Valeria wrenched her hammer free from the twitching corpse of a giant Radscorpion in a shower of white gore. The crowd jamming the catwalks above howled its approval as she wiped blood and sweat from her eyes with her arm and surveyed the dry sewage pit. The shattered bodies of Radscorpions littered the packed dirt, their limbs still twitching as their primitive nervous systems shut down. Gritting her teeth against the burn of poison in her wounds, Valeria looked up at the crowd and snarled. The catwalks above her were crowded with the drab browns and grays of wasteland robes and coveralls mixed with the dark red of Legion tunics.
"Again the Thorn witnesses the triumph of its mightiest champion!" Shouted Red Lucy from her vantage point on a concrete platform above the center of the pit. "None have stood so long against the Thorn! But can she prevail against the final test? Return when the moon is full to find the answer!"
Red Lucy crossed her leather-clad arms and watched as the crowd began to slowly disperse. Then she looked down at the huge woman glaring at her from below. Red Lucy stared into Valeria's eyes and smiled as she felt thrill she always felt in the presence of the hulking mutant. Valeria looked away and limped toward the steel gate leading out of the arena. She had always been resistant to toxins, but since her experience at Big Mountain they hardly affected her. She still had no idea what Dala had done to her, but so far it appeared that many of her inhuman abilities were enhanced. This had served her well as she faced the mutant beasts of the Thorn.
A gate rattled open before her and Valeria stepped through into a dark sewer tunnel beyond. Grim faced guards in heavy leather armor and carrying rifles watched as she made her way through the tunnels reeking of refuse, decay and blood. Finally she arrived at a door with a flaming barrel nearby providing light. Valeria leaned against the wall and waited for Red Lucy to arrive as the distant echoes of the departing spectators filtered down from the levels above. Soon Valeria heard boot steps on the stairs beyond the door as Red Lucy descended. She was wearing the same leather armor as her guards, with a shotgun strapped to her back. The flickering flames backlit her short red hair and striking green eyes as she smiled up at Valeria.
"You fought well my hunter." She said as she produced a leather pouch and dropped it into Valeria's outstretched hand. "Your payment as we agreed."
Valeria weighed the pouch containing Denari, and knew that it wasn't going to be enough to allow entrance to the Strip.
"Caesar's tribute must come first." Lucy said as she noted the look in Valeria's eyes. "You are bringing more crowds to the Thorn than ever before, but to increase profits you must be willing to face more challenging opponents."
"I just killed six giant radscorpions, wasn't that 'entertaining' enough?"
"The crowd's appetite for blood is as insatiable as the Thorn's. They have witnessed your prowess and now refuse to bet against you. If you want to win their gold as well as their devotion, you must truly risk your life."
"I take it you have something in mind?"
"Indeed. The hunters of the Thorn are braver then the Legion, and have provided such a challenge. Do you want to face it?"
"I don't like this." Valeria replied with a scowl. "I don't enjoy killing, and definitely not to entertain a bloodthirsty mob."
"You don't have to accept the challenge." Lucy said, her smile unchanged. "But the Thorn is not a place of decadence, it is a temple to truth. The Thorn strips all pretense and reveals what they truly are. You deny you enjoy the act of killing, but the Thorn has shown me the truth."
"I'm doing this because I have to, not because I enjoy it!"
"Whatever the reason for entering the Thorn, once blood is spilled the truth is always revealed."
"You're sick." Valeria growled, but Red Lucy simply smiled and crossed her arms.
"You are free to go my hunter, but you will return." Valeria glared at Lucy, than strode past her to the stairs. Red Lucy watched Valeria go, than her smile faded as she leaned against the wall and stared into the flickering flames of the barrel.
"Will the mutant fight?" A calm voice spoke from the doorway behind her.
"All who fight in the Thorn do so of their own free will Vulpes." Lucy replied without turning around. A man in a red Legionnaire tunic with a red cloth concealing his face stepped next to Lucy and she turned to look into his cold gray eyes.
"The Thorn has been most useful in bolstering the Legion's warrior spirit, and its tribute has been most satisfactory." Vulpes said evenly. "For these reasons you have been allowed to continue, but don't mistake forbearance for autonomy. Soon Caesar will come to witness this mutant who has become so popular with the masses. I expect a fitting performance for such a momentous occasion."
"The Thorn does no one's bidding." Red Lucy replied with a chill in her voice. "But have no fear on the mutant's account. Whatever her protests, she will return."
"For your sake I hope you're correct." Vulpes whispered before backing away and leaving Red Lucy alone to stare into the flames.
A cold desert wind was blowing when Valeria climbed out of a manhole to the decaying streets of Westside. Veronica was waiting in the shadows under a sign that announced "Thorn" in red letters with an arrow pointing down to the manhole.
"Are you okay Val?" She asked as she looked at the blood drying on her friend's body.
"I'm fine, but I didn't get enough." Valeria replied wearily as she handed the pouch to Veronica.
