Layla has a choice to make, and in doing so her life will get a lot more complicated. Simple lives aren't exactly interesting are they? Warning, this chapter contains some angst.

Sundered Union

"Where've you been?" Veronica asked casually as Layla walked into the recreation room. Veronica had been reading a pre war book, and put it down as her friend entered. Layla had just arrived back at the suite after talking to Caesar, and she still had no idea what she was going to do about his request. More than that, she didn't know how she was going to explain it to Veronica. "How long does it take to talk to Caesar?"

"I had to wait." Layla said, clearly distracted. She sat down on the pool table and quickly took out a bottle of whiskey, before taking a big gulp. The familiar satisfying burning taste filled Layla's throat, and she began to feel a little more confident. Veronica was about to say something else, when she saw the mournful expression on Layla's face. Something wasn't right.

"What's wrong?" She asked. Layla was taken by surprise, but realised that she shouldn't be. After the amount of time they'd spent together, Veronica could read her like her book.

"Caesar asked me to do something." She said slowly and nervously. "And I don't think I'll be able to do it." A look so quizzical it was almost comical covered Veronica's face.

"Seriously?" She asked dubiously. "You? I thought you'd be willing to do anything to see the NCR destroyed."

"There's one thing I don't think I can do, and that's hurt you." Veronica looked even more confused.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Caesar...he asked me to wipe out the Brotherhood." In all the time she'd known her, Layla had never seen Veronica look as shocked and distraught as she did right at that second. She dropped her book to the floor, and stared open mouthed at Layla, clearly not believing what she was hearing.

"He wants you to do what?" She nearly screamed, but just managed to keep her voice below ear shattering volume.

"He wants me to kill them. All of them. I tried to convince him they'd make better allies, but he's more stubborn than the bull on his flag. He won't listen to reason."

"Maybe he'll listen to a punch in the face!" Veronica growled and got to her feet, before storming out of the recreation room and towards the elevator. Layla dropped her whiskey bottle to the ground as she realised what Veronica was talking about. She frantically darted to her feet and grabbed her friend's arm, holding her back.

"Woah woah, wait a minute!" Veronica was a lot stronger than Layla gave her credit for, and she found herself unable to hold her friend back. "We can't kill Caesar! I need him!" Veronica stopped resisting suddenly, and Layla almost fell into her.

"Let me see if I've got this right." Veronica said, angrier than Layla had ever seen her. "You need this mass murdering psychopath to avenge your family, and in order to secure his allegiance, you want to sacrifice my family?"

"It's not like that!"

"He wants you to murder the only family I have in this world. You know what that's like, so you can't honestly believe that it's an acceptable thing to do." Veronica spun around and looked Layla dead in the eyes. The rage Layla saw there was almost paralysing.

"I don't want to do it Veronica, but Caesar's adamant. Either I leave the Legion and try to find another powerful military force willing to battle the NCR..."

"Or you kill my family." Veronica finished. There was a long and uncomfortable silence.

"Yeah." Layla admitted reluctantly.

"And you're actually considering doing as Caesar asks aren't you?" Another uncomfortable silence filled the room. Rex trotted over to Layla and started to rub up against her leg, but she silently shooed him away.

"I am." Another guilty admission. Veronica looked at her with what Layla realised sadly was disgust.

"How could you?" Veronica asked in disbelief. "After all we've been through, after everything we've done together, how could you even CONSIDER doing as that bastard commands?"

"Veronica, my family..."

"SCREW YOUR FUCKING FAMILY!" Veronica shouted. Layla recoiled from her words, as though she'd been shot. "I've had enough of this selfish obsession! It dominates your entire life! You're willing to throw away everything and do anything to destroy the NCR. You don't give a shit about anything that isn't that goal, including me."

"Veronica, please." Layla pleaded. She couldn't remember the last time she'd pleaded to anyone. "I don't have a choice." Veronica laughed harshly.

