FIFTY-TWO
NCR President's Estate
September 29th
15:22
"The President will see you now," Phyllis' rat-faced cousin announced imperiously to the waiting Lysanna. She'd started nodding off slightly, and the voice made her jump. "Unless you'd like to sleep for another hour or two?" he added sarcastically.
"Ummm, no, that'll be fine," Lysanna muttered, deliberately ignoring the sarcasm, and earning her another irritated frown from the assistant. He must be a pleasant man to live with.
He held up his finger pedantically and droned, "Remember, you're here only by the grace of your ancestry, and any act or word which is deemed inappropriate will result in your immediate removal from the audience chamber. The President's a very busy person, and wasting her time will not be tolerated. Is this clear?"
"Yeah, crystal," Lysanna said curtly.
The assistant's eyes quickly went back and forth across the room, making him look even more ratty. "Phyllis no longer with you?"
"No," Lysanna replied simply, forcing him to ask the next question.
"So… where is she then?"
"Gone for a stroll inside the park. She said she wanted to go take a look at the souvenir shop."
Fearghus frowned suspiciously. "I… see."
"Good. Now can I go in, please?"
"… Of course."
President Tandi sat behind a dark oaken desk, which was surprisingly free of clutter. A large New California Republic flag, with the stylized bear on it, hung from a pole behind her.
Before Lysanna could speak, she said, in a surprisingly friendly voice, "Let me take a look at you," squinting at her. Her voice was gravelly, and it matched the face that used it. Deep wrinkles ran along her face, and her hair was short, gray, and very thin. Her eyes still looked perfectly clear though.
Lysanna timidly walked to the desk and stood in front of President Tandi, letting her take all the time she wanted.
"My, my…" Tandi said, awed. "It's like the Vault Dweller grew his hair, dyed it black, had his face polished, and grew a pair of tits."
Lysanna couldn't suppress a grin.
"Which is not to say that you don't look like you're a hundred percent woman, mind. I bet the guys never leave you alone."
Lysanna cleared her throat nervously and said, "I uh, guess I can't complain."
"Why so nervous, honey?" The President asked with an eyebrow raised. "Did my assistant do his little number again? About the things being deemed inappropriate and not tolerated?"
"He uh, was clear about the matter, yes."
She laughed a gravelly laugh. "Don't worry about him, honey." She motioned toward the chair. "Sit down. Cup of coffee?"
Lysanna sat down. "No thanks, it's very kind, but I'm not a coffee type of person."
"Got tea if you want something else?"
It didn't seem polite to refuse. "Tea would be nice, thanks."
She pressed a button and spoke into a machine, "Fearghus, one coffee and one tea, please." She looked up at Lysanna. "You take sugar, honey?"
"Just sugar, no honey," Lysanna said, attempting a joke.
"Ha!" she laughed briefly, then pressed the intercom button again. "Two sugars for the tea please." The she leaned back in the chair. "So tell me, what caused you to come here and send memories in motion that I thought I'd forgotten?"
"I'd like to thank you for taking the time to speak with me, President, I know you're – "
She waved her words away dismissively. "Oh, don't worry about that. To be honest, these kinds of visits take my mind off all the boring President things."
"Oh. Well, I'm actually here because my village needs help. We're suffering from the worst drought ever, and the only thing that can save us is a Garden of Eden Creation Kit."
"Ah yes, those marvels of pre-war technology. Not sure if I can help you though. NCR wasn't formed by Vault-leavers. Well, not directly anyway. We never had a GECK to use up."
"Yes, I know. But I know where I might be able to find one. It's somewhere around here."
Tandi's eyes narrowed. "Let me guess, Vault 13."
Lysanna blinked. "How did you know?"
"Not polite to answer a question with another question, honey." President Tandi said with a twinkle in her eye.
"Oh, I'm sorry, yes, it is Vault 13."
She laughed again, "I'm just teasing you honey. Relax."
"I'm sorry, it's just… I'm not used to speaking with people in your position."
"I can tell. Now, Vault 13… I knew it was probably there, because everything people are looking for is there. Rumors about Vault 13 have started to lead their own lives, and now everyone thinks it's a secret Vault full of treasure beyond their wildest dreams."
