(A/N: I've always wanted to see this pivotal point in F:NV from different perspectives, so I hope I did it justice. I do not own Fallout.)
"I'm going to The Tops to look for Benny. I'll be back tomorrow." Six declared to the screen before her, in a tone that suggested that she was not going to wait for approval.
Mr. House's face stared blankly back, flickering. Finally, he sighed. He knew better than to hold a woman back when her mind was set on something.
"Very well. Return with the Platinum Chip, otherwise you will have some serious explaining to do." With that, the monitor went black.
Smirking, Six turned on her heel and ascended the staircase towards the elevator. Victor obediently brought her to the casino level, still rambling on about being the first human to set foot in the Lucky 38 in over two hundred years. Six ignored it and left the casino, welcoming the cool evening air as she stepped out into the open. The sky was ablaze with reds and purples, casting the entire street in a warm, crepuscular glow.
The sights and sounds of the Strip were still a bit of a challenge for the Courier to process. Remembering her conversation with Mr. House only moments ago, she confessed that she had never seen anything like New Vegas in her entire life.
"Of course you haven't," Mr. House said knowingly, a sense of pride hidden beneath his suave voice. "Vegas was always one of a kind. What you see down on the Strip is just a fraction of the city's former glory, and yet... more than an echo. I preserved its spirit."
Indeed, she had never thought she'd see such tall buildings sprinkled with neon lights in the middle of a desert. She also wasn't expecting the crowd of gamblers and NCR troops gathered at the base of the pathway to the casino, staring at her in awe. She descended the steps and pushed her way through the crowd, nodding to those who called to her, and turning a deaf ear to the many comments of how she got into the elusive casino.
She walked south down the boulevard until the Tops sign came into view. Six stopped, her heart dropping into her stomach. All at once, her mind swam with countless possibilities Her pace slowed as she approached the casino itself. If she played her cards right, the tables would turn in her favor… she'd be the one to point a gun at his head, with him completely powerless to stop it. Maybe she would just slit his throat and let him bleed out in his own fortress… Swallowing a lump in her throat, she placed a hand on the casino door and pushed it open.
The Tops interior took her breath away.
Seemingly untouched by nuclear devastation, the lobby and main casino floor were pristine, almost as if straight from a copy of Salesman Weekly. The whole building oozed with a pre-war charm she never recalled seeing. A large, ornate staircase opened up to a foyer and a sign reading "Theater". To the right lay the main casino floor with all of the amenities she had come to expect: blackjack, poker, roulette, and a sea of slot machines. She could make out some booths and tables down the hall littered with gamblers eating and drinking their fortunes away. Slow jazz poured from the speakers on the ceiling, the final piece of the elegant and fun atmosphere that welcomed her.
Six set her sights on the restaurant at the end of the hall, desperate for a drink to calm her nerves. Before she took three steps, a suited man behind the reception desk called her to him. His handsome face and even more dashing smile did little to ease her tension.
"Hey hey, baby doll, welcome to the Tops Hotel and Casino!" The Courier smiled lightly in a half-hearted attempt to conceal the red that was creeping up her cheeks. The man held out his hand to her and continued, "I'm going to have to ask you to hand over any weapons you might be carrying." He nodded past her slightly. "Especially that sniper rifle on your back."
Six froze. This wasn't what she was expecting. How was she supposed to defend herself? How was she supposed to settle her score with Benny?
"Why do you need my guns?" She blurted out, panicked. The greeter let out a light chuckle, making Six feel even more apprehensive.
"Security, baby. Can't make the bread if the bakers are full of lead, you dig it? Don't worry," he reassured her with a wink, "you're safe as houses in here, courtesy of Mr. House." The Courier stared at him still, motionless. She understood the logic there, but loathed the thought of being completely defenseless.
Suddenly, an idea struck her. She had on her person the sniper rifle the greeter called out, along with some frag grenades, a silenced .22 pistol, and a sheathed machete. It made sense to temporarily relinquish the sniper rifle, that much was true. However, if she could somehow get Benny alone, she could dispatch the silenced pistol with no repercussions. Frag grenades were the complete opposite of silent, and even with the machete being encased, just carrying it on the casino floor could possibly draw the wrong kind of attention.
Her posture now more reserved, Six unlatched her sniper rifle and placed it on the desk separating her and the greeter, then produced from her pack two boxes of ammunition. Not breaking eye contact with the man before her, she then set all of her grenades on the desk delicately, followed by the still-sheathed machete. As a sign of good faith, she held out her hands, indicating she was clean… mostly.
"That's everything," she said simply. She impressed herself with how even she had kept her tone. The greeter handed Six's weapons to another suited man, one by one, who then walked out from the desk, heading up the stairs and out of sight.
"Smooth and easy, just the way I like it! Don't worry, they'll be safe as kittens until you're ready to leave." The Courier blinked in confusion. What was with this guy's mannerisms? It was so foreign, yet oddly familiar. "Now that we got that little business out of the way," he continued, "What can I do to make your Tops experience the tops?"
Shaking off the hesitation, Six met his eye with a fiery glare.
"I'm looking for a man named 'Benny'."