"Well I'll certainly hear you out if you have something you want to tell me." Adam said with a glance to him. "But why now? What changed?" Percy paused for a moment and then sighed.
"Truth be told, I just didn't know you that well yet. There are a lot of different types running around out here. Some claiming to be good but doing evil, others who are out for their own interests but can't help but help." He paused again. "I needed to know what kind of man you really were. "'Course I've seen you stick your neck out for folks before. Hell, I wouldn't have moved into that metal box in the ground if I didn't know you were not genuine. But I've been following you around now and I've seen what kind of changes you have already made in this place. How folks treat you, how you hold yourself up. The kind of man you are."
"And… I passed the test?" Adam asked, curious.
"With flying colors." Percy said with a soft chuckle before he sighed again and looked more serious. "You were a soldier too. Different from Deccanus, more like me. I think you'll get a bit of why I ended up in Chicago, so far away from my home."
Adam just turned to look at him while keeping his eyes on the road, letting Percy tell the story at his own pace.
"I was a young man when I joined the NCR military. Followed in my father's footsteps. I figured serving my home in the only way I knew how was the best use of my time. As it turned out, I was damn good at it." He grinned sadly. "Best shot in my battalion, moved up through the ranks, quickly became a ranger and before I knew it, I was a veteran ranger, sporting my own sequoia."
"You must have seen a lot of action."
"Oh boy." Percy laughed softly. "More than you know. Spent most of my time in Baja fighting rebels, but when that Caesar asshole started making moves in the mojave I got my marching orders and headed there."
"You fought in the Battle of Hoover dam?" Adam asked, shocked. He had heard Deccanus talk about it, the climactic battle between two great empires that led to the collapse of his home, indirectly or otherwise.
"The first one, yeah." Percy said with a nod. "Me and the rangers set up this grand 'ol trap for the legion boys pouring over the river. Drew them into this old town called Boulder City near the river. Once they had all funneled inside we closed the trap shut and ignited all the explosives." He then whistled softly. "Should've seen the fireworks display. Bright enough to light up the night sky." He chuckled darkly. "Legion was quick to pull out after that. Heard their legate got thrown into a canyon or something for his failure. Not my problem." He shrugged.
"Sounds like a dramatic way to end a war."
"Yeah, 'cept it wasn't over. Just the first fight. But I am getting off track." He reached into his pouch and pulled out a small canteen which he took a swig from before capping it and putting it back and then continuing. "I was sent back to Baja after that, never got to see that next fight. See, while I was down south handling those damn rebels I got caught in an explosion of my own…" He said, sounding a bit dejected now. "Tore up my lower half. Worst pain I ever felt in my life." Adam stared at him for a moment and then nodded slowly.
"I was lucky to not have earned a purple heart while serving. Could have happened, almost did, more times than I can count. But I always came out of it lucky. However, that wasn't always true of my squadmates." Adam paused. "There is nothing worse than watching a man, who you had just shared a good drink and laugh with the night prior, lying dead at your feet the next day. For those that live… it might be worse." Adam paused and then looked at Percy. "You served honorably. You shouldn't feel down about it." Percy waved him off.
"I know I know…" He said though he did not sound convinced. "Anyway, due to my injuries I couldn't serve anymore. I was honorably discharged. Given all sorts of medals and laurels. However as I sat in that hospital I began to wonder what it was all for." He paused, looking down. "I got out, of course, but I was never the same." He then reached down to his left pant leg and rolled up his jeans. Underneath he revealed a prosthetic leg that had a lot of wear and tear to it but looked well cared for.
"Got this as part of my rehab. 'Special for service members with distinguished records'." He said with a small roll of his eyes as he gently adjusted the prosthetic leg a bit. "My left leg was blown up in the explosion, gone completely. My right… well lets just say I would have been better if it was gone." He sighed as he rolled down his pant leg again. "I can't run, Adam." He said with a somber tone and expression as he looked Adam in the eyes. "Hell, walking hurts. Every step feels like I'm walking through a bush of nails."
"Can't they do something about that?" Adam asked, concerned for him.
"Nah. They tried, of course, but the explosion fucked up my nerves. Don't ask me about the medical side of it, I don't know it. But even the auto doc couldn't help me. It was either be in pain for the rest of my life or lose this leg too." He looked down at his still remaining leg.
"And you didn't want to lose what you had left." Adam inferred.
"Exactly…" Percy nodded. "I can handle losing a leg to combat, I was lucky, in a way. But losing both?" He paused. "Last thing I wanted to be was wheelchair bound for the rest of my goddamn life." He said with a bit of venom to an unseen person or perhaps a distant memory. "I'd rather be in pain than not be able to walk." He frowned. "But obviously, with my injuries, I couldn't get back into the service." Adam nodded slowly.
"I'm guessing civilian life didn't agree with you?"
"Dead on the money." Percy responded as he shot a single finger gun at Adam as if he was hitting his head. Though the action was playful the expression on his face was dour. "I had been a soldier for most of my life. I returned to Shady Sands and found myself drifting. My parents were long gone and most of my friends from the service had either died or moved on with their lives. It was… hard returning to town." Adam nodded.
"Civies never understand what we go through. Even if we explain they just can't ever understand. Sometimes, I lay awake at night, thinking about what I have gone through, and I will hear a strange noise coming from down the hall and feel my heart race, my adrenaline spiking. I know I'm in no danger but that doesn't stop me from worrying I'm about to be shelled…" He paused. "It was worse the first year out of the service. I had seen a lot of combat, it was hard transitioning, but it got easier, with time."
"It didn't for me." Percy said with a frown. "No matter how much I tried to give it time I couldn't adapt." He sighed. "So I left…"