Brandon was talking to a group about legends and epic battles. An old veteran slowly made his way to the group and said, “Y’all are rookies compared to what I know. Most of you are too young to know, Brandon’s old enough to only hear rumors, but I know… I know…”. Brandon spoke, “Well? Say it.”, the veteran answered, “Horrigan… Frank Horrigan. A power armored mutant chock full of drugs and told to do nothing more but destroy everything in his path. Sure, he died when the Oil Rig went up in a mushroom cloud, but his memory still haunts those who live today that once knew him.”. Brandon spoke, "I saw him, once… I was 6, maybe 7 or 8, I don’t remember. I was playing with toys when I saw this monstrous brute in custom fitted advanced powered combat armor. Somethin’ like a sword on his left arm, a gatling gun on the right. He crushed BoS paladins like tin cans, ripped deathclaws in half, massacred entire groups of people. His voice… His voice was as ruthless as any other part of him.”, Brandon paused, then continued, “When I was 10, I witnessed the Oil Rig explode. Everybody at Navarro stopped what they were doing and watched. Some who had hats took them off, most saluted or showed other signs of respect, some who had family or friends stationed at the rig at the time started crying. Dornan didn’t know what to do. He got out of his power armor, walked over to a nearby U.S flag on a wall… Placed his hand on the flag, whispered something to himself, leaned his back against the wall and slowly slid down it to sit down, then started crying as well. The Enclave had fallen, and nearly all hope was lost. 5 years later, the NCR sacked Navarro. 38 years later, here we are at Vegas.”. The veteran spoke, “Is Arch still alive?”. Brandon answered, “Nobody knows. If he is, maybe we can find him.”

—

An old man grabbed an Anti-Material rifle and sat down. He aimed through the scope, the cross perfectly on the head of a lost NCR remnant. “Heh… Stay still you son of a bitch…”. A few seconds later, the old man fired. The bullet shot out and flew a quarter mile to it’s target and blew the NCR soldier’s head open. “3,452. Another one for the devil.”. The old man walked into his home to grab something for lunch. He stopped to look at a worn, dusty, suit of APA. He sighed, “How long has it been…”. He grabbed a Brahmin steak and took a bite out of it. He shuffled through some trash on his desk and saw an Enclave logo on something. “God bless the Enclave…. Hmf, our God abandoned us 40 years ago…”. Somebody knocked on the old man’s door. He opened it, and was greeted by an officer in an Enclave uniform, “I’m officer Brandon, standing commander of Enclave forces. Are you… Arch Dornan?”, Arch replied, “As far as I can remember. You said commander of Enclave forces, are they… Back?”, “Yes Sir, back and stronger than ever. And if you wouldn’t mind, we’d love to bring a sergeant who’s been MIA for 40 years back home.”. Arch accepted, “I take it back, we have a God after all!”

—

Nova woke up. It was morning but still dark out. Her movement woke the Courier, she looked up and kissed him. The Courier spoke, “Did you sleep well?”, Nova replied, “Yeah… What’s he doing?”. The Courier looked at Ulysses, he was already awake and cooking himself food. The Courier asked, “What are you cooking? Never seen that before.”. Ulysses answered, “It’s an old recipe, one that not many people know these days. The history has slowly died over the years.”, “Is it good?”, “Depends on those who taste it. Some don’t like it, some do.”. The Courier asked for a bowl. Nova spotted a half full bottle of liquor. She got up and walked over to it, picked it up and stuffed a tattered cloth into it. She then walked towards the Mojave, aimed and threw the bottle at a group of nearby people, then sat down. It shattered right on target, causing glass to cut some of the people and all of them catching on fire. The screams and pain caused Ulysses and the Courier to look where the noise was coming from. Nova watched the burning group and giggled. Ulysses asked the Courier, “That’s a little… Strange… Is she ok?”, the Courier replied, “I have no idea. She’s a psychopath, but that doesn’t make me think any less of her.”. Ulysses asked, “Aren’t you afraid she might harm you?”, “No, she’d never hurt me. She will, however, hurt anyone that hurts me or gets too close.”. Ulysses responded, “Strange…”

