Chapter Thirty Six: So Deep, I Felt Taken

Harley

The time I spent with the Brotherhood was amazing. After I had talked to Elder McNamara, he asked me to do some running for him. It was the usual fetch this, take this here kind of stuff. I had talked to many of his patrols and kept them updated, along with finding dead patrols and returning their holotags. One time, I helped find a virus in their computer systems. The room was full of computers, and we all stood at one, and once the virus appeared, we had to isolate it... I don't really understand, but everyone was super excited that we fixed it, so there's that.

Then, I was approached by a man named Hardin. He was upset that Elder McNamara had given his troops orders without asking him first. I didn't see anything wrong with it, but apparently in the Brotherhood, there's a chain of command you strictly follow, and the Elder broke it. Turns out, Hardin wanted to be the new Elder and he believed that McNamara wasn't doing the right thing, so he wanted him gone. I spent all day in their library, researching The Chain That Binds, the rule McNamara had broken, and from there, I hatched an idea.

If McNamara cared about the Brotherhood enough, I could use this information to "encourage him", if you will, to send more troops out. To let the Brotherhood explore the world again. He was not happy. But I told him - Hardin knew the truth. Hardin was plotting to overthrow him, and if I wanted him gone, he would've been gone. But I liked McNamara. He was a good guy, or so I thought, and a lot of the Brotherhood agreed with me. He agreed, albeit a bit angry with me.

I had spent at least two weeks in their bunker, learning about them, helping them out, trying to come to peaceful resolutions on everything. And in the end, they gave me the title of a Knight and rewarded me with power armor that would fit my growing stomach and their help at the Dam, come time. Their knowledge of pregnancy also made mine easier, since even though I knew how to mend broken bones, I had no idea what was going on with my pregnant body. With each passing week the fetus was getting considerably bigger, and that made me even more tired.

Since then, I had been doing odd end jobs for people around the Strip and helping the Followers when I got a chance. Arcade stayed by my side, no matter what, and Cass and Veronica were nearly inseparable, going out and doing deeds in my name when I couldn't. We spent two weeks nonstop after I returned from the Brotherhood fixing up the 38. The walls were completely chipped and repainted, the floors had been swept, scrubbed, and re-tiled and carpeted, the tables had been cleaned off and turned right side up, the kitchen was scrubbed top to bottom and back to the top. We worked hard, and now all we really needed was to find workers and maybe a new sign.

"Got any plans today?" Arcade asked, bringing me a bottle of water.

"I have to go to the embassy."

"Is the President still asking you about that deal?"

"I think. A courier brought me a letter, said Ambassador Crocker wanted to see me."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

I looked down at the ground and nodded, "yes, please." It didn't feel right not having someone at my side. Be it Arcade, Veronica, Boone...

"I miss Boone," I said quietly.

"I know. Don't worry about him."

"I have no idea where he is, or what he's doing. Or if he's even alive..."

"Boone? He's fine. Hell, he'll probably come back before the baby's born."

"You think?"

"Do you want him to come back after how he treated you?"

"...he didn't mean it."

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "come on. Let's not keep the NCR waiting."

The embassy was right next to the 38, and the inside was dimly lit and stuffy. Everyone was dressed nicely (as nice as you can in 200 year old business clothes with stains,) and they were rude to top it off. Ambassador Crocker was an older black man who had a lot of medals pinned on the front of his suit. He told us to have a seat and began explaining the same thing the president told us; help push back the oncoming Legion at the dam, and we'd split it down the middle. They'd leave Vegas. But they wanted to know we could be trusted, so for that, he had some errands for us to run.

"I'd like you to visit the Boomers, and-"

"Already done," I said.

"Oh. Really? The Khans?"

"They're a neighboring tribe. They'd back me up, no matter what."

"Oh. Okay. What about The Kings?"

"Of course."

"You seem to have this all planned out."

"Yeah," I shrugged, "figured it would be good to have everyone against the Legion and not just me."

