Capítulo 36: Dead Women Tell No Tales
I don't own fallout
Jack and Swat stood silently over the grave as Swat pulled out a knife, and carved His mother's name over it as Jack nodded his approval. "…Want to… say something meaningful?"
Jack laughed quietly as his son finished. "…Nah Brat… she knows what I'm about…" he sniffed as Swat smiled and clapped an affectionate hand on Jack's shoulder in a supportive son to his father.
"…You don't have to say anything Dad…" he said as Jack sniffed again through his non-existant nose. Swat walked off to join an increasingly nervous-looking Casey…
"…You sure you're alright?" he asked, one eye on a solemn Jack as he returned his attention to the pretty Casey. "…You've been quieter than usual."
She smiled, nervously, but sighed. "…I actually… really thought she'd still be alive for some reason… you know?" she shrugged, "…They're not talked about a lot in the NCR but… even I've heard of the two wandering ghouls you know? Hard to believe Jack was actually one of them."
"…I know what you mean." Swat said as Jack rested his hand on the tree, acting as Gladys tombstone, now with her name freshly carved into it. "…But… I find myself… lacking purpose now." He smiled, "…Still want me to wander around with your trading company?"
"What? Oh…" she laughed adorably. "…Maybe… if you're still up to it."
"…I could use a break from searching for that book… maybe a peaceful trading life sounds nice… we should go back to 69 first though…" he added as she laughed again, eyeing Jack forlornly herself, and losing her good mood as Jack loudly sniffed again and waved them over.
"…Think he's done. Come say hi." He said as she pulled away from the tree, still gripping her assault rifle.
Casey and Swat walked back into the clearing as Jack cleared his throat over Galadriel's grave. However, the instant they did someone new entered the clearing and Swat paused. A woman with salt and pepper black hair and dressed as an NCR ranger entered, followed closely by a collection of similarly dressed but colorfully equipped Rangers…
Jack turned glancing at the new woman as she continued to approach, the rest stood by the tree line as his eyes narrowed dangerously, "Who are-"
A sequoia was in her hand before he could finish, she was so quick Jack barely registered her speed before reaching for his guns. Swat was just as fast and his reflexes were just as quick… however-
"Don't." he felt the barrel of an assault rifle pressed against the back of his head and quickly pulled away. He froze… and his blood went cold.
"…Casey?" he asked, legitimately hurt and confused by recent events.
"Don't." she repeated, leveling the rifle at his head… she wouldn't miss at that range. Her tone was serious, her voice harsh, but her eyes were telling him, 'don't make me do it.'
His hands raised slowly in the cold forest air, clenching his teeth angrily as an intense surge of RAGE filled him. He will NEVER trust another NCR woman.
The salt and pepper haired ranger woman smiled charmingly at Jack. "Revolvers. Slowly now. On the ground…" Jack hesitated as she approached him slowly. Her boots crunched the snow. "Now." She said, pulling back the hammer of the sequoia in her hand.
Jack growled, but slowly one after the other his revolvers landed softly in the snow. And, almost immediately her sequoia was back in her holster, but the guns of the other rangers were up. "Well! Now that that's out of the way." She approached Jack confidently, standing just within fist-swinging range as she tilted her head. "One-eyed Jack, it is a pleasure to meet you again! I haven't seen you since I was-" she held a hand close to her knee. "This tall."
She sounded like a kind woman. She obviously wasn't. Jack's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, and her smile lessened slightly, but still a little smug. "Surely you remember me? Virginia. Wolfe." She said slowly and a look of clarity crossed Jack's face and utter shock. "Well. Ranger Virginia Wolfe but semantics." she suddenly coughed into her hand, but managed to sniff and recover herself. "Sorry about that... I just cant seem to shake it. Must be the cold air."
