"Oh, shit…"

Angel ignored the severed heads gazing at her as she slowly moved through the destroyed town. She was really regretting taking the route through Nipton. She spared glances at the people on the posts lining the road, illuminated by the firelight of the torches set beside them. The deepening shadows of dusk danced across the hard lines of their faces, transforming them into terrifying phantoms. She would give them mercy later.

She searched inside a few houses, trying to find any survivors, but most of what she found was tickets for some lottery, and blood trails leading back outside. Whatever had hit the town had been merciless. It wasn't until she reached a house with a pyre roaring out front that she found something to lift her spirits.

Like all of the houses in the ruined world, it was crumbling and cracked, a poor sight to behold. The door had been torn off its hinges, and lay at the entrance, covered in blood. There was a hand lying in the middle of the living room, clutching another ticket. Angel made her way into the bedroom, but a quick scan told her it was empty. Deciding to see if there was ammo to pilfer in the cabinet, she crossed the dirty floor. A tiny, muffled sound made her pause though. She looked around, but saw nothing. Figuring that she was just hearing things, she opened the cabinet and looked through. It was empty. Most likely thanks to whoever destroyed the town.

Dejected, she turned to leave. But just as she passed through the door, she heard the noise again. Angel drew her gun, and crept back towards the bed. Hopefully it wasn't a bark scorpion. She ducked down and turned her Pip-Boy light on, shining it underneath. Her breath caught in her throat when a wide pair of eyes blinked rapidly, almost certainly blinded by her light. Angel quickly turned it off and put away her gun. There was no need for it at the moment.

"Hey, sweetie. Are you okay?" she asked the little girl hiding beneath the bed. The girl only nodded, clutching a torn teddy bear tightly to her chest. Angel reached a hand out for the girl to take, which she did. Slowly, gently, she helped the girl out. Her pink dress was drenched in blood and little more than rags. The blood wasn't hers, as she truly was uninjured. The thought wasn't comforting, though. It only made Angel angrier.

"What's your name?" Angel asked quietly, setting the girl in her lap. Again, the child was silent, and only stared up at her. Wanting to get something, anything, out of her, Angel tried something else. "What's his name?" She nodded at the teddy bear.

The girl was silent for a moment, then almost in a whisper, she said, "Patches." And aptly named, apparently. The toy was almost more patch than plush at this point, and just as dirty as the little girl.

"That's a nice name. I bet you have a nice name, too." Angel nudged.

"…Charlotte. But Mama called me Lottie."

"Nice to meet you Lottie. I'm Angel." She stood up, hoisting the child onto her hip, minding her leather armor. A wave of déjà vu fell over her, but she set that aside to think on later. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Angel thought it best to get more supplies, what with her new companion and all. The nearest ranger station was a good distance. As she made her way to the general store, she told Lottie to keep her eyes closed, and talk about her life with her Mama. That way she was less likely to hear the moans of the dying around her, few as they were now. She would have preferred to get them down and bury them, but she needed to get Lottie out as quickly as possible.

As she got closer to the store, however, bullets flew by her head. Immediately she ducked behind a rusted heap of a car, ordering Lottie to keep down. She drew her gun and peered over the hood of the car, spying crimson figure up ahead. She knew who they were immediately. She'd heard enough about them from the people she'd met on her way down from Goodsprings to recognize the Legionnaires. They formed a line in front of the town hall, their mongrels sitting at their feet obediently…for the moment. She took note of how many there were, who seemed the most dangerous, and the number of dogs they had with them. But the fact remained, she was simply outnumbered. Attacking them would mean certain death, for her and Lottie both. Then again, people said the same thing about getting shot in the head too.

"Don't worry, that was just to get your attention. It's useful that you happened by." The one wearing a dog hide called out, voice strangely soft and calm. A sickening feeling pooled in her stomach. This one was definitely the worst of the bunch. He seemed to be the type that loved killing, even more so than the average Legionnaire. "I am Vulpes Inculta. I want you to witness the fate of Nipton, and tell everyone you meet of the lesson that Caesar's Legion taught here, especially NCR."

