G
Guest
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Ah...I should've posted it yesterday..but I had other things to do..*grin*
I had to rush making this.. so there is a good chance that it will be 100% crap. It's not very good, IMHO, and could have been better..and that's why I need your honest opinion and suggestions..
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The card reads:
dedicated to
Misa, by B-pen
Crystal, by SCUZ
Dina, by the lawful monkey
Crystal
by bluepencil
She stood there numbly, absently holding the tools of her trade in her hands. Now and then, her mouth would move in a soundless mutter, and she would close her eyes, as if to drive away a painful memory. Those who lived around her couldn't help but to feel duly concerned. Her behavious was unusual, to say the least. At best, it was an indication of the coming of Armageddon. For they had never seen her act so, as she was like the cheerful light of sanity in a world gone mad, their anchor to a purposeful existence.
"You okay, Becky?", said a child, pulling on her apron to get her attention.
"Oh!", she exclaimed, nearly dropping the drink she was mixing. She looked down and saw to rounded brown eyes, shimmering with innocence and honest concern.
"I'm all right...", she said with a wan smile, and playfully tousled the little boy's head. He didn't look too convinced, but somehow, he was mollified. He looked around the now strangly empty bar...a very rare sight, for Becky's Casino and Bar was the most popular place in the Den. For the last few days, however, it had been closed, and it was aparent on Becky's breath on who was consuming her wares.
Still, the boy sensed that she wanted to remain alone, and obliged, albeit unwillingly. He moved away, and out the door, casting her a last worried glance even as he did so.
Becky sighed wearily, and poured a shot into a whisky glass. She had never thought too, that she would be acting this was...but fact were facts. She was hurting. Bad.
----------------------
The door to Mom's Diner opened with a squeak, and all eyes within turned to the door. A man in polished metal armor looked to the boy and said, "Well?"
"She don't want to talk...she's really sad.", the little boy answered.
The man groaned and leaned back on his chair. "This is bad...", he said. "She's never been this down before."
"You mean she's NEVER been down before..", answered a woman, similarly garbed. And it was true, they had never since have seen her perpetual smile leave her face. Her cheerful demeanor, her polite words..they were as much a part of her as the nose on her face. She had always been so energetic, so full of life. Her kind laughter was irresistible, and had to be joined in by even the hardest of men.
But now...
"When is she gonna open the casino...", whined Fred, a grungy man in tattered clothes. "I feel lucky."
"Is that all you can think about?!", Lara snapped. She wore her tarnished metal armor with pride, though it was riddled with bullet bumps. She had the look of a warrior, a woman who had taken the worst the world could give and spat right back on it. And she was also Becky's closest female friend. Her nimble fingers moved to touch lightly the hilt of her Combat Knife.
Fred cringed.
"Hmm...", remarked a rather mousy man in faded orange clothes. "I think I may have found the root of the problem, just by observing Fred here.."
"Huh?", Lara replied. "What do you mean, Tubbi?", she asked the drug dealer.
"How profitable is her business?"
Lara looked over to the group of morose metal-armored group at the back of the Diner. They used to be part of her gang, but they had left with her enthusiastic prodding, into the job of being Becky's guards.
But they were more than just bodyguards, however. Rebecca was a whirlwind in her work, doing all things with a seemingly inexhaustible breeze that aroused in them intense feeling of guilt. They couldn't just stand around and let her do the work all by herself..so they pleaded for a job. Any job.
Becky welcomed their help, and soon, they were all partners in the runnning of the casino, with equal work, and equal shares in the profits. But they would have willingly worked for free, as long as it was for her.
"Not so good..", one replied. He had just checked the balances last week, he kept records of the casino, since he was the one that possed the most mathematical skill in the group. "More money is coming out than in. People in the casino are having a lucky streak."
"Ah..I am too, too sorry to have done my cast..", a voice piped up from behind.
All heads turned to Flick, the thin, greasy looking man who sat by a corner table. It was the last thing they expected to hear from the opportunist who used little children as means to making easy money.
Lara shrugged. "Rebbecca plays fair. If you won, thank the gods. If you lost..it's nobody's fault."
"True enough", retorted Tubbi. "But still, circumstances show that her business in on the brink of failure. If she was but a little bit more sensible, this wouldn't hapen. She is much too kind..and she lets things out of her own direct control. My busines, unlike here, faces no risk of collapse."
Everyone glared at him. He ignored them and went on. "My business runs not on uncalculated risks. I could buy things at a low price, and seel them for a high profit, at any price I dictate. if she would.."
"Now, look here, you..", interupted Lara.
"But she has no such failsafe measure. She is entire too kind, to honest for her own good. She lets her resources go low..by allowing outstanding debts to remain unpaid..."
Fred caught meaningful looks directed at him and flushed. He looked down guiltily.
"Much as I hate to admit it, Tubbi may be right. She may be depressed because she thinks she's getting nowhere..stuck between opportunities. I knew I felt that way often enough.."
"Huh?"
"She doesn't feel as if her work is worth it. People take advantage of her good nature."
"Ah."
Fred looked up, and turned to Tubbi,who looked half-asleep. "Uh..Tubbi.."
"Hm?", he said, cracking open his eyelids.
"Can I borrow a coupla hundred bucks?"
"What for..", he snorted. "It is a well-known fact that you NEVER pay your debts.."
"If I pay Becky back her money..maybe she'll feel that she can be a good businessthingie."
"Hm..."
"Oh, just give him the fucking money, Tubbi.",Lara spat.
"Thanks..Lara.."
"Don't thank me yet, Fred. If you don't pay us back..I WILL send someone to break your legs."
