CHAPTER FOUR: THE HOUSE KNOWS ALL. BY DESERT RANGER CARACAL.
LOCATION: JUST INSIDE THE NORTH ENTRANCE OF FREESIDE.
DATE: NOVEMBER 9TH 2281.
TIME: 6:23 PM.
TEMPERATURE: 82°F OR 28°C.
Freeside was no different than usual, full of the broken, the beaten and the damned. Jam packed in the especially full areas that seemed to demand more vigilance than usual, lest you lose your caps to some especially slick fingers, or desperate thugs with melee weapons looking to beat them out.
After the two had entered, the eyes of the bodyguards and meat salesman were on them, surprised by the sight of what they saw. The bodyguards for hire just remained quiet, letting the two enter while waiting for less armed customers to come and pay for their services.
The meat seller also remained quiet, knowing neither of them would be too interested in his wares. Locals were still buying, no big loss to him. Courier six continued to lead the way, with the colossal feline following behind, both of their eyes darting about to see the spectacle that Freeside was.
It seemed less packed than usual, even if the Old Mormon Fort had a good few wounded members of The Kings walking in to get fixed up. Whatever the case, the caracal and the human approached the main gate, as the crier for Mick and Ralph's yelled out at them, about how the two could find whatever they needed there.
Courier Six shot a mean look at him as Joseph ignored him, he wasn't worth the attention. Through the gate they went, and into Freeside's main center they entered. The smell was worse than usual, Joseph didn't even need to open his mouth and put his Jacobson's Organ to work to know what it was.
It was two corpses of Freeside Thugs, shot and stabbed in combat, most likely done by the Kings who they had seen entering the Old Mormon Fort. The odor was unpleasant, telling both of them that it was a humiliating end for the thugs.
The two of them chose to avoid the bodies, walking away and heading to the glowing gates of the Vegas Strip. The seductive lights of the strip called out to all nearby, enticing them to spend, spend, spend what they could at the lovely casinos on offer. Though the securitrons kept out those without the caps or passports as proof of worthiness.
The mostly empty streets betrayed just how many people lived in the area, due to most of them being packed in the Atomic Wrangler and other local meetup spots, itching to have one release or another from the day to day hell of living there. After passing the boarded up liquor store, Courier Six began walking into the nearby alleyway.
Joseph followed along, ears jolting up sharp to ensure that nobody followed them along. He didn't know what she had in mind, but he had a feeling that the two were going to be needing some level of privacy. The alleyway was mostly empty, with a few homeless locals puking their guts out into an old rusted out hulk of a car.
Still, the courier kept walking, turning right into the next alleyway as she clearly wanted to find some kind of empty spot. It was empty, containing only yet another rusted out hulk of a pre war car. She stopped, and turned to Joseph before speaking.
"Alright, I feel like we should talk here, I want to know more about you."
"Anything in particular you want to know? I've got a good bit to talk about.
The feline said, perking his ears up and turning them to Courier Six, listening to whatever she had to ask.
"Where do you come from?"
She asked, kicking off the beginning of her questions for her boss, and current companion.
"I was born and raised in the Mojave. I never stepped foot in California till I was in my late 20's, and I have no regrets about it."
"Where specifically were you raised? I haven't seen many towns occupied by your kind before."
She asked, to which Joseph let out a snicker before speaking.
"I ain't saying that so easily. Even if we're both working together I'd rather keep that a secret without a reason. Sorry, nothing personal about it, it's more about keeping my town safe."
Joseph said, brushing away her question firmly. She shrugged and pointed at his hip.
"How long have you been using that old revolver?"
"Now that's a question I'm happy to indulge you in. This old thing I got in 2268, just after my 17th birthday. See, me and some buddies found a safe out in an old army base that we were meant to guard. So after dinner we lockpicked it and opened it up. Most of the things in there were gaudy old world trinkets. But this?"
Joseph patted the holster of revolver before speaking further.
"Easily the one weapon I've used more than any other. I've used shotguns, rifles and a few machine guns during my time, but most of them lasted a year at the most, especially during my years of wandering the wastes. This never got out of my paws, ever. I made sure of it, and it's kept me safe because of how I've treated it well."
He answered, to which the courier nodded.
"What do you intend to do when all this is over?"
Six asked, as Joseph tilted his head, thinking for a bit before replying.
