Chapter 30: Unfriendly Persuasion

Chapter 30: Unfriendly Persuasion

You're listening to Radio New Vegas, and it's time for some news. According to an anonymous source in the NCR, a Legion slaver party was wiped out last night in a failed raid of the Bitter Springs refugee camp. Two armed civilians that have yet to be identified inflicted heavy Legion casualties. The source said, quote; "God sent us two angels, and at least one of them had a .308 caliber flaming sword of justice - with a telescopic sight." Got a Tony Bennett song up next, letting us all know that "The Best Is Yet To Come."

"Hey, Sheason? You got a minute?" Boone spoke up from behind me as I walked away from the lodge. I looked behind me, and for some reason, he was the only one there - aside from ED-E. I knew Arcade was still in Henry's lab - he'd wanted to help Henry out in whatever way he could and elected to stay in the lab. But where were Cass and Veronica?

"Yeah, I always got time for you, man. What's up?" I asked. Boone cleared his throat, and adjusted his sunglasses.

"I just wanted to... uh.. say... thanks. For Bitter Springs. Convincing me to go back, I mean." I nodded slowly.

"Don't worry about it, man. I just hope it helped."

"Yeah. It did," he said, his expression unchanged. "Things seem... clearer somehow. Saving those people from the Legion... I don't think doing that balanced out what I did, or made it any better, but... I think I just needed some kind of closure..." Boone trailed off.

"Sometimes a little bit of closure is all you need." I leaned against one of the stone pillars and folded my arms across my chest, and looked out across Jacobstown. "Did you ever tell Carla about what happened?"

"No." Boone said almost before I'd even finished speaking. He started looking at the rest of the town... though, I could tell, he was reflexively scanning the surrounding for potential targets rather than enjoying the scenery. "I wanted to... a couple of times. I just... I couldn't."

The two of us just stood there, staring at the town in silence; the only noise came from ED-E hovering in the air behind us. And then the silence was broken. The doors behind us swung open, and I could hear both Cass and Veronica laughing about something. When I looked, Veronica had her arm draped over Cass' shoulder, and Cass' hat was askew.

"So, where've you two been?" I asked... and immediately realized it was a stupid question. The two of them tried to stop laughing and calm themselves down, and they both tried to straighten out their outfits. As they did so, I noticed that both of them were blushing profusely, and Cass was trying to adjust her jacket's collar to hide a red mark on her neck.

"Uh, we were jus'... Nowhere. Y'know, jus' fallin' back a bit." Cass blurted out hurriedly.

"Yep, nothing to worry about!" Veronica said, failing to hold back a smile. "Absolutely no reason to suspect that the two of us were making out while no one was looking." Cass just looked away, cleared her throat, and tried to pull her hat down over her face.

"Hate to break up the soap opera," Boone spoke up; the relief on Cass' face was extremely evident. "But I think Marcus wants a word." I turned just in time to see the super mutant mayor come to a stop a few feet away from me.

"Hey there, human. Mind if I ask you a question?" Marcus asked.

"Well, you just did, but go on," I smirked. Marcus chuckled as well.

"I was just curious about something. I saw you driving that blue Corvega on the way in - are you that Courier that got shot in Goodsprings?"

"Let me guess," I said, rubbing my temple. "You heard about me on the radio?" Marcus nodded.

"Well, yes. I guess that means you are, huh? I got a problem, and could use your help." He said simply.

"Does it involve carrying a package somewhere? Because frankly, I could use something boring to break up the shootouts and fistfights."

"Not to mention getting the crap kicked out of you," I heard Cass mutter under her breath from behind me. Marcus just looked confused.

"Wait, you mean you actually are a courier?" Marcus looked a little confused. "I thought the name was just a metaphor."

"So what's the problem?" I asked, hoping to get the conversation back on track.

"The last few weeks, Jacobstown has been harassed by a couple of NCR mercenaries. We haven't seen them for a few days, but the guards just informed me they've shown up again," Marcus said tapping his headset. "They're repositioning near the main road. I think your car driving into the town may have piqued their interest."

