Chapter Summary: Beth, Boone, and Arcade pay the Boomers a visit. Being in Nellis brings up a lot of old memories for Beth. Arcade finally gets a chance to talk to her about Mr. House. Boone contemplates his feelings for her.

Chapter 25: Will You Love Me Tomorrow

The sun was bright as Beth emerged from the pre-war resort building with Boone at her side. She squinted against the harsh light and put on her sunglasses, which brought immediate relief. At least her eyes were much less sensitive than they used to be years ago. She could actually bear to be outside during the day without shades, even if it was still somewhat uncomfortable.

Boone had put his aviators back on even before they left Hanlon's office. She had learned from their time traveling together that he didn't wear them primarily for eye protection-he was hiding himself behind them, his thoughts, his feelings. To most, he might appear cold and unfeeling, but she knew better. Still waters run deep, as they say, and she had seen his emotions spill over more than once. She couldn't blame him if he didn't want other people to see that.

The pair walked through the grounds of Camp Golf, looking for Arcade. "I half expected him to be waiting impatiently out here for us," she said. "Where the hell is he?"

"Maybe he's still looking for plants," Boone said with a shrug.

"Maybe." Sometimes Arcade did get caught up with gathering and there was no shortage of plants around the lake.

"Have you thought of a plan for contacting the Boomers?"

"Sort of. Half a plan, anyway. House said they were originally vault dwellers. If any of them still use Pip-Boys then maybe we can get a radio message to them. If theirs are anything like mine, it will notify them when a new signal is picked up."

"So you'll radio them asking nicely not to blow you up when you come visit?" he said dryly.

"I said it was half a plan. First I need to find a way to send it." She turned a dial on her Pip-Boy and scanned through the radio signals in the area. Since Camp Golf wasn't far from Nellis, it was likely any signals available here would also reach the Boomers at the air force base. Mr. New Vegas and Mojave Music radio were in range, but she doubted they would let her use their stations. "Hm...this might work. Time to call in a favor."

She clicked the dial and a woman's voice came through the speaker: "Howdy. My name is Rose of Sharon Cassidy with the Happy Trails and Cassidy Caravan Company..."

"But that signal isn't new," Boone said. "You said it needed to be a new signal."

Beth switched off the broadcast. "Maybe it can be modified so it seems new. Change the frequency. Again: half a plan."

"I don't like this."

"It's the best I've got right now that doesn't involve sneaking up on them in the middle of the night with a stealth boy."

"Why isn't that a good plan?"

"Because they probably have some kind of proximity alarms or other people would have tried that already. Besides, it doesn't exactly foster trust, now does it?"

"I suppose not."

"Where is Arcade?" She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "I'd really like to get to the caravan office before dark."

"You said that someone owes you a favor?"

"Yeah, a couple of years ago, I was a guard for Cassidy Caravans. Toward the end of my contract, the Crimson Caravan Company and the Van Graffs started staging attacks, trying to run Cass out of business or force her to sell."

"What happened?"

"I helped her expose them to the NCR authorities. Still not sure what became of that, but when I got back from Utah, I connected her with the Happy Trails Caravan Company, who had also fallen on hard times due to attacks by the tribals trying to join the Legion. The two companies merged and managed to make a go of it together." She then spotted Arcade trudging over a hill in the distance. "There he is. About time."

When he saw them, he started moving faster and when he was within earshot, he shouted, "Sorry, sorry."

"What the hell was he doing out there?" Beth wondered to herself.

Arcade plodded along the last few feet, appearing short of breath and a little dirtier than he had been earlier.

"You okay?" she asked him.

"Yeah, just got caught up getting samples," he said, dusting off his clothes. "We heading out?"

Beth adjusted the heavy bag on her shoulder. "Yeah, I think I have an idea for how we can convince the Boomers not to blow us up."

"Oh, good. I was hoping," he commented with mock cheer. "Care to fill me in?"

"I'll tell you on the way." She waved her hand, motioning for her two companions to follow her.

The local office for Happy Trails and Cassidy Caravans was only a couple hours walk from Camp Golf. The place was modest, since this branch was still getting on its feet. There were a couple of pack brahmin in a pen to the side of the building and half a dozen mercenary guards were milling around, smoking and waiting for work.

Beth and Boone went inside the dusty office; Arcade elected to wait outside in the shade. The few times they had met, Cass had been "a bit much" for him, as he put it.

"Evans!" she said upon seeing Beth enter. The woman's face broke out in a broad grin as she stood. They hadn't seen each other in a few months, but Cass was much the same as Beth remembered: pretty, slim, and with a half-empty bottle of whiskey sitting in front of her.

"Rose of Sharon Cassidy!" Beth said, returning her smile. "How long has it been?"

"A while. And who is this?" Cass asked, eyeing Boone with sultry eyes.

"This is Craig Boone. Boone, this is Cass."

Cass stepped toward him, tilted the cowboy hat on her head back to get a better look, and put her hand on his chest. "Hey there." He leaned back, looking unsure of what to do.

"Down, girl. He's taken." Beth smirked.

