Next Steps
Wyoming
2078:
In an underground facility, the Captain, still wearing his advanced suit, and Wattz Electronics CEO Bercisc Vaile sit across one another in a private room.
"So Commander" the CEO said sipping some tea "What do you want to know about Alec?"
"Let's start with the basics" the Captain said "Why was Oppenheim trying to kill you? Is this connected with Mr. Sanderson's death?"
Vaile exhales and takes another sip of tea before answering.
"When Alec first started this… 'coalition', he gathered as many CEOs, politicians, and influential figures he could. We were basically offered a position in his 'new world' with a gun pointed on our backs. The ones that refused never left the building… alive"
"So you're trying to evade responsibility by saying you were forced?"
"Yes. It does sound like that but as with many of us, we had to live with the guilt and consequences of our decision. Me and Karl are just some of these people within Vault-Tec that feel this way"
"What do you mean?"
"I am not saying I am free from guilt nor am I saying I don't share the blame of what happened to the world. I… No. We simply had no choice. It was either join Alec or die on the spot. And no one understood that better than Karl. He knew he couldn't stop Alec's plans by openly opposing him. And so, me, him and a few others decided to fight Alec covertly. But as you can see, we failed"
"So Oppenheim found out about this"
"Yes but he found out after the bombs fell. But that was not the only reason he ordered our deaths. In the months after October, Karl had been digging a lot of information from Alec's network and discovered something"
"What is it?"
"I don't know… He was supposed to have contacted me about it but as you just saw, Alec got to him first"
"Damn… Any clues he left behind?"
"I'm not sure… But if he did leave behind anything, his terminal at the Empire State Building may hold some clues"
"New York? How could he be able to put data onto a terminal in the middle of a wasteland?"
"You'd be surprised on how advanced Vault-Tec equipment truly is. Either way, it's our only lead"
"You have a point…"
"Very good. Any other questions?"
"Yes. What was that beam that destroyed your shelter?"
"Oh that… That was Archimedes"
"Archimedes?! But wasn't the Archimedes project discontinued?!"
"Ah. The fact that you know about the Archimedes project suggests you're not just a regular survivor"
The captain does not respond.
"Haha. I won't pry if you don't want to tell me. Officially yes the Archimedes project was discontinued. But Vault-Tec managed to acquire all of the research materials and well… Alec has ways of disguising his schemes in plain sight"
"The Mars colonization project"
The CEO nods as he takes another sip.
"Goddamn…" the captain muttered
"Archimedes is only one of many dirty little secrets Alec keeps. The vaults are another"
"What do you mean?"
"Well they're officially fallout shelters, correct? But their true purpose is *&%$# %-"
"What? What's happening?" a young man said
"It seems we are having problems with the synchronization" an old man with a German accent replied "A good time for you to rest then. You have been doing this for an hour now"
"Are you sure, doc? Time isn't really on our side"
"Using the Animus in your current state was risky enough, not to mention that this one is simply a prototype. We cannot afford to risk you suffering from the bleeding effect"
"Alright…"
"Good. Anyway, what did you find out so far?"
"Not much… But the Wattz Electronics CEO said a terminal in the Empire State Building in the New York ruins could hold some valuable information"
"Interesting… But we cannot act on this information alone. The events you are experiencing are, after all, more than 200 years old. Anything could have happened in between"
"So what do we do?"
"Rest for now. I shall see what other modifications I can place on this device. We need more information before we can act. We cannot make the same mistake again"
Navarro
2312:
Inside her quarters, Ellie reads a report sent by one of her men.
"Goddamn it!" she muttered putting the report down on her desk and locks her door.
She then moves towards a bookshelf.
She pulls a hidden lever, opening a hidden door to her left.
The Enclave commander looks around before quietly opening the door.
She soon finds herself in a dark empty room.
"Damn it…" she mutters again as she tinkers with her Pip-Boy.
Suddenly, an electric bolt strikes her location and she disappears.
Raven Rock:
Ellie instantly reappears in a small room somewhere on the base.
She steps out of the teleporter and is met by a familiar face.
