Because I'm frighteningly enthusiastic about writing action, this chapter took far less time to write than the last one. Lucky you.

The Khan Alliance

The early morning sun gave Red Rock Canyon an almost extravagant beauty. The red glare of the early sun combined with the red rocks had a surprising splendour that even Layla noticed, as she walked up to the camp's longhouse. The sounds of Khans training in the arena below filled the canyon as Layla neared the longhouse. A raven had perched on the roof of the longhouse, and squawked at Layla as she approached, before flying away as fast as it was able.

Layla was wearing the cuirass of her combat armour, but wore the shorts from her Great Khan outfit in addition to the Great Khan jacket that Regis had given her. Since she hadn't officially gone through the Great Khan initiation the jacket wasn't hers. Yet.

Caesar's funeral wouldn't be occurring for a few days, so Layla had some time to herself. She'd suggested to Veronica that they go back to Jacobstown, but the scribe had said she'd needed to 'run some errands', so Layla had decided to go visit the Great Khans instead. It was now midday, as the journey had taken her a few hours. She would've arrived sooner, but a group of Cazadors had jumped her near Bonnie springs. It seemed that since the Vipers who usually occupied the small town were dead, a family of Cazadors had made the area home. Layla had managed to slay the beasts, but not without being stung a few times. She counted her lucky stars that she'd brought some anti-venom with her or she'd currently be dying out in the desert sands.

The sounds of merriment greeted Layla as she entered the Longhouse, as the Khans seemed intent on getting as drunk as was humanly possible, though it was only noon. Say what you want about Great Khans, they sure as hell know how to have fun. Layla smiled as she remembered similar drinking traditions back in Bitter Springs. Once when she'd been 16, her dad had let her have some of his beer. She'd been knocked out from the second bottle. How things changed.

Layla looked around the longhouse and saw Regis sitting at the large table in the front of the room, though Papa Khan and Karl, the legion emissary, where nowhere to be seen.

"Hi Regis." Layla said in greeting as she approached the desk.

"Layla. It's been a while." He said in his normal emotionless voice. Layla agreed. Though it had in reality only been a few weeks since Layla had come to Red Rock, asking if Samuel Cooke and his Powder Gangers could join the Khans, it seemed like a lifetime ago. With all the shit that had been happening recently, it very well could've been.

"I would've come sooner, but I've been a little busy." Layla grabbed a chair from a nearby table and pulled it up to the same table as Regis, before sitting down opposite from him.

"I've heard." Regis finished eating his brahmin steak and looked her in the eyes. "You've been giving the NCR a lot of trouble from what I've heard. Is it true you slit their ambassador's throat?" Layla had to hand it to Regis, he had some good sources. They were in the middle of nowhere and he still knew what was going on in New Vegas.

"Yeah, it's true." Layla grinned as she answered. "He actually pissed himself when he died."

"I also heard you wiped out some important figures on the Strip." It took Layla a few seconds to figure out what he meant.

"Oh, you mean Mr House and Marjorie." Regis nodded in response. "To be fair they both had it coming. And they were both trying to kill me." Regis shook his head in dismay.

"You're still short tempered and lacking foresight I see."

"Still?"

"I remember when you were 13, and came to me regarding a girl who had stolen a comic from you. Your choice of action was to punch her in the face. I had to convince you to take more subtle action." He smiled slightly as he remembered.

"You told me to steal it from her while she slept." They both went into a short torrent of laughter. It was strange. Layla had never heard Regis laugh before.

"My point Layla, is that you can't just go around killing people. You'll no doubt be drawing attention from the NCR. My guess is that it's only a matter of time before they send someone to kill you."

"Oh they have." Layla said in a distant voice as she remembered her encounters with Boone.

"Well, despite my opinions on the matter, I know Papa Khan is very pleased with the way you've, and I quote, 'been sticking it to those NCR bastards'. You and he really are alike. The only difference is that he's crazier than you. He's allowed the urge for vengeance to completely and totally consume his very being, while you still have some chance to give it up." Layla sighed in annoyance as she remembered what Regis had said when she'd last left Red Rock Canyon.

