[b]Rough Riders, Frontier Corp, Eliza Weaver - Gomorrah, New Vegas, Nevada[/b]





 Eliza could see a hint of jealousy in Shelby’s eyes. Her first thoughts were to say something to her but now wasn't the time. Eliza had thought about the idea a few times but there wasn't anything between the two of them, and reassuring Shelby of that fact right now would make a scene in front of everyone. So Eliza diverted everyone's attention to their original purpose for being in New Vegas.

 She pulled two chairs over to where Aponi and the soldier where sitting. Eliza sat down straddling the back of the chair while she rested her arms over the backrest. The other chair must've been for Shelby but she wasn't sure, she glanced at the soldier by the door expecting him to sit down but he waved her off assuring Shelby that it was intended for her.

 Shelby sat down alongside Eliza and crossed her legs so as not to expose herself seeing as how she was still wearing a towel. With everyone seeming to be paying attention Eliza started with the introductions.

 “Our initial plans have not changed. We are still here to offer our protective services for Ms. Jackson and her entourage. That will include accompanying them back to Michigan once the company conference is over.” 

 Eliza took a moment to catch her breath before she continued. Out of the corner of her eye she could still see Shelby giving her that look. Eliza wanted to shrug her shoulders and say something to her but she continued with her briefing. 

“We will not be asking Empress Calypso or Ms. Jackson for any payment for this operation. This is a gesture of good faith on our part. We see the Jaded Empire as a great opportunity for us, and hope to plant the seeds of a long lasting relationship with them. Now I want to put this deal on the table now that way we're all on the same page. After this mission is completed we are willing to serve as the personal guard for the Empress and her key staff if you so desire.”

 Eliza looked over at Shelby as if those last few words were directed specifically at her. “We'll of course be expecting payment from that point on ward but I'm sure we'll prove ourselves more than worth it in the coming days. Now does anyone have any questions?” Eliza shifted her weight around on the chair, she made the mistake of spreading her legs too wide and now her hips were starting to flare up.

 “Yes Ma’am. How can we expect to be utilized during this operation.” It was the man by the door he had turned his attention away from the doorway and instead was focusing on the meeting.

 “We're going to be stretched pretty thin for the time being. With team two still in the field we can't provide the security that I would like to right now. So that means we're going to need to focus ourselves on Ms. Jackson and Aponi” Eliza leaned forward ever so slightly towards the young woman trying to hide herself away on the couch. She had a curious expression on her face as if she was trying to make her feel more comfortable. “That is your name isn't it?”

 Aponi just looked up ever so slightly and gently nodded her head in agreeance. 

“Alright so the three of us are staying here for the time being. With the incident at the Tops I think it's safe to say that Ms. Jackson is the most likely to be targeted at this point. While I would like to attach someone to the Empress I'm going to hedge my bets and say that if anything was going to happen to her it's going to be on the way back to Michigan.” Eliza got up from her chair, pushing it away as she stood up. “If you'll excuse me. I have something to tend to.” No one said anything. They just looked at her with curious eyes, Shelby especially. 

 Eliza made her way into Shelby's master bathroom off of her bedroom. You could tell that she was in pain from how she was walking but no one wanted to follow her. Especially not her soldiers, they didn't cross that line with Eliza. They made sure to stay out of her business as much as possible. 

 Standing in the doorway into the bathroom Eliza braced herself against the doorframe with her arm as she unfastened her pants. She then shuffled over to the toilet and dropped them down around her ankles before she sat down. Her breathing was heavy, and as she hung her head over the floor sweat dripped from her brow onto the tile between her legs. Her whole body felt like it was on fire from the inside but she couldn't get any relief. She braced her hand against the wall as she was panting trying anything to recover from this excruciating pain. It was at this point that Shelby entered the bedroom and from where Eliza was at she could see her. She had left the bathroom door wide open, she partially didn't care but she honestly didn't think about it when Shelby came in.

 Shelby spotted her as well and for a moment was caught off guard. “Are you okay?”

