NINE
The
Den
September 9th
22:48
Lysanna paced up and down in the doc's waiting room. She still had no idea who that girl was, but she knew that she didn't seem like the sort who deserved to die on the street with a bunch of chem addicts gawking at her.
"And?" she asked sharply as the doctor came out, "How's she doing?"
"Touch and go," he replied as he threw his bloodstained gloves in the trash. "If she can make it through the night, the worst'll be over."
"The night's still long."
"Medicine's not an exact science, miss. I can't say anything for certain. We have to wait, whether you like it or not."
Lysanna flung herself down on a chair. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude."
The doctor sat down opposite her and lit a cigarette. "Don't worry about it. It's how people are when those close to them are in danger." He looked back at the door he came out of, and then to Lysanna again. "Who did this to her?"
Lysanna shook her head. "I have no idea, to be honest. I don't even know who she is."
The doc looked at her for a moment, confusion on his face. "But then why – "
"Because she was a person in need," she answered before he could finish. "And because people around here don't care about eachother enough."
The doctor laughed. It was only then that Lysanna realized he was actually quite handsome. About ten years older than she was, but still.
"Let me guess," he said. "You're from some tribal village aren't you?"
Lysanna smiled uncomfortably.
"People don't work that way over here. It's good of you to think that way, but I hope you don't expect to receive the same treatment from others." He shifted in his seat. "Which brings us to a less pleasant matter... Doctors are expensive. Can you pay for all this?"
The question took her unprepared. Did everything have to be paid for in this world? "How... how much would it all cost?"
He took a drag from his cigarette. "Let's see. Treatment, hours, medication and expenses... Say, 200 dollars."
Lysanna suddenly felt warm all over. "I... I don't have that kind of money."
She half-expected the doctor to say, "Oh," push out his cigarette and kick her and his patient out on the sidewalk. Instead he simply blew smoke out through his nose. "I see."
"I uh, I thought being a doctor was about being compassionate?" Lysanna attempted.
The doc looked at her evenly. "It's also about not starving."
Lysanna looked at him despairingly, knowing most men thawed rapidly when she used the right look. The doc harumphed and said, "Tell you what. You can pay me back when you have the money. That OK for you?"
Lysanna nodded. "It is. Thank you."
He pushed out his cigarette and leaned in closer. "I'm going to ask for an extra compensation though."
One of Lysanna's eyebrows went up.
"You'll have to tell me your name."
"Oh!" Lysanna said with a smile. "Of course, I'm sorry. I'm Lysanna."
The doc held out his hand. "Kyle Edwards." Lysanna shook it and he got up. "I need to go check on our patient."
"Can I come?"
"Sure, if you want."
It was the first time Lysanna got a good look at the patient. Her hair was a tangled mess of long brown hair, and her face, although swollen and badly battered, still managed to show a sliver of its beauty. Her most obvious and eye-catching feature were her large breasts. Lysanna's breasts felt as if they had shrunk to the size of mosquito bites.
"Well," Edwards said, reading a printed strip of paper that had come out of the odd beeping machine next to the unconscious girl, "You sure picked the right girl to save. When he face heals up, she'll be quite the looker."
Lysanna gave him a surprised look.
"I mean," he added quickly, "not that you aren't a beauty yourself!"
She laughed. "Don't worry. I'm not that insecure."
"You have no reason to be, either."
"I know," she said with a smile.
"I've got some good news too, by the way."
"Hm?"
"The arm you thought was broken, well, it isn't. A dislocated shoulder, but that'll be fine." He ran a hand through his blond hair. "If she pulls through, that is."
Lysanna sighed and looked down at the unconscious girl's face, again wondering why she'd been so badly hurt. "Can I stay with her tonight, doc?"
He nodded. "Sure. You can even sleep in my bed if you want. Don't worry, it's a bed for two. And please, call me Kyle."
