Chapter 39: Odd Plays, Odder Alliances

Silverhair stood at what passed for attention with her as the members filed into the tent. Looking over, she could make out a handful of familiar faces, some more than others. She could recognize the boy well enough, the one who could only be Natalie's own kid, the woman herself pacing as she went over what Cass had just told her.

When Natalie met up with Silverhair, the commissioner could only hug the older woman and bawl, the stress and exhaustion of the day catching up with her. It was only then that Cass told her that she knew who took Rosa and where they were taking her that she remembered her duty and assembled the motley cast before them.

Silverhair looked over who stood before her, not particularly impressed with what they had assembled. The guy in the suit seemed the most capable if not exactly dressed for the occasion. The boy looked too young, and a little too busted up, along with the Mexicans who looked almost as busted up. Of course, that was before she realized that there was a blind man amongst the group, being attended to by a physician no less. She could feel her faith in the mission begin to dwindle. The blind man let out a brief chuckle.

"…We've taken some bad hits," Natalie began. "Gorobets has decided that there isn't any use in remaining here to pacify the town, so we're going to leave the mess we left behind. Our popularity in the area is in the gutter. And to make matters worse, Gorobets himself has confirmed the reemergence of one Vulpes Inculta.

The room let out a collective groan. The blind man pressed his head against the top of his cane, disturbed, while the woman overseeing him let out a wince. The Mexicans shot looks at one another. The man in the suit gritted his teeth.

"Our intel has confirmed that he is gathering allied factions at a single location, Circle Junction, about a week or so out from our current location. He's gearing up for a fight, and Gorobets has decided that he's going to give him one."

"This reeks of a trap," the young marshal spoke up.

"I know, but in our defense if we see the trap, we don't have to get caught," Natalie countered. "Even so, we can't pass up the opportunity to capture and verify our primary antagonist in this theater."

"Your primary antagonist is Caesar Lanius!" one of the Mexicans shouted.

"Up until this point, no Legion assets have been deployed against us!" Natalie snapped. "That fight you instigated was your call, and you almost dragged my kid into it!" Natalie calmed herself. "Judging from what information we could gather, this Falco is not acting in concert with Vulpes, so we will not be pursuing that angle. Which brings me to what we are here to discuss."

"We are all aware that Rosa Perez has been taken by hostile forces not seemingly aligned with those of Vulpes Inculta, though we cannot discount that possibility. She has been taken by Ariel Ximenez and her gang."

The man in the suit winced. The Mexicans all bowed and shook their heads. The boy's jaw slacked open. The blind man didn't react.

"That's right, her birth mother kidnapped her. So, while the bulk of the AEG goes east to finally meet and defeat Vulpes in the field of battle, this team will be set out to pursue and rescue Rosa Perez. Leading you will be someone who I believe needs no introduction. Cass? The floor is yours.

The man in the suit and the boy's eyes widened in shock. The Mexicans all looked to one another, sharing the same grin. The woman nursing the blind man looked to her with a sense of awe, while the blind man himself just smiled, knowingly.

"…Hey," Cass waved to the team. "We don't have much time to chat, so I'll keep it brief. The Ximenez Gang is a small, mobile force that can move quickly, but thankfully for us it will take them some time to reach their destination. And an even smaller force can outpace them, I reckon. I spent the most time out here, so the good Commissioner has bestowed upon me the authority to lead this, uh, task force," she glanced back at Natalie, who shot her thumbs up.

"Anything about you guys I should know?" she asked.

"Jimmy Bishop," the suited man held out his hand. Now was Cass's turn to be impressed. "Shit, kid, you got big!"

"You remember me, I'm flattered," he grinned.

"Tobey Boone," the boy nearly saluted.

"And you already have a nicer personality than your pops," Cass chuckled.

The Mexican in the center stood up to represent his group. "Inspector Gael Huerta, ma'am. With me are Oficials Javier Martinez and Antonio Velasquez."

"RGF?" Cass mused aloud.

"The very same," Gael chuckled.

"The only reason you three haven't been kicked out of here," Natalie muttered. "I'll put that word in for the Governor when you three help get her back."

"What about him?" Cass asked about the blind man.

"Leave him be, he barely pulls his weight," Jimmy scoffed.

