Chapter 26
Here and Now
In the aftermath of the longest night in Vegas, Gomorrah was steeped in chaos.
After her companions escorted Sandra out of the building, all the remaining staff were scrambling to figure out what had happened, customers lining up outside and trading frantic gossip with one another. The staff scoured the building, finding that all of their superiors had been killed—but the courier and her army were already safely gone from the premesis.
Mr. Burke and his group were safe and sound in the Tops—and Sandra and her companions were in the presidential suite of the Lucky 38, far from the reach of the chaos in the city down below.
Sandra still hadn't awoken from her deep sleep. She was tucked cozily into her bed in the master bedroom, Arcade tending to her by her bedside, Niner sitting on her desk and watching her with a worried expression. Melody stood on the other side of the bed, frowning as she gazed into Sandra, Scar curling up at the foot of the bed while ED-E hovered around the master bed's headboard.
And across the room, directly opposite the bed, Vulpes stood alone, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and watching Sandra sleep from a distance, his expression hardened and unreadable.
After an unbearable span of silence, Arcade turned his head, glaring into Vulpes and finally reaching his feet.
Vulpes watched the doctor approach him, showing no reaction.
Arcade stopped before him, leering into him heatedly and swatting loosely toward the bed.
"I think we're well beyond the point of giving anyone the benefit of the doubt in here," Arcade fumed through gritted teeth. "So, I'm gonna ask you this one time—and I think we all damn well deserve an answer by now."
He pointed firmly at the sleeping Sandra, his eyes burning into Vulpes's.
"How—in the hell," Arcade seethed. "Do you know her?"
Vulpes returned his hot stare, sighing and hesitating.
"I don't owe you an explanation," he grumbled.
"Oh—yes you do," Arcade argued, releasing a mad little laugh. "You're one of the worst Legionaries alive—and that girl is my best friend. Whatever the hell's going on between you two—I deserve to know."
"Yo… Doc," Niner called out. "Chill out, man."
"He saved her," Melody murmured weakly.
"No—no, I don't care," Arcade griped. "Sandra's never been able to remember—but this man right here—he does remember. We've all waited long enough to know. I wanna know how a decent human being gets mixed up with human quisquiliae."
"Human trash?" Vulpes growled, straightening up and rounding on him. "How dare you even speak to me, you spineless little wretch—!"
Arcade and Vulpes clasped each other's collars, leering hatefully into one another as Niner leaped off the desk, rushing to separate them.
And, with all the commotion, Sandra slowly began to stir awake.
"Easy, now," Niner said, glancing between the two of them and slowly prying them apart. "We all ended up on the same side, here. There ain't no reason to fight anymore."
"We have a Legion spy in the goddamn house!" Arcade hollered. "Why is this bastard even here right now?!"
"You watch your tongue before I remove it," Vulpes hissed furiously, lunging at the doctor—Niner quickly shoved him back.
Sandra sat up in bed, blinking and rubbing her eyes. She released a yawn and blinked her vision straight, eyeing the three men in front of her bed and staring at them oddly.
Niner, Arcade, and Vulpes all fell silent—Vulpes yanking out of Niner's grasp, he and Arcade both staring into her with mixed expressions.
"Arcade," Sandra murmured sleepily, speaking with an odd nonchalance. "I know you… I know you hate the Legion, but… I don't think I would've made it to the Mojave alive without him."
There was another long silence.
Vulpes inched closer, cocking his head and shooting her an investigative squint.
Sandra met his eyes and smirked.
Vulpes examined her closely for a moment, then let out a faint breath. "You remember."
"Yeah," Sandra said with a tired sigh. "I remember."
"Remember what?" Arcade asked, kneeling beside her bed again. "And are… are you feeling all right now?"
"I'm fine," Sandra assured, glancing between him and Vulpes. "I remember… vaguely… wandering into Denver and using a fat man. Blew up a bunch of Legionaries, and… Fo… Vulpes was there. Me and him were the only ones left alive, so we just… stuck together for a while."
"A long while," Vulpes mumbled.
"We protected each other… all the time," Sandra recalled, gazing down and twirling her fingers. "From animals, and assholes… and the weather."
Arcade made a thoughtful expression, glimpsing at Vulpes, then back. "Well… what happened after? How did you end up… you know… here?"
Sandra raised her head, meeting Vulpes's cerulean stare and seeing a strange shine of compassion amidst his gaze, which was certainly a rarity for him.
Arcade, Niner, and Melody all looked to Vulpes, as if he was the one expected to answer.
Vulpes let out a huge cloud of breath, sliding his hands into his pockets.
