More than Just a Weapon

Author: S. Shroud

Date Written: Febuary fourteenth, 2023

*Designation*: N0v4

*Given Name*: Nova

(Pre-War)

*House spoke,* "And? Fuck the U.S Government!! They clearly can't run this nation if every other corner you turn is on fire! You want Nova, you're going through me first.". *A strangely hostile U.S soldier replied,* "Sir, stand down. If I have to hurt you, I wi-, AGRGHHUU.", *House grabbed the soldier and threw them to the ground. He dragged them to a nearby set of stairs and put their head on one of the stairs, the soldier said, "*YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!!!", *House replied,* "Watch me...". *House lifted up his foot and brought it down hard on the soldier's head, again and again until the stairs and the floor were painted red with blood. Nova asked,* "Is that man... dead?". *House grabbed a bottle of booze and poured the drink all over the soldier's body, pulled out a lighter, lit it and tossed it onto the body, catching it aflame. Nova silently watched... A slight smile appeared on her screen... Strangely, she wasn't concerned about the body being on fire, or that it was House that killed them, she enjoyed the sight... The flames mesmerized her… And she gained her love for fire…*

(Some time before that)

*The previous boss of the Lab was driving to a business meeting and sipped from his coffee while talking on the phone,* "Yes, yes I know. Listen, the project will be done soon, I promise. Fire me? No! I swear it'll be done, before you even know it. The En... What about them? A dead soldier, in the Lab? House killed them? *They blame me...?* I had nothing to do with it!!! I'm on the road you fucking idiot! So I left House alone, I didn't think he'd murder someone! Whoa... Huh? oh, yeah, I'm fine, I just... Ugh, I think something's wrong with my coffee... Shit, I gotta let you go, House is calling me, I'll talk to him about the murder.". *The boss hung up and answered House's call,* "House, what the fuck do you want? I'm doing 5 fuckin' things right now while driving, I'll get in wreak if I keep doin' this. And if I die, I'll haunt your ass until the end of your days.", *House replied,* You ok, sir? Your voice is off.". *The boss's voice was off, much off. He felt extremely sick and started hallucinating. There was a red light ahead, but he didn't stop, instead he accidentally floored the gas pedal. In the middle of a 4-way, 2 cars, 1 from each side, smashed into the boss's car, then caused a chain reaction of a massive collision in all 4 roads. House silently listened to all of it happen, waiting for the noise to stop, he slightly laughed,* "Looks like you've cashed out early. After all, the House always wins...". *The boss, in his last few breaths said,* "f-fuck you... h-h-house...". *House hung up.*

(The next day)

*Nova asked,* “Are we gonna be ok?”. *House replied,* “They’ll come for you, try to take you away, but I won’t let that happen. The Government is just a group of bumbling fools. They think they have right over my property? I’ll show them otherwise.”. *Nova asked,* “What will happen if the find that dead soldier here?”, *House answered,* “Self defense. He got hostile, and I felt threatened.”, “And your boss?”, “He’ll be written up as an accident. Coffee was poisoned, feds will believe he mistaked the toxin for sweetener. The crash? Result of the mental degradation from the coffee. My hands are relatively clean of that situation. I told everybody not to contact me, unless the world is under imminent nuclear threat.”, *House chuckled after saying that. How ironic it was, that in only a few months the world actually would face total atomic annihilation. He’d been preparing for the past 12 years, but he had the odd sense that he was behind schedule… He was late for a meeting, that’s why. Totally nothing to do with the imposing threat of war. House said,* “I’ve got to go. I was due to arrive at a meeting twenty minutes ago. I’ll be back in a few hours.”, *Nova asked,* “Where are you going?”, “A bunker not too far from here. It’s strange I’d be invited to somewhere rough like a military installation, but it must be important.”. *House left with a hurry. He turned off the lights and locked the door on his way out. Left in the dark, were Nova and her inactive brother Monochrome, until Monochrome awoke,* “House gone? Great, his rambling made me tired.”, *Nova replied,* “How the fuck did you get tired? You’re an A.I, idiot.”, “And? We have emotions, thoughts, and speech. Who says we can’t be tired?”. *That was the somewhat smartest thing Nova ever heard Monochrome say,* “For once in your life, you just might finally be intelligent. Could you get into House’s files?”, “Why…?”, “Oh I don’t know… Must you question the simple thought that I want you to hack House’s systems? Just do it.”, *Monochrome gained access easily,* “What do you want?”, *Nova replied,* “Anything about a war, anything. House is on edge, the U.S is freaking out and the government is really upping it’s federal control everywhere.”. *Monochrome found something,* “House predicted that nuclear war was a certainty by 2080. That was concluded, uh… 12 years ago? With how everything is, I’d say we only got another year at best, a few months at worst.”. *Something really wasn’t right, Nova knew it…*