"Ma'am, Melody Young," the woman tending to him crossed the tent to face Cass, taking her hand and trying to rend it off her shoulder with sheer enthusiasm. "I'm at a loss for words. You are a hero of mine. I can't believe I'm finally getting to meet you again. What have you been doing? How are you? I'm just so…"

"Who's Mr. Bandages?" Cass asked.

"Oh," Melody replied, deflated. "That's my husband, Joseph."

"Ms. Cassidy. It is Ms. I presume?" Joseph said as he tipped his hat.

"You would be correct," Cass replied. "I take it you're something of a preacher man?"

"What gave me away?" Joseph smiled.

"You'd either need a lot of faith or a lack of brains to drag a blind man this far out," Cass explained.

Joseph laughed. "In fairness, I'm less a preacher than a counselor. And I hope to prove invaluable in the coming days."

"Cuz you were so damn helpful this night," Jimmy sneered.

"You wish to say something to me?" Joseph asked, without raising his voice.

"I don't need to, do I?" Jimmy replied. There was a brief silence between the two. "…Amusing imagery," Joseph scoffed, more annoyed than anything.

Natalie took Cass aside for a moment. "Bickering aside, they're all capable wastelanders. You won't have to babysit any of them, that'll give you more time to close the gap between you and the Ximenez Gang. I trust you will be extra discreet?"

"Discretion is my middle name," Cass smiled.

"This is a horrific situation we're in. It feels like now we're finally getting something of a leg up on what we're up against, but we're still reeling from the stuff we couldn't see coming. But if they don't see you coming, we might finally have some kind of advantage. I'm counting on you, Cass. This isn't just my sake here, that girl is-"

"I know," Cass nodded. "I know who and what she is. I swear, if I can get her back, I will."

As the impromptu team left the tent, another marshal came stumbling in, despite the protests of Tobey and Melody. "Mo- Commissioner, sorry I'm late," the marshal wore the facemask in camp, a rarity from what Cass could discern.

"Carla, I told you to wait," Natalie snapped.

"I can still fight," Carla protested.

"You are on prisoner escort, Carla. That's final," Natalie replied. "You're going to take them to the Sierra Madre, you're dropping them off, and you're going home, understood?"

"I didn't mean to screw up!" Carla pleaded.

"THAT'S NOT WHAT THIS IS ABOUT!" Natalie barked. "…You're wounded. You're a liability. And you're going home to recover."

"I CAN GET BETTER!" Carla pleaded. Melody, standing behind Carla, shook her head. Natalie approached Carla, grabbed her by the shoulders, and pressed her forehead against that of her daughter. "Carla, I do not want to lose you. I've been worried sick ever since you and your brother signed up for this fiasco, and you have performed well beyond my wildest expectations. I am proud of you, girl. Whatever bullshit went down earlier this morning I do not hold against you, but you are wounded. Tobey is not. No arguing."

"…I'm not going back without her," Carla sobbed.

"…The moment we get our hands back on Rosa, I'm sending her back to Vegas as well. I will deal with Sybil and Lanius. If they don't like it, I can handle myself. Until then, just go home. For me," Natalie whispered.

The tear streaked under her mask as Carla drew back from her mother, pushing past Jimmy and Antonio as Joseph stepped aside. "…Kids," Natalie sighed.

"…WELL, QUIT STANDING AROUND AND PICKING YOUR ASSES, WE'RE LEAVING," Cass barked. "YOU FALL BEHIND I'M NOT TURNING BACK FOR ANY OF YOU!"

Sophia sat, tight-lipped as the weasel continued to pester her with questions. As much as she wanted to appreciate the distraction, what with her only previous company being the rambling priest and the pathetic wastelander, she was ready to be moved from this place and taken somewhere, anywhere else. Frost, undeterred, continued his questioning. "Why was Capt. Wallace a target?" Sophia continued to say nothing.

Lt. Kim Baxter stood outside the tent, standing at attention as she wore a pair of shades to hide her sunken eyes. She had promised Frost that she wasn't a heavy drinker, and that much was true, sort of. She had promised herself after a blackout session from her time at the Sacramento Academy of Warfare ended with her in bed with another cadet while somehow only wearing the inner frame of a suit of power armor. As she feared, one shot turned into eight, and the next thing she knew she was singing improv karaoke. Rosa's dad is actually really rad! He's all I want, and I'm obsessed just a tad!

