Shackled. That was the first thing the mercenary noticed upon regaining consciousness in a barely lit room.

"The fuck!?" she muttered as she struggles to undo her chains "Why am I chained to a table?"

"Looks like she's awake" a familiar male voice said as he and 4 others, wearing hooded outfits, converge around her

"Who the fuck are you guys!?" the mercenary demanded as she continues to struggle "Get me out!"

"Still defiant" another familiar male voice said "The serum wore off faster than expected.. Not a good sign.."

"We gotta do something!" one of the male individuals said as he and another individual respectively grab her arms "She'll break the chains!"

"Get me outta these chains, you pieces of shit!" the mercenary demanded as she continues to struggle, despite the attempts to restrain her. "Fight me like a man!"

"Should we use the serum again?" the other familiar male voice said

"You think she can handle another dose?" the other replied "We just administered it about an hour ago and she's fully awake again"

"I know.." he responded "whatever 'they' did to her; 'they' did a good job"

"I feel that she's too dangerous" the male individual, holding Ellie's left arm, said "We're better off ending her now while we still have the chance"

"Wait" the man, holding Ellie's right arm, replied "She may help us in the future. We have to find a way to get her to our side"

"Oh that's a great idea!" the male individual, holding the mercenary's left arm, sarcastically responded "Then maybe, we can release her right now and hope the power of friendship will sway her to join us!"

"I'm serious" the man replied "I feel that she can help us in the fight against 'them'!"

"Get your head out of the cloud, kid" the man replied "She's nothing more than a killing machine, literally programmed to kill people like us! There's no way we can get around something like that!"

"No" the man replied "There could be another way! Doc! You think we can use 'it' to undo her programming?"

"The device may be enough for the job" a man with a German accent said "But you know of the device's side effects. She may suffer from psychological disorders or worse, psychotic episodes in the future. And these are merely the long-term effects. I have yet to identify the immediate ones"

"We'll just have to risk it!" the man said "She can be our 'wild card'!"

As the individuals argue on how to best handle the situation, the mercenary manages to break the chains in her legs.

Giving no time for her captors to react, the mercenary kicks the one on her left in the head, prompting him to loosen his grip on her arm. She then uses that same arm to punch the same man under the chin. With her left arm free, the mercenary quickly does a sucker punch on the man on her right.

She then connects her attack by hitting the man's face with the backside of her right fist. With her arms and legs free, the mercenary then jumps from the table and prepares to fight her captors.

"Now we fight by my rules" the mercenary uttered as one of her captors charges towards her

He attempts to do a right hook but the mercenary's reflexes enabled her to easily block the attack and follow-up with a kick, although the individual's reflexes were also top notch and he too was able to block her attack.

Soon, another individual charges towards her. His attacks were akin to a boxer on the offensive. The mercenary dodges each attack with a black flip, followed-up by either a kick or a punch.

The 3rd hooded man then draws a 9mm pistol and fires about 5 shots at the mercenary, all of which missed, before the 4th individual stops him.

"Don't shoot her!" the man said "We can't use 'it' if she's too injured!"

"Not sure if you noticed" the 3rd individual replied "But she's escaped and is trying to kill us"

"Just don't shoot her!" the man responded

"Fine!" the individual replied as he holsters his pistol "But if she's about to end one of us, I'll take the shot!"

The fighting then comes to a stalemate as both parties are seemingly getting tired. For the next few minutes, the individuals and the mercenary would simply stare at each other, waiting for one to make a move first.

Ellie planned to quickly utilize a punch and kick combo on one of the individuals in front of her but she was suddenly grabbed from behind by the 3rd individual. She struggles to escape the man's grip but her enemy maintained his stance. This gave the other individuals the signal to attack her. Despite begin restrained from the waist up, she manages to fend off the other 2 individuals with a few well-timed kicks.

She soon was able to use her elbow to land a blow on the 3rd individual's stomach. The man staggered a bit, which was enough for the mercenary to grab the man's loosened right arm and throw him into the ground, the same way a judo teacher would throw his students. She then attempts to stomp his face but he was able to quickly roll to safety as the other captors tackle her to the ground. She resists but this did not stop one of them from injecting something into her neck.

The mercenary quickly felt tired. And with her vision waning, she was unable to put up a proper resistance. Her last sight was her captors getting ready to carry her somewhere.

