Author's note: Hello everyone! I hope that you are doing well. This chapter will be mostly focused on the goings-on outside the Big Empty, including a new addition to the group. Enjoy the chapter, and reviews are welcomed and appreciated.
Veronica reappeared in the transport room, which was empty besides herself. She didn't see the beacon at her side, so she figured that they were automatically sent elsewhere. Stepping off the platform, she went through the doorway, intending on heading back towards the bridge. Mark had apparently been smart enough to put up signs directing people to various parts of the ship.
While walking, she went past Sergeant Daniels, who happened to be holding a beer. Needing a drink in the worst way, she swiped it from him as he went by, ignoring his complaining while walking away. She chugged the rest of it and tossed the bottle over her shoulder. Turning around a corner, she nearly ran into Amata.
"Veronica, there you are! How did it-" She was cut off as Veronica hugged her. Amata was slightly surprised at first, but returned it, sensing Veronica needed one desperately. "Never, ever, ever, make me do that again," the former Scribe said. "I won't, I promise," Amata replied. She pulled back and looked at Veronica. "Are you okay?" Veronica sighed. "Yeah, I guess. Just dealing with a lot of different emotions right now. Got the information, and that's what's important. Let's head back to the bridge."
They started walking. "Did you want to talk about what happened?" Amata asked. "Well, apparently McNamara thinks of me as the daughter he never had. Honestly, I was not expecting that. He also wished me luck, and said he was rooting for me." "Well, that was nice of him. He seems like a nice guy." Amata replied. "Yeah, he is a nice guy. I mean, as Elder, he's supposed to care for everyone in the chapter, but that kind of went above and beyond. He also said something about giving our group a gift, and that we would find out about it in the next few days."
Amata furrowed her brow. "A gift? Do you have any idea what it is? Should we be worried?" Veronica shook her head. "No to both questions. He wouldn't specify, but I doubt that it's anything bad. I don't think he'd harm his pseudo-daughter, and I think that he respects Mark too much. The 'gift' isn't going to be him sending a hit squad after us or anything like that. Sure, there might be some rogue idiots who come after me for sharing 'privileged information,' or something stupid like that, but nothing sanctioned by him."
"Are you worried about something like that?" Amata asked, concerned for her friend. "Nah, I can handle myself. Although I'd like my pip-boy to be able to take me up here like yours can, just in case." Amata nodded. "Of course. So, um, how'd it go with Christine?" Veronica sighed.
"That…that was difficult. At first, she thought I was there to rejoin the Brotherhood and get back together with her. After I made it clear that neither of those things were happening, I told her about Mark's predicament. The only way she would give me the information was if I gave her a kiss." Amata looked at her sympathetically. "Well, you got the information, so…" "Yeah, I did kiss her." "And?" Amata asked.
"I felt nothing, Amata. I guess if I ever needed proof that our relationship was truly over, that was it." Amata stopped and hugged her. "I'm so sorry, Veronica." She released the hug. "Don't be. In a way, it's a good thing. This way, we can both get on with our lives. I mean, she'll always be a friend, but that'll be the extent of our relationship. Now, I think that's enough about my screwed-up love life. We've got more important things to worry about."
They arrived on the bridge, with Elliott in the captain's chair, monitoring the Big Empty. "Anything, Elliott?" Amata asked as they approached. "No, nothing yet, sorry," he said, standing up. Amata took his place, staring at the screen. Veronica went into her bag and fished out her journal, opening it to the page with her notes, and handed it to Amata. She read, her worry increasing with each line.
Both Elliott and Veronica watched her read. Once she was done, she handed the journal back to Veronica, who handed it to Elliott so he could read it. He wandered over to the side as he read. "Veronica, are you sure you want to do this?" Amata asked. Before Veronica could answer, Amata's pip-boy beeped. She looked down, seeing the face of Yes Man. "What is it, Yes Man?" she asked the AI. "Ma'am, Miss Cassidy and Miss Fields-Franklin are in the Penthouse and are requesting to speak with you. Shall I patch them through?"
Amata had asked Yes Man to inform her before patching them through in case she was not on the bridge. She cleared the shot of Big MT from the screen and told Yes Man to allow them through. The screen then showed the Penthouse, Cass standing behind Abby, with ED-E floating near them. Abby appeared to be wearing a black jacket that was far too big for her.
"Hi mommy!" she said excitedly, waving a hand enthusiastically. "Hi, sweetie! How was your day?" Amata asked, hiding her worry. "It was awesome! We played hide-and-seek and I played with Rex and I did some singing and I took a nap and the King made me an honorary King! He said I'm the cutest one they've ever had!" That enthusiastic reply had Amata laughing, which she really needed after the day she had so far. Veronica, who was over to the side, laughed as well.
"Yes, you most certainly are the cutest King ever. Did you behave for Auntie Cass and Mister Boone?" "I'm calling him Uncle Boone now, and yes I did! He taught me how to take apart, clean, and reassemble his rifle! Auntie Cass was bad, though. She hit a guy with a-" She was cut off as Cass put a hand over the young girl's mouth. "Hey," Cass said, overly cheery, "don't think yer ma wants ta hear 'bout that, rugrat."
