Chapter 507 - Ain't That A Kick In The Head?

Afton appears outside the Mojave Clinic and begins walking towards it, immediately noticing the boarded-up door and windows. Over the boards was a sign stating 'Mojave Clinic going through renovations'...

Afton would've laughed at this, had he not picked up the smell of rotting bodies nearby. Shaking his head, he steps forwards and begins tearing the boards off of the door with ease. After a moment the door was cleared, allowing him entrance into the clinic.​​

However, the door seems blocked by something when he tries to push it open, the small gap in the door also intensifies the smell of rotting meat, making him more and more anxious over Usanagi's fate... He honestly thought she'd betrayed him, but seeing the state of this place made it clear it was out of her hands.

He gives another forceful nudge and the door slowly pushes open, the bodies that were slumped against it getting forced away...

Afton steps inside and quickly pinches his nose due to the permeable smell of rotting meat... It blisters his eyes and nose due to the sheer strength of it, meaning that these bodies had been here for weeks, if not months.

The room itself was covered in old, dried, black bloodstains and bullet holes. He bends down and picks up a bullet shell, "5.56mm." he mutters to himself as he scowls at the implication of this finding. Most would just shrug and say it was a robbery or some such, but the presence of this specific type of ammunition, bullet holes, and the size of the wounds on the corpses led Afton to believe the weapon used were Marksman Carbines and Service Rifles, which were prominently used by the NCR.

Either someone was trying to frame the NCR, or the NCR couldn't be bothered to cover their tracks... Or maybe they simply didn't have the time to scrub the place? Doctor Usanagi was a popular person due to the charity she performed on a regular basis.

Afton tosses the shell back onto the floor and begins checking the bodies, afterwards breathing a sigh of relief at not finding Usanagi's corpse among the pile. The only bodies present were that of her bodyguards, the unfortunate souls who'd gotten trapped in something way bigger than the initial job.

To be honest, this primarily Afton's fault... If he hadn't given her a sample of his blood the NCR wouldn't have been baited to attack and acquire it. Though, how the NCR found out about his and Usanagi's agreement was another matter entirely.

Before he leaves, he takes the chance to look around the clinic for anything left behind. He finds the implants stored in a secure safe and takes all of them for further research, as well as all the medical supplies left lying around.

He's about to teleport back to Big Mt when Nyx flashes his Pipboy light momentarily to get his attention, "Sir, the New Vegas radio broadcast has mentioned the events in Primm."

Raising a brow at the news, he quickly turns the broadcast on, catching Mr New Vegas halfway through a sentence.

"-from the fine folks at the independent town of Primm, we've received a recording of one of their recent events. Not every day we get a treat like this, especially one with such a backstory! I bring you the debate between the upcoming group in the Mojave, Bulwark, and the monolithic New California Republic, enjoy." the raspy voice of old Mr New Vegas states before switching on the recording.

After a moment, the voice of Ambassador Crocker could be heard, giving his speech of how great the NCR and America is. Afton grins to himself, this was basically free publicity for Bulwark, hopefully, the tape would even include parts of the attack

Of course, it was obvious Mr House had a hand in this, Mr New Vegas never said anything that went against House interests, meaning they were linked somehow... That's not even mentioning Mr New Vegas's seeming agelessness.

Afton just silently listens as Crocker's speech ends, allowing his own to start... Yeah, he was a little more aggressive than he first intended, but those barbed comments by Crocker had gotten his back up slightly... Though, at least his diatribe might sway a few NCR citizens from their preconceived notions.

After his speech, the actual negotiations started and obviously didn't go anywhere. He did think that his response to Crocker's accusations was very convincing, especially his noting that all their evidence against him came from Caesar's Legion, you know, the Empire he attacked and basically crippled? That's one fact that people won't be forgetting any time soon, that the NCR would use potentially duplicitous means and dubious evidence.

With that event alone he'd basically cleared himself of all wrong-doings in the publics eyes, making all actions the NCR takes against him strange and biased.

The recording continues until the crowd starts screaming, Afton and Veronica could be heard talking and attacking the creature before it finally cuts out.

"Now, that's a particularly unexpected development. Neither faction present in the event has come forward to explain what had exactly occurred, but I learned from the mayor of Primm, Johnston Nash, all evidence points the attack towards a branch of the NCR government, specifically the Office of Science and Industry. It's best not to take this at full face value though, who knows what could be true... Now, for those folk with love in their hearts, 'Ain't That A Kick In The Head!?'. *trumpets blaring with jazz* How lucky can one gu-"

Afton turns the radio off with a sigh, whelp, Johnston has just instigated further tensions between Bulwark and the NCR with his afterthought... The NCR wouldn't take kindly to such allegations and would try to pin all the blame on Bulwark instead. He rubs his face, the NCR were so easy to read...

With a shake of his head, he walks back to the teleportation point and returns to Big Mt, hoping Dala or Glados had found something out about Mr X.