Chapter 10, Love Birds
"Are you ready to get up," Elizabeth asked.
I rubbed my eyes, "Yeah, what time is it?"
"Not sure, I know the sun is coming up."
I turned to look over my bed to where I dropped the Pipboy off and inspected the time on it. The light of it turning on initially blinded me for a moment, but then it read, 7:45 a.m.
"Wow," I said out loud, "We must have partied hard."
Elizabeth got up out of bed, "Yeah, I'm feeling a bit sore right on my back here, " she replied, pointing to a spot on her lower back.
I looked up to see where she was pointing, "Try massaging it out, might help it."
Elizabeth reached it with her hands, "OK, give me a minute, I'll massage it out."
While Elizabeth was massaging her back out, I put my Pipboy back on as well as threw on my clothes.
"Ok, I think I got it. Never realized how long it's been since I danced like that," She said, moving forward to stretch it a bit.
"Awesome. You want to get something to eat from the Cafeteria Hanger they have," I asked.
"Yeah, " She replied, putting her clothes on.
I grabbed my backpack and we headed out the door to make our way to the hanger. Once we entered, we were greeted by the aroma of breakfast. Pancakes and eggs were the things I could smell the strongest with the noise of hungry boomers accompanying them.
"Mornin," A boomer said, walking by us.
"Morning," Elizabeth and I said at the same time.
We made our way to where they were serving food, the aroma only getting stronger, and grabbed some plates at the end. I made my way through the line, grabbing some pancakes and eggs. I could tell from the smell, they were Radscorpion eggs. They tasted similar to regular eggs, but required a bit more seasoning to give them more flavor. After grabbing our food in line, Elizabeth and I walked on over to an empty table and took our seats with her sitting across from me. Elizabeth started to eat first immediately, proving how hungry she must have been.
"So, how do you approve of the Radscorpion Eggs," I chimed in.
She stopped eating for a moment, realizing what I just said, "That explains why they taste so…"
"Different?"
"Yeah, but also seasoned."
"Yup, it's to make them taste much better since without that, the eggs taste dry like eating sand."
Elizabeth made a disgusted face, "Yuck."
As we continued to eat, I noticed Jack come over and sit down next to me.
"Hey can I ask you both something," He asked.
"Sure, what's up," I responded, finishing my bite.
"Well I'd like some advice on something personal and I feel you both can help me. See, there's this girl," He says, stopping himself there.
"Tell us about her."
"Oh, you can't miss her! She has short red hair and she's the most beautiful woman who ever lived!"
"Well, we could talk to her, where is she located," Elizabeth asked, finishing her eggs.
"You'd both really talk to her for me? What if she feels the same way? What if she comes here like you did? What if she gets blown up? What if she doesn't like me? Oh jeez, I better just let you handle it. I'm better with machines. They don't make my stomach queasy like this!"
I put up my hands to calm him down, "Ok, calm down Jack. This isn't anything unusual, just tell us where she is and what you have tried doing."
Jack took a couple of deep breaths, "There's an outpost near here. The signs say "Crimson Caravan?" It seems like they carry things to and fro for people out there? Well, every once in a while I watch the outpost through one of the spotters' binoculars. And sometimes it's like she's watching me back with her binoculars! Except she's probably just watching Nellis. I haven't tried waving."
"Ok, that place is on our way back. We'll find her and talk to her."
"Oh, thank you so much, both of you. I knew it was a great idea to ask you both since you have experience with this kind of thing."
I looked at him puzzled, "What do you mean by that?"
"Well, aren't you both dating each other?"
As always, I felt my face get hotter. Can I go one day without someone asking if we are a couple? Is it something I'm doing or is it something Elizabeth is doing? What's giving off the impression we are a couple?
I turned to look at Elizabeth for a moment and her face was a shade of red as well, "Oh we are just traveling with each other, we haven't known each other long," Elizabeth replied.
Phew, thankfully she covered it for me.
"Oh, well anyway thank you both for doing this for me. I'm gonna go get ready," Jack replied, excitedly while getting up and running away.
"I'm really glad we're helping people here Evan," Elizabeth stated, "It's a nice change of pace, especially from my life."
"What do you mean by that, did you not help people most of your life?"
Elizabeth paused, "No, I did help people, but it always led to disaster in some way. Then, I became selfish and used Sally for my personal gain at revenge. Only to realize it and fix it, but die in the process."
"I see," I replied.
