Tipping the Odds

by Johnnieboy11

Two Sixes, one born of the dunes of the Mojave and the other, forged into a Machine of War, versus a conflict that threatens to swallow the whole of the Mojave in its hellfire. As the clock ticks down to the Battle of Hoover Dam, these two men and those that will come to follow them prepare to choose sides, raise their flag and change the face of the Mojave forever.

10. For The Republic Part 1

The Strip was...

To put it bluntly, everything Freeside wasn't. Comparatively clean, well-lit and clear of rubble and debris, the New Vegas Strip represented its Pre-War society at its best. The four massive Hotel-Casinos, visible from afar, sat, clean, untouched by the nuclear bombs that broke the world apart so long ago. The road was broken in places, but that was normal, honestly, since this was still a centuries-old city at this point. Patrolling the streets, NCR Military Police and Securitron Mark I units guarded the city, its many gambling inhabitants and the NCR troops on a cap-spending vacation there.

The Courier grinned, staring up at the skyline of the city, at the overpass ahead of them and at the myriad of still-intact civilian buildings around the place, while the Spartan looked to the guards and troops around. He then looked to the girls, watching as they, too, admired the pre-War Jewel City in its ageless beauty. The Spartan approached the Courier, who now read through a note... He paused, then looked immediately to their left.

The tallest of the towers, meant to resemble the stand for a game of roulette, sat to their left. The infamous Lucky 38 Casino and Hotel, home of the mysterious mister House and the place of birth for his Securitron battalions. Sitting at the base of the massive tower, near some doors, a single Securitron with the face of a cowboy resided. Sam and David looked to one-another and the Spartan instantly knew where they were going.

"So..." Cass started, approaching the two, "Where to now?"

"Well... According to the delivery letter," The Courier sighed, folding it and sliding it back into his back, "The Lucky 38."

"What?!" All the girls present chorused, with JT and ED-E seemingly confused. The Courier nodded to them and Cass was the first to drag the group so they could have a chat between members. All of them felt odd, knowing that they were about to enter a place that hasn't been touched in many years, one that no living human had seen for longer, if you don't count House himself. When one of them wanted to inquire what would be next, the Courier sighed and showed them to stay calm.

"Sam, if you were supposed to deliver that chip of yours to the Lucky 38... That means it's..." Veronica started, eyes wide.

"House's. Yes, I know..." He sighed, then said "It's alright... We're all gonna be together, right?" with a half-smile on his face. The group nodded, reluctantly, while the Spartan stared up at the tower. There was no easy way to get out of the place, outside of shooting their way out. Knowing it was House's personal little home added to the troubles, with possibly dozens of Securitrons positioned inside.

"... I'm not sure what to think of this." Lunette commented, "If it's Mister House..."

"We'll be fine." David voiced, looking to all of them, "It is just a place, after all. A few bots won't stop us from getting out if push comes to shove... Let's go, Courier."

"He has a point." The Courier smirked. Cass rolled her eyes, looked to the rest and nodded. The group walked toward the hotel, under the watchful gaze of Securitrons, MPs and Strip Patrons. Ahead of them, the ever-smiling cowboy face of Victor greeted them, turning to face the entire platoon's worth of people and their pet and robot. The Cowboy Securitron rolled forward to greet them, stopping face-to-face with the Courier.

"Howdy, pardner. Quite a posse you gathered." The robot said, jovial as ever, "And..." he turned to face the Spartan. The Robot seemed to freeze for a good moment as his visual sensors gave the supersoldier a once-over. He spoke, a slight tinge of fear in his voice, "Is... Is that some kinda new machine? Because I don't fancy my chances against him or her."

"Nope." The Courier noted, "That's David. He's about as human as the rest of us."

"Sans the power armor that looks straight out of a hard Science Sci-Fi series." Veronica quipped, crossing her arms and smiling.

