. She spent the entire night carefully poking around its internals, trying to figure out its quirks. The old man was correct to say it was almost done, as she could start up a lot of the subsystems, including the laser gun, apparently. She was hoping they don’t mind holes in the wall all that much in the wasteland. Also, she had a laser gun now! How cool was that?

In truth, it was only missing was some finishing touches, like welding the structure shut and finishing some of the wiring.

Said finishing touches took several hours, as it turned out, and Ruby actually fell asleep in the middle of it, waking up the next day to continue her work.

It was past noon when the ED-E finally came to life, beeping at her before hovering into the air. She looked on in amazement at the thing, trying to communicate with it. It understood her commands surprisingly well, responding with cute little beeps of its own, and it could even shoot on command. The second hole in the wall was a lot bigger this time, but she was planning to get out of there soon anyways. (They had plenty of dilapidated buildings for use, right?)

So she stocked up on supplies and headed down the road to Nipton with ED-E. She was, truth be told, quite happy with herself. It was a rocky start, to say the least, but she was finding her footing in this strange new world. She had to manage her expectations, but she did truly feel like she made a positive change in this world. And in the end, that was all that mattered. She may have been separated from Beacon Academy, but she was being a huntress nevertheless. She was sure her friends and family would be proud of her if they could see her now.

Chapter Text

The road to Nipton was, unsurprisingly, booooring. Marveling at ED-E as he hovered in the air and moved around was a nice novelty for the first hour or so, but it was starting to wear off. Seriously, who would ever willingly settle in the desert? There was nothing but dust flats and bushland as far as the eye could see.

Still, she shouldn’t get complacent. She was warned before heading out that Nipton was known for its criminality, and that raiders prowled the road often. That was fine with her, as her aura was now at over 60%. She did a great job of preserving it, and was ready to give any wannabe raider the worst surprise of their life.

She was relieved for any kind of distraction, as she spotted a curious bump on the road a good distance ahead. As she got closer, though, she came to the unsettling realization that it was a body. She ran towards it, kneeling to take a closer look at the unfortunate person.

It was a young man with glasses, some kind of police uniform, and a duster. He was definitely dead, and it was recent too, only a handful of flies managed to catch the faint smell of rot developing under the heat. He was curled up in a fetal position, clutching what looked like a… lottery ticket?

ED-E was startled at the sight as well, beeping incessantly and looking around for targets. Ruby still wasn’t sure if it was an attack or if he collapsed from unrelated circumstances, so she decided to examine his body for signs of trauma.

Turning the corpse over, she heard a faint popping noise. Her confusion was short-lived, as she caught a glimpse of the wiring- almost perfectly covered up by his clothing.

She dashed away with her semblance, and not a second too soon, as she was almost caught in the explosion. The immense shockwave still disoriented her and even managed to knock ED-E off balance and onto the ground. Frantically looking around, she saw five people arise from the bushes some 100 feet to her right, armed with blades and guns alike. The men and women looked uncouth, with their many scars, tattoos, and jarring hairstyles reminding her of the Khans she saw earlier.

She didn’t have the time to get her scythe out, and they were getting close, so she drew her revolver instead and fired all six bullets from the hip in a panic, killing two of the raiders before activating petal burst to dash behind them.

Taking advantage of their momentary confusion, she dropped her gun and drew Crescent Rose, unfolding it into scythe form and slashing into a raider’s throat just as he turned around.

In only a few seconds, their numbers were reduced from five to two. The sheer terror she saw in the eyes of the remaining raiders made her feel a sensation she didn’t know existed. It was a good feeling, a feeling of winning, except amplified a hundredfold. Something was screaming in the back of her mind that she shouldn’t feel it, but she didn’t care about it in the moment. She rushed at the closest raider, rapidly closing the distance between his gun and her scythe.

He tried aiming his pipe-pistol carefully to get a headshot, not knowing it would bounce off of her regardless, while Ruby sank the scythe blade right into his shoulder and cut through the clavicle. The strike was undoubtedly fatal, but it hadn’t cut clean through, and that meant the blade was stuck inside. Not good, because the last raider had gathered her courage and was charging at her with a machete.

Said raider was a lanky young woman, her skin cracked from the harsh sun and a filthy bandage wrapped across her chest. Ruby let go of her scythe to dodge, taking advantage of the raider’s clumsy recovery with a punch to the side. It grazed off, to minimal effect.

Ruby was never good at hand-to-hand, and she was really regretting it now. The woman charged again, though, growling all the while as Ruby barely avoided another one of her strikes, but this time she tried to take the blade away from her, receiving a knee in the stomach for her efforts and falling to the ground.

The raider smiled sadistically as she put her boot down on Ruby’s chest, readying to plunge her blade into her. Only for her head to fizzle into ash and charred chunks, and for her to fall over, just barely missing Ruby.

She looked up at the eyebot, who was hovering just a few feet away, its laser gun smoking hot.

“Beep, Beep.”

“ED-E!” She breathed a sigh of relief, “Thanks a lot. That one could have damaged my aura by quite a lot. I’ll be sure to give you a proper checkup as thanks. First chance we get, kay?”

“Beep-Beep!” She was pretty sure it was expressing excitement there. It was more like a dog than anything else, and she was starting to grow quite fond of it.

Having looted their bodies, a practice she still wasn’t quite used to, and finding their now abandoned hideout, a pathetic hole in the ground some distance from the road, she continued her travels. She was now carrying a fair amount of low-grade equipment in her backpack, which she hoped would net her a decent haul when she next met civilization.

Despite her victory, she had mixed feelings about the whole ordeal. Or rather, she felt satisfied, downright euphoric even, and that was precisely what unsettled her. It all felt quite normal, like she had just won a sparring match or finished tending to the garden back home. What would that make those people, then? Weeds? They were bad people, obviously, but dehumanizing them like that felt… evil. And she wasn’t evil. She was a good person, and while she might have to kill bad people here, she wouldn’t feel good about it. And that made all the difference, right? Right?

The troubling episode left behind her, another seemed to be brewing as the sun started setting and Nipton came into view. She hoped her eyes were deceiving her, because that was definitely a lot of smoke rising from the town. She increased her pace, because if something truly had befallen the town, she needed to help quickly. Even if she was walking into another trap, she could count on her super speed to escape.

As she continued her approach, she noticed a large bonfire on a town road in the distance, though the buildings surrounding it looked mostly intact. No signs of battle, like blood or debris, could be seen. It was eerie.

Entering the town proper, her worst fears were confirmed. The pile of burning logs and furniture in the center held several skeletons within it. She took out Crescent Rose while going past it and rounding a bend in the road that led to the main street, where she beheld the scale of the horror that had befallen Nipton.

The wide street was lined with large wooden crosses on both sides, with people strung up on them by the arms with rope. There must have been at least 20 of them. They seemed to still be alive, if barely, judging by the occasional spasms and moans of pain.

She approached one of the dying people. Looking at his attire, he seemed to be a Powder Ganger, but despite that, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. His eyes were open, but he showed no sign of recognizing her presence. Even at twilight, the heat was considerable- he was almost certainly suffering from heatstroke. Criminal or not, no one deserved to die like that. Not to mention, she had no proof this man ever did anything other than escape his imprisonment.

She looked for a way to get him down without hurting him, when ED-E’s beeping alerted her to danger. She backed up to see several armed men come out of one of the larger buildings at the opposite end of the street. She readied Crescent and took a battle stance with its scythe form, considering her options. She counted eight people and two dogs.

It would be a very difficult fight. Too much for her, if she was being honest. Especially considering that these didn’t look like ordinary outlaws, they carried leather armor with metal plating embedded at critical points, all painted a rather intimidating red. The tech level was primitive, but the craftsmanship suggested that they were serious soldiers, not to mention that they carried some pretty big guns.

Their leader walked forward, a handsome young man wearing a wolf pelt on his head. He motioned for his companions to halt.

“Don’t worry, I won’t have you lashed to a cross like the rest of these degenerates. It’s useful that you happened by.”

There was something about his voice that unnerved her. It was dead calm, delivered from a neutral expression, yet it radiated enormous authority. He was in control, and he knew it.

“I want you to witness the fate of the town of Nipton, to memorize every detail. And then, when you move on? I want you to teach everyone you meet the lesson that Caesar's Legion taught here, especially any NCR troops you run across.”

These people… Was this the Legion? How dare they brag about their… massacre? “Y-yeah?” Her voice was shaky, “And what ‘lessons’ did you teach here?”

The man chuckled at that, “Where to begin? That they are weak, and we are strong? This much was known already. But the depths of their depravity, their moral sickness? Nipton serves as the perfect object lesson. And I, Vulpes, the perfect instructor.”

So he’s a total maniac, got it. She knew she could escape, so she mustered the courage to challenge him, “Their moral sickness? Then what does that make you?”

His soft smile did not leave his face as he continued his tirade, “Nipton was a wicked place, debased and corrupt. It served all comers, so long as they paid. Profligate troops, Powder Gangers, men of the Legion such as myself. The people here didn’t care.”

The soldiers were not getting any closer to her, but they were fanning out in two directions. Any fight would start with her already flanked. She was absolutely going to kill him, but she was getting a bit nervous.

“For a pittance,” Vulpes continued, “The town agreed to lead those it had sheltered into a trap. Only when I sprang it did they realize they were caught inside it too. We herded them to the center of town. I told them their sins, the foremost being disloyalty. I also told them that when Legionaries are disloyal, some are punished, and others made to watch. And I announced the lottery.”

She did not need to hear all about the sadistic games he played with his victims. She felt a rage bubbling inside her as he continued.

“Each man clutched his ticket, hoping it would set him free. Each did nothing, even when ‘loved ones,’ heh, were dragged away to be killed.”

“You… You monster! You just slaughtered innocent civilians. How can you act so righteous about it?”

He laughed at that, “Innocent? Hardly. Cowardly, though. They outnumbered us, yet not once did they try to resist. They stood and watched as their fellows were butchered, crucified, and burned, one by one. Yet they hoped their turn would not come. Each cared only for himself.”

Who the hell does he think he is? That… worm doesn’t even have aura, but has such delusions of grandeur. He is nothing compared to her. Oh, she looked forward to seeing that pretty face of his cry and beg for its life. If anyone deserved it, it was him.

“Hmph,” She spat on the ground, filled with a bloodlust she had never felt before, “I’m going to kill you! Do you hear me, you’re dead!”

She launched into a sprint at the legionaries around him, wolf-boy would be left for last, she had a lot of gloating to do. She cleaved through one of them quite easily, but unlike with the raiders, she received immediate and accurate return fire, draining her aura rapidly and forcing her to petal burst behind a house.

She could hear several laser gunshots, so she quickly went out to support ED-E with her sniper fire.

One- two shots to center mass, and another dead man. She could see another casualty in the form of an ash pile in the middle of the street, though ED-E seemed to have been downed. Bad news, but she held out hope that it could be restored. For now, she had to handle a large and very aggressive dog that was charging at her. It bit down on her leg, the teeth grinding against her aura as she shot it at point blank range, only to feel a massive hit on her back as someone behind her fired a shotgun.

Her aura was getting dangerously low. She had maybe a hit or two left in her after this. She turned around, unloading two bullets into his gut, yet he remained upright despite the blood, and she just barely dodged the second blast.

She hastily discarded Crescent now that it was empty, taking her revolver out and finishing him with a single bullet to the head. Unfortunately for her, the rest of the soldiers were swarming her position and they were going to ventilate her if she hadn’t immediately dashed to the other side of town, using up the last of her aura before rounding a corner.

But even the extra second it took her to reach cover was too much, and a bullet did manage to hit her in the upper arm. But she didn’t stop running until she was deep into the town. Once she thought she was safe, she took out her stimpak, gulped, and drove it into her arm. It stopped the bleeding almost immediately, and the rush of energy gave her the strength to continue. No, she was not going down without a fight.

But she had vastly overestimated herself, she had to admit. All of her recent victories went to her head, and now she was just as auraless as that legion freak. But she couldn’t sulk now. She could still fight them off, or at the very least, escape.

Yes, that was the best plan. She was a good runner- If she made enough distance she could lose them. Maybe wounding one of them will force the others to stay behind and not pursue her? Yes, that sounded like a good plan. There were 4 of them left by now. Wound one, another stays behind to help, and she could take care of two enemies if push came to shove. Hell, night would be falling any minute now, then they’d have an especially difficult time chasing her down.

So she hid in an alley between some houses. Her hiding place was already engulfed by the shadow of the almost totally dimmed sun. It had a decent view as well, the spot was practically made for an ambush. It took several minutes, but eventually a searching legionary stumbled into her field of view. He was about a hundred feet away, but that was no problem with her marksmanship abilities, even considering her injury.

As expected, her revolver easily hit her intended target of the thigh, and the man instantly collapsed in pain.

She scampered out of the alley immediately, running out of the town without looking back. Metaphorically, of course. She did look back after hearing a barking noise behind her, only to see the second Legion dog was rapidly gaining on her. She had completely forgotten about it.

She stopped, raising her revolver to shoot it down, but the creature was too small and nimble for her to hit in the dark bushes, and she missed again and again. Eventually the hound reached her, biting her ankle and making Ruby fall, losing her gun in the dark.

The beast gnawed at her leg, and she could do nothing but meekly try to kick it away. At least the stim kept her from screaming in pain, though even that was wearing off quickly. She tried to find the firearm by feeling around, her search growing ever more desperate as she noticed a silhouette emerge from the town.

After what felt like way too long, she found it. She lifted her revolver up and shot at the dog, but only managed to graze its ear. It didn’t die, of course, but it at least fled from the harsh noise.

She dared sneak a glance at her bloodied leg, though that would be the least of her worries, as Vulpes himself was nearing her. She gritted her teeth, leveled the gun at his head, and pulled the trigger.

Click.

A deafening silence. She gulped. It was over, and she knew it. No, it couldn’t be. Not yet. She couldn’t allow it. Her hand went into her pocket, picking up loose ammunition and opening the revolver cylinder. She could only load a single bullet before he got close. She raised the gun again, but Vulpes kicked it out of her hands. She tried to grab it from the ground, only for him to stomp on her hand with a sickening crunch.

No. No, this can’t be how it ends. Not after everything. She wouldn’t let it happen. She pulled her knife out with her free hand, and proceeded to drive it into his boot. He hissed in pain, releasing the pressure on her hand, only to kick her right in the face with said leg instead. The world turned into a blur and she felt a pressure on her torso that stopped her from moving.

She was definitely concussed. She didn’t know how long it took her to fully regain her senses, but when she did, she saw the four remaining legionaries, one of whom was on the ground, tending to his wounds, and the dog that was barely being held back from attacking her. They were apparently waiting for her to come to- the situation was getting oddly familiar to her by now. She noticed that she wasn’t tied up, but she was too tired to do anything substantial.

“So?” Vulpes spoke up, “Weren’t you going to kill me?” His face remained neutral, but she could tell he was angry.

He kicked her in the stomach, eliciting a pained yelp. The stimpak had officially worn off, and she felt the pain in full now, “Well? Answer me.”

She forced a spiteful smile on her face, “It took 8 of you to take on one girl. I’d be ashamed if I were you.” She figured that if she was dying for real now, she would at least take it with pride this time.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk… Legionaries, this profligate woman has disrespected us. Teach her a lesson.”

They were waiting for just the command, and they didn’t waste a second in administering their punishment. Their preferred method was kicking her, over and over again. In the stomach, in the back, in her leg wound. She screamed, but she did not beg. She endured. It was all she could do to them.

After a few minutes, Vulpes called it off, before speaking to her again, “Have you learned your lesson yet, profligate, or do you require more punishment?”

“Screw… you.” She barely got the words out.

“I see.”

Then they unleashed the dog, and this time it was beyond furious. The legionaries hadn’t tied Ruby up intentionally, as they seemed to enjoy seeing her struggle against the Legion mongrel. The disgusting creature tried biting and scratching at her, and her efforts to fight it off only barely prevented the gory display at her ankle from manifesting everywhere else.

It dragged on forever, the hound’s energy and anger never seeming to diminish. Its jaw sent her into intolerable agony every time it closed around a limb of hers, whereupon she would punch or kick at its head to make it let go of her. The soldiers cheered as her struggle got more and more desperate. The creature was sensing it too, for it had made several attempts on her throat, and it got closer and closer each time…

They were really going to kill her. She couldn’t die here. Not eaten by a dog. Not just another carcass in the desert. NO!

“I surrender! I surrender!” She cried as the beast was forcibly separated from her.

“Oh? Do you finally understand your place now, profligate girl?”

“Wha- y-yes. Yes.” She knew how pathetic she looked. Just a small girl lying on the ground, crying and begging for her life, yet again.

“Are you sorry?”

“I’m s-sorry.” She cried.

“Sorry for what? What did you do wrong?”

Was he really going to do this? Did she really have to follow along with his cruel games? Oh God, she did… “I’m sorry I thought I could take you on. I’m sorry I… I killed your people. I’m sorry for being such a coward.”

“Hmph. It’ll do for now.” He knelt down so his face was uncomfortably close to hers. “But I still think a further punishment is in order.” He smiled, “You know, I think you’ll make a great slave for the Legion. What do you think?”

Her expression shifted into one of utter horror. “I- What? Y-you can’t be serious.”

“Oh, but I am.”

She didn’t have a choice in the matter, did she? What a disaster of a day. A relief, then, was to be found in her exhaustion. Yes, she was definitely going to collapse, and she never thought she’d be this glad to realize it. At least she didn’t have to play his stupid games anymore, and her troubles could wait just a moment longer. Her vision darkened, and she hoped she wouldn’t wake up again.

Chapter Text

Ruby spent the night slipping in and out of consciousness as she was roughly carried across the desert. Her waking moments were difficult to bear as she felt a strong stinging sensation all over her body, not to mention a burning on her newly bound wrists.

It took a long time before she was set down on the ground. She did not open her eyes, instead choosing to retreat into the world of dream, but even there her rest was awful. Was it the stimpak aftereffects, or something else? In any case, the cursed rays of dawn came for her eventually, shortly before being stirred from her languor by a light kick.

“Up!” Said an imposing legionary. She looked around, seeing the remains of a campsite- about a dozen soldiers packing up whatever supplies were scattered about. Vulpes and his entourage were missing- these men were from another unit. It seemed the Legion operations here were much larger than she initially thought.

She also saw a handful of ‘other’ people present. They wore tattered clothing, wrist bindings, and had wretched facial expressions she couldn’t stand looking at. They were Legion captives, and it took her a moment to realize that she must now look much like they do.

The stinging she felt throughout the night was still there as she got up, only now she sensed a faint scent accompanying it. It was the smell (and apparently feel) of healing powder, the same substance Sunny taught her to make last week. It all seemed so far away to her now.

Another legionary approached her, connecting her bindings to those of another captive with more rope. He did the same to another, and another, until they made a chain of prisoners six members strong. They then forced them to march across the desert. There was no other choice but to obey.

They had only just started their journey, yet Ruby was already struggling immensely. With the daylight, she could see the various wounds she had sustained yesterday in vivid detail, most worryingly her disfigured lower leg. Miraculously, the ankle wasn’t broken, but the skin and flesh was mangled into a red mess, and her captors hadn’t even bothered to bandage it. She guessed she should be thankful that they at least threw some of their healing powder onto it, though that did make it hurt a lot more as she walked.

Her other issue was hunger. Ruby had now missed both dinner and breakfast, and she was feeling it. She struggled to maintain pace with the other captives, and they weren’t in exactly excellent condition either. The soldiers set a brutal pace, and they struck in the back anyone who fell behind, which included her on several occasions. Unlike them, the legionaries did not appear to get tired, even while hauling their armor and supplies in the Mojave heat- they marched calmly while maintaining perfect formation. In fact, they were extremely active, sending out scouts back and forth whenever an obstacle presented itself in the distance. She was impressed at their discipline, if nothing else.

At least they let them stop to sip some water occasionally. It provided much needed relief in the desert, but it hadn’t stopped the pangs of hunger… The last time she had a good, hearty meal was all the way back in Goodsprings.

How she longed to be back there now. With Sunny, Trudy, and Doc Mitchell… She could have been getting tutored at this very moment by the kindly doctor, working towards an honest and safe life. If only she weren’t so stubborn, and prideful, and eager to play hero. She couldn’t help but think they were right. All the people who doubted her, who thought she should have settled down and found a normal job- And there were quite a few, she saw it on their faces. They were right. She was no huntress, and she was delusional to think otherwise.

Her ruminating was interrupted as she felt a tug at her ropes that almost tripped her. Turning around, she noticed that one of the captives had collapsed. It was a scrawny woman, only slightly older than Ruby, but apparently lacking her endurance.

The legionaries tried lifting her up, only for her to collapse again. They gave her a moment, maybe a minute, before the leader approached her. He stomped her throat dispassionately, before cutting her ropes and continuing on. Just like that, it was over. The rest of the group maintained their pace with much greater fervor after the harrowing display.

As noon approached, she was desperately gasping for breath alongside the others. She even stumbled once, risking some ten seconds of extra rest before getting up. The hours passed, and she could barely feel her legs, she just wanted it to end…

She wasn’t sure if she should have felt relief or horror at the sight of the Legion base. On one hand, it meant that her chances of escaping had just cratered to practically zero. On the other hand, she just wanted a moment of rest.

The base was built along a riverbank surrounded by hills, and consisted of a handful of old concrete buildings and a dozen or so tents. There was also a small pier, which held several rafts. She couldn’t help but notice the large number of red banners depicting a golden bull from the side, and she figured it was the symbol the Legion chose for itself.

The base was busy, yet orderly. Some of the soldiers were vigilantly keeping watch from the commanding hills, while others were going through fighting drills or processing captives. And oh yes, the place was full of captives. She was led to a small pen made of chainlink fencing that held a great deal of them, maybe 20 or so. She was stuffed into the crowded space and had the gate closed behind her.

She was still bound to the four other prisoners, making an escape impractical, even if she could somehow scale the fence or rally the others to make a break for it when the gates next opened. Any one of them falling behind would doom them all. And the place simply held too many fresh troops, while they were all hungry, thirsty, and exhausted.

With nothing else to do, she sat down to catch her breath. After a few moments, she inspected her leg wound. There wasn’t any bleeding or signs of infection, but she still didn’t like how exposed it was, even a small scratch could make it shed blood again. She managed to tear a small strip of cloth from her pants by cutting them against some jagged fence metal, and she used that to make an improvised bandage. The end result was awful, but it was all she could do to distract herself from her situation.

She saw the soldiers come in to take some of the people every so often, though she didn’t get to see what they did with them, as a building was now blocking much of her view of the camp. She heard some screaming every once in a while, though that didn’t tell her much. She tried asking the people around her, but they were as clueless as she was, and none were in the mood for extended conversation.

Eventually, they came for her group. They took them to another section of the camp, where they were put in a kneeling position next to a roaring campfire, and had their connecting ropes undone. Besides the ever-present guards, there were also some more elaborately dressed Legion.

Among them was the one and only Vulpes, who smirked upon seeing her again. “These are the last batch from Nipton, Decanus. With the fortifications at Searchlight and Nelson neutralized, the rest of the Mojave is easy pickings.”

“Ave, Vulpes. Caesar’s finest truly live up to their reputation. We can handle raiding the profligate supply lines on our own now.”

“See that you do so. Until we meet again…” He turned to leave, but stopped himself after a few steps, “Actually, I would like to observe the processing of captures… You can start with that one.” He pointed at Ruby.

“As you wish.”

A legionary pulled her by the hair until she was in front of the Decanus, who studied her intensely.

“Name?”

“R-Ruby. Ruby Rose.”

“The name is Ruby.” He started circling her, while a nearby scribe wrote his words down, “Young woman of small stature, but reasonably healthy. Fit enough for most basic tasks.”

She gulped, trying to maintain eye contact with him.

“Do you have any useful skills, girl?”

“I-” What is she even meant to say to him? “I- I can hunt… and I can f-fix things, like electronics or weapons…”

“Write down…” The Decanus dictated, “No skills fit for a slave.”

He stopped in front of her, “It is no surprise, though, as I am told Nipton was a town of degenerate vermin that never worked an honest day in their lives. Slavery will teach you virtue, girl. You will come to see it as a blessing. Now, we can proceed with the branding.”

She was so focused on the man that she didn’t even notice the devices that were being heated in the nearby campfire. A legionary lifted a metal rod, bearing a ring with the symbol of a Legion bull at its end. The branding iron was red hot, and it sent shivers down her spine.

“You- No, you can’t…” What the hell was she doing? She couldn’t allow herself to-

She tried to stand, but a legionary was ready for her reaction and tackled her immediately. She didn’t give up, though, biting his hand away before maneuvering to wrap her wrist bindings around his throat and choke him.

The surrounding guards came to his aid immediately, getting her off of him and holding her down onto the ground. Each man was holding a separate limb as the branding rod neared her body.

“No!” She shouted, continuing to thrash around to no effect, “You can’t do this to me. I… I don’t deserve this. I am not a slave! You can’t do this to-”

She screamed. The iron burned her throat, and she was blinded with pain. It was agony like she had never experienced before and would surely never experience again. And as quickly as it started, it stopped. The brand was imprinted onto a spot just to the side of her throat, forever marking her a slave.

The spot was still irritating her a lot, but it was nothing like before. She didn’t care, though. She felt so utterly defeated, and could not summon the energy to resist as they let go of her and raised her back up.

What did elicit a reaction, though, was a legionary’s knife that started cutting away at her shirt. She panicked, struggling to cover herself from the soldier’s disgusting stares as they stripped her fully in the middle of camp. She figured she should count herself lucky that was all they did before giving her a one-piece outfit made of gray cloth with a red ‘X’ painted on the torso. It was more of a rag that barely reached her knees and inadequately covered her back, but anything beat being naked, so she didn’t complain. At least they let her keep her boots. Small blessings.

After the rest of her group was subjected to the same cruel ceremony, she found herself loaded onto a sizable raft alongside about ten more men and women. All wore the same slave outfits as they were transported to the other end of the wide river, whereupon the legionaries manning the raft made their way upstream by punting along the coast.

The day had not been kind to her, to say the least, but Ruby decided she couldn’t give up. She couldn’t stop looking for opportunities to escape. She considered jumping off the raft, but with her wrists still tied, it was unlikely she would make it across the river. So she spent the hours taking note of her surroundings, looking for anything that could help her situation.

She noticed there were some areas where the river narrowed or where the flow slowed down, but those places also had Legion outposts overlooking them, mostly on the eastern side. Otherwise, the next few hours proved quite uneventful.

When the raft rounded a particularly harsh bend and she laid eyes on the next Legion base, she knew they had made it. She couldn’t see it in full, as it was situated upon a tall hill and surrounded by walls made of earthworks and sheet metal. In any case, it was huge and made for the most elaborate fortifications she had seen yet. This was definitely their main base.

The soldiers increased their pace, docking at another small pier and unloading them. A delegation of legionaries was waiting to receive them.

“Another fresh batch from the south,” One of the rafters said, “Given the amount of incoming slaves these days, we haven’t had the capacity to train these to our standards.”

“Do not worry, Amicus, we can discipline them here ourselves.” A tall and muscular man said, before grinning at the group of new arrivals, their fearful expressions seeming to invigorate him.

“We are sorry for burdening you with too many of them, slavemaster.”

“It is no burden to us. In fact, quite the opposite. The far-eastern garrisons have been recalled, and we need to get the camp ready for their arrival. I assure you, they will be put to good use. Men, untie them!”

Though Ruby’s hands were swiftly freed, she had no illusions about it being done out of the kindness of their hearts. At least her odds of escape have shot up, if only slightly.

The slavemaster started walking and motioned for them to follow. His next words confirmed her worries, “We’ve just received another caravan from the east, and we need you to deliver the supplies up the hill. The pack animals don’t do well with heights, you see…”

They soon came across a small resting stop where some civilians were setting down the cargo from a huge pack of thirty Brahmins, the red cow-like beasts that she saw on occasion. Some slaves from the Fort were already there, picking up various sacks and carrying them uphill on their backs. The amount of cargo was truly massive, and even with all of them, it seemed like it would take forever to get through it.

“You’d better get it all inside the camp proper by sundown.” The slavemaster firmly said, “Failure will result in severe punishment.”

Ruby followed the crowd as they approached the massive pile of goods. She stood before a large bag of what appeared to be potatoes. This was really it, the beginning of her new life. Was it going to be like this until the day she died?

She glanced at the handful of civilians who were running the caravan, and she couldn’t help but notice how they purposefully avoided facing them. Somehow, she was more disgusted at them than with the legionaries. At least they didn’t turn away from their horrors. But these people… she couldn’t imagine herself ever participating in this kind of system. No matter how screwed up the world may be, she still had some standards.

She looked around, seeing the half a dozen Legion guards lazing around the entrance, while the slaves had already accepted their servitude and started walking. She was outraged. It wasn’t fair. None of this was fair!

“What are you waiting for, slave?”

The lead legionary had addressed her directly. She wouldn’t shrink back. She glared back at him, “Isn’t the Legion supposed to be tough? What do you need us for? Are you not strong enough to carry it yourself?”

The slavemaster’s grin somehow grew even more grotesque at her words, “Oh, we’ve got a defiant one here. It’s been a while…”

He approached her, slowly. Each step of his made her heart jump- she knew how badly this was going to end for her, yet she was not willing to accept it quietly either. Everyone was staring at her now. Some with pity, others with glee.

He towered over her, a foot and a half taller than Ruby. “I am under no obligation to justify myself to you, girl. We are warriors, and such menial tasks are beneath us. But for the sake of my honor, I will tell you that this hillside path is, at parts, exposed to fire from across the river, and on occasion some of the Legion are killed or wounded. The profligate troops won’t shoot at slaves, so we have you undertake this task.”

“So you’re cowards, is that it? Staying behind your walls instead of fighting the enemy? Weak!” She was starting to realize that she would eventually be made to go along with what they wanted of her, but her ego demanded that she defy them, at least once.

He spat at her face, “A woman, lecturing others on bravery and strength? I can see why the west is so weak.”

Her fist went for his throat, but he caught it effortlessly. “I am glad you volunteered to be made an example out of.” He easily diverted her hand, before slapping her so hard she fell to the ground.

“Twenty lashings, and no rations for tonight.” He decreed.

As she laid bent over a nearby rock, awaiting her due, she had a feeling her punishment was quite lenient compared to what he could have done. How bad could twenty lashings even be?

A harsh snap, and she screamed in surprise. The spot where it hit her back burned badly, and she swore she felt a trickle of blood. Ruby had suddenly figured out why the slave uniforms didn’t cover their upper backs, but the knowledge didn’t help much as another lash hit her. This time, she stifled her scream, doing everything she could to keep herself together. Another came, and she felt proud at her endurance.

It didn’t last long, though. A few hits later, and she was back to screaming, followed by whimpering and crying. These were definitely not the same whips as the ones from Blake’s raunchy books. How anyone got the idea of getting off on this, she couldn’t tell now.

Her punishment did not falter, though. Again and again, the whip came. She could barely think from the pain, she could do nothing but wait for it to end…

Suffice it to say, she well and truly regretted her actions as she carried over a hundred pounds of cargo on her back, uphill. She was already so weak she felt like collapsing, and the idea of missing food made her even more demoralized. The whole day was nothing but a slow descent into further and further misery, she would be grateful if she survived the night.

She made it about halfway to the camp when she saw one of the exposed spots the slavemaster spoke of. And so she finally laid her eyes on the Hoover Dam she heard so much about.

And it truly was impressive, even by Remnant standards. The concrete wall was so huge that it sealed the whole canyon, and the water that flowed through it made a majestic waterfall. It really was a great view that lifted her spirits momentarily, but she couldn’t stay long so she continued up the hill.

She could do nothing else now but work and wait. Wait to regain her strength and her aura. She would make it out, no matter how long it took. No matter how much they abused and humiliated her. She would just have to grit her teeth and not provoke any more beatings. Easier said than done, of course. That guy who had her branded was right, she would learn virtue here. The virtue of shutting the hell up when in danger. It would have stopped her from getting herself into this mess in the first place.

She had finally made it to the hill fort and passed through the imposing gate and into the camp. It was even larger from here, packed to the brim with hundreds, likely thousands of tents. Legionaries and slaves alike walked to and from, doing whatever their station demanded of them.

The soldiers exercised, wrestled, dueled with machetes, and did firearm drills on the various training grounds in this section. The slaves brought them water on demand and set food on various tables in preparation for their next meal. How she wanted to steal one of the plates…

A groan from a nearby crucified slave made her reconsider. She tried not to look at him as she made her way further into the camp. Another minute of walking, and she came upon the place where she was meant to deliver her cargo.

She collapsed alongside the bag she had set down. She hoped they didn’t mind the stain from her bloodied back. While catching her breath, a concerned slave girl ran up to her, kneeling down and taking out a pouch of healing powder.

“Here, that’s going to get infected.”

“Are… are you supposed to give it out?”

“You won’t be of use to the Legion dead, so yes. That’s my job.” She made her way behind Ruby, “Here, I’ll apply it myself.”

“Thanks.” She grit her teeth as the medicine reacted with her exposed flesh. “Are you a doctor?”

“I never finished my training, the Legion saw to that when they burned my town down. I make do with the basics, herbal remedies and the like.”

“I see. Do you have a name?”

“I’m Siri. You?”

“Ruby. I just got here.”

“I can tell. You’ll get used to it soon.”

“I hope I don’t.”

Siri sighed, “Just don’t get in trouble again, okay? They’ll look for any excuse to take out their pent-up energy on us.”

Ruby nodded.

“You should go now, before anyone sees you slacking off.”

She made her way down the hill, picking up another bag. Of what, she did not care. On her way back up, the gate guards scoffed at her, “Lazy slave. Don’t think we aren’t keeping track of your time up the hill.”

“If you don’t wanna work, I can think of a few other uses for you,” The second guard chuckled as he checked her out.

She wisely kept her mouth shut, hastening her pace. She was already overwhelmed and did not want to think about *that.* Really, she wanted to think about anything except *that.*

A thankful distraction, then, to see a large group of children in legionary garb running laps inside the camp. Most were in their early teens, some even younger than that. As if her disgust couldn’t get any worse. She stopped to look at their instructor. He was observing and encouraging them, like an ordinary, though harsh, coach. It was not unlike what her Dad did as an instructor of similarly aged children at Signal Academy.

She wanted nothing more than to stomp that legionary’s skull into bits right about now. One day… One day, she would annihilate the Legion. She would slaughter them all, butcher them like Geckos.

Ruby took a deep breath. She found such thoughts came to her more and more these days. She kept them restrained for now, knowing they could consume her if she wasn’t careful. But looking out at the endless field of red tents, the vastness of her desired task dawning upon her… Ruby knew she could not do it. At least not as she was now…

The night couldn’t come fast enough. Despite everything, she had powered through her work by sheer force of will. Even then, they barely finished their task as the last light left the camp, and they were quickly taken to their sleeping quarters.

Though calling them quarters was giving it too much credit. It was little more than a series of thick metal poles, with a tarp overhead. Their hands were chained to the bottom of said poles, and they were made to sleep next to each other with no accommodations but the dirt beneath them.

The slaves were handed their nightly rations, which apparently consisted of a medium loaf of bread, though the slavemaster made sure she didn’t get her share.

Looking over the mass of humanity as the legionaries left, she also noticed that the quarters were segregated by gender. Again with her thinking about *that.*

At least she found Siri. She was only a few feet away, and Ruby could reach her, if only barely.

