RANKED 3rd BY VOTERS IN CHARACTER CREATION CONTEST #42!

Penthouse:

"Ah, Miss Roulette," called the house manager as we stepped off the elevator into the expansive penthouse suite.

"Just Roulette," I corrected. "Pennyworth here says y'wanted t'see me about my ship?" I asked, practicing the local speech patterns.

"Uh, yes. Thank you, Pennyworth, that will be all," said the short, pear-shaped man.

"Yes, Mister Holmes," answered the butler, and he receded to the kitchen.

"Miss...uh...Roulette," he corrected himself with a smile.

I nodded.

"I was wondering if you'd be kind enough to remove your ship from my roof?" he said with a bit of a pained look.

I raised an eyebrow as if it were the most preposterous thing I'd ever heard.

"In exchange, The House will happily comp you a very luxurious suite," he said, wringing his hands.

I seemed to be considering.

"Please," he practically begged. "Surely you'd prefer a suite to living aboard your ship?" he added with a nervous laugh.

"Hm, no," I said. "It's the only place I feel safe, really. What's the problem, Holmes? I thought we had an arrangement? You don't use the roof, and I'm paying you for its use."

"Well, yes," he laughed nervously, "but that was before the Brotherhood of Steel scaled my hotel again, trying to get to it," he said, hopping in place with distress.

"Those yahoos again?" I grinned. Mostly, I grinned just because the word "yahoos" tickled me. I started using it in a mocking sense about a week ago, but it was growing on me. "The Gunnship fended them off, right?"

"Well, yes, but the Steel Knights disturbed many of the guests as they scaled past their balconies, and later as some of them dropped past them again... screaming...to their...deaths," he said with dismay, wringing his hands over-and-over again.

As a robot whirred by on the terrace, I pointed over my shoulder with my thumb and said, "And? Ain't the Mister Handy's cleanin' it up like they always do?"

"Well, yes-"

"And it is not getting tiresome at all," chirped one of the Mister Handy's as it rolled by the terrace door, carrying an arm and a leg.

Another whirred behind it with a head and another leg. "Nor is it repetitive!"

"Look, Mister Holmes, The Gunnship has a very sophisticated A.I. - maybe I can get it to come up with some kind of defenses for The House? Something that could stop any raids before they get to the roof? I mean, my ship's kind of made a landmark out of your casino, hasn't it?"

"Well, yes, but-"

I put an arm around the nervous man's shoulder and steered him to a couch, where we sat down. "Listen, Mister Holmes, what if instead of moving my ship, it made you some money, instead? Besides just the space rent, I mean."

Mister Holmes seemed only slightly less nervous, but tentatively intrigued.

"What if you made it a tourist attraction? Let people on the roof where they can get a close look at the ship? For a fee?" I smiled at him.

He looked horrified as he undoubtedly pictured screaming hotel guests falling to their deaths.

"I can talk to the ship- get it to differentiate between tourists and Brotherhood of Steel," I assured him. "But they can't go inside!"

Mister Holmes considered, stretching his chin so far upwards you could almost tell he had a neck. "How much of a fee?" he asked.

"You decide," I said with a smile, as I wrinkled my nose and pinched his cheek.

He laughed bashfully, then asked very seriously, "Fifty caps?"

"Why not?" I said approvingly, dabbing his nose playfully with my finger.

"And your percentage?" he asked shrewdly.

"Twenty percent," I said without hesitation.

"Fifteen," he countered.

"You drive a hard bargain, Mister Holmes. Done," I said with shrug and a smile.

He grinned, quite pleased with himself and the idea of this new venture.

I patted his arm and stood up. "Thank you, Mister Holmes. I have to be going now. Nice seeing you!"

"Well, yes," he said as I neared the elevator.

Pennyworth appeared at the elevator as if he stepped out of a hidden panel. Maybe he had. "Good evening, ma'am."

"Good meetin' ya, Pennyworth!" I said, slapping him on the shoulder as I stepped into the elevator.

Lobby:

I stepped out of the elevator and was heading for the street when a big man stepped in front of me, flanked by a couple of skinny protection bots. "You Roulette?"

"Yeah. An' who might you be?" I drawled for effect.

"You shot my brother," he said in answer.

"The twerp in the casino? He was bein' kinda handsy with my winnin's. I don't take very kindly to that. Didn't get his name though. Or yours."

"You are 'Roulette,' yes? It means 'little wheel?' So why don't you call me Big Wheel?" he said with an air.

"Ah, that sneer- I see the resemblance now. Anyway, not bloody likely that I'll call you anything but a doctor, if you don't get outta my way. I was in no mood for your brother, and I'm in even less mood for you." Trying to brush past him, I said, "Now if you'll excuse m-"

"I don't think so," he said as he shoved a firm hand against my shoulder. "You crippled my brother- Anthony is his name."

I brought the four shot Derringer out of my pocket and pointed it at his head, "And what's your name?"

He raised his chin defiantly and said, "I told you: Big Wheel."

I rolled my eyes in aggravation and said, "I mean your real na... Y'know what?"

CLICK!

"I don't really care what your real name is. Y'wanna guess if the next one is loaded, Big Willy?"

He glared.

CLICK!

"You wanna try again? Or y'wanna step out of my way and move them bots off?" I reached into my other pocket for a stun stick and pulled it out by my side, telescoping it out.

Anthony's bigger brother with the bigger attitude rolled his neck to one side, making it crack, then spat next to my foot. "You go to-"

BLAM!

He dropped to the ground and I swung the stun stick at one bot, shocking it into overload, then aimed the Derringer at the other bot.

BLAM!

"Never was very good at that game," I said. Looking to the registration desk, I flipped a chip to the ghoul at the counter as I headed to the door, and said, "Tell Pennyworth I'm sorry about his carpet, Gina."

"Yes... ma'am," she called back weakly.

Meandering into the street, I said to myself, "Think I'll go find Hiro- take him up on that Nuka Cola."

Story, original characters and content are owned by Chris Bishop. Copyright Chris Bishop 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022.