Fred paled, took the money from Tubbi's hand, and fled out the door.
Lara laughed.
"Would you really have broken his leg?"
"Nah. Lara likes him to be able to walk..but it was fun to see the look on his face."
They all laughed. "Yes, it was..wasn't it?"
-------------------
Rebecca groaned and held a hand to her aching temple. She stadied herself on a nearby table, and waited for the buzzing in her head to stop. She hid her face into her palms..and closed her bloodshot eyes.
She didn't even hear the door to her bar open, and someone step in. Fred wlked in and made his way through the messy floor and faced her across the table.
"Becky..?.." he asked tentatively.
She opened her hands and gave him a bleary look. "What do you want now, Fred?" Inwardly, she winced. She wouldn't have been this rough, this blunt under normal circumstances. But things were different now.
Fred drew back, hurt.
"I'm sorry, Fred...I dind't mean to snap at you like that..", she said soothingly. "Please..sit down and tell me what you need."
The tramp sat facing her and fidgeted nervously. "You doing okay, Becky?"
"Yeah. Why shouldn't I be?"
"Well..we thought ya might be having trouble with things.."
"No, nothing wrong with my bar, Fred, it just..."
"I just came o pay my debt."
She parted her hands and stared at Fred. unbelieving of what she had just heard. Fred? Paying his loans out of his own free will? It was unheard of of. Just like...
"Who did you borrow it from this time, Fred..?"
"Uh.."
"You need that money more than I do..you don't have to pay me back now..or ever at all, in fact. Your debt is forgiven..", she added with a light smile.
"Th-thanks, Becky.."
"It's okay...I'll open the casino tommorrow, so you don't have to worry about that."
She turned back to cradling her face in her hands. Fred couldn't take the sudden, uncomfortable silence, and left hurriedly. She didn't even notice.
---------------
"She's gonna open the casino tommorra...", he told the gathering. "I don't think she really needs money all that much."
Flick shrugged."Everbody need-a money. She just forget it, that's all."
"Shut up.", Lara snapped. "She has some money stashed away..I forgot about that.
"So if it's not money..", Mom said. "What could her problem be?"
"I don't know...and I'm going to find out...", Lara said, her face set into a serious mask. She got off the stool and stalked to the door.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to find out what her problem really is."
"Can I come?", asked Flick. "The women...they talk to Flick, they known he canna solve alla their problems...if they got the chips."
"You looking to get your hand on her money? I don't think so."
"No,no.. this time it's a free of charge."
Lara looked to Mom, who nodded.
"All right, then.."
-------------
"Becky?", Lara asked, and felt her way through the dark room. She opened up a falre, and lit the room in a yellow phosphorescent glow. She found the light switch and flicked it on...and white light flodded the Bar.
"Please, turn off the light..."
"Becky?"
She kicked aside empty bottles of booze and searched for the root of laboured breathing. She found her behind the counter, huddled into a ball, and shivering...
"<Damn.>", she swore silently. She never expected to see this kind of depresssion."Becky? Please...can we talk..?"
"Lara? Is that..No..sorry..I don't feel like it right now."
"Talking helps in a lotta ways, Beck-a. Get a load-a off your chest..", Flick piped up, his accent pitched and squirrely, the way she had always found funny.
It had the desired effect. She chuckled a bit, then her face fell once more.
"Becky? Don't keep secrets from us. We're you're friends. We're here to help you..."
"What she said..what she said.."
She looked up and saw that they were indeed sincere in their words. Yes, she had friedns, trued ones, willing to help her trough any all all og her problems. Involuntarily, a grateful smile crossed her lips.
Lara held her hand out, and she took it. She was helped up to her feet, and she stood there shakily, under their worried gazes. Then, without a word, she hugged Lara.
"Thanks, Lara.", she said. She then hugged Flick, who looked poleaxed instantly. "Thanks to all of you for caring..."
"Uhh...I'ts a all right.. that's a what friends are for, ah?"
"Yeah..that's what friends are for..and I'm lucky to have friends like you to help me out."
"Any time, Becky, any time...", Lara said with a smile. She hugged Becky back, hoping to squeeze all her bad vibes off..
"Can't..breathe.."she gasped.
Lara laughed again. "You okay now, Becky?"
"Yes..I'm fine...", she answered. "Look, I'm sorry to have to drive you away..but I need to clean up."
"We'll help. I'll call the rest of the.."
"No! I'm..fine. I'll do it on my own."
"You sure?", she asked her, and her right eyebrow came down in half-frown as she saw the pleading look in her eyes.
"So..you're saying that you need some time alone..away from us.."
"That's not..please, Lara.."
"Why not take a vacation? I know this..."
"No! I can't...I mean..I don't want to leave the Dyer house alone."
"We'll watch it for you.."
"The Dyer house must always have a Dyer to do its functions..", Becky answered with a somber tone."It's a matter of tradition.."
"Can't you just close it down for a while?"
"I can't.."
Lara groaned. "All right..if that's what you want.."
"It is.."
"You sure you're all right?"
"Yes. I'm fine. Really."
Lara sighed and placed a hand to her head, as if it had just sprouted a migraine. "Okay..I'll take your word for it. I'll leave you alone for now..but tomorrow, we help you clean up, we help you drum up business.."
"Thanks, Lara. I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Okay..", Lara saif inally, and turned away. Flick followed her, but he looked around as they left the door, and saw a glimpse of BEcky's face fading into melancholy again as she turned away..
She felt a little guilty about lying to her friends. She wasn't fine, not by a lone shot. Physically and finacially, she was set for life..but in her mind were incomprehensible images. Her heart seemed to slow down, as she thought about what she had heard over the radio.
