I'm so sorry for the delay, my editor has been sick the last few days. Not his fault though, I should have gotten the chapter to him sooner :(. Anyway, things should go back to Saturday/Tuesday update schedule after this. I hope you enjoy the new chapter.


"They're scared of you. There's no other reason for a bounty that high," Colonel Hsu said as he guided Layla to his desk chair. The Courier was getting a little tired of everyone acting like she was going to faint, but she was grateful for their concern nonetheless.

"And I don't think you'll have much to worry about from most of the NCR. You're pretty popular," he said with a chuckle. "So your only real concern are people who were going to kill you before. Only now they'll be trying very hard not to kill you, making them less effective."

Layla smiled. That made a lot of sense, which made her feel better. She wasn't fool enough to think the bounty wouldn't make things more dangerous. Both she and Hsu knew that. But it wouldn't be too different than before. She was going to have to use that logic with her friends when this came up later.

"Thank you," she said to him. He merely smiled, and she continued. "Now, what's this about a Frumentarius in the base? That centurion said he was the one giving away the troop movements here. We can't just sit around and wait for this guy to start murdering officers…" She said the last part with a meaningful look to the Colonel, who gave her a faint grin.

"You're right, can't let him kidnap any upstanding citizens with large bounties either…"

"Anyway," Layla sidestepped, "let us help. I bet we can figure it out if we put our heads together."

"I've got Captain Curtis on it already. He hasn't been made aware of the new intel from the prisoner, though." Another amused grin came to the man's face. "I think I can rule you out as a suspect."

"What? I'm the prettiest of Legionary of them all." She stood from her seat. "We'll keep you informed."

"Thank you. You've certainly been an angel on our shoulder."

Layla smiled, feeling a slight blush come to her cheeks. "Just trying to be an upstanding citizen." Hsu smiled at her as she and Boone left to find Captain Curtis.

*.*.*

"Layla. He's Boone." The Courier stuck her hand out to the captain, who shook it. "Colonel Hsu said we might be able to help you with the intelligence leak."

"Smart man," said the Captain. "I could use someone who can work under the radar…" Layla found the man to be a little stiff as he gave the two an appraising look. "Although I'm not sure you two could do anything 'under the radar.'"

"Don't be so sure," the girl said with a grin. "People don't tend to see things coming when they're distracted."

"That's true." He looked like he was about to say something else, but Layla interrupted him with a sudden thought.

"Oh! Colonel Hsu wanted us to pass along some information…" Curtis motioned for her to continue. "We just had a little chat with that centurion they caught. We don't know who the leak is, but now we know it's a Frumentarius."

"Frumentarius?" Curtis's face shifted into a slight sneer. "Did that dog have any other information?"

"Nothing useful," Layla said. "Oh, except that if I want to retire I just need to hand over Boone. Turns out we've got a bit of a bounty."

"Ah," was all the captain said. Layla was getting the suspicion the man didn't like her. "Well, if you want to start looking around for information, I'd suggest Sergeant Contreras. He's our Supply Officer, but he's been dabbling in less than legal supplies."

"Why is he still operating if you know what's he's up to?" Layla asked, a little surprised.

"The MPs can't make anything stick. Don't think they haven't tried. The last lead in my investigation went cold a few weeks ago. He was my next target."

"All right, we'll go have a talk with him."

*.*.*

"So you need a supplier?" Layla quirked an eyebrow. She knew the dance she and the supply officer had just started. "Why? You got something I wouldn't be able to get anywhere else?"

"Are you suggesting I have a side stock of illegal wares?" Contreras said carefully, but with a tinge of amusement in his tone. "Because that kind of talk could get a man in trouble…"

"That kind of talk could get a girl with a lot of caps to burn excited," she answered. The sergeant's face split into a grin.

"All right, maybe you can help me out. Do me a favor, and then we can talk about getting you excited."

Oh, he was good. Layla felt her cheeks burn a little and she held back a giggle. Pretty cocky too, as she could feel eye lasers coming from Boone. She couldn't help her smile as she answered.

