Chapter 8: Boulder City Showdown

Chapter 8: Boulder City Showdown

You're listening to Radio New Vegas, your little jukebox in the Mojave Wasteland. I'm Mr. New Vegas, and I'm here for you with a bit of news. First up, reports have been coming in lately of several large unidentified aircraft, seen in the skies above the New Vegas Strip. Residents of Freeside are hoping they'll drop food, but I wouldn't get your hopes up, Freesiders. In other news, Goodsprings has fended off a mob of escaped convicts after organizing an impromptu militia that was, according to an old man, armed to the teeth with dynamite. This is Mr. New Vegas, signing off. Heh just kidding. I'm not going anywhere - my love for you is too strong.

"Hey Manny! You in there?" I called to the sniper as I knocked on the door to the dinosaur mouth, a sense of vague dj-vu overwhelming me.

"Yeah, c'mon in," I heard the sniper reply. I opened the door, and Manny was sitting in his chair, pouring himself a cup of coffee. He presented the coffee pot to me. "Want some coffee?"

"No, I'm good," I said, waving it off. "The ghouls up at Repconn are gone."

"Really?" he said, putting the coffee pot down. "Unbelievable! I didn't think you'd be back so soon. Man, I knew that wouldn't be easy." I just stared at him with a look that could've melted concrete.

"You have no idea how not easy it was. It wasn't just ghouls - there were super mutants too. However they're all gone." Manny chuckled, pointing at me and smiling.

"I had a good feeling about you, man. You look like you've been through a lot, so I knew I could count on you."

"You can save your praise. I don't need it. What I need is for you to tell me about the man in the checkered coat." He nodded.

"Okay. The guy you're looking for, Benny? He was travelling with McMurphy and Jessup, some members from my old gang. They were headed up to Boulder City."

"Do you know why they went that way?"

"No clue," he shook his head. "I know Benny hadn't paid up yet. Maybe that was where they were supposed to get square."

"How long ago did they leave?"

"Hmm," Manny grabbed his coffee cup and took a sip. "Not sure. I think it was a few days ago. And that's all I know, honest." I cursed my luck. I must have just missed him. However even though he had a week head start, my Corvega was helping me close the gap. With any luck, he'll still be in Boulder City. And if not

"Thanks for the info," I said, turning to leave. "I'm tempted to say that you still owe me for all the trouble I went through, clearing out Repconn. But you know what? If I never see the inside of this damn dinosaur again, that'll be good enough for me." I closed the door and walked down the steps, into the gift shop.

All I'd had before was a face and a bad suit. Now, I had a name. I walked by Cliff, the man who ran the gift shop, and was just about to walk out, head to my car, and floor it up the 95 to Boulder when something mounted on the wall caught my eye. I stopped, and couldn't help but stare.

"What. The hell. Is that?" I asked.

A few minutes later, I walked away from Novac towards where I'd parked my car. ED-E was floating around, happily beeping out an unintelligible tune; Boone was leaning against the side of my car and scanning the horizon to the east, his rifle in hand; Cass was sitting on top of the hood, taking a long draw from her hip flask.

"Hey Shea," Cass said, finally noticing me. "So, where are we go-" she stopped abruptly, her eyes falling on the gun in my hand. "What in the fuck is THAT?" she asked, mimicking my initial exclamation.

"You like?" I said, holding the weapon in the air so she could get a good look at it. It was a massive revolver, nearly twice as wide as Roscoe, and at least 3 inches longer. The barrel looked like some kind of light-grey triple reinforced metal, and the cylinder was motorized. The grip looked made out of wood, but it felt like metal. It was a lot heavier than Roscoe too my trusty 9mm couldn't have been more than 2 pounds when fully loaded but this felt like it was at least 5. Cass just stared at it in awe. Even Boone cast it a glance from behind his sunglasses.

"Turns out, the shop Cliff runs has more than just stupid little dinosaur toys. He calls it That Gun." I pressed a button on the side, and the cylinder popped out with a mechanical whine. I looked through one of the five chambers.

