Chapter 29: Takeover
It was going to take Cross a few days to fully recover. Even still, the next day she gathered the whole group and dragged them to a table at the Atomic Wrangler.
"We need to talk." Cross said adamantly.
"So you've said." Arcade answered. "What about?"
Cross pulled the platinum chip out of her pocket and set it on the table. "The Fort is vacant. It's time to make a choice. Who do we put in charge?"
The votes were split right down the middle. Boone and Cass wanted the NCR in charge while Arcade and Veronica voted for independence, through House or otherwise.
Cross dropped her chin into her hands. "So I'm still the swing vote, eh? You do realize you were supposed to make this decision easier for me, right?"
They all pleaded their case and Cross listened intently. When they were finished, she told them they needed to steer clear of the Lucky 38 until she got back. If she didn't side with House she didn't want him using them as hostages.
When Cross was healed up, she and Boone left the Strip for Cottonwood Cove. They were out in the wasteland when Cross thought it was finally time to tell the tale.
"I woke up in the middle of some weird town built around the base of the largest intact building I've ever seen." She began. "All my gear was gone. All I had was a jumpsuit, this rifle and a bomb collar."
"A bomb collar?" Boone asked.
Cross made a noise of affirmation. "Elijah wanted compliance. I had little choice at that point. The town, a villa as Elijah called it, was filled with red fog, the Cloud. Toxic, hurt to breath and it only got worse as time went on. Elijah needed me to trigger some gala event; a grand opening that would open the Sierra Madre so I could get in. To do that, he had three more collars to help. So, I went to find them. Navigating the villa and the Cloud was hell. There were these… ghost people… that lived there; the original builders apparently. They were hard to kill. I had to… dismember them to get them to stay down. The first person I found was Dog."
"The one in charge of retrieving people." Boone added.
"Yes. Dog was a nightkin with split personalities. Dog was loyal to Elijah for some reason; God wanted to be his own person. Christine was Brotherhood, eventually I found out she was hunting Elijah and he was a former Elder. Dean Domino was…"
"Wait, Dean Domino?" Boone asked.
"Umm… Yeah. Why?"
"That's the name of a famous prewar singer."
"Oh yeah. This was him. He was a ghoul."
"Huh."
"Together the four of us triggered the gala event and got into the Casino. Then after more of Elijah's orders, I managed to get to the vault. It's took a little work but I managed to kill Elijah and get the vault open."
"What was inside?"
Cross laughed. "I don't want to spoil the surprise!"
"Well, what happened to the others?"
"I kinda… broke Dog. Or maybe I fixed him?" Cross said pensively. "His personalities were coming back together and he said he needed time to come to terms with who he was. Christine said she needed to stay and make sure no one tried to steal any of the Casino's tech. And to make sure nothing escaped. And Dean, well, he wanted to relax in the Sierra Madre for a bit. But when I told him the Strip was still a thing, sort of, he sounded excited to visit it. When I was sure things were settled, I headed back to the Mojave."
"Christine was human, right?" Boone asked.
"Yeah, why?"
"Will she be okay? If she stays in the Cloud?"
"Christine was smart and the villa had auto-docs. I think she'll manage."
"Sounds like you went through hell."
"Not as bad as you, apparently."
"You're back." Boone said as he reached a hand out and pulled Cross into a side hug as they walked. "That's what matters."
Cross was glad to be back in the company of her partner. The trip to Cottonwood Cove made it feel like the weeks apart never happened.
They approached Cottonwood Cove with care and on high alert, just in case the Legion had any ideas. Boone followed as Cross lead the way to one of the cabins near the water. Beside the cabin was a makeshift cart made from car axles. He watched as she kicked in the door. When she looked back at him she had a sheepish grin on her face.
"I broke the lock to keep it safe." She said then she turned and headed into the cabin. She approached a table inside heaped with her gear and started to reequip. She pointed to something on the floor just inside the door covered in a bed sheet. "Surprise." She deadpanned.
Boone wasn't sure what it was so he pulled the sheet aside. The items underneath caught the sun and sparkled. Yellow bricks? No wait… Boone reached out and hefted up one in his hands to look at it better. "Is this… gold?!" Boone asked as he turned wide eyes to Cross.
"Gold bars. Thirty seven of them." Cross said with a grin.
"These were in the vault?!" Boone asked as he eyed the gold bar in his hand.
"I had to get Dog to help me carry them out of the Vault. Then I cobbled together that cart outside to drag them here." Cross said as she tested the snugness of her gear. "Come on. Let's get our work at the Fort over with."
Boone nodded and put the bar back on the pile.
The Fort was eerily silent. Even still they stayed on guard. All the bodies were still where they had fallen. It looked like no one had been there since Cross and Boone had dealt with Caesar. It only took a single scout through to find the old world building. Inside they found doors in the floor branded with the Lucky 38 logo and a console that had a single platinum chip sized interface in it. Cross pulled out the chip and pressed it into the relief. The doors opened and revealed a stairway. Only a few steps from the stairs was and elevator, also branded with the Lucky 38 logo. They got in and rode the elevator down.
As they stepped out of the elevator, they heard a voice. "Well! You took you're sweet time didn't you?" The giant familiar digital face greeted from the monitor. "I knew I could rely on Caesar to give you back the Platinum Chip."
"Caesar is dead." Cross said flatly.
"Aren't you resourceful?" House said slyly.
