Where was I? Right. The fucking bunker. The entrance was filled with writing on the walls about "Sierra Madre" and, more importantly, a beheaded corpse. I searched it and he had two jars that were labeled as "Cloud Residue". What.
Then it got weird. Er. WeirdER. There was a hallway and in the other end of it a light shining on to something. I approached to see what it was. I couldn't make it out. I was gased. Passed out.
I woke up in a place... Dark. It was dark, haunted. A huge building was on the background. I was by a fountain and on it there was some kind of... Intercom? On it there was an old man's face and started talking to me. Basically telling me to shut up and listen, at first. Said that if I defied him the collar on my neck would go off and blow my head. Of course, only by then I realised I had a collar around my neck. I asked him how I got there and he chuckled and said that I walked right into his traps in the Mojave. So I knew we weren't in the Mojave. He persisted on telling me that if I disobeyed him the collar would go off. So I asked why I was there. He wanted to get inside the big building on the background - Sierra Madre Casino - and perform a heist. Said I needed a team. The guy was sick. Told me the team was around the Villa - the small town I was in - and had collars, like me. He called them not by their names, but by the number of their collars. Also told me that if one of us died, we'd all die. Shit, this was begining to sound like a sick game. I told him I'd go. Like I had a choice.
First I was going to find "Collar 8". Of course, I didn't want to call them that, but I didn't have any information. Only when I started walking I noticed I was wearing a jumpsuit and had a rifle that I had never seen before. Energy weapon, I guessed. I didn't like those. I thought about my gear. I had many memories in my weapons and vests, they better not be gone. I took like two steps and then saw a weird guy far away who didn't seem to know how to walk. I didn't know anyone, so I hid. Didn't see the guy after that, though.
I found a weapon suited for me. It was a broomstick with some knives at its end and it was carved into a skeleton near a fountain. After that I saw another one of those guys. I had no way around this one. I snuck behind him and cut his head off.
Then I got to the police station. There was a Super Mutant hugging his legs inside a cell. For some reason I couldn't get near some places or the collar would start beeping. The old bastard told me something about not being able to intercept the signals, but didn't tell me nothing else about, so I was in the dark. All I knew was that a wrong move and I'd be dead. Found me some sunglasses on one of the police desks, though. More importantly, found a police armor. Better than the jumpsuit. On one of the bathrooms I found a suitcase with a lot of supplies. I figured out that the ham radios caused the collar to beep faster and faster. I realised that just in time to shut one off, before the collar blew my head away. I got to the kitchen and there was a glowing knife. Never saw one. Each time the collar beeped I had to rush around and look for a ham radio. The third one was under a table. Bastards, why would you put a radio under a table?! I wanted to make sure all the police station's radios were off before releasing the Mutant, who also had a collar. Besides, I was pretty sure the cell would be locked.
I went in the basement to find the key. I was reached again on the collars communicator, telling me the one the cage I was now below was named Dog and he was locked up because he "desobeyed". When I got to the end of the basement I found the key, a holodisk. The old man talked to me again. Told me to bring the key to Dog and it would let the old man talk to him. And after I freed Dog, he and I would talk. Mom, dad... This is scary. Honest.
I went upstairs and played the tape for Dog. He had his name carved on his chest, but still I asked him if he was indeed "Dog". He told me that the carving was a reminder "for the mirrors and for Dog". Then he deflected the question by wanting to know why I freed him. But I wanted to know him. I told him I knew that in Super Mutants, Stealth Boy usage could provoke brain damage. I told him this because he seemed to be someone else, but at the sime time, Dog. Like Lily and Leo. He told me that Dog has tried many times to get rid of him - at the time I didn't know his name yet - but cutting himself, inflicting pain on himself. And that was why "Dog" was written on his chest. For Dog to remind himself who he was. Dog seemed to be the beast, while this personality I was talking to was the smart one. I asked him if he knew who the old man was.
Elijah...
Father Elijah, Veronica's mentor... Oh God...
The Mutant told me that Dog called Elijah "Master". So I guessed that for some moments this Mutant would be friend and for others enemy? I didn't really know. Finally I told him that I was there because I needed to find people with collars. But he didn't have his. He told me Dog had eaten it... Jesus Christ. He told me all kinds of things, but the most important was that he locked himself in, to protect Dog and hif the key on his neck, without Dog knowing. And the only way he'd unlock himself was if I brought Elijah to him. Shit, I didn't have time for games. I wanted to do what I was told and leave as soon as possible. So I threaten him, told him that I would tell Dog where the key was. He told me that he'd (Dog) kill me once he got out. Even though I'm pretty sure I can take on a Super Mutes, I told the Mutant I had a recording of Elijah that Dog would obey, if things got ugly. There the Mutant freaked out. He told that if I did that he'd escape and murder me, crush me. Damn. I asked him to follow me, willingly. If he did that, I wouldn't call out Dog and use the recording. Needless to say, he didn't like me by then.
I found out his name was God. Hum. Dog, God. God, Dog. Cool, heh! I asked more questions. I already told you about awkwardness and Super Mutants, right? He told me that Dog would come out everytime he'd hear Elijah talk and, if I didn't want Dog around, I simply had to play God's audio log that told him to go back in the cage. Neat. And finally I left the police station. And off to find Collar 14.
We walked around the Villa and went through some doors that God said to be the Residential District. Once we got through the doors Elijah warned me to look out for traps. Explosives.
I HAD NEVER SEEN SO MANY TRAPS TOGETHER IN MY WHOLE LIFE! MY BACK WAS KILLING ME! Also, there's this weird, red cloud. I mean, it's all over Sierra Madre and the Villa, but in some places it's more dense and it makes me sick, like I'm going to throw up my insides. And I probably will, if I hang around those for much longer.
At last, I got to the next Collar - person. It was a ghoul, Dean Domino was his name. Once he saw me told me to have a seat, rest my feet. Motherfucker. The sit was rigged to blow, so any sudden moves, any "no-polite" answers, he'd blow my ass. Damn it, what is wrong with all these people?! He told me that he didn't like being ordered around, so he'd do the ordering on whatever we were up to. He didn't know that if he killed me, he'd kill everyone wearing a collar. And just like that, he called me partner. I told him to go meet me in the Fountain. He wasn't happy on going alone, but didn't complain much either, so I figured he wan't much of a team player and let him go.
Mommy, daddy, I'm going to rest for an hour or two now. Can't risk much longer since Elijah might find it fun to kill us all. Wish me luck when I get back on track with this... "Mission".
Love you,
Bill
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