"You don't have a choice? YOU DON'T HAVE A FUCKING CHOICE? Nobody forced you to kill every NCR soldier you see. Nobody forced you to join the fucking Legion. You've always had a choice Layla, and you've always made the wrong one. Don't make the wrong one again." Layla couldn't believe this was happening.

"I need the Legion Veronica. Without them, I can't defeat the NCR. And I can't do it without you either."

"You can only have one of us, and if you do as Caesar asks, you won't have me." Layla's eyes dropped to the floor, and tears began to form in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I...I have no choice." Layla said sorrowfully. Veronica looked like she'd been slapped.

"Fine." She said, barely holding back tears. "You've made your choice. I hope it was the right one." With that, Veronica spun around and stomped towards the elevator again. Layla didn't stop her this time, and the tears that had been forming throughout the entire conversation began to roll down her cheeks. Rex looked up at her in confusion, clearly having no idea of the significance of what had just happened.

Layla took a whiskey bottle from the fridge in the dining room, then lay on her bed, drinking and thinking. She let her emotions out, allowing the tears to run down her face. When she couldn't cry anymore, and the whiskey bottle went empty, she got to her feet, grabbed her bag, and left the suite.

*Several hours later*

Elder McNamara sat in his office, going through a large pile of paperwork which mostly consisted of scout reports. He was completely unaware that his keycard had been taken from his pocket about five minutes ago by an invisible form. The same invisible form had taken the Head Scribe's keycard too. The invisible form might as well have left an active grenade in his pocket.

These key cards were very dangerous, but only to the Brotherhood. Inside the bunker, in the same area where the virtual reality pods sat, and the same area where the head scribe usually wandered, there were two computers. The first required three cards in order to access it. When accessed, it would provide the password for the second computer. The second computer could destroy the Brotherhood.

All somebody had to do was access the second computer and press a few buttons, and the bunker would self destruct, killing everyone inside. Since these keycards had the power to wipe out the Mojave's Brotherhood of Steel branch easily, the three most important people in the bunker carried them: The Head Scribe, the Head Paladin, and the Elder. The Elder and the Head Scribe had been relieved of their keycards by an unseen foe, and now the same foe was going after the Head Paladin: Hardin.

Hardin was a tough son of a bitch, Layla knew this for a fact. I'll just have to make sure he doesn't see me. She thought to herself as she clutched the stealth boy closer to herself and snuck down the corridor to Hardin's quarters, completely invisible. As she silently entered the room, Layla saw Hardin typing away at a terminal, his back to her. There was only one pocket on the set of power armour he wore. The keycard had to be in there.

Layla slowly and carefully snuck across the room, making very sure not to make a single sound. Her feet resounded slightly against the metal floor with each step, but Hardin seemed to be so caught up in his work that he didn't notice. Layla eventually reached him, and her arm snaked into the pocket. She felt around slowly and carefully, being as careful as she could not to touch the sides of the pocket. It reminded her of when she'd left home, and she'd quickly had to learn to pickpocket. She'd been a natural, and she called on that long forgotten skill now. Sweat began to run down her head as she dug further into the pocket. What if it's not here? Her mind began to worry. What then? I'll never find it! I'll... Her fingers wrapped around something small, flat and rectangular. Bingo.

Before Layla could pull it out however, an elbow struck her in the face. The power armour covered elbow hit with the force of a sledgehammer, and Layla found herself knocked across the room.

"Show yourself coward!" Hardin yelled, getting to his feet as he did so. Son of a bitch I touched the sides. Layla thought, annoyed at herself. She was just glad that nobody wandered near Hardin's room. Nobody would hear them unless one of them started shooting. Hardin intended to be that one, and drew his gauss rifle.

