Baptized By Fire 03

"Arcade, you're looking well. How has your arm been? I'm afraid I forgot to ask, the last time we met."

He smiled briefly as Nolan took his usual seat, doing his best to forget the events of the confrontation with Hardin earlier that day. He didn't know how to approach it, didn't want to bring it up yet - and didn't want that awkward conversation to replace the rather pleasant ones they'd been having every day. "It's healing pretty well, actually. Thanks. You know, uh... for everything."

The Elder chuckled. "For everything? But I haven't done anything at all."

"Don't be ridiculous, of course you have. Patching me up, letting me walk around like a drunken tourist on the Strip that can't keep their eyes off of anything and everything. Bringing me books every night. It's ridiculously hospitable. Cute, even."

"...Cute?"

"Oh. Er, yes. In a humorous sense. That's exactly what I meant. Of course."

Nolan's smile seemed a little more intense than usual. Or maybe that was Arcade's overactive, desperate imagination. "Of course, Arcade."

The researcher wanted to hit himself in the face. Smooth. Incredibly so.
---
Over the next several days, Arcade developed what could be called a routine. Wake, bathe, eat while reading. Read some more. Wander the halls, avoid the Elder's office since Hardin seemed to hover around it like a junkie waiting for their fix. Go back to his bed. Read and then eat again. Wait for Nolan to visit. It was the last bit, there, that he realized he was looking forward to the most. All the months of killing and survival and desperate plans after meeting up with Isaac and his crew - all they followed were years of researching wastes of time, healing people that would just as soon rob you as thank you. And before that?

Hiding. Lots and lots of it. And plenty of blood.

There was something relaxing about staying here in the Brotherhood bunker, reading and investigating everything he was curious about. And at the end of each night, there was someone who wasn't suffering terrible injury or addiction, who wasn't trying to shove a gun in his face, who wasn't asking him to help save thousands of lives that came by just to chat for the sake of chatting. And maybe it didn't hurt that he was easy on the eyes.

Very easy on the eyes, in fact.

At this point, it had been fifteen days since Isaac and Veronica had left with ED-E on Nolan's requests - to locate a few missing paladins, or their holotapes if they'd met their end, as Nolan had explained, and fixing the airway issues for the bunker. Arcade realized they were due back soon - but he felt a strange tinge of sadness at it. Here he was, finally getting along with someone like a normal person, and it was almost over already... and he still hadn't said a word about Hardin. He kept putting it off, convincing himself it wasn't the right time. Maybe it was best to talk to Veronica and Isaac, first - especially Veronica. She'd probably have a decent idea on how to approach it.

"Arcade?"

His head snapped up as Nolan entered the room, a small tray in hand and a smile on his face. "I hope I'm not bothering you, Arcade. I finished early, and thought I should stop by with your food. Perhaps we could dine together."

Laying the book on historical remedies that had been forgotten in his lap aside, Arcade blinked, pushing his glasses higher on his nose. "You're sure? Not that I mind. I'd just think you'd have better ways or more important people to spend so much time with."

Nolan's laugh came easily. "If I'm not busy, there's no sense in pretending I am for the sake of others. Besides, you know by now that I enjoy speaking with you. You're very interesting, and quite the intellectual."

"I'll agree to disagree. I'm really very boring... you'd get better stories out of a Freeside junkie."

Nolan's smile only grew wider. "Well, agreeing to disagree it is."

He left hours later, a new book beside Arcade's bed. He turned it over in his hands, reading the front - 18th Century Diplomacy & Theoretical Practices. Worn and faded, like all of the ones Nolan had brought him before. Yet - out of the yellowed pages, a small white piece of paper was protruding, out of place and definitely noticeable. It certainly wasn't part of the book itself. Curiously, Arcade opened to that page, the book staying open on his lap as he unfolded the - note? Yes. A note. That was definitely his name on it, written in small, neat letters. His heart beating just a little faster, he began to read, but it didn't take him long.

I don't wish for you to leave when they return. Not yet.

More than a little intrigued, he slipped the note back between the pages and fell back onto the bed, throwing his arms over his eyes. It was touching, sure, and it made him think of those cool blue eyes and that slow, lonely smile in ways that made him feel like a hopeless teenager. But at the same time, he felt a rising frustration somewhere in the back of his thoughts. Nolan had his entire chapter locked down like they were prisoners, wasting away. He was suffering for his own irrational fear of the NCR, of losing anyone else he cared about. Arcade had to do something about it. But all he could do now was wait for Veronica.

His heart twisted as he admitted silently to himself that he wasn't doing this purely out of concern for the members of the Brotherhood as a whole - nothing quite so altruistic. He was far more concerned about the crumbling man at the epicenter, and he didn't really care to think about why.
---
He woke to Veronica sitting down in the chair Nolan generally used during his visits, ED-E chirping happily above his head as Isaac leaned against a wall, grinning. "Good morning, sleeping beauty."

