Chapter 15
The New Goal
After releasing their weapons to the nearest chairmen, Sandra, Niner, and Arcade headed for the gigantic staircase—but Sandra halted to a sudden stop, jutting her arms out and shoving her friends back.
"What?" Niner barked.
"What's wrong?" Arcade asked.
Sandra stared up the staircase in disbelief—before her very eyes, the man in the checkered suit sauntered down the stairs with ease, accompanied by five bodyguards. She quickly ushered her friends back, hiding them around the corner, not noticing that Vulpes was close by, leaning on the wall and observing her from a short distance away.
"Oooh… issat him?" Niner mumbled, peering out and eyeing the checkered-suited man.
"Don't look!" Sandra gasped, yanking him behind the wall again.
"Why? He didn't shoot me in the face," Niner griped. "Bloke wouldn't know me from a hole in the wall."
They all waited patiently for a moment, Sandra daring to peek out, seeing that the checkered-suited man had ventured across the casino now, far from earshot. She let out a relieved cloud of breath, then turned to the front counter, where another chairman was standing and counting money.
Sparking an idea, Sandra moved toward the counter, leaning on it and gathering the man's attention. "Hey, what's your name?"
"Name's Swank, baby," the man named Swank answered. "What can I do for you?"
Sandra gulped nervously, her friends lingering close behind her. "Who's the guy in the checkered suit?"
"Who, Benny?" Swank replied. "He's the boss man around here. Why?"
Sandra bit her lip thoughtfully—Vulpes leaning against the far wall, lingering behind a large potted fern and eavesdropping intently.
"Benny's been making his own play," Sandra informed.
Swank blinked. "What…?"
Sandra took a deep breath and explained everything she knew—Mr. House's delivery being stolen, her being shot and buried, and everything else. When she finished, Swank was wearing a deep frown.
"Can't believe he's trying to pull a fast one on the big man… after all House's done for us," Swank mumbled grimly. "What else do you know?"
"That's all. What do you think?"
"Jesus, kid… I think we got a real problem on our hands." Swank paused, glanced around, and leaned closer, hushing his voice. "Tell ya' what. I'm gonna give you your guns back—and here's the key to his suite upstairs. Be discrete, and come back with whatever info you find."
Sandra agreed, collecting everything and turning to her friends. "Well, let's go. We're gonna do some snooping before we deal with him straight-up."
Arcade and Niner stuffed their guns away, following Sandra to the far staircase past the casino.
Vulpes watched them go. Then, his deep blue stare ventured across the casino, landing on the checkered-suited man afar. An idea struck him, a small, wicked smirk forming. Straightening up, he took a deep breath and adjusted his fedora, waltzing across the casino and blending in perfectly with every profligate passersby.
Benny was leaning on the far balcony, laughing and joking with his bodyguards. Vulpes approached him easefully, folding his arms and giving him a cold, knowing glare.
Benny slowly stopped talking to his friends, spotting Vulpes, his smile fading. He stepped past his guards and gave Vulpes a look.
"Got something to say?" Benny asked, cocking his head.
"Plenty," Vulpes replied in a coy, ominous voice. "Starting with this—I know your every dirty secret, from burying the courier alive to running off with Mr. House's most treasured item."
Benny showed no change of expression, though his face seemed to go pale.
"This is not the place to go talking about that," Benny uttered, lowering his voice.
"Then, by all means… let's speak privately," Vulpes suggested. "Unless you'd like Mr. House to hear every detail from me right now."
Benny stared at him. "You work for the big man, huh? Shoulda figured. He's got tricks and trades hidden in every nook and crevasse of New Vegas."
"And yet… you thought so highly of yourself, you chose to act against him," Vulpes replied. "Such a selfish betrayal. Surely, that deserves some kind of punishment."
Benny gave him a warning sort of glare, slowly shaking his head. "Come on, now… I know there's gotta be something you want. And, I can almost guarantee you—I can afford whatever it is."
"Are you trying to bribe me?"
"Bribe is an ugly word. I prefer the term investment."
"And you wish to invest in my silence."
"Sure do. Tell ya' what—how's about we cash out, go somewhere more private-like? I'll comp you the presidential suite. Meet you up there in a few minutes."