“Hey…” She tried. Her stomach growled at the sight of her food.

“You must be hungry,” Siri said.

Every movement felt like a major effort by now, and her body screamed at her to eat something, anything. “I think I’m going to die.”

“You won’t. I’ve seen worse.”

“You have? Wait, how long have you been a slave?”

“Three years and counting.” She looked away at Ruby’s horrified expression. “I told you, you’ll get used to it. That’s not to say I’ve never thought of escaping. But I’ve seen what happens to those who get caught.”

She could imagine. “Are you going to eat all of that?” It came out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

Siri scoffed at her, clutching her ration closer to her chest. “That’s what you’re- You can wait until the morning ration like everyone else. This isn’t a charity.”

She looked down, “I understand. Sorry for asking, you have it hard too.”

She could hear Siri sigh, “Here.” She handed Ruby a piece, less than a third of the ration, but she didn’t even think of complaining as she took it. The bread was fresh and warm, and she shed tears as she bit into it.

In only a few short moments, it was gone, and though her body demanded more, she already felt a tiny bit better.

“Thank you!” She sniffed, “I’ll try to repay you. I’m serious,” she tried to assure Siri.

She saw that the others had already laid down to sleep, and she wanted to follow along and rest, but something else was tugging at her, “I wanted to ask… See, the men were giving me these looks and I was wondering…”

“Ah.” She gave a knowing nod, “Well… Your group was lucky to be so late, they took their pick of women for the night just before you arrived. I know what you’re thinking, but I doubt you’ll be able to evade them forever.”

“I see…” She looked down and grasped her body tightly, “Can’t say I’m surprised, but… Thanks for telling me how it is. Good night, Siri.”

“Good night, Ruby.”

She found an empty spot in the dirt to lie down on and cry herself to sleep. Things were not meant to go this way. She was never one to really care for sentimental romance or anything like that, but still… Did this rotten world have to take everything from her? She cursed the Legion for their pointless cruelty, she cursed the NCR for their incompetence, and she definitely cursed her huntsmen tutors for making her so weak and squeamish.

But most of all, she cursed herself, for not having the strength to end it all.

Chapter Text

Ruby had no choice but to quickly get accustomed to the harsh life in the Legion Fort. The demands of the slavemasters were endless, and most of her days were a blur of working, eating, and sleeping. Before she knew it, three whole weeks had passed.

When she arrived in this world, she stuck out like a sore thumb with her impossibly clean and perfectly-sewn clothing, not to mention her unblemished body.

Looking now at her reflection in the Colorado River, she realized that she had well and truly lost that Remnant sheen. She had lost plenty of weight as well, and her skin was marred by various scars, scratches, and bruises- too many for her to count. Her hair was unkempt and impossibly oily, her brand stuck out horribly, and her eyes…

She didn’t want to look at her eyes any longer. Instead, she picked up the pile of clothes she had just finished washing up, and started her journey back to the Fort. It was a mind-numbingly tedious job, manually washing out the blood, sweat, and stains from legion uniforms. It made her gain a newfound appreciation for laundry machines, but at least it didn’t destroy her body like some of the work she did on other days.

The constant influx of soldiers from the vast Legion lands made the place quite chaotic, and so her work changed almost daily. She did whatever was required of her at the moment, like foraging the sparse vegetation, carrying water, unloading caravans, or delivering construction materials.

The work was all supervised by Legion soldiers, though they didn’t spend as much effort in preventing their escape as she thought they would. She *could* slip out and run away, but she didn’t really have anywhere to go. East, was a long stretch of desert that required ample supplies to cross, not to mention it just led to more Legion towns.

And out west, was the Colorado River. It was wide, and this close to the dam it was quite fast as well. Crossing would be a challenge on the best of days, and all it would take to stop her would be a single watchful legionary with a gun. The river had to be defended anyway, so the only extra effort needed to control them was restricting supplies and making sure they were always slightly underfed.

The strain of her circumstances also meant that her aura barely regenerated at all. It often had a will of its own, choosing to heal her existing wounds instead of being stockpiled for a potential escape attempt. And even without that, her meager diet had slowed the regeneration to a crawl. She felt like she had maybe 30-35% of her capacity at the moment. Even though she was frustrated at her rate of progress, she had to admit she would have likely died by now without the extra help.

She started the journey up the steps to the fort, which was never an easy feat. Her boots were stolen a couple days in by some legionary recruit, so she had to do all of her tasks with only footwrapings made out of scrap cloth. As with many other things, she had no choice but to get used to it.

She made it to the top eventually, and unloaded the pile of clothing to be dried out on a series of racks near the entrance.

“Is there any more?” She asked one of the slaves working there.

“No, that was the last batch that needed washing.”

This surprised her, as usually there was too much work for her assigned time. And she still had a couple hours until lunch. Not that they were given rations, that only happened in the mornings and evenings, but they would be allowed to eat leftovers from the soldiers.

The thing was, loitering around presented its own issues. Namely, that unoccupied women were fair game for legionary stress relief.

Just the thought of it made her gag. Everything else, she could somehow endure. But spreading her legs every other night for some disgusting excuse of a man was too much for her. The awful smells and sounds, the way she could never get their filth off of her fully… She couldn’t take that. No, not again. She fled behind the drying racks in a panic, picked up a random uniform and pretended to clean a non-existent stain to look busy.

It took her some time, but she managed to calm down somewhat. Ruby still had a hard time fathoming it. That at any moment she could just be picked up, taken to a tent, and used as a piece of meat before being discarded. She decided that she could never tell a soul about any of this, it was just too humiliating. As far as anyone was concerned, she just got lost in the desert for a month. As for the brand… She would figure something out. Definitely.

Gods, was she a mess.

A deafening boom made her drop to the ground in panic. The whole camp did much the same, either dropping as well or running haphazardly. Focusing on her environment, she could hear a whistling sound approach, before an explosion went off barely fifty meters from her.

The soldiers quickly gathered their wits, spreading out and taking cover in a system of trenches. She decided to do the same, scampering over to a ditch where a number of slaves were cowering. She saw Siri there as well, the two sharing a look of recognition.

“What was that?” One of the newer slaves asked.

“Probably a mortar,” Ruby said. “Dunno how they managed to scrounge up ammo for it, NCR seems to barely have enough for their guns.”

“What do you mean by that?” The woman was confused. “A mortar is for crushing things.”

Ruby sighed in frustration. She was about to correct the girl and teach a lesson in artillery systems, but Siri beat her to it.

“It’s the Burned Man.” She resolutely said.

“Huh?”

“Haven’t you heard? The Burned Man is the only thing Caesar is afraid of.”

Ruby stayed her tongue. As absurd as it sounded, she was curious about what Siri had to say.

“It started four years ago, when the Legion was defeated and driven from the Dam. Caesar was furious at his Legate for losing him the battle, and he had him covered in pitch, set on fire, and thrown down the Grand Canyon in a dramatic ceremony. And yet, he survived. He now roams the wastes, hunting the Legion that had betrayed him. This must be his work.”

Ruby rolled her eyes, “Or, it could be the countless NCR troops that are only a couple miles away from us. Besides, no ordinary human could survive what you described.”

“You may not believe, but Caesar does. He kills anyone who dares even mention his name. And the Burned Man is no ordinary human, he is impossible to kill.”

Unkillable? Could he have aura? No, that was impossible. Right?

“What was he like?” Ruby asked.

“Even before I was captured, I heard the stories. Of the mass crucifixions, of the pyramids of skulls, of entire towns burned to the foundations if they did not surrender. He was a true monster, and he is a monster still- But now he haunts those who have wronged him.”

It was an intriguing legend, and she wasn’t sure what to make of it. Could such a man exist in this world? Or was it just random acts of rebellion and attacks like this, which people attached to a single fictional person?

She didn’t have the time to ponder it, as a legionary approached them, “The danger’s over. Stop lazing around and get back to work! Also, those previously on washing duty are to report to the kitchen. Some of the slaves died just now, and we need replacements.”

Ruby never did much cooking back home, only occasionally baking sweets for herself and her sister. Apparently, the Legion war machine did not appreciate cookies, so her meager skills were not applicable in the camp kitchen. Quite the opposite, she was utterly hopeless.

“That’s not how you’re meant to peel potatoes!” A shrill voice yelled at her. It was the lead cook, another slave woman, in her late 30’s if Ruby had to guess.

“I’m s-sorry.” She felt like she was being scolded by a schoolteacher.

“You’re wasting half of it, have you never prepared a meal in your life?”

“You’ve never prepared a meal in your life, this place is a pigsty!” If she was being honest it wasn’t that bad, at least according to wasteland standards. The kitchen was a walled off space with an open roof, consisting of a few tables for cutting and several cauldrons suspended over campfires, where they boiled meat and vegetables. A bit further away, there was also a section to store the bags of incoming produce, as well as a station for butchering animals.

Speaking of butchering, she was surprised they let them have short knives. A lone legionary was present to make sure no one tried to eat on the job or smuggle potential weapons out. But he didn’t look that attentive, perhaps she could…

“Ugh, again with this? Is there anything you can do?” The woman was starting to get on Ruby’s nerves.

“It’s not like I had a choice in being here! I’m a huntress, not a cook.”

“Okay.” She sighed, “You’re a huntress, why not. I’m giving you one last chance before I call the guards on you.” She grabbed Ruby by the arm, dragging her over to the butchering table.

“Might be some shrapnel in it, but it should be edible. The soldiers said they wouldn’t touch it, but we-”

Ruby felt bile rise in her throat. Laid before her was a… Dog? Coyote? She didn’t know, but neither option would have made her feel better.

“I’ll leave you to it. That’ll be our food, so don’t mess this up.”

The scraggy canine looked intact, save for a single red stain on its neck fur. It looked to be sleeping peacefully. She knew what Legion hounds were like, she felt it on her skin, but it still didn’t feel right. It was yet another reminder that she did not belong here, as if she needed any more of those. She sighed, before finding an empty sack to conceal the hound’s head with. She would just have to pretend it was some other creature and get it over with.

She took a deep breath, before lifting her knife to begin the butchering.

Several grueling minutes later, she was bloody to the elbows from pulling the guts and organs out of the animal, and she had just finished separating most of the flesh from the skin and bones. It was a decent haul, all things considered. Much as she was disgusted, she was getting hungry, and she had not tasted meat in weeks. She almost wanted to eat it raw.

But she took the cuts to the other slaves, who went about frying it on a pan while she cleaned up her mess and wiped the blood off her hands with a wet cloth. By the time she was finished, she was already salivating from the smell of the simmering meat. As were the dozen or so kitchen slaves who were swarming the place.

She hurried into the crowd, having to push and shove to get to the fire. By the time she had arrived, the pan was empty. Everyone around her had already grabbed several pieces and they were hurriedly gobbling up the food.

“Wait a second, where’s my part?” She said, but they merely turned away from her, trying not to engage. She should have known better, Siri warned her of how it was with food here.

“HEY!” She turned to the woman in charge, who was lazily chewing on a sizable cut herself. “What the hell is this? I need to eat something too.”

“Dunno what you’re on about.” She rolled her eyes, “Besides, you don’t look like you need it anyway.”

“What, because I’m not on the verge of starving, I shouldn’t get meat?” The smell of it was everywhere by now, it made her absolutely ravenous. If she could get some of that highly nutritious stuff, her aura might start regenerating properly again, and she could be out of this hellhole in just a few days.

“Yes, you look perfectly healthy. Learn to share.”

“Well, you don’t look like you need it either. I bet you’ve been sneaking in bites the whole time you’ve been working here!”

“And you look like you’ve fucked half the legion for food, but you don’t hear me complaining.”

That was a step too far for Ruby. She tightened her fist and punched the woman right in the jaw. She fell to the ground with a satisfying thud.

“You… You bitch!” Ruby said before picking up the food that the woman had just dropped and biting down on it.

The meat was bitter, tough, and now coated with dirt, but she devoured it all the same. It was the best thing she had eaten in a long time, and she couldn’t have cared less about where it came from or who she took it from.

It was a divine feeling, at least until a hand grabbed her by the shoulder and she found herself face to face with a legionary. Ruby already knew what was coming. At least she had downed it all.

The woman stood up, clutching her jaw, “She stole my meal.”

“What? She was the one who stole the food, she-”

The man slapped Ruby, “I don’t care about your petty dispute. Slaves are meant to listen to their masters, even if they be slaves themselves.”

“I-” That was bullshit. He could at least bother to ask around, there were plenty of witnesses. He can’t just…

She bowed her head, “Yes, Sir.” She learned a while ago that talking back would only make things worse, even if she was in the right.

“And we also can’t leave this outburst unpunished, can we?”

“Of course not.” Ruby meekly said, “Do whatever you think is necessary.”

He smiled, before grabbing her by the hair before slamming her face into one of the tables. Once, twice, three times. He made sure the rest of the slaves got a good look at her bloodied face before he took her out of the kitchen.

“Again?” The slavemaster said. He was seated in his tent, talking to another officer before her arrival interrupted him, “How many times do you need to be beaten before you learn to behave?”

“I- I’m sorry, master,” Ruby said, wiping away a nosebleed. “I’ve been obedient all week. I just… I don’t know how to cook, that’s all.”

He looked at the guard and back at her, “Tell me again, what can you do?”

“Uhhh, I… I can fix things. Like machines, weapons, similar stuff…”

“I see. Have her put on foraging duty.”

“Actually,” The other officer spoke up, “Leave her outside the tent, we just might need someone like her in the new camp expansion.”

The slavemaster was surprised, but he ultimately acquiesced, “As you wish, Centurion.”

She was shown out of the tent and made to wait outside while they concluded their business. A few minutes, and she was off with the Centurion, yet another man of enormous stature and authority. Compared to Legion officers, the NCR ones seemed timid in comparison, as did those from Remnant for that matter.

He was taking her to a newer section of the camp she hadn’t been to before. She passed by a construction site, where she saw a number of primarily male slaves digging away to make new wall foundations.

They were being worked hard in the heat, and she could hear the snap of the whip coming from somewhere every few seconds. She had no illusions about what she was seeing, the male slaves were being worked to death. She was briefly thankful to the messed up Legion norms for not placing her there.

“You said you could fix guns, right?” The Centurion asked without looking at her.

“Y-yes. I’ve been making them since I was young.”

They stopped outside a large tent, “Caesar has recovered many old weapons from his lands, relics broken down with age and use. He has decreed that they be restored to working condition, and you will make it happen. Understood?”

“Yes, master.” She bowed her head.

“Good. And don’t worry, we’ve made sure there are no bullets in the things we give you.” He flipped the tent flap open, and they entered.

The interior held several large piles of roughly gun-shaped scraps, with some 10 or so slaves sitting on the floor and dutifully working on fixing them up with nothing but screwdrivers, pliers, and oil. It looked like a total mess, but it must be producing some utility if they were doing it.

“A slavemaster will soon arrive to give you your quotas. I trust I don’t need to tell you what happens if you don’t do your work.” He said before nodding to one of the guards and leaving.

She stumbled forward, looking around the busy workshop. She settled on a place in the corner, where there was only a single slave working next to one of the firearm piles. As she came closer, the lone figure turned to look at her, and Ruby’s stomach dropped.

“Weiss?”

Weiss looked even thinner than usual, and her normally snow-white hair took on a gray shade. Ruby almost hadn’t recognized her, as Weiss’ proud, aristocratic demeanor was totally absent, the bruises on her face telling the story of why. She shied away from meeting Ruby’s eyes in a manner not too dissimilar from the way they were taught to treat their masters. She really did not like seeing that on someone she knew.

But she kept her gaze fixed as she approached. Weiss stood up and tentatively wiped a bloodstain off of Ruby’s face with an oily hand.

“Ruby? How did… how did you get here?”

Ruby didn’t know what else to do, so she embraced her, “I could ask you the same.”

“You…” She sobbed, “You’re not supposed to be here.”

Ruby patted her on the back, “No one is supposed to be here, Weiss.”

As comfortable as it was, their embrace could not last long. They were already getting disapproving looks and had to get back to work. Still, they could talk while they sat and sorted through the piles of scrap.

“So,” Ruby decided to start first, before things grew awkward, “Guess I should ask the obvious. What happened?”

“What is there to say? A month ago, I just… appeared in the middle of the desert alongside Yang.”

Ruby perked up at that. “With Yang? I mean, same thing here, but I was totally alone.”

“I was going to ask if you’ve seen Blake, but…”

“Still, if the three of us are here, she must be nearby as well. That’s how this works, right? Where did you two appear?” Her voice suddenly got a lot more panicked “And where’s Yang now?”

Weiss shrugged, “I don’t know where Yang is now. When we got here, it took us a day to find a settlement, some small town called Novac.” She picked up an old pistol, and started disassembling it.

“They took us in. Gave us food, shelter, and information. The place was well defended too, a bunch of NCR soldiers retired there and made everyone feel safe.”

Ruby remembered the town from her map, it was some two days travel from Nipton, and Cass told her it was a safe place to rest at. While she listened, she picked out a firearm of her own, a varmint rifle similar to the one she used back in Goodsprings.

“The problem was,” Weiss continued, “We wanted to earn our keep but the town had no work available. As luck would have it, an NCR platoon passed by one day and we signed on as mercenaries.”

“Ah, yes.” Ruby had a feeling as to where the story was going, “The ever reliable republic.”

“So you’ve met them, huh? The ranger over at Novac left a good impression on us, but these guys were from the regular army. We only learned the difference when it was too late.”

“They wanted to establish an outpost to guard the river, said it would be easy. But between their incompetence and their cowardice, we were… It’s embarrassing, really. We were overrun in a night attack by an inferior legion force. I was knocked out in the fighting, so I couldn’t tell what happened to Yang.”

Ruby sighed in frustration. Yet another thing to worry about.

“I never saw a body or anything.” Weiss tried to assure her, “And I know some of them retreated…”

“It’s okay… it has to be. Yang is tough.” The rifle in her hands looked fine, except for the bolt mechanism, which was too rusted to cycle. She found another similar rifle with an intact bolt, but a bent barrel, and found a screwdriver to disassemble them both.

Weiss looked downcast, “I thought I was tough, too.” She wiped her eyes, “But I could barely do anything that night, even with all my aura. Next thing I knew, they made me into a…” She tightened her fists, “I didn’t think I could be compelled to half all the things they demanded of me, but faced with enough beatings and threats… Guess I folded pretty quickly.”

“I know the feeling, Weiss. I don’t blame you. If it makes you feel any better, I racked up my own share of mistakes in a short time.”

Ruby told Weiss her own story, about how she met Jack and got him killed, about her near-death experience, and the battles against the various evildoers at Goodsprings, Primm, and Nipton. By the end of it, she had assembled a single functional firearm out of the two rifles. Er, probably functional. They couldn’t be the ones to test it, of course, but it looked good enough to her.

“Seems you fared much better than we did.” Weiss said, “It’s good to hear of good people winning somewhere out there. And you’ve always been very determined, I doubt any of us could have half the things you did in the same circumstances…”

Ruby swelled with pride at the rare approval from Weiss, but she did not miss how self-deprecating it was.

“Weiss,” Ruby laid a hand on her shoulder, “This world is… I didn’t understand it at first, how cruel it was. You couldn’t have known. You couldn’t have done much more. I was lucky to have had a second chance, even if I squandered it.”

“Yeah…” She turned back and continued her work. She didn’t believe her, and it annoyed Ruby immensely. Where was the proud Weiss that would argue with her on everything? Who would chastise her for failing to meet her perfectionist standards? To see her reduced to this hollowed-out shell of a woman, it was heartbreaking. The day when she burned down the whole of the Legion couldn’t come soon enough.

“How much aura do you have?” Ruby had to get her thinking of better things, like escaping this hellhole.

She sighed, “Very little. Less than 30%. I’ve been trying to practice my summons, and I’m making progress, but it’s not quite there yet…”

“Okay, you have some aura. That’s a good start. If we could get just a little more food, we could both rapidly recover it, and you can get the hang of your semblance. Don’t forget, we’re in this together,” She gave her a reassuring smile. “We’ll figure something out.”

Weiss looked at her, and the tiny smile that briefly appeared on her face made Ruby’s heart jump.

“That’s right, Rubes. Just need to hold on a little longer. We’ll make it out together, and this will all be just a distant nightmare.”

Yes, Ruby assured herself, they could do this. They knew the Fort well, they knew how to obtain everything they needed for an escape, and more. The Legion had badly underestimated them, and they would pay the price.

Qrow was, to put it bluntly, not having the best of days. In fact, he was pretty sure it was somewhere in his top 10 worst days ever, but he couldn’t precisely rank it on account of how wasted he was.

The morning started out pretty good. He had just come back to Beacon Academy from a successful assignment and was intending to relax, reunite with his nieces, and see them perform in that stupid tournament.

Only to be told by Headmaster Ozpin that they’ve been missing for three days, along with the rest of their team. None of their friends had the faintest idea of what happened either.

All Ozpin and co. had was some blurry camera footage showing them passing through a street in downtown Vale, and that was enough for him to immediately transform into his crow form and start investigating.

So that’s how he ended up here, tired to the bones from chasing ghosts all day, and drinking his troubles away in some shithole, trying to avoid conceding to the most obvious conclusions. The bartender across the counter looked conflicted between cutting him off now or waiting another hour for closing time to shoo him away. Qrow just smiled and ordered another shot.

“There you are!” None other than Winter Schnee entered through the bar’s doors, her white military uniform and demeanor the exact opposite of discreet. “I was on the verge of calling a search for you.”

“Not that it would’ve mattered, they seem to not really bother with missing people these days.”

Winter’s glare didn’t let up as she took a seat next to him, “It’s not funny, Qrow. My sister is missing.”

“Seemed pretty funny to Oz and the General, with how they’re handling this.”

“They’re… trying to keep a low profile. With the recent security incidents, the last thing we need is rumors spreading about why the security forces are rummaging through all of downtown.”

“There we go again, ol’ General Ironwood can do no wrong… Why are you here, then?”

“One, because you’re not answering your scroll and Ozpin is worried. And two, because I’m supposed to be investigating the matter myself. Without raising suspicion.”

“You don’t look very covert to me. Besides, aren’t you like a public figure or something?”

Before she could answer, he shouted at the bartender, “Where’s my shot already? Also make it double for the Schnee woman- hic.”

“Qrow!”

“Forget it. There’s no chance we can do this together.”

“What nonsense. I’ve done similar things before, and with great success.”

The bartender placed two shot glasses of Whiskey in front of them. Qrow drank them both.

“Look, Qrow, these things don’t just happen. Certainly not to a team like RWBY, not to mention that they were armed in the footage we found. It was a hit of some kind. We just need to figure out a motive, and things will start to fall into place quickly.” She gave him a weak smile. “You’ll see.”

He sighed, “Tell me something, Winter. When was the last time you had your security clearance changed?”

She was taken aback, “What? I’m not certain, maybe two years ago? What does this have to do with anything?”

“Figured as much. I already know the motive. Oz and Ironwood know as well, they’re just playing dumb. I’m telling you that you can’t help me, and the General is just letting you have a go at it so you don’t start resenting him.”

“Qrow.” She grabbed him by his shirt. “What in the world are you talking about?”

“I’m telling you to piss off.” He swatted her hand away, “I can handle this myself, but it’s going to take some time.”

“You’re not making any sense, why would they not want the case to be pursued?”

Because they’re a bunch of cowards. “Because it’s complicated. Just imagine the General giving you another lecture on ‘the greater good,’ and that’s about it.”

He could tell Winter was getting nervous, “I… I don’t see what greater good there is in not pursuing whoever did this.”

“Because they don’t want to reveal that they know who did it. That good enough for you?”

“I think you’re drunk.” She abruptly stood up and left the bar. Qrow had a feeling she’ll be back. On second thought, he could use her presence to threaten Raven into doing him a favor. Besides, he would need a fast transport. He sighed and took out his scroll, sending a message to her number.

Sorry bout that, princess, how about we meet again when I’m sober? I think I’ll need some backup for what I’m about to do. If everything goes well, we’ll have the kids safe in a couple weeks, kay?

Assuming they’re alive, he thought. They better fucking be, he could not lose any more family. They were all he really had at this point.

Chapter Text

Ruby actually enjoyed her time in the workshop. Restoring the old guns was challenging in a good way, and every completed piece felt immensely rewarding. Her work mostly consisted of stripping old weapons for parts until she could assemble a single functional one, whereupon a Legion recruit would take it out for testing. The success rate was not great, and they could only fix less complex types of weapons, but she must have restored perhaps as many as 15 of them in the single week she spent there.

And the job certainly beat the stuff she did whenever they ran out of scrap guns and she and Weiss were back to doing physically demanding or otherwise tedious work.

That’s not to say she was fine, quite the contrary. She felt a deep, deep sense of shame for every day she tolerated her enslavement, and even more so for the fact that her work was directly helping the Legion harm innocents. But she had no choice, especially if she was going to make it out alive. It was just another debt to add to the pile. She promised herself that every day spent here would be paid back tenfold.

She saw Weiss take a piece of sharp scrap metal and hide it beneath her outfit. The Legion thought them pacified, but they were wrong. Because tomorrow, they would make their escape. Weiss and Ruby determined the three things they needed to make it out.

Their first requirement, was weapons. No crossing could be considered without first taking out the river watchmen. Unfortunately for them, none of the guns they looked through had a lick of gunpowder, but melee weapons would suffice. Ruby also had a metal shiv hidden on her, picked out when no one was looking.

The second requirement was extra food, partly to restore their auras, but also so they could make the journey to friendly settlements. They didn’t necessarily need to have it on them, just being well-fed would do. To that extent, their less physically exerting job helped, as did their relatively good recent behavior. Weiss usually got taken to the kitchens whenever they finished their work here, and she occasionally snuck in some food for her. Ruby felt noticeably more energetic these days, but that wasn’t saying much. Her aura had recovered a lot as well, maybe to 70 or 80%, and Weiss said she had made a breakthrough with her summoning practice. As good as it was to see her regain some confidence, it also made her impatient. Not that Ruby could blame her.

The final thing needed was for the two of them to be near the river at the same time. Much easier said than done, seeing as they didn’t really get to pick their schedules. Ruby had an idea on how to fix this, though, as she stuffed a can of gun oil underneath her outfit just before a legionary walked in, wielding a rusted 9mm pistol.

“It works.” Ruby understood this to mean it only jams on every fifth shot. The true horror of the wasteland was the shoddy craftsmanship she was forced to sign off on. Truly, her reputation as a weapons expert would be in tatters if someone heard she made that piece of crap. How far she has fallen. The soldier looked over the diminished pile of scrap parts, “You’re dismissed for tonight, get to your sleeping quarters.”

She did not need telling twice. She gave an assured nod to Weiss, who was still struggling with an old lever-action rifle, before departing.

But instead of going directly to her quarters, she took a slight detour today. She took out her scrap shiv, and held it behind her back as she stepped into one of the kitchens. The enclosed space was no longer in use- The fires were reduced to mere embers and only a lone guard remained to watch over it.

“What are you doing here, slave?” He glared at her, his arms crossed. She noted the machete on his hip. It would take him too long to reach it. He saw her as no threat… Big mistake.

She tightened her hands on the shiv and charged at him, jamming the metal right into his throat. He gasped, and his hand went for his hip, but he already struggled to grasp the handle. Moments later, he collapsed, meekly grasping at his wound. She didn’t even wait for him to die, she had to get to work, and quickly.

Her first order of business was getting one of the short knives from the tables. They were far more reliable and easier to conceal than what she had previously.

The second issue, was the food. There were perhaps 20 large bags stored in this single place. It could probably provide thousands of meals to the Legion. And destroying it would force them to pivot their efforts to emergency food production, that is to say, they’re going to have most of the slaves go out to forage. Hopefully, this would mean both Weiss and Ruby would be sent out at the same time.

She couldn’t help but stuff her mouth with produce now that she was here, but she didn’t have all day, so she poured the gun oil onto the linen sacks, before picking up a hot coal from the dying fires and tossing it at the fuel, which made it burst into flames.

Her task accomplished, she activated her semblance, almost instantly appearing a hundred feet away, within a crowd of slaves. She returned to her sleeping quarters as if nothing had happened. She tried her best to filter out the confusion and shouting of the Legionaries that night and go to sleep.

She woke up to find out her plan worked a little too well, as the Legion was seriously unsettled by the event. What slave would kill a legionary soldier in the middle of the fort? It was totally unheard of, and all throughout the morning, she could hear whispering about the ‘Burned man.’ It was so common that the legionaries couldn’t do anything about it, and even they were partaking in spreading rumors about him amongst each other. She could tell they were afraid, and it brought her immense satisfaction.

It even made up for the fact that they weren’t given their morning ration. She figured this was coming, but seeing the expressions of her fellow slaves, she started having second thoughts. She was hurting them, hundreds of innocent people. And when she escaped, would they retaliate against the others, sowing more terror to keep them in line? Almost definitely, and it made her stomach churn as they were being taken outside the Fort.

As expected, a great number of them had been taken out of the camp, maybe as much as 200 if she had to guess, and they were being marched southwards. It took her a while to find Weiss in the crowd, she was starting to get afraid that she wasn’t there.

“Hey, Weiss. Are you ready for today?” She noticed the weather was unusually cool on this morning. The conditions seemed almost perfect for an escape.

“Ready as can be,” She gripped her chest, where she was presumably hiding a weapon underneath her clothes. Ruby’s knife was wrapped inside one of the rags that passed for footwear here. It was uncomfortable, and a close inspection would indicate that she was hiding something, but it was good enough.

“Hey, Weiss, they’re taking us quite far this time.” They’ve already been traveling downriver for half an hour.

“Yes, the land here is less barren from our foraging. I’m glad we’re not right next to the fort, but I didn’t count on there being so many guards.”

“Are we still doing it?”

“Of course. I’m not spending a moment longer here than is necessary.” Her voice was shaking, “We’ll rendezvous at Novac today, you understand that? Once over the river, go east till you hit the highway, then south. The town has a big motel with a massive dinosaur mascot, you can see it for miles.”

“Okay.”

A few more minutes, and they were given the order to halt at a particularly verdant shrubland. The river was quite wide at this location, perhaps as much as 500 feet.

A Legion officer addressed them, “Attention, slaves. Each one of you is to bring two pounds of edibles by day’s end. Those who bring less shall be beaten, and those who are caught eating their forage shall be dismembered on the spot. We have no patience today, you are to make up for what you’ve allowed to happen last night.”

Groans of displeasure could be heard amongst the crowd, but they didn’t last long. They knew they had no choice but to immediately get to work.

“There’s no way in hell any of us could find that much.” Ruby said, crouching into the bushes to get her knife out, “Next to a river or not, this is still a desert.”

“It’s okay, we don’t have to listen to their demands anymore.” Weiss steeled herself, looking at her surroundings. “There’s 24 legionnaires present, evenly spread out over 6 groups of 4. All of them have guns, as far as I can tell.”

“Our auras are almost full, but even if we take their weapons… it’ll be too much to handle.”

“Why? There are over 200 of us. If we take even a few of them, it’ll spur the others to fight back.”

“Are you crazy, Weiss? These people don’t have auras.”

“I know.” There was a certain finality to her words. She looked at Ruby with a tired expression, she knew exactly what she meant.

“A lot of them will die,” Ruby said, suddenly stricken by dread, “Y- you don’t want to do this. We can… pick out some other time, maybe sneak out on the return trip. That way we’ll face fewer guards and-”

“No. I’m not waiting a minute more.” Weiss said resolutely. “Besides, they should also have a chance to escape.”

“W- Weiss?” The panic in Ruby’s voice was palpable.

She pulled out her shiv and got up, “This isn’t the time for second guessing yourself, Ruby. I’m doing it, one way or another. I can’t go on like this anymore.”

Ruby gulped, but she held her knife firmly and followed her to a small hill where four legionaries stood watch.

“What is it now, slaves?” An annoyed legionary addressed them. He held a lever-action shotgun in his hands, but he was relaxed and had it pointing at the ground. They really haven’t learned a thing…

Ruby watched Weiss take a deep breath. In a single fluid motion, she jabbed her shiv into the man’s heart, before taking his gun, and pointing it at another legionary.

A bang, and he went limp instantly. The others raised their own guns in response, but Ruby dashed with her semblance, slitting their throats with inhuman ease. As they fell, Ruby went about taking one of the guns, while Weiss focused her fire on the other groupings of Legion troops.

The slaves dropped to the floor to avoid the crossfire, but as Ruby joined in with a varmint rifle and started dropping more Legion, the returning fire seemingly bouncing off of her, they gained heart and started tackling their captors.

“I’m out,” Weiss said, discarding her weapon and taking cover in the dirt.

“Use your summon,” Ruby said as she also ran dry. She picked up a 9mm pistol and continued the fight. The Legion was too preoccupied with the attacking slaves, whom they mercilessly fired upon.

Ruby tried not to think too hard about how many were dying and just focused on landing accurate shots with the distraction she was given. Nothing else mattered in the moment.

In just over a minute, the Legion force was defeated, and the few guards who weren’t dead were being swarmed by the furious mob, which was exacting revenge for every petty cruelty they had suffered. Looking at it, she felt no sympathy for her captors.

But the slaves weren’t celebrating, instead they were looking at something behind Ruby. Turning around, she saw another Legion squad approaching. She doubted they were going to be the only ones, this must have been heard as far back as the fort.

“Weiss, 8 more incoming, on our six.” She turned to fire, but her pistol was empty.

The men looked to be recruits, and they were appropriately armed with melee weapons. But even so, they were charging into a group so much more numerous than they were. She could see how the Legion overcame its shortcomings. Pure fanaticism could take one quite far.

She looked over at Weiss, who was crouched on the floor, a large white circle with a snowflake symbol in front of her, from which a giant armored suit climbed out. It had a brilliant blue glow to it and held a massive blade. The Legion attackers stumbled but for a moment, before continuing their charge.

They let out their war cries, “For Caesar!” as they were cut down, one by one, at the hands of Weiss’ summoned knight. They fought ferociously, striking the knight at every opportunity they had, but to little effect. Once the last enemy had fallen, the knight disintegrated, its particles scattered by the wind.

“Whew,” Weiss exhaled. She was visibly tired out by the ordeal, and Ruby wagered it was taxing on her aura as well.

“I… I did it!” She said, giggling to herself. “On my first real try too. Winter would be so proud…”

Ruby had just finished finding a mag and reloading the 9mm, before lending Weiss a hand, which she eagerly took to get up. Looking back at the battlefield, it was a disturbing sight, all the blood and death. It seemed the world agreed, for the weather suddenly became overcast and even colder.

Or perhaps it was a premonition of what was to come, as another group of soldiers was making its way to them from the other direction. Two squads of Legion were some 200 meters away, and one of the soldiers had just opened fire from an SMG, cutting down scores of people in the tightly packed crowd.

It was harrowing, and Ruby was too shocked to react immediately. Most of the slaves sought cover by the riverbank, while a few returned fire with pilfered guns. Still, it was immediately clear to Ruby that none of them had marksmanship experience, and a prolonged firefight would only lead to further massacre.

Even if they won, more reinforcements were surely coming. They couldn’t take on the entire Legion by themselves. She had to do something, wasn’t she supposed to be a leader?

“Listen up, everyone!” Ruby shouted, firing several accurate shots to get the Legion to take cover. “We are going to cross the river and make a run for it. They cannot catch us all.”

