A hot wind blew from the west as the setting sun cast its last rays where Gaius and his force made camp. It had been a punishing three days for Gaius and his men as they force-marched across the wastes. After the massacre at Indian Springs, the Centurion knew it was only a matter of time before the NCR realized there had been an incursion. According to Dean Domino, the largest NCR base in the area was in the Amargosa Valley. The ghoul had also mentioned that several years ago it had at least one Vertibird for a rapid response to its far-flung outposts. Gaius had never seen a working Vertibird, but understood how vulnerable his force was to air attack, especially with his mini-gun as their only anti-air weapon.

Gaius ordered his men into the wastes for the grueling overland trek to the ancient resort of Furnace Creek at the mouth of Death Valley. Dean had described it as the last fortified bastion of the NCR, serving as a watch post and weather station for the storms that swept out of the Valley. Gaius' force was thirty Legionnaires, and his orders were to wreak as much havoc on the NCR as possible. Dean Domino was sent with a promise of finding the mythical Sierra Madre, but as far as Gaius was concerned the ghoul was a source of intelligence and nothing more. Dean had traveled years before along highway 95 when he came to New Vegas. This meant the ghoul had more first-hand knowledge of where towns and garrisons were than anyone in the Legion. So far the ghoul's recollections had proven accurate enough for Gaius to tolerate his presence. However, Dean's insistence on bringing the captive woman irritated the Centurion, and he made no attempt to moderate the Legion's pace to accommodate the two.

On the second day of the march, one of Gaius' explorers watching for pursuit reported movement in the shimmering heat that looked like a lone human. Gaius dismissed the report as irrelevant until the next morning when his scouts found large boot prints from a hill near the camp. Clearly someone had watched the Legion from the hill under the cover of darkness. This time as evening approached, Gaius sent three scouts to the rear to settle the matter as they searched the hills for a defensible campsite. Finally they found a clearing on a hilltop surrounded by a steep gully carved by floodwater. A dry riverbed formed a steep trail as it climbed to the top of the hill. It was a natural fortification and Gaius ordered the Legion to halt for the night.

There still had been no word from the scouts, so Gaius sat on a boulder, his mini-gun on the ground as he chewed a strip of dried Brahmin. The Legion always traveled light, relying on foraging for resupply as they marched. This allowed them to cover great distances but at a cost, especially in the fierce heat of the California desert. By his estimate, it would take five days for the Legion to reach Furnace Creek, at which point they needed to take it for supplies as much as to strike at the NCR. His mini-gun had given him many victories conquering the tribals of Colorado, but he was running low on ammunition for the huge weapon, as were the guns of his men.

Suddenly there were shouts from the Legionnaire's posted on watch, and he stood to see what was approaching. A lone Legionnaire emerged from the gathering twilight, reeling from exhaustion as he staggered through the line. With a furious scowl, Magnus strode forward to meet the scout who stopped and forced himself upright, cradling his right arm as he saw the Centurion approach. Seated nearby, Dean Domino looked up with his demeanor of aloof indifference that Gaius found infuriating. Next to the ghoul, the prisoner huddled on the ground, her hands bound before her and her face turned away. The woman never spoke, and seemed determined to make herself as invisible as possible. Gaius ignored them as he stopped in front of the scout who was clearly fighting pain and exhaustion.

"Where are the others?" Gaius snapped as he gripped the handle of his heavy curved knife.

"Dead Centurion." The soldier gasped. "All dead."

"What happened?" Gaius growled, as the woman on the ground lifted her head to listen.

"We were ambushed Centurion." The scout explained. "A…beast leaped on us with the sun at its back. Two of us were struck down before we could fight back. I tried to fight but my spear was struck from me."

Gaius glanced at the scout's forearm and noted the discoloration and deformity showing broken bones.

"I didn't hear any sounds of battle." Gaius growled.

"The beast didn't use a gun." The soldier replied breathlessly. "It struck us down with a…club."

"What sort of beast?" Gaius snapped.

"It was…bigger than a man, Centurion." The Legionnaire replied, his face ashen. "It was like the…beasts we fought in the Mojave. It also had…white eyes."

At that announcement, Gaius heard a gasp from the woman. The Centurion turned to look at her and saw she had looked away, concealing her face beneath her hood.

"Well, well." Dean Domino said with a sardonic smile as he climbed to his feet. "It appears that there may have been a survivor from Indian Springs."

"There were no survivors!" Gaius growled as he glared at the Legionnaire weaving on his feet before him.

"An easy assumption to make." Dean replied casually. "And one I made myself. However nobody checked the prison after you flattened it."

"There was no need." Gaius growled with rage as he turned to face the ghoul.

"You are a recent arrival to New Vegas." Dean observed calmly. "So you aren't familiar with the exploits of the mutant that was held in that shack. From what I've heard, she managed to kill a Yao Gui with her bare hands, a feat corroborated by the few witnesses who survived the incident."

