Chapter 77: Playing clue

Chapter 77 - Playing clue

After dissipating the adrenaline from the Legion fight through intense physical exertion, Six and Rebecca lay catching their breath, entwined in a heap of limbs on the master bedroom bed of the War bus. The air remained thick with warmth, yet the fervor of passion had subsided, leaving them acutely aware of the true purpose of their presence.

Six sat up, pulling on his pants with a grunt, his sharp eyes flickering to the dim room window.

"Alright."

He muttered.

"Time to figure out who the bastard is that sold Bran's wife."

Rebecca propped herself up on her elbows, smirking.

"Jeannie May, right? That old hag practically screams 'traitor.' Why not just take her out now and be done with it?"

Six shook his head.

"We both know it's her, but it's too easy. If I just blow her brains out, we'll miss out on all the details. I want toseehow this story plays out. There's always more to learn when you let people think they've gotten away with it."

Rebecca snorted, sitting up and dragging her shirt over her head.

"God, you're twisted. But fine—let's play detective and see where it leads."

They started their investigation with Bran. The man sat outside his room at the Novac motel, head in his hands, looking like he hadn't slept in days. His rifle rested across his lap, more like a crutch than a weapon.

Six approached him, Rebecca close behind, both slipping into the easy rhythm of their shared purpose.

"Bran."

Six called, lowering his voice just enough to convey sympathy without sounding patronizing.

"You said only Legionnaires took your wife. But someone local gave them the info. We're here to help figure out who."

Bran raised his bloodshot eyes.

"Whoever did it knew the town. They had to. The only people coming and going were traders... And the person knew Juliette well. Knew when she'd be alone."

Six nodded.

"Where should we start?"

Bran hesitated.

"I... I think it was Manny Vargas."

Six frowned.

"Manny? Really? Didn't think he had it in him."

Rebecca leaned against the wall, arms crossed.

"You sure about that? The guy seemed more bitter than dangerous."

Bran exhaled slowly, rubbing his temples.

"I don't know. I only suspect him because when I told him Juliette was taken... he lookedhappy. Like he wasrelieved.They hated each other, sure. But still..."

Six scowled.

"You told him your wife was kidnapped, by theLegion, and he washappyabout it? He knows what the Legion does to women, right?"

Bran gave a grim nod.

"He knows. We were in 1st Recon together. That's the only thing stopping me from killing him—if he was guilty, he'd be smarter than to show his true feelings."

Six let the thought simmer for a moment before turning to Rebecca.

"Alright. Let's talk to Manny."

They found Manny Vargas in the dinosaur gift shop, slouched at the counter like he didn't have a care in the world. The moment he saw Six and Rebecca, his smirk turned bitter.

"What, Bran sent you to interrogate me?"

Manny sneered.

"Gonna give me the 'best friend' speech?"

Six gave a noncommittal shrug.

"We just want to know what happened."

Manny leaned back, crossing his arms.

"Look, Bran and I? We've been through hell together. We saved each other's asses more times than I can count. But things... things changed after his wife got taken."

Rebecca shot Manny a cold glare.

"And you werehappyabout that, weren't you?"

Manny chuckled darkly.

"Yeah. I was. That woman? She was a nightmare. Always stirring up trouble between me and Bran. You know the saying, 'bros before hoes'? Guess Bran didn't think that applied if there was a skirt involved."

Six tilted his head, studying Manny carefully.

"You're awfully honest about it. Most guilty people try to lie."

Manny gave a dry laugh.

"Yeah, well, I didn't sell her. I just didn't give a damn when she was taken. If you ask me, she had it coming. But if you find the asshole who sold her? Tell him I owe him a drink."

Rebecca clenched her jaw, her fists curling at her sides.

"You call Bran your best friend, but you'rehappyhis wife got dragged off to who-knows-what? You're just a selfish prick."

Manny shrugged.

"Yeah, maybe. But it's not like I handed her over to the Legion. I didn't care enough to do that."

Six scratched his chin thoughtfully. Manny's brutal honesty ruled him out as the seller—no way the real culprit would be this brazen. But it did confirm something: Manny was a self-serving asshole. That left them with fewer suspects and more questions.

Their next stop was Ranger Andy's house. The old NCR ranger sat with a bandaged knee, grimacing from the pain. When Six and Rebecca entered, he greeted them with a tired nod.

"What can I do for you two?"

Six leaned against the doorframe.

"We're trying to figure out what happened to Juliette. Got any thoughts?"

Andy frowned thoughtfully.

"She's a good kid. A bit headstrong, but she always looked out for folks. Used to bring me snacks while I was on patrol, kept me company when things got quiet."

Rebecca's expression softened slightly.

"Sounds like she was good to you."

Andy gave a sad smile.

"She is. A lot of folks like her... well, except for Manny and his lot. But that's old news. If you're looking for someone with a grudge, though... you might want to have a word with Jeannie May Crawford."

Six's lips curled in a slow grin.

"Why her?"

Andy shrugged.

"Jeannie's always been friendly enough, but... a bittoonosy, if you ask me. Knows everyone's business in town. If someone got sold out to the Legion, well... it wouldn't surprise me if Jeannie had a hand in it."

