by M. P. Pubs
'Holy shit! No way my armor can stop that!' Marcus took aim and fired until his magazine went dry. He could hear some of the bullets hitting the guard's armor, and at one point, he thought he heard the man scream. But the guard was determined to hold his ground, and he continued to fire the deadly weapon; which was now causing the corner of the wall that Marcus was hiding behind to disintegrate. Marcus quickly moved back along the wall, reloaded his pistol, and checked his PIPBOY. Still thirty more seconds before he could use his VATS again. "Damn it!" he yelled.
The sound of several shotgun blast from inside the gift shop caused Marcus' heart to jump. He knew that shotgun; he could recognize the sound anywhere. He looked around the destroyed wall and spotted Charon, standing behind the now surprised armored man and blasted him at point blank range with the Terrible Shotgun. The man let out a blood curtailing scream before he finally collapsed and died. Marcus ran out from behind his cover and over to the ghoul. "Charon! You alright?"
"Yeah." He looked down at his left arm. "Took a laser blast to the shoulder."
Marcus looked around. "Where are the Rivet City guards?"
"Dead. These bastards turned them to ash before we could even say hello. I barely got away."
Marcus kneeled down and looked at the bodies. "Who the hell are they?"
Charon shook his head. "I don't know. They're not Brotherhood, that's for sure. I don't even think they have tech like this. It's a good thing these tungsten rounds can penetrate that armor."
Marcus picked up the strange, green rifle and examined it. "This thing makes laser rifles look like toys. I saw Lyons use what she called a plasma grenade in our fight at GNR. This weapon seems to fire the same kind of energy. It looks like it's powered by micro-fusion cells."
"Well since most of our gear is still in the basement, I suggest we take what we can off these assholes." He reached into his pack and pulled out Marcus' grenade launcher. "It's a good thing you loaned me this. There's only one round left, so make it count."
Marcus took the weapon. "Thanks." He and Charon looted what ever weapons they could from the corpses. Marcus kept the plasma rifle and ammo for it, and he and Charon found two frag grenades, and two plasma grenades. They were about to head out when a low voice began coming from one of the corpses.
"This is Colonel Autumn, is everything alright? We thought we heard gunfire outside."
Marcus realized that it was coming from one of the dead guard's helmets, and he quickly reached down and removed it.
"I say again, this is Colonel Autumn. Give me a sitrep, over."
Marcus had an idea, and he quickly found the mic inside the helmet and spoke. "This is - Delta team. Everything is alright. We found a couple of hostiles but they have been eliminated. Over."
Marcus held his breath as he waited for the reply. "Good work. Remain at your post. Colonel Autumn, out."
Marcus let out a deep breath. "Come on, I think they're in the Rotunda. If we're lucky we can take them by surprise."
* * *
James calmly stood in front of the main control panel of Project Purity. To his right was a visibly frightened Janice Kaplinski, and they were both flanked by two men in power armor. At the bottom of the stairs, just inside the Rotunda entrance, Doctor Li, Doctor Dargon, and Garza, were standing with there hands above their heads as two more armored men covered them. Anna Holt was no where to be found. Standing in front of James was the obvious leader of these invaders, and he began to address the scientist.
"By the authority of the President, this facility is now under United States Government control. The person in charge is to step forward immediately and turn over all materials related to this project."
James took a step forward and cleared his throat. "That's quite impossible. This is a private project, the Enclave has no authority here. I'm going to have to ask you to leave at once."
The Colonel glared and James and placed his hands behind his back. " Am I to assume, sir, that you are in charge?"
James nodded. " Yes, I'm responsible for this project."
"Then I repeat, sir, that you are hereby instructed to immediately hand over all materials related to the purifier."
" I'm sorry, but that's..."
The Colonel put his hand up and cut James off. " Furthermore, you are to assist Enclave scientists in assuming control of the administration and operation of this facility at once."