Lysanna tried to stay by the girl's bed, but around three in the morning, sleep started tugging down her eyelids. She thought for a moment to sleep in the chair she was sitting in, but the prospect of a bed finally won, and after one last look at the girl's damaged face, wreathed by brown hair, she want upstairs. The young doctor was already asleep, on his side, with one arm above the blankets. She left on her bra and underpants and crawled into bed beside him. When she lay down on her side, with her back to the doctor, his fingers started gently stroking her shoulder.
The light overhead was a harsh white. Outside there was only blackness. Lysanna was sitting at the table in the doctor's kitchen. It was 4:45 in the morning. She'd tried lighting one of the doctor's cigarettes but it tasted terrible.
"Can't sleep?" Edwards asked in the doorway.
Lysanna shook her head.
"What's wrong?"
She kept staring at the table.
"You're not regretting what we did, are you?"
"Yes I am. I feel like a whore."
"Why?"
"You probably knew I wouldn't say no because I owe you money."
He sat down and sighed. "That's not it. As stupid as this sounds, I've been lonely ever since my wife died, two years ago, and suddenly there was this gorgeous woman in my bed. Someone I'd been waiting for ever since I lost Heather. It has nothing to do with money."
She shook her head. "Doesn't matter. Never mind me, I'll be fine."
"Sure?"
"M-hm."
Lysanna snapped awake in the chair she'd fallen asleep in. Light was flooding into the room, but what had woken her was the sound of a woman groaning. After a brief moment to collect her thoughts, they came back to her, and she leaned over the battered face of the girl she'd pulled back from death's door the day before. The girl's mouth was moving, but the harsh light kept her from opening her eyes.
Lysanna took her hand and said, "Can you hear me? Squeeze if you can." A weak tension in the other hand's fingers.
"My name's Lysanna. We found you on the street and patched you up a bit. How are you feeling?"
Her mouth moved and she whispered weakly, "Not so great."
"I'll bet."
She whispered again, almost croaking. "Thirsty."
"You can give her something, if you want," Edwards said, leaning against the doorway. "Just not too much at once." Lysanna took a bottle of water out of her pack and slowly poured some into the girl's mouth. When she did so, she noticed the dark purple bruises that had formed around the girl's eyes.
"This enough?"
"Yeah, that's enough. Her body needs some time to get its digestive systems back into working order."
"Can she eat?"
He shook his head. "Too soon. A bit of water's okay, but that's all for now. Now let's stop talking as if she's not here. It's rude," Edwards said with a wink before pulling another printed strip out of the beeping machine.
"You're right," Lysanna said, and then, to the girl, "Can you tell us your name?"
A quiet, dry whisper, "Nikita."
"Ah! Now at least we have a way of addressing you now. Who did this to you, Nikita?"
She shook her head weakly. "Can't... remember."
Lysanna looked up at Edwards.
"It's okay," he said. "She'll need time to recollect her memories. She probably doesn't even know what happened to her."
Lysanna gently stroked the hair out of Nikita's face. At least now she knew her name. "The doctor says you're going to be all right," she assured. "You've been kicked around pretty bad, but you should recover... right doc?"
"That's right," Edwards said. "Now you need to rest." He gently placed a small box in the girl's left hand. The box was black, with a red button on it. A wire ran out of it towards the beeping machine. "If you need anything, just press that button, okay? I've given you some painkillers and some light sedatives, so you should fall asleep in a minute or two. We'll be right next door, okay?"
She nodded weakly. Lysanna wondered how it must feel, suddenly waking up with pain all over and not remembering what happened. Must be pretty shitty.
"Hungry?" Edwards asked.
"A bit yeah."
"Breakfast is on me," he said, opening the refrigerator and taking out two bottles of coke and some things wrapped in paper.
"Those bruises around her eyes, are they normal?" she asked the doctor.
He nodded. "Raccoon eyes."
Lysanna blinked at him. "That's what they're called?"
"Yep, in layman's terms. In medical terms, periorbital haematoma. Symptom of a basal skull fracture."
