FIFTY-FOUR

The NCR, Brotherhood of Steel bunker

October 1st

07:18

Lara's eyes still twinkled as she sat next to Matt in the bunker, having breakfast with the others. "Everyone sleep well?"

Phyllis only muttered something in response, and Lysanna and Chris didn't comment. Everyone except Lara was bleary-eyed and tired.

"I slept better than I have in years," Lara answered her own question.

"Yeah," Chris said curtly. "We heard."

That was enough to shut Lara up. After an uncomfortable silence, it was Matt who came to business.

"We've got about an hour until that patrol assembles, and it's a half hour's walk. You still have any questions?"

"Not really," Lysanna answered. "Except, how am I going to get Vault 13's location out of that computer?"

Matt shrugged. "Simply wait for a moment when nobody's guarding it."

Lysanna frowned angrily at Matt for deliberately misinterpreting the question and forcing her to explain what the real problem was. "I don't know enough about computers to get any information out of them, as you damn well know."

Matt showed another of his irritating smirks as he produced a small plastic card-type thing. "Simply insert this flash drive and type "Y" when a line of text comes up on the screen. Once the little indicator stops blinking, pull it out. That's all there is to it." He handed her the 'flash drive', and Lysanna muttered an annoyed "thanks" when she took it.

"I don't suppose you've thought of a way we can keep in touch with her?" Chris asked, sharing Lysanna's irritation at Matt's display.

"I have, actually. It's kind of primitive, but on floor minus 1, there's a ventilation shaft that has been without a grill or a pipe for ages now, and if we post one of ours at the top, Lysanna will be able to communicate, and exchange the flash drive, through there if necessary."

Chris looked at Matt suspiciously. "I don't think giving you that flash drive without her being topside is all that much of a good idea."

Matt chuckled. "I should be insulted, but I guess with the way people treat each other in the outside world, I can understand what you mean. I gave my word and I'll stick by it."

"And how 'bout I stick close to Matt and make sure?" Lara interjected.

"Yeah, I'll bet you'll stick real close," Chris muttered.

Lara only replied with a coy smile.

"So what'll you guys do while I'm playing spy?"

"I'll be at the ventilation shaft," Matt replied, and added, "with Lara. That shaft leads to a forested area where those gangbangers don't tend to patrol, so we should be there anytime you need us."

"Mm. And what about you guys?" Lysanna asked Phyllis and Chris.

"I think I know something," Chris said determinedly.

Phyllis only looked up briefly before staring back into her empty plate.

"You and I," Chris said to Phyllis, "are going to have a little chat. Just the two of us."

Phyllis again briefly looked up and muttered, "Leave me alone."

Chris lay his arm around Phyllis' shoulder. "Not a chance."

"What's wrong, Phyllis?" Lara asked, concerned.

"Nothing."

Lara pressed, "Yes there is. You've helped us out so many times when we had a problem, so talk to us, what's wrong?"

"Look, it doesn't matter. You just… you know, enjoy being happy."

"Knowing what's wrong won't make me any less happy," Lara parried.

Phyllis sighed and said, "I'm just a little lonely, okay?"

Lara merely replied, "Oh."

Matt looked at his watch and said, "Come on, let's go. And leave those breastplates here. They'll attract too much attention."


"She didn't even see your friend was feeling bad," Matt quietly whispered to Lara as they lay in the bushes, waiting for the patrol to assemble. There were already three, but the eventual patrol would number six, including the new kid. Lara and Matt were in the bushes on the east side of the gate, and Chris and Phyllis had posted themselves in the north bushes. Lysanna was by herself, ready to run after the bolting newbie.

"Mm?" Lara asked, taken out of her concentration.

Matt nudged his head at Lysanna's location. "Her. She didn't even see. She blind or something?"

"Nah," Lara whispered. "Just distracted, I guess."

"Some leadership," Matt muttered.

Lara turned toward him, lying on her elbows. "You really don't like her, do you?"

"It's not about not liking. The more I see her handle things, the more convinced I get that she's anything but reliable."

"Well, she didn't choose this. I'm pretty sure she's not comfortable with the role either."

"Then she shouldn't be playing it," Matt said harshly. "She's responsible for you guys, and so far, it doesn't look like she's doing an impressive job of keeping you safe."

"Well… she stopped me from taking that newbie's place."