Dropping her hand, Cass shrugged as though it was all the same to her and turned back to Beth. "Looking for work? We've got a couple of caravans heading out east in the next few days, if you're interested."

"No, actually, I need a favor." Beth proceeded to lay out the basics of her plan and requested to use the radio.

Cass sat back down in her chair and plopped her dusty boots onto the desk, one over the other. "You know, if anyone else came to me with this, I'd say they were crazy." She shook her head. "No, I take that back: I know you're crazy. But I also know that you always have a way of making things happen."

"So, we can use your radio?"

"Radio controls are in the storage area in the back, but fuck all if I know how they work. I make the recordings and press play. If you can figure out how to do something else, go ahead. Just make sure to set it back how you found it."

"Will do. Thanks, Cass. I owe you."

"Oh, fuck that. You don't owe me shit and you know it. Besides, if your plan does work, you'll need caravans to bring in supplies to the shut-ins." She grinned and took a swig of her whiskey.

"Good day. This message is for the people of Nellis. My name is Beth Evans. No doubt you are aware of the growing tensions between the armies in the area and how they could possibly be a threat to your people. I would like to establish a peaceful relationship with you, as well as offer information and assistance. I will approach Nellis at noon tomorrow, along with my two companions, one of whom is a trained physician. If you do not wish to meet with us, fire a warning shot and we will never bother you again. This message will repeat."

She clicked off her Pip-Boy. "What do you guys think?"

"Short and sweet," Boone said.

"This still seems really dangerous," Arcade commented.

"I know. But if this doesn't work and they start firing at us, we'll drop the whole thing and head back to Vegas."

"Assuming we survive that long."

"You're free to go at any time, Arcade. You know that." She glanced back to Boone, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He was also free to leave, but she knew that he wouldn't. As long as she didn't help the Legion or hurt anyone in the NCR, which she would never do, he was with her. It was comforting and reassuring.

"Let's just get this over with," Arcade said with a frustrated sigh.

On the approach to the air force base, there were signs warning people not to go further. As they continued on, streets lined with the remains of small wooden structures came into view, now all in ruins from bombs and fires. Beth raised Arcade's white lab coat high in the air, tied to the end of Boone's rifle as a makeshift flag. They walked with caution down the broken road toward the base, keeping their hands visible.

They stepped around a large crater in the center of the road that appeared to have been made by large artillery. Whatever had been there before had been obliterated, leaving only bare earth and rock. Despite what she hoped was an appearance of confidence, Beth was starting to have serious second-thoughts about this plan. Her heart pounded in her chest as she listened intently for any indication of gunfire or other weaponry, but none came. Other than the sound of their footsteps, it was eerily silent. Even the wind seemed to be avoiding this place.

When they reached the gate, Boone put his hand on her shoulder to pull her back and indicated a man with a rocket launcher peering down at them from a guard tower. "It's alright, Boone," she whispered. "If they wanted to shoot us, they would have done it by now."

A woman approached from inside the gate with a gun in her hand and she addressed them, "You the outsiders who sent the radio message?"

"Yes, we are."

"I'm Raquel, Master-at-Arms for the Nellis Homeland. Mother Pearl, our eldest, would like to meet with you. Come with me." A pair of guards unlatched the gate and opened it for them. Beth let out a long breath and the three companions followed the woman inside.

Their escort brought them directly to a building on the south side of Nellis where they were introduced to Mother Pearl, an older woman with short white hair and a weathered face. Like the other Boomers they had seen on their brief walk through the base, she wore a leather flight jacket over a blue vault suit and had a Pip-Boy on her arm.

"So you are the savages-or rather-outsiders who sent the radio message?" Pearl asked, her voice deep and serious.

"Yes, ma'am," Beth said with more confidence than she actually felt.

The woman's face broadened into a warm smile. "Welcome, child. It has been a very long time since we have had contact with outsiders. When your message was brought to my attention, I knew that it was time. No one has ever approached us so...respectfully before."

"That was my intention. Thank you for meeting with us." Pearl's calm, friendly manner put her more at ease.

"Ah," she said, pointing to Beth's wrist. "By your Pip-Boy there, can I conclude that you were also a vault dweller?"

"Yes, ma'am. Vault 101. I left a while ago, but from my experiences there, I understand some of the challenges your people must face, particularly in terms of medical care and supplies." She wondered what sort of medical facility and personnel they had here. In Vault 101, her father, Jonas, and Beth herself had been the only people with any medical training. Without them, things had gone very badly, very fast.

"That is true. Our doctor does his best, but we are often short of medicine."

"We have brought some medical supplies and can arrange for more to be delivered. And this is Doctor Arcade Gannon." She reached up and put her hand on his shoulder. "He was educated at one of the finest medical institutions in the New California Republic."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Arcade said as he reached out his hand toward Pearl, but she just looked at him, her hands remaining where they were.

"As it happens, you sent your message at the perfect time," Pearl said. "We have several people injured from giant ants that have infested our generator room. Doctor Argyll may need some help treating the wounded. The medical station is just northwest of here."

"I would be happy to help." He dropped his hand with what Beth could see was slight annoyance.

