Three: All Our Time Can't Be Given Back

Warning: Some sexual assault and violence mentioned in this chapter.

Craig,

If you're reading this then it means I'm not getting the chance to tell you in person. For that, I'm sorry. As your partner, I know pushing you away to do this alone is practically unforgivable. But I hope you can see it my way eventually.

If I'm successful, House will have the weapon he wanted and it'll be used to drive the Legion out. First and foremost, find Yes Man. He's locked in a closet in an abandoned building in Freeside, near the east on the second floor. I've given ED-E the location, he can lead you there. I know it might not be ideal letting House call the shots, but if it helps defeat those slavers then my journey will not have been a waste. But if House ever becomes a detriment to the people of the Mojave, you'll have Yes Man. Do what you need to do. I trust your judgment.

Also, use the rifle. It's about time I got you a gun in return and this one lets you punch through Legion helms easily - it'll be like shooting through a lakelurk egg. Keep your distance and do what you do best.

I'm sure you can appreciate how difficult it is to put what I feel for you into words… You were the first person that had my back after I woke up with no past, the first who stood with me and followed me on the road. I don't think you'll ever know how much that's meant to me; someone with nothing. Just know that I wish I had been able to do more. For you. For us, maybe, had I been given the time.

Just don't give up… not on yourself. You can do so much to help, don't doubt it. I'm a firm believer in second chances. It has to explain why I survived when medical opinion has said otherwise. Besides, one of us should live to see the Legion chased out of the Mojave.

It's a lot to ask, I know. But it's all I have.

Come out of this alive.

- Six

… … …

The courier hesitated, unsure as she studied the letter. Scanning the contents once again with a careful eye, she knew it wasn't enough; not nearly. But maybe in death she could be honest with him.

It was morbid. Yet she couldn't ignore the itch between her shoulder blades, the feeling of uneasiness that followed her since she'd woken in the predawn hours after a restless sleep in Searchlight. The Forecaster's words were on her mind as well, in a loop that kept replaying and she hadn't been able to shake them off on their trek to Cottonwood Cove or in the hours since they arrived.

The boy had insisted on earning the caps she'd pushed into his hands the morning before, after Veronica had spoken to him quietly and given him a hug goodbye. Both Raul and Six had chickened out on hearing their own 'thoughts' so she asked about 'Everywhere' instead.

'Forecast: A rain of blood will flood the desert and not purify it.'

There had been more to his prediction than that, of course; more words on the dire future of the Mojave. But it all boiled down to that sentence and she couldn't move past it, the Platinum Chip feeling warm on her chest; almost like a living thing. It was a gamble, what she was doing and where she was heading.

It made Six wonder if hearing her own prediction would really have been worse.

If she succeeded in getting House's task done, he would have the means to take complete and unquestionably control of New Vegas. He would probably close it off, alienating the NCR further. In turn, it might make the NCR realize they needed to back off from their conquest of The Strip and instead focus on the Dam. It was a big maybe, though. But she hoped that she was right on one count more than anything: that House would have to be more aggressive against the Legion once they finally routed at the Dam if he wanted to keep New Vegas running. Enslavement was not good for business, after all.

As much as she willed herself to remain unfazed, Six wanted to cover her bases. There was a big chance that she would not make it out of The Fort - she was aware of it. Strangely enough, the thought itself didn't make her think twice about heading there anyway. What made her hesitate was what she wouldn't be able to finish.

Having nothing else to her name, she decided to leave her weapons behind. She folded the sheet of paper up before addressing it to the NCR sniper. It went in the rifle case, folded into her 1st Recon beret to be delivered to the Lucky 38. The magnum she'd just gotten would remain with Raul. Maria she left him with instructions to be delivered to Bitter-Root along with the only picture that she had in her possession. Bitter-Root would have to deliver the bad news to her sister if he ever found her. She even wrote a short letter to Joana and folded it around her NCR bills, keeping it together with a rubber band.

Her satchel with all her collected junk and remaining caps she left to Veronica and The Forecaster. Arcade already had Sunny's hat. Goodbyes were being delivered all around.

Or, nearly - the only one she had nothing for was ED-E and it weighed on her. All she had left him with were instructions to lead Raul to the Lucky 38 and then to head to The Old Mormon Fort. She was hoping he could find the scientist that had reprogrammed Yes Man. Maybe she'd be able to help him.

