Cass peered out from behind a rock and frowned. Yes Man hadn't said anything about there being an NCR patrol at the powering substation, nor had he mentioned that it was the place where the NCR routed their power.
If Six's effort had been under the radar before, it sure as hell wasn't about to stay there.
"Can we knock them out?" the Courier whispered, looking between her and Veronica.
Damn girl was too soft, and Cass knew that she would have to give her some tough love.
"No," she replied, "You're the one that wanted to do all of this. Well, guess what? You've got to learn the price of these kinds of things."
Six stared at the NCR troopers with wide eyes. Cass nodded. Yes, she meant that they had to kill them.
"They've got families," the Courier whispered, "that guy there was talking about his mom. And that girl there, she has a two year old."
"You knew this would happen eventually," Veronica interjected, "The NCR didn't draft these people, and they weren't forced into it like Legionaries."
Cass didn't have pity for the brainwashed Legionaries; there were just some things that she figured were instinctual laws of humanity.
"They'd kill us if they knew what we wanted to do," Cass nodded, "so it's fair. You shouldn't have gotten into this game if you can't handle this."
She watched Six purse her lips and draw her golden gun from its holster. And as the first shots rang out, Cass felt a strange surge of pride. The caravaner drew her shotgun and blasted at the troops as they skittered about, trying to find who was picking them off.
Veronica crept around the side of their outcropping and sneaked up behind a crouching trooper. His eyes scanned the area in front of him, unknowing that there was someone behind him. The scribe sprung at him, her power fist shooting out and blowing his head clean off his shoulders.
As quickly as the fight began, it ended. The bodies of NCR troopers littered the ground and Cass shouldered her shotgun.
Without even looking around, Six turned the bunker door's crank and entered the power station. Veronica followed her, and Cass found herself pleasantly surprised by the Courier's determination. She had wondered if she would have to shoot all of the guards, but Six took out more than her fair share. It was reassuring to know that Six could do some killing when it was necessary.
Cass followed closely behind her companions, the bunker door screeching to close behind them. Inside the station lay a row of mattresses, magazines and various other personal effects next to them. Through the building's dim lighting, Cass saw a wall full of knobs and screens, and a terminal with a slot. The platinum chip glistened in the dark as Six inserted it into the console, and for a moment, it was silent as the terminal processed what it was doing.
A hum began deep within the station, growing louder as it rerouted the power to help Yes Man project control further. Cass smirked; those Legion fuckers wouldn't know what was coming for them.
The screens on the wall flickered as the face of Yes Man showed up on all of them, giving him the eerie appearance of omnipresence.
"So, I need to tell you something very important," he said, "apparently, the Legion started the fight already, much earlier than the calculations."
Cass swore under her breath. They were cutting it very close.
"In fact," Yes Man continued, "I really wanted to tell you that they started just after you left New Vegas, but you were out of range. Thankfully, powering this station took care of that issue. By the time you get there, they might have already killed each other, leaving you to go in and do your thing unhindered. Isn't that great?"
Six nodded mutely.
"So, we'd better get to the dam," she mused.
"Right-o!" the bot replied, "go there, and install the Platinum Chip at the power station in the dam's offices. That'll power up the army at the Fort."
Six nodded and took the platinum chip from the console.
"Arcade's going to miss the fun," Veronica sighed.
Cass chuckled, imagining Arcade protesting their stupidity while wildly flailing his arms. The three of them laughed for a moment before going silent.
They had already gotten rid of House, who had been in control for a long time. Now it was time to get rid of the other two sets of freeloaders.
Cass hoped that Six's luck wouldn't run out just yet.
The air was burning, and Six saw the smoke long before she saw the dam. It must have been from the Boomers' plane that she saw earlier. The Courier, Cass and Veronica wound their way down the road that led to the dam, passing various Khans that were leaving. Some were wounded, others, high off the taste of revenge.
Jessup spotted Six and shouted, giving her a hug that picked her up off her feet. He told her to go get em and transferred the soot covering his hand to her by covering her face with his large palm.
"War paint," he winked, motioning to her face.
Six wasn't sure how she looked, but Jessup seemed to approve.
"We came as soon as we heard," she said, "How many are left?" The Courier stared around at the dam, seeing more dead bodies than alive.