"A good question, really. I aim to go back home and go for more peaceful endeavors. Maybe go back to the first militia I founded to keep it in check, maybe go back to school, probably find the love of my life. But that's all in the future, and I have things to do beforehand, like kill Caesar and wipe out all Legion presence in the Mojave."
He said, as the courier listened eagerly, before adding another question to the pile.
"Alright, so what's with your armor? Why is it so different compared to the Black armor the NCR Rangers use?"
She asked, to which Joseph let out a chuckle.
"Well that's because as far as I understand, the NCR and Desert Rangers use similar armor from different locations. They initially used LAPD surplus armor, we used USMC surplus armor. Similar stuff, just with different markings, especially when the NCR boys got to making their own armor."
He said, to which the courier nodded before speaking again.
"Right, well then what's with those numbers and markings on your armor?"
She replied, to which Joseph pulled back his duster as he looked down, speaking as he looked back up.
"The date you see on my armor? That's when the Desert Rangers were assimilated into the NCR rangers, a date me and every other former desert ranger remembers well. As for the other two? Much more personal, the meaning of them would likely be lost on you."
He said, letting his duster go as the courier nodded.
"Okay, so one last question. Why are you so, well huge?"
She asked, as Joseph shrugged.
"Simple, I'm a genetic anomaly. Everyone else in the town has a pretty normal height, the tallest recorded caracal before me was my dad at six foot one. I stopped growing at around fourteen, and everyone around me was pretty shocked about how big I had gotten. Two meters in height, not exactly something to sneeze at. I was often compared to the super mutants who worked as farmers with most of the adults, and when I joined the rangers, it made finding armor for me all the more difficult. Still, as you can see I did get my own set, and have kept it since."
He answered, to which the courier nodded, beginning to turn and walk before he spoke.
"Wait, there's something that's been bugging me about you. I think I've seen you before, or someone similar. Did you do any deliveries to a place called The Divide, around five or so years ago?"
He asked, as she turned back to him, nodding slowly.
"Well I have to ask you something. I heard about what happened there, about a year after visited last. The whole place blew to fucking smithereens and the most I heard was that a courier delivered something they shouldn't have. Was that you?"
"Yes, I didn't know what it was and if I did, I would have told that gun store owner to take his caps and shove them. I had no intention of destroying a town, and I still regret that mistake."
She answered, as if she had been hit in the gut with the reminder of her fuckup. Unintended, but still a failure on her shoulders. The ranger nodded down at her and sighed.
"I understand. At least you do understand what happened and why. Now let's take care of that smug bastard you've been hunting for."
He said, extending his hand and letting her shake it before they exited the alleyway. The bright Vegas lights almost blinded them from the less than savory sights nearby. Before they could get too close, an older man in a suit ran up and spoke.
"You two look new to Freeside, so here's some free advice. Talk to the south gate greeter before trying to go past it."
The older man said, speaking as if he had seen crazier than a huge ex desert ranger caracal and a wastelander both trying to visit The Strip, not an unlikely situation.
"What happens if I try to evade the greeter?"
The Courier asked, as Old Ben quickly provided an answer.
"Those robots are programmed to kill anyone who tries to get in without the greeter's authorization."
He said, as the courier nodded, with Joseph looking over at the Securitrons, the stern policemen faces on the CRT screens attempting to assert order without being an outright menace. Best not to test them, even if he could tango with one, he'd rather not tango with six at once, especially without reason.
"See you later."
"Bye."
The two exchanged, as the Courier began approaching the gate, with Joseph following close behind. Before too long, one of the securitrons began rolling up to the two of them. Joseph and Courier Six stopped walking when they reached one of the tire piles, the bot stopping right in front of them before speaking.
"Submit to a credit check or present your passport. Trespassers will be shot on sight."
The bot said, to which Courier Six took her backpack and pulled it off, showing it to the greeter as she spoke.
"I'll submit to the Credit Check."
The securitron opened a scanner port, and scanned the bag right away, checking to see how many caps she had in the bag, counting to a total of 2467 caps. The securitron closed the port and spoke soon after the scan was complete.
"Thank you ma'am, you may proceed."
The bot said, rolling back as the two of them began to walk to the gate. During this, one of the NCR Squatters rushed past the two, attempting to get in with them as the securitrons caught onto him right away.
"UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY, EXTERMINATION AUTHORIZED."