"A skull fracture? You mean her head's broken?"
He laughed. "Yes, but it's only a minor fracture. Non-displaced. It'll heal on its own. Probably cracked her head on the concrete when she went down."
"And how come it makes her eyes look that way?"
Edwards uncapped the coke bottles and smiled. "You're very interested in medicine, aren't you?"
Lysanna nodded. "Yeah. After all those confused explanations from my village shaman, it's nice to hear rational and useful facts about medicine for a change."
"Heh. The village shaman."
Lysanna smiled embarrassedly and looked down. "Yeah, I know."
He gave her one of the bottles of coke. "Those raccoon eyes are caused by the bleeding from the skull fracture leaking out. Since blood always looks for the easiest way", he took a swill from the bottle, "it runs down and accumulates in the softest tissue in the face." He made a circle around one eye with his index finger. "Once it's there, it becomes blue, purple and yellow because blood cells pile up, same way as a normal bruise. And it'll go away on its own."
"Wow," Lysanna said, genuinely awed.
He put everything on the table and opened up the packages. Cold slices of meat and vegetables. He sat down and took a slice of meat. "Dig in."
"Thanks," Lysanna said, and did so. The meat was cold and a little dry, but her belly still welcomed it eagerly.
"Doc," she asked with her mouth full. "Have you ever heard of something called a GECK?"
"It's Kyle," he said with mock sharpness. "And a GECK... Yeah, that rings a bell. Can you help my memory out a bit?"
"Wish I could. I don't even know what it is. All I know is that I need it to save my village."
Edwards thought for a while, munching another mouthful of meat. Suddenly he snapped his fingers. "Right! I remember! GECK. Stands for Garden of Eden Creation Kit."
"Say what?"
"They were old devices, used to be shipped to Vaults. Supposedly capable of predicting weather, fertilizing land and such. Everything people needed to start new agriculture when they emerged. But that's a long time ago. I don't think you can find a lot of 'em still around."
"And Vault 13? Any idea?"
He shook his head. "Nope. Sorry. The only Vault I know is Vault City, but I'm pretty sure they won't help you."
"Why? I mean, I need to go there anyway."
"You do? Well, they're pretty insular."
"Pretty what?"
"Insular. Means they feel like they're living on an island and would like it to stay that way. They're highly xenophobic – not too keen on strangers. And I'm fairly certain they used up their GECK already."
"I see."
"But," he said, taking another slice of meat and gesturing for her to take another one as well, "if you ever manage to gain their trust, they have an enormous medical database, which you'll doubtless be interested in. Vault City's the authority on medicine."
"Yeah, that might be worth checking out."
"Anyway," Lysanna said, rising from her chair. "I need to go pick up some supplies, do some trading. Is it okay if I leave my new friend with you for a day or two?"
"Sure. She won't be very talkative the next week anyway, might as well take the time to raise some of the funds you owe me," he said with a barely perceptible wink.
"Yeah, no need to remind me. Don't worry, I'll try to sell off some stuff."
"I wasn't being serious. Take your time."
The trip back to Klamath went a lot quicker this time – she didn't have to navigate solely on her Pipboy, and that saved her a lot of time. She'd arrived in Klamath in the early evening, asked Jenny for directions to Vic's place, and ransacked the rickety shed for anything and everything that was useful (including a busted radio) before returning to the Den. She arrived there in the late afternoon. She'd overslept while camping out. The next stop was a trader called Tubby who, according to Doc Edwards, was the owner of the only bartering place that was at least a bit decent in its prices. She sold off one of her three flares and a bag of healing powder for twenty dollars, and a strange deck of cards she'd found over at Vic's for another twenty. It wasn't much, but at least it was something, and she didn't dare sell any more items she might need later.
When she returned to the Doc's place (she still couldn't bring herself to think of her as Kyle), he immediately told her his patient was able to talk a bit, and that she could ask her a few questions if she wanted to.
