"… and when the patient woke up his skeleton was missing… and the doctor was never heard from again!" Arcade Gannon said getting another wave of laughter from everyone at the table, "And that's how my friend Arthur lost his medical license."
"Yet he still practiced as a mercenary?" Whiskey Rose (aka Cassidy) asked.
"Yep!" Gannon said as he looked around the room then gave the clock a quizzical look, "Hm… that's odd."
"What?" Boone asked, putting his glass of Vodka on the table.
"Where's Freya? Didn't she say we were celebrating something tonight at about an hour ago?"
Raul a ghoul mechanic looked over at him, "That's the first I've heard about any sort of party. I just thought we were going over old but funny stories while drinking." He said getting a unanimous agreement from everyone at the table.
'Sad beeping' came from Ed-E's microphone.
"What do you mean she's in her room crying?" Veronica asked having understood the little flying robot.
"Oh is she going through another bout of depression again?" Cassidy asked.
"She struggles with depression?" Veronica asked.
"Yeah… you really didn't notice?" Boone said looking over at her.
"No. She always seemed so stone faced whenever we went someplace." Veronica said, trying to think of a time when the courier ever looked depressed.
"You never noticed when she would lock herself in her room with a bunch of salvaged junk food and booze and stay there for a few days only coming out to use the bathroom and get more food and booze?" Boone said looking at her like she was an idiot.
"All the while crying her eyes out?" Cass added.
"Especially after that hooker she would go and talk with left to go live her true love?" Gannon asked.
"I was usually building something with Raul." Veronica said looking across the table for some help from the ghoul.
"Come on even I noticed her waves of depression." Raul said turning to Gannon when he stood up.
"Why would she go talk with a hooker about her problems and what was her name?"
"Joana, and she found it easier to talk to her for some reason." Cass said.
"I'm going to go check on her." He said tuning to leave the suits dining area.
In her room the courier sat on her bed looking at the locket she had made and the shrunken pictures of her family. Two were of her adopted daughters Sophie and Lucia. While the third was of her wife Lydia. She was wearing her old Ebony armor and was holding a 9mm pistol in her right hand. It wasn't loaded of course but that didn't stop her from putting it to her head from time to time and pulling the trigger.
Melody, a slave girl she had met in Caesar's fort and had purchased from him to free her, was behind her just silently hugging her, hoping that the contact would keep her from putting actual bullets in the gun. Even though Freya had meant to free her she had ended up adopting her to fill the void in her life caused by the separation from her family.
There was a knock at the door and Gannon stepped in, "How's it going?" he asked looking first to her odd looking armor and then casting a concerned glance at the gun in her hand.
"Eight years."
"Pardon?"
"It's been eight years since I said 'see you in a few days' to my family and went through the gates of Solitude on a mission to explore a cave for Queen Elisif."
"Who? And where?" Gannon asked sitting next to her and laying a hand on the gun.
"As I was exploring the cave with my friend Serana we came across some kind of portal. There was a crystal object next to the pedestal beside it. I picked it up and when I put it in the portal activated. I had been through similar portals before and they had always stayed open when I went through. But this one didn't. After I went through it shut off and I was trapped in this hell." She explained with fresh tears streaming down her face. Gannon felt her tug against his hand and he tightened his grip on the gun.
"As I looked around for the activation pedestal all I found was some kind of device. Looking back I think it may have been a computer, it was connected to the pedestal but I couldn't figure out how to activate it."
"Aww… are you feeling sad dearie?" Lily asked as she entered the room with everyone else. The large nightkin strode forward and gave her and Melody a hug.
"So you're saying you're from another world?" Boone asked.
Freya nodded and finally let the gun fall to the floor.
"Have you tried going back to the Cave and trying your luck with the computer?" Veronica asked.
"No… I never even thought about that because I couldn't find the crystal."
"Well then let's go give it a try." Raul said.
"Ok. But first… if we are going to do this and if we somehow get it going there are a few things I need to do first."
"Such as?" Cass asked.
"I need to see an auto doc. about getting my heart and spine back. I'll meet you at the cave. Oh and be sure to take my weapon chest and armor locker. If we get it to work I want to take a few souvenirs home with me."
Two days later.
He was sitting on the cliff like he always was. Looking out across the divide. The courier sat next to him and waited for him to speak first.
"You look as if you want to ask for some assistance." Ulysses said looking over to her.
"I need some help putting to rest a problem that has been plaguing my mind for a while. I may have a chance to return home but I can't till I help a friend I made in a place called the Sierra Madre. Ever heard of it?"
"Yes. I heard that it's cured by a poisonous cloud that kills all that enter it."
"That's it. I just need to find a woman named Christine. Mostly to help fix something that was done to her in the big empty."
"Hm… I think I know this woman. The place you're going home to, has it been touched by the war?"
