Chapter 111: Cloudy

Chapter 111: Cloudy

Ding.

The elevator doors slid open, and I stepped into the Lucky 38's suite. I grimaced slightly as I looked around; the telltale signs of my fight with Veronica from a week and a half ago were still here. Some effort had been made by someone to try and fix the hole in the wall (along with the massive hole in the kitchen...), but the repair wasn't seamless. Structurally, it was fixed, but things like the wallpaper and the laminate over the floor were conspicuously absent. Maybe they weren't finished? Either way, I needed a distraction.

"Alright, I gotta ask," I turned around, to face Cass and Boone stepping out of the elevator behind me. "How did you guys know that I was going to arrive there when I did? I didn't even know I was going to be there at that specific time." I'd spent so much of the trip back explaining what I'd been doing during my stay in the Big Empty, I hadn't gotten the chance to ask them what had been going on in the Mojave during my absence.

"We didn't," Boone said simply, as if that was all the explanation I needed. Boone looked over at Cass. "I'm gonna go get cleaned up." Cass nodded, and patted him on the shoulder as he turned on his heel and left.

"Boone an' I have been campin' out there for a while," Cass elaborated. "I got worried when you didn't come back after three days, so I tried to organize a search party. 'Course... by then, our numbers had thinned out considerably..." Cass coughed nervously.

"Thinned out?" I raised an eyebrow. Cass shrugged.

"Well... Veronica left the mornin' after you did. Just... walked off. Didn't say goodbye r'nothin'. Haven't seen her since. Raul's been in and out the last week. Mostly out. Nobody knows where he's been goin', either. And as for Arcade... he said he knew you'd be back. He didn't come with us, because he said he wanted to make sure that project upstairs kept going, and didn't get derailed. So that's where he's been. Which just left me an' Boone..."

"Fuck..." I rubbed my temple, and ran my hand across my scalp. Guess I had some work to do. Guess I'm gonna need to get changed. I've been wearing the same shirt for days, and I just feel fucking rank, despite the showers I've taken. "So, how'd you find the place, anyway? That drive-in was kind of out of the way... And I didn't really tell anybody where I was going." As I spoke, I walked into my room, and started removing all my weapons one by one.

"Yes Man got a message from ED-E a couple hours after you left," Cass said, following me into my room. "Trouble is, that smiling moron didn't think to tell anybody about it until I went upstairs to ask. Soon as I found out, I grabbed Boone, and April offered to give us a lift in her pickup. We figured waitin' by your car was the best bet for finding you. An' I gotta say... We didn't run into any problems the whole time we were camping out there. No raiders, no Legion assassins, and definitely no deathclaws."

"No?" I pulled off my sleeveless duster, and tossed it on the bed.

"No. We didn't." Cass sat on the edge of my desk, and smiled at me coyly. "But yer ass turns up, and so did three of those murder machines." She shook her head and chuckled. "You, sir, are a shit magnet."

"I suppose I am. Kinda begs the question, though..." I scratched at the back of my head, fiddling with the metal studs sticking out of the base of my skull. "What were they even doing that far out, anyway? Last I heard, the only big pack was hovering around Sloan and Quarry Junction on the Long 15... And when wandering deathclaws get spotted, there's usually only one. So, what were three of 'em doing 15 miles from Sloan, all the way out in Henderson?" Cass shrugged.

"Maybe it's mating season, and they have to migrate?" A sudden chill ran up my spine.

"Oh man..." I shuddered, staring at Cass with eyes as big as pie plates. "Fuck sake, don't even joke about shit like that." Cass chuckled to herself and I tried to shake off the uneasiness. "So, aside from half the team disappearing, and the sudden, inexplicable appearance of the deathclaws, have things been pretty quiet since I left?" Cass nodded.

"Pretty much. So, Hannibal, what's the plan?"

"Well, I think first order of business is to get the band back together. Find out where Raul and Veronica have gone. See if they still want in, now I'm back in town." Cass shifted uncomfortably on her seat at the edge of my desk.

