It was nearing sunset when Myina arrived at the office of Randall & Associates. She stopped outside the shack and took in a deep breath before pulling open the door. Her eyes barely had time to adjust to the darkness of the room before Steven Randall's voice rang out.

"And where in the good goddamn have you been? I was beginning to think that Quigely had gotten the drop on you."

Myina scrounged her face at him. That's right, she'd been on the hunt for Quigely when she picked up the job for Mojave Express. Well there goes that bounty down the drain. No doubt Quigley's finger, her proof of completion, had been eaten up by some passing coyotes before Victor had pulled her out of that grave.

"Suck it, Randall." He shook his head as she flung her pack into the corner of the room. She wanted to poke at him for being an ass, but she knew if she wanted to keep her rep as a professional she'd have to get down to business. "And no, he did not get the drop on me. Quigley's gone, as a matter of fact. . ." She inhaled deeply before continuing. "But I lost the proof."

Randall started in on her without hesitation. "You lost the proof, huh? Well don't you go expecting me to give any kinda payment without the damn finger. You know good and well—"

Myina couldn't see his eyes under the dark sunglasses he always wore, but she was sure Randall had just caught sight of the wicked wound on her head. It was starting to heal, but she was sure it still looked pretty nasty, especially given that Doc had to shave the area around it on her head just to dig the bullet out.

"The fuck happen to you?" He may have yelled it, but even Myina could hear the concern in his heavy Louisiana drawl. She shrugged her shoulders, trying to play it off.

"Job with Mojave Express went sour. Got capped in the head. Spent the last few weeks in Goodsprings recovering." Myina crossed her arms over her chest, shifting uncomfortably in the silence that followed. Randall sat for a moment, motionless in front of his typewriter, then stood up and, without a word, pulled a bottle of brandy and two glasses from one of the drawers in the filing cabinet behind him.

"Sit the fuck down."

Myina blinked, but did so, lowering herself into the all-too-familiar chair across from his desk. She had recovered her memories from before the attack but they more of vague shapes and nuances. Sitting there in the office, the feel of the chair, the smell of the air, more detailed memories began to form out of the nonsense. Randall filled both glasses almost to the brim and handed one to her.

"Well then, here's to you crawling out of the grave to make it one more day in the wastes."

He raised his glass to hers and they tipped them back. She'd never had a drink with him before. It was odd for him to express any kind of relationship with any of his employees, of which he had at least a handful. She'd always thought he disliked her; of course that was probably because she sometimes went out of her way to annoy him.

Randall refilled both their glasses before saying anything more. "You, uh. . .you still sane an' al' that?"

"Doc Mitchell did a pretty good job of patching me up. Took some time but I still remember just about everything. . . I think." Myina thought about it, wondering if there were some details she was missing.

"Uh huh. And you catch sight of the asshole that did it?"

"Some guy in a checkered suit. He was with some Kahns, but that's all I know, aside from the fact that they headed towards Primm on their way out."

Randall nodded in contemplation, then spoke up again. "I'll touch base with some of my contacts and see what info I can pull up. In the meantime, I've got another contract for you if you're interested."

Myina tried not to let her surprise show too much. Not only was he going to continue giving her work but he was also going to help her find the guy? Damn. He was such a closet softy. She filed that info away and sat up straight, nodding to him. "Hell yeah I want it. What do you think I'm going to go run and hide because I got a little boo-boo? I've been goin' stir crazy in that dinky little town with nothing to shoot at but geckos. Besides, all my stuff got jacked, I need some caps to get some new gear."

Randall laughed and poured another refill of brandy. "That's my girl."

The mark was a drunk named Chesty. His caravan had gotten attacked and he was one of the only ones to survive. The client wanted info on who had taken the caravan and he was the only lead. The only problem was he was all the way up in Boulder City and Myina knew she'd need better gear before she tried to make it that far. So Primm was still the best option for her next stop. She'd be able to sell some of her scavenged goods and maybe patch up the Varmint Rifle that Sunny had given her. Some armor would be nice too. Having nothing but a tank top and pre-war hat was not doing her any comfort.

The trek to Primm was relatively uneventful, but as soon as she reached the outskirts of the city, she knew she was going to be waylaid by some trouble or another. Outside the main gates an NCR trooper stopped her.

"Hey, where the hell do you think you're going? Primm is off limits." He stood rather defiantly in front of her and Myina found it rather comical. She raised her eyebrows at him.