Matt snorted indignantly. "Big deal. That's the least she can do as a leader. She's a poor leader, and she's pretty dumb to boot."

Lara frowned. "She's doing her best. I agree she's messed up in the past, but she tries as hard as she can. And what's it to you anyway?"

"You're part of that group, and – "

"And what?" Lara interrupted. "I admit she's no shining pinnacle of leadership, but I won't have you slagging her off like that."

A silence fell.

"You're right," Matt said eventually, with some effort. "I have no business interfering with your group, but I thought last night was about more than just sex?"

Lara sighed. "It was. What's that got to do with anything?"

"I'd like to see the two of us going somewhere," Matt said gently. "And I'm worried for you. I'm sure your friend is doing everything she can, but that might not be enough to keep everyone alive. One of your friends already ate the big one. I don't want to see you going next."

Lara squeezed his hand. "It's sweet of you to be concerned about me, but I don't need Lysanna to keep me alive. Don't worry, I don't plan on dying anytime soon."

"Yeah, you better not," he said with a grin. "And you're right, I shouldn't rail on your friend so much. It just… I don't know, I keep seeing her do all those things wrong."

"Okay, so you're a perfectionist. Nothing wrong with that. But some things you should keep to yourself."

"Yeah, that, and I want you to stick around. Because it wasn't just about sex. I mean, it was great, but I kinda think I could imagine the two of us staying together."

"So could I," Lara said with a smile. "But you'll need to learn to stop being such a control freak all the time."

Matt had to grin and admit she was right. "Yeah, I should. And it's good of you that you're defending your friends."

"… Yeah," Lara replied doubtfully. Because twist or turn it any way you wanted, he was right. She knew she cared a lot about Lysanna, but the feelings of doubt inside her gnawed a little harder.

"Six of 'em," Matt said into the radio. "Newbie's on right, camo pants. You got 'er?"

"Yeah, got her," Chris' distorted voice came back through the radio.

"Let 'em advance a few steps and open fire on my mark," Matt ordered. "And make 'em count."

The patrol stood talking for a minute or two, and then they headed off towards the forest, in Lara and Matt's direction.

"You ready?" Matt whispered. Lara nodded back.

"Open fire in three… two… one… fire!" Matt shouted into the radio.

Lara pulled the trigger of her AK-47 (good thing Matt had still found a box of rounds tucked in some corner of the bunker's armory) and shot the gangbanger in the lead. All three of the bullets hit him in the torso, making him do a short jig before he crashed to the ground. She saw two of them flying to the side, hit by Chris and Phyllis. The newbie didn't bolt, but she rolled herself into a ball, covering her ears. Next to her, Matt's weapon didn't make a sound, but a bright red beam cut through the face of another patrolman, sending him to the ground as part of his brain flew from the cleft in his head.

Chris' .223 sounded from the bushes, and another one was lifted off his feet and sent crashing into the dust. At the same time, Lara and Phyllis simultaneously hit the last man standing, the Steyr hitting him in the belly and the AK-47 impacting into his torso.

The newbie still remained on the ground, rolled into a ball, rocking back and forth and screaming a long, monotonous wailing.

"Shit," Matt grunted. "Lara, shoot a few rounds in the ground next to her feet."

After a short hesitation, Lara fired a few bullets right near the frozen woman. But she just sat there, rocking back and forth.

"Ah, fuck," Matt snarled. "If she's still there when the elevator comes up, we're fucked. What the Hell are we – "

Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Chris rising up from the bushes and chucking a large stone at the girl.

"Heh, good thinking," Matt remarked as the stone struck the girl in the head, knocking her over and bringing her back to her senses. Lara sent a few more puffs of dust up at her feet, and the girl ran off, slowly and numbly at first, but picking up speed as her head came out of its panic. She ran in Phyllis' and Chris' direction.

Phyllis did her job adequately, but without much enthusiasm, and within seconds, all the Khans lay motionless in the dust, their vital organs in various states of puncturing. The freezing newbie had posed a problem, but Chris had solved it handily (he mentally congratulated himself) by thunking her in the head with a stone. And now she'd started running, in their direction.

"Come on," Chris grunted. "Let's get her."

