Author's Note: So sorry for the chapter being so late, but it gave me so much trouble. I almost posted the original version, which was 14 pages long, but I was extremely unhappy with it. Thanks to TheEnigmaticStranger for helping me figure out I just needed to give it a little time and I would know what to do with it.

Edit: I posted up the original ending to this chapter in my blog thingy if you want to see what happened to Silus in it. Very different. Just follow he blog link in my profile and it should be the first post. Excuse the mess on the blog I'm still trying to get it set up the way I want it.

Awesomeness LOL. Yays, I got an epic, no a MEGA epic! ^_^ Sweet.

Ford B Its definitely worth it!

LadyoftheKnightt Aw, cool. I've never had someone make an account just for one of my stories before. And thank you about Vulpes. He's a tough nut to crack when it comes to figuring out how to write him but that makes it so much fun!

Sip Fornicaras Yeah, I know. -sadface- Bad mercenary guys. But the two of them will eventually get to finish what they started. I doubt Vulpes won't forget any time soon the details of their little deal.

Function Thankfully, no, the leg thing won't cause her death, but it is quite serious. Ironically it will be the forefront of both this chapter and the next. Vulpes a tease? - why yes, the precious little sadist. That was probably the funniest thing to write, especially in her own little way Scarlet kind of deserved it for as frustrating as she can be sometimes. Oh, and originally I was going to have Curtis in this chapter, but it just didn't go as planned (boo!) but I assure you he'll play a bigger part later as will Scarlet's involvement within both the Legion and the NCR. And yes, I just can't turn down a good chance like this to throw in some espionage.

TheEnigmaticStranger VIOLENCE! I'm sorry, did I break your concentration? (Sorry, shameless movie quotage; I really need to reign in the urge to throw Tarantino one-liners around...) But no really, lol. Fanfiction: keeping kids from paying attention in schools since... whenever the heck fanfiction was invented.

Personperson Yay, I'm awesome! I swear with reviewers like you my humble ego is going to fly right out the window. ^^

Pacificuser Thanks!

ThisLegofMine So the Legion was looking to branch out their weaponry. Nice to know.

And thanks for all the faves and alerts everyone!

Chapter XV

Weak and Powerless

"You want me to what?" Scarlet's head pounded along with the sound of her raised voice. The migraine she had been suffering from since the night before had not receded; in fact it was getting worse. At first she had attributed it to the nightmares that had kept waking her up all through the night, because nothing threw of her system like having her sleep interrupted like that. It had been hard enough to rest after returning to the Lucky 38, even though she knew that she and her traveling companions were safe. The memory of their near-fatal ambush in the forest stuck like stale peanut butter to the roof of her mouth and coated her throat, leaving both a bad taste and an incredible thirst. Or maybe the thirst had something to do with this heat. Was it this goddamned hot yesterday? That had to be a better culprit since the peanut butter was just a metaphor and not actually real, therefore unable to cause any true physical discomfort. Absently she pulled at the collar of her shirt and it wasn't so much to fan herself as to rid the feeling of constriction it was causing against her sore neck.

That morning she had just considered saying fuck it and sleeping in. Since before they'd even met the Boomers she had been running nearly non-stop. Her exhaustion was becoming quite apparent and her body was betraying her, its usual stamina and energy nowhere to be found. She felt like a robot whose battery was running low and couldn't find a charger station. Yeah, that's it; I'm sick – or going insane. She had compared herself to one of those bucket of bolt bastards she hated so bad. The thought had caused her some emotional discomfort and she had whined miserably at the breakfast table, earning her a peculiar glance from Vulpes over the top of the glass he had been holding to his lips.

At the current moment in time Scarlet wished she had just crawled right back into bed and told Vulpes she was taking the damned day off. In a way that was probably what he had wanted if she was reading his lingering gazes correctly. Of course it was hard to misunderstand the dry comment of, "the Legion doesn't need a lame Courier," he'd thrown at her on the way over to the Embassy. If only he had said that sooner, but as it were the gates had been in view by this point so she'd shrugged and went on. They were already there so she might as well get the talk with Crocker over with. Smile and nod and lie about what happened with the Boomers and then she and Vulpes could go on with their day happily, or in Vulpes' case whichever unreadable emotion he happened to be feeling at the time. But no! Crocker had to open his mouth and request a favor from her, Oh Almighty Courier who protecteth this land, aid us in our quest! Ok, so it didn't happen exactly like that, but it seemed just as ridiculous.