"I see... Well, the boss will want to know this one too." The Securitron turned to face the Courier, "Pardner, I gotta apologize to your lil' posse, but they can enter only in the lobby and casino area of the hotel. The Boss wants only you and... Now... The big feller you call David to meet him upstairs." words which garnered a few looks of confusion from the gang, before they all realized...

"... You are actually kidding... Right...?" Veronica murmured, "You two are going to meet House. Alone."

"Well, this took a turn for the interesting..." Cass voiced, looking at the bot, "Ya sure we can't tag along? Our fellas over here may need the help."

"Don't worry, young missus." The robot turned to face her, his voice yet again warm, "The Boss doesn't wanna do anything to the gentlemen here. Just talk."

"And if he doesn't like what he hears?" Cass retorted, crossing her arms.

"The Boss is a lenient man. He won't do anythin' to harm the person he personally hired through me for the job." Victor responded, "Mostly because the feller can still help get what he wants. And as for the big feller... Well... I don't think the Boss or me and my siblings could do a darn thing to him, even if we wanted to. At least not as we are right now, y'know?"

"... Fucking really..." Cass sighed. She looked to the Courier and Spartan, then asked "You two seriously okay with this? Because this just doesn't sit right with me. We really gonna be the first persons to step into the Lucky 38 after so long?" as the others gathered up. The Courier and Spartan looked again to one-another, then approved the action through a single nod of their heads. Cass sighed, rubbing her eyes, then said "If you two go and get yourselves killed before we're finished with everyone's business here... I swear..."

"We'll be fine, Cass." The Courier leaned his rifle onto his shoulder, grinning, "Noble can haul my ass out of the Penthouse if we get hit by anything. Plus, he's got that cloaking tech... Unless House's Securitrons got a few firmware upgrades the last few decades that allow them to see cloaked targets, I'm sure we'll be just fine... Plus, you can rush upstairs, since you'll be in the hotel."

"I'm... Kind of with Cass on this one." Willow looked to David with a tinge of worry, "You guys sure this is safe?"

"We'll be fine." David said, "This armor is more than just shields and plating."

"You still have to tell us about that." Veronica remarked, "And I'd love it very much if you were alive to do so."

"Same, but they already proved they can handle themselves, girls." Lunette quipped, turning to Sam and saying "You two best not do anything stupid. We're one Pip-Boy message away."

"I'll write on the walls with my blood so you know which bot to shoot first." The Courier quipped morbidly, garnering winces out of the entire group. He beckoned Victor to lead them in and, upon entry, the faint scent of cleaning detergents hit them, as well as the sight of the lobby and casino. The interior of the Lucky 38 looked almost untouched, like it'd been left for the past couple of centuries. No pachinko machine lacked its parts, no scarlet, fancy carpet was torn, no tapestries lost and no paintings stolen or destroyed. It looked exactly as you'd expect a Pre-War casino to look like... Sans the lack of occupants.

The air weighed heavily on everyone as they entered, noticing only several Securitrons on patrol. Cass murmured "This place is giving me the creeps." as she and the others entered. A Securitron separated the group, with Noble and the Courier left at the front, while the others were 'forced' to sit down and wait around the machines. Every girl in the group seemed concerned, while ED-E let out a slightly higher-pitched beep and JT whined.

The elevator's doors opened, revealing a fancy interior, gold-plated railings and all the bling that you'd expect out of a top-of-the-line hotel that remained untouched for centuries. The Spartan and Courier turned to the team just as the doors closed behind them and Victor. Cass bit her lower lip out of a slight fear she felt, looking around at the security droids that simply patrolled them, ignoring their presence for the most part.

"Think they'll be okay?" Lunette asked, getting Cass's attention.

The woman rubbed her temples, then said "Like they told us, we're also in the hotel. Shit hits the fan, we kick the door in, no matter how many bots there are."

"Right..." Lun nodded, looking to Willow and Veronica. The former was petting a frightened JT while the latter seemed to be searching for ways to escape, her power fist already attached to her hand. The two girls looked to the ones across from them, then looked to Hope, who was just there, leaning against a wall with her arms crossed. She smiled at them, then took out a fresh apple and started munching on it.

