"God, there's almost nothing left. Looks like whoever it was - was just in the mood for killing. Most of the cargo's ash, too - not burned, looks like... disintegrated. So close to the Vegas wall, too, don't that beat all. Must have happened during the day, though, they hadn't made a camp."
Cassidy walked a few paces ahead, her gaze flickering to every corner of the wreckage. She wasn't just hunting for answers; she was looking for ghosts, memories that had never truly left her.
"Anything?"
Six asked, his voice carrying in the stillness.
"You know what, what happened to this Caravan - not the first time I've heard about an attack like this. My caravans got hit back a few years back, and the caravan'd been burned, too, along with the cargo. This... is Brotherhood-level murder here. But they don't do things like that. This was done with a purpose."
Cassidy paused, her eyes narrowing as she surveyed the wreckage. Then, without a word, she walked toward the ruins of an old caravan vehicle. There, half-buried in the snow, were several sets of boot prints—recent, heading into the structure.
"Someone's been here."
She said quietly.
"And I don't think it was just a passing raider band. Let's poke around a bit, and see what we can find. Might be something in the wreckage."
Six nodded, his hand on his weapon, as he motioned for the crew to fan out.
"Let's clear it. We go in carefully."
They moved forward, each of them taking a position as they neared the wreckage. Boone and Rebecca flanked the front, while Raul and Roger kept watch from the rear. Cassidy stayed close to Six, her eyes sharp and focused.
The door to the wrecked caravan wagon creaked as they pushed it open, revealing the dim interior. The smell of rust, decay, and something more sinister hit them immediately.
Inside, the remains of old supplies and personal belongings were scattered across the floor—nothing unusual, just a place where people had lived, fought, and died. But then, Six's eyes caught something: a piece of paper, half-buried under a pile of scrap metal. He pulled it free and unfolded it.
The ink was smudged, but it was still legible. It was a map with notes, hastily scrawled in handwriting that was too neat to be a raider's.
"What's that? Looks like a map - got the route along the West of Vegas, and..."
Six stared at the map, then looked at Cassidy. Her expression was unreadable, but he could see the storm brewing behind her eyes.
"...they've marked another spot. Over here, along this stretch. That's fucked up - middle of nowhere."
Cassidy clenched her jaw, eyes hardened as she examined the map. Her hand clenched around the flask in her hand before she shoved it back into her coat pocket, her fingers trembling slightly. Six could feel the tension rising as the implications of what they were seeing hit her.
"That's the spot."
She muttered, almost to herself, but loud enough for everyone to hear.
"That's the place where they attacked my caravan. Someone's running a pattern. This ain't just random caravan hits."
She muttered.
Six's eyes never left the map as he stepped closer to her. He'd heard her talk about her caravan, the loss, the way it was all taken from her, but this? This was personal. She wasn't just fighting for the sake of it. She was hunting something down.
"Looks like the next target might be along this route. Why would they mark it again?"
Six asked, his tone was thoughtful.
"They're hitting caravans close to Vegas but leaving the goods. This is deliberate. Coordinated. Could they still operating in this area?"
Boone stepped up beside them, eyes narrowing as he studied the wreckage again.
"Disintegrated bodies, energy weapons… This has Brotherhood written all over it, but Cassidy's right—this isn't how they operate. If they wanted supplies, they'd take them. If they wanted people dead, they'd have a reason."
Roger exhaled, shaking his head.
"So, what are we looking at here? A rogue faction? Mercs with Brotherhood tech?"
Cassidy's lips tightened as she processed the information, but she didn't answer immediately. Instead, she crouched beside the map and traced her finger along the path that led deeper into the wasteland.
She shook her head as if the weight of the memories was too much to carry at that moment.
"It's them, Six."
Cassidy finally spoke, her voice low but firm.
"It's the same group. The ones who slaughtered my people. I knew it wasn't just some random band of raiders—this was something organized. And now they're moving again, probably looking to do the same thing."
Six paused, the gravity of her words sinking in.
"So this isn't just about clearing out some raiders. This is about taking them down."
Cassidy stood up, the resolve in her eyes solidifying into something fierce.
"Yeah. They killed my family, my people. They left nothing behind but ashes. And now they're marking their territory again. I'm not letting them get away with it."
"Alright."
Six said, his voice steady.
"We take the fight to them. We don't just wait for them to make a move. But we'll need a solid plan."
Boone, who had been standing nearby, came closer, his voice low but purposeful.
"If they're organized like you think, they'll have more than a few tricks up their sleeves. We need to be smart about this."
Cassidy's eyes flicked to Boone for a moment, and then she nodded.
"I know."
She said, a grim smile forming.
"But they don't know what they're dealing with yet. And that's their mistake."
Six looked back down at the map, then to his crew.
"Guys well head to Horowitz Farmstead and scout ahead. Then we'll approach the East Pump Station, keep your heads on a swivel, and if you see anything out of the ordinary, speak immediately."
The crew nodded in unison, the plan falling into place. They knew the stakes now, and they weren't going to let Cassidy go in alone.
"Let's do this."
Cassidy muttered, her voice cutting through the tense air.
As the team prepared, Six glanced one last time at the wreckage. He didn't know what they'd find out there, but the feeling in his gut told him this wasn't going to be a simple cleanup job. Whatever Cassidy was about to face, they were all going to face it together.
With a final glance at the wreckage of what had been a caravan, Six climbed back into the War Bus, the engine growling to life as they set out toward the marked location.