"Regis, we've been over this. I have to avenge my parents and everyone that died at Bitter Springs."

"Even if you have to join forces with Caesar's Legion to do it?" He said accusingly.

"What's that about the Legion?" A deep voice said from behind Layla. Regis narrowed his eyes at the visitor, and Layla turned around to see that Karl had entered the longhouse.

"Nothing." He said to the Legion emissary. Karl's skin was the colour of ebony, and he was tall and powerful, no doubt a result of the tribal heritage and combat training that all members of the Legion had. He wore a simple merc adventurer outfit, a red long-sleeved sweater under a black leather jacket and simple black trousers, along with thick, black combat boots. He had a hard, stern gaze that hid most of his emotions.

"Very well." He said in a friendly tone as he approached the table. "So this is Layla. I am Karl." He looked like he was going to shake her hand, then apparently decided not to. Layla wondered why, then remembered the stigma involved with being a woman in the Legion's eyes. It would seem that just because she was respected by most Legionaries in the fort, didn't mean that respect was felt mutually by all members of the Legion across the Mojave.

"I understand you're an emissary for the Legion?" Layla said in a conversational tone.

"I am indeed." He said with pride. "It is my duty to venture into whatever lands the Legion seeks to conquer, and find worthy allies to aid the Legion in its cause. But enough about me, I've heard a lot about you as well. They call you The Red Blade Witch, and you've been striking fear into the heart of the New California Republic. The stories about your exploits are indeed impressive." He went silent for a moment, as if thinking, before speaking again. "Layla, do you mind if I speak with you privately in my quarters?" Both Regis and Layla gave him strange looks, but Layla felt confident she could cut him down if he tried anything.

"Alright, but make it quick." Karl nodded, and led the way. His room was right next to Papa Khan's, and he shut the door as soon as she entered. The room was sparsely furnished, but that seemed natural. She doubted members of the Legion had many belongings. She leant against the wall as Karl looked at her. She still didn't know what his intentions were, so kept her right hand close to her blade, just in case.

"You are friends with Regis, correct?" He said eventually. It was an unusual question, but Layla saw no reason not to answer it.

"I wouldn't say Regis has friends exactly but yes, I'm friendly with him." A serious look appeared on Karl's face as she answered.

"Good. I trust you know that the Great Khans are forming an alliance with Caesar's Legion?" Strangely, Karl pronounced Caesar's name with a C, instead of with a K like all other members of the Legion. Regardless, she answered his question.

"I've heard some things, but I don't know the details." Layla said truthfully. Despite knowing that the Khans had a Legion emissary living with them, Layla knew next to nothing about the Khans' alliance with the Legion.

"The terms of the alliance are quite simple. Before his death, Caesar believed that the Khans were skilled and proud warriors, which is why he sent me to live with them. The agreement was that the Khans aid the Legion in the coming battle at Hoover Dam, and in return they get all lands east of the Colorado River once the Legion takes over. Papa Khan has expressed great interest in allying with the Legion, so that he could wipe out the NCR." Once again, the resemblance between Layla and Papa Khan was uncanny. "Half of the Khans support Papa Khan since he is their leader, and is possibly the best leader they've ever had."

"And the other half?"

"They support Regis." He said Regis' name with an unmistakable amount of venom. "Regis doesn't feel the same way as Papa Khan, and has been trying to convince him that joining the Legion is not a good idea. Regis is known for his wisdom, and the other half of the Great Khan's organization supports him. Unless this conflict is resolved, the Great Khans will not be able to join forces with the Legion."

"And what do you want me to do about it?"

"That's quite simple. You are close to Regis, he'll listen to you. Convince him that joining the Legion is beneficial to the Great Khans."

"Are you asking me...or telling me?"