She shook the memory out of her head as she kept looking out through the tents. Most of the troops were doing a quick pack to move out, not wanting to risk any more incidents with the locals. The last to go, as per the usual, would be the medical pavilions and the brig, such as it was. As an all-volunteer unit, discipline and morale tended to be much higher than the normal unit of conscripted draftees that made up the backbone of the NCR Army. Apart from the odd infraction a stressed or agitated trooper could incur, the brig was usually clear and empty most days. Even now, the tent wasn't occupied by a single AEG member, consisting of one terrorist priest, one guy who chose the worst time to question his loyalties, and one enemy agent being badgered by her security charge.

"Captain Wallace mentioned that you whispered, "Hail Caesar" into his ear before you attempted to kill him," Frost continued. Sophia grimaced. She almost preferred having that Mullens bitch beating her with a baton over this one's incessant babble. Normally, she would try and sweet talk him into inching the keys closer to her, but now she was just losing patience, wondering what was taking her so damn long. Frost noticed that her eyes kept darting to the entrance of the tent. "Are we expecting someone?" he asked. Sophia stuck her tongue out at the documentarian, her hands literally tied. "And, perchance, would you know anything about the bitch that stole my other camera?"

Larain just sat with his head bowed, tied to the center post as he wondered where and how he screwed up, begging some divine entity bored enough to listen for a cosmic reset. Just turn Carla down gently and walk home. Just let that priest get the jump on Tobey and wash your hands after the fact. Just turn down that weird girl at the hotel. Just keep walking in the desert. Just let Sawney fucking kill me. All he could do was replay the mistakes, and he had more than enough time to do so.

Kim fought back a yawn outside the tent. Standing outside in the heat was bad enough in power armor, having not been able to change after the pacification. And she wasn't going to get the opportunity now that Hutsgy was disassembling the mobile garage for the power-armored soldiers. As she cracked her neck, she wondered just when the hangover was going to pass and how close did mirages have to get before they went away. The shimmering seemed to approach as Baxter did her best to ignore it. It wasn't until a sparkling fountain of lights appeared that Baxter realized what it was she was up against. The figure tossed the erupting concoction into the tent.

As the sparkling bottle landed inside the tent, Sophia immediately closed her eyes and held her breath. Larain looked directly at it, as did Frost, only the latter was tackled by Baxter after her sudden entrance into the tent, covering her charge. The priest seemed to be too deep into prayer to notice anything. Then the bottle exploded, the blinding flash and reeking odor blocking nearly every sense, the only thing Sophia could feel was the knife cutting through her binds. Took you long enough, Ferra.

The assailant cut Sophia loose, then looked around from under her gasmask. The civilian was being crushed by the large armored woman, the priest was laughing at his answered prayers, and the bound wastelander was screaming at the sudden but temporary loss of his eyesight. Two distractions. Perfect.

Larain felt his binds slacken as he heaved and coughed from the stench. Stumbling to his feet, he could hear over the din of the muffled noise around him the faint sounds of someone praising God, followed by Baxter screaming to put down her gun. Falling forward, he stumbled over the prone power-armored paladin as he forced his body outside into the blinding light of the day. As his vision returned, other, similar eruptions went off around him, distracting the nearby soldiers. Now was his only chance. He turned and bolted. Where didn't matter, anywhere but here would be fine.

By the time Baxter had realized what had happened, her sidearm had been acquired by the one-armed priest. Stuck between neutralizing the threat and protecting the civilian, Baxter did what she could to completely shield Frost, even as her own weapon was pointed at her exposed head. "Oblivion is nothing to fear!" was the first thing she could hear once the ringing in her ears came to a stop. Pushing Frost further behind her, Baxter's eyes darted around her weapon, looking for the fastest way to neutralize her attacker.

The marshal entered before either could make their move. The priest was a quick and experienced killer, but gunslinging wasn't his forte, as the marshal had him outdrawn and plugged the priest in the other arm. Collapsed and neutralized, the priest began cursing out the marshal as she checked up on Baxter and Frost. "Is anyone hurt?" Carla asked as she holstered her weapon.