"Because I left her here," he told them all. "Or… at the Mojave Express, rather…"
"You left her there," Arcade repeated, shooting him a doubtful stare. "You didn't kill her, or slap a slave collar on her, or cart her off to the Legion—you just left her there, free to go."
"Of course, you damn fool," Vulpes snapped. "I'm sure you can imagine what would've happened if I kept her with me."
There was another pause, everyone in the room staring at Vulpes as if he was a bizarre anomaly.
"What?" Vulpes griped irritably, eyeing each of them with frustration. "What're you staring at?"
"It's just a little hard to believe… Foxxy," Arcade said snidely, standing upright and cocking his head at Vulpes. "Because that implies that you actually cared about her… and that's a human emotion. Not a Legion one."
"Well—I'm clearly not Legion anymore, you blasted moron," Vulpes growled.
"You're clearly not Legion anymore?" Arcade quipped sarcastically, crossing his arms and chuckling. "How the hell are we supposed to believe that?"
"Look at me!" Vulpes glowered, ripping his suit up and revealing all the horrific wounds strewn up and down his torso.
Instantly, they all fell silent again—Melody staring at the wounds sadly, Sandra and Niner frowning, Arcade's snide smile slowly fading away.
"This—this is what the Legion does to deserters," Vulpes snarled angrily, slapping his own wounds and making Melody wince. "I nearly died a million times on my way here—so don't you dare patronize me, and don't you dare doubt me, because I've been through hell and back and I'll not hesitate to put you through the same torture!"
Vulpes was barely inches away from Arcade now, utterly incensed and glaring hotly into the doctor's eyes.
Arcade's expression fell blank, no hint of doubt or sarcasm amidst his visage now. He let out a sigh, sat on the side of the bed, and swatted at Vulpes.
"All right… I believe you," Arcade muttered. "Keep your panties on. And put the rest of your clothes back on, while you're at it…"
Vulpes yanked his suit and shirt back down, huffing out an agitated breath and turning away.
"M'kay… anyway," Niner spoke up, sitting on the desk again and folding his legs. "I figure we're at a crossroad, here."
"How so?" Sandra asked.
"Well…" Niner made a sideways nod, glancing at Vulpes and stroking his soul patch. "The strip is freaking the hell out right now. I dunno if they're gonna hold a grudge on us or not, but… I vote we leave the city for a while. I'm gettin' sick of bein' cooped up here, anyway."
"Yes Man suggested bounty hunting," Sandra smirked excitedly. "As a way of getting involved with all the factions and taking out all the bad guys out there. That'll make it easier for us to restructure the region later down the road… and it'll get out out of here for a while, too."
"Hold on." Arcade's hand shot up. "We're gonna ignore the big red bull in the room?"
Once more, everyone's eyes drifted back to Vulpes.
Vulpes leaned against the wall, returning their stares and saying nothing.
Sandra sighed somberly, scooting to the edge of the bed and slowly reaching her feet. She marched across the room, approaching him and gazing up at him with a long, profound stare.
Vulpes merely returned the look, unsure of what to say or do.
"What…?" he uttered softly.
Sandra let out a laugh. "You know what we have in common? Anger issues."
Vulpes narrowed his eyes oddly at her.
Sandra grinned wider. "And I think we could work out all that aggression hunting bounties for a while. If you want."
Vulpes stared into her for a moment, then scoffed out a faint little laugh. "You're so strange."
"You're strange," Sandra snickered, pulling him into a hug.
Vulpes repressed a groan and bit his lip hard, not minding the pain as he returned her embrace.
Niner and Melody both smirked, Arcade staring at the two of them in utter befuddlement.
Sandra stepped back, meeting Vulpes's eyes again briefly before turning to her friends.
"I know it must be hard for you guys to see it the way I do," she said, patting Vulpes's arm. "But I trust this guy, right here. I wanna keep him with us. Is that okay with you guys?"
"Yep," Melody nodded. "I like him."
"You do?" Arcade uttered in astonishment. "You know who he is, don't you?"
"Yeah… I seen him before," Melody informed. "He wasn't mean to me like Antony was. I think he's all right."
"I agree, kiddo," Niner affirmed with a nod. "I don't get them Legion fucks, but this guy barged into Gomorrah and stuck a knife in a guy's head. He saved Six's life right in front of us. I figure that tells us all we need to know… as long as he doesn't chase us into a nest of deathclaws again."
"No… God forbid," Vulpes uttered, remembering the encounter with the deathclaws and giving Scar a perturbed glance.
"I don't… I don't know," Arcade stammered, giving Vulpes a skeptical stare. "I really don't know, you guys."
