Chess Opening

Abandoned Vault-Tec Facility, Washington State:

"Intruder" a robotic voice announced as 2 machine gun turrets open fire on Ellie and Talon through a narrow corridor

"Vivian" Ellie said over the radio "Any luck with the facility's security?"

"Working on it…" she replied "Vault-Tec's security protocols are a cut above the usual shit I hack"

"Right… Owen. Any word from the radio?"

"Negative" Owen responded "Still no response from Polonsky or Rufus"

"Damn it!"

Without a word Talon uses his claw to tear part of the wall.

"You're strong…" Ellie said with wide eyes and a seemingly calm demeanor

"No" Talon replied "I am not strong… My arm is an abomination but I am not strong"

The young tribesman uses the wall as a shield as he slowly moves through the narrow corridor

"Nice thinking, kid" Ellie complemented, patting the tribesman

Seconds later, the duo reached the two turrets. Ellie quickly breaks cover and fires on the turret's control chip while Talon lets go of the wall and crushes the other turret with his claw.

The duo catch their breathes for a second.

"Whatever Vault-Tec did to you…" Ellie said, chuckling for a bit "… Damn… I'd like to see how they managed to do it"

"What?"

"I'd like to understand your mutation. And maybe find a way to cure you or at least alleviate it"

"Thank you… I would appreciate that"

The duo then press on deeper in to the facility and soon stumble upon a metal door.

"Vivian" Ellie said "Finished hacking the system yet? I got a huge door here that needs opening"

"I managed to access the security feed" Vivian replied "I see you. Hang on… Just a little more"

"Alright. So… Talon. I'm rather curious about your tribe"

"My tribe?"

"Yes. What's the name of your tribe? Where are you all located?"

"We are called the Zion. I do not know exactly where we were but it was in a mountain. Somewhere north of here"

"Zion huh… A generic name. But north of here… The rocky mountains?"

"The elders say our village began when a few families were unable to reach the safety of the vaults. They retreated to the caves which miraculously protected them"

"What a convenient stroke of luck… How about that pendant? What's the deal with that?"

"This pendant has been passed down to the eldest child in my family. It holds a sacred meaning for our tribe and it is said that it is the key to finding 'the sun'"

"The sun? You mean that Raven person? You worship him?"

"Strictly speaking, we do not worship him rather we revere him. He helped evacuate several people to the mountains and helped form the tribe from there but one day, he disappeared and was never seen again. He was also the father of my ancestor. From what I was told, after her father's disappearance, my ancestor would look into the sky during the day, believing that her father would return. This pendant was her source of hope"

"Very interesting… So what happened to your village?"

"One day, a group of armed men arrived and began kidnapping everyone. After that, you already know what happened. But I and a few others managed to escape this very facility. We went our separate ways. I do not know where they are now. I only pray that they are safe"

"I see…"

"Ellie" Vivian interrupted "I'm in. Opening the door now"

"Right" Ellie replied "Thanks Vivian! Talon. Let's go"

Leaning against the side of the door, the duo prepare their weapons for a fight

Talon nods at Ellie, who opens the door

The duo goes in, guns drawn

The room was barely lit. Medical equipment, papers, and folders littered the floor of the room

The duo searches the room

"Looks like this was where they did their experiments" Ellie remarked as she picks up a file "FEV sample T-2… T-2? Another strain?"

She looks at Talon, who seems to be fixated on the operating table

"Talon?" she called "Talon?"

"Huh?" Talon responded "Wh-What?"

"Something wrong?"

"N-Nothing… J-Just bad memories surfacing…"

"Bad memories huh…"

The duo continue to search the room, with Talon, seemingly, deep in thought

Not long after, Vivian's voice echoes through the facility's speakers

"Ellie" she said "We have Polonsky on the radio. He wants to talk to you"

"Finally!" Ellie responded as she taps Talon's shoulder "Come on. Let's head back"

"Polonsky!" Ellie said, picking up the radio's mic "How's it going?"

