Imminent Threat

2312

Isla Coronado

A lone Enclave vertibird flies across the small stretch of ocean, attempting to reach the island. Inside are the members of Wolf Pack, all heavily armed.

"So why are we heading to the island?" Owen asked "Didn't that holotape say that the base was attacked?"

"They were expecting an attack" Ellie answered "I want to see for myself what happened and find any clues if ever"

"What are we looking for?" Talon asked

"Terminals, holotapes, files, anything that can give us some clues about Raven's resistance"

"Commander" the vertibird pilot interjected "We're at the marker but there's no place to land. The landing pad is blocked by debris"

"Is there any other landing zone close by?"

"There is but it's on that other island over there"

"Copy. You land there and await my orders for extraction. Wolf Pack. We'll rappel down and investigate this hidden base"

As Wolf Pack rappels down, the squad finds the island to be just as barren as any pre-war ruin, though there's barely anything on the island save for piles of wreckage & debris and a single small shack near the remains of the landing pad.

Ellie signals her squad to cautiously move forward.

As they did, several small spider-like robots burst from the ground.

"Contact!" Ellie said as she fires on one robot, causing it to explode like a bomb

"Spider Mines!" Vivian shouted as she shoots one robot in its red 'eye', disabling it "Don't let them get close!"

"Are these things pre-war?" Marta asked "I never saw these things before"

"They are! I found them on a couple of pre-war military bases a couple of years back!"

"Right!" Owen shouted as more spider mines pop from the ground

Talon quickly morphs his left arm into a claw and proceeds to grab the robot and throws them at one another.

One spider mine latches onto the drifter's left arm.

"Get off!" he said shooting the robot in the 'eye' while another latches on his back.

Talon struggles to get the robot off of him as it was priming to explode.

Marta quickly pries the robot off of the drifter, tearing some parts of his jacket off, before throwing it to a group of spider mines, destroying them.

"Thank you" Talon said

Marta nods.

"Clear?" Ellie said as the shooting dies down

"Clear!" Jonas replied

"Clear!" Owen replied

Wolf Pack gathers around some of the destroyed bits of the robots.

"So with these pre-war robots around" Owen said kicking one "Does that mean that this base is intact?"

"Could be" Marta replied "But then this could also be Vault-Tec's leftovers"

"You got a point"

"Whatever the case" Ellie interjected "We can't let our guard down. Now let's move!"

The Enclave soldiers cautiously enter the small shack. There was nothing inside.

Ellie activates her eagle vision, seeing a hidden compartment in the floor as well as a small hole on a nearby wall.

She then inserts her hidden blade in the hole and winds it to the side, like a key, prompting the hidden door to open. The area below was very dark.

The Enclave commander turns on her rifle's flashlight and leads the way below.

"Vault-Tec did find this place…" Marta remarked, noticing several bullet holes, scorch marks, and bullet casings in the floor and walls.

"Keep your guard up" Ellie commanded as she hears a familiar pitter-patter "Spider mines!"

Several spider mines appear around the corner of the hallway as Wolf Pack open fire.

Seconds later, several humanoid robots emerge from the corner and began opening fire on Wolf Pack using their laser gatling.

"Assaultrons!" Marta shouted as she returns fire

Jonas loads a pulse grenade on his GP-25. "Fire in the hole!"

The grenade disables all the robots in the narrow hallway.

"Well…" Owen said "Vault-Tec or not… Someone left a lot of robots…"

"Regardless" Ellie replied reloading her rifle "We have a job to do. Owen take point"

"Roger"

Taking point, Owen leads Wolf Pack through the now empty narrow hallway, eventually leading to an electronically double door at the end.

Wolf Pack gathers on the door's sides as Vivian hacks it open.

As the door opens, the Enclave soldiers cautiously move inside, finding an empty shipyard.

