Chapter 6, A Job is a Job
I put his pistol in my bag and then started to check his checkered suit to find the Platinum Chip. Inside his suit's left pocket, I found his suite key, some poker chips and continued to search him.
"Well, glad that's over," Elizabeth said, "What an unpleasant guy."
"Yup, " I replied, starting to pat his right side. "Hey, you did your part well."
Elizabeth looked at me. "Thank you. I did it well, even though I didn't enjoy it at all."
I stopped looking for the Chip for a moment to turn to look at her, "Not even a little," I jokingly ask.
She turns a bit red, "No...I…I'm not that kind of girl at all Evan. I have standards and Benny… is nowhere near those," Then looks to the ground at her feet, trying to avoid my eyes, then looks back up and tries to change the subject by asking, "Did you find the Chip yet?"
I chuckled a bit and then resumed to feel around his pants and found the Chip inside a cigarette holder behind some cigarettes. I have to give him credit for hiding it well. Looking at the chip in my hand, it literally is just the size of a poker chip, but Platinum in color. It had the numbers from that wheel roulette game I saw them play at the casino and had in the center of the chip the name Lucky 38 engraved into it with the Lucky being smaller than the 38.
"Found it," I answered.
I showed it to Elizabeth for her to see. "It really does look like a poker chip." she says.
"Yup, now it makes me wonder what kind of info is on this," I questioned.
"Well, let's find a way out without having to come down the elevator," I hear her say as she stands up.
I stand up as well, "I don't think there is. We are going to have to weasel our way to the exit."
"Any ideas," I hear Elizabeth ask.
"Let's come up with an excuse. I think saying that we needed to grab Benny something and that he didn't want a girl like you being alone in a casino like this, so he sent me with you in order to make sure I would be safe and in order for me to be able to ask more questions."
"I think that can work. I can sell that easily," she stated.
The two of us walked into the elevator and I pushed the button to take us down to casino level.
"Hey, how did you learn to act like that," I asked.
"Come now Evan, You can't expect a girl to reveal all her secrets."
"When can I get to know them then?"
Elizabeth started to fidget with her right pinky again and looked down. Then she looked back up at the door.
"Soon, but not now," She replied.
The elevator doors opened and we were greeted by his bodyguards.
"Hey, where is Benny," One of them asks.
"Oh, Benny needed us to grab him something specifically for him," Elizabeth said, immediately slipping into her seductive role again. "He needed a pick me up if he wanted to go all night with me."
"Then why is he with you," The bodyguard responded, pointing at me.
"Benny wanted to make sure I was safe when going and grabbing it. He didn't want you to leave your post in case Mr. House sends his Securitrons poking around. That and Mister Courier here wants more answers and Benny would only agree to answer more if he escorted me."
The bodyguard paused for a moment, thinking about what we just told him while staring at both of us. Hopefully, he buys it. Otherwise, we are going to have a really hard time getting out of here.
"Fine. But we are gonna go up and check with Benny to make sure your story sticks. " the bodyguard states.
Both of us nodded and moved out of the way for the bodyguards to go in the elevator. Once the doors closed, I turned to face Elizabeth.
"Ok, we need to go now," I said, grabbing Elizabeth's hand.
"Agreed. Let's get back to the Lucky 38," she replied.
The both of us ran to collect our weapons at the desk, then sprinted out of the Tops Casino and got back to Lucky 38. I reached the door first and held it open for Elizabeth as she ran in. Once I closed it, we were able to catch our breath.
I panted, "Well, we're safe for now. But, we still have a Chip to deliver. And Mr. House would also like to see you also."
Elizabeth panted as well, "Why does he want to see me?"
"He has some questions since he is curious about your time in Rapture. Keep them brief. You don't have to tell him everything. Just enough to shut him up."
"Yeah, with what you told me about him, I don't want to tell him everything. I trust you more than him and we just met yesterday."
I nodded in agreement, "Yeah. Thank you for doing this even if we just met literally yesterday. Honestly, I don't know how else I could have done this."
She nodded as well.