"Merely asking. You know firsthand the benefits that come with joining the Legion, and I know you care about the Great Khans. You know that the only way they can get vengeance on the NCR is by joining the Legion. Convince Regis that joining the Legion is the right thing to do, and the Khans will finally be able to regain their lost honour. The choice is yours." With that, Karl walked past her and left the room, leaving Layla alone in his quarters.

She was once again conflicted. While joining Caesar's Legion had been good for her (Apart from the sexism), she didn't know if it would be as good for the Great Khans. Layla had spoken to a few members of the Legion, and gathered that most of them had once belonged to their own tribe, with its own traditions and values. Now those tribes were gone however, and its members were now faceless legionaries. Layla didn't want that to happen to the Khans.

Then again, she understood Papa Khan's urge for vengeance, having been feeling that exact same overpowering urge herself for three years. Papa Khan clearly knew the risks involved, but it looked like he didn't care if the Khans were assimilated by the Legion, leaving all trace of their organization behind. Was it worth sacrificing everything that the Khans were, if it meant destroying the NCR once and for all?

It was a difficult question, and Layla lay back on Karl's bed as she thought about it. As she thought, Layla's eyes scanned the room. While idly casting her gaze around the room, Layla saw something that grabbed her attention. From the exact position she was lying in, Layla could see behind a nearby cabinet. Behind said cabinet, Layla saw a book. Why would Karl wedge a book behind a piece of furniture? Unless he doesn't want anyone else to see it. Her curiosity piqued, Layla climbed off the bed and walked towards the cabinet. Reaching behind the cabinet, she grabbed the book and pulled it out. Not wanting anyone to see her reading it, she shut the door of Karl's room, before lying down on the bed and reading the book. She didn't like what she read.

*Regis*

Regis could tell something was wrong as soon as he saw Layla walking towards him, fire burning fiercely in her eyes. He'd been standing outside the longhouse, looking over the cliff that overlooked the camp, but turned as soon as he heard Layla's stomping footsteps.

"Where's Karl?" She asked with a rage the likes of which he'd never heard before.

"I have no idea." He replied calmly. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not too fond of the man, so his comings and goings aren't of interest to me."

"Maybe this will be of interest." She pushed a small item into Regis' hand as he spoke, and was surprised to see that it was a book.

"What is this?" He asked, still lacking emotion but raising an eyebrow in confusion as he did.

"Karl's journal."

"Where did you find..."

"That's not important." She interrupted him, speaking in a serious tone. "Read it." Normally Regis would've told her to calm down, but he hadn't trusted Karl since the day the emissary had arrived in Red Rock. If his journal had some insight into his behaviour, then Regis knew he had to read it. And read it he did. Like Layla, he didn't like what he read.

As he had guessed, the journal was a description of every day Karl had spent thus far in Red Rock Canyon. Also included in the book were several notes regarding different members of the Khans, the gang's strengths and weaknesses, as well as a few personal notes. It was these notes that most interested Regis, because they showed Karl's true feelings about the Great Khans. Throughout these notes, he expressed his distaste for the Khans and everything they stood for. At several points he called them ignorant savages, and expressed contempt at just about every tradition they had. All in all, it seemed Karl didn't like the Khans nearly as much as he'd been letting on. In fact, it seemed that he thought higher of the dirt on the sole of his boots than of the Khans. His distaste for the Khans wasn't the most disturbing part of the journal however. The most recent of Karl's personal notes suggested that the Great Khans weren't worthy to be assimilated by the Legion. There was a lot of philosophical crap there about the Legion's perfection, but it boiled down to one simple truth. Karl had suggested to Caesar that the Khans should be allowed to fight in the battle at Hoover Damn, then every single one of them should be killed. Men and women, young and old, every Khan in Red Rock Canyon would be executed if they allied themselves with Caesar.

"This is...troubling." Regis said as he finished reading, with a calmness that surprised even himself.

"Troubling?" Layla yelled in disbelief and anger. "It's more than troubling! That bastard wants to kill the fucking Khans! We need to find him and rip his fucking head off!"

