Night, Hoover Dam, Mojave Wasteland, USA – 2281
Ben stared out across the dam. It was manned by the NCR complete with machine gun nests, snipers, and a grounded vertibird being repaired. Its mini-gun was pointed toward the Legion side of the dam. The gray and blue pattern of his armor made him practically invisible. People always thought black was the best color for sneaking around at night. It wasn't. The pure black humanoid shape was actually easier to see. It was just wrong enough to tickle that animal part of the brain. The digital camo in blue and gray broke the outline of his body and melded with the shadows much better than most expected.
He wasn't going to put all of his faith in the armor alone. His armor had a VI suite for digital attacks as well. It was miles ahead of the local tech which made it easy to adjust their radios. A couple of bursts of static were enough to move the troopers around enough to slip through.
"Scout, report," A digitally created voice was enough to confuse the NCR. The static helped smooth the rough patches.
Ben crossed the dam without alerting the troops. It was rather alarming how easy it was. A couple of Legion grunts with a decent understanding of tech could have probably used the same technique. If memory served, one of the snipers was a Legion assassin. Ben wondered how many others had slipped into the NCR ranks.
He stopped by each sentry he saw to place a knife between their ribs and a hand over their mouths. Boredom was a deadly thing. A few had fallen asleep and would never wake up. He moved in a wide circle then slowly worked his way closer to the camp. Either the Legion were stretched thinner than he had expected, or they just weren't that skilled. It was probably a mixture of both considering one of the endings could be achieved by convincing them that they couldn't hold the area. If the Legion was as impressive as they claimed to be then the NCR would have already been subdued and Vegas would be theirs. In truth, they were raiders with delusions of grandeur that would fall apart once Caesar was dead.
Ben paused at the edge of the camp. The stealthy option worked so far due to the distance between the sentries. Going from one tent to another removing Legion troops was bound to go wrong eventually. All it took was one light sleeper or a nighttime trip to the latrine. In the game, he would abuse the stealth mechanics to wipe out the camp with a rifle. He doubted that the technique would work in this version of the Mojave. Sound traveled, and 'silenced' weapons aren't actually silent.
He scanned the camp from an elevated location trying to memorize the patrol routes. The Legion was more disciplined that the NCR in their security, but it was still lacking. He didn't actually need to kill them all to get to the station. Still, they were the Legion. He couldn't not kill as many as he could. A sly smile crossed his face, the first order to the upgraded Securitrons would be to wipe them out.
Ben skirted the edge of the camp until he came parallel to the weather station. Two Legion flanked the door. They stood at attention armed with spears. The guards from the NCR had been bored, these ones were ready for action.
He pulled a couple of fixed blade knives from his Pocket of Cubing. His aim at distance wasn't the best for throwing weapons. Ben crept closer, the soft crunch of his footsteps was covered by random gusts of wind. He took aim at the farthest guard, let the knife fly with an underhanded throw, and charged the other as soon as it left his hand. The blade flew through the aim in a straight shot. He didn't want to chance getting the distance wrong if it was spinning. Ben shoved the blade of the knife in his hand into the side of the guards' neck. They were both down in less than thirty seconds.
Ben took a moment to lean the now-dead guards against the weather station as best as he could before he tried the door. It was unlocked. He opened it as quietly as he could then stepped inside. His stealth was completely wasted when he found himself standing in the room with three Legion. It was only by pure dumb luck that they were only armed with machetes.
"Usually," Ben said as the trio stared at him. "I would say 'gentlemen' in a situation like this. Except I'm not going to disrespect the title on slaving rapists."
The closest of them charged with their machete raised. He lifted his arm causing the blade the scrape along his armored forearm. Ben replied with his own blade, jamming the knife up under his chin instantly flipping the light off in their eyes. He turned the dead Legionary and kicked the corpse at the next attacker. They went down in a tangle of limbs leaving Ben to face down the last Legion soldier one-on-one.
They let out a rage-filled scream before they charged. His knife was still lodged in the skull of the dead Legionary. Stealth would only last for so long. Ben's hand snapped down to the holster on his waist and came up in a blur holding his pistol. He snapped off three shots. Two in the chest and one in the head, the classics were classic for a reason. The gunshots thundered in the small, enclosed space. He shifted his aim to the last Legion soldier alive. This one only needed one bullet.
Ben set the Platinum Chip into the slot. A portion of the floor dropped away to reveal a staircase. He took a moment to stack the bodies in front of the door to slow down anyone that came to inspect the area. The two dead outside would raise alarms once the sun rose.
He took the steps down then down a short hallway. The passage behind him closed once he hit the elevator call button. He would be able to take his time now that he didn't have to worry about someone sneaking up behind him. It opened faster than he had expected. His stomach lurched as the ride was just as fast. He had to steady himself a moment before the door opened, but the robot in the hall didn't suffer from a minor case of vertigo.
Ben pushed himself against the side of the elevator as the robot opened fire. The lasers created charred craters on impact. He slid to the floor while he drew his pistol once more. Ben leaned out of the elevator, lower than before. A few well-placed shots turned it into scrap. He would have been in trouble if the robots had been new. The internal workings had ages enough to cause a lag in the processing. He scanned the ceiling to make sure there weren't any turrets waiting for him.
"Hello, my friend," Mister House appeared on a large screen in the next room. "I can appreciate a man that knows the importance of time management."
"Go down the hall, put the chip in the console, and come back to the Lucky," Ben said waving his hand for House to continue. "Once I get there you're going to have another 'one more thing' that needs to be done?"