"No ships…" Jonas remarked

"Not even a single wreckage" Marta added

"You think they managed to evacuate?" Vivian asked

"Check all the terminals" Ellie commanded as Wolf Pack splits up "See if there's any clues"

Minutes later:

"Any luck?" Ellie asked as Wolf Pack gathers around

"Nothing" Vivian reported "All terminals are destroyed…"

"No trace of any activity either" Marta added "Apart from scattered bullet casings and power cells, there's nothing here"

"Damn… Alright let's head to the command room and…"

Ellie suddenly cuts herself off.

"Commander?" Marta asked as she notices Ellie's eyes pointing at a steel beam hanging a few feet forward

Understanding her commander's signals, Marta points her M249 towards the beam and opens fire.

An invisible figure jumps down as his stealth field dissipates, revealing his hooded rags seemingly looking like several piece of cloth sewn together.

He stares at Wolf Pack before quickly running towards the electronic door on the other end.

"Get him!" Ellie commanded as Wolf Pack chases the figure "Non-lethal shots only! I need him alive!"

"Damn!" Marta said as the electronic door closes behind the figure

"I got this!" Vivian said as she connects her Pip-boy on the door's keypad

"How long, Vivian?" Ellie asked

"Give me a few minutes"

"Eyebots!" Owen shouted as several eyebots descend upon the squad

Wolf Pack returns fire as another swarm of Spider Mines emerges from several hidden compartments in the walls.

Marta and Ellie focus their fire on the spider mines while the others fire on the eyebots.

"Vivian!" Owen said as a spider mine latches onto his left arm

"Just a bit more…!" Vivian replied as Owen neutralizes the robot with his pistol

As fighting intensifies, the floor in front of the soldiers and a hidden elevator brings a sentry bot to the fray.

"Sentry Bot!" Ellie shouted as Wolf Pack dives to the nearest cover

The robot unloads its 5mm minigun on the soldiers, prompting them to go prone as the other robots quickly close the distance.

After a few seconds of continuous fire, the robot stops firing as spider mines begin swarming the soldiers.

Talon morphs his left arm into a claw before grabbing several spider mines and crushing them.

Marta, lying on her back, fires on the spider mines to her left.

Jonas switches to his 14mm pistol to shoot the small robots.

Owen brings out a Model 1886 shotgun to combat the swarming robots.

Vivian grabs her M9 Beretta as she attempts to fend off a ticking spider mine. Desperate, she unloads an entire magazine on the robot.

After its minigun cools, the sentry bot unloads once again on Wolf Pack.

"Talon!" Ellie shouted "Once that robot stops firing, you and me will rush it! Don't destroy it, just restrain it!"

Talon nods.

"Vivian! Once the sentry bot is vulnerable, I want you to hack into it!"

"Roger!" Vivian replied

After another few seconds, the sentry bot stops firing.

Instantly, Ellie and Talon jumps out of their respective covers and rushes the sentry bot.

Talon uses his left claw to grab the right minigun while Ellie pounces the robot, latching onto its back.

The sentry bot starts spinning and frantically moving around, trying to shake the two soldiers off.

Vivian then gets out of cover and quickly connects to the robot's mainframe as the remaining eyebots set their sights onto her.

Jonas and Owen quickly grab their rifles and open fire on the small robots.

After a short while, the sentry bot finally stops moving and its "eyes" change from red to green.

Ellie, Vivian, and Talon sit down to catch their breaths while Owen, Jonas, and Marta destroys the last spider mine and eyebot.

Momentarily safe, Wolf Pack gathers around the now friendly sentry bot.

"That was intense…" Owen remarked

"Any luck on the lock, Vivian?" Ellie asked

"The sentry bot interrupted me at a crucial time… I got locked out" Vivian answered

"Damn… We have no choice then"

"What's your plan? Jonas asked

"Everyone stay back! Vivian, command the sentry bot to destroy that door with its rockets"

Wolf Pack complies with their orders as the sentry bot targets the door.

The robot then raises its left missile launcher and fires a volley of rockets at the door, destroying it completely.