"It's okay Val." Veronica replied cheerfully. "I know it hasn't been quick, but we'll get there." Veronica glanced furtively about then added. "Let's go."
Valeria nodded and followed Veronica, not questioning her reluctance to be seen by any members of the Legion. Veronica maintained that she had to keep a low profile because of her history of scavenging, but Valeria had begun to suspect there was something more. When they had arrived at New Vegas, Veronica insisted that they get off the highway and avoid the sprawling farms stretched before them. She explained the farms were worked by slaves, and watched from the Legion fortress in McCarran airport. Veronica had already explained the Legion's bias against women and mutants, and suggested they not push their luck. As they had made their way through the scattered ruins they began to pass rows of crosses with rotting bodies in patchwork armor tied to the cross beams.
"That's what the Legion did to the Fiends." Veronica had explained. "A bunch of drug addicted killers, so nobody minded when they cleaned house." Valeria didn't reply, but stared grimly at the remains. The forest of crosses had thinned when they reached the suburb Veronica called 'Westside'. It was a stretch of urban decay surrounded by a crude barricade of stacked cars and sheet metal fences with sandbagged guard towers manned by grim-faced militia. There was some difficulty getting in as the guards shot suspicious looks at Valeria, but with no clear reason to deny entry, they were allowed inside with a warning to not make trouble.
"Why does the Legion allow a militia?" Valeria asked as they had passed the gate.
"The Legion doesn't enslave everybody." Veronica had replied. "As long as towns obey Caesar's laws and aren't late with tribute, they pretty much leave them alone. Of course the laws prohibit stockpiling ammunition or buying energy weapons. Towns are allowed enough arms to keep the peace, but not enough to pose a threat to the Legion."
Now Veronica led them through the darkened streets with the only light coming from scattered campfires and the blazing neon filtering down from the Lucky 38 Casino towering overhead. Snatches of pre-war band music drifted on the wind from beyond the massive wall surrounding the Strip as well as shouts of distant laughter. There was no place in New Vegas where the opulence of the Strip wasn't visible or audible, enhancing the feeling of squalor and despair in the slums outside the wall.
After passing through a junk metal gate through a wall of crushed cars, they arrived at a decaying building which a faded sign announced was the Casa Madrid Apartments. In a pool of light cast by a flickering streetlight, a woman in a heavy leather coat leaned against the wall near the door smoking. Her burn-scarred face twisted into a smirk as she saw Veronica and Valeria approach.
"Got a lot of business tonight thanks to you." She said. "Those Legion boys get all fired up after some blood sport. Jimmy and Sweetie have been pretty busy, hell even Maude's getting some." She laughed and inhaled from her cigarette as Valeria and Veronica walked past.
"Good night Sarah." Veronica said as they pushed through the door and entered the dusty darkness beyond.
"Hey Val!" Sarah said with a leer. "If you get tired of smashing bugs in the Thorn, I've had a bunch of customers asking about you." She snorted with laughter as Valeria stopped and turned to glare as the door closed between them.
"Why do you let her get to you?" Veronica asked as they climbed the creaking stairs to the second floor. "So what if some of the men here think you're attractive?"
Valeria stopped and stared incredulously down at her friend. "Attractive? I know what I look like! I don't like being reminded that I'm only interesting to freaks and degenerates!" Valeria turned and angrily shoved the door to their apartment open and stomped inside while Veronica followed.
Not long after arriving at Westside, Veronica and Valeria had descended into the sewers and approached Red Lucy at the Thorn. They soon found she had no interest in hiring hunters, but was willing to let Valeria fight in the arena for a cut of the profits. Valeria had been very reluctant to do so, and only the knowledge that she wouldn't be facing humans finally convinced her to try. At first the money had been good, allowing the two women to rent an apartment at the Casa Madrid while Veronica began investigating the Sierra Madre and Valeria tried to find information about her parents. Both endeavors proved frustrating as they found that information was a commodity not sold cheaply.
Adding to their financial woes was the unexpected burden of feeding Valeria. Her mutant metabolism required large amounts of raw meat, especially after recovering from her injuries. Fresh or even spoiled meat was rare and expensive. Valeria defied Legion law and attempted to hunt in the wastes but game was scarce and Legion scouting parties common. Hunting wild game was restricted to the Legion garrisons, leaving the citizens of the city to subsist on vegetable proteins harvested from jealously guarded plots, or from catching radroaches or mutant rats. The Strip was said to dine on the finest Brahmin meat imported from the sprawling ranches of California by the Crimson Caravan. The independent merchant house was allowed to operate in Caesar's Mojave in return for tribute and brought in delicacies for the Strip despite an NCR embargo.
"Take your armor off Val." Veronica insisted as she closed the door of their squalid apartment. "Let's see how bad those wounds are."
"They're nothing Ronnie." Valeria insisted as she sat heavily on one of the steel framed beds pushed against the walls of the main room. The apartment consisted of an open bathroom with a stained sink and toilet, an alcove with a methane gas stove, and the living room, which also served as the bedroom and dining area.
