Lacey eventually had to talk to the Courier. "So you're the chick from DC, huh? I heard some shit about you in New Vegas. Didn't think you would be like this."

Lacey sighed. "What, perhaps, was I like in your mind?"

The Courier paused. Was she...no, she couldn't be. But the motion amazed even the Courier's brain. She was thinking. Poor thing, probably never thought so hard in her life.

"You were more of a pompous asshole. Were above those you saved. Didn't give an actual shit about anyone. And yet, here you are."

"You did the same thing. Only from New Vegas. I'm not better than you."

"Wow. Look at that, that selfless shit you're doing right now. Incredible."

"Right…" Lacey trailed off.

"The difference between you and me, honey?" The Courier said, leaning in. "Is that I charge for my services."

Finally she brushed past the Lone Wanderer. Lacey shivered. God, she was weird.

Lacey, Phoenix, and Stark made the journey to the Prydwen by themselves, not needing the Brotherhood to feel crowded. Not until they agreed, anyway.

Once the trio neared the gate, the two members were easily recognized. Even though Stark was an unknown quantity, they let them pass.

"A giant balloon. Fantastic," Stark mentioned snidely.

"Whoa," Both Phoenix and Lacey both turned on him. Only Lacey continued. "This airship was built as a war machine. I suggest you don't test her."

Phoenix nodded. She was really starting to like Lacey.

Eventually, their vertibird made it onto the Prydwen, and they made their way inside. Stark, finally, understood what the Prydwen represented here. When he looked off the sides, he could see the shadow of a city. Collapsed, damaged buildings were the composition of that masterpiece.

He brought his attention back to following the ladies, in which he found himself in front of a visually intimidating man. His scars, his large coat, even his demeanor caused Tony to feel threatened. This was worse than Loki, he felt that this man would mean every word, every action. Conviction seemed to be his strong suit.

"Paladin, Honorary Knight." Maxson said, addressing the two. "I wasn't aware you both were acquainted."

"Only recently, sir," Phoenix answered formally.

"As of yesterday," Lacey added.

"Considering you brought a new face, and you both share that look, I assume you're here to request something from me."

"We're requesting assistance," Lacey started.

"It's a...long story," Phoenix finished.

Tony was tired of this. "In other words, if we're done with this military shit, I'm stuck in an alternate reality and need materials and space to figure out a way to return to my own dimension. Me and the rest of my team, that is."

No one said anything for what seemed like a full minute. Phoenix had started gritting her teeth. "What?" Was Maxson's final reply.

"Alternate reality. Not this reality?"

Maxson scowled at him. "I know what an alternate reality is, wastelander. So what are you asking of me?"

"Electricity, steel, copper, aluminum alloy, a few radioactive materials, and about twenty square feet of space."

Another pause from Maxson, albeit brief. "That's it?"

Tony nodded. "Yeah. Probably."

"You're asking if I'll supervise the building of a machine that is capable of teleporting people to an alternate dimension, and all your asking for is a little space and some junk?"

"And," Phoenix jumped in. "We're asking that you don't exploit this. No using it for your own personal gain. Keep it off record, in case things get fishy."

"Like if another Enclave resistance rose up," Lacey said, knowing that this would strike a chord with the Elder.

"I'll alert personnel to gather supplies and clear space," was Maxson's final reply.

The Courier had no desire to make her way back to New Vegas anytime soon. In fact, she didn't even bother reminding Phoenix about her promise. She'd basically dropped off the radar. She still showed up at night, and she slept in Phoenix's house, but she did her own thing during the day.

It was a strange feeling for her. She was tied down, yet so free. She was relying on Phoenix to get her back home, but the feeling of being so far away really settled in her system. The longer she was in the Commonwealth, the further she got from Diamond City. When she made it to Lexington, she'd realized she'd gone further than intended, but was happy to find somewhere new. It was obvious that Phoenix had blown through this area, but mold always had a way of crawling back. Especially in the old Corvega factory, wherein she found a holed up group of raiders. They'd obviously not been there long, but she really enjoyed taking them out. It was a way for her to console her endless, boring existence.

She'd wished she'd brought Rex with her. Although Rex wasn't technically hers, the King would have been more than happy to let his companion enjoy the wonders of cross country travel.

At least, she assumed. And besides, both Phoenix and Lacey had their own dogs. Though, she did find it quite strange that they were both named Dogmeat. But hey, beggars can't be choosers. Anyway, both dwellers said that they didn't choose the name, and that it simply came with the canine.

Sounded like bullshit to her, but it wasn't really her business.

She sighed, standing from her crouching position. The man she'd been looting was horribly disfigured, thanks to the incendiary modification she added to her sniper rifle. While the bullet would have easily mauled his face, the bullets had the added surprise of mortifyingly burning whomever caught the projectile.

She slung the rifle across her shoulders, carrying it like one would carry buckets of water. She'd really missed doing this.