"Wolf Pack!" Ellie shouted as she and the others quickly move towards the now open hallway "Go! Go! Go!"

After fighting through the turret filled hallway, Wolf Pack reaches the hooded figure in the base's command room.

"Freeze!" Ellie shouted as the figure aims his pistol at them

"Vault-Tec!" the figure shouted in a raspy voice "You've already taken everything here! What else do you want?!"

"Calm down! We're not with Vault-Tec!"

"LIES!"

"I'm telling the truth"

"Not a step closer, trespasser! Your subtle movements won't go past me!"

"Just calm down. If you hate Vault-Tec then we have a common enemy. We can help each other here"

"Help? Help?! The last group of people who tried 'help' us, ended up selling us out! Why should I trust you?!"

"Wait if you were here before the Vault-Tec attack then…"

Ellie puts her rifle down before putting both hands up.

"Do you recognize these?"

The commander flicks both her wrists, prompting her hidden blades to reveal themselves.

"Hidden blades…" the figure said "You're an assassin?"

"Yes. See? You can trust us and-"

"Or you could be a Templar in disguise! Or worse, someone from Vault-Tec pretending to be an Assassin! You think just because you know what a hidden blade is, I'd immediately trust you?"

"Please be reasonable! We can talk about this!"

Meanwhile, Talon was starting to breathe heavily and he can feel his heart pounding so fast as his right hand start shaking uncontrollably.

As if driven by instinct, Talon grabs his Colt Python and quickly fires several shots towards the figure, hitting the right side of his torso.

"Talon!" Marta shouted as she grabs his right arm

Seeing that the situation could get worse, Ellie quickly tackled the figure to the ground before he could react.

"What the hell was that?!" Marta shouted "Nobody gave you an order to shoot!"

"I-I…" Talon replied "I didn't…"

"I need a stimpak!" Ellie shouted as Vivian runs to her side

2118:

Vicinity of MacArthur Army Base, Utah

Ezekiel, Helen, and Miguel crouch near a cliff overlooking a pre-war military base.

"We're in position" Ezekiel said over the radio

"Copy" Raven replied from the other line "Wait for the signal. Remember. You are NOT to engage unless it is absolutely necessary"

"I got it, grandpa. No need to coddle us"

"These aren't regular raiders or super mutants anymore. We're raiding a Vault-Tec position so keep your guard up"

"So uh…" Miguel said "What's the plan? Who needs to die this time?"

"Didn't you listen during the briefing?" Helen replied "We're not on an assassination mission"

"Oh… Haha… Sorry… Slipped my mind. I think I remember what we're supposed to do"

"Oh? What's that?"

"Uh… Um…"

"Geez, Miguel…"

"Zeke?" Miguel said as he taps Ezekiel's shoulder

"Huh? What?" Ezekiel responded

"You ok?"

"Y-Yeah I'm fine"

"You've been staring into space from time to time since Wyoming" Miguel added

"I-I'm fine. Don't worry guys"

"Zeke…" Helen said as the sound of gunfire echoes throughout the area

"That's our window" Ezekiel said as the 3 initiates all fire their rope darts to the nearest electric post

As the mechanism pulls them towards the post, the 3 initiates then fire the rope darts on their left gauntlets on the nearby guardhouse.

Upon reaching the guardhouse's roof, Ezekiel checks the map of the base with his PDA.

He then points to the roof of a building to their left.

The 3 stealthily move through the small open space, avoiding the responding Vault-Tec soldiers along the way.

Upon reaching the roof, the 3 find an opening in the ventilation shaft.

Using his hidden blade, Miguel slowly and quietly unscrews the vent covers.

Entering the facility, the sound of an alarm and shouting echoes through the vents.

Ezekiel leads the way with his PDA on his right hand as they navigate through the vent network.

Their path eventually leads them to a dead end with a vent opening below.