The NCR had a lot of damned nerve.

According to Ambassador Crocker they had a new problem they wanted her to take care of. The problem's name was Silus and he was a Legion soldier – a Centurion of all things – that had been captured during the latest skirmish between the two factions. This, he explained, was a rare occurrence because most of them just killed themselves instead of being taken. This guy was different, but despite everything he refused to talk to them. They wanted her to go interrogate him (like she had any background in that sort of thing) – and not just interrogate him but torture him if need be. Crocker hadn't said that in so many words but he implied it by stating that since she was a contracted outsider and not associated with the NCR in any official capacity that she could get away with a lot more things than they could, therefore having more ways to get the information out of him.

Really?

"I'm sorry to ask you this, Miss Hugues, but I cannot express enough how important this is. Capturing one of their men is nigh unprecedented. I'd almost say we were meant to come across him. We could always get someone else to do the job, although I would ask that you remain silent about what we have discussed today." Crocker told her. He seemed pretty genuine when he wanted to, but that was a politician for you.

Vulpes' hand had been on her knee throughout the entire conversation; she couldn't tell if he did this out of some unconscious nervousness at being around the NCR for so long or if he just felt like touching her. Considering their near romp in the wood the night before she could begin to count the latter as a option now. He was getting bold and possessive. She knew that look in his eyes right away when he had torn that mercenary apart. It was foolish to believe that was the only reason he had tortured him the way he did, for Vulpes was truly a sadist at heart, but she had no doubt in her mind that it was definitely one of the most prominent. In that moment she felt his fingers squeeze her leg right above her knee. She forced herself to ignore the way her muscles tensed and screamed in pain; that touch shouldn't have hurt her that much. Despite the interference her brain took in the signal and understood his secret message perfectly.

"I'll do it." Scarlet said with a heavy sigh. "But I won't have to like it. I don't want to get mixed up with this affair, you hear me? They have spies everywhere, you know? You told me that yourself. What makes you think that I'm going to risk my hide over nothing? Them Legion boys hear I beat up one of them and all of a sudden I have a price on my head." She leaned back in her chair with an air of nonchalance, her eyes traveling to her hand where she pretended to pick at some dirt under one nail with another.

"Are you asking for payment?" Crocker seemed surprised. "Surely you realize the atrocities that these men are capable of! Information gleaned from this man could help save lives in the future! The payment should be the knowledge of that."

She snorted; that was the kind of lesson parents taught their children but knew better than to believe themselves because the world just didn't work that way. "You think reminding me of what they can do will change my mind? It's the reason I'm asking what else you have for me. I was in Nipton; remember? I was the one who reported the massacre. I was the one who had to stand face to face with their leader as he explained every lurid detail. Don't assume to tell me about the Legion like I think they're a bunch of preschoolers."

Vulpes' eyes flickered to her face as she spoke. He was deeply amused by her reference to him, especially due to the fact that he was sitting right there. And something about the way she almost purred about him granted him a measure of satisfaction that spread warmly throughout his chest: pride. It was not only for his own deeds, but for hers as well. She had spread the tale of Nipton's destruction. Curious, for that was something that he had told her to do, not the NCR. "How long have you had the prisoner?" He spoke up suddenly, turning his attention to the Ambassador.

Crocker regarded him carefully. He had known, of course, that Vulpes was present (though he naturally had no clue as to his real identity), but until that moment had not had to deal with the Courier's silent partner. "Two or three days at most."

"The longer he stays confined the more comfortable he will grow with his surroundings." Vulpes said to Scarlet. He could see the Ambassador's face redden slightly at being so easily dismissed. "At that time he will be too hard to break. If you are going then perhaps we should be on our way."

Scarlet gave a small discontent sound as she rose. "I will do this for you, Crocker, but I do not intend on becoming a target for Caesar's Legion. If they come after me then that is the end of my services for the NCR. Do we understand one another?"