"All right. What do you need us to do?"

*.*.*

"I don't like this…"

Boone hadn't been happy about leaving the base. He had been less happy they'd done so to deliver messages and pick up packages of unknown contents for Contreras. Layla had rather hoped the two boxes of .50 caliber rounds she gotten him at the Gun Runners would make him feel better. She looked his way and found him frowning from behind the box they'd picked up from the Crimson Caravan at the sergeant's request.

"Come on, how bad could it be? Crimson Caravan isn't in the habit of selling illegal merchandise in NCR territory." Seeing his still suspicious look, she sighed. "Fine, hold on." Boone came to a stop, and she carefully opened the box in his arms. Inside were various medical supplies.

"Huh, guess I was wrong," the sniper said, then noticed Layla's frown. "What?"

These are the base components for Jet and Psycho…" She looked up to find Boone's eyebrow raised, "You just need a few common cleaning chemicals to cook them up.

"So now what?" She was grateful for the lack of smugness in his tone as she closed the box.

"…That little- well now I'm pissed."

Now Boone was giving her an I-told-you-so look and she glowered.

"Why do you always get upset when I trust untrustworthy people?"

He merely stared at her, and she sighed.

"Let's see what he does when we get this back to him."

*.*.*

"These are drug components," Layla said flatly.

To Contreras's credit, he didn't seem even slightly fazed.

"Are they? I never realized that…" He looked into the box with an innocent expression. "Well, they're also necessary medical supplies for the base. If the people I sell them to abuse them, it's not my business." The Sergeant said earnestly, and convincingly so. "Well anyway, thanks for your help. How would you like to lend me a hand one more time?"

"I thought we were going to get to the exciting part?"

"We'll get to that. I'm sure I can give you something that'll satisfy you. Just come back in a little while, I'll have one more stop for you to make."

Layla was nearly ready to call this whole shebang off and go to Boyd, but she hesitated. Contreras knew who she was, yet was trusting her with a lot of sensitive, illegal information. She wanted to know how much he'd let her in on.

*.*.*

The package the supply officer handed Layla a few hours later was heavy and carefully sealed. Raising an eyebrow at Contreras, she found him smiling.

"Drop that off with Price at Miguel's Pawn Shop in Westside," he told her. "You need to use the pass code I gave you or he'll shoot you."

"Ah, great." Layla handed the box to Boone, who looked incredibly unhappy.

"Once you've got that done, come on back and we'll start talking about my more intimate ballistic services."

Stepping outside, Layla could feel eye lasers on her this time. Cringing slightly, she braced herself and turned. Sure enough, Boone looked like he was about to drop the box.

"I'm not transporting illegal chems…"

Layla let out a sigh. "Come on, we're trying to get to the bottom of this."

"We're looking for a Legion spy. The Legion doesn't allow chems."

That was a very good point. Layla frowned.

"We can at least find this Price guy. If nothing else, we can make Lt. Boyd's day by bringing her a lot of hard evidence on Contreras."

Boone shook his head, not arguing any further. They started for Westside with a slightly awkward silence hanging in the air. By the time they got to Miguel's, it was late afternoon. Layla hesitated at the door.

"Give me the box," she said. Boone gave her a newly suspicious look. "Come on, you didn't want to be the mule. Give it here."

He didn't move, and Layla sighed. "If this guy's got a itchy trigger finger, who do you want to have free hands?"

He looked like he was going to refuse again, then handed it over with a grumble. Fumbling past the box for the door handle, she stepped into the pawn shop. She'd be lying if she didn't admit to herself that she was nervous. Even though she wanted to continue this operation, Boone's concerns were close to her own. She didn't even pick up chems she found while scavenging, and now she was carrying a huge box of them to a drop point.

Trying to tamp down on her growing skittishness, she looked around the shop. There was a man sitting at a desk at the far side of the shop, and Layla made her way there.

