The Raider

Paradise Falls; Slave Pen

2 days later:

2:30pm:

Betrayed by one of their own, the soldiers of Lyons' Pride are now trapped like caged animals inside the slave pens.

"Damn that shithead!" Vyse said as he punches the wall of a building "Should have shot him when I had the chance!"

"No use complaining about it Vyse" Elysse said "…We were all duped by that bastard"

"Just wait until I get this slave collar off!" he continued "I'm gonna make him regret being born!"

"Let it go, Vyse" Coby said "We're all as frustrated as you are but we can't do shit right now"

"I know damn it" Vyse said

"Just endure it for now" Arthur said "Once we find an opening, we escape and avenge this betrayal, right Ellie?"

The commander then turns to the young mercenary who was surprisingly quiet. She hadn't spoken since they were placed in those pens 2 days ago…

"Ellie…?" Vyse said

"That bastard…" Ellie muttered "I'd rip out his guts when I get that chance…"

Her mind was consumed with hatred and her thoughts are filled with scenarios of how she would kill Gusurg…

Suddenly, the young mercenary suffers from a headache. It wasn't a normal headache as the pain kept getting worse by the minute and gravity was once again pulling her down…

Unsurprisingly, as if she was expecting it, Ellie's consciousness begins to wonder into a dream…

Flashback:

"No I won't come back!"

Like before, she finds herself in an unfamiliar environment. And once again, she's wearing the unfamiliar power armor while accompanied by 1 soldier with the same power armor and 1, who was very tall & bulky.

"I'll ask again" the incredibly tall soldier said in a deep menacing voice "You are to return or else"

"I'd rather have my knowledge die with me than come back to you bastards!" an old man said defiantly

"Very well…" the soldier replied as Ellie raises her Assault Rifle and without hesitation, opens fire on the man and his family.

"We can always find a replacement for you…" the tall soldier said

"N-No…" Ellie thought to herself as she stares at the lifeless bodies of the man, his wife and a child… "I-I…"

Unable to accept what she saw, she kept on muttering "I'm not a murderer…" to herself as if it's some sort of mantra…

"Oh but you are…"

Looking behind her, the environment around her suddenly turns black and a lone figure stands in front of her, it was the man who tried to kill her before.

"You're a murderer, Ellie…" he said with a sinister tone and smile

"NO! I'M NOT!" She shouted as she begins to hyperventilate

"Don't you feel it?" he said "The urge to kill? What's wrong with killing anyway? This world's changed! Only the strong survive in this new world!"

"That's not true!" she protested

"Really? Take a look at that family…" the man said as Ellie stares at their dead bodies "Are they strong? Hell, they couldn't even take a bullet…"

Ellie was shivering, for some reason; she couldn't find the words to say to the man…

"We're all killers" he said "You're no exception"

"NO!" she shouted as she fires her assault rifle

Opening her eyes, she notices the man was gone…

"I'm not a killer…" she muttered

"Deny it all you want" the man, coming from behind her, whispered "But this is reality"

Ellie turns around and sees no one…

"Who am I?" she muttered as terror begins to sink in "What am I?"

Present; Vyse's perspective:

The soldier could only stare helplessly as Ellie cringes in fear. He never saw anything like it…

Just days ago, she was this strong female warrior and now, here she is trembling on the ground and hyperventilating like some rape victim…

"What's happening to her?" he said

"No clue…" Arthur replied "Dallas, any insight?"

"Judging from her reaction…" she replied "She could either be suffering from PTSD or something's causing her to be like that… I can't say for sure…"

"Ellie…" Vyse muttered

The sound of gunfire catches the squad's attention as they look towards the direction of the entrance.

NCR troopers were scrambling to the gate; it seemed that the camp is under attack by an unknown force.

"Under attack huh…" Vyse said "This is good, right?"

Despite Vyse's optimism, Elysse and Arthur were a bit skeptical

"It's good…" Arthur replied "But who's attacking?"

"Who cares, right?" Vyse replied "Most likely other rebels trying to spring us outta here!"