Crocker nodded. "We shall ensure your safety. I will order that no one be told why you are there that needn't. Go meet with Lieutenant Carrie Boyd. She will take you to Silus."

-X-

"Is it true that you kill yourselves before being taken in battle?"

They had not spoken for most of the trip towards Camp McCarran. Crocker had given them both passes to the train, which she was thankful for. Scarlet didn't feel like she would have been able to handle the walk over to the base with as bad as she felt. The entire way she could sense a building up of tension in Vulpes' posture. At first she believed he was upset because the NCR had caused the deaths of more of his comrades, but as he continued to stare out the window in silence she began to notice the tightly set jaw line, the malice rising up behind his eyes, and hands that periodically clenched and unclenched. He was angry because Silus had survived.

"Its an honorable death." Vulpes replied through gritted teeth. "A death that Silus will not receive." He had known Silus; he had thought he had known Silus.

"He should have killed himself then, instead of hoping for an escape?" She prodded, meaning to only test his reaction. She did so gently. "I mean, the one thing we all share is the desire to live."

"Our numbers have been decreased considerably since the failure at Hoover Dam, and it is regretful that we must insist upon such drastic measures, but when we are all but men and nothing more. We break under pressure, even the best trained. A few men's lives are nothing compared to the thousands that are at stake if just one of them lives to be forced to talk – or worse, offers to betray our cause in exchange for their own life. So yes, he should have killed himself. Perhaps that is a strange concept to you: having something so important to you that it is worth more than your own life."

Scarlet allowed a bittersweet smile to cross her features. "I understand." The train was grinding to a stop. "What would you have me do?"

"If there is a way, he must be silence before any harm is done. Preferably killed. Though I would enjoy taking him back to Caesar for proper punishment it would put both of us at risk if we tried to get him out. Also, the thought of him living any longer… If only other cowards had his luck." Vulpes sneered.

It was an easy thing to suggest, but pulling off the murder of a Legion officer, even on NCR territory, was going to be difficult, especially under the circumstances. She couldn't just walk in and point a gun to his head. That would look just a might suspicious. She would have to go in and play it by ear for a while and hope to God something presented itself.

-X-

Lieutenant Carrie Boyd seemed like a no nonsense sort of woman. She exuded a strength and confidence of character that Scarlet would expect from a female soldier. Lt. Boyd also seemed frustrated, fatigue hanging over her person like a dark cloud as the pair approached her. She had been in the middle of a heated conversation with another soldier and it appeared that it was taking everything she had not to just scream out at the top of her lungs at him. Scarlet waited until the argument was finished before reaching out her hand and touching the other woman's shoulder. The NCR officer spun around, exasperation written across her features as she said, "This is a restricted area. If you don't have proper clearance or business here then I would advice you leave." By her demeanor both Scarlet and Vulpes could tell that she hadn't broken her prisoner yet.

Which meant they were in luck.

"Well, that's good for us because we do." Scarlet grinned at the woman, stretching out her hand. "Scarlet Hugues, also known as the courier who rose from the grave. Crocker sent me over here to—" She lowered her voice and leaned in a little closer, "—you know, help with your little Legionary problem."

Boyd's eyes widened as Scarlet introduced herself and then softened considerably at why she was there. "Thank goodness. I've just about had it. I don't know what else to do with the man. He refuses to speak about anything of importance, and when he does open his mouth its to insult us, especially me." She motioned for them to follow her through a doorway as she spoke. "I hope that you'll be able to get more out of him that me."

"I've been known to be very persuasive when I want to be." Scarlet informed. She turned her head to look at the man in the cell, who stared straightforward, almost statuesque. This was Silus? He looked a little older than Vulpes, but couldn't tell by much. For some reason the thought of him being a Centurion seemed ridiculous to her and she didn't know why. Maybe it was because he seemed so youthful, not necessarily young, but more inexperienced than any of the other Centurions she'd met thus far. She wondered if it was a recent rank promotion or if he was just lucky. He certainly wasn't lucky now, was he?

Scarlet went in alone. Vulpes watched her as she lifted her hand to the cell door, hoping she had the heart to do what needed to be done. "Be right back, kiddies. Momma has to go punish one very bad little boy."

