The Brighter Side
Fan Fic By: Roughnecks

The following story takes place eight years after the events of http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1211247-organized-crime/....

Chapter I: Youthful Descent

The sun glared through this cloudy day, with its rays glimmering as they proceeded to touch ground. I leaned back on an old, rusty chair that me and my father had brought back years ago. It creaked and dug more into the dirt as I went back. A crow could be heard not to far, its constant croaking sound echoed through out the side of the canyon. I took a quick glance inside my makeshift hut, empty. My chest rose and fell with each breath, slowly. Today, I was to leave.

It was about eight years ago, my father had just given me my first weapon, a BB gun. He said it was time to hunt with the men, that today was but the threshold of manhood, that I would soon enter. We staggered out from our settlement, Big Rock, that was built around a fallen boulder from the side of Red Rock canyon, to hunt mole rats. I was excited, naturally I did not kill anything but my father smiled and patted my back in reassurance. I looked back up, loving the time together and proud of my descent into manhood. Then he left.

I will never forget that day, it was cloudy and unusually cold. The crisp wind blew through my hair as I peered from inside our families hut. One of the troopers walked up to him and handed him a paper with writing, a draft. He followed. He turned gravely and put his hand on my shoulder, and said he was to leave and fight a war. I did not understand the seriousness of it and I though he was going to play army like he did with my friends and I when we were little. I will never forget the hesitation he had in his breath, the words that he tried to form; “Son,” He muttered to my ear, and then turned away for a second. “I am leaving now,” He stuttered. “And I expect you to look after your mother and...” He stopped. “Son, come closer.” So I did. “I will always....” And my father was cut off by the shout from the trooper. He stood up, packed his things and left down the rocky trail. That was eight years ago.

No sooner had he left, Stag and his band of misfit raiders attacked us, I hid under our bed scared and frightened. I heard the screams of my fellow tribesmen, the horrific snarls and ghastly sounds of the raiders, then silence. Everyone was gone, blood lay on the ground and huts, one burned. The foul stench settled amongst my settlement. I noticed a pile of bodies. In the pile, lay all of my tribesmen, including my mother. On that overcast day, I waited for the fire to leave their charred bodies, as I dragged each individual and buried him or her next to our settlement. I was only ten.

Now that was eight years ago, today is a new day.

I rushed to put out my fire. The crystal clear water drizzled out of the wooden bucket onto the flame, extinguishing it as it hissed on the blackened wood. The splintering sound creaked as droplets of water fell to the sand, and it danced upon the ground. I threw the bucket carelessly as I rushed to my hut, which was now made from makeshift tarp, coyote skin, and old metal rods from sort of tent. Inside lay little essentials such as food, water, and healing supplies, which I kept abundant to the best of my abilities. Thanks to Harod, my weekly caravan supplier, I have continued to live up to this day.

I took an old, leather, backpack and began to stuff it full of food and bottled water. With my haste, I struggled to actually cram the items in sensibly, with the end result of them spilling out on the floor. Furious, I kicked the backpack and stormed out of the hut. I placed both hands on my back and sighed at the sky. Pausing to look back at my hut, I noticed my father's varmint rifle. I was told not to touch as a child but I felt that today would prove an exception. I gently walked through the hut and picked up the rifle. I turned it from side to side, then looked at the backpack. I squatted down again and began to replace the items. Once I had successfully completed the task, I place both strands on my shoulders, picked up my father's rifle and set foot outside the hut once again.

A small patch of sunlight peered through an opening in the clouds. I examined it as a sigh of good omen. I placed the rifle between my back and leather backpack. It held good. I began a steep descent down the rocky cliff. A few pebbles stumbled down by my feet and clanked against the rocks flipping through the air at moderate speed.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stunted cliff, a long dusty road stood before me. Nothing could be seen but a city of great size. I had heard rumors of a wasteland paradise, where people came from all over to relax from the harsh wastes and gamble to their hearts content, or til their caps hit rock bottom. I decided that would be my first main destination during my travels, what better place to stop first, huh?

