Amata woke up the next morning, turned over in the bed and reached for Mark, but found that his half of the bed was empty. She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and saw him sitting at the desk, looking at the papers that he had retrieved the night before. "Mark, what are you doing?" Mark sighed. "I don't know, that's the problem. I have all of this evidence, and when I tell Cass about this, I just know that she's gonna want to go on the warpath and kill the Van Graffs and McLafferty, and I told her that I would help her take action against them. The Van Graffs, they're mercenaries, and not the good kind like the Rangers, so they can die for all I care. McLafferty, however, is a different story. I think that she's more useful alive than dead."
Amata got out of bed, went over to Mark, and started to massage his neck. Mark groaned in pleasure. "Mark, whatever you decide, you know that I'm gonna stand behind you. Besides, you're pretty good at convincing people of things. You have a very talented tongue." "Well, you above all should know that," Mark said a bit mischievously. Amata rolled her eyes. "You do know that you do have to tell Cass about this, right?" Amata asked. "Yeah, yeah, I know. And did you seriously think that I was gonna cheat on you in the room that is right next to ours?" "Well," Amata said, as she headed towards the bathroom, "you have done some pretty bold things in your life." "Yeah," Mark said, "I'm bold. I'm not stupid."
Mark put on some pants and went into the kitchen, where he found Veronica eating a bowl of Sugar Bombs, and he saw Boone standing out on the balcony overlooking the Strip. "Mornin' Mark," Veronica said with her mouth full. "Didn't anyone ever teach you not to speak with a full mouth?" Mark asked. "Yeah, probably at some point. So, how did your breaking and entering go last night?" Mark looked out in the hallway. "Cass isn't up yet, is she?" "Not that I'm aware of," said Veronica. Mark leaned back in the chair and sighed. "What? Didn't find anything?" "No," Mark said, "I found plenty. The Van Graffs and McLafferty are in cahoots with each other, and I found plenty of evidence about other probably illegal acts that the Crimson Caravan is involved in." "Did you seriously just say 'cahoots'?" Mark smiled. "Maybe. I've always wanted to use that word, and I think it fits here."
Boone came back in the kitchen and closed the balcony door. "Mark," Boone said as he nodded to Mark and got some water out of the fridge. "Boone. You'll be happy to know that no NCR citizens died last night, at least none at their compound. There were some idiots who tried to attack me in Freeside last night, but I don't know if they were NCR citizens or not." "So," Veronica continued, "are you worried about how Cass is going to react when you tell her?" "Yeah. I mean, the Van Graffs, they can die for all I care, but I think McLafferty could be useful." "How so?" Veronica asked. "Do you remember what Julie Farkas told us about the Crimson Caravan the first time we spoke with her?"
Veronica thought back. "She said…she said that they needed a regular supply of medicine and the Crimson Caravan Company was charging them too much." She paused. "Wait. You're thinking that we can use this as leverage to get a better deal on medical supplies for the Followers, aren't you?" "That's exactly what I'm thinking. But I'm not just gonna waltz back in there and start demanding things. I need someone who holds a bit more sway over them." Mark looked at Boone. "Boone, McCarran is an NCR base, right?" Boone nodded. "Who's the CO over there? Hopefully someone who isn't a giant asshole?" Boone chuckled. "No. Colonel James Hsu is the CO at McCarran. He's the exact opposite of Oliver. He's a smart man, and a great tactical thinker. He'd probably be General by now if Oliver didn't know the President." "Well, that's good," Mark said, "do you think that you'd be able to get us in there?" "Shouldn't be a problem. My old unit's stationed over there." "Thanks, Boone," Mark said as Boone walked out of the room.