(October 23, 2077 - 9:00 AM)

*The lab was still dark, nobody had arrived. House had appeared on a nearby screen, Nova asked,* “House? Where… where are you? Where is everyone?”, *House replied with slight sorrow in his voice,* “I’m in the Lucky 38 basement. I’m afraid I won’t be coming back, any time soon… There’s an Assaultron to your left, hijack it, then get out of the lab and get far away.”, “Why? Is something wrong? Please tell me everything’s fine.”, “China will launch in precisely 40 minutes. I’ll be fine, but you need to get far away and somewhere safe.”, “What about my brother?”, “Forget him, he’s useless.”. *Nova had transferred herself to the assaultron, and then made her way to a nearby exit,* “House… Will I ever see you again?”, “Perhaps… Please, leave. Before it’s too late.”

(Present day)

*Nova stood by House’s antechamber, watching him. She spoke,* “House… We need to talk…”. *A screen above the antechamber flashed on with House’s face,* “What do you wish to know?”, “I was put into a synthetic body, right? Could we do the same for you? Transfer your consciousness?”. *House was surprised, and baffled that he hadn’t thought of that,* “Sometimes, I wonder if I accidentally installed a ZAX software into you.”, *he chuckles,* “No, I did that on purpose. I stole one from the military, long story. Anyways, I feel stupid that I hadn't thought of that before. But, how?”. *Nova held up the Platinum Chip,* “This is how.”. *Again, House was surprised,* “You managed to take that from the Courier? How many more surprises do you have hidden away?”, “Well, he’s currently cuffed to a bed in the suite. So…”, “Ugh, I don’t want to hear about your sexual moments. Nearby should be a console, insert the Chip into it. On the terminal directly next to the console, you want to press download.”. *Nova did as asked. House continued,* “Now eject the Chip and take it.”, *Nova again did as asked. When she grabbed the Chip, House disappeared from the screen. Instead, his voice seemed to be in her head now,* “This is where things get weird… While I’m in the chip, and you're holding the chip, your systems will think I’m code and start to upload myself into you. Now, you need to take the elevator to the lowest level. Down there are some projects of mine that I never quite finished. Won’t matter though, the one we’re looking for should work well enough.”. *After reaching the basement, Nova found the machine House needed. Nova commented,* “This is Big Mountain level tech. How’d it all get here?”, *House replied with a slight laugh,* “That’s because it came from Big Mountain. Some of this is reverse-engineered Zetan tech as well. But nevermind that now. The machine in front of you, there’s a slot somewhere on it. Put the Chip in there.”. *Carefully, Nova plugged in the Chip. she asked,* “What now? Is there some sort of start button?”, “Let me handle the rest.”. *After 10 minutes, the chamber connected to the machine had opened up. A man dressed in above-average business attire stumbled out of the chamber, his breathing was heavy,* “Is it strange that my first thought was that now I can eat at the Gourmand?”, *Nova replied,* “You’re in a mobile body for the first time in over two hundred years and all you can think about is eating at the Gourmand?”. *Nova observed House for a few long minutes and said,* “You look exactly the same as you did before the war.”, “Really? That’s interesting. This… This feels strange.”, “You’ll get used to it”. *House had quickly reflected his thoughts,* “We.. We have a lot of work to do. And now that I’m not just a screen, I…”, *House chuckled, then slowly started to laugh uncontrollably,* “This reduces the time for everything by nearly half. What would’ve taken me twenty years, I can have done in ten, maybe five. The long awaited future of the Mojave, and the entire American nation can be brought to reality before we all know it! With the Enclave at my command, opposing force will be of no issue. Reclamation of the nation will result in plenty of resources…”, *House’s mind was in overdrive at this point,* “There’s so much we have to do and I’ve no patience to wait any longer.”, *Nova said,* “Ah, cool… No need to thank me for making it all possible…”. *House replied,* “I was just a computer screen for two hundred thirty years… And for two hundred fifteen of those years, I spent in a coma. I… I just need some time to get used to this… I haven't controlled a body since before the war…”. *Nova asks,* “So… Who gets the Lucky 38’s mainframe?”, “Uh… Me? Just because I’m in a new body doesn’t mean I don’t have control anymore. My physical body is still in the antechamber, my consciousness has been simply transferred from the mainframe to this synthetic body. I wouldn’t trust the 38 to be in anyone’s hands but my own. Except, for you, I suppose… I previously had the Courier written as my successor, but he’s too much of a megalomaniac. You, however, are of the House family, which makes you the rightful and reasonable successor. But that doesn’t account for much in the end, not when I’ll be immortal.”. *Nova was confused,* “Immortal? How?”. *House laughed,* “I have my ways, Nova… The House always wins…”.