"There's probably a few inside the dam," he said, "but I'd say that they mostly killed each other off. Legion might give you a little trouble; scouts say that it looks like they used maybe half. They've got fresh ones gearing up down at the Fort."
She would deal with the Legion; she just needed to get the securitrons up and running.
With a nod and a handshake, Jessup left them to join the Khans. They would be gone within a week, their fight at the dam their last legacy left on the Mojave. Perhaps, they would be remembered as good people in the end.
Six began to walk with her friends down the burning dam, being careful to take cover every few feet. Those who were fighting didn't seem to pay them mind; nobody knew what they had done at the power station just hours prior.
An NCR officer caught the Courier's eye and pointed her rifle at the group.
"What are you doing here?" the woman barked, "Civilians should stay far from this place."
Six stared down the service rifle's long, black barrel, wondering how she would get out of this one.
"We're an engineering crew," Veronica interjected, "on urgent, special orders. We need to get to the middle of the dam and into the offices to activate some security measures."
The officer sized them up for a moment, cursed, and motioned for troops to accompany them. Six stared at Veronica. She couldn't believe her lie actually worked, and could scarcely believe that she lied to begin with.
They made their way across the scorched dam, and Six wondered if they ought to shoot the troopers now and make their own way. After all, if they were escorted all the way to the powering station, they would have to shoot them anyway. At least this way, there would be no big fight.
She didn't have to make the decision as gunfire spattered the troops. Quickly, Six followed Cass and Veronica to take cover behind a group of sandbags. They were so close to the door.
"Woman," a voice groused, "tend to your business."
Six blinked, afraid to move from cover.
"Get out of there," the man continued, "now."
Slowly, she stood to see a group of Legionaries staring her down. They chattered amongst themselves in their language, mentioning Vulpes' name more than once. And as Six glanced down at her pendant, she couldn't be more grateful.
Hurriedly, she ushered Cass and Veronica into the offices. They looked at her in suspicion when the door closed behind her.
"What the hell was that about?" Cass asked. She frantically motioned toward the door.
"I don't know," Six lied, "but it's a good thing that they let us go."
They didn't ask any more questions as the group stepped into the elevator and rode it down to the power station level. The doors to the elevator opened, revealing a concrete hallway with pipes lining the ceiling. Occasional gunfire peppered the eerie silence; the NCR might have been defeated on the surface, but they were dug deep into the dam.
The trio crept down the hallway, rounding corners cautiously as they made their way to the dam's main console. Peering around a corner, Six saw two heavy NCR troopers flanking the very door that they needed to enter. She ducked back quickly, pantomimed that the soldiers were there, and watched as her friends cringed. They probably couldn't take out heavy armor.
The sound of boots running echoed down the hallway and the soldiers stirred and grumbled back and forth. A group of legionaries burst into the area, attacking the NCR on sight. Flames erupted and scorched the walls, making the Courier back up.
As quickly as the scuffle began, it ended, leaving Six to peer around the corner in an attempt to see who won.
Blood pooled on the metal flooring from both sides of the conflict. The Courier glanced toward the heavy troopers to make sure they were down.
They were. Blood poured out from under their helmets, coating their armor in red. To their left, a Legionary lay, his head bashed in, probably from the flamers that the troopers carried.
"Awful in close quarters," Cass murmured, "this is why the Legion is doing well."
"That and they've deactivated the armor's power function," Veronica added, "They're essentially wearing hunks of metal."
Six nodded mutely and opened the door to the station. Directly in front of them was a terminal, covered in screens and buttons. Quickly, the Courier found the slot for the Platinum chip. It didn't take more than a second for Yes Man's face to appear on the screen.
The bot was getting stronger, and by extension, New Vegas.
"Hi! Nice to see you again!" Yes Man greeted, "So, we can either blow up the dam's generators, or we can reroute power to the army at the Fort."
The decision was obvious. Without that army, they would be defenseless, and they needed the power from the dam as a bargaining chip.
"Reroute the power," Six nodded, "the people need this dam."
"Yes!" Yes Man cheered, "This is going to be fun."
The Legion was about to be destroyed, and the thought brought a strange feeling of dread with it.
"If any of the securitrons see Mr. Fox anywhere," Six insisted, "do not kill him. Get rid of Caesar, get rid of anyone, but don't hurt Fox."
"Sure thing," the bot said, "I'm unlocking the east power plant. Go there, flip the switch, and let's deal with the Legion and the NCR."
