Chapter 19: Media Blitz

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In the cold steel walls of what appears to be a vault, a tall elderly man emerges from a room, his face showed he was in deep thought, and proceeded to his right. Soon, he stumbles upon a hooded man and stops.

"Still hard at work, I see" the hooded man said

"I don't have time for chitchat" the man said "What do you want?"

"How rude" the hooded man replied "I only wanted to talk to you for a bit"

"You and I both know that is never the case" the man responded "So what do you want?"

Letting out a disappointed sigh, the hooded man said "The balance of power has shifted… The rebels are slowly gaining in power and, at this rate, will soon drive the NCR from the region"

"Aren't you the one who's been dealing with the NCR?" the man replied "In our last meeting, you mentioned that everything was going according to plan!"

"Yes" the hooded man said with a hint of confidence "Everything IS going according to plan! Even if the NCR is driven out of the region, it does not hinder our goals"

"Do you intend to use the rebels to our ends then?"

"Why not?" the hooded man said "After all, we already have a 'mutual friend' in their ranks"

"Are you sure that your 'mutual friend' is enough to control those rebels?"

"That is why I had this 'friend' do some research and one name in particular seemed to have peeked my interest"

The hooded man then shows the elderly man a file containing information on a familiar individual. The elderly man's eyes widen as he reads the name and sees the picture.

"I-Impossible!" he said "How is 'she' still alive!?"

The hooded man grins as he says "She is one of the best soldiers they have and he even noted on some of her 'special' abilities. Not to mention her name, Ellie. Does that sound familiar?"

"I remember someone going by a nickname like that…" the man responded "But that was more than 50 years ago... She went missing after 'the incident'! Even if she did survive 'the incident', 'it' would have killed her eventually!"

"Could also be a coincidence…" the hooded man suggested "Or maybe she is a daughter or more probably, a granddaughter, perhaps?"

"That is much more probable than the same scientist still being alive…" the man said "But her identity is not what peeked your interest, isn't it?"

"Of course…" the hooded man answered "…I think we can use her to meet our ends, in case the NCR fails"

"In the event that she is a descendant…" the elderly man said "Do you think she has 'it'?"

"If what the reports say are true, then yes" the hooded man replied "We will need a sample to make sure though"

"How about 'them'?" the elderly man said

"'They' don't concern me…" the hooded man said "I'm surprised that 'they' still exist even after what we did to them a few years ago. They have the tenacity of roaches!"

The elderly man's eyes squint as the hooded man continues to talk about 'them'.

"Well I think it is time for you to head to wherever it was you were headed…" the hooded man said as he walks the opposite direction "Good bye"

Even after the hooded man left, the elderly man just stood there, staring at Ellie's profile.

"Eleanor…" he muttered as he brings out a locket that is shaped like a heart "I know you died… I saw it with my own eyes…"

Arlington Library (Sons of Liberty Base):

Arthur Maxson sips a cup of hot coffee as the radio in the room comes alive

"This is Alpha Lion" the Sentinel said "What's the status?"

"This is Hunter 2. We were unable to gain the support of Underworld" Vyse said on the other line "But we did find Paladin James Lyons and Knight Sergeant Audrey Sanchez in the ghoul city. Through Paladin James' connections, we managed to make contact with two rebels groups, namely Reilly's Rangers and the Regulators. They have agreed to help us in taking point media! We're awaiting orders, sir!"

"Good work Hunter 2" Arthur said with a smile "The plan is a go then! You know what to do"

"Copy that! Hunter 2 out!"

With that, the Sentinel switches his radio off. Elysse, who was standing by the corner of the room, approaches the sentinel.

"Looks like things are looking up…" she said

"Yeah…" the sentinel answered "Not surprised they found James there…"

"On another note, some of our scouts also report that someone caused quite a stir at Rivet City a few days ago…" she said "The NCR would most likely be on the alert… You still think it's a good idea to attack?"

"Elysse" Arthur said "It's now or never… We don't have much time… You know that…"

"Because 'he' told you" the Star Paladin said with a serious face

"You and I both know that 'he' is a trustworthy man" the Sentinel answered "If he's right, then 'they' are already on the move"

The Star Paladin did not utter a word; she merely stood there and stared at Arthur, who was actually being serious.

"Besides, I have faith in 'her'" the Sentinel said

"'Her' huh…" the Star Paladin replied "… I hope you're right…"

"I'm confident that I am…" the Sentinel said as he exits the room

Ranger Compound:

Meanwhile, Vyse turns the radio off as he finishes his report.

