1.

Her town was gone. Everwood was no more. What was left of it was only ashes and rubble. The only people who survived the pillaging were her sister April and herself.

Alice Lee forced back her tears because she didn't want to give the satisfaction Caesar craved. Alice took hold of her twin's hand and grasped it tightly. She was all that Alice had now.

"Why?" she said to herself.

Her town wasn't special. It was small, and it wasn't near anything else except Hoover Dam. Even then, they weren't allowed to use its water. The mayor wanted them to use the ground wells instead. In short, it was more of a lodging settlement for travelers who were often lost or on the brink of death. Alice felt a jab on her left side and turned to see a legion recruit glare at her.

"Get going!" he said.

Alice and April proceeded to walk to their right, where Caesar and his frumentarii were standing.

"Good work, Vulpes. It was time that these treacherous profligates got what they deserved. To think they could serve both the Legion and the NCR. What whores. Just like Nipton." the bald man man named Vulpes Inculta only nodded.

Caesar walked closer to the Lee sisters and stopped a foot away from them. Both at once took a step back, their heads held high.

"So you two are the head scientists of this disgusting settlement?" he asked. "Women, of all things. What was this, a matriarchal society?"

The sisters said nothing.

"However, very pretty ones as well. I don't think I ever knew a female scientist who was beautiful. Most female scientists are ugly to look at."

The Lee sisters were known to be rather beautiful to those who encountered them. They each had thick black hair, the same heart shaped faces, curvy and proportionate figures, ivory complexions, lips as red as grapefruits and eyes that were a deep dark chocolate. The only difference between the two was that Alice had her hair long and wavy with blunt bangs reminiscent of Bettie Page's, and April had her hair in a short A-line bob parted to the right. Each wore Vault 11 jumpsuits passed down to them from their mother along with Pip-Boys. Alice was the only one of the two who wore glasses, which were black rimmed, as she was horribly near sighted.

The sisters only narrowed their eyes and said nothing. Caesar smiled.

"Ah, also rather quiet," he said. "I suppose we can make use of you two ladies, as we need a repairman or two. Our last one was an imbecile. And besides, we have plenty of breeders for the Legion, along with medical specialists. Unless you have other skills that could help make our invasions take less time, or even know any secret whereabouts of the NCR. Yes, yes. You two will do nicely." he nodded, talking more to himself. "And now, we best get going."

He reached out to take each sister by the arm, but it was Alice who stepped back and took a punch at his face.

"We won't go anywhere with you!" she spat.

Two of Caesar's Praetorian guards stepped forward to grab Alice and knocked her unconscious. Then, they threw her aside.

"Alice!" April shouted while struggling against Caesar's grip.

"Silence! Unless you wish for me to do the same to you, it would be best if you stay quiet and stay put!" he said to her.

April bitterly nodded her head, trying not to cry tears of anger.

"At least let me help get her up off the fl-"

"No. Vulpes!" Caesar shouted.

The man known as Vulpes Inculta walked briskly towards Caesar.

"Yes?"

"Carry this stubborn one for me. Make sure you tie her up so that she is tame. I don't need her to be lashing out and making a fool of herself. When we get back to camp, place her in my tent. I will have a word with her when she regains consciousness." Caesar ordered.

April turned back to look one last time at Everwood, what was once her home. She silently wished she and Alice could've done more for all their neighbors, or at least saved their family. Looking at the crosses that had her friends and family nailed to them irked her. But what upset her more was that she couldn't keep up a fight with Caesar's men, much less prevent crucifixion or anyone from getting shot in the head. Why her home? Didn't they already conquer enough of the Mojave Wasteland? Why was Hoover Dam so important to them? Was it because of that failure from the first battle?

April turned away and walked next to Caesar, his grip on her arm was ever so firm. She felt empty.

"I suggest you and your sister forget about Everwood. Your new home is with the Legion. You are my servants and you will do as I bid, unless you too wish to be crucified, or worse."

What could be worse than crucifixion and being burned?

April only sighed.

"Good girl."

And so the Legion marched on into the night.

The Legion's encampment wasn't very far from Everwood. It had at least twenty or so small tents that surrounded a larger tent. It only took forty five minutes to get there, but to April it felt like an eternity. She didn't feel very comfortable walking into the camp.

"Vulpes," Caesar said. "Take these two into my tent. We will arrange a private tent for them later. I suggest you also get two beds set out for them too."

"Yes, sir."

Vulpes shifted the unconscious Alice over to his left shoulder and grabbed April with his right hand. He led April into the tent and then set down Alice onto the ground while reaching for rope that was sitting on a chair inside.

He proceeded to tie her up.

"Please don't tie her up too tight," April pleaded.

But Vulpes paid her no mind, as he tied Alice's wrists very tightly together, just as tight as he did her ankles. Once he finished tying Alice, he left the tent. April fell to her feet, sobbing. She reached over to Alice and held her.

"What will we do?" April cried to an unconscious Alice.

After realizing she wasn't going to get an answer, she sat there dumbfounded. At that moment, Caesar walked in.

"Ah, there you are." he said.