"Do you know a Price?" she asked politely. The man grinned as he looked her up and down before answering.

"Yeah, I'm his business partner. He's pursuing a business endeavor, so if you've got something for him, I'm accepting on his behalf."

That set off warning bells in Layla's head. She almost turned tail and walked away, but she figured she might as well try the pass code.

"I'm looking for betting advice…"

The man gave her an irritated look. "What? Do you have anything for me or not?"

"That's not the pass code," Layla said. It took her jangled mind a few second to realize she'd said that last part out loud. The man at the desk didn't look happy.

"What? That little weasel didn't say anything about a pass code." He looked furious, then glared in the Courier's direction. "You're under arrest."

Layla's mouth dropped open. The change that came over him was shocking, now giving off an aura of menacing authority. He stood, drawing his pistol.

"E-excuse me?" she sputtered. "Who are you?"

"Ranger Keller. I've been undercover for months trying to break up this drug ring. Now drop the box and hand over your weapons."

"Woah, woah, I don't want any trouble!" She handed over the box, which the ranger put down on the desk and opened with one hand, keeping his gun on her. Layla winced at the sight of several doses of Jet and Psycho. Keller gave her a smug look before it shifted back to a stern frown.

"You're under arrest for drug trafficking. Throw down your weapons and put your hands up."

Layla was mortified. "Wait, wait! This is a mistake, I-"

"Shut your mouth and get those hands up!"

"Hold on, you, we-" She looked to Boone for help and found him on the other side of the store, apparently absorbed in a copy of Tales of Chivalry. She glared at him for a moment before turning back.

"Okay, listen!" she said quickly as the man started for her, looking angry. "I'm undercover too! I'm here from McCarran, looking into Contreras. Captain Curtis and Colonel Hsu sent me!"

Keller stopped just as he was about to grab her, giving her a suspicious look.

"Contreras? That's who sent the package?"

"Yes." Layla was suddenly aware of how hard her heart was beating. "He gets most of the components from the Crimson Caravan and makes drops with that Price guy."

"Ah." Keller's face lit up. "That's the evidence we've been looking for against him." The gleeful look on his face diminished to suspicion again as he regarded the girl carefully. "Now, how do I know you're not just tap dancing to keep yourself out of jail"

Layla felt like she was going to be sick. "I-I just was, I wanted to. Helping out with- someone at the base. Find out about drugs?" She was babbling. She bit down hard on her lip, feeling panicky tears well up.

"All right, all right! I believe you!" The ranger shook his head, putting his gun away. "Geez kid, don't ever actually go undercover. You fall apart too easy."

"…So you're not going to arrest me?"

The man groaned. "No."

"Oh, good." The Courier coughed and smoothed her skirt out, horrifically embarrassed. "So, uh, what's going to happen to Contreras?"

"That sleazebag's going to end up in front of a firing squad. There's no tolerance in the military for that kind of thing."

Layla felt sick again. "Wait…" The ranger looked at her curiously while she tried to think. "Why don't you use him? He's in the center of the drug ring. If you've got him as an insider you can get more of the group."

Keller sat on the edge of the desk. His eyebrows furrowed as he thought. "All right, that's not the worst idea. Go tell Contreras he's got two choices: work with us or die."

"I will. I uh- bye!" Layla stammered, retreating for the door of the shop. On the way out, she grabbed Boone by the arm and dragged him outside.

Once they were back on Westside's dirty broken streets, she released the sniper, leveling a glare at him.

"Thanks for the help back there!"

"Sorry," he said flatly. "I don't consort with drug traffickers."

Mouth agape, the Courier punched him in the arm. Giving his lack of response, it probably didn't hurt. He merely kept looking at her with a faint grin.

"Give me back those bullets and that rifle. I'm rescinding all gifts I've ever given you. And don't think I'm ever cooking for you again." She turned heel and started in the direction of McCarran, feeling her face turn red with anger and embarrassment.

"What happened back there?" Boone asked. "You don't usually get so worked up…" She turned a darker shade of red.