"Little Gina?...What-what are you doing here?" he asked surprised as slowly she pulled out a small, burnt device. Jack looked at it confused for a moment, but then she played it…
"…Thi* is Ke---Conner Wolfe N—R-ang-r Final Lo-…" it began, Jack's eyes widening in surprise as he stared at it, utterly amazed. "Foun- a mutie ba--*F.E.***----- With Galad----* Bowman and Ben-----P-pa-pa-Parker…" the recording was obviously severely damaged and clipping in and out, "I've been severely injured no hope---***-- Escape… they—wante- to------- leav-me b-…" suddenly Jack looked angrily as the recording made an unearthly noise. "It won't be long." The clip said clearly. "…If anyone hears this give my family this message, I leave them everything and I love them very much." Suddenly there was the creaking of metal and roar of mutants seconds before Wolfe shouted, "FUCK YOU!!!" than an explosion that was quickly cut off.
She stared at Jack as Jack scowled. "I didn't want to do it but-"
Her fist cracked across his face and he hit the snow, and she kicked away his revolvers "Jack!" Swat stepped forward but a sudden piercing pain ripped through his right leg and he went down. In the blink of an eye Virginia shot him in the thigh with her sequoia. She didn;t even look at him when she did it, and without hesitation. Swat clutched to his bleeding leg screaming in pain as Jack snarled.
"Stop! The Brat didn't do shit!" he roared angrily as Casey looked concerned as Virginia holstered her gun.
"Karlson." She said dismissively as a large blonde ranger approached. "Stim." She held out her hand as Karlson reached into his bag and retrieved a stimpack that she promptly tossed towards Swat. He was going to have to crawl for it, it landed two feet away. "I'm not here for your adopted raider spawn. Lieutenant, retrieve my sequoia."
Swat snarled through the pain as Casey took the sequoia almost reverently from his holster, she didn't say anything but as she approached the stimpack she reached down. "Don't you touch it!" she jumped as Swat glared daggers at her. This wasn't Swat her friend, not anymore. This was Swat the Gunslinger. "I don't need your FUCKING pity." She looked legitimately surprised as his blood started to stain the snow. He crammed permafrost onto it before angrily crawling forward like a desperate animal, grabbing, and jamming it into his leg. STARING at her.
Casey clutching the sequoia tightly in her hand, quickly choose the smart decision and looked away. Approaching and handing the sequoia to Virginia. She eyed it almost reverently before smiling at them. "Well! This was very enlightening. But now I've got what I came for. Confirmed the death of Galadriel Bowman and retrieved my grandfather's sequoia.
"That's. my. Mother's." Swat said firmly, glaring at the older woman as she smiled patiently at him. Like a grandmother telling a child that 2+2 did not equal 22.
"It's mine. By right." She said patiently, before extending two fingers and making a circle in the air. The rest of the rangers holstered their guns and turned, stepping back into the forest and vanishing as Casey and Virginia both turned now. Swat limped slightly to his feet, absolutely irritated as Jack crawled slowly back to his, using Gladys' tombstone tree for help. Virginia had a hell of a left hook.
Vigina suddenly coughed, she froze... then glared at her hand "Ah…" she paused... Casey did as well looking at her curiously. "...Before I forget-"
....Swat went cold as the gunshot rang out over the forest… it felt and sounded different from before when she shot him in the leg. His heart stopped and his eyes went wide. For a cruel, cold moment, but preferable to him… he thought she had shot him. She had turned, his mother's sequoia-her grandfather's sequoia in hand, and fired before Swat could even react…
But his hand immediately went to his vest… no new bullet holes but one word made his heart completely stop.
"…Bard?..." his eyes immediately turned to Jack as he stood standing still except for a trembling hand slightly held over his heart as his fingers and shirt became increasingly bloody. He glanced at Swat, his lips twitched slightly as if to say. 'I'm okay kiddo…'
…Before he collapsed dead on the pile of rocks that made Gladys' tomb.
"NOO!!!!!" the word echoed throughout the forest, for miles around, he scrambled towards his fallen mentor, his father, desperately sticking him with the used stimpak, knowing that it wouldn't work but clinging to hope as he stuck in another and another. "JACK!?! JACK! NO! NO! NO! Jack!? JACK!! DAD!!"
Swat wept as he had four years ago… but this time-
In cold vicious fury, he reached for Jack's revolvers, on his feet and firing in the direction the Rangers had left. Now vanishing like the wind through the trees. Roaring a furious rage as he emptied the chambers into the trees until they clicked empty… "RAAH!! GRAHHH!!! GOD! FUCKING! DAMN IT!!!" he took in a deep breath and screamed until his throat was hoarse… long after Raid, Galoria, and a new, black northern wolf returned… to find the weeping Swat sobbing furiously over the corpse of Ben 'One-Eyed Jack' Parker as the Supermutants of the north heard the wail of sorrow.