"Why?" Cass asked, staring at the massive revolver.

"Well, after all the trouble at Repconn, I thought I could use something with a bit more punch, that doesn't fire as slow as a plasma rifle."

"No, I meant why's it called That Gun?"

"Oh," I said. "No idea. All I know is it's chambered for 5.56 millimeter rounds, so it should pack a hell of a punch." Surprisingly, Boone spoke up.

"Sheason, that's a rifle caliber."

"Yes. Yes it is."

"You're going to melt the barrel on that if you're not careful."

"Maybe," I said, shrugging and snapping the cylinder back into place. "I only have 15 shots for it, anyway. You two ready to go?" They nodded.

"I call shotgun!" Cass yelled, hopping off the hood with a smile. "So, where'r we headin'?"

"Boulder City," I said, getting behind the wheel and putting That Gun in the glove box. I paused, taking note of the tiny dinosaur toy sitting on the dashboard. I just looked at Cass, pointing to the plastic dinosaur. "You bought that, didn't you."

"Mmhmm," she nodded, grinning. "Thought it'd be funny. B'sides, it was only a cap. No big loss."

"Boulder City's not that far." Boone said as he sat in the back, his hands never leaving his rifle. I nodded in agreement, and started up the Corvega. The engine roared to life, and we set off north on the 95, ED-E flying close by. For a good minute or so after we set off, the only sound came from the engine.

"So," Cass had spoken up, but not to me; she had shifted in her seat and was now leaning on the headrest to talk to Boone. "What's your story?"

"Don't have one," Boone said. I could see his reflection in the rear view mirror, looking out the back window. It was almost like he was scanning for targets.

"C'mon, you have t'at least have a reason t'be taggin' along in our little caravan."

"So, we're a caravan now?" I asked, shooting her a look.

"Sure," Cass replied, shrugging. "We were a caravan of two, 'n now we're a caravan of three."

"Four if you count ED-E," which I did, I added mentally. "He's been really useful." I realized, with a wry sense of amusement, that I'd started referring to the flying metal ball as a 'he.' When had I started doing that?

"Okay then, four. Either way, I'm just a little curious why Boone's travelin' with us. Fer instance, I'm here because I was bored, and y'offered me a way outta that damn outpost," she said, gesturing to me. "An' yer on this big revenge quest. I like t'know th' people I'm travelin' with, is all."This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com

"You really want to know why I'm here?" Boone said, gravely. Cass nodded. "Sheason helped me kill the bitch responsible for selling my wife to the Legion. So I owe him." Another uncomfortable silence fell across the car. Cass looked to me questioningly. I nodded.

"Fuck," Cass finally said. "I'm sorry to hear that, man."

"Don't be," Boone snapped. "Carla's dead. So is the bitch who sold her. And eventually, the one responsible will be dead, too." Something about the way he said that last bit caught my attention. I thought he might be talking about Caesar's Legion, like it was a person, but that didn't really make sense. Maybe it was a specific Legionnaire that he thought was responsible or maybe I could tell there was something here he didn't want to say, something he wasn't comfortable with speaking aloud. But I knew better than to press the issue.

"So, how'd you know she's dead? Carla, I mean. D'ya see her die'r somethin'?" Cass asked. Tactful, she was not. Boone practically bit her head off with his response.

"You got no right asking me that!" he snarled. "Drop it!" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cass back away, putting her hands in the air in a disarming gesture.

"Whoa, sorry man. I didn't Yer right, I was outta line. I'm sorry. Just curious, y'know?" She looked afraid that Boone would shoot her right there, and judging from the look he was giving her, I couldn't blame her. I heard Boone sigh.

"Look. I'm just I'm not ready to talk about what happened. To anyone. The only thing I want on my mind right now is how to kill Legion."

"Where's Benny?"

"He's not here. Benny kept the Platinum Chip, the money he owed us, and stabbed us in the back. Fucker's probably back at the Strip by now, laughing his ass off."

