Chapter 10

Catch Me if You Can

What was left of Jeannie's head, splashed down onto the dry, cracked dirt and bits of broken asphalt. Her neck was profusely squirting blood as it slumped down onto the broken road. The deed was done. I took off the beret and moved her body to the bottom of the hill behind me so that it stayed hidden from the town folk. As I ran back up the hill, I saw Boone covering up Jeannie's blood with dirt and bits of sand.

"How did you know it was her?", said the disgruntled sniper

I pulled the bill of sale out of my pocket and handed it to Boone. "I'm real sorry this happened. Jeannie was a monster. No spouse…..or father should ever have to go through that."

"What's done is done. I knew Carla wasn't happy here but she made me happy. Now she is gone."

"Are you sure she is gone? They took her but we don't know if they killed her. We could go after her."

"Thanks for the offer to help, but trust me I know she is dead. I would appreciate it if you would just drop it."

"What will you do now?", I said trying to quickly change the subject. I couldn't tell if Boone felt relief from his revenge or if he was just getting started.

"I don't know. I suppose I could wander like you or even become an outlaw or merc."

"Why not come with us? It's only myself and Cass. Besides snipers work in teams. One sniper, one spotter."

"I suppose you are right. I don't know give me a night to think about it. Come back here tomorrow night and I'll have an answer for you."

"Sounds good. Oh and hear you go.", I handed Boone his beret and carried myself to the hotel room.

As I entered the room, the smell of alcohol was apparent. Cass was asleep in the bed. Not wanting to wake her nor deal with the threat of a gun in my side or having to disarm her, I spotted a couch next to the door and set my gear down on the floor next to it. I made my way over to the fridge and found a bottle of Nuka-Cola inside and drank it in a few gulps. I made a quick trip to the restroom and plopped down onto the couch. Cass was snoring away in her drunken stupor. Trying to block out the noise of her log sawing, I finally drifted off to sleep.

I was awoken a few hours later by Cass moving toward the door. She was holding her hands up as I realized I had my 10mm pistol pointed at her head.

"Easy there Mr. Mailman, I didn't mean to startle you, this girl is just looking to get something to eat."

"Sorry, survival habit. You know how things are out there.", I said lowering my weapon and placing it back inside the holster.

"No harm intended. You have some quick reflexes for a Courier, you sure you aren't NCR?"

"Just good reflexes", I said smiling.

"Tell that to the scar on your forehead."

"Touche."

"You find what you were looking for last night?"

"No but we may have someone joining us. He's a former NCR 1st recon sniper. His name is Craig Boone."

"Why do I get the feeling we aren't leaving just yet?"

"Well the guard on duty today is the one that knows the man that shot me, and Boone needs time to think on his decision. I think it would be a great idea to let him come along. Those 1st recon guys are pretty badass."

"Alright Mathis let's just get this information you need. Here's an idea I'll talk to this guard and you find his hotel room and see if you can find any information about the guy that shot you. Maybe he keeps a journal."

"What makes you think that this is going to work?"

"Same way it always does. Even if you can't find anything in his room, he is a man. I'll just have to charm it out of him."

"Charm him? You? I have yet to see the charming side of you Cass."

She stepped closer to me and leaned in close to my face. "Because you haven't bought the drinks, Mathis.", she said with a half-cocked smile and walked out the door.

I shook my head trying to figure out what just happened. Picking up my rifle and backpack off the floor, I headed out the door to try and figure out which room belonged to Manny Vargas. I went down the stairs looking around at all the rooms that were connected to the hotel. It was possible to break into all of them trying to figure out which one belonged to the daytime guard, but I ran the risk of breaking into Boone's apartment and getting shot while he tried to sleep.

I saw a local sitting in the grass in the middle of the gated community and decided to go from there. He seemed nice enough.

"Excuse me sir, I am looking for Manny Vargas' place. I am a Courier with the Mojave Express and I have a package for him."

Looking at me suspiciously, "Okay, his room is on the first level next to Boone's. I'll show you. But everybody knows he's on guard duty right now."

