In the days that followed, the warring families; the Omeretas and the White Glove Society were conspiring to take over the Strip. They were brought to a standstill thanks to the efforts of The Courier and his companions. All the while, Mr. House had grown more complacent with the interests of the NCR, while being able to run the Strip as he saw fit.

Meanwhile, word of the Courier had spread like wildfire in part due to Cassandra's association with him. Alejandro and his gang quickly grew a reputation all along the Mojave Wasteland as "The Vegas Vigilantes"; a title the mysterious and charismatic radio host, Mr. New Vegas made.

Ambassador Crocker of the NCR requested them to issue an alliance with a secluded tribe called the Boomers, named after their array of explosive armaments used to blow up any trespassers. Fortunately, The Vigilantes succeeded with little to no harm by infiltrating the back entrance from a railroad tunnel to Nellis AFB. It was the sojourn dream of the Boomers to fly one of the great sky beasts in the days of old; a bomber, one of which was sunk in Lake Mead, and rose again thanks to The Vigilantes. Funny how most eyewitnesses from afar dubbed the plane afloat as "The Lake Mead Monster".

Northeast from Novac, Camp Forlorn Hope was in dire need of assistance. Intelligence suggested the town of Nelson had come under attack from Legionaries, and were holding NCR troopers hostage. Al decided to lend a hand and provide extra firepower against the captors by attacking from both sides of the cliff that overlooked the town. The operation went smoothly, and the hostages were freed from bondage, or put specifically, crucifixion.

Eventually, the day had come where President Kimball of the NCR would be giving his speech at Hoover Dam. Alejandro arrived with Boone, Rex, and Raul. They stood outside as they watched the Vertibird named Bear Force One fly in from across the river. They kept an eye out for anyone suspicious, as they caught wind a certain engineer was absent from his post.

Cass was spotted near the landing pad, with the AT rifle she'd gotten from Al's adventures with her. She wore Ranger patrol armor, meaning she must've passed Ranger School while he was away. It was a hot day, especially so on the Dam with no trees to block the heat waves.

The president got off and gave a wave to everyone below, before making his way to the podium with his escort of elite veteran rangers and heavy troopers. Cass flanked them and stood directly in front of the president once everyone was in position. She had the job of guarding the crowd of people. She hadn't even noticed Al yet.

As the president began to give his speech, Rex the dog began sniffing the air. Something was afoot when he started whining.

"What is it boy? What do you smell?" Al asked before he followed the dog towards the stairs of the helipad. They were halted by a guard; who was skeptical they were the renowned Vegas Vigilantes until Boone introduced himself. After climbing up onto the helipad, Rex sniffed the Vertibird and pointed out something no one had detected; a bomb placed on the underside of the vehicle. With his magic mechanic hands, Raul crawled under and carefully disarmed it.

Alejandro showed the bomb to Ranger Grant nearby, who ordered an immediate evacuation of President Kimball. Al tasked Boone to take point with his sniper rifle while Raul and Rex searched the crowd for anyone suspicious.

As the president began to evacuate, Cass would follow behind him. A person in a mechanic outfit attempted to stab the President. In which case he was gunned down shortly afterwards. The crowd began to disperse into combat positions. But there was something off; the watchtower guard wasn't responding. Then, the reason why became clear.

He would take aim and fire at the President. Instinctively, Cass ran in front of him and took the bullet. The round would go straight through her neck and she stopped for a second. She stumbled forward and winced. Then another shot into her chest once the assassin saw he missed the president, who stepped into the Vertibird away from his line of sight. Cass fell unconscious onto the ground; bleeding out rapidly.

Boone aimed at the watchtower assassin and fired, but his sniper rifle was non responsive. "My gun's jammed!" He shouted as the Frumentarius made a break across the dam.

"Rex! Muerde, muerde!" Alejandro called out to the loyal cyber-canine, who immediately knew what to do. He chased down the perpetrator along the dam and seized his arms. For a while he struggled before kicking the dog off of him. At that very moment Raul came in and used the butt of his six shooter to knock him to the ground, before aiming the barrel at his forehead. "I'd stay down if I were you amigo." He said coldly, revealing the preeminent pistolero he was long ago. Meanwhile, Al was tending to Cass as best he could, calling out for a medic.