Some time later:

The mercenary awakens, this time in a soft bed.

"Where.. am I.. now..?" she muttered, while still feeling a bit sleepy, as she surveys the area around her. She notices a filing cabinet next to the bed and a desk next to it.

"This isn't my leather armor.." she muttered as she notices that she's wearing a blue armored jumpsuit

"You awake yet?" a familiar voice said

With adrenaline quickly pumping around her system, the mercenary rose from the bed and said "Who's there!?"

"Relax" the man said as he wanders into the room "It's just me"

"You..!" the mercenary said as she loosens up a bit "You're, You're-"

"Rufus" the man said, finishing the mercenary's sentence "You were in a really tight spot when I found you. Good thing I was there"

"Y-Yeah.." the mercenary said "Thanks again for saving me but where are we?"

"My house" the man answered "To be specific: Megaton"

Shocked the mercenary uttered "Megaton!? How did we get THAT far?"

"I kind of found you around the area near Galaxy News Radio" Rufus answered "Followed by some pretty ugly ghouls"

"Holy shit.." the mercenary muttered while still in shock "..It only felt like I travelled a short distance.."

"Well that's what adrenaline and danger do to you" the man replied "Makes you perceive time and distance much slower than usual"

"Whoah.." The mercenary uttered "Wait. What happened to my leather armor?"

"I fixed your clothes and improved the design a bit" the wastelander answered "It's hanging in the room next to this one"

The mercenary smiles as she thanks the wastelander for the favor

"Also" Rufus added "Your armguards took quite a beating. The blades are chipped and there's no fixing it.."

"Oh.." the mercenary said as her smiles disappears

"Don't worry" Rufus said "I think I got a pair here"

"What?" the mercenary wondered as Rufus pulls out a familiar pair of armguards from the filing cabinet next to the bed

Handing over the armguards, the mercenary noticed that the material used was excellent and the craftsmanship was superb. The blades were sharp and not a hint of rust in them, it almost looks like this was one of those 'Pre-War' items that you'd find in the wasteland.

"Holy shit.." the mercenary muttered as she continues to look at the armguards "..Did you make this?"

"No" the wastelander answered "I found it while scavenging the DC ruins a few years back"

"Wow.." the mercenary said as she quickly remembers what happened the last time she was awake "What happened to those men!?"

"Those men..?" Rufus wondered

"Yeah.." the mercenary said "I woke up in a dark room, chained to a table. There were 5 hooded men. They were contemplating on killing me or doing some weird shit to me.. I manage to break my chains but they managed to overpower me.."

"What are you talking about?" Rufus wondered "I carried your ass from the ruins to Megaton the entire time"

Ellie was speechless for a short while as she tries to make sense of what she saw..

"Then what was all that about..?" she wondered as her heart rate and breathing becomes frantic

"Hey you ok?" Rufus asked as he tries to check on the mercenary

"I-I'm fine.." the mercenary said as she composes herself

"Come on" Rufus said "let's head downstairs. I got some Brahmin steaks ready"

Upon reaching the 1st floor of the house, a dog excitedly runs towards the wastelander, all the while giving several joyous barks.

"A dog.." the mercenary remarked

"Not too many of these friendly guys anymore.." the wastelander said "His name is Dogmeat. Dogmeat say hi!"

The dog responds by giving a single happy bark as it wags its tail.

The mercenary smiles as she pats the dog's head. The animal wags its tail as it licks the mercenary's hands.

"Looks like Dogmeat's already warmed up to ya" the wastelander said "Pretty rare.. You must have an affinity for dogs"

The mercenary simply smiles as she continues to caress the dog's head.

Minutes later:

As Ellie, Rufus and Dogmeat enjoy their respective meals; the wastelander notices that the mercenary was deep in thought.

"Got something on your mind?" he asked

The mercenary pondered for a moment before saying "How long was I out?"

"Only a couple of hours" the wastelander replied as he notices Ellie's Pip-Boy "Well. Well. Looks like you found yourself a Pip-Boy"

The mercenary was kinda taken aback by the remark as she said "Oh y-yes"

Noticing a familiar device hidden under the wastelander's sleeves, the mercenary asked "Looks like you got a Pip-Boy too"

The wastelander smiles as he shows his own Pip-Boy, it was the same model as the one used by the mercenary, although the screen had a different color scheme.