"What is this all about? What is this place?" Cross asked.
"It's a facility I built many years before you were born. You might think of it as a barracks. You'll understand soon enough." The computer responded.
"A barracks?" Cross said in confusion.
"The Platinum Chip is a data-storage device. I need you to manually upload the data from the Chip to the facility's primary computer. There's a terminal at the other end of this facility. There's a complication. While I can broadcast to this screen, I can't control any of the facility's systems. That means I can't deactivate its security bots... most of which appear to be active, according to the status board I'm looking at."
"Alright. We'll get to work."
"Good. I won't hold you up any longer." House's face disappeared and the screen dimmed.
"That's House?" Boone asked.
"All I've seen of him." Cross said with a shrug. "How is this place a barracks?" Cross got her answer a few minutes later when the pair walked in front of a window leading to a massive room full of securitrons. "Holy shit!" She exclaimed as she approached the glass. "A barracks for an army." She glanced over at Boone. He had a cold expression on his face. She sighed heavily. "Another army led by another dictator." She took a deep breath. "This place has to burn; just like the old world did."
Boone nodded to her grimly. "Are you sure?"
"No. But I think it's the right choice."
Cross and Boone fought their way through the robotic defenses with little effort. It wasn't long before they came upon the guts of the bunker; lots of heavy duty machinery. Cross took the powder charges she had brought with her, just in case, out of her pack and started to set them on the most important looking machines. She set them for thirty seconds and looked up at her partner.
"Ready?"
He nodded to her and she started the timer. The pair hustled back to the elevator. As the elevator doors opened, Cross heard the first blast. It was followed by a dozen more and then the ground shook ominously.
"Time to go!" Cross yelled over the blaring klaxons and hopped into the elevator. Boone followed her in and they rode back up to the surface. Throughout the ride they heard more explosions and metal groaning. They eventually reached the surface and hustled out of the elevator only to find there was little sign on the surface of the chaos below.
"It's finished." Cross said quietly. "Let's head back to the Strip."
Three days later Cross, Boone and a cartload of gold covered with blankets, arrived at the Old Mormon Fort in Freeside.
"Cross!" Veronica greeted happily as she ran out to meet them. She pulled Cross into a hug that Cross was not expecting.
"Uh… Hi, Veronica." Cross said uncomfortably as she pulled out of Veronica's grasp.
"Welcome back! What did you choose?! And what's in the cart?!" Veronica asked excitedly.
"House had an army of securitrons ready to go to war. We uh… we blew it up."
"You blew up House's trump card?" Arcade asked in surprise.
"Yeah. I bet he's kinda mad. We need to deal with him now."
"What's in the cart?" Veronica asked as she tried to lift the blankets. Boone swatted her hand away.
"Not here." Boone said gruffly.
"Let's deal with house, then we'll show you." Cross lead the group to the Strip. They passed the checkpoint no problem and together they pushed the cart up the ramp to the Lucky 38.
"What is on this thing?!" Cass groaned as she pushed the cart. "It weighs a ton!" The four of them pushed the cart into the Lucky 38 while Boone stood guard. Once inside, the securitron beside the elevator attacked but Boone put it down with one bullet.
They left the cart on the casino floor and headed into the elevator. Cross hit the button for the penthouse. Boone fired before the elevator doors were all the way open, killing an approaching securitron. With five of them they dealt with the securitrons no problem and soon the penthouse was clear.
"Woah!" Veronica gasped as she looked at the massive computer below the large monitor that said no connection. "This is top of the line tech!"
"Can you access it?" Cross asked.
"Let me… nope." Veronica said quickly as she tapped at the keyboard. "Totally locked up. Unless I…" A moment later a wall slide open behind them, revealing another elevator.
Cross hit the button and called the elevator. When the single door opened it revealed a tiny elevator only big enough for one person. "I'll be back."
"You're not going alone." Boone growled.
"Alright." It was a tight fit. The two of them barely fit. Cross's back was pressed firmly against Boone's chest. She hit the button and the elevator lurched to life. The ride was long; they descended a long way. Finally the door opened and Cross stepped out carefully onto a catwalk. She could barely see five feet in front of her due to thick mist. She heard Boone step up behind her and slowly started to advance. After twenty feet she came across a large bank of machinery with a computer attached. She inspected the computer.
"Unseal LS pod?" She read, then tapped yes. With a hiss the mist around them started churning as the machinery came to life. A moment later, the machinery opened up to reveal a desiccated and emaciated corpse. Cross was confused, until the corpse's eyes opened.
"Why have you... done this?" The corpse rasped. "Centuries of preparation... so much good, undone..."
"House." Cross said in realization. "Any last words?"
"May there be... a hell... for you... a Tartarus... bleak, unending..."
"Hell?" Cross scoffed. "I see you there." She raised a pistol and put a bullet between his eyes. "It's done. Let's go back up." Together, they rode the elevator back up.
"Well?" Arcade asked as they stepped out into the penthouse.
"House is dead." Cross said sternly.
"I know." Veronica said absently. "I think I got access the moment it happened."
"Veronica, can you program the securitron to keep doing what they're doing?" Cross asked as she stepped up beside her friend.
"Defend the Lucky 38 and the Strip? Sure, that's easy!" Veronica started hitting keys quickly. "There. The securitrons are now running Courier protocol so it's business as usual."
"Good. Thanks for the help everyone. Now for my surprise."