"Sithis!" she said shaking her friend's hand "Good to see you!"
"Well! Well!" the man replied "It's been a while, little snowflake!"
The two then exit the room, walking through a long corridor, guarded by several unaffiliated soldiers.
"How are things in the east?" Sithis asked "I'm not hearing good news at all recently"
"Yeah… Caesar's Legion attacked NCR territory and blew up a pre-war nuclear reactor, annihilating an entire town"
"Shit… That sounds really bad"
"How about here? I heard reports that Vault-Tec attacked Union Territory weeks ago"
"That's an understatement. Vault-Tec really brought pain when they attacked. They focused their forces in specific location around the Capital Wasteland, The Pitt, and the Commonwealth"
"How about Carolina?"
"Carolina was hit too but not as hard as the others"
"So what areas did they specifically attack?"
"Prisons, production facilities, trading outposts… Basically vital locations that would paralyze the Union with enough damage"
"Damn it… We really have to strike Vault-Tec soon"
"All in due time, kiddo"
The two then enter a meeting room and are greeted by 4 inividuals.
Ellie greets each one.
"Dr. Steiner. Arthur. Nate. Audrey" she said shaking each person's hand
"Where's Rufus?" Arthur asked
Ellie shakes her head. "Missing…"
"Missing?" Sithis wondered "What do you mean?"
"He was last seen in Klamath. A single gunshot was heard yesterday… No body but no contact either…"
"Goddamn it" Arthur said "Vault-Tec's becoming a problem now"
"I think it's cuz we're finally starting to be a threat to them" Sithis added "It's been 5 years. And we're only making progress now"
"That is true" Steiner replied "The NCR and Union have only begun taking measures against Vault-Tec quite recently"
"So what do we do?" Sithis asked "The NCR and the Legion will go to war. Do we pick a side?"
"I suggest we don't" Arthur responded "Picking a side means destroying one faction. Vault-Tec wants us to have fewer friends"
"But an endless war also benefits them" Ellie responded
"But choosing to support a faction will end in the massacre of another"
"Well. Well" Nate interrupted "I never thought you'd ever say something like this, Arthur"
The elder sighs. "Let's not bring up the past…"
"Regardless" Ellie added "We have to decide what to do here… The more time we spend being indecisive, gives Vault-Tec more avenues to keep kicking us down"
"Both actions benefit Vault-Tec in one way or another" Steiner added "It seems either outcome will not matter to Vault-Tec"
"What do you mean?"
"Eliminating potential allies is an obvious benefit for Vault-Tec. But a seemingly unending war gives them the best outcome for we will be too busy fighting amongst ourselves to focus on them"
"And again we're back on the same question" Nate said "What do we do?"
"I think for now we make sure both sides don't end up killing each other" Sithis suggested
"Agreed" Arthur responded "But I believe that there is a way to gain the support of both factions"
"Whoah this I have got to hear" Nate uttered
"I'm not sure yet… But I do feel that Vault-Tec has a hand in this war. If we can find a way to eliminate Vault-Tec's manipulation, maybe we can find a way for both sides to reconcile"
"That sounds like something Rufus would say" Ellie said "But yeah I agree with you"
"So I think I can assume we're all in agreement that picking a side is out of the question" Sithis asked
"Yes…" Steiner responded "But until we can eliminate that factor, all we can do for now is prevent both factions from destroying each other"
"The Brotherhood will act as peacekeepers then" Arthur said "We'll continue researching and collecting new technology"
"Right" Sithis said "How about that pre-war project you told us about last time? How's it going?"
"My scribes tell me the restoration is going well. They estimate it to be completed within a few months. All that's left after that is some field testing"
"Where did you find this again?" Steiner asked
"Trinity Site" Arthur answered "New Mexico"
"Wasn't that where the first nuclear tests were performed?" Ellie wondered
"Very ironic" Steiner said "A site that birthed the weapon that created this wasteland also houses a possible hope to save it"
"At least that's some good news" Ellie said "I'll take Wolf Pack to Menifee and follow up on my lead"
"Are you sure you can trust that holotape?" Arthur asked
"What do you mean?"