The nearest hospital that could treat the severity of her wounds was at the Old Mormon Fort, which was miles away in Freeside. At the Courier's pleas, Cass was transported as fast as she could aboard Bear Force One. At the hospital, she was tended to by a peculiar elusive doctor named Arcade Gannon.

Time passed before Cass was conscious again. Standing over her in a medical tent were Al, Veronica, Raul, Boone, Cassidy, and even Lily Bowen who said, "Becky dearest? Are you awake?"

Cass had pulled through miraculously. She looked pretty out of it and didn't even say anything once she woke up. She slowly sat up and winced quite a bit, before falling back down onto the bed she'd been placed on. She couldn't speak and just knew she couldn't. Her throat felt...empty. luckily the shot to her chest missed her heart by about an inch. So other than that she just needed rest.

She looked up at Lily with a blank expression, pain quickly filling her eyes and she let out a silent sigh. She closed her eyes and just rested her hands on top of her stomach. She hoped someone would fill her in. If not, she'd go find out for herself.

"Jimmy here told me how you took a bullet for our President. Grandma's so proud of you dearie." She said as she brushed her face gently with her big hands.

"We all should be proud." Alejandro said as ED-E continued monitoring Cass's vitals.

ED-E (pronounced Eddie) was an Eyebot; a hovering metallic sphere akin to Sputnik used for communication purposes. In pursuit of Benny, The Courier helped the NCR liberate the town of Primm from The Powder Gangers. ED-E was found badly damaged from the crossfire. So Alejandro repaired him, and since then, the little eyebot has acted as a second pair of eyes and ears for The Courier.

Eyebots were originally manufactured by The Enclave, a secret remnant of the former American Government. They were notorious for their puritan fascist ideals of old world preservation, exterminating anything inhuman, subhuman, and even human. Very few members of the Enclave remained since their defeat at Navarro.

Alejandro wondered if Cass would ever be able to speak again, and whether or not the Followers of the Apocalypse had the means to repair her throat. He ordered for Boone to fill her in for the time being.

The Followers of the Apocalypse were an organization of humanitarian medical practitioners who formed shortly after the Atomic War. Of all the factions within the Mojave Wasteland, they were among the most upstanding, as they carried an oath to heal mankind from the fallout.

Arcade did the best he could, but in order for her neck to fully recover, they'd need a Mark 1 Auto Doc. The only one Alejandro knew of was in Caesar's Fort, and he was determined to get there.

She would try to stand again once she heard they were going after Caesar, but ED-E's heart rate monitor beeped with disapproval and she would slowly fall onto the bed unconscious again. She pushed herself too hard. Her only regret now was not being there to kill the bastard with Al. She envied him, and anyone who would be with him on the crusade. She slowly would get worried as time went on. She worried if Al and them would ever make it back safely. Or who would be the casualties.

Alejandro could tell Cass was itching to join the fight. So The Vegas Vigilantes decided to stay. In the days that followed, Ambassador Crocker, arbitrary as he was, planned to form an alliance with The Followers. The only way to earn their assistance was to collect more medical supplies around the Wasteland.

Unfortunately, medical caches were being stolen by The Fiends; unhinged raiders notorious for their drug induced killing frenzies. Whether it be feeding their victims to the hounds, using heads for golf practice, or roasting people alive, their sadistic cruelty knew no bounds. A three card bounty was placed on them by the NCR, and the Vigilantes got to work. Within the ruins of Summerlin, they discovered an abandoned Vault; a massive underground fallout shelter where the Fiends have set up shop. The Courier and his allies wiped them out and retrieved the caches.

Later that week, news came in from Westside that food caravans from Sharecropper Farms were being raided by stragglers known as The Great Khans. Once the most feared tribe in the Mojave, their numbers dwindled from NCR expansion, and their grudge against the NCR has surpassed that of the Legion itself.

