"Don't you have an IV stand for this?" Arcade sighed as he held up a bag of radioactive dye while its contents slowly drained into a dead nightstalker.
"I do," Doc Henry said, sounding a bit annoyed. "But the higher it is, the better the flow. Now hush and let me think."
Grumbling, he continued holding up the bag. As if it wasn't bad enough being treated like an inanimate object, his arm was starting to get tired. Nearby, Layla was going over a set of data printed from one of the diagnostic tools. Calamity had shown her what readings she needed to look for; the Courier didn't have much background knowledge in neuroscience.
"Um," Layla said as she looked at another read-out, "I think this one's got it."
"Double check," Calamity rasped out, her tone sounding somewhere between annoyed and amused. The Courier had already had a few miscalls, so now she had to check with the IV stand. She got up and moved over to Arcade.
"This one," she said, pointing to one of the images of a nightstalker brain. "The one with the… blob on the right lobe."
Arcade squinted at the image, then nodded. "Yeah, that's a tumor."
Layla smiled, then handed the readout to Calamity. "I think I'm getting the hang of this."
"That's good," the ghoul said, shaking her head.
Sighing again, Arcade watched the fluid bag in his hand slowly drain. He had to agree with Layla's assessment of Doc Henry's willingness to work with the other Remnants. He'd be willing, but only if they could get him away from his research. That had seemed like it wouldn't be too hard until they found he'd been conducting sensitive experiments. Apparently the treatments he'd been administering on the nightkin of Jacobstown were possibly causing tumors, something the doctor was adamant about determining.
That all lead to the same conclusion: he would be too busy to go to the bunker or fight in the coming battle. Layla had suggested they feel him out some more while she thought of a plan. For now, they'd help with the experiments, trying to find if the tumors found on a few of the test nightstalkers were due to the treatments.
"How has Lily been?" Layla asked as she set down the last of the MRI readouts. "She's seemed very alert lately."
"There have been some… complications," the doctor said with a grim face as he looked up from his display.
"What?" Layla sounded startled to hear that. "What is it?"
"Lily's treatment is starting to show results. She's coming along nicely and having hardly any instances with 'Leo.' The problem is she has been having trouble keeping her mind in the present."
"She still thinks she's in the vault?" the Courier asked.
"No, she's had episodes of believing she was still in the 'Master's' army."
"Oh." Layla's eye went wide. "Oh, that can't be good. Has she done anything?"
"Nothing violent; I believe she still understands who her friends and enemies are. But her thought processes are definitely aligning with her time as an assassin."
Layla looked uneasy. "We had hoped she'd be able to help us at the dam…"
"I don't think she's a danger to anyone she categorizes as an ally," Doc Henry said.
She nodded, then looked up at Arcade, raising her eyebrows. He figured that was his signal.
"About the dam…" he started, and Henry looked up.
"What about it?"
"I've spoke with Judah, and the Remnants might be making an appearance. We were hoping you'd meet with everyone at the bunker."
The doctor looked thoughtful at that. "I'm intrigued… but I'm not certain if now is a good time to head off. This treatment phase is a little tricky."
"I can handle it," Calamity said, sounding torn between amusement and annoyance again. "We won't have any results on the tumors for a few days. And we're not moving on to that phase of treatment for another two or three weeks anyway."
"I'm not sure-" Henry started, but the ghoul cut him off.
"Go on, blow up some jackass Legionaries. It'll be good for you."
The doctor chuckled. "All right, I'll go." He turned to Arcade and Layla. "You'll need my part of the password: 'Friends.'"
"Thank you" said Arcade, a little surprised it had been that easy.
Henry waved away his thanks, then started for his equipment. "Get on out of here then. I've got to get things in order before I go."
Soon he and Layla were on their way out of town. Arcade sighed as he thought of the old doctor, the one who had started him down the path of science. He caught Layla giving him a questioning look.
"Henry was always hard to figure out," he explained. "He didn't care if it was dog or human he worked on, he had an equal affection for them."
"He seems to care for his work quite a bit," Layla said, nodding.
"He solves riddles just because they exist. The practical application isn't as important as the answer." Arcade sighed. "Not everyone dreams of being a revolutionary. I guess he works by doing good while he's here. No one's going to sing Doc Henry's praises when he's gone."
"I don't know about that," Layla said conversationally as they started down the mountain. "I think the super mutants are pretty happy with him. I don't think they're going to make any statues, but he's touched everyone here."