Nothing else matters now...for she had naught to fear, the worst had come to pass. She sank back into a corner, and let loose the pent-up feelings in her heart. Salten tears fell down her cheeks, and she sobbed into her palms..
-----------------
"This can't keep on going...", said Lara, swirling around her cup of brahmin milk. "I mean, we tried everything...and she still won't ease up. Hell, if she'd just tell us her problem, then we could help."
"But she won't...that's the problem.", remarked Tubbi.
"I don't think it's such a good idea, leaving her alone in her bar like that.."
"Why,you fear she would kill herself?"
Lara's eyes widened."What?! We gotta.."
"It was joke..a joke it was all..", hastily said Flick.
"Yes, dearie.", added Mom."Settle down...Do you really think that she would be the type to do that?"
"No.", replied Lara, and went back to her seat. "But she doesn't seem the type to do what she's doing now, too. Shutting herself off from the world, and her friends.."
"Oh, my..now that I think about it..I know those symptoms. But it can't be.."
"What is it, Mom?"
"Well, if I didn't know better..I'd say she was mooning over a man."
Lara spat out her drink."Of course! Why didn't I think of that.."
"Because who would she like? There ain't a nobody good enough for her here..", Fred offered helpfully.
"Maybe she just needs to get laid.", said Tubbi with a smirk.
Lara glared at him.
"And here comes the guy to do just the job....", said a voice from behind her.
Everyone turned to the door, then groaned.
Joey the punk had been after Becky for years. He was handsome enough, and was passably fit, in spite of his taking of drugs. He had a certain boyish charm, true enough, and it was this that drew his gang members to him. But he had nil personalitadum, he thought he was God's gift to women, which was one of history's biggest turn-offs.
He strode into the room and grinned at everybody therein. "So my Becky needs comforting, eh? I'll go over an..*comfort* her now."
Lara stood up, grabbed a mug, and threw it at him. He ducked and went out the door, his laughter echoing in the still Diner.
"Damn."
"Don't worry. I think Becky still has more than enough sense not to go for him."
"I hope you're right. Or I'll kill him"
Lara sat back down and grabbed a mug of beer from Fred's hand. She guzzled the contents and spat. Mom looked on disapprovingly.
--------------
"You sure about this, Joey?", asked a female gang member.
Joey snorted and looked down at the gree-haired woman by his side. He knew she was jealous, but even she knew that she was no match for Becky, in terms of sheer beauty, brains, wealth..and in fact, in everything else. He didn't know why he kept her around in the first place. Maybe because she had offered and has given herself to him.. body and soul..and maybe, just maybe..really liked him.
"Of course I am...while she is so depressed, I'll step in, and and be as charming as I can be..."
"And get her off to bed."
"And get her off to bed...I'll make her forget her problems.", he added with a laugh.
She frowned and looked on as Joey went past her and into the street, laughing nasally.
Then, she heard him scream.
She rushed out, and saw Joey being held aloft by what seems to be a great metal monster. It had the form of a man, but it was *huge*, and had blazing orange eyes that glowed in the night. She fingered her 10 mm pistol, and knew that it would be worse than useless.
Stil...she aimed at the creature's head and fired. As expected, the bullet just bounced off the demonic head harmlessly. It turned to her, and she could almost hear a grinding mechanical noise, and with burning amber eyes, it glared at her.
She quivered, but held her chin up and lifted the barrel of her gun to point again at it. A low, gutteral sound came from deep withinin its throat.
"WheRRee iss BeckyzZ......", it growled.
She thought about running for it, but saw how Joey was held in a neckhold..and his face, wide with blind fear..and felt herself break.
"That way..."she pointed, and prayed that Becky would be safe.
The huge thing released Joey, and stomped off into town, its heavy foorsteps pounding on the asphalt ground. She ran to Joey, who sprawled along the street, shaking in fright. She helped him to his feet and half-dragged him back to the Diner.
----------------------
He had been searching for her..all through the times he had been close to dying..it was she that had sustained him...and he had gone to hell and back just for her. And now..she was close..so goddamn close...but his mucles were as heavy as iron..and his stregth was failing him. He staggered forward, never pausing, the way he had gone through the Wastes for the past few weeks. He has seen Death 's face...and she drove it away.. Just to see her, one last time..then, he could die..
Now..if she would just join him..
------------
The door to the Diner was kicked open, and all those inside jerked instantly to a ready stance, alert for threats. Joey tumbled in, wild-eyed and suported by his girl.
"Someone's after Becky!', he cried.
"What? Who?!", Lara asked him, and drew her weapon.
"I don't know...but it's big. Ugly. And looked as tough as hell.."
Lara nodded. That was enough information for her. Whatever it was, it seemed hostile. She motioned for her posse to follow, and went out of the Diner.
"I'm coming with you..", said Mom, drawing from under her cupboard a .223 rifle. No one questioned how she had gotten her hands on such kind of armament. After all, the Den was a good place to own a gun.
Still, having a gun and knowing how to use it..are two different matters entirely. "Stay here, Mom..", Fred warned. "This ain't goin to be a good fight. You could get hurt."
"So can you, Fred. And you don't even have a gun. Why are you going.?"
"Uh..."
"Mooommmm....", Lara groaned.
"Don't you use that tone of voive on me, young lady. Rebecca is a good friend of mine, and good friends always stick up for each other.'
Lara wanted to say something, but Flick cut her off.
"You shoulda know when it-a useless to try.."
She shrugged and moved on, hoping that they would get there it time.
----------------
They weren't.