Three securitrons shouted out, before shooting the squatter right in front of the two, much to their shock. The ranger and the courier chose to ignore it, walking past the recently killed corpse and opening the gates to The Strip, walking in and nearly being blinded by the lights of the wide open and elegant strip. The place wasn't as packed as it could be, but it was still rather full of NCR troopers on leave, having a good time and barely holding what liquor they had in their bellies alongside gamblers from the area.
Gomorrah had their typical lineup of exotic human dancers, as ghouls and others were kept inside for more discreet patrons. The Tops shone and called for all the classy cats to come in and try their luck, and held just what they were looking for. At the end of it all, The Ultra Luxe was displaying the typical stuck up look of exclusivity, whatever exclusivity could be found in an already pricy spot. As the two of them began to walk to The Tops, an old Friend of Courier Six rolled up and began speaking.
"Well howdy partner, looks like you've come a far piece, and with a friend too. Allow me to welcome you two to New Vegas!"
Victor announced, making Joseph tilt his head in slight confusion. Courier Six spoke soon afterwards.
"Why thank you, I think we'll be heading to the tops now, we have a score to settle."
"Well I don't recommend that. That man you're chasing is one mean snake. Consider House to be the anti venom you need. That, and Mr House really wants to talk to you, he's still your boss after all. Plus, it's not just all about you."
"What do you mean?"
Courier Six asked, as Victor immediately answered.
"The big man wants to meet with the genius who wiped out the Fiends and helped make passage to the strip easier, alongside you. My advice is to make his opinion as swell as possible for the two of you, so don't dawdle."
He said, his screen turning to the stiff policeman face of the other securitrons before it rolled off. Their attention was soon drawn to where the securitron rolled off to. The Lucky 38, the old gem of the New Vegas Strip and House's own home.
"I think we oughta talk to House. Not often that you get to pick the brain of a pre war person who ain't a ghoul, and I doubt they froze any."
Joseph said. The courier nodded, approaching the casino with the ranger following close behind. Victor waited at the entrance, speaking after the Courier came close.
"Well howdy, the boss is waiting inside!"
The securitron said, the cowboy act reminding her of Trudy's words in goodsprings.
"Thank you Victor, I'm ready to meet with him."
"Yeeee haw! I'll let you and your friend right in."
He said, to which the doors of the Lucky 38 began to open up slowly, having remained sealed for the past two hundred and four years, up until now. The other people outside were astounded at what they were seeing, the doors of the Lucky 38 were opening, and two lucky individuals were being let inside!
One of the NCR soldiers who had been releasing the contents of his gut after stumbling out of Gomorrah lifted his head up and saw the astounding sight. To him, what he was seeing would be the only thing he remembered of this night for the years to come, especially the huge caracal ranger who walked beside what seemed to be a merc of some kind.
He had to tell his buddies about this when he sobered up, the felines who were in his unit would definitely be impressed that a caracal was let into that old place. As the two wastelanders walked into the Lucky 38, the dust slapped them the moment they stepped in, and the age of the place showed itself. Dust caked the place beyond what some would consider reasonable, and it was clear nobody had been cleaning here since the bombs fell.
It smelled odd, as if whatever edible things here had long since rotted and decomposed, but a faint tinge of them remained, like a sandwich the janitor had tucked in the fridge had perished in the aftermath of the nukes, lingering like a dybbuk who wanted recompense centuries after the fact. The least dusty things in the room were the securitrons standing by the elevator, as Victor once again stood there like a friendly old cowboy. Courier six approached him with Joseph behind, and spoke.
"I want to see House now."
She said, to which Victor soon replied.
"Yes ma'am, I'll take you to see the boss right now!"
He said, hitting the elevator's button and letting the two right on in. After the two walked in, the elevator closed, shooting straight up into the penthouse of the Lucky 38, and taking them right to the boss.
"Penthouse floor!"
Victor said, as the two stepped out of the elevator and into the penthouse of Mr House. Similarly dusty, but much cleaner overall, as if someone had dusted it five years ago in anticipation for a visitor. Whatever the case, the gargantuan screen portraying the face of Mr. House silently beckoned them over, with securitrons backing him up in anticipation for any negotiations. Six lead the way, as the two warriors silently approached the console bearing the face of the pre war billionaire.
"I see the two of you made the right choice when it came to negotiations. Before we get to it, I want to know something. What do you think of Vegas?"