He walked me over to the rooms and pointed to Manny's room. Watching me, he walked away, and I waited a few minutes until he grew tired of watching to see if I was going to try something and walked over to another area in the community. Quickly while I wasn't being watched, I picked the lock on Manny's room and snuck in. The room was in nice shape. Everything was neatly placed. There was a spare mattress next to a small twin bed. Across the room was a desk with a computer terminal sitting on top. I made my way over to the terminal. To my luck it was to hack into the terminal.

Manny kept a journal, just like Cass had said. There were several entries. Manny had heard the shot Boone had fired last night but thought nothing of it when there wasn't a second shot. I found an entry from a few days earlier. It mentioned a man named Jessup travelling with another Khan and a man in a fancy checkered suit named Benny. They were passing through on their way to Boulder City.

Boulder City was quite a hike from here but with any luck, they would still be there. Hopefully they would still be alive and haven't run into any Legion or NCR. The NCR had it out with the Khans over the town of Bitter Springs. Most of the Khans hated the NCR as well. They felt that the NCR had mistreated them and that they deserved more.

I closed the terminal and snuck back outside. Cass was still up inside the mouth of the dinosaur talking with Manny. I figured since I had the information I needed, I would work on my weapons. I walked outside the gate and over to the workbench inside the old garage. I placed my backpack onto the workbench as well as my hunting rifle. I looked into my backpack and pulled out my scope for my hunting rifle. I found spare metal parts on a shelf close by and was able to attach the scope to the rifle using my screwdriver. I picked up my rifle and readied it. I would need to sight in the scope but that could wait a few minutes. I put the rifle down and propped it up against the workbench. I pulled out the spare parts for my 10mm pistol and placed them onto the workbench as well as my pistol. From there I proceeded to replace the worn out parts of the pistol. It wasn't in perfect shape but it was close and would have to do for the moment.

I put my backpack back on, holstered my pistol and picked up my rifle. It was time to sight it in. I walked out of the garage and around the back. There were several tin cans laying around. The thought of using them to make some makeshift grenades had crossed my mind but I didn't think that the garage had the necessary supplies for them. I brought a few cans out to a small distance and placed them in a row side by side, just like Sunny had done almost a week ago to help me. I walked back to the spot I decided on behind the garage. Getting into a prone position, I looked through the scope and aimed at the cans. I fired once and missed the first can by just a little to the left. I pulled out my screwdriver and adjusted the scope.

I looked back through the scope and aimed at the can again. Working the bolt to ready the next shot, I saw a gecko not too far away wondering along. Adjusting my aim for the head of the gecko, I fired. The bullet zoomed past the gecko just a little to the right, but not without getting its attention. Quickly I made another adjustment to the scope, worked the bolt, and then aimed for the gecko once again. The small lizard was running on its back legs straight towards me and was getting closer. I pulled the trigger and as the bullet struck the gecko's head, it separated from its body. The head managed to fly backwards as the body using its remaining acceleration continued forward for a short way and fell down.

I smiled with the satisfaction that my rifle was ready and worked the bolt to eject the empty cartridge.

"Three shots? I only need one.", said Boone.

Smiling, I turned around to face the sniper. He was sporting the same clothes I saw him in last night only this time he wore a pair of sunglasses and had an official NCR backpack on his back and his modified hunting rifle slung over his right shoulder.

"So I guess that means you're coming with us?", I said

"Yeah I have nothing left in this town. Might as well go with you. Where are we heading?"

"Well I'm trying to track down that man who shot me in the head. You remember the one that talked to your friend Manny? Turns out his name is Benny and he was heading to Boulder City with Manny's friend Jessup."

"Boulder City is about a day and a half from here. With the right timing, we could make it in a day. One thing you should know about me though. If I see Legion, I kill them. Don't get in my way. You can help me kill them, but don't ever get in my way."

"You have a deal." , I said

"By the way this is for you. A way of saying thanks for helping me with my problem. Its an older one from my former spotter but I figured it would fit you." He handed me red beret with the insignia of the NCR 1st Recon.