"How'd it go?" Ellie asked as she enters the room

"The mission's a go" the knight sergeant replied "You know what to do next"

"Right…" the mercenary responded with a melancholic tone

"What's wrong?"

"No… I…"

"Don't say that you're 'fine'! I can tell from your face and tone!"

The mercenary couldn't hide her anxiety from Vyse. No matter what excuse she made or what lie she would create, the knight sergeant would see through it… Having no other choice, the mercenary decided to come clean

"So your little adventure at Rivet City made you hesitant in killing NCR soldiers?" the knight sergeant asked

"Y-Yeah…" the mercenary confirmed

"I understand where you're coming from…" he responded "But that doesn't mean you have to hesitate"

"What do you mean?" the mercenary asked

"Remember that I was part of a raider gang?"

"Yeah…"

"Well after I joined the Brotherhood, I was forced to hunt down my former friends…"

"Really…?"

"Yeah… At first, I was hesitant because come on, even if these guys are evil, you can't help but be hesitant since you've experienced, first-hand, the reasons behind their actions… Besides, I used to know a lot of em…"

"So how did you get over it?"

"The world isn't black and white… There's no such thing as one side being completely 'good' or 'evil'. We all share a certain amount of good and evil. Whether something is right or wrong depends on the person but one thing's for sure, fighting for what you believe in is never wrong…"

"Huh…?"

"I realized that by killing my old friends, I'm making the wasteland a safer place for the people… Basically, I was choosing a 'lesser' evil… In the end, it's not just about killing the 'bad' guys; it's about standing true to your beliefs and fighting for em…"

"So how is this connected to the NCR?"

"The NCR has its own set of beliefs to fight for… We do too… Why hesitate? Because these enemy soldiers have families? If that's the case then they should also feel bad for killing our brothers & sisters too…"

The mercenary hangs her head low

"This is war…" the knight sergeant explained with a gentle tone "All we can do is fight for a better tomorrow… And even if you hesitate, our enemies won't. If they get the chance to kill you, they will kill you. So why give them that chance?"

The knight sergeant then approaches the mercenary and pats her right shoulder. The mercenary stares at him as he gives her the brightest smile he could muster.

"Well" he said as he leaves the room "I gotta brief the others… Stand strong Ellie! We're all here for ya… I'm here for ya…"

Ellie stood there, motionless, as if trying to understand what the knight sergeant had told her…

Galaxy News Radio

7:30pm:

Standing by a destroyed building, just a few meters away from the radio station's lobby, Reilly's Rangers and the Regulators prepare their guns for the impending battle.

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

"Commence the operation" Arthur responded on the other line as Reilly gives the signal to attack.

Seconds later, the entire area is flooded with the sound and smell of gunfire. Responding to the attack, the NCR troops entrench themselves on the countless sandbags and makeshift cover they erected.

"These bitches really prepared themselves!" Senora shouted as she fires 3 shots from her Service Rifle "Gonna be a real challenge to get through them!"

"I know, right?" Reilly responded as she fires a short burst from her Chinese Assault Rifle

"Where are the members of Lyons' Pride anyway?" Senora asked "I haven't seen them anywhere!"

"Don't worry" the Ranger leader replied "It's all part of the plan!"

"Plan?" the regulators leader wondered

"We're just a decoy!" she replied

Behind Galaxy News Radio:

Meanwhile, the members of Lyons' Pride climb the derelict ruins of the building, trying to reach the station's back door.

A few minutes later, the squad gathers at the back door, with Vyse standing right next to the door. With a confirmatory nod from Arthur, Audrey brings out her Pump-Action Shotgun and shoots the door's hinges and kicks it down.

Almost immediately, the members of Lyons' Pride pour into the room and shoot down every NCR soldier they encounter. In no time, they manage to secure the room and Three Dog.

"Three Dog" James said as he checks on the old man "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine" the old DJ replied "I think you guys better secure the ground floor"

"Right!" Arthur said "Dallas, you two stay behind and defend Three Dog! The rest of you, follow me to the ground floor! We're taking this Radio Station today!"

"Right!" everyone responded

Galaxy News Radio Ground Floor:

Bursting from the door, the members of Lyons' Pride take the entrenched NCR troops by surprise. Some manage to retaliate but their efforts were in vain as their entrenchments were not built to protect them from an attack from behind.

By about 10:35pm, the few remaining NCR soldiers surrendered and the Radio Station was now firmly under the control of the rebels. With their objective achieved, the rebels couldn't help but cheer!

"Nice work Pride!" Arthur said as he debriefs his squad "Now we don't have to hear anymore NCR propaganda!"

