I found myself back in Caesar's tent. Benny's dead body lying in the ground. The Fox, sitting on his knees and smiling at me as blood was pouring from his neck. He rose to his feet and began to speak in his shrill, cold voice

"Mathis, you may have beaten me in the battlefield, but I will always have a place here. You have always had a fear of me." He laughed and continued, "It's sad really one of the strongest warriors in the Mojave is brought down by one man."

"I'm not afraid of a dead man" I said

He laughed again, "Please Mathis, we both know that even as a figment of your imagination, I am still sending a cold chill down your spine."

As he said this, he began to move toward me. I realized that my body was frozen in place. No matter how much I wanted to move, I was unable.

"Well this feels familiar, only last time I believe you were frozen like this was when you were leaving that ranger station." He bent down to pick up something. It was a rusty, bloody machete. The same one that had sliced his neck open. He slowly began to make his way towards me. "Don't worry Mathis. I won't kill you, yet."

He reached my body and placed the machete against my neck. "You're dead. There is nothing you can do to me."

"That's where you are wrong Mathis. A warrior has three strengths the body, the mind, and the heart. Once one of the three is gone, the other two begin to fall apart. Since I have control of your mind, it will only be a matter of time."

He began to walk away, "You seem to have built quite a small army of your own. A drunk, an NCR veteran like yourself, a Brotherhood castaway and a blood tie to the Enclave. Seems like you will trust anyone willing to help you." He laughed and then faded into a mist.

I was now back at NCR headquarters. Receiving my assignment to cover the Mojave. President Kimball himself handed me my orders. "You are to report to Ambassador Crockett. He will be the only one to know about your assignment. You will find him in the Embassy on the Strip in the Mojave. No other troops will know who you are. You are hereby known as a Ghost. You do not exist and you are our best defense against those that would stand against us. Good luck, Mathis."

I felt a cold hand touch my shoulder. "So this is the moment that started it all, right here. Ghost Mathis." It was the ghost of Vulpes again. The blood still dripping from his neck. "I must say it is not nearly as dramatic as I had hoped. Of course we knew you were coming from the start. Crockett is one of ours."

I tried to punch him but this time my fist went right through his face. "Easy now. Wouldn't want people to think you have begun to fight imaginary beings now do we?"

"You're right this is my dream. As it is my imagination, I can do this.." I imagined his body aflame and Vulpes in pain. But instead he neither screamed nor made any other sound but laughter.

"That's good Mathis. However, I am not really here remember? I applaud you for the spontaneous action but your attempts will be futile. There is only one way to beat me and that is for you to conquer your own mind."

The scene changed again as I was now back on the rocks looking over Cottonwood Cove.

"I'm impressed. You hid this memory quite well and I understand why."

I saw the drugs and guns being unloaded at the docks. The Khans had been getting supplied by the Legion. Just as I was watching everything happen, a deathclaw made its way into the meeting. Trying everything they could to stop it, the Legion and Khans who could, fled. There was a young boy who had been with the Khans that was hiding. As he began to run away, the deathclaw spotted him. I did only the only thing I could do to help the boy by shooting at the deathclaw. I exhausted almost all of my ammunition, but one bullet shooting the deathclaw. I had managed to shoot out the eyes of the animal, blinding him. But it could still smell the boy. I raised my rifle trying to get a good shot of the deathclaw, which was now trying hard to find the boy and even taking a few swipes. The boy was too scared to realize I had given him a window to run. As the boy began to sneak away, he slipped and fell onto the rocks and let out a small yell. The deathclaw, hearing this immediately ran towards the boy. Not wanting to see another child claimed by the wasteland, I raised my gun and fired.

"Ah this is my favorite part. The impact." Said Mathis

I watched as the bullet hit the boy killing him just as the deathclaw sunk its teeth in. "You murdered a little boy before nature could. A simple justice but it made you weak Mathis. Only the strong survive. You could have saved the boy but chose to make it easier for the beast instead."

"I didn't shoot the boy. You are seeing the memory wrong. This is how it really happened."

We saw my body laying prone on the rock as I raised my rifle for the last time. I aimed and fired. The bullet striking the deathclaw in the center of the head. The beast died on impact and fell just as it reached the boy.

"Hmph. You win this time Mathis. Rest assured, I will return and when I do, it will be the end of you."

He faded away and all was dark.