"What do you mean harassing the town? What've they been doing?" I asked.

"Killing our bighorners, shooting at the lodge, that sort of thing. The bighorners are how the town supports itself - eating the meat, selling the hides and the milk, that sort of thing. Granted, there's enough wild ones around the mountain to restock the herd if one or two get killed, but the bigger problem is that it's getting harder and harder to keep people from retaliating."

"How do you know they're NCR?" Boone asked. Marcus opened and closed his mouth, but no sound came out. Eventually, he just shrugged.

"I guess I can't say for sure if they're NCR. All we know for certain is that, whoever they are, they want us dead or gone."

"So why can't you just take them out?" I asked. "I mean, hell, the guns the guards have are huge. They have to be at least 50 cal or something. It's not like you don't have the firepower to defend yourself." That seemed the most obvious course of action. A sort of old-man-sitting-on-the-porch-with-a-shotgun, 'get off my lawn!' scenario if there ever was one.

"But we're not looking to fight anyone. That's the issue," Marcus said matter-of-factly. "Almost all of the people around here - including me - were in the Master's army. I've had enough of fighting, enough of war. That's why I founded Jacobstown. Us super mutants have needed a place to call our own for nearly a hundred and twenty years. I was hoping this place was far enough away from humans that they wouldn't bother us... One of these days I'm hoping we can live among the rest of the wasteland, just like everyone else. No more fighting, just... get along."

Marcus sighed and looked away from me, a wistful expression falling over his green features I don't know how, but at that moment I got a sense of just how old, and how exhausted Marcus looked. I was at a loss for words. Just when I thought the wasteland couldn't surprise me anymore, something like this happens. Marcus shook it off and got serious again.

"If those mercs are killed, it'll give the NCR or whoever hired them an excuse to come up here to try and wipe us out. It would only escalate, and a whole lot of people human, mutant, whoever would get killed. The last thing the wasteland needs is more bloodshed."

"Alright, so what do you want me to do?"

"Well, you're human for a start - they might be willing to listen to what you have to say," Marcus said with a shrug. Cass just laughed.

"Yeah, that's like sayin' Caesar an' Kimball'd listen t'each other cuz they're both human."

"Fair point," Marcus agreed. "Still, you'd be more likely to at least get a word in than ... well, me," He gestured to himself. "Point is, I'm not asking you to kill them. Just try and talk them into leaving. Hell, pay them off if you have to."

"Alright. I'll see what I can do about your merc problem if you can help us find a place to stay the night. Sound reasonable?" Marcus seemed a bit surprised by the request, and started scratching his chin.

"Yeah, that sounds agreeable. I think there are a few unoccupied cabins on the north side of town. I wouldn't suggest trying to find a place in one of the big lodges - that's where the Nightkin like to stay. I'll look around to make sure; get back to you on that." And with that, Marcus walked off.

"Alright, so I got a plan," I said, turning to the rest of my friends. "Boone, you got the best eyes. See if you can find this Lily - according to the good doctor, she's wearing a big sun hat and gardening gloves, or something to that effect."

"Will do," he said with a nod.

"Veronica, see if you can find anyone willing to trade for supplies, just in case. Microfusion cells if you can manage it, the car's starting to run a bit flat. We should be fine for another hundred miles or so, but... you know. Better safe than sorry, right?" Veronica smiled and gave me a mock-salute.

"They don't call me a procurement specialist for nothin' boss! I'll find somebody willing to trade."

"Awesome. And Cass? Want to help me scare off the mercs?" Cass smirked and pulled the shotgun off her back. She turned to Veronica and put a finger to her lips.

"Shhh... be very, very quiet. We're hunting shitheads."

As it turns out, the three of us Cass, ED-E, and myself actually were pretty quiet as we started walking away from Jacobstown. That is, of course, until I decided to be a smartass.

"Soooo" I started to say to Cass, a sly grin working its way onto my face. However, before I could say anything

"I'm guessing you succeeded?" I asked. I glanced over at Cass, who, for some reason, seemed lost in thought. Marcus nodded.

