"Well," Arcade said, breaking the silence, "if we're done planning to cause massive societal upheaval for now, I think that I will pay Julie a visit and try to set up that meeting. I assume that you want it here, Mark?" Mark nodded. "Yes. If she can't get away, I will go there, but I really want it to happen here, and the sooner the better. Tomorrow, if possible. I anticipate that I'll be busy for the rest of the day."

"You got it, Mark. If you all will excuse me, I just need to grab a few things, and then I will be off," Arcade said as he headed towards the curtain. Mark spoke again, stopping everyone. "Oh, and just one more thing, everyone. We'll keep the group name thing unofficial until everything's all settled out here, okay? No need to tip our hand." Arcade nodded along with the others, then continued on through the curtain. Making a decision, Veronica walked quickly to catch up with him. "You mind if I tag along, Arcade?" she asked. Arcade stopped. "Uh, sure. Can I ask why, though?" "I just, um, I promised that Emily Ortal woman a drink and wanted to see if she was free."

Arcade gave her appraising look. "It's probably none of my business, but are you interested in her, you know, romantically?" She blushed a bit. "Maybe. We talked a lot when we were trying to track down Mark, and, well, we share an interest in machines and how they work and all that. We didn't really get into anything super personal, but she seems really nice. I have no idea if it will end up going anywhere, or if she's even interested in women that way, but I'd like to try. I promised myself that I'd get back out there after everything with, uh, you-know-who."

Arcade nodded. "Alright, let's get going then. Actually, now that I think about it, it's probably good you're coming along. There's a generator that's been giving them trouble. Maybe you could take a look at it while we're there?" "Oh, yeah, I'd be happy to," she answered. With that the two of them headed up the stairs to the elevator, meeting John, Boone, and Christina up there.

Back in the office were Cass, Mark, and Amata. "Hey, Captain, ya think we could go ta that place ya were just at an' get ma heart fixed? I'd really like ta get that taken care of." "Uh, yeah, I don't see why not. I need to head back there to check some stuff anyway." After he said that, he realized that he should ask Amata if it was okay. He looked over at her. "Is it alright if I go back there?"

She was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, it's fine. I can contact you and you can come back unimpeded now, so go ahead." He nodded and turned back to Cass. "Give me, like, twenty minutes, and then we'll go." "Thanks, Captain. I'll be in tha Presidential Suite when yer ready." She then turned and left the room.

"So what else do you need to go back to the Big Empty for?" Amata asked. "Well, for one, I need to figure out if we can ramp up the food production. If we're going to be supplying Freeside with food, that process needs to be constantly in motion. I need to see if Wallace can automate it. Second, I need to make sure that the Deconstruction Plant can actually be used to make more Securitrons. I think it can, but I only skimmed over the notes on it before we left, so I need to double-check that."

He turned to the monitor. "Yes Man, connect me to the ship please." While they stared at the screen, waiting for Elliott to appear, Amata grasped Mark's left hand with her right, lacing their fingers together. "Mark, are you as scared about all of this as I am?" she asked, the worry evident in her voice. "Yes I am, babe, but all of this has to be done to give Abby and the baby a better future." He faced her, looking deep into her eyes. "I swear to you, Amata, that we will get through this, and we will get through it together. Just like we always have."

Before Amata could respond, they heard someone clear their throat. They both looked at the screen, seeing the Commander. "Sorry to interrupt, but is there something that I can do for you, Captain?" "Uh, yes, Commander, there is," Mark said, refocusing. "I need you to send a beacon to the balcony of the central building of the Big Empty, please."

"Going back there already?" Elliott asked as he looked over to the side. "Yeah. I need to check on few things, and Cass wants to get her heart fixed." Elliott froze at Cass' name. Seeing this, Amata got a devious smile on her face. "You know, Elliott," she said, "this is a perfect opportunity to continue your wooing of Cass."

Elliott went red and started sputtering. "I-I-I, um, I-wait, what?" "Elliott, listen to me, because I'm going to tell you exactly what you're going to do. First, you're going to track down another bottle of that whiskey that she likes. Then you're going to come down and give it to her, and then wish her luck with her surgery. You following me so far?" she asked him. Elliott nodded.

Amata continued. "Wonderful. Then, when she gets out of surgery, after she wakes up, you are going to be the first thing that she sees because you'll be sitting next to the bed, and you'll stay there and talk with her and get her anything she needs until she's ready to come back to the 38. Do not, I repeat, do not, attempt to ask her out on a date or anything like that. She's going to be a tough nut to crack, and it's going to take a bit more work to break through her outer shell, but this will be a good step in the right direction. It'll show her that you care and were thinking about her. Got it?"