The three stop as they observe several Vault-Tec soldiers run under them.

As the voices begin to sound like long echoes, Ezekiel quietly lifts the vent opening before dropping down.

He lands on top of a Vault-Tec solider and quickly stabs him with his hidden blade.

Two other Vault-Tec soldiers emerge from the hallway in front of the initiate.

Helen quickly jumps down and neutralizes both soldiers with her silenced MP7

The three quickly drag the bodies to the nearest door in the hallway the enemy soldiers emerged from.

Inside, the initiates hide the bodies inside the lockers they found.

"How close are we?" Miguel asked

"Hold on" Ezekiel replied as he pulls out his PDA "It should be down the hall"

The initiates then carefully walk down the hall though there was not a single Vault-Tec soldier in sight.

Eventually, they reach a corner in the hall.

Ezekiel leans against the corner's edge and takes a peek, spotting a double door guarded by 5 Vault-Tec soldiers.

"5 tangos" he said

"Not a problem" Miguel said as he raises his silenced 10mm SMG

"Hold it" Helen said grabbing Miguel's shoulder "We can't risk making noise in here!"

"Oh come on! The base is already on high alert! What's the difference?"

"They'll know we're in here!"

"So?"

"So?! Miguel!"

"She's right, Miguel" Ezekiel interjected "We can't risk getting surrounded. I found a vent opening on their right. One of us can catch them by surprise"

"I'll do it" Helen replied as she brings out a silenced P226 before entering the nearest vent opening

"You two are on edge" Miguel remarked as he stands behind Ezekiel

"Aren't you? I mean what happened at Wyoming…"

"I know. I know. But I choose not to be bothered by it"

"Well… Not all of us can be as carefree as you, Miguel…"

"You gotta loosen up a bit, Zeke. You might lose yourself in the tense environment you embrace"

"I'll keep that in mind"

"I'm in position" Helen said over the radio

"Roger" Ezekiel answered "Move on my go. Miguel"

"I'm ready" Miguel replied

"Go!"

Ezekiel and Miguel burst from the corner and land headshots on 2 soldiers.

Helen then emerges from the vent and stabs one soldiers with her pivot blade. Firing her pistol with one hand, she lands 2 more headshots, neutralizing the enemy soldiers before they could react.

"Nice" Ezekiel said as he connects his PDA to the door's electronic lock

Seconds later, the door opens and the initiates quickly storm a computer room, catching the few unarmed Vault-Tec employees unaware.

"All of you in the corner!" Helen shouted as Ezekiel accesses one of the terminals

"Downloading…" he said "… Got it"

"You got the location?" Miguel asked

"Yeah. It's underground. We can reach it through the elevator over there"

"Alright. So what do we do with these guys?"

Ezekiel looks at his silenced MP5k for a bit before approaching the Vault-Tec employees.

He aims his left gauntlet at them.

"Oh that" Miguel said as he and Helen follow Ezekiel's lead

They each fire sleep darts at the employees before proceeding to the elevator.

"So how far is the target?" Miguel asked

"Not too far" Ezekiel replied as the three initiates all position to the side of the elevator door before it opens

"What?" a Vault-Tec trooper said "I thought the intruders were still by the courtyard?"

The Vault-Tec troopers then enter the elevator, prompting the initiates to quickly grab each of them and quietly neutralize them with their hidden blades.

The initiates quickly move through the hallway, quietly neutralizing all enemy soldiers in their way, eventually reaching their target, located inside what appears to be a storage area.

"So…" Miguel said as the three stare at a vault door "… Do we blow the door up?"

"Yep" Ezekiel said as he plants thermite on the door

The explosive makes short work of the door, allowing the initiates to enter the room, finding a small device placed on a table in the middle of the room.

The device is small and has a circular center surrounded by three pillar-like attachments.

"This is it" Ezekiel said picking up the device

"What is it?" Miguel asked

"A prototype Lazarus shield"

"Lazarus shield?"