Moments later, Cass yelped and withdrew her hand. "Hey! Ya licked me!" Abby stuck out her tongue at Cass and turned back to the screen. "Mommy, where's daddy and Auntie Ronnie?" she asked. "Um, well, daddy's busy with something, and Auntie Ronnie is helping him. Now, uh, why don't you go to your room with ED-E and listen to music or read a book, and I'll be down in a little bit, okay?"
Abby looked at Amata strangely for a couple moments, before she and ED-E left the screen. After confirming with Yes Man that she had gone down and asking him to have Boone come up as well, Amata turned back to Cass. "Cass, I can't thank you enough for taking Abby out for the day. It really helped out a lot." Cass waved her off. "Eh, it's no problem. She's a great kid and we had a good time. So, uh, what's goin' on with Mark and all that?"
"As soon as Craig gets here, I'll tell you. I don't want to have to repeat myself." A couple minutes later, Boone joined them. "Craig, thank you for helping out with Abby today. Oh, and congratulations on the promotion to 'Uncle Boone.' I knew the two of you would get along." Boone nodded. "What's the sit-rep?" he asked.
Veronica joined Amata on-screen as she began her explanation. "Ok, so Veronica, with the help of a Followers doctor who was here for an unrelated reason, attempted to restart the satellite. That did not work, but there was writing on it that led us to discover where he most likely is. Elliott, bring the map back up, split screen, please." The map of Big MT reappeared. "This is the Big Mountain Research and Development Center, aka Big Mountain, aka Big MT, aka The Big Empty."
"It is a pre-war research center and defense contractor, located in northwestern New Mexico. Elliott, remove the map." The map disappeared once again. "We have not had a visual on Mark, and radio interference is blocking us from contacting him, and vice versa, but we have evidence that he is there." "What evidence?" Boone asked. "He carved the numbers '216' into a sidewalk near the middle of the facility." Boone nodded in understanding.
"Uh, how does that prove he's there, exactly?" Cass asked. "'216' is '21:6', as in the bible verse that we told you all about the other day," Amata answered. Cass nodded. "Oh, right, okay. I remember now. Go on." "Right. There wasn't any other information on the 38's systems, but thanks to Veronica, we were able to get some more information on the place." "Don't ask," Veronica said, staving off any questions.
Amata continued. "There appears to be a dome of energy surrounding the place that is likely preventing Mark from leaving. Therefore, we have decided to attempt a rescue mission." "How?" Boone asked. "Guys, we lied when you were up here. The homing beacons still exist and are fully functional. Mark and I had our reasons for lying to you, and I'm sorry that we did lie to you."
"Eh, kinda figured ya were lyin'. If ya remember, readin' people is how I made ma livin'," Cass said. "I'll volunteer," Boone said. "So will I," Cass added. "No, to both of you," Amata said. "What do ya mean, no?" Cass asked, confused. "While I appreciate you both wanting to go, Veronica is the only one who will be going." "Why?" Cass asked. "If Mark's in trouble, he can use all tha help he can get." Boone nodded in agreement.
"Based on the information we've gathered, this place is very technologically advanced, and no offense, but neither of you are well-versed in dealing with technology." "That's not the only reason, is it?" Boone said. "Because one of us could watch her back while she deals with that stuff, and you don't need to know much about technology to be able to blow it up." Amata smiled slightly. "Observant as ever, Craig. No, that's not the only reason. If, god forbid, Mark and/or Veronica…die, you two have roles that I need you to fill."
"Craig, both Abby and my unborn child are going to need a father-figure in their lives. I know you never had kids-" Boone's mouth twitched at that statement "-but I believe that you would do an admirable job, if today is anything to go by." She smiled sadly at him. "By the way, Mark told me the full story about you-know-who, and I am really sorry for yelling at you the other night."
Cass, Veronica, and Elliott all listened, wondering what they were talking about, but neither Amata nor Boone elaborated on that, with Boone simply nodding his head. "What about Arcade?" Cass asked. "Pretty sure he's a dude, too." "The way I see it, they'll need both Craig and Arcade. Craig, you're street smart and a fighter, and while I assume Arcade can fight, he's more of an intellectual. You two are the counterbalance to one another, and I think that the kids are going to need an equal balance of fighting skills and book smarts."
"As for you, Cass, I'll just need you to keep doing what you're doing. Keep being the 'fun' aunt who does stuff with the kids behind my back and makes them swear not to tell me, as well as the one who teaches them how to know when people are lying to them." Cass grinned. "Gladly, 'Mata." "Hey! I'm fun, too!" Veronica exclaimed, "more fun than her!" Before this turned into an argument about who was more fun, Amata cut in.
"Yes, both of you are fun, and we don't need to have an argument about it. While we're on this subject, Mark and I decided to name Veronica and Arcade as Abby's godparents." Veronica's face lit up in happiness. "You really mean that, Amata?" she asked. Amata nodded. Veronica squealed and hugged Amata tightly. "Oh, thank you! This feels even better than when I officially became a Scribe!"