"Isn't it really convenient you randomly found a pre-war picture frame with an intact photo inside that so happened to hide a holotape that is connected to Vault-Tec"
"When you put it that way…" Sithis added "This lead does sound suspicious"
"It may be" Ellie replied "But I'd like to gamble on this especially since this will finally give us some firepower against Vault-Tec"
"I understand" Arthur responded "Just be careful"
"I will"
"Anyway" Sithis interrupted "Audrey. You've been really quiet the entire time. Got anything to say?"
"Huh?!" Audrey said, surprised "I… um…"
"Haha! Still not used to talking to a group of people, I see! I guess some things are hard to outgrow!"
"S-Sithis!"
"Haha! Anyway, how's James? You're here as his proxy, right?"
"Y-Yes… James is still bed-ridden but his condition is stable"
"That's good to hear"
"Right then" Steiner said "Let us proceed. Now then, what of the eastern seaboard?"
"Yeah" Ellie added "How are things in the Union?"
"Well" Audrey answered "The Capital Wasteland has been peaceful since the attacks but we're still repairing the damages"
"The Commonwealth is on the alert" Nate added "The minutemen and Railroad managed to repel most of Vault-Tec forces but we've also sustained heavy damages to our territories"
"Carolina suffered a few attacks" Sithis added "But compared to the other two, we were virtually left alone for some reason"
"And the Union council?" Ellie asked
"They're a different story" Sithis answered "The attacks only made them into bigger idiots. Hell I feel like talking to a radroach makes more sense than what anything coming from those blockheads"
"What do you mean? What happened?"
"Well the council's split. Some want to hunker down and 'secure' Union territory… As if that would protect them from Vault-Tec. But more concerning are the extremists. These leaders are the real problem! They're blaming the attacks on the NCR and are actually suggesting the council to invade NCR territory"
"Are they serious?!" Arthur uttered
"That's not half of it" Nate added "The council has begun to increase weapon, equipment, and material production. The Pitt, New Carolina, and even some settlements in the Commonwealth have increased production"
"Are they preparing for war?" Ellie asked
"That's a possibility… But I'll make sure the Minutemen will not involve the Commonwealth in the event a war does come"
"James and I have been voicing our objections too" Audrey added
"This is all well and good" Sithis responded "But given the present situation, I reckon there's more to this than just some paranoid dickheads"
"Vault-Tec…" Ellie uttered
"Heh…" Arthur said "We're all getting paranoid now… Everything that happens could be Vault-Tec behind the scenes"
"But it is reasonable" Steiner replied "Vault-Tec has been manipulating so many events in the wastelands. And now that they have been exposed, they will most likely do everything in their power to prevent us from uniting"
"Vault-Tec or no" Ellie said "Something has to be done"
"Like with the West Coast, we must make the necessary measures to prevent an all-out war"
"I agree" Nate added "Even if we gather so much weapons, equipment, and people, they won't mean anything if we're fighting amongst ourselves"
"Agreed" Ellie said "I think we should end here for now"
"Right" Steiner said "Be vigilant everyone. Vault-Tec is playing their cards"
Everyone nods as they go back to the teleporter.
"By the way" Ellie said "I'm quite impressed that this room was finished in less than 2 years"
"True" Sithis added "I never would have thought those Institute stragglers would still be able to build something like this"
"I just hope those scientists didn't put anything unsavory here" Arthur added
"Don't worry" Nate responded "Those scientists have proven to be quite helpful in improving life in and around the Commonwealth"
"That's nice to hear" Steiner replied
"Besides Arthur, you gotta admit that the Brotherhood did almost as much damage as the Institute did"
Arthur sighs. "Don't remind me…"
Manhattan, New York
2078:
In the snow-covered remains of the city, 5 armed individuals, all wearing advanced suits, scour the ruins of an old park as it begins to snow.