"What 'lesson'?" Angel asked, grip tightening on her gun.

"Like many towns in this land, Nipton was a wicked place. It served all comers, so long as they paid. It was a town of whores." He smiled. Sick bastard. "I announced a lottery, deciding who would live and who would die. Each clutched his ticket, hoping it would set them free as they did nothing, even when 'loved ones' were dragged away to be killed."

Beside her, Lottie sobbed. Angel could feel her face reddening with rage. "You slaughtered innocent civilians?!"

He laughed derisively. "Innocent? Hardly. Each cared only for himself."

She took a look around at the crosses that dotted the town, at the dead and dying. She had no love for Powder Gangers, or the Mayor whose journal she'd stumbled upon in a ruined gas station on her way to the Outpost. But no one deserved this fate. "This is unforgivable."

The man crossed his arms and shrugged. "As are all crimes. If you feel so strongly, attack. But soon you won't feel a thing. Neither will that pretty little thing next to you."

Angel paused, sparing a quick glance around her. Vulpes seemed to assume that meant she was too cowardly to fight, and turned to leave with his men. It was perhaps his second biggest mistake. She was just waiting until all their backs were turned, when they couldn't see what was about to happen to them. She looked over at Lottie, whispering to her to get in the car and cover her ears. The child wasted no time complying.

Satisfied that she was sufficiently shielded, Angel drew her gun and aimed it as she hissed, "I bet you'll feel this, bastard."

Boone didn't miss much, if anything. It was just before dawn, and no one should've been up and about. Except Manny, though he didn't leave his room until a few minutes before his shift. That made the small figure heading into town stand out that much more. A closer look through his scope revealed the woman was limping and one arm was dangling at their side. The child walking at her side didn't seem to be hurt.

Soon the females disappeared into Doctor Ada's tent, and Boone once again surveyed the wastes of the Mojave, unsure if they would get any more visitors. He half-hoped they would. Preferably dressed in red. It had been way too long since a Legionnaire had wandered into range of his rifle. It was mostly petty raiders and pests these days. But dawn came and his shift was over, with no other activity. So he quickly headed back to his room, determined not to bump into Manny. It would just end in another fight, and he didn't need that again. He'd just grabbed the door knob when he heard it.

"You're that sniper from the dinosaur's mouth, right?"

He turned his head to glare down at a red haired woman, covered in bandages and bruises. A dark haired child in a dirty pink dress peered up at him from behind the woman's legs, eyes wide. Unconsciously, his look softened ever so slightly, so he wouldn't scare her as much.

"Yeah." He grunted.

"I'm following a guy in a checkered suit. You wouldn't have happened to see him around here, would you?"

"No." he said, and turned back to the door to his room.

"Do you know if anyone else might have?" she asked just as he set foot inside.

"Try Manny Vargas." He said, setting his gun inside, "He'll be heading up to Dinky in a few minutes." He closed the door, leaving Angel alone with Lottie.

"Dinky? What the fu-" Angel looked down at Lottie, voice cracking before quickly covering up her almost slip, "-nniest name!"

"Nice save." Lottie giggled.

"Whatever. Let's go wait inside Dinky, okay?" Angel said, taking Lottie's hand. Again, déjà vu hit her full force. Looking down at Lottie, Angel was surprised to see a young boy in her place, hazel eyes staring into her own. Her gaze dropped to the gaping slash on his throat, which gushed blood down his shirt.

"Angel? Are you okay?"

Angel blinked, and the strange vision was gone, leaving little Lottie back in her place. She squeezed Angel's hand as she searched the older woman's face, which had contorted in shock and was now blank.

"Yeah…" Angel mumbled, eyes glazing over. "Yeah, I'm okay, Lottie. What was I saying?"

"You said we should wait inside Dinky for that Mr. Manny." Lottie reminded her. Even at only seven years of age, Lottie knew something was terribly wrong. She wondered if she should get the lady doctor they'd visited earlier to look at her again.

"Alright, let's go." Angel said quietly, gently tugging Lottie behind her.

Neither could see the slight opening in the blinds in Boone's window, or his watchful, knowing gaze.