"A whole city off limits? And for what reason is the NCR putting up a blockade on Primm?"

The trooper growled. "We are not blockading it. Some convicts from the prison up the road have taken over the town. Everyone inside is either dead or in hiding. What's more is there are two types of raiders causing trouble in this area as well. You'd be better off heading back towards Goodsprings." The trooper added as he eyed her up and down.

Myina gave a look back at him. "Thanks but no thanks. I just came from there and I have no intention of returning any time soon. Besides, shouldn't you be helping the town out or something? Instead of just standing here telling me where I can't go?"

"We'd love to, but they don't fall under NCR jurisdiction."

"Oh, so you can't help them, but you can keep potential traders and others that might come to their aid out?" Myina crossed her arms and gave a leveled, calm stare to the trooper. The NCR could really have their heads up their asses sometimes.

The trooper, however, was starting to lose his patience. "Even if they did fall under our jurisdiction, we're in no shape to protect them. There's only a handful of us stationed here and we haven't got the bodies or the equipment to go up against a building full of armed and dangerous convicts."

Myina gave a wicked smile and chirped, "Well why didn't you say so? I'd be happy to help!"

"Go talk to Lt. Hayes then." The NCR trooper must have hit his limit. "He's in the tent down the road. Just stay on the west overpass if you don't want to get shot." He rolled his eyes and walked away while Myina headed in the direction of the encampment.

It was just like the NCR to take control of a situation before they were ready to actually fix it, she grumbled in her head as she pushed open the flap of the tent. Always trying to decide what was best for everyo. . . helloooo.

Myina was greeted at the tent by a tall soldier who promptly addressed her. "I'm Lt. Hayes of the NCR. 5th Battalion, 1st Company. What's your business?"

She couldn't help but smile a little. The Lieutenant was quite the looker. Strong jaw, tan, and deep blue eyes, he held himself with a comfortable authority that didn't feel pretentious or demeaning. He just was in control. Myina tried to think back to the last time she'd been with someone and realized that it had been far, far too long.

She shook her head, refocusing her attention away from mentally undressing the soldier in front of her to lock eyes and stance with him.

"I have business in Primm. I hear you guys are holding them in lockdown and I want to know why. What is your business out here?"

To his credit, Lt. Hayes answered her respectfully, which she couldn't say for the trooper who'd directed her to him.

"We were sent here to attempt to deal with the tide of convicts from the correctional facility up the road. Unfortunately, as you can probably tell, we're not doing the kind of job we could be doing."

Myina nodded. "The trooper outside said they were holding up the citizens and the sheriff. What's the problem with your orders?"

"The problem is with the supplies. The convicts are better armed and organized than our intel initially suggested. I'm trying to get some reinforcements here, maybe some guns with some firepower, but . . ." The Lt. removed his beret and ran his hand along his close cropped brown hair, before rubbing his eyes. "Shit. . . things are just going slow," he confided.

"Well I've got some experience dealing with convicts. And I'm not too shabby with a rifle. I'd be more than willing to help."

Lt. Hayes eye her. "No offense, but I have no idea who you are or what your qualifications are. Besides, why would you do that?"

Myina gave him a friendly smile. "I've got business in town. I need to get in there. And, no offense," she smiled broader, "but you have no authority to keep me from going in there. Which is exactly what I'm going to do, with or without the NCR. Having a couple of soldiers at my back would certainly be welcome, but is by no means necessary."

Hayes studied her for a minute, silently contemplating her request. "I didn't catch your name." He said finally.

"Myina. Courier for the Mojave Express and Bounty Hunter for Randall & Associates. Pleased to meet you." She stuck out her hand and the Lt. shook it with a nod.

"Bounty hunter, huh? I guess you would have some experience with convicts then." Hayes seemed to gain a little hope, and pulled himself up a little higher. "Well, the convicts are holed up in the Bison Steve Hotel at the end of the street. Jamison and Bellows are pretty decent with rifles too. They don't have much close combat or infiltration experience though. There are mines across the bridge leading into the town. Private Ellis has some mechanical and electrical training. She takes care mines, I'll set my guys up on the roofs of the two buildings closest to the bridge. They can help you get up to the building. After that, you could use an extra set of eyes and ears getting in and out of that place."

Myina folded her arms. "And who's that going to be?"

Hayes smiled back at her, a crooked smile that only served to peak her interest in him all the more. "Me."