Great start mate, I'm really looking forward to following both your writing and his journey! :biggrin:

Thanks, the feedback means alot!

Chapter II: A Road To Walk, A Friend To Meet

It was hot. The sun continued to beat down on my neck as I paced. My leather jacket was beginning to crack its outer shell and my boots were beginning to tear. I decided to stop for a break. I fell to the ground and sat there for a second. I pulled out a few pieces of dusty cloth and began to tie them around my arms and neck, to prevent sun burns. I pulled out a water bottle and downed it instantly. Wiping my lips, I threw the bottle into the sand. Again I turned my neck to look down the road that led to the city, it was empty, barren, and cracked.

I picked myself up and continued walking. It was long and as the midday sun reached its peak, it became almost unbearable. Ahead I noticed a building, a short stubby one at that. A tower nearby had the words written: “Poseidon Energy”. I approached it and noticed strange barrels around it, leaking some toxic fluid. It stained the ground in a muddy array of stench and liquid. A few bubbles rose and fell and emitting an grotesque sound with each burst. I stumbled through the rusted door onto rough wood flooring. The shelves lay scattered and their merchandise contaminated and clinging to the floor.

“Hmm....” I looked around puzzled. Not much to scavenge or eat, if I did I would probably die if logic serves from the outside. I walked over to the counter and picked up a shard of glass, twirling it amongst my fingertips. I set it down, with my exploration thoroughly complete, I decided it was time to go.

I exited the doorway and the midday sun beat down on my face, blinding me for a split second. I descended onto the paved road once again in pursuit of the city. My excitement had dwindled due to the immense heat and thirst. Each coming step felt like a burden. Every once in a while, I would pass a vehicle of some sort. Each was burned to the crisp so scavenging was not an option.

It must have been an hour or so on the road, and the city still stood the same distance away, seemed the more I walked, the farther away I actually was. I approached a bus of some sort. It stood parked at an awkward angle extending into the desert. It's middle was torn and mangled with burnt wire and seating decorating its inside. Then I heard a thud. Not a thud, more of a “clank”. A tin can rolled down the steps leading in the bus and touched the ends of my boots. I looked up and I saw a shadowy figure dash from one side. I grew anxious and alert, I pulled my rifle from my back and aimed it carefully at the bus.

Step by step I paced myself as I inched my way to the bus' entrance. As my boot touched the metallic casing of the bottom step I heard a voice.

“Don't you dare make another step!” It came from the back of the bus, and to my surprise, it sounded feminine. I dared another step. “I'm warning you!” I poked my head through the doorway and looked towards the back of the bus and their sat in the corner, a Caucasian girl, perhaps no younger than myself. I then felt a sharp pain ricochet off my forehead. I watched as another tin can bounced onto the ground.

“Hey!” I said rubbing my head. “What was that for?” I saw her get up slowly. She glanced at me, looked up and down.

“You don't look like one of them?” She exclaimed at me.

“Who?” I asked, my head still throbbing.

“You know, raiders, marauders, bandits... I could go on.”

“I can safely say I am none of those things, at least I hope not.” I said. We shared an uncomfortable laugh. “Name's Joshua Carter... What's yours?”

She hesitated as I reached down to help her on to her feet, but she accepted. “It's Alice... just Alice. Never liked my last name so I decided to just go by my first.” She shrugged. “It's good enough, I think.”

“Yeah it's fine.” I struggled to find something to else to talk about, small talk wasn't my thing as you can see. “So uhh,” I scratched the back of my head. I was so caught off by her beauty that words decided to not form at my pleasure. She was about my height, five feet eleven inches, maybe an inch or two short, her hair was a light brownish color tied behind in a ponytail. Her eyes were pure green, which radiated in the sun, despite her dampened mood. “I'm heading to that city over there,” I pointed to the big city down the road. “Would you like to accompany me?”

She seemed a bit uneasy still, which puzzled me for a moment. She looked back up at me. “That city?” She pointed in the same direction I had. I nodded. She started up again. “Well, I guess but what are you expecting to find there?”

