Plan

Navarro:

2312:

"We found him!" an Enclave soldier shouted "Open fire!"

The invisible intruder quickly steps back, hiding behind a wall.

Seconds later, the 2 soldiers stop firing.

One signals the other to slowly approach the wall, weapons still drawn.

They turn the corner but find nothing, even their thermal goggles couldn't pick up anything.

Unbeknownst to the 2 men, the intruder was above them, clinging to the ceiling with his hands.

Before they could realize anything, the intruder drops down.

He wraps his legs around the face of one soldier and grabs the other's arm.

The grip was inhuman. It was as if a deathclaw was gripping the soldier's hand.

The intruder then breaks the hapless soldier's arm and slams his face to the wall while throwing the other across the hall like an acrobat.

The Enclave soldier attempts to recover but the intruder stabs the soldier's left hand.

The pain was intense but it did not feel like a knife was used…

The intruder retreats as more Enclave soldiers converge on the area.

Reaching the hangar, the intruder attempts to hijack a vertibird, mowing down the Enclave soldiers there.

He jumps into the pilot seat, preparing for takeoff.

Before liftoff, a hand grabs the intruder's shoulder.

He turns around, seeing a Caucasian woman, wearing a standard Enclave BDU but no thermal goggles in sight.

It was Marta.

"You think you can escape that easy?" she said, throwing the intruder out of the vertibird.

The stealth field dissipates, revealing a hooded masked figure.

"Finally" Marta continued, cracking her knuckles but no sound came out "I can finally see you with my own eyes"

She then engages the intruder in hand-to-hand combat, with both fighters parrying each other's strikes with such skill. It almost looks like a regular sparring session.

Eventually, the intruder's right hand mutates into a claw.

Marta is caught off-guard and blocks the attacks with both her arms.

The claw tears through her BDU, leaving a large gash on the soldier's arms but no blood drips down.

The intruder takes a step back.

"Surprised?" Marta said clenching her fists.

The intruder looks at the gashes in her arm, spotting something metallic in between her skin where blood and tissue should be.

Stepping her right foot forward, Marta hits the intruder with her palm.

He recoils as the force was enough to send him flying a few feet.

He recovers quickly and lunges once more.

Marta redirects the claw by swatting the intruder's right arm.

She quickly elbows the intruder's mask and connects with an uppercut.

The mask flies off his face.

Realizing this, the intruder turns around and activates another stealth boy whole trying to hide his face.

Marta gives chase as the intruder runs, pushing through several Enclave soldiers.

Minutes later, the intruder enters the mess hall and locks the kitchen door behind him.

The Enclave soldiers bang on the door.

Marta then places breaching charges on the door.

She breaks down the door and quickly notices a discarded cloak and an open vent.

"Damn it!" She mutters "He's in the vents!"

The soldiers scramble as Marta notices Talon enter the mess hall.

She stares at him for a few seconds before returning to the hunt.

5 days later

5:00pm:

"Finally" Rufus said as he and Alexander emerge from a cave "some sunlight!"

"Haha" the NCR general responded "First time I heard a Vault Dweller missing the sun"

"I haven't lived in a vault for decades, Alex"

"True but still"

"Anyway, where are we? My pip-boy isn't registering anything…"

"Zion Canyon, Utah"

"Oh finally. So where's our first stop?"

"The town of New Canaan should be close"

"New Canaan… Sounds biblical"

"Because it is"

"Huh?"

"Haha. You'll find yourself quite at home here!"

The two descend from the cliffs, headed to the nearest town while fighting off some geckos along the way.

An hour later:

New Canaan, Red Rapid Docks:

The two enter the town but there wasn't a single soul in sight.

The place looked like a ghost town, as if it had been abandoned for a long time.

"The hell?" Rufus wondered "Is it normal for towns to look like they've been abandoned?"

"No" Alexander answered with concern "I was worried when I heard whole caravans going missing around these parts but…"

"When did caravans start to go missing? And why didn't you tell me?"

"I had no way to prove it other than checking it for myself. And I've heard these rumors 3 months ago and caravans stopped going here after several of these cases popped up"

"So we got whole caravans going missing for a while now… I got a bad feeling about this. Anyway, let's look around for clues"

"Agreed"

The two then split up, searching around the abandoned town.

Rufus entered a pub.