"And this is my partner, Craig Boone," Beth said, gesturing to him standing behind her. "He and I would be glad to take care of your ant problem, if you would like. I've certainly killed more than my share of giant ants."

Pearl's eyes widened and she seemed genuinely surprised at the offer. "Your help would be most welcome. Loyal, our chief mechanic, can tell you more about the ants. He's usually in one of the hangars at the center of the base. I will radio to let them know to expect you. Be aware that it may take time for our people to get used to having sav—outsiders around Nellis."

"Yes, ma'am. We understand."

"That was rude," Arcade commented in a hushed voice as they left Pearl's office. "Seems that these people don't shake hands with 'outsiders.'"

"Most vault dwellers don't shake hands, at all," Beth answered. "The custom falls out of fashion when you go your whole life never meeting anyone new."

"Oh. I suppose that makes sense."

"Outsiders!" a woman's voice barked from behind them. They turned around to see Raquel following them out of Pearl's office.

"Yes?" Beth asked with caution.

"Mother Pearl says you can be trusted to walk around Nellis without an escort and our artillery spotters have orders not to fire on you."

"Thank you. We appreciate that."

"I warn you not to make the mistake of abusing these privileges," she said sternly.

"We will not."

"I'll be keeping an eye on you." Giving them one last suspicious glare, she turned and walked away.

When she was out of earshot, Boone said, "I'm surprised they didn't confiscate our weapons."

Beth shrugged. "Everyone here seems to be carrying," she observed. "Maybe they figure an armed society is a polite society."

Arcade proceeded on his own to the medical bay while Beth and Boone went to go find Loyal to see if they could help out with the ants.

Nellis was large and spread-out with long, wide roadways, likely for the planes that had once occupied the base. The hangars were immense, made from rusting corrugated metal and thick steel beams. Beth and Boone took their time walking around them, observing the occupants as much as their surroundings.

As they walked, wary and suspicious eyes watched them from a distance. She couldn't blame them. None of the Boomers had ever met a stranger before. They seemed to be focused more on Boone than on her, though. Perhaps her own Pip-Boy made her a little less foreign to them. Or maybe a burly soldier with a rifle on his back was naturally more intimidating.

Beth hadn't really known what to expect, but she was surprised by the Boomers. After fifty years outside, they still maintained their identity as vault-dwellers. Their flight jackets were even marked with "34" on the back in honor of their former home. They not only cut themselves off from the world, they actively and violently repelled it. It seemed that they had traded one kind of vault for another.

To someone else, it might have seemed odd, but Beth had a different perspective. After being underground for one's entire life, the big outside world was terrifying. She could attest to that. It had certainly been tempting for her to stay within the protected walls of Megaton, just outside Vault 101, all those years ago.

If she had been ready for a more settled, adult life, and hadn't needed to find her father to get answers from him, maybe she would have stayed with Billy and Maggie. It would have been so easy. They had certainly wanted her to stay. Her mouth drew into a sad smile. She hadn't thought about them in a long time. Maggie would nearly be a grown woman by now, not much younger than Beth had been when she left the vault.

"You okay?" Boone asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she said, shaking her head. "It's just all these vaulties,"

"Bringing back memories?"

Beth nodded. She took a deep breath and reminded herself of the task at hand.

As they reached the door of one hangar, it opened and a young man with grease smudged on his face stepped through. His eyes widened at the sight of them. "Oh, geeze! You're the sav—uh, outsiders that Mother Pearl told us about," he said, almost in awe. "I'm Jack." A lock of hair fell over his eye and he pushed it back, rubbing more black grease from his hand into his blond hair.

"Nice to meet you, Jack," Beth replied. "I'm Beth and this is my partner Boone. We were looking for Loyal."

"Oh, yeah! He's in the other hanger. I'll take you to him." Jack motioned for them to follow him. He had a nervous energy about him, possibly from the excitement of meeting strangers. At least for him, it was in the comfort of his own familiar surroundings. For Beth, the first time meeting a new person had been shortly after she had been thrust into the unfamiliar world.

With Jack taking the lead, Beth and Boone followed him inside. This hanger seemed to be primarily used as the mess hall. A few dozen Boomers were sitting down eating, some looking up as they entered, staring at them with cautious fascination.

"Loyal!" Jack called out.

An older, white-haired man raised his head from his meal, then stood to walk over to them. "Ah, the outsiders. Pearl said you were coming. I just hope she knows what she's doing."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Beth said, ignoring his less than warm welcome. She introduced herself and Boone, then offered their assistance around Nellis.

"Pearl told you about our ant problem? It's been going on for a few days now." He gave them a run-down of their situation, particularly the fact that the ants were liable to explode after having gotten into some of the gunpowder stores. Two people had been killed and three wounded. Beth had dealt with fire-breathing ants before, which were bad enough, but never explosive ones. Loyal assured them that the ants only seemed to explode if hit with flame or energy weapons. He also gave her a sonic emitter that he had been working on to kill the ants at their source.

