Dee, 2D, Eddie and Haru went off the road, along a barricade made out of old billboards and topped with barbed wire. They turned into some area surrounded by chain link fences, with rows of maize growing and a bunch of ramshackle structures with scrap metal walls and tent-like ceilings. A few farmers were seen tending to the crops.

"Are these improvised greenhouses, maybe?" Haru asked.

"Correct," 2D replied. "This whole area is a sharecropper farm controlled by the Republic. On paper, it's a mutually beneficial agreement where the farmers get payment, food, water and security, while the Republic gains crops to feed its troops."

"We're just taking a shortcut through here," Eddie added, noticing one of the sharecroppers giving him the side-eye. "Keep moving and don't touch the corn."

Haru glanced at the ground beneath her feet. "I'm shocked they can grow anything here. The temperatures are rather high and the soil is… [crud, I don't know the words], borderline sand."

"That's what I keep telling 'em," one farmer muttered under her breath.

"A green thumb, eh?" Eddie remarked.

"I was growing some veggies back home in," Haru remembered the demonym he had used earlier and decided to play along, "uh, Reno. Before I ended up here."

The group made a slight turn away from the barricade, towards another gap in the farm fence. Haru was able to get a better look at the buildings on the other side of it. They were tall, a few stories taller than the barricade itself, and seemed slightly better maintained than everything on her side. An elevated rail track went through a gap in the barricade and continued above the sharecropper fence before going over the McCarran wall. And on the other side of the tracks was a building taller than even the blocks above them, a narrow tower shaped like the spinner of a roulette wheel. That last one in particular caught Haru's attention for some reason. She was curious about it, but she was afraid that asking more questions about the area would sound sus-

"The Lucky 38," Dee remarked, unprompted. "You know you're home when you see it!"

"You can see it from everywhere, unibrow," Eddie remarked, bitterly. "The Great House Compensator."

Gears started turning in Haru's head – asking about the world around them would sound suspicious, but asking about their opinion on the world would sound just like small talk. "Do you hold a grudge against this House… person?"

"Yeah, 'cause he's an asshole," Eddie spat.

After a moment of silence to let him continue, and realizing that he wouldn't, Haru decided to give him a nudge. "Could you tell me more? I'm… well, back home I was rich and somewhat detached from local politics. Now, I am in terra incognita, and knowing what the locals think about politics will stop me from saying the wrong thing to the wrong people."

Eddie reacted with a fake gasp. "Rich folk actually caring about those beneath them?" He glanced at 2D. "Buddy, make sure he talks to a shrink, she's clearly traumatized or something."

2D sighed in response. "Please forgive my companion," he said to Haru. "His faction represents some of the people that did not comply with House's demands and ended up displaced for it."

"Displaced?"

"Alright, from the top," Eddie butted in. "Vegas was a pre-War city that people lived in after the bombs fell, because it was pretty undamaged for some reason."

Haru just barely kept a poker face, and made a note to find a history book later on. "Right."

"A few years back," Eddie continued, "a bunch of robots came out of nowhere, said they were claiming the city on behalf of 'Mr. Robert House', and told us to build the walls separating it from the rest of the area. And we did that, 'cause you don't argue with robots with integrated machine pistols. And to be fair, the walls keep off raiders decently enough."

Haru thought it was noble of House to do that, which meant the other shoe was about to drop.

"Days after we were done," Eddie continued, "the NCR scouts rolled in. House only started giving a shit about this area when someone else was about to call dibs. They signed some treaty, and stayed out his way and gave him power and water from the nearby dam. And he used that to turn one half of the town into a tourist trap for rich Cali suckers. A bunch of casinos and hotels. The other half…" He pointed at something in the distance. "Well, you're about to see it for yourself."

Haru turned in the direction he was pointing at and spotted a lit-up sign. "Uh… Gun Runners?"

"No, that's a gun store. To the right of that, Floof."

She turned her head and saw a large metal gate, with the space above it decorated with sheets of plywood or something, arranged in a fan and painted in bright enough colors to draw attention. In the background, on a destroyed highway, was standing a large sign with eight mismatched lit-up letters reading…

"Freeside," Eddie announced, heading towards the gate. "The shit part of Vegas."

"You skipped over some context, Eddie," 2D joined the conversation. "A few months after revealing himself to the world, Mr. House constructed an inner wall separating the town into two halves. Him and the inhabitants loyal to him ended up in the Strip, the…" he searched for a euphemism "more presentable part, while Freeside remained a… buffer zone."

Dee embraced his friends with an arm each. "And my awesome friends try to keep up the peace!"