"I- he was going to arrest me!" She caught her companion shaking his head in her direction. "What?" she demanded.

"Boyd's right, you are a Goody-goody."

*.*.*

"Augh, you're killing me, you know that?" Lt. Boyd said grouchily.

"Keller said with his help, they'd be able to cripple the drug trade in the area…" Layla said, having just explained the ranger's plan to utilize the shifty supply officer to the MP. The soldier had not been happy she couldn't use the evidence to arrest the man, but Contreras had been even less happy when she'd come back to him with the Ranger's offer.

"Oh that's just beautiful, you really are a choir girl, you know that?" Layla tried desperately not to blush as she saw Boone smirk out of the corner of her eye.

"Anyway," she said firmly, "we just wanted to let you know…" She let out a sigh. "This whole thing was a bust. We were supposed to be finding the Frumentarius."

"Oh yeah? Hsu got you on that now?" Boyd asked. Layla nodded. "In that case, you might want to go look into the communications tower. Someone's been sneaking into it at night. It's probably nothing, and I haven't had the time to go stake it out. Of course, if you think it's morally objectionable to go snooping around, maybe you could try just politely asking people if they're the spy…"

"Oh, you can all go to hell."

*.*.*

Layla held back what would have been a loud sigh as she looked toward the communications tower. Stakeouts were boring, and she was beyond restless. Looking Boone's way, she wasn't very surprised to find him in the same position he'd been in before; leaning against a crate and gazing the direction of the tower.

He'd offered to keep lookout, telling her she ought to get some rest, but she'd refused. Why she never took him up on his generous offers to keep watch was beyond her. The crates surrounding them gave a good view of the tower's door while obscuring them from most of the large open space. All of it was painfully boring.

Drawing in a deep breath, the Courier could feel fatigue pulling at her. It'd been a very long and fairly unpleasant day. That coupled with her still healing body and she knew she was overdoing it by staying up. That wasn't enough to get her to leave Boone to the stakeout alone, though.

She knew why. Well, there were a couple reasons; she'd feel bad if she didn't stay up with him, and catching a Frumentarius at their own game was way too good an opportunity to pass up. The final reason was something she wouldn't admit out loud, but she didn't want to leave the sniper alone to face the Legionary by himself. Boone was capable, way more capable that she. It would take a lot more than a single Legionary to cause him trouble… but there was always that slim chance something could go wrong. Frumentarii were sneaky bastards, after all. Layla's mind wandered to Silus' earlier threats, and the thought of Boone in the Legate's hands turned her stomach.

Shaking away the thought, she hopped up on a crate, sitting on the edge. A moment later, she had to force her eyes open after they'd drooped closed. Sighing, she concluded she needed something to keep herself occupied.

"Boone," she whispered. "Tell me about Bitter Springs."

He didn't look as shocked this time, which was probably a good sign. He didn't answer either. She gave him a few moments, then spoke up.

"I've heard a little of it; a bunch of Great Khans got killed… not all of them hostiles."

He sagged against the crate he was leaning on, taking a deep breath.

"There was a… miscommunication."

Layla sat up. She hadn't exactly expected him to answer her. Frowning, she considered his response.

"That must have been one hell of a miscommunication," she said.

"Yeah well, that's how they wrote it up in the report." He said it lightly, but a dark look came over his features. "We went in and did what we were ordered to do. A lot of people got killed, but that's how it goes."

The guarded tone in his voice told her that he still wasn't comfortable talking about this. Though Layla was pretty sure that'd be the case no matter how long she waited.

"Sounds like you've got regrets…"

"You don't go through a tour of duty without regrets…"

Layla gave him a sympathetic look, and he turned away. "Do you think about it a lot?" she asked.

"Yeah… All the time, even when I sleep."

The guarded tone was gone, replaced with the fragile quality that usually accompanied his pained thoughts. The Courier was certain that Bitter Springs was the center of Boone's trouble. Whatever he'd done made him think he deserved punishment. His wife's death had confirmed it in his mind.