Elliott sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. I mean, now may not be the best time, with everything going on, and I haven't been back to Earth since I was unfrozen, and-" Amata cut him off. "Elliott! Shut it!" That quieted him. "You obviously still like her, right?" He nodded. "Good." She then raised her voice. "Then stop making excuses! You've got twenty minutes to go find another bottle of whiskey and get your ass down to the Big Empty, or so help me I will come up there, knock you out, and drag your ass to the teleporter myself!"

Both men looked at her, Elliott in fear, Mark in slight amusement. "Uh, no, no, that won't be necessary. I'll get right on that. Elliott out." The screen went blank, and Mark looked at his wife. "You okay, babe? I don't really think it was necessary to threaten him." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, calming herself back down. "I'm sorry, Mark, but he was going to chicken out! What else was I supposed to do?"

"Babe, why is it so important that you try and get Elliott and Cass together?" "It's obvious to me that they're attracted to each other. I'm just trying to give them a push in the right direction. I just-I just want them to be happy, like we are. Don't you?" A few tears leaked from her eyes. Mark hugged her. "Of course I want them to be happy, babe, but if they're going to get together, they need to do it on their own. If you keep meddling, it might end up having the opposite effect of what you want. Remember how your dad tried to keep us from having a romantic relationship and now we're closer than ever? It's like that, but in reverse."

She laid her head on his shoulder. "Alright, I see your point. I'll stop meddling." The two of them stood there in a loving embrace for a minute. Amata let go first. "Alright, I'm gonna go back down. It's time for Abby's lessons, and you've gotta go deal with Cass and all that." Mark nodded, and the two held hands as they headed towards the elevator.

Stepping off the elevator, Amata went to track down Abby while Mark went into the kitchen. He entered, seeing a few Brotherhood members and Donovan. "Hey Mark," Sarah said, "how'd your council meeting or whatever go?" "Uh, it was very productive, Sarah," Mark said as he took a glass out of the cabinet and got some water. "Good to hear. Is there anything that the rest of us need to know about?" she asked.

Mark shook his head. "No, not really. It was more about what's going to happen in the Mojave after the war is over, and since I'm assuming that you guys are heading back east afterwards, it's nothing that you guys really need to be concerned with." She nodded. "Okay, that's fair. Speaking of the war, do we have, like, a plan of attack or anything?"

"Eh, I have a basic outline of a plan. It's not going to be anything overly complicated, because, you know, no plan ever survives first contact with the enemy. I also need to coordinate with the NCR." He put his now-empty glass in the sink. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some other business to attend to."

He found Cass in the game room with John. Cass had already told him what was going on, so he decided to tag along. The three of them went into the elevator so as to not arouse any suspicion. Once the door was closed, he teleported them to the Sink balcony, where the beacon had been sent to. "You really need to tell me how you're doing this, kid," John said. Mark pressed a button on his pip-boy while Cass looked out over the crater.

"Don't worry, John. I will be explaining that to you shortly. We're just waiting on one more person. We just need to take a couple steps to the left." They did as he asked, and a few moments later, Elliott appeared, a bottle of whiskey in his hands. Cass looked at him in confusion. "Elliott? What're ya doin' down here?" Mark spoke before Elliott could. "He'll explain in a minute. Let's all go inside first."

Mark opened the door and went in, the others following. "Honey, I'm home," Mark said as he entered. "Greetings, sir, and welcome back," Wallace said. Some of the other personalities welcomed him back as well. "Wow, Veronica wasn't kiddin' 'bout this place. It really is high-tech," Cass said as she took in the sights. "Yeah, you got that right," Elliott added.

"Alright," Mark said, "let's get introductions out of the way. John, this is a friend of ours, Commander Elliott Tercorien. Commander, this is John Cassidy, Cass' father." Elliott's eyes widened a bit when he heard that the other man with them was Cass' dad. "Pleasure," John said, extending his right hand. Elliott froze, so Mark had to elbow him to get him out of daze. "Oh, uh, likewise, sir," Elliott said, shaking hands with the man.

The room then went silent, the only noise coming from the various machines in the apartment. "Elliott, perhaps you'd like to give someone something," Mark said, trying to move things along. "Oh, um, right. Miss Cassidy…Cass, the Captain informed me of your surgery, so I thought that I would bring you a gift for good luck." He extended the bottle to her. "I was told that you liked this, so I procured another bottle for you."

Cass swiped it out of his hands and grinned. "Hey, thanks, Elliott. That's real sweet a ya. Dad, ya gotta try this stuff. Hands down tha best whiskey I've ever had." While this had been going on, John had been studying Elliott, so he didn't hear his daughter speak to him. He then looked over at Mark. "I think I need an explanation now. Like, what's with the titles?"

Mark went on to explain to him about his time in outer space. At the end, John laughed and shook his head. "Yeah, you're definitely Jack's grandson, alright. Don't think he ever went into outer space, though, so you've got him beat there." "Uh, who's Jack?" Elliott asked. "My grandfather, apparently. John here traveled with him for a while. Let's move things along, shall we? Cass, could you step over this way please?"