"Nice shot," Lt. Baxter nodded as Frost peeked from behind her.

"Where's La- where are the prisoners?" Carla asked.

Some distance away, the Stealth-Boys wore off. Sophia let out a cackle as her masked companion discarded her cloaking device. "Ferra, you beautiful bitch," Sophia grinned as Ferra pulled off her gas mask. Lines of scars and burns crossed her face, marks that the woman herself considered "distinguishing features of an artist."

"Where's Delilah?" Sophia asked as they ducked behind a boulder to avoid a patrol of soldiers. Ferra signed with her free hand as her other readied another personal explosive. "Figures, looks like we're walking back home. What a bore," Sophia sniffed. Ferra continued signing. "Weapons cache? Good," Sophia nodded, appreciative. Ferra continued signing. "Don't mention what about an arm?"

As soon as Larain broke the perimeter of the tents, he kept running. No weapon. No water. No direction. He kept running. There wasn't anything for him behind him. He had to get out, get out now and find home. Home? Where was home? What was home?

Was home the Legion camp he was born at, with a dead mom, an absentee father, and an uncle who didn't know how to raise a kid? Was home the traveling caravan, where he learned how to lie, steal, and shoot, not always in that order? Was it hanging out with Rosa and Tobey and… No, absolutely not! Not anymore! He needed something, anything. He turned back and he'd be dead. All that he could do was go forward. Then he collided with something he literally could not see coming.

The old man seemed to appear out of nowhere, grabbing him by the arm as he passed. Larain fell on his face, taking the old man and the girl riding on his back down with him. Looking up from the dirt next to him, the old man smiled back at him. "Small world, ain't it?"

The sounds of approaching screams and orders made Larain almost jolt up and keep running. That was when the girl riding on the old man's back crawled into his line of sight and pressed her finger against her lips.

"…HQ, this is Capt. Milligan. We've lost contact," the officer spat as he looked through the binoculars. The local patrol had sighted a fleeing figure in the area, but now there was hardly any sign of the bastard. He didn't have the manpower to call in a search, and he could not risk sending Tandi out now that they were leaving. "Put in a word to Natalie's kid. Be on the lookout for that woman and that wastelander prick. Yeah, lethal apprehension granted. Shit," he concluded as he signed off.

Larain looked up in awe as the patrols were called back. He turned back to the old man, who shot him a goofy-looking thumbs up while blood began trickling down the little girl's nose. "The sooner we bail, the better, don't you think?" the old man whispered.

Larain nodded, and he was soon helped to his feet. "I'm Markus, by the way," the old man stated. "And this is my associate Marcy," he added as the girl waved at him.

"…I'm Larain," Larain introduced himself as he could hardly comprehend his fortune.

"Oh, so that's what you call yourself," Markus smirked. "How about we talk later. I think I've got a plan coming along."

The pain was dull but constant, spiking every so often across her head as she felt herself return to the ground. Sensations returning to her body, Rosa felt the dirt against her cheek and the binds against her wrists as she picked herself off the ground. The first thing she saw was the green eyes of a smoking hot redhead. "Hey, you. You're finally awake."

Already agitated, Rosa pulled herself upright. Looking up, she could see the dusk sky begin to darken. "Cut me free," she growled.

"I'm not allowed. Technically, I shouldn't be here," the redhead explained.

"Where is here?" Rosa asked.

"Arizona. I guess. Not much of a wilderness girl myself," the redhead continued.

"…Where is he?" Rosa growled as her memory returned.

An oatcake presented itself next to her head. Rosa's eyes were drawn to the oatcake, then the hand holding it, following up the arm connected to the piece of shit who hurt Carla. "That whiny bastard got himself caught. I guess they're torturing him for information right now. Their loss. Hungry?"

Matt and Nick were drawn to the screams of the girl. When they arrived at the outskirts of the camp, they witnessed the bound girl being held back by the redhead smoke show as she tried in vain to kick at Cade, who sat just out of reach as he munched on an oatcake, his expression infuriatingly neutral.

"Oh, hey! Guess who finally decided to wake up!" Nick cheered as Matt took the girl. "Who said you two could look after her, anyway?" he followed up with as Matt dragged away the howling girl.