"Calm down!" Regis hissed sternly, and turned away from her, silently thinking to himself. "This is serious." He said after a brief pause. "We have to do something about this, but we can't just run after Karl. He could leave Red Rock, and the Khans can't really follow him. Or worse, killing him could piss of the Legion. The last thing we want is an army of heavily armed, well armoured psychopaths charging into the canyon, killing anything that moves.

"So what do you recommend?"

"We have to tell Papa Khan. Once he knows about this, we can simply deny the Legion's offer. They won't be suspicious, Karl will leave, and there won't be a bloodbath." A disappointed look briefly passed across Layla's voice, as though she was sad that she wouldn't get to slay Karl. It passed in an instant however, replaced with a serious look.

"I didn't see Papa Khan in the longhouse. Where is he?"

"Gone for the day. He and a small group of Khans went to ambush an NCR caravan."

"So how're you planning to tell him about Karl's plan if he's not here?"

"He'll be back later tonight, I'll tell him then." As he spoke, he put Karl's journal into one of the interior pockets of his jacket. "In the meantime, we should just pretend that everything is normal. Go do some delivery work for Jack and Diane, something that won't attract any attention. I'll hang on to the book." Layla nodded her agreement, before walking away. Regis turned back to the edge of the cliff, and sighed. Nothing was ever simple anymore.

*Several hours later – Layla*

The red light of the sun had been replaced by the empty, white gaze of the full moon as Layla returned to Red Rock Canyon. Her delivery for Jack and Diane had been fairly easy, which was surprising since she had been delivering chems to a group of Viper gang members. As she'd approached the Vipers' camp, she'd been expecting to be shot on sight. The large parcel she'd been carrying had saved her life however, as the Viper lookout had immediately recognised it as one of Jack and Diane's packages. Layla had been paid a striking amount of chems, and she didn't have to dirty her sword.

As she neared Jack and Diane's trailer, Layla began to get a feeling that something was wrong. The main reason for this was that there was no sign of Jack or Diane. The entire area surrounding the drug lab was completely devoid of life. Before Layla could try to ascertain the reason for this, she saw something that took her full attention. Regis was knelt on the desert ground just outside the trailer, arms tied behind his back by thick ropes. Stood behind him, wielding a very well made machete, was Karl.

"It's about time you got back." Karl called over to Layla as she neared. "We were getting so impatient waiting for you." She gritted her teeth in an enraged expression as her hand moved towards her sword..

"What the hell do you think you're doing Karl?" She yelled at him. He simply smiled.

"I could ask you the same thing Layla. I had no idea that you're a spy for the NCR." Karl's response knocked her for six. A spy for the NCR? What the hell is he talking about? Layla thought franticly as Karl's eyes drifted towards Regis' kneeling form.

"What the hell are you talking about?" She asked, voicing her thoughts.

"There's no point in denying it Layla. We all know." As he said the last sentence, Layla sensed movement all around her. Turning around, she saw a small army of Great Khans approaching her, betrayed looks on their faces and weapons drawn. Looking up, she saw even more Khans perched on the canyon walls around her, wielding scoped hunting rifles and other long range weapons. "I must admit it was an ingenious cover. Saying you were in Bitter Springs during the massacre made sure nobody would ever accuse you of not being loyal to the Khans, and having Regis vouch for you only made your lie more convincing." Lie? "Nobody would ever suspect that Papa Khan's advisor would also be an NCR spy. You both played us for fools, but now we know the truth."

"What the hell are you babbling about?" Despite the defiance in her voice, Layla knew exactly what he was talking about. He must've overheard her and Regis' conversation earlier regarding the journal, and fabricated a lie about the two of them being spies to protect himself. Now he'd turned every Khan in the camp against her.