Phyllis quietly leapt to her feet, and as Chris wanted to do the same, he felt a horrible biting pain in his leg, accompanied by a clank-sound. His left leg had already started running, but his right leg was held by something which caused excruciating pain, and he overbalanced and fell down between the fallen leaves. As he reflexively grabbed his leg and looked down, his eyes went wide, not believing what they saw. He looked wide-eyed at Phyllis, who had stopped and whose face bore a similar expression of disbelief mixed with panic.

"Go! Get her!" Chris snarled through gritted teeth. "Don't worry about me!"

Phyllis stood for a moment longer, looking at his leg, and then she ran off to intercept the fleeing newbie.

Thankfully, her knees and back didn't ache (that radiation medicine worked wonders), so she could run at full speed. Even then, she'd have to push herself to the extreme if she hoped to catch the running woman. And from where Lysanna was, she had no chance of being in time. Reluctantly, she dropped her Steyr to give her the extra speed needed to catch her.

Phyllis forced herself to sprint even faster, and the air in her lungs was hot and searing. With another push, she managed to launch herself at the other woman just before the newbie made it to the thicker treeline where she'd have no hope of catching her. Phyllis' teeth jarred together as she clumsily body-slammed into Katarina Jerzyk. The girl had apparently regained her senses fairly quickly, because even before they hit the ground, a punch socked into Phyllis' ear. Dragged on by her speed, Phyllis overbalanced and dragged the other down with her. Her ribs crunched as the newbie landed on top of her, before rolling a few meters away from her. Phyllis got to her feet, her ear ringing and vision spinning. But despite her disorientation, she recognized the knife in the other's hand all too well. She managed to dodge a few swipes, but the fourth cut her badly on the shoulder. She didn't feel the knife itself passing through her flesh, but the opened skin immediately seared in burning pain.

"You fight like a wimp," the evil, less pretty version of Lysanna snarled, blood running from her lip she'd apparently split during the fall. "I don't know who the Hell you guys are, but I can tell you your buddies won't recognize you after I'm through cutting you up."

"And there I was telling the others to let you live," Phyllis gasped as she staggered backward, her hand on her bleeding shoulder.

The other only laughed dirtily in response before slashing the air in front of Phyllis. "You want me to start with your face? Or your guts?"

As Katarina Jerzyk brought the knife up to Phyllis' eye height, something whizzed past Phyllis' ear that sounded like electricity.

The girl abruptly stood still and the knife fell from her fingers. She looked down at her belly and then back to Phyllis, her eyes filled with wide-eyed terror.

"What are you – " Phyllis began, but then the woman fell forward, clamping her hands on Phyllis' shoulders. Phyllis reflexively caught her under the arms, sending new searing pain coming from her shoulder, but there was something wrong with the other woman's weight. Katarina Jerzyk looked up at Phyllis, with begging eyes, but she could only utter a gurgling groan. And Phyllis suddenly realized why her enemy suddenly weighed so little. With a yelp, she threw the other woman off of her, and staggered back. The newbie's hands clawed the sand for a few more moments while her mouth moved, trying to speak. When her eyes noticed her own legs, lying next to her head, however, she inhaled sharply, clawed feebly at her own ankle, lying right next to her face, not believing what she saw, and then died with an incredulous gurgle, sending a fine mist of blood spraying from her lips.

"Oh my God," Phyllis gasped quietly, again holding her bleeding shoulder. It looked like Cassidy, for once, hadn't been exaggerating. Those laser weapons really could cut people in half. She tried to tear her eyes away from the bisected woman, but she couldn't prevent her breakfast coming up. She doubled over, and with a loud retch, sent it falling into the dust.

"Holy fuck," Lysanna exclaimed in surprise, panting from the sprint. "How did you…"

"Not me," Phyllis croaked, wiping the vomit from her lips. "Brotherhood guy."

"Damn," Lysanna gasped, awed, as she too felt her stomach heave at the sight. The woman's bowels had slid out of her cut torso as Phyllis had grabbed her, and now they lay in the dust, bright red and ropy. Her legs lay parallel with her torso, her feet next to her head and her groin at the same height as her insides. Her face still bore an incredulous, wide-eyed look.

"You alright?" Matt briefly asked as he confidently strode onto the scene. Phyllis nodded briefly. "Okay, you run back to the Vault entrance, they won't see the difference," he ordered Lysanna. "If they ask anything, you say we ambushed you and took off. Remember, you're Katarina Jerzyk now."

Lysanna curtly confirmed with, "Okay."

