June 19th, 2280

06:00

The Lucky 38

Ava's brief bout of wakefulness had dropped to unconsciousness almost as soon as her head hit her pillow after leaving Cass's room. Veronica hadn't even moved in the time she'd been gone. Her head was still completely buried under a pile of pillows. Ava had barely had the energy to throw an arm over her and collapse before she was just as asleep as the Scribe.

And so it was with much confusion that she cracked her eyes open only a few hours later to the sound of knocking on the door. Groaning unhappily she rolled ungracefully off the bed to the floor. Stumbling blindly across the room, Ava grasped around on the dresser for her pistol. She felt the engravings on Maria's grip and grabbed it. Whoever was at the door was going to get shot. Multiple times.

After jamming her fingers right above the handle and cursing quietly, Ava managed to pull the door open with a large yawn. She blinked owlishly a few times as her eyes adjusted to the bright lights of the hallway. Knox stood in his full armor, looking far to chipper for how tired Ava felt.

"Morning," he greeted, holding out a steaming cup of coffee to her. "I figured you'd probably need this."

Ava attempted to take a swing at him with Maria, but all that came out was a yawn and a half-hearted lifting of the pistol from her side. With an unhappy grunt she took the mug of coffee and took a long sip from it, feeling the warmth and caffeine spread through her system.

"Better?" Knox asked. Ava shrugged in response. "Well, it's as much as you're getting. Grab some pants. We've got our meeting with House."

Ava took half a step back into her room to grab her sweatpants and glanced down at her PipBoy. "What time is it?" she asked quietly, navigating away from her vitals display and to the clock interface. "It's 6AM!" she hissed at Knox in an irritated whisper.

"We've got a big day ahead of us, I'm sure," Knox whispered back with a little snark. "What? Didn't get enough sleep?" he asked.

Ava gaped like a goldfish for a few moments and failed to say anything in response. How could she tactfully put it that the doctor she'd threatened repeatedly the day before had told her to get help from Knox's estranged significant other? And that she'd accepted. Ava opted to slam the door in his face. She took a deep breath as she felt around in the dark with her foot for pants. She'd have to talk to Knox about this eventually. And probably sooner rather than later. Knox was like a blood hound to secrets. He'd sniff them out and then convince you to tell him. That's just how he operated. And after her impression of a lakelurk, he'd definitely know something was up.

She stifled a curse as she kicked her assault rifle from where it lay on the floor. She could probably just turn the lights on. Anything other than a grenade going off wouldn't wake Veronica up. The issue became a moot point when she stepped on her sweats on her way to the light switch.

Pulling the soft material up over her bare legs she crossed the dark room and slid back out into the hall. Knox was waiting by the elevator with an expectant look on his face. She sidled up next to him. "Don't say a word," she muttered darkly. Knox lifted an eyebrow in response as they stepped into the elevator.

The doors slid shut and Ava continued. "I wasn't trying to keep anything secret from you. I know I said I'd let you guys help me. And that's what I did." She glared at Knox as if daring him to argue. "I talked with Arcade last night and he said I need a sponsor." Knox nodded, it all made sense. "I asked Cass to be my sponsor."

Knox visibly blanched. "And how'd that go?" he asked, wearing an incredulous expression.

"It went fine," Ava replied hotly. "Cass agreed to help. You know, she's dealing with her own problems right now. Problems no one is helping her with."

"And you think I haven't tried to help her? Again?" Knox defended, crossing his arms indignantly. "You've met Cass, right? She's not big on getting help. I think that's why she's game to help you out. You two have that common."

"Don't change the subject," Ava snapped. "You've never stopped trying to help me and I tell you to fuck off regularly."

Knox scratched his chin and fiddled with his belt. "Yes, but that's because you're you. Your problems aren't my fault. Cass is… I shouldn't have… It's not Cass's-" Knox stopped talking suddenly. His eyes widened and he glanced at Ava, realizing he may have said too much.

Ava wasn't one to let a moment like this go and latched on. "Oh-ho! You shouldn't have what, Knox?" She leaned up close to him, grinning mischievously.

Knox looked away from her and squared himself up to the door. "We're not talking about this."

Falling against his side, Ava caused Knox to stagger against the elevator wall. "What could you have been about to say?" she asked looking up at him, lying her head on his shoulder. "Could it have possibly been something like 'not Cass's fault'?"