"Thanks Boone."

I put on the beret and it seemed to fit well. Looking over his shoulder I saw Cass making her way over to us. She did not look happy.

"Well I hope you got some information because all that guy wanted was for me to go get rid of some ghouls that have taken up residence in the nearby REPCONN Test Site." , said Cass turning to look at Boone, "You must be this sniper I heard about this morning. Boone right? I'm Rose of Sharon Cassidy, but just call me Cass."

"All right Cass.", said Boone

Looking at Cass I said, "The man's name is Benny. He was travelling with one of Manny's buddies, Jessup. Manny is a former Great Khan. Benny and Jessup are heading to Boulder City. If we hurry we can be there in one day maybe a day and a half assuming we don't run into trouble. Are you guys ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be.", said Cass

"Is is time?" Boone said "I'm ready"

We headed out of Novac, making a left by the dinosaur to head north to Boulder City. It was mostly a quiet trip. We didn't talk much. As night fell, we stopped at an abandoned gas station. The sign said El Dorado Gas & Service. It was a smaller station. It seemed to be a spot for travellers as there was evidence of an old campfire and makeshift beds on the ground by the gas pumps. As we were about to enter the station I saw Boone drop to a squatting position and readied his rifle. By the time I saw what he was aiming for he had already dropped two Legionnaires behind the gas station. They were beginning to return fire as we ran to the gas station for cover. I readied my hunting rifle as Cass had pulled out her shotgun. Just as we readied ourselves, I heard the sound of light metal dropping onto the broken concrete. Acting on instinct, I opened the door to the gas station and pulled my companions into the building just in time as the grenade shrapnel sprayed the closing door.

"Damnit Mathis! That was too damn close!", screamed Cass

"Nice job but there is still two more out there." ,said Boone who had his gun pointed at the door waiting for them to come after us.

No sooner had the words left Boone's mouth, the door flew in and a Legionnaire attempted to make his way into the gas station before Boone put a bullet through his skull. The second one waited for Boone to eject the spent shell and to work the bolt when he entered. The Legionnaire levelled his 10mm sub-machine gun to fire at Boone when he was met with a shotgun blast separating his head from his body and my knife pinning his head to the nearby wall.

Once we realized the fighting was over, I walked over and pulled my combat knife from the skull of the dead Legionnaire. The head fell to the floor with a loud thud.

"Well that was fun", I said checking the body of the last Legionnaire for 10mm bullets. I found a few rounds for my pistol and placed them in my backpack.

"If there aren't anymore of them out there, I say we get moving before another patrol shows up.", said Cass

"Agreed", said Boone

When I stepped out of the gas station, I saw a small crater in the ground where a few of the pumps used to be located. Luckily the overhead structure held in place from the grenade blast. I searched the body of the other Legionnaire that Boone had shot, nothing useful that I needed. We continued on our way to Boulder City hoping not to run into any further Legion patrols. Eventually, we reached Boulder without any further entanglements.

To our relief the NCR was stationed throughout the town. Walking through the town, we saw a memorial for all the troopers that had fallen defending the town during the Battle of Hoover Dam. The list was long. I had heard about the battle but had been chasing Joshua Graham at the time. Before I was a Ghost.

We stopped at an area that appeared to be undergoing some kind of work as it was fenced off, but there was an NCR trooper posted at the gate.

"Hold it right there people." ,said the trooper, "I'm Lieutenant Monroe with the NCR and I'm going to have to ask you not to go any further. We have a dangerous situation in the ruins I'm afraid. We are at a standoff with a group of Great Khans."

"It may be the same group we are after. One of them took something from me!", I said to the Lieutenant.

"If they are carrying something that belongs to you, you will receive the property back after the situation has been dealt with."

"What about if I go in and trying to negotiate with them?"

"Normally I would say no but I am starting to worry about the lives of my men they have trapped over there. If you aren't on the bad side of the Khans they shouldn't harm you. You may have to explain yourselves."

"We'll see what can be done with the situation."