The rangers left the forest, casually heading southeast, Virginia and Casey bringing up the rear as Casey paused. Already torn. She was now in pieces as she stared at her commanding officer's back. She had been admiring the 'retrieved' sequoia almost non-stop.
"He took very good care of my grandfather's gun. I should've thanked him." She said casually, although in light of recent events it might have been cruel and callous... perhaps even bordering on insanity.
"Ma'am." Casey said suddenly, "Permission to speak freely?"
"Granted." She said lazily, removing her old sequoia and holstering her grandfather's.
"…Why didn't you kill Swat?" she asked, not that she wanted to kill Swat. In point of fact… she didn't want to kill any of them and now… now she was in shock and feeling other emotions that she couldn't quite deal with in silence.
"I had no issue with young… Bard? Right? It's Bard Bowman?... he's actually a very fine young man, if he wasn't related to those two ghouls I might have thoroughly approved of your relationship." Casey blushed.
"…Ma'am that was-"
"Yes yes, whatever you needed to do to keep him off your scent I understand." She said smiling at Casey… even though she was, not for the first time, completely wrong. "I'm very proud of-COUGH-you Casey." She said fondly whispering, breaking protocol. "You bring honor to our family."
Casey James Wolfe sighed through her nose, just a little proud, as she stared into her grandmother's eyes. "…Nana, I have… concerns." She whispered, just between them.
"Well not anymore." She said fondly, as she held out her old sequoia to her. Casey stared at it. "You're a Full Ranger now." She said smiling, clapping a hand on her shoulder as the other rangers suddenly cheered, watching as Casey cradled the sequoia in her hand. "Three cheers for my granddaughter!"
"Yahoo! Yahoo! Yahoo!!" they cheered, Karlson emitting a piercing whistle as they fired rounds in salute.
Casey however continued to stare at the sequoia, the symbol of the rangers, the very thing she accepted this mission to earn along with her grandmother's approval… and now that she had it, and the group continued to return to the NCR completely carefree… she looked up and stared off into the southern wasteland… then turned back towards the forest. She could almost hear Swat's lamented screaming even this far away… she could certainly hear bullets.
"…He's going to kill us all…" she said breathlessly as her smile faded.
Reality setting quickly in.
-
"…I'm going to kill them all." Swat said coldly, his deathclaw knife… his FATHER'S deathclaw knife cutting deep into the tree as he finished the new effigy. Surrounded by Super mutant corpse. Placing the last rock over Jack's body. "Every last fucking one of them." He sheathed his knife, and adjusted the revolvers on his waist, Jack's revolvers. Then, planting Jack's artificial leg, as a grave maker… Swat placed his old hat on top of it.
'Here lies Galadriel 'Gladys' Bowman and Ben 'One-Eyed-Jack' Parker. My Parents.' craved lovingly on both trees, marking the graves
He stood silently, Jack's hat over his heart. "...I promise you." He said solemnly. "I'm going to kill them." Jack of Spades and Jack of hearts in the brim of his father's hat, he placed it on his head.
"…Are you ready?" Galoria said seriously, stroking a forlorn Raid as he whimpered staring at the new grave beside the other. Joined by his apparently new mate, the big black female wolf. Swat took one last breath and sniffed... sounding just like his old man.
"…Almost." He said, he patted the two graves, "…I don't know if I'm ever coming back but…" he nodded slowly. "…I'm glad you can keep each other company. Mom, you can read him your book now. And Jack?... Dad. You can actually learn the words to her songs." He smirked. Stood upright and turned… glancing at the new dog.
"Now… what's your name?" he asked fighting tears, kneeling before the former Queen of the Forest as she snarled at him. "Tch!" he snapped as she jumped, blinking curiously at him as he produced a piece of stag jerky, fresh and warm from Jack's pocket. Oh yes. He always knew. "Ah! Be a good girl." Her eyes flickered confused between his face and the jerky, her jaws slowly opening to bite. "Tch!" he snapped again as she straightened up. Raid watching with a cheery grin on his face. "…Okay." Swat said, as he gave her the jerky, rubbing her head as he snapped his fingers. Both massive wolves loyally followed him along with his 'wife'… it would be a long journey….