"The US's answer to China's stealth tech"

Fort Covington, New York

2312

5pm:

In their underground base, Jack, Goris, and Audrey look at a holographic map of the area.

"So" Audrey asked "What's the plan?"

"We've tried proposing negotiations with them but no response" Jack replied

"Well no shit. These guys are never the negotiating type"

"I do not understand your fascination with these curs" Goris interjected

"It's not really a fascination but more of a necessity"

"Yes. You told me as such, Jack. But I still do not believe that these people can be reasoned with"

"They are. Don't worry. They just need some persuasion"

"And what kind of persuasion do you have in mind?" Audrey asked

"The quickest way to a man's heart is his stomach. These remnants may be fractured but they still act like a military force which means they have a storage area where the store all their food and supplies"

"Do you even know where these storages are?"

"Goris"

"For the past few months" Goris continued "We have observed these soldiers hauling large crates from a bunker located just outside of the town"

"So the bunker's the target?"

"Right you are" Jack replied "We'll strike at around 9pm"

6pm:

Inside one of the open areas in the base, Jack lights a cigarette as Audrey approaches him.

"Well. Well." Jack said "To what do I owe this visit?"

"Care to explain to me what's the deal with the deathclaws?" Audrey asked

"They're all former Enclave experiments"

"Experiments?"

"Yeah. Turns out, once upon a time, the Enclave tried creating a smart deathclaw army to add to their ranks. They succeeded but their success was too much, it seems. The deathclaws were smart. Too smart for their own good"

"So the deathclaws turned against their masters?"

"No. The deathclaws became smart enough to have a conscience. To the point that many of them became pacifists. And what kind of army employs pacifists?"

"The Enclave had them killed, didn't they?"

"You got it. Decades ago, there was this genocide and a lot of them died. Though Goris and a few others managed to escape the carnage, thanks to some wanderer Goris encountered in his travels"

"Do they hate the Enclave?"

"Seems so"

"Then why is Goris supportive of this plan to negotiate with them?"

Jack then puffs a smoke. "It been decades since the Enclave's fall. Things change. People, or well… uh… deathclaws, change"

"Time can heal wounds but not those kinds of wounds"

"Haha… Maybe for you Brotherhood folk, it's hard to let go of a grudge. Look at the NCR now. Ellie managed to create and operate an Enclave cell in their territory. I think you should know how the NCR 'tolerates' anything Enclave"

"Yeah…"

"So why do you think the NCR tolerates the Enclave now?"

"That's… uh…"

"It's because they both agree that there's a much bigger problem to worry about than each other. That cooperating now is more beneficial than sticking to old grudges. And, believe it or not, time does heal wounds"

"So Goris believes that negotiating with the very organization that nearly killed his entire race is more beneficial?"

"In a way. They understand that there's a bigger foe we have to fight. This is no time for personal grudges"

"I kind of get what you're saying but… it's still weird how quick Goris is willing to set aside grudges"

"It is not really that simple" Goris interjected "We have not forgotten nor forgiven the Enclave for what they did. However, the ones who offended us are long dead and all that remains are the littles ones that inherited the sins of their parents. It would be unfair to hold them accountable for the sins of their kin. Otherwise, we will be hypocrites"

"Why?"

"Because if we were to make them pay for the sins of their kin then that also justifies the genocide of my people. How many humans have died because of feral deathclaws? They may not have our intelligence but they are still kin to us"

"Hmm… Makes sense…"

"You do not have to force yourself to understand. Just know that my people are willing to cooperate"

"Alright…"

9pm:

Inside an old restaurant, Audrey scouts the bunker using her binoculars while the Jack and Goris crouch behind her.

"2 hostiles outside" she remarked "Though they're only wearing standard combat armor, no power armor"

"They're making this too easy" Jack replied

"These humans have encountered very few groups that could challenge them" Goris added "It seems they have become complacent"

"Well… Good thing we're not here to kill every last one of them. Let's go fellas!"

