The team began walking back to the river. The walk was long so the team tried to keep themselves occupied, mostly by bickering. Alex continued to help Knox in becoming accustomed to his new armor. Knox, who was, in the beginning, nearly skipping as the mechanics of the armor moved for him, eventually returned to a normal walk as he became more accustomed to the new momentum.
Lucius and the NCR troops were mostly quiet, doubtless consumed in thought on the cache and what it would mean for their respective governments. Especially given the sense of manifest destiny that both shared.
They eventually approached the fortress again, where a lesser legionary ran up to them. "Ave, Caesar has instructed me to tell you that a boat awaits on the river, and I am to lead you there."
The legionary brought them to the boat and they once again crossed the Colorado. This time avoiding major Legion outposts, doubtless Caesar wanted to avoid a repeat of the chaos their earlier arrival within the fort had caused.
----------House----------
The team once again walked back into New Vegas, the Securitrons allowed them to pass and they once again walked into the Lucky 38.
Houses face appeared on a screen in the room. "Hello gentlemen, I trust you were successful?"
Dead Eye pulled the chip out of his pocket, "Yeah, we got the chip."
"That is indeed my chip." A Securitron wheeled out of the elevator at the center of the hotel, holding a silver dining tray and stopped in front of Dead Eye, who placed the chip on the tray. "Wonderful gentlemen, It will take me a few days for my systems to process the program on this chip. Until then I encourage you to occupy yourselves around my city."
two more securitrons rolled out of the elevator, each also carrying silver dining trays. One rolled up to Ethan, carrying the thousand caps he had originally negotiated as pay from house. The other moved between the other members, 6 sacks containing 200 caps each were given to each member of the team. And the Securitron wished them each luck at the tables.
-----Ethan-----
Ehtan, having received his pay made his way out of The Strip and into Freeside, towards the Old Mormon Fort. He had been more badly damaged during the last mission that he was willing to admit, and he knew he would need the help of the followers and their medical expertise.
He opened the gate and walked over to a familiar figure wearing a lab coat. A Follower of the Apocalypse by the Name of Sarah Domingo. She was Brunette, about 5'8 and slim. She wore a pair of reading glasses, a result of the scholarly lifestyle of the Followers, over her green eyes. And she smiled as he approached.
Ethan often went to Freeside and the Strip to meet contacts and employers, and he found the services of the Followers incredibly useful often following his missions. He had met Sarah frequently while in the fort and he had established a easy dialogue and a friendly relationship, which eventually evolved into a physical relationship. He often shared a rest bed with her while he was recuperating.
"Hey Sarah, I got pretty scratched up on a job, you got a free table?"
"What did you do this time."
"Oh, not much, fought in the Arena in Caesars fortress, then took on a pack of deathclaws for dessert."
"Why do you always come to me after your jobs?"
"Maybe I just love your delicate... "Attentions" to my body."
"Alright, alright, get in the tent, hop up on the table and take off your clothes." She led him into an empty tent and directed him to an operating table.
"Don't have to tell me twice."
Ethan hopped up onto the table and began to strip his clean new combat armor. His body was covered in scratches and bruises from the fights and, cuts and burns from the explosions he had rigged. Covering his chest was a wide strip of blood soaked gauze he had put on before he changed his armor, underneath it was impressively an long series of gashes from the swipe of a Deathclaw. And these were just the new wounds. All over his body were the scars and disfigurements from earlier fights.
"Dear god Ethan, how are you not dead?"
"Just lucky I guess" he shrugged.
"Ok, whatever, lie back I'm going to apply an anesthetic and stitch this up." She pulled out a Med-X syringe and locally anesthetized the large wound. Then pulled out a needle and silk thread and stitched up the gashes. The two talked while this was going on, to settle both of their nerves.
"Alright, Ethan don't do anything too strenuous for a while or these stitches will come out."
"I'm sure we can think of something unstrenuous to do together." Ethan sat up and brought his head close to Sarah and kissed her. She pulled back, blushing and said "how do I keep letting you do this?"
"Just lucky I guess" he said as he pulled her closer to him.
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