Fortunately, the ants were easier to deal with than Beth and Boone thought they would be, especially considering how much damage they had already done. As Loyal said, conventional weapons didn't cause the ants to explode and the emitter did its job. Compared with the previous weeks of fighting the Legion, this task was downright leisurely.

The fire-spewing ants in Grayditch back in the Capital Wasteland had been much more difficult, even with both Charon and Fawkes' help. Thinking of Doctor Lesko creating the ants through his reckless experiments with FEV still filled her with rage. It had felt personal. At the time, she hadn't fully realized why, but hearing that the ants had killed Bryan Wilks' father had set her off. It had only been a short time before that she'd lost her own father to the Enclave. Lesko had been a convenient and deserving target of her anger and grief.

Being here was bringing back so many memories of a life she had left a long time ago.

When they returned to Loyal, his demeanor towards them was much more pleasant. They spent the rest of the afternoon assisting him and Jack in repairing some broken solar panels. In addition to medical supplies, Beth made a note to add scrap metal to her list for Cass.

As a further gesture of goodwill, Beth paid a visit to the Boomers' museum to hear the story of their people. She told Boone he could pass on it, if he wanted, so he did due to lack of interest. He was sitting at a table in the mess hall, enjoying a moment of quiet solitude when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. "Uh...hey?" a young man's voice spoke behind him.

"Yeah?" Boone said, turning around to see a Jack looking at him expectantly. People rarely talked to Boone directly, especially with the Courier around. He preferred it that way. Over the last couple of months, he had been able to open up more to Beth, but with strangers, he still said as little as possible.

"Uh, I was just wondering...are you and that sav—uh, outsider lady...are you two together?"

By his tone, it was clear to Boone the kid meant more than if they were just traveling together. He peered up at the kid from behind his aviators with a raised eyebrow. "Why?"
Jack scratched the back of his neck nervously and shuffled his feet before sitting down across from Boone. "Well, I've never been good at talking to girls and there's this one I've been watching with my binoculars and she's gotta be the prettiest girl I've ever seen, and sometimes I think she's watching me, too, and I wanted to wave at her, but she's an outsider and I don't know if-"

Boone sighed and put his hand up to stop the kid's rambling. "Get to the point," he said as politely as he could.

"Would you talk to her for me?" He looked so hopeful, like a puppy begging for someone to throw a ball.

"Why me?"

"I figured you had to be better at talking to girls than me. I mean, your girl's real pretty. Not as pretty as mine—well, she's not mine, but the one I-"

His hand went up again. "I'm not the best person to ask." Beth would be much better at talking to a random stranger than he would.

Jack's shoulders slumped and the edges of his mouth turned downward. "Oh, okay. Sorry to bother you."

Boone sighed heavily, frustrated with guilt at having disappointed the kid. "Fine. I'll talk to her."

His face lit up brightly. "Really?! Thanks! When I see her, she's usually near a place with a sign that says 'Crimson Caravan.' She's got short red hair and she's the most beautiful woman in the world."

"I'll see what I can do."

If it were possible, Jack's smile broadened. "Thanks so much!" Then he paused and bit his lip. "Hey, um...there's one more thing I wanted to ask. What do you do to get a girl to like you?"

Surprised by the question, Boone thought for a minute, trying to remember back to when he had first met Carla. It seemed like a lifetime ago, yet fresh enough that he could still recall the feelings of nervous excitement, much like this kid was obviously feeling now. "Well, you...tell her she looks nice. Tell her you like her hair or her eyes or something. Give her a gift, something nice."

"Nice? Like what?"

"Like flowers or something." Boone shrugged.

"I think there are some flowers growing out on the edge of the base. Maybe she'd like those?"

"Sure."

"Great! I'll pick her a big thing of flowers!" He stood and started to walk away, then turned back, much to Boone's dismay. "Hey, me and some of the guys have a weekly poker game, but one of our regulars is still laid up because of those ants. Maybe you'd like to fill in?"

The invitation was unexpected and he wasn't sure what to say. His first instinct was to refuse, since he didn't really like socializing with strangers, but Beth was trying to make nice with these people, so maybe he should consider it. "Uh, I'll think about it."

"Great! I hope you can make it! And thanks again for talking to that girl for me." When Jack walked away to go back to his duties, he seemed to have a renewed spring in his step.

Sitting there alone, Boone realized that he didn't feel that giddy, nervous excitement with Beth. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't even sure he could feel giddy excitement again or that he would want to.

Beth came back and sat down next to him a moment later. "Looks like you made a friend."

Boone grumbled. "I said I'd do a favor for him. I think I've been hanging around you too long." He flashed her a grin to show her he wasn't being serious.

"I guess the helpful aura rubs off if you get too close." She nudged him with her shoulder.

"Worth it."

"What did he ask you to do?"

"Talk to someone for him. Apparently, he's been eyeing a girl who hangs around the Crimson Caravan."

"An outsider girl? Interesting." She waggled her eyebrows with a sly smirk. "Why did he ask you?"

"I dunno. He picked up that we were together and thought I'd be good at talking to girls."

She stifled a laugh.

"It's not that funny," he said with feigned defensiveness.