Six pulled what remained of the cigarette from behind her ear, distracted by the water gleaming in the daylight. They were on the ledge overlooking the pier, far enough away from the radiation that they didn't need any chems. But she had them waiting in her pockets, ready to begin swallowing pills once she headed in.

Sitting on a scarred wooden bench, Veronica came to sit by her, returning from scouting with ED-E. Raul was cleaning his revolver, a cloth spread on the picnic table behind them.

"You messed this place up pretty bad," the scribe commented, reaching for a box of snack cakes and digging into it. The courier's satchel was on her shoulder already but Veronica seemed uneasy with it there, tugging at it on occasion.

Six lit the cigarette and took a calming drag as she waited for the sun to hang lower in the sky. She wanted to arrive at The Fort just after dark, when the stealthboys were most efficient. "That was the plan."

The courier took in the result of her handiwork from a distance, witnessing the destruction she had left behind. What had once been Cottonwood Cove Resort was devastated, the radiation levels high enough that the man at the pier was wearing a radiation suit. She saw him from her position and knew he probably saw them too, although with the angle of the sun it was hard to say. But he was the only Legionary present.

The dead bodies remained where they'd fallen, however. About the only sight that didn't make her feel too conflicted was of Canyon Runner's stilled body.

"Look boss, I know I'm here as a result of you doing some stupid shit and getting out of it alive," Raul began, not liking what she had asked of him, his eyes not leaving the parts in front of him. "But be careful."

All she could do was plan for contingencies and they all knew it. "Give me three days. If I'm not back in that time, you know what to do. ED-E will take you where you need to go."

ED-E beeped in protest but his tone was lower than usual.

When the cigarette was finally out, she crushed it and popped a couple of Rad-X. She counted the minutes it needed before it would take effect in her head as she checked her sidearm and hunting rifle and got a feel of her holdout weapons.

The sun was nearing the horizon when she finally gave a nod in the direction of her companions and began climbing down the ledge.

The ferry ride from Cottonwood to The Fort was about four hours long and it was a silent one. After the Cursor Lucullus made some derogatory comment on women's inferiority to men and their sole role as child bearers, conversation was pointless and could have ended with either one being pitched into the irradiated water if she wasn't careful.

Her silence continued when her rifle and sidearm were confiscated at the front gate, her duster turned inside out and the Rad-X and empty Mentat tin tossed into a bin at the entry gate with obvious disgust. She had the remaining Mentats in her mouth, melting slowly as she kept her mouth shut, even when the hands that ran over her body were rough, almost bruising.

The pants she was wearing were lined, the leather thick and reinforced. They covered the silenced 10 millimeter from view but not from hands that were groping her this deeply. When the main gate sentry ran his hands down her butt near her thighs and the weapon, she flinched exaggeratedly, knocking her butt and hip in the legionnaire's face where he knelt searching her from behind.

He landed on his ass and glared at her, standing up hurriedly. With an angry look in his eyes, he yanked her braid free painfully from its careful position. Bobby pins caught in her braid and other parts of her hair, tugging on her scalp as well, falling out freely in others. She clenched her teeth and wondered how many remained, feeling a few still poking her skin at odd angles. But at least her distraction had worked.

When the stimpak and jet were found in her boots, Six finally opened her mouth, her breath fresh and sweet, the citrus pleasant. She managed to convince the sentry that she had a heart condition and the remaining chems were needed if she was to speak to Caesar with any coherence.

It wasn't until all obvious weapons and chems were removed that the gatekeeper surprised her, rendering her speechless once again. "We will be taking the Platinum Chip as well, Courier."

She went cold as her mind began working out how Caesar could've known. She reached towards her chest slowly, unzipping her leather jacket as low as she dared and reaching in gently. She pulled it out carefully, not wanting to call their attention to her chest anymore than she had to, almost sweating at the thought of the knife there. She didn't dare act like she was ignorant, however. If they found it, they would search her again and find her other hidden weapon and the thought of having only her hands to defend herself left her feeling frightened in a way nothing else had thus far.

