Chapter Text
The road was walked. The missiles were launched on the Legion. The decision was left on the Courier and she wasn't even hesitating. For her the Legion were filth worth only the Armageddon itself falling on their heads.
The battle for Hoover Dam ended with victory of the NCR, further pushing away the Legion from independent New Vegas. And afterwards, there was quietness. A resemblance of peace at once in the Mojave.
Everything that was possible to do was done. And yet for Lex it felt empty. It wasn't feeling like a period in the end of the sentence, rather like three of them, like a trail.
The road she walked alone and alone it dragged on. ED-E, of course, was a company. The dearest companion that was with her through the beginning to the end. Though there still was a vacant place for someone else. Arcade had something to him before they parted ways. Something that no Raul or Veronica, or many other good people couldn't give - much more deeper understanding of struggles of a person like herself. Or, perhaps, Lex was too used to Arcade and perhaps it'd be better this way, to be alone.
On the balcony of Lucky 38 Lex was drinking Sunset Sarsaparilla, going through the holotapes she collected through all her travels. One wasn't listened to yet. Ulysses' last message. A word from courier to courier.
His monotonous yapping wasn't really keeping her attention. Bear-bull, bear-bull. All the same as before. Why didn't she killed his annoying ass Lex wasn't quite sure. During her way to the temple she was swearing to rip off his useless tongue. But when she stood there at the Divide face to face with him, something changed her mind. Ulysses wasn't utterly evil like Caesar or any other Legion dog, there was no that glint in his eyes. He was a person with no home, with no clear path ahead. Just like her.
"..I stopped only because of you. What you did - gave me pause," the only words from Ulysses' message that stuck in her head like a leach.
The whirlwind of thoughts and what ifs were making her mind more restless. Her gaze, locked on the vastness of Mojave's landscape, grew more dull. After last sip from a bottle, Lex threw it out the balcony. As the sound of a glass breaking echoed, she left.
"ED-E, I need you to go home," the eyebot let out a series of confused beeps at her words. "I'll be fine, little fella, I just need to finish few things. Go back to Primm, you'll be safe there, okay?"
Few moments of silence and ED-E set off on it's way. If you care about someone sometimes the right thing to do is to let them go. Here it was that exact time.
"I might regret it..." she whispered to herself.
It was an impulse, an urge. She fell for those, perhaps, irrational thoughts. The Courier was on the way back to the Divide.
The idea of what she'd do out there was vague, there was no prepared plan. She wasn't quite sure what she'd see there. Would something other than danger even wait for her? A question that only her own eyes would answer as soon as she'd arrive.
As the skies changed to a restless storm, the Courier knew she was nearing her goal. The Divide was like an old wound that never healed. Ravaged, smelling of sand, blood and electrified air from the raging dark clouds up in the endless sky. Below were lying the ruins of Hopeville, which name sounded like a bitter irony. And above that grim sight, the guardian of this place, Ulysses was sitting vigil on the edge.
As he looked at arrived Courier, his brows raised slightly. But the expression was too brief to linger on his face.
"You've returned, Courier, despite swearing not to cross this path again," Ulysses regarded Lex as she approached. "What changed your mind?"
"Just thought you might like to know how the fight for Hoover Dam went," she said the first thing that came to mind. A small lie. It'd not hurt anyway.
"Lanius was dealt with?"
"Yes. Thanks for the advice, it brought NCR victory they wanted."
"Is it a victory when the bull grows more stubborn the more resistance he faces," Ulysses stated. Her eye twitched. Not because it wasn't true, but because Lex was already growing annoyed with his bear-bull nonsense. "Besides, I don't think you made your way back here only to bring me the latest news."
"That's true," Lex sighed. She wasn't liking that he was reading her well. But at the same time she was grateful that the conversation got closer to the point. "I listened to your last message."
A pause fell heavy for a moment. Not surprise, but an understanding. She listened to him, so now he should listen to her.
"Never thought I'd be alive to hear such words. What's about that message of mine?"
"It gave me thoughts and i thought that maybe you'd like to go with me."
"With you?" A question sprinkled with disbelief along with a slight sarcasm in it. "Why me out of all people?"
And it was a good question, an uncomfortable one too. Why indeed she'd want to travel with a person whom she wanted dead not so long ago. No sane person would trust here. But Lex was far from sane anyway.
"You know what they say, keep your friends close and your enemies even closer," the Courier's lips curved in a small smile, finding it ironic in a way.
"Not having enough enemies around after the Hoover Dam? I thought you desired peace more than quarrel. Guess I was wrong."
She rolled her eyes. His answers were getting on her nerves. It's not that hard to just answer yes or no, but this guy was surely one of a kind.
