Chapter 12: The Southern Campaign

Raven Rock, NCR Army HQ:

Briefing Room:

Inside the small room, were only two people; General Lee Oliver and his guest, the same hooded man he had met almost a month before.

"Your little 'toys' are hardly helping me control these bastards!" the general complained

"General…" the man said with a hint of arrogance "The only reason those suits failed was because you and your men are incompetent"

"What did you say!?" the general said, raising his voice

"A weapon is only as good as the soldier who wields it, don't you agree general?" the man answered "Besides, Evergreen Mills is only a minor setback"

"Minor setback!?" the general said "That base has been supplying our forces stationed in the south! With it gone, the rebels could overrun the entire southern region in a matter of weeks! And if they take back the Citadel, we'll have a full blown revolution in our hands! I'm demanding that you send your men down there right now and control the situation!"

"Patience my dear general" the man answered "Did you forget that we're also helping you maintain order at New Carolina and Tennessee"

Annoyed, the general answered "Then send a squad of your best men or something!"

"I'm sorry, general" the man replied "But I can't. There is a particular nuisance who is living in the Carolina Wasteland and we want him dead as soon as possible."

"The fuck!?" The general demanded "At least send me something to help me control this disaster!"

"Fine" the man answered "I will give you another 'toy' to play with. Make sure you give it to someone competent this time"

In the days that followed the capture of Evergreen Mills, the Sons of Liberty have gained a significant foothold in the southern and eastern regions. The NCR forces stationed in and around the DC ruins were struggling to maintain control of their respective areas as the Sons of Liberty focus their efforts in taking the southern region.

May 15, 2307 (1 week after Evergreen Mills)

Fort Bannister, Briefing Room:

11:45am:

The members of Lyons' Pride gather by the holo projector to discuss the rebellion's next move.

"Once again" Arthur said "Good work at Evergreen Mills. Despite the heavy losses, we managed to take that supply base!"

"I just hope that mishap won't happen again…" Coby muttered

"Don't worry" the commander replied "The only reason why the enemy managed to catch us off guard was because we were a little bit too cocky. That and we completely ignored the intel on the stealth units. This time, we'll be much more cautious in any future battles"

"I hope you're right about that…" Marina uttered

"Anyway" Elysse said trying to divert the topic "What's our next move?"

"With the NCR's southern supply lines compromised" the commander briefed "Their bases to the south will start to struggle to maintain control of the populace"

"How so?" Coby asked

"I'm getting reports of a lot of anti-NCR activities in and around the DC ruins lately" the commander continued "But the radio station, Galaxy News Radio, is still under NCR control and they've been using that station to broadcast propaganda to the towns and cities around the Capital Wasteland ever since October 2306"

"So our next target is the radio station?" Kodiak asked

"Bingo" the commander answered "If we take that radio station and free Three Dog, we'll broadcast our own propaganda across the wasteland and inspire the populace to rebel. If things go right, we'll be united enough to start our own republic!"

"Republic?" Kodiak wondered "You think it's possible? Not even the Lone Wanderer was able to unite the entire Capital Wasteland…"

"Really?" the mercenary wondered as well "Wasn't the Capital Wasteland united under the Brotherhood of Steel?"

"Not necessarily" Elysse answered "The Brotherhood protected the people of the wasteland but that didn't necessarily mean that they considered us THE government. The wasteland was still divided into small towns and cities"

"Wow…" Ellie said "I didn't know that…"

"Judging from that" Vyse said "You haven't lived here long enough… Mind if I ask where you came from?"

"Where I came from…?" the mercenary muttered as vivid images of the unfamiliar wasteland, a laboratory and a vault begin to flash before her eyes…

The voices of unfamiliar people, their faces… The sound of gunfire, screams… The mercenary was having another episode…

Noticing the mercenary's distress, the knight sergeant quickly ran to her side muttering "Ellie!?"

"I…I'm fine…" the mercenary replied as she catches her breathe

"You ok?" Vyse asked "The same shit happened back at Paradise Falls… What's going on?"

"I… I don't know…" the mercenary answered "After you asked that question, those visions again… They… They've been popping up recently and… For some reason, seeing them makes me panic… I don't know why…"

"Could it be that you're suffering from something similar to Amnesia?" Dallas suggested

"Impossible" the mercenary answered "I remember parts of my childhood… All the way to when I became a mercenary"

"Mind if you tell us more about yourself then?" Elysse asked

"What?" the mercenary wondered

"I just need to confirm something…" Elysse replied "So will you tell us your story?"