"Dear god, why won't this elevator hurry the fuck up?"

Reaching the penthouse floor, Knox managed to flee from the elevator with Ava attempting to cling onto his arm, but he managed to shake her off as he escaped towards House's offices.

"How does it feel to have someone trick you into saying something?" Ava asked as she followed behind him, hopping up to hit the back of his cowboy hat up. "It feels pretty fucking great for me. I get why you do it to people now."

Knox screwed his hat back down around his furiously blushing ears and whirled around to face her. "Look. Cass and I have our problems. Yes, those problems stem from her drinking. Should I have thrown her to the curb because of it? No, I should not have. I get that. I do. Cass… Cass does not," he said with a sigh. "She's not willing to let go of the blame. And now the two of us are right back where we started. She's drinking and we're not together." He spun back around. "Happy now?" he asked gruffly.

Ava caught his elbow, holding him back. "You're not where you started," she said. "Cass is trying," she assured him before her face split into a wicked grin. "You can just keep being miserable until she gets there though."

Knox dragged a gloved hand down his face as Ava skipped past him laughing. "Fuck Doc Mitchell for procreating," he muttered sourly before following Ava into the atrium. A securitron with a stylish woman's face on its screen rolled up to greet them.

"Good morning, sugar," she greeted Knox with a happy chirp. She rotated her torso so her camera was facing Ava. "Is this the new hire I've heard Mr. House talk so much about?"

Ava struck a pose with her hands on her hips. "That's me, alright!"

"And you're going to see Mr. House dressed like that?" Jane asked, her artificial voice dripping with condescension.

The air seemed to escape from Ava as she deflated and her arms fell limply to her sides. "What did you say, you fucking piece of junk?" she growled at the securitron.

"How uncouth," Jane commented snidely before wheeling herself away from the scowling Ava.

"I'm going to dismantle that robotic bitch," Ava seethed, watching her go.

Knox shook his head and grabbed her by the shoulder. "Come on, ignore the help. We've got to go report to House. You can pick fights with his creations later."

Ava nodded begrudgingly and followed Knox further into the penthouse, but she wasn't about to drop the topic at all. "Seriously. It's really amazing that House managed to nail the 'be a bitch' subroutine. Not to mention Victor. Who is just plain creepy." Knox laughed at that, but didn't reply further. Instead he just held the door open to House's chambers for her and waved her in.

House was waiting for the two of them, his portrait already displayed on the screen. "Good morning," he greeted them as they walked in. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me this morning." Under the stern gaze of House, Ava plopped down on the plush carpet in front of his monitor as Knox walked over towards the window and leaned up against the wall. As to why House couldn't have chairs in the room, Ava would never know. "Mr. Knox tells me your mission to the Fort was quite fortuitous," House said to her as she eased herself, cross-legged to the floor.

Ava cast a furtive glance towards Knox. He did, did he? She glanced back to House, stifling another mighty yawn. "Oh?"

"Caesar's… illness?" House prompted patiently.

Shooting another dirty look at Knox, Ava growled at the Courier, "You told him already? Then why the fuck am I here? At 6AM!"

"I submitted a paper report nothing more," Knox replied. "This is a debrief anyway. Now…" Knox trailed off and gestured back to House's screen. His face was waiting motionlessly.

Ava rotated herself to be facing House again. "Er… what do you want to know?" A static filled sigh fizzled through the speakers. House's patience had limits. Ava cleared her throat while Knox disguised a snicker as a cough. "You know that I'm trained medically," she stated. "While in a summit with Caesar he began displaying erratic tendencies and several other noteworthy symptoms. I was suspicious, but unable to examine him further. I don't think the Legion would be big on a female medic."

"So you have nothing more than unsubstantiated observations?" House asked, seeking clarification.

Ava shook her head and sat up a little straighter, bracing her hands on her knees. "No. There's more. One of Caesar's centurions was tasked with moving a communique to a dead drop. It lists even more symptoms that are consistent with a brain lesion. Most likely a tumor."

The room's speakers were silent for a moment as House pondered this. "The communique…" House asked slowly. "How did you come by it?"

Ava shifted uncomfortably under House's unchanging gaze. "I… intercepted it," she tried to dodge unsuccessfully. House made a displeased noise and Ava blushed. "The same centurion who was trusted with it kind of hates me. I challenged him to a fight to steal the key to the dead drop."