"About fucking time you guys respond" he replied

"Yeah sorry… Shit happened one after another… So… When's backup arriving?"

"They're not coming?"

"Huh?"

"The NCR base in Oregano was attacked"

"What?!"

"Yep. Rufus and his team are alive but we lost a considerable amount of men. Not to mention that the base was severely damaged"

"Who's behind the attack? Was it Vault-Tec?"

"No… You're not gonna believe this but according to Rufus, one of the attackers had the insignia of Caesar's Legion on his clothes"

"Caesar's Legion? I thought they got wiped out years ago? What about Alexander?"

"Alexander's missing… He was supposed to meet Rufus in the Oregano base saying he had intel to share"

"Damn it…"

"Unfortunately, the bad news just keep on coming. We're facing a substantial increase in riots across the republic"

"Riots?"

"You heard me. Riots. Someone's stirring the public to riot"

"Any idea what's pissing them off?"

"That's the weird part. It's the usual banter. Government not giving enough help to the people, abuses, etcetera, etcetera. But what concerns me is that they're much larger and more organized compared to previous rallies they've done even then, they don't riot and break almost everything in sight"

"That is concerning… But let me fill you in on some good news. We found a Vault-Tec Facility. WE're scraping it for intel as we speak"

"Well. Well… I guess you guys didn't just get lost huh?"

"Yeah. We have a lead on how to fight back"

"Nice. Fill me I when you get back to Shady Sands"

"We're not securing the facility?"

"Unfortunately, we're a bit undermanned at the moment. Grab whatever valuables you can find and get back to Shady Sands. I'll send a vertibird to pick you up"

"…Right"

Ellie grunts in frustration

"You heard the man" she said "Get everything valuable in this facility"

"Wilco" Vivian replied as she contacts the others "Wolf Pack. Gather as much valuable files, data, and items as you can! We're-"

"What do we do now?" Talon whispered

"We're heading back to NCR territory and you're coming with us"

Vault 92, Capital Wasteland (Union Territory)

High Security Prison Block

In a small barely lit room, James Lyons meets with a familiar inmate

"Johannes" he said in digust

Dressed in an orange jumpsuit and accompanied by 2 guards, the man takes a seat just in front of James

"Well. Well" the former rebel commander said "To what do I owe this unexpected visit from one of the Union's leaders?"

"It's been 5 years since your plan failed. And yet until now, you still don't talk"

"What of it?"

"You know… Every Vault-Tec agent we capture always takes this 'suicide pill'. But when we captured you, you didn't have one, not to mention that you never tried to commit suicide despite having several chances to do so"

"So?"

"So here's my take. You want to live"

"What got you to that conclusion? All because I haven't tried killing myself? Has it ever crossed your mind that I may have something that both you and Vault-Tec want?"

"What?"

"5 years and none of you still get it. Don't you find it strange that despite capturing me, you never recovered the data on the artifacts Ellie found decades ago?"

James frowns. "What do you mean?"

"Jesus! Do I have to spell it out to you savages? I never took the data"

"What?! If you never had the data then-"

"Think James! I already knew where these artifacts were! Why would I need to take a holotape containing it?"

"Maybe you wanted to make sure that only you knew the location"

"If I wanted to do that, I would have deleted all that data the second I got my hands on it but I think your computer experts have deciphered that someone copied the data instead of outright deleting it"

James' eyes squint. "Are you saying, Vault-Tec placed agents within our ranks?"

"Vault-Tec has agents on almost every faction in the wasteland. You think they're able to manipulate everything that ever happened here for the past hundred years without pulling a few strings?"

"But it still doesn't make sense… Why are you only talking now?"

"Because Vault-Tec knows I am a liability and an asset. Only I have access to the Vault containing the artifacts"

"How?"

"Ever heard of the first civilization?"

"The what?"

Johannes gives a sinister smile.

"What are you getting at…?" James said slowly standing up

Before the interrogation could continue, the room's doors open.

"Elder Lyons!" a Union trooper frantically said

"What's going on?"

"Sir" the trooper whispered "Several of our bases are under attack"

"What?! Where?! Who?!"