Cheers went out as the people leapt into the waters. Ruby fired off a few more shots before also jumping into the river, Weiss following right behind her.

The moment she hit the water, she noticed something very concerning. The river was fast. She had observed driftwood in the water before, she knew how quick the flow was supposed to be, and this was not it. Was it because she was at another part of the river? Was that how it worked? Or were they letting out a lot of water at the dam? Either way, she struggled to get anywhere while swimming in the turbulent and blood-soaked waters of the Colorado.

The other slaves fared even worse, as many were wounded, weak, or had never learned to swim in the first place. She bumped into them constantly as she was being swept away. Her pistol was quickly discarded as she focused all her efforts on moving across the wide body of water.

By the time she had reached the other side, she was far enough downriver to have reached one of the Legion outposts she saw when she was first being taken in. Luckily, it was located on the side opposite her, but the soldiers were already embarking onto their rafts, while others were shooting the slaves still in the water.

She tried looking for any sign of Weiss, but she couldn’t make anyone out. A few of the slaves had made it to the shore next to her, but not Weiss. Ruby’s aura had started taking shots. It was getting dangerously low, and she had no choice but to run.

Looking behind her, she saw the slaves getting tackled by a Legion force that had made it across and was going after them. She had literally nothing to defend herself with, while these people had machetes. She could do nothing but keep running, soaked and tired as she was.

After several minutes of sprinting without stopping, she found herself alone, save for a single, persistent legionary still chasing her. She didn’t know if the others were caught or had simply dispersed. Either way, things had rapidly gotten out of control, and way too many people had died. More than she’d ever seen. How in the world was she supposed to deal with all those lives weighing on her?

She was thankful to her pursuer that she couldn’t afford to think too hard about it right now.

At least Ruby was good at running. Even without using her semblance, she was one of the best at Beacon. And even with all that, she only barely managed to keep a distance of about half a mile from the legionary, and he was slowly gaining on her.

It wasn’t that he was good, though he absolutely was, but rather that the terrain had shifted from mud and dirt to jagged gravel and rocks, and her footwraps offered practically no protection. It was as if she were stepping on glass, and she was forced to keep a furious pace as it started to rain. She had never been in a desert before, but she was pretty confident until now that they weren’t supposed to do that. The river and dam should have clued her in, though.

In any case, she could not sustain this. She had been sprinting for too long now, and she was running out of breath as the terrain started to get hilly. She felt like she was going to collapse any second now. She had to do something, and soon.

Once at the top, the view revealed to her nothing but more barren hills. No help, no advantage, no nothing. She would have to make her own advantage.

She descended a few feet down the hill, breaking the legionary’s line of sight and stopping to catch her breath and pick out a sizable rock. The soldier was stronger and better armed than her, but she was a huntress, dammit, and she wouldn’t let him take her. Not without a fight.

She took aim and waited for him to come. The moment he poked out of the hillside, she threw her rock, hitting him square in the forehead. He staggered back, stunned but still standing. She charged with her semblance, tackling him to the ground. She could finally get a good look at him. He was young and muscular, like most new legionaries, but with a scar on his nose and red stains from his blood-soaked hair. But before she could do anything to him, he kneed her in the stomach and easily threw her off.

He slowly stood up, only to be charged yet again by Ruby, who tried to reach for his sheathed machete. But he remained steady, and his raw body mass let him effortlessly swat her away. He then drew his blade and made a series of clumsy swings that she easily dodged, before running away again.

She turned to see that he was clutching his bloodied head, but he did not give up the chase. Not the result she was hoping for, but it was still 1-0 in her books. She would grind him down, little by little, until his body gave out.

The man was beyond angry, and he summoned a burst of energy to catch up with Ruby. She dashed forward with her semblance to buy time, picking up several rocks and throwing them as he neared. None hit as well as the first one, impacting only his arms now that he was prepared to block.

He leapt at her, ready to dismember her in a single great swing. Ruby used the last of her aura to dash behind him, making him stumble as he hit air. Before he could orient himself, she threw another devastating rock into the back of his head, drawing yet more blood.

She learned her lesson from last time, and ran instead of trying to press the advantage. By now, the rain had picked up from a medium trickle to a serious downpour. She could barely make things out a few feet from her. But the legionary was getting tired, his breaths were growing heavy and uneven. He must have lost a considerable amount of blood. She could easily outrun him now, pelting him with rocks every so often. He was getting weaker by the minute, and she was confident that she could do this.

Well, until she slipped on the wet ground and fell.

She only had a moment to get her bearings before the legionary caught up and jumped onto her, his machete poised for her throat. She just barely redirected it away with her arm, but he was on top of her, and she wasn’t going anywhere now. His bloodshot eyes stared deep into hers, sending shivers up her spine as rain and his blood dripped onto her face.

He raised the machete up high again, but she grabbed his upper arm and held it back, not giving him the leverage to swing down. He used his other hand to grab her head and bashed it against the ground. She kneed him in the groin, making him let go of both his weapon and her head. Seizing the moment, she grabbed the machete and slashed right through his left bicep.

He yelled in pain, trying to repossess the weapon with his other arm, only for her to toss it away. He used his working hand to choke her, and Ruby could do little to stop him. She couldn’t get his arm to move, and her legs were now pinned down properly. If she wasn’t panicked before, she was now. She couldn’t breathe, and her vision was getting darker with every passing second. Was this it? Was this how Ruby died? Never having achieved any of her dreams? No, it couldn’t be. She wouldn’t allow it. And she definitely wouldn’t surrender like last time.

She felt around the ground, grasping a rock with her hand, and trowing it at his temple. He let go of her, and she inhaled that sweet, sweet air. With a strength she didn’t know she still had, she wrestled him until she was on top. He was regaining his senses again, so she took her rock and bashed it into his head with both hands, producing an unnerving snap.

“Noo…” He meekly said, his voice raspy. “Sthapp, donnth…”

She bashed his head in again, this time making a satisfying crunch.

He groaned in pain, slurring words she could not even begin to make out. She just brought the rock down again. And again. And again. In that moment, she was no longer Ruby. She was nothing more but id, an animal instinct desperate to survive. She brought the rock down one final time, eliciting a sickeningly squishy sound.

She fell on her back, her bloody hands spread wide. She just stared at the gray sky, breathing in and out, her mind empty.

She didn’t know how long she laid there, feeling the rain wash over her body.

She deserved a moment of rest. She did it. She had survived. She had clawed her way out of the depths of hell, if not intact, at least alive. And she gave the Legion a nasty blow, the first of many. But after the adrenaline wore off, she began to cry- she cried her heart out over the innocence she had lost. Over a part of Ruby that didn’t make it out of the Legion camp.

But she couldn’t wallow in remorse forever, she knew that she had to get moving. Trying to not to look at his face, Ruby took the dead man’s machete and boots. At least her feet wouldn’t be bleeding by the time she reached Novac.

Upon standing up, she realized she couldn’t tell the cardinal directions due to the clouds obscuring the Sun. She gave it her best estimate based on their trail thus far, and started walking. She was pretty sure she wasn’t being pursued, but she already paid for that mistake back at Goodsprings, and wasn’t going to do so again.

The journey was not easy, but at least she was no longer being chased by a maniac set on killing/enslaving her. Sure, all of her muscles burned, pleaded to be given rest, but she endured it. She could endure anything because she was finally a free woman. Ruby never could have imagined being this happy to be stranded in a desert with pretty much nothing to her name. She could do anything now, go anywhere, be anything… she just wished she had Weiss with her.

She should have known it was going to happen. Nothing good ever happened in this world. No, she could be running to civilization just like her… or her head could already be stuck on a pike somewhere.

What the hell was coming over her? She couldn’t think like that. She had to keep hoping. She had to keep going. Just… keep… going.

The rain had stopped a few hours later, and the afternoon heat dried her out well enough. She could finally tell her directions too, and she was satisfied to find that she was only slightly off. Really, the day was starting to pay her back for all the poor luck during their escape.

She was practically ecstatic when she spotted the highway sometime near sundown. She followed it south, hoping a settlement was nearby.

It was still difficult to believe, that she was free. She tightly clutched her machete throughout the journey, jumping into a defensive posture at the slightest noise. She honestly expected that a legion hit squad would appear out of the shadows at any moment and take her back.

Not that she could stop a gecko the way she was. Ruby was exhausted, hungry, and thirsty, and she could do very little now. But she could still keep moving forward. Her time among the Legion had made her tough, made her able to bear these pains in a way she never could have before. The Ruby from a month ago wouldn’t have been able to bash a man’s skull in. Not that she didn’t feel bile come up every time she recalled the memory, but she still did it. She banished an evildoer, even though it was not nearly as glamorous as it should have been.

Just as the last rays of sunlight had disappeared, Ruby spotted a tiny light on the horizon- something that looked to be a settlement. With every step forward, she could make out further details.

The main thing that stood out was the dinosaur… statue thing that Weiss mentioned, holding a giant neon sign advertising the large motel complex right behind it. It wasn’t just a rest stop either, there were other houses and farmsteads scattered about, including a giant water tower.

She quickened her pace, barely keeping steady as she neared her salvation. She almost stumbled over a skeleton on the road, still wearing a tattered legion uniform. A good sign, she decided. She continued past it, not looking back. She just wanted to be done with it all. Any moment now.

She was almost there. She made her way around the debris barricades, rounded the chainlink fence they had up, and finally found the entrance gate to the motel.

Locked.

She let out a groan of despair as she shook the metal fence, trying to make some noise.

She could see a door open at the foot of the dinosaur statue, from where a tall man emerged. He was quite intimidating, with a strong jaw and a serious look about him. He wore a red beret, and held a scoped rifle in his hands. Upon approaching her, his expression shifted to one of slight surprise. He holstered the weapon onto his back. This was it. She was safe and sound.

“H-help.” She barely got it out in a raspy voice, before faceplanting onto the ground.

Chapter Text

Ruby woke up to a rather strange sensation. She was, simultaneously, both sore beyond belief and the most comfortable she’s been in a long time. The room she found herself in was small and a bit run-down, but also lived in and, dare she say it, cozy. She was a bit confused at first, before the memories of yesterday came rushing in.

An immense relief washed over her. She was safe. She was free. Er, probably.

She got up from the bed, tentatively approaching the window and opening the curtains to let the sunlight in.

As she did so, a loud gasp came from behind her. She jumped and turned around to see the man from yesterday bolt upwards and take a combat stance with his fists. She had just noticed the sleeping blanket in the corner of the room.

“Uhhh… hello.” Ruby tried.

The man remained tense for several moments, before putting his guard down, “Hello.” He said in a flat voice.

“Um, nice to meet you.” She went up to him and offered a handshake, “I’m Ruby.”

His eyes narrowed at her before accepting the hand, “The name’s Boone.”

It seemed he was not the talkative type. “I guess I should thank you for taking me in. I’ve been on the run from the Legion camp.” She looked down to see she was still wearing her slave outfit, “But I guess you could tell that already.”

He nodded.

Ruby wondered if this was how she looked to others when she was socially awkward. If so, yikes.

There was definitely something off about him, but she didn’t think he was malevolent in any way.

“People don’t usually escape from Caesar’s camp, you know?” He spoke. “You said your name was Ruby?”

“Yup. Ruby Rose. I think some friends of mine stopped by here at some point, they might have asked about me.”

“It’s been a while, but I remember it well. They were… strange. The blonde was called Yang, the other one was…”

“Weiss. They joined up with an NCR force that passed by, I think? I’m not entirely sure what happened after that, though.”

“The unit got beaten badly at Nelson, only the blonde girl came back. Didn’t speak much, sulked for a few days while she healed. Then left for Vegas.”

Her heart swelled at that, “You think she’s still there?”

“Probably. But it’s a big place, would be hard to find anyone.”

An immense weight was lifted from Ruby’s shoulders. Her sister was alive, and she had a clue as to where she was.

“That’s a relief. But it’ll still be a hard journey, I lost all my caps back when I was…” She chuckled, “It’s kinda silly, but I hadn’t thought of it as being robbed. I had other things to worry about.”

He hummed affirmatively. “You must be hungry. I’ll bring you something to eat, we can talk more after that. There’s also a working shower in the bathroom, you look like you need it.”

Ouch. Doesn’t mince his words either.

He opened the apartment door, “I also have some spare clothes in the closet, take anything you need.”

“T-thanks.” She said before he stepped outside and shut the door.

She made her way to the bathroom. It looked surprisingly modern, some many of the tiles were cracked and the colors were faded. Definitely pre-war construction. The cold water was a Godsend in this hellscape, and it let her think clearly about her situation.

Her objectives, in order of urgency, were:

- Finding Weiss

- Searching Vegas for Yang

- Figuring out where the hell Blake could be

- Finding the man who killed Jack and took the platinum chip

- Getting revenge on the Legion

- Getting the hell out of this world and back to Remnant, if it was even possible

It was a lot. And that was still without counting the minor, yet more immediate issue of caps and- was Crescent Rose still back in Nipton? Or was it looted? She might have to go south looking for it and any trace of Weiss… Or she could go north to follow her pursuit and find Yang first.

If the Legion caught Weiss, Ruby likely only had a limited time to help her. Chances were she would be crucified and expire within a few days. She even had the location- it would likely be done at the fort. Perhaps she could retrieve Crescent and use her semblance to stage a rescue?

Much as she hated the idea of leaving Weiss to die, her plan had only a tiny chance of success, and Ruby knew it. She couldn’t rush in without a second thought, that was how she ended up in this mess in the first place.

Perhaps with the help of Yang and Blake, she could get something done? Still, abandoning someone seemed… Not like something a huntress would do. But was she really a huntress, though? Or was she just a little girl in way over her head?

She decided to go find Yang, and if possible, Blake. Maybe even get that bounty for the platinum chip so she could get geared. With her aura somewhat recovered, she could go down to the river to search for Weiss. With any luck, she could see her in as little as 2-3 days.

Only problem was, she was dead broke… and utterly exhausted. Her muscles were barely listening to her as it was. She had to figure out a way to get money, and fast.

She got out of the shower and went to get dressed. She was surprised that his closet had a lot of female clothing, and pretty good stuff too. He did have a double bed… In any case, whoever lived here sure shared her tastes. It certainly wasn’t full-on goth, but it would do.

She ended up donning a black skirt, a black shirt, and a pair of black stockings in addition to her pilfered boots. As always, black was the best crutch for when one didn’t want to spend an hour picking out clothes. At least she found a red scarf to break up the monotony. She then went to look at herself in the bathroom mirror. For once, she looked presentable, nice even. It’s been a while since that was the case.

She could find no hair dryer, though it was to be expected in the desert, so she just went outside to dry off. Stepping out into the sunlight felt… weird. Just standing in the motel courtyard, with no orders to fulfill and no one watching over her. It felt a bit alien after so long, truth be told.

The people were out and about as well, and the relative normalcy compounded the feeling. “Why hello there, sweety,” A middle-aged woman with round glasses approached her, “I don’t believe we’ve met before.”

“We haven’t. I’m Ruby Rose.”

“Well, isn’t that a beautiful name? I’m Jeannie May, the owner of the motel you stayed the night at. Don’t worry, sweetheart, I don’t charge extra for overbookings.”

“Oh. Uh, thank you, May.”

“When Boone said he found a girl who escaped from a legion camp, I thought he had finally lost it.” She looked at her brand, “But I guess even a broken clock is right twice a day.”

She pulled her scarf further up and tightened it to conceal the marking. “Is there something wrong with Boone? He was a little quiet, but he treated me fine.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. The man can be odd and occasionally jump to wild conclusions, but he means well.”

“I see. I’ll keep it in mind.”

“If you need anything, just come see me in the lobby by the gate. See you around, sweetheart!”

“You too.” She waved her goodbye.

Ruby spent the morning exploring the town. It was an alright place, not much different from Goodsprings. The people she saw on the street seemed a bit distant for her liking, though.

She noticed a man with a sniper rifle patrolling the main street. He wore a red beret like Boone, and he also had a leather jacket and a red sweater. He seemed like someone observant, so she approached him, “Excuse me, are you a local here?”

“Sure am,” he said in a friendly voice, “I’m Manny Vargas, I watch the town during the day, Boone and I keep it safe and all that. Oh yeah, Boone is the nighttime sniper. I’d introduce you to him, but…” his expression soured, “Well, it doesn’t really matter.”

“Is there something wrong?”

“No no, it’s fine. We just don’t talk much anymore, that’s all. Shouldn’t have mentioned it.”

“I spoke with him just now, if there’s anything wrong…”

He sighed in frustration, “It’s… Let’s just say his wife and I… We didn’t see eye to eye on some things. Argued a lot of the time. Then, one night, she goes missing on his watch. You can see the problem.”

“Oh. No wonder he’s like that.”

“Yeah. Thought he’d get better with time, but… Never mind all that. Did you need anything?”

“Yes, I’m looking for someone who might have passed through here about a month ago. Some rich guy with a checkered suit. Might have had some mercenaries with him?”

“Yeah, I know him.” He said casually, “Why do you ask?”

“Wait, really?” That was certainly not what she expected him to say. “You KNOW him?”

“We’re not exactly close, but yeah. What do you want with him?”

“He…” She couldn’t exactly say that she wanted to kill him, “He took something from me.”

The man’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, and she knew she had lost him in that moment. She chastised herself for being so dumb. Why couldn’t she have just properly lied to his face?

“It’s not that I care much about the prick, but I’d be dead by now if I got involved in every single plot in the Mojave. And if you’re going after him, no offense, but I don’t think I’ll get the opportunity to ask you for a return favor.”

She deflated, “I see. Sorry for bothering you.”

“Don’t sweat it. But seriously, the guy is dangerous. Don’t see why you’d ever wanna get involved with him.”

“It’s… complicated.”

“A little young to be doing the grizzled veteran act, don’t you think?” He chuckled, “Then again, I wasn’t much older when the world became a confusing mess.” He took off his beret and held it against his chest. Come to think of it, Ruby noticed it had some kind of NCR insignia on it.

“Were you in the military?”

“Yup. 1st recon, same as Boone. We were snipers, basically. Don’t regret my deployment, despite everything. The soldiers accepted me, even though I used to roll with the Khans back in the day.”

Oh, so that’s why he didn’t want to give her directions. She couldn’t really blame him. But also, he was with the Khans!? And he still remained buddies with them, seeing as he didn’t give up their whereabouts. But he seemed so friendly to her… He was certainly nothing like the people who buried her. Right? Get it together, Ruby.

“Woah. That’s umm… Impressive.”

“Sure was. The Khans were super tough and it was loads of fun, but military life was just way more fulfilling. The discipline, the sense of purpose… Totally different feel. Anyways, some stuff happened and it soured the whole thing for me, so I took Boone and settled down here with him.”

“I see…” She didn’t. In fact, it was a bad and confusing story, which also ended abruptly. But she watched enough war films to fill in the blanks. “Uh, thank you for your service.”

“Hah! Sorry, shouldn’t laugh, it’s just been a long while since anyone has said that sincerely. Takes me back… Anyways, I gotta keep going. Just watch yourself, kid. Whatever that guy took, it can’t be worth your head.”

“I’ll think about it. No, seriously.” She lied. The man seemed a little relieved at that, whether out of concern for her or for his raider friends, she didn’t know.

She made her way back to the motel room, where Boone was waiting for her with a meal he had brought over. It was a simple meat and potato stew, but anything free was more than appreciated. She thanked him before sitting down at a small table to eat.

“I see you were speaking to Manny.”

“Uh, sorry. I didn’t know you two had a spat. I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s fine. You’re new here, so in any case I trust you.”

“Uh… you trust strangers?” He certainly didn’t look like the trusting type.

“It’s better than anyone else here. Tell you what, I’ve got a lot of money saved up, I can give you enough to make it to Vegas if you do something for me.”

“Do what, exactly?”

“I need you to find something out for me. Don’t know if there is anything to find, but…”

“Is this about your missing wife? You want me to find her?”

“My wife’s dead. I want the son of a bitch who sold her out.”

“Hold on, how do you know she’s dead?”

“I just do.”

“Okay… And what do you mean by sold?”

“I mean she was taken by Legion slavers. They knew when there was a change of the guard, they knew what route to take, and they only took her. I’m sure someone set it up. The rest of the town thinks I’m crazy, but I know what happened.”

She still didn’t see why he was so sure the Legion was behind it, this might be the jumping to conclusions part Jeannie mentioned. In fact, it was mighty suspicious that he was so certain of her death. But she didn’t voice any of her concerns, seeing as he looked quite intense at the moment.

“And if I do find out who did it… what happens to them?”

“I’ll take care of it myself.”

Ruby gulped. Still, if they really did enslave someone…

She stood up, giving him a firm nod, “I’ll do my best.”

“That’s all I ask for.”

Boone’s task was reminiscent of something a proper huntsman might be asked to do on Remnant, and boy was she excited. After all, it was her dream to do this, and now she doesn’t even need any pesky licenses or anything. Yeah, screw the rules, she was now officially huntress Ruby Rose. And she was a detective to boot. Might as well grab a PhD in physics while she was at it.

Regarding the task itself, the town actually had a pretty sizable population. But she only had to talk to the permanent residents who were present at the time of the incident. So she got Boone to write her a list of the most likely suspects.

First up was Jeannie May Crawford. Boone’s note said: ‘Motel owner, spreads rumors about me.’ More like warnings, Ruby thought to herself as she went to meet her.

But it was as good a start as any. Man, she’s already starting to feel like a detective from the TV shows.

“So what can you tell me about Boone’s wife?” They were in the modest hotel lobby, empty save for some cabinets, a floor safe, and the table the kind lady was sitting at, busy writing a letter of some kind.

“Don’t tell me he’s at it again,” She sighed, putting away the paper. “Suppose that’s just what happens when someone loses a loved one. I know I should be more understanding, but he shouldn’t be sending every passerby on a wild goose chase.”

“Oh… Well, sorry for bothering you, Ma'am.”

“Don’t worry about it, sweetie. I know he insists she was taken, but that was a Vegas woman he married. She wanted to see the wonders of the world, not settle down in some boring desert town, and everyone but Boone knew it. Plus, there were no signs of break-in, even though they lock their doors all the time. Seems more likely to me she just ran away one night.”

“I see. If anything, me asking around might ease his worries. And don’t worry, I’ll try to talk to him after I’m done here.” She said before leaving the lobby.

The lady seemed very honest and forthcoming. No reason for suspicion from detective Ruby. Boone, on the other hand… She added his name to the list of suspects. “The plot thickens,” she muttered to herself. Will master detective Ruby crack the case, or shall it remain a great mystery for future generations?

She sighed, somehow the more juvenile stuff didn’t feel right after everything she went through. She tried her best to ignore the entirety of last month, pretend it never happened, but she just kept getting reminded of it every other minute with people noticing her brand and the nature of her current task.

But she couldn’t stop and dwell on it. Every time she started thinking about it, a feeling of dread would seize her, and she would start shaking. Thankfully, the work was a good distraction. So she took a deep breath and looked at the next person on her list. Anything to get her mind off of bad things.

“Yup, Manny is upstairs, that door comes out to the dinosaur mouth.” The storekeeper said. She noted that the man in front of her was also on the list, noted as a struggling businessman who could try to sell someone.

“Thanks. Say, this is an odd place to see in the wasteland.” It was just like any other kind of store, with wood and plastic furnishings, but well stocked. Only thing was, they were in a dinosaur statue.

“I get that a lot. This place used to be some kind of attraction before the war. Even got some souvenirs.” He pointed to the shelf of adorable green dinosaur plushies, “Not sure who would go through the expense to have it built in the middle of nowhere, but damn if the dino mouth isn’t the best sniper’s nest in the whole Mojave. Got a clear sight on everything north for miles. Saved us from 2 legion raids and even turned back a brotherhood patrol.”

“Brotherhood?”

“Not from around here, I take it? The Brotherhood of Steel allegedly has a bunker hidden in the valleys northwest of here. They’re raiders, basically, except obsessed with pre-war technology. They’ll shake you down if you have anything more advanced than a pipe pistol, but otherwise they mostly keep to themselves these days.”

“Thanks for the warning, Sir. So, um… how’s business going?”

“Seen better days, we had an uptick in traffic due to some kind of obstruction on the I-15, but the Legion scared them off real quick.”

“I see.” Nothing she could deduce from him, but he didn’t seem like anything less than a friendly storekeeper. She hoped her instincts were right. She excused herself and went upstairs to ask the sniper. He was the prime suspect, after all, given everything she knew about him.

“Anything you could tell me about his wife’s disappearance?”

“Believe me, the first thing I thought when I heard the news was, ‘Man, I owe somebody. Big time.’ Thought Boone would come around after a while, but now I’m thinking things might never be the same. At least he’s speaking through intermediaries now, that’s gotta count for something. Even if he’s accusing me of murder.”

She had an apologetic look on her face, and it was genuine. She realized that she wasn’t really cut out for this detective work. “If it’s not a problem, I’d like to know any details of that night. How did things go down?”

“Trust me, we searched the place up and down for clues. All we got were some faded tracks going from Boone’s room to the gate, then southwards, following a small blindspot angle in the sniper nest precisely. We figured no one outside the town knew the exact route they’d have to take, so a lot of people say that she left on her own.”

“Or that whoever came for her was informed in advance? There’s a Legion camp that way, right?”

“I’ll tell you what, it’s certainly not the route I’d take to Vegas. Possible she wanted to go to California, but what do I know?”

“I see… Thank you for taking the time to talk to me.”

“No problem, glad to be of use.”

Like hell he was useful. ‘Both stories are plausible’ doesn’t really tell her much. Or does it? Whatever the case may be, it seemed odd to her that Jeannie May dismissed Boone as a lunatic so easily… Nothing conclusive, but she felt like she was making progress. By the end of the day, she might actually get somewhere.

Well, several hours passed, and there were precisely zero new developments.

She questioned a bunch of ranchers for hours, for no gain.

The mysteriously rich pilot lady who chose to retire in the middle of nowhere? Polite to a fault, and totally useless.

The last member of her list, a hermit on the edge of town, seemed promising. When he said he saw the whole thing go down, she took out a pen and started obsessively taking notes… Until she realized the man was insane. Like, literally. He kept rambling for an hour about the molerat kingdom and the spacefaring communist ghosts. Way to get her hopes up…

It was getting dark, and she had nothing solid going for her. She resigned herself to going back to the motel when she saw a strange person waiting for her in the courtyard. It was a middle-aged man with a military uniform of sorts.

“You’re Ruby, right? Heard someone escaped the legion camp. Had to go see them.” He seemed friendly, but his smile felt a bit forced.

“That would be me. I’m not exactly used to being treated like a celebrity of some kind, especially for something like…” It was getting almost as bad as that time everyone thought she had brain damage at Goodsprings.

“I’m sorry if I offended you,” He offered his hand, “Name’s Andy. I used to be a ranger.”

She shook his hand. “Used to?”

“My leg’s no good anymore. And neither is my arm.” Though she could see no visible injuries, she saw enough former huntsmen to know where this was going.

“How did it happen? Uh, it’s fine if you don’t want to share.”

“It’s all good, I don’t get many people to talk to these days. It all happened a few years ago, when we got a tip about some Legion slavers supposedly holed up at a house a few klicks from us. We get there, and find it deserted.”

“We turn to leave, when we hear a sound coming from the closet. I turn around and there's this kid, just skin and bone, and he's looking up at us and he's scared half to death. Been hiding in a closet. I go to grab him out of there and I notice he's holding something in his hand. Something metal.”

Ruby gasped.

“He shuts himself back inside the closet and that's when I see the grenade he's left by my feet. They do it a lot, the Legion. Using kids. They know we'll hesitate.” He sighed, “Sorry to be a downer. Not what you needed right now, I take it?”

“It’s fine. More people should be aware of Legion tactics.”

“Seems more like I’m just spreading fear. Totally useless…” He muttered.

“You… You’re not useless. You’re a ranger, surely you have a lot of other experience you could share with people.”

“Maybe… I don’t know. I’m not exactly the image of vitality these days, don’t think anyone would actually take me seriously.”

“I would.” Ruby said. “You must have been good to avoid injury for as long as you did.”

“Yeah…” A small smile crept up on his face, “There was that one time, when I was ambushed by a raider duo in a hallway. Since both of them had guns while I did not, it was basically a death sentence. Or it would have been, had I not done the old ranger takedown. Knocked one of them to the ground, while dodging the other’s shotgun. I then grabbed the downed guy’s gun and finished them both off in a flash.”

“Wow. What’s a ranger takedown?”

“It’s a special technique of ours, useful for turning the tables up close if you’re unarmed. You’re simultaneously dodging and knocking the enemy off their feet.”

“That sounds interesting. I could have used that a couple times. I’m terrible without a weapon.”

“No one is good without a weapon, which is why you gotta even things out. I can still show you, with my good limbs.”

The move consisted of suddenly dropping to the ground, supported with one arm and one leg, and moving the other leg in a wide sweeping motion.

“You wanna aim for the back of their legs, to knock em down.” He said as he slowly got up. “Then, you can either jump forward of backward, depending on if you need to make space or push the advantage. You wanna try it?”

She dropped down to the ground, and though her muscles were still not liking it, she gave her best effort to do a swing with her legs. It was slow and she lost her balance after doing it, but the ranger gave her nothing but encouragement.

So she tried it again. And again. And again. Her drop was now faster and more confident, her leg sweep actually had some force behind it, and she kept her balance all throughout. Really, it wasn’t much different from her many agility exercises, and her stronger legs had a lot more power than her arms.

“See, you’re getting the hang of it.” He smiled, this time genuinely. “I’d like to spar with you, but I’m not sure how much I can take.”

“It’s okay.” Ruby said. “I’m glad I could help you be useful.”

“Think nothing of it. Anyways, it’s getting late. I shouldn’t keep you occupied any longer.”

“Hold on. I wanted to ask if you knew anything about the disappearance of Boone’s wife?”

His smile slipped just a little, “Not really, but whatever happened, it’s a real shame she’s gone. She was a sweet girl. Not afraid to tell everyone her unfiltered opinion, but she had her charm. I don’t really go out much, so I didn’t get to see anything, so afraid I can’t be of much help here.”

“It’s okay. It was nice talking with you, Andy. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Nice as he was, he told her almost nothing. Just that Boone’s wife was nice… and direct. Come to think of it, a direct woman would be straightforward with Boone about wanting to leave, right? And she never heard such a harsh dismissal of Boone as crazy from anyone other than Jeannie May, and not at all from the one person who didn’t have the opportunity to gossip as much.

She went over to inspect the route the supposed Legion raider must have taken. It was a dirt path from the gate to Boone’s room. But it would be passing through a couple more doors, most notably the hotel lobby. No signs of break-in might mean the woman left on her own, but it could also mean they got a spare key from the lobby. But surely the room would be locked late at night? Unless…

She didn’t really believe it could be Jeannie May. The woman was sweet and kind, she could never have sold someone into slavery. But she was also her best lead. She went up to the door, and as expected, found it locked.

She went around the building, finding the window. The glass was long-gone, but it had metal bars installed, just small enough that she couldn’t fit through even with her tiny frame.

She took a deep breath. She would need perfect concentration to do this properly. She channeled the tiny sliver of her recovered aura to turn herself into a cloud of petals and dash through the bars. She made it through, but she did hit the table inside and knocked several papers to the ground.

“Phew.” She hoped nobody heard that. “Okay, that worked. Now what?”

First things first, if someone did hear her and came to check, she would rather there be no obvious signs of entry if she had to dash away. So detective Ruby went about picking up the papers and putting them back in place. What could a woman in the middle of nowhere even write about? She looked through her stuff, seeing mostly ledgers and import orders. One particular document, however, caught her eye. It was a letter, the very one she was writing when Ruby went to question her.

To: Omerta Casino Business mail. Nevada, New Vegas Strip no. 2

I’ve been referred to your organization by one of your clients, and am writing to you as I understand you provide a service I am in need of. I have recently come upon a small fortune in a currency I can’t conduct business in, and converting it using ordinary exchange services might raise some eyebrows.

I am willing to trade ~1000 caps of the money, in return for 800 caps, should they be delivered to Novac, seeing as I am unable to leave my post here.

- Sincerely, Jeannie May Crawford, Novac Motel Services.

Well, talk about suspicious. She didn’t understand exactly what she was getting at… could a slave go for a thousand caps of Legion money? She doubted it. But if Jeannie May was getting only a small cut…

But she couldn’t return to Boone with just that. He could go wild and potentially kill a woman whose only crime was converting NCR dollars without paying taxes or something equally stupid. For all intents and purposes, Jeannie May was still innocent.

Her eyes went to the floor safe in the corner. She knelt next to it, seeing a scrambled 5-digit mechanical combination lock. She wished Blake were here. She would know exactly how to open it. She would have also picked the door instead of making a mess like she did.

Doing some quick math, she determined that it would likely take a whole day for her to brute-force the combinations… Perhaps if she tried to listen to the clicking as she spun the lock wheels? That’s what they did in the movies, right? It couldn’t hurt to try.

Tonight, she found out the heist movies made it seem a lot easier than it actually was. There sure was clicking, but she spent the better part of half an hour feeling like she was going insane trying to spot the difference in nearly identical clicks. Still, there was something… Maybe not sound, but a feeling. She felt just a bit more resistance in certain places. She was better acquainted with feeling than sound, given how much she worked on the fine and difficult to reach mechanisms of Crescent Rose. She just had to feel the wheels seize up subtly, and before she knew it, the lock gave out, and she could peer into the depths of the safe. Blake would be proud of her.

Inside, she saw a vast, vast stash of coins. Not caps, but coins. Picking one up and putting it under the moonlight, she saw a crudely cast face of some strange man, while the other side was…

A bull. A legion bull. The same one marking her body. She flew into a rage, throwing the coin at the wall. How… how could she? She was such a sweet and nice lady, not… Selling out a fellow woman to toil and be raped for the rest of her life… and for what? A handful of caps? She was well-off already, what did she even need the extra money for?

She wanted to trash the room, knock down the door, and go strangle that woman right now, but she knew she couldn’t alert the town… She didn’t even trust herself to properly dash through the bars in her mental state. Instead, she had to contend with impotently raging inside the small lobby room without hitting anything.

How dare she? She scratched at her brand in anger. Ruby couldn’t believe she actually debated whether to kill the perpetrator. All the Remnant crap about second chances, the lack of immediate threat, the jury trials, and so on and so forth… It all seemed so stupid to her. Yeah, no, she just had to die. The sooner the better. The Mojave had things sorted better in this respect, she admitted.

Deep breaths. Deep breaths. She pocketed the coin as evidence, locked the safe, and made sure that everything was as close to how she found it before dashing out of the window and making for Boone.

She opened the door to his room, startling him as he was getting ready for watch duty.

“It is done.” She said, tossing him a legion coin.

He caught it easily, though his voice quivered, if only a bit, “Where did you find this?”

“Jeannie May’s safe. There’s about a thousand caps worth of legion money in it. There was also a letter where she mentioned how she had come into a small fortune recently.”

“That’s… Great work, kid.”

She smiled, “I tried to keep things undisturbed. She shouldn’t know anything was amiss.”

“Good. I’ll handle the rest myself when the opportunity comes.”

She had just condemned a civilian to death. She was struck by a fresh wave of guilt, by now an unwelcome intruder she strived to smother every time it threatened to make her weak again. That’s all the feeling of guilt represented to her now, weakness. She tried her best to focus on how glad she was that justice was being done, but it she couldn’t quite shake her doubts.