He had plenty of time to plan.
End of Arc 2
Epilogue
Three months on.
"We have a problem." Jefferson said seriously as Virginia Wolfe looked up from tending to her Sequoia on her desk.
"Do we really?" she asked a little teasingly, but Jefferson was straight faced, except for a small sneer upon it as Ranger Casey James, now going by C.J. Wolfe entered the office just behind him. "What is it?"
"Karlson is missing." C.J. scowled, flinching nervously as Virginia shrugged. "He's been missing since his leave..."
"Karlson can take damn good care of himself." Virginia noted, suppressing her cough. "But if you want to feel better you can go and look for him with a team."
"His wife and daughter are missing too… we searched his family farm and there is no trace of them." He reiterated as Virginia blinked at him curiously. Somewhat more invested now, she might have the utmost confidence in her team they were the very best, she trained them herself, but one of them AND their family disappearing was a little more worrying.
"Any hints to his disappearance?" she asked more seriously
Jefferson turned to glance at C.J. She had informed him earlier, and now gave him an 'I told you so' look and gestured to Virginia with a 'go on' nod. Her face the picture of uncertainty. Mind you she read the reports and she was quite sure what had happened… "…Lots of dog tracks… big dogs. VERY… big." Virginia stared at him, smiled, and laughed.
"…Seriously? Swat? Again?" she smiled teasingly at C.J. "What is he now, a boogeyman? There are literally thousands of soldiers, and miles, between us and him. He's not going to just walk into NCR territory and-"
However her radio suddenly turned onto the emergency NCR broadcast system cutting off the old music she had been listening too, immediately they all paid attention. This was how important Republic-spanning information was released to the soldiers, the rest of the report can wait.
"…Can you hear me?" the voice crackled over the com, and C.J. stared horrified as all of her recent fears came true. "I certainly hope you can."
"Fuck." Jefferson grunted flatly in his deep voice.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the NCR-" Bard 'Swat' Bowman continued.
"You'll never get away with this! You're going to fucking di-" for that brief moment, they recognized Karlson's voice… and the abrupt firing and permanent silencing power of a sequoia.
"Sorry about that. I promise we won't be interrupted again. Actually. Hang on, let me make sure." He added nonchalantly before he fired three more times, obviously he unloaded into Karlson. And he casually continued, "Anyway. My name is SWAT. S-W-A-T. Now I'm sure some of you have heard of me. Heard what I can do. And if my former co-host here was telling me the truth, some of you think I'm a joke of a mercenary… just a dumb hired gun; well I am. I take caps to do jobs… I'm pretty simple, and normally don't let the jobs get personal…" he paused for a long moment and for half a second C.J. and Jefferson thought that the broadcast was cut off. Then he spoke again.
"But… Old World Gods help you all, this one is certainly FUCKING personal. I don't give a fuck about the rank and file. I want 6… well, 5-motherfucking-Rangers. Maxine, Wuu, Jefferson, Raven- Karlson!" he apparently shot the corpse again for effect, "And WOLFE: VIRGINIA-FUCKING-WOLFE. I'm calling you out. Send your grunts after me if you don't have the BALLS to do it yourselves. But anyone who comes at me on their orders is going to die. Then I'm going to find their immediate families and kill them too." He added casually as if talking about genocide was a common thing, "So is it really worth it? Spend some time in the brig for disobeying orders… stay out of my fucking way until I'm done. I will not stop until they are all dead…"
"Oh… and before I forget…" he hissed the dramatic words echoing in C.J.'s ears. Burning in her heart, because she KNEW they were VERY intentional. "I will start burning down farms, raiding and destroying your supply dumps, burning your homes until they face me. I am declaring WAR on these rangers… so send. Them. OUT." Then there was a snap and click, then a brief sound of a pistol being fired… then there was static.
They all stared stoically at the radio, before finally, C.J. Wolfe nodded slowly before saying what they all refused to believe when she originally said it, "…We are now officially fucked."
End of Arc II
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