by M. P. Pubs
Captain Jones was visibly sweating as she answered. "Yes, Mr. President."
"Colonel Autumn's Alpha Company was decimated, and your own squad, Delta, suffered 50% casualties before being forced to withdraw; there by losing the remaining scientist, is that correct?"
Jones nearly choked. "Yes, Mr. President."
"And all of this was done...by a nineteen year old boy and his pet mutant."
Jones visibly gritted her teeth at the thought of the Wanderer; the filthy wastelander who had humiliated her and her men. "Yes sir."
For a few moments, President Eden remained silent as Jones stood stiff as a board in the middle of the room. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally spoke. "I am very disappointed, Captain."
It took all of her military discipline for Jones to maintain her composure. She had failed the President, and the Enclave, and in doing so, she had disgraced her uniform. "I will resign my commission at once, Mr. President."
"Relax, Captain, I will not have you fall on your sword just yet."
Jones was visibly shocked at hearing this statement. The President continued.
"What is the status of Colonel Autumn?"
"Um...he is in critical but stable condition, Mr. President. Given the amount of radiation that was in that chamber, it's a miracle he survived."
"Not a miracle, it was American science. Until he recovers, you will be fulfilling his duties, Major."
Jones' mouth hung open. This was the last thing she was expecting, and she could barly speak. "I...thank you, Mr. President."
"Do not misunderstand this promotion as a reward, Major. The fact is, we need you. For now I want you to focus on tightening our control over Project Purity. Have our forces expand beyond the Memorial and set up a buffer zone between us and that Brotherhood of Steel."
"What about Rivet City, Mr. President? Our spy stated that the scientist came from there."
"Leave them be...for now. Once our scientist activate the Purifier, Rivet City and the rest of the surrounding settlements will be much more...cooperative."
Jones smiled and saluted. "Yes, Mr. President. I won't let you down, sir."
"I know you won't, Major. Dismissed."
The newly promoted Major walked out of the President's quarters with a slight bounce in her step. She had been given a second chance to prove herself, and there was one thing above all else she intended to do with that second chance: find the Lone Wanderer, and present his head to the President on a silver platter.
* * *
Amata sighed and rubbed her eyes in frustration. 'Two weeks', she thought. Two weeks of endless reports, and mountains of paperwork. As she sat at her desk, staring at the latest scouting reports, she wondered how her father had managed to do this job for so many years. Since that terrible day, the day she lost both her father and the love of her life, Amata had not taken a breath. She immediately set out to establish trade with local communities, and fulfill her promise to Marcus to make the Vault more secure. Their first stop was the town of Megaton, and Amata insisted on leading the delegation. (mostly because she felt it was her duty as Overseer, but secretly, she hoped to catch a glimpse of Marcus). Though her lover was not there, the meeting with Lucas Simms and the town's people went better than expected. When they told her of the condition of the town's water treatment plant, Amata immediately ordered fresh water from the Vault be delivered to Megaton. With help from the Vault's engineers, Walter and Leo Stahl (the water purifier's keepers), managed get the system working at full capacity. The town's citizens were so grateful (especially Moria Brown, who bombarded the Vault residents with questions), that they were given an assortment of weapons and body armor for their expanding security force. In addition, Lucas Simms offered to train the Vault's security force in shooting and hand to hand fighting.
All told, it was a good start.
A knock on the door brought Amata out of her thought. "Come in."
The door opened and Herman Gomez, (who Amata appointed as Executive Overseer), and Susie Mack stepped inside. Judging by the looks on their faces, Amata could tell they were not bringing good news. "What is it?"
Gomez and Susie looked at each other, then Susie pulled out a small radio. "We thought you should hear this." She placed the radio on the desk and turned it on. The all to familiar voice of Three Dog filled the office.
"Well, boys and girls, what can I say. Looks like President Eden wasn't completely full of shit after all. Methinks we are screwed..."
"Tinfoil hat time, children. My eyes and ears tell me the Big Bad Government has taken over that big machine thingy at the Jefferson Memorial. You heard it here first, my friends - the Enclave is on the scene. I've got reports of flying ships and shock troops in high-tech power armor."