"Hey, honey," Lysanna asked quietly. "Feeling any better already?"
Strange how she had bonded so much with someone she'd never even had a conversation with.
"A little," she croaked back.
"Any memories come back yet?"
She moved her head up and down weakly. Her face was still purple and swollen, although she could at least open her eyes a bit.
"Can you tell me who did this?"
She nodded weakly again. "Tyler's… Tyler's gang."
"Those ugly bastards guarding that church?"
No reaction. Lysanna assumed that meant a yes.
"And why?"
"Found out I was sent to spy on them."
"Sent by whom?"
"Lara."
Lysanna looked up at the doctor. He nodded. "Like I thought. Gang wars."
Nikita shook her head feebly. "Not part of their gang. Just needed money."
"That's a bad place to go earn money, kid," Edwards said flatly.
"Kyle, this isn't the time," Lysanna interjected. Edwards spread his palms and shut up. "And so what were you looking for?"
"Lara wanted to… wanted to know what was in the containers inside the church… told I worked for Metzger… They let… let me in, but saw I walked back to Lara's… They… I need to tell Lara…"
Lysanna gently placed her index finger on Nikita's split lips. "Don't worry. I'll take care of that for you. Did you see what was in those crates?"
"Raw… chemicals. Stuff for mixing them."
"Okay. You rest a bit now, okay? I'll let this Lara-person know what you saw and what happened to you."
Nikita's eyes went to Edwards. "I uh… I can't pay for any of this." Apparently having to pay for everything was a fixed convention in the world outside Arroyo.
"Don't worry," he said. "Lysanna's paying for you."
Her eyes went to Lysanna.
"That's right. Don't worry, I have plenty of money anyway."
"But… you shouldn't…"
Lysanna smiled. "It's okay. You rest now."
She nodded and closed her swollen eyes.
"Are you sure about seeing this Lara-type?" Edwards asked when they were back in his kitchen, drinking a bottle of coke. "Those gang types probably don't care what happened to her, and they certainly don't mind shooting someone for looking at them twice."
"I'm sure it won't be so bad."
"I sure hope you know what you're doing."
"Don't worry about me. Plus, maybe there's some money to be made, and that's good news for you too."
He drained his bottle. "Can't pay me when you're dead, sweetheart."
"I'll be fine."
The directions Edwards had given her led to a street that looked to be in even worse repair than the rest, if that was even possible. She immediately recognized the place on account of the guards standing outside. They weren't armed with guns like Metzger's, but the sledgehammer that one of them leaned on looked lethal enough, and the other held her spear as if she knew damn well how to use it.
"What you want, tribal?" the guard with the spear snapped. The one with the sledgehammer remained silent.
"I need to talk to Lara," Lysanna replied.
"That a fact, bitch?" the guard asked, spitting in the ground before her. She had red hair tied in a ponytail and freckles on her nose. Her face wasn't ugly, but the snarl on it was.
"That's a fact, yeah."
"Lara's too busy to be wastin' her time with tribal trash. So why don't you do what's good for you and get your ass – "
"What's it about?" the male guard with the sledgehammer interrupted her companion.
"About Tyler and that church."
"Specifically?"
"I know what's inside those crates."
"Don't listen to her," the redhead snarled. "She's probably some stupid bitch wants to waste Lara's time with shit she made up."
"Calm down, Lexa," the male guard said calmly. "Let's hear her out. If she really does know what's inside those crates, Lara will want to know. And if it turns out she's been wasting Lara's time, we'll just kick her out with your spear up her asshole, how's that?"
The redhead leaned closer to Lysanna. "I hope that what you have to tell Lara is truly worthless."
"I don't intend to give you the satisfaction," Lysanna said as she walked past her, and inside.
The woman looked up from her desk, and the weapon she was cleaning, when Lysanna came in. Two burly guards flanked her chair. The woman was not unpretty, with shoulder-length black hair, resembling Lysanna's very closely. She was dressed in black leathers.