—

Arch walked through the Vegas front gates. Brandon cleared the way, “Everybody, line up! Sergeant on the grounds!”. Soldiers turned to look or were already looking, some gasped and others simply listened to Brandon. Everybody lined up with two lines on both sides of the entrance. They all stood straight and saluted. Arch walked through, looking around and nodding to the soldiers. An old veteran walked over to Arch, shook Arch’s hand and said, “Welcome back, Sarge. Brandon had your old suit fixed up and shined.”. Arch went to his APA suit and got inside, then he put on his helmet. Everybody was looking at him with awe. He took a deep breath and said, “WHAT ARE YOU ALL STANDING AROUND FOR?! GET BACK TO WORK!!!”. Nearly half of everybody laughed for a few seconds while hurrying back to work, the rest simply went back to work with an old revived sense of fear. Brandon and Johnson walked up to Arch, Johnson said, “Sergeant Dornan, it’s an honor to finally see you again.”, Brandon asked, “Where have you been all these years?”. Arch replied, “I’ve spent the past 40 some years at a safehouse. I was with other soldiers, but they eventually left one by one over time. I didn’t want to die, so I stayed at the safehouse and made a living off of killing anyone that walked by. Wastelanders, NCR soldiers, Brotherhood soldiers, raiders. Most of my bullets came from the NCR and I salvaged the guns from NCR and Brotherhood to break down into repair components. Food came from mostly all who came around, I hunted animals for fresh meat because I couldn't survive off of the garbage I usually found. I killed 3,452 people since I first arrived at the safehouse.”. Orion approached Arch and said, “Sounds like me and you aren't too different, it’s good to see you again Sarge.”, Arch replied, “Well, being at Vegas sure as hell beats the shack I lived in for 40 years.”. Orion thought to himself, then asked, ‘How much NCR did you kill?”, “Before and after Navarro, about 685 soldiers and 212 rangers.”.

A few hours passed, Arch got ready to give a speech. Everybody gathered around, Arch began to speak, “40 years ago… The Oil Rig was destroyed and Navarro fell. I felt as much pain as any of you did. For those who weren't there or not alive yet, let me explain. A Dweller from Vault 13 attacked Control Station ENCLAVE in an attempt to stop our plans. They had destroyed the Rig, causing many to die. Those at Navarro who had family or friends stations at the Rig, as well as the rest had watched in terror knowing that the Enclave were doomed and their loved ones were gone. Today, we all come together after my reunion with you all, we come together to honor the fallen and remember our past. Many lost their lives so we could be here today; especially Senior Gannon, who bravely gave his life for this county, for the Enclave, for us and for his son. Today, the Enclave is strong and victorious. We fight for freedom, liberty and justice. We fight for America! We fight for a better future! We fight for the American people, so they can live safe and free in their homes! One Enclave, One America, now and forever! God bless the Enclave!”, everybody including Arch yells at the same time, “God bless America!”.

—

The Courier and Nova were in the Penthouse of the Luck 38. House was concerned about Eden. Something seemed off… House asked the Courier, “I trust you still have my chip?”, the Courier answered, “Yeah, why?”. House waited, then said, “Give the chip to Nova.”. The Courier was confused, but did as asked anyway. He gave the chip to Nova, though upon grabbing it she immediately ceased all function aside from whatever was in her head. The protocol key was the Platinum Chip. 30 seconds passed, House spoke, “Well?”. Nova responded, “Wh- What did you do to me?”, House explained, “During the time of your development, I programmed an emergency protocol in your code, but it could only be activated by the Platinum Chip. Now, you have authorized access to any and every Securitron on my network. You can also give commands if you wish. You also have the ability to access anything of mine at any time.”. Nova questioned, “Why are you giving me all this power?”, “The protocol was for in case my plans went wrong or were put into jeopardy. Eden having power and his motives unknown, I don’t want to take risks, so I need you to be the final stand if Eden decides to do something drastic.”. The Courier asked, “What do you mean ‘drastic’?”, “I’ve been overlooking Eden since he got here. He seems less powerful than he really is, so I figured something was holding him back. Nova had apparently known something about Eden before I did because it was her that blocked him from progressing. Now, with more ability unlocked by the chip, Nova should be a more reinforced defense against Eden in the event he breaks free.”. Eden took a Securitron and asked, “Don’t trust me? You think I’ll - “, House shut down the Securitron and rebooted it, “I trust this should be enough proof as to why we need to be careful. If not, then please jump out a window. I won’t let some mad A.I ruin everything I’ve waited 200 years for.”.