"Yeah, eventually. Nuked an oil rig in the process, though Those were some fun times. We all went our separate ways after that. I went east, into the Rockies and wound up here. Don't know what happened to my friend, though But I've got a feeling it turned out all right for him, in the end."

"Hold on, back up," Cass asked, with a surprising sense of urgency in her voice. "That one-eyed bartender what was his name?"

"Damn it's been a while" Marcus scratched his chin, but then snapped his fingers. "I remember now. His name was Cassidy. John Cassidy."

No way.

I know I was stupefied, I can say that much for certain. That had to be too much of a coincidence. It just had to be. Or maybe the world really is that small. Who knows? I wasn't looking over at Cass, but I'm guessing the surprise was evident on her face as well, because Marcus asked: "What, did you know him?"

"Know him? John Cassidy was my father's name! You tryin' ta tell me you knew my father?"

"... You're Rose of Sharon Cassidy," Marcus said. It wasn't really a question. He leaned in to get a closer look at her. "You must be. You have his nose... and the whiskey blossoms on your cheeks." He smiled and chuckled a bit, but Cass just stood there, a look of shock plastered on her face. I could practically see the whiskey-soaked cogs turning in her head; she clutched at the rose pendant hanging around her neck.

"How th' fuck could y'know 'im? Nobody's ever known that fuckin' deadbeat, 'cept mom!" She blurted out. Marcus took a step back, confused.

"Deadbeat? John Cassidy?" Marcus shook his head. "No, John was one of the bravest, most honorable men I've ever met, next to The Chosen One. A little rough around the edges and hard to get used to, sure, but at the end of the day, he always wanted to do the right thing. Deal out his own brand of wasteland justice to those who'd exploit the weak, defend those who couldn't defend themselves..."

I was really hoping to see where this was going, but unfortunately, my attention was, at that precise moment, drawn away by a hand on my shoulder, and Boone informing me: "I found Lily."

As interesting as it would have been to sit on the sidelines and watch how that exchange would've played out to completion, I realized that there was still work to be done. So, with a sense of regret, I followed Boone away from Marcus and Cass.

With any luck, Cass'd tell me what happened later.

I should've been expecting this. I really should have.

Suddenly, everything Doc Henry had said about Lily made sense. She was tending to the animals in one of the bighorner pens around town, and her outfit consisted of a very large sun hat, a pair of oversized gardening gloves, a pair of tinted goggles, some tattered denim overalls, and a medkit strapped to her chest.

Oh, and she just happened to be a Nightkin. I now understood his odd tone of voice when he called Lily a 'her.'

"That her?" I asked Boone, even though I could just tell. He merely nodded. I sighed. "Well. Needs must."

The closer I got to her, the more I realized that she was actually pretty short for a super mutant. She was still easily a foot taller than me and twice as wide, but for some reason she just didn't seem quite as massive as the other super mutants around town. Just unreasonably big.

"Excuse me?" I spoke up as I got behind her. The blue skinned super mutant turned at the sound, but I couldn't tell if she was looking at me from behind those tinted goggles. At first I thought she was sneering, but then I realized she just had those leather straps holding the corners of her mouth up. "Are you Lily?"

"Jimmy?" Just like every super mutant except Marcus, when she spoke it sounded like a very heavy man with a beard and chest hair gargling gravel. "Little Jimmy, is that you? Oh my, how you've grown up! It's so good of you to come and visit your grandma!"

"Wait, Jimmy?" I asked, more than a little bit confused. "Who's Jimmy?"

"Oh, Jimmy, don't you go on being silly now! Come here and give your grandma a hug!"

The next thing I knew, I found myself being lifted up off my feet, caught in a bear hug that started crushing my arms and insides. It felt like I was held in a giant vice and if I didn't pass out from being unable to fill my lungs with air, I'd get knocked out by her halitosis. Honestly, her breath stunk. I felt and heard a series of rather sickening pops come from my back.

"It's always so nice whenever you come to visit!" I got a much better view of the leather straps holding the sides of her mouth up than I ever wanted. A wave of hot breath assaulted my senses, and practically made my eyes water.