"Where did you get that?" the mercenary wondered

"I was a vault dweller myself" the wastelander stated "Got it when I turned 10 years old"

"Vault Dweller..?" the mercenary wondered as she checks on the armored blue jumpsuit that was given to her.

Using a mirror, she reads the numbers sewn on the jumpsuit's back.. 101

"You're from Vault 101?" the mercenary asked

The wastelander nods and confirms the mercenary's suspicions.

"Then do you know the Lone Wanderer?" Ellie asked

The wastelander's eyes squint as he asks "Why do you want to know?"

"So much shit is going down" the mercenary answered "I want to restore peace and order in this place and recruit as many people as possible to make it happen"

"And then you heard the legend of the Lone Wanderer" Rufus added

"Yes.." the mercenary confirmed "So do you know who the Lone Wanderer is?"

"I do" Rufus affirmed "Grew up with him actually"

With an optimistic smile, the mercenary asks "Do you know where he is?"

The wastelander ponders for a moment before saying "No"

Disappointed, Ellie said "Too bad. Well thank you anyway"

"No problem" Rufus said "Are you member of that rebel group?"

Taken aback, the mercenary ponders to herself if she should tell this man that she's a member of the Sons of Liberty.

"No.." the mercenary said "I'm part of the regulators. I just want to restore peace & order and with the loss of so many of our members, I was hoping to recruit some of the populace"

"Alright then.." the wastelander said as they continue to eat their respective meals

May 18, 2307

Rufus' House, Megaton

1:30pm:

With her wounds miraculously healed, Rufus shows her the leather armor he had modified.

"Here we are.." the wastelander said as he shows the mercenary her new outfit

The armor had shoulder, elbow and knee pads. The torso portion was reinforced with some kind of lightweight metal.

As Rufus steps out of the room, the mercenary wastes no time in trying to put her new armor on.

Minutes later, Ellie walks out of the room, wearing her new armor.

"How's it feel?" Rufus asked

"Feels great!" the mercenary enthusiastically said "I thought the armor would be heavier but damn! This is so light! I can still maneuver fast and still feel a bit safe because of these new pieces of armor!"

"Glad you liked it" Rufus said "If you go around these wastelands back in 2277 like I did, you'd learn to improvise on almost everything from clothes to weapons to food"

"Wow.." Ellie said "No kidding.."

"So what's your plan?" Rufus asked

"I'll go back to Underworld" the mercenary answered "I think the others are worried about me"

"Others?" the wastelander wondered

"My friends" the mercenary answered "We were separated because of those ghouls"

"What's your route, then?" the wastelander asked

"The Subways, where else?" the mercenary answered

"Are you serious?" Rufus said "You cheated death a few days ago from those ghouls and now you want to use that same route?"

"I don't know any other way to get to Underworld.." the mercenary said

"Well then" the wastelander said "Looks like I'm gonna have to accompany you"

"What?" the mercenary said "No. You don't have to trouble yourself"

"Don't be shy" the wastelander replied "I also have my own destination. Isn't that right, Dogmeat?"

The wastelander's dog then barks once as it wags its tail.

"You sure?" Ellie asked

"Besides" Rufus said after giving a nod "I think I know a shortcut"

"Shortcut..?" the mercenary wondered

D.C. Ruins (Near Tepid Sewers):

"So where's this shortcut of yours?" Ellie asked Rufus, who was taking point

"Anacosta Crossing Station" he answered "It's near Rivet City"

"Rivet City?" the mercenary said "But isn't that kinda far?"

"Well it's not really a shortcut, per se" the wastelander responded "But I think it's safer since those 'ghouls' that nearly killed you don't go that far"

"About that.." the mercenary said "Do you know anything about those 'ghouls'?"

The wastelander was silent for a time before saying "No.. I've been wandering the Capital Wasteland for decades... The most dangerous ghoul that I ever encountered was a reaver and they still look like normal ghouls.."

"Damn.." the mercenary muttered as Dogmeat stares at a destroyed building and begins to growl.

"We got company" Rufus whispered as he pulls out his Chinese Assault Rifle.

Just that, 8 individuals, armed with either 10mm submachine guns or combat shotguns.

"Ohohoho.. What do we have here" a male individual, armed with a 10mm submachine gun, said with a sinister tone "Mind if you give us everything you've got?"

"Ellie" Rufus whispered "You confident with your speed and reflexes?"