"Who the fuck is Benny, anway? I'd never even seen him before he shot me."

"He's one of the Chairmen," he said, spitting on the ground next to him. "They're the big shots who run The Tops Casino on the Strip. A friend of mine from the city contacted me an' McMurphy with a line on a big job. Honestly? I should've known the caps were too good to be true, but there was still no way I could pass up the chance. If I had, maybe Murph'd be alive right now." He gestured with his thumb to an open door behind him. I edged forward, and took a look inside. Lying on a mattress was the body of the black Khan I'd remembered. His eyes were closed, and a knife was placed on top of his chest. Two bullet holes were in his forehead.

"The Platinum Chip do you know what it is, or why Benny wanted it?" I asked. Jessup shrugged.

"It's just a big, fancy poker chip as far as I know. Don't know why it's so important." Well, it was a long shot anyway.

"So why did Benny betray you?"

"Because he's a snake, that's why!" He spat again. "He owed us the rest of the pay for the job, but instead he shot Murph in the head, kicked me in the balls, and bolted for Vegas. Fuckin' prick."

"You know, as fascinating as all this is thanks, by the way, now I know exactly where to find him I'm not actually here for that."

"Oh?" He cocked an eyebrow. "So why the fuck are you here?"

"I'm actually here to negotiate for the hostages you have on behalf of the NCR."

"What's to negotiate? NCR backs off, we walk out of here, nobody gets hurt."

"That's not going to work. You know that." I said simply.

"What other choice is there? Let the hostages go first?" I nodded, and he let out a single raspy, exasperated chuckle. "We do that, and we're as good as dead. Those NCR dickheads'll just start shooting, and my whole crew will eat it."

"Look, how about this: I'll head back to the NCR side, and talk with the LT in charge. You free the hostages now, and I'll make sure the NCR lets you walk. Hell, give me a few minutes, and I'll get them to escort you back to wherever you want to go." I actually meant it, too. Even though he had helped ambush me, he wasn't responsible. Benny was the one responsible, and this guy, Jessup, had gotten fucked over by Benny just like I had. Well not just like I had. McMurphy had gotten fucked over just like I had, but he was dead. Jessup was silent for a minute, grinding his teeth, and looking from me to the body of McMurphy, and then back to me.

"Fuck," he said, finally. "I can't believe I'm doing this but alright. The hostages can go. The NCR better keep their end of this deal, though."

"They will, I promise."

"Here," Jessup reached into one of the pockets on his vest and pulled out something shiny and metal, tossing it to me. I caught it almost without thinking. "A souvenir for you. It's Benny's lighter. I stole it from him before he shot Murph. Shove it up his ass when you catch up with him, alright?"

I turned the lighter around in my hands, examining it. It was a pre-war Zippo, made out of a burnished silver metal. There was engraving on both sides. On one side was a logo for The Tops Casino. The lettering was top to bottom, and each letter of "TOPS" was inside a trapezoid, each geometric shape staggered and stacked on top of one another. A few stylized stars surrounded the letters. On the other side was a simple message, carved in stylish lettering:

Welcome to the big time, Boss.

-Swank

"Thanks," I said, putting the lighter in one of the pockets on my jeans. I reached for the door, but stopped myself, remembering something. "Oh, before I go," I said, turning back and walking towards him. "There's one more thing that needs to happen before we're square."

"Oh yeah? Wh "

Before he could finish his thought, I punched him really hard in the middle of his face. He fell to the ground in a heap, clutching his nose.

"That's for my car. Dick."

"The Khans are willing to let the hostages go," I told Monroe as I arrived back in cover. I'd motioned for Boone and ED-E to come back down and stop covering me as I made my way back, glad that my worrying had been for nothing (for once). "There's one condition. I told Jessup, the one in charge, that if they let the hostages go, you and your men would be willing to escort them safely out of Boulder."

"Hm." He frowned, and I suddenly felt a twinge in the pit of my stomach. "That may be a problem. I'm glad you were able to get my people freed, but while you were over there I was contacted by the brass at McCarran. My new orders are to take out the Great Khans, hostages or not." My eyes went wide.

