Author's Note: Hello everyone. I would just like to say before we get started that I've been playing Far Harbor, and to me, it is one of the creepiest places I've seen in the Fallout universe. Enjoy the chapter, and reviews are always welcome.

Mark walked back through the hallway, and found Veronica pacing around the landing area. When she saw him, she stopped and ran over to him, a hopeful look on her face. "So, how'd it go?" Mark stood there, not knowing what to say. Veronica's face dropped. "He didn't listen, did he?" She threw her arms down in frustration, and started pacing again. "Veronica-" "I don't get it. I was certain he would listen to you. How could he not?" "Veronica-" "Why wouldn't he listen? You are living, breathing proof that-" "Veronica!" Mark practically yelled. She stopped pacing and looked at him. "What?"

"Veronica, it's not that simple. We have things that we need to talk about, but I think that it's best if we talk about them outside of the bunker." Veronica sighed. "Alright," she said, "let's get out of here." They went to head up the stairs, when someone called out, "Not so fast, outsider." Mark and Veronica both turned around. A Caucasian man wearing T51-b power armor and carrying a gauss rifle came out of the doorway on the opposite side of the landing, across from the doorway that led to McNamara's office. He was about Mark's height, and had short brown hair. "I'm sorry, who are you now?" Mark asked, frowning and crossing his arms. "None of your business, outsider. I'd like to have words with you." Veronica stepped between Mark and the man.

"Maxwell," Veronica said, "back off. We're leaving." "Get out of the way, Veronica. You bring an outsider in here, and then he gets a private audience with the Elder? No doubt you brought him here to spout the same idealistic nonsense that you've been trying to convince the Elder of. You would be wise to disassociate yourself from this outsider, and realize that all this talk of change is foolish." "Listen, Maxwell," Veronica said angrily, sounding like she was close to knocking Maxwell out with her power fist, "I choose who my friends are, not you. It's not like he asked to come here. I asked him to come here, and he's more qualified to be here than you may think." "Oh, I doubt that," Maxwell said, "now move out of the way, Veronica. I'm not gonna ask again." "Veronica," Mark said from behind her, "Move. I got this." She looked over her shoulder. "Are you insane?" "Probably. Just move, please."

Veronica reluctantly moved out of the way. Mark took a step towards Maxwell. "So," Mark said, "Maxwell, is it? You're a paladin, right? You must be. Knights usually don't get the T51-b armor and a powerful weapon like a gauss rifle." "How do you know that?" Maxwell asked. "We'll get to that in a second," Mark replied. "Listen, Maxwell, your head of security, Ramos, I believe, he took all of my weapons when I came in, so I am completely unarmed. So if you're gonna shoot me, go ahead. I'll give you a free shot." Mark pounded his chest with his right hand. "But," Mark continued, "If I remember correctly from DC, the Codex states that the penalty for murder of an unarmed person on Brotherhood grounds results in a court-martial, and very likely your execution by firing squad." "What do you mean, from DC?" Maxwell inquired. Mark took his holotags out of his pocket. "Like Veronica said, I'm more qualified to be in here than you may think." "Oh," Maxwell said, realization dawning on his face, "you're with Lyons and his band of traitors, aren't you?" Mark smirked. "Traitors? No. Elder Lyons just had a different idea on how the Brotherhood should operate. So does Veronica, but heaven forbid that someone actually think for themselves, am I right?"

"Watch your tone, outsider, or I will take you up on your offer to shoot you." "No you're won't. Tell me, Maxwell, when was the last time you fired that weapon at something that was actually trying to kill you? When was the last time that you were actually in the wasteland? Veronica tells me that you guys have been under a lockdown for five years, so I'm guessing that it's been about that long. Come to think of it, have you ever actually fired that weapon?" "Mark," Veronica interjected, "maybe we should go." "Stay out of this, Veronica," Maxwell said angrily. He stared daggers at Mark. "You may have those tags, but you are not one of us. If it was up to me, Lyons and all those who follow him would be put to death for their treasonous ways." "Well, Maxwell, I follow him, and I am unarmed, so go ahead. Shoot me. Pull the trigger."

"Maxwell!" Mark and Veronica turned around. Elder McNamara had come to see what was going on. "Elder!" Maxwell said as he stood at attention. "Maxwell," McNamara continued, "What are you doing?" "Sir, I was just-" "It was a rhetorical question, Paladin. You have been warned about your anger issues before. You are remanded to your quarters until I speak with Head Paladin Hardin. You are dismissed." Maxwell scowled at Mark, before heading up the stairs. "Veronica, Mr. Franklin, I suggest that the both of you leave as soon as possible," McNamara said as he headed back towards his office. As soon as McNamara disappeared, Veronica smacked Mark on the back of the head. "What the hell is the matter with you?" "Relax. He wasn't gonna shoot me. He didn't even bother to turn the safety off. Come on. We'll talk more outside the bunker."

