Chapter 11: The Mark of Caesar
The sun was peeking in, and Chloe could hear the faint music of Frank Sinatra playing from somewhere in the building. She was snuggled under the blankets, cozy, but also naked. Her head was pounding, too much booze and sex, she was sure. She felt along the bed to find that she was alone. No surprise there. The courier fluttered her eyes open, looking around the vacant room until her eyes landed on a nearby clock. Her eyes widened as she saw it was nearing noon.
Chloe cursed, falling out of bed and frantically looking for her clothes. She knew House was not going to be happy that she never showed up to talk to him. Her body and muscles ached in certain areas as she moved about in haste. She found her clothes neatly folded on the nearby dresser, but there was also a note lying on top of them. Chloe took it, scanning over the scribbled words and realizing it was from Benny.
Pussycat,
It's nice to know that I didn't wake up with a knife in my chest. You're an angel, baby. Talk about platinum in the sack last night! You know how to swing! Where'd you learn that 18 karat trick with the heels of your feet? You didn't just make my toes curl, they popped off and rolled underneath the bed! Thanks for letting this cat have the best hey-hey he's ever-ever!
You'll probably take this the wrong way, but I headed off to the Fort on my own. Just know that I am trying to protect you baby, as I know you have history with the Legion. Stick around and let my boys take care of you! I'll be back before you know it, and we can get to work on our plan, and maybe even start round two if you catch my drift. Because you and me are a date, got it? Wouldn't trade it for all the caps in Vegas. Don't get clingy and try to follow me, stay on the Strip where you are safe. Ta-Ta.
Benny
"You sneaky little bastard!" Chloe snapped, growling.
She grabbed her clothes, trying to work them on as she stepped out of the bedroom into Benny's living room. She had succeeded pulling her underwear and dress pants on and was in the process of pulling on her bra when the front door of the suite opened. Swank caught sight of her quickly, raising an eyebrow with a hand still on the doorknob.
"Look away!"
"Huh? Oh sorry." Swank slapped a hand over his eyes. "Baby, it isn't anything I haven't seen before!"
"Where the hell is Benny? Has he left yet? I'm gonna kick his ass!"
Swank chuckled. "Sorry, doll. He left early this morning. You really slept in. You must've needed the rest."
"Alright, I'm fully dressed now," Chloe sighed. She sat down to put on her dress shoes. She couldn't wait to get back to the Lucky 38 and get her normal clothes back on. "How could I be so stupid?" She rubbed her temples.
Swank walked around to her, looking curious. "What do ya mean?"
"Sleeping with him," she answered, she tried to brush her hair with her fingers. "I wasn't thinking. I can't believe I had sex with the guy who shot me in the face."
"Look, I tried to stop Benny, but he just wanted to look out for you in his own, weird way. My brother can be a bastard sometimes, but I see where he's coming from this. You have bad history with the Legion. He was just tryin' to make things easier for you, dig? As for you sleeping with him, I'm gonna stay out of it. Just know that he didn't take it as a one night stand. The rest of the Chairmen and myself were given strict orders to treat you like family."
"Family, huh?" Chloe asked, relaxing a little.
"Of course," Swank answered, smiling. He watched Chloe get to her feet, looking at a note that she stuffed in her pocket. "I'm pretty sure the entire Strip knows what happened between you two, by the way. Just so you aren't surprised."
"What?" Chloe whirled around, eyes wide. "You're kidding, right?"
"Well, Benny told all the guys and well…some of them can't keep their mouths shut. And besides that…it wasn't as though you guys were quiet about it."
Chloe slapped her palm to her forehead. "Okay…I better get out of here now. I need to chase after Benny before he gets himself killed so I can kill him instead."
"He told me not to let you follow him."
Chloe glared at Swank. "And what are you going to do to prevent me from going?"
"Absolutely nothing. I say it's your call," Swank answered simply.
Chloe heaved another sigh. "It's my father. He could be at the Fort. House is trying to blackmail me into doing his errands before he will tell me where the Legion has my father. But he has to be at the Fort. I should have told Benny that, maybe he would have let me come with him."