"Raven Rock, Adams Airforce Base, the Citadel, and the Castle"

"The Citadel?! Shit! Audrey and the kids!"

The vault the shakes as its alarm system goes off.

"They're here" Johannes said with a sinister smile "It's starting…"

"What?!" James said "What the hell are you blathering now?!"

"Vault-Tec is making their move… The game has begun"

Before James could respond, another Union trooper enters the room.

"Elder!" he said frantically "The prison is under attack!"

"What?! Who's attacking us?!"

"An unknown force sir! We've never seen anyone like them before! They're armed with assault rifles and laser weapons we've never seen before!"

"They're coming…" Johannes muttered

"Like hell they are!" James responded "Take this bastard back to his cell! Make sure he doesn't escape! The rest of you, battle stations! Whoever's attacking us, they're not gonna take this prison without a fight!"

The 2 guards then grab Johannes and escort him to his cell as James and several Union troopers scramble onto the frontlines.

Vancouver, Oregano

4:00PM:

In the derelict ruins of an old freeway, Rufus and his team are greeted by the sight of burning vehicles, spent bullet casings, and several bodies littering the road.

"This must be the general's convoy…" Jericho said as he checks on the bodies "Shit… What a mess…"

"Search for survivors" Rufus commanded "And look for any clues"

"Poor bastards" Jericho remarked "This looks more like the aftermath of a raider execution than a regular skirmish… Damn… Vault-Tec doesn't mess around"

Entering the APC, Rufus finds 2 badly burned bodies, both were filled with bullet holes and some scratches reminiscent of injuries from laser weapons

"Such brutality…" Rufus remarked as he checks the bodies "Not even the raiders are 'this' brutal"

Further scouring the inside of the APC, Rufus finds a holotape just under the seats.

He grabs it and plays it on his Pip-boy

The sound of gunfire can be heard in the background

Rufus. They came outta nowhere! Listen, I don't have much time to explain! I found some really big intel that I was supposed to share to you. But I anticipated this would happen considering how much of a revelation this intel was! So, I left behind some clues in our hideout! I placed another holotape by my desk. It should be enough to guide you. Good luck Rufus and may God help us all…

As Rufus takes the holotape out, he stares at the 2 bodies

"I hope you're not one of those bodies, Alex" he said as he exits the APC "Rangers! Form up!"

The rangers gather.

"Call in a vertibird" he said "We have to get back to Shady Sands now!"

Shady Sands; NCR Downtown

The next day

10:30AM:

"Wow…" Talon uttered as he sees the bustling city from the side of a vertibird "The city is so large…"

"Welcome to Shady Sands" Ellie said "Capital city of the NCR"

"It is very big" Talon replied in awe "Also, the buildings are very tall, almost similar to the pre-war ones I saw in books"

Ellie chuckles. "The Great War may have devastated civilization but humanity will recover and rebuild eventually"

"Heh… I guess she was right…"

"Who?"

"Oh Nothing"

A few minutes later, the vertibirds lands near a 3-storey structure

Inside, Wolf Pack is greeted by Rufus and his team as both teams made their way to the meeting room.

"First things first" Ellie said as they all take a seat "This is Talon. My team ran into him and he helped provide intel on that Vault-Tec Facility we found"

"Nice to meet you all" Talon said as he bows his head

"Yeah nice to meet you too" Rufus said "We don't have much time so let's all get to the point"

"Right" Ellie replied "We found several documents, holotapes, and other items of interest at the Vault-Tec Facility. Long story short, Vault-Tec manipulated almost every conflict that ever happened in California at least"

"California huh… How about the other wastelands?"

"No clue. The report we found only talked about California and a few mention D.C. a bit but that was it. Other than that, we've also gathered intel that Vault-Tec has agents within the Brotherhood and the NCR. So we best be cautious"

"Not surprising…"

"Right now, we're following a lead on a possible way to fight back"

"Ok then. Let's leave it at that"

"Right. So how about on your end?"