"Tempting. But… two conditions," Vulpes murmured, narrowing his eyes at the bodyguards. "Lose the guards… and you and I both go upstairs right now."
"If that's what it takes, that's what it takes," Benny shrugged, turning and waving for him to follow. "Come on, Mr…?"
"Fox," Vulpes said.
"Mr. Fox," Benny uttered, making an odd face. "Weird. Okay…"
The two of them stepped into the elevator, riding silently upstairs until the doors slid open. When they stepped out, Benny began to march across the spacious room, passing by the pool table as Vulpes glared heatedly into him from behind.
"So… if we're talking turkey," Benny said. "I think we oughta start with—"
Vulped grabbed him from behind—taking hold and ripping his head sideways with a swift, sickening SNAP.
Benny's body crumbled to the floor at his feet, Vulpes releasing a rushed cloud of breath, smirking coldly down at the fresh corpse. He gulped, leaned down, and reached into the man's suit, searching until he found two items of interest—a silvery, decorative handgun, and a tiny platinum chip.
"So… much… trouble," Vulpes sighed, straightening up and shaking his head at the body. "Over one… weak… profligate."
"What in the actual fuck…?"
Sandra, Niner, and Arcade crept throughout Benny's suite upstairs, snooping around until they found a gaping hole in the wall, tucked in the corner of the bedroom. The hole led to a secret room, where a smiley securitron was standing idly by.
"Hey! Hi there!" Yes Man exclaimed. "Good to see you!"
Sandra, Niner, and Arcade exchanged baffled expressions.
Sandra asked the robot a long series of questions—and the conversation carried on for what felt like hours. The more they talked, the more she learned, and the harder her heart began to pound. Yes Man told her everything—Benny's plan to kill Mr. House and take over Vegas, the Platinum Chip and its purpose, and the location of the sleeping securitron army on standby. When he was finished, Sandra stared strangely at him.
"You're… really… forthcoming with all that info," she muttered.
"Oh, well—I was programmed to ask any and all questions asked of me," Yes Man replied happily. "I guess nobody bothered to restrict who I answer questions for. That was probably pretty dumb, huh?"
Sandra stared intensely into the robot, the gears in her mind turning faster than ever, ideas and possibilities flooding through her thoughts more than they ever had before. Arcade and Niner traded profound expressions as Sandra straightened up, feeling utterly thrilled to ask the next question on her mind.
"Let's say I take over Benny's plan," Sandra smirked ominously. "Benny and Mr. House are both gonna have an accident—and then I take over the plan to seize Vegas. What then?"
"Then I'd have to help you," Yes Man said simply. "I mean, it seems obvious that Benny wouldn't want me to, but hey… not my fault I can't say no."
All at once, any notion of returning to her courier job suddenly vanished from her mind—a vibrant excitement washing over her, a brand new path with a massively prolific goal setting itself up as her new destination. Smiling, she turned to Arcade.
"You were right," Sandra beamed devilishly. "I can do a lot more now."
"Yes, but there's still a lot of work to do before than can happen," Yes Man pointed out. "First of all, you'll have to get acquainted with every faction in the Mojave—and I mean every one. You'll need to decide who you'll keep as allies and who you won't. Second of all, there's still a lot of lawlessness out there that needs to be taken care of. The last thing you need is a rebellious uprising the moment you get into power. I recommend bounty hunting to solve that problem! Sounds like fun, huh? After all of that is taken care of, you and I can come together, take over the Lucky 38 mainframe, and run the region however you want! It's gonna take a lot of time and work, but I think it'll be worth it."
"I can't believe what I'm fuckin' hearin' right now," Niner uttered in disbelief.
"I'm right there with you," Arcade exhaled.
Sandra's coy smirk remained imprinted on her face, a rising ambition taking over her as she pondered on the possibilities of the future. Strange, how it felt as if everything—all her life, from the lost memories to the recent traumas—had been leading up to this moment, as if this was always her destiny, whether she knew it or not.
"Hey, do you mind if we reprogram you a little bit?" Sandra asked the robot. "We're gonna make sure you only work with us from now on."
"Sure!" Yes Man replied with an odd enthusiasm. "Go right ahead!"
Sandra faced Arcade again. "All yours."