"Oh give your pathetic charade a rest Layla. We all know the truth." As he spoke, Karl raised his journal so that all the Khans around Layla could see it, and increased the volume of his voice so that they could all hear him. "You exposed yourself when you stole my journal. In this book, all my knowledge about the Khans is contained, as well as a lot of important information regarding the Legion. You wanted to give this book to your NCR masters, so that they could learn more about the enemy they're facing." He raised the volume of his voice even more as he went on, until he was speaking in an echoing roar. His gaze drifted over the surrounding Khans as he spoke. "KHANS, DO YOU SEE THIS? THE NCR ARE COWARDS! THEY ARE TOO SCARED TO BATTLE YOUR MIGHT THEMSELVES, SO THEY SEND SPIES AND USE DECEPTION TO BATTLE A VASTLY SUPERIOR FOE! WITH THE MIGHT OF THE LEGION AT THEIR SIDE, THE KHANS SHALL EVISCERATE THE NEW CALIFNORNIA REPUBLIC, AND REGAIN THEIR HONOUR!" Deafening cheers filled the canyon as Karl finished his speech, as all the Khans surrounding Layla were roused to action. Layla's heart skipped a beat as she realised Karl had the Khans completely wrapped around his finger. He was playing them like a musical instrument, but they were hanging on to his every word.

"You're lying!" Layla shouted at him defiantly, but he simply laughed.

"I'm lying? Really? Then explain why you and Regis stole my journal." Layla was about to respond, when she realised the futility of it. Nobody would believe Karl's true intentions unless they saw the journal for themselves, and the emissary currently held that in his hands. Instead she began to look around for an escape route, but to no avail. The drug lab was the perfect ambush point. It was a dead end, surrounded on all sides by towering canyon walls, the only way in or out a narrow passage which was easy to block. The only cover was the five trailers that made up the drug lab, one of which belonged to Jack and Diane. They were on the other side of the area however, and Layla knew she'd be filled full of holes before she made it halfway to one of the trailers, and by the very people she thought of as family no less.

"Where are Jack and Diane? Are they 'traitors' too?" Layla asked, buying time as she slowly made her way closer to the trailers. Her movements were so slight that Karl didn't even notice.

"Hardly. Once I caught Regis with my journal, I convinced Jack and Diane to clear out of here for a while, allowing us to set up the perfect ambush once you returned from your little delivery."

"So what happens now? Are you just going to kill us and be done with it?"

"You, yes. You're nothing more than a lying whore, and so you'll be dealt with like one. Regis however, will not be." Karl looked at the kneeling form of Regis in front of him as he spoke. "His betrayal is far greater than yours. For many years he has served as Papa Khan's loyal advisor, and almost every Khan around you looked up to him. But it was all a facade. He was really a spy for the NCR for the entire time. He lied to everyone here, and played them for fools."Much like you're doing now. Layla thought as he continued to flap his gums. "As such, I will allow the Khans to deal with him, using their own traditions. His death will be much more grand, and a hell of a lot more satisfying than yours." Keep talking you fucking windbag. Layla thought, as she finally reached a decent distance from the trailers. Keep talking, and give me all the time I need. "But enough talk. Khans! Deal with her!" Shit.

The second Karl finished talking, she ran for the nearest trailer. As she ran, she imagined the Khans around her readying their weapons and taking aim, a thought that encouraged her to run faster. As she neared the trailer, the Khans finally opened fire. Bullets rained down around Layla as she continued to run full pelt towards the cover that the trailer provided. Knowing that getting through the door would take too long, and she'd be killed long before she made it inside, she instead leapt towards the trailer's closed window. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Layla flew through the air towards the window, countless bullets of every different type impacting the ground and the trailer around her. Finally she smashed through the window, seconds before being perforated by countless Great Khan gunners.

She landed in a heap inside the trailer, broken glass surrounding her as she hit the floor. Ignoring the pain of several small cuts all over her body, the result of jumping through the window, she got to her knees and crawled under a nearby table.

The trailer itself was small. The table she was crawling under was at the back of the trailer. Just in front of the table, on her right hand side, was a kitchen counter with various pots and pans, most of which looked home to a family of bacteria. Besides the table and the counter the trailer was empty. At the other side of the trailer, on the left hand wall, was the trailer's door, which Layla had had no time to get through previously.

