Across the Wastes
A Fallout FanFic

Chapter One

It was a dark and quiet night in the wasteland formerly known as Nevada USA, better now known as the Mojave. The bright lights of New Vegas were just barely visible beyond the hills ahead of the small group of mercenaries led by Jack McCannon. They where on their way back from their most recent job, retrieving some caps for a business owner in the sketchy end of Vegas. "Hey boss, couldn't we just keep the 2,000 caps for ourselves? We don't usually do work down in New Vegas, the guy won't have any way of trackin' us." Said Adam Neery, a muscular, ex powder-ganger carrying a laser rifle lazily over his shoulder. "Yea Jacky, the job wasn't worth the pay. 200 caps each? Talk about a rip off." April Henders agreed. She was an agile yet hot headed young blonde, who sported a revolver strapped to her belt. Jack stopped walking and turned to his two partners. "I told you the payment was gonna suck. I also told you that ya could have let me handle this one on my own and the two of you coulda hung back in Gomorrah. We'll be heading far away from the Mojave soon. I owe this guy, and he decided he should call on the favor before I left. We won't be back for some time. Be lucky he was willing to pay you two at all." Without another word they kept walking silently across the barren waste.

When they showed up at the entrance to the tiny ruined building now being used as a store, Jack told Adam and April to wait outside. He opened the door to see his old friend Nicholas the elderly shopkeep on the ground with two bullets lodged in his head, along with a sheet of paper being held to his body by a switchblade stabbed into his chest. The floor around him was covered with dry blood. Jack drew the 9mm from its holster on his side and ran up to Nicholas. "Dammit, I told you to get a hotel room until I got back." Snatching the note from his chest he read through it; "Mr. McCannon, as you can see we killed your friend. Your partner's are next if you don't pay up. -your pal, Marcus." Jack ripped up the piece of paper and walked outside, tossing the bag of caps to April. "Looks like you guys get to keep them after all. Nicholas is dead. Marcus found us. We have to leave, now." He slipped his gun into his holster and swiftly turned and started walking away. "Jack, we haven't stopped in days. Can we just get a room in the Ultra luxe? Assuming they do find us, they won't try anything in there." Said Adam. After thinking for a moment, he agreed and started walking to the entrance of New Vegas. "You two are paying for it, I want to leave" he said before they entered the doors to the Casinos. Walking into the Ultra Luxe casino, the greeter gave the the grimy team of three a dirty look, "there's an entry fee of-" he started to say before Jack tossed a bag of caps at him. "Yea yea. We aren't here for the casino. We need a place to stay." The greeter pointed towards a desk. "You can rent a room over there." Walking up to the desk, April put some caps on the desk. "Two rooms One with two beds. And a good view." She said in a sarcastic tone. The woman behind the counter handed her two keys. She tossed one to Jack. "Figured you'd want some space to think. We'll be right across the hall. You head up, we'll meet you in your room in an hour. Make sure you don't have a tail and play some games."

A little under an hour later, April walked up to Adam. "Hey hot stuff, wanna head on up to the bedroom?" Adam looked shocked, and April looked drunk. Wasn't going to stop him from finally hooking up with her after all this time! "Hell yea, let's go!" They walked up to the elevator and hit the call bell. When it showed up they stepped in and told the elevator operator what floor then waited, while April kept kissing Adam and rubbing against him seductively the whole way up. when they got out she quickly pulled Adam to their room, slipped in and locked the door. When she turned around Adam was already taking his shirt off. "Adam, your nasty. You've been trying for years, it's going to take more than getting some drinks into me." Adam looked rather upset as he slipped his stained white shirt back on. "If you wanted to leave the Casino you could have just asked. I was short in caps anyways." Looking out the peephole of the door, she whispered "someone was following us. No doubt he paid the elevator operator to take him to our floor. And our guns are locked up. I managed to slip my brass knuckles in though." Adam pulled a combat knife from inside his boot. "I got my knife. I say we wait for him to walk past our room then slit his throat."
"He'll be cautious walking down the halls."
"I guess."
Suddenly April seen the man looking into a peephole on the door right next to Jack's room. "We've got to take him out." She whispered as she carefully turned the lock and opened the door. Flinging the door open she punched the black suited man in the nose before dragging him into their room. Adam ran to get Jack while April tied the man up and took the silent pistol from his hands. Jack and Adam quickly slipped through the door and locked it behind them. April pointed the gun at the mans foot and shot him, and proceeded to question him.
"Who hired you, and why were you following us." She softly yet sternly said while aiming the gun at his other foot. The man looked up at her and laughed. His nose crooked and bleeding. "Aren't you a nice piece of ass." He said with a crooked smile. Pulling the trigger again he let out a cry of pain. "Answer the questions and I'll let you live. Who sent you and why?!" She exclaimed a little louder. "Bite me." Said the suited man while staring at April's chest. Slipping her brass knuckles onto her hand, she punched him in the jaw. Spitting up a bloody tooth the man said "you want me to talk, my mouth probably isn't the best place to swing." He chuckled again before spitting out more blood. About to swing again, Jack grabbed her arm. "Let me try." She tossed her knuckles on the bed next to him and stepped back. Jack tried to reason with him. "You tell us what we want to know, and I'll bandage you up and let you go. Sound fair?"
"How about you let the little girl have another whack at me. Then we'll see."
"Fine, have it your way. April, have fun." He walked to the counter and poured some scotch into two glasses and handed one to Adam. April put the gun up to his kneecap. "I'll ask one more time, and if you want to keep walking, your gonna answer. Who are you?"
"Nobody special. Just a low life looking to make some caps by doin some easy work. Like tailing you three. That's all the information you'll get outta me." She shot him in the kneecap then set the gun on the bed. Grabbing her knuckles again she said "I'm gonna have some fun. Just let me know when your willing to talk." And proceeded to pound her fist into his chest, face, and injured knee a few times before walking over and grabbing a bottle of vodka. She slowly started pouring it onto his wounded knee and he screamed. "Alright! I'll tell you what I know." She stopped pouring. "Spill it before I spill more of this." She shook the bottle slightly. Adjusting himself in the chair the man began to speak. "Some dude in a white suit and cowboy hat said that he would pay me big time if I found you guys. More specifically, a man by the name of Jack McCannon. I'm assuming thats the guy helping himself to the alcohol behind me. Anyways, I couldn't see the guy's face but he said his name was Marcus Welser. That's all I know. Now are you gonna let me go?" Jack quickly walked over to the pistol, grabbed it and put a bullet in his head. "Dammit. If that guy found us, Marcus and his men aren't far behind. Let's go." April and Adam looked at each other questioningly. "Hey boss, who's Marcus?" Adam asked as he started to follow the other two. "I'll explain later. For now, we have to leave New Vegas."