I kicked a small pebble across to the other side of the road. “I don't know... Adventure, gambling, stories even,” I really hadn't put much thought into the idea, it just felt right to go there. “I plan to see the sights when I arrive.”

Alice looked at me strangely. “Well,” she stuttered. “I guess I will tag along, nothing to do out in this place anyways.”

“Well alright then!” I said, rubbing my hands together in agreement. “Got everything, or anything you need? I have some food and water in my backpack, medical supply enough for a few days, some ammunition, caps... basic necessities I guess is what I am getting at.” I shrugged once again.

“Yup, didn't really pack anything when I left so...” She looked embarrassed. “Wasn't thinking straight at the time.” She laughed. “I don't want to freeload off you though....”

“Think nothing of it,” I exclaimed. “I'm just happy to have a traveling partner on the road to be honest.” I smiled. “Shall we get a move on?”

“Lead the way!” Alice giggled amongst herself. That moment we made our first steps to the city. I couldn't help myself but to be excited. I felt like there was nothing to fear in this world, at the moment. It was about thirty minutes in the walk when I started up another conversation, we hadn't spoken since the bus, I didn't think anything of it, I was just glad to have someone to travel with.

“So,” I said. Alice looked up from the road. “Where are you from?”

“I'm nomadic.” She exclaimed. “My parents and I traveled everywhere, I was actually born back in California, but we left about eight years ago. My mom wouldn't say why, we just suddenly up and left.” She looked back down the road and back at me. Our pace gradually began to slowdown. “How about you? I assume some larger settlement, big family and group of friends? Just what you seem like at first glance.” She looked on down the beaten path.

I ran my fingers through the back of my hair and breathed out towards the crystal clear sky. “Ehh....” I began. “Not really,” I smirked a little bit. “I grew up in a small settlement, err, camp I guess now that I put some thought into it. Big Rock. Ever heard of it?” Alice shook her head. “Didn't think so,” I smiled, but then grew grave. “My father left to join the military and my mother was killed, along with the rest of the settlement when I was only ten... Don't want to go into detail but it was pretty bad,” I watched my feet move forward with every step. I then looked back at Alice, she seemed saddened. “Grew up in Big Rock on my own, had no friends, only Harod, but he was my weekly caravan trader. Learned to live on my own until today when I decided to leave and head for that city over there.”

Alice walked closer to me, I felt her side brush along mine. She stopped and walked in front of me, putting her hand on my shoulder. “I am so sorry to hear that, you are not alone though,” She stopped. “I lost my family, both parents abandoned me as a child, grew up with a traveling group of nomads, like I mentioned earlier, and it was about a week ago they said that I needed to live my own life and they sent me out. Just like that.” She mumbled something that I couldn't hear.

“I'm sorry to hear that about your parents,” I began. She wiped a tear or something from her face and nodded. “Believe me if I was there I....” Alice cut me off.

“It's okay,” She smiled, teary-eyed. “You had your own problems, much more sever than mine.” At that moment she did the most unexpected thing, for me at least. A hug. I stood there as her arms wrapped around mine, for a second I did not know what do to, so I embraced it. I felt her trembling in my arms.

Then she broke away. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so forward like that, I just felt like I was about to collapse and....”

“It's fine,” I smiled. “Been awhile since I felt something like that.” We both laughed, this time however, it felt right.

“All this talk it going to ruin my day,” Alice finally said. “I don't think we can make it to Vegas today.”

“Vegas?” I asked.

“The city?” She looked puzzled. “You don't even know its name?”

“Guess not!” I laughed once more.

“Jeez....” She stared at me, then giggled. “What else don't you know?”

“Not much, I have been confined to Big Rock my whole life, why I find exploring so interesting. Knowing things isn't exciting or fun, guess it is the daring nature in me!” A sudden feeling came over me, it felt light and bearable. Alice shook her head in hopelessness.

“Well it will sure be interesting traveling with you then,” She smiled. “But I think I'll manage.”