Still, with Mr. House, he hasn't told me everything and with what Benny told me, I need to confirm if what we learned was true. Whatever Mr. House has planned, both Elizabeth and I need to be on alert since now she is involved with what I'm involved with. Nonetheless, we both walked into the elevator and I pushed the button to the Penthouse.
"I should mention one more thing about Mr. House. He isn't human, literally. He is just a giant screen. He must have his mind uploaded into the system somewhere."
"Really," Elizabeth said, turning to look at me with that confused look on his face. "The whole time I thought he was a man you were talking to."
"He might have been. Now, I'm not sure," I replied.
Elizabeth put her finger on her lip to think for a bit," Well, at least I know what to expect now."
The elevator dinged to confirm we reached the Penthouse. When the doors opened, we walked in and were both greeted by Victor.
"Well, welcome Miss," he exclaimed, "Mr. House informed me to let you in along with Evan as he is most pleased to meet you."
"I hope so," Elizabeth responds, with her arms crossed.
Regardless, we both walked down the stairs to approach Mr. House. Elizabeth walked to the left of me and stayed a few feet away to observe Mr. House and all his computer glory.
"So... Benny has been handled and you've recovered the Platinum Chip," I hear Mr. House says as his booming, metallic voice fills the room again.
"Yup, we dealt with him," I replied.
"Let's have it then."
A tray opened up in Mr. House's computer that allowed the Chip to fit in it. I took the chip out of my pocket, and placed it in there. The tray closed and clicked into place as Elizabeth and I waited for him to finish analyzing it.
After he finished, Mr. House responded, "Such a small thing, isn't it? And yet so... inexhaustibly capacious. So very dear. Decades of hiring salvagers out west to search for this little… relic in the ruins of a place called Sunnyvale. Back then, anyway. That's where the Chip was printed, on October 22, 2077. It was to have been hand-delivered to me here, at the Lucky 38, the next day. But the bombs fell first. Suffice it to say, the delivery was never made."
So, Mr. House was planning this for 200 years. Comes as no surprise to me considering how much he harped on about it and detailed its significance. Now what was next was asking him what the chip does specifically.
I crossed my arms, "So what does that Chip do? Why go through all the trouble to get it?"
"Some things are more easily shown than told. To which I will have the two of you take the elevator all the way down to the bottom level, to see what I mean. However, I would like to know more about your companion first and her experiences with the elusive…Rapture."
Elizabeth walked forward to greet Mr. House. "So what would you like to know?"
"First off, what is your name," he replies.
"Elizabeth Comstock"
"What brought you to Rapture?"
"I was looking for a man named Comstock, but was going under a different alias named Booker Dewitt."
"I see, what else happened? Describe to me in detail what Rapture was like and what happened in your time there."
I turned my body and attention to watch Elizabeth explain her story. She wasted no time in explaining how Rapture looked to Mr. House. She described in detail that the city was created by Andrew Ryan to break away from the limitations that the U.S. had put on its people. She mentioned that they had conventional stores that had magazines, food, artwork, etc. They also had their own culture and lifestyle that mirrored the surface slightly but was more free and democratic following a more free market kind of economy. Throughout this, I could tell Mr. House was taking this in as he did not speak a single word and Elizabeth must have been talking for almost an hour. After Elizabeth concluded, about how the city was able to stay underwater and how it handled its oxygen, Mr. House finally chimed in.
"Well that is quite the technological achievement that they were able to complete, especially for someone as ambitious as Andrew Ryan. Though, it does not surprise me with how it fell. Democracies do not last as long as either corruption slips in, or wars breakout on differences of opinions without laws to keep it in check. I have always favored Republics far more as, if done correctly, can set the ground rules for the future of a society. The U.S had the right idea, unfortunately as with everything in the world, it fell short."
"Rapture fell due to a civil war I assume. From what I saw towards the end, it felt Rapture was going to fall one way or another," Elizabeth responded, looking at the floor for a moment.
"Speaking of that, what happened in your last days? I am intrigued to know what it felt like returning as this has never happened before in recorded human history that was not made up for a faith."