Jack and Goris lead a small team of Talon Company soldiers and Deathclaws while Audrey and her Power Armored Brotherhood squad follows behind them.

As they got closer, Audrey and her squad hides behind some rubble in the darkness while the others use their stealth boys while still creeping closer to the enemy guards.

Audrey brings out her binoculars and focuses her gaze on the two guards.

They seem to have noticed something as they both have their weapons raised.

They both turn their flashlights on and scour the area around them. They find nothing.

Suddenly, two Deathclaws uncloak and quickly grab both guards by their throats, proceeding to choke them.

Meanwhile, the others run towards the door.

Audrey and her squad follow suit as the 2 deathclaws knock out both guards. One of them places it by the wall while the other drags the other guard near the door.

The 2 deathclaws cloak once more as Jack knocks on the door loudly. The Deathclaw then holds the unconscious guard up like a life size action figure.

The red light on the camera by the door lights up and focuses on the guard.

As the door slowly opens, Jack and a few Talon Company soldiers quickly enter and overpower the guards inside the security room nearby.

Commandeering the camera, Jack signals the rest that the entrance is clear.

Upon entering the bunker, Jack and his squad move further into the facility while Goris and Audrey's squads stay behind to guard the entrance.

Still cloaked, the squad encounters 3 uniformed Enclave soldiers in the hallway. They were smoking by an open door, leading towards a break room where 2 other Enclave soldiers are sitting.

Jack and his squad quietly enter the room. 2 of his men uncloak behind the two Enclave soldiers and poke the barrels of their rifles behind their heads.

Jack and the rest then move towards the smoking soldiers.

One lets out a puff but notices the smoke dissipate, as if it had hit a wall, even though there was nothing there.

Jack then uncloaks and, using his left hand, grabs the soldier by his face and slams him to the wall while the rest of the squad grabs the 2 other soldiers and chokes them until they are knocked unconscious.

"Hey!" a voice echoed through a corner in the hallway "Someone trip again? You guys better not be drinking the alcohol again!"

As the Enclave soldier turns the corner, he is immediately greeted by several rifle barrels.

Jack gestures the soldier to be quiet.

The soldier quietly drops his gun before raising both hands.

"Gather them all by the break room" Jack commanded as he proceeds down the hallway alone

He activates his stealth boy once again as he enters the only door at the end of the hallway.

Upon entering, he finds a somewhat large open room though judging from the few collapsed hallways, this the last room of the bunker and has seemingly been converted into a makeshift storage facility.

He finds a lone guard inside.

Jack quickly walks right up to the soldier and uncloaks as he turns around.

"Hi" Jack said as he sucker punches the guard before hitting him at the back of his head with the butt of his rifle

As the guard drops to the ground, Jack notices several weapon crates alongside the food crates. "Well. Well. This turned out to be way better than I thought. Now… Let's see how reasonable these people are"

2118

Walla Walla, Washington State

Underground Assassin Bureau:

"Where are you off to, Ezekiel?" an Assassin guard asked as the initiate walks towards the bureau's vault-like door

"Just going for a walk" Ezekiel answered

"Kind of risky walking out in the open considering Vault-Tec's hunting us"

"I know but I won't wonder too far from the base. I'll stay hidden"

"Do you have the Mentor's permission?"

"Yeah. You can ask her if you want"

"Alright hold on"

The guard then picks up a phone. "Mentor. Ezekiel is attempting to get outside… Yes… Understood. Alright. You're all clear. Don't lure any undesirables near the bureau now"

"Don't worry. I won't"

"I hope so"

The guard then flips a switch, prompting the door to open.

Ezekiel walks up a short tunnel before being greeted by a snowstorm ravaged wasteland.

"Not like I can get far even if I wanted to…" Ezekiel thought as he settles near the tunnel's entrance

He lights a cigarette and stares at the wasteland outside, though there's barely anything to see.

