Note: Happy New Year, everyone! Sorry it's been so long. I hope everyone had a great holiday season and I hope this next chapter is worth the wait.

Boulder City Showdown

The ruins of Boulder City were not unlike the ruins of the Capital Wasteland. Piles of jagged pieces of rubble laid where once great structures stood. The difference here was that the destruction had been made by conventional weapons, not nukes. Marcus contemplated how much explosives it must've taken to cause so much devastation as he read the inscription on the memorial.

"On this spot, in the year 2277, Rangers and Soldiers of the New California Republic turned back the forces of Caesar's Legion during the Battle of Hoover Dam. Over one-hundred men and women gave their lives on Nevada soil, to defend local civilians and the principles of the Republic. May this humble stone be an enduring memorial to their Valor and Sacrifice."

On the other side of the concrete slab were the names of the one-hundred and seven Rangers and troopers who sacrificed themselves during the battle. Standing in front of the memorial was a young NCR trooper, and his eyes seemed to be locked on a single name carved into the stone.

Marcus cleared this throat. "Someone you knew?"

The trooper nodded. "My brother." He placed his finger on the rock. "Private First Class Donald Kowalski. I was thirteen when he died here. I swore as soon as I was old enough I'd join the Army and continue what he started."

Marcus shook the private's hand. "I'm sure your brother would be proud."

Before Kowalski could respond, another trooper came running up to them. "Kowalski! Hey Kowalski! Lieutenant needs us in the ruins right away!"

"What's up?"

"Some trouble with a couple of Khans. They're holed up in there with hostages. Come on!"

The troopers took off running. Marcus turned to Sarah. "You don't suppose those could be the two Khans that were traveling with Benny?"

"Could be. But if they are, we're not gonna get anything out of them if the NCR wastes them."

The group quickly made their way towards the ruins. When they had arrived at the entrance, they could see the Lieutenant and his staff discussing strategy.

"Have the snipers take up position on the south side, but stay out of sight. I don't want these guys getting spooked."

After speaking briefly with Marcus, a young Sergeant approached the Lieutenant and saluted. "Sir, there's a Courier over there that claims he may know these Khans. He's offered to help negotiate for us."

The Lieutenant took a moment to regard the Courier and his group while weighing his options. "Bring'em here."

"Yes, sir." The sergeant quickly obeyed, and Marcus was soon standing before the officer.

"What can you tell me about these Khans?"

"They might be the same ones we've been tracking since Goodsprings. They were traveling with a third man in a checkered suit."

The LT seemed annoyed. "The only people down there with hostages are two Khans. All though…now that you mention it…it was a guy in a checkered suit who tipped us off that they were here."

Sarah scoffed. "Sounds like Benny's tying up some loose ends."

"Lieutenant, I'm sure these are the same two. Now if you give me a chance to talk to them I might…"

"Sorry, but no. We're getting ready to move in."

This news shocked everyone. "You mean you're not even gonna try to negotiate?" Cass asked.

"We don't negotiate with terrorists."

The officer turned to leave but Marcus stopped him. "Lieutenant, wait! Please. Give me a chance to talk to them. We might be able to solve this without bloodshed."

"They wounded two of my men and have two hostages! The only negotiation they'll get is a bullet! Now clear the area or I'll have you placed under arrest!"

The LT turned to walk away, but suddenly stopped when he heard a low, familiar voice. "Still can't wait to pull the trigger, hey Monroe?"

Lieutenant Monroe froze, then slowly turned. His face seemed to lose color as he focused on the red beret and it's owner making his way through the crowd. "Boone." He managed to say. "I…didn't see you standing there."

Boone stood directly in front of him. "But I saw you. And I can see you've never learned your lesson."

Monroe swallowed hard, but did not respond. Everyone else was silent as they watched the intense scene, wondering what to make of it.

"Look Boone," Monroe began, "now is not the time to dig up old bones."

Boone ignored his comment and got to the point. "If you go in there guns blazing, and those troopers get killed, it will be on your head." Boone took a few steps closer, till he and Monroe were nose to nose. "And I'll make sure that this time, your ass will be nailed to the wall."

