Chapter Text
War. War never changes.
This was a message passed own from the elders of our clan from generation to generation. A warning of the danger humanity posed to itself, and a reminder of what it cost us in ages past. An important lesson for us to take to heart.
I couldn’t have cared less.
And who could blame me! I was young and wild, barely past my sixth year. My days were carefree and spent playing games with the other children. After all, responsibilities were for the adults, and what would a child know of war? Leave the learning and duties to the older children, let us enjoy our childhood!
But none of that mattered after the day the Legion came for us. The day I learned what kind of cruelty the world was capable of, and the day I lost everything. But this story isn’t about that. There will be plenty of time to go over that later. No, this story is about how I came to be in a world of heroes and villains, and a story about an unlikely pair of siblings brought together by fate.
My name is Dustin Cross, and this is the story of how my sister and I became the world’s greatest heroes.
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Footsteps echoed loudly through the dark, lonely halls of the Lucky 38 casino. The casino that had been closed off to the world for hundreds of years had suddenly found itself bustling with activity following the battle of Hoover Dam, and yet there always seemed to be a sense of sadness inside. The feeling of loneliness weighed heavily on the figure walking through its halls, and he stood a moment to gather his thoughts.
Young and serious, the young man stood at an impressive height over six feet tall, and his broad shoulders added to the imposing figure he cut. His face was tanned and handsome beyond what most in the wastes had ever seen, but seemed almost inhuman, as if he had been purposefully sculpted to be perfect. Faint scars covered his otherwise perfect face, most notably the jagged scar covering his right eye. His right arm, while appearing flesh and blood, had long since been replaced by a cybernetic one after he had lost it in a gruesome battle. But what stood out about him the most were his bright red eyes and pure white hair, adding to his unnatural appearance. He was known throughout the wastes by a number of names, but most knew him by the title of the job he once carried, Courier Six. Only the people closest to him knew him by his real name, Dustin Cross, and it was a group of these individuals who waited behind the door Dustin stood in front of.
Drawing his breath, Dustin pushed his way into the room. Tacky red carpet covered the floor, and a huge window replaced the wall in the back. Taking up most of the space was a large, round table, and crowding around it were a number of local leaders and members of the newly established Mojave Alliance. Chatter died down quickly as his friends and advisors turned to watch him as he moved towards his seat at the head of the table. Throwing himself into the arms of a huge red chair, he quickly swiveled to face the others.
“Before we begin, are there any pressing matters that need to be brought to the floor?” Dustin asked wearily, looking around the room.
A loud, unruly voice was the first to respond.
“Yeah, I’ve got something, what kind of idiot has me rolled out of bed at five in the morning for a meeting? You’re lucky your errand boy didn’t get a bullet in his pecker for that!”
“Cut the crap Cass, I’m sure Dustin’s got his reasons.” Came the low voice of a tall, tired looking man wearing a beret.
“Reason or not, Boone, he’s lookin for an ass whoopin if he tries this shit on me again! He’s lucky I even showed up!”
Turning his chair in her direction, Dustin looked Cass over, whose bloodshot eyes indicated she had been celebrating again the night before.
“Cass, I promise I wouldn’t have asked you all here if it wasn’t important, so please give me just a few minutes of your time.” Dustin pleaded.
“…fine, but it better be good or you’re gonna have to figure out how to pull a boot from your ass.” She growled, sinking back into the soft cushions of her chair, fishing a half empty bottle of booze out of the pack at her waist.
Clearing his throat, Dustin stood from his seat.
“We have received a report from Big Mountain. Their lead scientist has assured me that this matter is of the utmost concern for us.”
The others shifted in their seats uneasily at the mention of the facility. If the crazy scientists there were worried, things must have truly gone bad.
“While performing a normal energy scan of the area surrounding the Mojave, they detected an enormous surge of energy coming from just beyond our borders. In what was once Legion territory. They can’t say for certain what is causing it, but they know it’s dangerous. If we don’t find out what this is, it could have catastrophic consequences for us all.”