It was a foolish request, especially after knowing who Mr. Fox was. But even after everything, Six found that she couldn't bear to let him go.
Marcus peered out over Lake Mead, remembering how the machine that had been in the water flew over the dam. Some sort of containers fell out of it, and when those tiny packages hit the ground, it erupted in fire. The plane made no distinction of where it dropped its fire, slaughtering Legion and NCR alike.
Hoover Dam had been burning for hours; the flames and smoke-making Marcus want to join the battle. But he couldn't; he had given up the call of war when he became a praetorian.
"That woman," he remarked, "she's responsible for this."
Crassius nodded and stared at the dam as well. His arms were crossed over his chest, his jaw tight and his mouth set into a thin line. He was visibly worried, something that Marcus hadn't seen since they had known each other.
Marcus frowned and looked up at the smoke-filled sky. It was cloudy, the breeze unusually still. Amid the sounds of battle, the sky grumbled, an occasional flash of lightning streaking across the sky. It was surely an ill omen.
A rumble sounded beneath their feet, causing the praetorians to make worried eye contact. The Courier supposedly destroyed what was beneath the Fort. As the noise increased, Marcus was quite sure that the woman had double-crossed them all.
Within seconds, an explosion sounded in the direction of the old bunker. The praetorians nodded at each other and ran down the hill from their tent toward the noise. By the time Marcus reached the old weather station, the sky had opened up, releasing a downpour of rain.
Robots poured out of the bunker like a horde of ants, shooting everything in their path. Within seconds, Marcus was soaked through, his cape and pturges plastered to his body, and his mohawk limp with water. He ran after the bots that wheeled their way up to Caesar's tent, desperate to keep up.
But he couldn't, and as they loosed a bunch of rockets, he knew he was too late.
Immediately after the attack, the bots seemed to lose interest and began to roll in the direction of the dam. They couldn't just leave like that, not after killing the son of Mars. Enraged, Marcus ran after them, grabbing one by the arm and ripping it out of its socket. Shouts rose around him as the Legionaries waged war against the metal abominations and he joined in. They would die down to the last man to avenge Caesar.
The bots didn't bother to retaliate in favor of pressing onward toward the dam. While some were felled, the army of monstrosities remained intact, taunting them as if they weren't even worth their time.
Marcus turned from the retreating bots and ran up the hill to the remains of Caesar's tent. He dug through the downed layers of canvas, discarding dismembered limbs of his fellow praetorians. Throwing aside the final layer, he came across the body of Lucius, who was draped across a figure clad in an unmistakable crimson tunic.
Marcus turned Lucius over to gaze upon the body of Caesar. Blood poured out of his lord's mouth as his mind tried to process that he was really staring at the lifeless body of the Son of Mars.
He didn't realize that he had been shaking until a hand settled on his shoulder.
"He's crossing the river," Crassius rumbled.
Marcus wasn't prepared for the overwhelming amount of shame he felt, that Caesar would be killed so quickly when he had been off duty.
Footsteps sounded behind them, the remaining off duty praetorian, Ossian, approaching the destroyed tent.
"I can't help but feel responsible," he murmured.
Marcus nodded. He couldn't stop staring at the felled god before him.
Ossian rummaged around in the rubble, retrieved a blanket, and draped it over Caesar and Lucius. It snapped Marcus out of his stupor, making him avert his eyes to the remains of his fallen brothers.
"We're the ranking officers," Crassius frowned, "we need to take charge."
Marcus nodded, and the three remaining praetorians began to take stock of the damage to the Fort. Soon, they would answer to the Legate.
Marcus expected to be executed for his failure.
Fat drops of rain fell from the sky, the land itself crying as war ravaged her. Nature beat its fists against his armor, the sound little more than a series of plinks.
Lanius watched as rain put out fires along Hoover Dam and caused the large billows of black smoke to grow weaker by the minute. There had been a large cluster of bright flashes at the Fort and those died out as well, leaving the Butcher with nothing more than a series of omens, all of which boded ill for the Legion. If something happened at the Fort, then he had been powerless to stop it. Perhaps, the fingers of Mars himself touched it, teaching the Legion a lesson.
In the coming days, Lanius would attempt to discern the divine lesson, and know his place under the watchful eyes of Mars.