"I'm uh, not looking for treasure, just a small thing, really. And Vault City's computer said that Vault 13 was sure to have an excess GECK, so I'm pretty sure I'll find it there."
"Yes, well, be that as it may, people have been looking for Vault 13 for years. And the other Vaults too, by the way. And no one's ever found it."
Lysanna felt her courage sink. "Then I suppose I'll have to be the first."
Tandi smiled. "That's the spirit. But how come Vault City's computer didn't tell you the location of Vault 13?"
There was a quiet knock on the door and Fearghus came in with a tray with two cups on it. "Thanks, Fearghus. You can put them down right here," she said dismissively.
When Fearghus had gone out, Lysanna replied, "Well, I was told that Vault computers only had locations for two or three other Vaults, for some reason."
"Oh, right, yes, that's true." She leaned back in her high leather chair. "Well, seems it won't be easy for you then."
Lysanna looked down at her lap. "No, it seems not."
"What I can help you with, though, is the location of a Vault nearby. One we did manage to locate. Well, someone managed to locate. With any luck, the central computer will still be operational, and that may lead you to other Vaults, or even Vault 13."
At least that was something. "And could I ask where this Vault is?"
"Drink your tea, honey. It's Vault 15, a small ways West of here. It's a bit of a ruin these days, but there's been a lot of repairs conducted on it lately, and we've had reports that basic life support is online, and you can't get that to work without an operational central computer."
"So that's some good news, at least."
"Yes, but here's the tricky part. Vault 15 isn't occupied by the NCR. It's infested with squatters. We'd love to get our hands on that Vault and the technology it still has, but as long as they're occupying it, there's no way we can investigate it."
Lysanna raised an eyebrow. "Can't you just kick them out?"
"We could. But here at NCR we still believe in the law, missy. Fact is, those squatters aren't breaking any laws, they're not doing anything wrong, technically, so just marching over there and throwing them out the door would be very unethical."
Lysanna didn't dare ask what "unethical" meant. "And would they be okay with one person investigating?"
"That's the other tricky bit," the President said. "The squatters aren't the real problem. The Vault itself is occupied by a small army of aggressive, territorial thugs. The squatters aren't really squatters, more like hostages. We can't risk all those lives trying to clear them out of the Vault."
"And have you tried infiltrating?"
She shook her head. "I'm not keen on sending people out there. Especially because they seem to know all my men. I'm sure I don't have to tell you what would happen if one of my people got exposed?"
"They don't know me, though."
President Tandi placed her empty coffee cup back on its saucer. "I wasn't going to suggest it myself, but yes, you'd be a good person to try."
"Guess there's no other way, is there?"
"Not at the moment, no."
Phyllis was waiting outside when Lysanna's audience with the President was over, holding a small wrapped package.
"How'd it go?"
"Not bad, I guess," Lysanna answered. "I'll tell you on the way back." Then she pointed her chin at Phyllis' hands. "What's in the package?"
Phyllis smiled mysteriously. "You'll see."
Chris and Lara absently strolled through the streets of NCR, occasionally exchanging a few words, but never having long conversations. Chris still felt uncomfortable after the night before, and he supposed Lara felt the same way.
"So hey, I could be wrong, but I get the feeling you two are back together," Lara said out of the blue.
"Yep. You were right, it would have been pretty stupid of me to let her get away."
"Cool, I'm happy for you guys," Lara said, surprisingly cheerful.
"Really?"
"Yeah." It sounded sincere enough.
"What's that over there?" Lara said, pointing at a building a ways further.
"I have no idea," Chris replied. It was the truth. The building was a large bunker-like structure, with a long pole on the roof, made for hanging a banner, but there was none. A guard in impressive metal armor was posted outside, a laser rifle in his hand. His light brown hair was cut in a military style, and his square chin was immaculately shaved. When he noticed them, he looked back as if he was trying to recognize them.
"Think we're wearing some of his clothes?" Chris asked Lara, referring to the guard's stare.
"Maybe he likes you," Lara replied with a grin.