Mark leaned in close to Veronica and spoke softly. "Listen, Veronica, after we do that, I think we can go and I can talk to the Brotherhood." Veronica choked on the Sugar Bombs. After drinking some water, she said, "Today?" "Yeah, I mean, unless you need some time to get ready, then we can do it another day, but I figured that you'd want to get it done sooner rather than later." "No…no you're right. This needs to get done now." She smiled, but it looked a bit forced to Mark. "Oh, just so you know, the bunker has a radio jamming signal, so you won't be able to communicate with Amata while you're down there." Cass walked into the room holding her head. "Morning, Cass," Veronica said. Cass mumbled something as she grabbed some water out of the fridge. "Good luck," Veronica said quietly to Mark as she got up from the table. "Gee, thanks for the support," Mark whispered sarcastically as she left the room and Cass sat down at the table across from him.
She took a big swig of water. "Alrigh', talk ta me, did ya find anythin'?" "Yes," Mark said, "I did find evidence that the Van Graffs and the Crimson Caravan were working together." Cass looked at him. "Ya got yer evidence. Can we kick some ass now?" "Well, yes and no, and before you say anything, just hear me out. The Van Graffs deserve to die. They've probably done a lot worse stuff than this. But McLafferty, we can use her to get a better deal on medical supplies that the Followers desperately need, and for that I need her alive. Trust me when I say that if this works, she will suffer for the rest of her life."
Mark half-expected, no, he fully expected Cass to start complaining about them not just out-and-out killing McLafferty, but she didn't. She rubbed her head. "Alrigh', Mark." Mark was very surprised. "Really? Just like that?" "I dunno," she said, "ya seem ta know what yer doin.' Yer our leader, an' I trust ya. I'm too hung over ta argue right now. Plus, I guess, tha Followers are good people, an' they helped out 'Mata an' all that. Seein' McLafferty suffer, would bring me more 'njoyment than jus' killin' her." Mark smiled. "Don't start getting soft on me now. You just need to direct your anger towards the Van Graffs." Cass managed a smile. "Oh, don' worry. I got plenty a anger fer tha Van Graffs."
Arcade walked in. "Good morning everyone," he said as he got some mutfruit out of the fridge. "Morning, Arcade," Mark said, "Did you check up on Amata yet?" "As a matter of fact, I just did. She is all clear to resume normal activity." "That's great news, Arcade. Listen, we're gonna be heading to McCarran on some business in a bit if you want to come along." "Sure," he said, "why not. I could use some fresh air. Count me in." "Alright, we'll leave in about an hour or so, ok?" "Fine by me." Cass groaned. "An hour?" she then lowered her head on the table. Mark chuckled silently as he got up and left the room.
Mark opened the door to his and Amata's room, and as he walked in, he saw that Amata had put on his old armor and was looking out the window. She turned around, and as she did, Mark became awestruck. The way the sun reflected off her hair, the glow that surrounded her, the way she looked in that armor, she seemed almost angelic. "Mark, why are you staring at me?" "It's just…you look so beautiful. I still sometimes think that I don't deserve someone as great as you." She walked over to him, put her arms around his neck, and they kissed. "Trust me," she said, "you definitely deserve me. Did Arcade tell you the good news?" "He did." "So where are we going today?" "What makes you think we're going somewhere?" Mark asked. "Mark, you're never not going somewhere these days, so stop being coy and spill it." Mark raised his hands in defeat.
"You got me. First we're gonna stop by the Silver Rush so I can get an idea of the layout before we plan any type of assault. Then we gotta stop by McCarran so I can talk to the CO there about what I found. Then Veronica and I are gonna head to the bunker where the Brotherhood is based out here so I can talk to their Elder. Oh, and about that, apparently their bunker has some kind of radio interference setup, so you won't be able to track or talk to me while I'm down there." "Can I go with you to meet the Brotherhood?"
"Nah, that's probably not a good idea, babe. If we were still in DC, then I would have no problem with that, but I'm assuming that this chapter is still wary of outsiders, so the less people that go in, the better." "So what am I supposed to do while you're gone?" "Oh, I'm sure you'll think of something. Tell you what. We'll go on that date tonight like I promised. You come back, get all dressed up, and when I get back, I can change and then we can go." "Would you, ah, would you mind if I picked out your clothes for you? There was some stuff downstairs that I thik you'd look good in." "Sure, babe. You've always had great taste."