James clenched his fist. Little did this Colonel realise, but James already knew who these people were. These men where the Enclave: a band of fascist and xenophobes who claimed to be the descendants of the United States Government. They were here for one reason: to take Project Purity away from him and use it for their own sick agenda. This is why he had already set things in motion; before the Colonel and his goons had entered the room. Slowly the pressure in the reactor was building, and all James had to do was enter the final sequence. He just had to buy a little more time. " Colonel - is it colonel? I'm sorry but the facility isn't operational. It never has been. I'm afraid you are wasting your time here."
Colonel Autumn's jaw hardened. "Sir, this is the LAST time I'm going to repeat myself. Stand down at once and turn over control of this facility."
James glanced over at Janice, who was trying her best to contain her terror. He took a deep breath. "Colonel, I assure you that this facility will not function. We have never been able to successfully replicate test results."
The Colonel stood there motionless, and stared at James with cold eyes. Then, without saying a word, the Colonel drew a 10mm pistol, and shot Janice right between the eyes. Down inside the Rotunda, Madison let out a scream, and an enraged Garza tried to run towards the steps, but was quickly knocked back down by one of the guards. James stared at Janice's lifeless body, and his blood ran cold. He stared back at the Colonel, and there was no emotion on the man's face.
" I suggest you comply immediately, sir, in order to prevent any more incidents. Are we clear?"
James had to resist the urge to go for the man's throat. " Yes, colonel. I'll do whatever you want, there's no need for more violence."
The Colonel holstered his pistol. "Then you will immediately hand over all materials related to this project and aid us in making it operational at once."
A sigh escaped from James. "Very well, give me a few moments to get the system online." He turned around and looked down at his gauges. 'Just a few more seconds', he thought.
The doors of the Rotunda burst open, and the two Enclave soldiers guarding the scientist were gunned down by a hail of shotgun and plasma fire. Autumn drew his pistol and grabbed James by the arm, while one of his two remaining guards stepped through the airlock, laser rifle at the ready. Three blast from Marcus' plasma rifle turned the soldier to a pile of green goo, and Autumn held his pistol to James' head. Both Marcus and Charon climbed the steps, and stopped just outside the airlock. Marcus aimed his rifle at the Colonel. "Let'em go!"
The Colonel pressed the gun against James' temple. "You are in no position to give me orders, boy!"
Marcus stared at his father, then back to the Colonel. "If he dies, you die!" he growled.
The Colonel sneered. "Son, do you have any idea who we are?"
"Yeah - just another bunch of assholes who think they can take what doesn't belong to them."
When James realized that it was Marcus coming to his rescue, the first thing he felt was panic. He was hoping that his son had somehow managed to get away, or had the good sense to hide until all of this was over. But seeing him now, standing against the might of the Enclave, James never felt prouder in his life.
"We are the representatives of the United States Government," The Colonel said, "and we are fighting for the glory of America!"
A small laugh escaped from Marcus. "I don't know if you've taken a good look outside, pal, but the war's over. You lost!"
"We haven't lost anything! We will rebuild this great country to it's former glory; the way it was meant to be..."
As the Colonel we
nt on his rant, James turned and looked down at his gauges. The pressure was in the red, and time was up. He had to act fast, and he stared at his son for what would probably be the last time. He was going to miss him, and it broke his heart knowing he would not be there for Marcus. But as his son stood up to Colonel Autumn, James smiled. 'He's going to be fine; I raised him right.'
James shoved the unsuspecting Colonel with all his might, knocking him into the other Enclave soldier. Before Marcus or Charon could react, James hit a switch on the control panel, and the airlock slammed shut.
Marcus pounded on the glass. "Dad! What the hell are you doing?"
James turned and began to type in the final sequence. Colonel Autumn regained his footing and fired two bullet's into James' back. Marcus watched in horror as his father slumped over the now blood covered controls.
"NOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed as he pounded even harder on the glass.
James struggled to stand as blood poured from his wounds. He looked over at the Colonel, and to everyone's surprise, James presented him with his middle finger. He then used that same finger to push the final button on the panel, and an explosion rocked the facility, knocking everyone off their feet.