“You okay?” Boone asked.

“Not really, but I’ll live. How are you feeling?”

“It makes sense, I guess. She was the first to doubt my story. What am I even supposed to feel?”

“Aren’t you relieved your friend didn’t do it? I know I would be.”

“Maybe a little. But even though he didn’t do it, he was still glad. Glad that she was gone.”

“Yeah… About that. Now that all this is resolved, how do you know she was dead?”

“Oh, that’s simple enough. It’s because I killed her.”

“E-excuse me?” She stumbled back in shock.

“Not much to say. I tracked her down to the Legion camp, saw her there. They were selling her, bidding on something no man had a right to buy. There were too many of them, and I just had my rifle. So I took the only shot I could.”

“You… you didn’t try to rescue her?”

“It wasn’t going to work. I’m sure you know how lucky you were to escape, and how horrifying life as a Legion slave is.”

She nodded. “I instigated a revolt alongside Weiss. Tried to give as many an opportunity to get out. But a lot of them died before they even felt the water.”

“I’m aware.” He pointed to a small radio setup on a shelf, “Talked to some of my old unit, stationed way down south. They saw a steady stream of bodies flowing downriver.”

She gulped, trying her best not to react.

“Don’t feel bad about it, Ruby. I wanted to move mountains on that day too, but I knew I could only do so much. You did the best you could, really a miracle. And at least a few more must have escaped. As for the ones that didn’t… You did them a favor.”

“Doesn’t feel like it.”

“It never does, but trust me when I say you did the right thing.”

She felt herself starting to spiral again, when he snapped her out of it by putting a bundle of caps on the table. “Your payment. 200 caps should be enough to make it there, and then some.” He also passed her the Legion machete she came here with. “And your weapon, I cleaned it for you.”

She picked it up, “Thank you. And about Manny… You know you don’t have to live out the rest of your life alone? At least try letting him back in, he could use it. As could you, no offense.”

“I’ll… think about it.”

“You’re going to keep delaying it, aren’t you? Go apologize to him, he’s hurting too.”

He looked at her, and she tried her best to summon her puppy eyes expression. With a sigh, he walked past her and to the door of a nearby room. He knocked on it, and a surprised Manny answered.

“Hey…” He said.

“I want to talk with you. You mind joining me on patrol?”

Manny nervously chuckled, “I’m not on the chopping block, am I?”

Boone didn’t seem to share his humor, “I wouldn’t knock if you were. Now, do you want to talk or no?”

“Okay, okay… You just surprised me, is all.” He stepped out and closed the door behind him before following Boone into the dino statue.

Watching them interact, Ruby still wasn’t sure how to interpret today or anything really at this point.

She had a vague idea that May deserved to die and that sneaking into her office was fine since there was no other way to do it, and she was under suspicion of a terrible crime. But she had no idea what to make of a former Khan like Manny. Could she just leave him be? She knew Blake had a bad past with the White Fang, but they always dealt lightly when it came to criminals back there. He seemed reformed, but he still sheltered his former gang.

She sighed. Her moral compass was not well developed, to say the least. The only thing she knew was that she was tired of feeling so powerless. She was going to save her friends and get her revenge, one way or another. She couldn’t help but notice that since Manny had left in a hurry, he had also left his door unlocked. So she walked over to it and entered his apartment.

The room inside was similar to Boone’s, only with several mattresses strewn about and a bit more trash on the floor. She quickly surveyed the room, trying to find any leads before they returned.

It didn’t take long for her to find a letter in a table drawer, prominently stacked on top of a pile of junk.

Manny,

Thanks for letting us stay the night at your place and keeping it quiet. I know it was a big ask, and we won’t forget it. That weasel Benny’s been twitchy ever since we stole that package, he wants us to make a detour at Boulder City, says he’s worried about pursuers. Guy’s making me nervous as hell, and I’m glad I saw a friendly face to take the edge off.

I know you refused earlier, but one day you’ll remember where you really belong, and your brothers and sisters will welcome you like you never left. We’re all eagerly awaiting your return.

- Murphy

She carefully set everything back in its proper place and left the room. The moment she closed the door, she dashed into Boone’s room, before collapsing onto the bed. A great tension left her body, two break-ins in a single night were apparently too much for poor Ruby’s nerves. But at last, she had a name.

Benny.

She didn’t have to worry anymore about the trail going cold. Benny was likely to be in Vegas, and she could probably get to him at any time. Her head was still a whirlwind of worry as sleep slowly claimed her, but she had already plotted her course, she just had to take it one step at a time. She could do this, she assured herself.

Chapter Text

Ruby thought that staying an extra day at Novac would do her some good. It was definitely true on a physical level- her body still needed time to recover from everything she had been through. Mentally, however, it was borderline torture.

All she could think about was what Weiss must be facing at this very moment, assuming she was even alive. Was she caught? Or starving in the middle of nowhere? She could be being crucified for all Ruby knew. It was eating away at her, and before morning’s end, she had had enough and decided she needed to get to Vegas and find Yang, her body’s protests be damned.

She went to the dino shop to buy herself a backpack, alongside plenty of travel necessities. A hundred caps lighter, she said her goodbyes to Boone and headed north.

The road was much the same as when she made her way there the first time around, though with the clear skies she could see a second tower in the skyline, but much closer than the Vegas one. She briefly contemplated exploring it, but she couldn’t afford to get distracted, so she trudged on, faster. She had to go faster, even if it was painful. Just one foot after the other, until all of her friends were safe.

By noon, she had reached Boulder City, which appeared to be in a state of disrepair. Er, more so than was usual- pretty much every single building was heavily damaged or reduced to rubble. The town was also just a few hundred feet from the dam, but that place was obviously closed off to her. Even here, there were frequent NCR patrols and very few civilians.

The humble main square held a small memorial with flowers, where a young soldier was idling. He looked as good a guide as any, so she walked up to him.

“Excuse me, Sir.”

The soldier turned to face her, “Sorry, I’m on leave. Just paying my respects here before going.”

She took a closer look at the memorial stone. The granite slab was adorned with countless names, presumably of the fallen. She took a moment to appreciate it.

“Did you know anyone named here?”

“No. But over a hundred people just like me died the first time the Legion attacked.” The soldier said, “This is where they were stopped. Next time, we won’t be so lucky.”

“You have a lot more than a hundred men here, though.”

“And the Legion was far smaller back then. Hard to believe it was that small of a fight,” The man chuckled, “This time we’d be lucky if only a thousand of us die. Hell, chances are it’ll be five thousand. They’d better attack before I return from my leave.”

Ruby would be lying if she said she was surprised by their casual dereliction of duty at this point. But she was astonished to learn that it extended to their superiors. Wasn’t the NCR supposed to be strained to its breaking point, unable to guard the river? Why were soldiers even allowed to go on leave?

“Anyways, what did you need?”

“I’m looking for a group of Great Khans that attacked me some time ago. I was told they passed by here.”

“They sure did. Don’t know why they thought it was a good idea, but we made short work of them.”

Ruby gulped. “What happened?”

“We got tipped off by some rich lookin guy, said he saw them trying to pass the night in that building over there,” He pointed to one of the less ruined structures. “When we went to check it out, the Khans opened fire.”

Oh no.

“Whole thing was a bit of a mess. We killed most of them, though. One of the privates said he saw someone slip out. But just as well, let him warn the others not to mess with us. Still, we lost two good men in the fight.”

Two more innocents dead. All because she was weak, because she couldn’t… She hadn’t truly understood back then how far-reaching her actions could be. None of this would have happened if she had been ruthless and nipped it all in the bud. “What do you know about the man who tipped you off?”

“The NCO thought he was a good Samaritan or something, but I think there was some bad blood between him and the raiders.”

“His name is Benny. He hired them as mercenaries, then tried to get out of paying them.”

“Could be, but you know we can’t take just your word for it?”

“Do you mind if I check the building myself?”

He shrugged, “Sure, but we’re not exactly in a position to do these kinds of investigations right now.” He pointed at Dam. “Things have been ramping up lately.”

“About that, Sir. I heard there was some kind of commotion on the Legion side a few days ago. Do you know what happened?”

“We’re not certain either, but it seemed to be some kind of slave revolt. Started outside the fort, but spread inside it as well. We fired off some mortars, even tried pushing into their defenses. We didn’t breach anything, but it took a good chunk of the bastards to stop us.”

Ruby couldn’t help but feel a small sense of pride. She and Weiss had done something good for once in meaningfully hurting the Legion. Despite the mess they had made, it did have some positive outcome in the end. Unlike the Khans, those Legionaries won’t get a chance to harm any more people. It was fine to feel good about this, right? It better be, she desperately needed a win.

“And what happened next?”

“Well, you can go see for yourself.” He started walking, and she followed, “A lot of the slaves died in the fighting, of course. We had 2 men swim the Colorado and escape, but that’s about it. Ordinarily, the Legion punishes escape attempts with execution, but they couldn’t exactly afford to kill their whole workforce.”

They walked into a clearing from which they could see the Legion camp, and the rather large number of crucified slaves jutting out of the fort walls.

“The bastards are taunting us, but there’s little we can do. You can see some of the slaves still working here and there, but much less than before. Honestly, we should just put them out of their misery.”

She winced at his comment, but said nothing. Instead, she gestured to a pair of binoculars slung around his neck.

“You sure?” He showed the tiniest bit of concern, “There isn’t much of value to see.”

She nodded, before using them to search for any sighting of Weiss in the several dozen crosses poking out of the fort walls. Thankfully, she could not find her among the dying. She also saw some slaves digging a large pit some hundred feet from the riverbank, while others were bringing bodies and stacking them next to it. Ruby’s heart stopped when she saw her. Weiss was right there, some 3-4 miles away from her position. She could probably hear if Ruby shouted.

She was leaning on a shovel next to the mass grave they were excavating, heaving for air. Her face was bruised almost beyond recognition, and Ruby wouldn’t have noticed her were it not for her bright hair. She looked at something in the distance, before going back to digging with a renewed urgency.

It didn’t have to be this way. It really didn’t, but she’d failed. She was the team leader, and it was her duty to hold Weiss back from making a rash decision. A Legionary came to inspect their work. She couldn’t watch anymore. She handed the binoculars back before hurrying away from the scene.

She ran into the building that the soldier had previously directed her to, sitting down in a dark corner to calm down. Ruby didn’t know if she should celebrate or despair. Yes, Weiss was alive and very much not dying on a cross, but… Well…

She was just so exhausted from life throwing her curveballs every other day, and her having to face it all by herself.

She took a deep breath and stood up. Crying wouldn’t solve anything, she had to get working. It was all she could do to keep herself sane. She searched the messy building for anything of value, finding several ransacked bags left behind. The only items of note were Benny’s lighter, ingrained into her mind from Goodsprings, some Remnant money scattered around, and her scroll.

She almost couldn’t believe her luck. But to be fair, it would seem like just a useless brick at first glance for an NCR soldier searching in the dark. She unlocked it, immediately turning on its teammate finding functionality. In the case that huntsmen were out of range of existing networks, their scrolls could be used for short distance communication as well as location and aura tracking.

The device didn’t notice any nearby scrolls, but that was to be expected. The range was only a couple miles, which would be a godsend in Vegas. She packed the items into her bag and continued walking towards her destination with renewed vigor.

An hour later, she had made it to a trading post of sorts on the highway. It was nothing special, just a handful of stalls and a watering trough for caravan animals. More importantly, she was sweating buckets, and her legs were burning up from the walking- she had clearly overestimated herself.

She really should have rested today, and the midday heat was taking its toll on her. She promised herself that she would only stay for as long as was strictly necessary before taking a seat in the shade of an impromptu bar. She didn’t want to seem rude, so she ordered the cheapest item on the menu, which was apparently a shot of whiskey.

Reasoning that it’ll calm her nerves, she downed it without much hesitation. It burned her throat, but she didn’t mind anymore. If anything, it brought back memories of her second day in the Mojave, when Jack taught her how to drink and she had no care in the world. Well, relative to now. She was quite envious of the Ruby from 5 weeks ago. As if to spite her past self, she ordered another shot and downed it immediately.

“Excuse me, may I sit next to you?”

A cheery young woman addressed her, but something about her set off alarm bells in Ruby’s brain. She looked a lot like Ruby used to. The pale, unblemished skin and well-sewn clothing made her stand out from the rest of the people in a way that made her suspicious.

“Sure,” Ruby said. “Who are you?”

“I’m Veronica. You?”

“Ruby.”

Veronica smiled, before sitting down and waiting for several awkward moments, “Say, you look like you’ve traveled a long, long way. Where’d you come from?”

“You wouldn’t believe me.”

“Come on, try me.”

She absolutely could not say she was from another world. She still had to give an answer, though, one fitting the expectation set out. She ran a hand over her scar. “The grave. Uh, literally.”

“Huh. Well… in that case I take it back. You look positively wonderful, given the circumstances.”

Ruby burst out in laughter, followed sheepishly by Veronica. “Hey, if it makes you feel any better, Ruby, I also came here from a hole in the ground.”

“Oh?”

“Well, technically it’s a bunker, but I think it sounds more interesting my way.”

“It sure does.”

“Yup. Anyways, where are you headed?”

“Vegas. I’m looking for a family member. And I guess I’m not also pursuing the person who tried to kill me.”

She whistled, “Sounds like quite the adventure. Had one myself, just the other day. Ran into this strange group, called themselves the Brotherhood of Steel. Know anything about them?”

Huh? Unless she’s been living under a rock, she would have known about the group being based nearby. Well, she does live under a rock. Wait, if she lives in a bunker… The storekeeper said the Brotherhood does so too. Suddenly, her strangeness made a lot more sense. Even if Ruby’s assumption was wrong, she would play it safe. “I heard they’re pretty obsessed with tech, but mostly stick to themselves.”

“Phew, guess it was good luck I had nothing all that advanced on me. You know, I’ve been meaning to go to Vegas as well. Maybe stick with someone else for safety, and you look capable enough.”

“Me? Yeah, of course.” She couldn’t help but smile at being recognized as capable, “Can you fight, Veronica?”

“Can I fight?” Her hand went into her inner pockets, coming out equipped with a metal glove bearing some kind of protrusion at the top. “This is a pristine condition power-fist. She punched the air with it, and it extended a piston outwards with a small pop.”

Nothing advanced. Right. Still… “Can I touch it?” Was all she could say. Control yourself, Ruby.

“Uh, sure. Why not.” She let Ruby examine the gloved hand, somehow finding joy in running her hands over every plate and rivet.

“So, Veronica, how is it powered?”

“Energy cells, same as laser guns, but way more efficient. The piston can kill if it hits the head, so please be careful.”

“It’s cool, but… why not just have a laser gun instead? Laser guns sound awesome and way more versatile! Not that this isn’t amazing as well.” She quickly added, though why someone would make a weapon that wasn’t also a gun continued to elude her.

“Again, efficiency, but it’s also much quieter. And less suspicious, a laser gun means you’re asking for trouble, not to mention that there are plenty of communities you straight up can’t take guns into.”

She conceded that all those points were valid, but she would have still liked some ranged support.

As they stood up, Veronica started, “Oh, and… The reason I asked you about the Brotherhood of Steel was-”

“Because you’re one of them?”

She cringed, “Was I really that obvious?”

“Yup. And I’m supposed to be the social clutz here.”

“Damn… And you don’t mind? The NCR really doesn’t like our kind.”

“So long as you’re not going to cause trouble for me or any innocents, I don’t care.”

“I guess that’s as good as I could hope for.” She relaxed her posture, “Well, now that that’s out of the way… shall we get going?”

“So you aren’t from around here, huh?”

“Nope.” Ruby said, “To be honest, I know next to nothing about the region. I was hoping I could get someone to help out with a bunch of questions I had.”

“Sure, I can do that. Shoot.”

“Uhhh… well I didn’t actually have any specific questions prepared. Okay, so… What’s that tower over there?” She pointed to the smaller of the two towers in the distance.

“Helios? Really?”

“Did I say something wrong?”

“No, not at all.” She sighed, “Helios One was a pre-war power station. It was barely functional, but that didn’t stop the NCR from fighting the Brotherhood over it with everything they had. I was there myself, though I didn’t do much of note. In any case, it’s the reason all of us are now considered terrorists out here.”

“So, I’m traveling with a known terrorist, huh?”

“According to the NCR, yes.”

Ruby still didn’t know where to place her. Sure, she seemed nice, but she’s been fooled before. She would have to learn more about the Brotherhood before passing judgment. But she was pretty forthcoming with her information, so she gave her the benefit of the doubt for now. “But wait, you fought them? Not like, hit and run fighting, but for real?”

“There was plenty of that too, but Helios was a pitched battle. And a very bloody one at that.”

“Hold on, just how strong was the Brotherhood? The way I heard it, I thought people were describing some kind of obscure raider gang. Uh, no offense.”

“None taken. We were one of the few groups that posed a serious threat to them in the region. But that was a while ago, now we’re just huddling around in a bunker while the world passes us by. The most they do is send out scavengers like me to get food and other materials they need.”

“So that’s why you’re traveling with me?”

“Kind of. I’m hoping there’s some caps involved, but it’s not like it’s an emergency. I mean, the base is technically under an emergency lockdown… but it’s been that way for five years now. They’re not in danger of starving or anything, so I’m not in a hurry. Might actually be better if I take my time, more and more I think they just want me out of the bunker.” She looked downcast, and Ruby couldn’t help but feel bad for her, suspicions or no.

“That sounds terrible. I can’t say I know what you’re going through, but…” She didn’t know what else to do, so she hugged Veronica.

She yelped in surprise, “Er… thanks, Ruby. Is hugging people you just met supposed to be normal these days?”

“Who cares? It’s normal where I’m from.” She could feel Veronica relax and return the hug.

“Friends?” Ruby asked?

Veronica chuckled, “Yeah, friends.” Ruby couldn’t help but shed a tear. It took her a long time, but she had finally made a friend here. There was a part of Ruby that felt uneasy trusting anyone after the whole Jannie May thing, but dammit she really needed someone to talk to, be they a terrorist or no. Besides, it wasn’t like it was the first time she had befriended one.

“Okay, so what is that?” She asked for the millionth time as they neared a long chainlink fence, behind which there seemed to be a huge farm.

“The NCR set those up to feed their soldiers and incoming citizens. Legends say that a portion occasionally makes it into the hands of locals. Still, it’s better than taking food from the people already living here.”

“And what about the water? It can’t be easy to grow things here.”

“Piped from the Dam. It’s a good little system they’ve got here, unlike us.” Ruby didn’t miss the bitterness in her voice. “We could have used our tech to help these communities, instead of hoarding it.”

As they got closer, she could see people working the fields, and a good number of troopers guarding them. Not exactly the pinnacle of fulfilling work, but they looked well-fed, and it was certainly better than many other jobs. “About that. Laser guns are cool and everything, but is there a special reason you guys are obsessed with technology?”

“Some stupid crap about ‘guarding it from misuse.’ These days it’s mostly an excuse to keep taking stuff from people so we can feel big and strong.”

“You really don’t like them, do you?” She noted.

“I… they’re still family. There’s many good people there, and some of the technology we recovered could have been used for truly nefarious purposes. But still, we could be doing a lot of good if we made an effort to do something with all of our technology and technical expertise. We should be out here, making allies and helping people instead of… wasting away.” She sighed, “You can tell why they don’t want me back at base.”

She wasn’t sure what to say in response. At least the world wouldn’t hate Ruby if it somehow found out about her origins.

“Well…” She heard a beep from her backpack. Ruby pulled out her scroll, seeing that it had finally found a signal, “The scroll is pointing… north.”

“Woah, what’s what?” She asked in a more cheery voice, and Ruby was glad for the change of topic.

“It’s a sort of… communications device. And a miniature computer, plus a camera, flashlight, and a bunch of other things.”

Veronica looked on with fascination as she fiddled with the locator app, “I’ve never seen anything like that before, it must be Enclave tech.”

“Uh, sure. Let’s go with that.” She didn’t even know what an Enclave was, but she was too excited at getting a signal for digressions, “Anyways, this should be showing my sister’s scroll. And it’s displaying a signal some 10 miles north-northwest.”

“That should either be the Strip or Freeside, probably the latter. Either way, we go in through the north gate. Okay, so… Freeside. It’s an interesting place, for sure. A bit rough, people might try to mug you if they think they can get away with it… so not that different from most of the wasteland.”

“I’m ready for it.” Ruby patted her machete, “And I’m sure Yang can take care of herself. She was always the street-smart type.”

“Good. We need someone like that, because I’m the exact opposite. Took me some time to come to terms with… certain norms out here. Like how normal crime was within certain groups. I’ve never heard of anyone stealing in the Brotherhood, ya know?”

Ruby smiled. It was comforting to know there were people out there somehow more sheltered than her. Heh, sheltered.

As they approached the city, Ruby could start to truly see Vegas in all of its walled-off glory. The admittedly huge walls were either concrete or, more commonly, piled up debris. Every so often, she could hear a gunshot or two go off. Certainly not an encouraging sign as they finally found the north gate. The big neon sign with ‘Welcome to Freeside’ in a cheery font was comically out of place next to the men in black leather jackets who were guarding it with submachine guns.

Thankfully, they were only bodyguards for hire. They offered their services to them, but Veronica politely declined their offer. Not that they had the money to spare.

Entering Vegas, she found it a rather appalling sight. The city, if one can even call it that, bore more resemblance to a war zone than a place for people to live. The main street was filled with trash and dead bodies that no one had bothered to clean up. Several shady people were positioned in the alleys overlooking the entrance, looking for any sign of vulnerability.

Walking along, they saw a convulsing older man on the side of the road. He was very much alive, and was looking at them with dilated eyes and a grin that exposed his rotted teeth. Ruby put her hand on her machete and increased her pace.

“So… rough place, huh?” She said as a burst of distant gunshots echoed through the streets.

Veronica looked nervous, “Yeah. But it was never this bad… Something has gone terribly wrong here.”

Ruby followed her to some kind of stone brick castle that looked quite out of place in the cityscape. An inscription at the gate read ‘Old Mormon Fort’

The fort was apparently converted into some sort of hospital. The interior was filled with medical tents, and doctors in white coats were walking from place to place. There were several guards present, of course, and they demanded that the two relinquish their weapons upon entry. Veronica assured her that these people could be trusted, and Ruby complied despite the protests of her instincts.

Almost immediately, Veronica found the person she was after, “Julie! Long time no see.”

It was one of the doctors, judging by the lab coat. She looked a bit out of place with her mohawk, but despite it she still looked like a friendly, if tired person. “Veronica? It has been a while, yes,” she yawned. “Wish it was under better circumstances, though. What brings you here?”

“Well… I just came in and everything seems to be a wreck. Figured you could clue us in?”

A sigh, “Same old crap, locals started fighting with the NCR again. Between that and the subsequent riots… People fell back on their old habits, and I’m not talking just about the chems. And here we are, stuck trying to treat all the injured without any medicine. Unless you have something you need, you’ll forgive me for not having the time to chat. It’s nothing personal, I promise.” She gave her best attempt at a reassuring smile.

“Excuse me,” Ruby spoke up, “I’m looking for some friends that came here recently. Does the name Yang Xiao-Long sound familiar to you?”

Julie stopped to think for a moment, “I… Maybe, I’m not sure. But I go through a lot of patients, I can’t remember all of their names.”

“Okay, what about Blake?”

Julie’s attention was on her, “Could you repeat that? Any specifics about her?”

“Blake Belladonna. Young girl with black hair. She’s a big friend of mine and I would love to-”

“Out.”

“What?”

“Get out. Now.” Julie said flatly. All of her kindness left her face instantly as she gestured at one of the guards to escort them out.

“But- Why? I didn’t do anything, I was just asking questions, I didn’t mean to offend or-” A man grabbed her by the arm, and she knew better than to fight back. Though the guards were kind enough to give them their belongings back, they also warned against loitering near the entrance.

“What in the world was that all about?” Veronica asked as she started walking down the street. “I mean, I was never anything more than an acquaintance to Julie, but still… Who exactly is your sister?”

“Yang is the sister.” Ruby said, “But Blake… I- It was a long shot when I asked, I assumed the signal was coming from Yang. What could she- better yet, where is Yang then?”

She pondered the implications as she traveled down the street, looking out for any danger. There really was pretty much everything on the streets of Vegas, from food stalls to open drug dealers. What little there wasn’t, was being advertised instead.

“You want someone dead? Really dead?” A man on the street spoke, “Head on down to the Silver Rush for energy weapons.”

At least the advertising was honest. Quite refreshing, actually.

“Hungry? Thirsty? Horny?” A girl in a skimpy outfit held up a sign with some kind of logo. “The Atomic Wrangler has you covered.”

Disgusting. Any thought of such things repelled Ruby even back before her stay at the Fort.

A child was advertising another establishment right next to her, “We’ve got stuff we’re not even allowed to sell, people! Only at Mick & Ralph’s.”

She tried to shut it all out and focus on their mission. They could see the gate to the Strip clearly now, there were several robots just like Victor guarding it, with some locals roaming nearby.

“Have you ever been to the Strip?” Ruby asked.

“Nope. They ask for a credit check to enter, you need at least 2000 caps last I checked. Or an NCR passport.”

“That’s okay, I’m sure I could still convince them to grant me entry, I have a contract with…” Her hand went to her backpack, before realization hit. She sighed. The slip was likely lost somewhere on the other side of the Mojave. “Never mind.”

They kept their distance though, as one of the locals near the gate looked particularly fired up- perhaps on some kind of drug, and he threw a can at one of the securitrons. Without missing a beat, the robots unleashed a storm of laser fire on him, obliterating him into a pile of ash. They then fired several warning shots at the others, with a spoken order to disperse from the entrance.

Veronica shivered, “See, that’s one kind of technology the Brotherhood rightly doesn’t want in the wild.”

“Not that I disagree, they’re really creepy, but what exactly makes them uniquely dangerous? Wouldn’t fanatically going after the Legion be just as good?”

“One man controlling so much power without any checks is just not right, and that’s what technology does. It concentrates power.” Her tone sounded odd, like she had the exact words drilled into her from a young age. “I mean, Caesar got his start by using his firearms knowledge to conquer the tribes of Arizona under his totally insane ideology.”

Ruby nodded, and Veronica continued.

“And there are many other people whose evil is somewhat restrained by the people under them. Even Caesar can’t do literally anything he wants. But if some wires get crossed and Mr. House goes mad, we have to deal with hundreds of murder machines that will follow every single order of his without question. Technology makes things just so much worse in most cases.”

“When you put it like that, it makes some sense.” She pulled out her scroll, “The signal is coming from half a mile east… It doesn’t seem to be coming from the Strip. Phew, I was not looking forward to sneaking past that.”

They went out into a side street, trying to track down the signal. She was so glued to the scroll that she almost bumped into Veronica as she stopped before a peculiar scene.

There was a small gathering of angry locals shouting profanities at a squad of NCR troopers, who were in a semicircle formation with the wall to their backs. The soldiers stood firmly, taking it all in. A man tried getting in their faces, before being shoved away. Two of the soldiers were busy cleaning up some kind of drawing on the concrete wall, while the rest were protecting them.

Taking a better look at the mural, Ruby saw a silhouette of a feminine figure painted in black, taking up a triumphant pose. Radiating out from her, were streaks of red paint with occasional texts like ‘Hero’ or ‘Fuck NCR.’

Ruby had an eerie premonition of who the drawing might be depicting. Looking closer, she noticed minor protrusions at the top of the silhouette's head, confirming her suspicions. Just what the hell happened here?

Someone threw a bottle at the soldiers, who in turn pointed their guns at the people. The pushing and shoving only kept getting more and more intense. More objects started being thrown, and the tension seemed to only rise until one of the soldiers shouted, “He’s got a gun!”

A pair of shots rang out, and the crowd surrounded one of theirs, shielding him with their bodies and carrying them away. A number of the soldiers pointed their guns at Ruby and Veronica. Suffice to say, they did not need to issue a dispersal order.

They made their way around to yet another street, just as filthy as the rest of them. The only buildings of note here were an energy weapon shop called the Silver Rush, and a place called the Atomic Wrangler. Next to the Wrangler’s entrance was a man writhing on the floor in pain, with the woman at the door screaming at him to, “Get the fuck out and never come back!”

Ruby’s heart dropped as she instantly recognized the voice, “Yang?”

Her appearance was almost unchanged from when they last met. Her long blonde hair, the tan jacket that exposed both her midriff and cleavage, her black shorts… She noticed a fresh scar on one of her muscular arms, which still had their bracers which acted as hidden shotguns.

Yang turned to face her, “Ruby?” She looked like someone had knocked the air out of her, not to mention how pale she was. “W- what are you doing here?” Her normally confident voice cracked just the slightest bit. Her expression reminded her of that time Yang crashed her motorcycle and had to explain it to dad. She knew she was in big trouble, and not just because of the guy she beat up.

“A better question is,” Ruby said, “What are you doing here?”

“I found work as a bouncer, what of it? I have to eat, and it’s a normal job that complements my skillset.”

She looked up at one of the many suggestive signs in front of the Atomic Wrangler. “And what kind of place are you guarding?”

“It’s a casino… What’s gotten into you, Rubes, you’re not usually like this.”

“Really?” There was some kind of frustration in her that she simply couldn’t figure out, “But I just heard someone advertising a lot of other activities here.”

“What?” Yang was indignant, “You don’t seriously think I would ever stoop to something like that? Are you sure you’re my Ruby?”

Ruby actually deflated at that, “I…” She sighed, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what got over me. I’m a little stressed out, okay?”

“Wouldn’t blame you.” Yang said, slightly calmer, “So who’s the lucky girl in the back?”

Veronica, who was until now trying not to get involved, waved nervously, “I’m Veronica. I just tagged along with Ruby for a while. Guess now that you’ve found your sister, we can get the bounty you mentioned?”

Yang raised her eyebrow at that. Ruby rushed to clarify, “I… picked up a contract to retrieve something valuable from someone. Do you know of a person named Benny by chance?”

“You… can’t be serious. He’s the head of one of the big casinos. One of the most powerful people on the Strip, Ruby, how the fuck did you- Hold up, since when is my sister a bounty hunter, anyway?”

“Since when do you work at a brothel?” She felt her anger returning to her. It was definitely about that.

“It’s not a- Never mind. In any case, you can’t even get to the Strip without a lot of money.”

“Well, we’re getting there. I’ve got almost a hundred caps on me…”

“I’ve got 50 here,” Veronica said, patting her pockets. “And if I pawn my stuff, we’ll get over halfway there. You?”

“40 caps.” Yang said. “Of debt.”

“Okay…” This whole talk was going wrong at every step. Ruby went through her pockets to hand her sister the needed caps, “So, have you seen any of our other teammates? Anything on Weiss or Blake?”

“Neither are here.” She said flatly.

“Really? Nothing at all on their whereabouts?”

“No.” There was a bitter tone in her voice.

“Yang, I just saw a massive mural of Blake not even 200 feet from here. Don’t lie to me.”

Yang said nothing, tapping her foot nervously as Ruby stared her down. “We’re going inside,” She suddenly said, “Veronica stays here.”

Ruby gave an apologetic nod, before following Yang as she practically bolted from her post, shouting for a coworker to replace her.

The inside was exactly as Ruby imagined it. A filthy and dingy establishment with a bar, all sorts of gambling tables, and stripper poles which were thankfully vacant. She was struck by a faint smell that made her hands start shaking, as if someone was going to grab her at any moment.

She followed her sister upstairs to one of the rooms. It was cramped, and had little apart from a closet and a double bed that Yang sat on. Ruby preferred to stand.

To say Yang looked on edge would be an understatement. She was scratching at her forearms with an alarming ferocity, “So, why did you try to lie to me, Yang?”

“I didn’t!” She said a little too loudly. “I don’t have anything on Blake’s whereabouts.” Just Blake’s. She said nothing of Weiss, even though she knew quite a lot. Ruby understood how hard delivering such news would be, but that still didn’t excuse lying.

“You know what I mean. Something happened to our friend, and I would rather have the story from you.”

“She’s not our friend! Never was.” She shouted as her eyes turned red and she fought back tears.

Ruby took a deep breath before approaching her and placing a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay Yang.” She wasn’t used to being the one doing the comforting between them. “You can tell me what happened. Take your time, I’m here to listen. Okay?”

She sniffed, “Okay.”

Chapter Text

A rhythmic thumping reverberated through the ruined building. Blake leaned against the wall as yet another group of people came in. The dim light of the small fire in the center was enough for her to see their faces. The three were new to her, but they looked like locals, and that was enough. One of the others knew them, though- he gave them their guns. There was plenty to share tonight.

The thumping only rose in intensity. They were beating their fists into their hearts, making a low noise as they got ready for what was coming. Blake had to admit it was hypnotizing.

There were already about 20 people gathered, and she wagered the number would double by midnight. They all looked up to her for leadership. For salvation. No one else would do it- no one else could do it. They needed her.

A part of her still wanted to shy away from all this. But another part of her knew that she had to go through with it. This was right. She was meant to do this.

It was barely two weeks ago that Blake found herself waking up in a dark alley. Certainly a terrible start to the day, made worse by the fact that she quickly ascertained she was not in Vale. She was unnerved as she wandered through this city of decaying skyscrapers, for she could not recognize the place at all. She considered herself well-read, and nothing in the combination of climate, architecture, size, and current state could narrow this place down to anywhere on Remnant.

The place itself was miserable beyond belief. Apart from the fact one could hardly find a handful of buildings that weren’t partly collapsed, the population seemed to be a mix of beggars, drunks, drug addicts, drug dealers, gang members, and a handful of decent looking, though clearly impoverished people.

She considered asking some of the residents, but before she could do so, she glanced up at the sky and saw the full moon above her. That settled it then, she was not on Remnant. At least she saved herself the embarrassment.

Still, she needed more information than that. She went up to one of the locals, an older man with a lazy eye who was operating a food stall.

“Excuse me, Sir. Is there any kind of library around here, or something like that?”

The man looked at her blankly for a few moments, before snickering.

“What?” She asked indignantly.

“What?” He said in a gravelly voice, “Where the hell do you think you are, missy?”

She crossed her hands, “Please, do enlighten me.”

He rolled his good eye, “If you wanna be lectured to death by self-righteous nerds, you can go on over to the Old Mormon Fort down the road. Can’t miss it. Now, if you’re not gonna buy anything you better leave.”

She followed his directions, and true to his word, it was hard to miss. The sandy brick fort had no place amongst the modern highrises, but at least it was standing and populated by quite decent-looking people.

Entering it, she deduced that it must be run by some kind of humanitarian organization, considering the abundance of medical tents in the inner courtyard. After asking around, one of the guards pointed her to the lead doctor, a certain woman named Julie Farkas.

“You want books?” She asked, a bit surprised.

“Well, something like that. Any source from which I can find out more about this world.”

“So, history books? We might have something around, but don’t hold your breath. We mostly do medical work here, but the Followers can hook you up eventually. If you want to learn and help people, our applications are open. We could also send you to the Hub, it’s a bit of a journey but we have a large library there.”

“I’ll consider it.” She said as her stomach rumbled. She cursed herself for skipping lunch yesterday. “I’m a bit embarrassed to say it, but I’m out of money. And I’m new around here, so… is there any work I can do so I don’t starve?” A job should probably be her first priority here, information would be of no use if she were dead.