A feeling of dread began to fill Amata as she listened to the broadcast. The Jefferson Memorial? That's where Marcus told them Project Purity was located. Three Dog continued.
"And, when the Man showed up, a bunch of scientists went running. With them was Rivet City's own Dr. Madison Li, and that crazy kid from Vault 101."
Amata jumped out of her seat. "Marcus!"
Both Gomez and Susie could see the fear in her eyes. Even though Gomez was still the only other person who knew the truth of Marcus' exile, it was no secret that Amata still had feelings for him.
Amata gripped the edge of the desk, holding her breath as she waited for the rest of the broadcast.
"Relax, children. They're safe and sound now at the Citadel. Praise Jesus! Praise Jesus!"
Amata began breathing again. "Thank God." she whispered.
"Now here's the really bad news. Reports indicated that James, the kid's father, was killed during the assault."
A gasp escaped from Amata as she covered her mouth. Both Gomez and Susie began to choke up. Three Dog ended the broadcast with his trade mark howl, and Amata's shaking hand turned the radio off. "I can't believe it."
Susie could no longer hold back her tears. "Poor James. All he wanted to do was help people. He didn't deserve that."
Gomez put his arm around her as she wept. "Overseer, if the Enclave is here, and if they control the Purifier..."
"I know!" Amata snapped. "Things just got a lot more dangerous. Securing this Vault was our first priority, now it's our only priority. We will limit the number of trading parties to one at a time, and it will be for guns, ammo and armor only. We will stay out of the downtown DC area. Tell our people to avoid these Enclave troops at all times."
"But what if we can't avoid them?" Susie asked. "What if some of our people are captured?"
Amata looked her dead in the eye. "That's what the cyanide capsules are for."
Susie's mouth nearly hit the floor. Before leaving the Vault, every resident was required to carry cyanide pills if capture was inevitable, but to actually hear the Overseer say it...
"Amata..."
"That will be all." Amata sat back down and began going through the reports again. Gomez and Susie lingered for a few moments before picking up the radio and leaving. Once the door was closed, Amata dropped the reports and placed her head in her hands. "Oh Marcus, what have I done?" she wept. Fear and guilt racked her very being. While she and the rest of the Vault residents sat in safety and comfort, Marcus' father had been killed, and he was now fighting a brutal enemy - alone. Amata wanted to be with him, to hold and comfort him and show him that he was not alone...and it killed her that she couldn't. She reached down and unlocked a small drawer in her desk, and removed a framed picture of her and Marcus at her sixteenth birthday. They both looked so young and happy; without a care in the world. How she ached for those days once again.
"I'm sorry." she whispered as the tears fell on the image.
* * *
Marcus was dozing off for the second time at the computer console before he finally retired to the Citadel's barracks. Even then, Charon had to practically drag him out of the archives. Marcus had combed through countless records on all three Vaults - and had found nothing
about the GECK. Scribe Jameson told him that her team would continue looking through the archives for clues, and while grateful, Marcus was still frustrated. Even the discovery that the Citadel had hot showers did little to brighten his mood. When he finally did sleep, he dreamed of his father. The terrible scene from the previous day played out before him again, and Marcus woke up gasping from air. He checked the time on his PIPBOY: 4:37 am.
"Damn it." Marcus said. Throwing the covers off, he got up and made his way to the mess hall for a drink. The Citadel was eerily quiet, as only a few BOS soldiers were on guard duty. Marcus reached inside the refrigerator, grabbed a bottle of purified water - and that's when the tears started to flow. In that moment, everything that had happened, had finally caught up with him. Try as he might, he was not able to control the sobs that now echoed in the empty mess hall, and he was soon sitting on the cold floor with his head in his hands. He thought of his father, and how he had failed to save him.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Dad." he kept repeating.