"Oh. Okay. Good. So if we need to get ahold of you, we can send someone to the 38?"

"Yeah. If no one's there, have them give a note to a securitron. They'll find me."

"Okay, thanks for coming."

Arcade and I stood up, walking out the door that the Ambassador was holding open for us. I was absentmindedly rubbing my stomach as Arcade asked what we were doing the rest of the day.

"Let's go see a show at the Tops."

"Really? That's it? I had a whole speech prepared for you."

"Yeah, that's really it."

"Can I still give you my speech?" Arcade asked as he held the door open for me.

"If you really want."

"Okay. Here it is: Harley! Why would you–"

Swank interrupted, "hey, pussycat! Our man upstairs, Tommy Torini, was just looking for you!"

"Me?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Yeah. I told him that you would find him what he's looking for."

"And what's that, Swank?"

"A few people. He's got the deets, you need to ask him, doll. Upstairs, the Aces, black man with an eye patch."

"Okay, I'm going to try to give my speech again, because this time I think it'll really come in handy," Arcade said.

"We just gotta find a few people. Not hard. There are people all over The Strip."

"Knowing you, Harley? This is going to be bigger than we thought."

I opened the door to The Aces, and the music inside thumped the walls, pouring out of the doorway and clashing against my good ear. This was going to be difficult with just one ear. Looking around the bar area, I noticed many men and women, but none of them were black with an eye patch. I asked the bartender, but I couldn't hear over the music. And that's when I realized Arcade wasn't beside me anymore. In fact, when I found him, he was conversing with the man I assumed was Tommy Torini.

"Hey hey, you're that courier, aren't you?"

"Yeah. I heard you needed help."

"I need some new faces. New acts. Comedians, musicians, I'll take whatever you can find me, baby doll. Here, take some of my cards, hand 'em out to people you think are good for the show."

"How will I be getting paid?" It was weird that I found myself asking that. I didn't need the money. I never used to demand payment either.

"How about three percent commission?"

"Five, or I walk."

Sighing loudly, he agreed.

"Okay, so NOW can I give you my speech?" Arcade asked as we left the Tops.

Boone

"I'm just saying the option should be up to THEM, not ME!" I was trying not to yell at Daniel, but I was starting to get upset, "this is THEIR home. I wouldn't want to leave either. We just need to move them somewhere safe, and let me and Joshua wipe them out. I thought THAT was the plan?"

"And what if your plan doesn't work and innocent people die?"

"I don't want anyone dying! That's why we need to move them as fast as possible!"

Daniel shifted his weight and moved his hands to his hips. He was unhappy, and I couldn't blame him. But if I were them - and after spending a month with them, I felt like I was - I'd stay and fight, not leave my home forever because someone thought he was tougher than me. Let alone some guy working for Caesar or Legate Lanius or whoever now.

"Fine. If you talked to them, and that's what they want, then that's what we'll do."

"Good."

I walked back down the ridge, with Daniel in tow. The people seeking protection had gathered in a circle in the middle of camp, while the people staying and fighting had gathered behind Joshua.

"So what we need to do is escort these people to the Pine Creek Tunnel, and from there, hold the White Legs off. They'll probably be coming after us, so we won't need to go far to find them," Joshua said, "May God watch over us, and may we go in his glory."

A few people cheered, others stood stonily still. After Joshua's group had taken the lead, the civilians had fallen in line behind them, and a few more combatants stood on either side, with me bringing up the rear, since I had a scope.

First, we were to pass by an old Ranger Substation, where a few White Legs had taken some Sorrows as prisoner. They were easily dispatched and the locks picked to free the Sorrows. After that, we came across a bridge. There were maybe five White Legs total, and Joshua took the time while I was shooting to disarm traps set at the bridge. The White Legs fell before they even made it close to us.