Outside Andy's house, Six and Rebecca exchanged glances.

"So, it all comes back to Jeannie May."

Rebecca muttered.

"What's the plan? Call her out and see what she spills?"

Six shook his head with a sly grin.

"Nah. Let's watch her squirm a bit longer. I want to see just how deep this goes."

Rebecca chuckled, rolling her eyes.

"You really are a twisted bastard. Fine—let's play this out."

After their talk with Ranger Andy, Six and Rebecca leaned against the wall outside his house, quietly processing everything. The puzzle was slowly coming together, but it left them with more questions than answers. If Manny hadn't sold Bran's wife, then who else had the motive, access, and willingness to get the Legion involved? Jeannie May!

Rebecca let out a low growl.

"It's always the quiet ones. The ones that act like they're everyone's best friend. Makes me sick."

Six rubbed his chin.

"Yeah, but Manny doesn't have the brains for something this planned out. Whoever it was knewexactlywhen Bran would be away and had a way to communicate with the Legion. No way some dumb grunt like Manny pulled that off."

"Jeannie May is still our prime suspect, right?"

Rebecca asked with an arched brow.

"Yeah, but I don't want to rush this. It's too clean if we just pull the trigger on her without looking deeper."

Six muttered.

"There's always more to these things. Especially in a town like this."

Rebecca rolled her eyes.

"Your paranoia is going to kill us one day, you know that?"

Six grinned.

"Paranoia's kept me alive this long. And hey, wasn't it you who said you'd shoot my prick off if I left you behind again?"

Rebecca gave a smug little smirk.

"Damn right I did."

They made their way across Novac, the dry desert wind cutting across their faces as they walked toward Ada Straus's ramshackle medical tent. If anyone was running with the kind of crowd that could arrange a Legion kidnapping, it would be someone like her—someone who had no moral compass and sold whatever she could get her hands on, whether it was medicine or chems.

The smell hit them before they even entered the tent—stale sweat, moldy antiseptic, and the unmistakable tang of Jet lingering in the air. Ada sat hunched at a small desk, counting caps in neat piles with jittery hands. She gave them a quick glance, her eyes glazed with boredom and mild suspicion.

"If you're here for Med-X, you're out of luck."

She muttered.

"Had a shipment go missing. Can't trust these damn caravans anymore."

Six stepped closer, looming over her like a shadow.

"Not here for chems. Just some answers."

Ada scoffed.

"I don't do refunds."

Rebecca leaned in, her tone sharp.

"What do you know about Juliette? And don't even think about playing dumb—we've got all day."

Ada flinched at Juliette's name but tried to cover it with a forced sneer.

"You think I give a damn about some kidnapped housewife? She was always poking her nose where it didn't belong—probably why the Legion took her."

Six's eyes narrowed.

"You seem awfully sure the Legion took her. Not a lot of people in town even know that."

Ada paled but kept her voice steady.

"Word travels fast. This town's got ears everywhere."

Rebecca gave a dry laugh.

"And you've got loose lips, which makes me think you know more than you're letting on. What do you know about the people trading with the Legion?"

Ada shifted nervously, looking around as if someone might overhear.

"Look... I don'tdealwith the Legion, okay? But there are caravans that do. Just business, you know? They don't ask questions, and I don't either."

Six crossed his arms.

"You're going to tell me which caravans. Now."

Ada hesitated, biting her lip.

"There's... this one guy. Had dealings with him a few times. Calls himself Travis. Real smooth operator. Handles stuff you don't wanna touch."

Rebecca snorted.

"Great. Where do we find this Travis?"

Ada shrugged, eyes darting away.

"He drifts. Could be in Freeside, could be in Westside. Hell, might even be on the Strip. You'd have to get lucky."

Six grunted.

"Or make our own luck."

He gave Ada a pointed look, and she shrank back, sensing the unspoken threat. Satisfied they'd squeezed everything useful out of her, Six and Rebecca left the tent, the gears in their minds turning as they pieced together the growing web of deception.

Rebecca sighed, kicking at the dirt as they walked away.

"So we've got a mystery trader, Manny being an ass, and Jeannie May acting too squeaky clean for her own good. Feels like we're chasing ghosts."

Six nodded, deep in thought.

"It's starting to look like this isn't just some jealous friend or nosy old lady selling someone out. This smells like something bigger."

Rebecca's lips curled into a wry smile.

"And I bet it's going to be one hell of a mess when we get to the bottom of it."

Six chuckled.

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

Level: 19

NAME: Six XI

GENDER: MALE

STRENGTH: 25

PERCEPTION: 16

ENDURANCE: 35

CHARISMA: 17

INTELLIGENCE: 16

AGILITY: 20

LUCK: 18

BARTER: 100

ENERGY WEAPONS: 36

EXPLOSIVES: 36

GUNS: 100

LOCKPICK: 39

MEDICINE: 100

MELEE WEAPONS: 39

REPAIR: 100

SCIENCE: 100

SNEAK: 39

SPEECH: 85

SURVIVAL: 39

UNARMED: 39