"Hell yeah!" Vyse exclaimed happily

"Now that was intense" Paladin James remarked "Been a while since I had this much fun"

As the rebels celebrate their victory, several shots ring across the building.

"Gunfire!?" Marina said

"It's coming from the 2nd floor!" Kodiak remarked

Sensing something was wrong, the mercenary bolts to the 2nd floor with her rifle locked and loaded.

Galaxy News Radio, Broadcast Room:

Upon bursting from the door, the mercenary runs towards the broadcast room and is greeted with a horrible sight…

"Dallas!" she shouted as she checks on the medic, who was shot in the stomach

"E-Ellie?" the medic said in a pained tone

"Don't talk!" the mercenary responded "Save your strength!"

"E-Ellie…" she uttered again "Y-You need to chase him down…"

"Chase who down?" the mercenary asked

"A-A N-NCR Ranger tried to kill Three Dog but I m-managed to shield him the last second…"

Just then, the other members of the Pride arrive.

"Marina!" Arthur said "Call a doctor!"

"R-Right!" the sniper responded as she runs downstairs.

"Where did he go?" the mercenary asked

"Th-The back door…" the medic answered as she points down the stairs

With a serious face, the mercenary looks at Arthur and says "Take care of her" before bolting to the back door.

"Hey!" Vyse said "Where are you going?"

Upon bursting through the door, the mercenary's eyes quickly lock onto the would-be assassin

"Not gonna escape from me you son of a bitch!" she muttered as she begins the chase

Minutes later, the mercenary was getting closer to the would-be assassin but the ranger eventually noticed that he was being chased and also made a break for it. During most of it, Ellie would fire her rifle at the individual but her shots would miss. The man would retaliate by firing several rounds from his .45 auto pistol but his shots also miss the mercenary.

Eventually, the chase would take both individuals into the dark underground tunnels of the derelict subway system…

Running through a straight tunnel, the mercenary stops and carefully aims her rifle at the man.

"No more running" she muttered as she pulls the trigger

But to her surprise, the man quickly jumps to the side, avoiding the bullet. He then hides behind some rubble. The mercenary then cautiously approaches the rubble. As she nears it, the man quickly bursts from cover and fires a shot from his pistol. The mercenary narrowly avoided a bullet to the arm as her reflexes saved her. The man, having run out of ammo, lunges at the mercenary and easily disarms her. The mercenary managed to escape the man's grip and ready herself for a hand-to-hand battle. It was then that the man's hood was undone and his identity was revealed…

"Rufus…" she uttered with wide eyes

"Been a while, Ellie…" the ranger said with a confident smile "May I have this dance?"

"Screw you!" she responded "I'm gonna fucking enjoy kicking your ass!"

"You sure you can take me on?"

"I know I can take you on!"

"Bring it then!"

The mercenary then starts with a right hook that the ranger easily parries. Rufus responds with a roundhouse kick followed by a combo of punches. The mercenary struggled to block his attacks as the ranger was fast and his attacks were pretty strong.

"What's the matter?" the ranger taunted "That all you've got?"

"As if!" the mercenary responded "I'm just getting warmed up!"

Through her reflexes, Ellie manages to grab Rufus' right leg and proceeded to pull him towards her. It worked and she managed to land a couple of punches on the ranger's face and stomach.

But as she was about to land another punch, Rufus grabs her arm and begins to twist it. Ellie cries out in pain as Rufus proceeds to throw her, judo-style. As she lands on the ground, Rufus attempts to stomp her face but the mercenary's reflexes kick in and saves her, once again, from danger. The mercenary stands up and the two fighters square off.

"Not bad…" Rufus said as he wipes some blood off his mouth "…Those are some pretty hard fists you've got"

"Thanks" the mercenary responded with a grin "I have been working out"

For a few minutes, both fighters square off, waiting for one to make the first move. Soon, the ranger begins to sprint towards Ellie, the mercenary prepares herself for the impending attack.

Rufus attempts a right hook that Ellie blocks with her arm. The mercenary then responds like a boxer and unleashes a flurry of punches on the ranger. The ranger manages to either dodge or block the mercenary's attacks though.

As Ellie was about to unleash another punch, the ranger, simultaneously, unleashes his own, with Ellie attempting a right hook and Rufus attempting a left hook.

Noticing the attempts, both individuals widen the palms of their respective hands and grab the shoulders of the other. Both attempt another punch with their opposite arms but instead of a fist, it was a palm. Both individuals once again grab the shoulders of one another…

With their arms locked firmly on each other's shoulders, both fighters were evenly matched.