"Who let you in here?" one of the guards immediately barked, raising the metal fireman's axe that was apparently his weapon of choice. The other guard's hand went to her side.
Lara raised a hand. "Relax. I'm sure little miss tribal has a good reason for coming in here uninvited, or else Lexa and Mike wouldn't have let her in. Do you have a good reason, little miss tribal?"
Lysanna shrugged. "Depends if you're still interested to know what's in those crates Tyler's guarding in that church."
Lara leaned forward, her curiosity peeked. "And what if I was?"
"Then I wouldn't mind telling you, if you're still paying for the info."
Lara picked up her weapon from the desk and slapped a piece of metal into the handle. "I am still paying for that info, yes. But the problem is that anyone can drag their tribal ass in here and make up some story."
"Is that what you expected Nikita to do?"
She leaned back in her chair. "Very strange that you know Nikita."
"I found her beaten senseless in the street by Tyler's guards. Looks like she thought they wouldn't notice if she walked back here instead of to Metzger's place."
"So that's what happened to her. I'd say we were worried, but I'd be lying. Looks like she was too lightweight to have a chance in this life." There was an unmistakable edge of pride in her voice. She was someone who had fought for what she had, that was clear from the tone of her voice.
"Well, she'll be alright."
Lara shrugged.
"Anyway, about those crates."
"Yeah?"
"There were raw chemicals in there, stuff for mixing them, things like that."
Lara sat back and thought. Lysanna hoped she wouldn't decide not to believe her. "Raw chemicals," she repeated. "Makes sense actually."
She opened a drawer and threw an envelope at her. "Here's your money. Fifty bucks."
Lysanna caught the envelope and shoved it in her backpack. "Thanks. Pleasure doing business."
Lara kept looking at her. "Actually, our business isn't entirely through yet."
Lysanna raised an eyebrow.
"I'd wanted to send Nikita on a few more jobs, but since she's out of commission, and I can't send any of my people to do it, how 'bout I give you Nikita's job?"
"Depends what you'd have me do."
"Well, if you're interested in an easy twenty bucks, you can make a quick trip to Metgzer and back and ask him if he'd mind if we guarded his stuff instead of Tyler."
"That's it, just ask?"
Lara nodded. "That's all. It's not a lot of money, but yeah, it's not a difficult job."
Good thing she had to go to Metzger's anyway. "Fine, see you when I get back."
Lara grinned. "I'll be waiting in suspense."
Metzger was just as gruff as he had been the first time. Lysanna wondered how these people could keep it up, always being unfriendly and hostile toward everyone. Must cost so much energy. When Lysanna told him she'd brought something that would help Vic fix his radio, he immediately became more forthcoming.
"Yeah, go on in and see that dipshit. Tell him he'd better have that radio fixed real soon, or I'll sell him off. Not that anyone'd pay a lot of money for such a useless moron."
"I have another question first."
Metzger rolled his eyes. "Make it quick."
"Yeah, I will. Lara asked if it'd be okay if she and Tyler settled some matters. She'd like to take his place guarding your stuff."
Metzger laughed. "What the Hell crawled up that bitch's ass all of a sudden? I made her the offer a while ago and she said no. And now suddenly she's got the guts to kick that punk Tyler's ass?"
Lysanna kept silent.
"Ah fuck it, I don't give a shit, as long as my shit's guarded, I don't care if she and Tyler kill each other over it."
"So that's a yes?"
He shrugged. "It's an 'I don't care'. So whatever she does is fine with me, as long as my shit stays guarded. If it ain't, you tell her I'll be over at her place to cut her tits off, you got it?"
"I'm sure it'll make her extra eager to guard your stuff well," Lysanna said and walked past Pox to talk to Vic.
"Well, shit, I didn't think you were going to be back, missy," Vic said, sweaty as ever.
"I am. And I brought your radio."
His eyes went wide. "You did? Gee, thanks, girl! Now I'll get this thing fixed in no time!"