"Gklkk! Gah! L-lily! P- put me d- down! Guk-k-k! I can- can't breathe!"

"Oh! Sorry, dearie!" Her voice rang in my eardrums, but thankfully she let me go. I collapsed to the ground in a heap, gasping for air, and hoping that I didn't have any cracked ribs. I felt a hand grasp me around the arm, and the next thing I knew Boone was helping me back onto my feet.

"Thanks man," I said, still gasping.

"Don't mention it," Boone said with a nod.

"I am so sorry, Jimmy. I guess your grandma doesn't know her own strength, does she?" She bellowed out a massive belly laugh, and the ground shook from the sound.

"I think" it felt like I was trying to drink the air, rather than breathing it in. "I think you have me confused with someone else. I'm not Jimmy. My name is Sheason."

"I Oh" She suddenly went very still, and hunched over a bit. "Of course I have, dearie. How silly of me." Lily paused, and she started slowly nodding, her sun hat bobbing with every movement of her head. "I just haven't taken my medicine yet today. How can I help you?" Her voice, while still loud and still resonating like an overworked gravel quarry, seemed quieter and less enthused now.

"I'm looking into the nightstalker mutation for Doctor Henry. He said you might want to come along and help?" I offered, finally getting a decent rhythm back into my breathing. Lily on the other hand, seemed to start growling.

"Oooh, those nightstalkers!" She stamped the ground, and nearly shook Boone and me off balance. "Always killing my bighorners! Of course I'll help! It'll be nice to give them a piece of my mind." She clenched her fists, but then turned to look at something to her right. I tried to follow her gaze, but I couldn't see what she was looking at. Suddenly, she spoke up again, but she didn't talk to us. "Yes Leo, of course you can come too."

Boone and I looked to each other, not really knowing what to think. I heard ED-E let off a few confused beeps behind us as well.

"Uh Lily? Are you alright?" I asked. She turned back to look at me, and cocked her head.

"Such a curious little munchkin, aren't you? Don't worry dearie, I'm fine. Just discussing things with Leo here." She turned to look to her right again. "No, Leo! That is a bad idea! It's a very bad idea! It got us in a lot of trouble last time, don't you remember?"

"Who's Leo?" Boone asked, though honestly, I could've said the same thing if I wasn't too busy merely being confused and trying to force more air back into my lungs.

"Leo is a bad man, pumpkin! A very bad man!" Lily said with an affirmative nod. She turned her gaze to her right yet again, and spoke up quite harshly, like she was scolding a difficult child. "Yes you are, Leo! Don't you try and deny it, mister!" She turned back to me, and her voice went back to the normal gravel pit. "He tells me to do things terrible things! Sometimes the medicine isn't enough to keep him quiet!"

"But there's no one there." I said, thinking I was stating the obvious.

"Well of course there is, dearie!" She bellowed happily. "How else could I hear him tell me who to chop?" Lily said with undisguised enthusiasm.

"So, he's just a voice in your head?" I asked. Now, to be fair, my mind was still reeling just a bit from nearly being crushed; if I'd been thinking clearly, I wouldn't have tried to pursue this avenue of conversation. As it was, though, Lily seemed to get just a bit upset. Her voice got real low, and somehow seemed to echo with a second, even deeper and nastier sounding voice as she spoke.

"You shouldn't say things like that where Leo can hear you, dearie. He doesn't like it."

"Whoa, okay, forget I said anything then." After I said that, Lily stopped growling... and let out a weird, wheezing chuckle instead.

"Aw, don't worry about a thing, dearie. Sometimes Leo goes off like that, but he knows full well if he goes too far, then your granny will make him stop. Isn't that right, Leo?" When she turned, I thought she was going to wait for a response that wasn't coming, but instead, she reached down and grabbed hold of a pipe that was buried in the ground... and in one swift motion, pulled out a giant hunk of metal that must have been at least 8 or 9 feet long and buried up to the hilt like it was nothing. Both Boone and I stepped back out of the way when she swung it around and rested it on her shoulder, like a sword.

"Now... let's go get those nightstalkers off of my lawn!"