Elizabeth took a breath, and looked up to Mr. House to explain her final days. She started to tell the same story she told me. Though this time, she did not pause on the certain names to give away she was hiding something. It was like how when she told me her story, that was the rehearsal, and her telling Mr. House was the official performance. No stuttering, no interruptions, and no raising her voice in getting angry by being questioned. She finally concluded in telling how she died and told of the few flashbacks she had after taking Atlas' blows to the head and the last thing she saw was Sally holding her hand up to her face.
"Interesting. Very Interesting," Mr. House responded, with a pause. Then he continued again, "When Evan turned on the Vita Chamber, what did you feel when you returned? "
I never thought to ask her how it felt coming back. We had to leave after a bit of a conversation, so I never got the chance to ask. So if she is ok to share it, I would love to know as well.
Elizabeth looked to her side, outside of the window looking at the blue sky of the Mojave. She took a breath in, crossed her arms, and responded.
"Well, I only remember seeing just darkness for a bit. Then, I heard and saw blue electricity, and my whole body started to feel like it was on fire, like it was being reassembled. All of a sudden, the darkness started to go away and white light started to fill the area with the electricity go as well. Then, the doors opened and I collapsed to the ground."
"Do you remember anything that happened before the white light at all? Or did it feel like it just all happened?"
"Something like that. It felt like it was only maybe a minute after I died," She answered.
"I see," Mr. House says with conviction in his voice. "Well, thank you for answering my questions. I may have more in the near future. Now, are both of you ready to see the first steps to humanity's potential?"
Elizabeth looked to me, like she was asking me for confirmation. I nodded to her, and told Mr. House we were.
"Don't worry, you'll like what you see. We have much to accomplish together…"
Victor came down the stairs, to guide us to the elevator to where we needed to go. Elizabeth and I followed him to where we needed to go at the bottom level. When the elevator doors opened, we were greeted by a large industrial area and in front of us was a wooden platform that had a table on it with a speaker system near it. The platform was surrounded by sandbags and a forcefield of some sort was in front of it.
"Step closer to the demonstration area, if you would…," we heard Mr. House say over the speaker.
We both walked to the platform to see two Securitrons in position with concrete block walls in front of them with targets smack in the middle for each of them. Mr. House continued, "I expect you're well familiar with my Securitrons by now. The titanium alloy housing that protects its electronic core deflects small arms and shrapnel easily enough…,"
The two Securitrons started to shoot at each other to demonstrate. I heard the rounds bounce off each other, hardly making a dent in their armor as well as saw the bullets and casings drop to the floor, making a distinct dropping sound that filled the room. Mr. House kept going, "Its X-25 gatling laser, produced to spec by Glastinghouse, Inc., is deadly against soft targets at medium range…"
While Mr. House stated that the left Securitron started shooting its target with its red laser out of its hand, scorching the target, but not destroying it.
"And for close-range suppression or crowd control, the Securitron is armed with a 9mm submachine gun."
Then both started demonstrating by shooting their targets at a faster fire rate at their targets, with the gunshot noise filling the room even more than the last two tests.
"All of this, you probably already knew. What you did not know is that these are the Securitrons' secondary weapons. All this time, my Securitrons have had to get by running the Mark I operating system, which lacked software drivers for their primary weapons! Today, with the delivery of the Platinum Chip, all that changes. Behold, for the first time, Securitrons running the Mark II OS!"
Immediately, the screens of the Securitrons turned red, and on their shoulders missiles opened out, ready to fire.
"The M-235 Missile Launcher gives the Securitron the ability to engage ground and air targets at significantly longer ranges…"
Then they fired their missiles and obliterated the walls in front of them that shocked and made both Elizabeth and I gasp.
"And a rapid-fire G-28 grenade launching system ensures the Securitron is deadly in close-range engagements."
Then their hands started to shoot out little grenades that destroyed walls and barrels next to them and one of the barrels flew towards the forcefield. Thankfully, it was stopped. But, we could hear the impact of the barrel hitting the forcefield that showed how fast and hard it was flying.
"The software upgrade also includes drivers for the Securitrons' highly sophisticated onboard auto-repair systems. Altogether, the Mark II software upgrade confers a 235% increase in combat effectiveness per unit. The city of New Vegas finally has soldiers worthy of protecting it!