He had no idea how much time had passed. He just sat there, shivering in his T-shirt and boxers. Through his tear filled eyes, he noticed a pair of small feet in front of him. His head shot up, and there was Sarah Lyons, wearing nothing but a black tank top and underwear to match, staring down at him. Since this was the first time Marcus had seen her without her bulky power armor, he was speechless as he took in her beauty. For a woman as strong as Sarah Lyons, she was surprisingly petite, with well defined hips, and her breast rivaled those of most women he had met. He also noticed that she had the Brotherhood of Steel emblem proudly tattooed on her left arm above the elbow. As he struggled to wipe away his tears, Sarah presented her right hand to him. Without saying a word, he took it and she helped him stand up.
Marcus quickly tried to compose himself. "I'm sorry, Sentinel."
Sarah shook her head. "Don't be. You think you're the first soldier to cry after losing someone?"
Marcus didn't answer. He was grateful that the tough leader of the Lyons' Pride was understanding, and was surprised that he called him a soldier. Sarah took the bottle of water out of Marcus' hands, placed it back inside the refrigerator, and removed two beers. She opened one and handed it to him. "A night like this calls for alcohol. And when we're off duty, it's Sarah."
Marcus managed to smile. "Thanks."
Sarah could sense his awkwardness, and she calmly leaned against the counter. "Relax, we're not very modest around here. Hell, I grew up with most of these guys; they're like my brothers."
Marcus began to blush. 'True, but I'm not your brother,' he thought. Pushing the impure thoughts from his mind, Marcus took a drink, and they both sat down at one of the tables. "So," Marcus began, "why are you up this late?"
Sarah took a drink and shrugged. "I haven't slept since I was eight."
Marcus didn't know what to make of that comment, and he took another swig.
Sarah looked down at her bottle. "It's not easy losing someone in battle. Especially if it's someone you're close to."
Marcus tightened his grip on his bottle. "I just...I just want to kill everyone of those Enclave bastards!"
Sarah nodded. "That's good. Use that anger to get the job done." She leaned closer. "But don't let it blind you, either. I've seen that happen to too many soldiers. It makes them sloppy, careless, and they usually end up getting themselves killed. But you managed to keep your head and got those scientist out of there. That proves you have discipline...something very few wastelanders have."
Marcus sat back in his chair. "You don't like wastelanders very much, do you?"
Sarah sat back and shook her head. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we're helping the people here."
"But?"
"But I...question my father's decision to recruit from among the locals. The fact is, you're the first wastelander I've seen that's shown any real potential of being a soldier. The only other person who even came close was Redding...and you saw what happened to her."
Marcus took another long drink as he remembered Redding's violent death. "Why did your father decide to recruit from the local population?"
There was a long pause, and Marcus could see the anger in the Sentinel's eyes. "He had no choice. A few years ago a small group, led by a man named Casdin, abandoned us and went out on their own." Sarah let out a bitter laugh. "They didn't even have the courage to tell us they were leaving. They just snuck out in the middle of the night after stealing several rare pieces of tech. They call themselves "Outcast" to mock my father!"
Marcus was surprised at this revelation. "Why did they leave?"
Sarah took another drink from her beer. "You see, we were sent here from Lost Hills, that's our main chapter out west, to search for lost tech and weapons. That is the primary mission of the Brotherhood: to preserve technology for the future of mankind. For the first decade that's all we did, but when my father saw the increasing threat of the Super Mutants, and the suffering outside these walls, he decided to make protecting the people here our number one priority."
"That was very noble."
"Yeah, well, not everyone agreed. Casdin and his followers believed that we should focus only on gathering tech, even though we pretty much picked this place clean. He thinks helping locals is a waste of time. I may question the fighting ability of wastelanders, but Casdin sees all of you as sub-human."
Marcus took a drink. Though he had never met this Casdin, he hated him already. "Sounds like a real asshole!"
"Yeah - and a traitor. The real insult: they think they are the true Brotherhood, and that my father has quote "gone native"."
Marcus could see how this subject was getting Sarah upset. "Well, speaking for all wastelanders, I'm glad your father made that choice."
The hardened soldier seemed to appreciate that. "Well, their betrayal hurt my father deeply. But...I think it was worth it."
