Chapter 18: The Cure

The Inner Circle, Underworld

The next day:

Sitting on top of barstools, Ellie, Marina, Vyse and Dallas discuss about what transpired the previous night.

"Damn that was a close one eh?" Vyse said

"I know…" Marina responded "Would have been a disaster if they had their way…"

"So what's the deal with Crowley anyway?" Ellie wondered as she takes a shot of Whiskey

"Not sure" Dallas answered as she takes a sip of beer "All I know is that he kinda has a grudge against someone"

"A grudge?" Ellie wondered

"Yeah" the medic answered "From what I can piece together, he asked someone to get some things for him and this person ended up double crossing him and taking whatever it was the 'belonged' to him"

"And he's been hating on humans ever since?" the mercenary asked

"Not sure either…" she answered "The items that he asked this person to take belonged to a couple of humans. He even asked the person to shoot them all in the head"

"Pretty gruesome there…" Vyse remarked as he takes a shot of Scotch "Looks like we got a real racist on our hands…"

"Racist or not…" Marina said as she takes a sip of beer "He's bad news and we'll have to take care of him…"

"Are you ok, Ellie?" Vyse asked "You've been on edge ever since last night…"

"Vyse…" Ellie said "I'm fine…"

"Your voice says otherwise…" the knight sergeant muttered

"Vyse, relax…" Marina said "But he's right, Ellie. You have been on edge lately. Care to tell us what's going on?"

"I'm fine, really" the mercenary said as she takes another shot of whiskey

"As a fellow squad mate I'm just worried about you" Vyse said

"And who are you?" the sniper replied "Her 'mommy'?"

Vyse was taken aback for a short while before saying "W-Well at least I care about our safety and well being!"

"Oh ho ho…" Marina said with a mischievous tone "Someone's a little flustered"

"I-I'm not!" the knight sergeant replied

As Vyse and Marina continue their conversation, Ellie couldn't help but look at the wall in front of her… She was in deep thought, trying to make sense of what had transpired the night before…

Flashback, the night before:

The Mall:

"Over there!" Ellie shouted as she points at a ghoul, carrying about 3 holotapes.

"After him!" Vyse said as he, Marina and Ellie give chase "Don't let him escape!"

"This is a lot of trouble for some research data!" Marina remarked as she fires her rifle but misses the ghoul's feet by inches "Damn it! This is why I hate moving targets!"

Upon reaching an alley, Ellie stops and says "You guys go ahead! I'll climb and provide overwatch!"

"Alright sure!" Vyse said as he and Marina continue the chase

With that, the mercenary began to effortlessly climb a derelict building to the top. Upon reaching the top, the mercenary's radio comes alive.

"Ellie!" Vyse said on the other line

"I got overwatch" the mercenary reaffirmed

"Good! We need help tracking him! The deeper we go, the more rubble we see, getting pretty hard to keep track of the guy!"

"Roger!" the mercenary said as she uses a loose wire to swing across into another building "I see him! He just went under me! 8 meters north from you guys!"

"Copy! Keep us updated!"

"Will do!"

A few minutes later, Vyse and Marina seem to have cornered the ghoul.

"Now we got ya, you son of a bitch!" Vyse said as he aims his rifle "Hand over those holotapes!"

"As if I'll give in to your demands, smoothskin!" the ghoul taunted as he pulls out a detonator and triggers it.

The buildings shook as debris fell in the path between the Brotherhood Knights and the ghoul.

"Ellie!" Vyse said "The path's blocked off! We can't get to him! Do you have a lock?"

"I got it…" Ellie said as she sees her target's distinct gold aura "…I'll get him"

A few minutes later:

Travelling from building to building, the mercenary notices a yellow line in front of the ghoul. Where ever the line was, the ghoul would follow…

"Interesting…" she muttered "…I can use that to my advantage"

Using the yellow line, the mercenary predicted the ghoul's route and proceeds to the area, preparing to ambush her target.