"We clean up this pile of guts," he continued to Lara and Phyllis. "I was hoping you could switch clothes, but they probably think a newbie with small intestine hanging from her belt is pretty suspicious."

"Oh shit," Phyllis suddenly exclaimed.

"What? What's wrong?" Lara asked, alarmed.

"I forgot about Chris!"

Lysanna's head went back and forth between Lara and Phyllis. "Chris? What's wrong with him?"

"He uh… had an accident."

"What? What happened?"

"No time for that," Matt interrupted, "That elevator's gonna come up every time now."

"Is he hurt?" Lysanna asked, ignoring Matt.

"Uh… he'll… he'll be okay. Just go, Lysanna."

Lysanna hesitated for a few seconds longer, but when Matt barked, "Go!" she ran off, after a brief look at Phyllis.


Remember, you're Katarina Jerzyk now.

"What the Hell happened?" the two Khans emerging from the elevator door shouted at Lysanna as she ran back to the elevator, trying to look as panicked as possible. Their big guns were trained firmly on her.

Lysanna put on the best show she could. "I… they… oh my God, they shot all the others."

"Who? Who shot them?" the smaller Khan barked. He had a scar over one eye and his black hair was closely cut.

"I don't know," Lysanna stammered, forcing tears from her eyes.

"Fuck," the taller one snarled. "They got Roadie and Red Cap too."

"No time for that," the other Khan snapped. "Get back down below before they come back."

The tall Khan gesticulated toward his dead fellows. "But what about the b – "

"Fuck 'em. I'm not dying just so we can put those idiots to bed. Come on."

He slapped his hand down on a large red button, and the elevator door closed, encasing Lysanna and the two Khans into a steel cage.

Matt had been right. The elevator was ridiculously slow. Lysanna's heart pounded in her throat as the two Khans stared at her.

"You're lucky you're still alive, bitch," the tall Khan said angrily. "Shoulda been you takin' a bullet instead of two of my buddies." The short Khan simply stood watching her.

"It's… not my fault," Lysanna said quietly. One wrong move and they'd start getting suspicious. And these guys didn't seem the kind to give people the benefit of the doubt.

"Yeah, not your fault you took off like a gutless runt."

"I… ran for cover." The shorter Khan still stood watching her silently.

"Cover? Fuck. You ran and left my buddies to die," the tall guy shouted, before looking lewdly at her breasts. Then he turned to his companion and said, "Hey Gash, why don't we just do her in the ass and blow her brains out right here, huh?"

Lysanna felt a rush of painfully cramping fear run through her insides. The guy apparently called Gash didn't reply, his eyes still on her. Her stomach cramped and throbbed painfully. Please don't let the other guy think the same way. In the faint white light, the tall Khan's narrow, angular face looked as if he wanted nothing else than to rape her right there.

"Huh?" the tall Khan pressed. "How 'bout it Gash? We tear up her shitter, at least she was good for sumthin'."

The other Khan looked at her for a second longer, then said in a bored voice, "Hey Deet, why don't you shut the fuck up?"

"What the fuck?" the other guy shouted. "This bitch is worthless, man. Runnin' away leavin' the others to croak? Fuck, only thing decent about bitches like those are the holes!"

Gash rolled his eyes. "If you'd stop being a god damn perv all the time, you might realize that if she was the only one who survived, then maybe she was smarter'n the rest. That make sense to you?"

A wave of relief went through Lysanna, but she resisted the urge to let out the breath she'd been holding and just kept looking afraid and harmless. Not that that took much effort.

Deet leaned against the steel elevator, ramming his fists against the wall. "Man, fuck you, Gash."

The guy called Gash ignored him and asked, "What's your name?"

"K… Katarina."

"Mm-hm. Who recruited you?"

Ah shit. She should have known that question was coming. What did that dirty pervert call the others, again? "Uh… Red Cap, I think he was called."

"Red invited you in?" the tall Khan shouted incredulously, the despise clearly apparent in his voice. "No way!"

"Deet, will you shut your god damn trap for one fucking second!" Gash snarled. "Red took you in, huh? Red never works alone. Who's the other guy he works with?"

"Uh…"

Gash' eyes narrowed, but before he could press the issue, the elevator let out a distorted ding, and the doors slid open. Clearly unsatisfied, Gash said, "You'll need to see Darion if you want in. Come on."