-X-

"So, one woman can't do it so she sends in another one." Silus sneered up at her. Scarlet held back the urge to roll her eyes at the man – or punch him in the face. She was more than used to this behavior by being around the other Legionaries, even if it was brief, but he didn't know that, which made this whole charade that much more fun to her. It shouldn't been fun; in fact, it should have scared the hell out of her to be in this cell trying to find a way to kill this man. Instead she only smiled back at him.

"Well, perhaps the NCR thought it would be a little unfair to put a man in here to interrogate you, what with the unfortunate circumstances surrounding your capture…" She leaned against the far wall, picking at that invisible dirt under her nails again. Silus just narrowed his eyes at her, catching the small trailing off of her comment, knowing that there was more to that. Her gaze lifted to him and she added, "you know the one where your balls and scrotum fled in terror as the NCR bore down on you, causing the eventual shriveling of your manhood and effectively making you a woman."

"Watch your tongue, degenerate." Silus growled. He almost came out of his chair. He had a fiery temper; it was too bad that he hadn't used some of that fire to escape from the NCR's clutches before he got into this mess or maybe lead his men to victory rather than ruin.

She scowled. "At least being a degenerate is better than being a coward. I mean, what kind of soldier lets his men perish while he quivers in fear and lets himself get led away by the enemy. Here I was under the impression that the Legion was supposed to be some big bad army, but maybe they're just a bunch of pussies – or is that just you?"

"I will not tolerate this kind of talk from a woman." The Centurion snarled. He was now on his feet and his hand was around her throat before she could move. He slammed her into the wall and agony exploded through her nerves. For a few seconds her vision burst into a field of white dots. Scarlet was temporarily bathed in the bliss of obliviousness; it was that time that your body shut down from pain, but wasn't exactly like blacking out. It only lasted for a few seconds at most before reality blasted back into her mind and with it the pain. Her entire body screamed and her lungs gasped for air and the only thing she could think of was more of an instinctual action.

She rammed her knee up into his groin. A sharp hiss broke through her hazy muffled hearing as he fell away from her, "whore," and allowed her to plant her boot in his chest and knock him back to the ground. Of course, if it hadn't been for the leverage the wall had given her, the movement would have been impossible and she would have fallen to the floor. One instant left her swaying and then the next she forced herself to stand straight and step towards him. Her eyes were still watering and the back of her head, neck, and shoulders were throbbing something horrible, sending more signals to the rest of her pain receptors; her body was in rebellion today, the damned thing.

It was a miracle that she found the balance to do what she did next, which was place her right heel on the floor between his legs and the end of her boot against the bulge of his manhood. She had shifted all her weight onto her left leg and locked her knee in place. Scarlet knew that perhaps this was a little dirty fight-wise, but Silus had an advantage against her – two, really. The first was that he was a man, which made him physically stronger than her. She wasn't an idiot when it came to things like that. Most men were stronger than women; they were built like that. The second was that Silus was not sick like she was. So she used her brain to even out this equation. Silus seemed to understand that, too. Both of them knew that all she had to do was shift her weight back onto her right leg and he would be in excruciating pain.

"Don't move, asshole." She told him, rubbing her sore throat. "You don't scare me and don't think you can." She tilted her right foot just enough to put pressure on his already sensitive bits. His body tensed and she noticed the flickering of discomfort in his eyes. "Don't think of me as a woman, Silus. Think of me as a ghost. I'm a vengeful spirit come to exact pain on my enemies. Don't make yourself my enemy. Tell me what I want to know."

"What the fuck do you want to know?"

"How a coward like you could have ever gotten a rank as high as Centurion just baffles me." Scarlet said honestly.

"What would you know about cowardice, profligate? Speaking from experience." He spat, still trying to be intimidating as she was perched over his jewels – maybe because she was doing just that. He was foolish, but she gave him points for being bold.

"More than you can imagine." She answered. "And I also know about courage, though, which is not leaving your men to die and then escaping to merely survive in the prison of your enemy. What do you expect to get out of this? You're already dead. Just give up."

For a moment his eyes flickered over the phrase 'you're already dead' like he was trying to figure it out. It was a strange comment she supposed looking back on it. Strange if one didn't know the Legion apparently didn't look kindly on their men not offing themselves when they were supposed to.