Where the door to Becky's Bar & Casino used to be was a big, man-shaped hole. Lara sprinted to the door, her psitol ready, and drew back suddenly. Those beind her also halted, and gave her questioning looks. She held a finger to her lips and motioned for them to keep silent. She crept to a window and looked into, pointing to the others to do the same.
-------------------------
The metal creature ambled towards Becky, horrendously slow. Apparent on her face was a mixture of fear, tinged with...excitement? The thing came at last to be in front of her, and its legs gave out, and it kneeled in front of her, the floorboards cracking under the weight. With a faint *hissss*, the faceplate opened and fell to the floor, rolling into a corner. A lined and weary face looked up to her, with a grin so big it almost seemed a grimace.
"You're..alive...", Becky gasped. "But the Enclave.."
"I got away.....thanks to you.."
"Me?", she asked, coming closer to him. "What did I do..?"
"Nothing. You did absolutely nothing....except just to be here when I came back.. And that is what I want to thank you for."
She wiped away the blood that trickled down the side of his forehead with her apron. "What do you mean?"
"I just..... couldn't live with myself...if I didn't give you this...", the Chosen One said, taking something out from his pack. She gasped when she saw it, and held back a sob.
It was a magnificent glass phoenix, its beak open and raised to the heavens in a soundless cry, and its wings held gracefully upwards. The tip of one wing was broken off, an irony, a defeat in a thriumphant pose. He had gotten in in the Enclave base, it was given to him by the Doctor who released the FEV into the air to destroy the faction that would kill the world. It was a final memento, a reminder that sometimes, the right thing to do must mean that someone must die. And also, to live again with the burden of victory..
The Chosen One looked down and saw the broken piece that marred the beautiful sculpture. He gritted his teeth and snarled. He had gone through the Enclave, through miles of desert, through hordes of hostile creatures...only to have his offering be broken..?
He bit his lip, and shook in frustration...he clenched his strong fists, almost to the point of shattering the treasure he held in his hands.
He felt his head being lifted up, and saw her wondrous tear-stained face, once again smiling and radiant. "It's okay..", she whispered. "I love it.."
He blinked in confusion, and his eyes began to burn with unrestrained joy and relief.
His life had meant nothing to him..when he faced Frank Horrigan, even fear failed to touch his heart. Always, always..the image of one incredibly beautiful woman smiling filled his vision..
Before he left, to face the Enclave, he had sent someone to tell her..that he may not be back.. but that he would do his damndedest to try..for there was something he felt...
And now, it was that same smile, that same face, the same fire in her eyes.. Heaven could not be better than this. His wounds were many, his scars abounded..but all pain melted away in the light of her smile.
And even more so when he heard her next soft words.."And yes..you too..."
----------------------
Mom grinned as the two embraced each other.
"Isn't that..", Fred started to say.
"Yeah..yeeah...", replied Lara, and grabbed him by the collar. Fred protested weakly as he was dragged away.
Mom grinned widely. "Let's all head back for some Rat-pie.."
"Great!", yelled the group.
--------------
They knelt by the hard, grit-lined floor, and let the warmth of each other's prescence bring back sensibility into their lives. They had thought that they would never se each other again, and had reached inot their own personaly version of hell.
But now..
Finally, after a long and tender moment, they parted, and went to sit down more comfortably on a craps table. Becky looked down, an impish smile on her face, and smoothed away his matted hair. The Chosen One shut his eyes and let the silky sensation of her skin fill him.
Becky smiled again, a wistful one, as she saw him croon to her touch. She had never been a warrior, and had never felt the bite of war. But fear had gripped her heart, a feeling so crushing that it comsumed her. When she heard that the Enclave base was destroyed, and all that was in it, including him, she met first-hand the sting of despair.
And now, he was here..and she knew just what she had in her heart. It had taken a lot to convince her of what she refused to see, an emotion she had locked away long ago.
But never again, never again..she was holding on to this one with her life.
They looked into each other's tear-misted eyes, and let their gazes reveal the innermost secrets of their hearts. She leaned close, her motion slow and deliberate, and oh, so sensous!...and touched her lips with his. They kissed with fervor, born of a love taken against all odds..with the ferocity of spirits forever linked..
"You know..I really,really love you, Rebecca..", the Chosen One gasped
when she had let him go. He breathed in heavily, her musky scent in his nostrils.
She lightly fondled the outline of his jaw. "I love you too, you big cow. Don't you ever leave me again, okay?",
"Sure. Never. I promise. On the Vault Dweller's grave.", he replied, and crossed his proto-ceramic armoured chest.
"I guess that will have to do..", she replied, and kissed him again. He looped his arm around her and held her close, downwards...
And she took his gloved hand and placed it over her chest, over her beating heart, a vessel of purest crystal, overflowing with earnest love and happiness...
() /|
/ () / / \\
\/ \] / | / |
|_\ \ | /(/ / /
-\\| /-- \ // \ /
|// \ / [ ] __\
\ / \
[fade to black]
--------------------
The End.
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Okay, let's see what I tried to evoke.
love of money
love of self
love of others
lust
devotion
love of friends
real love
urrkle...gahh.....insulin!..must have....................................... insulin....`
*faints*
Epilouge:
"See...Mom knows these things..You should learn to trust her."
"Yeah...we know...", Lara waved. She looked around to see the rest of the Help Becky Now gathering fade off into the night..
She walked down the street back to her place, then turned suddenly back to the Diner. "Hey, Mom. One thing I never figured out...why do you always refer to yourself in the third person?"
"ah............."
It's the Real Ghostb-..I mean..The End...
http://uro.topcities.com/asda.gif
~cause anything less than total and utter overkill is a complete waste of time~
-it's the freakin' bluepencil!