As Gash turned around to get out of the elevator, the other guy stuck out his tongue at her, making a disgusting slow licking motion. Lysanna felt a shudder crawl over her spine. The Vault itself was dirty, dark and utterly depressing, consisting of long, broad hallways with the occasional door set in them. The walls had probably been white at some point, but now they were a dark brown, caked with mud and dirt, and the faint TL-lights made them look even more dismal.

"Is there… some place I can use the bathroom?" Lysanna asked as submissively as she could.

Gash walked before her, and he sighed and lowered his head in irritation. Then he pointed left and said, "First door on the right."

"Thanks."

When Deet made to follow her, Gash snapped, "You stay right here."

The toilet was better-maintained than Lysanna had expected. It seemed even criminal scum liked sitting on a clean bowl. Regardless, she quickly cleaned the seat with some of the toilet paper before she dropped her pants and sat down, sighing. What the Hell had she gotten herself into. While she urinated, she briefly, nervously chuckled to herself when she thought about how close she'd come to needing to go to the toilet for a torn butt instead of a full bladder. She'd have to avoid that Deet guy, because he didn't look like he'd ask her for tea and cookies if he caught her alone. The guy called Gash at least seemed a bit reasonable. Although she didn't doubt he'd shoot her without a blink if they found out who she was. And now she'd have to meet this Darion guy. Lysanna hoped he wouldn't ask too many questions, because if he did, she'd be hopelessly lost. Sure, she could probably dodge the odd question, or think of a plausible reply to the occasional probe, but she knew she wouldn't hold up under continued questioning. Despite that she'd seen the comical side of the exchange with Deet, she was pretty god damn scared. She didn't know what they did to spies around here, but she supposed they were a lot more creative than just the things that Deet bastard could come up with. She briefly thought about the last moments she'd had with the group, and she'd give anything to be up there with them, in the sun, instead of underground, in a dirty Vault filled with this scum. She felt as if she was in a sarcophagus, and the sun shone brightly above her coffin, so far away above layers and layers of earth. She felt so alone she wanted to cry.

There was a banging on the door and Gash shouted, "Hey, new kid. You die in there?"

"Just a minute," Lysanna called back, hitching up her pants and closing her eyes briefly to compose herself.

"Darion's waitin'," Gash said, annoyed, as she came out. She guessed his nickname came from the ugly scar across his eye. His face looked intelligent, but there was no doubt that she was looking at an evil man. The black goatee framing his mouth and the perpetually-frowning eyebrows reinforced that fact. He was short, but powerfully-built, in his early forties, she guessed, and his eyes showed that he wasn't fooled easily.

"I'm hopin' he feels the same way I do," a voice hissed in her ear. Both the sound against her eardrums and the contents of the message sent a painful sliver down her spine.

Gash shot Deet an annoyed look and motioned Lysanna to follow him.

"Here to see Darion," Gash curtly said to the guard by the door. The guard merely replied with a bored, "Sure thing," before going back to picking his fingernails with his knife.

Gash slammed the palm of his hand against a red switch and the door opened. He nudged his head toward the open door, indicating that Lysanna should go first.

Darion himself was not exactly the greenest leaf on the tree. Even in the bad light, Lysanna could estimate that he was at least eighty. Like Cassidy though, he was powerfully built, and his eyes showed that he was still as sharp as a twenty-year-old. The way he carried his body showed he had no intention of kicking the bucket in a long time. He sat on a high-backed leather chair, one ankle on the other thigh, and a large flamethrower in his lap. One of his hands was on the weapon, the other stroked the head of an aged German shepherd. The thing looked mean enough to bite right through a person's leg. Its owner was currently listening to two of his men bickering, and he held up a hand at Gash to show him that whatever he had to say, it would have to wait. Behind his chair, Lysanna saw the Vault's central computer. This would be a problem.

"Look," one said. "I hate those worthless, unwashed squatters as much as the next guy. But we're talkin' about a child here."

The other's face contorted in an ugly sneer. "Damn Phil, you're such a wimp. Those squatters are shit, an' their kids are just the same."

The man addressed as Phil retorted, "I don't give a shit what you think, Daria. I'm not holding some teenager captive so we can put even more pressure on those losers topside."