Confused and concerned murmurs came from around the room. Finally, a young woman dressed in plain brown robes stood up.
“All right, you’ve got our attention, but what does any of this mean? And what does it have to do with any of us? Couldn’t we just send a team out to figure out what it is?”
“If only it were so easy, Veronica. We can’t afford to start another war, especially not now. We have to know what’s happening, and if the Legion is somehow involved. One of us needs to go and find it, silently.” He paused. “For that reason, I’m stepping down from command of the Mojave.”
The sentence had barely left his mouth before Dustin was bombarded with shouts and cries from the whole room.
“What do you mean step down-“
“You can’t just leave when we’re right in the middle of negotiations-“
“How could you be so stup-“
Their voices rose in pitch until finally the whole room was shouting. Unable to make sense of what was being said, Dustin finally slammed his fist on the table.
“Enough!!!” Dustin roared, his head already pounding from his late night of planning. “Enough, please! I will answer your questions, but one at a time!”
Slowly, Veronica sat back down. She sat silently before looking up into Dustin’s eyes.
“I think the biggest question we all must have is this, why are you stepping down? Wasn’t this alliance all your idea?”
Chuckling humorlessly, Dustin shook his head.
“None of this was for me, you should have known that by now. I was never going to stay here for long. Ruling a nation, no matter how small, was never in the plan. The NCR wouldn’t take me seriously anyway. The ruler of a city state at 17? Do you really think they’d respect our claim if I was in charge? The senators would be practically drooling at the thought of such easy pickings, even after the shitshow they’ve been through here. They’d be back within a week with another army at their backs if they sensed any kind of weakness.”
Turning away from the group, Dustin walked over to the window looking out over New Vegas.
“Despite what the NCR thinks, I didn’t want any of this. Power doesn’t mean shit to me, and it’s not like I have a future here anyway.” His voice flat. Facing back to the group, he continued. “All that matters now is that you all and the people of this nation are safe, from the Legion and the NCR. That’s why we built the alliance, and why I instructed Yes Man to follow the command of this council. From now on, it’s up to you all to make decisions. And to make sure we don’t make the same mistakes the NCR did, we’ll have to set up some new rules. First, to prevent any conflicts between communities and the central government, each year an arbiter will be selected by Yes Man to settle disputes. Second, each community will have a leader that’s chosen by the citizens. Each community will be allowed one vote, no matter the population size. Each community will make their own laws as they see fit, as long as they do not violate the laws we have already established as part of our central doctrine. And finally, I have a proposal for each of you.”
The room remained quiet, the implications of the last few minutes leaving the members speechless. The silence was unsettling, and Dustin’s calm demeanor confused them. He’d always been hard to read at the best of times, but now it was impossible to determine his thoughts. Taking their silence for acceptance, Dustin continued.
“First of all, Boone, I would like you to take command of the military and militia for each town under the Alliance. The securitrons will remain under control of Yes Man, but you need more than just an army of robots to protect this nation. I can’t think of someone I trust more than you for this position.”
Though taken aback, Boone quickly composed himself, keeping his face cold and expressionless.
“If that’s what you want, I’ll do what I can to keep this place safe. For Carla.”
Nodding his acceptance, Dustin moved on to his next companion.
”Veronica, I would like you to be in charge of a special operations group. Now that we’ve brought the Brotherhood of Steel into the fold, we need a team to go out and search for old world tech. If this alliance is going to survive, you’ll need everything you can find. I figured members of the Brotherhood would be best at that, but you’re the only one of them I can trust completely to make sure it will be put to use for the greater good.”
Almost squealing in delight, Veronica jumped out of her seat. For the first time in years, she felt like her dream to make the Brotherhood change their ways finally had a chance. “I won’t let you down!”
Dustin continued on to the bored looking man seated next to her.
“Arcade, you’re one of the smartest people I’ve ever met, so I believe you would be perfect as the head of technological research and development.”
