Greetings from Big MT

Chapter Two: The Lottery

Trying not to panic while Aurelius and Jesus talked business, which was especially when they sat at the rounded booth, where the Centurion sat right up against her with his arm around her waist, it took all of the Courier's willpower not to freak out while he was stroking her leg, since she knew the kind of danger that the casino's owner would be in if she revealed him. So her former tormentor just sat there, wearing casual clothes like any wealthy wastelander would, and Tonya's mouth ran dry when he suddenly leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek when Jesus turned to get another bottle for them.

"Yes, I think me and my family are going to be quite… effective in this town." Aurelius said with a smile. "I tell you, Mr. Mordino, you won't even recognize the city when we're done with it, and your casino… has given me exactly what I was looking for."

Squeezing the Courier's thigh again before they all got up from the table, the Centurion and Jesus shook hands, with a promise of drawing up the proper paperwork for their merger tomorrow, and then a good laugh about how much the NCR loves their paperwork. Aurelius kissed Tonya's hand again before leaving, and for a moment she was given hope that he somehow hadn't recognized her. After all, last time he saw her she was covered in Mojave dust, and sounded completely different… either way, his presence meant trouble for New Reno.

"Tonya, what's wrong, eh?" The big man asked, putting his hand on her shoulder. "We just close great deal, no? Why you look so scared?"

"Mr. Mordino, that man is from the Legion." She stammered, shaking a bit more. "I've met him before, he's a really high up commander, he… hurt me back in Arizona."

All the Courier could see at that moment was what had happened almost a year before, when she had made a delivery to Aurelius' camp in Arizona. She remembered seeing a slave whipped literally to death, and another slave, a woman this time, screaming as she was nailed to a wooden cross shortly after… all so that she would sleep with him without a fight. These particular slaves, he had said, had been taken from a recently conquered town nearby, and Tonya feared that she might have joined them if she hadn't escaped after the Centurion was done with her.

"Tonya, sweetheart, you're safe here, don't worry." Jesus assured her, sitting her back down and getting the bottle. "I don't know much about Legion, but if new investor hurt you, and you're sure was him, then I have security make him disappear into wall of basement, eh? You're good girl, Tonya, I protect you like own daughter… well, more like hot stepdaughter."

The big man's words made her feel a little better, but the NCR still needed to be told what was going on, so once the big man returned to business, the Courier went to her dressing room and changed into something a little more appropriate for running around outside, since she was going to tell the Troopers herself about this threat, herself. Now bundled up in a heavier coat and trousers like the ones she used on delivery jobs as she left the casino, Tonya's boots sunk a little into the snow with each step while on her way to the NCR Detachment Headquarters at the end of the next block.

Unfortunately, however, the building was empty when she walked in; the door was unlocked and the lights were on, but there were no Troopers, inside or patrolling the perimeter like they usually did. In fact, now that she was thinking about it, she hadn't seen any of the NCR Troopers at all since leaving the Desperado Club… not even the off-duty ones stumbling down the street after drinking too much, and honestly this frightened her.

Hoping to see even a single armed Soldier of the New California Republic while walking down the streets toward her home, and becoming more nervous all the time when she realized that none of the chem pushers or gangs were around either. On one hand it was nice to be able to go home without having some loser offer a free first hit of Jet or Hydra, since she was still trying to shake off the last of her own Med-X addiction with the help of a really expensive drug called Fixer… but then why was she so scared that a tear ran down her cheek?

From her second story apartment, only a block away from the Desperado Club, she could look out the window and see that the streets were becoming sparsely populated, but that was probably because it was nearing dinner time, not that she was hungry as she pushed open the door and ran inside. The Courier had been planning to take a trip back to California pretty soon anyway, somewhere safe like Shady Sands or Junk Town, it was just going to happen a bit earlier than planned, as she threw a light traveling bag together.

"The old Roman Gods must love me, Tonya." A voice said behind her, making her spin around. "You really had my Frumantarii fooled for a long time, thinking maybe you were a cousin or maybe a sister... but your reaction today cinched it… you clean up nice, scortum personalem mei."

"Oh, you startled me, Mr. Phoenix." She replied, hoping her new voice would still fool him. "But my name's not Tonya, see… my real name is Vera Keyes… Tonya Greene's just a stage name because it sounds more exotic."

Okay, that might have been the dumbest thing that she ever said, and Aurelius of Phoenix wasn't fooled, instead pushing the door closed before walking over to her. She found herself moving away until she backed up against the table near the wall, leaving Tonya with nowhere to go except to lean backwards as the Centurion walked up to within inches of her. Letting out a scared yelp uncontrollably when he reached up toward her face, he chuckled to himself while touching the edge of the barely visible scar on her neck instead.

