Chapter Text
“The game was rigged from the start.”
At the time, Six thought she understood what he meant. That delivery job was doomed no matter what she did. But as time went on, Six found that the man’s words had become increasingly accurate as time went on. Someone was pulling the strings, Six just couldn’t figure out who was doing the pulling.
At least, not until one of House’s securitrons rolled up to the courier with a message to pass along.
Six was sitting at the top of a bluff, eyeing a group of Legionnaires in the far distance. Cottonwood Cove was one of the Legion’s largest installations west of the Colorado. Six’s current plan was to wipe it off the map. She’d enlisted the help of several people she’d gotten to know during her travels across the Mojave, all of which had some sort of axe to grind with the Legion. Except for Raul. He was just along for the ride. Her companions were nearby at the small camp they’d set up for the night, but not close enough to hear the securitron’s approach. It seemed Cottonwood Cove would have to wait.
“Howdy partner! Long time no see.” Victor’s exaggerated drawl carried across the dusty space between them.
Six looked down at Victor from her perch on the bluff. Odd. The last time she’d seen him, he was in Boulder City. The securitron had even told her he’d been heading towards the Strip. So just what was he doing wandering dangerously close to Legion territory?
“Victor, what the hell are you doing all the way down here?” Six called out. She lowered her rifle, brows knotted together.
“Well, I oughta admit that it ain’t no coincidence I found ya out here.” Victor almost sounded bashful as he bobbed back and forth.
No shit. The courier’s grip on her gun tightened. “Cut to the chase.”
A crackled sigh came through Victor’s speakers. “My boss sent me to fetch ya. Said you’ve been shirkin’ your end of a contract.” He paused. “Now, I told him you’re a stand-up gal and that you’d never do such a thing, but he insisted I go look for ya. Jog your memory a bit.”
Six’s eyes narrowed. Turns out she couldn’t ignore that cursed delivery job forever. “So, Mister House wants to speak with little old me?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Do I have a choice?”
“I’m afraid not, partner. That contract you signed was mighty specific.”
Six stared at the securitron for a moment. If she destroyed him, House would only send more. So, she slid her rifle into its spot on her back and brushed the dirt off of her pants. Time to face the music. “Alright, fine. House wants to speak with me, I’ll go.”
“Good choice.” Victor hesitated for a moment, rolling back and forth idly. “You gonna tell that scary fella over in the rocks to lower his gun too?”
~
Six had avoided the Strip like it was radioactive, and it wasn’t just because of her contract. She’d been there before and didn’t need to see it again. That city chewed people up and spit them up in a matter of hours. Days, if you were lucky.
Yet here she was, waltzing into the heart of sin city. ED-E buzzed at her side, the rest of her companions following closely. Victor rolled down the street a few feet ahead of them, the occasional whistled tune coming from his speakers.
“Holy hell, almost everything is completely intact! The buildings hardly have any damage, even after 200 years.” Veronica’s eyes hopped from building to building, person to person as she took it all in.
Next to her, Raul nodded slowly while he looked around. “Shit, this place aged better than I did.” The old ghoul muttered under his breath. “Not that that’s saying much.”
Before the group knew it, they were standing in front of the Lucky 38. The casino had been sealed since the Great War, with nobody except for House’s securitrons entering or leaving the building. But today, the doors opened for the courier. Victor led Six inside, leaving her companions to stand on the steps. Cass appeared relieved. Veronica did not.
“We don’t get to go in?” Veronica’s shoulders drooped.
“Not quite yet. Boss wants to talk to your leadin’ lady first.” Victor explained as the door shut behind him.
The younger woman crossed her arms over her chest. “Bummer.”
“Hey, there’s plenty of fish in the sea, kiddo.” Raul offered, gesturing to the other casinos on the Strip. “And by fish, I mean places to lose your life savings.”
Boone, who had been characteristically quiet the entire trip, shook his head. “We should wait for Six.”
“Six is a big girl, she can handle herself.” Veronica argued. “Besides, we’ll probably end up banned from at least one of these casinos after she gets revenge on the slimeball that shot her. Might as well enjoy it while we’ve still got it.”
~
“Need I remind you that you signed a contract?”
The courier crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh no, I remember. Just figured that since I died and all that you’d consider it void.” Six leaned back against the bookcases that lined the far wall. “Consider the job a loss.”
“You didn’t stay dead, obviously.” House paused. “Which is why I am holding you to our agreement.”
Six was well aware that House had every intention of using her to get the platinum chip back, she just hadn’t expected him to track her down to do it. She’d been under the incorrect assumption that so long as she avoided the Strip, she’d never have to hear about that cursed job again. That had been a miscalculation on her part.
“I would expect nothing less.” The courier finally answered. She pushed away from the wall and approached the monitor to get a better look at House’s image. “I’ll get you your damned chip, House. Then I’m a free woman.”
“Of course. Come back to me once you’ve retrieved it.”
A quick dismissal, with no fanfare. Six’s only consolation was a place for her and her companions to rest. At least they didn’t have to pay to sleep at one of the hotels. Or worse, camp out somewhere in Freeside.
The courier groaned as she sat down on the edge of her bed, the frame creaking under the weight. Nobody had slept in this room for over 200 years, and yet it looked like someone had been there just the night before. Cigarette butts sat in ashtrays, suitcases and hats littered around the suite. Six wondered what happened to the people that survived the bombs in Vegas. She’d heard a little about the aftermath of the Great War from Raul, but he was from just outside Mexico City. Vegas… it was practically untouched by the bombs, courtesy of Mr. House. What had happened to all of the people that were here when the bombs fell?
Six shook her head, pushing away the thought. Tomorrow, she’d confront the man who’d shot her. Even now, she wasn’t sure what she’d do when she found him. But she was getting that chip and completing her contract, one way or another.