After a few minutes, the initiates notices, from the corner of his eye, Miguel and Helen walking towards him.

"Hey Zeke!" Helen called

"What are you two doing here?" Ezekiel replied

"Came to say hi" Miguel answered as the two sit close to the initiate

"How's the Lazarus shield?"

"The engineers are starting to mass produce it" Helen answered "The prototype we got is being used to cloak this base right now"

"That's good"

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing really… Just wondering how Vault-Tec found us in Wyoming"

"What about Wyoming?"

"Our base was well hidden. Even if we factor the raiders me and Miguel killed, Vault-Tec shouldn't have been able to find us so quickly"

"That is true… You suspect something's up?"

"Maybe… Hey Miguel. Anything odd happened before the Seattle base was attacked?"

"Nothing really" Miguel replied "It was just your typical quiet day. No patrols, no suspicious activity, no nothing"

"Odd… Something's not adding up"

"Got any theories?"

"Nothing solid… Just a gut feeling"

"Of what?"

"Nah… Nevermind. I don't think I can go with just a gut feeling"

"What do you mean?" Helen asked

"Don't mind it. Just me thinking out loud" Ezekiel replied as he drops his cigarette and crushes it with his boot "Anyhow, wanna race around the parkour courses?"

"You think you can keep up?" Miguel responded with a chuckle

"Tough words coming from someone who crashed and burned last time"

"Ha! That was just a fluke!"

"The usual wager?"

"You're on!"

Helen sighs. "Oh you two…"

2312:

Sorrow's Camp, Zion Canyon

Hijacking a Vault-Tec vertibird, Rufus, Laura, and Alexander return to the camp.

The sight of the vertibird caused the natives to man their battlestations.

Seeing this, Laura opens the vertibird's side doors and waves her left arm towards the natives below.

They quickly recognize their savior and stand down as the vertibird finds a landing zone.

As a few natives run to meet with the 3 as Rufus and Laura help a few natives down the vertibird.

"Make sure to have a healer check on them" Laura said as the natives are led towards the healer

"These are our missing brothers and sisters" another native said "Thank you, guardian"

"I need to see Chief Waking Cloud"

"Yes. Of course. Right this way"

The native then leads the 3 towards the chief's tent.

"Ah guardian" Waking Cloud said as she pulls herself up using her cane "We were worried you were lost in the mist"

"I've been through so much, chief" Laura replied "It'll take more than a mist to kill me"

"True. Judging from the mist's disappearance, can I assume that you are successful in destroying its source?"

"Yes. Your people will not have to worry about anything anymore"

"Once again, the people of Zion Canyon are indebted to you, great guardian"

"It is my pleasure to help, chief"

"Excuse me for butting in" Rufus interjected "But we have to get back to NCR territory soon"

"YOU have to get back" Laura responded "I'm going back to New Vegas"

"You still don't want to help us?"

"That note in the terminal is the NCR's problem. New Vegas has no connection to your war with the Legion"

"It will be once Vault-Tec gets what they want with the two armies!"

"Then I'll be ready for them"

"You think you and an independent settlement can take on Vault-Tec alone?"

"Rufus, that's enough" Alexander said grabbing the Wanderer's shoulder "Laura. At the very least, let us take you back to New Vegas. Maybe you'll change your mind on the way back"

"Fine… Will your tribe be able to handle things from here, chief?"

"Yes" the chief answered "Go now. We will be able to rebuild from here. Thank you again, guardian. And also to you General Alexander and your friend"

The three then board the vertibird and proceeded to leave the canyon.

As the side doors close, Rufus turns to Laura.

"Why aren't you willing to cooperate with the NCR?" he asked

"You never grew up around the New California area, didn't you?" Laura answered "The NCR started out as a small settlement, one of a few at the time. Wanna know how they grew? By sabotaging other settlements and using underhanded tactics to forcibly have other settlements join them"

"Nothing new to me. A lot of settlements I encountered in the East Coast did this. Your point?"

