Chapter 2- Escape from the Lucky 38

Night once more began to fall across the desolate wasteland of the Mojave Desert, accompanied as always by the harsh touch of the cold night air. Ever since the attack which had struck the Lucky 38 they had been on the run, all they could do was run. They avoided any major settlements and towns, without knowledge of who their enemy was they did dare to trust anyone. Until they uncovered the truth they had to assume everyone meant them harm and in their current state, carrying looted equipment and barely sufficient supplies to sustain them, their enemies would find them easy prey. With that in mind the fugitives had made their way east, to find the hidden entrance to the Safehouse of the Brotherhood of Steel.

Brianna dropped into the underground chamber, sweeping her weapon in front of her in search of targets lying in wait to ambush her. When no such threat dared to present itself Brianna shouldered her Laser Rifle, turning on her heel she called up to her partner waiting above. "It's clear"

Veronica dropped down into bunker beside her companion. "It's about time, I was getting lonely waiting up there all on my own" Veronica glanced around the hidden bunker concealed beneath the Brotherhood Safehouse in the desolate wasteland above. "So what are you thinking?" Veronica stepped into the centre of the bunker; turning on her heel she collapsed unceremoniously on top of one of the cots lining the eastern wall of the bunker. "Not that I'm complaining or anything, I just hope you've thought of a way to keep us from having to spend the rest of our lives down here. I've lived the bunker life before, trust me, its charms don't last"

"Oh don't worry" Brianna finally allowed her rifle to slip from her shoulder, bracing it against the support column she unclasped her helmet and laid it with her weapon. Across the bunker, beneath the shadow of the flag of the Brotherhood of Steel, lay an active computer terminal. Brianna stepped towards the terminal, activating the computer with a flurry of keys. "I believe I have a plan to get us out of here and find out who attacked us"

Brianna implanted a wireless node into the terminals access port, this node allowed Brianna access to any wireless network within the Mojave Wasteland, primarily the Securitron network. Inputting the necessary security codes Brianna was greeted by the smiling avatar of 'Yes Man' the digital commander of New Vegas' Securitron army and the Couriers greatest ally during her ascent to power as the new leader of New Vegas.

"Hello master" Yes Man greeted Brianna with his characteristically up beat demeanour. "And how are you doing today?"

"Not good Yes Man" Brianna responded. "The Lucky 38 was attacked by a group of elite commandos"

"I know. It's sad isn't it, you try to do so much good for the Mojave and people still want you dead" Yes Mans tone remained unsettlingly positive.

"Well they nearly succeeded this time Yes Man; we barely made it out of New Vegas with our lives"

"Although I wanted to stay there and beat the life out of every single one of them with my bare hands" Veronica suddenly interjected. "But I knew she wouldn't be able to find her way here without me"

Brianna quickly returned her attention to the terminal. "The soldiers had no identifying markings and their equipment appeared to be pre-war origin"

"Very rare finds indeed" Yes Man seemed to ponder the query, mining his databanks for relevant information. "Even more surprising is a faction being able to scavenge enough technology to equip an entire commando team"

"Has there been any sign of the ones who orchestrated the attack since we escaped?" Brianna asked.

"I am afraid not, master. My brothers surrounded the Lucky 38 moments after you departed. When they entered they found no trace of those who attacked you"

Brianna knew that lead had already frozen cold, she would have to attempt a different approach. "Is there any record in the database of an organisation with a large amount of advanced pre-war technology, specifically Chinese Stealth Suits?"

Allot of smaller factions within the wasteland relied upon pre-war technology to maintain the advantage over larger groups utilizing either salvaged finds or newly fabricated weaponry. "No entries in the database match your given parameters. But video feed from one of my Securitron brothers in the field show an unmarked aerial vessel approaching the southern perimeter of New Vegas just before the attack began. The unit continued to track the vessels departure and the vehicle has since landed at REPCONN HQ. We are maintaining a vigilant surveillance on the target"

"Now" Veronica suddenly piped up. "Surely it can't be a coincidence that a secret aircraft arrives just in time for an attack on the Lucky 38"

"Definitely not" Brianna turned to face her companion. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"That the mystery aircraft is connected with the people who attacked the Lucky 38 and we should go investigate them in search of any indication of who launched the attack against us" the words rolled off of Veronicas tongue as though she were reading off a list of salvaged gear.

