Chapter 27: Can I trust you?

D.C. Ruins, Capital Wasteland

2 weeks later:

Ellie sits on the roof, or what's left of it, of a derelict building. The skies were dark as the mercenary stares at the horizon, her mind filled with various thoughts…

"So much happened in just a few weeks…" she muttered to herself "… Guys…"

"What?!" Ellie said as she turns to Polonsky

"Like I said…" he replied "… An unknown group ambushed Lyons' Pride a few days ago…"

"What happened to them? Are they alright?"

"The squad suffered so much casualties… Lyons' Pride is done…"

"No…"

"Marina and Coby suffered serious injuries. They're alive but just barely. James, Dallas and Audrey suffered several bullet wounds but not as serious. Arthur and Elysse disappeared during the ambush and no one's heard from them since. Lastly, Vyse and Kodiak… were killed."

"What?! No… No…!"

"I'm sorry but you had to know. Also, there's-"

"Polonsky!" Ellie interrupted as she grabs her friend's shoulders "Who did this?! Where are they?!"

"Ellie. Calm down"

"Calm down?! You expect me to calm down?! Polon-"

"Ellie! Firstly, we don't know who did this so calm the fuck down! But what we do know is that this may be connected to the spy"

"Spy?"

"Yes. While you were away, someone's been leaking vital information to the NCR. Their assault on the eastern and western fronts a few weeks ago were results of an information leak!"

"Fuck. I gotta get back to the citadel and-"

"And what?"

"And what?! I gotta warn the leaders! We need to get to the bottom of this!"

"The leaders know of your past"

"So?"

"So? Did you forget that one of the Brotherhood's enemies was the Enclave? After you disappeared, the NCR became more aggressive in their advance. The leaders are convinced that you're the spy. The second you step near the Citadel, you'll be arrested. Worst is they'll shoot you on sight."

"N-No way…"

"Your best bet is to stay away from the conflict or at least stay in the shadows"

"No… I-I…"

"I can see that this is a lot to take in. I suggest you go somewhere or even just stay here and think about it for a while. Don't be rash. When you're ready, I'll be waiting at my house. Be careful though. The Brotherhood is on the lookout for you. Stay hidden and stay safe"

"Polonsky…" Ellie muttered as her friend does a leap of faith from their location.

As Ellie ponders to herself, Gerard suddenly appears next to her.

"What is it this time…" she muttered

"Told you so." he replied "The second they find out, they'll turn their guns against you"

"What do you know?"

"What? All because you helped form this little rebellion, you think they'll always be at your side. This is war, Eleanor. Tools will always be tools and there are people out there who can take advantage of the chaos."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying is that not all of your oh-so-pure "leaders" have actually good motives in fighting this war. They all have their own agenda to serve or else they wouldn't have risked their lives rebelling against such a power"

"You know nothing, Gerard"

"Do I? I think I should be the one telling you that"

Ellie leers at the sinister man as he gives a triumphant smile.

"Still resisting…" he muttered "Like I said, you'll see the light eventually. And when you do, I'll be waiting"

Gerard walks away and disappears into the building.

"Who are you, Gerard…?" she muttered to herself

Sometime later:

As the mercenary traversed the roofs of one derelict building to another, she hears a scream.

Following the source, the mercenary spots a group of soldiers burning an entire settlement as they gather the citizens in the center of the small town.

"Their uniform…" Ellie remarked "That's the Sons of Liberty insignia"

"P-Please!" a middle-aged man said "W-We didn't do anything…"

"Didn't do anything?!" one of the Brotherhood soldiers said "We saw your little town taking care of injured NCR troopers!"

"We were only helping the sick and injured! This has nothing to do with the war!"

"But it doesn't change the fact that you're helping NCR troops!"

"NO!"

Not wanting to sit by and watch, the mercenary covertly descends into the village, landing on top of a rebel soldier.

After knocking the soldier out, Ellie hides behind some debris as she sneaks around the village, knocking out rebel soldiers as she goes.

A short time later, she hides behind a makeshift house just a few meters away from the rebels in the center.

"Last three…" she muttered as she emerges from cover and sprints.

The sound of her running reached the ears of the rebels as they turn around.

"It's her!" one of them shouted as they open fire

Ellie quickly jumps to her left and hides behind some debris as the rebels hammer her position with bullets.