"Uh, someone wanna explain ta me what a 'godparent' is, exactly?" Cass asked. "Sorry, Cass," Amata said. "A godparent, or godparents, is a person or are people chosen by a child's parents to raise the child if something happens to the parents. While I know that all of you would help raise Abby anyway, it's a tradition from the pre-war world that Mark and I would like to continue, as our parents did for us. Mark's dad was actually my godfather."
"Wait, didn't your dad hate Mark's dad?" Veronica asked. Amata laughed. "Oh yeah, he did, but it wasn't his idea. It was my mom's, and my dad loved her more than he hated James, so he never rescinded it. James reciprocated, making my parents Mark's godparents. Although my dad probably wouldn't have raised him anyway, seeing as he barely raised me. Anyway, um, Cass, we would like you and Craig to be the godparents of my unborn child."
"I accept," Boone said. "As do I," Cass said. "Thank you, although I think we've gotten a bit off track here. Veronica, did you want Mark's armor, or did you just want to use the armor you're wearing?" "I'll stick with what I've got. It's comfortable. Besides, Mark's half a head taller than me, so I'm not sure that it would even fit." Amata nodded. "Ok. I want you to bring it anyway and give it to Mark. Elliott, can you take Veronica to the cargo hold and get her anything she needs, please?" "Absolutely," Elliott said. After having one of the aliens keep a lookout for Mark on the map of the Big Empty, he led Veronica out of the room.
"Craig, can you go get Mark's armor out of our room and bring it back to the Penthouse? I'm gonna come down and get it. And both of you, not a word of any of this to Abby. Is that clear?" They both nodded, and Boone left the picture. "What're ya gonna tell her, then?" "I'll think of something, Cass."
A short while later, the trio of Elliott, Amata, and Veronica were once again in the transport room. The difference was that Veronica was more heavily equipped than before. Besides her power fist, she had a 10mm pistol on her right hip, a plasma pistol on her left hip, grenades on her belt, and a knife strapped to her left leg. She also had an assault rifle on her back, with a bandolier running across her chest with a flare gun holstered in it.
She also had a duffel bag that held Mark's armor, other weapons, ammunition, medical supplies, water, and food. "Alright," Elliott said, "so the area around the crater is nothing but desert for miles, so there shouldn't be anything creeping up on you. We'll be monitoring you from above in addition to keeping a lookout for Mark. You have an earpiece, so we'll keep in contact through that. I also have something else for you."
He handed Veronica a small metal box. She opened it to see six small circular metal disks with a glowing blue dome on top of each of them. Veronica picked one up and examined it. "What are they?" she asked. "We call them "Shield Disks." They're basically portable full body shields. A few aliens had the tech woven into their clothing. This is how we adapted it for anyone to use."
He took another one off the console, sticking it on his left arm. "To activate it, all you need to do is press the dome for a couple seconds, and to deactivate it, you do the same. It's fingerprint-protected, just like the beacon." He pressed it, and a rippling white light encompassed his entire body before disappearing. "Woah," Veronica said, reaching out to touch him, finding that she could not. It felt like she was touching plexiglass. The light rippled momentarily.
"The shield reduces the kinetic energy of a moving object by spreading the energy around the shield. As long as there is no damage taken, it lasts for days before it shorts out. Right now, it'll stop anything short of a .50 caliber bullet. It can only take so much damage before it shorts out, however. Higher-caliber bullets, as well as plasma and laser weaponry, will short it out quicker than a 9mm bullet, for instance. A sustained barrage of 9mm bullets would short it out as well."
"What about melee weapons, like a super sledge or something like that?" Veronica asked. "The same principle applies as it does with the bullets: the more force delivered with a heavier object, the quicker it will short out. Any other questions?" Veronica lifted her right hand, which was the hand her power fist was on. "Can I test it?" Elliott nodded and spread his arms. "Go ahead. Hard as you can."
Veronica reared back and then threw a punch at Elliott's chest. Upon impact, the shield rippled, but held. The recoil forced Veronica's arm to fly backwards, causing her to fall to the ground. Looking back up, Elliott was smiling at her, apparently unharmed. Amata came over and helped her to her feet.
"Damn, that is impressive. Normally your chest would have been caved in, but you don't even look like you have a bruise." "Because I don't. Now, these haven't been field-tested, so when you get back, I'd like to get your thoughts on it, as we're still working on improving the design." Veronica nodded and put the box in her bag. "I assume that Mark knows how they work?" "He does. Ready to go?" "Yeah, I am," Veronica said.
Amata came over and hugged Veronica. "I can't thank you enough for doing this, Veronica." "Oh, you don't have to thank me. What are friends for if not for going on a rescue mission to a pre-war research facility in the middle of nowhere filled with dangerous experiments?" Amata smiled, with Veronica returned. Veronica then went over to the transport pad. "Amata, if I don't come back, tell Abby that I love her," she said, choking up a bit.
"You can tell her yourself when you come back," Amata said. Veronica smiled and nodded. "Ok, Veronica," Elliott said, "the beacon's been sent. We're putting you down about twenty yards behind the easternmost point of the crater. We're not sure if the interference is inside the dome only, or if there's some just outside of it, so we're playing it safe. Ready?" Veronica nodded. "Ok. Beaming you down in three…two…one." Once again, Veronica was gone.