The woman chuckled, “It’s been a long time since someone asked for work instead of food. We’re a bit short on both supplies and jobs right now, but The New California Republic has started giving out free meals to the people here recently. You should ask them first.”

It wasn’t ideal, she didn’t like asking for charity. But she would need at least something before she could figure out her situation, “I- Thank you, Ma’am.”

She followed the directions Julie gave her, arriving at a clearing with only a single house in the middle. There was a modest queue, and a lot of people lounging around the place in small groups. Most of them still looked miserable and malnourished, though.

So she got in line. The soldier standing guard at the door processed people very quickly, only glancing at a paper they presented before letting them through. Julie never mentioned any need for documentation.

Before she knew what to do about it, it was her turn. “Papers, please,” he said in a bored but friendly tone.

“Uh, I wasn’t told anything about that. What kinds of papers do I need?”

“Any proof of NCR citizenship would suffice. You are a citizen, right?”

Oh. The ‘NCR’ was that kind of place. The disgruntled people outside made sense now. They weren’t getting any of this.

He continued, “I mean… you look clean enough, not like one of the locals. But I still need some proof.”

“The people over at the fort said it was open for all.”

“So you’re not a citizen, then? I see.” His eyes narrowed, and the grip on his assault rifle tightened. “I don’t care who told you what, the republic is not feeding your kind. We’ve had enough of you.”

The pieces were locking into place rather quickly, she’s already got a good picture of what this ‘republic’ was all about. They’re occupiers and imperialists. Nothing but a plague on the world.

“You humiliate starving people by handing out free food in front of them, and you wonder why they don’t like you?” She raised her voice at him. “Am I getting that right?”

“We tried offering you lot charity. Your local authorities didn’t want to cooperate, you should go pester them instead.”

She’s seen this playbook before on Remanant. “Since when did charity come with strings attached? I know how you scum work.”

He aimed his rifle at her, “Watch your words, mutie.”

“What did you just call me?”

“You’re a mutant, aren’t you? I thought those cat ears were just for show- the sort of stuff you find whores on the Strip wearing. But they are moving on their own, aren’t they?”

She was at a loss for words. Not even the most virulent of racists back home could think up something like that. “Y- You take that back, you…” She drew her twin machine pistols, though she did not aim them yet.

She could see movement in her peripheral vision, NCR citizens withdrawing, while a few locals gathered around the two of them, and more were coming from further away.

“I don’t care what sewer you spawned out of, you’re not getting anything from us!” He called out to the building, “Major, some help here?”

The officer, a middle-aged woman with another assault rifle, showed up to the scene, “Stand down everyone! What in the world is going on here?”

“This woman demanded entry and threatened me.”

“I didn’t- He aimed his gun at me first, it’s only fair I draw in response.”

One of the locals heckled them, “We’re starving, you monsters!”

“And they’re demanding we give all of our food away.” The soldier said. “Again.”

The officer looked at Blake with a somewhat sympathetic face. “I know things aren’t ideal, but you must understand that I have orders I must follow.”

She was having none of that, “That’s your justification? Orders?”

“Things have been getting better over the years, you have to trust we’ll all get through this time of difficulty.” She sighed, “But yes, I have my orders. I can’t go against them.”

“Of course you can, everyone has a choice to make. A reprimand is more than worth saving dozens of lives.”

“They’re hardly on the edge of death.” She retorted, an impatient edge appearing in her voice.

“They’re still hurting. Only a monster would not feed the starving.”

“You… You don’t know half of what I do for you ungrateful lot, I don’t know why I even bother. And meanwhile, you all think yourselves so morally superior for… what? Begging? Go make your own food for once. No one’s stopping you.”

That certainly got the crowd riled up, they gathered closer to the two NCR, trying to intimidate them with their numbers.

“You’re not on your own lands, are you?” Blake made a guess.

“They’re not. Go home, NCR.” A child in the crowd shouted, throwing a clumped-up piece of paper at the soldier, who in turn pointed his rifle at him.

Blake may not have known much about this world, she may have only been here for a few hours, but she knew that no one ought to be pointing a rifle at a child. And while she was at it, they shouldn’t be denying food to the needy either. So she made her decision. She pulled the soldier’s rifle down and hit him on the head with the butt of her pistol, staggering him.

The officer put her gun up, but Blake kicked her in the groin before pulling the gun out of her hands. Both of them were sent running from the mob, which rushed into the building, pulling out multiple bags of food into the clearing.

They distributed it amongst themselves, some already biting into it. It all happened so quickly, and she wasn’t entirely sure if she took the best course of action here. Hell, she didn’t even know the name of this city. But when she saw the malnourished men, women, and children crying tears of joy… She felt she had made the right choice.

And the people, they were praising her up and down. They asked for her name, and she gave it to them. She was elated, but she knew that if this ‘NCR’ was as large and organized as their uniforms and armaments suggested, this could only end badly in the long term.

As if on cue, she noticed a group of four uniformed figures approaching from the distance. These people must have access to radios if they’re responding this fast. She wasn’t the only one to notice, for the boy, barely in his teens, grabbed her by the sleeve.

“You have to do something, they’re going to come after us.”

She should have known this was coming next, and she should have known that she could not bring herself to deny him. She told the crowd to grab everything they could and flee. Not a minute later, the soldiers got close enough to fire a warning shot, and she responded with an automatic burst of her own, warning them to not step any closer. A warning which they thankfully obeyed.

She had no problem slipping into the city herself, and one of the people offered her shelter in her home. It wasn’t much, just the first floor of an old skyscraper with some ancient furnishing. The older woman was very grateful, and she asked if there was anything she could do for Blake.

As it turned out, there was. So she asked her some questions. Odd questions that certainly raised some eyebrows, but they were answered well enough.

She learned that she was in a city called New Vegas, that they were under the occupation of a massive nation called the New California Republic, and that their coming was followed by the arrival of drugs, crime, and dysfunction. She also found out that having animal parts was unheard of here- with the woman annoyingly referring to her as a human despite her insistence otherwise.

Still, this people’s plight here was far worse than that of her own faunus. She absolutely had to do something about it. Luckily, she had spent the last several years of her life fighting a similar struggle. It wouldn’t be the same, there were good reasons why she left the White Fang, but she trusted she could do a better job.

“You want the Psycho or not?” The thug was offering her a syringe of an odious teal liquid. Blake just stared at him dispassionately.

“Tell you what,” His buddy spoke up, “For a first-timer like you, it’s only 20 caps.”

“Or if you really wanna see stars, I’ve got a special mixture of jet over at…” He trailed off as he realized Blake was not in the mood.

“You think this is fun?” She said, “Selling that junk to kids?”

The second guy was indignant, “Hey! This stuff isn’t junk, it’s sourced straight from the Khans.”

There were only a couple people out in this street in the early morning hours, but enough to make for adequate witnesses.

“Yeah, I believe you.” She was dead calm. “I’m sure it’s all very pure.” In a flash, she drew her guns and let ‘em rip. The two drug dealers were reduced to a gory mess on the sidewalk, their faces barely recognizable.

She didn’t exactly delight in killing, but they were scum, and she wasn’t going to shed tears over it. She had killed far better people before, in far less defensible circumstances. Not that she would ever admit that to anyone. Only those from the White Fang were aware of it, as far as she knew.

She turned around to gauge the reactions. The people were scared, stunned by a killing in broad daylight. But there was also relief on their faces. Many didn’t have the guts to do what had to be done. She didn’t doubt the scum had friends, but she had aura and they didn’t. Finding out that small detail made her feel invincible in this world, and for all intents and purposes, she was.

By morning’s end, she had executed 3 more groups of drug dealers and smashed their merchandise. People were already recognizing her on the street. Some made themselves scarce, though most sent her smiles. She was proud. Proud of how quickly she had adapted to this strange new world, and how quickly she started helping people in meaningful ways.

She was definitely improvising here, doing what felt right from the examples she saw in the White Fang while trying not to emulate the bad aspects of it. The first step to getting people on your side was always getting attention. So she spent the next few days taking out clear criminals in public.

As her reputation spread, so did her opportunities expand. Soon, the people themselves started contacting her to point her in the right direction. She was, however, not able to strike at the republic just yet. So when a distraught couple contacted her about their son, who was unjustly imprisoned by the NCR, she jumped at the opportunity.

She wanted to break him out, but they were apparently keeping him in the middle of McCarran airport, which was their main base in the region. It was very risky, and when she started asking around about the base, she quickly found herself surrounded by several people who had a bone to pick with the republic. So she scrapped her original idea in favor of a prisoner swap.

It was nighttime, and Blake was walking along the rooftops of the city, hopping from building to building. It made travel much faster, and it gave her a great vantage point.

As a faunus, her eyes were naturally adapted to the dark, so she had no problem spotting the 4 man strong NCR patrol, while they had no shot of seeing her. She noted their bearing and made her way back to the group.

She needed the extra muscle to do this right. Besides, getting more people involved was exactly what she needed if she was going to have a serious impact here. Better to start making contacts early.

“You there,” She started barking at a diminutive man that had joined her, “Go onto the sidewalk and play your part. You two wait near the door to burst out at my signal. Wrestle anyone you see to the ground.”

The trap was simple, but it’d have to do.

“No, I’m pretty sure we do know you.” The corporal said, kicking the somewhat frail-looking man in the stomach. “Isn’t that right, private?”

“Y-yeah. I’m sure I saw you in the mob a couple days ago.” He pointed his rifle at the man.

“And if you don’t give us the location of your criminal friends, I’m afraid we’ll have no choice but to arrest you.”

“I- I didn’t do anything. What are you-”

A kick to the groin, this time from a second private. “Stop delaying, surely you must know at least some of them.” He kicked him again for good measure.

“H-hey,” the medic said, “There’s no need to be that rough.”

“Shut up and let us do our job.” The corporal said, before turning his attention to the man on the ground. “So, which will it be? You can either spend the night bleeding out in a prison cell, or you can tell us what we need to know and remain on the street, doing whatever it is your kind do…”

“Prison might be an improvement in his life,” The first private snickered. “Now go on, tell us what you know!” He went to kick him, only for his helmet to pop and for him to drop to the ground, dead.

The sound came from above. A pale figure in black clothing descended onto them. She slit the other private’s throat, and kicked the medic in the knee to down them.

The two men burst out of a nearby building, but they were not quick enough. The corporal aimed his gun at her, and opened fire.

Her aura took several bullets before he was knocked to the ground by her helpers. She quickly apprehended the medic, before he got any bright ideas.

“Good work, everyone.” She said as she was tying them up. “We didn’t need a second hostage, but I’m sure we can find someone else who had their loved one imprisoned. Any suggestions?”

“Maybe not a ‘loved one,’ but I know of someone who was taken.” One of the men said. He was large, tough, and looked very experienced. She was initially surprised that he would take orders from her, but he did.

“He was a colleague of mine, worked to maintain order on the streets just like me. It would mean the world to me if you could rescue him.”

“And who are you again?”

“The name’s Pacer. I’m the second in command of the Kings.”

“You mean the gang?” She saw a couple of those guys wandering about. Black jackets, gelled hair, and good guns. They didn’t look like the worst people out there, but she knew looks could be deceiving. “What, are you trying to recruit me?”

“You don’t seem impressed, do ya?”

“No, literal street gangs don’t inspire confidence. At least where I’m from.”

“Well, you said it yourself- you ain’t from here. We used to run a tight ship round these parts, things were peaceful an’ everything. If they’re ever gonna go back to that, it’ll be through us.”

“What, because you’re the biggest group around here?”

“That too, but the locals trust us. When the NCR wants to cut a deal with the people, they go to the King.”

“And what do I have to do with that?”

“The King calls the shots, but lately… lately he’s been scared. He don’t wanna strike back, even when they’re breaking all kinds of deals. The NCR smells weakness, and they’re pouncing on it. I need someone who can give the republic a good old one-two punch. Make em bleed, then the King will see that it’s possible to fight back.”

“You want a… war?”

“Don’t act like I haven’t seen what you’ve been doing round here. You want blood.”

“I want them to leave this place be. Or at the very least, treat you with dignity.”

“Of course. So do I. So we’re just gonna make em see that we’re serious, drive a little fear into them. Then they’ll respect us again.” He offered her a handshake, “Deal?”

“Deal.”

She saw Pacer and several of his ‘Kings’ walk into the room, all carrying their signature SMGs. He was her most helpful ally during this week and a half of turmoil. He knew the city’s workings better than anyone, and answered all the important questions after she convinced him of her otherworldly origin. It wasn’t hard to convince him of anything after he saw her tank several bullets with no consequence. She even let him shoot her once, to really hammer home the point.

Midnight was almost here, they were only waiting for the scouts to come back. Then there would be a reckoning.

A couple days after her first encounter with Pacer, the NCR returned to the building where they distributed food and continued the operation. This time, it had little to do with handing out meals, and much more to do with making a show of force. There were 15 soldiers guarding the place, at least according to what her scouts told her.

She had gathered several followers by now, six to be precise. Pacer helped her leverage her newfound reputation to recruit people to the cause. He didn’t want the King to know that he was working behind his back, so he told her of the opportunities in the city and helped her do the dirty work instead. Not that she minded it.

Her followers were given guns, pilfered from the soldiers and chem dealers she took down in the previous days. She did her best to train them, and for the most part, they could shoot straight by now. The plan was beyond simple. They were posted in a distant building with a clear line of sight on the NCR. She would be closer by, waiting to come out of hiding and wreck havoc.

Her men started shooting, downing a couple NCR and causing several of them to flee alongside the civilians. Others went into cover, and a few even returned fire from it. She wasted no time in emerging from her hiding spot in a dry gutter and rushing into the battle.

They didn’t even notice her at first. It was like a carnival shooting gallery, the soldiers were felled almost effortlessly. A few of them turned to face her, though, and they even landed some shots in their panic, but her aura wasn’t all that damaged by the end of it. Her confidence in fighting and apparent invincibility was enough to rout them. It was a total victory.

The clearing lay littered with the bodies of the occupiers, and her followers would soon begin liberating the food stocks. This time, though, a lot more people witnessed her taking bullets like nothing. Someone even asked her afterwards if she was invincible. So she invited a brave volunteer to take a shot at her just to demonstrate that she was, indeed, basically invincible. That really cemented her win, and from that moment onward, they followed her with a fanatical, almost creepy devotion.

With the extra manpower, she could take the food deeper into the city and distribute it in an orderly way, with a very similar arrangement to what the NCR did, except she now handed out food to everyone. It was an excellent source of new members, too. Turns out, people are way more receptive to soliciting if you give them stuff beforehand.

In any case, the swelling numbers meant she needed more weapons. Her next step was already in front of her, almost as if the dismantling of the NCR presence was a foregone conclusion. So she went to Pacer, and he informed her on the what and the where. She was moving far faster than she thought possible, and it felt euphoric.

The following day, Blake found herself standing amongst the remains of a small caravan on a road outside of Vegas. They had just felled a handful of NCR soldiers and private mercs who guarded the two brahmins, the strange red pack animals of this world. Her followers were picking through the cargo, carrying away the crates of guns and ammunition.

She kept watch, making sure nobody pursued them. It was also the first time she laid eyes on the main NCR base at McCarran, as well as the farming complex a mile or so from it. The airport was turned into a formidable fortress. Storming it would be out of the question for a long time.

Its control tower also made for an excellent vantage point, which was why she so worried that an interception this close to their base would be dangerous. But she needn’t have bothered, because the NCR base was currently under attack by the Fiends. They were a group situated in the very south of Vegas, and they were constantly at war with the republic. Pacer described them as monstrous, drug-addled fiends, hence the name.

The fight was intense. The Fiends laid down heavy fire, and several of their men charged at the fortified structure, hurling explosives over the walls even as they were cut down, one after another. But despite their firepower and the drug-induced zeal, the attack was doomed to failure. The walls held, and enough gunfire was thrown back at them to repel the attack, though the NCR victory doubtless came with many losses.

The rest of her days were spent in much the same way, escalating attacks against the republic that gathered ever more recruits, and made the existing ones more and more devoted to her. And tonight, she would be taking it to the next level.

“We’re back, Blake.” A trio of youths entered the basement. “There’s two patrols out, neither anywhere near our path of advance. The NCR doesn’t suspect a thing.”

“And the numbers at the target?”

“Same as yesterday. About 30 or so soldiers, but too scattered to defend against a surprise attack of our size.”

“Good.” She took a few steps forward, and the crowd went silent.

“People of New Vegas!” Her voice had but the slightest quiver. She had little experience with speeches, but she felt like she had to give them something before this.

“For far too long, has the NCR trampled on the good people of Vegas. Until recently, you have not had any recourse to their injustices and abuses. This changes today.” She pulled out Gambol Shroud and put it in the air.

“Today, we will strike at the NCR farms outside the city. It is a heavily guarded place, and we are going to storm it. We’ll take hostages and deliver the food to the people of Vegas. Once they’ve seen such a bold strike succeed, the rest of the city will certainly join us in expelling these occupiers.”

The crowd cheered, with cries of “Death to NCR,” and “Hail Blake” most prominent. She was really uncomfortable at the latter one, but she let it slide for now. She wouldn’t want to dampen the mood before the battle.

It wasn’t long before they got moving. They split into two columns, a larger one led by Blake, and one led by Pacer, made up his most trusted ‘Kings.’ They made it without interruption to the edge of the city, and they could see the NCR farms from there.

Her people rushed in at the moment they got in visual range, and she was spearheading the assault personally. The guards fired at them, but the moment they were met with the huge volume of return fire, they turned and fled. She could hear guns from another direction, Pacer was doing his job cutting down the exposed fleeing troops. The rusted chain link fence was torn down with the combined force of dozens of people, and they entered the farms.

There were a few civilians there, too. NCR settlers who were taking advantage of the cool night to work the fields. Some of them fled, while others surrendered.

Within only a few minutes, they had taken control of the region’s largest food source and secured many hostages. Her people stormed the few scattered buildings, including the main warehouse to cement their control.

A small group of her closest followers stuck to her, while the newer ones started taking everything not nailed down. And the things that were nailed down, were destroyed. She saw someone shoot up the water pipes. Another person went by a building and shattered every single one of its windows.

She felt a certain unease in her stomach, much different than the fear of NCR bullets. She approached the guy smashing windows and sternly told him to stop with his behavior. He rolled his eyes and walked away.

It hadn’t taken 30 seconds for him to be hacking away at the young corn plants with a machete, with not a care in the world.

The Kings were also taking part in the looting and vandalism. She saw Pacer overlooking it all, and though he was not really taking part in it, he was encouraging them.

She stormed over to him, “What the hell is this?” She screamed.

“What is what?”

“This… This barbarism. I can understand taking what you need, or destroying military infrastructure, but they’re just…”

“Oh, stop worrying about every little scratch, they’re just letting off some steam.”

“Well, tell them to stop it!”

“Be my guest, lady. Small tip, though. You never give orders you know won’t be followed. Unless you’re willin’ to kill the guy, that is.”

She watched the chaotic spectacle unfold. She winced as a boy was roughly shoved onto the ground as they were arresting him. “They’re… This is utter chaos. Regardless of the morality of it, if the NCR attacks, we’re in no position to defend.”

“Again, don’t worry your pretty little head. I got word that the Fiends are making another assault on McCarran, plus I’ve got no doubt every King worth his salt jumped on the chance to spill some NCR blood tonight. Just listen.”

Indeed, there was a lot more gunfire coming from all around, and there were some muzzle flashes at the distant NCR base. It was too suspicious, Pacer must have had a hand in getting those two groups to start their attacks at the same time. She felt odd. On one hand, this was great. This corrupt republic was getting paralyzed, but on the other hand…

Who was going to restore order in the city? Her? She couldn’t even enforce discipline in her little group that was supposedly so dedicated to her? What happens if the NCR leaves, and the Fiends start attacking the ordinary people of Freeside? And the Kings were, of course, an ordinary street gang. How could she have been so naive to think it was anything more?

No, no. She had some loyal people, and she had her aura. Worst comes to worst, she could threaten the lives of Freeside leaders into working to enforce order. She could take care of the consequences of today. The fight was still on. It would all be fine. It had to be.

She turned to the people who were still with her, “Bring them into order. Do whatever you have to.”

A scream pierced the air, and she turned to find a group of men tackling a young woman, who was struggling to keep her dress from being stripped off of her.

That was a step too far for her, Blake walked over and drew her guns. “Let. Her. Go.” She had lost her patience.

“What?” One of the men said indignantly, “You want us to fight for you and not take the spoils?”

She put her gun to his forehead. “I’m not asking again.”

“Uhg. Have it your way.” He said, before shoving the girl away and leaving. His companions did the same thing.

Looking around, she saw her people somewhat calm the tide of looting, though she couldn’t help but notice many were already halfway to urban Vegas with their plunder.

She really fucked up, didn’t she?

At least her sharp eyes hadn’t missed the NCR gathering. A good number of soldiers, maybe 20 or 30, had slipped out of Camp McCarran and were making their way towards them. She tried directing the people into appropriate positions, but even she knew it was pointless.

With so many of her men gone or still out looting, the NCR easily drove them off with their overwhelming firepower. She covered the retreat herself, expending nearly all of her ammunition to delay them before making her way to the city herself.

Turning back, she saw that the NCR wasn’t chasing them into the city right now, but she was sure they were just waiting for reinforcements. At least they had some time to figure things out.

Once she got back to Vegas proper, she was witness to utter pandemonium. Stores and homes were being broken into by mobs, while some of the residents defended themselves with bloody results. Several gunfights were raging all around her as people used the chaos to enrich themselves or to settle their grudges.

She found her group gathered in a nearby alley, alongside Pacer and his men.

“Things didn’t go perfectly, but it was still a good job, eh Blake?”

“You… you call this a good job?”

“Sure do,” He smiled, “People haven’t been this riled up in years, now me and the boys will be top dogs again.”

“That’s… Do you have the slightest idea what they’ll do to you?”

“I do. They’ll be begging for peace because of what’s going on at the Dam. Can’t wait to hear what they’re ready to give up for it.”

“The Dam? What Dam? You never told me about anything going on elsewhere. You-” Pacer’s laughter interrupted her, and she realized just how out of her depth she was.

She had half a mind to kill him here and now, alongside every other so-called King. But she had more immediate concerns. “Listen, there’s a whole bunch of their soldiers preparing to enter the city. I’ll hold them off at the main street, you get ready to flank from the alleys. We’ll drive them back, and then we’ll have a long talk about all of this.”

He took a long and hard look at her face, before smiling, “Sure thing, kitty-cat. I won’t say no to fighting more NCR tonight.”

She set her people into position to block the troops from entering the city through the main route. Even as Vegas was getting out of control, she tried her best to avoid spiraling herself, and focus on the task at hand.

The NCR force came in eventually, exchanging some fire with her own people down the street. They couldn’t really win, they were lacking in both training and ammo. But if they delayed them enough and Pacer came through, they’d leave with a bloodied nose and she could get someone to help extinguish this mess. She really should have considered things more before raising hell, huh?

So she waited, and waited, and waited. Her people gave a good fight, but the NCR did not throw its people deep into the city, rather flanking through the other streets. They should have been intercepted by Pacer, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Eventually, even those who stuck with her thus far were starting to desert her. Just walking away at the first sight of having to do something themselves. She couldn’t help but think those NCR soldiers had a point.

She banished the thought. There were good and bad people on both sides, yet she somehow managed to miss it. No, it was visible all along. She was too focused on her mission, and she believed every sweet lie Pacer told her. And he probably wasn’t the only one who fed her lies.

A scream interrupted her self-berating. Two of their guys were shot within seconds of each other, and both looked fatal. The whole group started to run. She tried to rally them back, but to little success.

Blake Belladonna was, in all actuality, a massive fuckup of a person. An idiot who thought she could fix the world with barely a glance at it. She let herself get manipulated, just as she always did. Now, she was hiding out in some dusty attic, watching from the small window hole as more and more NCR flowed into the city.

They were enforcing a strict curfew, shooting anyone who was outside. She thought she knew horror before. What had she summoned? Everywhere she looked, there was blood. The only place devoid of it was the dark attic, where two of her most loyal followers still awaited her orders.

They looked like lost puppies, waiting for… something. She had no answers to give them. She couldn’t face them either, so she told them to go watch the ground floor for intruders.

But she still couldn’t escape it. She tried covering her ears in vain, but the gunfire and the screams were still there. She thought she was better than this, better than Adam…

She heard a shot from just below her. And a second one. Was this it? Was she going to die? How many had died already because she rushed blindly into something she did not understand?

Multiple footsteps came up the attic. She dropped her aura, and welcomed her coming death.

What came up the stairs was far, far worse.

“Blake?” Yang said. “Is that you?”

Her stomach dropped.

Her? Here? How?

Yang approached her, followed by her two guards with apologetic faces.

“We could not stop her,” One of them said. “She was invincible, like you.”

“Invincible, huh?” Yang said. “Is that what you told them, Blake?”

“I…” When did she get here?

“Starting a little cult at the first sign of power? I could not believe it when I first heard, but… Tell me it’s not true.”

“I…” She had her dead to rights. She did start a cult intent on suiciding itself and so many innocents around them, whether she wanted to or not. “I didn’t mean to-”

“You didn’t mean to have them worship you? It was all just a big accident? I knew you had a rough past, and we forgave you. But then I see this… mess. What do you have to say for yourself?”

What indeed? She could say the NCR was bad, that Pacer manipulated her for his own stupid gains, that she never intended for things to end up like this…

But none of those words left her mouth, she knew they were lies. She wanted to be strong and to right all the perceived injustices of the world without thinking about any of the hard stuff. So instead, she just curled up and started sobbing.

Yang looked conflicted for a second, but she took a deep breath and continued with fresh venom.

“Did you imagine we’d think you a hero for this? Starting a fucking war over some street scuffles? Do you have any idea what I went through before I got here yesterday? WEISS IS FUCKING DEAD, BLAKE.”

She could not take it anymore. She got up and tried to leave, but Yang got in her way.

“No, I think you’re going to face me instead. You’re going to hear everything I have to say.” She just noticed a new scar on her arm. She really did not want to know what happened or how Weiss died.

“Blake,” The second of her followers asked her, “You’re… You’re invincible, right? The woman said you’re not, but she must be lying, right? Go stop the soldiers, please.”

“Yeah, Blake.” Yang said. “Why don’t you stop the whole fucking army? You invited it here, didn’t you?”

“I- I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to end up this way, okay? I’m…” She sobbed, “I didn’t mean it…” She turned around, jumped through the window, and ran away into the night.

Chapter Text

“…And then I tracked her with my scroll to a hiding spot in some attic, and I confronted her.” Yang said in a shaky voice, “She… she didn’t- couldn’t say much other than incoherent apologies, before she jumped out of the window and fled.”

By the end of Yang’s recounting of events, Ruby was left emotionally exhausted. She didn’t know what to say. Blake? Her friend, Blake, behind all this chaos? The words coming out of Yang’s mouth were difficult to believe.

No, that wasn’t quite true. She hadn’t known Blake for that long, but one of the things she found out in their short time together was her rather… troubling past. Namely, that she was part of a faunus terrorist organization. It wouldn’t be inconceivable for her to go back to something like that again.

“And then what?” She asked Yang, who was still sitting on the bed, her face red from crying. “Where did she go after that? You should have been able to continue tracking Blake through her scroll, right?”

She sighed, “I don’t want anything to do with her anymore, okay? I told you what happened, so now you can just leave it be. Just… forget everything about her, and the two of us can figure things out together.”

She had no idea what to make of it all. She knew Blake had a strong… sense of justice. It could have easily gone too far, and she could have made a lot of serious mistakes. But the Blake she knew was also deeply compassionate, and she had the courage to leave the White Fang when it started becoming too militant. Perhaps Ruby was being naive again, but she really wanted to believe in her friend.

And it wasn’t like Yang’s testimony was entirely reliable, considering how she didn’t tell her anything about Weiss’ whereabouts. She had the feeling this was only because she was Blake’s friend, but she didn’t feel like she could hand out judgment based on… rumors. She resolved to speak with Blake before judging her.

At least she wasn’t in imminent danger, unlike Weiss. That’s right, Weiss! She had to hurry.

“What’s your aura at, sis?”

“Decent, but I’m not fighting Benny and the whole fucking strip security. Not that I could get in there in the first place.”

“That’s not what I- Never mind.” Even if she had Yang, Ruby still had to get geared up. The machete wouldn’t do her much good if she was taking on the whole Legion. “Okay, but I still need to figure out my situation.”

“You can stay in my room here, the bed is big enough.”

“Out of the question,” She said, “It’s disgusting, and I don’t want to think about all that’s happened here.”

“Nothing’s ‘happened’ here. And certainly not since I arrived. I expected you, of all people, to have your head out of the gutter.” She sighed, “You’re being awfully picky, Ruby, the other places won’t be much better. Where else are you going to stay?”

“I’ll figure it out. Vegas is a big place.”

“It’s also a dangerous place.”

“I can take care of myself.”

Yang gave her a skeptical look, “If you say so… Wait a sec, where’s Crescent Rose? I remember you had it on you when we went to Vale that night.”

Ruby stayed silent.

“And for that matter, how’d you get that scar on your head, Ruby? It looks pretty serious, I-”

“How’d you get that scar on your arm?” Ruby shot back.

It made Yang shrink back with a guilty expression. She knew she was already too deep in her lie with Weiss. Why was she even like that? Did she believe her to be dead? Was there something more to it? She wanted to probe further, but she was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“What the hell are you doing in there, Yang?” A man shouted, “If you don’t get back to work right the fuck now, you’re sleeping on the streets tonight!”

“Coming.” Yang stood up, before turning to Ruby. “My offer still stands if you can’t find a place to stay, okay? Love you, sis.”

“Is everything fine?” Veronica said as they went down the street.

“Take a guess.”

“Was it about this Blake? What happened with her?”

“I don’t know for sure. She attacked NCR troops several times, and this somehow led to… Well…”

“A bit of an escalation.”

“That’s one way to put it.”

“I don’t doubt that they somehow deserved it, but the Republic keeps worse things from taking hold.”

Ruby hummed in agreement. “I can’t do anything about it now. Yang refused to say where Blake went, and I have a score to settle on the Strip.”

“We’re also going to need a place to stay in the meantime. And the money to enter the Strip won’t be easy to get.”

Ruby looked up to her, “Any suggestions on the fastest way to get 2000 caps?”

“We could make that much by day’s end if we tried robbing the Silver Rush, but I’m not that eager to die.”

Ruby remained deep in thought as they continued walking.

“You’re actually considering it, aren’t you? I wasn’t aware that we were on a strict time limit.”

“We kind of are, though.”

“Kind of?”

“It’s complicated, okay?” She dismissed her question and increased her pace.

They spent the next few hours searching for a job and a place to stay the night. Unfortunately for them, there wasn’t much of either to be found. Business was going badly, so no one could afford to take a risk on employees without an established reputation.

As for shelter, there was never much demand to house travelers in outer Vegas. They did find a motel that charged an outrageous 50 caps per night, as well as a brothel that had some vacant rooms they were willing to rent out for cheap. Neither option interested Ruby.

All that was to say, the sun was going down and they had made no progress. Veronica finally managed to convince her to grab something to eat from a food stand. The meat looked like it was going to make her sick, so she bought some boiled maize instead. It was better than nothing, but unless they got their act together they weren’t going to even have access to that soon.

“We can go to the Followers, you know?” Veronica said, “They’re usually in need of work.”

“Didn’t they just throw us out?”

“You’re the one she was mad at. And I’m sure I can convince Julie to give you a chance. She was just tired and we had a misunderstanding. We’ll work it out somehow.”

“I’m not so sure, but I guess you know her better than I do.”

“There’s not much to lose in trying. Let’s go.”

They were at the entrance of the Old Mormon Fort, standing face to face with Julie Farkas. It only took several minutes of pestering the guards to get her to come out. Julie remained irritable as they made their case to her.

“So, Julie?” Veronica spoke, “Will you let us help?”

“I’m sorry for what happened with Blake,” Ruby said. “I had no idea about any of that. But I’m sure there’s some way I can make up for it, at least a little.”

“So, you want to do charity?” Julie asked, still not amused.

“Well, we can’t do it on an empty stomach,” Veronica said.

She thought about it for a little while, “Maybe we did get some money from out west to deal with all this, though it’s not much.”

“So?”

“I’ll give you a chance. But 200 caps is all I can spare at the moment.”

Relief washed over their faces. It wasn’t much, but it was a starting point.

“And payment will be conditional on results.”

“Bring it on us,” Ruby was resolute.

“There’s not much two people alone can do, but if you can help get more on the right track… What I’m trying to say is, there are people in Freeside who could be great assets to the community, if only they’d kick their addictions.”

The two girls nodded.

“The names are Bill and Jacob. Bill is an exceptional mechanic, he did a lot of work on the town’s various water pumps and he’d be a great help if he sobered up. He’s usually just outside the fort.”

Ruby winced. This was going to bring back some ugly memories.

“And Jacob was a good chemist, worked for the Garrets at the Atomic Wrangler. They apparently hooked him on chems while on the job. He should be near there.”

And going near Yang again. Great. Just great.

It took asking around a bit, but they eventually found Bill sitting on the curb two blocks away from the fort. He was balding, unshaven, and clutching his head in pain. The source of his headache was glaringly obvious, as he was surrounded by a massive number of empty glass bottles.

“Ummm, hello.” Ruby said, “You’re Bill, right?”

“Yea… That’s me. Whadda you want?”

“Julie needs you to help with the water pumps.”

“Ah. Well you can tell her I’m not feeling all that good right now. Maybe later.”

“When was the last time you felt well?” Veronica asked.

“Been a couple days… I’ll be fine though.”

“You will if you stop drinking,” Ruby said.

He looked at her, “You have no idea what you’re talking about, kid. Check back in after a couple years, life’s gonna fuck you up too.”

He… he’s the one who has no idea what he’s talking about. If Veronica weren’t here, she’d show him her brand and give him a piece of her mind.

She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry about whatever happened to you, but it’s not an excuse to keep drinking…” Her eyes narrowed, “Hold on, how do you even afford to get drunk every day if you don’t work?”

“I’ve got some leftover money.”

“Alcohol is expensive, last I checked.”

“Dixon sells me the cheap stuff, I’ll be good for a while.”

“Dixon?”

He grabbed one of the seemingly empty bottles, trying to get the last remaining drops of alcohol. “It tastes like paint thinner, but nothing gets me hammered faster. Think he’s mixing something extra in, but I don’t really care at this point. Must be fine if half of Freeside goes to him.”

“And where is this ‘Dixon’ guy?”

He chuckled, “I might be hungover, but I’m not stupid. I can see that blade on your hip.”

“We’re just trying to help-”

“Well don’t. Get lost and let me rot away.”

Ruby was simply stunned at how hopeless and bitter he was. She wasn’t sure words alone could fix this. Finding this ‘Dixon’ guy and cutting off his supply could help get him going. At least she hoped so.

She made her way to the street where the Atomic Wrangler and Silver Rush were. She didn’t want to talk to Yang yet, so she took the long way around the establishment when asking around. And again, it didn’t take much asking around until they located Jacob, who had made his home in a long-destroyed shop. Even watching from a distance, they could tell he was miserable, though he had a certain liveliness to him, which Ruby quickly figured out was just twitching from whatever drugs he was on. The man hadn’t noticed them yet, so Veronica took the opportunity to talk.