"Y'sure... that's a good idea?" Cass asked, looking guilty. "Veronica, that is. I mean... I didn't stop her when she left, cuz... well, she did try an' kill you..." I didn't say anything at first. Part of me wanted to go with the pragmatic, cold-blooded response: Veronica was much more useful as an ally, and it would be more tactically advantageous to have her on our side. If she was out in the world, and still pissed off, I'd have to constantly be looking over my shoulder until one of us killed the other, and that was going to cause all manner of problems down the road. The best thing to do - the most pragmatic solution - was to try and make sure she wouldn't be a problem. One way or another.

But no. I told her what was really on my mind.

"Veronica has been through a lot lately. Finding out that I had to kill her mentor, losing her only hope of being able to change the Brotherhood, and then making the decision to leave the people who have been her only family all her life? Not to mention the fact that she feels personally responsible for the deaths of those Followers that Cutter's team killed. And then she finds out that we fucked her over and lied to her like we did? That is a very long conga line of humiliations, that would push anyone to and beyond the breaking point. To be honest, I'd have probably done the same thing if I was in her shoes. Can you honestly say you'd act any different?" Cass looked down nervously.

"I... uh..." Cass mumbled something incoherently.

"All three of us fucked up. None of us are without fault here. But I'm going to try and fix this. With any luck, she's cooled off by now and is more agreeable to talking things out - all three of us talking things out. And the last thing I want to do when I find her is let her think I'm looking for a fight. If I go to her, loaded down with weapons and armor, that'll send entirely the wrong message. And that means, Sue," I said, suddenly looking down at my armor, "that I'm going to have to turn you off for a while."

"I understand," Sue said softly from a speaker on my chest. "I'll miss you! Shutting down..." The three lights on the chest plate blinked, accompanied by a trio of beeps, and then the lights winked off completely. I tapped a button near the collar of the chest plate, and the armor quickly began to fold into itself until all that was left was the chest, the gloves, and the boots. I took them all off one at a time, and tossed the pieces onto the bed. I looked over at Cass who had started staring at me like I'd grown a second head.

"What?" I asked, peeling my shirt off.

"Okay, am I hearin' things, or did your armor just speak?" Cass pointed at the discarded armor on the bed. I nodded with a smile.

"Yep! That right there is the Big Mountain Aural Stealth Suit Mk II, fitted with a synthetic personality module. She likes to be called 'Sue,' as you might have guessed." I opened up the wardrobe, and pulled out a fresh shirt. "Actually, I'm kind of glad you can hear her. After finding out I can understand ED-E, I was afraid it'd just be more beeps." I was just about to put the new shirt on, when I happened to glance over my shoulder. "Cass, you're still staring."

"Uh... it's just... I know you told us your..." Cass gulped. "...organs were removed, but just... seeing the scar along your back is..." I turned around, and her face lost all color; her eyes went wide, and she clutched at her mouth. "Holy Christ! Those... holy fuck. Those scars really..." Cass let out a single weak laugh. "That really puts some weight behind yer story, don't it?" She hopped off the desk and approached me, her eyes locked on the surgical scars crossing my chest. She reached out hesitantly, and touched a pair of fingers against one of the metal studs and along the edge of the central scar. "Fuck me, those are real, aren't they?"

"You think that's bad, you should see my arm," I said, holding up my cybernetic prosthetic. Cass looked up at me, confused.

"What do you mean, your arm? What's wroooOH HOLY FUCK WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR ARM?!" She recoiled, finally noticing that my arm was made of metal.

"It got cut off. Had to get it replaced," I deadpanned. I flexed the arm, opening and closing my fist several times. "What, weren't you curious how I could fire that huge gun one handed?"

"It got cut off?" Cass sounded absolutely mortified. I really couldn't blame her. Cautiously, she reached out and brushed the forearm with the tips of her fingers. When she did so, it made the peculiar sort of noise you only ever hear when flesh rubs against smooth metal. "It's... warm?"