He peered out over the ridge that his tent occupied and was surprised to see a group of soaked females making their way through his camp. They killed all who stood in their way, the short woman in the front dispatching most of the attackers with a golden pistol. It was a curious sight, one strange enough to make him order that the Legionaries stop attacking them.
Now unhindered, the woman holstered her weapon and approached him boldly. She stopped within two steps of him, craning her neck to look him in the eye. Lanius wondered how he appeared to this short, soot-stained woman.
"An envoy of Vegas, yet you carry yourself for battle," he remarked, "If so, then you cannot truly be of that city of cowards."
She peered at him with her strange eyes as her companions looked around nervously.
"Maybe you're willing to listen to reason," the woman said.
So, she wished to speak. Talking was a coward's tool, used by the Frumentarii in order to commune with and undermine the enemy.
"I see you fight with words, like all beneath the flag of the bear," Lanius scoffed, "let's hope your skill with weapons proves greater."
His words drew a frown across her face, a flash of her soul exposing itself. This woman was a coyote; she was fearsome, nurturing, and protective of her den.
"I'm not NCR," she growled, "never was. This battle is decided, that's why I'm here."
The coyote stood between him and her den of pups, the brightly lit old-world city.
"So, you seek terms of surrender?" he asked, "Our roads into the NCR are hung with the bodies off those who attempted to negotiate with us. Save your speeches; we will move forward."
"Move forward?" the woman quipped, "The Legion spent years trying to take Hoover Dam. And I just walked across the dam; there's nobody there. Everyone is dead or dying. I shot some folks that weren't going to make it, both sides."
She gave mercy killings to her enemies, a great weakness.
"We are amassed here," Lanius nodded, "there are hundreds more, ready to attack. The sheer might of the East will come like a flood to make markers of your people as we move west."
"And then what of the East?" she asked.
"You speak in circles," he growled. "What of the East? I am the East, and I will prove it this day."
"I'm just saying," The woman shrugged, "If you need all of the East to crush the West."
What was this woman implying? The West was a great foe, but the East was greater.
"Our victory here shall be swift," he said, "we will take the dam then build a road to the west paved with the bodies of the NCR. The East will hold."
"The weakness of the West will overcome you," she remarked.
The woman spoke in riddles in an attempt to confuse him.
"The NCR's weakness is its size," she continued, "they're so spread out that they can't even clear ants out of an outpost without it being an ordeal. It'll take your whole army to hold the west."
"That does not mean that we would not succeed," Lanius quipped, his answer sounding childish even to his own ears.
"Yes," the female nodded, "but moving your entire army West means that you'll lose the East."
Lanius frowned, thinking of the tireless months his Legion spent at war in the East and the signs of Mars he's seen that very day. He peered down at the woman and wondered how a female had been given a taste of the voice of Mars.
"The East was a hard fought campaign," he admitted, "Even now, Caesar drew too much of the Legion's blood needed there for this. Hoover Dam is but a place. I will not have it be the gravestone of the Legion."
"I don't believe this means I've seen the last of you," the woman replied, "or the Legion."
Lanius glanced down at the woman again, and the golden mark of Caesar caught his eye. This one was supposed to belong to Vulpes, yet she had rebelled against him. The man couldn't keep a dissolute woman under his authority.
Then again, the Butcher would begrudgingly admit that Vulpes wasn't just some weak man to let a woman step all over him. That meant that this particular female was exceptional. If she were bred to create more Legionaries, they would be worthy men of the Legion.
"I shall return East for a time," Lanius conceded, "but when the time comes, we will return West. If the West is one day filled with ones such as you, it will be a worthy fight indeed."
"If you feel that war matters that much," she said, "then perhaps you will see differently in time."
Surely this woman had been told of Mars, his thirst for blood and war, and the Legion's way of life.
"My coming would have set your people free," Lanius remarked, "and would have made them see things in ways they cannot see. War would have tested them, broken the weak with its violence, yet allowing the strong to arise. Violence gave you that strength, awakened you. I can see it upon your face, where two bullets left their mark."
He looked down at the mark around her neck again and marveled that his thirst for war had been quenched from a conversation.
"Perhaps it is unfortunate that Vulpes was not here to hear your words," he chuckled, "something tells me it would be interesting to watch. Until we meet again, Courier."
Lanius nodded and watched as the female turned and left the way she came.
He had the feeling that he would see her again, in time.