He guided her over to the auto-doc. "Hey Doc, we've got another patient for you. Same as the last guy, rhythm and conduction disorder." "Well, miss, let's see what we've got here," the Auto-Doc said as Mark motioned for Cass to stand in front of it. She did so, and the metal tube came out and looked Cass up and down, unnerving her a bit.

"Hmm…normal body temperature, Blood Alcohol Content of 0.06, slight exposure to radiation, seems to be a lot of that going around lately-" "Well, whataya expect? We live in a radioactive wasteland," Cass commented. "Alright, no need to be rude, just an observation. And yes, there's the rhythm and conduction disorder. Well, if you get undressed, we can get started. Shouldn't take more than ninety minutes or so."

"And this'll completely fix ma heart problem?" she asked. Even though she didn't think that her dad would lie to her, she still had trouble believing that this was all real, that the answer to ridding herself of this affliction that had plagued her all her life was right in front of her. "Of course, ma'am," the Auto-Doc said. "The last patient I performed this on is standing right over there, after all. Ask him yourself."

She didn't need to do that, as he was obviously wasn't lying. Truth be told, she was nervous about this, but then Abby's face popped into her mind. Doing this would ensure the young girl would never again witness her collapsing from another attack. That steeled her resolve. "Alright, let's do this." "Ok, Cass, the bedroom's over there," Mark said, pointing to his left. "You can get undressed in there. The three of us will step outside, and then Wallace will let us know when you've gone in." He tapped his pip-boy as he said that.

Mark and Elliott went outside after wishing good luck to Cass. John gave Cass a hug. "Don't worry, Rosie. You'll be fine," he said as he let go. She smiled. "Thanks dad." She then handed him the whiskey bottle. "Hold on ta that, will ya? Jus' don't drink all of it." John grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it, Rosie. We'll drink it together." He put his free hand on her shoulder. "Love you, Rosie." "Love ya too, dad." With that, John went outside while Cass went into the bedroom.

The three men now stood outside, taking in the view. They stood in silence until a few minutes later when Wallace's voice came through Mark's pip-boy. "Sir, Miss Cassidy has entered the Auto-Doc. It is now safe to re-enter." "Thank you, Wallace," Mark replied. "Well, let's head back in, gentlemen." "Uh, you go ahead, kid. I want to have a chat with Mr. Tercorien here," John said.

"You do?" both Mark and Elliott said at the same time. "Yep. It'll only be a few minutes." Mark was curious as to what John wanted to talk to Elliott about, but decided that it wasn't his business and went back inside. John, meanwhile, crossed his arms over his chest, looking out over the Big Empty once more. Internally, Elliott was panicking. He was out here alone with the father of the woman he was attempting to romance. Had John noticed something in his body language? He looked over to his right. The beacon was still there, maybe he could make a break for it-

"So you were really alive before the war?" John asked, ending the silence. Elliott took a couple moments before answering him. "Uh, yeah. Like Mark said inside, I was a soldier, stationed in Alaska. My men and I would go out into the field attached to a unit as medical support. I didn't even want to be there. I wanted to be a doctor, but I got drafted instead. The last thing that I remember before Mark woke me up was a bright blue light, which I now know was from being abducted."

John nodded, not looking at him. "Finding out that the world got nuked while you were gone must've been a shock to you, then," he said. "Yeah, yeah it was. Finding out that everything and nearly everyone you knew were long gone took a bit of an adjustment period. It was probably only by sheer luck that two of my men survived as well. The others…I don't know if they got abducted or not. I hope not, because some of the experiments the aliens did to the others they abducted…well, they were bad. This is actually the first time that I've been down here since I was woken up."

John then spoke. "There's a building, uh, southeast of here, a medical center. I came here thirty years ago to search for a cure for mine and Rosie's heart condition. Ended up getting frozen, and then, like you, the kid woke me up." "Really?" Elliott asked, going to stand next to John. "Yep. Woke up to discover that my wife had long passed, and that my daughter was thirty years older than I remembered. Bit of a shock to my system."

"My condolences on the loss of your wife, sir." John nodded. "Thanks. And it's "John," not "sir."" "Of course, si-uh, John," Elliott said, quickly correcting himself. John sighed. "I'm sure that you're wondering why I wanted to talk to you and why I told you that." "Uh, yes, actually," Elliott replied. "Back in there, I saw how you were acting around my daughter. It was the same way I saw guys in my bar act when they were attracted to a woman. So I'm going to ask you, straight up, are you attracted to my daughter?"

Elliott's initial thought to being asked that was to make a break for the beacon and head up to the ship. He had heard horror stories from his old squad mates about meeting the fathers of their girlfriends, and how some relationships had ended because of it. However, he felt if he did that, he would never get John's respect, and any chance he had with Cass would go out the window. So he shook his head, clearing away the desire to run.