“What’s the plan?”

“I have an idea, but it’s better if I go alone for this.”

Veronica raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, instead waiting inconspicuously near the entrance as Ruby walked in.

Only once she was inside the shop did Jacob notice Ruby’s presence. At first he flinched back, but he somewhat calmed himself once he saw it was just her. For her part, Ruby tried to present herself as something closer to a Freeside resident, and that was why she didn’t want Veronica there.

The two of them were a bit too well-dressed for the place, but she had the large scar on her forehead, as well as several smaller blemishes on her skin from her time with the Legion. Additionally, she relaxed her scarf, showing off her brand, and though she doubted he would recognize what it meant, it added to the rough vibe.

“Yeh- What do you want?”

“You okay there?”

“Wha- never felt better.”

“Really? I wouldn’t have expected that, with what Freeside’s been through. How did you manage it?”

“It’s the f-fucking jet.” He took a puff from some kind of inhaler, “Dixon’s stuff m-makes me feel young again. Anyway, the fuck do you want?”

That name again. “Can you, uh, tell me where I can find some of that… jet, was it?”

“What, you looking to get high too?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Well, I ain’t giving out handouts so piss off.”

“I’m just asking for, uh… your dealer.” Goodness, this was so embarrassing.

“Find your own.”

“I’m sure he can get enough for all of us. Come on, help a fellow druggie out.”

“Hah, druggie. What are you, twelve? He’s usually in an alley three blocks down the street, now fuck off.”

Ruby made her way out, only to see Veronica snickering.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, nothing, just… you’d make a terrible junkie.”

Ruby rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help but smile a bit as well. “Well, we have our lead, let’s go.”

“Wait, what’s that on your…”

Ruby seized up, and immediately covered her throat with her hand. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Just… a disfigurement. That’s all.” She said, pulling her scarf up.

“Alright, I won’t pry.” She put her hands up defensively. “I’m just noticing that you’re a very secretive person, Ruby.”

“Huh?” That took her by surprise. She had always considered herself an exceptionally honest and straightforward person. She looked down at the ground, “I guess I am now.”

They looked around the place they were directed to until they found Dixon in one of the dead-end alleys. He was a 30-something with a baseball cap and bloodshot eyes that unnerved Ruby. When he saw them approaching the narrow passage, something in his demeanor changed ever so slightly. He appeared to become more casual, leaning on a wall and letting his hands hang freely, but she did not miss how they never strayed too far from his holster. He presented himself as aloof, but he must have sensed they were trouble. “Heya ladies, whatcha up to on this fine day?”

“We heard you’re a big dealer around these parts,” Ruby said.

“Sure am. You want some?”

She ignored his question. “You’re selling to Jacob and Bill, aren’t you?”

“Among others, yeah. What of it?”

“Why?”

He snorted in amusement, “Why? Because, one, it makes a lot of money. And, two, they’re squatters.”

“What?”

“NCR squatters. They come here uninvited, stir up trouble and disrespect us, that sort of thing. Watching those former tough guys get doped out of their minds is hilarious.”

Ruby did not miss the deranged smile on his lips. Much as she thought she’d seen everything, the Mojave offered yet more surprises. “I’ll give you a chance to stop it.” She said resolutely.

“Awww, you’re such a saint. And what if I don’t?” He did not drop his playful tone even a bit at the threat.

Ruby put her hand on her machete. “It’s not going to end well.” Veronica also took a battle stance behind her.

“Sure,” Dixon said.

“You’re going to regret- Wait what? Really?”

“Yeah…” he said, his smile never leaving his face. “I won’t supply drugs to people anymore. I truly have seen the light.”

Ruby did not expect that. She certainly didn’t believe him, but she hadn’t realized the problem with her approach until just now. He was caught off guard and would certainly lose at melee range. But what else could she demand now? If Ruby was being honest, she was just looking for an excuse to start the fight. She could still kill him, but… The man knew exactly what kind of person she was, and he exploited it. He was smart, he had to be if he survived this long.

She pulled her machete out. “Okay, Dixon. If you mean it, get rid of all your drugs. Now.”

He sighed, before grabbing a bag next to him and tossing it to her feet. “By all means, take it.”

“Don’t take your eyes off him for a second, Veronica,” Ruby said as she bent down to inspect it.

He was telling the truth. The bag was full of various syringes, bottles, and inhalers. She wasn’t sure how valuable it was, but she wouldn’t be surprised if he had just thrown away a thousand caps to escape with his life. She would have to dispose of it safely, but she wasn’t entirely sure on what to do with-

She heard a light footstep behind her, but it was already too late.

She felt a thump on her head that made her drop her blade and clutch her head in pain. Then she heard gunshots go off, and she instinctively dashed with her semblance, crashing into a wall at the end of the alley.

When she got ahold of herself and got up, she saw Dixon a few feet away, pointing his gun at her, while Veronica was barely being held down by two more people, one of whom was sporting a bloodied face. She cursed herself for not checking for suspicious people in the area before confronting him.

“Holy fuck,” Dixon laughed, “You two must be the dumbest broads I’ve ever seen. You could have had me, ya know? But you fell for the dumbest trick in the book.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. That’s it, no more second chances. She took a deep breath and sped by him with her semblance, his gunshots barely missing her.

She charged at the people wrestling with Veronica, who wrenched herself free and started putting her power-fist to good use. Ruby could hear their cries of pain as she ran towards Dixon.

He had just reloaded his handgun, and he aimed it at her head. Her aura was critically low, and she couldn’t risk using her semblance more, so she went down and slid towards him, making him miss his shots.

At the end of her slide, she jumped up and tried to take hold of his gun. Though she kept it pointed away from her for now, he was stronger, and once the surprise of the move wore off, he started gaining ground in their struggle. As she saw his other hand moving for a punch to her head, she let go of him and dropped to the ground.

His punch hit air, unbalancing him enough for her to kick his legs out from under him. He fell to the concrete floor, face first. She wasted no time in grabbing the gun he dropped and shooting him in the back of the head twice.

She looked out to see how Veronica was doing, and saw one of the men on the ground, not moving, while a second one tried to flee the alley. Ruby leveled the pistol at the back of his head, and pulled the trigger. None of them could be allowed to walk away from this alive.

“Are you okay, Ruby?” Veronica asked. She was definitely winded, but she was doing much better than her. She had started her day in Novac, went to Boulder, then Vegas… And spent all day being led by the nose all across Freeside. She was just about ready to die.

“I should be the one asking you.” She walked up to the last guy on the floor. He wasn’t moving, but she put a cap into him, just for good measure. The pistol slide was locked back, indicating that she had just spent her last bullet. She berated herself for not thinking of that in her anger.

“We should get out,” Veronica said, “Before we get unwanted attention.”

Ruby nodded. She searched Dixon for any extra ammunition, but found nothing.

“What was that all about, Ruby? How’d you move that quickly?”

“I’m pretty fast, but I’m not sure what you mean.”

“But you… Never mind. Let’s go dispose of these drugs somehow and go back to Bill and Jacob.”

“What is it now?” Bill said, looking up at the newly arrived Ruby. “I was just gonna go get myself a drink…”

“You won’t have to anymore. We took care of it. Dixon is dead.”

“W-what the hell?” His voice cracked, “Why? I’m gonna die if I don’t get a drink.”

“No you’re not. Go to the followers and they’ll help you get clean.”

“That’s… not how it works, lady. You think you can just- You know I’m just gonna find someone else to sell to me, right?”

That took the air out of her. “What? You’re not even going to try to get better?”

“I think it’s none of your business what I do.” He slowly stood up, leaning against the wall for stability.

“You…” She tightened her fists. She was so angry she was getting lightheaded, “How can you act so… ugh.”

She noticed Veronica approaching. She took one glance at Bill, “Same here?” She asked, confirming Ruby’s fears.

“You…” Ruby readied her fist and ran over to him, when she tripped over herself and almost fell. Veronica went to help her, “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m okay… Just a bit tired…”

“Ruby… your legs are shaking. You can barely support yourself. Leave it, we can deal with them later.”

“I can still… I have to…”

“No, you don’t.”

Ruby protested, but she found herself leaning on Veronica for support more and more.

“Let’s go get something to eat before you go crawling to your next fight, okay?”

At her insistence, they had dinner. Veronica found her a proper meal consisting of meat that didn’t look like it had been fished out of a sewer. They had to pay a premium for it, and they were now, officially, broke.

“Where are we going?” She said as Veronica led her through the side streets. Ruby insisted that she could now move on her own, though she was struggling to keep up.

“I’m dropping you off at your sister’s.”

“I’m not interested.”

“Well, where else are you going to sleep?”

“Where will you?”

“I was going to spend the night on the streets. It’s why I spent my last caps on food.”

“Then I’ll do the same. Besides, you’ll be safer with me.”

Veronica reluctantly agreed, and they moved into a quieter part of Freeside, finding a decent hiding spot inside a ruined building, between a wall and a large pile of rubble.

“This seems good,” Veronica said, standing on top of the pile of rocks. “There’s no way to get to us without making noise. You need help getting up?”

“No, thanks,” Ruby said as she scaled the pile herself and made it to other side, where there was a small corner with enough flat space for the two of them to sleep.

“It doesn’t seem like anyone else has made it a home,” Ruby said, before lying down. “We should be safe for now.” She inspected her newly acquired pistol. “It has no ammo. But it might help me get some kind of security job here… What are the rates here again?”

Veronica opted to sit for the time being. “Ruby, why are you in such a hurry?”

“It’s a long story, and-”

“We have the time now. You can tell me, whatever it is.”

Ruby averted her head from Veronica.

“Odds are, it’ll help you get whatever it is you’re after. And, please don’t take this the wrong way, but I’d much rather work with you if you gave me an idea of why you’re so determined to push yourself so hard.”

Ruby sighed, before moving her hand to undo her red scarf. “I… I was taken by the Legion.”

She could see Veronica’s eyes widen and her breath stop in shock.

Ruby put the scarf back on after a few moments. “I escaped just a few days ago. There were others who tried, but most didn’t succeed. Among them was a dear friend of mine. I just… I would do anything to get them back.”

Veronica looked distinctly uncomfortable, “Ruby… I don’t know how to go about telling you this, but-”

“I saw her,” Ruby said. “Before meeting you, I visited Boulder City. I could see her among the slaves, she was alive.”

“…I believe you. But still, I don’t see how we could get past the several thousand legionaries.”

“I did it before, and I’ll do it again.”

“I heard there was an all-out revolt a few days ago. I don’t suppose you could repeat that.”

“Maybe I could. Or I’d find another way. In any case, I’ll increase my chances by getting geared up, and if I could get Yang to go along with it…”

“Um, it’s great that you’re looking to save your friend… And I’m sure you don’t need my warnings, but I’m not committing suicide by charging into the Legion camp.”

“That’s fine by me.” She turned to sleep. Veronica had no idea about her extra abilities, though she was right that she had no plan other than getting more gear and people. “Doesn’t change the fact that every second I spend delaying, she’s suffering unimaginable things…”

Veronica thought about it for a few moments. “For how long has she been in captivity?”

“About a month.”

“Then she’ll survive another few weeks. If you keep overexerting yourself like that, you’ll only make things worse. If not for me, you might have collapsed and lost the rest of your possessions. Then you’d be delayed even more.”

Ruby hummed affirmatively. She knew Veronica was right, but she still felt awful admitting it. Every comfort or moment of rest felt sinful while Weiss was in danger.

“And for what it’s worth,” Veronica continued, “I’ll go to the Crimson Caravan HQ tomorrow, in the south part of the city. I’ve still got some Brotherhood tech I need to sell off. I’m supposed to buy food with the caps, but there’s no harm in using them to pass a credit check in between.”

“How much will you get?”

“Don’t know. Maybe a thousand or so. The brotherhood wasn’t exactly willing to part ways with their best stuff.”

“It’ll still take a while to get money. Probably weeks.” And if she got those caps, she would have enough to buy the weapons she needed. But a small detour to get rid of Benny wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. He must also be super rich. She wondered how much damage a more advanced laser rifle could inflict on the Legion. It just might be enough to pull it off.

“It might take a while, but you have to start somewhere,” Veronica said.

“Don’t you have to go back to your bunker? Every way you put it, I’m still on a time limit.”

“They don’t exactly need me down there soon, and I was also supposed to investigate an energy weapons seller called the Van Graffs. You’ve seen them in passing, right?”

Ruby nodded.

“They’ve been gathering, repairing, and allegedly even creating their own energy weapons. If their proliferation continues to increase, it would mean trouble for the Brotherhood.”

“Interesting. Very interesting. So what do you need to do?”

“See how bad it is, and if anything can be done about it. In any case, it’s fine for me to be out and about. I don’t know what I’d do if I were forced to spend all my time in the bunker.”

“Yeah…” Ruby tried closing her eyes, but sleep didn’t come as easily as she hoped.

“Ruby,” Veronica said. “I’m sorry if I was rude. About wanting to save your friend, I mean. I guess you must care about them a lot.”

She hummed affirmatively.

“I’m just… I don’t know. No one in the Brotherhood would go to such lengths to rescue someone. Much as we love our family and friends… Military logic takes precedence. It wouldn’t make sense to risk losing many people to rescue just one person.”

“I know she would do the same for me,” Ruby said. “That’s what being a friend means. It’s not just having someone to talk to, it’s sticking out for one another even when things are hopelessly bad. I’m sure she’s awaiting my return, it… Maybe I think too much of myself, but it might be the only reason she keeps going.”

Veronica didn’t say anything for a while. Ruby thought she had gone to sleep, “I guess that means I’ve never really had a friend before.”

“That’s not true,” Ruby said. “You have a friend right here.”

“I-” She heard her stifling a sob. “Okay… I’ll try to be a proper friend to you as well, Ruby. Just no more secrets for now.”

“I… I still have a few. But I’ll tell them when I’m ready. I’m too tired now.”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to spill everything right now. I’ll let you rest easy, Ruby. Good night.”

Chapter Text

Ruby woke up to the rays of sunlight poking out of the holes of their shelter. She noticed that Veronica was already up and looking at her.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Ruby said, yawning.

“You can rest a bit longer.” Veronica said, “You’ve had a hell of an exhausting day. I’m off to the Crimson Caravan HQ. You sure you don’t wanna join me?”

“No, I should be looking for work.”

“There might be opportunities out there too, you know?”

“You can tell me if you find something good. I’d rather stay close to Yang. How long will you stay there?”

She stood up. “I might stay there. We can meet back here tomorrow morning. That okay with you?”

Ruby nodded and Veronica went on her way, leaving her to lay on the concrete for a little longer. It was only slightly worse than sleeping on the dirt, which she had already grown used to by now. She couldn’t, however, get used to not eating food, and seeing as she literally had no caps to her name, she eventually had to get up and go looking for work.

She briefly considered going back to finish the job with Bill and Jacob, but she didn’t feel she was in the right state of mind to be fixing something like that right now. Maybe she never will be. In any case, her stomach was rumbling and she had to get some guaranteed pay. There’s got to be a place somewhere that’ll take her in?

“And why should I let you through?” One of the so-called ‘Kings’ said. As far as she could tell, they were some kind of weird gang, though they seemed more sane than others. It wasn’t her first choice, but the other places were also short on available work. She would see what they had on offer and, if she didn’t like it she’d look elsewhere. She entered the lobby to their building without an issue, but now this guard was blocking her way to the rest of the building.

“Because I’ve heard the King is looking for work.”

“Then you must’ve heard wrong, missy.” The man said. “But I don’t know, maybe I can help you… depends on how much you tip.”

“Tip?”

“It’s only a courtesy, of course. I’ll check in either way, but not tipping the guard is bad luck round these parts.”

So he wants a bribe, got it. She’s just about had it with everyone in Vegas being a total pain to deal with. At best, they’re annoying, and at worst they are some of the lowest scum conceivable. She hasn’t had a moment of peace with anyone from New Vegas.

“Does this ‘King’ approve of extorting everyone who goes to meet him? It makes for a bad first impression.”

“Are you disrespecting the King, missy?”

“I’m just new here, Sir. If he doesn’t want my services, I’ll go find someone else who does.”

“Oh come on, don’t be like that. You’re no fun. Besides, it’s clear as day you’re just broke.” He sighed, “So where are you coming from, new girl?”

She knew enough about this place to say anything but NCR. “Uh, I’m from up north.”

“From Utah? Heard things haven’t been going well over there lately. What’s it like?”

She had no idea what the situation there is, but he didn’t strike her as someone who knew much about it either, “Uhhh, you know… Same as everywhere. Raiders, crime, bad weather, you name it.”

“Fair enough. Anyone’s free to visit the King, just so long as you’re not NCR or a beggar, got it?”

“Yup. I got it.”

The King was unmistakable, dressed in all white and seated in the center of an auditorium, and yet she expected him to look… More like a king? Sure, he had a cyborg dog on his lap and was surrounded by a bunch of other so-called ‘kings’ who were sucking up to him, but she expected a bit more of a refined taste.

“Look, Rexie,” He said as he petted the dog. “Someone new has come to see us. I’m the King. What can I do for you?”

“Do you always charge people to talk to you?” She seized up just as she said it. The room went silent at her words and a tense atmosphere took over. But the King just laughed it off.

“Charge? Pace must be at it again. Don’t take it personally, he’s always a bit pushy with strangers. What’d he take you for? I’ll make it up to you.” Just like that, everyone relaxed. What the King lacked in scary authority, he more than made up for in charisma.

“Nothing. I had nothing to give. That was why I came here, actually. I heard rumors that you have some work available.”

“Maybe so, maybe so. Depends on if you have what it takes.”

“I’m listening.” She tapped her holstered pistol. She’d take most jobs by now, so long as it didn’t involve getting innocents hurt.

The King made a gesture, and all the remaining people scampered off. He motioned for her to take a seat next to him.

“There are some jobs where I need people outside my ranks. Are you familiar with the bodyguards near the gates when you entered Freeside?”

“I saw them.”

“It’s good money if you can stay alive long enough. Freeside’s not as safe as it used to be, so the money is well earned.”

She nodded.

“Usually well earned, that is. Recently, my men tell me that one of the bodyguards, a fella named Orris, is making a little too much money. Making a killing on repeat business. Once someone hires him, they never want anyone else. I want you to find out why. Specifically, I want you to hire him. Play the part of an innocent tourist and follow his lead. Maybe nothing happens, but I’m guessing things won’t go so smoothly. Call it a hunch.”

The job seemed… a bit odd. But nothing too bad.

“So, what do you say?”

“How much are you offering?”

“100 caps to hire him. After that, an extra 100 if you get me something good.”

So she’d be 100 caps richer if she did the job well. She felt like she might be able to get a higher price, but she remembered Veronica’s words about being too hasty. It wasn’t worth potentially losing this opportunity, and it could lead to her getting more work down the line. “I’ll do it.”

Orris wasn’t that hard to find. All the other bodyguards for hire at the gate were Kings, except for him. He had menacing, spiked metal armor, loose black hair, and a confident look about him. Even though the Kings were all shooting him glares, he didn’t seem scared at all.

“Excuse me mister, are you a bodyguard here?” She tried putting on her best innocent tourist act, which wasn’t far from the truth anyways.

“Sure am. If you need to cross Freeside, no one will keep you safer than I will.”

“How much is it for your services?”

“A hundred caps, and you’ve got yourself a trip to the south gate.”

“That’s a lot of money.” Do people actually pay that much?

“It is more than the others, but your life isn’t something to cheap out on. So long as you follow my instructions to the letter, you’ll be safe as can be.”

“Okay then. Take me to the Strip, then.”

Just as she handed him the caps, a realization hit her. The King wanted him investigated because he was competing with his guys. Like, obviously, but what did that mean for her job? Was he going to be angry if she said everything was fine?

They started walking, but she could not shake the feeling that she had gotten herself into something she really didn’t want to.

“Everything alright there?” Orris said. “You’re slowing down.”

“It’s all good. I’m just wondering, for how long have you been working as a bodyguard?”

“I did all kinds of security jobs ever since I was a youth. But the gate stuff started a few months ago. It’s a good job, but the Kings think they’ve got a monopoly on it. You gotta be tough to do it on your own.”

It was most definitely that. Hold on, was she expected to actually kill Orris? Did she miss some crucial context in the King’s words? Because if she did…

“Hold on.” He motioned for her to stop. “I don’t like the look of some of those guys up ahead. Let’s take a detour.”

She could indeed see a group of suspicious people watching them. It made sense for him to not want to risk a firefight, so she didn’t complain.

They went around the main streets, winding through more and more obscure alleys. Judging by their proximity to the Vegas tower, they seemed to be getting closer to their destination. Everything was going more or less normally, when suddenly Orris whispered to her, “Stay there,” Before taking off in a full sprint.

She was blindsided by the sudden change in behavior, so she followed him. He got over to a bend in the road, when he pulled out his pistol, and she switched to her semblance to catch up with him.

Bang, bang, bang. He fired off three shots by the time she got there.

“Thought you could ambush us, huh?” He spoke as he holstered his gun and turned to face her, “Whoa, you’re fast.”

“What in the world was that?”

“Nothing to worry about. If you had hired one of those other hacks, you’d be up to your ass in lowlife right about now.”

She looked out at the bodies of the thugs, fallen and covered in blood. But something was off about all this, “Why’d you run ahead like that?”

“Call it a hunch. You do this job for long enough, you learn to trust your instincts. I knew they were going to try to ambush us here, it’s a good spot for that sort of thing.”

He might be used to transporting sheltered NCR rich people, but she was a bit more experienced than that.

“People don’t die instantly when shot.” She said. “And certainly not from gut wounds.”

He seemed to tense up at that. “I’m sure you’ve read all about that in a book or comic of some kind. But it’s not the same in practice. Now let’s go. The gate is just around the corner.”

She looked carefully at the supposedly dead thugs. It took her a moment, but she could have sworn she saw one of them lightly breathing. This guy was a total fraud. She could relax, she didn’t have to condemn an innocent man to death. But… she might have had to do it. She really should be more careful about what jobs she accepts in the future.

As it was now, she was still in a dangerous situation. Orris was moving forward, but she noticed that his hand was on his holster- he knew she might try something. She could flee, but she would only net herself a hundred caps, barely enough to feed herself and buy ammunition for that pistol of hers.

Or, she could take everything this fraud had for herself.

The thought was beyond tempting. So, she took out her machete, but before she could do anything, she heard a shout from behind her, “She’s going for it.”

One of Orris’ supposedly dead accomplices was spying on her. Orris took his gun out and turned around, but she petal burst behind him. Just like with Dixon, she had the jump on him, but she knew it wouldn’t last long. Noticing the trail of petals, he turned around, but before he could do anything, she cut into his gun arm, making him drop the weapon in pain, and letting her put her machete near his throat. His arm didn’t look critical, but that hand was out of commission for now.

“What the fuck do you want from me?” He shouted as the three thugs he hired carefully approached them with melee weapons.

“A refund, for starters. But now that we’re here, you might as well give me all your money.” Damn, she really was robbing someone. It was surreal in a way, but at the same time she promised herself she would stay strong, that she would do what had to be done to achieve her goals. And he was more than deserving of being on the receiving end of it.

“How dare you…” Orris swung his head back, hitting hers and letting him slip free of her blade. As he did so, the other thugs charged in, and Ruby swung her machete in wide arcs, wounding one of them in the arm, which made the others keep their distance.

Orris went for his dropped gun while one of his guys protected him. Ruby ran at them, throwing her machete at the thug, before kicking the gun out of Orris’ hand just as he grabbed it, and sending it into the midst of his men. She then pulled out her own gun and aimed it at them, “Stop this, all of you!”

Her gun, which she took from Dixon, was still empty. She didn’t have the money for ammo, but she could bluff her way through this. “If any of you reach for the gun, I’ll shoot. Now give me the money, and I’ll leave.”

Dixon and two of his buddies were bleeding, and none of them wanted to be the first to move. They were in a standoff for over a minute. Ruby really didn’t want to wait for someone to interrupt this. The scene they would find looked pretty bad for her, and she didn’t think she could prove his fraud on the spot.

“I’m counting down,” Ruby said. “Ten, nine, eight…”

“You’re fuckin’ kidding me,” Orris said.

“Seven… There’s no need to risk it. Your life isn’t something to cheap out on, right?” She smiled at him, “Six, five, four…”

“Just do it, boss.”

“Three, two-”

“Fine.” Orris said, before pulling out a sack of caps from his pocket and tossing it at her feet.

“That’s just what I gave you.” Ruby said. “You must have more on you.”

He sighed before pulling out a second bag and tossing it at her face. She was momentarily surprised, but it was enough time for one of them to get the gun, while the others took the opportunity to charge at her. So, she grabbed both of the bags and petal burst out of there, with gunshots following behind her.

“You seem winded.” The King said. “Everything go alright?”

“Orris…” She was still heaving from running all the way to the Kings. “…is a fraud. He fakes attacks on his clients and then plays hero.”

The King raised his eyebrows, “Huh. So that’s how it happens. Okay, then. I’ll have some guys pull him off the street when no one’s looking.”

That was fine with her, but she didn’t miss that he didn’t care much for concrete evidence. Though she was glad Orris wasn’t innocent in the end, she wasn’t sure how much the King cared about the distinction.

“If that’s all, I would like to be on my own way.”

“Sure thing. And your reward.” He put a stack of bottle caps on the table, “100 caps, as agreed. The Kings keep their word. If I need any similar work, I’ll keep you in mind.”

She smiled, before taking her money and leaving.

She still wasn’t sure what to make of the Kings. From what she’s seen and heard, their underhanded tactics and violent behavior made them resemble an ordinary street gang. But they also kept some semblance of order within the city. The places they patrolled were noticeably safer, and they did keep others from committing more extreme abuses. Compared to their offenses of monopolizing lucrative bodyguard jobs, it was probably a net positive.

She took the time to count her money now that she was safe. She got 100 caps from the King, plus about 220 caps from Orris. After eating, and buying a full magazine for her pistol, a .45 in surprisingly decent condition, she had about 250 caps. All in all, it was an amazing haul, and it wasn’t even noon.

She was under no illusion that such opportunities were going to be easy to come by. And some opportunity that was, she’d barely be at a profit right now if she hadn’t decided to rob that guy.

Speaking of opportunities, her search for work was going poorly again. She was growing frustrated, so she took a break to visit Yang. She wasn’t in front of the Atomic Wrangler. Someone else was standing guard there, a slim woman with short red hair. Ruby approached her instead.

“Excuse me,” She said, “Do you know where Yang Xiao-Long is?”

The bouncer eyed her wearily, “And you are?”

“Ruby, her sister.”

“You don’t look like you’re related.”

“We’re half-sisters. Is she inside?”

“Sure… She’s upstairs. She’s sleeping in.”

“At this hour?”

“I dunno, she was skulking around last night, so she must be tired. Well, that, and her usual issues.”

“Her what?”

“You know… Never mind, not my place.”

“No no no, what do you mean? You can’t just leave it like that.”

“You can talk to her yourself later.” The woman said. “I’m not getting involved with any of that.”

“Then let me in.”

The woman chuckled, “No.”

She took a deep breath, and backed off before she got in trouble. What did she mean by ‘Usual issues?’ Was she… what, crying because of Weiss? Or Blake? Or was it something else she wasn’t privy to? She had to go do something before her worries got the better of her. So, she decided to at least visit the Silver Rush just across the street. See what the whole deal with them was. Besides, cool weapons always cheered her up.

The guard at the door was a little scary, with bulky black armor and a laser rifle. He required her to relinquish her weapons. She complied, giving away her pistol and letting him pat her down before entering the building.

Once inside, she noticed the incredibly tense atmosphere. Sure, it was a gun store like any other. Lots of metal bars and shiny equipment, but the security- And there was a lot of security- Was on edge.

They held her back at the front, as there was apparently some kind of important meeting at the central counter area between three figures.

“Mr. Soren, please get to the point.” A bald woman with darker skin said. “The second half of your payment is late and I want to know why.”

“Ms. Van Graff, my associates and I have decided that we wish to, uh, renegotiate the terms of our deal.”

“And for what reason? The shipment was delivered. The guns were tested before leaving this facility.”

“Regardless, we feel that the specs of the weapons were… below expectation, and hoped to adjust the price accordingly.”

“Ah, I think I understand what the issue here is. Excuse me for a moment, would you?”

She turned to the third person in the meeting and nodded at him. He went into a backroom, before emerging with another man, who was bound and gagged. He threw him into the small firing range in the corner, before pulling out his laser rifle, and blasting him into a pile of ash with several quick shots.

“He… Was the last person who tried to cheat us.” The woman said while the man looked at the smoldering ash and bone with horror.

“I expect you’ll have our money tomorrow morning. Now get out.”

The whole scene took only a few seconds- it all occurred before Ruby could register what was happening and respond to it. She tried closing her eyes to avoid looking at the body, but she could still see the light spots in her eyes from the laser fire. The man ran out of the building, when the woman spoke again. “Alright everyone: Show’s over, and we have a customer. So get back to work!”

The guards dispersed, and Ruby approached the center of the room.

“Welcome to the Silver Rush,” She switched to a casual saleswoman’s voice, “Where only top of the line energy weapons can be found. What can I do for you?”

If Ruby was being honest, she kind of just wanted to get out of here, and not only because of the faint smell of burning flesh. But if she did that, they might not let her in again… And at minimum, she should scout out the place for Veronica. “It definitely looks well-made.” She wasn’t exactly an expert in energy weapons, but the equipment looked clean and all the components were welded together with great precision. The Brotherhood had some right to be scared.

“Do you have your eye on something specific?”

She could use one of the guns. They very much seemed to be ‘one shot’ deals, no waiting for the other guy to bleed out. No harm in asking, she supposed. “If I wanted to do something very stupid and dangerous, involving… ‘defending’ myself from a lot of armored people, what would be the best weapon?”

The woman raised her eyebrows at that, but made no complaint, “We have a Gatling laser in the back, but something’s telling me you don’t have the 20 thousand caps to cover it.”

“Oh. Of course, I meant… What’s the next best thing that’s affordable?”

“Depends on what you mean by ‘affordable.’ We’re not in the market of selling barely-functioning tasers to Freeside junkies. Our cheapest option is the laser pistol at 600 caps,” She showed the blocky weapon on one of the racks. “It has a very limited fire rate due to overheating issues, but it still packs a similar punch to other energy weapons.”

“On the other hand, a laser rifle ranges from 1000-1500 caps. They can fire a lot faster and are way more reliable. I believe you just saw my brother demonstrate one of them a few moments ago.”

She looked at the man who was standing next to them in the room. He had a certain intense look about him- Like he wasn’t all there. Or maybe the issue was that he was way more ‘there’ than everyone else. His eyes met hers, and she felt compelled to avert her gaze and go back to speaking to the woman.

“So there’s nothing that fires rapidly here?”

“That’s how lasers usually are as a class of weapons. Although… The plasma rifle is somewhat different technology.” She pointed to a weapon with a whole bunch of cylindrical capacitors jutting out of it, and metal pipes coming in and out of the metal casing. “It fires a more traditional projectile instead of a ray, though it doesn’t lose any of the power, and it makes way less residual heat. The fire rate is about 500 rounds per minute, comparable to the slower kinetic automatics.”

Now that looked more like something she could use to take on the Legion. She took a deep breath before asking the dreaded question. “And how much is it?”

“2000 caps for this one, which is one of our cheaper models.” She felt like she had just been hit with a ton of plasma rounds herself. But the woman didn’t stop there. “And it’s about 15 caps per shot, with a magazine capacity of 30.”

She just about fainted… She knew she *could* get it, if she waited long enough… And that made it so much worse. It would be immensely useful. Something to really cut through legion armor. She didn’t forget how Crescent Rose didn’t quite have enough of a punch last time, and her .45 certainly wasn’t gonna cut it.

“So, what’ll it be?” The woman asked. “Are you going to buy something, or did you come here just to waste my time?”

“I…” Was intimidation a part of their sales tactic? Because if so, it was working. “I was actually wondering if you had any work available? I might need a bit more before I can afford the plasma rifle.”

She smiled at that. A sort of cruel, sadistic smile, “It just so happens a position opened up recently,” She said, gesturing to the dead man on the other side of the room. “We need another body to guard the entrance. You sure you can handle it?”

“Uhhh…” Hell no. She was utterly insane. Too risky. Then again, it paled in comparison to the risk of what she’d been doing thus far. And the robbery was a lucky break, she couldn’t repeat that… Not without going after innocent people, and she was never doing that.

“How much are you paying?”

“60 caps per 8 hour shift, plus additional job opportunities. Delivering merchandise, securing transactions, finding the right people… All very lucrative if you’ve got the work drive. We’re talking hundreds of caps. So, is it a yes?”

That did sound tempting… Stable money was a luxury in this place. Besides, she had the time to look for other, more lucrative work after her shift was done. Crap, was she really doing this? Her mind was suddenly assaulted with vivid imagery- Her assault on the Legion failing, her being captured by the soldiers, being taken to the center of the camp and beaten, then taken to a tent and-

“Yes.” She gave the woman a firm look. The thought of melting the Legion bastards sounded too tempting to pass up. After a few days of work, she would use her and Veronica’s money to get to the strip, go after Benny, deliver the platinum chip, and use all that money on a plasma rifle to take on the Legion in a daring raid on their camp.

She could also not bother with any of that and head out now that she had a pistol, but the real bottleneck was her aura, which was required to get a possibly exhausted Weiss out. And doing dangerous street work would lead to daily injury, slowing her recovery.

“Wonderful. You can talk to Simon outside, he’ll acquaint you with the job. Accompany him for the rest of his shift. If you prove to be competent, we’ll give you a full time paying job. Consider this an internship.”

“I accept.” She offered a handshake, “I’m Ruby Rose.”

“Gloria Van Graff.” She said as she accepted the gesture, and Ruby felt in her gut that she had just made one of those horrid mistakes she was so prone to making. “Now get to work, Ruby.”

As Ruby exited the door, she heard the guard say in a bored voice, “Thank you for visiting the Silver Rush, we wish you a good…” He trailed off as he noticed that Ruby was not moving, and was instead staring at him expectantly. “Ahh… Crap, don’t tell me you’re the new hire.”

“Yup.” She said, making the slightest smile. “Guess you’re stuck with me.”

“I’ve been paired with worse, I guess. Since when do they hire pipsqueaks?”

She ignored his comment, and he continued, “You’ll cover the other side of the door. Get a feeling for things while I get your gear.” He said as he left.

Ruby looked out and assessed the situation. There were three avenues of approach. A couple residential buildings and some smaller general stores. The big thing that stood out was the Atomic Wrangler right across the street. It was still manned by the redhead girl, but she would be seeing Yang around in all likelihood.

Simon returned, carrying a bunch of stuff, “First off, you need protection. You’ll be wearing a heavy combat armor set. It’s even got a sleek black coat of paint. Makes us look professional and scary.” He threw the armor at her, “Hope those can fit. It’s the smallest size we had.”

As she put on the armor, he kept on talking, “As for weapons, we have the laser rifle. I dearly hope you don’t need training on how to shoot.”

“I’m good on that front.”

“Great. Because you’re only getting one shot.” He said as he handed the weapon to her, a blocky amalgam of metal and tied-down wires. “We can’t trust that you won’t run away with it, at least while you’re new. So it’ll be almost useless for you to take it, not to mention that we’ll sweep the Earth to locate you if you try to hide.”