Arcade squinted at her. "What makes you think I can…?"
"Because I've met you before, nerd boy," Sandra snarked. "You wanna help me save the world? Rig the robot."
Arcade sighed and knelt in front of Yes Man. After a long while of tinkering, Yes Man's screen seemed to glitch for a moment. Then, Arcade finished, closing the robot's front hatch and reaching his feet.
Sandra waved at the robot, leading her friends out of the room. The three of them stepped out of the suite and marched down the stairs, Sandra's mind working up a storm the whole way. By the time they reached the bottom, she came to a decision.
"You guys… go back to the motel," Sandra instructed. "I can deal with Benny."
Niner and Arcade both gave her bizarre looks.
"Benny's own friends are against him now," Sandra said, swatting loosely toward the front counter where Swank stood. "And Yes Man isn't gonna be useful to him anymore, either. I've got him by the short n' curlies now. I got this. Don't worry."
"Are you sure…?" Arcade uttered uncertainly.
Sandra nodded. "Yeah. I'm good. Seeya later, you guys."
She said her goodbyes, watching as Niner and Arcade marched out of the casino. After they were gone, Sandra turned and stared across the building, seeing that Benny was no longer standing with his guards. So, she moved over to the counter, waving to get Swank's attention.
"Hey—where'd Benny go?" Sandra asked.
"Took the elevator to the presidential suite," Swank replied. "Find anything yet?"
"Tell you soon," Sandra promised, eyeing the elevator and heading toward it with haste.
The moment she stepped into the elevator, a vibrant anxiety arose inside, waging war with her newfound passion and confidence. So many huge and monumental things, all happening at once—she could hardly believe it, and as the elevator ascended, she drew steadily nearer to the source of all her closure, the key to her future.
The doors slid open with a faint ding, and Sandra stepped out—skidding to a stop instantly.
In the center of the spacious and empty suite, Benny's lifeless body lay in a crumbled pile on the lush carpet, his neck twisted disgustingly, eyes gazing emptily up at the ceiling above them.
Sandra stared blankly into the body for several long seconds, totally shocked and at a loss. She couldn't know how or why the man died—but now, she wouldn't be able to question him herself.
After what felt like years, she merely sighed, slowly leaning down and preparing to search the man's checkered suit.
"Looking for something?"
The voice nearly made her jump. Sandra stood upright again, glancing over at the far corner, where an elegant rounded bar resided, complete with numerous fruit bowls and beverages. On top of the bar counter, a suited Vulpes Inculta was sitting on its surface, one leg crossed, fedora half-tenting over his eyes, Platinum Chip twirling between his fingers as he took a nonchalant bite from an apple.
Sandra slowly strode forward, eyeing him almost invasively and feeling utterly baffled.
Vulpes raised his thin black brows, reaching out and offering her the Platinum Chip.
Sandra inched closer, her eyes shifting warily between his face and the chip in his fingers.
"Go on," Vulpes urged. "My gift to you."
Sandra gave him a bizarre look, cautiously taking the chip from him and sliding it into her pocket, not removing her eyes from him for a second.
Vulpes flashed a strangely whimsical smirk. "I know you would've gladly killed the reprobate yourself, but… I needed to cross your path tonight. Seemed a fitting way to do so."
"Why?" Sandra managed. "Why did you…?"
"To give you this," Vulpes said, pulling the Mark of Caesar from within his suit. "The eyes of the mighty Caesar are upon you… and he humbly requests your presence at Fortification Hill."
"The… Legion?" Sandra muttered incredibly. "They wanna see me? Why…?"
"Why, indeed," Vulpes mumbled distantly, his eyes seeming to read every inch of her. "Seems you've stumbled into a predicament of importance… hardly the future I would've thought."
Sandra glared into him, her head beginning to ache. "Who are you…?"
"I am Vulpes Inculta," Vulpes replied. "Of Caesar's Legion—"
"No—who are you?" Sandra asked insistently, stepping closer. "Who are you to me?"
Vulpes's eyes bled into hers, two piercing blue stares, though he saw no recognition amidst her gaze, only frustrated confusion.
"You really don't remember," he sighed.
"I'm from the east," Sandra told him. "How the hell could me and you know each other?!"