"John, your daughter, she is unlike anyone that I've ever met. She is beautiful, with a personality to match. In fact, I would like to ask your permission to attempt to date her." John looked over at him. "Elliott, I appreciate you asking, but it ain't my decision. It's hers and hers alone. Look, she's been pretty much on her own since she was a teenager, and that's made her very independent. I also know that she hasn't really had any meaningful relationships with men, just a lot of one-night stands."

"I don't know if she has trust issues with men because I left all that time ago, or if she just had some bad experiences on the road, or if she just isn't interested in any relationships at all. Whatever the reason, if you are going to make a go of it, you're going to really have to work at it, because even when she was a child, she was stubborn, and I doubt that's gone away."

"If the two of you can make it work and end up dating, then you better damn well cherish her, and make the most of every moment you have with her. As you and I both know, everyone and everything you know can be taken from you-" he snapped his fingers "-like that. Got it?" Elliott nodded. "I understand, John." The elder man uncrossed his arms.

"Good. Oh, and by the way, if you try and force her to do anything that she doesn't want to do, she'll kick your ass, and then I'll kick your ass." He then paused for a moment. "Glad we could have this talk." He patted Elliott on the back and went back inside, leaving Elliott alone on the balcony. "Well, that went better than I thought," he muttered as he too turned and went inside.

(Same time, Hidden Valley)

Christine was making her way towards the Elder's office, intent on making use of his open-door policy to speak with him. Training in the bunker had ratcheted up several notches in the last few days. The general consensus among her brothers and sisters was that the Elder was planning on lifting the lockdown in short order and making a return to the surface.

This seemed to be confirmed by reports that Scribe Schuler and Knight Torres were to take a full inventory of their medical supplies and armaments, respectively. This was not a tell-tale sign in and of itself, as inventory was done once a year anyway. What was a sign was that the yearly inventory had been done two months ago, based on the records she examined. That it was being done again in such a short span of time meant that something big was happening.

The uptick in training had inadvertently led to an interesting discovery. Since the VR pods were being used more frequently, they required more maintenance, which was assigned to her and a couple others. During one of her checks, she noticed that the difficulty setting on one of them was brought down to its easiest, which it should not have been. After reporting it, Head Scribe Taggart ordered her to go through the machine's logs. It was discovered that an Apprentice by the name of Melissa Watkins had lowered the difficulty. After being interrogated, she admitted to doing it, repeatedly. Apparently she forgot to switch it back once she was done the last time. Her reasoning was that she wanted to make herself seem like she was something of a prodigy in order to get out of classes.

That annoyed Christine to no end, because as she knew all too well, there was no "easy mode" for the wasteland. The result of that was that Watkins had her official induction into the Brotherhood's ranks revoked and was forced to start her training over from the very beginning. A fitting punishment, if you asked her, one that probably saved the girl's life. She would've been totally unprepared for what the wasteland was actually like.

Rumors were flying around the bunker about what their first priority would be when they returned to the surface. Some thought that they would try to reclaim Helios One, while others thought that they would try to make a move on New Vegas. While that first one might be feasible, she dismissed the second one almost immediately, for multiple reasons.

One, McNamara knew that Mark was running the city now, and she believed that the Elder held a modicum of respect for Mark. Two, there were multiple NCR checkpoints along the route, along with their main base being adjacent to the Strip. A large-scale force would be noticed and radioed in well before they got anywhere close to the city.

Finally, thanks to her report, the Elder now knew what weapons the Securitrons had at their disposal, and there were likely more than what was seen on the Strip available to protect the city at a moment's notice if it came under attack. Even if they got to the city unnoticed, their forces would likely be wiped out, decimating what was left of the chapter. As the NCR proved before, while their armor, weapons, and training were top-notch, they were still beatable.

Helios One and New Vegas weren't the only places being speculated as to where they might go. Hoover Dam was also brought up. To her, that one actually seemed credible. Under normal circumstances, with a battle between the NCR and Legion imminent, the Brotherhood could bide their time and then swoop in and take advantage of the weakened state of whichever side emerged victorious, then claiming the dam for themselves.

These weren't normal circumstances, however, as there were other factors in play: Mark, his team, and the Securitrons. On their way back from the Sierra Madre, Mark informed her that there were a large number of Securitrons underneath Fortification Hill that he had upgraded for House. The same thing that would happen if they tried to invade the Strip would happen there.

There was also another factor in play, one that was based on a rumor. It was rumored that McNamara had recently been in touch with the DC chapter. She had snuck into the communications room to see if she could confirm it or not, but there were no records of any recent radio contact between the two chapters. Still, a rumor like that didn't start out of nowhere, right?

Except for a short visit a while ago that she learned about, they were estranged from the rest of the Brotherhood. Many in the bunker held the belief that they were not true Brotherhood members anymore for abandoning their mission. She wasn't sure if she felt that way anymore. On one hand, they turned on leadership in Lost Hills, something that she thought you should never do.