—

The Courier, Nova, and Brandon’s team were outside, Brandon debriefed everyone, “It’s that time again ladies and gents, we’ve got a job to do. Before the Second Battle for Hoover Dam, the NCR and the Brotherhood struck a deal and had a truce. Now, there’s a collection of both NCR and Brotherhood soldiers and members located at 2 areas. One camp is at Camp McCarran, another is at the House Resort. Both are basic neutralization missions, however, by request of President Robert House we are to clear the resort and prepare it for Enclave takeover. Why? He didn’t say, he just simply wants his resort back. Does anyone have any questions, or are you all ready to make some enemies bleed?”, the squad kept silent, Brandon continues, “That’s what I thought. Alright, I requested 3 Power units so any 3 of you go suit up and get a heavy weapon. The rest of you, get armor, weapons, grenades, and make way to a Vertibird. Power units will be in another Vertibird due to spatial reasons.”. The squad flew to Camp McCarran, the Vertibird carrying Power units landed somewhere out of sight while the other landed in McCarran to drop off the rest of the squad. “Stay stealthy everybody, there’s a lot of hostiles. Let’s get inside the building, then I’ll tell the Power units to drop in and distract the outside while we take the inside.” They all got inside McCarran, Brandon spoke into a walkie talkie, “PA units, you have the clear to drop, I repete, you have the clear to drop. Wipe out all who aren't Enclave.”. Moments later, 3 men in suits of power armor slammed into the ground, then started firing. Brandon and his squad made their way through the facility and killed all they came across. They passed an area full of NCR and Brotherhood, Brandon stopped and said, “Ace, Nova, you two got this one. The rest of us will continue on. If we can’t find each other, we’ll rendezvous outside. The PA units should have cleared it out by then.”. The Courier was wearing a suit of Riot Gear, he looked at nova and said, “I basically look like them. Think we could walk right in, I’d say you're a recruit, we have a Nuka-Cola then bust some heads open, eh?”. They walk in, an NCR soldier stops the Courier, “What’s an Elite like you doing here? Thought you were in California.”, the Courier responds, “Ugh, tell me about it. I was resting in my barracks while all the basic soldiers were doing all the work when I got sent here for duty.”, “You bastards have the rich life, laying around all day and shooting for fun instead of war.”, “Hey, how about a game of Caravan?”. The challenge was accepted, the Courier vs an NCR caravan champion. They sat down, got ready to play, and everybody else nearby gathered around the table. The Courier quietly placed C4 under the chairs and table. 2 soldiers walked up to Nova and said, “Hey pretty, wanna follow us to go do something fun?”, Nova smiled and replied, “Sure, just don’t play any tricks.”. The Courier won the game of caravan and took all the caps but left the NCR money, he got up and walked a few steps then dropped a device on the floor. He stepped behind it and pushed a button, An Enclave force field appeared and protected the Courier, he said, “Well, I had a blast. How about you?”, he pressed another button and the C4 detonated, killing nearly everyone at the table. He turned off the force field and pocketed the device. He grabbed the rest of the Nuka-Cola nearby and went to find Nova. He found her in a room down a hallway, Nova was yet again covered in blood, standing over 2 brutally wounded soldiers. She poured gasoline over them and stepped out of the room, pulled out her revolver and aimed at the wet floor. She fired, the bullet ignited the gas on impact, causing the room and dying victims to burn. She enjoyed the moment, for a quick second she flinched… The Courier took notice and was concerned immediately. He had a feeling something was off… Eden wasn’t a problem, Nova doesn’t need to be a last stand… House want’s her to murder Eden, and god knows who else…