... The elevator had reached the top floor:the Penthouse. The two climbed out as Victor announced "The Penthouse! Right this way." and rolled forward. The two looked around at the rather expansive place before them. Giant windows that showed the vastness of the Mojave in a panoramic view, areas guarded by Securitrons, the two levels of the penthouse, the fancy stairs, the Securitrons, two of which had female faces. Curious.

Taking a left and descending down the stairs where Victor had gone, the team came upon the massive monitor on which resided the face of a man in his mid-thirties, wearing combed-back black hair and a fancy 'stache, as well as a suit. The multitude of security cameras now locked onto the two descending men and House hummed, "Well, this is certainly an interesting change of events."

The two stopped in front of the computer screen and the Courier murmured "Tell us about it... You must be mister House."

"In the flesh and circuitry. You are Courier number Six, are you not?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded, "You were the one I was gonna get the Chip to, huh?"

"Yes. That was the plan... At least until Victor reported to me that the chip was stolen and you were near death." House remarked, "How you survived two bullets to the head, I will never know. It is fortunate, however. It means you can still do your job."

"I will." The Courier nodded, "Since I still have unfinished business with Benny. I just wanna know something..." and, looking at the robots around them, he asked "What the hell is so important about the Chip? That stuff don't really look normal to me, to be quite honest with you, mister House. I should probably have asked what in the Nuclear Hell I was delivering..."

"What the chip is is currently of no consequence. The only thing you need to do is fulfill your contract. If you wish to know where to find him, Benny is currently hiding in his Casino, the Tops. Not too far away from here, in fact." The man stated, before the cameras acting as eyes focused on Noble. He spoke "Your compatriot... I have to ask where you even acquired him."

"He just appeared." The Courier quipped, "C'mon, Noble. Doesn't feel like we're gonna get any other info out of him until we get the job done and kill Benny."

As the Courier turned to leave, the Spartan looked to House. The man hummed, then inquired almost rhetorically "Anything to say to me?"

"No." The Spartan responded coldly, before turning to leave as well.

"Understood... One more thing." Mister House started, getting the two to face him again. "You have access to the Presidential suite of the Lucky 38, for your convenience... Enjoy your stay."

The Courier hummed, then the two left for the elevator, descending under the man's watchful gaze. Victor, or one variation of him, approached the old man's screens at his unspoken behest. House then said to it, "Keep an eye on the both of them. I fear our armored friend may prove himself to be either very useful to us, or a major nuisance. Otherwise, maintain standard observation pattern."

"Yes sir." Victor responded in a cold, robotic voice.

"First floor! Death robots, gambling and friendly faces." The Courier remarked, a grin on his face, as the elevator door opened. The girls all stood up, followed by the pup and ED-E approaching them.

"What the hell happened up there?" Cass asked, "You're still whole, so House didn't tear you a new one."

"Ah, old man's okay-ish for now. Surprised he let us go so quickly, but... He told me to go fetch the chip and gave us access to the Highroller Suite of the hotel as our base of ops." Sam smirked, crossing his arms to his chest. All members of their little raiding party stared with wide eyes at the two boys. Cass seemed the most incredulous out of the lot, arms crossed to her chest as they walked out.

"Anyone wanna take a pit stop before we head out?" Veronica asked, "Some of us are gonna have to hang back... We're a big crowd."

"Big crowds draw a lot of unwanted attention, don't they?" The Courier hummed, getting a nod of approval from the girl. Looking between them, he nodded, then checked his Pip-Boy. Noble approached, too, looking to see the orange-colored screen showing a map through which the man was parsing for markers. The Pip-Boy was one strange apparatus, or at least so David thought. It was biologically linked to its owner, providing feedback on everything from major wounds to the amount of medication needed to heal one, as well as their location on a GPS-style system.