On the other hand, going their own way seemingly allowed them to prosper, making them a dominant force in the DC area, assuming what Mark told them was true. That was in stark contrast to out here, where they were forced to hide in a bunker, the outside world seemingly forgetting about them. Maybe they had the right idea…

She shook her head, getting her thoughts back on track. With Elder McNamara possibly being in contact with them, and given everything else she knew, the only logical conclusion she came up with was that the Elder had requested that they come to New Vegas to aid Mark. So Hoover Dam was likely their target, just not in the way some believed. They would actually be aiding the NCR and Mark to keep the dam out of Legion hands. Seeing that as the most likely scenario, a plan had formed in her head, one that would get her back into Vegas, and back to Veronica. She just needed the Elder's permission to pull it off.

Arriving on the fourth-floor landing, she turned right and walked down the hallway that led to the Elder's office. Pausing a moment just outside the doorway, she took a deep breath and then walked in. McNamara was reading something on his computer. He seemed to be so engrossed that he seemingly did not notice her entrance. She stopped about five feet from his desk.

"Elder McNamara, sir?" she said, trying to get his attention. That broke his gaze from his computer and onto her. "Ah, Scribe Royce, I didn't see you there. To what do I owe your visit?" he asked, folding his arms on his desk. She cleared her throat. "Elder McNamara, sir, I am unsure if you are aware, but there are rumors going around about what the recent uptick in training means."

"Scribe Royce, I know that you had been away from the bunker for quite some time, so despite what you may have been told, I am not one to engage in gossip," he replied. "No, I did not come here to gossip, sir. One of the rumors going around is that you are planning on lifting the lockdown, and that one potential target is Hoover Dam. There is also a rumor that you were in contact with the DC chapter recently."

He stared at her for a few moments before clearing the room of the two knights guarding the door. "Scribe, there's obviously a deeper reason that you came here and told me of these rumors, which I can neither confirm nor deny. Where are you going with all of this? What is your point?"

"Well, sir, speaking hypothetically, let's say that the rumors are true. Those, combined with the fact that I believe that you hold some sort of respect for Mark led me to the conclusion that we are preparing to march on Hoover Dam to help Mark's team and the NCR in keeping the Legion from taking control of it and the Mojave."

McNamara pursed his lips. "Ok, speaking hypothetically, say you are correct. I must ask again, what is your point?" "Sir, since Mark is likely going to coordinate a battle plan with the NCR, I believe that it would be prudent if we were to coordinate with him as well. In that vein, I would like to offer myself to act as the Brotherhood's liaison to Mark and his team."

McNamara raised an eyebrow. This was one of the most unusual requests he had ever gotten, outside of Veronica's numerous requests that they try and pursue an alternate course. He could not recall anyone at any point in the history of the Brotherhood ever officially appointing one of its members as a liaison to an outside group.

"You want me to appoint you as a liaison?" he asked curiously. "Yes sir. I believe that I would be best suited for the job, more so than anyone else here, as I am already familiar with them and how they operate." "Forgive me if I am misremembering, Scribe, but were you not banned from the Strip? If I were inclined to liaise with Captain Franklin, why would I send someone who is not permitted to enter where he lives?"

Christine wondered why he called Mark "Captain Franklin," but decided that it wasn't important right now. She nodded. "You are correct, sir. I was banned, but I believe that I have a way to reverse it. I recently remembered that when I was at the Sierra Madre, I saved his life, and he stated afterwards that he owed me. I intend to cash that in and get back onto the Strip."

"And you believe that he would honor that debt?" McNamara asked. "Yes, I believe so. From what I know of him, he is a man of his word." She paused for a moment. "Sir, I believe an alliance of sorts with Mark would be beneficial." "How so?" "Sir, from what I've seen and heard, the NCR's position in the Mojave is tenuous at best. Based on conversations Mark has had with me and the others, he is not a fan of General Oliver or the NCR's expansionist policies."

"He also has an army of Securitrons at his disposal, and very likely the ability to make more." She had taken a peek at the Securitron Deconstruction plant before she left the Big Empty to see if there was anything worth salvaging. After nearly getting killed by the Securitrons inside the plant, she decided to cut her losses and leave the crater. What she saw inside before she left gave her the belief that the process could be reversed and more could be made.

She didn't believe Mark when he had told the group aboard the starship that the beacons had been destroyed. Well, that wasn't entirely true. She did initially, but that all changed when Veronica came back looking for information about the place. After Veronica left, she whacked herself on the head. They had likely used the beacons to mount a rescue attempt. Who in their right mind would willingly give up the ability to travel anywhere in the world at a moment's notice? That type of technology could theoretically be used to get the newly-made Securitrons to the Mojave. She continued.