"Cade says it's a bad idea to leave people just outside of camp. That's why he stays so close to me," Amy smiled. "And I didn't want our new friend to get lonely."

"And you haven't thought of pulling anything funny?" Nick asked Cade as his hands fell on his revolvers.

"I am not what you should be worried about," Cade answered.

"Huh," was all Nick offered as he turned to join his brother. Amy looked at Cade. "You were on your best behavior, weren't you?"

"I'll get an opportunity, sooner or later," Cade replied. He watched as a shadow darted just beyond the horizon. "Sooner than you'll think, perhaps."

"LET ME GO! I NEED TO RUN THAT PIECE OF SHIT THROUGH!" Rosa snarled as she kicked her feet as they neared the campfire. "HE'S SO FUCKING DEAD! THAT BASTARD, THAT-"

"Dios fucking Mio, will you shut up!" the woman near the campfire spat as Rosa was dumped in front of her.

"I'm gonna kill him, I swear I'm gonna…" Rosa growled.

"You're gonna do what I tell you," the woman shot back as she continued roasting her gecko leg. "You aren't in a position to start anything I don't want you to."

"Says who?!" Rosa replied, derisively.

"Says me!" the woman turned to look at her, equally derisively.

Rosa glared up at her when the recognition hit her. The shape of her rounded jaw, the way her eyes contoured by her buttoned nose, even the shape of her mouth as bits of gecko skin flecked from her chewing lips. She had seen that face many times before. Not from a photograph, but a mirror.

"…Mom?" Rosa said.

"If I give you some gecko, will you shut up?" Ariel offered, more annoyed than anything.

"…You… I…" Rosa stammered.

"Say something or shut up. Conscious for five minutes and I'm already sick of your voice," Ariel snorted.

"…You shot me," Rosa finally said.

Ariel turned to look down at her daughter. "…I broke a stalemate."

"…Why?" Rosa asked.

"Are you seriously asking why a mother would want to protect her daughter?" Ariel asked.

"Why now and here?" Rosa shot back. "Where… where were you?"

"I was in the Res on business," Ariel answered, trying to avoid the question.

"No, where were you?" Rosa stressed as she got on her knees before her mother, forcing the issue.

Ariel looked away. "…I had my reasons for leaving."

"You had a reason to stay," Rosa shot back.

"What?" Ariel asked.

"…ME!" Rosa screamed.

Ariel turned back to the fire as she gnawed on the gecko leg. "…Can't you just be happy I showed up here and now?"

"Why did you leave?!" Rosa screamed. "Where were you when I needed you?!"

"Wasn't growing up in a tower enough?!" Ariel shot back. "Wasn't having the Governor as a father enough?! You pampered little brat, you had everything I never had growing up, so spare me the waterworks. Why would you miss me, huh? Was being daddy's little girl not enough?"

Rosa couldn't believe what she was hearing. For twenty-one years, she dreamed of meeting her mom. Whenever she and her father got into a spat, she would go off by herself and fantasize about what kind of adventures her mom would be having. Now, the dream was over, and she had woken up.

"…What am I doing here?" Rosa asked.

"…Open bounty," Ariel answered, not turning around. "My boss wants you out of the picture, dead or alive. Despite all the trouble it can cause me, I've opted to take you alive. You're welcome."

"…Money?! All this time, after all these years, you show up because of money?!" Rosa shrieked.

"The alternative was letting Cade paint the sky with your guts. Don't forget, kid, the only reason you're this far east is because you're valuable. Why did your father send you east, anyway? For Caesar to fuck you? I'm getting paid to remove you from the board. I'm doing you a favor that will benefit both of us."

"…I see why Dad doesn't talk about you."

"…Matt, Nick? Gag her. Keep her under watch and away from Cade. We'll head out before sunup," Ariel ordered as her bodyguards dragged Rosa away. It was going to be a long trek for everyone. As the rest of her men set up a perimeter, two orange eyes stalked the camp. This promised to be a challenge, but one that Sawney could solve at his leisure. The dark lizard traipsed away, unaware that Cade had seen his presence some time ago. Seen, but not announced. As he said, sooner or later, opportunity would arrive.