Looking for something to use, the mercenary searches her immediate environment.

"A cane…" she muttered as she picks the object up and spots another "A grenade. Huh? I can't pull the pin? And it feels light… Must be a replica"

Ellie then throws the 'grenade' at the soldiers. "GRENADE!" one of them shouted as three of them jump out of the way.

Taking the opportunity, the mercenary rushes to the first rebel. Before he could properly aim his rifle, the mercenary grabs the muzzle and pushes it to the side as she unleashes a flurry of punches on the man, hitting him in the head, face, and stomach, before knocking him out with a kick to his left cheek.

The other two recover from their jump and continued to open fire on the mercenary, who returns fire with her assault rifle. After a brief exchange of bullets, the other rebel was hit in the left leg and right shoulder.

Ellie then rushes towards the wounded rebel and knocks him out with a punch directly to his face before he was even able to properly stand up.

After briefly staring at one another, the last rebel runs away with Ellie in close pursuit.

5 minutes later:

The rebel proved elusive as he managed to slow down the mercenary using whatever items he could find.

"Crafty little bastard are you…" she muttered as the man blinds fire behind him "Still sloppy though…"

Seeing that the path ahead is covered by debris and the only way is to the right, the mercenary brings out her grappling hook and climbs a derelict building to the top.

Quickly running to the other end of the building, the mercenary fires her grappling hook on another derelict building.

Using the rope as a zipline, the mercenary slides down and lands on top of the rebel.

The man tries to struggle free but stops as the mercenary puts a blade to his neck.

"Now then" she said "You're gonna explain to me what's going on here…"

"Y-You won't get shit from me!" the man said defiantly before Ellie stabs his left shoulder.

"You're gonna talk one way or another" the mercenary said as she pulls out a syringe containing a weirdly colored liquid

"Wh-What is that?"

"This? Just a little something that I want you to drink"

"W-W-Wait"

"Well since you won't talk maybe this serum could help you"

"W-Wait! I-I'll talk!"

"Very good. Now explain to me what were you doing in that settlement"

"W-We were assigned to take care of the settlement! Command said that the settlement was giving aid to NCR troops"

"So you decided to burn it down and murder the residents"

"N-No! It was o-orders from the top"

"Bullshit! The leaders won't agree to this"

"R-Really it's true! Commander Johannes personally gave us the order"

"Johannes?! You think I'm gullible huh?!"

"I-It's true!"

As Ellie continues to interrogate the man, a hooded figure appears before her.

"What is it this time?!" she uttered

The hooded figure undoes her hood, revealing her identity.

"Dallas?!" Ellie uttered "You're alive!"

"Yeah…" the medic coldly replied

Dallas slowly approaches the mercenary and stares at the rebel. "What's going on here?"

"This guy and his squad were burning down a settlement. Accusing them of working for the NCR"

"W-We were only acting on orders!"

"Shut up!"

Dallas continues to stare at the man for a few more minutes before she aims her pistol to his head.

"Wai-" the man uttered before a bullet lands on his forehead.

"Dallas! What the hell?!"

"He was burning down a settlement right?"

"When did you-"

Before the mercenary could complete her sentence, Dallas points her pistol at Ellie. "Dallas. What's going on here?"

"The Pride's gone, Ellie. Kodiak, Vyse, Elysse, Arthur. They're gone… That and you've been accused of being a spy"

"I'm not the spy! Dallas, you know me!"

"Yes I do and I see a threat before my eyes"

"Dallas!"

"Goodbye Ellie"

As Dallas pulls the trigger of her pistol, the mercenary quickly ducks and attempts to stab the medic's legs but she jumps back, dodging the attack.

Dallas then brings out her rifle and begins opening fire on Ellie, who promptly hides behind a car. "I don't want to fight you, Dallas!"

"This makes it easy then!"

As Ellie contemplates her next move, several grenades find their way to her position. "FUCK!"

The second she emerges, Ellie finds herself facing a torrent of bullets from Dallas. Ignoring the torrent, Ellie makes a mad dash towards a derelict building as the grenades detonate and the car explodes.

Breaking through a window, the mercenary makes her way deeper into the building with Dallas not too far behind.

"Dallas! Why are you doing this?! I'm not the spy! I'm not your enemy!"

"Are you?" the medic replied as she fires another burst through the stairs "You turned your back on us! On Vyse!"