"Once the Legion is defeated, he may make a move to force the NCR out of the area and use the Securitrons to police the Mojave. Well, they actually won't be all gone, since there is that treaty with the Kings I wrote about in my report, but the vast majority likely would be." McNamara jumped in. "So, if I'm following your thought process correctly, you believe that Captain Franklin and his council will assume control over the Mojave, using the Securitrons to secure it?"

Christine nodded. "Yes, sir. With the NCR gone, we would be able to operate on the surface once again without fear of being hunted. And by helping to defeat the Legion, we may be able to get some concessions out of Mark, such as the return of Helios One."

McNamara steepled his fingers as he thought about what had just been said. He was actually somewhat impressed that she was able to deduce that they were going to fight against the Legion at Hoover Dam. Then again, maybe he shouldn't have been surprised, as after she had returned, he had checked her personnel file and noticed that she had scored very high on her aptitude tests.

After reading her report, he had arrived at the conclusion that the Captain Franklin and his team going to play a big part in the post-war Mojave. He hadn't been entirely certain to what degree, so he came up with a few theories, among them was as Scribe Royce said, the NCR being mostly pushed out and the Securitrons moving to secure the region. Now that he had more information, that scenario appeared to be the most likely.

Ever since meeting Captain Franklin, things had seemingly changed for him. He was doing things that he never would've done in the past. Contacting the DC chapter, preparing the Brotherhood to fight in a war they had no stake in, it all flew in the face of the Codex. Not even the other heads had been told where they were going to be going once the lockdown was lifted. All because of that one phrase that Captain Franklin uttered:

"Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

He was not a stupid man. He had deciphered a long time ago what would eventually happen to the Brotherhood. Even when he became Elder, he did not try and change anything because he had taken an oath to follow the Codex to the letter. Despite many arguments between himself and Veronica, he held the course, because that was just what was supposed to be done. He had been traveling an established path, knowing where it led.

Now, however, he was torn. The NCR was not as strong as he had initially feared, and Captain Franklin was seemingly establishing himself as a power in the Mojave. He doubted that Mark would react well to Brotherhood patrols seizing weapons and technologies from travelers. Things were changing, and quickly.

He had kept everything that he had done to himself, but once things came out into the open once his plan was revealed, he believed that he would be replaced as Elder. Violating the Codex multiple times, as well as the general unhappiness with the lockdown would likely lead to his ouster. He was well aware that Hardin was aiming to replace him. They would not be able to do anything to him before the battle, as the formal process for removing an Elder took time (he had looked into it), and he would keep his plans secret until the very last second.

After the battle however, his opponents would make their move, and he would make his. He believed that it was perhaps time to experience life outside the Brotherhood and make his own path, like Veronica. He hadn't been exactly sure why he had contacted the DC chapter in the first place, but perhaps subconsciously he had a desire to leave and that would eventually give him an excuse to. Whatever the reason was, it didn't matter anymore. If Hardin wanted this seat so bad, then he could have it, and if he ended up in Captain Franklin's crosshairs, well, then it would be his own funeral.

He was still on good terms with Captain Franklin. Perhaps he could aid him in some capacity. For now, however, he needed to keep up appearances. He focused back on Scribe Royce. "I need to think on some things, Scribe. I will send for you when I've made my decision. You are dismissed." She nodded, turned, and left the room.

(2 Hours Later)

Christine returned to the Elder's office, and once again, the two were left alone. "Scribe Royce, as I stated earlier, I cannot confirm nor deny anything that you theorized earlier about plans we may or may not have. Therefore, your request to act as a liaison between the Brotherhood and Captain Franklin's team is officially denied."

Internally, Christine became upset, but her outer demeanor did not change. "However," McNamara continued, "I have another task for you. You have proven to be a very capable scout. Therefore, I am assigning you to scout out New Vegas and the surrounding areas to determine what, if any, weaknesses the NCR and the Strip have and if it would be possible to exploit them."

He picked a sealed envelope up off his desk. "In the event that you run into Captain Franklin, I would be grateful if you would give this to him. Please do not open it, as it is for his eyes only." Inside was a list of what the Brotherhood wanted after the Legion was defeated, such as the return of Helios One, as well the ability to operate on the surface freely as they saw fit. He doubted Captain Franklin would agree to any of it, but that was the point. It gave the impression that the only reason he was going to extreme lengths to help him was that he expected Captain Franklin to accede to his own extreme demands, thus hiding his true motives.

Christine approached the desk and took the envelope. She knew what McNamara was doing. He was giving her a way to do as she proposed without actually confirming if her conclusions were correct or not. "Of course, Elder. I will do the Brotherhood proud," she said. "I am sure you will, Scribe. I have already sent word to the quartermaster that you are to be given whatever equipment you think you need. Dismissed." Christine nodded, turned on her heel, and exited the room, a spring in her step.