"Goddamn" Charles said "City's virtually intact…"
"The nukes hit the other boroughs" Jane answered
"Which is good for us" the Captain added "Mr. Vaile said that Sanderson's office is in the Empire State Building"
"Great…" Charles responded "… one of the tallest buildings in the world…"
"Shh" Paul interrupted "Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Kira wondered as the commandos draw their weapons
The park was empty but the sound of moving rocks could be faintly heard.
"What the hell…?" Jane uttered
Without warning, a gigantic scorpion bursts from the ground.
"The fuck is that thing!?" Charles shouted as he is hit with the scorpion's pincer, sending him flying a few feet.
The others open fire on the creature, proving itself to be resistant to their bullets.
"Watch out for the stinger!" the Captain yelled dodging the scorpion's stinger
The scorpion then sweeps its tail around before retreating underground.
"Stay alert!" the Captain commanded
"Seconds later, the creature resurfaces
"Damn it!" Jane shouted as the creature grabs her rifle's barrel
"Fire in the hole!" Charles yelled throwing a cryo grenade
Jane lets go of her rifle as the grenade detonates near the scorpion's legs, freezing them solid.
Jane quickly brings out her P220 and opens fire on the creature's frozen legs, shattering them.
Minutes of concentrated fire finally brought the creature down.
As the squad gathers to catch their breath, they could not help but feel puzzled.
"Did the radiation do this?" Kira asked
"Can't be" Paul responded "It's only been a year… No way mutations like these could have popped up so quickly"
"So did this exist before the war?" Jane wondered, picking up her rifle
"With all the secrets and conspiracies" Charles added "I wouldn't be surprised. Hell this could even be one of Vault-Tec's little pets"
"Cut the chatter" the Captain interrupted "Let's move before more of these things show up"
The Captain approaches Charles.
"Are you ok?" he asked
"I'm fine" he replied "Fucking thing just threw me"
"Alright. Let's move out!"
It did not take long before a dense fog envelopes the city.
The commandos could hardly see what was in front of them but continue to press on.
Minutes go by as eerie silence fills the streets once more.
"Damn this thick fog" Paul said "How much further?"
"A few blocks" the Captain answered as he signals his squad to stop "Ready weapons"
The Captain turns to his right, rifle drawn.
He slowly moves forward.
He hears the sound of heavy footsteps.
He stops as a small brownish creature emerges from the fog.
It looked like a small hunchbacked, bipedal reptile.
It stretched its long arms and snarls, attempting to intimidate the Captain.
"What the hell is this thing?" the Captain wondered as he walks closer
As he walks closer, the creature takes a few steps back.
Just then, a much larger creature appears behind the smaller creature.
It was similar in appearance to the smaller creature; a hunchbacked bipedal reptile. But this one has horns pointing towards its back and it was far larger compared to the Captain.
"Oh shit…" the Captain muttered as the horned creature roars
The commandos unload on the creature.
"What the hell is this thing?!" Charles exclaimed as the creature brushes off the damage.
The Captain rolls to the side, avoiding the creature's massive claws.
"Fire in the hole!" Charles shouted throwing a cryo grenade
The grenade detonates, freezing the creature's right claw
But it quickly breaks free from the ice.
"Damn thing is tough!" Kira said as the creature charges towards Paul
It grabs the commando, causing him to drop his rifle.
"L-Let go of me!" Paul shouted as he pulls out his P226 and desperately fires upon the creature.
Shrugging off the damage, the creature tightens it grip and brings the commando near its mouth and roars at the commando.
It then throws Paul to the floor.
"Paul!" Jane shouted as the creature turns on her "Oh shit!"
She rolls to the side, dodging the creature's attack.
"Goddamn it!" Kira shouted as she loads her M203 grenade launcher "Fire in the hole!"
"Danger close!" Jane shouted back as Kira fires her grenade launcher
The explosive hits the creature's back.
It turns around and roars before charging towards Kira.
She frantically reloads her grenade launcher as the creature quickly closes the distance.
As the creature gets dangerously close, Kira fires her M203 again.
The explosive detonates on the creature's face.
The explosion knocks it back a bit as it roars and flails its sharp claws around.
Seconds later, it collapses into the ground.
For at least a minute, the commandos stood there aiming their weapons at the fallen creature, unsure if it was dead.