Return to the penthouse now. We have much to discuss," Mr. House said, concluding his demonstration.
Now I believed what Benny said. Mr. House now had an upgrade for his robots to take control of New Vegas and I have a bad feeling that he wants to rule it all with an iron fist. This power is too much for someone to have and Mr. House could easily be corrupted with it over time. Though I'm not sure how we could stop this. I feel like we just gave him the keys to the driver seat of ruling New Vegas.
Victor guided us back to the elevator to take us back up to the Penthouse for Mr. House to conclude his meeting with us. We approach his screen again as his face returns on the screen.
"Trips to the basement are rarely so educational, don't you think? I've since broadcast the upgrade to every Securitron in range of my transmitters, and I must say, it's causing quite a stir down on the Strip," Mr. House remarked.
"So, your plan is to take down both the Legion and the NCR," I reply, concerned.
"Why would I want to go to war against the NCR? They're my best customers. If their leaders weren't scheming to steal Vegas out from under me, I'd have no troubles with the NCR at all. To secure the future of New Vegas, I must have your assistance. The work ahead is dangerous, but…you weather danger well," He answers.
The tray with the Platinum Chip opens, inviting me to pick it up. I walk over, reach to pick it up, and put it back in my pocket. Then I walk back to observe his screen yet again.
"I've resurrected Vegas, spirit intact. What I need now is the ability to enforce my rightful claim."
"So, how are you going to enforce all your claims on the city and all of the Mojave," I asked.
"To enforce, one must have force… a position of strength. Years ago, when I detected NCR scouts roaming the Mojave, I could tell from their uniforms that these were no mere tribesmen.
I knew it was only a matter of time before an army appeared, to take control of the dam. And I knew my Securitrons wouldn't be enough to oppose them. And so I recruited the Three Families. Vegas belongs to me because I mustered enough strength to bring the NCR to the bargaining table."
"Well I assume the NCR's army was big enough to defeat your Securitrons and the Three Families," I rebutted.
"Indeed it was - and still is. But not without taking significant casualties. Would Kimball and Oliver have traded the lives of hundreds of soldiers for absolute control of Hoover Dam? Oh, yes. They weren't afraid of me, they were afraid of Caesar. That attacking me would leave them vulnerable to a Legion offensive. And so they negotiated. Not out of the kindness of their hearts, as they try to make it seem. Because the calculus of power left no other choice."
"This treaty, what were the terms of it," I asked, scratching my chin.
"NCR forces were permitted to occupy Hoover Dam and establish a military base at McCarran Airport. " Mr. House paused for a moment. "Well, it used to be one. They recognized my sovereignty over the Vegas Strip and agreed to supply electricity and water once their engineers repaired the dam. Written into the treaty were provisions that the NCR do nothing to prevent its soldiers and civilians from visiting the Strip. That's how I harnessed the NCR to my endeavor. Their occupation has been the engine of my growing economy."
"So you would start a war with the NCR even though they are your best customers," I asked, recognizing the hypocrisy there.
"The salient issue is that they will go to war with me, if given the 's just one reason why the NCR hasn't contrived some outrage to justify invading the Strip - Caesar's Legion. The final battle between those two armies is fast approaching. I can't afford to let either side win on their terms," he replied, sternly.
"Ok," I say to show Mr. House I agree with him for now, "So, what happens when you control New Vegas?"
"New Vegas is more than a city - it's the remedy to mankind's…derailment. The city's economy is a blast furnace in which can be forged the steel of a new rail line, running straight to a new horizon. With all that money pouring in? Give me 20 years, and I'll reignite the high technology development sectors. 50 years, and I'll have people in orbit.100 years, and my colony ships will be heading for the stars, to search for planets unpolluted by the wrath and folly of a bygone generation."
Well, I can safely say he is ambitious and has a plan that will definitely accelerate humanities progress. But, I still had something lingering on my mind. What would stop him from becoming a ruthless dictator? Power can corrupt anyone. Before I could even ask, Elizabeth stepped forward and took the words out of my mouth.