"I know…"

"And now where are we?! Vyse and Kodiak are dead, Elysse and Arthur are missing, and Marina & Coby are in critical condition! So how am I gonna react to this?!"

"Please, Dallas. I didn't turn my back on you guys! I just needed some time to collect myself"

"Some time?! 6 weeks! You've been gone for 6 weeks!"

"Dallas please!"

"Shut up and fight me, you bitch!"

Reaching the rooftop, Ellie attempts to use her grappling hook but Dallas manages to shoot her hand, prompting her to drop her only means of escape.

With nowhere to run, Ellie had no choice but to fight her former comrade.

Using her abilities, Ellie closes the distance between her and Dallas. With her adversary close, Dallas drops her rifle. Seeing an opportunity, Ellie flicks her right wrist and attempts to stab the medic's right shoulder.

To the mercenary's surprise, Dallas parries her attack with her own set of hidden blades.

"What?!" Ellie uttered

"You think you're the only one who can use these?"

Ellie bends backwards, narrowly dodging a swipe from Dallas' left blade.

"Dallas please! Listen to me!"

"I'm done listening. I've been keeping an eye on you for a while now and I'm not liking your progress. I think you're a bigger threat than them!"

"Dallas!" Ellie shouted as Dallas charges towards her.

An intense fight ensues with Dallas attempting to land a hit with her hidden blades while Ellie struggles to parry every single attempt.

A few minutes later, Dallas attempts to impale her right blade on the mercenary's face. Thanks to her reflexes, Ellie manages to block the blade using both of her hidden blades. But before she could decide her next move, Ellie hears a familiar sound coming from Dallas' gauntlet.

As if driven by instinct, Ellie leans to her left, narrowly dodging a bullet the emerged from a mechanism in Dallas' gauntlet.

Taking the opportunity, Dallas breaks her right gauntlet free and brings out her pistol. Acting fast, Ellie pushes Dallas' right arm, prompting her to miss her shot as she pulls the trigger. Ellie then attempts to stab Dallas' left shoulder but the medic sidesteps and aims her pistol once more. Once again, the mercenary quickly pushes the medic's arm, missing the shot. As Ellie does one more lunge, Dallas grabs her arm and pulls the mercenary towards her. She then headbutts the mercenary and stabs her in the stomach.

Injured and momentarily disoriented, the mercenary still manages to land a punch on Dallas' right cheek. Dallas quickly recovers but finds that both fighters are now pointing their respective pistols at one another.

"You're pretty good…" Dallas said as she notices Ellie's injury quickly healing "For a super mutant"

"Dallas. Please listen to me. I am not your enemy. I want to help!"

"Why should I trust you now? For all we know, you could be plotting something behind our backs"

"I'm not with the Enclave anymore!"

"Are you sure?! Give me a good reason to believe you!"

"I…"

"You fucking left! Did you know how worried everyone was?! Especially Vyse! He fucking brooded every night after you disappeared! And now he's dead!"

"Vyse…"

"So tell me, Ellie! How can I trust you?!"

Ellie ponders to herself as she notices Gerard behind Dallas. "See? I told you everyone's going to turn against you. So what will you do now…?"

Ellie struggles to get her thoughts straight as Gerard continues to taunt her.

"Shoot her…" Gerard whispered from behind "… She's already convinced that you're a threat solely on the reason that you were with the Enclave. Shoot her"

Ellie closes her eyes as Gerard continues to coax her into shooting her former comrade. She then puts down her pistol and raises her arms. "I'll let you decide then, Dallas. I've said my piece. So if you still don't believe me, then shoot me."

Ellie then injects herself with the syringe containing the purple liquid. "I've suppressed the FEV inside of me. Aim for my head and I won't come back"

"You expect to win me over with this emotional shit?!"

"What are you doing?!" Gerard remarked "You're just going to allow her to kill you?!"

"Dallas" Ellie said ignoring Gerard's protests "My life is in your hands"

After some time, Dallas closes her eyes and aims her pistol at the mercenary. Ellie closes her eyes, awaiting her fate. "I'm proud to have served with you guys in Lyons' Pride…"

After one last exhale, the medic pulls the trigger.

?:

Gerard sits down in a small room as a small blue light begins to flash.

He quickly presses a hidden button from under his desk as the wall opens, revealing a large screen with the words 'audio only' showing.