"Look here, Doctor." Vulpes rolled his neck and stepped past Sandra, his eyes locking with Arcade's. "I really don't feel the need to explain myself to the likes of you—but I will offer you this. If I ever show any signs of treachery, you have full clearance to put a bullet in my head. All of you do."
Arcade gaped at him. "You wouldn't say that unless—"
"Unless I really wasn't in league with the Legion anymore," Vulpes confirmed with a nod. "I have no fear, and nothing to hide anymore. You can believe me or not, but that's all there is to it. Oh—and if you track down that Burke person, you can speak to his new bodyguard, the NCR sniper. He can confirm everything I told you about the Legionaries targeting me. He saw it all with his own eyes."
"Yeah, ah… I kinda already talked to that bloke," Niner muttered, scratching his neck.
Everyone stared at him.
"What?" Niner grumped. "You were out for a long time, Six—and I wanted to know where all them other people got off to. The other people that busted into that room and helped us kill the Omertas."
"What did you find out?" Arcade asked him.
"Eh… turns out, that Burke guy runs the Tops just like Big Sal said," Niner shrugged. "He told me why he got involved, and ah…"
Niner glimpsed over at Sandra, looking hesitant.
"Well… anyway, I asked them why they came in, and I asked them why they brought Vulpes with 'em," Niner explained. "That sniper bloke told me the whole story… some frumentarii attacking his ass outside Nipton… then again outside Freeside… God, you been through hell, man."
Vulpes stared vacantly at him. "I know. I was there."
"So… you really are," Arcade surmised, eyeing Vulpes. "You really are a Legion deserter."
"I told you, Arcade," Sandra smirked happily, resting her arm on Vulpes's shoulder. "I told you he'd pick a side and do what he wanted—well, he made his choice now."
Arcade and Vulpes shared another deep glare.
Then, at long last, Arcade sighed and gave Sandra a nod. "What do I always say? Naturally… once again… I'll defer to your judgment."
Sandra beamed at him, yanking the doctor into a quick hug and feeling thoroughly delighted.
"But if he tries to kill me, I really will put a bullet in his head," Arcade warned, jabbing a finger at Vulpes.
"Mutual," Vulpes chided.
"All right—we got us a real team now," Niner grinned, clasping his hands and leaping to his feet. "Big-ass team of misfits, ready to take on the world."
"Now, hold on," Arcade said. "What're we gonna do about Melody? We can't set off to start a new career of bounty hunting with a child traveling with us."
"Why not?!" Melody protested. "I can kill people!"
Sandra and Niner laughed in unison. Arcade sighed and patted her on the head.
"I know you could," Arcade said kindly. "But what if something happens to you out there?"
"Nothing's gonna happen to me—I got you guys and I know how to use a gun," Melody argued.
Arcade prepared to reply—but Vulpes spoke first.
"That girl is a child of the Legion," Vulpes stated, revealing a small half-smile. "She can handle more than you ever could, Doctor."
Arcade sealed his eyes shut and released a deep breath, slowly turning his head and giving Vulpes a flattened sort of expression.
"Can you not undermine me in front of her?" Arcade grumbled.
"Melody can hold down the fort," Sandra decided. "I trust her with that."
"We'll have to leave the eye—er—the robot here," Arcade stated. "I can program Eddie to vaporize any intruders that might come in. Eddie can look after Melody like a little bodyguard."
"You'd better reprogram that creep outside, too," Vulpes added. "The smiley-faced one let me waltz right inside, just because I said I was Sandra's companion."
"Well… looks like my day just got booked up," Arcade sighed, grabbing ED-E and wandering out of the room. "I'll be working myself to death reprogramming every system known to man, don't mind me…"
"Hell—the rest of us better pack," Niner said, clapping and nodding as he headed out the door. "Maaan, I can't wait to get this show on the road."
"I have to find another gun! I'm the guardian of the tower!" Melody exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Scar and sprinting out of the room with the baby deathclaw's tail flapping along at her ankles.
Sandra and Vulpes stood alone in silence, watching the doorway for a moment. The two of them slowly faced one another, meeting eyes once more and feeling a spark of nervous energy that hadn't existed between them for nearly five years now.
"Are we," Vulpes exhaled. "What are we…?"
Sandra paused for a few seconds. Then, she smiled and scooped him into another close hug, careful not to squeeze too tight.
"We don't need a label, Foxxy," she murmured. "I don't care what we are, or what's going on… all I care about is this. We're here now. We're all here… and everything's finally okay… for now…"
Vulpes sighed heavily, placing a hand in the small of her back and gently resting his chin on her shoulder, looking and feeling more at ease than he ever had serving under the flag of the bull.
When Vulpes leaned back, he gave her another thoughtful look. "You still don't remember… anything before…?"