As she took cover under the table, she began to take stock of the situation. She was inside a trailer that stood in the middle of a circular clearing, surrounded on all sides by towering canyon walls on which a large number of vengeful Great Khans stood. In addition, a small army of Great Khans, equally as vengeful as the Khans on the walls, were heading towards the trailer right now. This wasn't exactly the best situation she'd ever been in.

It became increasingly apparent that trailer wasn't exactly bulletproof, as many bullets flew through the walls of the trailer, though none hit flesh since Layla had found cover beneath the table. The worst part of this situation was that Layla didn't want to hurt the Khans. Thought they thought she was an NCR spy and wanted to tear her limb from limb, she saw the Great Khans as family, and she knew she couldn't kill them. That made this even more difficult. As if fighting off a small army of Great Khans wasn't bad enough, she had to do it non-lethally. Ignoring the bullets impacting overhead, she looked through her bag to find any weapons that were nonlethal. That search proved fruitless. Now to add to the fact that she had to fight off a small army of Great Khans non-lethally, it seemed that she had to do it with her bare hands.

At that exact moment, the bullets stopped flying overhead. Layla guessed that the small army of Great Khans had finally reached the trailer. Her suspicion was proved correct less than a second later as a burly Great Khan kicked the trailer's door off his hinges. Layla took a deep breath, then rolled out from beneath the table and got to her feet. Almost immediately, the Khan that had kicked down the door rushed her. The Khan was male, bald, and covered with tattoos. He also wielded a sledgehammer.

Layla sidestepped his first swing, as she tried to think how she could incapacitate him without killing him, not used to fighting non-lethally. The Khan interrupted her thoughts by taking another swing at her. She ducked under that swing easily, before unleashing an uppercut on the Khan's face. The blow made him stumble back, until he collided with the nearby kitchen counter. Layla immediately rushed him before he could recover, and delivered a crushing punch to his face. She then let loose two quick jabs aimed at his stomach, before grabbing the sides of his head. He was too stunned by her previous blows to do anything, as she pulled his head towards her knee. That last blow knocked the consciousness out of him, and he slumped to the floor.

Layla immediately picked up his hammer as a female Khan entered. She had an aggressive look on her face, a Mohawk on her head and combat knives in either hand. The Khan quickly fired off two stabs at Layla, but she parried both blows with her recently acquired sledgehammer. She was about to smack the Khan in the face with the hammer, and then remembered that she didn't want to kill her foe. Instead, she slammed the hammer down on the Khan's foot. She screamed in pain as the hammer broke her foot, then was silenced as Layla elbowed her in the face.

The knife wielding Khan went down quickly, and another Khan quickly entered. Like the last Khan, she was female. Unlike the last Khan, she had a gun. A hunting revolver to be exact. Layla quickly rolled to the side as the Khan fired, just managing to avoid having a bullet put between her eyes. She quickly dropped the sledgehammer, since it was weighing her down, before picking up one of the combat knives from the Khan she'd just downed. Before the Khan with the revolver could fire again, Layla threw the combat knife. The throw was professionally accurate, as it managed to knock the revolver from the Khan's hand without cutting open her wrist. Layla thanked the several hours of practice it had taken to get her knife throwing so accurate. Before the now unarmed Khan could react, Layla rushed her and knocked her to the floor with a running knee to the face.

Before Layla could even begin to get her breath back, a tall, male Khan with an axe rushed through the trailer's doorway, and quickly brought his axe crashing down towards Layla's head. Thinking fast, she grabbed the door which had been recently knocked off its hinges, and moved it in front of her. Her makeshift shield worked quite well, as the axe's blade smashed straight through the door, but didn't come out again. While the Khan tried to pull his axe out of the door, Layla pushed the door towards him. The sudden push knocked the door, and the Khan who's axe was stuck in the door, out of the trailer. He landed in a heap on his back, before giving up on trying to pull his axe free and rushing her unarmed. This proved to be a mistake, as a quick roundhouse kick from Layla knocked him out of the trailer again, this time unconscious.

