Veteran Ranger Dina Medina NCR Safehouse – Black Mountain Sometime After Midnight, October 18th Something had seemed off with Gloriana since she joined up with the duo at Wolfhorn Ranch and it hadn’t been getting better since they left. Dina was quiet and seldom spoke up about how she felt but this time didn’t feel right. She had a 10-ton weight in her stomach that kept nagging at her all day, it kept her on edge the entire trip, and it kept her from falling asleep after her sentry post. Now she couldn’t sit still. It had been a few hours since they were ambushed but Dina’s heart hadn’t stopped hammering in her chest. Too many things reminded her of her time in the NCR, the Legion’s nighttime raids across the Colorado, the terror and the bloodshed as her friends lay died around her. Her adrenaline was compelling her to bolt into the mountains, but her feet kept her frozen inside the safehouse. Amidst the internal turmoil her eyes stayed transfixed on Gloriana, and the wounded NCR soldiers strewn about the safehouse. “Why isn’t she saying anything!? Why hasn’t she said anything!? Why are we not doing anything!?” Dina’s internal monologue was becoming more and more frantic. It felt like she was screaming without saying a word. Her body was trembling and drenched with sweat, her fists clenched so tightly that her nails were causing fresh blood to drip from her palms. “Why am I not doing anything!?” It felt like Dina had crashed through a brick wall and landed back into reality. From where she was standing Dina yelled to Gloriana who was tending to the wounded. “Gloriana! What are we doing here!?” Even though her voice was distorted through her helmets’ vocalizer it struck Gloriana like a lightning bolt. Gloriana looked up from the soldier to acknowledge Dina, her face pale and expressionless as if she wasn’t entirely present in the room herself. “We’re tending to the wounded?” Her voice almost sounded confused and despite Dina’s minimal interaction with her it sounded wrong. Like someone else was speaking through her. “We should be out there! Hunting those bastards down!” Dina gestured towards the door and out into the wasteland. Her body was still trembling from the stress, but her voice was stern and carried enough authority that the other Rough Rider took notice and came in from outside. Gloriana remained where she was transfixed on Dina for a moment before returning to her patient almost as if nothing was ever said. Dina snapped and ran up to Gloriana grabbing her by the shoulders of her jacket. Spinning her around to face her, Dina felt the other Rough Rider put his arm around her chest pulling her away, but her grip was locked onto Gloriana’s jacket. “They can’t fucking get away with this Gloriana! This is bullshit!” She was crying under her helmet hoping that her vocalizer would hide it. “What the fuck is wrong with you!? This isn’t what we’re about!” Gloriana’s face looked shocked for a moment before she composed herself. Her eyes filled with fire as she looked at Dina but she didn’t fight her grip. Instead, she spoke softly as if talking to a child. “Go.” Dina’s grip loosened at Gloriana’s response and without hesitation she broke from the other Rough Rider’s hold and ran out the door grabbing her rifle and pack on the way. As she switched on her night vision someone else followed her out the door. It was August the other Rough Rider that had tried to pull her away. Dina turned slightly to face him, but her body language showed that she was ready to bolt. “August don’t get in the way of this.” She snapped at him, but it almost sounded like she was begging him. Just as she was nearly pleading with Gloriana through anger and frustration a moment before. “I’m not Dina. I’m heading to Sloan so we can radio for help. You’re right we need to act on this.” He paused for a second before continuing. “A man who is laden with the guilt of human blood. Will be a fugitive until death.” “Another verse from the bible? What does that make us?” Dina softened her tone, but her posture remained wound tight. “It makes us fugitives.”