It was a mess. Broken glass everywhere, overturned furniture, random items littered around the floor and tables…

But what caught Rufus' attention were several deep slash marks on some parts of the wooden walls.

"Wood or not…" he muttered "Only a few blades I know could make deep gashes like this…"

He examines the floor more thoroughly.

"Dried blood" he monologue, wiping his finger on it "Whatever happened here, happened long before me and Alex arrived"

He wanders around, noticing spent casings of various bullets; .45, 9mm, 5.56, 7.62, .303… They were among the litter on the floor.

There's no question that a battle took place but who were the combatants?

A few minutes later, Rufus exits the pub, his mind still filled with questions.

"No bodies or even skeletons… Not even the smell of corpses…" he muttered, resting his chin over his left hand's fingers "Whoever attacked this place, didn't want any evidence to be left behind… Wait. No. If they really wanted to do that, then why is everything else a mess? This doesn't make sense"

With little clues, Rufus goes back to meet with Alexander by the town's gate.

"Find anything?" Alexander asked

"Not much…" Rufus replied "So what's the plan?"

"The Narrows. With any luck, the Sorrows should still be there"

"The Sorrows huh… What are-"

Suddenly, Rufus notices ruffling in the nearby bushes.

He quickly fires his 10mm pistol.

Whatever was in the bushes, it was spooked by the shots and ran away, oddly avoiding Rufus and Alexander's sights.

The two give chase, following the sight and sound of shaking and rustling trees and falling leaves.

Minutes and distance go by as the chase seemed to have no end.

"Bastard's fast!" Alexander said as the entity as gaining some distance from the two men.

"I'll go ahead!" Rufus said, picking up the pace

Left behind, Alexander pushes on, making sure not to lose Rufus.

But his attention is drawn to a figure on his right that he passes over.

"Huh?" Alexander said stopping and looking back

The figure was a young man, wearing a NCR trooper outfit.

Alexander's eyes widen as if he had seen a ghost.

The young man was smiling and looked as if he was ready to hug Alexander.

"Don't you take a step" Alexander said pointing his .44 magnum at the young man "My son is dead. No amount of scientific bullshit is going to change that"

The young man was saddened but continue to walk closer as Alexander steps back.

"All the way to being a mute…" Alexander muttered "A good try but I'm no fool"

The young man attempts to reach out to his father.

"You're not real" Alexander said coldly

No emotion, No pain, No regret. Alexander empties his .44 magnum on the young man.

The young man falls to the ground as Alexander walks closer.

The young man reaches out to Alexander, who swallows a pill.

"That was close" he said reloading his magnum "Any longer and I could have gone insane"

He then points his magnum at his son's head.

With a single tear on his eye, Alexander fires his magnum.

Navarro; Wolf Pack Quarters:

Ellie enters the room as the members of Wolf Pack stand up.

"So?" Owen asked "What'd you find?"

"The syringe" Ellie replied "It contains another strain of the FEV"

"Another one?" Vivian wondered "What kind of strain?"

"I'm not sure. Based on the tests, this one needs another strain of FEV to actually begin mutating cells"

"What?" Jonas wondered

"This virus is designed to further mutate an existing FEV mutation"

"So what happens?" Owen asked

"So far, the most notable observation is when the strain is introduced to the ghoul variant"

"Ghoul variant?" Talon wondered

"Some ghouls are actually products of FEV infection" Vivian answered

"I see"

"So what happens when both strains mix?" Marta asked

"It rapidly causes mutations in all of the cells, FEV included. If I were to describe how it looked, I'd say quite rapid… and violent"

"Violent?" Jonas asked "How so?"

"The cells don't just reproduce hundreds of FEV at a short time. The cells themselves undergo a change that makes them almost unrecognizable from their original forms. Hell even the previous strain of FEV is not spared"

"So in other words" Owen said "This strain causes a victim to rapidly mutate?"

"Yes if they're already infected with another strain of FEV"

"Well ain't that shit"

"So whoever the intruder was" Vivian said "He was after the commander because of her FEV strain?"

"That may be the case. But for now, we have to focus on Menifee. We've delayed that mission for too long"

"Agreed" Talon added "When do we depart?"