Silenced reigned over the room again as Knox and Ava waited for their boss to process this. "You challenged a centurion… to a fight?" House asked seriously. "Have you never heard of finesse!? You were trusted to infiltrate the Legion and not garner more attention than was unavoidable. So tell me: how does challenging one of their military commanders to a fight seem SUBTLE?"

With her jaw hanging open, Ava scrabbled for something to defend herself with, but frankly, it was a rather indefensible position. Thankfully Knox had something to say.

"In Ava's defense," he said, drawing the heat away from Ava, "you didn't hire her for her finesse." Great help there, Knox. "That's why you hired me." Ava scowled at him. If he wasn't going to help her out, he could shut the hell up. "Also to be fair, I don't think she gathered any suspicions. The Legionary challenged her. She just prodded him along to that point and then acted upon opportunity. All secrets safe. Except Caesar's."

Knox gave Ava a nod and a smile. She stuck her tongue out at him, but snapped back to attention when House cleared his throat. "I will allow that this particular information is quite valuable, but!" he said, speaking to Knox now, "Miss Mitchell will not be returning to the Fort unless absolutely necessary."

"Good with me," Ava muttered as Knox nodded in agreement. It probably was for the best that she didn't return there. It wasn't like she'd miss it and her health prospects were always going to be higher the further away from the Legion of slavers she was. That just made sense.

"However, Miss Mitchell, the record does need to state that I do appreciate the lengths you went through to retrieve this information. Caesar suffering from a tumor is certainly an actionable bit of intel." House thought for a moment. "It certainly makes planning an assassination a waste of time. All we have to do is wait." He made a pleased noise. "We can push the Legion out of the Mojave and then sit back and watch them self-destruct. You're actions have saved you and Mr. Knox several months of future labor," he said, congratulating Ava. "See Jane on your way out for a bonus. It is well deserved. Now then," he said, switching gears. "Both of you, tell me, what are the NCR and the Legion up to? Report," he instructed.

Stepping off the wall, Knox took the lead and started giving House the highlights from his meeting with General Oliver and Colonel Moore. "The NCR is trying to deal with some smaller factions before the war with the Legion hits full tilt. They want the Great Khans and the Brotherhood of Steel dealt with," he said. "However, they don't have the man power to hold the dam, fight off Legion incursions, and get rid of the Khans and the Brotherhood. They're looking for groups to absorb into their power base to remedy this."

"Who are they looking at?"

"Boomers and the Kings," Knox replied.

House scoffed loudly. "The Bear is significantly weaker than they let on if they're pursuing an alliance with the Kings! Chasing after the Boomers' stockpiles, while somewhat ill advised, makes sense for a nation that's brand of democracy is fueled by military might, but the Kings! If the NCR thinks a bunch of libertarian, tough guys are going to side with them, then they'll be even easier to oust from Hoover Dam than I thought! Ha!"

Ava rocked forward, trying to gain House's attention. "The Boomers," she said, slapping at Knox's legs until he stepped aside, "The Legion has been trying to approach them as well, but no frumentarius has been able to make it to them."

"That is because the Boomers have the habit of blowing anyone up that approaches Nellis," House replied dryly. "Legion frumentarii are no exception. Although it is troubling that the Legion of all groups is looking for heavy ordinance. If Caesar is willing to bend his technology ban in favor of power, then we'll have to keep a close eye on his caravans." House was quiet for a moment. "At least until he expires." Ava and Knox could hear the slight smile in his voice. "What else do you have for me on the Legion, Miss Mitchell? That is, of course, if you were finished," he said to Knox.

Knox shook his head and gave Ava a sweeping bow and a wry grin. "All yours, Ava."

"Well," Ava said, nervously flipping her hair from one side of her face to the other, "I wasn't given any other particular missions per say. Caesar wanted to have me approach the Boomers as a trial run, but…"

House cut her off. "I've waited centuries to bring us to this point, Miss Mitchell. I do not plan on wasting more time. Now, out with it, girl!" he snapped irritably, clearly tired of Ava wasting time during the meeting.

Ava chewed her lip unhappily. She could guess that House was not going to like what she was about to say. "I saw maps that contained Legion safe houses, camp locations, troop movements, etcetera. I don't speak Latin," she said uneasily, "but I can see patterns fairly well. They used one symbol to mark an attack, I saw it on Nipton. They had another that I'm guessing they used for strategic resources. Or something," she tacked on hurriedly.