"Yeah.." the mercenary replied

"NO WHISPERING!" the individual shouted as he and the rest aim their guns at the two wastelanders "Give us everything you've got NOW!"

The mercenary then slowly walks forward, with her hand up, as a raider approaches her and attempts to take her belongings. However, before the raider could even touch her armor, the mercenary quickly flicks her wrists and plunges both hidden blades into the raider's face. Witnessing the event, the other raiders retaliated, with two getting gunned down before they could even raise their weapons.

With adrenaline pumping around their veins, the combatants take battle positions and begin to open fire upon one another, with the wastelanders taking cover behind some derelict cars and the raiders hiding behind the ruins of a derelict building.

"Rufus" the mercenary said as she notices something by the derelict building "There's an opening on the 2nd floor! Think you can cover me?"

"I'll try" the wastelander responded "But what do you plan to do?"

The mercenary simply smiles as she takes position by the edge of the car. She signals Rufus to cover her and the wastelander wastes no time in unloading an entire magazine upon the raiders' position. Taking the opportunity, the mercenary runs towards the edge of the building and stops just below of what appears to be a window.

Using the numerous holes and loose bricks in the building's wall, the mercenary effortlessly climbs the wall and reaches the 2nd floor of the building. With the element of surprise at her side, the mercenary slowly creeps towards the raiders, which was directly below her. Upon confirming, with her eagle vision, each raider's position, the mercenary covertly drops down to the 1st floor, landing behind one of the raiders.

"They haven't noticed me yet..?" the mercenary thought to herself "Man.. This is almost too easy"

Taking the opportunity, the mercenary plunges her hidden blade upon the raider's back, stabbing part of his spine, and all the while covering his mouth to prevent the others from noticing her. She then casually walks towards the other two raiders and stabs them simultaneously on the neck. Although the last two raiders noticed her, they were unable to retaliate as the mercenary quickly draws her pistol and eliminates both targets with headshots.

With the raiders dead, the mercenary signals Rufus that the area was cleared.

"Looks like raiders will always be a problem in these parts.." the wastelander remarked

"What do you mean?" the mercenary asked

"2277" the wastelander explained "So many of these fuckers roamed the wasteland during those times. Well that was until the Brotherhood and the Regulators finally manage to restore order and eliminated most of the raider gangs around the wasteland."

"Sounds like the Capital Wasteland was a living hell back then" the mercenary remarked

"Yes it was" the wastelander responded "At least until the Lone Wanderer came. Thanks to him, the Capital Wasteland became a better place"

As Rufus and Ellie continue to chat about the Lone Wanderer, the raider, who was stabbed at the back, was still alive; however, he was unable to stand up.

"Fucking bastards.." the raider muttered as he crawled towards the 10mm submachine gun he dropped. Grabbing the gun, the raider aims it at the mercenary's head, ready to end her life.

"This is for my buddies!" the raider shouted as he pulls the trigger. The mercenary had no time to react as she was caught off guard. Fortunately, Dogmeat bit the raider's right arm, prompting the raider to raise his arm slightly, missing the mercenary's head by just inches.

As the raider struggles to get Dogmeat to release him, the dog quickly releases the raider's arm and proceeds to bite the raider's throat off. The raider tried to resist but it was futile as the dog manages to end the raider's life.

"That's one tough dog you have.." the mercenary muttered

"Yes he is.." the wastelander responded with a smile "He couldn't have survived this long if he wasn't"

"True enough.." the mercenary said as they continue their trek to Rivet City

Rivet City Lower District Entrance:

An hour later:

After trekking the ruins for some time, and even catching a glimpse of the Purifier, Ellie and Rufus find themselves standing in front of the gate to Rivet City's Lower District.

"So this is Rivet City" the mercenary said

"Never been here before?" the wastelander asked

"No" the mercenary responded

"Alright" the wastelander said "Think you could wait for a while?"

"What do you mean?" the mercenary wondered

"Rivet City security is a little bit strict on strangers" the wastelander explained "Let me handle this"

"Ok then" the mercenary responded as Rufus talks to one of the gate's guards.

It didn't take long for Rufus to return.

"Alright. Let's go" he said

"What did you say to them?" Ellie asked

"Nothing really" the wastelander responded "Since I've been here a couple of times, I kinda vouched for you"

"Oh well.. uh.. Thanks" Ellie said

"No problem. Let's go" Rufus said as the two enter the Lower District

Rivet City Lower District:

As the mercenary travels the area of the Lower District, she notices the despair in the people's eyes.. The place looked like an evacuation center, almost as if these people were refugees.