Their most recent incident was that of the Bitter Springs Massacre. Due to a blunder in the intelligence reports, many of the NCR's soldiers ended up killing Khan civilians rather than raiders. Alejandro and a few of his allies visited their hideout in Red Rock Canyon, where their leader; Papa Khan greeted them. They had plans to ally themselves with the Legion to exact their revenge on the NCR. The only way to convince them otherwise was to provide evidence that the Legion would strip them of their cultural identity and brutalize them into submission. Al wondered where he'd be able to find it; Caesar's Fort perhaps.

In the meantime, the small town of Sloan was facing a Deathclaw infestation in the Quarry north of it. This prevented Freeside from gaining the raw materials needed to rebuild and cut off travel through interstate 15. The Vigilantes swept into the Quarry, taking the high ground on both sides of the mouth to split up the pack. But there was good reason these overgrown carnivorous saurids were known as the Apex Predators of the Wasteland. They started to corner the gang towards the nest where the Matriarch lay in wait. Fortunately, Lily Bowen was able to sneak around and find a couple Mini Nukes lying in a cluster of eggs, of which she flung like footballs to take them out.

As they collected their reward from Sloan, the gang gathered the Deathclaw eggs to earn themselves a hefty profit from the Thorn; an arena within the sewers of Westside known for its death matches against man and beast. With their earnings, they bought themselves some new and improved armaments from the Gun Runners.

After a squad of Frumentarii massacred the entire company of Ranger Station Charlie, it became clear that the Legion was attempting to surround the NCR; divide and conquer. Al knew he had to strike first, and the only way to cripple the enemy was to launch a surprise attack on Fortification Hill.

While Cass was unconscious as the weeks passed, Alejandro would kneel at her side whenever he could, praying she would be ok. Soon enough, she was able to walk once more. The doctors, including Gannon, requested she stay longer, as she had a number of stitches where the bullet pierced her throat. But by that time she was already putting her armor on and gathering her weapons. She would then rendezvous with Al to lead her Caesar. She was glad he waited, because now, she was going to avenge her family.

Al was impressed with Cassandra's resilience and vigor. She really was a shining example for the NCR. He gathered his companions and headed south to prepare for the attack.

Upon reaching Cottonwood Cove, they struck from two angles; one from the cliffside and another from the road. After they killed the Legionnaires and recaptured Ranger Station Echo, Raul and Veronica used their handiwork to disable the explosive collars on a few captive slaves. All that was left was to cross the river.

Cass would take a deep breath as she examined the trek ahead. It was going to be difficult for her to get over the memories of this place. The agony, the fear, all of it. She'd heard multiple times in her past of Legionnaires claiming her like a prize once she was turned of age. But that time never came for them. She almost wondered if they'd remember her.

She would look at Al briefly and nod a little, before kneeling down and lifting her rifle up to begin sniping any Legion watchmen. She planned to go in undetected, yet fast and hard. The first casualty she took from this camp was the Cove's leader, before he could alert anyone. She didn't want a single survivor.

Not a single survivor was left at Ranger Station Echo. As The Vegas Vigilantes traveled across the river they kept a watch for Lakelurks that could've been hiding underwater. As soon as they beached, they stormed the shore.

At the foot of Fortification Hill, Alejandro gave the signal using his Pip-Boy. From the underground bunker, the Securitrons, under the command of Yes Man, broke loose and caught the Legion completely off guard. The Vigilantes began their assault up the hill.

Cass would snipe and kill dozens of Legionairres, not missing a single time. To her, this was personal, and she intended on emptying the rest of her ammo into Caesar's corpse. A few NCR troops were on the shore as well. Odd. Perhaps it was her own doing.

She mostly sat back and on the highest vantage point she could find. By the time the Legion knew where she was, they were dead. She'd fired so much that her gun was smoking; bullet casings falling down onto the ground below with loud clangs.