"You're awfully excited" Marta interjected

"I simply want to find a way to defeat Vault-Tec" Talon answered without a shred of doubt "And Vault-Tec is not one to give chances"

"Huh…" By the way, where were you during the whole fiasco 5 days ago?"

"I was by the firing range"

"It's true" Jonas added "I saw him there myself"

"Riiight…" Marta responded "So what's our next plan chief?"

"Menifee" Ellie replied "Vivian. What's the status of the Menifee battlefront?"

"Not so good" Vivian answered "NCR and Legion troops are on a stalemate. Both have a significant amount of encampments in the area. We'll most likely be in the middle of a firefight if we head there. That's not even mentioning how the politicians would react"

"Brilliant… Saddle up. We move out in 10 minutes. I have a call to make"

Rufus continues chasing the weird creature through an abandoned campground.

Despite being out in the open, Rufus could only see what looks like a shadowy imp.

Minutes later, Rufus and the creature enter the cave.

"Where are you…?" Rufus said turning his Pip-boy light on

He moves slowly into the dark cave, service rifle at the ready.

He notices a silhouette run across some rocks.

He fires 2 shots but hit only rocks.

With no entity in sight, Rufus moves further into the cave.

He eventually finds himself inside a big chamber with a rock spire.

It was dark and seemed empty but Rufus knows he's not alone.

It didn't take long for Rufus to feel someone's presence ahead and slowly presses forward.

A silhouette appears in front.

He shines his Pip-boy light at the shadow, it was a man wearing a blue Vault-Tec suit.

The person had his back turned but Rufus' eyes widen the second he sees the number stitched on the suit's back.

101

"Son?" the man said turning to Rufus

"No…" Rufus said shaking his head "You can't be real. It's impossible!"

"What are you talking about?" the man responded walking closer "Aren't you glad to see me?"

"Stay where you are!" Rufus said stepping back

"Come on Son" the man said "We haven't seen each other in a long time. Let's catch up"

Rufus hesitates to pull the trigger as he continues to step back.

"I-Is that really you?" he uttered slowly putting his gun down

"I am son"

"Dad… I… I-I'm so-"

Rufus was interrupted as a bullet pierces through the man's skull.

His eyes widen as the man's body drops to the ground.

He turns around and sees a tall middle-aged man wearing a trench coat.

"You…!" Rufus said as he walks towards the man "I'LL KILL YOU!"

Rufus raises his rifle but the man shines his flashlight directly at Rufus' eyes.

Momentarily blinded, Rufus blind fires.

He misses as the man closes the distance.

The man punches Rufus' stomach then his throat in quick succession.

He then grabs Rufus' face and with a kick to the back of his leg, forces the Lone Wanderer to the ground.

Rufus struggles to get himself free as the man forces a pill down his mouth.

He refuses to swallow but the man covers Rufus' mouth with his hand and adds more force to his face.

After some time, Rufus is forced to swallow the pill.

Upon swallowing, the man lets go of Rufus who gets to his knees coughing.

"Autumn" Rufus said drawing his 10mm pistol "You cocksucking piece of-"

As Rufus aims his pistol at his assailant, he notices he was aiming not at Autumn but at Alexander.

"Alex? When did you get here?" Rufus asked putting his pistol down.

"I've been here the whole time" Alexander answered "You attacked me remember?"

Rufus shook his head. "What? No… I-It was Autumn. H-He killed dad and-"

"Look again"

"What?"

"Look again"

Rufus then turns to where his father's corpse lay.

But it wasn't his dad… It was a ghoul.

A feral ghoul with 2 blade-like appendages sticking from its back.

"What?!" Rufus exclaimed "No… I-It was dad… I-I swear! He looked and sounded like him!"

"Rufus!" Alexander said grabbing the panicked man "Calm down! It was a hallucination!"

"Hallucination?"

"I've seen this shit before! We have to get out of here!"

"What?"

"No time to explain! These mentats are not gonna last forever! And when that happens, we'll be at the mercy of our hallucinations!"

"I-I don't understand…"

"Damn it, Rufus! You were only exposed for a couple of minutes! Just listen to me! Leave now, question later! Understand?"

"R-Right…"

Rufus and Alexander quickly leave the area, headed back to New Canaan.

Listening Post Bravo, Boston

2117:

5 individuals, wearing advanced suits, take shelter inside the military structure as a fierce radiation storm descends upon the land.