"So you think this mutant is killing my men?" Gaius sneered.

"The evidence certainly suggests it." Dean replied with a smile. "And if so we have some leverage to turn this situation to our advantage."

Suddenly, the woman exploded into motion, trying frantically to scramble to her feet. Dean seized her by the arm and jerked her upright where she glared defiantly at her captors.

"I think she is the reason the mutant is following us." Dean observed as he tightened his hold on his struggling captive.

"Very well, ghoul." Gaius snarled as he stepped forward and seized the woman who tried to jerk free. The Centurion backhanded her across the face, sending her to the ground stunned. Reaching down, he yanked her hood off, and then seizing her by her robe dragged her further into the clearing as he drew his knife.

"Mutant!" Gaius roared. "You will come out of hiding or I will behead her!" The Centurion's voice echoed in the darkness as the Legion looked about with their weapons drawn. After several seconds of silence Magnus raised his knife.

"Very well mutant!" Gaius roared as he swung his knife up for a killing blow. "Now she dies!"

Suddenly a shriek cut through the darkness, causing all the Legionnaires to freeze in surprise. Gaius dropped his captive and stepped forward, trying to see movement beyond the few campfires. Then there was an inhuman howl as something erupted into the light, sending the corpse of a Legionnaire flying with a devastating blow from a super sledge. The attack was so sudden, the Legionnaires were still trying to raise their weapons when the mutant launched itself into them, its hammer swinging in a whirlwind of death. The camp erupted into a chaos of curses, howls and gunfire as the Legion tried to fight back. Suddenly, the mutant whirled and leaped into the darkness, leaving a tangle of shattered bodies behind.

"After it!" Magnus roared as he ran after the mutant. Gunfire cracked about him as the Legionnaires fired as they ran after the hulking shadow limping before them. With a roar of triumph Magnus waved his men forward with his knife then suddenly the mutant vanished. Magnus skidded to a stop on the loose dirt of the slope, stopping just before the edge of the gully. The Legion crowded about as they searched the darkness for any signs of their attacker.

"Give me a flare!" Magnus ordered, and after a moment one that had been taken from Indian Creek was pressed into his outstretched hand. Gaius ignited it with a snap and threw it down the slope. He watched as it bounced and rolled until it came hissing and smoking to a stop. There was no sign of the mutant in the burning red glow and Gaius scowled with rage. It was impossible for it to have run away that quickly, especially with its apparent injury. He looked up the gully in frustrated rage as he tried to see where the mutant was hiding. As his fury was replaced with frustration, he was about to order his men down the slope when a thought struck him. Why had the mutant run away? If it was crazed enough to attack thirty Legionnaires with a hammer, why did it suddenly flee? Six of his men lay dead at the camp, and that was in the first chaotic few seconds of the battle. Gaius looked back up the trail and swore as he realized he had underestimated the mutant. Its attack wasn't an impulse, it wanted them to follow, possibly feigning a limp so they wouldn't realize it was able to run as it circled back.

"Back!" He roared and his soldiers turned and began to run back up the trail. In moments they had almost reached the top when a huge shadow stepped in front of them, its white eyes blazing with fury as Magnus heard an unmistakable whirring sound. The hulking Centurion seized a Legionnaire and wrenched the soldier in front of him as the roar of his own mini-gun filled the night, drowning out the screams of his men as the huge mutant scythed them down. Trapped on the slope, the Legion was helpless to avoid the hail of slugs that tore through them as the snarling mutant moved the blazing weapon back and forth until its red-hot barrels fell silent.

Dean Domino and Veronica stood in the clearing as the echoes of the mini-gun faded and Valeria slowly walked into the firelight. Dean had just untied Veronica and stood back as she stared with disbelief at the friend she had given up for dead. She had lain almost senseless on the ground as Valeria had attacked the Legion, and was still sick and dizzy when she had felt Dean untying her.

"I hope you'll put in a good word for me." The ghoul quipped as she tried to stand. "Your large associate didn't stop to chat when she borrowed Magnus' gun, but she should return shortly."

Veronica's eye was swollen shut and she tasted blood where she had bitten her cheek. That was when she heard the mini-gun open fire. Now she saw Valeria approaching out of the smoke-filled darkness and choked back a sob as a surge of emotion came over her. Even when she heard that Valeria could be alive, she didn't fully believe it until now. Valeria was covered with dirt and blood, but the look of concern on her face was all the proof Veronica needed that her friend was alive. Then she looked past Valeria's armored shoulder and screamed.

"Val!"

Valeria whirled as a gunshot rang out and saw Gaius Magnus drop a rifle as he toppled to the ground, blood pouring from a hole in his forehead.

"I never did like him." Dean Domino quipped as the dropped the revolver he had taken and raised his hands above his head.

"No hard feelings I hope."