Fallout Relaunch

Goodsprings Good Morning

The courier was conscious, yet couldn't see or move his body. His face felt heavy and numb, making it incredibly hard to breathe and his eyes just wouldn't open either.

It was a only a few short seconds but that was long enough for a wave of panic to take his body. He felt he would suffocate if he didn't take in a breath soon.

His lungs burned, his mouth opened and he released a wet, mucus filled cough as he rolled to his side. His arms wrapped themselves around a soft pillow that had been under his head. The young man then rubbed his face in the cool fabric before opening his eyes to a blurry world.

The calm voice of an elderly man spoke up. "You're awake. Now how about that." He said giving a comforting chuckle.

At that the courier pushed himself up on his arms. Instantly he felt dizzy and felt like he would fall back down. He had gotten up much too quickly.

"Whoa now, easy. Easy there." Said the voice again. The courier heard a chair scrape on wooden floor boards as presumably the man got up. A pair of hands gripped his shoulders lightly to steady him. "Let's not go fallin' over and bumpin' your head so soon after surgery."

The young man blinked and found his vision slightly cleared. "I...what? S-surgery?" He asked before rubbing at his own eyes in an attempt to clear them further.

The older man smiled and let go of him, settling back in his seat, now sure his patient wasn't going to fall over. "Yeah, I had to go rootin' around in your noggin to pull out all the lead and put you back together. You've been out a couple of days now."

The courier swung his legs over the side of the bed and tried to gather his thoughts. He blinked rapidly before trying to focus on the man in front of him again but things in the back half of the room were still blurred.

"Speaking of your brain let's see if you got all your marbles still in your jar. Can you tell your name?" The man said leaning back in his chair observing him.

The young man shook his head to wake himself up. "Cobalt, I'm Cobalt, and I think I lost my glasses." He said touching the wrapping around his head that were keeping his blonde hair pressed to his scalp.

In the dim lighting, the old man nodded. "Good good, and I'm Doc Mittchel and this little town we're in is called Goodsprings. Now, let's get you up and see if you can walk. I've been keeping all your stuff in the other room so let's see if you can make it all the way over there." Doc Mittchel then reached his arms under Cobalt's to lift him up off the bed.

The boy was like a dead weight. His head throbbed with sudden pain as he was helped up on his feet. Cobalt winced and hissed, pressing his fingers to his temples in an attempt to stop the room from spinning.

Doc Mittchel raised his arm and pointed off to a machine against the back wall. "Let's make it to that vigor tester first." With his other arm held out just slightly he prepared to catch Cobalt if his legs were to give out on him.

Cobalt took a deep breath and exhaled to calm his nerves. "Alright. Let's get going." He said watching his feet as he picked one up to start walking. He didn't continue to watch his steps though. He just kept going nice and slow, being sure not to do anything too hastily.

Once at the machine Doc spoke again. "Now we're gonna go on over here to the right son." He said patting Cobalt on the back rewardingly.

"I don't know. That sounds too hard to do." The courier said offering a smile to his doctor. It was his way of showing him he was feeling pretty much normal now.

Doc gave a chuckle. "Glad to see that bullet didn't hurt ya charm much." He said, the old man's voice laced with laughter.

The pair walked into the living room and Doc nodded to a dirty old couch. "Sit right there. I'm gonna go ahead and remove those bandages." He told Cobalt and the young man sat down without hesitation.

Doc went to a book case and picked up both a pair of scissors and a large duffle bag. He sat the bag down in front of the courier on the coffee table then stood next to him. "Now no sudden moves. Don't want to nick ya." Mittchel said before closing the scissors on the cloth bandages.

Cobalt offered another smile, this one weak and shy as the wrapping fell from around his cranium.

Doc lifted the boy's hair up to get a peek at the stitches. The black thread was sewn into the left side of his head, just a bit before his ear. There were many stitches. Too many to count at the moment, but Doc knew he'd never forget a single detail of this miracle medical case.

Doc Mittchel then turned and pulled a pair of glasses from the duffle bag. "Well, everything looks as good as it can be for someone who got shot in the head." He said placing the glasses on the boy. He then reached back in the bag. "I hope you don't mind but I went through your stuff. Thought something might help me find a next of kin, if you didn't make it. But all I found in your pockets was a delivery order for some platinum poker chip. I didn't find the chip itself though." This time the kind doctor handed him a pair of boots, some jeans, and a long sleeve top that looked to be all that remained of a tattered vault suit. In yellow on the suit's back the numbers 2-0-0 were displayed. "Best put your clothes on so the locals don't laugh at you for lacking modesty. I left a few other things of yours, and things you'll need in that bag. Now I'll just slip on out and let you get dressed." Doc said giving the young courier a pat on the shoulder as he walked towards the front entryway.

Cobalt stood and pulled his shirt on over his undershirt. The right sleeve was slightly shorter than the other wile the left shoulder had a bullethole in it. Cobalt raised and eyebrow in confusion and stuck a finger in the hole. He was pretty sure these clothes were his but...when did he get shot in the shoulder?

After putting on the rest of his clothing he felt like a piece of the ensemble was missing. He looked into the duffle bag and saw something that instantly sparked a memory. It was a scratched up and slightly chipped pip-boy 3000. It looked like the screen had recently been replaced since it was completely clean and clear. No ghost like after image burned into the glass.

Cobalt slipped it on his left hand as if out of habit. The glove part felt a bit tight so he flexed out his fingers to adjust the fit. Satisfied he got up, hefting the duffle bag over his shoulder and adjusted the strap so he could use it like a backpack.

Stepping into the hall that Doc Mittchel had went in to Cobalt spoke. "I can't thank you enough. I'd be beyond dead right now if not for you Doc." He said giving a slight laugh.

"Look kid, don't mention it. It was the least I could do after Viktor pulled you out of that shallow grave." Doc said making Cobalt flinch a bit in confusion.

"I was buried? Someone rescued me?" Cobalt asked taken aback slightly. He didn't remember any of that unsurprisingly.

Doc nodded. "Yup, the local robot. Don't know how he knew you were buried up there at the cemetery." At that Cobalt squirmed and seeing his discomfort Doc changed the subject from the kid's brush with death. "And I know you'll be heading back out so I decided to give you something. Fresh water is precious out there in the desert." He then pulled a bundle from the back of his pants. It was wrapped in cloth but a bit of silver coated metal was sticking out of it. He pulled the wrap from it to show a shining canteen with a yellow vinyl sticker showing the number thirteen. "This uh...this belonged to my wife. Keep it close son. It'll save your behind in that heat." The kind doctor said holding it out.

Cobalt took hold of it and showed a soft smile. "Thanks again. You're really looking out for me." He ran his fingers over the numbers before sliding it into a space on his belt and reached for the door knob.

"Now son, one more thing. You can always come back to me for medical reasons," Doc said pointing at Cobalt making the courier look back to him. "But personally I don't wanna see you back in here for those reasons."

Cobalt chuckled. "Don't worry. I can handle myself. I've made it this far out there. Only thing that slowed me down so far was a little gunshot." He joked. "Thanks again for all you've done." Cobalt said once more. "I promise I'll come back if I ever need some help. You're the best doctor in the Mojave." The young courier said smiling brightly as he pushed open the front door.