As you know I had a big decision to make in the morning: Tell Lily to submit to the Mark II tests, which could cause her severe brain damage; or leave Doctor Henry withou any choices on how to proceed with his research, dooming the Nightkin. Well, Lily did volunteer to Doctor Henry to submit to the tests if necessary, long before I arrived at Jacobstown... So I told her she was needed by Doctor Henry. She conforted me and told me that it would all turn out for the best.
She did the test. It was like some psychological tests but all done while she was under the effects of the Mark II Stealth Boy. They got some weird readings so I knew it didn't work as they expected. Doc Henry told her to turn off the thing, before anything more severe happened. She did and then returned to her Bighorner pen, while I still wanted to listen to what the Doctor had to say.
While Doc Henry was explaining things to me the head of the Nightkin, Keene, appeared. Looked angry. He wanted those Mark IIs. Attacking the clinic for Stealth Boys... Like drug addicts, just like drug addicts. I tried talking to him. Jacobstown had a nice thing going, they didn't need the violence. I told Keene that the Mark IIs were even more dangerous than the original ones. He told me that that was their decision to make, that they were tired of sitting around in Jacobstown waiting for the cure. So I started making small talk. Asked him what did he plan to do once he got the Mark II specs. He said he wanted to upgrade every normal Stealth Boy cache to the Mark II. Crap. Then asked him why, in fact, were they in Jacobstown. He said that it was supposed to be the place to find the cure, but instead they wait and wait. He... he wouldn't back down. He just... Wouldn't...
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!
No cure and three dead bodies. Great. Doctor Henry told me that it wasn't pretty, but it was also unavoidable. Then told me the test on Lily, although not working as expected, gave him a lot of important data. Then told me that if Lily was to wear the prototype for a long term duration, the data they'd receive would be almost certain that they'd get the cure. But I thought. Lily would hurt with that. Very much. So I thought harder. If Doc Henry were to use a stimulant (I won't go all technical on you, you'll call me a nerd or something) on the dead nightstalkers brain and test the Mark II on them, the results would be the same! He said it was brilliant! Awesome, Lily was off the hook.
I went outside and Lily was tending to her Bighorners. I had to ask her if she'd like to travel with me. Heh, she told me it would be lovely... She even hugged me, almost breaking my back!
Before I left I spoke with Marcus about Keene. I apologised. He said it wasn't my fault, but that from there on it would be hard for the town to keep their Nightkin and to convince other Nightkin to go there. We shook hands and I was on my way.
With Lily.
I told her everything I was up to. What happened to me, what I had already done after being shot, Mr. House and how we were going to help him. Being from an isolated settlement like Jacobstown she didn't really have any opinion on NCR, Legion or Mr. House, though most Super Mutants in there didn't like the NCR. And then I told her what we had to do, the mission Mr. House gave me before I went to Zion. We had to reboot Mr. House's Securitron army at The Fort, The Legion's base. She seemed awfully ok with it. Well, there was no reason not to be ok, I had the Mark of Caesar, the Legion wouldn't attack us. At least I hoped, I never knew what they thought about Super Mutants.
Only when I got off the single road that led to Jacobstown I realized how much I would have to walk. I had to go to Cottonwood Cove, which was on the other end of the Mojave. God...
On my way South I passed by some place in Outer Vegas named The Thorn. I didn't actually get to know it, as it was in the sewer systems and I didn't want to get in. From what I got from people around the place it was an arena where people betted on mutated animals fighting each other. Gladiator fights eh? Maybe I'll check it out.
We were attacked by Fiends when we were leaving the Outer Vegas area. Thought they'd run off by now, being that their leader was dead. Well, I think they at least wished they had ran off. Got to be pretty stupid to attack a guy wearing a mask and a giant hammer, being escorted by a Super Mutant. Oh well.
By the time we got to 188 Trading Post - the halfway point - it was getting dark, so I decided we'd stop there to rest and continue in the morning.
I'm thinking about Veronica. It is a great shock not to see someone who used to be with you every second for this long. I miss her. Well it'll be over soon, I just have to reboot the army and then I'll be back at the Lucky 38.
Love you,
Bill
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