"Is it?" I asked, genuinely curious. "Well... I suppose it would have to be, since quite a lot of neurological information is being transmitted. There are thousands of somatic mechanoreceptors woven into the saturnite shell at a microscopic level..." Cass blinked several times, looking at me blankly. I chastised my brain internally for trying to show off. "My fake arm has a real sensation of touch."

"So, you can..." Cass trailed off, continuing to run her hand up and down my arm. "You can feel with this? Even though it's metal?" I nodded at her. Her fingers caressed my forearm slowly, until they wound their way up, creeping into my palm... and then she drew away quickly, shaking her head. "I... this is... this is fucking weird. I - I can't... I'm sorry, I can't deal with... I just... I can't deal." She turned and walked for the door, continuing to shake her head. She stopped herself just before walking out, gripping the doorframe and looking back at me over her shoulder. "I don't know how you can be so fuckin' calm about all this. This is just... fuck."

With that, she walked away. I snorted out a resigned laugh, shook my head, and put my shirt on.

"I've just had a few more days than you to come to grips with all this madness..."

Ding.

I walked out of the elevator, making my way to the center of the room and Yes Man's big monitor... where it sounded like a bit of an argument was going on.

"Look, I'm not saying we shouldn't press forward - we should, definitely! - all I'm saying is that we need more information!" It sounded like April.

"But if these numbers are accurate, then these designs are for a power source. One that could provide more than enough energy for everyone in the wasteland a hundred times over!" That was definitely Emily. I stayed as quiet as I could at the balcony, watching as Arcade, Emily, and April bickered across a small table covered with notes, books, and computer readouts.

"And if they're not accurate?" Arcade said forcefully, pointing at one of the printouts. "The energy expenditure involved would be devastatingly astronomical - it would make a thermonuclear warhead look like a firecracker! I agree with April, we should definitely wait until we uncover more information."

"I know, I know," Emily leaned against the table and sighed. "I just... We've been at this for weeks, and we're no closer to making even the small amount we've uncovered viable. I just want to do something to help everyone out in the wasteland. That's what we're here for, isn't it?"

"It's a moot point anyway," April rubbed her temple, brushing some of her black hair out of her face. "Where on earth would we even find that much palladium?"

I had a hunch about where I could find Veronica, but I honestly had no idea where I could find Raul. All I knew was that he'd been "in and out" the last several days, whatever the fuck that meant... I thought I was going to need ED-E's scanning abilities to find him, but as luck would have it, I ended up finding out completely by accident where Raul had gone.

I was driving through Freeside on my way out of town, when I saw a building that made me bring my car to a grinding, screeching halt. At first glance, it just appeared to be a normal two-story building with a garage on the side, like any number of other run-down buildings all over Freeside. But the one big thing that made it stand out was a canvas banner draped on the corner above the front door: "RAUL'S REPAIRS" it proclaimed in bold red letters, next to a stylized, cartoony image of a winking, smiling, and very familiar looking ghoul.

"Huh," I said, getting out of my car and walking to the front door. "That was easier than I thought..." ED-E buzzed in the air behind me, directly over my car. I could see several signs that covered up the large cracked window to the left of the door: "Handyman for hire!" "Affordable Rates!" and "Se Habla Espaol!" A small bell above the door jangled as I pushed it open and walked inside.

"Bienvenido!" A very familiar voice called from somewhere in the back. "Welcome! Be with you in a minute, amigo..." There wasn't much up front, honestly - just a counter, a workbench, and some tools on the wall behind. Raul emerged out of the door that led further into the building, wiping his hands with a dirty, oily rag. "Welcome to Raul's Re-" He paused, blinking at me several times, almost like he was testing whether or not I'd simply vanish before his very eyes. "Sheason! Dios mo! Didn't expect to see you around here, boss!"

"Didn't expect to be coming." I shoved my hands in my pockets, looking around. "So... you opened a shop while I was away?" Raul nodded.

