บท 395: Invitation
Upon hearing the NCR officers command, Victor slowly turns around and rolls towards the man, towering above him once he arrives before him, "Officer Kirby, husband of Lisa Kirby, formerly Barnard. Father of Bill and Jack Kirby... You understand that your actions have far-reaching implications for the alliance between the NCR and Mr House?" Victor's typical cowboy voice seemingly disappears, in exchange for a more serious business-like one.
Officer Kirby who hears this gapes and audibly gulps in his saliva, "H-how do you know me?"
"We know everything, so you best keep your anger in check, otherwise misfortune might strike." Victor states in a deep, baritone voice. "Mr House has never been known as a forgiving man..."
Victor then spins on his wheel and turns back towards Tamia and her group, "So! Little lady, come with me, Mr House has a lot to discuss with you. Ah, he also gives his gratitude for removing that annoying pest in the Tops." the robot says.
Tamia just stares at Victor for a couple second, occasionally glancing between it and the literal firing line behind it. "Err, if you're sure?" she mutters, slowly following behind Victor as it rolls towards the crowd of NCR soldiers.
The rest of the group look towards Afton for direction, but he just shrugs and follows Tamia, making sure to not give the soldiers any reason to shoot... Fortunately, the threat of Mr House was apparently enough to avoid anything drastic.
The group of soldiers parted like the red sea as Victor rolled through them, somehow also getting up the steps to the Lucky 38 on his single wheel... Tamia follows closely behind as Victor reaches the large locked doors of the ancient casino... Just as a large *click!* rings out through the strip, and the doors start opening.
The NCR soldiers all lower their weapons and back away at the sight, shocked at the implications of the events before them... Had they just been pointing their weapons at Mr House's emissary?
Officer Kirby imparticular pales and drops his weapon, quickly remembering the robot's words, his families names ringing like tinnitus in his ears. "F-fall back! Our goal has changed, search and rescue the survivors in the Tops." he calls out.
Sure, the NCR might not be able to conduct operations while the casino families were active, but... The Tops didn't exactly have a family controlling it anymore, that, and Officer Kirby needed to do something with his men's time or otherwise risk punishment from his superiors.
Afton crosses his arms with a cocky smirk as he watches the NCR soldiers turn towards the Tops and start dragging out bodies into the strip. Man, it felt good to be powerful... Though, this was all partly because of House...
He wasn't really sure why House wanted Tamia, Victor was the one who originally dug her out of that shallow grave, so the man must've been keeping an eye on her for a while... Whatever the reason, Afton was looking forward to finally meeting the man.
The Lucky 38 doors completely open, revealing the opulent yet slightly dusty interior of the casino. Securitron's were everywhere, making a deadly defence against any who'd seek to breach the casino.
Victor spins around and looks at Afton and his group, "Sorry about this folks, but only the little lady has been invited. You'll all need to wait outside, I don't think it'll take long, so why don't you play dice or something while you wait." the robot says with what could only be a shrug.
Afton sighs, "Yeah, I saw this coming... We'll wait, just get on with it." he says, sitting on one of the steps of the Lucky 38 and beginning to clean his Fallen Ranger Sequoia with a cloth.
Victor looks at Tamia and gestures inside with their arm, "After you... The boss man has been wanting to speak with you for a while, little lady."
Tamia shakes his head as she walks inside, "I've been on the strip for a week or two now, so he couldn't have been that eager." she states, taking once last glance at the group behind her as the casino doors shut.
"Heh, he's been watching you the entire time you were here. Wanted to make sure he had the right person... Judging by how you off'd Benny, I'd say we're in the clear."
Tamia raises a brow at his words, "Wait, he's been watching the 'entire' time? That is really fucking creepy. You're telling me he watches me in the shower too?"
Victor gives a low chuckle, "I'm not aware of that, you would have to ask him..." the robot says as they reach the single elevator in the centre of the large room. He presses one of the many buttons and gestures towards the door as it opens. "That's your stop, I'll be waiting down here if you need me."
Tamia slowly nods and steps inside as the elevator starts moving upwards... It travels for a relatively long time before stopping, opening to reveal almost eye-searingly bright light. Before her were large windows where she could see the rest of the Mojave, the view was incredible, however, as she's admiring it, another Securitrons rolls up beside her. Insead of the police officer face or Victor's cowboy one, the face was of a simple woman with curly black hair and white skin.
"I'm Jane, one of Mr House's girls. We keep him... entertained. We don't get many guests lately, perhaps we can entertain you as well." 'Jane' explains, causing a shiver to go down Tamia's spine.
"I'm not even going to ask what you mean by 'entertain'... Nor am I going to think about whether or not a two-hundred-year-old man can 'get it up'..." she sighs, "Where next?"