"Hold on there, Mathis.", said Cass, "You just volunteer us to go with you now? I don't mind travelling with you but I should at least get a say on putting my ass on the line. Sounds like these guys are dug in good and have hostages. Is this chip really worth the trouble?"

"Yeah not to mention we don't know how many Khans there are in there. Sounds like they are inside a building that has no way to see in what is going on inside. I could cover you from the outside but you would be a sitting duck inside.", said Boone

Turning to them I said, "Look I'm not asking you guys to go in there with me. You are more than welcome to stay out here if you like, but this chip must have some importance or they wouldn't have shot me in the head and left me buried for it. Not to mention I don't think I would've received an invitation from the supposed head of New Vegas who happens to be in the Lucky 38 which was where the chip came from. I need answers so I'm going whether you guys are coming with me or staying here. The choice is yours but if you decide to come with me, you follow my lead when we get in there."

"Alright I'm in." ,said Boone

"Cass?" ,I said

"I'm coming. I just wanted to throw that out there Levi. I don't like just being told what to do and not being in the know."

"Understood." , I said

We all went into the Boulder City ruins. Upon entering, it began to turn dark. I checked the time on my Pip-Boy, and it was just after 10PM. There was a small squad of NCR troopers squatting for cover not too far from the entrance. Obviously trying to keep their distance for the safety of the hostages.

After speaking with the troopers, we learned a little more information about where the Khans were keeping the hostages. It was a building at the far end of the ruins that was barely visible from our location. There were several other buildings in the area that still remained standing. Although it was easy to see that they were only but a shell of their former glory. Looking at the other buildings, it was easy to see that we could spy on the Khans without them seeing us if we were able to get to a high enough location.

Looking back at my team and then back at the ruins, I developed a strategy. "Boone, I need you on the second floor of that building just across from the Khans location. Looks like there is a back door facing toward us so they shouldn't see you coming. When you get up there provide cover fire if they become hostile."

"Copy that I'm on my way." , said the sniper as he squatted down and snuck towards the building.

Looking back at Cass who was staring at me, I couldn't help but admire her looks. She was beautiful. I managed to shake away any thoughts I had about her to focus on the mission.

"Cass you're with me. We're going to head over to that building and try to negotiate with the Khans. If something goes wrong inside, use your shotgun and take out as many as you can as quickly as possible and we get outside fast so we can get cover from Boone."

"You got balls Mathis. This isn't going to be easy. Let's go."

We made our way over to the building. Two Khans were stationed outside. They took a quick look at us and we could tell that we weren't welcomed.

"What do you want?" , said the one to the left

"We're here to see Jessup." , I said

"He's inside. Don't try anything stupid." , said the one on the right.

We stepped inside the building to find it was once a small shop. Behind the shop counter stood Jessup and another Great Khan.

"What the hell! You…..you're supposed to be dead! I saw Benny shoot you in the head and I helped put you in the ground!", said Jessup pointing a sawed-off, double-barrel shotgun at my direction.

Cass had drawn her shotgun but didn't fire. She held it up at the Khans waiting to shoot. I looked at both her and the Khans. I didn't see Benny in the shop.

"Looks like you didn't dig deep enough Jessup. Where is Benny?"

"Benny? That asshole left us high and dry and refused to pay up. I lost a good friend on the journey to kill you and now we are stuck here with the NCR while Benny sits all comfy back at the Tops on the Strip. He promised us a good payday and it sounded too good to be true."

Jessup and the other Khan lowered their weapons and Cass did the same. "If I can negotiate with the NCR to let you walk out of here, will you let the hostages go?"

"You're helping us? Even after I helped put you in the ground?", said Jessup

"Seems we both want to get rid of Benny. You told me where to find him so here is me returning the favor. Also do you know anything about the chip Benny stole from me?"

"No it looked like any normal casino chip to me. Didn't look like anything special. Seemed pretty funny to me that Benny would try to kill you for it. But this is the Wasteland, people kill others for a lot less."

"Alright. We'll be back after talking with the NCR."