Amata turned to Elliott. "Someone is to be watching the map at all times. Once you get visual confirmation of Mark, call for Yes Man, and he'll call for me. I want to see he is okay with my own two eyes. Understood?" "Understood. I assume that you're returning to the 38, then?" "Yeah. I need to go spend some time with my daughter." She went to her pip-boy, and moments later, she was gone as well.
Amata found Abby in her room, reading a book with the radio on. ED-E was floating above her. "Hey sweetie," Amata said as she came in, closing the door behind her. "Hi mommy," Abby said as she closed her book. Amata turned off the radio and sat down next to her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "What do you want for dinner tonight, sweetheart? I was thinking mac n' cheese, but if you don't want that, I can make something else."
Abby didn't answer, instead asking a question of her own. "Mommy, where's daddy?" "Abby, I already told you, he's working upon the ship with Auntie Ronnie." Abby sighed and shook her head. "ED-E, playback," she said. To Amata's shock, ED-E started playing part of her conversation with Veronica, Cass, and Boone. Abby smirked while Amata continued to be in shock. After about fifteen seconds, Abby told ED-E to stop. "You-you had ED-E spy for you?" Amata said. Abby became angry. "Yes! I could tell you were lying! Auntie Cass showed me how to tell, remember? Why couldn't you just tell me the truth?!"
Before Amata could answer, her pip-boy beeped. Looking at, she saw something written:
'Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive.'
-Sir Walter Scott
From Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field, Canto VI, Stanza XVII
Amata looked up at ED-E, who beeped. "Ok, that's enough out of you," she said, pointing at him. "Well? Why did you lie to me? I deserve to know the truth! He's my daddy!" She started crying, so Amata pulled her in for a hug, with Abby burying her face in Amata's chest. Amata rocked back and forth, trying to calm the young girl down.
A couple minutes later, Abby calmed down and looked up at Amata. "Abby, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. I just didn't want you to worry, but that ended up happening anyway. I keep forgetting that you are incredibly smart for your age, and sneaky, too, using ED-E like that. By the way, I'm letting it go this time, but if you ever use ED-E to spy on one of us again, you will be in big trouble. That is a huge invasion of privacy, and that is not right. Understand?" Abby nodded. "Yes, mommy. I'm sorry."
"I forgive you, and you will apologize to Auntie Cass and Uncle Boone later as well. Now, since the cat's out of the bag, I won't lie to you anymore. As you probably already heard, the satellite on the roof transported your father to a place called 'Big Mountain.' We haven't been able to contact him, and we haven't seen him yet, but he was able to contact us by carving a message in the ground. Auntie Ronnie's attempting a quasi-rescue mission right now. She's trying to find him, and then she's going to come back with any messages and/or requests for supplies, as something is actively preventing him from leaving."
Abby looked at Amata worriedly. "They-they are both coming back, right?" Amata pursed her lips. There was no guarantee that one or both would survive. Mark had had an extremely long run of good luck, but eventually that luck was going to run out. As for Veronica, having to face her ex-Elder and ex-girlfriend had probably taken a mental and physical toll on her, so there was a chance that she could slip up.
Abby was waiting for an answer, so Amata put on a brave face and gave her one. "Yes, they'll both be back, sweetheart. You know that your dad can handle himself, and so can Auntie Ronnie for that matter. They'll be back before you know it." Abby once again latched on to Amata. Abby knew that she was lying, that there was no way that she could know whether the two of them would come back, but she appreciated the reassurance all the same.
The two most important women in Mark's life held one another until her pip-boy beeped again. "Ma'am?" came Yes-Man's voice. After Abby disentangled herself, Amata looked at it, seeing the AI's face. "What is it, Yes Man? Any news on Mark?" Amata asked. "No ma'am. There's a woman at the front door who says that she needs to speak with your husband. What are your orders?"
'Another woman?' Amata thought. The Followers doctor had already come, and they weren't expecting anyone else. She decided to see what the woman wanted first before she decided what to do. "Use one of the securitrons to ask her who she is and what she wants to talk about, Yes Man." "Yes, ma'am."
After about ten seconds, Yes Man spoke again. "Ma'am, she says that her name is Private Christina Morales of the NCR, and that she needs to speak with Mark urgently, as it is a matter of his safety." Christina Morales. Amata knew that name. That was the trooper that Mark helped by retrieving her husband's body. 'Why would she be here, though? And what of Mark's safety?'
"Yes Man, what's her body language look like?" "She appears to be nervous, ma'am. She keeps looking over her shoulder, most likely looking at the other troopers, who are starting to walk in this direction." Amata quickly decided on a course of action. "Yes Man, let her in and keep her on the casino floor. Do not let any other troopers get close to the door." "Yes, ma'am," the AI replied.
Abby looked at Amata as the older woman got up. "Mommy, what's going on? Who's this woman?" "Abby, the woman is someone your dad helped out a few days ago. I'm not exactly sure what's going on, so I'm going to go find out. Just keep reading and I'll be back in a bit, ok?" Abby smiled and nodded, and Amata gave her a kiss on the cheek before turning the radio back on and leaving the room.