Oblivious to either of them, miles above where they were, a pre-war soldier had been listening to their every word. Sergeant Daniels sat in the Captain's chair, the room sealed and empty, as the conversation finished playing. Mark had certain words flagged, so if they were ever picked up by his bugs, they were given top priority, and the highest-ranking officer on the ship was to be immediately alerted. With both his Captain and Commander off-ship, it fell to him, and in this case, the word was "Royce." This was not the first time her name had been caught, but the other times were screened by Commander Tercorien and determined to be benign, so they were not passed along to Mark.

Once he had been alerted, the first conversation between the Elder and Christine had already ended, so he listened to the recording, deciding to wait to inform the Captain, as he knew there would be a second part. When their second conversation finished, he made sure that both conversations were saved in the system. He then pressed a button on the console in front of him, sending an alert to the Captain's pip-boy that someone needed to speak with him. About ten seconds later, he got an answer. "This is the Captain. Go ahead."

(Big MT)

Going through the Big MT database had revealed a treasure trove of information. Among these were experimental weapons schematics, including the plans for Mobius' robo-scorpions. There was information about all the facilities in the crater, including the Securitron Deconstruction Plant. It seems that his initial assumption was correct, that the facility could be used to create more Securitrons and do so quickly.

However, given the nature of this place, there were likely hostile Securitrons in and around the facility that would need to be taken care of. That held true for the whole crater, actually. There were still robots, cyberdogs, those Y-17 Trauma Harnesses, lobotomites, nightstalkers, and cazadores that would need to be killed before he could unlock the complex's true potential.

His Securitrons would be the best bet to deal with all those problems. That meant that he would either have to use Zeta's transportation capabilities to get Securitrons here from the Mojave or clear out the plant himself and create some Securitrons there and have them sweep the crater. One thing of note that possibly tied in with the Securitrons was a polymer alloy that they were developing here called "Saturnite."

Based on what he read, he believed he could make Securitrons out of it, making them even more damage-resistant than they already were. In any case, the situation in the Mojave would have to be resolved before any of that could get done, as that took priority over everything else. He also found out that the crop-growing could be automated, and the food kept in storage until it was needed. While he was looking through all of this, John told him and Elliott about his travels with Jack. The tale was fascinating, giving Mark more insight into his family history.

Apparently, the village his grandfather lived in, Arroyo, had been founded by his great-great-grandfather after he was exiled by the Overseer from the vault he grew up in, Vault 13. That had occurred after he had to search the wasteland for a new water chip after the one they had had malfunctioned, as well as stopping someone called "The Master" and his mutant army that endangered the entire world. Some of the other vault residents didn't like the Overseer's decision, choosing to follow his ancestor out into the wastes, founding the village.

A couple generations later, a severe drought threatened the village, and his grandfather, whom the villagers called "The Chosen One," was tasked with finding a G.E.C.K from Vault 13 to help save their village. The problem was that none of them knew where Vault 13 was. His search led him all over California, during which he encountered many fascinating places, as well as finding a working car. There was a place called "New Reno," a crime-infested town that sounded like a discount New Vegas, at least in his opinion. There were also apparently ancestors of a Chinese submarine crew living in San Francisco.

John wasn't the only one who had traveled with his grandfather, either. There were three others. The first was a tribal named Sulik, who had a bone from his deceased grandfather embedded between his nose and upper lip, which apparently allowed him to "speak" with his grandfather. Sulik joined Jack after he paid off a debt Sulik owed. Sulik was also searching for his sister and other members of his tribe, who had been taken by slavers. They eventually found them and returned them to their home.

The second person was a man named Vic. He was an older gentleman who made a living trading with the tribes in California. He was the man his tribe had told him to seek out, as he had traded them a water flask in Vault-Tec colors with a "13" on it, so Arroyo's elder assumed that Vic had gotten it directly from Vault 13. Vic had to be rescued from slavers from a place called "The Den." After joining his grandfather, it was discovered that Vic did not know where Vault 13 was, as he had gotten the flask from someone else first.

The final person turned out to be a super mutant named Marcus. Once part of the Master's army, he moved on after it was defeated, founding a mining town called Broken Hills. It was a place where mutants, ghouls, and humans all lived together. There was a uranium ore mine in the town, which they exported to other communities.

Eventually they found Vault 13, which had been filled with friendly talking deathclaws that had been placed there by the Enclave after they had abducted the remaining vault dwellers. They were able to recover a G.E.C.K, but by the time they got back to Arroyo, nearly all the villagers had either been killed or captured by the Enclave, save for the village shaman, a man named Hakunin, who told them what happened. He died shortly afterwards, however.

Their travels eventually led to them taking an old Poseidon Oil tanker docked in San Francisco to an oil rig in the Pacific Ocean. Once there, they found the remaining tribespeople and Vault 13 inhabitants. They rescued them, but before they could leave, they had to fight an FEV-enhanced person named Frank Horrigan. They defeated him, but before he died, he activated the oil rig's self-destruct sequence. They were able to escape, watching the oil rig go up in a mushroom cloud from a safe distance.

