This just wrote itself after work today. Intermission-ish: the Courier does actual city things. I think about this stuff a lot D: but never actually write about it. So here you are: a day in the life.
ALSO GUYS NEW DLC MAY 17TH. GUUUYS.
Boone was talking to Usanagi again, which gave the Courier a few hours - and more, probably, he didn't like coming straight back after seeing the doctor - to get back to the business of putting the city together. She sat in front of a computer terminal, took a deep breath, and hit the power button. The screen flickered, and then a familiar face stared out at her. She narrowed her eyes.
"Well, hi there!" said Yes Man. "I can't see anything and I can't feel anything, so I can only assume I'm running on a single terminal. So, who is this?"
"It's just me," said the Courier quietly.
"Well, let me congratulate you on a very successful counter-coup!" The voice was tinny over the computer's in-built speaker.
"Thanks," she said flatly. "Do you know how much fucking trouble you've caused?"
"I can only guess at it, but you sure sound awful mad!"
She laughed quietly. "You've cost the city thousands, some in lost time but mostly in tourism. Numbers are picking up, sure, but it's going to take a while to recover."
"So, did you turn me back on just to tell me off, or did you have something you want me to do?" Yes Man's voice was cheerful as ever, but the Courier suspected that it was only because he only had one voice file.
"I was hoping," she said. "To find out more about these so-called problems that we had. And what you were planning on doing about them. And why you thought terrifying the population was a good idea."
"Why don't I make things real simple for you?" said Yes Man. "Power is your main problem. That's where everything breaks down. You need the Dam, your other options aren't enough. Someone I won't name right now directed the power from HELIOS One to the whole wasteland, diluting it enough to make it close to useless; the El Dorado substation that Benny managed to sneak into supplements that but doesn't have much juice; the reactor under the Lucky 38 isn't big enough to handle the whole city; so that leaves you reliant on the NCR at the Dam. The Auto-Docs you gave to the Followers are, aside from being a waste of money, a huge drain on our power supplies, even when they're in standby mode."
The Courier chewed on her lip. "So what were you going to do?"
"I was going to do what the plan was on day one, get the huge securitron army you don't seem fond of using to it's full potential to re-take the Dam. Yeah, the takeover wasn't a tourism-friendly move, but this is an issue that needs immediate attention, and you and Benny only seem interested in drinking and screwing around. I'd tried raising it with you both, but you vetoed taking the Dam right at the beginning. I suppose once you get to actually looking at the data in my files you'll see how dire the situation really is."
The contrast between the cheerful tone and what he was saying was making her feel uneasy. "Aren't there any other options for power?"
"Can you build a nuclear reactor?" Yes Man asked. "Because if you can, then boy, all our problems are solved."
She glared at the screen.
"No?" he said. "Pity. I'd also like to point out that you had the option to just disconnect House from everything and leave him to die slowly with the knowledge that everything he had planned had been taken away from him, but didn't. But you're perfectly fine relegating me to a single, non-mobile terminal. Have you got a problem with artificials?"
"Solar panels!" she exclaimed, barely listening.
Yes Man hesitated before answering. "Nice idea, but you'd need a hell of a lot."
"There's heaps of room north of the city. And it's pretty well-protected, too, with the mountain range to the north."
"Where are you going to get several hundred solar panels? They're not just lying around, you know."
"We'll make them!" she said. "Job creation! It's good for the economy."
"It'd be a temporary measure at bes-" his voice cut off suddenly as she hit the power button. She'd had more than enough of Yes Man for one day.
She stopped at the safe in the penthouse, and took out a holotape. She'd been saving this for a time when it was really necessary, and it seemed like this might be the time. She thought briefly about wrapping it, but her quick look around didn't turn up anything, so she pocketed it instead.