I doubt Metzger will just let you go, Lysanna thought to herself, but instead she said, "I'll be back in half an hour. Make sure it's fixed then and then you can tell me where I can find your friend Ed, that okay?"
He nodded, still looking at the radio in his hand. "I'll need twenty minutes to fix this, tops."
"Take your time, I'm not going anywhere."
She walked back to Lara's place. The redhead let her in without a word, but her look said everything words never could.
"I'm assuming you'll bring me good news?" Lara asked.
"Yep. Metzger said it was fine, but that he'd only tolerate it as long as his stuff stays guarded at all times." She didn't mention what he'd do to Lara's breasts if it didn't.
"Good," Lara nodded. "I've got another job for you, if you want it?"
"What do you need?"
"Pay's fifty bucks. We're thinking of kicking Tyler and his posse out on their ass, but we can't take them at their present strength." She tossed Lysanna twenty dollars, her pay for talking to Metzger. "They have us outgunned and outnumbered. So what I want you to do is go have a chat with some of Tyler's flunkies. See if you can find out if there's something we could exploit. Since they don't know you, you'll have an easier time of it."
"And what kind of weakness would you be looking for?"
Lara shrugged. "Anything. Anything's fine as long as it gives us an edge."
"I see."
"Good luck, and I'll see you when you get back."
The best place to ask for info about Tyler's gang (aside from Tyler himself obviously), was most likely Metzger. Lysanna didn't think he'd shoot her just because she asked.
"I'm getting tired of your ugly face," Metzger grunted as he saw her. "What the fuck do you want this time, bitch?"
"How's Vic?"
"Radio's fixed, so that's good. Now I'm just waiting for some idiot to pay a hundred bucks for him so he can get his sweaty ass out of here. Don't give a shit about the money, but I ain't lettin' him off for free either. Matter of principle."
Lysanna thought for a moment, and then threw a hundred dollars on the table. There went her last cash. Edwards would have to wait a little longer.
"He's yours," Metzger said, not touching the money.
"Thanks. But that's not the only reason I'm here."
He tapped his fingers on his table impatiently.
"I need to ask you for some info."
"What the fuck? This look like a fucking welcoming office?"
Lysanna had to admit that it didn't. "I'll pay for it though."
"Fuck it," Metzger said. "You think I give a shit about a bit of cash? You really think so, bitch?"
Wrong move. She'd probably insulted him. "I didn't necessarily mean that I'd pay with money," she corrected hastily.
Metzger's eyebrow went up. "That a fact?"
"I could pay with services too."
"That a fact?" Metzger repeated.
"It is."
"Tell you what," he said, offering her a glass of booze, which she refused as politely as she could. "Firewater too strong for your soft tribal tongue, girl? Anyway, tell you what. You tell me the info you need, and I'll set the price, how 'bout that?"
Lysanna shrugged. "Sounds fair."
"So what do you need?"
"I need to know if there's a weakness in Tyler's gang that Lara can exploit."
Metzger barked laughter. "You still workin' for that little whore?" He drained his shot glass of booze. "Now, info like that," he said, pretending to be thinking and refilling his glass for dramatic effect, "… is going to cost you more than some little errand job."
Lysanna cocked her head.
Metzger pointed his shot glass at her chest. "Take off that shirt."
"I'm… sorry?"
"The shirt. Take it off."
"That's the price, right? Take off my shirt? Nothing else?"
Metzger nodded.
"Tell me what I need to know first."
Metzger laughed humourlessly. "Seriously, tribal, I give the orders around here."
"True, but the way I see it, you're a businessman, right?"
"Yeah. This have a point?" Metzger asked with a frown.
"Well, a businessman is true to his word, so it's not that I don't trust you, but on the other hand, you have all these men around me, so once you tell me what I need to know, you can always kill me or do… you know, whatever, um… you want with me, right?"
He grinned. "Don't fuckin' tempt me, honey-tits."
