Chapter 20: The Battle of Shi-town Part 2

Petro-Chico Boy station

"Bishop, a status update would be nice around now!" Murdock yelled as he glanced out the firing slot. The big Nightkin had been a godsend against the Yakuza, but even she couldn't hope to fight off all of them, so Bishop and Raul volunteered to help drive them off. From the sound of things, they were just about to force away the Yakuza when Murdock heard the unmistakable sound of engines approaching.

"We're doing fine, Murdock, goodbye!" Bishop screamed as he slammed the door behind him.

"Well, this is fan-fucking-tastic! We're completely surrounded!" Cass complained as she began reloading her shotgun.

"Well, at least we still have cover, and none of us have died, so that's something to be thankful for," Murdock suggested.

Cass always considered herself to be an optimist second, and a realist first. Maybe if they weren't outnumbered five to one, she'd laugh, but right now, she had lost her usual sense of humor. There was more at stake here then just the people in the building, there was her friend stuck behind enemy lines. If they died here, he was as good as dead. But if they didn't, then what?

"Cass, I think we have another problem!" Boone informed her, urgently.

"What now, Boone?" Cass growled. Her sharpshooter moved aside from his firing slot, giving Cass a chance to take in the view.

"Oh…Shit!"

Natalie caught completely off her balance, landed in the arms of one of the Shi-guards, who pushed her back into the impromptu ring. As she did, another sharp, heavy blow slammed against her ribs. She could feel her armor crumple like paper, and the pain coursed through her body like a fire. She looked up at her torturer just in time to see her drive a knee into her forehead.

When Zhang ordered her men to stand down and let her deal with the traitor, a moment passed when Natalie figured that it was the Madame's ego overwhelming her judgment. A moment later, Zhang had thrown a pen-knife into the energy converter of her laser rifle, rendering the weapon inert without a repair kit, before landing a knee-buckling elbow into Natalie's stomach. That was when Natalie realized it wasn't ego dictating Zhang's actions, but cruelty.

Since then, over the next two minutes, Natalie entered a cycle of abuse that put her Ranger training to shame. Despite wearing armor, every blow Natalie threw missed Zhang by a mile, while every movement Zhang made seemed calculated to make Natalie regret her very birth.

"Awww, what may be the matter, traitor-whore? Is that armor too heavy? Or are you simply not strong enough to be worth anything?" Zhang mocked her in between beatings. The other men laughed as Natalie fell to her knees, the pain rendering her body numb. The armor had probably been the only thing keeping her alive, but Zhang had effectively destroyed whatever protection it could keep offering. It had been deconstructed, with the metal plates bent in under pressure, and hanging on to the straps by mere threads. Already, she could imagine the massive bruises across her body.

Natalie then felt a strange warmth on her cheeks. As she regained her awareness, she looked up to see Zhang almost… caressing her. For the first time she had ever seen her, Zhang wore what looked to be an almost loving smile. It was the most disturbing thing Natalie had ever seen.

"Poor, stupid, traitor-whore. To think, you could strike me down. The blood of the Emperor flows through my veins, and it burdens me with destiny and purpose. To an extent, I almost envy you. For your suffering is almost at an end." Zhang promptly threw her head back as far as she could lean, and then slammed her forehead against Natalie's, causing a flash of light to blind the poor victim.

"She's killing her!" Cass whispered.

Murdock, looking out of his firing slot as well, bit the tip of his tongue to the point of bleeding. "Damnit Natty, you don't deserve to go out like that," he said to himself.

"Chief, move!" Boone growled as he pushed him away from his firing slot. He looked out to see the situation. The Shi-guards had paused their firing to surround and witness the execution of Natalie, which Zhang was enacting with much enthusiasm. In less then five minutes, Natalie had been beaten to a pulp, and Zhang looked like she was only a heartbeat away from finishing her for good. They were a hundred yards away, up a slope at roughly forty degrees inclining, and all were wearing that silver armor, and Boone only had a cowboy repeater to make the shots. The only way to ensure hits would be to aim for the heads from one hundred yards away, without a spotter or even a scope, but Boone needed to make this work. He wasn't going to lose someone like this again.

Natalie, eyes blurry from the tears and the pain, looked up just in time to see Zhang standing above her, yanking her penknife from out of Natalie's rifle. As she pried it loose, she noticed Natalie had regained consciousness.

"Good, you are awake! I believe I have changed my mind about making it quick. So, I've made the decision to make you suffer just a little longer," Zhang said as she leaned down over Natalie. She pointed her knife directly over one of her eyes, inching it closer and closer towards her. Just then, a sharp crack shot through the air, and Natalie looked aside just in time to see one of the other guards crumple to the ground. Another crack caught a guard just in the throat, forcing him to his knees while the rest of the guards dove for cover. Zhang herself briefly scanned the area towards the gas station, but promptly ducked just before another crack rang out.

Natalie, seizing her opportunity to escape, immediately tried to run down the hill. However, the damage done to her body was so severe that she couldn't find her footing, forcing her to crawl on her stomach down the slope. But before she could even begin, a familiar vice grip grasped her leg.

"You are not going anywhere!" Zhang spat as she tried to reel her in. Hiding behind Natalie, and away from any shot her defender could make, Zhang was practically untouchable, but Natalie refused to be that woman's bitch any longer. Fighting through the pain, Natalie finally found some strength that hadn't deserted her other leg, and with all her might, slammed it into the other woman's face.