"Let's hope so…" Elysse muttered

Minutes later, the main gates blew open and the firefight keeps getting closer and closer to the slave pens. It was clear that the NCR troopers were struggling to defend the camp.

"Can't see a thing…" Arthur said "Marina, can you spot who the attacking forces are?"

"Roger" Marina replied as she climbs the fence.

"Not good…" Marina said

"What is it?" Arthur asked

"Super Mutants…" the sniper answered "Super Mutants are attacking the camp…"

Disheartened, Coby uttered "Oh hell no…"

"We have got to get outta here now" Kodiak said

An explosion then sends a NCR trooper flying towards the pen. He lands just near the door. Noticing, something shiny fly off his uniform, Marina shouts "KEY!"

It was the pen's key, merely a few feet away from the gate!

"Get that key!" Arthur said as the squad, except Ellie and Vyse, tries to reach for it to no avail

Not giving up, the squad searches the pen for anything to use to reach the key. Finding some sticks and a few rolls of a worn out duck tape, the squad quickly puts together the sticks and Arthur tries to use it to reach the key.

"Come on, Come on" Arthur muttered as he desperately tries to reach the key

Maybe it was luck but the squad commander managed to acquire the key by putting the stick through the key's hole.

Not wasting time, the commander quickly opens the pen door as the Super Mutants drew closer.

Although the doorwas opened, Ellie still didn't budge and continued to tremble.

"Ellie!" Vyse said as he shakes her "Ellie! Wake up!"

But his words land on deaf ears… The mercenary was still trapped in her latest episode… Having no other option, Vyse slaps the young mercenary in the right cheek.

It was a hard slap as it left a red mark on the young mercenary's face. She stared at Vyse, shocked at what had happened…

'"You back with us?" he said

"B-Back?" Ellie muttered as she returns to her senses

"Come on!" Vyse said "We gotta hurry! Move!"

"R-Right…" Ellie said in a daze

Entering the former office building, of Eulogy Jones, the squad quickly locates their gear which was hidden under a locked chest, easily picked by Vyse.

With their collars deactivated, their power armor on and their weapons cocked, the squad was ready to escape Paradise Falls.

"Where do we go from here?" Marina asked

"I know a secret tunnel" Coby said

"How did you know?" Vyse wondered

"I used to be a slave here…" he replied "…Escaped decades ago! If it's still there, then we can use it to escape this hellhole, all the while avoiding the Super Mutants!"

"Worth a shot!" Arthur said "Let's move Pride!"

Kicking the door open, the squad makes haste for the bathrooms next to the slave pens, all the while gunning down any NCR soldier that stood in their way.

Reaching the bathroom, the squad quickly opens the drainage hole and used the underground tunnel to escape as the Super Mutants were about to overwhelm the NCR troopers.

Despite the tunnel being cramped, the squad had no choice but to push through…

Outskirts of Paradise Falls

A few minutes later:

The squad emerges from the tunnels. After 2 days of captivity, the squad was finally free!

"Everyone accounted for?" Arthur said

"We're all here" Elysse replied

"Finally outta that place!" Vyse said "I was about to develop claustrophobia!"

"Come on" Arthur said "We have to get outta here before-"

Before the commander could finish his sentence, the Super Mutants had caught up with them…

Having no other option, the members of the Pride just raise their arms awaiting their fate…

But something was odd… The Super Mutants aren't tearing them apart or even dragging them to who knows where… No… they simply stood there with their weapons drawn but they weren't aiming at the soldiers at all… What is going on?

As the members of the Pride wonder on what is happening, a Super Mutant, wearing 2 ammo belts around his chest, walks up to them and asks "Are you part of the Brotherhood of Steel?"

Confused, several members uttered "Huh?"

"Are you part of the Brotherhood of Steel?" the mutant asked again

"Uh Y-Yes we are" Arthur answered nervously

"Good" the mutant answered as he turns around and points at a distant location "Come with us"

Everyone was dumbfounded… Not only did they encounter a Super Mutant who can engage in a normal conversation, he was also diplomatic…

Confused, Coby said "Ok… What the hell just happened?"