“Yeah,” I looked down the barren road once more. I took in my surroundings; desert, sand, dirt, and the crisp air that would whip you dry. I peered closer and noticed a shack of some sort. It looked beaten and weathered, broken to a point where it seemed uninhabited. Prefect. “Hey you see that shack?”

“Yeah,” Alice exclaimed, leaning in. “What about it?”

“Want to stay there for tonight, since you said we couldn't hit Vegas today?”

“Sure, why not?”

“Let us go then.” I adjusted my backpack on my shoulders, shifting it about til it was placed just right. Alice stretched and moved about. We started up a steady pace once more. The thuds of our footsteps crackled along the concrete road built so long ago. The dust twirled about our feet with the coming wind. We proceeded to the shack as it continued to loom from the side of the road. It seemed lonely, away from civilization, it would do for tonight.

Moments later we approached it. I went up to the door and knocked, as I did the door gave away and creaked open displaying a dim lighted room with one mattress, a table, broken ham radio, a rusty locker and a few caps on the table top. We stepped in with caution. “Hello?” I yelled. “Hello?” No answer. I turned back to Alice. “Looks deserted,” I shrugged. “After you.”

Alice stepped in the shack and looked about. “Cozy,” She said, and then shivered. “I get the mattress!” She ran over to it and fell backside on top of it. She then proceeded to stretch and turn over.

“Fine, I guess I will get the other side,” I looked across the shack and saw a splintered bottle and a few bottle caps. “Yeah, the other side.”

“Sorry!” She laughed. “If you don't mind I am going to stay awake for a while longer, think about things.”

“No problem, I'm tired and have been up all day so... Yeah I'm going to sleep,” I placed my back pack up against the wall and leaned back on it so that my head rested in a crescent along its inner side. “Night.” I shut my eyes.

“Good night!” She replied. “I'm an early riser so don't worry about waking up, I got it.”

“Thanks.” I mumbled and turned over on my side. For the first time in eight years, I felt comfortable.

Hump teh Bump. :fallout:

Good to see you are continuing the Organized Crime universe, I was afraid it was done for. Good to see it's back, and even better than before.

Good luck, and write on!

Thanks for the bump, glad to see some interest in this story, especially since it has been a month!




Thanks, glad to hear you like it. Always good to see feedback, especially from someone who has followed all my stories, even Psychic that never got finished, lost interest in it, hit the point of no return quicker than I should have.

Anyways thanks guys, I am working on chapter three right now so it shouldn't be long.

Gonna take me a lot longer then a month to forget a beautiful brunette travelling with our could-be hero mate, lol. :hubbahubba:

I just read through Organized Crime and now these first two chapters. This is a very interesting story. Your depiction of the NCR, the corruption at its worst, is very different from the standard approach. I like it. I can't wait to see Vegas after eight more years of tyrany and oppression, I hope you continue this.

Thanks for reading. Yeah I hope to get chapter three done soon, if not tonight, that is if nothing more gets pushed in my face November had a ton of distractions from video games to real life.

Edit: It...Has...Been...Released...Finally.

Chapter III: Dead Streets

“Joshua....” A dream-like voice echoed through me as I lay asleep. “Joshua.... Wake up.” I rolled over to my side and allowed an eye to open. I saw Alice kneeing by me, about to shake me.

“Huh, I'm up,” I said yawning. I proceeded to sit up and take a plate of food that Alice handed me. “What is this?”

“Breakfast,” She replied. “Made some a couple minutes ago from you pack, if that was okay?”

“Yeah, that is fine, wondered where my “pillow” went,” I scratched the back of my neck and then began to eat. It was some sort of bread and eggs. “Thanks.” I finally said looking over at Alice. She nodded.

“Well, I guess we should head out now, sun should have risen minutes ago.” She opened the shack door and paused for me to gather my supplies.

“I'm coming.” I said, disparately trying to cram some things into my backpack and then holstering it onto my shoulders.

“No rush,” She replied. Finally I got everything situated and walked up to Alice. “Okay, let's go.”