"Can't breathe…" 2D hissed, before wriggling himself out of the bone-crushing hug. "What Dee means is that the shreds of order are maintained by the factions Eddie and I are a part of." He pointed at the emblem on the back of Eddie's jacket – a crown with 'THE KINGS' written in it. "The Kings are are a faction of anarchists that refused to submit to House and are the closest thing to an organized militia in Freeside, while the Followers of the Apocalypse," he pointed at the encircled cross on his labcoat's upper arm, "are a humanitarian organization dedicated to rediscovering the pre-War knowledge and offering educational and medical services to the people of the Wasteland. Our factions acknowledge that the other is a positive influence, and we mostly let each other do their thing."

The group approached the gate. Dee gave it a firm push and it opened slightly with a loud groan of rusty metal. "Of course, things ain't as rosy as Bandana here describes them," Eddie said, slipping in first. "The Strip's welcome for all the rich NCR tourists, but casinos often turn them into poor NCR tourists with no cap to their name. So they squat in Freeside and pick fights with the locals."

"It is more complicated than that, Eddie," 2D protested.

"All I'm saying is, shit was more stable before they came here," Eddie retorted, gesturing at them to come in.

Haru went in after the other two guys and Dee slammed the gate behind her. Freeside was… well, if she were to be polite, it seemed like it had seen better days, and if she were honest, she'd call it a bloody slum. Most buildings around her looked unmaintained at best and almost completely crumbled at worst, the road had multiple potholes in it, and debris was scattered all over the ground. There was also a zombie-looking guy sitting on the remains of a sidewalk, by one of the less-damaged buildings, glancing in her direction. "Hey, Ds," he said, in a raspy, but non-threatening voice. "Hey, new girl. Can you spare a cap?"

2D reached into his lab coat and pulled out four bottle caps, then put them in the person's hand. "There you go, Rotface."

Haru looked at him, unsure. "Uh, that sounds a bit insensitive."

"That's what he calls himself," Eddie replied.

Rotface laughed to himself in response, pocketing the caps. "Girl, I know you mean well, but every ghoul I've met lived long enough to take this little condition in stride." He smiled at her. "So don't worry, smoothskin."

Haru noted that the Ds (D, 2D and Eh-D, ha) didn't treat the ghoul (?) as anything unusual – and didn't react to 'smoothskin', so it probably wasn't an insult. "Okay, I won't," she said, as the group marched down the damaged road, towards the intersection. "Have a nice day, sir."

"You too, kid," he waved his hand half-heartedly in farewell.

"Rotface's chill," Dee said. "Which is a good thing because some people here are-"

As if on cue, a scraggly-looking thug jumped out from behind the corner, wielding a piece of pipe as a weapon. Undeterred by being outnumbered four to one, he pointed it at the group in an attempt at being threatening. "Give me all your money or I'll cave your skulls in!"

Haru raised her axe to block, but Eddie put his arm in front of her. "Dee, deal with him," he ordered his friend. "Gently."

The thug charged forward, but Dee just got in the way, effortlessly yanked the weapon out of his hand, and tossed it far away, above a blockade made of car wrecks that was obstructing one of the streets.

"Go fetch!" he said, with a dopey grin.

The thug was undeterred. "You think I'm scared?! You think I'm-"

A glowing red line went past him for a split second, about twenty centimeters away from his ear, startling him. Haru turned to see 2D wielding what looked like a pipe with a pistol handle and a glowy bit at the front, pointed squarely in the thug's direction.

The thug ran away, successfully intimidated. 2D put the weapon back in his lab coat's inner pocket.

"What was that?!" Haru asked, not caring if that would make her stick out.

"A warning shot from a self-made energy weapon," 2D politely explained. "There is a sweet spot of distance from a standard combat laser beam where it is not scalding enough to deal lasting damage, but it is warm enough to be felt on your skin. It is incredibly effective at making people rethink their life choices."

"Right." Something rubbed her the wrong way about laser weapons. Maybe it was about the complicated feelings about her father, who was a science fiction aficionado, or maybe it was about the bastard with an energy weapon that killed him. She pushed them aside – she had different problems on her plate, and it was pointless to think about them when both of them were dead.

Elsewhere, Akechi sneezed. "[Gah.]" And again. "[Dusty, dusty, dusty…]"

The four turned a corner and Eddie pointed at a sturdy-looking brick structure with the flag of the Followers flying above it. "That's the old Mormon fort. A.k.a. your current residence."

"It is… humble, but it is better than nothing," 2D remarked, as they marched alongside the brick wall. "You can stay for however long you need, and we will offer you food and drink, free of charge." They took another turn, revealing the sign at the front, reading 'Old Las Vegas Mormon State Historic Park' – Haru needed a moment to unpack that sentence; what a Mormon State would even be? – and a massive wooden gate leading inside.

Dee pushed it forward without issue and the group entered. The interior of the fort was about as barren as the exterior. Most space was taken by supply crates and pole tents in which most inhabitants and Followers resided. There were three types of people present – the Followers, all dressed to a man or woman in the same lab coats that 2D was wearing, the guards, lightly dressed and armed with an assortment of firearms, and the unlucky folks that required the facility's help; dressed in rags, somewhat malnourished, and generally looking like they got repeatedly shafted by life.