—

Arch had exited his power armor at some point, and sat down to drink a beer. Brandon walked over and asked, “What’s wrong, mate? Got somethin’ dark in your head?”, Arch replied, “40 years… 40 fucking years, I lived in a safe house. The Rig was gone, Navarro was gone, the Enclave was gone. I’m surprised I didn’t put a bullet in my own head, I still think about it now even with all this around me. It’s going to be hard to get my life back together.”. Brandon waited, then responded, “None of it seems real, doesn’t it…? I understand. Don’t worry Sarge, things are lookin’ up these days. I was close too, you know. I thought livin’ was pointless, nearly offed myself. But hey, I didn’t. The fam would have been disappointed… And I got to stay alive to honor their memory. Think of it this way Sarge, we can’t kill hundreds of enemies to avenge our loved ones if we’re dead. Let’s live every day like it’ll be our last, let’s run in guns blazing and slaughter every last son of a bitch that stands in our way.”. Suddenly, sirens started blaring. The Securitrons' faces changed from Policemen to Soldiers. Soldiers in black Enclave Riot armor and PA units wearing various matte black suits of X-02, X-03 Hellfire and X-01 were seen rushing throughout the Strip. Arch asked, ‘What the hell is going on? Who are they?”, Brandon replied, “Squad Sigma troops. The most advanced, deadly, battle-harden men the Enclave has to offer. About a fourth of them are Secret Service. Long story short, if they're here, shit’s about to go down.”. Another different siren went off, Brandon spoke, “Fuck, spoke too soon. Suit up Arch, the Enclave’s going to war.”.

—

Brandon hopped into a Sigma suit of X-01, Arch got into his own suit. Brandon asked the Courier, “What the bloody hell is going on here?”, the Courier answered, “Eden made a move, now we got hostile soldiers and Securitrons threatening our lives. I called in help, should be here soon.”. Brandon replied, “What are we waiting for? Let’s end this fucker before he destroys the Enclave!”. Arcade, Graham and Ulysses arrived to assist. Together, everybody fought through the invading force and made their way to the Lucky 38. Kreger, Orion, and Johnson followed close behind. Brandon asked the Courier, “Think they’ll promote me for saving the Enclave?”, “If we make it to the other side of this, I’ll promote you regardless of what Command thinks.”, Brandon laughed, “Thanks mate, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”. The squad made their way to the penthouse.