Daria. The similarity of the names might be coincidental, but Lysanna figured the woman might be Darion's daughter. Or from the looks of her, more likely his granddaughter. They both had a characteristic broad nose and square chin that made it even more likely they were related. Phil, on the other hand, didn't really seem like he belonged here. Unlike Daria, Gash and the others she'd seen here, he lacked the typical cruel hardness in his eyes.

Daria made to speak, but Darion raised his hand and she closed her mouth again. In a hard and stern voice, he said, "I don't care about your concerns either, Phil. When you joined up, you knew you'd have to get your hands dirty."

Phil set his jaw and looked at the ground. Daria smirked.

He continued, "Fact is, that kid's been snoopin' around here once too often. An' I'm pretty god damn tired of them squatters thinkin' they got a right to walk where they wanna."

Phil attempted one more time. "I agree, Darion, but can't we just give 'er a good scare and send 'er runnin' back to her mommy?"

"No," Darion barked. "Lock 'er in the shed outside, until I decide what to do with 'er. You an' Daria can do the honors. Maybe teach you to get along a bit."

"What?" Daria protested. "I gotta guard that brat with this wimp?"

"Don't argue with me, Daria. Go on, take her there."

A door opened and two burly guards came from another room, their hands around the arms of a kicking, flailing girl that looked to be about sixteen.

"Let go of me, you fuckers!" she shouted as she tried in vain to get a kick in.

"Still hasn't lost any of 'er lip, I see." Darion said, sounding almost amused. "Bring 'er here. I'll teach her to shut up."

The two guards did as they were told, throwing the girl to the ground in front of Darion. She had hair so blonde it was almost yellow, tied back in a ponytail that had gotten disheveled, probably during her capture. She was pretty, with a mischievous face set with freckles on the bridge of her nose, and her eyes were fierce despite her situation.

"You're a loud-mouthed little one," Darion remarked, his voice clearly falsely friendly.

The girl kept quiet and her eyes remained locked with Darion's.

"Wanna tell me what you were doin' snoopin' around the Vault?"

"I know all about you! You and your little gang!" the girl shouted. "You're a bunch of liars! You told us you'd trade food and medicine if you got access to the Vault, but you're nothing but a bunch of low-lifes!"

Darion shrugged. "What's it matter? We've got the power, and you people wouldn't have had anythin' if it weren't for us."

The girl still sat on her knees, but she shouted fiercely. "You're such a bunch of losers! You think you're some kind of warlord, but you're nothing more than the head loser of a gang of jerk-offs!"

Darion leaned over to her, and with a glare, he threatened, "Watch it, you!"

"Or what?" the girl snapped defiantly. "You're going to kill me anyway, so might as well die telling the truth."

Darion leapt up from his chair, his enormous physique dwarfing the young girl still on her knees. "Killin' you isn't the worst thing I can do to you, little cunt!"

He reminded Lysanna awfully of Metzger, only older.

"You better learn some respect, 'cause if you don't by the time I'll be through with you, you'll be beggin' for me to kill you!"

The girl sprang to her feet as well, and with a swift kick, she rammed her foot up right between Darion's legs.

Darion's dog snarled and tried to defend its master, but its chain was inches too short. Behind Lysanna, Gash readied his rifle and shouldered her out of the way, while everyone except Phil raised their weapons as well. Everyone except Phil andd Darion, who snarled in pain, grabbed his groin and fell to his knees. The girl tried to kick him in the face, but one of the guards that grabbed her smashed the butt of his rifle against her skull with a hard thwock, sending her to the ground. She fell down, clutching her head, and didn't try to get up.

Darion panted and grunted, eventually getting to his feet. After a few gasps, his face contorted in murderous rage, and he grabbed his flamethrower, meaning to incinerate the girl where she lay. Lysanna inhaled to scream "No!", but before she could, Phil leapt forward, shielding the girl with his body. Darion just managed to avoid setting his own man on fire.

"Think, Darion!" Phil shouted. "You use that thing, and you'll incinerate everyone in this room!"

"Fuck you, you shit!" Daria screamed back. "Get outta the way! I wanna smell her roast!"

"Shut the fuck up, Daria!" Gash yelled behind Lysanna. "He's right!"

"Darion, for fuck's sake," Phil snarled. "You'll burn us all to a god damn crisp!"

Lysanna had never seen a flamethrower in action, but she was pretty sure Phil was right. The room was far too small to create a large flame in without scorching the occupants. She hoped, for the girls's sake and her own, that Darion would use his brain.