"Hey, Queen Mohawk!" Eddie shouted. "We brought you another mouth to feed!"

A few people turned around to glance at the newcomers. One of them was a woman in a lab coat in her mid-thirties, with a, well, mohawk of dark hair on her head, and an unexpectedly soft expression on her face; a smile of a kind person and the slightly vacant stare of someone that has been overworking themselves for a long while at that point. "Good Lord…" she muttered to herself, marching to the group. "What happened to you, child?"

"Child?" Haru reacted with slight indignation. "I'm eighteen. If this was Europe I could get drunk in a pub."

"Right, I apologize," the doctor corrected herself, before glancing at the Ds. "Please tell me this isn't your doing."

"I'm offended by the assumption, Julie," 2D replied. "We just found her and offered assistance. Based on her description, this was an act of… self-defense against Fiends."

"Say no more. This could've turned out much worse." She pointed at a door leading to a room in the corner of the fort. "If you'd walk over there with me, I could inspect your wounds."

"Can she keep her threads though?" Eddie asked. "I want her to look intimidating enough for a job."

Julie replied with a subdued death glare.

"We're doing her a favor, Farkas," Eddie replied, unbothered. "We could deal with it ourselves, but she can tag along and be scary to speed things up."

"Trust me, Julie," 2D added. "Neither I nor my companions will let harm come to her."

"It's fine, ma'am," Haru said. "I agreed to that and I want to make some money to not be a burden."

"Very well then," Julie said, still bothered. "I cannot force you to do anything. I will, however, ask you again to step into the medical room so I can examine your health."

"Yes, yes," Haru nodded, and the two ladies marched towards the corner of the fort. "Mrs Farkas, wasn't it?"

"Yes, but you can call me Julie," she replied, opening the door. "And what is your name?"

"Haru Oku-"

The sentence got cut off by Julie closing the door after her.

2D turned to his companions. "Alight, gentlemen. I have medication to split into doses. I'll be back shortly."

"Right." Eddie pointed at the door behind him with his thumb. "We're gonna go hit up Grecks in the meantime. He's the one debtor that might pay things up when asked nicely."

The medical examination took a rather short time – Haru got undressed, Julie Farkas inspected her wounds, and determined that none of them were life-threatening. She administered a single stimpak, mostly to avoid visible scars, and told her to put her clothes back on. With the shock fading off and her finally registering the heat of the Mojave, Haru only put on the shirt, the skirt, and the shoes, neatly folding everything else. The clothes currently on her were slightly less damaged than the ones she wore over them, but the intimidation factor was still present.

"I'll need to open your file here as well," Julie proclaimed, pulling out an empty pre-prepared folder from a filing cabinet standing by two metal lockers in the corner. "Are you literate, Haru?" Getting a nod in response, she handed the folder over, and pointed at a pencil at the table by the wall, with a chemistry set and a hot plate on it. "It will be easier if I just let you fill it out. In block capitals, please."

Haru put the folder down on the table, crouched by it (there were no chairs in the room), and glanced at the empty form inside. First name, Oku- she caught herself, erased the letters and wrote Haru, last name Okumura. Blood type, A, date of birth… There was a moment of hesitation there, as Haru remembered the Khans' reaction to her mentioning the year 2010. The world looked more messed up than it was in her time. "Uh, everything today has been… a lot," she said, "and it's hard to think straight. What day is it today?"

"XX the XX, 2281," Julie replied.

"Oh my…" Haru whispered under her breath, barely audibly.

"Take your time if you have to," Julie said, not noticing or not caring about her whisper.

After doing math in her head, Haru put her DOB down as 2262-12-03. Sex… Haru wrote none, then realized it meant 'gender' not 'intercourse' and corrected to F. The rest of the form was asking about any potential addictions, chronic illnesses, and other things a physician should be aware of. Haru circled 'no' as an answer for every question, then stood back up and handed over the clipboard.

Julie inspected the form. "Did you write your date of birth as year-month-day?"

"Uh, y-yes," Haru nodded. "Is that a problem?"

"Not at all," Julie said, writing "Dec 3" in small letters next to the field. "I just want to avoid ambiguities." She closed the folder and put it back in the drawer. "That is all as far as your physical health goes, though I would recommend approaching a mental health professional, to deal with any trauma you have after what happened to you. The Followers are running a medical clinic nearby, it's near the Crimson Caravan branch. Doctor Usanagi there can arrange something for you, free of charge."

None of that told Haru anything, and she decided to take a risk. "Uh, do you…" she paused, trying to remember a word in a second language. "Is doctor-patient confidentiality a thing here?"

"Not formally," Julie replied, truthfully. "But I promise, whatever you say will not leave this room."