Sandra shook her head. "No… nothing before I met you. But that's okay. This is all I need for right now."
Vulpes nodded quietly.
Sandra then stepped back, snapping her fingers and pointing to the bed. "Now lay your ass down. I'm gonna stim you and medicate you."
"What? No," Vulpes uttered, shaking his head. "I don't need—"
"I swear to God—I will punch you in the stomach if you don't just lay the hell down," Sandra threatened, balling up a fist.
Vulpes glared at her, then released a breathless scoff. "Deja-vu."
"Yeah, no shit," Sandra cackled. "Lay down."
Vulpes sighed and rolled his eyes, sauntering over to the bed and allowing Sandra to examine every injury properly. And as she did—as Melody rushed about the suite—and as Arcade worked to reprogram Yes Man and ED-E—Niner placed his feathered fedora atop his head, strolling out of the Lucky 38 as a beautiful sunrise dawned upon the horizon above the city.
When Niner reached the outside, he glanced up, spotting the people he expected. They all arrived here on time, right at sunrise, just as they'd planned.
Mr. Burke, Sarah, Bryan, Veronica, and Boone all marched toward him.
Niner stopped a couple feet away, meeting all of their eyes and sighing deeply.
"Everything go all right?" Mr. Burke inquired. "Sandra pulling through okay?"
"Yeah… yeah, Six is fine," Niner nodded, turning to Boone. "And we cleared everything up with the ex-Legion bloke. Got it all worked out now."
"You didn't tell her anything, did you?" Mr. Burke wondered.
"Nah… I didn't," Niner answered. "Hell, after everything you told me… I figured the last thing she'd wanna do is remember."
"My thoughts exactly," Mr. Burke nodded. "That's why we're keeping our distance for now."
"So, what's next for you guys?" Sarah wondered.
"We're getting ready to head out and do some bounty hunting to clean up the Mojave," Niner explained. "Gonna try to take out all the top bad guys before the second battle for Hoover Dam comes around. That's gonna make our job way easier down the road."
"I see," Mr. Burke mumbled thoughtfully. "So, in your absence…"
"You're gonna be runnin' things here," Niner affirmed. "The doc's upstairs reprograming the system—but I already added your faces to the facial regognition database before the sun came up. Took me almost an hour to figure that shit out… but I got it done."
"So… we'll be allowed in and out of the Lucky 38?" Sarah smirked, gazing up at the tower. "That is so awesome."
"Yeah, well… I'm only trusting you because she used to trust you," Niner said firmly. "And somebody oughta keep an eye on Vegas while we're gone."
"Don't worry," Bryan said. "We got your back. And we won't tell the Brotherhood anything about this, either. Not yet, anyway."
"Good, little man," Niner replied. "We all need to keep a low profile for now."
"I suppose that's it, then," Mr. Burke surmised. "When are you all leaving?"
"Soon," Niner figured. "You're free to come in once we're gone. Seeya around, folks."
He waved them off, spinning on his heel and marching back into the Lucky 38, carrying an immense weight of information as he did. When Niner first set off to find the other group, he had no clue he would run into an old companion of Sandra's from five years ago—and he definitely couldn't have known that he would be informed of Sandra's past in detail.
Now, as Niner rode the elevator back up to the suites, he pondered on all the fresh information—the Capital Wasteland, Project Purity, James, Charon, and the war that ended it all. No wonder Sandra had a habit of running away. Niner certainly couldn't blame her, especially now that he knew the full story…
By the time he returned to the suite, he plastered on his usual aloof smile, cracking jokes alongside Melody as they all rushed about, packing for their next adventure to come.
And as the first era of the courier's new misadventure slowly drew to an end, the dawn of a new adventure was just on the horizon—Sandra felt reassured of this in full the moment she and her companions marched out of Vegas's gates, their travel clothes on, their bags full, their guns loaded and their strides powerful as they finally left the city of sin behind.
Sandra, Niner, Arcade, and Vulpes crossed Freeside with Scar scuddling along at their heels, departing the city at long last and embarking into the wasteland once more.
And as they did—up high above Vegas, as Mr. Burke and his companions began their plan to run the Tops and the 38 alike—a large, balding man stood on the third floor of the Gomorrah casino, wearing a dark navy suit and glaring out his window at the Lucky 38, his pensive eyes shining with mystery as he gingerly sipped his morning coffee. The city carried on about its usual routine as the syndicate stranger observed from afar—all the while, Sandra and her friends marched across the desert with a new lease on life and a new mission at hand.
The war of change would soon daunt upon the Mojave, after all.
The time to run had passed—and on this glorious dawn, the time to solidify the future had arrived with the rising sun.