"It was this that gave you away, you sneaky little profligate." He explained, lightly running his finger down the length. "Great Caesar told me of machines that could change whole identities through surgery… surgery like the one you had… right? I love your new voice, by the way; your old one was high and kind of annoying… why do you think I kept my hand over your mouth when we were having sex?"

"Why are you doing this to me?" The Courier asked, her voice shaking. "You got what you wanted, so just… leave me alone."

Shaking his head and chuckling again, the Centurion informed her that things in this city were no longer so simple; Caesar had ordered him and his men to begin scouting the land called New Reno for purification almost a year before, and it had been simply luck that one of the disguised Legionaries noticed her when she moved in almost six months ago. In fact, the purification of this city had only been held off until he could verify whether or not New Reno's Sweetheart was really her, and now there was nothing to stop the Lottery.

"Lottery?" She asked when he finally moved his hand away. "I don't understand."

"Of course you don't, you're an uneducated profligate." Aurelius replied, grabbing her by the hair and pulling her over toward the window. "Look out there at your home, Tonya; see how the streets are empty? Let me explain to you exactly why that is."

Over the past year the Legion had brought in enough Legionaries in plain clothes to actually outnumber the people of New Reno, who were now being silently rounded up in their homes and businesses just as they were sitting down to dinner. The Centurion had also paid the local gangs and chem pushers handsomely to do the same thing to the NCR Troopers, but now that the threat of the Two-headed Bear was silenced, the true reward of the gangs was to be rounded up as well.

"Once the sniveling cowards of New Reno are taken and bound." He continued, tightening his grip on her hair so she had to look where he wanted. "All of them will be given a little slip of paper with some numbers on it, since Great Caesar has commanded that not all of the people need to be punished… just some of them."

When everyone was given their paper, the numbers would be called one by one, and the first group was known as the lucky losers, since they would receive a quick death with no suffering. The second group to have their numbers called, and the Courier was in tears by the time she heart this part, since she had seen it with her own eyes, were the not so lucky losers, since they were the ones who were crucified and either burned alive or simply left there to rot in place. And then the third group got to keep their lives, but were taken away by the Legion to be broken and become slaves for the rest of their lives.

"By then there are only two left." Aurelius explained, seeming pleased with the process. "The runner up gets to live and stay free, but will get his legs broken, or maybe his arms depending on my mood, and then there's the lucky winner. The lucky winner gets to go free unscathed so that he can tell the world about what the Legion did, to spread fear and lower morale within the NCR. Sounds like fun, yeah? How about we go and join in?"

He started moving her toward the door of the apartment, but received a surprise when Tonya stomped down on his foot, brought her fist back into his groin, and then slammed the back of her head into his face, resulting not only in the Centurion losing his grip on her, but also in him nearly falling down while stumbling backwards. The Courier was terrified of the Legion and what they were capable of doing, but New Reno was her home, and she was about to attack him again, when Aurelius righted himself before… starting to laugh.

"Well, this is really something." He said, wiping the small amount of blood off his lip. "Usually women just cower or try to run away unless they have a gun, but you're the first one I've ever seen try to fight me off with their bare hands… makes me want you more for some reason."

Opening his coat and taking out a large pistol, Tonya thought he was going to shoot her, but received a surprise of her own when the Centurion set it down on the nearby table. Next he took out a large kind of sword from a hidden sheath up his back that might have once been a machete, and also discarded it next to the pistol. He did the same thing with a knife in his boot, before opening his coat again to show her that he was no longer carrying any weapons, but sadly… neither was she.

"I'm going to admit some weakness for you, Tonya, since our last encounter." Aurelius continued. "Some of my men even thought that I was weak for letting you get away, so how about we make this interesting… since you want to fight so badly?"

The terms that he was suggesting were simple enough; they would fight hand to hand, and if the Courier won, then New Reno would be spared. He would call off his Legionaries, and get on his knees and kiss her feet in front of the whole city, admitting defeat, and then explaining to Caesar why he ordered a full retreat back to the next claimed Legion territory. If she were to lose, however, that would be a whole different deal.

"If you lose, then your city burns with all your loved ones in it." He explained, getting a serious tone. "You'll be bound and collared as a slave, and then after the city is gone, you're going to be my wife with Caesar's blessing, and Tonya… you won't believe how many children we're going to have."

Losing offered a frightening prospect, but this contest also gave her the chance to save her city from the Legion, as long as he kept his word. Outside the window she could see the commotion starting down the street, where a crowd was gathering… no, more like being herded into the square, meaning that the lottery was about to start. If everyone in the city was really there, then this fight was the only chance she had to save them… so as scared as she was… the Courier agreed.