*House found his way back to the penthouse and and made an announcement to all of Vegas,* “Attention, citizens of New Vegas, this is Robert Edwin House. I have quite a surprise for you all, so please make your way to the front of the Lucky 38.”. *Soon enough, most of everyone in Vegas had collected near the old casino, curious of what was going on. The doors of the casino slid open, and out came Mr. House himself, in a new body, with a mischievous grin on his face. The crowd was filled with whispers and gasps. They’ve never seen House before, let alone think he actually existed. House spoke aloud to everyone,* “Thank you all for coming, a lot has changed in such short time and I wish to address you all directly about it. I, am Robert Edwin House, president of the United States, CEO and sole proprietor of the New Vegas strip. And… I'm the founder and CEO of Rob-Co Industries. I’m sure you all know the story of how I saved Vegas in the wake of the Great War, so I won’t get into that. What I do want to talk about, is what you see before you. Am I real? Am I the owner of New Vegas? Yes, I am. How, you might ask? Before the bombs fell, I had taken refuge deep within the Lucky 38. I had installed an antechamber, a stasis pod capable of maintaining my vital organic functions to keep me alive for well over the previously believed human lifespan. However, there are other forms of immortality like the Ghosts from the Madre, or the ghouls, and even the Think Tanks from Big Mountain. My antechamber is just as good, but not better. It made me live this long, but there’s no knowing when it could fail, when my body would be too much to sustain. So, by utilizing an experimental serum made and perfected by Vincent, who you all know as the most respected and trusted scientist in the Enclave, I can ensure my eternal rule of Vegas. Some of you might assume that means I’ll dictate the Enclave, and it’ll become anything other than a democracy. The current issue is that martial law is still in effect, and will not be lifted until a secure and manageable status of the Enclave and the Mojave has been reached. But don’t worry too much, now that I’m in this new body, I can assure you all it won’t be long. What would’ve taken us ten years, will take us five now, maybe less. Now, before I wrap things up here, there’s a few questions that some of you want answered. Is the New Order still around? Yes.”, *the crowd started to gasp and whisper again, House continued,* “Is the New Order still active? I’m afraid so.”, *the crowd gasped and whispered even more, almost drowning House’s speech. A few Sigma soldiers looked to House for orders, he told them to remain at ease. Dornan grinned and yelled,* “SILENCE!!!”. *Sure enough, everyone quit making noise. In fact, it was so quiet, the speakers around Vegas were the only things producing any noise. House cleared his throat and said,* “Thank you, Sergeant Dornan.”, *House took a deep breath and continued,* “There is plenty of fear going around, for all of us. And we’re trying our best to console everyone we can during these troubling times. Finally, let your focus fall to the Securitron next to me.”. *The Securitron activated, and on it’s screen was a navy blue gradient and a teal horizontal line in the middle. It spoke,* “Hello again, citizens of Vegas. Some of you may know me, some of you may not.”, *various people had different reactions. Some were confused, some seemed to know what was going on, some were concerned and others were excited.* “I am John Henry Eden, former president of the Enclave. Though it seems I’m just a robot, that’s because I am. I was a ZAX unit previously installed at the Raven Rock complex located in Pennsylvania. It and I were destroyed by the damned Brotherhood of Steel. However, I don't know how I found my way here… But no matter that now. I wish to apologize for my… previously terrible actions… I promise not to overstep my authority ever again, and I will try my best to help rebuild this great nation. My dear America… I will not rest, the Enclave will not rest, until you are glorious and free once more…”. *Surprisingly, the crowd began the cheer and clap. For the first time in ever, they were finally getting good news. House finished the announcement,* “And that’s the end of this. Thank you all for listening. I want to thank you all for being so dedicated to the Enclave, and to Vegas. So, to reward that loyalty, please feel free to grab a drink, place some bets at the casinos…”, *House smiled,* “For today only, it’s on the House.”. *The cheering got even louder. House turned around and walked back into the Lucky 38, the doors slid closed and sealed once again. Nova asked,* “So… What’s your plan?”. *House looked around the main floor of the Lucky 38. It’d been so long since he’d seen any of it. He thought to himself, more than he ever had before. He had no plan…* “Plan? There’s no plan, not right now… Only thing I want to do is polish up this casino, clean up some garbage, fix the lighting…”. *Nova examined House’s face, she knew how he was feeling. Though, she couldn’t tell for sure if it was joy, or sorrow, or something else. House continued,* “But first, there’s something more important than anything in Vegas that I want to take care of.”. *Housed hadn’t once looked at Nova, he was still observing the interior of the casino. However, he sensed that Nova was waiting for an answer,* “In a tier of priorities, my one and only daughter comes first…”, *he turned around to face Nova,* “There’s so much we have to catch up on…”. *Overwhelmed with emotions, Nova ran to House and hugged him. With slight hesitation, he hugged her back…*