Brianna pondered the response. "Sounds good to me"

"Great" Veronica leapt to her feet, rubbing her hands gleefully. "I'll get my Pneumatic Gauntlet"

It was less than half a day's hike to the ruins of the REPCONN HQ building; they arrived under the cover of darkness. Circling around at the edge of the ruins the two figures lay atop the cliffs to the south of the Headquarters building. From this vantage point they could see the mystery aircraft Yes Man had referred too, docked in the clearing in front of the building rising high above the cracked wasteland.

"Looks like pre-war technology" Veronica broke the silence. The craft had a heavily armoured fuselage flanked on either side by large wings supporting two jet engines formed into the streamlined structure, the entire skin of the vehicle draped in a jet black coating which allowed it to conceal itself against the darkness of the night. "I've seen that type of aircraft in the Brotherhood of Steels archives. It looks similar to an experimental military dropship being developed by one of the pre-war governments before the nukes hit"

Brianna drew her Gauss Rifle from her back; peering down through the rifles scope she scanned across the target before her. Brianna identified one guard patrolling alongside the docked ship. "We need to remove the guard before we can approach" Brianna lined up her sights; she would have to eliminate the soldier in a single strike or risk sacrificing their only lead. Just as her grip on the trigger tightened the guard suddenly disappeared beneath the engine of the starboard wing. "I wish he would hold still, I need to get a clear shot at him"

Veronica suddenly perked up. "I've got it covered" Veronica leapt to her feet with a mischievous smile on her face, slipping down the bank she broke into a run towards the target. Veronica slowed to a jog as she approached the docked craft, her guardian angel watching from her vantage point. Veronica suddenly collapsed into a heap in the dirt.

"What is she doing?" Brianna muttered beneath her breath. The guard suddenly appeared from beneath the wing, cautiously approaching to investigate the figure, Veronicas plan soon became clear. The guard continued to approach cautiously, his weapon raised and ready to fire at the first hint of danger. "Ok Veronica" Brianna spoke through their shared communicator. Veronica braced her hand on her knee, shakily raising herself into a crouch, the soldier standing over her dressed in the same black armour like a looming phantom of death. "Now what I need you to do is-"

But before Brianna could complete her message Veronica suddenly leapt to her feet, striking the attacker in the chest with a sharp uppercut. The surprise attack threw the guard to the ground and Veronica, utilizing the momentum of her first attack, brought her fist crashing down onto the soldiers stomach, the thin stealth armour providing little protection for the wearer against the blunt force of the attack. Brianna allowed her weapon to fall slack in her arms. "Or you could just do that" she spoke into thin air, unsure if her partner had even heard the remark.

Brianna ran down the hill towards Veronica. Brianna leant over the broken body of the soldier lying dead at Veronica's feet, once again her companion had chosen to throw all pre-tense of subtlety to the wind in an effort to simply remove the threat entirely.

"Very subtle Veronica"

Veronica smiled cheekily in response. "Hey, it worked didn't it?"

Brianna shook her head in defeat, returning to her task, she checked over the body of the fallen guard. The strange thing about him was that he carried nothing besides his armour and weapons, no personal effects, no currency, no faction markings or signs of allegiance. Even his equipment, although exotic, had been thoroughly searched and checked for any indication of where they may have spawned from or who wielded them. Whoever was leading this attack clearly did not wish to be identified. Brianna pocketed the spare Microfusion Cells and returned her attention to her companion. "Well he's not going to be any help to us"

"We could always interrogate the pilot" Veronica gave the suggestion as casually as she would ask you to pass the salt across the dinner table.

"Only one problem" once again Brianna served as the voice of reason. "He's inside the ship and we're stuck out here"

Veronicas gaze passed over the ship, noticing the cargo bay door formed seamlessly into the side of the craft a smile began to grow across Veronica's lips. "Leave it to me"

Veronica struck the hull of the craft with the clenched fist of her Pneumatic Gauntlet, the clang of metal against metal shattering the looming silence of the wastes. A sound stirred within the craft, the access door slipped silently open as if at her call. Veronica held herself against the hull of the ship, Brianna hiding beside her, they listened for the telltale sounds of footsteps clanging against the metallic deck. The barrel of a plasma rifle emerged from within the ship; Veronica lashed out with her right hand and grabbed the barrel of the weapon tightly in her grasp. Utilizing her strength forged through years of intensive training she drew the guard forward and out of the ship, grabbing the soldier himself she threw him hard against the hull of the ship, pinning him with her Pneumatic Gauntlet.