"What I mean to say is, you have absolutely nothing to lose by crossing your part of the bridge first," she said quickly.
Metzger frowned and thought. "Fine. You're gonna love this. I just got word that Tyler and his bunch of homos are going to have a drinking binge tonight, because of Tyler's birthday. Fuckin' lucky coincidence, eh? I was invited, but it appears when I go, I'll get blood on my clothes. And 'sides, it'd be more fun to know that cock knocker Tyler got his ass kicked by that airhead Lara."
He held his bottle in Lysanna's direction.
"No thanks."
"Fine. Be that way. Now how about taking off that shirt." It wasn't a question.
"That's all I have to do, right?"
He nodded.
Lysanna shrugged and loosened the laces on her shirt. Metzger leaned in closer to get a better look. Her shirt fell to the ground, but she didn't touch the bra beneath it.
"Fuckin' tribal wears a bra! I never thought I'd see the day!" Metzger barked laughing. Then, he paused and said, "Go on."
"Go on what?"
"Take off – " he began, but then understanding dawned on his face. He slammed his bottle down on the table. "Not bad, bitch! Not fucking bad, bitch," he snapped angrily. For a minute Lysanna thought he'd shoot her dead on the spot, or worse, rape her. But then he grinned. "Fuck, looks like I've been had by a tribal. Never thought I'd see the fuckin' day. Enjoy it while it lasts, girl, 'cause next time I'll be the one making the crooked deals, and you bet I'll see a lot more of you than just those perky tits when I do. Go on, get out of here," he said with a grin. "And make sure you don't bust into Tyler's church when his boys are busy fucking each other in the ass. I heard it's not a pretty sight."
Lysanna laughed (more out of politeness than because she found his joke funny), picked up her shirt and laced it tight. "See you, Metzger."
"Oh, you better believe it."
As she walked out, Metzger yelled after her. "Ain't you forgetting somethin', missy?"
From 'bitch' and 'whore' to 'girl' and 'missy'. Lysanna hoped that meant she'd made an impression. She turned around and raised an eyebrow.
Metzger pointed his thumb to the door behind him. "I said I wanted that sweaty lardass out of here."
"Thanks a lot for getting me out of there, boss," Vic the Trader said as he walked next to her. He had trouble keeping up. His breath came wheezy and he was sweating like an ox.
"I'm not your boss," Lysanna said, marching on.
"So uh, you'll be needing directions to my friend Ed's place then?"
Lysanna nodded. "That's right."
"Well… I can't really explain it like this. Tell you what. I'll come with you and show you where Ed's place is, how 'bout that?"
He looked like he probably couldn't even walk to the other side of Klamath without falling over from exhaustion. Probably a bigger burden than he was worth. And while Lysanna guessed she could get directions to that Vault City-place from other people, if it was a city as big as the Den or bigger, she'd have a lot of trouble finding that Ed-person. She sighed. "Fine, you can come with me. But stay out of trouble."
He laughed uneasily. "Look, boss, you probably got a bad impression of me with that entire radio business, but I'm actually really good at fixin' things."
"Well, if I have need of someone to fix my spear, I'll let you know."
He shut up, but only for a moment. "So, where we going now?"
"Doctor."
He looked confused. "But I don't need a doctor," he panted.
"I know."
"Who's this?" Edwards asked. "Another hopeless case you're playing saviour for?"
"Something like that," Lysanna replied. "Is it okay if he waits here while I go resolve some more business with Lara?"
Edwards shrugged. "Fine by me. He definitely looks like he needs to take a breather, anyway."
"Took you a while," Lara said, a trace of suspicion in her voice.
"I had some other things to do before I could come back."
"Hmm. So, what'd you find out?" she asked, pointing at the chair in front of her rickety desk.
Lysanna sat down. "Our friend Metzger told me some info which I'm sure will be valuable to you. Turns out your friend Tyler has his birthday tonight. And he and his gang are going to down a few drinks for the occasion."