"Boone, she's coming down!" Cass yelled as she saw Natalie break free. As she did, she tumbled down the incline.

"Cass, help me with the door!" Murdock yelled as he pulled back one of the shelves.

With Boone covering them, Cass and Murdock quickly rushed to open the door. The fight with the Yakuza seemed like it was continuing out the back, so they would need to make this excursion quick. After cracking the door open, the two quickly left the safety of their shelter, and reached their friend near the bottom of the slope.

"Hold on there, missy, we got you," Murdock tried to reassure the junior Ranger.

"Murdock… I never thought I'd be so happy to see you…heh," Natalie breathed as the two slipped her shoulders over them.

They quickly re-entered the building, with Boone immediately leaving his post to check up on his friend. "Natalie, are you all right!" he asked, concern weighing heavily on his voice.

"Boone… you're right… you do look better with the cap," Natalie tried to laugh, but the damage to her ribs was so harsh that it hurt her breathing. Whoever said laughter was the best medicine clearly never had to deal with a five-foot-five-inch despot with a temper the size of the Colorado River.

"Natalie, don't try to move. You're safe now," Cass reassured her.

As another Yakuza charged him, sword raised above his head, Bishop slugged him across the mouth before it had time to come down. He quickly took a quick inventory around the melee. As he stood back to back with the ghoul and the Nightkin, he saw the Yakuza thugs surround him and his newfound allies. Keeping his shotgun trained in front of him, he moved in motion with the other two as the circled with one another. The Yakuza were down to eight members, but recent events had added six more to their numbers. Most of them were Shi-guards, with one notable exception. The bald fucker, the one who put the Yakuza leader in his place, had ordered his men to hold back while the mercs engaged with the party. Most of them had energy weapons, so Bishop was partially grateful that they had yet to join the fray, but also suspicious. Every time he saw the leader, he just kept watching the three intently. Like he was waiting for something.

In the past few years, he had done a lot of homework on the Shi of Shi-town. Their recent introduction to the world of post-apocalyptic organized crime was something of a shock to the greater NCR, but it soon proved to be a welcome one to the dominant New Reno families. After winning a gang war against the Salvatore and Mordino families, the defeated families had quickly set up shop in San Francisco, where the pacifistic Shi and the downright loopy Hubologists allowed them to spread their influence like a cancer. It would only have been a matter of time before they tried to take on Bishop's family once again, had it not been for the man standing before him arriving when he did.

After devouring the Mordino, Salvatore, and even the Hubologist holdings, the Shi became an independent power from within the NCR's own borders. The introduction of the alleged silver mines down south allowed them to keep the Republic at arm's length, even getting them to turn a blind eye to some of their activities. What it had taken nearly a century for the Bishop family to achieve, that Jiasheng achieved in less than two decades. Bishop felt like shaking the man's hand, right before shoving a magnum down his throat. Impressive as they were, helping the Wrights get the edge on him meant they had to go. Compared to him, the other two were far more altruistic, fighting for their friends as well as each other. Whatever it took to get one out of bed in the morning, Bishop thought to himself.

"Hey, Boss-Bishop, how long do you think we're going to have to stick our backs to each other, cuz I'm starting to get a little comfortable like this," Raul spoke to Bishop as he kept his pistols trained on the Yakuza around him. Bishop had no idea. The Yakuza were too spooked to make an attack, and the Shi were just lined up like a firing squad just waiting for a command that hadn't yet come. Then he saw it. Jiasheng raised his sword above his head, before pointing it towards the group. This was the trap. Waiting for them to group up before striking them all at once. Bishop cursed himself as he ordered the other two to hit the deck, before feeling the searing heat just miss his face.

As he came to, he saw Jiasheng hanging airborne just above the group, sword out and pointed down. Bishop instinctively rolled away, only to discover too late that he was not the intended target. Just as the ghoul rose back up, Jiasheng plunged the sword directly through his abdomen.

Shi-town Bay

It didn't take long before Lars located his ideal point of entry into the Steel Palace. Built into the side of the sea wall, just under his target, was a concrete sewer pipe. After having Ulysses pull next to it, Lars told him to get his buddy and wait for the fireworks. As Ulysses peeled away, Lars noticed his first obstacle, being a steel mesh that blocked access to the building. Fortunately, Lars had an ace up his sleeve in the form of a half-charged laser pistol. Not wanting to press his luck, he started from the bottom to make his entrance. After cutting a two-foot hole in the mesh, he realized that the battery pack in the little pistol had just about died. Still, a dead weapon was better than no weapon, so he kept it on him while he slid through.

The sewer system seemed to be a recent addition to the Steel Palace, and judging from the amount of muck he had to crawl through, one that was shared with the rest of the city. He was getting sick of swimming through crap, having already done his fair share as the night barely began. It didn't take long until he chanced upon a ladder leading up.

Climbing to the top, Lars found himself in a maintenance shaft that had to lead directly into what he could only presume would be the Steel Palace's inner sanctum. He was grateful that he never needed to spend too much time underground, and could not think of a more tedious way to navigate a city.

Reaching the door, he gingerly creaked it open, checking to see if the coast was clear. Sneaking into the back room, he pressed his ear up to the doorway and waited for a signal.

Grand Ring

Dog grabbed the remains of the Nightstalker before him and threw the rest of the meat from his cage. Most of the body contained some level of venom, but despite the steady immunity he had slowly built up in his time here, he didn't feel particularly hungry at the moment. First time for everything, his other self supposed.