"Why didn't you, doll?"
"Well first of all, I wasn't expecting to have sex with him," she grumbled. "Second, I guess I was just uncertain about the whole thing."
"Do what you gotta do, doll. As much as I would like to prevent you from going, it would be wrong of me to do so. I hope you find your father. And please bring Benny's ass back here so I don't have to do his job anymore."
Chloe smiled up at him. "Thanks, Swank. What's wrong, don't like being in charge?"
"There are times I wish I was in charge of the tribe, but I would rather my brother be alive. The only reason why I'm worrying is because it's the Legion. Benny might not look like a scrapper, but he really is. I mean, he killed Bingo with a knife. That cat was 6'3" and weighed over 300 pounds! Cash taught him a lot, and if I recall, there weren't many tougher than Cash."
"When we were talking last night, he told me he got into two bad fights with Nero when the Omertas first came to the Strip."
Swank scowled. "Yeah. House definitively wasn't expecting it. We've been at it with the Slither Kin for so long, that as soon as Nero saw Benny, bam the fight was on. In that scuffle, Nero killed one of our own, he was only fifteen. That was nothing compared to the second round. Nero and Benny got into it, and Nero almost killed Benny with a knife to the ribs. He was lucky the Followers got to him in time."
"What caused the second fight? Benny wouldn't go into details."
Swank slowly nodded. "Yeah, for good reason. Did he tell you he had a sister?"
Chloe nodded. "Yeah, kinda. I could tell he didn't want to talk about her though."
"Her name was Melody. She was younger than him by a few years, came with us to the Strip, helped us renovate the Tops. Benny had always been super protective of her, even before making chief. Well, one day, she disappeared. Just like that, poof. We looked all over for her, finally we had some NCR scouts sayin' they saw her talking to the Omertas the other day...one of them in particular, ya dig? Benny...he confronted Nero, accused him of her disappearance, said he was gonna kill him for it. The fight was on then...Benny lost that fight, almost his life had it not been for the Followers. We've never got answers, and Benny? Well, it changed him...he's never let it go...blames himself, said he failed at protecting her."
Chloe closed her eyes, heart hurting. No wonder Benny had flinched when she had asked him about his sister. It opened up a whole new view into why the leader of the Chairmen was the way he was.
"And House didn't do anything about that? He didn't try and find Melody?"
"He wasn't around at the time, so his excuse was that he wasn't gonna listen to the stories and to stop or all of us would be thrown back out into the wasteland again."
"Sounds about right," Chloe responded, mildly shaking her head. "I understand why he didn't want to talk about it now."
Swank scratched his head, weakly shrugging. "Don't take it personal, it's hard for even me to get him to talk about it."
Chloe nodded, thinking. "Well, thank you for telling me. I can...understand him better now."
She then sighed. "I better get to the Lucky 38. I'm sure House is pissed that I never showed up last night to talk to him after the meeting. Guess I can blame you Chairmen and the party."
Swank smiled, relieved in the change in topic. "You had fun though. Admit it."
"A blast," Chloe laughed. "It was good to forget about my worries for once. Thanks, Swank."
Swank nodded. "I'll walk with you down to the lobby."
On their way down to the front lobby, if Chloe thought the Chairmen could get any nicer, they just did with her. They asked if they could get her anything, or if she had a great time at the party. Swank shooed most of them off, but when they got down to the lobby where Martin was at the front desk, the young Chairman grinned and leaned on the desk as she came over.
"Did someone have a good night?"
"Martin, don't make me stick my foot up your ass," Swank warned.
"What?! I meant the party."
"Sure you did."
Chloe giggled. "Alright you two. I guess I'm heading out."
Martin's eyes widened, and he shot a look at Swank. "The boss is gonna kill you!"
"Just be careful, doll. I'm sure you know the Legion well."
"I will. I'll be back with Benny, and hopefully my father."
Chloe went to leave, but Swank quickly called her name, causing her to stop and look back at him. Swank seemed unsure, scratching at the back of his head.
"Really, I should send one of the guys to walk with you to the Lucky 38."