The mercenary nods as she begins to tell her tale

Flashback:

I was born in Wyoming, inside one of the vaults there… But I wasn't a vault dweller. The community I grew up in managed to find an abandoned vault and somehow was able to reactivate the vault's systems. I only knew my mom and I had no siblings. With the protection of the vault, we lived a peaceful life… We all thought that the vault would protect us forever… But we were dead wrong…

When I was about 14, men in power armor suddenly broke through the vault's door armed with a variety of weapons; plasma, laser, lead…

Some of us tried to resist but our bullets merely dented their armor… We couldn't do anything… I was shot in the shoulder and was forced to escape the vault. I never saw any of my friends and my mom again…

I wandered the wasteland until I was taken in by a group of mercenaries who taught me how to fight. They brought me to their base in Dallas, Texas. At first, I wasn't allowed to leave our base because the creatures would kill me if I come with them. Eventually, I became skilled enough to join them in their missions. For the next few years, I would do one job after another, all the while continuing my training.

One day, the NCR came rolling over Texas and like the other merc groups, we were assigned to help repel the republic…

During the Battle of Dallas, our squad was stationed in a destroyed building as the NCR plows through the city. We managed to catch the NCR by surprise and ambush them as they march past our position.

We had the momentum but what we didn't expect the NCR's next move… The remaining soldiers retreated and we thought we won the battle. As we were about to leave the building, a mini nuke detonates inside, instantly killing 3 men from our squad. Next thing I knew, mini nukes were exploding everywhere… If the explosion doesn't kill you, the radiation would…

I don't know how I managed to survive… I lost everyone I cared about…again…

My hatred for the NCR started that day.

With everyone dead and half of Texas taken, I decided to travel east. To my disappointment, the NCR kept following me wherever I went… I kept fleeing until I, eventually, reached the Capital Wasteland… And the NCR still followed me.

Having had enough of running, I decided to stay and stop the NCR once and for all!

Back to the present:

"Hmm…" Elysse said "Looks like you have a grasp on what you've been doing the past few years… But what do you think Dallas?"

"I don't know…" the medic answered "Those visions that she sees could be a symptom of PTSD"

"PTSD?" Vyse wondered

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" Dallas answered "I read it in a pre-War book. Basically, if someone experiences a very traumatic event, they'll suffer from a lot of symptoms… Ellie's condition is one example…"

"So it's PTSD?" Kodiak asked

"Could be…" Dallas answered

"Anyhow…" Arthur said "PTSD or not, Ellie's a great addition to the team! For now, let's refrain from making her remember her past… We don't want another episode, do we? As for you Ellie, you gotta find a way to fight this. You're gonna have to face this problem of yours sooner or later…"

"Right!" Everyone responded

"Sorry for asking that stupid question…" Vyse said

"Don't worry…" Ellie replied "But I still want to know what these visions mean…"

Vyse simply smiles as the meeting continues.

"Anyway…" Kodiak said "Despite their supply lines being cut, the NCR still has a tight hold on the radio station. Taking it won't be easy…"

"Why don't we use the rebels from Girdershade, Big Town and Germantown?" the mercenary asked

"We can't" Elysse answered "NCR forces from the north have been attacking Fort Bannister, Girdershade, Big Town and Germantown for days now… They want to recapture Evergreen Mills. If we pull out even a few men from each town, the NCR can use the weakened defenses to their advantage and attack these vital locations. We cannot afford to lose those bases"

"What about Megaton? Grayditch? Fiore? Rivet City?" the mercenary suggested

"Despite the NCR's hold weakening" the commander answered "these towns have yet to rise up against the NCR…"

"Why aren't they revolting?" Ellie asked

"Rivet City has been friendly with the NCR from the beginning" Elysse answered "Megaton, Grayditch and all other towns still need a little more 'push' before they start rising up"

"What about Underworld?" Vyse suggested

"Not gonna happen…" Arthur replied

"Why not?" the knight sergeant wondered

"The Brotherhood doesn't really have good relations with those ghouls…" Arthur answered "For the past few years, a couple of Brotherhood squads have opened fire on the ghouls and they didn't really like being shot at for no good reason… They'll never help us, hell; they might even be more willing to help the NCR…"

"We gotta try" Ellie said "Do they hate all humans?"

"No" Arthur answered "They only dislike the Brotherhood… Anyone else is tolerated"

"Then let me talk to them" the mercenary suggested

"And why would you do that?" Arthur asked

"We need to move fast and secure the radio station so we can take the Citadel and the Purifier back" the mercenary explained "Then, we can advance to Raven Rock and kick the NCR out of the wasteland!"

"Forget it" Elysse said "We have a higher chance of taking the radio station ourselves than convincing those ghouls to help us"

"But…" the mercenary disappointedly muttered

"Those ghouls won't help us and that's that!" Elysse strongly said

The mercenary gave a disappointed look as the commander says "Alright"

Surprised, Ellie and Elysse uttered "What!?"

"I'll leave them in your hands then" the commander said with a smile

"What are you talking about, Arthur!" Elysse protested "We can't waste time trying to convince a group of people who hates us to help! We're better off trying something else"

"I have faith in her" Arthur said "I mean Ellie, Vyse and Marina managed to garner support from Girdershade. I have total confidence that Underworld would join us"

"But-" Elysse said

"No Buts" the commander interrupted "Knights Ellie, Vyse, Dallas and Coby would go to Underworld and garner their support! Also, you cannot wear any outfits associated with the Brotherhood. You'll all be wearing different outfits in order for the ghouls to allow you to enter their city. Good hunting you guys and I expect you to return with good news!"

