Chapter 621 - War Of Words.

Tamia shakes her head, "It's not about chances, it's about rising above our wants to make something greater. Before I arrived at New Vegas, it was as corrupt, as cruel, and as unforgiving as any slum... But, after working with House, speaking and... Removing some families... It's not just a place where you can piss away your caps... It has potential!" she earnestly says.

Ulysses slowly nods, "Your actions have carried conviction, as well as the strength to enforce them. But you are mistaken if you think the Families will continue their ways. You were forced to use violence to prevent the White Gloves from engaging in cannibalism again... Who knows when they will step back on that road... You also helped destroy the Chairman in the Tops for revenge. Hypocritical, considering the Chairman were among the most civilized family in the strip." he states.

Tamia sighs, knowing that she was indeed being hypocritical to argue this front... Ulysses wants revenge for almost killing him, and she wanted revenge against Benny for almost killing her... Sure, both were caught between something bigger, but either way, the result remains the same. "I'm not saying I'm perfect, I'm human, just like you, ruled by my emotions... Benny didn't just kill me, he stole my history from me. He robbed me of every memory of my family, who I was, my goals, my dreams... He didn't just murder me, he erased who I was from existence... Tell me, Ulysses, are our situations really comparable?" she asks, trying to tug on his obsession for history.

Ulysses looks at the ground in contemplation before shaking his head, "No... You may have robbed me of my future. The future of the Divide. But I kept my history, at least. Enough to learn from." he states. "But. My point still stands. The Tops is in a state of disrepair, the Omertas will not last past the war. And the Ultralux will be tempted to continue the old ways again.

You reject the ways of the Legion on moral grounds, rejecting slavery for its inherent evil... But nothing would change, aside from the collars which men will wear. From chains around their necks. To chains around their wallets. Vegas is bound to fail, especially if the NCR is forced out of the Mojave."

"Bulwark can help pick up the slack after the war... We have the technology to achieve anything and the skills to protect it! And it isn't like New Vegas will remain as it is either! We will change it for the better, force it to stop being reliant on income from the families!"

"I know where your technology comes from. And I know that any deal you made with those... Creatures, will not last." the man gravely says.

"W-wait what? How do you know that?" she asks in confusion.

Ulysses points a finger, "The symbol on your chest, you might have altered it, but it still resembles them. Those monsters of the past..."

Tamia shakes her head, "You mean the Think Tank? Those egg heads?"

Ulysses nods, "Your manner of addressing them belies what they truly are. Out of all the creatures I have met during my travels, it is they who deserve extermination the most... Quickly followed by Tunnelers. Their threat to humanity even escapes me, which... Frightens me."

"You don't need to worry about them! Afton has them under lock and key... They work for him under constant supervision, and aren't able to even think without someone knowing about it." she says with max confidence.

Ulysses breathes a sigh, "You claim to have tamed those monsters? Foolish. It was only their ignorance of the world outside their facility that prevented them from starting another apocalypse..." he states.

Tamia shakes her head, "Trust me, they aren't going anywhere... I could even show you, if you helped stop the Nukes." she offers.

Ulysses slumps his shoulders, "I am not convinced. Vegas is a failed project, it will be like the old world, with Kings sitting at the top surrounded by squalor and waste. How would it be any different to the Bear?"

Tamia bites her lip, her eyes flitting between the nukes... She knew time was getting shorter and shorter... Urgh! She shakes her head and locks eyes with Ulysses, "Didn't you say that I breathed life into the Divide? Well, I can do it again with New Vegas! And you can be a part of it too! We're both Couriers, we both contributed to the Divide!... So let's do the same with New Vegas!" she almost shouts, desperation and conviction appearing on her face.

...

Ulysses nods, "History has proven this. Our history. And you think you have this strength? Enough to hold up the NCR, long enough so that Vegas can live again? Even if you speak for Vegas and its ghosts, convincing me achieves nothing. The Missiles will continue their journey."

Tamia shakes her head, "You've already shown me that one person can make, or break a nation. So why not be that person? If you believe me incapable of building something as potentially great as the Divide, come, observe, and assist. We don't need to fight, we both lost something when the Divide was destroyed, even if I don't remember it..."

...

"Perhaps... There is much destruction written in the earth here... But maybe you are right... Maybe it is time to rebuild... Would you be capable of breathing life into Vegas, like you had the Divide? I do not know. But... I think I will watch, learn. I wish to see a nation born from the Divides ashes... Can you do that?"

"I don't know. But I'll give it my damn best shot, I swear it!" she exclaims, hitting her armoured chest with her fist as a sign of determination.

Ulysses nods, "You have spoken truly... There is a shadow of a nation behind you, the hope of a people... Yet, it may matter not."

*Baang!*

"The Divide is still against us." he states as the doors behind Tamia explode, revealing many flayed men all wielding weaponry.

"What!?" she exclaims, rushing towards Ulysses and taking cover beside him as the flayed men prepare their attack.