"It's a little funny. So he wants you to talk to her and bring her here?"

"I guess."

"Hm, maybe we should talk to Pearl first and make sure she'd even be welcome. Wouldn't want to get anyone's hopes up."

"That's probably a good idea."

"Anyway, it was sweet for you to agree to help."

Seeing her smiling so genuinely with her bright blue eyes looking up at him, he felt his heart beat faster and his breath catch for a moment. Maybe there was still some excitement left in him, after all.

That evening, Beth, Boone, and Arcade were invited to sit with Pearl and Loyal at dinner. Beth accepted, saying they were honored to be invited, but Boone just hoped that he wouldn't be asked to talk much.

"I wanted to thank the three of you again for all of your help," Pearl said halfway through the meal. "You've done a lot to earn the trust of myself and the people of Nellis."

"You are all very welcome, Mother Pearl," Beth said.

"As you guessed in your message, we are aware of the gathering storms outside and have been for some time: the glittering lights in the distance, the robots and soldiers patrolling. We have been safe here for more than fifty years, but the outside world is changing and I knew it was only a matter of time before we had an army at our doorstep. I'm grateful that you arrived first. Loyal and I have discussed it and decided that it's time for you to hear about our people's fondest dream." She nodded to him.

Loyal sat up straight, as if he had been preparing for this moment. "A long time ago, long before the war that killed almost everything in the world, a bomber crashed not far from here into Lake Mead. From what I've read, it is still mostly intact. Since I first came to Nellis as a young man and I learned about the Lady, I dreamed of raising her from the lake and making her fly again."

Boone remembered reading about bombers in old books. Hearing that there was one intact deep in the lake he had passed by countless times was amazing. Something like that would be fascinating to see.

"How do you plan on raising it?" Beth asked.

"Inflatable ballasts," Boone said automatically.

"What?" she asked with surprise, turning to look at him.

He glanced around the table at the people staring at him, feeling self-conscious, even though this was something he knew about. "That's how you raise sunken boats. If they're attached in the right places, it should work here, too."

"That's exactly right!" Loyal exclaimed. "I've worked out a remote deployment system. After the ballasts are attached, you can use the remote detonator from shore and it should float to the surface. Then we'll send our robots to bring the Lady in pieces back here."

Beth looked at Boone, then at Loyal, seemingly unsure about what they were being asked to do. "So you want us to raise the bomber?"

"None of our people have left Nellis in over fifty years," Pearl said. "And I'm not prepared to change that just yet. We would be most grateful if you could help us with this now."

"I suppose we could."

Boone could tell she was unsure about this, which made him wonder why she was agreeing to it. Arcade was staring at her sternly, but he didn't say anything.

"Wonderful!" Loyal said. "I'd better get to work. I will have everything ready for you first thing in the morning. Have a good night." With that, he stood, took his half empty plate, nodded to Pearl, and walked toward the kitchen.

"You have made Loyal very happy and have brought us all closer to the dream we have held for many years," Pearl said, beaming genuinely.

"Glad we could help," Beth said, still sounding unsure.

The four of them continued with their meal. After a few minutes in silence, Boone whispered to Beth, "Should we ask her about Jack's girl?"

"Oh, right. We had something we wanted to talk to you about." She leaned in towards Pearl and lowered her voice. "I thought you should know that Jack has his eye on a girl."

"Oh, that's lovely! Who is she?" Pearl asked, glancing around.

"Actually, she's an outsider girl he's been watching from a distance," Boone said. "A trader with the Crimson Caravan."

"I see." This was obviously less welcome news as the previous happy interest drained from her face. "Those traders have tried to make contact with us before. Greedy savages."

"He asked Boone to talk to her," Beth said, "but we thought it would be best if we spoke with you first to make sure it was alright if she came here. If she wants to, of course."

"This does present a problem. Jack isn't permitted to leave Nellis and any outsider attempting to approach the gate would be fired upon. I doubt she would make it through."

"We could bring her, if she agrees, and we can make sure she isn't a threat."

Boone felt like he should say something to help convince her, but he wasn't sure what to add, so he said, "It would mean a lot to Jack."

Pearl sat back in her chair and stayed silent for a few moments before giving a relenting nod. "Very well," she said. "If Jack will take responsibility for her, she can enter Nellis."

As the sun went down, Beth sat on the steps outside the small barracks Pearl had arranged for her, Boone, and Arcade to occupy while they were there. Sitting alone, she became lost in thought, looking out over the wheat and soy fields that were slowly dancing in the evening breeze. She could hear the sounds of children playing outside, squealing with charged joy, the way carefree children did; it was such a rare thing in this world and Beth felt a wistful pang in her heart.

What the Boomers had built here was impressive. No one had come to or left Nellis in fifty years, but in their isolation, they had managed to be self-sufficient through hard work, cooperation, and ingenuity. The population appeared to be robust, unlike her own vault's which had faced a decline for years before she and her father left, threatening its long-term sustainability. Here, there was a healthy mix of generations, including many young children, all appearing to be happy and healthy.

