"Feel better?" Dean growled as he sat up rubbing his jaw. The sunglasses he always wore were gone, shattered when Veronica had whirled and hit him with all her strength, sending him sprawling.
"No, but it's a good start." Veronica snarled as she rubbed her fist.
"I won't deny that I may have…deserved that." Dean replied as he wiped blood from his face with the back of his fist. His white eyes were slits of rage as he glared up at Veronica, then over her shoulder to where Valeria loomed. Dean chuckled and shook his head as he slowly climbed to his feet.
"You get that one for free." The ghoul said evenly, his calm demeanor restored. "The next one will cost you."
"You used me as bait to trap Val." Veronica hissed with rage. "Then you betrayed that Legion bastard the second he lost. Give me one reason I shouldn't kill you now."
"You want the Sierra Madre." Dean replied with a sneer. "Nobody knows that gilded deathtrap like I do, and you know it. If you felt otherwise we wouldn't be having this little chat."
"I made the deal with House, not Veronica." Valeria interrupted, her eyes gleaming in the dark as she bared her fangs in an unconscious snarl. "The only reason I followed you was to find her. Now that I have, I don't care about either you or the Sierra Madre."
"Indeed?" Dean asked as he casually crossed his arms. "Are you so certain your little friend shares that sentiment?"
Valeria's huge hands closed into fists and she began to step forward when Veronica turned and held a hand up to stop her.
"He's right Val." She said as she shot a furious look over her shoulder at the smirking ghoul. "You may have made the deal with House, but I want the Sierra Madre for myself."
"Why?" Valeria asked frowning with confusion.
"I told you what Elder Elijah meant to me Val." Veronica said as she looked up into her friend's eyes. "I have to know what happened to him, but its more than that." Veronica took a deep breath as she gingerly touched her swollen cheek before continuing. "Elijah believed that there was something in that Casino that would change the Mojave, possibly even the world." Veronica lowered her hand and looked again into Valeria's eyes.
"I said once that I wanted to make a difference." Veronica finally said. "I still believe in the Brotherhood's mission to save humanity. I think Elder Lyons was right to take direct action and I want to do the same." She paused, and then her voice caught with emotion as she added urgently.
"I want my life to mean something Val. I have to make a difference."
Valeria was silent for a moment as she stared into her friend's eyes, then she looked up and scowled at Dean.
"All right Ronnie, I'll do it." She looked back at Veronica and folded her arms before adding. "But I'm doing it for you. Not House or Dean."
"As truly touching as this all is." Dean interrupted. "We need to find a new location before everything with ears and a nose arrives." As if to add emphasis, the howl of a distant coyote echoed from the darkness.
"All right." Veronica declared after shooting a glance at the ghoul. "Let's grab all the supplies we can carry, and Val…"
Valeria looked questioningly at Veronica as her friend paused to consider what to say.
"I don't know how long we'll be on the road or what we're going to find." Veronica finally said. "This might be your only chance to…do what you have to."
Valeria's eyes widened as she realized what Veronica was asking her. She opened her mouth to object, but seeing the look of grim resolve on Veronica's face closed it and nodded miserably.
Veronica turned away and started to limp toward one of the campfires and the packs lying nearby. Dean watched Valeria thoughtfully as she descend into the darkness, and then picked up the pistol he had dropped. He glanced at Veronica and saw the young woman was staring at him as she crouched over a pack. The ghoul nodded with a mocking smile before putting the pistol in his belt.
As soon as Valeria returned, they set out as quickly as they could. Valeria led the way, relying on her ability to see in the dark to lead them to the safest place she could find. Finally she found the remains of corrugated steel shack near a hilltop and announced that they would stop there for the night. Veronica wasn't complaining, but Valeria knew she was at the end of her endurance and needed to rest. Dean said nothing as Valeria volunteered to take the first watch.
"Okay, I'm second." Veronica insisted as she leaned against her pack in what remained of the corner of the building. Valeria didn't reply as she sat looking out at the night sky as tried to make himself comfortable as well.
"My this brings back memories." The Ghoul quipped as he leaned against a wall.
"At the Ultra-Luxe you said you were at the Sierra Madre for years." Veronica asked sullenly after a minute of silence.
"A bit of an understatement." Dean replied with a smile. "Actually it was more like two-hundred years."
"Two-hundred years?" Veronica asked incredulously as Val turned to look at Dean in astonishment.
"I admit it was a tad obsessive." Dean said with a shrug. "But the Sierra Madre is a tough nut to crack, and I had no reason to believe anything remained outside of the Valley."
"But you failed." Valeria observed somberly.
"I got closer than anyone." Dean snapped as anger flashed in his eyes. "Close enough to almost touch it…but." The ghoul shrugged then fell silent.
"What happened?" Veronica asked, curious in spite of herself.
Dean stared thoughtfully at Veronica for a moment before shrugging and leaning against the wall to look up at the stars blazing overhead.
"It was meant to be the grand opening of the Sierra Madre." He finally said, still gazing at the sky. "Sinclair had built a fortune creating a playground for the rich and famous in the middle of the most hostile desert on Earth. I had been invited to open at the Tropico, so I was staying in the Puerto Del Sol waiting for the Gala to begin." Dean chuckled at a memory before continuing.
"I wasn't idle of course. My orchestra may have given me fame and fortune, but that was more of a sideline to my main interest which was bringing down the bastards pillaging the wealth of the world from their ivory towers." Dean's voice had dropped into almost a growl before he managed to regain his composure.
"I had just concluded a deal to sell a Platinum Chip that I had 'acquired' from Sunnyvale." Dean said with a smile.
"House's Platinum Chip?" Veronica asked.