"The Vancouver border was undoubtedly attacked by elements of Caesar's Legion"

"Caesar's Legion?" Owen interrupted "I thought Alexander blew those sons of bitches to kingdom come years ago?"

"Whether or not this is a splinter faction, a sign of what's yet to come, or sheer coincidence, we've yet to know. What we do know is that these attackers were skilled killers. A squad of only 15 men levelled an entire base and crippled our forces there. We also suspect that Vault-Tec had a hand in this"

"Damn it…" Ellie muttered

"It gets worse" Rufus continued "General Alexander is currently MIA"

"I hear..." Ellie responded "But how? and Why?"

"I don't know… His convoy was enroute to the Vancouver base but they were attacked on the way there"

"Who attacked the convoy?"

"Don't know… No enemy bodies were recovered. Whoever these guys are, they're professional and merciless. Many of the dead were executed and the weapons used seemed to be a mix of ballistic and laser weaponry. But again, my money's on Vault-Tec"

"Shit…"

"Colonel!" a NCR radioman said, entering the room

"What is it?" Rufus replied as the radioman handed a file and leaves

Rufus eyes widen as he reads the file

"Rufus?" Clover asked "What?"

Shaken, Rufus puts the file down. He closes his eyes and exhales.

"The Union was attacked too" he said with a concerned tone

"What?!" everyone said

"Unknown forces, with access to vehicles, attacked several key bases of the Union" Rufus said, reading the file "The Citadel took the most damage"

"The Citadel?!" Ellie said in shock

"Elder James Lyons was severely injured during an attack on Vault 92. He is currently undergoing treatment"

"Vault-Tec…"

"Goddamn it…" Rufus said, clenching his fists "James…"

The room was silent for some time.

"Alright" Owen said, breaking the silence "So what now?"

"Right…" Rufus said, composing himself "Was that everything?"

"Yeah…" Ellie replied

"Ok then. For now, we each follow our respective leads and help maintain law and order around the NCR and the Union… We also have these riots to contend with. But above all else, be careful. Vault-Tec is on the move. Good luck and may God help us all"

Later that Day:

Wearing a merc troublemaker outfit, Rufus walks through the dark wet streets of Vault City as the rain continues to pour.

He enters a shop.

Dripping wet, Rufus walks to the front counter

"Rough day?" the clerk asked

"Well…" Rufus replied "Rainy days are ahead but some rain can still benefit us"

The clerk smiles as Rufus goes to the back.

The clerk clicks a button, placed next to an MP5k

A hidden hatch on the floor opens.

In an underground vault, Rufus walks towards a familiar room, it was Alexander's.

He goes to the general's desk and finds a picture frame. In it is a picture of Alexander, his wife, and 17 year old daughter.

"Damn it, Alex" Rufus muttered "You better be alive. Your daughter's too young to lose a father"

He then accesses Alexander's terminal. In it, he finds that a holotape was placed on the terminal.

Entitled 'contingency', Rufus clicks it.

Rufus if you're listening to this, then something happened to me.

Listen carefully. Vault-Tec has begun their counter attack. For the past few years, I've been gathering whatever intel I can find on these bastards. I tell you, it was a bitch to do.

At exactly 4:30PM on July 5th, I pieced together all the info I gathered. In the spirit of caution, I left behind a safe in our other hideout. It is voice activated and will only open when I say the code in my own voice.

It has all the intel I've gathered over the years. So obviously, there's another recording you should find. It's in an old derelict place that used to be known for Unity. Also, do note that every recording I left, has part of the code to open the safe

This recording's code is Manipulative

Good luck Rufus and may God help us

Rufus ejects the holotape.

Without a word, the Lone Wanderer goes to his room.

Inside, he opens a cabinet and sees his old armored Vault 101 jumpsuit.

As memories from his old life flash before his eyes, Rufus looks at another Vault 101 suit, which was next to his.

It was bigger than his old suit and had more armor padding and a customized vest.

"Dad…" he muttered as he grabs the other vault suit from the cabinet "… watch over my family…"