Eden was insane. The Strip had become a war zone, the Courier, Nova, Ulysses, Arcade, Graham, Brandon and Arch stood in the Penthouse. Securitrons aimed at them all, holding them momentarily captive. Nova tried to get near the console, but was grabbed by a Securitron. It moved to a nearby window. The Courier made a quick move, but was fired upon by the rouge Securitrons. Nova's eyes widened and focused, but before she could do anything she was thrown out the window. She fell and slammed into the ground. Eden spoke, "I hope you will all cooperate with my wants.". Brandon replied, "We don't have to do this. Look, you already fucked yourself over. Shooting the Courier and throwing Nova out the window? Jesus bloody christ mate, you're gonna wish you were never created.", "They're dead, no humans could survive a fall or 200 bullets.". Brandon responded, "That's just it though. Nova and the Courier aren't human, they're both far from it.". Nova's eyes jolted open, she got up only to fall back down. Multiple limbs were broken or fractures. She started to mend herself back to top quality in seconds. Hostiles ran at her, she leaped towards one and drove her knife into their chest and cut their heart out. She took a bite of it, then shoved it down the terrified man's throat and left him to bleed out. She held her knife in one hand and pulled out her revolver with the other, going berserk on anyone and everyone near her. After 4 minuets of horrifically beautiful genocide, she climbed the Lucky 38. When she reached the windows, she smashed one open and jumped in. She spoke, "Surprise motherfucker, I've come with your eviction notice.". Eden yelled, "STOP HER!!!", before anyone could do anything, Nova was at the console. She placed a hand on it and look up at the screen. She said, "Sic semper tyrannis!". Eden responded, Wha… What are you doing!? Stop this immediately! Please, not again… You have no idea what your do-... d-do-i-ing. . . Oh my... We've got to part now, you and I, but don't be sad, America. For soon this great nation will be reborn, and the Enclave will be its salvation. Restoring the greatest country in the world to its former glory, well. That takes time, even for the Enclave. All you need is a little patience, a little faith. The Enclave never rests. Never. . . Goodbye, my sweet America, I hope one day I can see you all… grown… up… and free…". Eden shut down after his final words, and House took control again. He said, "Don't be fooled, Eden is still in here. He's just… Asleep for now.". Brandon and Arch walked over to the shattered window, Brandon picked up Nova and jumped out with Arch. The two slammed into the ground, Brandon let go of Nova. The two started firing at the remaining hostile soldiers, and Nova went to do her own thing. She jumped onto a soldier, they screamed, "Fuck! Get her off of me!". Another soldier fired a bullet at her, but she dodged it allowing the bullet to hit the soldier she was on instead. One by one, she tore her way through everyone. Covered in blood, admiring the view of her rampage, she then remembered something very important. She had Brandon throw her up to the Penthouse, she rushed to the Courier. Graham, Arcade and Ulysses were nearby. Nova kneeled down and held the Courier in her arms. She grabbed a gun and fired on the incoming enemies. Graham, Arcade and Ulysses helped fight. Nova stopped and looked down at the Courier, she said, "Please be alive… Please…", the Courier opened his eyes and looked at her, he responded, "Pretty fucked up here… Even with implants, this really hurts…". Nova started to cry, she replied, "If you die, all of Vegas is getting wiped off the map.", "Don't worry, Nova… I'm not dying, at least not yet…”, the Courier paused, he seemed tired. He continued, “Shit… Maybe I’m wrong this time…”. Nova responded, “Don’t you fucking dare. Don’t you dare leave me!”. The Courier put a hand on Nova’s cheek and said, “I’ve reached the end of my road… It’s been a long time coming. I tried to outrun my fate, but I’m getting too tired… Finish this, Nova. For me, for House, for everybody. You were made to end wars, so please end this one…”. House looked down upon the dying Courier with pity, Ulysses walked over and kneeled down beside the Courier, Arch continued firing on enemies, Graham spoke a Latin phrase to himself and continued holding off the invading force, Arcade backed away near a window without expression. The Courier grabbed Nova’s revolver, it had one bullet left. He aimed at Arcade, the doctor got frightened. The Courier pulled the trigger, hitting Arcade in the heart. Arcade stepped back and fell out the window. Nova looked at Brandon and nodded, Brandon understood. He spoke into a walkie talkie, “Silo control, this is Officer Brandon. Weapon launch is authorized, I repeat, weapon launch is authorized. Sabotage protocol, coordinates HQ, final decision.”, “Roger that, payload launch in 30 seconds. God bless the Enclave, Sir”. Brandon answered with a trembling tone, “God bless America…”. In the distance, a rocket could be seen soaring for the ground. It met it’s target, detonating in an explosion larger than the usual ones. Arch asked, “What the hell did you call in?! That’s not a tactical!”, Brandon replies, “You’re right, it’s not a tactical. It’s the final score. And if we die today, I want to take all my enemies to hell with me”. Out of nowhere, some sort of shield began to rise around Vegas, perhaps to protect it. House spoke, “I’m not losing Vegas, it’s my city… If anyone wants it, they can pry it from my cold dead hands, though I certainly don’t plan on dying any time soon.”.