"Oh? The East Coast has an ever growing settlement that's constantly forcing other settlements to bend the knee because they have something that this growing settlement wants?"

"Well…"

"No. Last I checked, the closest the East Coast was to experiencing that was the NCR invasion itself. So you're in no position to be sassy with me"

"So you don't want to help because the NCR has been scummy in the past? You saw it yourself, didn't you? There's a bigger enemy out there that even the NCR can't handle. How much more for you?"

"Decades ago, I managed to singlehandedly aid the NCR in their endeavors and later on, drive their whole army out of the Mojave. I'll find a way. I always find a way"

Laura then feels her left eye with her left hand, as if reminiscing something.

Isla Coronado

Wolf Pack exits the underground base with Marian holding the injured and unconscious figure up.

"Hunter" Ellie called over the radio "This is Eagle actual. We're ready for extraction"

"Copy, commander" the vertibird pilot replied "Enroute"

"Talon. You go first"

"M-Me?" Talon replied, confused

"Yes. I'm gonna have to separate you from our little friend there especially after everything that happened"

"I…"

The vertibird then arrives and drops a ladder.

"Marta" Ellie said "You first. Owen. Help her get him up"

"Roger" Owen replied as he helped Marta carry the injured figure up the ladder

"Vivian. Jonas. You're both next. Talon. You go up after me"

The remaining Wolf Pack members all nod as they comply with Ellie's orders.

Inside the vertibird, Ellie turns to Talon.

"So" she said "Care to explain to me what happened there?"

"I…" Talon replied "I do not know… I just felt compelled to shoot him"

"Doesn't sound convincing. Are you hiding anything?"

"No! I am not! It is just… It is hard to explain"

"Well then describe to me what you felt"

"I… I started feeling threatened. As if something inside of me was compelling me to attack him. That it would take that feeling of danger away… It feels irrational but…"

Ellie squints her eyes. "Ok. I've heard enough. I think you need to calm down a bit before I hear more of this story"

"Commander" the pilot called "There's something odd happening in the horizon"

"What do you mean?"

Ellie then opens one of the vertibird's side doors and looks forward.

All that she sees is a thick fog enveloping the destroyed pre-War city of Tijuana.

"Can you still contact the NCR forces stationed there?" she asked

"Yes, commander. They're saying they're all fine"

A few minutes later, General Parker meets up with Wolf Pack as their vertibird lands on the makeshift helipad.

"General" Ellie said "What happened? This place isn't supposed have fog"

"Your guess is as good as mine" Parker replied "The fog suddenly rolled in while you guys were gone. I'd chalk it up to weather anomaly or something like that. Besides, it's just a fog. The Legion would most likely use it to their advantage but they won't beat us if they keep on resorting to hit-and-run tactics"

"I hope you're right, general. Marta. Get that man to a triage tent. The rest of you, get back to the barracks"

Later:

Triage Tent

"How is he?" Ellie asked

"He's stable" the NCR medic replied "But he needs to rest a bit more. He's lucky to be alive"

"Damn it… Will he gain consciousness soon?"

"He should but I don't know when it will happen"

"How about Talon's psychological tests?"

"We did the best we could with the pre-War psychological tests we have. Talon seems to pass all of them but the way he described the incident… It seemed like a psychotic break or a reaction to a trauma. Well according to the books at least"

"So he's still fit for combat?"

"He is. Seems like whatever triggered his uh… reaction, it has something to do with this man. So my advice is to keep him away from this guy"

"Alright… Thanks"

As Ellie exits the tent, she hears a familiar voice calling her. "Ellie"

The Enclave Commander turns to her right. Her eyes widen the second she does. "No…"

Ellie shakes her head in disbelief as she sees a man wearing a familiar hooded trench coat.

"Gerard?" she muttered as she could feel her heart beat faster

"Hi Ellie" Gerard said with a smile "Long time, no see"