Chapter 1: Fools Rush In, Where Angels Fear To Tread
I'm an awful writer, I know. I just have too many ideas in my mind that I need to write down, and this was one idea that would just not stop bugging me. I can only hope all of my lovely readers enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it!
I do not own Fallout New Vegas, that belongs to Bethesda and Obsidian
Tonight was meant to be a fun night, but Benny didn't feel much like celebrating. The casino was jumping, booze was flowing freely and there was plenty of gorgeous eye-candy that you could ogle to your heart's content, but Benny's heart wasn't really in it and that worried him. All of his plans were going smoothly and Mr Not-At-Home still hadn't figured any of it out. Yes Man was fully functional, he knew where the secret bunker was, and he had even managed to snag the Platinum Chip, the wild card that could have thrown a monkey wrench into the plans of all three of the big cats themselves; NCR, Legion and Mr Not-At-Home. But despite all of that…Benny didn't like it.
He had handled all the loose ends well, Ortal, the Khans, even the courier down in Goodsprings had been dealt with easily. But that hadn't stopped the rumours, the stories that were being told around the Strip. Stories like how the towns of Goodsprings and Primm repelling Powder Ganger attacks, or the crazy broadcasts up in Black Mountain being replaced by empty static, or how the leaders of the Fiends were being mercilessly hunted and their decapitated heads being handed over to the NCR. Spooky stories like that made the head of the Chairmen uneasy and didn't help with his shut-eye at all; maybe things down in Goodsprings hadn't been settled. Maybe the problem that Benny thought had been dealt with is still around and kicking, and was looking for some answers…
"Heya boss, got a drink for you." One of his bodyguards, Laslo, stated. "Compliments from the lady waving at ya."
Benny stared at the drink being handed to him, a frown on his face. It was whiskey, but not the watered-down shit they served to every shmuck that entered the place; no, this was the top-shelf stuff that was reserved for the high rollers, and it was Benny's drink of choice. Whoever bought this drink had some dough on them, and were definitely trying to curry favour here. The head of the Chairmen lifted his head up towards the bar, when he saw the woman Laslo was talking about.
"Well hello nurse…" Benny muttered. "Look at the charlies on her."
The chick was a knockout, like one of them pin-up girls from those Pre-War posters. She was rocking a long-sleeved blue dress that hugged all the right places, and definitely helped highlight her assets. Her hair was a short curly blond and blue eyes that Benny found himself drowning in. This was a bad idea, very bad idea. There was something fishy about this situation, something that made it feel like a trap, that this was just a risk Benny should not be taking.
But on the other hand...Benny hadn't gotten to where he was, without taking a few risks in life. And he would be definitely lying, if he said he wasn't getting excited by just looking at this chick; she was a knockout, a girl who looked like she'd enjoy a bit of that Benny charm. Benny turned to his guards and gave them a nod, causing them to back off slightly, before he turned to look at the woman again. A wide grin appeared on the woman's face, as she got up from her chair and made her way towards Benny.
"Well ring-a-ding-ding baby, you sure got some sweet tastes." Benny stated, lifting up his drink. "Definitely a lass with class, eh?"
"Charmed you think so." The woman answered, letting out a small giggle. "Name's Jazz, and I assume you're Benny?"
"Bingo there, Jazzy girl." Benny answered. "Looking for me for something?"
"Oh well I kept hearing from all these Chairmen about their boss, a guy called Benny Gecko." Jazz explained, running a hand through her hair. "And…well, I wanted to meet the man behind the stories."
"Well then baby, I'm sure I definitely meet those expectations." Benny chuckled. "But you're not one of the regular cats that frequent here. You gotta be an out of town girl, huh?"
"Smart guy, I came down from California." Jazz answered. "I do caravanning work up for some guys in New Reno, and they sent me down here to set up some trade routes. Lucky me, managed to convince them that the Strip should be a high priority. So I get to spend a fun weekend in the Strip, gambling and drinking and meeting people."
"New Reno, eh? There are some pretty big hitters around that block, let me tell you." Benny stated, taking a sip of his whiskey. "Must be one tough gal, to handle yourself."
"Oh, well aren't you just a charmer?" Jazz giggled. "But yeah, you definitely gotta have some guts to handle yourself up in Reno. Well, guts and some womanly charms of course."
"Womanly charms, eh?" Benny asked. "Might have to ask you to show me them, then.
A wide grin slowly appeared on Jazz's face, her blue eyes twinkling wildly with mischief, as she sized up Benny. Before the head of the Chairmen even knew what was happening, Jazz's arms quickly wrapped themselves around Benny's neck, as her lips crashed against his. It definitely wasn't a small kiss, one forged from gentle love, but a hungry kiss that was craving for more. The combination of booze and bubble-gum filled Benny's mouth and his head was swimming like crazy, but right now Benny could care less. All he cared about right now was making sure that this kiss kept going, and would never end. But just like that, Jazz quickly pulled away from Benny, her hair slightly ruffled and her lipstick smeared a bit, but with a hungry look evident in her eyes. And honestly? Benny couldn't care right now if this woman was a trap, because he was loving this way too much to wanna stop now.
