Chapter Nine: One More for the Road
But this torch that I found
Its gotta be drowned
Or it soon might explode
So make it one for my baby
And one more for the road
One for my Baby- Johnny Mercer
Lola walks around Novac, asking anyone she can find about Carla Boone. Most avoid her eyes, but the ones who do answer her say what she has already heard. That Carla wasn't too friendly, or that they figured she'd gone back to New Vegas, and no one had the heart to tell Boone. A lone figure in a Ranger hat limps up to her as she lights another cigarette to keep from trying to beat information out of people out of sheer frustration.
"Pardon me, ma'am, but I hear you're asking about Carla?" he says. She nods wearily, blinking the sleep from her eyes.
"Yes sir. Do you have any information?" He shakes his head, and says,
"I wanted to let you know that you're not alone in looking for her. I told the rangers up at Charlie to keep an eye out for her," he says, shaking his head. "But there's just too much ground to cover. I don't think Boone will ever be the same as he was."
"Tell me about them. About Boone and Carla," she says, knowing it isn't any of her business. He motions for her to follow him to his bungalow. She does, and soon they're sitting down sharing a couple of sodas.
"Carla was a knock-out," he begins. "Whenever Boone walked around with her, he had this funny grin on his face like he couldn't believe his luck. I know we couldn't. But that wasn't the only reason she stuck out. That girl never minced words." Lola winces, and motions for him to continue. "If she had better food or hospitality, she'd let you hear it. Trouble was, she usually had." He shakes his head, and takes a sip of his drink. "I don't think she meant it. She really was a sweet girl. I think she just wanted to remind herself that there are nicer places in this world than Novac. Who could blame her for that?" Lola nods, and feels her chest tighten. Carla was probably just a girl who had run off with the man she had loved, and didn't expect to miss the bright, flashing lights of the city so much.
God, but did she ever hope Boone was wrong about her being dead. Neither one of them deserved this.
"So, what do you do here, sir?" she asks in an effort to distract herself from those sad thoughts. He smiles wryly.
"Right now? A whole lotta sitting on my keister and counting cracks in the ceiling. I wouldn't wish it on anybody. On better days, I help keep the peace. Boone and Vargas watch the road, and I watch the town. Tell myself that I'm doing some good," he says, flexing his stiff arm. "I like to pretend I'm still a Ranger, though. I'll check up on Charlie pretty regular on the ham radio. They haven't been responding these past couple of days, so I think they must be getting pretty sick of me." He tries to laugh, but it just sounds hollow to her ears.
"Who is pretending?" she says gently.
"You're real sweet for saying that," he says. He shakes his head. "A few years back, we got a tip that some Legion slavers where holed up in this burnt out house a few clicks from where we were stationed. We get there, and it's deserted. I mean, no sign of anybody. As we were leaving, I hear someone behind me. I," he pauses, his voice getting tight. "I turn around, and there's this kid, just skin and bone, and looking up at us like he's scared to death. Was hiding in a closet. I go to grab him out of there, and I notice he's holding something in his hand. Something metal. He shuts himself back in the closet, and that's when I saw the grenade he'd left at my feet." He gestures to his leg, and doesn't say anything more about how it happened. "I fell on my way out of Dinky a few weeks ago, and I'm just now recovering. Some ranger," he says bitterly.
"You're kidding yourself if you think you're useless," she says, and he gives her a strange look. "It's your body that's damaged, not your head-mind."
"Heh. You're something else, kid," he says, smiling. "Hope I helped you." She nods.
"You did, sir."
"Name's Andy." She stands up, moving to leave, but his voice stops her. "Hey. Since you do a little more traveling than I do, could you check up on Charlie for me? I know they can take care of themselves, but it'd do me some good." She smiles, and nods.
"Sure thing." She exits, and notices the sun starting to go down. She sighs. Maybe she can get in a couple of hours of sleep before the night is over. Lola heads to the motel room she'd rented, not really paying attention to anything, or anyone, in her path. She runs into someone, their bony shoulder lodging in her ribcage.
"Who sent you?" he demands, a wild look in his eyes. "I ain't talkin'! They tried to get me to talk, but I didn't say nothin'! And I don't plan on now, by gum!"
"It's all right," she says, not really in the mood for this. "I'm not going to hurt you. I wasn't sent."
"We'll just see about that. You come any closer, and I'm liable to stick you with my stickin' knife. Ol' Sticky has been feelin' mighty ornery," he says, hand on his waist. She dutifully takes a step back, and hears the settlers that remain outside whispering about them.
"There goes crazy No-bark Noonan again," one of them says. Well, hell. She might as well give it a shot.
"Has anything strange been happening around here?" she asks. He puts his hand up to his ear.
"What?" She repeats herself, and he nods knowingly.
"I don't trust anyone that doesn't have anything strange about him. If a man wears his pants on his head, and talks backwards from time to time, it's all laid out for you. But if he's friendly to strangers, and keeps his home spic-and-span, more than likely he's done something his own ma couldn't forgive." She sighs, blowing her hair out of her face. This is a waste of time. She moves to leave, but stops when No-bark continues to speak.