Once down on the casino floor, Amata saw a woman, but she wasn't dressed in an NCR uniform. She was wearing a red baseball cap, sunglasses, a slightly dirty blue blouse, a faded pair of jeans, and brown boots. She was also carrying a messenger bag and was eyeing the securitrons nervously. "Can I help you, Private Morales?" Finally noticing there was someone else, the soldier looked disappointed that it wasn't Mark.
"Uh, hi, is-is Mark here? I really need to speak with him." "I'm Amata Franklin, Mark's wife. Unfortunately, Mark is out right now, so House chose to inform me that you were here. He said that you needed to discuss a matter of Mark's safety?" "Oh, it's very nice to meet you, and yes, yes I do." Amata motioned for her to follow, leading her over to a table and sitting down.
"Congratulations, by the way. I noticed that you're pregnant," she said as she took off her hat and sunglasses. "Oh, uh, thank you. Did you and your husband have any kids?" Private Morales smiled sadly, tears threatening to fall. "Unfortunately, no. We wanted to wait until our tours were up, but I guess that that's not going to happen now." Amata reached out and put a hand on top of one of the Private's. "I'm sorry for your loss, Private Morales. I know that if Mark ever got killed, I would be devastated." "Thank you, and please call me Christina," she said. "Then please call me Amata. Would you like something to drink? Water? Beer?"
"Um, I'll take a beer, please, thank you." Amata went over to the bar, grabbed a beer and a water, and came back over to the table. Christina took a long drink out of her bottle. "Ok," Amata said, "so tell me what's going on." Christina nodded and began to talk, staring at her beer.
"He was so nice to me, you know? Your husband, that is. There I was, sitting in the terminal, feeling sorry for myself, when he just walks up to me and asks me what's wrong. Never in a million years did I think that the famous Courier would ever talk to a lowly grunt like me. Then he goes and gets Esteban's body back when the NCR wouldn't lift a finger, and the only thing he asked for in return was my friendship. He wouldn't even take the caps that I offered him."
"Not too many people like him left in the world. You are definitely a lucky woman." Amata smiled. "I know I am. If you knew him, you'd know that helping you out with that is something that is completely normal for him. He likes helping people. He has a soft spot for damsels in distress especially. Despite his fame and notoriety, he doesn't consider anyone beneath him. Hell, he hates his fame. He'd rather just be a regular guy."
Christina nodded. "That doesn't surprise me. Oh, I'm sorry, you're waiting for an explanation. Forgive me, sometimes I just go off on a tangent like that." "Christina, it's fine. Whenever you're ready." "Right. So, um, the other night I overheard something that I probably wasn't supposed to…"
(Yesterday, 2:06 AM, Camp McCarran)
Private Morales was walking listlessly through the deserted terminal building, as she was unable to sleep. Earlier, she had been informed that the transport that was carrying Esteban's body back to their home in Shady Sands had been attacked by the Legion. There were no survivors, and that particular Legion squad had been especially vicious, as they had chopped all the soldiers into pieces, including Esteban. Their bodies had been mangled so badly that there was no telling who was who, so Esteban would not be getting a proper burial after all.
Normally, there would have been a ceremony where they would present the NCR flag to the deceased's family back in the NCR, but as she was Esteban's only living family, they had held a small ceremony on base the day before. They wouldn't let her return to the NCR for the burial, saying that her bereavement leave was just about up and the trip to get there and back would take too long. She wouldn't be able to visit until after her tour was up.
They had initially given her a week to grieve, but that had technically already ended, and they expected her to be at roll call in the morning and then resume her post guarding the front gate. She was nowhere near ready, and she had no idea how she was going to get through it, but she would have to, somehow. This was what she signed up for when she joined the army.
She was passing by Colonel Hsu's office when she noticed that the light was on, and the door that faced the Office of Science and Industry was slightly ajar. She then heard a voice. "…sure you can kill him?" She stopped in her tracks. That was General Oliver's voice. She was confused. Wasn't he supposed to be at Hoover Dam? And where were his guards?
She knew that she should just walk away, as listening like this could get her in trouble, but she couldn't overcome her curiosity. Making sure she was in the shadows, she continued to listen. A different voice spoke, that of a man with a gravelly voice. "Yeah, my buddy and I can take out this Courier fucker, General. He thinks that he's hot shit, but we'll show him who's boss. He bleeds just like the rest of us."
Now Private Morales was extremely concerned. Was General Oliver seriously hiring hitmen to kill the Courier, the same one who had brought Esteban back to her? "I hope you're up to the task," the General said, "because the last three guys I hired to do it were all found dead in Freeside." "Don't worry," the mercenary said, "we're better than the other idiots you hired to do it. Just out of curiosity, why do you want him dead, anyway?"
"That fucker had the gall to disrespect me. Besides, I need him out of the way. He has a friend that's former First Recon. He's likely to take over as House's second after the Courier's dead." "Ok, now, let's talk payment, General." "You'll get half now and half when the job's done. I want his head as proof. His real name is Mark Franklin. Here's the description of what he looks like, the caps, and how to contact me once the job is done."