"But seeing the people I've saved and seeing how happy we've made these people, I'm glad that there's no disaster out of helping them."
"Don't jinx it. We don't need this to blow up in our faces," I jokingly said.
She smiled and tucked some hair behind her ear. We wrapped up our food and threw away our trash. As we did, I saw Jack running towards me.
"Hey Evan, can I see your Pipboy for a minute?"
I stared at him, confused by what he meant, "Why?"
"I can put our channel in for you to contact either me or Mother Pearl."
"Ah ok," I replied, taking off my Pipboy and handing it to him.
Jack took it and tinkered around with it, then handed it back to me.
"Ok, you should be able to radio either me or Mother Pearl now and let her know if the girl is coming."
"Ok, I will," I replied, putting the Pipboy back on my arm.
We exited the hangar and made our way to the gate. The same Boomer guard was there, still with that look of an itchy trigger finger on him. He opened the gate and we made our way out. As we were walking, there was a cool breeze that filled the air and made it feel pleasant to walk in.
"So, about that dream last night, what happened with your Dad," Elizabeth asked.
I sighed, "Well, four years ago, I was in D.C. with my Dad and he was behind a project that would have purified water there. Thing is, there was a group called the Enclave that came in and threatened to take over the project for their own gain. My father didn't want that to happen."
"What did he do?"
He…short circuited the purifier, and radiation leaked in the room. Even though he was wearing a radiation suit, it didn't save him. All I could do was watch him collapse in front of me. I didn't have time to fully accept what happened and I had to go."
I heard Elizabeth gasp, "Oh, Evan I'm sorry."
"Yeah, " I replied, sounding disinterested.
"Were you reliving that in your dream?"
"Yeah. And every time I try to see if I can change it. But I never can. It always ends the same."
"I know that feeling. I sometimes have that dream about what happened with Booker. I… saw him die and it still haunts me. So, I know what it's like."
I turned to my left and smiled at Elizabeth. She smiled back as we continued to walk forward.
"Well lets go collect our bet from that guy," I stated.
It wouldn't be long until we saw him coming towards us.
"Jumpin' Jesus on a pogo stick! You're the first one to make it through alive, let alone manage a return trip! That was pretty incredible. I've never seen anyone come out of the Boomer's rain of death alive before," He stated.
"I believe you said you would double my money if we made it out," I replied.
"Yep, here are your caps," he says as he hands me a pile of caps.
I counted through them and saw it was 400 caps. Easiest caps I have ever gotten in my life I would say.
I put them in my bag and we continued ahead. Since we weren't going back to the Strip first, we made our way to the Crimson Caravan. I've spoken with them a bit before but nothing too in depth. Though I have never seen a red haired woman there before so if she is there, she will easily stick out.
We arrived at the front gate of the Crimson Caravan and opened the front door to enter. People were walking around, going about their lives.
"Let's keep an eye out for a redhead," I stated.
As we both walked around, I noticed a red head leaning over the stables and watching the brahmin.
We approached her and she immediately responded with a thick southern accent, "You should go talk to Blake or Alice, they handle most of our contact with visitors."
Getting a clearer look at her, I saw that her hair was really short and she had brown eyes, but gave off the look of not wanting to be bothered. Her looks were accompanied by a light brown jacket with a zipper, fingerless gloves, khaki cargo pants, and boots that went up past her ankles.
"I don't suppose you watch the Boomers over in Nellis sometimes, do you," I asked.
"I watch all sorts of things with my binoculars. Who wants to know, and why," She replies, crossing her arms.
"Well, we've been inside Nellis, There's a young man there who has a crush on you."
"Nice-looking blonde boy? I always wondered if he was watching me back! What's he like?"
Elizabeth chimed in, "He's nice, maybe a little naive. Seems convinced you're the love of his life considering how highly he talks of you."
"Really? That's so sweet! I'd love to go meet him. Is there any way the Boomers would let me visit Nellis?"
"I'll ask Pearl to make an exception for you," I replied.
"This is so exciting! Let me know how it turns out," I hear her giddy reply.
I turned my Pipboy to Mother Pearl's radio, "Mother Pearl, this is Evan. Are you there?"
Nothing comes from my Pipboy except static.
"I repeated again, "Mother Pearl, this is Evan. Are you there? I need to talk to you about something. "
Finally, I hear her voice come through with some distortion, "Oh hi Evan. Did Jack give you my frequency?"
"Yeah, I need to talk to you about something," I questioned.
"What is it?"
"Jack is interested in a girl."