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^
I had to rush making this.. so there is a good chance that it will be 100% crap. It's not very good, IMHO, and could have been better..and that's why I need your honest opinion and suggestions..
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The card reads:
dedicated to
Misa, by B-pen
Crystal, by SCUZ
Dina, by the lawful monkey
Crystal
by bluepencil
She stood there numbly, absently holding the tools of her trade in her hands. Now and then, her mouth would move in a soundless mutter, and she would close her eyes, as if to drive away a painful memory. Those who lived around her couldn't help but to feel duly concerned. Her behavious was unusual, to say the least. At best, it was an indication of the coming of Armageddon. For they had never seen her act so, as she was like the cheerful light of sanity in a world gone mad, their anchor to a purposeful existence.
"You okay, Becky?", said a child, pulling on her apron to get her attention.
"Oh!", she exclaimed, nearly dropping the drink she was mixing. She looked down and saw to rounded brown eyes, shimmering with innocence and honest concern.
"I'm all right...", she said with a wan smile, and playfully tousled the little boy's head. He didn't look too convinced, but somehow, he was mollified. He looked around the now strangly empty bar...a very rare sight, for Becky's Casino and Bar was the most popular place in the Den. For the last few days, however, it had been closed, and it was aparent on Becky's breath on who was consuming her wares.
Still, the boy sensed that she wanted to remain alone, and obliged, albeit unwillingly. He moved away, and out the door, casting her a last worried glance even as he did so.
Becky sighed wearily, and poured a shot into a whisky glass. She had never thought too, that she would be acting this was...but fact were facts. She was hurting. Bad.
----------------------
The door to Mom's Diner opened with a squeak, and all eyes within turned to the door. A man in polished metal armor looked to the boy and said, "Well?"
"She don't want to talk...she's really sad.", the little boy answered.
The man groaned and leaned back on his chair. "This is bad...", he said. "She's never been this down before."
"You mean she's NEVER been down before..", answered a woman, similarly garbed. And it was true, they had never since have seen her perpetual smile leave her face. Her cheerful demeanor, her polite words..they were as much a part of her as the nose on her face. She had always been so energetic, so full of life. Her kind laughter was irresistible, and had to be joined in by even the hardest of men.
But now...
"When is she gonna open the casino...", whined Fred, a grungy man in tattered clothes. "I feel lucky."
"Is that all you can think about?!", Lara snapped. She wore her tarnished metal armor with pride, though it was riddled with bullet bumps. She had the look of a warrior, a woman who had taken the worst the world could give and spat right back on it. And she was also Becky's closest female friend. Her nimble fingers moved to touch lightly the hilt of her Combat Knife.
Fred cringed.
"Hmm...", remarked a rather mousy man in faded orange clothes. "I think I may have found the root of the problem, just by observing Fred here.."
"Huh?", Lara replied. "What do you mean, Tubbi?", she asked the drug dealer.
"How profitable is her business?"
Lara looked over to the group of morose metal-armored group at the back of the Diner. They used to be part of her gang, but they had left with her enthusiastic prodding, into the job of being Becky's guards.
But they were more than just bodyguards, however. Rebecca was a whirlwind in her work, doing all things with a seemingly inexhaustible breeze that aroused in them intense feeling of guilt. They couldn't just stand around and let her do the work all by herself..so they pleaded for a job. Any job.
Becky welcomed their help, and soon, they were all partners in the runnning of the casino, with equal work, and equal shares in the profits. But they would have willingly worked for free, as long as it was for her.
"Not so good..", one replied. He had just checked the balances last week, he kept records of the casino, since he was the one that possed the most mathematical skill in the group. "More money is coming out than in. People in the casino are having a lucky streak."
"Ah..I am too, too sorry to have done my cast..", a voice piped up from behind.
All heads turned to Flick, the thin, greasy looking man who sat by a corner table. It was the last thing they expected to hear from the opportunist who used little children as means to making easy money.
Lara shrugged. "Rebbecca plays fair. If you won, thank the gods. If you lost..it's nobody's fault."
"True enough", retorted Tubbi. "But still, circumstances show that her business in on the brink of failure. If she was but a little bit more sensible, this wouldn't hapen. She is much too kind..and she lets things out of her own direct control. My busines, unlike here, faces no risk of collapse."
Everyone glared at him. He ignored them and went on. "My business runs not on uncalculated risks. I could buy things at a low price, and seel them for a high profit, at any price I dictate. if she would.."
"Now, look here, you..", interupted Lara.
"But she has no such failsafe measure. She is entire too kind, to honest for her own good. She lets her resources go low..by allowing outstanding debts to remain unpaid..."
Fred caught meaningful looks directed at him and flushed. He looked down guiltily.
"Much as I hate to admit it, Tubbi may be right. She may be depressed because she thinks she's getting nowhere..stuck between opportunities. I knew I felt that way often enough.."
"Huh?"
"She doesn't feel as if her work is worth it. People take advantage of her good nature."
"Ah."
Fred looked up, and turned to Tubbi,who looked half-asleep. "Uh..Tubbi.."
"Hm?", he said, cracking open his eyelids.
"Can I borrow a coupla hundred bucks?"
"What for..", he snorted. "It is a well-known fact that you NEVER pay your debts.."
"If I pay Becky back her money..maybe she'll feel that she can be a good businessthingie."
"Hm..."
"Oh, just give him the fucking money, Tubbi.",Lara spat.
"Thanks..Lara.."
"Don't thank me yet, Fred. If you don't pay us back..I WILL send someone to break your legs."
Fred paled, took the money from Tubbi's hand, and fled out the door.