"Astute," House replied. "There is yet another task for you. It is unfortunate that you need to return here to be able to continue. I needed the Securitrons to be activated." House paused. "That is interesting armor you are wearing. I have reports of some sort of vehicle being spotted along the path to the Weather Station."
Ben ignored the obvious questions, "I'll see you soon."
There were more robots and a few turrets in his way to the control panel. He waved at the sleeping Securitrons as he walked by. They might have been dormant, but he wasn't going to be rude. This was the process that happened in every storyline. It was just as boring as it was in the game. He powered the bots, set their first order to clear out the Legion in the area.
Ben walked out of the weather station to the sound of screams and explosions.
"I've got spurs, that jingle, jangle jingle," He sang as he strolled through the camp without a hint of stealth. "As I go merrily riding along." He paused. "Crap, that's all I remember."
His head hung as he walked for a couple of minutes only for him to perk up.
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day," He belted out. "Harly spoke to folks around him, didn't have too much to say. No one dared to ask his business, no one dared to make a slip, for the stranger there among them had big iron on his hip. Big iron on his hip."
Ben kept singing as he walked through the camp. The sound of explosions in the distance told him that the Securitrons were taking the order to heart. There were a couple of camps in the area, and they weren't lucky enough to be left out of the purge.
He came to the Legion side of the dam to see most of the NCR stationed there watching in a mix of awe and trepidation. It was clear that they would be glorified target practice if these upgraded Securitrons turned their attention to them. They were also confused about the strange egg-shaped vehicle that rolled to a stop at the edge of the dam.
"Don't worry, gentlemen," Ben called. "They're just cleaning up the trash. If you'll excuse me, I've got a delivery to make."
The stunned troopers shuffled out of the way to allow him to pass. He doubted it was protocol. He also doubted there was a protocol for a robot uprising wiping out their enemies. Ben zoomed across the dam without further issues. This time at night meant the roads were completely empty aside from the distant creatures. He stopped outside of Freeside to swap the Mass Effect armor with his standard and put away his capsule bike.
A couple of Securitrons patrolling the area when he arrived. They were marking piles of rubble as well as the buildings most in need of repair. He could see a few more piling bodies of bandits in a section of open ground.
Ben waited as a Securitron rolled up to him, "Mister House is waiting for you."
"Noted," He gave the bot a lazy salute while walking toward the gate.
There was a cluster of Securitrons coming through as he arrived. It looked like House was keeping his word in cleaning up Vegas. This next part of the mission would activate a powerplant located below the Lucky 38 that would make the Strip provide independent power. The plan from there was to sell the excess power from the Dam to the NCR for profit. He hoped that it would speed along the reconstruction of the area.
Securitrons were out in force in the next area. The corpses of dead Legion soldiers were stacked up out of the way showing that the order had been received. He chuckled when he noticed people were efficiently looting the pile of bodies. The people stayed away from the armor or any other identifiable items. A couple of half-naked corpses proved that the lesson was one they learned through a bloody demonstration. The NCR troopers were nervous, holding up in the station that led to their camp.
Ben chuckled as he walked up to the Lucky 38. The doors opened for him without an issue. He bobbed along to the muzac now that the hard part was finished.
"Come in, Benjamin," Mister House called as the elevator doors opened.
He shook his head as he walked to stand in front of the monitors, "Robert, thank you for the invitation."
"Are you ready for the final step?" House asked.
Ben nodded and waved for him to continue. A little panel in the console slid open to show something that looked like an ancient USB.
"Take this Override Chip to the El Dorado Substation Southwest of Boulder City," House explained. "Install it in the control console and follow the instructions. I advise you to be cautious. The NCR aren't as hostile as the Legion, but they will not take this development kindly."
"Then come back to you, report in, and call the task complete," Ben added. "And you will keep your end of the bargain."
"Yes," Mister House sighed. "I will repair Vegas and the surrounding area. However, I do not have the resources to maintain beyond that to an acceptable quality."
Ben crossed his arms, "I expected that. Get Vegas in order. You are going to open the city to settlers?"
"Yes, of course," House replied with an edge of human in his voice. "Healthy, employed people equals healthy, happy customers. It will take time to restore the buildings in the city to the point of habitation."
"I would expect nothing less," Ben shook his head. "The militia falls to me then?"
"Yes," House replied. "Unless you would prefer to delay the reconstruction?"
Ben rolled his eyes, "I'll get something together. We'll work out an agreement once I have things settled."
"Did you still wish to live in the Lucky 38?" House asked.
"I would like the option," Ben replied. "There is someone I need to talk to first."
"Ah, yes. Miss Smiles in Goodsprings," House said.
Ben shook his head, "Knowing that isn't impressive with Victor rolling around town."
"Interesting," House said after a moment of silence. "You seem to know quite a lot about recent events. Not to mention your knowledge of supposedly classified things across the country."
Ben shrugged, "I like to stay informed. Be careful if you decide to deal with the Institute of the Commonwealth. They have a habit of replacing troublemakers and people in high standing like yourself." He paused. "They might be able to transfer your consciousness into a synthetic body. I would still wait a few years and send some agents to investigate."
"Is there more advice you would like to share?" House asked with a healthy dose of sarcasm in his voice.
"No," Ben replied. "I wouldn't mind if you handled the Cazador nests in the area. I hate those things."
Ben could have taken time to take a shower and sleep, but he wanted to get this finished. He wasn't going to waste any more time. The capsule bike came out once he was out of the Freeside gate. The sun was rising as he left the area.