Chapter Three: Heartaches by the Number
After a quick shower, Jaydon made her way to The Ultra Luxe. She ignored the stares of the patrons on the street as she passed the elaborate fountain.
How is that thing still working? she thought. Shouldn't it be dead along with the vehicles here?
She entered the luxurious hotel, her boots brushing against the plush green, and white carpet. Jaydon noticed some of the other patrons steal glances at her as one of the dapper door guards approached.
"Good afternoon," said the guard. "How may I help an agent of Him this fine day?"
After Courier Six had been shot, Yes Man had announced he would be taking over New Vegas. He'd also changed his name from Yes Man to Him.
"I would like to speak with Marjorie," Jaydon replied. "Is she here?"
"Yes, I believe she is," the guard said with a slight bow. "If you'll follow me."
She nodded and followed him through the bar. Keeping her gaze straight as she walked, she could hear people whisper about her from around the room.
"Is that her?" one woman asked.
"I thought she was taller," a man replied.
"I heard she killed The Courier," another woman added.
"All right, everyone, that is quite enough," one of the other masked guards instructed. "Let us return to our drinks at once."
They're afraid of me, thought Jaydon. And who can blame them? All they see is His guard dog, armed to the teeth and ready to kill any of them at a second's notice.
Pushing these thoughts aside, she kept her gaze on the guard ahead.
Near the gates of Freeside, the Rose of Sharon Cassidy yelled instructions to the other members of her caravan.
"All right you two, careful unloading those supplies." She turned to two large, muscular men carrying four crates. "Make sure those get to Mick and Ralph. And don't take no for an answer, understand?"
They nodded, and Cass turned back to the cart. She guided the Brahmin to one of the nearby water troughs. As usual, two members of The Kings stood watch. She sighed, before removing some caps from her pocket.
"Keep the change," she said, handing them the caps.
One counted the change while the other watched. Cass kept a tight grip on the bit as the Brahmin dragged its hooves on the ground.
You and me both, she thought. She looked to the gang members, hoping prices hadn't gone up since the last time she'd been here. Finally, one looked at her.
"You're good to go," said the dark-haired man.
"Thanks," said Cass.
She led the Brahmin to the water trough and let her drink. Just watching her made Cass thirsty.
Once Rob gets back, she thought, hoping her second-in-command returned sooner rather than later.
"I'm sorry Jaydon," said Marjorie with as much patience as she could muster. "I just don't know who that could be."
Jaydon's face remained blank. The owner of The Ultra Luxe and head of The White Glove Society had insisted their conversation occur in a side room in The Gourmand. Jaydon hadn't argued with the plan, but she knew Marjorie was done talking.
"Look," said Jaydon. "I don't give a Radroach's ass who you accept in your hotel. All he said was that a Securitron overheard one of your patrons badmouthing Him. Either deal with the patron yourself, or I will."
The usually strong-willed Marjorie gulped and Jaydon knew the other woman would comply with the request.
"I will speak to my staff," Marjorie replied. "Now was there anything else you needed?"
"My business is complete," said Jaydon. "I can show myself out."
With that, Jaydon opened the curtains and left The Gourmand. She ignored the stares of the other patrons once more as she made her way to the exit.
When will they stop staring? she thought, even though she knew the answer. Never, because they're afraid of you.
Jaydon felt the warmth and heat of the Mojave sun against her skin as she stepped outside.
The heat here is sweltering, she thought. Nowhere near as comfortable as the Commonwealth.
She once again shoved thoughts of her home aside as she walked away from the impressive hotel. Jaydon scanned the streets, which were empty as the day grew warmer. She made her way to the nearest Securitron, with an expressionless cop on its screen.
"I spoke with Marjorie," she said, confident no civilians would overhear. "She assured me she would speak with her staff, but I would monitor the hotel just in case."
"I'll relay the information to the boss," the Securitron replied.
"Right," said Jaydon with a nod. "Does he have any more jobs for me to do today?"
The Securitron's screen turned off and Jaydon crossed her arms. She knew it wouldn't do to rush the machine, as it was conferring with Him. After a moment, the screen turned back on.
"He has no further assignments for you at the moment," the Securitron replied. "You are free."
"Thank you," said Jaydon, and found for once, she meant it.
Today had been particularly stressful. As the Securitron rolled away, Jaydon's gaze moved to the Gomorrah sign.
I could use some help relaxing, she thought. And I'm pretty sure Kylie's free right now.
Ordinarily, she would spend the rest of the afternoon training and then take a long, cold shower. And just as the sun went down, she would sneak through into Gomorrah and Kylie's room. But after Jaydon's conversation with Him, she wasn't so sure.
I can't risk anything happening to her, Jaydon thought.
She ignored the longing to walk through the front door, through the casino and Brimstone, through the courtyard, and into Kylie's room. She tried not to think of those understanding brown eyes. Or her soft, soothing voice.
No, Jaydon would not visit the Gomorrah and visit the one person who could help her ease her stress. Instead, the dark-haired synth walked through the nearest gate and kept going until she reached Freeside.
It's better this way, she thought, trying to reassure herself. If you got attached, it would be yet another way He could control you.
As soon as Rob came to the water trough, Cass went to the Atomic Wrangler for a whiskey, her usual. Sitting at the bar, she took her time to savor the way it burned the back of her throat. There were numerous patrons throughout the bar and casino, all speaking in hushed tones. As usual, the brunette ignored them until she heard a particularly interesting conversation.
"Do you know what happened to The Courier?" a woman asked.
That's a question I'd like the answer to myself, thought Cass.
Without waiting to hear the response, she got up, slapped a few caps on the counter, and left. Taking her whiskey with her, Cass found her way back to The Happy Trails Caravan. Or at least, those that hadn't already left for The Atomic Wrangler.
When she reached the Brahmin, she found Rob and two other younger caravan members unloading the rest of the crates.
"Hey boss," said Rob, turning to her. "We were just on our way to the Old Mormon Fort."
Cass nodded, "Sounds good. Let's go."
"Boss?" Rob asked with a raised brow.
"I'd like to come with you on this delivery," she said. "There's a woman down at the Old Mormon Fort I want to talk with."
Rob ran a hand through his dark hair, "Okay." He looked to the younger men, "You heard the boss, let's go."
With that, Cass followed Rob and the other junior caravan members to Old Mormon Fort. She took sips of whiskey along the way, keeping her eyes peeled. As they walked, the woman's question from The Atomic Wrangler played over and over again in Cass's mind.
Hopefully, I'll get some answers at Old Mormon Fort, she thought. She wasn't entirely sure how much she believed it, but she had to try.