"What's going on here?" the mercenary wondered

"These people are suffering.." the wastelander answered "Rivet City hardly has enough supplies to feed the Lower District"

"What!?" the mercenary said "Why!?"

"Refugee populations in Rivet City sky rocketed after the Sons of Liberty took Evergreen Mills" the wastelander answered "And with Rivet City being pro-NCR and Evergreen Mills being a NCR supply base, Rivet City's council decided to ration the food & water. Although, they chose to give more to the Upper District for some reason"

"No way.." the mercenary said as she stares at the refugees.

As Ellie and Rufus continue to traverse the Lower District, the mercenary overhears a conversation between two men.

"Damn those rebels.." one of them said "I was living a happy life at Arefu until they decided to cause trouble!"

"I know!" his companion said "I had to give up on my job as a Caravan Merchant after they took over Canterbury Commons! Hell, most of the people living here now are mostly refugees running away from the war!"

"We're doing this for the people of the Capital Wasteland.." the man sarcastically said "I thought the war was over after the Purifier was taken and I can finally live peacefully but no.. These assholes just had to cause more trouble!"

"Yeah.." the former merchant said "Why don't we join the NCR army and have our share in killing these bastards!"

"Sounds tempting.." the man replied "..As much as I want to have my fair share in killing those misery-causing war mongers, I'm not really confident with my abilities as a fighter"

"Well its better than sitting here and begging for rations!" the former merchant responded "At least, in the army, we get a decent meal!"

"Yeah.. I guess you're right" the man replied "Maybe it is better to enlist in the army"

Just that, the two men walks away.

The mercenary couldn't believe what she had just heard. Up until that point, she thought the Sons of Liberty was helping the people while the NCR makes them suffer. Turns out, her 'noble' rebellion was also causing its own share of misery upon the people of the Capital Wasteland. She then began to question whether her actions are truly just..

After a while, Ellie, Rufus and Dogmeat reach a big tent.

"What's in here?" the mercenary wondered

"You'll see" the wastelander replied

Entering the tent, the mercenary was surprised at what she sees, inside, were 5 NCR Rangers, armed with a variety of customized weapons. The mercenary prepared herself for a fight as she expects the worse.

"What's wrong?" the wastelander asked

"Uh..N-Nothing" the mercenary responded

"Rufus" one of the Rangers said "Its time"

"Time..?" the mercenary wondered

"We're gonna distribute the rations" the wastelander said "Mind if you help out a bit?"

"What?" the mercenary responded "B-But.."

"Well you're free to decline" the wastelander added "I just thought an extra hand would help in distributing the goods much faster"

"If you put it that way.." the mercenary said "..ok"

Lower District Main square:

The Rangers, along with Ellie and Rufus, prepare a small booth and begin to distribute rationed food & water among the populace.

"Looks like they don't know who I am.." the mercenary thought to herself

As she hands over some rationed food to the next person, she notices the person was familiar. It was the former merchant she eavesdropped upon minutes earlier.

"Hey" the former merchant said "How do you enlist for the NCR army?"

"Huh..?" the mercenary muttered as she was caught off-guard by the question

"Me and several refugees want to join the army" the former merchant said "We had enough of the bullshit the Sons of Liberty is doing and we want to do something about it!"

"I..uh.. I" the mercenary muttered "A-Ask the troops by the Upper District. They may be able to help you"

"Right.." the former merchant said "Thanks! And I hope to be able to work with you guys in the battlefield some day!"

As the former merchant leaves, the mercenary could only stare at him as she tries to makes sense of what she is seeing..

"You ok?" the wastelander said as he taps the mercenary's shoulder

"Hey.." the mercenary said "..Looks like there are actually locals who don't like the Sons of Liberty.."

"Yeah.." the wastelander said "..Those rebels think the NCR is the only one causing the suffering of the people in the wasteland. They have no idea that they have their own share of causing misery in this land.. That's the problem of self-righteousness.."

Turning to the wastelander, Ellie asks "Who are you anyway, Rufus?"

"Lieutenant Rufus of the NCR Rangers" the wastelander responded with a smile"Commanding Officer of the Special forces squad, Sparrows"