"Oh, you don't know the half of it. C'mon, I'll show you," Raul grabbed me by the shoulder and led me behind the counter and into the back room. "I've been doing a lot of thinking ever since you helped me decide to put the guns back on."

"Really?" I asked "And what have you been thinking about?" The two of us stepped into the garage. His motorcycle was here, still just as clean and polished as ever.

"Tooling around with you and the rest of the crew in Vegas was a lot of fun. And it was really helpful, you taking me around, getting me off my ass, showing me that old guys like me can make a difference... but then you disappeared. And that was the push I needed to make me realize that I wasn't really making the most of what I could do. Y'see, boss, I work best on my own. And out here, surrounded by all the Freeside toughs and gangs trying to prey on the innocent, I might just be able to make a difference."

"So... you decided to open a repair shop?" I felt like I was missing something. Raul just laughed, and led me to what appeared to be a blank wall.

"The shop? Nah, that's just to throw people off. And to get a few tips here and there..." Raul smacked a previously unseen button, and the wall split apart. Raul's Vaquero costume was mounted on the wall inside this hidden closet... alongside about a dozen guns (ranging from his twin six-shooters to several rifles and shotguns), and what had to be at least 30 machetes.

"Damn," I let out a low, impressed whistle. "That's a whole fuck-load of knives. Are you doing what I think you're doing?" Raul nodded, grinning with a wide, cracked smile.

"Absolutely, boss. It's only been a few days, and already those pendejo's around Freeside have started spreading rumors about the Ghost Vaquero. The 'specter of death' who rides to the aid of the innocent, and delivers swift justice with a pair of six-guns..." Raul grinned and folded his arms across his chest. "I can't wait to see what happens after a few weeks."

At first, I was really excited: if I was right, then Raul was basically being the Batman of Freeside, and that was awesome. There was just no other way of describing it! But then, the bottlecap dropped.

"So... you're probably going to want to stay here then," I said as I began to stroke my beard. "No way I can convince you to come back to the team, now I'm back in town?" Raul smiled at me... and shook his head.

"It's like I said before, boss. Traveling around the Mojave with you was a lot of fun, and it was really helpful. Really inspiring. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be trying to do this... but what you're doing is focusing on the bigger picture. You're building a nation. And... I'm not really suited for that kind of work. I mean..." Raul looked down at himself and spread his arms on either side of him. "Look at me, boss. Lookin' like I do, I'd be no good at diplomacy. I'd just scare people away!"

"Aw, don't give me none've that, man!" I smiled, clapping Raul on the shoulder. "You're gorgeous!" Raul let out a single snort before losing all pretense of control and started laughing hysterically.

"You're either lying..." Raul said when he finally started to compose himself. "...blind, or mad, boss. I mean, I appreciate the sentiment, but..." Raul shook his head again, still laughing. "Mira qu cabrn! Hah heh..."

"Fair enough," I didn't strictly understand that last part, but I got the gist of it, at least. "You're really serious about this, then?" Raul nodded back at me.

"Yeah, boss. Yeah, I am. I think I can really make a difference out here. Not on a huge scale, like what you're trying, but..." I gave him a single nod, and extended my hand. Raul shook it heartily.

"I understand. Good luck, man. I can't wait to hear the stories," Raul laughed. "And remember: if you ever need anything - anything at all - my door is always open. Don't hesitate to swing by the 38 and ask."

"The same goes for you, boss," Raul said with a shit-eating grin. "If you ever need anything repaired, just drop on by. I'll be sure to give you the discounted friend rates."

"Are you absolutely certain that this is a good idea, Friend_Courier?" ED-E asked, hovering in the air next to me.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure this is a terrible idea, little buddy," I said, trying to maintain my composure as I stood next to my parked car, surveying the landscape. "But I've got to give it a shot, regardless."