They sat there for a while, talking and finishing off another beer. Finally, Marcus noticed the time on his PIPBOY. "Well, I think it's too late to go back to bed."
"Yeah. Another day." Sarah stood up. "My father has called for a meeting in the Great Hall at 0900."
Marcus had a blank stare on his face.
"That's 9 o'clock in the morning."
"Oh yeah! I a...I knew that."
Sarah smiled at his attempt to bullshit her. "Yeah, right. Meet me in the courtyard at 0...I mean 7 am sharp. My father has authorized you to receive power armor training."
Marcus stood up. "Power armor training?"
"That's right. My father wants us to support you in any way we can. Paladin Gunny will be your instructor."
* * *
"THIS IS THE MOST PATHETIC BUNCH OF INITIATES I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!"
Paladin Gunny's screams were heard throughout the courtyard, as he paced back and forth in front of six very nervous recruits. "I cannot believe what is happening to my beloved Brotherhood! Where have you people been all your lives!" He stepped up to the first Initiate, who was slightly taller then him. "Jesus Christ, what the hell have they been feeding you?! How tall are you, scumbag?"
"Sir, six foot one, sir!"
"Six foot one, I didn't know they stacked shit that high! You trying to squeeze an inch on me boy?!"
"Sir no sir!"
Gunny turned to the next Initiate, and got right in his face. "And you! What's your excuse?"
The Initiate hesitated for a moment. "Sir, for what, sir?"
"I'M ASK'N THE FUCKING QUESTIONS HERE, INITIATE! I noticed you looking at me funny do you think I'm cute?"
"Sir no sir!"
"Do you suck dicks?!"
The Initiates eyes went wide. "Sir...no sir!"
"Bullshit, I bet you can suck a golf ball through a garden hose! I'm gonna be watch'n you!"
Gunny continued walking down the line of recruits, and stopped in front of a female who was smiling. "DO I FUCKING AMUSE YOU, SWEETHEART?"
The Initiate's smile quickly faded. "Sir, no sir!"
"Holy shit! Are y
ou wearing fucking MAKEUP in ranks?!"
The Initiate suddenly looked as though someone had just walked over her grave.
"YOU GOTTA BE SHIT'N ME! YOU THINK YOU'RE THE FUCKING PRINCES OF THE BROTHERHOOD?!"
"Sir, no sir!"
Gunny got right in her face. "DO YOU PLAN ON SHOOTING THE ENCLAVE OR FUCKING THEM TO DEATH! GET DOWN ON YOUR FACE AND START PUSHING THE WASTELAND!"
In a flash the Initiate was on the ground, counting out push-ups.
Marcus watched the entire scene unfold from the other side of the courtyard. Marcus had fought Raiders, slavers, Super Mutants, Enclave soldiers, cannibles and killer cyborgs...and he was absolutely terrified of this man. "Holy shit!"
Sarah Lyons, who was standing next to him, smiled. "Don't worry, his bark is worse then his bite." She slapped Marcus on the back; her way of telling him to head on over.
The Lone Wanderer gathered his courage and approached the Paladin; who had just ordered the Initiates to begin running laps around the courtyard.
"Excuse me, Paladin Gunny. My name is Marcus..."
"Yeah, yeah, I know who you are!" The Gunny slowly walked up to Marcus. "You're the guy who gets to walk in here, skip weeks of training, and get power armor training that other Initiates have to bleed and sweat for." The Paladin got right in Marcus' face. "WHAT THE HELL MAKES YOU SO SPECIAL?!"
Marcus swallowed hard, but he held the Paladin's gaze. "I...have orders from the Elder, sir." he calmly answered.
The two men stared at each for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, Paladin Gunny backed away. "Well alright, then. I don't like it, but orders are orders. So, the first thing you have to do to wear power armor is relax your arms...
* * *
After his training session with Paladin Gunny, Marcus made his way to the Great Hall, located in the Citadel's A ring. Both he and Charon were greeted at the entrance by Elder Lyons.
"Marcus, good of you to join us. How are you, this morning?"
Marcus shrugged. "Okay I guess. Elder, could I ask you something?"
"Of course."