The next stop before the tunnel was a burial place. There were White Legs and Dead Horses already engaged in battle. Joshua walked up, pulling out a long, shining pistol with black undertones, and began shooting at White Legs. He didn't miss a single mark, and most men were down before I could even get three shots in.

"You there! You not Sorrow. You friend of Sorrows?" A man asked.

"Yeah. I've been helping them out lately."

"We will come with you! Crush White Legs!"

The men behind him started cheering. Joshua looked at me, and I nodded, "the more the merrier."

From the burial mounds to the tunnel, there were a few odd White Legs to deal with, but not so many that it was a concern. The way Joshua fought was so brutal, it was hard to imagine him as anything less than the Legate now. He was honest and swift in his killings, but then he would send them off in the word of God...or something like that.

Once at the tunnel, we met up with Daniel, and the civilians left our ranks. Now, it was just the men and women who were fighting. Some of them stayed at the tunnel just in case anymore White Legs showed up. The rest, myself and Joshua included, went to find Salt Upon Wounds, the White Leg Chief.

As Joshua suspected, Salt Upon Wounds met us halfway between the tunnel and their main camp. He wasn't alone, however. There was an army of White Legs with him. The nice guy that I am, I let Joshua fight Salt Upon Wounds himself as I found myself a neat little nesting place and began shooting. Even though they had us beat in numbers, they weren't lasting nearly as long as us. I put two bullets into two different skulls before the close ranged people had even started fighting. Swords clashed, fists beat off chests and heads, and war cries could be heard across the valley. The sound of my rifle was booming every second that I wasn't reloading. Joshua had taken Salt Upon Wounds down in mere moments.

And what seemed like the blink of an eye, it was done. Months of training and planning had come down to no time at all. I guess most battles are like that. The White Legs that survived had started retreating after they realized Salt Upon Wounds was dead, but Joshua and I didn't let them get very far.

"Who knew the NCR had such talented people?" Joshua called out to me.

"And who knew the Legate would be in Zion HELPING tribals?"

He let out a bark of a laugh, "you're right," he clapped my shoulder.

"I just wanted to thank you," I said awkwardly, "you've done a lot for me lately."

"I am but a man on God's mission, son. No need to thank me."

"Take some credit."

"I don't deserve any."

"Goddammit," I hissed, "sorry. Anyways, what do you think you're gonna do now?"

"I'm not sure," he said as we started walking towards the tunnel, "I feel like I've done all the work I could do here. Time to move on, maybe."

"Why not come with me and Follows Chalk to Vegas?"

"Well, if that is where God's will takes me, then that is where I will go."

Harley

20 weeks pregnant. That's what the woman on my Pip-Boy was displaying. I had spent the last week doing odd end jobs for the Crimson Caravan Company, like Cass suggested, which led me to working for the Gun Runners. Alice McLafferty of the Crimson Caravan Company wanted me to sneak into the Gun Runners and steal their blue prints. I told her that being pregnant made me a hell of a lot less sneaky, which wasn't entirely a lie, and she said she understood.

Arcade and I waddled back to the Gun Runners with a ton of scrap metal in tow. They needed it for more guns and ammo, since some shady vendor at Camp McCarran was asking for it - which, by the way, was our next stop.

"What do you want the baby to be?" Arcade asked. He was awkward when it came to conversation - rarely tried to go out of his way to talk, and when he did, it was never about himself.

"A boy. We already have Kennedy. I think she'd benefit more from a baby brother."

"Oh yeah? Why?"

"I'm not sure. She's not a very girly girl. And I'd like one of each."

"We might be able to tell by now if we go use the autodoc again."

"I…don't wanna know yet. I don't know what I should do either way. My baby won't have a dad. I don't know where he's at or what he's doing, but it's been two months with no word from him."

"A lot of people around here grow up without fathers. It's not necessarily a bad thing."

"I loved my dad. I couldn't imagine growing up without him..."

"I loved mine too, but he died when I was younger."

"You never really got over it, did you?"

