I decided to leave the Lucky 38, without saying anyone. I grabbed the NCR trenchcoat, some stuff I might need for the trip and left. When I walked out the Lucky 38 I looked into one of the Securitrons. I knew Mr. House was watching me right then. I could sense my own confused expression. I hoped he'd understand.
Then just before leaving The Strip I was approached by a woman, dressed as a doctor. She was with the Followers of the Apocalypse. Wanted me to bug Mr. House's system so that they'd get information on how did Mr. House stay alive. I said no. I had enough on my mind already, betraying Mr. House, even if I didn't know if I'd be with him in the long term, didn't sound good for me. I told her I didn't want to abuse Mr. House's trust and, surprisingly enough, she understood. So I left The Strip, looking to leave the Mojave for a while as well.
I got to a cave to the North, where the advertisement told me to go. Inside there was a group of people. Jed Masterson, the mister talking on the ad, immediatly spoke to me. He have me the details on the job and on the location. While he was explaining me what was up he told me not to mention the name Joshua Graham. Naturally, I asked why. He said it made tribals and New Canaanites - the men we were supposed to make business with -, unconfortable. I wasn't suppose tot alk about the "Burned Man", either. He told me the place was filled with tribals who didn't even know hot to speak anymore. It seemed like it was gonna be a fun ride, hum.
I got to know the other members of the Happy Trails Caravan too. One of them, Stella, was from New Reno. Oh, New Reno... Then there were two guards who didn't talk much and a stupid asshole named Ricky. When I talked to him he immediatly asked me if I was looking for trouble and said he could kick my ass. He went on and on about how he would kill anything and even made up a nickname - I swear to you - in the middle of the conversation. Then the fucking asshole tells me he once got surrounded by four "deathjaws". Seriously? Didn't even know the proper names of the monsters in his story? Then told me he killed a "Steel Brotherhood asshole". Oh God. Said he'd shot the bastard right through his eyeslits. HA! I shoved my Power Armor training right in his face. The eyeslits are bullet-proof! He stopped making up stories there. I asked about his Vault 22 suit and Pip-Boy. Guess what, more lies. He said he had grown up there. You remember when I went there right? No way someone had been there living for *at least* 150 years. Then started going on and on about hsi Pip-Boy, all it could do. Said so much, without saying anything really. He didn't even notice that I had a Pip-Boy too. Then I looked better at it and saw it WASN'T EVEN WORKING. I facepalmed, swear to God, right in front of everyone. I told him to go away, he'd only get us killed for sure. He screamed from the bottom of his heart that he hoped we'd all die and then ran off. Then I apologized to Jed and said I was ready to leave. And so we left.
Keep in mind, all that I've written before on this letter has been put on hold in my travels. Nothing happened for us to talk about really. Only Jed telling me the story of Joshua Graham, the New Canaanite that joined The Legion and ended up being the toughest of them all. But then, losing against the NCR at the Hoover Dam, he got lit on fire and thrown out to the Grand Canyon bt Casar, to make an example. Sheesh. But then tribal folk started talking. Saying Joshua still lived. Thus begining the legend of the Burned Man. In my free time I thought about the Mojave's fate. Mr. House... I respect him so much. Could I do the same he can if I used Yes Man? Or would the Wasteland be better off with Mr. House?
We got to the place and it was beautiful! Zion... Gosh, it was eye candy, really.
I didn't even have time to stop looking at all the mountains, grass and trees to hear Jed screaming "ambush". I looked at them and saw one of the guards being shot in the head. Explosions went on, two more guards dead... I was powerless, I only had cloe-range weapons! Then Jed killed one of the tribals on the cliff and I was able to take from him an axe and four tomahawks... Jesus they weren't kidding, they sure were tribals! I used the tomahawks to do the best I could. I heard Jed screaming for Stella when I was throwing a tomahawk that hit one of the tribals right in his head. Then I looked back and Jed was already gone too. All of them, dead. The people I have been talking to, linking for these past days, gone. I was really pissed. I smashed the remaining tribals with the axe I had found. Then grabbed a grenade launcher from one the Caravan's guards and made my way into Zion, since I could not go back the way I came from because of what Stella had warned us all about: it was too steep to climb back.
I had to cross an old bridge that stood high up on the river. While I was crossing I began being shot at by another of those tribals. I ran for cover, then heard two different gun noises and looked up to the place I was being shot from. I guy waved and came talk to me. He only had underwear and was all painted, but different from the others. He said those were the White Legs and that he was from a different tribe. Apparently, I was lucky to survive their ambush. No kidding, tell that to Jed... He also told me that Joshua would like to speak to me. I immediatly thought about the Burned Man Jed had told me about. I asked who Joshua was and he said it was indeed Joshua Graham. Woah. So he took me to him, while showing Zion around.
On out way we saw a big ass roarin' monster he called Yao Guai. Shit, I saw him claw off a giant gecko's face right in front of me! Follows-Chalk - my newly acquired companion (what the hell kind of name is that) - told me to freeze and the beast ebventually ran off. Wew. But it wouldn't be the last I'd see them.
After more walking I saw heads on spikes. Like with The Legion. Follows told me it was Joshua Graham who ordered it, to show the White Legs that their tribe, the Dead Horses, were serious about fighting them. Some of the tribals, though, believed it was in order to trap their spirits to that world, not letting them have their eternal rest. Don't know what line of thinking is worst really.
Right when we were looking at those brilliant master pieces one of those monsters we saw attacked. He was mean, but we held him off. He was nearly my heigh. Then Follows told it was only a cub. Shit, for real? Oh baby, my time in Zion was going to be sick.
We passed by a shack with handprints all over it. When I asked Follows what that was all about he said the buildings from before the War were marked as taboo by the tribals and they wouldn't go in them. Except Follows. Lucky me.
Then we arrived. The entrance to the Angel Cave, the residence of the Dead Horses, was filled with tribals training against each other. I entered the cave and Follows led me to Joshua. When I entered the part of the cave in which he was my heart skipped a beat. The Burned Man, the legend, right in front of me cleaning pistols. Bandages all over his body, covered a little by his vests and body armor.
He offered his sympathy for my friends from the Caravan. When I told them I wanted to fulfill the Caravan's mission he told me I was out of luck. New Canaan had been destroyed because of the White Legs, who are attempting to join Caesar's Legion and destroyed them by his command. Then he told me he knew how I could get out, but had to have my help first, because of all the problems they were having there at Zion. I said I didn't plan on going away without helping them anyway. They wanted me to find Pre-War objects to help them navigate the land if they ever had to leave Zion.
So that's what I gotta do! I'm now planning on sleeping for half a day. Got a lot on my mind, hope I can actually do it.
Love you,
Bill
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