Good Night, Vegas Lights

Chapter 23

Vincent had sat in the hallway for hours. Not able to sleep, not able to move. The fighting outside the Vault had ended long ago, yet he still sat diligently awaiting the notice of Shannon's recovery. Finally, the door adjacent to him slid open, and Jacko stepped out. Blood was splattered across his clothing. Something about his face upset Vincent. Something didn't seem right.
  "How did it go?"
Jacko sighed before he responded.
  "She's stable for now. The resuscitation was a success, and the bullet was easily removed, but... She lost quite a bit of blood. We have to hope she doesn't succumb to infection, or anything else as of now."
  "Well is she awake? Can I talk to her?"
  "No unfortunately. Theres no telling when she'll regain consciousness. You know I'm not the best qualified for this, Vincent."
  "You're right... I can't hold you to anything... But, you said for now she's okay?"
  "Yes. I'll do my best to keep her in the best of condition until she's strong enough to be on her own again."
  "I have something that needs to be done. If I'm not back by the time she wakes up, well... Tell her she doesn't owe me anything anymore. That our business is done."
  "I know you well enough to not pry into your life, so alright, I'll do as you ask."
  "Take care of her, and yourself. I apologize for barging in after I've been gone all these years..."
  "Vincent, boy, you're like a son to me. I know we haven't always treated you right, and the Fiends aren't exactly the most morally correct group of lads, but you know you'll always be welcome here."
Vincent smiled at the old man's consolation. Jacko was like a father. A damn good one, Fiend or no Fiend.
  "Thank you. Now I have things to take care of. Things to finish. I may not be coming back... So, I guess this is-"
  "There ain't no sense in saying goodbye if you never even said hello. Do me a favor?"
  "...Sure"
  "If you plan on going back out there, at least equip yourself right. Take whatever you want from our supplies, and for Pete's sake grab yourself a disguise, so you won't get your brains splattered."
  "Alright. For you."
Vincent laughed his sentence off, and proceeded to do as asked. He took a final glance at Shannon, whom appeared to be sleeping peacefully, before heading to the armory. There he grabbed only ammo for his revolver, and he tossed the 9mm to the side. One of his revolver's chambers was faulty, meaning he only had five shots, rather than the usual six. It was an ailment that plagued his beloved sidearm since it had came into his possession. Vincent thought for a moment about the latter half of Jacko's request. Wearing the armor of a Fiend. He'd done if before of course. For years even. Now, however, it was foreign to him. Setting his hesitance aside he went ahead and dawned the armor of a Fiend, only so he could go to and fro the Vault with relative ease. His destination though, wouldn't be to happy to see him in his new duds. Noah had requested to meet Vincent at Camp McCarran. The NCR already wanted him dead, and him being dressed in Fiend's armor would only give them a great reason to kill him. Noah's value increased to Vincent by the hour. He knew something. He had to. Or else the whole ordeal didn't make the slightest bit of sense. With revolver in hand, Vincent left Vault 3, only saying goodbye to those he passed. Some of them seemed sincere to his presence, and others looked as if they wanted to strangle him. It was reasonable, considering Vince had brought a whole heap of angry Fiends to the Vault. On the outside, things went just the same. Some Fiends he passed ignored him outright, while others gave him dirty looks. Altogether he made it to McCarran without trouble. Vincent made sure to stay safely out of sight of the god-forsaken snipers that lined McCarran's walls, and look for Noah at the same time. It didn't take as long as he had imagined. Noah had apparently waited right where he said he would for hours, considering it was now morning. A nice morning at that. Vincent had no intent to approach Noah, on the account that if he even attempted to he'd likely get lead between the eyes from the infamous First Recon. So he instead stood idly by until Noah eventually looked his way, whereupon Vince waved him over.
  "Vincent! Thank God you're okay. I was getting worried-"
Vince cut him off by pulling out his revolver, and placing the barrel to Noah's chest.
  "Tell me why you lied to me"
  "Wha- What are you talking about?"
  "Those sharecropper wages? Sam didn't give those to you. You're not her brother. I found them at Gomorrah, and read clearly that she was an only child"
Noah seemed surprised.
  "Alright, alright... Just put the damn gun away."
Vincent narrowed his eyes, but ultimately obeyed Noah's request and placed his gun back in its holster.
  "Tell me who the fuck you are, and where the hell is Sam. She took those papers with her. The only way you could've gotten them is if you stole them from her."
Vincent was of course implying that Sam was dead. He hoped she wasn't however. Noah's expression changed at Vince's words. Instead of the aloof boyish look he had usually carried, he now had the look of something more... Sinister.
  "Oh Vincent. I dare say, you are smart."
Even Noah's voice was now noticeably different. It had a certain hiss to it.
  "I swear to God, if you hurt her..."
  "No, no, of course I didn't..."
Noah paused for a moment, and without warning pulled a gun from behind his back. Vincent now found himself staring down a steel barrel. The prick had tricked him.
  "Noah, if you had anything to-"
  "Sh, sh, sh... I don't think you're in the best position to be arguing with me..."
There was an insatiable rage building in Vincent. Noah had done something to Sam, and it seemed he had something to do with the murder of Elizabeth and his children as well.
  "Where is Sam?"
 "Pull that gun out again, and I'll kill you here... Now, Sam you ask? Why she's still here. In the Mojave."
  "What do you mean?"
  "Oh she's out there. Somewhere. Rotting."
  "No!"
Noah's words caused something to snap inside Vincent. He lashed out at him, who countered by slamming his arm into Vincent's throat and thus pinning him against the wall. He was stronger than Vince had thought him to be. He put the tip of his gun to Vincent's chin just for extra measure.
  "Noah, you fucking bastard!"
  "Such anger... Such a desire to kill..."
  "What the fuck are you talking about?"
  "You and me, Vincent? We're not so different. You want to kill me right now, don't you?"
It was clear Noah had killed Sam, just so he could get close to Vincent. The question was, why?
  "You're damn right I do"
  "Well I'll tell you what. You and me. Sunset."
  "Where?"
  "How 'bout your place?"
Noah pulled a smug smile.
  "I'm gonna fucking kill you!"
  "We'll see"
Noah released Vincent and backed away, before quickly dashing into the distance. Just like that he was gone. Vince took no time to think, and quickly sped back to Vault 3. He was going to find out what Noah had to say, and kill him if necessary. There was no doubt about that.