In the weeks since he had started this punishment, he had fought against monsters, some dumb and cruel, and others who were just in his same predicament. All fought him, yet only he walked away. Sometimes limping, and sometimes to the point of death, but always walking away. He looked out across the arena storage. Already, many of his new opponents for the month had arrived. Deathclaws, Radscorpions, Cazadores, Nightstalkers, even wild dogs and a few robots, were all awaiting an opportunity to see if they could end one another's torment.

He heard the door slide open, creaking with the age of the building. Dog barely turned to see the visitor, expecting it to once again be the beast-keeper coming for the daily feeding.

"Old friend, I knew you'd survive," a familiar voice spoke.

Dog turned to see his little companion, the one man in the wastes who he considered to be a true friend standing on the other side of his cage door.

"Ulysses! We… Dog thought you were dead," the beast rumbled.

"Close, but not yet. Where are the keys, we need to get you out of here before we can help our mutual ally, Lars," Ulysses said as he scanned the area.

"The…the Courier? Courier is here?" Dog breathed in wonderment.

"Yes. Fate is not without a sense of playfulness, it would seem. Ah, the keys," Ulysses exclaimed as he spotted his prize.

"Wait, where is he?" Dog begged to know.

"He is seeking to find answers, just as ever," Ulysses replied as he walked back to the cage.

"You mean at the Steel Palace?" Dog said, his demeanor subtly changing.

Ulysses looked up at the Nightkin before preparing to unlock the deadbolt. "Exactly, and we need to provide him all the support we can."

"NO!" God barked. Ulysses, startled by the sudden outburst, glanced back up at his friend.

"We cannot fight the Shi all on our own, and I refuse to sacrifice myself for anyone ever again," God growled.

"…Then it seems we are at an impasse. If you will not help, then it seems I will have to create the diversion myself."

"Hold, Ulysses, I also do not want to put you at risk either, my friend. I merely suggest that in order to fight an army, we need to utilize our own army," God said as he surveyed the holding chamber.

Steel Palace

Ziyi rolled on her bed, clutching her stomach and trying to keep her dinner in. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw that burning island and that boat erupting into flames, and she could not remove the screaming from her ears. She needed someone take over for her, or tell her she was doing the right thing, or maybe just to hold her for a little while. Her disturbed peace was interrupted by the shrill screech of the intercom.

"Lady Ziyi, we are requesting your assistance within the city, it's urgent!"

"Go away, I'm not feeling well at the moment. Talk to Huan," she moaned.

"Several of the creatures from the Grand Ring have been released! They're rampaging through the city as we speak.

Ziyi's eyes shot wide open. The Grand Ring housed dozens and dozens of aggressive and highly lethal animals, each one capable of killing a man in less then a second. She had already ordered a contingent of her guards to retake the prison, meaning that all available hands would need to be present to contain this other threat.

"Just… just wait. I'm coming to the control center," she muttered as she pulled herself from her bed.

She lifted her glasses as she wiped her eyes, then made her way down the hallway. She was silently thankful she had made the call for curfew earlier, hoping it would be enough to keep casualties down while her forces led the counter-attack. For a fleeting moment, Ziyi questioned just why Zhang had insisted on collecting all manner of dangerous creatures just for the amusement of citizens, seeing as it sounded so much like the "bread and circuses" of Rome, at least according to her father, but she silenced herself, seeing as it was clearly not her place to judge.

As she made her way down the hallway, she could hear more and more guards rushing to leave the building, armed with whatever weapon they could carry. Keeping the animals under control shouldn't be a problem, provided that they organize quickly and effectively.

As she passed through the hallway, a strange, noxious odor became more and more noticeable. Waving it off as a hallucination brought on by stress, Ziyi only realized the door opened too late for her to do anything. She turned just in time to see a fierce, wild-man slam her against the wall, cupping a foul-smelling hand over her mouth.

"You… I remember you. We need to talk. Don't even think of screaming, or I turn you to vapor!"

Petro-Chico Boy Station

Lily roared in fury as she swung her blade around and around, sweeping the Yakuza off their feet. Bishop, meanwhile, had just barely blocked another sword blow from Jiasheng with the butt of his shotgun. The weapon was beginning to show some wear and tear, but it looked like it was going to last longer than its owner. After running through the ghoul, Bishop immediately unloaded the rest of his shots right towards the swordsman, only to watch as the buckshot soared uselessly past the man. Soon, he learned that the man wasn't just as fast as a bloatfly on turbo, but he hit like a super mutant whose mother just one had insulted. Bishop wasn't a pushover, but even he found himself pressed back by the other man's onslaught.

Luckily, he found himself saved when an enraged howl from the Nightkin clued Jiasheng that she had found her new target. Jiasheng broke his attention from the crime boss to focus on the raging beast.

Bishop scarcely had time to breathe, as he immediately realized that the Shi guards all had their rifles trained on him. Through instinct more then anything else, Bishop reached for his pistol, despite knowing there was no way to take them all on. He figured he'd never reach old age, but at least he had the "privilege" of going down fighting. What surprised him, however, was the shot that rang out before he had even touched his trigger. Instantly, one of the Shi-guards fell to the ground, with the rest caught by surprise.