She handed it over, her demeanor remaining calm as she dropped it onto his open palm. But she felt her heart drop when he tugged her forward by her wrist, hand already reaching for her undershirt and beginning to tug down roughly. He bared one breast to the night air, to the catcalls of the others gathered and she felt a small stab of relief even as she felt horrified, that they focused on that when she could almost see the hilt of the knife if he pulled her shirt that much lower-

"That is enough. I will not have the great Caesar's guest be treated like a common slave upon arrival."

The hands at her chest stilled and Six pulled herself straight with a heavy scowl, trying to hide her relief at being let go as Vulpes Inculta approached them. His voice was what she recognized once again, his head bare of the canine headdress he'd worn in Nipton. He was in his Legion armor, not the suit he'd worn on the Strip and his cold stare didn't leave the sentry as she fixed her shirt. Even when the sentry backed away from her, the chip held in his outstretched hand, his gaze remained, an obvious challenge to whoever took it.

Six watched Vulpes take the chip and slip it into his belt before he turned the full power of his cutting eyes on her. She met his stare straight on, her eyes hard as she reached a hand down to tug her jacket zipper closed. She tried not to show the depths of her anger or how shaken she was by their actions so far.

"After you," he intoned, gesturing for her to take the lead into the camp and towards his dictator's tent. She left her duster behind, not wanting to hesitate any longer. The longer she remained here, the bigger chance she faced at a misstep and a bad outcome.

But she faltered again, when she saw the familiar checkered pattern, the recognition making her stomach sick as she stepped into Caesar's tent. The mongrel hadn't done this to her, even when his salivating maw had lingered near her outside the tent, too close to the gun at her thigh. She thanked her luck that it had been a while since she'd fired it, that the gunpowder was just a scent that permeated her entire being and not just the weapon there. But nothing got her as badly as the sight of Benny kneeling on the floor near his own personal guard, his face almost unrecognizable in its blood and bruises. Her heart sank for some reason and she realized later that her body knew what danger she was in way before her mind could process it.

She had no chance to talk to him, however, Vulpes leading her with a hand at her elbow towards the dictator. She felt his baleful glare follow her nonetheless.

But once she was standing in front of Caesar, her attention was on nothing else. "You're the courier who's caused so much trouble for my Legion, and yet you dare come before me. So tell me this, because I really want to know. I am feared - with good reason. But you - of all people - dare to come here and stand before me, the mighty Caesar. What were you thinking?"

She had decided to remain honest, knowing it was the best way to keep her story straight despite the road blocks she was now facing. "You guaranteed my safety. Your Frumentarii assured me of it."

"And you fell for that? Really? Because I'm going to have you killed now." The pit of Six's stomach filled with ice and it didn't thaw, even at Caesar's next words. "... Relax. I'm fucking with you. You do know why I wanted to meet you, right? A man nearly kills you, so you track him across the breadth of the Mojave? You arrive on the Strip and waltz into the Lucky 38 like someone left you a key under the doormat? You visit the Tops, and next thing you know, the head of the Chairmen is fleeing the Strip like a whimpering little pup? When you set your mind to something, you get results. I like that. The question is… are you ready to get started?"

"She sure knows how to hedge her bets, if that's what you're asking baldie."

It came from Benny and he was quickly silenced, a quick, sharp boot to the face that had him crumpling with a cry of pain, his nose spurting blood.

Six hesitated, caught in the snake's glare before she finally nodded, her voice sounding cold and sure. "What were you looking to start?"

It wasn't difficult, what he asked her to do, even with only her old 9 millimeter in hand as the weapon they allowed her to take into the bunker. She inserted the Platinum Chip into the console, crawled into the unlocked hatch and was in awe of the Securitrons she found buried there, waiting for House to command them due to her intervention.

No, the thought that consumed her after that was what Caesar had promised her. Benny's demise was in her hands, as unwelcome as the first time. Circumstances had forced his fate onto her once again and she struggled with it. She would be forced to kill him this time, against her wishes and it rubbed her in all the wrong ways.

She approached the tent once again with trepidation. Her talk with Caesar went smoothly enough and she would blame her absentminded attitude on Benny later as she approached the Chairman, his beaten face accusing, his limp arm making her burn with something close to guilt.

"Don't look at me like that, pussycat." He was scowling and she focused on that, on his rancor, the hate in his dark eyes. "I knew there would be hell to pay if I was found out."