"You are trespassing" a protectron announced approaching them "Present authorization or be destroyed"

One of the 5 presents his armband to the protectron.

"Scanning… Identification confirmed. Welcome Captain Turner"

"We're clear" the captain said with a ghoulish voice

"Damn…" Charles said "It's been decades and Boston suffers from this… And I thought New York was bad. So what are we doing here? Aren't we immune to radiation now?"

"Yes we are" Jane answered "But not our targets"

"So? All the more reason to get out now and set up ambush positions!"

"We don't know what's happening with our bodies" the Captain added "Remember New York? Our skins look like those things now. We have to be careful"

"Fine…"

Meanwhile, Paul stumbles upon the skeletal remains of a soldier.

Sorrowful, the commando grabs the skeleton's dog tags and whispers a prayer.

"So" Kira said "How far until our destination?"

"The school should be nearby" the Captain answered checking his Pip-boy like device

"I never thought Vault-Tec would actually cross the line like this…" Charles said "Still… Kinda strange that they are able to do all kinds of things in their Vaults…"

"You think they have help?" Jane wondered

"Private companies may provide equipment but funding…" the Captain said "No… Only governments could provide the numbers to fund all these experiments"

"What a twist" Kira said

Soon, the sound of thunder dies down.

The Captain looks through the window and sees the storm dissipating.

"Alright. Let's move!" he commanded as the commandos press on

Malden Middle School

Noon:

As the 5 commandos near the school, they notice a squad of 4 men.

"Paul" the Captain commanded "Scout"

Paul nods, bringing out a pair of binoculars.

"I'm seeing Vault-Tec decals on the uniforms" he reported "They're our guys"

"Acknowledged. Squad. Neutralize them before they reach the school"

"Roger!" everyone replied as they move closer.

Paul sets up his DMR M16 on a small hill as the other commandos close in.

And with a single shot, Paul neutralizes one hostile with a bullet to the brain.

Before they could react, the other commandos open fire upon the hostiles, quickly eliminating them.

Wasting no time, the commandos drag the bodies inside the school.

The Captain loots a Pip-Boy and equips it.

The commandos gather by what looks like a prison gate.

"Everyone ready?" the captain asked

The other commandos nod as they descend down the stairs, eventually finding Vault 75.

The Captain uses his Pip-Boy on the terminal.

A ping is heard.

"Ah about time you got here" a voice said on the other line "Hold on… I'm opening the door now"

"Holster weapons. Do not fire without my say" the Captain whispered.

The vault door opens and the commandos enter, meeting the scientists behind the experiment.

"Welcome" one of the scientists said approaching the Captain

"What's the status of the experiment?" the Captain asked

"Well… We have a pretty good harvest for this batch. They have exceptional physical attributes including one who managed to undergo several exercises without much sleep for days"

While the scientist continues to state their successes to the Captain, he notices an African-American scientist stare at him with scorn before walking away.

"What can you tell me about that African-American scientist?" the Captain asked

"What?" the Scientist wondered

"He seemed to not like seeing me"

"Oh him… That was Rohit. An assistant to the science team. Pay no mind to him. He is hardly a threat. We even know of his plan to rebel against us"

"Rebel? You have not done anything to stop this?"

"Why should we? What can two assistants do? Their aptitudes are very low. The only reason they have not been eliminated is because the science team is in need of assistants"

"Interesting…" the Captain said signaling his commandos to follow Rohit "… I would like to see the test subjects and remain here just to make sure that no problems will arise"

"Of course. Feel free to inspect"

The commandos then split up. The Captain, Jane, and Paul remain with the science team as the overseer meets with them while Kira and Charles follow Rohit.

Rohit becomes suspicious as the two were obviously following him.

He walks around the atrium, cafeteria, and combat simulation room.

The two commandos continue with their objective to follow him.

He eventually lures the two into a room inside the residential area.

The dwellers then surround the two commandos, armed with pistols and SMGs.

"Alright" Rohit said "What are you two up to?"

"We just wanted to talk to you kid" Charles answered

"I don't have anything to say to you"

"You sure? We could help you with your little escape plan, you know"

"What?"

"Oh come on kid. The science team knows of your little plot. So if you all want to get out of here alive, I suggest you hear us out"

"Why should I trust you?

"Because we're not from Vault-Tec"

"How can you prove that?"