She smiled at him. "I'll be fine, Swank. You're such a gentleman."
She left after that, quickly heading straight over to the Lucky 38. The hot sun was already beating down onto the Strip. Many travelers, gamblers, and NCR troopers were walking about. Securitrons were rolling around and were also posted in certain areas.
"Miss Maye?"
The male's voice right behind her caused her to jump, but she spun around. There was a man in a black suit as well as a black derby hat. The man was handsome, pale, and slender, but he was also familiar. Chloe didn't like him, she could feel evil radiating off of him like the sulfuric smell of a Cazador.
"Remember me?" he asked, voice cool and velvety. She could tell by how he talked and how he looked at her with those dark eyes of his that he was very intelligent.
"No."
"Remember Nipton?"
Her mouth went dry. Chloe clenched her jaw, it all coming back. Before her stood the leader of the Frumentarri. This was Vulpes Inculta, she didn't recognize him without his Legion armor and fox pelt on his head. He had raided the town of Nipton when Chloe, Cass, and ED-E were passing through. He killed and ravaged everyone, and crucified others, some were burned on stakes.
"Vulpes!" she hissed.
"That's right, but how about you stay a bit quieter, woman? I'm here to tell you that Caesar wants to see you personally."
Chloe was baffled and shocked. She shook her head. "What? H-how? Why?"
"Do I really need to give you a list when you should already know why? Your father, Colby Maye, is a prisoner of Lord Caesar. He's up to some bartering, even if you are a woman. Also, it seems as though your consort is on his way there as well. If you want the two of them back, I assure you better come and see him. You are to arrive at Cottonwood Cove for your passage across the Colorado River."
Vulpes pulled out a necklace. Attached to the thin chain was a piece of red jewelry shaped into an oval with a black bull on it. Below the bull in very small writing was gold lettering in Latin. He handed it over to her, which Chloe hesitated upon taking.
"It's the Mark of Caesar. It will give you safe passage through our territory. Use it wisely."
Chloe dangled the necklace in her fingertips, as if feeling the burn of its sins. She looked to Vulpes once more, seeing his dark sneer.
"It would be wise to use Lord Caesar's invitation prudently…or you just might regret it."
With that, the leader of the Frumentarri turned and left without even looking back. Chloe watched him go until the Main Gate opened with complaining hinges, and he disappeared once it closed.
She was lost for a moment, standing in the middle of the street. She just didn't understand how they knew where to find her, as well as how they knew that Benny was on his way there. Chloe knew that the Frumentarri were Caesar's scouts and secret agents. Hence why Vulpes was dressed up like a normal gambler. Still, there was something wrong with the fact that he knew way more than what he would normally know on a regular scout run. Chloe wondered if he had any inside information, he had to of. That made her uncertain. Any single person in the Strip could be tipping off the Legion. She had to find out who, and very fast.
Chloe quickly stuffed the Mark of Caesar in her pocket, quickly jogging up the stairs to the Lucky 38. She saw Victor posted right outside the front double doors. Just as she went to greet the friendly Securitron, she heard her name called. Turning, Chloe saw Nero at the base of the steps alone. Seeing him spiked the beating of her heart, and the story Swank told her about Benny's sister immediately haunted her once more.
"Come here, baby."
She glared down at the leader of the Omertas. "What do you want, Nero?"
"How 'bout you step down here so we can talk face to face, doll? If I so much as put my heel down on the first step here, those Securitrons will fire at me."
Chloe clenched her jaw, cautiously stepping down until she was only a few feet up from Nero. He had a strange gleam in his eyes; like he knew something she didn't and was trying not to boast about it.
"You look like you had a long night, baby," Nero stated, grinning, his icy eyes scanning her body.
"Do you have something to say that is worth my time? I'm in a hurry."
"Oh that's right. You need to go chase after that conniving little fox, don't you? So, where did Benny run off to anyways?"
"I got four words for you. Words I'm sure you've heard before. None of your business. Now get lost, Nero."
"Are you sure you want to be talking to me like that?" Nero inquired, cocking his head slightly, expression icy. "You don't quite understand what I'm capable of, do you?"