"Understood, General. Pleasure doing business with you," the mercenary said. "Good, now get out. I've got to get back to Hoover Dam." Private Morales heard chairs scraping, so she ran to a nearby bathroom and hid in one of the stalls. She couldn't believe it. General Oliver, leader of the NCR military, was plotting to have the Courier assassinated. She needed to warn him. After waiting a couple minutes, she ducked out of the bathroom, making sure that the coast was clear before heading to where her locker was.
(Present)
"I packed up what I had, hopped on the monorail, and I've been staying in that vault, working up the courage to actually approach the 38, as well as hiding from the NCR. I had to warn him. I owe him big time, whether he thinks so or not," she finished. Amata thought through everything that Christina had just said. The General of the NCR's military wanted Mark out of the picture, hoping that killing him would install Craig as House's second. Oliver had probably thought that Craig would be more amenable to get House to look more favorably on the NCR than Mark would.
"Well, Christina, I appreciate you coming to warn him, but I'm pretty sure that he was attacked in Freeside yesterday, and there's a chance that it was them. They're most likely dead." Christina frowned. "Oh. I guess my warning was unnecessary, then." "No, it was still necessary, Christina. Now we know that the General is trying to kill Mark. You said that that conversation took place in Colonel Hsu's office, correct?" "Uh, yeah, why?" "No reason," Amata said quickly. The Colonel's office was one of the places Mark bugged, so that conversation was recorded on the ship.
"Was there anything else?" Amata asked. Christina looked pensive and made to get up. "N-No. That's all." Amata knew that she was lying. "Christina, sit down. Whatever it is, you can tell me." Christina sat back down, and then started to wring her hands nervously. "Well, the thing is, I-I don't plan on going back to McCarran. I'm quitting the army." "Ok, so you're quitting the army. What's the big deal?"
Christina chuckled and shook her head. "You can't just quit the NCR military. You either serve until your tour's up or until you die. By now they've probably realized that I'm gone and have most likely declared me a deserter. I traded my uniform at the vault for these clothes so I could disguise myself." Amata made a mental note to call Sarah and have her hide that uniform.
"Were you hoping to stay here?" Amata asked. "I mean, maybe just for a little while? I can't go back to my home. That's the first place they'll look after the Strip, and I've heard what they do to deserters. I'll stay out of your way, I swear. You won't even know I'm here." "And then what? What's your long-term plan?" Amata asked. "I don't know. I haven't thought that far ahead yet. I just needed to get away from McCarran."
"Christina, like I said, I appreciate the information, but you're giving up your job, your home, basically becoming a fugitive. Why?" Christina sighed. "Esteban and I, we joined the military a little while after our wedding. Pay's pretty good, and if you serve long enough, you get a pension. Neither of us really had any other job prospects. We also wanted to make the world safer for any kids that we had. Now that he's gone, I don't feel motivated anymore. I've just been going through the motions."
"All my family is dead, and I don't have any other friends. Besides, I can't serve under a man who would resort to murder-for-hire to get rid of someone he doesn't like, especially someone who helped me out when I needed it the most. I saw Oliver's true colors that night. Please, I have nowhere else to go. I am not above getting on my knees and groveling."
Amata drummed her fingers on the table. She needed to look at the New Vegas Treaty, see if there was anything in it to help Christina. She had no intention of turning Christina away; she just needed to know what her options were. "Look, I need to check with House on something. You can stay here for now, and don't worry, House isn't going to let anyone in that we don't bring in." Christina nodded. "Thank you." "You're welcome. You can help yourself to any drinks or food you find down here."
(Half-hour later)
Amata stepped off the elevator. Christina was still at the table. "Oh, hey Amata. There was a woman who came off the elevator a few minutes ago and then left. I think she was a Followers doctor?" "Yeah, she was helping out with something. Don't worry about it." Amata sat down. "So, I have some news. I looked over the New Vegas Treaty. The NCR can't arrest you unless you step onto the NCR Embassy grounds. They have no authority on the Strip otherwise."
Christina looked relieved, letting out a breath she had been holding. "Yes, but they could ask House for your extradition, and he would be obligated to hold a hearing." Christina now looked fearful. "However," Amata said, "they have not requested one yet. There is another option available to us, one that would fully free you from the NCR's grasp."
"What is it?" Christina asked. "Well, New Vegas is considered a sovereign nation, with House as its head. As with any leader of a sovereign nation, House has the authority to grant citizenship to anyone he chooses. If you renounce your NCR citizenship, House would be willing to grant you New Vegas citizenship, thus giving you protection from the NCR, as he will not extradite his own citizens. If the NCR tries to take you then, there would be severe repercussions from him."
"Would House really do that for me?" Christina asked, trying to not get her hopes up. Amata nodded. "He is willing, yes. Mark is his right-hand man, and you are Mark's friend. Protecting you would make Mark happy, which will allow him to work better. It's up to you." "I don't really have a choice now, do I?" Christina said. "Christina, we always have a choice. It's just that sometimes, the choices aren't always equal."
