Chapter 18

After the Lucky 38, she visited the Tops casino of the Chairmen, a faction of Benny's own. With a key she had looted from his body, she was able to ride the elevator to Benny's floor. Avoiding the guards was child's play, and picking the lock to Benny's suite was even easier.

At first, she found nothing of particular interest in the apartment. Judging from his collection of magazines, it was clear he had lewd taste.

But beyond the bedroom, there was a door and a passage. Beyond it was a secret room carved out of the building's architecture. It was manned by a rogue securitron named Yes Man.

Yes Man had been reprogrammed and so he didn't operate like the other securitrons on the Strip. As indicated by his name, his sole purpose was to freely give answers, information, anything he was capable of giving to anyone who asked. She was surprised to learn Benny had actually reprogrammed his operating system, but then again, there was no failsafe to ensure Yes Man's loyalty to a single person.

And so, Yes Man freely gave her some of the answers she had been looking for, chiefly why she had been shot and what was the Platinum Chip.

And she discovered Benny had had his own plan. He had turned on Mr. House to try to stake out New Vegas for himself. Yes Man's advice was much like Caesar's plan. Kill Mr. House, befriend the other tribes, or destroy the ones that were your enemies. The difference—take New Vegas for herself.

The tools were there, unguarded, for her. All she needed to do was decide.

And she left the Tops with more puzzling questions than answers.

But she was accosted by a member of the NCR who herded her to the embassy on the Strip. News had traveled fast about her meeting at the Lucky 38. She sat and listened to the plan and proposal of the New California Republic. She agreed to nothing yet and left the embassy, quickly realizing one thing.

The Mojave was going to be a war zone. The electricity that charged the very air with its hostile tension was palpable to her. She didn't understand how the unwitting patrons milling about the Strip didn't seem to notice.

Legion. NCR. Mr. House. Yes Man. Hoover Dam was the target. New Vegas was the trophy.

And she was the deciding factor, the catalyst.

By then, the sun had began setting, and so she slowly made her way to Gomorrah. The Omerta thug did his shakedown for weapons, eager to cop a feel of the sensitive curves of her body. She glared but said nothing, deciding against making a scene.

The first chamber was the main casino floor with burning firepits and the silhouette of nude women marking nearly every surface. The cigarette smoke made the air heavy and stagnant. It made her eyes water as she struggled to breathe.

Beyond the casino floor was a hall leading to a darker entertainment room with a stage and dining tables. Though this room wasn't as popular, there was something about the air that made her skin crawl. The Tops and the Lucky 38 hadn't pulsed with such a thick desire for sex. She almost found herself missing the clean air of Fortification Hill, free of drugs and such vices.

She almost made the decision to leave when she finally caught sight of Vulpes at a corner table with another woman.

It was her previous anxiety and insecurity realized.

He held this woman tenderly, his thumb caressing the side of her waist. She gave tickling laughs at whatever he whispered and nipped at her ear. Neither of them saw her, so she continued watching even when his hands explored beneath the folds of her dress. No one chastised them for their behavior; it mimicked the nude dancer on stage and the hired escorts that supplied companionship at other tables.

She was the only one out of place, and she was quickly questioned by an Omerta. "Can I help you with anything?"

She faltered, stuttering. "No, I was just looking—"

He gave a greasy smile that made the fine hairs on her neck rise. "See anything you like?" Undeniably an offer. She felt his hand testing the willingness of her hip.

She almost decided to consent to his brave touch, merely out of spite for Vulpes. But then she decided she could spite her husband with a better choice than the seedy man before her. "Who's the couple in the far corner?" she asked instead.

The Omerta paused to turn. "That's Mr. Fox and Martina Groesbeck. Frequent customers of Gomorrah." He paused. "They meet up with each other so often, we like to make up a love story of them."

She felt quite sick again, and her chest tightened painfully. She thanked the Omerta for the information and left Gomorrah without Vulpes seeing her.

Her rage made tears spring to her eyes, and she stormed back to the Vault 21 hotel with the world around her becoming blurry. Vulpes's actions might have been enough for her to betray the Legion, to annihilate them along with the other powers of the Mojave that had offered themselves up for her.

But she had to be careful. She had to decide.

She paused outside the hotel door, breathing heavily, unsuccessfully composing herself. The tears leaked from her eyes of their own accord anyway.

She had hoped Sarah wouldn't be at the counter, but she was. The receptionist noticed her tears and rushed to her comfort.

She didn't want to accept the receptionist's embrace, but she did. And it felt nice. Sarah rocked her back and forth, not asking questions, not needing to. She felt herself grateful for Sarah.

When her tears had quieted, Sarah began speaking to her in soothing tones, as if knowing the source of her distress.

"You are better than him," she soothed. "You deserve better."

"You were right," her voice cracked. "About Martina Groesbeck."

Sarah knew that it was better not to talk about the other woman. She stroked her hair instead.

Then with her tears dried, she felt warmth emanating from Sarah's arms. It quickened something within her, and she decided that that felt nice too.

Sarah pulled back to look at her. They were a huddled heap on the floor behind her counter. "I can show you your room," she offered quietly. "It's right next to mine."

She hesitated, looking at Sarah's flushed face, and considered her offer. Sarah was soft where Vulpes was hard, and she suddenly found herself longing for that softness.

She agreed, and they went straight to Sarah's room.