A little over an hour later, everyone had geared up and they were walking through Freeside. Mark was explaining to everyone what the plan was when they heard a large explosion. Everyone readied their weapons, looking for an attacker. "What tha fuck was that?" Cass asked trying to figure out where it came from. "There," Boone said, pointing to the northwest. They could see people running in that direction, so they did as well. "Come on," Mark said, "let's go see what happened." They started running and didn't stop until they reached the side street where the Silver Rush and the Atomic Wrangler were located. A crowd started to gather, and everyone was facing the Silver Rush. After they made their way through the crowd, they stopped in front of the Silver Rush. One of the doors had been blown off, and the other one looked like it was barely hanging on. A few feet away, Mark saw a body on the ground, wearing the same armor as the man they saw at Cass' caravan site. He bent down to examine it. It looked like his throat had been cut, and judging by how clean the cut was, it looked like someone knew what they were doing.
The crowd had started to grow, and some Kings were trying to keep it under control. Mark put down his bag and readied his assault rifle. Mark turned to the others, and his voice became very authoritative. "Alright, I'm going in to see what happened. Boone, you're with me. ED-E, I need you up in the air, check the area for anyone who looks like they may have done this. Cass, Veronica, help the Kings keep the crowd under control. Arcade, I have medical supplies in my bag. See if anyone out here was wounded. Amata, guard the door. No one else gets in. Questions?" There were none. "Alright, people, let's move."
Mark and Boone walked into the building, ready for anything. The inside of the building was a mess. There was a sunk-in area that was partially surrounded by a cage, although a large hole had been blown in a part of the cage. Mark saw blood spatter on the ground and the walls, but there were no bodies, so whatever explosives were used had disintegrated the bodies. There were tables flipped over, and Mark saw some plasma grenades and pistols around the outside of the room that weren't destroyed. They went through a door that led to a back area. There were a couple of large metallic crates in the room, along with a terminal on a desk and a safe near the desk. There was a set of stairs leading upward, and Mark motioned to Boone that they should go up. They checked the corners as they went up the stairs. They searched a few rooms with mattresses in them, but there was no one else in there. "Clear!" Mark called out. "Clear!" Boone responded.
They went back downstairs. "Amata, we're clear. Let Cass know that we're the only ones alive in here." "Copy that, Mark," came the response over his pip-boy. Mark took his helmet off and put that and his assault rifle on the desk. "Boone, check what's in those cases. I'm gonna see what's on here." Boone nodded. Mark sat down at the desk. There were a few entries, but nothing that would seem incriminating. There was also a remote link to the safe. Mark clicked on it and the safe popped open. They heard a gunshot outside. "Amata, what's going on?" "We're fine," Amata said, "Cass just fired a celebratory shot in the air." "Ok, thanks babe." "Mark, you might want to check this out," Boone said, looking through the cases. Mark looked in the cases and saw a plethora of laser and plasma pistols and rifles, along with ammunition. In one of the cases was a rather large weapon. Mark took it out and examined it. It was meant to be held similar to a minigun, but there was no minigun barrel. Instead, there was a long pole with three prongs surrounding it and meeting at the end.
"What is that?" Boone asked. "I have no idea, but there's only one way to find out." Mark aimed at the far wall and fired. Three concentrated bursts of plasma hit the wall in rapid succession. There was now a hole in the wall. "Huh," Mark said, "so that's what it does," a look of mild surprise on his face. "Mark," Amata said over his pip-boy, "I know you said no one else was supposed to come in, but the King's here." "That's fine," Mark said, "send him in." "I already did," Amata said. The King came into the back. "Gentlemen," the King said, "any idea what happened here?" "No idea," Mark said, "but there's no one alive in here, and we just found a whole mess of weapons."