Where did it come from? The guys still huddled inside hadn't tried to force open the back door. Did they sneak around? Another shot answered Bishop's question. Raul, perforated by the sword, was not only still alive, but had retained his senses to keep fighting. The wily fucker had been playing dead. The moment after Bishop had realized this, Jiasheng did too. But as he swung his blade to finish off the ghoul once and for all, Lily interrupted him yet again, forcing him to defend himself from the wild swings of the helicopter blade. Bishop proceeded to open up on the Shi-guards as well with his own pistol, making his shots count before they could rally. Working together, they made quick work of the few guards left, leaving only Jiasheng and the surviving Yakuza, who had been otherwise occupied with Lily.

Raul gradually staggered to his feet, and Bishop rushed to help him. The ghoul, coughing but otherwise seemingly healthy, eyed the truck before him greedily.

"Bishop, what say you and me take that fine vehicle for ourselves? I don't know about you, but I don't think I can keep this up forever," the vaquero breathed as he held his wound in. Ghouls were hardy by nature and could shrug off injuries a little easier than many "smooth skin" individuals could. Bishop estimated that it would take about three days for him to bleed out fatally, provided they couldn't get any care.

"You know how to steal trucks?" Bishop asked him as Lily grabbed a Yakuza by the face behind them, chucking the body into two others.

"I'm pretty handy, and I really don't want to hoof it out of here. Lily will buy us some time, but please try and keep me covered as I try to hot-wire that thing."

Bishop relented and was about to drag the ghoul over when the sound of a crash erupted on the other side of the building.

Earlier, inside

Natalie managed to find her feet, and gradually picked herself up off the floor. Boone had his ear pressed on the door, while Murdock and Cass bickered back and forth about how to proceed.

"We don't have the manpower to risk an escape yet. Bishop and the others sound like they've got it handled, so we ought to just wait until they drive them off," Murdock suggested.

"Those are my people out there, Chief! I'm not sitting here with my thumb up my ass while they put their lives on the line for me!" Cass practically screamed.

"If they needed help, they'd have called for it. Your men are tough, Cass and Bishop's reputation speaks for itself. We shouldn't involve ourselves until it's absolutely necessary," Murdock tried to caution.

"BOONE! What does it sound like out there?" Cass yelled over at her sharpshooter.

"Sounds like Lily's going to town, so that's good." Boone murmured. Murdock tried to flash a placating smile at Cass, only for her to turn her nose up at the Ranger Chief and head over to Natalie.

"Nice to see you're standing, again. You really had the shit kicked out of you," Cass began as she leaned on a shelf.

"No kidding. I'm pretty decent at close quarters, but that woman… there's something about her. She hits way harder then a person should be able to. The armor didn't cushion anything; it felt like she was attacking me from the inside. If I never have to fight anyone like that, it'll be too soon," Natalie said as she thought over the "fight."

She had only been in two real brawls in her life, against two really unconventional opponents. But while she had been able to hold her own against Lars, Zhang was on a completely different level entirely. What would it take to bring someone like Zhang down for good?

Cass was about to reply when something caught her attention outside. She glanced out the window, and what she saw made her blood run cold.

"EVERYONE, GET AWAY FROM THE WINDOWS!" she screamed as she dived for cover. Not a moment later, a large truck smashed through the barricades. As the dust cleared, Natalie opened her eyes just in time to see the driver kick the door down, and leap out in front of them, bloody nose and all.

"By order of the Shi, everyone in this building is now an enemy of the Glorious Cause, and of the Emperor. Surrender and die!" Zhang screamed four dazed occupants.

Cass was the first to pull herself up. "Fuck your Cause, and Fuck your Emperor. All I see in front of me is an overprivileged psychopath with more issues than a porno mag!" she spat.

"And how about this, by the authority of the NCR, I, Chief Ranger Duane Murdock, hereby place you under arrest!" Murdock growled as he readied his Sequoia.

Natalie was about to join in when she realized they were a man down. Looking around, she saw that Boone was pinned under a shelf, not moving and bleeding from a gash on his head. As the Ranger and the merchant rushed to engage Zhang, Natalie quickly rushed to Boone side, trying desperately to pull the shelf off of him.

Come on, Boone, come on, we can't have you sidelined like this! Natalie thought to herself as she pried the shelf off. What we need more than anything right now is a bullet in that woman, ASAP!

Steel Palace

"Move it!" Lars barked as he brusquely pushed Ziyi down the corridor. Holding her hands in the air, an afraid that the slightest noise would set him off, Ziyi held back her tears while she led him through the palace. Every guard and attendant seemed to have left the building, either guarding the coast or trying to keep order in the streets. With no way to warn them, Ziyi quickly figured that the wisest path to survival included giving the stinky hairy man with the laser pistol whatever he wanted. Even if that included giving him more weapons.

After arriving at the armory, Ziyi typed something on a keypad, which opened to reveal a flat screen. Pressing her thumb against the screen, the door locks opened to reveal a small armory of confiscated weapons. Seemingly impressed, Lars wasted no time in checking everything in the room, gradually taking inventory over the scattered weaponry throughout the room. It didn't take long for something to catch his eye in the form of a familiar pole with a bird perched on it.

"Well, won't Ulysses be tickled pink?" he said to himself as Ziyi slowly inched towards the keypad. A quick draw with the laser pistol put an end to any inhospitable thoughts Ziyi had planned for him. He eventually settled on a grenade launcher, machete, and the flagpole he dubbed "Old Glory" before realizing something was missing.

"Where's my holorifle?" he asked angrily, wheeling on Ziyi.

"Your… your what?" Ziyi squeaked.

"My holorifle! You confiscated it, so where is it?" Lars yelled growing ever angrier.

"It… it must be down in the research labs!" Ziyi offered, struggling to breathe.