Vulpes slowly slid off the counter, leveling with her and standing only a few inches away. The two of them stared profoundly into one another. His hand raised, fingers looming near her face, her combed-over bangs. Then, he withdrew his hand and straightened out.
"Seek Caesar by way of Cottonwood Cove," he instructed, turning away and marching toward the exit. "My Lord awaits."
Vulpes stepped out of the room, Sandra staring silently after him for several minutes afterward.
Even after she returned to the Vault 21 motel later in the evening—while Niner and Arcade slept soundly in their beds—Sandra lay awake, gazing up at the ceiling and pondering on the mysterious Legionary all night long. She didn't drift off to sleep until nearly sunrise—and by the time she awoke, Arcade and Niner were just returning to the room from the motel's restaurant, carrying trays of food and placing them on the table. Niner quickly dug into the food, Arcade pausing and giving Sandra a thoughtful squint.
"Hungry?" Arcade said. "Come join us. And… no pressure… but I'm sure we'd be willing to listen if you updated us on whatever happened last night."
Sandra sighed, combing her hairs down and joining them at the table. As they ate, she told them every detail of her evening, concluding with her meeting with Vulpes and her informing Swank of Benny's passing, which ultimately left Swank in charge of the Tops Casino. When she was done, Niner raised his brows and continued eating, Arcade giving her a deep and pondering stare.
"Does Mr. House not care that one of the Legion's most notorious spies is walking around on the Strip?" Arcade inquired.
Sandra shrugged and took a swig of Nukacola. "Either that, or the securitrons can't recognize the threat he poses."
Arcade frowned. "Neither possibility is particularly comforting…"
"Mmm… wait… hol' up a sec," Niner said with a mouthful, swallowing and eyeing Sandra. "That bloke—is he the same guy we saw in Nipton? That dog-headed fucker?"
Sandra nodded.
Niner narrowed his eyes at her. "That's weird, Six. That's really fuckin' weird."
"What's weird?" Arcade asked.
"That Vulpes guy—he acted like he knew her when we saw him before," Niner explained. "And now he's followin' her around in Vegas, too. That's real fuckin' weird."
"How… could you possibly know him?" Arcade wondered, squinting at Sandra oddly. "The Legion don't allow women to rise in their ranks… and you hardly strike me as the foe-Roman type."
"I'm not even from here, either," Sandra added with a shrug. "I'm from out east. I have no idea how me and him could…"
Arcade observed her. "You have some kind of memory loss, don't you?"
Sandra met his eyes. "Is it obvious…?"
"Well… from your recent head injury to your complete lack of recognition to someone from your past… it's not exactly difficult to figure out," Arcade determined. "But, in all honesty, I really don't think it matters. We have a bigger problem to address."
"We do?" Sandra and Niner said in unison.
Arcade nodded, his expression taking on a tone of seriousness. "You've been invited directly into the mouth of hell… and Fortification Hill is where Mr. House's other base is, housing his securitron army. If you're gonna awaken that army, you have to go there."
"Why would we want to awaken the army?" Niner asked.
"Because it's gonna become my army," Sandra told him. "I need to talk to Mr. House and learn whatever I can… and when the time's right, I'm gonna relieve him of power. Hopefully before anything happens to Hoover Dam again."
"That's gonna be a long game," Arcade told her. "Judging from everything Yes Man said… we're gonna have to cover a hell of a lot of bases before another battle for Hoover Dam arises. We're talking about a ridiculous amount of traveling, research, and eliminating the worst sorts of people from power across the region. We'll have to get our foot into the doors of every faction, and we'll have to make allies out of whoever we possibly can—that means every sect of people across the Mojave, and every family of people here on the Strip."
Sandra stared at him, wearing a smirk.
Arcade blinked. "What?"
"You are so into this," Sandra remarked. "God… when I first met you, you seemed like you just accepted all the shitty crap going on. But now you're like… really hyped to change everything."
"Well… now that there's actually a way of doing that," Arcade replied with a sideways nod. "You're absolutely right. I am hyped to make change. That's the sort of change that's been long overdue around here."
"Ah… I reckon we're not gettin' rid of him now," Niner laughed, nodding at Arcade. "One night on the Strip just turned into an entire life goal for this motherfucker."