I shut the door behind us. I looked towards the city, the sun's rays were just hitting the sides of some of the tall buildings. We were closer now than I thought last night. I could see an array of smaller buildings all around the large tower. It was proving to be quite the metropolis, something I would have not seen from Big Rock.

I walked beside Alice from the shack we stayed at. It was still early so I suppose we weren't in the mood to converse. I gradually kicked stones that we passed along the road. The vibrant orange colored skies began returning to their regular blue form. I glanced back at Alice, her walk was so careless, yet so graceful. I could go on about the sandy touch in her hair to her beautiful flawless face. At last I was lost in though, too lost. It had proven a great deal to focus on current events.

“Alright!” I heard Alice yell.

“Huh?”

“We're here... Er, at least the outskirts,” She paused. “Something... Something is not right here.” She looked up and down the large metallic gate that stood before us. It was blasted open by the looks, topped off with erosion from the desert sand. The doors creaked with each passing wind that shifted through. A large wall extended from each side of the doors in a straight line that seemed to go one for miles. It was hurt and broken from thousands of bullets and harsh storms. The tops were jagged and uneven, some were falling apart in front of us. Other sections lay toppled outward and abandoned.

“What happened?” I asked. “This doesn't look like the city I saw as a kid.”

“I don't know, it is odd. Though,” Alice started. “It is only the Freeside district. My nomadic brothers had said that it was a grimy place, full of scum. All those who wished for a retreat from the desert stayed here. Most were junkies and thugs they told me. Poor too. However on the inside there was an oasis, The Strip it was called. Where the rich went to stay in a life of luxury and it was guarded by an army of robots!”

“Seems like a fictional legend to me, nevertheless it is where I want to go and why I came.” I looked back at her. “No sense in waiting out here, doesn't like anyone will greet us anyways. Let's go.”

I proceeded through the broken doors of the metallic gate and was invited into a world of obscene destruction and chaos. I began to take another step when a shrilling cry came from behind me. It was Alice.

“AHHHH!” She cried. I quickly turned around and saw her backing up.

“What?!” I yelled. “What is it?!” She whimpered and pointed toward the ground. I looked down. There lay a hand sticking from above the sand. It was coarse and cracked. Its fingers were twisted and covered in what looked like stained blood, darkish red.

“It... It grabbed my foot!” She was crying. “Who is it?!”

“I don't know....” I got on my knees and began to pull the hand up. As I did the sand began to unearth a body. Along with the hand I had uncovered a man who wore a tarnished khaki uniform with a dark vest. On that vest lay an insignia that represented that of a two-headed bear. His head lay fractured and worn, pieces of skull fragments cracked away with each tug that I gave. Alice screamed once more.

“Stop it! It's disgusting!” She cried. I dropped the man and proceeded to a different spot and began to run my hands through the sand. I found another body. Frantically I switched spots yet again and another body lay buried underneath the sand. I slowly rose and peered through the blasted gate and what I saw was sickening: what appeared as thousands of half covered, rotting corpses lay in the street. “My God....” Alice covered her face in tears.

“What happened?....” My breath had left me and a pain winced within. I proceeded to take a step through the gate once again.

“Oh no! You're not thinking of going in there now, are you?” Alice ran over and pulled my shoulder. I turned back.

“We need to go in,” I hesitated. “Or else we won't know what happened... I'm sure there is a reason for all of this.”

“You're nuts,” She glanced over my shoulder at Vegas, then back at me. She shook her head and sighed. “Fine. We do this together.”

“Of course.”

“Sorry, reassurance is sort of a thing with me.”

“I understand,” I noticed her come closer and hold onto my shoulders, I smiled for a moment. “Let's do this.” I, along with Alice, stepped through the gate. Carefully I stepped over the bodies, some were the same as the man who wore khakis at the gate but others were dressed in rags. Every step was over the deceased. The smell was enough to drive even the toughest man to his knees, around the streets were collapsed fences that seemed to separate the sidewalk from the road. Buildings lay crumpled and ruined. Bullet shells lay in numbers on the sandy flooring in which we presided.