House asked, his eloquent voice flowing out of the screen as if he were there before them. Some things never changed about men, and that's something that House could never change, not that he wanted to.
"It's pretty, but I haven't been able to see all that much of it."
"As pretty as it looks, I've seen too many poor folk walking out of here with nothing to their name after trying to strike it rich. I'm not a fan."
The two of them said, as the silent, still screen seemed to smugly think their words over for a moment.
"Criticize it all you like, but it's called the shining jewel of the Mojave for a reason. Where else can you come to a location where a fraction of the old world's grandeur has been preserved, and have a chance to strike it rich? No wonder fools aplenty come here to feel big and give Vegas more and more caps. Plus, it's safer and more secure than New Reno, but you're not here to hear me lecture you about Vegas. Courier, you have a job to finish, and I am pleased at how you came to me before meeting with that snake."
He said, as Six nodded and replied.
"Thank you, I wanted to see if you could help formulate a plan first."
She said, as Joseph nodded.
"Well let's get started, Benny is in The Tops waiting for the perfect opportunity to try and use the chip as a playing piece. I don't want you to listen to him in any serious capacity, the sooner and quieter you can get rid of him the better."
House said, as the two wastelanders listened to his advice, thinking about how to deal with things accordingly.
"Courier, did you pick anything up that pins Benny to your attempted killing? I don't think his colleges would appreciate his plans."
Joseph said, as House quickly interjected.
"He's right, talk to Swank after getting into The Tops, he spends his time at the front counter. Swank holds plenty of sway, and he'll listen to reason."
House said, as the courier pulled out a lighter.
"I picked this up from the Khans he hired, and I have some other evidence."
Six said, putting it away as House replied.
"That should help your case, now go and get the chip for me."
House said, to which the two of them nodded, turning and beginning to leave once more before House spoke again.
"Just a minute, before you two go, I have to talk to Joseph. Step to the screen and we'll talk, I have an offer for you."
He said, as Joseph turned and nodded silently, walking over to the screen before speaking.
"Shoot."
"Your work with removing the Fiends from the vegas area is proof that you don't take kindly to the wasteland scum that pollute vegas. You and I have similar goals in wiping the slate clean and keeping people safe. So here's an offer you can't easily refuse. Turn your forces to my command and I'll make sure you're treated well with keeping Vegas safe, and you'll be considered a general in my command. You don't have to accept my offer, but if you don't at least consider it you would be a fool."
He said, as Joseph tapped his foot silently, thinking it over for a bit before replying.
"I'll consider it, but you won't have an answer till me and Six are done with the business in The Tops."
Joseph said, beginning to walk back to the courier as House spoke.
"Very well, I am glad you are willing to listen to my offer. I think you and I will work well together."
He said, as the courier and Joseph made their ways to the elevator. Before either of them could get in, Victor quickly chimed in with some news.
"Congratulations partners, House's decided to comp you two with the high roller suite! You two can bring any friends you want, like a clubhouse for the gang you make. Just to be clear, you two are the only ones who can see the boss, everyone else has to wait at the suite. Enjoy the place ya'll, it's plenty fancy."
Victor said, as the Courier and Joseph nodded.
"Thank you, we would like to go downstairs and finish the job."
Six said, and before too long they were in the elevator and heading downstairs to the casino.
The two of them remained silent during the rest of the time in the casino, walking out into the night where a decently sized crowd watched as Courier Six and Joseph Chaim exited the formerly sealed casino. Gasps of shock and amazement were shared among the mostly human crowd, as a few anthro tourists from the republic were silently ecstatic over the occasion.
One of their own had come into a pre war tomb, and was considered actively important in vegas! As the crowd began to disperse and word began to spread, an NCR soldier approached, a caracal much like Joseph, but a mere 5 foot 7 in height. He approached Six first and began speaking to her right away.
"I have a letter for you from the embassy, here."
He said, taking a letter from his pocket and extending it over to her, letting her take it before he walked to Joseph.
"Sir, would you allow a mere private first class to shake your hand? I know you're not NCR, but you're a ranger all the same."
He asked, extending a paw with a shakey, excited look on his face as Joseph looked down at him. The ranger shook the private's hand firmly, before speaking.
"May you never see battle in your life, I've seen too much of it myself. Also, she'elohim yihyeh ittecha."
Joseph said, before releasing the private's hand, as the feline soldier ran off, a little starstruck over what he had heard, but able to keep himself together before bursting in the barracks over what had happened.