"Good. We need someone with a brain on our team. No offense, Niner—but between me and you, we'd run Vegas into the fucking ground," Sandra laughed. "We'd live like kings for about a week before everything went to shit."
Niner shrugged with a halfhearted nod. "Not gonna argue with that…"
"The more immediate problem rests with the Legion," Arcade disclosed, leading the conversation back on track. "Because we have to pick and choose which factions remain in this region—and the Legion is definitely the greatest threat we have. We need to figure out what we're gonna do about that. And—again, no pressure—but you just got invited to Caesar's doorstep, Sandra. If we wanted to plan one big move against the Legion, now would be the time."
A small silence fell, all of them trading eyes, ED-E hovering around in a circular motion above their heads.
Sandra stopped eating, leaning on the table and intertwining her fingers thoughtfully. Walking up to Caesar and opening fire would be the worst idea ever; she and her companions would be shot down instantly. If they wanted to take out Caesar, they'd have to do it in a stealthy way—a way that they would get away with without taking blame, a way that would allow them to leave the belly of the beast before anyone could enact retribution.
"They're similar to the Enclave in a way," Sandra pondered aloud. "Big on faith systems. The Enclave believed in 'Merica propaganda, and the Legion believes in Caesar's weird religion. Taking out the leader of the Enclave made them slowly crumble apart… and taking out Caesar would do the same thing, hopefully. That's what happens when a faction relies on a faith system. Killing the leader is a huge blow to them."
Arcade's eyes narrowed, reading her expression thoroughly.
Sandra sighed and massaged her temples, trying to shake away a sudden headache. She paused for a moment, repeatedly grasping her wrist and releasing it.
Arcade glanced down at her wrist, where a crooked burn mark was visible on her skin.
"Sorry, but… I feel the need to ask," Arcade muttered. "Do you have some kind of history with the Enclave?"
"Ah, she don't remember," Niner answered for her, taking a huge bite of his Brahmin burger. "She can't remember nothin' from before four years ago."
"Colonial Autumn," Sandra murmured, leaning on the table and staring downward, cradling her head. "No, that wasn't… no, it was the president… the president…"
Arcade and Niner both fell eerily still, staring at her and watching as loose fragments of memories returned to her.
"OH!" Sandra yelled suddenly, slapping the table and making them both jump. "He was a freaking robot!"
Niner shot her a look. "The hell are you talkin' about?"
"The president of the Enclave—he was a fucking computer!" Sandra exclaimed. "And he blew himself up because I told him to!"
Niner and Arcade both stared at her in bewilderment.
"Oh, God… I can't remember why," Sandra sighed, leaning on the table again. "Why was I even there? Why did that happen…?"
"Okay," Arcade mumbled strangely. "Anyway… if you did have some past experience with the Enclave… it would explain a lot. Precisely, it would explain why you're traveling around with an eyebot. Er… robot. That round robot thingy."
"Nah, we just found that thing laying around in Primm," Niner said, pointing up at ED-E. "He ain't from where ever Sandra's from. He's from here."
"Yes—and I love him," Sandra grinned, reaching up and pulling ED-E down, wrapping her arms around the tiny round eyebot. "He's so cute, and lively, and beepy… and he never plays Enclave Radio. No you don't! You don't play stupid Enclave Radio, do you? No you don't!"
Sandra shook him around and spoke in a baby voice, making ED-E twitter happily and flicker his antennas in delight.
"It seems… oddly… sentient," Arcade mumbled, eyeing ED-E closely. "Almost responsive. Emotionally so. Maybe someone equipped him with bio-gel… not that I would trust it if they did…"
"What?" Sandra took back, hugging ED-E tighter and looking almost offended. "What's your problem with Eddie?"
"It just… I don't know," Arcade shrugged and made a face. "It just seems a little twitchy to me. I mean, you really can't trust robots all that much. One minute, it's floating around all hunky-dory, and the next, you're cleaning up the ashy remains of some poor bastard it vaporized on the landing pad of a vertibird."
Sandra and Niner both stared at him.
"That's kinda paranoid, man," Sandra commented.
"Is it?" Arcade asked, leaning on the table and raising his brows at her. "Is it…?"