Silus struggled and she pressed harder on him, causing him to scream at her. "You can't do this!"

"Can't do what?" She hissed, fully agitated now. Every inch of her skin burned as if she were on fire from the inside out. She could feel the sweat pouring down her face and feel the clammy wetness that had collected in the bandana on her forehead. Her stunt with Silus had exhausted her further and she just wanted to get this over with and go home. "Hurt you? Because I don't work for the NCR! Their rules on prisoner treatment don't apply to me." She twisted her foot and he shrieked.

The pain must have been incredible; it also must have been the catalyst for chaos because he grabbed her leg – the sore one – and gripped as tight as he could. Now she was the one screaming in pain and it shot straight up through her body to her brain and told it that it was time for lights out. Her world was turning black before the back of her head hit the tile floor. Outside she heard Boyd shouting.

-X-

Something was wrong with Scarlet. Vulpes didn't know what it was, but even in just the small amount of time they had been traveling together he had been able to mentally file all of her habits. He knew her fighting style, the way she talked to people, and mostly the way she held herself. The girl inside that cell was not the Scarlet he knew; she looked too haggard for this time of the morning, her skin was flushed but pale at the same time, and she moved as if the tiniest thing hurt her. She was hiding whatever was wrong with her well enough to escape even Boyd's trained eye, but she couldn't fool him. In fact, the last few days had passed him by with mild concern, which worsened that morning when he noticed she was limping again and now she was showing signs of illness. It was all beginning to make sense now.

The logical part of his brain, the one that made him a soldier, a leader, was finding the entire situation very irritating. He shouldn't have to remind a grown woman to take care of herself, much less a woman like Scarlet who should definitely know better than to let her injuries go. Then again she had a horrible habit of ignoring her own personal discomforts in the pursuit of whatever endeavor she happened to be on at the moment; the problem with this was that she was constantly on some kind of mission and never took time to even take a breath between jobs. Even Legionaries had their off-time to recuperate from battle, or at least the officers did. He remembered what it was like to be in the lower ranks, just a skirmisher, someone expendable. Vulpes might have been the leader of the Frumentarii now, but he wasn't always, and back then he had been lucky to survive his time as a foot soldier. His actions had been necessary; Scarlet's were foolish.

However, even as he felt the first bubbling sensation of anger at her choices time with her had reawakened another part of him. It was the one that allowed him to do his job so well, the part that could understand that other point of view whether he accepted it or not. Vulpes had always been able to see the other side of things and had always had the ability to stay emotionally separated from that as well. It was this that allowed him to ignore the pleas of the newly captured, tune out the screams of the crucified, even gain pleasure from it, while every second being able to put himself in their shoes – because if he could do that, know what made them tick, it made the Legion's job that much easier. Now he was looking at the girl on the other side of the glass and tried to do the same thing; he was finding it difficult, and that was disconcerting.

Over a week should have been more than enough time for him to make a judgment about someone. He was no closer to knowing Scarlet now than he was when he had been assigned to her. It was… refreshing. Caesar would be none too pleased that it was taking him this long to report on her, but Vulpes was enjoying this challenge. He even found the corner of his mouth turning upwards when he heard her tell Silus that she didn't work for the NCR. No, because you work for the Legion. They both knew it really. Maybe if it had been another courier who had been in her position he would have found it possible for them to betray the Legion after coming so far, but not Scarlet. She had belonged to them since the moment she stepped foot in Cottonwood Cove – no, perhaps even further than that.

Violet eyes watching his every move, searching for him even after he had long left town and perched on a nearby hillside to survey her course through a burning village. Scarlet had belonged to the Legion since Nipton; Scarlet had belonged to him. She hadn't known it then and she might not fully understand it now, but she would one day wear the Bull's crest, kneel before the son of Mars in reverence, and stand at Vulpes' side where she should have been all along.

In a split second his smirk had vanished and was replaced by action. "Get that door open!" He growled at Boyd. Pleasantries were Scarlet's department, especially when it came to dealing with the NCR. Lt. Boyd flipped through her keys, looking for the right one. Meanwhile Silus had pinned the vulnerable Courier onto the floor, one hand searching through her pockets for something useful. A light flickered on behind his eyes and Vulpes knew he had found what he was looking for – a weapon. The switchblade he had given Scarlet was pulled from her jacket and flipped open; it glinted in the overhead lights and Silus had a vicious grin on his face.