Lara laughed.
"Would you really have broken his leg?"
"Nah. Lara likes him to be able to walk..but it was fun to see the look on his face."
They all laughed. "Yes, it was..wasn't it?"
-------------------
Rebecca groaned and held a hand to her aching temple. She stadied herself on a nearby table, and waited for the buzzing in her head to stop. She hid her face into her palms..and closed her bloodshot eyes.
She didn't even hear the door to her bar open, and someone step in. Fred wlked in and made his way through the messy floor and faced her across the table.
"Becky..?.." he asked tentatively.
She opened her hands and gave him a bleary look. "What do you want now, Fred?" Inwardly, she winced. She wouldn't have been this rough, this blunt under normal circumstances. But things were different now.
Fred drew back, hurt.
"I'm sorry, Fred...I dind't mean to snap at you like that..", she said soothingly. "Please..sit down and tell me what you need."
The tramp sat facing her and fidgeted nervously. "You doing okay, Becky?"
"Yeah. Why shouldn't I be?"
"Well..we thought ya might be having trouble with things.."
"No, nothing wrong with my bar, Fred, it just..."
"I just came o pay my debt."
She parted her hands and stared at Fred. unbelieving of what she had just heard. Fred? Paying his loans out of his own free will? It was unheard of of. Just like...
"Who did you borrow it from this time, Fred..?"
"Uh.."
"You need that money more than I do..you don't have to pay me back now..or ever at all, in fact. Your debt is forgiven..", she added with a light smile.
"Th-thanks, Becky.."
"It's okay...I'll open the casino tommorrow, so you don't have to worry about that."
She turned back to cradling her face in her hands. Fred couldn't take the sudden, uncomfortable silence, and left hurriedly. She didn't even notice.
---------------
"She's gonna open the casino tommorra...", he told the gathering. "I don't think she really needs money all that much."
Flick shrugged."Everbody need-a money. She just forget it, that's all."
"Shut up.", Lara snapped. "She has some money stashed away..I forgot about that.
"So if it's not money..", Mom said. "What could her problem be?"
"I don't know...and I'm going to find out...", Lara said, her face set into a serious mask. She got off the stool and stalked to the door.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to find out what her problem really is."
"Can I come?", asked Flick. "The women...they talk to Flick, they known he canna solve alla their problems...if they got the chips."
"You looking to get your hand on her money? I don't think so."
"No,no.. this time it's a free of charge."
Lara looked to Mom, who nodded.
"All right, then.."
-------------
"Becky?", Lara asked, and felt her way through the dark room. She opened up a falre, and lit the room in a yellow phosphorescent glow. She found the light switch and flicked it on...and white light flodded the Bar.
"Please, turn off the light..."
"Becky?"
She kicked aside empty bottles of booze and searched for the root of laboured breathing. She found her behind the counter, huddled into a ball, and shivering...
"<Damn.>", she swore silently. She never expected to see this kind of depresssion."Becky? Please...can we talk..?"
"Lara? Is that..No..sorry..I don't feel like it right now."
"Talking helps in a lotta ways, Beck-a. Get a load-a off your chest..", Flick piped up, his accent pitched and squirrely, the way she had always found funny.
It had the desired effect. She chuckled a bit, then her face fell once more.
"Becky? Don't keep secrets from us. We're you're friends. We're here to help you..."
"What she said..what she said.."
She looked up and saw that they were indeed sincere in their words. Yes, she had friedns, trued ones, willing to help her trough any all all og her problems. Involuntarily, a grateful smile crossed her lips.
Lara held her hand out, and she took it. She was helped up to her feet, and she stood there shakily, under their worried gazes. Then, without a word, she hugged Lara.
"Thanks, Lara.", she said. She then hugged Flick, who looked poleaxed instantly. "Thanks to all of you for caring..."
"Uhh...I'ts a all right.. that's a what friends are for, ah?"
"Yeah..that's what friends are for..and I'm lucky to have friends like you to help me out."
"Any time, Becky, any time...", Lara said with a smile. She hugged Becky back, hoping to squeeze all her bad vibes off..
"Can't..breathe.."she gasped.
Lara laughed again. "You okay now, Becky?"
"Yes..I'm fine...", she answered. "Look, I'm sorry to have to drive you away..but I need to clean up."
"We'll help. I'll call the rest of the.."
"No! I'm..fine. I'll do it on my own."
"You sure?", she asked her, and her right eyebrow came down in half-frown as she saw the pleading look in her eyes.
"So..you're saying that you need some time alone..away from us.."
"That's not..please, Lara.."
"Why not take a vacation? I know this..."
"No! I can't...I mean..I don't want to leave the Dyer house alone."
"We'll watch it for you.."
"The Dyer house must always have a Dyer to do its functions..", Becky answered with a somber tone."It's a matter of tradition.."
"Can't you just close it down for a while?"
"I can't.."
Lara groaned. "All right..if that's what you want.."
"It is.."
"You sure you're all right?"
"Yes. I'm fine. Really."
Lara sighed and placed a hand to her head, as if it had just sprouted a migraine. "Okay..I'll take your word for it. I'll leave you alone for now..but tomorrow, we help you clean up, we help you drum up business.."
"Thanks, Lara. I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Okay..", Lara saif inally, and turned away. Flick followed her, but he looked around as they left the door, and saw a glimpse of BEcky's face fading into melancholy again as she turned away..
She felt a little guilty about lying to her friends. She wasn't fine, not by a lone shot. Physically and finacially, she was set for life..but in her mind were incomprehensible images. Her heart seemed to slow down, as she thought about what she had heard over the radio.