After collecting his bag and making sure everything was still in it, Mark and Veronica made their way outside. After their eyes readjusted to the light, Mark put his helmet back on. "You told Ramos that you weren't gonna cause any trouble. What happened to that?" Veronica asked. "Hey, I didn't cause any trouble. I was ready to leave. That guy was the one who instigated things, and I told Ramos that I would defend myself. Oh, and before I forget, for the love of god, please don't tell Amata that I dared a paladin to shoot me point blank with a gauss rifle. She may actually kill me herself. Either that, or she'll withhold sex, and both would suck equally for me." "Whatever," Veronica said as they began to walk, "so what happened in McNamara's office?"

"Veronica, I tried to convince him. I really did. I told him that they were on a doomed path, but apparently he already knows that. He just…refuses to do anything about it. Honestly, Veronica, I think you're wasting your time and talents with them. There are people out here who could really benefit from your knowledge. Like the Followers. Talk to Arcade. I'm sure that he could put you in contact with the right people." "I-I don't know. Maybe you're right. If I stay down there, all I can do is help until everything comes to a sudden end. I'm- I'm gonna have to think on it."

"Veronica, you're an adult, and it's your life, your decision to make. I would never force anyone to abandon their family. Whatever you decide, you have my full support. I just think that you should keep your options open." "Thanks, Mark. You know what? I think it's time I told everyone the truth about who I am." "You sure?" "Yeah. They're all good people. It's time." She smiled at Mark, and Mark got the feeling that it was the first true smile that Veronica had ever given him. They walked in silence for a few minutes. "Hey, wait," Veronica said, "were you able to find out anything about Christine?" Mark stopped dead in his tracks. "Yeah, uh, about that-" "You don't sound like you have good news," Veronica said, her face dropping. "It's…it's complicated. Christine didn't actually leave the Brotherhood. McNamara said that she was tracking a target right now, so it's entirely likely that they've been giving her missions that keep her out of the Mojave."

Veronica looked like she was having trouble processing that information. "They…they lied to me? Do they know where she is? Please tell me you asked that." "He said that she was supposed to radio in about a week ago, but she didn't, so they have no idea where she is." "God dammit," Veronica said, her voice rising, "If I decide to go back there, I'm gonna rip McNamara a new one for keeping this from me." She took a couple of deep breaths. "You should probably call Amata, let her know that we're headed back." Mark knew he had forgotten to do something.

He gave Veronica his rifle, and he looked at his pip boy to check where she was. She was in Freeside, heading back towards the Strip. He was about to call her when a message appeared that a new radio station had been found. "Huh," Mark said. "What?" Veronica asked. He flipped over to the radio stations. There was Radio New Vegas, Mojave Music Radio, Black Mountain Radio, and Amata's frequency, which ran continuously in the background. There was one he hadn't seen before. It read, "Sierra Madre Broadcast." "Have you ever seen this before?" Mark asked Veronica as he showed it to her. "Can't say I have. Play it." Mark flipped a dial until it was highlighted, and it began to play, with a woman's voice speaking:

Has your life taken a turn? Do troubles beset you? Has fortune left you behind? If so, the Sierra Madre Casino, in all its glory, is inviting you to begin again. Come to a place where wealth, excitement and intrigue await around every corner. Stroll along the winding streets of our beautiful resort, make new friends, or rekindle old flames. Let your eyes take in the luxurious expanse of the open desert under clear star-lit skies. Gaze straight into the sunset from our villa rooftops. Countless diversions await: Gamble in our casino, take in the theater, or stay in one of our exclusive executive suites that will shelter you and cater to your every whim. So if life's worries have weighed you down, if you need an escape from your troubles, or if you just need an opportunity to begin again, join us, let go, and leave the world behind at the Sierra Madre grand opening this October. We'll be waiting.

The message finished playing, and Mark and Veronica looked at each other. Veronica had a perplexed look on her face, as did Mark, although she couldn't tell since he had the helmet on. "That…was interesting," Mark said. "Sierra Madre? A casino opening? That must have been from before the war, so what's it doing broadcasting now?" Veronica pondered. "Can you pinpoint where it's coming from?" Mark asked her. "Probably. Just give me a second." She gave his rifle back to him as he held out his left arm. She fiddled with some dials, and after a minute or so, she stopped and just stared at the pip-boy. "Veronica? What's up? Where's it coming from?"

