Author's note: Hello everyone. I hope everyone is enjoying the story thus far. Enjoy, and reviews are always welcome.
They were an hour-and-a-half away from Vegas, according to Mark's pip-boy. It was close to 6 pm, and the sun was beginning to set. Mark and Amata were up front, while Veronica was talking with Cass and Boone about 15 yards behind them. Well, Cass at least. It sounded like Boone hadn't said a word. ED-E was buzzing around somewhere behind them. "Ok, Mark you've looked pale ever since we left the 188. What the hell did that kid say to you?" Amata asked. "It's nothing," Mark said. "Mark, don't bullshit with me. I've known you long enough to know that you don't get spooked easily. What did he say?" "All right. For starters, he knew that I was shot twice in the head." "Mark, he's probably seen that wound before." "Really? How many people can say they got shot in the head and lived?" Amata was silent for a moment. "Ok," she said, "I will concede that point."
"I think he knew where I came from. He said something about monuments in the east, coming here to escape my past, and he specifically said the word 'purifier.' You can't tell me that that's just a coincidence." "I don't know, Mark. I think all that shit you've done, plus getting shot in the head, has made you paranoid. Maybe doing this was a bad idea." Just then, Veronica caught up with them. "Hey you two. What're you talking about?" "Nothing," said Mark. "Ok. So Amata, Mark tells me you two grew up together in a vault. What was that like? Why'd you leave DC in the first place?" Amata glanced at Mark, who mouthed "keep it vague." "Well," said Amata, ignoring him, "the vault was nice. We always had clean water, food and a nice, warm bed to sleep in. I, um also may have gotten a little better treatment than everyone else because my father was the overseer."
Mark snorted at that last remark. Amata and Veronica stared at him. "A little better treatment? That's an understatement. You got double the ration coupons and your bedroom was a hell of a lot bigger than the rest of ours. A lot of the other kids called you the 'vault princess.'" "Did you call me that, Mark?" "No, of course not," Mark said a little too quickly. "So," said Veronica, "how did her father react to you dating his little girl?" "That's a bit of a complicated question," said Mark. Amata knew that they were getting into an area Mark didn't want to talk about, so she changed the subject. "Veronica, I forgot to ask, what does a 'procurement specialist' do anyway?" Veronica looked at Mark. "You trust her, right?" "Of course he trusts me," Amata interjected. "Mark, what's she talking about?" Mark looked over his shoulder at Cass and Boone, who were still about 15 yards behind.
"Veronica is a member of the Brotherhood of Steel." "Oh, like back east?" "Kind of. I told you what I know about them. The chapter back east had some, well let's call them ideological differences than the chapters here and in California. So for the time being, keep that between us. They're not as well-liked out here, so don't tell Boone or Cass, ok?" "Hey," Amata said, "I can keep a secret. So do you like working for the Brotherhood?" Amata asked Veronica. "Well, it pays like ass, but it's hard to get another job with my skill set. You know, when that contingent came out here a couple months ago, they talked about some kid who came out of a vault and became some kind of uber-hero. You guys know anything about that?" "You know," said Mark, "I actually met the guy. Nice guy. Really down to earth. Good looking as hell, too." Amata sighed and rolled her eyes.
They continued to talk about nothing in particular for the next hour or so, when they came upon an arched sign, with mismatched neon letters that spelled out "Freeside." According to Boone, this was the only way to get into Vegas besides a monorail at Camp McCarran. As they started to walk through Freeside, Mark said to Amata, "Stay close. I don't like the looks of this place." Mark had reason to be worried. There were a lot of buildings that had collapsed due to two-hundred plus years of neglect. There were also a lot of people dressed in rags leaning up against the buildings. They passed by a castle-like structure, with a sign out front that read "Old Mormon Fort." Down a side street, Mark saw what looked like a couple of casinos. One was called the "Atomic Wrangler," with a cowboy riding an atom. The other one simply said "Silver Rush." Cass said, "Damn. This place smells like death warmed over."