"Well swing low sweet chariots, that was one hella convincing argument baby." Benny stated, as he tried fixing up his tie. "But I might need a bit more convincing. How about we take this back up to me room, where we can review your womanly skills a bit better?"
"Thought you'd never ask, hun." Jazz responded, grinning widely. "Cause I can't wait to rock your world."
Benny was still unsure of how he and Jazz ended up back in his apartment, because it was all a blur for him; maybe the alcohol was starting to get to him now, cause he was starting to feel kinda light-headed. All he knew for sure was dismissing his bodyguards for the night, as he and his female companion for the night went up the elevator.
As Benny shrugged off his jacket and tossed it somewhere on the floor, he stopped dead when he looked towards the bed. Jazz had shrugged off her dress in one fluid motion, the dress lying pooled around her shoe-less feet, leaving the woman standing there in just her undies. And Benny was pretty sure that his pants were way too tight now, cause Jazz's undies were made of a black lace that just made his heart race and his blood flowing down south
'Wait a minute, black lace undies?' Some part of Benny's brain thought. 'That's your favourite type of undies on a chick; something ain't right.'
That train of thought quickly died out though, as Jazz unhooked her bra and tossed it onto the bed showing off her chest to Benny. The head of the Chairmen knew he was ogling this gal like some kind of perv, but he didn't care; cause right now, he was looking at the sexiest gal in the entire Strip
"You look a bit too dressed there, Ben-man." Jazz smirked, as she laid down on the bed. "Why not get rid of all those restricting clothes…and come join me? These charlies are dying to be played with."
Benny didn't need to be told twice there; he was already ripping his shirt off and tossing it off, trying to get from his standing position to the semi-nude woman on his bed as soon as possible. But just as he was about halfway off with his pants, he stopped dead in his tracks, a look of confusion on his face.
"Charlies?" Benny muttered, looking up at Jazz. "I'm the only one who uses that word, and I'm the only one who calls myself 'Ben-man'….oh shit, this is a trap."
Jazz just sat up on the bed with a wide grin on her face, as she started chuckling. But this wasn't a nice chuckle, not like from before. No, this was a lot meaner, like how a Deathclaw would chuckle as it cornered its prey. Benny tried reaching into his pockets, trying to get Maria, but the world just started spinning all around him. The floor came rushing up towards Benny, as he found himself struggling to stay conscious; he couldn't move, he couldn't yell out, he couldn't do nothing.
'The whiskey…' Benny thought to himself. 'The whiskey was drugged.'
"Looks like you're finally figuring everything out, Ben-man." Jazz stated coldly, as she put her bra back on. "You feel for it hook, line and sinker, just like the big man said you would. Cause Ben-man, you fucked up badly. You stepped on some toes that should never be stepped on, and now you gotta pay for it."
The doors to the room could be heard opening at that, and Benny hoped beyond hope that it was Laslo and the rest of the guys, coming here to rescue him. But that hope was quickly crushed, as a happy look appeared on Jazz's face, as she put her dress back on. A man slowly appeared in Benny's peripheral view, and he felt the bottom of his stomach fall out once he saw who it was.
The man was currently wearing a white dress shirt, the collar unbuttoned and the sleeves rolled all the way up to his elbows, with a grey waistcoat on top. A cream coloured panama hat was perched on his head, resting on a slight angle. Finishing the whole 'business casual' look was a pair of black dress pants, black wing-tipped shoes, and a silenced .22 pistol resting in his hand. But what was worrying Benny the most was that this man wasn't just a man; oh no, he was a Ghoul. And there was only one Ghoul he knew that dressed like that…
"Don't trust a woman bearing gifts, that was an old saying from my time." The Courier stated, looking down at Benny. "Well…it was actually 'don't trust a Greek bearing gifts', but I still feel like the old saying applies here. You really thought you could kill Russell Pasternak with just a bullet? I survived attempts on my life by the mafia and the American government, nuclear apocalypse, and 200 years of living in a radioactive apocalypse. And you really think some snake in a suit will be able to snuff me out? I respect ambition, it's a trait I like a lot, but you've got too much ambition Benny my boy. And that ambition is what killed you; if you had just stuck to our deal, instead of trying to go it solo, none of this would be happening."
Benny wanted to argue, to plead, to scream for help, to do anything really. But the drugs that were currently coursing through his veins made it hard for him to say anything, or heck do anything. He had just walked into a trap, just like some amateur loser. The last thing Benny saw was Pasternak's boot coming straight for his face and the sound of bones crunching, before everything went black.
I got you, didn't I? Willingly to bet most of you suspected that Jazz was the Courier but no, I flipped the script here a bit. I'm introducing my Ghoul Courier, who is called Russell Pasternak, and I really hope all of my readers like him! I also decided to end the story here, because I felt like it was a good note to end on. But don't worry, there is a second Chapter that I plan on writing! But anyway, I hope to see you folks soon!
Love,
The Desert Dancer