"Are you sure that House isn't watching right now?" Chloe warned.
Nero chuckled, a low and cold sound that made her blood run cold. "Not-At-Home? Fuck Not-At-Home."
"Well in that case, get lost," Chloe snapped again. She turned and started walking up the stairs.
"I'll get lost, baby, but let me fill you in on a little secret. By the time you get to the Fort, your father will be moved."
His words made Chloe freeze. She slowly turned to look down at Nero, hating that dark, twisted smirk on his face. Her fists were clenched now, and she glared at him.
"Oh, looks like I finally got your attention. When you're ready to find your father, come see me. Benny and Not-At-Home have their own agendas, they don't care about you or your father. I can, however, help you. I have so many connections...I am a business man, after all."
She closed her eyes hard, turning and running up the stairs. She blew right past Victor without saying hello, entering into the Lucky 38's dim casino floor. She went straight for the elevator up ahead to go up to the Presidential Suite, but her name again was called. Only this time, she recognized the voices of friends. She looked up into the VIP Lounge upstairs on the upper balcony waving down at her. Chloe quickly took the stairs up to the lounge to greet everyone. Rex barked happily, coming straight to her with a wagging tail. He sniffed her legs curiously. ED-E also floated over, beeping in interest.
"Where the hell have you been?" Veronica asked.
Chloe could tell that her group of friends were in the middle of eating lunch. The courier quickly tried to think up a story to dissuade them. She didn't want them to know that she had slept with Benny.
"Uhh, well, I spent the night at the Tops in my own room after the meeting since I had more to discuss with Benny."
Cass rolled her eyes. "Yeah, according to your neck, you two had plenty to discuss."
Chloe consciously felt her neck, realizing she had hickies on her neck and chest. "That's not-"
"Not what?" Cass interrupted, challenging her with a raised eyebrow and a sly grin.
"It's uhh…"
"Why are you even bothering?" Boone inquired calmly.
"Yeah, boss. You're not convincing us," Raul laughed.
"Alright, fine! I slept with Benny! Are you happy?" Chloe growled, hands on her hips.
"Very kinky," Cass snickered, downing a Sunset Sarsaparilla.
Chloe heaved a sigh, rubbing her eyebrow. "It just happened okay? I wasn't planning it to happen at all."
"Oh, I'm sure he did," Veronica muttered, making the others laugh.
"Alright, you guys can laugh. I'm going up to talk to House and then I am heading out. You guys can do whatever you want."
"Whoa, whoa, what's going on, boss?"
"Is everything alright, pumpkin?" Lily inquired.
"Benny took off on his own to go to the Fort with the Platinum Chip without me. Not only that, but the leader of the Frumentarri, that Vulpes Inculta bastard, told me my father is being held prisoner and they know Benny is on his way there. I need to get them both out of there. Caesar wants to speak to me directly…bargain with me apparently to get them both back."
The lounge suddenly grew tense and quiet. Chloe felt on the spot now, very vulnerable she swore she could hear a pin drop somewhere. Most of her friends were looking at her as though she had lost her mind.
"You are going to Fortification Hill?" Veronica grunted.
"Yep."
"By yourself?"
"Well, no. I'll take Rex and ED-E."
"I'm going with you," Boone stated seriously.
Chloe shook her head. "I appreciate the gesture, but I can't have any of you get into this. You guys shouldn't have to put your lives on the line for something that doesn't concern you."
"But you've put your life on the line for us many times," Raul countered. The Mexican ghoul stared at her intently. "I agree with Boone. I'm with ya, boss."
"Grandma isn't going to leave you alone, sweetie! She'll come too!" Lily exclaimed in her rough, gravelly voice.
"I'm coming too!" Veronica added.
"Caesar only wants to see me. The rest of you will be captured or killed! No!" Chloe retorted, shaking her head.
"And what makes you think we would follow you into their camp?" Boone asked, jaw set. "You really think that you will be able to barter with Caesar? No. You're a woman, which means you'll become a slave before you even have a chance to speak about your father's release. If you want your father and Benny back alive, we are going to have to storm their camp."
