Come Fly With MePrologue: No Gods, No MastersThomas remained calm as he waited for the Lucky 38 elevator to arrive at the penthouse, a bottle of whiskey in hand. He had a feeling this was going to happen. He was shocked that everything had happened so quickly, that there were still so many steps he hadn't taken. He was prepared for the worst, wearing his Elite Riot Gear, a Sequoia held loosely in his other hand. “It's about time you came to your senses,” General Oliver Lee said as he exited the elevator, flanked by a pair of veteran Rangers. “I have agreed to this meeting, General,” Thomas said, spitting out the last word. "The answer is no, I just thought I'd fix things." “So you refuse to hand over control of the casino to the NCR?” “I refuse to hand over control of Las Vegas to a power-hungry, expansionist, morally bankrupt asshole,” Thomas retorted. “Like I'm someone who talks about morality.” “I don't give a shit about everyone in this city. On the other hand, you see your soldiers as cannon fodder to throw at the enemy so you can stand on top of a pile of corpses and call it 'victory.' Thomas smiled as behind the General the two Rangers looked at each other. He knew they agreed with what he said, that they thought 'Wait and See' was idiotic. “Our requests are reasonable,” Lee countered. “Your demands amount to slavery. It may not seem like it, but the NCR bureaucracy is more efficient than any slave collar at controlling people. I made a mistake by supporting your cause,” Thomas snapped. “I tipped the odds in your favor, and this is how you decide to repay me? A knife in the back?” “I don't know what you're talking about.” “Moore had Crocker fired after all he had done to negotiate peace with the Kings. You claimed credit for everything, me and H... middle of paper... pulled the trigger twice. One shot landed in Thomas' leg, causing him to stumble. "Son of a bitch!" Thomas screamed as he stood up. He had to escape, he knew it. Reaching inside the duster, his fingers held something shaped like a gun. He smiled as he pulled out his Transportalponder. It wasn't the perfect solution, but it would give him time to recover, and the Great Void had plenty of things he could use. "Stop!" He turned and saw the other Ranger leaning out of the broken window. "It's not happening!" Thomas shouted back, aiming the Transportalponder in the air and pulling the trigger. Instead of the swirling vortex of blue energy he was used to, however, tendrils of crackling electricity streaked up his arm. They didn't hurt him, even though they wrapped around the rest of his body. "Oh man," he murmured, moments before he felt himself being torn to pieces.