"Well well, this is welcome news. Who is she?"
"She works for the Crimson Caravan."
"Oh, she's with those traders? They've tried to contact us before, but I'm not interested in trading with greedy savages. This presents a bit of a problem. Jack isn't allowed to leave Nellis, and I doubt she would make it through the artillery alive."
"It would mean a lot to Jack if she could come to Nellis," Elizabeth said, "He was all excited and nervous at the same time when we agreed to help him."
Nothing came out for a few seconds, then Mother Pearl responded," Hmm, I suppose Jack deserves a chance at love. You can tell Jack she has a free pass to enter, but he is responsible for her actions. I will let the guards know she is allowed to enter."
"Ok, she has short red hair, and is wearing a light brown jacket with khaki cargo pants."
"Noted. Tell her she is free to come by."
I turned off the radio, "Well, you heard her. You are free to come over."
"Oh that is so great to hear! But I have a work contract with the Crimson Caravan, and if I walk away, I lose the wages they owe me. Could you do just one more thing for me and talk to Alice McLafferty about it? I know if I do it, she'll just say no. I'd hate to lose the money."
"Ok, I can go speak with her then, sit tight."
"Alright, I'll get my stuff together," she replies, walking way to prepare.
Elizabeth and I both headed out to see Alice McLafferty. I saw a sign on one of the buildings that said "Alice McLafferty, Executive Manager of Crimson Caravan."
We entered the building and I saw her at her desk, looking at some paperwork. She had short, combed over white hair and a few wrinkles on her face. She also wore a black cot, buttoned up to the neck with only a red tie and white shirt sticking out.
"Welcome back, what can I do for you this time," she asked.
"There's a woman with red hair that asked me to talk to you about releasing her from her contract," I stated.
She snorted, with a bit contemptuous tone, "Ah, yes, her infatuation with a Boomer she's never met. It's a small camp, and word gets around. She's aware she's breaking her contract, which is undoubtedly why she sent you to talk to me instead of coming by herself. Janet is free to leave, but she forfeits the wages she's owed. That's the price of contract breaking - take it or leave it."
Couldn't argue with her there, but then I hear Elizabeth butt in, "Are you really going to ruin what's supposed to be a time of happiness for her? Have you had anything happy like this happen to you before?"
McLafferty grunted, "Being sentimental is not how I made the Crimson Caravan so successful, but I'll allow it, just this once. Janet will be paid what she's owed. Consider it a gift," she finishes, getting up and going over to the safe.
"Thank you, " I replied.
She opens the safe and gathers some caps, then closes the safe and walks towards me to hand it.
"Here, give this to her," she states, reaching out with the caps.
"Ok, I'll let her know, " I say, taking the caps from her.
We walked back over to the stables and that time, the girl was leaning her back against the stables, looking up to the sky. As we got closer, she looked down, noticed us, and walked over.
"Have you spoken with McLafferty yet," she asks.
"Elizabeth convinced her to pay you what you're owed. You're free to leave."
"That's great! I can't believe you went through all this trouble for me. Thank you! My name is Janet by the way."
"Evan, I said, handing her the caps she was owed, "Take care and travel safely."
"You too," she exclaims, running off.
"Ok, let me tell Jack she's coming and we can resume our trip back to the strip."
I turned to the frequency for Jack, "Jack are you there?"
"Yes, Have you seen her? The redhead of my dreams, " I hear his distorted voice say with excitement.
"Well, we have good news for you. She feels the same way and she's on her way."
"Oh she's coming now? What happens next? Can she come here? How do we make sure she doesn't get blown up? Should I talk to the gunners? Or to Pearl?"
"Calm down Jack, I cleared it with Peal, they won't blow her up. Just be on standby and relax."
"Ok, I'll get ready. Thank you for getting her to Nellis. I've never been so happy in my entire life!"
"Your welcome," I stated, turning off the mic.
"So, shall we let Mr. House know of our progress with them," Elizabeth asked.
"Yes, let's let him know," I replied
Elizabeth and I made our way out of the Crimson Caravan. We continued our way to the Strip and on our way, I felt the wind pick up. It wasn't anything hard, just a simple breeze. But as we continued on for a few minutes, it started to really blow harder, like having a giant, hot fan blowing in your face.
"Is that what I think it is," I hear Elizabeth questioning while pointing off in the distance.