Marcus quickly got back on his feet, and looked into the chamber, desperate to find his father. James crawled towards the airlock, and Marcus dropped to his knees. "Dad! Open the door!" He pounded on the glass. "You can make it! You just have to open the door!"
James placed his blood covered right hand onto the glass and looked at his son. There were so many things he wanted to say to him in that moment. He wanted to tell him that he was proud of him, and that he loved him more than anything, and that he was sorry for leaving him in the Vault the way he did. He wanted to wipe away his son's tears, and tell him that it was going to be alright. That both he and his mother would always watch over him. Instead, only one word could escape his throat. "Run. RUN!"
Marcus placed his palm over the glass covering his father's, and he watched through tear filled eyes as he took his last breath. James' hand slipped down, leaving only a bloodied hand print on the glass. Marcus began to shake violently. "Nononononono!" He stood up, grabbed his plasma rifle, and took aim. He was going to get his father out of there no matter what. He was about to pull the trigger when Charon grabbed the rifle and stopped him.
"Marcus no!"
Marcus fought against the ghoul with all his might. "I'VE GOTTA GET'EM OUT OF THERE!"
Charon held fast. "MARCUS! HE'S GONE! LOOK AT YOUR PIPBOY!"
Marcus stopped struggling and looked at his right arm. The radiation readings in the room were rising quickly.
"The whole compartment is flooded with radiation!" Charon said. "If you open that door now everyone in here is dead!"
Marcus pushed against the ghoul and continued to struggle for his rifle. "I DON'T CARE..."
Charon shoved him against the wall. "MARCUS! HE. IS. GONE!"
Marcus stood there, tears streaming down his face. Slowly he relaxed and stopped struggling, and Charon let him go. He stared as his father's lifeless body, and let out a tortured scream that echoed through the Rotunda. He slumped down on the ground and sat there, sorrow, anger and rage coarsing through his viens. All of those weeks of searching, everything he had been through - and it all ended like this. Marcus shut his eyes tight; hoping that when he opened them again that this would all be just a terrible dream.
Madison came running up the stairs. "We have to get out of here. More of them will be here any second."
Marcus' eyes shot open; rage and blood lust filled them as he stood up and began heading for the Rotunda entrance. Charon ran passed him and blocked the door. "Marcus don't!"
"Get out of my way, Charon!"
"If you do this you'll get yourself killed."
Marcus tried to push past him. "I DON'T GIVE A SHIT! THEY KILLED MY FATHER AND NOW I'M GOING TO KILL THEM!"
"MARCUS! We can't fight them all! Your father sacrificed himself so that you could live. He wouldn't want you throw your life away like this."
Marcus stopped pushing and stared at his friend. Charon glanced over at the team of scientist. "We have to get these people out of here. There will be a time for revenge, I promise you. But right now, we have to go!"
Marcus looked over at the terrified scientist. Every fiber of his being was telling him to charge out of the Rotunda, and slaughter as many of these Enclave bastards as he could before being cut down. But Charon was right; that is not what his father would've wanted. His father sacrificed himself to save lives, not to satisfy a lust for revenge. Reluctantly, Marcus looked at his friend and gave a weak nod.
The relief was evident on Charon's face. "Alright, let's go." The ghoul quickly looted what he could from the two Enclave corpses: a laser pistol, more micro-fusion cells and two more grenades.
"There's a man-hole cover just outside this door that leads to the Taft underground tunnel network." Doctor Li said. "It's our only way out, come on!"
She and the rest of her team ran out the door, with Charon right behind him. He turned and saw Marcus, standing still and staring at the room where his father had died. "Marcus! Come on!"
Marcus took a deep breath, and his voice was barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry, Dad." He forced himself to run towards Charon, and the two of them quickly made their way into the tunnels.