Chloe grew quiet, taking in the NCR Sharpshooter's words. He had a point, and she knew he was right. Caesar wasn't going to let her go with anybody. Whatever her father did to have Caesar want him alive, the same reason was now upon her. There was no other way than to fight to her father and Benny.
She slowly nodded. "Alright. Sounds like a plan."
Boone twitched the faintest of smiles. "I thought so."
"Wait a minute. Now we're fighting?" Veronica sighed. "Well, the Legion deserves to burn in hell, so I'm still in."
"Me too," Raul added.
"Oh, Leo and I will have so much fun ripping the limbs off Legionaries!" Lily yelled with a Nightkin grin.
Everyone looked to Cass, who looked skeptical of the whole situation. The caravan driver shook her head, heaving a sigh. She slammed down the empty soda bottle. "I think ya'll are fucking batshit crazy and we're gonna die, but I'm in."
"Great!" Chloe exclaimed. "You guys get ready and I will go talk to House. I'll be down in the Presidential Suite soon."
The courier quickly left the group to head for the elevator. She was relieved her friends were rallying to go with her. It took the stress off of having to travel without much company or protection. On the other hand, she didn't like the fact that they were all risking their lives to help her.
House was definitely upset, but it wasn't as though Chloe had to explain anything because the mysterious autocrat seemed to pinpoint exactly what was going on. He almost seemed to be patronizing her for her actions, and that did not go over well with Chloe.
The monitor screen didn't flick with Robert Edwin House's picture on it. "I'm giving you a great opportunity here, Miss Maye. All I ask is that you bring me the Platinum Chip and help me rebuild humanity one step at a time. I'm not the villain here. I am only trying to heal the scars of the past. But you… you are getting caught up with men of power…warlords, gods, and generals. Here you are playing with fire. Need I remind you that Benjamin betrayed me in the most dishonorable way possible? He shot you in the head, and buried you in a forgotten, shallow grave. You believe his words, Miss Maye. Benny is a master when it comes to persuasion and influence. If you do not start to be cautious around him, you might just end up in another shallow grave…for good. He has even killed one of his own, a singer by the name of Franklin. He was one of the oldest members of the old tribe to stay here in New Vegas. But he missed the tribal days, being nomadic, and he sang songs about it, always talked about wanting to go back. This started conflict within the Chairmen because many started to feel the same way. Instead of reasoning with his own tribal kin, Benny poisoned him to shut him up. Bet he didn't tell you about that, did he?"
Chloe heaved a sigh, putting up her arms. "Ok! I think we've established that I made a mistake. That doesn't stop Benny, who is on his way to Fortification Hill. I need to go after him, and I am leaving now."
"How did he figure out to go there?" House asked, tone full of suspicion.
Chloe knew she couldn't say anything about Yes Man, so she shrugged. "I don't know. When I woke up, he was long gone and Swank said that was where he was heading."
"When you get there and get the Chip, head down into the old substation. I have another monitor set up there like this one. I will be able to tell you what to do with it then."
"Fine," Chloe stated, folding her arms. "But I'm going to need caps, weapons, and supplies for me and my friends on our trip."
House was quiet at first, and then slowly replied. "Of course. I will send everything you need down with Victor. It is only fair that I supply you with what you need if you are working for me. Good luck on the trip, Miss Maye. I will call you occasionally on your cell phone for progress results."
Freeside looked just as dirty and slummy as the first time they came through. It was well afternoon by the time Chloe and her companions got their supplies and headed out. House had supplied them with several weapons, ammunition, and first aid. Chloe really wanted to stop by and visit with the King, but she knew they had to keep moving fast if they were even going to get close catching up with Benny. As they were heading for the eastern gate, they saw a lot going on at Mormon Fort. People were gathered about, many were crying and fighting. There were children huddled between dumpsters, a few adults were dead just outside the gates of Mormon Fort and NCR troopers were in a boiling argument with several Kings members.
Chloe and the others came over to see what was going on. She was relieved to see Julia and Arcade discussing something with deep stress plaguing them. They noticed Chloe and her group as soon as she walked up.