After a few growling gasps, he did, lowering his flamethrower and dropping himself back in his chair. Phil, Lysanna, Gash and presumably everyone else in the room except Darion and his probable granddaughter breathed a sigh of relief.

"Take 'er to the shed," Darion said hoarsely. "Lock 'er there 'til tomorrow noon. Then you bring 'er out to the middle of the squatters' courtyard. I'll meet you there." His eyes went to Daria. "Their whole sorry lot will be able to smell her burn."

Daria laughed a cruel little laugh, and Phil knew it was a bad idea to push his luck even further. They both grabbed the half-conscious girl under the arms and dragger her out past Lysanna and Gash. When they passed by them, the girl's eyes briefly locked with Lysanna's, and she knew that her situation in Vault 15 just got even more complicated.

"Now," Darion said, still hoarse but calmed down enough to have a normal conversation again, "Who the Hell is this, Gash?"

Gash scraped his throat and said, "A new kid. She uh… was supposed to join up with today's patrol."

"'Supposed to'?" Darion repeated.

"The uh, the patrol got ambushed. Everyone got killed except for her."

"Who is everyone?"

"Red Cap, Clive, Roadie, Cross-eye and the Plunger."

Darion shrugged. "No big loss. Red was a good guy though. Rest of 'em were worthless scrubs. Who ambushed 'em?"

Gash shook his head. "No idea."

Darion nudged his chin at Lysanna. "What about you, missy. Can you even speak?"

"Uh," Lysanna began. "I don't know what happened or why… The others didn't tell me anything."

"No," he said pensively. "I don't suppose they did." His eyes narrowed. "So how come you survived and my guys didn't?"

"She ran," Gash answered in her stead. "Looks like her move was the smartest."

"You got it on cam?"

"Absolutely. Probably snipers in the bushes. Image's too blurred to make out anything."

Darion nodded. "Alright then. Well, then I suppose this chick can already replace one of the five we lost," he said dismissively. "Show 'er 'round. Give 'er a bunk. You know the drill."

Gash clearly wasn't satisfied with Lysanna's explanation yet. "I'm not sure we can trust 'er, Darion. I mean, she could be a spy or whatever."

Darion shrugged. "Watch 'er closely then. She does anythin' suspicious, blow 'er brains out."

It clearly wasn't enough to Gash, but he knew better than to argue with his leader. "You got it, Darion."

"You got a name to go with those tits?" Darion asked disinterestedly. He clearly used the vulgarity only out of habit.

"Katarina," Lysanna answered, almost saying her own name.

"Alright. We're watchin' you," Darion said. "Until you prove yourself, you're nothin' but a maggot. Now get outta my sight."


"This is your bunk," Gash grunted. "The few women we got started complainin', so now the women have a room all for themselves. Lucky you."

"Yeah, lucky me indeed," Lysanna muttered quietly.

"You don't seem like a bad sort," Gash suddenly said. "Take my advice, don't go 'round beatin' your chest or tryin' to make an impression."

"Uh… okay, I won't," Lysanna responded, not sure how to reply.

"Reason I'm saying this is because the Khans aren't what they used to be."

This might be useful. "Why's that?"

Gash looked behind him, making sure no one else was listening, and then said conspiratorially, "I'm not so sure about Darion anymore. Old geezer's got way too many spooks in his head, and they're startin' to mess with his better judgment."

Lysanna didn't know if it was a good idea, but regardless, she said, "You're thinking you could do a better job?"

Gash's eyes flashed. "If I thought that, I sure as Hell wouldn't say it to a newbie I don't trust."

Lysanna backed off. "Fair enough. So what's wrong with Darion? Why's he got spooks in his head?"

He glanced back again and quietly said. "It's all 'cause of what happened at Shady Sands."

"Shady Sands? Isn't that the NCR now?"

Gash nodded. "Darion was in the Khans back then too. I suppose they oughta be called the Old Khans now. They kidnapped a kid in Shady Sands, some village headman's daughter or whatever, and the folks from Shady Sands, spurred on by this one guy from the Wastes, butchered 'em to the last man. Well, the second-to-last man. Only Darion survived."

"No shit," Lysanna said. "Must have been hard on him." Not that she felt any pity.

"Yeah. Word is, it messed him up big time, but so far nobody noticed. Until now. Things 're starting to fall apart."