To Al, this too was personal. Every life taken by them would be avenged on this day, and soon they would meet their reckoning on Hoover Dam. Veronica used her grenade launcher to take out targets on higher ground, Alejandro and Raul led the assault, while Cassidy and Boone provided covering fire. The number of Securitrons left the Legionaries hopelessly outnumbered and overrun. Before they knew it, they entered Caesar's tent.

Lily Bowen used her Sledgehammer dubbed, 'Oh Baby!' to clear a path through the Praetorian Guards as Veronica used her power glove to do the same. In a matter of seconds, Alejandro met the dictator face to face, stoic and unwavering.

"I knew I'd see you again, but I thought you better than to ally yourself with a gang of filthy degenerate profligates. What do you think killing me will achieve? You do that, and I become a martyr to my Legion. I have countless more at my disposal spanning Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. They'll come for you all."

"And we'll be ready for them too." Alejandro said as he slowly approached him. "After all, I learned from the best." He removed his sunglasses and uncoupled his Pip-Boy to reveal the numerals carved into his arm. At that moment, the realization hit Caesar like a bull.

"You…you're the miscreant that escaped my encampment in Flagstaff…you little bastard! My Legate will have your head adorn a spike on the Dam once this is through! You will rue the day-!" Alejandro punched him on the cheek.

"You claim yourself to be well-read? You should've seen this coming long ago, Caesar."

Cass would take a draw of her cigarette and slung her rifle over her shoulder. She would then slowly approach Caesar and Al, fixing her caramel colored aviators. She drew the Bowie knife from her chest piece and examined it briefly. Then she looks at Al for permission. Perhaps she'd torture him, perhaps she'd kill him right now, she wasn't sure. But she felt the blood boiling inside her. Perhaps he recognized her, perhaps he didn't, whatever the case, she wasn't the scared little girl she used to be.

Her hands twitched with anticipation; eagerness; rage; lustful vengeance. She hated him so much she couldn't bear to look at him for more than a few seconds. She knew an atrocity isn't repaid with the same, but she didn't care. The man who haunted her dreams was in front of her, weak, full of blood she needed to spill.

Alejandro could tell that Cass was itching to kill him. Personally, he didn't blame her either, as his dreams were also haunted, not by Caesar, but by his second-in-command. By God, that mask still made him shiver.

In spite of the memory loss, he could still easily remember the day his family died. It wasn't easy to conceal a dug tunnel in Flagstaff, where the Legion presence was most numerous. Were it not for a simple act of clumsiness, they would've all made it through. Only Al managed to escape to the slopes of Mount Humphry before his family was recaptured. The last thing he saw of his loved ones was the Butcherer of the East, personally crucifying them with railroad spikes atop telephone poles. Their screams of unbridled agony echoed throughout the valley under a blood red dawn. Even if Al turned back, there was no way he could've helped them.

"He's all yours, Cassandra." Alejandro said as he backed off of the weakened Caesar. He wouldn't deny his friend her vengeance. Now, the man that sat upon the furred throne was at the mercy of one of the NCR's Finest. The Bull and the Bear, meeting face to face.

She would slowly straddle him, before kneeling down just above him. She came face to face with him. She would narrow her eyes briefly as the thought on what to do...such brutality only the Legion knew...now filled her. She would look back at all the people in the Tent, as if a way to tell them what was about to go down; the breakdown of a strong woman; the death of a man; the end of an empire. This was her warning to them, and without a second more, she would turn back to Caesar. Taking off her sunglasses and throwing them to the ground.

She waited for that moment to hit him; realization, payback. The girl he once tortured personally was now...here, back to return the favor. Thoughts swirled in her mind on what to do; the primal urge to kill him and defile his body was...strong. But she wouldn't stoop that low, it wasn't in her nature. Taking a life meant something to her, even if he deserved it. Upon seeing the realization in his eyes, her own cold gaze would freeze his very soul. She didn't let him sit in realization for more than a few seconds. Before he could utter a word, she sliced him across the face swiftly. Then she began to stab him repeatedly in the chest. The rapidness of her strikes increased as It happened. It was messy already; blood everywhere; blood on her face, her armor, her clothes, everything within arm's reach. She was stabbing from every angle upon every inch of his body. It seemed like it would never end. And it probably wouldn't. Unless Al stepped in. She was crying...but it was impossible to tell.