"I told you I wouldn't tolerate that kind of talk from a woman." Silus said, placing the blade at her throat.

The door swung open and Vulpes pushed passed Boyd and grabbed the other Legionary by the front of his armor and shoved him against the glass. "She had permission." Vulpes pulled back his fist and punched Silus in the face. Behind him he could sense the vague movements of the NCR Lieutenant helping Scarlet to her feet. His traveling companion groaned as she was coming to. He had barely enough time to register that before Silus brought the blade around in a sweeping motion towards him. Without thinking Vulpes reached up and grabbed it, hissing as the blade bit deep into the flesh of his hand. "Coward."

Silus' eyes widened as he finally recognized his attacker. "Inculta."

Luckily Boyd was too busy getting Scarlet into the other room so she didn't hear the Frumentarius being addressed. "You should have died on that battlefield – but don't worry. I'll remedy that for you!" Vulpes twisted Silus' arm and slung him across the room. Silus hit the floor with a dull thud followed by the clacking of his armor settling against the tile. While he tried to regain his bearings Vulpes stepped up and placed his foot on Silus' wrist, forcing him to let the knife go. He leaned down and plucked it from the tile and stood over him.

"Tell me one thing," Silus asked, "why are you protecting that profligate in there?"

"I'm not protecting a profligate; she's been granted Caesar's favor." Vulpes informed, eyes traveling to the blond in the next room. She was leaning against the wall with her head in her hands, still appearing to be very woozy, but at least she was awake.

There must have been some measure of concern in his eyes for Silus sneered, "Caesar's favor or yours? Tell me, Vulpes, is she your pet or are you hers?"

Vulpes snarled. He was angry with Silus for daring to goad him after all he'd done and angry with himself for letting his façade slip. "I guess you'll never find that out." He knew exactly where all the weaknesses in their armor were and brought the blade down and through the layers into Silus' chest. He twisted a couple times to ensure optimal damage. "You could have died honorably, been branded a martyr. Instead you choose to die like a traitor and a coward."

The life drained from Silus' face as the blood began to pool. His breathing rasped in his chest and Vulpes knew he had pierced one of his lungs. Silus' death would be an unpleasant one. The Frumentarius rose and flicked the switchblade closed and stuck it in his pocket before exiting to check on Scarlet. She immediately tried to stand straight, but her knees buckled beneath her. Vulpes caught her against his chest and he felt the heat radiating off of her skin, saw how bloodshot her eyes were. "You need to see a doctor." He told her, and then turned his attention to Boyd. "Do you have a medic available?"

"No." Scarlet shook her head. "Arcade. Take me to Arcade."

Vulpes nodded. "Of course." He swept her off the floor, one arm under her knees and the other under her back. Her fingers grasped at his shirt and she laid her head against his shoulder. At her touch he felt the most peculiar feeling welling up inside of him, one he couldn't place. He gave one last glance over his shoulder at the dying man and realized that he cared more for the well-being of this woman, a dissolute, than he did for a man he would have once called comrade.

He should have been surprised, but somehow he wasn't.

So yeah, that was Chapter 15. There's still bits I'm unsure about, but being a writer I'll never be 100 percent on my own work. In the orginal version it was Scarlet who killed Silus, but as I got back to that point in the rewrite I just felt it appropriate to let Vulpes do it. I also tried to capture Scarlet's descent into sickness, which was a struggle and I don't think I did it quite right, but here it is.

I'm going to try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can, but I'm currently helping a friend move into his new place after moving nearly halfway across the country so updates on my stories might be a little slower than you're used to. Hopefully this will be remedied when things get settled. Until next time, happy reading!

Next Chapter: Open Wounds - Vulpes takes Scarlet to Arcade and the verdict is on on how much damage she's done to herself for being an idiot (because we all know she kind of is). Upon his inquiry into Scarlet's motives Vulpes learns what brought her to the Mojave and also what may be the reason she insists on being so nonchalant about her own safety. Scarlet's backstory revealed!