She strode across the road from the 38 with as much confidence as she could goddamn muster, heels clicking on the asphalt. She'd been almost putting off coming over to Flaming Star, ex-Gommorah, and she wasn't sure why. After the King had pulled the 'one favour and one favour only' line on her while she was trying to sort the Kings and the NCR out, she'd been wary of him, even a little angry, but what it all came down to was this: physically being around him turned her into a giggling, self-conscious puddle of adoring goo, and that made her goddamn furious. When she wasn't in his direct presence, of course.
She pushed open the door and leaned on the reception desk. The king who was behind it raised an eyebrow.
"Could you tell the King I'm here to see him, please?"
"Sure thing, ma'am." He leaned on the button to the intercom and spoke quietly into it. After a discussion that seemed far too long he turned back. "You can go up."
Her heart was starting to beat a little faster already. Fuck. She clenched her jaw. There was nothing she could do about it, not that she hadn't tried. Being a little drunk made it worse, far worse. Embarrassingly so. Jet would probably just make her more exciteable. Psycho would probably just lead to her being more aggressive about it, which was definitely not appropriate. Or even what she wanted. Med-x - well, aside from the mental voice which was telling her to stop thinking about med-x right now - would probably just further lower her inhibitions. Buffout - she frowned. Buffout might actually work. You didn't think about... stuff like that on buffout.
She kept one hand on the red velvet railing as she walked around the gambling floor to the elevators. The place was different without hookers, that was for certain. The hookers themselves had either gone to the Wrangler or any of the other similar drinking halls outside the Strip, or worked out some sort of discreet arrangement with one of the other casinos.
She stood outside the huge double doors to the King's suite. She took a deep breath, set her jaw, clenched her fists, and pushed open the door.
"Well this is a lovely surprise," drawled the King. "It's good to see you again."
She blushed. "It's - uh, good to see you too." She noted with some annoyance that her voice was pitched a lot higher than normal. She coughed. "I've - um, I got - I brought you something."
She held out the holotape shyly.
He leaned forward to take it. "Is this what I think it is, baby?"
"I know you have a... small collection of these already. One of our salvage teams found it in a vault, and I - I thought you might like it."
"Have you listened to it?" He stood up to slip the holotape into the player.
She nodded enthusiastically. "It's a little scratchy, but I think that's to do with the recording quality than the tape degrading or anything." She licked her lips nervously as the sounds of a guitar being gently strummed filled the room.
Love me tender, love me sweet...
The King was enraptured, holding his breath to hear it better. She took a seat in a high-backed chair and crossed her ankles. She watched his face anxiously for his reaction, heart pounding and palms sweating. She found herself trying to make as little noise as possible while they listened.
Love me tender, love me true, all my dreams fulfilled...
Every so often an expression would flicker over the King's face, happiness or sadness or a million other things she couldn't place. Other than the gentle humming of the backup singers, the only sound on the track was a man - the King, the real King - and his guitar. No brass or drums or anything most of the casinos on the Strip played.
Take me to your heart, for it's there that I belong, and we'll never part...
She found herself agonising over the static, the quiet crackling underneath the music. Did it lessen the sound quality too much? Would he be disappointed she hadn't found a better copy?
For my darling, I love you, and I always will.
He turned to face her, finally, and gave her a sweet, sad smile. "Thank you," he said. "Thank you very much. This - means a lot to me."
She giggled, and when she realised she had she pressed a hand over her mouth.
"I'm serious," he said. "I owe you one. Is there anything... anything I can do for you?"
"I-" she began. "I'm trying to - I know you still care a lot about Freeside, and-" She broke off, took a deep breath, and started again. "I'd like your help. Working with Freeside to help those who live there keep order. The - the securitrons can't weigh up a situation, you know? We need people to sort people's problems out. And I need your support to set this up."
He raised an eyebrow at her. "You're the boss," he said, with a faint smile. "You'll have my full support. Just let me know what you need."
She blushed again, and took the opportunity to stand up. "Thank you," she stammered. "I - I mean - thank you." She pressed her lips together before she could say anything else.
He wasn't paying attention, though, he was dragging his chair over to the holotape player. He settled back into his chair, and hit play again, a blissful smile on his face.
She slipped out and closed the door behind her.