"So are you going or not?" Lex blurted out in impatience.
"Not sure of it. I am the part of the Divide by now, as well as the Divide is the part of me." He looked down at the ruins below. "If it's irradiated winds want to eat me alive bit by bit I'd rather not run from it."
"And to sit your ass through all the history going by you?" Ulysses glanced at Lex, not expecting such bluntness. And by the glint in his eye she knew he was finally hooked. "You already missed a lot, do you really want to let all the life go without you seeing it?" She continued, unable to hold back a slight smile.
"You're stubborn. Can respect that." He was silent for a few moments, contemplating, letting that thought sink in. Yet he was also painfully aware of Lex's gaze, awaiting for his final answer. "Your words hold wisdom. There's no sense in me sitting on the remains of the place that would never return to life again. If there's hope it lies elsewhere." Ulysses spoke and stood up.
As he made a small step closer towards Courier, she was speechless for a brief moment. Lex was ready for refusal, was ready to go home. But it got the other way around.
"What a pleasant surprise," Courier smiled before she led their way away from this place.
When was the previous time they stood face to face? Only back then at the temple. Though looking in the eye of someone like Ulysses felt like a challenge by itself.
To share a path with someone again was refreshing, thrilling even. Lex was believing that the feeling was going both ways, though it was hard to tell what was on his mind.
The heavy skies changed to a peaceful blue and orange hues of the desert with time. The sight so peaceful it even seemed wrong for Ulysses. Like an alien landscape painted by a nostalgic artist. The air itself was feeling lighter here, a rather nice change if to compare.
"Since we've first met at the Divide there was only one thing left I didn't get the why of," Ulysses spoke up. Lex flinched, startled to hear someone's voice beside her.
"And what is that thing?" She glanced at him over her shoulder.
"Why don't you remember what was happening there before? The history of the Divide is truth, which you were denying like i was a madman in your eyes."
"When i told you i don't remember anything about that place i wasn't lying."
"Why? Is your memory failing you at such a young age, Courier?"
Lex let out a quick huff of amusement.
"Wow, you can be funny sometimes. But you really don't know why?"
"I know your past, but don't know your present."
"First of all i was shot in the head," Lex moved the hair away from her right side, demonstrating a scar.
It was going through her scalp deep like a ravine, beginning from her eyebrow and was getting lost in the hair baptized by the unforgiving sun. A crude work, hastily done, but the one that saved her life. Ulysses had noticed that scar on her head before, even knew his doing surely was the reason why it was etched on her skin in the first place, but never thought it was the reason she showed up with different temperament and lacking memories.
"After that i was hardly remembering my name and what i was supposed to be delivering," Lex continued on. "And some time after i got lobotomized at Big Empty," she added like it was a nice evening stroll.
Big Empty. So familiar yet dreadful place, full of shadows of the old world. He got out of that place by luck, she, on the other hand, had none of that, it seemed. The scar from lobotomy was so much more carefully done that it was hard to notice. Ulysses' gaze moved from those scars to her eyes.
"I thought it was the long road that changed you. Turns out the pain changes people harder than that."
"You know that much more better than me, Legion boy," Lex said sharply.
"Don't call me that," Ulysses' eyes narrowed in a hint of irritation. "I'm not one of the Legion for a long time now."
"Exactly," she smiled, returning her attention to the road ahead.
Ulysses took a breath, wanted to say something, to argue. But fell quiet. He understood what she meant, and with that he can't argue at all.
The air was dry, but full of sound. Not necessarily sound of danger, just of life how it was. The sands were sweeping through the paths carried by wind, like waves in the sea. Sometimes a small group of NCR people were patrolling, keeping the roads safe. Or at least they were creating the feeling of it. They were greeting Lex, like everyone around here knew who she was, while Ulysses was stepping beside, observing. She made herself a name and a rather good one in the eyes of the people.
Ahead were coming into view numerous warning signs. Few people were around those said signs, blocking the way.
"Deathclaws ahead, miss, you better turn back..." said one of the NCR soldiers.
"Blah blah blah, deathclaws shmeclaws, I don't care anymore," Lex lightly pushed the soldier aside, meeting stunned gazes about which she wasn't caring as well.
"That stray bullet messed with your head too much, Courier," Ulysses grabbed her arm.
"What? Is the big and strong bear-bull guy afraid of some deathclaws?" She teased, awaiting for a reaction that didn't come. Ulysses let go of her arm, but his look wasn't getting any easier.
"You hold the weapon of the old world like it's a glowing toy made for your amusement, which isn't making me trust your judgment."
"Oh come on! I'm not a bad shooter, you'll see."
Lex guided their way. Ulysses didn't go right away. Only after a small moment of hesitation he followed.