Walking sucks. I was sweaty, tired and my feet hurt. And there was still a long way to go.
When we were approaching I was attacked by a feral glowing ghould. Motherfucker grabbed my back and was trying to chomp me off, but Lily grabbed him and threw him on the ground and I smashed his head. Weird thing: He was wearing NCR vests. Damn. I even got radiation sickness just from hanging around those bastards. But the NCR vests, that was the weird part.
Right about then the air started getting heavy, even greenish. Weird atmosphere. It made go down the road that led to Legion territory that much harder. Crosses everywhere. That's when I knew I was in Legion's territory, finally.
A Legionarie came running to me and asked me to stop. I told him I was invited, showing him the Mark of Caesar. He was kind of surprised. More surprised was I since they didn't immediatly shoot me down because of my coat, who looks a lot like those NCR Rangers'. The Legionaries in general didn't like me very much. Almost everyone I passed by told me that degenerates like me belonged on a cross. They wouldn't talk to Lily though. Heh. We got through the Camp and reached a guy named Cursur Lulcullus or whatever. He told us to get on some wood plank they called boat and then we were on our way to The Fort.
At The Fort's entrance I was stripped of my weapons, meds and the Platinum Chip. I guessed Caesar knew about it. Being stripped out of my weapons I was forced to go talk to Caesar, since he'd have the Chip and I needed it to enter the bunker and reboot the Securitrons.
I saw skeletons on crosses, women slaves walking around carrying huge baggages on their backs and child Legionaries being trained. Just in the entrance. Further into the Fort there was an arena where they put slaves fighting and also Caesar's tent.
They wouldn't let Lily inside Caesar's tent. Guess they were scared that I'd try anything. I wouldn't, just for the record. Lily was concerned for me, but I'd be all right. I could handle myself in a fight.
Well, Caesar must sleep real well at night. He had like 10 guards, to say the least. If they wanted me dead, it wouldn't be hard. When I was going to talk to Caesar I didn't take off my mask, even though you did teach me how to be polite. But it made me look like I didn't take shit from no one and made my voice sound intimidating. All things that went in my favor when standing alone in a tent full of Legionaries and their leader.
HA! The dude knew that I was the one who caused the HELIOS One accident and killed the NCR guys there and, for that, thought that, since we shared common enemies, I had come there in order to join the Legion! I had to bite my tongue not to laugh. Don't get me wrong, The Legion may have great ideals, but being based on Roman's Empire they could have just stuck with the good things about it, not the slavery and extreme brutality, just in order to send messages. So no, kind sir, I'm only here because I want to activate a robot army to make both you and the NCr get the hell out. That's what I should have said. Instead I told him I needed the Platinum Chip.
He knew lots of things about me. Knew that I got shot, that I tracked Benny, killed him and that I was the first one to go in the Lucky 38 and meet Mr. House. He knew that when I set my mind to something I got results. Then he asked me if I was ready to get started. What? He really thought I'd join him. I asked for the Chip again. He said he'd give it to me, but to use as he said. He wanted me to go to the bunker - the one I had to go anyway - and destroy anything I found in there. He knew something was menacing about it and boy was he right. So he gave me the Chip, thinking I'd blow the bunker up once I got in. Oh Caesar, how gullible of you. Knew so much about me and it didn't cross his mind that I could be working for Mr. House?
I went in the bunker and opened the sealed doors with the Chip. Past it there was a giant monitor with Mr. House on it. Guess he could feed his image from the Lucky 38 to The Fort too. I hadn't seen him in a long, long time, so I kind of froze. He was the one who talked. He didn't even talk about the time I went missing. I didn't know if I should feel good or bad about that. He told me I had to go to the other end of the facility and upload the data on the Platinum Chip. And so I did.
Mr. House told me he couldn't deactivate the bunkers security systems. But lucky me, I could. Yes, yes, I'm a genius, stop reminding me! So I got to the other end of the bunker and uploaded the Mark II system into the Securitrons, making a huge boom and shaking all the bunker. Then I looked out the Computer Room glass and I saw the army... Damn. Mr. House does have everything planned.
I talked with him again before I left the bunker. He told me to return to the Lucky 38 and that I had a bright future ahead. And, thanks to me, so did all mankind. And you know what? I believe in him.
As I thought, Caesars men thaught the ground shaking was a sign that I did blow up the bunker, as Caesar wanted. Thank God, I'd have to kill them all if I were to leave alive, if they knew I didn't do Caesar's bidding. I didn't go back to Caesar. Don't know if I had a good enough poker face in order to lie to him and told him the job was done. Instead I just left The Fort, grabbing my weapons from the front gate's guard on my way out.
I went straight North from Cottonwood Cove. Figure it be probably quicker to cut through the desert instead of going on the roads. That way I passed by Nelson, the newly acquired Legion settlement. It was the first time I had been around those parts.
Even farther north we found an hatch. It's so isolated and it's so dark, it seems like a great place to set up camp. Maybe I'll even explore it in the morning.
Love you,
Bill
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