He gave the courier his best glare, looking over at Veronica and trying to pretend he didn't want to launch a missile at the eyebot. "How did it go? We can talk about my incredibly dangerous, harrowing adventures after you both tell me yours."

The scribe laughed, but it sounded a little forced. "Well, we got the Elder his holotapes."

"So the paladins, they were all... I see. What happens now?"

She shrugged, and Isaac just stared at the ceiling as she talked. "We're going back out to find some scouts and get their reports. I was... well, I tried convincing him to open the bunker back up. Had a couple of neat things to show him. Fancy, helpful tech. But he wasn't having any of it. I'm hoping if the scouts have something good for us to tell him - "

Arcade sat up, much more attentive. "I actually wanted to talk to you about that."

"You did? I'm surprised. But somehow, I'm not. You get people to talk a lot more than you realize, even if you're the biggest shut in I've ever - "

"Yes, thank you, I do so enjoy compliments. As I was saying. I don't think fancy tech is going to convince him of anything. It's the NCR he's really afraid of. But we have to act, because certain surly men in large suits of armor happen to want to remove him from his position, which is definitely not good."

Veronica's look was both impressed and suspicious. "That makes sense... HELIOS One made him a lot quieter than he used to be. What's this about someone trying to remove him? And how the hell did you find all this out, anyway? Don't tell me - you used your dazzling diplomacy skills and became the Elder's personal doctor, overcoming incredible personal hardships on a path both romantic and dangerous."

Arcade rolled his eyes. "Are you listening to this, Isaac? I swear. Hardin - he asked me to help him oust Nolan. And I'm pretty sure he wants to take his place." The scribe's face scrunched up, like she smelled something bad. "Exactly. If we can find something showing the NCR is no threat, I'm sure we could do something. Especially considering what we've been planning this entire time."

"That... that could actually work."

"Speaking of which," Isaac interrupted, "the NCR is focusing a lot of their attention on prepping now. We have maybe two months at the most before the Legion makes their final move to the Dam. We've got the Securitrons there, and with House gone, we can make that final push to get the NCR out afterwards. They don't have any idea what's going on - they still think they're in total control." His smile grew wider. "Even if we can't get the Elder to open the bunker before the Dam battle, I'm positive we could do it after Vegas is independent."

"Good. We're making good time. What do you think, Veronica? Do you think Nolan will go along with this?"

But the expression on her face had suddenly become a lot more thoughtful, pensive. "Nolan, huh?"

"Who else? Of course, Nolan."

A smirk stole across her face. "Not Elder, or McNamara. No, nothing so respectful for the mighty Arcade Gannon."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, nothing. Go back to sleep, princess. We're going to go bother Elder McNamara now, and then we're leaving later tonight after a long day of R&R. Feel free to join us if you can stop reading for thirty seconds." And with that, she sauntered out of the room, Isaac following her and trying his hardest not to laugh.

Arcade fell back on the bed, turning to face the wall, deep in thought. They had a plan. A damn good one, at that - and two months or so before the war at Hoover Dam broke out in full. With any luck, he'd need a lot less time than that. They still had the Brotherhood scouts to look for, to collect reports from. And already prepared so well for the war, all they really had to do now was tie up a few loose ends before the fighting truly began.

A selfish thought wormed its way through his head. Two months that I can stay in this bunker. He rolled over and grabbed for the book beside his bed, opening the note and re-reading it for the thousandth time. He had become friends with the man, that was undeniable. And maybe this was Nolan's way of reaching out when he felt he had no one else to turn to.

Or maybe Arcade was just thinking too much into it. He tended to do that, sometimes.
---
Isaac and Veronica didn't seem too surprised when Arcade mentioned, apologetically, that his arm wasn't quite back up to speed - which wasn't completely untrue. "I figured I would stay here until you get back again. Besides, I'm obviously doing a decent job of providing information to something we all have a - varying degree of interest in."

"Oh, sure. You stay here in the bunker surrounded by paladins while we wander the Mojave. That sounds like a totally fair trade," Veronica replied.

"I have to see Hardin every day," Arcade pointed out.

"Actually, I wasn't being sarcastic for once - amazing, I know. Anyway, we really have to go. No time to waste." Isaac had begun to walk out of the room after giving Arcade a little wave, but Veronica stayed behind for a moment. "Hey. Whatever it is you're doing, keep doing it. I think the Elder seems better when I talk to him. Like he hates his entire existence a little less fervently." She gave him a thumbs-up and bounded out of the room, leaving Arcade blissfully alone again.

Nolan found him early again that night, another tray of food in one of his hands and a small smile on his face. He took his seat as normal, his eyes never leaving Arcade's, the tiniest of smiles on his lips.

"I see you received my note."
---
to be continued in chapter 4.