Amata pulled out a folded piece of paper and gave it to Christina. "What's this?" Christina asked as she opened it and looked at it. "Something for you to sign. It basically says that you officially renounce your NCR citizenship." She read it over. It did say what Amata said it did. Amata handed her a pen. "All you have to do is sign, Christina." She went to sign, but then hesitated.
"Everything ok?" Amata asked. "I'm just wondering if Esteban would want me to do this, or if he would tell me to go back and face the music." "Christina, look, I obviously didn't know him, but I think that if he truly loved you, then he would support you." She paused for a moment. "Look, I understand what you're feeling. This is a very big decision."
"There was a point in time recently when I had to make a possibly life-altering choice as well. If I had chosen to play it safe, I would have lost Mark, probably forever. I decided to follow my heart instead, and for that, I was rewarded with a husband, a child, and a great group of friends. Believe me, I know that change can be scary, but it can also be the best thing that ever happened to you."
Christina thought it over. "You're right. I think Esteban would have supported me, and I think he would be doing the same thing that I am if our positions were reversed." She signed the paper and handed it back to Amata, who folded it and put it in her pocket. "Ok," Amata said, "that will be delivered to the NCR Embassy later. I have something else for you as well." She went into her other pocket and pulled out a small blue booklet and handed it to Christina. It was dark blue, with the words "New Vegas Passport" embossed in gold lettering at the top. Below that was the insignia of Gomorrah, The Tops, The Ultra Luxe, and Vault 21 arranged in a circle, with the insignia of the Lucky 38 in the center, also embossed in gold.
Christina looked up at Amata in shock. "You already had it made?" Amata shrugged. "I had a hunch that you would choose this option. Go ahead and open it up." She did, seeing an ID card enclosed in a sealed plastic sleeve. On the card was a photo of herself, along with her name and vitals. The photo had been taken from security footage, and her vital information had been taken from the computers at McCarran, as House had installed a backdoor into the computer systems there when he allowed the NCR to use it as a base. There was a hologram of the same symbol as on the front in the background, and on the very bottom were the words "Citizen of New Vegas."
"Let me be the first to officially welcome you to New Vegas," Amata said. Christina closed the passport and looked at Amata, tears in her eyes. "Thank you. Thank you so much. You and your husband are the nicest people that I've ever met." She wiped her eyes. "I'll help you out any way that I can. I can clean, I'm a decent cook, and if you have any other kids, I can babysit."
Amata chuckled. "Christina, I didn't help you so you could be a maid. I helped you so that you'd be safe. You don't have to hang around here all the time. In fact, I might be able to hook you up with a job, so you won't get bored." "No, Amata, you've already done so much and-" Amata held up a hand to stop her. "Christina, you are our friend, and friends help each other out." Christina backed down. "Ok, so what's the job?" she asked. "Well, you've been staying at Vault 21, so I'm guessing that you've met the manager, Sarah Weintraub?" Christina nodded. "Well, it just so happens that Sarah is Mark's sister…"
(Same time, outside the Big MT crater)
Veronica was looking through a pair of binoculars out over the Big Empty. The first thing that she did when she came down was check for any creatures in the immediate area. After seeing none, she took care of the beacon, and then began her recon, making notes in her journal. She saw the buildings, most notably the tall building that appeared to be the center point of the place.
She observed the creatures, ranging from cyberdogs, to cazadores, to robots, to those skeletons in suits. She was really interested in the story behind those suits. She also examined the pylons that surrounded the place. She found them to be made up of some metal that she was unfamiliar with. She attempted to damage it with a grenade, but there wasn't a scratch on it.
She also tested the barrier around the place. Ripping a blank page out of her journal, she crumpled it up and tossed it through, seeing that it was unaffected. She then stuck an arm through, and besides a small tingle, she felt no ill effects. Testing further, she stepped through completely, and then stepped back out, again only feeling a small tingle. She had relayed her observations to Elliott.
The barrier was not an issue for her, so there was something actively preventing Mark from leaving. Speaking of Mark, her quarry had yet to make an appearance. "Any sign of him yet, Elliott?" Veronica asked as she swept the area. "No, nothing yet. I'm guessing it's the same for you if you're asking." "Yeah, I've got nothing. You don't have infrared capabilities up on that ship, do you?"
"Tried that," he said. "There are massive energy signatures coming from the buildings, and the heat signatures outside the buildings are not human in shape." "Hmm…could you possibly lower the threshold, say by only looking for temperatures 100° Fahrenheit or lower?" Veronica asked. "Veronica, you're a genius! Why didn't I think of that?" "Because you're not a genius like I am, obviously," she said cheekily.
"Yeah, yeah. Hang on, let me see what we've got." He went silent for a couple moments. "Ok, I've got two human-shaped blotches in the building in the center. Maybe Mark found some help." "Or maybe he's been taken hostage, which would explain why we haven't seen him yet. If I were him, I'd be searching for a way out of this place," Veronica said worriedly.
"Veronica, that's a bit extreme, don't you think? He was able to carve that message into the ground, wasn't he?" "Yeah, but we don't know how long that's been there for. He could've carved it and then been taken hostage. I'm going in. Sun's about to set anyway, binoculars won't be much use then."