"What were you fighting?" Veronica demanded as she faced Valeria with her arms folded.
"Six giant radscorpions." Valeria replied as she sighed and started to unbuckle her pauldrons. Veronica had entered the Thorn only once, and had left as soon as she realized how many Legion soldiers were in the crowd. Now she waited outside in the shadows for Valeria's return. Perhaps it was guilt for leaving her friend underground, but Veronica insisted on tending Valeria's injuries despite how rapidly she healed.
"Six!" Veronica exclaimed. "Did they sting you?"
"Twice I think." Valeria replied with a sigh as her pauldrons dropped with heavy thuds to the stained mattress. "One in my upper arm and one in my thigh."
"Was Red Lucy trying to get you killed?" Veronica asked as she began to check Valeria's injuries.
"She's trying to up the ante and get people to start betting again. Right now the odds are so high in my favor that nobody is willing to."
"You're just too efficient." Veronica observed with a smirk as she noted the swelling already receding from Valeria's arm. "You should let the mutants chew on you a while to make it look like a fair fight."
Valeria didn't smile at Veronica's attempt at humor. "I'm killing for money, but that doesn't mean I have to like it or play it up."
"Well it's not in vain Val. It's taking longer then I thought, but we're managing to save a little each time."
"Until Lucy sends something tough enough to kill me." Valeria observed sourly. "She's already mentioned that she's got something in mind."
"You're not going back are you?" Veronica asked with a worried frown as she moved to stand in front of Valeria.
"I don't see any alternatives." Valeria replied as she rested her forearms on her knees and stared at the floor. "I found your stash of refurbished microfusion cells several days ago." Veronica started in surprise and opened her mouth to protest but Valeria interrupted.
"You're trying to salvage tech to sell again. We both know how dangerous that is. I'm not good for much, but I am good at this. I'll win the money we need to get into the Strip."
Veronica glared at Valeria and crossed her arms. "You self-sacrificing idiot!" She snapped. "Don't ever tell me you're no good again! Yes it's been hard going, but the next time you go into that arena you could be killed and I can't…" Veronica's voice trailed off, and then with a forced smile she punched Valeria in the shoulder. "We're partners you big lummox, and I get a say in what you do around here. Clear?"
Valeria looked into Veronica's eyes and saw the pain and concern she was trying to hide with her bravado. Valeria had been suspecting for a while that something terrible happened to Veronica after Helios One was destroyed. Valeria never asked, but Veronica was extremely shy about uncovering her head, and her wish to avoid the Legion seemed more excessive than prudence required. The strain was taking its toll on the young woman and she was starting to look haggard.
"Okay Ronnie." Valeria said with a small smile. "I'll think about it some more."
Suddenly there was a knock at the door and Sarah's voice barked. "Hey in there! Someone's here to see you!" Veronica and Valeria looked at each other in surprise.
"Pretty Sarah wouldn't sound that calm if it was the Legion. I'll get it." Veronica stood and opened the door to show Pretty Sarah, her fist raised to knock on the door again. With a scowl Sarah stepped aside and nodded toward a dark faced young man who was conspicuously well fed and groomed. His dark coat looked new, as did his black leather shoes, which were visible beneath the cuffs of his neatly pressed trousers.
"Yes?" Veronica asked as Pretty Sarah turned and walked away.
"Uh, yes." The man replied, who was clearly nervous in his squalid surroundings. "My name is Chauncey, and I am here on the behalf of Dean Domino to offer an invitation to join him at the Ultra-Luxe for dinner tomorrow night."
"The Strip?" Veronica asked, her eyes wide with astonishment. "Why would Domino invite me to the Ultra-Luxe?"
"Actually the invitation is for Valeria who I understand lives here?" Chauncey tried to look over Veronica's shoulder to see into the room as Valeria stood from the bed and approached the door. His eyes widened with astonishment as she loomed over Veronica and looked down at him with her arms folded.
"I do live here." Valeria announced. "Why would Domino want to see me?"
"Ah…uh." Chauncey stammered as he fought to regain his composure. "You have become a bit of a celebrity from your exploits in the Thorn, and members of the White Glove society have indicated an interest in meeting you."
"They want to gawk at the freak you mean." Valeria growled. Chauncey swallowed hard and backed up a step but before he could protest Veronica turned to face Valeria.
"Excuse us a minute, will you?" She asked as she looked into Valeria's scowling face.
"Of cou…" Chauncey started to say as Veronica kicked the door closed.
"I know you don't like crowds Val, but this is our chance!"
"Domino just wants to give his guests a cheap thrill. This isn't a job offer Ronnie."
"I know that you big dummy! But we'll be inside! Maybe the chance isn't a good one, but it's better than what we have now!"
Valeria locked eyes with Veronica, and again saw the pain, but this time also hope.
"Okay Ronnie. Let Chauncey in before he leaves or I change my mind." Veronica gave a squeal of delight and leaped up to hug Valeria.
"You're the best Val!"