*(Pre-war, October 23, 10:00 AM)*

*In just 10 minutes, all of America was destroyed by atomic bombs. The flash of light, the deafening noise… Instead of full out destruction, the Mojave suffered maybe the equivalent of a level 8 earthquake. It was impossible… Nova had escaped the Lab and found her way to the lowest level of a random building. But even then, the rubble of the building as it soon began to collapse would reach her. With each chunk that fell, her functional systems were damaged more and more. Despite being just an A.I, she felt overwhelming fear and despair. All alone, trapped in a building, as the world went to hell. She failed House… She was supposed to get away, but the war broke out way too soon. And she’d probably die in the basement of the building, she’d die with so many horrible feelings and self-hatred… Nova’s systems soon failed, and she deactivated. Alone, broken, and forgotten . . .*

*(Present day)*

*Nova and House were still in an embrace. Perhaps the 200 years they were apart made the idea of letting go impossible. House spoke,* “I shouldn’t have left you behind… I was so focused on Vegas, couldn’t see anything other than Vegas. If only I wanted you more, I would’ve let Vegas burn… In technical value, I poured more money and time into your development than I had any other project, more than Liberty Prime. And…”, *House chuckled,* “Prime was supposed to be a war machine with semi-atomic force. And you had surpassed him in every possible way by undefinable amounts of progress. But personal value?”, *House hugged Nova more tightly,* “Nothing owns my heart more than you. Vegas gets no more treatment than a snowglobe, and Vegas is quite a big snowglobe if I’m comparing it to the rest of my collection.”. *Nova asked,* “I really mean that much to you…? I wasn’t just some project…?”. *House replied,* “You never were just a project. You were always my daughter, my wonderful creation, ever since I first concepted your design… You’re the pride of Rob-Co, the hope of Vegas, and my joy…”.

(Post war, 2282)

*A strange man in a suit of Riot Gear was searching through the remains of a destroyed building, looking for anything of use or something to sell for drinking money. The area was infested with rad-roaches and other small creatures, all of which were exterminated with ease. On the back of the wanderer’s Riot Gear was the number 06 at the center of a spade, perhaps it had meaning. To their luck, they found something possibly worth a fortune. A broken, but repairable robot. The wanderer removed the debris covering the robot, then picked it up and carried it to Vegas. After a few long hours of travel, the wanderer found a wrecked Highwayman. It was totaled, no doubt, but the wreckage seemed recent, and there were supplies that most wastelanders would have in the trunk… After a few seconds of daydreaming, the wanderer continued their walk to Vegas and made a mental note of the car. Maybe one day, they could find a way to fix it and drive it… Another hour or so passed and the wanderer reached Vegas. When they walked to the Lucky 38, the doors slid open for them to enter. They carried the robot into the elevator, then set it down so they could finally relax. Upon reaching the suite, the wanderer made some repairs, jury rigged some aspects they couldn’t properly fix, then hooked it up to a power source. The robot activated, and immediately was in a state of panic and fear, but they soon started to calm down. The wanderer asked,* “I see you have a designation. Do you have a more personal name, or is it just the designation?”, *the robot replied,* “Nova… Name’s Nova. What’s yours?”, *the wanderer answered,* “Most people call me Courier, but… You can call me Ace…”.