The guard had started walking towards them, still looking suspiciously and holding his laser rifle ready.
"Stay or take off?" Chris asked quietly.
Lara thought for a second and then said, "Let's see what he's got to say first."
When the guard was close enough to speak normally, he asked, "Greetings. You mind telling me what brings you here?"
"If you don't mind us asking who wants to know," Chris replied calmly. "And if you stop sticking that rifle in our faces."
The guard took a moment to decide, and then lowered his weapon. "Name's Matt. And you're Lara Bayley and Chris Wright, correct?"
Lara and Chris looked at each other, surprised.
"It's our job to know these things," the guard explained before being asked. "You've caused quite a stir in a pretty short time."
Chris glared at him. "What's it to you?"
The guard laughed. "Nothing, to be sure, but anyone who kicks the ass of those primitive Slavers is okay in our book."
"And that would be whose book exactly?" Lara asked.
He quickly looked up and down the street. "We can talk inside. Follow me."
"Whoa, hey," Chris protested. "I'm not going inside some bunker with a guy I don't know, holding a laser rifle."
"There's no need to be so suspicious," the guard said, aggravated.
"Look," Lara moderated. "Look at it from our side. We've always been taught not to take candy from strangers."
He relaxed somewhat. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He took a large yellow cartridge out of the laser rifle and held it out towards Chris. "Here."
"Uh? What are you doing?" Chris asked, confused.
"Showing you I'm not planning anything nasty."
Chris gently pushed the cartridge back toward him. "It's okay, we'll follow."
He nodded curtly. "Good."
As he walked before them to the bunker, Lara said girlishly, "He's cute."
Chris laughed and rolled his eyes. "Is that all you ever think about?"
Lara bit her lower lip coyly.
"Right, sorry for all the secrecy," Matt said as he pushed the red CLOSE-switch on the bunker door and artificial lights blinked on. "I know it's not very friendly, but I don't like taking too many chances."
"Whoa," Lara said in awe as she looked around the bunker. The floor was an immaculate metal slab, and the walls were polished stone reinforced with metal bars. The doors themselves looked thick enough to resist just about any explosive, and the design was more advanced than Lara or Chris had ever seen.
"Sit down," their host said, sweeping his hand at the leather chairs standing around a heavy metal table. "Something to drink?"
"Uh… a beer would be nice," Chris attempted.
"Heh, sorry, no alcohol. I was just asking to be nice, because really, all we got is coke and more coke." He took three bottles out of a fridge and handed them out, keeping one for himself.
"I'm going to assume you're not just a bunch of mercs or gangbangers?" Lara said, still looking at the bunker's interior.
"Heh, yeah, you assumed right. Like I said, my name's Matt, and I'm with the Brotherhood of Steel."
Chris uttered a short laugh. "Yeah, sure you are."
"Wait, I thought they didn't exist?" Lara asked.
"We try to make our presence known as little as possible, and it's actually useful if people don't know too much about us," Matt explained, opening his coke bottle. "I understand that it's hard to believe there actually is a Brotherhood of Steel, but believe it or not, you're standing in one of its outposts. I'm a Knight of the Brotherhood, hoping to be Paladin some day."
"You're actually for real?" Chris asked incredulously.
"You better believe it."
"So uh, what do you want with us?" Lara asked, some confusion still on her face.
"Vault 13. You're looking for it, we're looking for it. And it seems like you're actually going to find it. Plus, your little splat with the Slavers' Guild gained you a lot of credit with the Brotherhood. The Rangers informed us you were more resourceful than most, so we kept an eye on you." He took some papers out of a drawer in the table, scanning them. "Two more people with you, right? Phyllis Brannigan, and Lysanna… Hm, no last name. And then Cassidy MacRae, but as I understand it, he fell in the battle with the Guild, correct?"
"Yeah," Lara said quietly. "That's correct."
"I know this may sound worthless, but your friend fell for a good cause."
"We know," Chris said curtly.
"Anyway, you all seem to be looking for a GECK?"
Lara shrugged. "Lysanna, mostly. We're just along for the ride."