"No," he looked down at the ground and shook his head, "if...it means that much to you, I'll...I'll help you. You know, raise it. I mean, if you don't want me to, I understand. Haha, after all, they're gonna wonder why daddy has a boyfriend. I'm not saying I wouldn't take care of you guys, I just...oh jeez..."

I laughed, "thank you, Arcade. I mean it. I really appreciate it." There was a moment or two of silence before I spoke again, "Kennedy is having trouble sleeping."

"I know. She would always sleep in my bed when you were at the Brotherhood."

"Shit. I'm a terrible mom."

"No! It was nothing against you. She understood. She was just scared."

"I should be there for her, and here I am, doing odd end courier jobs out in the Wastes, pregnant with her baby sibling, and putting us three in harm's way."

"Stop being so negative. It isn't good for you or the baby," he said as a trooper pointed us towards the building entrance to Camp McCarran. Once inside, there were troops galore milling about, all ages and races and genders, sitting on the floor, or stairs or chairs placed around. Some were patrolling with their guns out. After a few minutes of circling around, I found an Asian man who introduced himself as Colonial Hsu.

"Do you need any help?" I asked.

"Yeah, actually. There's an Intel leak, a captive Centurion upstairs, I need a ranger rescued from Vault 3, I have some bounties out for three head fiends...take your pick."

"Wow. You sound calm for so much going on."

"You have to be when people look up to you."

"Okay. Well, I'll check on the captive Centurion and Intel leaks since they're right here on base, I assume."

"Well you're in luck because Lieutenant Boyd has the most information on both of those. Her office is right above mine, but she might be upstairs on the other side of the base dealing with the Centurion."

"Okay, thanks," I said as we walked away, Arcade pointing to a giant airplane suspended above us. I nodded, briskly walking out from underneath it. Who knew how long it was up there. It freaked me out.

"Hey, so what happened when you sent to congratulate your family? You weren't there very long, and I noticed Kennedy hasn't been there since..."

"They...kicked me out. Said I'm no good as Chief if I can't even abide by our own rules. I agreed and left. I didn't want that much responsibility anyways. Dealing with them, two kids, Boone and the Strip is just too much."

"Oh, boy. Well I'm glad you're okay with it at least, it could've been a lot messier."

"Yeah, you're right about that."

"Hey, so I was thinking, you know, about what we're doing here," he said, "and I'm still not sure why we're helping the NCR out."

I shrugged, "I don't know. I'd rather not fight them AND the Legion, come time."

"I mean, I don't understand why they can't just leave. It's obvious we've got the bigger toys."

"I'm not sure."

Climbing up stairs was a daunting task now. In the Wastes, it was mostly flat, dry heat, sand for miles. Inside the base, though, it was humid, covered in stairs, and smelled like sour milk and body odor. I was out of breath by the time I reached the top of the three flights of stairs.

There were less troopers up here, and some of them were smoking and playing slots, while others guarded doors. There was on woman with a buzzed head who leaned on a locker by an open door. She had on a green beret and was angrily chewing on the filter of her cigarette.

"You must be the courier Hsu just radioed about," she said as I got close.

"Yeah? What gave me away?"

"Should I start with your attitude? The lack of NCR discipline and armor? How about the bullet wounds?"

"Ah, you caught me," I said, rubbing my head. My hair was shaved about two months ago, and it was already coming in thick and shaggy.

"Anyway, I could use some help. We captured an honest to God Centurion. You see, it's a big deal because he is a higher ranking official who gave himself up, even as his men are slitting their throats around him. I thought that meant he was willing to cooperate, but in all actuality, he's just being a dick more than anything."

"So you want me to rough him up a bit, you come in and talk to him, I go in and rough him back up?"

"Exactly. We are going to be good friends. Especially because you're not in the NCR," her lips curled in a devilish smile, "I'll go introduce you."

I followed her in the room, and through the one way glass, I could see who her captive Centurion was.

Silus.