Looking at him again, she found him staring at the tower, avoiding her gaze.

"Maybe it would help to go back?" she suggested.

He turned back to her, and she could see his face take on a guarded look she hadn't seen on him since they'd first traveled together. "It won't help, and that's not a memory I want refreshed."

Layla bit back a sigh. She didn't really know if going back would help him, but it sounded better than doing nothing. Just as she was about to speak again, someone crossed her view by the tower.

Pulling her binoculars out, she looked to see who it was. Captain Curtis peered around before sliding his keycard into the door terminal and slipping into the tower.

"What the hell?" Layla whispered. "Why is he here?"

"Don't know," Boone whispered back, looking through his scope. Layla frowned, thinking.

"He must have gotten the same tip from Boyd. I'm going to let him know we're staking the place out already… Stay here incase our saboteur shows up." Her companion nodded, and she took off, walking quickly toward the tower, cursing herself for the fifth time this evening for not changing into the 'sneaking suit' she'd found in the Sierra Madre. These heels were killing her.

Opening the door to the control tower, Layla heard voices. Maybe the captain had caught the spy, though how they got past her and Boone was a mystery. She was starting to get a bad feeling about this and kept quiet as she crept up the stairs of the tower to the main room.

"…Tomorrow at 0600 a patrol will be near the Rock Crushing Plant, patrolling for fiends. Make sure mines are set around it," said one voice.

"Understood," came the reply, sounding like it was coming from a radio. "Is your mission almost complete?"

"Yes. I've had to accelerate it. The Courier is here and looking into the intelligence leak. I'm running out of time."

Layla managed to quietly slap a hand over her own mouth. Curtis was giving the report. It took her reeling mind a moment to come to the only logical conclusion: the Captain was the Frumentarius. Creeping closer into the room, she kept listening, wanting to hear more about his mission.

"… The bomb is already on the monorail. It's set to explode in a few minutes."

Layla stood abruptly, losing her footing and nearly falling back down the stairs. Curtis turned and spotted her. They stared at each other for a moment before both started moving. The Courier turned and ran back down the stairs as the Frumentarius took off in a run to catch her.

By the time she'd gotten to the main floor, the Legionary had caught up to her. She reached for the door controls as his hands closed on her arms. The captain dragged her away from the door as she struggled, turning her around to face him.

"The Legate will be pleased. My mission is complete, and I've got you as a bonus," he said with a grin. Layla knew if she started screaming her head off Boone would hear, but then he'd come charging in and have to deal with a hostage situation. By the time it all got sorted out, the monorail would probably be destroyed. By the way the man was grinning triumphantly, he must have been thinking the same.

Figuring she really didn't have time for this, she opted to knee the Frumentarius as hard as she could in the groin. He clearly hadn't been expecting that and crumbled to the ground. Layla didn't give him another thought as she ran for the door. Soon she was outside, kicking her heels off and running barefooted toward the main building.

"What is it?" she heard Boone call as she passed him.

"No time! Monorail's gonna blow!" Still pumping her legs as fast as she could, the girl heard Boone's thundering footsteps catching up to her just as she reached the door.

Inside the terminal building, the Courier stopped trying to avoid people, opting to barrel through them instead. For the most part, the soldiers got out of her way. She ended up knocking Hornsby on his ass as she made it to the door of the monorail station. If they lived, hopefully he'd forgive her.

The train was still at the station, but she was sure she'd heard the departure warning already sound. Leaping on to the car, she started searching frantically. Boone joined her seconds later. Panic started to build as she looked from row to row of seats, finding nothing.

"There!" the sniper shouted, pointing to an air vent. Reaching it first, Layla could barely make out a faint light as she ripped off the cover. An explosive charge stared her in the face, it's blinking red light glaring at her. It was at that moment she realized she had no tools with her and had no idea how to defuse a bomb. She could barely handle dynamite.