Lysanna wondered if Gash realized he was telling secrets he shouldn't. "How did it mess him up?"

"Darion's angry with himself. He's ashamed 'cause he survived instead of dying with his gang. And lately, he hasn't been able to control those feelings. I'll bet one of these days, he'll snap completely."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Lysanna asked, immediately kicking herself for being so stupid. Gash suddenly blinked and seemed to realize what he was doing. With a glare, he growled, "You didn't get this from me, you got it?"

"Uh… yeah, of course."

"You tell anyone about this and you're dead. That clear?"

"Crystal."

He seemed to believe her, and turned around. "Take a look around if you want to, get to know some people, whatever, you're free the rest of today. Then get your ass to bed at eleven PM. I'll take you out on the scenic route outside the Vault tomorrow."

Before he walked out the door, he chuckled and said, "Oh, and you might wanna steer clear of Deet."

"That's what I thought too."

She was free for the rest of the day. That was a stroke of luck. There were four beds in the room, so that meant that apart from Daria, there were only two more women in this gang. Not that it mattered, but the fewer people she had to bunk with, the better she could keep playing her little role. She sat down on her bed (well, it was more of a mattress with a rough blanket on it than a bed) and unfolded the blueprints Matt had given her. The shaft leading to above ground was marked with a large "S". It was on the first floor below ground level.

As she walked out the door, Lysanna almost bumped into another woman. "Hey, you new?" she asked cheerfully.

"Uh, yeah," Lysanna answered. The other woman was about her age, with brown hair tied back in a ponytail.

"I'm Brit," the other woman said, holding out her hand.

Lysanna shook it. "Katarina."

"Welcome to the Khans, I guess."

"Thanks."

She had to look around a few times, running into people and having to introduce herself several times, before she found the shaft. Luckily, it was in a small room at the end of a dead-end corridor where nobody really needed to be for any reason. She briefly glanced behind her as she opened to door and went into the little room. It was getting late, and the sun shone an orange ray into the small, dark room. The shaft itself was about five meters long, and the grill filtering the air had been broken out a long time ago, leaving only a rough, rocky pipe leading up. How she wished she was up there now, instead of in this disgusting metal tunnel.

"Matt," she hissed. When nobody responded, she called out, "Matt!"

There was a sound of someone scrambling to his feet, and after a few seconds, Matt's head appeared at the end of the shaft, with Lara's head popping up beside it a moment later. "Hey Lys," Lara called back cheerfully.

"What's the situation?" Matt asked flatly.

"Everything OK so far. But that Darion guy made his headquarters near the central computer, so that's going to be difficult."

"You'll figure something out," Lara said, trying to sound confident.

Lysanna thought of saying what little help that was, but didn't. Instead she called, "You guys need to do me a favor though."

"What's that?" Matt asked back.

"There should be a shed close to the Vault entrance somewhere. They're holding a kid captive there, with only two guards, planning to execute her. I can't leave here right now, so you'll have to get her out."

"I'd rather we all concentrated on what we're doing here," Matt shouted down the shaft. "We can't risk what we're doing here just to save some hostage."

"Dammit, Matt, it's a sixteen-year-old girl. What, you guys too busy groping each other to go stop a few thugs from burning a teenager alive?"

Matt sighed and admitted, "Alright, how much time have we got?"

"They'll execute her tomorrow, so you'll have to do it before then."

"What, now?"

"As soon as possible. Before tomorrow, anyway. They've got two people guarding her. The woman's pretty cruel and sadistic, so you won't be able to talk to her, but I think the man can be reasoned with. I'm pretty sure he won't allow her to be executed if you talk to him."

Matt and Lara briefly looked at each other, and Matt shrugged. Lara shouted down, "Alright, we'll take care of it."

"Thanks!"

"Now go on," Matt called down. "They'll get suspicious if you stay too long."

Lysanna wanted to stay there, looking at the orange sun and talking to Lara, but she briefly nodded and turned away from the shaft.


"Shack outside the Vault entrance," Lara mused, shrugging her jacket on and tucking her T-shirt back in her jeans. "You know where that is?"

"Yeah," Matt grunted, looking down, checking his laser rifle. "Might as well head over there now. Man, of all the times she had to show up…"

Lara gently pushed his chin up with one finger, kissed him lightly on the lips, and whispered, "Don't worry, we'll carry on where we left off when we get back."