"Wait, Veronica, wasn't the plan to wait until we had visual confirmation, then try and contact him?" "Yeah, it was, but I'm calling an audible. I'm tired of waiting, and Mark could be in danger. It's getting dark, so I'll use that to cover my approach." She took out the earpiece and put that and the binoculars in her bag. Seeing no direct path into the place, she looked for some rocks that would be easy to climb down, finding some to her right.
She climbed down into the Big Empty. She found carrying the bag cumbersome. 'How the hell does Mark carry something like this around all the time?' she wondered as she got to the ground. Setting the bag down, she took out a Shield Disk and activated it. She then took out a stealth boy and activated that as well.
Now invisible, she carefully navigated the various creatures and buildings, arriving at the center building safely, and just in time, too, as the stealth boy wore off. Entering an elevator, she rode her way to the top. When the door opened, she had a pistol in hand as she put down her bag and looked around.
She saw the door next to the elevator, and the sign in between the two. Seeing an open door across from her, she approached it slowly and peeked in. She saw the workbenches, other doors, the auto-doc, and the table in the middle, but no people. She was about to investigate further, but then she heard footsteps approaching from one of the other doors to her right, so she ducked back around the corner.
Eventually the footsteps stopped, so she took another peek. She saw someone facing the table, typing on something. What she assumed was a man was bald, had surgical scars on his head, was wearing recon armor, and had a pistol on each hip. That wasn't Mark, as she didn't see a pip-boy either.
Stepping out in the open, she aimed the pistol at him. "Hands in the air where I can see them, and then turn around slowly." The man stiffened, but then complied. Much to her annoyance, he had a smile on his face. He then spoke in what sounded like an exaggerated voice. "Here I thought we were friends. And now you have a gun in my face. Bad form, Miss Santangelo, bad form."
"How do you know my name? Where's Mark Franklin?!" Veronica asked. "Veronica," he said in what sounded like his normal voice, "I'm Mark, so put the gun down." "Nice try. Mark has hair, a scar on his face, and a pip-boy. You have none of those things, you bastard. Now, where is he?!" He sighed. "I'm married to Amata. Abby calls you Auntie Ronnie. You shot Elijah in the back of the head at the Sierra Madre. Need I go on?"
Veronica exhaled, holstered the gun, and deactivated the Shield Disk. "Sorry, Mark. Everyone's been worried about you, and I thought that you were being held hostage. Are you okay? What the hell happened to you?" Before Mark could answer, Veronica yelped and jumped back as something rolled near her feet. She looked down, seeing a tiny securitron, who looked up at Mark.
"Hey, thanks again for getting rid of that stupid mug obsession, pal." "No problem, Muggy," Mark said. "What the hell is that?!" she exclaimed as Muggy rolled away. "Are you alright, miss?" came a voice from behind her. "Who was that? Mark, what the hell is going on here?" she asked, her eyes darting about the room. Mark laughed. "Come with me. I'll explain everything."
Mark led her to the kitchen, where they sat down. "So, obviously you ignored my warning. Honestly, I shouldn't be surprised," he said. "Yeah, you shouldn't be. We don't abandon family." "Veronica, there's a reason I said to stay away. This place is dangerous." "Yeah, I am aware of its dangers. I got the lowdown from someone who had been here." Mark stared at her inquisitively.
"You went to see Christine, didn't you?" Veronica grimaced and nodded. "You made the connection too, it seems. Yeah, it was the only way Amata would let me come down here, if I had some forewarning of what I was facing." "I found a holotape in one of the buildings here. Just need you to confirm who the voice belongs to." Mark played the recording. A few lines had played before Veronica recognized the voice. "Stop playing it. That's definitely Christine's original voice."
Mark nodded. "Just wanted to make sure. How are Amata and Abby doing?" "Amata's worried, obviously, and she lied to Abby, telling her you were working on the ship. She had Cass and Boone take her out for most of the day so that we could try and figure out where you were without her asking questions." "How did you find me, anyway?" Mark asked. "Well, we tried restarting the satellite, but that was a bust. But then I realized that the writing on it, you know, "Big MT", could actually be a place, so we got some basic info and the location from Yes Man, and then used the ship to find you."
Mark nodded. "Ok, so what's your plan of action?" he asked. "The plan was for me to contact you, find out what's going on, go back with any requests for supplies or to deliver messages, and then come back here and help." "Ok. Let me tell you what's been going on so that the three of us can figure out what happens next." "Three? Oh wait, yeah, Elliott used infrared and saw two human-shaped blotches. You were one of them, so who was the other one?" Mark laughed. "If I told you I found Cass' dad, would you believe me?"
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. The first thing that Mark says to Veronica is a line from Part Three of "The Adventures of Herbert "Daring" Dashwood", which Mark would be familiar with, obviously. The only difference is that Veronica's name is substituted for Penelope Chase. Next chapter will be heavily focused on them searching for the last two pieces of technology. They will also make a surprising find in one of the buildings as well. I've been waiting to get to this for a long while, and I think that you'll like it. Until next time, and reviews are welcomed and appreciated.