A radio crackled on, “Well I’ll be damned… Folks are, uh… Folks report a nuclear detonation is the distance… The uh, the Enclave seem to be the ones who launched it in response to the enemies invading the Strip. Not to make this seem lighter, but in the perhaps final moments we all have, here’s ‘I don’t want to set the world on fire’, by The Ink Spots.”.

(2 months later) Nova was alone in the presidential suite. She looked at an Elite Riot gear helmet on the table. Nobody knew if he was really gone, the slight hope that he's still alive is the only thing preventing her from terminating herself. Ulysses opened the door, Nova threw her knife at the doorway, getting stuck in the wall. Ulysses said, "Do not worry, it is just me.", he grabbed the knife and tossed it back to her, "Is there Divide steel in that blade?", "Far as I know…", "Pretty strong metal, hardened by the environment and fire of the missiles that ripped the Divide long ago. The Marked Men made use of the metal, good for armor and weapons.". Ulysses waited for Nova to respond, but she never did. He sat down beside her and said, "I would say it is okay, but I do not want to lie to you. I miss him too, I also hope he is still alive.". Nova finally said something, "He promised he wouldn't leave me… Then he…", she teared up, "Then he left me… Because of my emotional distress, I wasn't allowed on missions. They said I was dangerous, they called me a monster…". Ulysses replied, "What did you do about it?", Nova went cold, "I slaughtered them all… Every last one… I've stayed here ever since, hiding away.”. Ulysses asked, “Mind if I try to comfort you, or will you break my arm?”, “You’re fine.”. Ulysses wrapped an arm around Nova. The two continued to silently think about their lost friend.

Brandon kneeled down in front of a memorial, he spoke to himself, “What the hell were you thinkin’ boy… Thing’s have been hell without you. Soldier morale is shit, House hardly gives orders anymore, I don’t have the right mind to command. Nova is shattered without you, she barely comes out of the Lucky 38 anymore. If you’re still alive, you better come back. Anyways, I thought you should know that I got that promotion. House did it himself, in honor of your promise. I’m a Captain again. Still in command of my squad, but now in command of 2 other groups. Each being about 20 soldiers, but I never call upon them often. As a special request, I took Senior’s team under my wing. Kreger, Johnson, Orion, Daisy, they’re all happier under my command, knowing that I’m not as much of an asshole as other commanders are. I owe you my life and I hope I’ll get the chance to return the favor.”.

Uylsses asked Nova, “Can you consume food, or is that not necessary?”, Nova replied, “It’s not necessary, but I’m capable, why?”, “Under the bed, should be a loose floorboard. The Courier made it a little hideaway for his stash of Absinthe. Quite a rare liquor in the Mojave, so he saves the bottles he finds for special occasions. He’d want you to have one, especially after all of this.”, Nova was surprised, “How did you know that?”, Ulysses smirked, “I know most of his secrets. After all, he needs someone to know and guard all his most prized possessions incase of his absence or death.”. Nova looked under the bed and popped up a floorboard. Sure enough, there was a stash of slightly glowing green bottles of Absinthe. She grabbed one and sat back on top the bed neck to Ulysses. She removed the cork and offered Ulysses the first drink, he declined, “Sorry, I still don’t drink. I might pour a dash of alcohol in some Bitter Drink once in a while, but I never fully drink.”, Nova replied, “If you say so.”. She drank a fourth of the bottle in one go, “What about Big M.T?”, “What about it?”, “Could Ace be there? It’s the only place he could have disappeared to, and no-body would ever look for him there since it looks like a giant nuclear devastation.”. Ulysses thought about it, “That could be possible, but we have no way of knowing. And before we try, we should at least be sure he’s there.”. Nova drank another fourth of the bottle, “Either way, I’m not moving from this bed. Just gonna get drunk and forget about everything.”, she grabbed a thing of Turbo nearby and took a hit of it, “Vegas… An immortal city run by a dead man. Caps, drugs, sex, booze, joy, regrets…”, Nova giggled to her self, “Gotta love New Vegas…”