"Yeah. It is," Niner chuckled. "Trust me, I majored in paranoia—you're fuckin' buggin', dude."
"Be nice!" Sandra demanded, jutting her arms out and holding ED-E directly in front of Arcade's face. "Be nice to Eddie! Pet him! Pet him or you're fired!"
Niner laughed. Arcade sighed and rolled his eyes, giving ED-E a disdainful look before gently patting the top of its metal exterior. ED-E beeped joyfully in response.
"We are seriously getting off track," Arcade grumped. "We need to figure out what to do about the Legion."
"I got it. Bomb the place and walk away," Niner snickered, taking another massive bite from his burger. "Overkill, baby. Excess is the American way. Hah."
Niner laughed at his little joke, but Sandra stared at him, an idea hitting her and making her thoughts run wild. She revealed a beaming smile.
"Niner—you are a goddamn genius," Sandra grinned. "You guys, listen to me—a couple years ago on the radio, I heard about this place called the Divide. Someone took an atomic time bomb there and blew the place all to hell."
Niner and Arcade both squinted oddly at her.
"We can do the same thing!" Sandra proclaimed. "Not with an A-bomb, something smaller—we make a small time bomb, plant it somewhere near Caesar, and we'll be gone before it ever goes off!"
Niner smirked. "I still got some dynamite leftover from Primm."
"Yes—and you!" Sandra pointed at Arcade. "You can make a time bomb, right?"
"Well… I happen to know a simple home recipe that involves duct tape and an egg timer," Arcade replied. "But that's an extremely risky plan."
"Arcade—what's the alternative?" Sandra asked him straightly. "Facing the Legion when they're at their strongest and possibly losing to them in the war?"
Arcade gave her a long, profound stare. After a moment of thought, he gave her a definitive nod.
"All right. Good point," he agreed. "I guess that's it, then. We're gonna go to the Fort and assassinate the leader of Caesar's Legion."
Sandra smirked and nodded, placing her hand in the center of the table. "It starts here, you guys. It starts with us—we're about to make history here. No more making deliveries of drugs and Platinum Chips, no more hiding away and doing research. From now on, the three of us are working toward something way bigger. We're working toward an independent Vegas. That's the new goal for all of us—and it starts here, right now."
"Niiice. We're gonna live like fuckin' kings," Niner smirked, placing his hand over hers.
"And we're gonna make the world a slightly less horrible place," Arcade added, resting his hand on top of theirs.
"Hell yeah," Sandra stated. "We got this."
They withdrew their hands, all of them feeling a rush of excitement at their future plans. Then, Sandra squinted at Niner, trailing off from her thoughts and noticing something about him that she never had before. He was wearing a tiny, slender earpiece that curved around the side of his face.
"What the hell is that thing?" Sandra asked, pointing at the device.
"What… this thingy? It's a headset," Niner answered. "Why, y'want one? I got a spare. Always break 'em for some reason."
"Does it work?"
"Yeah. Me and my mates used to use 'em. We could keep in touch no matter how far one of us wandered off."
"So it's like a walkie-talkie?"
"Ye'ap."
"Dude—that's perfect," Sandra marveled. "We can wear those when we're at the Fort. Caesar and his followers are probably gonna be talking to me and taking up a lot of my attention—but you guys are just gonna be along for the ride. You can sneak off and plant the bomb while I'm keeping them busy."
"I'm gonna have to buy a new bag," Niner mumbled. "Gonna end up carryin' a bomb and all my other shit…"
"So… after we get what we need and make this bomb, we head directly south for Cottonwood Cove and wing it from there," Arcade surmised. "That's the plan?"
"Yup," Sandra affirmed, reaching her feet. "Let's go. We got a lot to do now."
After finishing their meal, they all left the motel room with their belongings, heading off to buy everything they needed—once they were in their regular outfits again, they made various stops in Freeside, Arcade purchasing the needed materials while Niner bought himself a huge green duffle bag that fit over his shoulder. Sandra stocked up on 12-gauge rounds and stimpacks, and once they were done, she placed her sunglasses on, adjusted the headset on her ear, and marched out of Freeside's gates with her companions, striding with a new sense of purpose—one so empowering and lush with grandeur, she simply couldn't help but smile.
She hadn't felt so empowered in nearly five years, after all.