“There’s no need to worry about that. But I get why you’re doing it.” The thought was tempting, though. There are only a few places that sell energy cells, and the Van Graffs could easily monitor all of them. What if she bought ammo from them and stashed it… But she’d also need to buy a laser pistol to make it not suspicious…

“I heard you saw them finally off that guy.” Simon said, “He tried running off with his las-gun. Gloria went absolutely mad, sent out most of the branch stationed here, in addition to a dozen bounty hunters to hunt him down. He tried waiting things out in the irradiated mountains near the Divide, and they still tracked him there… somehow.”

She gulped. If they were really willing to spend potentially tens of thousands of caps just to make a point, maybe she should drop that plan. Note to self: Never, ever cross the Van Graffs.

“Yup.” She laughed nervously, “Got it.”

“Don’t worry, we’re not gonna kill you if you’re just bad at being a gate guard… At least if no one dies cus of you. Which brings me to my next point, we’re here to keep the riff-raff away. Drunks, troublemakers, and other capless vermin are to be turned away. Potential customers are to be let in- after a search, of course.”

Ruby nodded. It all sounded simple enough, though she wasn’t exactly crazy over a job all about keeping poor people away. Real heroic huntress-tier work right there.

So they waited. And waited. Most people were going to and from the Wrangler, scarcely giving them a passing glance. That was, until a man tattered clothing stumbled towards them. Even from a distance, she could tell he was drunk out of his mind.

“Eksquzz me-” He stopped to regain his balance. “Iz dis where I can pick up a lazzur gun?”

“Sorry mister,” Ruby said, “We can’t let you in if you’re drunk.”

“Why da hell nooot?” He slurred.

She put on her best professional voice, “Company policy. Aplogies.”

“Sounds like a stupid ass policy to me.”

“Please, go and find some water before you get yourself hurt. You can try at-”

“Don’t.” Simon said. “Telling him to go away was sufficient. We’re not the Followers, and loiterers scare the customers.” Then he turned to the man on the street, “Get the hell out of here, you drunk!”

“Ugh, fine… Fine, I’ll go, and I’ll take my business elsewhere! And I’ll tell all my drinking buddies never to shop there again.”

“I’m sure we’ll miss them dearly, now get out.” Simon said.

“Damn right ya will.” He said, leaving without any more trouble.

She assured herself that he’s likely gotten drunk like this a million times, and that he’ll be fine. Ruby noted that her past self would have responded much differently. She’d want to make sure he made it home safely and that he wasn’t sick, maybe tuck his bed in while she was at it. She’d make a big scene with Simon over it, and she’d end up losing her job. She wasn’t sure if she should be proud of it, but in a very strange sort of way, she was. She was proud that she could follow orders she didn’t like.

She didn’t want to dwell too long on the fact she learned that under the Legion’s whip. In any case, another customer was approaching, again from the Wrangler. This one was wearing a fancy black suit and hat, and though he didn’t appear drunk, he had a nervous look about him.

“Howdy!” He said, “Just done broke the bank at the Wrangler, thought I’d peruse your fine wares, maybe lighten my purse a little, ya know?”

“Certainly, Sir. We just need to search you for weapons first.”

“Now hold on there, I’m not packing any heat. Ain’t my word good enough for you?”

Ruby’s eyes narrowed and her grip over her rifle tightened. “I’m sure you’re a man of your word, but we can’t make any exceptions.”

“I… suppose that’s alright, if there’s no other choice.”

Ruby looked to Simon for guidance. He remained calm. “Go ahead, rookie. Search him. Just the basics, pockets and such.”

Ruby did as instructed, patting down his pockets. Finding only caps and miscellaneous harmless accessories, she let him through. But it was her first time doing this and she was still nervous that she might have let someone armed in.

“He was acting really suspicious, Simon.” Ruby said, “Shouldn’t I have searched him more thoroughly?”

“Not really.” Simon said. “Experience tells you who’s trouble and who’s just clueless. But more importantly, he wasn’t wearing any bulky clothing that could hide a gun or a lot of explosives.”

“There’s a bunch of places he still could have hidden things that I haven’t looked at.”

“Even if he did hide something, he wouldn’t be able to quickly draw from his boot, now would he?” Simon said. “And besides, we wouldn’t have many customers if we insisted on molesting everyone who wanted to come in.”

“Of course. That makes total sense.”

“If you really think someone’s going to be trouble, you can always turn them back, just don’t complain if your pay gets cut.”

The next few hours went pretty quite well. The people didn’t give them much trouble, and it was a good change of pace from being constantly on the move. She was nearing the end of the shift, when she saw a curious customer approach them.

The bearded, middle-aged man was wearing a truly thick combat vest. An oddity in the Vegas heat, to be sure. Even her armor was starting to feel a little heated, he must be sweltering.

“Hey,” he spoke up, “I’m lookin’ for something to replace my old revolver. Mind if I head in?”

“Of course,” Ruby said, “We’re just gonna need to make sure you’re not carrying any weapons.”

“Not really necessary, is it?” He pulled his gun out of his holster, “I already told you I got this here revolver, right?”

Ruby tried to give a friendly smile, “We still need to look through your pockets. It’s company policy.”

“Damn…” He muttered, “Knew this wasn’t gonna work.” He aimed his gun at her head, but Ruby was way ahead of him. She fired her rifle, vaporizing his stretched-out arm along its whole length and making him fall to the floor in agony.

“What the hell?” Ruby asked, shaking from the sudden encounter. She looked to Simon, but his gaze was still fixed on the man writhing on the ground. She looked back at their attacker. His remaining hand went for something in his pocket, but Simon blasted the elbow off his hand, before delivering another shot to the head.

“That fucker…” He said, kneeling down and searching through his body. “That vest is full of C4. He could have… I don’t even wanna think about it.”

“…”

“Good job rookie.” He said as he stood up. “We’re supposed to go on for a little longer, but I think this is close enough to closing time. Just dispose of the body, and report back with your equipment. Suffice to say, you’ve passed the test.”

“Thanks, I- Wait… How exactly do I, uh, dispose of the body?”

“Just throw it in the dumpster out back. No one’s gonna care. Oh, and…” He tossed her an energy cell pack. “Protection.”

As thankful as Ruby was for getting herself a job at the Silver Rush, her day ended on a sour note, as it often did. She was dragging the remains of a dead man into a dark alley. He was missing his head and both arms, and she had to put his various other remains, his cut off hand and skull fragments, on his chest as she took him to the dumpster.

Did she really have to do this? The other times she killed people, she wasn’t the one who had to deal with the bodies. Either someone else took care of it, or she just left them to the elements. Which wasn’t much different from this, but it somehow felt more dignified than a dumpster. A dumpster is for trash. She delayed putting him in by searching through his stuff more thoroughly. His gun was a molten mess, and she found nothing in his pockets except for a note.

If you are reading this, then I am likely dead. I can only hope that I have managed to take out some of those thrice-damned Van Graffs with me. They know what they did, and their victims deserve justice.

How helpfully nonspecific… She wasn’t surprised that they had wronged some people, but taking revenge on behalf of something this vague was way down on her list of priorities, especially given what she knew of the Van Graffs. Maybe one day.

A noise from behind made her jump, but it was only the squeak of a rat. She relaxed, before being hit with a fresh wave of revulsion. She felt bad for the man, she never got to hear his full story or fix what was wrong… And now he’s to be eaten by rats?

She instead put his body on the concrete and she reloaded her laser gun. She took aim, and fired until he was nothing but ash, essentially cremating him. It brought some tiny measure of peace before she went back to hand her equipment in.

Qrow sat on the bed of a cramped hotel room in the center of Vale. It was one of those soulless, disgustingly minimalist rooms, all shades of white and gray. Truth be told, he preferred the more lived-in Mistrali inns, even if they were usually filthy, and while the hotels in Atlas were even more of a ripoff than here, at least they had taste in decor and let him drink inside. Not that he gave a shit what they thought, as he grabbed his flask and took a hearty gulp to ease his nervousness about the whole ‘half his family is missing’ situation.

In any case, the hotel room would make do as an impromptu place for a secure meeting. They were far too reckless last time. Anyone eavesdropping could have learned a lot of valuable information.

A loud knock came from the door, and he shouted, “Come in.”

Winter walked in, this time in civilian clothing, as per his instructions. “Why in the world did you have to drag me all the way up here?” Winter asked, “And for that matter, why couldn’t you have explained it all over text?”

“Because it’s dealing with highly classified intel. I can’t risk being listened in on. You got rid of all your electronics, correct?”

She nodded, before taking a seat at the sole chair in the room. “Yes. Against my better judgment, I went to a suspicious meeting behind the general’s back. So you can spit it out now, no more cryptic stalling. Where is my little sister, who took her, and why don’t Ironwood and Ozpin want us to find them?”

Qrow took a moment to compose himself. “Okay, so… The where is the hardest part. I have some guesses, but there is a way to find out for sure.”

“And that would be?”

“My sister.” Qrow said. “Raven has a semblance that allows her to open a portal to any person she has an emotional connection with. This includes one of Weiss’ teammates, or at least I hope so.”

“Hope? So can she teleport to my sister or no?”

“I can’t know for sure how strong her bond is. Yang was her child, but she did abandon her.”

“Great. Also, isn’t your sister a literal bandit?”

He sighed, “Yes. She went back to our family’s old ways after we graduated, and… It doesn’t really matter, I’ll make sure she gets this done. You can count on it.”

“So we’re taking chances with a criminal lunatic on top of already slim odds… Lovely.”

“Do you have a better idea?” He asked.

She stayed silent, merely glaring at him.

“As for who took her… This is the crux of the issue. There is a secret… That certain people, like Ozpin, General Ironwood, and some very reliable huntsmen like Glynda and me know of.”

“You’re the opposite of reliable, and you should just get to the point already.” She was anxiously tapping her foot, looking like she was ready to bolt into action at the slightest lead. He’s never seen this version of Winter. So out of her element and fragile. He felt his usual quips die in his throat- this wasn’t the time.

“There are powers in this world that are kept secret from the general public. The Grimm, for instance, their existence is not simply a law of nature. They do not coalesce out of thin air, and they certainly don’t exist without a reason. In fact, they have an intelligent creator and leader.”

“That’s absurd. Overall Grimm movement patterns may be unpredictable, but everyone knows they don’t follow any kind of sensible grand strategy.”

“That’s because you don’t see what they’re after. But I can assure you, they do have a grand strategy. It’s no coincidence that the Grimm have been migrating to Vale in such numbers recently.”

“And what are they after? I know for sure it’s not a handful of huntress trainees in Vale City.”

“That’s where you’d be wrong, Winter.”

She sighed, “Qrow. I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt here, I really am. But a Grimm certainly didn’t infiltrate Vale and take Weiss away.”

“Neither did they blow open the mountainside to pour into Vale. And yet…”

“Are you suggesting that the White Fang had something to do with this? It’s possible…” Of course she would latch on to that. Maybe it was better not to try and explain the importance of Ruby’s silver eyes. The more secrecy, the better.

“Yes, it’s clear what has happened.” Winter said, “Qrow, are you aware that Ozpin has not only allowed a White Fang terrorist into Beacon, but also into team RWBY?”

“What?” That was news to him.

“Blake Belladonna. Daughter of White Fang founder, Ghira Belladonna.” She pulled out a printout of Blake’s Atlas arrest warrant, “After her father was made to resign by militant radicals in the Fang, she left home to join said radicals. She’s been spotted by Atlas surveillance on a number of occasions, primarily raiding railways and dust mines.”

He blinked. “Did you talk to Ozpin about it?”

“We both know that he’s going to blabber on about second chances to lost causes. You know the sort of nonsense he likes to do.”

He thought about it for a moment. “If what you say is true… Then she must have left her parents when she was, what, 12 or 13? I can see why he’d take a chance on such a person.”

“You can’t be serious. She spent her formative years in the hands of fanatical murderers, that only makes it worse.”

“Oz took a similar chance on me, and I turned out…” He didn’t miss Winter’s glare, “Decent enough. Certainly not a traitor.”

“But your sister did.” She said. “And I still can’t see why the Headmaster and the General aren’t sending their people to rescue them?”

“Because they’re guarding something more important than team RWBY, and organizing a huge search and rescue would notify them that we know we’re facing more than some White Fang cells.” Qrow said. “And Ironwood would never take a chance on trusting Raven.”

“I can ask.” Winter said. “I can make him understand, I’ll-”

“He’ll say no, and he’ll make sure you stay here.”

“So what, you want us to… go AWOL?” She shuddered.

“He gave you permission to investigate. If the time-sensitive mission just so happened to take you to the Mistrali wilderness, where you regrettably couldn’t be reached… Then that’s just bad luck.”

“That’s not how it works, Qrow.” She stood up. “I won’t jeopardize the chain of command on the words of a washed-up drunk like you. I’ll go talk to Ironwood.”

“And what if he says no?” Qrow asked.

“He won’t.” She left the room and slammed the door shut.

Qrow let out a sigh before chugging the last of his drink. She was just determined to complicate things, wasn’t she?

Chapter Text

Ruby donned the black Van Graff armor before starting her morning shift at the Silver Rush. Given that yesterday was a trial, today would be her first proper day on the job, and she would be doing it alone. She looked out at the streets of Freeside, still mostly empty this time of day, as she pondered her next moves.

Last night, she slept in the same shelter as before, though Veronica was nowhere to be found. Ruby didn’t worry much, as she said she might have to stay the night at the Crimson Caravan HQ. But she couldn’t lie, it was a bit of a letdown. She was looking forward to having someone to talk to at night. Someone whom she could regale with the day’s struggles and who would embrace and comfort her. She kinda did it with Weiss a bit when Ruby was captured by the Legion, but that wasn’t exactly the same.

She missed that a lot. The many carefree nights spent in Beacon Academy’s dorms, having idle talk with her teammates as they drifted off to sleep. And before that, having sleepovers with Yang back home, doing much the same.

She missed Yang. A lot.

Ironic, then, that Yang’s appearance out of the doors of the Atomic Wrangler startled her so much. The blonde closed the door behind her and leaned against the wall, checking over her gauntlets. It took a few moments for her eyes to wander over to Ruby.

She straightened out and blinked a few times, not quite sure if she was seeing things properly. “Ruby?”

Ruby just stared at her, unsure of how to proceed.

“Ruby, is that you?” Yang said as she abandoned her post and rushed over to her, wide-eyed. “What the fuck are you doing with them, of all people?”

“A job.” Ruby said, and she couldn’t help but smile a little at Yang’s incredulity. Things were still so awkward between them, and she had just the plan for how to make things better with some sisterly teasing. “It’s a pretty cool thing, a job. I just stand by the door and I get money. I could even teach you a thing or two, like how it’s bad to keep customers waiting.” She pointed at someone behind her.

Yang turned her head momentarily and gestured for the person to enter, before going back to Ruby, “He’s a regular, but never mind that- Haven’t you seen the two psychos that run the place?” Her voice grew hysterical, “They’re going to skin you alive if you look at them wrong!”

“Yup.” She said, making an exaggerated impression of naivete. “Total nutjobs. And actually, they’re going to *incinerate* me if I look at them wrong.”

“H- how can you find this funny, Ruby? Did getting hit in the head also make you go crazy?”

“Maybe.” She chuckled. Then burst into laughter.

Yang couldn’t help but chuckle a bit as well, and Ruby beamed at seeing her lighten up a little. Back to old Yang.

“See? You’re not all doom and gloom.”

Yang sighed. “You’re hopeless, Rubes. How’d it get this bad?” She asked in a not-all-too-serious way. “By the way, where’s your girlfriend?”

“She’s not-” She stammered, “Where’d you even get that idea, you and your filthy mind.” It was Yang’s turn to laugh.

Ruby rolled her eyes. “You’re just messing with me, is that it?”

Yang stuck out her tongue in playful mockery, “It’s only fair. But really, where is she?”

“She stayed the night on the other side of the city. She should be back today. Why do you care?”

“Oh, no reason.” Her smile grew wider. “By the way, where did you stay the night?”

“…What?”

“I dunno, it’s just… That I heard rumors someone was being a stubborn brat who would rather sleep on the streets rather than admit her sister was right.” She said as she ruffled Ruby’s hair.

“S-shut up… I’m the one w-with the laser gun here.”

“Oh, God…” Yang gasped, “You went with them because of the weapons, didn’t you?”

“No, Yang, I’m not that simpleminded. Also, you’re a stalker.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. Your coworker said you’ve been absent the night after I got here. I bet you were tracking me with your scroll.”

“Not my fault I checked it out from my bed, and you were in the middle of a dangerous neighborhood.”

“Still doesn’t excuse you stalking me.” She grumbled. She didn’t really take offense to it. If anything, it was a bit amusing and strangely endearing.

“Well, I take my eyes off you for a second, and you start taking up kill bounties and working for all kinds of weirdos.”

“I guess that’s fair. I learned from the best, after all.” She pointed to the Atomic Wrangler, where people were going to and from freely. Yang was going to get in so much trouble if the owners noticed. “Very not-weird place to work at. And besides, I’m actually not supposed to kill Benny. Not that I’d mind it, though.”

That was, apparently, the wrong thing to say. Her sister withdrew a bit, back to the tense and guilty Yang that she’d been before.

“Ruby… You’re the last person who’d talk about killing someone like that.”

“Well, this place changes everyone, doesn’t it?”

“I guess it does.” She went and embraced Ruby. “You’re so much different already.”

“Hmm.”

“I’m gonna miss old Ruby so much.”

That brought a tear to her eye. “I know… But old Ruby went to a far away farm…”

Yang let out something between a laugh and a snort, “You’re so dramatic, Ruby. You know what, I changed my mind, old Ruby isn’t gone yet.”

“Uh… Thanks. Anyway, will you help me save money to get to the Strip?”

“Sure. You can always count on me.”

They stayed there until they were interrupted by a cough. “Excuse me,” She noticed a man in a fancy suit right next to them, “Is the Silver Rush open for business or…”

They separated quickly, and Ruby awkwardly tried to switch to calm professionalism, “We’re so sorry- yes, of course it’s open, we just need you to take out any weapons you might have and submit to a search.”

A few more hours passed without major incident. Yang’s place had a lot more customers, and Ruby spent most of her time observing how she worked. Really, most of the job was just looking scary and maintaining a tiny bit of professionalism necessary to not drive customers away.

Yang was good at the first part, given that she was so tall and muscular. The second part, though…

Yang had just brutalized a drunk who tried to flirt with her. He appeared to only have a broken nose and some bruises, but still… One, it scared people away from the place. And two, Ruby didn’t recall her sister being so violent.

To be fair, the same could be said for herself. And maybe Yang still wasn’t used to most people not having any aura. Even the flimsiest of street goons on Remnant could have taken the beating Yang dished out without spilling blood.

She should have adjusted by now, right?

She did look a little embarrassed that Ruby saw her do it, so that ought to count for something. At least she hoped so.

But it wasn’t long until Ruby got her own problematic customer. Another drunk from the Wrangler was approaching her, and she smelled trouble.

She hardened her expression and pointed her gun at him, “Back off. No drunks allowed.”

“Wha-” The young man with a ratty coat and long, messy hair, was flabbergasted, “I didn’t even do anything… Lemme in.”

“No.”

“Why you insolent little-” He started walking towards her.

Ruby put her finger on the trigger, “If you don’t stop, I’ll shoot.”

“You don’t have the guts to kill me.” He spoke with the typical confidence of a drunk as he grabbed her laser gun by the barrel. “Since when do they even let little girls stand wat-”

Ruby headbutted the man, making him fall to the ground. She then aimed a careful shot to singe part of his hair off. He scampered off quickly after that, especially as he saw Yang approach.

Yang whistled as she watched him run, “You handled that pretty well, Rubes.”

Ruby smiled, “Thanks, sis.”

“It was a bit close, though. You could have killed him.”

“I’m a good shot, and he needed a haircut anyway.” Ruby snickered, “Besides, you’re no stranger to hurting people.”

“Excuse me, I’m hurting assholes.”

“Uh huh. Speaking of,” Ruby pointed to someone in the distance who was watching the confrontation.

“Heya, ladies,” Pacer said as he walked towards them. He turned to Ruby, “And fancy seeing you here, new girl.”

“What do you want?” Ruby said.

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m not going in. I just want you to relay a message to Gloria. Tell her…” He smiled, “Tell her that I’m always thinking about her.”

Eww. “Tell her yourself, creep.” Ruby spoke with barely veiled venom. She hadn’t connected the dots when the King called him ‘Pace,’ but this guy was at least partly responsible for the city looking like a war zone. He was definitely on her kill list.

He chuckled. “Learned some fire since we last met, didn’t you? It’s okay if she’s not here, you look way cuter than her anyways. I never did catch your name, though.”

She was debating between shooting him in the head or groin, when Yang spoke, “If I hear you say that again to my little sister, I’m actually going to straight up kill you.” Her eyes went red, and her hair started to burn.

“Okay, okay.” Pacer said, holding his hands up, “Good to know. I’m not going anywhere near that, then. Promise. You have fun with your crazy sister, new girl.” He turned tail and hastily walked away. Yang tried to go after him, but Ruby held her back.

“Calm down, sis.”

“I’m not gonna fucking calm down. He’s a disgusting creep, and I’m gonna make him regret being born.”

“Yaaaang.” She scolded her.

She wormed her way out of Ruby’s grasp, “Fine. Fine, I’ll leave him be if you care so much.”

“You know I don’t, I just don’t want hundreds of Kings to go hunting after me. Will it make you feel okay if I say we’ll deal with him later?”

“Yeah. Okay. Sure.”

Having calmed down Yang, Ruby waited out the rest of her shift without further incident. She handed in her equipment and pocketed the 60 caps of pay before going back to her shelter to see if Veronica had come back.

As it turned out, she did. Though she did not look happy about it at all.

“You sold nothing?” Ruby couldn’t believe it. What the hell was she doing all that time?

“I… Sorry. With the whole Vegas crisis, no one was buying electronics. The I-15 is still clogged with deathclaws, now they’re running caravans through the mutant and raider infested wilderness. Many don’t make it, so only essentials go in or out.”

“But you couldn’t have gotten *anything*?”

“They have little use for advanced electronics out here. I would have made like 200-250 caps. I can pawn it, but we’re still short about 1500 caps.”

Ruby sighed. Great. Just great. Her aura was at like 20%, she was gonna wait a week to recover it and then move against Benny, and then the Legion. Taking into consideration her expenses, she would have to work for… what, five or six weeks for all the caps needed. Well, Veronica and Yang would help, but even then…

“So, yeah. But it’s not all bad, there’s at least some work available at the Crimson Caravan base.”

“And I assume you don’t have anything better to do, and you’re going to help me get to the strip?”

“I guess I am.” Veronica said. “I might as well work- Well, I also need to investigate the Silver Ru-”

“Already on it. I got a job as a guard there.”

“And? What do you think?”

“They’re really well armed, and also massive psychos.”

“Soooo… Safe to drop twenty knights in power armor in the middle of the night on them?”

“So long as I’m not there. Anyways, you wanna show me the way?”

They made their way to the Crimson Caravan HQ, it was only a mere 40 minute walk, once one knew the route. It was a walled compound with a number of houses and a large fenced area for keeping herds of pack brahmin.

Aside from the residences and the HQ building, from which the caravan company presumably administered their Mojave operations, there were indeed a few workshops scattered about.

Veronica already secured a part-time mechanic job, repairing various irrigation equipment that was destroyed recently. Ruby wanted to join her, but money was tight for everyone, and even Veronica was getting only 40 caps a day doing such skilled work. Still, Ruby assured her that if she ran into any technical issues, she could always ask her about it.

So they both went to the HQ building. Veronica said it acted as a sort of town hall for this walled community, so it would be the right place to ask.

“Work, work, work. Ugh. Why can’t you ever make your own work.” Alice McLaferty was a stern, graying woman in a suit, and also the person in charge of the place. She also didn’t even pretend to be sympathetic. “There’s nothing available for now. Between bandits, mutants, the Legion, and now the Vegas riots, business has been awful lately.”

“I’m sorry to hear that-”

“Don’t be. I’m going to fix it all, but it’s going to take time. Now, if you could please let me get back to doing that, it would be apprec-”

“Ruby? Ruby, is that you?”

Ruby turned around to see none other than Ringo approach her. He shook her hand and patted her on the shoulder. “I almost didn’t recognize you. It’s been a while.”

“It sure has.” Ruby said. “It’s good to see you’ve made it safely.”

“Likewise. It was a bit of a sketchy route, but I did it. And, uh, I heard all about that Nipton stuff, glad to see you avoided that.”

“Y-yeah. Good timing, and all that.” She did not want to trouble him unnecessarily.

“Hmm. Anyways, what are you doing these days?”

“I… It’s a bit complicated, but I need to get to the Strip ASAP. Only problem is, well…”

“We need money,” Veronica finished for her.

“I understand. I don’t have anything to loan you, but my word has a value of its own. So don’t worry, Ruby, I’ll help you find a job… Somehow. Can’t promise it’ll be amazing, but I’ll do my best.”

She smiled, “Alright. Sounds good.”

“Oh, and…” He extended a hand to Veronica, “I don’t believe we’ve met before. I’m Ringo.”

“Veronica,” She shook his hand, “I gotta ask, what did Ruby do to earn such gratitude?”

“Oh, I was being chased by bandits to this little roadside town called Goodsprings. Anyways, little Ruby organized the town and ambushed the bandits, killing them all. And none of us had a single scratch.”

“Wow. She never told me.”

“It’s even more impressive considering she had just woken up that day from getting shot in the head.”

“Huh?” She looked at Ruby’s scar for a moment. “Wait, you really meant that whole ‘coming back from the grave’ thing?”

“Yup. I even got buried.”

“Oh God.” She shivered, “You’re an extraordinarily lucky girl, Ruby.”

“I don’t know about that. A lot of that luck got used up quickly. Anyways, Ringo. The job.”

With his referral, which included more than a little exaggeration, he managed to land Ruby a job at a small butchery within the walls. Again, it was barely 40 caps a day, but the workload wasn’t that bad, and the owner was understanding of her ‘family-related scheduling issues.’ Ringo helpfully explained to her that employers really don’t like it when their workers hold multiple jobs. Something about how it often means they won’t be as attentive.

She thanked him for his kindness and went to get acquainted with her second job.

Holding two jobs was, unsurprisingly, hard. So the following days were a bit of a blur for Ruby.

She usually started with her morning shift at the Silver Rush. It was good to first do the dangerous stuff before she got tired. She got to be with Yang, which made the boredom bearable, though her sister was hardly doing well. The more she got to look at her, the weirder it got. From simple anxiety and guilty looks, to odd hand ticks and violent outbursts that really bloodied some of the more belligerent drunks.

Ruby didn’t intervene, but nevertheless, she couldn’t stop worrying. Weiss’ disappearance must have been taking a heavy toll on her. She considered scrapping getting Yang on board, might be better to just hand her Weiss without taking her on an emotional roller coaster. But the decision could wait.

In any case, after her shift was done, she would hand her equipment in and rush to the Crimson Caravan, while eating lunch along the way. She managed to subsist on mostly maize and bread, bringing her daily expenditures down to less than 20 caps a day.

She’d soon join up with Veronica, who spent the morning looking around for any special work that could net them quick pay. Only once did she actually get something. It was some kind of request to beat up a low-ranking King who was getting too comfortable extorting the populace. It was easy, and Veronica handled it all on her own, netting them a smooth 100 caps.

Ruby worked the next few hours in a dingy workshop next to the wall, where sunlight didn’t quite reach them for most of the day. She butchered brahmins for food and leather alongside a few other people. Her knowledge of skinning geckos and, uh, canines came in handy, though an animal as large as a Brahmin was an entirely different beast, no pun intended.

She was learning on the go, and she got her fair share of yelling for making mistakes… But she got better quickly. When she finished the days work, she’d check in with Veronica, see if she could offer suggestions on some of the mechanical work she was doing. A lot of the mechanisms had to be improvised or taken from other appliances, as parts were in short supply.

“Are you sure you can’t just use power cells to start up the pumps, Veronica?”

“You mean energy cells? Like from laser guns?”

Ruby nodded.

“It would be a nightmare to wire up without frying everything, not sure if we can do it.”

Ruby did what she could, but she got the feeling that in her tired state she was more of a distraction than any help. Still, she got a few minutes of talk with Veronica, which just made the days worth it.

“Besides, I already asked them. The NCR settlers are apparently afraid of radiation leaks. I mean, it’s good to see people care, but the amounts an energy cell would have is barely above background levels. But they just don’t get it.”

“I see. By the way, I have a bit of a stupid question.”

“Ruby, there are no stupid questions.”

“Uh, yeah… So, uh, what is radiation?”

“Like… the in-depth physics of it? It’s a bit complicated, not sure if I can give you the full thing, especially on a lot of the why, if that’s what you mean-”

“No, like, in general. I heard people mention the word here and there, but I’m not sure what it means.”

Veronica stared at her for a few moments with an expression that made Ruby turn red from embarrassment.

“Okay… I’ll assume that had something to do with the whole ‘brain trauma’ thing.”

“Yeah, let’s go with that.” No stupid questions my ass, no one who says that ever means it.

“Basically, radiation, or more specifically, ionizing radiation, is a bunch of high-energy particles that go around, and if they just happen to hit people- or any living thing, they can break apart DNA and cause a lot of problems.”

“Such as?”

“In the best cases, cancer and birth defects. In acute cases, total organ failure.”

Yikes. “And how common is this radiation?”

“Well, all the bombs that destroyed everything used it, so… It’s pretty much everywhere. It’s why a lot of the major water sources, like the Colorado river, need to be treated before drinking.”

“Oh. So, we’ve all been absorbing… How much of this radiation?”

Veronica chuckled, “Don’t worry, unless you stumbled across a pile of nuclear waste, it’s not an issue. The beta and gamma particles aren’t all that dangerous in small quantities.”

“Oh, good.” She exhaled in relief.

“The alpha particles are bad, but your skin is enough to stop it in most cases. So long as you don’t ingest anything you should be… ah.” She stopped herself.

“Uh, you know that I drank nothing but untreated water from the Colorado for over a month.”

“Uhh…”

“So, how bad is it?”

“You’ll… live.”

“That doesn’t sound confident. Oh, fuck, oh no. I’m gonna die, aren’t I? I’m actually-”

“Calm down, Ruby.” Veronica shook her by the shoulders. “You’ll be fine. I’ll find you some radaway, it’s pricy but it’ll go a long way towards repairing any genetic damage. And it’s not an emergency.”

“Really?”

“Yes, Ruby. Really.”

“I… Okay, I trust you’re not just saying that to calm me down. I mean, at this point, I’m expecting every minor thing to erupt into a huge crisis. And… It’s kind of scary, what you said.”

Veronica sighed, before hugging her, “I won’t pretend it isn’t a huge issue. But people survived with it for 200 years, and at far worse levels than today. You’ll be fine.”

“O-okay.”

“Hey, you might also gain superpowers from it.”

“What?”

“I mean, probably not. But some people became ghouls from exposure. You seen any?”

“I think I heard the name somewhere, but I don’t think so.”

“They’re immortal, basically, and radiation heals them.”

“Woah. That sounds… kinda good?”

“Also, their skin rots all the time, and they have a tendency to go crazy.”

“Oh. You know, I had this interesting idea for a few moments, but… never mind.”

“I’m sure you did, Ruby.” Veronica laughed. She was a smart girl, and Ruby was glad to have her. Maybe she should open up to her about that whole remnant thing. Perhaps she could make sense of it all, or at least point her in the right direction?

After talking with Veronica for a few minutes, she would usually crash in her bed. Oh, yes, she had a bed now. Ringo convinced the leader of the place to let them temporarily sleep in the barracks at no cost.

It was a dirty and loud place, but she was used to such conditions by now. Also, she was too tired for it to be a problem. And she got to share a bunk bed with Veronica. Small blessings.

And so, over a week had passed, and her scroll said she was at 100% aura. Officially, any extra time spent was wasted. No excuses anymore.

And still, she was waiting beside the door of the Silver Rush. Just waiting… And doing nothing to rescue Weiss.

The morning was gloomy, and it was kinda chilly for the first time since… She didn’t want to think about that day. In any case, she barely got her chestplate on today. She was just so… exhausted. Weiss, Benny, Yang, House, the inevitable Legion invasion… Then there was Blake, her two jobs, and probably something else she forgot, but would hit her like a gut punch as the worst possible time.

She felt herself being… stretched thin. She just wanted to curl up and… Stop. Do nothing. Just let the days pass and try to drown out the guilt of shedding her responsibilities. Yang kinda did do just that, now that she thought about it. The temptation was very strong at this moment. Speaking of, Yang almost knocked down the hinges of the Atomic Wrangler just now, opening the place for business.

She took up her position like every other morning, but there was something off today. One, she seemed in a strangely energetic mood. And two, she was really itching for a fight. She got oddly confrontational with one of her regulars when he greeted her. But he didn’t seem to mind it that much, he just shut up and went on through.

Things really got concerning when this other guy came in, whom she recognized as one of the drunks she chased off once. The guy was going to the bar, yet he was already a bit woozy. Ruby was acquainted with the concept of pre-drinking by now, so it didn’t surprise her, but come on…

He walked up to Yang, “*hic* How’s it going, Sugar?”

“Piss off.” She snarled at him.

“Oh, donn be like that, my *hic* Sunshine.” He went to caress her hair, but she slapped his hand away.

“I said, piss off.” Her eyes became a bright red, and her death glare made Ruby uneasy.

The man rolled his eyes, before a mischievous smile found its way to his face, “Has anyone told you you’re hot when you’re angry?” He said as his hands shot out and he groped her boob.

“Huh?” Yang was in disbelief for a moment, and even the drunkard realized he may have overstepped.

The incoming jaw punch made Ruby wince. Teeth flew out, and the man was sent flying to the floor. It was kinda deserved, but still… Maybe a bit much?

“You like that?” Yang yelled. “You wanna try that again?” She kicked him in the gut with all she had. She then went down to the ground to punch him again, before grabbing him by the collar. “Haven’t you heard me? I said- Do you wanna try that again?”

“H-hey Yang.” Ruby tried, “I think that’s enou-”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP, RUBY!” She gave her a murderous glare that made Ruby shiver. It was then, that she realised- The anxiety, the ticks, the weird jumps between low and high energy, the excessive violence, the always slightly dilated eyes…

Fuck

Fuck.

Yang was an honest to god drug fiend. Addicted to Psycho, if she had to guess.

She would be lying if she said she hadn’t considered substance abuse before, but every time it crossed her mind, she had a visceral reaction to it- Like she was dirty for even considering such a thought, so she dismissed it without examining it further. Her family had a history of addiction, and then she…

Fuck.

“Yang,” She said in a shaky voice, “I think you should cut it out. Go get some water, and-”

She punched the man in the face. Then another punch. And another. Her fists became bloody as she continued pummeling the poor guy.

“Yang,” Ruby said a little louder now. “YANG!”

Yang paid her no heed until she fired a warning shot next to her. Her head snapped to Ruby, her bloodthirsty grin making bile come up Ruby’s throat.

“Get up.” She said without a hint of emotion.

Things seemed to be clearing up a bit for Yang, “R- Ruby?”

“Get up and get inside.” She pointed her laser rifle right at her chest.