Though Monroe tried to keep his composure, there was no hiding the sweat forming on his brow. "Alright. You've got one chance." He turned to Marcus. "Courier, you can go in there and try to talk them out. My men will cover you…"

"No!" Boone snapped. "I'll go with him. He needs someone he can trust."

Monroe seethed from the sting of the insult, but didn't say anything. Instead, he turned and stormed off.

Boone turned to Marcus. "Let's go."

The two men headed into the Boulder City ruins. As they walked towards their objective, Marcus decided to ask about the elephant in the room. "You a…wanna tell me what that was all about?"

"No."

Marcus nodded. "Fair enough. How do you want to handle this?"

"If they see you with a weapon they'll get spooked, so lose everything except for that hand laser of yours. Chances are they won't know what it is. I'll be covering you the whole time."

"Where will you be?"

"You won't see me…but don't worry, I'll see you. If it looks like things are about to go south, hit the floor."

A few minutes later they were within sight of the abandoned store where the Khans were held up. A few NCR troopers had the place surrounded, but were holding their position. They stopped behind some rubble, about fifty yards from the store.

"Just remember," Boone began, "these Khans do not trust the NCR. The fact that you're not part of it gives you an advantage, but if they think you're here for payback, they won't hesitate to start shooting. So my advice is to be calm and cool."

Marcus took a deep breath. Easier said than done, he thought. After laying down his weapons Marcus placed his hands up and stepped out into the open. Boone readied his rifle and headed off in another direction. Marcus slowly made his way towards the store, expecting a bullet to be fired at any moment. His fear was realized when a round landed about a foot to his right.

He could hear the NCR troopers stirring and prepared to fire. "Everyone hold your fire!" He shouted, his hands still in the air. "Hold your fire! I'm unarmed. I just want to talk."

No response.

He slowly took a few more steps forward, until he was ten feet from the store.

"That's far enough!" A voice from inside yelled. "Turn around. Slow."

Marcus did as he was told. "I told you. I'm unarmed."

"Quiet! You tell the NCR we ain't deal'n!"

"I'm not with the NCR. I'm a courier with the Mojave Express. I just want to talk. If you don't like what I have to say you can shoot me…again."

There was silence for a few seconds. "You…you're the guy from Goodsprings?"

Marcus swallowed and prepared himself. "That's right."

The silence lasted for more than half a minute. Finally, Marcus got an answer. "No funny business. Understand? Come on in. Nice and slow."

Marcus let out the breath he was holding and slowly made his way inside. There was some fear that the Khans may see right through his disguise. But all doubts left Marcus when he saw the shocked look on the two Khan's faces.

"I can't believe it." Jessup said. "It's true. You're the Courier Benny wacked back in Goodsprings. You're supposed to be dead!"

Marcus shrugged. "I got better. Look, I'm not here for you. I just want my package back…and Benny. Now, where is the Platinum Chip?"

"Don't have it. Benny stole it, right before he stabbed us in the back. He's probably back at the strip, laughing at us."

Marcus glanced over at the other Khan, who was covering the two tied up troopers with a pistol.

"You know the NCR's not going to let you take these men out of here."

Jessup crossed his arms. "If we let them go, the NCR will cut us to pieces."

"I give you my word if you let the hostages go you'll receive safe passage."

"Yeah right." You expect us to trust those NCR pigs?"

"I'm asking you to trust me."

Jessup shook his head. "Sorry man, but I don't know you. You say you only want Benny, but how do I know you're not really here for payback?"

"Because if payback was all I wanted I'd just let the NCR sharpshooters take you out. As it stands now, this is your only way out of here."

Jessup stood silent as he weighed his options. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he let out a sigh. "Alright. Guess we don't have much choice." He tightened the grip on his pistol. "But you're walking out with us. Understand?"

Marcus nodded. "Deal. Now let them go."

True to their word, the Khans let the two NCR troopers go. Marcus then announced that he and the Khans were coming out, and everyone was to hold their fire. The three men slowly walked outside and half expected to be greeted by a wall of lead. Thankfully, silence is all that awaited them, and Marcus escorted both Khans out of the ruins.