Hiding at the 2nd floor of a derelict building, the mercenary awaits for her target to reach striking distance. A few minutes later, her target emerges from the alley. Confident that he had outran his pursuers; the ghoul slows down and examines the holotapes he stole. As he turns his back on the building, the mercenary leaps out of the window and tackles the ghoul to the ground, forcing him to drop the holotapes he stole.

Plunging her hidden blade into the ghoul's left shoulder; the ghoul struggles to break free from the mercenary's grip. Amassing enough strength, the ghoul does a sucker punch and hits the mercenary's left cheek. Immediately, the ghoul uses all his might to get the mercenary off of him.

Recovering from the attack, the mercenary prepares herself for a battle. In that moment, the ghoul lunges at the mercenary and attempts to unleash a flurry of punches and kicks, all of which the mercenary manages to easily block or dodge.

The mercenary responds with a combo of punches and kicks. Despite most of her attacks landing a hit, the ghoul simply grunts and continues his assault.

"Damn it…" she thought to herself "This guy just doesn't give up…"

As the two continue their fight, Ellie notices that the ghoul snarls and his hands twitch from time to time.

"Is he turning feral…?" the mercenary wondered

Suddenly, a squad of ghouls emerges from several locations in the area. Armed with submachine guns, knives and blunt weapons, the ghouls surround the mercenary.

"N-Not so h-hot shit now…" the ghoul said

"His speech pattern's starting to degrade…" the mercenary remarked "But worse is, I'm surrounded… I don't want to kill any of em but…"

A ghoul then lunges at the mercenary with a baseball bat. The mercenary skillfully dodges the strike and punches the ghoul in the face, knocking him to the ground. As if using the attack as a trigger, the other ghouls commence their attacks, with the other two ghouls, armed with guns, staying behind and aiming their weapons.

The mercenary skillfully dodges and blocks the ghouls' attacks, with her even blocking a lead pipe by crossing her arms and letting the weapon hit her armguards. With each successful dodge, the mercenary had a follow-up attack. After a few minutes, she manages to knock out all of the ghouls, save for the other two.

Before one of the ghouls could fire his weapon, a hooded figure emerges from the roof of a derelict building and plunges his hidden blades upon the two ghouls before they could react.

Thinking it was the same hooded figure she saw at Rivet City, the mercenary approaches him but notices distinct differences in the robe's color scheme and pattern, even the hood had a different design. Underneath the hood, the figure wore a mask, which looked like something worn by cult groups before the War.

"You're not him…" the mercenary said "Thanks for saving me but who are you?"

The figure didn't utter a word. He simply walked towards the holotapes and picked them up.

"Hey!" the mercenary said "I need those!"

Still not saying a word, the figure approaches Ellie and hands over the holotapes.

"Meet me at the Lincoln Memorial" the figure said in a deep male voice "Alone and tell no one"

"What?" the mercenary uttered "What do you mean?"

"When you reach the gate, say you are workers, not slaves" the figure said

"What!?" the mercenary said "Who are you? What do you want?"

Silent once more, the figure raises his right arm and fires a rope from his armguard. The rope then proceeded to pull the figure up the derelict building and out of the mercenary's sights.

"Who is he…?" the mercenary wondered

"Ellie!"

Looking behind her, the mercenary notices Vyse and Marina running towards her.

"Ellie" Vyse said "What happened? You weren't updating us"

"Sorry…" the mercenary said "These guys got the jump on me…"

"No shit…" the knight sergeant said as he notices the unconscious ghouls

"How about the holotapes?" Marina asked

"Oh!" the mercenary said "I got em right here…"

"Good…" Vyse said with a smile on his face "Now let's get back to Underworld and get some well-deserved rest!"

Back to the present:

Underworld Entrance; 2:00pm:

"Got somewhere to go?"

Looking behind her, the mercenary sees James

"Yeah…" she responded

"Where to?" the Paladin asked

"I just want to walk around the mall…" she said

"The mall?" James wondered "Why would you want to walk around in the middle of the day?"

"I-I just need some sunshine and fresh air…" the mercenary answered

James pondered for a moment before saying "Alright but be careful out there"

"I will" the mercenary replied as she opens the exit door.