"What's going on?" Chloe asked, looking around. "Was there a raid?"
Arcade was quick to answer. "The Frumentarri! They were here! They took Kyle!"
"You mean Vulpes did this?" Chloe grunted, clenching her fists. She just talked to the man.
Julia shook her head. We're not sure, happened too fast. They said something about Caesar needing a personal doctor. Luckily, the Kings came in after that, though they still managed to take Kyle. Fucking NCR didn't even show up until they were fleeing. All I know is that we aren't happy on how all this went down and we are worried about Kyle. The residents of Freeside are panicking and mad at NCR, along with the Kings. And the King himself is pissed over how NCR is not doing a damn thing. Frankly, I don't blame him. Four of his boys lost their lives trying to defend us."
"And now the residents are fighting and killing each other in their panic and we are trying our best to settle them down while the Kings and NCR argue over there," Arcade sighed, pushing up his glasses.
"Why didn't the NCR do anything? Isn't that their job?" Raul asked.
"They don't care about Freeside. They are just here waiting for House to screw up so they can annex New Vegas," Julia answered, folding her arms.
"We're heading to the Fort. We got business there. We'll get Kyle back," Chloe told them, dipping her head. "Don't worry."
"Why are you heading there?" Arcade asked, eyebrow rising. He sounded worried.
"Caesar has my father. It's payback time."
"I don't mean to be rude here," Julia interrupted. "But how the hell are you going to do that without getting killed?"
"Hopefully, we'll figure that out on the way," Chloe answered, receiving glares from her friends.
"And we should go if you want to reach Novac before dark. It's not good to be stuck out in that territory after dark," Boone stated.
"Right, we should be heading out. Good luck, Julie, Arcade. We'll do our best to get Kyle back for you."
"Wait! I want to go with you," Arcade blurted.
Julie looked to her fellow Follower. "What? But Arcade-"
"They were going to take me in the first place, and he got them to take him instead. I owe him this much, more really."
Chloe slowly nodded. "Alright. Only if you are sure about this, Arcade."
"I am."
"If Aaron was here now, boy would he be getting a ranting from me," Chloe grumbled as they were passing the 188 Trading Post.
They were keeping their feet moving as quickly as possible, knowing they had to hurry if they were going to reach Novac before dark. Making a campfire in the middle of the Mojave Wasteland was dangerous as it was. They didn't need to bump into rutting roving male Deathclaws lurking around, whose aggression peaked at a beyond deadly level. Not to say that they didn't have to worry about running into them in the day. It was just for the fact that Deathclaws were more active at night, especially with breeding season in full swing.
"You mean the NCR President Aaron Kimball? Why?" Arcade asked.
"Because he needs to step up and get the NCR to do its job. If he was here and saw all this going on, he would fix it in a hurry. It's just that for years now, the NCR has been struggling with Caesar's Legion and that's all they are down to worrying about. I know he would help in getting my father back. They've been good friends for years."
"I hear he was supposed to be coming to Hoover Dam soon. Maybe you can catch him there," Boone stated.
"That is if we don't die painfully and horribly at the Fort," Cass snorted.
"You aren't helping, Cass," Raul grumbled. The gunslinger ghoul glared over at the caravan driver.
"Just saying."
They started bickering behind Chloe. The courier twitched a smile, shaking her head. It felt so open out here now that she was out of the walls of the Strip and Freeside. Now vast desert spread out across them, with cracked roads, dead trees, broken down buildings, and crumbling overpasses and interchanges. Luckily, they hadn't had any danger come at them yet. They met a caravan heading to 188 Trading Post about an hour after passing it. The pack Brahmin mooed at them while the caravan driver and mercenary cautiously waved and even warned about some Cazadors up ahead, though Chloe and the others never ran into the giant wasps.
They did, however, come across a mother Yao Guai and a cub eating on a rotting carcass of a Bighorner within a few miles of Novac, as the sun was starting to set.