"I dunno…" Arthur answered "I guess, they saved our lives?"

Even Kodiak was taken aback as he says "I never thought I'd see the day…"

"Are you coming or not?" the mutant said

"Regardless…" the commander said "Let's go with them… Grab your gear and let's proceed to wherever these guys are headed…"

Still confused with the events that transpired, the soldiers of Lyons' Pride gather their equipment and went along with the Super Mutants

Germantown Police HQ; Super Mutant Stronghold

4:30pm:

Arriving at the derelict police station, the squad finds that the place is inhabited by so many super mutants, with varying appearances… With some mutants having blue skin while others were yellowish-green and had a bulkier build compared to other mutants…

"I've never seen some of these mutants before…" Kodiak said as he notices the blue-skinned ones

"No kidding…" Arthur said "…I thought the purge of Vault 87 was supposed to have depleted their population…"

"Nevermind that…" Elysse interrupted "… They're fairly docile and seem to be much more civilized than what we were taught…"

Cafeteria; Ground floor:

The squad sits down on a makeshift table as the super mutant sits near them.

"I'm sorry for surprising you like that…" he said

"No uh…" Arthur replied nervously "It's ok. In fact, I'd like to thank you for saving us but why? Why did you save us?"

"I was told by a friend that you were captured…" the mutant responded "And he requested that you be rescued"

"Who is this friend of yours?" Elysse asked

"I'm sorry again" the mutant answered "But he wanted to remain anonymous for now…"

"Anonymous huh…" Vyse said "…How about you? What's your name?"

"I am Fawkes" the mutant answered

"Nice to meet you Fawkes" Arthur said "But why are you so friendly towards us? Aren't Super Mutants hostile to all non-mutants?"

"I am, as you could say, a deviant even among my own kind" Fawkes answered "I have maintained my intelligence despite being mutated into this creature. That and I owe my life to a human, which is why I have some respect for your kind…"

"Ok…" Marina said "…So how about the other mutants? They couldn't have all been rescued by a human? Or even retained their intelligence…"

"Ah yes" Fawkes said "After the purge of Vault 87 and my subsequent encounter with a fellow mutant, it inspired me to try and change these mutants for the better…"

"Fellow mutant?" Ellie wondered

"Yes… He goes by name of Uncle Leo" Fawkes said "A super mutant like me but a peaceful one at that, much more peaceful that I was…"

"So how did you manage to convince the rest of the mutants to follow you?" Arthur asked

"To tell you the truth" Fawkes answered "Me and Uncle Leo had a difficult time uniting the mutants but as time went by, some of the super mutants began to follow us. Slowly but surely, we managed to reform them and create an entire peaceful community of Super Mutants… But not all follow our ideology…"

"That's great" Arthur said "It's good to hear that your people are reforming… Maybe a day will come when we can all coexist!"

"Yes" Fawkes replied "That would be nice"

"Anyway" Coby said "What's our plan now?"

"You are free to stay here for the night" Fawkes said

"Just 1 night?" Marina wondered

"Yes well…" Fawkes said "… Not all the mutants are very accepting of humans so, you can only stay for 1 night…"

"Then where do we set up shop then?" Coby asks as he faces Arthur

The Sentinel pondered to himself for a while before saying "There should be a military base near Vault 112, its called Fort Bannister. We can set up shop there"

"You want us to set up shop near the place where we got caught?" Elysse said in disbelief

Arthur simply smiles and says "It's perfect because the enemy wouldn't even dream that we'd set up shop so near to our original base! Besides, it's the closest we've got! That base is best candidate for a staging ground for our raid on Evergreen Mills!"

"Yeah but what are ya gonna do if we get caught again?" Dallas asks

"Don't worry…" Arthur said "We won't get caught. The only reason we got caught before was because Gusurg was a traitor… As if another one of us here is a traitor right? Besides, we can't stay here forever. Fawkes said it himself; we can only stay one night"

"Alright fine…" Elysse said "…We'll set up shop in that stupid fort…"

"Alright then! It's decided!" Arthur said "Get some rest everyone! I'm pretty sure we're all tired from what happened today. Thanks again, Fawkes"

"It is my pleasure" Fawkes replied

Later that night:

Vyse wakes up in the middle of the night… He couldn't sleep…

Deciding to take a walk, he steps outside, looks like even at night, a few super mutants are still active.

