{Abdias - [Harry Peterson]}
It's been a few months since I got those cult of Vulcan guys into Helios One luckily the NCR was willing to hire private contractors for the job, Idiots they are so easy to exploit. To cost a lot to set up my company and I did have to forge documents and sneak them into several offices but I have a company officially operating out of the Hub. My main issue is keeping the two new guys we picked up from the NCR from finding out we are legion which should be easy but the servant sent one of his best and most trusted who keeps almost saying Ad Victorium. Anyway it's time to get to work.
I pull the secret door up in the floor of my house. I managed to get one in Boulder city. I picked it because it had a nice basement which only took a little work to make secret. Maybe it wasn't necessary to alter the plans and sneak the new ones into the files of the government building but I am nothing if not thorough. Climbing down the staircase and closing the door I descend into the blackness of the basement. I grab a match strike it and light the candles. As the light glints off my tools I remove my jacket and tie out on my apron and roll up my sleeves. I pull on my gloves as I approach the man knelt with his arms splayed and held by chains to the walls. I picked him up a few days ago as part of my investigation into the location of the firing mechanism for Helios one.
"Feel like talking yet."
He pants shallowly then looks up at me and spits a wob of blood at me which spatters against the floor. He gasps as I kick him int he stomach. I grab his hair and oil his head back reaching for my pliers when the doorbell rings. I pause waiting to see if they will leave. It rings again. I release his head kick him in the stomach again then carefully remove my gloves and apron and climb out of the basement. I close the trap door and answer the door.
"Mr Peterson, I am Mr Andrew West I need to speak to you urgently."
He looks up and I freeze its Frumentari Inculta.
"Please come in."
He steps in and turns assessing me. I hold up a finger then lead him to the trapdoor and we descend to the basement. I grab a gag and silence my prisoner.
"Ave, true to kaiser."
I return the greeting then turn grab a crop and smack my prisoner over the head to shut him up.
"To what do I owe the pleasure Frumentari Inculta?" "Kaiser has tasked me with undertaking the retrieval of the firing mechanism and the location of the silver coin personally." "This man sold the firing mechanism to someone as a toy but he won't tell me who or when and he doesn't have a record book." "Allow me." "Of course Frumentari Inculta."
I hand over my gloves and apron then exit the basement and close the trapdoor. I dig out a horror movie and put it on to drown out any noises that creep out of the basement. And hour later Frumentari Inculta exits the basement he has his jacket slung over his shoulder and his shoes are filthy with various bodily fluids. I offer him mine.
"Thank you. He sold it to a orphan child in Freeside. He doesn't know the name but they are blond with green eyes and about 12." "Thank you Mr West." "I trust I can leave you with him?." "I will dispose of the body tomorrow night."
He pats me on the shoulder puts on my shoes then approaches the door.
"I see the Mojave operations are in good hands Mr Peterson."
With that he exits.
I descend into my basement and admire his work. I release his hands from his shackles and lay him out on the floor then drive a hook into his ankles and hang him from the ceiling I place a bucket under him then slit his throat. I grab my jacket and tie then walk upstairs and clean Mr West's shoes. I get dressed and go out.
I'll need to put aside a day to search Freeside for the firing mechanism it's to late today and tomorrow I'm doing a supply run to Helios one then disposing of the body I'll take the weekend to look for the child. I reach the bar and have a drink. Some NCR troopers are chatting about Helios one. For a self proclaimed superior fighting force their tactics at Helios one seem like ours but with guns. From the reports I got my hands on they had a higher loss percentage than we have had in over a decade and even lower than what we have had since the reforms.
"Did it hurt?" "Pardon?" "When you fell from heaven?"
What the hell is she talking about.
"I don't understand." "Aww I thought it was a good one." "A good what?" "Am I really so bad at them."
Bad at what?
"Anyway what you drinking." "Orange juice." "Well he'll have another on me bar keep."
The bar keep nods and hands me a second glass of orange juice to go with my half drunk one. I look at him and he chuckles with a shrug. She begins to sag as she wraps her arm around me. We sit like this for another hour. I shrug her off and stand.
"I should be going." "Oh yes where are we going."
I look at her she is in no state to walk to her baracks. I take her arm and carry/drag her to my house. I take her into the bedroom and place her on the bed. With that I go next door and knock.
"What do you want at this time of night?" "I've got a drunk woman in my bed anything I need to keep an eye on?" "Seriously?" "Yes." "Make sure she doesn't choke and have a bucket ready in case she throws up." "Thank you."
I return home and check on her. She will likely need her uniform in the morning so I strip it from her and tuck her in. I take it to the kitchen and mix up some cleaning solution. I scrub it until I've got all the stains out. I hang it up to dry then sit down and do some paperwork.
As the sun beams through the window I feel thankful that Legion training makes being contious for 48 hours straight less taxing. I hear a muffled yel from the bedroom and grab her uniform before entering.
"Where am I and who are you?" "I am Harry, you are in my bed, you got drunk and flirted with me at the bar last night." "Why am I in my underwear?" "Your uniform was dirty and I assumed you would need it today so I washed it. The bathroom is down the hall and I am going to make breakfast." "Erm thanks for you know."
I have no clue.
I head into the kitchen and make some bowls of oats and pour some glasses of milk. How the NCR doesn't have prunes I don't know, even legionnaires get prunes for breakfast. Soon she emerges from the bathroom and sits opposite me and begins eating breakfast.
"What did I say last night?" "Something about falling and heaven."
She burys her face in her hands and groans.
"Where are we?" "Boulder City." "Shit I need to be at Helios One." "I'm heading there in an hour." "Can I come with you?" "Yes." "Thanks."
She gets up and hugs me before vanishing back into the bathroom from which issues the sound of the shower. I wash up then pop out to the stables to pick up my Brahmin and cart. I pop back home with them to pick her up and load the cart.
As we make our way to Helios one she seems nervous.
"What's the matter?" "I was supposed to be there at 8 and it's 8:30." "Say you were ambushed by a legion scout and I picked you up." "Would a legion scout ambush me though?" "No." "And how do you know?" "I spent some time in the legion territory." "And your free now because?" "I was raised in one ofthe cities. As long as you follow the law and orders its the safest place to be." "Sure for you. But a woman." "It's a saying that under Kaiser's rule a vergin can walk naked from pheonix to flagstaff with a bag of Deneris around her neck and never be hassled." "Sure." "The Cult of Mars do it every year." "Really?" "Yep. Sure they are met by a crowd of legionnaires when they arrive but they won't be touched." "Hang on why wouldn't a legion scout ambush me isn't the legions whole thing slavery?" "Ha. A scout is not going to risk themselves by attacking you. But your bosses don't know that." "Let's go with that. Why are you going to Helios One?" "I am bringing my men supplies. My company supplies the engineers for the restoration of Helios one." "I thought there were two companies supplying Helios One. "There was."
I grin at her.
"I brought them out."
She laughs and slaps me on the back.
Soon we arrive at the checkpoint for Helios one. She shows her ID and I show my papers they let us pass and we trundle into the compound.
"LIEUTENANT WELLS WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?!"
She turns kisses me on the lips then jumps from the cart and suns over to the shouting man.
Wait was she flirting with me?