"No. In fact it's practically paradise compared to this world."
"It's another world?"
"Yeah. I came here through some portal in a cave and let me tell you… I think that Skyrim is the place you're looking for to call home."
Ulysses thought about it for a moment, "When do you want to leave for the Sierra Madre?"
A day later.
"Man… you'd think that after about a year this place would look a little less eerie." The courier said looking around the villa, "Well at least it seems like she got the ventilation systems online. So we won't need to worry about the cloud.
"This cloud… you say it corrodes armor just from being around it."
"Yup. It's a good thing I picked this hazard suit up when I was in the big empty. Sorry about not having an extra."
"It's fine… so where do you think we'll find this woman?"
"I'm guessing she may be in the hotel. With all the security systems it'll be the safest place so she won't have to worry about the ghosts."
"Ghosts?" Ulysses asked, his tone screaming 'get serious.'
"Hey that's just what they're called. Now let's go, I don't want to be in the open for too long. They come out of nowhere."
They heard a buzzing noise and looked to see a small radio on the ground, "At least this time I don't need to worry about the fucking radios."
'Beep, beep, beep…' "Shit what's come in now." The woman asked getting off the bed and crossing the room to look at the monitor. She looked at the screen and to her surprise saw Ulysses the man that had saved her many years ago in the lobby of the hotel, but the weird thing was that there was a ghost standing next to him. Her curiosity piqued she grabbed her knife spear and a laser pistol and made her way to the elevator.
"Now don't let your guard down… we may be in the hotel but depending on the security system we could still be in trouble if it sees us as intruders." The courier said taking off her mask and looking over at the holographic clerk, "We're looking for a guest here. Vera Keys" She said. The hologram 'typed' a few keys and looked at her then pointed to the elevator and made a 'coming down' like motion. "hu… good she's coming to us."
"I thought you said we were looking for Christine." Ulysses said.
"We are. But because of Dean Domino using an auto doc. to adjust her voice to get through a voice activated lock the hotel thinks she's Vera Keys. The woman this place was built for."
"Ah." Ulysses said as they heard the elevator bing.
Christine walked out of the elevator and looked from Ulysses to the courier in her hazmat suit. "Where did you get that?" she asked.
"After one year that's the first thing you ask about? Not 'Hey how are you doing' or 'hey I didn't know that you knew Ulysses', or even 'What's up'?" the courier said putting the mask in her bag.
"You're right where are my manners. I must have lost them while wandering this god forsaken place while trying not to be poisoned by the cloud or torn to pieces by the ghosts."
"Hey! While you've only had to worry about that I have been doing things like stopping another nuclear apocalypse Ulysses almost caused, killed Caesar, his legate, and his army with just a seven person team, helped Joshua Graham liberate the grand canyon, and had an argument with my own brain after it was removed, along with my heart and spine, in the same place your head was messed with. So sorry if I don't think you've had it hard here."
"… You've been to the big empty?"
"Yes. And that's actually why we're here. I came to tell you that I may have a way to fix what was done to you there."
"Really?"
"Yeah. And when were done there you can get the brotherhood of steel to move there to guard it."
"What about this place?"
"Make the ventilation system drown it in the cloud so that nobody can get in."
Christine gave a look that said 'I am a moron' and slapped her face.
"Oh but before you do grab one of those vending machines and a computer that we can use to make codes for it on. That way I can make it so I won't run out of ammo when I get home."
Another day later.
"So? How're you feeling?" The courier asked Christine when she woke up after getting out of the auto doc.
"My head hurts but I think it worked." She said as a floating brain in a jar entered the room. It had three monitors one of which was broken. The others had an eye displayed on one while the other had a mouth.
"Well of course it worked I designed the program for it. Sorry about before but most of the labs here were set to run themselves but with all the years of neglect their programing went caput." The brain said.
"Thanks Dr. Mobius." The courier said.
"You know that thing?" Christine asked when it left.
"Yup. He helped me get my brain back. He's really a nice guy. He just puts on an act to keep the others in line. And before you ask no you don't want to meet them. They aren't exactly the picture of sanity."
"I'll take your word for it."
Two days later.
"Well this is it." The courier said as they reached the cave.
"Ah, you finally made it boss. Good, this heat has been brutal on my already destroyed skin." Raul said as they entered the cave.
"How have things been going with the computer?"
"Well we figured out that the people researching it had found many interesting things about it. And had some serious backing."
"Such as?"
"Well first off…" Raul trailed off when a vault door came into view.
"Vault tech knew about this portal?" Christine exclaimed.
"Yup. And that's not the only interesting thing we found. There were a lot of locked rooms and cells that had been locked from the overseer's office. And for good reason." Raul said as they approached a window.
There was something inside and when they approached it struck the window. It shocked everyone, but none more so than the courier, "That's a Draugr!"