Arcade sat in silence for a moment. Finally, he reached up to adjust his glasses. His face remained bored and compliant, but his voice betrayed his anger.
“You know this is crazy right? After everything that’s happened, how are we all supposed to just go along with this?? How can you just trust us with all of this responsibility and information at once and then leave our lives forever?!? Are we worth so little to you?”
Sighing, Dustin slowly lowered himself back into his chair.
“Arcade, I can’t be the leader you want.” He stated bluntly. “I’ve tried to be a better person, but the only thing I’m good at is killing. The people need more than I can ever give them.”
Arcade sat back in surprise. He opened his mouth to shout back his argument, preparing himself mentally for a long moral debate, but he was cut off by his friend.
“I am personally responsible for the death of thousands of people, Arcade. Men, women, children have all died by my hand, both on purpose and on accident. The leader of a brand new nation cannot be one who has his hands stained in the blood of so many people. It wouldn’t be right.”
Arcade quietly closed his mouth, the words sinking into his brain. Wordlessly he nodded his head, silently agreeing to his friend’s request.
“We would have followed you to the end, you know that right?” He asked quietly.
“I know, and that’s why I have to leave. You all have a future here, but I never will.” He replied sadly.
As Dustin composed himself, Cass perked her head up, the excitement of the meeting drowning out most of the headache she had from her hangover. Dustin raised his eyebrow, looking her over with a critical eye. The fiery redhead was sloppy, and she was famous for a nasty temper and a tendency to drink herself to near death. Despite that, he knew she had a knack for trade, was immensely loyal to anyone she cared for, and, though he hated to admit it, she had made his miserable life more fun than he’d ever imagined. Despite some of his concerns about her character, he knew she would be the best person for the job.
“Cass, I’d like you to be in charge of trade for the Alliance. Caravans, money management, you name it. You have more experience than anyone here and I know you’ll do great.”
For the first time in a long time, Cass found herself unable to say anything. After a moment of silence she finally let out a joyful whoop.
“Well it’s about damn time someone recognized my skills! You bet your sweet ass I’ll take the job, Cassidy Caravans is back in business baby!” As she spoke she ran over and wrapped her arm around Dustin’s shoulder nearly dragging him out of his chair. After finally escaping the death grip Cass had on him, he turned to his last two companions, gasping for air.
“Raul, Lily, I’m sorry but I don’t have anything for you two besides my thanks. Raul, I know that nothing can hold you back from becoming a hero to the wastes, show them what an old fart like you can do. And Lily, thank you for the support you’ve given me in these last few months. It’s meant more than you can imagine.”
Rolling his eyes, the old ghoul leaned back in his chair. “I dunno boss, maybe I’ll go start up a retirement home, go put myself away so these young folks won’t get upset that an old man shows them up!”
Chuckling quietly, Dustin turned to leave. Before he reached the door, he suddenly found himself in the crushing embrace of the massive Nightkin Lily.
“Oh grandmas gonna miss her little pumpkin! You have to promise to write to me every day now, okay dearie? Or Leo’s gonna be upset with you!”
‘It’s a good thing I kept that fake spine Big Mountain gave me.’ Dustin thought to himself as he felt her arms tighten. Quickly promising the weeping giant he would write as much as he could, he took one last look around the room. Though he had a final sinking feeling in his stomach that this would be the last time he’d see any of them, he finally forced himself to turn away. After all, it was better for all of them if he wasn’t a part of their lives any longer. It would be less painful for them in the end.
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There was no greater feeling in Dustin’s opinion than being out on the open road again. The freedom, the energy that rushed through him was like a drug. The happy beep that came from his shoulder indicated his final companion agreed. ED-E, the ever loyal little eyebot, was happily beeping a tune as he flew and danced around the air.
Sighing at his companions antics, Dustin took a quick glance at his surroundings. Even though the Mojave was significantly safer now that they’d cleared out most of the raider camps, small pockets of the New Vegas ruins still hid their remnants. Pulling up his Pip-boy, he readied a few weapons for himself.