"Yer lookin' for the pretty woman, ain't ya? The soldier's wife. Well, I've seen it all. Seen shadowy folk come to his room, and leave again in the middle of the night. Thought I saw one go into the lobby too, for a spell. Could be that person went in to get something. Or use the john. Mighty interestin' either way, if you ask me," he says. She turns back to look at him.
"Who?" is all she can say.
"I thought it was cannibals, come to eat us all. But now I know better. It was molerat men, stealing our women-folk for their long, beautiful hair on account of them being bald. They lured them away with promises of mud mansions, and the latest designer appliances. That's why they took the pretty woman. She had nice hair," he explains eagerly. She casts an eye over to the door of the Dino Dee-lite lobby, where Jeannie May is locking up for the night. She nods, leaving No-bark to his rambling, and waits for everyone to clear out for the night.
She waits in the shadows between the motel and the lobby, and watches as Manny gets off of his shift, and Boone starts his. They don't speak to each other, and instead leave the other behind in silence. Boone catches her eye, and she's slightly impressed that he can spot her. He makes no motion to move toward her, instead pointing to his head where his missing beret would be. She nods, and he walks into the dinosaur.
She sneaks out, and picks the lock to the lobby. It comes open with ease, and she gently shuts the door behind her. She looks around. The lobby looks normal, clean except for the few coffee mugs and dinosaur figurines that litter the counter. She spots a floor safe she didn't notice before, and moves to open it.
What she finds inside makes her blood turn to ice.
She reads the Bill of Sale, and her hands start to shake at the words unborn child. Christ. He never told her Carla was pregnant. She takes a long, deep breath to steady herself. She takes the caps in the safe, and reflects that she should probably feel bad for doing so.
However, dead women don't need money.
She stands, kicking the safe closed with a forceful click, and leaves the lobby. She walks down the dusty road to Jeannie May's house, going over the signs of guilt in her mind. Jeannie May hid her crime well, and Lola feels ashamed she didn't notice anything off about the woman before. It should have been obvious. The way she spoke about city folk, about Carla.
She knocks on the door, and a tired Jeannie May answers the door.
"What is it, darlin'?" she asks. "It's awful late to be expecting visitors."
"Jeannie," she says in a small voice. "There's someone here to talk to you."
"Who is it, dear?"
"A m-man. Calls himself Crassus," she says, and Jeannie May's eyes widen just a fraction. "I don't know what he wants." Lola can't keep the rage she feels from causing her voice to shake, but it seems to convince Jeannie May that she's afraid.
"Where is he?" she asks, putting on her glasses.
"In front of the dinosaur." Jeannie May all but takes off running, and it's all Lola can do to keep up with her. They sprint down the road, the old woman's heaving breathing echoing in Lola's ears like a funeral dirge. They stop in front of the dinosaur, Lola standing behind Jeannie May. She looks around, bewildered, and Lola slowly puts on Boone's beret, signing the old woman's death warrant.
"Where is he-" she begins to ask, her voice freezing when she sees the beret on Lola's head. "Oh no. Oh, God no-"
Her head explodes, and Lola barely avoids being sprayed with blood. She sighs, looking down at the body and lighting another cigarette. She looks up at the dinosaur, and gives a small nod before heading up there to talk to Boone.
The walk to the dinosaur's mouth takes forever. When she does finally make it, her cigarette is nothing but ash. Boone's back is to her, shoulders tense and white hands still gripping his rifle. He turns to talk to her, his face locked in a stony expression.
"That's it then," he says tensely, hands still on his gun. "How'd you know?" She wordlessly hands him the bill of sale, and watches his eyes harden as he reads it. He crumples it in his hand when he's finished, and throws it aside.
"It'd be like them to keep paperwork," he says, finally lowering his rifle. He pulls out a satchel of caps. "Here. This is all I can give. Our dealings are done here." She doesn't move to take the money.
"What will you do now?" she whispers. He shakes his head.
"I don't know. I won't be staying here, that's for sure. I don't see any point in doing anything except hunting Legionaries." He chuckles lowly. "Maybe I'll wander, like you."
"Come with me," she says, and the request shocks the both of them. Boone's face contorts in a grimace, and he says,
"No. You don't want to do that."
"We'll kill more with two of us," she offers. He gives her a hard look, and says,
"You're right. That's reason enough for me to take you up on your offer. But this isn't going to end well."
She doesn't ask who it wouldn't end well for, and he doesn't answer.
They leave Novac, and she casts a guilty look in the direction of the REPCONN test site. She'll come back and help later. A few more days wouldn't hurt Novac, but there's no telling if the Khans have already left Boulder City. They make good time, and don't say a word to each other. That suits Boone just fine.
They stop to rest for a bit underneath a large Sunset Sarsaparilla billboard before traveling on. A man with a guitar is already there, quietly humming along to the chords he strokes out.