"Still can't believe what I'm seeing…" he mumbled

Stepping outside, he notices a familiar figure staring at the destroyed buildings around the police station.

"Hey" he said as he walks closer to the figure

Turning around, the light of the moon shines upon the individual revealing that it was Ellie…

"Hey…" she replied in a dejected voice

"Can't sleep?"

"Yeah…"

"You ok?" he asked as he rests his hand on her shoulder

Ellie didn't utter a word… Sensing her anxiety, the soldier asks "What's wrong?"

The young mercenary was silent for a while, should she tell him or not?

Eventually, she looked at him with a sincere face and says:

"If you ever find out that you were an evil person in the past, what would you do?"

Vyse pondered to himself a bit...

"Did you do something like that?" he asked

"I don't know…" she replied "…I just keep getting these dreams where I perform heinous crimes… But I never did any of those evil deeds…"

"It's just a dream, right?" Vyse said as he stares at the moon "Even if it was real, what you do now is what matters. If you did something wrong in the past and you really want to make amends, then what you do now will reflect on how sincere you are…"

"Vyse…" Ellie muttered

"I'll let you in on a little secret" Vyse said "I wasn't always a member of the Brotherhood…"

"What do you mean?" Ellie asked

"I was born in the Mojave Wasteland" he said "Didn't know who my parents were because they died when I was still young… I was raised by a bunch of raiders who called themselves the Vipers. For the most of my childhood, I would help them victimize innocent people by using my 'little boy charm' to catch unsuspecting wastelanders by surprise. I had my fair share in killing these innocent people too…"

"You were a raider?" Ellie said

Vyse simply gave a pained smile as he continues his story

"When I was 15 years old, the boss decided to send a couple of us into the Capital Wasteland to establish some sort of criminal empire there… We arrived days later and we wasted no time in ruining the lives of many wastelanders… That was until we picked the wrong target…

It happened a month after we arrived, we targeted this tall fellow, he looked like someone from a vault and we thought he was an easy kill…We were dead wrong… I watched him kill my fellow raiders as if it was nothing. I had never felt such fear before. That was when I realized the kind of terror that my previous victims experienced. When the man finally turned to me, I dropped my gun, closed my eyes and waited for my death… To my surprise, he didn't kill me. He took me in and brought me to the Brotherhood's HQ at the Citadel.

At first, I was a rowdy initiate but after 3 years of training, I began to realize the evils that I had done. The sight of helping others touched my heart that I cried. I was evil and there was no excuse for that… I contemplated suicide as a way to redeem myself but Sentinel Maxson discovered my attempt and stopped me. After telling him about my past and the reasons behind my attempted suicide, he berated me by saying that I would be insulting the people I victimized if I pulled through with my suicide. I kinda forgot the rest of his speech but it was really long and boring.

Long story short, he managed to inspire me. From then on, I trained day in and day out so that I could gain a recommendation to Lyons' Pride. I tell you, being accepted in one of the most elite squads in the Brotherhood was a really emotional moment for me. Now, I live every waking moment of my life trying to redeem myself… So the life lesson is no matter how dark your past is it doesn't matter. What matters is what you do now and tomorrow"

Ellie was silent. She was shocked to hear that this Brotherhood Soldier, who dedicated his life to helping other, was a raider, a raider of all things. But she understood what the young soldier was trying to tell her.

"Vyse" she said as the young soldier turns around and looks at her "Thank you"

As she thanked him, Vyse saw a genuine smile coming from her face. Her face shined under the moonlight and the young soldier was just spellbound at the sight of this beauty…

Blushing, the soldier turns away and says "W-Well, I think we should get some shut eye. We have a long day tomorrow"

"Yeah" Ellie replied while maintaining her smile

The two then return to their rooms and Ellie was finally able to sleep peacefully after almost 2 days of sleepless nights…