Vicinity of Lincoln Memorial; a few minutes later:

As she nears a subway entrance, the mercenary notices a highly fortified settlement. Complete with a wall made with improvised materials, barbed wires, sandbags and guards, wearing combat armor and armed with a variety of guns.

"Is this the place?" the mercenary wondered "Wonder why the others didn't think of recruiting these guys"

As she approaches the gate, the two guards stop her from taking another step.

"Who are you?" one of them said as he aims his R91 Assault rifle "Are you a slaver?"

"W-What?" the mercenary muttered

"Answer me!" the guard shouted "Are you a slaver?"

"N-No I-" the mercenary muttered as she remembers what the figure told her the night before "You are workers, not slaves"

The two guards then look at each other then said "You know the passcode… We'll let you in but we have our eye on you"

Lincoln Memorial:

Entering the gate, the mercenary notices a thriving community. The place was filled with activity, from people customizing or fixing their guns to farmers tending to makeshift fields…

Just that, an elderly man clad in recon armor approaches her.

"Ah a visitor…" he said "We haven't seen one in a long time since this war began…"

"Who are you?" the mercenary asked

"I'm Hannibal Hamlin" the man replied "I'm the leader of the people of Lincoln Town"

"Lincoln Town?" the mercenary wondered

"Yes!" the old man responded "It is named after Abraham Lincoln, a great man who fought hard to free slaves"

"Free slaves?"

"You see… Most of us here were once slaves but we managed to escape from our captors"

"And you ended up here…" the mercenary said, finishing the man's sentence

"Not exactly…" the old man replied "We lived out into the wastes and we were at constant fear that our captors would one day come for us…"

"So how did you end up here?" the mercenary asked

"A man, clad in a Vault-tec suit, came to us at our hour of need and helped us migrate to these parts several decades ago…"

"A man clad in a Vault-tec suit…" the mercenary muttered as an idea lights up in her head "By any chance, is the man who helped you known as the Lone Wanderer?"

"Why yes…" the old man replied "That was his title…"

"Pardon me for asking…" The mercenary said "But do you know where he is?"

"I'm sorry…" he replied "The Lone Wanderer was a frequent visitor but he stopped visiting our settlement one day and we never heard from him since…"

Disappointed, the mercenary hung her head low…

"Don't be sad…" the old man said "Wherever he is, I'm sure that he is bringing wonders into the world just like how he had brought wonders to our community… Had he not helped us, we would have all perished"

The mercenary smiles as she remembers the purpose of her visit

"Um… May I ask another question?"

"What is it?"

"Have you seen a hooded figure in these parts?"

The old man smiles as he says "He's waiting for you at the top of the memorial. Follow me"

Following the old man to the top of the memorial, the mercenary sees the hooded figure, standing in front of Abraham Lincoln's statue.

As she walks closer, the figure says "Lovely day isn't it?"

"Huh?" the mercenary wondered

"You're probably wondering why I asked you to meet me here" the figure said as he turns around

"Well yeah…" the mercenary answered

"We have the same goals you and I…" the figure said "Crowley… The one behind the mutiny at Underworld… He's my target…"

"He's your target…?" the mercenary wondered "Target for what?"

"Assassination" the figure answered "He's a dangerous man who needs to be put down"

The mercenary ponders for a moment before saying "Why is he dangerous?"

"Can't share that information…" the figure said "But I will say that he is part of a group of greedy bastards who are the one behind this war"

"The NCR?" the mercenary wondered

The figure chuckled for a bit before saying "If only it was that simple… No… There's more to this war than meets the eye…"

"What do you mean?" the mercenary wondered

"You'll know in due time" the figure answered "For now, let's focus on Crowley"

"Wait" the mercenary said "I want to know. Are we going to kill the ghouls who are supporting him too?"

"Since when have you gone soft?" the figure said

"What!?" the mercenary said as she is caught off guard by the figure's remark

"I've read the reports. You're one of the founding members of the Sons of Liberty and one of their best soldiers. The reports didn't say anything about you being soft towards your enemies"

"I just came to a realization a few days ago…" she uttered "That's why I don't want to mindlessly kill everything that gets in my way… It's not right…"

The figure was silent for a while before saying "Those ghouls are innocent. I had no intention of killing any of them. But they will pose a threat which is why you'll need this"

The figure then walks closer to the mercenary and hands her a makeshift gun, the toy car and pain gun components were distinguishable but the other parts baffled the mercenary.