"Well, that's just fantastic! You're taking me down there. Now." Lars growled as he grabbed Ziyi by the collar of her dress. He then proceeded to drag her towards the elevator, stopping every so often to look down the hallways. After getting to the shaft, he roughly pushed her in, before slamming his fist against the down button, making the elevator descend to the lowest level of the palace. Suddenly, he pressed the emergency stop button and turned back to face Ziyi.

"Almost forgot, I came here to find out about the "Glorious Cause" your master ranted about before she locked me up. So here is the deal, I want answers, and you want to keep your fingers. Simple enough?" he threatened as he pulled out his machete.

Ziyi gulped, watching her image reflected against the blade, barely able to make out the tears and sweat that threatened to cover her face. Perhaps if I act like Zhang, he will be intimidated enough that I can make an escape, she hastily thought to herself. "It… it will do you no good. The Glorious Cause is unstoppable and inevitable. You are merely a leaf falling against an unstoppable maelstrom, the likes of which you could not possibly…" she began to emulate.

"Fingers it is!" Lars yelled as he grabbed her wrist and forced it against the wall of the elevator.

"NO, PLEASE NO!" Ziyi begged. "I'll… I'll tell you everything…"

The low light in the chamber did little to betray the size of the room. Steadily, row after row of officials entered the room, congregating around the scarce available seats. Jiasheng was among them and had insisted that his daughter join him. Though she was hardly older then six, Jiasheng was adamant that she learn the weight of responsibility from an early age. Ever dutiful, he was very proud that he never had to scold his daughter over manners and respect. When the members of the council were all seated, Chancellor Wu took the center podium.

"Esteemed colleagues, tonight marks the first anniversary of our total victory over the Communist infection that has plagued our Stronghold for so long…" he began, and despite herself, Ziyi's mind already began to wander. She looked around the chamber, glancing at all the wrinkly old faces of all the wrinkly old men and women who made up the Emperor's Council. Her father had been a recent inductee, having been instrumental in the defeat of the Communist menace, as a reward for his service. Ziyi wondered to herself just what was so rewarding about having to sit through these long and boring meetings. Soon, her eyes landed on Xiao, who was sitting in a private seat closest to the Chancellor. Already, she could tell that Xiao was making no effort to disguise her boredom, making faces at Wu in an attempt to disrupt the meeting. Ziyi let out a small giggle, only to have her father quickly box her on the ear.

"…Thus meaning that current rationing measures will have to continue as is. Which brings us to tonight's proposal, directly from the Emperor himself."

Wu turned to the screen behind him, which promptly began showing footage of the War of American Barbarism, or the Sino-American War, as the rest of the world had called it. The film showed "men" in power armor cutting down soldier after soldier, razing villages, towns and even great cities like Nanking and Shanghai to the ground. No detail was spared, and Ziyi had to avert her eyes through most of it. Her father held her hand and whispered to her when it was over.

The film ended with a mushroom cloud over the city that was once called Beijing, before cutting itself off entirely.

"Esteemed colleagues, may none of us ever forget what the war above us has cost us. As members of the Stronghold, it is the duty and the burden of all of us to reclaim the greatness that was once our country. To fully recover, however, one thing needs to be accounted for. Recently, we have acquired some intelligence from reliable sources that indicate a certain American city has been able to recover from the effects of the War far sooner then any of us could have expected.

As he said this, the image on the screen brought up the southwestern area of the United States, and every cut the film made narrowed down on a particular city, labeled Las Vegas.

"Las Vegas, a den of vice and corruption, a hallmark of American ideologies, and before the War, largely under the ownership of a man by the name of Robert House. The man was a literal genius, capable of building, among other things, a laser defense system capable of protecting his city from the nuclear arsenal of the People's Republic of China. However, that is merely scratching the surface of what secrets that man holds."

The image then cut to a group of individuals gathered around a table, the poor resolution of the camera indicating someone had gone through great lengths to record something the occupants did not want. From the looks of things, they were well-dressed businessmen and scientists. Robert House was among their number.

"We have learned that, in addition to a secret Enclave created by the former United States government, several private individuals, calling themselves the Nouveau Anax, had come together before the Great War to discuss a "system" to house their collective knowledge and assets. Said knowledge seems to indicate programs to create new societies separate and independent from the United States government after the War. To do so, they must have access to a wide range of advanced technologies."

Wu gradually paced up and down the podium, wiping his brow of perspiration. He gradually looked over the audience, though tried to ignore the Emperors somewhat insolent daughter in the front row.

"The Stronghold has been good to our honorable and respected people, but the civil war has greatly damaged our ability to retake our homeland from outside our walls. Those respected few who have walked the Path of the Emperor can attest, such as our newest member Feng Jiasheng, our own meager might can do little to tame the ravages that await us in our mission. Victory in our noble endeavor will require us to locate valuable technology through which we will be able to reconquer our continent.

Which brings me to the Emperor's proposal; we have recently made contact with remnants of a submarine crew that had been loyal to the Peoples Republic. Through the submarine computer, we were able to establish some negotiations with the descendants of the crew, who call themselves the "Shi." In exchange for some subtle martial support, they are offering a foothold onto the doorstep of our old hated enemies. From there, we can gradually discover whatever "system" this "Nouveau Anax" has prepared. As it would seem, the best place to start would be that city of lights…"

"…And I swear, that's all I know!" Ziyi sobbed as tears streamed down her face. Lars mulled over what she had just told him. "Nouveau Anax?" He admitted he had never dwelled much on Mr. House's past, so it really shouldn't have surprised him, but still, there were other Houses? Other people probably propped up the ass with all manner of unnatural technologies in an attempt to stave off the inevitable while seeking to rule what was left of the world? Lars only wanted what was his, and preferred not to step over other people to get it unless he had to. Still, now he knew what that Zhang lady was after. Or did he? What exactly was this "system" she was looking for?