Joseph and Courier Six meanwhile were heading right over to The Tops, where the cool cats came to gamble, and where Benny was riding high. As they entered the casino, one of the men at the counter snapped his head over to them and got to speaking right away.
"Hey hey there, welcome to the best casino in Vegas, The Tops! I'm going to have to ask for your weapons before you can come into the casino proper, then you'll be able to enjoy yourselves."
He said, as the courier and Joseph nodded, before speaking.
"Alright, we'll comply."
She said, as they presented their weapons, letting the attendant take them and put them away for safekeeping.
"Smooth and easy, just as I like it. Don't you worry, your pieces are safe as kittens in a penthouse full of meat. Oh, and just in case you have some "insurance" on your persons, just don't brandish them and we'll be cool. Now how else can I help?"
He asked, as the courier quickly replied.
"We'd like to know where Swank is, we have to talk to him."
She said, as he chuckled.
"He's right next to me, and he's open to hear whatever you two have to say. Have a good time, don't be a stranger!"
He said, as the two of them walked over to Swank, a mere eight feet away.
"Hey there babygirl, I heard you were looking for me, just how can I help?"
Swank asked, somehow dressed snazzier than most of the other staff, who were already good looking dudes in suits.
"I have to tell you something important, it's about Benny."
She said, as Swank let out a little laugh, his face smug and content.
"Really now, well why are you yapping at me about it instead of getting in his face? He is here, you know."
He said, as Six replied quickly.
"I think you oughta know that Benny is making his play to try and take over Vegas."
She said, as Swank's expression changed immediately.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
He asked, confused by what she had said before she replied.
"Benny tried to shoot me and get away with it, trying to pin it as yet another robbery and killing of a courier in the wasteland."
"What are you talking about, why would he do that?"
He asked, confused by what was being said by Six.
"I think he's trying to make himself the powerplayer here, trying to pull the rug out from house in his own way."
She replied as Swank got even more astounded by what was being said.
"I knew Benny was always eager to keep himself on top, but if that's the case then oh lord this is bad. Got any solid proof?"
He asked, as courier six pulled out Benny's lighter, plus a few cigarette butts and spoke.
"This is his personal lighter, provided by one of the Khans he hired, plus the cigarette butts he dumped that night. Take a good look at this and you'll know I'm not bullshitting."
She said, as swank took the lighter from her and looked it over. As he did, his expression became pale at a surprising rate, realizing exactly what Benny did to himself, the stupid fuck. After putting the evidence away for safekeeping he replied.
"Okay, you've convinced me, but how in the hell are we supposed to take care of him?"
He asked, regaining his composure slowly after the realization that he might have gotten his entire position compromised hit him.
"I want him dead, so you're going to isolate him and allow us to take care of him in his suite."
Courier Six said, as Swank once again got hit by another wave of realization, before nodding and speaking.
"Okay, I'll have it be done. You two can have your guns back too, I'll give the guards the okay for you two to carry openly. Just take care of the problem and make sure the big guy's happy with the result."
He said, before making sure his underlings got to work carrying out the news, all as the two waited.
Not too long later, the two of them got their guns back, and after checking to see that they were loaded, walked to the elevator to the suites and got in.
LOCATION: The 13th floor of The Tops casino.
DATE: NOVEMBER 9TH 2281.
TIME: 7:57 PM.
TEMPERATURE: 72°F OR 22°C.
Benny was a bit confused over what Swank had said by "A guest of ours wants to talk business in your suite" only a few minutes ago, but he didn't think too much of it. He was secure where he was, and nobody would dare attack him in his own casino, especially when his guards were keeping him nice and secure in his pad. When the door opened and he looked over, he looked like he was ready to talk business like anyone else, till he realized what he was looking at.
The courier he tried to kill by shooting in the head, and a huge fucking ranger were in the doorway, armed and clearly not looking to play nice. Joseph had his revolver drawn and at low ready. That, and he had a particular look in his eyes, as if he would've just shot Benny on the spot, and Six wasn't looking too pleasant either as she kept her assault rifle at the hip. The blood drained from his face as he sputtered out his reply to the two warriors itching for his death and the platinum chip.
"What in the goddamn? How in the fuck did you-oh, Swank you fucking rat!"
He shouted out, as the cold settled into him after his fate was fully realized.