"You guys think it's dead?" Charles asked
The Captain slowly moves forward and pokes the creature's body with his rifle's barrel. "Looks like it"
With the area clear, the commandos gather around the body.
"What is this thing?" Kira asked poking the body
"Reptilian body… Long sharp claws" Paul observed "… horns pointing to the back of its head… never seen something like this before…"
Before they could inspect the body any further, the squad hears distant roars coming from the fog.
"Well that doesn't sound good" Charles uttered as the squad readies for another battle
The Captain activates his suit's heat sensors.
Through the fog, he spots a pack of that same creature.
"There's more of them" he reported signaling his squad to retreat "A lot of them…"
The squad quickly falls back as more of those creatures converge on the area.
Navarro
2312:
Ellie teleports back into the hidden dark room in her office.
She slowly opens the hidden door, looking around the room, before emerging.
She quickly closes the door but soon feels something was off.
The room looked normal but the Enclave commander could not help but feel like she was being watched.
She draws her FN Five Seven as she scans the room.
She finds some of the files on her desk have been moved… It was slight but she knows her files were not there when she left.
She scours the bookshelf, looking for clues as an invisible figure walks slowly behind her.
As he was about to attack her, Ellie quickly turns around and spots the familiar haze caused by a stealth boy.
"YOU!" she shouted as she tries to fire her pistol but her assailant swats her right hand to the side, causing her to miss.
He then lunges at her, causing Ellie to have her back to the floor.
The assailant brings out a melee weapon and attempts to stab Ellie's neck.
The Enclave Commander grabs both arms as the two struggle to get the upperhand
Despite Ellie's superhuman strength, she finds her assailant to be able to resist her.
Ellie then attempted to kick her assailant to no avail.
With little option before her, Ellie estimates where her assailant's head was.
She takes a deep breath
And head-butts her assailant. She successfully hits his head, causing him to recoil.
Ellie then kicks him between the legs and punches him in the head, breaking free from his grapple.
The assailant drops his weapon which turns out to be a syringe filled with a strange green liquid.
Defeated, her assailant retreats as Ellie quickly presses the alarm button.
"Intruder alert!" she shouted on the intercom "We have an intruder using a stealth boy! Use thermal equipment! I want that bastard alive!"
The base goes into full alert as alarms blare throughout and Enclave soldiers scramble to apprehend the intruder.
Empire State building; 1st floor
2078:
The squadrons moves along the dark derelict reception area.
"Are we really gonna search the whole place?" Charles asked, worried
"No" the Captain responded checking a holographic Pipboy-like device on his left arm "Sanderson's office should be in the 45th floor"
"Still a pretty long way up" Paul remarked
"Power's down too" Jane added pressing the elevator button
"So we're using the stairs then" Kira said
"Oh God…" Charles remarked with a sigh
45th Floor
A few minutes later:
"Ah shit…" Paul said as the squad's flashlights illuminate the ruined office before them.
There were bodies everywhere, some were even charred. Their faces were hardly recognizable.
"Goddamn…" Kira muttered
"Noone managed to take shelter?" Jane asked "Every floor is virtually the same…"
"New York was one of the few places to be hit" the Captain responded "But even then, there were early warning systems setup…"
"So why are there so many bodies still in their offices?" Paul wondered "Accepting death is one thing but… Everyone who was here at the time all did the same thing?"
"Maybe they thought the building would protect them from the radiation" Charles speculated
"Either way this is just too weird…" Jane added
"Agreed" the Captain responded as they proceed to Sanderson's office
They slowly open the door and find an empty room with a lone functional terminal.
"Search the office for anything you can find" the Captain commanded as he hacks the terminal
His subordinates nod, complying.
Paul and Charles search the filing cabinets
Kira checks the desks and cubicles
And Jane examines the bodies.
2 minutes later, the Captain successfully hacks into the terminal and begins to download the files inside.
Upon finishing his download, the Captain destroys the terminal.
"We're done here" he said emerging from Sanderson's office.
"Hey" Jane said as the others gather near her "I think this one's still alive!"