"Wh-What is this?" the mercenary wondered

"A dart gun" the figure answered "These darts are packed with a special poison that knocks out humans and ghouls for a certain amount of time. It's non-lethal so you can freely shoot those guys without feeling guilty…"

"Who are you anyway…" the mercenary said "I feel like I've met you somewhere before…"

Just as he finishes her sentence, the mercenary sees a vision of the same room she was trapped in…

"You must be mistaking me for someone else…" the figure answered "I never met you in my life"

"R-Right…" the mercenary said as she puts away the dart gun "So what's the plan?"

"Crowley is hauled up underground" the figure said "He's hiding in an abandoned building just across Underworld"

"What?" the mercenary said "Then the ghouls at the dark side of the museum are-"

"He's not there…" the figure answered "The man's a selfish bastard. He doesn't really care about those ghouls… I have an informant inside his ranks. Once we eliminate Crowley, he's next in line for command and he'll put a stop to the mutiny…"

"Gotcha…" the mercenary said "So what do we do?"

"We leave for the target building in 30 minutes" the figure answered "Make sure you're ready"

"Right!" the mercenary said

The Target Building; 3:25pm:

"Two guards by the door…" the figure said

The mercenary readies her dart gun but the figure places his hand over her dart gun and says "We take them both out at the same time. You aim for the one in the right. I'll go for the left"

The mercenary nods her head as she aims her gun. She then notices that the figure didn't have a dart gun. Rather, he straightens his left arm, revealing another mechanism in his armguard. He then rests his right hand at the lower tip of the armguard.

"Fire" he said in a soft tone

By the figure's command, both individuals fire their respective weapons, successfully knocking out both guards before they even noticed a thing.

"Nice work…" the figure said "Let's proceed"

Inside the target building:

The two easily infiltrate the building as they neutralize guards and sneak around the corridors.

"This is almost too easy…" the mercenary said as she neutralizes another guard with her new gun

"I know…" the figure replied "Don't let your guard down"

The Basement:

After searching the ground floor of the building, the duo proceeds into the basement. It was dark and quiet.

"Ellie" the figure said "Activate Eagle Vision"

"How did you know that?" the mercenary asked

"I have my sources" he answered "Now do it"

Upon activating Eagle Vision, the mercenary sees about 6 men, donning red auras, guarding a door and behind them was a lone figure with a golden aura. After describing what she saw, the figure said "Crowley's the golden target"

"But how are we going to get past those men?" the mercenary wondered

"We'll have to force our way through" the figure answered "But we have to take em out fast so Crowley wouldn't know what hit him. Ready that Dart gun"

"Right" the mercenary said as the duo prepare their blitzkrieg.

A few minutes later, the figure emerges from the shadows, in clear sight of the guards. Before one of them could even utter a word, the figure fires a dart from his armguard and hits the ghoul on the neck, knocking him out. He then proceeds to sucker punch one ghoul in the face and grab the other and proceed to choke him, letting go the second the ghoul loses consciousness. Before the other 3 could respond, the mercenary fires her dart gun and runs towards the other two ghouls. She kicks one in the face and punches the other in the stomach.

Kneeling down from the pain of having his stomach punched, the ghoul attempts to recover but the mercenary does a karate chop on his neck, knocking him out. The other ghoul then attempts to fire his gun but the mercenary quickly disarms him and throws him into the ground like a judo instructor.

Wasting no time, the duo push opens the double doors, ready to face Crowley.

"Well… Well…" the ghoul said "Looks like 'they' have finally found me…"

"It's over Crowley!" the figure said

"Over?" the ghoul said "Why? I was just starting to have fun"

The ghoul then turns around and fires his 10mm pistol at the duo. Acting fast, the duo split up and hides behind cover. Crowley uses this opportunity to activate something in his suit and just that, metallic parts began to extend around his body, creating a sort of power armor.