"Nice one…" Rufus remarked "Looks like you have some bite under all that bark"

"You can't imagine how much fun I'm having" the mercenary responded

As the two individuals struggle to break free from each other, part of the wall of the subway tunnels collapses. The momentary distraction allowed the mercenary to break free from Rufus' grip.

As the rubble rests, a tall ghoul, with a bulky body like a bodybuilder, emerges from the, newly created, hole in the wall.

The ghoul then sets its sights on the mercenary and proceeds to crush her with its fists. The mercenary dodges the attack and notices Rufus walking away.

"Hey!" she shouted "You get back here!"

"Sorry" the ranger responded "I got plans"

"You sneaky son of a bitch!" the mercenary angrily shouted as she dodges another attack from the ghoul

"Goodbye for now" the ranger said as he waves his right hand and disappears into the dark subway tunnels.

The ghoul was relentless in its attacks against the mercenary.

"I need a gun!" she muttered as she scans the tunnels for a weapon

She then spots her rifle right behind the ghoul. As the ghoul was about to do another crushing attack, the mercenary rolls behind the mutant and quickly grabs her rifle and fires several shots at the creature's head, although, the ghoul merely grunted and resumed its relentless onslaught.

As the creature was about to do another attack, a grenade explodes behind the ghoul, causing it to flinch. It was then that the mercenary noticed Paladin James, wielding a grenade launcher, and the other members of Lyons' Pride arriving on the scene.

"Ellie!" Vyse said "You ok?"

"I'm fine!" she responded "But I could use a hand!"

"What is up with feral ghouls these days!?" the knight sergeant remarked as he notices the ghoul

"Maybe it's because of that FEV thing Dr. Barrows mentioned" James responded

"Enough chatter" Arthur said "Time to kick some ass!"

With the timely arrival of Lyons' Pride, the mercenary was able to overpower the ghoul. Despite its best efforts, the ghoul finally fell after a hailstorm of bullets.

"This one's bulkier than the normal…" Coby remarked

"Is this what this FEV can do?" Kodiak wondered

"Maybe…" Arthur responded "… If we had Dallas, we could have gathered some samples to study…"

"Dallas!" the mercenary muttered as she realizes what had happened just minutes ago "How is she?"

"She's fine" Marina answered "She'll be bedridden for some time but she's fine"

"That's good…" the mercenary said as the ghoul suddenly started to slowly move its left arm

"Ellie watch out!" Vyse said as he notices the ghoul's movements

But it was too late, the ghoul managed to grab the mercenary's throat. It then stands up as the other members of Lyons' Pride open fire upon it.

"D-Damn it…" the mercenary muttered as she vainly kicks the ghoul's face several times

With each succeeding kick, the ghoul's grip just keeps getting tighter and tighter. The mercenary was running out of oxygen…

With her consciousness slowly fading, the mercenary began to hallucinate… Instead of the bulky ghoul, her eyes show her a tall figure wearing the unfamiliar power armor…

The next time the mercenary regains consciousness, she finds herself inside an unfamiliar lab, the sound of an alarm and gunfire can be heard. This time, she wasn't wearing the unfamiliar power armor but she was wearing a grayish uniform.

"They're here!" a scientist with a German accent said

"With what we have left…" the other man said "…The base will fall!"

"That man…" Ellie thought to herself "…He's here again… Why does he keep appearing in these visions…?"

"Are 'they' here already?" the scientist asked

"Yes!" the man replied "'they' will ensure our safety! Besides, I've had enough of all this crap!"

"Are you sure 'they' can be trusted?" the scientist asked

"Better than staying here and getting caught" the man answered

"Fair enough…" the scientist responded

As the two men continue their conversation, Ellie cocks her plasma rifle and slowly walks towards the two men. A bright light then blinds the mercenary as she gets closer to the young man.

The mercenary then finds herself chasing a hooded figure down a hallway. She fires her plasma rifle several times but misses. The hooded figure then stops, raises his left arm and points it towards a hole in the 2nd floor. A tiny wire emerges from it and proceeds to pull the figure away from the mercenary. As the mercenary was preparing to make a jump, the mercenary notices an oncoming spear and narrowly dodges it.

Looking for the attacker, the mercenary sees a tall young woman, donning a blue jumpsuit customized with armor pads, wielding a spear.

"That armor pattern…" the mercenary thought to herself "…It looks familiar…"

The mercenary attempts to fire her rifle but the gun jams and takes this opportunity to pull out her 10mm pistol and fires it. The mercenary narrowly dodges a bullet and with her reflexes, manages to grab the woman's right arm and wrest control of the firearm from her. In the ensuing fight, the gun accidentally breaks.