Her sister looked at the mutilated face of the man, before getting up on shaky legs. “Fuck, I- I didn’t mean to-”

“Like hell you didn’t. Get the fuck back in.” She said, before yelling at a stunned bystander. “What are you waiting for? Get a medic from the fort!”

The person in question ran off to get help, while Ruby went up to the fallen person to administer first aid. He was breathing, though faintly, and he was bleeding a bit from the forehead. She considered her options. What the hell was she supposed to do? The two lessons she got from Signal academy were pretty damn surface level, now that she thought about it. He wasn’t in need of CPR, at least she thought so. There wasn’t any bleeding in the limbs, so nothing to put a tourniquet on. She didn’t have any stims, though she wasn’t even sure how useful they’d be.

There really wasn’t much she could do. Maybe putting some kind of cloth to stem the bleeding would help? But she had nothing sterile, she’d probably just end up infecting him if she didn’t have anything to clean the wound with.

The woman who replaced Yang walked in to see what happened, when Ruby shouted, “Get some alcohol, quickly.” She ran in and out, bringing a tequila bottle in record time.

Ruby could waste even a moment on finding a good cloth, so she tore a strip from her skirt, using her teeth to start the cut, for lack of a knife. She doused it in liquor before wrapping it around his head. She also put his limbs in a more comfortable position, hoping that it would help even a little.

“The fuck happened?” The redhead woman asked.

“What do you think happened?” Ruby was outraged, “Why didn’t you tell me Yang was a psycho addict?”

The woman was uncomfortable, “I thought you knew…”

“No, you didn’t. I asked, and you said it wasn’t your place to say.”

“This has nothing to do with me! It’s your sister who’s a wreck, and it’s been pretty damn obvious what was happening to anyone who paid attention.”

“Well, sorry for not being an expert in drugs, miss-” She saw a man and a woman in a lab coat approach. She stopped herself from ranting and told them of what happened before helping them put the man on a stretcher.

With them gone, the woman went to get inside, before turning at the last second, “I’m sorry bout that. I know I should have warned you, I just… She did a lot of good for me, and I-”

“What good could she have done for you in that state? Besides beating someone up.”

“She was… I ran with Blake’s crew back when… ya know?”

Ruby nodded.

“We burned a lot of bridges when we joined her. So when Blake left us, we had nothing. She, uh, stepped in. Helped us avoid the NCR and regain our footing. Helped figure out our lives.”

“If that’s true, why haven’t you done the same for her?”

“I-” She stopped herself and looked downwards. Ruby got the impression she was about to cry.

“What’s your name?”

She sniffed, “Annie.”

“Okay, Annie. Did Yang ever say anything about where Blake went?”

“N-no. I mean, she didn’t tell us where she went, but she said she knew. How, I’m not so sure, but-”

“I see.” She said. “You can go.”

Annie went back inside, shutting the door.

So Yang lied about that too? It was more like she dodged the question last time, but… She was starting to feel well and truly disgusted with her sister. It was one thing to cover her mess after what happened with Weiss, but not even letting her go after Blake? That was just incredibly petty.

She was going to confront Yang about this, and nothing was going to stop her. She’ll blow the lock off her bedroom if need be and shake her down until she’s a sobbing mess. She looked down to get her discarded rifle, only to find it was not next to her legs, where she’d left it. Then a hand harshly grabbed her by the shoulder, and she found herself face to face with Gloria’s brother.

“What the fuck is the meaning of this?” He said, piercing her with his signature glare, which shook her out of her rage.

“I- I’m so sorry, I was just- A man got injured and-”

“And what? Your orders were to watch the door, and not wander off under any circumstances. Which part of that did you not understand?”

“I… I’m sorry, I’ll do better next time.”

“Next time… If some punk had found you, he’d have taken your rifle, and you’d be getting incinerated by me right about now. This better not repeat, new kid.”

She gulped, before nodding vigorously.

He pushed her away, and she hit the Wrangler’s wall harshly before falling to the ground.

“Now get back to work or I’m going to personally fry your eyes off. And don’t you dare get that filthy blood on our equipment.”

Ruby nodded again, before getting up.

She wiped her slightly bloodied hands on her skirt, which now went up to her thighs, before picking up the rifle and taking up her watch.

She felt a bit stupid. As if anyone was going to approach a pissed-off Ruby with a laser gun and blood on her clothes. She should have asked for a replacement guard while she got it all sorted out, but she was too terrified of the consequences should that psycho get ticked off again. Fuck, she had to quit soon.

As she waited, her anger about Yang kept simmering. She kept on imagining what that conversation with her would look like, even envisioning herself getting violent, teaching her a thing or two about pain. She probably couldn’t quite bust down the door like she wanted, though, definitely not as Annie came back to watch the place.

“You okay there?” Gloria asked as Ruby handed in her equipment. “You don’t look so good.” It showed, didn’t it? Even the queen of crazies was concerned for her, it seemed.

“Yeah. A bit pissed off about that whole incident.”

“I heard all about it. I’ll forgive it this one time, but *don’t* fuck up again.”

“Y- your brother made that very clear.”

She smiled sadistically, “I’m sure he did. Regrettably, this has… soured the mood a bit. Maybe it’s for the best, though, cus I’ve got something that’ll let you make it all up.”

“Yes?”

“There’s a job I need doing. A covert package delivery. 1 AM, at an abandoned farmstead 10 klicks east of here. I need someone who’s not from the family to do this. Don’t ask any questions or expect any payment.”

“Sounds sketchy. Who are we delivering to?”

“I’m not paying you to ask questions, am I? Take it or leave it, 300 caps.”

That made her eyes jump out. Three hundred? If her math was correct, though it usually wasn’t, she’d only be about 200 caps short after that. They could make that in less than two days.

“Three hundred? I accept.”

“Of course you do. You do a good job of hiding it, Ruby, but you’d do anything if enough caps were involved.” She ruffled her hair. “The package is a wooden box weighing 30 pounds. Come by here tonight to pick it up. Dismissed.”

Chapter Text

Ruby left the Silver Rush a restless mess. No matter how hard she tried to calm herself and clear her mind, she just couldn’t manage it, and she was now taking out her anger on the poor brahmin meat at the butcher’s. Her cleaver was making clean, if imprecise cuts through the leg of one unfortunate bovine specimen. She was frustrated with recent events concerning Yang, to say the least. She wanted to do something, anything about it, but… But she was tired to the bone, and she still had a late night job ahead of her… Ugh. How was she going to survive this?

“Excuse me, mister.” She went to the foreman of the workshop, a stern, older, working man. “I don’t feel well today.”

He raised his eyebrows at that. “You’ve never felt well, Ruby. Honestly, you’ve always looked like you were on the verge of collapse.”

Ouch. “I- I think it could be something serious this time. It’s no good if the meat gets…”

“…I guess you do look a bit paler than usual. Ugh, fine. You’ll get paid for the work you already did. Now go get some rest.”

She nodded, going out to grab something to eat, before heading to her bed in the barracks and climbing into the top bunk. She set her scroll alarm for the appropriate time before dozing off.

Odd memories came to Ruby as she slept. She found herself in a white hall with lockers on each side, and kids in their early teens running around and chatting with not a care in the world. The scene was familiar to her, she was back at the Signal preparatory combat academy.

She walked around the place, clutching her Crescent Rose prototype. Uncle Qrow helped her make it, and he taught her how to use it well. She was proud of herself for all the work that she did to get so far, and everyone in her family assured her that she was going to become a great huntress. A proper hero, just like in the stories. Just like her mom.

Ruby rounded a corner, when she came upon a troubling sight. A skinny deer faunus boy was being tormented by another, more senior student. The meek boy was incoherently muttering something through tears, while his bully, a tall and bulky guy with a chiseled face, was rifling through the boy’s locker.

“There it is,” He pulled out some kind of older handheld electronic device.

“H-hey, don’t touch that.” He tried to reach for it, but was pushed away, hitting the lockers.

The bully tried fiddling with the buttons on it, “Damn, what kind of piece of crap is this? When I heard you had a gaming console, I thought it’d be something more advanced than my calculator. Did your grandma give this to you?”

“A-actually, it was my mom’s. She-”

He rolled her eyes, “No one asked you. Cmon, this can’t be it. You gotta have a real console somewhere in here.” He went back to rifling through the boy’s locker, this time throwing out pieces of paper into the hallway.

Ruby stood frozen as she looked upon the scene. But no, she’s heard about this before. Her eyes lit up- This was a job for a huntress. It was her moment, her chance to stand up and do the right thing. So she went up to the bully and spoke her mind.

“Hey, give that back!”

The bully was taken by surprise, but he quickly composed himself and snickered at her, “Are you lost, little girl? Since when do they let children in here?”

“I’ll have you know I’m 13… and a half! I’m a big girl now. You’ll give that back, and you’ll apologize.”

“Uh huh. And what if I don’t?” He was much taller than her, but Ruby wasn’t scared.

She clutched Crescent Rose tightly and unfolded it into its scythe form. “Then I’ll have to make you.”

“Hah! You’re threatening me? Oh, I’m gonna teach you a lesson you’re not gonna forget, kid.”

He clutched his fists tightly as he walked up to her, but she swung Crescent Rose into him before he could get close enough. It bounced off his aura, which only made him lunge at her. She petal burst a few feet away, before firing a shot into his chest. Again, his aura absorbed it, but it must have been close to breaking for someone at his age. She didn’t actually want to kill him, so she turned her scythe blade around before winding up a strike by spinning Crescent over her head.

Predictably, he charged at her, and she hit him in the head with the full force of her weapon. Even much smarter guys tended to underestimate her strength, and he wasn’t exactly the brightest of the bunch. The strike was enough to knock him down to the floor and break his aura. He was clutching his head in pain, and there was even a bit of blood, but nothing even remotely serious.

“Hmph, that should teach you not to mess with other students.” She said triumphantly.

The faunus boy thanked her profusely, but left quickly on account of her little fight attracting a lot of attention. She hadn’t even noticed until now, but the hallway was packed. It was hard to judge their reactions, and so many stares were making her uncomfortable, but she thought the response was positive. Well of course it would be, she did the right thing and taught that jerk a lesson.

That was, until Uncle Qrow got to the scene.

Ruby was in his office now, seated at a table opposite him. Usually, she’d be thrilled to be with her super cool Uncle, and the feeling was normally mutual. It was common knowledge he only took up this job to teach Yang and Ruby.

But this time was different, because she got the impression that she was in big trouble, judging by his expression and the impatient tapping of his fingers on the desk.

“Ruby, do you have any idea what you just did?” He asked.

“I… I stopped that guy from bullying someone?”

“No, Ruby. You brutalized a senior student.”

What? No, I- “B- b- but, he was being a bully, he-”

“And you couldn’t have simply told a teacher?”

“I…” But teachers never do anything about it.

“You can’t just beat people up if you feel like it. I have enough trouble with how Yang is turning out, now you have to-”

“I didn’t do anything wrong!” She stood up. She was totally in the right. And she was always taught to stand up for herself, so that’s what she’ll do. “He was being an abusive jerk, and I had to do something.”

“And so you shot him with live ammunition? I thought I forbade you from carrying it around?”

“Oh… D-dad said I should keep it in case Grimm appear on the road home.”

“You could have killed him!” He slammed his hand on the table, making Ruby yelp. “Then what would we do? Do you have any idea what being dragged through juvenile detention is like? How fucked your whole life would be after that? You’d be expelled from Signal at the very least, and you could forget Beacon and being a huntress!”

Ruby shrank in on herself and tried her best to fight back tears. This wasn’t fair. She did the right thing, and now she was being yelled at… She didn’t understand what she did wrong.

“It’s going to be a nightmare to deal with the kid’s family. His parents are proper assholes.”

“I- I was just trying to do the right thing…”

Qrow sighed, “Listen, kid. I get where you’re coming from, I really do. I was like that when I was young too.”

She didn’t know much about his youth, but apparently it was pretty rough.

“I would jump at the chance to fight anyone I didn’t like, ya know? But you need to be the better person. I’ve seen that kid’s grades, and he’s not gonna make it past Beacon’s initiation. Things will… fall in their place eventually. Violence has a time and a place, and this isn’t it.”

“And when is it?”

“What?”

“And when is it acceptable to use violence?”

“When it comes to violence against people…” He took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. “You need to be very, very restrained. Never forget that. Always alert the proper authorities unless someone’s life is in direct danger. And one day, you’ll become that authority, but you’ve got a lot to learn until then. Just… don’t try to play hero while you’re still a student, kay?”

He got up and opened the door, and she could glimpse his other hand already reaching into his coat for another drink as he left her alone in his office.

She cried then. She had cried many times before, for far more serious reasons, but this time felt different somehow. Like something precious broke inside of her, and no one cared.

She was awoken by the buzzing of her scroll alarm. She looked out at the rest of the sleeping barracks, wiping her teary eyes. She checked the time. The nap was short, barely three hours, but it was enough to get her moving. She knew her body’s limits well by now.

She wasn’t sure why she dremt of that specific day tonight. She recalled that the other teachers all had a round of yelling at her as well. Dad was also disappointed, and she got grounded for two weeks after that.

There was something about that episode that continued to tug at her. She hadn’t thought of it in so long, she’d almost forgotten it. What was up with that anyway? Was Qrow… really like that? She wasn’t misremembering, was she? No, her Uncle was the greatest person she knew. He taught her all about being a huntress… Which was why she ended up a barely functioning mess working for lowlife criminals. But still, he was… well, he was mostly absent, and a copious alcoholic on the rare occasions he was present. A real miracle he managed to teach her anything.

She guessed that spending time in the wasteland forced her to finish growing up, to brush aside what childhood delusions remained. That also meant admitting her family was also just a bunch of fuckups. Dad wasn’t much better, he was neglectful for years after Mom died. At least he got his act together eventually. Unlike Qrow.

She got down from her bed to find Veronica already fast asleep. She briefly considered waking her to help with the job, before ultimately deciding against it.

She quite liked the girl, but she wasn’t sure how well an irresponsible energy weapon deal would go over for the Brotherhood Scribe. Better to not test it, especially as she depended on her kindness so much. Thinking about it… She really did go out of her way to help her, a total stranger. She should pay her back somehow. She wouldn’t be a good friend otherwise.

And so, Ruby hurried over to the Silver Rush to get her package. She was informed that her armor and energy weapons were not to be carried, so as to not alert any potential witnesses of what was happening tonight. The job was obviously suspicious, but they had made it clear she wasn’t to ask questions, so she didn’t. She departed with the wooden box in her hands. She still had her handgun, and that would have to be good enough.

Her trek to the meeting spot was quick, owing to the fact that she used her semblance to traverse some of the more crowded and high-risk locations quickly. She could use her semblance more comfortably now that she was topped up on aura, so to speak. She was also being a lot more resourceful with it during use.

She had never really put much thought into aura efficiency before, only chasing performance. But circumstances had forced her to adapt. She was no longer letting the aura flow out of her like a burst dam, instead she was carefully pulling it out, using it to do what she needed, and putting it back in before anything was wasted.

The abandoned farmstead Gloria had sent her to was thoroughly unimpressive. Merely a busted-up wooden home and some broken fencing next to long-fallow fields, which stretched for at least a mile in each direction. The place was very quiet, unnervingly so. The only sound she could hear was that of her boots hitting the gravelly dirt, and the only person she could see was a painfully unassuming man in rugged black clothing who stood outside the house, looking straight at her.

She continued walking. Step by step, her unease grew until she got to within 15 feet of him, when the man finally spoke up in a calm voice. “Are you the Van Graffs emissary?”

“I am.” She said.

His lip twitched a bit at her words. Even through the darkness, she could see that he was a muscular and well-groomed man, though his blemished skin betrayed a harsh life.

“Do you have what we requested?”

“Who is we?” She asked. “I only see one person.” Were they hiding? Or was he just referring to being part of an organization?

“We were told that there would be no questions. Do you have what we requested or not?”

She stared at him for a moment. “I have your package.” She said, putting it down on the ground.

He walked up to it, kneeling and opening the crate, then closing it.

“Ah, then our business is concluded. Tell your superiors that we will contact them shortly.”

Her eyes narrowed at him. There was something about his voice… The intonation was overly formal, but not in the way most people were, and the odd word choices. Old-fashioned… Almost like-

“You’re Legion, aren’t you?”

He stared at her, saying nothing. It was as good as a confession.

She knew Gloria was crazy, but this…

So… what was she supposed to do now? Was she meant to work with the Legion or risk the Van Graffs wrath? To be fair, it was only a small package, hardly enough to change anything. She could go back to Vegas, figure out her present issues, report this to the NCR and have them stage an ambush next time they try selling stuff to the Legion. That was the proper way to deal with this unfortunate dilemma.

Eventually, the man spoke, “Do you have a problem with that?”

Or… She could kill this bastard here and now. Yes, that sounded *really* good to her at this moment. Did they really expect her to humiliate herself even more by tolerating the Legion’s presence? Even working with them of her own will? No, she wasn’t going to play their games anymore.

She’d been pushed around for long enough. She was Ruby Rose, dammit. A huntress from Remnant, and in possession of far more raw power than anyone in this world.

So she said nothing in response, merely loosening her red scarf, till her brand could be seen. His eyes widened at that, and she could see him reaching for something in his vest.

Ruby pulled out her gun with lightning speed and shot him right between the eyes.

She felt shotgun pellets bounce off her aura. There was a flash from the house. She focused on it, and saw the faint silhouette near one of the windows. She aimed her gun and fired twice, making it fall. Two down.

Uniformed Legion poured out from the back of the house, armed with melee weapons. She could count seven people total. They were quickly gaining ground, and she fired her pistol several times into the heart of a man with a machete.

His heavy armor stopped them dead in their tracks, though he was staggered enough for her to land a clean headshot on him. Unfortunately, that was also her last bullet. But that was okay, she just had to focus. She wouldn’t panic and mess up like last time.

She petal burst back, holstering her pistol, before appearing behind the mob of Legion to pick up a machete from one of the fallen. The enemy turned around to chase, and a legionary charged ahead of the pack with a cleaver. But she was faster than him, and she cut his wrist open before kicking him into the dirt and dashing away before they caught up to him.

The man, just moments ago a proud legionary, was reduced to clutching his bleeding hand and screaming in pain, knowing he’ll never be able to fight again. And Ruby felt… downright ecstatic on hearing it. It rekindled her burning hatred of the Legion in such a visceral way. It reminded her of all the humiliation and pain she had suffered under their petty whims. She was going to take her time and enjoy this.

Yes, she deserved this moment of catharsis.

Now that one of them was downed and made into such a pathetic display, the other soldiers grew more cautious. They coordinated their attacks so she couldn’t take them one by one, but that didn’t stop her.

She would duck in and out of combat with her semblance, hitting her enemies in the back before they could turn around to defend. One got his arm totally cut off at the elbow- It felt not too different from butchering a Brahmin. With another, she got more creative and had his Achilles tendons cut with a single well-placed low slice, forcing him to crawl forevermore. Another, she tried to paralyze by hitting him in the spine, but she ended up killing him accidentally. Oops, she broke her toy.

Wait, what? Toy?

She dodged a thrown spear before being forced into a bout of close-quarters combat with the two remaining fighters, from which she barely withdrew without taking damage.

She took a moment to breathe, and was struck by a newfound wave of satisfaction as she navigated the battlefield of cripples. She recreationally slashed at them in non-lethal ways before rejoining the main fight. It was all so much… fun. They were her pray, and she was… She was something else. She wasn’t sure what. But she was certainly not Ruby.

She liked not being Ruby. Ruby let Jack die. Ruby got herself captured like an idiot. Ruby failed to save Weiss. Ruby was weak.

Ruby was a pathetic weakling, too afraid of upsetting teacher dearest, who would rather let good people die than stop being a child and do what needs to be done to the scum of the world.

A minute later, and only one of the nine people remained who was not dead or moaning in agony in the dirt. Despite her speed, this last Legionary had managed to parry all of her attacks, once even successfully striking her aura with his spear. They circled each other, his angry snarls meeting her sadistic smile.

He was clearly good, much better than his comrades. He was some kind of captain, and she even vaguely recognized him from the camp, now that she thought about it. But never mind that, she needed an opening to crack this particularly troublesome nut. “Looks like you’re going to get your whole squad killed by a little girl,” Ruby stuck out her tongue. “How does that make you feel, tough guy?”

“I feel like I’ll enjoy putting you in your place once this is over.” He said in a gruff voice.

“I’ll make it slow, you know?” She said. “I’m not going to kill you. I’ll let you live out your days, unable to fight. Tell me, how does your dear Caesar treat crippled soldiers like those?” She pointed to the injured men on the battlefield.

For his part, he was not so disturbed. “Don’t worry, I’ll make it slow too. You’re gonna wish you had never escaped slavery- Oh, and don’t think I didn’t recognize you.”

“Huh?” She was taken aback, and just barely managed to dodge his surprise jab.

“Oh yes, I remember you. I remember you well. You were one of the slaves who worked on the old guns.”

It was starting to come back to her. Hazy memories of his face in the tent workshop, watching over them and giving out occasional orders.

“I also remember fucking you pretty damn well.”

“Wha-” Her voice gave out.

“Both you and your pretty pale friend.”

She stopped in her tracks, shocked, staring at him with wide eyes. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. The memories she desperately tried to shut out were coming back in vivid detail. She drowned herself in work precisely so she could recall as few details of that time as possible.

She roared in rage as she charged him, swinging her blade wildly in his direction. He did his best to dodge and parry with his spear, but she was absolutely relentless as she hacked at him. Eventually, one of her many attacks managed to cut the wooden spear in two, which distracted him just enough for her to gain the upper hand.

She slashed at his face once, twice. As if on instinct, he tried to block with his arms and charge at her, but he sustained such a savage beating as she stuttered back with her semblance, one foot at a time, that he was quickly forced to run towards the house with his arms drenched in his blood. The wounds weren’t even all that deep, but there were just so many of them.

She turned to chase, easily catching up and pushing him down to the ground. He tried rolling away, but she pounced on him and started slashing at his face.

She was pretty sure he died around the five second mark. But she kept on slashing and slashing at him, until he was unrecognizable. Until she was certain that he was well and truly rid from this world. Until she was too tired to keep on swinging.

She laid there, on top of him, taking it all in. Even the surrounding moans of pain were gone, the men had likely either died or fallen unconscious by now. Only one faint panting sound remained, right behind her.

She turned her head, but he was not looming over her or anything like that. No, it was the man she made sure would never walk again. He had crawled over to the Van Graff package, and had opened the box.

She stood up in a panic, but he had already pulled at something. It took her a second to register his hands held an energy grenade! She petal burst out of there, as the whole place was engulfed in a green shockwave. The house was set aflame, and the Legionaries had been set ablaze.

Ruby had avoided any serious consequences, she was far enough that the shockwave only knocked her to the ground.

But there were other consequences, and she thought of how wonderful the energy blast would be in comparison. She made it a point to never cross the Van Graffs when she heard how far they’d go to get someone who stole their rifle, and now she decided to become basically their number one enemy? Where to go now? These people have branches all across the NCR. She was seriously considering fleeing through Legion territory at this point. Or maybe faking her death would be easier? But that was risky as she still had unfinished business in the Mojave.

She sighed. She really fucked up, didn’t she? Dug herself into a deep, deep hole, she did. So what, it’s just another Thursday for her. Nothing special, right? She laughed, laughed bitterly as she laid there in the desert dust, imagining how life as a pile of ash might not be so bad after all.

“Everything went well.” Ruby told Gloria with surprising composure. “They said they’ll contact you later.”

“Hmm. And what about the-”

“Yeah, sorry about the blood.” Ruby was well aware that she had multiple highly visible stains on her skirt and lower shirt. “Some thug tried to mug me on the way back. The body should still be there, about two blocks east.” It was true that she had killed someone on the way back. She went through one of the more dangerous places with the intention of getting attacked. If Gloria checks, and she will, it’ll ease her worries. At least until she realizes her contacts haven’t been responding and gets suspicious.

“That’s… good work, kid.” Gloria said, before handing her the payment.

“Thanks… Thanks a lot. I guess I’ll be seeing you in the morning.”

“I’ll need you to do some other kind of work for me tomorrow, someone else is taking over guard duty. Come see me around noon. But… we can talk more about it once you’re rested.”

It wasn’t long before Ruby found herself back on the streets of Freeside. She felt like a failure. Not only did she put a target on her back, she might have just done the same to Yang. She ought to at least warn her… That, and do the other thing.

Annie was somehow still watching over the place, and though she was tired, she kept up a stern expression.

“No coming in.”

“I’m surprised you’re still open. When do you close?”

“In like 2 hours. But again, I’m not letting you see Yang.”

“Who said anything about that? I’m here to get drunk out of my mind.” She lied. Though it didn’t sound that bad now that she thought about it.

Annie raised her eyebrows, but ultimately let her in. “Okay, but I’ll be watching you.”

Crap. She wasn’t counting on that. Even as she entered, Annie kept the door open and didn’t take her gaze off of her. Ruby just rolled her eyes and sat on the counter.

Most of the people who remained at this late hour were very drunk and very tired. Not a threat, in any case. It was as quiet as could be expected of the Atomic Wrangler, which still wasn’t much. There was plenty of chatter, and some people further back were trying to badly sing along to the jukebox.

“It’s you.” The man behind the counter said with an edge in his voice. “I think you forgot to pay for this,” He put down an opened bottle of tequila, still almost full.

She groaned, “No good deed goes unpunished, huh? How much was it?”

“50 caps.”

“…You can’t be serious.”

“I’m not running a charity here, missy.”

She sighed and paid up, before taking the bottle for herself and examining the golden liquid inside. Her mind was such a mess, and every thought was painful in a way utterly unique from all the other ones. So much crap, so many issues and responsibilities laid on her shoulders. What if she could just… Take a break? And just relax… for a single night? Was that too much to ask for?

Fuck it. She opened the cap, and downed one, two, three gulps, until she physically had to back off. It burned her throat badly, but the pain felt strangely welcome. She paused for a moment to catch her breath, before going at it again. The bartender returned with a shot glass, but put it away as he saw it wasn’t necessary.

She kept going. And a minute or two later, it was starting to kick in. Boy, was it starting to kick in. She felt the tension leave her body, and a certain lightness came over her. She took another deep gulp. She barely even felt the burning by now.

Her worries melted away, and her mind relaxed. Her senses dulled, and her guard dropped…

She was happy.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed before she was interrupted by someone yanking the bottle out of her hand. She turned to see Yang looking at her with a worried expression. How dare she.

“What are you doing here, Ruby?”

Even in her inebriated state, Ruby could clearly smell alcohol on Yang’s breath. What a wonderful family they had. “What does it look like?” She took back the bottle with a quick jab, “Just taking after my wonderful sister.” She took another hearty gulp before Yang yanked the bottle away again.

“Holy shit, you drank half of it!”

“The fuck do you want?”

“Since when do you swear, Ruby?”

“So now you care about what’s happening to me, is that it?”

“What? Rubes, what’s gotten into you?”

“Nothing’s ‘gotten into me,’ you almost fucking killed a guy cus you’re a psycho addict and now you act like nothing happened.”

“I- uh… I’m sorry bout that. I heard he’s stable and-”

“Oh, so it’s fine to beat people up if they annoy you? And let’s not forget how you abandoned Weiss.”

“What? How do you-”

Ruby stood up, knocking her chair down, “Oh, you think I don’t know? About how you let Weiss get captured by the Legion, and then lied about it?”

“I- I don’t know what happened to her, you can’t just accuse me of-”

“You didn’t even try to find out!” Ruby shouted. “And you lied about it! You lied to me!”

She looked absolutely stunned, “I- I just wanted to protect you, I-”

“You were covering for yourself.”

“…You don’t get how it was for me, okay?” She said, her voice almost cracking at the end, “I lost her. And then after what happened with Blake, it’s no wonder I-”

“Oh spare me. Poor little Yang, she had to deal with other people suffering and now she’s a hot mess. Have you ever considered what I’ve had to deal with?”

She looked so hurt, and Ruby couldn’t help but pounce on it with all the vindictiveness she’d shown the legionnaires an hour ago. “You wanna know how I know what happened to Weiss?” She took off her scarf, “The Legion captured me, Yang! That’s how I know.”

“Ruby…”

“You know what they did to me? What they’re still doing to Weiss as we speak?”

“Y- You really don’t need to-”

“But no, you’re the only one who’s had it hard, so it’s fine for you to be a failure.”

“I’m not a failure!” Tears were falling from her eyes, but she kept herself from sobbing, “I’m trying to find some peace here after I thought Weiss died. I’m not doing well, but I’m trying my best to help sort things out.”

“Oh, really? Tell me, Yang, I spent the whole week working two jobs to get to the Strip. You said you’d also help. So tell me, how much did you save? Or did you spend it all on drugs and booze?”

Her guilty expression confirmed everything.

“Ruby… You’re drunk, let’s get you to bed and-” Yang reached out to her, but Ruby pushed her away, knocking her into a chair and shattering the bottle as she fell. Yang quickly got up, indignant. “You did not just do that to me.”

“I did. And you deserve far worse, actually. I’m ashamed to call you my sister.”

Now that sent her into a real rage, “Why, you insolent little-” Her hand shot out, and she punched Ruby in the chest.

It was a real blow, but she knew she was capable of worse. She recovered quickly and retaliated by kicking Yang in the gut.

If her sister was angry before, she was really furious now. Her eyes went red, and she charged at Ruby, putting all her power into her fist, aimed straight for the head.

But Ruby dropped to the ground, kicking out Yang’s feet from under her, and making her fall on her face. Ruby got up to see that the whole bar was watching by now, enraptured by the fight and the drama between them. How she wanted to beat all of them up too.

“What do you think you’re looking at? You want to get bodied too?” She would never have said something that provocative while sober, but damn if watching their faces squirm didn’t feel good. Man, was alcohol amazing!

It was then that she noticed the owner coming into the room with a shotgun. “Get out!” He shouted. “Yang as well!” Now that sobered Ruby up a little.

Annie approached with an apologetic expression, but was nevertheless ready to drag them out. Ruby instead picked Yang up herself and got both of them out with her semblance.

And that was how they found themselves drunk out of their minds, laying on the streets of Vegas in the dead of night. Yang was conscious, though she kept quiet. And Ruby was content to do the same for now.

Minutes passed. Ruby was seated on the ground, leaning on the wall, and Yang was clumsily leaning on her. Ruby let her head rest on her thighs instead. She brushed her sister’s golden hair, it wasn’t quite as smooth as she remembered it. It was oily too, though not as much as hers. She still tried to take care of her body, it seemed.

Yang caressed Ruby’s resting arm, some kind of confused sign of affection or seeking of comfort. She wasn’t sure which. It gradually slowed down, as did her breathing.

“Hey,” Ruby whispered, “Don’t fall asleep on me. I’m not dragging you to my bed like that.”

Yang chuckled, “As if your place is much better… Besides, it’s very comfortable here.”

“I found a place at the Crimson Caravan barracks. It’s serviceable.”

She groaned, “Sounds like a pain to get there.”

“It is. And, uh, are you going to be okay? He just threw you out.”

“He did that a couple times before, it’ll all be fine tomorrow.”

“…”

“…I’m sorry, Rubes. I really let you down, didn’t I?”

Ruby stayed silent.

“That blood on you…” Yang said, “I thought it was from the morning, but it’s fresh. Did anything happen?”

“Kinda. I got attacked by some people. Bit of a long story. Also, the Van Graffs will be after me when they find out about this.”

“Uh…”

“We’ve probably got a few days, maybe even a few weeks. They might go after you too. Sorry about that.”

“But we’re gonna kill em, aren’t we?” Yang asked.

“You bet.”

“Hurrah for unity, I guess.”

“Pretty much everyone would want to kill them after 5 minutes. Simple, straightforward justice. That reminds me, I had a weird dream earlier today.”

She looked up at Ruby, listening carefully.

“Remember how I beat up that bully at Signal once?”

“Oh yeah. That was awesome.”

“Huh?” She blinked. “I remember how Qrow gave me so much crap for that. As did Dad and everyone else. I can’t help but feel like it somehow messed with me. Made me hesitate to do the right thing.”

“They were just worrywarts. I used to get in similar trouble, so they overreacted when you did that, even if it was totally justified. Uh, sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“You don’t have to say that. I know you don’t see it that way, and that’s okay. I did sneak you out while you were grounded, though. That was pretty rad.”

Huh? “Oh yea, you did do that. You took me to a club and treated me to sweet drinks and all the strawberry cakes I could eat.” She smiled. How could she have forgotten about that?

“Hmm. And don’t get me wrong, they’re all full of it. You were too young to remember, but Qrow once used to tell me all kinds of crazy stories. Like, once he described chasing down and killing this bandit who was extorting a caravan. It was told like a brutal Grimm hunt. Maybe he got scared once I started beating up bad people, or maybe Dad talked to him about it. I dunno. Times change, at least on Remnant. It was all a while ago.”

“Thing is, I’m not sure he was wrong.” Ruby laughed, “Look at me, giving you crap for all this. You know I killed ten people today?”

“E- excuse me?”

“Bad people. Really bad people, no one will mourn them. But… I dunno, it just felt… really good. I enjoyed it a lot in the moment, and I was taking my time with it too. Now I feel guilty, but I think I’d do it all again if I saw as much as a glimpse of Legion red.”

“Legion?”

“Yeah, Van Graffs tried selling to a Legion agent. What did they think was gonna happen?”

“Well, you won’t hear any objections here.”

“But-”

“Who gives a fuck how you feel about it?” She put her hand on Ruby’s shoulder. “So long as you’re doing the right thing, you might as well enjoy it.”

“You didn’t sound as excited the last time I beat someone up.”

“Well duh, I don’t exactly love the idea of my little sis disemboweling another person, but who’s asking me? You’re a big girl, you don’t need my go-ahead. And it’s not like I’m any better.”

Ruby grabbed her hand and tightened it. Yang returned the gesture.

“It’s getting a little cold, don’t you think?” Ruby said.

Yang hummed affirmatively, and Ruby tried standing up. She wobbled and barely caught the wall, and Yang had to bolt up to steady her.

“You okay?”

“N- no.” Ruby said. “I feel like I’m on the edge of vomiting.”

“That’s usually how it goes when you overdo it.” Yang wrapped Ruby’s hand over her shoulder and carried her forward.

“By the way, Rubes.”

“Yeah?”

“I really did try my best to help you get to The Strip. I… well I kinda fucked up on the money front, but I spent a lot of time asking around. I got a few people who owe me big favors.”

“Annie told me all about that.”

“Yup. So I’ve got a place that can get you a fake NCR passport to go through the gates. They’re pretty reliable. Costs a lot, but you should be able to afford it.”

“Hmm… How long will it take?”

“They just need to take your picture. You could be on the Strip tomorrow morning.”

“Thanks. Thanks a lot, sis. Sorry for saying all that.”

“Eh, I deserved it.”

“Yeah, but I still shouldn’t have said it. By the way, about Blake… Do you know where she is?”

“Kind of. I tracked her with my scroll for a few miles. She went northwest, up the I-15. I asked around, and there’s apparently a couple settlements up there, including a big one after some 2-3 weeks of walking. It’s called New Cannan.”

“I… I know how you feel about it, but-”

“Yeah. Just… just do it. I know I can’t convince you to leave it be. Just, please let’s help Weiss first.”

“Of course I will. You know I’ll do anything for Weiss. Or for you.”