"I see. We'd like to offer you a temporary alliance of sorts. We're interested in any possible pre-war technology still remaining in Vault 13. We don't really care about regular things, but we would like to examine unique items and technology, and the structure in general. As I understand it, you're only interested in the GECK?"
"For the most part, yes."
"Great. Then I suggest we join forces, at least for the time being. We both have interest in Vault 13, but the concrete goals we have don't conflict, so it'd be a win-win situation."
Chris frowned. "Join forces, how?"
"Not physically for the time being, but we would like to trade intel, and we'll help you prepare for any difficulties in your way. Most likely, your next destination will be Vault 15, and you'll need our help if you're going to survive there."
"Vault 15? We haven't even heard of Vault 15," Lara said.
Matt grinned faintly. "But President Tandi has. And she won't waste the chance to end her troubles with that particular location. When your friends return, they'll tell you all about it. In fact, this might be a good time to go find them. You'll all need to be present if we're going to discuss our next move." The tone he used made it clear he was expecting nothing else than for them to accept his help.
When Lysanna and Phyllis emerged from the park, and into the NCR city proper, they saw Chris and Lara waiting for them, along with a third person, a man looking to be in his early thirties, with a strict military haircut and an almost ridiculously clean-shaven chin. He sure as Hell wasn't bad-looking, in an authoritative sort of way.
Lysanna kissed Chris lightly on the mouth and then asked, "Hey, who's our new friend?"
Matt held out his hand. "Matt Daniels. Brotherhood of Steel, at your service."
Lysanna looked at Chris with a face that said, 'is this guy serious?'.
Meanwhile, Lara quietly asked Phyllis, "isn't he cute?"
Phyllis confirmed, "Yum."
"I assure you I'm perfectly serious, miss. I know it's hard to believe, but it's the truth." He seemed to like to state how hard it was to believe that he had sought them out.
"He's not lying," Chris stated flatly. "And he's made a proposition that could really help us. But I said we wouldn't decide until we were all here."
Matt nodded. "Let's head back to my quarters."
Matt reiterated the entire proposition, with Lysanna confirming the bits about Vault 15 and that it probably wouldn't be possible without help.
"But I get your personal guarantee that no matter what, if we find a GECK, you won't touch or claim it. Word of honor," Lysanna said adamantly.
"You have my word, and that of the Brotherhood," Matt pledged solemnly. "We're dedicated to making this world a better, safer place, and the first way to accomplish that is by being honest and treating people fairly. Besides, your village is a part of the world, so if we can help your people out in the process, so much the better."
Lysanna seemed convinced. "So what happens now?"
"I'll need to report to my superiors, and we'll decide our course of action tomorrow. Meet me back here at say, ten a.m.?"
Lysanna nodded. "Sounds good."
"One more thing though," he said, taking the papers he'd looked at back in his hand. "For my report, I'll be needing your last name."
"Uh… I don't really…" Lysanna began, but then she realized saying she didn't really have a last name wouldn't exactly be good for her credibility, so she said, "Just put 'of Arroyo'. Lysanna of Arroyo."
He held out his hand. "I look forward to bringing this to a good end together."
Despite a lingering apprehension, Lysanna shook it. "See you back here tomorrow."
Predictably, the first thing Lara said when they came out of the bunker was, "Think he has a girlfriend?"
Chris shrugged and disinterestedly said, "Go for it."
"I'm not sure what to think," Lysanna sighed. "He seems a bit too smug, to be honest."
"Well, I suppose if you belong to a secret, elite organization of highly trained operatives, it can be pretty hard not to be," Phyllis said with a shrug.
"Maybe." Lysanna sighed again. "When I left, I really had no idea it'd ever turn out like this. I started out thinking I'd just hop over to some city and buy a GECK, and I end up working with the Brotherhood of Steel."
Nobody really knew what to reply to that, so she just asked Phyllis, "Oh, by the way, you finally going to tell us what's in the package?"
Phyllis smiled broadly, "Oh, right!" She opened the wrapper and took out a small device that Lysanna didn't recognize.
"Holy shit," Lara exclaimed. "Where did you still find that? Does it work?"
"Guys, what is it?" Lysanna asked, slightly embarrassed at not knowing, as she felt so often.