Charles then brings out his dog tag and throws it to Rohit.

The young man grabs the dog tag and reads Charles' name.

"What's this?" he asked

"It's a dog tag" Charles answered "Look. It has my name and my designation. I'm with the US military not Vault-Tec"

"How do I know this is your real name?"

"Sheesh. You're like a jealous girlfriend. Look. You guys can opt not to trust us and take a chance with fighting your way out alone despite the scientists knowing about your plan OR you can trust us and we'll help minimize casualties on your side. What do you say?"

Rohit ponders.

In the Admin section of the Vault, the 2 commandos, The Captain and Paul, meet with the overseer as the children leave for their respective activities and exercises.

"You're not worried about this insurrection?" the Captain asked

"Insurrection?" the overseer replied "Please. They are just children. What can they do? They were raised with discipline and love from our staff. Words from two lab assistants will mean nothing in convincing these kids"

"You're pretty confident"

"Why of course. Mr. Oppenheim inspires us to be confident and this project is for the betterment of mankind so it is not like the deaths of these children would be in vain"

The Captain covertly puts his right index finger over his right ear.

"Rebellion in 1 minute" Charles said over the radio

"You sound pretty detached to them" the Captain continued "As if you never experienced being a child before"

"What do you mean?"

"You don't expect these children to be angry enough to fight hard?"

"No. They know who their masters are. And the few that do rebel will be swiftly crushed by the automated security. No amount of superior genes can protect them from robots"

"Don't confuse arrogance with confidence, overseer"

"What?"

Before the conversation could go any further, the sound of gunfire echo throughout the vault.

The overseer wasn't fazed by the sound as he walks towards his terminal.

"Give me a status report" he said over the intercom

"Security cameras spot at least 7 combatants" the scientist replied in a panic

"Calm down, you fool! Just activate the automated security"

"We can't!"

"What do you mean you can't?"

"The system won't respond! The team stationed near the security mainframe won't respond!"

The overseer begins to sweat as the situation was proving to be dire.

"Now you're seeing how dire your situation is, overseer" the Captain said standing up

"Y-You will help us, r-right?!" the overseer said "M-Mr. Oppenheim will not be pleased to hear this vault be destroyed, right?"

"Ah your arrogance has no bounds huh…" the Captain said standing up

"What?"

"That arrogance will be the end of you and Vault-Tec" the Captain uttered pointing his M1911 at the overseer "I swear it"

He pulls the trigger, shooting the overseer's legs.

"Paul" the Captain commanded "Make sure he doesn't escape"

"Roger that"

With the security system disabled, the rebels easily overpower the scientists and eventually take control of Vault 75.

Angry over the deceit and death that these Vault-Tec scientists have done, the rebels opt to 'harvest' the surviving Vault-Tec personnel, including the overseer.

Hours after the rebellion, the surviving children and the commandos gather by the Vault's entrance.

"So what are your plans now?" the Captain asked

"We'll find a place to settle and live the rest of our lives in peace" Rohit answered

"Got any places in mind?"

"I don't know yet…"

"If you're willing, you can come with us to Wyoming. We have a base large enough to accommodate all of you"

"No thanks" he replied "But we will keep in touch. You're always on this frequency right?"

"Yeah"

"Then we'll keep in touch. But if you're gonna take the fight to Vault-Tec tell us. We want payback too"

"Noted. Be careful out there"

"You too and thanks again"

Menifee Battlefront

2312:

In the ruins of an old suburb, NCR troopers take cover behind some barricades as Legion forces open fire upon the area.

NCR vertibirds fly in and open fire upon the enemy forces as ground troops press forward.

However, Legion stinger missiles shot down a few of the choppers.

In the command center at the back of the line, a NCR soldier, wearing a bomber jacket stitched with NCR decals, scours the horizons with a pair of binoculars.

"General" a NCR trooper said approaching the man "An Enclave vertibird is headed to this area"

"Enclave?" the general responded "Are they here to reinforce us?"

"No sir. They stated that they have their own agenda"

"Do we have clearance from command?"

"Yes sir. But we are not obligated to protect them sir"

"Ok then. But assign a small team to observe them"

"Yes sir"

As the NCR trooper leaves, the general walks into his command tent.

He turns the ham radio on.

"She's coming" he announces