I turned and it was what she thought it was. A sand storm cloud was starting to form and started to devour anything it surrounded as it was coming towards us. It was maybe a hundred yards from us, but I could tell it was picking up speed by how fast it was swallowing everything around it.
"Yeah. It sure as shit is," I replied, confirming her response, "We got to get back to The Strip now."
We started to sprint our way back as fast as we could. I could see dust starting to spin, creating little sand tornadoes, around us. We continued faster and further, but I could still hear the sandstorm behind, getting closer and closer to us, like a monster chasing its victims. In the distance, I could see the strip gate just over the horizon. I could feel the wind picking up further only signifying how close it was getting. We continued to sprint further but despite our efforts, I felt the sand swallow us, with the piercing feeling of the sand hitting my skin. I couldn't see anything in front of me, my eyes were starting to burn from the sand hitting my eyes and I put my arm up to try to shield them. I looked to my left to see if Elizabeth was near me, but to no surprise, I couldn't see her or even a silhouette.
"Elizabeth," I shouted trying to locate her, "Where are you?"
The sound of the sand and the wind blowing around only masked my voice further.
"ELIZABETH," I shouted at the top of my lungs.
Then I got an idea. I pulled out my rifle and started to shoot in the air. My hope is that Elizabeth will see the flash and with my shooting her name, will lead her to me. I continued to shoot and shout her name running forward to see if she continued to run further. Then I could faintly hear my name being called. I stood still, still firing to help her locate me. Finally, I saw a silhouette running towards me and as it got closer, I could make out Elizabeth. I put my rifle away, and reached forward for her to grab my hand. She grabbed it with no hesitation and as she did, I felt a little bit of sand on her hand brush against mine. We continued walking forward until we saw lights flashing in the storm, which could only mean the entrance of the gate. Once we reached it, I could see the silhouette of the Securitron and we entered the gate. The lights of the Strip were on to most likely tell people where shelter was and I could see the Lucky 38's light clear as day. We progressed further, with safety in sight, and reached the front doors of the building. I let go of Elizabeth's hand and opened the door, staggering in. She was right behind me as we both caught our breaths and cleared the sand off of ourselves. I turned to look at her and her hair was a mess. It looked like one of those tangled steel wire brushes. Thinking about it made me burst out laughing.
Elizabeth faced me, "What?"
"Your hair is a mess. You look like you just woke up, from a night of tossing and turning" I replied, still cackling a laugh.
She punched me in the shoulder, "If you want to play like that, at least I wasn't firing a gun in the air like an idiot."
"Well I was trying to get you to find me. Did it help?"
"Yes, but you know you can just shoot the ground right," Elizabeth replied, trying to adjust her hair with her fingers.
"Where's the fun in that," I replied, snarky.
I saw a subtle smile from her as she continued to fix her hair. I kept dusting myself off further until I looked somewhat presentable. I looked up to see that Elizabeth had mostly fixed her hair and gotten the sand off of her to look presentable as well. She looked good considering we went through a sandstorm.
"Well hello pardner, nice to see you made it through the storm," I hear Victor say as he rolls towards us.
"Yeah, I'm taking a shower after that. I don't even want to know where the sand got into," I replied.
"Well, Mr. House is waiting for you both when you are ready," Victor concluded.
Elizabeth and I walked to the elevator and once we got in, I pushed the button to the Penthouse Floor. I heard Elizabeth cough for a moment which I followed up with my own cough. The sand must have gotten in our lungs a bit. Maybe after this, lunch can help clean it out. The elevator dinged to let us know we had arrived with the doors opening. We made our way down and approached Mr. House.
"Any progress with the Boomers," he asks, his voice filling the room once again.
"'We've helped them and they are willing to assist in the Battle," I answered.
"Well done. The Boomers' firepower may prove an advantage when the battle for Hoover Dam comes around. Your next assignment is to locate and destroy remnants of the Mojave chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel. The NCR nearly did the job at Helios One a few years ago, but there seem to have been survivors, unfortunately. Given the Brotherhood's fanatical views on technology, they can be counted on to oppose my regime."
I know the Brotherhood here in New Vegas have full on fanatical views, but I'm not going to wipe them out, let alone because of something as simple as fanatical views on technology. Not everyone in the Brotherhood shares a fanatical view like they do. There were the Outcasts back in D.C. who are just like the branch here in New Vegas, but they broke away from Lyon's branch to continue their fanatical views on technology while Lyon's wanted to help people with it and the advancements it could bring. And they were successful for the most part. I think we're starting to see Mr. House's true colors on this. If we aid him in destroying them, then we all become dictators who are easily ok with eliminating a group who are against our views. And I'm not going to be a part of a dictatorship or decide who lives and who dies. Just like the Overseer back when I was in the vault. He brainwashed and dictated what we did. He played a game of god because it helped justify his view.