She glared at him, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. April set Alice down beside her and stood to face Caesar.

"Don't look at me like that. You should be glad I let you live. I didn't have to save a woman like you, much less a scientist. We don't need you folk who are fond of the new technology. I've killed plenty of women prettier than you, don't think it was your looks that saved you. It was your stubbornness. You fought back. I believe you killed one of my men. That's why we decided to grab you, to deal with you later. That is, until Vulpes went through some of your things in your house and noticed that you were trying to escape."

"I'd rather be dead." April said.

"As much as I wouldn't mind killing you here and now, I'm afraid I'm a few people short here. You see, without a blacksmith, we can't do much. Yes, the men know how to take their weapons apart and clean them, but if they're terribly broken, well, they don't know how to piece things back together. That's how stupid they are. And our last idiot would rig them to fall apart and kill my men. I am hoping you won't do that, or else you'll endure something worse than crucifixion or slow torture. As this is my main camp for now since that damned Courier destroyed the fort, I am in dire need of your services."

She said nothing.

"So it's the silent treatment, then? Well, now. I will give you time to think about it tomorrow. Go rest, your tent is ready. But don't think you can fool me or try to get away. I have your tent guarded. You can't escape, you know. As for your sister, we will place her in the tent with you but won't untie her until she is awake."

April fled Caesar's tent. Outside it was dark, and the air was warm. All she saw were small tents with people in Legion clothing moving in and out of them or sleeping in them. She wasn't sure where to go. One of Caesar's men came up to her.

"Follow me," he said.

She walked a few inches behind him, making sure not to run into the man. He stopped two tents left from Caesar's.

"I'll bring your sister shortly," he said.

April stepped in to the tent where there were two beds already. Her's and Alice's backpacks were set against the pillows. Right as April was about to rest her head on the pillow on the bed to the right, a woman came over to her.

"You will wear this," she said, handing April a white rag outfit with a light red X over the chest.

April looked at her funny.

"Thank you," she said shortly.

The woman nodded.

"Ave, true to Caesar," the woman said, then walked away.

April grimaced at the outfit. She tossed it behind her backpack and crossed her arms. True to Caesar my ass, she thought. In her heart she knew she would never be true to Caesar. Already she wasn't true to God, as she and Alice stopped going to Mass after being confirmed into the Catholic church. Church. Oh how she would rather be there a thousand times over being in a Legion camp. April knew she could never return to the peaceful life she had once known.

Just then, another one of Caesar's recruits brought in Alice. He set her down on the bed to the left.

"Don't untie your sister."

April narrowed her eyes but didn't reply. She was already too tired to do much more than snap.

The tent was closed, but April could still see shadows outside of her tent. As she laid down, she looked over at Alice to make sure she was comfortable and then took off her sister's glasses. It was moments before April's eyes fluttered closed and she was sound asleep.

Meanwhile, Caesar was pacing in his tent. He felt as if he knew the twins from somewhere, they looked familiar to him. What was the name of that despicable fellow? Lee? Martin. That's it. Martin Lee. They look just like him, so that means… No, he thought. They are his children. Stubborn and matter of fact, just as he was. He remembered Martin Lee when he accompanied Joshua Graham to speak to tribals. That traitor! Leaving the Legion behind because he didn't want to raise his children among the Legionaries. How dare he go join the NCR to sign up to be a ranger. What blasphemy.

"Lee, they have to be his children. They look just like him. The resemblance is uncanny. I can see it in their arrogant little brown eyes." Caesar said.

He decided he would question the women about their identities the next day.

Alice woke up in the night a few hours later, feeling very sore and disoriented. She saw her sister April lying across from her, asleep in a fetal position. April never slept in a fetal position unless she was anxious or troubled.

"April, wake up."

"Yeah?" April said, half asleep.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Don't you remember? We're with the Legion now. Look at your ankles and wrists. They had you tied." she replied.

Alice looked down.

"My God, you're right." Alice was appalled.

April nodded, her eyes half open.

"Why haven't you untied me?"

"I can't. There's guards outside. If I do, we're dead."

"Yeah? I'd rather be dead than like this." Alice retorted.

"We won't be like this if we comply, for now."

"Why should we comply?" Alice raised her voice.

"Because, once they trust us, we can break their trust and then leave. That, or organize something that will get rid of the lot of them, or even Caesar himself." April whispered. "Keep your voice down. It's gotten us into so much trouble so many times."

"Sorry." Alice whispered.

"Now go back to sleep." April said. "I'll need my energy tomorrow if we have to fight or argue or anything."

Alice was quiet for a bit.

"April?"

"What?" April was agitated.

"Are you okay?" Alice was concerned.

April sighed. "Of course not. Mom and Dad are gone. So is Nathan. How do you think I feel knowing our family is gone? Knowing that we can't ever play with Nathan anymore or teach him anything useful?"

"I'm sorry for asking. It's just that you were asleep in a fetal position."

"Let's just sleep before I start crying." April said quietly.

Alice reached over for her sister's hand.

"It's just you and me now," she said quietly as she fell asleep.