"The hell is that?" the mercenary asked

"You like it?" the ghoul taunted "I was a little gift from my supporters"

The ghoul then aims his left arm at the mercenary's hiding place and unleashes a barrage of 9mm rounds. As the mercenary takes cover, the hooded figure emerges from his and fires his AK-74u submachine gun. But the bullets hardly dented the ghoul's power armor.

"What was that?" the ghoul taunted "Your bullets are nothing more than BBs to me!"

The ghoul then proceeds to pelt the figure's position with 9mm rounds using his right arm.

"DAMN IT!" the mercenary shouted "I need to do something or we're toast!"

Just as she tries to think of a way to defeat Crowley, the mercenary is suddenly hit with another episode…

"No… N-Not now…" she muttered as visions flash before her eyes…

Flashback:

"Ellie. Ellie"

The Mercenary's perception then shifts to the same lab she saw before…

"Here again…?" she thought

"Ellie… You mustn't use that ability too much" the man said

"Him again…" the mercenary remarked "the same one who tried to kill me twice…"

"But why…?" Ellie asked

"You may be able to use that ability but it puts a strain on your body and you may suffer repercussions. I don't want you being reckless. Promise me you won't be reckless…"

Back to the present:

The mercenary is once again blinded by a light when the man finished his sentence and her perception returns to the ensuing battle. The mercenary then opens her fist and looks at her hand.

"That ability…" she muttered as she slowly stands up "… I remember…"

"Given up already?" Crowley said as he aims his weapon at the mercenary's head "I was hoping for some fun"

Crowley fires a shot but to his surprise, the mercenary moves her head and the bullet misses its mark. Frustrated, Crowley unleashes a barrage of bullets upon the mercenary but the mercenary quickly moves to the right, evading the bullets.

"Wh-What!?" he shouted "How can you be that fast!?"

The mercenary then proceeds to walk towards Crowley. Feeling threatened, Crowley focuses both his weapons upon the mercenary but everytime he fires a barrage, the mercenary would dodge his bullets, almost as if she could see them coming seconds before they were even a few feet away from her.

"Ar-Are you even human!?" the ghoul said with a nervous tone as he unload his entire magazine upon the mercenary

To his horror, he misses every single shot and he now finds himself facing the mercenary, her eyes devoid of emotion and mercy.

He attempts to punch the mercenary with his right hand but she grabs the fist with her left hand and to his surprise, she was strong enough to keep his right arm at bay.

"N-No way…" he said as he writhes in pain because the mercenary had twisted his right arm "Y-You're not human!"

The mercenary then plunges her right hidden blade through the gap in the helmet and armor, piercing his wind pipe. The ghoul chocked for a few seconds before succumbing to his wound.

"Cold and efficient… Just like what the reports said" the figure remarked

The mercenary stood there for a few seconds before kneeling down and barfing.

"You ok?" the figure asked

"Y-Yeah…" the mercenary said as she gasps for air "What happened?"

"You killed Crowley"

"I-I did?" the mercenary wondered

"You don't remember?"

"No…"

"Interesting…" the figure said as he presses a button on Crowley's armor, causing it to transform into a button in his suit "At any rate, advanced tech like this should be kept in good hands"

"What do you plan to do with that?" the mercenary asked

"I won't do anything with it" the figure answered "I'll just keep it until the need arises"

The mercenary simply stares at the figure before standing up

"So does this mean the mutiny's gonna end?" she asked

"Yep…" the figure confirmed "I'll have my contact take control"

"Right…"

A few days later:

Following the operation, the rebel ghouls returned to Underworld and surrendered to the authorities. And it did not take long for Dr. Barrows to announce a cure for the ghouls. The residents were thrilled and many openly showed their thanks towards the Brotherhood.