They got ready, but the mother Yao Guai stayed near her cub and carcass. She stood up on her hind quarters, roaring out a warning at them, but did not charge, which was surprising. Chloe then saw the mutated bear pin her ears back, and she suddenly dropped to all fours and took off running with the cub at her side.
"I guess she didn't want to mess with a large group like us," Veronica stated. "Good."
Boone shook his head. "Something's wrong. That Yao Guai was scared of something, and it wasn't us."
Rex started barking frantically. ED-E was beeping in alarm. The group got their weapons ready
"Oh shit!" Cass cursed.
"Time to run!" Raul hollered.
Chloe saw it. The large male Deathclaw was already sliding down the ridge for them. It tripped on a large rock near the bottom, but caught itself and jumped several feet onto the road. It roared out at them, a high-pitched, gravelly scream.
"There's no getting away from these things, are there?" Cass spat.
They heard more roaring. Chloe saw the Yao Guai cub and mother coming their way with another Deathclaw on their rear. The cub squealed as it ran as fast as it could. The mother suddenly spun around in an attempt to save her cub. She got a good swipe in to the pursuing Deathclaw's face before it took her down and gored her to death.
The other Deathclaw who was readying itself to charge them with talons caught sight of the fleeing cub and went after it instead. The Deathclaw killed the cub with one quick bite to the spine. The crunching of bone echoed out.
"Let's move while we have the chance!" Boone called.
That chance didn't remain long. The male Deathclaws were only distracted a few moments with their kills. ED-E beeped like crazy for an order, and Rex was barking up a storm, his mouth foaming and ears pinned. Not only that, but Chloe knew that their large group huddled together like this stood out beyond easily.
The Deathclaws with their blood-smeared faces and horns looked to them with thrashing tails. The two roving males trilled at each other. One raised its head and let out a strange, warbling sound.
"That's not good," Arcade said.
"Why?" Chloe asked, already frozen.
"He's calling other Deathclaws. If that's the case, these aren't roving males. They're in an actual pack."
"Fuckin' great!" Cass yelled.
They opened fire with their weapons, sticking together. Chloe yelled at Rex to stay while she ordered ED-E to fire away. The nearest Deathclaw that had gored the mother Yao Guai and was covered in blood fell quickly thanks to Boone's marksman shot to the skull. The other was about ready to charge, but was quickly intimidated by Lily, who had run up with her Vertibird Sword yelling and slashing. The young male Deathclaw looked as though it was going to back off, but then when Lily's sword hit its hip, the large reptilian creature hissed and latched powerful jaws onto the Nightkin's shoulder and quickly took her down. It went to gore her with its horns, but Lily was a bit quicker and impaled her blade through the Deathclaw's throat.
"Let's move before the rest of the pack gets here!" Chloe yelled, hurrying everyone along.
"Yes, we definitely don't want to be dealing with any Alpha Deathclaws," Arcade agreed.
They hurried on, hearing the calls of more Deathclaws echoing out in the distance. Novac was just up the hill now, and then they would be safe. Chloe was quickly reminded why the Deathclaw remained as the most feared creature out in the wasteland. They killed more humans than humans killed them, and that landed them on top of the food chain for the most part.
Chloe just hoped that they would be able to figure out a plan before they got to the Fort. She would be going in alone; there would be no other way. They still had a long way to go to Cottonwood Cove, where the Legion has taken over right there on the Colorado River. From all the mountainous terrain on the other side of the Colorado River, Chloe figured the crossing from Cottonwood Cove was the quickest and easiest route to Fortification Hill. And, hopefully, to her father and Benny.
A/N: Okay, so now Chloe is on her way to Fortification Hill to face Caesar in the flesh and try to get her father and Benny out alive. So, how will this go down you think? It's going to take alot for her and her friends to storm the Fort, but then more interesting things will play as well! The first section of next chapter will be in Benny's POV also! :) He sure is going to get a surprise when Chloe shows up lol! Thanks for all of the reviews so far! You guys have been great in supporting this Fallout story of mine, and I am always happy for positive feedback! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! But next chapter is gonna have alot of action in it! Yahoo! XD
A/N2: This chapter has been updated Feb 2018