Arcade nodded absently as the two continued along the road.
*.*.*
"You don't mind if we stop in Primm real quick, do you?" the Courier asked later in the day.
"No," came Arcade's response. "What's in Primm?"
"What's in Primm? Why, it's home of the Vicky & Vance Casino, Yeeee-haw!" Layla giggled. "And I need to stop by the Mojave Express."
"Looking for work?"
"Ha. If only my life was as simple as delivering mail again," she answered, looking wistful.
"Ah yes, the 'good ol' days' when you got shot in the head?"
"I still get shot plenty, and now a lot more people than Benny are doing the shooting."
"I suppose that's true," Arcade agreed. "What are you going for, then?"
"I've got some mail to send out," she said. "I'm their best client now that I'm all successful-like."
Arcade could only shake his head. As they continued on, he let his mind wander again. Their efforts to gather the Remnants together had been going very well. Much better than he'd thought, anyway. Of course, they hadn't talked to Orion yet.
"What the hell?" Layla cried suddenly, causing Arcade to stumble. Looking around, he didn't find anyone trying to shoot or maim them. Turning back to the Courier, he found her digging binoculars out of her bag.
She put them to her eyes and whistled. Following her line of sight, he saw what appeared to be construction going on near Quarry Junction. New buildings were going up, stone fences were being built and roofs were getting shingled. Arcade could see fresh foundations getting poured and masons erecting brick walls. That kind of quality in new construction you only saw in Shady Sands or the Hub.
"What are they doing to Sloan?" Layla gaped.
"I haven't the foggiest," the doctor said, shrugging. Layla put the binoculars away as a thoughtful look came over her face.
"Well, I bet Mr. Nash would know."
"Mr. Nash?"
"He's my boss. Well, my courier boss." She smirked. "The people of New Vegas are my other bosses right now."
*.*.*
Layla smiled as she strode into the Mojave Express building. This place had been her first headquarters when she'd come to the Mojave.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't 'The Courier.' I thought you were too high and mighty to come before us little people," she heard before she'd even gotten through the door. A surly-looking man sat at the counter, giving her a dirty look.
"Shut up, Wade," came from the woman in the doorway to the inner section of the building. Wade glared at both of them, but made no further comment.
"Hello, Suze," Layla said, paying Wade no mind. He was always a grouch. Instead, she grinned at the first friend she'd made as a courier, "How're the roads?"
"A whole fuckton better since someone booted the Legion off this side of the river." The other woman smiled. "And since you got your boyfriend to shoot all the deathclaws off the Long 15."
"He's not my boyfriend," Layla said immediately, feeling her neck start to turn red. "We're just friends."
"Suuuuuure," Suzanne said, then eyeballed Arcade as a sly grin spread over her face. "And who's this tall drink of water?"
"He's a friend," Layla staid before the doctor could answer. "A happily-married friend."
"Oh well," Suzanne said with a shrug. "Can't bang them all."
Now Layla was shaking her head. "That's not very… Oh! Speaking of the Long 15, what the heck is going on at Sloan?"
"New construction," the other woman answered. "Don't know much-"
"Is that Layla?" came from the other room.
"Hello, Mr. Nash!" Layla called. A moment later the wizened man stepped out to the main room.
"Hello," he said. "What's my least productive courier up to?"
"Never mind me! What are they doing to Sloan?" she asked.
"Some brahmin baron from California's decided to spend his midlife crisis out here," Nash answered, sounding wholly disgusted. "Wants to 'relive the Old West.' So he bought the quarry off the NCR and is putting up a town."
"Of all the crazy things…" Layla mused, looking Arcade's way. He shrugged, and Layla returned the gesture.
"Well, anyway…" She dug a letter from her pack. "I've got a lucrative job for an able body."
"Utah again?" Nash said as he pulled out the thick ledger he used to keep track of his business.
"Mmm hmm," she answered, placing the envelope on the counter.
"Emergency again?"
"Nah, time it with a Happy Trails caravan. Just regular old correspondence."
"Missionaries?" Arcade asked.
"Yup, mainly the deadly one," she said with a wink, then dug out a bag of caps as she turned back to Nash. "I'd also like whoever goes to pick up a couple boxes of .45 ammo. And they get a big bonus if they bring me back some tequila too."
