NCR had been stretched too thin, though the sprawling republic would never admit to it. That had never mattered much before, but once the Legion attacked, it was painfully obvious that NCR was outnumbered.
The battle had gotten off to a good start. Courier Six and her group of misfits had been a formidable force, helping to clear Hoover Dam's power plant before charging out onto the dam itself. NCR corpses already littered the concrete, and Legion forces were swarming across the dam at a staggering pace. The tides had turned, and NCR was quickly losing ground.
Six's group met with heavy resistance, and though they fought hard, they made little progress against the crimson-garbed soldiers.
Cass was the first to go down. She'd been so busy trash talking the Legion soldier before her that she didn't hear the chainsaw coming at her until it was too late.
Arcade was next, having gone to help Cass. He'd just leaned over the pieces of Cass' body when a sledge hammer smashed into his skull. The blond collapsed on top of the redhead and moved no more.
The Boomers' plane flew overhead, dropping bombs into the Legion camp, but the bombs did little good; most of the soldiers had already made their way onto the battlefield. The pilots seemed to realize that they weren't helping and circled around to retreat. They'd hardly made it over the dam before a well-placed shot from the Legion's Howitzer smashed into the B-52's tail. The plane went screaming into Lake Mead in a rush of flames and smoke, returning to its watery grave.
Boone lasted longest, exacting his revenge for his murdered wife in the only way he saw fit. He calmly dropped soldier after soldier, never looking away from his scope. A bullet caught him in the shoulder, and another in the chest. He staggered and collapsed to the concrete, a morbid smile on his face as his wife's name passed his lips for the final time.
Veronica and Six were the last surviving members of the group, but they'd been pushed back almost to the western edge of the dam. Both women had taken to hiding behind sandbags and firing guns into the fray, and when petrified NCR officers ordered the troops to fall back, the pair followed.
Six fired her assault rifle into the advancing Legion forces, giving Veronica time to run. The scribe scrambled to her feet and managed to sprint a few steps. Her foot landed on a loose piece of concrete and her ankle rolled over. Veronica collapsed with a yelp of pain, hating herself for the misstep.
The courier hauled Veronica to her feet, and the pair scurried to the next set of sandbags. Six practically tackled Veronica behind the barricade before firing haphazardly over the top of the sandbag wall.
"Are you okay?" she asked breathlessly, turning her attention to Veronica.
The scribe tested her ankle with a wince, but nodded. "I'm fine." She reloaded her laser rifle and helped Six gun down a few praetorians, then ducked back behind the barricade once again.
Six swore and ducked beside Veronica again, fixing a jam in her rifle. "Vee?"
"Sorry, I left my workbench back at the Lucky 38," Veronica quipped, taking down another Legion soldier. "What's up?"
The courier swallowed and wiped sweat out of her eyes. "If you only had five minutes to live, what would you do?"
Veronica dropped behind the sandbags and gave the courier a blank look. "Well gee, Six. I only twisted my ankle, that's a little morbid, don't you think?"
Six shot the scribe a consternated look, peeking around the sandbags and paling at the sheer number of Legion soldiers coming across the dam.
Veronica considered another joke, but decided that there was no making light of their situation. "I don't know," she admitted. "I guess I'd just like to go out laughing. Or in some girl's arms. Or just calmly." She flinched when something exploded nearby. "Anything but this."
Six nodded once, looking down at the rifle in her hands.
"What about you?" Veronica pulled a plasma grenade out of her pocket and chucked it over the sandbags, disturbed by her own relief when she heard Legion soldiers screaming in agony.
"I'd kiss you."
The words were so matter-of-fact that the scribe could do nothing but gawk over at Six.
The courier shrugged, looking almost shy in spite of their situation. "I shoulda told you before, but I kept chickening out. I always thought there'd be a 'later'." A bitter laugh escaped her. "I'd kiss you," she repeated decisively before pushing herself up on one knee and taking down more Legion soldiers.
Veronica was still staring when Six ducked back down behind the sandbags. She had banished wayward daydreams by assuming that Six was only ever going to be her friend, never allowing herself to acknowledge her own feelings for the courier. Part of Veronica hated what terrible timing the courier had, but the rest of her decided to make the most of it. She grabbed Six by the collar and kissed her soundly.
The courier seemed surprised, but responded almost immediately.
When the two broke apart, they stared at each other for a long moment. The hopelessness of their situation began to sink in, and Veronica wanted to cry. All that time lost, and now she wouldn't even get the chance to try and make up for it.
Another explosion rocked the dam, and Six tossed her rifle aside and threw herself over Veronica protectively. She caught the scribe's face between her hands once the danger had passed, staring into Veronica's eyes.
"Don't let them take you," Six pleaded. "Fight, run, do whatever you have to do. Just don't let them take you."
"I won't," Veronica promised weakly, lost in the deep brown of Six's eyes.
Six dipped her head and kissed Veronica again, but before she could pull away, a gunshot exploded overhead. The courier jerked and went still, sagging against Veronica.
Veronica cried out in grief, hardly caring that she'd given her position away to the Legion. She'd just lost the courier; nothing else mattered.
A praetorian kicked Six's body off of Veronica and hauled her to her feet. He clamped her hands behind her back, nearly breaking her wrists, and spun her to face another praetorian.
Six's custom assault rifle was in the legionary's hands, and Veronica snarled at the sight, tears streaking down her cheeks.
"You're of good stock. The great Caesar could spare you," the praetorian offered smoothly, testing the weight of Six's gun in his hands as he looked her up and down lewdly. "Right your degenerate ways and submit to him, and the mighty Caesar will find use for you."
"Rot in hell," Veronica spat, lifting her chin defiantly.
The praetorian sneered and lifted Six's rifle.
Veronica closed her eyes, thinking of the kiss that was lingering on her lips. Gunfire exploded in front of her, and Veronica collapsed onto the concrete. The overwhelming pain from the gunshot wounds across her body gave way to a fuzzy ringing in her ears. Veronica blinked slowly, realizing Six was crumpled before her. Half of the courier's skull was blown away, and she was laying in a pool of her own blood. Her eyes were hollow and lifeless, staring off at nothing.
The world began to go dark around her, and Veronica reached toward Six weakly as the battle faded away.