"What?" Charles replied "That's impossible. How could someone survive for a year like that?"
"I mean it. Look!"
The commandos stare at a seemingly moving 'corpse'. The skin was charred and the clothes were in tatters. It was as if the person was literally cooked in an oven.
"I can't believe it" Paul said as the person slowly picks himself up "Are you alright, sir?"
The person snarled and gurgled.
"Sir" Jane asked approaching the charred man "Are you alright?"
Without warning, the creature lunges towards Jane
It attempted to bite the commando as her squadmates quickly get the person off of her.
"Freeze!" the Captain said as the person slowly walks towards the commandos "I said FREEZE!"
The person screeches before charging again
The commandos are forced to put him down.
"What the hell?!" Charles uttered "I'm beginning to think that Vaile sent us to a death trap!"
Before the commandos can make sense of the situation, several 'corpses' begin to rise…
"Fuck this!" Charles continued "This is straight out of a zombie movie!"
"Cut the chatter!" the Captain said as he opens fire "Out of building. NOW!"
The commandos frantically make their way to the exit as dozens of hostiles 'awaken' around them.
Minutes later, they managed to fight their way to the entrance as a horde approaches from behind.
"The door!" the Captain said as he, Paul, and Charles close the stairway doors.
The hostiles bang on the door attempting to force it open as the three commandos struggle to keep them closed.
"Barricade!" the Captain yelled as the Jane and Kira begin to place tables, chairs, and a Nuka-Cola vending machine over the door, effectively barricading the doors shut.
The commandos take a minute to catch their breaths.
"Fuck this shit" Charles uttered "Anyone suspect this whole thing is nothing more than a trap?"
"We can talk about this later" the Captain said "This place is not secured. Let's look for a safe spot first"
His subordinates nod as they leave the building.
Subway Station Ruins:
Sometime later:
Charles and Paul start a small campfire as a blizzard envelopes the desolate city.
"That was some crazy shit back there" Charles said sitting by the campfire
"Why did they do that?" Jane wondered "Is this another side-effect of the radiation?"
"It can't be" the Captain replied "It's only been a year… This is too fast for a mutation to happen not to mention that there are no records of anyone turning into zombies when exposed to radiation… That and my suit couldn't detect any heat signatures from any of them"
"So what?" Charles responded "We have zombies now?"
"Whatever the case. This city is infested with hostile creatures unlike the other states. We best keep our guard up"
"Hey Captain. I'm starting to suspect that Vaile sent us in a wild goose chase. I don't know if we should trust him"
"I've managed to read some of the files. So far, all they talk about were Oppenheim's schemes from 2050 to last year. So no. I don't think Vaile sent us to a death trap"
"That's not really much to go on" Paul responded
"Yeah but the files do mention several points of interest here in New York alone"
"Great…" Charles said in a sarcastic tone "… So we're not done here yet…"
"For now" the Captain said "We all rest up… There's no telling what we'll encounter"
2312
The Strip, New Vegas
The Tops Restaurant:
Inside the crowded restaurant, a man wearing an armored Vault 101 suit approaches the bar.
"Vodka" he ordered
The bartender quickly serves him a glass as the man pays his bill.
"So…" A man in a trench coat asked approaching him "How are things eastside?"
"Oh you know" the man in the vault suit answered "The usual"
"I heard things are going to shit"
"You heard right. Looks like our mutual 'friend' is taking notice and finally taking action"
"I knew it… Is everything going according to plan?"
"So far yes. But we did lose a few good people"
"Damn shame… But we have to press on"
"Anyway, what's our next step? I doubt you went here just to get a fortune"
"Mr. House"
"Mr. House huh… You are aware of what happened 30 years ago, right? Not to mention that the Lucky 38 is still off-limits"
"Yes I am. You think I stayed here for weeks just to wait for you and gamble my caps away?"
"Alright then. What's our next step then?"
"We need to find the one that defeated the NCR, the Legion, and Mr. House himself"
"The Courier…"
"Yep… She's our key to gaining New Vegas' support in the war effort"