He was immensely proud of the device on his wrist. What had once been little more than a fancy wrist watch had been upgraded by Dustin significantly. By taking apart a few of the vending machines in the Sierra Madre casino, he’d found an amazing way to quickly get access to his weapons. Using the machines core and a high powered fusion battery, he could digitalize and summon any of the items in the inventory of his Pip-boy at the click of a button. Even better, by linking the system to his cybernetic arm, he could summon his favorite weapons mid battle to confuse his enemies. A flick of his wrist and a power fist would suddenly digitalize into a sub-machine gun. The advantage he gained from his unpredictability had saved his life many times over, and it allowed him to react quicker in case of an ambush. Such as the one he had just walked himself into.
Breaking him out of his thoughts, a fiend jumped out of a ruined building to his left, screaming a war cry as he leveled his plasma rifle at his chest. Cursing at himself, Dustin summoned his favorite sidearm. In a bright flash of blue light, a spear suddenly appeared in his hand, throwing off the fiends aim allowing Dustin to dodge. Charging the distracted raider with near super human speed, Dustin quickly closed the space, swinging the spear in a deadly arc. Desperately the fiend raised the rifle to deflect it, hoping it could buy him an extra second. The spear however, had been forged in Big Mountain out of a mix of some of the most powerful metals on the planet. It was near indestructible and the saturnite alloy in the diamond shaped head ensured that the spear was razor sharp. A good swing could cut a steel door in half. The fiend didn’t stand a chance.
Quickly turning away from the now headless body, Dustin spotted two more fiends charging him. As one leveled a laser RCW at him, an energy blast suddenly caved the side of her face in. A small beep from behind him was all Dustin needed to know. As he charged the last fiend who was desperately trying to unjam the cowboy repeater the held, ED-E laid down a barrage of covering fire forcing the fiend to jump around to avoid getting hit. Looking down for a moment to clear out the jam, the fiend gave a triumphant shout as he brought the gun to level with his shoulder. As he looked back up, a sharp pain starting at his shoulder suddenly hit him, and his world went dark.
As the fiends upper torso slumped and fell off of his lower half, Dustin heard a voice shouting at him. One final fiend had emerged from the shadows, standing at nearly six and a half feet tall. The giant man’s eyes were wild, and a wide grin was plastered on his face. A rush of adrenaline flew through Dustin and he raised his spear in challenge, a dark smile slowly spreading on his face. Grinning even more crazily, the fiend reached back to grab his weapon. He slowly drew back his hand to ready himself, before brandishing his weapon proudly. As
Dustin readied himself he realized that in the enormous raiders hands was…a pool cue. Silence greeted the fiend as he sprinted from the ruins at the lone figure, shouting and gibbering incoherently.
Disgust was all Dustin could feel as he pulled out his favorite revolver, Lucky, and aimed at the raider, putting a single bullet straight into his brain. Feeling like he’d been somehow cheated, Dustin stomped away, muttering curses to himself as ED-E quietly followed behind him.
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Though he’d become accustomed to the layout of the desert surrounding New Vegas, the trip to the edge of the border still took the better part of a week. Food and water would quickly become a problem out here, and Dustin knew that if he was to survive, he would need to conserve them both. Reaching out to touch his robot companion, he took one last look back at the place that had been his home for nearly a year, his thoughts turning melancholy.
“Why do I keep getting this feeling I won’t be coming back, my friend?” He asked sadly.
A series of beeps and chirps answered him.
“You get those filthy words out of your mouth Eddie, you know there no such thing as fate. I should wash your circuit board out with soap!” He snarked at the little robot, lightly pushing him away.
Another series of beeps came from ED-E.
“Okay I’m really going to wash your circuit board out with soap now. Where’d you even learn those words?”
One beep responded.