I took a deep breath, "No. I'm more than fine talking with them, but I am not going to outright kill them all because they are fanatical of technology."
"Don't tell me that you've fallen for the stories of noble paladins on crusade, preserving mankind's technology in a benighted age? Dross! In any case... this is an employer - employee relationship. I've given you both an assignment, and the directions are clear," Mr. House replied sternly.
"How about I find a more negotiable approach with them," I proposed.
"We're talking about a coterie of bulging-eyed fanatics who think all Pre-War technology belongs to them. They'll never accept my using an army of robots to defend New Vegas. While it's a fight I can win, I'd rather sidestep it altogether."
"What if leadership changed in them," Elizabeth chimed in, "One like in D.C. where they are much more open with sharing technology. I read they are not as fanatical and easily do their best to handle the issues that Mutants bring to people. So, what if we got a leader like the one they have in there?"
"Don't assume you can change things easily, by reading something and having an immediate solution, Sweetheart. I am aware of the group in D.C., but I doubt you could change the minds of the ones here in New Vegas. They have been like this for so long, It is illogical for them to change on a whim. Besides, where would you find a suitable replacement? And even if you did, how would you get them in? You think they will just welcome them in with open arms? It's preposterous to even think it is fully possible to do that. Which is why my solution is better and simpler compared to jumping through the hoops you are wanting to do."
Elizabeth folded her arms, "Well, then you are no better than Andrew Ryan or Frank Fontaine. You are just like a dictator like them before. So, you are lying about wanting to be an autocrat. What was it you said? You wanted to not interfere with how people ran their lives or manage what they do every day? With what you just said, it sounds like the opposite. You just want absolute power and want to kill anyone who disagrees or challenges your power."
Couldn't have said it better than Elizabeth. But I might have a solution to this. That girl Veronica we met earlier could be of some help and could be a way to change their leadership. And my experience with the Outcasts in D.C. could give an insight on how they think and how we could change their minds. But, I'll have to come clean on my past and that I personally know the branch in D.C. or this won't work. I can't beat around the bush any longer as much as I want to.
"Listen here Elizabeth…," Mr. House coldly stated.
It's now or never.
"I know the branch in D.C. personally," I stated.
Mr. House stopped talking and Elizabeth turned to face me.
"I…worked with them and I ran into a group called the Outcasts who are like the ones here. I know Lyons personally as well. He wanted to break away from them because of their fanatical views and help humanity's future. So, I have experience with them and know how they work. If you give me a chance, I can figure something out. Besides, it doesn't hurt to try at least. If it doesn't work, then we'll go your way and take care of them."
"Well… this changes things then," Mr. House coly said, "Very well, I will allow you to find a solution outside of eliminating them. But know this, they are your responsibility. They must be willing to fight my side and that they must respect my boundaries on technology. Are we clear?"
"Yes, we are," I replied.
"Well enough, be on your way," Mr. House stated, turning off.
I looked away from the screen and saw Elizabeth had already turned around to go to the elevator. I ran to catch up with her. She was already in and I was able to slip in before the doors closed. I noticed she had already pressed the button to the suite.
"I cannot believe him. Killing a group without even trying to find a better solution. Yet he claims to want to leave people alone and what they do with their lives," Elizabeth raved.
"Yeah, only proves further we're going to have to be his check and balance," I replied.
"Yes. But I'll be damned if we are going to ever kill them, " she stated, then turned to face me, "I won't be a part of this if it doesn't work."
"And we shouldn't if it comes down to that," I replied, "But do you remember that lady named Veronica we met?"
"You think she could be a way in?"
"Precisely. When this storm goes down, let's reach out to her and see if we can have her help us get in the Brotherhood."
The elevator dinged and the doors opened.
"Sounds like a plan, " she said while walking out.
Once I walked out, she asked, "Was your Dad part of the Brotherhood?"
"Huh," I replied.
"Was your Dad heavily involved with the Brotherhood and that's why you kept both him and your relationship with the Brotherhood secret?"
"Yeah. But, I'd rather not talk about this anymore. I'm…not really…ready to share more of it. I just want to keep moving forward and not look back," I replied, rubbing my arm and looking at the floor.