"It can't be," she said, "it doesn't make any sense." "Veronica, where's it coming from?" "Well, they're broadcasting on a pre-war emergency frequency, and it's coming from an abandoned Brotherhood bunker, but no one outside the Brotherhood would know where that is." "Well," Mark asked, "where is it?" "It's about an hour away from here. Do you think we should check it out?" "Yeah, sure, but I really do need to contact Amata first." Mark pressed a button on the screen. "Amata, you there?" "Hi, honey," she responded, "did you guys finish with that, um, errand?" "Yeah, we're all done. How was fiend hunting?" "Uneventful," she said quickly, "and we picked up the case of weapons from the Silver Rush. Do you really need that giant weapon, whatever it is?"

"Yeah," Cass' voice came over the pip-boy, "are ya sure yer not tryin' ta compensate fer anythin', lover boy?" she said jokingly. "Cass!" Amata said, apparently trying to shush her. "Hey, Cass," Mark said, "Ask Amata. I don't need to compensate for anything." "Mark!" Amata said, and Mark was one hundred percent sure she was blushing fiercely. "What, babe? You know it's true." "Maybe so, but that doesn't mean you need to announce it to the entire world." "Probably not. Who's carrying the case, anyway?" "Arcade and Boone are." "Yeah," came Arcade's voice, "it's not like it's as heavy as hell or anything." "Arcade," Amata said, "whatever happened to chivalry? So, Mark, are you guys on your way back?" "Well, kinda," Mark said, "there's this weird radio signal that I picked up. We're just gonna go check it out, and then we'll be on our way back."

"Mark, given your experience with weird radio signals, do you really think that's a good idea?" Amata said, "Besides, what about our plans?" "Amata don't worry. Veronica said it's coming from a place about an hour away from here. We'll double time it, and we'll be back by 7:30, 8 at the latest. You just make yourself all pretty, and I'll be back before you know it." Amata sighed. "Fine, but you had better make this the most romantic evening of my life." "Oh, that I can guarantee. I'll talk to you later, babe." "Yeah, yeah, just make sure you get back here on time." With that, the transmission cut out. "What was that about you and weird radio signals?" Veronica asked. "Uh, it's nothing worth mentioning. Let's be on our way."

(35 minutes later)

They were able to cut some time off of the trip thanks to walking faster than normal, and by taking a shortcut that Veronica knew about that took them close to Novac. The entrance that Veronica took them to was in a hilly area, and it turned out to be a circular metal drainage grate. Mark looked at it, a bit perplexed. "How did people in power armor fit through there, exactly?" "This isn't the only entrance, but the Brotherhood used this only as an emergency entrance. Now, are you just gonna stand there, or are you gonna help me get this thing off?" Mark bent over, grabbed it with both of his hands, and along with Veronica, the lifted it up and moved it to the side. Mark could see a dim glow. "After you," Mark said. Veronica smirked. "Maybe Amata was right. Maybe chivalry is dead."

Mark rolled his eyes, although she couldn't see that. "Fine," Mark said, "I'll go first." Veronica stuck her right hand out. "No, no, allow me." Veronica climbed down the ladder that was just inside and came to the landing and looked up. "Come on in, the water's fine," she said jokingly, her voice echoing a bit. "Alright, I'm dropping my bag in first." He tossed his bag down, and then grabbed his rifle and climbed down. He came to the landing, turned around, and looked at the room. On the right half of the room was a staircase leading down. The rest of the room was lit in an eerie yellow light, with debris scattered around. There was also some graffiti on the walls. Mark took off his helmet to get a better look. He put it in his bag, and harnessed his rifle on his back. On their left was "SIERRA MADRE" written on the wall in white paint, and on their right was "I LEFT MY HEART IN THE SIERRA MADRE," with a picture of a heart replacing the word, and the heart had an arrow going through it.

"Well, we're definitely in the right place," Mark mused. Veronica had walked over to the other side of the room, crouching down and looking at something. "Mark, we've got a body over here." Mark came over and looked at it. It was a headless corpse wearing a grey mechanic's jumpsuit. Mark looked around, but didn't see the head. "Well," Mark said, "as interesting as this is, it doesn't really help us. Let's check out the rest of the bunker." They walked down the stairs. There were there the words, "SEERA MADRE," on the overhang above the door. Veronica pressed a button next to the door at the bottom of the staircase, and it screeched upwards. It looked to be made of three inches of solid steel. "Why was this place abandoned, anyway?" Mark asked as they walked through. "Well, it happened about-" She was interrupted by a loud banging from behind them. They both jumped a bit and looked back. The door had closed on them.