“Cassidy? Why am I not surprised?” Shaking his head, Dustin took one final look at the city in the distance. “I guess we might as well get going buddy. No use wasting any more time with sentiment.”
As he and ED-E trudged on, the sun slowly started to set on the Mojave, casting their shadows as they quietly trekked through the dust and sand of the desert.
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It took another week of hard traveling before Dustin got the alert on his Pip-boy that they were close. The open, empty terrain had slowly been replaced by towering boulders and crumbling cliff walls, perfect for an ambush. This area was deserted, but it was still owned by the Legion, and Dustin had enough experience with them already to be willing to take any chances. Quietly crouching down, he slowly walked along the cliff wall, keeping low and out of sight, ED-E close behind. No sound could be heard except the occasional rock falling from the cliffs around him. After what felt like hours of crouching, an opening in the cliff walls came into view. Creeping up the small incline Dustin peeked his head over the top, looking down into the clearing below. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw.
The clearing was small, not much wider than thirty feet across. Two other entrances sat opposite him, and the high walls of the caverns were stained red. What caught Dustin’s eyes the quickest though, was a massive blue ball of energy, hovering in the air just above the ground in the dead center of the clearing. A small hum of noise filled the area, and he could almost taste the iron in the air. There seemed to be something strange about the ball, as if it were alive, calling to him, and Dustin found himself stepping towards it without thinking. As he stepped closer, he noticed strange rocks that grew larger the closer to the ball they were. The ones at the edge next to where he stood were barely at his ankles, but the ones closest to the ball were nearly as tall as he was. Stepping slowly around the rocks, he inched his way closer to the ball, and whispers in a strange language seemed to come from it, growing louder as he approached.
A small worried beep came from behind him and Dustin could feel ED-E’s form shaking just behind his head. Turning his head to give the robot some support, Dustin felt his foot catch on one of the rocks and he suddenly found himself falling. Quickly twisting his body to land on his shoulder, Dustin gave a small grunt of pain as he felt it connect with one of the sharp rocks on the ground. Grumbling as he pulled himself up, he looked back at what he fell over. His blood turned to ice.
It was a hand.
The rock he had tripped over was distinctly shaped like a hand reaching out towards the blue light. Looking around, he finally took in his surroundings, understanding why ED-E had been so nervous. Every single rock in the clearing was disturbingly human. The rocks at the edge of the clearing all looked like hands, reaching out to the center of the clearing. As they got closer, they were replaced by bodies, clawing their way out of the dirt, until finally full sized people were at the center. The faces of the rocks were not detailed, but the muddy expressions in the rock were a mix of horror and adoration. A sudden emotion he hadn’t felt in years started to well up in his body, and Dustin felt his heart start to race. Panic was a feeling he hated and he tried to crush it down before his body finally took over.
Scrambling backwards Dustin ran towards the entrance, but before his eyes, the walls slid shut. His breath now coming in short gasps, he spun around hoping to find the other entrances, but they too were sliding shut. Trapped in the clearing, Dustin felt his heart hammering in his chest as he finally collapsed against the wall. Fighting the panic taking over his body, sweat pouring down his face, he forced his legs to stand up.
‘Never again.’ he thought to himself. ‘I won’t be weak ever again.’ Even if there was no one to see him, he would never let anyone call him weak again, much less his own body.
Suddenly, the whispers started again. As the voices grew louder, his body started to slowly calm down. Against his own will, he crept closer to the center, and he felt a strange peace flow over him. Closer and closer he got, reaching his right arm out towards the light. He could hear ED-E faintly calling out to him, beeping and whirring in fear, but the voices seemed to keep all of his attention. Mere steps away from the ball, he finally stopped. The whispers seemed to be shouts now, and he couldn’t hear anything else, even with ED-E flying around his head like a bloatfly. Finally, on an impulse, he thrust his hand towards the light. A lance of immense pain immediately raced down his arm, and he had one final thought before blacking out. One final regret before his life would be over.
Sarah.