"You can't do that!" I said pleadingly. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the two privates being shoved out of the building where they were kept, and run towards the NCR held cover. Jessup was motioning for the Khans around him to move out of cover. "The Khans are letting the hostages go in exchange for their own freedom. That's how hostage negotiations are supposed to work!" Monroe just shook his head.

"Look, I know it's a shitty situation. But orders are orders. My hands are tied." I watched in horror as the Khans broke cover, and started walking towards the NCR troops, oblivious to what was about to happen. None of them had their weapons raised. Monroe loaded his own rifle, and turned to his troops. "Alright men, open fire!"

Jessup and the rest of the Khans barely had a second to react as the squad of NCR soldiers emerged, their rifles leveled at the advancing Khans. I could see Jessup's eyes go wide, and he yelled at me with a sneer.

"You lying sack of " he was cut off by a staccato of gunfire that drowned out everything. Most of them didn't even get the chance to raise their guns before the hail of assault rifle fire tore through them; none of them had the chance to fire. In a manner of seconds, all the Khans lay dead on the street.

And all I could do was watch.

Everyone was silent as we made our way back to the Corvega. Even Cass seemed to know better than to attempt conversation right now. She'd been near enough to Monroe and me that she'd heard the whole thing, and even tactless as she was, she knew it'd be a bad idea to talk to me about what had gone down right now. The silence was finally broken when we reached the car.

"So, where are we going next?" Cass asked, making her way to the passenger side.

"Vegas," I said simply, doing my best to hide any emotions. All it did was make me sound like Boone. "Benny runs the Tops. With any luck, we'll get there before sundown. But there's going to be two stops we'll make before we reach the walls. We'll stop at the 188 for food and any last supplies we'll need first, and then we'll stop by your caravan. I promised we'd stop so you can pay your respects, and I keep my promises."

I was just about to get in my Corvega when an annoyingly familiar sound caught my attention. It was the all too distinct squeaking sound of a greased axle grinding against metal. Oh for fuck sake, I thought to myself. Victor. Sure enough, from behind the train station building my car was parked next to, I saw the all too familiar shape of Victor roll into view, the cowboy face on the robot smiling like always.

"Fancy meetin' you here, friend!" the robot proclaimed. I thought 'friend' was pushing it.

"How did you even get here, Victor?" I'd seen him roll along, but I'd never seen him move at anything faster than walking pace. I wasn't sure if he could've kept up with my Corvega, much less passed it to get ahead of us.

"Just rolling along on my spurs," Victor said, turning towards the Vegas skyline off to the north-west. It held a claw up, as if shielding its eyes from the desert sun. "Looks like I might just make it to New Vegas after all"

"Did you see Benny come this way?" I asked. It had suddenly occurred to me that I didn't actually ask Jessup when Benny had betrayed them. It couldn't have been more than a day or two ago, but for all I knew the betrayal had happened just before I'd arrived. And as much as I didn't trust the robot, it seemed to have good information.

"Fancy-pants?" Victor asked, tilting slightly to one side, and holding out a claw. "Nah, I ain't seen hide-nor-hair of him since the tussle in Goodsprings. I'm sure he ran back to the soft-living of New Vegas, though."

"Did you see what happened in there?" Victor went strangely rigid, staying completely still on its single wheel. Its face-monitor flickered slightly.

"Yup. Guess it's just down to you and fancy-pants. I wouldn't worry about him. He looked all hat and no cattle, if you ask me."

"I didn't," I said bluntly. Victor rolled along the train tracks, past my Corvega, and waved at me as he passed.

"Look me up when you get to New Vegas I'll buy the first round!" And with that, the robot started rolling off along the rail line and into the distance. I stared at Victor with narrowed eyes.

"You know," I finally said to my friends once Victor was out of sight. "He may have pulled me out of my grave but I trust that bucket of bolts about as far as I can throw him."