Pearl was a kind and charismatic leader who seemed to genuinely want the best for all her people. They clearly adored and respected her in kind. There was a rare sense of community, one that her own vault had lacked in so many ways, especially when it came to Overseer Almodovar. How many people had died unnecessarily because of his insane reaction to she and her father leaving the vault? She herself had nearly died. Things would have been very different with someone like Pearl in charge.

Her thoughts drifted to Amata Almodovar, her former close friend, and wondered if she was still acting as Overseer of Vault 101. Beth hadn't stuck around long after Amata was appointed by her father in a baffling case of nepotism. While she had practically begged Beth to come back and help when the vault was in chaos, in the end, it was clear to everyone that Beth didn't belong there anymore. That didn't make it sting any less when she was formally asked to leave.

Pearl, however, had greeted her and her friends with more warmth and kindness than she had received when returning to her own home. She even agreed to allow another outsider to come, knowing nothing about her except that she might make Jack happy.

The Boomers had something quite enviable. Beth just hoped that their presence here wouldn't throw this community into chaos. Despite their general xenophobic tendencies and affinity for large artillery, they seemed like good, decent people.

She heard footsteps behind her and she turned to see Arcade approaching.

"Where's Craig?" he asked.

"Some of the guys invited him to play poker with them, since one of their regulars is still injured in the medical station," Beth answered. Boone had been reluctant to go, but she had talked him into it. He had hardly spent any time with anyone besides her and Arcade since she met him. Being around other people seemed like it would do him some good. "Isn't that nice? These people are certainly more welcoming than I thought they would be."

"Yeah, great. Do you have a minute? I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Sure, what is it?"

"Maybe we should talk inside."

"Alright," she said with slight suspicion and followed him inside the small barracks. She sat down on the lower part of the bunk bed she had previously claimed.

Arcade moved an old folding chair so it was facing her and sat down. He sat a second in silence, seemingly to gather his thoughts before saying, "Do you really think giving these people a plane capable of dropping bombs from the air is a good idea? We don't know where their loyalties will ultimately lie."

He had been silent all through dinner and had been giving her severe looks. Now she knew why. When she first heard about the bomber, she had also been reluctant, but had decided that it probably wasn't as dangerous as it sounded. "That plane has been underwater for hundreds of years. It's probably rusted beyond recognition. Even if it isn't and we do manage to get it to the surface, do you really think they can make it fly?"

"What if they can?"

"We're not talking about nuclear weapons. Just a few regular bombs dropped on the Legion. And it's probably not going to work anyway."

"If you don't think it will work, why are you doing it?"

"Because we need their support. These people already have a lot of firepower, plane or no. Those weapons need to be pointed in the right direction. Once we earn their trust, I'm confident they'll see which way that is. At the very least, Mr. House wants them neutral."

Arcade rubbed his forehead and looked at her pointedly. "That raises another question: what is the plan with Mr. House? Are you going to keep working for him?"

"For the time being, unless something changes. Why?"

"You of all people, though?" He shook his head with a furrowed brow.

"What do you mean 'me of all people'?"

"You've been around a while. You've seen how little he cares about the locals, how he manipulates and exploits people."

"What do you mean?"

"He's walled-off his little kingdom so that the only people allowed in are people with money and those who serve him. His 'Three Families' are little more than raiders in fancy clothes, but as long as they follow House's rules, they can do pretty much whatever they want."

"You really think that Vegas and Freeside would be better off without Mr. House?"

"Freeside, definitely. I mean, the NCR taking over would be an imperfect solution. Ideally, it should be independent. House has done nothing for Freeside. He's done nothing to stop the violence. He doesn't care that outside his walls there are people starving or dying from chem addictions."

"Maybe not, but I do. And with the proper influence, I think he would be the best choice for both Vegas and Freeside."

"You think he'll listen to you?" His eyebrow twitched upward.

"Yes, I do. He's out of touch with humanity, but who wouldn't be after being isolated for so long? That can be changed. I can help him. Believe it or not, there's a foundation of mutual respect between me and him." She didn't want to get into all the private history that House was privy to, but if he had just wanted his own "Yes Man," he would not have chosen her.

"So what does your NCR army veteran boyfriend have to say about all this?"

"Boyfriend?" she thought. The word sounded so funny, almost childish after everything she and Boone had been through together. It felt like he was more than that to her. He was her friend, her partner. Although, she'd never been in a real relationship like this before. She wasn't sure how she should feel or what she should call him. Now was not the time to unpack all of that, though.

"He's with me," she answered. "The NCR is bleeding itself dry out here. He's seen that as clearly as I have, if not more so. Besides, the most important thing to him is defeating the Legion. Without that, none of this matters."

Arcade sighed and seemed to relax slightly. "I suppose I can agree with that, but how does House help with that part? He has enough securitrons to protect the Strip, but what else can he do?"

Beth had been hoping this wouldn't come up, but she supposed she couldn't avoid it forever. "There are more."

"More...securitrons?" he asked cautiously, leaning in towards her. "How many more?"

She averted her eyes, not really wanting to answer that question. "A lot more."