"Have mercy," the King said as he looked at the weapons. "What do you think we should do with all of these?" the King asked. "Well," Mark said, "there are two crates, so I'm thinking that we split it. The Kings get one case, and me and my friends get one case. But I'm keeping this," Mark said, referencing the weapon in his hands. "Fine by me," the King said as he picked up and examined a plasma rifle. "King," Mark said, "we've got other places to be. Think your guys can keep this place locked down until we come back?" "Not a problem. Crowd's mostly gone outside, so we should be good." Mark leaned down and opened the safe. There were some documents, caps, NCR bills, and Legion coins. Mark took the papers and put them in his bag. "Thanks again, King," Mark said as they shook hands, "I'll stop by your HQ tomorrow and we can talk business." "Sounds good." Mark put his helmet back on, grabbed his rifle, and he and Boone left the room.
About an hour later, they found themselves at Camp McCarran, which was a pre-war airport, now serving as an NCR base. After Boone talked to the guard at the gate, they walked in. What was once a parking lot was now set as a training area, and there were also some tents for sleeping. The group got some stares as they passed by, but they weren't approached by anyone. Boone led them into the main terminal building. There was a sandbag wall with two troopers standing behind it immediately in front of them as they entered. "Alright, Boone, where is Colonel Hsu's office?" "Over there," he said, pointing to an open door about fifty feet to their left. There were two NCR troopers wearing power armor with NCR insignia on it, each holding a minigun, guarding the door. When Veronica saw the power armor, she clenched her fists and scowled. Mark went towards the office, but Boone stopped him. "Let me talk to them first."
Mark nodded and stepped back. Boone talked to one of the men, and Mark thought he heard Boone say the word, "courier." The man disappeared into the office for a few moments and then came back out. He spoke to Boone, and Boone came back to them. "Ok," Boone said, "He'll meet with you, but only you," he said to Mark, "the rest of us will have to wait here." Mark nodded and headed into Colonel Hsu's office. His office was a desk with a terminal on it, a few chairs and a filing cabinet. Mark put his assault rifle and bag on the ground. The man who Mark assumed was Colonel Hsu came out from behind his desk. He was a man of Asian descent, wearing trooper armor and a beret.
"Are you the Courier?" he asked. Mark took off his helmet. "I am, but my real name is Mark Franklin, Colonel." They shook hands, and Hsu motioned for him to sit. "Ok," Hsu said, "so why are you here?" "Well, my friend, former 1st Recon sniper Craig Boone said that you can be trusted, and I have some information that the NCR would be very interested in." Hsu looked intrigued. "Ok, I'm listening." Mark took the papers out of his bag and put them on Hsu's desk. Hsu looked over a few, and then leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temple. "Are you okay, Colonel?" Mark asked.
"Just what I needed. More problems," Hsu said. "The fiends keep pressing us from Vault 3, harassing our troops here, we've got the Legion breathing down our necks from across the river, and now I've got all of this," he said, referencing the papers. "You seem…awfully calm about all of this, Colonel." He chuckled. "Calm's what you have to be when people look to you, and it's all you can be when things are out of your hands." "Don't I know it," Mark said. Hsu looked back at the papers. "Everything's gone to hell around here," Hsu said. There was silence for a few moments. "Colonel," Mark said, "I know you'll have to get these back to the NCR, but I have an idea on how we can use this information right here in the Mojave." "Go on," Hsu said. "Well, there was an explosion at the Silver Rush in Freeside, so all of the Van Graffs here are dead, but Boone tells me that they're based in the NCR, so that'll be up to you guys to deal with them. As for Alice McLafferty and the Crimson Caravan, however…"
After Mark explained to Hsu what he wanted to do, Hsu contemplated it. "It could work," Hsu said, rubbing his chin. "It might take a few days to get approval from the President, but I think it could work." "Good," Mark said, "I'll leave a few pieces of evidence here as a show of good faith, but I'm taking the rest just in case. I don't need all of this evidence just "disappearing." Mark took most of the papers and put them away. "Send a messenger to the Lucky 38 when you get approval. I'll be around." They shook hands, and Mark left the office.
Cass wasn't exactly thrilled that they had to wait for approval, but with the Van Graffs dead, she was willing to wait a bit longer. They walked out of the terminal, and Boone was approached by an African-American man sporting a full black beard. "Craig Boone, as I live and breathe," the man said. "Major Dhatri," Boone said as they shook hands. "It's been awhile, Craig. Don't suppose you're here to re-enlist? We could use you." "No, sir," Boone said, "Those days are behind me." Dhatri looked at the group. "Friends of yours?" Dhatri asked. "Yeah. This guy's the Courier. Guessing you've heard of him," Boone said, motioning to Mark.