Jessup breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you for doing this. I owe you one; especially after Goodsprings. I'll make sure to let the Khans at Red Rock know you're a friend."

Marcus shook his hand. "Good luck."

"And when you see Benny…put a bullet in him for us."

With the crisis over, Marcus and Boone met up with the rest of their companions. Lieutenant Monroe begrudgingly thanked them, and before they headed out, he pulled Boone aside. "Say Boone. I a…understand you're currently unemployed?"

"What of it?"

"Well, the NCR offers a bounty for any Legionaries killed by civilians. I…figured that kind of work's right up your alley."

Boone stared daggers at his former CO. "Alright, Monroe. I'll take your money. After all, a man has to make a living. But know this," he stepped closer to Monroe and lowered his voice, "I would gladly kill you for free."

In that moment, Monroe turned white as a sheet. Boone held his gaze a few moments longer before turning and walking away.

The Next Day…

As promised, Marcus took Cass to the sight of where her caravan met its end. The tough cowgirl stood stone faced as she took in the scene. The charred, broken remains of four wagons littered both sides of the road, and the rotting carcusses of their brahmin were still attached. From the reports Cass had received, it had been a complete slaughter. Not one of her employees survived.

Boone cautiously made his way next to her. "Will you be alright?"

Cass quickly wiped a tear away. "Yeah. Sure." She made her way over to the first carriage. Or rather, what was left of it. Part of her didn't know what she was looking for. A reason? Someone to blame? Hope that there was something that could be salvaged? The more she saw of the carnage, the less hope she had of finding any of that.

She stopped in the tall grass on the side of the road and spotted a pile of ashes. She slowly took her hat off as more tears began to form. She made her way over to another burned out carriage, and kicked its side in frustration. "Fucking, goddamn Legion bastards!" she yelled.

Sarah ignored her outburst and studied the wreckage. Something was off. "You said it was the Legion who did this?"

Cass nodded. "That's what Ranger Jackson told me."

Sarah ran her hand along the side of the wreck. "Since when does the Legion use energy weapons?"

Cass' eyes bugged out of her head, and she quickly made her way over to Sarah.

"This damage was caused by laser and plasma fire."

Cass looked the wreckage over and it was as if she'd been punched in the gut. The burned up wreckage. The piles of ash. How could she have not seen it?

"Sarah, look at this!" Marcus called from across the street. The three of them met in the middle of the road. "Check it out. An empty plasma cartridge."

Cass took the cartridge and examined it; her mouth gaped open. "That's…this is not Legion. This is Brotherhood tech. But they…they don't do things like this."

Sarah was quick to respond. "No they don't."

"Fiends, maybe?" Boone speculated. "Looking for supplies to trade for psycho."

"But they didn't take anything." Cass said. "The cargo was either burned or turned to slag." She shook her head. "It doesn't make sense."

Marcus spotted Folows-Chalk kneeling down and scanning the road. He made his way over to the tribal. "What happened here, Follows-Chalk?"

He stood up. "Unfortunately the trail is pretty cold. From what I can tell there were between ten or fifteen attackers. They took out the lead carriage, then the last. It was as you say…a turkey shoot after that."

"Seems a little sophisticated for a bunch of druggies." Marcus commented.

Follows-Chalk nodded. "I agree. White Legs would do this to terrorize other tribes. Or to send a warning."

Marcus made his way back over to Cass. The cowgirl was standing in the middle of the road, fighting back tears. She felt numb, and didn't even acknowledge Marcus standing next to her. "I started this business to make a name for myself. So that I wouldn't just be the daughter of John Cassidy." She let out a bitter laugh. "I wonder what he'd say if he was here now?"

Marcus placed his hand on her shoulder. "I think he would be proud to have a daughter like you."

Cass nearly choked up, but she quickly wiped her eyes and let out a nervous laugh. "Don't you be get'n all soft on me now."

Marcus removed his hand and laughed with her.

Cass reached inside her jacket and removed a bottle of whiskey. After removing the cork with her teeth, she took one last look at the wreckage and raised the bottle. "Here's to you, boys. Rest in peace." She took a long swig, then turned to Marcus. "Let's get the hell out of here."