Layla had about two seconds to catch her breath before another Khan stormed through the doorway. This one obviously knew what he was dong however, as he grabbed Layla by the throat before she could react, before throwing her across the trailer. She landed painfully on the table that she'd been hiding under about a minute ago, as the Khan stomped towards her. This Khan looked especially formidable, as he was nearly seven feet tall, and extremely muscular. As if to emphasize this, he took off his Great Khan jacket and threw it to the floor, before flexing his massive, vein covered muscles. He was also bald, and had milky white eyes. He snarled at Layla before rushing her.

She just had time to get off the table and onto her feet before the first punch came. She darted to the side, before letting loose her own punch aimed at his head. The sudden blow made him stumble back, but he quickly recovered, laughing tauntingly before rushing her again. Layla let loose a roundhouse kick at his stomach, but he darted to the side with surprising speed before punching her in the face. The blow felt like being hit by a sledgehammer, and Layla found herself slumping over the kitchen counter. Before she could react, The Khan pulled her to her feet by her long hair and pushed her against the table, before raising both hands over his head and bringing them down in an axe handle blow. Layla rolled to the side seconds before having her skull flattened, before getting to her feet and punching the Khan in the side of the head. He recovered quickly, and let loose a combination of powerful punches. Layla swore to herself as she realised that the closed confines of a trailer wasn't the best place to dodge punches. She weaved side to side, barely dodging the Khan's punches as he pressured her back against the wall. As she rolled to the middle of the trailer to dodge yet another punch, another Khan ran into the trailer, followed by two more.

She swore to herself yet again before grabbing a frying pan off the kitchen counter. She dispatched the first Khan with a quick smack from the frying pan (She knew firsthand after her fight with Philippe that such a blow wasn't lethal), before kicking him into the second Khan, knocking them both to the floor. The third Khan had a hunting rifle, and Layla quickly kicked him in the balls, making him drop the gun as agony filled his body. Before he could do so much as whimper, she struck him in the face with the frying pan, knocking him out. The second Khan, the Khan who'd had his unconscious friend kicked into him, got to his feet and drew a combat knife. He delivered a quick slash that Layla effortlessly dodged, but she was surprised when he rapidly attacked her again, this time cutting the wrist that held the frying pan. She gritted her teeth, barely ignoring the pain. as she dropped the pan, and he tried to stab her again. She grabbed his hand mid stab however, before twisting his wrist. He cried out in pain, dropping his knife as he did so, and she quickly shut him up by headbutting him in the face. The blow knocked him against the wall with the broken window, and he immediately began to slump to the floor.

In all the excitement she'd forgotten the towering, muscular Khan from earlier. He reminded her of his presence by rushing into her, pushing her against the far wall of the trailer, right next to the doorway. He then kneed her in the stomach, making her spit blood, before throwing her across the trailer again. This time she landed next to the kitchen counter and he walked towards her slowly, grinning and cracking his knuckles as he did so. He prepared to stomp on her face, but before he could do so she saw a cabinet on the side of the counter. Thinking fast, she swung open the cabinet door, and it collided with the Khan's knee. He was knocked off balance by the attack, and she promptly got to her feet before punching him in the nose, breaking it instantly. Enraged, he tried to headbutt her. She darted to the side however, before copying a move she'd saw Veronica do and elbowing him in the throat. Just like when Veronica had used it, the move proved to be devastatingly powerful, as it seemed to daze the Khan, knocking him back against the far wall as it did so. As he began to recover, she picked up the rifle that a previous Khan had dropped. He rushed her, pure rage in his eyes, and she rewarded him for his efforts by swinging the rifle like a golf club, smacking him in the face with the blunt end of the weapon. That last blow did the trick, as it knocked the Khan right to the floor. He didn't get up, and Layla breathed a sigh of relief.