Mark looked for a release button, but there wasn't one on this side of the door. They tried lifting it up manually, but it wouldn't budge, and not even Veronica hitting it with her power fist could make a dent in it. "You wouldn't happen to have some C-4 and a detonator in that bag, would you?" she asked, wiping the sweat off her forehead. "Veronica, this bag isn't magic. I can't just wish for something to be in there. Besides, I'm not too crazy about detonating explosives underground. There has to be another way out. You lived here. You must know of other exits." "Well, that hallway is collapsed," she said pointing to a hallway to their right, "so we can't go that way." "Well, we gotta find another way out, or Amata is going to be seriously pissed at me." "You're not gonna be able to call her. This place has the same radio interference as Hidden Valley." "Just dandy," Mark said.

They walked a bit further in. There was a Brotherhood flag on the wall to their right. Mark went down a hallway to their left, and Veronica ventured a bit further in. There was a terminal in the hallway, and at the end was a locked door. There was no switch, so Mark booted up the terminal. All it said was, "TERMINAL LOCKED. PLEASE CONTACT AN ADMINISTRATOR." "Hey, Veronica," Mark called out, "do you think you can override this terminal?" There was no answer. "Veronica?" He heard a thump, and went down the way Veronica had gone. He saw her passed out on the floor in front of a small table with an old-time radio on it. He dropped his bag and fell to his knees. He shook her. "Veronica!" There was no response. He smelled the air. "Oh shit, gas!" He tried to go in his bag to get his helmet, but he started feeling woozy, and lost all of his strength. "Amata…" was all he said before he passed out as well.

(Same time, Lucky 38)

They had stored the case of weapons in a spare room. Arcade said he was going to take a nap, and Cass was off somewhere drinking. Amata, who had taken off her armor and taken a shower, walked into the kitchen wearing khaki shorts and a white t-shirt. She saw Boone sitting at the table, drinking a beer. "Boone," Amata said as she sat down, "we need to talk." "There's nothing to talk about," he said gruffly. "Besides, don't you have a date to get ready for?" He made to get up, but Amata glared at him, causing him to sit back down. "Boone, look, I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you. It was wrong of me to just run off like that." She stopped and waited for a response, but got none. "Boone, I think you getting angry at me was more than just about me just running off. Mark, he…he told me what happened to Carla." Boone stared at her. "What did he tell you?" "That Carla was kidnapped by Legion and that you knew she was dead. When he told me that, I was mortified, and I can only imagine the pain you must have been in. For what it's worth, I'm sorry." "Is that all he told you?" "Uh, yeah, why? Is that not the whole story?" Boone got up. "Ask your husband," was all he said as he left the room.

(Some time later)

Mark felt someone trying to rouse him awake. "Mark, get up," the female voice said. "Not now, Amata, I'm tired," he said groggily. "Oh for the love of…" he heard the voice say quietly, and then he felt someone smack in on his ribs. "Ow, fuck, what the hell?" He said as he sat up. Mark saw Veronica, although she wasn't wearing her robe or power fist, just a grey jumpsuit and brown work boots. The next thing that he noticed was that he was in a place he didn't recognize, and that the sky was a blood red. Veronica helped him up. "Veronica, where the hell are we?" There were white stone buildings with red tiled roofs. Directly in front of them was a dry fountain with a hologram of a woman in a dress on the part that rose in the middle. Beyond that in the distance was a towering building.

There was a closed wrought-iron gate that seemed to lead to the building, with the words "Sierra Madre," also in wrought-iron above the gate. "Looks like we found the Sierra Madre," Veronica said. Mark looked at himself. He was also wearing a grey jumpsuit and brown work boots, in addition to his pip-boy. What he wasn't wearing was any of his armor or weapons, and his bag was nowhere to be found. He felt something around his neck. He reached for it, but Veronica stopped him. "No! Don't touch that!" "Why, what is it?" Mark looked at her. She had something around her neck as well. It was circular black metal, and there was a blinking red light. "I think it's a bomb collar. It's pre-war tech."

Mark took another look around. "Well, this sucks," he said. "I know. We don't even know where the hell we are, the sky is red, and this place just feels creepy as hell," she replied. "Although that is correct, that wasn't what I meant. What I meant was that Amata is definitely going to kill me for missing our date." Veronica wasn't paying attention. She was looking at the fountain, so Mark looked, too. The holographic woman had been replaced by the picture of an old man with messy white hair and a white beard. Veronica looked stunned. "It can't be…" "Veronica, who is-" "Mark, that's Elijah."

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Until next time.