"Hey there, little lady," he says by way of greeting. She smiles, and answers,
"Hey, stranger. Would you pow-play us a tune?"
"Sure as lack of rain, I would," he says with a grin, and begins to play. Boone isn't tired, but he leans against the billboard to watch his new companion. She sways to the music, mouthing along to the words softly. She looks surprised that she knows them. Around the middle of the song, the man's deep voice croons,
"When I was just a baby, my momma told me, Son
Always be a good boy, don't ever play with guns.
I shot a man in New Reno, just to watch him die
When I hear that whistle blowin', I hang my head and cry."
She tenses the mention of shooting a man, and her gaze moves down to stare long and hard at her pistol. She doesn't sing along anymore after that.
After she sleeps for a couple of hours, she thanks the man and they head on. Boone doesn't ask where they're going. It doesn't matter, but she tells him anyway.
"We're headed to Boulder City," she explains, and he raises an eyebrow, but otherwise says nothing. She wonders about his lack of a response, and sees why when they reach Boulder City.
It's nothing but a blown out ruin that pays homage to the dead. Lola despairs, and wonders if she read the terminal entry on Manny's computer wrong. She isn't as good with words as she would have liked, and maybe she over-looked something. They make their way further in, and meet an NCR lieutenant who stops them.
"We have a situation with some Great Khans," he says, and Lola hopes that these are the men she is looking for. "The brass at McCarran has ordered me to lock down the ruins until it is resolved."
"What kind of situation?" Lola asks.
"Hostage," the lieutenant answers gruffly. "A patrol of ours coming back from Novac came under fire, and radioed for reinforcements. Instead of waiting for us, they chased the Khans into the ruins. No deaths, but not everyone got out."
"These Khans might have something of mine," she says slowly. "A package I was supposed to deliver."
"Once the Khans have been killed or captured, you can get whatever they took from you," he promises. Her brow furrows, and Boone notices the way she brushes her gun. She touches it like it burns her.
"I might be able to," she pauses. "Might be able to talk to them."
"Normally, I'd turn you down since I have no idea who you are, but those hostages are as good as dead when we attack. I'll give you a chance. Their leader is a man named Jessup," he says, moving out of their way. Boone grits his teeth, but follows Lola past the junk door deeper into the ruins. NCR troopers are positioned behind toppled buildings, and the Great Khans leer at them. They aim their guns toward the duo, but Lola raises her hands above her head, so Boone does the same.
"This is a stupid idea," he mutters. "Khans can't be reasoned with."
"I don't want to kill anyone I don't have to," she answers. The Khans take their weapons, and pat them down for hidden ones. One of the men keeps his hands on Lola for longer than necessary, but she doesn't seem as bothered by it as Boone is. They walk inside to see a group of angry looking Khans with a man wearing a bandana in the middle. He pales when he sets eyes on Lola.
"What the hell?" he says, his voice tinged with a mixture of awe and fear. "You're that Courier Benny wasted back in Goodsprings. You're supposed to be dead!"
"I got better," she says amenably, and Boone snorts. One of the Khans glares at him, so he glares back. The man in the bandana, Jessup, runs a shaky hand through his hair.
"And here I thought us Great Khans were tough to kill. So, what happens now?"
"Where's the platinum chip I was supposed to discover-deliver?" Jessup scowls.
"Don't have it. That asshole Benny stole it right before he stabbed us in the back. I bet he's back on the Strip laughing at me," he answers bitterly.
"Well, shit," she says underneath her breath. Louder, she says, "Tell me about Benny."
"He's a Chairman, runs the Tops," he answers, and she files it away for later.
"Let's talk about things between you and the NCR," she says, and everyone in the room tenses.
"What about them?" Jessup growls.
"Let's negotiate," she offers. He scoffs.
"What's there to negotiate? The NCR backs off, we walk out of here, and no one gets hurt."
"Free the hostages, and I'll have the NCR escort you out of their territory," Lola says.
"Are you crazy?" Boone hisses, but she holds up her hand to silence him.
"Trust me," she says quietly back. Jessup shakes his head, and Lola is afraid he is going to say no.
"I can't believe I'm doing this, but all right. The hostages can go." He shoots a menacing look at Boone, eyeing his beret. "The NCR better keep up their end of the bargain, though." Lola nods.
"We're here because they are willing to compromise," she says slowly, carefully forming the words. Jessup reaches in his pocket, and Boone tenses, ready to push Lola out of the way. He holds his hand out, and gives her an engraved lighter.
"Here's a souvenir for you, kid. If you catch up to Benny, shove it up is ass for me, all right? One more thing," he says, still glaring at Boone. "Do yourself a favor, and find some new friends. You're traveling with a fuckin' murderer." Boone tenses, but Lola answers calmly,
"This fucking murderer didn't tie me up and leave me to get shot in the head." She motions for Boone to follow her, and they leave, retrieving their weapons from the guards outside. Boone watches Lola the entire way back to the lieutenant, eyes never straying from the scar on her temple.