"How the hell did you end up here?"

"You mean after you ratted me out to my men and they chased me out of The Strip? The fox bastard found me real quick after that. Couldn't really defend myself with my arm the way it was, baby doll."

She didn't respond, instead focusing on what she needed to do. She needed his anger, something to cling to so she could kill him in cold blood.

"Fine, be a complete bitch if you want to be, Juniper. Just get off your high horse for two minutes and admit what we had was good for the brief time it lasted."

She was outraged, she couldn't hide it. "How is it that you are focusing on that at this moment?" she hissed, disbelief coloring her tone as well. She was glad the Praetorian had let them be, walking a few feet away out of earshot but keeping them in sight.

He smirked at her, or as much as he could given his broken face. "I take pride in my work, doll. And I don't have much time left, so I'm taking my kicks where I can…"

She looked at him as she mapped the distance to the lake, to the boats hurriedly, her mind racing at the thought of the stealthboys she had. They lasted two minutes each. Her heart was thundering, a desperation rising in her as she fought to remain calm, the sweat beading on her forehead, her chest. She couldn't stop the feeling that her nerves were slowly overtaking her...

She remembered being in his arms, a slow dance in dim lights, feeling flattered that he even noticed her in her braid and simple clothing, looking nothing like Joana and her pretty, glamorous friends. She was a wastelander on the Strip, a farm girl under her Courier occupation. But he had noticed her, thanked her personally for helping Tommy Torini gather some talent, the Lonesome Drifter a welcome addition to the performers. She'd been lost in his eyes for a moment, the mischief there as he led her in a slow turn, pulling her closer still after she returned dizzily into his embrace.

He leaned in, his breath warming her face momentarily, waiting for her. And she had closed the distance finally, taking his invitation and meeting his lips with hers, hand fastening on his shirt.

She had stilled suddenly, surprised with her actions. But he had immediately reciprocated, his lips expertly taking hers, warming her so completely she forgot they were the only couple dancing, the others watching them as Tommy practiced his new number.

"Christ, Benny…"

She couldn't. She couldn't do it, and now she kind of had an idea why.

"Baby, you've gotta do it."

She frowned at him, blinking away anything other than the fury she felt at being put in this position, at what she was being forced to do without a choice. She reached a careful hand up and touched her upper arm before she straightened her posture and cleared her expression, turning to return to Caesar once again.

She felt their eyes on her, Vulpes and Benny and the other man, Lucius, but her eyes remained on Caesar. "I have made my decision. I wish to fight him in the arena."

There, maybe she could slip him a couple of stealthboys without a guard breathing down her neck.

But a different thought overtook her as well. A darker one.

There, if she was forced to, she could kill him if needed to. Self-defense was a powerful motivator.

Swallowing with difficulty, hands clenching, she waited. She felt some relief and allowed her shoulders to relax when Caesar finally agreed. But he had his stipulations.

"You will have your fight, Courier. But since your opponent is crippled in one arm, I decree that you shall be as well. Vulpes?"

Six had no time to prepare, was barely turning to look at Vulpes as the sharp, cutting weight of the machete blade bit into her right shoulder with enough force that she felt it down to her collar bone and shoulder blade and knew that they had been the ones to stop it.

She cried out as stars exploded behind her eyes at the pain, the sound unrecognizable to her. Her knees hit the ground with jarring force, left hand immediately flying to her wounded shoulder as she swayed and her body clenched in self-defense. The pain was a burning sensation in her shoulder but it was tingling at the same time, panic setting in momentarily. She felt her blood leaking out, the area slowly becoming cold with the adrenaline.

Caesar voiced her thoughts, his eyes eating her pain hungrily. "Time is running out, Courier. I suggest you kill him quickly."

She fought the panic that threatened to seize her as she was helped to her feet, Vulpes leading her to the Arena, a trail of blood following her and Benny.

"Remember who you are, Courier," Vulpes advised besides her.

She wasn't sure what he meant or if she wanted to really know as they handed her a machete and pushed her into the Arena, the darkness illuminated by a few torches. Legionaries began to gather, she noticed, her focus scattered.

But as Benny was led into the opposite opening with his own machete held in his left hand, his right arm still limp, her focus sharpened.

She got into a defensive stance and waited for him to make the first move.