A few days later, the group of companions stood and stared at the wall surrounding the slums of Freeside. And beyond that slum, was New Vegas. Marcus and Sarah felt a sense of euphoria and relief. It had been weeks since they'd boarded the vertibird and left the Capital. Now, their objective was finally in reach.

"Ah, Freeside!" Cass blurted out, breaking the silence. "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy."

"That's the east gate up ahead." Boone said. "As long as we stay together we should be alright. But we'll have to stop and pay homage to the King."

Sarah shot him a sideways glance. "The King?"

Boone nodded. "He's the head of the gang called the Kings. Nothing goes on in Freeside without them knowing."

Marcus shook his head. "The Kings, hu. Talk about arrogant."

Cass chuckled. "When you see them, you'll know why they call themselves that."

"Well," Marcus began, "the King will have to wait. First we have to meet up with someone at the Mormon Fort." He paused for a moment and turned to Cass and Boone. "And you should know…our contact is in the Brotherhood of Steel."

The silence from the two NCR citizens was deafening. Marcus swallowed before continuing. "I'll understand if you two have a problem with that, and if you want to leave…but I would like for both of you to stay."

Again, silence. Finally, Cass was the first to speak. "Boy…you two are just full of surprises. Listen…I never had a problem with the Brotherhood. Hell, Max was one of them. I always thought the war against them was bullshit."

"You feel the same way, Boone?"

The sniper thought about it for a few more seconds. "Like Cass said, I never agreed with the war either. I'll stay…as long as your contact doesn't do anything against the NCR."

Marcus felt a weight leave his shoulders. "Good. I promise you, she won't."

"Well," Cass said, "we gonna stand here with our dick's in our hands, or are we gonna head inside?"

When Marcus and Sarah walked through the gate into Freeside the first thing that hit them was the smell. It was a combination of human waste, smoke and burning garbage. Vagrants, drug addicts, alcoholics and prostitutes were scattered about on every corner. Feces was in the streets, and the gutters were clogged with trash. To make matters worse, the wall surrounding Freeside prevented the wind from taking the stench away, making the air stale and thick.

Follows-Chalk gagged and nearly threw up. Even Lily crinkled her nose in disgust. "Smells worse than my Brahmin stables."

Sarah was doing her best to maintain her discipline but even she found it difficult the longer they stood there. "We should…get to this Mormon Fort."

Marcus swallowed the bile forming in his throat. "Good idea."

Old Mormon Fort…

Once inside the fort, Marcus and his companions took a refreshing breath. Compared to Freeside, the air inside the fort was almost as fresh as the air in Zion. What they saw inside was also a stark contrast to the slums they had just walked through. A makeshift hospital with cots and tents had been set up, and over one-hundred sick and injured patients were waiting to be treated. Over two dozen members of the Followers of the Apocalypse were rushing around trying to render treatment to these masses.

When Marcus saw the doctors and nurses in their white coats treating patients, a lump formed in his throat as he was reminded of his father. Seeing the members of this organization, an organization his parents were a part of in action, filled him with a sense of pride.

The feeling of Sarah's hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his train of thought. "Hey…you okay?"

Marcus swallowed the lump in his throat. "Yeah. I'm just…thinking about how much my dad would have loved to see this."

Sarah smiled and gave him a gentle tap on the shoulder. "Come on, we need to try and find…"

"Sarah! Six!"

As if on cue, Veronica seemed to appear out of nowhere and was waving at them from the other side of the fort.

"Speak of the devil." Marcus chuckled.

They made their way over to the scribe, and once all of the introductions were done, Veronica led them into one of the tents. "There's someone here I'd like you all to meet. This is Arcade Gannon…the contact I told you about."

Arcade, who was taking vitals on a patient, stood up straight and turned around. He was a rather tall man, with blonde hair and black rimmed glasses. He approached Marcus and extended his hand. "Hello. Arcade Gannon at your service."

Note: Let me know what you guys think of my foreshadowing in regards to Boone's back story. I'm sure you guys caught my little Star Wars reference. Again, reviews and suggestions are welcome.