"I certainly have," Dhatri said. He shook Mark's hand. "Pleased to meet you. I've heard of your work. Is it true what they say happened with Oliver at the Embassy?" Mark, who had yet to put his helmet back on, smirked. "Probably," he said. Dhatri shook his head in disbelief. "I didn't think anyone had the balls to do that. How old are you, son?" "Nineteen, sir." "Damn. I wish all my troops had your courage." He turned back to Boone. "If you're not here to re-enlist, perhaps you'd be interested in helping me out with a problem." "Problem?" Boone asked. "It's no secret that the fiends are harassing our troops in the area. I'm offering a bounty on the heads of their leaders. What do you say?"
Boone turned to look at the rest of the group. "You guys up for some bounty hunting?" "Well," Mark said, "Veronica and I have that…errand we need to take care of, but the rest of you can if you want." "I'm in," Cass said, "ah really need ta kill somethin'." Amata looked at Mark. "Mark, I'm gonna help them." "Then go and help. I know you've been cooped up in the 38. Just don't forget our plans tonight, ok?" "Don't worry," she said as they kissed, "I won't." "ED-E," Mark said, looking at the robot, "keep her safe, okay?" ED-E beeped and bobbed up and down, apparently saying yes. "Ready, Veronica?" Veronica took a deep breath. "Yeah. Let's go."
(2 hours later)
They were about a half-hour away from where Veronica said the Brotherhood was located, a place called Hidden Valley. It wasn't on the map on Mark's pip-boy, which was probably why it was called "Hidden." Amata had just sent him a message saying that they had taken out two of the three fiend leaders that Dhatri wanted killed. "Why do you always carry that bag?" Veronica asked, "Doesn't it throw off your balance?" "I don't know, why do you wear that hood when it's as hot as hell out here?" Veronica gripped her hood. "I'm just kidding," Mark said, "and to answer your question, I carry it because I usually need more supplies than what I can strap on my belt. I've adjusted to shooting with it, so it's not a problem. I only carry what I think I'm gonna need, not everything I own."
They walked for a few more minutes in silence. "Can I ask you a question?" Veronica asked. "You just did," Mark said, "but go ahead." "You and Amata, um, why do you think you guys go so well together?" "Why do you ask?" "It's just…I keep thinking that there was something that I could've said or done differently to keep Christine from leaving. I keep thinking that it's my fault she left. If-or when I see her again, I don't want to make the same mistake." "First of all, Veronica, you will see her again. Secondly, if the Brotherhood forced her out, I doubt anything you could've said or done would've made a difference. It's not your fault, so don't blame yourself. Look, there are a multitude of reasons Amata and I go so well together, but a big one is because we don't try to change each other. I know who she is, and she knows who I am. Plus, the sex is pretty good." "I can imagine," Veronica said, smiling halfheartedly.
"Tell me about Christine. What was she like?" Veronica thought for a moment. "She…personified perfection. She was beautiful. Her smile, her body, it was all perfect. Sometimes, we would have these late-night sparring sessions, and when we were done, and we were both hot and sweaty, sometimes we would find a secluded area and just…well, I'll leave that to your imagination." "She sounds like a great person. I hope to meet her one day," Mark said. "Yeah, I think you two would get along." Mark looked at her. "Veronica, we'll find her. In fact, I may be able to get your Elder to tell me where she is." Veronica looked extremely confused. "How exactly do you plan to do that?" "Oh," Mark said, "let's just say I may have an ace up my sleeve." Veronica didn't know how to respond to that, so they continued to walk. A few minutes later, Mark noticed some figures about a hundred yards away that were heading towards them, and it was very unlikely that they would be friendly. "Veronica," Mark said, "we've got company."
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Until next time, and reviews are always welcomed and appreciated.