"I understand, I won't force you Evan. It's best to keep some things in the past. I just want to enjoy what's happening now," she said, walking towards me and wrapping her arms around me.
I fully agree with Elizabeth. The past is the past and what matters right now is what we do now. If we can give New Vegas a better future, then what happened to us in the past won't matter. I put my arms around her, embracing the hug she was giving me. I felt her rub her hands across my back in an up and down fashion, and I did the same as well. It only helped comfort and reinforce to me that this is what we should both strive to do for New Vegas. Help create a better future, so our pasts and what we went through, would have been worth going through in the end. We let go after what felt like a minute and I chimed in, "So, what shall we do while we wait for the storm to pass over?"
"I'm not sure. We could continue the interview with Sally, but I'm feeling in the mood for something else," she replied.
"Well, we could always watch a movie? Since we have the DVD player, we can take a look and see what movies are available."
"That sounds like a great idea! See what movies there are and pick one, I'll go take a shower to get the rest of the sand out," she stated, heading to the bathroom.
I went into the Recreation Room where one of the boxes was, and took a look to see what other movies there might be. I rummaged around and saw a few titles. Ripper was the first one I saw. Didn't look too interesting as its cover was just a little girl in a dress with hearts, holding a knife. I saw another title, The Invasion from the Stars but that looked too cliched, considering the cover showed an alien in a space suit carrying a blonde woman with a light blue dress. I kept looking.
Communists from Space. Another cliched cover.
Night of the Fish Men's Revenge. No, cliched cover.
Shaved and Dangerous. Wait, this is a porno. Gross and I don't even want to imagine what the title means.
The Beautiful Cigar Girl. Looks like it's a musical. I'm not really that much of a musical kind of person.
Once I set it aside, I saw the familiar cover of Batman. I saw this movie when I was in the vault with my Dad at six years old. I remembered making a makeshift Batman costume, sewn together from a black bedsheet, and going around pretending I was Batman to everyone. Good times. I think Elizabeth would like this. I tried to see if the sequel was there, Batman Returns, but to no avail.
I took the disk out and put it in the player. The DVD menu appeared, showing it was ready to be played. It had scenes from the movie playing in the background with the options to play, scene select, and special features showing. I pushed the couch over to the tv, took a seat, and waited for Elizabeth to come out. Few minutes later, she came out with the same clothes on and her hair wet, but neatly combed.
"I see you picked a movie," She said, sitting down on the other side of the couch next to me.
"Yup. It's called Batman. I watched it when I was young."
Elizabeth gave me a puzzled look, "Batman? Is he a man that happens to be a bat?"
I laughed, "No, it's a man that dresses up as a bat to strike fear in criminals. It's really good I promise."
She smiled, "I guess I'll have to take your word for it."
I pressed play and the movie began. Elizabeth was silent throughout most of the film, but she did laugh when Joker first appeared with his makeup, the jokes he made such as the joy buzzer that fried that mob boss, and the museum dance the Joker does with destroying the paintings. After two hours, the movie was finished.
"Well that was pretty interesting and weirdly funny in certain places especially with the Joker. I loved the museum part," Elizabeth exclaimed.
"Yup I honestly love the joy buzzer moment also. Especially the line, 'He got a little hot under the collar'. Such a stupid pun," I replied, chuckling for a bit.
Elizabeth smiled at my response, "Yeah. It had this weird dark humor charm to it. I strangely liked it."
"Well if you liked it, there is a sequel, but sadly it wasn't in the box."
"Oh, well I'm sure there's a copy out there somewhere. I'll keep an eye out for it."
"Well, let me see if the sandstorm has died down," I said getting up.
I walked to the elevator and pressed the button to take me to the Cocktail Lounge. The elevator closed its door and took me to the Lounge. After a few moments, it dinged that I had arrived and I exited the elevator. I walked towards the giant window that surrounded the place and looked down. The sandstorm had died down and all that was left was sand everywhere with people cleaning up the mess. I looked up and saw the clouds were blowing away towards the distance, signifying further that the storm had passed. With this in mind, I turned back to the elevator but noticed the terminal in the wall. I remembered what the Follower of the Apocalypse had given me to bug the network and grabbed it out of my pocket. I walked to the terminal and placed the bug underneath the terminal. With a bit of time, they will be able to make use of the technology and improve the lives of people in the Mojave. But hopefully, Mr. House doesn't find out. Because knowing him, he won't take it too kindly if he finds out we bugged him.