"So, you would be ruling as a dictator, huh," she asks with her arms crossed.
"I prefer the term 'autocrat.' I would rule as a chief executive. I would not answer to a board of directors or any other entity. Nothing to impede progress. If you want to see the fate of democracies, look out the windows."
I couldn't fault him there either. But, there has to be some kind of system put in place to prevent him from becoming corrupt.
"How will we know you won't abuse your power," Elizabeth questioned.
"My judgment. I have no interest in abusing others, just as I have no interest in legislating or otherwise dictating what people do in their private time. Nor have I any interest in being worshiped as some kind of machine god messiah. I am impervious to such corrupting ambitions. But autocracy? Firm control in the hands of a technological and economic visionary? Yes, that Vegas shall have," Mr. House stated.
Still sounds like he could be a dictator. I decided to chime in.
"Look, despite the computer screen and the tech surrounding you, you are still human. Susceptible to anything that we would be. So I have a proposition."
Mr. House gives a sigh, "What would that be? Have I not given my trust enough to both of you."
"Sadly, no. But, I propose Elizabeth and I act as observers of the wasteland were the two of us will watch over the smaller needs of New Vegas to make sure people feel secure and safe without ruining their lives. As well as help keep you in check just in case something were to happen."
I looked to my left to see Elizabeth's approval of this. She nods in agreement. Then I turn my attention back to Mr. House. He goes silent for a few seconds, pondering about my proposal. Then he finally speaks.
"Very well. If that is what it will take for the two of you to trust me, then I accept. But I will also find other ways to convince you that I am not susceptible to such problems. What those are, I will think about. For now, the next step will require you to infiltrate Caesar's camp at Fortification Hill. Upon arrival at the Fort, it's likely that you'll be searched and the Chip taken from you. Don't worry, it will come back to you. "
"Ok, and how do you expect me to get in? That is uncharted territory right there," I puzzlingly ask.
"There is a fellow outside that goes by the name of Vulpes Inculta who is obviously a part of the Legion. My guess is that he wants to speak with you about talking with Caesar. Most Legion members do not dress in formal attire unless a serious matter is to be discussed. Speak with him on entering the Fort."
"Alright. What will I find there," I point out.
"Just make your way there. It will be interesting what you find," Mr. House finally says as he shuts off with the words, "Connection Lost" being left on the screen.
Great. Leaves us with only that and nothing more. I turned to face Elizabeth.
"Let's get back to the room to talk about plans, " I say, walking to the elevator.
"Ok," she replies, I noticed she has a look of doubt and shock with what she learned.
We both went into the elevator and had it take us to the Suite. I could tell by the tension in the room that Elizabeth really wanted to talk about this. But I want to make sure we are in the room to discuss it. Not where Mr. House will hear us. The elevator dinged to let us know we had arrived and once we stepped out and the doors closed, Elizabeth immediately spoke up.
"Why were you agree with him about taking over New Vegas? What will stop him from being corrupted," She asks with her arms crossed, and her blue eyes staring into my eyes, ready to suck out the information I would tell her.
"I wasn't fully on his side. He may say he means well now, but the future can change anything. However, if we both at least can watch him and make sure he does not go down a dictatorship path, we might be able to sway him a bit more," I reply.
"Power can corrupt anyone, Evan. I've seen it a few times in my life. Sure, he can be in power for a bit to get things together, but what will happen over time? He doesn't know. And you and I don't either. So, how can we stop him from becoming corrupt?"
I took a moment to think. I don't specifically know how we can stop this or at the very least help prevent it. I mean we need an authority figure to get New Vegas' shit together and Mr. House has that capability, but that cannot last forever. He has expressed interest in a Republic which I don't know much at all about. But, maybe Elizabeth might know as she was alive during the U.S's establishment. She might know more about it. I take a breath and decide to ask.
"Well, he has expressed interest in a Republic, but I don't know much about what a republic is. Do you know much about Republics and how they worked," I asked.
"I know some ideas. I know the U.S. had one, but I would need to read their guidelines on what that was. They must have done something right, but also some things wrong."
"Weren't you alive and living in the U.S when it was established before going to Rapture," I questioned.