Six walked away from the Monster of the East, her head held high. She was proud that she had been able to talk to him, surprised that he would take a moment to speak with her, and downright shocked that he agreed to leave peacefully.
The thing that struck her about Lanius was though he was blunt, he was articulate. He was willing to listen to reason, and willing to speak with a woman. Then again, she had met the highest-ranking men in the Legion, and they all seemed far different from people outside assumed they were.
Six opened the gate to the eastern side of Hoover Dam, coming face to face with a large group of NCR rangers. They parted down the middle to allow a man to pass between them. He was short, his uniform and hat emblazoned with golden stars.
It had to be General Oliver. Six stopped, hoping to negotiate with him as well. He was smiling, so the Courier felt like she had a good chance.
"It's been a long time since I've seen someone do the kind of work you did today," he laughed, "what was that light coming from the Fort? Some kind of thumb of God you called down? Amazing, fucking amazing."
General Oliver stepped forward and grabbed her hand with both of his for a shake.
"Oh, I can't take all the credit," Six said, "had some help from my allies here."
She motioned toward a pack of approaching securitrons. Yes Man led the group, his face easily recognizable next to the other bots.
"Uh," Oliver chucked, "Oh, these are with you? Hello there, smiley."
He reached toward the pocket of his pants, the securitrons immediately readying their weapons for attack. The General glanced around nervously and abandoned whatever he had planned on doing.
"Can you tell these guys to put their guns down?" he asked, "I was just reaching into my coat to give you a cigar."
Six didn't buy it. He wanted to shoot her, without even telling her to prepare herself. If he wasn't going to play nice, then she didn't feel very inclined to do so either.
"General Oliver," she announced, "Hoover Dam belongs to the people of New Vegas. Leave at once."
He stared at her, his face growing red by the second.
"I would sooner spit on the grave of my mother than to let a wasteland fuck talk to me like that," the General hissed, "Who the hell do you think you are? Looking to cash your chips on some NCR bullets? I can oblige."
"Lanius and I just had a wonderful conversation," she remarked, "he was actually rather respectful and treated me like a peer. I appreciate that. I don't appreciate the way you're talking to me."
Six meant every word she said. She hadn't come this far to be told off by an NCR guy who just wanted to take the land from the people of Vegas.
"Look," he replied, "I know you're riding high right now, but let me tell you something. You ain't pissing on me right now; you're pissing on the bear. You've been far enough west to know how far that claw stretches. Fuck with the bear and–"
"General," Six interrupted, "the Republic has outstayed its welcome. The people don't want you, and this land is ours, as it always has been."
His face got redder as he walked up to Six. Looking down on her, he brought his face close to hers. But she wasn't scared; Six wouldn't back down.
"You want me to make tracks out of here," he growled, "and head back to the NCR with our tail between our legs? No. I came for a fight today, and you're thinking you're going to make me budge, then you'd better have a mean left hook or I'm not going anywhere."
If he wanted to brawl, then she would oblige him.
Six swung her arm out, her fist connecting with the General's jaw. She cried out in pain as she realized that she probably didn't punch the right way.
The nearby rangers drew their weapons, only to be vaporized by the securitrons. In a moment, only two soldiers remained, along with the stunned General, who rubbed his quickly swelling jaw.
"Two weeks," Six ordered, "I want you packed and moved out in two weeks. When we are ready, the state of New Vegas will send an envoy, in hopes of negotiating some trade deals."
"You haven't seen the last of us," he remarked. General Oliver signaled for his remaining troops to follow him. The defeated NCR disappeared into the endless wall of securitrons.
As soon as they left, Yes Man wheeled up to Six.
"You did a super job wrapping things up," he cheered, "and I'm not just saying that because I have to. I didn't want to make a big deal about this until after we won but, well, I found a piece of code in Mr. House's databanks that will let me reprogram my personality. It'll make me more assertive, and it'll make me appear offline for a little while, but it's going to be okay."
"I've updated the securitron's security parameters," it continued, "so they know how to protect Vegas. So, I'm going to be off making a few changes, and I promise that I'll see you around. Until then, take care!"
Before Six had a chance to reply, the securitron's screen switched to the default face and Yes Man had disappeared.
The Courier began the long walk back to New Vegas, accompanied by her friends and an army of robots. Now, she could begin to help the people build new lives.