"You're the one with the caps," Nash answered. A few moments later, the paperwork was done.
"Tell whoever goes to be careful," Layla said, then smiled. "How are things?"
"Busy. Wars make for plenty of panicked soldier-family correspondence. And some of my employees have been commissioning expensive trips to other states."
"Just trying to keep the economy up," Layla grinned. "Is there any-"
"Nash!" a man shouted as he rushed into the building. "I've got an emergency message!"
"Good gravy, Tobias! Calm down," Nash admonished as the man stumbled into the room. "What is it?"
"I've got a delivery, from a robot."
"Robot?" Layla perked up. "What kind?"
"One of those ones from the Strip," Tobias gasped out.
"What's the message?" she asked, now concerned. Tobias gave her a mildly suspicious look.
"It's supposed to be for the recipient only," the man said cautiously.
"Is it for Layla Granville?" Arcade asked, sounded just as worried as Layla was.
"Yeah," Tobias looked Layla's way. "Is that you?"
"Yeah, give it here."
The man looked at Nash, unsure.
"Well, deliver the message," the old man answered impatiently. "Go on before we all die of old age."
Tobias handed over a folded piece of paper, and Layla opened it. She read it as Arcade looked over her shoulder.
"Layla
Cass got hurt in a Legion ambush. She's recovering at the Old Mormon Fort.
-Veronica"
*.*.*
Julie Farkas sighed as she walked out of a tent. She'd done all she could for the patients under the Followers' care at the moment. As if the normal ills of this place weren't enough, war added another layer to the misery.
The Follower hadn't been witness to the Legion's cruelty directly, not until the group of slaves that had been freed from Fortification Hill had come her way. Now she'd seen plenty of Legion casualties, more than she cared to.
It would only get worse before it got better. As she noted the grim faces around her, she took a deep breath. It was up to her to keep a calm demeanor, even when faced with such a dark reality.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, there was a small commotion at the fort's entrance as the Courier burst in. The girl caught Julie's eye and made her way over, Arcade in tow.
"Where is she? Is she okay?"
Julie pointed to one of the tents, and Layla ran for it before the other woman could answer her questions. Arcade hung back with Julie.
"How bad is it?" he asked, sounding apprehensive.
"She's got a broken leg and three bullet wounds," she answered.
"Where were the wounds?"
"Upper body for two, one in the leg. Honestly, between the broken bone and that bullet wound, I don't know how she managed to walk back here."
"She walked here?" Arcade gaped, then shook his head. "How's she doing?"
"She's not exactly the best patient," Julie answered. Arcade snorted at that, and she continued. "But she'll recover quickly. The bone's already mending."
They both made for the tent, and Julie smirked when she found Cass still surrounded by Veronica and Raul. Layla was sitting at her side, looking stricken.
"I'm so sorry, Cass. This is all my fault." The Courier looked like she was about to start crying as she gazed at the older woman's pained face.
"Oh quit bawling!" Cass cried. "I'm more hung over than anything." She pointed accusingly at Julie. "If you hippies would just give me back my hooch-"
"Alcohol will thin your blood and hamper the stimpak's ability to mend your bones," Julie sighed. She'd already fielded this complaint several times today.
"So what happened?" Layla asked, starting to calm down.
"Fuckers got the drop on me, but they're shit for shots," the caravaneer said. "I'd have thought they were drunk, except Caesar can't have his boys getting the vapors over booze."
"But what did you do?" Veronica asked, arms over her chest. "How did you take them all?"
"I fucking shot them." She grinned slightly. "Got a couple where it really hurts."
"How long until she's healed?" Layla asked Julie.
"Two days, tops."
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Cass growled. "How long do I have to stay here?"
"Two days."
"Without whiskey."
"Yes," Julie sighed.
"Fuck," Cass bit out, then turned a poisonous glare at Layla. "This is all your fault."
The devastated face the younger girl made at that immediately had Cass sighing explosively.
"Oh I didn't mean it. Fluff my pillows and sneak me something stiff and I forgive you."
"What kind of stiff?" Veronica asked mischievously.
"Either at this point." Cass noted Julie's frown. "Oh don't get your panties in a bunch. School girl here wouldn't sneak me booze if she was told not too. And the only men she finds she immediately calls dibs on, then refuses to fuck."
Layla turned bright red.
This update was brought to you by a pause in pie production. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I'll see you on Saturday! Happy Thanksgiving!