Elizabeth paused like she does when anything came up about her past, then replied, "Not necessarily. I didn't know much about the U.S. I didn't have much access to what they did."
"Did they have a set of guidelines that they followed?"
"Yes. They had a constitution, but who knows where that is or if we can find a copy. Their main capital was D.C," she states.
Oh great. The one place in all of the country that might either have a copy or information on it, is in the one place I do not want to go back to. I knew that D.C had been a strong focal point in the U.S, but it never occurred to me it was the actual capital that would have it. Fucking lovely. I'd rather we do what Mr. House wants to let him be a dictator rather than go back there. I mean we would need to set some time to do that anyway as who knows how long it would take us to find that information.
"Well, we can focus on that once we get this situation figured out. Besides, if we are going back to D.C. we are going to need to set some time."
"Agreed. So, are we meeting with the legion guy down stairs?"
"Yup. Let me pack a few things for the journey and we can head down stairs," I replied.
I went into the kitchen, grabbed my brown survival pack. I took the painting I left in the bag and set it aside on the table. I then grabbed some Caravan Lunches as well as some spare water to bring on the journey. Each one of them had a can of Cram, InstaMash which were instant potatoes when mixed with water, and Pork n' beans which should be enough for us for the entire trip. I zipped up my backpack and headed to the elevator. We both got in and made our way to the door to greet Vulpes Inculta. When we opened the doors to the Lucky 38, he was sitting on the steps and immediately got up to greet us. His face was a narrow face that gave you the feeling he not only kept himself well, but held himself in high regard. He was wearing a faded black suit with a top hat that matched it. He had black ribbon tied to where the tie would have been and had a white dress shirt.
"My Lord requires your presence at his camp, at Fortification Hill. His Mark will guarantee your safe-conduct through our lands," He states, handing me a necklace with a bronze coin.
I took it into my hands to examine it. The Coin had a hole punched onto the top to have the rope hold it and had a picture of some sort of a horse with something in Latin that I genuinely could not understand what it read.
"Any crimes you may have perpetrated against the Legion are hereby forgiven. Caesar will not extend this mercy a second time," He states, staring at me with his cold eyes.
"Why does Caesar want to see me," I asked.
"Go to him, and you will understand," he replies.
"Well, tell Caesar I accept his invitation. However, can I have your assurance that no one will harass Elizabeth while we visit?"
"Seek Caesar by way of Cottonwood Cove, south of Nelson. The Cursor Lucullus will be waiting. Your companion is also granted the abilities granted by the mark," he finally states, giving Elizabeth a disgusted look, and then turns around to leave.
"Well, he was pleasant," I hear Elizabeth sarcastically say.
"Yeah they are all stuck up like that. They view Caesar as a god. And follow him like sheep to the slaughter. I just hope they honor what I said by not harassing you."
"I hope so too. But as long as I stay close to you, I'm sure I'll be fine," She says, turning to face me.
I nodded in agreement, blushing slightly with what she said. I've only run into the Legion a few times and have not necessarily been confrontational so I believe I've been neutral this entire time. But, these guys are not people to mess around with even if they look like a bunch of Roman wannabes. There is a reason they are able to get away with the things they do. They have strength in, not only numbers, but in weapons as well. Which is why the NCR and Mr. House wants them taken out as they pose the biggest threat out there. I'm not really worried about my safety, it's Elizabeth's I am. She can handle herself, but so far it's only been two guys. What about a whole camp of them?
"So, do we want to head out now, or do you want to do something else real quick," I asked.
"Well, let's head out now and get this over with," I hear her say as she starts to walk forward to the exit of the Strip.
I followed her and we started to make our way to Cottonwood Cove. As we walked out of the exit of the Strip, I realized this is going to be a long journey and who knows what will await us. But, doing this will mean we are going to have to committed to not only assisting, but also to working with Mr. House. He may have New Vegas' best interests in mind, but he can be corrupted by the power he will hold and if he can trust us in implementing a better U.S Constitution, then maybe New Vegas in a decade will be something better than what it was before. But, that speculation will have to wait. We got a fort to visit.