Haru paused for a moment, having some lingering doubts. Finally, she took a leap of faith. "I'm… not from here. I'm from another time and space."

Julie raised an eyebrow – a reaction which Haru found unnervingly subdued. "Could you elaborate?" she asked.

"I was born in Japan, in 199X," Haru said. "I was transported here from Tokyo, from 201X, by… let's say 'magic gone wrong' because I cannot believe myself when I consider the chain of events that led to that happening." After a pause, she added: "This is the part where you excuse yourself and go for a straitjacket."

"Even if I had any, you don't use them on people that aren't a danger to themselves or others," Julie replied.

"There are a few mangled corpses somewhere out there that can confirm how dangerous I can be," Haru retorted.

"2D mentioned it was self-defense. Was he correct?"

Haru nodded in response.

"Then that cannot be held against you," Julie remarked, somber. "I am sorry to say that in this day and age, as much as I would want that to not be the case, violence can be… inevitable. Especially against Fiends, who are usually too high on every drug on the market to be reasoned with. I assume that your time and space wasn't as wartorn as ours is."

Haru lowered her head, dejected. "It was far from perfect, but…" Her eyes widened and she stared at Julie. "Wait a minute, do you actually believe me?"

Julie tented her fingers. "Before the war, the United States government locked up thousands of people in over a hundred underground bunkers, for the explicit purpose of unethical experiments on unwilling participants," she explained.

"Sounds, uh, ridiculous."

"And yet it is true," Julie countered. "There is ample evidence proving that, including the bunkers themselves scattered around the country. Multiple factions present today emerged from them. For now, I assume that you are here as a result of one such experiment."

After a moment, Haru shrugged. "You know, let's go with that."

To be fair, Julie wasn't exactly sure if the girl was telling the truth – but she believed that, and she wasn't on drugs, so arguing with her seemed counterproductive. And at the end of the day, the important thing was helping her, not dissecting her backstory for implausibilities. "Circling back to the present, the facility can offer you three meals a day, clean water, a bed, and a footlocker for personal belongings, free of charge."

"Thank you," Haru bowed slightly.

"As you can tell, we also offer medical services, but… well, we are short on supplies, so I would prefer that you avoid getting seriously hurt." She reached into another drawer in the filing cabinet from before, and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "I have a few spare maps of the local area, you can keep one for now." She handed it over. "I recommend sticking to Freeside and its nearby surroundings, as they are comparatively safe."

Haru unfolded the map in her hands and glanced at the area it covered. She took note of two markers, one pointing to her current location and one pointing to the location of the medical clinic. Maybe she'd pay a visit there after wrapping up the debt-collecting business.

"Unfortunately, you don't look like a local, and with the tensions in the area, you might end up having to defend yourself again." Julie glanced at the bloodied axe, currently leaning by the door. "If I can ask you for something… please use the blunt end next time."

Someone knocked on the door. "Uh, excuse me?" 2D's voice came from the background. "Dee and Eddie are breathing down my neck."

"Give her time, 2D!" Julie replied, in a firmer tone than what she had been using up to that point.

"Right, apologies!"

Haru folded her map and put it away. "One last question, um, Mrs Farkas," she said, in a conspiratorial murmur.

"Ask away."

"How trustworthy are those three?"

Farkas paused for a moment. "2D is… marginally shady, on account of his contacts, but I understand that he does what he does for the good of this operation, and otherwise he is a stand-up fellow. Daniel, 'Dee', is naive and not too bright, but his heart is in the right place. Edwin, 'Eddie', fancies himself a bit of a hustler, and parts of his gang aren't helping with the tensions in Freeside, but he has standards, and shouldn't leave you out to dry. In short, they're far from the worst this world has to offer, and they can even be trustworthy on a good day."

Haru noticed one of these descriptions didn't match the others, but decided to ask the devil himself later on. "Got it." Haru walked to the door, picked up her axe, and rested it on her shoulder. "This is all for now, isn't it?"

A metaphorical lightbulb went over Julie's head. "One last thing. A friend of mine runs small scale relief support west of here, near the old train station. Can I see your map?"

Haru unfolded it on the table and Julie poked a spot on it with her finger.

"They only serve NCR citizens, but, like I said, you don't look like a local. You don't have to act on it, but it's an option for you to exchange a white lie for a meal. Though I must ask you to keep it a secret, even from 2D's friends. Let's not escalate things any further."

"My lips are sealed, Mrs Farkas," Haru said, pocketing her map. "Thank you for everything."

"Don't mention it," she smiled, weakly.

Haru opened the door and stepped back into the courtyard. Dee, 2D and Eddie were already waiting for her. "You patched up?" Eddie asked her.

"As well as I can be," she replied. "So, are we going to collect debts?"

"Sure." Eddie marched to the exit door. "Follow me."