"Right!" the 4 troopers responded

Dupont Circle Station, 4 hours later:

Arriving inside the derelict station, the troopers turn on their flashlights and begin their trek into the dark subway tunnels.

"So does the Brotherhood hate ghouls or something?" Ellie asked

"It's not that we hate them…" Coby answered "It just that most of us can't tell the difference between a feral ghoul and a non-feral ghoul… With so many encounters and even loses, many of our men, hell even regular folks, tend to shoot first and ask questions later"

"It's not really the ghoul's fault either…" Dallas rebutted "…Ghouls were human once. They only became like that because of radiation…"

"You know anything about them, Dallas?" Vyse asked

"As far as how and why they became like that" she answered "I don't know. What I do know is that their anatomy is still the same as a humans, only difference is that they're slowly rotting. If this process reaches their brains, then that's when feral ghouls are born… Other than that, they're almost as human as you and me"

"So does that mean every ghoul would go feral some day?" Vyse asked

"I'm not sure…" Dallas replied "…But I hope that won't be the case… It'll only justify the prejudice and worse, create mass genocides of ghouls and ghoul communities…"

"Yikes…" Ellie muttered "Let's hope you're right about that"

As the troopers go deeper into the dark subway tunnels, they hear a distinctive snarl echo through the tunnels.

"Speak of the devil" Coby muttered as the troopers raise their weapons and slowly walked forward

With their flashlights shining in different directions, the team scours the tunnels for the source of the snarl, most likely feral ghouls. The tunnels were, surprisingly, empty.

"Not a single soul in sight…" Vyse muttered "…Think they ran off somewhere?"

"No clue…" Coby replied "… Keep your eyes peeled, they could suddenly pop up from the shadows"

"Huh…" Dallas muttered "… This is odd behavior even for feral ghouls…"

They then notice a closed steel door, with the words 'Do not open' written in blood. Next to it is a corpse of a NCR trooper; it seemed that he was stabbed in the stomach by a spear or a long sharp object.

"Should we open the door?" Ellie whispered

"Do it" Coby answered "Cock your rifles guys… There's no telling what's behind that door"

Opening the steel door, the mercenary creeps inside. The team then witnesses a gruesome sight… Blood and body parts of various animals, humans and even ghouls were everywhere and this was only in a small room.

"Holy shit…" Vyse muttered "Didn't know feral ghouls can do this kind of carnage…"

"Something isn't right…" Dallas nervously stated "Feral ghouls are aggressive and brutal but not THIS brutal… Something else caused these deaths…"

"Stay frosty Pride" Coby said "Dallas, close the door. Ellie, check the hallway"

As Dallas closes the steel door behind them, the mercenary creeps into the hallway, which was littered with entrails of different animals, humans and ghouls.

Finally reaching another room, the mercenary could hear the sound of something eating. She signals the others that there was something in the room.

Shining her Pip-Boy light, she was stunned at what she sees. A creature that looks like a feral ghoul was feeding on the remains of an unlucky NCR trooper. The creature had 2 blade-like appendages sticking from its back, apart from that; it looked like a normal feral ghoul.

Noticing the light, the 'ghoul' turns around and lets out a blood-curdling scream. The mercenary quickly fired her varmint rifle on its head. The creature merely flinched and made a mad dash towards the team. The entire team then unloaded their ammo upon the creature but it seemed that the abomination was resistant, if not impervious, to bullets and lasers

"The fuck is that thing!?" Vyse shouted as he continues to fire his Laser Rifle

"Keep shooting!" Coby shouted as he unloads his minigun upon the creature.

The creature then pounces onto Ellie and using its blade-like appendages, attempts to stab her head. Thankfully, the mercenary's reflexes managed to evade all of the creature's attacks.

"Ellie!" Vyse shouted as he and the rest of the team furiously fires their weapons on the creature "Die you piece of shit!"

As the creature flinches from the concentrated fire, the mercenary quickly draws her pistol and begins to unload an entire magazine onto the creature's chest.

Eventually, the creature finally collapsed to the floor dead.

With one more shot from her 9mm pistol, the mercenary checks the body to ensure that the creature was dead.

"It's dead…" she muttered

"The fuck is this thing!?" Vyse said as he looks onto the ghoul in disgust "Took a lot of rounds just to kill it!"

"I don't know…" Coby nervously replied "But if this is part of the ghoul's mutation, then shit's gone full circle…"

Dallas then opens her doctor's bag and acquires a few samples from the creature (blood, tissue and brain matter)

"What're you doing?" Ellie asked

"Collecting samples…" Dallas answered "… Once we get to a lab, I'll do what I can to check what this thing is…"

With the creature dead, the team resumes their trek to Underworld…

As they made their way into Metro Central Station, the mercenary's thoughts were filled with what had transpired a few minutes earlier…

"I had those visions again…" she thought "…Why did it look like I created them…?"