ED-E had used his scanning equipment to try and find Veronica, and the destination he'd led me to vindicated my initial hunch: the 188 trading post. In a way, it kind of made a certain amount of sense that she would come here. She'd run away from the Lucky 38. She couldn't go back to the Brotherhood in Hidden Valley. The Followers outpost in Henderson was burnt to a crisp. The 188 was the only place she had left in the Mojave... and honestly, with everything that happened, I was a little surprised she hadn't run all the way back to California.

"You sure she's here?" I asked, walking to the overpass. ED-E bobbed in the air next to me, keeping pace.

"According to the data collected in regards to past behavioral patterns, there is a 93.87% chance that Steel_Veronica has returned here." ED-E was silent for a few seconds. "However, based on current sensor data, there is a 100% chance that Steel_Veronica is standing approximately 15 yards away from us on the overpass."

Sure enough, there was a very familiar looking figure in a brown robe, leaning against one of the overpass railings. I motioned at ED-E to stay back a bit, and walked over to her... very slowly. The way she stayed still, leaning against the railing, it seemed like she hadn't noticed me yet.

"Ahem," I coughed out, clearing my throat, as soon as I decided I was close enough. "Hello Veronica..." Her hooded head perked up at my voice, and she slowly looked over he shoulder at me. All I could really see of her face, obscured as it was by her hood and her dark hair falling down, was a single brown eye staring at me.

"Sheason..." Veronica looked away, hung her head... and softly started chuckling softly and slowly. There was a sort of sick desperation to it. "I'll be honest. I didn't... I never expected to see you again... especially after... Sorry. I'm sorry about... I'm sorry that I... I shouldn't have..." Veronica paused, and looked back up at me. "Why are you here?"

"Looking for you." I said simply, slowly making my way over to a spot next to her. "I was wondering if you wanted to come back to the Lucky 38." Veronica didn't say anything at first.

"Back to the - hang on, I'm confused..." Veronica shook her head. "No... wait, actually. I think... I think you're confused." She finally stood up fully and looked at me like I was nuts. "I... tried to kill you, and you want me to come back?" I nodded. "No offense, but... are you nuts?"

"Quite possibly," I deadpanned. Veronica actually let out a legitimate laugh. That seemed like a good sign. "Look, V... even though you tried to smash my face in, you're still my friend. I'd like to think that hasn't changed. And I get it. I know exactly why you tried to kill me." I sighed heavily, and shook my head. "I don't hold you accountable."

"Maybe you should..." Veronica said softly. "I mean... other people can deal with stress, right? Other people can deal with all the shit that gets thrown at them in their life, and they can just take it in stride... But I didn't. I just completely lost it. I lost all control, because... because..."

"Because you felt like you had nothing left to lose," I said. Veronica hung her head again, and went back to leaning against the railing. "We all make mistakes. Hell, I should've told you what had happened with Cass an' me right off the bat, and I didn't, and that was a really shitty thing for me to do to you. I would've done exactly the same thing that you did. You don't have to be so hard on yourself."

"Maybe..." Veronica muttered under her breath, refusing to look at me.

"It's like I said before. Despite everything, I'm still your friend. Things won't ever be the same, sure. But I'm willing to work things out between the three of us, if you are." Veronica kept quiet, and I started to walk away, back to my car. "If you want to come back, then it's your choice. Just like it's always been."

As I started to walk away, I swore silently under my breath. That was zero for two. With both Raul and Veronica gone, that meant we were getting severely undermanned...

"Alright," I heard Veronica say softly behind me. I held back a smile, and the two of us walked over to my car; ED-E was buzzing in the air above us. "I am... I'm so sorry about what happened. I just... look, I'm the first to admit that I have some serious anger issues..."

"Well, look on the bright side," I said with a smile. "Breathtaking anger management issues like that can actually be a plus point for someone who liquidizes people's faces for a living. Although, I would take it as a kindness if you didn't direct it at my face in the future." Veronica smiled and shook her head, trying to hold back laughter. "You know, to be honest? I kind've had a hunch you'd agree to come back."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. All your shit is still cluttering up your room in the 38," I said with a laugh. Veronica joined in, and the two of us laughed all the way back to my car.