"STOP!" A booming voice Layla recognised as Karl's shouted. Immediately, the Khan's that were going to enter the trailer backed away. Layla looked out of the now broken window that she'd dived through, and saw Karl standing outside, a throwing spear in his hand. Before Layla could so much as blink, he threw the spear at her with deadly accuracy. The spear flew at a ridiculous speed, and Layla had only begun to dodge before the spear struck. Fortunately, since she'd been halfway through dodging, the spear didn't pierce her heart as Karl had intended. Instead it stabbed straight through her right arm. Layla screamed in pain as the momentum of the spear pushed her back, before stabbing into the wall behind her. Layla tried to break free, but the spear had her nailed there. She tried to rip the spear out using her left arm, but it proved fruitless. Whether it was the exhaustion of beating up six Great Khans without a break, or simply a result of blood loss, Layla was beginning to feel very dizzy. Her head was swimming, and she was barely staying conscious. The pain in her arm felt like it was coming from a mile away. As her consciousness began to swim, Layla was aware of a small object flying through the broken window, and landing on the table next to her. She had just enough time to register that it was a grenade, before everything went white.

*Later*

Layla was roused to consciousness by strong hands on her arms. She'd just managed to open her eyes, when a fist to her jaw knocked her right back out again.

She had no idea how much time passed before she awoke again. As her eyes slowly opened, she looked around. Her vision was annoyingly blurry, so she couldn't see much, but she could tell that two men were holding her. One had a grip on each of her arms, and they seemed to be dragging her somewhere. Before she could ponder this, drowsiness sent her back under again.

When she woke up a third time, she was aware that they weren't moving anymore, and that the men had released their grip on her. She tried to open her eyes again, but they refused. Slowly, she managed to convince her stubborn eyes to open, and when she did, she saw that she was lying on the edge of a large cliff. Though still not thinking clearly, her brain was working well enough for her to realise that she was on one of the canyon walls.

"Let's throw this traitorous bitch over the edge and get it over with already." A gruff voice said from nearby, and Layla managed to turn her head far enough to see two men standing to her right, chatting. They were both wearing leather jackets, and after a few seconds, her dazed brain realized that they were Great Khans.

"How do you think they're going to kill Regis?" The other Khan asked.

"I hope it's painful. That fucker lied to us for years. NCR loving son of a..." Before the Khan could finish his sentence, an object suddenly stabbed through his skull. At first Layla was confused, then as her vision slowly cleared, she saw that a large, pointy stick was stabbed through the Khan's face. A few seconds later, she recognised it as a throwing spear, but by this time the other Khan had drawn a gun and started shooting. It looked like an SMG, but Layla's thoughts were too blurry to figure out what kind. She managed to turn around, and saw that something was taking cover behind a nearby rock as the Khan shot at it.

"Shit!" He suddenly yelled, and stopped shooting. She turned back to him, as he dropped his gun and ran away from whatever was crouched behind the rock. He only made it a few feet however, before realising he was on the edge of a cliff. Layla turned back to whatever had been taking cover, and saw a shadow running towards the Khan. The Khan drew a knife and tried to stab the shadow, but the shadow dodged. He didn't even get a chance to breathe before the shadow drew what looked like a bigger knife and stabbed him. The Khan gurgled for a few seconds, before being kicked off the canyon.

Layla's vision began to swim again, and she knew she was falling unconscious once more. She tried to resist it, but it was no use. As she faded, the last thing she saw was the shadow approaching her.

Who's the mysterious shadow that saved Layla? What will be the fate of Regis? Will Karl meet Layla's blade? What happened to the sub plot regarding Vulpes' knowledge about Caesar's murder? All these questions will be answered in the next chapter.

For anyone who cares, I'll be going off to university soon. I don't know how frequently I'll be able to update there, so I'll try and write as many chapters as I can before then.

I still have a sinking feeling that this story is going downhill a bit, so if any readers could find the time to review, that would be splendid. Many thanks.