Eliza's face started to blush from the embarrassment but she was convinced that the pain had a part to play as well. “Fuck, Shelby.” In her voice you could hear her frustration and suffering. “I didn't want this to happen while you were around.” 

 Shelby came over to Eliza and sat down on the edge of the bathtub. She was a lot more relaxed now than she was before, and she didn't bother to cross her legs. “What's wrong? Don't worry I locked the door when I came in. So no one else is going to barge in on us.”

 Eliza just shook her head as she winced from the pain. “I'll be alright this is just something I go through. Give me a few minutes and it'll be like this never happened.” 

 “Well is there anything I can do for you?” Shelby got up and clasped her hand on Eliza's. They were clammy and covered in sweat.

 Eliza looked at Shelby with pain and sorrow in her eyes. “I'll be alright but I just want you to know now what you're getting into. This is just the beginning, everything gets worse for me from here.”

 “Ma’am are you alright?” There was a faint knock at the bedroom door followed by the lowered voice of a woman. 

 “Tell her I'm alright, please.” Shelby was hearing a tone in Eliza's voice she didn't expect, fear. She did as she asked though and went over to the door. When she unlocked it and opened it she found the young woman Eliza was helping earlier standing outside, still favoring her one leg. 

 Before Shelby could say anything the woman beat her to the punch. “She's in the bathroom isn't she?” She kept a hushed tone so Eliza couldn't hear her.

 “Is this common with her? She looks pretty bad.” Shelby kept the same hushed tone as the woman as she wasn't going to miss the opportunity to get any information on Eliza that she could.

 “Ya this is an everyday thing with her. There's nothing anyone can do to make it better. It's just another part of the list of shit she has to deal with.” The soldier caught herself and quickly back peddled. “I’m sorry that wasn't my place. If you want answers you'll have to ask her for them. Just let her know that if she wants to shut things down for now we can take it from here.” She wasn't waiting for Shelby to come at her with another line of questions, she walked away from the door and headed back over towards the couch. Shelby closed and locked the bedroom door again and turned her attention back towards Eliza. Now she was standing up from the toilet. Her pants completely off along with her boots, she was holding herself up using the wall with her shirt just covering her underwear. “Can you help me get to the bed? I don't think I can make it.” Shelby wrapped her arms around Eliza and helped her walk to the bed. She could feel that Eliza was much weaker now than she was before and when she got her to the bed she collapsed onto the sheets. 

 Eliza was in nothing but her panties and a tank top but she was still sweating as she writhed with pain. All she wanted to do at this point was sleep, but the pain made sleeping almost impossible. In an effort to comfort her Shelby laid down with Eliza and held her tightly in her arms. She honestly didn't know what to do but I seemed to help.

 Eliza while still in pain had calmed down and started to relax. After a few minutes of Shelby consoling Eliza to the best of her ability she eventually passed out. Shelby took this time to compose herself but when she got out of bed she noticed that Eliza was laying in a small puddle of blood and urine that had trickled down her leg and stained the sheets. Shelby felt a brief rush of panic but the blood had dried and considering how much pain Eliza was in when she was awake Shelby didn't want to disturb her.





[b] A few hours later……[/b]
 




 Even while she slept Eliza suffered. Her head was filled with vivid screams of a child and an image of herself holding an infant. Flashes of her playing with a little boy and of that son growing up were intermixed with this horrid symphony of screams. They were not just from a child but from Eliza as well. Flashbacks of her time enslaved and suffering. Her screams of agony as she was slumped against a metal beam, chains holding her hands in place while she was forced to suffer with broken bones. 

 It all served to be too much and Eliza woke up from the terror into another one. Her body and mind were in a state of panic, her heart was racing as sweat ran down her face and dripped onto her chest. For a moment she caught herself looking for a baby but she stopped once she seen the stain in the sheets.  Embarrassed and scared she ran from the bedroom and slumped against the wall in the bathroom. Her sweat mixed with tears as she realized just how weak she was.