It also had a tracking function, which painted the exact target area of their supposed 'quests' and placed a waypoint onto it, one presumably visible by that HUD that Noble now saw flashing in the Courier's eyes as they exited into the wider strip. Sam looked up, then asked, "Whaddaya think? What do we go for first? We help Cass and then swing about to do that one odd job we got from Hildern?"

"I'd suggest we-" the Spartan started, but both stopped as they saw a man running toward them with a wave. Clad in an NCR MP's uniform and with the baton strapped to his hip, the man stepped up and raised his hands, offering a pearly white smile. The other members of the group waved back at him, while Noble and the Courier simply watched him as he approached.

"Hello, folks!" He waved, "Apologies for the intrusion, but you've all been requested to come meet ambassador Crocker of the NCR. Important state business. Embassy's at the other end of the Strip..."

David and Sam looked to one-another, before turning to their comrades. All the girls could do was shrug at that, with JT and ED-E seemingly confused by the request of the man. The Courier smirked, then said, "Well, looks like we have another pit stop before we do anything else..." as he hefted his backpack onto his shoulder. He turned to the Trooper and said, "Hope we can get some cash out of this. I need to upgrade my kit."

True, the Courier was still wearing his old armor set, which had degraded due to continued exposure to gunfire and was armed only with the AKM they'd nabbed off the Vipers they'd offed on the highway to New Vegas and a 10mm pistol. The Varmint Rifle remained a backup, pretty much, which was still viable, but he'd definitely need something with a little more bang for its buck.

The MP nodded, "I'm sure the Ambassador will be glad to compensate you, provided you guys and girls get that thing he wants to talk to you about done."

"Shouldn't be a problem," Sam smirked, "Right, Noble?"

"Mhm," The Spartan nodded. He looked back to the girls, all of whom grinned... Well, save for an uneasy Veronica. He'd have a talk with her at a later date or he'd get the Courier to chat her up. The MP bowed out of the discussion and ran back to his post near the Embassy, with Cass already stepping up to talk to Sam before long. Crossing his arms to his chest.

"Who's your money on?" Veronica asked jokingly from his left as they watched Cass and the Courier talking. Cass motioned to both the outside world and to the Tops Casino. The Courier shrugged to the woman as they talked, to which Cass rolled her eyes, continuing to argue about whatever it was. Presumably, about the multitude of things they had to do now, including checking on her Caravan and other such issues.

"Her..." He voiced calmly.

"Pff. Why?" Willow asked, "Sam's pretty tough."

"Cass is the type of woman who gets you dialed in before you even open your mouth." David replied, "I've met a couple of her type in my Company back in the day and even on my last assignment..." He then remarked, a faint trace of sadness in his voice. True, Kat had been with Carter enough for her to know him, but she still managed to figure him out, even with all the Black Ink on his file. Plus, they'd been the same bloody company and even trained together before both of them were shipped off for wetwork jobs.

"Guess you would know people, huh?" Veronica quipped, "What were ya, some kind of specialized assassin?"

Veronica felt a chill up her spine as the man turned to her, his visor still cold, polarized, not even showing an inch of his face. She narrowed her lips, taking a step back and murmuring, "Right. Top Secret, presumably deniable ops... Not good for our health to know," as she looked away. She was a perceptive one, if a little inquisitive on things that, in general, should've remained hidden for the sake of the general populace.

"I mean, he did tell of his history, didn't he?" Hope voiced, taking Noble's right, "I believe'im."

"Same here," Willow smiled, "Seriously, he's scary."

"That, he is," Veronica and Lunette both chuckled, looking to the tall man in a suit of armor.

"And he's right here..." Noble replied to all of them, before asking the returning Courier, "So what's it gonna be...?"

"We're hitting up the ambassador first. Afterward, we're gonna go 'round. First we hit Cass's Caravan on the way to that Vault that Hildern asked about and go from there," Sam explained, smirking, "Man, Cass is one stubborn woman..." He then whispered. Six hummed, nodding, then the group stepped off toward the Embassy. They passed by a fountain in front of another hotel, the Ultra-Luxe, where NCR Servicewomen were dancing and making fools of themselves, while a Securitron was trying to talk them out of the water.

