With Rose of Sharon Cassidy officially joining Six's crew, the dynamic inside the War Bus took on a new flavor—more whiskey, more sarcasm, and a whole lot more complaining about the NCR.
Cassidy sat in one of the seats, flask in hand, eyeing everyone with her usual mix of amusement and skepticism.
"So let me get this straight..."
She said, taking a swig.
"We've got a cowboy gunslinger, a battle-hardened sniper, a smartass Mexican ghoul, a couple of robots, a lunatic Pirate with a sword, and a cyberpunk shortstack chick who somehow keeps up with all this madness. And now me. What the hell kind of outfit is this?"
Rebecca, kicking back with her feet up on the dashboard, smirked.
"A winning one."
Six just grinned as he drove, scanning the road ahead.
"Welcome to the crew, Cass. Hope that you got bored working for my mom, and you're ready for some real adventures."
Cassidy chuckled.
"Long as I don't have to do paperwork, and I get to shoot something and drink after, I'm good."
-Minutes later-
"Stop!"
With a shout Six made Raul tap the brakes, bringing the War Bus to a slow crawl as the sound of distant gunfire echoed through the frozen wasteland. The sharp cracks of rifle fire and the heavier thuds of automatic weapons rang out from somewhere near REPCONN Headquarters.
"That ain't just some stray shootout."
Boone muttered, already shifting his rifle to a ready position.
"Sounds like a full-blown firefight."
Cassidy leaned forward, peering through the frosted windshield.
"Could be raiders, could be NCR or Legion. Either way, someone's having a really bad day."
Rebecca cracked her knuckles, a grin spreading across her face.
"And maybe we can make it worse for the right people."
Six drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, weighing their options. They had a destination—Cassidy's old caravan wreckage—but ignoring a battle this close wasn't his style. Plus, if the NCR was involved, it might be worth checking out.
Raul sighed from the back.
"I already know where this is going. Just once, I'd like to not get shot at on the way somewhere."
As they rolled closer, the sounds of the battle grew louder. Soon enough, they spotted the source—a cluster of ruined buildings turned makeshift fortress, with raiders perched on rooftops, unloading bullets at a group of NCR soldiers hunkered down behind sandbags in the street below.
One of the NCR troops saw the War Bus approaching and waved desperately. They were pinned down, outgunned, and running low on options.
Six glanced at Rebecca, then at Boone, then at the rest of the crew.
"What do you think? Worth our time?"
Boone didn't even hesitate.
"If it's raiders, they die."
Cassidy shrugged.
"Fine by me. Besides, NCR might owe us one after this."
Rebecca was already grinning as she checked her weapons.
"Let's wreck 'em."
Six smirked and pressed down on the accelerator.
"Alright then. Let's go ruin someone's day."
Raul pulled the War Bus to a stop just behind the NCR's defensive position, kicking up a cloud of snow and dust as he did.
The sound of gunfire rattled through the air, punctuated by the occasional explosion from frag grenades. The soldiers were pinned down, and it was clear they wouldn't last much longer without intervention.
Boone was already out of the vehicle, armored up, Varis rifle ready, and Factsphere Sensors scanning the raiders' positions.
"Snipers on the rooftop. At least three of them. Rest are spread across the upper floors, taking potshots at the troopers."
Roger leaned against the War Bus, adjusting his hat.
"Gotta hand it to the NCR, they sure do have a knack for getting themselves into deep shit."
Raul smirked.
"Yeah, and we got a knack for pulling them out of it."
Six considered his options. Charging in headfirst wasn't exactly his style—at least, not when there were easier ways to deal with the problem. He looked back at Rebecca, who had already climbed up onto the War Bus and was settling into one of the mounted turrets.
"Think you can clear some of 'em out before we move in?"
He asked.
Rebecca grinned as she grabbed the controls.
"Oh, I know I can."
The moment she opened fire, the battlefield shifted. The heavy-caliber 25mm rounds from the War Bus' turret tore through the raiders' makeshift defenses, sending debris flying as bullets punched through walls and windows. The snipers on the roof barely had time to react before Rebecca cut them down, their bodies toppling off the edge.
Seeing their chance, Boone and Six rushed forward, using the distraction to get into position. Boone moved like a ghost with his landspinners, dropping two raiders with precise headshots while Six stormed the lower floor, his Desert Eagles blasting through whatever poor bastard got in his way.
Cassidy followed close behind, her shotgun picking off anyone who tried to run. Raul provided covering fire, and Roger—grinning like a lunatic—sprinted ahead with his sword, eager to get up close and personal.
It didn't take long before the Raiders started breaking. A few tried to flee, but ED-E and Rex weren't about to let them go. The cybernetic companions chased down the stragglers, leaving no survivors.
By the time the dust settled, the NCR troopers were standing up, cautiously stepping out from their cover. One of them, a corporal by the looks of him, removed his helmet and approached Six.
"Hell of a fight."
The corporal said, glancing at the bodies.
"We'd have been screwed if you hadn't shown up. Name's Corporal Dwayne, and I gotta say, we owe you one. We prevented those fuckers from running away, but taking them out was beyond us. We had a couple of rangers who went into try, but one is already dead, and the other is heavily injured."
Six saw Roger carrying the injured Ranger, he was still alive, not because he was lucky or durable, but because the Fiends were playing with him like prey. While Boone brought the corpse of the other Ranger.
Six let out a slow breath, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the ruined battlefield. Blood stained the snow where the NCR had tried to hold their ground, and the scent of burnt gunpowder still lingered in the frigid air.
The Fiends were dead now—every last one of them—but their cruelty was still evident in the shattered bodies left behind.
Rebecca wiped some grime from her face and glanced at the injured Ranger in Roger's arms.
"Bastards didn't even kill him. Just played with him till they got bored."
Roger gritted his teeth.
"They were laughing when I found him. Had him strung up like a damn trophy."
Boone, always the quiet one, simply set down the body of the fallen Ranger and took a knee beside it. He didn't say anything, but the tightening of his jaw said enough.
Corporal Dwayne sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Yeah… Fiends don't take prisoners unless they plan to have fun first. We knew we had 'em trapped, but we didn't have the firepower to break 'em. If you all hadn't rolled up when you did, well…"
He shook his head.
"It would've been bad."
Six nodded, walking over to the injured Ranger. The man barely clung to consciousness, his breathing shallow, his body trembling from blood loss and shock.
"Raul."
Six called, motioning for the ghoul.
"Patch him up. We're not letting him die here."
Raul muttered something under his breath about always being the one stuck playing doctor, but he was already kneeling, pulling out supplies from his bag.
"Yeah, yeah, hold still, amigo. Let's see if we can keep you in one piece."
Raul got to work.