* * *
The Taft tunnels reminded Marcus of the metro tunnels that he had traveled in, only there was no rail line to follow. According to Madison, these tunnels led underneath the old Pentagon, which was now known as the Citadel: the headquarters of the Brotherhood of Steel. They had made it down the first tunnel, and were in a large central chamber that branched off into more tunnels, when the first feral ghouls appeared. The scientist, who had obviously never seen combat before, ran back towards the tunnel, as Charon and Marcus opened fire. The fight didn't last very long, and the four feral ghouls had been dealt with.
Just as the last ghoul fell, they could hear movement from down the tunnel that they had just come through. "Oh my God! Madison cried. "They're coming!"
Marcus cursed under his breath. 'Feral ghouls in front of us, Enclave soldiers behind us', he thought. "Charon, you stay up front and take care of any ghouls we run into. I'll keep those bastards off our tails."
Charon nodded. "Alright, but make sure you don't fall too far behind."
Marcus gave his friend a slap on the arm and ran to the rear of the scientist. "Come on, move!"
The group quickly ran into another tunnel, and Marcus stood just inside the entrance of it, turned around, and readied his grenade launcher. He could hear the Enclave soldiers running down the other tunnel, and he took aim and waited. The first soldier appeared, and Marcus activated his VATS, targeted the man's torso, and fired. The explosion blew the soldier's armor and chest apart, and a second Enclave soldier standing behind him was wounded. Marcus ducked into the tunnel and ran towards the rest of the group.
Alpha team's commanding officer, Captain Jones, was nearly knocked down when the grenade exploded, killing one of her men and wounding another. The blonde hair, blue eyed woman picked up her officer cap, and urged her men on. "Keep going; don't let these fuckers get away!"
Leaving their wounded and dead behind, Alpha team moved forward. They entered the second tunnel, and when they rounded another corner, were met by a hail of plasma fire. The first round hit one of her soldiers directly in the face, and the man screamed as it was melted off. Jones ducted back around the corner, but then returned fire with her plasma pistol. 'How can a savage fire an energy weapon like that!', she thought. She was about to order her men to advance, when she heard the thud of a frag grenade land near them. One of her soldiers yelled "Grenade!" and knocked her to the ground. The explosion shattered the soldier's leg, knocking him out of the fight.
Jones quickly got back up. Two dead, and two men wounded. She was beginning to get pissed off. "Open fire!"
A hail of plasma and laser fire flew down the tunnel towa
rds Marcus, and he barely rounded the corner in time. He quickly made his way back to the group, and he could hear gun fire up ahead as Charon dispatched three more feral ghouls. Madison managed to open up a large, metal blast door which led into another central chamber. Once they were through, Madison closed the door, and Charon shot the controls with his shotgun. "That should hold them for a while." He said.
Marcus took a moment to catch his breath. He was covered in sweat, and every muscle in his body ached. Suddenly, they could hear laser and plasma fire hitting the blast doors; the Enclave was trying to get in.
"We have to go!" Marcus said.
Madison grabbed his arm. "We can't!"
Marcus looked at her wide eyed. "Are you crazy? Why not?"
"It's Garza; he has a heart condition and the strain of all of this is too much."
Marcus looked at the engineer, and he was indeed sitting on the ground grabbing his chest and breathing heavily. "What can we do?" he asked Madison.
"He needs nitro pills otherwise his heart will give out."
Marcus looked at Garza. "Well do you have any?"
Garza struggled to speak. "No. I...left them...back at the - memorial."
The sound of a plasma grenade going off outside the door startled everyone. The doors were still holding, but it wouldn't be long.
"Well we can't stay here! Charon said. "We have to move now."
Marcus tried to pull Garza up. Madison ran over to stop him. "No, the stress will kill him!"
Marcus struggled to get the man to his feet. "We don't have a choice! He has to move or we're all dead!"
Garza reached out and grabbed Madison's arm. "Leave me here, Doc. Save...yourselves."
Marcus stopped struggling, and Garza sat back down. Madison shook her head. "No, that is not an option..."
"I'm not gonna...make it." Garza whispered. He looked at Marcus and held out his right hand. "Give me a weapon. I'll...hold them off as long...as I can."