He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of the woman in front of him trying not to hyperventilate. Lars looked down at her, trying to hide his contempt. Useful as she was, he would have appreciated some level of resistance. There was no fight, no tenacity, and no struggle in this woman. She was someone afraid of getting hit, or threatened, or even yelled at. Her first real exposure to danger, and she damn near had a heart attack. Lars decided that he had tortured her enough.

"Thank you, whatever your name is. You have been very helpful," he said, right before he slammed the hilt of his machete against the top of her head.

Petro-Chico Boy Station

This woman is unreal, Cass thought to herself as she dodged yet another right cross. Murdock and her were no strangers to brawls, but just as Natalie had shown, Zhang was on another level entirely. She had made no attempt to attack them since the brawl started, but Cass and Murdock had yet to land even a glancing blow against her. She's playing with us, Cass realized, and she's really pissing me off!

"Wake up, Boone! Wake up!" Natalie gritted as she tried to pry the shelf off of his body. The gash on his head didn't seem too deep, and he was already beginning to stir.

"Nat… what the hell?" he muttered through the pain.

"We need to get out of here, now!" she growled as she finally managed to pry the unit off of his body. Boone capitalized by managing to pull himself out from under the shelf and immediately looked around for his rifle.

"Ah, shit," he muttered as he saw that the rifle had been splintered in two.

"Forget it, Boone. We can't take her on like this, we need to bail," Natalie said as she propped him up on her shoulder. Dragging him to the back door. Natalie kicked the door open, and before she left, turned around just in time to watch Cass and Murdock gain the upper hand on Zhang.

Taking a huge risk, Murdock wrapped up Zhang in a full nelson. Cass, pulling out her knife, cautiously approached the Madame as she struggled to escape Murdock's grip.

"This is for Lars!" she yelled as she finally advanced forward.

Before she realized it, Zhang's foot planted itself in her gut, causing her to stagger back, and giving Zhang the time she needed to flip over the Ranger Chief. As both her opponents found their footing again, Zhang entered a peculiar pose, one Natalie, Murdock, nor Cass had ever seen before in all there fights in the wasteland. Murdock was the first on his feet, and the first to charge her.

He didn't see the smirk until it was too late. Faster then his eyes could follow, Zhang's arm shot out and she struck her palm against his chest. Instantly, Murdock's entire body went numb, paralyzed. He could only watch helplessly as Zhang drew back her arm, and threw a slicing chop aimed directly at his neck. For the briefest of instances, pain shot through his neck, followed by absolutely nothing at all.

Cass could only watch in horror as Murdock's neck twisted in such an unnatural angle as his body crumpled to the floor. She looked up at the woman before her, who simply just smiled mirthlessly as she readied her stance again.

"Never seen a move like that? Most people haven't. I am only one of a handful of people in the world who can accomplish the Emperor's Execution. It can be accomplished by an acute knowledge regarding pressure points found throughout the body, but primarily I focus on the cluster around the human heart, through which I can…"

"You… you killed him…" Cass breathed.

"I can see that. As I was saying, using the clusters of pressure points, I am able to totally paralyze a body for up to five seconds, which is more than enough time to deliver the finishing blow, as your friend down there can demonstrate. So, witnessing what you are up against, I am giving you an opportunity; either surrender or join him down there. Your call," Zhang goaded as she planted her feet firmly onto the floor.

Cass didn't even need to think this through. That was her friend lying on the ground right now, someone who had dropped everything to try and help her with her predicament. Surrendering would mean spitting on his memory. Balling her hands back into fists, Cass roared as she charged Madame Zhang one last time.

Steel Palace

The handful of Shi scientists in the basement weren't much of a problem. Any thoughts of resistance seemed to end as soon as he brought up his grenade launcher, and they handed back his holorifle without much of an incident. Dwelling on what he had seen, the Shi looked like they could give the Brotherhood a run for its money in the energy weapons department. He knew the eggheads were dedicated researchers, but seeing in first hand the amount of weapons available reminded him of the Silver Rush. Lars chose to leave before one of the scientists decided to try and be a hero, as even he didn't want to risk a firefight down there.

As he rode the elevator to the top, the intercom sparked to life.

"Lady Ziyi, where are you? We need you to coordinate the fire teams to engage the animals! We are taking casualties! Lady Ziyi, do you read!" the voice panicked. Lars looked down at the unconscious hostage still on the floor of the elevator. So, she's a bigwig, not just another lackey. Well, Madame Zhang, you aren't the only one who can play "hostages." It only took a brief moment for his spiteful mind to come up with the plan, and an evil smile crossed his face. Loading all his weapons on his back, she picked up the woman, wrapping an arm around her waist, and brought his machete across her throat. When the elevator reached the main lobby, he dragged his bargaining chip across the hallway to the door, pushing it open to the night air. Screams and laser blasts echoed through the air from downtown, and the Golden Gate Bridge was only a mile or two from his position, and he could not make out any witnesses, so he propped her up as he prepared to drag his "prize" to the across the coast.