"The same." Dean replied with a nod. "I didn't know what it did, but I knew House and several other interested parties wanted it bad. Apparently my client was captured by Sinclair's security as he ill advisedly tried to attend the festivities at the Casino. As I understood it the chip was confiscated by Sinclair but since I had already been paid it didn't matter. Besides, I had a caper in the works that would open the Vault of the Sierra Madre itself."
"But then the bombs dropped." Veronica interrupted.
"Yes, that did put a spanner in the works." Dean admitted. "I stayed in the Puerta Del Sol while Sinclair's workforce rioted and fled to die in the wastes. The Casino was sealed tight, with no one going in or out."
"Why did you stay?" Valeria asked quietly.
"Where would I go?" Dean replied with a shrug. "The world had just blown itself to hell. Besides when my hair fell out and my skin peeled away I assumed I wasn't long for this life either." Dean's white eyes glittered as his scabious lips pulled away from his yellow teeth in a grin.
"It took me a while to realize that I wasn't dying, and then I threw myself into trying to uncover all of Sinclair's secrets. I think I even went a bit mad for a time, but trying to get into the Casino kept me from thinking about what was outside. It gave me…focus and a reason to keep going."
"You said you almost solved it." Veronica asked, leaning forward to hear better.
"Almost." Dean replied with a rueful shake of his head. "As the years passed the Sierra Madre began to receive visitors. Some were human, others…not so much. The humans were all there for the treasure, which gave me a common ground to form alliances of convenience. Again and again I failed, but each time I got a little further. Each time I gleaned another clue, which spurred me to greater efforts."
"What happened to the others?" Valeria interrupted.
"All dead." Dean replied with a shrug of indifference. "Every time we made some progress my temporary companions would do the math and start figuring out how to increase their cut. Not all killed each other, some were killed by 'natural' causes and others met their end with Sinclair's security measures."
"What kind of security?" Veronica asked.
"You don't get that now." Dean said with a smile as he coolly appraised Veronica. "Maybe once we reach the Sierra Madre."
"So you got inside the Casino?" Valeria asked as she rested her chin on the pommel of her hammer.
"Yes." Dean said as he looked back at the sky. "I had finally found the…key to Sinclair's vault." The ghoul grinned at some private joke before continuing. "My last group of companions had been sent by House. Imagine my surprise to find he had survived the war and was living large in Vegas." Dean shook his head in amusement before returning his gaze to the stars. "This group was much more professional than the others, and with my help we got into the Vault beneath the Casino." The smile faded from Dean's face and the ghoul became cold and distant. "All the secrets Sinclair had were in that Vault, along with enough wealth to buy New Vegas several times over. Then everyone was pointing guns at each other." Dean shook his head and chuckled mirthlessly.
"Our alliance had lasted longer than the others, but the time of reckoning had finally come. We were hiding behind whatever cover we could find waiting for someone to make the first move when…something started killing the Mercs one by one."
"Something?" Veronica asked, her eyes wide as she found herself lost in Dean's story.
"Something big and fast." Dean said with a snarl. "I saw my chance and made a run for it along with another merc with the same idea, but whatever that thing was it was coming up fast behind us."
"How did you escape?" Valeria asked.
"I shot my former ally in the knee and bought myself time to get to the elevator." Dean replied with a fierce grin.
"You shit." Veronica declared with a grimace of disgust.
"I just shot him before he shot me." The ghoul replied unperturbed. "I didn't see what was down there, but whatever it was had killed three heavily armed mercenaries in almost as many seconds. Flight seemed the most prudent course of action. Even so I made it out only by the skin of my teeth, and I lost the key to the Vault in the process."
"So what did you do next?" Valeria asked quietly.
"In the immortal words of Vera Keyes, I finally 'let go'." Dean replied. "After all those years to almost touch that treasure, then to have it yanked away yet again." Dean looked down and shook his head. "I finally realized that I had gone from the toast of the town to just a ghost haunting a dead city, as forgotten as Sinclair. The Mercs said New Vegas was waiting out in the desert, an oasis of opportunity for a man of vision. It was time to rejoin the world and make Dean Domino a household name again."
"Why did you keep sending teams to look for it if you gave it up?" Veronica asked.
"I saw what was in that vault." Dean replied as he shifted to a more comfortable position. "Just because I had carved kingdom for myself, and I saw no reason not to keep trying. Now that my fortunes have changed again, thanks to that backstabbing bitch Marjorie, its time to revisit the Sierra Madre and begin again."
"You said you lost your key." Veronica pointed out. "How do you plan to get back inside?"
"That key represented…plan 'A'." The ghoul replied with a shrug. "I had other options to explore. Not as efficient but certainly possible. Besides, you two present options I didn't have before, and may make all the difference this time. Now it has been a very long day, and if you intend to have me take a turn at watch?"
"No." Valeria replied firmly, her face expressionless.
"Well than." Dean replied with a smirk. "On that note I'll bid the both of you good night." Dean leaned his head back and closed his eyes, a smirk still on his lips.
"Get some sleep Ronnie." Valeria finally said as she rose to her feet. "I'll wake you when I'm ready."
"You better." Veronica warned before pulling her hood further over her face and pulling her knees to her chest.
Valeria stared at Veronica for a moment before turning and looking out over the moonlit expanse of hills stretched out before her. Coyotes were starting a distant chorus as Valeria raised her eyes and looked at the vast expanse of the sky. She had a terrible foreboding about their mission, but Veronica was determined and Valeria knew better than to try to talk her out of it. Valeria also knew they had very few options. They were now deep in NCR territory and wanted by the authorities. Life in the Mojave under the Legion was too hard on Veronica, and wandering the wastes was also out of the question. As much as Valeria hated to admit it, finding the Sierra Madre and obtaining whatever it offered was the only chance they had.
…As long as it didn't kill them first.