"How many?" The tension in his voice made her shoulders tighten.

"I don't know." This wasn't strictly a lie, since she didn't know the exact number, only a general estimate from what she had seen. She figured that the word "army" wouldn't go over well, nor would the fact that she was the one who had activated them.

Arcade took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "So is that the reason you're working for him? To use his robots against the Legion?"

"No, that's not the only reason. I really think he can provide the best future for Vegas and Freeside. I know I've always supported you and the Followers, but I'm not an anarchist, Arcade. I never was. The Followers and the Kings are doing their best, but they can only do so much. Freeside is as close to independent as it can be and it's a slum, to put it mildly. It needs more governance, not less. It can't get much worse, if you ask me, but it can be a whole lot better with the right support and resources."

He put his glasses back on. "Forgive me if I'm still skeptical."

Beth tried to choose her words carefully. She decided that now was not the time to bring up the long-term plan for space colonization. "House wants to develop new technology, like he did before the war. He has a vision to benefit mankind. We could have new medical technology, food, clean water, security-"

"-A greater divide between the 'haves' and 'have nots.'"

She looked at him and let out a bewildered scoff and threw her hands up. "Greater than it is now with junkies stabbing people for a handful of caps to get a fix? Orphans in Freeside are eating rats in the street, for fuck's sake!"

Arcade leaned back in his chair and sighed. "The conditions in Freeside are pretty terrible. You're right. But it's all the people there have. I don't want to see House's bots storm in and kick them all out to expand Vegas."

Realizing how agitated she was getting, she took a deep breath to calm herself. "I won't let that happen." She met his eyes with hers to convey as much seriousness as she could. "Give me a chance to show you."

"You really think you can influence Mr. House?"

"I can be very persuasive."

"Still, you're taking a big risk. If things don't go according to plan, he's not going to step down quietly."

"I know."

He sat in silence staring at the floor for a long minute before asking, "So, Craig is really okay with all this?"

"Yes. I didn't even need to talk him into it. He came to the conclusion on his own."

"How are things going between you two?"

Grateful he was steering the subject away from the serious topic of Mr. House, she relaxed her shoulders. "Good. Really good."

"I'm glad. You deserve to be happy." The words were pleasant, but she could hear a touch of sadness. Perhaps he was feeling a bit envious.

"So Doctor Richards is really nice, isn't he?"

"What?" he said defensively, as though she'd guessed what he was thinking. "What made you ask about him?"

Beth shook her head. He wasn't fooling anyone. "Come on, Arcade. I saw you two flirting. And you came to bed awfully late that night. I was surprised you came back at all."
"We kissed. That was it."

"That was it?"

"Yes. And that's all it's going to be. He's NCR and I'm...one of the Followers," he stammered, visibly agitated. "Besides, I'm not interested in a long-distance relationship. So I would appreciate if you dropped it."

She was more puzzled than upset at his demeanor. Obviously she had touched on something sensitive. Maybe things hadn't gone as well with Alex as she'd thought. Looking at him with sympathetic eyes, she nodded. "Okay. I'll drop it."

"Thank you." He let out a short breath. "I'm sorry I'm being short with you. I think I'm just tired. I'm going to go to bed."

"It's fine. I'll see you in the morning. Good night."

"Good night."

"The game is five card draw, nothing wild," Blake said as he shuffled the well-worn deck of cards.

"What are we playing for?" Boone asked, taking a seat at the round metal table.

"Bullets," Jack answered. "Can I offer you a beer?"

"You have beer?"

"Yeah, we brew it ourselves." Jack opened a refrigerator, pulled out five bottles, and handed them out. The others opened theirs using the edge of the table, so Boone followed suit. He then stashed the cap in his pocket without thinking.

"You can throw that here in the scrap bucket," Blake said, tossing his cap in the pail on the floor. He then began to deal the cards.

"Oh, sorry," Boone said, taking the cap back out and tossing it in the bucket. "Force of habit. We...uh, 'Outsiders' use bottle caps for currency."

"Weird," said one of the other men-Bryan, Boone thought he'd said.

The beer tasted a little odd, like it had some strange herbs in it, but after he'd drank half the bottle, it started to taste pretty good. He hadn't hung out with a group like this since he left the army. Moving around with First Recon, there had been many nights spent like this, waiting for assignments or after a mission. He had forgotten how much fun sitting with a beer and a game of cards could be.

He had plenty of extra bullets that didn't fit his gun and lost a fair amount of them before they all called it a night, but he didn't much care.

It was well after dark when Boone stumbled into the small barracks where he, Beth, and Arcade were staying. He was unsure how many beers he'd had, but he was feeling tipsy. He hadn't been drinking nearly as much since he'd left Novac and he wasn't as used to it anymore.

He tried to enter the room quietly so as not to disturb his companions. Arcade was lying in the far corner bunk with his face to the wall. Beth was in the bunk nearer to the door, lying on her back with her eyes closed and a book open over her chest.

Boone sat down on the bunk next to hers to take his boots off. The lamp next to her bed lit her face with a warm glow. She looked so beautiful, so relaxed and unguarded in that moment. The surge of emotion he felt in his chest earlier came on stronger now.