Cass's unhinged rage, lecturing her arm to slash at the bloodied corpse time and again, filled Al with a sense of dread. After moments had passed, he stepped in and seized her arm. "Cassandra, enough!" He said. It was then he heard her sobbing almost silently, tears falling upon the legs of the dead tyrant. "He's gone..." Al said as a gesture of assurance. He instructed the rest of his gang to help free the slaves and kill any remaining Legionaries.

Cass was pulled away by him grabbing her arm, as if she wasn't expecting it and hadn't braced for it, even if he hadn't tugged that hard. She would try to go back in and continue but it was likely him holding her arm still that kept her from doing so. Once the gang left she would drop her knife and fall to her knees, sobbing heavily. Deep grief filled her. The man who robbed her of a normal happy life was dead.

Whatever happened to Cassandra involving the Legion, it must've been powerful enough to resurface her past trauma. Alejandro couldn't help but feel empathy for the poor soul, as the murder of his own family left him scarred as well. Like the small frightened boy he once was, he knelt down and gently hugged her. "It's alright Cass…it's over…" He said.

She figured it was no use trying to hide it, so she virtually flung herself right into his arms and sobbed silently, closing her eyes as the memories slowly faded back to her, reliving each one within her head. She felt shameful for feeling so…weak, so exposed to him. It hurt her badly, as did the Legion.

But Alejandro could never hold it against her. As Cass continued to sob upon his shoulders, he finally gained a slight understanding of why she was having a breakdown; maybe she had a history with the Legion, just like him and Boone. "Caesar took a lot from us. We won't get it back. But he won't hurt anyone else again..."

She nods a little in agreement with his words. Not that she could speak anyways, or had much to say. She knew he had a history with them too...but him picking up on her was impressive. She would slowly calm down and just shake in his arms, trembling and shuddering breaths like that of a scared child; a little girl trapped in a woman's body. And now more than ever, she wanted his affection. Slowly but surely, she would wrap her arms around him.

Alejandro learned the gift of empathy from Joshua, and was willing to give Cass his affection. He stayed there and kept hugging her until the tears ran dry. "Cmon Cass, let's head back home. We'll have some Brahmin Burgers tonight." He said as a gesture of kindness. This was him showing his soft side. He was planning on heading back to the Lucky 38 so he and his gang could relax after all this. They'd given the NCR a huge break, so they figured they deserved one too.

Alejandro decided to take Caesar's advice, and cut off his head before walking out of the tent and revealing it to the captives who surrounded the hill. "Your liberation has come at last!" He yelled before he tossed it upon the ground. The remaining slaves were petrified of what just happened. "Follow us across the river. Freedom awaits on the other side." He said.

Cass would nod a little as she was guided back to the raft, where she waited for Al. A few of the slaves she recognized, but didn't make any attempt to talk to them as she knew they'd seen horrors she was spared from. She would slowly pass out from exhaustion.

Lily was easily able to carry Cassandra back. For the moment, Alejandro and Cassidy split up with The Vegas Vigilantes at the 188 Trading Post to head to Red Rock Canyon. From Fortification Hill, Al gathered a dossier with the evidence of Caesar's true plans for the Great Khans. It didn't take long to persuade the tribe to denounce their allegiance, only for them to question what destiny lay ahead. The Courier encouraged theirs was a fate not with the Mojave, but in free land ripe for plundering. Papa Khan expressed his esteem for Al's respect for the clan, and promised that they'd evacuate come the day of the Battle of Hoover Dam.

Once more the band summoned the assistance of Arcade Gannon to further tend to Cass and her injuries. Not only was she exhausted but dehydrated as well. Later, at the Lucky 38, she slept in one of the beds as the group discussed their next move against the Legion. The next time Cass woke up, Veronica would be cooking up Brahmin Burgers as Al promised.

Al stayed by her side the whole time.