Chris grinned. "It's a god damn Polaroid camera."
"You guys ready?" Phyllis asked giddily as she pointed the camera at Lysanna and Chris.
"Uh, yeah, I guess," Lysanna said unsurely. She'd never posed for a picture before.
Chris merely contributed, "I'm really not good at posing."
"Aw, no fun!" Phyllis berated. "Come on, pull her closer."
Despite himself, Chris grinned and pulled Lysanna tightly against him.
"Aww, you guys," Phyllis said excitedly. "This is so adorable!"
When they looked at the photo developing, they saw Phyllis had been right. The picture had been taken at the perfect moment, Lysanna smiling broadly, squinting just a bit against the setting sun, and Chris confidently holding her close with one arm.
"Come on," Lara said, grabbing Phyllis and Lysanna by the arm. "We need one of just the girls."
Despite considering it all a little girlish, Chris obliged, taking another picture of the three girls linking arms and giggling like schoolgirls.
"Hang on," Phyllis said excitedly, jogging toward a nearby cop and exchanging a few words. The cop grinned and took the camera from Phyllis.
"Last one, okay?" Chris asked semi-seriously.
"Come on, don't be grumpy," Lysanna laughed, jabbing Chris with her elbow.
"Come on, you lot," the cop said, still grinning, "I ain't got all day."
The last picture ended up showing Chris with his arms around Lysanna's and Phyllis' shoulders, and Lara's arm linked with Phyllis'. Lara had actually timed it so the cop pressed the shutter release the moment she grabbed Phyllis' left boob. Phyllis, surprisingly, wasn't mad, finding Lara's joke pretty humorous after the initial surprise had worn off. Then she said thanks to the cop and gave him a kiss on the cheek. The officer tipped his cap and walked on.
"He wanted a kiss as payment," Phyllis said, not entirely without pride.
"Lara!" Lysanna mock-berated after the photo had developed. Phyllis' surprised face as Lara grabbed her breast with her tongue lewdly sticking out the side of her mouth was pure gold.
"Shoulda taken one with Cassidy though," Chris said quietly.
"Yeah," Lara agreed. "But hey, we've got memories, right?"
"That's right," Lysanna seconded. "And no picture can outdo those."
"Getting late," Chris remarked. "How 'bout we go score some dinner?"
"I vote in favor," Lara agreed.
"Let's have an evening in a bit of style, okay?" Lysanna suggested.
"Style?"
"Yeah, let's go to a decent diner, rent rooms, and have a good night's rest. We've still got plenty of money, right?"
Lara shrugged. "Tents are fine for me."
"Not tonight," Lysanna said. "I want actual dinner, a decent bed, no damn sleeping mat. And if it's possible, a good breakfast after that."
"Doesn't seem like a sensible way to spend our money," Chris remarked.
"I don't care. No tents tonight. No shack near a bunch of sleeping cows either."
"Well, I've seen a rather nice place a way down this road," Phyllis suggested, realizing that Lysanna probably wouldn't be swayed.
"Cool, let's go take a look."
"Fine, if you're that determined," Lara said.
Phyllis and Lara walked in front, with Lysanna and Chris following a few meters behind. Lara and Phyllis immediately began discussing the 'Brotherhood guy'.
"Lara seems smitten," Lysanna remarked.
"Yeah, for a change," Chris replied sarcastically. "I wonder if she realizes that falling in love with every guy you come across is a sure ticket to disaster."
Lysanna shrugged. "Who knows, it may work this time."
"I'm not sure I hope so," Chris remarked dryly.
"Why not?"
"I'm not sure I like the guy all that much. Or that I trust him."
"Mm," Lysanna agreed pensively. "He does have something fishy about him."
"Not to mention his bloated head. I wonder if they're all this smug?"
Lysanna shrugged. "I don't care. It's not like we're marrying the guy or anything, right?"
"No, I guess you're right." He paused for a moment. "Lys, you mind telling me why you're so keen on spending our money on luxury all of a sudden?"
Lysanna stopped and slid her arms around his waist. "Because tonight," she said bringing her face closer to his, "I want everything to be perfect."