Eventually, the villagers and Vault 13 inhabitants used the G.E.C.K to start a village called "New Arroyo." His grandfather stayed with them, while his companions went their separate ways. John went back to his bar, Sulik back to his own tribe, Vic back to his hometown of Klamath, and Marcus back to Broken Hills.

It was a few years later when a messenger brought word to John about Jack's death. Apparently, he had a very aggressive form of cancer. Saddened by his friend's death, he left Mikaela in charge of the bar, deciding to make the journey to New Arroyo to pay his respects to his fallen friend. Coincidentally, Vic and Sulik had arrived at nearly the same time that he did. They met Jack's wife Mistia and five-year-old son James. The three men visited Jack's grave, and it was there they had one final drink together in his memory.

Mark in return told John of his life, starting from when his dad brought him to Vault 101, and ending when he found John in Y-17. John was astonished that he had been able to adapt to the wasteland so quickly after living such a sheltered life. Although he theorized that it was possible that he adapted so quickly because being a wastelander was in his blood. Mark figured that it was possible, better than his theory that he was lucky and had a very strong will to live.

Both he and John had noted that his and Jack's stories shared a few similarities:

Searching for a G.E.C.K to make their home habitable

Traveling with a friendly super mutant

Stopping the Enclave from committing genocide

Helping ordinary people with their problems

Just as Mark finished his story, Cass' surgery had ended, having been in there for about ninety minutes. She had since been moved to the bedroom to recuperate roughly twenty minutes ago. When the Auto-Doc had opened, she had been wearing a hospital gown, which confused Mark, because he had not been given one after either of his surgeries, but then remembered that nothing in this place made sense, so he put it out of his mind.

Both John and Elliott were sitting by her bedside, leaving Mark in the main room alone. He was looking through the computer when his pip-boy beeped. He stopped what he was doing and looked at it. Someone on the ship needed to talk to him. "This is the Captain. Go ahead." "Sir," Sergeant Daniels said, "this is a high-priority alert. One of your bugs picked up a word that you had flagged." Mark became laser-focused at this statement. "Which bug, and what word?" he asked. "Elder's office, Brotherhood of Steel bunker, word is "Royce.""

Mark nodded. "Give me a basic summary, Sergeant." "She believes she has a way to get her ban overturned, and the Elder gave Ms. Royce something to give to you. Based on what I heard, I believe she will head for Vegas before the day is out." Mark sighed. 'Goddammit. She couldn't leave well enough alone, could she?' "Alright, I'm coming up, Sergeant. Monitor Hidden Valley and follow her if she leaves before I get there. Tell no one else about this and tell the same to whomever was on duty when it was intercepted. Is that clear?" "Crystal, Captain," Daniels replied. "Good. Captain Franklin out."

After informing John and Elliott that he needed to head back up to the ship, he teleported up to it and headed towards the Bridge. He arrived there, seeing Daniels as the only one there. "There are two recordings, Captain. They're all loaded up and ready for you. Oh, and Ms. Royce has yet to depart." Mark nodded and sat down in his chair. He then listened to both, remaining silent.

It seems she had correctly guessed what their previous plan was, that of limiting the NCR's power. She obviously wasn't dumb, but neither was he. This was all just a ploy to try and get back with Veronica, when it was clear that Veronica had already moved on. And she was going to be in for a rude awakening when she got here, because as far as he was concerned, him allowing her to live at the 38 made them even.

It was also clear to him that whatever McNamara gave her to give to him was a list of concessions that the Brotherhood wanted in exchange for their help. What he didn't know was if their help was now contingent on getting what they wanted. He would have to wait and see. He let out another sigh. He really hated playing politics.

"Penny for your thoughts, sir?" Daniels asked, breaking him from his musings. "I'm thinking that my hair's going to go grey before I hit twenty-five. Put Hidden Valley up on the screen." Daniels walked to his left and pressed a few buttons, bringing up an overhead shot of the area. They watched for a few minutes, the only sign of life being a couple radscorpions.

"Alright, I'm heading back down," Mark said eventually. "Discontinue monitoring. I'll use the roaming Securitrons to monitor when she gets close." Mark went to the console, deleting the recordings. He then stood up. "Oh, and Sergeant? If anyone asks, you called me up here to handle a bug in the computer system. These recordings never existed, and we never had this conversation." "Yes, sir." With that, Mark pressed a button on his pip-boy and disappeared.

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. There are actually a couple minor pieces of cut content in this chapter, one from Fallout 2, and one from New Vegas. Finding Sulik's sister and returning her to her tribe was cut from the main Fallout 2 game, but as I understand it, can be added back in via a mod. As for New Vegas, at one point you were supposed to have been able to discover that Watkins had lowered the difficulty level on one of the VR pods, but that got cut along the way as well. Ah, if only Veronica knew…Until next time, and reviews are welcomed and appreciated.