They continued to walk, and a building came up on their left. In purple neon, the sign read, "King's School of Impersonation." There were a couple of guys standing in front of the door, wearing white t-shirts, jeans and had their hair slicked back. "Hey Mark, those guys remind you of anyone?" Amata asked as they passed. "Oh yeah," Mark said, getting a bad case of déjà vu, thinking about Butch and the Tunnel Snakes. Mark could see the lights of the strip as they approached the front gate. The arch over the entrance said "Welcome to the Strip." Before they could get any closer, a securitron rolled up to them. There were at least six more securitrons patrolling the gate, a couple of them on a raised platform. "Submit to a credit check, or present your passport before proceeding to the gate." "A credit check?" Mark asked. "What for?" "Admission to the Strip requires an official passport or proof that you are carrying the required two-thousand bottle cap minimum. These policies prevent less-than reputable persons from entering the Strip and ensuring that a good time is had by all."
Mark thought for a moment. He had more than enough to cover him and Amata, but he didn't have enough to cover Boone, Veronica and Cass. Mark put down his bag and started to search through when he felt someone brush past him. It was Veronica. The Securitron faced her. "PDQ-88b: Input RobCo security override master code: 1C 3C R34 M." Mark looked at her like she was crazy, but the securitron started buzzing and its face disappeared, and all you could see was a red screen. After a few moments, the face reappeared, and the securitron said, "Thank you. You may proceed. Enjoy your stay." The gates then swung open. Cass spoke. "How the hell did ya do that?" "I'm good with robots," she said with a smile on her face, as she winked at Mark.
Mark looked around at the Strip, and he was in awe. Everything was just so bright. There were casinos on either side of them as they entered. The one on the left was the Lucky 38, with the 38 above the door surrounded by a large roulette wheel. The steps leading to the front entrance had flashing lights, and it was guarded by securitrons. Looking further down the street, Mark could see a couple of NCR troopers who looked like they were drunk, and that was confirmed when one of them threw up. To their right was a casino called "Gomorrah." The sign had fire shooting up from behind it, and there were black silhouettes of two women in sexually suggestive poses. In front of Gomorrah was what Mark assumed was one of the strippers. She was wearing knee-high black leather boots, a black leather corset, and what looked like black tape x's covering her nipples. Amata scowled as she noticed Mark staring at the stripper, and smacked him in the back of the head. Cass and Veronica snickered. "Dammit, Amata, what the hell was that for?" "That was for staring at a whore, how about we go with that? Besides, we have a visitor."
She pointed to their left, and Mark could see that Victor was rolling towards them. "Howdy partner, looks like ya'll made it to Vegas after all. Now the head honcho of fabulous New Vegas, Mr. House, is itching to make your acquaintance," Victor said as he pointed to the Lucky 38. Mark looked around and saw the Tops Casino a little further down the street. "I've got something to do first Victor. Tell Mr. House that I'll meet him when I'm done." Victor was silent for a few seconds. "All right, partner, but I wouldn't take too long. He's a good guy, but he ain't too patient." "I'll keep that in mind, Victor." "You know," Veronica said as they walked down the street, "they say that no one's been inside the Lucky 38 since the bombs dropped." Mark wasn't paying attention.
They had stopped in front of the Tops. The building itself looked like two buildings had been pushed together, and the overhang was wavy with yellow flashing lights running across it. "Ok, so what's the plan, Captain?" Cass said from behind him, "Full-on assault? I'm eager to do some killin.'" "No. A full-on assault would be our last option. Innocent people could get caught in the crossfire. No, what I'm thinking is some subterfuge." Mark looked around, when a sign caught his eye. It said, "Vault 21 Hotel and Gift Shop" in neon, and the back of the sign was a vault door, similar to Vault 101. "I got an idea. Follow me."
They walked into the hotel, and Mark and Amata were immediately reminded of Vault 101. To their left were a closed door, a school desk with a computer terminal on it, and a couple of lockers. To their right was a counter with another terminal on it, and the sign behind it said "Overseer." Directly in front of them was an open doorway that Mark assumed was the way deeper into the vault. Walking over to them was a woman who looked to be in her late twenties, who had blue eyes and blonde hair pulled into a ponytail, and was wearing a blue vault jumpsuit that had the number 21 on the back. She was also wearing a pip-boy on her left wrist. "Hi there. My name's Sarah Weintraub. Do you need some rooms, or would you like to take a tour?" "Hi Sarah. My name's Mark, and this is Amata, Cass, Boone, Veronica, and ED-E. Do you sell clothes here?" "Why, yes we do," she said excitedly, "what exactly are you looking for?" "Do you have any dresses?"
Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. Why is Mark looking for dresses? Is he secretly a crossdresser? Find out next time.