"Get down!" a voice shouted. Jason ducked his head instinctively as a rocket flashed overhead before planting itself into a tree. A body fell beside him and Jason held back the urge to vomit. He fixed his clue CPG helmet before firing wildly at the flashes from the tall grass of Murkwater. His pipe rifle clanked out bullets until a ping shot out the final round. Jason ducked under the dirt trench and fumbly reloaded his rifle.
"Where are our reinforcements?!" a woman shouted. Firing her own pipe rifle. Jason turned and watched the silver suits wade through the swamp.
"It's the suits!" a man shouted. Jason's eye widened.
"Fuck. They said this would be an easy post." Jason muttered.
"Open fire! Keep them back!" The sergeant shouted. A bright beam flashed past Jason's face. A scream later, James turned back towards the suits and raised his rifle. He pulled the trigger, releasing a stream of .45 rounds at the suits.
"Do .45s even slow these fuckers down?!" the woman asked.
"No idea!" Jason responded. "Just keep shooting." The suits began to charge forward, gaining momentum. Jason reached into his Minutemen pouch and grabbed a pulse grenade. "Pulse out!" he shouted. He lobbed the explosive far into the swamp watching the first suit arrive at it. It didn't notice. A blue field of electricity shorted the suit the and fried the operator. As training had indicated.
Jason continued firing but the suits began to overrun the Minutemen position.
"Romeo Actual, pull out. Alpha's arrived." A voice chirped over the radio. A P-80 rocketed overhead. Seeing as the Sergeant was down, Jason raised his arm.
"Fall back!" He shouted as the first green blobs hit the water.
James headbutted the man who attacked him.
"Retribution." He muttered silently. Jason held the man's throat tight. He remembered these words.
"What." James growled. "Did you just say?"
"True to Caesar," the man struggled "Scum" James crushed the man's windpipe before tossing him to the side. He stepped through the gates of the Fort. He pushed the doors open finding all Hell to be breaking loose. Dusk rained brass rain from above as the vertibird circled overhead. The minigun cut down enemies that James could not see. Nathan, wearing some body armor with a trench coat over his gear stepped from the one of the tents. Nathan quickly hid a machete as he did so.
"I've been waiting for this for a long time." Nathan chuckled. A man wearing a fox hat charged him. James drew his pistol but Nathan beat him drawing a highly stylized black .44 revolver. Nathan fired once and the man rolled to the ground.
"Why the long wait?" James asked.
"NCR bureaucrats." Nathan grumbled. "Come." James followed him as the Pride cut down man after man in the strange camp.
Nathan pushed aside the flap to the tent and held up his revolver.
"So you have returned." A voice growled from the darkness. Though the voice was not really a growl but more like metal grating on metal.
"Lanius." Nathan said. "It's nice to see you too."
"Has the time come?" Lanius asked.
"I wouldn't be here otherwise." Nathan said. Suddenly, flames lit up the darkened tent, momentarily blinding James. When his eyes recovered, he saw a hulking mountain of a man, dressed in a golden suit of armor. Terrifying red eyes lit up as Lanius stood from his golden throne. James placed his hand on his holster.
"Good." Lanius grated. "It is time for our clash once more."
"James, would you do the honors?" Nathan asked. James nodded and signaled Eden to activate the plan. Suddenly, six members of the Pride shot down from the ceiling landed in a circle that surrounded Lanius. Lanius hefted his huge broadsword.
"Up to your tricks once more." Lanius said. "I wouldn't have it any other way." He slashed at Dusk, who sidestepped it and slammed her fist into Lanius's helmet, cracking it. Glade kicked Lanius's knees, causing him to stumble. The sword smashed into Ash's chest, throwing him out the side of the tent. Glade grabbed Lanius from behind and suplexed him into the ground.
Lanius responded with unexpected swiftness by shaking everyone off him. He leapt to his feet just as James tackled him. However, Lanius's immense size rendered James's tackled to be useless. Lanius wrapped his arms around James's torso and lifted his into the air.
"Shit." James said as Lanius through him into Glade. Lanius grabbed his sword and stabbed it at Colvin. Colvin jumped back at the last second, avoiding the attack, however the whiplash caught Vargas into the head, knocking his helmet off. In the instant of Vargas's error, Lanius grabbed him by the throat and crushed his throat.
"Vargas, I'm coming!" James shouted and ran for the two of them. Lanius threw Vargas into the ground and slammed a huge fist into Kodiak's stomach. Reeling from recoil of his counter, Lanius slammed his sword through Vargas's chest.
All sound ceased as time slowed for James. He was taken back to the scene of his father's death.
James Sr. Stood in front of James. Hand on glass. He locked eyes with James.
"Run." He managed before collapsing. James roared as he slammed his knee into Lanius's helmet. Lanius reeled back from the attack as Glade took a piece of rebar and cement and slammed into into Lanius's knee with a deafening crack. Dusk jumped onto the man's back and shoved her knife into one of Lanius's red eyes. Lanius roared as he grabbed Glade and slammed his fist against Glade's helmet numerous times before pulling Dusk off his back. Kodiak rushed forward and tackled Lanius to the ground. This was allowed due to Lanius's broken knee. Colvin grabbed the rebar and slammed it on Lanius's face as James arrived and drew his 1911.
"You still have that?" Nathan asked.
"Yes." He fired into Lanius's other eye. The man made no sound, laying on the ground. He breathed in and out as the blood pooled under him. Nathan knelt beside Lanius's head.
"Do it." Lanius whispered. Nathan took hold of Dusk's knife and shoved it through the helmet with a sickening force.
"It's done."
"What the fuck was all of that?" James asked.
"A gentlemen's agreement." Nathan responded. James looked back at Vargas, who lay still at the center of the courtyard. The sword still jutting out of the ground as if he were some sick display.
"You just cost me a friend." James growled.
"You'll make more." James bit his lip, fearing he'd lose his temper. He walked back to Vargas's body. Dusk stood from where she knelt. She had her helmet off, she turned and saw James before nodding and slipping the helmet back on. Her eyes appeared to be red to James. James took hold of the sword.
"What do we do with the sword?" Kodiak asked. James pulled with all his strength but it didn't budge.
"Vargas deserves better than this." James muttered. Ash stepped forward, helmet under his armpit. He scratched his hair and stared at the body.
"Sorry, I should've been more careful. I shouldn't have let hi-"
"Don't worry about it." James responded. "It's war." Then James turned and walked off. He stopped at the entrance when he heard a sickening sucking sound. He turned and watched as Ash pulled the sword from the ground.
"What do we do with the sword?" Ash asked, waving the huge blade around.