Nothing else matters now...for she had naught to fear, the worst had come to pass. She sank back into a corner, and let loose the pent-up feelings in her heart. Salten tears fell down her cheeks, and she sobbed into her palms..
-----------------
"This can't keep on going...", said Lara, swirling around her cup of brahmin milk. "I mean, we tried everything...and she still won't ease up. Hell, if she'd just tell us her problem, then we could help."
"But she won't...that's the problem.", remarked Tubbi.
"I don't think it's such a good idea, leaving her alone in her bar like that.."
"Why,you fear she would kill herself?"
Lara's eyes widened."What?! We gotta.."
"It was joke..a joke it was all..", hastily said Flick.
"Yes, dearie.", added Mom."Settle down...Do you really think that she would be the type to do that?"
"No.", replied Lara, and went back to her seat. "But she doesn't seem the type to do what she's doing now, too. Shutting herself off from the world, and her friends.."
"Oh, my..now that I think about it..I know those symptoms. But it can't be.."
"What is it, Mom?"
"Well, if I didn't know better..I'd say she was mooning over a man."
Lara spat out her drink."Of course! Why didn't I think of that.."
"Because who would she like? There ain't a nobody good enough for her here..", Fred offered helpfully.
"Maybe she just needs to get laid.", said Tubbi with a smirk.
Lara glared at him.
"And here comes the guy to do just the job....", said a voice from behind her.
Everyone turned to the door, then groaned.
Joey the punk had been after Becky for years. He was handsome enough, and was passably fit, in spite of his taking of drugs. He had a certain boyish charm, true enough, and it was this that drew his gang members to him. But he had nil personalitadum, he thought he was God's gift to women, which was one of history's biggest turn-offs.
He strode into the room and grinned at everybody therein. "So my Becky needs comforting, eh? I'll go over an..*comfort* her now."
Lara stood up, grabbed a mug, and threw it at him. He ducked and went out the door, his laughter echoing in the still Diner.
"Damn."
"Don't worry. I think Becky still has more than enough sense not to go for him."
"I hope you're right. Or I'll kill him"
Lara sat back down and grabbed a mug of beer from Fred's hand. She guzzled the contents and spat. Mom looked on disapprovingly.
--------------
"You sure about this, Joey?", asked a female gang member.
Joey snorted and looked down at the gree-haired woman by his side. He knew she was jealous, but even she knew that she was no match for Becky, in terms of sheer beauty, brains, wealth..and in fact, in everything else. He didn't know why he kept her around in the first place. Maybe because she had offered and has given herself to him.. body and soul..and maybe, just maybe..really liked him.
"Of course I am...while she is so depressed, I'll step in, and and be as charming as I can be..."
"And get her off to bed."
"And get her off to bed...I'll make her forget her problems.", he added with a laugh.
She frowned and looked on as Joey went past her and into the street, laughing nasally.
Then, she heard him scream.
She rushed out, and saw Joey being held aloft by what seems to be a great metal monster. It had the form of a man, but it was *huge*, and had blazing orange eyes that glowed in the night. She fingered her 10 mm pistol, and knew that it would be worse than useless.
Stil...she aimed at the creature's head and fired. As expected, the bullet just bounced off the demonic head harmlessly. It turned to her, and she could almost hear a grinding mechanical noise, and with burning amber eyes, it glared at her.
She quivered, but held her chin up and lifted the barrel of her gun to point again at it. A low, gutteral sound came from deep withinin its throat.
"WheRRee iss BeckyzZ......", it growled.
She thought about running for it, but saw how Joey was held in a neckhold..and his face, wide with blind fear..and felt herself break.
"That way..."she pointed, and prayed that Becky would be safe.
The huge thing released Joey, and stomped off into town, its heavy foorsteps pounding on the asphalt ground. She ran to Joey, who sprawled along the street, shaking in fright. She helped him to his feet and half-dragged him back to the Diner.
----------------------
He had been searching for her..all through the times he had been close to dying..it was she that had sustained him...and he had gone to hell and back just for her. And now..she was close..so goddamn close...but his mucles were as heavy as iron..and his stregth was failing him. He staggered forward, never pausing, the way he had gone through the Wastes for the past few weeks. He has seen Death 's face...and she drove it away.. Just to see her, one last time..then, he could die..
Now..if she would just join him..
------------
The door to the Diner was kicked open, and all those inside jerked instantly to a ready stance, alert for threats. Joey tumbled in, wild-eyed and suported by his girl.
"Someone's after Becky!', he cried.
"What? Who?!", Lara asked him, and drew her weapon.
"I don't know...but it's big. Ugly. And looked as tough as hell.."
Lara nodded. That was enough information for her. Whatever it was, it seemed hostile. She motioned for her posse to follow, and went out of the Diner.
"I'm coming with you..", said Mom, drawing from under her cupboard a .223 rifle. No one questioned how she had gotten her hands on such kind of armament. After all, the Den was a good place to own a gun.
Still, having a gun and knowing how to use it..are two different matters entirely. "Stay here, Mom..", Fred warned. "This ain't goin to be a good fight. You could get hurt."
"So can you, Fred. And you don't even have a gun. Why are you going.?"
"Uh..."
"Mooommmm....", Lara groaned.
"Don't you use that tone of voive on me, young lady. Rebecca is a good friend of mine, and good friends always stick up for each other.'
Lara wanted to say something, but Flick cut her off.
"You shoulda know when it-a useless to try.."
She shrugged and moved on, hoping that they would get there it time.
----------------
They weren't.