"I don't know where you are, but I'm sure I can find you with some assistance." Hardin took aim at the wall, intending to shoot it and alert the other members of the Brotherhood. Layla couldn't take that chance, and she dashed towards Hardin. This time he heard her footsteps resound against the metal floor, and swung his rifle like a bat as she reached him. She ducked under the swing, and grabbed Hardin's rifle. He felt that she was grabbing his rifle, but couldn't loosen her grip because he couldn't see where she was gripping. He lashed out with his fist in various directions, but failed to hit her.

Layla struck out with an invisible leg, sweep kicking Hardin to the floor. He landed head first on the metal floor, and his grip loosened on the rifle for a second. It was all the time Layla needed. She stomped on his throat and ripped the rifle from his grasp, before pointing it at his head. All Hardin saw was his own gauss rifle, floating in mid air and pointing at his head.

Layla's finger tightened on the trigger, and she prepared to blow Hardin's head apart. She hesitated however. It was almost as if Veronica was with her in the room, begging her not to kill one of her family. Layla had never had trouble killing anyone before, and this hesitation was extremely alien to her.

Hardin had no idea why his floating gauss rifle wasn't firing, but he took full advantage. He reached out, trying to find the invisible form, and found her leg. He grabbed it with all his strength and pulled the invisible form to the floor. Layla hit the floor with a thud, dropping the gauss rifle as she landed, and Hardin followed the sound, finding her and climbing on top of her. He wrapped both hands around her invisible throat, and began to choke the life out of her.

"I don't need to see you to be able to kill you!" He growled as his grip tightened on her throat. Layla tried to draw a weapon, but Hardin's knees rested on her arms, pinning them down. He continued to choke, and Layla felt air leave her body. Seconds before her consciousness left, Layla headbutted Hardin in the face.

He had a hard head, and she was almost certain she'd hurt herself more than she'd hurt him, but to Hardin the attack had come out of nowhere, so he hadn't been able to brace himself for the impact. He was knocked off balance, and Layla used the opportunity to push him off her. She rolled to her feet and he did the same. He rushed for the gauss rifle that lay on the floor, and Layla took a throwing knife out of her pocket. A simple throw, and Hardin would be little more than a memory.

No. A voice in her head that sounded like Veronica objected. Don't kill him. Layla cursed under her breath before putting away the throwing knife and rushing Hardin. He dropped to his knees and picked up the gauss rifle, just in time to be kicked in the face by an invisible foot. The blow caused him to drop the rifle again, and knocked him back. He hit his head against the desk, knocking him unconscious.

Layla pulled out her combat knife and crouched down next to Hardin, intending to slit his throat. Veronica's voice in her head forced her to desist however, and she found that she couldn't disobey it. You'd better appreciate this Veronica. Layla thought to herself as she picked up Hardin's keycard and left the room.

*A few minutes later*

The Veronica voice didn't stop as Layla crept to the room with the self destruct terminal. It only increased in intensity as it tried desperately to convince Layla not to destroy the bunker. She was almost certain she was going mad. There'll be time to worry about that later. She thought as she reached the terminal. There were three slots, one for each keycard. Layla sat her bag down on the floor and opened it. The cards gleamed at her in the room's artificial light.

You can't do this. The Veronica voice pleaded as Layla inserted the Head Scribe's keycard. You know better than anyone what it's like to lose a family. You can't make your best friend, your only friend, go through the same thing. Layla didn't want to do this. She wished there was some other way, but there wasn't, and she knew it. Caesar would never let the Brotherhood join him, and the Legion was the only organization with the manpower to oppose the NCR. In order to avenge her family, Layla had no choice but to wipe out the family of the girl she loved like a sister.

Who are you to decide that? The voice continued to debate as Layla inserted the Head Paladin's keycard. You can't kill her family for yours. If you do that, you'll be becoming the very thing you swore to kill. That thought stopped her cold. She didn't know where this voice was coming from, probably it was just her imagining what Veronica would say if she was present, but the voice had a damn good point. Layla hated the NCR more than anything in existence, so the last thing she wanted was to become her enemy. There was no other way however, and she knew it. Either I become them and kill them, or don't become them and let them continue to exist. It was a difficult choice, a maddening choice, but Layla's thirst for vengeance decided for her.