"Courier, what are you doing?" A familiar voice barked out. He looked up to see Ulysses and Dog approaching him, the former carrying a laser rifle and the latter carrying the severed arm of a Deathclaw.

"Dog? What are you doing here?" Lars asked.

"Nevermind, it will take too long to explain. Who is that you are carrying?" Ulysses asked.

"This is what I like to call "insurance." We're taking her to the rendezvous. Zhang wants to play with hostages, I'll show her a thing or two about hostages," Lars laughed, which came to Ulysses as a little more than unhinged.

"You won't take her that far before the Shi realize she is missing. …Dog, you carry her to the bridge," Ulysses told the Nightkin. Lars reluctantly passed her to Dog, who immediately took her under his massive arm. The three allies provided cover for each other as they cautiously advanced towards the broken bridge.

Apparently, Lars remembered a rumor that, years ago, some loopy cult tried to build a spaceship, using the bridge as a launching pad. The ship blew up not long afterward, seeing as the cult had apparently lacked a Chris Haversam type individual necessary to ensure they didn't explode the moment after takeoff. With most of the guards looking away or dealing with the mess downtown, it didn't take the three very long until they reached the bridge.

Heading out as far as they could, up until they reached the severed gap of the bridge over the water.

"Damn it, they aren't here yet," Lars growled.

"No matter, we hold here and wait for the Vertibird to arrive," said Ulysses as he took cover behind the husk of a car. Dog took the liberty of overturning some of the vehicles to provide some bigger cover, while Lars focused on training his weapon on the road in front of him. Any day would be nice, Kreger, he thought to himself. I really don't want to have to swim back home.

Petro-Chico Boy Station.

"Are you almost done yet?" Bishop growled at the ghoul as he continued to play with the wires under the wheel.

"I haven't done this for at least a century, Boss, so just give me a minute," Raul growled.

"Raul, what are you doing?" Natalie asked as she pulled Boone towards the truck.

"Making a getaway, what does it look like? We can lose these pendejos in the truck they provided, and Lily is buying us all the time she can. Get the boss and your Chief and let's get the hell out of this hole!" Raul barked. Bishop offered Natalie to help load Boone on the back of the truck.

"Roger that!" Natalie saluted as she dove back through the melee. Lily had managed to hold off the Yakuza and that Jiasheng guy for what seemed like half an hour, but it was becoming apparent that even the Nightkin was beginning to slow down. Only six Yakuza had survived, however they had lost whatever bravado they had carried with them at the beginning of the night. Only Jiasheng made any attempt to bring the mutant down for good, though Lily retained enough of her senses to keep him on the defensive. Natalie quickly broke past the fight and dove back into the station, hoping that the two senior leaders of the group had managed to drive off Zhang once and for all.

What she found, however, shocked her. Cass was still standing on her feet, but she was taking blow after blow from Zhang. Ribs, stomach, face, arms, any opening Zhang felt like exploiting. Cass herself wasn't looking so good, but she refused to fall, running on nothing but sheer determination. Natalie herself wonder just where Murdock was. Then she saw the body.

For the briefest of seconds, time ground to a halt. Duane Murdock, her boss and someone she considered to be a friend, lay dead on the ground. Before she knew it, Natalie fell to her knees in front of the body.

"I'm sorry, Chief," she whispered sadly as she closed his eyes. Then she saw the Sequoia in his holster. In a quick melee against someone like Zhang, a firearm could often be a hindrance. But from just this distance, with her back turned, and nothing to distract her… Natalie could end this once and for all.

She pulled the weapon out from the holster, pulling back the hammer. She pointed it directly at Zhang's head. She pulled the trigger, and the bullet soared through the air.

Golden Gate Bridge

Ziyi woke after having a horrible nightmare. In her dream, a bearded cowboy who smelled like poop captured her and terrorized her before assaulting her with a machete. A night like that was usually followed by a long breakfast and some warm tea, and afterwards, Zhang would tell her to stop loafing around and get back to work. Then she realized that her face was pressed against asphalt.

As she looked up, she saw a massive boot standing next to her, followed by a dreadlocked warrior with a staff and laser rifle and… no. There was Lars, pumping another shot from that grenade launcher of his, screaming at some people to stay the hell back. It all came back to her, and it didn't take long for her to realize what had happened.

Peeking from the corner of the derelict car in front of her, Ziyi could see that two dozen guards had completely cut off the three thugs from the rest of the city, every one of the training their rifles on them. Terrified, Ziyi questioned whether or not she should call out to the guards to make their shots and rescue her, but she was afraid one of the duster wearing warriors or the Nightkin would hurt her. Then she felt the wind pick up.

Craning her neck up, she could see the Vertibird from before circling around the end of the bridge. As it came closer and closer, it turned its back end to the surrounded group. A ramp slowly emerged from the end, and two imposing soldiers wearing power armor emerged from the back, wielding heavy weapons as they joined the three abductors. First, the Nightkin rushed into the back of the Vertibird, followed by the dreadlocked warrior. Lars was about to join them when suddenly his eyes fell back to Ziyi.

"Hold on a sec, I almost forgot," he growled as he plucked her up from the ground. She struggled and squirmed against his grip, only to have him wrap an arm around her neck as he pulled her towards the Vertibird. No, no, no, she was not going to let that man take her to who knows where. He was not going to take her from her home! Ziyi managed to force her chin under his arm, and did the only option she had left to do. She bit down as hard as she could.