"Fuck." Looking at the device, she figured she'd pull the power supply and pray it didn't have a kill switch rigged to it. After searching for a moment, her not-so limited grasp of wiring told her the wire to the power was in her fingers, and she took a deep breath.

"If this kills us, I'm sorry," she said to Boone.

"Do it," he replied, and she pulled the wire. The red light faded out, and they both stared at the package, neither moving. After a few more moments, Layla started breathing again.

Turning, she found Boone and about ten soldiers staring at her. Standing with as much dignity a she could muster, she addressed the closest trooper.

"Could someone who actually knows how to defuse a bomb please take a look at this?" She then promptly fainted.

*.*.*

"… She was bedridden for a few days. This is the first time we've left home since she's been on her feet. It was supposed to be an easy trip…" Boone's voice filtered into Layla's ears as the world starting coming back to her.

"Between not sleeping and running the length of the base, plus the stress of disarming the bomb, she just overexerted herself. She'll be fine just as soon as she wakes up." Layla didn't recognize that voice, but he sounded like a doctor.

"Dealing with the centurion and finding out about the bounty probably didn't help either…" That was definitely Colonel Hsu. The Courier sat up with a mild groan and found all three men turning her way.

"The bomb didn't go off, right?" she asked as the doctor moved to check her.

"No, and we have you to thank for that…" Hsu said with a tight grin. "Curtis had been in the NCR for years, long before the campaign against the Legion even started. No one ever suspected him, and we would never have caught his plan."

"I wouldn't have either if it hadn't been for Boyd's tip," Layla said as the doctor checked her blood pressure. "Did you catch him?"

The Colonel frowned. "No. He must have gotten away while you were defusing the bomb." As the doctor stepped away with a nod, she found Hsu giving her a serious look. "You've done us an immense favor. Losing the monorail would have made this base nearly obsolete." A grin came across his face. "I wish all the NCR's citizens were as 'upstanding' as you."

"I just got lucky," she said, blushing.

"All right Colonel," the doctor said, "she needs some rest." He then turned and leveled a finger at Layla. "You're not going anywhere until you get some sleep."

"Okay, okay," the girl relented, and the doctor nodded, leaving her and Boone alone. Looking over to the sniper, she found him giving her a concerned look.

"You okay?" he asked. The Courier nodded. Stretching, she winced at a sharp pain in her shoulder, the one that'd been pierced at the Sierra Madre.

"Ow!" She rubbed it. "Where did that come from?"

"You hit one of the seats before I could catch you…"

"Ah, well, at least I didn't hit my head." She laughed as a thought came to mind. "You're not going to tell Arcade about this, are you?"

"No." He walked over, sitting next to her on the bed. It was an unusual gesture for him, but Layla held her tongue. He looked like he was struggling to say something.

"I've been thinking…" He looked up, and Layla gave him an encouraging smile. "I think I do want to go back to Bitter Springs."

"What changed your mind?" He shrugged, staring at his hands.

"Nothing. Dream. Sick of thinking about it." He looked at her for a moment, then turned his gaze toward the tent's cloth walls. "Once this war is over, maybe we could go back…"

Layla nodded. She'd hoped he'd make this choice. "Good, we'll head out tomorrow." She frowned at the look Boone gave her.

"You're supposed to rest, and I told Arcade we wouldn't leave the base."

"I'll be fine in the morning, we already left it once, and since when did you and Arcade agree on anything?"

"Recently."

"Well I don't know if I like that. And we're going tomorrow."

"It can wait a couple days."

"For what?"

"You just passed out from running across a base full of friendly soldiers. It's miles to Bitter Springs, and the road is crawling with cazadores."

"Ah." The Courier slumped a little. "Cazadores. Okay, you win; we'll stick around here for a day or two, then we go."

Boone sighed heavily. "Fine… I don't even know why we're going. I don't know what I'm going to find."

Layla smiled softly at him, hand moving to rub his back without thinking. She gave him a last pat before giving him a push.

"Get out of here, I need my beauty sleep."