The voice didn't say anything as Layla inserted the Elder's keycard. Apparently it knew that the argument was lost. The second Layla inserted the final card, an oddly ironic password flashed up on the screen.

'From my cold dead hands.' Layla walked over to the second computer and typed in the code. Immediately a warning message popped up, warning her of what would happen if she pressed the button. It warned her that if she pressed this button, the bunker would self destruct, and everyone inside would die. It said that if she was not sure, she should press the cancel button immediately. 'Are you sure you wish to activate the self destruct protocol?' The message asked, and Layla realised she had no idea.

This isn't right. She knew that for a fact, but sometimes people had to do things that weren't right. That's why Layla was allied with a group of sociopathic misogynists in order to bring down an organization that arguably brought law and order to the Mojave. When Layla thought about pressing the self destruct button, all she could think about was Veronica's tear stricken face. That made her finger venture towards the cancel button. When she neared that however, all she could think of was the dead faces of her mother and father. They didn't deserve that. She thought angrily. But the Brotherhood don't deserve this.

Before Layla knew it five minutes had passed. Five minutes of her arguing with herself. Two buttons sat in front of her. One would destroy the Brotherhood, and one would save it. She had no idea which she was going to press, but she knew her stealth boy's charge was wearing off. She'd have to choose one soon, or she'd be visible again, and exposed. Make a choice. Quickly! Her mind screamed at her, and Layla obeyed. The time for deliberation was over. Without thinking, she reached out and pressed one of the buttons, deciding the fate of not just the Brotherhood, but herself, and her relationship with Veronica.

*Veronica*

At that very moment, Veronica was wandering Freeside in the dead of night. She'd spent the night drinking at the Atomic Wrangler, but after she'd been unable to pay for drinks they'd refused to let her use Layla's room. So now Veronica was heading towards the Follower's Fort, hoping they could provide her with shelter for night.

I thought I loved her. She thought bitterly as she made her way through Freeside's moonlit streets. I was willing to throw my life away to help her avenge her family, but then I find out she's willing to throw my family's lives away! She kicked the corpse of a giant rat as she walked, knocking it a few good feet away.

She doesn't give a shit about anyone but herself. Veronica was fairly drunk, which was quite a new experience for her, but even in her inebriated state, she was thinking clearly. Not clearly enough to walk straight, but clearly enough to know she'd been wrong about Layla. I've been such an idiot. She turned a corner, and finally the Follower's Fort was in sight. She's probably at the Legion's camp licking Caesar's boots right now.

Veronica's head began to swim and she took a second to steady herself on a nearby lamppost. She didn't see somebody behind her stop moving at exactly the same time. After a few seconds her head stopped spinning and she moved again. The person behind her did likewise. I thought I loved her. As Veronica got within a few feet of the Fort's front gates, she realised something. Dammit...I do love her. Before Veronica could think further on this, the person behind her closed the distance. If she'd been sober, Veronica would've heard the person coming and spun around, delivering a roundhouse kick to the fucker's face. She wasn't sober however, not even close, so her senses were massively dulled, so much so that she didn't even register surprise when a blunt instrument struck her on the back of the head.

Veronica fell right to the ground, and the combination of alcohol and head injury began to make her consciousness fade. She looked up as she sank into unconsciousness, and just had enough time to notice that the assailant was much more well dressed than the regular bums in Freetown, before the assailant struck again, knocking her lights out.

That's it, Veronica's walked out the door, and the fate of the Brotherhood rests in Layla's hands. Looks like things aren't going any better for Veronica though. Who attacked her in the middle of the street, and what do they want? More than that, did Layla blow up the bunker? The next chapter holds all the answers.

Also, did Veronica act a little out of character here? I've never seen her angry so...I don't know.

Review please.