Where the door to Becky's Bar & Casino used to be was a big, man-shaped hole. Lara sprinted to the door, her psitol ready, and drew back suddenly. Those beind her also halted, and gave her questioning looks. She held a finger to her lips and motioned for them to keep silent. She crept to a window and looked into, pointing to the others to do the same.
-------------------------
The metal creature ambled towards Becky, horrendously slow. Apparent on her face was a mixture of fear, tinged with...excitement? The thing came at last to be in front of her, and its legs gave out, and it kneeled in front of her, the floorboards cracking under the weight. With a faint *hissss*, the faceplate opened and fell to the floor, rolling into a corner. A lined and weary face looked up to her, with a grin so big it almost seemed a grimace.
"You're..alive...", Becky gasped. "But the Enclave.."
"I got away.....thanks to you.."
"Me?", she asked, coming closer to him. "What did I do..?"
"Nothing. You did absolutely nothing....except just to be here when I came back.. And that is what I want to thank you for."
She wiped away the blood that trickled down the side of his forehead with her apron. "What do you mean?"
"I just..... couldn't live with myself...if I didn't give you this...", the Chosen One said, taking something out from his pack. She gasped when she saw it, and held back a sob.
It was a magnificent glass phoenix, its beak open and raised to the heavens in a soundless cry, and its wings held gracefully upwards. The tip of one wing was broken off, an irony, a defeat in a thriumphant pose. He had gotten in in the Enclave base, it was given to him by the Doctor who released the FEV into the air to destroy the faction that would kill the world. It was a final memento, a reminder that sometimes, the right thing to do must mean that someone must die. And also, to live again with the burden of victory..
The Chosen One looked down and saw the broken piece that marred the beautiful sculpture. He gritted his teeth and snarled. He had gone through the Enclave, through miles of desert, through hordes of hostile creatures...only to have his offering be broken..?
He bit his lip, and shook in frustration...he clenched his strong fists, almost to the point of shattering the treasure he held in his hands.
He felt his head being lifted up, and saw her wondrous tear-stained face, once again smiling and radiant. "It's okay..", she whispered. "I love it.."
He blinked in confusion, and his eyes began to burn with unrestrained joy and relief.
His life had meant nothing to him..when he faced Frank Horrigan, even fear failed to touch his heart. Always, always..the image of one incredibly beautiful woman smiling filled his vision..
Before he left, to face the Enclave, he had sent someone to tell her..that he may not be back.. but that he would do his damndedest to try..for there was something he felt...
And now, it was that same smile, that same face, the same fire in her eyes.. Heaven could not be better than this. His wounds were many, his scars abounded..but all pain melted away in the light of her smile.
And even more so when he heard her next soft words.."And yes..you too..."
----------------------
Mom grinned as the two embraced each other.
"Isn't that..", Fred started to say.
"Yeah..yeeah...", replied Lara, and grabbed him by the collar. Fred protested weakly as he was dragged away.
Mom grinned widely. "Let's all head back for some Rat-pie.."
"Great!", yelled the group.
--------------
They knelt by the hard, grit-lined floor, and let the warmth of each other's prescence bring back sensibility into their lives. They had thought that they would never se each other again, and had reached inot their own personaly version of hell.
But now..
Finally, after a long and tender moment, they parted, and went to sit down more comfortably on a craps table. Becky looked down, an impish smile on her face, and smoothed away his matted hair. The Chosen One shut his eyes and let the silky sensation of her skin fill him.
Becky smiled again, a wistful one, as she saw him croon to her touch. She had never been a warrior, and had never felt the bite of war. But fear had gripped her heart, a feeling so crushing that it comsumed her. When she heard that the Enclave base was destroyed, and all that was in it, including him, she met first-hand the sting of despair.
And now, he was here..and she knew just what she had in her heart. It had taken a lot to convince her of what she refused to see, an emotion she had locked away long ago.
But never again, never again..she was holding on to this one with her life.
They looked into each other's tear-misted eyes, and let their gazes reveal the innermost secrets of their hearts. She leaned close, her motion slow and deliberate, and oh, so sensous!...and touched her lips with his. They kissed with fervor, born of a love taken against all odds..with the ferocity of spirits forever linked..
"You know..I really,really love you, Rebecca..", the Chosen One gasped
when she had let him go. He breathed in heavily, her musky scent in his nostrils.
She lightly fondled the outline of his jaw. "I love you too, you big cow. Don't you ever leave me again, okay?",
"Sure. Never. I promise. On the Vault Dweller's grave.", he replied, and crossed his proto-ceramic armoured chest.
"I guess that will have to do..", she replied, and kissed him again. He looped his arm around her and held her close, downwards...
And she took his gloved hand and placed it over her chest, over her beating heart, a vessel of purest crystal, overflowing with earnest love and happiness...
() /|
/ () / / \\
\/ \] / | / |
|_\ \ | /(/ / /
-\\| /-- \ // \ /
|// \ / [ ] __\
\ / \
[fade to black]
--------------------
The End.
--------------------------------------------------------
Okay, let's see what I tried to evoke.
love of money
love of self
love of others
lust
devotion
love of friends
real love
urrkle...gahh.....insulin!..must have....................................... insulin....`
*faints*
Epilouge:
"See...Mom knows these things..You should learn to trust her."
"Yeah...we know...", Lara waved. She looked around to see the rest of the Help Becky Now gathering fade off into the night..
She walked down the street back to her place, then turned suddenly back to the Diner. "Hey, Mom. One thing I never figured out...why do you always refer to yourself in the third person?"
"ah............."
It's the Real Ghostb-..I mean..The End...
http://uro.topcities.com/asda.gif
~cause anything less than total and utter overkill is a complete waste of time~
-it's the freakin' bluepencil!
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