Underworld; Chop Shop:

"Looks like we're celebrities now" Vyse said

"Yeah…" Marina said "They were really happy with the cure"

"Thank you for researching the cure Dr. Barrows" Dallas said

"No" the doctor said "I should be thanking you. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have been able to finish my research"

"What did you find anyway?" Ellie asked

"The 'feral' ghouls we found at the subway tunnels all contained a special strain of the FEV" the doctor answered

"FEV?" Vyse wondered

"Force Evolutionary Virus" the doctor answered "I never thought I'd see this again…"

"What about this virus?" James asked

"It was a virus developed before the war" the doctor explained "It was meant to create powerful soldiers out of civilians but the draw back was that the virus would destroy higher brain functions, rendering the host to be nothing more than a killing machine. This virus was responsible for creating those Super Mutants"

"So why is this virus the cure?" Dallas asked

"The FEV ahs many strains" the doctor answered "This particular strain did not eliminate higher brain functions. In fact, it helps in enhancing it… Using that a medium, I managed to create a cure to the degeneration of our rational thought…"

"Wow…" Vyse said "That's some heavy shit right there"

"Anyway" the mercenary said "Does this mean that Underworld would help us in taking Galaxy News Radio?"

"As much as we appreciate what you have done for us…" the doctor said "…We can't go to war yet. As you can see, we still need to rebuild and recuperate. Maybe another time"

"What?" Vyse said "We busted our asses to help you guys and now you're not gonna do the same?"

"Let it go, Vyse"

Looking behind him, Vyse notices Coby, all patched up.

"Coby" he said "Looks like you've recovered"

"As if flesh wounds like those would be enough to stop me" he replied "Anyway, thank you for taking care of us doctor"

"I'm sorry that we can't help you right now…" the doctor said "But I promise that I will try to acquire enough support from Underworld to help your cause"

"Thanks, doc" Coby said "Pride! Let's move!"

Underworld Entrance:

"So what do we do now?" Vyse asked "We still haven't gotten an army big enough to help take Galaxy News Radio"

"If I may" James said "I may be able to help on that one"

"Huh?" Ellie wondered

"Now that Underworld's safe and secured, me and Audrey can join up with you guys"

"Alright…" Coby said "But no offense, Paladin James, but the two of you are hardly enough firepower"

"Who said it was just me and Audrey?" the Paladin said with a smile

Seward Square Southeast; 2 hours later:

The members of Lyons' Pride arrive at a derelict encampment…

"Looks like a battle took place here, not too long ago…" Coby remarked

"Yeah…' Vyse said "You can still smell the lead and gunpowder…"

"What's in here anyway, Paladin James?" Ellie asked

Just as Ellie makes another step, a bullet lands in front of her shoes. Acting fast, the members of Lyons' Pride draw their weapons and prepare themselves for a fight.

"Put your weapons down!" a female voice shouted

"Who are you?" Ellie asked "Show yourself!"

"We got you and your buddies in our sights! Put down your weapons!"

"Reilly!" James said as he emerges from the crowd "It's me!"

"James? Well I'll be damned!"

A woman, clad in combat armor and helmet, emerges from the ruins. A squad of soldiers, donning either combat armor or dusters, then emerge from the ruins too.

"Well, well" the woman said "It's been a while James!"

"Yeah…" James said "It's good to see that the Rangers are doing fine"

"Uh…" Vyse said "What's going on here?"

"Oh right" James said "Reilly, care to introduce yourselves?"

"We're Reilly's Rangers!" the woman said "We're a mercenary group and as of 2305, we're a rebel group fighting against the NCR. I'm Reilly and obviously I call the shots for the Rangers!"

"You're one of those scattered rebel groups then?" Ellie asked

"You could say that" Reilly responded "We hardly had any contact with the other groups, well save for these guys"

A middle-aged woman then walks forward; she was wearing a sheriff duster and hat.

"My name is Senora Cruz" she said "And we are known as the Regulators. We were once the very few sources of law in the land until the NCR came…"

"Reilly, Senora" James said "We need your help in taking control of Galaxy News Radio and taking the fight to the NCR. What do you say?"

Reilly and Senora look at each other.

"Why the hell not?" Reilly said

"I think we've hidden ourselves for too long…" Senora said

"So guys…" James said as he turns to the Pride "Two rebels groups? What do you say?"

"I'd say…" Coby responded "…When do you want to attack the broadcast?"