"I have heard that Ellie has returned" the voice from the other side said

"Yes…"

"How is she?"

Gerard did not respond

"I have a feeling that things are not going according to your plan?"

"Even after regaining her memories, her actions are still unpredictable."

"A minor setback. But a setback nevertheless. I want this dealt with. I'm disappointed, Gerard. I expected more from you since you are part of the circle"

"Yes… My apologies"

"I'll be asking for updates soon and I want to hear good news for a change"

"Yes…"

As the wall closes, Gerard gave a confident smile. "Everything IS going according to plan… Although, you won't like the outcome. Just a little more time"

Fiore:

As Polonsky sits down and eats some pre-War potato chips, he hears a knock on his door. He quickly answers the door and sees Ellie, alive and well.

"Ellie!" He said with a smile "Come on in!"

As the mercenary makes herself comfortable, Polonsky offers her a bottle of Nuka-Cola, which she accepts.

"So" he said "Have you made your decision?"

"Yes… I want to do what I can. I don't want to just sit somewhere and hope this blows over"

"So like you..." Polonsky remarked with a smile "... Fine... There's no convincing you anyway. If you really want to help I can give you a couple of missions to do"

"That's fine. But I have questions that need answers"

Polonsky's eyes squint as he says "I'll only answer questions that I deem to be 'appropriate', got it?"

"Very well. First question: What do you want me to do and why?"

"Simple actually. You'll be doing several things for us. Assassinations, stealing documents, et cetera. Why? Well for starters, it's not like you can go back to the Citadel, now can you? Second reason being is that these missions would ultimately help both of us"

"How so?"

"Well. We're pretty much hunting the same person. The NCR spy leaking the information"

"And you think these missions will helps us get to him?"

"Yes"

"Alright. Second question: What group are we facing against? Based on my interactions with you guys, I feel that there's some sort of 3rd party involved"

"I can't tell you exactly who they are but they have been around for quite some time, in fact they already existed before you or me were even born and have manipulated a lot of events throughout the wasteland"

"So you think this group has a grip on the rebellion?"

"Yes. We believe that their agents have already penetrated the rebel ranks as well as NCR ranks"

"What? They're spying on both factions?"

"Yes. I mean, how can you manipulate an entire event without getting people on both sides?"

"Fair enough. Lastly, who are you people? What do you get out of doing these things or even fighting them? Why do you fight?"

"That is an excellent question. But an 'inappropriate' one at that. What I can tell you is that our objective is the same as Sons of Liberty. Freedom. We want freedom."

"Freedom? Freedom from what?"

"Strings. Puppets. Things that you don't know are actually manipulating every single action and thought that goes through your mind"

"Fine. I'll help you but if I feel that you're hiding too much information from me, I won't hesitate to point my blade against you, even if it's you Polonsky"

"I wouldn't have it any other way"

"Alright. I'll rest at my house for a while. I'll be back later tonight to discuss on the plans"

"Right. I'll just be here"

As Ellie leaves through the door, Polonsky, who is still seated in the same chair, couldn't help but smile. "So… What's your verdict?"

"She looks stable" Dallas said as she deactivates her stealth boy "I still have my doubts but I feel that she's more or less ok"

"Good to hear. How'd you like the fight?"

"She's a cunning one, I'll give her that. But I know she was holding back. But it was fun, more or less."

"Right"

"Polonsky. Do you truly believe that she'll truly be able to help us? I know we've been struggling for decades now but pinning our hopes on a former Enclave scientist and soldier is just way too much of a gamble"

"After all that, you're still hanging on to that reasoning?"

"I can't help it…"

"I understand though. If she were to turn her back on us, we'd be in a shitload of trouble"

"Then let's hope that this little gamble would pay off"

"It will. Me and Marcus believe it will…"

Flashback:

Ellie opens her eyes to find that Dallas shot the wall next to her. "Dallas…"

Dallas closes her eyes as she puts her gun down "I'll give you a chance"

"Dallas…"

"It's what Vyse would have wanted… So don't you dare make any more wrong decisions!"

"I won't"

Dallas then turns around and proceeds to the edge of the roof. "I hope you're right, Ellie. For both our sakes…"

She then does a leap of faith, leaving the mercenary in the roof.

Safely reaching the streets, Dallas examines the body of the rebel she shot.

"Knew it…" she muttered as she takes a necklace bearing the iron cross.