The woman then uses her spear to stab the mercenary but Ellie manages to dodges every thrust and swing. Eventually, Ellie grabs the spear and proceeds to pull the woman towards her. It worked and the mercenary pulls out a knife to finish off her attacker. But her attacker quickly lets go of her spear and brings out a sword, the design of which is unfamiliar to the mercenary, and attempts to slash the mercenary's chest. The mercenary parries the sudden attack with her knife.

The woman then jumps back and proceeds to relentlessly attack the mercenary from different sides.

"She's fast…" Ellie thought as she notices that she was open

As the woman was about to stab Ellie's heart, the mercenary quickly grabs the woman's right arm. With the battle turning in her favor, Ellie attempts to stab the woman's throat with her knife. But the woman had one more trick up her sleeve as she produces another knife from her left arm and stabs the mercenary's left arm, forcing her to let go of the woman, as Ellie prepares herself to fight, a bullet lands on her left shoulder.

Looking behind her, she sees the bullet came from an AK74u, wielded by the hooded figure.

"You're really something you know that…" the hooded figure said "… Surrender, you can't win this…"

Despite the damage done to her body, the mercenary utters "One mind, One body!" before charging towards the hooded figure.

Ellie is then blinded once more by a bright light as the last thing she hears was the sound of a single gunshot…

The mercenary then wakes up and notices that she was lying on a bed inside a tent.

"Where am I…?" she muttered

"You're in a medical tent…"

The mercenary looks to her right and notices Vyse, who was sitting down.

"Vyse…" she muttered "What happened?"

"That ghoul really got you good…" he said "Played dead then did that surprise attack… We managed to kill it for real this time and we just had to get some samples so we collected some bits of flesh and brought it to Dr. Barrows for him to study…"

"Dallas…!" the mercenary muttered as she suddenly remembered something "How is she!?"

"Calm down…" The knight sergeant said "She's alive but she'll be bedridden for a while"

"That's good…" the mercenary muttered "How long was I out?"

"Only a day or two… Don't worry about it. Anyway, I have some good news for you" the knight sergeant said as he turns the radio on

"THREEEE DOOOOG!" the voice on the radio said "That's me kids! Coming to you, loud and proud from Galaxy News Radio! That's right, kids! I'm free! The Sons of Liberty have answered my prayers and freed me from the shackles of the NCR! Now I can continue my work in peace! So I hope you'll stay tuned to Galaxy News Radio! And now here's some music that I know you all missed cuz I sure did!"

"The radio…" Ellie muttered

"We did it…" Vyse said with a smile "Galaxy News Radio is ours and we won't be hearing anymore NCR propaganda…"

Ellie smiles as she hears the music from the radio

"Get some rest" Vyse said as he stands up "I'm gonna take care of some things. You take it easy…"

"Vyse!" Ellie said as the knight sergeant was about to leave

"What is it?" he replied as he turns around

"Thank you Vyse" the mercenary said with a sincere smile "Thank you for everything…"

"D-Don't mention it…" the knight sergeant said scratching the lower part of his cheek.

Arlington Library (Rebel Command Center):

"Knight Sergeant Vyse has confirmed that Knight Ellie has awoken…" Elysse said

"That's good" Arthur replied "What's the after battle report?"

"We lost about 10 men during the fight" Elysse reported "We also recorded about 20 injured, with 5 being classified as serious including Knight Dallas… All in all, we suffered minimal losses…"

"Would have been better if we suffered no losses…" the Sentinel muttered

"Sentinel Maxson" Senora Cruz said as she enters the room, armed with her service rifle

"What is it, Senora?" Elysse asked

"We found someone suspicious lurking around the camp" the Regulators leader reported "We detained him and he wants to speak to Sentinel Maxson"

"Me?" Arthur wondered

Arlington Library Makeshift Prison:

"We detained the man inside one of the library's play rooms" Senora said

Opening the door, Arthur sees a tall middle-aged man, his left eye was covered by an eyepatch and he could notice a long scar from the left side of his forehead down to his lips.

"You're the rebel commander, I presume?" the man said

"Yes I am" Arthur answered "What do you want with me?"

"I want to make a deal" the man answered

"A Deal?" Arthur wondered

"Yes. A Deal" the man said with a grin "I observed your little fight at Galaxy News Radio and I want to offer you my services"

"Who are you?" Arthur asked

"Me?" the man said "My name is Jack. And I am the leader of the mercenary group known as Talon Company"