Lars let out a howl, immediately releasing his hostage. She stumbled past the two soldiers as she rushed towards perimeter established by her guards. Lars, anger getting the best of him, instinctively brought up the grenade launcher, anticipating exactly where she was going to be.

"Forget it, Lars, leave her be! We need to get out of here!" Kreger yelled from the Vertibird. Rubbing his arm and swearing up a storm, Lars submitted to the officers' authority and entered the chopper while the two soldiers provided cover as they fell back. Man, this was one shitty day, he told himself, I really hope the others had better luck then I did…

Petro-Chico Boy Station.

"And presto, Boss, I got it working!" Raul exclaimed happily. Bishop swung around the front of the vehicle as it sparked to life.

"Nice work, Senor Tejada. Now let's get the hell out of Dodge!" Bishop yelled as he helped himself to the passenger seat.

Jiasheng had turned just in time to see the ghoul and crime boss hijack his own truck. So much for keeping the keys on me, he figured. He was about to intercept the truck when the body of one of the Yakuza sailed past him. Fine, beast. From this point forward, you will have my full and undivided attention, Jiasheng thought to himself.

"Kaito, have your men fall back. I will deal with the Nightkin personally," he stated, flatly. One the hilt of his sword, he activated a switch. Electricity coursed through the blade, sparking to life as if it had just woken up.

Raul drove around to the front of the station, just in time to see something dart up the hill. Bishop glanced at the rearview mirror for any uninvited guests while Raul leaned on the horn.

"Boss, we ain't got no time for sightseeing. We have to go, NOW!" Raul screamed.

The door was forced open, and Natalie dragged Cass's body out of the building. Immediately, Raul noticed something was wrong. Cass's jacket was wrapped around her shoulder, yet the wound it was covering was still leaking. She was pale, and only a hairsbreadth away from going into shock. Natalie, on the other hand, was close to tears. Boone helped her drag his boss onto the flatbed.

"Nat, what the hell happened in there!" Boone asked, his urgency overriding any concern.

"I… I didn't mean to…" Natalie sobbed, her composure finally beginning to crack.

"You didn't… what happened?" Boone yelled.

"I swear, I didn't mean to!" Nat cried, tears streaming down her face.

"We'll have to talk later, we need to get Lily out of here, too!" Raul screamed as he pulled the truck in reverse.

As he pulled the truck around, Raul gaze in horror at the sight that greeted him. Lily, trying desperately to parry every strike from Jiasheng, faltered under the combined ferocity of his attacks, and under the effects of the electricity coursing through her veins. It didn't take long before Lily fell to her knees in front of Jiasheng. Looking up, she saw the truck filled with her friends and family.

"Raul… GO!" she howled. "Forget about me! Save yourselves!"

Not a moment later then she had roared this then Kaito, leaping onto her back, buried his blade through her neck. As the kindly grandmother fell to the ground, a slow grin crept on Kaito's face. Raul wanted nothing more than to strangle the life out of each and every one of those chingados, but he had to save everyone he could. Putting the vehicle in drive, he slammed down on the gas, plowing through the thugs as they dove out of his way, and promptly bolted from the gas station, leaving their fallen behind.

Shi Outpost Watchtower.

"Is she back yet," Quincey asked as he threw down some caps on the table.

"No idea. I guess we'd be seeing that truck kick up a trail when she came back, anyway. Raise," Chin said as he threw down an extra thirty caps.

"Hmmm, I call your bluff," Quincey said as threw down his cards.

"No, there's no bluffing in Caravan!" Chin said as threw down his cards in frustration.

"Wait, there isn't? Then what are the rules?" Quincey asked.

"I… I thought you knew! I don't know how to play this fucking game!" Chin said as he leaned back.

"Then why do we keep playing it?" Quincey asked.

"I don't know!" Chin admitted.

Before further bonding could commence, there was a sharp rapt on the door below them.

"Hold on a minute, what's the password?" Chin asked the new visitor.

"OPEN THIS DOOR NOW, YOU STUPID PEON!"

Quincey and Chin briefly glanced at each other, before both diving to unbolt the door leading to their post. When the door raised open, a seething, fuming, infuriated Madame Zhang entered their post, looking around their station and cupping her ear.

"FIRST AID, WHERE?" she demanded to know.

"Uh, right under the radio equipment, Madame!" Quincey was quick to locate.

Thanklessly, she pulled out the container, emptying its contents out on the floor, before pulling out a small mirror, some morphine needles, and a needle and thread.

"Madame Zhang, if there is anything we can assist you with, we would be more then happy to…" Chin stopped as he saw Madame Zhang pull her hair from her ear. The top of her left ear had almost been severed and was practically hanging on by a thread of skin. Zhang immediately applied the morphine to herself, before taking up the thread and needle and getting to work on her ear.

Despite the drug taking effect, she remained as focused as ever towards fixing her ear, even as blood continued to trickle down her neck and through her hands. Between her broken nose and clipped ear, today had been a bad day for her. At least, she thought to herself, Cassidy was having a far more rotten day then she was, for whatever comfort that could offer.

Still, the plan to use Lars's friends as a bargaining chip had fallen flat. With any luck, they were either dead or dying. As soon as she made herself… presentable, we would proceed towards pressuring the man himself. If nothing else, at least she still had him right where she wanted him…

EXCERPT FROM SUN TZU'S ART OF WAR.

"Victorious warriors win first then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first then seek to win"

Well, that was exhausting. The next few chapters will be back to the regular style of rabid jumping and steady advancement. Writing something this long was a bitch! Catch you guys later.