I glanced at the sides of the brick buildings and noticed faint carvings in them. I walked over and out my hand to one and read it out loud: “They are coming... And we are trapped....”

“Who do you think it is referring to?” Asked Alice. I shrugged. I pressed on to another building and read another message out: “The two-headed bear lies on the horizon, there is no escape for us now.” Another read: “They march in unison, they out number us... ten to one.” Alice looked worried. I noticed a strange odor. It was different from spoiled flesh, it was more stronger, I faintly noticed a strange orange colored gas leak from a pipe on one of the fallen buildings. I inhaled some of it and coughed. My head began to feel dizzy.

“Josh, who wrote these?”

“Maybe some prophet, I don't know,” I began searching for more passages until I came to an intersection in the street. The sand was gone, didn't seem to travel this far in the city. The bodies, however, lay in numbers. Blood stained the streets, coarse explosive outlines layered the buildings, half-rotten corpses lay hanging from the windows and doorways, the stench thickened and moistened.

“So many people....” Cried Alice. I nodded solemnly. Up ahead lay the large spiral tower that I gazed at as a kid. It seemed so far away and the buildings that surrounded it seemed to stretch on forever.

We walked on and I noticed a charred flag that one of the tan troopers were carrying: New California Empi... It was burned off from there. It hit me. I recalled the memory of the troopers who took away my father. Those troopers wore the same armor as the ones that lay desolated in these streets. “These are the troops who took my father away,” I spoke softly. “What happened here? Did they die defending this place?” I clenched my forehead in pain, the gas was taking its effect.

“I've heard their news station on the radio a few years back up at the one eighty eight trading post, south of here. Yeah! They were talking about all these good things and how they managed to stop an entire revolution from taking place,” Alice glanced at the dead soldiers. “My nomads spoke fearfully of them, but I saw no means of worry, they seemed like peacekeepers from California. Strange, coming from there I don't remember them too well.”

“Then who are the rest of these people?” I pointed to the people dressed in rags and poor clothing, some still held rifles and pistols in their decaying hands. The headache grew worse.

“Probably a gang or something, but it's odd,” I rose an eyebrow. “Why all the destruction?”

“It is very strange... Let's keep moving.” I said quickening my pace. Alice followed behind me. We began to run, street after street, house after house, more death and destruction was seen. Limbless bodies covered the ground, blood the walls, and fragments and shards everything else.

“Look there!” Alice pointed a larger gate. “Welcome to The Strip... We made it!” She began to laugh.

“Yeah,” I stopped. “They gate... What is that around it?” I stepped closer. “My God...”

“What is it?” Alice ran over and her mouth dropped. More tears formed. “Loo... Look at the wall...” She sobbed. I did. Claw marks from fingernails were marked all over the wall and gate. A pile of dead carcases, human carcases. Their bodies were torn to shreds, by gunfire it seemed. A sound shook us. One of the bodies must have slipped from the large pile and it tumbled down and was breaking apart which each rotation. By the time it hit the ground, only its skull remained. That moment I felt my head spin faster and faster, I fell to my knees.

“Joshua!” I saw Alice begin running towards me. “Joshua....” Her voice grew faint and I collapsed in the street. The skull appeared to be moving, crying. I began seeing these visions, flashbacks of the past. It was a women. She was crying for something... To open the door, what door? The Strip gate? Perhaps. I began to here the voices from the others. They were screaming too, I heard the banging of a thousand fists and the clawing of ten times as many nails.

“Let us in!” They cried. But the gate stood closed. I heard the footsteps of soldiers as they rounded the street corner. The peoples screams grew louder, and began to echo. I heard another yell: “Ready!” The people grew louder, children were crying. “Aim!” Said the same man. More pain. Then... “Fire!” Gunfire echoed through me and I lay there in the street. I felt Alice shaking me but I could not see her. I began to drift, drift away.

Another great chapter mate! Where did all the NCR go? Shouldn't they be guarding their best investment in the Mohave? :fallout:

We shall see