Boone stood in the elevator of the Lucky 38. The slow whir of the generators kicked on and the faint twang of guitar music played through a fuzzy speaker. The lights flickered and the car creaked as it rode the cables to the presidential suite. He couldn't say how many times he'd ridden it, but he guaranteed himself that his return trip to the streets of New Vegas would be his last.
For months after the Second Battle of Hoover Dam each of his allies had left Lucky's side. Cass had went back to NCR for matters which she refused to discuss. It was an abrupt departure, but both women seemed fine with her decision. Lily went back to Jacobstown with both Lucky and him in tow. The nightkin had developed a deep attachment to his friend, treating her more like a grandchild than as a woman who helped her regain some semblance of sanity. Arcade and Veronica were still in the city, but were working with the Followers. They were knee deep in casualties and destruction when they came back to Freeside. Raul returned to Mexico. He'd promised Lucky that he'd be back. But promises were a strange thing in the Wasteland. As for the flying tin can, ED-E and the robodog, the mutt went back to the King and the bot stayed with Lucky.
With each person's departure, Boone noticed a sadness to his comrade-in-arms, even though he knew she would try to hide it. When it came to those moments, she was very reserved. He'd learned that much about her. She had given so little of herself away that when she'd martyred herself to take them to deal with their issues she graciously obliged them with a small smile. She spoke little of her past and the few times that it had come up she'd only confronted it five times in his presence. Those times she wasn't the woman he'd come to "know." She was someone different in that context. A stranger in every sense of the definition. She'd only ever given him snapshots of her life or her perception of what the Mojave political climate was doing to her. Even after all they had been through, she still hadn't let him know much about her.
He looked at his muddy boots and the worn carpet underfoot. It was his turn to say farewell to his friend. He didn't know how he was going to muster up the words to explain that he'd taken a job with one of the caravan companies so he could stay near Vegas. He didn't know if he was going to see her again; being overseer seemed like such a solitary responsibility, even for her.
The elevator jerked to a stop, throwing him slightly off balance for a second. It was one of those things that he wasn't going to miss in the slightest. He removed his sunglasses from his face as the door slid open. He was greeted by the darkness of the presidential suite. He thought it was odd that the lights were out. It was a first for him. Even with everyone departing, there always seemed to be life throughout the halls. Soft chirps came from Lucky's room. The door was shut but small threads of light escaped from under the door.
He opened it and saw ED-E hovering over Lucky's bed. The bot whistled and bobbed when it noticed Boone in the room. It rushed at him and stopped a couple of feet away from his face. It babbled and squawked several times before facing the desk and looking at him.
"She's not here is she?" Boone asked with a sigh. ED-E whistled sadly and hovered back to the bed. Digital grumbling came from the Eyebot and let out of a softer, descending whistle. "Alright."
He glanced at the desk and saw a small metal case. A folded paper sat on it with his name scrawled across the top. Boone circled the desk and sat in the office chair. He opened the note and saw a six digit code and nothing else. He picked up the box and was surprised by how heavy it was. He remembered her lugging it around with her. Small enough to fit in a pack, but sturdy enough to protect whatever she had hidden in there. In fact, she seemed very protective of the contents that she almost seemed hesitant to acknowledge its existance.
He pressed the code into a pad and heard four loud clicks as the lid unlocked. He opened it up and saw a holotape, some pictures, other trinkets and her Pip-Boy. He slid the tape in and heard a loud burst of static come over the speaker. He turned the dial down till it was barely audible and let out another sigh.
"Hey, Craig. I guess if you're hearing this then you know I'm gone. Sorry about that. Neither one of us like good-byes," Lucky's voice stated softly. He heard her breathing, the soft shuddering that he'd only rarely heard when she was under duress came clearly through the speaker. "Damn, I hate these things," she chuckled. "I was hoping it wouldn't come down to this. And I knew eventually you'd be leaving too." She paused, cleared her throat, and proceeded, "Don't take it that I wanted you to stay. You do have a life outside of... I guess, our escapades and problem solving.
I owe you an explanation, I think. I didn't want to drag you into this. Hell, I didn't even know you when I decided and definitely didn't have the forethought about what I was doing. So, I'm sorry. Again."
He heard the metal click of her lighter opening and closing repeatedly and an awkward silence. He leaned over the Pip-Boy, nearly urging her to continue. She'd learned a lot about him, but there was no balance in their "relationship." He had ideas about who she was, but never admitted it and when he'd start to peg her down, she became dismissive and deflected it with a change in topic.
"I'm glad I got to know you. And there are things I would have told if given the time, but... some things and some people deserve to stay dead. If that makes any sense," Lucky continued. Boone nodded and leaned back in the chair. ED-E hovered closer to him and listened as well to the audio. "If you're wondering why I chose to leave this for you, it's because I've come to trust you. Whatever you may have thought about me... No. I'm not going to open that up. I can't.
I just know – or hope – you won't judge me to harshly. Just an ounce of understanding is all I ask," she said. "So, let's get this going – alright... It started in the dead of night outside Goodsprings..."