Ignoring the little show for now, the group was led all the way to the rearmost section, past a couple more hotels and the monorail and radio stations, to the Embassy complex. NCR Infantry stood guard, watching over the premises alongside squads of MPs. There were three buildings, with one being a barracks, another, a storage area, presumably and the third being the Embassy proper.

Entering the Embassy, the group waited as The Courier spoke to the receptionist, a young maiden clad in pre-war women's fancy attire in the form of a pink dress. She had short blonde hair. The woman gave them a half-smile after seeing them all, then jabbed a thumb to the door to their left. The Courier nodded to her, smirking, then waved the rest of the gang over.

"So, this is the NCR Embassy..." Veronica commented dryly as they passed by a squad of Troopers and MPs moving out for patrol. The walls of the hallway were rotten, losing the wallpaper and the place was barely lit by a series of lamps. The young Brotherhood member quipped, "I'd've thought it'd be more... Y'know... Fancy," with a dismissive shrug.

"It's a fucking dump, but..." Cass sighed, "It's a home away from home for the NCR folks around."

"Spent some time here on your Caravan days?" Lunette inquired, to which Cass simply nodded. The group entered through a door to the right, at the end of the hall and into a massive, more fancy office which included an almost-clean red carpet that lined the room from end to end, as well as a series of bookshelves on the left wall, a painting in the back of the NCR, a flag on the right and the desk, chair and terminal in the middle of all of them.

Standing up from behind the desk, a dark-skinned man smiled at the group and said "Welcome, welcome. I definitely didn't expect all of you to show up so quickly, considering everything that must be on your minds..."

"It's no problem, Ambassador," The Courier shrugged, smiling, "I'm Sam. These're my friends," And he pointed to each individually while saying their names, "David, or the Ghost, I guess, Willow, probably our first compatriot, Hope, the peppy southerner, Lunette and Veronica, our tech whizzes from what I gathered, Cass, probably the newest of the group and JT and ED-E... Squad mascots... I guess...?"

ED-E beeped indignantly, while JT whimpered, while the others chuckled, waved or gave single-word greetings, with Noble staying relatively quiet. Crocker nodded to the girls welcomingly, then whistled as he turned to Noble, stating, "So you're the Ghost that's been terrorizing every bandit, lunatic and highwayman from the Boneyard to Goodsprings... Some men in Primm mentioned seeing you working with the Courier who helped that small town. I almost didn't want to believe it."

"Sir," David nodded, "Just doing my job, sir."

"Well, that's good to hear," Crocker replied calmly, sitting himself back down at his desk, "Anyways, I know you aren't here just to have a chat. I called you up for a reason... All of you," He waved everyone closer and the girls and Spartan joined up beside him. He spoke on, calmly, "I believe you've all heard that there is a situation currently developing across the Colorado."

"Y'mean the Legion Fort and the almost a thousand-strong army camped up there," The Courier remarked, "Not to mention the raiding parties that keep crossing the river."

"Kinda hard to miss," Lunette quipped, crossing her arms to her chest and smiling. The entire room nodded in agreement with her, save for Noble and Crocker, the latter of which let out a chuckle.

"I figured you folks would have heard about it, at least," Crocker stated, "So that means I don't need to brief you on the threat that is the Legion."

"Not at all," Sam replied, "We've dealt with a squad of their assassins after I and David killed one of their own..." And he heard Lunette's little shiver. Adorable, this girl, he swore to god. Sam then arranged his kit on his personage and looked to a surprised Crocker, before asking, "So... Take it you wanna hire us to do some odd jobs here and there for the NCR?"

"... Yes," The man replied, "I do have a certain job."

"We're listening," Veronica spoke, with the other girls nodding approvingly.

Oh, this was gonna be interesting...