The pilot was dressed in the same jet black armour as the soldiers they had seen before, although his face was exposed without his helmet, his Asian features glaring defiantly back at her, silent.

"Not very talkative is he" Brianna said.

Veronica turned her head, bemused. "Let me break his legs, maybe I can loosen his tongue"

"You truly believe your threats frighten me?" the two captors were surprised when their captive finally spoke.

"Well I could always start with something a little more delicate and critical" Veronicas tone suddenly turned devious. "A hand, a spleen"

"Down girl" Brianna sniggered, placing her hand on her companions shoulder. "We just want to know who attacked the Lucky 38"

"I do not fear death" the prisoner disregarded the request. "I welcome its embrace. You will learn nothing from me"

"You may not tell us anything, but I am sure your navigation computer will" Veronicas technical knowledge as a member of the Brotherhood of Steel appeared to be serving her well. "The system will have logged everywhere you've been, including where you came from"

Though he did not allow it to appear in his features the prisoner was clearly distressed by the revelation. "It matters not" the man's voice remained unphased. "You cannot stop the force that is to come. You will all be-"

The man's words were cut short mid-sentence, the main structure of his skull fracturing with a flurry of bloodshed and shattered bone fragments. Veronica released her grip on the broken body, the corpse falling to a heap at their feet. Brianna and Veronica turned sharply, they could see the glint of a snipers scope atop a ruined building across the compound.

"Get inside!" Brianna snapped, the two of them scrambling towards the open cargo door, the hull of the ship being pelted by a barrage of bullets. Brianna climbed into the ship, Veronica following quickly after slamming the bulkhead door behind her.

Brianna dropped into the pilots chair of the cockpit, activating the controls. Veronica loomed over her shoulder. "Are you sure you can fly this thing?"

"The Boomers let me train on some of their simulators" a devious smile grew across her lips. "Let's just say that my flying skills in the dog fighting scenarios left allot of Boomers kissing the virtual dirt"

Brianna engaged the flight controls, the engines rumbling to life as the aircraft hovered over the broken and cracked surface of the desert. The thrusters engaged and the stealth ship fired into the darkened sky over the barren Mojave Desert.

The stealth transport levelled off several thousand feet over the desolate wasteland, allowing the pilot to flop back into her seat.

"Well, now that we're not being shot at maybe we could check the navigation computer and finally work out who's been attacking us all this time" Veronica pondered.

Brianna leant forward, passing her agile finger tips across the main computer screen before her, searching through the databases contained within the ship. "You're right Veronica. The computer holds all the previous destinations the ship has landed" Brianna scanned through the list of names, as she delved deeper a single entry drew her eye. Brianna froze in her place. "Big Mt" the haunting name cascaded past her frozen lips.

"Big Mt" Veronica asked. "You sound as though you've heard of it"

Brianna seemed surprised that her companion had even heard the name spoken beneath her lips. "I spent allot of time at Big Mt."

"You never told me about that?"

"I am afraid it was before we met" Brianna smiled sweetly. "We have to maintain a little mystique in our relationship" Brianna gripped the control column tightly in her hands. "Looks like we're going to Big Mt"

Veronica leant back in her seat. "So what else have you been hiding from me? Any past relationships, any important people you've killed who might want you dead?"

"Nothing which should come back to bite us anytime soon, I spent allot of time at Big Mt before the battle of Hoover Dam, it's a training facility and weapons research base, I thought I could find some useful technology amongst the ruins"

"Sounds just like any other base in the Mojave, so what's so important about this place in particular?"

"Well aside from the vast array of advanced technology it is also the place where I once had my spine and heart replaced with mechanical parts and I had a long debate with my own brain over whether 'he' was willing to return with me or remain the partner of a power mad robot with a broken monitor for a face"

Veronica stared bemused for a moment. "Have you been drinking the Cactus Juice again?"