"And where was this marking on the map?" House pressed.

"I first saw it on Nellis Air Force Base, the Boomers, but I also saw it on a place called Red Rock Canyon-"

"Red Rock is secure," Knox cut in. "Troops attempted to attack the Khans, but Boone and Raul managed to get a defense up. The Legion hasn't been seen since."

House hmmed at that. "I want the Khans followed up on. They may have refused my offer to reform, but I do not want a Mojave tribe joining the Legion. The Great Khans can stay ignorant savages if they like, but not the Legion's ignorant savages." He addressed Ava again, "Anything else, or is that it?"

Still chewing on her lip, Ava looked at Knox, hoping that he'd cut her off again, but no such luck. He was looking at her as expectantly as House's portrait. "I saw the same mark in New Vegas," she said as fast as she could, her words a rushed, jumbled mess. She cleared her throat. "The Ultra Lux and the Gomorrah to be specific."

Ava thought she could actually hear her own heartbeat the room had grown so quiet. Knox was looking at House's screen apprehensively as the monitor flickered.

"What?" House hissed, his voice very low, anger creeping steadily into his tone.

"I think the Legion have approached the Omertas and the White Glove Society," Ava said shrinking away from House's portrait just waiting for the inevitable explosion of rage.

However, House surprised both Knox and Ava. "Benny's betrayal was expected," he said, his voice miraculously maintaining control. "But he was dealt with and the Chairmen were brought back into the fold. In large part because of the two of you." His voice grew strained as he continued, "However, I didn't realize the rest of the Families were so stupid as to not take this as a sign that going against New Vegas is suicide. But apparently they have." Ava and Knox had to almost lean forward to listen as House's voice grew quieter. "I want this taken care of. Immediately. And I want it taken care of quietly. I do not want another incident like the Chairmen. The violence served its purpose then, but now… I want Caesar to make no mistake… Vegas is mine."

"GO!" he shouted. "I want the White Gloves and the Omertas investigated," he ordered as Ava jumped to her feet to stand next to Knox. "And if anything is found with the faintest whiff of Legion, then you will remove it. New Vegas must stand together. Am I clear?"

Knox tipped his hat, "Sir," and Ava nodded her head with an excited grin, "Oh yeah."

"Good," House said, dismissing them with the word.

Knox and Ava exited the room, stopping only for a moment for Ava to grab her cap bonus from Jane and exchange a barbed look with the robot.

"What now?" she asked, catching up to Knox as Knox got in the elevator.

Knox held the door open for her and she slid in next to him. "Now? Now we get to work. Planning session, all hands on deck. If the Families are plotting we need to find out what. Go wake everyone up and meet me in the cocktail lounge," he instructed Ava, already pressing the stop button, so he could get off at the lounge. Ava held him back by his shirt.

"Why do I have to wake everyone up?" Ava protested. "I'm your partner, not your assistant!"

Knox disentangled himself from her grasp and stepped nimbly through the now closing doors. "Keep telling yourself that," he said, smirking at her.

The doors shut and the elevator continued descending to the suites floor. Ava scowled at the door and muttered, "Jerk." The elevator ground to a halt, the doors opening to reveal the hallway of the suites.

Ava sighed. Well, time to wake everyone up.

"HEY ASSHOLES!"


Time for all the news in the world!

Special thanks to Ethan the Renegade for letting me know that Shattered Illusions has been added to the tvtropes Fallout fanfic recommendation page. That's really fucking cool! If you want to go add a comment on that, knock yourselves out!

More news: three new Fallout stories have been announced on my profile! If you want a little info on those just click over to my profile. I also have my summer writing schedule up there, so you can see what to expect over the next three to four months.

Lastly... ART! Once upon a time I mentioned I might create an art blog for Shattered Illusions and stuff! Well, I finally did. And there's a little bit of art on it! I'll add to it as often as I can, but don't let me hold any of you artists back (or non-artists if you're simply feeling creative). If you want to draw Shattered Illusions characters knock yourselves out! But for now, visit thewastelandjournal on tumlr. There's a link on my profile. I'll also use the blog to just post my story related thoughts on there. So if you're looking for some behind the scenes goodness, that's where to go!

Anyway, that's all! Thanks to all you reviewers, favoriters, and followers! There's no greater feeling than getting the notification that you all like the story! See you next time for a quality breakfast and planning scene!