"You've seen those things before?" Ulysses asked
"In just about every burial crypt in Skyrim. They are undead Nords that for some reason are cursed to walk the crypts for all eternity."
"Wait. Actual zombies?" Raul asked.
"No. they don't eat anything and can't turn another person into one just by biting them."
"Well whatever they are, there is a lot of them. Or was, we have been opening one room at a time and slowly killing them all off. And let me tell you the weapons and armor we have been getting from them will get us a small fortune after we are done here."
"Don't count on it. Ancient Nord weaponry is worthless in Skyrim."
"Who said anything about going to Skyrim to sell them? I was talking about selling them in a small shop I'm thinking about starting."
"You really want to stay in New Vegas? In Skyrim you would probably make an awesome blacksmith. Heck, you could even get a potion to fix your skin, and your achy knees."
"Seriously?"
"Yup. Now enough about this. Which way to the portal?"
"Right this way boss."
They walked for a little while before Christine saw Veronica walking down a side hallway, "Ver… Veronica?"
Veronica turned towards her and the both stood there, and time seemed to freeze around them before they ran towards each other and embraced with a kiss.
"Hm… I always suspected that they had been together before Elijah tore them apart." The courier said as she watched the two of them embrace after years of separation.
After leaving Veronica and Christine to 'catch up' Raul, Ulysses, and the courier finally reached the room with the portal.
Gannon was at one of the computers, "Oh hey, well I have good news about the portal… it works. But for some reason whoever built it put a strange feature on it. Once you open it to another portal it will only open to that portal again if the other one is used to contact it. Basically you used it to come here but until you go back the people in Skyrim won't be able to open another portal to come here. Also apparently there is a time difference. Where you have been here for eight years it has only been eight weeks for them."
The courier couldn't believe what she was hearing, "So to them I have only been gone about three months?"
"Yep. That's what it seems."
"Urgh. Well then it's a good thing I never got rid of my Sanguinare Vampiris. Otherwise that would totally be unfair."
"Wait, you have what now?"
"Vampirism. It's interesting really because when I got here I never felt the need to feed or had any bad reactions to sunlight. How do you think I was able to survive so much abuse? And don't worry I know a man that can cure me, I only became a vampire to get an item from a place where no living being could go."
"So we don't need to worry about you trying to eat us when we get there?"
"Oh no, I would be seriously afraid if I were you because whatever effect this place has had on me will wear off once we get there and I will feel the full effect of going eight years without feeding. But don't worry I have a couple blood bags in my pack that should keep me from killing someone when we get there."
"Well at least we won't need to worry about that." Boone said from the corner he had been standing in.
"Oh shit, I just remembered, Boone when we get there, if you see any imperial troops, DON'T SHOOT AT THEM! Yes they have armor similar to the Legion but they are in no way similar. Hell I'm actually a Legate in the imperial army."
"Hm, great. Well I will be joining you in the trip there because I figure it would be a good place for me to get a fresh start."
"Well, it seems like we're all going. Except for Rex. I sent him back to the king since he technically belongs to him." The courier said.
"I'm going to miss him," Melody said from the door to the room. She was holding Sargent teddy in her arms and was wearing a dress Freya had bought her.
"Me too," The courier turned to Raul, "What's the possibility of finding a decent sized generator and parts for it"
"Very good boss. This place has several little generators that can run on gas or even alcohol. Also there is equipment for a small solar plant."
"Awesome. Well let's go get those and get everything set up to go through once we open the portal."
Two days later.
"How's the portal analysis coming?" The courier asked setting the last crate down.
"We found the coordinates for Skyrim as well as some radios that will allow you to talk to us but only when the portal is open." Gannon said.
"How long will it be open?"
"Until we close it. And before you ask we can come back and forth through it so that'll make getting all the stuff there easier."
"Ok. Ulysses and I will go through first and make sure it's safe. After that we'll call you guys and we'll start brining stuff through. Now let's all get a good night sleep so we're prepared for tomorrow."
The next morning.
"Uhg, That was the worst night sleep I have ever had" the courier said drinking a cup of what Raul said was coffee.
Cass looked at her, "I don't doubt it. You're about to return home after eight years of being stuck here," Cass frowned, "Did you ever tell your wife about having to been turned into a vampire?"
"Yeah, before I left to explore that cave I told her and that I knew a man I Morthal who could cure me. I was actually going to pay him a visit on my way home."
"OK everybody I'm opening the portal in 3… 2… 1…"
*vvvvvvvvrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmmmm*
The portal buzzed to life and the courier's heart lifted. She looked to Ulysses who gave her an encouraging head nod and they walked through.
The first thing she saw was Lydia standing next to Serana and she felt greater than she had in a long time.
That made the effects of eight years without feeding hit her all the harder.