"I'd give you a tour, but, Mr House wants to get to business. He's a very busy man you know?" Jane says, rolling down some stairs and through some other rooms, eventually reaching a room with a humungous computer... It has a huge control panel with a screen that's a few times larger than Tamia.
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บท 396: Meeting of minds
Now, Tamia wasn't the most tech-savvy person in the world, but she certainly knew extravagance when she saw it. The screen literally had no reason to be so large, no normal person would ever be able to properly use it, not to mention the risk of eye strain would be huge!
*Bzzch!*
Tamia almost pulls out her revolver and starts shooting with the screen bursts to life, changing to a blank picture of a young Robert House. "This meeting has been a long time coming, hasn't it? You've come a long ways, literally, and I suspect, figuratively as well... I trust the welcome wasn't too 'warm', the NCR tend to stick their noses into business that doesn't involve them... Though, were I in your position, I'd have tried a different method of seeking revenge..." the powerful yet dignified voice of House says.
In all honesty, Tamia was more trying to figure out if she was talking to an AI or the real Mr House. He didn't sound like a two-hundred-year-old man, so unless he found the method to immortality, something else was up. Regardless, she shakes her head and regains her focus, "What do you mean?"
"Benny." Mr House states, "The one who betrayed me, and shot you. The one who you wanted revenge against... I was hoping you'd find another method of dealing with him that differed from your usual. 'Shoot first and ask questions later' motif. Did you really have to utterly destroy the Tops? The family never really owned the building you know, it merely rented it out to them... But now, after your massacre, the estate value of the place has hit rock-bottom... Relative to the strip of course."
Tamia shrugs, "Why fix what's not broken?... And how do you know about what I've been doing up until now? I understand you'd have eyes in the strip, but everywhere else should be out of your view." she asks.
"Your understanding of my methods is lacking, I am far more powerful and connected than most realise. I am the richest man in the Mojave, and likely the whole of what's left of America. I watched the way you dealt with those Powder Gangers in Goodsprings, bandits on the roads, the Khans in Boulder City, the thugs in Freeside, and especially the Cannibals in the Ultra-Lux. The only time you have ever relented your violent ways has been when you were persuaded otherwise.
I'd even grant you the title; Angel of Death, were there not already a better candidate for it. While it has been entertaining to watch you flail around the Mojave with reckless abandon, it does cause problems for my eventual plans." Mr House explains.
Tamia crosses her arms, "What do you want with me?"
"That all depends on yourself... First, let me ask you a question. Now that you've reached your destination, what do you make of what you see?" the man or AI behind the screen asks.
Tamia raises a brow and thinks about the question, she didn't really consider this place her destination if she were honest... She hadn't thought about what she'd do once she gutted Benny. To be honest, she was thinking of just tagging along with Afton, that guys seems to have it all figured out. Not to mention her still fuzzy memory preventing her from discovering her past.
Back to the question, Mr House was most likely asking her thoughts on New Vegas itself. It was his pride and joy after all, why wouldn't he want her opinion on it. "A city designed to promote lavish lifestyles and steal money from idiots... Can't say I'm too keen on it." she shrugs.
"Indeed, It's a moral quandary; whether or not to steal from the poor and stupid to reach my goals, whether they be justified or not. But, everyone who comes to the strip made the choice to do so, to remove the option would only open them up to more drastic and dangerous methods of gaining wealth. At least this way they feel like big-shots and winners for the short while they are here. Of course, they aren't like you or me, we are of a different stripe, winning is in our nature." he states with confidence belonging to the man who'd survived the apocalypse and built a 'paradise' after it.
Tamia shakes her head, "I don't know where you got that idea, I'm just a courier, or at least, I was..." she admits sheepishly, tracing a finger over the scar on her forehead.
"Ooh, don't be coy. You've been playing a high-stakes game ever since Victor dug you outta the ground. Don't be afraid to admit it, acknowledge it and strive for more..."
"You still haven't explained what you want from me. I doubt you called me up here just for a pep-talk." she asks, feeling like he was buttering her up for something.
"Very well. You killed Benny, so I hope I'm not wrong in thinking you recovered something of mine. Something more valuable than any amount of gold, silver, or any other mineral for that matter... The Platinum Chip."
Tamia's hand unconsciously reaches towards her pocket where the chip was currently held, "That thing?"
"Yes. 'That thing'." Mr House grumbles as if calling it that was derogatory. "It's a very special item. There's nothing else like it in the entire world. It was lost a long time ago, difficult to find. I spent Three million caps alone just to find its location, not to mention the delivery costs of securing it safely, not that it mattered in the end. You, Courier Six, out of the other five who had dummy souvenirs was supposed to bring it back, obviously I don't need to explain what went wrong."
Tamia herself gapes at the number of caps the man had supposedly spent on the discovery of the item, she literally couldn't imagine such a large amount, you'd be able to buy anything you could ever dream of with that amount, and the Mr Houes acted as if it were a simple business expense.
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