"Do I love her?" he asked himself. It was hard to say what it was he was feeling. It definitely wasn't what he had felt with Carla-he had fallen for her from the first moment. This was different. He and Beth had developed a trusted friendship that had become something more. It was relaxed and comfortable, like he'd known her much longer than he had.

After several minutes of him staring, she stirred and opened her eyes. "Oh, hey," she said groggily, keeping her voice low. "I didn't mean to doze off. What time is it?"

"After midnight."

Stifling a yawn, she he rubbed her eyes. "Did you have fun with the guys?"

"Yeah, I did."

"I'm glad." Someone else might have said something like, "I told you so," but she didn't. She just smiled, closing her book and setting it down on the floor.

"I didn't mean to wake you. I should let you get back to sleep." Standing up, he leaned over to kiss her on the forehead. She caught him by the arm and pulled him down so his mouth met hers, then kissed him gently. He had no objection and returned the kiss, enjoying her soft, warm lips against his. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her close and his tongue traced the delicate skin of her upper lip. The old mattress squeaked as their weight shifted.

When he broke the kiss, she glanced over to where Arcade was sleeping and whispered, "We should stop."

Boone felt a pull of desire. She felt so enticing and he just wanted more of her. All of her. He wanted to lay her down and explore every inch of her body, but he knew she was right. Even if Arcade hadn't been there, he was drunk and tired. "We'll pick this up another time."

"Thank you," Arcade mumbled from his cot.

Boone felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment, but Beth just let out a quiet laugh.

Without another word, he lied down on his bunk and stared up at the bed above him as she switched off the lamp. Since they started sleeping in the same bed, he found that he missed it when they didn't, even if she was only a few feet away. In the empty dark, he tried to make sense of the thoughts and emotions that were swirling around his mind. He wondered again how deep his feelings for her went, but arousal and alcohol were clouding his judgment, making everything too jumbled and he soon fell asleep.

When Beth woke up the next morning, she saw that Boone was still asleep on his cot, but that Arcade had already left. It seemed like the perfect opportunity for her and Boone to get some alone time. As silently as she could, she got up off her bunk and flicked the lock on the outside door so they would have some privacy.

He was lying on his back only partially covered by a blanket. It had been quite warm last night, so his shirt was off. With a sly grin, she bent down, putting one hand on his chest and the other on his cheek. He was usually a light sleeper, so it was odd that this didn't wake him. She leaned over to kiss him as a peaceful expression warmed his features. If he was dreaming, it seemed to be a good one.

As their lips pressed together, her hand on his chest migrated slowly downward to the waistband of his boxers, enjoying the feeling of his muscular form underneath her touch. He let out a small, contented moan, but his eyes stayed closed. She moved her lips from his mouth to his rough bearded cheek, then to his neck where her tongue swirled gentle circles on what she knew was a sensitive part of his skin.

In response, she felt his heartbeat quicken and he breathed, "Oh, Carla."

Beth pulled away from him as quickly as if her skin had been burned. The sudden withdrawal of her touch made him open his eyes and then they widened in realization. His mouth moved, as though trying to form words, but nothing came out.

Not wanting to wait for him to say anything else, she grabbed her jeans from the chair next to her, pulled them on over her shorts and jammed her feet into her boots. Then she gathered her Pip-Boy, hat, and sunglasses before heading to the door. She could feel her cheeks burning. All she could think to do was get as far away from him as fast as possible.

"Beth, wait!" Boone pleaded from behind her, but she went out anyway, letting the door slam shut behind her.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she kept thinking to herself as she trod over the rocky ground outside the barracks, her untied shoelaces whipping around her feet as she walked. She didn't have a destination in mind; she just needed to get away. How stupid could she be to think that he was dreaming about her? The notion made her throat clench and she put her sunglasses on to hide the tears welling up in her eyes. Some of the Boomers were out in this early hour and she couldn't bear for anyone to see her like this, as though they would know.

As she continued to speed walk away from the barracks, she kept cursing herself. What right did she have to feel jealous or hurt? He was another woman's husband. Even though Carla was dead, his love for her would never be. How stupid, how foolish she was to think that she would ever be first in his mind?

"Beth!" she heard him calling out to her, but she didn't turn or slow down. She didn't really want to talk to or look at him right now. It was all so humiliating. She wanted to disappear, to sink into the sand. Despite what she thought should have been clear signals not to, he ran to catch her and reached out to grab her hand, pulling her to stop walking. "Beth, please stop. I'm so sorry."

Even holding his hand, it felt like there was a wall between them. "Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong. It's fine." She forced her voice to stay even, though she still couldn't look at him.

"It's not 'fine.' The last thing I want to do is hurt you." His voice sounded desperate, which broke her heart even more.

"It's my fault. I shouldn't have woken you up like that. It won't happen again." Pulling her hand away, she turned to walk away from him.

"It's not your fault. Please, Beth..."

"I need to be alone, okay?"

"Okay," he said reluctantly. "Promise you won't leave Nellis without me."

"I promise."