Lara grinned. "Excellent! With any luck they'll all be drunk, and even if they're smart enough not to drink too much, which I doubt since they're a bunch of morons, their attention will still be far less." She fished out a wad of bills. "You've earned your – " but then she paused and put the money away again.
"What's wrong?"
Lara didn't say anything, thinking. Then she said, "I'm going to hold off on giving you your money. You'll get it after we pay Tyler back for what he did to my brother. And 'we' means all of us, including you."
"Wait a minute! You didn't say anything about having to fight!"
"You don't have to fight, only come with us, so we're sure it's not a trap."
"I see. And of course, Tyler and his bunch will not mind if we ask them not to attack me, because I'm only observing."
Lara shrugged. "You'll be fine. Just spear any idiots who attack you," she said, pointing at the spear on Lysanna's back. "They'll be mostly drunk anyway."
"I suppose I don't have a choice, do I?"
"Look at it from my side. This info you gave me seems too good to be true. If you were me, wouldn't you build in some kind of safety-margin?"
Lysanna supposed she would. "And what time are you thinking of leaving?"
Lara looked outside. "It's getting dark already. In an hour or two. I'll up your pay to two hundred, how's that?"
Two hundred dollars. That was almost impossible to resist. "You've got yourself a deal."
"Great!" Lara said with a smile. She had a rather pretty smile. "So, how good are you with that thing?" she asked, referring to her spear.
"Not too bad, but not too much experience."
"Ever killed anyone before?"
Lysanna tried not to recall the memory of Cameron. "Yeah. Once."
"Well, like I said, I'm not asking you to fight for us, but you may have to defend yourself. Think you'll manage?"
"I suppose I'll have to."
"Don't worry. Like I said, just ram that spear through anyone who comes close." She looked Lysanna up and down. "Don't take this the wrong way, but do you know what a gun is?"
"Yeah, I've been told how they work. Never used one, though."
"Well, what you need to know is that guns are awfully loud. I carry one, and I'm definitely going to use it. When the fighting begins, be ready for it, because it'll make more noise than anything you've ever heard."
"Okay."
Lara thought for a while. "You know, I'm always looking for people who are resourceful and think on their feet."
"Meaning?"
"Well, if you prove you can handle yourself, there might be room for you here."
"What, to join your gang? No, I'll have to pass on that, sorry. My quest takes me elsewhere."
Lara chuckled. "Quest. I didn't know anyone used that word anymore. Well, the offer is open if you want it."
"Thanks, but no." Lysanna paused. "Lara, have you ever heard of a GECK?"
"A GECK? Yeah, wasn't that some kind of thing they shipped to Vaults way back when?"
Lysanna nodded. "Yeah. Any idea where I could find one?"
"Mmmno, can't say that I do. Only Vault I know is Vault City, but I suppose they used their GECK to build their city."
"Thanks."
"No problem," Lara said, and then she ordered her people to get ready and check their gear. The two guards posted outside came in and started preparing along with the others.
"What's she still doing here?" the redhead asked with unconcealed hostility.
"She fights with us," Lara answered without looking up from the metal strip she was filling with small copper things. Lysanna supposed those copper things were the metal projectiles fired by guns and that the metal container was used for loading them quickly.
The redhead's eyes went from Lara, to Lysanna, and back to Lara. "Lara… Are you serious?"
"Do I look like I'm joking, Lexa?"
Lexa shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Fucking tribals. Probably don't even know what a gun is. Well, I'm sure you'll feel what guns do soon enough. Don't say I didn't warn you when you get a bullet through your stupid skull."
"Don't mind Lexa," Lara said, still working with her metal objects, which apparently were called 'bullets', "her periods last a whole month, every month."
Lexa's green eyes flashed an angry look at Lara. Then she snatched up her backpack and slammed it down on the table so hard Lysanna hoped there wasn't any glass in it. She proceeded to spread its contents on the table, seemingly without any point.
